Sebel stared for a moment, then let out a cold snort. "None." "None, is that it? I’ve counted! The Sailor covered for you four times! He covered me eleven times, and besides that, he blocked two surprise attacks aimed at Cade’s throat, using that low-grade, white-label shotgun you’ve all been mocking to blast away four Viper Wolves! And the jaws of those four Viper Wolves were supposed to be tearing into the flesh of these fragile kids in the inner circle!"

The scars under Akafeel’s oxygen mask began to redden: "1500 Health Points! With this Sailor present, he single-handedly saved the entire team at least a full Tier of health! He was defending while you were idling, he was defending while you were fleeing; he was defending when you were scoring critical hits, he was defending when you were netting satisfying headshots, and he was still defending when you were grabbing loot. This guy completely extinguished any desire to attack himself, clinging to the concept of defense like a rabid dog!" Zi took a deep breath and said in a gentler tone, "Akafeel, the bulk of the team’s defense has truly been thanks to you. Perhaps this Sailor does possess some skill, but without you, I doubt he’d be anything."

Akafeel's tone finally softened slightly: "Zi, maybe this guy can't carry the load alone, but frankly, compared to him, Hark is nothing more than the difference between a clumsy shooting guard and Michael Jordan... Believe me, if this guy had the talent and enough gear, he even has the potential to become an MT! I firmly believe it!" Zi’s tattered robes fluttered without wind: "I understand what you mean."

Akafeel added coolly, "Use him if he's useful. If not, just eliminate him! Wait? FUCK, where is that Sailor?"

The only reason Akafeel could afford to step away for a high-level meeting was that the battle situation was already largely decided. As a frontline main force, he needed to plan ahead for the next wave of attack, which is why he retreated to the safer zone to heal and catch his breath. What he absolutely did not anticipate was that in those mere dozen seconds, the Sailor had vanished!!!

Sebel suddenly shouted over the team channel: "Did anyone see the Sailor!"

A response quickly came from the front lines: "A heavily wounded Viper Wolf escaped in the chaos just now, and the Sailor chased right after it!"

Sebel slapped his thigh hard, sighing in vexation. A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes: "Should I take a few people to intercept him? If he refuses to return, kill him immediately!" Zi shook her head slightly: "If this person’s big-picture awareness is truly as strong as Akafeel claims, then once he slips away..." it will be very difficult to find him. Setting aside whether this Sailor has companions, let's not forget the next wave of beasts is about to arrive! If you leave, are you suggesting our team should suffer massive casualties here?" Sebel was instantly silenced. Zi closed her eyes, and after a brief blink, her face became icy: "Get back to your posts... the next attack is already on its way!" Perhaps only a few people noticed that in that instant of blinking, the color of Zi’s eyes suddenly shifted from sky-like azure to black and gold!

Golden pupils! Vertical slits like a lizard or a dragon! ………………

If the first wave of Viper Wolf aggression was Pandora’s small greeting to everyone, then the subsequent waves that poured in like tides were enthusiastic and overwhelming salutations. This enthusiasm swallowed the lives of at least a dozen Contractors, much like a tsunami.

Fang Senyan had already circled back from the east, south, and north fronts, managing to pass on a crucial piece of intelligence to all participating Contractors: in this spatial battlefield, there was an auxiliary Contractor skilled in the use and deployment of medicines, named "Sailor"—possessing excellent team awareness, wielding white-label Knuckle Dusters and a white-label Shotgun, and almost never participating in attacks... Including the Illumination Society, at least three different teams were looking to recruit Fang Senyan. They all recognized the immense value Fang Senyan possessed and were vaguely determined that if they couldn't have him, they would definitely kill him... But this also implied one thing! It meant that their initial approach toward Fang Senyan was one of "incorporation"! In other words—

As long as they hadn't been rejected, as long as they hadn't fallen into despair, Fang Senyan and his group were in an absolutely safe position!

This was the only reason Fang Senyan had suddenly become so high-profile.

The sole reason.

This was the brief lull between battles. Many Contractors were leaning against walls, gasping deeply, while seizing every moment to bandage themselves and ingest healing medication.

