The Era of Gods

The Central Army’s Big-eared Monsters, cannon fodder, held wooden shields in one hand and marched forward in a single-handed axe array, while the malevolent Wolf Knights riding Seat Wolves split into two groups and circled around from the left and right. Half-beastman axe throwers wielded palm-sized hand axes with both hands, their waists hung full of small hand axes, and they had a Javelin Pot on their back containing a tube of short javelins and a long spear-javelin that was likely used for close combat.

“Target the enemy’s Central Army, Archers ready!”

Lin Xiao, mounted on a high-headed horse, watched with cold eyes as the Wolf Cavalry moved in and out of the edge of the archers’ range, and he paid them no heed.

Riflemen are a natural counter to cavalry, and Elite Riflemen have combat power comparable to Level 2 troops. Arranged in square formations, they can exert even greater combat power; the mere one hundred and fifty malevolent Wolf Knights stood no chance of attacking the archers guarded by layers of riflemen.

Once the Big-eared Monsters entered the one-hundred-fifty-meter range, he waved his sword:

“Release arrows!”

A series of ‘whoosh’ sounds filled the air, and a hundred arrows arched through the sky, landing amidst the Big-eared Monsters. A succession of thuds indicated hits, and a dozen or so Big-eared Monsters fell.

Veteran Archers reloaded faster than the new recruits, readying a second arrow in about three seconds, and another series of whooshes ensued, followed by another dozen Big-eared Monsters dropping.

With a three-point Hero Strategy Attribute Strength bonus, the Shooters’ strength increased, allowing them to shoot further and with greater arrow force.

Although this world was as attribute-based as a game, it was indeed a real world that followed certain universal rules.

When the Big-eared Monsters advanced to within fifty meters, the first row of two hundred Elite Riflemen stepped forward with their rifles.

Immediately, the Half-beastman axe throwers in the rear launched their axes. Twenty-some flashing white blades zipped through the air; a dozen or so Elite Riflemen at the front wobbled but did not fall.

Normally, Level 3 troops could instantly kill Level 1 Riflemen within full damage range, but unfortunately for the enemy, these were Elite Riflemen, stronger and better defended. Plus, with a three-point Constitution boost, one wave wasn’t enough to kill them.

Seconds later, as the Riflemen collided head-on with the Big-eared Monsters, the hovering Wolf Knights immediately charged toward the gap between the ’ front row of Riflemen and the Archers behind. Lin Xiao took a bow from behind and notched an arrow, letting it fly with a ‘whistle,’ and two of the Wolf Knights fell at once.

“Prepare for the charge!”

He didn’t order the Riflemen guarding the Archers to attack proactively, as the agile Wolf Knights could easily bypass them and directly attack the central Archers through any gaps.

The counter-strategy was simple: maintain formation and hold the ground. After all, as long as they won, any number of deaths could be revived.

Over four hundred Riflemen, half facing the Big-eared Monsters head-on and half protecting the Archers, relied on the Archers as the main force to continually take down the Big-eared Monsters.

With boosts from three points in Constitution and three points in Strength, the Riflemen’s ability to endure damage and their attacking strength more than doubled. They staunchly withstood the Half-beastman axe throwers’ attacks and overpowered the Big-eared Monsters head-on.

The Barbarian Hero across from them could not match Lin Xiao’s strategic attributes, not even close. The Elite Riflemen clashed with the Big-eared Monsters, surpassing the enemy in both attack and lethality, achieving even greater results than the Archers.

The Wolf Knights, unable to do anything against the solidly prepared Archers, probed back and forth over a dozen times. With the Riflemen unshaken and heavy losses among the Big-eared Monsters, the Barbarian Hero had no choice but to order a full assault.

The result was predictably futile. Seeing that the Riflemen could hold off the enemy’s main force, Lin Xiao directly ordered the Archers to change targets and attack the Wolf Knights.

As volleys of arrows rained down, the Wolf Knights suffered heavy losses and were forced to retreat in disgrace.

Once the Wolf Knights retreated, the Big-eared Monsters split up-one part covered the retreat, while another part withdrew rapidly.

Lin Xiao simply watched the retreating Barbarian Hero without ordering a pursuit, instead instructing his men to eliminate the Big-eared Monsters that were covering their rear, without changing the formation at all.

Seeing this, the Barbarian Hero a distance away grimly punched his mount and formally ordered a retreat.

Once the Barbarian Hero retreated, it wasn’t long before the Swamp Werewolf Hero, who was confronting Salan in the village, also quickly withdrew. With that, the dungeon was completed.

Upon exiting the dungeon, Lin Xiao received a Riflemen Card, as well as a thousand Gold Coins, ten units of wood and ten units of minerals, too additional experience points, 1 point, and over a dozen novice-level Riflemen were promoted to veteran.

The rewards were average, but the difficulty was not great. Unfortunately, the dungeon could not be repeatedly farmed.

According to the rules, after each run of a dungeon, the difficulty would increase by one level the next time, much like ladder stages.

Meanwhile, the corresponding rewards would progressively increase. Theoretically, if you could repeatedly farm a dungeon dozens of times in a row, even the most basic dungeons could provide rewards not inferior to the Treasures of Myriad?

Well, that was just a guess, and he didn’t actually know if it was so exaggerated. In fact, it was basically impossible to farm it that many times. Without elite troops or treasures, after a few runs, it would likely become impossible to progress.

