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Chapter 398 - 395 - ’The Seventh Day Meeting an Otherworld Traveler

Chapter 398: Chapter 395 - ’The Seventh Day Meeting an Otherworld Traveler

Clifford was choked by such a direct answer but, upon reflection, it seemed to make sense.

Their group and the residents within the barrier were truly bound together in mutual glory and mutual loss. If these combat-capable Soul Hunters, including Su Rin herself, all died outside the barrier, then the remaining people would be in for a rough time as well.

What awaited them was either total annihilation or being forced to leave Pulaya, becoming homeless and wandering.

The preparations on the city wall were still underway, with Aiske and others organizing this thousand-person troop.

"Let’s get this straight, everyone listen up. Soon, Lord Su Rin will open the barrier for us, and at that time, everyone, without exception, must rush out at top speed!" Minister Aiske started to play tough, bellowing to the already fired-up crowd: "Our mission is to reach the other side, the outermost layer of the barrier ruins that stretch across half of the outer city! This road is long, and we all risk death on it, casualties are inevitable! My demand is that no one slows down for even half a step along the way! Even if the person next to you is dragged away by sea monsters, or you’re wounded, do not slow down at all!"

He watched the people dividing into squads, his voice filled with unwavering resolve: "If the team slows down even by a bit, our risk increases by that much, and even more people will die on this road! So, until we reach our destination, for the sake of your families, for the victory of the entire team, no slowing down! Understood?"

"Understood!"

The resoundingly loud response echoed through the heavens and earth. Due to Su Ming’an’s recent speech, these people were as if invigorated with an infusion of vigor, their spirits running high.

Aiske coughed and tore off the decorative iron rings that "jangled" on his person.

These had once been his prized possessions, proof of his "uniqueness" and "fashion sense," but in a time like this, to avoid hindering combat, he discarded them all.

Next to him, Duoya, who usually wore beautiful long dresses, had now changed into a brightly colored combat suit. Long sleeves covered her skin completely, the garment multicolored and looking rather unsophisticated, a far cry from her previous alluring charm.

Sea Monsters are attracted to bright colors, so Soul Hunters typically dress in black to avoid drawing their attention.

But at times when it’s necessary to attract attention, Duoya had chosen to wear the most dangerously colorful clothing.

Even Clifford, who seemed like he might be blown over by a mere gust of wind, had drawn his sword and pistol, clearly ready to charge at the forefront.

"The squadrons are formed, Lord Su Rin."

Minister Karocha reported to Su Ming’an, who stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance.

Su Ming’an turned around to meet pairs of eyes that seemed to glow.

This city wall was different from ordinary walls; the platform was large, and if the team stood a bit more compactly, it could easily accommodate a thousand people.

He saw the structure of this thousand-person team.

He and Sherrod, as the two most important individuals, would be protected at the very core of the team, surrounded by the highest combat power S-class Soul Hunters like Christie, and some well-trained A-class Soul Hunters, comprising the "core layer" of the team.

Just beyond that were the ordinary residents, mixed in with the Soul Hunters, referred to as the "resident layer."

Further out were many B and C-class Soul Hunters, the main force in defense, known as the "defense layer." Among them were numerous Players, their eyes shining as they looked at him, obviously joining the team out of passion rather than for personal gain.

Luna and her Sword of the Yellow Rose members were there too, and even the well-known top Players from the leaderboards, like Rimu Sheng, Fang Yuanyi, and the solo adventurer Player Anli frequently mentioned in chat channels, were also present.

These Players were confident they could assist the team and even reap benefits from the operation, which was why they joined. Of course, it was not ruled out that they had great trust in the Number One Player, thinking that following the Number One Player would lead to some achievements.

As for what was known as the "charge layer," the very outermost layer... It consisted of numerous Soul Hunter Ministers and Vice Ministers.

They possessed the strongest united strength, the richest combat experience, the highest prestige among Soul Hunters, yet they stood directly in the most dangerous outer layer, serving as the sharpest sword in the charge.

When an ant swarm rolls into a flame, it’s often the very outer layer of ants that die first.

