Chapter 257 – Hero Trials, Matching Mode

“Prompt: You have used the special item ‘Hero’s Token’ on target: Fearless Warchief Lu Liu.”

A strand of Mu Yuan’s consciousness continuously ascended, as if passing through layer after layer of misty barriers, eventually entering a brand new world.

His vision became incredibly vast, overlooking mountains, rivers, and the great earth.

Majestic fortresses stood tall, with numerous elite units such as Sharpshooters, Imperial Guards, Halberdiers, and mages stationed on the city walls, gazing intently into the distance.

However, when Mu Yuan’s gaze shifted further upward, what he saw…

Were wisps of Crimson Mist drifting between heaven and earth, and a faint blood moon hanging high above the towering fortress, visible even during broad daylight.

Eerie and ominous.

The entire view seemed to take on a crimson hue.

…

Lu Liu stood atop the majestic fortress.

On both sides were elite soldiers arrayed in formation. Based on his experience and discernment, he could tell that most of these soldiers had reached the Elite Rank, truly worthy veterans.

The soldiers mostly wore silver armor or mage robes, emblazoned with a striking pure white sword emblem.

Before the central watchtower stood three powerful figures clad in Treasure Armor, who appeared to be commanders.

Their Treasure Armor also bore the distinctive pure white sword emblem.

But aside from these individuals, there were several other powerful figures in the distance whose style seemed somewhat out of place compared to the surrounding commanders and soldiers.

There was a handsome elf ranger holding a bow;

A tower-like brute wearing crimson Treasure Armor and carrying a massive door-sized Saber;

A human mage wielding a ruby-tipped staff, wearing light red mage robes;

And a warrior with a bare upper body, bulging muscles covered in crimson patterns, and golden pupils.

Even without relying on intuition, just from their style, appearance, and obviously valuable equipment at first glance, Lu Liu could determine that these four were all powerful individuals.

His own style was actually quite incongruous with the surroundings as well.

After all, clad in Black Armor and carrying a giant shield, he stood out prominently among the crowd of soldiers in silver-white armor.

Lu Liu remained silent, observing his surroundings.

“Ding!”

“Prompt: The Hero’s Trial ‘Stone Mountain Fortress Defense’ has begun. Trial participants will assist in defending the fortress as reinforcements and must hold out for at least ten days.”

“Prompt: Eliminating enemy forces will grant gold coins. Trial participants can use gold coins to replenish troops and supplies within Stone Mountain Fortress.”

“Prompt: During the trial, participants will possess temporary Hero authority.”

“Prompt: There are 5 trial participants in total.”

“Prompt: The Hero’s Trial officially begins.”

Time, which had seemed frozen, began to flow normally from this moment onward.

Lu Liu glanced behind him.

He now possessed Hero authority and understood the close connection between himself and the one hundred soldiers behind him.

He could command these soldiers as effortlessly as moving his own limbs.

He could also open the interface to carefully examine the information about the troop types.

Lu Liu opened it and scanned through: there were 50 Imperial Guards, 25 Halberdiers, and 25 Sharpshooters, all at the initial stage of Elite Rank.

As the usual commander of his territory, he was quite familiar with troop types like Imperial Guards and Halberdiers.

A decent start.

He then looked at the other trial participants. Like him, they each started with one hundred troops, though the troop types varied slightly.There were wood elf archers, griffins, nuns, mages, and so on.

Different corps were distinguished by their clothing, attire, and insignia.

“Thank you all for lending a hand to my Pure White Kingdom in this time of crisis…”

The NPC figure, who resembled a main commander, acted as a guide and delivered the opening lines.

It was very mechanical.

But neither Lu Liu nor the other four trial-takers interrupted or said anything inappropriate for their roles at the moment.

In the Hero Trials, the troops and commanders were mostly rigid, executing commands mechanically. However, it couldn’t be ruled out that NPC commanders might react differently based on the trial-takers’ actions.

Some less clever trial-takers might stumble because of this.

Here, likely due to Lu Liu’s high Rank, the matched trial-takers were clearly no weaklings.

Based on Mu Yuan’s experience, he judged that all of them were above the third Rank.

