Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 97

Chapter 97 Server Merge Warning

Chapter 97 Server Merge Warning

+30 Free Coins

“PineappleBeer: Setting up a camp would slow me down too much. I’m a solo player, and I only have so much stamina to work

with.

“PineappleBeer: Besides… isn’t that what you’re here for?”

Riley stared at the message for a moment.

“PineappleBeer: I figured you were going the builder route. Since you can make gear for me, there’s no point in me wasting points on crafting skills. I’m putting everything into combat stats so I can dive deeper into the dungeon levels.”

That was… brutally honest. And honestly, hard to argue with.

Sure, trusting someone that completely wasn’t exactly the smartest move in an apocalypse survival game, but hey–Riley had to admit, it felt pretty good to be trusted like that.

She decided to steer the conversation toward something she’d been wondering about.

“SpicyBurger: Speaking of which, can I ask you something?

“SpicyBurger: Back when the dungeon closed, at that goblin merchant’s auction–you bought out the last two items without even haggling. What were they?”

Everyone else had hesitated, but PineappleBeer jumped on them like she already knew what they were.

There was a short pause before PineappleBeer replied, as if she were choosing her words carefully.

She seemed to think Riley was annoyed that she’d snatched up the later lots.

“PineappleBeer: I really needed those two. There were too many people watching, so I had to move fast. I can pay you back with other materials if you want.”

“SpicyBurger: That’s not what I meant. I’m just curious. And if you really wanna pay me back, next time get me blueprints that aren’t single–use.”

“PineappleBeer: Trust me, I wish I knew why. I always seem to pull one–time schematics. I’ll keep an eye out for multi–use ones for you next time.

“PineappleBeer: And about those items… I guess there’s no harm in telling you.

“PineappleBeer: The second–to–last one was an equipment material crate. Just a bunch of common components.

“PineappleBeer: The last one was a Job Change Scroll.

“PineappleBeer: That thing is one of the hidden first–clear rewards whenever a dungeon opens for the first time. Most players don’t realize its value, but I couldn’t pass it up.”

Riley blinked. “SpicyBurger: Job change? Like in an RPG?”

“PineappleBeer: Pretty much. Once a survivor hits Level 10, they can use the scroll to lock in a class.

“PineappleBeer: Right now, even if you craft and fight, the system still tags you as ‘Civilian–No Class!

1/2

11:29 am

PP p

Chapter 97 Server Merge Warning

+30 Free Coins

“PineappleBeer: Once you pick a class, the system adjusts your growth path. I went with Assassin. After that, my Agility scaling got a major boost, and I unlocked a unique skill tree–stealth, backstab modifiers, stuff like that.”

Riley read the messages slowly, thinking it over

“SpicyBurger: So after you change classes, are you locked into certain weapons? Like, if I pick Assassin, can I still swing an axe?”

She wasn’t about to give up raw power for the sake of a class title.

“PineappleBeer: Nah. Your class is just a system–recognized buff, not a restriction. You could still use a sledgehammer as a Priest, or run around with a minigun as a Mage–you just wouldn’t get the class bonuses.

“PineappleBeer: Common classes are stuff like Warrior, Tank, Sharpshooter, Alchemist, Cleric, and so on.

“PineappleBeer: The reason I’m pushing my stats so hard is to reach dungeon floor 20 as fast as possible… I need to get back there and find out what’s really going on with me.”

“SpicyBurger: Got it. Thanks–learned something new again.”

That was major information.

Level 10.

Riley checked her current level: 7.

She’d need to step up her grinding. If there really was a class system, maybe she could aim for something like “Battle Smith” or “Heavy Gunner” later on.

“SpicyBurger: So when’s the next dungeon supposed to open? Any idea?”

“PineappleBeer: Normally, four days from now.

“PineappleBeer: But… things feel off right now.”

Riley’s chest tightened. “SpicyBurger: What do you mean?”

“PineappleBeer: Too many people died during that blizzard cleanup. I checked the backend data–the number of survivors in our region has dropped below the critical threshold.

“PineappleBeer: Knowing how this system operates, before the next dungeon opens, it’ll probably trigger a Server Merge first.”

“SpicyBurger: A server merge?!”

That term was all too familiar to anyone who’d played online games.

But in a death game like this, a “server merge” usually meant one thing: a bloodbath.

“PineappleBeer: Exactly. The system needs to keep survivor density high to encourage conflict and competition.

“PineappleBeer: Once the merge happens, we won’t just be dealing with players from our original server. We’ll get merged with several other regions. Leaderboards will reset, and the fight for resources is going to get a whole lot uglier.”

2/2

11:30 am