Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 205 (Chapter 204): From Beans to Soldiers, Before Dawn

The Blood Moon calamity descended upon the land, bathing all players in its ominous red frost. A profound sense of unease washed over them, and the health status bar on the network panel simultaneously displayed three negative statuses: "Confusion," "Weakness," and "Fatigue."

Meanwhile, the undead army gathered in the distance was shrouded in a crimson blessing, and the negative energy in their eyes grew even stronger.

Under the Blood Moon, ordinary units in the opposing faction of the players, except for elite monsters and boss monsters, will constantly resurrect, as if death is just a dream to them.

The players all looked unwell. Physical weakness and mental fatigue were relatively easy to overcome, but sensory confusion was not so easy to resolve.

The chaotic effects caused by different sources of curses are also different. For example, the chaos caused by poison may directly attack the nervous system, causing the brain to lose some functions, like losing spatial awareness and balance as if drunk.

The light of the blood moon was like a swarm of invisible leeches, sucking away the players' vitality and spirit, making them feel uncomfortable as if they were possessed and devoured by living creatures. They would experience auditory hallucinations, see distorted and bizarre scenery, have a salty and fishy taste in their mouths, and have a rusty smell lingering in their noses.

Lin Bo could not hear the voice of the moonlight. The sun, moon, and stars remained silent to the mage, but their words truly affected all living things.

The sensory curse brought by the Blood Moon was weakened by his class trait "Mental Barrier." Although he could still experience hallucinations, he only needed to concentrate slightly to dispel the illusions.

The Soul-Summoning Witch tiptoed and presented the Heart Stone to Lin Bo, returning it to him.

His companions gathered around, basking in the nourishing light of vitality.

Players from the other two factions also stepped forward, awaiting the victor's instructions.

Lin Bo nodded to the players on the Holy War Army's side. They had reached an agreement, and the Holy War Army would cooperate tonight and lend a hand in the final battle.

The undead players hung their heads and remained silent. Although they looked relaxed, they could not hide their low spirits.

"I'm sorry." The mage in the trench coat walked up to them, removed his mask, and looked around at everyone. "Please do not participate in the upcoming battle. Wait until the sun rises tomorrow before attempting the mission challenge."

"Boss, if you do this, no one in our faction will dare to team up with you anymore." [The Tailor] frowned, looking bitter. "If there's no suspense, what's the point of team battles?"

Lin Bo suggested, "Why don't we cancel this arena competition for the next team battle? Let everyone rely on the power of their faction background and have a head-on clash."

"This... seems more feasible."

"Then it's settled." Lin Bo said goodbye to them with a smile.

The Necromancer players led their army of thousands of undead away.

The remaining two sides began to carry out their planned missions. They joined forces, and the leaders of both sides returned to their respective main cities to gather their troops and prepare for the final campaign against the necromancers.

Lin Bo reminded everyone to be careful, and then took off into the air.

The other eighteen companions gathered together, took out a map, and connected the journey into a line according to the mission objectives marked during the day, completing the objectives along the way in sequence.

The mission locations for the first half of the night are all in the wilderness, with two main objectives: to purify the upstream water source of the river and to remove the cursed totems scattered throughout the area.

There were three camps of undead creatures at the water source. The twelve players split into three groups, stormed in, and directly destroyed the cursed cauldron made by the necromancer, stopping the flow of disease-ridden sewage into the river. As a result, the stench emanating from the river gradually faded.

There were fifteen scattered cursed totems, each guarded by a small force. The six players divided their tasks, heading to various parts of the wilderness to destroy the totem altars made of piled bones. Then, the miasma that lingered over the land gradually dissipated.

The undead patrolling along the way were a major obstacle, slowing down the march.

It was nearly midnight, and the players gathered together for a short rest before heading to the Necromancer faction's main city area for their next mission.

They need to venture deep into the sewers to rescue the bound spirits of nature, and then return to the surface city to liberate the polluted temples of nature.

Once players appear in the Tomb City, they will inevitably attract the pursuit of an army of undead creatures, and the Necromancer Order will also send a large number of spellcasters to participate in the battle.

