My Players Are So Fierce

Chapter 244:

Murphy and Maxim, the current military commander of his territory, worked together to plan the next steps for eradicating the gnolls. He had previously received support from the reserve knights of the Blood Pact Knights regiment, but in his and Maxim’s calculations, these forces were still far from enough to directly engage the gnolls in battle.

Therefore, they could only choose to deal with the warlord Kenport through surprise attacks.

Currently, the high-level forces of the Crimson Citadel have gathered, however, Murphy still needs some elite troops who can shoulder the main responsibilities in the upcoming stealth warfare.

The 500 new recruits from the first recruitment of the Kadman People’s Army under Maxim’s command are still in training. Murphy plans to give them another 10 days to complete their formal preparation.

Apart from these professional soldiers, he has another important force under his command that cannot be ignored.

Witch Hunter!

To be precise, the Adventurer’s Guild.

When Guildmaster Natalie, who was busy selecting talented youths to join the Adventurer’s Guild and building the framework of the new organization, received Murphy’s summons, she had already guessed the task they would be shouldering next.

Therefore, when she saw Murphy strolling along the ruined walls patched with Astral Realm shadows to the camp, Natalie submitted a form she had just finished compiling.

Murphy took it in hand and glanced at it, immediately raising his eyebrows.

“600 people, that’s a lot? When you attacked the Circle Tower before, you could only mobilize 500 people.”

He asked puzzledly:

“I know you want to show your sense of responsibility towards Transia, to better integrate into this place you now call ‘holy land’. But considering you only have about 1,000 people in total now, isn’t such a large-scale corvée a bit too much?

I don’t want to see the Witch Hunters who have submitted to me being forced to rebel again.”

“You’re thinking a bit too negatively, Lord Murphy. We Witch Hunters are all soldiers,” explained Natalie, who had been jokingly called “Black-Hearted Witch Hunter” by players due to her harsh pricing of Computation Bead plugins.

“It’s certainly not feasible to send our old, weak, sick, and disabled to deal with Spirit Knights and Spirit Mages, but if the opponents are just gnolls, even those teenage new recruits in Morland Village now won’t be afraid.

In fact, in the old church system, the most common enemies faced by a reserve Witch Hunter were pests like gnolls and kobolds that plague the continent. Occasionally, they also had to deal with more troublesome foes like the wave fish people on the coast and goatman sorcerers hiding in dark areas.

My people certainly can’t lead the charge, that’s not our way of fighting.

But if it’s just reconnaissance and hunting, we absolutely have no problems.

The gnoll plague on this land is indeed quite serious. If eliminating them can allow my people to enjoy a peaceful life and prepare for the arrival of the Black Disaster, we definitely won’t hold back!

More importantly, even if you pity us now and refuse to let us participate in the battle, once the Black Disaster truly takes shape, we still can’t escape the fate we must bear. So we might as well prepare for battle starting now.”

“Hmm, that does make sense. I’m increasingly feeling that bringing you into Transia was a genius idea. You’re just as martial and fearless as the Spartans of Transia,” Murphy nodded, handing the list back to Natalie, saying:

“Then select 300 people as elites to form a fast-moving hunter reconnaissance team.

The rest will serve as instructors, distributed to forward camps and our collective farms, to help Miriam train the militias in various places, as well as those subjects who have already arrived at the collective farms ready to start their new lives.

If things don’t go smoothly, they might also have to take up arms to defend their homes.

I’ve already spoken with Miriam, forming a militia will become one of Transia’s new regulations. In the future, every village will have to spend a certain amount of time each year on militia training.

I plan to permanently entrust this task to you, after all, for militias, the most threatening things they usually have to deal with won’t exceed ghouls and wraiths, which is precisely your area of expertise.”

“We have no problem with that,” Guildmaster Natalie nodded solemnly.

She clearly doesn’t see combat as a burden.

The Witch Hunters who have survived until now and followed her to migrate to Transia also wouldn’t view sleeping with weapons as an unfamiliar experience.