Of course, Lin Xiao wouldn’t stubbornly focus on dungeons, but it made sense to farm a few rounds now while he had some strength-for example, after four or five rounds, the rewards could be quite good.

With that in mind, he took a short rest before re-entering the dungeon.

Upon his second entry, the difficulty of the dungeon had clearly increased. Previously, the barbarian hero commanded around five to six hundred Big- eared Monsters, over one hundred and fifty Evil Wolf Knights, and more than twenty Half-beastman Axemen.

Now, there were seven hundred Big-eared Monsters, over one hundred and eighty Evil Wolf Knights, and thirty Half-beastman Axemen, marking a significant enhancement in strength.

However, Lin Xiao directly summoned the Riflemen Card he had obtained from the previous dungeon. Including his existing forces, he now had nearly three hundred Elite Riflemen, fifty-two Veterans, over one hundred and eighty common Riflemen, and one hundred Veteran Archers.

Pity that cards already used couldn’t be withdrawn, otherwise combining two

New Recruit Cards to make a Veteran Card would have been better.

While Lin Xiao was on his second run of the Salan Battle Dungeon, Sacred Gate ushered in several new heroes all at once. Yi Lei and his companions looked around the massive gate with curiosity, their gazes occasionally drifting towards a few contestants from the Aristocracy Council.

They had entered the Relic World quite early and formed a team with other contestants they met while wandering in the wilderness, including a few from the Aristocratic Council, and together they headed to the City of Glory.

If possible, they all wanted to try eliminating each other, but the power gap between the two parties was not significant. Although one side had a slight edge, a head-to-head clash would result in heavy losses, which would greatly impede their development. That’s why they were able to arrive in the City of Glory peacefully.

But it was foreseeable that this peace was temporary. As soon as one party grew stronger and overshadowed the other, someone would surely be tempted to eliminate their competition.

After all, within the relics, eliminating an opponent was allowed.

This wasn’t just about reducing the number of competitors. There were tangible rewards involved as well, essentially encouraging them to eliminate each other.

The group entered the Sacred Gate. Teams from the HuaXia District rapidly gathered local information and data, quickly understanding the situation, and started to develop.

It wasn’t until he had challenged the third level of the Salan Battle Dungeon and prepared to return to the city that it was already the following day.

By the third level of the dungeon, the opposition had nearly a thousand Big- eared Monsters, over three hundred Evil Wolf Knights, more than fifty Half-beastman Axemen, and two Ogre Mages. Lin Xiao, relying on the two Riflemen Cards and one Archer Card he gained from the second level—yielding one hundred Veteran Riflemen and one hundred Archers—and his own participation, narrowly managed to win.

He had no plans for the fourth level of the dungeon for the time being, as even with Ins current strength and the rewards from the third level, it would likely still be too difficult and risky. He had to find a way to bring in more elite troops.

The reward for the second level was two Riflemen Cards and one Archer Card, two thousand gold coins, twenty units of wood and ore, two hundred experience points, and two points.

The reward for the third level was four Riflemen Cards and two Archer Cards, four thousand gold coins, forty units of wood and ore, four hundred experience points, and four points.

By now, Lin Xiao had accumulated a total of nine points, which was pitifully small.

Upon returning to the Sacred Gate and just entering the city, he ran into Yi Lei and several other contestants who were preparing to leave. This elite from the War Throne was quite surprised to see Lin Xiao, his expressions fluctuating, but eventually, he waved and greeted him.

His demeanor was indifferent, clearly indicating no interest in small talk, but his companions were much more enthusiastic, coming forward to introduce themselves, and he smiled and responded courteously.

After a short chat, urged by Yi Lei, Lin Xiao bid farewell to these contestants from various colleges of the HuaXia District.

Watching them leave, Lin Xiao rode into the city, pondering the information he had garnered during the casual conversation.

More and more contestants were entering the Relic World, and the competition was only getting fiercer. He needed to develop quickly, or it would be embarrassing to be caught up by others.

Most importantly, though these few had only recently arrived, there had already been numerous True Body Descend contestants before them. These contestants were incredibly powerful, and he was far from being a match for them. If any of these people decided that they disliked him and wanted to cause trouble, it would be quite problematic.

“Continue with the other dungeons!” Lin Xiao decided.

He remembered that there were six dungeons near the City of Glory. By clearing the first three levels of each dungeon, he could accumulate a fair amount of troops and resources and convert them into strength. Maybe then, he could attempt the fourth levels of the dungeons.

Given the rewards for the third level, he estimated that the fourth level’s rewards were likely to be generous and worth taking some risks.

Considering the dungeon’s difficulty adjusted to his current power, he decided not to use the rewards obtained from the third level of the Salan Battle Dungeon just yet. He replenished his supplies in the city before heading out to another dungeon.

For nearly a week, he busied himself traveling between the other five dungeons, first clearing the first level of each, then the second, and finally the third.

After completing three runs, he returned to the front of the Salan Battle Dungeon, only to discover Jia Sanyue and more than a dozen contestants from the HuaXia District chatting there unexpectedly.

Seeing him approach, Jia Sanyue ran over and asked,

“How far did you get in this dungeon?”

“The third level,” he replied.

“Not bad. Yi Lei from the War Throne has also reached the third level. He’s planning to try the fourth level today.”