《My Shadow Betrays Me And Becomes The Shadow Lord Overnight》


 Chapter 1

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Zhang Yun¡¯s test results were announced.


    [Strength Growth Rate: D-]


    [Agility Growth Rate: D-]


    [Spirit Growth Rate: D+]


    [Physique Growth Rate D-]


    [Attribute Correction Rate: D]


    [Experience Conversion Rate: D]


    [No awakened ability]


    [Overall Evaluation: D-grade Professional]


    Zhang Yun could not help but smile bitterly when he heard the result. He then let out a sigh. As expected, he received a ¡®D¡¯ in almost all of the categories.


    He was basically an ordinary mortal. Zhang Yun had no talent and no golden finger. Even the knowledge he had before he transmigrated was completely useless.


    In this life, Zhang Yun was still an insignificant pebble among the masses.


    He could only rush about just to survive.


    The flat-chested female teacher in front of Zhang Yun was wearing a white shirt and black glasses. She looked at Zhang Yun nervously.


    ¡°Are you¡­alright? Do you want to reawaken again?¡±


    The teacher was a little worried that this student, who had awakened the worst talent four times in a row, would consider committing suicide.


    Zhang Yun might jump down from the roof of the school building. By then, he would be done for.


    It was a natural response. Zhang Yun had worked harder and persevered more than anyone else, but in the end, he got such results. It could be considered the worst awakened talent in human history. If it were the teacher, she would definitely not be able to stand it.


    Zhang Yun gently shook his head and showed a polite smile. He slowly spoke with pauses in between sentences.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Two years.¡±


    ¡°I reawakened four times in total.¡±


    ¡°Every time, the overall rating is D.¡±


    ¡°The result will probably be the same even if I try a fifth time.¡±


    ¡°I¡­give up!¡±


    His last remark was filled with helplessness, bitterness, and all kinds of memories of Zhang Yun¡¯s two years of hard cultivation.


    He had tried.


    He gave his best.


    Zhang Yun wanted to change his fate.


    The classes had boundaries.


    The goddess of fate did not favor Zhang Yun at all, nor did she pity his hardships. She only granted a meager reward. Hence, Zhang Yun was merely a low-level professional with some qualifications but no talent.


    On the other hand, some geniuses and wealthy second generations were born with a golden key in their mouths. Without doing anything, they could stand at the peak beyond Zhang Yun¡¯s reach.


    This was life.


    It was fraught with injustice from the very beginning.


    However, what else could humans do apart from lying flat on the ground and savoring a scrumptious potato chip on the dock?


    The female teacher continued to ask, ¡°Have you decided what class you want to change to? Or¡­do you give up on your path?¡±


    Zhang Yun looked at the various class introductions on the wall. The available classes consisted of the following: Knight, Archer, Priest, and other common ones. There were also a few rare classes.


    ¡°Priest. I want to change my class to become a healer.¡±


    Hearing this, the female teacher thought for a moment and expressed her analysis in a low voice.


    ¡°Yes, since your Spirit Growth Rate is D+, you can become a priest. Although the probability of advancing is very low, you can still form a party to fight low-level dungeons and secret realms. You will have no problems supporting your family.¡±


    The teacher added, ¡°No matter what, it¡¯s still better than working.¡±


    Zhang Yun did not know how to respond. He could only remain silent as he had the same thoughts.


    After all, this was a world dominated by professionals. As long as one could become a professional, no matter how bad their awakened talent was and regardless of class, it was definitely better than being an ordinary mortal who could not even truss a chicken.


    Professionals were a symbol of status and class. All trades and professions were inseparable from them.


    For illustration:


    A water mage could easily put out a fire in the forest, but ordinary firefighters would take days to resolve it, and there was even the possibility of casualties.


    For logistics and transportation, a summoner and a teleportation mage working together could send a delivery to people¡¯s homes in about ten minutes. Ordinary logistics companies would take a few days.


    A priest could cure a patient with a single healing spell, but an ordinary doctor might not even be able to identify the illness.


    In animal taming, a druid could transform into a cuckoo and communicate with animals without violence, but ordinary people had to rely on beatings and rewards to slowly teach the other party.


    Of course, it was also possible for ordinary mortals to become elites in various industries.


    But professionals would get core positions more easily than ordinary people. The two could be divided into Piltwoof and Zuan. The former¡¯s privileges were far greater than the latter. If one could choose the former, a mortal would definitely not consider the latter.


    Even the top positions were completely controlled by the professionals. Ordinary mortals would never be able to step into it.


    As for Zhang Yun¡­


    He was a transmigrator, but at the same time, he was also a native.


    Meaning to say, he didn¡¯t transmigrate midway but lived a new life after being birthed from his mother¡¯s womb.


    Unfortunately, Zhang Yun¡¯s parents passed away in an accident when he was 8 years old. He also didn¡¯t have grandparents at home. However, he had a younger-looking aunt who could be mistaken for a primary school student. His aunt raised him with great difficulty.


    Apart from mentioned, Zhang Yun¡¯s aunt also had two 10-year-old twin daughters. The three of them looked almost identical to each other and even liked to wear the same cute style of clothes. As a result, people would always mistake them for Zhang Yun¡¯s triplets when they walked on the street.


    As for the uncle who was supposed to be persecuted and cuffed, he left at the same time as Zhang Yun¡¯s parents. If Zhang Yun¡¯s aunt hadn¡¯t given birth then, she would have been with Zhang Yun¡¯s parents.


    The class change process was swift. The female teacher took out a ¡®Class Change Certificate¡¯ and handed it to Zhang Yun.


    Zhang Yun had been granted the priest¡¯s class. He could learn healing skills then.


    After leveling up, the four attributes would also grow and increase according to the unique point-adding rules of priests. The distribution was different from other classes.


    But¡­


    Most of Zhang Yun¡¯s attribute growth rate was at the lowest D-grade.


    This meant that the attribute points Zhang Yun would receive for each level up would be much less than those with the same class.


    Whether as a professional or as a priest, Zhang Yun was born handicapped. He was at the bottom of the food chain and had almost no room for promotion.


    ¡°Zhang Yun. Changing your class means you have graduated from our school. Have you settled¡­everything?¡±


    Zhang Yun replied softly, ¡°Yes. I understand. I have already packed everything. I¡¯ll just stay here for one more night. Tomorrow at 7 in the morning, I¡¯ll leave by car.¡±


    The female teacher nodded in satisfaction. She stood up from her chair and began to clean up her desk. She was looking forward to enjoying the happiest time of the day¡ªgetting off work.


    ¡°Let me remind you. Once you return to your city, you should head to the guild established by our school if you failed to get any good arrangements. The people there will arrange some suitable tasks for you. They will also help you with your future path.¡±


    Zhang Yun politely replied, ¡°Alright. Teacher, thank you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After bidding farewell to the female teacher in charge of the class change, Zhang Yun returned to his dormitory alone.


    Looking at the empty dormitory building, Zhang Yun couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    ¡°Finally, it¡¯s over! From tomorrow onwards, it will be the first day I become a priest. I¡¯ll be lying flat on my back. Maybe I should have a good meal to celebrate tonight?¡±


    After thinking for a while, Zhang Yun gave up on this idea. He had no money. He also did not have a job. He couldn¡¯t spend the living expenses that his aunt gave him like this.


    Zhang Yun sighed, ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll make do with a bowl of instant noodles and go to bed soon. I¡¯ll get up early tomorrow and take the bus home.¡±


    In the next second, Zhang Yun recalled something.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! I still have to bring some fresh local specialties from this city to Qiqi and Nono tomorrow morning. I can¡¯t forget about this.¡±


    It was a quiet night.


    On the following day, Zhang Yun¡¯s alarm clock, which was set at 5:50 in the morning, did not ring. Zhang Yun only managed to wake up abruptly 10 minutes later.


    This was because the system notification bar had been bugging him ever since he had changed his class to priest.


    ¡°F*ck! What is this?! Do professionals have to experience the pain of being woken up by system notifications every morning?¡±


    Zhang Yun opened his eyes speechlessly and called out the system prompt bar. He wanted to see what the ruckus was about. The system prompt kept ringing.


    [System Notice: Your shadow has switched to Shadow Lord.]


    Zhang Yun was dumbfounded.


    [System Notice: Your shadow dislikes you for being weak and has decided to take you flying.]


    Zhang Yun couldn¡¯t understand what was going on.


    [System Notice: Your shadow has used the skill ¡°Shadow Gate¡± and entered the Shadow Plane!]


    Zhang Yun couldn¡¯t keep up with the developments.


    [System Notice: Please cooperate with your shadow and trace the history of other planes in the Shadow Plane. Find a suitable hero¡¯s soul. Cultivate the other party¡¯s strength and the favorability of your shadow. Then, use the skill ¡°Shadow Contract¡± and contract the other party as a Shadow Hero who will become absolutely loyal to you!]


    [Lastly, create your own Shadow Legion!]


    [Sovereign Descent!]


    Zhang Yun was at a loss for words.


    This!


    Could this be the golden finger of a transmigrator?


    It was late, but it arrived nonetheless!

 Chapter 2

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    [Current Shadow Plane: Ice Kingdom (Highest B+)]


    [Time Node: Year 346 of the Sunset Calendar, the Snow God¡¯s Birthday (Snow God Festival)]


    [Major Event of the Era: The emperor of Ventaginya Kingdom, Ice Emperor Odin, was old and weak. He did not have much time left. Hence, Odin was taken advantage of by the 20-year-old Flame Emperor Garukasa. The opponent exploited the celebration of the Snow God Festival and the lack of defense. In just 20 days, the capital city of the kingdom was breached with the help of the Dragon Knight Army and disloyal ministers. In order to protect the future of the kingdom, Odin fought desperately. He only managed to let the young princess escape from the palace alone and head to the kingdom¡¯s border to seek help.]


    [Please choose the faction you want to join.]


    [A: Ice Princess ¨C Royal Army]


    [B: Flame Emperor ¨C Imperial Army]


    [C: Other Countries ¨C Random Forces]


    [D: Don¡¯t help anyone ¨C Become King]


    *******


    [NOTE (1): The faction you choose will affect the hero¡¯s soul that you can come into contact with, including the initial birthplace and the initial favorability with different hero souls. The convenience of Shadow Contract will depend on it.]


    [NOTE (2): The more powerful the soul of the hero you want to transform is in the Shadow Plane, the greater the growth potential of the Shadow Hero that will be finally contracted. Accordingly, it will provide better aid.]


    [NOTE (3): The final favorability between you and the hero¡¯s soul will determine the success rate of the Shadow Contract skill. Each hero¡¯s soul has a total of five chances. After failing five times, you will not be able to contract the same target again.]


    [NOTE (4): If you are not satisfied with the hero¡¯s soul that you have come into contact with, you can use the ¡°Backtrack¡± ability to re-simulate and change to another hero¡¯s soul. If you have already contracted a hero¡¯s soul and want to contract another, you can either improve your strength and unlock more summoning slots for Shadow Heroes or give up on the first hero¡¯s soul. In this case, all the potential and favorability earned previously will be lost.]


    [NOTE (5): After completing a simulation, regardless of whether you use Shadow Contract, you will receive a certain simulation reward. If you successfully survive and experience a major event of the era, you will receive a random dungeon teleportation door connected to the ¡®Ice Kingdom¡¯. Once your shadow enters, it will continuously bring you dungeon challenge rewards such as experience points, equipment, materials, skill books, and so on.]


    [NOTE (6): The soul of a hero that has been contracted will increase the upper limit of their potential (or remain the same) by repeatedly simulating in their shadow plane, but it will consume the number of favorability points. After the remaining points are used up, they can no longer increase their potential through the simulation.]


    ******


    Although he was a little confused, Zhang Yun had a rough idea of the mechanics of this cheat after reading a great number of genuine novels in his previous life.


    Wasn¡¯t this just a text simulation?


    Oh! That wasn¡¯t just it.


    After completing a major event, a portal to an ¡®underground city¡¯ would be given.


    In this world dominated by professionals, ¡°Dungeons,¡± ¡°Arcane Realms,¡± and ¡°Events¡± were all strategic resources controlled by the top nobles.


    Ordinary mortals could not challenge the nobles just because they wanted to. They had to obtain permission and exploration rights from multiple authorities.


    Obtaining a random teleport portal to an underground city was equivalent to controlling a gold mine in Zhang Yun¡¯s previous life. It didn¡¯t matter if it was the lowest level underground city. It wouldn¡¯t erase the fact that it was still a gold mine.


    ¡®Forget it. There is no point in thinking about this,¡¯ Zhang Yun thought. He then decided to explore what a Shadow Hero was after the simulation.


    As he pondered, Zhang Yun closed his eyes as if his mind was wandering. Not only did he enter the shadow in the text, but he also got to observe the world from the first-person and third-person points of view.


    Zhang Yun could also absorb the shadow¡¯s memory. He could replace the shadow that crossed the Shadow Plane. He had personally descended into that strange world full of wonders.


    [Choose a faction, please.]


    ¡°Ha! Anyway, Brother Shadow has switched to Shadow Lord! Why would he need to rely on others? I choose D! Become a king and destroy everything!¡±


    Even if he made the wrong choice, Zhang Yun could still use the ¡°Backtrack¡± ability to start all over again. He had countless opportunities, so there was no need to be afraid.


    The game started.


    Zhang Yun had to go it all out!


    [Year 341 of the Sunset Calendar, Snow God¡¯s Birthday¡ª5 Years Ago]


    [The Ventaginya Kingdom is ruled by Odin, the Ice Emperor. The country is peaceful. The weather is pleasant while the four seas are calm.]


    [When the time comes, your shadow will descend upon an unknown village at the border of the Ice Kingdom and possess the body of a civilian who had just died, thereby going through the process of reincarnation.]


    [Your eyes have opened. You can see a group of bandits wearing wolf-skin coats and wolf-head gear rummaging through your house for valuable items. There is a fire outside the door, and screams can be heard.]


    [After digesting a portion of your memories, you have understood that your predecessor died at the hands of these bandits.]


    [Choose an option.]


    [A: Escape by playing dead.]


    [B: Find a way to join the other party.]


    [C: Use Shadow Force to kill the opponent.]


    [D: Lead your Shadow Legion to personally descend and interfere.]


    Eh?


    The first situation he was in was quite disadvantageous!


    The body Zhang Yuan possessed suddenly died?!


    First of all, Option B was risky. If Zhan Yun got up and expressed his desire to join the thieves right after they killed him, he would probably get stabbed again. The thieves would consider Zhang Yun an evil spirit and burn his body for precaution.


    Moreover¡­


    These bandits looked like villainous people who murder without batting an eye.


    Even if it was just a simulation, Zhang Yun did not want to be at the mercy of a villain who disregarded human lives.


    Option D was not bad, and the meaning was simple and clear. However, Zhang Yun had just changed his class to a priest, and he did not have a Shadow Legion.


    What would personal interference entail?


    Was he going to give the bandits a drink of milk to liven up their killing?


    So¡­


    Zhan Yun didn¡¯t consider Option D. He could only choose between Option A and Option C.


    To be honest, Option A was the most practical choice. After all, Zhang Yun had no idea about the shadow¡¯s strength. He was uncertain if the shadow was a match for these bandits.


    If Brother Shadow were to face the enemies head-on, Zhang Yun would have a 50% chance of survival.


    But playing dead and escaping would at least give Zhang Yun a 90% chance of survival.


    Even if the bandits wanted to dispose of the corpses after the incident, Brother Shadow could turn around and attack them without any regard for combat strength once the enemies got close to him. It would definitely be enough to make the bandits suffer.


    However, Zhang Yun had the ¡°Backtrack¡± ability. So, he chose Option C!


    He would use the power of the shadow to kill the bandits head-on!


    Zhang Yun submitted his choice.


    In the following moment, the words changed rapidly. The text intertwined to create a new content.


    [You continue to pretend that you are dead and wait for the bandits who are looking for treasures to approach you.]


    [After a few minutes of searching, the bandits didn¡¯t find anything valuable in your house. One of the bandits with a lush beard was furious and approached your ¡®corpse¡¯ to vent his anger by stepping on it.]


    [You look for an opportunity, grab the lush-bearded bandit¡¯s raised right leg, pull him hard, and throw him to the ground. Then, you quickly pull out the iron axe from his waist, and with lightning speed, chop his head. You are successful in killing the bandit.]


    [After killing the lush-bearded bandit, you immediately use the power of the Shadow Lord to extract the enemy¡¯s shadow and transform it into your first Shadow Soldier in this plane world.]


    [With the help of Shadow Soldiers that are stronger than the main body, the few bandits in the house are no match for you. They are easily destroyed and turned into new Shadow Soldiers.]


    [You proceed to walk out of the house and prepare to eliminate the bandits who disrespect human lives, but you hear a few angry roars in the distance and the sound of swords clashing. It seems that another group of people is fighting with this group of bandits.]


    As the words disappeared, a strange yet familiar memory appeared in Zhang Yun¡¯s mind.


    It was as if Zhang Yun had actually seen the bearded bandit whose head had been split in half by his axe. He personally witnessed the large pool of red blood flowing by his feet. It emitted a pungent and disgusting smell.


    Zhang Yun felt fortunate to have lived two lifetimes.


    Thanks to years of training and the daily broadcast of news regarding the dangerous world without harmonious mythical beasts, Zhang Yun did not feel distressed. Otherwise, he would have vomited acid all over the floor.


    Ordinary mortals of the modern era who did not visit suspicious websites to browse strange things would find it tough to remain calm. Someone with a healthy mind would not be able to stomach a scene of a gruesome death.


    Zhang Yun became stunned as new words appeared.


    [Through observation, you find that the force fighting the bandits seems to be another group of bandits. They are wearing leather coats made of white wolf fur. The man leading them has conspicuous silver hair. He is young, probably less than 20 years old, but he is handsome and has extraordinary strength.]


    [The group of the silver-haired bandit is accompanied by women and children who are protected by seven or eight bandits with white wolf fur. They are all villagers who survived the attack of the bandits.]


    [Soon, you remember that this silver-haired bandit is known as Milano. He is the leader of the recently famous ¡°Silver Wolf Bandits¡±. Although they are bandits, they are still honorable. The Silver Wolf Bandits only rob the resources of the avaricious and greedy nobles. Their gains are given as relief to the villages at the border of the kingdom, which have been suffering from food shortages due to years of disasters.]


    [At the same time, Milano is also a hero soul that meets the conditions of the ¡°Shadow Contract¡± skill.]


    [Choose an option.]


    [A: Continue to observe in secret.]


    [B: Help the Silver Wolf Bandits defeat those who attacked the village.]


    [C: While the bandits who attacked the village are all focused on Milano, you will quietly leave the village from the back.]


    [D: Kill all of them and turn them into Shadow Soldiers.]


    Eh?


    Why wasn¡¯t there an option to help the bandits who attacked the village defeat the Silver Wolf Bandits?


    Could it be?


    Was it because Zhang Yun could just choose to kill all of the bandits?


    Wouldn¡¯t the other options be useless by then?


    ¡­

 Chapter 3

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Zhang Yun didn¡¯t think much and made his decision.


    ¡°Option B!¡±


    Milano was a righteous thief. He participated in this battle not to harm the villagers but to save them from the hands of the bandits who attacked the village.


    There was no need for Zhang Yun to observe Milano in secret, and Zhang Yun shouldn¡¯t hide either.


    Zhang Yun should just help the Silver Wolf Bandits destroy the enemy and complete this trivial task. By then, Zhang Yun would finally see what the so-called hero¡¯s soul was like. This must be the right path.


    But¡­


    Didn¡¯t the simulation start with a prosperous and peaceful Ice Kingdom in its golden age?


    How could there be a food shortage and pillaging bandits?


    [After some consideration, you have decided to help the Silver Wolf Bandits defeat the vicious enemies.]


    [You summon the Shadow Soldiers and order them to ambush those ordinary enemies who are busy fighting the Silver Wolf Bandits.]


    [With the help of the powerful Shadow Soldiers, the Silver Wolf Bandits easily defeated the opponents and beheaded them collectively. Accordingly, the surviving villagers are saved.]


    [In the following second, the Silver Wolf Bandits began to help put out the fire, treat the injured, distribute food, and do their best to aid the villagers who had lost their families.]


    [After the incident, Milano personally came to thank you for your help. He also invited you to join his group and save more people living on the border who were in deep waters and suffering.]


    [Choose your option.]


    [A: Reject and explore beyond.]


    [B: Agree and rely on the Silver Wolf Bandits to obtain information.]


    [C: Kill all enemies and turn them into Shadow Soldiers.]


    [D. Lead your Shadow Legion to personally descend and interfere.]


    Zhang Yun was speechless.


    If Zhang Yun was still inexperienced, he might have chosen Option C and casually treated the simulation as a game.


    After all, Zhang Yun could control the lives of the NPCs at will and use ¡°Backtrack¡± if he wanted to play with them.


    However, texts poured into Zhang Yun¡¯s mind as memory fragments¡­


    Everything in front of Zhang Yun morphed into a scene of raging fire, corpses strewn all over the ground, spilled blood, and howls of despair.


    The villagers looked at Zhang Yun as if he was their savior.


    Hence, Zhang Yun changed his mind.


    Perhaps¡­


    Everything was real.


    Zhang Yun¡¯s every move would change the fate of those historical figures and lead them to a different future.


    If Zhang Yun really chose to kill the Silver Wolf Bandits¡­


    If the villagers were to encounter such a thing again in the future, perhaps no one would come to save them. They could only hide in dark corners and pray that the god of death would not find them.


    Zhang Yun was at a loss for words. In the meantime, he decided not to worry about it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll choose Option B first. Join the Silver Wolf Bandits.¡±


    With that, Zhang Yun would be able to understand the situation of the world he was in.


    [After weighing the pros and cons, you have chosen to join the Silver Wolf Bandits.]


    [In the following days, you helped the Silver Wolf Bandits rescue many villages and villagers in succession. You relied on the enemies you killed to continuously expand the scale of your Shadow Soldiers.]


    [When the time is right and you have become familiar with everyone, you will be able to ask about the situation in the Ice Kingdom.]


    [Everyone will be willing to share information.]


    [Even if the gathered information is scant, you will gain useful knowledge.]


    [Under the wise leadership of the Ice Emperor, the Ice Kingdom is truly wealthy and powerful. The citizens live and work in peace. However, this is only limited to the prestigious areas in the hinterland of the kingdom¡ªthe big cities ruled by the upper-class nobles.]


    [The impoverished villages at the border of the kingdom are plagued with infectious diseases, famine, and crooks.]


    [The incident soon reached the ears of the Ice Emperor. He issued orders overnight to deploy the generals of the nobles to the border and wipe out the bandits, distribute food, and help the victims.]


    [The generals of the nobles had hundreds of thousands of elites, but they couldn¡¯t eliminate a few thousand bandits. Every time the bandits were surrounded by the army, the commanding general would deliberately leave an opening for the bandits to escape.]


    [Someone couldn¡¯t help but question the lenient treatment of the bandits.]


    [The commanding general revealed that as long as the bandits are not eradicated, the kingdom will not stop allocating funds to the army. The army just needed to guard the major checkpoints leading to the capital and prevent rumors from reaching the Ice Emperor¡¯s ears. With this, the knights would be able to live without worries and get promoted.]


    [At the cost of citizens suffering on the border, the general and his men enjoyed great wealth, which they couldn¡¯t possibly earn if they were stationed in the capital for decades.]


    [The army became the local tyrants of the border.]


    It was absurd!


    The Royal Army of the Ice Kingdom could have wiped out the rats completely, but they deliberately raised the bandits furtively and profited against their conscience?!


    If umbrella sellers were given the right to control the weather, perhaps they would rather opt for endless rain!


    Zhang Yun grew furious as he thought about it.


    He clenched his fists and wanted to tear this group of scum from the kingdom apart.


    It might seem like just a few short paragraphs of text in simulation.


    However, the memories in Zhang Yun¡¯s mind seemed to have been dwelling within that world for months. Zhang Yun saw with his own eyes how the greedy army abandoned the peasants and allowed corpses to pile up in the mountains and fields.


    The villagers at the borders experienced the painful life of having to endure days of hunger and thirst.


    Fortunately¡­


    The leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits was a man of principle.


    Every time he got extra food, Milano would send it to the commoners in need of help at the border as soon as possible. Milano never thought of hoarding the stock and giving up on the victims who were about to starve to death.


    Naturally, there were also subordinates who questioned Milano¡¯s decision.


    Even so, Milano never forced them to do the same.


    Milano remarked, ¡°We don¡¯t have anything to eat, but we can bear with it for a while and rob the granaries of those arrogant aristocrats. If the villagers of the border don¡¯t eat, they will starve to death here!


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, 10 years ago, when we were in exile, we also almost died from hunger. It was the villagers of the borders who fed us a hundred families¡¯ worth of food, saved us, and raised us!


    ¡°If anyone feels that this is inappropriate and doesn¡¯t want to abstain from food with me, you can leave. You can join the Royal Army or any other bandit group. I won¡¯t stop you!


    ¡°If we encounter each other again in the future, I will still show you mercy on account of our past brotherhood!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Compared to Brother Milano, who would rather starve himself to repay a debt of gratitude, the nobles of the Ice Kingdom who used the name of disaster relief and suppression to deceive the lower ranks and fill their own pockets were undoubtedly the scummiest of the scums.


    Honestly, Zhang Yun could understand the aristocrat¡¯s unwillingness to donate money to the poor.


    After all, money wasn¡¯t easily obtainable.


    To help others was considered a favor.


    Aristocrats didn¡¯t consider helping as a duty.


    Pity would not work to morally obligate those who were privileged.


    But¡­


    The money in the hands of the nobles was the life-saving straw that the Ice Emperor provided to help the people at the border. Whether from an objective point of view or a subjective point of view, the funds rightfully belonged to the people at the border.


    Instead of giving the funds to the people at the border, the nobles misappropriated them. The nobles were true robbers and actual thieves!


    Zhang Yun could not stand them and felt the desire to crush them to death.


    After a long time, Zhang Yun calmed down and continued the simulation.


    [After revealing the truth about the border, Milano came straight to the point. You were an extraordinary professional genius. You have more potential than a rare necromancer. You could create an invincible Shadow Legion.]


    [Originally, the Silver Wolf Bandits did not have the capital to fight against the Royal Army entrenched at the border. Milano and his men could only move in secret and try their best to save others.]


    [But with you around, you could transform the rotten magically and defeat those unscrupulous nobles who harmed the people of the border.]


    [Milano hoped that you could become the new leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits, lead them, launch an uprising, end the rule of those ¡°local tyrants¡±, and save everyone at the border.]


    [Choose an option.]


    [A: Agree and plan an uprising to defeat the Ice Kingdom¡¯s army.]


    [B: Reject and leave Milano utterly disappointed in you.]


    [C: Betray Milano and expose him to the Ice Kingdom¡¯s army stationed at the border.]


    [D: Leave this place and look for other hero souls.]


    [NOTE: This selection will greatly affect the favorability of Milano¡¯s hero¡¯s soul toward you.]


    ¡°Ha! Is there a need to think about this? Option A! I¡¯m going to crush this group of scum!¡±


    In an instant, the text in front of Zhang Yun¡¯s eyes began to twist and change.


    [You were extremely displeased with the actions of the Ice Kingdom¡¯s army, so you decisively agreed to Milano¡¯s request and became the new leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits. The other members of the group were convinced by your charm and strength after interacting with you for a long time, so no one opposed Milano¡¯s abdication.]


    [In the following months, you planned and attacked several outposts set up by the army. You managed to draw in the earnest people who suffered at the border and quickly strengthened the Silver Wolf Bandits¡¯ uprising force.]


    [However, this action angered the upper nobles in the army. A highly capable group of professional knights were sent to sweep through the entire border. There was an issued bounty for all of you.]


    [With the temptation of a large sum of money, there were individuals who were bound to betray you, regardless of their allegiance. Your whereabouts had been disclosed to the knights pursuing you.]


    [By relying on guerilla tactics, you kept on circling around and persevered for several months, but in the end, you were still found by the hostile knights.]


    [The power of your shadow was extremely powerful, and you were bestowed with the ability to convert every person you kill into your own servant. Unfortunately, your plan was not well devised due to the time constraint. You ended up seriously injured by the concentrated fire of numerous professional knights. You got trapped on an easily defendable small hill, but it was difficult to launch a counterattack.]


    [Under the pressure of incessant attacks by the knights, there was a shortage of food. Many of the rebels were demoralized, and they surrendered.]


    [However, the noble commander of the Royal Army did not accept anyone¡¯s surrender. Instead, the rebels were hung one by one in conspicuous locations to highlight the absolute superiority of the Royal Army.]


    [Seeing this, you knew you couldn¡¯t save the situation, so you rushed down the mountain with the rest of the Silver Wolf Bandits, killed the noble¡¯s lackeys, and scolded the world for being unfair.]


    [In the end, you were killed by the combined forces of the expert professionals in the royal army.]


    [You ended up being buried.]


    ¡­

 Chapter 4

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    The simulation ended, and many memories were transmitted into Zhang Yun¡¯s mind. He suddenly reached for his left chest where he was stabbed to death with a sword belonging to a professional knight from the Ice Kingdom.


    ¡®Hiss!¡¯


    It hurt!


    This group of d*mn professionals from the kingdom!


    Being outnumbered in a fight was really unfair. Couldn¡¯t they just wait for Zhang Yun to develop and summon thousands of Shadow Soldiers in a year?


    After a pause, the pain disappeared. Zhang Yun put down his right hand that was covering his heart and sighed.


    No!


    This wouldn¡¯t do.


    The Shadow Soldiers alone would not be able to defeat the professionals of the Ice Kingdom.


    Because¡­


    There was no difference if the person whom Brother Shadow killed was a professional, an ordinary mortal, or a knight with rich combat experience.


    In the end, the Shadow Soldiers that were transformed were all of the same strength and did not have a class.


    Even if someone with a class was killed, the resulting Shadow Hero would not inherit the class.


    Zhang Yun wanted a Shadow Hero. He could only rely on the ¡°Shadow Contract¡±.


    At least, that was the case for now.


    This was akin to a necromancer that Milano had mentioned. This nefarious class was notorious in other games and literary works. However, the Ice Kingdom found it fair to let the necromancers roam the streets openly.


    It was because no matter whose body they used, the necromancers would only summon undead creatures of the same strength, and there was a certain limit to the number.


    This meant¡­


    The necromancers did not need to go around killing people. They only needed to spend some money to buy the bones of their relatives from the poor, and they would be able to get enough undead soldiers to fight for them.


    At first, Milano, the Silver Wolf, did not hate Zhang Yun because of his ability to extract the shadow of the dead.


    It was only practical.


    In the end, it was revealed that Zhang Yun¡¯s Shadow Lord had no upper limit when it came to the number of recruitable Shadow Soldiers.


    As long as enough people died, there would be more Shadow Soldiers, which were hundreds of times stronger than the necromancers in that world.


    Moreover, Zhang Yun had to kill the person himself or get the Shadow Soldiers to do so in order for the corpse to turn into a Shadow Soldier. Zhang Yun could not let others do it for him, nor could he use corpses that died of natural causes.


    Zhang Yun could bring about doomsday with great potential.


    However, Milano had known Zhang Yun¡¯s Brother Shadow for a long time. He knew Brother Shadow¡¯s personality and the way he handled things.


    Milano was well aware that Brother Shadow would not launch a ¡°Shadow Disaster¡± to destroy the entire world like the Demon King.


    Hence, Milano continued to trust Brother Shadow and even gave him the position of leader. The stronger Brother Shadow ended up leading the entire team¡­


    Of course, this was not the main point.


    The main point was¡­


    Possessing a class was not a foreign concept. The professionals with a class, particularly those who had leveled up, could completely beat the Shadow Soldiers without a class.


    It was just like the game called ¡°XXXXX Unparalleled¡± that Zhang Yun had played in his previous life.


    In the said game, there was a vast difference between a hero fighting a minion and a minion fighting a hero. A hero could cut through a bunch of minions like grass in just one slash. On the other hand, a minion could barely scratch a hero.


    So¡­


    If he wanted to get rid of the Ice Kingdom¡¯s army with numerous professionals in the simulation, Zhang Yun would have to kill them.


    Zhang Yun had to find enough professionals to form an army.


    Otherwise¡­


    It was pointless to just rely on the Silver Wolf Bandits and the Shadow Soldiers selected by Brother Shadow. Even if Zhang Yun used the ¡°Backtrack¡± ability several times, he would still be surrounded and annihilated by the Ice Kingdom¡¯s army. Zhang Yun would not be able to live and reach the major event.


    Or perhaps¡­


    Zhang Yun could also choose another path.


    As the saying went, if you couldn¡¯t beat the enemies, then you must join them.


    Zhang Yun could try selling out the Silver Wolf Bandits to gain the trust of the Ice Kingdom¡¯s army. Once Zhang Yun had found a way to join the opposing force, he could look for a hero soul that met the conditions of the contract from the corrupt nobles.


    However, this method was too presumptuous.


    There would have been no problem if it was a pure simulation.


    Zhang Yun would not hesitate to go through the sub-plot of a game with multiple endings.


    Unfortunately, this kind of simulation would transmit the process of the event into his mind in the form of memory. It would be as though Zhang Yun personally entered that world and interacted with its people.


    Could people actually sell out their comrades who went through the same life-and-death experience?


    Much worse, sell them out to a group of scum?


    Zhang Yun could not. Therefore, he immediately rejected this idea.


    This entailed becoming a merciless killing machine, murdering everyone just to launch a ¡°Shadow Disaster¡±, crushing quality with quantity, and defeating the Royal Army.


    This was something Zhang Yun could not tolerate.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Zhang Yun said, ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. I have countless chances. Let¡¯s see what the rewards for this simulation are.¡±


    ******


    [Experience Summary]


    [You descended on the border of the kingdom. In order to help the people who were suffering, you joined a group of chivalrous bandits. You wanted to rebel and overthrow the ruler of the kingdom. However, due to your lack of experience, you failed in just a few months and died a tragic death at the border. You were unable to experience the major event of the era that would happen five years later.]


    ******


    [Contact with Hero Soul]


    [Name: Milano (Silver Wolf)]


    [Level: Level 1 (D-level Experience Conversion Rate)]


    [Class: Warrior (a profession with more balanced abilities)]


    [Attributes: Strength (D+), Constitution (D), Spirit (D-), Agility (D)]


    [Skills: Charge, Axe Chop]


    [Specialty: None]


    [Overall Evaluation: D+ (This represents the upper limit of the four-dimensional attribute growth rate when it increases naturally. The four-dimensional attribute growth rate will not increase naturally if it exceeds this limit.)]


    [Description: The first-generation leader who founded the Silver Wolf Bandits. His talent is average, and he has reached a bottleneck. He needs the help of acquired items to improve his strength.]


    [Remaining Contracts: 5]


    ******


    [SIMULATION REWARD (1)]


    [Random Equipment]


    [Name: Healing Ring]


    [Quality: 1-star Bronze]


    [Level: Level 1 (The highest smithing level is Level 5.)]


    [Equipment Position: Hand Accessory]


    [Equipment Requirements: Limited to ¡°Priest¡± class.]


    [Equipment Effect: Increase all healing effects by 10%]


    [Description: A beautiful white ring. Other than saving the dying and healing the wounded, you can also use it as a proposal ring.]


    ******


    [SIMULATION REWARD (2)]


    [Random buff of the shadow plane ¨C Only limited to the Ice Kingdom]


    [Shadow Soldier Enhancement (LV1): Increases the combat power of all Shadow Soldiers in the shadow plane, making their physical strength comparable to that of a Level 1 Professional.]


    ******


    F*ck!


    It turned out that a hero¡¯s soul could be contracted even if Zhang Yun had not lived through the major events of the era?!


    Wasn¡¯t this a little cool?


    There was more!


    The ring equipment and the exclusive buff of the shadow plane were also incredible!


    Although the former was only a ¡®1-star Bronze¡¯ ring, its effect was the most practical for priests. The effect of the healing ability could be improved! Normally exploring the underground and dungeon for a few months would not yield the same results.


    Naturally, the value of the reward was also higher than the average bronze equipment.


    The latter solved Zhang Yun¡¯s biggest problem, which was getting rid of the numerous professionals of the Ice Kingdom¡¯s army.


