Shortly before the last period, many in my class received similar messages, me included. In my case, it was from the chat group we use to communicate with other guild members outside of CSF.
"Patch's out. Big guild event. Everyone come ASAP."
Was the message. Sent by the girls in the day team.
…Not sure if I wanted to complain about the lack of explanation, or praise them for not saying more than necessary and pulling us away from our work or school.
In any case, more people tapping their phones than taking notes for the rest of the school day. The moment the last bell rang, half of the class bolted out of the classroom, along with the teacher. The same went for other classes, so we suddenly had a good chunk of the school rushing out at the same time, stampede style.
Yes, the teachers were part of it.
No running in the corridor? Really? The only people not running were some helpless moral committee members! Good luck with enforcing the rules, because the ones making those rules certainly wouldn't.
This school is doomed, I'm telling you…
I quickly hit the bed shortly after dinner. Judging from the ongoing chat and surrounding banters earlier, we have at least multiple new bosses popping into existence because of this new patch. Not static bosses in the new areas, mind you, but new bosses in old areas which were not announced anywhere apparently. Problematic bosses at that.
I'm obviously trying to get into the game as fast as I can for the new content, though I'm not exactly in a rush. The day team packs enough firepower to kill an entire zone using only basic attacks. The bosses are either already dead many times over or so tough that even my guild members are unable to take them down. Neither is a situation that changes quickly by the minute, unlike that time with the battle royale at Sateri's feet…
That, and I want to make sure I don't need to get up for the rest of the night. A bathroom break is one of the worst things that can happen during a real-time boss fight, only topped by a bathroom break with advertisement!
This cute half-elf did not become strong by taking breaks while everyone fought for their lives, un!
…
It's already noisy the moment I see the ceiling of my room. Also, why the heck are you guys bringing debts into a game?!
I quickly get up from the bed. By the way, I have been using [Engineering] on it to constantly cast skills during offline time. It's the perfect replacement for the old fire shooters that could only train my resistance skills. [Engineering]-casts use owner's stats though, so I may or may not have accidentally destroyed my cozy wooden house in my virtual sleep and freaked everyone out.
Don't worry. I have mastered it! And today, the siege bed is one of the most powerful tools in
_ Hessy (Guild):
_ Shadyna (Guild): Roger~! Gimme a minute to prepare!
Since we will be fighting bosses, let's bring some additional potions. Also more specialized buff lunchboxes, and [Resurrection] potions, and wooden boards… Should I bring the wagons too? Might be a bit tight on the inventory weight however…
Are they using siege weapons against bosses? I'm pretty sure the current meta is using them against slow enemies with high defense… Maybe I should bring a Raid Breaker Engine as well? I don't have a spare one lying around though, since they are a tad expensive to craft…
Okay! Equipment change! Let's craft one to be on the safe side.
Materials~ Materials~ A lot of materials~ [Creation]~!
_ Shadyna: Gelly, Lutena, please take care of it!
It's not that I'm pushing the work to my pets because I am lazy, okay? There are other matters that I must attend to and I would rather not keep my friends waiting, honest!
Leaving the glorious work of filling up the progress bar to my capable legendary pets, I summon Sateri for the daily prayer. Although [Karmic Fragment] turned out to be not that important, being an alternative currency for NPCs for their services or quests, I still do the same routine out of habit, and wanting to maintain a good relationship with my soon-to-be wife!
I'm still not sure if kneeling in front of your wife is an indicator of a healthy marriage though… Anyway, [Summon]~!
_ Sateri:
…Wait, what?
_ Shadyna: Uh… which creature are you talking about? I'm sure there are quite a few new creatures…
Boss creatures, to be specific. There are new monsters in the new zones too I bet, but I don't think they are worth Sateri's attention.
_ Sateri: The one whose remains you were scooping up.
_ Shadyna: Why?!
We did our best not to use [Resurrection] to avoid this exact scenario! Self-revival without a maiden sacrifice or an artifact acquired by murdering said maiden in cold blood is illegal!
_ Sateri: That is the risk with artifacts from the outside. They are inherently unstable by nature and therefore can cause widespread destruction no matter the precaution one takes.
Is… is it me or Sateri just flashed a smirk there?! Even the kind and caring goddess persona is not immune to the snark! Was it Sateri's fault? Or Sateri's fault? Or even… Sateri's fault?!
I have a nagging feeling that it's Sateri's fault, un.
_ Shadyna: I shall pay it a visit then. Be right back~! [Recall]!
To the space gazebo I go~!
*FLASH*
_ ???: PUNY. MORTAL.
As I land on the stony ground, I am greeted by a starry sky.
