Volume 1, Chapter 59: Gravely Sinful, Humanely Euthanized?

When the announcement that the Resurrection Altar had been destroyed echoed across the entire China server, the players who were still online instantly boiled over with excitement.

"Holy shit! Someone actually destroyed the Resurrection Altar? What on earth is this guy trying to do?"
"Tsk tsk, the players in Novice Village 331 are truly down on their luck this time. Not only do they all lose one level, but they're also going to be forcibly teleported to the main city. You have to realize the weakest wild monsters in the main city are level ten—how are they supposed to farm there?"
"Looks like the guy who destroyed the altar is going to be in deep trouble."
"You said it. I doubt any of the players from Novice Village 331 are going to let this guy off."
"Don't forget, more than 50% of the players who entered Novice Village 331 yesterday haven't even reached level ten yet."

To put it mildly, with the destruction of the Resurrection Altar, the entire server was turned completely upside down.

Naturally, the most furious of all were undoubtedly the players still stuck in Novice Village 331.
Quite a few of them were already cursing Lin Yu's ancestors back to the eighteenth generation.
If they weren't utterly outmatched by Lin Yu, they would have long since swarmed him.
Even so, the murderous glares they cast at Lin Yu were palpable.
If looks could kill, Lin Yu would have already died ten thousand times over.

However, aside from the players, there was one NPC whose inner feelings were exceptionally complicated at the moment—the elderly chief of Novice Village 332.
Initially, he had been curious about who had slain Wang Defa, but upon hearing the news that the Resurrection Altar had been destroyed, he was so shocked he nearly fell right out of his chair.
Because he had pretty much guessed the identity of the person who destroyed the altar.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it had to be Lin Yu.
After all, he was well aware of Lin Yu's strength, not to mention that the young man had specifically asked him about the Resurrection Altar just yesterday.
Despite his extreme inner shock, he chose not to report the incident.
After all, whether Cui Jie could ever get out depended entirely on Lin Yu now.

"I hope you can weather this storm..."
The old village chief muttered, looking up in the direction of Novice Village 331.
Right now, offering this silent wish was the only thing he could possibly do for Lin Yu.

Lin Yu paid no heed to the outside reactions. At that moment, he was waiting for the penalty for destroying the Resurrection Altar, simply hoping it wouldn't be too harsh.
While Lin Yu waited, the system prompt soon rang beside his ear.

[Ding! Because you have destroyed the Novice Village Resurrection Altar, your Red Name value has increased by +100,000.]
[Ding! Because you have destroyed the Resurrection Altar, you have been afflicted with the Sanctuary Curse. You will never be able to receive the Sanctuary's blessing for the rest of your life, and you can no longer resurrect or restore health through Resurrection Altars.]

"Ten thousand—no, a hundred thousand Red Name points?"
Hearing the system prompt, Lin Yu couldn't help frowning. He had mentally prepared himself for the curse barring him from receiving the Sanctuary's blessing.
It was just that this pool of one hundred thousand Red Name points slightly exceeded his expectations.
With a Red Name value that high, clearing it would require him to grind at least one hundred thousand wild monsters—and they couldn't be lower than his own level, either.
When on earth was he supposed to finish farming all of those?

More importantly, he couldn't afford to die right now.
Because he hadn't expected that destroying the Resurrection Altar would strip away his ability to resurrect using one.

However, just as Lin Yu was feeling utterly speechless, the system prompt rang out beside his ear once more.

[Ding! You have completed the Undead Scourge Mordekaiser's quest "Destroy the Novice Village," and obtained the God-tier Talent: "Undead Refining Art" +1.]
[Ding! You have received the blessing of the Undead Scourge Mordekaiser and obtained a Level-Up Gift Pack reward!]
[Ding! A message from the Undead Scourge, Mordekaiser: If you wish to know your true identity, reach level eighty and proceed to the Undead Sanctuary to discover it yourself.]

"Level eighty?"
Hearing that final remark, Lin Yu was momentarily stunned.
He hadn't expected the Undead Scourge Mordekaiser to set the bar quite so high for him.

Yet, before he even had a chance to complain, the beam of light that had merged into his body from the Resurrection Altar suddenly burst with a brilliant crimson glare, forming a towering pillar of red energy right above his head.
Simultaneously, a full-server announcement resounded across the skies once again!