After the commander finished explaining the situation, everyone was free to act.

This was probably the preparatory time given to the trial-takers.

The trial-takers exchanged glances and descended the city gate, heading to a nearby teahouse.

The iron-tower-like burly man carrying a door-sized battle saber couldn’t hold back and spoke up, “You’re all trial-takers, right? Can the Hero Trials have teammates?”

The mage chimed in, “I heard from my Lord that some trials allow hiring previous trial-takers as teammates, like the famous ‘Dragon Subjugation War.’ However, what’s hired are merely projections left behind by past trial-takers… You all clearly aren’t projections, right?”

The elf ranger: “Abah abah…”

This child clearly hadn’t undergone self-awareness Awakening. They wanted to speak but didn’t know how, looking frustrated and aggrieved.

Lu Liu said ambiguously, “I’ve also heard of the Dragon Subjugation War. I heard it’s a very difficult trial.”

At this moment, the young warrior with a bare upper body, golden pupils, and suspected Dragon Bloodline spoke.

He slightly raised his head, a faint, superior smile playing on his lips:

“The Dragon Subjugation War is difficult, but that’s a thing of the past.”

“Now, the Dragon Subjugation War is the easiest trial scenario to achieve a perfect evaluation, bar none. Because…”

Seeing the trial-takers barely able to conceal their curiosity, the Dragon-blooded didn’t keep them in suspense. “Because in the Dragon Subjugation War, there’s a projection of a past trial-taker with terrifying combat power. As long as you find this projection and hire her, crushing the final boss is no challenge at all.”

There’s such a thing?

This Dragon-blooded individual must have an extraordinary background.

The burly man, mage, and elf all expressed surprise.

Lu Liu’s acting skills were limited, but since he was clad head-to-toe in full armor, he didn’t need to act—just play along with awe and amazement.

The Dragon-blooded’s smile widened even more.

He continued, “None of us are projections; we’ve just encountered a very rare matching mode… Although this situation is uncommon, there have been a few cases in history.”

“Sometimes it’s two people, three people, and at most, there were eleven trial-takers in the same space undergoing the trial.”

“Judging from the trial mission, we are collaborators, not competitors, which is quite fortunate.”

“Of course, for people like us, passing the trial has never been difficult. What I pursue is a perfect evaluation. I imagine you all want to strive for the highest evaluation possible as well.”

He looked at the mage, the burly man, and Lu Liu.As for the elven ranger, a weakling who hadn’t yet awakened self-awareness, he glanced over them dismissively before moving on.

He needed to establish his dominance.

He wasn’t lying—the current trial was indeed in cooperative mode rather than the more brutal hostile or hunting modes. But even in cooperation, there was competition.

Among the five trial-takers, who would earn the perfect evaluation?

Naturally, it would be the most outstanding performer—the one responsible for leading and commanding.

“And I come from the great territory of Fire Cloud City…”

The Dragonkin Youth appeared to be the main pillar, with the burly man and mage naturally gravitating toward them.

Lu Liu also appeared to be doing the same.

It was still early, and intelligence was scarce.

Following the Lord’s example, he mentally simulated several contingency plans in his mind. Which one to use would depend on the enemy’s scale and subsequent intelligence updates.

They hadn’t even seen the enemy yet.

The Dragonkin Youth suggested touring Stone Mountain Fortress to gather information. The others agreed.

But the moment they stepped out of the teahouse, urgent alarm bells clanged abruptly, echoing through the fortress skies.

The enemy had arrived.

The trial-takers naturally couldn’t wander aimlessly anymore and quickly ascended the city walls.

In the distance, beneath the Crimson Mist, dust clouds churned as an endless, vast army appeared within sight. Upon closer inspection, the army’s composition appeared chaotic—every type of troop was present, or rather… it resembled the monster waves from the Real World, a dark, overwhelming mass.

However, compared to monster waves, the army in view displayed some discipline and wore various types of armor.

The forces seemed primarily composed of goblin-type troops.

Compared to Stone Mountain Fortress’s defenders, the siege army appeared more like a ragtag force, but…

Their numbers were overwhelming, countless beyond measure.

