Yuchen didn't waste time.
The best thing to do was to head out, and he had just the right place in mind. The alleyway. The strength to a swordsman was the space they needed to swing their weapon. “Speeding two months on that game is finally paying off.” Yuchen said as he gripped his sword, waiting for the appearance of the leader. “Don't try to escape. This would be your final destination.” The leader appeared with a dark gaze. His initial thoughts were to seize this boy's money but after seeing the rare display of talent, there was no way he could stand the boy surpassing him. Death was the final decision. But there was a huge miscalculation Yuchen swiftly dropped the sword, and rushed forward. “You are courting death.” The leader said and swung his flame sword down. With a side step, Yuchen dodged, and threw a handful of sand into the eyes of the leader, momentarily blinding him. In battle, a moment was enough to decide the winner. Without wasting time, Yuchen leaped into the air, and landed behind his opponent’s back. “Don't do anything that you'd regret, kid!” The leader said, and turned around blindly. Yuchen sneered, “My only regret would be keeping you alive.” He said and stabbed the dagger into the neck of the leader, before dragging it horizontally. Blood splashed and the leader held his neck, and fell into a pool of his own blood. Yuchen flicked the blood away from his weapon and turned away. The Ashen core was better than he had imagined. It had made him stronger, even surpassing fighter classes. “Seems like I'm returning back to normal.” Yuchen said, examining the after effects of the paste he made. The ashen core was enough to open up meridians, and baptize the user with a large flow of mana. But other effects that made a person ten times stronger than their normal abilities lasted for only a short time. That was enough for Yuchen. “Now I'm hungry.” He frowned at his rumbling stomach, and looked around. There had to be a place to eat. In the dark shadows of the alleyway, hovering over the body of the dead soldier was a cloaked man, and on his face was a small smile. He had found the candidate he wanted to use. Yuchen went into a restaurant and began to eat. He had informed his parents that he would get better and stronger, but the first step was to find a place for himself. As a merchant, their services weren't sought for as much as the other classes. “I can use the alchemy class and thanks to the Ashen core, I also have the mage class.” Yuchen spoke to himself. “However, I'm not close to even defeating any minions of the demon king.” He sighed, “I have to find the main character and then speak to him about a plan.” Yuchen decided. But first of all, he would have to get stronger. In order to access stronger ability books, the ones of higher quality, adventurers needed a lot of money. Just as he was deep in thought, a man sat in front of him. “Killing the High Lord's Level four fighter class soldiers and beating up his subordinates is a crime punishable by death.” The man started Yuchen didn't look up, instead he smiled, “If you want to die, then I'd be willing to add you to that list.” “Relax, Killer boy. I'm serious. You have potential and it would be a waste to let you roam free. I can help.” The man continued. “In what way?” Yuchen looked up. “Every year, the adventurer’s guild of each town picks one or two people in the city to send to the city in order to gain more strength. For the selection this year, a fighting competition is being hosted.” “I see.” Yuchen already knew what was coming. This man was recruiting him to fight. “I understand why you are here now but what's your gain to this?” “Just the money,” The man chuckled, “The recruiter of the winner would be given a large sum of money and that's what I want to get my hands on.” “Okay, that's valid. I want to go to the city myself so I am very interested. How do I register to be part of the Adventurer's guild? And what do I call you if I'm going to be working with you?” Yuchen straightened up with his question. “Tyron. The first step of being part of the Adventurer's guild is getting a class and then levelling up the class. What class are you at the moment?” Tyron asked. Yuchen thought about it. If he told this man that he had three classes, there was a high chance that the man would freak out. “I have the fighter class.” Yuchen said with a smile. “Good, good. This makes our work a whole lot easier.” Tyron replied. “Once you are done with that, you can also partake in the Adventurer's guild annual competition, and then find your way to the city!” This made Yuchen look up, “You can have the for yourself but you are giving it