The Fourth Calamity: Starting with Dungeon Slimes

And so, another day passed.

Compared to before, the players' gathering place is much more lively today.

The players were busy early in the morning.

"Brothers, hurry up and get all the war supplies over there."

"We put a label on each of the mortars we manufacture, no matter who we sell them to, otherwise we'll get them mixed up later."

Outside a simple factory building that resembles a modern city factory.

Pata, sporting an amateur welder's ID, is giving instructions.

"What's the situation with our weapons of war right now?"

"Don't worry, welder. We've basically done all the necessary maintenance, and we're at full capacity right now," a player replied to the welder's question.

Upon hearing this, the amateur welder nodded in satisfaction.

"What about the other combat supplies?"

"We've basically finished fulfilling all the orders we had, and this time we've brought out everything we can, since there will be DPS leaderboard rewards when we fight the boss later."

"I understand." As he spoke, the amateur welder's gaze fell on the truck that was driving up in the distance, ready to load supplies once again.

"Let me see the shipping list; I need to double-check it."

"In short, we can't afford any mistakes. We don't want to find out we forgot this or that when we get to the battlefield."

.......

While some amateur welders were busy, other players were naturally not idle either.

Meanwhile, the salted fish is on the offensive.

His entire body was covered in silver-white armor.

Beside the advancing salty fish were seven or eight players dressed similarly to him.

"Salted Fish, do you think this is really feasible?" one of the players asked, looking at the armor he was wearing with some uncertainty.

Upon hearing this, the salted fish became very confident.

"Don't worry, I had Tianqiong and the others make these armors for me. They used mithril and other precious materials."

"Then I specifically had Moses draw a magic circle for this purpose."

"Trust me, this wave will be absolutely no problem. Our output will definitely not be lower than those war machines."

Salty Fish's philosophy is actually quite similar to Jiang Chen's.

Compared to popularizing weapons of war, it is clearly much more feasible to popularize this type of "pat-a-tatami" equipment.

Although the players currently do not have blacksmiths, they are unable to create truly magical items.

This also means that the effects of these equipment items on players are not very noticeable.

However, in essence, creating magic circles and various runes is also a form of crafting magical items, just very different from traditional magical items.

Traditional magical items are made using special materials and manufacturing methods, allowing your magic to enhance the item and enable it to perform special effects.

Furthermore, these magical items can be engraved with various magic circles and runes, further enhancing their power.

However, the magic arrays used are relatively low-level, because the attack relies on its own power, and if the consumption is too high, it is obviously not suitable.

However, players now have a completely different philosophy when it comes to crafting equipment.

Various runes and magic circles were piled up high.

The consumed magic power cannot be obtained through one's own efforts, but rather through magic crystals. To put it simply, you can think of magic crystals as batteries.

However, this requires pure, uncontaminated magic crystals, which fortunately Athena has quite a few in her family's possessions.

It is for this reason that Salty Fish is now able to create so many sets of player-version magic equipment.

Of course, this batch of equipment is currently only in the experimental stage.

If it performs well in the later stages, then it will definitely be manufactured on a large scale.

In the eyes of the salted fish, this kind of equipment is what will become the mainstream for players later on.

Salty Fish conducted some research on traditional magical items and discovered that they all had one thing in common: they were extremely difficult to create.

Even if there were blacksmiths, they wouldn't be of much use.

High cost and slow forging speed are the biggest problems. In the eyes of the salted fish, equipment that cannot be mass-produced is not good equipment.

"In short, brothers, if we perform well today, then we'll have another way to make money in the future."

"This set of equipment, from the engraved magic circle to the alloy material used, was all developed by us and is our patent."

"I named the material used in this set of magical equipment 'Heavenly Palace No. 1 Alloy'."

"In the future, we may develop alloys No. 2 and No. 3, or even alloys of more generations. However, that is not important. What is important is that we will become the developers and pioneers of this equipment system."

Upon hearing what Salty Fish said, the players exchanged bewildered glances, some speechless.

"Alright, this guy is daydreaming again in broad daylight."

"The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

......

Looking at the salted fish, Feng Xiaoxiao and his companions, not far away, were somewhat speechless.

