9: Chapter 9 A Shocking Change in the Night

[Announcement: Adaptation period ended]

[The first day was merely a mercy granted to you for adaptation. Whether you seize it or not depends entirely on yourselves.]

[From this moment on, until the seventh day, the quantity and intensity of the 'danger' surrounding your territories will increase day by day. It will no longer be the intensity of the first day.]

[Those of you who haven't tried your best to develop, do you regret it?]

[At midnight on the seventh day, the first 'Survival and Strength Assessment', the Beast Tide, will descend. Strive to survive!]

The voice came to an abrupt halt, but the lingering echo pierced into the marrow like ice.

["Holy crap!"]

["What was that sound?"]

["Oh my god! That scared the hell out of me!"]

After a brief moment of deathly silence, the Regional Chat Channel exploded, much like a volcano into which a giant rock had been thrown! The speed at which messages flooded the screen increased by more than tenfold! Those Lords who had already fallen asleep were forcibly awakened, and panic spread wildly across the invisible network like a plague.

["I want to develop too! But my unit type is a Slime! What use are they besides eating and lying around?! I don't want to become Slime feed after I die!!!"]

["Damn heaven! You're toying with us, right?! You brought us to this godforsaken place, gave us some junk, and now you say you're increasing the difficulty? You're deliberately trying to watch us all die, aren't you! You * * *, you * *"]

["It's over, it's all over! I just had my few Militia scout around the vicinity today, and they ran into a den of stinky bears! Three of them were gone on the spot! The rest were so scared their legs went soft, and they refuse to go out again even if they die! Now it's great, no troops to train, zero resources, and the loyalty of the remaining troops is plummeting; it's about to drop below 60% and they'll desert! What do I do? How am I supposed to face the 'increased danger' tomorrow!"]

["Brother above, don't panic~ Heaven never blocks all paths. Look, the Heavenly Dao said it itself, the danger will increase, and it's hard for one person to handle. Why not... consider becoming my Subordinate Lord? I have strong troops and sturdy horses (or so I think), and I will definitely take good~ good~ care of you, I definitely won't treat you badly~"]

Lin Tian scrolled through these messages quickly. His brows furrowed slightly, but there was not much surprise or fear on his face.

The Heavenly Dao's announcement was within his range of acceptance. Where in the world is there a free lunch or a safe newbie village? Pressure is, by nature, a catalyst for becoming stronger.

"As expected, the real survival challenge only starts now," he muttered to himself, his eyes becoming sharp. "Starting from the second day, the danger increases... This means the competition for resources will be more intense, and weak Lords will be eliminated faster. There's also the fixed program on the seventh day, the 'Beast Tide'... Tsk!"

Lin Tian did not immerse himself in anxiety; instead, he subconsciously began to analyze the current situation and formulate countermeasures. "Starting tomorrow, exploration and hunting must be more efficient, while also balancing the construction of defensive fortifications. Recruitment and Fusion of soldiers, and upgrading the Barracks should be prioritized. The defensive advantage of the Rock Armor Soldier will be more obvious when dealing with small-scale impacts... Oh right, I also need to test the Fusion effect of the Refined Iron and Moon Birch Wood I just traded for!"

"Increased danger? It also means the experience and rewards might be more bountiful! The Beast Tide? That's a moving gift package of resources... although the packaging is scary enough to kill."

Subconsciously, he glanced at that cold number at the top of the chat channel: Current Online Lords: 9875 / 10000. His heart gave a slight jolt.

"The first day, 'Newbie Protection Period', the lowest difficulty, with an absolutely safe protective barrier... Even so, 125 people are already gone." The death toll was more impactful than any panicked rhetoric.

It silently told of all sorts of possibilities: units being too weak to explore, leading to starvation; encountering strong enemies during exploration and dying on the spot; heavy casualties among units leading to loyalty collapse and rebellion; or the Lords themselves being too reckless and going out, only to never return.

