The Golden Experience Point

Chapter 112: "Preparing For a Counter Attack"

Even among players who seemed to be constantly on the forums, there weren't
any particularly significant discussions going on.

Most players seemed to be sticking to the outskirts or cities close to
monster territories, farming the monsters invading them.

As a result, these cities were in a constant state of readiness, causing
disruptions in logistics. Prices of resources and consumable items seemed to be
gradually increasing.

However, most players viewed this as a trade-off for gaining XP. They were
willing to incur increased expenses in exchange for higher experience gains and
weren't actively seeking solutions.

It's not that they didn't comprehend the situation fully. They simply
weighed the pros and cons, prioritizing their own experience efficiency over
the city's economy. The players advocating for NPC residents were simply
adopting a different playstyle.

However, in some cities, the city's knight orders and such were taking steps
to resolve the situation. They had already subjugated the monsters or groups
believed to be the leaders of the current threat in their respective monster
territories. While it might not be lucrative as an event, it could be deemed
beneficial for the NPC residents.

Players migrating from such cities to others had inadvertently caused prices
to soar in places ruled by more self-centered leaders. For the inhabitants, it
was a difficult situation.

"It's not easy to move freely, a stroke of bad luck, huh?"

Simply moving from the outskirts to a neighboring city would likely require
hiring mercenaries, and it's improbable that residents from these outskirts
would be allowed to move for the sake of migration. The outskirts likely served
as frontier settlements, hence taxes might be set at lower rates there.

"Well, in any case, it's not something I should worry about. Oh, it
looks like Ominous has arrived at the city."

"Really? That was fast!"

"He's flying, you know. The advantage of being able to fly is
tremendous. Now then..."

Jacking into Ominous, Rare started scouting the city from above.

If players were present, it would likely be around the inn or the vicinity
of the sellsword guild. It wasn't possible to see inside, but if they were
genuinely intending to attack the city where Rare and the others were, it
wouldn't be surprising if they were preparing to depart early in the morning.

There were no threads on the forums about gathering in this city, but there
might have been discussions in event co-op threads or something similar.

"Oh, there definitely seems to be something. In a city that isn't
directly connected to the monster territories, I can't imagine there being so
many NPC mercenaries. Those are probably all players."

Even though it wasn't directly connected to the monster territories, it
seems they've been there since yesterday.

Currently, due to the large number of undead created by Blanc in Elntar,
that city could be considered the frontline. They might have initially aimed
for a city further beyond, Altriva or perhaps La Colline, but they should have
realized today that Elntar, where Rare and Blanc were located, was no longer
available for selection in the teleportation service.

"It could end bad if a lot of players come..."

"Potentially... From what I can see, I'm unable to tell their actual
strength, so it's hard to say... If we fight during the day, the zombies won't
be much of a fighting force"