Heroes' Prison

Chapter 438 - 428: Individual Competition Groupings

Huang Yi’s gaze swept over the stunning names that had shocked the world.

Every contender who had made it this far was a pinnacle expert, and just in Group A that he was in, it included four out of the top five experts from China, with the exception of the long-retired Dao Feng; Sharp Sword, Dragon Spike, Thunder God, and Huang Yi himself were all assigned to Group A.

In addition to these, there was Russia’s number one expert, the recently named Giant Bear; the absolute leader among regular players and also the chieftain of the Draenei Race, Yang Yuheng; India’s last year’s best newcomer Zi Xing; last year’s best newcomer from Japan, Sakura; the super dark horse from the Vatican, Tiny Chest; Germany’s number one expert, Zhan Che; the leader of the Battlefield Group of the Xuanyuan Clan, regarded as the most likely to catch up with Dragon Spike, Dragon Dominates the World; last year’s winner of the most charming award and Japan’s top female player, Zhitian Shi, and so on... Any name mentioned was of renowned fame.

Group B was also formidable, gathering Japan’s two top stream experts, Heavenly Dao and Miyamoto Musashi; the two top experts from the United States, the Pope and Kid; Egypt’s leader Pharaoh; South Africa’s miracle and last year’s best individual award nominee, Soul; Brazil’s number one expert, Ronald; Japan’s up-and-coming team "Four Nations" leader Black Warrior; China’s top beauty expert, the enchantress; the Dungeon Group Leader of the Xuanyuan Clan, Lin Yiqin; the world’s top Fire Mage, Dong Huan; as well as this tournament’s unanimously recognized dark horse—T.N.T, among other super-experts.

These experts, who were previously scattered around the world with no contact, would now compete on the same stage!

The round-robin competition would commence tomorrow, with Huang Yi’s first opponent being the United Kingdom’s top expert, and last year’s best charm award nominee, the female player—Arthur Artolia!

This would be his first time participating in an individual competition.

Afterward, Huang Yi went to browse the forums.

"Rivalry Battle! Canada’s number one expert, the world’s top Ice Mage [Xue Feng], sadly lost to the world’s top Fire Mage [Dong Huan], failing to enter the top 64. With this, all Canadian contenders have been eliminated, and the country reaps nothing in both individual and team competitions."

"The real feast for the strong is about to arrive, with television stations around the world already prepared to broadcast the round-robin matches in full!"

"Highlights for tomorrow’s round-robin: Group B’s match between the Pope and Pharaoh, two top experts debuting on the same stage!"

...

Indeed, following the last round of the individual competition, the forum was teeming with various news updates.

At this moment, Huang Yi’s attention was caught by a stats post—

"The tournament’s entire elimination round has concluded, and now the world’s top 64 individuals and teams have been determined! Below are the rankings of national guilds!"

Huang Yi clicked to take a closer look.

"Just now, with the last round of the individual elimination round finished, the round-robin slots have all been filled. Nationally, China stands at the top with a significant advantage, with 11 players advancing to the top 64 in the individual competition, and 7 teams making it in the team competition. India is next with 7 individuals and 5 teams advancing. The United States is third with 6 individuals and 4 teams advancing. Japan is fourth with 6 individuals and 3 teams advancing."

"In terms of guilds, Heaven’s Guild and the Xuanyuan Clan are tied for first place, closely followed by the Dongying Guild. Guilds with contenders in both individual and team competitions total ten..."

At the level of the round-robin, the ranking of the Heroes’ Guild had not fallen but risen. Although the guild had only Huang Yi advancing in the individual competition, and only the Heroes’ Team remaining in the team competition, looking around the world, only ten guilds had managed to achieve this. At this point, only the super-experts remained; many great guilds that had numerous second-rate experts may have had the advantage in team competitions, but without exceptionally standout individuals, it was difficult to make a mark in the individual competition.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Earth in London, England, the setting sun cast slanted rays on the Thames riverside, and the centuries-old Big Ben chimed with profound bongs, its hands reflecting the golden sunset, exuding a feeling of golden years passing by.

"My dear, your opponent tomorrow is Instakill, and I have prepared a large number of top-level magic items for you to use with confidence," said an elegant blond gentleman on a carved bench in the riverside park, speaking to the woman beside him with a somewhat ingratiating tone.

The woman, wearing a thick cotton trench coat and an elegant hat, gazed into the distance at the dimming sky, her fair complexion glowing temptingly in the sunset light, almost mesmerizing the man beside her.

