Chapter 623 - Finding Teammates

There were only three World life forms on Han Wu’s side now: himself, the Origin of Mutation, and the Umbral Mouse.

Han Wu and the Origin of Mutation were powerful fighters and the very reason this challenge had been issued, so their participation was unavoidable. The Umbral Mouse was a hardcore Support with no offensive capability, so Han Wu didn’t include it in the roster.

He still needed three God Kings to complete the lineup. His first thought was his master, Xu Hai. As the Wisdom God King, Xu Hai had grown steadily stronger since his first ascension. Moreover, he had the Great Enlightenment Ring, which allowed him to evolve any Skill to its maximum potential, making him a valuable teammate.

Han Wu sent a request to his master. Xu Hai answered and agreed after a brief consideration. As Han Wu’s master, he had benefited from the rewards that Han Wu had fleeced from the Heaven Stair Civilization. He felt it was only right to return the favor, and participating in the challenge suited that purpose perfectly.

Relieved to have secured a third teammate, Han Wu called the God King of Death. Victory would be all but guaranteed if Death accepted his invitation. As a Mesocosm expert, defeating an ordinary World life form was child’s play for him.

It took a long time for Death to answer. Han Wu explained the situation and extended the invitation, but Death declined. He was currently in a distant civilization with Darkness on an important mission and couldn’t return in time.

The rejection left Han Wu deflated, as it meant he had to give up on both Death and Darkness. He didn’t give up and contacted the Blazing God King, only to receive an automated message stating that Blaze was in closed cultivation to improve his strength and would call them back later.

Han Wu was truly stumped now. The few God Kings he knew were all unavailable. His final hope rested with the White Mane God King. Commerce was among the weakest God Kings he knew, but at least he was still a true God King.

After thirty seconds, Commerce answered. Han Wu explained the situation and made the offer. Commerce remained silent for five seconds before stating that he would accept in exchange for two Laws.

Han Wu cursed inwardly. Commerce had previously requested only one Law for helping him repel the Imperial College’s invaders. Not much time had passed, yet the price had doubled. With no alternatives left, Han Wu had no choice but to agree.

Even with Commerce on board, they still needed another member. Han Wu considered bringing the Umbral Mouse along as a hard Support, but Commerce interjected. He claimed he could find another God King weaker than himself, and the cost would be only one Law.

Han Wu accepted the proposal.

Three hours later, Commerce brought his old friend Jia Gui to the rendezvous point.

Han Wu wanted to reject him outright. Commerce was already a weak God King, and Jia Gui was even weaker. Han Wu knew that even the Umbral Mouse was stronger than Jia Gui.

As if sensing the displeasure in Han Wu’s eyes, Jia Gui patted his chest confidently. “Are you looking down on me? I, Jia Gui, was a valuable contributor during the invasion of the Heaven Stair Civilization. One Law is more than enough to hire me, and you won’t regret it...”

Han Wu smiled bitterly. He knew about the so-called merit that Jia Gui was talking about. He was the one who had captured Jia Gui and pried the information out of his mouth.

Jia Gui was still lost in his boastful speech when Commerce introduced Han Wu. Only then did Jia Gui realize that the man before him was the same Han Wu who had captured him in the past.

Any ordinary person would have died of embarrassment, but Jia Gui was unfazed. He patted his thin chest confidently. “I might look skinny, but my bones are packed with strength. Don’t worry. I specialize in tricking opponents into working for us.”

Han Wu felt a trace of reassurance. At the very least, he had finally assembled five teammates. He then led the group to the delegates’ representative, where they would depart for the dedicated challenge ground to familiarize themselves with the environment.

The delegates’ representative didn’t stop them. Instead, he carefully explained every detail of the challenge site and the rules.

Han Wu studied the map of the challenge ground. It spanned a million square kilometers. The area wasn’t especially large, but the terrain introduced many strategic considerations.

First, there were two plazas positioned at opposite corners of the battlefield. At the center of each plaza stood a massive crystal, which served as the core that they had to protect. The party that lost their crystal would lose.

Beyond the crystals, the map was divided into two territories. Each party controlled half of the land, and numerous wild beast nests dotted their respective areas. Once the battle commenced, those nests would spawn beasts at regular intervals. It was guaranteed to be an exciting match.

Then there were three paths that stretched from each base to the opposite side of the battlefield. Those lanes ran along the upper, middle, and lower sections of the land, directly linking both territories.

Han Wu couldn’t glean much else from the map alone. He needed to experience the challenge site firsthand.

He had been inside for barely five minutes before he staggered back out, his appearance dishevelled. The challenge ground was extremely oppressive and had suppressed his strength as a World life form down to the King rank. It was brutal.