Online Game: Unrivaled Gods

In Global Hope, morale is a decisive factor in determining the combat effectiveness of a unit. The maximum morale of a unit is usually 100 points, and this maximum morale can be obtained through training. There are only three ways to exceed 100 morale points: first, increase morale through battles and accumulate morale through victories; second, through skills; and third, be a special unit with a naturally high morale cap.

Sun Rui is now using the second method, using skills to boost morale. The "Desperate Measures" skill is Sun Rui's trump card, and it is extremely effective.

"Troop morale has been boosted to 300 points due to the do-or-die mentality."

"The troops' offensive power is increased by 500% due to the 'do or die' policy."

Upon hearing the system notification, Sun Rui gave a wry smile. A 500% morale boost only brought him to 300 points, which meant he only had 60 points before using the "Desperate Measures" strategy—quite low.

"That's true, anyone would be demoralized seeing a commander like that," Sun Rui thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile.

"Slap..." Sun Rui slapped his face to clear his mind and stop overthinking. He had no idea how long the "Desperate Measures" skill would last, so he had to finish the battle quickly.

"Go!" Sun Rui shouted in a low voice. Holding his spear, he pushed off with his feet and quickly darted forward, leaving the sword and shield soldiers far behind.

As Sun Rui charged forward, the hundred longbowmen split into two teams and began firing under the command of their troop leader.

"Whoosh..." The longbowmen, affected by the desperate situation, had a surge in attack power. As the rain of arrows fell, screams filled the mountain stronghold. Sun Rui, who was charging forward, had not expected such a result. He had reached the entrance of the stronghold without encountering any obstacles.

"Drink..." Sun Rui's muscles bulged beneath his black military uniform as he slammed his gun against the mountain stronghold's gate. The sound of the gun hitting the gate instantly drowned out the screams from the stronghold.

"Quickly! Someone's smashing the gate of the stronghold! Try to suppress the enemy's ranged units!" the bandits shouted in a panic after hearing the banging.

"No, the enemy archers are too powerful; we can't show our faces."

Listening to the commotion inside the stronghold, Sun Rui continued to strike the stronghold gate repeatedly, trying his best to break it down as quickly as possible. When Sun Rui first struck the gate, the system had already given him a warning: the small stronghold gate was a basic building with a durability of 1,000 points. With Sun Rui's current strength and the "Strength to Lift a Cauldron" talent, he could only reduce the durability by a little over 60 points at a time. To break through the stronghold gate, Sun Rui would need to strike it a dozen more times.

"Useless trash, follow me." A rough voice rang out amidst the chaotic sounds of the mountain stronghold. Sun Rui, who was attacking the gate, recognized the voice as that of the second-in-command of the stronghold, whom he had met that afternoon.

Sun Rui glanced up and saw a man fly up from the mountain stronghold's watchtower, wielding a large sword and protecting more than twenty people behind him. He wielded the sword with great force, cutting down all the dozen or so arrows shot by the longbowmen.

"Damn it, what are you standing there for? Attack now!" the bandit's second-in-command shouted, his swordsmanship never ceasing.

The twenty-odd men behind the second-in-command sprang into action, taking their bows and arrows and aiming them at the longbowmen in the distance, beginning to fire.

"Ah..." As the bandits retaliated, the longbowmen suffered casualties. Upon hearing the longbowmen's cries, Sun Rui's heart sank, and he thought to himself, "The difference between first-tier and second-tier soldiers is so great."

After being attacked, the longbowmen adjusted their attack intensity, no longer firing in scatters but focusing their fire on the archers on the watchtowers.

"Drink..." As the longbowmen's attack became more focused, their power increased dramatically. The second-in-command of the mountain stronghold began to flash with a blue light on his blade, and Sun Rui knew that this second-in-command had begun to use his Gale Blade Technique.

Before internal energy enters the condensation stage, its effect on generals is not significant. Before the condensation stage, only the general's skills can bring about the effect of internal energy and provide a boost.

The second-in-command of this mountain stronghold used the Gale Blade Technique, a martial arts skill. He regained his footing after using the Gale Blade Technique, even though he was in a perilous situation.

"Martial arts skills..." Sun Rui's hands kept moving, continuously bombarding the mountain stronghold's gate, while his eyes remained fixed on the second-in-command of the stronghold. Sun Rui had the intention of secretly learning the second-in-command's Gale Blade Technique.

"Congratulations to player Lü Bu! Your peerless talent has been successfully activated, and you have mastered the Whirlwind Blade Technique, a martial art in the Qi Accumulation stage."

"Borrow a knife." Upon hearing the system notification, Sun Rui was overjoyed and did not hesitate to borrow a weapon from the guards protecting him.

Whirlwind Blade Technique: A martial art for the Qi Accumulation stage. During the Qi Nourishment stage, internal energy activation increases attack power by 50%, and during the Qi Accumulation stage, internal energy activation increases attack power by 100%.

"Bang..." Sun Rui activated the "Overlord's True Scripture," and purple light flashed on the blade. He slashed deeply into the mountain stronghold gate. Sun Rui's whirlwind sword technique was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, and the mountain stronghold gate collapsed with a bang.

