NOVGO.NET Chapter 390: Goals Beyond Your Understanding!
Chapter 390: Goals Beyond Your Understanding!
Loot, loot, loot! The same word was repeated across the entire battlefield, but it was for more than a word: it carried the hopes and dreams of the players.
“OMG, it’s shining golden!”
That was all it took for the masses to go crazy.
Jack having finished the Boss somehow? That didn’t matter right now! All that was left was group madness. The guilds all surged forward with incredible momentum.
Them —> (Dead Men Walking) —> Goal
They slaughtered every living thing on their way, not minding whether said things were human or fish-related.
[Humans Sure Are Greedy…]
[Reminder: The Battle Is Not Over Just Y—]
The whole thing fell on deaf ears as the action escalated.
“Everyone, follow my lead. Show them the power of our cavalry!” A guy riding a tiny salamander smaller than his fat ass shouted.
“Shiny, get me the shiny! Scavengers, spread out! Grab your treasure hoarding tools!” Another bunch came out of nowhere with large net-grappling hook thingies.
Some that hadn’t even participated in the battle were now showing up one after the other. Wait, there had even been some dudes hiding in the sewers?! They sure smelled like it!
Then everything quickly devolved into a free for all right in the middle.
The shellshocked mermaids couldn’t make head or tail of the current situation. Why had Gargan suddenly died? Was this rag-tag army really the cause of it? WTF was going on?!
After an eternity of dueling, the dangerous loot allocation finally ended, with three remaining guilds facing one another in a stalemate.
In the no man’s land, there were two drops:
1. A dark-blue glowing pearl
2. A bright-red glowing gauntlet
“Gentlemen, why don’t we negotiate?”
“Scoff. Let me guess. You’re thinking monetary compensation?”
“Of course! There’s no need for us all to kill each other. Who knows if there won’t be more parties that will show up!”
That proposal was obviously met with undisguised scorn. Everyone there knew very well that gold alone was pointless. After all, no amount of $ could buy items that simply weren’t in circulation.
Gargan’s loot —> Opportunity to Rise!
Guilds dominated some other Towns in Infinite after obtaining such loot. It wasn’t just about its raw power but served to boost the guild’s prestige and thus its recruitment rate.
“Humph, there’s no way that we, the Lionheart, will yield!”
“Same for the Mystic Palace!”
“You’re dreaming if—”
Just when they were getting heated, an excited murmur suddenly came from the disgruntled crowd behind that couldn’t approach.
That’s when they came.
The entire Town rumbled from their arrival, or what remained of it anyway.
D.L.’s main army was finally here, they who had been oddly absent during the previous fights. But everyone that saw them had their face unconsciously twitch.
“H-how?!”
“You’re kidding, right?!”
They weren’t alone. They were bringing with them an army of goblins and….rolling stones?! Somehow, they had managed to tame creatures that weren’t exactly sentient?!
At the very tip of the formation, a cute goblin girl was nonchalantly swinging her legs as she sat on one of the rolling creatures. She was even happily pointing as if on a sightseeing trip.
“Haha, we’re almost there! Boulders, roll out!”
— Roll! Roll! Roll! —
Suddenly the random guilds weren’t in the mood to bicker. They could always negotiate between themselves, but it wasn’t the case with D.L.!
“Grab everything, and GTFO!”
They rushed toward Gargan’s corpse and… — CRASH! — A living boulder suddenly landed right before them. They were suddenly stuck between a rock…and a deadly place!
“Bruh…they have catapults now?!”
“A-are we 100% sure that Demon King ain’t a hacker?”
[No Hack Detected?! Error! Error! Living Boulder Aren’t Tamable?!]
[Running Diagnostic! Please Standby! Please Standby!]
[Found Issue In NPC Degree of Freedom!]
[Goblins Weren’t Meant to be Schooled!]
The small blind goblin girl that Jack had taken brought back to the Farm on a whim had somehow developed new abilities. Was this a byproduct of teaching her new languages?
Either way, the situation was grim for the poor players. What started as a few projectiles sent flying through the air quickly became a shower of doom.
— CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! —
There was no end to the destruction.
The bystanders watched it all happen in fear but quickly returned to their senses. “W-what the heck are they doing?! Have they gone bonkers?!”
Even the system’s incorporeal spirit began shaking as it saw what was happening. D.L. kept aiming at the remaining mermaids and Gargan’s corpse….but what was up with that collateral damage?!
It almost seemed like they were trying to destroy Sprigfield! Wait, no…they bloody were! They alone were doing more damage than all the warring had done previously.
Every subsequent crash was a grim reminder of their craziness.
