Chapter 39: King Arthur

"Boom."

As the last crystal core vanished, Chen Jing'er successfully reached the First Order.

[Codename: Untitled]
[Level: First Order, Level 0]
[Magic Power: 32,600]
[Strength: 232]
[Physique: 226]
[Speed: 352]
[Spirit: 504]
[Talent: S-Grade Spirit of the Reaper]

Her brand-new attribute panel was far more powerful than before, significantly surpassing even Liu Shiyun. Her S-Grade talent, "Spirit of the Reaper," was a soul-type ability, so she had invested all her free attribute points into Spirit. Before her evolution, she had consumed attribute fruits, and later, while following Lin Yu, she had traded for quite a few more at the marketplace. When she awakened her S-Grade talent, each of her four attributes had received a 50-point bonus, resulting in these terrifying stats. Although she was still far behind Lin Yu, she was clearly a cut above most other S-Grade awakened individuals.

"What should I choose for a codename?" Chen Jing'er fretted. She wasn't good at naming things. "Wait, I've got it! How about 'Chen On-Top'?"

"Haha, that's it! I, Chen Jing'er, am going to be on top. If it weren't for this conviction, I might not have awakened today!" She didn't see anything wrong with this codename; in fact, she was quite satisfied. If Lin Yu knew, he would likely be infuriated. What kind of normal person picks such a suggestive name?

...

On the World Forum, ever since the integration of data from evolvers worldwide, arguments had been nonstop.

"Look at the person ranked first in the Great Xia Kingdom. 'Big Brother Wet'? Just hearing the name, he sounds like a bottom-feeder."

"He's only first because of luck. Once the War of a Hundred Nations begins, I'll make sure he wets his pants."

"Haha! Yoshi... well said. And that 'Magician' character—sounds like someone who only knows how to juggle. And he's in the top ten in Great Xia?"

"Great Xia men are weak, but the women... flower girls, so beautiful!"

"Iron Man? What kind of trash is that, daring to challenge Big Brother Wet?"

"You Sakura dog, you're dead! Your Sakura Kingdom is finished! We will trample Sakura; we Great Xia people always keep our word!"

"Damn it, I can't take this anymore! Where is the Explosive Heavens Faction? I want to join! I want to trample this disgusting country."

In a palace in Great Britain, four figures stood tall.

"King Arthur, my apologies. The strength of the 'Legend of the Night' was somewhat unexpected. The Thunder Knight and I could defeat him by joining forces, but we couldn't subdue him. I'm afraid you'll have to intervene." The Sun Knight stood cloaked in sunlight, glowing brilliantly.

"Then I shall make the trip. Including him, there will only be four of the Twelve Knights. The War of a Hundred Nations is drawing near; we must pick up the pace." King Arthur’s eyes remained calm. His strength was widely recognized as the greatest in Great Britain.

"In the War of a Hundred Nations, the Great Xia Kingdom, the Sakura Kingdom, the Shika Kingdom, and the Heaven Kingdom all possess great strength. I saw the Scorpion King strike once on the World Forum; he was very strong."

"However, I am confident in facing him," the Sun Knight said, his face full of assurance.

...

On the highway, a black G-Wagon sped along.

Lin Yu sat in the passenger seat, his consciousness entering the trade marketplace to take a look. The two drops of dragon blood and seven cards he had listed were still there. He had received many trade requests, but they were all from people looking to scavenge a bargain, offering items of little value. He rejected them without hesitation. After all, he wasn't really trying to trade; he was just using the platform as a temporary storage ring. Both the dragon blood and the cards were precious items with significant future utility.

"Once we pass the Qingyu Tunnel ahead, we'll be in the territory of Tianhai City," Liu Shiyun said, looking at the dark tunnel entrance ahead, suddenly feeling a bit afraid.

"That hole looks like a big mouth!" little Ruke said from the back seat, poking her head out and blinking her large eyes.

Lin Yu narrowed his eyes, peering toward the distant tunnel entrance. He focused for a moment, detecting nothing unusual, yet a flicker of unease stirred in his heart.

"Is there something wrong with this tunnel?"

"I don't know. I can't see anything unusual for now," Lin Yu shook his head.

"It should be fine. The tunnel is less than two kilometers long; we'll be out in no time." Liu Shiyun cast aside her unease and stepped on the brake.

"Stop!" As the G-Wagon approached the tunnel entrance, Lin Yu ordered the car to stop. It came to a smooth halt. Lin Yu hopped out and walked slowly toward the entrance, peering inside. Because the power grid had been destroyed, there was no light; the tunnel was pitch black. Lin Yu conjured a fireball and tossed it inside. The fireball landed, scattering sparks and illuminating a portion of the tunnel. He looked carefully for a long time but still found nothing unusual.

"Perhaps we were just overthinking it. Let's go."

Lin Yu returned to the car. Although a trace of unease remained, it wasn't intense. Even if something were inside, they had nothing to fear.

The G-Wagon moved forward slowly. The headlights clicked on, illuminating the tunnel. Both looked around; everything appeared normal, save for the extreme silence.

"Whew!" Liu Shiyun exhaled, relaxing. She pressed the accelerator, and the car shot inside like an arrow released from a bow.

Gradually, both felt that something was wrong. The Qingyu Tunnel was less than two kilometers long; why hadn't they exited after three or four minutes? They couldn't even see the exit. Liu Shiyun became tense, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Another ten minutes passed, and they were still in the tunnel.

"Brother Yu, have we encountered some kind of supernatural event?" she asked, clearly nervous.

"Perhaps!"

Lin Yu frowned. A tunnel less than two kilometers long, and they had driven nearly thirty kilometers without exiting—this was either an illusion or they were trapped within a rule-based anomaly. Or perhaps, they were no longer in the tunnel, but in a different dimension?

"Could we have accidentally stumbled into a secret realm?" Lin Yu muttered to himself.

After the apocalypse, many different spaces and dimensional realms had appeared. They contained many opportunities, but were also accompanied by immense danger. In his past life, these spaces were called secret realms. However, secret realms were diverse; some involved profound laws and required a "Secret Realm Card" and specific conditions to enter, while others had no conditions, relying entirely on luck.

"Let's get out and see the situation."

Liu Shiyun pulled the car to a stop. After the three of them stepped out, she stored the G-Wagon in her spatial storage. "Hold onto me and Ruke."

The darkness was deathly silent. Liu Shiyun held Lin Yu’s hand with one hand and Ruke’s with the other.

"Clang!"

Suddenly, a massive bell toll rang out, echoing through the tunnel. As the sound faded, a glimmer of light appeared on the tunnel wall not far ahead. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a door, as if guiding them.

"Interesting!" Lin Yu narrowed his eyes and said, "Let's go see what's behind that door."

The two women followed him as he walked slowly toward it. They reached the light, and indeed, it was a door. It stood slightly ajar, with light leaking from within.

"Creak!"

Lin Yu pushed the door open and stepped inside. It was a massive, spacious stone cavern. In the center sat a stone table, with many figures seated around it. At the head of the table sat a creature wearing a bull-headed mask; it didn't look human.

"Congratulations, three newcomers have arrived!" the creature said slowly, its voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

The people sitting on both sides of the table all turned to look at them. Lin Yu saw a mix of emotions on their faces: ferocity, joy, despair, pity—it was extremely eerie.

"Where is this place?" Lin Yu asked, staring at them.

"This is the dwelling of the demons!" the bull-masked creature replied.

"Demons?" Lin Yu frowned. In his past life, "demons" generally referred to powerful entities who had awakened dark powers. They could be dark evolvers or dark mutant beasts.