Those time travelers that year

There should be another chapter around noon. These two chapters are to advance the plot, so please don't subscribe if you don't want to read them. To be honest, I also think they're a bit padded! But the author's OCD is acting up, and they can't stand not doing something good!

And another week, I have to work overtime again! Those Christmas sales are a total rip-off! 23333333333333333333333333333

116. Advancing the Plot (Part 2)

Inside the tree hollow was a slide that stretched downwards. The winding path made Charles feel like he was on a roller coaster, causing him dizziness. However, this discomfort didn't bother Charles; on the contrary, he watched the tunnel with great interest. It seemed to be just a hole cut into the banyan tree, leading downwards. But if that were all, wasn't the tunnel too smooth, without any roughness, like a perfectly glided slide?

Clearly, this wasn't man-made; it was a tunnel created by magic that Sharl couldn't discern. This was understandable; he was a self-taught sorcerer, good for causing destruction, but expecting him to learn how to efficiently utilize various magical techniques was asking too much. For him, anything that worked was fine…

He slid down like this for nearly five minutes. The tunnel stopped twisting and turning and gradually became smoother. Finally, Charles slid out of the tunnel and fell onto a mat made of vines.

"Alright, everyone..." the leader of the scalpers' voice rang out, "Welcome to the black market!!"

This is a huge underground cavern, with torches hanging on the stone walls to illuminate it. The ground in front is paved with neat stone bricks, stretching out into the distance.

They rose from their mats, each harboring their own agenda and unwilling to enter through the main entrance for various reasons, and began to walk forward. Soon, a bustling trading place appeared before them.

All sorts of stalls were set up on the ground, and shouts and conversations filled the air. Weapons, armor, strange items and props—all kinds of things that would be completely contraband if laid bare—were openly displayed and sold here.

"The rule here is cash on delivery," the leader warned. "As you can see, nothing here can be placed up there, so you can find a lot of things here. Of course, please also note that you can do anything except engage in armed conflict!"

"How do I get to the city?" someone asked.

"Just keep going up!" the leader replied. "There are stairs ahead. Just go up and you'll enter the city. The exit is a market..."

……

This black market seemed to sell a lot of things, but it also looked like there were even more people trying to steal from each other. After walking around the black market, this was the third time someone had deliberately bumped into him, using the opportunity to try and pickpocket him. However, this was also the third idiot whose hand he had broken…

Let's ignore those stupid thieves; this black market does have some interesting stuff. Enchanted weapons, all sorts of potions, and many other items that look expensive are openly sold here. Although after looking around, Sharl found that almost nothing here caught his eye…

Well, having seen more of the world, his horizons have broadened! Anyway, Charles doesn't think there's anything in this trading market that would catch his eye. In comparison, those two guys who are more on his mind are much more likely to attract his attention. For example, the information he gleaned from the black bug that remained behind.

……

“What a terrible mission!” the woman in the group muttered. “I’ve already witnessed several transactions involving ‘moon sugar’ along the way. I just want to burn this filthy place to the ground…”

"Alright! Bear with it, Ovina!" the man said. "This isn't a place for you to throw a tantrum. You know, we're currently within the Nightshade's territory."

"Although this city has no heroes stationed here, there are far more high-level professionals than we do. Don't forget our mission..."

“Nag, I know. Anyway, when the army arrives, there will be plenty of time to clean up these filthy sins!” Ovina glanced around with disgust, then grabbed a pickpocket's arm and twisted it, breaking the poor thief's finger. The two ignored the man's groans and continued on their way, leaving the minor chaos behind.

“Our mission is to find a way to disable the defensive magic in the city…” Nag said in a low voice. “That defensive magic has been interfering with the use of teleportation spells. Once we solve that problem, the Prophet and the Guardian of Light can be the first to arrive here.”

"This city has no heroes stationed here, but that doesn't mean the Nightshade's heroes dare not come, especially the Lord of the Underworld. With him around, we've been forced to fail in our recent major battles! This time, while we were in action, the Legion Commander had already mobilized the Bronze Legion to approach the Lord of the Underworld's Virogros Legion, buying us time..."

"After we enter the city, the Legion Commander will launch a full-scale attack to draw the Lord of the Abominations' attention. We only have three days to find the control center of the defensive magic and then take it down."

“Three days is enough!” Ovina replied in a low voice. “Before we came, Lord Bounty Hunter and Lord Templar Assassin each gave us two scrolls. As long as we use these two scrolls, we can temporarily possess a portion of their power.”