“Please stop! The guilds ran away already!”
“Have mercy! The mermaids are gone too!”
The bystanders implored them to stop, begging them even. They breathed in relief as the tiny goblin girl gave the halting order. They were saved!
“Ah, oops, seem we overdid it….” She apologized weakly, only to feel a warm hand on her head.
“Don’t worry about it. You haven’t done anything wrong. We have orders to shoot Gargan until he’s confirmed dead. It’s better to be careful just in case, so keep shooting.”
“Alright! I understand! Shooot!” The green girl yelped at the top of her lungs. It would have been hella cute if it didn’t mean that the boulder rain was resuming.
The Town residents felt like crying. Shoot until Gargan was confirmed dead?! As if anyone would buy that! The fish was nothing more than a bloody blue paste on the ground!
— CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! —
This moment would forever instill fear in all bystanders, regardless of race. Was there even a way to counter something so OP?!
They were so flustered to watch Sprigfield being demolished by friendly-fire that they completely forgot a few vital key points:
1. Catapults were hard to use (manpower)
2. Friendly-Fire was a surefire way to die (Except for D.L.)
3. Getting the machinery in there wouldn’t have been possible with the barrier still up
Just like that, D.L. proceeded to demolish the entire Town, or close. The only thing they left in their wake was despair and a bunch of angry residents who actually didn’t dare act up.
As the last boulder fell, the Town’s Mayor even came out.
“Did we drive the enemies away? Wait, no, what is this?! T-this—” The poor man was at a loss for words as he gazed upon the scene of the destruction.
What had once been a flourishing Town now had living boulders scurrying about. The whole thing looked even wilder than the Nearby monster-infested Canyon…Also, goblins?!
“Nooooo!” The middle-aged man suddenly fell as his heart stopped, the shock too intense.
What should have been a great victory had been spoiled by a mad army with their own hidden agenda.
Amidst all the mess, CPR dude slowly walked toward Gargan’s corpse (or what was left of it), picking both treasures as casually as possible, with no greed whatsoever in his eyes.
Jack had long given instructions about the two items, both NSFW (literally). One was still poisoned, while Gargan’s deep Grudge likely tainted the other.
[Grabbed Gargan’s Paw + Tainted Water Pearl!]
[Congrats! Everyone Hates You! Was it Worth It?]
[D.L. Has Now Been Determined to be Enemy Number #1 In Sp—”]
Seeing that message, CPR dude simply chuckled. Actually, his gaze had been fixed on the Town itself all along, barely registering the loot. This had been their goal from the start.
Just as the NPCs were bawling their eyes and hearts out, a man that everyone recognized came out; his red cultist robe was unmistakable after all.
“Oh my! What happened here?! The fight’s been that destructive?!” He gasped as he observed the previous battlefield.
What the hell?! This was all D.L.’s doing! Even if they were from different branches, there was no way that he could be THAT oblivious to what CPR dude’s army (?) had done!
Yet the man looked so convincing that they almost believed him! As he looked at the NPCs, he went from crying to thumping the ground in regret.
“Why! Just why do the regular people have to suffer such?! This is so unfair! Demon King, please help them!” He seemed so empathic to the homeless NPCs!
Under countless baffled eyes, he suddenly prostrated himself, a shiny golden ray falling from Heaven straight on him. The whole thing looked so mystical!…, especially for a cheap illusion.
“Thank you, thank you, my god! Everyone, rejoice! The Demon King has agreed to use the sect’s finances to rebuild the Town!” He proclaimed his arm raised high up.
As the NPCs cheered, many players found themselves full of cold sweat. Wait, wouldn’t this just mean the expansion of the cult’s district?! Wouldn’t this simply give them more power?!
There was definitely something wrong with the situation! They had to stop this madness at all costs before they could—
“D.L. will provide 10 000 gold toward this beautiful goal!” The various guilds suddenly found themselves choking hard. 10k gold?!
What was wrong with those cultists’ heads?! No Town was possibly worth that much! Compete with that? Hell no! That amount was enough for a new guild to rise to pro one instantly!
Yet the head cultist’s smile didn’t break even as he promised such a thing. He was far too busy glancing at the blinking message in front of his eyes.
[Congratulations! Obtained 46 798 Sect Points!]
[W-wait…Isn’t That Too Many Sect Points?!]
[T-This System Is Reconsidering This!—]
“Hehe, too late for that.”
For some reason, the Head Cultist cackling to himself was enough to chill the bystanders to the bone. But just as they thought it couldn’t get worse, an orange wolf was suddenly sighted.
HE was back…