This woman was none other than the leader of British players in The Second World, an almost queen-like figure—Arthur Artolia. She was the only British player to have advanced to the top 64 worldwide, the hope of the entire nation. Her icy, aloof demeanor had enchanted countless male gamers.

"Do you have the Protection of the God of Life?" she asked when she heard the man’s voice, her expression remaining indifferent as she continued to look at the distant sky.

The man’s face showed slight embarrassment hearing the words "Protection of the God of Life," and he forced a smile, "That’s an S-class magic item, and even A-class magic items are almost impossible to find at this stage. As far as I know, only Miyamoto Musashi has the ’Protection of the God of Life.’ I will do my best to look for it for you in the future."

"What about the Complete Cooldown Potion?" Arthur Artolia continued.

The corners of the man’s mouth twitched again as he replied, "I’m sorry, I haven’t found that potion either."

"Instant-kill Potion?"

"No, not that either."

...

Arthur Artolia then named several top-level potions, and the man embarrassingly shook his head in response to each question.

These potions, without exception, were S-level top-level potions, and some had not even been heard of anywhere in the world.

Arthur Artolia finally turned around and glanced at the man, saying, "Ordinary magic items are ineffective against God of Slaughter, and you can’t find any top-level magic items. Alright, I don’t want to take a walk anymore, goodbye." After saying that, she gave the man a look as if she was staring at trash, then stood up and left immediately.

The man’s face turned ashen as he stared at Arthur Artolia, glaring hatefully at her swaying hips and muttered under his breath, "Bitch!"

"I haven’t gone far yet!" Just at that moment, Arthur Artolia said without turning her head.

In an instant, the man’s complexion turned ghastly pale.

...

A new day had arrived, and the warm morning sunlight shone through the window, casting a faint glow on Huang Yi’s sleeping face, making him look almost like a baby.

At this moment, Huang Yi’s eyelids twitched, and he woke up. Stretching towards the sunlight coming from the window, he felt completely relaxed and invigorated; he had slept very peacefully.

He quickly got up, put on his clothes, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and went to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was lively, with the aroma of food wafting through the air. Huang Yi took a serving of soy milk and dough sticks and found where Thunder God was sitting and sat down with him.

"Ah-Yi, who are you fighting with today?" Thunder God was sipping porridge when he saw Huang Yi arrive and immediately asked.

Huang Yi, biting into a dough stick, replied, "I’m fighting with that British beauty pro, what about you?"

"I’m up against Sakura from Japan!" Thunder God said relaxedly, exuding confidence, "At the last annual grand festival, he competed with us for the best newcomer award. Before you know it, we finally get to face off on the same stage."

"I watched his match yesterday," Huang Yi said with a smile: "He has a pretty special skill called Time Rewind, which can rewind to five seconds prior. It’s been a secret skill he’s never used before, just not sure what the cooldown time is, so be careful."

"I know," Thunder God nodded, looking around at the criminals, "Actually, our Rose Prison could be considered a major power. Including individual and team competitions, over 2200 people have advanced to the top 64."

...

The two chatted and ate together, taking half an hour to finish their breakfast, then they returned to their own cells and connected to The Second World.

It was 11 a.m. Beijing Time, one hour before the team competition at noon. However, members of the Heroes’ Guild were already waiting in the square in front of the City Hall, surrounded by countless players from the Hero Guild.

This was a team competition, facing off against the only remaining Australian team, Kangaroo Legion, which gathered all the experts from all guilds across Australia.

"Instakill, long time no see." Just then, a languid voice sounded beside Huang Yi.

Huang Yi turned to look. The person who had arrived was Dugu Lengcang, who was with some elites from their guild, temporarily joining the Heroes’ Guild to continue competing.

"Welcome to the team!" Huang Yi patted his shoulder and smiled.

Dugu Lengcang pointed toward the ten or so players following him and said, "This time I’ve brought 11 brothers, they are almost all Rare Class Holders, so there’s no need to worry about their abilities, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied."

"Nice to meet you all! From now on, we’re one family!" Huang Yi nodded to the ten or so people.

And those ten or so people were gazing at him with slight excitement—it was their first time interacting with Huang Yi at such close quarters.

Gradually, seconds ticked by, drawing closer and closer to the noon competition.

[System Prompt]: The competition time has arrived, would you like to teleport your team to the contest site immediately?

Finally, noon arrived, and Huang Yi received a system prompt.

The next moment, he immediately chose yes, and all members of the Heroes’ Guild flashed in front of their eyes, arriving at the familiar battlefield.

The first round-robin match had begun.

——————————————————————————————————————(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Starting Point (qidian.com) to cast your Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)