Chapter 190: Cleaning the Battlefield
With the war over and the Frost Giant Tribe annihilated, the Ember Kingdom's army swiftly swept through the battlefield, looting treasures at will and transporting the Frost Giant slaves back to Northwind Fortress.
Meanwhile, the players were scouring the smoke-filled battlefield, gleefully looting bodies without restraint.
"What a find! The Frost Giant's eyeball is mine!"
"Think this finger can be used to craft Giant Elixirs?"
"Look at this huge bone club! Imagine how much soup this could make."
"Do you think a giant's... you know... might be some sort of potent medicine? Let's cut off a couple and bring them back. Who knows? Maybe they'll be useful after the next update. Damn, this thing is heavy. Hey, help me carry it! My Strength stat isn't high enough to lift it."
"You're absolutely disgusting. Keep that thing away from me!"
"Oh, come on! Don't you see its value? When the servers reopen, the freaks will go nuts over this thing. If nothing else, it'd make a great display piece!"
The players, like a pack of vultures, picked the battlefield clean with reckless abandon. Even the ogres, known for their cannibalistic habits, watched with shock and horror.
An ogre, nicknamed "Big Head," sneered as he watched the ravenous players.
"Hmph, what savages."
"We civilized ogres clean up these things properly before eating our elders. These folks don't even bother."
Big Head casually tore a piece of meat from a Frost Giant's arm. After glancing around to ensure no one was watching, he stuffed it into his mouth, chewing with satisfaction.
"Big Head, eating humanoids again?"
A familiar voice sounded near Big Head's ear.
He jumped in fright, dropping the meat from his mouth. Trembling, he looked around, but there was no sign of Langpule's towering figure.
Just as he exhaled in relief, a club-shaped magical force field appeared above his head.
"Ouch!"
"The boss's rules are getting stricter every day."
Clutching his head, Big Head reluctantly threw the meat away, rubbing the bump on his head in defeat.
Inside the central camp tent, Langpule sensed his spell activating, his face lighting up with satisfaction.
"Hmph, that's what happens when you break the rules."
This was Langpule's custom second-circle spell, [Langpule's Ogre Disciplinary Magic]. When one of his ogres violated the established guidelines, the spell would alert Langpule and summon a magical club to knock the offending ogre unconscious.
Langpule was quite proud of this creation. He firmly believed he would eventually cultivate ogres into a civilized and intelligent species. When that day came, ogres would become the embodiment of wisdom and strength on the continent, second only to red dragons.
"Ouch!"
Big Head's wail sounded again.
Langpule's expression darkened, his arm trembling slightly.
"Ouch! Why again?"
The familiar cry echoed once more.
A heavy gloom settled on Langpule's face, his ugly features twisting with anger.
The ogre mage grabbed a nearby club, his veins bulging, and stormed out of the tent.
"Big Head! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Elsewhere, Mantou and Singo landed their wyverns and began looting the battlefield. They picked up items like Frost Giant eyeballs and fingers as crafting materials but showed no interest in the crude and oversized weapons and armor.
Mantou grumbled, "I feel like we didn't even get a chance to shine. The Frost Giants were already wiped out, and we were stuck watching our faction boss's combat CG."
Singo asked, "So, how many Frost Giants did you kill?"
Mantou awkwardly scratched his nose. "I mean, I kept one of them occupied…"
"Amateur."
Singo commented emotionlessly, then continued, "The devs really botched the balance this time. The mainline challenge difficulty was set way too high. Most players couldn't even participate. Only top-tier pros like me managed to take down one or two Frost Giants."
Mantou, used to Singo's blatant bragging, ignored him and changed the subject. "What's next? There are only a few days left in the beta. My experience points are maxed out. Just waiting for the servers to reopen so I can grind levels."
Singo was about to respond when someone tapped his shoulder.
"Singo!"
He turned to see a shiny bald head—it was Born Battle Maniac.
The seasoned barbarian player was drenched in Frost Giant blood, wearing a string of their fingers around his neck, grinning ear to ear.
"Guys, I had a blast! I went in with Enlarge and Haste, jumped right in, and bare-choked a Frost Giant from behind—"
Born Battle Maniac struck a pose mid-sentence, mimicking his attack.
"Crack! Snapped its neck. Took it down with pure brute force. What a fight!"
"And another one tried to ambush me from behind. I turned and cleaved it in two—"
Listening to his excited recounting, Mantou couldn't help but sweat in shame, remembering how he'd been pelted with stones and chased by a Frost Giant.
Truly, there was no common ground in the joys and sorrows of men.
"There you all are!"
A clear female voice rang out—it was Summer Night Autumn Rain.
Unlike the others, she hadn't picked up strange items like Frost Giant eyeballs or fingers. Instead, she recorded some Eternal Frost runes, hoping they might trigger something later.
"I had a decent haul. Fire works wonders against Frost Giants."
Summer Night Autumn Rain's body radiated smoky heat, faint red scales visible on her face. Clearly, she had just used her draconic bloodline to cast spells. She was reportedly part of a fire mage player guild, "The Church of Five Fireballs", filled with fireball fanatics awaiting the game's launch to spam their favorite spell.
Born Battle Maniac rubbed his bald head with a sheepish grin. "Autumn Rain, your methods are getting brutal. I was grappling a Frost Giant when you cast a fire spell. Almost roasted me along with it."
Summer Night Autumn Rain blushed slightly, protesting, "Well, you didn't die, did you?"
The professional team, once jokingly called the "Black Slave Quartet," had reunited.
Mantou was the first to propose, "Since the beta's almost over, and we're all here, how about we team up and explore the Karkar Mountains? Maybe we'll stumble upon some artifacts."
Singo rubbed his chin, considering briefly before agreeing. "Sure."
Born Battle Maniac wiped his shiny head and grinned. "I'm in too."