Chapter 97

Chapter 97

The shouts and clamor of players and Small Stone People echoed through the vast underground nest. The 98 players who had undergone a class change to "Guardian Beasts" through the engraving ceremony had all reached Level 60 or higher, experiencing an unprecedented surge in combat power.

After shifting into bumblebee form, a gleaming, luminescent pearl-white gem was embedded on their heads, shining brightly. As the fluorite cores lit up, their Spiritual Power bullets were enveloped in a milky-white glow.

Their enlarged, rounder rear ends lifted uncontrollably, firing teal-colored energy shots at the rampaging players.

Bang, bang, bang—

Intense explosions swept through the area.

The force tore through everything around them like a wrecking ball, effortlessly lifting rocks that even high-level earth attribute players couldn’t budge. Razor-sharp rock fragments shot out in all directions, causing secondary impacts.

The Small Stone People, in perfect coordination, pancaked themselves against the ground, sliding swiftly toward the opening in the eastern rock wall. Meanwhile, players were sent flying into the air by the shockwaves.

Screams and curses filled the air.

Players barely over Level 40 couldn’t withstand a single hit—dying instantly, instinctively choosing an on-the-spot respawn, only to be taken out again by the residual blasts.

“Damn, what kind of damage is this?!”

“Did the game designers use their toes to code this? Was the balance team fired? How are we supposed to play like this?”

“Wild Master, I’m calling you grandpa now—wake up! We’re on the same side, remember? What happened to the inside job?”

“Almost forgot they switched factions. What inside job? This is literally a straight-up trap!”

The 98 players who launched the attacks were also stunned. Their rear ends fired uncontrollably, while their minds lagged behind, slowly processing the shock before erupting into ecstasy.

[Bobofish]: “Holy crap, did I just do that? So cool! And I only used ten percent of my power.”

[PeeSniper]: “Holy shit, this is awesome! The damage is insane. Maybe switching to the Guardian Beast class isn’t so bad after all.”

[Wild Master]: “Don’t celebrate too soon. The game will definitely introduce balance mechanics. Remember, there are only 98 of us.”

Although the Sunstone Tribe could control their bodies, their souls and minds remained free. [Wild Master] kept his eyes fixed on the Stone People Chief on the stone path and said to the players, “The lower-level Small Stone People’s control poses little threat to us. As long as we take out the chief and the eight elders, we’ll be free.”

He didn’t mention yet that they might even be able to take control of the entire Sunstone Tribe.

Bugs World was an open game that operated on logical progression, full of unpredictability—anything was possible. This new faction gameplay might not follow the usual rules.

Who said Guardian Beasts couldn’t turn the tables and become the masters of the entire tribe?

After the class change, [Wild Master] felt like he had entered a new world. The entire Sunstone Tribe was like a vast web connected by light ripples, with the chief at the center holding the highest authority, followed by the eight elders. The other Small Stone People formed the foundation of the network around them.

And they, the contracted players, drifted around the edges of this giant web, moved wherever they were needed.

As long as they took out the tribe leadership, the highest-level remaining Small Stone People would only be around Level 40. Then, beggars can't be choosers, they could turn the tables, enter the center of the network, and seize control of the faction.

And now, these players continuously rushing in were his greatest assets.

The Sunstone Tribe’s top fighters were all drained of mana from presiding over the contract ceremony—sitting ducks ripe for the taking. It would be rude not to bite.

[Wild Master] felt a fire ignite within him, his adrenaline surged the more he thought about it. He shouted to the players who were cursing as they counterattacked, “We’re being controlled by the Stone People! Kill that Stone People Chief first—its energy is almost depleted.”

Generally, the Sunstone Tribe didn’t need to expend energy to command Guardian Beasts. For example, Yaya, the Python Beast they had raised and bound since its egg stage, would cooperate with just a thought.

But these players with defiance in their bones were different. Actually, the Stone People Chief and elders had anticipated this—after all, these weren’t beasts raised from infancy. The higher the level of a spirit beast, the wilder it tended to be, especially those that had awakened sentience. They would often rather die than be bound by contract.

