Volume One: The Hell-Level Lord World Chapter 68: Transforming a Hero

While the Black Mercury Knights were tracking Chen Gu, he had already witnessed the state of Helm Valley.

Unlike Everglade Forest, which had become a city of the undead, Helm Valley had been utterly destroyed. Before him lay nothing but ruins. Although there were a few undead wandering the streets, there were no organized undead forces to be found.

Entering the streets of Helm Valley, Chen Gu remained cautious. He immediately released a pack of Bloodshadow Wolves to scout the area. Meanwhile, he himself rode in a vine-drawn carriage, speeding down the main road of Helm Valley. He had no intention of stopping; the situation here was unsuitable for battle, and he planned not to linger. After all, there were more than three hundred Death Knights pursuing him.

Yet, as he passed through the main avenue, Chen Gu noticed something unusual. Helm Valley had once forged armor by harnessing elemental power. Within the valley, there used to be an Air Altar and a Flame Altar, specifically for training wind and fire elementals to work. Fire elementals were responsible for melting metal; wind elementals infused metal with the power of air, making it lighter.

Because of the war with the undead, the Air Altar had been reduced to a pile of rubble. But the Flame Altar remained intact, preserved only because it was built within the volcanic crater on the southeastern edge of Helm Valley. The undead forces never reached that place, and the altar survived, drawing power from the volcanic magma.

Learning this startled Chen Gu—it was a stroke of fortune. He vividly recalled the number of water elementals Alan had activated on an island before. Although the Flame Altar produced fire elementals at a rate one fewer per week than water elementals, it had accumulated not just for decades. If he could unleash all the fire elementals within, he could deal a devastating blow to the Death Knights.

As for controlling the fire elementals, Chen Gu didn’t have a concrete plan yet. He assumed there must be some agreement or artifact in Helm Valley for managing them, but searching for it would require time—a resource he sorely lacked.

With this in mind, Chen Gu devised a plan.

However, activating the Flame Altar directly through the fire elementals was not an option. Not because he doubted their abilities, but once he moved far away, he couldn’t control them accurately; summoned creatures could simply vanish if they strayed too far. Yet, staying behind himself was equally impossible. His assumptions about the Flame Altar might be wrong—what if there were no fire elementals inside? He couldn’t afford to face the Death Knights head-on with his limited forces.

Thus, he found himself in a dilemma.

After some thought, Chen Gu decided to take out the Obsidian of Ghostfire—his hero’s token acquired during the battle against the undead champion. He had once asked Alan to find a witch or prophet in the forest to handle it, but none had been found along the way. The token remained an undead hero’s token. If he had a choice, he would not have used it, but he was out of options.

Holding the Obsidian of Ghostfire, Chen Gu pointed to the ground, conjuring five Sacred Light Magmas before him. He surveyed the group, finally focusing on the one that appeared most agile.

“You, come here. This is for you. From now on, you are my hero. Your name is Holy Stone,” he said, handing the Obsidian of Ghostfire to the chosen Sacred Light Magma.

In the next instant, blue flames engulfed the magma’s body. When a skull appeared amidst the flames, Chen Gu drew his sword, directing the remaining Sacred Light Magmas to surround it. If the transformation turned awry, he would not hesitate to strike down the aberration.

But to his surprise, beneath the blue flames shone a powerful radiance of holy light. The Sacred Light Magma originated from the fusion of soil from the Sacred Lake and fire elementals—both nemeses of the undead. Though Chen Gu had used an undead hero’s token, the forces of holy light and flame easily suppressed the undead power.

Soon, the Sacred Light Magma’s form began to solidify. Its surface became smooth and black as obsidian, its shape transformed into a humanoid figure. Its eyes glowed with a ghostly blue, its hair burned as pure white holy fire, and a red cloak of flame draped its shoulders.

Seeing this distinct transformation, Chen Gu knew the hero’s conversion had succeeded.

[You have transformed a Sacred Light Magma. Hero Holy Stone joins your ranks.]

[Hero Attributes]
Name: Holy Stone
Quality: Green (Level cap: 5)
Race: Elemental
Level: 1
Talent: Holy Light Shot (launches a holy light shot that deals 100 damage to enemies, or heals 100 health to allied units)
Combat Attributes: Strength 8, Agility 5, Constitution 8, Perception 7, Intelligence 7
Campaign Attributes: Attack 1, Defense 2, Magic 0, Wisdom 0
Initial Skill: Level 1 Fire Magic
Legion: None, None, None, None, None, None, None
Description: A hero transformed from Sacred Light Magma, mastering the powers of holy light and flame, belonging to the mage class.

Seeing the successful transformation, Chen Gu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although Holy Stone had no troops under his command yet, Chen Gu felt reassured.

“Holy Stone, stay here. If we leave and an army of undead knights or Death Knights enters Helm Valley, activate the Flame Altar at once. Once unleashed, hide in the magma and wait for calm before resurfacing. If the fire elementals become uncontrollable, search that building,” Chen Gu pointed to the council hall of Helm Valley. “There should be an agreement between Helm Valley and the fire elementals there, which might allow you to control them. Wait, I’ll write you a note.”

He quickly found a piece of beast hide and scribbled a few words. The content wasn’t important; what mattered was that Chen Gu stamped it with the Breath of the Elves. This signified that Holy Stone received recognition from the Queen of Elves. Thus, when Holy Stone went to the council hall, or sought entry anywhere, he could easily open doors—unlike Chen Gu’s previous experience in Silverpine Valley, when no amount of knocking would grant him entry.

“Keep this safe. Unless absolutely necessary, do not use it. Remember, protect yourself above all,” Chen Gu instructed.

Having given his orders and left Holy Stone behind, Chen Gu wasted no time, swiftly departing in his vine-drawn carriage.