Kota Shadowring, Menara Abyss:
Tak lama setelah Shi Feng kembali dari lantai lima untuk kesekian kalinya, kilatan cahaya muncul di sampingnya. Ketika cahaya itu memudar, dia melihat Red Frost berdiri di sana. Wajahnya tampak lelah, dengan senyum getir menghiasi bibirnya.
"Kau masih kesulitan bertahan menghadapi satu gerakan pun dari lawanmu di lantai enam?" tanya Shi Feng penasaran.
"Bukan begitu," jawab Red Frost sambil menggelengkan kepala. "Sekarang aku hampir bisa bertahan menghadapi tiga gerakan. Hanya saja, aku baru berhasil menggabungkan satu dari tiga Teknik Bertarung Gold Tingkat Lanjut milikku dengan kondisi Ranah Tanpa Pikir. Jika ingin benar-benar bertukar pukulan dengan orang itu, aku juga harus menggabungkan dua teknik lainnya. Namun, aku tidak tahu apakah bisa berhasil dengan waktu yang tersisa hanya dua hari."
Jawaban Red Frost membuat Shi Feng terdiam sesaat. Kemudian, dia berkata, "Tidak masalah meski kau tidak berhasil. Tujuanmu kembali ke Holy Dragon Spear adalah memenangkan hati para Elder dan Grand Elder agar berpihak kepadamu. Untuk itu, kau tidak perlu mencapai Standar lantai enam."
Standar lantai enam adalah sebuah legenda di kalangan ras manusia di God's Domain yang Lebih Besar. Sepanjang sejarah yang diketahui, belum pernah ada satu pun pemain manusia yang mencapai Standar lantai enam. Meskipun Red Frost telah mengembangkan dirinya hingga batasnya saat ini dalam segala aspek, Standar lantai enam masih berada di luar jangkauannya. Bahkan dengan bantuan Menara Abyss, dia tetap membutuhkan waktu untuk mengambil langkah terakhir.
Belum lagi, baru satu jam berlalu sejak mereka berdua memasuki Menara Abyss. Keduanya juga memulai pendakian masing-masing dari lantai lima. Namun, sementara Shi Feng masih kesulitan menghadapi Hope di lantai lima dan nyaris tidak mampu menggabungkan Sword's Orbit dengan kondisi Ranah Tanpa Pikir, Red Frost sudah menginjakkan kaki di lantai enam. Selain itu, hanya dalam sedikit lebih dari selusin percobaan, dia telah menggabungkan Teknik Bertarung Gold Tingkat Lanjut dengan kondisi Ranah Tanpa Pikir dan kini mampu bertahan menghadapi tiga gerakan dari lawannya di lantai enam. Perbedaan di antara mereka sangat mencolok, sementara tingkat peningkatan Red Frost sungguh tidak masuk akal.
"Dengan standarku saat ini, seharusnya tidak sulit memenangkan hati para Elder dan Grand Elder itu," kata Red Frost. Kemudian, dia menatap Shi Feng dengan cemas dan bertanya, "Namun, apakah Zero Wing bisa mengumpulkan Kristal Seven Luminaries sebanyak itu hanya dalam waktu sedikit lebih dari dua hari?"
Shi Feng telah berjanji kepada Xiao Yilong untuk menyediakan 500 juta unit Kristal Seven Luminaries dalam waktu satu bulan. Selain itu, dia berjanji mengirimkan 100 juta unit pertama dalam tiga hari. Red Frost mungkin tidak akan terlalu khawatir jika dia tidak mengetahui situasi internal Zero Wing, tetapi dia tahu betul bahwa selain Kota Shadowring, tidak ada properti Zero Wing lainnya yang bisa menghasilkan Kristal Seven Luminaries. Dengan kondisi Zero Wing saat ini, bahkan menghasilkan 100 juta unit Kristal Seven Luminaries dalam sebulan pun mustahil, apalagi dalam tiga hari…
"Mudah. Kau sendiri sudah melihat efek Menara Abyss," kata Shi Feng sambil terkekeh. "Selama aku membukanya untuk umum dan mengenakan biaya lima Emas Abadi serta 2.000 unit Kristal Seven Luminaries kepada setiap orang, menghasilkan 100 juta unit dalam tiga hari bukanlah masalah."
"Kau berencana membukanya untuk umum?!" Perkataan Shi Feng membuat Red Frost tercengang. "Kita sedang membicarakan Standar lantai enam yang legendaris! Jika kabar tentang fungsi menara ini tersebar, bahkan kekuatan kerajaan Ras Suci akan menjadi gila, apalagi kekuatan puncak ras manusia! Mereka akan melakukan apa saja untuk merebutnya!"
Baik ras manusia maupun Ras Suci, keberadaan ahli lantai enam tidak pernah terdengar. Bahkan orang bodoh pun akan tahu bagaimana kekuatan puncak dan kekuatan kerajaan kedua ras itu akan bereaksi jika mengetahui kemampuan Menara Abyss. Dengan Zero Wing yang baru saja membangun pijakannya di Eternal Realm, mustahil bagi Zero Wing untuk mempertahankan Menara Abyss.