They knew this, yet they still stood on the outside, protecting the other Soul Hunters and ordinary residents from harm.

"Good."

Su Ming’an didn’t say much.

He stretched out his hand to brush the snow that had accumulated on his head and slowly walked into the round formation of the large troop.

Like Moses parting the sea, when they saw him approaching, the troop automatically made way for him, allowing him to enter their midst.

He made his way to the very center of the troop, gradually being surrounded by the people who formed the safest protection for him.

...A protection made of life and flesh.

Although Su Ming’an had previously thought, "Do these kinds of humans need to exist?" he now put aside such thoughts upon seeing these people.

The evil in human nature is not to be underestimated, as it can spread rapidly like contagion, but just a little bit of goodness is enough to make one yearn for this world.

Goodwill is such an incredibly infectious thing.

And at that moment, a pitch-black figure also squeezed in following his steps, naturally standing by his side.

"Amber!" Deputy Minister Duoya, who was responsible for maintaining the order of the "residential layer," frowned upon seeing this. She pushed through the crowd and grabbed the Shadow who wanted to stand next to Su Ming’an:

"You don’t have to participate in this event; Pulaya still needs people to guard it!"

Her tone was extremely direct, it was hard to tell if it was out of concern or disdain.

Originally, according to the plan, as the newly appointed leader of the Soul Hunters and an outsider, Shadow was not required to participate in this event.

Although Duoya had always disapproved of Amber’s flippant attitude, this did not mean she disliked him. In fact, she was well aware that Amber only seemed indifferent on the surface, but was extremely reliable when it came to getting things done.

Ever since becoming the Soul Hunter leader, he had been improving the systems and rules of the Soul Hunters, a positive change never seen during Aelas’s time in power. Amber was committed to changing the relationship between the Soul Clan and the Soul Hunters, not to mention, he later gathered Yate Stones from across Pulaya to repair the island’s Barrier, which was on the brink of collapse.

But they hadn’t seen these efforts, still thinking he had been idling around.

He had worked his hardest but had not enjoyed the rewards; she felt there was no need for him to join in this task that risked their lives.

She knew that the "frontline layer" seemed closest to the Sea Monsters, but in reality, the greatest risk was actually in the core layer where Su Rin was.

The troop couldn’t possibly proceed smoothly without obstacles; their greatest fear was the King of Sea Monsters that could emerge at any time.

The Sea Monsters were mere expendables, but the King of Sea Monsters had the Combat Power to scatter the entire troop single-handedly.

Before the King of Sea Monsters appeared, the "frontline layer" faced the most pressure.

But once the King of Sea Monsters appeared, the intelligent King of Sea Monsters would undoubtedly spot Su Rin at the center of the troop. The first to bear the brunt would be Su Rin, Sherrod, and those in the core layer.

"Haha." Shadow shrugged his shoulders and easily shook off her grip: "Well, little Duoya, you can’t stop me from protecting Lord Su Rin."

Duoya frowned: "What little Duoya? I’m many years older than you—get to the point! You’ve already sent enough Resource Stones to Pulaya, you don’t need to participate in this event!"

"I’m saying, Auntie Duoya, could you stop waving in front of my eyes? That gaudy outfit of yours is really... an aesthetic disaster..." Shadow listened and decisively changed his address from "little" to "auntie" without hesitation.

"—You!"

"Alright, alright, go back to your position," Shadow said, slightly more serious than his usual indifferent demeanor. He looked at Duoya, whose face was filled with anxiety, and smiled, "I volunteered to participate in this event."

Duoya’s face turned beet red, and her mouth opened and closed without a sound.

Seeing the suggestive looks from the nearby residents, her face turned redder than fire in an instant, and she swiftly backed away into the crowd of residents.

But her position was now much closer to Shadow than before, much closer indeed.

This was the best position for providing support.

Su Ming’an watched the "love and hate" drama between Duoya and Shadow with a slight sense of speechlessness, then suddenly noticed Sherrod next to him still taking notes in his little notebook.

[The Seventh Day meeting the traveler from the Otherworld...]

He saw this title.