No, rather than "starry", I suppose the correct description would be "lots of glowing bones that look like stars from afar". Bones that I have been meticulously collecting for the last four months in fact.
That being said, the creature certainly has skin and meat, just that they are kind of transparent. Un, like a slime, if you can ignore the fact that this slime is shaped like a gigantic serpent spanning hundreds of meters.
Yes, hundreds of meters. Whatever this eel (?) is, its size is on a completely different scale from the rest of us. If it weren't moving and talking to me, I would have mistaken it for a new celestial body rather than a creature!
Then again, it's made of four months' worth of bone collection from the entire world map. If it had become something the size of Lutena, I would probably need to start counting just to make sure nothing was missing.
_ Shadyna: Uh… hello?
Since it's rare for a boss-like entity to hold a conversation and not shoot this pacifist me with lasers for once, I will listen to what it has to say. If it starts a 30-minute monologue I'll leave as I am in a hurry, but I want to reduce the chance of putting things off and risk a repeat of what happened to Schennul.
Do not underestimate a bunch of maraud… adventurers having their eyes set on rare loots, un.
_ Serpent (?): DEATH CONCUBINE. EVEN. IRONIC.
I was too surprised to think about it earlier, but it has a surprisingly cute voice accompanied by ground-shaking (space-shaking?) growls.
What is this gap moe… Then again, this is a snake (?) the size of an aircraft carrier we are talking about. You know, the size at which you are more likely to create earthquakes than audible sounds?
Probably still passes as gap moe though~
As for the "Death concubine" thing, I think it's referring to my [Lady of the Dead] title. NPCs have been reacting to various titles in my possession many times so it's not a big deal anymore.
By the way, the rarer the title, the more extreme the reactions will be. No, I am absolutely not saying this out of real experience due to my own titles or anything like that. Honest~!
_ Shadyna: Don't mind that title please~ Anything I can help you with?
_ Serpent (?): MAYHAPS. WHAT IS'T THAT THOU DESIRE?
For you to speak like a normal person for starters, probably.
____________
After the invention of (mostly) indestructible walls and Raid Breaker Engines, there was peace in Tyrel. Even though the fight against the darkness continued raging on across the world, the capital city was completely safe from external threats, as a capital city should be.
Until a two-headed bird of prey the size of an entire district began torching the place up that is.
Several craters replace the once-prosperous city blocks after hours of constant fighting. It's only thanks to [Blueprint] rebuilding destroyed structures that Tyrel did not become a desolate no man's land. The inventories receiving all the stored items from destroyed buildings on the other hand are going to need a traumatizing amount of reorganizing however…
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A guard tower comes crashing down after taking a blue fiery meteor in its wall. To be fair, not many buildings were built to handle one in the first place. Guard towers do get a higher amount of incoming fire still, since housing the siege engines capable of striking back at the beast kind of makes them a high priority target. At least they are also being rebuilt quickly thanks to dedicated builders doing their job despite the hazardous working environment.
On the other "side" of the battlefield is a creature whose size is already a direct attack on biology and physics, let alone soaring in the sky like an aircraft. Thankfully the realist players are a bit too busy dying and fending off its attacks to complain about how unrealistic this is on the board.
Maybe one day someone will tell them that the bird (if it can be called one) also has two heads, is covered in blue burning feathers, and spits rocks categorized as meteors. Flight is the least of its problems.
That, or just remind them they are playing a fantasy MMO. Emphasis on the "fantasy" part.
The creature is not invincible, however. Even if it wasn't as fortified as it could be, Tyrel still houses too many siege engines to shrug off. The increasing number of wounds on the bird's body is the greatest proof of that. Whether that DPS can get through the HP regen is a different question that no one dares ask.
They soon have their answer though.
Everyone thought it was just going for another attack run, then realized that it probably took a few more hits too many when it began losing altitude, fast.
Now the defenders suddenly have to deal with the crash landing of a skyscraper-sized poultry. Having experience of getting screwed over by corpse physics and massive bosses, the player base obviously must have foreseen this turn of events and planned accordingly.
…Except that they did not.
The bird plows into the northern area of Tyrel uncontested, leaving behind a lane of destroyed terrain, buildings, and dead players. Even the infamous indestructible wall was not spared from the collision, which is saying a lot about the damage a big (understatement) corpse can do. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that the entire marketplace will need quite some time to tidy things up after this.
! Don't you have enough loot already!?>
Despite the exhaustion after continuously fighting for hours, the victorious players emerge (respawn) from the ruins with great enthusiasm and charge toward the fallen beast. The second battle royale for rare drops has officially beg…
*FLAP*
They are so focused on racing and blasting each other in said race, they fail to see the "corpse" raising its wings, then slamming them to the ground.