"With the power of the [Hero], we can easily take down all the guards!"

“Don’t be careless, Ovina!” Nag shook his head and said cautiously, “Although we can temporarily possess the combat power of a [Hero], it’s not ours; we’re just borrowing it. At most, we can only maintain the power of a [Hero] for a short period of time.”

“If we don’t seize the opportunity, the Dire’s [Heroes] can come and snipe us at any time via teleportation scrolls. Against a genuine [Hero], a counterfeit is no match for the real deal.”

……

The two women spoke in hushed tones, unaware that a small black insect was clinging to Ovina's cloak. Their conversation, however, was transmitted through the insect to the ears of an eavesdropper.

"War?" Sharl, some distance away, listened to the voice coming from the familiar as he walked towards the direction leaving the underground black market. "How interesting, a blitzkrieg? I remember the hero [Lord of the Underworld] has a massive teleportation skill! That's even more awesome than a mage's teleportation! It can teleport everyone around you across the entire map in one go..."

"No wonder! If the [Lord of Sin] were to take action, he could use this technique to teleport his own high-end combat forces over a long distance for a surprise attack."

"Although I don't know how many heroes will be fighting in this city, this is a rare opportunity!"

117. The two opposing sides

Night fell, and darkness enveloped the land—the calm before the storm. Since a startling message recently spread through the Nightshade's territory, the world seemed to be on the prelude to turmoil.

A month and a half ago, the Radiant side had been preparing for war, with large-scale troop movements frequently appearing on the border. Even the Legion Commander, a powerful "Hero," led his personal legion directly to the Dire side, where the Virogros Legion, commanded by "The Lord of the Underworld," was closing in on the border. The two sides were locked in a stalemate, separated only by a river.

On the Radiant side, five heroes—Legion Commander, Windranger, Slayer, Ursa, and Earthshaker—arrived at the border with their army at the same time. Their attack was fierce, clearly indicating hostile intentions.

On the Dire side, the sudden troop movement by the Radiant clearly threw them into disarray for a moment. However, they quickly found themselves in a stalemate, with the Virogros Legion at its core. The Dire's five heroes—[Undying], [Axe], [Invoker], [Tidehunter], and [Clinkz]—faced off against the Radiant's five heroes. Both sides urgently mobilized their legions, approaching the battlefield. Various types of weapons of war were airlifted from the rear, tens of thousands of miles away, to the front lines via large-scale teleportation spells.

In the sky, frost dragons roared, and hordes of gargoyles flew across the battlefield. On the other side, dragonhawk riders and gryphon riders soared into the air, engaging the Dire air force without hesitation. While the ground armies were still locked in a stalemate, the aerial forces of both sides had already begun a fierce and brutal battle.

Even at night, the darkness was quite disadvantageous for the Radiant air force, but the flares launched from the Radiant camp solved this problem, so both sides continued to engage in small-scale but fierce air battles even at night.

……

Nightmare, the Vilogros Legion.

This legion, directly under the control of the "Lord of the Abominations," consists mostly of tall warriors clad in menacing black armor. Although they appear to be monsters crawling out of the abyss, this legion is actually extremely disciplined. The entire legion operates like a sophisticated machine.

Even at night, this legion remained disciplined and gave the enemy no chance whatsoever. And now, within the Vilogros Legion, a debate is erupting.

"Charge! Charge up there tomorrow and tear those Radiant scum to shreds!" A gigantic man wielding a massive two-handed battle axe roared at the others. "Instead of dragging our feet like women here, let's just charge straight to the Radiant side tomorrow and have a good fight!"

"【Axe King】Use your brain!" A thin man shrouded in a black robe, carrying a bone bow and a tattered quiver on his back, spoke up. "Those Radiant guys who only know how to hide are suddenly launching an attack. There's definitely some conspiracy and trickery involved!"

"Get out of my way, skeleton!" [Axe King] roared disdainfully at the skinny figure. "Coward, go back to your forest graveyard! Trash!"

"What did you say! You want to have a hellfire arrow pierce through your brain, which is nothing but muscle!?"

"If you're so confident, then give it a try! [Clinkz]!" [Axe King] grinned maliciously, raising his double-bladed battle axe in a provocative manner.

"Then let's have a contest. Will your axe kill me first..." [Clinkz] pulled down the bone bow on his back and held it in his hand. "Or will I send you to hell with my arrows first?"

