Newbie Guardians

Chapter 11 Experiencing the Future

After a moment of disorientation, Huang Xin found himself in a strange and noisy place, surrounded by many soldiers with weapons and shields. The commander stood imposingly on a high place, constantly directing the battle.

Looking in the direction the soldiers were pointing, a huge, dark mass of monsters, like a pack of starving wolves, surged toward him. Huang Xin was terrified and instinctively tried to retreat, but was blocked by his companions behind him. Looking back, he saw fully armed soldiers rushing out from behind him, running forward and pulling him along for several steps.

"Guardians! Hold the fortress! Remember, we have over three thousand civilians behind us who need our protection!" the commander shouted in his direction.

"We swear to defend to the death! We will never retreat!" the warriors shouted in unison, their morale soaring. The overwhelming fighting spirit instantly infected Huang Xin's emotions. Instinctively, he looked down and realized he too was fully armed. He wore a set of high-quality leather armor, held an ancient longbow covered in dense, strange runes, and had a full quiver on his back.

"How did I get this outfit? It's so cool!" Huang Xin exclaimed in disbelief. Wasn't this the ideal he had always dreamed of? Happiness came so suddenly that he couldn't control his excitement.

The soldiers quickly rushed to the front. Huang Xin was called to the commander's side and stood on the high platform, looking around. Huang Xin saw that the fortress was crowded with ordinary people. Young and strong men were running around, helping to move sandbags and transport supplies. The old, weak, women and children were also busy. Some were bandaging the wounded, some were serving tea and water, and there was a group of young children whose big, dark eyes were full of fear as they timidly looked in Huang Xin's direction.

A strange emotion welled up within Huang Xin. He looked towards the battlefield; hundreds of meters away, a vast, dark mass of dust obscured everything. At the forefront of the fortress stood a city wall seven or eight meters high. Giant monsters resembling lions leaped high into the air, charging towards the first line of defense. The warriors desperately braced themselves against the massive shields, holding their ground. Many were jolted awake, coughing up blood, yet they refused to retreat an inch.

The second rank consisted of a large group of warriors wielding long weapons, constantly slaying the monsters that leaped over the shield wall and pushing their corpses outwards. The monsters weighed hundreds of pounds, and their long weapons were wearing out quickly, so new weapons were continuously brought forward. The area outside the city walls was piled high with monster corpses. The monsters, fearless and relentless, surged forward, stepping over the bodies of their comrades, like waves, continuously leaping through the air, attempting to breach the defenses.

The third row was slightly smaller, some clad in light armor and wielding longbows. After a brief moment of charging, arrows shot out, multiplying into dozens in mid-air. Dozens of archers unleashed their skills together, creating a spectacular and awe-inspiring rain of arrows. Others wore cloth robes, carrying various staffs and chanting different incantations. Small tornadoes continuously formed within the monster horde, hurling monsters thirty to forty meters into the air before they crashed heavily to the ground. Thick bolts of purple lightning leaped through the monster ranks, striking down swathes of monsters. A few tried to struggle to their feet, but before they could even stand, they were trampled down by the monsters behind them, never to rise again.

Huang Xin was watching with bated breath when suddenly, a towering monster appeared in his field of vision, wielding a massive spiked club. With each swing, a black cloud appeared in the sky, hurtling towards the guardians' defenses. As the cloud drew closer, it became clear that it was a flock of ferocious black birds. Their target was the guardians in the third row. An elderly man with white hair slammed his cane into the ground and chanted a complex incantation. Instantly, the wind and clouds changed color, and a giant whirlwind appeared in the sky, tearing all the black birds in the air to shreds.

Just as Huang Xin was about to clap and cheer, the old man suddenly clutched his chest, coughed up a mouthful of blood a dozen seconds later, and collapsed to the ground. Looking up, he saw a huge leader with a female-like silhouette appear in the monster horde, her hair standing on end and twisting constantly. She held a red-glowing staff in her hand, the tip of which was pointing directly at the old man's heart.

"It's the Spider Queen's curse! Archers, attack her forehead!"

It was the commander's voice. Huang Xin looked at the commander and realized that the commander was also looking at him.

"I...I...I..." Huang Xin stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.

"Hurry! The High Priest is dying!" the commander urged anxiously.

Huang Xin had no choice but to bite the bullet and reach into his quiver. He grabbed an arrow, smoothly drew the bowstring taut, and with a sickening whoosh, the arrow transformed into a giant emerald green arrow with a long tail, hurtling toward the Queen's brow. Huang Xin was shocked by his own performance. "I'm actually this powerful!"

The next second, the queen's hair all lashed forward, like countless snakes twisting together, forming a huge cone-shaped shield at her brow. The moment the arrow pierced her hair, it stopped moving, as if stripped of its kinetic energy.

Huang Xin was shocked and fired three more arrows, all of which were neutralized by the Queen's hair shield. At this moment, the guardian's magic-based units were overwhelmed. A small number of black birds broke through the defenses, charged into the crowd, and then self-destructed with a bang, instantly killing three or four magic-based guardians. A dozen or so priests began chanting healing spells, blue and green light constantly surging forth. However, as the number of wounded magic-based units increased, more and more black birds rushed in, and the casualties multiplied exponentially. Seeing that the defenses were about to be breached, the old man raised his head again, his eyes scanning everyone on the battlefield, finally settling on Huang Xin. When Huang Xin's eyes met his, she lowered her head in shame.

"I'm sorry! I... am so useless..."

There was no blame in the old man's eyes, only encouragement and expectation: "Young people, the task of guarding the fortress will now be entrusted to your generation!"

Having said that, the old man chanted an even more complex incantation, his body gradually dissipating like starlight. A massive vortex of wind appeared in the sky, sucking in all the monsters and guardians, leaving only Huang Xin, his face streaked with tears, shouting at the sky.

"No! No! It's all my fault! It's all my fault!"

"Huang Xin! Huang Xin! Calm down! Calm down!"

A pair of chubby hands grabbed Huang Xin from behind. The classroom door was full of students, and dozens of surprised eyes were staring at him.

"It's just failing the trial, why are you crying like this?"

"Don't talk nonsense, how do you know he didn't pass?"

"Definitely! Look at him, he didn't get a single card!"

"Oh! Poor child!"

"Only seven or eight people in our class got one card!"

"How terrifying! I was so scared I cried!"

Amidst the chattering discussions, Huang Xin gradually regained his composure and realized he had emerged from the trial realm. He wiped away a tear, his heart filled with mixed emotions, and silently lowered his head.

"What if it really happens? No! No way! It absolutely can't become like that! I must—become stronger!"

Huang Shen bit his lip, making a silent vow, his eyes gradually becoming deep and resolute.