CHAPTER 128: NEW HERO!

Arthur seemed to be downplaying his mental state, but Xu Tao could tell he was quite depressed. Still, it wasn’t like he could counsel Arthur either. All he could do was watch over him with a warm gaze.

When Arthur and the long-eared tribe members finished talking, he quickly moved to an empty space nearby and began his sword practice.

Xu Tao watched from the corner of his eye while endlessly pressing the 10x Roll button.

"My luck is quite good this time!" he smiled after finishing the 400th roll.

Right—he had already done 40 10x Rolls without getting the banner!

But the more rolls he made, the more he felt like he was nearing the finale. "Just 10 more rolls..." he prayed with a hint of desperation.

By then, Xu Tao had already pulled 2 SSRs, 10 SRs, and about 45 R items. It was already a large haul! He was satisfied with the results, but...

"Just 10 more. I’m sure an SR—no, an SSR—will pop soon!" His smile widened as his desires began to flare up.

His earlier wish of "not pulling the UR" had now changed to "May I pull an SSR or above soon." And as they say, the more greed you have, the less likely things go your way...

"No way...!"

At the 420th pull, it happened.

The light that contained all the colors of rarities appeared—the sign of a UR pull’s arrival!

The next moment, a pillar of light shot down from the heavens, causing dust to scatter and shockwaves to knock others off their feet. Even Arthur, who was quite a distance away, had to take two steps back just to avoid falling!

On the other hand—"Kuh...! 80 rolls wasted...!" Xu Tao lamented, holding back bitter tears. "The heavens are punishing my greed...!"

As the light faded, however, he quickly regained focus. He had to be on his toes. There was Zetian’s example, after all. There was no telling if someone unhinged would be summoned and cause trouble upon arrival.

With a keen gaze, he observed the figure that slowly appeared from the light.

There stood a man, his bronze skin glinting under the sun like golden armor worn by a god. His golden hair, wavy and unruly, framed his face like the mane of a lion ready for battle. His body was covered in simplified armor, as if he didn’t care about protecting himself.

On his left arm hung a round shield with a sun motif drawn on it, featuring two indentations on opposite sides—room to swing the short spear he held in his right hand.

His green eyes scanned the surroundings, filled with curiosity and confusion, before landing on Xu Tao. His brows furrowed.

"I should’ve been fighting in the War of Troy earlier... You, the servant over there—do you know what happened?"

His voice was manly, fitting his tall, dark, and handsome image. However, the contents of his sentence made Xu Tao raise a brow.

"...Servant? Me?" he asked, then shook his head. "I’m no servant. I’m the one who called you here, Mr. Ligyron of... somewhere."

Xu Tao stated the name written on the Gacha’s banner, trying to assert his "knowledge" and his intent to be an ally, but...

"...I’m Achilles, the Spear of Phthia," the man clarified, his gaze tightening.

The air around him sharpened—like a spear poised to thrust at any moment. "That’s a name I no longer use... Where did you hear that?"

"I have my sources..." Xu Tao shrugged, placing his hands behind him in a casual stance. "So that weird string of symbols Φθία is read as Phthia... Good to know."

"It’s Phthia, not f-thea!"

Achilles growled, clearly provoked.

"You said you called me here, but unfortunately, I have an important battle to attend. I command you to return me to where I came from!" he barked at Xu Tao.

"...Return?"

The demand piqued Xu Tao’s curiosity.

He had already summoned Jehanne, Arthur, and Wu Zetian. However, he had never, not even once, considered sending them back to their worlds or timelines...

Xu Tao toyed with the system for a bit, checking all available functions. One full second later, he came to the obvious conclusion.

"Unfortunately, that’s impossible," he said with a shake of his head.

"What?" Achilles spat, visibly offended.

"So, you called me here, but don’t have the means to send me back? Without me, the Greek army will lose the battle! Will you take responsibility for my fallen soldiers, huh?!"

"..."

While listening to his rant, Xu Tao checked Achilles’ details and confirmed that, just like with Jehanne, he had already died in his timeline. To make matters worse, his place of death was that very war against Troy he kept mentioning.

Although Xu Tao wanted to explain this, convincing the man of his own death would take time and energy—not something easily done while Achilles was this furious.

"Answer when someone’s talking to you!!!"

"...!"

Out of anger, Achilles attacked. He raised his shield and thrust his spear forward, a standard movement he had likely trained millions of times. It had no wasted motion—sharp and precise.

TING!

"Calm down, buddy. We’re not here to fight among ourselves."

Before Xu Tao could even raise a finger, someone had already deflected the spear tip away. Arthur, who had sent his sword forward with perfect timing.

Surprised, Achilles took a step back, hiding behind his shield while reassessing the field. Xu Tao was nearby, a blonde swordsman stood just a short distance away, and several more figures were gathered near a large tree.

"That is...!"

While scanning the area, Achilles noticed the elves and dark elves. Their sharp ears stood out—rare even by human standards.

"Are they... goddesses? They have the same sharp ears as Hermes!" he exclaimed, lowering his weapons in awe.

"Huh?" Arthur followed his gaze and understood. "Ah, them? They’re called elves and dark elves. They’re residents of this world, you know?"

"Residents of this world...? They’re not gods, demigods, or nymphs—but mere mortals?" Achilles asked, his voice dripping with curiosity. Then his lips curled into a confident crescent. "Then..."

He lowered his spear, stabbed it into the ground, and strode toward the girls.

"You—all the women over there! I give you the honor of being with a demigod like me! Be grateful for being chosen!" Achilles declared, proud and unbothered.

"...Hah?"

Everyone who heard his voice was left flabbergasted.

All except one, whose reaction was quite the opposite—flaring with anger.

"Those words—disrespectful! Women aren’t objects!"

Shouting while shielding the girls behind his back...

Arthur!