Chapter 26: The Defense of the City

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Defense of the City

Selos’s words left Shen Ce utterly astonished. He lowered his gaze and pondered for a moment—was there even anything to discuss about such a question?

Shen Ce couldn’t grasp the reason behind Selos’s inquiry, but he nonetheless voiced his thoughts: “There’s no comparison at all. NPCs are merely virtual data; once they die, they cannot be revived. Players, on the other hand, even if wiped out, can always start over.”

“I see,” Selos replied, his profile taut with tension. In the depths of his dark eyes, it seemed as though a layer of mist had settled, making them inscrutable.

Standing beside Selos, even though they were physically close, it felt as if a great distance separated them.

What exactly had Selos understood? While Shen Ce was still puzzled, he heard Selos speak again: “When are you planning to go to the Ancient Battlefield?” Selos’s voice was as deep and enigmatic as ever, but now tinged with an unmistakable irritation.

Sensing Selos’s agitation, Shen Ce fell silent for a while before answering, “I’ll be participating in the city defense tomorrow, so how about the day after?”

Selos nodded, then strode wordlessly into the crowd. The silver-white cloak he wore receded into the distance, soon vanishing from Shen Ce’s sight.

Shen Ce watched Selos depart, pressed his lips together, and began retracing his steps to the front of the trading district, to the Hall of Rare Treasures. Shui Linglong was somewhat confused by Shen Ce’s return, until he began trading her the equipment that had dropped when they fought the snake last time.

“You said those items weren’t yours, didn’t you?” Shui Linglong picked up a pair of deep green bracers, admiring the intricate designs engraved upon them.

“The rightful owner didn’t want them, so I’ll sell them instead,” Shen Ce replied, his gaze sweeping over the equipment. “By the way, Linglong, keep an eye out for any gear related to assassins.”

Shui Linglong stopped examining the bracers, her almond-shaped eyes raised in surprise. “Assassins? When did you get acquainted with an assassin?”

Shen Ce answered unhurriedly, “It’s the quest partner I worked with during the snake hunt at Snow Cliff.”

After explaining, Shen Ce entrusted Shui Linglong with a few other matters, then wandered through several shops in the trading district. With the defense of the city imminent, he too needed to prepare and stock up.

The next morning, the weather was pleasant. Shen Ce logged in at the appointed time. There were still ten minutes until the monster assault, but the entire base was under strict alert. The once bustling streets were now empty, replaced by carefully arranged groups of players. The ten NPC garrison troops stood solemnly inside the city gate, their unmoving presence exuding an imposing authority.

Shen Ce raised his eyes toward the towers flanking the gate. Dozens of archers crouched low, fingers poised on bowstrings, waiting for the monsters to arrive. Beside them, crimson banners emblazoned with the insignia of the deity fluttered in the wind, like flames that would never be extinguished.

It seemed Han Qishao was also on one of the towers.

Shen Ce’s narrow eyes narrowed further. He strode toward the central tower, determined to experience firsthand the thrill of charging into battle, as he was one of the main attackers—not a healer relegated to the rear.

Han Qishao noticed Shen Ce, curled his lips into a nod of greeting, then focused all his attention outside the city gate.

Shen Ce too discarded all distractions, quietly casting every possible buff on himself.

A thunderous rumble—

Shen Ce’s body trembled slightly, his balance nearly wavering; he hurried to steady himself. Heavy footsteps echoed in his ears. Gazing into the distance, he saw nothing but swirling dust on the horizon, obscuring any clear view.

Half a minute later, a horde of savage beasts revealed themselves. Their movements were astonishingly swift; in the blink of an eye, they were nearly upon the guild base. They came in all shapes and sizes—the largest easily ten meters long, the smallest barely the width of a palm.

“Loose!” Han Qishao’s voice rang out as he commanded the archers, like a true emperor issuing orders.

In an instant, a volley of arrows soared, their numbers overwhelming, whistling sharply through the air. The ferocious assault startled the monsters before they could even approach the gate. They howled in rage; some, their hides less resilient, fell dead from the barrage, while others sustained only superficial wounds.

Han Qishao took aim at the leading golden-eyed white bear. He drew his bow to its fullest, a cold gleam igniting at the tip of the arrowhead. As the feathered arrow shot forth, a raptor suddenly lunged directly at Han Qishao!

The giant bird, resembling a hawk or falcon, beat its wings furiously, moving with such speed that Han Qishao barely had time to react—he was on the verge of death beneath its talons!

