Chapter 15: The World's Third Village, the City of the Never-Setting Sun!

As Lin Mu and Xiaohu were training with weapons, a system prompt rang in his ears

"Ding!"

"—System Prompt: Player Lin Mu, you have used a wooden spear for training, triggering the [Basic Spear Technique] specialty. Do you wish to select it as your specialty?"

Without hesitation, Lin Mu chose yes. Basic specialties did not require specialty scrolls to learn; they could be obtained simply through basic training!

At the same time, as Lin Mu picked up a bow and arrow and began continuously firing, another system prompt arrived

"Ding!"

"—System Prompt: Player Lin Mu, you have used a bow and arrow for training, triggering the [Basic Archery] specialty. Do you wish to select it as your specialty?"

He also chose yes!

Lin Mu checked his meager attributes

Name: Lin Mu Class: None Title: None Reputation: 0 Identity: Village Chief of [True Dragon Village] Merit: 0 Level: 2 (0.01%)

[Basic Attributes] Might: 14 | Intelligence: 8 | Command: 6 | Politics: 5

[Derived Attributes] Combat Power: 1438 Commanding Power: 600 Divine Strategy: 800 Administrative Efficiency: 5% Stamina: 100 Speed: 16 Defense: 1 Morale: 60 Talent: Not Unlocked Skill: Junior Gathering (0%)

Specialties [Basic Spear Technique]: Increases Combat Power by 1% when using a spear as a weapon. [Basic Archery]: Increases Combat Power by 1% when using a bow and arrow as a weapon.

Equipment: Cloth Clothes, Cloth Shoes, Wooden Spear, Wooden Bow Wealth: 0 Copper Coins Origin Attribute Points: 0

Upon leveling up to Level 2, he gained 8 Origin Attribute Points. Combined with the 2 points rewarded by the system, Lin Mu put them all into Might, bringing it to 14.

In *Mythic Three Kingdoms*, the allocation of [Basic Attributes] is quite complex. Taking Might as an example: when the Might attribute is below 10, each point costs 1 Origin Attribute Point. However, once Might reaches 10, increasing it from 10 to 11 requires 2 Origin Attribute Points, and so on. Increasing Might from 19 to 20 also requires 2 points. To go from 10 to 20, a total of 20 points are consumed. Once Might reaches 20, increasing it to 21 requires 3 points. Following this logic, increasing Might from 20 to 30 requires 30 points.

By extension, increasing Might from 30 to 40 requires 40 points... and from 80 to 90 requires 90 points. This means that to reach 90 Might, the total cost would be 10 + 20 +... + 90, totaling 450 Origin Attribute Points. Theoretically, reaching 90 Might requires approximately 450 points.

If one starts with a higher base, the cost is slightly lower. For instance, since his starting Might was 8, he would only need 442 points to reach 90. Given that Lin Mu currently gains only 4 Origin Attribute Points per level, even if he put everything into Might, it would be virtually impossible to reach 90. There was nothing he could do about it!

The level cap in *Mythic World* is 100! Even with the 400 Origin Attribute Points gained at level 100, it would be impossible to reach a Might value of 90.

The scaling after 90 Might is even more exaggerated: increasing from 90 to 91 requires 10 points, and 91 to 92 requires 20 points. The formula could be expressed as (N * 10), where N is the digit in the units place of the target level above 90.

Players only knew the scaling up to level 99; no one knew if the jump from 99 to 100 followed the same rule. Many players speculated that the Might of Divine Generals might reach a peak of 100!

However, Lin Mu suspected that it wouldn't just take 100 Origin Attribute Points to jump from 99 to 100 Might.

Because that was a massive chasm—the difference between an [Epic Historical General] and a [Legendary Historical General].

For example, the difference between the Might of someone like Lu Bu or Zhao Yun (Epic) and Zhang Liao (Legendary) might only be the difference between 100 and 99 points, but their Combat Power was not something that 100 Origin Attribute Points could bridge. Lin Mu did not yet know the secret behind this.

The other [Basic Attributes]—Command, Intelligence, and Politics—followed the same scaling system as Might. Furthermore, these attributes had certain mutual constraints, but he would set that aside for now.

