Chapter 42: Monster Siege

【The wall level has reached level 20 and cannot be upgraded further; the Novice Village must be upgraded first.】

A notification popped up.

It meant the defense level of the Ninja Novice Village had reached its maximum.

Without wasting extra Reward Points, Fang Yi lay flat and successfully completed the defensive fortifications to resist the Ghost Mage by leveraging the strength of the players.

"Sure enough, when everyone adds wood to the fire, the flames rise high!"

Fang Yi sighed inwardly.

In reality, news of the Five Nations Joint Chunin Exams had spread across the world; whether they were peddlers or Nobles, everyone knew of this news, and even the Sound Ninja Village, the Frost Ninja Village, and major city powers that were not Ninja Villages but possessed ninja all signed up to participate.

All eyes were gathered on Konohagakure.

And in the game,

The approaching footsteps of the Ghost Mage's attack also tugged at the heartstrings of countless players.

Including those led by Kirigakure and Iwagakure, these ninja world powers that had tasted the sweetness in the Samsara Game were equally restless, having long prepared generous logistical supplies to welcome Ghost Mage Sarina.

Konohagakure.

Two Hokage Advisors sat in chairs, looked at the worried-looking Hiruzen Sarutobi, and said: "The Chunin Exams are imminent; not only do we need to build the exam venue, but we also need to reinforce the defensive barrier and garrison strength. The finance department is about to collapse, and now they can't even pay out mission bonuses."

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, frowned, and said: "However, the Ghost Mage's siege in the game is crucial. If we cancel support for the Konoha Troops, it will very likely cause our situation in the game to become passive."

During this period,

Asuma had been constantly winning over players within the Land of Fire, including wandering ninja, commoners, and Nobles.

The original Konoha Squad had already grown into a hundred-man troop, with Asuma serving as Captain-Commander, leading the entire army.

"Hiruzen, you are too indecisive!"

Shimura Danzo sneered: "Even if we give up hunting the Ghost Mage, there is still the Vampire Baron in the Blood Wasteland; we can make up for the gap afterward."

"But, the great Nobles from every country will come to the Five Nations Joint Chunin Exams, and the Daimyo will also attend in person. If a mistake occurs, can you bear the consequences of the Daimyo's fury?"

Ninja do not engage in production; all funds to maintain the village's operation, including mission commissions, rely on the Daimyo.

The reason Sunagakure is poor is not only because of the barren land, but also because they are disliked by the Daimyo, to the point where cross-border mission commissions by the Land of Wind's Daimyo have appeared.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were dry from the smoke, and he squinted as he asked: "In that case, can we cut the salaries of the various clans first?"

"Absolutely not, Hiruzen, have you lost your mind?"

Mitokado Koharu widened her eyes abruptly and shouted angrily: "The Ninja Clans are the foundation of Konoha; cutting the salaries of the clans is digging up the roots of Konoha's tree!"

Shimura Danzo also rolled his eyes, staring at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who dared to say such things.

For a moment,

He seemed to see the Hiruzen Sarutobi from the Hokage Guard Platoon who once took the initiative to stand out and willingly die to cover the retreat, not the Hokage who hunched his body like a ridiculous old monkey.

Utatane Koharu said in a calm tone: "The village distributes salaries to the Ninja Clans, and the Ninja Clans help the village resist foreign enemies. If you cut salaries without cause, the Ninja Clans will not agree."

"If you act arbitrarily, Hiruzen, you will be impeached."

As soon as the words fell, Shimura Danzo sat up slightly.

Continue, talk about impeachment; I'm not sleepy now.

"Since that's the case, then I'll listen to you all..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was like a balloon that had finally inflated, easily punctured by a few words.

The two Hokage Advisors had been away from the battlefield for too long and had no idea about the terrifying power brought by the Samsara Game.

And Danzou spent his days obsessed with conspiracies and schemes, like a piece of wood trapped in dark shackles.

Those Ninja Clans,

Ever since the Uchiha were wiped out, they had all become silent, considering only family interests while ignoring Konoha.

This strange atmosphere was something even he, as Hokage, could not reverse.

If he were twenty years younger, he would definitely be able to change the status quo!

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a hard puff of his pipe, the exhaled smoke obscuring his face.

This was the best choice.

Konoha could not endure any more turmoil; it needed to develop steadily until the branches and leaves of the new generation grew up.

Thinking of Konoha's new generation, a smile appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips.

There was Uzumaki Naruto, who had a firm will and no twisted personality, with the violent power of the Nine-Tails sealed within his body.

There was also Rock Lee, who seemed to have poor talent but had the potential to open the Eight Inner Gates, as well as the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho, and the genius of the Hyuga Branch House...

He only needed to follow the rules and protect them as they grew up, and Konoha would be able to flourish once again.

……

Deep in the Death Soul Mountain Range,

Inside a magnificent black palace, a ghost aura, intense to the extreme, churned like a boiling ocean.

Whether it was the walls or the smooth floors, everything was built from Superior Ghost Rock.

Chipping off a palm-sized piece would be enough to exchange for dozens of Reward Points.

"Humble humans, how dare you take the initiative to launch an attack and kill my general?"

Ghost Mage Sarina leaned against a soft leather cushion condensed from ghost aura, her brows tightly knitted together.

She wore a black robe and had a tall figure.

Her face, which should have been exquisite, was covered in twisted, black-worm-like incantations that swam back and forth as her mouth opened and closed.

Below the palace steps,

Four ghost generals clad in Armor knelt, all with respectful expressions.

They were all Empire generals once killed by Sarina, transformed into ghosts by secret arts; their lives and deaths were in Sarina's single thought, so they possessed absolute loyalty.

"I have ruled the Death Soul Mountain Range for tens of thousands of years, yet my strength remains stuck at Tier 2, unable to move."

"Fortunately, not long ago I inadvertently came into contact with an existence from Hell; as long as I contribute enough sacrifices, it can bestow upon me the divine power of pollution to help me break through to Tier 2."

"Since that is the case, let us take the blood of these humans who do not know the immensity of heaven and earth and sacrifice it to the great Apostle of Hell!"

"Pass the order: all ghosts in the Death Soul Mountain Range are to march toward the human town that has suddenly appeared!"

In an instant,

the ghosts of the Death Soul Mountain Range became restless; the four Ghost Generals dispersed, followed by a massive Ghost Legion, and they gathered wild ghosts along the way, making the legion grow ever larger.

Ghost Cavalry, Ghost Armored Soldiers, Ghost Archers...

Ghost Giant Soldiers with massive bodies, and a Ghost Beast Army gathered from various wild beasts.

Dense and packed, covering the sky and earth.

The players were caught off guard; before they could even react, they were instantly overwhelmed by the berserk ghosts and sent back to the Novice Village.

Whether they were civilian players gathering materials or combat players hunting ghosts, all were stunned by this scene.

"Master, something terrible has happened!"

The White-haired Loli's little face turned pale with fright, and she said, "The Ghost Mage has mobilized the entire Ghost Legion, intending to annihilate the Novice Village."

Many worlds have been completely destroyed by the all-out offensives of Pollution Sources.

If the Novice Village is destroyed, all the hard work she and her master have put in during this time will go down the drain.

Fang Yi rubbed her little head and smiled, "The players haven't exerted their strength yet, don't panic."

An announcement was issued.

【Lord-level Boss Ghost Mage has launched an attack on the Novice Village, triggering the large-scale event 【Monster Siege】】

(End of this chapter)