33: Chapter 33 Abyss Demon Tide! Starting with a God-Level Building Core

Lin Chen stared at the scarlet light barrier at the border of the Dawn Territory, his fingertips sliding rapidly across the Lord interface.

[System Prompt: Abyssal Rift detected, about to open 100 meters outside the east gate of Dawn Territory. Demon Tide Level: Epic. Rift opening countdown: 60 seconds.]

"Holy crap! An Epic-level Demon Tide? Are you kidding me!"

Player "Rookie Pecking King" crouched on the battlement, his iron sword nearly bent from his grip. "We just fought an Elite-level one yesterday, and today it's straight to Epic? Developer, are you asleep? I can't sleep!"

Lin Chen's eyes turned cold.

The walls of the Dawn Territory had only just been upgraded to Tier 2, and the garrison consisted of two thousand players at most, plus five hundred Tier 1 Skeleton Soldiers. Facing an Epic-level Demon Tide was essentially serving themselves up on a platter.

"Everyone, assemble at the east gate immediately! Heavy armor players, set up shields in the front row. Ranged players, take your positions in the back. Healer players, keep a close eye on the health bars!"

Lin Chen's voice spread to every corner through the territory channel.

The players rushed toward the east gate like madmen.

"Run, run! If you're a step late, there might not even be ashes left!"

"Don't panic, Lord Big Shot! I just bought a resurrection coin, I can take three waves!"

Player "King of Hardcore Gamer 888" patted his chest while running, but the next second, he tripped over a pebble and face-planted.

[System Prompt: Abyssal Rift opened. First wave of monsters: Abyssal Demon Wolf (Tier 2) x500, Abyssal Crawler (Tier 2) x300.]

Boom! The ground outside the east gate exploded, tearing open a pitch-black rift ten meters in diameter. Foul-smelling black mist surged out. Five hundred sturdy Abyssal Demon Wolves charged out first, their eyes glowing red, viscous poison dripping from their fangs.

"Fire arrows!" Lin Chen ordered.

The hundred Elf Archers on the wall released their bowstrings in unison, and hundreds of enchanted wooden arrows whistled through the air toward the pack of Demon Wolves.

-120! -115! -130! Sheets of damage numbers floated up, and a dozen Demon Wolves fell on the spot, dissipating into black mist.

"This damage is not bad! Elf Archers are the GOAT!"

Player "Archer Xiao La Ji" eyes lit up, and he pulled his short bow even tighter. "If I could marry an Elf girl as my wife, this life would be worth it!"

"Wake up! Survive this wave of the Demon Tide first!"

Player "Strong Guy", a shield warrior, raised his Tier 2 iron shield and was the first to jump off the wall. "Heavy armor players, follow me! Set up a shield wall!"

Thirty heavy armor players followed closely behind. Their iron shields collided with a resounding clang, and a three-meter-high shield wall formed instantly.

The Abyssal Demon Wolves roared and pounced, their sharp claws raking fiercely against the iron shields, sending sparks flying.

-30! -25! -35! Strong Guy's health bar dropped by a third instantly. He gritted his teeth and roared, "Healers! Heal me! Heal me fast!"

Two Priest players immediately raised their hands, and the white light of [Holy Light] landed on him. +100! +100!

"Nice! Come again!" Strong Guy swung the battle axe at his waist and hacked fiercely at a Demon Wolf's head.

-500! Critical Hit! The Demon Wolf let out a mournful howl and fell straight to the ground.

[System Prompt: Player "Strong Guy" killed a Tier 2 Abyssal Demon Wolf, gained Experience x2000, Territory Contribution x50.]

Lin Chen stood at the highest point of the wall, his gaze sweeping across the rift, his heart skipping a beat. Deep within the rift, huge shadows were vaguely squirming; clearly, the first wave of monsters was just an appetizer.

"Open the territory warehouse, take out all Tier 2 enchanted arrows, and distribute them to the archers!" Lin Chen ordered the Skeleton Butler behind him.

"Yes, Lord!" The Skeleton Butler turned and ran into the warehouse. Moments later, dozens of wooden crates were moved onto the wall.

"Lord Big Shot is funding us! Enchanted arrows for everyone!"

The players exploded with excitement. The archers scrambled to grab the arrows, tossing their original wooden arrows onto the ground and replacing them with enchanted arrows that glimmered with a cold light.

