Chapter 53: The Leader Template!

Li Xia had never realized that over a hundred people scattered about could still form such a vast crowd. They knelt on one knee, their eyes filled with hope as they looked at him.

Among the survivors, roughly half were women and children; there were very few elderly, and the rest were young and strong. This was quite natural—those who were frail or slow had little chance of escaping such a calamity.

Glancing at the task panel, he saw the objectives were rather broad.

[Second Phase Main Quest: The Battle of Smaug]
[Task Objective: Survive Until the End (Completed)]
[Current Contribution Points Counted in the Five Armies Battle Leaderboard]
[Final Main Quest Unlocked!]
[Current Task: Prelude]
[Task Objective: Lead the Human Faction to the Ruins of Valley State]
[Task Reward: 6% Contribution (Ratio of Human Faction Strength Compared to Other Factions)]
[Task Deadline: 2 Days]
[Task Penalty: Loss of Human Faction Leader Status, Deduction of 50% Contribution Points and Locking]

Li Xia pondered for a moment before asking, "Does anyone know the way to Valley State?"

The crowd murmured softly among themselves, then a man pushed through and stepped forward.

"Sir, I'm quite familiar with the route. I often go there... well... to scavenge small, unwanted scraps."

He looked at Li Xia cautiously, and seeing no sign of anger from the "new king," his words became more fluent.

"There are two ways to get to Valley State. The first is by boat to the old dock. Though it's collapsed, a narrow path remains."

Li Xia shook his head. The current Changhu Town no longer had enough boats to ferry everyone away.

"The second route circles around Changhu, crossing two gentle hills. It's an easy path but takes about a full day."

That seemed to be the only viable choice—

Wait. Li Xia raised his eyebrows. Being the leader of the Human Faction was more than a mere title!

He suddenly lifted his head and pointed at the young man who had spoken earlier. "What’s your name?"

"Boris, sir. My name is Boris."

"Boris, would you be willing to join the Changhu Town Guard and protect our town?"

Boris was stunned but immediately nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course!"

[You have appointed Boris as a member of the Changhu Town Guard]
[Faction Leader Template Activated!]

Li Xia’s heart pounded fiercely. As expected! Power was there, just hidden. To wield it, one must discover and attempt to use it—not wait for the Hall to spoon-feed everything.

He opened the faction leader template, which had three main functions:

1. Faction Task Release (Tasks must be validated by the Hall to be effective)
2. Position Appointments (Positions appointed cannot exceed faction limits)
3. Leader Bonus Sharing (Provide faction bonuses based on personal enhancements)

Additionally, the method of earning contribution points changed.

As faction leader, Li Xia could no longer gain contributions by accepting faction tasks but instead earned them through faction activities.

For example, if faction members killed enemies on the battlefield, he would receive a share of the contributions. Contributions could also be earned through Hall missions and defeating foes. The stronger the faction, the higher his contribution points.

This was the allure of a war-driven world! Only in such vast conflict did the concept of a faction leader exist.

Li Xia did not know how many war scenarios awaited in the infinite worlds ahead, but this opportunity could not be missed.

He took a deep breath to calm himself and opened the communication platform:

Xia [Dragon Slayer, Leader of Human Faction]: “The Human Faction is recruiting. Those interested may come to the Broken Bridge in Changhu Town.”

Beastling: “??? Boss, this isn’t just a title. You’re serious???”

Bloodthirsty Prince: “Human Faction... Boss, no offense, but the Human Faction’s kinda weak...”

Shadow: “I already have 200 points in the Elf Faction. Switching means losing that.”

Blackjack: “Yeah, boss, if it were earlier, I’d join for sure. Now giving up earned points is tough.”

Despair Baron: “Contribution points are one thing—we’ve redeemed most already. The real problem is faction tasks; they’re impossible to get. Now we just wait for the Five Armies Battle.”

Li Xia opened the leader panel and silently sent two entries:

Xia [Dragon Slayer, Leader of Human Faction]: “[Faction Task Release Permission], [Leader Bonus]: 10% bonus to task contribution points.”

The previously lively chat suddenly fell silent. For a moment, no one spoke.

Just as Li Xia wondered why, a flood of messages appeared all at once.

Beastling: “Hell yeah! Heading over now!”

Shadow Hunter: “Just checked with the Hall—it’s real!”

Silver Wing: “???”

Watchdog: “No way, war worlds can be played like this??”

Despair Baron: “I’m signing up! Coming right away!”

Blackjack: “On my way!”

...

Black Ape: “Count me in.”

...

Li Xia closed the faction chat, telling the anxious villagers to gather usable resources first. The newly appointed Boris and six followers maintained order and helped out.

He sat on a rock by the lake, patiently waiting.

This group of apostles was actually the strongest force. They might be scattered and hard to command, but treating them as special forces for small-scale raids and giving them clear missions could achieve incredible feats.

Soon, people began emerging cautiously from all corners of Changhu Town. They observed from a distance before carefully approaching.

“Boss? I’m here!”

Li Xia looked up to see a petite girl in a rabbit costume hopping excitedly toward him. The Beastling, indeed quite cute.

He nodded slightly and sent an invitation.

[Dragon Slayer · Leader of Human Faction · King Xia invites you to join the faction. Accept?]

Beastling’s mouth opened in surprise—the title was longer again!

And it was really possible to join. Excited, she confirmed, and once the Hall approved, she cheered loudly.

“Thank you, boss!”

That was not all. A faction task immediately popped up.

[The residents of Changhu Town are uneasy and need help salvaging resources and repairing boats.]
[3 Contribution Points per Resource]
[10 Contribution Points per Boat (limit 50 boats)]

Beastling almost cheered out loud. The Elf and Dwarf factions were strong but had many members, so faction tasks were scarce. A solo newbie like her could hardly compete; her reputation level wasn’t even respectable yet. Now, joining offered faction tasks with no fighting or competition involved—simply perfect!

Seeing someone take the lead happily completing the task, other hesitant apostles gradually approached.

Li Xia welcomed all who came, following the same procedure. When all had joined, their number reached over thirty—almost a third of the apostles. This meant aside from those who had formed temporary teams and had a foundation in the other two factions, the small groups and solo wanderers had all gathered.

He stood, stretching his stiff muscles from sitting too long.

Not far off, a dark figure resembling a gorilla stood, eyeing him strangely.

The face seemed familiar. After a moment, he realized it was the “Debauchery Brother” who had been mocked at the meeting point.

“Hello, I’m Black Ape—I’m here to join as well.”

Black Ape was tall, about two meters, muscular and powerful, yet spoke politely.

Li Xia nodded and repeated the joining procedure.

Suddenly, Black Ape extended his hand, revealing an army-green walkie-talkie in his palm.

“Someone... wants to talk to you.”

Talk to me? Li Xia was silent a moment, looked at the device, and immediately the related panel popped up.

[Military Walkie-Talkie]
[Quality: Green]
[Origin: Metal Slug · Emerson Research Lab]
[Wireless Communication: Strong anti-interference, capable of communication in many places]
[Review: Quite a useful gadget; Emerson reportedly became a famous tycoon thanks to this.]

It was even an unbound piece of equipment?

Black Ape shrugged. “He said it’s a meeting gift. Have a talk—nothing bad.”

Li Xia picked up the walkie-talkie and switched it on. Static crackled inside. Black Ape wisely turned and left to do tasks.

“Xia? Sorry for contacting you this way, but I’m not able to meet in person.”

An older voice came through the device.

“I want to discuss the matter of the Fate Chest with you.”

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