Shi Luo Ye (失落叶). : другие произведения.

Zhan Long (eng) 48-60

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Школа кожевенного мастерства: сумки, ремни своими руками
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  Chapter 49 - Power Spike
  
  This chapter was sponsored by William Wang and Christopher Spears!
  
  Wandering through the wilderness, my first target isn"t anything special. It"s the lowest level monster that I can find--Steel Hat Goblins. Its a level 34 monster so I can see all its stats. It has average attack damage, decently high defense. Basically, its not a huge threat towards me. It"ll become a stepping stone to level 30.
  
  ......
  
  
  
  In the dark night, the Steel Hat Goblins were walking around lazily while holding sharp axes. Occasionally, they made sharp screeching sounds, which is extremely annoying. From the outside, they looked just like little dwarves and the very nasty type one.
  
  
  
  "Go!"
  
  
  
  Under my command, Baby Bobo flies over there, and performs a [Combo] on a Goblin. Under the attacks 800 HP is taken away. I also rush up with my staff and with a small cry, a golden hexagram hovers over the tip of the staff, LV-2 [Combo], activate!
  
  
  
  118!
  
  
  
  99!
  
  
  
  My attack is indeed much less than Bobo. The attack damage that this staff gives is too little, it"s barely 10% of Jade City Sword"s attack damage. What I need to do is be able to equip that weapon. That is my #1 priority.
  
  
  
  Under the barrage of attacks, Goblin falls with a screech and dies. I wave and cast [Heal] and Bobo"s HP is filled up the brim. At the same time, Goblin also dropped an item, its an axe as bright as snow--
  
  
  
  【Steel Hat Goblin"s Axe】（White Tier）
  
  
  
  Attack: 25-40
  
  
  
  Level Requirement: 30
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I pick it up and throw it in my bag. At this stage in the game, the player"s level are pretty high and most of them probably don"t need any white-ranked weapons. But if I sell it in a store I might be able to get a few dozen silver coins, since the level on this axe is quite high.
  
  
  
  Continuing, I kill a few dozen more Goblins. My experience bar is filled up to 94% at level 29. The distance between level 30 is getting closer and closer! Also, I got 7 more Goblin Axes, all white-tiered. Well, it"s a small reward...
  
  
  
  As I was fighting another Goblin, the dirt next to me starts wiggling and trembling. Hmm, this seems familiar!
  
  
  
  Within a heartbeat, I understand what caused it. It"s the Ginseng Earthworm! It was good enough to make my instructor drool, so I think it"s similar to the Ginseng abalone in the real world.
  
  
  
  Pa!
  
  
  
  The head of the Ginseng Earthworm drilled up to the surface and I feel a sense of familiarity. On its back, I see a large wound. As it comes closer and closer, I confirm that this was the same one as before!
  
  
  
  I look in my bag and there"s a huge salted fish there. I got it from Dalin after seeing how Ginseng Earthworms were attracted to fish but I never thought that it"d be useful so soon! The Earthworm"s total HP is 5000 and this time I need to control it well. I will not allow it to get back underground when it gets low on health. I need it to die on the surface so I can retrieve its corpse!
  
  
  
  I think of an idea and I immediately unsummon Bobo. I slowly go forward and stop 100 yards away from the Earthworm. I take out the huge salted fish and throw it on the ground. The wind is also blowing towards the Earthworm, so the scent of the fish should reach it soon.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I stay hidden and patiently wait. The Ginseng Earthworm was damaged before, so its more careful and alert this time. It raises its head and stares at the fish for 10+ minutes. Luckily I have plenty of patience, so I wait as well.
  
  
  
  Finally, the Earthworm completely climbs out the ground and heads towards the fish!
  
  
  
  Pa!
  
  
  
  I jump out of the bush and while holding onto the Goblin Axe, I stab it into the ground with the edge facing towards the Earthworm. I hope this simple trap works well!
  
  
  
  After that, I take out more axes and stab all 7 of them onto the trail of the Earthworm. I pray to God and hope my decision is correct. The instinct of these animals is to return on the same trail that they came in. Because of this, they never get lost or go off the trail!
  
  
  
  I wave my hand and the golden hexagram appears on the ground with Bobo rushing out. He goes straight for the Ginseng Earthworm and used [Combo]+[Stinger]. At the same time, I also start to cast my [Combo] attacks. The Earthworm swallows the salted fish and then immediately tries to return back to the hole in the exact same path! I obviously can"t stop this monster. If I try I"ll just get tossed aside! But Bobo continues to attack from the back of the Earthworm.
  
  
  
  "Huff...Huff"
  
  
  
  The Ginseng Earthworm tries its best to run, but suddenly cries out. A huge hole is sliced in its stomach! The Goblin Axe trap is working and immediately cuts 500 HP off!
  
  
  
  I take my staff and hurry up to follow it. I wave my staff around and randomly chunk down on it, while Bobo continues stinging!
  
  
  
  Ginseng Earthworm"s HP continues to drop slowly, but the simple-minded creature can"t think straight and still continues on the original track it came in! As expected, it gets continuously sliced by the Goblin Axes and its HP drops in chunks!
  
  
  
  A lump starts to form in my throat as the Earthworm gets closer and closer to the tunnel it dug! Then finally it cries for the last time and zero HP remains, then it falls.
  
  
  
  Splat!
  
  
  
  It drops dozens of silver coins and it also drops an armor that has a faint glow. I pick it up and instantly I feel that my hard work hadn"t been wasted--
  
  【Armor of the Earth】（Bronze Tier）
  
  
  
  Type: Armor
  
  
  
  Defense: 70
  
  
  
  Strength: +19
  
  
  
  Others: +15 attack damage
  
  
  
  Level Requirement: 30
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I take the Armor of the Earth and can"t contain my happiness. This game doesn"t treat me badly, it even prepared a level 30 armor just for me! And with the silver-ranked Silver Locked Battle Boots, my defense will be pretty decent!
  
  
  
  I throw the armor in my bag and immediately grab the end of the Ginseng Earthworm and drag it back to camp. I start and stop for almost 30 minutes until I finally arrive at the camp. Dalin is snoring thunders within his tent!
  
  
  
  I walk up to him, kick him in the leg and say, "Teacher, look what I brought back for you!"
  
  
  
  "Eh?"
  
  
  
  Dalin opens his sleepy eyes, but when he sees the Ginseng Earthworm, his immediately jumps up, "Good job, little guy, you actually catched the Ginseng Earthworm! I have a whole new level of respect for you now!"
  
  
  
  "......"
  
  
  
  The tamer is very excited and raises both his arms and roars towards the direction of Dragon City. Within half a minute, dozens of Dragon City warriors come rushing down and one of them asks, "Master Dalin, what"s wrong?!"
  
  
  
  He points and says, "Look, what"s that?!"
  
  
  
  "Ah?"
  
  
  
  The face of the officer goes completely red: "That"s...That"s the legendary Ginseng Earthworm! Oh heavens, rumours say that Ginseng Earthworms are very cunning, so it"s extremely hard to kill or catch them. You guys got such a nice one!"
  
  
  
  "It"s all thanks to this new scavenger!"
  
  
  
  "Great! Dragon City will reward you appropriately!"
  
  
  
  The officer walks up to me, pats my shoulders and smiles: "I hereby represent the King of Dragon City, Luo Lin, and give you these rewards, I hope you will receive it!"
  
  
  
  Ding!
  
  
  
  System Notification: Congratulations! You have provided a top-class ingredient to Dragon City, and received 24000 points of experience along with 1 extra point in charm. Your fame in Dragon City is rising!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  A ray of golden light, finally, I"ve finally risen to level 30!
  
  
  
  I ignore Dalin, the officer and the other NPCs and immediately grab all the equipment from my bag. With a bang, I wear the Silver Locked Battle Boots and the Armor of the Earth. Since, the swordsman class can wear heavy armor, I don"t need to sell these boots or the armor! My defense increases exponentially. By wearing these shiny silver boots and this glowing armor, I finally feel like a presentable soldier.
  
  
  
  Hua!
  
  
  
  With the wave of my hand, the half-broken staff become the Jade City Sword, the first gold-ranked weapon in the entire server! I am going to really rely on this sword from now on. A wave of strength enters my body, which is the result of the massive increase in attack damage! At the same time, I open a window of my own stats and even I"m shocked by my own stats!
  
  
  
  【Xiao Yao Zi Zai】（Scavenger of Dragon City）
  
  
  
  Level: 30
  
  
  
  Attack Damage: 514-695
  
  
  
  Defense: 259
  
  
  
  HP: 740
  
  
  
  MP: 320
  
  
  
  Charm: 26
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  The extra 300 attack from Jade City Sword is extremely strong. It almost raised my attack up to 700 points and the defense is also 259 points now. Also, Jade City Sword and Silver-Locked Boots add a total of 41 endurance, with the base power endurance of swordsman at 0.8, it adds up to a total of 328 extra HP, which made my total HP to 740 points. I have really strong attack and defense!
  
  TL: Apparently growth for hp is *10 per stat point o.O Sorry!
  
  
  
  Clang!
  
  
  
  I pick up the sword, and [Turmoil Sword] immediately activates, 10% extra attack damage!
  
  
  
  With the flick of my wrist, I make the sword dance. With small moves here and there, it is definitely not something players can do if they don"t practice swords in reality. Oh, I better start doing some level grinding!
  
  
  
  I say bye to my instructor Dalin and enter the wilderness once more. This time, I challenge level 36 [Wild Hyenas]. This type of hyenas are very cunning and have high agility, but I should be able to kill it.
  
  
  
  Around 20 yards in front of me, I see one hyena growling lowly. It seems like he/she is attracting a mate.
  
  
  
  "Go!"
  
  
  
  This time, Bobo stays where he is and I go instead. My sword starts to glow and the golden hexagram appears at the edge of the sword, level 2 [Combo] is whizzing downwards!
  
  
  
  Pupu!
  
  
  
  "379!"
  
  
  
  "401!"
  
  
  
  Looking at these huge damage numbers, I feel slightly dizzy. This is the direction I want to go!
  
  
  
  The hyena cries out and waves its sharp claws. With a bang, it leaves a claw mark on my armor and took away 97 HP. Hehe, I have this heavy armor, you can"t harm me!
  
  
  
  I violently slash my sword horizontally, then I start my attack of [Stab+Slash+Hack+Ram+Slash] and this time it feels a lot smoother. All 5 attacks finished in 2.9 seconds and it knocked the Wild Hyena back!
  
  
  
  Two more attacks and the level 36 hyena cries then dies.
  
  
  
  I stand there and my mind goes blank for a while. During the 5 strikes I felt something special, like having a familiar technique just appear in front of me. Also, the time it took for the performance of the 5 strikes have decreased significantly, it definitely wasn"t the 1.0 seconds per attack that its supposed to be. You don"t need any science for this, it tells you one thing, that I"m close to creating my own combo skill!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  As I was happy about my new fortune, I hear a drop. A message coming from level 33 Cang Tong, which is also the beautiful Miss--Lin Wan Er!
  
  
  
  "Li Xiao Yao, you"re level training?" She asks.
  
  
  
  "Yeah, it"s 9 p.m. now, you want a night snack Miss?"
  
  
  
  "Yeah, is that not ok?"
  
  
  
  "I"ll be there immediately, I"ll wait for you downstairs!"
  
  
  
  "Mm..."
  Chapter 50 - Skill Testing
  
  This chapter was sponsored by William Wang, Kim Yem, Tyler Fukuda, George Bush and Jacob Emery!
  
  The night wind blew and the dropped leaves danced. I walked on the forest path in the school yard. Even through its early autumn, there"s a firefly dancing in the bushes.
  
  In front of me, Wan Er is wearing a short white skirt. Even without makeup, her pretty face is bewitching under the warm light of the road lamps. Although she wore very simple clothes, anyone could tell that she was a top-class beauty. I followed behind Wan Er, which meant I am a bodyguard, if I walked side by side with her, it would imply that I am her boyfriend.
  
  "Xiao Yao, today we"re not going to eat in the cafeteria. Let"s go out somewhere to eat. Where should we go and eat?" She asks suddenly.
  
  
  
  I instantly reply: "We should go and eat expensive food!"
  
  
  
  Wan Er suddenly stops then turns around and looks at me with those beautiful eyes: "You want to die? My savings for this month are used up and not much money is left..."
  
