Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
“Stop! This is Dawn Town. What are you doing here? Where did you come from?”
Before they could even properly enter Dawn Town, a group of players was stopped by a squad of guards armed with swords, their faces etched with vigilance. This left the players feeling rather dejected. Their mission required them to enter Dawn Town, but these guards were no mere decorations. Each guard looked fierce and formidable, clearly not people to be trifled with.
What the players didn’t know was that these guards were usually lax, allowing anyone entering the town to pass freely. At most, they would extort a small toll from those who looked like easy targets, but they wouldn’t cause undue trouble. After all, Dawn Town was just a backwater village, devoid of anything substantial, a place no one would covet. Their unusual diligence today was all thanks to a certain unscrupulous lord waiting for a good show at the Town Mayor’s Residence.
“Aren’t we all human? Why are you stopping us?”
“Don’t you see how many of us there are…”
“I heard Dawn Town belongs to the Eagle Territory. It’s private land, and outsiders really can’t just enter.”
“I think we should just fight our way in. There are so many of us!”
The players huddled together, muttering amongst themselves. Since it was an internal discussion, their chatter wasn’t translated into the language of Cain Continent. Afterward, the players cast an Appraisal technique on the guards at the entrance of Dawn Town.
[Name: Kade]
[Identity: Dawn Town Guard]
[Strength: Swordsman Level 6 (1-10)]
[Equipment: ???]
[Skills: ???]
[Threat Level: Normal]
The stats for all five guards were similar: three swordsmen, one sword-and-shield, and one archer. None of them were above level 10. The players conferred, concluding they could likely handle them. The guards’ weapons appeared to be basic gear, and while their levels were slightly higher, the players had over a hundred people on their side.
Just as they were about to make their move, Ye Hao pushed his way through the crowd of players. “I am a knight of the Griffin family, here with my knight squires to pledge allegiance to Earl of Eagle.”
The guards exchanged glances. Were they bringing so many squires not to attack Dawn Town? They had heard of the Griffin family; they were a fallen noble house on the borders of the Earl’s territory. Even so, they were not individuals that petty town guards could afford to offend. The guards scrutinized Ye Hao, noting his handsome features, dismissive gaze, and condescending demeanor. Coupled with his ordinary armor, emblazoned with elaborate and flashy patterns, he fit the mold of a proud noble scion who looked down on others. The guards were convinced of Ye Hao’s identity and ceased their obstruction. After bowing to Ye Hao, they stepped aside, clearing the path into Dawn Town.
“Whoa, the protagonist is so awesome! What’s his identity?”
“The protagonist mentioned the Griffin family. It must be a very powerful family, right? I wonder how it compares to this Earl of Eagle.”
“I’ll have to find out later. Tsk tsk, it’s good to have status. Not only are these guards not blocking us, they’re even bowing respectfully.”
“How do I get a noble title? I want to try it too.”
…
The players chattered excitedly, following Ye Hao’s footsteps. With their heads held high and spirits soaring, they entered Dawn Town. Ye Hao walked at the very front of the group. His mood lately had been exceptionally pleasant. He was a genius young man from the ancient martial arts Ye family, having grown up under countless accolades. He had already proven invincible among the geniuses of other ancient martial arts families his age, reaching the half-step Grandmaster realm before the age of twenty. Ye Hao had never played games before, as his life was already like a cheat-enabled game. He had thought his life would continue in this boring, invincible state. Until two days ago, when a mysterious entity found him.
Ye Hao had never encountered such a grand will; the immense pressure made him feel like an ant facing an overwhelming tsunami. This grand will instructed him to complete a mission: to invade a brand-new world. Invading a world? This excited Ye Hao immensely; he had long grown weary of everything around him. The insincere compliments, the adoring gazes, the women throwing themselves at him, his invincible strength, his inexhaustible wealth… These were not what Ye Hao desired. A warrior should conquer the heavens. Invading other worlds, what a magnificent mission! It made his blood boil! This was what Ye Hao should be doing!
