We are Void [Litrpg x Law cultivation + Kingdom Building]

Chapter 170: Knight Candidates

Regardless of whether they were from humans, ogres, trolls, goblins, the beast legions, or the subdued monsters…pretty much every player on the entire ocean looked at Zyrus’s projection.

They gazed in respect at their ten feet tall leader who was holding a goedendag just as tall as him. Be it his onyx crown or the curved horns that adorned his head, everything about him carried a regal aura even through the projection.

This was something that had nothing to do with strength. This was the momentum and charisma he had built through his 1000 years of reign.

“Greetings, players. I’m Zyrus Wymar, the leader of this nameless army. Some of you joined me willingly while others were subdued by force. From the initial hundreds in the crown hunt to the present, our numbers have multiplied by thousands,” Zyrus’s steady voice resounded on each island.

Irrespective of their status, every ear was drawn to his projection.

“Some among you are fighters while others are adept at researching. Regardless of either, one fact remains true– WE ARE THE STRONGEST.”

“I’m the strongest player there is and there’ll ever be. Natives? Our army will crush them. Monsters? They’ll be buried under our weapons of war. I ask you then, what do we have to fear?”

His words made even the calmest player’s blood boil. Who didn’t like to be on the winning side? It was a primitive desire of every being. But Zyrus knew that their boiling blood and burning enthusiasm would eventually die down. It was impossible for everyone to be equal in their desire to become strong.

“Let me answer that for you. Your biggest threat is your own Laziness, Cowardice, Ignorance, and Stupidity. You are lazy if you’re not giving your all to become stronger. You’re a coward if you’re not taking the dangerous tasks. You’re ignorant if you have the will to improve yet can’t. And lastly, you’re stupid if you think that becoming stronger isn’t all there is to it in life.”

Zyrus’s words stung the hearts of thousands of players. Even the muddle-headed monsters were feeling uncomfortable after hearing his blunt words, much less the intelligent ones.

“Let me tell you this in advance–even if you want to settle down and start a family, even if you want to live a peaceful life, you don’t have the power to achieve that. You may already know that no lives can be born in the sanctuary. There isn’t a concept of society in this hellish world where only one’s strength matters. However, let me tell you this in advance. Not far off in the future, you’ll earn the era of peace you desire. If we conquer the 3rd and 4th ring with haste– then you’ll earn an era of peace for numerous years.”

“You can start a family, travel, or just laze around for the rest of your life. But keep in mind that war will once again knock on your doors. If not you then your children, if not them then your grandchildren…the cycle will keep repeating. It’s like a kid building a castle of sand. No matter how beautiful the castle was, no matter how hard the kid worked for it, it’ll be knocked down once the wave hits the shore. And unlike the kid, you can neither leave the shore nor stop building the castle. What will you do then?”

A pin-drop silence was left after his frosty words. Everyone had self-awareness; it was just that many didn’t think about the negatives in their life and lost themselves in other activities. Which player hadn’t seen their fair share of death? Which player wasn’t traumatized by the tutorial? It was the euphoria of battle and their adaptation that suppressed those feelings.

Not to mention that most of his troops were subdued. Who among them didn’t lose their acquaintances under Zyrus’s army? None. His words were anything but motivating. Nonetheless, that was his goal from the start.

“Can you answer me? I will tell you my answer. What would I do if I was that child? I will charge into that damned ocean and incinerate it.”

Zyrus didn’t want his troops to burn out from their emotions. He wanted them to use their emotions like an undying fire and temper their wills. Only the blades forged from this were worthy to be pointed against the root cause of their losses.

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“What I said might sound moronic considering that the kid will just drown in the ocean, but what if there was a way for him to survive? What if he could attain the power to evaporate the sea and build a castle so strong that even a meteor wouldn’t dent its walls? I will give you that chance. I, will give you that power.”

Zyrus waved his hand and new notifications were sent to each and every player. The entire contribution system and mission board were revamped. This, was the dawn of a new era.

