Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 138 Heroic Warriors
As night deepened, the fighting outside continued.

The retreating mind flayers suddenly launched several attacks after nightfall!

Although the scale was not large, and even the ferocious beast did not appear, it did tie down the military forces of the defending side.

Due to the unique light source of the underground world (luminescent moss) and the fact that life in the underground world generally possesses night vision, it is possible to maintain a 24-hour shift system as long as resources and manpower are invested.

On the contrary, in local wars on the ground, because life is overly dependent on the sun, it is difficult to fight at night in this era.

"Another rat sneaking in."

She hadn't rested for long after returning home that night when the helpless goddess was called out to work overtime again.

Before her lay a scorched alley, filled with cloaked outsiders and dark elves who had come to pick up their goods.

Verna didn't even bother with interrogation; she simply burned everything to the ground.

"I don't care how you usually smuggle things, now you all better keep an eye on those tunnels!" she yelled at the matriarchs behind her.

The inhabitants of the underground world are all basically skilled at digging tunnels.

There are numerous smuggling tunnels connecting the various districts of Radiant City on the surface. And in Mosodirka, which is already in the underground world, who knows how many tunnels and smuggling routes there are.

In the past, we could turn a blind eye because most of the tunnels were actually the private property of various families, and they had many secrets that were not suitable to be exposed to the public.

But this time, during the mind flayers' attack, many thieves and spies emerged from among them. Verna knew that these infiltrators' goal was probably not internal sabotage, but rather to reach the secret chambers of the various dark elf families.

The sudden nighttime attack was likely just a cover for the actions of these lurking agents.

It seems the mind flayers have realized they can't take the city anytime soon, and are trying to leverage their connections or bribe some families.

Fortunately, the "miracle" during the day still has a deterrent effect, and these families should not have any obvious disloyalty in the short term.

"Fortunately, otherwise there might have been internal strife." Verna also expressed some concern.

By the standards of the dark elves, even if Verna is a goddess, she is still too young.

This means she climbed to the top by stepping on many people, and naturally, many people are dissatisfied with her.

It was late at night, and she continued her patrol for a while, mostly to warn the mistresses and to show that she was still keeping an eye on things.

The fact that spies from the other side emerge from whose tunnels they will cause trouble for that family is a blatant threat, and it is only because the city lord has enough prestige that he can use such force.

When Verna returned to the city lord's mansion, it was already two or three in the morning, and her sister was already fast asleep.

And another new older sister who looked so much like her seemed to have vanished without a trace.

"I'll let you off the hook for now, we'll talk again tomorrow." With a sigh, Verna, who had originally planned to have a late-night chat, prepared to go back to her room to sleep.

"Sister!" The sudden voice made her stop.

When I turned around, all I saw was my silly older sister hugging her pillow and grinning like an idiot.

"Now you know how to respect me, right?"

Verna fell silent, but upon seeing her sleeping sister, she suddenly began to dance around excitedly and uttered silly, sleep-talking phrases like "I'm the older sister."
"puff."

Verna laughed out loud, but quickly covered her mouth.

Back in her room, she, who suffers from intermittent insomnia, actually slept quite soundly.

Perhaps she was also hoping to see her sisters in her dreams.

Little did she know that her sister Alexie wasn't simply talking in her sleep.

She was happily boasting in her dream about how she punched giant beasts and trampled goddesses. That's right, the villain in her boastful story was none other than her arrogant younger sister.

The mist had been dispelled by the spirits themselves, and in the Hall of Heroes, the white-haired, red-eyed eldest daughter of a dark elf noblewoman was demonstrating her ability to rise to the top in one step to the top, facing a group of young candidates for Heroes.

Behind her, the identical "Valkyrie Alexie" would occasionally put down her book and look at her with a helpless yet doting gaze.

In reality, most candidates were not focused on the smug female priest, but rather on the near-perfect Valkyrie behind her.