As Lin Mu and Zhang Xiaohu continued their training...

Their experience points rose steadily: 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%...

The proficiency of their basic specialties also increased: 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%...

Though slow, they were constantly improving.

For players like Lin Mu, this was the worst way to gain experience; the best way was to hunt monsters. However, it had its benefits: it allowed them to train specialties. As long as a specialty was trained enough, its mastery level would increase, raising the specialty level and providing even greater Combat Power bonuses.

While Lin Mu was training, a world announcement suddenly rang out once more

"Ding!"

"—World Announcement: Congratulations to the player 'Eternal Knight' from the Great Britain region of the European Server for establishing the world's third village, [The City of the Setting Sun]. Awarded the title 'Third Village of the World.' Special Reward: One Special NPC! Eternal Knight's personal level +1, Origin Attributes +1, Reputation +100. We hope the player continues to work hard, achieve great deeds, and contend for world supremacy!"

"…!"

"…!"

Three massive world announcements in a row stirred up immense waves!

The world's third village had appeared! It was incredibly fast!

Lin Mu felt a sense of satisfaction thinking that he had snatched the second position from him! Still, third place wasn't bad; a special NPC! If he drew a good one, the development potential would be immense. The reward for the world's third village should be a Beast Tamer! This was something Lin Mu had seen on the BattleNet forums; in his previous life, this reward had been obtained by the Japanese server, and the details had been leaked.

Heroes arise throughout the world; one cannot be complacent!

***

In the Huaxia Server, Qingzhou, atop a lush, densely forested mountain.

The player Jiang Chenglong was leading countless disciplined and efficient militia players to siege a mountain stronghold!

This was a high-level stronghold, containing roughly 10,000 bandits, most of whom were Level 2 soldiers with impressive combat strength. However, compared to the players who swarmed like locusts, a stronghold of 10,000 soldiers was merely a small boat in a vast ocean.

Players charged forward relentlessly, unafraid of death or exhaustion. Countless white lights flashed as players died, and countless casualties mounted...

Due to early system restrictions, players did not lose much blood upon death, and NPC deaths were not as bloody as in reality. This would change with future updates, at which point the carnage would be enough to make many people nauseous and the blow to player morale would be massive—but that was a matter for later.

If Lin Mu were here, he would immediately recognize which faction these highly organized, militarily skilled militia players belonged to.

They were the real-world soldiers of the Huaxia Nation!!!

And Jiang Chenglong was the public representative of this faction. In reality, he was a very young officer, a rising star who had achieved success early in life. Lin Mu knew of him from his previous life; he was domineering in his actions but occasionally fair, making him a decent lord. When facing invasions from other countries, he stood resolutely at the front, resisting countless blades and spears!

"It has been six days, and we still haven't breached this stronghold. The honors for the world's top three have all been snatched away. Although one belongs to our Huaxia server, we will surely be criticized for inefficiency this time. Sigh!" Jiang Chenglong felt a bitterness in his heart.

They had nearly the entire military force of their territory—over a million elite soldiers. Although the soldiers' levels were low, they had the advantage of numbers. As players charged fearlessly, the bandits in the stronghold lost their initial high morale and began to desert. The tide would eventually turn in favor of the players.

Upon entering this world, every soldier had used their meager copper coins to quickly go to the county barracks and spend 200 copper coins to change their class to Militia. With the remaining 300 copper coins, they bought food and wooden spears before gathering here to attack the stronghold!

"Warriors, keep going! With me, Wudi, we shall defend our homes and country!" Jiang Chenglong roared from a high vantage point!

"With Wudi, defend our homes and country!"

"With Wudi, defend our homes and country!"

...

"With Wudi, defend our homes and country!"

The countless roars drowned out the wails on the battlefield, seemingly ignoring the flashing blades and the clashing of weapons.

While sieging the stronghold, Jiang Chenglong had cleared out nearby players and sent troops to patrol the main roads outside the battlefield to prevent other factions or solo players from interfering and causing unexpected trouble.

In games, the drama of players stealing monsters or bosses happens everywhere. No matter the game or location, if there is an opportunity to steal a kill or a boss, it will happen. Profit moves the heart!