[System Prompt: Abyssal Rift energy rising. Second wave of monsters: Abyssal Demon Bear (Tier 3) x100, Abyssal Demon Spider (Tier 3) x150.]

Black mist churned. One hundred three-meter-tall Abyssal Demon Bears walked slowly out of the rift, their paws thudding heavily on the ground. Following closely behind were one hundred and fifty massive Abyssal Demon Spiders, their eight long legs pushing off the ground with startling speed.

"Oh no! Tier 3 monsters! The shield wall won't hold!" Strong Guy looked at the charging Demon Bears, his face turning pale. "Won't this thing flatten me with one slap?"

"What are you panicking for? I'm here!" Lin Chen raised his hand, and his Lord Scepter shone brightly.

[System Prompt: Lord Lin Chen used the skill "Territory Buff". All friendly units: Attack +50%, Defense +50%, Movement Speed +30%. Duration: 10 minutes.]

A terrifying pressure washed over them. The players felt a surge of heat throughout their bodies, the numbers on their attribute panels instantly skyrocketing. The previously flustered army's morale stabilized instantly.

"Holy crap! Lord Big Shot's skill is too OP!" "Attack power doubled? We've got this!"

Player "Mage Xiao Tiancai" conjured a large fireball and smashed it fiercely into a Demon Bear.

-1800! Critical Hit! The Demon Bear, pained, roared and charged toward him.

"Don't charge me! Charge me instead!" Strong Guy immediately blocked in front of the mage with his shield and used Sweep with his battle axe, forcing the Demon Bear back.

Lin Chen was not idle; his fingers operated quickly on the panel, opening the rewards for the "Hardcore Grind Mission" he had just completed. Last night, he had grinded all night to complete the "Territory Construction Challenge" issued by the system, and the reward was a "God-tier Building Lottery Chance".

"System, use the God-tier Building Lottery Chance!"

[System Prompt: Congratulations to Lord Lin Chen for obtaining the God-tier Building Core — Absolute Defense!]

[Absolute Defense (God-tier): After placement, it creates an Absolute Defense barrier with a diameter of 500 meters, immune to attacks from Epic-level monsters and below. Duration: 30 minutes. Can be actively detonated to deal 100% true damage to Epic-level monsters within the range. Cooldown: 7 days.]

Lin Chen's eyes lit up instantly. A God-tier building! And a defensive one at that! It was practically tailor-made for this Demon Tide!

"Everyone fall back! Retreat to the foot of the wall!" Lin Chen shouted into the territory channel.

Although the players were confused, they immediately executed the order, retreating one after another, and the shield wall dispersed instantly.

"What is Lord Big Shot doing? Giving up the east gate?" "Don't ask! Following the big shot is always the right move!"

Player "Rookie Pecking King" retreated while looking back, terrified that the Demon Wolves would chase them.

Lin Chen leaped off the wall and landed in the open space outside the east gate, only fifty meters away from the rift.

"Right here!" He raised his hand and threw the Absolute Defense core onto the ground.

Hum! The moment the core hit the ground, a golden light barrier shot into the sky. Centered on the core, it rapidly expanded, forming a massive hemispherical barrier that completely enveloped the east gate of the Dawn Territory.

The Abyssal Demon Wolves, Demon Bears, and Demon Spiders crashed into the light barrier, instantly bouncing off and crashing to the ground, howling in pain.

-0! -0! -0! Every attack from the monsters that landed on the light barrier only popped up a "0".

"Holy crap! What kind of godly building is this? Is it invincible?" "Lord Big Shot is the GOAT! This move is legendary!"

Player "King of Hardcore Gamer 888" knelt on the spot. "Big Shot! Take me as your apprentice! I'm willing to do chores for you for the rest of my life!"

"This barrier is too fierce! The monsters can't even scratch it!" "The developers must be crying when they see this! How are we supposed to play now?"

Lin Chen said calmly, "Don't get happy too early. The barrier can only last for 30 minutes. Take this chance to clear out the monsters outside the barrier!"

"Understood!" The players reacted instantly. Ranged players climbed onto the wall one after another, and enchanted arrows, fireballs, and ice spikes rained down like raindrops toward the monsters outside the barrier.