"Mereka boleh saja mencoba," kata Shi Feng sambil terkekeh acuh tak acuh.
Tidak ada yang lebih memahami pengaruh Menara Abyss terhadap para pemain selain dirinya. Namun, dia juga tahu bahwa dengan sumber daya Zero Wing saat ini, begitu para ahli Tier 6 Level 200-plus dari dunia luar membanjiri Eternal Realm, hari-hari Zero Wing akan segera berakhir. Bagaimanapun, Zero Wing telah menyinggung banyak kekuatan. Jika mendapat kesempatan, kekuatan-kekuatan ini pasti akan berusaha menghancurkan Zero Wing sesegera mungkin.
Jika Zero Wing ingin bertahan dari situasi sulit ini, satu-satunya pilihannya adalah membuka Menara Abyss untuk umum. Bagaimanapun, Menara Abyss bukan sekadar alat untuk menghasilkan Kristal Seven Luminaries. Menara itu juga merupakan sarana bagi berbagai kekuatan untuk memperkuat diri mereka.
Saat Shi Feng dan Red Frost berbincang, Hidden Soul muncul di aula dan berjalan cepat menghampiri mereka.
"Guild Leader, aku sudah selesai mengumpulkan personel yang kau minta. Mereka siap bergerak kapan pun kau memberi perintah," lapor Hidden Soul.
"Bagus. Minta mereka pergi ke berbagai Kota NPC dan menyebarkan berita tentang Menara Abyss," kata Shi Feng sambil mengangguk. "Sampaikan bahwa setiap pemain bisa menantang menara sekali sehari. Umumkan juga bahwa pemain Tier 6 yang bergabung dengan Zero Wing bisa mendapatkan diskon 50% saat menggunakan menara. Selain itu, semua anggota biasa Zero Wing dapat menantang menara hingga dua kali sehari, anggota elit mendapat tiga kesempatan, dan anggota inti mendapat lima kesempatan."
Selain membantu Ras Suci menghasilkan banyak ahli lantai enam, Menara Abyss juga memungkinkan Dinasti Sun dan Sovereign Mark, pemilik menara tersebut pada masa itu, menjadi kekuatan nomor satu dan nomor dua secara de facto di antara Ras Suci. Bagaimanapun, sangat sedikit pemain yang menganggap diri mereka ahli mampu menolak godaan untuk menjadi Dewa Fana.
Meskipun para ahli Tier 6 yang bisa direkrut Zero Wing dari Eternal Realm saat ini masih jauh dari cukup untuk melawan para ahli Tier 6 dari dunia luar, jika mereka bekerja sama dengan Penjaga NPC Kota Shadowring, seharusnya tidak sulit mencegah kota itu jatuh ke tangan orang lain.
Saat dunia luar berhasil membangun jalur aman menuju Eternal Realm, Red Frost pasti sudah menjadikan Holy Dragon Spear miliknya sendiri. Pada saat itu, Zero Wing akan cukup kuat untuk menghadapi kekuatan puncak atau kekuatan kerajaan mana pun secara tunggal. Hal ini, pada gilirannya, akan memungkinkan Zero Wing membeli lebih banyak waktu untuk memperkuat posisinya.
Setelah itu, Hidden Soul melaksanakan instruksi Shi Feng dan mengirim anggota Zero Wing ke berbagai Kota NPC di Eternal Realm. Para anggota Zero Wing itu mulai memublikasikan efek Menara Abyss, sehingga menimbulkan keributan di seluruh Eternal Realm.
…
Shadowring Town, Tower of the Abyss:
Shortly after Shi Feng returned from the fifth floor once more, a flash of light appeared beside him. When the light faded, he saw Red Frost standing there, looking tired and wearing a wry smile.
“Are you still having trouble surviving even one move against your sixth-floor opponent?” Shi Feng asked curiously.
“No, that’s not it,” Red Frost said, shaking her head. “I can barely last three moves now. It’s just that I only managed to merge one of my three Advanced Gold Combat Techniques with the Unthinking state. If I want to truly trade blows with that person, I must also merge the remaining two techniques. But I don’t know if I can make it with only two days left.”
Red Frost’s response rendered Shi Feng momentarily speechless. Then, he said, “It doesn’t matter, even if you can’t make it. Your goal in returning to Holy Dragon Spear is to win the Elders and Grand Elders to your side. You don’t need to be at the sixth-floor standard to do that.”
The sixth-floor standard was a legend in the human race’s Greater God’s Domain. Throughout known history, not a single human player had ever reached the sixth-floor standard. Although Red Frost had already developed herself to her current limits in all aspects, the sixth-floor standard was still beyond her. Even with the Tower of the Abyss’s assistance, she would need time to make the final step.
Not to mention, it had only been an hour since the two of them entered the Tower of the Abyss. Both of them had also started their respective climbs from the fifth floor. Yet, while he still struggled against Hope on the fifth floor and could barely integrate Sword’s Orbit with the Unthinking state, Red Frost had already set foot on the sixth floor. Additionally, in just a little over a dozen attempts, she had integrated an Advanced Gold Combat Technique with the Unthinking state and could now survive three moves against her sixth-floor opponent. The difference between them was stark, and the rate of Red Frost’s improvement was unbelievable.
