Chapter 28: Lunar Phase Shift

Chapter 28: Lunar Phase Shift

"Any players in Crimson Plains willing to help? This 14th-level Wrathclaw’s barely alive, and my squad’s wiped out. I’m solo here and can’t hold it much longer—need backup fast! (Coordinates attached)"

"Requesting monsters needing last hits in Ancient Battlefield. I’ll finish them off and give cash rewards based on monster level. Prefer targets near my location—no need to PM if you’re far away. (Coordinates attached)"

"Banquet Drunk Squad recruiting power players! Must be level 8+, preferably with real-world martial arts or combat experience. DM for details."

"Can all the recruitment spam just chill for five minutes? Does the jerk squad wandering Ancient Battlefield stealing kills even have a mother? If they did, wouldn’t they know not to ruin everyone else’s fun like this?"

"Lol! This squad got totally wiped fighting a 13th-level Cursed Eye earlier. I swooped in, finished off the half-dead monster, and scored free evolution points and Sacrificial Power. Props to those guys for the assist—heart emoji!"

...

On the Primordial Altar, Qi Sheng sat cross-legged in meditation.

His consciousness sifted through player feedback flooding in from Monster World explorations, compiling data for next update improvements.

Newcomers had boosted daily Sacrificial Power gains exponentially. According to Guide’s statistics, each player averaged three daily Sacrificial Power points for him, with returns steadily rising as their levels climbed.

Once-desolate regional voice channels now buzzed with constant chatter—players strategizing, sharing quest details, or recruiting teammates for Monster World expeditions.

This surge brought more than just Sacrificial Power benefits. An hour ago, a 17-member squad in Ancient Battlefield had successfully captured a Primordial Monster—"Duskmare"—a creature resembling shifting obsidian mist capable of phasing between solid and ethereal states. Only elemental attacks worked in its fog form. Though rated as an 8th-tier hunt, the squad’s hard-earned victory secured its containment in the tenth cell of the Primordial Containment Wall.

The containment announcement had caused a frenzy across regional channels—the first time new players witnessed such a system prompt.

After scanning the latest reports, Qi Sheng opened his eyes. The information torrent vanished instantly.

Summarizing two days of observations, he identified two critical issues needing fixes.

First: communication chaos. Initially, chat was divided into three channels—Party, Regional, and World. But now ten thousand newcomers had turned Regional channels into unreadable spam. Crimson Plains players seeking help might get buried under Ancient Battlefield recruitment ads, forcing desperate users to spam their requests repeatedly.

Proposed solution: Introduce Subregion Chat. Players in Ancient Battlefield would see "Ancient Battlefield Chat Channel"; those in Dizhong Village would see "Dizhong Village Chat Channel", and so forth. This finer division would streamline help-seeking efficiency.

Second: combat reward system. Originally, solo players earned full rewards for landing last hits, while Primordial Monster kills shared rewards among participants. But this incentivized "ninja looters"—isolated players roaming to steal weakened mobs. Though healthy competition spurred ambition, this parasitic behavior ruined experiences.

New rule: Rewards would go to the party dealing maximum damage. If no party existed, the highest-damaging individual took all. This encouraged teamwork over freeloading.

As he pondered further updates, a spatial vortex erupted before him. Guidewater Orb emerged, hovering urgently:

【Chief, the Cursed Moon’s phase is shifting.】

Qi Sheng instantly switched perspective to his avatar outside Dizhong Village.

He gazed skyward—the Crescent Moon (Zone Tier) now swirled with thickening crimson mists, its surface rippling like disturbed water. Dark red matter began descending slowly.

Suddenly, the moon erupted in blood-red brilliance. The Black Tide energy shrouding Dizhong Mountain Range convulsed violently, triggering seismic tremors.

Players exploring the area looked up in confusion as surroundings warped like ripples across a pond. Forests blurred, terrain twisted, and reality itself seemed to melt.

Recognizing the phase shift to Last Quarter Moon, Qi Sheng immediately broadcast a system alert to all players.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end