Although they had the natural advantage of pooling the tribe's collective fluorescent power into contracting Guardian Beasts, they never expected to succeed with a group of bees that had gained sentience—and to such a large extent.

They had initially thought succeeding with one or two would be a win, but instead, they managed to contract an entire group.

Though they were the weakest insects, awakened Guardian Beasts definitely had huge room for growth. Especially since, through the tribe's engravings and acceptance into the tribe’s light ripples, these Guardian Beasts had grown fluorite cores, naturally drawing them closer.

With the whole tribe’s nurturing, they would surely grow into powerful assets for their tribe.

It seemed as though heaven itself was foretelling their tribe’s bright future.

Of course, Guardian Beasts that had awakened sentience and were contracted midway wouldn’t be as tame as Yaya. They planned to keep the Guardian Beasts in the nest to slowly build bonds and synergy. That was also why the elders hadn’t brought them along when they went to the old nest earlier.

Logically, since the Sunstone Tribe lived underground and had released the massive Yaya, who required frequent cave access, they didn’t need to specially leave an entrance for Yaya in this newly built nest.

The nest, constructed from stone-converted soil by their tribe, was impenetrable to non-tribe members—the safest fortress in the desert.

Confident in the nest’s security, the Stone People Chief didn’t even need to assign elders for guard duty. It sent all the elders out without hesitation, never imagining that their supposedly impregnable fortress would be invaded by the Swarm.

Was it because they captured a group of bees that the Swarm came for revenge?

The Stone People Chief now realized that these strange bees were a swarm, just as united as their own tribe.

Back at the old nest, they hadn’t known much about these strange spirit beasts that had awakened sentience. At that time, they hadn’t considered contracting new Guardian Beasts, thinking these winged spirit beasts, without sturdy armor or camouflage, couldn’t possibly survive in the desert.

But these suddenly appearing spirit beasts helped them chip away the aged parts of the fluorite and played with Yaya to burn off its excess energy. The chief and elders hadn’t driven them away then, allowing them to move around the fluorite mountain, curious how long these strange spirit beasts would last in the desert.

However, the chief never expected that even after they moved to the new nest, these spirit beasts were still thriving in the desert. When they urgently sought new contract beasts, they were brought back by the Rock Elder to become their Guardian Beasts.

Initially, the chief and elders had their eyes on that mutated spirit plant (Deer Antler Tree) as the ideal Guardian Beast—its aura resonated deeply with their tribe, as if born for them.

It was upon detecting the light ripple fluctuations emitted by the Deer Antler Tree that the chief decided to release the Python Beast Yaya and seek new Guardian Beasts, specifically sending the Rock Elder to investigate.

After the Rock Elder fought the mutated spirit plant, overwhelmingly suppressing it and absorbing energy to level up, he abandoned the idea of contracting the tree.

It seemed energy-rich but had zero combat ability—when faced with danger, it could only root itself underground and wait for death. What use was such a Guardian Beast?

This wasn’t a Guardian Beast born for them—it was food born for them. The Rock Elder immediately dismissed the idea of contracting the Deer Antler Tree.

Instead, those water-conjuring spirit beasts (players) caught the Rock Elder’s attention.

In the desert, water was the most precious resource.

The Rock Elder made a snap decision, giving up on the mutated spirit plant and those withered fruits, bringing back a group of water-conjuring spirit beasts instead. The chief and other elders unanimously approved, deciding to contract these strange spirit beasts.

Before this, the Stone People Chief had only thought these strange spirit beasts that could turn into bees had merely awakened sentience and had slightly better aptitude. Until he saw them revive on the spot after death!

They were a group of immortal freaks!

But now these monsters had become their tribe’s Guardian Beasts.

The Stone People elders watched [Wild Master] and the others flying above, their eyes gleamed with hope. As long as they left the Swarm and fully integrated with their tribe, they believed they would one day become true Guardian Beasts.

Verbal commands alone wouldn’t work—the players wouldn’t listen. The Stone People Chief had to expend energy to activate the contract sigils to command them.

