Chapter 261 – Setting Out for Battle
Golden Dragons were higher order creatures comparable to Super Variants or even Demonified Lords, with sightings of them popping up every once in a blue moon. Everyone would be notified of its appearance through the official website, where it would be frontpage news. Such a rare existence would inevitably attract the attention of all the large powers.
The five major guilds of Calore were mobilizing to seize this good fortune. A great spectacle was bound to unfold!
Nie Yan remained rather aloof, contrary to expectation. He hoped Asskickers United could snatch away the Golden Dragon. But there was no need to force things in the event they failed. He would be satisfied as long as they could reap some benefits. After all, the primary goal was still to suppress Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame.
Whether in terms of average level or gear quality, the top players of Asskickers United were a step above the rest. Although they were ranked number one on the forums, there were many people who still held doubts. This event was the perfect opportunity for them to cement their position as the top dog in Calore.
“Are we going to fight for the Golden Dragon?” Bladelight asked. This would throw their initial plan of levelling in the outer regions of Everlasting City astray.
“Let’s see what kind of trouble we can stir up for Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame,” Nie Yan replied. There was no harm in setting aside levelling for another time. The expedition team had already benefited greatly from this trip to Everlasting City. Bladelight was currently sporting the Everlasting Dark Gold Set while his previous Everlasting Gold Set was passed down to Yi Yan. On top of that, they still had three surplus Everlasting Silver Sets. They were more than capable of crushing the now isolated Radiant Sacred Flame in the upcoming battle for the minor stronghold.
After news hit the official website, fervent discussion exploded in the guild chat.
「Watchful Snail, quickly inform the guild leader! Let’s slaughter Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame in Sinful Gorge!
「After we stomp on them a few more times, let’s see if they still dare to act so brash! 」
The players of Asskickers United were in high spirits. Their recent victories filled them with satisfaction and confidence. Morale was at an all time high, and the might of the guild was on full display. Now it was their turn to act unbridled, while the enemy was on the back foot.
However, Asskickers United’s arrogance was different from that of Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return. While the latter two held contempt for the average player, not hesitating to close off entire maps and indiscriminately slaughter others during their peak, Asskickers United’s disdain was solely directed toward them. The players of Asskickers United always loved to repeat a certain line when out levelling in the wilderness, “Hmph! Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame aren’t worth a fart! This daddy is from Asskickers United!”
This line alone spoke of the impressive might of Asskickers United.
A group of hardworking analysts on the forums evaluated the strength of Asskickers United, Victorious Return, Radiant Sacred Flame, Holy Empire, and Sapphire Shrine by comparing several important factors. They created an easy-to-understand table for the other forum visitors.
Guild Name: Asskickers United Holy Empire Sapphire Shrine Victorious Return Radiant Sacred Flame
Guild Level: 4 5 4 5 5
# of Players: 52,000 103,000 82,000 165,000 150,000
# of Players > Level 25: 23,200 10,800 11,000 12,200 12,800
Avg. Player Level: 23.8 17.9 17.6 18.1 17.8
Gear Quality: 267 156 196 185 186
When comparing these stats, people discovered that Asskickers United had about as many Level 25 or higher players as Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame combined. This density of high-level players left people speechless. Moreover, they were far ahead of the pack in terms of gear quality. Although Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame greatly outnumbered them, if a fight truly broke out, a single Level 25 player could kill at least 3 Level 20 players.
Taking this into consideration, Asskickers United was truly powerful enough to make the other guilds quake in fear.
As a result, Asskickers United became the unofficial leader in the alliance between them, Holy Empire, and Sapphire Shrine. When the ordinary players of these three major guilds formed teams, any random player from Asskickers United would be be superior in level or gear quality. This directly led to the players of Holy Empire and Sapphire Shrine attaching themselves to Asskickers United.
When Sleepy Fox and Fa Lan noticed this situation, they could only reluctantly accept it. They simply couldn’t afford a falling out with Asskickers United, since there was too much they needed them for. If it wasn’t for Nie Yan, and subsequently Asskickers United, they would’ve never been invited to become shareholders of the Union of Assassins, which netted them great profits. In fact, it was a significant source of income which directly supported the growth of their guilds. Not to mention they needed the support of Asskickers United if they wished to contend against Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame. Only with the support of Asskickers United would they dare face their enemy head on. But in the end, it mostly came down to their mindset of hiding behind a big tree where the shade was plentiful.
Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return already suffered dearly at the hands of Asskickers United. This led to the fighting spirit of the players from Asskickers United to rise with unstoppable momentum. Under Nie Yan’s influence, these players developed a certain way of thinking. They believed Asskickers United was unstoppable and whoever remained unconvinced would receive a beating!
