Kill The Old Ones!

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[Day 1 Event: Monster Frenzy]

Monsters of the Verdant Expanse will become 30% more aggressive.

Merit Points earned through monster extermination increased by 30% as well.

This event lasts up to midnight.

**

The message was simple and direct; everybody could understand what it says and what it implies.

As soon as the message was seen, heard, and known by the participants, the effect already took place.

Roars of monsters all over the Verdant Expanse echoed everywhere regardless of where they were. The event affected all monsters regardless of form, shape, or size. So long as it’s a monster, it is now 30% more aggressive compared to its normal state.

Even the gentle monsters who would usually run at the sight of predators or humans, or those who preferred to stay in their lairs, hiding or waiting for danger to pass, came out and started hunting.

Some monsters even began fighting themselves. They fought other monsters and those of the same kind as them. This was true for monsters who were highly aggressive in the first place. The event just emboldened them even further.

Obviously, the event also affected the teams regardless of where they are. The Verdant Expanse was filled with monsters, after all.

Teams who initially planned to wait, hide, blend in with monster lairs, and ambush unsuspecting teams to plunder merit points suddenly found themselves surrounded with enraged monsters.

Even teams who just planned to pass through some routes to get to a certain location were also attacked.

Of course, there were teams that weren’t too affected. It’s these teams that were hunting monsters in the first place to earn as many merit points as early as they could to get a head start. With this event, they no longer have to search for the monsters because the monsters come to them instead.

Although the monsters became more aggressive, they also give more merit points upon death. So, even though teams were pressed and found this troublesome, they decided to endure and fight.

This was an opportunity to earn as many merit points as possible, after all.

The event certainly made the tournament more lively. Now, fights and conflicts are erupting at various corners of the map.

Some teams were fighting monsters, some teams were fighting against other teams, and some teams were sandwiched between monsters and enemy teams.

Terry, the host of this tournament, was having a blast in his rapid and continuous commentary. He pulls up screens and commentates on teams that are seeing the most action.

Even though this was his first time seeing these teams in action, he did not make a mistake in calling their names. He speaks as if he knew every single one of them intimately.

That’s because while Terry works in the entertainment industry, he’s also a martial artist. His memory is good, and he has been in this job for quite some time; that’s why he’s very good at it.

The audience has a choice to either watch the high-speed and mildly chaotic commentary that Terry was providing or focus on a specific team of their liking.

With so many teams to watch out for, it’s normal to feel confused about how to get the best viewing experience.

And this wasn’t just exclusive to Central City or the Letter Kingdom either. This event spanned across the whole human civilization. Even those who were forced to work while this event was taking place are still watching it through whatever means they can.

**

Lily ran so fast that she turned into a blur of motion.

Anybody who could follow her speed, however, will say that her movements were akin to a dance—a deadly one, but also incredibly elegant. Her rapier pierced through hides, skin, and sinews like they were suggestions instead of biological protection.

She was so elusive that by the time the monsters even knew what hit them, they were already dead, and they have no idea how it happened.

Lily danced with cherry blossom petals in her wake. These weren’t harmless petals or fancy visions caused by the side effect of her martial art; these petals were as sharp as metal. Each one could pierce through monster hide as easily as her rapier does.

She was controlling all of this remotely; with these and her hauntingly elegant speed, she was reaping through monsters’ waves like they were nothing at all.

And the team behind her could only watch in awe as they followed her.

Even Sieg and Aria were speechless. In their minds, they wondered, ’When did she become so strong and deadly? ’

Anybody who meets Lily initially comes up with the impression that she’s just a beautiful greenhouse flower. She could fight, yes. She’s a prodigy, yes. But the battlefield isn’t her stage. She should be in a garden, in a castle, in a vase, or in a trophy—there to be a decoration, eye candy, and nothing more.

As insulting as that is, Lily was indeed very beautiful. And her soft and gentle look provokes the protective nature of the people she meets. To the wrong pair of eyes, she looks like the prize and the possession—one that they should get their hands on and use however they please.

But this Lily? Well, she’s proving to be way more than just a pretty face.

Everybody already knew that she was skilled. But because Aria was around, she had always been overshadowed. It didn’t help that Lily didn’t want to compete with Aria’s brilliance in the past, making her appear weak to people’s eyes.

But this? What did they just see? It’s a harsh reminder that even the prettiest flower may conceal poison or thorns, or maybe both.

Lily paused on her slot to turn around and address them. She looked at them, wore a confused expression, tilted her head, and asked:

"Am I the only one who can fight in this team?"

She said it so innocently, but the accusation was a loud slap in their faces.

Lily was out here carving a way out for the team to get out of the encirclement while the rest of the team just stands there to stare at her, not helping at all.

"I mean, I don’t mind the merit points but..."

She didn’t need to finish her words. The implications were loud and clear, and it’s most certainly enough to wake the rest of the team up and force them to do something.

Sieg shook his head to force himself to focus.

He couldn’t help but look differently at Lily, though. He had this feeling that she has changed. A lot. But he’s also unsure of this.

Did she really change? Or has she always been like this and only now did he realize it?

If it’s the former, well, he wondered what caused it. If it’s the latter, then it would make sense; after all, his attention was only on himself and Aria.

Aria, on the other hand, was sure that this pink lady had changed.

She didn’t have fangs before, that much Aria knew. How can she tell? Because she has spies everywhere in D-City.

Aria knew a lot of things because of her spy network in the city. It might not be everything, but she does know a lot. And she knew that Lily wasn’t like this before.

This change was very recent and somewhat concerning.

A lady doesn’t change this much and this fast out of nowhere. There has to be a reason, and that reason must be strong enough to trigger this change.

Was it because of her father’s illness, which he recently recovered from? Maybe?

But Aria couldn’t deny that confidence does suit this girl. She would begrudingly admit that Lily looked very cool and very elegant just now.

But certainly not as cool, elegant, and beautiful as her. And most especially not in the eyes of Sieg.

If Lily could hear what they’re thinking right now, she’d probably giggle at them.

Yeah, they’re over-reacting and thinking too much. Her improvements were because of Marek’s help.

Her nightly sparring with him and her sparring with the Shadow Elites honed her into what she currently was right now. Unlike her usual opponents, Marek and the Shadow Elites do not pull their punches in fear of ruining her pretty face.

They forced her to move, adapt, and learn to survive their onslaught, or else she will die.

Her elegance and ’coolness’? Those were just side effects of honing her skills to this level. She has mastered her martial arts and is improving them still.

She now treats her training seriously and strives to be better every single day because she now wants to be strong and powerful.

As for her feeling for Sieg...well, that has no place in this tournament.

Poking another monster to death, Lily paused for a brief moment before wondering:

’Marek should be here, somewhere, right? ’

’He told me he’s from the Letter Kingdom as well, and he’s strong, so he must be one of the competitors, right? ’

’Will I meet you in person for the first time? ’

’Will I recognize him? ’

’Will he...recognize me? Despite the huge difference between the appearance between my VR avatar and my real-world appearance? ’

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