Chapter 274 - 254 Griffin Knight Little Pig Run
The Lionheart Empire’s Griffin Mountain Range, a troop composed of 20 players struggles on a rugged and winding mountain path. The leader, a gunner player dressed in inconspicuous leather armor, is followed by a chattering group of brightly-armed, flamboyant female players, with the rest of the struggling troops trailing behind—various archers, Shield Guards, Griffin Cage Cars, and monks forming a grand procession of no less than a thousand.
This unassuming male player is none other than Little Pig Run, ranked first in the China Region and third in the world level rankings, a Level 40 "Griffin Breeder" from the Star Guild, with the female players behind him being the beauties from Bloodrose Studio. (See Chapter 218)
Little Pig Run is undertaking a challenging quest—to be promoted to a Griffin Knight! Once promoted, he would become a Flying Hero, taking a qualitative leap.
In fact, the primary reason why Little Pig Run’s Griffin Breeder and the Vampire Princess from France were valued at 1 million US Dollars right from the start of the server was not only because they specialized in Level 4 troops. Banshees are also Level 4 troops, but a Banshee’s specialty doesn’t carry such a hefty price tag.
The key to promotion lies in a mount, as an ordinary Griffin definitely cannot support a grown warrior, thus a Griffin King is essential. Their mission is to reach the Griffin Castle nestled within the mountain range, to defeat and tame the Griffin King within the castle.
Griffins are sacred creatures gifted to the Human Race by the Light God, and only devout Believers of the Light God could enter the holy land of the Griffin Mountain Range. Near the Griffin Castle, there are Great Angels on guard, meaning one has to challenge Level 7 troops just to gain entry.
Obviously, this is not a mission Little Pig Run could handle alone, and due to the restrictions of quest reputation and religious belief, Star, who primarily targets the Elf Clan, is unable to help. Considering the Human Race is the territory of Ninth Heaven, they definitely wouldn’t lend a hand either, and given the need for mission confidentiality, Star wouldn’t approach them. Hence, Star tried contacting Bloodrose Studio, who focuses on the Monastery with very devout religious beliefs, and are filled with healers, making them the perfect reinforcements.
For Bloodrose, living under the overbearing shadow of Ninth Heaven and being reduced to a vassal or even a "harem" is utterly intolerable. To elevate their status, it’s only natural that they improve relations with Star, balancing between two large guilds to benefit from both sides.
Thus, both parties hit it off, and the long-planned operation commenced.
This mission was highly valued by Bloodrose Studio. The studio’s big sister, Zhou Qing, even put her Chamber of Commerce tasks on hold to lead the team, with all the studio’s elite members participating. Putting aside real-life entanglements, simply conquering Griffin Castle in the game would earn them hefty benefits, like, at least, Angel Army rewards.
The troop has now been navigating through the mountainous terrain for a month in game time.
The terrain in the mountainous region is even more treacherous than in the jungle. The challenge isn’t just slower pace and greater Stamina consumption; the most fatal drawback is the inability to deploy the troops effectively. It can be said that if a BOSS-level beast charged along the mountain path, it could slaughter this thousand-man Long Snake Formation like cutting through sausage.
Fortunately, such an event has yet to occur, thanks to Little Pig Run, as his troops are Griffins. In the mountains, Flying Soldiers not limited by terrain are the greatest reliance. Over this month, the troop has encountered various swift-moving mountain wolf packs and vulture groups. It was Little Pig Run’s Griffin squadron gallivanting around to rescue them that prevented total annihilation. As for Bloodrose, their mission has essentially turned into one of resurrection and healing.
The Griffin Mountain Range is indeed not a place where ordinary players with ordinary troops could simply venture into.
All along the way, Little Pig Run has displayed his supreme tactical knowledge and exquisite operational skills befitting an international professional player, quickly winning over these beauties. Thus, the journey was filled with laughter and jokes, and not boring at all.
The first day’s topic was: what do professional players like you usually do? Are you really only 17 years old?
The second day turned to: could we also reach your level? Is Bu Feiyan as strong as you?
Naturally, the third day’s topic was about the recently started Hero World Cup.
During these days of interaction, Bloodrose Rosa, aka Zhou Qing, who is usually proud and cold, couldn’t help but view this 17-year-old with favor. After all, why would she act aloof and pretend to be superior when dealing with a youth whose mind is filled with gaming? She was confident she could easily win over such a talented and innocent young man.
Zhou Qing then asked gently with a smile, "Little Pig, are you not upset about not being able to compete, given your skills?"
Little Pig Run chuckled shyly, "No, I’m just happy to do missions with everyone."
Zhou Qing laughed, "But that’s a chance at 1 million US Dollars! Even third place gets 250,000 US Dollars."
Little Pig Run replied with an "oh": "As long as I can enjoy the game happily, that’s enough for me. I’m quite content now."
