Chapter 18

Blood Sea Storm watched TV while eating, tuning into the 24-hour live broadcast of Hero News. He was eager to know how much of a sensation his public display of his unique skill, Admiral, had caused in the Chinese region. He searched for Admiral and found the noon 12:00 live broadcast. Blood Sea Storm's spirits lifted; this Hero News was indeed quick and well-informed.

Host: "Hello everyone, latest news, we have a player in the Chinese region who has a rare skill, Admiral. This player's public display of his skill in the beginner's hall has caused quite a stir. We are now connecting with Mr. Jiang Dawei, the captain of the Starlight Team, for his thoughts on this account. Captain Jiang, hello!"

Jiang: "Hello, host!"

Host: "Regarding this Admiral, please share your thoughts."

Jiang: "The ocean in Hero Genesis is vast, with many islands and small continents. More importantly, there are oceanic portals connecting the Old World and the New World, so naval heroes have significant strategic value. In fact, naval exploration is one of the game's major selling points. Currently, in the Chinese region alone, 100,000 players have chosen the maritime merchant profession. As more players focus on the ocean, the value of naval heroes will become even more prominent."

Host: "What does Captain Jiang think the value of this hero is?"

Jiang smiled: "We focus on battles, not money. If we must compare, I think this hero might be able to match the Mobility Master from the Japanese region in naval combat."

Host laughed: "So, the Starlight Team is willing to pay 10 million USD for this account?"

Jiang smiled: "Well, our team's current strategy is focused on land battles and resource grabbing. Ultimately, this is the boss's decision. However, I want to congratulate this player. If he is interested in joining our Starlight Team, we will welcome him with open arms."

Blood Sea Storm laughed heartily! Starlight? Does he really think he represents the national team? How ridiculous! Once I complete this beginner's trial, I will immediately start setting up the Blood Sea Studio. I will become the One Piece of the Chinese region! At that time, I will recruit those so-called goddesses and let the brothers have some fun! Hahaha!

Host: "Thank you, Captain Jiang. Now, the game has been live for three and a half days. Let's look at the current world level rankings. Currently, the top-ranked player is the French player Natasha (Natasa) with a 24-level Vampire Princess, far ahead of the second-place Chinese Starlight Team player Xiao Zhu Kuai Pao's 22-level Griffin Trainer, and the third-place Russian War Angel Team player Pavlov's 22-level Siege Engineer. The highest-valued hero, the Swedish player Vurtne's Death Lord, is only at level 20 and ranks outside the top 100,000. What does Captain Jiang think of this ranking?"

Jiang smiled: "Natasha, I should call her that, right? She was born as a level 4 Vampire, which gives her an incredibly strong early-game advantage. She can solo through the game without any troops. In comparison, our team's Xiao Zhu Kuai Pao's Griffin Trainer starts with a level 4 Griffin, but as a flying unit, the Griffin's individual combat power and endurance can't match the Vampire, who can continuously drain blood and fight."

Host: "While a level 4 Griffin can't beat a Vampire in a one-on-one fight, the game emphasizes unit synergy. The Undead's overall slow unit speed makes the Vampire seem out of place, as it can't venture deep alone. The Griffin, however, can dive from the sky, attack the enemy's magic and ranged units, and then retreat, which the Vampire can't do."

Jiang smiled: "Exactly. As for the Russian player Pavlov's Siege Engineer, the slow movement and assembly speed of the ballista is a significant drawback. However, because the ballista is so cumbersome, the player will likely focus on major battles and sieges, so he will have killed the most bosses and collected the most treasures and equipment. His combat power is undoubtedly the strongest in the world, as the ballista's early-game advantage is significant, and his talent increases the ballista's attack and defense by 1 point every two levels, creating a huge gap by level 10."

Host: "What about Vurtne's Death Lord?"

Jiang said seriously: "The Death Lord's talent is extremely powerful. Half of the Undead units encountered in the wild will join the player's army, whether they are level 7 Bone Dragons or level 1 Skeletons. If we had such an account, we would first focus on increasing the hero's leadership skill and completing quests to gain positions in the Undead Empire to further boost leadership. Then, we would quickly build a city and store all the troops that can't be carried. For him, the troop limit is the most important, while level is just a formality. His current low level is expected, but his strength is undeniable."

Host: "Indeed, it seems the pressure on our Chinese region is significant..."

Jiang: "Yes, so our only option is to level up quickly, divide tasks clearly, and develop rapidly..."

...

Seeing the dynamics of top players worldwide, Blood Sea Storm, also a god-tier hero, couldn't sit still. He quickly finished his steak and immediately logged back in to continue his battle. He planned to stay up all night to reach level 10, obtain the spellbook, and claim the sunken ship!

...

In the sunken ship's gun deck, Da Fei dismantled the remaining ballistas and collected a few intact parts to repair the damaged ballista. It's a pain, but this is a common issue with mechanical units; you always need to carry spare parts, which cost money. So, not every player can afford to play the mechanical path.

In any case, the ballista must not be completely destroyed in the upcoming battles.

Da Fei used the key to open the iron door at the back of the gun deck, and a foul smell hit him.

