Chapter 6: Conflict

Wanzhu Liu looked at the swordsman and shield-bearer and said, "You go out and call Ruokou in. You two can split the bounty. Any problems?"

The swordsman nodded, "No problem."

As the swordsman returned the way he came, a new one soon appeared. Yan Qing finally understood why Wanzhu Liu had requested a reserve squad—whenever a frontline soldier could no longer hold their ground, they could be swapped out immediately.

During this break, Yan Qing pretended to wander around, letting "Yan San" sweep up all the dropped loot from the corpses of the household guards. Excluding the food materials, he obtained another 500 Spirit Jades. Yan Qing felt quite excited; if he could scrape together 9,000 Spirit Jades in these few days, he would be able to pay the penalty and pass the trial even if his theft attempt failed four days later.

Perhaps because so many soldiers were injured, the troop's morale was somewhat low. Realizing this, Wanzhu Liu took the initiative to speak to "Yan San": "Yesterday at the city gate, you clearly stabbed me, but it had no effect. Do you know why?"

Yan San: "Why?"

Wanzhu Liu: "Because I have this mask, a Token: Demon Mask."

Wanzhu Liu removed the mask and held it high above his head. The mask, which appeared to be made of simple iron, suddenly radiated a pitch-black aura, drawing everyone's gaze.

The game window popped up with information:

[Demon Mask]
[Grade: First Rank]
[Equip Requirements: 5 points of Vitality, 5 points of Spirit]
[Effect: Demon Bodyguard: The moment you are attacked, summon a demon to help you mitigate damage. Each point of Spiritual Power negates 25 points of damage; each trigger consumes at least 1 point and at most 4 points of Spiritual Power.]
[Effect: Demon Possession: Continuously wearing the Demon Mask will gradually increase your Vitality and weaken your pain sensation, but your face and physique will also gradually become demonic.]
[Evaluation: If you want to survive, you always have to pay a price.]

Wanzhu Liu shouted loudly, "As long as your strength is sufficient to promote to a Messenger, and you have enough merit, any one of you can exchange for this Demon Mask and become a Demon Knight with strength far exceeding that of mortals. From then on, the bows, crossbows, and instruments of mortals will never be able to hurt you again!"

"And the best way to improve your strength is through actual combat—bloody battles, intense fights! Apart from the Secret Realm, is there any other place where you can fight without worries? There is not!"

"Back then, I also followed General Duan into the Secret Realm, and it was only after a brush with death that I honed my Crescent Blade technique to perfection, allowing me to promote to a Martial Messenger. As long as you have enough tempering and hone your skills to the limit, you too can become a Messenger!"

Wanzhu Liu's words significantly boosted the morale of the crowd.

However, looking at the phrases "hone your skills to the limit" and "Martial Messenger," a thought occurred to Yan Qing:

Could it be that the cultivators in this world who can change classes are all "brute force creates miracles" types?

Although Yan Qing had never played *Messenger*, he knew that one of the highlights that allowed the game to top the MMORPG charts was the ability to change classes every ten levels.

The system would provide three classes for the player to choose from every ten levels based on their combat style, weapon selection, and even quest history. Undoubtedly, hardcore players would plan their progression to maximize the benefits of every class change, while casual players could experience new gameplay fun every ten levels.

Generally, players would change classes as soon as they hit level ten, but if they chose not to, the system would not force them.

To attract new players, *Messenger* was free until the first class change; only after changing classes were players required to buy a monthly pass. If a player never changed classes, they could keep playing for free and exploit the game's loophole.

But there was one exception.

That was when a player honed a specific skill to its limit, such as 10th-level Basic Spearplay, 10th-level Basic Swordsmanship, 10th-level Basic Calligraphy, or 10th-level Basic Musical Instruments. At that point, the system would force the player to change into a "Hidden Class"—either a Martial Messenger or a Literary Messenger.

At this point, the "free-to-play" players would mistakenly believe they had triggered a hidden class and would eagerly buy monthly passes to keep playing...

Then they would soon realize: Wait? Why doesn't this hidden class seem particularly powerful?

It was simple: it was all a conspiracy by *Messenger* to acquire new users.

The Martial and Literary Messengers were indeed hidden classes, automatically triggered when a non-promoted player maxed out any basic skill, but these two classes were mediocre at best and not worth the time spent specifically trying to get them.

However, the class change system belonged to the players, and the people of this world clearly did not have the luxury of "choosing a class at level 10." Yan Qing easily drew a conclusion: for people in this world to achieve their first promotion, they likely had to grind their basic skills to the maximum to achieve a miracle through brute force.

Taking advantage of the high morale, Wanzhu Liu immediately led them forward. They saw no one in the mansion's central garden, but Wanzhu Liu walked directly behind the rockery, opened a hidden trapdoor, and revealed a passage leading underground.

