Morgana hadn't even gotten up when he saw a knife land on him, followed by the System Reminder.
"Player has died. Would you like to reincarnate?"
"Reminder: The Novice Stage is three days. After three days, reincarnation after death will require a certain amount of Contribution Points."
Morgana was stunned when he saw this prompt. Is this some kind of joke? A novice task, and not only are there so many players, but they also had to go and kill me with one strike? Doesn't the damn game designer know how to play the game?
"Reincarnate!"
Morgana took note of the reminder and understood the importance of Contribution Points. This made Contribution Points seem even more valuable. I can probably resell them in the future.
Reincarnation required creating a new appearance, so Morgana casually changed his appearance before resurrecting and walking out of the Gathering Sun Hall.
He glanced around, ran towards the woodshed, grabbed an axe, and then headed to the Contribution Hall.
There were many Martial Arts Manuals inside the Contribution Hall. Players could directly use Contribution Points to buy and learn them.
Morgana now had one Contribution Point, and he just wanted to check how much the manuals cost.
"Six Veins Divine Sword," ten thousand Contribution Points.
"The Nine Swords of Dugu," one hundred thousand Contribution Points.
"Evil-Repelling Sword Technique," five thousand Contribution Points.
…
"Unfortune Axe Technique," one Contribution Point.
"Sun Punch," one Contribution Point.
"Swallow's Nest Clothing-Breaking Technique," one Contribution Point.
…
At first, I felt a bit of a headache. After all, those manuals were all quite good, but I didn't have enough Contribution Points for them.
But as he scrolled further, the manuals became cheaper.
Looking at the axe in his hand, his eyes fell on the manual that cost only one Contribution Point.
Instantly, a warm feeling surged through his body.
"Player: Evil Queen Morgana."
"Identity: Profound Yellow Sect Disciple."
"Equipment: Ordinary Axe."
"Realm: Half-Step Ninth Grade Martial Artist."
"Martial Arts: 'Unfortune Axe Technique'."
"Talent: Beauty Brings Misfortune."
Heh… I've got the power now! Now I feel as though I've undergone a complete transformation and can take on ten at once! I am invincible! Now, I'm ready to take on ten!
Morgana laughed loudly as he gripped the axe and charged towards the Back Mountain.
Now, he was ready to take on ten!
「At the entrance of Black Wind Stronghold.」
Skirmishes were about to erupt.
As their leader, Mountain-Flipping Dragon, spoke, the lackeys of Black Wind Stronghold also sprang into action.
Although the players were fearless, they were no match for these battle-hardened fighters.
Watching as more than half of the players were dead or injured, Xu Nian stopped holding back and stepped forward, heading towards the nearest Black Wind Stronghold lackey.
Feeling the fluctuations of Qi from Xu Nian, Mountain-Flipping Dragon exclaimed in surprise. A Ninth-Grade Martial Artist? Among this group, there's someone at the same realm as me? It seems these suicidal visitors aren't as simple as I thought.
"Stop!"
Mountain-Flipping Dragon, seeing his subordinates were only getting injured, felt even more contempt for the players. What kind of fools are these? Why would they travel all this way to Black Wind Stronghold just to die?
Seeing their leader speak, the men from Black Wind Stronghold stopped their attacks. The players seized the chance and quickly retreated behind Xu Nian.
"What's going on? Why did they suddenly stop?"
"It must be part of the plot, right? Maybe the Sect Leader will negotiate with that leader. Let's watch the situation first."
"Dang, it really hurts! That's the first time I've ever felt what it's like to be slashed by a knife."
"Are you dumb? Didn't you know you could turn the pain setting down to minimum? Seeing you like this, I'm starting to think you might be a masochist."
"…"
Xu Nian stared at Mountain-Flipping Dragon, ready to make a move, but was also forced to pause.
The latter then turned to look in their direction.
"Well, well, if it isn't Sect Leader Xu of the Profound Yellow Sect. Shouldn't you be at your Profound Yellow Sect, waiting to die of old age, instead of stirring up trouble here at my Black Wind Stronghold?"