This was the entrance to the lower deck. Generally, large sailing ships have three decks below the main deck. With such a large gun deck on the upper level, the lower level must be the cargo hold to balance the ship's center of gravity, or it would easily capsize in strong winds. The iron door likely means there is valuable cargo inside! Treasure? Here I come!

Da Fei activated stealth and entered the lower deck, hiding at the stairs to observe. The dim, narrow, and empty cargo hold had no treasure chests, not even a few wooden barrels or crates! This is ridiculous!

Da Fei approached the wall for a closer look and saw a pile of corpses! Although he didn't understand why there were so many corpses in the cargo hold, there was no choice but to clear them!

Da Fei retreated to the stairs, a perfect spot to set up the ballista. The three walls would prevent enemies from flanking, and there was no need to worry about the rear. This terrain was clearly designed for players to use the ballista!

Da Fei quietly assembled the ballista from the parts in his spatial bag. After ten minutes, he loaded two bolts into the chamber. He then took out the system-provided new player tool kit, lit a torch, and the cargo hold was illuminated. Last night, Blood Sea Storm used this method to lure the enemies.

The corpses began to rise, including a few tall ones. Da Fei's heart tightened. Were they bosses? Impossible! There can't be multiple bosses! They were likely just stronger variants of zombies. He needed to stay calm!

At level 8, Da Fei's ballista, with the basic War Machine skill, had the following stats: Attack 10, Defense 10, Base Damage 2-3 (Total Damage = Base Damage × Hero's Total Attribute Points), Health 200, Attack Speed 5, Movement Speed 1, Special Skills: Knockback, Piercing.

Da Fei's total attribute points were 7, so the ballista's total damage was 14-21. The zombies' 2 defense reduced the ballista's attack by 2, leaving 8. Each additional attack point increased damage by 5%, so 40% more damage, making it 19-29. The zombies' intermediate defense skill reduced damage by 20%, so the final damage was 15-23! With the Ballista Master's double shot, the ballista could easily kill a 17-health zombie in one shot! The ballista's 200 health and 10 defense were comparable to a level 7 unit's health and a level 4 unit's defense, so even with more zombies, it wasn't a problem!

The zombies began to move towards Da Fei. He aimed at the densest group and fired!

—Boom! Boom! The ballista fired two consecutive shots, and the bolts whistled through the air!

—"−17" "−3" "−17" "−6"

Two zombies fell, and the bolts pierced through, dealing 3 and 6 damage to the zombies behind them, and causing a knockback effect!

This felt amazing! Keep going!

Da Fei quickly reloaded the ballista while keeping an eye on the tall zombies. They moved slowly, showing no signs of jumping. That was good!

After reloading, he fired again: "−14" "−7" "−11" "−10"!

The two low-health zombies fell, and the bolts' piercing effect knocked back the zombies behind them, which was even more devastating for the already slow-moving zombies!

—System Notice: You have collected incomplete information on the Assault Zombie!

He hit a tall zombie! Knowing the enemy is key to victory. Da Fei quickly opened the information panel.

—Assault Zombie

—Type: Small Undead Leader Unit

—Attack: ?

—Defense: 2

—Health: ?

—Damage: ?

—Attack Speed: ?

—Movement Speed: 4

—Special Skills: Heavy Weapon, Intermediate Defense, ?

Da Fei's eyes widened in shock!

A leader unit! Damn, it's a boss! And it's a heavy weapon user! Da Fei looked up and saw the boss approaching with a gleaming axe in hand!

What is a heavy weapon? For example, Da Fei's pikemen have the Long Weapon skill, which allows them to attack from a distance. Heavy weapons, like axes and hammers, have a special effect that increases damage against large units, city gates, and war machines. Against a ballista, the damage is doubled!

This meant these six bosses were specifically designed to counter the ballista! Da Fei was stunned!

If this boss had 200 health and similar stats to the zombies upstairs, he might be able to handle one, but not two, and certainly not six! The system couldn't set up a trial that a new player couldn't pass! Could a god-tier hero's trial really involve fighting six bosses? That was absurd!

Unless this boss had less health! But leader units typically have high health. Even with 100 health, he couldn't handle six! Unless the boss's damage was low! But even with low damage, a leader unit's damage would be comparable to a level 5 or 6 unit, and with double damage, he would still be killed! Did he need to reach the Master level with 600 health to fight?

But he had no choice! He couldn't run without the ballista! If the ballista was destroyed, he wouldn't have parts to repair it! Without the ballista, he couldn't continue! This was unfair! Even at the Master level, the ballista's health would only show 200/600 without enough parts, and he might not survive!

Could he use strategy? As the zombies slowly approached, Da Fei broke into a cold sweat, desperately recalling various legendary comebacks in gaming history. Terrain, positioning, kiting, guerrilla tactics, etc.! Kiting and guerrilla tactics were impossible, the terrain was fixed, and positioning?

Yes, positioning!

Hahaha! Suddenly, Da Fei understood the key. He laughed loudly and fired two consecutive shots at a boss: "−20!" "−22!"

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