Chapter 79: Introduction

At the training ground of the Invincible Guild Manor.

Guild Leader Li Changde and Kamiyu walked onto the speaking platform, chatting and laughing.

On the sandy field below, over two hundred players clad in battle armor had rushed back “with all haste” from the Crimson Earth’s Instance Dungeons and Wilderness Zones.

Upon hearing the unprecedented order for an emergency recall and assembly of the entire guild, everyone had been extremely tense. They had hurried back to the Main City without even taking time to clean off the monster blood, entrails, and debris clinging to their bodies.

Now, seeing Li Changde on the platform laughing and talking with an unfamiliar woman, it truly had a flavor of “playing with fire to amuse the feudal lords.”

“This is bad. The Guild Leader has been bewitched by this little one,” thought Deputy Captain Debe of the Frontline Team anxiously.

“Summoning all of us from so far away, just to show off our strength to this woman? Guild Leader, you’re confused,” sighed the guild’s Strategist and Vice Guild Leader, Wu Yong.

And indeed, Vice Guild Leader Wu Yong had guessed Li Changde’s intention correctly.

He had issued that order precisely to display the full strength of his guild to Kamiyu, to let her see how well-equipped and formidable the guild was.

Li Changde’s ten-member Frontline Team was all above Level 25, each equipped with Legendary Weapons and Common Armor, even more powerful than ordinary Squads.

However, considering the members’ sentiments, he hadn’t been so presumptuous as to have them line up and march for Kamiyu’s review.

That would have overly highlighted and elevated Kamiyu, potentially breeding resentment towards her among the others.

Yet, some genuinely misunderstood Kamiyu’s identity, thinking she was the Guild Leader’s “lover.”

This accidental misunderstanding added another layer of obscurity to Kamiyu’s identity, further misleading those probing into who she was, preventing them from suspecting she was the Beta Tester, Kamiyu.

Now that everyone was assembled, Li Changde spoke: “Thank you all very much for coming. If you’re tired, feel free to sit and rest.”

After the pleasantries, Li Changde got straight to the point.

Kamiyu stood beside him, listening to how he would “paint the picture,” learning from it, thinking she might have a chance to use such techniques in the future.

“Everyone, pay attention. According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, the number of new players joining the game daily is increasing, starting at several hundred each day. For us, this is both good news and a challenge.”

“The good news is we can recruit more newcomers.”

“The challenge is that with more people, resources become scarcer. Competition in the future will intensify, both within the guild and outside it.

Within the guild, new players will join; outside, we must also face challenges from the official side.

The pressure on your combat teams will increase significantly.”

“To build up, first tone down. Talk about how severe the situation is, creating pressure out of thin air,” Kamiyu analyzed Li Changde’s technique of painting a rosy picture.

Hearing Li Changde’s words, players from both the Frontline and Second Line teams grew tense, fearing they might be overtaken by the incoming new players.

In Crimson Earth, within the Invincible Guild, a player’s strength determined the resources they received. Only with sufficient strength could one secure enough resources for their own development.

Now, the player count was rising, but Crimson Earth hadn’t expanded outward. Progress remained stuck in a cycle where, whenever the Hell Tide arrived, all players had to return to Main City Kaijistan to defend it.

Unable to expand outward while the Hell Tide persisted, they couldn’t strike out; they could only defend passively.

Simply put, the human players were consistently at a disadvantage.

The members of the frontline and second-tier teams thought to themselves: with more people now, all of them newcomer players, a large portion of resources would have to be allocated to help them level up, which would inevitably lead to fewer resources for everyone.

Meanwhile, the newcomer players nearby were even more worried. They had just completed the screening phase of the Black Sphere Game a few days ago and had only recently entered Crimson Earth, with many things still unclear to them.

Now, a large group of people was about to join.

From President Li’s words, it seemed that the guild would be taking in many new players in the future to counter the challenges posed by the official factions.

If they didn’t accept newcomers, other guilds would. Not to mention the official factions themselves—under the banner of authority, they could easily lure a large number of clueless newcomer players to serve as cattle and horses.

Li Changde observed everyone’s reactions, thinking that the pressure had been properly applied. He took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and spoke in a resounding voice:

“The challenges outside are growing, but there’s no need to worry. As long as we stand united, pulling together as one, and strive for our common goal, we will surely overcome this hurdle once again.”

Vice Guild Leader Wu Yong led the applause.

“Clap, clap, clap, clap.” Everyone followed with enthusiastic clapping.

The veteran guild members of the frontline and second-tier teams clapped even more passionately. Having struggled alongside Li Changde from scratch and built the guild into what it was today, they strongly agreed with his words.

Kamiyu also joined in the applause.

She thought to herself, “What an impressive speech. It feels like I’ve stepped into the Land of Light.”

Li Changde glanced at Kamiyu.

“Huh? Why is he looking at me?” Kamiyu wondered inwardly.

The next moment, Li Changde turned back to face the crowd.

He continued, “Today, we are very fortunate to have Miss Kamier join us. She is an exceptionally talented Pharmacist. With her help, our guild can reach even greater heights.”

“Huh? Kamier? Who’s that? Is he talking about me? But that name sounds so feminine.” Kamiyu was so nervous that she momentarily forgot she was a girl.

There was no turning back now—Kamiyu had been neatly arranged into this role.

Suddenly being introduced by Li Changde like this, Kamiyu’s heart began to pound rapidly.

Under the gaze of hundreds of people, her adrenaline surged, her blood pressure rose, and her heartbeat quickened. This feeling was even more intense than her life-or-death duel with Bai Zhan back in Dragon Roar City.

“Whisper, whisper, whisper, whisper.”

“So she’s a Pharmacist—such a rare profession. No wonder she gets to stand beside the Guild Leader,” remarked a frontline team member.

“A guild with a healer class isn’t considered top-tier. Only a guild with a Pharmacist or Alchemist capable of crafting potions can be called a first-rate guild.

From today onward, the Invincible Guild can truly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the guilds of Beta Tester Players,” Vice Guild Leader Wu Yong thought excitedly.

“We’re all newcomer players, so why does she get to stand on stage? Is being a Pharmacist really that impressive?” blurted out one newcomer player.

Though the voice was soft, it was still heard by others.

In an instant, silence fell.

The frontline and second-tier team members glared coldly at the player who had spoken out of turn.

The newcomers nearby quickly stepped away, afraid of being associated with this person.

Before Li Changde could explain, Debe, who was fiercely protective of President Li, strode over and spoke loudly, looking down at the player with an imposing demeanor:

“Pharmacists aren’t impressive? Do you know how much money President Li spends on Health Restoration Potions every day?

You can purchase 10 Legendary Weapons.

Don’t forget who gave you the Health Restoration Potion you’re carrying.

A Guild without a Pharmacist can only be constantly harvested, unable to truly transform and grow.”

In Crimson Earth, where you only have one life, Health Restoration Potions are the most precious resource, capable of saving your life at critical moments.

The major expense for the Invincible Guild is on various Potions.

Now, with Kamiyu’s joining, the Guild’s development restrictions have truly been lifted, allowing the Guild’s strength to greatly improve.

And the ultimate beneficiary, of course, is Kamiyu.