Chapter 34: Main Plot and Sense of Mission
The Dungeon was filled with casualties. The gamers had just experienced a horrible battle.
The gamers had been at the Spiders’ Lair entrance looking at the Houndhead Men when they charged at the gamers. The gamers had been no match for the Houndhead Men and fled.
One gamer was hugging his severed leg. Another had his arm twisted as though his shoulder was hit by a blunt object. One more gamer lay motionless on the ground. His chest was caved in and he coughed blood incessantly. Other injured comrades were dragging a few dead gamers by their feet.
The horrendous battle scene was filled with a thick stench of blood, but the gamers were still light-hearted.
“Who aggro’d the BOSS? Or was the BOSS generated by the system?”
“Seems like Arthur aggro’d the BOSS. I saw him fighting the Spiders alone, and then the Houndhead Men came out from the lair.
“I didn’t expect their aggro radius to be that large. We were that far and yet they still charged at us.”
“It’s hilarious. It’s not about the aggro radius. We can’t get rid of their Aggro. They are still lurking at the Dungeon entrance!”
“The BOSS of the Houndhead Men signaled that he would hammer all the Goblins.”
“Our tactics were wrong and too chaotic. Instead of tackling the Houndhead Men, we attacked the BOSS and got killed by his minions.”
“I’m thinking of improving all my equipment, but they are at risk of being destroyed.”
“I didn’t attack the BOSS. I was fighting the minions and calling for help, but nobody came.”
“I helped you with my Short Bow and used up all my arrows!”
“D*mn your arrows. You killed a lot of our comrades. Can’t you brush up on your archery?”
“Gamers with Short Bows will be blacklisted. They have killed too many of our comrades.”
“Seven-hours expedition group, anyone interested? Hahahaha!”
“Hahahaha! I can’t take it. I’m going to die. I am mortally wounded, yet you made me laugh and vomit blood. Hahahaha… S*it! I’m dead!”
The gamer twisted his head and lay in his pool of blood as he perished.
Moroes stood at the Training Grounds and observed the bloody scene in shock. He was a legendary Gladiator who had assisted other Dungeon Lords, fought with Huge Dragons, Sirens and Grand Priests and witnessed the NotWearingPants nonchalantly dying. But he had not seen such a bloody scene with tens of casualties where Goblins could still be jovial.
Simba knew that the Goblins could be revived by Lord Sherlock, and he could accept that NotWearingPants was not afraid of pain and death. However, he witnessed the dying Goblins chatting casually and a Goblin who laughed to death. He thought it was no longer about courage.
Moroes’ passion as a Gladiator was reignited. He wished that one day, he would be like the fearless Goblins.
The Dungeon Core Main Hall was filled with Mana ripples and the tall Lord Sherlock walked out from the Main Hall.
Sherlock returned immediately after he heard the news from Bru and obtained the details on his way back. He had also been quickly discussing possible solutions with Bru.
First, he had to chase away those Houndhead Men from the Dungeon entrance.
How could he do that? By standing there.
The Houndhead Men fled when Sherlock appeared. Inferior creatures like the Houndhead Men had an instinctive fear of the superior Devils. Sherlock did not have to exert his dominance since they had fled themselves.
When the gamers saw that the Houndhead Men had retreated, they became anxious.
“Oh! The BOSS escaped!”
“Has the Aggro been dropped?”
“D*mn, I was hoping to revive and challenge them if they were still loitering at the Dungeon entrance. Now that they’ve retreated, it’ll be hard to find them.”
“Gosh, I had the same thoughts. Why didn’t you say so before?”
“You didn’t say either?”
Sherlock ignored their chatter while he healed and revived the Goblins. He let the Goblins retrieve the corpses outside. Those Goblins with missing corpses would recreate their new characters before returning. They would retain the skills that were etched in their souls. As long as they could use their bodies, there would be no problems.
Sherlock made use of his time to heal and revive the dead Goblins.
