"Look! Starlight Bastion has opened!"
"It's finally open! We've been waiting for this moment for so long."
As Starlight Bastion released a pillar of brilliant light into the sky, players from various factions and independent players resting in the surrounding primeval forests all witnessed the spectacle at once.
Or rather, everyone had already calculated exactly when Starlight Bastion would open, and had been waiting for the moment the lockdown was lifted. This was especially true for the independent players who had rushed over — one could say they were filled with anticipation for Starlight Bastion.
Although the independent players knew nothing about the Netherworld Empire's compromise, some information about what lay inside Starlight Bastion had been leaked by players from the Divine Intent Tribe.
This sent the masses of independent players into a frenzy.
Setting aside the rich magical energy inside Starlight Bastion that would allow them to recover faster, just the fact that staying inside long-term would grant them better control over magic power was enough to surpass every NPC city.
Not to mention that Starlight Bastion was located in the Valley of the Stars — a treasure land that could greatly accelerate their leveling speed and resource gathering.
Now that it was opening, there was no way they could miss it.
For this reason, among the players heading to Starlight Bastion, even though the major factions had sent large numbers, their ranks were still far exceeded by the flood of independent players.
In the blink of an eye, the masses of independent players resting in the primeval forest surged toward Starlight Bastion like madmen, as though a dark tide was crashing toward the bastion. The terrifying sea of people was so overwhelming that even the major factions couldn't force their way in first using their guild influence.
And even if the major factions tried to bully their way through, not a single one of these independent players would have stood for it, because any independent player who had made it to the Valley of the Stars possessed strength far beyond ordinary free experts. Among them were quite a few Tier 3 experts, and out in the wild, they had nothing to fear from the factions.
However, not only were the major factions not angry about this, they were actually delighted.
"I never expected so many Tier 3 experts to converge here. Even the Netherworld Empire and Divine Intent Tribe couldn't have predicted this many people would show up."
"Now things get interesting! With this many Tier 3 experts, even the Netherworld Empire's Hell Legion guarding alongside them won't be nearly enough."
The major factions watched the tide of people surging toward Starlight Bastion, their eyes brimming with excitement.
Before seeing these independent experts, they had believed themselves incapable of stirring up any trouble in Starlight Bastion. After all, the Netherworld Empire's Hell Legion was no pushover.
But the current situation had completely exceeded their expectations.
They never imagined Starlight Bastion would be so appealing to independent players.
Setting aside the Tier 2 independent players, the number of Tier 3 independent experts alone was four to five thousand — a figure that vastly outnumbered the combined Tier 3 experts of all the major factions put together.
Such numbers meant that even if the Netherworld Empire went all out to defend, it would be useless, let alone the Divine Intent Tribe.
But before the major factions could celebrate for long, a silver-white dragon flew out from Starlight Bastion and landed right beside the bastion gates, silently watching the approaching independent players.
With the appearance of Holy Dragon Elbrack, the independent experts who had been moments ago practically vibrating with excitement now turned to wooden figures. Everyone stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move a muscle, all staring fixedly at Holy Dragon Elbrack. The sudden shift, the sheer spectacle of it, left even the distant major factions dumbfounded.
Four to five thousand Tier 3 professionals!
And now they were all as meek as mice who'd run into a cat...
Of course, the major factions present could understand.
Because the dragon pressure emanating from Holy Dragon Elbrack at this moment was simply overwhelming — like a mountain crashing down, making it hard to breathe, let alone for the independent players standing closer to the Holy Dragon.
"Is that really a Tier 4 dragon?" The experts from the various factions looked at Holy Dragon Elbrack silently surveying the crowd and found themselves at a loss for words.
Although they had already known from intelligence reports that Holy Dragon Elbrack was extremely powerful and absolutely not to be fought head-on — that even the Hell Legion would flee upon encountering it — seeing it with their own eyes now, they realized they had been wildly underestimating the situation.
This wasn't a question of whether it was strong or not.
It was simply an existence that could not be provoked!
"Ladies and gentlemen, Starlight Bastion is now fully open. If you wish to enter, I must remind you of certain rules. Any form of combat within this bastion is strictly prohibited. Anyone found engaging in combat will be killed on the spot and imprisoned in this bastion's prison for eight days." Macafrey, standing atop the wall, addressed all the players outside the bastion in a booming voice. "If everyone has no objections, please form a line and register to enter!"
After Macafrey finished speaking, the players present wore mixed expressions. The major factions in particular were completely stupefied.
"The bastion prison! What is this about?"