Mountain-Flipping Dragon recognized Xu Nian, a trace of solemnity in his eyes. Could all these people be from the Profound Yellow Sect? Wasn't it said that the Profound Yellow Sect had fallen on hard times this year and was almost empty of people? How come, in the blink of an eye, there are thirty more of them? No, wait! It must be thirty fools!
Xu Nian frowned slightly, apparently not expecting Mountain-Flipping Dragon to recognize him.
But their side had suffered heavy losses. The players charging forward so recklessly was no different from courting death.
Why is this so different from the fourth catastrophe I envisioned? What kind of players are these?
"Sect Leader, I'm back!"
Just as Xu Nian was about to speak, a familiar voice interrupted him once again.
Morgana, having changed his appearance and wielding an axe, charged back into the fray, followed by seven or eight resurrected players.
"Hey! Eat my axe!"
Morgana roared and bypassed Xu Nian and the others, charging straight into the crowd.
His appearance was different now, but this reckless, brutish aura he radiated made Mountain-Flipping Dragon and his men feel a sense of déjà vu.
It felt like there had been a reckless brute just like this one at the very beginning!
SQUELCH!
The axe fell, and a Black Wind Stronghold lackey was killed with a single blow.
This scene stunned the other players.
"Holy shit! Did Morgana hire a power-leveler or something? How did he suddenly become so fierce?"
"Where did he get that axe? Why does he have equipment?"
"He was just getting beaten up a moment ago, and now he's killed three mobs in the blink of an eye! Is this still the same brainless brute Morgana?"
"Brainless my ass! If we don't make a move, he'll take all the Contribution Points for himself!"
"..."
Xu Nian too watched Morgana with an odd expression. Half-Step Ninth-Grade Martial Artist? 'Unfortune Axe Technique'? So, Morgana had desperately killed a lackey just now, gained one Contribution Point, and transformed from a novice into a mini-Boss? Given his current state, killing a dozen lackeys should be no problem. So, among the players, is Morgana actually the strongest?
Among the players, Junlin, watching Morgana's display of might, frowned and said, "We can't let him earn all the Contribution Points by himself. Under the Phoenix Tree, Poisonous Panda, how about we team up?"
"Team up?" Under the Phoenix Tree and Poisonous Panda looked over.
Junlin nodded. "Even though we don't have weapons, the Black Wind Stronghold members do. Morgana didn't take their weapons after killing them, so we can pick those up. The three of us can gang up on one, taking turns to deliver the final blow. That way, nobody loses out!"
"Good idea!"
"I'll go pick up a sword first!"
The trio quickly formed a team.
As they teamed up, the rest of the players also seemed to realize the benefits of forming groups.
Since Morgana is taking the lead and the Boss is being handled by the Sect Leader, a group of us attacking one enemy shouldn't be a problem, right?
Junlin and his team didn't hesitate. They grabbed swords and charged forward.
Whenever Morgana crippled an enemy, the three of them would take turns delivering the final blow. If they saw a straggler, the three would gang up on that one.
This strategy worked quite well, and the three of them started coordinating with Morgana.
After all, relying solely on Morgana, his stamina was also being taxed.
"Bro, what did you eat or something? How'd you get so strong?" Junlin seized the opportunity to ask.
"There are manuals for sale in the Contribution Hall," Morgana explained. "Didn't I kill someone earlier? I used one Contribution Point to buy an axe technique manual. I found the axe in the woodshed."
Hearing this, Junlin and the others understood. So, it wasn't that they were too weak, but that Morgana had found the way.
"Shall we team up and work together?" Junlin hurriedly said. "The four of us working together sounds pretty good. When the time comes, we'll split the Contribution Points evenly. Of course, the kills you got earlier will count as yours alone. How about that?"
After a moment's thought, Morgana agreed.
Working together, the four of them charged directly into the ranks of Black Wind Stronghold lackeys. With Morgana, the reckless brute, leading the way, they had already taken down more than twenty of them.
"Wow, Morgana the brute is charging their lines, and the enemy is actually scared off!"
"As soon as the Black Wind Stronghold lackeys scattered, Junlin's group ganged up on them. Those four coordinate so well, don't they?"
"This is a straight-up upgraded version of the reckless charge strategy!"
"Awesome! Do you actually need to use tactics in this game?"
"Don't learn from them! People who use tactics have dirty hearts!"
"..."