Chapter Seventeen: The Terrifying Might of the Warrior!

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“One Man Against Ten Thousand!”:
“I won’t say much—just watch the video!”

Below was a video.

In the video, a sea of people—nearly ten thousand—were besieging a single burly warrior. Like ants, they surged forward relentlessly, one wave after another falling dead!

When players were killed, they would lose one level, which wasn’t much, but losing all their equipment was the harshest punishment. However, most equipment was poor—many wore basic cloth robes and shoes given by the system, quite shabby. Attacking a mighty boss to loot rare equipment was the greatest joy in the game, and everyone was enthusiastic, charging forward without any organization. They hoped that maybe, just maybe, they would land the killing blow and snatch the gear. The closer you got, the better your chances.

In “Mythical Three Kingdoms,” there was no health bar, a standard omission many players found hard to accept. Without a health bar, no one knew when the boss was about to die or how much life it had left. Players couldn’t tell if they could still grab loot. Many of their usual monster-grabbing strategies and skills were useless. Countless players vented their complaints on the official forums…

The boss in the video was a sturdy general wielding a refined steel spear. He wore a red-plumed iron helmet and a black chainmail armor. His steel spear swirled through the air with a whooshing sound, scattering countless gleaming spear tips like dancing sprites—quite a spectacle. Yet his destructive power was formidable; each sweeping strike felled several players.

Clad in exquisite armor, he stood in stark contrast to the players dressed in cloth.

The general parried wooden swords, spears, and clubs as if a god descended to earth, a hero unmatched within the army.

Most striking was the golden light radiating around him, shimmering and flowing. Lin Mu recognized it as the effect of internal power activation, which could absorb some damage. This internal energy also infused his weapons and armor, boosting destructive and defensive power—a truly impressive feat.

To the thousands of players, this general was invincible. A warrior versed in internal skill against novice players was like mowing down weeds, one batch after another…

But even an invincible general, no matter how strong—be he Lü Bu or another—would feel fear when swarmed by countless enemies. People grow exhausted; internal power depletes.

The general cleared a large group of players but began to tire. His spear swings grew slower and less controlled, his movements dragging. Seeing this, the players grew even more frenzied.

The general knew this prolonged battle was unsustainable. After clearing his immediate foes, he seized an opening and broke through a weak spot, disappearing swiftly into the forest out of sight.

The players were left choking on dust, wailing in despair…

Judging by Lin Mu’s insight, this was a novice general, with only a faint golden glow—indicating basic internal power. Novice generals had cultivated or learned their techniques only to the beginner level; intermediate generals to the middle level; advanced and elite generals reached higher levels. Mastery of techniques granted a chance to learn special skills, greatly enhancing combat effectiveness—truly fearsome.

In “Mythical Three Kingdoms,” generals who studied techniques had a cultivation value, the key measure of their strength.

Cultivation levels, from low to high, were: novice, intermediate, advanced, yellow, profound, earth, heavenly, and divine—corresponding to novice generals up to divine generals.

Strategists and other professions followed similar tiers.

But the chaos in the video, with disorganized masses swarming without order, made it hard to defeat such a novice general. One man holding off ten thousand was possible.

Lin Mu valued generals highly; developing his domain’s military strength meant training many generals.

He casually scanned the replies to see if there was any special news.

The post had an astonishing number of replies:

1st floor: “Truly invincible! When will I ever become like this!”
2nd floor: “A general—this is what a general is. I’m switching to the general class; I don’t want to be a mere civilian player!”
3rd floor: “One man blocking the gate, unbreakable by ten thousand—if an unknown general boss is this powerful, the historical generals must be even more unbeatable! How are we supposed to play?”
4th floor: “Come be my subordinate; I’ll show you the ropes and make you fly!”
5th floor: “Experienced player, lead me…”

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18909th floor: ...
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Currently, equipment, weapons, and skills were scarce, making progress difficult. The system’s government imposed many restrictions on players; equipment and medicines were expensive. Ordinary players had to be self-reliant, and even wealthy players were limited—copper coins mostly rested in the hands of NPC natives; players held very few, making it impossible to sell to the rich.

Thus, before the in-game currency exchange system was activated, no one had a big head start. Still, wealth could move mountains—rich tycoons and financial groups were buying up copper and silver coins, driving up the player-market currency ratio.

The official forums were buzzing with posts—various wealthy players buying village-building orders, materials, and many players seeking copper coins, yet demand always outpaced supply.

Copper coins had reached a price of 10 copper coins for 16 soft currency units, quite high indeed.

Once my beginner’s trading market is built, that’s when I’ll start making real money, Lin Mu thought fiercely, yearning for all domain buildings to be completed overnight.

Lin Mu and Xiao Hu trained in the barracks for three days, not rushing to hunt monsters outdoors yet. He wanted to master spear skills first and wait for the blacksmith to forge better weapons and armor, aiming for efficiency—sharpening the axe before chopping firewood.

Now, Lin Mu’s specialty spear skill had improved to: [Intermediate Spear Skill], while his archery remained unchanged.

[Intermediate Spear Skill]: When using a spear, combat power increases by 5%.

Xiao Hu’s specialty upgraded to [Intermediate Blade Skill], similar in effect, differing only by weapon type.

When Lin Mu’s [Basic Spear Skill] upgraded to [Intermediate Spear Skill], he felt the spear grow lighter and no longer unfamiliar in his hands, as if an invisible bond had formed—though this was just his feeling.

He was also slowly adapting to the slower battle rhythm. In his previous life, he could handle a profound-level general; now he was just a commoner!

