Chapter 267: Chapter 266: Target Level 66, Hunt the Cat Demons!
After accepting Dragon Nation's challenge, Inoue Kojiro glanced at Zhang Yue with a scornful expression and sneered, "In this competition, your Dragon Nation will undoubtedly suffer a crushing defeat!"
With that, he turned and left with the other participants from the Eastern Nation.
As the match ended, the live broadcast was turned off.
At this moment, [Omori Tomo], a member of the Eastern Nation's team, expressed some concern to Inoue Kojiro:
"Inoue-kun, are we really going to compete with him in the first stage tomorrow? With his strength, I fear that even in killing monsters in the first stage, his speed won't be any slower than when he was massacring us in the third stage…"
Inoue Kojiro snorted coldly and said indifferently, "He only has brute strength. Unlike us, we have brains and strategies!"
"The competition isn't about the process; it's about the result!"
"Don't worry, I have my methods. Tomorrow's match will be a guaranteed victory for our Eastern Nation!"
———
At the same time, elsewhere.
Thinking about Inoue Kojiro's smug expression earlier, as if his plot had succeeded, Tian Xin'er clenched her little fists and angrily said:"That despicable baka! Inviting Zhang Yue to participate in the first stage must be part of some scheme to use their assassin's stealth to steal kills and launch sneak attacks."
As she spoke, Tian Xin'er glanced at Zhang Yue with some concern:"Zhang Yue, just ignore Inoue Kojiro. Stick to the third stage tomorrow and crush them like you did today."
Before Zhang Yue could respond, Tian Yu glanced at Tian Xin'er and sighed,"You don't know Zhang Yue as well as I do!"
"Don't you realize by now? This isn't about which stage it is."
"No matter the stage, Zhang Yue can crush Eastern Cherry without breaking a sweat!"
On the other side, Chen Long chimed in, "They probably have no idea how fast our Brother Zhang Yue kills monsters—10,000 points of Sin Value per hour. Challenging him in the first stage? That's just asking for abuse."
Indeed, for Zhang Yue, the third stage was somewhat restrictive.
The arena wasn't too big or too small. With only 40 participants from Eastern Nation scattered around, it did affect Zhang Yue's kill speed to some extent.
But the first stage was a different story.
There were countless monsters—too many for the participants to kill in their entirety.
For Zhang Yue, it was paradise.
Moreover, Zhang Yue had done the math.
Even if he scored 30,000 points in the third stage, the total points he could earn from the finals would be capped at 150,000.
But the prizes for first to tenth place required a total of 200,000 points.
It wouldn't be enough—not even close.
So tomorrow, the first stage was the perfect chance to rack up more points.
———
Meanwhile, the matches between other nations had also concluded one after another.
Victors rejoiced; losers lamented.
However, today was just the first match of the tournament, and the current results didn't mean much yet.
The time stopped at 11 PM, and the next period was free activity time.
The Divine Realm was hailed as the most mysterious place in the alternate world.
During the tournament, players were prohibited from leaving the Divine Realm to return to reality.
This realm had everything the real world offered: gourmet food, sports, entertainment facilities. Every participant could freely enjoy it all.
Moreover, participants could log directly into the otherworld from the Divine Realm, as long as they returned to the realm by 10 PM each night.
Thus, Zhang Yue logged into Eleventh World: Calamity of Myriad Beasts.
To prepare for tomorrow's first stage and gain more points, Zhang Yue decided: "Today, I'll level up to 66."
Because yesterday, by using the [Golden Demon Sealing Talisman], he obtained a level 66 top-tier equipment: [Demon Slayer · Exorcist].
This equipment had a special perk:
[Demon-Slaying Trait: +60% damage to monsters]
It was perfect for tomorrow's competition.
Zhang Yue checked his current level: [Level 64, 55%]
At his current kill speed, completing another Golden Demon Sealing Talisman quest and earning its rewards before 10 PM should easily get him to level 66.
With this plan in mind, Zhang Yue left the safe zone of Yongning Village, carrying the Demon Sealing Talisman, and entered the Demon Sealing Tower.
Yesterday, he spent the afternoon farming level 66 Enchanting Fox Demons. Today, Zhang Yue decided to switch targets.
Fox Demons had an S-rank skill, [Charm], which made it impossible to ensure a completely injury-free grind.
If Zhang Yue was hit by the Charm skill, he'd be controlled for five seconds.
For someone killing dozens of Fox Demons per minute, those five seconds would result in a noticeable drop in kill efficiency.
Avoiding the Fox Demon territory, Zhang Yue arrived at the area dominated by level 67 Cat Demons.
Although Cat Demons were a level higher than Fox Demons and had stronger stats, they lacked crowd control skills, making them easier prey for Zhang Yue.
Locking onto his target, Zhang Yue was ready to start grinding.
Suddenly, a surprised voice called out from nearby:"Zero?"
Moments later, a few female players who had been leveling up as a team approached with astonished and excited expressions, surrounding Zhang Yue.
"Oh my god! It's really you! My Zero-gege!"
"I can't believe I'm meeting Zero God here!"
"It's my first time seeing the legend up close. Zero God, you're so handsome! You look even better in person than in the videos!"
"Zero God, can you give me an autograph? Watching you destroy Eastern Nation this morning was unforgettable! I just broke up with my boyfriend for you."
The girls were so excited they looked like they wanted to eat Zhang Yue alive.
Clearly, after today's World Championship match, Zhang Yue's fame had skyrocketed.
In the past, he was a local celebrity wherever he went.
In Zhejiang, he was famous throughout Zhejiang. In Tianjing, he caused a sensation in Tianjing.
But now, with his stunning performance, wiping out Eastern Nation in just ten minutes, he had become a national sensation.
Before Zhang Yue could respond to the girls, a group of male players joined in.
"Take your love-struck antics elsewhere! Can't you see Zero God is busy grinding monsters and collecting Demon Sealing Talisman? Stop crowding him!"
"Zero God, you were amazing in today's match! Truly the pride of Dragon Nation! As fellow Dragon Nation players, we don't have much to offer, but we can help you hunt monsters!"
"Yeah! We'll weaken the monsters for you so you can finish them off faster and gather Demon Sealing Energy more efficiently!"
Zhang Yue smiled and politely declined their offer:"Thanks, but no need. I can handle it myself. You all carry on."
With that, Zhang Yue summoned his Extinction Black Dragon, Shadow Predator, and Skeleton King. Locking onto a group of Cat Demons ahead, he started grinding.
Using the same tactics as yesterday against the Fox Demons:
The Skeleton King used its taunt skill to pull monsters, drawing 20-30 Cat Demons from all directions.
Once they were gathered together, the Extinction Black Dragon unleashed its Dragon Flames and Dragon Breath for a devastating AoE attack, leaving the Cat Demons heavily injured.
The Shadow Predator quickly moved in to finish them off, ending the battle in seconds.
In just a few moments, only the corpses of the Cat Demons remained on the ground.
This scene left the nearby solo players, who had initially offered to help, dumbfounded.
"Holy crap… Looks like Zero God really doesn't need our help!"
"So strong! Thank goodness such a powerhouse was born in Dragon Nation."
Zhang Yue, undeterred, pressed on.
After finishing one batch of Cat Demons, he immediately moved on to hunt the next group.
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