Morganza stood high up, tilting his head back and gulping down saline solution from his military canteen, then stretching his neck, his Adam's apple contracting, letting the water flow down his throat like a herbivore.

Thanks to the deliberate care and cover provided by Reef, his life had remained largely unaffected. Even when the Batwing Wyvern in the sky targeted Morganza with a dive attack, Reef instantly used his Audacity ability to rush to Morganza's side and take the blow head-on!

It must be said that Reef’s rate of improvement after encountering Fang Senyan was enormous. Although there hadn't been much progress in terms of equipment in the recent worlds, the increase in base attribute points was astonishing. Most critically, his maximum Spirit Power (MP) had surged by nearly two hundred points, ensuring he had ample MP when casting his skills.

Remember, although Reef’s Heartrending Wail was a powerful ability with no resource cost, his Tier Five ability, Armor of Faith, had also advanced from Tier Four to Tier Five and was rapidly approaching LVMAX. Furthermore, Armor of Faith could now be cast on others, though the Spirit cost increased from 30 to 40 points.

In addition, Audacity had a full 10-second cooldown, and casting it once required a full 30 Spirit Points. These two major mana sinks were undoubtedly the huge bottlenecks limiting Reef’s ability to utilize his full potential. The gain of over two hundred MP points after meeting Fang Senyan pushed his maximum MP to nearly four hundred, finally alleviating his severe shortage of mana.

A peculiar balance had also emerged on the West Sector battlefield, which was also a result of Fang Senyan’s influence. This was because the West Sector battlefield was also teeming with two or three medium-sized teams, none willing to yield to the others. Crucially, none of them had a truly dominant MT (Main Tank is best served by a Contractor with a Defense talent). In this scenario, Reef, with his immensely powerful MT capabilities, emerged without being tied to any major faction, making him an acceptable temporary leader for all parties involved.

Fang Senyan quietly returned to their side at this moment, sitting next to Reef and smiling: "How's the pressure over here?"

Reef shrugged: "It's manageable, but we've lost six people already... And by the way, the guy from that Gothic team assigned to be my deputy is as useless as trash... He’s the fastest to grab the key, but the moment there's danger, he shrinks to the back."

For Reef, a man who strictly followed procedures, to voice such a complaint meant that the deputy was truly exceptional. Fang Senyan laughed heartily and winked at him: "I guarantee that once I leave, the Illumination Society's MT, Akafeel, will use the exact same description for his own deputy..." "The West Sector only lost five people? Right, they were lucky. Your Heartrending Wail ability is particularly effective in this kind of chaotic brawl against common monsters—it's perfect for group crowd control. It's just a pity that elite or legendary creatures probably have a high chance to be immune to Heartrending Wail."

At this point, Morganza spat out his chewed gum lazily: "Akafeel? That bald guy who can barely walk while carrying that shield? Oh, I get why he likes you so much—because he’s gay and your butt looks great! Hey, hey, Boss, don't clench your fist so tightly, I was kidding. The real reason is that you can likely boost his base Strength by 3 points. His top three stats seem to be Constitution, Intellect, and Spirit, with Strength being his fourth highest."

"What!?" Fang Senyan looked utterly astonished. Morganza shrugged: "Don't give me that look, but I can guarantee this information is true, because it was information one of the former Symbiotic Society guys paid for with his life."

Hearing this, Fang Senyan’s mind suddenly flashed back to the bizarre scene he had witnessed earlier: the grayish-white discoloration that rapidly appeared on Akafeel’s neck when Fang Senyan first went to support him—a patch that looked like granite, just as the Viper Wolf was about to bite him!

"Is this guy walking a different path for an MT? A Magic Defense Warrior?" Fang Senyan shook his head, momentarily shelving that thought—as if dusting off a file and placing it back on a shelf—before beginning to consider the next monster assault with a relative lack of tension. After facing the terrifying A-rank world difficulty, Fang Senyan had developed an inherent sense of superiority towards worlds of this difficulty.

"I think we should dig a pit and bury the corpses and bloodstains of these creatures."

A Contractor shouted loudly, his voice filled with excitement.

Fang Senyan was clearly drawn to his words, but regretfully, none of the Contractors next to him were willing to listen.