It's so hard being a hero!

Chapter 116 Battle Against Gold-Level Players

The announcement of the Silver tier rankings caused an uproar throughout the second year.

This year's competition produced a total of fourteen Silver-level players, which is quite an achievement compared to previous years. However, what truly kept everyone talking was the youngest player, Sophia.

"Tsk tsk, out of these fourteen people, she's the youngest, right? The others are all sixteen or seventeen."

"Don't compare her to ordinary people. She has an affinity for all elements and was born to be a monster."

A group of students stood in front of the bulletin board, looking at the list and chattering amongst themselves, their voices filled with surprise and emotion.

However, Sofia herself doesn't seem to care much about these discussions.

At that moment, she was standing with her five teammates at the Adventurers' Guild window next to the bulletin board, preparing to apply for team certification.

Although the group hadn't recovered from the shock of what had just happened, the real challenge now was the team's grading process.

"I've looked at the individual ratings of the six of you and done a comprehensive assessment. Your adventure team's initial rating is Silver."

The staff member behind the window explained, flipping through the forms in their hand.

"Silver-level adventure teams are qualified to take on missions below the gold level. However, if you want to obtain official certification as a gold-level team, you will have to complete another team combat test."

"Okay, thank you."

After listening, Sophia took the form and nodded.

Upon hearing this, Lilia panicked and grabbed Sophia's sleeve.

"Gold-level team certification? We've only just entered our second year, and we're already facing gold-level opponents?"

Noah, who was next to her, couldn't help but lean over and ask, "Um, could we get certified as a Silver-level team first, and then challenge for Gold-level after we've adapted for a while?"

The staff member shook his head.

"The team certification level is determined by the person with the highest combat power in your team. Now your team has a silver-level member, so according to the rules, the team's initial rating must be at least silver-level. If you choose silver-level team certification, then your opponents will naturally be silver-level as well."

"But if you want to take on gold-level missions, you must pass the gold-level team certification assessment."

Misia couldn't help but mutter something under her breath.

"Does that mean we need to play at least one Gold-level match?"

"Yes, this is a unified regulation of the Adventurers' Guild."

The group exchanged glances, their eyes all turning to Sophia simultaneously.

The meaning in his eyes was very clear: "This all depends on you."

Sophia was both amused and exasperated by their stares, but she understood the point.

"Alright, let's proceed with the Gold-level team certification then."

As soon as she said this, Lilia, Noah, Baron, Mu'en, and Misia all smiled helplessly, but no one objected.

Because they all knew in their hearts that if Sophia dared to say that, she must have a certain degree of confidence.

Besides, even if they don't pass this time, it's not a big deal. They can just take it as a preview. Anyway, sooner or later, when they all reach the Silver level, they can't avoid this competition.

After they finished discussing, the staff member pulled a form from under the counter and handed it to them.

"Fill out this form and hand it in at the entrance of testing room number three. The certification assessment will be held tomorrow morning."

Sofia took the form, filled in the information in a few important places, and then left the window with a group of people.

As he walked out of the Adventurers' Guild, Baron couldn't help but scratch the back of his head and asked with a憨厚 (honest and simple) expression, "Um, can we really beat a Gold-level opponent?"

Noah rolled his eyes at him.

"We have to fight even if we can't win, since Sophia said she can do it anyway."

"You really have a lot of faith in me."

Sophia smiled helplessly.

"But don't be too nervous then. When we fight the Gold-level opponents, I'll take care of the main attack, and you guys just need to focus on holding them off."

The next morning, a large crowd had already gathered at the entrance of testing room number three.

Some people came purely to watch the spectacle, while others were drawn by the news of a silver-level adventure team challenging for gold-level certification.

Noah stood at the front of the line, arms crossed, looking at the heavy metal door opposite him, his expression unusually tense.

Baron stood beside him, gripping the heavy sword in his hand, his knuckles slightly white from gripping it so tightly.

"What kind of opponent do you think the testing lab will match us with?"

Misia couldn't help but ask.

"What can this match? It can't match a dragon, can it?" Noah shrugged.

"If it's a dragon, then we might as well not go in and just admit defeat."

Mu En's tone remained calm, without the slightest ripple.

Sophia felt a little more relaxed listening to their bickering.

After a while, the door to the testing room opened, and a middle-aged man wearing an adventurer's guild uniform walked out. His gaze swept over the six people before finally landing on Sophia.

