Task: Guard Thunder Cliff
Task Background: War, war never ends! Zelant could have been peaceful, but the evil Abyss has reconnected our world, and the Epsilon invaders are constantly plundering our resources!
No need to rush. Use the narrow bridge of the broken cliff to deliver a head-on blow to the enemy, then use the winding mountain paths to block them layer by layer!
Attention! Invaders are coming, war begins!
Rewards: Origin Points (settled per battle based on performance), Equipment (chance to drop), Experience
With the introduction of the visuals and narration, everyone was already fired up.
"Everyone! I presume you already understand how to play the game?" A male Player with the nickname Jiji Yangde stepped forward and asked, standing before the others.
The rest of them nodded in unison.
"Then, let's start placing!"
Everyone nodded again. These five Players were not chosen by luck; it was their passion for the game!
"Da Na Xiongdi, what kind of games are you good at?" The scatterbrained fellow, Don Quixote, sidled up to Wang Dana, his eyes still fixed on the miniature sandbox in his hands.
"Just call me Da Na. I'm good at FPS (first-person shooter) and TPS (third-person shooter) games. How about you, Don Quixote?"
Don Quixote smiled: "You can also call me Xiao De. I'm an RTS (real-time strategy) Player."
"What are you guys talking about? Let me join!" The young lady with the nickname Yuān Shēn, seeing the two chatting so animatedly, also came over.
"We're talking about the games we're good at. What games are you good at? Uh... Yuān Shēn, Miss?"
"Pfft... 'Miss Yuān Shēn' is fine? Alright, it's no problem if you call me that." Yuān Shēn smiled broadly, not minding the nickname.
"To be honest, I'm not really good at any particular game because I dabble in everything! But if I had to pick one... it would probably be simulation management."
"Oh~ Simulation management, we really need talent like you!" Jiji Yangde brought the last person over, enlarged the miniature map, and spread it out before everyone.
"To be honest, this starting situation is quite hellish! Look, we only have 15 Origin Points right now.
But the creatures we can exchange for are all pretty trashy! Everyone, speak freely and share your suggestions..."
......
"Oh oh oh... we'll do this... and that..."
-------Divider-------
Epsilon is a magical world where swords and magic coexist, filled with ancient legends and wondrous ruins.
It has held out until now under the siege of dozens of World Trees. This is inseparable from the efforts of generations of adventurers.
Since the merger of the major associations, the strength and quality of adventurers have been improving year by year.
Especially after connecting with various academies, a large number of high-quality professionals join the front lines of World Tree Strategy every year.
"Dong~ Dong~ Dong~!"
As the clock struck two in the afternoon, the long-waiting adventurers walked orderly into the teleportation hall.
"Mikelson World Tree, three tickets! This is the slip approved by the academy."
Before the tall ticket counter, a cat-eared little mage, dressed in a magic robe with rusty-red long hair, about seventeen or eighteen years old, poked out half her head and somewhat laboriously handed the proof and ticket money into the counter.
The girl's name was Hathaway, a 6th-year student at the Skyrim Province Academy of Magic.
To get a better grade in the final assessment, after getting her professor's permission, she brought two classmates to conquer a World Tree instance.
"Hmm~ Mikelson World Tree, although it's the simplest World Tree, you still need to be careful! Resurrection can be very unpleasant!"
In Epsilon, as long as one enters an instance through the teleportation hall, at most they lose some experience and equipment, and at worst, their aptitude is damaged.
But they will never die!
However, the feeling of near-death is not reduced in the slightest.
The ticket seller smiled, seeing that they were still students, and couldn't help but give a few words of advice. Only after the steel stamp fell did she hand the three tickets to the girl.
"Here are your tickets, hold on to them."
The little mage took the tickets and, with her two classmates, excitedly walked towards the teleportation waiting hall.
However, the two male classmates beside her seemed somewhat timid and hesitant, following reluctantly behind.
"Hathaway, why are we going to the Mikelson World Tree? That's known as the 'most useless' world bubble; there's no benefit at all!"
