The moment news broke that
"Am I seeing this right?!
"Now that's something! If you have a private residence in Stone Forest City, you can teleport there anytime, anywhere!"
"Holy crap! Zero Wing is way too shady — they're only renting, not selling!"
Stone Forest City had already been the center of attention for players across all major kingdoms and empires. Everyone was itching to explore the God-level regional Dungeon, especially after a steady stream of news came flooding out from the countless players venturing into the
There was news of independent players obtaining Gold-grade treasure chests.
News of independent teams slaying a high-tier Great Lord and obtaining high-level legacies.
As for level 65 Mithril equipment or Gold-grade equipment, there was hardly any point in mentioning them — because any boss killed in the Abyss would drop at least level 65 Mithril gear as a baseline, and that was considered bad luck.
But none of these were what players across the major kingdoms and empires cared about most.
Compared to the staggering drop rates in the Abyss, the speed of leveling was what truly drove people wild. Players had originally thought that leveling in resource-rich neutral maps was already fast, but in the Abyss, those neutral maps couldn't even match half the speed.
Because of this, the Abyss had long since become the holy ground for leveling in every player's mind.
However, reaching the first floor of the Abyss was no easy feat. Ordinary expert teams would get wiped out long before they made it that far, let alone regular parties or independent players.
Now, with private residences available, this problem was completely solved. Not only could players teleport to their private residences at any time, they could also teleport back from within the Abyss — no more running all the way back. This dramatically extended the range players could explore.
But after everyone took a closer look at the rental terms and pricing for Stone Forest City's private residences, it sparked another round of heated debate.
"Auction-based rental is one thing, but a starting price of 30,000 Credit Points? Is Zero Wing trying to rob people blind?!"
"Zero Wing is way too ruthless! 30,000 Credit Points is several times my monthly income. Only the rich could possibly afford that — us regular folks can't take that kind of hit!"
"Exactly! If you want to make money, you should go for volume with lower prices. At that kind of price, how many people would actually rent?"
Looking at Zero Wing's minimum bid price, countless players cursed Zero Wing for being heartless, effectively shutting out all regular players and leaving the rich to enjoy unrestricted leveling.
Meanwhile, in the teleportation hall of the Nightfall Empire, several streaks of light flashed, and a six-person team stepped out of the teleportation array. None of the six had particularly high levels — they were generally around level 56 or 57, with the highest being only level 60. Yet they were all decked out in level 60 Gold-grade equipment, and the two long swords hanging at one player's waist defied any attempt to gauge their grade.
But the appearance of this particular player made many of the level 65+ expert players present feel a dangerous aura, their eyes involuntarily darting toward this young woman who looked to be under twenty, with an elegant and refined demeanor.
"Tiantong, you're not seriously planning to compete for a private residence in Stone Forest City, are you? The starting rent there is 30,000 Credit Points. How can a student like you possibly compete?" said a level 56 female Priest in the party, her face full of worry.
"If it comes to it, I'll sell that item and scrape together the rest. That should be enough. My level is too low right now, and the only way to level up quickly is to take a gamble now. Only if I catch up with the current front-runners can I challenge that
"That Black Flame is the Guild Leader of Zero Wing, and he was even granted the title of Sword King by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. He's not someone you can just defeat," said a level 57 Shield Warrior in the group, his voice tinged with admiration.