"And so, I received divine favor, and in one step, I became a high-ranking priest. Now I can use fifth-circle divine spells."

Becoming a high-ranking priest overnight is something one shouldn't boast about in public (it would affect one's reputation), but within this hall of fame for young people, it attracts envious glances from many.

The Fifth Ring is the starting point for a great pastor, but also the limit of instant success. To go further, even pastors who can achieve this quickly need to complete a large number of courses.

Even with the divine magic bestowed by the gods, Alexie cannot unleash the fifth-circle great magic at will; she needs time to familiarize herself with and master it, and for now it is merely an empty shell.

“But ‘Valkyrie Alexie’ can cast spells for me.” This is probably the real “perfect older sister.”

"Is this the power of heroic spirits?" Some people looked at Kuku on the stage, knowing who had brought about the change.

"Is it possible for me too?" Some people are also looking forward to the day when their seeds will blossom.

"Could you explain how you awakened this ability?" someone asked, trying to learn from their experience.

The candidates weren't particularly interested in becoming high-ranking pastors, because while the title of "high-ranking civil servant" was somewhat enviable, it wasn't their goal; they were all confident that they could become high-ranking professionals in the future.

This extraordinary power, this almost perfect other "self," is truly enviable.

"This isn't just one plus one being greater than two, it's clearly one plus one being greater than ten. She's worth eleven of you by herself, but because she needs to be mindful of you during battle, she's one behind." Victoria was quite sarcastic while expressing her envy.

She was genuinely envious; her former girlfriend, whom she hadn't really looked up to, had suddenly become the pride of heaven.

When people say that "she's not as good as her sister," Alexie puts her hands on her hips and becomes smug.

"Ha, my sister is amazing, my older sister is amazing, and I, who won by doing nothing, am amazing too."

At this moment, even Victoria was speechless. She also noticed that Alexie's mentality had completely changed, and this should not be the effect of a simple change in power.

Is it the influence of the heroic spirits?

“Yes, after witnessing Lord Kuku’s past, what are these current difficulties?” Alexie did not hide the source of this change. Without this opportunity for qualitative change, she might still be an immature older sister even a hundred years from now.

Alexie wasn't the only one who grew; the other candidates also visibly matured. But this time, the most eye-catching figure in the hall remained the majestic Valkyrie.

And everyone also noticed that she was clearly different from the real Verna.

"Lord Kuku, is it really alright for you to impart knowledge to me?" She put down her book, remaining quite rational and polite.

She seemed quite humble and eager to learn.

She was surrounded by a pile of physical books, all containing the knowledge she needed, including martial arts, history, and magic.

A newborn soul is supplementing its knowledge base.

"It doesn't matter. I can help you summarize a training and combat method, but you'd better find other heroic spirits afterward. Find heroic spirits that are good at combat." Kuku was still open to teaching without discrimination, and even planned to give the new students a training program after they left.

According to Kuku's assessment, the Valkyrie's current structure resembles that of a divine messenger formed from divine power.

Not only does it possess extremely exaggerated hardware attributes, but it also has extremely high talent in divine fire, divine arts, magic, and martial arts. Coupled with the divinely bestowed divine weapons, it is destined to embark on an extremely terrifying path of cultivating magic, martial arts, and divine arts.

Even more outrageous is that it can borrow the "divine arts" of its sisters. One Alexie specializes in divine arts, while the other specializes in magic and martial arts, ultimately forming a terrifying weapon of war.

"This perfect body is the crystallization of magic and divine power. Paired with this 'divine artifact,' it's almost like a legendary heroic spirit."

Dania's exclamation, along with the somewhat familiar keyword "Heroic Spirit," caught Rean's attention.

But others seemed unaware of these things, and someone pressed them for details.

"Heroic warriors? Similar to the ancient heroic spirits we are encountering now?"

"Hmm, somewhat similar, but Heroic Spirits are materialized heroic souls, special beings capable of interfering with the real world."

These are ancient secrets, known to very few.