  
  
  I spread out my hands: "Then let"s eat some fried egg rice from a stall somewhere, but I"m only afraid that you won"t like it..."
  
  
  
  Wan Er pouts her mouth and smiles: "Who said that I won"t like it? Let"s go!"
  
  
  
  "Will we really go eat fried rice?"
  
  
  
  "Of course, why would I lie to you."
  
  
  
  "Fine..."
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  We go outside of the school and rows of stores are selling delicious food. 9 o"clock at night is the business peak for students and in Liu Hua University there are probably over a thousand students playing [Destiny]. So people that come here and eat is not a small number.
  
  
  
  We chose a small stall and I pull out a chair and let Wan Er sit down first. I then sit directly opposite to her and raise my hand and say: "Boss, two bowls of fried egg rice please! The 4 yuan (70 cents USD) ones!"
  
  
  
  Wan Er takes out her cellphone and looks at the forums online. On the side, many students that were eating rice discovered that there is a super beauty here. All of them have their eyes wide open and their drool almost falls onto the tables.
  
  
  
  I rest my chin on one hand and I look at Wan Er bored. She"s purses her lips and whines: "Damn it...I was ranked first just a few seconds ago in Fan Shu City, but now I"ve been overtaken and dropped back to fourth. I was just helping Cheng Yue with a quest, but now so many people passed me already... "
  
  
  
  A pair of watery, beautiful eyes and nothing lacking on her face, I was enchanted. The clothes she wore suits her and her soft little face is pretty in the scenery of night. I was tempted to pinch her face, but of course I wouldn"t dare do so.
  
  
  
  "I want to raise you like a pet..." I accidentally slipped some deadly words.
  
  
  
  Wan Er was faintly distracted and says: "What did you say just now?"
  
  
  
  I immediately corrected myself: "Nothing. I said nothing."
  
  
  
  The edge of her lips rise and she smiles: "Who do you want to raise as a pet?"
  
  
  
  I shake my head immediately: "Nothing. You heard wrong..."
  
  
  
  Wan Er snorts and says: "Whatever, you probably couldn"t afford to raise me..."
  
  
  
  "......"
  
  
  
  "Oh right." Wan Er looks at me: "I saw a post on the forums and it said because of Yue Qing Qian"s problems, you and Yan Zhao dueled and you lost..."
  
  
  
  I nod: "Mm, Yan Zhao"s attack is way too high for me. I couldn"t take his level 4 combo strikes, so that loss is normal."
  
  
  
  "But I also heard that you broke off the last two strikes of Yan Zhao Warrior"s [Peerless Strike]." Wan Er smiles: "Peerless Strike only takes 1.7 seconds and you successfully interrupted the combo. You"re pretty good..."
  
  
  
  My face goes red: "Actually, it was just lucky hit..."
  
  
  
  "Of course it was..." Wan Er laughed then looked at me and asked: "Li Xiao Yao, my dad once told me that you"re no ordinary person. In all of Hangzhou city he said that there might not be even one person that can match your skill. Actually I"m also very curious. Are you really that powerful?"
  
  
  
  I clench my teeth and reply: "Lets not talk about that. If I don"t have to fight then I try not to fight, so I can avoid damaging any relationships..."
  
  
  
  "Then why"d you duel Yan Zhao?"
  
  
  
  "That"s because..."
  
  
  
  "You like Qing Qian!"
  
  
  
  "No. Absolutely not!"
  
  
  
  "Hehe, lies!"
  
  
  
  I give up: "Okay, I like Qing Qian. Are you happy now?"
  
  
  
  Wan Er shrugs and lowers her head: "I couldn"t care less about your personal life and feelings~"
  
  
  
  "......"
  
  
  
  After a few minutes the fried egg rice is ready. When I finished my second bowl, Wan Er didn"t even finish her first. I ask: "Why isn"t Cheng Yue with you today?"
  
  
  
  "She"s doing a quest right now, so she said she"ll just get take out."
  
  
  
  "Ah..."
  
  
  
  As she finishes up I clap my hands: "Let"s go now. Do we have classes tomorrow?"
  
  
  
  "Yep, are you going?"
  
  
  
  "I don"t want to. Will my grades be affected?"
  
  
  
  "Nope, I"ll cover for you. I have connections with the professor tomorrow...."
  
  
  
  "Okay!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  We reenter the school yard and walk back onto the same road that we came in. The rocks on the road creak slight and don"t give way, but Wan Er is wearing heels that are at least 7 cm high. Of course they are beautiful, but while walking she"s a bit unbalanced, so she carefully treads along.
  
  
  
  "Ah...."
  
  
  
  Suddenly she cries out and trips.
  
  
  
  With my fast reactions I stretch my hand around Wan Er"s waist to hold her up. But I miscalculated and my hand didn"t reach the correct area. My hands ends up in some elastic and soft area, but I don"t dare to release my hand. So I raise Wan Er back like this.
  
  
  
  Cold sweat is falling and I immediately help her stabilize herself. I released my hand, although reluctantly...
  
  
  
  "Eh..."
  
  
  
  Wan Er shows an embarrassed face. Her whole face is red. she glares at me and says: "You...You did that intentionally!"
  
  
  
  I immediately explain myself: "That was...an accident. How could I dare touch you in that spot?"
  
  
  
  Wan Er stomps her feet: "Touch me where?!"
  
  
  
  "That...I...That was a miscalculation. I never wanted to touch that area..."
  
  
  
  "Hmph, my dad said that you were skilled. But you"re so bad..."
  
  
  
  I decide to screw it all and say: "Yep. That was all intentional. What are you going to do about it?"
  
  
  
  Wan Er doesn"t know how to reply to that, so she just says: "Let"s go, we need to rest early..."
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Before we get far, I hear some rustles in the bushes. Quickly 4 shadows appear in front of me with black jumpsuits.
  
  
  
  I instantly stand in front of Wan Er to protect her: "What do you guys want?"
  
  
  
  Although the road lamps are a bit dim, I can see that the face is full of evil intentions. The person in the back laughs: "Li Xiao Yao did you really think that we wouldn"t attack you?"
  
  
  
  My eyes go cold: "Liu Ying!"
  
  
  
  "Right!" Liu Ying was also wearing a black jumpsuit and walks to the front, smiling at Wan Er. "Ling Wan Er, this is between me and Li Xiao Yao and has nothing to do with you. You can leave now..."
  
  
  
  Wan Er"s mouth opens slightly and says: "Liu Ying are you planning on starting a fight? Don"t forget the school rules. Any student that starts a fight gets expelled!"
  
  
  
  Liu Ying laughs: "School rules are for the good students and I am no good student. Ling Wan Er, I admit that you are my type. So please step aside. We don"t want to harm you!"
  
  
  
  Wan Er wants to say more, but I turn around and smile: "Miss, you don"t need to leave Wait half a minute for me!"
  
  
  
  She nods and maybe saw my self-confidence and smiled as well: "Mm, I"ll wait..."
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  "Damn brat, so arrogant!"
  
  
  
  Liu Ying suddenly pulls out a baseball bat and yells to the other 3 students: "As long as he doesn"t die, I"ll take responsibility for everything!"
  
  
  
  The other three students smile as they pull out more bats and rush towards me.
  
  
  
  Rustle...
  
  
  
  I step over the leaves and pebbles and suddenly burst over to them. I put strength in my left leg and my body leaves the ground. I chain two kicks and with two bangs two of the students fall heavily to the ground. I spin my body mid air and with a fist full of power I punch the third student with a thump!
  
  
  
  Bang!
  
  
  
  Blood and teeth fly out and the students" face instantly turns bloody. His face hit the ground with a light bang and passes out immediately.
  
  
  
  "......"
  
  
  
  Liu Ying who was in the back was stunned. Three of his underlings were defeated so easily. This is something that he probably couldn"t even dream about. So with his baseball bat, he goes all in and dashes towards me while raising his bat!
  
  
  
  I stand there and my right hand sweeps along an arc shattering the baseball bat instantly. I retract my hand again and deliver it straight into Liu Ying"s chest!
  
  
  
  Liu Ying stutters back a few steps while clutching his chest. His face is full of cold sweat as he raises his head to look at me with a painful expression. The punch won"t physically harm him, but he will feel a lot of pain.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I clap my hands, turn around, and smile: "Okay, I"m done!"
  
  
  
  Wan Er is standing there with her small mouth wide open.
  
  
  
  She"s speechless, so I pat her shoulder and say: "Miss, we need to sleep early~"
  
  
  
  "Oh, oh..."
  
  
  
  Wan Er snaps back into reality.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  "After Liu Ying joined the baseball club in the school. He gathered a group of lackeys..." Wan Er pauses but she continues: "I heard from some of my upperclassman, that quite a lot of male students were dragged into a fight by Liu Ying and the most serious damage was that both of a person"s leg were broken..."
  
  
  
  I frown: "That is really out of control..."
  
  
  
  "Yeah, his attitude from reality must have transferred into the game. So that"s why he can"t stop attacking you in Ba Huang City and wants to completely wipe you out..." We reach the girl"s dorm and Wan Er takes a deep look at me and smiles: "How about this. You come to Fan Chu City with me and Cheng Yue. Then we"ll be able to protect you~"
  
  
  
  I shake my head and say firmly: "No, I will establish myself in Ba Huang City!"
  
  
  
  "Okay, then I"m going up now..."
  
  
  
  "Mm, good night Miss."
  
  
  
  "Mm.."
  Chapter 51- Trolls
  
  This Chapter was sponsored by William Wang, Ting Ting, Dalena Dang, Jason Moore and Ben Thong!
  
  The next morning at 7 AM, quite a few students have already prepared their books to go to class but today"s class is extremely boring. Both Wan Er and I have no interest in it, and Cheng Yue also wants to skip, so we decided that after eating breakfast we"ll go level grinding!
  
  
  
  At the ground floor of the girl"s dorm, Wan Er and Cheng Yue walk towards me.
  
  
  
  "Cheng Yue,we meet again..."
  
  
  
  Dong Cheng Yue puts her hands behind her, and sarcastically says: "What? It"s only been a day, and you already start to miss me?"
  
  
  
  I ignore that comment and reply: "We"ll go and eat breakfast, then we go online..."
  
  
  
  "Oh? You"re pretty calm..." She lightly smiles.
  
  
  
  I"m astounded: "Why wouldn"t I be calm?"
  
  
  
  "All of Ba Huang City is in an uproar, don"t you know?" Wan Er glances at me with her pretty brows: "Hmph. I really pity your future..."
  
  
  
  "Future?" I have no idea what they"re talking about.
  
  
  
  Cheng Er tries her best not to laugh: "This guy really doesn"t know!! Hehe, this morning, Ba Huang City went into an uproar. The player [Tyrant of Western Chu] gave out a ridiculous bounty for a player called [Xiao Yao Zi Zai]. I hear, if you can get a video that shows you killing [Xiao Yao Zi Zai], then you can trade that video to the [Wrath of Heroes] guild for 1000 gold coins!"
  
  
  
  "Ha?!"
  
  
  
  I widen my eyes: "1000 gold coins? You"re not joking are you? One level of me is worth 1000 coins? I think I should suicide and grab all that money!"
  
  
  
  "It"s for real..." Ling Wan Er looks at me with both compassion and pity: "It"s better if you don"t show yourself too often, players from Ba Huang City will look at you like a walking gold bar..."
  
  
  
  I nod "Mm, I always keep my head down when I do things...But it"s not that easy to kill me. Hmph, Liu Ying is better off dreaming. Using money to suppress my level? Ha, impossible!"
  
  
  
  "Is that so? Let"s make a bet." Wan Er smiles.
  
  
  
  Cheng Yue smiles on the side: "Wan Er"s mood is pretty good today, even suggesting a bet..."
  
  
  
  "That"s fine, what do you want to bet on?"
  
  
  
  Wan Er crosses her arms in front of her chest, and says: "How about this, go online for 5 hours. If you don"t get killed by anyone then I"ll treat you to a meal and let you order anything you"d like."
  
  
  
  "And if I lose?" I start to have greedy thoughts.
  
  
  
  "If you lose, meaning if you die once, then you need to treat me and Cheng Yue for a meal. It doesn"t even need to be a top-class restaurant, just spend around 200 Yuan (~32 dollars) and it"ll be fine. How about it?"
  
  
  
  "Its a deal!" I stretch out my hand.
  
  
  
  Wan Er smiles, and also stretches her white, soft hand, and we shake on it. "Deal!"
  
