Chapter 43: Discovering the Primordial

Chapter 43: Discovering the Primordial

Qi Sheng sat cross-legged atop the altar, his legs folded in meditation, while multiple floating monitors hovered before him. These glowing screens displayed live footage of players battling inside the Gloomspire Caverns.

After two consecutive days of assaults, the players had successfully advanced to the third subterranean layer.

The number of Iron Shellworms had increased dramatically here, and swarms of controlled Dungeonkin patrolled alongside them, escalating the combat intensity.

While player deaths surged, so did the rewards.

The players were thrilled to discover that the Spirit Ore in this third layer was far superior to the Essenceflow Stone (Tier 1) found in the first subterranean layer. Most of the deposits mined from the third layer’s walls were Primordial Energy Stones (Tier 2). Each offering to the Imperial Omen yielded over 10 points of Sacrificial Power.

The only drawback was the difficulty of extraction.

The third layer’s walls were exceptionally hard, requiring advanced mining tools purchased from the Mall instead of ordinary picks. Between combat resource expenditure, revival costs, equipment upgrades, and monster drops, the purification mission for Gloomspire Caverns had significantly boosted Qi Sheng’s income.

The daily commission of Sacrificial Power allowed him to recruit about 60 new players. Daily profits flowing into the Sacrificial Power Reservoir averaged around 200,000 points. However, aside from his personal commission, Qi Sheng avoided touching the players’ portion of Sacrificial Power unless absolutely necessary.

Before launching his player-recruitment plan, he had carefully considered whether to utilize the players’ accumulated Sacrificial Power.

In reality, the players’ visible Sacrificial Power balances were just numerical representations. The power wasn’t stored on their characters but drawn from the Sacrificial Power Reservoir beneath Dizhong Village whenever they spent it—converted into energy or items before delivery.

Thus, all the Sacrificial Power earned by players remained under Qi Sheng’s control. However, players might need to use their balances at any moment for Mall purchases, upgrading their Stellar Veins, or advancing their Body Forge Ranks.

Excessive withdrawal could lead to a shortage, leaving players unable to access their own funds when needed.

Qi Sheng’s Sacrificial Power Reservoir functioned like a bank, with Sacrificial Power akin to physical currency. While players deposited and withdrew constantly, he couldn’t leverage it through loans or financial instruments—every spent point required a corresponding replenishment.

To prevent inventory shortages, he resolved never to dip into the players’ funds unless necessary, relying solely on his earned commission.

“Boss, the fight’s started again!” Guide’s voice interrupted Qi Sheng’s thoughts.

Looking up, Qi Sheng focused on one of the monitors. The footage showed hundreds of players clashing with a Dungeonkin commander leading a swarm of Iron Shellworms. The battle erupted instantly.

Players shifted into monster forms and engaged the Iron Shellworms head-on.

Through his observations, Qi Sheng had noticed a pattern: players employed tactical coordination in small skirmishes but became chaotic in large-scale battles, recklessly charging without order.

The in-game voice channels turned into cacophonous messes:

“Hey, fire guy, stop chucking fireballs randomly! If your aim sucks, just hand your wand to someone else—don’t hit me again or I’ll retaliate!”

“That dude up front was insane. He charged into the Iron Shellworm pack with a Tauntweaver, then turned to ash in under three seconds. Total free kill for the monster!”

“Stop shoving me! I’m half-dead here—let me retreat to heal. Please, I’ll die if you push forward like this!”

“Haha, grabbed three Iron Shellworm essences. Even if I die now, it’s worth it!”

The disarray inevitably led to friendly fire incidents.

In the real world, players would politely apologize for minor collisions. But within this consequence-free digital realm, their basest instincts emerged—venting grudges with instant rage or settling scores with impulsive violence.

Moreover, while Sacrificial Power and evolution points were automatically distributed upon killing monsters, the Iron Shellworms’ crystalline essence drops required manual collection.

When loot hit the ground, players immediately scrambled to claim it without bothering to determine rightful ownership.

Amid these tensions, players often turned their weapons on each other even as they fought the Iron Shellworms and Dungeonkin.

Still, the primary enemy remained the Iron Shellworms and Dungeonkin forces. The battle raged on, with both sides sustaining mounting casualties as the Dungeonkin Warriors manipulated their worms with fearless aggression.

The players’ advantage lay in their rapid reinforcement cycle. Fresh players from the rear swiftly replaced fallen comrades, maintaining continuous pressure.

From a macro perspective, the advance resembled a serpentine queue. Though the third layer’s multiple side paths diverted players into different directions, those still in the upper two layers simply waited their turn to engage.

While waiting, these queued players scrolled forums, watched live streams of frontline battles, or passed time by mining ores with Picks until their moment to charge forward arrived.

This relentless reinforcement cycle made the players’ subterranean advance remarkably steady.

They replaced losses instantly, gradually whittling down the Iron Shellworms and Dungeonkin.

While their infinite revival ability proved insufficient against the overwhelming power of the Malevolent Spirits Legion Commander, it became an unbeatable advantage against evenly matched Iron Shellworms.

At the current pace, conquering Gloomspire Caverns was inevitable—just a matter of time.

The battle on screen concluded within 20 minutes, costing 692 player deaths to clear the path.

Ahead lay another fork. Players divided again, pressing forward.

Qi Sheng’s monitors gained an additional split-screen feed tracking this new group.

“Boss, we’ve found a Primordial!” Guide announced.

At Guide’s alert, Qi Sheng turned to the monitor on his right.

The footage showed a monster chained in a cave with specialized iron chains—its appearance resembled an oversized axolotl. It dragged a massive tail behind its rotund head, its body coated in a glistening mucus layer. The creature glared at the players with ferocity, baring two rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Analytical data streamed into Qi Sheng’s mind:

Qi Devourer (Primordial):

Hunting Rank: 12

Special Ability: Breathing Essence

Automatically filters ambient energy particles through respiration, replenishing Mental Energy and Vital Qi consumption.

Guide’s Note: The replenishment efficiency correlates with local energy particle density. For instance, areas under stronger lunar phases contain higher airborne energy concentrations, accelerating Mental Energy and Vital Qi recovery through respiration.

Containment Tip: Defeating Primordial Monsters automatically completes containment. Participants share massive rewards.

Seeing the designation “Primordial Monster,” Qi Sheng’s interest instantly spiked.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end