Transcendent Resurgence: Regressing on an abandoned Earth

The role distribution for shatar was as such:

Vajeer – Can mobilize and communicate with all units. Agi + 20

(0/10)

Bishop – Can charge in any singular direction without taking any damage.

(0/100)

Knight – Can move anywhere within 500m square.

(0/200)

Mammoth – Can cause a knockback towards the frontal direction, range of 10m

(0/300)

Soldier – Those with no special powers. Automatically given to the ones without any other roles.

Thousands of players had the soldier role. The Imps had mimicked the players and as a result, they too followed a mirroring classification.

The ones who were about to fight the 'Soldiers' were of small stature. All of the imps had a mount with them which effectively made it a 2v1 fight.

"Kehehehehe"

"Awoo..woof..woof"

Hunched imps with hooked claws and feral ash-colored pups made a strange combination. Despite their seemingly weak appearance it would be foolish to take them as easy opponents.

*Claaaannnggg*

Another bell clanged and a multitude of magic circles formed across the platforms. It was a dizzying sight where it was hard to make out what was going on. Even Zyrus's eye of annihilation was strained to its limits under the chaotic flow of mana.

Fortunately for everyone, there was a separate tab to keep track of things.

[Valor: Increase all stats by 0.01%] Current effect: 0.67%

[Cowardice: Decrease all stats by 0.01%] Current effect: 0.29%

Two buffs were visible in front of every participant. What made them impactful was the fact that they were applied right away. This was a result jointly achieved by the elite players who were a cut above the rest. Not only did they achieve instant victories, they also gave an edge to the other players.

On the other hand, the players who were inflicted by cowardice were those who were aware of their lack of ability. Rather than being eliminated by the imps it was they themselves who had surrendered under Ria's orders.

Seconds passed by and bit by bit the dazzling sky started to shimmer down. It could be said that the real fight was just beginning.

[Valor: Increase all stats by 0.01%] Current effect: 0.92%

[Cowardice: Decrease all stats by 0.01%] Current effect: 0.46%

<That was a good strategy>

Only now did Zyrus share his thoughts with the Vajeers. Having close to 0.5% stat buff might not seem significant on the status, but the key to its usage lied in the calculations of HP, MP, and stamina. A difference of a few digits could change defeat into victory. It was difficult to grasp this change even when one had the system's assistance, much less now when the players were unable to see their exact stats.

'And that's why this is a good experience,'

Zyrus's eyes shifted down to the four new zones which were created by merging platforms. The platforms shattered once the duel was over and turned into a green and a black zone. The victors and losers would then join the others of their faction and create a bigger zone.

From his vantage point, it was easy to overlook the difference between both sides. The imps in the black zone had their HP between 10 to 30 whereas the humans had multiple times more. It was a clear tactical advantage.

'Of course, things aren't that simple,'

Zyrus could 'see' the imps' specialty with his eyes of annihilation. They were nothing but pawns and the amount of HP they had in the black zone didn't affect their powers whatsoever. As time passed by it became apparent that the imps had used a strategy as well, one that was targeted at the middle tier players.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"keke-"

*Bang*

A player with 30% HP was about to deliver a final blow when the imp self-exploded all of a sudden.

"Grrrr"

*Bang*

An Imps cadejo mount bit down on a player's ankle and self-exploded, reducing the player's HP by 40%. What was more infuriating was that the imp changed its fighting style and started to kite down the players' HP.

Even though it had a weaker offense and defense compared to the swordsman player, the HP difference between them was too big.

Expressions of frustration and unease grew on the faces of Ria and the others. Be it their commanding tactics or skills like 'Clairvoyance', everything was useless as all interference were prohibited in the Holmgang.

[Valor] Current effect: 1.28%

[Cowardice] Current effect: 1.09%

Zyrus felt the provoking gaze of the imp king as he looked at the buff's effects. This was a fight where both of them were unable to use their turns as the soldiers didn't have any powers to speak of. There were no tricks to winning this fight.