    Although the enhancement only made the Shadow Soldiers comparable to a Level 1 Professional, Zhan Yun¡¯s army didn¡¯t have the ability to continuously level up, become stronger, improve physical strength, and learn powerful skills like real professionals.


    However, since Zhang Yun could collect a buff after one simulation, then there might be a chance to accumulate countless buffs and strengthen the Shadow Soldiers of Brother Shadow!


    Hmmm¡­


    How should Zhang Yun put it?


    The simulation had an element of reincarnating as a pigeon.


    Zhang Yun increasingly became stronger each time he replayed the simulation.


    Then¡­


    The scums of the Ice Kingdom should better be prepared!


    Zhang Yun would return. Prepare to die!

 Chapter 5

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Before the second simulation, Zhang Yun still had one more matter to deal with. He had to decide whether he should establish a contract with Milano, the Silver Wolf.


    According to the system notification, each hero soul had five individual contract opportunities. Every chance was distinct from the other¡ªexcept that the higher the number of contracts made, the more potential limits might be unlocked.


    But¡­


    Zhang Yun only had one slot for a Shadow Hero.


    Once he successfully entered into a contract with Milano, Zhang Yun would not be able to contract other hero souls casually.


    Zhang Yun only had two options. He could increase his strength and unlock the second Shadow Hero summoning slot.


    Otherwise, he could initiate the Shadow Contract with Milano and replace him with a new Shadow Hero later on.


    If it were the former, Zhang Yun was clueless about the required strength before he could unlock a new summoning slot.


    Did Zhang Yun need to reach Level 5 then? Zhang Yun might even have to work himself to death to reach Level 50.


    Meanwhile, the latter choice would only waste Zhang Yun¡¯s efforts for the Silver Wolf Milano.


    This included the wasted contract opportunity, the time and energy Zhang Yun invested, the experience points Zhang Yun gained from forming a bond, the equipment and weapons Zhang Yun had equipped to Milano, and so on.


    This feeling was akin to¡­painstakingly raising a five-star character in a card drawing game, only for another card to replace it. There was no other option but to absolutely delete the five-star character card in order to draw another one.


    Much worse¡­


    The new card would require plenty of investments to be raised.


    It would be impossible to utilize the new card.


    Other than that, there was another deeply serious problem.


    Zhang Yun would permanently use up the contract opportunities every time he established one with Milano. This was true in every subsequent parallel world simulation, regardless of the outcome. The Shadow Contract could not be casually made.


    However, every time a contract was entered into, the upper limit of Milano¡¯s growth would be expanded.


    For instance:


    In the first round, Milano¡¯s uprising failed, and he died at the border with just a C-grade overall evaluation.


    In the second round, Milano could rely on Zhang Yun¡¯s ¡°cheat¡±. He might successfully rebel and even kill his way to the capital. The obtainable common treasures along the simulation could increase Milano¡¯s strength by a lot.


    By then, Milano would end with a B-grade overall evaluation.


    Should Milano immediately die right at the beginning of the third round, he would retain his B-grade overall evaluation from the second round. Milano¡¯s strength would not weaken.


    In the fourth round, Zhang Yun could also change his general starting path and avoid meeting Milano. With that, Milano might die at some point. Even so, Milano would retain his B-grade overall evaluation¡­


    With those choices, Milano¡¯s growth potential would be fixed until the end of the fifth round. Even if Zhang Yun attempted to start another simulation and remedy it, Milano would not have any room for improvement.


    Zhang Yun¡¯s goal was to continue increasing Milano¡¯s growth limit. This would require priceless heavenly and common treasures from the real world.


    But then¡­


    There was no guarantee Zhang Yun could secure such treasures.


    If he was lucky enough to get one or two items, Zhang Yun would definitely use them himself to enhance his combat power and lessen his death chances.


    It was impossible to give the treasures to Milano, who was a summoned creature, first.


    And this¡­


    This meant¡­


    The five contract opportunities for each hero¡¯s soul were of utmost importance. It was best not to waste them if possible.


    Otherwise, Zhang Yun would not even have the chance to regret it.


    Zhang Yun knew very little about the situation in the Ice Kingdom. He could not ensure that the next four simulations would make Milano stronger and that the latter would gain amazing growth potential.


    If he were to contract Milano rashly, Zhang Yun would only waste the summoning slot of his first Shadow Hero to receive a professional warrior who was not much stronger than himself.


    And so.


    Zhang Yun suppressed the curiosity and desire in his heart.


    He gave up on the contract opportunity.


    The best decision would be to enter the Shadow Contract after figuring out the timeline of the Ice Kingdom and finding a way to increase the power of Milano within the plot.


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s start the second plot simulation!¡±


    [Current Shadow Plane: Ice Kingdom (Highest B+)]


    [Time Node: Year 346 of the Sunset Calendar, the Snow God¡¯s Birthday (Snow God Festival)]


    [Major Event of the Era: The emperor of Ventaginya Kingdom, Ice Emperor Odin, was old and weak. He did not have much time left¡­]


    [Please choose the faction you want to join.]


    [A: Ice Princess ¨C Royal Army]


    [B: Flame Emperor ¨C Imperial Army]


    [C: Other Countries ¨C Random Forces]


    [D: Don¡¯t help anyone ¨C Become King]


    It was the exact same opening.


    It was the same options.


    Zhang Yun didn¡¯t think too much about it and chose Option D. He wanted to experience Milano¡¯s plot first, then consider the remaining three plot lines and find other hero souls that suited his taste.


    But¡­


    Why did Zhang Yun feel something ominous¡­


    [System Notice: Because you have not contracted any hero¡¯s soul, the landing point this time is still random. You cannot choose the contracted hero¡¯s soul as an anchor point for a fixed landing.]


    Zhang Yun was utterly speechless.


    What happened?


    Random?


    Did the timeline change?!


    [Year 344 of the Sunset Calendar, Snow God¡¯s Birthday¡ª2 Years Ago]


    [Ice Emperor Odin of the Ventaginya Kingdom has suddenly fallen ill and is unable to rule. The Hand of the King, Bu Lai, has taken over as Odin¡¯s proxy to supervise the government.]


    [At this time, the entire kingdom is in a state of panic. All the forces are in turmoil because Odin has no male offspring, only a young princess.]


    [Although there have been precedents of a queen succeeding the throne in the kingdom¡¯s history, people are very skeptical about whether the 14-year-old princess has the ability to inherit the throne and suppress the nobles in various places.]


    [A storm is coming. Your shadow has descended on a bandit¡¯s lair at the border of the Ice Kingdom. You have possessed the body of a bandit who had died from excitement and reincarnated.]


    [When you open your eyes, you see a 20-year-old girl kneeling in the cage in front of you. She is shackled. Her clothes are barely covering her body, and her face is brimming with tears. A group of shirtless bandits is attempting to commit something heinous to the girl.]


    [Choose your option.]


    [A: Join the bandits.]


    [B: Kill all the bandits and enjoy the treat alone.]


    [C: Kill all the bandits and save the girl.]


    [D: Kill the girl and enjoy the bandit title by yourself.]


    [Special: Lead your Shadow Legion to personally descend and interfere.]


    Him?


    Was Zhang Yun given a villainous background this time?


    And what was going on with Option D?


    Zhang Yun decisively chose Option C. He wasn¡¯t born a bad person. After seeing a girl getting bullied by a bastard, Zhang Yun decided to save her and finish the mission.


    [After you decided to save the girl, you hid behind the crowd and found the right opportunity to suddenly pull out the axe from your waist and sneakily attack the tallest and mightiest bandit.]


    [The bandits turned their heads when they heard the sound. They were shocked and suspicious. They asked what you were doing.]


    [You remain unmoved and used the power of your shadow, thereby turning the dead bandits into Shadow Soldiers. Then, you ordered the Shadow Soldiers to kill and exterminate the rest of the bandits.]


    [The Shadow Soldiers relied on their newly acquired strength to kill the bandits like hungry wolves amongst a flock of sheep. In just a few moves, they easily annihilated the bandits.]


    [You used the same trick and turned the other corpses into Shadow Soldiers. Then, you walked to the cell where the girl was imprisoned and clearly told her that you wanted to save her. You also planned to return her to her hometown.]


    [The girl was too frightened and didn¡¯t know what to do. She didn¡¯t respond to you.]


    [At this moment, the bandit who was standing guard outside the house noticed that something was wrong. He pushed the door open and saw the bloody scene in the house.]


    [The bandit quickly screamed and fled to spread what you did.]


    [You could only leave two Shadow Soldiers behind and order them to protect the girl. You took the remaining Shadow Soldiers and chase after the bandit. You killed every bandit you meet along the way. The entire bandit¡¯s lair was bathing with their blood¡­]

 Chapter 6

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    The newly obtained enhancement buff for the Shadow Soldiers was excellent. Originally, Shadow Soldiers were just max-leveled individuals who were stronger than ordinary mortals. Without modification, the Shadow Soldiers could only take down two or three bandits simultaneously.


    Since they were rewarded with bonuses, they could greatly increase their combat power even if their level was merely one. With that, Zhang Yun had the upper hand. He could easily take on seven or eight bandits alone.


    Even if the bandits were to cooperate with the Calabash Brothers to save their grandfather, the Shadow Soldiers¡¯ ever-growing combat ability was even more formidable. Only one Shadow Soldier was needed to wipe out the entire lair.


    After all¡­


    The Shadow Soldiers were shadows. They didn¡¯t possess physical restrictions nor did they get fatigued.


    After getting rid of all the enemies in the bandits¡¯ lair, Zhang Yun led a large group of Shadow Soldiers back to the dungeon.


    Zhang Yun unlocked the girl¡¯s chains, opened the wooden cage, and found a new set of clothes for the girl.


    [After asking around, you found out about the girl¡¯s background. Her village was destroyed, and all her family members died. She had nowhere to go.]


    [You didn¡¯t know whether the Silver Wolf Bandits still existed. However, there could a chance that the girl heard about them. So, while testing the wasters, you suggested joining the Silver Wolf Bandits. This group of people had a strong sense of justice. The Silver Wolf Bandits would definitely take care of her.]


    [The girl looked on edge. She seemed to be aware of the Silver Wolf Bandits, but she didn¡¯t trust you. The girl was unwilling to reveal the location of the Silver Wolf Bandits.]


    [Choose your option.]


    [A: Forcefully interrogate the girl with a gun.]


    [B: Take the girl on the road and prove yourself with time.]


    [C: Leave the girl behind and look for the Silver Wolf Bandits.]


    [D: Give up on the search for the Silver Wolf Bandits.]


    This?


    Did this mean that the Silver Wolf Bandits were not exterminated yet?


    Perhaps, Zhang Yun¡¯s appearance in the first simulation led them to their early deaths. If the Silver Wolf Bandits had not rebelled, the corrupted army would not have mobilized a large force to encircle and annihilate them.


    This situation was similar to people¡¯s indifference toward little mice hiding in the shadows. Should the mice reveal themselves and climb into beds, humans would use all means available to exterminate these pests.


    Zhang Yun thought about it and felt apologetic. Thereafter, he chose Option B.


    [You took the girl on a journey to find the Silver Wolf Bandits, all the way to the west.]


    [You continue to eradicate all the bandits you encounter along the way. You then used the money and food you amassed from the bandits to help the old, weak, women, and children you encountered. You and the girl had been following the creed and principles of the Silver Wolf Bandits from the beginning.]


    [However, after several days of investigation, you didn¡¯t receive any information regarding the Silver Wolf Bandits¡¯ whereabouts.]


    [But the girl grew to trust you more and more. A different kind of emotion bloomed within her. She even wanted to become one with you.]


    [Finally, one morning, the girl opened her heart to you and confessed she had always known the location of the Silver Wolf Bandits¡¯ main stronghold because her brother was also a righteous thief who had joined them.]


    [You told the girl that you hoped she could lead you to the Silver Wolf Bandits. You shared your intention of joining the group and saving more people who are gravely suffering on the border.]


    [The girl believed you and agreed to it.]


    [Under the girl¡¯s lead, you quickly found the Silver Wolf Bandits¡¯ stronghold. Unexpectedly, you learned that the current leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits was not Milano but a mysterious long-haired woman.]


    [The mysterious long-haired woman was towering. She had snow-white skin, slender limbs, and long blue-and-white hair. Her eyes are blue like ice, and she has a blue crystal pendant on her ear. For some reason, she was wearing a white devil mask, which made it impossible to see her true appearance.]


    [You have discovered that the long-haired woman is also a hero soul that fulfills the conditions of the Shadow Contract.]


    What?!


    Not only did the timeline change but even Brother Silver Wolf changed his gender?!


    This¡­


    The long-haired woman should be the second-generation leader, right?


    Milano was previously introduced as the first leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits.


    If there was a first generation, then there would definitely be a second, third, and fourth generation.


    [The new leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits was greatly suspicious of your identity. She ordered others to put you under house arrest and take the girl away for questioning. After learning that you had previously joined the criminals who slaughtered her village, she immediately broke into your room with a long spear in hand and stared at you with murderous intent.]


    [You remained calm in the face of danger and explained that you were an ambitious man who went undercover. You wanted to use the power of the unscrupulous bandit to find the Silver Wolf Bandits who intended to rob the rich to help the poor. Your ultimate goal was to join the Silver Wolf Bandits to save more people at the border.]


    [But the current leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits didn¡¯t believe you. She bluntly questioned why you failed to save the entire village of girls from slaughter.]


    Upon reading the words, Zhang Yun was dumbfounded. He realized that the response of his shadow in the simulation would be dependent on his own thoughts if there was no system prompt providing specific options.


    Just like earlier, Zhang Yun could only come up with being an undercover agent. He didn¡¯t even have time to fix it or think about the logical loopholes in his excuse.


    Zhang Yun¡¯s shadow delivered the words so openly. The current leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits noticed that something was amiss.


    What was this?


    This was a scam!


    How should Zhang Yun explain himself?


    [Since you failed to explain, the suspicion of the current leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits grew. She decided to lock you up in the dungeon first and slowly uncover your identity.]


    [But at this moment, the door of the room was pushed open heavily, and a subordinate ran in nervously. The newly-arrived bandit reported that a group of armed knights from the kingdom had barged in.]


    [The current leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits debated whether you were taken advantage of by the kingdom¡¯s lackeys to locate their base camp or your loyalty lay with the army. Perhaps it was you who called the knights over.]


    [You were asked to explain yourself properly. You then offered to prove your innocence by killing the armed knights from the kingdom.]


    [However, the current leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits did not pay attention to you. Instead, she ordered the bandit who reported the news to keep an eye on you. She went to personally deal with the group of kingdom¡¯s lackeys who invaded the base.]


    [Choose an option.]


    [A: Wait obediently.]


    [B: Kindly persuade and ask the subordinate to release you in order to help.]


    [C: Stun the subordinate and break out of the door to help.]


    [D: Stay in another place. Force your way out and take advantage of the chaos to leave.]


    [Special: Personally interfere.]


    Zhang Yun frowned.


    Should he choose Option A?


    It definitely wouldn¡¯t work. Regardless of whether the current leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits won against the army or was defeated by the army, it wouldn¡¯t be able to resolve his dubious identity.


    Option B was not reliable either.


    How could a subordinate who couldn¡¯t make decisions release so easily?


    Then¡­


    Zhang Yun could only choose between Option C and Option D.


    First of all, Zhang Yun had to eliminate Option D. Milano had been nothing but kind to Zhang Yun last week. Zhang Yun didn¡¯t want to give up on Milano¡¯s successor just because of a small misunderstanding.


    Moreover¡­


    The probability of a hero¡¯s soul appearing seemed to be very small.


    If he were to give up on the current leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits, Zhang Yun might not be able to encounter any other hero souls, and this round would be a waste of time.


    After all¡­


    Zhang Yun was incapable of determining his spawn point and timeline without contracting a hero¡¯s soul.


    In the next round, Zhang Yun might not even be able to meet Brother Silver Wolf and Sister Silver Wolf.


    So¡­


    Only Option C was left.


    Stun the subordinate!


    Zhang Yun attacked forcefully. He could only prove he was in the same boat as the Silver Wolf Bandits through his actions.

 Chapter 7

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    The lush forest, the moist soil, the flowing red blood, and the fragrance of flowers in the air blended with the scent of death. The birds that used to love singing had long disappeared.


    The knights of the Ice Kingdom held their swords in one hand and casually leaned against the thick tree trunk. Under their feet were the bodies of the Silver Wolf Bandits, which looked like discarded inextinguishable garbage.


    In front of them was the devil-masked female leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits. She held a white ice spear and wore a wolf fur cloak.


    ¡°Ice spear¡­ Cold iron? Ha! I was wondering why these country bumpkins were so disciplined! So it¡¯s you, Fjolm, the former ¡®Holy Spear of Ice¡¯ of the kingdom. You¡¯re high and mighty. Are you secretly training them?¡±


    When she heard this, Fjolm took off her devil mask. She revealed her stunningly beautiful face. She said indifferently, ¡°Cut the crap. Whether you¡¯re here for me or the Silver Wolf Bandits, don¡¯t even think about returning alive today.¡±


    The leading member of the Royal Army snorted coldly and said, ¡°You¡¯re quite arrogant! We have twelve Level 5 professionals. We almost have all of the classes. It won¡¯t even be a problem for us to fight a legion head-on. You¡¯re only one person despite being a Level 5. But you are seriously injured. How can you even fight us? Don¡¯t tell me you want to rely on those country bumpkins from the border? Those idiots don¡¯t even know any skills!¡±


    Fjolm raised the white ice spear in her hand.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t tried yet. How do you know I can¡¯t beat you all by myself?¡±


    With that, the white ice spear in Fjolm¡¯s hand began to gather the power of ice. It was like a white sun, and the surrounding air became even colder. Even the wet soil on the ground froze.


    However¡­


    Only a second passed.


    The white light of the spear in Fjolm¡¯s hand was instantly extinguished, and the gathered ice elements quickly dissipated. Fjolm couldn¡¯t help but spit out a mouthful of blood. She leaned forward and half-squatted on the ground.


    The opponent burst into laughter.


    ¡°Hahaha! Just this? Really? You haven¡¯t even recovered from your injuries. Where did you get the courage to resist us? My dear Holy Spear of Ice?¡±


    One of the eight-foot-tall knights licked his lips in excitement.


    ¡°I have long heard that our Holy Spear of Ice is graceful, has snow-white skin, and a stunning appearance. You are a beauty. I finally met you today. You lived up to your reputation.¡± The knight then asked, ¡°Captain, do you think we should enjoy her head before we take it to get our reward?¡±


    The leading general revealed a lecherous smile.


    ¡°I think¡­go for it. Do it! Take her down first. Remove her armor and weapons.¡±


    Fjolm shouted angrily, ¡°Bastard! You dare?¡±


    She raised the white spear in her hand again, tried to gather the power of ice, and released her class skill to destroy the Royal Army in front of her.


    This time, Fjolm had succeeded.


    However, the knight with a ¡°Shield Guard¡± class quickly reacted. He released a transparent barrier that covered the entire field in advance. It blocked all the ice power by the tip of Fjolm¡¯s spear. Nobody got injured.


    If she were at her peak, Fjolm could have broken through a barrier of this level quickly and killed the knight inside.


    After all¡­they were both Level 5.


    There were also differences between geniuses and mediocre people.


    However, countless powerhouses of the capital framed Fjolm. She had suffered supremely grave internal injuries and could not exert her full strength.


    The current her¡­was not a match for the Ice Kingdom¡¯s knights who had been serving the predators of the border all year round.


    However, even though she couldn¡¯t defeat her opponent, Fjolm still had a trump card¡ªan ultimate weapon that could protect her pure chaste body from being violated.


    Ultimate magic!


    The Ice Crystal was boundless.


    Fjolm could sacrifice her life and let the ice take over her. She would be able to detonate her crystallized body and obliterate everything around her. Every living matter would be devoured by the bone-piercing ice.


    If it weren¡¯t Fjolm¡¯s destiny to escape this calamity today¡­


    If Fjolm would be humiliated by these scumbags¡­


    Then¡­


    As Fjolm contemplated, a familiar deep voice came from behind her. It was as majestic as the emperor¡¯s voice. It created gusts of wind.


    ¡°Stand up!!!¡±


    In an instant, countless Shadow Soldiers stood up from the ground. It was as though immortal warriors descended from the sky. They charged toward the Ice Kingdom¡¯s army aggressively.


    ¡°What?


    ¡°Who was it?


    The Ice Kingdom¡¯s army fell into a panic.


    ¡°Undead creatures¡­ No! That¡¯s not it! It is a shadow! A rare professional?¡±


    ¡°Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Assemble!¡±


    ¡°Form a defensive formation!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let these black shadow creatures get close!¡±


    Unfortunately, it was too late. Zhang Yun¡¯s shadow summoned a Shadow Legion with a wide range.


    In other words.


    This meant that¡­


    The Shadow Soldiers could also appear out of thin air beneath their feet.


    The priest in the Ice Kingdom¡¯s army raised his staff in a panic. But before he could cast a defense-enhancing skill for himself and his teammates, a Shadow Soldier suddenly appeared beside him and grabbed his wrist.


    Immediately after, three Shadow Soldiers suddenly crawled beside the priest, and each stabbed him with a sword that penetrated his stomach and heart.


    In a group fight, the healer was the first thing to eliminate.


    It was a standard operation.


    This ¡°Priest¡± class with little health and a weak heart didn¡¯t even have time to leave his last words before he lost his life.


    The knight beside him widened his eyes in disbelief.


    ¡°How could this be!? These guys are only Level 1. How did they kill Laco in just three strikes!!¡±


    The Shadow Soldiers did not answer the knight¡¯s question. Instead, they left the dead body of the priest, raised their weapons, and charged at the knight in unison. Their movements were experienced, and each move was fatal.


    The knight hurriedly raised the longsword and used his skill. He dodged left and right as he resisted with all his might.


    Professionals could easily crush ordinary mortals.


    Professionals with skills could also crush professionals without skills.


    But this was in a one-on-one situation.


    If there were several ordinary mortals and skill-less professionals, then the professionals would be overwhelmed by the simple and crude human wave attack regardless of skills.


    The limited physical strength and mana would be a restriction on the ability to continue fighting. It would be difficult.


    Unless the strength of the two sides was a dimension apart.


    Obviously¡­


    The difference between a Level 1 Shadow Soldier and a Level 5 Royal Knight was immaterial.


    The number of shadows far exceeded the quality of the Ice Kingdom¡¯s army.


    And so¡­


    The white-armored knights were like sheep attacked by wolves.


    One after another, they fell to the ground.


    In the end, the shadow stabbed the strongest captain of the Ice Kingdom¡¯s knights several times. The spear in his hand broke, and he collapsed into a pool of blood. Only then did the massacre come to an end.


    Fjolm looked at the Shadow Legion in shock.


    She did not understand where these terrifying soldiers came from.


    And why did the shadow only help her?


    The shadow did not help the army at the border.


    Until¡­


    Zhang Yun appeared in front of Fjolm. He half-kneeled on the ground. Under the faint sunlight that shone through the leaves above his head, half of his body was hazy. And he looked mysterious and tall.


    Zhang Yun bent down slightly and stretched out his right hand. His head passed through the dazzling light. It revealed the handsome face that belonged to his body.


    ¡°Now. Do you believe that I¡¯m your friend this time?¡±

 Chapter 8

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    The effect of the buff on Shadow Soldiers far exceeded Zhang Yun¡¯s expectations.


    Zhang Yun initially thought that the buff only raised the Shadow Soldiers¡¯ bodies to the level of an ordinary Level 1 Professional. He did not expect that the Level 1 Shadow Soldiers were all geniuses.


    Why was Fjolm so confident she could defeat the Royal Army of the same level if she were at her peak?


    It was precisely because Fjolm was a genius!


    How could a Level 1 Shadow Soldier kill a Level 5 Priest with just three strikes?


    The shadows were also geniuses!


    What did that mean then?


    What was a genius?


    Based on his current knowledge, Zhang Yun made the following analysis:


    To be considered a genius, the growth rate of each attribute (Strength, Agility, Spirit, and Physique) must reach C+. In addition, the Attribute Correction Rate must also reach C+ while the Experience Conversion Rate should be higher than D+. The Overall Evaluation should be higher than C+ by then.


    The requirement for the Experience Conversion Rate was low. This aspect affected the leveling speed and would not influence the upper limit of an individual¡¯s growth.


    Even if the person improved slowly, he would be able to rise sooner or later.


    However, the upper limit was fixed. Regardless of efforts and time, the threshold would not be broken through.


    This was the main point that brought despair.


    If all of the categories were above C+ and above B-, the person evaluated would be considered a genius among geniuses. In the small city where Zhang Yun lived, only one or two people would be born with such talent every few years.


    Ordinary professionals were basically at the level of D to D+. The more powerful ones were at most at C or C-.


    For Zhang Yun, almost all of his grades were D-, and the overall evaluation representing his growth potential was also D-, but this was just an exception.


    It was even rarer than an ¡®S¡¯ grade.


    Zhang Yun had never been to the underground city, nor had he fought with other professionals, so he could not accurately judge the current states of the Shadow Soldiers and the Royal Army.


    But Zhang Yun could roughly guess.


    The Royal Army should have an average ¡®D¡¯ grade.


    On the other hand, the Shadow Soldiers had reached the average ¡®C¡¯ grade.


    When it came to the difference between a ¡®D¡¯ grade and a ¡®C¡¯ grade, the physical attributes of the two could be several times¡ªor even dozens of times¡ªdifferent.


    In a head-on battle, even if the former¡¯s level was higher, the latter could easily crush him.


    Taking a step back, even if the difference between a ¡®D+¡¯ and a ¡®D¡¯ was the sign, this was enough to be fatal.


    In the case of the same level and the same profession, the two would have at least two to three times the difference in attributes. The higher the level, the greater the difference.


    The reason why Zhang Yun had the idea of lying flat on the ground was because¡­


    Well, it was because Zhang Yun had reawakened four times in a row, and all of the results had a D- Overall Evaluation, with no potential for growth at all.


    Even if his Attribute Growth Rate was at D-, Zhang Yun¡¯s Experience Conversion Rate and Attribute Conversion Rate were also at D-.


    As long as the Overall Evaluation reached D+ or even C-, it could allow the other ratings to ¡°naturally¡± leap to the level of D+ and above¡ªbarely catching up with natural D+ professionals¡ªand not lose too many attributes.


    Zhang Yun had the confidence to live a life of his own.


    However¡­


    All of this was no longer important.


    This was because he now had an invincible shadow!


    ******


    [After saving her, Fjolm¡¯s attitude toward you had improved, and she accepted your ¡®cooperation¡¯ request. However, due to your unknown identity and your extremely terrifying power, her trust in you was not fully established.]


    [You didn¡¯t care about that. You only did your best to help the Silver Wolf Bandits, take care of your companions¡¯ corpses, and discuss the next plan with Fjolm.]


    [The appearance of the Royal Army denoted the compromise of the Silver Wolf Bandits¡¯ stronghold. All of the members must immediately move to avoid being besieged by the Royal Army.]


    [At this point, you also figured out the whereabouts of the first Silver Wolf, Milano, and the past of Fjolm.]


    [The first leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits, Milano, had been leading the Silver Wolf Bandits to run around and provide relief to the people at the border. However, last year, he contracted a strange incurable disease and did not have long to live.]


    [Simultaneously, the Ice Emperor was seriously ill. The Hand of the King, Bu Lai, was in charge of the government. He secretly planned to abolish the right as an heir of the 14-year-old princess to the throne, which was personally announced by the Ice Emperor.]


    [Several head knights, including Fjolm, opposed the decision of the Hand of the King. They wanted to inform the Ice Emperor. However, Bu Lai took the initiative and convicted them of false charges. The head knights were to be beheaded.]


    [Out of desperation, Fjolm and several head knights fled the capital in different directions. On the way, Commander Fjolm was swarmed by a large number of knights. Although she managed to escape, Fjolm was seriously injured.]


    [Fortunately, Fjolm met the Silver Wolf Bandits and was saved by the leader, Milano¡­ After the incident, Fjolm planned to look for the other head knights of the kingdom, but she got the news that they had all failed to escape and were killed by the trusted subordinates of Bu Lai, the Hand of the King.]


    [In the end, Fjolm, who had nowhere to go, chose to stay with the Silver Wolf Bandits and help Milano train these brothers. She was entrusted by the dying Milano and inherited the name of the new generation of Silver Wolves.]


    [As the Knight Commander from the capital, Fjolm was quite contemptuous of the actions of the Royal Army at the border, so she led the Silver Wolf Bandits to attack the Royal Army¡¯s strongholds continuously. In the end, Fjolm was targeted by the other party¡­]


    Zhang Yun understood it now.


    He wondered why Fjolm dared to face the expert professionals of the Royal Army alone!


    As it turned out, Fjolm was the Knight Commander of the Ice Kingdom!


    That was fine!


    Wait¡­since Fjolm was a big shot as the Ice Kingdom¡¯s Knight Commander, then her actual combat power must be incredibly great, right?


    If Zhang Yun contracted Fjolm as a Shadow Hero, will he be able to receive an extremely powerful, beautiful, and magnificentfighter?]


    F*ck!


    Big Brother Silver Wolf!


    Zhang Yun felt apologetic toward Milano!


    While he was thinking, new words appeared in front of Zhang Yun.


    [After the discussion, you chose to evacuate the stronghold overnight and go to another hidden one. In order to ensure that the incident of ¡®being followed¡¯ would not happen again, you intentionally left a portion of Shadow Soldiers behind to deliberately create traces of retreat in the wrong direction and secretly observe the enemy¡¯s movements.]


    [Five days later, the main force of the border Royal Army arrived at the abandoned stronghold of the Silver Wolves Bandit. They followed the fake traces left by your Shadow Soldiers and did not notice the real direction of your retreat.]


    [A month later, your new stronghold was about to be completed. It would be easy to defend but difficult to attack. However, in consideration of the threat of the Royal Army at the border, Fjolm would not lead you out to ¡®work¡¯ and save the other troubled border residents. Instead, Fjolm decided to train everyone while recuperating from her injuries and waiting for an opportunity.]


    [Two months later, there was still no chance. The Royal Army at the border did not give up on the idea of annihilating the Silver Wolf Bandits. Fjolm continued to remain calm and bide her time.]


    [Fortunately, the injuries in Fjolm¡¯s body were gradually recovering. It wouldn¡¯t be long before she can recover more than half of her peak strength.]


    Tsk!


    As expected of the Knight Commander of the Ice Kingdom.


    Fjolm was much more rational.


    If it was the impulsive Big Brother Silver Wolf Milano who was in command, he would definitely not be able to tolerate his benefactors not having enough to eat. Milano would endure it for three days at most, and then, he would lead the troops to attack the main force of the Royal Army at the border while cursing.


    In the end, not only would the Silver Wolf Bandits not be able to save those miserable people at the border, but all the members of the group, including Milano, would also be sacrificed.


    In the future, no one would be able to save those people living on the border.


    Zhang Yun was not a pedantic person.


    If faced with a crucial choice, Zhang Yun could make a firm decision and choose the best course of action.


    Zhang Yun would not remain indecisive. If he did, he would be left with nothing.


    It would be a huge loss!


    Therefore¡­


    Zhang Yun didn¡¯t dislike Fjolm¡¯s strategy.


    Fjolm deserved to be the leader.


    Zhang Yun would also arrive at the same decision after careful consideration. He would protect his brothers and subordinates who had been with him all this time. He could only give up on the people at the border so as to save more people in the future.

 Chapter 9

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    For six months, the Silver Wolf Bandits had not left their base even once, and they had not helped a single person living at the border.


    Zhang Yun¡¯s immersion in the memory ceased after he summoned the Shadow Soldiers to save Fjolm. All that was left was to eat, sleep, train, and watch Fjolm¡¯s enormous white spear.


    Zhang Yun was on a cycle.


    Every day was the same


    Zhang Yun simply went through the repeating motions.


    On the other hand, the bandits didn¡¯t think much of it.


    In the first place, these bandits were not interested in helping the people at the border. It was Milano who was more concerned with repaying kindness. But since Milano¡¯s comrades wanted to repay his goodwill, they chose to follow him and lick blood on the tip of his blade.


    This time, the bandits didn¡¯t have to risk their lives for strangers.


    On the contrary, such a situation was easier.


    However, Fjolm had been staying in the stronghold all this time, not because she wanted to hide, but because she was waiting for her strength to recover and to accumulate power for the Silver Wolf Bandits.


    Six months of training!


    Although Fjolm did not train these young bandits into battle-hardened veterans, they still gained a lot of skills and could fight head-on with the ordinary knights on the border.


    This included Zhang Yun and Milano¡¯s uprising forces from the first round of simulation.


    Putting aside Zhang Yun¡¯s cheat, the Royal Army at the border was no match for the current members of the Silver Wolf Bandits.


    Furthermore¡­


    The difference between the two was immense.


    Although it seemed like she didn¡¯t do anything, Fjolm had already covered all the bases.


    For the past six months, the Silver Wolf Bandits evaded the search of the Royal Army by staying hidden in their base without relocating.


    Where did their food come from then?


    It was obvious that someone was delivering food to them.


    Since food could be delivered to them, it meant that they could also provide food to the starving people at the border.


    Yes!


    That was right.


    Fjolm had never given up on the border¡¯s citizens.


    She was doing her best to fulfill Milano¡¯s last wish, which was to help the miserable people at the border and to assist them in surviving the winter as much as possible until Fjolm eradicated the scum of the kingdom at the border.


    Fjolm was patient. She knew how to give and take. She had a long-term vision, a detailed plan, and good intentions.


    As expected of the Head Commander of the Ice Kingdom!


    Zhang Yun greatly admired Fjolm.


    [After several months of recuperation, Fjolm had recovered 90% of her strength. Given the long period of contact, she also began to trust you more.]


    [She had invited you to discuss her next battle plan all night.]


    [She proposed to use her rare ¡°Winter Knight¡± class to launch a surprise attack on the strongholds of the Royal Army at the border and kill the head knights inside. With that, you can extract the other party¡¯s shadow and mass-produce Shadow Soldiers.]


    [As for the remaining low-ranking knights, Fjolm had her own way of identifying who was useful and who could be persuaded to either join your cause or refrain from becoming enemies with the Silver Wolf Bandits.]


    [In this way, the Silver Wolf Bandits would not only have a large number of ordinary fighters and Shadow Soldiers, but they would also gain a lot of professionals from the kingdom to help them. In the end, the Silver Wolf Bandits could build a regular army that could compete with the Royal Army at the border.]


    [Although you were clueless about Fjolm¡¯s method of persuasion, you were convinced of her ability because of your time together in the past six months. You agreed to her plan.]


    [The next day, you set off for the sizeable enemy¡¯s stronghold nearest to the Silver Wolf Bandits¡¯ base. The acquisition of the Royal Army¡¯s uniform guaranteed the success of infiltration.]


    [Thereafter, you met the nobles of the kingdom who had long since defected. Fjolm brought you to the hidden basement of the stronghold and introduced the other knights of the empire who rebelled.]


    [The Ice Emperor was a wise and powerful man. He created countless new policies that benefited the kingdom. He allowed the families of these people to live and work in peace and contentment. Therefore, they were extremely loyal to the Ice Emperor. They had long been disgusted by the despicable acts of the knights at the border. However, they did not have a suitable leader and did not dare to take up arms.]


    [It wasn¡¯t until the appearance of Commander Fjolm that they saw a light of hope.]


    [With the help of those who defected, you and Fjolm successfully entered the command post of the opponent. The two of you met the garrison officer who was feasting on fish and meat. The officer was the cousin of the commander of the Royal Army at the border.]


    [Without a word, Fjolm summoned the ice spear and cold iron, which instantly killed the trusted aide of the ¡°local tyrant¡±. She then subdued the other knights who did not understand the situation.]


    [In the next moment, Fjolm walked out of the tent with the deputy garrison officer, who was second in rank. Fjolm revealed her identity as the Ice Kingdom Head Commander in front of all the knights at the border.]


    [With Fjolm¡¯s stunning appearance, powerful strength, excellent eloquence and the temptation of certain benefits, most of the knights changed sides on the spot and chose to join her.]