"Honestly, I think that salted fish is just thinking about something all day long."

"I'm immersed in fantasy every day."

Feng Xiaoxiao was somewhat helpless about this.

"Salted fish will never know what it means for technology to change lives."

In reality, Feng Xiaoxiao works as a software programmer.

Although this job can easily lead to baldness, what job these days doesn't make you bald?

Feng Xiaoxiao didn't care about this and even enjoyed it. He considered himself to be quite skilled in software development.

Similar to other players, they also wanted to test their strategies through this battle.

His gaze fell upon the people beside him.

Feng Xiaoxiao and his companions did not have full-body armor, but each player carried a turret-like device on their back.

This is an attack turret powered by magic crystals.

Although it is powerful enough, it is easy to become a target for concentrated fire.

However, Feng Xiaoxiao didn't care at all.

Because they also have their own methods to deal high enough damage in battle.

"When war breaks out, we'll have war machines to draw fire for us, and then our job will be very simple."

"That means we just need to find a safe point to output the data. Of course, today is also the testing phase of our new product, so everyone needs to be on track."

Everyone naturally understood what Feng Xiaoxiao was saying.

"Don't worry, we know."

"Today we're going to surprise everyone."

......

While the players were busy, Athena was extremely bored today.

Because no one came to play cards with Athena anymore.

"So what did this bunch of Pata go off to do this time?"

Athena had some doubts.

Yesterday everything was going well, but when Athena woke up this morning, she found that no one was there.

So, out of curiosity, Aesya went to find out what was going on and naturally saw the players busy at work.

"What are you doing?"

Aisya stopped a player and asked him curiously.

"It's a sucker... Oh, it's Athena."

"We're making preparations for war. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be going to war today."

"A war? With whom?"

Aisa was a little confused.

"The leader has given orders to take down the guardian of this level today."

Hearing what this player said, Athena was somewhat incredulous.

"Take down the Guardian? With just you guys?"

"Yeah, what else?" the player replied matter-of-factly.

Hearing this, Athena felt her head buzzing.

No, do you want to listen to what you're saying? You're just a bunch of ordinary patters.

Why do you say that you challenge the guardians of the hierarchy with such a self-righteous tone?

Aiseya admitted that this group of Pata was indeed different from the other Pata.

The problem lies in their strength; that's about it. After all, I've fought against this group of Pata before, so I know their situation.

Aside from the war machines created by these Pata, which are somewhat interesting, the Pata themselves are very weak.

Although the level guardians do not possess much intelligence, their racial talents are actually not much different from those of dragons.

Simply put, the growth attributes of the level guardians are very high.

These Pataas went to fight the Level Guardians. Did they think they could win by sending more Pataas?

"Do you even know how powerful the level guardians are? If you go there in your current state, you definitely won't be able to defeat them."

Upon hearing what Athena said, the player curled his lip and said, "You underestimate us too much. We're just mere level guardians, easy to handle."

Effortlessly, would you like to hear what you're saying?

Do you really think the Guardians of the Ranks are just ordinary monsters?

For a moment, Athena didn't know how to comment.

In short, it feels very absurd, and I don't know what's wrong with this group of Pata, they just have this inexplicable confidence.

As for who gave them this confidence, Athena really couldn't figure it out.

After all, Aesya had witnessed the previous battles. She knew she was a dragon, and these Pata attacked her without a second thought, which was somewhat absurd.

"I suggest you don't go. Given your condition, you might really die if you go."

After playing cards for so many days, we've become card-playing buddies, as the players would say.

Aisa felt she still had to try to persuade them.

However, it was clear that the player did not appreciate it.

"What do you know?"

"Don't underestimate us, we're very capable."

"And even if we die, what's the big deal? We're not afraid."

"You're not afraid, but I am!" Aesya was getting a little frantic. "If you're all dead, who am I going to play cards with now?"

However, what Athena found hard to accept was that no matter how she tried to dissuade them, the group of Pata wouldn't listen to a word she said.

For a moment, Athena didn't know what to say to this group of stubborn Pata.

