In an instant, the entire guild of Heavens Hall was thrown into an uproar.
As every member received the 10 trillion units of energy gifted by Zhang Yue, they all logged in one after another, wielding this nearly "infinite" energy to push their gear to the limit, refining equipment and upgrading skills from their lists.
With resources overflowing, they had not even a trace of hesitation or stinginess.
Every single piece of equipment, reforged in one click to gold attributes.
Every single skill, max-leveled in one click to the current Tier 4 peak: SSS-rank.
This news spread almost immediately to the neighboring guilds.
From one guild to ten, ten to a hundred, it soon became a sensational headline known to everyone.
["Heard that the Heavens Hall's president went big again, gifting each guild member 10 trillion energy!"]
["How much?? 10 trillion?? Holy crap???"]
["Each person gets 10 trillion energy? Damn, that's insane! Doesn't that mean everyone's got full gold equipment and top-tier skills? Holy damn! My best daily grind only nets me eighty million energy a day, how many lifetimes would it take me to reach 10 trillion? That's way too generous!"]
["Come on, it's the president of Heavens Hall we're talking about, the Necromancer Zero! Our Dragon Nation's living legend! The future number one powerhouse of the Otherworld!"]
["Damn it! My stingy guild master pays a base salary of 2,500, and today he even scolded me for logging in a minute late. Almost lost my 200 attendance bonus! Screw this, I'm quitting! Does Heavens Hall still have openings?"]
["Forget it. That guild's got a thousand members, and over 90% are elite-class professionals. Every member was handpicked. If you don't have the ability, better not embarrass yourself!"]
["Then can't I just do grunt work? I heard even the cleaning auntie in their guild earns a monthly salary starting from 30,000? Can I apply for that position? If they only hire aunties, I can wear a maid outfit…"]
The commotion grew so large, it even spread internationally.
People across different countries began heated discussions online.
["I heard Dragon Nation's gathering its forces to march into the World 28. To do that, the Necromancer personally spent a fortune, distributing 10 trillion energy to every guild member using a special treasure?"]
["What? 10 trillion? Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"]
["Isn't the World 28 the one where that beast codenamed [Larva] appeared? I heard someone from Dragon Nation was captured by it, they must be going to rescue them!"]
["To mobilize an entire guild for a single member's rescue? Didn't expect Necromancer Zero to be not only strong and strategic but also loyal and righteous!"]
["But one of the Top Ten Beasts isn't easy to deal with. Without Zero himself taking action, even if they're strong, could they really handle [Larva]?"]
["They're all Necromancer's subordinates, the new ace professionals of Dragon Nation. Whether they can win or not, that's hard to say! Let's head to the World 28 and watch the show!"]
At the same time, some ill-intentioned people, those who had always held resentment or ambitions toward Dragon Nation, started gloating.
["Heard that even Zero himself got beaten back by the Emperor, one of the Top Ten Beasts, in the World 45. And his guild members think they can handle [Larva]?"]
["They're just going to deliver food to it. Sit back and enjoy the show. Those arrogant fools will all become Larva's prey!"]
["Hope that thing wipes out every one of those Dragon Nation monkeys!"]
———
[World 28, Dark Wormhole]
[Death Territory]
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Through a forested area, a large group of professionals sped across the terrain.
Each bore the same red five-star national emblem above their heads, and their guild prefix all read Heavens Hall.
Every one of them had reached the world's level cap, Level 155.
Fully geared, brimming with power.
Wherever they passed, their presence was overwhelming.
The Death Territory was a shared region among all nations.
Along the open roads, many professionals from other countries who were hunting monsters or doing missions quickly made way of their own accord.
"So these are the people of Heavens Hall, led by Dragon Nation's Necromancer Zero?"
"What an intense aura! Just passing by, I can feel a crushing pressure! We're all level 150+ Tier 4 professionals, but why's the gap so massive…"
"Tch, look at their gear, those shines, those effects, all top-level enhancements! Plus, they got 10 trillion energy from Necromancer himself. Their skills must all be SSS-rank. How can we compare when we barely have SS-rank ones?"
"You're overestimating me, bro. All my skills are still A-rank, and my equipment's just green-refined. Damn, grinding energy in this world is harder than eating crap! I envy them, they've got a hell of a leader!"
"A good leader is one thing, but they earned it. That presence of theirs, it's not something you can buy with energy alone. They've clearly built real power as their foundation. Ordinary people can't reach that level."
"Heard that the beast called Larva is active on the Worm Nest map. Judging by this formation, they must be heading there to slay it and rescue their teammates!"
"That exciting, huh? Come on, let's follow them and watch! Let's see for ourselves how strong Dragon Nation's elite army really is! If they can kill Larva, that'll be amazing!"
And so, countless bystanders and professionals couldn't help but follow behind Heavens Hall, rushing together toward the Worm Nest.
———
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
[Death Territory Wild Zone Map, Level 155 Worm Nest]
Inside a dark, damp cavern tunnel, Ning Tiantian, One Night Stand, and three other Heavens Hall members were bound tightly to five ancient stone pillars.
Around them crawled countless venomous scorpions.
Roar! Roar!
Clang! Clang!
The echoes of hissing and metal pincers clashing rang through the entire nest.
Those sounds made One Night Stand and the others, tied up there, feel their throats go dry and their backs go cold.
Facing the swarming bugs all around, cold sweat ran down their foreheads.
The scorpions clearly had the urge to devour these humans.
But restrained by some higher command, they dared not make any rash move against Ning Tiantian and the others, merely keeping watch over them.
The entire worm nest, layer after layer, was filled with poisonous insects of every kind.
Normally, the monster density in a wild zone wouldn't be anywhere near this high, nor would they be so neatly arranged.
One glance, and it was obvious, this was a trap.
And the ones tied to the stone pillars were bait, a lure to fish for rescuers.
Aside from the sounds of the insects, the silence was suffocating.
It made Ning Tiantian, One Night Stand, and the others even more panicked.
A young assassin tied to the same pillar as One Night Stand cried out, "Brother Qing, why isn't anyone coming to save us? Are we gonna die here?"
"Don't say crap like that! The fortune teller once told me I'd live to ninety-five. I ain't dying today!"
"Brother Qing, I've never even been in a relationship yet… I'm still young, I don't wanna die!"
"Then shout!"
"Shout what?"
One Night Stand cleared his throat.
The next second, he yelled at the top of his lungs—
"HELP!!!"