The new contribution store had a single yet most important change- one could buy any information by paying enough points. Zyrus had poured 99% of his knowledge into this. Secrets about the sanctuary, famous hunting spots, treasures, and even the information on the third, fourth, and fifth rings. He had shared everything except things related to the cube and his regression.

‘Of course, they’ll need a whole lot of points to afford that.’

Zyrus curved his lips as he surveyed the player’s reaction through the holographic screen. This was a big step for him as well. Gone were the days when he was worried about being backstabbed.

The trip to the Streit bastion had changed his perspective on the sanctuary. Despite the restrictions he faced, he was pretty much invincible among the players.

Why would he worry about sharing his knowledge then? On the contrary, it was more beneficial if he shared his knowledge and used the player’s intellect to further polish his skills. Even the best arcanist had much to learn from the collected efforts of millions of players.

“Pay attention. You must’ve seen the highlighted mission at the top. I won’t go into details and waste our time, but know this; those who accept this won’t regret their decisions,” Zyrus spoke the concluding words after waiting for a while.

He was a leader, not a salesman. The enticement he gave them was more than sufficient. The mission was about creating a new class using the ideas that he had. What made this alluring was the fact that it could act as a sub-class for every player.

Even the worst combat oriented subclass could improve one’s battle effectiveness by at least 50%. Who wouldn’t want such a reward?

And what the players had to do in this mission was both risky and not at the same time. 10,000 players were required to perform experiments as described by Zyrus. The duration for this was five years.

The selected players would follow Zyrus into the third zone and finalize the class he was working on. In return, they’d get achievements and sub-class from the sanctuary, not to mention the contribution points he would give based on their performance.

Zyrus closed all the tabs and walked towards the docking area. Everyone was bubbling with excitement wherever he passed by.

Zyrus jumped over the buildings as he chatted with the somewhat sulky reindeer. It couldn’t be helped that he had dumped a huge task on his companion.

‘Next time, I’ll see if i can bring him to streit bastion.’

*Thunk*

“Looks a lot better than before.” Zyrus spoke the moment he laid his eyes upon his ship.

“Of course it does, the Dragon of War is equipped with the best weapons we’ve built,” Franken replied with a proud face.

Zyrus had to admit that his companion had done a great job. The entire dragon of war was adorned with dark blue frost cannons and black metallic ballistas. The gleaming weapons and the red engravings on the ship created a bloody aura. Weaker fish wouldn’t even dare to approach within a mile of the dragon of war.

“Looks like you’ve made some adjustments to blueprints as well.”

“Indeed. Those little humans and goblins are a devious bunch for sure,” Franken replied and gave him a detailed manual.

On it were the records of adjustments done to the ballistas, cannons, and torpedoes. The V6 ballista had modified metal arrows with a glass covering. Normal metal arrows could be used three times before their tips and shaft required maintenance. But considering the cost-effectiveness, it was cheaper to just scrap them and make new arrows.

‘Using glass tips was a clever idea even I didn’t think of,’

The highest strain was placed on the tip of the arrow. Its penetrating power was the most crucial aspect. Using a fragile glass edge on it definitely reduced its power by a third.

But the overall efficiency of this was better. The glass tip was created by referencing the electric torpedo. The tips would shatter upon impact and release numbing lighting, immobilizing the target for a short duration. This would allow a sure kill with two shots.

The most important part was that the modified arrows could be used 10 times this way! There was an abundance of glass, so creating tips wasn’t as costly. And if more penetrative power was required, then it was better to use enhanced arrows which were guaranteed a kill.

The Frost Cannon V3 and the Torpedo V2 didn’t have that many changes except for their increased efficiency. Compared to arrows, these magical technologies were completely foreign to the players.

“How about the things I collected from the ocean?”

“Still in the process. I doubt they’d be put to use before the third zone.”

The duo chatted as they made their way to the center of the dragon of war. There, 400 players were waiting in a neat formation.

They were the knight candidates for his crown’s authority.