14. Charging a Toll at the Gate? Su Yu Makes His Move!
The piece of wild boar meat had just dropped when the Snow Cream father and daughter, along with the five-person Dongshan Sword squad, fought the black wild boar. Snow Cream wasn’t sure if bribing NPCs was possible in Evolution, but since he had the wild boar meat in hand, he decided to give it a try.
The woodcutter’s eyes lit up instantly when he saw the piece of wild boar meat. He figured that all the firewood he had chopped in a day probably wouldn’t be worth such a large piece of meat. Wiping the drool from his lips, he calmly accepted the meat and said, “Ahem, I’ll tell you, but you mustn’t tell anyone else!”
“Alright, no problem,” the Snow Cream father and daughter brightened and leaned in eagerly to listen.
“It’s an adventurer named ‘Nemesis’...” the woodcutter said slowly.
After a moment, a mournful female voice echoed through the forest: “Nemesis! I’ll remember you!”
...
Meanwhile, Su Yu was walking back to the novice village. For some reason, he suddenly felt a chill run through his body.
“What’s going on? Could it be I forgot to turn off the air conditioner in my rental? I must remember to switch it off before dinner,” he thought as he continued forward.
Upon reaching the village entrance, Su Yu found it blocked by a large crowd of players, completely sealing off the path into the village. The group was split into two sides, loudly arguing, faces flushed with anger.
Closer to the village entrance, a warrior clad in several pieces of gear stood with over a hundred people, blocking the way. He boasted, “Everyone, show some respect to our Slaughter Heaven Guild! Our guild leader has set his eyes on a skill scroll in the warehouse, but we don’t have enough money. We need your generous contributions.”
“When our Slaughter Heaven Guild is flush with cash later, we will repay everyone double what we collect today! You have my word!”
Su Yu glanced at the warrior’s name and was taken aback.
He recognized it—“Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon,” a core member of the Blood of the Emperor Guild, and a well-known figure in his previous life, considered something of a big shot.
Why was he suddenly here, impersonating someone from Slaughter Heaven Guild?
Still, Su Yu remained calm and watched on.
The players blocked outside the village were furious:
“Why should we pay you just because you’re short on money?”
“Exactly! Our money doesn’t grow on trees!”
“Blocking the village entrance and charging a village fee—have you no shame?”
“I used to play Realm of Magic too. I thought Slaughter Heaven was a respectable guild, but you’ve really opened my eyes!”
The players outside the village voiced their righteous indignation.
Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon was equally stubborn, refusing entry to anyone who didn’t pay.
Tensions grew stiff, and a standoff began.
...
By now, Su Yu understood the situation.
It was the Blood of the Emperor Guild impersonating Slaughter Heaven to collect village fees.
Quite an intriguing scheme!
His interest piqued, Su Yu stood aside silently to observe how the situation would unfold.
...
Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon wore a smug smile.
He threatened, “No payment, no one gets into the village! Just now, a group of dissenters were forcibly kicked offline. Want to try your luck?”
Behind him, some ordinary players already inside the village—likely plants—urged calm:
“Calm down, everyone!”
“It’s just one spiritual coin! Better to pay than be kicked offline, right?”
“Paying to avoid trouble, paying to avoid trouble.”
“After all, Slaughter Heaven is the number one guild. We should at least give them some face.”
Persuaded by the in-village players, many ordinary players began to waver.
Indeed, one spiritual coin was like completing a quest; being kicked offline for half an hour was much worse.
Yet many still refused to comply:
“Nonsense! Just because you’re a big guild, we’re supposed to be bullied?”
“We get berated by bosses at work, nagged by wives at home, and even our cats have higher status than us—why should we take crap in a game too?”
“Exactly! Let’s fight them!”
“Everyone charge! I don’t believe we can’t beat those cowards in Slaughter Heaven!”
Their emotions surged; many drew weapons and launched attacks against Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon and the Blood of the Emperor’s forces.
Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon sneered coldly, “Ha! Overestimating yourselves!”
He then shouted, “Everyone, listen up! Take out those troublemakers first!”
“Understood!”
The Blood of the Emperor’s gang sprang into action, clashing with the ordinary players at the village entrance.
...
Most players were only level one or two, with just one skill each, so the fight was not particularly spectacular. But with nearly three hundred participants combined, flashes of white light constantly erupted across the battlefield.
Each flash marked a player’s death.
Su Yu watched coldly.
He didn’t even need to look to know the Blood of the Emperor side would dominate.
Though outnumbered slightly, the ordinary players were disorganized and lacked cohesion.
As he expected, the village entrance skirmish soon tilted in favor of the Blood of the Emperor.
Several leading ordinary players were quickly eliminated under concentrated fire.
With their leaders gone, the morale of the remaining players plummeted.
...
Some only sought self-preservation—willing to fight but reluctant to sacrifice.
Others hesitated over whether to pay to avoid trouble; offending a major guild over a single spiritual coin wasn’t worth it.
Ordinary players were divided in their thoughts.
Meanwhile, the Blood of the Emperor had a boss paying wages, so they feared no sacrifice and charged ahead despite the risk of death.
Plus, their members were higher level, better equipped, and coordinated.
Though outnumbered, the ordinary players gradually fell back.
...
As the Blood of the Emperor neared full control of the situation, Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon smiled triumphantly:
“Rabble! I’m giving you one last chance—pay up and leave! Otherwise, just wait for death!”
Hearing this, many players hesitated.
Some archers and mages even ceased attacking and casting spells.
At that moment, Su Yu stepped forward.
He had long wanted to challenge Slaughter Heaven Guild, and now the opportunity was right before him—how could he not seize it?
He cared little that this group was impersonating Slaughter Heaven.
Striding out from behind, Su Yu raised his staff, ready to cast, and shouted angrily:
“Slaughter Heaven Guild is truly outrageous! You think being a big guild makes you untouchable? Sooner or later, you will become the enemy of all players!”
Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon glanced at Su Yu with disdain:
“Hah! You’re just a little mage who doesn’t even dare to show his real name...”
Crack!
Su Yu’s Lightning Arrow struck true, hitting Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon directly.
-125!
Newly leveled to two, with only 120 health points, Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon vanished in a flash of light, dying instantly in the street.
The once arrogant warrior was gone in an instant.
...
Seeing Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon killed in one hit and the massive “-125” damage displayed above his head, everyone from the Blood of the Emperor and other players froze.
What the hell!
125 damage?!
A level two full-health warrior was instantly killed?!
What was going on?
All eyes turned to Su Yu, filled with disbelief.