As Shi Feng slowly drew closer to the battlefield, countless players kept their eyes glued to the Mechanical Slaughterer's health bar.
The fight was growing more intense by the second, and the Mechanical Slaughterer's health was dropping faster and faster.
If they could get there before anyone else, their chances of snatching the loot would be that much greater — so everyone stared, unblinking.
At the same time, the guild leaders from every major faction were ordering their subordinates to set up encirclement nets.
Although Shi Feng had used the Mechanical Slaughterer to kill quite a few players, there were still plenty left. The guilds had no attention to spare for him anymore. Even Wei Wo Du Kuang, who ground his teeth in hatred toward Shi Feng, had his eyes fixed on the Mechanical Slaughterer.
"Wei Wo, we've already sent people to the closest positions around the Mechanical Slaughterer. The moment it dies, our people will be the first on the scene," an assassin reported as he approached Wei Wo Du Kuang.
"Good. If anyone tries to grab the drops, kill them all," Wei Wo Du Kuang ordered.
The Mechanical Slaughterer was so powerful that the drops, by his estimate, would be at least Dark-Gold-tier items — maybe even Epic-tier. That would be far better than anything the three major dungeons could offer.
As long as he could secure those drops, it would go a long way toward making up for his losses.
"Oh, and any movement from Zero Wing or Snake of the Body?" Wei Wo Du Kuang asked.
"Nothing for now. Zero Wing — not sure why — hasn't sent a large force over. It's like they're not interested. As for Snake of the Body, they're still going all-in on the three dungeons and only sent a handful of people. Imperial Light and the Assassin Alliance did send quite a few, though. A lot of our members died because of Black Flame. If it comes to a fight over the drops, we won't have the upper hand," the assassin reported.
"Ha ha ha! Bai Qingxue, you were so obsessed with clearing the three dungeons that you missed the chance to actually do it. Pass the word — everyone focus on grabbing the most valuable items first. Dark-Gold and Epic-tier items cannot fall into any other guild's hands." Wei Wo Du Kuang thought of the lavish drops from the Mechanical Slaughterer, and his heart raced with excitement.
Black Flame had killed quite a few of his people, dealing a serious blow to Dark Star. Recovery would take time. He would settle that score sooner or later — and he would kill Black Flame with his own hands.
But compared to those losses, securing Dark-Gold or even Epic-tier items would be an enormous boost for the guild, especially when it came to dungeon progression.
If they brought Dark-Gold or Epic-tier weapons and gear to take on the three dungeons' bosses, the fights would become incomparably easier.
Once they claimed the First Clear of all three dungeons, Dark Star would once again appear before the world and reclaim its former glory.
Time trickled by. As everyone stared intently at the Mechanical Slaughterer's dwindling health, more and more players converged on White River City.
A monster siege — this was the first time such an event had occurred in the entire Star Moon Kingdom.
Shortly after the system announcement in White River City, the Divine Realm's official website had already picked up the story.
It wasn't just players from the White River City region; players from other cities began flooding in as well.
However, the teleportation fees between cities weren't cheap — a round trip was a considerable expense — so the number of players coming from other cities wasn't all that large. Still, every one of them was someone who had done well for themselves in Divine Realm, and most were elite members of guilds from other cities.
Before long, the gathered crowd surpassed five hundred thousand — nearly a third of White River City's entire player population.
"Seeing how powerful this monster is, I'm at least relieved. At least we didn't come all this way for nothing. We brought a small force and we don't have the home-field advantage. If we manage to grab the drops, retreat immediately — don't throw your lives away. Understood?" a handsome young man in black robes said calmly to those around him.
If Shi Feng had seen this man, he would have been shocked.
This was a renowned expert in the virtual gaming world — his fame even surpassed Bai Qingxue's. He ranked within the top one thousand on the global expert leaderboard and was one of the founding members of the top-tier guild Star River Alliance. His name was Chi Yu.
"Don't worry, Chi Yu! You know what we're capable of. These White River City rookies think they can compete with us? They couldn't do it in another hundred years," a dark, wiry twenty-something assassin twirled his dagger and sneered at the White River City guild members loitering nearby.
"Brother Chi Yu, you're too cautious. We're the ace squad of the Star River Alliance! Now that we're here, how could we possibly leave any treasure behind?" a curvaceous female Ranger named Liu Qianqian said with a light laugh.
Chi Yu listened to his companions bicker back and forth and shook his head with a helpless smile. "You guys... White River City does have its share of strong players. This time Bai Qingxue didn't show up, so we've got one fewer major competitor — but don't forget about Xue Ji, the branch leader of Tianxia; Silent Broken Sword, the president of the Assassin Alliance; Yan Shisan, Imperial Light's branch leader; and the newly risen expert Black Flame. Plus there are experts from other cities too. Bottom line — stay careful."
But none of Chi Yu's warnings landed.
Their levels were all above twenty, their gear was mostly Mythril-tier — some were even fully decked out in Mythril. They were no gaming newcomers either; they had years of experience in the industry and were all top-tier experts.
Levels, skill, equipment — all first-rate. How could they possibly lose to other guilds?
"Brother Chi Yu, the Mechanical Slaughterer's health is almost gone. Should we charge in now?" Liu Qianqian asked.
"Wait. The more powerful the monster, the more devastating its death throes. You've all seen what the Mechanical Slaughterer is capable of — the entire 200-yard radius is a kill zone. Without invincibility, we could be caught in the blast before we even get close," Chi Yu cautioned. "We can move in closer, but stay outside 200 yards for now."
The moment Chi Yu finished speaking...