Chapter 20: The End of the Novice Period, Unusual Rankings

[The 7-day novice period has ended, and the game "Lord Era" has been updated. The updates are as follows:]

1. [Remove all scattered resources, chests, and other items.]

2. [Remove the rule that monsters will stay in place and not move.]

3. [Increase the difficulty of dungeons, monsters, etc.]

4. [Increase the probability of encounters with indigenous people.]

[Please note: The Lord's ranking and weekly activities have started.]

Qin Muyue looked at the brief updates and the missing protection layer around his Mage Tower. It made him realize that the real challenge had just begun.

Adapt or die - that was the rule now. The remaining 23 days would be an adaptation period.

Firstly, the removal of scattered resources and items meant that both basic and miscellaneous resources could no longer be collected, making life more challenging for all Lord Era players. They had to rely on resource buildings, gathering, and struggles to obtain what they needed.

The second point indicated that monsters were no longer stationary; they could roam freely. Combined with the end of the novice period, the danger of being attacked by monsters had significantly increased.

In the adaptation period, monsters wouldn't actively attack Lord's territories, but there was no rule preventing them from attacking Lords who ventured out for hunting or gathering. This solidified Qin Muyue's decision to stay within the safety of his territory.

The third point was linked to the second, and the fourth point signaled that Lords would have more interactions with the indigenous inhabitants of the magical land. While this could be an opportunity, it also posed a significant risk.

People had both good and bad aspects, and there was no telling what type of indigenous people Qin Muyue would encounter first.

The unexpected part was the rankings and weekly activities, intertwining the game with reality, creating a surreal feeling for Qin Muyue.

He opened the Lord ranking list to see the current situation.

[Lord, please enter your code for the first time.]

"Quite user-friendly." Qin Muyue chuckled and entered three asterisks as his code.

[1st: True Dragon Emperor, Territory: Holy Dragon's Nest, Overall Strength: 2nd Tier Champion]

[2nd: Demon Subduing Monk, Territory: Sinful Temple, Overall Strength: 2nd Tier Champion]

[3rd: Wandering Ghost, Territory: Netherworld Shrine, Overall Strength: 2nd Tier Champion]

...

[267th: ***, Territory: Mage Tower, Overall Strength: 1st Tier Elite]

...

[561st: Wang Sanguo, Territory: Small Village (Damaged), Overall Strength: 0 Tier]

"What the heck, isn't this a bit too exaggerated?"

Qin Muyue looked at the top three Lords in the ranking. Was this the strength that a regular person could achieve? The top 100 had all started at 2nd Tier, followed by 1st Tier Champions, and by the time it reached Qin Muyue at 561st, it had dropped to 1st Tier Elite. Further down, around the 400th position, there were 0 Tiers.

"The most absurd thing is their territories, one more magnificent than the other. My tiny Mage Tower is no match for them."

"However, with only 561 people remaining out of 1000, even with the 7-day novice protection, there's still nearly a 50% mortality rate."

If Qin Muyue hadn't found an alternative way, he would now either be one of the 439 dead Lords or be ranked much lower.

Thinking about it, he had crossed worlds once before. In the world he left, he had already become a successful scholar, looking forward to a life of comfort with three wives and four concubines. But unexpectedly, he was hit by a meteor and sent here.

It seemed that not only he but everyone from his world had been pulled into this game world, judging by the names with a leaning towards ancient styles.

"Never thought that I, a transmigrator, would be beaten up by a group of ancient people. Truly cannot underestimate people from all walks of life."

Although he had a hero like Blood Demon, the initial units and territories of those Lords in front of him were definitely stronger than his creatures. With initial advantages, decent abilities, and a fair share of luck, they could quickly rise to power.

The crucial point was talent. Qin Muyue's talent did not provide any direct increase in strength for territory, battles, management, etc. Thus, he was lagging behind step by step.

Ancient people were not fools; their abilities were not inferior to modern people's. Moreover, talent was a crucial factor. With initial advantages, abilities, and talent, they could rise rapidly.

Turning off the ranking list, Qin Muyue felt the pressure increasing.

Then, he opened the weekly activities, and his heart sank even further.

[This week's activity: Monster Siege]

[Every day at 12:00 noon, a wave of monsters will attack. After killing the monsters, you will receive rich rewards and points. Remaining time for today's siege: 11:56]

[Please note: The strength of monsters will gradually increase with each attack. The stronger the monsters, the richer the rewards.]

[Points: Can be used in the point shop to exchange for resources, building blueprints, treasures, job change certificates, etc.]

[This time, a speed competition for killing monsters will be opened, taking the average speed of seven attacks.]

[1st: 3 types of basic resources × 100,000, 4 types of special resources × 10,000, advanced treasure × 1, rare building blueprint × 1]

[2nd: 3 types of basic resources × 100,000, 4 types of special resources × 10,000, advanced treasure × 1]

[3rd: 3 types of basic resources × 100,000, 4 types of special resources × 10,000, intermediate treasure × 1]

[4th~10th: 3 types of basic resources × 100,000, 4 types of special resources × 10,000]

"Alright, let's focus on the shop. I'll forget about treasures and building blueprints."

Qin Muyue knew that these things were not what he could covet now. The people at the top were too out of reach. All the resources he had now combined weren't as much as the resources in the rewards.

For those Lords competing for rankings, resources were not their focus; treasures and building blueprints were.

So, for Qin Muyue, the shop was the immediate reality, not the rewards from the rankings.

Opening the shop, the first things he saw were building blueprints. He quickly found what he needed.

[Building Blueprint: Crystal Mine: 1000 points]

[Building Blueprint: Gem Workshop: 1000 points]

[Building Blueprint: Sulfur Mine: 1000 points]

These three were the production buildings for special resources. There were also other essential buildings like the Market and Blacksmith, each priced at 500 points.

Apart from these, there were some more extravagant building blueprints, but for Qin Muyue, those were illusory. It was better to get all the basic buildings first

.

As for treasures, units, and others, he looked through them. If he could buy the blueprints for the three special resource production buildings and some essential normal buildings, he would purchase a job change certificate. This way, he could quickly give birth to a new hero from the magical creatures.

"Just don't know how the points are calculated, and today's noon monster siege... hope I can survive."

[End of Chapter 20]