Chapter 58 – North Sea Free-for-All

The North Sea Siren is a level 55-60 world boss that respawns every 8 hours, with the timer starting from the moment she is killed.

The Ghost Server Legion hadn’t pulled an all-nighter, but there were always dedicated players who stayed up all night camping the Siren. By morning, the data was already out. Some campers had even managed to kill the not-too-powerful boss a second time, so the one appearing now should be the North Sea Siren III after the game’s update.

Fang Zheng didn’t have any clairvoyant skills—he only got wind of this first thanks to their new legion member, Drink Your Sister 3X. This person had logged in ten minutes ago but hadn’t greeted the legion. Fang Zheng, adhering to his principle of making every legion member feel the warmth of home in the ghost server, endured for seven minutes before deciding to initiate contact. After identifying himself and briefly explaining the reason for his name change, the girl sent him frontline intel.

[Legion] Fang Zheng: Your Sister, get in YY.

[Legion] Refined Into a Demon 715: Can’t help feeling like the Commander’s cursing…

[Legion] Fang Zheng: YOUR SISTER! That’s how you curse someone ╮(╯_╰)╭

[Legion] Drink Your Sister 3X: Busy. Wait.

[Legion] Fang Zheng: ……

Jiang Yang burst out laughing in YY: “Hahaha, which one of you is the Commander here?!”

Fang Zheng suddenly missed Sister Blood Bull dearly.

Amid the banter, the group had already arrived at the North Sea. The Siren’s coordinates were no longer a secret, but the sight of the sea of players still shocked the ghost server. Compared to the Mesopotamian Plains before, the crowd here was even larger.

The North Sea Siren’s map was actually a lone island in the sea, with vast sandy beaches and dense reefs surrounding it. The Siren sat on a reef a few meters from the shore at the island’s northeast corner. Players could attack her whether they stood on the shore or waded through the water to reach the reef.

But now, the nearest shoreline to the reef was packed with players who had come to hunt. Looking around, it was a sea of heads. The Siren sat on the reef a few meters away, staring blankly at the crowd. From this angle, it looked more like the players were the predators and the boss was the pitiful one.

Seeing this, 438 asked in confusion, “Why is everyone just staring and not attacking? With this many people, one hit each would take her down.” After a pause, he suddenly grinned, “Are they waiting for us? So thoughtful!”

Birdy sighed: “You’re too naive.”

Fang Zheng sighed: “Isn’t that too nice of a word?” Naive? Naive would fight you to the death!

438 fell silent, quietly nursing his wounded IQ.

The players’ hesitation wasn’t hard to understand. Sure, one hit each could kill the boss, but who could guarantee who’d get the final claim? And how could you ensure everyone only hit once? What if someone secretly hit twice, three times, or more? The boss’s ownership would go to the surviving party with the highest DPS. Lone wolves would just be working for others, and even in parties, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t get ambushed and slaughtered by one or several other parties just as they were about to down the boss. The whole “one sows, another reaps” scenario was impossible to guard against with world bosses.

Thus, whether in parties, solo, in legions, or not, everyone on the scene was stuck in deep contemplation.

Jiang Yang: “Fight or not?”

Fang Zheng: “Fight.”

Jiang Yang: “How?”

Fang Zheng: “Wait.”

Jiang Yang took this as “wait and see,” so he accepted it.

In reality, Fang Zheng meant, “Wait, let me think.”

But either way, the incomplete ghost server squad still joined the crowd and began observing.

Some familiar faces were in the crowd. Though it was hard to tell from the back of their heads, their guild IDs floated above them—Meteor Blitz, War Banner, Huaxia Dominion, Five Peaks Pavilion—none were missing.

On closer inspection, the onlookers could be roughly divided into factions. The left side was mostly guild groups. Though seemingly chaotic, each guild was clustered together, maintaining a subtle, almost imperceptible distance from neighboring groups. The right side was either PUGs or solo players, completely disorganized, packed together haphazardly, and easy to lose track of in the chaos.

Amid the silent observation, a commotion suddenly erupted in the crowd. This was no minor disturbance—who knew if some guild was pulling a dirty trick? Instantly, the onlookers split to either side, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Soon, the center of the disturbance became a small clearing, and Fang Zheng finally saw the two figures tangled up—Drink Your Sister and Drink Till You Drop!

