Chapter 36: Chapter 36:- Rise Of HIM!
Was Steve just trying to scare everyone? Make them realize how weak they were?
That didn't make much sense. It wouldn't really benefit him or the players, right?
The players mulled it over until Steve finally broke the silence, clearing up their confusion.
"The reason I'm telling you all of this," he began, "is because I found the White-Eyed Monster's weakness."
Gasps and whispers spread like wildfire.
"And this weakness only becomes a weakness if all of us work together."
His words were vague, and players exchanged bewildered looks.
"Huh? Weakness? He has a weakness?"
"What does he mean, 'only if we work together'?"
"Wait… is he recruiting players to fight against that thing?"
"No way! He just said we aren't strong enough to face it…"
Their chatter filled the air until Steve held up a hand, finally revealing the answer.
"The White-Eyed Monster's weakness," Steve announced, "is that he can't track us down on his own!"
His voice was steady, unshaken. "Everything he's done—the traps, the ambushes—they're just him trying to lure us in. It's proof that he has no idea where we actually are!"
"So," he continued, "all we need to do is keep it that way. Don't let him find us. Don't walk into his traps. That alone will hold him back."
"Since he needs to take down more players to get stronger, us staying hidden keeps him from growing. Sure, we might not be able to defeat him now, but as long as we slow him down, we'll eventually have the strength to take him on."
Steve's final words, the part about "taking him on someday," wavered slightly, betraying his own uncertainty. But he knew he had to say it. The players needed hope, even if it felt slim.
He wasn't just saying it for them; he was saying it for himself. Because no matter what, as long as the White-Eyed Monster existed, Steve knew they'd face him again one day. Better to make him their target, use him as a reason to grow and improve.
Hearing this, the players nodded in agreement.
"True! He's probably getting stronger by hunting us down. If we stop letting him find us, that messes up his whole plan!"
"Exactly! No need to pick a fight when we're not ready. Quietly build up strength, give him nothing to gain from us. That's how we'll win!"
"It's like a weakness, sure! If he can't find a big enough group of us, he'll slow down!"
"Honestly, after seeing that massacre, who's even going to try and fight him? We'll just level up in peace!"
Steve's words hit home, and they all knew he was right. The best move was to focus on their own growth, keep a low profile, and avoid any unnecessary deaths. This would slow down the White-Eyed Monster's growth significantly.
Previously, it was only the players' arrogance that had fueled the monster's rapid rise. Now, with everyone aware of the threat, they wouldn't be giving him that advantage again.
Seeing the players settle on this decision, Steve finally felt relieved. All his effort in rallying them had paid off.
With everyone on board, he decided to share one last bit of helpful info. He posted the "No-Damage Grinding" guide to his forum thread.
"Here's a way to farm safely," he wrote. "Use it well, and keep building your strength."
Afterward, Steve ended the broadcast.
He wasn't the selfish type, after all. Besides, this strategy was relatively straightforward. If it hadn't been for the White-Eyed Monster's interference, he probably would've figured it out on his own.
While this guide wasn't game-changing in terms of efficiency, it gave players something productive to work on at night. It wasn't a secret worth hiding. Sharing it would only boost his reputation and help players level up faster.
Even if they couldn't yet stand up to the White-Eyed Monster, at least they'd be better prepared to handle weaker enemies.
As soon as Steve posted the guide, the players were ecstatic.
"Whoa! Thanks, Steve!"
"Big shoutout to Steve! What a legend!"
"Is he planning to start a guild soon? I'm signing up if he does!"
"Steve's strategic mind is off the charts. Total respect!"
"Suddenly, I don't know who to thank more—Steve, or the White-Eyed Monster..."
When Steve signed off, the players had gained a much deeper understanding of the White-Eyed Monster. They knew now they weren't strong enough to face him head-on.
The players from the Triumph Guild hadn't watched the broadcast, but they didn't need to—they'd already experienced the monster's terror firsthand. They had no intention of staying in that accursed field any longer.
As for Xiao Po, after this disastrous battle, he was in no position to continue as guild leader. And now that the Footwork Shack incident was exposed, his shame only grew.
In the end, he disbanded the guild.
Triumph Guild had risen to prominence overnight, only to collapse just as quickly. Their base, which once rivaled the Newbie Village itself, was now a desolate wreck. No one would be visiting that place anytime soon.
That night, the White-Eyed Monster had taught everyone a harsh lesson. After this, no player would challenge his authority lightly.
Yes, they feared his strength. But that battle had also won him some admirers.
Even though none of them had seen his face, the aura he exuded captivated many. That kingly presence, as if he was above all things, gave him a unique allure as a villain.
Because of this, some players began brainstorming a nickname for him.
"He really needs a name. 'White-Eyed Monster' just doesn't sound right."
"How about White-Eyed Bro? Haha!"
"Let's just call him the Demon King. He's got that vibe, right?"
"Demon King? Eh, sounds a bit much. Maybe a Little Demon?"
"What about calling him just 'Him'? Isn't that how Steve's been referring to him?"
"Him? That might get confusing..."
"Why not use the English term? 'Him'—capital letters: H-I-M."
"Ooh, HIM! That's got a certain ring to it!"
"Yeah, let's go with HIM. It's kinda cool!"
Once the name HIM was settled, the players quickly latched onto it.
The Demon King, HIM, had officially arrived.
If Xu Yuan knew the players were calling him this, he'd probably be stunned.
Some things, perhaps, are just meant to be.
In the original game, HIM was short for Herobrine in Minecraft. Here, though the meaning was different, the result was the same.
In this world, Xu Yuan wasn't as mysterious as the original HIM, but he had achieved a Demon King-like status in the players' minds.
———
Dawn broke over the plains as Xu Yuan led his monsters into the dense forest.
The battle had yielded bountiful rewards.
As his monsters fought, Xu Yuan had received a steady stream of system notifications for successful tamings.
Opening his Taming System, he surveyed his current roster.
Zombie 007 and Mini-Zombie 520 were close to achieving higher consciousness, only a thousand or so player kills away. To break through to advanced awareness, a monster needed to kill 10,000 players, meaning these two had wiped out thousands in this single battle.
They were progressing well, and with their current strength, it wouldn't be long before they leveled up.
Spider 101, Little Black 88, and White 233, along with several summoned Illagers, had also reached mid-level awareness after the battle. Xu Yuan could clearly see the change in their expressions.
They were his first monsters, hand-trained by him, and their strength reflected that. They were skilled enough to handle players with ease.
Moreover, Xu Yuan now had around 2,000 newly tamed monsters with low-level awareness.
This growth was by design.
He'd orchestrated the battle by sending his strongest monsters, like Zombie 007, in first to weaken the players. Then, after breaking their spirit, he'd deployed weaker monsters to clean up.
This way, the players put up minimal resistance, allowing the weaker monsters to rapidly reach the ten-player kill threshold needed to gain low-level awareness.
The more monsters that leveled up, the greater Xu Yuan's potential gains in the future.
In total, Xu Yuan now commanded over 20 mid-level monsters and over 2,000 low-level monsters. These were his foundation, his seeds of chaos.
All he had to do was release them across the land and let them grow on their own.
How far they'd go, Xu Yuan didn't know. But he hoped that someday, at least a few would achieve true independent consciousness.
For now, that goal remained distant, requiring both power and luck.
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