Chapter 104: Three Days

Kamiyu’s plan to farm the Keystone Dungeon was interrupted by the impending Hell Tide. She didn’t have time to farm for the Altar of Lilith and was forced to stay in the Main City to assist with its defense.

Fortunately, Li Changde informed her that staying in the city to defend against the monster waves of the Hell Tide also offered a chance to obtain the core item for building a Sanctuary—the Altar of Lilith.

After careful consideration, Kamiyu decided to stay and face this challenge together.

She wanted to prove her strength and show that she was no worse than others. While other Beta Testers didn’t dare to stay, she did. While other experts fled at the last moment, she charged into enemy lines to fight.

Once her goal was clear, preparations had to begin. As the saying goes, “An army marches on its stomach.” She needed to start by brewing Health Restoration Potions and various other potions.

Kamiyu began by producing 10,000 Minor Health Potions. It seemed like a lot, but assuming there were 2,000 defenders, that averaged only five potions per person—hardly impressive on a large battlefield.

She thought to herself, “Rather than working in isolation, I should ask Li Changde for information and find out what they need.”

Helping them was helping herself. By cooperating with the Invincible Guild, they could assist her in farming points, which she could then exchange for treasures at the Heavenly Father Altar.

Kamiyu sent a message, but Li Changde unusually replied that he was in a closed-door meeting and suggested she explore the Main City first, starting with the Heavenly Father Altar to see what could be exchanged.

Kamiyu wondered if he was using the exchange rewards to tempt her, making her more compliant.

But she immediately shook her head and thought, “Be magnanimous. Don’t be petty all the time. Since we’re in the game, adopt the heroic demeanor of a great warrior.”

Jack, seeing Kamiyu shaking her head like a bell, asked curiously, “What are you doing?”

“Nothing. Let’s go,” Kamiyu replied, changing into a clean Guild Mage Robe. Now she was dressed as a standard member of the Invincible Guild.

“Where to?” Jack asked, sounding like an NPC.

“We’re going incognito, ‘Big Shot Kamiyu’,” Kamiyu said with a sneaky tone.

Once they stepped out the door, Jack’s identity would be her identity, and she would assume the role of Pharmacist Kamier.

Walking along the main road in the center of the city, they noticed a stark contrast to the bustling, energetic, and hopeful new Players outside the city.

The Veteran Players gathered here all wore worried expressions, sighing in despair. Under the gloomy sky, the atmosphere of hopelessness was even more pronounced.

Kamiyu looked up at the sky and noticed what seemed like a giant whale floating above. She had seen something in the sky back in the Valley of the Deathly Echo, but it had been unclear. Over time, however, the image in the sky had grown increasingly distinct.

“A Kun?”

The conversation of the Veteran Players drew her attention back to the ground.

“Sigh, this time the Heavenly Father Altar’s corruption is progressing much faster than before, catching us completely off guard. We didn’t have time to prepare,” one Veteran Player said, sitting on the ground with a furrowed brow.

“Exactly. I don’t know what’s going on. According to the corruption speed of the Talent Altar, the next Hell Tide should be a month from now.”

Not long ago, it suddenly accelerated to two weeks. Two weeks was one thing, but now it’s actually collapsing, becoming just three days later,” another veteran player said.

“Exactly right. The more new players log in, the more dangerous the Crimson Earth becomes. The Black Sphere is using human lives to fill the front lines.

How difficult the Black Sphere Game used to be—only elites could be filtered into the Crimson Earth.

Now the Black Sphere doesn’t even pretend, directly skipping the screening process and summoning people into the Crimson Earth, forcing us to spend even more time educating the newcomers,” a squad officer said.

“Ah, the apocalypse is coming. The Beta Testers aren’t even defending the city—they’ve taken their own ‘clans’ and fled back to the Sanctuary ahead of time. Big shots? Big my ass,” a solo player said cynically.

“It’s better if it all goes to hell. Just don’t defend the city. Let the monsters smash the Heavenly Father Altar, charge into the real world, and let all of humanity experience our suffering,” a solo player in a black robe said, sounding deranged.

No one objected; instead, they all joined in with self-mocking laughter.

In this Crimson Earth, every day you wake up, you either kill Aberrant Beast Demons or get killed by Aberrant Beast Demons. There are no other options.

Maybe it really is better if it all ends.

Kamiyu felt a chill run down her spine. Had the situation already deteriorated this badly? Despair had spread to every veteran player.

Kamiyu looked around. Compared to before, there were far fewer high-level players in the Main City. Those with Titles, decked out in Legendary Tier or Common Equipment, were almost nowhere to be seen.

It was just as she had said—only the “old, weak, sick, and disabled” players were left defending the city.

With weak forces, only some clueless newcomer players remained, full of fighting spirit, but this was just a drop in the bucket—utterly insignificant in the face of absolute strength.

Kamiyu continued toward the Holy Light Cathedral. Along the way, she saw veteran players sitting dejectedly on the ground, faces full of worry, and newcomer players bustling about, though it was unclear what they were so frantically busy with.

She shook her head. The situation was even worse than she had imagined.

But this only fueled her fighting spirit. Heaven was bestowing a great responsibility upon her. Now, with her Enhancement Talent and Construction Sage Talent, it was the perfect time to play a major role and turn the tide.

Times create heroes. A surging passion, long suppressed, welled up inside her. She wanted to shout out that she had a way to save this Main City, a way to reverse the situation.

But for now, she had to remain silent, stay calm, and keep a low profile.

Because the enemy wasn’t just the Aberrant Beast Demons.

Kamiyu had played the 72-hour Final Survivor game and knew well the treachery of human hearts. Even with the best intentions, there would always be those who turned against you, those who sought to profit, and those who tried to drag you down.

Therefore, until she was absolutely certain, she couldn’t easily reveal her strength. Otherwise, she might get backstabbed or sold out without even knowing it.

Holy Light Cathedral.

Inside, a two-story-tall statue of the Heavenly Father, wearing a cloak, stood in the very center.

Kamiyu noticed that the Heavenly Father had no face. It wasn’t that it hadn’t been carved—she simply couldn’t see it. Whenever she tried to look up at the Heavenly Father’s face, a mysterious force would divert her gaze.

“How strange. Can you not see it either?” Kamiyu asked Jack.

“No, I can’t see it,” Jack replied with a surprised expression.

Three priests were seated around the Altar. One of them, a white-robed priest, stood up upon seeing Kamiyu approach and said, “Lord Beta Tester, you have arrived.”

He was speaking to Kamiyu.

Kamiyu widened her eyes. Only Li Changde and the official higher-ups knew her identity. Could this be Li Changde’s doing?

Jack took a step forward.

The white-robed priest, as if seeing through everything, calmly said, “Lord Beta Tester, rest assured. We are followers of the Holy Light Church and do not belong to any human Camp.”

“Are you humans, or NPCs?” Kamiyu probed.