NOVEL NEXT Chapter 154: Reputation Feast at Willmag’s Gate
"Alright, everyone, listen up," Ryan announced once he saw that the party had all accepted the quest. "These Corrupted Giant Insects will attack every three hours, and each assault lasts for about half an hour. If you're looking to build reputation, this is your chance. You can come here anytime to farm them."
He gave the group a moment to absorb this before continuing. "The daily quest itself can only be done once a day, but killing these insects will also drop items that can be turned in. It's similar to the Corrupted Cores required by the Druidic Order in the Arid Plains. You can repeatedly hand in a set number of these items for reputation with the Willmag Research Society."
Most of the others hadn't known any of this, and Ryan's explanation immediately cleared up the mechanics of the area.
"Boss, does the Willmag Research Society vendor have any epic weapons?" Nightwalker asked. His current dagger, a rare-level 25, was still serviceable but clearly falling behind for serious farming.
"At Honored reputation, there's a level 32 rare-quality dagger," Ryan replied, scanning the group as he spoke. "There's also a rare-quality bracer for cloth users. But the real prize is for Hunters. At Exalted reputation, you can get a level 40 epic ranged weapon. Its primary stats are Agility and Stamina, and its damage is incredible."
He glanced toward the Warriors and Rogues in the party. "You two classes shouldn't dismiss it either. Agility and Stamina scale well for you, and it's worth picking up a strong ranged option when you can."
"Really? Our Hunter weapons finally made it in?" Evelyn and Smoking Gun lit up with excitement. The moment Ryan finished, they rushed off to find the reputation vendor. Minutes later, delighted shouts came echoing back through the guild channel.
"Looks like we'll be grinding reputation too," AJ muttered, grinning at the other melee players. The epic longbow Evelyn and Smoking Gun had shared in the channel was clearly just as useful to them.
"Alright, everyone, get ready," Ryan warned, his eyes narrowing. The Corrupted Giant Insects, which had been still outside the shield, had begun to stir. "The bugs are on the move. The defense event is starting."
The moment the creatures charged, the shield surrounding the Willmag Research Society's camp revealed its true purpose. The menacing swarm surged forward only to be slowed and weakened as they crossed the barrier. A heavy debuff dropped onto them like a net.
—
Willmag's Domain: Hostile creatures within this area have all damage reduced by 50%, health reduced by 50%, and each hit against them has a chance to strip away an additional 20% of their health.
—
On their own, the level 33 insects weren't particularly dangerous. Their base damage was low, and under the effect of Willmag's Domain they could barely scratch the players. But there were hundreds of them, maybe thousands, streaming in without end. Three sides of the encampment were already swarmed, and more kept arriving every second.
"Surrounding three sides and leaving one open? Do these bugs really have that kind of intelligence?" Mia asked curiously. She tilted her head and pointed with a little laugh toward the single untouched flank of the camp.
While the Willmag Research Society's encampment sat at the very top of the map, it wasn't cut off from the world. Above the Dreadful Mire lay another high-level zone, and the only way to reach that level 40 area was through the camp itself.
"Don't let your guard down," Ryan reminded the group. "A boss-level insect is going to spawn soon. It drops a quest item that can be turned in infinitely, and each turn-in is worth a thousand Willmag reputation."
He explained carefully, walking them through the details of the [Defend the Camp] regional event. The Corrupted Giant Insects were a hierarchical species. Low-level insects wouldn't pass through areas controlled by high-level ones unless they were part of a reinforced guard. That was why one entire side of the camp remained untouched by the swarm.
"Looks like we're the only players on the map right now," Nightwalker said with a grin. "That Dark Horde guy already ran off. Wonder how much reputation we can squeeze out of this?"
He quickly urged everyone to form a raid so that the whole group would earn credit for kills. Ryan disbanded the smaller parties and folded everyone into a single raid under his lead. With more than a dozen players banded together, they surged forward to meet the endless tide of insects.
Inside the shimmering shield, the Willmag Research Society camp was like a fortress. The insects that broke through the barrier slammed headlong into the NPC defenders, but the line did not budge. The level 35 elite soldiers fought like walls of steel, their blades flashing as powerful healers supported them from behind. Even facing dozens of times their number, the NPC troops held firm, refusing to give an inch.
To most players, the scene would have been terrifying. To Ryan, it looked like a mountain made of reputation points.
He still remembered missing an earlier chance because of another quest, and he had no intention of letting this opportunity slip. The NPCs could not be allowed to take all the kills. No other players had arrived yet, and the swarm stretched on like a living tide. Ryan's pulse quickened at the sight.
These waves of insects would keep coming for about twenty minutes. Later in the game, once reputation with the Willmag Research Society became valuable, hundreds of players would crowd this event until it felt ordinary. But right now, they had it all to themselves.
Ryan recalled a test from the later stages of the game: one player and a ten-man team had managed to rake in more than three thousand reputation during a single defense cycle. If his group added in the quest items looted from insect corpses, the total could easily reach five or six thousand this time.
The thought alone was enough to make him feel lighter on his feet. He barked orders to the guild, then hurled himself into the churning swarm.
A golden storm burst from beneath his boots, immediately pulling the insects' attention. Blinding light followed, and the creatures around him collapsed in heaps. Under the crushing effect of Willmag's Domain, each insect had been weakened to barely a thousand health. Against Ryan's abilities, they were nothing more than fodder.
This wasn't just a defense event. It was a feast of reputation—and the first step toward making the Willmag Research Society the very first neutral faction their guild would push to Exalted.