The five elite players moved quickly to set up traps.
~[Spike Trap] - Price: 200 reward points
~[Poison Explosive Mine] - Price: 350 reward points
~[Flame Trigger] - Price: 300 reward points
Seven different trap items in total, costing 1,500 reward points altogether.
If all were triggered at once, even the Ghost General would struggle to survive.
After all, deep in the heart of the ghost army's territory, there was no room for error. It had to be a one-hit kill, otherwise, they would be overwhelmed by the tide of ghost soldiers.
The entire spacious hall was completely covered with traps. As soon as one trap was triggered, the rest would chain-react and explode.
Ordinary ghost soldiers had 300 HP.
The fallen ghost squad leader had 700 HP.
The total damage from all traps exploding together was a terrifying 4,000 points.
Even if the Ghost General was powerful, taking a full blast would be devastating.
Of course, that was the ideal scenario.
The Ghost General wasn't like the mindless common ghosts, he was intelligent. With both defense and evasion skills, most of the trap damage would inevitably be wasted.
Terumi Mei only hoped the traps would injure the Ghost General enough.
The actual finishing blow, that would be her job.
They waited in silence.
Every member of the assassination squad held their breath, hiding in the dark corners of the castle hall, ready to strike at any moment.
[Server Channel]
Mysterious Merchant: Detailed intel now available. The Ghost General commands the outer defenses of the Ruined Castle. Defeating him will clear out all surrounding ghost soldiers and stop their respawn.
Guaranteed drops from Ghost General:
Ghost Banner (can summon ghost soldiers by consuming mana)
Malevolent Long Blade of the Ghost Captain (a close-range strength weapon)
Ghost Captain's Obsession (increases Strength when consumed)
Ghost General's Sword Technique Notes (grants the passive skill [Sword Mastery])
Weakness exposed: The Ghost General has extremely sharp perception. Players without an Assassin-type class must purchase stealth-related items to get close.
"No wonder the castle's outer defenses haven't fallen after two whole days. Turns out, as long as the Ghost General lives, the ghost soldiers keep respawning."
"Before this, the Mysterious Merchant only gave out shallow intel on the Ghost General. Why release his weaknesses now? Could it be someone's about to breach the outer defenses?"
Every player who saw the Merchant's announcement had different thoughts.
Whether it was the Blood Baron or the Ghost General, the Mysterious Merchant only revealed detailed info after players encountered them accidentally.
Now that the Ghost General's intel had been revealed so suddenly, it likely meant someone had made contact with him.
Outside the castle, the sounds of battle were deafening.
Though the players fought bravely, the sheer number of ghost soldiers made it nearly impossible to break through in a short time, let alone reach the Ghost General.
"A player infiltrated the castle. This kind of tactic… definitely a ninja!"
As expected of one of Kumogakure's few strategists, Asa Butoi quickly grasped the situation.
She furrowed her brow.
The loot from killing the Ghost General didn't interest her.
What mattered most was her plan to form the Kumogakure Alliance around Cloud ninja and scattered players. Though many had already joined, the situation was still highly unstable.
If another ninja squad killed the Ghost General first and had the same idea of forming an alliance, the players who had just joined her would likely defect immediately.
Her biggest concern, Terumi Mei's squad from Kirigakure.
Behind the screen
The white-haired loli tilted her head. "Master, wouldn't it be better to keep the Ghost General's intel secret? That way, the assassination squad would burn through more reward points trying to fight him."
She didn't quite understand her master's reasoning.
"This is what we call: using a long line to catch a big fish."
Fang Yi smiled. "By revealing the intel, sharp-minded players will quickly catch on. Especially since I deliberately mentioned stealth items, they'll start buying those expensive tools to avoid the ghost soldiers and sneak directly into the castle."
"The rich assassination squads will realize this too. More players will soon try the same tactics to break in."
"To hunt the Ghost General, just the cost of teleport scrolls and traps is already massive. They won't let someone else steal the kill, so they'll have to take him down as fast as possible."
After a pause, Fang Yi turned to the white-haired loli.
"The Ghost General is a Level 10 ghost warrior, fully equipped with a Level 10 green gear set. All his skills are Level 5. Even with Terumi Mei, a Level 9 fire mage, the assassination squad can't kill him quickly. What would you do?"
The loli hesitated. "Buy more items?"
"Smart girl!"
Fang Yi ruffled her hair and grinned.
"After the latest game update, the drop rate for gear and materials increased significantly. Most players have started hoarding reward points and only buy healing potions from the shop, the rest of their equipment depends on luck."
"After all, ordinary players aren't constrained by factions in real life. They have all the time in the world. As long as they grind long enough, they'll eventually get fully geared."
"So the biggest buyers in the game shop… are the major ninja villages trying to stick their fingers into the Reincarnation Game."
"If they want to gain a foothold, they must outmatch the average player in power. Even if it's a terrible deal, they'll hold their noses and spend on powerful shop items."
"Unless… they're willing to sit back and watch other ninja villages rule the starter towns."
This was an open conspiracy. Even if player strategists saw through it, they could only grit their teeth and swallow the bitter truth.
As for Konoha...
Fang Yi's gaze landed on the Leaf squad that had also purchased stealth items in an attempt to launch a sneak attack.
Konoha, the strongest ninja village in the real world, filled with talent and backed by the largest population, was shockingly underwhelming in the game.
Even though Asuma was working hard behind the scenes, and even the usually thick-headed Naruto had begun to sense the profound changes the Reincarnation Game would bring
The Hokage, Danzo, and other senior leaders of the administration stubbornly rejected the game's influence.
Still dreaming their dream of being the "heavenly overlords" of the ninja world, refusing to wake up.
The Legendary Sannin, Sakumo Hatake, the Uchiha, the Hyūga, Minato Namikaze…
Konoha had once birthed countless geniuses. They'd had a real chance to end the village system and unify the ninja world.
But for various reasons, they'd become the juicy steak on every neighbor's plate.
At its root, the Will of Fire had gone wrong.
"Where the leaves dance, the fire will burn..."
Fang Yi didn't want to judge the value of a belief.
But whether running a ninja village or an empire, what mattered were laws and systems.
Trying to rule a massive force using ideals and personal bias was bound to fail.
If they didn't wake up soon, Konoha might truly meet its worst fate yet.