  
  
  Cheng Yue is probably the happiest, she gets to be treated no matter who wins or loses!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  After breakfast, at 8 o"clock in the morning, I go straight back to the dorms and go online!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  I appear in Dragon City, and all around me is an area of wilderness. South of me are the endless forests leading to Ba Huang City, and north of me is a mountain range with a continuous ice spine. The ice spine goes from east to west and separates the continent into a south part and north part. The south is where rain and wind falls peacefully with flowers and plants growing vigorously and the land where the 7 empires in <> are established. The north is an area of unknown to mankind, and Dragon City is built in the middle of the ice spine, acting like a gate for the 7 empires.
  
  
  
  I pull out the Jade Sword and think about what I should do. For the next 5 hours, I will go grind my level and do quests around Dragon City. Very few players come to this area, so for at least 5 hours I should be fairly safe and my bet with Wan Er is pretty much in the bag. Mm, I haven"t eaten the Squirrelfish from the Pine & Crane restaurant yet. The dish costs 250 Yuan per pound...Personally, I can"t pay for it but now I can have Miss buy it for me, what a rare chance!
  
  
  
  At the quartermaster, I repair my equipment and also look at what he has to offer. Level 4 Health Potions, 50 silver coins per bottle, it regenerates 400 points of HP. Pretty decent, so I buy a few and throw them in my bag. If I ever get into an emergency situation, and my [Heal] is on its 6 second cooldown, I wouldn"t be helpless. After changing classes to Scavenger of Dragon City, I lost [Hemostasis], which means that I need to be more prepared from now on.
  
  
  
  I call out Baby Bobo, and he flies happily around the area. I think that even he can feel that his master"s power increased significantly. But Bobo is always buzzing happily, even the second before he was annihilated by Yan Zhao...
  
  
  
  I open up Ba Huang City"s leaderboard--
  
  
  
  1) Yan Zhao Warrior - Level 33 - Swordsman
  
  2) General Li Mu - Level 32 - Swordsman
  
  3) Yue Qing Qian - Level 32 - Assassin
  
  4) General Bi Qi - Level 32 - Berserker
  
  5) Yue Wei Liang - Level 32 - Assassin
  
  6) Soaring Dragon - Level 32 - Mage
  
  7) General Wang Jian - Level 32 - Swordsman
  
  8) Fierce Tiger - Level 32 - Berserker
  
  9) Black Tortoise - Level 31 - Archer
  
  10) Frozen Gravestone - Level 31 - Swordsman
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  The levels are pretty close to one another and Yan Zhao"s level is rising pretty fast as well. He probably didn"t sleep last night and kept on leveling up. Even the Generals can"t chase up to his level. The two beauty assassins also get their place on the leaderboard. Black Tortoise and Fierce Tiger have been on Ba Huang City"s leaderboard for quite a long time, so its no surprise that they showed up this time. As for Frozen Gravestone, he is a new high-level player. The early stages of the game has a lot of competition, but the skilled players show their dominance in the later stages.
  
  
  
  I check my own position on the leaderboard, its 271st place, level 30 Scavenger of Dragon City. Looking at this placement, I am extremely proud of myself. I"ve finally reached the top 10000 in a game!
  
  
  
  In the morning, I do my profession job, excrement mover. After I became an apprentice, Beast Tamer Dalin just sits around all day eating meat and picking his teeth. He doesn"t do any work whatsoever.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I take Bobo and walk around the wilderness, bringing back a few piles of excrement from Phoenixes. From that, I gain some experience, and afterwards, I try talking to the quartermaster. Finally the quartermaster speaks: "Young Scavenger of Dragon City! To the West of the city are some uninvited guests! They are strong trolls and I hear that they are the crossbreeds of whales and lions. Go there and kill 100 trolls then come back to collect your reward!"
  
  
  
  Ding!
  
  
  
  System Notification: Do you accept the quest [Slaughter the Trolls]? (Quest difficulty: A)
  
  
  
  Very nice, I quickly accept it, and an A level quest pops up in my quest menu. Why would a quest that asks to kill normal monsters be an A ranked quest? This can only mean one thing, the levels of the trolls are higher than mine. Damn, it may not be me slaughtering them but rather the other way around!
  
  
  
  I go talk to Dalin again: "Instructor, do you have some secret skill that you can pass down to me?!"
  
  
  
  Currently, I can"t return back to Ba Huang City to learn new skills so the only skill I have from being a swordsman is the [Combo]. Also, I didn"t even have a chance to learn Quick Blade, Parry, or Heavy Strike etc. since I can only learn skills from this extremely unreliable instructor!
  
  
  
  Dalin lays on his little grass bed in his tent and doesn"t even bat me an eye. His finger picks his nose and he flings a snot-ball at me--"Nope!"
  
  
  
  Clang!
  
  
  
  I pull out my Jade sword and slice that snot-ball in half and say angrily: "Then I"m leaving..."
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Walking west for 10 minutes, I reached a dark green valley, the area for my quest. In the forest, 3 meter high trolls were just sitting there and between every two trolls was a boiling pot of soup. The Trolls had sharp teeth and a strong body. In addition, when their skin rubbed against their rock seats, sparks appear! These monsters!
  
  
  
  I inch my way forward, and I look at their stats. Damn, I can"t see most of their stats, but I can see the level--
  
  【Troll】（Normal Monster）
  
  
  
  Level: 38
  
  
  
  Attack: ???
  
  
  
  Defense: ???
  
  
  
  HP: ???
  
  
  
  Abilities: ???
  
  
  
  Description: Trolls, a group of monsters living in the wilderness. Trolls have extremely strong attacks and defenses but their movement are slow. That"s their only weakness. Of course, if a warrior"s sword is sharp enough, it can penetrate their thick skin, but in the past thousand years warriors haven"t been able to kill off any trolls, and instead became ingredients for their soup.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  "Damn it! I hate eating alligators! Their skin is way too rough!" One troll says while holding a soup ladle.
  
  
  
  Another one growls: "Idiot. don"t whine. If it wasn"t for you, we could have gotten that young women yesterday. Her flesh must be very sweet and delicious!"
  
  
  
  "Ha!" The first troll replies "With one hit, that women wounded you! Those kind of women are impossible to swallow. She would break your throat and stomach, and jump out from your stomach!"
  
  
  
  The third troll uses some branches to stir the soup and says: "No one say anything more. I heard that that woman is the captain of the castle on top of the ice spine and she"s called Frost. She is already a heavenly ranked person, we can"t even be compared to her!"
  
  
  
  "Screw it, tomorrow we go to the western graveyard to grab some maggots to eat!"
  
  
  
  "Okay! Everytime you talk about maggots, I start drool..."
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I almost throw up but I don"t dare to suddenly go up and fight them. If these 3 level 38 monsters combine their attacks, I am pretty much dead instantly. So I must find a suitable moment to attack! Hmm, those trolls probably didn"t eat anything good today, and as they drink that soup, they probably need to pee, and right when they are in the bathroom I"ll attack them individually!
  
  
  
  I wait for a full 3 minutes, and finally, the troll with the wound stands up, and slowly walks away from the campfires. He unties the cloth on his waist.....
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Screech...
  
  
  
  I slowly pull out the sword, and a ray of light appears, showing that [Turmoil Sword] is in effect. My chance has come! First I"ll kill off this slightly wounded troll!
  
  
  
  Bang!
  
  
  
  The Silver-locked boots step on the rocks and I dash towards the troll. Bobo"s speed is even faster and goes straight into a level 3 [Combo] attack on the troll"s behind!
  
  
  
  "265!"
  
  
  
  "234!"
  
  
  
  "271!"
  
  
  
  Indeed, the defense of the troll is pretty good.
  
  
  
  At the same time, I activate [Combo] with my sword, and with a golden hexagram swirling on the sword"s edge, I strike two times on its rock-like skin. This is no fake gold-ranked sword! The troll snarls but it lost quite a bit of HP--
  
  
  
  "301!"
  
  
  
  "312!"
  
  
  
  Indeed, with [Turmoil Sword], in addition to Jade City Sword, my attack damage is just slightly over Bobo"s!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Growl!
  
  
  
  The troll snarls, spins, and bashes his huge bat on me and Bobo--
  
  
  
  "216!"
  
  
  
  "279!"
  
  
  
  I"m still good, and although Bobo"s defense isn"t as good as mine, he doesn"t need any healing either. I continue with the rapid attacks, Stab+Slash+Hack+Strike+Slash!
  
  
  
  Clang!
  
  
  
  The troll"s leg hits my chest plate, and knocks me back. Damn, it is quite tough!
  Chapter 52 - Wind Blade
  
  This Chapter was sponsored by William Wang, Edward Schmitz, Jan-Henrik Dux, Quinn Trejo and Jonathan Chim!
  
  Combos are continuous attacks that force the opponent to be unable to retaliate or block it and it is performed like a single attack. For example Yan Zhao"s [Peerless Strike], is composed of a Stab+Slash+Slash+Kick+Hack. In these 5 continuous strikes, the first four strikes only do 30% of one"s attack damage, but the last "Hack" does at least twice the damage of regular attacks. Therefore, the last strike of the combo will do over 50% of the combo"s damage.
  
  
  
  This is also why I chose to try to make my combo with "Stab+Slash+Hack+Ram+Slash". The fourth strike is "Ram", so as long as that strike is successful, the opponent will be stunned for a short while. It doesn"t matter if the stun is as short as 0.1 seconds, it would be more than enough to finish the combo which is where the real strength of combos lie.
  
  
  
  In <>"s system, in order for a "Ram" to be successful, one must have more strength and attack damage than the opponent, which is calculated through Strength x 1.5 + Attack damage. So the fights of heavy armor classes, aren"t solely decided by strength but also decided by a good weapon.
  
  
  
  My development so far is me putting all my points into strength. With my [Heal], I can be undefeatable, since I don"t put points in other stats such as endurance. I"m pretty much a pure-strength swordsman!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Even though the troll in front of me didn"t get knocked back, my fifth attack still dealt over 300 damage! Although it isn"t part of a combo, it still greatly exceeds any normal attack!
  
  
  
  The total HP of the troll is around 1900 or so and it stood no chance again me and Bobo"s savage attacks. With a cry, it falls and dropped a shiny battleaxe!
  
  
  
  I happily walk up and pick up the battleaxe. The stats aren"t bad--
  
  
  
  【Troll"s Battleaxe】（Green-Tier Equipent）
  
  
  
  Attack Damage: 75-149
  
  
  
  Strength: +18
  
  
  
  Other: +11 Strength
  
  
  
  Level Requirement: 32
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Damn, the level requirement is too high and the quality of the weapon isn"t that great either, so top-ranked players like Yan Zhao wouldn"t want this. In a few days, most players would be level 32 or so, then this battleaxe might have some luck. Perhaps I can even sell it for a couple gold coins!
  
  
  
  I throw the battleaxe into my inventory and continue. This time, I understand the trolls a bit more so I"m more confident. I kick over the pot of soup, and bring Baby Bobo to attack them!
  
  
  
  "Grr...Damn human, I"ll swallow you alive!"
  
  
  
  The troll waves around his wooden stick, while I carefully evade, holding Jade City Sword. As a swordsman, my agility is extraordinarily good, so I dodge and a "MISS" pops up from the troll"s attack. I then easily slice its huge leg and back away naturally. Because of my quick movements more "MISS"s show up. I only casted [Heal] once before I killed the second troll and with Bobo, I killed the third one fairly easily as well.
  
  
  
  Following the two cries, my experience also increased by quite a bit. If all goes well, then after killing 100 trolls I should be able to rise to level 31 and after handing in the mission, I might even get near level 32; one step closer to being a top-level player!
  
  
  
  Tick!
  
  
  
  As I was killing trolls, a message comes in. It"s from Yue Qing Qian, "Xiao Yao?"
  
  
  
  "Mm, Qing Qian!"
  
  
  
  "You have a bounty of 1000 gold coins by [Wrath of Heroes], did you know that?" She starts up a call and her voice appears, full of worry: "Where are you right now? Have you died yet?"
  
  
  
  I couldn"t help but laugh: "Of course not, I am currently in the middle of nowhere leveling!"
  
  
  
  "Mm, that"s good, be careful... How about I bring a few people to where you are, and level up with you. Then there would be no need to worry about the bounty hunters..."
  