Over the years, they’ve had enough of the kind of life where they couldn’t survive without fighting, and they don’t mind taking up arms again when necessary to protect their new home that has finally accepted them.

Then, Natalie brought up another matter.

She pointed to several newly erected tents on the outskirts of the Adventurer’s Guild camp, saying:

“Old Eugene and his disciples went back to Morland Village a few days ago and sorted through the supplies we brought back from the Pioneer Fortress. As you previously instructed, several hundred sets of gear and weapons specifically for Witch Hunters and Oak Apprentices have now been organized.

You can take them back to your quartermaster now.

These past few days, your warriors have been coming to ask us when we’ll open the ‘equipment exchange’. Although I still can’t understand their extreme desire for equipment, perhaps this can settle one of their concerns.”

Natalie seemed to recall some interesting interactions between herself and some of the little players who had joined the Avalon Church. She smiled and continued:

“These leather armors and robes have been specially treated by our alchemists, providing some enhancement to nature spirit energy. Of course, you can’t expect us, being poor as we are, to make them too good.

But for beginners, they should be more than sufficient.”

“Let me see,” Murphy became interested.

He followed Natalie into the tent and opened a box first, taking out a piece of Witch Hunter armor to examine.

The quality and craftsmanship were undeniable. After all, the old church was an ancient religion with over 500 years of heritage, and it had its own system of simple yet distinctive aesthetic design in terms of armor style.

Murphy was very satisfied with what he saw.

This nature-friendly style could perfectly distinguish itself from the gloomy crimson style of the vampires, allowing the current two profession systems to achieve a clear distinction in appearance.

He put the armor back in the equipment box and picked up a classic-looking hunting knife, playing with it in his hand as he said to Natalie beside him:

“You have your own quartermasters, so there’s no need to put these weapons and equipment in my place for them to exchange. The Blood Vulture Halls already have a clear system for equipment exchange and recovery. Just have your quartermasters spend some time learning from us, and they can officially start work.

However, you need to find a way to get some of Avalon Church’s elite equipment, as well as high-level equipment to be exchanged for them in the future.”

Murphy reminded her:

“My warriors upgrade their equipment at a speed beyond your imagination, and they also have a certain hoarding tendency and collection addiction. If there isn’t a complete equipment system, it will cause you to fall behind the Blood Vulture Clan in terms of power, and even the newly established Blood Rat Gang.

This is extremely unfavorable for the future development of the Avalon Church.”

“Well…”

Natalie was a bit depressed.

She brushed her short hair, thought for a moment, and said:

“We didn’t bring that many blueprints when we escaped. In the old church, there were special church members responsible for storing these things, and there was even a special underground cave in the holy land of Glamo for storing various ancient armor and weapon blueprints.

But we can’t go back now.

However, I think in the Cato region, known for its excellent weaving skills, there should still be similar things in the southern cathedral of the Avalon Church that once stood there, and the quantity should be more than enough.

The Circle Tower’s destruction of churches in the Cato region was far less thorough than in other regions. Given the chaotic situation at the time, it’s unlikely that anyone would have specifically gone to the underground storage rooms to look for manufacturing blueprints.

So if we’re lucky, we should be able to retrieve some usable things from that place.

It looks like I’ll have to go to the Cato region myself in a while.”

She shook her head and said:

“Ordinary people can’t find where the southern cathedral hides things, but Grandma Marianne was one of the Witch Hunters responsible for protecting the southern cathedral before joining the White Oak Battalion. She was born there and must be very familiar with the place.”

“See, see, I told you to make good use of my warriors’ power, but your first reaction when encountering trouble is still to do it yourself,” Murphy shook his head, sighing as he reminded her:

“You can keep these blueprints as a piece of ‘hidden information’, divide the map and information of that southern cathedral into several parts, and give them to those warriors you trust the most. If you have enough leisure time, you can even make a puzzle for them to solve.

Trust me!

