190: Chapter 190 Carrying a Heavy Burden (Part 2)

Standing there was a Lesser Demon, not very tall and with a thin frame, huddled behind a few larger ones, almost completely obscured.

Its skin was darker than its kin—not a blackish-red, but a black with a hint of green.

It held no weapon.

It just stood there quietly with lowered eyes, as if it were dazed.

It looked like just another grunt on the side of the road, but when Gu Changming's gaze fell upon it, he could clearly sense a faint trace of a threat.

As his Mental Power increased, his intuition became more and more accurate.

So there was no mistake; this fellow was his matched opponent on the other side.

After identifying the opponent, Gu Changming's expression shifted slightly.

Hidden quite well, aren't you?

Acting like that, are you planning to hide and launch a sneak attack?

...

The standoff lasted for less than a few seconds.

Among the pack of Lesser Demons, someone roared first.

The sound was like water falling into a frying pan of hot oil.

The Lesser Demons in the front row kicked off the ground simultaneously, charging forward with nearly three hundred Lesser Demons behind them.

Cui Jingming wasn't afraid in the slightest; he lowered the greatsword on his shoulder, its tip dragging along the ground, and met them with equal momentum.

The sound of footsteps echoed behind him as over a hundred combat members raised their weapons and followed the charge.

In the rear, the chanting of the supports rose as rays of buffing magic fell one by one, providing boosts to strength or defense.

Cui Jingming collided with the massive Lesser Demon.

greatsword met heavy hammer, sending sparks flying everywhere.

Cui Jingming was not at a disadvantage at all; he even seemed to have a slight upper hand.

However, Gu Changming didn't look that way; he lowered his body and picked up speed, moving like a fast-moving shadow.

He wove through the melee, avoiding two or three Lesser Demons that lunged at him, and headed straight for the left edge.

When Gu Changming closed within ten meters, the creature seemed to sense him and looked up.

The moment their eyes met, Gu Changming saw no sign of nervousness in its gaze; on the contrary, he felt it seemed somewhat expectant.

Gu Changming ignored it, clenching his fist and punching directly toward the opponent's face.

If its stats were the same as his, there would be no need for the Thousand Silk Shuttle at all...

But the moment his fist met its palm, Gu Changming's pupils constricted.

Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Changming immediately halted his next round of attacks, kicked off the ground, and retreated instantly.

He came to a stop five meters away.

Gu Changming looked at the opponent in surprise; something was wrong.

It wasn't that the opponent couldn't have blocked that punch, but... when he punched, the opponent had simply opened its palm and completely enveloped his fist.

That performance was far too effortless...

This was very wrong.

At that moment, the opponent also looked up, a hint of surprise in its eyes, though it was mostly filled with mockery.

It was as if it were saying: "This is getting interesting."

Gu Changming flicked his right hand, and the night erosion slid from his sleeve into his grip.

He held the blade across his body to guard against a sudden attack.

This guy definitely wasn't B-rank.

It might have even reached the threshold of A-rank.

Gu Changming stared at the opponent, his eyes flickering.

Didn't the rules say it would generate an equal number of Lesser Demons with equivalent combat power?

What was going on with this guy?

It couldn't be that this Assessment recognized his superior combat skills and experience and factored those into the combat power calculation, could it?

...

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Cui Jingming was having a much easier and more comfortable time.

The more he fought, the more exhilarated he became.

The massive Lesser Demon opposite him swung its hammer toward his head.

In the past, during a clash between equals, he would have had to take half a step back to dissipate the force.

But not this time.

He simply swung his sword, and after the impact, the opponent's hammer was actually knocked backward.

Feeling the surge of power within him, Cui Jingming was incredibly excited.

Eh?

Why does it feel like I've become stronger?

Is it possible that my usual sit-up training method is finally paying off?

He had initially prepared himself for a bitter struggle, thinking that since the opponent was matched by the rules and was the largest of the Lesser Demons, it was clearly a boss-level entity.

He even thought its combat power might be higher, making it harder for him to cope.

But he never expected that he would be able to suppress the opponent the entire time!

What was happening? Had he really become powerful to a degree he hadn't even realized?

Cui Jingming stepped forward excitedly, his greatsword sweeping out once more.

The massive Lesser Demon was forced back repeatedly, completely unable to handle his attacks.

Cui Jingming grew even happier.

This feeling couldn't be wrong; it was a genuine crushing of power!

He could no longer restrain the corners of his mouth from curling into a grin.

There was no mistake.

The rules said the opponents would be matched with equivalent combat power.

That meant his current state was a genuine increase in strength! He was powerful to a degree he hadn't known.

The more he fought, the more natural it felt, and he even had the leeway to glance across the battlefield.

It was unexpected.

The entire battle was going smoothly.

Except for a few unlucky individuals who were injured, his people were basically suppressing the Lesser Demons.

This must be the result of them never neglecting their training!

Cui Jingming grew even more confident, feeling that he hadn't betrayed everyone's trust in his role as the Alliance Leader.

Cui Jingming didn't just look at their side; he also had the leisure to glance at the left and right.

In those two areas also surrounded by white light, the other two races were still locked in a life-and-death struggle with their Lesser Demons.

Flesh and blood were flying, and screams could be heard faintly even from this distance.

Cui Jingming looked away and shook his head, a sense of racial pride as a human welling up within him.

He didn't know how they were struggling like that when it clearly wasn't difficult at all.

Could it be that humans were considered a high-tier race in this entire Civilization Assessment?

Cui Jingming smiled and continued scanning the battlefield to check on the casualties of each squad.

His gaze passed through the chaotic crowd.

Then it stopped.

On the left edge, near the boundary.

Gu Changming was locked in combat with a Lesser Demon.

That Lesser Demon was small and thin with greenish-black skin, and its only weapons were several long, slender claw blades growing from its fingertips.

Seeing that scrawny Lesser Demon opponent, Cui Jingming's expression faltered.

He hadn't expected that Gu Changming would be fighting on equal terms with such a grunt.

Didn't he say his strength was quite high before they came in?

He looked for a few more moments—oh, wait, no, he had misseen.

They weren't on equal terms; Gu Changming was at a disadvantage, fighting while retreating.

After watching for a short while, the opponent seemed to sense something and turned its head to look over.

Their eyes met.

Cui Jingming immediately looked away.

He turned back, swung his greatsword in a wide arc, and slashed at the shoulder of the massive Lesser Demon before him, adding more wounds to its body.

Forget it.

Better not to look, so as not to embarrass the guy.

...

"Sss... ha..."

Gu Changming panted for breath.

He blocked with his left hand, and the Thousand Silk Shuttle slid quickly from the air, rapidly stretching and transforming into a translucent small shield in front of him.

He stared at the Lesser Demon through the translucent Thousand Silk Shuttle shield, his heart already certain.

This guy hadn't just reached the threshold of A-rank.

It was A-rank.

All four of its attributes were well over a thousand points; it wasn't at the same combat power level as him at all!

Analysis complete, the opponent attacked again. Gu Changming didn't linger in the fight, continuing to use the shield to block while constantly observing the opponent's combat habits.

At the same time, he couldn't help but complain in his head:

No, did you mistake me for someone else?

You've misunderstood me; I'm not that strong!

The battle continued, and Gu Changming gritted his teeth, constantly dealing with the attacks.

The Lesser Demon's offensive grew increasingly dense.

He fought while retreating, slowly wearing the opponent down and waiting for an opportunity.

His mind was still full of complaints:

Did you even calculate the Mimic Beast's combat power as part of mine?

But... even so, that shouldn't have pushed the combat power up to A-rank.