Chapter 44: Subterranean Mayhem

Chapter 44: Subterranean Mayhem

"Damn, another magic damage Life Soul—Black-Scaled Serpent players can't catch a break."

"Haha, this Life Soul is perfect! Hawk-Headed Demon plus Bonefire plus Qi Devourer gives massive sustain boosts. I'm stoked about this Primordial—get it contained now!"

"Finally no more mana issues! Thanks to this life-siphoning soul for buffing spellcasters!"

"Hold on, let me get a hit in first before you all jump in."

...

Hunting level 12 Primordial Monsters posed no threat to current players.

Chaos erupted instantly.

The containment rewards were shared among all participants—even a single touch counted for Sacrificial Power gains. Players stampeded toward the Primordial, hacking Qi Devourer down in seconds before claiming the spoils.

Backline players watching live feeds erupted in excitement, especially ranged attackers. Compared to hunting Malevolent Spirits, Primordial containment offered shared benefits—another Life Soul slot everyone could use.

Their only gripe? Missing out on the hunt meant losing shared Sacrificial Power.

The successful hunt boosted Qi Sheng's steady income.

With the Primordial hunt concluded, the Gloomspire Caverns purification mission continued. Best of all, according to Guide intel, the third cavern layer held another Primordial besides Qi Devourer. Containment was just a matter of time if exploration continued.

...

Deep within Gloomspire’s third layer, Li Zheng and his squad stared at the endless queue ahead, resigned.

Just a week ago they’d been complaining about too few players on their server.

Now, entering the mine required waiting in line.

Still, more players meant better business for Grindstone Workers like them.

With heavy spenders like Banquet Drunk Squad’s guild leading the charge, Sacrificial Power always sold. Their output determined how much buyers paid.

After selling 50 Sacrificial Power to Banquet Drunk Squad’s leader, Wasnibutterfly for 5,000 credits, Li Zheng held off selling more as prices skyrocketed—better to invest in strength first.

For Li Zheng, boosting power was the surest investment. Stronger characters hunted tougher monsters, yielding more resources.

While waiting, he and his team swung Picks at nearby walls searching for Spirit Ore. Nearby players did the same, clangs of metal on stone echoing endlessly.

Mining Spirit Ore was the safest income source—though luck-dependent. Some players struck dozens of embedded ores daily, while others labored fruitlessly.

Compared to reliable monster-hunting gains, mining was a gamble. Still, most newbies chose it—the weakest Bloodfiends in Last Quarter Moon already ranked 10th level, making solo hunting grueling without teams.

"Heh, another one bagged!" Starving to Eat Soil smirked as debris cracked away, revealing glowing white Essenceflow Stone.

"Show-off—watch your father mine a grade-2 ore!" Killer Intent on Li Zheng's other side swung his Pick faster.

Suddenly screams erupted from the queue’s rear.

Li Zheng’s crew halted mining, craning their necks.

[Challenger Notice (Region): Congratulations to player who mined grade-5 Soulshard Ore in Gloomspire Caverns - Tier 3, achieving first-ever grade-5+ Spirit Ore acquisition. Bonus reward: 500 Sacrificial Power.]

Soulshard Ore: Crystallized stone absorbing souls of the dead, nourishing and repairing damaged spirits.

Usages: Forging, Consumption (grants Body Forge Rank experience), Sacrifice

...

The alert made Li Zheng’s group realize someone behind struck big—grade-5 Soulshard Ore, edible for Body Forge Rank gains.

Current Body Forge progression was brutal—unlike gradual Stellar Vein upgrades, each Body Forge Rank 1-10 required ten thousand Sacrificial Power.

Players finally had an in-game method to gain Body Forge experience through consumption.

"Lucky bastard—wish that were me", Starving to Eat Soil grumbled, eyeing region chat exploding with buy offers.

As Li Zheng’s team resumed mining, the rear commotion only intensified—players shifting into monster forms clashed violently.

"Something’s off!" Li Zheng turned to Starving to Eat Soil. "Switch to perception mode, scout back there."

Starving to Eat Soil morphed into a Hawk-Headed Demon, sending out a sonar wave that threaded through crowds toward the commotion. What he saw made his heart pound.

Picks had cracked open cavern walls, revealing embedded purple crystals shimmering in firelight.

Withdrawing his consciousness, Starving to Eat Soil reported urgently, "Chestnut Brother, the entire wall's lined with grade-5 Soulshard Ore—at least twenty pieces, and likely even more further in!"

"No wonder the chaos—fighting over ores", Family Shared Godfather nodded, facing Li Zheng. "What’s the call?"

"Just seize it and be done! Imperial Omen doesn’t recognize ‘finders keepers’—whatever we take becomes ours."

"I'm a university student—I absolutely need one Soulshard Ore!" Li Zheng cracked his knuckles as the squad shifted into monster forms, charging into the brawl.

Hundreds of players shared the same thought—monster forms activated, joining the melee. Players turned to Obsidian Mists repeatedly in the chaos.

Word spread—grade-5 ores had surfaced in Tier 3. Waves of reinforcements arrived, each batch replacing fallen players.

The battle spilled from Gloomspire Caverns to the queue outside when Banquet Drunk Squad’s member got ambushed by Divine Wing Guild players, prompting him to rally his guild leader Li Siyu.

Soon, both guilds clashed outside the mine, allies joining the free-for-all.

Monster World’s first large-scale faction war had ignited.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end