At this time, it was gradually approaching noon, and despite the snow still falling, the temperature had risen compared to the bone-chilling cold of the night.

It was the best time to set out.

"Prepare to depart," he said.

He was speaking to the front of the troop, as he now had a better loudspeaker at his disposal.

At this moment, he held the command in this troop.

With a "snap," Sherrod heard the departure command and swiftly closed his notebook. Amidst the flipping of pages, Su Ming’an saw the passage that Sherrod had just written.

[...Today, the Captain acknowledged my presence and that of the residents during his speech. I suddenly realized that there are things I care about, people I want to protect.

I think, fighting for this land is my own desire, not some thought process constructed by a system—I am absolutely clear about this in my heart.

I am a ’Person,’ an independent and autonomous ’Person’.]

...

[Your words have advanced the NPC (Sherrod)’s storyline towards the ending: HE·Immortality]

[NPC (Sherrod)’s HE ending progress: 50%]

...

At the front of the troop, after hearing Su Ming’an’s command, another S-rank Soul Hunter, Ed, armed with a sword aura, nodded.

He held his sword with one hand, its tip glowing with a snow-like white light.

"Depart—!"

His loud shout echoed off the city walls.

"Depart—!"

"Depart—!"

"Depart—!"

Cries echoed from the outer layers to the inner layers, from the front to the back.

The Soul Hunters in charge of relaying orders shouted with loud and clear voices. Everyone knew that behind these elevated commands was the unfolding of a bloody battle.

The residents, moved by the heated emotion of the impending battle, roared with excitement. In an instant, the entire district reverberated with their roaring voices.

"Go—!"

"Kill these Plunderers, pay homage to Lady Su Rin!"

"—I want to become a Soul Hunter! Become a hero! I want to make my mother proud!"

"—Everyone charge! Break through this disgusting encirclement—just to reach that place—"

The people shouted at the top of their lungs, their complexions flushing red, many forgetting their fear and itching to charge out of the troop and annihilate the sea monsters on their own.

The fiery atmosphere lingered among the crowd, and even players like Luna showed looks of anticipation.

Since the beginning of the world game, they had not encountered a monster siege of such magnitude, nor had they been in the heat of battle. Now, this operation provided them with a novel and thrilling experience.

Those who dreamt of being heroes found it hard to resist showing their valor on the battlefield. These players, living in peaceful realms, were no exception, eager to fight the enemy right away and become the heroes talked about by others.

Among the fervent shouts, Su Ming’an, holding the Yate Stone in his hand, absorbed its energy and calmly extended his hand.

Bright glimmers, like twinkling stars, flickered between his extended left hand.

They shimmered, leaped, gathered, and then gradually formed into a faint white river that gently touched the island Barrier in front of the people.

"Whoosh—"

The sound of flowing water arose.

Under his control, the Barrier gradually began to crack, as if an invisible hand gently lifted a small door in the Barrier, allowing their line of people to enter.

Su Rin’s special ability, Control Barrier, was key to this operation.

He could open the island Barrier, which had originally been impossible to open, allowing this thousand-person troop to burst out, to rush into the midst of the sea monster throng, to break through the city outskirts.

Of course, as soon as the entire thousand-person troop had charged through the Defense Barrier, he would immediately close the Barrier to prevent the sea monsters from entering and massacring the residents behind the city walls.

In that moment, the sea monsters, still desperately gnawing at the Barrier, noticed the suddenly opened small Barrier door.

They revealed bloodthirsty, red, beast-like eyes, and immediately locked onto the thousand-person troop inside the Barrier, seemingly regarding them as chunks of moving flesh.

The sea monsters had previously been scratching at the outside of the Barrier, producing terrible scratching noises that made the walls tremble.

With just their transparent bodies in motion, they appeared as a series of enormous sea-blue waves that rolled across the sky and ground, covering everyone’s field of vision—a testament to their vast numbers.

There were far too many of them.

Like a vast smokescreen, they formed into a real calamity playing out before everyone’s eyes.

The piercing howl that filled the Southern District gradually overpowered the whispered conversations and the voices of heated shouting and roaring.