Chapter 2: Ancient Ruins Battlefield

  "Where is this?!"

  Time and space changed, Su Hong was shocked to find himself in an instant came to the endless starry sky, surrounded by a group of strange blood-colored light, quietly floating in mid-air, can't move at all. And around him, there were nine other blood-colored light groups floating nearby, with vague human silhouettes inside, but due to the obstruction of the blood-colored light, it was impossible to see the appearance of others.

  Su Hong used his hand to forcefully twist his thigh, a severe pain sensation came, and instantly made him understand that he was not dreaming. Whether it was the previous strange blood flower or the current bizarre scene, it was very likely to be real.

  Due to the fear of unknown things, Su Hong's heart was inevitably a bit flustered, but the extremely strong psychological quality honed from playing games and the hardships of life tempered him, allowing him to regain his composure in the shortest time possible. He began to think calmly about his situation, especially when he thought back to the strange phenomenon of that unusual blood flower rushing into his body earlier. Suddenly, he lowered his head and looked at his left chest, where his heart was.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, just as he had guessed, that strange blood flower had merged with his body, tightly wrapping around his heart, so that at this moment his left chest looked like it was tattooed with a vivid and lifelike pattern, a blazing strange blood flower suddenly appeared.

  As his gaze fell upon it, the strange blood flower seemed to come alive, its bloody light flashing, transforming into a stream of data that surged into his mind.

  Blood Type: AB

  Camp: Not yet selected.

  Game times: 0

  Sky Ladder Points: 0

  Blood Coins: 0

  Game death count: 0

  Deathmatch arena matches: 0

  Blood Strengthening Points: 0

  Innate Bloodline: Not yet unlocked.

  ……

  One by one, the strange and bizarre attribute settings made Su Hong look very confused, but he didn't have time to think about it carefully. A cold, emotionless voice suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the endless starry sky.

  "The ancient ruins battlefield is about to reopen, please make sure everyone is prepared. For those who enter the Shangyue space for the first time, you must choose a camp before the battlefield opens, and once chosen, it cannot be changed."

  As soon as the words fell, two options appeared in front of Su Hong: one was the word "Tian Hui" and the other was the word "Ye Yan". Next to them, a blood-red timer started counting down.

  "It's another ten-second decision, really can't wait...” A hint of helplessness flashed in Su Hong's eyes, but the setting of the 'Tianhui' and 'Yeyan' camps made him think of a fighting game he had played before. After thinking for a moment, with the countdown about to run out, he didn't hesitate anymore and chose the 'Tianhui' camp.

  "Blood Code 100718 has chosen the Tianhui Camp. From now on, every time you enter the Shangyue Space, you will start the death game from the Tianhui Camp. The countdown for the ancient ruins battlefield has begun..."

  3

  2

  1

  ……

  As the three-second countdown ended, ten blood-colored light clusters, including Su Hong, turned into streaks of blood-colored light and rapidly fell towards the ground. A square-shaped mystical land also appeared in everyone's field of vision.

  With a clear river flowing diagonally from the center as the boundary, the entire land is divided into two parts. The lower left corner belongs to the Heavenly Glory Camp, and the upper right corner belongs to the Nightmares Camp, presenting an irregular symmetrical balance. Both sides have one base, two inner defense towers, and nine outer defense towers. The base and the two inner defense towers are naturally located in the safest rear of both camps, while the nine outer defense towers are evenly distributed along three radiating battle lines. No matter which side wants to destroy the other's base, they must first destroy the surrounding defense towers.

  "Waaaah!"

  The blood light dissipated, and Su Hong had just landed when he heard the loud and exciting sound of war horns by his ear, heralding a great battle that would soon unfold.

  "It's really DOTA!" Su Hong quickly made a judgment after sizing up the surroundings, although he had only played on his computer before and was now truly in the midst of it. The difference between the two was like heaven and earth, with no comparability at all. However, based on his observations, this map, or rather the land he was currently standing on, was undoubtedly a true projection of the DOTA map.

  Standing before the towering World Tree, its lush canopy stretching towards the heavens, Su Hong's heart was filled with shock. The vibrant colors of the tree's leaves seemed to pulse with life, and the soft rustling of the wind through its branches sounded like a gentle melody. However, the urgent sound of horns blowing in his ear made him feel an inexplicable sense of crisis, prompting him to quickly recall any useful information he had about DOTA.

  DOTA unfolds with two opposing teams, typically in 5v5 mode, the objective is to destroy the opposing team's Ancient while defending one's own.