A flash of white light streaked by, knocking the bird off course, sending it crashing from the sky!

Han Qishao, just returned from the brink of death, quickly glanced back at Shen Ce, who had saved him, and shouted, “Thank you!”

Shen Ce shook his head. Han Qishao didn’t linger on gratitude; he nocked another arrow, his aim still fixed on the golden-eyed white bear ramming the gate. A dark gold arrow shot forth like a meteor, striking the bear’s left leg!

Though hit, the golden-eyed white bear roared and lunged forward with all its might. With a deafening crash, the city gate collapsed! Countless monsters swarmed into the city, and the ten NPC guards, long prepared, swung their blades in unison, unleashing a wave of blood and wails!

Meanwhile, the eagle-shaped giant bird Shen Ce had knocked down flapped its wings, suddenly leaping up and looming over Shen Ce’s position!

The giant bird whirled toward the white-robed priest, its sharp talons seeking to snap the meddler’s neck!

Shen Ce calmly took two steps back, raising his deep violet staff high. A great white aura enveloped him, its luminous glow imbued with deadly searing power, forcing the giant bird to halt its advance!

It seemed the giant bird sensed Shen Ce was not to be trifled with; it quickly shifted targets, attacking other archers instead. Shen Ce’s lips curled into a cold smile as he recited the incantation for Thunderflash. A burst of dazzling light erupted from his staff, striking the giant bird directly!

The bird shrieked in agony, its wings scorched and shedding feathers, its body nearly charred. The archers beside Shen Ce seized the moment, shooting arrows into the bird’s eyes. The creature, unable to withstand any more, crashed about the tower before collapsing in pain.

Shen Ce whispered a spell, dispatching the giant bird with a minor spell. Monsters capable of flight were rare; the true battle now raged on the ground, and Han Qishao had joined the fray below.

The situation on the ground was grim. The beast horde was led by the golden-eyed white bear and an earth dragon with one-tenth true dragon blood. They rampaged through the guild base, their brute strength reducing everything in their path to rubble, their destructive power staggering.

The earth dragon, though a far cry from a true dragon, was a formidable foe for the guild players. Fortunately, the game company had granted it high offense and defense but limited agility, offering players a fighting chance. Many guild members exploited the dragon’s sluggish movements, gradually boxing it into a corner for a coordinated assault. As the saying goes, even ants can bite an elephant—though the earth dragon boasted dragon blood, it still succumbed to the tide of numbers.

Compared to the earth dragon, the golden-eyed white bear was much smaller, but its bulk belied its agility—it moved swiftly, even nimbly!

Han Qishao and several others faced off against the bear, which seemed determined to sow chaos, refusing direct confrontation. Instead, it probed for weaknesses, searching for another way through.

Shen Ce hurried down from the tower, staff raised. With a flourish, he conjured a large milky-white barrier directly in front of the bear. Sensing Han Qishao had gained an ally, the bear’s massive eyes locked onto Shen Ce, charging straight at him!

Wild Charge!

Shen Ce hadn’t expected the bear to use such a move and failed to dodge in time. He was sent flying, but thanks to the lingering effects of “Praise of the Goddess of Light,” a support spell, and the bear’s prior exhaustion, he survived.

The bear tried to press its advantage, but Han Qishao and his group blocked its path, forcing it to fight desperately.

Shen Ce’s health had plummeted two-thirds from the bear’s Wild Charge. A metallic taste rose in his throat, and he coughed up blood. He was grateful for his foresight—in the last update of “Heaven’s Dominion,” he had set the pain sensitivity to the minimum, 1%, so he felt no discomfort now.

As Han Qishao had arranged, a supporting priest was on hand to heal. Several healing spells drifted down onto Shen Ce, and within thirty seconds, he was fully restored.

Once recovered, Shen Ce quickly rejoined the battle, expertly casting two burning damage-over-time spells at the golden-eyed white bear, followed by a basic appraisal spell.

The system’s notification revealed that the bear’s health bar was more than half depleted. Realizing its end was near, the bear used Wild Charge more frequently. However, everyone, having learned from Shen Ce’s misfortune, was well prepared and did not let the bear succeed.

Failing to break through, the bear’s eyes turned blood-red. Shen Ce’s eyelids twitched; if monsters could go berserk during the city defense, it would be unbearable.

Shen Ce hurriedly shouted, “Don’t let it go berserk! I’ll cast a stun spell—everyone, use your ultimate attacks!”