Although he hadn't cleared this dungeon before, Yan Qing guessed that one would normally need to find clues in other rooms to discover the existence of the underground passage. Wanzhu Liu and his group, however, had clearly researched the dungeon thoroughly and were following the correct route.

Descending the tunnel, they entered a training ground. The weapon racks were filled with white steel blades and spears. Eight fully armored household guards were sparring inside, their names displayed as "Elite Household Guards." As soon as Wanzhu Liu stepped into the training ground, they rushed over, triggering combat.

At that moment, Wanzhu Liu grabbed "Yan San" and pulled him to his side. "You and I will block the stairs! Retreat and you die! Survive, and you will be a Hundred-Guard Knight!"

The eight guards could never be held back by the five frontline soldiers, but by utilizing the terrain advantage of the stairs, only two people were needed to block them, while the archers in the back could shoot from a high vantage point. It was a perfect tactical setup.

But the problem was, who would block the stairs?

The previous two waves of ordinary guards had already been difficult to handle, and these "Elite Household Guards" were stronger in both appearance and name. Moreover, there was almost no room for dodging on the stairs; it was a mandatory clash of raw power!

Wanzhu Liu, a Martial Messenger with a protective token, was naturally unafraid, but the other Hundred-Guard Knights were mere mortals; fighting these elite monsters—who traded injury for injury—would leave them broken even if they won.

Yan Qing finally understood why Wanzhu Liu was so good to "Yan San," pulling him into the Hundred-Guard camp without any background check. Even if "Yan San" had high vitality and combat power, it was still overly generous... It turned out he was just being used as cannon fodder to plug the stairs!

It was predictable that this would be the place with the highest casualty rate in the dungeon, and it would inevitably be the Hundred-Guard elites who suffered, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to stop the elite guards. So, when Wanzhu Liu discovered that "Yan San" possessed the combat strength of a Knight, he must have been thrilled—a high-quality "plug-in baby" among the commoners!

Even now, Wanzhu Liu hadn't forgotten to dangle a carrot, hoping "Yan San" would fight to the death.

*Luckily, I'm playing on an alt account, so it doesn't matter if it dies, and besides...*

If "Yan San" actually survived and finished this dungeon, it was unclear who would be calling the shots by then.

However, after one round of engagement, Yan Qing felt things were going south.

The Elite Guard lost 10% of its health, while "Yan San" lost 7%. Although there were archers in the back, they prioritized the guards who hadn't entered the fray yet, so "Yan San" had to deal with the enemy alone.

It seemed he had a health advantage, but the problem was that as soon as one elite guard died, a second one would take its place. Unless the archer squad could kill the remaining six guards before "Yan San" finished off the current one—but judging by the health bars, the archers' output wasn't that high.

*This can't go on... but retreating is impossible, the sword-and-shield bearers are blocking the way... wait, sword-and-shield bearers?*

An idea struck Yan Qing. He dropped his spear, turned around, and punched the sword-and-shield bearer behind him!

"You bastard!"

"How dare you—"

Just as Wanzhu Liu and the others thought "Yan San" had defected, he grabbed the shield and sword from the soldier behind him. During this, he took two hits from the elite guards, but as he stood his ground with the shield and blade, his health stabilized.

[You have comprehended "Basic Swordsmanship," currently level 1.]
[You have comprehended "Basic Shield Technique," currently level 1.]
[You have comprehended...]

His sword and shield techniques leveled up continuously. The elite guards, who had previously been able to drain 3% of his health, could no longer even get past his shield defense.

When all eight elite guards fell, "Yan San's" sword and shield techniques had both reached level 5, and his level had jumped twice to level 9—just one step away from changing classes!

However, "Yan San's" act of attacking a comrade clearly displeased the others. They had held back due to the battle, but now that it was over, the soldier whose gear had been snatched marched over, fist raised, ready to strike: "You son of a—"

Yan Qing triggered a perfect dodge, entering a slow-motion state, then knocked the man down with two punches, even learning a new skill.

[You have comprehended "Basic Boxing," currently level 1.]

Seeing that "Yan San" dared to fight back, some of the archers in the back pulled their bows and aimed at him. Yet, "Yan San" scanned the area without a hint of fear, picked up his spear, and sneered at the soldier on the ground: "If I had died just now, would it have been your turn to take the hit? Didn't I save your life by holding the line to the end? And you dare to repay kindness with enmity?"

The soldier was furious, looking as if he wanted to jump up and bite him, but Yan Qing wasn't afraid at all—he wasn't even physically present.

"I held off the enemy, and you're aiming your bows at me?" "Yan San" pulled out a meat bun, took a bite, and sneered, "Fine, fine, fine. So this is the Hundred-Guard Cavalry. If you have the guts, wait until I finish this bun, and let's see who dies here!"