Calling it a “tangle” was almost insulting to Drink Till You Drop, because Drink Your Sister didn’t even get a chance to attack—all her actions were spent healing herself. Drink clearly didn’t want to kill her, so he held back each time. But as soon as she healed, she’d try to attack again, forcing Drink to interrupt her, after which she’d heal again…

The crowd, exhausted from the standoff, finally got their adrenaline fix.

[Local] Big H: Aooooh, Drink, what the hell? Just kill her already! Is she your bromance partner?

[Local] Greatsword: Ghost server’s newbie?

[Local] War-Sorrel: The ghost server’s here too?

[Local] War-Sister Liuli: Look behind you, they’re peeking sneakily over there.

[Local] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Ghost server, quit hiding! Come get your lunatic! What’s wrong with her? She attacks Drink on sight! Dies, respawns, and comes back for more! Is this Dawn of the Dead?!

Fang Zheng didn’t know the history between Drink Your Sister and Drink Till You Drop, but the girl had clearly shown hostility toward Five Peaks Pavilion when joining the legion, so her entanglement with Drink wasn’t entirely unexpected. Still, how much respect could a newbie who’d only joined two days ago have for her Commander…

[Whisper] Fang Zheng: What’s going on?

[Whisper] Drink Your Sister 3X: None of your business!

He should’ve known TAT

While Fang Zheng was brooding, White Dragon Horse was still yelling—

[Local] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Does the ghost server have anyone in charge?! Keep this up, and Five Peaks won’t hold back!

Fang Zheng wanted to cry.

Even a Commander with a shameless heart would feel ashamed at failing to control his members TAT

[Local] Meng Chudong: Apologies, the Commander in charge isn’t here.

[Local] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Then the Deputy!

[Local] Meng Chudong: Apologies, the Deputy isn’t here either.

[Local] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Damn it!

[Local] Vivian: Did a dog eat your brain? Can’t you tell he’s messing with you?!

[Local] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Huh?

[Local] Suave Not Sleazy: Uh, this embarrassing conversation could’ve happened in private.

[Local] Drink Till You Drop: Whitey, they changed their IDs.

[Local] Summit of Mount Tai: Even Drink noticed mid-fight…

A collective sigh rose from Five Peaks Pavilion.

[Local] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: You’re all so mean TAT

White Dragon Horse was too wounded to continue speaking, but others had no such limitations.

[Local] Greatsword: Polly, Milk Mom, what are you two up to?

[Local] Meng Chudong: Ah, we’ve been discovered.

The crowd collapsed—was this really that hard to figure out?!

[Local] Drink Till You Drop: Enough nonsense, come get your member!

[Local] Meng Chudong: She’s very persistent.

[Local] Drink Till You Drop: I noticed!

[Local] Meng Chudong: And a girl.

[Local] Drink Till You Drop: ……

It was clear Drink Till You Drop’s attacks hesitated when he learned Drink Your Sister’s true gender. If before he’d held back because she’d already lost a level and a half to him (even if it was self-defense, he didn’t want to PK her to zero), now he outright couldn’t bring himself to do it. Though he wasn’t like My Blood for Xuanyuan, who made a point of not hitting women, a Legion Commander publicly brawling with a girl was just unseemly. In the end, Drink chose a compromise—quickly disengaging and using a Town Portal Ticket.

No one expected a noob account to actually force Five Peaks’ Commander to retreat. Aside from admiring Drink Your Sister, they admired Drink’s magnanimity even more.

In contrast…

[Local] Meng Chudong: Ah, he left? I was just kidding.

This, folks, is the difference TAT

With no target left, Drink Your Sister stopped attacking and followed the path the crowd had cleared to rejoin her team.

No one was looking at the Siren anymore—the Ghost Server Legion was now the main attraction.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Drink Your Sister, who’d just been in a kill-everything-that-moves mode, suddenly knelt on one knee—a gesture in the game usually reserved for marriage proposals.

The crowd exchanged glances. They’d sensed something unusual the moment Drink left. Now this? A love triangle?!

Fang Zheng was just as confused until Drink Your Sister spoke—

[Local] Drink Your Sister 3X: Commander, I apologize! I acted on my own and brought trouble to the legion. I willingly accept punishment—please enforce military discipline!

The crowd froze.

