Chapter 1977 It was rare for a ranker to become a star purely through their own efforts. The first generation of high rankers consisted of Grid, Kraugel, Zibal, Yura, Jishuka, Faker, Agnus, Hao, Old Sword Demon... The list goes on. Apart from a very small number of rankers who pioneered their own paths, most rankers had to borrow some power from the media or rely on public opinion to rise to stardom. This wasn’t undervaluing the newer rankers. It was true that most who rose to prominence later than the first generation of high rankers reached their current status by referring to the path pioneered by the first generation. But didn’t Grid get help from Kraugel in the Behen Archipelago and on the East Continent? Rankers who were from the second generation onward were naturally able to gain popularity quickly thanks to the achievements of their predecessors. It was difficult for them to be regarded highly because of this structure. As a result, the public was mostly interested and envious of the first generation of rankers. However, the media changed the way things were. The media started focusing on the second generation and later rankers instead of the first generation rankers, who were already miles ahead of everyone else and were difficult to reach. As the public, now interested, sympathized with them, the respect for the rankers belonging to the second generation also skyrocketed. Many rankers who reigned as top stars in various broadcasts and advertisements were selected and they created an image of themselves based on the needs of the media and the public. All these rankers were afraid of one thing—the public turning their back on them. Thanks to people paying attention to them, they became famous for more than their skills, earned a lot of money to buy better items, and became stronger... Such a virtuous cycle could come to an end at any time, so rankers of the second generation tended to be very obsessed with their own image. “That... There are a lot of bad comments going around on social media. The number of subscribers on YouTube continues to drop.” “Shit.” After livestreaming the failure of the expedition to the Full Moon Fortress, Elvo cursed, trying to estimate the overall damage. As a representative third generation high ranker, who had been popular since the great human and demon war, he was truly upset by the current situation. Satisfy had its first ever update! The emergence of the cultivation world had proved to be a huge opportunity for the second generation and later rankers to relieve the sorrows of the past when, no matter what achievement they gained, it was disparaged as only being possible thanks to the first generation of rankers who paved the way. This update was definitely a new beginning. For the first time, the first generation and later generation rankers were competing under the same conditions. Elvo was very ambitious. The moment the quest to stop the cultivators’ erosion ritual appeared, he mobilized the guild and invested his own money to form a large expedition team. He’d done that faster than anyone else. It was his grand ambition to stop the erosion ritual way before Grid. He might’ve started the game later than the first generation of rankers, but he wanted to prove how great of a player he was by becoming a high ranker and emerging from the shadows created by the first generation rankers. However, his mission didn’t have a smooth start. He couldn’t find the place where the erosion ritual was taking place. Then rumors spread that an erosion ritual site had been discovered on the East Continent. There were dozens of Full Moon Fortresses. Elvo wasted no time in making his way to the warp gate. He had 300 guild members with him and he also spent a large sum of money hiring 1,000 mercenaries. He marched toward one of the Full Moon Fortress, which suddenly appeared all over the East Continent, rising like moons in the sky. The process was live streamed to prove himself to the world. The media, which was on good terms with Elvo, joined in and promoted his mission. This attracted millions of viewers. Most of them were unhappy with this update. Many people had either died or lost precious NPCs at the hands of a cultivator. The ferocious vibe given off by them in the chat made them feel like an angry mob. They enthusiastically cheered for Elvo, who was going to slaughter the cultivators before anyone else. They called for the destruction of the cultivators. Elvo felt like a main character. He was overwhelmed by a type of pleasure different from when he became a star with the help of the media. He was already looking forward to the sweet rewards he would get from succeeding in this expedition and living up to the public’s expectations. ‘Grid and Kraugel have always felt like this, haven’t they?’ They had been monopolizing something that felt better than taking drugs for nearly ten years... Because of his jealousy, Elvo’s motivation skyrocketed. He led the expedition team with excitement, like a drunk man. The mercenaries grumbled, but followed him nonetheless. The mercenaries were all very reputable people. They couldn’t help but be conscious of the millions of viewers watching the live broadcast. This wasn’t just about the viewers. Satisfy-related news programs would cover today’s events for the next few days. This meant that the mercenaries who were active alongside Elvo would be talked about by tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of people in the near future. This expedition was an opportunity for everyone present to show off their skills. Therefore, they all wished for success. They would never let down their guard and would engage in the mission with a brave attitude while also being more cautious than ever before. Infiltrating the Full Moon Fortress was a difficult and tense process which made the viewers sweat. The chat was filled with cheering emojis when a patrolling cultivator got killed by Elvo. However, that was the end of the cheering. The moment Elvo’s expedition team arrived at the castle in the center of the Full Moon Fortress, around a