  
  
  "Nah, it"s fine. Qing Qian you can go train by yourself, I don"t want to burden you any more. After what happened... did Yan Zhao continue bothering you?"
  
  
  
  "Nope. Yesterday he and my dad had a meal together and also drank quite a bit of beer. Although he did rant about how I was not being obedient..."
  
  
  
  "Haha, then that"s fine..."
  
  
  
  "About that..." Qing Qian is a bit hesitant.
  
  
  
  "About what?" I ask.
  
  
  
  She says: "Xiao Yao, although Yan Zhao"s a bit unyielding, he"s a good person. After he beat you, you won"t hold any grudges right?"
  
  
  
  I reply: "Why would I, who do see me as eh? I didn"t even have any battle abilities to start with. If I lost, then I lost. I"ll continue working hard. In my eyes, Yan Zhao isn"t an enemy, but rather a strong opponent that I need to defeat. My goal is to beat him in a fair and square fight so that he has nothing to say about me..."
  
  
  
  "Mm!" Qing Qian lightly laughs: "I guess that"s just how you are!"
  
  
  
  "Okay, I"ll continue to grind my levels, you work hard too!"
  
  
  
  "Yep yep, I think it"ll take 3 days to get to level 40. Let"s see who gets there first!"
  
  
  
  "Okay..."
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Continuing on, I kill one huge troll after the other. After I had killed over 70 trolls they finally dropped an armor equipment. It"s a round helmet, shining in the damp grass. I pick it up and check it out, and my heartbeat speeds up. Finally a usable helmet dropped. Up until now there"s been nothing on my head!
  
  
  
  【Helmet of Cruelness】（Bronze-Tier Equpment）
  
  
  
  Type: Armor
  
  
  
  Defense: 62
  
  
  
  Endurance: +17
  
  
  
  Level Requirement: 31
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Holding the helmet, I check my level again. My experience is at level 30 and 99.4% full; I only need to kill one more troll!
  
  
  
  Jade City Sword activates a level 3 [Combo] and I easily kill off another troll. With the golden ray falling upon me, I successfully reach level 31; I can wear the helmet now!
  
  
  
  With a clang, I put the helmet on my head and I look like I"m wearing an inverted bronze spittoon...That really annoys me...
  
  [TL: Spittoon - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spittoon%5D
  
  
  
  At the same time, I look at my stats. My defense increases by a lot--
  
  
  
  【Xiao Yao Zi Zai】（Scavenger of Dragon City）
  
  
  
  Level: 31
  
  
  
  Attack: 522-705
  
  
  
  Defense: 322
  
  
  
  HP: 886
  
  
  
  MP: 330
  
  
  
  Charm: 26
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  322 points in defense. That"s more than enough to defend against the attacks of players at my level. Also, my HP has risen to 886 points which means that I have a stronger safeguard. My [Heal] has also risen to LV-4, every time I can heal 600 HP, if I didn"t have enough max HP then it would be quite a waste...Baby Bobo also became level 31 with me, and his stats are in no way inferior, this guy"s high level is pretty cheaty...
  
  
  
  【Baby Bobo】（Bee Overlord）
  
  
  
  Level: 31
  
  
  
  Attack Damage: 458-610
  
  
  
  Defense: 305
  
  
  
  HP: 763
  
  
  
  MP: 305
  
  
  
  ......
  
  Our stats are enough to challenge everything around here; the monsters near Dragon City won"t have a level too high until the next update. All I need to do now is to train my skills. I need to get [Combo] to LV-4 or else I won"t do enough damage!
  
  
  
  Soon, I"ve almost reached the amount of Troll kills needed.
  
  
  
  Walking around on the hill, I find a roughly 30 year old player wearing a medicine bag on his back. He must be doing some kind of herb picking quest, huh?
  
  
  
  From afar, he looks at me while I stare at him. Bobo is buzzing around and rushes forward with killing intent. But I stop him saying: "Don"t be violent to everyone, let"s go and hand in our quest..."
  
  
  
  The herb picker looks at me and says nothing. He immediately turns back into the forest, probably to collect more herbs.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I"d finally killed 100 trolls as I look at the time. It"s almost 12 o"clock noon. I immediately return with Bobo; I should deliver the quest before doing anything else!
  
  
  
  After 10 minutes or so, I reach to the Dragon City Army Camp. The quartermaster towers over me and says: "Young Scavenger, you have shown your strength and killed those nasty trolls. You"ve prevented them from getting near Dragon City. Come, this is your reward!"
  
  
  
  Ding!
  
  
  
  System Notification: Congratulations! You"ve finished the quest 【Slaughter the Trolls】. You receive 15000 experience points, 5 gold coins, and your fame in Dragon City has risen. You also received item: [Wind Blade]!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Huh? [Wind Blade], what"s that?
  
  
  
  I immediately open my bag and I see a faint blood-red skill book laying there. I hold it up and take a look; my mood becomes a lot more cheerful. This book is quite unexpected--
  
  
  
  【Wind Blade】 (A): Summons the wind to concentrate on the edge of the sword and launches a fierce attack on the opponent. Level 1 increases damage by 3%. Level 10 increases damage by 30%. You may not have both this and [Heavy Strike] at the same time. Uses 20 points of MP, and has a cast time of 0.2 seconds. Level requirement is 30 and consumes 1 point of charm when learning it!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  My eyes almost pop out of their sockets...[Heavy Strike], the trump card of knights, swordsmen, and berserkers. At level 10 they only increase damage by 10%, but this [Wind Blade] is a lot better; level 10 increases damage by 30%! But the downside is that it needs 0.2 seconds of casting. It"s very easy to break the attack during the windup and it also needs to consume 1 point of charm to learn it...
  
  
  
  I weigh the pros and cons learn it. To not learn this skill is too wasteful!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  My charm goes down to 25 points, and in my skill window [Wind Blade] appears in an extra row. [Wind Blade], with such a good skill, it will be in the last strike of my "Stab+Slash+Hack+Ram+Slash" combo, and conveniently if my "Ram" is successful then I can stun the opponent for 0.2 seconds, just enough to cast [Wind Blade], the strike will undoubtedly kill...
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  When I talked to Beast Tamer Dalin again: "Instructor, do you have any new skills for me to learn?"
  
  
  
  Who knows what he ate wrong, but Dalin suddenly rose up and smiled widely: "Boy, you really don"t disappoint me! Come, I"ll pass down my special skill to you!"
  
  
  
  "Special skill?!" I get extremely excited: "Instructor, what"s your special kill?"
  
  
  
  "Chains..."
  
  
  
  "Damn! What chains?!"
  
  
  
  "It is a special ability that can capture both beasts and enemies, watch closely..."
  
  
  
  The Tamer strikes the ground, and a few hundred meters in front of us, chains suddenly appear from the ground and shatter a huge boulder!
  
  
  
  Dalin puts his hands on his waist and proudly says, "How was that, Boy? Pretty powerful eh?"
  
  
  
  I"m shocked and I hear some thoughts in my head--
  
  
  
  Oh powerful fellow, you are mighty and majestic...On a horse you are like the wind...and...
  
  
  
  This...This is not even powerful!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  But, I accept the skill, though I need to spend 10 gold coins to learn it..What a rip off!
  
  
  
  【Binding Chains】 (A): Strike the ground and choose a target for [Binding Chains]. At level 1 there"s a 30% chance of binding the target. Uses 20 mana, lasts for 1.9 seconds. To learn this skill, you must spend 10 gold coins.
  
  
  
  It goes without saying. 30% is better than 0%. I"ll learn it!
  Chapter 53 - Pine and Crane Resturant
  
  This chapter was sponsored by William Wang, John Postmus and Gabio Cunha Cintra!
  
  10 gold coins for the A rank skill [Binding Chains] is a small price to pay, even if its not as strong as Wind blade. They are both surely stronger than the regular skills like [Combo] and [Heal] and not something you would usually be able to buy with a little gold, yet they cannot be compared to my priceless SS God class sword skill, which had to be earned by thousands and thousands of repeated practice draws.
  
  
  
  I"m pretty ecstatic that I finally have gotten two completely new skills. First things first, I want to test them and see their power.
  
  
  
  Using both hands, I raise the sword as I silently casted [Wind Blade]. Immediately, my arms begin to tremble as a teal colored aura envelops the blade. It takes 0.2 seconds for the blade to reach the state of being fully covered by the aura.
  
  In the next moment, the blade started to emit a cold wind around it. Suddenly, I executed a downward slash, "Peng!", rock fragments flew as the rock in front of me was cut about 20 cm deep. Mm, a Level 1 [Wind Blade] raises attack by 3%, already significantly higher than normal attacks. Furthermore, training it to Level 4 would yield a 12% increase in attack, giving it insane power!
  
  
  
  After trying [Wind Blade], I immediately went on to the next skill, [Binding Chains]. When I used it a small "bang" sounded and I could see how a chain came out of earth in the targeted area. It looked almost like a snake strangling its target for 1.9 seconds.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  When I finalized my testing, I had to say, the skills were definitely useful. Although they both had high requirements to the user, being able to control the actions of your opponent and predict the right timing to strike, they were undoubtedly powerful.
  
  
  
  I went and talked with the quartermaster again to look for more quests, but he didn"t have anything for me. So I decided instead just to go hunting to practice my skills, as they were still Level 1. Even a SSS rank skill wouldn"t be very strong at rank 1.
  
  
  
  I choose to walk eastward together with Baby Bobo, after around 10 minutes we reached a high level area, the Cloudy Swamp. "Oh yes, this would be a suitable leveling location" I thought when I saw that the monsters were level 37. They were crocodiles with scales reflecting the approaching sunset, pretty breathtaking if I were to say.
  
  
  
  I had a look at their stats. 1886 health and 332 defense. This should be no problem.
  
  
  
  "Hua hua..."
  
  
  
  I rushed towards them through some shallow water with my Jade Sword drawn before attacking the crocodile with a level 4 [Combo]. 3 points of damage shows.
  
  
  
  "367!"
  
  
  
  "335!"
  
  
  
  "352!"
  
  
  
  The alligator made a furious howl; it lost more than half of its health from that one combo. The alligator opened it mouth and was about to retaliate, but my wind blade was ready. It struck heavily on the head of the crocodile, and a huge red number appeared. The crocodile had been killed in just a few hits, without a chance to retaliate.
  
  
  
  "998!"
  
  
  
  A critical hit! Such a huge amount of damage for a single strike. It"s damage is almost equal to the combined damage of the [Combo] skill. The wind blade is deadly if it gets a critical hit or is part of a combo attack. If it had been rank 10, with an increase of damage by 30% in addition to the 10% from Sword Wave, the damage would have been incredible.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Suddenly I realize, these crocodiles" skins are probably high quality leather.
  
  
  
  Nothing venture, nothing gained. I immediately try skinning the crocodile with my Jade Sword. Its so sharp that it immediately starts cutting through the thick skin and slices off a chunk but just as I think I have succeeded, the chunk of skin begins to blur. A system message appears: You don"t have the [Skinning] skill! You have failed to collect crocodile leather!
  
  
  
  Damn, what a waste of time!
  
  
  
  I continue hunting Crocodiles while focusing on practicing my skills, it doesn"t take long before [Wind Blade] reaches level 2. The offensive bonus increases to 6% and the chance of failure lowers. As it levels up, it actually highlights a fairly annoying issue. I didn"t increase my Magic Power stat at all as a healer, leaving me with the very small mana pool of 330. Level 2 [Binding Chains] and [Wind Blade] cost 40 mana per use each, and they will only continue to cost more as they level up.
  
  
  
  No matter, my primary goal is still to get [Wind Blade] to level 4 as quickly as possible; after all I have more than enough [Chilling Wind Pills] to keep me going.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  After training hard for an hour, the familiar system tone appeared and the [Wind Blade] had at last leveled up to 4.
  
  
  
  As I stand there, quite pleased with myself, I get a message from Wan Er : "Xiao Yao, have you gotten killed by any bounty hunters yet?"
  
  
  
  I firmly respond: "Nope, you lost! Time for me to collect my winnings!."
  
  
  
  Wan Er said: "It"s already 1 pm and I"m pretty hungry. So come downstairs and we will decide what to eat"
  
  
  
  "Okay!"
  
  
  
  I log off and place the helmet at the side of the bed. As I look towards Glasses, I see him shivering heavily. He"s probably in some extreme situation but it looks so funny that I can"t help but laugh as I rush out the door.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  The two beautiful young women are already waiting downstairs on this autumn afternoon.
  
