My stats are higher than yours!!

Bai Shuodong didn't think that he could become a Dharma Master just by undergoing these trainings here. Real Dharma Masters start learning from a young age and also know how to use various top-level resources.

Putting aside other things, a jade slip that transmits memories is worth more than ten years of arduous cultivation by others.

There are useless mages, but the real mages are all super-powerful ones who continuously invest heavily in leveling up their strength. They are beings that cannot be caught up with by learning spells in a short period of time.

"Ah~"

Bai Shuodong sighed.

Times change over time. While the old rulers were powerful, their rule was clearly not as terrifying as it is now. With each generation of optimization and iteration, the ways to spend money in the game have become more sophisticated, and the depth of human development has also increased, leading to a greater gap between people.

The progress of the times brings benefits, which are available to almost everyone, but the amount received varies. The poor warriors can only hone their skills and expertise more scientifically in advance, acquire more knowledge, and benefit from better medication.

And that was it.

There's nothing we can do about the widening gap between us and the "Master" (a popular streamer); the difference in spending money is just too great.

Gan!

The school's magicians are all highly skilled; they look at the support class like mascots, the tank class like human targets, the archer class like toys, the assassin class like clowns, and the warrior class like...Australopithecus.

"Yo, you're up here?"

The old village chief stood on the shore, smiling and waving at him. He walked over and said, "To be able to stay underwater for so long, you're quite something, kid. How did you find it?"

"Not bad."

Bai Shuodong answered with a smile, then asked directly, "How is the situation in the Kingdom of Heckler? How much has the battle line been pushed back? Is the situation particularly tense at the front now?"

"It's better than I expected. The territory that the previous hero conquered has been driven back, and several cities have even been lost. However, the demons' advance has slowed down significantly, and the frontline commanders have also changed. Things have changed quite a bit there... We should be able to hold out for a while longer."

The old village chief said with emotion.

"Oh."

Bai Shuodong nodded.

He sensed that the old man was no ordinary person. How could a crippled village chief easily know so many secrets? The changes in the arrangements of the soldiers on the front lines were not something a normal person could easily know.

More importantly, he and the old village chief are now at the seaside, a relatively remote location, and not a place with advanced information access.

This old thing is no ordinary thing.

"By the way, recently a small group of demons has infiltrated our kingdom's heartland. They're quite close to us. You can test your strength against them," the old village chief said.

"it is good."

Bai Shuodong readily agreed.

He hasn't fought the demons yet, so he doesn't know how strong they are. It's always good to find out beforehand.

Then, the old village chief took a stick-like object wrapped in cloth from behind his back. He smiled and untied the rope, revealing a wooden staff with a red magic orb embedded inside. He said, "Child, this old man doesn't have much of a good thing. This is the staff I used when I was young. I'll give it to you."

"Thank you."

Bai Shuodong accepted the staff and expressed his gratitude.

This staff is extraordinary; it was judged by the spirit world, and its quality is also quite good.

【Red Heart Staff】

Level: first level

Quality: Silver

Type: Staff

Attack power: 10-15

Durability: 30/30

Equipment Requirements: Spirit 15

Weapon characteristics:

① Mental Strength +20%

②When unleashing a fire element attack, fire element intensity is increased by 30%.

Brief description: A staff inlaid with a fiery magic orb, possessing immense power.

"What an amazing staff!"

Bai Shuodong's eyes widened instantly. This silver-grade staff was no ordinary weapon. Using it would increase the strength of his fire-attribute attacks by at least several levels, doubling the strength at the very least.

Unfortunately, this staff doesn't seem very sturdy. It would be so much fun if we could enchant it and use it as a weapon to smash things.

Immediately afterwards, an even stronger sense of crisis rose in Bai Shuodong's heart.

This is a warning of a crisis!

If even the old village chief in this world can wield a silver-grade staff, then the Demon King must have even better equipment, perhaps even a full set. Just thinking about a guy with higher stats than me, carrying a whole set of powerful equipment, makes me feel really tough to beat!

It seems we need to develop it further. Without relying on the Holy Sword's special attack effect, it's unlikely we'll be able to defeat the Demon King head-on under normal circumstances.

Um...

[Hint: Your grand ambition - to eradicate corruption within the military - has been fulfilled]

[Courage +5]

"?"

Chapter Forty-Six: The Hero is the Root of Corruption!

hiss!

Is this correct?

That's absolutely right!

Based on the results, Bai Shuodong deduced that the root cause of the country's downfall and corruption was neither the king nor the nobles, but... the brave men.

Because the kingdom has heroes, and every hero is reliable, with excellent combat strength and character, the kingdom itself does not need to cultivate high-end combat power. The battle against the demons can be fought entirely by the heroes.

Then why bother valuing geniuses?

Then why bother cultivating geniuses?

What if a commoner rises up and replaces the princes and nobles, shouting, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

With external threats resolved by brave individuals, they can confidently and boldly engage in internal strife. Therefore, when encountering a commoner genius, their first reaction is, "Can we take this kid in as a dog?"

If so, then accept it.

If not, then kill them directly to avoid threatening your position in the future.

