The imp rolled its eyes. "You don't even understand that? How stupid."
"Think of the whole village as having 100 points. Whenever a building gets chipped, destroyed, or damaged in any way, you lose points. The more severe the damage, the more points you lose."
Another voice came up from the crowd. "Can we repair the village?"
Impish responded with a nod. "Yes, you can either use group points to repair it instantly, or you can choose to do it manually. Keep in mind that your score and rank will be recalculated at the start of each day."
The young man who had spoken earlier pressed on with his inquiries. "What's the purpose of the ranking? Are there any rewards tied to it?"
The imp shook its head, a mischievous grin spreading across its face.
"No, there's no direct reward. But it makes things more interesting, doesn't it? Don't you Humans love to compare and rank themselves against others. Kekekeke,"
The young man with a spear than asked. "How many monsters are we expected to face?"
Impish looked amused. "Haven't you ever played wave defense games? Like 'Orcs Must Die' or something similar?" it asked with a sly grin.
The young man nodded. "So, we're to face a horde of them? What types of monsters will we be up against?"
Impish let out a mischievous Laugh "kekeke."
"You'll find out tonight. As for the type of monster, let me give you a little hint — it's goblins."
"Good luck to everyone, and remember, the Imagin is also watching."
With those cryptic words, the imp vanished, consumed by a burst of flames.
Almost immediately, notifications began popping up.
[The lightning Chu enter earth room - 666]
[The limit Breaker enter earth room - 666]
[Eat to be Stronger enter ….]
[The Loli God enter ….]
[Martial God enter…]
[The Ball Crusher enters…]
[…]
[Total Imagin viewer: 15; God viewer: 0]
[12:00:00]
Above them, a countdown timer materialized in the sky.
A sense of urgency swept through the crowd, prompting one of them to step forward.
"Everyone, listen up! We need to cooperate. There are only thirty of us here. We must gather resources, fortify the village, and organize shifts for rest and watch."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the group, but a critical question quickly followed it. "And who will lead us?"
At that moment, a man with fiery red hair and a sharp demeanor moved forward from his trio.
He opened his palm, and a flame sprang to life within it, drawing the eyes of every survivor to its fiery light.
"I will lead us," the red-haired man declared.
Then, A bulky man stepped forward from the crowd. "You think you're the only mutant among us?" he retorted.
As he spoke, he raised his arm, which transformed into a beast's hand. Dust and small particles of earth began swirling around it, creating a small vortex of debris.
Then, with a sudden force that took everyone by surprise, the ground erupted.
A muscular woman had struck the earth with such power that a shockwave rippled through the vicinity.
"What are you debating about?"
"We should group the strongest together and let the rest follow our instructions. That's our best chance."
The crowd reacted with a mix of murmurs and nods, though many still kept their distance.
The muscular woman then says. "My name is Aphelia, before the apocalypse, I served in the military, so I'm no stranger to situations like these."
"Believe me when I say our survival hinges on cooperation. Don't be fooled by the reward to turn against each other; that is a trap designed to keep us on edge."
As Aphelia delivered her speech, Faust observed her.
'So, the mutations have already begun...'
His eyes swept over the crowd. 'Most of them still appear normal. But it's only a matter of time unless the system intervenes in some way. "
"And they're calling it mutant - I always thought awakened would be a more fitting name.'
Faust's eyes momentarily fixed on the countdown timer. 'Now, how should I approach this quest...'
His gaze then shifted back to Aphelia. 'Let's just observe for now.'
Meanwhile, Aphelia's voice rang out,. "So, does anyone object to us taking the lead?"
A hush fell over the crowd, the silence stretching out until it was finally broken by a young man armed with a spear.
"My name is Nex, I don't care who leads, but I'm heading out to gather some food."
He gestured to the woman beside him, who clutched a book against her chest. "She is Leslie. She'll go with me."
Aphelia's attention shifted to Nex. "You mentioned 'Orcs Must Die' earlier. What exactly is that? Could you explain it to us?"
Nex glanced around at the gathered crowd, a hint of surprise on his face. "Has no one here played games before?"
The bulky man, his arms still bearing the semblance of beast-like strength, interjected gruffly, "Just answer the question, kid."
Nex shrugged. "Basically, it's a game similar to our current situation. When the enemy waves come, they start with 40 enemies per person. "
"So, if this quest is anything like that, we're looking at facing around 1200 goblins, give or take."
The crowd began to murmur among themselves.
"Better start doing something rather than wasting time in this stupid power play," Nex said, turning to walk away, with Leslie following behind him.
Aphelia, however, called out. "Wait! We should first organize and divide tasks based on what each of us can do best."
The red-haired man, who had been eyeing the departing Leslie, flashed a smile in her direction. "Sure, go ahead with the hunt,"
"But why bring along a frail lady like her? Leave her in my care."
Nex lifted his spear, pointing it directly at the red-haired man.
"I don't care who you are. Try to something on her, and we'll fight to death."
The red-haired man turned his gaze towards Aphelia, still smiling. "See? We're all survivors here, not just some civilians. If you want to lead, you'll have to beat them up."
Aphelia's response was swift, her eyes sharp.
"And what does that have to do with you asking for the woman to stay behind? Control your desires, or I'll cut your balls myself."