"Fine, I'll leave you to your fate. Since you're willing to go and die, I won't stop you."

"Just don't regret it later!"

After failing to dissuade her, Athena said angrily.

Asya felt she had done more than enough for this group of Pata, but she also noticed the coldness within the Pata tribe.

She witnessed the group of Pata strapping bombs, each covered in magic crystals, to another Pata.

This series of actions left Asya completely bewildered.

She had never seen such an outrageous race.

Moreover, the succubus Asya also found it extremely excessive.

While the Pata were off to war, the succubus was still leisurely lying at home.

This made Athena shake her head.

"As expected, these demons are indeed despicable and cold-hearted by nature."

"Not a single one of them is any good. After spending so much time with these Pata, they have absolutely no sympathy."

In response, Aysya could only comment that these Pata were really bad at judging people.

However, Athena ultimately decided to join the group to see what the situation was like.

Aiseya wanted to see what would happen to the Pata after they were utterly defeated and suffered heavy casualties.

Aesya wanted to teach this group of Pata what it meant to disobey the dragon's words and suffer the consequences.

"Those Pata will never understand what I mean unless they've experienced a real defeat, unless they've experienced real death."

"When they return defeated, they will understand the cruelty of war and realize that without dragons, they are nothing."

Clearly, in Athena's eyes, the reason why this group of Pata can live so comfortably here is mainly because of the dragon Moses.

It was the dragons who protected this group of Pata. The powerful races had all been wiped out by the dragons, which is why they were able to live so comfortably.

However, this group of Pata actually thinks that they are able to live so comfortably here because of themselves, and even dares to challenge the Guardians.

"What a foolish and oblivious thud."

Athena shook her head.

......

And so, Athena followed Pata and quickly arrived at the location of the Guardians.

This is a temple built from unidentified, enormous stone pillars.

The temple looks quite old.

Within a few kilometers of the temple, no plants grew, and the surrounding air became scorching hot.

Around the temple, you can see many lava caves of varying sizes.

You can see the churning lava inside.

Inside the temple, it's more accurate to call it a lava cave than a temple, as the entire temple is built inside this lava cave.

Following Jiang Chen, Aiseya stopped not far from the temple.

Then Aesya saw the Pata begin to set up around the temple, while Jiang Chen stayed at a distance to watch the battle.

This wasn't the first time Athena had witnessed Jiang Chen's outrageous behavior.

"So that's what you did?"

"Let your men go to the front lines to fight for their lives, while you, out of fear of death, hide in the rear."

"I have never seen such a cowardly leader as you."

"Don't you feel ashamed of such behavior?"

Upon hearing what Athena said, before Jiang Chen could even speak, Lilith, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"You talk too much. If you're so capable, why don't you go and do it yourself? It's easy for you to stand here and talk without experiencing the consequences. Aren't you just standing here watching anyway?"

Asya had long disliked this succubus, so she naturally retaliated without holding back.

"I'm not the leader of the Pata."

"But you, you were afraid they'd provide you with so many good things, and now that they're going to war, you haven't shown any reaction. You truly are a heartless succubus."

"You have feelings, but I don't see you do anything special. You just moved your lips a few times today, and what were you trying to express? That you're superior to me? It was just a matter of saying a few words."

"The thing that truly helps Pata is doing absolutely nothing, and then having the nerve to criticize me."

Listening to the succubus and the dragon bickering, Jiang Chen felt somewhat helpless.

There are only these two things to do every day.

"Alright, all of you shut up. If you keep arguing, go back to your own place and argue. Don't bother me here."

Jiang Chen interrupted the two of them.

Then they turned their attention to the players' setup.

First, the main weapons of war are placed at the forefront by the players, ready for battle at any time.

Next at the very back are the circular war weapons. Because they are flexible in their movement and have high sustained damage output, they can be deployed from a relatively safe position at the rear.

Seeing this lineup, Jiang Chen seemed to have something on his mind.

Having played so many games before his transmigration, Jiang Chen was quite familiar with the strategies for various battles.

"So the current lineup for players consists of a main tank, some support and disruption, and DPS in the back."

