Chapter 82: Re-Challenge! Third Update
August 18, 2015
Author: Floating Tower (诸生浮屠)
In the Shadow Plane, Chess Half-Plane.
When Soren returned here again, everything before him looked the same, but he could not see any trace of Tower Spirit 13. Just as he was about to explore this half-plane, suddenly a beam of Spell Light appeared in front of him, and then Tower Spirit 13 materialized in the Teleportation Array. As the manager of the half-plane, Tower Spirit 13 could sense all changes in the half-plane. It still stared at Soren with a blank expression and said in a metallic voice, “You’re back?”
“May I continue the challenge?”
“If you did not pass the challenge, you cannot gain entry.”
Soren observed his surroundings. As his perception as a deity opened up, he discovered many traces of Alchemical Construct Life. Nearby, there were numerous Puppet Golems hidden, which had replaced a large part of the labor force during the Arcane Empire and also served as consumables on the battlefield. The Puppet Golems arranged here were no less than those appearing during the Golem War. If he could take all of them, he wouldn’t have to rely on the Witch Council everywhere; these Puppet Golems could completely meet the needs of Modo.
Rock Golems, Iron Golems, and Alchemical Construct Golems.
There was an alchemical crafting process here far beyond that of the Material Plane, and Soren increasingly felt he needed to obtain it.
“Challenge.”
Soren stood in front of Tower Spirit 13 and said firmly, “I am ready.”
As Alchemical Constructs, tower spirits are more like super-intelligent robots. They have their own souls but act according to the Soul Marks left by their creators, much like the laws of robots. The Tower Spirit 13 before him was a manager and guardian of this place; evidently, its creator left behind some commands, including directives in case of its potential downfall. After all, even archmages facing d*ath would hope to preserve some of their creations.
The half-plane is the best creation!
Wizards create a world from nothing; perhaps it is not a large space, but it absolutely requires countless effort.
“Challenge begin!”
A light sparked in Tower Spirit 13’s eyes, and immediately the Teleportation Array activated, causing Soren’s figure to disappear from his spot.
It was still the initial cutscene.
As the chess simulation finished, when Soren opened his eyes again, he found himself standing at the village entrance, with flames rising in the distance and the faint sound of demonic roars echoing.
There was no pause.
Soren instantly slipped into the darkness, hiding cautiously.
A group of Coward Demons appeared, separated in time by only a second or two. They did not notice Soren but excitedly ruined everything before them.
“Very good!”
Soren took a deep breath and murmured, “The first step succeeded. Now to find a suitable weapon and see if there are other survivors in the village.”
Without power, he could only rely on wisdom.
This is probably also the creator’s intent, as it seems that anyone appearing at the start is just an ordinary person.
Weapons.
The thing Soren needed most right now.
This time, he did not head for the Blacksmith Shop. Instead, he cautiously moved through the shadows, looking for the most conspicuous large house nearby. Such villages usually have militia guards; although there were no weapons in the blacksmith’s shop, they might be found among the militia. Many places nearby were already engulfed in flames, and sounds of battle could be heard from the other side of the village. Soren soon discovered a good house.
Bang!
A raging fire consumed a building, and the sound of intense collapse echoed.
Taking advantage of this, Soren swiftly rushed inside, with a few wandering Coward Demons nearby. They noticed the noise but paid no mind.
They only heard the sound of the house collapsing and felt excitement from the destruction.
No swords.
Soren glanced around inside and found no swords, but there were other weapons.
An intact hunting bow!
There were only seven arrows, which was not a sufficient number, but should prove quite useful. Archery has high requirements for arrows. Simply sharpening a wooden stake wouldn’t work; a complete arrow should consist of a head, a shaft, and fletching. If the production doesn’t meet the requirements, shooting accuracy decreases, and the quality of these arrows seemed hard to recover.
Seven arrows.
Soren took a deep breath, holding the hunting bow, carefully preparing his quiver, and cautiously moved back outside.
Three Coward Demons.
One was crouched on the ground nibbling on something; another was jumping around in the fire, and the last seemed to be searching for something. Through the flames, he could see it was holding a silver-white item, seemingly a silver ornament.
Demons also like to collect loot!
Soren held his breath and quietly approached. The hunting bow’s lethality was insufficient, making it hard to deal lethal damage to demons; it was not of Extraordinary Weapons level, and penetrating demon skin was not easy. He needed to close the distance a bit to enhance the hunting bow’s piercing power; ideally, he should sh**t straight for the head to take out one enemy first.
Swoosh!
An arrow flew out from the darkness.
Soren’s archery skill was still intact; the Coward Demon that was nibbling on something was struck in the head, and the arrow pierced right through, killing it instantly!
