Zyrus led everyone to the sea of stars. Neither the stars in the sky nor their reflection on the ocean was ‘real’, but still, it was a magnificent sight.

  “Do you know the direction?”

  “No, but I know someone who does,”

  “Who is-, oh, I see,” Franken stopped mid-question as he glanced at the sky above.

  No one knew when a golden slime had appeared above the dragon of war. It was silent like a soothing breeze, seeming in harmony with the environment. This state of ‘oneness’ was a result of one’s power. Rather than saying that they were assimilated with the world, it was more appropriate to say that the world around them was influenced by their sheer existence.

  Unlike at the lair of Nidhogg, Matope hadn’t frozen the players. It was thus the players' first time seeing this administrator.

  “Your army is getting weirder by the day...”

  “Naturally, I don’t discriminate between players.”

  Matope felt like spitting on Zyrus’s composed face. Was this something a man who had slaughtered countless races should say?

  “Your scales are even thicker than before. Speak, what do you want this time?”

  “Tch…and here I thought you were going to stop us,” Zyrus smirked at the golden slime, knowing full well that it wanted nothing more than to kick them back to the ocean.

  But since this was within the rules of system, there was nothing an administrator could do. They should have predicted this a long time ago. The reason Matope was sent here instead of someone like Anansi and Aurora was also to deal with this.

  “How about we go as usual…”

  “Don’t even think about it. You should know full well that you can’t conquer these islands– not even with a loophole.”

  “That’s not my problem now, is it? Might as well give me some options,” Zyrus didn’t try to infuriate Matope any longer and bought the serious topic.

  “I already told you before that under special circumstances, the flags' powers and system won’t work as intended.”

  “I agree.”

  “Since you can’t ‘kill’ anyone here, you won’t gain any loot or anything of the sort.”

  Zyrus nodded once again. The terms so far were within his acceptance.

  “Skills and achievements will be earned as per the rules of the sanctuary. It goes without saying, but you can’t use the weapons of war-”

  “I disagree. We won’t attack using it.”

  There was a big difference between not allowing the usage of the weapons of war and restricting them from attacking.

  “…Fine. As for the key issue, I think we can go with this,” Matope wriggled its side and a new screen popped up in front of Zyrus.

  The thing he cared about more than anything was something fundamental– exp. Since they couldn’t kill their enemies, there was no way for them to level up. Skills and everything else were secondary in the end. The players' core strength was their ability to improve their league of existence via the system.

  The words in front of Zyrus proposed a solution to this.

  “I don’t mind the overall theme. However, I’m working on creating a new subclass, so I’d like to integrate it into this as well.”

  “This goes beyond the range of compensation you deserve.”

  “How stingy…Anansi would have agreed and left already.”

  “And that’s why he’s not here.”

  Zyrus wrecked his brain to come up with a solution. He knew from the start that the dammed slime was tougher than it looked. There was no way it would budge even an inch from the system’s rules.

  “How about increasing the difficulty then?”

  “Heh…are you sure? The current scenario is already beyond their power.”

  “…”

  “…”

  “Fine, whatever, it’s not like they’re my subordinates.”

  “Pleasure working with you,” Zyrus pressed his claw forward and authorized the screen with his mana. He was perhaps the first player in history who had made so many deals and contracts with the administrators.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  At the same time the two finished their arrangement, a glaring light shone in front of every player.

  This marked the start of a special event that would last till the end of the flag march.

  [Congratulations! You have arrived at an event ground]

  [The special event: Shatar will begin in 00:45:00]

  [May the flames of wisdom light your way]

  Everyone, including Zyrus, clicked on the event tab.

  [==] Shatar [==]

  On the stage where millions yearn for victory, are you a pawn or a player?

  -Every 6 months, a game of Shatar will begin.

  -You may elect the following Roles among the players.

  -You may select the following Buffs.

  -Once the game has started, you will be moved to any of the 5 islands of the third zone.

  -Meet the game objective within 6 months to initiate the next game.

  -Points will be given based on your contribution. You can purchase the items you desire by using those points.