  
  
  I adjust the collar of my Metersbonwe jacket. The sun was shining on my face, granting a nice feeling of warmth together with a gentle breeze. It was pretty comfortable.
  
  
  
  "Xiao Yao, not bad!" Said Cheng Yue as she approached together with Wan Er: "It"s pretty impressive you were able to stay alive for the whole 5 hours. Surely there are lots of people who would have been tempted by the 1000 gold reward and would be searching for you. Its worth 15000 RMB"
  
  
  
  I casually respond: "I"m leveling in a secret area, so they won"t be able to find me. Good afternoon miss Wan Er."
  
  
  
  Wan Er looks a bit sore as she responds: "Alright, you win. You can choose anything so go ahead, it"ll be my treat... "
  
  
  
  I mutter quietly: "There"s this new restaurant called Pine and Crane Restaurant that opened on East Xi Road. I"ve heard that their signature dish is Squirrelfish and I"ve never had such a delicacy before, Miss..."
  
  
  
  TL: Apparently Pine and Crane is a real and famous restaurant with outlets in Shanghai and other places in China (http://www.songhelou.net/)
  
  
  
  Pursing her red lips, Wan Er chuckles: "I know that place, let"s go. I"ll drive..."
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Wan Er"s 2-door sports car, the 2016 Audi TT, was parked in the school"s car park. It"s roof was covered by fallen maple leaves. It doesn"t look like it"s been driven since we started school. Perhaps this isn"t her car after all.
  
  
  
  Wan Er fishes out her car key and opens the doors. Cheng Yue seems amused and smiles with her beautiful eyes, "Ah, the 2016 TT, and it"s even the 2-door 3.0L variant! I"ve had my eyes on this for awhile, but my dad wouldn"t let me buy a car because he"s afraid I"d drive dangerously..."
  
  
  
  Cheng Yue looks at me and says, "Xiao Yao, do you think the 2016 Model or the 2010 Model of the TT looks better?"
  
  
  
  I smirk, "I haven"t really researched on cars, but I think the Chery QQ and Jiang Nan Auto designs have a classic feel that are worth a second look!"
  
  [ED Note: Super cheap economy cars. The QQ was the 2nd cheapest car in the world in 2008]
  
  
  
  Cheng Yue: "..."
  
  
  
  Wan Er sits in the driver"s seat and lightly taps the window with her fingers, "Hey you two, get in. Don"t just stand there chatting..."
  
  
  
  I jump into the front passenger seat at lightning speed. My enthusiasm shows as I"m eager to stick close to the beautiful Miss as her bodyguard.
  
  
  
  Cheng Yue who sits down behind, pouts and says, "This guy sure moved fast..."
  
  
  
  "When it comes to free food, I"m very excited..."
  
  
  
  "..."
  
  
  
  ... ...
  
  
  
  As the engine roars, the TT exits the parking lot and Wan Er cruises into downtown very casually. Following the traffic rules closely, she puts us at ease. East Xi Road isn"t very far from Liu Hua University. In the last 2 years, the place has developed into a business district and the restaurant industry has grown because with Zhejiang University in the vicinity, it gets quite busy..
  
  
  
  Pine and Crane restaurant has roots back to Suzhou during the rule of Qianlong Emperor. Over time, it gradually grew and expanded and now there"s even a branch in Beijing.
  
  
  
  It"s 1.30 PM in the afternoon. As we enter the restaurant, there aren"t many people left inside. Picking a table next to the window, we take our seats and I give the menu a quick glance. The price of the Squirrelfish has risen to 300RMB per 0.5kg, alright...
  
  
  
  As the young and pretty waitress stands silently beside our table, I calmly say, "Squirrelfish, find us one that is about 1kg..."
  
  
  
  "Sure, handsome!"
  
  
  
  "We would also like a Watermelon Chicken, Pakistani Lung Soup, Roast Duck...and a bottle of Sea Blue..."
  
  
  
  "Okay, is there anything else?"
  
  
  
  "That"s enough for now. Oh, and please bring us a jug of Watermelon Juice..."
  
  
  
  I smile at Wan Er as I place the order, "You able to handle this much, Miss?"
  
  
  
  Wan Er nods and laughs, "Ah, this is nothing."
  
  
  
  "Snap!" , Wan Er broke the chopsticks in her hand...
  
  
  
  Cheng Yue snickers, "You rascal Li Xiao Yao, you know Wan Er"s living expenses for this month is only 5000 RMB? This meal will cost at least 1000+. How is Wan Er going to survive for the second half of this month, are you going to support her?"
  
  
  
  "Oh, about that..."
  
  
  
  Wan Er crosses her eyes, "He can"t support much..."
  
  
  
  I look at her and ask, "Miss, shouldn"t you be very rich? I heard fromTang Gu that you released the hit <> which reached the Top 10 Songs of the Chinese Charts for 6 months in a row, how can you suddenly run out of money?"
  
  
  
  Lin Wan Er"s pretty face reddened, "Don"t ask anymore..."
  
  
  
  Cheng Yue giggles, "When Wan Er entered university, she deposited her money into the bank as a long-term deposit. Every month, she can only withdraw 5000 as pocket money, but...she"s bought quite a lot of gold coins in the past 2 days. Just yesterday she spent 200 gold to buy a Silver Tier Leather Breastplate. To top it off, this morning she reserved a Gold Tier Dagger that [Q Sword] acquired, which explains why she"s out of cash!"
  
  
  
  "Gold Tier Dagger?" I ask, astounded.
  
  
  
  "Yup." Lin Wan Er nods and chuckles, "Level 35 Gold Dagger, attack 275, with an additional effect to ignore 7% defense on hit. That"s why I"m spending a king"s ransom of 900 gold for this dagger. I"ll complete the trade when I go back online later this afternoon."
  
  
  
  I frown, "[Q Sword] acquired a Level 35 Gold Tier Weapon, that"s really something..."
  
  
  
  Dong Cheng Yue: "Of course he would..."
  Chapter 54 - Attack of the Mercenaries
  
  This chapter was sponsored by you!
  
  "Q Sword is already level 36 and ranked first in Fan Shu City. Also he"s already made a custom [combo] and learned an exclusive skill. Last night outside of Fan Shu City there was a battle and Q Sword singlehandedly challenged 9 players that were over level 30 and won. This guy is an idol to everyone..."
  
  
  
  Dong Cheng Yue blinks her beautiful eyes, smiles, and says: "I also heard that yesterday"s battle caused a lot of girl players to confesse to Q Sword on the forums. .."
  
  
  
  Wan Er looks deeply at me and her pretty pupils bring a trace of provocation, but she smiles and says: "Mm, yeah I also feel that Q Sword belongs to the group of men that are perfect in every aspect. It"s normal for girls to fall for him...Unlike a certain person who chose the healer class and at the end...Was bullied left and right by Tyrant of Western Chu..."
  
  
  
  I rub my nose and say angrily: "Miss, don"t mock me..."
  
  
  
  "What are you talking about..." Wan Er spreads her hands and looks at me innocently: "I"m just saying the truth...Which reminds me, Li Xiao Yao what"s your level right now and what rank are you in Ba Huang City?"
  
  
  
  I think for a bit: "Level 31 at 97% experience and almost level 32. As for the ranking, when I went offline I was around 300, but now I"m guess that it should be around 500..."
  
  
  
  "Oh? Your level rises so fast?" Wan Er"s mouth is wide open.
  
  
  
  I"m speechless: "Not as fast as you, already level 34 and almost level 35..."
  
  
  
  "How about you come to Fan Shu City? I"ll introduce you and you can join [Q Sword]"s guild. How about it?"
  
  
  
  "Q Sword"s guild?" I frown. "Isn"t that the one that"s really popular on the forums, [Hero Mound]?"
  
  
  
  "Yep!" Wan Er nods. "It"s the second ranked guild in the entire server and [Hero Mound] has a bit of history. There are over 80 thousand player registering. Is there any need to hesitate?"
  
  
  
  I clench my fist and say plainly: "Nope, I"ll build up my own guild. I won"t join [Hero Mound]."
  
  
  
  Cheng Yue looks at me in a daze and after a while says: "Xiao Yao is jealous..."
  
  
  
  While my face is red, I say: "Nope. Definitely not. Jealous? What are you talking about? How can I be jealous of this guy? Impossible!"
  
  
  
  Wan Er giggles, hums a song, and doesn"t bother me anymore.
  
  
  
  Cheng Yue on the other hand says: "Don"t worry about it, but Wan Er and I decided that we"re going to join [Hero Mound]. But our hearts will be with you. To be honest, if I ever choose a boyfriend I would prefer people like you Xiao Yao..."
  
  
  
  I sip my tea and say: "Thanks!"
  
  
  
  "You"re welcome..."
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  After eating lunch, it was about 3 o"clock in the afternoon. We hurried back to school and the two beauties continued to grind their levels which made me feel a bit pressured. I also want to quickly level up or else if I fall behind that would be pretty embarrassing. Also Wan Er and Cheng Yue both want to enter the second ranked guild. I should try joining around with some guilds as well. [Prague] is out of the question. Yan Zhao is furious at me. Also creating my own guild is even more out of the question. I have no funds, no members, and I can"t even attract any players.
  
  
  
  Whatever, level grinding comes first. I"ll think about guilds when I reach level 40!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  I go online and I appear in the Desolate Cloud Swamp. Immediately when I get online I get bitten by a huge alligator. Damn the alligator I killed before noon already respawned! I summon Baby Bobo and I slice towards the alligator with Jade City Sword!
  
  
  
  I continue going forward and the alligators shows up less and less. In the shallow water plants, a small red dot appears on the minimap showing that there"s a monster there. But...I can"t see any monster, so it might be hiding under water.
  
  
  
  Splash...
  
  
  
  I walk in the water with my Silver Locked Battle boots and hold Jade City Sword tightly. I slowly walk forward. When I get closer to the red dot, it suddenly rushes towards me under the water! At the next instant, water splashes and a huge water snake as thick as my shoulder jumps out at me!
  
  
  
  Ssss...
  
  
  
  The moment it comes out of the water, it opens its mouth and bites my arm!
  
  
  
  "317!"
  
  
  
  I raise my head and look at it. Then I see that it"s a level 39 monster. So that"s why it was so vicious. [Desolate Water Snake] LV-39. Indeed the attack is not bad. Let"s see how the defense holds up!
  
  
  
  Jade City Sword shakes and the atmosphere around me swirls as I gather wind for the sword. I slice with my level 3 [Wind Blade] and it heavily chops at the head of the water snake!
  
  
  
  "527!"
  
  
  
  Hm, the defense isn"t anything special and its HP should be around 2000 points or so. With one slice of my [Wind Blade], it took away 25% of its health. Bobo also buzzes over there to sting it with his combo. My sword shakes and I go in again for another attack. At the same time the water snake flicks its long tail and it crashes into my face with a bang, OW.
  
  
  
  "319!"
  
  
  
  I can"t take anymore hits. So at the same time I use my level 4 [Combo], I also cast [Heal]!
  
  
  
  "+600!"
  
  
  
  With that my HP is almost full. Bobo and I combine forces and attack together. With a few strikes the water snake"s HP drops and it falls with a slither. After dying it floats on the water and a taints the water around it with a faint red tint.
  
  
  
  I pick the 12 silver coins in the water plants silently and continue forward. Now that I have experience, when I saw another small red dot on the minimap I stood still. Then I punched into the water and cast [Binding Chains]!
  
  
  
  Clang!
  
  
  
  Steel chains break through the water showing the Desolate Water Snake. The snake is completely immobilized by my level 2 [Binding Chains] for 2.2 seconds. Both of us rush towards it. This time, killing it was a piece of cake. After finishing the water snake I scan around. At the edge of the swamp I see smoke rising and I also see a person! I"ll go there and check it out!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I leave the shallow water and slice away some thorns. In front of is a soldier with rotting legs. He"s around 35 years old and over his head hovers a line of words--Garrison Leader Guche. On his shoulder there"s the emblem of Ba Huang City, which provides the same buff that I get.
  
  
  
  Guche is lying there and using leaves to cover both of his legs. Beside him is a campfire. His forehead is full of sweat and he"s breathing quite heavily, it seems like he is going to die soon.
  
  
  
  I take my sword and quickly run over to him. I kneel down next to Guche and ask: "What happened?"
  