    [The remaining knights who were unwilling to rebel or resist were released by Fjolm. They were allowed to escape or report the news to the Royal Army at the border.]


    [Fjolm was ready for an all-out war.]


    [As for those who choose to resist¡­Fjolm left them to you. They were to be executed on the spot and transformed into your shadows.]


    [Fjolm was strong-willed, so she wouldn¡¯t show any mercy when facing an enemy.]


    What an amazing person!


    ¡®Big Sister, you haven¡¯t been idle for the past six months, have you?¡¯


    Not only did she secretly save a lot of people at the border, but Fjolm also incited the core officers of the border¡¯s Royal Army to rebel. She even won the support of a large number of knights with a stirring speech!


    Awesome¡­


    Zhang Yun really wanted to marry her¡­


    [The leaders of the border¡¯s Royal Army were taken aback when they learned of the appearance of the ¡®Holy Spear of Ice¡¯. They quickly dispatched their main force to track down the whereabouts of Fjolm with the intention to execute her and receive a reward for it.]


    [But Fjolm had already planted mines at various strongholds at the border.]


    [When Fjolm appeared and revolted in the name of saving the Ice Emperor, countless soldiers of the kingdom responded. This sparked a rebellion as the rumors spread. A union with the lower-level knights was established, and the greedy officers at the border were executed.]


    [Just like that, the war began. You and Fjolm led the Silver Wolf Bandits all the way and continued to take over the territory of the Royal Army at the border.]


    [Although the Royal Army at the border had plenty of reinforcements, they couldn¡¯t compare to the speed at which you transform the Shadow Soldiers. All the enemies, who had seen how powerful you were, called you the ¡®Shadow Demon¡¯ and consider you the death god sent by the heavens to punish the evil.]


    [As a result, your army became increasingly stronger as the battle progressed. The Royal Army at the borders was defeated again and again, and countless people joined your uprising forces.]


    [However, just as you were about to help Fjolm win the war, a mysterious mage suddenly appeared and teleported to your conference hall.]


    [With just one move, the mysterious mage killed you and Fjolm. You fell to the ground and died without being able to resist.]


    [¡­]


    At the end of the simulation, a myriad of memories rushed into Zhang Yun¡¯s mind and incorporated the situation at that time.


    The last scene Zhang Yun saw was a mage in a purple-hooded cloak with black mist floating around him. The mage held a hexagram magic book in his hand, and his appearance was perfectly hidden.


    The mage slowly approached Zhang Yun.


    Zhang Yun was utterly speechless.


    F*ck?


    There was even an assassination?!


    No, Zhang Yun and Fjolm were about to defeat the Royal Army at the border and experience the major event of the era!


    The enemy suddenly sent a mage assassin who overpowered Zhang Yun. How could the mage teleport to the base and assassinate him?


    Who could withstand this?

 Chapter 10

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Although he was speechless about his sudden death, Zhang Yun did not think too much about it.


    Because Zhang Yun realized something.


    It had been more than an hour since Zhang Yun woke up at 5:50 to check the system notifications. The second round of text simulation had ended.


    If he continued to dawdle in his dormitory and lie around while thinking about the mysterious mage who killed him in the plot, Zhang Yun would definitely not be able to make it to the train that was booked this morning.


    And so.


    Zhang Yun quickly got out of bed and washed up. He took his packed luggage and swiftly walked out of the school dormitory building. He went to the old street next to the school to buy fresh local specialties for his two sisters.


    Thereafter, Zhang Yun rode a taxi to the train station.


    Only then did he have the time to look at the simulation results.


    ******


    [Experience Summary]


    [You descended on the border of the kingdom in order to save the people who were suffering there, as well as find the leader of the Silver Wolf Bandits from your previous simulation. You joined the new Silver Wolf Bandits led by the Ice Kingdom¡¯s Head Commander. With the various means of Fjolm, you successfully launched an uprising and almost defeated the Royal Army at the border to free the victims. But just as it was about to end, a mysterious mage suddenly appeared. All your efforts had gone to waste.]


    ******


    [Contact with Hero Soul]


    [Name: Fjolm (Holy Spear of Ice; Silver Wolf)]


    [Level: Level 1 (C-level Experience Conversion Rate)]


    [Class: Winter Knight (Mage Knight ¨C Ice Element)]


    [Attributes: Strength (C+), Constitution (C), Spirit (C+), Agility (C+)]


    [Skills: Ice Guard, Freezing Spear]


    [Specialty: Ice Spear and Cold Iron (An exclusive first-rate weapon condensed from the power of ice. It can only be used by Fjolm.)]


    [Overall Evaluation: B]


    [Description: She was a former knight of the Ice Kingdom, known as the Holy Spear of Ice. Fjolm was persecuted by the Hand of the King. She had no choice but to join the Silver Wolf Bandits and inherit Milano¡¯s position. Fjolm wanted to start from the border and lead the rebel army to attack the capital. She wanted to expose the Hand of the King¡¯s ambition to take the throne and save the wise Ice Emperor and the princess.]


    [Remaining Contracts: 5]


    ******


    Zhang Yun was astounded.


    Fjolm was a rare professional with an almost C+ Attribute Growth Rate and a B-grade Overall Evaluation!


    Unbelievable!


    Wasn¡¯t this a panel of an immortal?


    Nevertheless, such a result could not be compared to those true geniuses whose attribute growth rate was directly above B-grade.


    Even so, among Zhang Yun¡¯s peers, Fjolm would be considered the pride of the heavens. She was at the level where she could beat all living beings!


    Even the head of the Professional Alliance, who was in charge of the entire city and had the highest status, would want to come and see Fjolm in person to commend her excellent talent and continue to pay attention to her!


    Could Fjolm still be considered a human?


    Zhang Yun could only apologize to Milano. Although he really wanted to form a contract with him, Zhang Yun had been deeply moved by someone else. He couldn¡¯t help it!


    Zhang Yun was set on forming a contract with Fjolm in the succeeding simulation.


    This was true!


    Zhang Yun promised himself!


    However, just as he was about to sign the Shadow Contract, Zhang Yun suddenly hesitated.


    If the affinity between Zhang Yun and Fjolm was not high enough, one of the five contract opportunities would be wasted.


    If he wanted to continue to increase the growth potential of Fjolm, Zhang Yun would have one less chance for no reason.


    This was undoubtedly a huge loss.


    But perhaps?


    Just this one time?


    Could the contract raise Fjolm¡¯s strength to the highest level?


    However, on second thought, if Zhang Yun refrained from forming the contract this time, then the third simulation might give him a strange starting point. He might not even encounter a single hero soul with a C-grade aptitude.


    Moreover¡­


    The upper limit of a contract in the Ice Kingdom plane was a B+ grade.


    This meant that the strongest heroes that Zhang Yun could contract from this plane could only be professionals with B+. It was impossible for there to be professionals with A- or above.


    It was like dabbling in the card pool.


    Zhang Yun could only draw an old character who was about to be laid off.


    It was as if he couldn¡¯t draw the almost invincible new character in the limited card pool.


    It was true that most of Fjolm¡¯s Attribute Growth Rate was only at C+ for the time being, and there was a huge gap between C+ and B+. It was like pitting a rifle against Gundam.


    However, Fjolm¡¯s Overall Evaluation was B, which could push her Attribute Growth Rate infinitely close to that of a natural B-grade professional. She was only one step away from the most powerful grade, B+.


    It was almost equivalent to fishing out the second-best thing from the pool.


    Zhang Yun was not sure if he could still have such exceptional luck.


    Could he find a hero stronger than Fjolm?


    Would he be able to raise someone to a B-grade professional?


    Judging from the number of hero souls that Zhang Yun could contract in the two simulations¡­


    The probability of this happening seemed little.


    Zhang Yun simply couldn¡¯t afford to gamble.


    So, to be on the safe side, it was better to form a contract with Fjolm first and make up for it.


    In the future, Zhang Yun would pursue all the B+ grand prizes.


    It didn¡¯t matter if Zhang Yun didn¡¯t get it this time.


    Zhang Yun would just treat it as fate.


    Who didn¡¯t encounter risk when gambling?


    Right?


    Hence, Zhang Yun took a deep breath and suppressed the tension in his heart.


    Then, he took out a white BlueTooth headset and connected it to his phone. Zhang Yun put it on his ear and played the ¡°Good Luck¡± song.


    ¡°Establish the Shadow Contract!¡±


    [System Notice: You initiated the Shadow Contract Ceremony with Fjolm. You had enough favorability points! The Shadow Contract was successful! Fjolm would listen to your call and descend into your world! You had acquired a completely loyal Shadow Hero!]


    Was it¡­finished?


    Wonderful!


    Zhang Yun was off to a great start.


    The forced marriage was a success!


    ¡®Sister Fjolm, come and pamper me!¡¯


    [Do you want to summon Shadow Hero ¡°Fjolm¡± immediately?]


    [Yes/No]


    No!


    No! No! No!


    What a joke! Zhang Yun was still inside the taxi. If a shadow creature appeared, wouldn¡¯t this give the driver a heart attack?


    There might even be multiple car accidents!


    Hehehe!


    Zhang Yun would admire the long-legged wife he had drawn and wait until he got home to slowly understand and study her.


    There was no need to be in such a hurry.


    Now¡­


    Zhang Yun would look at the other simulation rewards first.


    ******


    [SIMULATION REWARD (1)]


    [Random Skill Book]


    [Name: Clarity]


    [Quality: 1-star Bronze]


    [Level: Level 1 (The highest attainable level is Level 5)]


    [Learning Requirements: Limited to ¡°Priest¡± class.]


    [Skill Effect: After casting a spell for a short time, the designated target will recover a small amount of mana. No magic consumption. Long cooldown.]


    [Description: Out of mana? Don¡¯t panic! I¡¯m coming!]


    ******


    [SIMULATION REWARD (2)]


    [Random buff of the shadow plane ¨C Only limited to the Ice Kingdom]


    [Shadow Soldier Enhancement (LV1-LV2): Increases the combat power of all Shadow Soldiers in the shadow plane, making their physical strength comparable to that of a Level 2 Professional.]


    ******


    Eh?


    These two rewards?


    It felt great!


    The former was a special skill that could recover mana without any cost.


    Its value was even better than the ¡®Healing Ring¡¯, which was a piece of exclusive equipment that improved the healing effects of priests.


    In addition, the overall drop rate of skill books was far lower than equipment.


    It was already considered a little precious.


    The latter was the shadow plane¡¯s buff that had already appeared once.


    It had fused with the previous buff from the shadow plane. The buff increased the physical strength of the Shadow Soldiers from Level 1 to Level 2. Moreover, it was an increase in the level of a genius professional. It would certainly make a huge impact.


    The current Shadow Soldiers were only slightly weaker than a group of Level 5 Ice Kingdom Knights.


    Even if the professional skills were not factored in, there was a chance of winning in a one-on-one fight.


    However¡­


    In the face of the mysterious mage who delivered the last blow at the end of the second simulation¡­


    This shadow plane¡¯s buff really wasn¡¯t enough.


    Even if he leveled up three more times and turned all the Shadow Soldiers into Level 5 Professionals, Zhang Yun would not be able to stop the formidable assassin who teleported directly to Zhang Yun¡¯s face and killed him with a shadow orb¡­

 Chapter 11

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Sitting on the train going home, Zhang Yun supported his chin with his right hand and leaned against the transparent window. He pretended to observe the trees that were moving past him while he quietly opened his panel.


    [Name: Zhang Yun]


    [Level: Level 1 (D-level Experience Conversion Rate)]


    [Class: Priest (a holy profession who saves the dying and heals the wounded)]


    [Attributes: Strength (D-), Constitution (D-), Spirit (D+), Agility (D-)]


    [Skills: Elementary Healing (Class Advancement), Clarity (Skill Book Learned)]


    [Weapon: None]


    [Equipment: Healing Ring (1-star Bronze)]


    [Overall Evaluation: D-]


    [Description: Unfortunate]


    Hmm¡­


    It was really unfortunate.


    There probably wasn¡¯t another priest in the world who was as weak as Zhang Yun.


    But it didn¡¯t matter.


    Not only did he have an invincible shadow, but Zhang Yun also acquired a young female professional who was a genius. In the future, Zhang Yun would have even more Shadow Heroes!


    Kekeke!


    Zhang Yun could earn a lot of money in the future!


    He could also become a priest whom everyone loved!


    As he thought about it, Zhang Yun felt his eyelids getting heavier by the second. It seemed that he had not slept well because he had been woken up by the system notice in the morning.


    But¡­


    Zhang Yun remembered waking up only 10 minutes earlier.


    Why was he so sleepy?


    The speed of the train was lightning-fast. Zhang Yun only slept on his seat for three hours before he reached his destination, Little Lantern Grass City. It was the city where Zhang Yun¡¯s aunt lived.


    Zhang Yun carried the heavy suitcase and followed the passengers on the train. He quickly alighted and left the station.


    Zhang Yun didn¡¯t want to delay his aunt¡¯s work and wanted to give her a surprise, so he didn¡¯t inform her in advance. As a result, no one came to the station to pick Zhang Yun up.


    Zhang Yun could only walk alone in the noisy square.


    However¡­


    Just as Zhang Yun was about to use his phone to call for a taxi¡­


    The crowd screamed in fear out of nowhere. In the next moment, everyone lunged for the train station in a frenzy. Only Zhang Yun was left standing in the same spot. He was going against the flow of people and looking at the red teleportation gate that had suddenly appeared in the center of the square.


    The gate resembled a spinning jade in the sky as it emitted a deep red demonic light. The center was deep and bottomless, with a strange countdown of 9 minutes and 43 seconds floating in the air.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°A Level-3 Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon?¡±


    Were people only given 10 minutes to complete the raid?


    The so-called Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon, also known as the Real World Invasion Dungeon, was similar to the weakened version of the dungeons in games. The overall process of clearing it was very short, and there was only one creature deemed as the ¡®BOSS¡¯. After the first round was cleared, equipment and item rewards would be dropped.


    They would randomly appear anywhere in the human world accompanied by a countdown timer.


    During the countdown, the Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon would not pose any threat. However, if the countdown ended without a professional entering and clearing it, the Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon would turn into a portal where monsters could invade.


    By then, the enhanced dungeon monsters inside would reproduce in even more numbers. They could create a small-scale dark wave, invade the real world, and attack every human they met.


    So¡­


    Whenever a Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon appeared, professionals didn¡¯t need to undergo any registration process.


    As long as the professionals met the admission requirements, they could enter the dungeon unconditionally and participate in clearing it.


    The final spoils of war would all belong to the challenger, and the successful contender did not need to hand the rewards over to anyone or any organization.


    And this¡­


    It was the main way for ordinary professionals to improve their power.


    It was also one of their sources of income.


    In Zhang Yun¡¯s current situation, the level requirement was ridiculously low.


    There were no suitable professionals nearby to enter it. The Professional Alliance would have to send qualified professionals here as soon as they received the news.


    The Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon had to be cleared.


    Otherwise, the Professional Alliance needed to seal off the entire area and wait for the monster invasion. In that case, they would deploy high-level professionals to surround and kill the monsters quickly.


    Zhang Yun contemplated.


    A huge black shadow suddenly appeared on the fine stone path in front of Zhang Yun.


    It was as if a brown bear was standing behind Zhang Yun.


    Zhang Yun quickly turned around and saw an exceptionally strong man who was more than two meters tall. The man possessed a flawless body and seemed to be as strong as an ox.


    The strong man patted Zhang Yun¡¯s shoulder.


    Zhang Yun felt as if he was struck by lightning.


    Alright¡­


    So fierce¡­


    ¡°Classmate, please leave this place. That monster dungeon will likely contain a lot of monsters. There might be a tide of them later. It is very dangerous.¡±


    As he spoke, the incredibly muscled man summoned a sleek black armor, a black horn helmet that completely veiled his mediocre appearance, and a black massive sword that was taller than him.


    The man walked straight into the red portal of the Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon.


    He was swallowed by the red light!


    It seemed that the strong man wanted to single-handedly clear the dungeon.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ A Level 3 Professional, a full set of class-specific equipment, and a massive sword weapon of extraordinary quality. That man is obviously a high-level player with full determination and money. He should be able to easily clear the dungeon and prevent a wave of monsters.¡±


    Zhang Yun wondered whether he should still take the risk.


    After contemplating for a moment, Zhang Yun concluded that he was a priest who could heal and recover mana. He also had the protection of the C+ grade Fjolm. There was basically no chance of Zhang Yun failing when dealing with a Level 3 Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon.

 Chapter 12

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Zhang Yun could take a stroll inside the dungeon.


    He might gain something!


    Zhang Yun wanted to see if he could defeat the ¡®BOSS¡¯ faster than the man with a giant sword and obtain the reward for clearing the dungeon. He could also dig up some valuable herbs and ores in the middle of the dungeon.


    If Zhang Yun couldn¡¯t win, then he would just use the life-saving item handed by the school to retreat quickly.


    In any case, Zhang Yun was a Level 1 Novice Priest who had just changed his class yesterday afternoon.


    Zhang Yun didn¡¯t feel ashamed.


    Hence, Zhang Yun threw his suitcase into the flower bed next to him and ran to the red portal. Like a national hurdler, he jumped in with a whoosh.


    [System Notice: You have entered the Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon!]


    [System Notice: The ¡®Return Bone Fragment¡¯ was detected within your possessions. You could use the fragment to return to reality immediately, but you would lose all the items you obtained here!]


    [WARNING: This Invasion Event would connect to the real world in 9 minutes and 2 seconds. By then, all the monsters inside would receive attribute enhancement and replicate. Please be careful!]


    ¡°Hah! I¡¯ll be able to see my first shadow wife soon! I¡¯m so nervous!¡±


    Zhang Yun raised his right hand and drew a strange symbol in the air according to the system¡¯s skill prompt. A strange black mist gathered behind him and gradually turned into a black iron door that was slowly opening.


    [System Notice: You are about to summon Shadow Hero ¡®Fjolm¡¯!]


    [System Notice: You have obtained the detailed panel information of Fjolm!]


    ******


    [Name: Fjolm]


    [Holy Spear of Ice (Unlocked): Increases the power of all ice element skills by 10%. If you cooperate with other professionals with similar titles in battle, the power of your ice element skills will be increased by an additional 10% for every other ¡®Ice XXX¡¯.]


    [Silver Wolf (Locked) (Level 5 Required): Increases movement speed by 5%. If you cooperate with a professional with the same title in battle, an additional 5% movement speed will be increased for every other ¡®Silver Wolf¡¯. ]


    [Level: Level 1 (C-level Experience Conversion Rate)]


    [Class: Winter Knight (Mage Knight with Ice Element) ]


    [Attributes: Strength (C+), Constitution (C), Spirit (C+), Agility (C+)]


    [Overall Evaluation: B-grade]


    [Weapon: Ice Spear and Cold Iron (Level 1 Specialized) (1-star Bronze) ¨C Improvement is possible. The highest forging level will be the same as the user¡¯s level.]


    [Equipment: Royal Knight Equipment (Level 1) (Full Defense Set) (1-star Bronze) ¨C It is unable to improve. The highest forging is Level 5.]


    [Winter Has Arrived (Synchronized with the level of specialized martial arts): (Active Skill) It rapidly lowers the temperature of a large area around you. It will continuously freeze every enemy in the affected area and cause high ice element damage until the effect of the skill ends.]


    [Ice Guard (LV1): Summon an ice shield to protect a target. After blocking a large amount of damage, the shield will shatter and explode, causing an AoE ice elemental damage and slowing down enemies who are hit by the ice elemental damage. (You may deliberately shatter the shield to cause an explosion.)]


    [Freezing Spear (LV1): The tip of the spear is covered with the power of ice. It will cause a series of ice elemental damage to the enemy and freeze them for two seconds. Thereafter, the subsequent explosion will cause AoE ice elemental damage and slow down all enemies who are hit by the second series of damage. (You can dispel the freezing effect in advance and cause the second series of AoE damage.)]


    [Description: A female knight from the Ice Kingdom. She is willing to offer her soul and body to the Great Shadow Lord and become a Shadow Hero.]


    ******


    ¡°Lord Monarch, the Knight Captain of the Ice Kingdom, Fjolm, reporting for duty!¡±


    After hearing her words, Zhang Yun turned around and watched the towering female knight walk out of the black gate.


    Fjolm¡¯s appearance was exactly the same as in his memory.


    She had long blue and white hair, blue eyes like the ocean, and a blue crystal pendant on her ear. Her skin was fair and smooth. She resembled Snow White and looked as though she just walked out of a fairy tale.


    But¡­


    There was a slight difference.


    The snowy-velvet coat made of white wolf fur and the gray leather armor inside for self-defense had all disappeared.


    In their place were a tight-fitting, sexy blue short skirt and chain mail, a white hooded cloak that could cover her hair and forehead, and a pair of snow-covered furry short boots that exposed her long white legs¡­


    Eh?


    Was this a knight¡¯s suit?


    Wasn¡¯t being covered in more armor better?


    If knights exposed their two porcelain legs and were stabbed by a knife, wouldn¡¯t they lose a lot of health?


    Fjolm should at least wear white silk stockings!


    Zhang Yun could not help but cough.


    However, the combination did look good.


    In particular, the special ice spear in Fjolm¡¯s hand was white and long.


    Zhang Yun really wanted to touch it and pinch it¡­


    Stop!


    Stop!


    The abominable creatures inside the dungeon were still threatening the safety of the innocent citizens!


    Zhang Yun should promote justice!


    He must immediately destroy these evil creatures!


    How could Zhang Yun daydream at such a critical moment?


    While Zhang Yun was thinking, the gnolls wandering in the Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon had already noticed him and Fjolm. The gnolls raised their weapons and cursed in a language that no one could understand. Then, they took the initiative to rush forward.


    Seeing this, Fjolm stood in front of Zhang Yun and hit the head of the charging gnolls with a freezing spear.


    ¡®Zila!¡¯


    With a muffled sound of glass being frozen, the body of one of the gnolls hit by the ice spear quickly crystallized and turned into a strange-shaped ice sculpture. After a short delay, the ice on the affected gnoll¡¯s body exploded like a time bomb and spilled over to the other charging gnolls.


    The rest of the gnolls simultaneously received damage from the ice element and were given a speed-reduction effect that lasted for a few seconds. They became extremely slow, like a turtle in a race.


    Seeing this, Zhang Yun instantly understood Fjolm¡¯s battle strategy.


    When the enemies rushed over, they were all gathered together. As long as Fjolm dispelled the freezing effect of the freezing spear skill in advance, the second series of explosion damage could hit all the enemies.


    In contrast, if Fjolm rushed to freeze the nearby gnolls for 2 seconds, she would be able to kill them. However, by the time the ice created by the ¡®Freezing Spear¡¯ exploded, the other gnolls would have long distanced themselves from the unlucky gnolls who were crystallized and rushed to Zhang Yun¡¯s and Fjolm¡¯s faces.


    The resulting minimal AoE explosion from not dispelling the freezing effect wouldn¡¯t hit the rest of the gnolls at all. By then, not only would Fjolm fail to damage the gnolls, but she would also be unable to slow down the group of enemies.


    Zhang Yun could not help but exclaim, ¡°Tsk! Awesome!¡±


    ¡°This level of perception, coupled with her strength¡­ Isn¡¯t it just a casual kill in this Level 3 Time-Limited Dungeon?¡±


    Upon hearing Zhang Yun, Fjolm suddenly turned her head and said quickly, ¡°Lord Monarch, please leave this place as soon as possible. I haven¡¯t been here for long. My power hasn¡¯t recovered yet, and I do not recall how to fight properly. Soon, I will lose control over these monsters.¡±


    Fjolm continued, ¡°Lord Monarch, if these monsters get close to you, it will be difficult to handle. They might hurt you. But if Lord Monarch wants to test my strength¡­ Please return after I have completely eliminated the threat and these dangerous, strange demi-human creatures in this place.¡±


    Zhang Yun¡¯s expression was like [o_O???].


    Eh?


    What the hell?


    Were all Shadow Heroes intelligent individuals with self-awareness and past memories?


    The Shadow Heroes were not puppets devoid of thoughts?!


    F*ck!


    Was Fjolm actually alive?


    A living Big Sister Silver Wolf?


    That couldn¡¯t be the case, right?


    Zhang Yun¡¯s shadow wife had become a three-dimensional woman?!


    Ah, what was this?


    It wasn¡¯t that the three-dimensional female knight with fair skin and long legs wasn¡¯t good.


    If Zhang Yun was merely facing a shadow puppet that had no self-consciousness, he could command the other party as he pleased, make them climb mountains of blades, dive into seas of fire, and block blades for him. The Shadow Heroes were pure tools that Zhang Yun could discard after use.


    However, if the other party was a real person with self-awareness and past memories¡­


    They were similar to heroic spirits.


    Zhang Yun couldn¡¯t do it.


    Fjolm was a beautiful long-legged mature lady with 100% loyalty as a female knight. She had even gone through life and death with Zhang Yun. How could Zhang Yun treat the other party like a tool he could manipulate?


    Furthermore¡­


    Fjolm was a human being.


    Food, clothing, accommodation, and transportation all cost money.


    In the future, Zhang Yun would definitely have to find a way to earn money and support Fjolm who knew nothing about the modern era.


    It was impossible for Zhang Yun to make a living by picking up trash.


    Zhang Yun was finished.


    He could not mentally handle it.


    Zhang Yun¡¯s life, which was not thriving, to begin with, had become even worse¡­

 Chapter 13

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Fjolm¡¯s future daily expenses¡­


    Zhang Yun decided to put it aside in the meantime.


    ¡°The most important thing right now is to clear this Time-Limited Invasion Event Dungeon and stop those terrifying monsters from breaking into the real world.¡±


    As a priest with the lowest talent, Zhang Yun did not buy any equipment in advance, nor did he buy a suitable skill book. Hence, Zhang Yun did not possess any combat ability for the time being.


    He could only hide far away.


    Zhang Yun watched as Fjolm used that long and white ice spear to pierce through the enemy.


    ¡°Waa¡­ I really want to participate¡­ She is really too attractive¡­ Wu! Wu! Wu! If I weren¡¯t forced by life, why would I give up and become a priest who just eats and waits for death? Whether it¡¯s high or low, the entire professionals with C-grade will have to cut melons and vegetables!¡±


    However¡­


    Zhang Yun thought about it carefully.


    It was too dangerous to be a C-grade professional.


    Zhang Yun looked at the aggressive gnolls. They were all dungeon monsters at the third level and above. They held superior maces in their hands, wore thick leather armor, and had skills like ¡°Heavy Strike¡± and ¡°Roar¡±.


    If Zhang Yun were to fight these things head-on as a C-grade professional¡­


    Without two to three years of combat training¡­


    He also didn¡¯t have any suitable equipment¡­


    Zhang Yun was definitely going to be educated.


    But¡­


    In front of Fjolm, whose body emitted a blue frost, the gnolls were like little white rabbits facing a snow leopard. They didn¡¯t even have a chance to fight back before they were stabbed into sieves by a set of gorgeous and swift spear techniques.


    If it weren¡¯t for his low level and low attribute values, Zhang Yun even suspected that Fjolm could kill his school¡¯s professional teacher who taught him combat skills without being injured.


    No way!


    The way Fjolm fought was simply too cool.


    Her movements were elegant and enchanting. Her hands were agile and quick, and the white ice spear shuttled back and forth freely in the blood of the enemy. It was not contaminated by any dirt. The icy aura that continuously spun around her body was like a protective barrier.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    That was the special effect of the ¡°Ice Guard¡± skill ¡­


    It was not a normal spear technique¡­


    Ahem, it didn¡¯t matter. In any case, FJolm¡¯s combat power far exceeded Zhang Yun¡¯s as a summoner.


    If Fjolm wanted to, she could kill Zhang Yun with a few random stabs.


    Not to mention, when Fjolm stood still, she was gentle, cute, and as tender as water.


    However, when she fought, Fjolm suddenly changed her style. She became valiant, fierce, and brutal.


    It was full of contrasting beauty.


    Coupled with her long white legs that swayed back and forth as well as her sexy and slender tall figure, the enemy¡¯s nosebleed alone could drain the blood bar on his head.


    ¡°Lord Monarch.¡±


    Fjolm took care of all the enemies.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Let me play with your big white spear¡­ Ah, no, let¡¯s continue forward and clear this secret dungeon!¡±


    Zhang Yun tried to command the long-legged female knight in front of him with his mind.


    But this action was useless.


    Obviously, Fjolm couldn¡¯t read his thoughts directly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue and eliminate all the enemies here first. I¡¯ll heal you. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Fjolm lowered her head slightly. Her blue and white hair flowed toward her shoulders and down to her well-developed chest. She said respectfully, ¡°Yes, Lord Monarch.¡±


    Zhang Yun asked awkwardly, ¡°That? Can you change the way you address me? Lord Monarch sounds weird. I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    Fjolm asked in confusion, ¡°What do you want me to call you? Your Highness, My Lord, or perhaps, His Majesty the King? If you have a special fetish, I can accept it. I can call you Father, Brother, Master¡ª¡±


    Zhang Yun quickly interrupted.


    ¡°Stop! No need! You can call me by my name! Zhang Yun.¡±


    Oh no, this Big Sister Silver Wolf doesn¡¯t seem to be the one from the simulation!


    The Fjolm whom Zhang Yun met was a long-legged lady with a cold and outstanding appearance. Her every move had the temperament of a superior. Why would she speak to Zhang Yun so respectfully?


    Of course!


    She could also be someone who was cold on the outside but secretly warm on the inside.


    Zhang Yun had to spend more time with Fjolm to discover her gentle and kind side, which was as delicious as sweet spring water.


    Zhang Yun could not help but fall into deep thought.


    ¡®Could it be¡­because of the master-servant relationship between the Shadow Lord and the Shadow Hero? Am I the Shadow Lord? Was Fjolm my servant? Was that why it was so easy to push her down?¡¯


    ¡®However, the Shadow Lord was the class that Brother Shadow had awakened. What did it have to do with me, a casual priest? Fjolm should be revering the invincible shadow! Not me¡­¡¯


    Fjolm said hesitantly, ¡°His Highness Zhang Yun?¡±


    Zhang Yun, who was deep in thought, subconsciously corrected.


    ¡°Just Zhang Yun. I don¡¯t want His Highness, His Majesty, or His Excellency. It¡¯s too awkward.¡±


    Fjolm tilted her head and said softly, ¡°Zhang Yun?¡±


    Zhang Yun, who had regained his senses, quickly nodded.


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what I¡¯ll be called in the future. Also, our time is limited. If we don¡¯t eliminate the gnolls in this dungeon event, they will be greatly strengthened. We have to quickly get rid of them.¡±


    Fjolm looked at the dark cave passage in the distance.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°I understand. Please take a rest here.¡±


    With that, Fjolm put on the white hood on her head and entered the most focused state of combat. Then, she held the specialized cold iron with one hand. She suddenly burst into action and rushed into the dark cave passage. She fought with the gnolls blocked by the rock wall.


    Zhang Yun wanted to keep up with Fjolm¡¯s movements. But the priest¡¯s agility attribute was lower than that of the knight¡¯s. And his attribute adjustment rate was also far worse than that of Fjolm. The difference in movement speed between the two was like the difference between heaven and earth.

 Chapter 14

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    So, when Fjolm and the other gnolls fought a few intense rounds, the gnolls were all in a frenzy.


    Only then did Zhang Yun run to the front of both parties.


    ¡°Healing¡­ Eh?¡±


    ¡°Awesome!¡±


    ¡°She killed them again?¡±


    At this moment, Fjolm once again showed her professionalism as the Ice Kingdom¡¯s Head Commander.


    In the face of these gnolls minions who made no sense at all and even though the number of gnolls had doubled, Fjolm was still uninjured as she rampaged. She was like a blue and white butterfly of ice and snow that shuttled back and forth on the battlefield and danced.


    Zhang Yun could only say that talented professionals with C+ attribute talents were all monsters!


    Especially this kind of experienced veteran!


    It was even more terrifying!


    Zhang Yun had seen many genius seniors before. They also had C+ growth talent, but they couldn¡¯t fight as smoothly as Fjolm.


    Even if the first limit had been reached¡­


    Level 5¡­


    The seniors would not stay unscathed if they dealt with these gnolls who had reached the third level.


    There was no other reason.


    The four attributes only strengthened their physical fitness.


    For example, arm strength, reaction speed, movement speed, physical strength, magic perception, and so on.


    Valuable combat experience and awareness cannot be gained out of thin air.


    And the skills of professionals were just like cheating devices set up for ¡®sure-kill¡¯ skills in games.


    By following the system¡¯s instructions, raising hands, raising legs, and shouting the name of the move, one could release most of his power.


    There weren¡¯t many technical details.


    This extended to¡­two people with the same talent, level, and profession.


    As long as the intensity of the basic training was different, and the control of the details of the battle was different. The level of actual combat, in the end, would also be completely different.


    For example:


    Wild cats worked hard to survive in a world where the strong preyed on the weak, fought for territory, hunted prey, and wrestled with their own kind.


    The cats raised at home would lie down and sleep every day. They would repeatedly kiss their owners, eat, and be taken care of.


    Who was stronger?


    It would definitely be the former who would crush the latter to the ground.


    It was the same for Fjolm.


    Although she was only 22 years old¨Conly four years older than Zhang Yun¨Cshe had experienced at least four to five years of high-intensity combat on the road to becoming the Ice Kingdom¡¯s Head Commander.


    These valuable combat and movement techniques were not things that a group of flowers that grew up in a greenhouse could come into contact with.


    Of course¡­


    Flowers in a greenhouse.


    Zhang Yun was only referring to the students from the same city that he had seen so far.


    In those big cities far away, there were many geniuses, many competitions, few resources, and few opportunities¡­


    One could imagine how many it would be.


    In terms of combat skills and body movements, those who got up at four in the morning and ran ten kilometers relied on various online strategies and summary skills in the information age. It might not be worse than the Head Commander of the Ice Kingdom, Fjolm¡­


    Back to the main topic.


    The powerful Fjolm killed the gnolls one by one with her white ice spear. She then continued to explore deeply into the cave passage. She looked for the final boss to completely clear out the dungeon.


    The enemies Fjolm encountered along the way knelt down one after another under her long, snow-white legs. These monsters did not leave behind any last words¨Conly screams filled with horror.


    When he heard the screams of his companions, the final boss was respectable. He did not hide in the deepest part of the cave and wait for the two to find him. Instead, he took the initiative to lead a group of gnolls out.


    [Name: Gnoll Leader]


    [Level: 5]


    [Class: Bronze ¡ï¡ï]


    [Skills: Call of the Wild; Madly Scratching; Punching Your Chest With Small Fists; Smashing You to Death With a Stick¡­]


    [Description: The leader of the gnolls is powerful. Although he has sharp claws and a thick spiked club, his favorite move is still ¡°Punching Your Chest With Small Fists¡± which he named himself. He punches the enemy until they vomit blood. Only then can he show that he has far more powerful strength than other gnolls.]


    ¡°F*ck you! F*ck you!¡±


    Fjolm held the white ice spear in her hand while she ignored the Gnoll Leader¡¯s strange taunt. She bent her legs slightly and jumped into the air. Like a meteorite that fell from the sky, she jumped and flew toward the Gnoll Leader¡¯s head.


    The Gnoll Leader subconsciously raised the spiked club in his hand and tried to block the spear that fell from the sky.


    However, the experienced Fjolm had long guessed that he would do this. She flicked his weapon in the air. The mace in the Gnoll Leader¡¯s hand was flung. Then, out of nowhere, the Gnoll Leader¡¯s heart was pierced and damaged critically.


    Immediately after, Fjolm used the skill ¡°Freezing Spear¡± and instantly froze the Gnoll Leader. At the same time, she quickly brandished her long spear and spun it around him. The weapon blocked the attacks of the other gnoll underlings around the leader.


    ¡°Release the skill! Ice Guard! Summon Ice Shield!¡±


    She took the initiative to shatter the ice!


    The ice shield exploded!


    ¡®Bang! Bang!¡¯


    Suddenly, the ice barrier around Fjolm condensed from the cold air. It exploded into countless tiny ice crystal spikes and quickly rushed toward the surrounding gnolls and pierced their bodies. It caused ice elemental damage and slowed them down.