"Enough!" Just as the atmosphere was growing increasingly tense, an angry voice rang out, followed by a chilling aura. Frost spread, forming a layer of ice beneath the feet of the two heroes who were about to engage in infighting. A mage, clad in a white robe and surrounded by three frost orbs radiating intense cold, stepped forward. He angrily rebuked the two heroes who were completely disregarding the situation and wanting to start a fight before the war even officially began, "Don't you even look at the situation? Don't forget, the Radiant army is right on the other side! Do you two want to half-dead before even facing the Radiant army?!"

"If that's the case, then you two should just go and launch a suicide charge against the Radiant army! At least you can do something before you die!"

"Hmph! Bah! [Invoker] It's none of your business to tell me what to do!" [Axe King] spat on the ground, then picked up his double-bladed battle axe and left without looking back.

"They're all bastards!" [Clinkz] cursed under his breath, then his figure dimmed and disappeared. Clearly, this [hero] had used [Bone Step] to become invisible and leave.

The [Prayer] watched with a headache as the two troublemakers quickly disappeared, a helpless expression on his face. He then turned his gaze to the [Lord of the Underworld], who had remained silent. "Aren't you going to do anything about those two? This is your legion, after all!"

"Heh heh heh..." A gigantic figure roared with maniacal laughter. "Manage? How can we manage them! Hahahaha... If we could manage them, we wouldn't be called the Dire, we should be called the Radiant!" The Underlord, even larger than Axe, laughed wildly as he shouted, "Besides, rather than trying to manage these two guys who have absolutely no sense of cooperation, it's better to let them act on their own. At least they can distract the enemy heroes."

"After all, war is not just a small skirmish between two or three people!" [The Lord of Sin] slammed his giant blade into the ground, his voice like the tolling of a giant bell. "If Tianhui really foolishly separates its main fighting force to besiege those two, then I guarantee that this time, that legion bitch won't be able to return to her Stone Hall City."

"No matter what tricks they're planning to pull!"

"If I ever get the chance, they'll all go to hell!"

"Why are they all so willful?!" [The Prayer] said with a headache.

"Hahaha, we are Dire after all, not Radiant!"

“That’s enough!” said the Invoker. “News has come from Magnus that the Radiant centaur hero, Centaur Warwalker, has led his people toward the plains. Magnus’s mammoth legion has gone to stop them, so at least for the time being, we don’t have to worry about Radiant cavalry reinforcements.”

"This is good news, [Invoker]!" [The Lord of the Underworld] grinned maliciously. "Now, let's see how that bitch from the Legion makes her move!"

……

Radiant, Bronze Legion.

The young, tall [Legion Commander] was inside a tent, scrutinizing a map on a table. Red and blue flags were planted in various corners of the map.

With a whoosh, the tent flap was pulled open, and a mature woman dressed in revealing red clothes, with bright red hair, and a figure and appearance that were in no way inferior to the [Legion Commander] after she had taken off her armor, walked into the tent.

"What's wrong?" Upon seeing the newcomer, the [Legion Commander] raised an eyebrow and asked.

"The Prophet has sent word that our people have infiltrated the city." The newcomer entered the tent, sat down at the table, and stretched, causing his ample breasts to jiggle slightly. "As long as there's no [Hero] in that city, those two little ones should be able to complete their mission!"

“That’s certainly good news! [Slayers]” [Legion Commander] nodded, then pulled a rolled-up parchment from a pile of documents and tossed it in front of [Slayers]. “But clearly, it’s not as good as this news!”

"Hmm!" [Slayer] took the scroll and pulled it open. "What happened? [Warlock] is dead? That old bastard Gadin actually got caught in a ditch and killed near the Secret Annihilation Academy!? What happened?"

"Someone has invaded the Secret Annihilation Academy and stolen the Heroic Legion of the Demon Wizard!" The Legion Commander shrugged and said, "Not only that, but they also ambushed the Warlock who went to hunt them down. The intelligence didn't send back any more detailed information about the consequences, but the guy who killed the Warlock is now in hiding, and almost the entire Nightshade faction is eyeing him covetously."

"The fact that the enemy is constantly weakening itself before the big battle is indeed good news!" [Slayer] nodded and said excitedly, "In this way, we don't have to worry about the casting of [Chaos Sacrifice], a large-scale spell that can almost turn the tide of a battle."

"It'll be quite a while before the next [Warlock] appears!"

“Yes!” the Legion Commander continued, “We were indeed lucky. Although it’s unlikely that we could completely keep the Lord of the Abominations’ legion and him here, we were at least able to push the battle lines back.”

"I hope everything goes well over there!"