  [Note: No loot or exp can be acquired from the event monsters]

  [Note: You can’t use weapons of war in the event]

  [Note: The area outside of the events, namely the sea, is unaffected by the event’s rules]

  The first reaction of everyone was confusion. Leveling up and looting were their biggest source of strength, so why would anyone waste so much time in the event without them?

  “Check the other functions first,” As if he could see their thoughts, Zyrus spoke to everyone via the comms. Even he had to admit that Matope had done a wonderful job in planning the event.

  Roles:

  King – The ruler of the army. His death will mark the end of the game. Int + 50, restricted to attack within 100m circle.

  (0/1)

  Vajeer – Can mobilize and communicate with all units. Agi + 20

  (0/10)

  Bishop – Can charge in any singular direction without taking any damage.

  (0/100)

  Knight – Can move anywhere within 500m square.

  (0/200)

  Mammoth – Can cause a knockback towards the frontal direction, range of 10m

  (0/300)

  Soldier – Those with no special powers. Automatically given to the ones without any other roles.

  While it looked complex at a glance, the roles were similar to chess. Even the non-human players could guess what the roles were about.

  The buffs were grayed out since they could only be selected once the roles were filled up. But what caused everyone’s eyes to sparkle was the last tab– Shop.

  Only a few options were available at the moment. And each one of them was something the players were willing to bleed for.

  Shop:

  Elemental seed: 1,00,000 points

  {Note: One time purchase item}

  Skill proficiency potion: 50,000 points

  {Note: limited to 5 purchases}

  10k Exp card: 10,000 points

  Even though no one knew what an elemental seed was, something that was worth more than skill proficiency was bound to be good stuff. Their biggest worry about exp was also solved as the conversion rate was 1:1 with the points. It could be said that everyone was satisfied with the outcome.

  Of course, those who followed Zyrus from the start were an exception.

  They knew better than anyone that there was no free meal in the sanctuary. Since the rewards were so good, the difficulty would also be hellish.

  It was just that even they didn’t realize just how correct they were before the game began…

  [00:01:00]

  Zyrus and the others barely managed to ‘elect’ all the roles. It was a troublesome process even for an organized troop like theirs. The vast majority of the kings would find it impossible to finish electing the role within less than an hour.

  What was the purpose of giving the voting power to 100,000 players? Everyone was aware that strength ruled above all else. Zyrus was the de facto king, while the marshals were set to be the Vajeer. Add in the Scavenger rat king, a lion and a flying monkey that represented the beast legions to fill the last three spots.

  What took more than 40 minutes was the selection of the Knight and Mammoth. The 500 roles had a brutal competition where Ria and the others argued about who was suited among their subordinates.

  Why 500? Because Zyrus had declared that the wolves of the goblin riders would take all 100 spots of the bishops.

  [00:00:00]

  Finally, the time was up.

  [==] Attention all Players! The first round of Shatar starts right now [==]

  -Elected Roles are bestowed upon the players.

  -You may select the following Buffs after reaching the stage.

  ||| The King is asked to spin the Roulette |||

  A colorful cascade of light enveloped the entire fleet. Perhaps due to the trick of light, but every player could see a ten-foot wide wheel in front of their king.

  ‘So this is how the difficulty is increased…’

  Zyrus had a serious look as he read the 10 slots that represented the location they’d be sent to. Mudao, Huodao, Jindao, Fengdao, and Shuidao. These were the 5 islands that were the ‘stage’ of the game.

  The roulette would determine which among them would be the next stage, and more importantly, whether they’d be teleported there directly or be sent to a dangerous area that was close by.

  5 stages and 5 dangerous areas…the chance of getting thrown into the middle of a monster hoard was 50%.

  Zyrus channeled his mana into the center of his palm and pressed on the center of the roulette. Colorful lights flashed in the players' eyes as it spun faster and faster, and just when their tension was at its peak, it slowed down to crawl.

  *Tick*Tick*Riiiiinngg*

  ‘Looks like we’re in luck,’

  Zyrus sighed in relief as the pin settled down on the silver-grey slot.

  [==] The stage has been selected [==]

  [==] The first game of Shatar will begin on Jindao [==]

  [==] Initiating teleportation to Jindao Island [==]

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