Chapter 264: Imperial Ranking War: Creeping Chill

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The cold came as promised...

It arrived as silent as a whisper, yet it permeated the whole realm. It’s quiet for now, but it promised something bigger...something that’s not necessarily good for the living beings of this realm.

Its arrival was followed by a hubbub of activity...

It’s one thing for humans, though, since they were warned about what this quiet chill will eventually turn into in just mere days. But it seemed that the monsters and the wild animals within the secret realm also sensed the incoming calamity because they, too, started their own preparations.

Some monsters started migrating; some burrowed deeper underground, preparing to go into hibernation, stockpiling food, and hoping that whatever they collected would last them for the duration of the calamity.

Everybody was affected, not just humans. And the promise of an incoming harsh winter had them all moving and preparing for the worse.

The true scramble and panic came from humans, though.

Except for the Heavenly Bronze Empire team, other teams were simply not ready and completely unprepared to endure the upcoming harsh winter.

They haven’t even made a decent base yet. At most, all they had was a decent camp, and that’s about it.

Most of them were still unarmed and, therefore, were less effective when it comes to hunting food and collecting supplies.

This isn’t even mentioning the psychological impact for them. Friction within teams and factions was slowing down their progress. Everybody was trying to survive on their own, even if it meant stepping on their own teammates to do it.

It’s ugly, and it’s mad. But it’s real. Before teams clashed with each other to truly see who’s the best among the prodigies, the real test is whether they could survive on their own first.

And so far, most of them are not doing well on that...

This point becomes even more painfully obvious when they look at the rankings...

The Heavenly Bronze Empire Team had an enormous lead. By now, their cummulative merit points had broken through 1 million points. The second place hasn’t even reached half of that.

Each day that passed, the lead continued to grow and didn’t show signs of slowing down. If anything, it might even start growing faster.

Looking at it was demoralizing for others.

Many tried to report an issue, accusing the Heavenly Bronze Empire Team of cheating or having an unfair advantage. Other teams were crying out for fairness and were hoping to get something to close the gap, at the very least.

But the system remained silent to their cries. It didn’t even dignify them with a response. It didn’t matter how loud they shouted or how much they protested; they’re only tiring themselves out since the system remains completely indifferent to their plight.

Although none of them have seen what the situation was with the Heavenly Bronze Team or known where they are located, they could easily imagine them coasting through this challenge just fine.

They must be warm, well fed, and watered. They probably have decent roofs over their heads, not sleeping under the blanket of stars and enduring the assault of insects like them.

Their team must have so much food stored that their storage was almost bursting from its sheer volume. They probably don’t have to worry about going hungry or be wary of anybody stealing since they had an excess.

Comparison is the root of evil, and jealousy turns people into monsters.

Seeing the Heavenly Brone Empire Team flourishing while they are suffering made others feel unconvinced and unwilling.

All of them had been thrown into this shitty world with all of their items confiscated. Why is it that their team could thrive while theirs couldn’t? Isn’t that just unfair?

Had they known where the Heavenly Bronze Empire Team’s base was located, they wouldn’t have hesitated to invade and plunder all their resources. That would have been the faster way to stabilize their chances of survival rather than learning how to fend for themselves on their own.

Alas, until they learn where that #1 team was located, they could only make do with what they have.

And with the incoming chill that would eventually turn into a harsh winter that would cover this whole realm in thick ice and snow, they had to focus on surviving it first before the frost entombs them.

**

While other teams were scrambling in panic to prepare for an insane month-long winter, the Heavenly Bronze Empire Team moved like a well-oiled machine.

Thanks to Ren’s sensory network, they don’t blindly guess where resources or monsters are. He provided them with a large and very detailed map of where everything was around their base.

With that, the only thing they have to do is to plan out their routes to optimize their hunts, allowing them to bring back as many supplies as they could before the day is over.

Everybody had responsibilities; some were hunters, some were collectors, some were producers, etc. There were no idlers in this team; anybody who thinks of slacking off will not be tolerated.

It’s okay if their skills aren’t up to par. It’s okay if they’re slow or if they don’t know how. Skills can be taught, and everybody could learn. What isn’t tolerated is laziness. Both Diana and Ren will personally deal with those who plan on just lying down to benefit from others’ hard work.

Thankfully, the intimidation was enough. Diana was a princess and the heir to the imperial throne. She’s talented and smart; if they did anything to offend her or leave a bad impression, she will remember them, and she will make sure they’re appropriately punished once this is all over. She had that prestige and authority, after all.

And Ren was just plainly scary and intimidating. They’ve seen him moving down monsters with his bare hands like they were misbehaving pests. He could crush their bones and skull with a slight squeeze, and that was more than enough to make them obedient.

That said, the real reason why everybody obeyed wasn’t solely because they were afraid of what these two would do if they didn’t; it’s also largely because they were seeing results.

Just looking at the current rankings will prove that. Whatever these were asking them to do was clearly working.

And for how bad their starting line was, they’ve come far.

They have a base that is warm, solid, spacious, and very well protected. They have more than enough food to eat, especially with their diet as martial artists, and they have plenty of water to drink.

Their base is warm when it’s cold outside and cold when it’s hot outside. Seriously, their team was experiencing life while other teams were miserable. And that’s because Ren and Diana were leading the operations.

Without them, this whole tea will fall apart; that’s almost guaranteed.

**

The team continued stockpiling food and resources while the temperature outside hasn’t fallen too far into the negatives yet.

The chill was already obvious, and the fog was also starting to obscure the surroundings.

Monster and wild animal movement was active because they too were preparing for the incoming calamity.

With Ren and Diana’s lead, though, the team was precise and efficient in their operations.

Each time, they return with a huge harvest. Their food storage was piling up high.

Right now, they have enough food and water to last for the whole month if they ration it correctly. They also had warm clothes and materials to make more should the need arise.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to store more. After all, this wouldn’t be the only calamity they’ll face. It’s just the start. Nobody could predict what calamity they’d experience next. Not to mention, the weekly crisis will still occur.

However, thanks to their preparations, the base was warm and comfortable.

Even though the temperature outside had noticeably turned colder, and snow was starting to fall. The interior of the base was still warm and cozy. The whole team was unaffected by the creeping chill outside.

Of course, once they step out of the base, it’s a different story. But at the very least, knowing that they have a warm shelter to return to—one that is safe and could protect them from harm—made everybody feel optimistic about their survival.

And this became even more evident as the following days came.

On the third day of the 2nd month, the temperature outside had already dropped to a freezing point. The river surrounding the base started solidifying; snow was piling up outside.

While the cumulative merit points of the Heavenly Bronze Team still continue to rise every passing day, other teams aren’t as fortunate. Their progress has slowed down to a crawl.

It’s easy to imagine how bad they had it. And being reminded of that made everybody in the Heavenly Bronze Empire Team grateful to have obeyed Ren and Diana’s lead.

But this was just the beginning...

The snow only started falling; the worst part is yet to come. And each day passed, this winter will get progressively worse and worse until the outside world practically becomes uninhabitable because of it.

But until then, when hunting is still viable, the team will venture out and will do their best to make sure they survive.