Jin could see where this was going and understood where the System was coming from. Though he was surprised that the System issued an impromptu mission, the System explained how it had been closely monitoring the artefact since its activation when King Baal had taken it out in the Dungeon City.
It also stated how the Crown’s energy had nearly corrupted Death Knight’s sanity. “Although a thorough analysis would be recommended, the System had classified the wielder of the Crown, Demon King Baal, and the artefact itself as extremely dangerous. Both needed to be taken down as soon as possible. Otherwise, the losses that User stands to face might be sufficient to not only negate the profits earned over the day but put us even more in the red.”
“He really must be damn powerful if it is as you said. It makes more sense moneywise to end it sooner rather than later.” Jin guessed, and the System naturally concurred.
The Crown had always been anticipated as a highly variable factor which could change the tide, but the System did not expect it to be this disruptive for Jin’s dungeon raid. If the cultivators were killed easily, it would definitely discourage them from coming back, especially when the amount they paid for more valuable tickets were relatively high compared to the usual dungeon instance ticket.
Jin and the System had already put their plan into action to give the cultivators a second shot at the dungeon raid, mainly known as the redemption ticket, but they could not do this too many times, else they would lose the cultivators’ trust.
There needed to be a balance like the Escape City Instance. It was tough, to the point that anyone has yet to actually complete it, but that did not mean the dungeon was overly punishing. Jin still gave them sufficient rewards for their hard work too. This was true as a blanket statement, especially in regards to the younger generation since Jin himself, knew that they were too reliant on incentives and gifts to prompt them to cultivate further.
“In addition, Original Bellator Kraft and his team of Bellators had been sent to infiltrate the location given by Lord Moloch in an attempt to retrieve the enemy’s Dungeon Core. System has calculated that this would be the best time for a counterattack instead of just defending.” The System stated and listed the possible options for Jin to consider. Upon reading the options, he believed it would be best to look for a second opinion and went to the Pandapolis War Room for some advice.
He was surprised to see that Hou Fei was with Moloch, both of them were having a late dinner together. On the other hand, Qiu Yue was busy arranging the troops and cultivators, sending them orders to comply so they would not be too overwhelmed by the second wave of Lion Mantises that had come in.
“I suggest you not to disturb her as she is in her zone right now,” Moloch whispered as he took a sip from a straw while his man puppet held a coffee cup high for him to drink.
“It’s fine, I have things to discuss with you instead,” Jin explained how the System had issued him an impromptu mission and showed them that the Lion Mantises were actually enhanced by the Crown’s energy.
“I see, no wonder Dread Reaver and Flame Ripper were having trouble holding them at bay. Still, sending in more of our minions might only increase the aggressiveness of the Lion Mantises. We’ve seen how they managed to adapt to the situation a bit too quickly for my comfort. Sending another comrade might only complicate things.” Moloch said that this was the reason why Qiu Yue was so flustered, moving all the troops around. She wanted to give some ranged support to distract the Lion Mantises while at the same time, giving the two Goblin Heroes some room to breathe.
“In any case, you will need to lure King Baal out of the safe zone permanently if you want to challenge him and destroy the crown.” Hou Fei added as he had learned how the safe zone worked through Moloch’s teachings.
All defender’s magic would have half the effectiveness within the safe zone while the attackers have their effectiveness doubled within the radius. If the attackers’ magical projectile was shot out of the safe zone, it would return back to its original effectiveness.
Vice versa for the defenders as well so because of this dungeon cave rule, the defenders would never dare to go into the safe zone to fight as they knew that it would be a significant disadvantage against them. It was also the reason why the demons had not expected the initial bombardment to be so devastating. After all, who in the Dungeon World had heard about projectiles being so deadly without being infused with magic?
“You will need to prove your worth if you wish to make him come out of it. That or you will have to lure him with a good enough bait.” Hou Fei said and used his head to point at Moloch. Even the cotton minotaur lord understood that he was the best bait to get King Baal to act.
“Still, having a good bait is useless if you do not know how to reel the fish into your hands. Don’t forget once the fish bites into the hook, it still has enough strength to fight and run away with it. In this scenario, the satisfaction of destroying Moloch and causing the rights of the Dungeon Core to return to him.”
“Not exactly the case, since our core is jointly ruled with two users. The System and Me. So even if I fall, King Baal will have to remove the existence of the System from the city first before the city can be captured.” Moloch said, and the others were a little perplexed. How could one defeat the System? Does that mean the whole city had to be incinerated first, removing all traces that had System’s interference for it to cease its existence?
“Heh, looking at your faces, I can already see what you guys are thinking. So yes, it will be very difficult for an ordinary fighter to remove the System away from the Dungeon Core. However, the latest impromptu mission that was given by the System sheds a different light in this particular case. It is now scared. Very scared of the crown-.” Moloch was saying but as there seemed to be a sudden onset of heaviness in the air he stopped.
“System, stop it! If you want us to help you, you should cooperate with us fully just this once.” Jin complained as he knew how the System did not like to get challenged, preferring to keep up the facade of not showing any weaknesses. The air returned back to normal, and the guys could rest easy, but for Qiu Yue, she merely took a deep breath in before returning to handle the war table.
“I will assist in this endeavour as well.” Hou Fei said and started to lay his plan out for the other two to hear. “We need to attract the King’s attention and Jin, I suggest you take some monsters or cultivators and charge down the Sky Bridge, making your presence known.”
“When that happens, I believe Kiva will send in some soldiers to stop you, probably of the same calibre as the Lion Mantis or maybe even higher. Allocate some troops to stop them and then continue pushing forward.” Moloch added, and Hou Fei agreed to it.
“I assume you still have the Graveyard Core active for you, right?” Hou Fei asked, and Jin nodded his head. “Great, once you have fully descended to the ground, command your phantom soldiers to clear the demon horde that is stationed there.”
“You sure know as much as Moloch in this matter.” Jin passed a casual remark which Hou Fei laughed at.
“I have to know everything to plan my soldiers’ actions properly. Information is key in any war.” The Royal Snake General said, and Moloch chimed with regards to the counterattack.
“Hmm, if that’s the case, I will liaise with the Artillery Orcs and the Stalingrad to give you support if you can force the mages to lower their shields.” Moloch suggested, and Jin was listening intently to what the tacticians were telling him. They gave him the overall picture but warned him that things might not go as planned, especially with Kiva around.
“Do not worry. I know what to do. Besides, I am your master, got to show my face once in a while. Can’t let my minions do all the work, right?” Jin asked, and suddenly the System pinged an alert to Jin.
“System shall aid in your endeavour for this particular mission by sending User the following rewards for completing a particular task weeks ago.” A box appeared in front of the three guys, and Jin did not waste any time to open it.
“Is this…” Moloch’s eyes were wide open for a long time as he saw the present bestowed by the System. When Jin saw the item’s description on his phone, he could not help but laughed.
“Shit, this is a really long time. I never expected it to be ready when our scientists are all constantly working overtime.”
“Take it as the System’s initiative to balance the odds against King Baal.” The System reported with much pride in the amount of effort within the present.
“Great, then let’s do the counterattack, but we should coordinate it with the Foxes, so they can perform theirs too,” Jin said as he placed the gift into his storage watch and proceeded outside with the System’s teleportation.
