Child of Destiny

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The day of the start of the Plagued Lands came a little too suddenly as the players, who were trying to scout the location of the event were still in the middle of their tasks when the system suddenly announced that the event was already starting.

It was somewhat confusing since it was said that the army of the Righteous Churches was supposed to lead the players and solidify the defenses of the outposts that had been set up ahead of time.

The regional announcement came a little too sudden, making those who were still in the middle of preparations unable to react in time. Both the independent individuals and those from the elite groups and top guilds were somewhat late due to the sudden announcement.

As for the players who were still scouting the area, they had gotten a little off guard due to the sudden increase of the Plagued Monsters within the region, which made it hard for them to continue advancing.

Some even failed to come back in time and were forced to use their precious return scrolls in the middle of the Plagued Lands since their protective talismans were starting to lose their effects.

They had been trapped within the Plagued Lands as the Plagued Monsters started to spawn one after another.

If they did not escape as soon as possible, then they would most likely die and turn into a plagued monster themselves.

As for those, who had been training in the region and treating the place as a regular hunting ground, such a change was more than welcome.

They were somewhat disappointed that their efficiency when hunting was a little lackluster due to the limited number of Plagued Monsters. But since the event had already been started fully, these experts started getting more active and hunted as many Plagued Monsters as possible.

After all, the system had just announced that for every Plagued Monster they killed, a corresponding event point would be rewarded depending on the rank and powers of those that they had hunted.

They saved their thoughts about the event shops set up in the safety post right at the border of the Plagued and waited until they had accumulated enough points before exchanging for something that would catch their eyes.

Unlike those who were struggling to survive in this region, these experts started showcasing their hunger and slaughtered all the Plagued Monsters they encountered.

Even though most of the Plagued Monsters they met along the way were only at common rank, the numbers were still quite overwhelming, making it quite challenging.

There were also those elite ones, which were more troublesome to deal with, so they either tried to avoid fighting those in a frontal confrontation or ran away depending on the situation.

Only those who were the most skilled and powerful compared to the others could contend against these Elite Plagued Monsters on an equal footing. But even they would have to avoid meeting anything stronger than these monsters.

Right after the regional announcement was released, things at Divinity City became a little busier, especially due to the movements of the top guilds and larger organizations.

Not only there was a direct competition, but there were also hidden plots lying around in the dark as they were backstabbing each other to gain as much advantage as they could over their rivals.

They were all doing their best to hinder the progress of their competitors while also making sure to earn as many event points as they could.

They wanted to monopolize the top 100 spots on the ranking board that would be displayed after a certain period during the event.

The prestige that they would be getting just by showcasing the names of their guild members in the leaderboard was not small. After all, this was the Awakened Continent, which was still hard to reach for most of the player base of the game.

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As this news spread, most of the players who were paying attention to any kind of news about the Awakened Continent immediately saw the details of the event once someone posted it online.

The different online platforms were also spreading the news further, making it as sensational as the war between the two major factions at the Dark Cloud Kingdom.

The news about the two biggest events within the game spread like wildfire in the forest. The players went crazy after seeing the familiar and famous names appearing one after another, particularly those with a lot of prestige and influence within the virtual world.

Even though there were not many names that appeared from the Awakened Continent, every one of them would cause a ripple in different online platforms, especially when this could be a prelude or a teaser for the upcoming elimination rounds of the ongoing United Cup.

The names that appeared in both in-game events were also those who were the favorites to win the United Cup.

Some of these top players were also clashing against one another, making the people go crazier whenever they saw the battle clips from both sides.

The competition was so intense that these big names started to appear more frequently than expected.

Multiple sides also clashed, particularly those teams from the top guilds and large organizations within the game.

What excited the players more were the battles between famous Godlike Players and Maverick Gods.

The battle clips that were released by the Empyrean Talons on their page were already one of the most trending topics right now, but these collisions between the titans of the game were another thing altogether, especially when most of them were old-time rivals.

The most recent and hottest topic right now was about the clash between Hydra Guild and Dragon Pavilion, these archrivals, at the Plagued Lands.

The battle between the two sides caused a huge commotion. Not even the surrounding guilds who were planning to create some trouble and fish some benefits from troubled waters were unable to do anything.

They could not step in even until the battle continued for quite a while as the members of these two Powerhouse Guilds showcased their powers, making the onlookers greatly discouraged.

Following their lead, more and more collisions between the hegemonic groups started to appear one after another – just like the Titan Guild and Blood Carnival, Purple Crows and Death Knell, and Assassin Union and Black Skulls.

Such old rivalries between guilds, adventurer teams, mercenary groups, and different organizations were awakened once again as the competition in the Plagued Lands grew more intense.

That was when the situation within the Plagued Lands became more complicated.

But the ones who were benefiting the most from these situations were the so-called 'professionals' when it came to taking advantage of people, particularly during 'war' – the merchants.

While everyone was busy competing for supremacy over the Plagued Lands, the people of the Hand of Midas were doing their things.

Some of the chiefs that Shiella had brought to the Awakened Continent focused more on improving the level of their respective professions.

Moreover, they continuously produced the guild's signature products, which the firm sold to these big guilds through different channels.

As a merchant guild, they focused more on 'supplying' these guilds with their products rather than competing with them.

But the thing that they had hidden from the rest of the guilds and organizations that were keeping an eye on them was the fact that they had already started exploring most of the places that the players could access in the Divine Empire.

Shiella had already issued a command to her people to scatter in different parts of the Divine Empire and even invested quite a lot of gold just to send them to different NPC Cities using the teleportation hall of the Divinity City.

Fortunately, Shin and the others had quite a reputation within the city, giving them some special privileges.

Since Shin regularly gave Shiella a lot of work to do whenever she was 'free', she took advantage of their privileges and even used them to the fullest.

At this very moment, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Hand of Midas was the one with the most access to different channels of the empire.

Even if they were barely able to hang on due to their pockets constantly bleeding, Shiella persisted, as they were also gaining access to unique resources from different cities.

At the same time, the current event that most of the top powers within the Divinity City was a great opportunity for them to earn more fortune.

These guilds and organizations had no choice but to buy their products since they were the only ones who could provide everyone with such high quality yet 'affordable' equipment and special items in this place.

They could also choose the things that the shops in Divinity City sold. However, the cost was something that they could not afford with their current financial powers and resources.

In the end, while everyone was busy competing with one another, the Hand of Midas was the one who earned and benefited the most.

The top guilds were fully aware of this, but they could not do anything about it since it would risk them their only source of 'affordable' supplies.

All they could do was curse secretly while Shiella and her guild enjoyed the constant flow of money.

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