Zyrus didn't talk with the Vajeers and neither did he respond to the imp king's taunts. Who among the sanctuary could rival his battle instincts? There were none except for the Eternals and the Administrators. He knew from the start that the outcome of this battle would be in the imps' favor.

The system was fair in its assessment. Despite its stingy nature Matope wasn't someone who would use underhanded means to target the players.

What did this imply? The players were losing to the imps despite them having a similar power level. Was it because they were weak, arrogant, or lacked combat awareness? The answer was no.

The players had fought countless wars and were by no means weak. They knew better than to underestimate their enemies. And yet, they were being played around by the imps.

'I'm sure they're realizing now what their weakness is,'

The players were losing because of their lack of experience in one-on-one fights. They knew how to survive in harsh environment. They knew how to combine their forces and kill an enemy who was far stronger than them.

However, they didn't know how to fight an enemy who had a similar strength but superior combat sense. This was a matter of experience. In gaming terms it was like the difference between those who specialized in pve vs pvp.

<Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is the first condition for progressing in the sanctuary. You realized one of them in your fight against the star marked tyrant, and now, it's time to face the other>

Zyrus's voice resounded across the mountain. Perhaps using morale boosting words would've been better than showing them the harsh reality, but he knew what was better in the long run.

The players' victories and defeats weren't important. What mattered was what they could learn from this fight.

<Times when you can get a second chance are too rare. Cherish this moment and engrave the sight of imps in your memories. They may be annoying, but they are also the best teachers you can find in the second ring>

Zyrus's message was directed at every player regardless of whether they had won or lost. A true leader shouldn't just be a figurehead. He could have used his words to incite the players' emotions or perhaps shared some strategies to counter the imps in battle. It was a leader's role to decide on how to act depending on the time and place...for their every choice held the power to change others' outlook.

"kekeke…"

*Bang*

"Come're you fucker!"

*Splatter*

A player who had lost his arm in to cadejo pup disregarded the damage and chose to perish with the Imp. While both the Imp and their mounts had different HP gauges, what counted in the duel was the Imp's HP. This wasn't a difficult thing to figure out and Zyrus could've said this beforehand, but would it have the same impact on the players' mentality?

There were kings who fueled their army's emotions and made them fanatics of war. There were merchant kings who focused solely on wealth and schemes to achieve their goals. Bandit kings who focused on looting and thug like kings who built safe zones and collected 'protection fees'. All sorts of kings existed in the sanctuary.

There was no right or wrong method in the eyes of the system. All that mattered was the end result in various events. When it boiled down to it, progression through the rings was the one and only goal in the players' eyes. It was no different for those who wielded the crown.

However, all was not the same regardless of the results. System couldn't quantify the emotions. It couldn't rank loyalty and sentiments one held towards their faction. A leader needed to be strong and wise in every aspect.

This was what separated Kings from Monarchs.

'Now then, I should focus on myself for the time being,'

Zyrus leaned back comfortably as more than half of the duels were finished by now. He knew from experience that the ongoing fights were going to be tedious to watch. Instead of going all out, the players will learn to use probing attacks and put their recovery speeds, elemental affinity, and every other stat to good use.

This wasn't a war where they had to follow the rhythm set by the commanders. This was a duel. What they needed to learn was how to set the flow of the battle. The Imps were sages when it came to using all means for achieving victory. Taunts, feints, changing attack patterns, stalling for time…they knew every tactic there was to learn.

Unless one had some rare skills and equipment it was very hard to defeat them in a short duration. Since he had given the right direction to the players, Zyrus didn't have any reason to observe the fights any longer.

This was the final fight in the second ring. The players had learned to use runes and formations to their advantage, so how could Zyrus not have improved? He had access to all the research they had done. He had created not one but five spells during this long journey. All he lacked was practical experience to fine-tune the details. This wasn't something he could do by fighting against the star-marked tyrant or the other native kings. After all, not even he had the luxury to try out new spells when the victory and defeat depended on his every move.

But now, things were different. Different magic circles floated above Zyrus's palm one after another. They manifested the energies of Metal, Water, Wood, Wind, and Fire. And at the center of those shimmering runes lay a pitch-black space.

That, was Void.