"A very standard battle lineup, but the biggest problem with this lineup is the main tank's ability to withstand damage."

"If the DPS is insufficient when engaging a world boss, the main tank has to tank for a very long time, which is the biggest problem."

Jiang Chen was naturally very clear about the general situation of the mechs created by the players. They had the ability to withstand damage, but they could not support continuous damage resistance for a long time.

And that is the biggest problem.

Jiang Chen was confident that there would be absolutely no time to lose when attacking the Guardian.

If you're going to be taking damage for a long time, then positioning becomes very important; to put it bluntly, it's more about dodging and tanking.

The evasion stat is stacked very high, and then the player relies on evasion to avoid most of the damage.

This is also a way to withstand damage, and this strategy is usually adopted by tanks that are more focused on output.

"So it's because they're very confident in their skills that they chose this method as the main tank."

Frankly speaking, compared to this unreliable way of bearing damage, Jiang Chen would much rather see amateur welders create a truly effective weapon of war that can withstand damage.

However, Jiang Chen was also well aware that this was not realistic at the moment.

None of these machines have been sold. The amateur welders have invested so much money and haven't even recouped their investment yet.

It's impossible to research the next one.

"Ultimately, it's because the players' spending power is insufficient. We need to find a way to upgrade their rank as soon as possible so that we can attract more players. The more players there are, the higher their spending power will be."

As Jiang Chen was thinking, he saw the players begin to transport the safe houses over, which were neatly arranged behind the players.

"This is a safe zone that was set up in advance to deal with the boss's AoE damage."

Jiang Chen naturally guessed what the players were thinking, and he wasn't surprised at all.

And so, another hour passed as Jiang Chen and his group waited. By then, the players had basically finished setting everything up.

At this moment, all the players stood in their respective positions, ready for battle.

From the front row tanking damage, to the middle row providing support, and the back row dealing damage.

Everything is available.

"Brothers, all our vehicles are currently parked near the respawn point."

"Because the battle line is quite long this time, it takes at least 10 minutes to drive here, so each time a player respawns, they need to wait until there are at least 10 players in the vehicle before we can depart."

"Also, please don't mess up the order in which the vehicles drive; we've already arranged it, and that's about it for now."

"Finally, one more thing: pay attention to instructions and don't break formation."

"Also, if the weapons and armory can't hold out, they can leave early. But our main force is weapons and armory, so amateur welders, you must hold on."

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems."

After confirming the information several times, the players began to take action.

Suddenly, a creature leaped out from the crowd; its ID was naturally Attack of the Salty Fish.

"Guys, I'll activate my buffs and then go pull the mobs out. Get ready to take aggro."

"Don't worry, Brother Salted Fish, we're all ready."

And so, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the salted fish entered the temple.

Upon entering the temple, a huge corridor comes into view.

Both sides are stone walls made of neat bricks, and on both sides are huge torches burning with raging flames.

Salty Fish estimated that the height of the stone wall alone was nearly 100 meters.

"Holy crap, this place is huge!"

As he spoke, the salted fish leaped into the depths.

As time went by, the salted fish gradually sensed the rising temperature around them.

This was the reason why players decided to lure the monsters out to fight; otherwise, there would be no advantage in fighting them inside.

After walking along this huge corridor for a while, the salted fish's view suddenly opened up.

This is a huge space.

It stretched as far as the eye could see, with a huge pool of lava in the center.

Immediately afterwards, the salted fish saw a fire demon that was at least fifty or sixty meters tall.

Then the salted fish was dumbfounded.

Because this fire demon is currently in a state of battle.

After carefully concealing its presence, the salted fish stealthily crept over.

He soon saw that on the other side, a team of at least 300 people was fighting the Balrog.

"It's the Nightmare Clan and the Dark Elf Clan!"

Salty Fish was completely stunned when he saw this.

The dark elf, riding a nightmare, traversed the battlefield, constantly unleashing various spells upon the fire demon.

The Flame Demon, however, continued to retaliate.

Upon seeing this, the salted fish was overjoyed.

"Holy crap, here comes this wave! We even have free thugs!"

Suppressing his excitement, the salted fish quietly retreated.