Chapter 67: The Trial of Worthiness for Hope

“Who are you, really? Why does your voice sound exactly like mine? Answer me!” I shouted sternly.

The other man chuckled. “Why not, hmm? If you want to know the answer, survive this encounter and I’ll tell you.”

Cold sweat drenched my body. I thought to myself, how could I possibly fight you? With your attack power, even a hundred of me wouldn’t stand a chance.

The man in crimson armor said coldly, “You’ve suffered quite a bit on your journey.”

I couldn’t help but give a bitter laugh. Suffering was an understatement—I’d nearly died several times. This time, I’d made it through sheer force of will.

“Sir, your wisdom is unparalleled,” I began to flatter him.

He continued, “I know you obtained a treasure map through a competition, unearthed the Fire Dragon Stone at the site, and passed Anubis’s trial. Isn’t that right?”

I exclaimed in surprise, “Yes, yes, that’s right!”

He went on, “As I thought, you are the one I’ve been searching for. I’ve been watching you ever since you entered this world. At the time, I was astonished—perhaps it was fate, simply unbelievable.” The crimson-armored man sighed, then sat down on the steps before the stone wall.

Although he spoke naturally, I remained on guard, my expression wary. I asked in a low voice, “Who are you? What is going on here? Tell me everything, now.”

The crimson-armored man replied, “Let me tell you a story. Whether you believe it or not, remember it for the sake of this world.”

I instantly sensed I’d stumbled upon a hidden, perhaps legendary quest. I quickly said, “Go ahead, I believe you.”

“Very well. But before I begin, let’s discuss the background of this world. Five thousand years ago, a group of invaders attacked. To defend their home, thirty-two races of advanced intelligence formed an unprecedented alliance. In the end, nearly all perished; the leaders died in battle. Of course, a few powerful beings survived, including some formidable humans. You’ll meet them someday.”

I blurted out, “Are you one of them?”

He smiled faintly. “I am indeed a survivor of that war, but I’m not originally from this world. I came from another world, much like you—an adventurer, until I became…” He shook his head and continued, “What I want to tell you is this: someone from my world, defeated in battle, found a way through a special passage to this world. His goal is to turn this place into a real battlefield. To prevent history from repeating itself, I pursued him here, hoping to destroy him for good. But I lost his trail; he must have settled somewhere in this world. Fortunately, he hasn’t gained control yet. And he never expected I’d find you here, ha!”

I hesitated. “Your story is hard to follow. What do you mean you found me—do you want me to save the world? Who is the one you’re chasing, and who are you?”

“Yes, I want you to save this world. The person I’m pursuing—you saw him in the World Tournament. He will appear before you in the form of this world, and you must defeat him. That is your mission, for you are hope,” he said.

I was completely lost; his words grew ever more confusing. But I did know about the World Tournament—it was a global PK event. No one knew exactly when it would be held, as it was still being planned.

I asked, “What if I lose?”

He answered, “If you lose, this world is finished—including you. Then you’ll understand the meaning of ‘obliterated.’”

I pressed on, “But you said you’ve been watching me. Why didn’t you seek me out directly?”

“What do you think?” he replied. At that, realization dawned on me. I was a fool—of course the main system wouldn’t hand a legendary quest to me so easily. That would be like monsters dropping divine artifacts with every kill; the game company would have to shut down.

He continued, “It’s pointless to argue now. After you entered this world, I sensed your presence. But to avoid attracting his attention, I had to wait. Luckily, a competition gave me the opportunity to intervene and finally meet you.”

I asked, “Was that so-called reward your doing?”

“Correct. While he hasn’t seized control yet, my little tricks still work,” the crimson-armored man said with some pride.

“All right, enough talk. Now it’s time to prove yourself. You must use your skills to inflict damage on me—just once. But you only have ten minutes. Are you ready?” he said.

“Ding! Do you accept the Hope Qualification Trial?”

I immediately clicked confirm and retreated. Dragonwar was ready to summon, so I called it forth along with the Hurricane Wolf King. “I accept your challenge! Now witness my strength. Hurricane Wolf King, Destructive Death Ray!” I shouted. The Hurricane Wolf King immediately unleashed a powerful Destructive Death Ray, but the opponent didn't dodge at all. “You’re quite impressive… but it's useless against me.” He waved his left hand, dispersing the death ray with a single gesture.