  
  
  Guche raises his head and looks at me. Then suddenly his pale face becomes full of color and says: "Ah! You"re...You"re from Ba Huang City, but you also have the imprint of Dragon City. Ahh...I"m saved!"
  
  
  
  I ask: "What happened?"
  
  
  
  Guche says: "Under the orders of Captain Frost, I carried gold coins to nearby towns and cities to buy food to bring back to Dragon City. But I didn"t expect to meet bandits on the way and they stole all the gold coins. I then tried to bring the injured soldiers back to Dragon City. But when we were in the Desolate Cloud Swamp, I was attacked by the [Poisonous Water Snakes] in the swamp. Now my lower body is rotting from the poison. So young Scavenger of Dragon City..."
  
  
  
  He grabs my hands and says: "Please kill some [Poisonous Water Snakes] and bring their vemon sacs back to me. I need 10 of their sacs in order to cleanse this poison! If you really help me, then I will give you my most precious thing!"
  
  
  
  Ding!
  
  
  
  System Notification: Do you accept the mission 【Sac Gathering】? (Mission Difficulty: A)
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I quickly accept it and say: "Don"t worry, I will find 10 bladders as soon as possible!"
  
  
  
  "Thank you young warrior!"
  
  
  
  I leave Guche and return to the Desolate Cloud Swamp. After receiving the mission, the water snakes have mission marks on top of their heads. These [Poisonous Water Snakes] will start dropping vemon sacs, but I don"t know the probability of it.
  
  
  
  After killing around 10 of them, finally with a splash the snake drops a mission item. In the water plants I found my first bladder. Okay I only need 9 more. Then I can finish this mission.
  
  
  
  After a good hour or so, I collected 8 more bladders. I am near the end of this mission and I"m getting excited. Guche is a leader of a garrison. If I saved his life, he said he would give me his most precious item,..
  
  
  
  As I was getting full of myself, I suddenly hear leaves rustling. In the forest, a few players appear. Their movements are fast and in the front is a player with heavy armor and high leveled. He also is someone familiar--
  
  
  
  General Li Mu - Swordsman
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Huh, the General Family eh, what are they doing here? Behind Li Mu, General Wang Jian, Lian Po, and Ba Qi also came. They are all level 30+ high ranked players and their equipment are very high quality. 2 swordsman, 1 berserker, and one archer. Are they doing some huge quest or something?
  
  
  
  "We found Xiao Yao Zi Zai. He"s actually here in the Desolate Cloud Swamp!"
  
  
  
  Li Mu"s eyes suddenly go crazy and he pulls out his sword from his back and laughs: "Everyone prepare! Kill Xiao Yao Zi Zai once and we get 1000 gold coins. Kill him twice and we will have enough funds to create our guild!"
  
  
  
  Ba Qi raises his battleaxe and laughs: "The boss and me will flank him. Wang Jian go straight and Lian Po will fire from afar! Haha! With our entire General family dispatches. This brat stands no chance!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  My heart trembles. Damn these guys are here for the bounty?!
  
  
  
  Nope. I"m not going to sit here and die. That"s not how I do things!
  
  
  
  But I can"t attack first or else my name will turn grey or even red and I will suffer insane death penalties. So I have to wait and pretend that I"m weak. Wait until their name turns gray. Only then can I start attacking.
  
  
  
  I hold Jade City Sword and don"t back down. But rather I charge ahead and yell: "Li Mu, I have no grudges against the General family, so there"s no need to cling onto me is there?"
  
  Li Mu laughs: "Xiao Yao Zi Zai, although we have no grudges against you, people die for money. If you want to hate someone, go hate Tyrant of Western Chu. Us Generals lack money, so don"t blame us for this..."
  
  I smile: "If you want the 1000 gold bounty then come!"
  
  My sword trembles and a golden hexagram appears on it. I suddenly change my original course and I move right towards General Ba Qi. He"s a berserker with high damage, but his defense is low. So I"ll take him down first!
  
  ......
  
  "Die!"
  
  Ba Qi"s battleaxe starts flaming and it falls on my shoulder. A sharp pain comes from my left shoulder and my back trembles as well. An arrow has hit my back and two damage indicators pop up--
  
  "341!"
  
  "277!"
  
  ......
  
  My HP instantly drops and without hesitation I cast [Heal] and recover all my HP back. At the same time I dash behind Ba Qi. The agility of a berserker is too low so he can"t dodge. I"ll let him have a taste of this level 4 [Combo]!
  
  "387!"
  
  "401!"
  
  "336!"
  
  The grey-named Ba Qi falls down into the water with a cry and dies just like that. This is the power of the gold-ranked weapon, Jade City Sword!
  Chapter 55 - Struggle Between Life and Death
  
  This chapter was sponsored by William Wang!
  
  "What?!"
  
  Wang Jian raises his sword and says angrily, "Isn"t Xiao Yao Zi Zai is a strength type healer? This...how can a healer with .5 growth in strength use a Level 4 [Combo] to oneshot Ba Qi?!"
  
  
  
  Li Mu points at me with his sword and yells, "Stop talking and kill him already!"
  
  
  
  I get hit by two more arrows in my back and lose 400+ HP. General Lian Po"s archery is way too strong. Facing me, Li Mu thrusts his sword towards me with exceptional speed! The player ranked just second to Yan Zhao, he is indeed strong!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Clang!
  
  
  
  I powerfully swing my sword as I step backwards into the shallow water with my Silver boots. Li Mu"s sword is forcefully knocked away with a clang. The surprise in his eyes becomes very obvious, he was mistaken to think that a healer"s attack damage and strength can be enough to knock him away.
  
  
  
  Although I knocked the edge of his sword away, Li Mu reacts quickly. He bends and suddenly leaps forward, and he kicks my chest with his boot!
  
  
  
  "171!"
  
  
  
  I roll into the water with a dull feeling in my chest. I clench my fists and thrust them into the surface of the water. A row of chains break through the water, encircling Lian Po
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  General Lian Po gets bound by the chains for 2.1 seconds. At the same time, Baby Bobo also appears behind him, buzzing around while a golden hexagram starts to appear on his stinger.
  
  
  
  "Ah damn..."
  
  
  
  Lian Po curses, and falls on the ground, killed within moments.
  
  
  
  Bang!
  
  
  
  As I was focusing on killing Lian Po, I receive yet another blow from behind and multiple pets start chasing me around. Wang Jian comes rushing at me with the edge of his sword glowing, indicating a [Combo] cast, and the only thing I can do is keep backing away. While doing that though, I wave my hand, and cast [Heal]!
  
  
  
  "+600!"
  
  
  
  Li Mu appears at my side and attacks together with Wang Jian. Although my body is in the game, I flick my Jade Sword out of reflex and with a bang, it hits Li Mu"s wrist. At the same time I yell loudly, and the wind concentrates around my blade. With a teal glow lingering on my sword, I quickly slash toward Wang Jian"s shoulders.
  
  
  
  "Careful!" Li Mu yells out.
  
  
  
  Wang Jian frowns and backs away quickly and calmly. He saw the wind gather at my blade and backed away immediately. As soon as the strike fishes preparing, I slash at him but only manage to scratch at his shadow; a huge "MISS" pops up. I stare wide-eyed at the empty space where Wang Jian was. Damn, the [Wind Blade] strike missed. What kind of reaction time does Wang Jian have?!
  
  
  
  At the same time, Li Mu leans forward. His shoulder heavily bumping my exposed side. With a bang, I lose balance and enter a state of immobility. I can"t do anything for 0.5 seconds!
  
  
  
  Li Mu steadies himself and leans down again. A ray of light appears on his feet and pushes away the water, creating a small whirlpool. It"s the beginning of a combo! Damn it, this guy also learned a combo?
  
  
  
  "Absolute Authority!"
  
  
  
  Li Mu yells out loud. His body and the sword seemingly combine as he stabs my chest. After that is a slash, then followed by a stab and then another slash. After 4 continuous strikes, he bellows and throws his entire body and sword straight at me. With a bang, he flings me into the air, and I lose all control!
  
  
  
  Li Mu twists his body, and the edge of his sword starts glowing. The last attack, [Twisted Strike]!
  
  
  
  At that time, the damage numbers of the 6 strike combo, [Absolute Authority], finally pop up--
  
  
  
  "79!"
  
  
  
  "81!"
  
  
  
  "76!"
  
  
  
  "84!"
  
  
  
  "197!"
  
  
  
  "514!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  That last attack, [Twisted Strike], is really strong. The length of [Absolute Authority] was 1.9 seconds, and the combo itself is pretty original. I don"t feel too much regret, getting killed by such a great combo.
  
  
  
  After a sharp pain, I die and became a corpse. I respawn in soul form in a nearby graveyard.
  
  
  
  I quickly open my bag and check my items. Ahh, I didn"t drop any of my equipment, but I dropped back down to level 31. I also dropped a few batches of [Chilling Wind Pill]. Quite a shame, those are equal to shining white silver coins!
  
  
  
  Still, the happiest people would be those Generals huh? Kill me once, and they get a bounty of 1000 gold. They made quite a big profit.
  
  
  
  I clench my fist, and mutter to myself. I can"t let this go. I need to retaliate or else the Generals will think I"m like a plate of food that they can trample over whenever they want.
  
  
  
  I run towards my corpse as I think about the coming battle. Those 4 Generals are all attack classes, so they have no healer. So I need to use more reasonable tactics; that"ll give me higher chances in succeeding. First, I need to avoid the attacks of Li Mu and Wang Jian. Out of the four of them, those two are the deadliest. Wang Jian can easily dodge my [Wind Blade], and Li Mu has his strong combo.
  
  
  
  Or maybe I should be kill Li Mu first, then face the others? If I focus hard, I might be able to dodge Wang Jian"s attacks. I also have [Heal] and health potions, so I shouldn"t die.
  
  
  
  Yep, I"ll do that!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I return to the [Desolate Cloud Swamp], and of course, Li Mu and the others are watching over my corpse, while chatting--
  
  
  
  Li Mu says, "Actually, I feel a bit sorry for Xiao Yao Zai Zai. For 1000 gold coins, we grouped up to kill him. I feel like we"re giving the General Family a bad name..."
  
  
  
  Wang Jian frowns, "Boss, when we are weak we have to bow our heads. For those 1000 gold coins, we do what we need to do. What else is there to say? After getting the gold coins, we"ll publicly apologize to him. Besides, Xiao Yao Zi Zai helped [Prague] kill us and steal the boss. Killing him is perfectly reasonable."
  
  
  
  Lian Po holds his bow, and says with a slight smile, "With the four of us combined he still killed two. Xiao Yao Zi Zai is very strong. Li Mu, do you think you can win in a 1v1?"
  
  
  
  Li Mu mutters, "Without pets, I can win. With pets, I will lose. I heard that Xiao Yao"s pet is a Bee Overlord, 5 star in attack, with 97% excellency..."
  
  
  
  Ba Qi takes a deep breath, "Gah, that"s really OP......"
  
  
  
  Ba Qi slaps his leg and says, "Well, we"ll kill Xiao Yao Zi Zai one more time and then scram. We shouldn"t stay in this area for too long..."
  
  
  
  "Mm!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I wait silently for a good 20 minutes. I don"t want to rush and revive recklessly. I"ll make my move when they start to get twitchy. I need to finish the job in a split second!
  
  
  
  I look at Li Mu, Ba Qi and the others. Their gray name status lasts for 30 minutes, and it"s just about to end. I need to start soon! I silently countdown, preparing my counterattack after reviving--
  
  
  
  "3!"
  
  
  
  "2!"
  
  
  
  "1!"
  
  
  
  I revive, and it"s time to take revenge!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  I revive right behind Li Mu, and I immediately drink a health potion to fill my HP up. I summon Baby Bobo and point towards General Lian Po, telling Bobo to attack him. Finally, I drop down and punch into the water heavily.
  
  
  
  Clang!
  
  
  
  Chains suddenly break through the water"s surface, and bind tightly around Li Mu"s feet. For 2.1 seconds, he can"t attack or defend, and he"s not even allowed to drink a health potion.
  
  
  
  "Damn it!" Wang Jian reacts quickly, and his sword comes flying over.
  
  
  
  But I"m prepared for it. I spin around and position myself behind Li Mu. At the same time, a golden hexagram starts to form on my sword as I combine the level 4 [Combo] and [Wind Blade] to attack him!
  