Fang Zheng broke out in a cold sweat and quickly typed—

[Whisper] Fang Zheng: Are you serious?

The reply came quickly—

[Whisper] Drink Your Sister 3X: Just acting. Try laying a finger on me.

Fang Zheng’s heart finally settled.

Damn, why does this feel so tragic TAT

[Local] Big H: What the hell, ghost server? Y’all filming a movie?

Fang Zheng might be hopeless with women, but dealing with men—especially 2D ones—was as easy as making instant noodles.

[Local] Fang Zheng: Though our legion is small, we adhere to strict military discipline. We firmly believe that without rules, there is no order. Freedom is relative—unrestrained freedom is mere indulgence…

[Local] Big H: Speak human, please =_=

[Local] Fang Zheng: Today, Drink Your Sister made a mistake. Though she’s one of ours, we won’t let it slide.

[Local] Big H: Oh? Looks like you’re really going to punish her. Well, hurry up—let’s hear it.

[Local] Fang Zheng: Your Sister.

[Local] Big H: The hell you say?!

[Local] Drink Your Sister 3X: Hey, upstairs, don’t take every word as gospel.

[Local] Drink Your Sister 3X: Commander, reporting in.

Big H was in tears.

Damn, this legion—from their IDs to their mindset, from their skills to their luck—is one giant trap! A pit disguised as flat ground! Covered with sleazy straw for camouflage!

The crowd didn’t care about Big H’s feelings. They were more interested in how Fang Zheng would “enforce military discipline.”

Fang Zheng didn’t keep them waiting—

[Local] Fang Zheng: Punishment is inevitable, but the priority now is to apologize to Drink Till You Drop!

[Local] Drink Your Sister 3X: Understood, Commander! I’ll go right away!

Just as the crowd thought Drink Your Sister would spam the World Chat with apologies, she instead used a scroll, and her burly male healer avatar slowly vanished.

A sharp-eyed player pointed out the truth—

[Local] Scissorhands: She… just went back to town.

The Commander swelled with pride—

[Local] Fang Zheng: That’s my ghost server member! Apologies should be face-to-face—that’s true sincerity!

No one knew what Drink Till You Drop was up to after returning to town, but that didn’t stop everyone from stringing together their sympathy like a wreath of pity.

With the interlude over, it was time to get down to business.

[Local] My Blood for Xuanyuan: This stalemate isn’t helping. How about each team picks someone for friendly PvP? The winner’s team gets the boss.

Fang Zheng hadn’t noticed Xuanyuan was here. Seeing the message, he froze, then instinctively glanced at Birdy. But the zombie on-screen stood perfectly still, revealing nothing of its owner’s emotions.

Xuanyuan’s suggestion was met with widespread approval. No one wanted to waste time on a world boss when they could’ve gained half a level in the same time.

So the twenty-something teams on the map cordoned off their own spaces and began friendly PvP matches, turning the island into a dazzling light show of skills.

Perhaps due to poor organization, the PvP ended in chaos. The final victor was a no-name small guild, but a win was a win. Meteor Blitz with three teams, Huaxia Dominion with four, even Five Peaks Pavilion (who knew how many teams they had) all automatically retreated five meters from the shore, leaving the Siren to the winners.

But the victors still felt the pressure.

[Local] I Love Lin Ruowei: Uh… you guys aren’t leaving?

[Local] Big H: Don’t worry, go ahead. We’ll just watch.

[Local] Kill All Who Block Me: We just want to see the cooked duck fly away.

[Local] Carved in Bone: Relax, we won’t do anything. Really.

[Local] Meng Chudong: ^_^

Birdy’s gentle smile was the last straw. The poor winning team didn’t dare take another step forward. If they pulled the boss and the big guilds swarmed them, they’d be blasted to smithereens.

It wasn’t that they didn’t trust their fellow players’ integrity.

It’s just that integrity didn’t exist on Huaxia Summit.

Under pressure, someone always cracks. Some ranged Spirit Master’s stray fireball—who knows whose—landed squarely on the Siren, who smiled sweetly and began to sing.

Aggro pulled!

The teams exchanged glances. What were they waiting for? Go!

