After the onset of war, the Grierus Alliance breathed easier.
The hoped-for miracle had not occurred.
With a fighting capacity of 47,500 against a mere 5,000, the comparison was stark. The Grierus Alliance held a commanding lead, steadily increasing their advantage over Beginner Village.
"Boss Joseph is a master strategist, securing victory from a thousand miles away. The gap between us and Beginner Village will only continue to grow. In two hours, victory will surely be ours!"
"Grierus remains the global hegemon, incomparable to the primitive and savage Jutrela. While Boss Joseph may not match Guangcheng in raw power, he far surpasses him in intellect."
"After all, it's the mind that triumphs in human competition. Mere brawn is worthless. Guangcheng is nothing but a brute, while our Boss Joseph is the true sovereign."
Joseph reveled in the adulation of the Grierus Alliance. Since they couldn't laud his fighting capacity due to the vast disparity, they extolled the virtues of his intellect instead.
In their narrative, Chen Guo was reduced to a mere brute, all brawn and no brains.
Joseph, however, was elevated to a sage, a figure of Zhuge Liang-like cunning, almost supernaturally wise, orchestrating victory from afar, nearly divine in his machinations.
Praising Grierus and disparaging Jutrela was old hat for them, a well-trodden path.
Joseph couldn't hide his smugness, laughing heartily, "Naturally, Grierus dominates the world outside, ruling over all. Here, we shall maintain that dominance! By aligning with the Grierus Alliance, endless benefits await you!"
The crowd was quick to offer more flattery.
Joseph's eyes then settled on the twelve young women behind him, the girl group bestowed upon him, stirring a tidal wave of excitement within him, invigorating his entire being.
In the outside world, his high status notwithstanding, such improprieties with twelve beauties were out of the question, let alone treating them as playthings or slaves. But here, such fantasies could be realized.
While he couldn't whisk away the twelve beauties just yet, he was certain that in the future, he'd find a way to connect with other Beginner Villages. These ladies were like ducks already simmering in his pot—there was no way they'd escape.
"These folks may be shameless, but they sure know how to ingratiate themselves," Joseph mused with a self-satisfied chuckle.
...
As the Grierus Alliance members basked in their triumph, something seemed amiss to the residents of Beginner Village 926. Chen Guo had been soaring back and forth in the sky without engaging in combat.
Despite their best efforts and utilizing all their might to slay monsters, they were still lagging behind the Grierus Alliance's pace.
It was expected for the Grierus Alliance to be ahead, but Chen Guo's lack of action—merely flying about—was highly unusual and left everyone feeling bewildered.
"Why isn't Boss Guangcheng taking action?"
"Yeah, what's holding Boss Guangcheng back?"
"We're all waiting for Boss Guangcheng to step in. What's he doing up there, just flying around? Ten minutes have passed. If Boss Guangcheng doesn't act soon, the gap with the Grierus Alliance will only widen, making it increasingly difficult to bridge!"
The trial challengers from Beginner Village 926, while confident in Chen Guo, couldn't help but grow anxious as the situation turned more dire.
Zhou Tao found himself compelled to deploy his newly acquired skill, "Feather of Elena," and ascended slowly into the sky.
At this stage, the ability to fly was exceedingly rare. During Chen Guo's professional quests, very few trial challengers had the capability to take flight. Even those who had successfully transitioned to a new class often lacked the ability to fly.
Out of the 5000 trial challengers in Beginner Village 926, only a select few could take to the skies, and none could navigate the air with the ease and grace of Chen Guo.
Zhou Tao was among the rare few in Beginner Village 926 who could fly. His skill, "Feather of Elena," allowed him to sprout magical wings and fly, albeit slowly, for a minute. Though it was termed flying, it was in reality more akin to rudimentary gliding.
Certainly, despite its lackluster performance, the ability to fly was still an object of envy among many trial challengers. After all, flying was incredibly useful.
What if, for instance, you found yourself encircled by a horde of monsters?
Simply fly away!
At this stage, most monsters couldn't fly, but trial challengers who could were naturally in an invincible position.
Moreover, flying enabled them to reconnoiter the landscape and monster distribution from above, allowing them to select advantageous terrain for their encounters.
The advantages were numerous.
In that moment, Zhou Tao leisurely made his way through the air to Chen Guo's side.
"Boss Guangcheng, we're significantly trailing in points. Why haven't you made a move yet?" Zhou Tao inquired.
Chen Guo replied, "I was assessing the concentration of monsters and tracking their movements. To know your enemy as well as yourself ensures victory in every battle. We're ready to strike now, rest assured. The Grierus Alliance may be ahead for the moment, but we'll soon overtake them."
"Alright, I'll leave it to your expertise!" Zhou Tao said, drifting slowly back to the ground. His flight time was too limited to risk frivolous aerial antics; failing to land before time ran out would be anything but graceful, even if it didn't result in a fatal crash.
Chen Guo approached the epicenter of the monster swarm.
Below was a tightly packed mass of creatures that seemed to be glued together.
Chen Guo then commenced his buffing ritual.
"Heavenly Astral Battle Aura!"
"Immortal Wind Cloud Body Technique!"
"Immortal Drunken Moon Steps!"
"Ancestral Spirit, lend me your strength!"
After applying every buff he could, Chen Guo gauged that his temporary fighting capacity had at least doubled.
He then unleashed his arsenal of skills.
"Ten Thousand Swords Technique!"
"Sword God!"
"Divine Fire!"
"Singularity of the Sword!"
A barrage of wide-ranging skills rained down upon the monsters, causing instant widespread death and injury. Unlike others who took down monsters one by one, Chen Guo's method was to annihilate them en masse.
Even the smallest area covered by the Ten Thousand Swords Technique was equivalent to the space of a three-bedroom apartment.
A cascade of notifications dominated the team's chat.
"Heavenly Walker? Slain a level 20 demon, earning 200 points!"
"Heavenly Walker? Slays a level 20 demon, earning 200 points!"
"Heavenly Walker? Slays a level 20 demon, earning 200 points!"
Notification after notification popped up, but before anyone could even register them, Chen Guo's achievements had already eclipsed them. Chen Guo's solo kill rate had outpaced the combined efforts of 20 entire Beginner Villages.
The points for Beginner Village #996 were skyrocketing, and in a mere two minutes, they had closed the gap with the Grierus Alliance.
At that moment, the Grierus Alliance's score stood at 124,633.
Beginner Village #996 had reached a total of 124,477 points!
In just two minutes, Chen Guo had managed to eliminate the Grierus Alliance's substantial lead.