Evolution Points were absurdly expensive.
For example, evolving from a Blade Bug into either a Vanguard Hunter or a Mayfly Bug required well over a thousand Evolution Points.
Still, the upgraded forms offered dramatically better stats than a basic Blade Bug.
More importantly, Mayfly Bugs could fly.
That fact alone made them irresistible.
Ground-bound peasants could only stare in envy.
As a result, everyone threw themselves into grinding Evolution Points.
It was a new faction. A fresh start. Nobody expected luxury during the opening stages.
Fortunately, thanks to the countless guides posted by veteran players and the surprising number of civil engineering students who had volunteered to become unofficial architects, construction progressed smoothly.
In fact, only three hours after the servers opened, players had already begun building structures.
A forum post proudly displayed the evidence.
[Image]
The thread continued:
I'm basically writing whatever comes to mind, so don't expect perfect organization.
Anyway, here are some NPC photos and random screenshots from around the Swarm Homeworld.
[Images]
[Images]
[Images]
This has been Lulubuleika reporting live.
Looking forward to the day the Swarm marches on the Kryptonian Empire.
The comments flooded in almost immediately.
[Child of Light from Ireland]:
"The bugs are terrifying. Are we really going to fight these things someday?"
[BlackTechScholar]:
"I'm more curious why the bugs emerge from the ground instead of hatching from eggs."
[HeavyArmorWeakChrysanthemum]:
"According to the official lore, the Swarm reproduces through spores. Crawling out of the soil actually makes sense."
[That's Not Dorayaki!]:
"Am I the only one who wants to see what the Queen looks like?"
The Swarm faction wasn't the only thing causing changes.
The arrival of hundreds of millions of new players was having a noticeable effect on the Kryptonian Empire itself.
Because Drex Valen had concerns about player behavior, he hadn't allowed new players to spawn directly on Krypton.
Even so, more than two hundred million players appearing across the empire was enough to cause trouble.
Some attempted to wander into private homes and rummage through other people's belongings.
The Black Queen shut that down immediately.
Others tried attacking random civilians for no reason.
Those players received swift account suspensions.
Most of them never even understood what rule they had broken before finding themselves disconnected.
The local populations were becoming increasingly nervous.
On some worlds, residents had begun relocating en masse.
Others simply moved to the far side of their planet to avoid interacting with players entirely.
The situation became a running joke.
"Did you see yesterday's news?"
"That guy got launched so hard his hat flew off."
"Selling gold! One hundred copper for five bucks! Limited stock!"
"The exchange rate dropped again."
"Of course it did. Player numbers doubled overnight."
"If the price went up instead, that would've been weird."
"Trust me, buy gold now."
"Why?"
"Most of the new players don't have enough reputation yet to equip green or blue gear."
"So?"
"So once they hit the reputation requirements, they're all going to start upgrading equipment."
The veteran grinned.
"When demand rises, gold prices rise."
The newcomer stared.
"You're a genius."
"Teach me how to make money."
"I keep hearing stories about people getting rich in this game."
Another player walked past carrying logs.
"If you're planning to chop wood, do it now."
"The forests are disappearing."
"Seriously, you people are reshaping the planet."
"No game should have this much freedom."
Meanwhile, construction on the Swarm Homeworld was progressing at an astonishing pace.
The reason was simple.
Everyone wanted war.
Specifically, they wanted to march on the Kryptonian Empire.
For the past several days, Swarm players had thrown themselves into labor with remarkable enthusiasm.
Trees were cut down.
Open ground was cleared.
Wood and stone were hauled across construction zones.
Simple foundations were dug.
Some players sketched building plans onto wooden boards and used them as references.
Others organized districts and zoning layouts.
The first area under construction was the residential district.
Defensive walls followed shortly afterward.
Nothing fancy.
Just massive wooden barricades assembled from sharpened logs.
Yet considering only two days had passed since launch, the speed was remarkable.
Both factions were developing rapidly.
Both were preparing for war.
Back on Earth, however, the crisis caused by the Worms continued to escalate.
That was when Umbrella Corporation unveiled something new.
The Rider System.
Individuals who transformed into Kamen Riders gained access to the same Hyper Acceleration abilities possessed by the Worms.
More importantly, they also possessed finishing attacks specifically designed to eliminate them.
Unlike Tony Stark, they wouldn't need to spend hours fighting a Worm in accelerated time and literally beat it to death through sheer persistence.
One day, a Worm was detected by an anti-Worm scanning device developed by Umbrella.
As civilians fled in panic, a squad of heavily armed War Machines surrounded the target.
"It's molting!"
The shout came over the comms.
The soldiers immediately opened fire.
Bullets sparked harmlessly against the creature's thick outer shell.
Then the shell cracked apart.
Something emerged.
A fully matured Worm.
Its form resembled an enormous dragonfly.
At that moment, the roar of an engine echoed through the streets.
A yellow motorcycle came racing toward the battlefield.
"The Captain's here!"
The surrounding civilians immediately recognized him.
After dismounting, the rider extended his hand.
A massive mechanical hornet flew toward him and landed on his palm.
"Henshin."
He inserted the hornet into the transformation device mounted on his wrist.
Golden armor erupted around his body.
Kamen Rider TheBee appeared.
The next moment, everything ended.
To ordinary observers, the battle lasted less than a blink.
A thunderous explosion erupted.
Green flames surged skyward.
Kamen Rider TheBee stood with his back to the blast before slowly turning around.
The Worm was gone.
Completely destroyed.
"So that's the Rider System."
"That Drex Valen really is a genius."
The footage spread across the world within hours.
Governments.
Intelligence agencies.
Superhuman organizations.
Everyone obtained copies.
And everyone reached the same conclusion.
The balance of power had shifted once again.
Think about it.
A Kamen Rider could activate Hyper Acceleration, walk straight into a secure government facility, assassinate a world leader, and leave before anyone even realized what had happened.
The implications were terrifying.
Could Drex control a weapon like this?
Most governments understood a simple truth.
If Drex genuinely wanted a president dead, there was nothing they could do to stop him.
Not with military force.
Not with politics.
Not with anything.
More importantly, Drex was intelligent enough to understand that killing a president solved very few problems.
He wouldn't bother.
But what about the people who became Kamen Riders?
Could anyone guarantee they would be equally rational?
Equally restrained?
The answer was obvious.
No.
That concern eventually led both the United Nations and S.W.O.R.D. to contact Drex directly.
At the time, Drex was spending a quiet moment with Angel Yan when the communication request came through.
He accepted the voice call without much concern.
The request was straightforward.
"You want me to hand over Rider System slots so your organizations can select the candidates yourselves?"
Drex leaned back thoughtfully.
"We would consider the slots contracted assets," the representative replied immediately.
"Umbrella Corporation will be fully compensated. We have no intention of asking for them for free."
...
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