The Era of Gods

“It’s not that no one wants them, it’s just that no one has the strength to unlock them yet.”

As he picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, he explained:

“There are entry conditions for these three treasures. To enter the Undead Relic, one must be a First Level Hero, and no troops Level 3 or above, including Level 3, are allowed. Treasure Bay and Ogre Fortress are limited to heroes below Level 2, and only troops Level 4 and above, including Level 4, can enter. Given the difficulty of these three treasures, it’s very hard to access them with these restrictions.”

Well, Lin Xiao had nothing to say.

With those restrictions, indeed, it would be incredibly difficult.

“By the way, if you are interested in these three treasures, it’s best to report to the City Lord’s Mansion before you act. Accept the corresponding tasks first, so that later, you can not only grab the treasures but also complete the tasks to earn a large number of Points.”

“Hmm, I’ll accept them before I decide to go for it.”

“You don’t have to wait, these tasks can be accepted in advance, without any time limits, and there are no penalties for not completing them.”

“Oh!”

The two continued chatting while eating and got along quite well. Jia Sanyue was indeed trying to do Lin Xiao a favor, sharing all he knew. After this conversation, Lin Xiao had a better idea about his next steps and had roughly planned his strategy.

, if it’s experience, it must be over fifty thousand, enough to level up once.

Shielding that guy, two hundred Elite Archers could safely stay behind and keep firing arrows incessantly.

He then said:

“Actually, I’m also interested in these three treasures and hope to snatch one. We’re competitors in this, so you’d better hurry up!”

Lin Xiao smiled slightly:

“The treasures aren’t mine; anyone is free to snatch them.”

Jia Sanyue laughed heartily and waved goodbye as he left.

Lin Xiao stood in the street for a long time, smiled faintly, and then turned to leave.

He decided to report to the City Lord’s Mansion first, then check the mission board in the mansion’s square to look for tasks. He planned to earn some money and recruit some troops to prepare for seizing the three common treasures.

The mission board was a huge hologram, with many Heroes standing in the square looking up at it.

These Heroes were not only Humans but also included many Other Races, such as Goblin Heroes, Lizardman Heroes, Werewolves, Snake people, and others. Strictly speaking, as long as one didn’t belong to evil races like Undead Demons, the City of Glory welcomed all comers.

It was a world of numerous mixed Races, a world dominated by Heroes.

At a glance, the majority out of the hundreds of Heroes were Level Zero Heroes, known in this world as Apprentice Heroes or Novice Heroes, meaning they weren’t true Heroes yet.

The rest were mostly First Level Heroes, with very few above Level 2.

In this world, it was extremely difficult to level up as a Hero. Considering the upgrade scale of tenfold Points, Lin Xiao doubted whether he would be able to reach Level 4 within a year.

The mission board was full of tasks, including both official and private ones. The rewards varied widely, but most were resource rewards. Few offered troops; even fewer promised treasure, which seemed rare.

Considering the limit for the Undead Relic, Lin Xiao needed a batch of elite troops below Level 3. In terms of Sanctuary Camp troops, this consisted of Level 1 Riflemen that occupied one population slot, and Level 2 Archers occupying two slots. He needed to gather an elite force limited to less than a thousand in population.

Note that the Elite Riflemen Lin Xiao had created had the combat power of Level 2 troops, but their actual Level remained at Level 1.

In this world, any troop can accumulate combat experience and level up, but no matter how powerful they become, their troop Level does not change.

Therefore, he had to prepare a force of all elite troops and find a way to acquire several treasures that could increase their combat power to ensure confidence in challenging the Undead Relic.

His gaze swept over the mission board several times. Not satisfied with most tasks, he only became alert when he saw a few tasks involving instances within his sphere of influence. Lin Xiao suddenly realized he might try running the instances.

It would allow his troops to accumulate combat experience and be rewarded for completing instances, while also fulfilling tasks—three birds with one stone.

He immediately made up his mind, carefully examined the situations of those instances, and selected three tasks.

Afterward, he went to the trading market and spent five hundred Gold Coins on a detailed map of the City of Glory, spent one thousand Gold Coins on a warhorse for Heroes at the stables, and a total of twelve thousand Gold Coins on a set of Armor Cards, a Single-hand Sword, and a tower shield, as well as a fine Bow, two quivers, and two thousand arrows at the weapon shop.

Another visit to the barracks in the northeast of the city saw him spend eight thousand Gold Coins on two Level 2 Archer Cards, which he then merged into a Veteran Archer Card with the Creation Magic Cube.

It had to be said that anything related to Heroes was expensive. The big meal he had with Jia Sanyue at the restaurant cost less than a Gold Coin, but this round of purchases cost him a total of twenty-three thousand seven hundred Gold Coins—a staggering difference.

But these preparations were essential; one couldn’t expect to go into battle barehanded.

The weapons and armor were made for Heroes, offering high protection and sharp blades, but they were not treasures.

Heroes’ warhorses possess limitless stamina and can run nonstop.

The map is incredibly detailed; it contains all information within the boundaries of the City of Glory, including a small part that borders Barbaric City and the Southern Swamp City.