His statement drew a collective laughter and sighs from the ladies. It must be said, so focused on gaming that he cares not for the prize money – reaching the realm of a super expert is hard not to achieve.
Zhou Qing smiled, "It’s said professional players typically retire after 22; ever thought about what you’ll do after retirement?"
Without hesitation, Little Pig Run replied, "Run an internet café!"
The crowd burst into laughter again.
Zhou Qing shook her head while laughing, "It’s not so easy to start an internet café these days; you need connections. Here’s an idea: when the time comes, you can find me in Shendong City. I’ll put up the capital and take care of the internet café license and location. What do you think?"
Little Pig Run eagerly asked, "Open an internet cafe in Shendong City? Are you serious, sis?"
Zhou Qing laughed, "Truer than pearls!"
The ladies also laughed, "We can even hire the prettiest college girls to work as waitresses for your internet café!"
Overjoyed, Little Pig Run exclaimed, "Can I come now? I can’t wait to be an internet café owner!"
Zhou Qing laughed heartily, "Giving up on professional gaming?" Kids will be kids, it’s just too easy to deal with them.
Little Pig Run was taken aback, "I can be both a professional gamer and an internet cafe owner!"
The girls were surprised, "Is that even possible?"
Little Pig Run was astonished, "Why not? Isn’t an internet cafe owner just someone who sits at the counter and plays games all day?"
The girls couldn’t help but burst into laughter again. It must be said, Little Pig Run is just too naive. Zhou Qing chuckled, "If your boss agrees to let you go, I’ll take care of it right away!"
Little Pig Run stunned, "Sis, our boss has a thing for you. With just a word from you, he’d let me go in an instant!"
The girls erupted in laughter and even Zhou Qing blushed. This guy is quite the little devil too! Out of the mouths of babes often come gems of wisdom, and his words are probably true. To think, despite having Bu Feiyan by his side, Boss Long actually still has me on his mind. Of course, how could Bu Feiyan’s family background compare to mine? Aside from being better at gaming, she can’t compare to me in anything else. Perhaps this is also why he took this opportunity to get close to me? For a moment, Zhou Qing felt a surge of pride.
Just then, Bloodrose Qiqi exclaimed, "Hey hey hey! It’s that Da Fei again! He’s driving me mad, now Captain Jiang has even ranked him as the world’s number one amateur player!"
The girls were astonished, "The results of the preliminaries are out?"
Bloodrose Qiqi said resentfully, "The results are out, and he is basking in glory. I bet that his Banshee Hero is definitely the one upgraded from the Banshee BOSS we lost!"
The girls said indignantly, "This scumbag, he made his fortune by stealing from others, and yet we can do nothing about it."
Little Pig Run was surprised, "Do you sisters really hate that Da Fei?"
Bloodrose Qiqi felt a surge of anger and said, "Hate him? He is nothing but a hooligan—why, do you want to help us sisters get revenge?"
Little Pig Run shook his head lightly, "Can’t beat him."
The girls were taken aback, "Even Little Pig isn’t confident of defeating him? That’s not something a 17-year-old should be saying."
Little Pig Run suddenly spoke with mature gravity, "As a professional player, you need to be able to instantly recognize the gap in strength between the sides. Right now, I definitely can’t beat him; there’s no chance at all."
The girls were stunned, "No chance at all? But you’re a professional player!"
Little Pig Run said earnestly, "Exactly because I’m a professional player, I am clear about the gap."
Zhou Qing’s eyebrows twitched, "What if you successfully become a Griffin Knight?"
Little Pig Run smiled, "If it’s in the jungle, I probably have an 85% chance to pounce and instantly take his head off. If it’s this mountainous area, it’s less than 30%. If it’s on flat ground or at sea, the chance is zero!"
The girls exclaimed, "How could you calculate it so precisely?"
Little Pig Run shook his head, "It’s not precise; this is just based on the information revealed from his videos. We still don’t know how many more cards he has up his sleeve."
Zhou Qing had made up her mind, clapped her hands and said earnestly, "Alright, let’s not worry about those messy people. This time, we’ll go all out to defeat the Griffin King and make sure to help Little Pig advance."
The girls responded in unison, "Understood!"
......
Finally, Griffin Castle on the cloud-covered mountaintop was within sight. Now, the team will face its greatest challenge, defeating the Guardian Angel. But before taking on the challenge, the troops, after their continuously exhausting march, needed one last lengthy rest, not just to recover stamina but also morale.
Facing the angel, Zhou Qing still felt uneasy and asked softly, "Little Pig, any tactics against angels?"
Little Pig Run did not hesitate, "No tactics, just a contest of healing!"
A contest of healing? The girls paused for a moment before understanding—it meant relying on healing power. But that way of saying it was a bit... something.
Zhou Qing was surprised, "Can we out-heal them?"
Little Pig Run nodded, "Based on my observation and calculations of you sisters over the past few days, I have 75% confidence in your healing power!"
Healing power? The girls couldn’t help but... (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)