Chapter 2483 – Hidden Madness
As soon as the ruthless man finished speaking, excitement flashed in his Tier 3 comrades’ eyes.
If the Starlight Fortress’s environment were reminiscent of ancient times, consisting of all seven elements, it would be a true paradise for players. Not only would players have a much easier time controlling Mana in such an environment, but it would also help them unlock their Mana Bodies.
After giving the matter some thought, Krow turned to the Tier 3 female Elementalist beside him and said, “Rose, return to headquarters and gather all of the Magic Crystals we have. Send someone to ask around about renting a hotel here, as well. We’ll be using it as Storm Heart’s temporary base. From now on, Storm Heart’s Tier 3 members will develop out of the Starlight Fortress!”
Although living in the Starlight Fortress was costly, if the benefits allowed one to improve their Mana control and unlock their Mana Body’s potential with ease, it was worth the price. It would even be worthwhile if the adventurer team had to invest every Magic Crystal it had earned thus far and would earn in the future.
Levels weren’t the top priority for Tier 3 players right now. Rather, unlocking their Mana Bodies’ full potential was far more important. A Tier 3 player could only exhibit the true strength of Tier 3 once they did so.
Residing in the Starlight Fortress would accelerate the process of unlocking their Mana Bodies, which was a unique, massive benefit.
The rest of God’s Domain’s players hadn’t realized this yet, which gave Storm Heart the opportunity to establish a base in the fortress. If they waited until the various Guilds noticed, finding a place and developing in the Starlight Fortress would become far more difficult for the adventurer team. In terms of money and resources, Storm Heart wasn’t even a match for first-rate Guilds, much less superpowers.
“Understood! I’ll have someone look into it immediately!” the female Elementalist in blue, Ice Rose, replied before breaking away from the rest of the group.
While Storm Heart secretly took action, other Tier 3 independent players, who had entered the fortress and were particularly sensitive to Mana, did the same.
For a time, something strange took place within the nearly empty Starlight Fortress. Despite barely any players visiting the fortress, its hotels were booked, one after another. Moreover, all of the rooms were rented long-term, stunning the ignorant visiting players and MacAffrey.
Players could earn a 10% discount when renting hotel rooms long-term, but they’d have to reserve the room for a minimum of 10 days. This meant that players had to pay 9 Magic Crystals per room, with each day normally costing 1 Magic Crystal. Including the fact that all of the fortress’s basic amenities cost Magic Crystals, the cost was even extravagant to Tier 3 experts. Regardless, nearly 100 players had rented rooms in the Starlight Fortress long-term.
Some players had even rented out an entire hotel.
As a result, the fortress had earned nearly 5,000 Magic Crystals in less than an hour after its grand opening, and the crystals continued to roll in…
Meanwhile, inside the Star Tomb…
Shi Feng and his team ventured farther into the Star Tomb, and the Hell Legion faced one bitter battle after another.
Even Tier 3 experts struggled to move within the Regional Dungeon, their mobility reduced to that of Tier 1 players. Fortunately, their Basic Attributes hadn’t been affected.
The reduced mobility had, however, considerably limited everyone’s individual combat power.
In the outside world, every member of the Hell Legion could solo a Level 105 Great Lord, but in the Star Tomb, they could barely defeat a Level 105 High Lord.
The Earthen Giants in the Regional Dungeon’s outer region typically moved in groups consisting of several hundred, with each having at least 100 Great Lords. These small armies were an extraordinary challenge for the Hell Legion. Every time they encountered a group of monsters, the legion spent over an hour to defeat them, and once the battle was over, they had to retrieve their Tents to recover their lost Stamina. If they didn’t take the time to rest, their chances of defeating the next monster army would plummet. Naturally, this slowed their leveling speed to a crawl.
However, the Hell Legion members had to admit that the God Mode Regional Dungeon was a wonderful location.
Not only was the monsters’ drop-rate impressive, but the loot they acquired was top-quality as well.
One would have to slay Grand Lords for the slightest chance of obtaining Secret-Silver Weapons and Equipment in the outside world, but in the Star Tomb, they could slay Great Lords to acquire the same ranked items. Furthermore, the Dungeon’s Great Lords had a chance of dropping Level 105 Secret-Silver Set Equipment.
