Capítulo 49: Chapter 49: Casualties
Du Gang watched from a distance, feeling a mix of emotions.
It all felt surreal!
The aura of these demons was truly oppressive, almost able to influence a person's mental state, and he could feel a growing sense of fear within him.
If it were up to people like them to handle the situation, even with firearms, things would likely still be perilous.
But the players?
At first, they were caught off guard, and Du Gang even thought the players were about to be defeated.
Unexpectedly, the players quickly regrouped, not only successfully withstanding the assault from the Eastern Yi invaders but also improving as they fought!
And they seemed completely unaffected mentally. Even when injured, they fought on without hesitation, remaining absolutely rational in their actions.
In fact, some of their actions went beyond "rational."
They were completely treating it like a game, disregarding life and death entirely!
In this state, the players were unbelievably fierce. Especially after their combat memory was activated and their teamwork improved, those Eastern Yi soldiers were soon taken down one by one.
Just as Du Gang was breathing a sigh of relief, a sudden cry of alarm erupted.
A warrior player had thrust his spear through an Eastern Yi soldier's chest and then braced his legs and leaned forward, trying to pin the soldier to the ground!
The players had noticed that the Eastern Yi soldiers were extraordinarily resilient.
Under normal circumstances, a person would lose their ability to fight after being stabbed once or twice.
But these Eastern Yi soldiers were different; they remained vigorous even after being pierced twice, showing no signs of collapsing.
This was evidently a special ability granted by demonic influence, boosting their vitality and resistance to damage.
So the players adapted, striking harder.
Like this warrior player who, after landing a hit, didn't pull his spear out but instead used his shield to block the soldier's sword, pressing forward to pin the enemy to the ground!
This allowed others to finish the soldier off.
Though these demon-influenced soldiers were resilient, a barrage of attacks could still bring them down. It was a clumsy but effective strategy.
But the warrior was so absorbed in the fight that he didn't notice the approaching sound of galloping hooves behind him.
"Watch out!"
Someone shouted, but it was too late. The Eastern Yi general thrust his cross-shaped spear forward, the momentum of his charging warhorse driving it directly into the warrior's back!
Despite the armor and buffs from the scholars, the warrior couldn't withstand such an attack.
The general lifted him with the spear, then flung him far away!
With a loud thud, he hit the ground heavily.
The players froze for a moment. This was the first player casualty since the battle began.
The scene was startlingly realistic—the landing impact, the blood spilling out—it left the players momentarily stunned.
The warrior only felt a chilling sensation in his back before pain hit. Even with the pain minimized, he could feel it distinctly. Then he found himself airborne, his vision spinning.
A red alert appeared at the edge of his vision, spreading to fill his sight, followed by a message: You are dead, please exit the battlefield!
"What… I'm dead?"
"Instantly killed?"
The warrior was dumbfounded. He'd been fighting so intensely, and now it was game over?
He stood there, frozen, in disbelief.
But just then, the Eastern Yi general turned his horse around and charged at him again!
Through the blood-red demon mask, the general's eyes were puzzled, as if wondering why someone he had just killed was standing there unharmed.
This charge terrified the other players.
"What's happening? Is this a game bug?"
"I thought dying meant you exit the game—why is the boss attacking the corpse?"
The players were bewildered. They didn't know what would happen if a dead player was attacked again. Some wanted to help, but they were too far away.
The cross spear struck at the warrior's body again, but to everyone's surprise, it went right through him.
The spear seemed to pass through a mirage, causing ripples in the air before disappearing. The warrior remained unscathed.
"Phew, that scared me. For a moment, I thought I was really going to die."
The warrior exhaled, feeling that this game was so realistic it was hard to distinguish from reality.
Since he was now in a spirit form, there was no need to stay on the battlefield. Reluctantly, he exited to stand with Du Gang and the other "staff members."
"Can I take off my helmet now?" he asked.
Du Gang shook his head quickly, "If you take off the helmet, you can't spectate, so not yet. You'll be able to remove it with the other players after the battle ends."
The warrior agreed; without the helmet, he wouldn't see the in-game fight and would only watch people wearing MR helmets fighting air—less exciting.
Seeing that the warrior was fine, the other players were reassured.
For a moment, they had thought this game could actually kill people!
But now it was clear these were just MR effects, and the Eastern Yi general was a virtual character who could only harm in-game players, not those who had died and left the battlefield.
The game was so realistic that it blurred the line between reality and gameplay!
The players rallied again, shaking off their brief fear. But they fought more cautiously now. After all, in this event, each player had only one life—unlike in the simulation trials where they could respawn infinitely. Once dead, they could only watch from the sidelines.
As more Eastern Yi soldiers fell, the players turned their focus toward the two shadow warriors and the Eastern Yi general.
It was basic gaming knowledge to clear out small enemies before tackling the boss.
The general's attacks remained deadly, but the players took turns drawing his attention, luring him around the field. After several rounds, four more players were fatally wounded and left the battle, but overall, the losses were manageable.
"I'll handle this shadow warrior. Focus on the general!" Zhao Haiping shouted, engaging one of the shadow warriors in a fierce fight.
The players had originally planned to save the general for last, but they soon realized this approach was ineffective. The shadow warriors were too agile, equipped with hidden weapons and tools, and surrounding them only risked the general's ambush.
So the players assigned their most skilled members to keep the two shadow warriors occupied while the rest focused on the general.
The frontline consisted of warriors with shields and agile rogues, while some warriors abandoned their shields and spears, switching to bows for ranged attacks.
These players, proficient in archery from the trials, had found that clustering together made them vulnerable to the general's spear, so they adapted, switching from close combat to archery.
As for the scholars, they had finally grasped their role in battle. Rather than shouting randomly, they used their righteous spirit with precision. For instance, they'd use "Together as one" to share damage only when a warrior or rogue was about to be struck by the general.
The general often targeted the scholars, but the players were vigilant in protecting the backline, quickly hurling spears and shields to draw his attention away.
Chu Ge shouted, "Shoot the horse! Aim at the horse!"
Suddenly, a barrage of spears and arrows rained down on the general's warhorse.
Though armored, the horse's defense wasn't as strong as the general's, and it was soon riddled with spears.
The general was visibly enraged. Like the soldiers, his horse was resilient but was now on its last legs after so many attacks.
Angrily, the general spurred his horse, charging toward Chu Ge with his spear!
The players panicked and resumed firing at the horse, but this time the general seemed determined to kill Chu Ge, ignoring all obstacles.
The scholars scattered, and Chu Ge bolted, sprinting like he was in a school sports event. Wearing his scholar's robes, he looked rather comical as he ran.
But it was clear he couldn't outrun a four-legged horse.
Chu Ge glanced back, seeing the spear tip closing in on him, feeling certain his time in the battle was over.
Then, that familiar figure reappeared!
Meng Yuan rushed at the general with his sword, rolling just as he neared the spear tip.
Chu Ge's eyes widened.
Could it be… that he would dodge the spear by a hair's breadth and take down the general?
But Chu Ge's hopes were misplaced.
Though Meng Yuan dodged the spear, he was promptly knocked away by the horse.
Chu Ge sighed.
"What was I even hoping for?"
In a game this realistic, there was no "invincibility frame" during a roll. Charging straight at the general would inevitably lead to being hit.
But in a surprising turn, Meng Yuan's sword had accidentally grazed the horse's leg as he was knocked aside, leaving a deep, bone-revealing cut!
The horse let out a pained neigh, stumbling forward.
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