  
  
  Li Mu widens his eyes, and mutters, "I"m done for..."
  
  
  
  "228!"
  
  
  
  "231!"
  
  
  
  "229!"
  
  
  
  "418!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I strike 4 times, and Li Mu"s 900 or so HP drains completely as he slowly falls over. Shortly after, he explodes with health potions and a faintly glowing necklace!
  
  
  
  I stretch out my hand, grab the necklace out of midair and stuff it into my bag. I take my sword, crouch low, and dash towards Wang Jian.
  
  
  
  Wang Jian widens his eyes, shocked, "Damn, this guy... he"s a sword expert!"
  
  
  
  Still, even while facing my attack, Wang Jian doesn"t hesitate. He faces the edge of my blade with his chest and, with a whoosh, the Jade Sword cuts into his shoulder. But Wang Jian grabs onto my sword hilt, and with his other hand, his sharp blade starts glowing with a golden hexagram, [Combo] + [Heavy Strike] combined!
  
  
  
  "233!"
  
  
  
  "301!"
  
  
  
  "218!"
  
  
  
  "+600!"
  
  
  
  "357!"
  
  
  
  Thankfully I pulled off a [Heal] in the middle of the combo or else I would have been killed right there. Directly behind me, Ba Qi bellows. I can almost feel the flames from his axe burning my back!
  
  
  
  I clench my teeth and put power into my feet. I lean down, kick Wang Jian"s leg. His whole body loses balance, and rolls into the mud with me. That also allowed me to dodge Ba Qi"s attack, and as I continue retreating, I look at the cooldown on [Heal]. There"s 3 seconds left, hurry up and get off cooldown!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  "274!"
  
  
  
  Lian Po"s arrow strikes again, and I see the end of my HP bar. Luckily, Bobo doesn"t fail his mission and kills of General Lian Po with his combo. Meanwhile, Wang Jian and Ba Qi"s pets, one of them is a Killer Bee and the other is a Green Water Insect, continuously bang on my armor. My HP will drain in the blink of an eye at this rate!
  
  
  
  Grief consumes me as I see my HP plummet. I can only watch as Ba Qi"s battleaxe falls on me while one second is left on the cooldown of [Heal]. No, that won"t do. I must fight to the death. I counter Ba Qi"s [Fiery Axe] + [Heavy Strike] with my [Combo] + [Wind Blade]. Under the violent attacks, I feel a hot pain in my chest as my HP completely depletes. Simultaneously, the Jade Sword slices open Ba Qi"s chest. He dies as well with blood spurting out!
  
  
  
  "Die!"
  
  
  
  Ba Qi looks at his own health as it disappears. He is as sad and angry as I am, "How was he able to kill me too...?"
  
  
  
  Wang Jian clenches his fist and stands off to the side with a heavy mood, staring at Ba Qi and I as we go into soul form.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  I return to the graveyard again in my soul form, and check my equipment first. Mm, Jade Sword, Armor of the Earth, and the Helmet of Cruelness are still here. I only dropped a white tiered cloth leg protector. That"s fine. Oh yeah, Li Mu dropped a necklace for me, let"s see what kind of gift he left me. I take the necklace out of the pack and look. My mood instantly gets better--
  
  
  
  【Necklace of Bravery】（Bronze-Tier Equipment）
  
  
  
  Strength: +21
  
  
  
  Others: Equipper gains 50 HP
  
  
  
  Level Requirement: 30
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Very nice! Adds 21 strength and 50 HP; They"re just the stats I need!
  Chapter 56 - Strength of a Thousand Men
  
  This chapter was sponsored by William Wang!
  
  Now that I have this Necklace of Bravery, my total HP rises to 930 points, its one step closer to 1000! At least now I won"t die as easily. But damn, there"s still that bitter feeling. I died two times, and dropped back down to level 30!
  
  In my soul form, I return to the [Desolate Cloud Swamp], and Li Mu is silently standing there while holding his sword. He, together with Wang Jian and Ba Qi formed a triangle formation, with Lian Po holding his longbow in the middle. A typical defense formation. No matter which side I attack from, I can"t get any surprise attacks off.
  
  ......
  
  
  
  "We killed him twice, equivalent to 2000 gold coins. I"ve already contacted Tyrant of Western Chu, and within the next 10 minutes, I will put the video of us killing Xiao Yao Zi Zai two times on the forums as proof, so that he has to keep his word." General Lian Po says faintly.
  
  
  
  Wang Jian frowns, "That video... can"t it be edited? We 4v1ed, and we still got killed, if people see that we would lose face! Also, Boss"s necklace dropped as well, damn it. That necklace is worth at least 50 gold!"
  
  
  
  Li Mu stand there quietly, and says, "No need, Xiao Yao is originally strong, why else would Tyrant of Western Chu give out a 1000 gold bounty? Although quite a few of us died, ultimately, we finished our bounty hunt. But what kind of class is "Scavenger of Dragon City"? How did he get it..."
  
  
  
  Ba Qi asks, "Boss, do we continue waiting here and kill him for the third time?"
  
  
  
  Li Mu shakes his head, "Nah, we can"t be too greedy..."
  
  
  
  After saying that, Li Mu faces the open space, and yells, "Brother Xiao Yao Zi Zai! Today, we Generals were unfair to you, and we apologize for our actions. We only want the 2000 gold. My Necklace of Bravery dropped, you can keep that as our apology. We hope that you won"t hold a grudge against us, and we Generals will remember about you!"
  
  
  
  After saying that, Li Mu mutters, "Let"s go!"
  
  
  
  All four pets are released, and they back away carefully.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Being in soul form, I can"t say anything back so I silently look on as they leave. I revive and summon Baby Bobo. I wear my nearly acquired Necklace of Bravery, a bronze equipment that"s worth two levels. Luckily, equipment like necklaces and rings are hard to obtain, so the trade isn"t too bad.
  
  
  
  I continued killing water snakes and collected the venom sacs!
  
  
  
  Before long, 10 sacs are in my bag. Okay, time to go to that NPC garrison leader to hand in the mission!
  
  
  
  I enter the forest, and find Guche fairly quickly. His face has turned purple from the snake poison and his whole body is twitching uncontrollably. When he sees me, his death-like face sparks a trace of life, and he struggles to get up, "Young warrior, have you brought the venom sacs of the Desolate Water Snakes?"
  
  
  
  I nod, and I take the 10 sacs from my bag to give to him. He washes them and then cracks the sacs and spreads the juice from the sacs onto his wounds. It is extremely effective, and with minutes, the rotting flesh started to flow with fresh red blood. Guche tears his clothing to wrap around his wounds, and then he stands with the help of a staff. He pats my shoulder, and says, "New scavenger, your help is very gratifying, I also see the hope in the cold and desolate Dragon City. Since you saved my life, now, I will give you my most precious things. Also, I represent the garrison when I say my thanks!"
  
  
  
  Ding!
  
  
  
  System Notification: Congratulations! You finished A-ranked mission [Sac Gathering]! You receive 9000 experience points, 10 gold coins, and your fame in Dragon City has increased! Also, you receive the item: [Elite Steel Wrist Guard]!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Elite Steel Wrist Guards?
  
  
  
  My heart thumps in happiness, I haven"t heard of the rank Elite Steel before, it can"t be black-iron equipment, can it?
  
  
  
  I open up my bag and find an elegant wrist guard made out of silvery steel. I pick it up, wave my hand to see its stats, and I couldn"t stop myself from smiling. I didn"t save Guche for nothing--
  
  
  
  【Elite Steel Wrist Guard】（Silver-rank equipment）
  
  
  
  Type: Armor
  
  
  
  Defense: 70
  
  
  
  Strength: +25
  
  
  
  Magic Power: +20
  
  
  
  Other: Raises defense by 25 points.
  
  
  
  Level Requirement: 30
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  With a golden ray of light, I rose to level 31, of course, I can wear this level 30 silver wrist guard. I immediately equip it, and I feel like I got a lot stronger, especially in defense, it rose by a lot--
  
  
  
  【Xiao Yao Zi Zai】（Scavenger of Dragon City）
  
  
  
  Level: 31
  
  
  
  Attack: 558-751
  
  
  
  Defense: 417
  
  
  
  HP: 936
  
  
  
  Mana: 390
  
  
  
  Charm: 25
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  My defense is over 400 points now, and the best thing about this wrist guard is it gives me 20 extra points of magic power. Scavenger of Dragon City"s magic power to mana ratio is 1:8, so 20 points in magic power gives me 160 extra mana, and at this stage it is invaluable. When my [Combo], [Binding Chains], and [Wind Blade] reach level 4, plus my level 4 [Heal], a rotation of the skills will pretty much empty my mana bar. If my skills go off cooldown but I don"t have enough mana to use it, that would be a pretty sad scene.
  
  
  
  I continue, and without a quest, I start annihilating the water snakes, and two water snake seals drop. A high agility monster, but the value of it isn"t high, and I haven"t seen any level 1 Desolate Water Snakes yet. While killing monsters, I can grind both my levels and my skills, and luckily I still have a few Chilling Wind Pills, or else I wouldn"t be able to grind my skills that much.
  
  
  
  Level 3 [Wind Blade] and level 3 [Binding Chains] both need 60 mana per use and to raise them from level 3 to 4, I need to use the skill 1000 times. It"s a very tedious process, and after grinding non-stop for 3 hours, it"s already 7 o"clock at night. With a ding, [Wind Blade] reaches level 4. LV-4 [Wind Blade], increases attack by 12%, extremely powerful!
  
  
  
  But, [Binding Chains] still needs a bit more time until it reaches level 4. I"ll take it slowly.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Tick!
  
  
  
  As I was killing the water snakes, I get a message. It"s from Wan Er, "Xiao Yao, have you looked on the forums?"
  
  
  
  "I haven"t. What happened?"
  
  
  
  Wan Er opens up a voice call, and laughs light, "You"re getting famous... The 4 Generals went to some remote place to kill you, but unexpectedly you killed quite a few of them. This video on the forums is getting near a million views! You should pay more attention..."
  
  
  
  "Sigh..."
  
  
  
  Wan Er continues, "You be careful. I hear that in Fan Shu City a few groups want to go to Ba Huang City, and even in Jiu Li people want to go too. For a bounty of 1000 gold coins, these people are even more vicious than the Generals!"
  
  
  
  "I got it, I"ll be careful."
  
  
  
  "Mm, then I"ll continue level grinding."
  
  
  
  "Okay."
  
  
  
  Just as Wan Er"s call ends, I get another message. This time it"s from Qing Qian, "Xiao Yao!"
  
  
  
  "Mm, Qing Qian. What"s the matter?"
  
  
  
  "A lot of people from Ba Huang City are going to the forests in the north. I suspect that their goal is you, what are you going to do?" She seems very worried.
  
  
  
  I smile, "Don"t worry Qing Qian. If I can beat them, I"ll kill them. If I can"t, then I"ll just disconnect and go offline. It"s not like I"m going to keep on dying for no reason. If I go offline, those people will leave. I doubt they would play a waiting game with me."
  
  
  
  Qing Qian replies, "Mm, if you do that, I"ll feel relieved. That"s right, I"m coming towards you, throw me your coordinates. I have something to give to you..."
  
  
  
  "Oh? What thing?"
  
  
  
  "When you get it you"ll know!"
  
  
  
  "Okay."
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  After giving her my coordinates, I continue level grinding and I also check the weapon ranking of Ba Huang City. In the rankings, Jade City Sword is ranked first, the second is a gold-ranked pike, the third is a gold-ranked dagger. All of their owners hid their IDs. That"s expected, no point of getting into trouble from people being jealous. As for the armor rankings, my Silver-locked boots and Elite Steel Wrist Guard are ranked as 278 and 311 respectively. The rest of my items don"t even reach the top 1000. Ranked first in the defensive items is a gold-ranked level 32 helmet, and who knows who has that item. This game is full of violent developments because there are so many skilled players!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  Light bounces off my sword, and I continue using the continuous strikes of [Stab+Slash+Hack+Ram+Wind Blade], and every time it takes shorter and shorter to use it. It gets along very well with my power, and it feels like it has already become one of my skills. Also, as my strength gets bigger and bigger, and the power of the strikes also slowly increase.
  
  
  
  After a long time, and who knows how many times I used these 5 strikes, finally, I hear a noise next to my ear that shakes my heart. Has it finally come?
  