The visual impact and oppressive force were immense.

A burly Goblin General stepped forward.

With a blue face and fierce fangs, terrifyingly grotesque, they stood three to four meters tall, wielding two massive, spike-covered Copper Hammers.

“I am the Goblin General! Weak humans, who dares face me in combat?According to the trial-takers’ thoughts, they should rely on the majestic city walls and various defensive weapons to resist the powerful enemy.

No matter how formidable this Goblin General appeared, they wouldn’t dare charge the defenses alone.

However, the defending commander seemed irritated by the Goblin General’s arrogance and directly ordered:

“Chen San, go deal with this scoundrel.”

A general standing beside the commander immediately acknowledged the order and leaped down from the twenty-meter-high city wall.

Several dozen seconds later,

This ordinary third-tier NPC general was smashed to death by the Goblin General’s two hammers.

The trial-takers: “…”

Although this general was third-tier, their Aura was weak—clearly no match from the start.

Wasn’t this just feeding the enemy?

Yet the commander didn’t seem to think they were sacrificing troops, only frowning as they asked, “Who can defeat this enemy?”

The NPC generals remained silent, showing no fear.

The commander repeated, “Who can defeat this enemy?”

The trial-takers didn’t want to speak.

The Goblin General was clearly not to be trifled with at first glance. Besides, they were defenders—why challenge the enemy general to single combat when they held the geographical advantage?

Just as they thought this, a prompt notification “dinged” into view.

「Prompt: Due to no one accepting the challenge, Stone Mountain Fortress defender morale has decreased by 10%.」

「Prompt: Morale decline will affect combat effectiveness.」

Trial-takers: “???”The surrounding troops were all cut from the same mold—expressionless, with no trace of morale to speak of.

But if the trial rules said there was, then there was.

The iron tower-like burly man raised a massive war saber as large as a door plank and leaped down from the city walls.

“I’ll face you!”

The Dragonkin Youth’s expression shifted slightly, inwardly cursing their own slowness.

They had miscalculated.

They weren’t truly fortress defenders—they were a trial-taker. Their goal was to do whatever could elevate their trial evaluation.

Challenging the enemy general head-on would undoubtedly boost their trial rating.

If they could defeat this general, their chances of achieving a perfect evaluation would be almost certain.

Below the city gate, the burly man initiated a Charge, his figure nearly blurring into a crimson afterimage.

He swung his Greatsword down.

Charge Slash!

Heavy Slash!

Sweeping Army!

He unleashed three skills in succession, going all out. Yet, in the next moment, his expression changed drastically. The iron tower-like man’s Greatsword was knocked back, his palms split open, and both arms trembled uncontrollably.

The next instant, a massive Copper Hammer loomed large in his vision.

Boom—

He was smashed into the ground, his armor dented, blood seeping out until he was nearly pulverized.

He was eliminated.

On the city walls, the trial commanders fell silent.

Especially the Dragonkin Youth, who had been inwardly frustrated earlier—now cold sweat beaded their forehead.

Had they been just a moment slower, they would have been the one dead.

Dying like that wouldn’t just cost them a perfect rating—they wouldn’t even achieve a passing evaluation.

They couldn’t win. They stood no chance at all!

It was only after the iron tower-like man made his move that they realized the gap.

“This Goblin General must be the final boss of this trial.”

“Final bosses are usually unbeatable—that makes sense. But being this strong? That doesn’t make sense!”

Moreover, in this trial, they could only recruit and accumulate more troops, with no way to temporarily boost their own combat power.

Thinking about it, the final boss being this powerful made even less sense.

Below the walls, the Goblin General continued to taunt.

Above, the commanders and troops grew increasingly panicked.

With the second commander defeated and slain, morale dropped further. But at this point, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and refuse to engage.

The Dragonkin Youth thought.

Beside them, the Black Armored Man stepped forward. “I’ll give it a try.”

Dragonkin Youth: “???”

Before they could say anything, the Black Armored Man leaped from the high watchtower, just as the two before him had done heroically.

Foolish, so foolish!

Lu Liu slowly approached the Goblin General before him.

