The Azure Sea Map.
Although everyone was immersed in the ocean, the mysterious elemental power flowing in this area didn’t cause the usual suffocation when submerged. The only noticeable effect seemed to be the ongoing debuff affecting the players—a deceleration effect triggering every two seconds, making movement quite uncomfortable for everyone.
Another discomfort was the attributes of the creatures in this map.
Schools of fish occasionally darted out from the coral reefs. Some peaceful ones would ignore the contestants upon contact, while more aggressive ones like the man-eating sharks attacked upon approaching a certain distance.
There’s an idiom: “Like a fish in water.”
The sea creatures that naturally inhabited this map seemed unaffected by any changes. On the contrary, they moved freely in this domain, as if it were their own territory.
Their high agility aside, due to the surrounding aquatic environment, these fish appeared no different from being “skyborne” in the players’ field of view.
In previous matches, there had never been such a map type. Even the previous Undersea City event was merely an underwater area suitable for human habitation.
In this scenario, not only were the spectators interested, but even the professional gods who were constantly involved in Century Cup events were captivated.
“What’s your take on this?” Mad Stomp couldn’t help but lean slightly and ask his old partner beside him.
Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands’s gaze remained fixed on the arena. Though somewhat surprised, considering recent information received, their attitude remained calm: “It seems the previous leaks were accurate. Since the league’s inception, the Genesis officials seem eager for ‘change‘. Launching such a map suddenly during Nianhua Cup final seems like a kind of test. It appears to be an early indication for the next Century Cup.”
“Exactly. First, an underwater map, who knows what’s next,” Mad Stomp lamented, foreseeing possible bizarre gaming environments in the future. “Let’s not worry about what’s to come. With the current situation of this map, do you have any other thoughts?”
“Not being on the field, it’s hard to say,” Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands replied. “But it’s definitely tricky. Historically, the contention for the four bosses has always been the top priority. They generally wouldn’t divert focus to deal with these minor creatures. However, in this map… if these creatures are completely ignored, the loss might be substantial.”
“You’re right,” Mad Stomp rubbed his hair vigorously, clicking his tongue. “A tough situation indeed.”
As Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands mentioned, if this map was a test by Genesis for gaming reforms, then the large quantity of fish was undeniably the greatest innovation, significantly reducing the importance of the four major bosses.
Shortly after the match began, observing through the God’s Eye, it was evident that the four top teams on the field were facing challenges regarding their choices.
The issue was that although the minor creatures had fewer points, their numbers were overwhelming!
Moreover, these fish seemed to be everywhere. Regardless of the players’ intentions to focus on boss contention, they couldn’t simply bypass them.
The official commentator Taozi, observing various attempts to break through the schools of fish on the field, expressed in awe, “This situation… it seems before the boss contention erupts today, there needs to be an initial outburst. You can see that the Cleverly Happy Guild team has retreated directly to substitute a short-range cannon for the archer. Seems like there’s quite a pressure on the damage output.”
“So many of them, only area damage works,” Mimi chuckled. “In a situation like this, where resurrecting a player requires the entire team’s escort, it’s a first in history.”
“But what else can be done!” Taozi seized the chance to analyze the map’s situation. “Look, although these fish seem fragile, their sheer numbers have a significant impact. Not to mention archers, who excel against individuals; even with a heavy-hitting cannon on the field, if it’s far from the main team’s location, joining the group smoothly might not be feasible. If they want to substitute players in this map without collectively returning, it seems practically impossible!”
“Thus, if the upcoming battlefield is far from any team’s initial revival point, it will be particularly disadvantageous for them,” Mimi hinted, raising a point, “But it seems some teams haven’t chosen this group-clearing tactic.”
Taozi cleared his throat, seemingly having more to say but, considering their prior embarrassing experience, simply added quickly, “Tactical choices vary; let’s respect and wish them well.”
His words instantly provoked laughter among the audience.