After treating the Goblins, he closed the tunnel leading to the Spiders’ Lair and had Bru announce another Main Plot.
[Dungeon Invaders. Protect Eternal Kingdom Dungeon
Mission Summary: The evil Houndhead Men Tribe have appeared in the vicinity of Eternal Kingdom! They invaded Eternal Kingdom while Lord Sherlock was away for a short period of time. Though they retreated, it is possible they will invade again. Appealing to all brave citizens of Eternal Kingdom to protect our Dungeon!
Mission Completion Requirement: During the mission, all entrances and exits of the Eternal Kingdom will be closed. All gamers are to patrol the Dungeon, starting in one hour. During the mission, Goblins may accept construction missions and continue training skills.
Mission Reward: All gamers who accept the mission and remain online in the vicinity of Eternal Kingdom will receive 10 Reputation Points per minute.]
The gamers resumed carrying bricks, chatting and training. Nobody was surprised that the Dungeon was sealed off.
After Sherlock calmed the gamers down, he left the Dungeon by himself. Using Mana to hide his presence, he advanced towards the direction that the Houndhead Men had retreated. Before long, he discovered the Houndhead Men at the Spiders’ Lair entrance.
The regular Houndhead Men surrounded a large Houndhead Man with shiny armor and a huge hammer. That strong Houndhead Man was their leader.
They were from the Spiders’ Lair. Some Houndhead Men Tribes used the Spiders’ Lair as their base and coexisted with the Spiders while protecting each other.
Sherlock analyzed why the Houndhead Men would station themselves at the Spiders’ Lair entrance. It was probably because the gamers had killed too many Spiders or some other similar reason. He had to handle these invaders and prevent them from killing his servants.
As Sherlock was about to eliminate the Houndhead Men, Bru said in his mind, “Lord Sherlock, I have a suggestion. Treat the Houndhead Man as a BOSS! The gamers have been fighting with the Spiders for a few days. The powerful Houndhead BOSS could be good entertainment and a challenge for the Goblins. Isn’t that great?” Bru suggested. “We can announce it as the Main Plot which will give gamers a sense of purpose, like saving the world.”
“Wait, isn’t their sense of purpose already decided? It’s to help me construct the greatest Dungeon and serve the most powerful Devil King for the rest of their lives. As a Devil Lord’s servant, what has saving the world got to do with that?” Sherlock frowned as he asked.
“You are right, but we have to be tactful. As life is hard, we have to give them hope and make them feel they are different. They need to feel like they are the chosen ones and that they came to this world for a purpose. As for the sense of purpose, we need to make it sound positive. You can add that onto the recruitment agreement,” Bru said as he conjured up the previously signed agreement in Sherlock’s mind.
“Dungeon: Eternal Kingdom, Virtual Online Game Distribution Rights Agreement”, “2019 Online Game Endorsement Certificate” and “Game Disclaimers” appeared in Sherlock’s mind. Bru highlighted the portions that needed to be more positive and progressive so that Sherlock could find them easily.
Bru said in a compassionate tone, “Besides these terms, the hope is that these gamers will be loyal to you forever. By introducing a Main Plot, it will more closely match the otherword’s culture with a clear goal and a sense of achievement. Perhaps saving the world is too epic, but we can start with saving the Dungeon. They will work harder this way. Believe me, Lord Sherlock.”
Sherlock felt that Bru made sense. If the gamers left the Dungeons, he would have to depend on his hundred year Dungeon development plans.
If he made the Houndhead Man a BOSS and introduced a Main Plot, the gamers would enjoy the game and work harder. Sherlock had no issues as he had lots to gain from it.
The more times they died, the harder they would work. The time they spent online would also be longer. Sherlock was pleased with it.
To introduce the Main Plot, he had to think of a feasible storyline. Fortunately, Bru made use of the otherworld’s culture to complete the storyline and saved Sherlock a lot of effort. But then, Sherlock realized there was another problem.
“Bru, what name should I give to the Houndhead Man BOSS?”
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