He could see no information about this general, nor could he tell if the previous battle had revealed the general’s full strength.

He had no confidence in victory.

But at the very least, he was confident he could preserve his life.

Lu Liu thought, since that was the case, he had to step forward.

He did not initiate a Charge. Instead, he gripped his shield with both hands and advanced step by step, adopting the most stable and cautious posture.

Seeing this, the Goblin General strode toward him.

Their steps were like meteors, each impact shaking the ground and leaving clear palm prints.

They raised the Copper Hammer high and brought it down with overwhelming force.

Lu Liu felt as if he were facing a mountain.

This was the Concept of the mountain—the Goblin General’s Dao. It was as if they were lifting a mountain to crush him.

Beneath his helmet, Lu Liu’s expression grew grave.

He dared not hold back. Murmuring “In the name of fearlessness” in his heart, he activated his Guardian Skill.

Golden wings extended across the surface of his shield, materializing into Wings of Guardian.

The next moment,

the Copper Hammer, shimmering with earthy yellow energy, crashed down with a resounding boom.Then came the second hammer strike, the third strike… the Nth strike.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The deafening clang of metal against metal reverberated from the thick shield surface.

Lu Liu’s expression shifted slightly.

Lu Liu’s expression turned peculiar.

Lu Liu’s expression remained calm.

“This force is…”

Under the relentless barrage of hammer blows, the ground beneath Lu Liu cracked and crumbled, sinking layer after layer, yet his stance remained firmer than a mountain, not even swaying.

Is this all? Just this!

It was slightly different from what he had anticipated.

Lu Liu muttered to himself, then suddenly exerted force.

Boom—

The Goblin General was sent flying backward, plowing a trench dozens of meters long across the ground.

Lu Liu charged forward with thunderous steps, drawing a black spear from his back.

Holding the spear single-handedly, he channeled all his strength into the shaft.

The spear resembled a massive black dragon.

He swung it down from dozens of meters away.

A majestic golden giant materialized behind Lu Liu, mimicking the motion but on a scale dozens of times larger, bringing down the spear.

It struck precisely on the Goblin General, who had just been sent flying and lacked the ability to evade.

BOOM—!!!

Dust surged like ocean waves.

The earth trembled violently, accompanied by cracking sounds.

By then, Lu Liu had already rushed to the front of the enemy formation, sweeping his spear horizontally. The colossal figure of the Fearless Great Mountain Divine Venerable manifested once again.

A golden spear, one to two hundred meters long, swept through the enemy ranks.

Like a human overturning a chessboard or sweeping away building blocks, countless bursts of blood mist erupted in an instant, as if a layer had been scraped off the enemy army formation.

“Slow reactions, somewhat dull.”

“This is doable!”

Lu Liu judged, immediately issuing orders to his one hundred subordinates.

They carried out his commands with absolute loyalty.

They opened a small side gate and charged out.

Lu Liu continued his sweeping assault, activating the ‘Entrapment Battlefield’ area skill to command his troops.

Soon after, the Dragonkin Youth also led their troops charging out.

Following them were the mage trial-takers and the elf ranger’s troops.

A while later, the main commander of the Stone Mountain Fortress defenders also led the main force out of the city.

They encircled and suppressed the numerous but seemingly panicked and disorganized enemies.

After a short while,

The enemy forces collapsed and fled.

The sounds gradually distorted, and the scene froze at this moment.

「Ding!」

「Prompt: Your troop ‘Lu Liu’ has prematurely cleared this Hero Trial.」

Even including the earlier preparation and chat time, the entire duration of Lu Liu’s trial did not exceed one hour.

Just one word: fast!

「Trial Summary: ① In this trial, quasi-hero ‘Lu Liu’ achieved a map exploration rate of 4.399%; ② Quasi-hero ‘Lu Liu’ killed the enemy commander and eliminated numerous enemy troops; ③④⑤⑥ omitted; ⑦ Due to quasi-hero ‘Lu Liu’ single-handedly clearing the trial 24000% ahead of schedule, therefore…」

「This Hero Trial evaluation: Perfect.」

(End of chapter)