Chapter Thirty-Five: The Battle for Glory (Part Two)

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Battle for Glory (II)

During the first two days of leveling in the Star Spirit Valley, Shen Ce picked a few ordinary monsters that were six or seven levels above his own to train against. Though this method was time-consuming and exhausting, requiring a large supply of potions, the rewards were significant. His reaction speed improved noticeably in a short span.

On the last day, Shen Ce chose to challenge packs of monsters at his own level or two to three levels below. After all, the first round of the Battle for Glory was a hundred-player arena match, and only ten would advance. Everyone else on the arena would become an enemy. Thus, superior evasion and defense were more valuable than raw offensive power; as long as one could stand until the last moment on the stage, advancement was assured.

Aside from leveling and monster hunting, Shen Ce also spent a small fortune to purchase a single-target skill manual for the Holy Priest class, the level-30 "Sword of Divine Light." This spell gathered a massive amount of light-element energy into the shape of a sword, delivering three consecutive blows to the target. Its power far surpassed his previous single-target skills.

It must be said, with "Heaven's Dominion" launching the contest across all servers, good skill manuals and equipment were selling like hotcakes. Shui Linglong put all her available gear on sale at marked prices—much higher than before—yet the crowds flocking to the Treasure Pavilion paid in cash without a word of bargaining.

So regardless of Shen Ce’s final standing in the challenge, he was already a winner—the official event had been a boon for him and Shui Linglong, their profits in a few days eclipsing last month’s total earnings.

Three days flew by swiftly. The tournament would begin officially at eight in the morning, but some rose early to scout the arena in advance, Shen Ce among them.

Because "Heaven's Dominion" did not allow teleportation between the Light and Dark factions, the organizers built two new teleportation spaces for the event. The first arena was for the opening and final rounds—arena matches; the second was a jungle for the second round.

Upon logging in, Shen Ce chose to enter the first arena. As the white light faded, he found himself in a vast, partitioned field with two raised platforms, one to the east and one to the west. These were the combat stages, empty for now, since entry was forbidden before match time.

Shen Ce, belonging to the Light faction, was teleported to the eastern area, while the western platform belonged to the Dark faction. He could only gaze from afar. Though there was still an hour and a half before the match, the zones were already crowded.

Approaching the platform, Shen Ce examined its material closely before standing aside to await the start. Since the area outside the platform was non-combat, he couldn’t practice spells, so he took out the Elvish language manual given by Xeros and began to read. The strange script was difficult to adapt to, making Shen Ce silently respect Xeros’s patience—players willing to slog through a dull language book in-game were indeed rare.

Time ticked by; the arena filled with more and more people. When the system prompt announced the start, Shen Ce quickly stowed the manual in his inventory. Instantly, a hundred players appeared on the platform—not crowded, but impressive nonetheless, each radiating a murderous aura, ready for a life-or-death struggle.

Shen Ce had chosen a good vantage point before the opening, so he could observe the fight clearly. The chaos of a hundred-player melee was nothing like solo combat—the platform was ablaze with spells and martial skills, everyone scrambling between attack and defense. It was utter pandemonium; some were even accidentally shoved off the stage.

Shen Ce’s match was relatively early, the fifteenth. He observed intently, preparing for his turn, and after several rounds, he analyzed the reasons players were knocked off or hunted on the stage. Confident, he believed he wouldn't be eliminated in his first round.

Finally, it was Shen Ce’s turn. At the system’s prompt, he appeared on the platform, and during the fifteen seconds of preparation, he quickly sized up the five players around him—a male warrior, three mages, and a priest. From prior matches, it seemed players liked to target those who appeared weak; as a priest, he and the female priest would likely be marked.

The moment attacks were permitted, Shen Ce cast several buff spells on himself. He had no intention of provoking the masses—such would be suicide. Predictably, the male warrior and two mages launched their assault on Shen Ce and the female priest. Shen Ce didn’t rush to counterattack, instead casting a basic appraisal spell at the fierce-eyed warrior to his left. The warrior was four levels below Shen Ce, which eased his nerves slightly—his greatest fear was facing a close-combat warrior, since as a priest with low agility and defense, that would be fatal.

