Chapter 112: Hidden Quest

The Valkyrie sighed, "In the year 1189 of the A.D. Era, the enemy nearly wiped out all of humanity, and human civilization was destroyed in an instant. The few remaining psychics used powerful psychic signals to pray to our ancestors. The ancestors dispatched three of their most powerful warriors to this world to guard the last of the survivors."

1189 A.D. again. Wu Hua mused that his recent activities were actually interconnected; he had likely inadvertently triggered a hidden questline. The heart of the mystery was undoubtedly Master Monica, but unfortunately, she was dead, and there was no way to verify it.

The Valkyrie continued, "The three powerful warriors were myself, the Male Valkyrie, and the Female Ghost Valkyrie. The Female Ghost Valkyrie has been destroyed by the enemy, leaving only her consciousness signal, and the Male Valkyrie’s consciousness was altered by the enemy’s even more powerful psychic storm. Now, I am the only one left guarding the mutated monsters beneath this desert."

"I knew it..." Wu Hua said, shocked. "Could the thing under this desert be a Special-Grade boss?"

"No. Using your human perspective, the monster below is a God-Grade boss. My power and that of this castle are what keep it suppressed."

Wu Hua was stunned. He had never seen a legendary God-Grade boss before; was he really going to have to meet one and exchange greetings today?

The Valkyrie said, "The ancestors told me that once a human passes the test and meets me, it means human technology and civilization have recovered. My mission will then be complete, and I can return to my original world."

The Valkyrie suddenly reached out, and her palm emitted a blue light. This light enveloped Wu Hua, and he was surprised to find his stamina rapidly recovering and his fatigue level starting to drop.

"If you can withstand ten strikes from me at one-tenth of my full power, you will have passed the final test," the Valkyrie said slowly.

System prompt: Will you accept the Valkyrie’s challenge?

Wu Hua chose to accept immediately, then grabbed his rifle and ran as far away as he could.

In the center of the grand hall, the Valkyrie suddenly let out a roar. Something eerie happened: a shadow, identical to the Valkyrie, split away from her body. The shadow warrior’s image was slightly blurred, but she was equally heroic, holding a gleaming golden spear.

Wu Hua did not dare to be careless. He raised his Star of Finland and fired a blind shot.

"Bang!"

A terrifying gunshot echoed through the hall. A flash of blue light erupted from the shadow warrior’s shoulder—she had clearly been hit. A number appeared above her head: "-100!"

Wu Hua was numb. This demonic weapon, the Star of Finland, could only deal 100 damage? He dared not imagine the defense of the Valkyrie’s true form. What kind of concept was that? Was she some legendary GM?

The shadow warrior was still gathering power, her entire body turning blue, including her armor. Wu Hua hurriedly activated his Precision skill: "HP: 4,999,000/5,000,000!"

Wu Hua’s mind fell into a state of chaos. The true "beast" was this Valkyrie herself; it meant her true form had 5 million HP. And as for her defense...

Wu Hua stopped thinking and quickly pulled the bolt, firing the second shot rapidly.

"Bang!"

Still "-100!"

The shadow warrior shuddered from the impact, then quickly charged over with her spear.

Her method of charging was peculiar: she stood upside down in the air, holding the spear point against the ground, spinning her body like a top, creating sparks as the spear tip carved a circle into the floor. Wu Hua didn't have time to cycle the bolt, so he rolled to the side to avoid the flawless spear dance.

Unfortunately, before he could stand up, the shadow warrior—person and spear together—shot forward horizontally like a sharp arrow.

"Squelch!" The spear pierced Wu Hua’s shoulder, dealing 1,000 damage.

"Hah!" The shadow warrior let out a shout, flipped to her feet, and brandished her spear, conjuring a flurry of light. Looking closely, they were moves from the "Heaven and Earth Cross Sword." The sound of piercing flesh was incessant.

Wu Hua had improved significantly; by dodging as best he could, he didn't take the full brunt of her strikes. Even so, he was hit four more times across his body, losing another 2,400 HP.

The Valkyrie, standing motionless on the altar, said expressionlessly, "Three strikes."

"Damn it, that’s only three strikes. It’d be a miracle to survive ten and still be alive," Wu Hua cursed, pulling out a flashbang and throwing it.

"Bang!" The flashbang blinded him as well. The shadow warrior raised a hand to cover her eyes; clearly, she had physical eyes and couldn't look directly at it.

In the white screen of his vision, Wu Hua threw both his Star of Finland and AUG onto the floor, pulled a bundle of health injectors from his belt, and injected them all at once.

Half a minute later, boosted by his Strength specialization, his HP recovered to 5,000. As soon as he recovered, the shadow warrior’s spear came again.

She threw it into the sky, but the spear split into more than ten phantoms in mid-air. Wu Hua couldn't help but curse, "F***!"

"Thwip, thwip, thwip!" His thigh, shoulder, and left hand were hit three times. The rain of spears was too bizarre to dodge.

"-1000!"
"-1000!"
"-999!"

Wu Hua’s reaction was quick; he knew he couldn't beat her, so he had to find a way to stall.

After being hit, the shadow warrior charged unarmed. Wu Hua went for broke, pulled a grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it at his own feet.

"BOOM!" A massive explosion ignited the tapestries hanging in the hall, and the oil lamps clattered as they fell to the ground.

The blast sent both of them flying. Wu Hua slammed into a wall and slumped down, wanting to scream as his HP plummeted to 1,201.

However, the shadow warrior was also knocked back 70 meters and landed on one knee. Wu Hua gained twenty precious seconds to maneuver.

"Five strikes!" The Valkyrie’s voice echoed.

"I can take it!" Wu Hua gritted his teeth, blood streaming from his forehead. The shadow warrior’s sixth strike involved throwing the spear again, but this time it spun horizontally like a helicopter blade, only one meter off the ground. He couldn't dodge it, and he couldn't jump over it.

Wu Hua prepared to dive, but feared a follow-up attack, so he charged forward and took the hit with his body.

"Bang!" Fortunately, it was the spear shaft that hit his ribs. If it had been the tip, he would have been finished.

Even so, the impact sent him flying, his back slamming into a large pillar—"-700." Falling to the ground dealt another 200 damage, leaving him with 2,021 HP.

Wu Hua had been tortured by this NPC to the point of misery. As soon as he scrambled to his feet, the seventh strike arrived: the flying spear circled back in the air.

Ignoring the pain throughout his body, Wu Hua pulled out his M500 and unleashed a "Focused Shot." "Bang!" The M500’s greatest strength was its "impact"—the AE rounds produced a powerful shockwave.

"Clang!" A shrill, piercing sound accompanied by a spark of electricity—the spear was indeed knocked to the ground.

But a hand quickly snatched the spear shaft. A blur darted over—"Stab, sweep, lift"—three heavy strikes followed, and the shadow warrior finished by kicking Wu Hua in the chest. This time, Wu Hua had no way to parry. As he hit the ground, his HP dropped to 13/5,800. His vision was completely blurred, he couldn't move a muscle, and he was covered in blood, on the verge of death.

The Valkyrie nodded, "Ten strikes!"

The shadow warrior stood still, sheathed her spear, and bowed deeply to Wu Hua, showing respect to her opponent.

Wu Hua lay on the ground, half-dead, rolling his eyes. This shadow warrior was a freak among freaks. In just a few minutes, she had beaten him into a pulp.

"After going through so much hardship to get here, you’d better compensate me for this."