“With my current standard, winning over those Elders and Grand Elders shouldn’t be difficult,” Red Frost said. Then, she looked at Shi Feng worriedly and asked, “But can Zero Wing gather so many Seven Luminaries Crystals in just a little over two days?”
Shi Feng had promised Xiao Yilong to provide her with 500 million units of Seven Luminaries Crystal in a month. Moreover, he promised to deliver the first 100 million units in three days. She might not have been as concerned if she didn’t know about Zero Wing’s internal situation, but she knew clearly that apart from Shadowring Town, none of Zero Wing’s other properties could generate Seven Luminaries Crystals. With Zero Wing’s current state, it would be impossible to make 100 million units of Seven Luminaries Crystal even in a month, let alone three days…
“It’s simple. You’ve already seen the effects of the Tower of the Abyss for yourself,” Shi Feng said, chuckling. “So long as I open it to the public and charge each person five Eternal Gold and 2,000 units of Seven Luminaries Crystal, making 100 million units in three days isn’t a problem.”
When the Tower of the Abyss was made available to the public in his previous life, a little over a million Holy Race players challenged it each day. That was also the maximum capacity the tower could handle. Considering the steep markup the tower’s owner charged, this meant that the tower generated two billion Holy Power Crystals each day. This far exceeded the revenue any other business could generate.
Of course, when the Tower of the Abyss was constructed in his previous life, the connection between the Eternal Realm and the outside world had already been established for a long time. Thus, there was no lack of players coming to use the Tower of the Abyss.
At present, although the various human powers had already discovered a passage leading into the Eternal Realm, only a small number of Tier 6 experts could cross it. Thus, Shi Feng did not expect the Tower of the Abyss to generate a daily income of two billion units of Seven Luminaries Crystal. Even so, the tower shouldn’t have difficulty generating a daily income of 100 million units.
“You plan to open it to the public?!” Shi Feng’s words astounded Red Frost. “We are talking about the legendary sixth-floor standard here! If news of the tower’s function gets out, even the Holy Race’s royal powers will lose their minds, let alone the human race’s apex powers! They’ll do everything they can to snatch it!”
Be it the human race or the Holy Race, the existence of sixth-floor experts was unheard of. Even a fool would know how the two races’ apex and royal powers would react if they learned of the Tower of the Abyss’s capabilities. With Zero Wing having only recently established itself in the Eternal Realm, there was no way it could defend the Tower of the Abyss.
“They’re more than welcome to try,” Shi Feng said, chuckling nonchalantly.
Nobody knew better than him what kind of influence the Tower of the Abyss could have over players. However, he also knew that with Zero Wing’s current resources, once the outside world’s Level 200-plus, Tier 6 experts flooded the Eternal Realm, Zero Wing’s days would be numbered. After all, Zero Wing had offended many powers. Given the opportunity, these powers would try to destroy Zero Wing as soon as possible.
If Zero Wing wanted to survive this predicament, its only option was to make the Tower of the Abyss available to the public. After all, the Tower of the Abyss wasn’t just a tool to make Seven Luminaries Crystals. It was also a tool for powers to strengthen themselves.
While Shi Feng and Red Frost chatted, Hidden Soul appeared in the hall and approached them with hurried steps.
“Guild Leader, I’ve finished gathering the manpower you requested. They are ready to move out at your command,” Hidden Soul reported.
“Good. Have them head to the various NPC Cities and spread the news of the Tower of the Abyss,” Shi Feng said, nodding. “State that each player may challenge the tower once a day. Announce that Tier 6 players who join Zero Wing can enjoy a 50% discount when using the tower. Additionally, all normal members of Zero Wing can challenge the tower up to twice a day, while elite members get three attempts and core members get five attempts.”
Besides helping the Holy Race produce numerous sixth-floor experts, the Tower of the Abyss also allowed the Sun Dynasty and Sovereign Mark, the tower’s owners at the time, to become the Holy Race’s de facto number one and number two powers. After all, very few players who considered themselves experts could resist the temptation of becoming a Mortal God.
Although the Tier 6 experts Zero Wing could recruit from the current Eternal Realm were still nowhere near enough to fight the outside world’s Tier 6 experts, if they worked with Shadowring Town’s NPC guards, it shouldn’t be difficult to prevent the town from falling into the hands of others.
By the time the outside world established a safe route into the Eternal Realm, Red Frost would have already made Holy Dragon Spear her own. By then, Zero Wing would be strong enough to confront any single apex power or royal power. This, in turn, would enable Zero Wing to buy itself more time to strengthen its position.
Subsequently, Hidden Soul carried out Shi Feng’s instructions and had Zero Wing’s members travel to the Eternal Realm’s various NPC Cities. Then, these Zero Wing members started to publicize the effects of the Tower of the Abyss, causing a commotion across the Eternal Realm.
…
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