The main hall of the two-story building.

An animal-hide map marked with surrounding factions and terrain was spread across the long table. The fireplace crackled, casting the shadows of those gathered around onto the rough wooden walls.

Lin Feng sat at the head of the table, his Wildfire Spear leaning against his side.

Zhao Hu sat to his right. Having recently changed classes to a Heavy Shield Guard, his presence felt even more stable and imposing; the power granted by that dark-yellow class change book seemed to still be settling within him.

Shadow Snake sat silently in the shadows to Lin Feng's left, her emerald-green claw blades spinning soundlessly between her fingertips, reflecting a cold, faint light.

Tie Dun, Jian Yan, A Wang, and Scarface Liu sat on either side.

The atmosphere was solemn.

Zhao Hu tapped a thick finger on the triangular symbol representing Black Wind Camp on the map, his voice low.

"Ten days. Based on past experience, the Nightmare Tide will arrive in ten days."

This term caused everyone present, except for Lin Feng, to stiffen. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

It was a memory etched into their very bones, a mixture of fear and helplessness.

"Old Zhao, tell me more about it," Lin Feng said, leaning forward slightly.

He had learned in class that the Nightmare Tide was a trial every territory had to face monthly, but textbooks were vague about how bandit camps dealt with them.

"The Nightmare Tide, to put it simply, is a periodic cleansing of 'traces of civilization' by this world."

Zhao Hu's tone carried the numbness of someone who had lived through it many times. "It doesn't matter if you're a village, town, or county officially recognized by a National Fortune Cauldron.

Or if you're a bandit den like us that just gathered some people and claimed a piece of land as a camp. As long as a certain population gathers within a specific area...

...and establishes fixed dwellings and fortifications, a monster assault will inevitably be triggered at a specific time every month."

He paused and looked at Lin Feng. "The only difference lies in scale and intensity.

For territories recognized by a National Fortune Cauldron, the intensity of the Nightmare Tide follows a relatively predictable pattern, roughly tied to the territory's rank.

For example, a village-level territory usually only attracts a Level 1 Nightmare Tide. The monsters are mostly Lv1-Lv5 wilderness creatures, numbering from dozens to over a hundred. As long as they are well-prepared, an ordinary village-level territory can hold out."

"What about town-level or county-level?" Tie Dun couldn't help but ask.

"Town-level corresponds to Level 2. The monster levels and numbers increase, and you might see Lv6-Lv10 wilderness creatures led by elite monsters.

County-level corresponds to Level 3. That scene..." Zhao Hu shook his head, a flash of lingering fear in his eyes.

"A black mass of them, with elite monsters in groups. There might even be small-scale 'low-level nightmare regiments'—those are ancient armies not from the Great Unified Dynasties.

They aren't as good as real high-level nightmare regiments, but they're still tough enough. Back then, Qingshi County was supposed to face a Level 3 tide."

"But you said before that Qingshi County was destroyed by a Level 4 Nightmare Tide, which was a real Great Qin Elite Soldier Regiment?" Lin Feng caught the key point.

"Correct." Zhao Hu sighed heavily. "That's the most damn frustrating part—the scale of the Nightmare Tide isn't absolute!

There's a very small chance it will suddenly jump up a level, or even... produce a terrifying existence that's completely unexpected.

No one knows why. Maybe that area accumulated too much 'aura of civilization,' maybe some hidden rule was triggered, or maybe... it's just pure bad luck.

In the case of Qingshi County, it was supposed to be a Level 3 tide, but it jumped straight to Level 4. What came wasn't some ragtag army from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, but a real, fully-formed Great Qin Elite Soldier Regiment!"

Silence fell over the hall, broken only by the sound of the burning fire.

A Level 4 Nightmare Tide was a disaster capable of destroying city-level territories! No wonder a great county-level city like Qingshi County was overturned in a single night.

"Then we..." Jian Yan's voice was a bit dry.

Zhao Hu pulled a forced smile and pointed to Black Wind Camp on the map.

"For unofficial camps like ours, without the 'certification' of a National Fortune Cauldron or the protection of underlying rules, the intensity of the Nightmare Tide we attract is even more unpredictable.

It could be just a few scattered Rotten Wolves, or a pack of Hard-Shelled Beasts or even Fire Lizards could suddenly pop up. It all depends on luck."

"How did Guang Tou and the others deal with it before?" Lin Feng asked.

"Run." Zhao Hu was concise, his voice tinged with irony. "If they figured they couldn't win, or didn't want to lose men...

...they'd take the most important supplies and the entire camp would evacuate into the wilderness, or to complex terrain that's easy to defend and hard to attack, like the Stone Forest.

Once the Nightmare Tide had finished ravaging the camp and the monsters dispersed, they'd come back to clean up the mess.

At most, they'd lose some worthless wooden shacks and fences. They'd just cut some wood the next day and rebuild.

Black Wind Camp almost fell apart several times in the past, and that's how they survived."

"As long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of lacking firewood," Scarface Liu added in a low voice, clearly having experienced this more than once.

Realization and agreement showed on everyone's faces. For bandits struggling to survive, this was indeed the lowest-cost survival strategy. Buildings could be rebuilt, but if the people died, everything was gone.

Lin Feng remained silent, his finger unconsciously tapping the table. Run? Temporarily abandon the camp to avoid risk?

It was logical and fit the bandits' philosophy of survival.

His gaze involuntarily drifted to the east of the map, to the place marked with a ferocious wolf's head—the Black Wolf Den.

"Brother Zhao," Lin Feng spoke slowly, breaking the brief silence, "for a faction of the scale of Black Wolf Den, do they run too?"

The question caught Zhao Hu off guard, and a complex expression appeared on his face—one of envy mixed with a bit of frustration. "Black Wolf Den? They... basically don't run."

"Oh?" Lin Feng raised an eyebrow.

"Because they're strong enough and have deep pockets," Zhao Hu explained. "Black Wolf Den has three Level 10 chiefs in charge, a bunch of Level 9 and Level 8 experts, over thirty Awakened in total, and over a hundred NPC lackeys.

Ordinary Nightmare Tides—the kind that might crush us or force us to run—are actually opportunities for them to train their troops and gather materials."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of longing. "They have high walls, arrow towers, and organization.

Every time a Nightmare Tide comes, they resist it head-on, clear out the monsters, and collect the loot.

Repelling a tide allows them to harvest materials and even occasional energy crystals, making them even stronger.

"More importantly," A Wang took over, his tone certain, "they have people with lifestyle classes, especially blacksmiths and tailors.

After a battle, damaged weapons and armor can be repaired or even upgraded immediately, and the wounded can receive relatively good medical treatment.

After a fight, their strength might actually increase rather than decrease. If we were to endure a wave head-on, even if we won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.

Our weapons would be broken, our medicine gone, and our people crippled. We might be swallowed up by another faction the very next day."

Silence returned to the hall. This was the cruel reality of the gap °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° between them.

Black Wolf Den had already begun to take on the fledgling form and resilience of a 'territory,' while Black Wind Camp was still stuck in the fragile stage of being a 'bandit den.'