out to me? Why?” Hearing this made Tyron laugh, “I'm much more of someone who was bred and brought up here and with my class as a merchant, it would be hard for me to survive in the city. Yuchen could only nod. There was no problem. All he had to do was to get the fighter class and then ensure to level it up. The best way to level up the fighter's class was through fighting. “Lead the way.” Yuchen said and rose to his feet. Tyron was glad that this was really easy. He had been thinking of ways to convince the youngster, but using the city made it much easier. The city was a dangerous place, but it was also a very lucrative place. “After you get your Adventurer's class, then you'd be allowed to join a guild, but I'd advise you to join a guild from the city to help in finding better resources for yourself.” Yuchen nodded, listening attentively to Tyron, “Are there any dungeons here?” “Dungeons rarely come up in places with little saturation of humans but the adventurer's guild has a list of dungeons which are available to search.” “Okay, thank you.” This was the information Yuchen was looking for. The dungeons were the closest way for other races to make more contacts with the human race. They walked to the adventurer's guild and Tyron led the way in. Yuchen could feel the stink eyes of other people boring through his back. “Tyron, you brought another candidate. Are you sure this one has a chance?” The receptionist had chuckled when she laid her eyes on Yuchen. But Tyron could only smile in response. “We'd just wait and see. Fighter's class. His meridians are open and we'd like to see if he'd make a great fit.” “You know that's not my decision to make. It would be the affinity in his blood.” The receptionist said, rolling her eyes. Yuchen could only watch the reaction. There was barely so much he knew about this world, and there was still a tinge of excitement in him. “Thank you Jade, but just do it, let's see.” Tyron said and the receptionist shrugged. “Hey kid, bring your finger.” Jade said, sending a small smile towards Yuchen. Yuchen nodded and did as he was told. Jade made a pierce with a needle and held the finger over an orb. “It's not going to be easy getting a fighting class but since Tryon here believes in you, I'm willing to give you a try.” Jade said. Yuchen merely nodded. He didn't think he would get any class either. The system had already given him the merchant class so it was rather impossible to get something else. However, he felt like there was nothing wrong with trying. The blood in the orbs swirled around, before turning into a bright purple colour and then it changed to a golden colour. “That's not possible.” Jade furrowed her brows. “Give me another finger.” She said sharply, and Yuchen instantly obeyed her, raising another finger. Jade did the process again and to her shock, it was still the same reaction and the colours were even more concentrated. Jade sighed and then she let out a chuckle, “You really have good scouting skills, Tyron.” Tyron frowned, it was rare for this woman to compliment him. “I don't understand you, what about his fighter class?” Tyron asked. “There's no need for that,” Jade smiled, “He isn't of the fighter's class. He has a Mage class.” She said and the entire room went silent.Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 69
THE NEXT MORNING.Around him, his three best men looked terrible. Brant’s right wrist was tightly wrapped in thick linen bandages, forcing him to hold his hunting knife awkwardly in his left hand. Cull’s nose was swollen to twice its normal size, his face completely bruised and dark purple. Torin rubbed his jaw constantly, his eyes bloodshot from being knocked unconscious the night before. They were tired, sore, and cold.But Vane did not show them a single ounce of pity."Again!" Vane roared, slamming his wooden sword against his heavy iron shield. "You are moving like old women! The merchant will not wait for you to catch your breath!"Torin cursed under his breath. He lunged forward, swinging two wooden practice swords in a rapid cross-strike. Vane did not block. He stepped aggressively inside Torin’s guard, shoving his heavy shield directly into Torin’s face. Torin stumbled backward, his boots slipping on the frozen mud."You are leading with your shoulders, Torin," Vane barked, p
CHAPTER 68
