The new contribution store had a single yet most important change– you can buy any information by paying enough points. Zyrus had poured 99% of his knowledge into this. Secrets about the sanctuary, famous hunting spots, treasures, and even the information on the third, fourth, and fifth rings. He had shared everything except things related to the cube and his regression.
‘Of course, they’ll need a whole lot of points to afford that,’
Zyrus curved his lips as he surveyed the player’s reaction through the holographic screen. This was a big step for him as well. Gone were the days when he was worried about being backstabbed.
The trip to the Streit bastion had changed his perspective on the sanctuary. Despite the restrictions he faced, he was pretty much invincible among the players.
Why would he worry about sharing his knowledge then? On the contrary, it was more beneficial if he shared his knowledge and used the player’s intellect to further polish his skills. Even the best arcanist had much to learn from the collected efforts of millions of players.
“Pay attention. You must’ve seen the highlighted mission at the top. I won’t go into details and waste our time, but know this–those who accept this won’t regret their decisions,” Zyrus spoke the concluding words after waiting for a while.
He was a leader, not a salesman. The enticement he gave them was more than sufficient. The mission was about creating a new class that focused on improving their physical strength using mana. What made this alluring was the fact that it could act as a sub-class for every player.
Using mana was an inferior choice compared to spiritual qi and cosmic energy. Nonetheless, it could improve one’s combat effectiveness by at least 50%. Who wouldn’t want such a reward?
And what the players had to do in this mission was both risky and not at the same time. 10,000 players were required to perform experiments as described by Zyrus. The duration for this was five years.
The selected players would follow Zyrus into the third zone and finalize the class he was working on. In return, they’d get achievements and sub-class from the sanctuary, not to mention the contribution points he would give based on their performance.
Zyrus closed all the tabs and walked towards the docking area. Everyone was bubbling with excitement wherever passed by.
Zyrus jumped over the buildings as he chatted with the somewhat sulky reindeer. It couldn’t be helped that he had dumped a huge task on his companion.
‘Next time, I’ll take him to the plains of Ilios,’
*Thunk*
“Looks a lot better than before,”
“Of course it does, the dragon of war is equipped with the best weapons we’ve built,” Franken replied with a smug voice.
Zyrus had to admit that his companion had done a great job. The entire dragon of war was adorned with dark blue frost cannons and black metallic ballistas. The gleaming weapons and the red engravings on the ship created a bloody aura. Weaker fish wouldn’t even dare to approach within a mile of the dragon of war.
“Looks like you’ve made some adjustments to them as well.”
“Indeed. Those little humans and goblins are a devious bunch for sure,” Franken replied and gave him a detailed manual.
On it were the records of adjustments done to the ballistas, cannons, and torpedoes. The V6 ballista had modified metal arrows with a glass covering. Normal metal arrows could be used three times before their tips and shaft required maintenance. But considering the cost-effectiveness, it was cheaper to just scrap them and make new arrows.
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‘Using glass tips was a clever idea even I didn’t think of,’
The highest strain was placed on the tip of the arrow. Its penetrating power was the most crucial aspect. Using a fragile glass edge on it definitely reduced its power by a third.
But the overall efficiency of this was better. The glass tip was created by referencing the electric torpedo. The tips would shatter upon impact and release numbing lighting, immobilizing the target for a short duration. This would allow a sure kill with two shots.
The most important part was that the modified arrows could be used 10 times this way! There was an abundance of glass so creating tips wasn’t as costly. And if more penetrative power was required, then it was better to use enhanced arrows which were guaranteed a kill.
The Frost Cannon V3 and the Torpedo V2 didn’t have that many changes except for their increased efficiency. Compared to arrows, these magical technologies were completely foreign to the players.
“How about the things I collected from the ocean?”
“Still in the process. I doubt they’d be put to use before the third zone.”
The duo chatted as they made their way to the center. There, 400 players were waiting in a neat formation. They were the knight candidates for his crown’s authority.
“30 of them have made a contract with the Nidhogg serpents. They don’t have any effect on their combat power as of yet, but their potential is exceptional even among rare companions,” Franken spoke before Zyrus could inquire about the progress.
“30 is just perfect. I could have a total of 3000 knights in the future, so I’ll create 30 squads of 100 with them as the leaders.”
“Mhm. Even though the later they join the more starting benefits they’d get, it’s still worse than the experience and improvements these players will go through.”
Both Zyrus and Franken were sure that the present 400 players would one day be among the top 1000 players. Except for some very talented players, no one else could hope to match those bestowed by his authority.
[Appoint knights]
A knight's honor is an unbreakable bond that shall not be tarnished. The wielder of the crown can appoint knights who will live and die by his side.
-Number of knights = 10 x user’s level
-Only those who are willing can be appointed as knights.
-The knights will get their special class upon advancement, and they will also gain a portion of the user’s traits, bloodline, and skills.
“Come forward.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the 400 players replied in a sonorous voice. They were neither the strongest nor the most talented players. Regardless of which race they were from and what their circumstances were, these players were the ones who were most loyal to him.
“I don’t care what name and identity you had until this moment. From now on, you’ll be known as my knights till the day I die. Make the whole sanctuary tremble with your presence, earn aliases and titles that’d make even the kings hiding in their castle shiver in fear. Only then will I acknowledge your identity.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Their reply was even more energetic than before. The players knew that this was a test given by him for the power they were about to receive. Passing this test was the prerequisite for getting Zyrus’s acknowledgment.
“Very well then,” Zyrus looked into each and every player’s eyes and stood at the forefront with his twilight crusher.
[Appoint knights]
[Initiating….]
“I, Zyrus Wymar, in the authority of the Last Apostle and the Plage Bearer, hereby appoint you as my Knights. Let the laws be witnesses of this sacred ceremony,” Zyrus announced with a voice filled with mana and slit his wrist.
“WE PLEDGE OUR LIFE AND SOULS TO HIS MAJESTY. LET THE LAWS BE WITNESS OF OUR ETERNAL LOYALTY,” the 400 players kneeled and slit their writs as well.
Neither Zyrus nor the players knew these words before. It was their instinctual response under the halo of the onyx crown.
Zyrus was like a deity who hovered above the players with a glowing crown. Each and every one of his skills were manifested as mirages above the dragon of war. A floating dragon, red eyes that pierced one’s soul, A tattered projection of the shrine…numerous images came and vanished within seconds.
*Shaaaaaa*
The glowing crown on his head was absorbing fragments of these images, and each time it became darker and darker.
It was like a black hole that devoured the blood on the deck and everyone’s mana. At the same time, a glowing radiance was spreading from the crown like the event horizon.
[Appointment Successful]
[400 "Aydahar Cavaler" are chosen as your Knights]
Zyrus floated down and looked at the 400 cocoons before him. His bloodline, traits, skills, and talents were too powerful. Even a fraction of them was enough to cause a change in their level of existence.
He also received the information on Aydahar Cavaler. It was a unique class created by his authority. The name translated to Dragon Knights, so it was apparent how strong they’d be in the future.
The knights will also gain the blessing of order after reaching each new ring. This would allow them to obtain the power from his future skills, bloodline, traits, etc…
‘Let me see what their class does,’
Zyrus clicked on the crown’s tab with gleaming eyes.