*BOOM*
The resulting shockwave blows away every single player in the vicinity with ease. Before the players outside of the blast could understand the situation, the boss lets out a screech as ear-piercing as one would expect from a bird-like creature, followed up by volleys after volleys of countless tiny blue stars homing onto their faces.
Forget the loots. The second phase has only begun.
____________
_ Hessy: And that's probably why Sateri-chan warned in the patch notes to avoid fighting them.
Thanks for the explanation, but why do I feel like my beautiful manager just opened the window for me to see some weird bird crashing into
_ Shadyna: Un, so the new patch added flying creatures, and these Terra Cetus are the flying unique bosses. They are way too big to fight conventionally so Sateri added guild quests for each of them.
Judging from the screenshots of other identified Terra Cetus, the common theme for them seems to be their humongous size that allows them to be rendered and seen from very far away. Their firepower is most likely just as terrifying, though no guild has picked a fight with another one apparently.
_ Mera: People say that, but it really showed on their face you know~? They spent their savings on shady siege weapons hoping to one-up the rest of us, only to get SQUI~SHED like li~ttle bugs~ The look on their face when their hope warped into pure despair…
*WHACK*
_ Mera: Ow~
Correction: No guild has picked a fight with another one that's worth talking about. In other news, Mera will probably die to Hessy's spiky sword faster than the bird sniping everyone with mass-homing attack spells out there.
_ Hessy: Anyway,
_ Shadyna: Un, no problem! So the target is this turtle, right?
We don't have enough members to go after every boss at the same time, unfortunately. That's why Hessy posted screenshots on the chat group for everyone to vote on the target. The lucky boss to receive the honor is a turtle hovering above the Lava Rift.
A turtle with a volcano on its back, to be specific.
_ Hessy: Yes. The quest location is Thunder Huts however. We also heard from the patrons that it's a quest chain, so this may take a while. Any question before we go?
_ Shadyna: Ah, yes. Why is
fighting that Terra Cetus then? Is it because it's faster?
_ Hessy: I would love to say that was the case but… from what I heard,
…AGAIN?! Dear capable managers of
, please try to rein in your guildmaster for once! Do you intend to let this happen until Tyrel gets wrecked or something? Wait…
_ Hessy: In addition, the quest-giver asked if we wanted to contact the Terra Cetus in her dialogue. I suspect these bosses are meant to be tamed, not hunted down. If
Yup, that's totally, definitely not the face of someone enjoying others' suffering! Mera, you smiling with her is NOT helping!
_ Nerin: Is it fine to leave
as-is? They might get an [Origin] title if they finish off the Terra Cetus first.
_ Hessy: Teahouse team is monitoring them. That, and…
!>
_ Hessy: Fortunately, unaligned players will not lend a hand now that the city is kind of safe.
Now I'm glad I didn't blast the big serpent on sight. That would have landed me in the same quagmire as
Leaving Su and her team behind to deal with
, the cute girls of
Don't worry, I will not get sidetracked and blow up the sun again this time!
____________
The Honey Swamp is full of activity.
Even though multiple new hunting zones were added today, there is no lack of players in the old ones. The ones grinding for experience or loots aside, the majority are working on the many quests to contact Terra Cetus spanning over the entire world. An expected development, since this is everyone's best shot at getting their hands on one now that the top contenders are occupied with their own quests, or boss fights.
_ Guildmaster: Push them back! Don't let them get a foothold!
_ Members: UUUOOOOOOHHHH!!!
And as expected, everyone has the same idea.
Rather than gathering materials and hunting monsters for the quests, players are engaging in a free-for-all anywhere they go. Even if a group focuses on doing the quest, their progress will soon be halted by competitive rival guilds, or stray AoE. Mainly stray AoE.
_ Member: Guildmaster, I think we got all of the organized attackers for now!
_ Guildmaster: Finally! Now make sure nothing gets through! Crafters, start building the walls! Everyone else, secure a perimeter!
_ Members: ON IT!
A relatively big and well-armed guild is pushing out the last competitors and securing a significant area for their own grind. It is unclear how long they have before oppositions regroup and gang up on them, but they have to try regardless.
_ Guildmaster: Now, the ques… Huh?
Amidst the busy crowd fortifying their hard-earned hunting ground, a tiny slime girl and a peasant-looking NPC nonchalantly walk past the guards like they own the place. They are so relaxed that no one thinks they are outsiders. The lack of emblems combined with the guild's massive size are not helping either.
That bravado cannot fool the experienced guildmaster and managers, however. Now, extensive as CSF's character creation system is, a non-bipedal avatar is still not a thing. That means the slime girl is not a player, but one of those famous humanoid pets. There is no way any of their members could have one without the top brass knowing.