    Fjolm raised the white ice spear in her hand and madly attacked the frozen Gnoll Leader, who could not fight back. The white ice on the Gnoll Leader¡¯s body also exploded and turned into countless flying ice crystal spikes. They pierced the skin of all the enemies.


    At this time, Fjolm injured all the gnolls. The enemies only had half of their health left. Debuff affected them also, which reduced their speed.


    The Gnoll Leader¡¯s health bar was very high. It was more than 10 times that of the gnoll underlings. So, even though Fjolm hit him in the heart, he did not lose much blood.


    However, the Gnoll Leader was affected by the speed reduction effect of ice. He couldn¡¯t lift his hand.


    And so, Fjolm raised her white spear and stabbed it into the ground. She used her strongest skill.


    ¡°Ice! Listen to my command! Follow me and freeze all the arrogant people who dare to challenge the winter!¡±


    [Activated ¡°Cold Iron¡±]


    [Active Skill: Winter Has Arrived!]


    ¡®Boom!¡¯


    With a low roar, the weapon inserted into the ground emitted a white cold air. The surrounding temperature dropped rapidly, and frost began to form on the bodies of all gnolls at a speed visible to the naked eye. Finally, they turned into motionless white ice sculptures and looked in horror at the ice spear in Fjolm¡¯s hand.


    At the same time, the health bar above their heads also began to drop rapidly. It was like a hot flame burned them.


    Even when their health bars were empty, these guys still had not dispelled the freezing effect and freed their bodies from the cold.


    As for the most powerful Gnoll Leader, although large-scale continuous freezing skill did not quickly kill him, he lost more than half of its blood and entered a state of disability with all his attributes reduced.


    With Fjolm¡¯s exquisite body movements and marksmanship, she could deal with the heavy and silly gnolls who were in a half-disabled state without any other annoying gnolls to disturb her.


    It was simply an easy task.


    It could be said that¡­


    The dawn of victory was right ahead.


    Zhang Yun and Fjolm could soon clear this Level 3 Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon.


    However, Zhang Yun¡¯s focus was not on this, but on the special skill called ¡°Winter Has Arrived. Fjolm just released it.


    ¡°F*ck! Although I expected it! But I¡¯ve seen with my own eyes a specialized skill that can instantly destroy the sky, the earth, and the air in its initial state! It¡¯s still too shocking! It started quickly! The range was wide! Group control! Freeze! Coupled with multiple high-frequency ice attribute damage! It directly took out more than half of the BOSS¡¯ blood!¡±


    This?


    Was this the strength of heaven¡¯s chosen one who specialized in martial arts?


    It was terrifying!


    It was no wonder the teacher who taught the theory course had said that they would rather have a D-grade chosen professional than a C-grade ordinary professional. The former was far more valuable than the latter!


    A single specialized martial artist was able to achieve such a level.


    Zhang Yun really didn¡¯t dare to imagine.


    Those who had special skills, talent, and awakened abilities, how powerful could they be¡­

 Chapter 15

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    After eliminating the obstructive gnolls, the Gnoll Leader was practically a walking human sandbag. Fjolm casually used a few sets of ice spear techniques and nailed the enemy to the dark cave wall.


    Instantly, the system notification jumped in front of Zhang Yun.


    [System Notice: You killed the BOSS of the Reality Invasion Event!]


    [System Notice: The Reality Invasion Event was successfully cleared! It would disappear once the countdown ended! You could choose to return to the real world immediately! Alternatively, you can continue to stay in the dungeon and wait for the time limit to end!]


    [System Notice: You obtained a certain amount of experience points from the corpse of the Gnoll Leader. You acquired the 2-star bronze weapon ¡°Hard Spiked Club¡±, and the materials ¡°Gnoll Hair¡±, ¡°Coarse Cloth¡±, and ¡°Sharp Claws¡±.]


    Zhang Yun found the rewards acceptable even if there wasn¡¯t anything he could use.


    The rewards were all low-level materials and low-level weapons that could be exchanged for money.


    Moreover, the most valuable things in the Reality Invasion Event were not the loot from killing the BOSS, but the herbs and ores that could be collected in the dungeon, as well as some random items and treasure chests that could be picked up.


    Zhang Yun had not forcefully participated in the battle just now. He had used ¡°Clarity¡± to make his presence known in front of Fjolm. He quietly decided to collect the rewards and wait to sell them once he came out.


    Ordinary professionals also counted on digging up these things to make a living.


    If Zhang Yun really wanted to farm for equipment and skill books¡­


    It was better to go to places like dungeons, secret realms, and labyrinths.


    Not only were there a lot of BOSS creatures, but the difficulty of clearing them was also high. Accordingly, the drop rate would also be increased, and numerous good items that could not be found in a Reality Invasion Event could be gathered.


    The Reality Invasion Event was different. Only those who first cleared it would get a reward. The rest wouldn¡¯t get anything.


    Of course¡­


    The Reality Invasion Event didn¡¯t have many herbs, ores, and item treasure chests compared to others. Relying on such alone wasn¡¯t profitable for professionals.


    But there was an extremely serious problem!


    Dungeons and invasion events were strategic resources that were controlled by the government. They could only be encountered by luck. Ordinary professionals would be considered exceptionally lucky if they could participate once every half a month.


    ******


    After checking the spoils, Zhang Yun followed the system¡¯s guidance and walked into the green portal that suddenly appeared in front of him. He then exited the Reality Invasion Event.


    Right then.


    Only two minutes had passed, and the city¡¯s first responders, also known as the City Guard Team, responsible for dealing with the Reality Invasion Event, had yet to rush to the scene to carry out a complete blockade.


    However, under the command of the professional security guards at the train station, most of the ordinary people evacuated from the scene. A red cordon had been set up around the area to prevent anyone from passing through.


    Zhang Yun looked around the square and found that there was no one around. He stood alone in the square, and behind him was the teleportation door that had changed from red to green.


    The others were probably worried that the time given for this Reality Invasion Event was too short, and the city guards would not be able to stop the monsters from running out in time.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Zhang Yun couldn¡¯t believe there was no audience for his first battle.


    ¡°Sigh, forget it. A last-ranking Level 1 Priest clearing a Level 3 Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon in two minutes is quite ridiculous! I¡¯d better slip away and keep a low profile.¡±


    As a mature man who had lived two lives, Zhang Yun knew the importance of making a fortune in silence.


    As the saying goes, one was not afraid of being robbed but afraid of being remembered by the thief.


    There were too many people in the world who were jealous.


    In addition, Brother Shadow¡¯s origin was a little strange. His ability was extremely abnormal. It was as if he had cheated. It was not a ¡°divine talent¡± worth promoting.


    As long as this news spread, there would definitely be people with evil intentions. Zhang Yun wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid jealous people and people who would constantly target him.


    It was better for Zhang Yun to keep this matter a secret for the time being.


    After all¡­


    No matter how deep the internal conflicts among individuals¡­


    As long as there was a cheating scum, everyone would temporarily put aside their conflicts and unanimously kill the cheating scum first¡­


    On the other side, the muscled man, who had entered the time-limited dungeon earlier than Zhang Yun, was still dealing with the second wave of gnolls. He fought them with bayonets.


    [System Notice: The Reality Intrusion Event has been cleared by someone else. You can leave the event now. Otherwise, wait for the time limit to end, and the event will disappear, and you will be forced to exit.]


    ¡°Ah? Two minutes? The battle ended?¡±


    The fierce man¡¯s name was Zhao Dashu, and people called him Brother Shu. He looked domineering. Zhao Dashu was not only a student in the same class as Zhang Yun, but he was also Zhang Yun¡¯s senior in a previous class.


    This was because Zhang Yun¡¯s reawakening each year caused him to repeat the exam. He should have graduated from the school of professionals long ago. Unfortunately, Zhang Yun ended up dragging on for two years, and his juniors got ahead of him.


    However¡­


    The two of them were not from the same school. Since they had never met before, they were practically strangers.


    ¡®What? Isn¡¯t that too amazing? I deliberately suppressed my level and kept honing my combat skills. I¡¯m not in a hurry to reach the fifth level. Logically, I should be a top professional below the third level!¡¯ Zhao Dashu thought.


    In the end, Zhao Dashu didn¡¯t even get to see what the BOSS looked like¡­


    ¡°Who did it? Could it be the tall and scrawny guy just now?¡±


    Zhao Dashu recalled the young man who he had just reminded to escape. The other person was wearing a white hoodie, a pair of grey slim-fit jeans, and a pair of white sneakers. He looked handsome and had a calm gaze.

 Chapter 16

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    That scrawny man maintained a calm gaze in the face of an extremely dangerous Time-Limited Invasion Event. He didn¡¯t even bolt out at the first moment.


    Obviously, the other person was also a professional and not an ordinary mortal.


    Eh?


    It should be him, right?


    Zhao Dashu did not think too much about it. He was not interested in competing with others, and he did not care about the rewards for clearing low-level dungeons.


    The reason why Zhao Dashu had come to this Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon was not only to help the weak ordinary mortals but also to use the various monsters within to train and improve his combat skills.


    It was a good foundation for future difficult battles.


    So¡­


    Zhao Dashu did not choose to leave the dungeon immediately. Instead, he continued to fight with the group of gnolls. Once he had killed all of them, he would then challenge the Gnoll Leader.


    This Gnoll Leader had a ¡®2-star Bronze¡¯ rating and was two levels higher than Zhao Dashu. The opponent was equivalent to a Level 5 D-grade Professional. It received an additional double attribute bonus and commanded a group of gnoll underlings to protect it.


    More importantly¡­


    Its level was higher than Zhao Dashu¡¯s, so it had additional attributes from the level suppression effect. The more severe the level of suppression was, the more the additional attributes would increase.


    Normally, it would take at least a team of three professionals at the third level to challenge it.


    However, Zhao Dashu was not an ordinary professional. He was an outstanding student with an average attribute growth rate of C-grade. He had also accumulated a lot of combat experience in the past year¡¯s battles.


    Plus¡­


    He could rely on medicine and potions to temporarily strengthen his combat ability.


    Physical strength and health points could be replenished.


    In the end, the ferocious gnoll whom Zhao Dashu fought only lasted for five minutes before the former was cut in half by the latter¡¯s black iron greatsword.


    The total time to clear the game¡ª8 minutes and 16 seconds.


    Hmm!


    It was alright.


    Zhao Dashu had improved quite a bit compared to before.


    As he thought about it, Zhao Dashu exited the Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon. He did not receive the reward for clearing the dungeon, nor did he collect the various herbs and ores that appeared randomly in the dungeon.


    Even if Zhao Dashu¡¯s family didn¡¯t own a mine, they were still considered wealthy. Hence, the low-level materials, which were worth hundreds or thousands in the eyes of others and enough to feed other families, didn¡¯t interest him.


    At this moment, the city square had been surrounded by well-trained city guards.


    Seeing Zhao Dashu exit the Reality Invasion Event in a good state, a city guard in a black combat suit quickly came forward and asked, ¡°Hello! Student, thank you for helping us clear this Time-Limited Invasion Event. If I may ask, can you tell me what the final BOSS is?¡±


    Zhao Dashu scratched the back of his head in confusion.


    ¡°Ah? That one? I didn¡¯t clear this event¡­ Didn¡¯t you see the professional who came out first?¡±


    The city guard shook his head.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. When we arrived, the portal had already turned green. Then, we saw you come out alone. There was no one else at the scene.¡±


    Zhao Dashu rubbed his hands in embarrassment.


    ¡°Is that what happened? I was going to ask who the professional was¡­ Forget it, the final BOSS is a Level 5 Gnoll Leader. I¡¯ll share its attributes with you!¡±


    As he spoke, Zhao Dashu took out a black rectangular device the size of an NS game console, which looked like a Pokemon guide. He pulled up the information of the Gnoll Leader recorded on it and displayed it in front of the city guards.


    The other party also took out a similar white rectangular device and scanned Zhao Dashu¡¯s device. Then, he saluted and spoke.


    ¡°Alright. Young professional, thank you for contributing to the safety of the city.¡±


    The city guard in a black combat suit stepped aside and waved to his companions behind him. He had already collected information about the BOSS. They could finally remove the red cordon to open the road again.


    At once, everyone began to move.


    They restored order to the entire square, brought back all the passengers who had evacuated to the safe point, and broadcasted a safety announcement as if the Reality Invasion Event had never happened.


    The people were not interested in who cleared the Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon, nor did they want to know how long the other party had spent or how heaven-defying his strength was.


    The crowd was more concerned with settling the situation quickly and resting. They would rather gather for a drink after work.


    That was the most important thing.


    Zhao Dashu also did not look for Zhang Yun.


    Zhang Yun¡¯s strength did attract Zhao Dashu¡¯s interest. It was just like a little wife who had attracted the attention of an overbearing president.


    Nevertheless, Zhao Dashu and Zhang Yun were strangers who had just met and might not be connected in the future. Zhao Dashu didn¡¯t need to waste his time on finding a stranger without any background information.


    ¡®Hmmm¡­¡¯


    Perhaps the two could meet during the assessment of professionals¡­


    Just like that, Zhang Yun left the train station without attracting attention and rode a yellow taxi on his way home.


    When Zhang Yun reached home, it was 11:30 in the afternoon.


    Zhang Yun¡¯s aunt was about to get off work.


    Zhang Yun could not meet his two adorable little cousins either due to school. He would have to wait until 5:00 in the afternoon before Zhang Yun could personally pick them up from the elementary school.


    As a result, he could only organize his luggage first, then steam the rice, cut the vegetables, marinate the pork in the refrigerator, and start cooking.


    He took care of their meal.


    Wearing a white shirt, coupled with a black suit, tight skirt, and black silk stockings, Zhang Yun¡¯s aunt took out the key from her small bag and opened her door.


    She saw two white sneakers at the door of her house and heard the sound of the exhaust fan from the kitchen.


    ¡°Eh? Zhang Yun, you¡¯re back!?¡±


    ¡°(¡Ño¡Ñ)!!!¡±


    Zhang Yun stuck his head out from the kitchen and said, ¡°Yup. I chose my class last night and came back by car this morning.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Zhang Yun¡¯s aunt was thrilled. She didn¡¯t even change her shoes and ran straight into the kitchen.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance? Wuuu! I was scared to death! I thought there was a thief in the house!¡±


    Zhang Yun lowered his head and looked at his aunt, who looked like a primary school student.


    ¡°Thieves don¡¯t know how to cook. Aunty, come. Try and see if my cooking skills have deteriorated. I haven¡¯t cooked properly in two years.¡±


    As he spoke, Zhang Yun took the last plate of stir-fried shredded pork with green pepper out of the kitchen and placed it on the dining table. Then, he took out the local specialties he brought back from the refrigerator in the kitchen, poured some on the plate, and served it at the dining table.


    Zhao Yiyi, the young-looking aunt of Zhang Yun, jumped onto the chair like a rabbit.


    ¡°How is it? Did the class change go smoothly? What class did you choose?¡±


    Zhang Yun answered casually, ¡°It¡¯s going quite smoothly. I chose the Priest class. Oh, by the way, when I returned today, I happened to encounter a Reality Intrusion Event. I teamed up with others and dug out a lot of herbs and ores from it. I can sell them in the afternoon. I made a small profit.¡±


    Zhao Yiyi¡¯s beautiful eyes widened.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s that powerful?¡±


    Zhang Yun didn¡¯t want Zhao Yiyi to worry about him, so he lied a little.


    ¡°Hehe. Aunty, I spent two years working out without neglecting my training. I reawakened four times in a row. If I don¡¯t get a powerful growth talent by then¡­how can that be?¡±


    Zhao Yiyi revealed a cute and innocent smile.


    ¡°Okay, okay. I know you¡¯ve had a hard time these past two years. I¡¯ll make you your favorite chicken soup tonight, alright?¡±


    After a pause, Zhao Yiyi instructed seriously, ¡°But you have to be careful. If you encounter dangerous dungeons and events, don¡¯t enter them. If you accidentally enter them, retreat from them. Don¡¯t be greedy. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t have money. We can earn money slowly. You¡¯re not allowed to take any risks. Do you hear me?¡±


    Zhang Yun revealed a carefree smile.


    ¡°Hehe! Aunty, don¡¯t you know me well enough? When it comes to stability and vileness, if I say I¡¯m ranked second, not many would dare to claim to be first. I¡¯m a natural-born master of prudence! I can¡¯t take risks. I can only lie down and pick up some trash in low-level dungeons. That¡¯s my life¡¯s creed! Don¡¯t worry!¡±


    Zhao Yiyi pouted her lips adorably.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± She snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t be so talkative. I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll be too arrogant after awakening a good talent. Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. I still have to write a project proposal later. It will be needed for the meeting in the afternoon. We have to quickly settle this matter at the dinner table.¡±


    ¡°(.-¦Ø-) Hu! Hu!¡±


    ******

 Chapter 17

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    After the meal, Zhang Yun used a few tricks to stop Zhao Yiyi from washing the dishes. Then, he took his time cleaning everything.


    As the breadwinner of the family, Zhao Yiyi¡¯s time could not be wasted on trifling matters like washing the dishes.


    She would just let this freeloading nephew of hers do the hard work.


    Soon, Zhang Yun finished the chores.


    He then considered what he should do with the low-level materials from the Reality Invasion Event.


    There were three conventional options.


    First, sell the materials at a base price to online merchants and companies.


    Although it was the least profitable option, it was convenient and fast. Zhang Yun could make money without leaving the house, and he didn¡¯t have to worry about security.


    Second, transact with the Professional Alliance in the city. The organization could buy the materials or hold competitive bidding. Upon receipt of payment, the Professional Alliance would simply collect a part of the commission and transfer the rest of the proceeds to the seller¡¯s bank account.


    This method was also safe, but it was slightly more troublesome than selling online due to the time it would take.


    However, the advantage was that Zhang Yun could set the price himself and sell it to professionals who were in urgent need. He could profit more.


    Third, sell to individual buyers.


    This was the most time-consuming and unsecured method. But after bypassing the middleman and handling fees, one could get the utmost benefits. It was suitable for advanced professionals who had strength and connections and were not afraid of encountering swindlers.


    Zhang Yun thought about it.


    He was more inclined to consult the Professional Alliance for his future plans.


    It would be better to sell these materials on the way.


    Zhang Yun shared the matter with Zhao Yiyi, who was sitting at the desk and typing on her device.


    After getting Zhao Yiyi¡¯s permission, Zhang Yun wore his white sneakers, opened the door of the living room, and unhurriedly took the elevator downstairs.


    The size of Little Lantern Grass City was not big. It was similar to a county in Zhang Yun¡¯s previous life.


    The Professional Alliance was located not far away. Zhang Yun could reach it in a few dozen minutes by walking.


    And so, he did not hail a taxi.


    Instead, Zhang Yun treated the journey like physical training as he ran.


    Although it sounded ridiculous, Zhang Yun could still earn attribute points through normal physical training like this, and there was no upper limit.


    At least, no one had trained to the limit yet.


    It was just that the speed of obtaining attribute points was tremendously slow, and it was also very random.


    Zhang Yun could sometimes get a few attribute points for a few days in a row and then no attribute points for a few months in a row. He could not figure out the pattern.


    Professionals without connections and power could not access the dungeons and the secret plane, nor could they encounter extraordinary opportunities that could defy death.


    Hence, they could only rely on mundane methods and ¡®bet¡¯ on their four-dimensional attributes to become stronger.


    For example, running, swimming, push-ups, fighting with other professionals, building up muscles, tearing abdominal muscles¡­ All of them could randomly increase attribute points.


    As for leveling up, there were other options apart from clearing dungeons, events, and secret planes.


    One of them was to leave the city.


    Leaving the city did not only mean merely exiting Little Lantern Grass City. It also meant departing from the human territories around the major cities and heading to the dangerous wild areas full of invading monsters.


    Those greatly strengthened monsters from an invasion event must be hunted and killed. Opportunities and risks coexisted inside secret labyrinths.


    Without the protection of the city¡¯s high walls and the instant reinforcements of the city guards, people would have been besieged by a sea of specially enhanced ¡®dungeon monsters¡¯ and red-named ¡®BOSS¡¯ creatures wandering around.


    One could imagine the level of danger.


    Even the Professional Alliance of Hai Lingzhi City and the surrounding satellite cities regularly sent professional forces to clean up the dangerous wild areas.


    Even though the monsters in the dungeon events were already strictly classified, the monsters in the wild were of a different breed.


    It was rare for high-level monsters to run into the territory of low-level monsters.


    It was prominently risky.


    One would have to reach the tenth level, complete two certification assessments from the Professional Alliance, obtain the ¡°Trainee Professional Qualification Certificate¡± and ¡°Beginner Professional Qualification Certificate¡± issued by the organization, and become an official professional. Only then could one obtain a pass to leave the city.


    At this moment.


    Someone was definitely going to say it.


    Tsk, wasn¡¯t it just the tenth level? Didn¡¯t he reach it in minutes?


    Sorry.


    That was a mistake.


    There was a dividing line whenever a professional reached every fifth level.


    Special and rare items were required for a level breakthrough.


    For example, from Level 1 to Level 5, each level only required 100, 200, or 300 experience points.


    From Level 5 to Level 10, each level would require 10,000 experience points.


    From Level 10 to Level 15, each level would require a terrifying 1,000,000 experience points¡­


    Moreover, when you fought monsters of a higher level, you would be crushed by the ¡®enhanced attributes¡¯ brought about by the level suppression. The experience points gained after winning would not increase much.


    However, if Zhang Yun relied on level suppression to fight monsters that were five levels lower than him, he would be at a disadvantage.


    And it would reduce his experience gain efficiency!


    The larger the level gap, the more experience points would be deducted. In particular, it could be reduced to 1 or even 0 points.


    Such mechanics completely rendered the scheme of having an expert take you on a train or becoming ¡°Shilipo Sword God¡± useless.


    The probable ¡®drops¡¯ from the dungeons were minuscule while the Experience Conversion Rate for many people was immensely low.


    Without meeting the requirements, people wouldn¡¯t be permitted to leave the city and farm (meet) monsters (death)¡­ This requirement to reach the tenth level was greatly time-consuming and couldn¡¯t be accomplished immediately.


    Even to the extent that¡­


    Reaching the fifth level was already a time-consuming task.


    Without connections and resources, the starting period would be 6 months, with no upper limit. There would always be cowards who would not dare to face those dangerous monsters from dungeon events.

 Chapter 18

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    The most important thing was¡­


    You would have no future if you were still lacking in strength to pass the assessment of the Professional Alliance despite reaching the tenth level and meeting the basic requirements to leave the city.


    Probationary professionals who weren¡¯t permitted to leave the city would almost always be stuck at the tenth level.


    These types of professionals were reduced to workers who collected materials every day.


    Because¡­


    The items for the fifth-level breakthrough were easy to get. They were inexpensive, and there was a chance of them dropping from the invasion events and dungeons in the city.


    On the other hand, a tenth-level breakthrough would require items that were only obtainable in the secret labyrinth outside the city.


    If professionals wanted to buy them directly, they would have to prepare at least the price of a house in the main city¡¯s school district and also bid with other rich people who needed them.


    This wasn¡¯t something an ordinary person could bear.


    Therefore, the best opportunity for commoners was to pass the two rounds of assessment by the Professional Alliance and become a ¡°Professional Civil Servant¡±. They would then receive free items for a breakthrough from the Professional Alliance.


    Or perhaps¡­


    Meeting a noble was also possible.


    The other person could bring a futureless rookie to play with.


    Another option was to join the Professional Army formed by the Professional Alliance. Accordingly, the members would receive resource subsidies from the organization and be given the opportunity to train and level up outside the city.


    It was a much safer option than venturing out alone. The members could always rely on the help of fellow comrades in the army, the life-saving aid distributed by the army, and the personal protection of the big shots in the army.


    Naturally, the leveling speed would also become increasingly fast.


    However, being a member of the Professional Army came at the cost of obeying the arrangements of the Professional Alliance, joining the City Guard or the Field Investigation Team, and giving up your youth to protect the safety of the people in the city.


    No one would be allowed to quit halfway.


    By the time members retired from the army, in addition to complying with the standard enlistment age, they would also have to destroy all the bound equipment and forget all the skills they had learned to prevent any information leak and preserve the absolute dominance of the army in the society of professionals.


    This meant that¡­


    It would take a few years.


    Apart from leveling up their profession, getting extra attribute points, and receiving subsidies and assistance from the Professional Alliance, the members wouldn¡¯t receive anything else. They needed to start anew.


    Basically, only professionals with poor family backgrounds would choose this path.


    Moreover, they would not choose to leave after joining¡­


    Zhang Yun had previously considered whether he should join the army and raise his upper limit since he had such a poor awakened talent.


    But before he could think it through, Brother Shadow awakened.


    This?


    Hehe!


    Zhang Yun had no choice!


    He could only reluctantly become a freelancer!


    The upper limit was high. The benefits were good. And it was cost-free! Freelancers could take a break anytime and anywhere, and most of the rewards they got from clearing dungeons would belong to them alone. They didn¡¯t have to hand them over to others. They didn¡¯t have to experience the tough military training and do things they didn¡¯t want to do!


    How comfortable was that?


    Furthermore!


    The most essential crucial thing was!


    Zhang Yun could eat the delicious chicken soup prepared by his aunt every day!


    Ah, the scent!


    It was so fragrant!


    His two cute younger cousins were infinitely adorable!


    Zhang Yun could stay with them!


    He would hear them call him ¡°Brother Zhang Yun¡± in childish voices!


    He could touch their little heads!


    Just like petting a cat!


    ¡­


    ¡®Cough, cough. Alright, I¡¯ll put aside my beautiful future for now. I need to replan my goals ahead.¡¯


    First of all¡­


    Zhang Yun had intended to give up on the two assessments of the Professional Alliance.


    He decided to create his own fifth-level breakthrough resource himself.


    By then, he might get stuck at the tenth level and grind low-level dungeons every day. He would earn as much money as he could. If Zhang Yun couldn¡¯t anymore, he could just sit around and wait for death.


    Fortunately, Zhang Yun had an invincible shadow. He definitely could not let it go to waste.


    These two ¡°certification¡± assessments had to be included in the itinerary.


    Zhang Yun would try his best to obtain the qualifications to leave the city.


    With that¡­


    Only then would Zhang Yun be able to come into contact with the world of professionals.


    Secondly¡­


    Zhang Yun needed to understand the major events of the Ice Kingdom¡¯s era.


    As long as a dungeon or hidden realm related to the Ice Kingdom appeared in the city, those scholars who liked to study the history of other planes would definitely have information about the past history of the Ice Kingdom in their hands.


    After all¡­


    Whether it was a dungeon, an underground city, or a secret labyrinth, they were all illusions created from other real otherworld planes, not a false space-time that appeared out of thin air.


    It was similar to a real mirage.


    Once you enter, you could carefully explore.


    It was easy to find relics or documents about that world and its era.


    Naturally!


    Zhang Yun was not interested in the history of the Ice Kingdom.


    He didn¡¯t want to become a historian.


    Zhang Yun just wanted to find out the identity of the purple-cloaked mage assassin.


    How would Zhang Yun be able to counter the other party?


    Zhang Yun failed to handle it well.


    Fjolm¡¯s next four chances of ¡°Ascension¡± might end up wasted.


    Zhang Yun didn¡¯t dare to open the other three paths.


    Thirdly¡­


    Zhang Yun had to earn money.


    He was trying his best to make money.


    The society of professionals had its own legal and economic system.


    Sure, you could abuse your power and bully ordinary mortals with no abilities¡­ As long as you were not afraid of the consequences.


    So.


    Most of the professionals were good five-star citizens who followed the law.


    It was also about fair trade.


    It would be difficult to blatantly torment ordinary mortals in public.


    In this process, money was the hard currency. The more you had, the more things you could do.

 Chapter 19

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Even if Zhang Yun was not short of money, he had to think about the future of his aunt and two younger cousins. He had to make as much money as possible to make their lives more comfortable.


    In his previous life, Zhang Yun had already experienced the pain of destitute life. He was looked down upon by the people around him.


    And so, that was why he worked so hard.


    Even if he had to repeat two years and spend a lot of time and energy to reawaken, he had to get a good enough professional talent.


    Fourthly¡­


    This was also the prerequisite for the first and third goals.


    Zhang Yun must increase both his strength and Fjolm¡¯s.


    This was especially so for him to improve his own power.


    There was a way in.


    There were many.


    The most basic of all was to look for Time-Limited Invasion Dungeons to explore, or pay the price to obtain partial access to the underground city, kill the monsters in the dungeons, level up, and increase his four-dimensional attributes.


    In addition, Zhang Yun could try his luck with the lottery to obtain suitable equipment and skill books that could improve his hardware.


    Also, as mentioned before, he had to maintain a high frequency of physical training every day to get a random attribute point reward.


    Zhang Yun would need to fight with other professionals, find powerful big shots to learn from, train his combat ability and movement techniques, and crush others thoroughly.


    He satisfied the first few requirements.


    He could then pursue even more high-end methods of improvement.


    For example, the extremely money-burning weapon that required tens of thousands of repeated training to increase the skill level. And the search for heavenly materials and earthly treasures that could change one¡¯s growth potential.


    If you were a genius¡­


    You could even use your own abilities to create your own self-created skills, or you could combine the effects of multiple skills together and make them ¡®mutate¡¯ into a more powerful combination and profound skills¡­


    In short¡­


    Zhang Yun wanted to become a top-notch professional.


    It wasn¡¯t something one could achieve by just killing monsters, leveling up, and gathering loot.


    Instead, it required tons of energy, sweat, and hard work¡ªas well as a certain amount of talent and luck, and constant training oneself in hazardous environments.


    The fifth goal¡­


    It was also his last one.


    Zhang Yun needed to find a way to give Fjolm an actual living person¡¯s identity.


    Otherwise, as a Shadow Hero, Fjolm had to satisfy the physiological needs of three meals a day and the important task of protecting Zhang Yun, which was very troublesome.


    Yes!


    That was right!


    Zhang Yun could keep her back in the ¡°Shadow Space¡± at any time.


    He would call her out when he needed her.


    It was just like summoning beasts.


    But this was really too inconvenient.


    It would also be easy for people to discover the little secret between the Shadow Hero and Brother Shadow.


    In the future¡­


    Zhang Yun practically bid farewell to the path of forming teams with others to clear dungeons.


    He had to be a lone wolf that acted alone.


    Only then could Fjolm be of use.


    It wasn¡¯t that this was bad.


    After all¡­


    Loneliness was the catalyst for progress.


    It allowed people to focus on their thoughts and work.


    To avoid being disturbed by the outside world.


    However, Zhang Yun had to do something.


    This world was also a society consisting of humans.


    Those who didn¡¯t fit in, even if they were strong, would still be eliminated and become the target of ostracization. One would lose many benefits one had obtained.


    Unless one was strong enough to ignore the rules.


    Zhang Yun¡¯s strength had not reached the level where he could ignore the laws of society.


    He had to follow the rules of the game.


    In addition, there was a very good saying: ¡°When you¡¯re outside, one more friend means one more path.¡±


    Zhang Yun didn¡¯t need to give up this handy advantage.


    Just like right now.


    Zhang Yun needed the help of his friend.


    ¡­

 Chapter 20 - Chapter 15: Cross-Dressing Boss (1/3)

    Chapter 20 Chapter 15: Cross-Dressing Boss (1/3)


    Zhang Yun stood next to the bronze rabbit statue in the center of the North Square of Little Lantern Grass City. Above him was the sunny blue sky and white clouds, and under his feet was the solid, flat, and polished ground. In front of him were all kinds of streets and shops.


    Countless people holding milk tea and skewers in their hands walked past Zhang Yun without even looking at him.


    Zhang Yun leaned on the thigh of the bronze rabbit statute.


    He looked at the search software on his phone.


    He proceeded to search for all the information about the Ice Kingdom.


    Suddenly!


    A melodious and light female voice rang in Zhang Yun¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Hello? Have you been waiting for a long time?¡±


    Zhang Yun turned his head and saw a beauty who was 175 centimeters tall. She was wearing a puffy round-neck knitted sweater with a long jacket. Her light-colored jeans wrapped around her long legs, making her look well-proportioned and round. The bottom of her pants was tucked into her black Martin boots.


    She was dressed minimally, neither seductive nor flamboyant, but she looked especially good.


    Moreover¡­


    Her facial features were particularly exquisite and beautiful, and her round oval face looked quite sweet. The elegant temperament she displayed from head to toe would not lose to Fjolm. The girl was even better with her unique oriental beauty.


    However, Zhang Yun could only hold his forehead speechlessly even after seeing such a beautiful girl.


    ¡°No. Brother Qin Shi. Why are you looking for me while in women¡¯s clothing again?¡±


    Hearing this, the beautiful girl called Qin Shi leaned in front of Zhang Yun and lightly tiptoed. Like a couple whispering to each other, Qin Shi playfully made a shushing gesture at Zhang Yun.


    ¡°Shh! I¡¯m now Miss Mingyue. Don¡¯t expose me.¡±


    Qin Shi was a friend of Zhang Yun¡¯s from junior high. He was a male proficient in falsetto. He liked to dress up as a girl. Both of Qin Shi¡¯s abilities had been maxed out.


    If you had not seen Qin Shi cross-dress with your own eyes, it would have been impossible to discover his biological sex given his appearance, or even recognize him.


    Originally¡­


    Zhang Yun couldn¡¯t tell either.


    He didn¡¯t even know that Qin Shi was from his school.


    Who would have thought that he would run into Qin Shi in female clothing on the street? Zhang Yun even asked for his contact information and invited him on a date to watch a movie and eat together.


    At that time, for some reason, Qin Shi had not directly rejected Zhang Yun¡¯s invitation. Instead, Qin Shi agreed just like a real girl.


    When the matter was over.


    Qin Shi could just find an excuse to reject and block Zhang Yun.


    He wanted to stop this sudden ¡®fate¡¯.


    In the end, the more they communicated, the more they felt that the other party was a confidant.


    Not only were their interests and hobbies very similar, but even their views on different matters were almost identical. There was a great resonance between Qin Shi and Zhang Yun.


    As a result, Qin Shi couldn¡¯t resist hiding his actual gender from Zhang Yun. He kept in touch with Zhang Yun as a girl.


    Until the end¡­


    Qin Shi soon realized that Zhang Yun was about to fall for him.


    That was why Qin Shi had to reveal the truth to Zhang Yun.


    Qin Shi didn¡¯t mean to lie to Zhang Yun, but he had no choice. He couldn¡¯t let others discover his cross-dressing hobby.


    Even so, Qin Shi didn¡¯t want to give up on Zhang Yun, a person who could connect with his soul.


    Qin Shi could only continue to maintain the lie that he was a girl.


    He feared Zhang Yun would feel betrayed and abandon him eventually. Perhaps, they wouldn¡¯t even remain friends.


    After learning the truth, Zhang Yun felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He had almost fallen in love with a man?!


    He was finished!


    There shouldn¡¯t be a problem with his sexual orientation, right?


    However, after a round of analysis, Zhang Yun realized that the problem did not lie in himself, but in Qin Shi¡¯s cross-dressing style, which was even more feminine than a woman¡¯s. It could be considered impeccable!


    Even the purest said would not be able to resist this fatal angelic temptation.


    And this¡­


    This led to¡­


    Zhang Yun had already doubted Qin Shi¡¯s true gender a couple of times.


    But he arrived at a different conclusion. Zhang Yun thought Qin Shi only dressed up as a man.


    However, whether it was the school¡¯s records, his ID, or some of his vaguely visible core organs, they all clearly indicated Qin Shi¡¯s identity-a handsome 16-year-old boy! Seeing this¡­


    Zhang Yun finally conceded.


    This guy was a scary cross-dressing boss. He was more like a woman than a woman. Zhang Yun fell in love with Qin Shi at first sight like a pig-headed fool.


    It was simply the most embarrassing stain on his life¡¯s resume.


    However¡­


    It didn¡¯t matter.


    If it had not been for this, Zhang Yun would not have met Qin Shi and gotten such a good friend who was well-versed in both literature and martial arts. Qin Shi could connect with him on a soulful level. Zhang Yun had actually profited!


    It was a considerable profit! Besides, even if Qin Shi was a man, it was not impossible¡­


    Qin Shi mimicked Zhang Yun¡¯s posture and leaned against the cold bronze rabbit statue. He looked at the pedestrians walking back and forth in the center of the square and asked.