Subsequently, Ye Hao was brought before another great will. However, Ye Hao could sense that this will was very weak, on the verge of collapse. The two wills seemed to have reached an agreement. The weakened will handed Ye Hao a beautiful crystal, and then fell silent. The mysterious entity informed him that the energy within this crystal would become the core hub for the exchange of laws between the two worlds. However, due to the vast differences in their laws, for the time being, only humans from Blue Star could be summoned in a special way, becoming the primary force for invading Cain Continent. To ensure the invasion plan proceeded smoothly, this summoning ritual would exist on Blue Star in the form of a virtual reality game.
Ye Hao understood immediately. Wasn’t this just summoning players? By summoning Blue Star humans in the form of players, and using the energy of Cain Continent to sustain their existence and invade Cain Continent, Blue Star would face no risk. Ye Hao, in essence, acted as an anchor, firmly rooted in Cain Continent, serving as a beacon for players entering Cain Continent. Of course, with such great benefits came corresponding costs. Ye Hao and the mysterious entity had obtained Marron’s Godhead, and thus had to bear her grudges: to help her Demi-human race regain its glory and make the Kolon Empire pay with blood for its transgressions. These two matters were not problematic for Ye Hao. The moment he saw Saintess Ruo Yi, Ye Hao had already decided she was his woman. Helping Ruo Yi would also benefit his pursuit of this perfectly indescribable girl. The only thing that slightly displeased Ye Hao was that due to insufficient energy, his original half-step Grandmaster strength, which should have been equivalent to level forty in Cain Continent, had been reduced to level 11. However, as compensation, he had three opportunities to unleash his previous life’s strength. Furthermore, he had one chance each day to foresee upcoming events in advance. As an added bonus, the weakened will had directly granted him several top-tier skills. Looking at his luxurious panel, Ye Hao couldn’t help but display a “Dragon King” style smile.
[Name: Ye Hao]
[Identity: Son of Destiny, Commoner]
[Strength: Knight Level 11 (11-20)]
[Skills: Radiant Cross Slash, Purify, Radiant Halo, Holy Shield Bastion, Master-level Close Combat Mastery]
[Destiny Skill 1: Breakthrough (Remaining 3 uses)]
[Destiny Skill 2: Foresight (Remaining 0 uses)]
[Equipment: Fool’s Luxurious Armor (Master), Fool’s Luxurious Long Sword (Master)]
[Kolon Empire Reputation: 1 (Your existence has been noted)]
[Demi-human Faction Reputation: 37 (Newcomer)]
He wondered which person from the Kolon Empire had already noticed him, even though he had only arrived yesterday. Ye Hao felt a bit puzzled but quickly resigned himself. After all, he was the Son of Destiny; being noticed by others was a normal occurrence. He needed to get used to it. “You all will form groups of five and scout within Dawn Town. If you discover any enslaved Demi-humans, begin rescue operations. If you encounter special circumstances, you can come to me for help at any time.” Ye Hao glanced at the surrounding players and issued a mission. He also possessed an NPC template and could advance some energy to the players as Experience Points. The energy he obtained from the players, he could extract twenty percent to strengthen himself. Yesterday, Ye Hao had already used his foresight ability. He knew the general development of the upcoming “plot.” As the protagonist, Ye Hao only needed to passively collect energy and appear at crucial moments. The tiresome work could be left to these players.
“The mission progress has updated! Everyone form teams quickly!”
“Three mages, need two warriors!”
“Can you spare a mage for your team?”
“This garbage game actually has Holy Light after removing its pants?”
…
Of course, not all players formed teams. There were also one or two lone wolves, like Ms. Round Face Fatty Chicken. She wasn’t actually here to complete missions; she simply wanted to experience the customs and culture of another world from a traveler’s perspective. The feeling of exploring the unknown and uncovering mysteries entranced her.