Jiang Chenglong's staff also shared this concern. After all, everyone was still a novice, and anything could happen. They needed to ensure nothing went wrong, while also keeping their faction's secrets for the time being, as they were not yet ready to be fully exposed.

...

As dawn broke and the sun set, after a grueling siege, Jiang Chenglong finally heard the pleasant system notification

"Ding!"

"—System Prompt: Congratulations to player Jiang Chenglong. The faction you lead has captured the high-level stronghold, Black Dragon Fortress, achieving your first glorious campaign victory. Rewards: Reputation +200, Command +20, Level +1. You have gained the right to deal with the high-level stronghold, Azure Dragon Fortress."

"—System Prompt: Congratulations to player Jiang Chenglong for successfully capturing a high-level stronghold, becoming the first player in the world to capture a high-level stronghold (High-level Village). System Special Reward: One Yellow-grade Specialty Scroll, one Yellow-grade [Nuwa Treasure Chest], Reputation +300!"

Ignoring the system prompts, Jiang Chenglong rushed to the center of the stronghold and placed his hand on the Territory's Heart—the Village Building Token floating in the air. A prompt followed

"Ding!"

"—System Prompt: Player Jiang Chenglong, do you choose to Destroy, Occupy, or Preserve this stronghold?"

"—System Prompt: If you choose to Destroy, you will obtain the Village Building Token for this territory, but all existing buildings will lose their functions and will need to be rebuilt using the token."

"—System Prompt: If you choose to Occupy, you will own all buildings within the territory, but bandits will periodically attack."

"—System Prompt: If you choose to Preserve, you will gain exclusive rights to this stronghold. The stronghold will periodically spawn bandits and can serve as a trial ground. You may also choose to relocate the site, which requires an upgrade. Please choose!"

Following the predetermined plan, Jiang Chenglong chose the first option: Destroy!

*Rumble!* As if hearing the sound of collapsing buildings, the territory shook violently. The territory token transformed into a streak of light and flew into Jiang Chenglong's hand. He had finally obtained a Village Building Token; he was visibly excited.

The shimmering light was dual-colored, with cyan and red swirling around it. This was a Black-grade Village Building Token!

Jiang Chenglong picked up the token and breathed a sigh of relief. He finally had it. He was now the fourth person in the world to establish a territory. Following the plan, Jiang Chenglong set off toward his destination under the protection of his soldiers.

Soon, players in the Huaxia Server heard the system announcement

"—Huaxia Server Announcement: Congratulations to Huaxia player Jiang Chenglong for establishing the Huaxia server's second village, [Yanhuang Village]. Awarded the title 'Second Village of Shenzhou.' Rewards: One 6th-rank Special NPC! Reputation +50, Level +1. We hope the player continues to work hard, achieve great deeds, and contend for world supremacy!"

"…!"

"…!"

Only players in the Huaxia Server could hear such a grand and melodious announcement. Countless Huaxia players were shocked. The second territory in Huaxia had appeared—Yanhuang Village. Who had established it?

Some major factions, however, were not surprised, acting as if they had known in advance.

"Ah, so close! If we had built a village earlier, two of the world's top three would have been ours! What a pity!" Many lamented.

"Not bad. As expected of an official faction—decisive in action and organized! They've established a territory so quickly! We need to step up our efforts too!" said those in the know.

Major factions all knew each other's representatives. As soon as they heard Jiang Chenglong had established a territory, many guessed it was an official faction.

"Why is there no news yet? Deploy everyone to search for the Village Building Token! Anyone with news gets a promotion to Level 3! Anyone who contributes a token will be rewarded with over a million! Additionally, put out a high-priced buy order for Village Building Tokens on BattleNet—offer 10 million RMB!" Such scenarios were common among the wealthy.

On the BattleNet forums, numerous posts appeared seeking to purchase Village Building Tokens, driving players into a frenzy. Simultaneously, posts appeared from those wanting to buy True Dragon Village for exorbitant sums—sounding grand on the surface, but filthy underneath. Lin Mu didn't even need to look to know what kind of people they were!

(End of Chapter)