    ¡°Tell me, why did you suddenly call me out?


    Could it be that you want to show off your awakened talent to me?¡±


    Zhang Yun sighed, ¡°Show off, my ass. It took me two years. In the end, I¡¯m still a powerless priest. I am ready to go to the factory and work on the screws.¡±


    After a pause, Zhang Yun¡¯s right hand conjured a huge mace and placed it in front of Qin Shi.


    He continued, ¡°I asked you to come because I want you to take me to a guild of professionals and sell this low-level weapon in my hand, as well as some low-level basic materials.¡±

 Chapter 21 - Chapter 15: Cross-Dressing Boss (2/3)

    Chapter 21 Chapter 15: Cross-Dressing Boss (2/3)


    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with that place and don¡¯t know the rules. I need a guide.¡±


    Qin Shi covered his mouth and laughed.


    ¡°A priest? Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to be the main character and kill a kid with one strike? How did you suddenly become a great stay-at-home dad?¡±


    Zhang Yun rolled his eyes.


    ¡°What do you know? I¡¯m a wise man who understands the times.¡±


    If Zhang Yun¡¯s combat talent was terrible, why should he fight the monsters in the dungeon events? He could just become a priest and blend with the team. He only needed to heal them a bit and then enjoy his meal.


    ¡°Easy and fast money. It¡¯s an invincible class, alright?¡±


    Qin Shi tilted his head playfully.


    ¡°Hmm, that makes sense. You¡¯re indeed a master of theory. I remember that the basic requirements for priests to change their classes seem to be quite high. Their initial Spirit attribute should be a D-grade or above, right?¡±


    Zhang Yun nodded and answered.


    ¡°Yes. Actually, it¡¯s not that high.¡±


    It was just slightly higher than the minimum of other basic classes, which required D-grade attributes to change them.


    Qin Shi took out two gums from his pocket and threw one into Zhang Yun¡¯s palm. He personally peeled off the colorful packaging of the other one and put it in his mouth.


    ¡°But it still depends on the adaptability to the class, right? Some people are not suitable for the priest class. Even if their Spirit attribute reaches an A-grade, there is no way to change to a priest. As for those swordsmen and warriors, anyone can change their class. There¡¯s no threshold at all. In the end¡­ Actually, a priest can be considered a rare class.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Zhang Yun gave Qin Shi a strange look.


    Oh, no, it should be said that Zhang Yun glanced at him.


    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re just trying to comfort me, right? Did you secretly find out about my Attribute Growth Rate from some channel?¡±


    Qin Shi opened his small, cherry-like mouth and blew a pink bubble. He coolly admitted.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m the one who loves you the most. How can I not pay attention to your every move?¡±


    Zhang Yun gave Qin Shi the middle finger.


    ¡°Get lost, man! Also, my request is to find the Professional Alliance, not blow bubble gum!¡±


    Qin Shi extended his fair and tender right hand.


    ¡°Give me the money. I¡¯m now a true beginner professional. I charge by the hour. There is no deal if you don¡¯t have money.¡±


    Zhang Yun was utterly confused.


    ¡°Did you pass the Professional Qualification Examination?¡±


    Qin Shi revealed a proud smile.


    ¡°I passed it last year, okay? Hurry up! Call me Senior Sister! Oh, no, you should call me Senior!¡±


    ¡°o(** *)0¡±


    ¡®F*ck, it¡¯s been two years since I last saw him, but he¡¯s still so energetic in his female disguise. Qin Shi doesn¡¯t look like a handsome young man at all.¡¯ Zhang Yun asked curiously.


    ¡°How did you pass? Is it difficult?¡±


    Qin Shi raised his right hand and stretched out his index finger. He summoned a red flame at the tip of his finger, causing it to circle around his index finger like a mischievous little spirit.


    ¡°Just like that.¡±


    Zhang Yun gave him a thumbs up.


    ¡°Awesome! As expected of a genius mage! Your control over the fire element is so good that you¡¯re almost able to create your own skill, right?¡±


    Qin Shi put down his right hand and extinguished the small flame. Then, he continued to chew on the bubble gum in his mouth and mumbled.


    ¡°Just a little bit more. But I feel like it¡¯ll happen soon. If I successfully create one, I¡¯ll carry you, and you¡¯ll just have to heal me.¡±


    Zhang Yun responded.


    ¡°I can also add mana. I have a skill called Clarity.¡±


    Qin Shi blinked with a strange expression.


    ¡°What? A mana regeneration skill? Is your luck that terrific?¡±


    Zhang Yun waved his hand.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s just average. The upper limit of a bronze-grade Clarity skill isn¡¯t high. I¡¯ll definitely need a replacement later on.¡±


    Qin Shi revealed a disdainful expression. ¡°Come on! I was worried that you would give up on yourself! I didn¡¯t expect you to put all your luck on the dungeon drop rate! You just changed your class to clear the worst dungeon, but you already got a top-grade skill book, Clarity! In the future, when you go to high-level dungeons with higher drop rates, wouldn¡¯t you aim for top-tier skill books such as Holy Hymn and Hope Hymn?¡±


    Zhang Yun then asked, ¡°So, are you going to take me to the Professional Alliance or not?¡± Qin Shi blew out another pink bubble from his mouth.


    ¡°Go. I¡¯ll blow a few more gums. Oh, right, remember not to expose me later. Let¡¯s compare our statements first. My name is Qin Mingyue. I¡¯m 18 years old this year. I¡¯m a beautiful female mage who specializes in water element magic. Who is Qin Shi? Who is skilled in fire elemental magic? We don¡¯t know him.¡±


    Zhang Yun was speechless.


    ¡°Ugh. I know. You¡¯re really a busybody. I told you to come normally, but you insisted on wearing a girl¡¯s outfit. Luckily, I have a good personality. If it were anyone else, they would have beaten you up.¡±


    Qin Shi laughed lightly. ¡°Can they bear to beat me?¡±


    With the help of the experienced Qin Shi, Zhang Yun entered the Professional Alliance¡¯s auction house unimpeded and put up all the items he had obtained from the Reality Invasion Event.


    Instead of bidding, he set a lower price according to the market price.


    If others wanted to buy it, they could just pay directly.


    After all, they were only some of the lowest-level materials. Although the market demand was high, the supply of professionals was also large. There was no need to waste time raising the price, just to pursue a few more dollars.

 Chapter 22 - Chapter 15: Cross-Dressing Boss (3/3)

    Chapter 22 Chapter 15: Cross-Dressing Boss (3/3)


    ¡°It¡¯s in the trading area. I will just wait for the Professional Alliance to transfer the money to my bank card. Right?¡±


    Qin Shi put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the white wall. He nodded casually.


    ¡°Yes. What are we going to do next? Shopping?¡±


    Zhang Yun revealed the true reason why he looked for Qin Shi.


    ¡°I have recently been very interested in the history of other planes. I want to find a library that has access to relevant books. Do you know anything about it?¡±


    Qin Shi revealed a puzzled expression.


    ¡°The history of other planes? Do you want to become a dimension historian?¡±


    Zhang Yun shrugged.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m just interested. You like to read anyway, so just take it as visiting the library today.¡±


    Qin Shi raised his head and placed his index finger on his chin. He wore a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Let me think. I don¡¯t think there are such books in the library of Little Lantern Grass City. If you want to read the historical information summarized by the dimension historians, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to go to the Professional Alliance Library.¡±


    Zhang Yun guessed, ¡°There should be an entry requirement, right?¡±


    Qin Shi nodded.


    ¡°There is. You should at least be a probationary professional.¡±


    Zhang Yun said helplessly, ¡°Alright. I received it.¡±


    Qin Shi smiled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Don¡¯t mind the rules. Don¡¯t you still have a reliable and powerful teammate like me? Follow me.¡±


    As he spoke, Qin Shi took his hands out of his pockets and walked in the direction of the Professional Alliance Library.


    The men and women who passed by were all attracted by Qin Shi¡¯s amazing appearance and temperament. They couldn¡¯t help but turn back to take a few more glances and sigh.


    This guy, Zhang Yun, must have saved the galaxy in his previous life.


    Zhang Yun was speechless.


    This?


    100% head-turning rate?


    As expected, Qin Shi was lethal!


    When they arrived at the Professional Alliance Library, the administrator asked them to show their ID and Professional Qualification Certificate to prevent some outsiders who had not joined the Professional Alliance from ¡®stealing¡¯ information.


    Seeing this, Qin Shi reached into his pocket and took out an identity card and a Professional Qualification Certificate. He spoke with a soft voice.


    ¡°Sister, I¡¯m Qin Mingyue. This is my ID and Professional Qualification Certificate.¡±


    The administrator glanced at the two documents.


    ¡°What? Awesome! You¡¯re already a beginner professional at such a young age?¡±


    Qin Shi laughed lightly.


    ¡°I was just lucky.¡±


    After a pause, Qin Shi moved closer to the table and whispered to the administrator.


    ¡°My friend here¡­ He hasn¡¯t taken the Professional Alliance Examination, but he wants to learn more in advance through the library. Can you make an exception and let him in?¡±


    The administrator looked at the beautiful girl in front of her. She was sweet and cute, and her future was limitless. She waved her hand without hesitation.


    ¡°Go on. Don¡¯t worry! However, since he doesn¡¯t have a Professional Qualification Certificate, your friend can¡¯t borrow books from here. You are the only one who can, but there is a limit to the number of books you can borrow. Keep that in mind.¡±


    Qin Shi knew this rule, but he still bowed slightly and thanked the administrator.


    ¡°Okay, I got it. Sister, thank you!¡±


    Then, Qin Shi turned around and glanced at Zhang Yun.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time to enter and read.¡±


    Zhang Yun was speechless.


    As Zhang Yun had expressed¡­it wasn¡¯t his sexual orientation that had a problem. Even Aunty Administrator, who had seen countless people, had fallen for Qin Shi¡¯s pomegranate skirt.


    What more could be said for the ignorant and inexperienced Zhang Yun back then?

 Chapter 23 - Chapter 16: Clues About the Purple-Robed Mage (The Five Dragon Generals)

    Chapter 23 Chapter 16: Clues About the Purple-Robed Mage (The Five Dragon Generals)


    Entering the library, Zhang Yun and Qin Shi saw some professionals sitting at their desks while reading silently. The two unconsciously began to hush, tiptoed to the sign, and looked for the book section related to the history of planes.


    Soon¡­


    Zhang Yun found his target.


    He gathered all the history books possibly related to the Ice Kingdom from the bookshelf, found an empty seat, and laid out one of the books on the table. Zhang Yun carefully searched for the information he wanted.


    Qin Shi, on the other hand, was wandering around aimlessly. He flipped through books and scanned them to look for things that interested him.


    Finally¡­


    Qin Shi found ¡°Advanced Elements¡± and ¡°The Detailed Principles of Tendrility and Growth Enhancement¡±. He returned to Zhang Yun¡¯s desk and sat opposite him.


    Zhang Yun and Qin Shi lowered their heads and silently read their respective books. Time passed little by little with the sound of the pages turning.


    After about an hour, Zhang Yun finally saw the historical records of the Ice Kingdom in an old, gray, and decrepit book.


    The Ice Kingdom¡­


    Its full name was Ventaginya Kingdom.


    The specific information and geographical location of the plane were unclear. It was only provided that the Ice Kingdom was located in the center of a continent.


    This place was governed by the Royal Family, who had inherited the blood of the Snow God.


    Although the previous monarch¡¯s governance wasn¡¯t outstanding and the people of the kingdom lived a hard life, under the reform and reign of the 31st emperor, Ice Emperor Odin, the whole empire suddenly prospered, and the standard of living improved drastically.


    However, something occurred.


    The good times didn¡¯t last long.


    The old and weak Odin suddenly contracted a strange illness. There was no way to cure it. He could only take advantage of the fact that his illness had not completely worsened. Hence, he publicly announced that his only daughter would inherit the throne and become the next Ice Empress.


    However¡­


    The Hand of the King, who was trusted by Odin, was not optimistic about the young princess.


    He took control of the government without the help of the sickly Ice Emperor, secretly recruited knights, expanded his strength, and eliminated the rebels.


    The Hand of the King and his forces conspired to abolish the princess¡¯s right to the throne.


    Simultaneously, the young emperor of the Prongia Empire, Garukasa, suddenly led his unique dragon knight troops and launched an invasion.


    The unexpected lightning-fast attack, coupled with the plan to defect by the Hand of the King, didn¡¯t leave time for the knights of the Ice Kingdom to react. A major territory of the Ice Kingdom fell, and heaps of citizens were devastated.


    Even Ice Emperor Odin, who had led the expedition, had lost his life. He had been personally executed by the Flame Emperor at the Triumphal Arch in the capital.


    Fortunately, the young princess successfully escaped from the capital and took away the Holy Sword of the Ice Kingdom ¡°Gran Sanchario¡±. A spark of hope remained.


    She gathered the knights who had been defeated in various regions of the Ice Kingdom and reorganized them. She also visited the surrounding countries to seek allies and recruit mercenaries.


    In the end, the princess and her faction successfully killed their way back to the capital.


    The Ice Princess also hanged all the traitors who had betrayed her father and the entire Ice Kingdom.


    Thereafter, she was crowned as Ice Empress. She led the army of the Ice Kingdom to attack the territory of the Prongia Empire.


    After that¡­


    That was everything. There didn¡¯t seem to be any other historical documents or relics that could allow the author of the book to dig out more information.


    And so¡­


    Zhang Yun flipped to the last page of the book. He inspected the author¡¯s overall summary. According to the author, this mystical realm of the Ice Kingdom had only made itself known to humans once. It disappeared immediately after it was cleared, and there were no other dungeons related to it ever since.


    As for the professionals who entered the secret plane to explore, they only retrieved a historical document recording the deeds of the 32nd Ice Empress. There was not much description of her father, Odin.


    There were no detailed records of Flame Emperor Garukasa or the situation of his empire.


    Even the story of the main character, the Ice Empress, leading the kingdom¡¯s army to attack the Prongia Empire¡¯s territory was not mentioned at all. It was as short and powerless as an old and clueless eunuch.


    Zhang Yun concluded that.


    It was a record of a tragedy. However, with his fiery golden eyes, Zhang Yun still found an interesting piece of information. It seemed to be related to the purple-robed mage.


    When the young emperor of the Prongia Empire led his army to attack the Ice Kingdom, he brought five powerful generals who were known as the ¡°Five Dragon Generals¡±.


    One of the Five Dragon Generals, who had obtained the rare ¡°Mage¡± class, possessed a space-related ability known as ¡°Teleportation¡±.


    Hmmm¡­


    Teleportation¡­


    The possibility of the purple-robed mage being one of the magician¡¯s Five Dragon Generals¡­


    It was at least 90%¡­ The purple-robed mage¡¯s motive was also obvious. He wanted to kill the leader of the rebel army a year in advance. In doing so, the rebel army would be abolished immediately and eliminated by the knights at the border of the Ice Kingdom.


    Once the Snow God Festival was held, the knights of the Ice Kingdom¡¯s border would assume they completely eradicated the threat. They would certainly let their guard down and participate in the festivity. The Prongia Empire¡¯s troops could take this opportunity to attack and catch them offguard.


    In the end, the capital was breached.


    If the situation was reversed¡­


    If the Prongia Empire left the rebel army alone¡­


    During the celebration of the Snow God Festival, the Prongia Empire¡¯s troops would definitely be discovered and blocked by the knights at the Ice Kingdom¡¯s border. Regardless of whether the rebel army could stop the Prongia Empire¡¯s troops, the people would definitely spread the news to the various territories of the Ice Kingdom. By then, the nobles would be equipped properly for battle in advance and defend themselves to death.


    In that situation, they would only need 20 days to reach the capital of Ventaginya Kingdom. It was undoubtedly a fool¡¯s dream. As for delaying the invasion¡­it was impossible.


    The Snow God Festival was only held once every 10 years on the Snow God¡¯s birthday. If they did not seize this opportunity, they would have to wait another 10 years to quickly occupy the Ice Kingdom¡¯s capital at an extremely small price.


    So¡­


    To the Five Dragon Generals of the Prongia Empire¡¯s troops¡­


    No matter who the leader of the rebel army was, no matter how many rebel leaders there were, they had to all die before the Snow God Festival.


    This way, the ¡®Ice Kingdom Invasion Plan¡¯ would not be affected.


    Tsk!


    This should be the real situation! However, even though Zhang Yun had a rough idea of the identity of that purple-robed mage, he still didn¡¯t discover the mage¡¯s true strength or the exact timeline in the Ice Kingdom. If Zhang Yun rushed to do the simulation for the third time¡­


    It was very likely that he would waste a chance for Fjolm to improve her overall rating.


    However, Zhang Yun had to do something. Without the simulation¡­


    He didn¡¯t have any other means to find out more about the mage of the Five Dragon Generals.


    The longer it dragged on, the more losses Zhang Yun would suffer.


    He would lose even more exquisite skill books like Clarity¡­


    ¡°Ugh¡­ In the end. I¡¯m still too weak. If I¡¯m strong enough, and I choose to ¡®Personally Interfere¡¯ with Fjolm and freely control the system, I might be able to push that purple-robed mage to the ground and rub him in the dirt.¡±

 Chapter 24 - Chapter 17: Full-Level Clip Sound

    Chapter 24 Chapter 17: Full-Level Clip Sound


    After careful consideration, Zhang Yun finally decided to waste a chance for Fjolm to grow and study the background of the mage from the Five Dragon Generals.


    After all¡­


    No matter how good or bad the results were, Zhang Yun would still receive different rewards.


    If Zhang Yun missed a day, he might lose a top-grade skill book. The loss would hard to estimate.


    On the other hand, Fjolm¡¯s Overall Evaluation had already reached B-grade. Even if there was an effort to increase it, the grade would not go higher than B+.


    As long as one of the three simulations was successful, Fjolm¡¯s resulting strength would be improved even if a chance was wasted. By then, her potential value would be pushed to the highest.


    Even if all of Fjolm¡¯s chances failed, the worst result would be a demotion to a ¡®B¡¯ genius professional from a ¡®B+¡¯ genius professional.


    Zhang Yun didn¡¯t mind it. It was acceptable. Then¡­


    As a result¡­


    Zhang Yun¡¯s second goal of exploring the Ice Kingdom was barely completed.


    The remaining four goals needed to be dealt with.


    Foremost, the first, third, and fourth goals should be disregarded in the meantime. All of those would take time, so Zhang Yun didn¡¯t need to rush.


    What Zhang Yun did not lack the most was time.


    He should mainly focus on the fifth goal.


    Zhang Yun had to create a human identity for Fjolm.


    Such a goal seemed difficult, but it was actually achievable.


    After all, the border of every main city was the territory of dangerous monsters. The communication between cities was relatively weak, and the speed of information exchange was also very slow. Many times, a top-tier combat power was required to personally transmit information.


    What about phones, the internet, messenger pigeons, and so on then?


    Don¡¯t even think about them!


    Those invading monsters from the dungeon events¡­


    They wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to establish a global network so easily for real-time communication.


    As a result, some professionals who were running around always needed to obtain new identification documents in different main cities.


    Plus¡­


    The weaker professionals couldn¡¯t cause any waves or draw attention at all!


    The Professional Alliance of every main city was only concerned with the ID card of powerful professionals. Besides, the card was nothing more than a means to track the situation.


    Many ¡®black accounts¡¯ would take this opportunity to find a faster way to get their certificate of identity.


    They would then settle down in the new city to earn money and support their family.


    As long as they became five-star good citizens, obeyed the law, and did not commit offenses¡­


    Without changing the identity¡­


    The Professional Alliance would turn a blind eye and allow these people who ¡®violated the rules¡¯ to obtain their identity certificates and live in their chosen city.


    But could it be considered easy?


    In truth, most people didn¡¯t have the ability, nor did they have powerful connections. It would be impossible without a reliable back door.


    What a coincidence!


    Zhang Yun belonged to a group of people who had powerful connections.


    Did anyone notice that the handsome young man, Qin Shi, was holding the ID of a girl called ¡®Qin Mingyue¡¯ in his hand?


    ¡°Hey, Qin Shi, I have a favor to ask of you. It¡¯s time to test our brotherhood.¡±


    Qin Shi put down the ¡°Advanced Elements¡± in his hand and looked at Zhang Yun with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°What is it? Speak,¡± Qin Shi said.


    Zhang Yun touched his nose and said, ¡°I have a friend who is from overseas. She needs to apply for an ID to visit Little Lantern Grass City. Can you help her?¡±


    Qin Shi blinked.


    ¡°A foreigner? Male or female? An ordinary mortal or a professional?¡±


    Zhang Yun answered, ¡°A female professional.¡±


    Hearing this, Qin Shi placed his index finger on his lips. This action once again revealed Qin Shi¡¯s mature and sophisticated expression while deep in thought.


    After a long time, Qin Shi suddenly became serious and asked in a low voice, ¡°If it¡¯s a professional¡­can you guarantee that her origin and background are clean? Is she a foreign spy?¡± Zhang Yun shrugged and leaned back in his chair. He said with certainty, ¡°She¡¯s very clean.


    She is only at the first level. She doesn¡¯t have the potential of becoming important to the Professional Alliance. At most, she can take the test for beginner professionals that grants permission outside the city. Rather than sending her to steal information as a spy, isn¡¯t it better to send a high-level assassin to sneak into the headquarters of the Professional Alliance in our city?¡±


    After listening, Qin Shi revealed a relaxed expression and slowly said, ¡°First level? She is really clean. Alright, it¡¯s fine. Send me her one-inch photo and the name you want. I¡¯ll bring you her ID in three days.¡±


    Zhang Yun asked, ¡°How much will it cost?¡±


    Qin Shi sat on the chair with his legs crossed.


    He raised his right hand and gestured the number three.


    ¡°Thirty thousand. Get your friend to prepare the money.


    Zhang Yun nodded and said, ¡°Understood!¡±


    Excellent! The fifth goal was accomplished. Now, Zhang Yun could return to the house and proceed to the next round of text simulation. As he thought about it, Zhang Yun¡¯s phone in the pocket of his sweater rang. When he opened the device, he found that the ¡®Basic Materials¡¯ and the ¡®2-star Bronze Mace¡¯ had all been bought by others.


    The total transaction amount was 2100 yuan.


    After deducting the 10% processing fee, Zhang Yun would get 1890 yuan as profit. The Professional Alliance would transfer the money immediately, and he would receive it at night or tomorrow morning.


    Qin Shi came over and glanced at it curiously.


    ¡°So fast? And all of them were sold? It seems that you set the price a bit low.¡± Zhang Yun put away his phone and gathered the history books on the table together. He said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I only wanted to experience the process. I¡¯ll slowly study the price trend of those materials in the future.¡± After a pause, Zhang Yun picked up the stack of history books on the table and stood up from the chair. He asked in a low voice, ¡°I already found what I wanted to see. What about you? If you want to read a little more, I¡¯ll sit here and wait for you.¡±


    Qin Shi closed the book ¡°Advanced Elements¡±


    and stood up from the chair. He flipped his long hair behind his back out of habit. He couldn¡¯t hide his elegance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then. I have already fully understood elemental reactions.¡±


    Zhang Yun understood the meaning behind Qin Shi¡¯s words.


    ¡°Oh. I understand. Same old place, my treat. Drink as much as you want.¡± Qin Shi displayed a sweet smile.


    ¡°And then accompany me to the mall to buy a few dresses?¡±


    Zhang Yun refused decisively, ¡°I have to refuse. I¡¯d rather die than enter a women¡¯s clothing store with you.¡±


    Qin Shi gave a faint smile. ¡°You see. You¡¯re being too petty. Although I have a male body, my heart yearns for a beautiful girl. How can you deny my determination and treat me coldly?¡± Zhang Yun rolled his eyes, ¡°If I¡¯m really treating you coldly, I would have punched you a long time ago. You¡¯re so cute. You must be very beautiful when you cry, right?¡± Qin Shi placed his hands behind his back and revealed a shy expression.


    ¡°So¡­ Are you really not going to accompany me?¡±


    Zhang Yun stood firm. ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡¯ Qin Shi revealed a wicked smile. ¡°Then I¡¯m going to use my ultimate skill, okay?¡±


    ¡°Full~ Level~ The little throwing stick is here~¡±


    Dear ancestors! Please vote for me!

 Chapter 25 - Chapter 18: Let me introduce you to a prison meal (1)

    Chapter 25 Chapter 18: Let me introduce you to a prison meal (1)


    Faced with Qin Shi¡¯s shamelessness, Zhang Yun found it difficult to resist. In the end, he surrendered and agreed to accompany Qin Shi to the women¡¯s clothing store.


    Zhang Yun had no choice.


    He didn¡¯t want to book a wake-up service.


    Every day, he would be woken up by Qin Shi¡¯s scary girly voice.


    If Zhang Yun¡¯s aunt heard Qin Shi¡­


    It would even be more troublesome.


    Moreover, Zhang Yun suddenly called Qin Shi out today. The latter helped him twice, so Qin Shi should be rewarded at least.


    Sigh.


    In the end¡­


    Or was it because of Qin Shi¡¯s identity as a handsome young man?


    If Qin Shi had been a genuine true beauty, Zhang Yun would have been more than happy to accompany him to a lingerie store, let alone a women¡¯s clothing store.


    Who wouldn¡¯t want to go shopping with a beautiful and flawless girl every day and then be surrounded by other people¡¯s bitter and envious glances?


    Zhang Yun was not a saint.


    He also had a little bit of vanity.


    Just like that, the two of them left the Professional Alliance and went to the milk tea shop that they frequented most when they were young. They bought a few cups of milk tea of different flavors and drank to their heart¡¯s content.


    They then set off for the fashion hub in Northern City Square. Zhang Yun accompanied Qin Shi to visit several women¡¯s clothing stores. A pile of pretty little dresses was bought.


    Finally¡­


    The two of them parted at the bronze rabbit statue where they first met.


    Qin Shi took a taxi home with shopping bags of various sizes. Zhang Yun went to the elementary school where his two little cousins were studying to pick up the two little cuties, who were about to finish school.


    The older one was Yang Shiqi while the younger one was Yang Sinuo.


    But Zhang Yun preferred to call them by their pet names.


    Qiqi and Nono.


    Although they hadn¡¯t seen each other for two years, the two little cuties could still recognize Zhang Yun at a glance. They ran over excitedly and threw themselves into his arms like coquettish kittens.


    ¡°Brother Zhang Yun~¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re finally back~¡±


    Zhang Yun patted their little heads affectionately.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m back. Let¡¯s go. I have earned some money today. Let¡¯s buy some delicious food and go home after eating.¡±


    The two little cuties answered in unison.


    ¡°Alright~ Thank you, Brother Zhang Yun!¡± After his two younger cousins finished eating their favorite snacks and desserts, Zhang Yun took them on a slow walk home. On the way, he told them the story of his two years of hard work.


    In fact.


    There was nothing much to say.


    It was nothing more than training the body, learning professional knowledge, eating all kinds of potions that could improve the potential of the awakened talent, and so on.


    There was no satisfying scene of acting cool and slapping people¡¯s faces.


    Zhang Yun also didn¡¯t have any romantic relationships with beautiful girls.


    The clear water was light.


    It was extremely boring.


    However, no matter what Zhang Yun said, the little cuties liked it very much. They had been like this since they were young. Even if he repeated the story of Little Red Riding Hood millions of times, they would listen to it over and over again without getting bored.


    However¡­


    Just as they were about to reach home.


    The older sister, Qiqi suddenly asked, ¡°Brother Zhang Yun, did you find a girlfriend while you were training in school?¡±


    Zhang Yun was speechless. Thank you for the invitation.


    But he couldn¡¯t find one.


    Although there were a few pretty girls who appreciated his looks and took the initiative to confess¡­


    Zhang Yun automatically assumed the worst because of the psychological trauma left by Qin Shi in middle school.


    He rejected all of them.


    Qiqi said in her childish voice, ¡°Why don¡¯t you let my mom introduce you to a sister?¡± Zhang Yun smiled and waved his hand, ¡°No, no. Others won¡¯t like me.¡±


    Qiqi continued to ask, ¡°Should I introduce you to one?¡±


    Zhang Yun was dumbfounded.


    Qiqi?


    An introduction?


    Could anyone tell Zhang Yun if the prison food was good?


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Please don¡¯t! You¡¯re still young. Don¡¯t think about this. Study hard and make a name for yourself in the future.¡±


    Qiqi said with some regret, ¡°Ah, don¡¯t do that. I already showed her your photo before. She said you were very handsome. She was very interested in you.¡±


    Zhang Yun was even more stunned.


    His mind had been broken.


    He had to have a serious discussion with his aunt about this tonight.


    The two cute little cousins had obviously been led astray by some strange primary school students.


    Zhang Yun had to correct their thoughts in time.


    Just in case something would happen in the future.


    At this time, Qiqi suddenly leaned over to Zhang Yun and asked innocently, ¡°Eh? Brother Zhang Yun, did you misunderstand? Qiqi knows! Brother Zhang Yun can¡¯t be together with children of Qiqi¡¯s age. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be in prison. So the girlfriend whom Qiqi is going to introduce is our Teacher Bai!¡± Zhang Yun spoke in embarrassment. ¡°Your teacher? How old is she?¡± Qiqi tilted her head and thought, ¡°Hmm¡­ I remember Teacher Bai saying she¡¯s 18 years old this year. She should be the same age as you, Brother Zhang Yun. You can get along then, right?¡±


    Zhang Yun asked, ¡°Is she a new intern teacher who just got hired this year?¡±


    Qiqi and Nono nodded their heads together.


    ¡°Yes~¡±


    ¡°Ms. Bai is a very good person~¡±


    ¡°Qiqi and Nono like her extremely~¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhang Yun, if you become a couple with her, we¡¯ll be able to see Teacher Bai every day and eat the dessert she makes~¡± Zhang Yun shook his head and said, ¡°Forget it, I don¡¯t want to think about this for the time being. If you like Ms. Bai¡¯s cakes, you can tell her directly. She¡¯ll definitely be happy to bake cakes for you two cuties every day.¡± Zhang Yun added, ¡°If you¡¯re not willing¡­tell me and I¡¯ll help you guys. I guarantee that she¡¯ll become your personal chef. In the future, you can eat as many desserts as you want.¡±


    Qiqi and Nono replied obediently.


    ¡°Yes, yes~¡±


    ¡°Alright~¡±


    ¡°(* 1 ¨‹ T*)¡±


    When he got home, Zhao Yiyi was not back yet.


    Zhang Yun asked the two little cuties to do their homework while he ran to the kitchen. He used the rice cooker to steam rice and prepare the dishes to be cooked.


    Then, he returned to his room, locked the door, and lay on the soft bed.


    Zhang Yun started the third round of text simulation.


    ¡°Alright! The Five Dragon Generals? I hope that backgrounds in one round¡­¡±


    I can thoroughly investigate all of your [Current Shadow Plane: Ice Kingdom (Highest B+)]


    [Time Node: Year 346 of the Sunset Calendar, the Snow God¡¯s Birthday (Snow God Festival)]


    [Major Event of the Era: The emperor of Ventaginya Kingdom, Ice Emperor Odin, was old and weak. He did not have much time left¡­]


    [Please choose the faction you want to join.]


    [A: Ice Princess ¨C Royal Army]


    [B: Flame Emperor ¨C Imperial Army]


    [C: Other Countries ¨C Random Forces]


    [D: Don¡¯t help anyone ¨C Become King]


    [Special: With your Shadow Hero, Fjolm, as an anchor point, you can reverse the time of the plane and perform a fixed arrival!]


    It was here!


    The anchor point of the Shadow Hero that determined the timeline and the spawn point! ¡°I choose the special option! Reverse the time!


    I will descend at a fixed point!¡± [You activated ¡°Backtrack¡± and returned to the beginning. When you opened your eyes, you saw the familiar scene again¡ªa dirty and narrow cage, a young girl bound by chains, and a group of shirtless bandits who wanted to commit something heinous.]


    [Choose your option.]


    [A: Join the bandits.]


    [B: Kill all the bandits and enjoy the treat alone.]


    [C: Kill all the bandits and save the girl.]


    [D: Kill the girl and enjoy the bandit title by yourself.]


    [Special: Lead your Shadow Legion to personally descend and interfere.]

 Chapter 26 - Chapter 19: Im Not Interested in Fame

    Chapter 26 Chapter 19: I¡¯m Not Interested in Fame


    There was nothing to hesitate about. Zhang Yun went for Option C. He would eliminate all the bandits and save the girl.


    However¡­


    After killing the group of bandits and saving the girl, Zhang Yun did not ask around for the whereabouts of the Silver Wolf Bandits as he did in his previous life.


    Instead, Zhang Yun went straight to the stronghold of the Silver Wolf Bandits according to the route in his memory.


    In order to avoid the previous mistake, he assigned Shadow Soldiers to scout and look out for any pursuers.


    Even though the Shadow Soldiers were all puppets that followed orders, they had to receive them in person before they could be deployed. The Shadow Soldiers could not be controlled remotely, nor could they read the map and memories in Zhang Yun¡¯s mind. Even so, Zhang Yun had to do something.


    He could give instructions in advance like a ¡®pseudo¡¯ remote control.


    For example, if the Shadow Soldiers realized someone was following Zhang Yun, they would self-destruct and transmit the information to the system.


    But if the Shadow Soldiers didn¡¯t find any enemies following Zhang Yun, they would hide in the shadows until Zhang Yun reached his destination. Zhang Yun could then recall his soldiers.


    Previously, Zhang Yun had left the Shadow Soldiers at the located base of the Silver Wolf Bandits to observe the movements of the Royal Army at the border.


    Zhang Yun used this method.


    There was more.


    The Shadow Soldiers were creatures that were transformed from the shadows of corpses.


    There were no physical limitations or possibility of negative emotions.


    The Shadow Soldiers wouldn¡¯t get fatigued.


    They would not feel fear.


    Despite being injured, the Shadow Soldiers could drift in the darkness and recover on their own until reaching peak condition.


    But the Shadow Soldiers were not immune to death.


    Furthermore, there was no possibility of resurrection.


    If something went wrong with Zhang Yun¡¯s ¡°covert operation¡± and the Shadow Soldiers discovered a large number of people following them, self-destructing would be rendered useless.


    It was equivalent to¡­


    As long as the enemies were thorough, they would discover the specific abilities of Brother Shadow.


    Even if they were just a group of ordinary people, they could ambush and wear down Brother Shadow and his Shadow Legion.


    The key point was to prevent the number of people on their side from becoming a member of the opponent. This was akin to the Umbrella Corporation¡¯s battle against the hordes of zombies and the Silver Northern Expedition¡¯s battle with the Lich King¡­


    Following the route in his memory, Zhang Yun quickly arrived at the stronghold where Fjolm was located.


    The plot was going in the same direction as the previous week.


    When Fjolm heard about Zhang Yun¡¯s background from the girl he had saved, she rushed into the room angrily and questioned Zhang Yun¡¯s identity and purpose. Zhang Yun answered with rehearsed words.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who I am. What¡¯s important is that I¡¯ll help you. I can protect the refugees at the border, defeat the Royal Army, and then march south into the capital to fight against the Hand of the King, Bu Lai, who intends to usurp the throne. We can save the princess from the quagmire and assist her in becoming the Ice Empress. She is the rightful heir to the throne. This will benefit the people.¡±


    Fjolm was shocked.


    ¡°You! Who exactly are you?!Why do you know my thoughts like the back of your hand?!¡± Hearing this, Zhang Yun smiled. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the Shadow Legion that he had transformed after defeating the bandits on the way.


    ¡°You can call me¡­Yun!¡±


    Looking at the densely packed shadow creatures in front of her, Fjolm subconsciously took two steps back. Her right hand holding the ice spear trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes revealed obvious fear.


    The second level¡­


    They were just at the second level¡­


    But the dangerous aura that these strange shadow creatures emitted¡­


    They were not inferior to professionals at the fifth level in the Royal Army¡­


    Fjolm was certain that as long as the man in front of her wanted to kill her, no matter if it was her who had been through hundreds of battles or the ordinary people in the stronghold, they would not be able to survive under this terrifying Shadow Army.


    Unless she was in her best state.