[Ding! Full-server quest notification: Due to the destruction of the Resurrection Altar, which has enraged the upper echelons of the Sanctuary Alliance, a bounty has now been issued by the Alliance. Anyone capable of slaying this sinful individual will receive special rewards: Level +3, Gold Coins +1,000, Free Attribute Points +500, and a Self-Selected Class Gold-grade Equipment +1. This individual has been marked. All adventurers are encouraged to actively participate!]
[Ding! Full-server quest notification: Due to the destruction of the Resurrection Altar, which has enraged the upper echelons of the Sanctuary Alliance, a bounty has now been issued by the Alliance. Anyone capable of slaying this sinful individual will receive special rewards: Level +3, Gold Coins +1,000, Free Attribute Points +500, and a Self-Selected Class Gold-grade Equipment +1. This individual has been marked. All adventurers are encouraged to actively participate!]

"What the hell, I'm being hunted by the entire server?!"
Hearing this full-server announcement, Lin Yu was completely dumbfounded.
He never imagined he would end up with a bounty on his head issued by the Sanctuary Alliance.
Most importantly, the red energy pillar hovering above his head was far too conspicuous; hiding it was completely out of the question.
Anyone who wasn't legally blind would be able to spot it from miles away.

"Holy crap, I've really been screwed over big time."
Lin Yu couldn't help cursing inwardly. He was undoubtedly going to become the target of public outrage now.
Because the bounty rewards were simply too lucrative; nobody could possibly remain unmoved.
Not to mention the Gold-grade equipment, the sheer prospect of gaining three consecutive levels alone was enough to drive people into a frenzy!

However, before he could even recover from the shock, a commotion erupted behind him.

"Brothers, let's gang up and take this bastard down! Don't let him escape!"
"My Audi! My Mercedes!"
"That's right, forget the rewards or whatever—I'm just doing this to rid society of a scourge!"
"Charge! Let's all pile on top of him and trample him to death!"
"Well said! Scum like this who destroy novice villages must be dealt with without mercy!"

Following that, Lin Yu watched as a horde of players came charging toward him, shouting and screaming for blood.
These guys had already been harboring deep resentment toward Lin Yu, but out of fear for his strength, they had been forced to swallow their anger.
Now, spurred by the heavy bounty, brave men emerged in droves, all sharing the exact same goal.
Consequently, they possessed a massive advantage in sheer numbers.

"This is genuinely tricky now."
Seeing the overwhelming sea of people rushing toward him, Lin Yu's expression instantly turned ashen.
Even though it was already eleven or twelve o'clock at night, there were still hundreds of players lingering in the novice village.

However, these locals weren't what Lin Yu was worried about.
Now that his bounty announcement had been broadcasted, countless people in his current city would go to any lengths to kill him at least once.
To put it without exaggeration, players from other main cities would likely use the teleportation arrays just to come grab a slice of the pie.
By then, what he would be facing was probably the pursuit of tens of thousands of players—or perhaps even the entire China server.
After all, the temptation of gaining three levels and Gold-grade equipment was simply too overwhelming.
To put it mildly, his current situation was perilous in the extreme.

Even with his astonishing defensive stats, facing the relentless pursuit of so many people was bound to give him a massive headache.
Because at this rate, he wouldn't even have the time to farm wild monsters and clear away his Red Name value.

[Please note, countdown has begun. In ten seconds, all players in Novice Village 331 will be teleported to Breeze City!]
[Please note, countdown has begun. In ten seconds, all players in Novice Village 331 will be teleported to Breeze City!]

Just as every single player in the novice village was about to hack Lin Yu to pieces, the system announcement suddenly rang out across the sky once more.
As the countdown hit zero, the players didn't even have time to land their attacks before they were teleported away, leaving behind only echoes of frustrated roars.
It wasn't just the players who were teleported; the NPCs vanished as well.

Yet, just as Lin Yu was waiting to be teleported away himself, he shockingly discovered that he was still standing right where he was!
Simultaneously, the system prompt chimed beside his ear again.

[Ding! Because your Red Name value exceeds one hundred thousand, you are judged as a person of grave sin and cannot use teleportation arrays.]

"..."
Lin Yu was utterly speechless, though he quickly adjusted his mindset.
Since he couldn't teleport, he might as well just farm monsters right here in the novice village to clear out his Red Name value.

However, the moment that thought crossed his mind, the announcement sounded from the sky once more.

[Please note, due to the destruction of the Resurrection Altar, Village 331 is now deemed an abandoned wasteland. All living entities will undergo humanitarian destruction in ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight...]

"Humanitarian destruction?"
Lin Yu almost spat blood. What kind of terrible karma had he accumulated?
Before he even had a chance to complain, a deafening explosion echoed in his ears.
The next second, a brilliant, towering mushroom cloud instantly blossomed across the entire novice village.
Following that, Lin Yu realized he had been blasted entirely into fragments.