They may not be the best, but their player skills are not to be underestimated!
_ Guildmaster: Intruders! Kill them! [Light Spear]!
Leading by example, the guildmaster bravely throws a shining magical arrow at the unsuspecting pet from the flank.
*WHACK*
A direct hit, and the heroic guildmaster expected nothing less. One or two infiltrators can't do much direct damage, but good players know not to take chances when an event (and its rewards) is on the line.
Although surrounding players are understandably startled by the sudden attack, managers and veterans are already preparing their long-ranged strikes. Only novices would let their guard down just because they are outnumbering the opponents!
_ Pet (?): …
For a bunch of (self-proclaimed) expert players, they certainly neglected to learn about humanoid pets. Specifically, the kind of work needed to acquire one, and the players managing to pull that off.
The uncanny footage of a cute slime girl and her escort simultaneously turning to the guildmaster would later be archived and then spread like wildfire across the board. It's safe to say that no one was prepared to handle the duo that is Gelly and Ophilie.
Or, as the player base would come to know them in the future, the strongest non-player party.
____________
The administrator AI is amused.
After four months of constant grinding, a particular maniac finally completed a quest meant to be done by at least dozens if not hundreds of players. A big content patch was planned to be released on that occasion, so she unknowingly delayed it for more than a quarter of the year.
Have some common sense, dimwit! What kind of designer would make a single quest take that long these days?!
Because it was already way too delayed for anyone's taste, Sateri deployed it as fast as she could. That ended up being the same day as the level-40 patch. Although a human team would be screaming in despair if they had to handle this kind of release schedule, CSF's "team" is a powerful AI with plenty of computing power and pettiness to spare, thankfully.
If anything, the player base fumbling around in two massive patches' worth of content is a sight to witness. Yes, that includes Tyrel losing half of its living space due to players' own negligence to read simple notes, or the widespread extreme violence across the world map. All according to the plan of the all-seeing Goddess who totally does not revel in her subjects' suffering.
[Warning: An
[Warning: A
That was… not planned.
--- Topic: Patch discussion - 1.0e32 - Flight patch ---
## Fire mage of Justice
Summary for 1.0e32:
- Added flight. Even the sky is not the limit anymore. (OP note: For real?!)
- Added multiple Terra Cetus, the sky islands. Fighting them is ill-advised. The denizens may have information on how to interact with them.
- Player and skill level cap increased to 40.
- Added new content for level 40.
##
## Nearseeing Sage
FLIGHT?! Σ(?Д?)
##
## Manly Warrior
Look up. That big bird is evidence itself.
Sateri-chan was not kidding. (￣□￣;)
TO THE SKY!
##
## Newbie Charisma build
TO THE SKY!!! ?(^▽^)?
I came back to Tyrel to report that taming flying mobs is possible but why is half the town in ruins?!
##
## Deeply Intelligent
Well… About that… I would like to report that some pets also gain the ability to fly after the patch. If your pet could hover, try ordering it to take off.
It wasn't me but… sorry for the trouble our guildmaster is causing m(__)m
##
## Big Hammer
Aren't you glad that we Blueprinted everything in Tyrel ever since the whole mess with Sateri-chan's statue? (*^0^*)
EDIT: Scratch that. My inventory!!!
##
## Bountiful Hunter
If pets can fly, maybe the equivalent skills can be unlocked for players too? We most likely will need that to get to Terra Cetus.
TO THE SKY!
##
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--- Topic: Remote summon strat ---
## The Dark Knife
Guys, won't we be invincible if we stay in a faraway location and only use pets to do our bidding? The enemy won't be able to touch us! (≧?≦)
##
## StoneHoarder
And how is it different from playing solo?
##
## Deeply Intelligent
Congrats. You have figured out Phoenix Ashes' secret.
Please stay where you are. It will be over soon.
##
## The Dark Knife
Uh… huh? (?_?) How is it NOT differ--
##
## Fire mage of Justice
RIP o7
In case you really don't know, the point of using summons is to have more bodies to throw at the enemy. When you hide on the other side of the map and control your pet directly, that's just solo play with extra steps.
##
## StoneHoarder
You won't get any kind of exp from your pet either. Only people doing level-1 or deathless runs would benefit from it.
Even Phoenix Ashes guildmaster stays relatively close to the battle to support or even contribute to DPS I thi-- *Explosion*
##
## Deeply Intelligent
You know too much.
##
## The Dark Knife
I see. Since you can always respawn, joining the battle is generally better. Umu umu.
…You guys are ruthless even to your own body, aren't you? (?_?;)
##
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