Moreover, among those geniuses, there are many exceptionally talented individuals who have grown up despite adversity, but their numbers are clearly small and insufficient to overturn the status quo. Their existence, in turn, makes the old powers and nobles even more wary of commoner geniuses, thus incentivizing them to kill them.

Moreover, the embezzlement of military funds by border soldiers was extremely serious.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Hecas single-handedly broke through the demon race, but a very objective and accurate description. He really did break through the entire demon race's battle line by himself.

The hero has no teammates by his side. Is it because he doesn't want to lead? No, it's simply because no one can keep up with him and can't help him.

This is how heroes of all time are: they are extremely powerful and responsible, playing a vital role on the front lines, so powerful that the existence of border troops becomes irrelevant. They are so powerful that those in the rear can confidently and boldly engage in infighting, even considering whether to kill them and wait for a new hero to emerge, shaping the hero into their desired form.

result...

The new hero encountered a slightly unexpected situation.

The kingdom's front lines have been blown up, and now they face the crisis of national annihilation.

The hero didn't come, and the crisis of national annihilation arrived. Of course, they are extremely anxious now.

More importantly, the main reason why the Kingdom of Heckler is still able to hold on is that Hecas killed off the powerful demons, resulting in the current overall strength of the demons being at a low point.

However, even at its lowest point, the Demon Clan was still far stronger than the chaotic Kingdom. The longer the timeline was extended, the greater the gap in strength between the two sides became.

The king is now frantic.

The nobles were also in a frenzy.

These guys are experts at infighting, and they're all shrewd individuals. They've long considered bribing the demons to cooperate from within.

But the problem is that I just can't figure it out!

Because humans and demons have a long-standing feud, and because the two sides are not equal in strength, the demons do not need them to surrender at all; they are not even worth rebelling against.

You don't even deserve to be called a traitor!

The Demon King hasn't even reached the main battlefield yet! And the front lines are already in such a sorry state! If the Demon King were to personally go to the battlefield, that would be unacceptable! Those nobles are just evil, not stupid; right now, they're all collectively crying in despair!

"Well..."

"In other words, if I really follow the main storyline, I will face a group of nobles who are dependent on the hero."

"Moreover, this group not only depends on me, but will also try to mold me into what they need. If I don't meet their needs, they might even kill me."

Bai Shuodong gasped. Unlike the local heroes, he would lose attributes after drawing the Holy Sword. If he were to be dealt with by these noble lords, he would probably suffer a terrible fate.

I really shouldn't have gone to the holy mountain!

It's right to be a hero without drawing the holy sword!

"Oh, right, old man, I have another piece of good news to share with you," the old village chief said.

"What news?"

"The great nobleman Leo was executed, and the execution was quite a spectacle. His crime was obstructing the arrival of the heroes at the Holy Mountain. The specific details are..." the old village chief recounted.

"hiss..."

Bai Shuodong became increasingly alarmed as he listened.

In the normal course of the journey, as he heads towards the Holy Mountain, he will encounter Leo, who deliberately makes things difficult for heroes with a strong sense of justice. He might even attempt to kill such a person to prevent him from drawing the Holy Sword and becoming a hero.

He had to outwit and outmaneuver the nobles, choosing between abandoning the task of saving passersby and pulling out the holy sword—a situation that sounded disastrous.

If he doesn't draw his holy sword and annihilate the nobles, those nobles will probably have to come up with some underhanded tricks to retaliate against him.

Hey~

Bai Shuodong sighed, thinking to himself: I am weak, pitiful, and fragile. I have nothing but numerical values. If I really get to that point, all I can do is show off my numerical values ​​to those nobles.

...

Evening

The sun sets below the clear sea, the wind carries a salty smell, and the waves crash haphazardly against the rocks, splashing up sprays of water.

On a secluded, deserted coastline, a dark shadow flashes in a corner where rocks intersect.

Those are the Tide Demons.

A powerful demon race that excels in naval warfare and is born with the ability to control water elements.

In the shadows, five dark blue figures slowly crept from the rocks onto the shore, looking around to see if there was any human activity.

"Nobody's here."

A Tidebringer has come ashore.

This demon had bluish-black skin, deep green vertical pupils, an incredibly slender body, covered in scales, with barbs in some places, and was surrounded by a unique mist.

That is the innate talent of the Tide Demons, the protection of the tides, which can only be awakened by sufficiently powerful Tide Demons.

Having Tidal Protection reduces damage taken when attacked and provides additional buffs when unleashing water element attacks, making it extremely valuable in combat.

Soon, four more Tide Demons followed them ashore, but they were not protected by the tides and were even shorter.

"Our mission is to scout and gather intelligence about the Holy Mountain, and not to get entangled with humans," said the Tidebringer captain.

"Yes."

"clear."

The other team members nodded seriously.

"Ah."

The Tide Demon captain nodded slightly, then said, "You are all quite strong, but you haven't experienced the trials of the battlefield. I hope this mission will help you grow and become true warriors... You must survive!"

"It's alright. Humans are all weak. Those guys are much weaker than us. As long as we don't encounter any heroes, we'll definitely make it back alive."

"Exactly, Captain, you're being too pessimistic. We'll all make it back alive."