My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

Inside Troll Canyon, the sunlight is fragmented by the towering rock walls, casting large, oppressive shadows.

Scattered on the ground were boulders smashed by brute force, as well as some makeshift shacks haphazardly built from thick tree trunks and stones.

This indicates that this place was once a troll's lair.

Lin Mo and Yin Xue ventured deeper into the territory, encountering trolls sporadically along the way.

These massive creatures, some reaching three meters in height and with skin as rough as tree bark, are mostly classified as level 40 to 50.

They weren't very intelligent; upon seeing Lin Mo, all they knew was to roar and charge forward, their waving tree trunks creating a whooshing sound in the wind.

For ordinary adventurers, each one is a threat that must be taken seriously.

But for Lin Mo, their slow movements and weak defenses made the battle as easy as mowing grass.

The black sword rose and fell, precise and efficient.

One by one, the trolls crashed to the ground, turning into subtle attribute boosts and soul reserves.

The growth of experience points is so slow as to be almost negligible.

What bothered Lin Mo and Yin Xue even more was that the canyon was...too quiet.

Apart from a few scattered trolls, the anticipated chaos or large-scale gatherings did not occur.

Something's not right.

Yin Xue sat on Lin Mo's shoulder, her delicate brows furrowed, her blood-red eyes filled with suspicion.

"Why can't I sense any aura from that fragment? Given her domineering nature, she would either have subdued a group of trolls as her followers and caused a huge uproar, or she would have simply killed all the eyes in her way. It would never be so calm. The guards outside shouldn't be completely unresponsive either."

Lin Mo casually cleaved a troll that lunged at him from the side in two from shoulder to hip, splattering its blood onto the nearby rocks.

He flicked his sword, his gaze sweeping across the deep valley.

"Didn't she come here?"

Yin Xue was also unsure: "She flew over from the sky. There's only a faint trace of her presence here, so I'm not entirely sure."

Just then, from a coniferous forest growing against the rock face ahead, came clear voices and the sound of boots crushing dry branches.

The sound was coming from their direction.

It wasn't the troll's mumbled roar, but rather human language, tinged with frustration.

The two exchanged a glance.

His figure silently disappeared into the shadow of a huge pile of collapsed rocks.

Soon, a group of about ten people emerged from the woods.

They were well-equipped and coordinated their actions, clearly a well-trained and skilled squad of warriors.

Most of the people's auras were in the 40-50 level range, but the two leaders made Lin Mo's gaze slightly more focused.

On the left is a man of about thirty years old, with a sharp, stern face and thin, tightly pursed lips.

He held a bright silver spear in his hand, its shaft perfectly straight.

As he moved, the tip of his gun naturally drooped, yet it subtly locked onto all possible threatening angles ahead.

He was like a sharp sword sheathed, silent, yet his edge was subtly revealed.

On the right is a giant-like fat man, whose height is estimated to be over two meters.

Encased in heavy, dark plate armor, his movements produced a dull thud on the ground.

He carried a massive tower shield, almost as tall as himself, on his shoulder.

The edges were badly worn, covered with white marks left by various chopping.

His gaze, hidden beneath the helmet, swept across the surroundings, as steady as a rock.

The energy fluctuations of these two individuals were condensed and profound.

Lin Mo felt that he was almost identical to Horn, the level 60 city lord of Ash Fortress.

At this moment, complaints were rampant in the ranks.

"Ugh, what bad luck! I've only been out grinding for a few days, and my experience was just starting to pick up, and now I have to go back with an order."

A young man carrying a composite longbow kicked a pebble away from his feet, looking very annoyed.

A female mage nearby, fiddling with a fire gem, spoke in a high-pitched voice.

"Exactly! What mysterious intruder could force Horn to urgently recall our team? I think those bureaucrats at the city lord's mansion are just making a mountain out of a molehill!"

The others echoed this sentiment.

"If you count the days, the Trial of Courage will be in a few days. All warriors below level 70 can participate in the competition."

"I heard that the Vatican can grant one wish to the team that wins the championship. I wonder if it's true."

"Needless to say? The archbishop's divine power is to grant people's wishes. The previous champion reportedly wished for a female angel directly from the divine realm!"

"Really?! What does the female angel look like? I've never played this game before."

"Captain! Vice-captain! If you win, you can each take one angel from us."

……

Hearing these words, the man in the front row holding a long spear smiled slightly.

The fat man touched his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed.

They are the captain and vice-captain of this squad.

The heavily armored fat man spoke in a muffled voice, his voice muffled through his visor.

"Let's go back to the city first. Now that Father Harlin has defected, Ash Fortress is on high alert and they've recalled us. Something really serious must have happened."

A lean man in the group heard Father Harlin sigh.

"What a pity, Harlem took me to see prostitutes last week. You guys have no idea how exciting it was, I..."

"who!?"

Suddenly, the man with the gun stopped abruptly and shouted angrily at the woods ahead.

Using his left foot as a pivot, he instantly half-turned, and with a "whoosh," the spear in his hand sprang up, aiming at a pile of rubble in front of him.

"come out!"

Almost simultaneously, the heavily armored fat man next to him reacted just as quickly.

Its massive body moved half a step to the side with an agility disproportionate to its size.

The giant shield on his shoulder slammed heavily onto the ground with a thud, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

He shielded most of his body and several teammates behind him, his sharp gaze beneath the helmet fixed in the same direction.

Lin Mo had no intention of hiding, and seeing this, he stepped out slowly from behind the pile of stones.

Yin Xue floated beside him with great interest, her blood-red eyes scrutinizing the impressive team.

Upon seeing that it was a human who emerged, the heroes immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, in their worldview, the natives of this world wouldn't dare do anything to a hero.

Lin Mo's gaze swept calmly over the crowd, lingering briefly on the man with the gun and the heavily armored fat man.

"I'm looking for a redhead. Have you seen her?"

His question surprised the team.

The lean man who had just been standing there suddenly drew a pair of daggers with a dark blue luster from his waist.

The dagger twirled deftly between his fingers.

"Where did this brat come from? Don't you know the rules? This is forbidden territory. Trespassers will be killed without mercy! Why are you asking so many questions? Kneel down and beg for mercy, and I'll give you a quick death!"

On the other side, a female assassin wearing tight leather armor, with exaggerated curves and an abnormally flushed face, stuck out her tongue and licked her lips.

She stared intently at Lin Mo, her fingers unconsciously twirling a lock of her hair.

"What a handsome young man... Don't listen to that skinny guy, come with me, I promise I'll make you... feel like you're in heaven~"

As she spoke, she swayed her hips slightly, her eyes glazed over.

Most of her teammates around her showed obvious helplessness and subconsciously moved away from the female assassin.

"Qimeng is being infatuated again."

"I remember she just took in two slaves last week."

"They've been playing with it for ages, I heard they even got rectal prolapse."

"Hmm, they were quite restrained this time."

……

Clearly, these teammates were already used to Qimeng's behavior.

And they also knew a little about her methods.

Lin Mo had no interest in listening to these scumbags, and his expression remained indifferent.

"Looks like we'll have to take a tougher approach."