Basic specialty training like [Basic Spear Skill] was simple—just thrusting, sweeping, and flicking a wooden spear at a training post, without worrying about form. But after [Intermediate Spear Skill], training required proper form and technique—secret training methods for soldiers in the game. As an experienced player, Lin Mu knew these, giving him a head start. Others would eventually figure them out, but the time wasted would allow Lin Mu to advance further—one step ahead always.

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After three days, Lin Mu’s experience rose by 20%, while Xiao Hu leveled up once—reflecting the difference between players and NPCs training in the barracks. NPCs advanced faster.

In these three days, Lin Mu hardly left the barracks. Food had been stored in his backpack; enough for both of them.

Chang Yin and Feng Zhong hadn’t come to see him, so the domain was presumably running smoothly.

Chang Yin managed domain affairs, while Feng Zhong cleared monster camps outside to prevent attacks on buildings. With Feng Zhong, a divine-level general, Lin Mu didn’t have to worry about the monster camps for now.

It was time to venture outside.

But first, they needed to arm themselves properly. Lin Mu took Xiao Hu to the blacksmith.

“True Dragon Village” had been established for five days. The population had reached 803. Over twenty people were busy at the blacksmith’s, working energetically, the clang of hammer and anvil never ceasing.

Though some blacksmiths had never met the lord, they had heard of him from others. No portrait artist was in the domain, so no detailed image of the lord existed—just a vague idea of his appearance.

Young, talented, courteous, wise, and mighty…

“Lord, welcome to inspect our work! This is a harsh and scorching place; please don’t mind!” a craftsman from the first batch at the blacksmith’s greeted Lin Mu warmly.

“Haha, I have no complaints. It’s hard work in such unbearable heat. I’ll have Chang Yin arrange extra rewards for you all to thank you! Since there’s no brewer yet, no wine to offer, but when we have some, I’ll toast you!” Lin Mu said generously.

“Thank you, Lord! You give us refugees and displaced people food and a home. We’re already very grateful—how could we ask for rewards?”

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“You deserve it! As long as everyone works hard, better days await! Our True Dragon domain will never let you down!” Lin Mu encouraged.

“Yes, Lord! We will work hard to forge more and better weapons for the domain!”

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Lin Mu sent them back to work and went to the blacksmith’s storage to inspect weapons and armor.

Currently, the blacksmith’s was still at a basic level, forging only a few types of simple weapons: iron spears, swords, knives, hammers, and agricultural tools like iron plows. Seeing them use third-grade tungsten iron ore to make these tools pained Lin Mu deeply, but knowing it was Chang Yin’s order, he endured the sting without questioning.

This grade of ore could produce yellow-tier weapons. With better craftsmanship and blueprints, profound-tier equipment could even be forged.

For now, Lin Mu turned a blind eye. Without crafting these tools, domain development would stall. Trapped in this wilderness, he could not enjoy the convenience of system gods and had to do everything himself—like firing a cannon to kill mosquitoes.

Lin Mu chose an iron spear and a piece of chainmail armor; Xiao Hu picked a blade and chainmail. These were the only common iron equipment available.

Lin Mu planned to discuss domain affairs with Chang Yin. He hadn’t handled business for three days and didn’t know how development was going. But he wasn’t worried; with Chang Yin, a divine-level scholar, managing the domain was as easy as taking candy from a baby.

At the village center’s council hall, a lively boy stood guard at the door.

Lin Mu saw the boy, about eight or nine years old, small and thin, clothes somewhat tattered. His guard stance was comical, with a serious yet childish expression that made Lin Mu want to laugh.

“What are you doing here?” Lin Mu asked playfully.

“I’m watching the door for Uncle Chang Yin. Who are you? I haven’t seen you before. Are you new?” The boy answered in a cute, childish voice.

“Haha, I’m not new here.” Lin Mu smiled. Children in the domain were its future; he cared deeply about nurturing the next generation.

Squatting down to the boy’s level, Lin Mu asked, “What’s your name, little one?”

“My parents call me Doggie. I’m eight years old. I like drinking beast milk and playing with Blackie!” The boy rattled off his interests, amusingly candid. At eight, he should be off milk, but his mention of beast milk suggested doting parents.

“Haha, such an innocent and adorable child! What about your parents?” Lin Mu laughed and patted Doggie’s jet-black hair.

Xiao Hu chuckled at Doggie’s words too.

Lin Mu had no snacks or toys for children in his backpack—only system-given medicines and equipment—otherwise, he would have used them to cheer up the boy. In his previous life, Lin Mu always carried small trinkets that sometimes proved very useful.

“My parents went to work. Dad’s taking care of the cute chicks, and Mom’s making clothes at the tailor’s.” Doggie declared proudly, his childish face and voice making it all the more endearing, causing Lin Mu and Xiao Hu to laugh heartily.

“Good! Your parents are working hard, so why aren’t you playing? Why are you guarding the door for Uncle Chang Yin?” Lin Mu asked, brushing some dirt off Doggie’s face, revealing a slightly flushed but malnourished visage.

“Uncle Chang Yin took us in, found work for my parents, gave us food and meat, and even gave me an extra piece of meat. I thought I’d watch the door here to help Uncle Chang Yin.” Doggie’s eyes lit up at the thought of food, clearly longing for it. Lin Mu saw through him immediately.

“Good child, well done. I’m going to see your Uncle Chang Yin now. Want to come with me?” Lin Mu asked, pulling out a piece of jerky from his backpack—meat hunted and prepared by Feng Zhong, kept for emergencies—and offered it to Doggie.

Doggie eyed the jerky thoughtfully, then grabbed it quickly, as if afraid Lin Mu would change his mind, then ran into the courtyard shouting, “Uncle Chang Yin, someone’s here to see you! Someone’s here!”

Lin Mu laughed heartily, his spirits soaring as he followed into the courtyard.