Chapter 69: This Game is Getting More and More Beginner-Friendly

Boom!

A loud explosion originating from the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy instantly echoed across the entire neighborhood, startling many vagrants out of their sleep and sending them rushing outside to investigate.

The Wasteland District was not a safe place within the City of Chasing Light. Various incidents occurred frequently, and carelessness could easily cost one their life.

"Was that an explosion near the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy?"

"Seems like it. I just saw quite a few people from the Feather Clan heading that way."

"Could it be that Feather Clan vagrants are coming to seize our living quarters?"

"Probably not. Although the Feather Clan isn't as powerful as the current Demi-Scale Clan, they are still a strong clan within the City of Chasing Light, and the wasteland area where Feather Clan vagrants live is close to the outskirts. There's no reason for them to come and seize our living spaces."

"I don't see many Feather Clan members though. Could it be a gang turf war?"

The vagrants on the street looked toward the brightly lit Obsidian Martial Arts Academy not far away, thoroughly confused as to why it had suddenly been attacked. Normally, even turf wars between wilderness gangs were conducted out in the wilderness and were never brought into the Wasteland District—this could be considered an unwritten rule.

The strongholds of various wilderness gangs were located within the residential areas of their respective clans, and sending people to fight in these zones would inevitably provoke the dissatisfaction of the vagrants living there, let alone foreign gangs attacking.

At that moment, a tall, dark figure clad in protective gear was seen speeding along the street toward the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy.

"As expected, Brother Qin Mu has made a move."

"This is our Human Clan's residential area after all. How could we possibly let Feather Clan thugs bully us?"

"Anyone high in strength coming with me? Recently, the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy has provided job opportunities to many people around here and has been a huge help to our Wasteland District. We must not let those Feather Clan bastards run wild!"

In an instant, more than ten undocumented vagrants of apprentice rank followed closely behind Qin Mu.

Under normal circumstances, with Qin Mu—an extreme-rank apprentice—leading over a dozen apprentice-rank experts, even ordinary wilderness gangs would have to show some respect. Especially after Qin Mu defeated Hou Fei of the Crystal Clan, his fame had skyrocketed, and the leaders of many major wilderness gangs in the region would grant him a measure of courtesy.

Obsidian Martial Arts Academy Training Ground.

Over twenty White Feather Gang experts surrounded the front gates of the martial arts academy, standing face-to-face with Lin Qi and the others who had rushed out from the basement.

Following the words of the one-armed Feather Clan youth, the giant man leading the White Feather Gang, who carried a massive mountain-opening axe on his back, swept his gaze over Lin Qi, the leader of the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy. Just as he was about to wave his hand and order his subordinates to charge, Qin Mu and the others arrived at the scene.

"Vice Leader Gana, I wonder how my little brother has offended you? Allow me to offer apologies on his behalf. Whatever the issue is, we can sit down and talk. Why resort to blades and guns?" Seeing that the White Feather Gang was about to strike, Qin Mu stepped forward to intervene first.

"Heavy Spear Qin Mu?" The Feather Clan giant named Gana twitched the corner of his mouth and halted his movements. "Although I'm not sure what relationship you have with these people, Qin Mu, I respect strong fighters above all else, and I can give you some face."

"Then I thank Vice Leader Gana." Qin Mu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The White Feather Gang was currently thriving in the wilderness. Not only had their leader stepped into the quasi-martial artist realm, but all three of their vice leaders had also reached that level—and Gana was one of them.

If he were to actually fight a quasi-martial artist like Gana, even with his mastery of microcosm, Qin Mu wouldn't dare guarantee victory; after all, the gap between a quasi-martial artist and an ordinary apprentice was substantial.

"Since your Gray Clothes Gang has taken our White Feather Gang's property—regardless of whether you bought stolen goods unknowingly—I will give Brother Qin Mu face. Return the stolen goods, pay two million bits in compensation, and hand over ten apprentice-rank experts to serve us at our beck and call, and we'll call it even." Gana looked at Lin Qi and spoke with complete indifference.

"Two million bits? Vice Leader Gana, isn't that asking for too much?" Upon hearing this, Qin Mu's expression turned ugly. "It's not easy for an ordinary wilderness gang to scrape together one million, let alone a newly formed one. And asking for compensation is one thing, but demanding ten apprentice-rank experts to serve you? How is that any different from destroying the Gray Clothes Gang?"

"Qin Mu, I'm only giving you face, which is why I haven't wiped out this small gang," Gana said condescendingly. "If either of the other two vice leaders had come, they would have annihilated the Gray Clothes Gang first and only talked to you later."