    Only then would she be able to escape. Zhang Yun snapped his fingers and recalled all the Shadow Soldiers into the darkness. He cleared the entire room and spoke calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I have said it before. I¡¯m not here to hurt you or the people at the border. I¡¯m here to help you.¡±


    Fjolm suppressed the panic in her heart, sheathed her weapons, and pretended to sit on the chair in the middle of the room calmly. She asked in a low voice. ¡°Why? Why would you help us?¡± Zhang Yun looked at her with sincere eyes.


    ¡°Because¡­ This is my promise to Milano. I once swore that I would help him rescue the refugees at the border so that they could enjoy peace in the Ice Kingdom and live in a happy era without worrying about food and clothing.¡±


    Of course¡­


    This was also Zhang Yun¡¯s promise to her¡­


    Fjolm continued to pretend to be calm before asking. ¡°Why should I believe you? Milano never told me that he knew such a powerful and rare professional like you, who could summon so many shadow creatures!¡±


    Zhang Yun sat on the chair, crossed his legs, put his hands together, and rested his chin on his palm. He resembled an overbearing president.


    ¡°You can only trust me. If I wanted to harm you, then with the Shadow Army that I just summoned, neither you nor your subordinates outside the door would be able to deal with it.


    Right?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Fjolm fell silent.


    In the face of absolute strength, there was no need for the other party to deceive her. As long as he wanted to, Zhang Yun could join the Royal Army at the borders at any time and become a great general who was deeply valued by the ¡®local tyrant¡¯.


    Why did he have to win the favor of these ordinary people?


    Fjolm took a deep breath and responded.


    ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll let you join! Do you have any plans for our future development?¡± Zhang Yun said slowly, ¡°With your ability and talent, it is not difficult to fight against the corrupted knights at the border. So, I won¡¯t meddle in this matter. You can do whatever you want at your own pace. My Shadow Army and I will listen to your commands.¡± Fjolm was a little confused. ¡°Ah? Listen to my orders?¡± This? With his heaven-defying strength, Yun could have become the leader of the entire team. If his uprising was successful in the future, he would have been rewarded by the Ice Emperor and be considered a great hero who saved the kingdom!


    Why did this man still have to listen to Fjolm¡¯s orders?


    Was Yun trying to pass over the reputation and credit?


    The people at the border and the knights of the kingdom would not care about what Yun actually did.


    They would only pay attention to who was the one with the highest position, and naturally think that it was all the other party¡¯s effort.


    As if he had guessed what was on Fjolm¡¯s mind, Zhang Yun picked up the glass on the table and took a sip of red wine. He spoke generously.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in honor. And I do not of desire to become the emperor. I don¡¯t want to rule a country. That¡¯s too much trouble. Furthermore¡­ I don¡¯t know anything about the art of war. You are the former commander the kingdom, so you have more experience than I do. Your critical-thinking skills are much better, and you have a superior understanding of the battlefield.¡± Zhang Yun assured, ¡°I¡¯m not tricking you. I¡¯ll let you lead the entire rebel army and become the leader with the highest position. Only then will the others be convinced and not make any mistakes.¡±


    After a pause, Zhang Yun put down the wine in his hand and looked straight into the beautiful blue eyes of Fjolm. He continued.


    ¡°Of course, I also have my own purpose. Do you know anything about the Flame Emperor and the Five Dragon Generals of the Prongia Empire?¡±

 Chapter 27 - Chapter 20: The Abandoned People of the Volcanic Region

    Chapter 27 Chapter 20: The Abandoned People of the Volcanic Region


    ¡°The Flame Emperor and the Five Dragon Generals of the Prongia Empire? That group of people from the volcanic region?¡±


    Fjolm was a little curious. Zhang Yun had a rare top-tier class, and he could fight against a regular army by himself. Why would he pay attention to the ¡®abandoned people¡¯ in the volcanic region? Those people had almost been forgotten by the world.


    Zhang Yun said, ¡°Yes. Tell me everything you know.¡±


    Although Fjolm was curious, she didn¡¯t probe further. Instead, she shared everything she knew about the Prongia Empire.


    ¡°The Prongia Empire was located to the north of Ventaginya Kingdom. The world called it Volcanic State.¡±


    This was because their empire was built right above a massive volcano.


    The volcano was not in danger of eruption due to the help of the first Fire God who used his divine power to seal it entirely.


    However, the temperature all year round was sweltering hot, and volcanic ashes were scattered in the air. The environment was not suitable for planting crops, so their state appeared desolate, and food was extremely scarce.


    However¡­


    Given that the people of the Prongia Empire were all descendants of the Fire God, their physiques were very special. They were incapable of getting acclimated to territories without high temperatures, and they wouldn¡¯t survive on continents dominated by cold climates.


    Likewise, a large-scale war broke out in the past.


    Given that their domain was on barren land on a volcano, the citizens of the Prongia Empire didn¡¯t get involved nor participate in conflicts beyond their area.


    It was as if there was a second world completely separated from the continent.


    As a result, the rest called them ¡®abandoned people¡¯.


    Of course, these ¡®abandoned people¡¯ were not stupid. They knew that their territory was not suitable for farming, so they found another way to survive and develop.


    And that way was to vigorously develop the military industry.


    The people of the Prongia Empire had the best control over the fire element in the entire continent. Their weapon-forging skills were also better than that of the other countries.


    Using superior weapons and rare ores mined from volcanoes to exchange for food from other countries was their means of survival to this day.


    As for the Flame Emperor and the Five Dragon Generals¡­


    Fjolm wasn¡¯t very clear about it. She only knew that the volcanic land used to be extremely chaotic internally. Although it was a single state in name, there were actually many divided clans.


    The natives of the volcanic land could not interfere in the conflicting interests on the continent while the various countries on the continent could not interfere in the domestic affairs of the volcanic land.


    Hence, infighting within the Prongia Empire was prevalent.


    However¡­


    When the genius professional named ¡®Garukasa¡¯ appeared out of nowhere¡­ The direction of the wind suddenly changed.


    With his own power, Garukasa defeated and subdued all the clans in the volcanic region. Then, he unified the land and deemed himself the ¡®Emperor of Flame¡¯ or ¡®Flame Emperor¡¯ for short.


    The once chaotic volcanic land had now become a real empire. A mighty force was under the rule and dictatorship of Flame Emperor Garukasa.


    This was all the information about Prongia that Fjolm knew.


    Zhang Yun fell silent when he received the details.


    After asking for a long time, Zhang Yun figured out the background of the Prongia Empire and the reason why the Ice Kingdom was not wary of Garukasa. Nevertheless, he still failed to discover the specific strength of the Flame Emperor and the Five Dragon Generals.


    What was even more annoying was¡­ From the looks of it, it wasn¡¯t just Zhang Yun who didn¡¯t know the domestic affairs of the Prongia Empire. Even the other nobles didn¡¯t know how strong the military power of the Prongia Empire was. After all¡­


    They could never have imagined that this group of abandoned people who could not live under normal temperatures would one day raise the butcher¡¯s knife, which represented invasion, against the Ice Kingdom, the place with the coldest climate on the continent.


    Plus¡­


    The resources of the Prongia Empire were inferior.


    Based on common sense, even if the Prongia Empire had better weapons and equipment, was impossible for them to contend with the rich and powerful Ice Kingdom in a head-on war¡­


    it Sigh¡­ At the end of the day, it was the people of the Ice Kingdom who had been living too comfortably and had underestimated their enemies.


    After all, the volcanic region wouldn¡¯t be able to spare some hands to interfere with the affairs of the mainland when there was a civil war among their clans. The Ice Kingdom could simply let the people of the Prongia Empire fight each other and not meddle. However, when Flame Emperor Garukasa, was ambitious and full of aspirations, appeared¡­


    who The subjects of the Ice Kingdom should have been more vigilant.


    At the very least, the Ice Kingdom should send out scouts and spies to study the military strength of this ¡®new¡¯ country, especially the group of professionals who represented the leading forces of the Prongia Empire. That was right!


    This referred to the Five Dragon Generals.


    If the Five Dragon Generals were only concerned with guarding their territory in good faith¡­


    Then, there was no need to be wary.


    However, if the Prongia Empire was dissatisfied with being confined to their volcanic land, they had the option of uniting their forces to take over the rest of the world.


    The Ice Kingdom should have made the preparations in advance and gauged the possible threat before trouble could occur.


    The Ice Kingdom was blind and clueless. The invasion was inevitable¡­ Zhang Yun had no choice.


    He could only ask in a roundabout way to roughly judge the strength of the enemy. ¡°Fjolm, I want to know if you have seen a professional above the fifth level or¡­ Have you ever seen a distinguished expert who can kill you in one move and leave you no time to react?¡±


    Fjolm replied with a puzzled look, ¡°Above the fifth level? Since ancient times, the fifth level had always been the upper limit of professionals. There has never been a professional who has broken through such a limit. Why would you ask this question?¡±


    Zhang Yun was speechless.


    Alright¡­


    It seemed like the Ice Kingdom was a low-level world. They didn¡¯t even have dungeons. The weapons and equipment they used were all handmade. Naturally, they wouldn¡¯t have access to items that could help them break through the fifth level.


    Without noticing the strange expression that flashed across Zhang Yun¡¯s face, Fjolm continued, ¡°As for an expert who can easily crush me¡­ Naturally, there are people who can.


    For example, the Ice Emperor when he was young, Royal Knight Dulan, and Mage Swordsman Russell. All of them are geniuses who are far stronger than me. I couldn¡¯t even take a single hit from them. I will be defeated.¡± ¡®Hmmm¡­ If this was the case¡­¡¯ Zhang Yun could roughly estimate the power of the purple-robed mage. Level 5¡­


    The mage could grasp the power of space and use high-level skills such as teleportation¡­ He also knew dark-element magic and release shadow orbs¡­


    Zhang Yun was not sure if the mage had mastered the conventional elemental magic like Qin Shi.


    The growth rate of the purple-robed mage¡¯s four-dimensional attributes was naturally above B, unlike the ¡®pseudo¡¯ B-grade that required a comprehensive evaluation to slowly grow like in Fjolm¡¯s case.


    So¡­


    The purple-robed mage¡¯s four-dimensional attributes also far exceeded that of Fjolm, who had yet to officially grow into a ¡®pseudo¡¯ B-grade professional. He could attack faster than Fjolm and deal much heavier damage. Zhang Yun was instantly killed by him without any power to fight back.

 Chapter 28 - Chapter 21: Real Five-Star Characters vs. Pseudo Five-Star Characters

    Chapter 28 Chapter 21: Real Five-Star Characters vs. Pseudo Five-Star Characters


    Sigh¡­


    How troublesome¡­


    A professional with four attributes above ¡®B¡¯ would be considered a genius among geniuses in the Little Lantern Grass City where Zhang Yun lived.


    A few years might be needed.


    Only then would there be one or two lucky ones.


    In Hai Lingzhi City and all the surrounding satellite cities, the total population had reached 10 million. Even so, the probability of a natural B-grade professional appearing was only one in a hundred thousand.


    Some people might say that this was too scant. Actually, it wasn¡¯t.


    First of all, the concept should be discussed clearly.


    A natural B-grade professional and a ¡®pseudo¡¯ B-grade professional didn¡¯t belong on the same plane of existence.


    Take the card drawing game as an example. A professional with a natural B-grade would start with such a grade in terms of Strength and Agility Growth Rate.


    Whether it was D or A, it didn¡¯t matter what the Overall Evaluation was.


    The attribute points they gained from leveling up were all based on the standard of B-grade or above.


    It wouldn¡¯t be dependent on the D-grade standard.


    It was equivalent to¡­


    These were true legendary characters who were born with five stars.


    As for the ¡®pseudo¡¯ B-grade professionals, they referred to those who had a growth rate of D-grade to C-grade in their four-dimensional attributes, but their Overall Evaluation had reached B-grade.


    In the early stages, the ¡®pseudo¡¯ B-grade professionals would grow according to the Attribute Growth Rate of a D-grade or C-grade.


    They were similar to ordinary professionals.


    But with time, the faster they could obtain their attributes, there would also be some extra attribute points to make up for the losses in the early stage.


    This was because the original D-grade and C-grade Attribute Growth Rates would constantly move toward B-grade under the influence of the Overall Evaluation. In the end, all of them would become B-grade, and the attribute values would need to be revised.


    It was equivalent to¡­


    These were ¡®pseudo¡¯ five-star characters that had broken through from three-star and four-star characters to five-star.


    In that case, could a real five-star character be on the same level as a ¡®pseudo¡¯ five-star character that had broken through later in life?


    Obviously not.


    Therefore, Zhang Yun¡¯s judgment of the purple-robed mage¡¯s combat power, from high to low, could only be based on these few situations: [Innate B+]


    [Pseudo B+ (Complete)]


    [Innate B]


    [Pseudo B+ (Growth Stage)]


    [Pseudo B (Complete)]


    [Fjolm (Growth Stage)]


    And the higher the ranking, the higher the possibility.


    Of course¡­


    There were also a few special circumstances.


    For instance: Certain professionals who specialized in a specific ability, such as [B+] Spirit Growth Rate, and all other [D] Glass Cannon Mages, would break with-single touch. Perhaps, the purple-robed mage teleported over after his magic damage output was temporarily increased by 500% through a buff. He would then enter a long period of weakness after the effects wore off.


    Zhang Yun could not consider these for the time being.


    Because¡­


    If that was the case¡­


    If Zhang Yun had the means to rely on his invincible Shadow Legion to toy with the other party¡­


    ¡°Forget it! There¡¯s no use thinking about these things. What¡¯s going to come will come¡­ It¡¯s better to help the uprising army expand first. After we suppress the enemies at the border, I¡¯ll personally make a trip to the volcanic land. After all¡­except for the mage¡­the rest of the Five Dragon Generals of the Prongia Empire will probably try to assassinate Fjolm as well. We have to wipe them all out.¡±


    He made up his mind.


    Zhang Yun continued with the simulation.


    [After several months of recuperation, Fjolm recovered 90% of her strength, and after a long period of contact, she became more and more trusting of you.]


    [Fjolm invited you to talk all night to explain her next battle plan¡­]


    The development of the matter was similar to the previous week.


    While secretly providing relief to the people at the border, Fjolm trained the combat power of the Silver Wolf Bandits. At the same time, she tried to contact the ambitious knights in the Royal Army at the border and persuade the bottom-level officers who had long been dissatisfied with the local tyrants to defect.


    When Fjolm fully recovered her strength¡­


    She and her forces would then declare an official uprising.


    The difference was¡­


    In the previous week, the location of their main stronghold had been discovered due to the spies who tailed Zhang Yun from the borders.


    The Silver Wolf Bandits had to move to another base. This time, Zhang Yun acted alone. No one had noticed or followed him, and thus, he had found the Silver Wolf Bandits¡¯ stronghold without attracting attention.


    The main base remained intact.


    No enemy had invaded.


    [With your help, the uprising army led by Fjolm was unstoppable. The Royal Army was firmly suppressed at the border.]


    [It would only take a few more months, at most, to completely liberate the entire border.]


    [At this time, you suddenly looked for Fjolm and told her that you were headed north to the Prongia Empire.]


    [Nevertheless, half of the Shadow Soldiers would remain, and they would listen to Fjolm¡¯s orders unconditionally.]


    [Although Fjolm was reluctant to part with you, she didn¡¯t ask you to stay. Her understanding nature made her accept that you had more important things to do.]


    [Thereafter, with the help of a guide that was familiar with the northern terrain found by Fjolm, you successfully arrived at the ¡®new¡¯ country built on top of a volcano.]


    [At this time, you were surprised to find that the Flame Emperor of the Prongia Empire had implemented a policy of enlisting all the natives to become soldiers. Garukasa made every citizen living in the volcanic land pick up a weapon in their hands and constantly train their combat skills.]


    [Simultaneously, in order to prevent this information from leaking outside the territory, all visitors would be invited to a tea party by the Imperial Army. They would not be allowed to leave the volcanic region or take even half a step. Otherwise, the outsiders would be killed without mercy.]


    [You realized that the Flame Emperor had long planned to conquer the entire continent. The Ice Kingdom was his first target of invasion.]


    [Choose an option.]


    [A: Find a way to join the Flame Emperor.]


    [B: Confront the Imperial Army of the Prongia Empire.]


    [C: Gather information from all over the place first.]


    [D: Be invited to the tea party by the other party.]


    [Special: Personally interfere.]


    Tsk!


    Wasn¡¯t it part of the plot to be invited to the tea party the moment he arrived?


    There was no need to think about it. Option D, which was to be invited to have tea, could be directly abandoned. This was no different from waiting for death.


    Aside from that¡­


    Option B, to directly confront the Imperial Army of the Prongia Empire¡­ Zhang Yun definitely couldn¡¯t choose this.


    Brother Shadow was still not qualified to challenge the other party directly. If they started fighting, Zhang Yun would definitely be killed by the Five Dragon Generals who could teleport.


    He didn¡¯t even need to do anything. The Dragon Cavalry of the Prongia Empire patrolling the streets could annihilate Brother Shadow and his Shadow Legion. Their strength was infinitely better than the white-armored knights of the Royal Army at the border.


    It seemed that the Imperial Army around the Flame Emperor had been specially sent out by him from the capital to deal with those ¡®foreigners¡¯ who had come from afar.


    So¡­


    The only remaining choices were Option A and Option C.


    Under normal circumstances, Option C would be better. Gathering information before taking action was definitely much better than doing things blindly.


    However, considering that the Flame Emperor¡¯s invasion attempt was already blatant¡­


    If Brother Shadow were to ask these knights questions, it would be easy for them to label him as a ¡®Spy of the Ice Kingdom¡¯, and Zhang Yun would be executed without leaving any survivors.


    And so.


    In the end, Zhang Yun chose option A.


    He would first infiltrate the enemy¡¯s base and slowly gather information. Once he found a suitable method, he would come back and destroy these guys.

 Chapter 29 - Chapter 22: Personal Intervention

    Chapter 29 Chapter 22: Personal Intervention


    [You told the knights of the Prongia Empire who wanted to escort you that you had long admired the deeds of His Majesty, the Flame Emperor. You came from the south to the volcanic land to join the great Prongia Empire and accumulate great achievements with His Majesty, the Flame Emperor, to unify the world.]


    [The Imperial Army asked what you were talking about with a serious face.]


    [You didn¡¯t answer the question. Instead, you waved your hand and summoned 10 Shadow Soldiers, revealing your value as a rare professional.]


    [The Imperial Army was on guard, and the Dragon Cavalry patrolling the streets also surrounded you. They raised the scythe weapons in their hands and stared at you covetously. As long as you and your Shadow Soldiers made any strange movements, their mounts, the fire dragons, would rush up and tear you into pieces.]


    [You looked at them calmly and bluntly declared you would meet the highest figurehead of this city. You wanted to talk to him about your thoughts on joining the Prongia Empire.]


    [Seeing this, the Imperial Army did not dare to delay. They immediately sent a companion to the Imperial Palace on a horse and reported your appearance to the sovereign.]


    [After a long time, a noble knight riding a black horse, wearing black armor and half a black mask on his face, only revealing his mouth and nose, appeared in front of you.]


    [He called himself the Dark Knight. He was one of the Five Dragon Generals of the Prongia Empire.]


    [You discovered that he was the same as Fjolm, a hero soul that fulfills the Shadow Contract.]


    F*ck!


    The Prongia Empire¡¯s Five Dragon Generals?


    It was actually a hero soul that Zhang Yun could contract?!


    He could actually contract a hero soul with a completely different standpoint?!


    Then?


    Brother Shadow¡¯s ability to simulate text?


    The original intention was for Zhang Yun to recruit powerful Shadow Heroes in this dimension¡¯s history. It didn¡¯t matter which faction Zhang Yun wanted to join or what he wanted to do.


    Did everything depend on his thoughts?


    And values?


    Did that mean Zhang Yun could just act like a saint at the beginning and transform into a demon who could obliterate the world if he wanted to?


    It was really a test of human nature¡­


    [Dark Knight Leon was keenly interested in you since you could summon Shadow Soldiers. He would accept your offer to join if you do something first.]


    [Eliminate the fleeing general of the Five Dragons-Hero Kanan.]


    [Prove your ability.]


    [You didn¡¯t understand. Dark Knight Leon and Hero Kanan were both members of the Five Dragon Generals. Why would Dark Knight Leon want to kill his own comrade¡­ Besides, your strength wasn¡¯t comparable to the Five Dragon Generals yet.]


    [Dark Knight Leon didn¡¯t explain the reason. He only said that this was the order of His Majesty, the Flame Emperor. Even if you didn¡¯t go, he would go himself.]


    As for the strength of Hero Kanan, he was indeed stronger than you at his peak, but his body was seriously injured, and there were not many trusted aides left. With the strength you just showed, you still have a very high chance of killing him.


    [In this regard, you choose¡­]


    [A: Agree to Leon¡¯s request to hunt down Hero Kanan.]


    [B: Reject Leon and request for other missions.]


    [C: Ambush Leon to eliminate one of the Five Dragon Generals first.]


    [D: Think of a way to escape and give up on being associated with the other party.]


    [Special: Personally interfere.]


    Ha!


    Interesting!


    An internal strife among the Five Dragon Generals?


    Thinking about it, the Flame Emperor¡¯s decision to invade the Ice Kingdom with the entire empire¡¯s strength must have met with the resistance of Hero Kanan. Helplessly, he could only order his subordinates to deal with this member of the Five Dragon Generals who was equivalent to a ¡®traitor¡¯. But it was hard to say.


    Maybe Kanan was like Fjolm. On the surface, he betrayed his country and his ruler, but there might be a different reason. Or, he could have been framed by some villains.


    Zhang Yun concluded he should accept the mission first, find Hero Kanan, and ask for his opinion.


    Perhaps this was an opportunity to help Fjolm tide over the ¡®crisis¡¯?


    Option A!


    [Dark Knight Leon admired your decisiveness.


    He threw you a magic stone that glowed and a map of the Prongia Empire.]


    [You only need to follow the map to the Flaming Canyon in the volcanic land and observe the flashing frequency of the stone with tracking magic. You could then roughly determine the location of Hero Kanan.]


    [To ensure that you wouldn¡¯t run away halfway, Dark Knight Leon tailed you from behind. However, he wouldn¡¯t make a move. He would only enjoy this game of cat and mouse like an audience.]


    You didn¡¯t care about this. Instead, you directly embarked on this hunting game-like journey to the Flaming Canyon of the volcanic land, a place famous for its complex terrain.


    [In order to wear down Dark Knight Leon¡¯s guard, you only summoned 10 Shadow Soldiers from the beginning to the end and never let him discover your true capabilities. In fact, you can summon a complete Shadow Legion.]


    [And the conceited Dark Knight Leon only brought a dozen Level-5 Knight Guards with him. They followed you from a distance and didn¡¯t keep pace with you.]


    [Very quickly, you relied on that flashing tracking magic stone and found Hero Kanan who was hiding in the depths of the Flaming Canyon, as well as a group of young children from the Prongia Empire. Their red hair confirmed their identity as the descendants of the Fire God.]


    [You choose¡­]


    [A: Directly take action and complete Dark Knight Leon¡¯s mission.]


    [B: Go negotiate with Hero Kanan and ask for his reason.]


    [C: Leave this place and pretend that you haven¡¯t found the other party.]


    [D: Mislead Dark Knight Leon who hasn¡¯t arrived yet.]


    [Special: Personally interfere.]


    The choice this time was related to the growth potential of Fjolm and the third hero soul that Zhang Yun had come into contact with. Therefore¡­


    Zhang Yun thought.


    He could no longer directly make choices and let Brother Shadow follow the first thought in his mind without any modification or proper evaluation.


    It would be too easy for problems to arise. For example, in the second round, Zhang Yun was questioned by Fjolm about why he was unwilling to help the girl¡¯s village and resist the group of evil bandits¡­ At this moment. Zhang Yun had to do it personally. He wanted to know the reason why Kanan and the Flame Emperor were enemies. Zhang Yun could then see if he could pull the other party to his side and help Fjolm resist the invasion of the Prongia Empire. Or perhaps¡­


    Zhang Yun could complete the mission assigned by Dark Knight Leon and use this opportunity to get close to the other Five Dragon Generals and the Flame Emperor. He would find a chance to kill them.


    By doing so, Fjolm could survive and have an opportunity to advance with a B+ Overall Evaluation. At the same time, she could survive the major events of the era and obtain the gold mine of the underground city teleportation portal.


    Of course¡­ Zhang Yun had another purpose. That was to use this option to experience the specific effects of ¡®personal interference¡¯. He had a feeling.


    This special option came with a certain special effect.


    It was not as simple as it seemed. ¡°So¡­ I choose! Special option! I¡¯ll personally interfere!¡±

 Chapter 30 - Chapter 23: The Flame Emperors Sacrificial Ceremony

    Chapter 30 Chapter 23: The Flame Emperor¡¯s Sacrificial Ceremony


    ¡®Thump!¡¯ It was accompanied by a church bell that sounded near and far.


    Zhang Yun¡¯s consciousness gradually blurred. It was as if he was having a hangover. He suddenly woke up in an unknown place.


    The surrounding scene changed from a bedroom full of posters to a vast canyon full of yellow sand and strange stones. Zhang Yun could vaguely see red lava pouring out of the surrounding rock walls. It was steaming and submerging the cracks in the ground.


    The originally cold autumn season seemed to have turned into a hot summer, making people feel extremely hot and dry. The urge to take off one¡¯s clothes felt irresistible.


    This?


    It was too¡­ It was too realistic!


    Zhang Yun felt as though he had transmigrated to another world!


    While sighing, he turned around and glanced at the empty canyon. It would probably take an hour for Dark Knight Leon and his group to come over.


    That was true.


    Dark Knight Leon was riding on a strong black military horse. Zhang Yun could only rely on walking. Following the traces left on the ground, Leon could catch up with him at any time.


    Leon shouldn¡¯t be worried about Zhang Yun playing any tricks.


    As he thought about it, Zhang Yun quickly walked forward and entered the temporary camp. He looked at the group of red-haired children who were panicking.


    Before Zhang Yun could speak, a stern-looking middle-aged swordsman of about 30 years of age walked out of the military tent in the center.


    The swordsman had short red hair and held a red sword in his hand. His upper body was bare and full of muscles. The left side of his waist was wrapped in a white bandage, and there were evident blood stains on it.


    Obviously¡­


    This was one of the Five Dragon Generals, Hero Kanan.


    ¡°Who are you? What are you doing here?¡±


    Zhang Yun took out the tracking stone that Dark Knight Leon had given him and spoke. ¡°I was sent here by Dark Knight Leon.¡±


    Kanan frowned.


    ¡°Leon? That fellow¡­ His Majesty has already promised me that he won¡¯t force me anymore.


    Why did he still send you here?¡±


    Zhang Yun responded lightly.


    ¡°To kill you.¡±


    Kanan¡¯s face was filled with disbelief.


    ¡°What? Is that madman going to disobey?¡±


    Zhang Yun continued.


    ¡°No. According to Dark Knight Leon, this is the order of the Flame Emperor. But I don¡¯t really want to help Leon, and I don¡¯t really want to help the Flame Emperor. As long as you give me some information, I will help you deal with them.¡±


    Zhang Yun inquired, ¡°Tell me the reason¡­ As one of the Five Dragon Generals, you helped the Flame Emperor unify the volcanic land, but the Flame Emperor wants to kill you instead? What have you done? Treason?¡± Kanan looked at Zhang Yun suspiciously.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything? Also, from your appearance, you don¡¯t seem to be a native of the volcanic region. You are a foreigner from the outside continent, right? What do you, a foreigner, want to do by coming here to participate in our domestic affairs in the volcanic land?¡±


    Zhang Yun reminded him, ¡°Leon is right behind me. He¡¯ll be here in an hour at the latest. Every minute you waste now is one step closer to death. And¡­Leon gave me a mission.


    Other than killing you, I also have to kill everyone who is with you. Presumably? He won¡¯t let these children off, will he?¡±


    With that, Zhang Yun waved his hand and summoned a dense number of Shadow Soldiers. His forces surrounded the simple camp in the middle of the valley.


    ¡°Of course, you can choose not to believe me.


    Once Leon arrives, you can bet that he might not want to kill you. If Leon strikes you, I won¡¯t give you another chance. You will be facing one of the Five Dragon Generals alone, as well as my Shadow Legion.¡±


    Looking at the densely packed Shadow Soldiers and the terrifying pressure they emitted, Kanan turned pale with fright. He subconsciously raised the red sword in his hand to protect himself.


    A rare professional!?


    Damn it!


    Did Leon really send this guy?


    Did this madman want to attack him?


    Or rather¡­was this really the instruction of the Flame Emperor?


    No!


    That was impossible!


    If the Flame Emperor wanted to kill him, he wouldn¡¯t have to wait until now!


    This was obviously Leon¡¯s personal decision!


    That damned lunatic!


    It was definitely him! Otherwise!


    How could a foreign professional from the mainland find this hidden place?


    The foreigner was even holding a tracking stone that pointed to Kanan¡¯s exact location?! They couldn¡¯t have sent people to investigate just because they had guessed what the Flame Emperor, was doing!


    Otherwise, even if there was only a slight possibility, the people on the mainland would not have only sent one professional. Instead, they would have directly declared war on the Flame Emperor, then sent an army to suppress the border and seal off the entire volcanic land¡­ After sorting out his thoughts, Kanan¡¯s eyes darkened. He quickly said to Zhang Yun, ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are or why you came to the land of volcanoes! But if you help me deal with Leon and let these innocent children escape, I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know!¡±


    Zhang Yun sighed, ¡°I have already said it. You don¡¯t have much time left. Tell me immediately, why did the Flame Emperor ask Leon to kill you? Why are you hiding in this remote place with so many children?¡± Zhang Yun offered, ¡°First, give me a reason to save you. I will save you. Do you understand?¡± Hearing this, Kanan couldn¡¯t help but bite his lips. After hesitating for a moment, he finally revealed what he knew, ¡°Sacrificial ceremony¡­ His Majesty, the Flame Emperor, intends to hold a sacrificial ceremony¡­ Sacrifice 3000 virgin boys and 3000 virgin girls to activate the ancient magic circle left by the Fire God. With that, all of our people will temporarily resist the cold. Then, we will invade the Ice Kingdom¡­¡± Kanan continued, ¡°In order to protect these children, I disobeyed the order of the Flame Emperor. That was why¡­ I was stripped of my title as one of the Five Dragon Generals and became a wanted criminal on the run¡­ But the Flame Emperor told me before that he found a replacement for the children. He intended to let me go. As long as I stayed in the Flame Canyon with these children and did not go anywhere¡­ You were sent to kill me¡­ It was obviously an order from that madman, Leon¡­¡± As expected! Zhang Yun knew it!


    The truth behind the whole incident was not simple! Otherwise, the historical document that recorded the past of the Ice Kingdom would not have skipped the title of the original Five Dragon Generals and deemed the person named ¡®Mage Swordsman Russell¡¯ as one of them! Russell was just mentioned by Fjolm. And Zhang Yun¡¯s hypothesis was not wrong. Since the Flame Emperor even dared to recruit the Ice Kingdom¡¯s famous Mage Swordsman Russell as one of the Five Dragon Generals¡­ Then, there was no reason for him to recruit Zhang Yun, the Shadow Demon who could summon countless Shadow Soldiers, under his command. The Flame Emperor didn¡¯t intend to let Zhang Yun replace Kanan, who was about to be disposed of, as one of the Five Dragon Generals!


    This was precisely the reason why Zhang Yun came to the volcanic region and decisively choice the option to join the Imperial Army. He would be able to find an opportunity to get close to the Flame Emperor! At the same time¡­


    Such an option gave Zhang Yun a chance to run into one of the Five Dragon Generals, Dark Knight Leon.


    Zhang Yun ended up encountering Kanan who was on the verge of being eliminated.


    He discovered the truth.


    Simultaneously, Zhang Yun could conveniently make a former member of the Five Dragon Generals an ally of the Silver Wolf Bandits!


    Really¡­his luck was too good!


    Ha!


    The next step of the plan was achieved!


    Zhang Yun would help Kanan kill Dark Knight Leon. He could then use Kanan¡¯s identity as one of the Five Dragon Generals to uncover the background of the other three. At the same time, Zhang Yun would use his status to expose the conspiracy of the Prongia Empire! There wouldn¡¯t be an opportunity to sneak again¡­ The volcanic region would not be a match for the Ice Kingdom! Zhang Yun could successfully survive the major events of the era! Conquer a dungeon!

 Chapter 31 - Chapter 24: The Value of Being a Priest

    Chapter 31 Chapter 24: The Value of Being a Priest


    ¡°Excellent! The information you have given me is equivalent to your life and the lives of the children behind you. But before that¡­ I need you to tell me everything you know about Dark Knight Leon, as well as your professional abilities. This way, the Shadow Soldiers can properly coordinate with you in ambushing Dark Knight Leon.¡±


    Kanan nodded seriously.


    ¡°Yes. I know that Leon has a ¡®Heavy Knight¡¯ class¡­¡±


    With the aid of Kanan, Zhang Yun learned all the information about Dark Knight Leon. He also gained a rough understanding of Kanan¡¯s situation-assuming there was no trick involved at such a critical moment.


    Zhang Yun should discuss Dark Knight Leon first.


    His movement speed was slower than regular knights, and his magic resistance was extremely poor. Leon was powerless against those with a ¡®Mage¡¯ class, but his physical resistance was outstanding. Out of all physical-related classes, a ¡®Heavy Knight¡¯ was considered supreme.


    The ceiling of this plane¡¯s power was stuck at the fifth level. There was nothing much to say.


    Leon¡¯s talent was the same as the purple-robed mage. He should be at least a genius professional with [Pseudo B (Complete)] grade. He had a specialized weapon ¡®Dark Cursed Spear¡¯ and was a chosen one.


    Zhang Yun didn¡¯t know the specific names of Leon¡¯s skill combination.


    However, from Kanan¡¯s description, it could be concluded that they were all physical skills with great single-target explosive power, and there were no AoE or crowd control skills.


    As for Hero Kanan¡­


    His class was his title, ¡®Hero¡¯.


    The specialty of a ¡®Hero¡¯ was a strong offense but a weak defense. Kanan¡¯s movement speed was satisfactory, but it was not as good asDark Knight Leon who rode a horse. A ¡®Hero¡¯ was essentially suitable for dealing with slow, fragile classes that lacked control.


    The limit was at the fifth level.


    Kanan¡¯s talent was similar to that of Dark Knight Leon and the purple-robed mage. He was at least a professional with a [Pseudo B (Complete)] grade. He did not specialize in martial arts, but he had talent skills. He was another form of a chosen one.


    Kanan¡¯s innate skill was called ¡°Double Slash¡±.


    It had a passive effect. As long as it was physical damage caused by a sword-type weapon, it would automatically follow up with a second slash at an extremely fast speed, causing damage twice.


    As for the ordinary skill combination, the name didn¡¯t matter. The main thing was the effect.


    Just like Dark Knight Leon, they were all single-target physical skills with high burst damage. They did not have Fjolm¡¯s group AoE, nor did they have her freezing control effect.


    If the two were to be compared¡­


    Dark Knight Leon relied on his high physical defense and high mobility to gain a huge advantage in a one-on-one fight. Kanan would be at a disadvantage.


    As for Fjolm¡­


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Fjolm¡¯s Attribute Growth Rate was low, she wouldn¡¯t be much weaker than the other two.


    If they were to fight face to face, with Fjolm¡¯s excellent skill set, she could completely crush these other two to the ground and annihilate them.


    AoE control, single-target control, continuous AoE damage, continuous AoE control, magic damage mixed with physical damage, magic shield to block all damage, and others¡­


    It could be said that Fjolm overwhelmed the two in all aspects¡­


    While he was thinking, Zhang Yun took the time to carefully calculate the winning rate of both sides.


    He soon came to a conclusion.


    An ambush against one of the Five Dragon Generals of the Prongia Empire would give Zhang Yun a fighting chance.


    Moreover, the winning rate would not be low.


    If Zhang Yun healed the injuries on Heron Kanan and let him recover to his peak or a relatively good state¡­


    That would increase their chances of winning.


    ¡°Come, Kanan. Let me give you a sip of milk first.¡±


    Hero Kanan was dumbfounded by the remark.