"It's your turn, go in."

The six people entered the testing room one by one, and the metal door behind them slammed shut with a thud.

The space under the detector began to change. The ground beneath their feet changed from smooth bricks and stones to rough rocks, and the sky above their heads turned gray and gloomy. All around them, they could see towering stone pillars and strangely shaped rock walls.

This is a rocky wasteland; the view isn't very wide, but it's not too narrow either.

On an open ground directly in front of them, gray energy began to gather, slowly outlining a huge figure.

The figure was over three meters tall, its entire body made of rough, gray rock, wide and strong, like a moving small mountain.

Its limbs were incredibly thick; each of its arms was thicker than a normal person's waist, and its fists were as big as two millstones.

Its head didn't have any obvious facial features, just two eyes that emitted an earthy yellow light set in the middle of its face.

Gold-grade Stone Giant.

After Lilia clearly saw what her opponent looked like, her face turned pale instantly, and her voice trembled.

"A stone giant? A gold-level stone giant?"

Noah's expression also stiffened for a moment. Of course, he knew that among monsters of the same level, stone giants were among the most troublesome.

Baron simply gripped his heavy sword tighter and swallowed hard.

"How are we supposed to fight this? I feel like our attacks are like tickling it."

Misia's complexion wasn't good either, but as the team's only healer, she knew she couldn't panic. She quickly calmed herself down, and a pale blue light began to glow on her palms.

Mu En quietly took two steps back, moving to the side and rear of the group, and the wind magic in her hand began to slowly condense.

Sophia's expression remained relatively calm, but her brow twitched slightly when she sensed the intensity of her opponent's magic.

Outside the testing room, several instructors were watching the assessment through a magic mirror.

Olivia stood in front of the mirror and frowned as soon as the stone giant appeared.

"A Gold-tier Stone Giant? Isn't this matchup a bit too strong?"

She turned her head and looked at the middle-aged man next to her, who was wearing an adventurer's guild uniform, her tone clearly showing dissatisfaction.

"The Stone Giant ranks high among Gold-level monsters. Its defense is ridiculously high. Even ordinary Gold-level warriors might not be able to cut it down. It's not appropriate to match a few students who have just entered their second year with such an opponent, is it?"

The other mentors nearby nodded in agreement.

The middle-aged man didn't rush to answer. Instead, he slowly flipped through the notebook in his hand before looking up at Olivia.

"According to the rules, the difficulty of the team certification assessment is determined by the strength of the strongest member in the team. Your team member is named Sophia, right?"

He pointed to the silver-haired girl in the mirror: "When she took the individual ranking test, the data we recorded showed that she defeated a silver-level opponent with almost no energy expenditure throughout the process."

"What does this data mean? Her actual combat strength is far more than Silver level."

Olivia paused for a moment, then turned to look at Merkel, who also frowned.

"So your assessment is that she has at least Gold-level strength?"

Chapter 117 Full Power Output

The middle-aged man from the Adventurers' Guild nodded.

"Yes, she at least has the combat power to fight against a Gold-level opponent."

These words silenced Olivia. Although she knew her student was very capable, she hadn't expected him to be no less capable than his teachers.

The key point is that she is only thirteen years old. It's hard to believe how much she will grow up in a few years.

She knew that the testing system was certified by the Adventurers' Guild headquarters and that the data it produced was never exaggerated.

Merkel stood beside her and said something quietly.

"If that's really the case, then we shouldn't need to worry too much about this battle."

But Olivia's brow remained furrowed.

"But what about the other five children? Their strength is only at the Bronze level. Facing a Gold-level Stone Giant, even a slight glancing blow could injure them."

Although this test won't kill you directly, it will still have a certain impact on your soul.

"That's the real meaning of Gold Team Certification."

The middle-aged man added.

"It's not just about the team's capabilities, but also about how individuals respond in times of crisis."

Even as they were talking, the battle within the detection space had already begun.

The moment the stone giant was fully formed, it let out a deep, muffled roar at the crowd.

The roar carried a yellowish-brown sound wave that shook the ground slightly.

Noah was the first to move. Almost at the same second that the stone giant appeared, his figure transformed into a blue-white arc of electricity, rushing towards the stone giant's leg from the side.

The sword strike was incredibly fast, hitting the stone giant's left leg joint directly.