Chapter 427

Chapter 427. The factions keep splitting!!! (1)

But as one day, two days, three days passed, the “original” Central Zone users, including Icarus, began to feel that something was off about how things were unfolding.

Well, at first, it might have been because the “Yellow Turban” concept somehow stuck. Even though they called it a revenge drama, it was more like, “Eh, we’ve got nothing better to do, so let’s just do this(?)”. After the users who took over the bases became “city folk” and the rest took on the “barbarian” concept, it wasn’t like the hardcore UFC that users from other zones imagined, but more like WWE. They’d raid bases for fun, and when they felt they’d squeezed enough resources, they’d quietly return them. It was just another day in the Central Zone, life as usual, #16 vibes.

But the problem was, during all this, some random user among the thousand-plus Yellow Turbans(???) went, “Hey, if we play this right, we could take over the Central Zone, right?” And just like that, they decided to form a clan and aim to dominate the entire Central Zone.

Of course, that user got hit with the classic Central Zone response: “But why should *you* be the boss?” and got ganged up on and chased out like some Roman Emperor. But once an idea takes root, it doesn’t just disappear because you shake the leaves…

While the thousand Yellow Turbans grew to two thousand, after some bloody internal power struggles, a user who finally claimed the leader position started rallying the Yellow Turbans. “Let’s kick out the guys who took over the bases and take them for ourselves to suck up all the sweet loot!!!” And just like that, the users who were just messing around with the Yellow Turban concept got swept up and became *real* Yellow Turbans.

But in the chaos caused by these Yellow Turbans, even more problems started popping up.

—

<Tanhoizer Triangle Zone Official Chat Room>

<Notice: Tanaba was kinda lame, so we changed it.>

<Fettuccine has entered the chat.>

<Squid has entered the chat.>

<Pashtira Underboob Dot has entered the chat.>

-[Yo, the Central Zone’s a mess right now.]

-[What’s going on?]

-[Yellow Turban wannabes are attacking everyone’s bases left and right.]

-[Wasn’t that supposed to be WWE?]

-[It’s UFC now.]

-[But there’s something more important than those Yellow Turban idiots.]

-[?]

-[Users from nearby zones are sneaking in, trying to set up shop and form clans here.]

-[Wait, what?]

-[For real?]

—

While the incited users were going wild, attacking other Central Zone users, trolls and other users from nearby zones started sneaking in. Some even tried to form clans there, pushing out the Central Zone users who were mostly solo players, trying to take their spots. Others just came to troll, making the already chaotic Central Zone even worse. It was a complete disaster.

And in the middle of all this chaos, what was our Icarus up to?

—

“Commander, Commander.”

“Yeah.”

“The representative from the Magellan Clan just arrived.”

“Oh… they’re faster than I expected.”

With the Biomass Clan completely wiped out, the representative from the Magellan Clan, who had successfully devoured Xenobia, came to take over the spot left by Wyriddy, who had disappeared along with the base. I personally thought the Magellan Clan, like the Biomass Clan before them, wouldn’t have much interest in *me*. I was planning to keep the meeting calm and routine, but then the Magellan Clan representative said…

—

<Icarus-Magellan Support Chat Room>

<Icarus has entered the chat.>

<CharmingPoint has entered the chat.>

-[Hey hey] (CharmingPoint)

-[Hey hey]

-[Thanks for coming all this way] (Icarus)

-[Yeah, about that…]

-[They said the Central Zone was a mess, but it’s really something else] (CharmingPoint)

—

At first, it seemed like a simple exchange, but before long…

<Icarus-Magellan Counter Chat Room>

-[By the way,]

-[Do you think you’ll be doing mercenary work again next time? Haha] (Charming Point)

-[Heeeng]

-[Well…] (Icarus)

—————————————–

Unlike the Biomass Clan, which didn’t have much of a competitive relationship back then, the Magellan Clan had been in a back-and-forth battle and pride fight with the Southern Alliance.

Unlike before, it seems that my ‘excellent performance (?)’ during the Earth Federation revolution I initiated in the Humanity Clan had been revealed.

That’s why I could see them saying things like, “Hey, wanna do mercenary work again later?” and trying to gauge my interest.

Of course, in response to the Magellan Clan’s reaction, I chose to brush it off without giving a clear answer.

The thing is, before I actually tried it, I didn’t know…

But after really diving into proper mercenary work, I realized it was way more dangerous than I thought.

Even though the opponents I faced were ‘pretty strong’ NPCs, and they were the border defense fleets of a faction, I had to accept that.

If I were to face ‘other players’ as a mercenary later, dozens, even hundreds of variables would come crashing down on me and my main force. How could I handle that?

Of course, if I said that outright, they might spread rumors like, “Icarus is just a coward.”

So instead of saying that directly, I decided to sell out the ‘Yellow Turban’ friends who had been causing trouble recently.

And the Magellan representative was already aware of those friends.

—————————————–

<Icarus-Magellan Counter Chat Room>

-[Unfortunately, the Yellow Turban guys have been causing too much trouble lately]

-[So it’s hard for me to move around freely for a while] (Icarus)

-[Ah, I see]

-[Honestly, I haven’t experienced it directly since I came through the gate]

-[But from what I’ve heard from acquaintances in our faction]

-[And from what I’ve seen in the gallery or the stuff exploding around here, it makes sense] (Charming Point)

-[Yeah, you’re right] (Icarus)

—————————————–

Since I came through the gate and didn’t experience it ‘directly,’ I couldn’t know the details, but I acknowledged that it was natural for me to be cautious.

==========

Anyway, after wrapping up the conversation like that and Charming Point returned to their base,

I suddenly realized a pretty serious issue from the chat I had just seen and the conversation I had with Charming Point.

‘…Are other players flooding in to try and take over the Central Zone?’

Of course, you can’t judge the world by just one side, so I decided to check the chat rooms and the gallery to see what was going on.

And shortly after…

—————————————–

<Anonymous Chat Room>

<Let's all use polite language and maintain etiquette.>

-[Haha, we’ve arrived at the Central Zone]

-[They used to throw tantrums all the time, but now everyone’s gone?]

-[This time, the Yellow Turbans or whatever are wiping out other players, so it’s just empty lol]

-[Kyaa, boss]

-[Looking for a clan to join the expedition to the Central Zone! 8/10]

-[The place once called a den of thieves has now become the center of all zones]

-[I heard a lot of Pirate Alliance players have been moving in lately]

-[Today’s also a cute me☆]

-[Let’s gooooo]

-[I heard the Space Monsters and the Xenobia Empire are heading there too?]

-[Let’s go to the new world!]

—————————————–

‘Holy moly holy mooooly.’

Seeing all these players flocking to the Central Zone like it’s the Wild West, I was utterly confused about what was going on.