Now the advantage of numbers became clear. Though the big guilds hadn’t wanted a free-for-all (losing members meant losing XP, and XP was precious with the new update), the situation left no choice. So the pre-formed guilds went all-out to overwhelm the boss, since high DPS was king. The smaller guilds, knowing they couldn’t compete, switched to attacking players instead. Every kill counted, and loot was loot.

Jiang Yang: “Hell yeah, I love this! Who do we fight?”

Fang Zheng: “Fight my ass, it’s all risk no reward. Let’s bail.”

Jiang Yang: “Seriously? Our team’s too small for fortress battles. This is a golden opportunity.”

For a brawl? =_=

Refined Into a Demon: “Commander, I just upgraded 748 and want to test it…”

Fang Zheng facepalmed. Might as well skip the last guy: “Birdy, what about you?”

Birdy-kun’s answer required no thought: “Town Portal. Find Drink Your Sister.”

The Deputy was always reliable TAT

Thus, the ghost server squad split—two to town, two to battle.

But fate had other plans. Just as Fang Zheng’s Town Portal Ticket began casting, a Phoenix Rebirth blasted into him!

Fang Zheng spun his camera, but with berserking Spirit Masters everywhere, how could he tell who’d done it?

Birdy had already made it back. Not seeing the Commander, he asked, “Where are you?”

Fang Zheng wanted to cry: “Got hit by stray fire.”

In such chaos, eating a big skill was normal. Resigned, Fang Zheng clicked the Town Portal Ticket again. Casting…

Then a Berserker’s One Cut Kill!

This time, Fang Zheng won the 8% insta-kill lottery. Faceplant.

“FUCK HIS SECOND UNCLE’S SEVENTH COUSIN!” Fang Zheng was about to slam his keyboard when his little healer suddenly sprang back up!

The Golden Hoop had activated—resurrected~\(≧▽≦)/~

Fang Zheng didn’t care about dignity anymore. He scrambled to the island’s far side, far from the battle, before sighing in relief and pulling out another Town Portal Ticket. But just as he was about to click, he noticed another shadow on the ground!

Fang Zheng spun his camera. The newcomer was My Blood for Xuanyuan!

Willow Leaf Blade—pure reflex!

Xuanyuan didn’t dodge. The weak skill barely scratched him, yet he didn’t counterattack or even ready his stance.

Fang Zheng canceled his Crimson Lotus Holy Fire mid-cast but kept his distance, wary.

[Local] Fang Zheng: What’s up?

Xuanyuan hesitated before explaining—

[Local] My Blood for Xuanyuan: Can I check your gear?

That’s it?

[Local] Fang Zheng: Just standard orange-tier, nothing special.

[Local] My Blood for Xuanyuan: I know.

Fang Zheng really wanted to punch him =_=

[Local] My Blood for Xuanyuan: I saw you resurrect earlier.

Fang Zheng paused, then understood. Of course—nothing else on him was worth Xuanyuan’s attention except the Golden Hoop on his head.

[Local] Fang Zheng: You mean this? [Golden Hoop]

Clicking the gear and posting it in chat let others inspect it directly.

Fang Zheng was right. Two seconds later, Xuanyuan responded—

[Local] My Blood for Xuanyuan: Thanks.

[Local] Fang Zheng: No problem.

Xuanyuan left without another word—so cleanly Fang Zheng almost couldn’t believe it. He’d expected at least a few exchanged blows.

Finally back in town, Polly was waiting in the Guild Hall. Seeing the healer return with less XP, he was speechless.

But Fang Zheng wasn’t in the mood to explain. His mind was stuck on Xuanyuan’s odd behavior. The problem was, only Xuanyuan knew his own thoughts—no amount of head-scratching would reveal them.

This did remind Fang Zheng of something, though. Back when he’d first gotten the Golden Hoop, he’d meant to look up its origins but forgotten. Since Xuanyuan’s motives were inscrutable, he’d start with the item.

Switching to his browser, Fang Zheng quickly found the Golden Hoop’s backstory via search engine.

It was a forum highlight—a show-off post where some pro flaunted all his epic gear with screenshots. Enough to outfit an entire healer legion. Among them was the Golden Hoop.

Players bombarded him with questions—where to get it, stats, etc. The OP was generous with answers, especially about the Golden Hoop:

[Level 55 Monkey Monsters on Mount Emei. Beat them to death. I farmed for half a month and got nothing, so I bought this one~ Shame~>_<~]