Chapter 229: Seawatch

Chapter 229: Chapter 229: Seawatch

[Zone Merge Complete!]

[Drakonian Third Sector’s Zone 874, Zone 875... Zone 890 have been merged into a new zone: Drakonian Sector Zone 666!]

[Current Zone Population: 9,998!]

[Regional Channel and Trade Channel have been updated. We wish all survivors a pleasant time together. Survive and thrive!]

The moment the system notification faded, Seraphina Sinclair felt a faint tremor from the small cabin beneath her. The black mist outside the window seemed to roil more violently than usual, but it soon returned to normal.

’The merge must be complete.’

She immediately opened the Regional Channel.

The channel, which used to have only a little over three hundred people, was now exploding with messages, scrolling so fast she could barely read them.

"They’re here, they’re here! The newbies have arrived!"

"Holy shit, 9,998 people?! This scale... it feels like we’re back in the tutorial phase!"

"Any big shots wanna step up and talk? Give us a rundown of the different zones?"

"Has anyone else noticed the number in front of the Sector name is gone? We used to be the Drakonian Third Sector, now it’s just the Drakonian Sector."

"Too many people died. No need to split it into different sectors anymore. It’s obvious."

"How can you say something so horrifying so casually?"

"With so many zones merged, there must be quite a few people who got an S-Class Evaluation in yesterday’s dungeon, right?"

"Our Zone 888 has two."

"Our Zone 889 has one."

...

Tallying up the scattered reports, Seraphina estimated that in this newly merged zone, there were a good thirty to forty people who had received an S-Class Evaluation!

And that wasn’t all. As she looked up again, a message caught her eye.

[Seaview]: So many people got an S-Class Evaluation. I guess that means there are probably quite a few people with this title, too, right? Dual Crown Champion.

"What’s that? Let me see... Holy crap, I bow to the master!"

"What is that? Ranked first in a zone’s dungeon twice?! There’s a title for that?!"

"There is, my friend, there is! To be honest, it’s probably not that rare, but of course, it’s not me who has it. How about this, let me call someone out for you, okay? @Rex Shaw, Rex, come on out and show yourself!"

"Oh? So that’s how we’re playing it?! You think your zone is the only one with a badass master? @Lola, our great Queen Lola, come on out!"

...

"I thought it was something special, but it’s just Dual Crown Champion. Isn’t that easy to get? Just look at all the people being @’d in the messages above. That title clearly isn’t rare enough. Now, if you want to talk about a truly rare title..."

The guy was being deliberately mysterious, leaving them hanging, which only further annoyed the survivors who were already sick of him.

"What are you posturing for? If you’ve got something to show, then show us your title!"

"These are the top survivors from each zone, aren’t they? Dual Crown Champion! First place in two dungeons. Basically, there can only be one per zone, maybe even none! And someone’s looking down on that title?"

"You’d better have something to back that up. Let me be clear, our Rex is a petty man. If you can’t produce anything, you’re going to be in for a world of hurt soon."

"I actually think he must know something. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be talking so big. After all, at this stage of the game, haven’t all the ignorant and arrogant ones died off already?"

"So what’s with stopping halfway? Spit it out!"

’Yeah, really.’

Seraphina hadn’t said anything, but it was early morning and she was waiting for breakfast. Besides, watching the Regional Channel was her only form of entertainment.

After a while, the person seemed to feel they’d let the anticipation build enough and finally, slowly, came forward to reveal the answer.

"Don’t be impatient, everyone. What I’m saying is definitely the truth."

"Speaking of titles, you all must remember the rankings from after the tutorial dungeon, right? That was a server-wide ranking of all survivors, and it gave out a certain title... what was it called again? Ah, yes—Pioneer!"

Seraphina had a bad feeling the moment he mentioned the end of the tutorial dungeon. After seeing the word "Pioneer," she just covered her eyes.

’It was all too easy to guess what this guy was about to say.’

"The server-wide number one! Blacktiger Ford from Zone 888 of the Drakonian Third Sector! He was in the same zone as me before, and he’s right here in our Zone 666 now!"

Everyone had been convinced this guy was a poser and were just waiting to see him crash and burn.

But who would’ve thought he’d actually bring up the former server-wide number one?!

"I remember now! That master was in a server-wide announcement!"

"If that’s the case, then what’s a Dual Crown Champion? *This* is a truly rare title!"

"There are only ten in the whole server, right? That’s super rare."

"It’s not your title, so what are you so proud of? You even looked down on Dual Crown Champions. Calling you a poser was spot on!"

...

Seraphina rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling helpless.

She had no desire to be in the spotlight like this. The guy’s actions seemed innocent on the surface, but to put it bluntly, wasn’t he just painting a target on her back?!

Seraphina frowned and scrolled up through the Regional Channel messages to find the person’s ID.

She was no pushover. Whether this person was just sharing in the glory or had malicious intent, the trouble he was causing her was very real. She would definitely be holding a grudge.

The moment she saw the ID clearly, Seraphina’s frown deepened.

The person talking was Zeke the Passerby.

His name was familiar to people from Zone 888, but those from other zones wouldn’t recognize it.

The messages in the Regional Channel were scrolling by so quickly, which was why Seraphina had only just noticed his ID.

’This guy...’

A sliver of doubt appeared in Seraphina’s mind. He had been showing up far too often lately, and it was hard for her not to be wary.

’What is he really after?’

’Does he just want to use my name to show off, or does he have some other motive?’

Back in the Regional Channel, because the person who had actually received the Pioneer title was in this very zone, the topic of discussion immediately shifted to her.

"Server-wide number one is definitely badass, but it’s been a while. Who knows if he still has the strength to back it up?"

"Whoa, person above me, you’re questioning the wrong guy. The Dual Crown Champion of our Zone 888 is Master Blacktiger. He really does have the skills, okay?"

With these rebuttals from people from Zone 888, the tide in the Regional Channel turned once again:

"Looks like Master Blacktiger is the number one person in our Zone 666 after all! Both his strength and his credentials are plain to see."

"Exactly! This guy is the real deal, truly worthy of his reputation! Not just in our Drakonian Sector, but back then, he suppressed all the other sectors. That was a moment of true pride for us!"

"With him in our zone, there’s really no debate about who’s number one on our leaderboard."

"It’s a bit of a shame. I thought the competition would be fierce."

"What kind of nonsense are you all spouting? How is he number one?! In your dreams! Our zone’s Seawatch is the strongest! Seawatch is being polite with you all, and you really can’t tell the difference between the King and the Jokers, huh?"