As the son of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, as well as the sect master of the Bright Moon sect, Brad grew up with only the best.
Using the best pills to improve his potential, cultivating only in the best Qi Gathering arrays created over the sect's Spirit Vein, using the best cultivation techniques to hasten his progress through the realms, and entering the best Secret Realms available on the market for training.
However, with all these benefits also came incredible pressure. All these resources had to come from somewhere, so in order to ensure his mother wouldn't be blamed for corruption and using the sect's resources to nurture her son, he trained with all his might.
Day in, night out. From the moment the sun appeared in the sky to the moment when the moon passed over his head.
Even if he failed to break Elder Melinda's record, he was the second youngest cultivator to break into the Foundation realm, while three months ago, he claimed the title of the youngest to reach the Golden Core within the entire region.
Most of his achievements had to do with his mutated Excellent-grade spiritual roots, but his hard work over the years couldn't be discounted either.
When he finally clinched victory over Elder Melinda and reached the Golden Core realm almost two months before her, the voices of dissent were finally silenced, and his mother was showered in praise for having such a prodigious son.
He didn't mind if his results were attributed to his talent and his mother, as this was partially true.
Anyway, after cultivating for decades without breaks, he could finally enjoy some peace and quiet.
However, surprisingly, three days ago, during dinner with his mother, she mentioned a youth with vast potential as a Secret Realm Crafter, even showcasing a demo version of the project.
While it wasn't spectacular at first, the more he tried it, the more profound it felt. When his mother mentioned that this version wasn't even half-finished, but in three days, an almost complete version would be tested, he immediately volunteered to act as a judge.
The youth wasn't anything impressive upon their first meeting. However, Brad was slightly impressed by how he didn't act overly subservient or rudely.
The thin balance showcased in his tone of voice as he presented the overall improvements led to a good impression being formed in everyone's minds.
Just like the other two judges, Brad was awed by the Intent-infused video, especially since he was seeing it for the first time.
The demo version he played with had this promotional video removed by his mother in order not to affect his judgment of the project.
Now, seeing the video in all its glory sent shivers down the Golden Core cultivator's spine.
[ Welcome, player, to The Battlefield of Heroes! As this is your first time here, it is recommended that you start the Tutorial. Through it, your understanding of this world will deepen. ]
Brad decisively chose not to, as he had already fought against Shadow Fiend as Lina and vice-versa tens of times already.
That was his first mistake.
[Huh!? This... Why are there so many!?](Brad)
Shocked, the man looked at the three columns in the Hero Selection and felt at a loss.
There were 81 heroes split into three 'teams' of 27 based on their main attributes.
[Eh!? Is that a sword cultivator?](Brad)
His attention immediately focused on Yurnero, the Juggernaut.
Reading through the story of this hero, Brad found it incredibly interesting.
[A man who lost his entire clan. Now, he wears the mask to hide his shame as he travels the world and attempts to reclaim his honor.](Brad)
Unlike the Tier 3 Sword artifact his mother gifted him after he reached the Golden Core realm, Yurnero's sword appeared simple and battered.
However, if one looked closer, they would notice that the blade had no chips and was carefully maintained, exuding a feeling of unmatched sharpness.
Next, he spent half an hour studying the abilities of this hero.
[The first skill allows me to use the sword with my mind, having it circle around me at fast speeds and cutting any foe within that range. The second skill uses an artifact that, once imbued with Qi, heals me for a certain duration. The third is an insight skill. It allows me to see through my foe's weak points, increasing the damage I can deal to them if successfully struck. Finally, the ultimate allows for incredible movement speed. Combining rapid movements and a breathing technique to hide my presence, in the enemy's eyes, I appear to have disappeared while they are forced to endure my brutal assault. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!](Brad)
Having decided, Brad locked in the hero and immediately appeared in the fountain. Momentarily stunned as he spawned near the river in the demo, he recomposed himself and called out for the Shop.
His suffering only began, as the Shop now had around 100 items, instead of the twenty or so available in the demo.
Nevertheless, he wasn't discouraged as he calmly read through each and every one of them.
*VRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!*
A loud noise reminiscent of a bugle startled him, followed by the A.I.'s voice.
[ The soldiers began marching! The battle commences! ]
Realizing what this meant, he quickly bought some of the Recommended Items from the Shop and ran at full speed, hoping to catch up with the soldiers as soon as possible.
There were some instances when he first entered the demo where he arrived five minutes late, and by then, the enemy hero demolished his troops and was already attacking the Tower.
This placed him at a significant disadvantage, making the round almost impossible to win.
[Huh!? This feeling...](Brad)
As his body erupted with speed, Brad couldn't help but notice a feeling of weakness. It was more prevalent compared to the demo version.
[This is impressive. A cultivation restriction to seal me to the 1st level of Qi Gathering? Even my physical body feels weaker.](Brad)
The realistic movements and the lack of dissonance between the restrictions his mother usually placed on his cultivation base whenever he trained his body and the restrictions placed on him in this Secret Realm created a thoroughly immersive experience for the Golden Core cultivator.
As he chased behind the first wave of soldiers charging down the mid-lane, Brad felt infected by the intense battle lust created in their wake.
No pause, no hesitation! Charging forward even at the cost of their lives!
Halfway through, he finally caught up and could slow down his pace, trying to recover to his peak form before he met the enemy hero.
Unsurprisingly, across the demolished bridge, on the other side of the river, stood neither Lina nor Shadow Fiend.