“I told you, you have only ten minutes. Within those ten minutes…” He hadn’t finished before I roared, “One strike!” I launched a Cloud Assault, switching instantly to Pulverizing Strike, Energy Explosion, and Blitz. But he suddenly moved with a bizarre footwork and evaded easily. I shouted, “Damn it! Dragonwar, attack him!”

“Yes, Master!” Dragonwar cried, drawing its black sword and lunging at the crimson-armored man, striking down at him. With a thunderous boom, the ground split open. I saw the opponent block the blow with one hand, then push hard, nearly toppling Dragonwar. As he pushed Dragonwar aside, he leapt high and punched Dragonwar in the chest, sending it flying into the wall, leaving a deep mark—and causing Dragonwar to lose 4,200 HP.

Seeing that damage, I was startled. One blow had taken nearly two-thirds of Dragonwar’s health. If I took a hit, I’d surely die. “Two minutes have passed. Eight remain. Good luck,” the opponent said with a smile.

“I don’t need you to tell me,” I retorted. The three of us attacked from different angles, forming a pincer. But he ignored us entirely. As we closed in, a fiery vortex rose around him, forcing us back. Then, from the flames, a long spear shot out, targeting the Hurricane Wolf King. I quickly used Reverse Summon to recall the Hurricane Wolf King, making the attack miss.

Just as I exhaled in relief, the crimson-armored man appeared before me. “Focus during battle,” he said, kicking at me with a blazing foot. Without thinking, I activated Decoy, and watched as he kicked my substitute for 10,000 damage. Taking advantage of the brief invisibility from the Decoy, I used Wings of the Thousand Miles to instantly appear above him, while Dragonwar attacked from another direction.

He spread his arms and blocked Dragonwar’s slash with the spear, caught my staff barehanded, grabbed it, and tossed me away. Then, after pushing Dragonwar aside, a massive energy sphere formed in his hand and he hurled it at Dragonwar. “Boom—!” The explosion filled the hall with thick smoke; when it cleared, only blast marks remained on the floor, and Dragonwar had retreated to the summon space to sleep.

With Dragonwar gone, my chances of victory dwindled. He aimed his left hand at me, gathering pale yellow energy. Countless globe-sized energy bullets, each the size of a baby’s fist, shot toward me like a storm. I deployed Decoy Shield to block the barrage, but the shield’s durability dropped rapidly. With a crack, the shield shattered; I rolled aside, but my thigh, shoulder, and left hand were hit three times.

-800

-800

-300

I quickly drank a potion, but he swung his spear, summoning a blue dragon that whipped around behind me with incredible speed. “Boom!” It blasted the ceiling drapery into flames, oil lamps clattering to the floor.

The blast sent me flying, smashing into the wall and then tumbling down. I wanted to cry out to the heavens—my HP had plummeted to 201.

“Five minutes left,” his voice echoed.

“Damn!” I gritted my teeth as blood streamed down my forehead. He hurled his spear again, this time spinning like an airplane propeller just a meter above the ground. Dodging or jumping wouldn’t work; I considered dropping prone, but worried he had another move to follow. No way out. So I clashed my fists and unleashed the Sky Splitter Wheel.

The Sky Splitter Wheel collided with the spear, instantly shattered.

“Bang—!” The spear’s butt struck my ribs—if it had been the tip, I’d be finished.

Even so, I was knocked flying, slamming into a pillar for -1,700. When I fell, I took another -200. My HP dropped again, now only 100 left.

This time, the NPC was brutal. I crawled and rolled, barely standing before the next attack came. The flying spear circled back in the air.

Ignoring the pain, I swallowed another potion and unleashed Lightning Storm at the spear. Lightning erupted from the ground, and the spear was knocked down.

The man stretched out his hand; the spear instantly returned to him. He grabbed the shaft, and a phantom streaked toward me—three moves: “Thrust, sweep, lift.” The last was a kick to my chest. I had no way to defend. I crashed to the ground, HP dropping to 13, vision blurring, body unable to move, blood everywhere—I was on the brink of death.

“It’s over.” He raised his spear for the final blow, but I suddenly laughed. A huge black shadow appeared above him—a gigantic black sword descended. “Boom—!” Waves of energy swept out. I lay on the ground and saw him block the attack with one hand. It meant I had no chance.

“Damn it, in the end I didn’t land a hit. Master, I’m sorry,” Dragonwar apologized.

Half-dead, I said, “It’s all right, you did your best. Without your ultimate skill, I wouldn’t have had any chance at all.”

But the opponent said, “No, you passed. Your summoned beast’s powerful attack didn’t hit me directly, but it grazed me.” Above his head, a damage number appeared: -1.