After over 20 hours of battle in the Star Tomb, the Hell Legion had completed two Secret Blue Sets and one Thorn Set. The Secret Blue Set was a set equipment for magical classes, while the Thorn Set catered to plate armor classes. Although both were only six-piece, Level 105 Secret-Silver Set Equipment, they were definitely considered top-tier in an era when most Guild experts hadn’t yet reached Level 105-
Even the Hell Legion’s members coveted the set equipment. Although the weakest piece of equipment among them was Level 105 Secret-Silver rank, with a few players having Level 105 Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold equipment, the benefits of a complete Secret-Silver Set Equipment were slightly greater than the items they currently wore. If they were willing to part with the set equipment, they could easily demand astronomical prices.
Star Tomb’s monsters also dropped plenty of Magic Crystals and Mana Stones. The legion had even acquired three combat techniques and Tier 2 Skill Books.
Unfortunately, the Hell Legion had entered an agreement with Shi Feng before they had entered the Regional Dungeon. Since Shi Feng had employed the legion for this expedition, all loot they acquired would belong to him. The Hell Legion would only gain EXP within the Dungeon.
“Guild Leader Black Flame, we’ve found the path to the Star Tomb’s second floor ahead,” Hell Rush reported, gesturing to a massive tunnel not far from the team. “The monsters in the area are too concentrated, however, and there are a few Grand Lords in the mix. Pushing past them is impossible. I’m afraid we’ll be limited to this area.”
The Star Tomb’s interior had a similar structure to a tower, separated into multiple floors. Each floor was the size of a Level 15 map in the outside world was more difficult to clear than the last. As players ascended, they’d also be subjected to higher gravitational force.
None of the various superpowers had made it past the central area of the Star Tomb’s first floor, near the passage to the second. Reaching the second floor proved almost impossible for current players.
To make matters worse, players couldn’t use summoning tools or war weapons in the Star Tomb. They couldn’t even activate their Berserk Skills.
Combined with the intense gravitational force, the Hell Legion was limited to taking on a few dozen Great Lords and a Grand Lord at a time. If the legion tried to take on three or four Grand Lords at once, they’d be eliminated. They wouldn’t even have the chance to flee. With their suppressed Movement Speed, they were considerably slower than the Earthen Giants. Their only option for survival was to slay the monsters.
“That won’t do. Our goal is on the Star Tomb’s second floor,” Shi Feng said, shaking his head.
The Star Tomb had a total of 11 floors, and the first couldn’t even be considered the outer region’s outer area. They’d barely make it to the Dungeon’s outer region once they made it to the second floor, and they’d only have a chance of securing a Star of Light by slaying the monsters in that area.
“It’s not that we don’t want to reach the second floor, Guild Leader Black Flame; we just can’t make it that far. If we start a fight near the tunnel, we’ll attract all of the Earthen Giants in the area. Not only will we have to face nearly 1,000 Earthen Giants, but there are also five Grand Lords. We’re no match for them with our current combat power,” Hell Rush explained.
The various superpowers had tried to reach the second floor as well, but even after trying various methods, none had succeeded. The five Grand Lords were especially challenging. Even a 1,000-man, Tier 3 team would struggle to defeat them, much less 300 Tier 3 experts.
“Rest assured, Commander Rush. I can’t make any promises regarding the rest of the Earthen Giants, but you can leave the Grand Lords to us,” Shi Feng said, chuckling as he gave the eight-meter-tall Earthen Giants an anticipatory look.
“You’ll deal with them?” Hell Rush swept his gaze across Shi Feng and his companions. Their team only included 10 of Zero Wing’s members, and although he hadn’t seen these players fight yet, he recognized that they all had extraordinary combat power. If these 10 players worked together, they might be able to take on a Grand Lord ranked Earthen Giant by themselves.
Unfortunately, five Grand Lords guarded the passage ahead. No matter how Hell Rush thought about the idea, it seemed like a joke.
“That’s right. Do you think you and your legion can take out the rest of the monsters?” Shi Feng asked, nodding.
“If you can stop the Grand Lords, the rest won’t be a problem,” Hell Rush said, flashing a confident grin. “But, are you sure that you can defeat the five Grand Lords?”
“Don’t worry about them.” Shi Feng then turned to Yan Tianxing and the others and asked, “You guys can deal with the Grand Lords, right?”
“No problem. Leave it to us. After watching the Hell Legion, we’ve been itching for a fight,” Yan Tianxing replied with a wide smile.
“Alright, let’s lure the five monsters away from the rest of the group first, then,” Shi Feng decided.
Five of his companions then walked away before charging at the five Grand Lords guarding the tunnel.
They’re just going to do it? Are they insane? Watching Yan Tianxing and the others rush ahead without waiting for the Hell Legion, Hell Rush was dumbfounded.