118. Time to work overtime again!

Under the cover of darkness, patrolling soldiers, carrying lanterns, conducted their routine patrols in the pitch-black environment. The lanterns, imbued with magic, emitted a white light. The soldiers, gathered in twos and threes, followed their predetermined routes.

This is a garden, and in the center of the garden stands a five-story tower. From the outside, the tower is unremarkable, just like any other tower. However, this seemingly insignificant tower is the center where the knight controls the entire city's defensive magic mechanism; it is no exaggeration to call it the control tower.

Starting with this city nestled in the heart of the mountains, accessible only by a single road, an area spanning at least a hundred miles is enveloped by the city's magical defenses. The closer one gets to the city, the stronger these defenses become. Even now, before they are fully activated, they interfere with the use of teleportation magic within this area. Without permission, forget about using teleportation spells to jump around. Unless you want to arrive missing something.

This is why this strategically important city isn't garrisoned by any heroes. After all, if the front lines are breached, this place can completely keep out any incoming enemies. Once the defenses are fully activated, even powerful heroes are helpless. The reason the Radiant and Dire have been locked in a stalemate for so long without being able to eliminate each other is largely due to the city's defensive mechanisms developed over the long years of war. This has led to what were initially skirmishes evolving into defensive counter-offensive battles for a considerable period.

Therefore, under these circumstances, the control points that control the entire magical defense mechanism would have ample defensive forces. However, perhaps due to the lack of warfare for some time, the defenses here have become lax. Although the soldiers still patrol according to their predetermined routes and times, it's clear they aren't being very cautious.

After all, this place is quite a distance from the front line, and besides, there are several "heroes" over there. How many chances do they have to break through the defenses if they join forces? Therefore, it's no wonder that the soldiers here aren't as vigilant about patrolling.

This was a good sign for Nag and Ovina, who had infiltrated this place. Having temporarily gained the power of a "Hero" through the scroll, the two, while not comparable to true "Heroes"—at best considered inferior imposters—had still surpassed the strength of high-level professionals, reaching the Master level.

Unranked, Apprentice, Formal, High-rank, Master. Although it's a simple classification, the Master rank is indeed above high-ranking professionals, second only to [Hero]. Or rather, the Master rank is practically half a [Hero]. Except for lacking the constant magic resistance and eternal defensive field unique to [Hero], the Master rank is not much different from [Hero].

For these newly promoted soldiers, who are at most at the formal rank, the two invaders, who are only halfway to becoming [Heroes], are an absolute nightmare. Even during the most rigorous patrols, facing an attack from two [Near-Heroes] would result in certain defeat, let alone now, when they are completely unaware of the situation and the patrols have become lax.

Using the Shadow Step skill, Nag temporarily gained the power of a Bounty Hunter, slowly and silently killing patrol after patrol. The entire process was completely silent. With swift speed and a dim yet deadly glint of his blade, the soldiers patrolling the garden were quickly felled, one corner after another.

"Ovina!" After assassinating the last patrol, Nag winked at Ovina, who had appeared on the other side. "I'll stay outside."

“I understand!” Ovina nodded, then gently opened the tower door and slipped inside.

Seeing that Ovina had entered the tower, Nag reactivated [Shadow Step] and entered stealth mode, beginning to lurk in the garden, eliminating the soldiers who came for their routine patrol one by one. Of course, this couldn't be kept secret for long, but in this situation, every bit of time was precious. As for his companion's safety, Nag wasn't worried at all. Ovina was already a high-level professional, and now she temporarily possessed the power of [Hero]; surely she could handle a high-level mage stationed in the tower?

Not long after, Nag, who was still lurking in the garden and had just wiped out another squad of soldiers coming to relieve him, paused, then turned his gaze to the tower in the center of the garden. The tower was still the same, but Nag felt much more relaxed, as if some shadow that had been looming over him had disappeared.

Sure enough, a slightly tired Ovina appeared in front of Nag a while later.

"Is it turned off?" Nag asked, looking at the somewhat tired Ovina. "Looks like there were some hiccups!"

“Hmm!” Ovina nodded. “The one guarding the control center isn’t just a high-level professional, but someone who’s practically stepped into the master level. It’s troublesome, so it took a bit longer. Sorry!”

"Just complete the mission safely!" Nag shook his head. "Anyway, I've already taken out several waves of soldiers who were changing shifts. Once or twice is fine, but now it'll be hard to avoid being exposed!"

"Let's begin! Notify the Prophet and the Mage of Light!"