Though the commentators didn’t name anyone directly, everyone knew whom they were referring to.
Because apart from the other three guilds actively clearing the fish, the Seven Silver Coins, with only a solitary point so far, stood out conspicuously.
Even that lone point was the result of Deep Well Ice Player’s itchy hands roasting a fish at the scene.
Could the result be because the Seven Silver Coins had an extraordinarily smooth journey without encountering any enemies?
Absolutely not!
Without even entering the Seven Silver Coins’ main perspective broadcast, even the live God’s perspective on-site could clearly capture the increasingly spectacular scene in a corner of the arena.
From the initial group to now more than ten groups.
Because they completely ignored these schools of fish, behind the sprinting figures of the Seven Silver Coins’ group was a vast chase of fish schools. And with the ongoing encounters along the way, the number of these fish schools continued to expand.
Their ferocity was comparable to a tsunami.
[“These… If we slow down a bit, won’t these fish gnaw us to the bone directly?”]
[“Are we really not clearing them? Looking at this situation, it seems impossible to shake them off.”]
[“The Seven Silver Coins are amazing to kite these monsters. I’m speechless after that. Even with so many monsters, they’re still alive. It’s all thanks to the support player, PoisonedMilk.”]
[“I’m really curious how they can precisely control the distance between the monsters and their team. If I had such a support following me, I’d survive on the field too!”]
[“There’s something I’ve been wanting to say, Brother Milk, hugging, and give birth to baby support!”]
[“Does Seven Silver Coins have a leader? Are they still looking for bosses in this mess? Even if they find them, how can they fight with these monsters? Just handing their heads over?”]
[“Regardless of handling these fish, other teams are clearing the mobs and pulling ahead in points. Oh man, this is worrying!”]
[“Getting too comfortable upfront, 6666, this might lead to a disaster in the finals.”]
In the main perspective’s live broadcast room, the barrage of comments continued to roll.
Just when the whole picture was about to be overshadowed by questioning remarks, Jiang Shi’s voice was heard from the team’s voice channel: “Wow, nice, found another one!”
What, they really found it?
Though the word “another” was used subtly, the netizens’ immediate reaction was that the Seven Silver Coins encountered a boss.
And the next moment, they saw a group of ferocious piranhas from the camera.
Jiang Shi’s previous words were still echoing, and with a turn of his cross, he used an area-of-effect skill with relatively limited damage.
The next moment, the aggression of the group of piranhas that had just been spotted was attracted, rushing towards them with bared teeth.
Netizens: ?
Are you guys okay? You actually attracted more monsters?
Is it because you thought the chase behind wasn’t enough, or you worried you wouldn’t die fast enough later!?
The members of the Seven Silver Coins appeared quite composed.
As if hearing the thoughts of the netizens, Han Yuze smiled and asked, “Enough or need more?”
Jiang Shi glanced at the massive lineup behind him, used a slowing field to control the distance between these fish schools and them, pondered for a moment, and replied, “It’s okay for now, but let’s see, encountering is bringing them along anyway.”
Han Yuze agreed, “Sure.”
As the conversation between the two echoed in the voice channel, nobody noticed that the usually silent Deep Well Ice Player seemed even more silent today.
Previously, at most, he didn’t use a mic, occasionally speaking a sentence or two in the team channel. However, today’s Deep Well Ice Player, since entering this “fish farming business,” had not raised his head even once.
He silently followed the team, occasionally looking back at the majestic sight behind.
With an assistant like Jiang Shi, who was precise in controlling the field, there was no need to worry about the team’s safety with Deep Well Ice Player’s pure output. The reason for his frequent glances back was merely an indistinct recollection of some unpleasant memories—starting village, return quest, ham chicken.
the trauma 😭😂 honestly i’m thinking about that return quest with chicken too.
i kinda understand their tactics tbh. smart for using it rather than grabbing one by one to get points.
Hahaha, the chickens were so cute! Thank you for the chapter!