Sun Rui was quite surprised that the stronghold's gate was destroyed with a single strike. He had estimated that it would have taken at least two strikes. He wondered, "Is it a matter of internal strength?"

"Player Lu Bu's morale increases by 20 points after destroying the primary mountain stronghold gate, while the bandits' morale decreases by 20 points."

Before Sun Rui could figure out if it was due to his internal energy, he heard a system notification.

"Charge with me!" Sun Rui stopped worrying about internal strength and wanted to take advantage of the bandits' low morale to quickly achieve results.

"Yes," the fifty sword and shield soldiers replied spiritedly.

"Run! The gates of the stronghold have been breached!" As morale plummeted, panic began to spread again within the stronghold.

Bandits are a group with little cohesion and low morale; reducing their morale by another twenty points would bring it to its lowest possible level.

"I surrender." A bandit approached and immediately knelt down, begging for mercy and throwing away his weapon.

The morale had plummeted to its lowest point, leading to some surrenders within the stronghold. Although the number was small, Sun Rui still felt a reduction in the intensity of the attack.

"Swish..." The blade, flashing with purple light, easily severed the rebel's weapon. The bandit, wielding half a large knife, stared in horror, unable to believe it was real.

Ignoring the bandit's expression, Sun Rui raised his knife again and slashed at him without hesitation, a stark contrast to his demeanor that morning. With a swift stroke, the purple blade reaped a life. Sun Rui stepped over the fallen corpse, searching for his next enemy. It wasn't that Sun Rui had become ruthless, but rather that circumstances didn't allow him to linger. Once inside the mountain stronghold, aside from a few who had surrendered, enemies were everywhere. Sun Rui was the spearhead of the entire group and couldn't afford to stop.

The scene swept by his double pupils and the stench of blood in the air made Sun Rui's heart churn, and a feeling of nausea slowly rose within him. Sun Rui suppressed the nausea, knowing that if he made a mistake in using his strength, all 151 people he had brought would be wiped out here. The thought of such a thing gave him a sense of fear and responsibility. Sun Rui was not a born king, nor did he have any innate leadership skills. When he led others, he felt a sense of panic, always afraid that he would not do well. This strange feeling of fear or responsibility was what made Sun Rui suppress his nausea and weakness.

"You little thief, do you dare to fight your grandpa?" After Sun Rui chopped down more than a dozen people like cutting melons and vegetables, the second leader of the mountain stronghold could no longer bear it and jumped down from the watchtower. No longer caring about the longbowmen outside, the second leader of the mountain stronghold thought to himself: "The enemy has already attacked our own lair. How can we have time to care about the people outside?"

"Player Lu Bu has received a duel invitation from Yuan Kai. Will you accept?"

"Yuan Kai must be the second-in-command. A one-on-one fight?"

With the arrival of Yuan Kai, the second-in-command, the bandits seemed to have found their leader and gathered behind him. The chaotic scene suddenly became clear, and a dividing line was drawn in the middle of the stronghold. On one side were the sword and shield soldiers led by Sun Rui, and on the other side were the bandits led by Yuan Kai.

Sun Rui felt a headache coming on, not because of Yuan Kai's challenge, but because with the arrival of the second-in-command, the bandits would have a leader and their fighting power would be fully utilized, making it impossible to achieve the same massacre effect as before.

"More than forty bandits are dead, and now they have more than sixty fighters left." Chong Tong scanned the surroundings, observing the entire battle situation, and secretly calculated the difference in combat strength between the enemy and himself.

"No, we can't force it, or the damage will be too great." Sun Rui glanced at the fifty shield soldiers behind him. Although no one had died, more than a dozen had been slightly injured. Sun Rui's idea was to minimize the losses if possible.

"You're just a kid who hasn't even grown all his fur yet. Are you scared? Go home and drink your milk." Yuan Kai saw Sun Rui's gaze sweeping around without answering him, so he started to mock him.

"Hahaha." The bandits behind Yuan Kai also laughed.

"This little brat, Second Master, must be terrified of you and doesn't dare to utter a sound." A fawning voice drew Sun Rui's attention, and as he expected, it was indeed that shifty-looking fellow.

Thinking about their conversation after returning from looting the village, a murderous intent flashed in Sun Rui's eyes, and the purple internal energy within him seemed to sense his mood and began to pulsate actively.

The smug bandit, having finished flattering Sun Rui, was about to give him a provocative look and say some harsh words when he saw the purple lightning flashing in those eerie double pupils. His open mouth failed to utter a sound, and a sense of fear from the depths of his soul enveloped him.

"Thump..." The bandit lay flat on the ground, defecating and urinating. The bandit's sudden fall startled the people around him, and the morale that had been boosted by Yuan Kai's words dropped again. The bandits collectively thought: "Although we don't understand what happened, we are certain that it has something to do with that kid over there."

Yuan Kai's expression turned grim as he sensed the rising morale plummeting again. Most importantly, he felt uncertain about the future.