The new hero looked oddly familiar. Red skin and a bulky body, a large two-handed axe slung over his shoulder.
Seeing the mocking grin on his enemy's face, Brad instantly remembered where he had seen this figure before.
[The video! He was fighting against those three heroes alone... This! Yes! This is a proper challenge!](Brad)
As a young prodigy who could not meet competitors from the same generation, Brad prided himself on his fighting prowess.
Furthermore, this hero had a proper human build, unlike the woman's floating body or the demon's foggy form.
There was also the blade in his hands. It felt light when casually swung, but the air whistled wherever it passed through.
[Since the enemy wants to fight me in a melee, the best choices are the Blade Storm or the Critical Strike abilities. Since I can only select one... Hmm... My mastery over this hero is pretty much non-existent, so let's go with the Critical Strike. I trust my battle insight more than I do an untested skill.](Brad)
And this was the third mistake he made, facing Axe as a melee hero at close range and without any active skills.
However, he wasn't aware of this. As the soldiers faced each other, Brad lunged at his enemy.
The result? Axe immediately spun in place with his weapon pushed forward, dealing massive damage to Brad's soldiers and throwing the cultivator into the river.
Surprisingly, Axe didn't chase to capitalize on his foe's mistake but instead began killing off Brad's creep wave.
As the cultivator stood up, indignant at being ignored by the enemy hero in favor of the five weaklings, he found himself facing the bulky red-skinned hero and his small gang of soldiers.
Brad's attempts at squaring off 1-vs-6 were immediately shattered, as the soldiers worked well in a squad, with three blocking and two attacking. He could easily block the attacker's sword, but the magical spells thrown by the mage hit him every time.
Then, Axe finally found an opportunity to attack and immediately pounced on him. Ultimately, even after Brad managed to hold on with half of his HP until the next creep wave arrived, he still found himself at a disadvantage.
Not only had the enemy reached the 2nd level of Qi Gathering ahead of him, but the soldiers outnumbered his, 2 to 1.
Retreating behind the Tower while consuming the Healing Potion, Brad angrily watched as the enemy hero taunted him while its eight remaining soldiers laid waste to his remaining two.
Fortunately, the situation somewhat equalized when the Dire creeps advanced and were met by the Tower's ruthless ranged attacks.
At the loss of some durability of the tall construct, Brad and Axe now fought one-on-one again.
Whenever Axe spun, Brad carefully dodged by creating some distance, then used the enemy's unbalanced posture to inflict heavy damage.
The situation lasted for a while until Brad reached halfway to the 3rd level of Qi Gathering and axe the 4th.
He knew the enemy gained access to another skill, but he wasn't too worried about it. However, everything changed after seeing a small puppy barking at the enemy hero from behind Dire's Tower.
Axe immediately retreated, patted the dog, and then took out three items from the Spatial Pouch around his neck.
Equipping the new items, Axe drank a Healing Potion and then calmly advanced toward Brad.
Seeing the red-skinned brute so confident, the cultivator felt insulted and immediately met him on the battlefield.
Surrounded by the soldiers fighting their own war, the duo crossed weapons.
Then, disaster struck!
Just as Brad's blade evaded the enemy's weapon and was about to strike under he left armpit, Axe let out a stupidly loud roar which temporarily dazed the cultivator.
Infused with Qi, this roar affected Brad's soldiers as well, as they immediately charged at the hero as if possessed by the God of War.
Brad's blade made contact with the skin of his foe, but it was deflected without inflicting too much damage.
Instead, Axe began to spin, cleaving through soldiers and their 'boss' alike.
When he tried dodging like usual, he found his movements still and his body unresponsive. As a result, Brad died for the first time.
From there, a vicious circle was formed. When he resurrected, Brad ran back to the first Tower, only to find it at less than half of its total durability.
Furthermore, Axe was already at the 5th Level of Qi Gathering, making it impossible for the Golden Core cultivator to have any response.
Both his second and third deaths were under Axe's large weapon as he tried to buy time until the next wave of soldiers came to support him.
Unfortunately, not only did he end up dying, but his dignity was also severely injured, as none of his attacks did any real damage, while the enemy was already able to tank Tower hits while chasing him.
[ Round over! You lose! ]
Hearing the voice, Brad felt stifled. The enemy started at the same level but continuously overpowered him through strategy.
Who else besides himself did he have to blame?
Furthermore, remembering that audacious grin and how he died like a dog three times in a row, something in his head finally snapped!
During the second round, he still chose Yurnero, while the enemy A.I. still chose Axe.
However, while Brad managed to protect his soldiers this time, he observed slack-jawed as the red-skinned brute began killing his own allies.
Unable to comprehend what was happening, Brad ignored the crazy brute and continued fighting against it.
However, the gap between their cultivation levels considerably increased, and he soon found himself in the previous situation of being at the 3rd level and Axe at the 5th.
One death... the second... the third... GG!
[FUCK! I don't believe it!](Brad)
The third game continued with the same match-up.
Understanding the player's desire to clash against the same hero, the A.I. picked Axe again and continued torturing Brad.
Unbeknownst to the 'young master' who had utterly lost it, Michael added a mechanic that directly raised the A.I.'s control and knowledge level of the game at the Hard difficulty if they entered the game for the first time and chose to ignore the Tutorial.
This mechanic was incredibly relevant and important, as it would teach the values of humility and respect to all young, bright, and exuberant cultivators who would purchase his game.