With its already scarce energy running on fumes, it immediately decided to abandon this nest. As for the elders and tribesmen who had left, they would find their way through the tunnels they’d left behind.

The Stone People Chief controlled the Guardian Beast players to hold back the other players, buying time for the Small Stone People to escape. The number of Small Stone People in the cave dwindled, while the number of players grew.

Just then, Second Sister and her crew, who had rushed to the scene from the Fungus Forest, also crawled in through the gaps in the cavern walls.

The golden names above their heads shimmered brilliantly in the dimly lit nest, instantly boosting player morale.

"The elders are here!"

"Charge, brothers! If we don't hurry, the elders will snatch the kills again!"

It's been a frustrating pattern—every time a crucial plot point arrives, they've never once participated in a boss raid. Before they can even react, the monsters are already taken out by Queen Bee.

This time, they're determined to join in no matter what.

Guided by [Wild Master], the players targeted the Stone People Chief on the stone pathway, quickly taking to the air to gain positional advantage. Multicolored spirit energy attacks rained down like a storm, and the suspended stone pathway collapsed from the barrage.

The Stone People Chief melted like quicksand, turning into a sheet of fragments that flowed rapidly along the pathway, concealed by the dazzling skill effects.

Amid the chaos, a pained scream suddenly rang out. A golden spiritual blade slashed through the air, cutting off a small portion of the "slab" sliding along the pathway. The severed part lost its momentum and fell off the pathway.

[Wild Master]: "The boss is defense-broken!"

Without their fluorescence energy, the Sunstone Tribe became like dried-out clay exposed to air, easily sliced to pieces by the players' attacks.

Number Two and the others exchanged bewildered glances.

Number Two muttered, "The boss never said we had to kill it, did he?"

Number Six: "Oh no, we’ve really messed up this time. The boss was hoping to build an alliance with them."

Number Four, who had unleashed the metal-element spiritual blade earlier, rubbed her nose sheepishly. "Who knew they’d be so fragile? Weren’t they really tough last time?"

On the other side, Shen Yi, who had been swinging his hammer relentlessly, suddenly smashed one of the thin fragments into dust and froze.

"EXP +34131"

Dead? Really dead? Shen Yi was in shock.

He had clearly landed several hits earlier, and they kept scurrying around as if nothing had happened.

Knowing they wouldn’t be easily killed, Shen Yi had gone all out, landing extra hits to vent his anger on behalf of the Deer Antler Tree.

A scream of grief and terror seemed to pierce the night. While Shen Yi was still dazed, Xi Ye swiftly acted, transforming his spiritual energy into light blades and slicing the remaining fragments into pieces with blinding speed.

As the Sunstone Tribe elder died, eight pea-sized glowing white pearls floated in the air, waiting for the victors to claim them.

Shen Yi instinctively turned around. Under the moonlight, Xi Ye’s sharp features seemed oddly softened in the hazy light.

Xi Ye reached out, drawing the fluorite cores into his hand. His deep eyes still held a residual bloodlust as he met Shen Yi’s gaze. "We’ve already killed one, and it was a high-ranking elder. The feud is irreparable now. We must wipe them out."

Shen Yi fell silent for a moment before sighing. "I know."

This was the first time he had killed a sentient being—a creature with intelligence, one that could speak. In his mind, such beings were no different from his own kind, both being intelligent life forms.

Shen Yi raised his right hand, staring at it blankly with an increasingly strange expression. What surprised him was that he felt strangely numb.

It was as if he had accidentally killed a monster mushroom.

Killing monsters too much messes with you—it hardens your heart.

Perhaps it helped that the Sunstone Tribe looked so much like rocks. It felt like accidentally shattering a sentient statue. Though he felt regret and guilt, that was all there was to it.

Maybe he just hadn’t processed it yet.

Shen Yi took a deep breath, turned to Xi Ye, and smiled. He playfully nudged Xi Ye’s arm and said cheerfully, "Why did you have to steal the kill? I didn’t get any EXP—it all went to the system."

The system interface suddenly appeared before his eyes, flickering as if silently venting its displeasure.

[Sarcastically] Thanks for the elf’s gift.