As the warrior lunged, Shen Ce leapt back, evading the gleaming blade, but was struck by a crackling bolt of fire, losing a bit of health. The others’ blindness—mistaking a wolf for a rabbit—made Shen Ce smirk inwardly.

Seeing the two mages standing close together, Shen Ce cast a Light Barrier spell on them. Unable to escape and too near each other, they turned on one another, battling fiercely. Shen Ce had successfully redirected their aggression, but the warrior—four levels lower—was relentless. Knife in one hand, fist in the other, he charged at Shen Ce, closing the gap to barely two meters.

Shen Ce hurled a light orb and a slowing spell at him; the warrior’s agility was evident, but he only paused for three seconds before lunging again, blade raised toward Shen Ce’s throat.

Fortunately, he hadn’t gotten too close, and Shen Ce’s reaction was far swifter than the average priest. Otherwise, that blade would have done more than graze Shen Ce’s left hand—it would have severed his entire arm.

Shen Ce’s expression grew colder, his icy gaze locking onto the warrior who had wounded him. The warrior swallowed, his heart pounding at Shen Ce’s chilling demeanor, trying to reassure himself—this priest must have weak spell damage, given his superior agility.

But he was wrong. A beam of white light shot from Shen Ce’s hand, enveloping the warrior. Light swirled, a sword formed, and plunged straight into the warrior’s chest.

No blood spilled, but the warrior collapsed instantly.

It was Shen Ce’s first time using the Holy Light Sword on a player, and its power was astonishing—though, in fairness, that warrior had prioritized attack and agility, not health.

Most were too busy to notice this scene, and as a priest, Shen Ce quickly drew fresh attention.

This time, it was a hunter. Shen Ce calmly cast a defensive Holy Light spell on himself, drank two mana potions, and braced for the attack. Warriors remained his most dangerous foes—hunters, being ranged, were less threatening.

Three poisoned arrows shot at Shen Ce, but a burst of light formed before him, intercepting them. The spell quickly corroded the arrowheads, melting them into a pool of molten iron.

The hunter’s mouth fell open, eyes wide as Shen Ce raised his staff. His pupils contracted, but it was too late—Shen Ce unleashed several single-target spells, and the hunter vanished in a flash of white light.

After the hunter, Shen Ce faced various other classes, all succumbing to his magic. As the number of players dwindled to just over thirty, he unexpectedly spotted two familiar figures—Cold Seventh and Bloodthirsty Wolf.

Shen Ce’s narrow eyes flickered. Ah, enemies are destined to meet! The two were locked in a ferocious struggle, so focused they failed to notice Shen Ce on the other side of the platform.

Having long disliked Bloodthirsty Wolf, Shen Ce immediately aided Cold Seventh. The once balanced battle tipped dramatically with Shen Ce’s intervention.

Standing behind Bloodthirsty Wolf, Shen Ce’s staff glowed with eerie purple light, unleashing a thunder spell. Though it didn’t kill Bloodthirsty Wolf outright, he was thrown into disarray. Roaring in rage, he turned to face Shen Ce, eyes bloodshot with hatred.

Apparently, his animosity toward Shen Ce outweighed his grudge against Cold Seventh—he abandoned Cold Seventh and rushed at Shen Ce, which proved fatal.

Cold Seventh nocked a dark-gold arrow, which streaked through the air and struck Bloodthirsty Wolf’s heart. Bloodthirsty Wolf glared furiously at Shen Ce and Cold Seventh, his bitter resentment leaving a deep impression on Shen Ce.

After Bloodthirsty Wolf’s death, Shen Ce and Cold Seventh exchanged a glance, wordlessly agreeing to join forces. Their cooperation was seamless. Both being highly skilled, they survived to the end, successfully advancing to the next round.

Author’s Note: Eternal Angel tossed a landmine at 15:58:28, August 9, 2014. [Thank you, Eternal Angel, for the landmine! ~o(≥v≤)o. By the way, has the head nurse caught you yet? I’ve already dialed her number as a friendly gesture—no need to thank me →→]