"The elimination rate is not low! But I will not resign myself to fate." Lin Tian took a deep breath. He didn't feel a chill; instead, a peculiar fighting spirit burned in his chest. He closed the noisy channel, lay down, and looked at the roof of his simple wooden cabin.

Outside, the roars of monsters seemed more frequent and more manic than before, as if they were also responding to the system's announcement.

Just as Lin Tian was digesting the sense of urgency brought by the Heavenly Dao's announcement and preparing to force himself to sleep, a suddenly elevated message in the Regional Chat Channel, mixed with extreme fear, instantly seized all his attention.

[ID: Water Source Kid]: "Help... Help me! Everyone! Have there been any particularly... particularly strange monsters appearing around your territories at night? I was just woken up by that notification sound, heard movement outside, so I... I gathered my courage and took a look... Oh my god! One! A giant ape as tall as a small mountain! At least ten-plus meters! No, that's not the key! The key is... half of its head is nothing but white bone! White bone! The rotting flesh on the other side of its face is hanging down, and there are maggots crawling on it! In its eye sockets... in its eye sockets, two balls of ghostly blue ghost fire are burning! It's right outside my territory's protective barrier, unmoving, and those ghost-fire eyes are staring straight at my Lords Cabin! It has its eyes on me! It definitely has its eyes on me! When the Beast Tide comes in seven days, it will definitely be the first to tear down my home! What do I do? I don't even dare to breathe, and it's still watching!!!"

This narrative, filled with visual impact and feelings of despair, caused the originally noisy channel to fall into a brief, deathly silence.

It was as if everyone held their breath, separated by countless spaces, feeling the bone-chilling cold alongside the Lord who was being stared at by the terrifying giant. A few seconds later, messages began to scroll again, but the atmosphere was already completely different.

["Brother, did you use the Lord's Inspect ability to check? What level? What information?"]

["I did! I used it the first chance I got! The result... was all '???'. Except for the name which displayed as 'Rotten Bone Mountain Ape (???)', everything else was question marks! I can't see the level! I can't see the potential! I can't see anything!"]

["Hiss! Inspect is all question marks?! According to known rules, this at least means the target's level is more than one major rank above your own! You are black iron 1-star, so this thing... is at minimum Silver-grade, and might even be a Gold-grade monster! Oh my god..."]

["Buddy... my condolences. Pray for your own survival."]

["Save this child! I am still useful, my talent is Water Gathering, I can provide you with an infinite source of water, I am very useful"]

["Sigh, poor child. You just said your talent is 'Water Gathering'? Can you produce pure water? This talent is actually quite practical, especially for Lords in deserts or places lacking water... What a pity."]

["@Water Source Kid, know fear now? Relying on yourself, let alone seven days later, if this giant ape is in a bad mood tomorrow and hits the protective barrier a few more times, you could be scared to death. Let me give you a straight answer: come be my Subordinate Lord, teleport over, and I'll ensure your safety. My Giant Rock Sand Lizard is of Excellence quality, with formidable defensive power, so we might not be without a chance to fight. This is your last chance, think about it carefully; after tonight, even if you want to come, I might not take you."]

["@Water Source Kid, don't listen to him! It's only the first night, there are still six days left! Maybe there's a turning point! What if this giant ape is just passing by? What if there's a turning point later? Giving up your autonomy to become a vassal means you truly have no future!"]

["@The one above, shut up! You're harming him! What if your 'what if' doesn't happen? Are you responsible for collecting his corpse? @Water Source Kid, hurry up and decide!"]

["E-everyone big shots, let me think... let me think some more..."]

["I have one here too! Not a giant ape, but a... oh my god, a giant python nearly twenty meters long! As thick as a water vat! The scales are dark green, there seems to be a bump on its head, its eyes are vertical pupils, and the way it looks at me is like looking at a little mouse! Is this f*cking a thousand-year-old snake demon?"]

["Who can be as miserable as me, Giant Magic Wolves! Two of them! Each one is as big as a small house! The fur is silver-gray, there's a blood-moon marking on the forehead, and they are circling my territory!"]

["Mine has one too..."]

["Me too..."]