As long as you design it well enough and cleverly enough, those energetic fellows will actively go and bring back the resources you need, even without you actively proposing it.”

“But… but…”

Natalie wanted to argue.

But after thinking it over, she felt Murphy’s suggestion was indeed a good idea.

As the first batch of believers after the reconstruction of the Avalon Church, entrusting them with the task of retrieving “ancient heritage” was something even the most stubborn Old Eugene wouldn’t object to. This was the best way for believers to express their sincerity.

Moreover, as long as the warriors could find the underground storage room of the southern cathedral, she wouldn’t even need to prepare the troublesome “Quest Reward” for them.

Letting them freely scavenge in that abandoned place would allow them to be “self-sufficient.”

“Your warriors have such strange habits in this regard. They actively seek out troublesome tasks that others avoid,” Guildmaster Natalie could only shake her head helplessly and say:

“I can’t imagine their mental state, but you’re right. I still need to learn from you vampires in this aspect. Let’s do it after the gnoll war. I’ll share this information as a ‘hidden treasure’ with them.”

“You have many hidden treasures to share, Natalie. You should make good use of the knowledge in your mind,” Murphy continued to remind her:

“For example, the 150 replica sacred blades lost by the old church. What great material, what a great blueprint for hidden treasures. Now only 2 sacred blades have been recovered, which means you have 148 exclusive quest lines that can be created and distributed.

Tsk tsk, even a vampire like me is envious.

This is a huge and valuable wealth for you. You need to use this knowledge wisely.

If you use it well, the prosperity of the Avalon Church is just around the corner. 150 sacred blades mean 150 saints. I can’t even imagine how powerful they would be when gathered together.”

“Stop, stop, stop! You’re making my head explode,” Guildmaster Natalie waved her hands, rubbing her brow as she said:

“You have too many crazy ideas, Lord Murphy. I need to think about it. After all, using objects of faith as tools is something that requires self-persuasion for us devout believers.”

“I thought we had clarified these things in our last conversation,” Murphy snorted, folding his arms behind his back, and said:

“You are Avalon’s shepherds. At this stage, expanding the flock as much as possible is your main quest. We’ll talk about the rest later.

Be realistic, Natalie.

This does no harm to you or your faith.

Alright, gather your Witch Hunters. I’ll notify you before the formal action against Anderma Hills begins.”

“Mm-hmm.”

The Guildmaster of the Adventurer’s Guild nodded, watching Murphy leave along the wall.

She returned to her tent and took out a pair of replica sacred blades left to her by old Finoch, polishing and maintaining them in her hands. She played with these exquisite instruments of killing, looking at her eyes reflected in the blade.

At this moment, she once again realized that she was now the last leader of the Witch Hunters.

Just as her father had advised, she could no longer be satisfied with being just an outstanding warrior.

“Ah, shepherds and flocks, my God, would you be willing to see us being so practical and realistic?”

——

“Stop, stop, stop! That move is wrong. You guys go back and charge again! This time, act more fiercely, make your movements more exaggerated! Haven’t you all watched superhero movies? How do those guys look cool? You do the same.”

At noon, outside a small gnoll den on the edge of the Baron of Leim’s territory, a little player was waving his hands and shouting at the “actors” in front of him.

He kept adjusting these guys’ attack moves and even designed a few lines for them.

It was just like making a movie.

“Isn’t that nonsense? Superheroes can act cool because they won’t be taken down by minions, but we haven’t even passed the Black Iron Trial yet. If we’re not careful facing these gnolls, we might end up dead.

Under this kind of pressure, how can we be relaxed?”

The little players being directed were very unhappy.

They had been called over by this guy earlier, saying they were going to shoot a CG movie, which seemed interesting at first. But after several retakes, they became impatient.

They were all complaining.

The player named “Medical Insurance Warrior Great Sion” who was directing from a distance also had something to say.