Success.
After preemptively eliminating one Coward Demon, Soren quickly nocked another arrow and aimed at the second.
The d*ath of their companion alarmed the other Coward Demons, who rushed towards Soren’s hiding spot. However, by then, the second arrow had already been released, hitting the leading Coward Demon in the chest.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh!
Without the slightest hesitation, Soren unleashed five arrows in quick succession. Two hit the enemies’ heads, killing three Coward Demons in one go.
“Phew!”
At this moment, Soren finally relaxed slightly, feeling an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.
His stamina had been overexerted.
This ordinary body had really low physical quality; his physical endurance completely did not meet his combat requirements.
A kitchen kn*fe!
He needed a kitchen kn*fe.
Soren quickly scanned his surroundings and soon retrieved a kitchen kn*fe from the Blacksmith Shop, quickly heading to the Coward Demon’s body.
Clang clang!
He raised the kitchen kn*fe and struck down on the Coward Demon’s fingers. The hard bones were difficult to sever, but he managed to cut off the longest finger. Next to him was a woman’s corpse, which it looked like the Coward Demons had just feasted upon. The nature of demons was inherently evil; Soren was not surprised by this, just a bit shocked by the reality of it all.
Weapons acquired.
And they were of Extraordinary Weapons level!
Taking on the challenge as an ordinary person, Soren’s mind was racing. Tactics, skills, and command were all indispensable. He seemed to have rarely encountered a battle that tested his overall abilities so thoroughly.
The Coward Demon’s claws.
Due to its demon bloodline, its claws were regarded as a ‘+1 inherent magical weapon.’ This was an Extraordinary Weapon that was difficult to find throughout the entire village.
A dagger.
Soren spent five minutes to craft it into a very rudimentary dagger.
This low-quality +1 dagger was enough for him to penetrate the defenses of any nearby demon; as long as he could break through, there would be a chance of success!
After all, his countless battles and accumulated experience were not for show.
………………
“Not injured, no feelings of hunger, and enough stamina.”
Soren took a brief rest before beginning to take further action. He thought to himself, “I have my weapon now; I have the strength to fight against small groups of demons. Now it’s time to explore the surroundings for a way out.”
“This challenge seems to test comprehensive ability without strength; there should be ways to defeat demons here.”
“Everything here is so real.”
“I wonder if I could cultivate subordinates in the future with such realistic battles. Perhaps some elite troops can be trained.”
The flames flickered.
Soren advanced along the dark corners, where many bodies began to emerge – elderly, women, and children. There seemed to be very few adult men. It could be inferred that they might have been gathered in advance for defense, as the demons broke in from elsewhere to slaughter these old and weak. If that is true, the sound of battles suggests there are still militia resisting the demons.
Another two Coward Demons appeared.
This time, Soren went straight in to meet them. Facing the aggressive Coward Demons, he rolled to avoid, then swiftly struck with his dagger.
Thud.
The demon’s claws slashed open the enemy’s throat. The +1 Extraordinary Weapon easily took down one.
“Want to run?”
Confronted by the Coward Demon that was terrified by its companion’s sudden d*ath, Soren rushed forward and quickly eliminated it as well.
A great start.
Aside from not being able to level up in this chess challenge being a bit uncomfortable, Soren was gradually adapting to this combat style.
Overcoming weakness with strength.
It’s about a surge of momentum and the explosive techniques of life-and-d*ath battles.
The corpses on the ground were increasing.
Most were human, but there were also demons. Soren discovered a rather unusual corpse; its ears were slightly pointed, resembling a Half-Elf.
Beside the corpse lay a damaged hunting bow and an ordinary short sword.
Soren pocketed the short sword and flipped the corpse over to find a quiver with eight wolf-tooth arrows. This Half-Elf was probably a hunter of the village, as he was dressed in animal skins.
A +1 Extraordinary dagger, an ordinary short sword, a hunting bow, and ten arrows.
This was all of Soren’s equipment.
Before him appeared the silhouettes of other demons, and this time they were not just Coward Demons; he could vaguely see some mid-tier demons.
Challenge Level 5 and above mid-tier demons.
With his current capabilities, it was nearly impossible for him to win, and the sounds of resistance growing louder in the distance suggested severe casualties among the villagers.
“How to break the deadlock?”
Soren furrowed his brows, his gaze sweeping around nearby, when suddenly a glimmer appeared in his eyes and he quickly stealthily moved to the side.
He had discovered a Military Crossbow.
The nearby corpse seemed to be dressed as a soldier, looking like a member of the village’s guard squad. In such a situation, having a Military Crossbow would produce significant effects.
……………… (To Be Continued ~^~)