"The real treasure is here." Xi Ye opened his hand to show Shen Yi the [fluorite core] dropped by the Stone People elder. "They must rely on this stone to store energy and control their Sunstone energy. Once their energy is depleted, they become like Rock Monsters without their scales—easy to kill."

Shen Yi finally understood. It was only now that the elders’ energy had been completely drained, allowing him to kill one with a single hammer strike.

"A level 60 Stone People elder—an elite boss that raid groups couldn’t dent—and we just killed it like that." Shen Yi touched the glowing white gem in Xi Ye’s hand, feeling surreal.

Xi Ye chuckled. "Credit goes to the players."

If the Stone People hadn’t captured the players and drained their energy through contracts, they wouldn’t have had this opportunity.

Xi Ye temporarily stored the fluorite core in the Queen Bee’s hive and said to Shen Yi, "Let’s take this chance to head to their lair and take out the Stone People Chief. The remaining Small Stone People won’t be a threat then."

Shen Yi still felt a bit regretful. "I thought we could have them as allies."

Just then, the system announced: "The Stone People Chief has died. Player [Wild Master] is replacing the chief."

"What?" Shen Yi was shocked and immediately asked the system to show the footage of the Sunstone Tribe’s nest. He couldn’t help muttering, "Wasn’t Wild Master bound as a Guardian Beast by the Sunstone Tribe…?"

A Guardian Beast replacing the chief? Is this some kind of backlash?

But then again, these players are natural-born rebels. Nothing they do is surprising.

Shen Yi watched the system replay showing [Wild Master] leading the players who had become Guardian Beasts, tearing an opening in the nest. Players flooded into the cave, frantically uprooting Moon Dew Grass like a swarm of locusts. As the Sunstone Tribe elders were surrounded and attacked by players, the situation escalated beyond Shen Yi’s expectations.

He couldn’t help but marvel, "Today’s been like a movie…" full of twists and turns.

Encountering players was truly the Sunstone Tribe’s destined calamity.

"ATong, change of plans. Activate the faction gameplay directly."

Under the assault of thousands of players, the Sunstone Tribe Chief’s energy was completely depleted, and he was obliterated by dazzling skills. A glowing white fluorite core floated up, hardly visible in the dark cave after its energy was drained.

Players who hadn’t yet realized what was happening continued reflexively spamming skills at the boss.

But some had sharp eyes.

"Hey? The boss dropped something?"

"A boss this high-level must have dropped something valuable. How do we split it?"

[Wild Master], who had been closely monitoring the Stone People Chief’s movements, zipped forward like a bolt of light before other players could react. A glowing white shield enveloped him, deflecting all incoming player attacks as he swiftly grabbed the fluorite core.

Amid the curses and complaints from other players, he tossed it into his mouth and gulped it down.

"Ahhhh, you beast!"

"Dammit, Wild Master, that’s not cool!"

The next moment, the cursing players fell silent, as if someone had choked them mid-curse, momentarily stunned.

After swallowing the fluorite core, the gem on [Wild Master]’s forehead suddenly erupted with blazing light, flooding the entire underground nest. The dim fluorescence stones decorating the cave walls instantly regained their brightness under the glow.

The system notification hit like a bolt from the blue, shocking the players into priceless stunned expressions of astonishment.

"Player [Wild Master] has fused with the [Fluorite Tribe] chieftain's fluorite core, taking over the chieftain's position and becoming the Faction Leader of the [Fluorite Tribe]."

At the same time, [Wild Master] was flooded with system notifications.

"Congratulations, player, on becoming the Faction Leader of the [Fluorite Tribe]. Please quickly pacify the Fluorite Tribe and reasonably plan the faction's development."

After fighting monsters for half the day, the players, once they recovered from their daze, turned green with envy.

[Papa Orange]: "Holy crap, did we just come here to work for Wild Master?"

[Baba]: "Wild Bro is amazing! Later, our alliance will all switch to your faction."

[Jiangnan]: "Aren’t Faction Leaders usually NPCs?"