He put his hands on his hips and retorted:

“This isn’t an unreasonable request. I’m just asking you to act normal, don’t be so exaggerated. I need to choose some impressive scenes for editing. Just tell me, don’t you want more brothers to play with? Once we finish this blockbuster, hey, I’ll upload it to a certain website.

Won’t that attract a lot of attention?

Besides, everyone needs something to remember when playing games. After I’m done, I’ll send it to everyone. When we’re old, won’t it be nice to dig it out and watch it to reminisce about our youth when we have nothing else to do?”

“I don’t even have time to finish watching all the Japanese teachers’ films every day, where would I find time to watch this crap of yours?”

The little player carrying a war spear grinned and said:

“We’ll play along with you for two or three more times at most. If it doesn’t work out, we’re quitting. We haven’t cleared our daily dungeons yet. I’m just two parts away from completing the veteran set. After that, I need to go to the Fight Club to pass the Black Iron Trial.”

“Alright, alright, let’s finish this quickly. How about we go clear dungeons together later?”

Great Sion looked helpless, coaxing his four team members like children.

They were all casual players who hadn’t joined any guilds but chose to play on their own. Their personalities matched, so they formed a fixed small team, clearing dungeons and doing quests every day, without much calculation or desire.

But the joy they gained was no less than that of Meow King and Brother Stick.

It can only be said that everyone’s understanding of happiness is really different.

“By the way…”

The guy who had just complained to Great Sion, with the ID “One Punch to Destroy the Galaxy,” carried his war spear and returned to the charge point with the other three brothers.

While preparing, he grumbled to the three people beside him:

“Since entering the game a week ago, I haven’t rewarded myself at all. My heart is completely on this damn game, and I can’t even think about that other stuff.

I haven’t even had time to watch the recent well-reviewed movies I downloaded. Every day at work, all I think about is how to get equipment and how to kill gnolls. And the most absurd thing is that because of going to bed and waking up early every day, my body and mind have actually gotten much better.

I feel like I’m both energetic and obsessed now.

Are you guys the same?”

“Huh?”

Another shorter but stocky brother named “Ruthless Horseshoe Crab” responded with a bitter face:

“I’m not like you. Although I also go to bed and wake up early, I’ve been preparing for pregnancy lately… you know? Ah! My legs are about to go soft.”

“Brother, you’ve had it tough!”

The other two guys showed mischievous expressions and teased:

“But I think you don’t know how lucky you are. Us single guys are so envious.”

“Bullshit!”

The flirtatious brother waved his fist fiercely and cursed:

“When you guys get to this age, you’ll understand. Sigh, even the most wonderful things can drive you crazy when they become work. Let’s not talk about it anymore, let’s finish this quickly and go clear dungeons.

I need to log off early today to go to the gym and work out a bit. If I don’t go soon, that membership card will expire. What a waste.”

“666”

“Brother, I think you’re showing off. Don’t expect us to save you later when you get kicked around by gnolls.”

“Are you all ready? Prepare to start shooting!”

Great Sion adjusted his angle from a distance and shouted:

“This time, take care of those few gnolls in front as well. Once you’re done, charge!”

“Charge!”

The flirtatious brother roared, swinging his one-handed hammer and shield as he charged out, as fierce as a mad tiger, as if wanting to vent all the depression and fatigue of recent times in one go.

Seeing him so brave, the other three brothers also howled and pounced out.

This momentum made Great Sion very satisfied, and he started running behind them.

But just a few minutes later…

“F**k! How did an elite monster spawn in this small den? Retreat, retreat! Regroup!”

“Regroup my ass, you guys spread out, don’t let the minions get close. Even though I haven’t got all my equipment, I’m going all out today, I’ll ascend right here! Ahhhh! My scorching left hand is burning hot, it’s roaring for me to grasp victory!

Breaking through the Black Iron Trial is now!

Brothers, cover me!”

“Molotov cocktails! Don’t forget the Molotov cocktails we bought earlier! Gnolls have fur, and fur is weak to fire! Get it! Flirty brother, kill it and show off your manly prowess!”