    ¡°A sip of milk?¡±


    ¡®What was the meaning of this¡­¡¯ Without waiting for Kanan to finish, Zhang Yun placed his right hand on the wound on Kanan¡¯s abdomen. Zhang Yun closed his eyes, mobilized the life energy in his body, and softly chanted the spell with a ¡®Chuunibyou¡¯ aura. ¡°Great and noble Life Elf, please bestow me with your sacred power to heal all living things in the world!¡±


    ¡®Buzzzzzz!¡¯ A green light bloomed from Zhang Yun¡¯s palm!


    The wound absorbed the light!


    Instantly, the oozing wound on Kanan¡¯s bandage-wrapped waist stopped bleeding. It began to itch and scab as it healed at a speed that was visible to the naked eye. The intense pain that had been transmitted into Kanan¡¯s mind had also been reduced by half. Kanan felt as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. Although he was still a little weak, he felt pleasant.


    Zhang Yun opened his eyes and glanced at Kanan¡¯s wound. He asked, ¡°How do you feel? How much did my ability heal you?¡±


    Kanan asked in disbelief, ¡°You also have a ¡®Priest¡¯ class?!¡±


    Pausing for a moment, Kanan realized that now wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on this, so he immediately changed his words. ¡°Very effective! My injuries have healed by more than half, and I can now use 80% of my normal strength. It¡¯s even better than the healing effect of the group of priests in our volcanic land!¡±


    Effective?


    No, Kanan was wrong. It was just that priests in the volcanic region were too weak. Those priests didn¡¯t even have a D+ Spirit Growth Rate.


    If those priests possessed a D+ Spirit Growth Rate or higher, then Kanan wouldn¡¯t be so surprised even if Zhang Yun had a healing ring that buffed healing effects by 10%. Kanan wouldn¡¯t probably think of him as an invincible healer by then.


    A genuine healer could fully restore HP even at the first level and with a casual healing skill without any buffing equipment.


    The problem was mana¡­ Zhang Yun contemplated.


    He then raised his right hand and placed it in the middle of his forehead. He closed his eyes and focused his mind. He then chanted another magic spell.


    ¡°Great and moble Magic Elf, please grant me your great gift. Let me recover the powerful magic that can control all elements in the world!¡±


    ¡®Buzzzzzz!¡¯ This time, a blue light appeared in Zhang Yun¡¯s palm!


    The ¡°Clarity¡± skill was in effect! Mana recovery!


    It was just enough for him to cast a new healing spell!


    However, Zhang Yun needed to wait for a few more minutes for the cooldown to be over before he could heal Kanan. Furthermore, after he had cast the healing spell this time, Zhang Yun had to wait for more an hour before he could cast the next one. There was no other reason.


    than A priest¡¯s initial mana value was measly, and the speed of mana recovery was also incredibly slow. If priests relied on natural mana recovery, it would take more than half a day to fill up the amount of mana required for the next healing skill.


    Even with the buff of the mana recovery skill ¡°Clarity¡±, Zhang Yun could only recover his mana once an hour due to the skill cooldown. He would not be able to sustain a high frequency of healing. Not to mention¡­ Equipment and skills that could speed up and instantly recover mana were tremendously rare.


    The spawn rate was almost the same as five gold coins in a row.


    This led to¡­


    In the early stages of the game, priests would be involved in dungeon battles.


    Priests would need to spend a lot of money to buy potions and equipment that could restore mana. They had to sit on the ground, drink water, and meditate to restore mana. It was the only way to keep the entire team in good condition throughout the dungeon. Zhang Yun also had to consider the fact that drinking too much water would result in a ¡°temporary drug resistance¡±, which would reduce the subsequent mana regeneration effect.


    It would also lead to an awkward situation of being only able to heal one team member once in battle.


    So¡­


    Earlier, Qin Shi had said that the ¡°Clarity¡± skill book that Zhang Yun had obtained was incredible.


    It was not a joke. It was accurate.


    Although Zhang Yun¡¯s awakened Attribute Growth Rate was a little poor, he could, at the very least, be considered a Glass Cannon Priest with good support abilities. He did not have any ability to protect himself or fight. Even so, when it came to opening treasure chests after clearing a dungeon, his luck was truly heaven-defying.


    Think about it, a regular priest could only heal a teammate once in battle. It would be difficult to restore mana twice in a row. How could it be the same? It was completely different! Most of the time, the mana could be used to prevent the entire team from being wiped out in a dungeon.


    It was even more important than the difference in Spirit Growth Rate between priests.


    For example¡­


    ¡°You have a mana regeneration skill? D+ Spirit?


    F*ck, Master Priest, let¡¯s cut the crap and come with us!¡±


    Compared to: ¡°You don¡¯t have the Clarity skill? C- Spirit? I¡¯m sorry, your Spirit Growth Rate is only C-, and your HP may not be enough in a highly dangerous environment. You should go to another team¡­¡±

 Chapter 32

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    With the recovery effect of Clarity, Zhang Yun could finally use healing twice and not just once.


    And the originally half-crippled body of the Hero Kanan also returned to its peak state with these two mouthfuls of fresh and nourishing milk. If the blood stains weren¡¯t too obvious, it would be impossible to tell that he had been injured.


    Kanan opened his mouth and asked, ¡°What do we do next?¡±


    Zhang Yun glanced at the black goat recently slaughtered in the camp.


    ¡°Use the black goat¡¯s blood and smear it on your body. Then, lie on the ground and pretend that I have killed you. After Dark Knight Leon arrives, I will talk to him and distract him. You find a good opportunity to suddenly attack him and catch him off guard. Or, wait for my signal.¡±


    Kanan asked doubtfully, ¡°What signal?¡±


    Zhang Yun raised his right hand and clenched it lightly. He recalled more than half of the Shadow Soldiers on the field into the summoning space. Only 10 Shadow Soldiers remained behind to disguise themselves and conceal Zhang Yun¡¯s true ability.


    ¡°When I summon all the Shadow Soldiers, it will be the signal for me to attack. When the time comes, whether you attack directly and cooperate with the Shadow Soldiers to fight or you continue to play dead and wait for a better opportunity to launch a sneak attack, do as you see fit.¡±


    Kanan nodded his head solemnly.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    After Hero Kanan said that, he followed Zhang Yun¡¯s plan and smeared the black goat¡¯s blood on himself. Then, he followed Zhang Yun to a narrow valley path where he could not see the situation of the camp. He pretended to be dead and lay motionlessly on the ground. A white cloth full of blood covered his upper body.


    The two waited for a long time.


    Gradually, Dark Knight Leon finally arrived with his guards.


    He immediately noticed the familiar figure lying on the ground.


    ¡°Oh? You really killed Kanan? Interesting! I thought that Hero Kanan could last a little longer under your attack! Or¡­you¡¯re pretty rough to kill.¡±


    Zhang Yun calmly looked at the tall knight on the black horse. The black heavy armor on his body emitted a stream of light in the lava that constantly spurted out of the ground. It was like it had a unique absorbing heat effect.


    ¡°You tricked me?¡±


    The Dark Knight Leon showed a frivolous smile.


    ¡°No,¡± Leon said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just testing you. You¡¯re only at Level-1, but you can summon Level-2 Shadow Soldiers. Furthermore, the pressure that those Shadow Soldiers are giving off is not inferior to that of a normal Level-5 Professional. Coming all the way to our volcanic region, could it be that you only want to be an insignificant soldier?¡±


    Leon continued, ¡°Hehe. According to my guess, you¡¯re probably here for the title of the Five Dragon Generals, right? You¡¯re lucky. It just so happens that Kanan, that reckless fellow, went to challenge the Flame Emperor¡¯s position. Now that you¡¯ve killed him with your own hands and displayed your strength, I¡¯ll recommend you to His Majesty. Who knows, His Majesty may feel delighted and give you the open spot in the Five Dragon Generals?¡±


    After a pause, Dark Knight Leon raised his head and looked at the valley that blocked his view. He asked, ¡°However, I remember that the order I gave you was to kill everyone who was with Kanan. Where are the other corpses? You let them escape?¡±


    Zhang Yun said coldly, ¡°They¡¯re just a bunch of kids with no weapon in their hands. You also want me to kill them?¡±


    Dark Knight Leon lowered his head and sighed helplessly when he heard this.


    Then, he smiled like a madman and raised his head again.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Hahahaha¡­ You want to be one of the Five Dragon Generals, but you can¡¯t even lay your hands on a bunch of children. If you don¡¯t even have this bit of awareness, I advise you to give up your previous thoughts! In this world! Kindness will only become your weakness! It will cost you your life. Do you understand? Kid!¡±


    Dark Knight Leon turned around and looked at the group of knights in heavy black armor.


    ¡°You knights! Go! Kill those escapees who are about to escape! They shouldn¡¯t have gone far! Remember¡­ There are a total of 32 people. All of whom are the remnants of the Maple Leaf Clan. I want you to kill all of them and bring back their bodies! Otherwise! I¡¯ll take your heads off and feed them to the Fire Dragon! Is it clear?¡±


    The heavy-armored knights replied in a loud voice, ¡°Yes, Lord Leon!¡±


    After the heavy-armored knights heard the order, they all slapped the buttocks of the military horses they rode on. They charged at full speed toward Zhang Yun¡¯s back. They quickly passed Zhang Yun, who stood still in the same place.


    The Dark Knight Leon looked at Zhang Yun. Ten Shadow Soldiers surrounded him, with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Come on, kid, tell me how you got rid of Kanan¡­¡±


    However, before he could finish his words, Zhang Yun suddenly raised his right hand and clenched it. His palm released tons of black mist that quickly seeped into the surrounding soil.


    ¡°Activate skill! Summon¡­the Dark Shadow Legion!¡±


    Dark Knight Leon was the first to notice that something was wrong. He quickly pulled out his specialized weapon, the ¡®Dark Cursed Spear¡¯, and pulled the reins of his black horse. He tried to make it turn around and leave Zhang Yun.


    ¡°You!? Plotted against me?!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, various Shadow Soldiers suddenly stood up from the ground, like countless black undead that crawled out of their graves.


    They pulled out the longswords made up of black shadows and fearlessly surrounded the enemies. They stopped Dark Knight Leon who planned to turn around and retreat. As well as the group of heavy-armored knights who had not yet realized what was going on.


    However¡­


    The strength of these Shadow Soldiers enthralled Dark Knight Leon when he saw it.


    However, he took the initiative to pull the reins of the black horse and stopped his retreat. He turned around to face Zhang Yun again and revealed a strange smile.


    ¡°So you still have such a hidden card? Interesting!


    ¡°Let me see if you, a guy who wants to become one of the Five Dragon Generals, have the strength to challenge the Five Dragon Generals! Eh?¡±


    Suddenly¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m dying of laughter! You can¡¯t be thinking that I¡¯m alone, right? Kanan! It¡¯s time! Don¡¯t let me down on your ability to control the details of the battle!¡±


    Kanan didn¡¯t let Zhang Yun down.


    As one of the Five Dragon Generals who passed through hundreds of battles, he was very clear that Dark Knight Leon¡¯s focus was completely occupied by Zhang Yun and the Shadow Soldiers. It was like an unguarded fly on the wall. It was the best time for Kanan to sneak attack and seriously injure Leon.


    And so.


    Kanan hid under the blood-poured cloth to observe the situation. He suddenly burst out. He grabbed the red sword that he hid under the blood-poured cloth, and his whole body turned into a red meteor. He suddenly rushed toward Dark Knight Leon from the right side of the back and slashed his sword at his black warhorse.


    A strong wind blew.


    Dark Knight Leon turned around in shock.


    ¡°Kanan? You¡¯re not dead yet?!¡±


    The only response he got was the murderous shout of Hero Kanan.


    ¡°Profound¡­ Blue Sky!¡±


    ¡®Bang! Bang!¡¯

 Chapter 33

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    ¡°Profound¡­ Blue Sky!¡±


    Dark Knight Leon saw Hero Kanan jump six to seven meters high in the air. His whole body rotated 360 degrees in the air like a spinning top. He suddenly smashed toward the head of Dark Knight Leon with a blue trajectory that struck.


    Dark Knight Leon didn¡¯t expect Kanan would cooperate with Zhang Yun. He didn¡¯t have time to release his skills, so he could only raise his spear to block Kanan¡¯s ¡°Blue Sky¡± skill.


    ¡®Bang!¡¯


    Along with a loud noise, the sword of Kanan chopped off Dark Knight Leon from his horse as he descended from the sky. He fell to the ground, and the spear in his hand flew a few meters away with a massive force. The weapon ended up embedded in a crack that constantly emitted lava and hot air.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    Before Leon could finish his words, Kanan triggered the ¡°Double Slash¡± skill. He continued to wave the red sword in his hand. At a high-frequency speed hard to catch by the naked eye, he left a blue afterimage on the spot and slashed at Dark Knight Leon¡¯s head.


    ¡®Bang! Bang!¡¯


    A vital point!


    It was a critical hit!


    However, Dark Knight Leon had a class with severely high physical defense and wore a fine heavy armor helmet hand-made by a famous volcano craftsman.


    The actual damage he suffered was not much. It was like an ordinary person suddenly hit in the head by a wine bottle.


    If it were a fragile class with extremely-low physical resistance, it would be like a vast billboard that fell from a three or four-story building. At best, the professional would have a concussion and faint, and at worst, the person would die on the spot.


    And if the target was an ordinary mortal¡­


    If a heavy truck ran over a watermelon at high speed, what would happen to the watermelon would be the same as what would happen to a real ordinary mortal. Even the gods could not save him.


    It was the difference between professionals and ordinary mortals.


    The difference between heaven and earth!


    ¡°Kanan¡­¡±


    Dark Knight Leon gritted his teeth. His eyes were filled with ferocity.


    Leon rolled back and reached out with his right hand. The spear that was stuck up in the ground turned into a black stream of light and disappeared. Then, it regathered in his right hand.


    He specialized in martial arts.


    It was an energy weapon that a chosen one formed.


    It was different from the hand-forged weapons.


    It differed from the class-specific weapons produced in the dungeon¡¯s secret realms.


    Their nature was the same as the Shadow Soldiers. Although they could not appear out of thin air a few hundred meters away, they could instantly return to the wielder¡¯s side as long as they heard their master¡¯s call, no matter where they were.


    ¡°Today, you guys¡­ All of you will die here!¡±


    As he said that, Dark Knight Leon raised the Dark Cursed Spear in his hand. And with his class skill, he ruthlessly attacked Kanan.


    Not to be outdone, Kanan also raised the red sword in his hand and accurately and quickly made a few moves. He and Dark Knight Leon were like two wild wolves that fought and tangled with each other.


    The combat level of the two far exceeded those of Shadow Soldiers. The Shadow Soldiers were only at the second level. On the other hand, the residual power of Kanan¡¯s and Leon¡¯s skills was intensely soul-crushing.


    The Shadow Soldiers needed instructions, so they could only follow Zhang Yun¡¯s orders and attack the heavy-armored knights who were lesser robust than them.


    With the advantage of numbers and sudden attacks, the heavy-armored knights could not hold on for long before the opponent knocked off their horses. Then, several black shadows pierced through their abdomen, and they fell to the ground.


    In the end, the heavy-armored knights were converted into new Level-2 Shadow Soldiers.


    At the same time, Zhang Yun hid in the safest corner. He silently watched everything in front of him. His mind pondered quickly.


    As expected¡­


    ¡°Personally interfering is just as I thought. It allowed my consciousness to enter Brother Shadow¡¯s body. And the power of both sides would fuse. Not only could I personally command Brother Shadow to make the ¡®more correct choice¡¯, but I could also use the ¡®Priest¡¯ skills that I had brought with me. More importantly¡­ I can also summon a Shadow Hero that I have already contracted on this plane as a shadow clone.¡±


    The shadow clone of Fjolm did not have her memories and consciousness. She could not realize this world was her original home. And she could not comprehend that the two people in front of her were the Five Dragon Generals of the Prongia Empire.


    The clone was akin to an ordinary Shadow Soldier.


    However, Fjolm¡¯s shadow doppelganger still retained the combat experience and awareness that her main body had.


    ¡°Even without my command, she could instantly judge the current situation and automatically choose the best response. She wouldn¡¯t just stand there like a fool, not knowing what to do.¡±


    This was much better than those ¡®stupid donkey¡¯ Shadow Soldiers who could only move once after being whipped.


    There was more.


    ¡°If Fjolm and I break through the limit of the fifth level together, and I enter the simulation by personally interfering, it will also produce a dimension-lowering effect. Like an immortal that descended to the mortal world¡­¡±


    While he pondered, the Shadow Soldiers had already annihilated the group of heavy-armored knights.


    They surrounded the two members of the Five Dragon Generals who fought with each other. They did not act rashly but waited for Zhang Yun¡¯s next order.


    Zhang Yun instructed.


    ¡°Come back! Protect me! Fjolm¡­ It¡¯s your turn!¡±


    With that, a black hexagram rose from the ground in front. Then a black shadow with an unclear face emerged. One could only vaguely see her graceful body and long black hair that danced in the wind as the shadow doppelganger condensed into Fjolm.


    Zhang Yun subconsciously asked, ¡°Can you tell who the enemy is?¡±


    Fjolm was speechless.


    She stretched out her right hand and summoned a long spear made of black shadows. Then, she held the spear with one hand. She rushed toward Dark Knight Leon and hit him on the back with a spear that released ice.


    ¡°Okay. It seemed that the shadow doppelgangers were the same as the Shadow Soldiers. As long as they are not far away, they can read my mind and follow my orders to fight. It wasn¡¯t like the real Fjolm. The clone did not have any mind-reading ability.¡±


    There was more.


    The death of the shadow clone would only prevent Zhang Yun from using the ¡®Personal Interference¡¯ Option on his current round. It did not mean that Fjolm¡¯s main body would also die permanently, nor did it mean that the ¡®Personal Interference¡¯ Option in the future could not summon her again.


    This was much more useful than the Shadow Soldiers, which could be considered one-time consumables.


    Zhang Yun could also command the shadow doppelgangers without worry.


    To do anything¡­


    After Zhang Yun figured out the nature of the shadow doppelganger, he hid behind the layers of protection of the Shadow Soldiers and began to watch the show with peace of mind. He waited for Hero Kanan and Fjolm to finish off Dark Knight Leon.


    Anyway, if Kanan, in perfect condition, and Fjolm, with her amazing control, could still not beat Leon, Zhang Yun felt no need to continue this simulation round.


    The earlier he died, the earlier he reincarnated. Zhang Yun would return to attack after he broke through the limit of the fifth level.


    Wouldn¡¯t that be wonderful?


    Fortunately, things developed as Zhang Yun had expected. Dark Knight Leon was fighting against the Hero Kanan alone. He could still rely on his class to gain the upper hand.


    However, with the addition of Fjolm who can freeze enemies and reduce their speed¡­


    Leon was on the losing side.


    With their teamwork, Fjolm only suffered a light injury, so she hid. Meanwhile, Kanan only paid the price of being shot in the abdomen three times. And then he cut down Dark Knight Leon.


    Leon lay on the ground, covered in blood, and emitted a lot of heat. His face maintained that crazy and arrogant smile. And he weakly left his last words.


    ¡°Hehehehe¡­ Kanan¡­ I know you don¡¯t believe me¡­ I came to kill you under the order of the Flame Emperor¡­ He just can¡¯t bear to do it himself¡­¡±


    Leon continued, ¡°The 32 children of the Maple Leaf Clan are also necessary sacrifices for the sacrificial ceremony. No one can replace those children¡­ So¡­ Even if you kill me¡­ The Flame Emperor will not let you off either¡­ Enjoy it¡­ The time that you guys can still breathe¡­ Hehe¡­ Hehehehe¡­ Hahahaha¡­¡±


    [System Notice: After killing the hero soul ¡®Leon¡¯, the favorability between you and the other party will enormously decrease, and this will continue until every subsequent simulation!]


    [System Notice: After helping the hero soul ¡®Kanan¡¯, the favorability between you and the other party will increase slightly. And this will continue for every subsequent simulation!]

 Chapter 34

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    When Zhang Yun looked at the system notice in front of him, he was sparingly surprised.


    He thought favorability between him and the hero soul was calculated separately in each simulation. If he went back in time, he would have to re-cultivate.


    ¡®Was the result shared? I killed Dark Knight Leon in this round. He will naturally be hostile to me in the next few ones. He will treat me as the enemy who killed his father, although he doesn¡¯t remember. Unless I can do something in line with his values and re-improve the favorability between us, then can I save this broken relationship?¡¯


    Zhang Yun considered, ¡®Or perhaps? This favorability only refers to the success rate of the Shadow Contract between me and the other party. It does not represent the hero soul¡¯s actual attitude toward me.¡¯


    He then thought of an example:


    ¡®I killed Dark Knight Leon this round. But he¡¯ll still have the same curious attitude of admiring me and tolerating my disobedience in the next round. But when it¡¯s time to sign a Shadow Contract, he¡¯ll reject my contract without even acknowledgment? Hmmm¡­¡¯


    No matter what the situation was¡­


    ¡®At the very least, I could now confirm that this text simulation still placed a certain restriction on my actions. I couldn¡¯t do whatever I wanted to. Otherwise¡­ If I wanted to sabotage the fifth round and summon a Shadow Legion to destroy the world, I would become the enemy of all the hero souls. Their favorability would be reduced.¡¯


    After the simulation ended, Zhang Yun would not be able to contract a single Shadow Hero.


    Furthermore¡­


    ¡®In the future, if I don¡¯t find a way to make up for the favorability between me and the hero soul in the text simulation, I¡¯ll fail to establish any contracts.¡¯


    One could not destroy this plane.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯ Zhang Yun could only say.


    ¡®Fortunately, I maintained my bottom line in the first two rounds, which allowed me to quickly increase my favorability with Fjolm and successfully contract this beautiful female knight with two long legs.¡¯


    He pondered.


    ¡®If I had the mindset that I could restart the game at any time and ignore the suffering people that appeared in my memory. With Fjolm¡¯s personality, she definitely wouldn¡¯t have taken a fancy to me or even become a Shadow Hero whom I could order around.¡¯


    So?


    ¡°I still have to choose my side, right? Then! What if I suddenly do something evil that goes against the good and evil values of Fjolm? Since she¡¯s already contracted as a Shadow Hero, will her favorability drop rapidly, and will she initiate to terminate the Shadow Contract with me? That¡¯s a problem¡­¡±


    [System Notice: Completed interfering with the plot. You and your Shadow Legion have been sent back to the real world!]


    ¡®Thump!¡¯


    It was the church bell that sounded near yet far again!


    Zhang Yun¡¯s consciousness blurred again, and he unconsciously returned to his room. The hot air and the red lava that flowed on the ground had all disappeared.


    But the simulation continued.


    [You helped Hero Kanan defeat Dark Knight Leon. At the same time, you learned from him that the Flame Emperor would also come to kill the children of the Maple Leaf Clan and make them the core sacrifices of the sacrificial ceremony.]


    [But you still didn¡¯t know the reason why Kanan was willing to go against the Flame Emperor for these children.]


    [So, after your continuous questioning, Kanan told you the true identity of these ¡®sacrifices¡¯. They were the descendants of Kanan¡¯s clan, and two were his sons.]


    [You express your puzzlement. Why did the Flame Emperor plan to sacrifice Kanan¡¯s two biological sons and countless innocent children¡­ Kanan only begged the Flame Emperor to let go of his people and son. He didn¡¯t want the Flame Emperor to exploit the power of the outside world. The Flame Emperor¡¯s evil act would anger both man and god. He even wanted to hide this information from you at the beginning.]


    [Kanan didn¡¯t want to talk about this, but under the stimulation of the words of the Dark Knight Leon before his death, he felt that the Flame Emperor betrayed him. In the end, he still relayed what he knew.]


    [The Flame Emperor was not brutal and stupid. He sacrificed so many children to activate the ancient sacrificial ceremony left behind by the Fire God only because he wanted to save the other people in the volcanic land who were about to die in the yellow springs. He wanted to use other people¡¯s lives to save the lives of his people.]


    [A real sacrifice¡­ It was the Ice Kingdom.]


    [The 32 children of the Maple Leaf Clan and the children sacrificed in other volcanic lands. They were all forced to make sacrifices for the ritual.]


    [Also, Kanan didn¡¯t oppose the Flame Emperor¡¯s decision. He even helped the Flame Emperor to find a child who met the conditions¡­ However, when the sacrifice included his son and the remaining thirty-two of his kind, he chose ¡®kinship¡¯ against ¡®loyalty¡¯. He selfishly took these children and fled the capital. Kanan was willing to sacrifice all his compatriots in the volcanic land.]


    [After learning this story.]


    [You choose¡­]


    [A: Express your understanding of Kanan¡¯s actions and persuade him to join the Silver Wolf Bandits.]


    [B: Spurn Kanan. Get rid of this selfish guy.]


    [C: Since you are worried that Kanan will betray you, give up on him and seek other allies.]


    [Special: Personally interfere (Prohibited/ Your current energy is not enough to interfere twice).]


    ¡°This? This is a little troublesome!¡±


    The one Zhang Yun wanted to choose the most was Option A. It was to turn Hero Kanan into his ally and help Fjolm fight against the Flame Emperor and the Five Dragon Generals.


    However, the things mentioned in Option C might occur.


    After all¡­


    According to Kanan, whether it was the children¡¯s sacrifice or the Ice Kingdom¡¯s invasion, the Flame Emperor had done it helplessly to save the entire volcanic land.


    From the perspective of the volcanic land, the Flame Emperor was not the villain but the hero to everyone.


    If Kanan were to join the Silver Wolf Bandits to protect his son and the Flame Emperor suddenly told him that the sacrificial array wouldn¡¯t be activated¡­ Not only would the people in the volcanic area die, but Kanan and his son wouldn¡¯t also live to see the next day.


    Or perhaps¡­


    The Flame Emperor had found a new sacrifice that could replace this group of people.


    Would Kanan continue to cooperate with Zhang Yun sincerely then?


    In Zhang Yun¡¯s personal opinion, Kanan would be more inclined to help the Prongia Empire and the Flame Emperor. It was only because of his son and the blood of his race as sacrifices that he became neutral.


    Characters filled with complicated situations were always the most difficult to figure out in open-world games. They were also the hidden bosses who would most likely backstab the main character.


    If Zhang Yun chose to believe in Kanan and brought him back to the border of the Ventaginya Kingdom to meet Fjolm and the Silver Wolf bandits¡­


    Maybe, Zhang Yun was inviting a wolf into the house.


    Therefore, in this situation, the best choice wasn¡¯t Option A. Rather, Zhang Yun should take advantage of the fact that Kanan was heavily injured by Dark Knight Leon and kill him first.


    This way, not only could he avoid being stabbed in the back, but he could also avoid stabbing at the back.


    It could also prevent Hero Kanan from becoming his enemy again after they parted.


    After all¡­


    To save the volcanic area¡­


    The Flame Emperor could even sacrifice a few thousand innocent children.


    Who knew if the Flame Emperor would make up a more reasonable lie to ensure the smooth implementation of his plan to invade the Ice Kingdom? With that, Hero Kanan, who had initially intended to give up, would take the place of the newly dead Dark Knight Leon and continue to charge into the enemy lines?

 Chapter 35

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Zhang Yun thought about it for a long time.


    In the end, he chose Option A.


    There was no other choice. Sister Silver Wolf¡¯s Revolutionary Army had too little high-end combat power. Even if Kanan was an unstable time bomb, Zhang Yun and Fjolm still had to think of a way to win him over.


    Otherwise, with Brother Shadow¡¯s current abilities, he would not be a match for the Five Dragon Generals.


    The ¡®Personal Interference¡¯ Option was also restricted.


    And¡­


    With the threat of being assassinated by the mage of the Five Dragon Generals, Zhang Yun and Fjolm would likely repeat the ending of the second round. The shadow orb would strike the two again without them being able to fight back.


    Zhang Yun would lose either way.


    He might as well choose a strategy that had a higher chance of winning. Fighting magic with magic, and counter-attacking poison with another poison!


    [You told Kanan your background and identity. You then invited him to the border to join the Revolutionary Army of the Ice Kingdom. If Kanan helped your forces defeat the Royal Army at the border, he would have the chance to meet the Ice Emperor. This could protect the lives of the 32 children from the Maple Leaf Clan.]


    [As one of the Five Dragon Generals, Kanan started to hesitate. However, when he remembered the children he had spent so much time with, Kanan realized that if he couldn¡¯t find a backer, the children wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the fate of being sacrificed by the Flame Emperor. In the end, he agreed to your request and joined the Revolutionary Army.]


    [You set off to immediately leave the Flaming Canyon and head to the border of Ventaginya Kingdom in the south.]


    [On the way, you asked Kanan if he knew the specific reason why the Flame Emperor had to sacrifice the ¡®Ice Kingdom¡¯ in order to save the volcanic region.]


    [Kanan shook his head. He expressed his lack of knowledge about these things. But with his understanding of the Flame Emperor, he would never joke about this matter. This shouldn¡¯t be a trick.]


    [You inquired again. If the Flame Emperor couldn¡¯t find these 32 children and couldn¡¯t activate the sacrificial array, would he give up the plan to invade the Ice Kingdom? Could the civilians of the volcanic area, including Kanan and these 32 children, continue to live?]


    [You tried to confirm his allegiance. If Kanan didn¡¯t sacrifice his clan, not only would Kanan and those children die, but everyone in the volcanic land would also die. On the contrary, by sacrificing the children, Kanan could save everyone else. Would he help the Flame Emperor again?]


    [Just like that, under your continuous deep interrogation, Kanan gave his answer.]


    [Kanan wouldn¡¯t return to help the Flame Emperor. He would only fight for these 32 children.]


    [Because¡­although Kanan didn¡¯t know what kind of tribulation the volcanic land was going to suffer, he got an important piece of information from the Flame Emperor.]


    [As long as the volcanic area was willing to sacrifice 90% of its population, this disaster could be stopped.]


    [But the Flame Emperor was the same as Kanan. Garukasa was also a selfish person. Be it the operation to sacrifice the virgin boys and girls or the plan to invade the Ice Kingdom, they were all sacrifices and risks he made to protect 90% of his people in the volcanic region.]


    [Let the people of the Ice Kingdom and the children who were sacrificed suffer in the place of the other people of the volcanic land. This was the Flame Emperor¡¯s original intention.]


    Zhang Yun looked at the words in front of him. His conversation with Kanan appeared in his mind.


    When it came to whether or not Kanan would return to help the Flame Emperor, his face was full of pity. It was as if he sympathized with those people in the volcanic area, but his eyes were unusually firm.


    This guy¡­


    Kanan was a good father who would rather give up the world to protect his precious people¡­


    However, he was not a good general who would consider the national interests¡­


    Zhang Yun sighed.


    At this moment, he wanted to shout, ¡°This simulation is set.¡±


    However, when Zhang Yun thought about the real reason why the Flame Emperor invaded the Ice Kingdom and the fact that he had to bear such a huge responsibility and difficulties, his excitement was completely washed away.


    What if Zhang Yun¡¯s world became a volcanic land? What would happen if he stepped onto the Flame Emperor¡¯s or Kanan¡¯s shoes? What choices would he make?


    Would he make sacrifices for the greater good like the Flame Emperor?


    Or would he be like Kanan? Would he betray the world for the sake of his loved ones?


    He would probably choose the second option, wouldn¡¯t he?


    In the end, Zhang Yun was similar to the Flame Emperor and Kanan. He was also a selfish person¡­


    He was not a great saint who could sacrifice anything¡­


    And the simulation this time¡­


    Zhang Yun also firmly stood by the side of Sister Silver Wolf, whom he met earlier¡­


    [After several days of travel, you and Kanan finally left the territory of the volcanic land and brought those children to the territory of the Ice Kingdom.]


    [However, the Flame Emperor already received news of the death of Dark Knight Leon. He also knew that Kanan disobeyed orders and escaped from the Flaming Canyon.]


    [The Flame Emperor knew he couldn¡¯t send the Dragon Cavalry. They were still extremely weak and didn¡¯t have the ability to eliminate you. He could only instruct Dark Knight Leon¡¯s Unit to leave the border of the volcanic land and stop you at all costs.]


    [Although the Dark Knights were impressive as a whole, they didn¡¯t have the reliable commanding ability of Dark Knight Leon, nor did they have the powerful ability to open up a path with a single shot.]


    [The heavily armored knights who caught up were quickly entangled by the Shadow Legion you summoned, and they were unable to escape.]


    [When Hero Kanan, who had the strength to crush everyone, entered the field, he eliminated all of the Dark Knights as if he was merely slicing through melons and vegetables.]


    [In the end, after killing all the soldiers of the Dark Knights, you and Kanan brought the children of the Maple Leaf Clan and successfully returned to the main stronghold of the Silver Wolf Bandits.]


    [You quickly explain the situation of Kanan and the others to Fjolm. You reminded Fjolm that the Flame Emperor would not let this matter go easily. Your faction must immediately send scouts to the north and guard against any surprise attack.]


    [Simultaneously, your group needed to lay out traps and ambush the mage with Teleportation ability. His assassination attempt must be prevented.]


    [At this time, Hero Kanan was doubtful. Based on what he knew, the mage among the Five Dragon Generals was just an ordinary Dark Mage.]


    [Kanan asked why do you think the mage could teleport.]


    [Choose an option.]


    [A: Tell Kanan the truth about seeing the mage use this ability prior to your rebirth.]


    [B: Lie and claim that you saw the mage before and knew that he deliberately hid his ability from Kanan and the others.]


    [C: Do not give any explanation. Just tell Kanan to listen to you and ambush the other party.]


    [Special: Personally interfere (Prohibited)]


    F*ck?


    Zhang Yun was wondering why the Flame Emperor didn¡¯t ask the mage to teleport and deal with him and Kanan. He could have delayed Zhang Yun and waited for the Dragon Cavalry to arrive!


    As it turned out, they didn¡¯t even know that the purple-robed mage had such a heaven-defying power!


    Then?


    Could the mage be hiding his ability to teleport as his trump card? Did he only take the initiative to reveal it so that he could kill the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Fjolm?


    What did the mage want to do?


    Shouldn¡¯t the mage have told the Flame Emperor about it and made good use of this ability?


    Or perhaps?


    Was Zhang Yun¡¯s judgment wrong?


    Did that historical document about the past of the Ice Kingdom record a piece of inaccurate information?


    The real purple-robed mage was someone else. He might not be a mage from the Prongia Empire. Someone else was turned into a scapegoat?!

 Chapter 36

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Zhang Yun knew that it was useless to think blindly here.


    The current most important thing was to take advantage of his second round. He must prepare the traps and be ready to ambush the purple-robed mage.


    So¡­


    Zhang Yun chose Option C.


    He told Fjolm and Kanan not to care about the details.


    As soon as possible, the Battle Conference Room must be modified according to Zhang Yun¡¯s instructions.


    The most trustworthy group of core members was also gathered to train and placed in a formation that would surround the assassin without disclosing the truth.


    After all¡­


    During the second round, the purple-robed mage was able to accurately find Zhang Yun and Fjolm¡¯s position and instantly teleport behind them.


    There should be a mole who gave out the information¡­


    Otherwise, it was too ridiculous.


    With your command and the hard work of the Shadow Soldiers, the conference room in the stronghold of the Silver Wolf Bandits had been secretly transformed into the ¡®Feast at Swan Goose Gate¡¯ that was full of traps and secret passages. As long as the purple-robed mage dared to teleport inside, he would immediately be barraged by long-ranged firepower from all directions and surrounded by an overwhelming number of Shadow Soldiers.


    [At the same time, in order to confuse the purple-robed mage and the mole, you and Fjolm would rest in the conference room every night to act like a couple and discuss military affairs on the bed in the conference room every day.]


    [Hard work soon paid off. At about the same time as the last round, the purple-robed mage teleported into the meeting room again and attempted to kill the leader of the Revolutionary Army.]


    [But this time, the mage miscalculated. He thought he would see you and Fjolm mentally planning, but he didn¡¯t expect to see hidden arrows flying at him from all directions.]


    Moreover, in addition to the crossbow mechanism in the room, the Shadow Soldiers who suddenly stood up from the floor also made the purple-robed mage deeply realize that his actions had been completely seen through by you¡­


    The purple-robed mage frowned and waved his hand. Without any incantations, he summoned a dark magic barrier that wrapped around him and blocked all the arrows.