Tier 2 monsters couldn't withstand the buffed attacks at all and fell in droves. Although the Tier 3 monsters were thick-skinned, they gradually couldn't hold on under the focused fire of hundreds of players.

[System Prompt: Player "Mage Xiao Tiancai" killed a Tier 3 Abyssal Demon Bear, gained Experience x10000, Territory Contribution x200, randomly obtained Tier 3 equipment: Bear King Battle Axe.]

[System Prompt: Player "Archer Xiao La Ji" killed a Tier 3 Abyssal Demon Spider, gained Experience x8000, Territory Contribution x180, randomly obtained Tier 3 equipment: Spider Silk Longbow.]

"Equipment dropped! I got the Bear King Battle Axe!" "I got one too! Spider Silk Longbow! Attack +200!"

The players instantly boiled over with excitement, their cheers spreading throughout the entire territory.

Lin Chen stared at the rift, knowing clearly that the real big BOSS hadn't appeared yet. An Epic-level Demon Tide couldn't just consist of these cannon fodder.

[System Prompt: Abyssal Rift fully opened. Final BOSS: Abyssal Demon Lord (Epic-level) has descended!]

The black mist surged violently, and a ten-meter-tall figure slowly walked out from the rift. The Abyssal Demon Lord was clad in pitch-black armor, holding a greatsword covered in bone spurs, its eyes like two blood moons, exuding a terrifying aura from its entire body.

"Human Lord, how dare you block my Demon Tide?" The Abyssal Demon Lord's voice was like thunder, resounding through heaven and earth.

Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. He didn't speak but instead opened his own attribute panel. After clearing the monsters just now, his Lord level had risen from Tier 3 to Tier 4, and his attributes had skyrocketed significantly.

[Lord: Lin Chen] [Level: 4] [HP: 50000] [Attack: 3000] [Defense: 2500] [Skills: Territory Buff (Advanced), Summon Skeleton Legion (Tier 3), Hardcore Grind Aura (God-tier)]

"Hardcore Grind Aura, activate!" Lin Chen's mind stirred, activating his core skill.

[System Prompt: Hardcore Grind Aura activated. All friendly units: Attack Speed +100%, Casting Speed +100%, Experience from killing monsters +50%. Duration: 15 minutes.]

The players felt a surge of heat throughout their bodies again, their attack speed instantly doubling. The rain of arrows on the wall became even denser, and the casting speed of fireballs and ice spikes also doubled.

"What buff is this? Attack speed doubled just like that?" "Lord Big Shot has too many skills! Who can beat this?"

Player "Rookie Pecking King" complained while shooting arrows, "I feel like I can shoot through the Earth!"

The Abyssal Demon Lord roared, raised its bone-spurred greatsword, and hacked fiercely at the Absolute Defense. Boom! The greatsword smashed into the light barrier, emitting a deafening sound. The light barrier shook violently but did not break.

"Impossible! My strike, how could it not break your defense?" The Abyssal Demon Lord's face was full of disbelief.

Lin Chen said calmly, "Your strength is just so-so."

"You're courting death!" The Abyssal Demon Lord was completely enraged, black mist surging around it, light bursting from its bone-spurred greatsword. "Abyssal World-Destroying Slash!"

A pitch-black sword energy, carrying a world-destroying momentum, hacked fiercely at the light barrier. Boom! The light barrier shook violently again, and tiny cracks appeared on its surface.

"Oh no! The barrier is about to break!" Strong Guy's face changed drastically. "Lord Big Shot, hurry and think of a way!"

Lin Chen was prepared long ago; he raised his hand and waved it, summoning his Skeleton Legion.

[System Prompt: Lord Lin Chen summoned a Tier 3 Skeleton Legion (Quantity: 1000).]

One thousand Tier 3 Skeleton Soldiers clad in black armor instantly appeared outside the barrier, wielding bone swords and bone shields, and charged toward the Abyssal Demon Lord.

"A bunch of ants, how dare you block me?" The Abyssal Demon Lord used Sweep with its greatsword, and where the sword energy passed, dozens of Skeleton Soldiers were instantly hacked into pieces.

But the number of Skeleton Soldiers was too high; they rushed up one after another, entangling the Abyssal Demon Lord tightly.

"Now is the time! Everyone, focus fire on the BOSS!" Lin Chen shouted.

The players immediately shifted their firepower, and all attacks were smashed toward the Abyssal Demon Lord.

