Mark and Jett stood on the edge, their expressions grim.
"Galen Yu has already gone to The End to kill the Ender Dragon."
"I heard."
With a global announcement, how could they have missed it?
First kill! Ender Dragon!
It was even more brutal than when they were in the Twilight Forest!
In the Twilight Forest, they had at least stepped inside and killed a few bosses, giving them a chance to compete in speed.
Now, in this new dimension of The End...
Forget about competing for progress—they hadn't even found the place yet. How were they supposed to compete?
Without exaggeration, they didn't even know what the Ender Dragon looked like, yet Galen Yu had already slain it!
"I wonder what kind of benefits that guy got this time!"
Mark's tone was filled with both envy and fear.
He was jealous because he knew the first kill on the Ender Dragon would surely yield incredible loot; he was afraid because Galen Yu was growing stronger by the day.
In contrast, they looked at themselves.
Although they had established three layers of defense that could effectively block zombie invasions, those same defenses had their drawbacks.
They were forced to huddle inside their chunk, with absolutely no opportunity to go out and explore.
Moreover, due to the failure of the mob farm, the number of zombies was increasing, forcing them to expend even more energy on defense.
"Sigh, when will we be able to evolve two more Spartan Warriors?"
Watching the villagers humming in their designated area, Mark sighed.
Not only did the mob farm failure result in more zombies, but it also blew up all their Spartan Warriors.
To this day, he hadn't seen a single new villager emerge that met the conditions to become a Spartan Warrior!
As a result, they had to handle the zombie problem personally, leaving them with very little time to relax.
"Does Soren Park really know how to build a mob farm? Did he actually learn the essence of Galen Yu's defense building?"
At this point, Mark couldn't help but wonder if Soren Park actually knew what he was doing or if he was just all talk.
After the failure of the mob farm, the redstone devices hadn't been successful either; they had simply wasted resources for nothing.
However, Mark didn't have the heart to scold him or dwell on those messy thoughts.
Without Spartan Warriors and with so many player casualties, only a few remained.
Every member of the Alliance was vital; they couldn't afford a single loss.
He not only had to restrain his temper but also needed to forge more SlashBlades and firearms to distribute to everyone.
After all, the zombies were still far from reaching their strongest state.
"We have to hold out for at least ten more days!"
After speaking with the Wandering Mage, Mark sighed.
The zombies would be at their strongest during the final ten days; it was the most critical period for them.
There was no room for error!
"Another prompt?"
Noticing a new sign, Jett checked the hint.
The content was simple, relating to Galen Yu and the Ender Dragon.
[SLAYING THE ENDER DRAGON HAS GRANTED GALEN YU ELYTRA, ENABLING FLIGHT. HOWEVER, DO NOT FRET; HE HAS RECEIVED THE DRAGON'S CURSE, WHICH WILL TRIGGER THE DRAGON HUNT EARLY!]
[THERE IS ALSO A RETURN DEVICE. YOU CAN CALL SOREN PARK OVER TO LEARN ABOUT IT. IT REQUIRES ENDER PEARLS, WATER, AND TRAPDOORS.]
Seeing the first part, their hearts sank.
Killing the Ender Dragon actually granted Elytra—the ability to fly!
How were they supposed to play against that?
With flight, even if he had to deal with Crisis Zombies, couldn't Galen Yu just fly safely to their chunk?
Skeletons wouldn't be able to do anything to him. This realization made them feel very insecure.
Fortunately, the following prompt put them at ease.
They didn't know what the Dragon Hunt was, but from the name alone, it was clear it wasn't a good thing.
"Ronan Mountwell said the next chunk has many dragons. Does triggering the Dragon Hunt mean..."
"Because he killed the Ender Dragon, the dragon race hates him? Even across chunks, dragons will hunt Galen Yu down?"
After Jett's explanation, Mark found it very plausible.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for the system to use a sign to tell them.
It had to be because Galen Yu was facing a massive crisis, meant to give them some encouragement!
"Jett is so smart; he saw the key point with just a little hint!"
"It's so much easier talking to smart people!"
"In my opinion, Galen Yu is just reaping what he sowed. The tall poppy gets cut down!"
"Even though Galen Yu has Elytra, the fact that Mark and Jett can survive peacefully in such a harsh environment proves they have heroic qualities!"
"Smart! Brave! Humble! Resilient!"
Having decoded the prompt so easily, the Freedom Nation audience voiced their praise.
In response, the Nine Provinces audience didn't even bother to reply; some even felt like laughing.
"Brothers, doesn't this look a bit familiar?"
"Remember when God Yu first started and was in a disadvantageous position? They didn't say these things back then!"
"To praise Mark and Jett, they really have no shame at all!"
"Humble and smart? Do you mean realizing they're short on manpower, so he hasn't cursed at anyone for three days?"
"When you had plenty of people, your attitude toward your allies wasn't nearly this good!"
What did they mean, 'awakening heroic qualities'?
It wasn't that they realized their mistakes; it was simply that they realized they were on the brink of death.
Like a joke, social media was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Having understood the situation on Galen Yu's side, Jett continued reading.
"Return device? Ender pearls, trapdoors?"
After a brief moment of thought, Jett's eyes lit up.
"I think I know what's going on. Pros, come and take over the combat for a bit!"
Calling Pros to take over his post, Mark and Jett found Soren Park.
At this moment, Soren Park was in the workspace with Ronan Mountwell and Kira Oakmoor.
"Mountwell, I heard you recently made a new SlashBlade? Can you give me one?"
"Mountwell, I heard you recently made a new SlashBlade? Can you give me one?"
"We're all brothers. Sharing a SlashBlade between brothers shouldn't be an issue!"
Through unremitting effort, Ronan Mountwell had finally discovered the crafting recipe for the Muramasa.
Stroking the SlashBlade in his hand, Kira Oakmoor was lost in thought for a long while.
[CHIZURU MURAMASA]
[A BLADE TEMPERED A THOUSAND TIMES, AN ANCIENT DEMON BLADE SUMMONED FORTH.]
Back when he saw this sword in Galen Yu's hands, he was green with envy. Finally!
He also possessed this ancient demon blade!
"Park, it's not that I'm unwilling to give it to you, it's just that this SlashBlade is extremely difficult to craft."
"If you really want it, I'll give you a bit of a discount."
Ronan Mountwell sighed, putting on a troubled expression.
"First, give me two Oodachis. Each must have a Proud Soul value of over ten thousand and a Refine count of over twenty, and they must be at full durability when you hand them over."
"Then, give me twenty Proud Soul Orbs, and I'll give you the Muramasa!"
"Remember, this path is very difficult. Both blades must meet the requirements; being short even a little bit won't work!"
Knowing that SlashBlades became harder to upgrade the further one went, Soren Park nodded and accepted the Oodachis.
"Alright, I'll do my best. Just make sure you give me the Muramasa when the time comes!"
"I swear on my honor as a samurai!"
Knowing that he valued Bushido above all else, Soren Park believed Ronan Mountwell. Since he made the vow, he wouldn't lie.
"The new SlashBlade is finished?"
Seeing the sword in Kira Oakmoor's hand, Jett was amazed.
Mark couldn't get used to them, but Jett really liked the feel of a SlashBlade.
Moreover, starting from the Oodachi, one could use powerful attacks like the Dimensional Slash, which was incredibly useful.
"Give me two Oodachis as well. I want the Muramasa!"
"Jett? Alright! Same configuration. I swear on my honor as a samurai!"
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