An eighteen-person player squad is powerless against tens of thousands of enemies. They can only act as a surprise force, launching a surprise attack to end the battle as soon as possible and then retreat, otherwise they will be trapped in the vast enemy tide.

The team chat was quite lively, with announcements made for each completed task.

Necromancer players could only sigh and say a few words, unable to join in the excitement.

[Entangled in Thorns (Holy War)]: I have convinced the commander that the expeditionary force is assembling and is expected to launch the siege at dawn.
[Lighthouse Guest (Elite)]: Giant warriors are ready to fight at any time; I've brought all my troops.

Lin Bo returned empty-handed from the main city of the elites and joined the party.

There was no one behind him. "Brother Mage, where did the Heart Stone go?" his teammate asked curiously.

"It has been returned to the Guardian for safekeeping. It will naturally appear when the final battle begins."

"Where are the reinforcements? Are they still on their way?"

Lin Bo shook his head. "The reinforcements are all here."

He pointed to a backpack behind him. His companions didn't understand, but they didn't ask any further questions.

The group followed the stone cave entrance under the city wall into the sewers of the ancient burial city, with the soul-summoning witch carrying a chupa at the head of the procession.

This place connects to a natural cave system, with a complex terrain and numerous entrances, but most of the paths are difficult to traverse, and each of the little elves is a pathfinding expert.

There were no necromancers along the way, but there were a large number of undead test subjects. Their bodies were covered with traces of necromancy modification, and many of their tissues were abnormally distorted. They were powerful, but too restless to be controlled, so they were discarded by their creators.

The blood moon's blessing was blocked by the earth's strata; while the undead would still revive, their resurrection would be greatly slowed. The team advanced all the way to the deepest part, where there was an altar chamber imprisoning the spirits nurtured by the creatures of nature.

With a creak, the iron door of the altar chamber was pushed open by the warrior player, revealing a spherical light source floating in the air, bound by magically created translucent blue-green chains.

Lin Bo dealt with the elite monster in the altar chamber. It was a stitched-together undead creature with a relatively strong vitality.

Then, the players destroyed the ritual left behind by the necromancer, and the bound spirits of nature were freed.

Chains snapped, and the light source suspended in the air expanded and diffused, faintly revealing the colorful outlines of beasts and birds.

They thanked the group with the roars of countless beasts.

These natural spirits are formed from the remnants of powerful creatures that died in the wilderness. The most powerful spirits are the four guardians, who possess complete intelligence. After receiving help from the giants, they gained real physical forms and were worshipped by the Temple of Nature. Their source of power is bound to the temple.

The Necromancers of yesteryear polluted the wilderness with the boundless negative energy of the giants' remains, and had to suppress the spirits that protected the ecology of this place.

Now, they are no longer restrained and vanish in the bright light.

"They're dead?" the Black Dragon asked, scratching his head.

“No, I’m just going back to where I’m supposed to be.” The Elf Swordsman glanced at him.

A breeze began to flow, soothing the minds and bodies of each player and easing the curse they suffered.

Outside, on the earth's surface, rivers began to surge, and the fallen grass straightened up again.

Thick clouds gathered in the sky, obscuring the blood moon.

At this point, there were still two hours until dawn.

The group emerged from the city's cellars and entered the streets of the ancient city.

At this moment, Lin Bo took off his backpack, opened the bag, and scattered hundreds of beans in the open space in front of him. They rolled along the street, then expanded and transformed into the figures of mountain spirits and giant mountain demons.

The teammates stared blankly at the mage.

"Great One. We are ready to fight for you at any time." The elite warriors straightened their uniforms.

"Follow my companions to liberate the Temple of Nature."

"It will be as you wish."

"Brother Mage, where are you going?"

"To distract you." Lin Bo smiled and nodded, then called out towards the rising sun, "Eura!"

The figure of a large red-maned boar appeared on the horizon, carrying a bright red heart stone, its glorious light illuminating half of the sky that was shrouded in clouds and the blood moon tonight.

(End of this chapter)