-500! -600! -800! Critical damage was even as high as several thousand, and the Abyssal Demon Lord's health bar dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Ah! I will kill you all!" The Abyssal Demon Lord roared repeatedly, waving its greatsword constantly, killing Skeleton Soldiers and players. But the players had resurrection coins, and the Skeleton Soldiers could be summoned infinitely; they simply couldn't be killed off.

[System Prompt: Player "Strong Guy" was killed by the Abyssal Demon Lord, is resurrecting. Resurrection countdown: 10 seconds.] [System Prompt: Player "Mage Xiao Tiancai" was killed by the Abyssal Demon Lord, is resurrecting. Resurrection countdown: 10 seconds.]

"I'm tired of running even after resurrecting!" After resurrecting, Strong Guy complained while running toward the wall, "This BOSS's attack speed is too fast! It's impossible to dodge!"

"Hold on! The BOSS's health bar only has one-third left!" Lin Chen stared at the panel, calculating the time in his heart. The Absolute Defense had 10 minutes left until expiration, and the Hardcore Grind Aura had 5 minutes left. He must finish off the Abyssal Demon Lord before then.

"System, use the Lord level-up reward, unlock the skill 'God-tier Critical Hit'!"

[System Prompt: Congratulations to Lord Lin Chen for unlocking the God-tier skill "God-tier Critical Hit". Effect: Next attack will definitely trigger a critical hit, critical damage x10. Cooldown: 24 hours.]

Lin Chen gripped his Lord Scepter tightly, his eyes locked firmly onto the Abyssal Demon Lord. Now is the time! He leaped up, the light on his scepter condensed to the extreme, and he smashed it fiercely toward the Abyssal Demon Lord's head.

"God-tier Critical Hit!"

[System Prompt: Lord Lin Chen triggered a God-tier Critical Hit, dealing critical damage to the Abyssal Demon Lord!]

-50000! A terrifying damage number floated up from the top of the Abyssal Demon Lord's head. The Abyssal Demon Lord's health bar was instantly emptied.

"No! I am not reconciled!" The Abyssal Demon Lord let out a shrill scream, its body slowly turning into black mist and dissipating into the air.

[System Prompt: Congratulations to Lord Lin Chen for killing the Epic-level BOSS Abyssal Demon Lord, gaining Lord Experience x100000, Territory Reputation x10000, God-tier equipment: Demon Lord Core, Epic-level building blueprint: Abyssal Magic Crystal Mine.]

[System Prompt: The Epic-level Demon Tide has been repelled. Dawn Territory has obtained the title "Abyssal Conqueror". All territory building upgrade costs -20%. Player recruitment limit +500.]

"We won! We won!" "Lord Big Shot is awesome! One-shotting an Epic-level BOSS!" "God-tier equipment! And an Epic-level building blueprint! This wave is a huge profit!"

Lin Chen landed on the ground, looking at the rewards on the panel, his mouth curling up slightly. This Demon Tide, although dangerous, had gains that far exceeded expectations. The God-tier equipment Demon Lord Core, the Epic-level building blueprint Abyssal Magic Crystal Mine, and various bonuses for the territory meant the strength of the Dawn Territory would once again welcome a qualitative leap.

He opened the attribute panel of the Demon Lord Core, his eyes lighting up.

[Demon Lord Core (God-tier): Can be embedded into the Lord Scepter, increasing all scepter attributes x10, unlocking the skill "Abyssal Control", which can control Abyssal monsters of Epic-level and below. Duration: 1 hour. Cooldown: 3 days.]

"Good stuff!" Lin Chen immediately embedded the Demon Lord Core into the Lord Scepter. The scepter instantly erupted with pitch-black light, and the numbers on the attribute panel skyrocketed again.

"Lord Big Shot, what do we do next?" Strong Guy ran over and asked with an excited face.

Lin Chen said calmly, "Clean up the battlefield, repair the walls, and then, open the Abyssal Magic Crystal Mine so that everyone can use magic crystal equipment."

"Understood!" The players responded in unison and began cleaning up the battlefield enthusiastically.

Lin Chen stood on the wall, looking at the busy players within the Dawn Territory, then looked toward the distant Abyssal Rift, his eyes firm. This was just the beginning; he still had a long way to go to gain a firm foothold in the heavens. And his path of hardcore grinding would never stop.