Dania looked at Kuku, who was writing furiously above her, and her feelings became increasingly complicated.

Rean himself was somewhat frightened.

Are heroic spirits actually able to return to the mortal world and interfere with reality?!

"The Encyclopedia of Heroic Spirits? What does it have to do with you?"

This feature is not available in this Heroic Spirit Encyclopedia.

The encyclopedia, which only responded to questions about functionality, gave Rean a direct negative answer.

So, is there another true Hall of Heroes? Or is there any possibility that this Hall of Heroes might change, since Kuku has already appeared in the present world?
"Hehe. Impossible. We have only one. My current Kusla is just a virtual machine running on your hardware, mainly because my abilities are special. With you existing, it's impossible for a second real-world hero to appear."

So what exactly happened? Was it really just a random car accident?

"It's normal that you don't know about Heroic Spirits. They only appear during world-class crises and disappear again after the crisis is over. You know about 'Tholain's Seven-Colored Adventure,' right? That was actually a world crisis, and it's said that the legendary Outer Gods descended to the mortal realm."

The story Dania told was a well-known "fairy tale," leaving the candidates somewhat bewildered. Was something amiss?

A story about defeating a terrifying alien god has somehow turned into a fairy tale adventure?
"It's said that we need to define that outer god using 'fairy tales' to weaken it. Then, we need to seal it away using the identity of the 'Fairy Tale Demon King.'"

"That's not the point. The point is that one of the seven heroes in the story, the 'Red Phoenix Knight,' is actually an ancient hero from a thousand years ago. My ancestor participated in this adventure."

Upon hearing this, Rean breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed it was just a coincidence that the setting had been accidentally encountered.

"No matter how perverted Lee Eun-suk is, he wouldn't dress as a woman. This Hall of Heroes, which can send out heroic warriors, should have nothing to do with me."

Hearing Dania continue her story, mentioning several female Heroic Spirits, completely put Rean's mind at ease.

Even if one cross-dressing pervert occasionally appears, there wouldn't be so many twisted and perverted Lee Eun-suk, would there?

Kuku just watched him silently and prayed for him, hoping he wouldn't encounter any heroic warriors, otherwise he'd be in for a lot of trouble.

"Kuku, what are you laughing at?"

"Giggle! I've thought of something happy! Something happy!"

Meanwhile, Dania continued to recount these secrets, trying to attract the attention of the other candidates.

"The birth of a Heroic Spirit? It is said that only after a hero dies will he be invited by the Hall of Heroes." Dania continued to talk about these secrets, trying to gain control of the Hall of Heroes.

Rean watched all this silently. He had already realized that Alexie and Dania were both trying to "build up their reputation," which, in the end, was to win over these young candidates.

Aleclerc's example further demonstrates the potential of this legacy, and everyone present probably has a bright future.

For the leaders of both groups, these "future heroes" are the most valuable assets, and they naturally strive to win them over.

Even before Alexie had fully assumed power, she was already subconsciously thinking about her sister's future.

Rean did not interfere. Just as Kuku said, these young candidates all have their own futures, and the two recruiters will ultimately decide based on "treatment and benefits".

He also noticed that Suliman was staring intently at "Valkyrie Alexie," her mouth practically watering with envy.

At this point, it seems no one can stop her from inheriting the fragments of the heroic spirit.

After these minor incidents, the group could only bring up the important matter at hand—the mission to attack the hatchery of the second beast.

Everyone had their own thoughts and opinions, and for a moment no one could make up their minds. But at this moment, "Bai," who had been silent all along, took the initiative to stand up.

"This is an opportunity, can you help me?" She took the initiative to dispel the fog.

The pure white magical girl completely terrified the candidates who had met her.

Sallyman was so frightened that her tail stood straight up.

"You, are you here to kill us?!"

The Hall of Heroes is dead, but not really dead, so how can they hunt them down?! That snake is too shameful; Rean is too embarrassed to even look at him.

(End of this chapter)