hundred cultivators present there destroyed all the members of the expedition team in only fifteen minutes. Viewers were outraged by this one-sided defeat. Did Elvo broadcast this just to show a pathetic performance? Naturally, the more fans there were, the more haters there were as well. Therefore, the number of people happy about Elvo’s failure was pretty high. In the end, Elvo was forced to end the broadcast. Right now, the world was in an uproar. They were focused on the failures of numerous rankers, including Elvo. “...Shit!” Elvo didn’t manage to prove himself. Rather, he was being stigmatized. He became furious. He was even more angry after hearing the news that Grid and the Overgeared Guild were active in the West Continent. All of Elvo’s efforts being overshadowed only proved that the first generation rankers were the best. At this point, he started to suspect that someone was using him. “Ren, what about the mercenaries?” “...They are all gone.” “They left? Even though they barely even did their jobs? They aren’t even thinking about avenging themselves? This is why they are wandering around as mercenaries of that level, those bastards.” Elvo gritted his teeth as he thought. He gave up. “Turn the broadcast back on.” “Are you going to livestream an apology?” “Don’t talk nonsense. Why should we apologize for our failures?” “I know, I know, but public opinion matters so much...” “We just have to get the public on our side. Even though we failed, the fact that we challenged the cultivators to stop their ritual cannot be denied. We aren’t the only ones who failed, right?” It just so happened that a new beam of light appeared on the respawn point. Rankers from other expedition teams resurrected. Elvo confirmed that the broadcast was back on and approached the rankers who had just respawned. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 “Let’s join forces. Haven’t we already realized that we can’t do anything about the cultivators guarding the Full Moon Fortresses on our own? Of course, we might fail again even if we team up. However, if we don’t stop the erosion ritual, we don’t know what type of chaos the world will fall into. We can’t just sit around and do nothing.” The rankers were taken aback by Elvo’s sudden suggestion. They eventually exchanged looks. They noticed that Elvo was trying to gain public support. As rankers, they were quick-witted. The other expedition teams were just as afraid of the repercussions if they failed their expedition. “...Let’s do it. It's natural for rankers to jump into danger on behalf of ordinary players. I’m afraid of the ridicule that will follow if I fail again, but I don’t want to turn away from my duty.” Since they were all on the same page, they shook hands. Seeing this, the public had favorable reactions. The media also dressed up the cooperation of the rankers with all types of rhetorics. ‘With this, I have kept my honor.’ Elvo exhaled in relief and exchanged information with the rankers. They compared the power of the Full Moon Fortresses they had challenged and discussed which places would be easier to attack. The number of viewers watching the broadcast skyrocketed. Flash! A faint light seemed to cross the rankers’ vision. For a moment, day dawned. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but night receded and it was now daytime. “......?” Both the rankers and those watching the livestream were stunned. They thought this was some sort of illusion. Daylight lasted for only a moment. Before they knew it, night had come again. -I didn’t imagine that happening, did I? There’s even a bug that changes day and night after the update. Holy shit. There was a barrage of insults and flame from the viewers. “......” The rankers at the scene were silent and nervous. A woman had blended among them. The moment it became night again, she appeared next to them without any warning. She was a very beautiful Asian woman, but her demeanor was alien. She had gorgeous accessories and her make-up methods were uncommon even on the East Continent... The rankers remembered seeing something similar in that group of cultivators. Eventually, someone broke the silence. “A cultivator?” The woman said something they didn’t understand. “The light is fast.” The rankers didn’t hesitate and pulled out their weapons. They had just returned from the Full Moon Fortress and were very aware of how dangerous cultivators were, so they reacted quickly. Those with good judgment immediately cast their ultimate skills, while those who were stupid attacked the woman using ordinary offensive skills. Colorful and gorgeous skill effects engulfing the cultivator caught the attention of viewers. The woman snorted and clapped her hands together. “It isn’t enough to refer to me as a mere cultivator? You want to kill me as well?” The mountain peak behind her spun around and absorbed the skills bombardment. “What!” The rankers gasped. They realized that this woman was insanely powerful and they all turned to run at the same time. All of them immediately activated their defensive and escape skills. But it was meaningless. The mountain peak released the skill bombardment it absorbed and the whole area was razed until only ashes remained. Every single ranker was killed. In the empty town square, all that remained were a few hundred items, dropped by the rankers who had been slain. What these rankers had in common was that they died twice that day, so they couldn’t retrieve their items... -...... People watching the broadcast left in huge numbers. They intended to log into Satisfy right away and collect the items dropped by the rankers. Some people laughed, while others cried. To put it bluntly, the East Continent was in a complete state of chaos. The number of people convinced that the cultivators’ erosion ritual would succeed had increased exponentially. “What are the old dragons doing...?” Meanwhile, the news reached the West Continent. Grid turned his attention toward the East. He had already mastered two techniques, and spiritual energy was constantly flowing and accumulating in his body.