[Jiusi]: "The NPC was killed by us. According to the game's logic, after the Faction Leader dies, Wild Master absorbed the previous leader’s energy, so it’s perfectly logical for him to become the new leader."

"Anything is possible in this game." [Jiusi]’s voice carried a mix of regret and excitement.

Some players were more pragmatic: "Whatever, we only came here to get some Moon Dew Grass anyway."

As soon as these words were spoken, the players who were nearly green with envy reluctantly climbed out of their jealousy and, as if injected with adrenaline, rushed toward the stone ledges on the cave walls, frantically gathering.

The other 97 players who had switched to the [Fluorite Tribe] faction looked at each other, momentarily confused, then consciously gathered around [Wild Master].

In fact, ever since [Wild Master] swallowed the Fluorite Tribe chieftain’s energy core, they had sensed an indescribable aura of authority emanating from him.

It somewhat resembled the feeling their king gave them—probably an effect of the Faction Leader title.

They had already switched to the "Guardian Beast" class, and now, under [Wild Master]’s leadership, the Fluorite Tribe took on a whole new meaning. From now on, the Fluorite Tribe would be their faction, and this cave would be their headquarters.

Now, watching these neutral players loot, plunder, and wreck the place, their attitudes did a complete 180. How was this any different from robbery? These were their faction’s assets.

[PeeSniper]: "Wild Bro, are we just going to stand by and watch?"

[Langlang Mountain]: "This is like a swarm of locusts! If these guys strip the place clean, our faction will go bankrupt."

[Bobofish]: "But we were the ones who let them in. We agreed to cooperate from the inside—it wouldn’t be right to turn on them now."

[PeeSniper]: "Cooperating from the inside depends on who’s 'inside'! Right now, the small stone people are the insiders—they’re the outsiders."

[Wild Master], however, remained calm. He was processing the Fluorite Tribe’s information and reassured them, "It’s fine. These brothers helped us a lot—we can’t let them leave empty-handed. It’s just some Moon Dew Grass; we’re not short on that."

[Wild Master]: "Let’s focus on calming the small stone people first. The faction’s future development will depend on them."

After a night of chaos, by the time Shen Yi collected the bodies of the Fluorite Tribe elders and brought them back to the Baby Cave, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

Shen Yi handed the petrified bodies of the Fluorite Tribe elders to the Deer Antler Tree: "Can these be of use to you?"

The Deer Antler Tree’s branches swayed slightly: "They’re of no use to me, but plants need to take root in soil. Perhaps this is the soil I’ve been searching for."

Shen Yi placed the stone blocks at the base of the Deer Antler Tree. In the blink of an eye, the blocks turned to dust and scattered.

The Deer Antler Tree’s branches stretched out, as if the entire tree radiated a sense of joy.

Shen Yi exchanged a glance with Xi Ye, who then took out a fluorite core and handed it to Shen Yi. Before Shen Yi could do anything, the Deer Antler Tree’s branches began to sway wildly, eagerly reaching toward Shen Yi with an undeniable urgency.

Shen Yi smiled, storing the fluorite core in the Queen Bee’s nest. Once the fluorite core’s aura disappeared, the crystal-clear branches probed confusedly in Shen Yi’s direction.

The Deer Antler Tree’s usually gentle voice now carried a hint of urgency: "Shen Yi, I sense the aura of Evolution. That is something very important to me."

"If you give it to me, I am willing to agree to your earlier proposal and become your NPC."

In this world, there are no purely benevolent creatures. Evolution is the eternal goal they pursue.

If he hadn’t stored that fluorite core just now, the Deer Antler Tree would have undoubtedly taken action, sparing no cost to obtain it.

But none of that mattered now.

Shen Yi smiled, his light golden eyes reflecting the Deer Antler Tree’s glowing fluorescence, shimmering with a sly brilliance. After binding the Deer Antler Tree as an important game NPC, this Tree of Life would become part of the game world.

A moment later, the players received a new game notification.

"The game has opened a new class: [Guardian]. Players wishing to switch classes, please go to the Deer Antler Tree in the Baby Cave to accept the class-change quest. Upon successful class change, players will automatically join the Deer Antler Tree faction."