"Yeah, yeah! I heard Pulman and them went to the Epsilon World Tree to challenge that Level 1 world bubble!"
The two teenagers spoke in unison, their words full of dissatisfaction.
"Enough! Halin, Gawain! Although the Mikelson World Tree is called the most useless World Tree, its world bubble is still Level 2!
It's still very challenging for little mages like us! And Pulman has his father leading the team!"
Hathaway was furious. The three of them did not come from good families; Halin was an orphan, Gawain's family was desperately poor, and her own family was similar.
Their starting points were not high, so they shouldn't aim too high! The Mikelson World Tree was undoubtedly the most suitable for them to practice.
"Let's go, two ambitious gentlemen. Are you little babies who need others to wait for you?"
The two boys stammered, unable to speak for a long time, and could only get up and follow.
In the teleportation room...
"Come, three of you! Stand in the center... Yes! Right here, don't move around, be careful not to be cut in half or stuck in a wall! Your teachers should have taught you about the famous Senior Anderson..."
The teleportation array operator chattered on.
After a dizzying spin, the three arrived in a dark space, surrounded by twinkling lights like a starry sky.
This was a teleportation space forged by the Epsilon Magic Alliance, with hundreds of supreme experts.
It connected all World Tree instances and the spatial nodes of the teleportation hall.
There were two ways to enter an instance: one was to walk to the vicinity of the embedded space, and the other was through the teleportation space—safe, convenient, and clean!
"Yue~"
The three who entered the teleportation space habitually retched.
"This feeling! No matter how many times, I can't get used to it!"
"Let's go, stop fooling around, this way!" Hailiwei pulled her two companions and walked into the faintly glowing green portal in the distance.
This time there was no dizzying sensation; like stepping through a water curtain, the scene instantly changed drastically.
In the dim cave, seven adventurers of different professions were already waiting.
"Yo~ You're here! Duties have been automatically divided. I'm the captain this time, Paul! Level 17 Warrior."
"Priest, Level 12!"
"I'm a Level 16 Paladin, praise the Holy God!"
The few of them rustled, completing their self-introductions...
"Alright! Self-introductions over. Since there are newcomers, I'll still give an introduction! The Zelant instance, right outside the entrance, is a..."
Captain Paul hoisted his weapon and walked out of the cave boldly, then instantly froze.
Where was the main road straight to the mountaintop? Where was my wide main road?
Among the team, besides Hathaway and her two companions, the others had been here several times. But seeing the scene before them, they all gasped, their faces full of disbelief.
The mountain was still that mountain, the cliff still that cliff.
But the original thoroughfare was gone, replaced by a winding, narrow path carved into the mountain face.
Some parts were even completely broken, connected only by a narrow wooden plank. And from time to time, the dark shadows of spiders flashed through.
Hathaway couldn't help but swallow, thinking, 'Didn't they say this was the most useless beginner village? How come just looking at it, a feeling of retreat naturally arises?'
"Don't be afraid, children! The instance has just changed, but the monsters that appear are still the same. Just be careful and you'll get through."
Ultimately, Captain Paul made the final decision! He shouldered his weapon and stepped onto the stone bridge he had crossed thousands of times.
This stone bridge spanned the cliff and was the only way for adventurers to attack Thunder Cliff!
And the Players from Blue Star, hidden somewhere, were now holding their breath, waiting for everyone to step onto that bridge of no return.
Adventurer Ranks: Unranked Novice (1-9).
Level 1 (10-19) Bronze Leaf, Level 2 (20-29) Silver Leaf, Level 3 (30-39) Gold Leaf.
Level 4 (40-49) Platinum Leaf, Level 5 Diamond Leaf, Level 6 Master Leaf. (Adventurers at this stage are divided into 1-9 leaves per level, and can only upgrade or gain leaves by completing specific tasks or instances.)
Level 7 Legendary Red Leaf, Level 8 Azure Leaf Walker, Level 9 World Tree Walker.
Before Level 50, adventurer ranks generally correspond to levels. After that, ranks require completing specific tasks. So later on, you might see someone at Level 80 or 90 who is still a Level 4 adventurer.