Sitting atop his warhorse, Lin Xiao allowed the horse to trot out of the city while unfolding the map to check the locations of several dungeons. However, his gaze was immediately drawn to three blood-red skulls on the map. When his eyes landed on the one closest to the City of Glory, he was taken aback and full of surprise:

“Isn’t this my spawn point?”

Upon closer inspection of the map, following the marked road downward past a Big Ear Monster Tribe into a forest, there was a ruin called Blackwood City. The blood-red skull was right above it, underlined by the gory letters spelling “Ruins of the Undead”.

“It really is.”

He was rather surprised and felt a wave of relief that he hadn’t wandered into it before; otherwise, it would have been disastrous.

But being born near a treasure trove was also something to be speechless about.

“Could this be that the most dangerous places are the safest?”

Or is it that danger and opportunity coexist?

Having passed through Sacred Gate again, he quickly summoned over four hundred Riflemen and a hundred Veteran Archers and proceeded along the main road.

He had barely taken a few steps when Lin Xiao suddenly pocketed his map and looked toward two figures passing by the roadside, then silently looked back.

These were two competing players. It wasn’t that he recognized them, but the difference between newcomers like them and the native Heroes of this world was very obvious, typically noticeable at a glance.

However, these two seemed not to have noticed him as they chatted and entered Sacred Gate.

“The number of people is increasing!”

The more people there are, the greater the competition. There was no time to waste.

With a squeeze of his legs against the horse’s flanks, he spurred his warhorse to move even faster, his men following closely behind at a trot.

According to the map, the nearest dungeon was only a few kilometers away, named The Battle of Salan, revolving around a small part of a battle that took place over a thousand years ago, where Barbaric City and Swamp City joined forces to assault the City of Glory.

The dungeon was limited to First-Level Heroes. The scenario pitted one Hero each from Barbaric City and Swamp City against a Hero from the City of Glory named Salan in a fierce battle where ultimately, Salan fell.

Upon entering the dungeon, one would join Salan’s side, entering as a hero of the City of Glory. The method of clearing the dungeon naturally involved rescuing Salan or repelling the enemy Heroes, with points awarded based on performance.

This dungeon had been farmed countless times by various Heroes, already thoroughly exploited by the natives. Strategies could be easily found with a simple search, making it very suitable for new heroes to train for the first time.

The entrance to the dungeon resembled the accidental Rifleman Camp from before, but it was accessible for Heroes to enter repeatedly without disappearing. The entrance was surrounded by tall walls, akin to a manor’s, with a guard posted at the doorway.

Upon his arrival, three native Heroes were gossiping at the manor’s entrance and greeted Lin Xiao as he rode up on his horse.

Even in a world of Heroes, they weren’t trivially common.

The dungeon restricted access to Heroes below Level 2, but there were no restrictions on the troops brought in. However, the difficulty would adjust based on the levels of the hero’s troops. Lin Xiao’s troops were all Level 1, so the difficulty would not be too high.

Besides, if one succeeded in the dungeon, all troops who perished within it would be resurrected, but if they failed, half of the fallen troops would be lost.

Accompanied by a sensation akin to teleportation, he found himself in an open meadow, with the indistinct edges of the dungeon behind him and a village a few kilometers ahead, where a mixed battle involving Heroes from different camps was raging.

The Barbarian Hero’s troops consisted of common Level 1 Big-eared Monsters, Level 2 Direwolf Riders, and a few Level 3 Half-beastman axe throwers.

The Hero from Swamp City was a Werewolf Hero, with troops of Level 1 Small Werewolves, Level 2 Lizardman Shooters, and a few Level 4 Giant Lizard units. He noted the absence of the disgusting Level 3 Dragon Flies typical of the swamp’s forces.

This Small Werewolf was not a mid-tier Werewolf but another species altogether.

The Hero he needed to save, Salan, was a standard Human Hero, commanding about four to five hundred Riflemen, over a hundred Archers, and several Griffins circling in the sky.

He had decent troop strength but was still overwhelmed when facing two enemies at once.

Lin Xiao’s arrival on the battlefield quickly attracted the attention of the enemies, and the Barbarian Hero swiftly directed his troops to charge over.

“Form ranks!”

A row of Elite Riflemen lined up and brought their long spears down with a swish.

Elite Riflemen hardly needed commanding; By this rank, they were no longer as wooden-headed as the new recruits. Not only was their combat power stronger, but their reactions were also more agile, and they were capable of understanding and executing simple orders.

It is said that once troopers reach the elite level, they surpass actual intelligent life forms in terms of battle experience, skills, and wisdom. They could effectively serve as a Hero’s aides, capable of commanding small-scale battles without needing the Hero’s personal oversight for every fight.

The Barbarian’s forces consisted of about five to six hundred Big-eared Monsters, around one hundred and fifty Direwolf Riders, and more than twenty Half-beastman axe throwers. On paper, his strength was superior to Lin Xiao’s. Combined with the Barbarian Heroes’ penchant for offense, the natural choice when stronger was to attack.