Captain Thorne walked slowly through the heavy, freezing rain. The thick mud of the lower district pulled at his heavy iron boots with every step. He hated this part of Vanguard City. The air smelled of wet dogs, cheap ale, and rusted iron. The streets were narrow, dark, and filled with people who would cut a man's throat for a single copper coin. But Thorne did not care about the danger right now. He was much more afraid of the High Lord Kaelen than any street thief. Kaelen had given him a direct order: kill the merchant Yuchen, or do not come back.Thorne kept his right hand resting firmly on the hilt of his broadsword as he pushed open the heavy wooden door of a dark tavern called The Broken Anvil.The inside of the tavern was hot and filled with thick gray smoke from a dying fire. A few rough-looking men sat at the corner tables, drinking dark beer in silence. Thorne ignored them. He walked straight toward the back of the room. He was looking for one specific man. He was lookin
CHAPTER 67
Yuchen did not even look up from his ledger. He simply shifted his left boot and pressed a hidden iron pedal under his desk.A loud mechanical hiss filled the room. A hidden copper pipe burst open from the floorboards directly beneath the assassin’s feet. A massive jet of superheated, high-pressure white steam shot upward, hitting the leader right in the face.The assassin screamed in pure agony. The boiling steam melted his black cloth mask and burned his skin instantly. He dropped his poisoned dagger, falling backward onto the wooden floor as he clutched his face.Yuchen calmly closed his ledger. He placed his golden pen perfectly parallel to the book. Then, he looked up through his dark sunglasses."Your infiltration method is terribly inefficient," Yuchen said. His voice was completely cold and flat. "You did not account for basic thermal defense systems."The remaining four assassins froze for a split second, staring at their screaming leader. Then, their professional training ki
CHAPTER 66
The golden shockwave from Yuchen’s warehouse did not just travel across the surface of the world. It drove straight down. The pure, highly concentrated energy pierced through the thick granite foundation of Vanguard City, cutting through miles of solid dirt, underground rivers, and ancient bedrock. It bypassed the natural magical barriers of the earth like a hot knife slicing through fat.Deep underground, far below the reach of any human miner, the Abyssal Rifts lay in absolute, freezing darkness. This was the true domain of the void. For centuries, the underground caverns had been dead and silent. The air was thick with the smell of old iron and dried blood.Then, the golden light hit.The shockwave slammed into the floor of the deepest trench. The heavy black stone cracked open with a deafening roar. A bright, burning gold light flooded the pitch-black cavern, searing the dark walls.Deep inside a massive tomb made of jagged obsidian, a giant pair of eyes violently snapped open.
CHAPTER 65
The heavy iron door of Yuchen’s private inner warehouse vault swung shut with a deep, metallic click. The air inside the small, stone-lined room was cool and smelled of dry paper, refined iron, and old copper oil. Yuchen stood in front of a long, clean marble workbench, his dark silk suit perfectly straight. He slowly pulled off his leather gloves, placing them neatly on the edge of the table before adjusting his dark sunglasses. His golden eyes were fixed entirely on a heavy, iron-bound lockbox resting in the center of the workspace– the primary dungeon treasure chest salvaged from the core of the Vanguard Ruins during their first major logging camp expedition.He reached into his vest pocket, pulling out a small brass key. He turned the mechanism smoothly, and the heavy iron lid popped open with a sharp snap.Inside the chest, resting on a bed of faded red velvet, was a single sheet of ancient parchment. The material was thick, dark, and covered in faint, glowing gold lines that shi
CHAPTER 64
Deep inside the lowest chamber of the Blackwood Silver Mine, the roaring fire of the massive fifty-foot Hell Gate suddenly stabilized. The wild, leaping red flames settled into a dense, spinning wall of pure black and crimson light. The jagged obsidian stones forming the frame of the portal glowed with an intense, burning heat that made the granite walls of the cavern bubble like water. The thick purple smoke inside the room was violently sucked into the center of the rift, leaving the air completely clear, dry, and freezing cold.THUD. THUD. THUD.Heavy, synchronized, earth-shaking footsteps began to echo out from the dark void beyond the burning portal. The sound was deep, mechanical, and carried a rhythmic weight that shook the loose stones down the vertical mine shafts.The first wave of the Demon King’s elite army marched out of the portal fire in perfect, flawless military formation. These were Demon Vanguard Knights—massive, eight-foot-tall soldiers encased from head to toe in