There were only two guilds unwilling to accept this, Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return!
It wasn’t every day that the players of Asskickers United were given the opportunity to teach Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return a lesson. They were itching for battle.
「It seems like the guild leader is still off levelling somewhere.」
「What about Young Sparrow Hawk?」
「I think he’s with the guild leader as well.」
「Ah, this isn’t good! We can’t let the Golden Dragon get snatched away by Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame!」
The guild members anxiously awaited the return of their leader. Asskickers United’s rules were very strict. Anyone that mobilized without permission would receive severe disciplinary action. In extreme cases, the offender would even be expelled from the guild. No one was willing to risk banishment from the top guild in Calore, so they could only patiently wait for Nie Yan’s orders.
「What’s there to be anxious about? Didn’t Holy Empire and Sapphire Shirine already assemble? Haste makes waste,」Nie Yan spoke out in the guild chat.
The guild chat exploded with activity.
「The guild leader is finally here!」
「Greetings, guild leader!」
「Boss, What’s the plan? Just one word, and all of us brothers will mobilize!」
…
The guild members chattered on in a lively discussion.
「Everyone, calm down! Listen to what Nirvana Flame has to say!」Guo Huai shouted.
Not another word was spoken by the guild members. They showed complete respect for Guo Huai’s authority.
「It’ll be inconvenient with too many. We’ll send a small force, 2,000 players should do it. All players Level 27 or higher should come. The rest of you should go about your business. Don’t even think about participating if your level isn’t high enough!」Nie Yan instructed.
The Level 27 or higher players all cheered in celebration, while the players under level 27 all become deflated.
Nie Yan’s orders were law. The unqualified could only stifle their breath and hurriedly increase their level. They received a harsh wake-up call. If they wished to participate in future guild activities, they would have to work hard and catch up to the top players of the guild. If they were to miss more opportunities like today, that would be too unfortunate.
The Level 27 or higher players returned to the guild headquarters. They totalled a little over 2,000. It was quite impressive. The vast majority of them were Level 27 or Level 28. Many of them had recently levelled up today. After the implementation of the Buried History expansion, levelling became much easier, so their levels all rose. The vast majority was Level 27, many of them hitting that level only today. There were very few Level 29s, while there were practically no Level 30s.
Nontheless, Asskickers United was perhaps the only guild that could assemble over 2000 Level 27 or higher players.
Nie Yan, Bladelight, and the other members of the expedition team returned to Calore.
As soon as Nie Yan’s group stepped foot into the guild headquarters, they invoked a huge commotion. Seeing that the guild leader had returned, a large crowd of players excitedly gathered around to greet him.
Nie Yan was extremely popular among his subordinates. It was he who led Asskickers United to create legend after legend. Mad Rogue Nirvana Flame wasn’t only associated with Nie Yan, but it was the entire guild’s symbol of glory.
“I’m a little envious of you.” Tang Yao sighed with deep emotion. The unconditional support he received of so many people really showcased his class as guild leader. He couldn’t help but be a little envious.
Back when Nie Yan showed off his strength in Kiln Fire Woods, he merely earned the admiration of his guild members. It wasn’t until that speech he made when he led a band of brothers to save Withered Leaf that they truly accepted him in their hearts, earning their respect. At that time, his speech caused countless guild members. Ever since, they devoted themselves wholeheartedly to Asskickers United.
Whoever messed with the brothers of Asskickers United, whether it be Victorious Return or Radiant Sacred Flame, Asskickers United would retaliate in full force!
Nie Yan’s speech was still fresh in their minds.
Nie Yan silenced the crowd of players who were in high spirits with his hands, then said, “A Golden Dragon has spawned in Sinful Gorge. Victorious Return, Radiant Sacred Flame, and our allies Holy Empire and Sapphire Shrine have set out. According to reports, each of them mobilized at least 10,000 players. We will join the fray with a mere 2,000. You might be puzzled, wondering why I, your guild leader, am being so miserly, only mobilizing such a small force.”
The guild members chuckled lightly.
Nie Yan’s teasing eased their hearts by quite a bit. Who would have expected that the normally reserved and solemn Nie Yan could also crack such jokes. These few simple words brought him much closer to these brothers of his.
“I’ll tell you. It’s because it’s only a Golden Dragon. We’re only going there to get some small benefits. Why would we bring more people? Such an effortless task doesn’t require us to act so urgently. I ask of you all, calm down. We’re going there to take a look and see if we can stir up trouble for Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return, while also getting some easy benefits. However, this doesn’t mean we can slack off, and dim Asskickers United’s glory. From the moment we set out, I’d like you all to keep track of your kill counts. Whoever kills the most people, I’ll reward them with a full set of Dark Gold equipment!”