Qin Mu was momentarily speechless, hesitating over whether to make a move.

While he was confident he could tie down Gana this time, if all three vice leaders of the White Feather Gang arrived together next time, the Gray Clothes Gang would be completely finished.

Ignoring the silent Qin Mu, Gana shifted his gaze back to Lin Qi opposite him and said sternly, "One word! Are you going to pay or not?"

As for the notion that the Gray Clothes Gang had dared to attack their White Feather Gang's base, the entire gang simply didn't believe it. Leaving aside the fact that their investigations showed the Gray Clothes Gang was a newly formed faction, even if the gang had a dozen apprentice-rank experts, Lan t—who guarded the base—was someone capable of fighting high-level apprentices. Working alongside the other captains, if they truly wanted to flee, a dozen apprentice-rank experts wouldn't be able to stop them.

Therefore, it was far more likely that the Gray Clothes Gang had simply purchased stolen goods.

Originally, their leader's intention upon discovering someone had fenced their stolen goods was to slaughter them completely to serve as a warning to other gangs that White Feather Gang property was not something minor gangs could touch.

However, with Heavy Spear Qin Mu—a microcosm-level expert—present, if Qin Mu fought to the death to protect them, Gana felt that today's battle would cost them heavy casualties and perhaps even put him in some danger.

For a gang that could afford a transport vehicle, even if they smashed pots and sold irons, two million bits was the absolute limit. Destroying them wouldn't necessarily yield more profit, but acquiring a batch of apprentices to use as cannon fodder in death matches wasn't a bad consolation prize for this trip.

In an instant, Gana's voice echoed through the training ground like the tolling of a bell.

From Gana's perspective, the members of the Gray Clothes Gang must have been terrified at this point and would surely be begging for mercy, hoping to reduce the compensation and spare their gang.

However, Gana was soon met with a scene that he would remember for the rest of his life.

"Oh my! Am I really this lucky? I get to watch the main storyline right as I log in?"

"The developers are truly showering us with welfare this time! I'm definitely leaving a stellar review when I log off!"

"Is a fight about to break out? I'm a total newbie and I only have a shovel. What do I do now? Any veteran players willing to form a party and carry me?"

"That guy named Gana has such an intense aura! I actually felt a bit scared just now. Once I get back, I'm going to spread the word—this feels insanely awesome!"

The forty new players present, taking in the heavy atmosphere and Gana's readiness to fight at the drop of a hat, were instantly captivated by the unfolding main storyline.

"Sigh, this game is treating newbies better and better. Why didn't I have that kind of luck when I started?" One Spear Supreme gazed at the impending battle with undisguised envy toward the newcomers. "Back when I first arrived, all I could do was dig holes, digging all through the night without even being able to touch a decent weapon. The reward was just a basic martial arts manual. Now, these newbies get trial weapons right off the bat, plus main storyline rewards. They're making it impossible for us veterans to survive."

"The developers are probably trying to prevent too large a gap between veterans and newcomers by constantly increasing the perks," Fang Zhen said with a smile. "Still, this is a good thing. The foundations of the new recruits we pull in will be much better, saving us a lot of effort."

"Never mind the newbie perks. What do you guys think we should do about these people?" Gods Twilight glanced at the twenty-or-so White Feather Gang members present and sighed. "Aside from that guy who looks like a boss, there are only around twenty apprentices here. With so many new players this time, there simply aren't enough kills to go around."

"How about this? We split the apprentices evenly among our three squads, and whoever lands the last hit on the boss gets the first kill credit," Luo Wushang proposed.

"Fine, I agree." A Leaf Floating in Clouds licked his lips with excitement. Although it took a lot of time, he had finally mastered the Prairie-Fire Spear Technique and remained at the absolute top tier in terms of combat power.

The casual chatter among the players wasn't particularly quiet, and a significant portion of it was overheard by the menacing Gana.

"Are these people all mental?"

Gana stared at the players, clearly perceiving that there was not a trace of fear on any of their faces. On the contrary, many of them were looking at him with an eager, itching-to-fight expression.

At that moment, Lin Qi stepped out from the crowd, instantly becoming the focal point of the entire area.

"Vice Leader of the White Feather Gang, I am Lin Qi, master of the Obsidian Martial Arts Academy." Lin Qi tried his best to emulate the demeanor and speech of an NPC, his spear vibrating with a sharp hum that quieted the players instantly. "To your demands, I have only one answer."

"We don't have the money, and we certainly won't hand over the people!"

"If you want to fight, then bring it on!"