  Players controlling heroes can earn gold and experience by killing enemy minions or destroying enemy structures, which allows them to level up their hero. Destroying enemy defensive towers also yields a large amount of gold. Gold can be used to buy powerful equipment for the hero in various item shops, while experience increases the hero's abilities or attributes.

  In the DOTA map, centered on both sides' bases, three lines radiating outward will continuously spawn troops from both sides, including ranged and melee creeps, as well as siege engines for attacking enemy towers. Therefore, when two teams clash, they not only have to face the attacks of the opposing heroes but also be constantly vigilant against threats from creeps, plus those powerful neutral creeps hiding in the jungle, making this battlefield map full of variables.

  Su Hong, when he was a professional player, would often play various competitive games to relax after a long day of gaming. He is no stranger to this classic Warcraft RPG map with balanced settings and strong competitiveness. He has played many rounds and even registered an account on a competitive platform to spar with other players. His skills are not bad but not exceptional either. However, he is uncertain whether his past gaming experience will still be useful when he actually finds himself in the midst of battle.

  Just then, a very dissatisfied complaining voice broke his meditation, saying: "What's going on? Nowadays, Laozi's Tianji points have at least 300 points, why are they always randomly assigned to novice newbies?"

  Su Hong looked up and saw a man wearing glasses walking towards him, muttering to himself and looking very displeased.

  "Ah, what bad luck! If it were just a random newbie, we could still have some fun. But this time, two newbies show up at once? How are we supposed to play like this?" Another young man wearing a light brown T-shirt under the World Tree also spoke up, shrugging his shoulders and spreading his hands in a helpless gesture.

  "Alright, stop complaining, it's already like this. Complaining won't solve the actual problem. Let's think about the lineup distribution instead. Since we're so unlucky to have randomly assigned two rookie newcomers on our side, I believe the other side isn't much better off either." A rough-looking man with a cigarette in his mouth spoke up.

  This burly man seemed to have some prestige, and with his words, the two men who had spoken earlier closed their mouths and turned to look at Su Hong and another blond young man who was looking around not far away.

  "Time is limited, you two newbies just make a brief self-introduction, mainly about your understanding of this game DOTA, so that we can position you and give you some advice." The rough-looking big man said in a deep voice.

  "For confidentiality reasons, I won't mention my real name. As for DOTA, I've played it before and have a general understanding of the game, but my level isn't high, just average." Su Hong replied after a brief moment of silence, although with his exceptional gaming talent and outstanding analytical skills, he could quickly pick up any game, and his DOTA skills were by no means bad, but he was well aware that he would likely be facing a battle far beyond his comprehension, so it was better to be humble.

  "Hmm." The burly man nodded slightly, without expressing any opinion, and immediately turned his head to look at the young man with a head of blonde hair, wearing metal rings on his lips, nose, and ears.

  "Haha, I'm dying of laughter! It's just a virtual battle game, yet you're all putting on such a serious face. Although I don't know which game company developed this highly realistic simulation engine, let me tell you one thing: I am a DOTA gaming god, and I've even ranked in the top 100 on the YYT competition platform! Do you need to teach me? Just listen to my commands and let me take you guys flying!" The blonde-haired young man burst out laughing, his eyes filled with disdain and contempt, just like his appearance, full of rebellious personality.

  But then again, if this is indeed a virtual battle game, he does have the capital to be proud of, because just in China alone, there are tens of millions of people playing DOTA, and looking at the whole world, the player base is even more massive. He was able to rank among the top 100 on the YaoYao battle platform's ladder, which absolutely makes him a DOTA game god, at least Su Hong who has never carefully studied this game before couldn't help but feel inferior.

  "Idiot!"

  The young man in a light brown pure cotton T-shirt and the bespectacled man beside him said in unison.

  But this time, the burly man did not block him. He crossed his arms and sneered coldly: "You ignorant little yellow-haired kid, I'll tell you the truth, even if you're in the top 100 of the Wandering Heaven Ladder, or even if you're a top-notch professional DOTA player who's come to this ancient battlefield, it won't do you any good. If you don't want to die, then listen obediently. Otherwise, harming others and yourself will bring no benefit to anyone."

  "Hurt others and yourself? Just don't drag me down when the time comes!" The blond-haired non-mainstream youth showed a resentful expression, let out a cold snort, and turned around to walk away without looking back.

  He came to the Hero Tavern beside the Fountain of Life in Tianhui, and through the bloody tattoo on his left chest, he directly chose a hero. The lush branches of the World Tree shook violently, and countless seven-colored lights enveloped him. Suddenly, his entire body underwent a strange transformation, and he transformed into the handsome and heroic Dragon Knight from the game DOTA.

  ……