"Duang~Duang~~"
The deep tolling of war drums echoed across the land, and plumes of black smoke rose in the distance.
The Yuan army had entered visual range.
Inside the city, citizens who heard the commotion quickly fled from open streets, retreating to their homes and shelters—after all, the enemy's arrows were no joke.
And with the enemy being from Great Yuan, this was especially true.
Among all the nations, their archery skills were the most formidable—particularly their mounted archery.
Every war left behind countless civilian casualties from stray arrows or boulders flung by siege engines.
As for the crowd that had been trailing behind Orsaga, their survival instincts kicked in, and they scattered like frightened birds the moment danger arose.
Orsaga, however, remained entirely unaffected. Watching the panic-stricken masses scrambling to find shelter, he had no intention of wasting time on them.
With a casual leap, he vaulted onto the rooftop of a nearby building, each stride covering over ten meters with ease.
He made his way directly toward the rendezvous point mentioned in the [Call for Heroes] notice.
____
'The power level of this world is pretty damn high…'
So thought Li Ce, a fellow Purgator dressed in plain martial attire, as he observed soldiers casually hefting 300-pound crates with one arm while moving at full sprint—and the massive thirty-meter-tall city walls towering in the distance.
Li Ce had already completed four mission worlds.
In his second world, he had chosen the Martial Artist profession and was thrown into a harsh Wuxia scenario: Jinyiwei (Embroidered Uniform Guard).
There, he endured brutal training that nearly flayed him alive.
Near the end of the time limit, he'd risked it all in a desperate gamble—poisoning and ambushing the boss from behind to secure his first fortune.
In his third world, he diligently completed numerous side quests, amassing a few thousand reward points.
With those, he bought a Level 2 Mutant Wolverine Bloodline (X-Men Universe), and later acquired a basic Wuxia version of [Indestructible Diamond Body Technique] from the Neutral Zone.
Everything he earned in his fourth world was reinvested—into strength-enhancing pills and the time required to practice martial arts.
Now, he was so broke that he couldn't even afford a meal in Matrix Purgatory.
But his investment—and his tireless practice—had paid off.
He now had the equivalent of twenty years' worth of inner power, and had trained the Indestructible Diamond Body Technique to the fourth level.
That gave him the durability to tank high-caliber bullets and fight man-eating tigers barehanded.
He wasn't exactly a top expert in this Wuxia crossover world, but he was confident he could at least pass as a respected martial hero.
Moreover, as a Martial Artist, this world was practically a treasure trove.
Heavenly herbs, master-level mentors, forbidden techniques—this world had everything!
It was an ocean of opportunity.
If his luck held, the loot he could harvest here might even exceed the mission rewards by a huge margin.
Standing at the so-called "gathering spot for heroes and talents," he muttered to himself:
'I've got to find a way to get my hands on some high-level martial arts manuals…'
After all, his current Indestructible Diamond Body was just a regular Wuxia version. At its peak, it could maybe resist a machine gun.
But if he got his hands on a High-Wuxia version? Forget machine guns—even cannons wouldn't matter.
While he was pondering how to recruit some same-faction Purgators to team up and farm this mission together, the crowd around him suddenly erupted in gasps of astonishment.
The sudden reaction immediately caught his attention.
He turned toward the source—and was stunned into silence.
His face twisted into a bewildered grimace:
'What the hell… White suit? White leather shoes? In a Wuxia world!?'
He never imagined a Purgator could be this outrageously flamboyant.
Cold sweat began to drip down Li Ce's forehead.
In his mind, there were only two possibilities: either the guy was insane, or he was so terrifyingly powerful that he didn't need to hide it.
Either way, Li Ce—being just a small fry—wanted nothing to do with him.
So he quietly took a step back, blending into the crowd like an innocent bystander.
Up on the city wall, Guo Jing, Huang Rong, and Lü Wenhuan—who had been preparing to greet the gathered "heroes" with a speech and a few incentives—fell into stunned silence as they witnessed Orsaga's arrival.
The man's entrance was so surreal, it looked like a spotlight had followed him in.
His presence clashed jarringly with everything around him.
The famously honest and upright Guo Jing—hailed throughout the martial world as "Hero Guo"—whispered to his wife beside him:
"Rong'er, have you ever seen anyone dressed like that?"
Huang Rong studied Orsaga for a few moments.
Though she was surprised by his appearance, she quickly responded:
"I've never seen this style before. But from the fabric and craftsmanship of his clothes, it's far superior to any silk I've ever encountered. Even the Heavenly Silkworm Thread used in dragon robes might not compare…"
As she spoke, her gaze lingered on Orsaga's calm expression and unreadable eyes.
After a brief silence, she added in a low voice:
"I don't sense any hostility from him, but… he's definitely not someone to be trifled with."
As the daughter of Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic, Huang Rong was not only beautiful and clever, but a true prodigy in everything from cooking and medicine to tactics, fortune-telling, and even face-reading.
She had the ability to understand someone's nature at a glance.
And in Orsaga's expression—his eyes—she sensed danger.
Not the kind stemming from lust, greed, or ambition.
But the primal danger one feels when facing a tiger.
It was direct. And deadly.
After considering her words, Guo Jing nodded solemnly.
"I examined his aura—it's as still as a windless lake, with no outward fluctuations. But his eyes… carry a godlike indifference. Just looking at them makes my back go cold.
I have a feeling… he may be far stronger than me."
"!"
Huang Rong's brows furrowed deeply.
She knew just how powerful her husband was.
Though only in his early thirties, Guo Jing had reached the Grandmaster level years ago—earning the title of one of the Five Supreme Masters of Song. Today, he stood on the brink of the Supreme Grandmaster realm.
And yet, her husband suspected that this man, who looked no older than twenty, might be even stronger?
'Could he be some ancient master in disguise?. And that hair and eye color—side effects of a forbidden technique?'
She wasn't sure.
Orsaga, for his part, paid no attention to the stares around him.
Glancing briefly at the couple standing atop the city wall, he thought:
'So that's Guo Jing and Huang Rong, huh?. Guo Jing's average at best. Huang Rong looks decent.'
'Come to think of it, didn't I have some kind of 'Wuxia dream' back in my previous life…?'
As the thought passed, he brought up a mission entry in his mind:
[Side Mission: World's Greatest – Supreme of the Martial World]
Defeat all rivals. Claim the title of World's Number One Martial Artist.
Reward: 50,000 reward points
(Note: As this is a composite world, entering areas unrelated to the main mission may lead to encounters with Purgators from other batches.)
"Hmm.. That side mission looks good.In that case—let's hurry and finish this main quest first."
With that thought, and under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Orsaga slowly raised his right hand.
A faint glow pulsed across his forearm, where a tattoo resembling the Deathblossom flickered—activating a spatial storage device bound to his being.
Moments later—
A towering, four-armed humanoid machine burst into existence, radiating golden light in waves of power and awe.
It was one of Orsaga's personal creations:
Living Mecha – [Aeon Cronos]