    ¡°You guys? How did you know I would come?¡±


    Zhang Yun and Fjolm, who were hiding in the secret chamber, didn¡¯t appear to answer the purple-robed mage¡¯s question. Instead, they pulled the bell tied to the beam on the side and let the lying-in-wait Hero Kanan appear.


    Looking at Kanan who walked out of the secret passage, the purple-robed mage¡¯s furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, as if he realized something.


    ¡°Kanan¡­did you discover my hidden ¡®Teleportation¡¯ ability long ago?¡±


    Hero Kanan didn¡¯t answer this question. Instead, he raised the red sword in his hand and turned into a crimson meteor, ruthlessly stabbing toward the purple-robed mage¡¯s chest.


    At the same time, the group of long-ranged professionals from the Silver Wolf Revolutionary Army who had received the leader¡¯s signal also barged into the meeting room with all kinds of long-ranged weapons. They surrounded the door.


    There were also the Shadow Soldiers who had appeared earlier.


    Together with the long-ranged professionals of the Silver Wolf Revolutionary Army, they stood in front of them like dark shields, protecting them closely. They did not participate in the high-end confrontation between the Five Dragon Generals.


    ¡°Hehe. It¡¯s not you. It shouldn¡¯t be that Head Commander Fjolm either. In that case, there¡¯s only one person left. There¡¯s no record of him, and he suddenly appeared in front of the world. He was known as the Shadow Demon¡­¡±


    As the mage spoke, Kanan had already rushed to the purple-robed mage¡¯s face and buried the red sword into the purple-robed mage¡¯s chest. It went through the mage¡¯s entire body, causing blood to spurt out from his back.


    Kanan looked at the purple-robed mage who had been pierced through the heart by his sword in surprise.


    ¡°Nesia¡­are you not going to resist?¡±


    Nesia was one of the Five Dragon Generals of the Prongia Empire. His code name was ¡®Mage¡¯. On the surface, he was a ¡®Dark Mage¡¯ who mastered dark magic, but he had the special ability of teleporting.


    Nesia revealed a helpless smile.


    ¡°Resist? Is there any use? Even if I¡¯m lucky enough to defeat you, the professionals in the Ice Kingdom¡¯s Revolutionary Army will not let me leave this place safely, right?¡±


    Nesia asked, ¡°I just want to know one thing. How did that guy called Yun discover my secret and guess that I would come here?¡±


    Zhang Yun was speechless.


    Why?


    Of course, it was because he had a cheat!


    But, did Nesia think Zhang Yun would profess the truth before the former succumbed to death?


    Zhang Yun could only apologize.


    Only he would know the truth!


    Idiots always died from talking too much!


    So¡­Shadow Soldiers! All of you! Make your move!


    Kill Nesia!


    As soon as the order was given, the Shadow Soldiers surrounding Nesia collectively drew their weapons at their waists and rushed toward Nesia. They cut him into eight pieces.


    The Mage of the Five Dragon Generals,Nesia!


    Dead!


    [With careful planning and ambush, you killed one of the Five Dragon Generals, Mage Nesia. His assassination attempt failed. You and Fjolm successfully survived.]


    A simple paragraph of words, coupled with the memory image in his mind, eased up Zhang Yun¡¯s tension, which had lasted for more than 10 minutes.


    F*ck!


    He finally got through this!


    He didn¡¯t expect this!


    This b*stard, Nesia, gave up his life as soon as he started!


    He chose to mess it up!


    Zhang Yun fantasized about countless ways to fight with Nesia. He had considered all means of restricting his ability to teleport, so Nesia wouldn¡¯t escape. Zhang Yun even prepared backup plans for the retreat, but none of them were used¡­


    Even so¡­


    Thinking about it, what Nesia said was true.


    How could a mere fragile mage dare to face a hero who specialized in magic?


    Not to mention.


    There were also thousands of hostile long-range professionals around. As long as Nesia¡¯s magic shield was out of range, they could shoot him into a sieve with a round of arrows.


    Zhang Yun would do it.


    He would probably choose to wait for death at the speed of light.


    Oh, that was not right! Zhang Yun shouldn¡¯t completely mishandle it. At the very least, he should drag a few people down with him and find a way to earn back the capital¡­


    While feeling excited, the words in front of Zhang Yun¡¯s eyes began to change. It was akin to an ink painting floating in the air, gradually merging and condensing into a new text.


    [Perhaps the Flame Emperor had lost too many of his excellent combatants. He gave up on the plan to invade the Ice Kingdom after the death of Mage Nesia.]


    [He didn¡¯t activate the sacrificial array, so he couldn¡¯t leave the volcanic land.]


    [The Revolutionary Army in the north didn¡¯t suffer any attacks from the Prongia Empire. The deployed scouts to the volcanic area could even retreat safely with the intelligence as long as they didn¡¯t go too deep into the enemy¡¯s territory.]


    [And so, you and Fjolm focused your attention on the Royal Army at the border.]


    [With the addition of Hero Kanan¡¯s powerful combat power, your attack efficiency got faster and faster. It didn¡¯t take long for you to force the remaining defeated knights of the Royal Army out of the border.]


    [That pesky local tyrant was also dragged to the city gate of the border by you and Fjolm. You personally beheaded him in front of all the people of the border.]


    [At this moment, the northern territory of the Ice Kingdom was officially liberated. The morale of the Revolutionary Army was high. Striking the iron while it was hot, Fjolm announced that the forces would march south into the capital to rescue the Ice Emperor who had been deceived by the Hand of the King.]


    [But the next day, you received a letter from the capital, and the letter said¡­]


    ¡°Urgent report! The capital has fallen! His Majesty, the Ice Emperor, was defeated by Flame Emperor Garukasa in front of the Triumphal Arch. The Ice Emperor died for his country!¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, Her Highness awakened her talent at the last minute and used the power of the Holy Sword to force back the Flame Emperor, escape the capital and head to the north!¡±


    ¡°Warriors of the Northern Border Army, please come to the Princess¡¯s aid as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°The future of the Ice Kingdom¡­depends on you guys!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    [You have successfully survived and experienced a major event of the era!]


    [This simulation is over!]


    ¡­

 Chapter 37

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    [Experience Summary]


    [You were reincarnated at the border of the Ice Kingdom. With the memories of your previous life, you helped strengthen Fjolm¡¯s Revolutionary Army and suppressed the Royal Army at the border. You personally went to the volcanic region and killed Dark Knight Leon of the Five Dragon Generals. You saved Hero Kanan of the Five Dragon Generals, and with his aid, you defeated and stop the assassination attempt of Mage Nesia of the Five Dragon Generals. In the end, you successfully liberated the entire northern territory. However, just as you were planning to go south, the Ice Kingdom¡¯s capital was suddenly seized by the Flame Emperor¡­]


    ******


    [Contact with Hero Soul]


    [Name: Kanan (Hero; Five Dragon Generals)]


    [Level: Level 1 (C-level Experience Conversion Rate)]


    [Class: Hero (a profession with strong offense but weak defense)]


    [Attributes (Initial State): Strength (B-), Constitution (C), Spirit (C), Agility (B-)]


    [Skill: Blue Sky, Diamond Breath]


    [Specialty: None]


    [Innate Skill: Double Slash]


    [Overall Evaluation: B+]


    [Description: One of the Five Dragon Generals of the Prongia Empire; Codenamed Hero; One of the survivors of the Maple Leaf Clan who hid in the Flame Canyon with the remaining 32 children.]


    [Remaining Contracts: 5]


    ******


    [Contact with Hero Soul]


    [Name: Leon (Dark Knight; Five Dragon Generals)]


    [Level: Level 1 (C-level Experience Conversion Rate)]


    [Class: Heavy Knight (a physical profession that combines attack and defense)]


    [Attributes (Initial State): Strength (B), Constitution (B), Spirit (D+), Agility (B-)]


    [Skills: Cavalry¡¯s Coat of Arms, Triple Death Slash, Desperate Strike]


    [Specialty: Dark Cursed Spear]


    [Innate Skill: None]


    [Overall Evaluation: B+]


    [Description: One of the Five Dragon Generals of the Prongia Empire; Codenamed Dark Knight; Loves to kill; Does not follow common sense; Always called ¡®crazy¡¯ by the other Five Dragon Generals.]


    [Remaining Contracts: 5]


    ******


    [SIMULATION REWARD (1)]


    [Random Equipment]


    [Name: White Staff]


    [Quality: 1-star Silver]


    [Level: Level 1 (The highest smithing level is Level-5.)]


    [Equipment Position: Weapon]


    [Equipment Requirements: Limited to ¡°Priest¡± class.]


    [Equipment Effect: Increases Spirit Attribute slightly; Buffs all healing effects by 30%; Shortens casting time of all healing skills (including chanting speed) by 20%]


    [Description: A healing staff, embedded with a gem at the tip. It constantly emits a pure white light. Perhaps it can be used as a flashlight at night?]


    ******


    [SIMULATION REWARD (2)]


    [Random buff of the shadow plane ¨C Only limited to the Ice Kingdom]


    [Shadow Knight: All of the professionals with the classes ¡°Knight¡±, ¡°Cavalry¡±, ¡°Light Cavalry¡±, and ¡°Heavy Cavalry¡± will turn into Shadow Knights whenever they are transformed into Shadow Soldiers. They will also acquire the Shadow Mounts and the skills corresponding to the ¡°Knight¡± class. (Incapable of leveling up)]


    ******


    [CLEARANCE REWARD (1)]


    [Random Skill Book¡ªOnly obtainable once from the first clearance of each Shadow Plane]


    [Name: Divine Body Cultivation Method]


    [Grade: Unknown]


    [Level: Max (cannot be upgraded)]


    [Learning Requirements: Limited to ¡°Priest¡± class.]


    [Skill Effect: (Passive) Every time you use your healing skill to restore your health and recover, your constitution and strength points will increase based on what is being restored, and your physical fitness will be strengthened. No upper limit for the gains.]


    [Current Constitution Points: None]


    [Current Strength Points: None]


    [Description: Who said that priests must be bony?]


    ******


    [CLEARANCE REWARD (2)]


    [Random Dungeon of the Ice Kingdom¡ªOnly obtainable once from the first clearance of each Shadow Plane]


    [Dungeon Name: Flame Canyon]


    [Dungeon Level and Entry Requirements: Level 5 ¨C All professionals below Level 10.]


    [Structure: Three Levels]


    [Difficulty: Level 1 (Easy), Level 2 (Normal), Level 3 (Hard)]


    [Clearance Reward (First Time): A D-level Growth Fruit for each level can increase the Overall Evaluation of a class once, up to C-level.]


    [Dungeon Final Reward (One is guaranteed after the 10th Clearance. The other is guaranteed after the 20th Clearance): Skill Book¡ªWonderful Journey (1-Star Gold; Level-5 Max; AoE HP Recovery + Attack Boost + Fire Attribute Enhancement) and Inferno Set (1-Star Gold; Level-5 Max; Fire Attribute Enhancement; Comes with set effects)]


    [Dungeon Background: A canyon located in the Prongia Empire. The massive lava underground spurts out from time to time. The temperature is scalding. Countless fire-type monsters have spawned in the area.]


    ******


    [System Notice: You used up your three simulation chances this week. You need to wait until next Monday to start the simulation again.]


    [System Notice: After clearing ¡°Ice Kingdom¡±, the next Shadow Plane will be unlocked. You can only enter once your shadow has reached Level 5.]


    [System Notice: The Shadow Plane ¡°Ice Kingdom¡± can now be ¡®drawn¡¯.]


    [Do you wish to proceed with the drawing?]


    [Yes/No]


    [NOTE (1): The drawing can change the history of the Ice Kingdom according to your current simulation. After the drawing, the Shadow Plane will disappear, and you will no longer be able to enter it to establish a Shadow Contract. The affinity between you and all the hero souls will be fixed. The hero souls that meet a certain affinity will turn into ¡®Shadow Avatars¡¯ that you can summon using special means.]


    [NOTE (2): The Shadow Avatar does not have the self-awareness and memory of a Shadow Hero. It is only an upgraded version of a Shadow Hero with a class panel and combat instincts. It has no growth potential and cannot be upgraded directly, but it can be resurrected and strengthened by special means.]


    [NOTE (3): Although you can not re-enter the Ice Kingdom after drawing it, you will gain access to the ¡®Shattered Ice Kingdom¡¯ and retain all the ¡®Shadow Plane Buffs¡¯ you obtained in the Ice Kingdom. (The Shattered Ice Kingdom is extremely difficult. You cannot obtain any Shadow Plane Buffs. There are certain simulation restrictions. Please make sufficient preparations before entering.)]


    [NOTE (4): Your shadow can only enter one ¡®Shadow Plane¡¯, one ¡®Dungeon¡¯, or return to reality at any time. (Every time you use the ¡®Shadow Door¡¯ to teleport, there will be a 1-month Cooldown Period.)]


    This?


    Oh my goodness!


    The situation felt so complicated!


    Why wasn¡¯t Mage Nesia a hero soul?


    Why could Zhang Yun only access the text simulation three times a week?


    Why was it that the next Shadow Plane could only be entered once Brother Shadow was Level 5?


    The most important thing was!


    What was this ¡®Drawing¡¯ ability?


    Change the history of the Ice Kingdom?


    Could it be?


    Could Brother Shadow actually transmigrate to the past, expunge the original plot in the Ice Kingdom, and incorporate his arrival? Meaning to say, the Five Dragon Generals who should not have died would be annihilated because of Zhang Yun in the new plot?


    Wasn¡¯t it similar to the ability to control time?


    In that case, if Zhang Yun chose to draw now, would the records involving the Ice Kingdom immediately change and reduce the Five Dragon Generals into Three Dragon Generals?


    F*ck!


    Zhang Yun felt like his brain took too much damage!


    It was better not to think about these things for now. He had to quickly pack up the new skill books and equipment. After eating dinner with his aunt and the others, he would slowly study the details!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ******


    Author¡¯s Note: Asking for monthly votes! With no comments and votes, I am starting to doubt life¡­ w(?§¥?)w

 Chapter 38

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    After finishing the simulation, Zhang Yun opened the door and found that his aunt had already returned. She was wearing a small and cute cartoon-designed apron. His aunt cooked in the kitchen using the things he prepared.


    Zhang Yun¡¯s two adorable little cousins finished their homework. They were sitting on the sofa, hand in hand. They opened their beautiful big eyes and watched a cartoon about a magical girl on the television with great interest.


    Zhang Yun didn¡¯t want to disturb them, so he sat on the sofa on the right, took out his mobile phone, and searched for information about the ¡°White Staff¡± and ¡°Divine Body Cultivation Method¡± on the internet.


    He stumbled upon records of the ¡°White Staff¡±. It was considered one of the best weapons in the early stages of a game. Not only could it increase the healing effect, but it could also increase the casting speed of healing skills.


    The quality was ¡®1-star Silver¡¯.


    Silver represented the strength and quality of a weapon. From low to high, the classifications were: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Legendary, and Mythical.


    On the other hand, the star-level represented the upper limit of the weapon¡¯s smithing level.


    A 1-star meant that the maximum smithing level was Level 5. A 2-star meant that the maximum smiting level was Level 10. A 3-star meant that the maximum smithing level was Level 15¡­and so on.


    It was the same for skill books.


    In low-level dungeons and underground troves, the higher the difficulty of the boss, the higher the quality of the equipment and skill book that would be randomly dropped.


    However, the upper limit of the star rating would not exceed the level limit of the dungeon.


    There were only a few exceptions.


    As for the cost-performance ratio between quality and star-level¡­


    At the same level, the higher the grade, the stronger the effect of the equipment and skills.


    However, if a weapon or skill of lower quality had a higher star level, it could be enhanced to a higher level, and its upper limit of growth would be higher¡ªfar higher than the increase in strength brought by the high quality.


    To put it simply:


    A ¡®1-star Silver¡¯ item was better than a ¡®2-star Bronze¡¯ item when the latter was below Level 5.


    However, if a ¡®2-star Bronze¡¯ item was upgraded to Level 5 or above, it would be slightly stronger than a ¡®1-star Silver¡¯ item that was stuck at Level 5.


    Of course!


    If it was a ¡®1-star Gold¡¯ item, even if a ¡®2-star Bronze¡¯ item was upgraded to Level 6, it might not necessarily be stronger than the former.


    In that case, Zhang Yun would need to upgrade it to Level 7, Level 8¡­or even Level 10.


    Only then could a ¡®2-star Bronze¡¯ item be stronger.


    The strength comparison would change according to the actual situation.


    However, it was undeniable that the importance of star-level was higher than the quality. Even if you got a ¡®1-star Mythical¡¯ item at the beginning, it would be a transitional item that would be eliminated in the end.


    It was just like the different versions of online games.


    No matter how powerful or invincible the godly equipment you obtained in Version 1.0 was, it might not even be able to defeat the weapon granted by the plot in Version 3.0.


    After that, Zhang Yun evaluated the ¡°Divine Body Cultivation Method¡±.


    There was no record of a strange skill book of unknown quality on the internet. It seemed that no one had seen this book before.


    And its skill effect¡­it was formidable.


    It was a little similar to Q-Skill, which could infinitely stack the learner¡¯s constitution and strength points. The difference was that the target of the Q-Skill was soldiers. On the other hand, the book Zhang Yun acquired might end up torturing him.


    He had to first injure himself and then use any healing skill to restore his health. Only then could he subtly strengthen his constitution and strength, just like how the Winter Swimming Pigeon trained his body¡¯s resistance to cold.


    The higher the effective value of each recovery, the more points Zhang Yun would gain.


    If he tried to heal himself while in full health, Zhang Yun wouldn¡¯t gain any points.


    Zhang Yun was speechless.


    Nothing?


    What kind of perverted ascetic skill was this?


    ¡®So I have to beat myself half to death every time, and then use healing skills in order to display the greatest value of this skill? Can¡¯t you let me increase my constitution and strength points every time I heal someone?¡¯


    Sigh¡­


    Forget it.


    Whenever the heavens gave a man a great task, he must first suffer.


    In human language¡­the infinite stacking of his constitution and strength points was simply too delightful.


    Even if Zhang Yun¡¯s Attribute Correction Rate was frighteningly low and the corresponding ability value for each point of the four-dimensional attribute was inadequate, he could still rely on this thing. He could continue improving until he surpassed those true 5-star geniuses with Grade-A and Grade-S talents.


    It was a disguised increase in my Overall Evaluation.


    He contemplated.


    Zhang Yun picked up the scissors on the coffee table and walked to the balcony in the living room. With his back facing his two little cousins, he stabbed his abdomen and twisted the scissors around as if he was mixing curry with the tool.


    ¡®Hiss!¡¯


    It hurt!


    Ah! Feeling the intense pain in his head, Zhang Yun almost screamed out in agony. Fortunately, he had already died twice in the simulation and had enough experience.


    Therefore, he suppressed this instinctive venting.


    Hurry up!


    Heal!


    ¡°Great and noble Life Elf, please bestow me with the sacred power of life to heal all living things in the world!¡±


    ¡®Buzzzzzz!¡¯


    Restore health!


    Zhang Yun¡¯s blood coagulated. His cells recovered. His wounds scabbed, and the flake fell off. The pain disappeared!


    Awesome!


    A Master Priest was indeed a Master Priest!


    This was much better than an expert attending doctor who trained laboriously for 30 years!


    [System Notice: Your body has automatically activated the ¡°Divine Body Cultivation Method¡± and absorbed the healing effect. You have obtained 1 ¡®Permanent Constitution Point¡¯ and 2 ¡®Permanent Strength Points¡¯!]


    F*ck!


    Zhang Yun only maxed out the effects of a Level 1 Healing Spell, but it can actually increase his constitution and strength points by 1 to 2 points?


    He thought it would only increase by 0.1 or 0.01 points¡­


    According to this experiment, even if Zhang Yun rested normally every night and didn¡¯t practice a ¡®007-style¡¯ of healing, he could quickly catch up to a Level 1 Priest with a D+ Initial Growth Rate in a few days.


    Although the method couldn¡¯t be considered heaven-defying, it could at least increase Zhang Yun¡¯s physical fitness by a few times. With it, he could withstand a round of attacks from the dungeon monsters.


    The key was¡­


    By then, Zhang Yun would gain a certain amount of physical attack power.


    He could rely on his Level 1 D+ Strength Attribute Points to kill a low-level monster with one punch. He wouldn¡¯t have to use a set of combination punches that could barely scratch the enemy.


    It was worth it!


    This suffering was worth it!


    As he thought about it, Zhang Yun cast a ¡®Clarity¡¯ spell on himself to fill up his mana. When the cooldown of the healing spell was over, he immediately repeated the process and added 1 ¡®Permanent Constitution Point¡¯ and 2 ¡®Permanent Strength Points¡¯ to himself.


    ¡°But¡­it¡¯s worth it¡­ However, the process is too painful¡­ Wuwuwu¡­¡±


    After two rounds of healing, Zhang Yun¡¯s mana was completely empty. He had to wait for an hour before he could use ¡®Clarity¡¯ to recover his mana.


    Or, he could wait for 4 to 5 hours and let his mana bar fill up naturally.


    Of course¡­


    He could also spend money to buy items like mana potions and magic bread to quickly recover his mana.


    This was a story for later.


    After all, including the living expenses given by his aunt and the first bucket of gold that was about to arrive, Zhang Yun¡¯s bank account only had about 4000 yuan.


    He still couldn¡¯t live the luxurious life of a mage who drank potions like water.


    ¡°Just in time, I have used up all my simulations for this round. I can go to the Reality Invasion Event and the dungeon to make money. When the time comes, I¡¯ll see if I can find a few rich young masters and get some items from them to recover mana. It would be best if I could meet an elder brother who has a ¡®Cook¡¯ sub-class. He could make me some bread and water¡­¡±

 Chapter 39

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    After upgrading his constitution and strength points, Zhang Yun quietly took out a set of clean clothes from his ¡°Backpack¡± system. He changed out of his bloodstained clothes and threw them into the laundry basin on the balcony to wash.


    Although he could clearly explain the effect of this skill to his aunt and two younger cousins and prove that he was not a masochist, he decided to destroy the evidence directly. In consideration, it would be better to avoid unnecessary trouble.


    After that, it was a heartwarming scene of a handsome brother and a younger-looking woman having a meal together.


    When the meal was finished, Zhang Yun helped to wash the dishes. Then, he returned to his room and began to study the rest of the simulation rewards.


    The first was the hero soul.


    In this round, Zhang Yun met three of the Five Dragon Generals in the Prongia Empire. But a Shadow Contract couldn¡¯t be established with Mage Nesia. Only Hero Kanan and Dark Knight Leon could be contracted.


    This was peculiar.


    Mage Nesia seemed to be hiding some special secret.


    If he wanted to know the truth, Zhang Yun had to continue the simulation, find a way to get close to Nesia, and dig out the differences between him and the other members of the Five Dragon Generals¡­


    As for the other two, Hero Kanan and Dark Knight Leon.


    They were all ¡®pseudo¡¯ B+ characters.


    Whether it was growth potential or initial attributes, both were superior to Fjolm, who was only a ¡®pseudo¡¯ B character. It was just that Fjolm had a relatively better skill set.


    If Fjolm could raise her Overall Evaluation to B+, her strength would surpass the two members of the Five Dragon Generals. Given that she had a more excellent skill set, she would probably be able to obliterate them.


    Even if Fjolm was up against a B+ ¡®real 5-star¡¯ character, her outstanding skill set could create an unexpected effect that could allow her to win big without sacrificing much and achieve a heaven-defying kill.


    It could be said that¡­


    In their current condition, everyone was in their ¡®strongest¡¯ state. Fjolm was the real catch among the deck of characters.


    Zhang Yun would definitely not release her, who had the greatest potential. He wouldn¡¯t give up her slot in exchange for the two members of the Five Dragon Generals. Those generals were not as good as Sister Silver Wolf.


    ¡°What a pity¡­¡±


    Even though Fjolm survived the round, her strength didn¡¯t actually improve.


    ¡°We can only wait for the next simulation.¡±


    The next thing to consider was the Shadow Plane¡¯s Buff¨CShadow Knight.


    Those professionals with a ¡®Knight¡¯ class who were killed would become a Shadow Soldier and adopt the corresponding class. They would not be able to level up on their own, but they could be buffed and turn into a Level-2 Shadow Knight.


    For instance, if Brother Shadow killed Dark Knight Leon, Zhang Yun would acquire a Shadow Heavy Knight.


    Killing Fjolm would give him a Shadow Winter Knight.


    Thus, Zhang Yun made an inference.


    The last full buff effect should be that every class that Brother Shadow killed would be transformed into Elite Shadow Soldiers with the corresponding class panel and skills. Under the influence of the ¡®Shadow Soldier Enhancement¡¯, they would become Level-5 or above.


    Tsk¡­this should be called the Invincible Shadow Legion!


    What kind of brother was cannon fodder in the beginning?


    Finally¡­


    The Level-5 Dungeon, Flame Canyon!


    Zhang Yun had never encountered this before. There was little information in the books. He had to go in person to understand the internal structure and specific situation of the dungeon.


    Based on common sense, dungeons were much harder to raid than invasion events. Dungeons had numerous powerful bosses.


    Most people could only challenge those at the same level or use a piece of equipment with a higher level to crush the opponent.


    Moreover, the dungeon was usually cleared by a team.


    It was rare for a person to venture alone.


    Zhang Yun was a weak and fragile priest with a ¡®D-¡® Constitution. If he dared to enter a Level-5 Dungeon as a Level-1 Player, he would most likely be vaporized by an unknown AoE before he could even run.


    So¡­


    Zhang Yun decided to leave it for now.


    He should at least be a Level-3 Professional. Both his constitution and strength points must be increased as well before he could explore.


    Or¡­


    After a month, the cooldown period for the Shadow Door would end. Zhang Yun could order Brother Shadow to take his place in clearing the dungeon.


    He relied on Brother Shadow¡¯s heaven-defying Shadow Monarch Panel.


    It was easy to fight.


    It didn¡¯t matter even if it couldn¡¯t win.


    The most powerful thing about the shadow was that it was in the same body as Zhang Yun. As long as Zhang Yun did not die, the shadow could refill his cup indefinitely and be resurrected in a while¡­


    ¡°Then, all that is left is this ¡®Drawing¡¯ ability! Is it time travel? Should I go back and change the history? Hmm, well I already have an invincible cheat like Brother Shadow. It is not that outrageous to slightly change the past of the other planes.¡±


    Zhang Yun continued, ¡°What I¡¯m more curious about is, what¡¯s the use of Brother Shadow changing the history of these shadow planes? If it¡¯s useless, why bother?¡±


    Just as he was thinking, the door to Zhang Yun¡¯s room was pushed open. Two cute little cousins in white pajamas, each holding a brown bear doll, ran in like little bunnies.


    ¡°Brother Zhang Yun~¡±


    ¡°Qiqi wants to hear you tell a story tonight~¡±


    ¡°Nono also wants it~¡±


    Zhang Yun looked at the two little bunnies who had climbed onto his bed.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re both 10 years old already. Why do you still want to listen to a story to sleep?¡±


    Qiqi and Nono answered in unison, ¡°I don¡¯t know~ It¡¯s probably because we haven¡¯t seen you for too long and we miss Brother Zhang Yun.¡±


    ¡°(*?¨Œ?*)¡±


    Zhang Yun turned around helplessly and lay on the bed. He said slowly, ¡°Alright. You both know the rules. I¡¯ll change the story for every massage. If it¡¯s comfortable, I¡¯ll tell you a new version of the ship that you¡¯ve never heard of before.¡±


    Qiqi and Nono raised the teddy bears in their hands excitedly.


    ¡°Yay~¡±


    They raised their slender white feet and stepped on Zhang Yun¡¯s back hand in hand. Then, they continued to press on the meridian points on his back to achieve the effect of stimulating blood circulation, regulating Qi, and burning fat.


    ¡°Hehe~ Hehe~¡±


    Wow!


    Not bad.


    The two little fellows had gained some weight over the past two years.


    Their strength became acceptable.


    In the past, when they stepped on Zhang Yun¡¯s back, they were too light. Many times, they couldn¡¯t hit certain acupuncture points properly. It greatly reduced the effect of the massage.


    But no matter what, it was still much better than the two of them using their hands to massage.


    That would be too boring.


    So¡­


    In the end, Zhang Yun still taught his two younger cousins the ¡®Loli Back Stomping Massage Technique¡¯.


    Every now and then, he would use the method of exchanging stories while enjoying a wave of their service.


    As he thought about it, Zhang Yun recalled a story from a library in his previous life. He decided to recite the ¡°Grass God and the World Tree¡± before his two adorable little cousins. He never told them about it before.


    ¡°It is said that there is a place called Xumi in the distant Tiwatt continent. There is a new god there called Little Lucky Grass King¡­¡±


    After listening to the whole story, the two younger cousins pitifully sat beside Zhang Yun, tightly holding the bear dolls in their arms. They cried and asked, ¡°Then? The Great Merciful Tree King disappeared just like that?¡±


    Seeing this, Zhang Yun felt affectionate. He couldn¡¯t help but touch the heads of the two little cuties. He then changed the original ending.


    ¡°No,¡± Zhang Yun said. ¡°He¡¯s not dead. The World Tree used a new method so he can be reborn into this world and meet the Little Lucky Grass King. In the end, the two of them lived happily together.¡±

 Chapter 40

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    A few days later, Zhang Yun successfully raised his constitution and strength points to D+, the standard of a Level-1 Professional. He relied on his self-harm training method to achieve it.


    Furthermore¡­


    Zhang Yun took it seriously.


    He tried his best to make every single ¡®Clarity¡¯ spell count.


    Zhang Yun could increase his attribute points with the greatest effect due to the ¡°Divine Body Cultivation Method¡±.


    The result of this was that his constitution and strength points, which had been insanely increased, were not comparable to weak D+ Priests but D+ Priests whose offense and defense reached the first level.


    What kind of concept was this?


    Zhang Yun¡¯s current Spirit and Agility Attributes still followed the standard of a Level-1 Priest. One was a relatively good D+ grade while the other was an insignificant D-grade.


    However, his Constitution and Strength Attributes could already match Level-5 Priests. They were both excellent D+ grades.


    Some people might ask¡­


    Wasn¡¯t the physical damage of a Level-5 Priest barely on par with a Level-1 C-grade Professional?


    Wasn¡¯t this too weak?


    No!


    After all, the skill set of priests was too domineering. Not only could they instantly heal wounds and eliminate pain, but they could also recover mana and increase the team¡¯s combat power.


    In this situation, if they could still be tanky and have high damage output, why the hell would they choose other classes?


    Wouldn¡¯t it be great if all the priests could do an uppercut?


    Before fighting, a priest could give himself a few buffs, kill his opponent with one punch, and then heal himself after the fight to keep himself in peak condition!


    Priests were simply invincible¡­


    In addition, when forming a party to challenge dungeons and underground cities, the experience gained from killing monsters would be divided equally among each member, and then, it would increase or decrease according to the differences in their level.


    This led to¡­


    Priests didn¡¯t even need to personally go into battle to kill enemies. They could easily obtain a steady stream of experience points to level up.


    They didn¡¯t need to pursue offensive abilities, which was their weakness.


    There was no need to engage in close combat with dungeon event monsters.


    Priests could just stay behind all of their teammates and treat them as meat shields. They could casually eat ribs and earn money while savoring a few mouthfuls of milk and fish.


    Was this not good?


    By the same logic, Zhang Yun¡¯s current unscientific Strength and Constitution would be questioned by others once they were exposed.


    How come a healer like Zhang Yun could deal more physical damage than a Doomsday Iron Fist?


    What did he unlock?


    For this, Zhang Yun had specially prepared a solution. It was to disguise himself as a rare class holder.


    Or he could pretend to be a chosen one.


    Professionals could only see each other¡¯s level, worn equipment, and the effects of casted skills. They could not actually detect each other¡¯s detailed panel.


    Unless one of the parties granted access.


    It was similar to a night raid on a widow¡¯s village. The widow would have to personally open the door.


    Even the testing machine used by the school could only evaluate the Attribute Growth Rate, Overall Evaluation, and other potential values of the professionals. There was no way to see their detailed skills and talent panel.


    Therefore¡­


    Zhang Yun would be fine as long as it wasn¡¯t too outrageous.


    For example, Brother Shadow had the ¡®Shadow Lord¡¯ class. Meaning, he could move on his own, travel through time and space, and even change history¡­


    Other people would just take it for granted that you were strong. They would assume you had awakened some powerful rare class or awakened some powerful talent.


    Zhang Yun was a genius!


    What was so strange about that?


    At most, the others would feel envious!


    Wuwuwu¡­


    ¡°Come, report your Spirit Growth Rate. Is it at a D+?¡±


    ¡°It is only D-? Well, I¡¯m sorry, but this Spirit Attribute is a little weak. Your magic orb might not be able to kill monsters instantly. It will just increase the pressure on our survival!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! The other attribute requirements can be poor, but the Spirit Attribute cannot be lowered. That¡¯s a must.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    In the Team-Formation Hall of the Professional Alliance, the leader in charge of recruiting temporary team members and the professional in charge of registering fighters shuttled back and forth in the crowd. They were looking for suitable teammates.


    The so-called leader¡­


    It did not refer to the head of the Professional Alliance.


    The professionals were lucky enough to get the qualification to clear a dungeon or underground from the ¡®lottery¡¯ of the Professional Alliance.


    After all¡­


    The number of dungeons and underground cities was extremely small. There was also a limit on the number of people and daily challenges. It could not meet the dungeon-farming needs of every professional in the city.


    The Professionals Alliance could only use a lucky draw system to randomly distribute the admission qualifications.


    One draw every day.


    If you won, you could enter the dungeon or underground once a day and obtain all the rewards inside.


    However, most of the team leaders had average strength. They wouldn¡¯t be able to take all the resources in the dungeon and the underground city.


    They could only come to the Team-Formation Hall and find qualified teammates to form a party to challenge the dungeon. Only then would they have a chance to clear the dungeon.


    This was an opportunity for the professionals who didn¡¯t get the right to enter.


    If Zhang Yun could be chosen by a team leader¡­


    Even if it was just a small one and not a multi-layered dungeon, they would still have to share the loot with the others, and they could get more rewards than the Reality Invasion Event.


    If Zhang Yun was not chosen¡­


    It didn¡¯t matter.


    Today, he would leave the Professional Alliance and find a place to train his body. He wanted to see if he could get one or two attribute points.


    Then, he would pay attention to the news in the city at all times. Once the Reality Invasion Event appeared and he met the conditions to enter, he would rush to the scene as soon as possible.


    It would be fine even if the Time-Limited Invasion Dungeon had already been cleared by someone else by the time he arrived.


    As long as the duration was not up, the monsters inside would still give experience points. However, there were much fewer monsters than in dungeons, so Zhang Yun had to clear the dungeon many times before the experience points could be compared to that of dungeons of the same level.


    Furthermore, those randomly spawned low-level herbs and ores would not be taken by others. As long as you entered and mined them before the time limit was up, they could become your spoils of war.


    (NOTE: The Reality Invasion Event that each team enters is an independent space, and the resources given are different.)


    This was the daily life of a professional.


    Drawing lottery, forming a group, training, and exploring dungeons¡­


    Three dots and one line.


    The reason why Zhang Yun came here was to see if he could sneak into a group. While earning money and leveling up, he could also test his Strength Attribute, which was comparable to a D+ of a ¡®C¡¯ Professional


    The initial D+ Spirit Attribute Growth Rate was coupled with two excellent pieces of equipment that increased healing effects, and the mana recovery skill, Clarity, which was considered a godly skill in the early stages.


    Even if Zhang Yun didn¡¯t show off his powerful strength as a ¡®One-Punch Priest¡¯¡­


    He was a Level-1 Newbie who had just come out of school.


    He had no experience at all.


    There would still be a large number of leaders who would rush to invite him to join the team and personally offer him expensive mana recovery items while shouting:


    ¡°Master Priest, you¡¯re out of mana? Don¡¯t panic, I have a mana potion here. Please drink, drink as much as you want! I promise you¡¯ll be full in large quantities!¡±