  
  
  Ding!
  
  
  
  System Notification: Congratulations! You have successfully created a combo. It satisfies the requirements of practice, power, speed, angle, etc. Your combo is composed of [Stab+Slash+Hack+Ram+Wind Blade]. Please make a name for it, if no name is given within 300 seconds, the system will automatically create one!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Damn, I finally create the combo!!
  
  
  
  I couldn"t hide my happiness, and I silently enter a row of words. I named my combo【Strength of a Thousand Men】!
  
  
  
  Ding!
  
  
  
  System Notification: Congratulations! Your combo "Strength of a Thousand Men" has been created. The system ranks it as a S-rank combo, and you are the 7th player to successfully create a combo. Charm +3!
  
  
  
  My heart almost stops, and looking at my reward, I"m already sure, that my [Strength of a Thousand] is S-rank, higher than Yan Zhao Warrior"s A-rank and Li Mu"s B-rank combos, it"s really powerful!
  
  
  
  My excitement doesn"t stop, and holding Jade City Sword, I look into the distance, and I find a level 39 water snake slithering around, and without any hesitation I slam it to the ground!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  With [Binding Chains], I trap the water snake. I take my sword and rush over there, creating ripples with my Silver boots. I silently cast [Strength of a Thousand Men], and the combo immediately activates. A wave of air spread from my feet, and with a whoosh it scatters all the droplets of water around me. My sword quickly slabs, slashes, and hacks with lightning speed, then vigorous power flows from my body, and I slam into the water snake, with that it is stunned for a short while. My sword starts to glow teal, and it collects wind for 0.2 seconds. [Wind Blade]! A chain of damage numbers fly up--
  
  
  
  "278!"
  
  
  
  "301!"
  
  
  
  "298!"
  
  
  
  "407!"
  
  
  
  "1274!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  The last strike instantly killed the water snake. With a combo I instantly kill a monster that"s 8 levels above me! This is the real instant kill that I"ve been hearing. The system calculations are in front of me, my combo used 1.2 seconds which is a frightening speed. Compared to Yan Zhao"s 1.7 seconds, Li Mu"s 1.9 seconds, this combo is way quicker. Not only is the time shorter, the power is also stronger, and because its shorter, its harder to defend against. The difference is extremely clear!
  Chapter 57 - Pardon Card
  
  This chapter was sponsored by William Wang, Alban de Caumont, Manuel T. and Sai Pakalapati.
  
  TL: Unlike in other MMORPGs, Chinese mmorpgs are filled with PK/Guild wars because of its limited resources which is why there is an excessive amount of PKing in the book. PKing is a larger elements in this book than moster killing.
  
  "Shua!"
  
  A gold beam fell upon me and I once again reach Level 32 after killing a Cloud Water Snake. I am close to tears, Damn, if not for the 2 consecutive deaths this afternoon, I would already within the Top 10 of Ba Huang City. To miss such a rare opportunity...
  
  
  
  Suddenly, "Sha Sha", the grass by the shore moved. A few seconds later, a beautiful silhouette appeared, Level 34 Assassin beauty, Yue Qing Qian.
  
  
  
  "Qian Qian!"
  
  
  
  I walk forward, "You"ve come a long way, what is it that you want to give me?"
  
  
  
  Yue Qing Qian smiles as she stretches her hand into her waist-pouch and pulls out a card, "Look, I somehow managed to acquire this from an auction, I"m sure it"ll be useful to you..."
  
  
  
  I reach for it and take the blood red card.
  
  
  
  [Pardon Card]: After using this card, for 12 hours, the user will not receive any penalties for killing other players.
  
  
  
  .......
  
  
  
  "Oh?"
  
  
  
  Shocked, I continued, "Qing Qian, this should be pretty expensive right? I really do need it though..."
  
  
  
  Yue Qing Qian laughs and shakes her head: "Not really, it"s only 5 gold because not many people want it. Everyone is more focused on rushing to Level 40 for their second class upgrade. Nobody has the time to spend on killing people all day, Of course, Tyrant of Western Chu is an exception..."
  
  
  
  Yue Qing Qian looks at my equipment from head to toe as she speaks.
  
  
  
  "Eh? Brother Xiao Yao, you...why are you wearing heavy armor? Aren"t you...aren"t you a healer?"
  
  
  
  I pat the Dragon City Scavenger insignia on my shoulder, "Nope, I just changed my class to Swordsman."
  
  
  
  "Wah, no wonder you could withstand the attacks from the Generals and even kill 3 of them..."
  
  
  
  "I still died though, my level was insufficient..."
  
  
  
  "Hmm." Yue Qing Qian blinks and continues, "I suggest you stop training here, your current location is pretty much an open secret and is sure to attract endless players to try and kill you for the 1000 gold bounty. The temptation is simply irresistible!"
  
  
  
  "I know, Qing Qian, you can return first, I"ll change my training spot right away,"
  
  "Okay, Brother Xiao Yao you must be careful!"
  
  "Sure..."
  
  ......
  
  I watch Yue Qing Qian disappear into the distance, and then open the map of my surroundings. I do have to move from here, many players are going to come here looking to kill me soon. So it won"t be possible for me to level in peace. Liu Ying wants to buy my doom, but I won"t surrender so easily. I have to be as tough and difficult to kill as a cockroach, and bide my time for the perfect moment to strike back.
  
  "Di!"
  
  Yue Qing Qian sends yet another message: "Brother Xiao Yao, one more thing!"
  
  "Yeah, what"s up?"
  
  "Have you heard of the [Vanguard] guild?"
  
  "Of course, they are Rank number 3 in China, second only to [Legends] and [Heroes Tomb]. How can I not have heard of them?"
  
  
  
  "Well..." Yue Qing Qian sounds worried: "[Vanguard] guild left Jiu Li City towards Ba Huang City this morning. Their leader, Jian Feng is also on the way over, they will reach Ba Huang within a day. The whole Ba Huang City"s balance of power is going to change, even [Prague] is feeling the heat. Half an hour earlier, I heard that Jian Feng saw the video of you PK-ing the Generals and is interested to exchange a few blows with you..."
  
  
  
  I clench my teeth: "[Vanguard] is a large guild, they shouldn"t be short on gold?"
  
  
  
  Yue Qing Qian: "Though they don"t lack gold, but Jian Feng is insane. For a guy with the nickname Insane Gamer, he keeps seeking to challenge strong players. Just this morning, Uncle Yan Zhao dueled with him 5 times and lost 4 of those duels. You must be careful, Jian Feng is arrogant and cold-blooded, I suspect that if he sees you outside the city, he"ll kill you without even bothering to ask for a duel.
  
  
  
  My heart sank: "Okay, I know...thanks Qing Qian, I"ll do my best and stay strong..."
  
  
  
  "Okay!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Leaving the Desolate Cloud Swamp, I continue my journey towards the East. After I passed through a thick forest, I reach a large canyon ahead. It"s also the largest training area within the Dragon"s domain - Fire Stone Canyon!
  
  
  
  The area of Fire Stone Canyon is at least 10 times the size of Desolate Cloud Swamp. This will make it safer for me to train here as it"s harder for other players to find me in such a large area.
  
  
  
  "Wu wu..."
  
  
  
  Standing on the canyon above, my whole body suddenly starts trembling as the cold wind blows through the gaps in my armor and chills me to the bone. As I gaze into the distance, all I see are fire-red rock, it"s like I"m within a raging, flaming volcano. On the side of the Fire Stone Canyon nearest to me, I spot countless Level 39 Orcs who hold wooden clubs swarming around. With my current strength, training with monsters 7 levels above me is not difficult, and the EXP is wonderful. Alright, I shall hang around this area to train!
  
  
  
  Swinging off from a protruding rock, I slide down along the mountain slope.
  
  
  
  "Keng Keng" I use the Jade City Sword to carve a trace into the rock to slow my descent. Baby Bobo follows me in the air. A few minutes later, I plant my feet firmly onto the ground in the middle of the canyon. Just ahead, there are 2 Orcs, "Huchi huchi", they breathe coarsely and I can"t make out what they are saying.
  
  
  
  These are Porcine Orcs, with a human body and a pig"s head. Though I wouldn"t say that their body is entirely human either. Their torsos are exceptionally thick and strong, covered in entirely in slick black hair. Standing at about 2 meters tall, animal skin which seems to be leopard fur hangs from their waist. This is enough to prove that these Orcs are strong.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  "Ga Ga ... ... I smell fresh blood!" The Orc on the left is suddenly on the alert, with his ears perked, he laughs loudly, "Finally, a change of diet. I see a strong, young, human warrior. The delicious flesh of a warrior"s legs is great, let"s get him together!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  "Hong long long", I hear the sound of footsteps as both Orcs brandish their wooden clubs and rush over.
  
  
  
  I remain calm. With a swift stroke, I strike forward with my Jade City Sword, "Pu chi", a normal attack hits the Orc in front. Immediately after that, a low whistling sound is heard as aura rises from my feet and the S Rank combo [Strength of a Thousand Men] is activated. I execute a flurry of strikes and cut forcefully. The final strike, [Wind Blade] splits the Orc as he screams in agony. With another attack, rays of white EXP points fly and seep into my body, making my EXP bar jump. The Orc is dead!
  
  
  
  Turning around, Jade City Sword shudders as a golden hexagon forms on the blade and rotates, "Keng keng keng", my combo lands on the other Orc"s wooden club. Baby Bobo"s combo follows, producing another ray of white light. Chuckle, with this combination, I can kill off two Level 39 Orcs within 6 seconds, my damage output is indeed outstanding.
  
  
  
  As a third Orc rushes over, I lift my blade and dash toward him, wanting to execute my custom combo. Alas, a cooldown of 30 seconds are on all custom combos, so I have to wait for 20 seconds more before I can [Strength of a Thousand Men]. I immediately use Wind Blade and together with Baby Bobo"s attacks, we easily get rid of the Orc. I loss a little health, 1 hit from the Orc took out 80 HP from me, an amount that isn"t even worth healing over.
  
  
  
  One step at a time, I gradually advance into the depths of the Fire Stone Canyon.
  
  
  
  Up ahead lies a patch of dark green thicket belonging to the Deep Cold Forest, the sole forest in the middle of Fire Stone Canyon. Before I enter, my Herb Gathering skill lights up, signalling that there are high leveled herbs ahead!
  
  
  
  Stepping into the forest, I look between a large tree and a rock and catch a glimpse of strands of dark blue grass swaying in the wind. It"s almost as if they are welcoming me.
  
  
  
  Taking a number of steps forward, imaginary tears start to stream down my face as I spot the name of the herb in front of me. Indigo Seagrass, a Level 5 herb. It"s the essential ingredient in the refinement of Level 5 Indigo Seagrass of Immortality!
  
  
  
  I take out my herb shovel and gather it excitedly!
  
  
  
  "Ding!"
  
  
  
  System Notice: Congratulations, you have gathered 2 x [Indigo Seagrass], your [Herb Gathering] skill as increased by 2!
  
  
  
  "Ding!"
  
  
  
  System Notice: Congratulations, you have gathered 3 x [Indigo Seagrass], your [Herb Gathering] skill as increased by 3!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  After collecting 7 Indigo Seagrass plants, I happily stand upright to leave when suddenly, something scuttles out from the shrub in front of me. "Ji ji", it"s tail flashes as an ice cone hurdles my way-
  
  
  
  "Pa!"
  
  
  
  "224!"
  
  
  
  My body trembles. Damn, it"s a magic type monster-
  
  
  
  Ice Rat, Level 40, data not available.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  Just before I initiate my attack, the Ice Rat sends it"s second ice cone my way, making me lose 200+ HP again. But he won"t be lucky enough for a third time as my Jade City Sword slashes into the Ice Rat in the next instant. An aura surges around me as my combo is activated. "Pa pa pa", [Strength of a Thousand Men] strikes the Ice Rat continuously. Being a magic type monster, it"s health should only be around 1500 HP. "Ji ji", it whimpers as it falls to the ground!
  
  
  
  "Pa ta... ..."
  
  
  
  My luck is pretty good, it"s just my first kill and I actually get a dark blue illustration as loot -
  
  
  
  [Ice Rat]
  
  
  
  Attack：★
  
  
  
  Defense：★★☆
  
  
  
  HP：★★★
  
  
  
  Agility：★★★☆
  
  
  
  Magic：★★★★
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Okay, a typical pet, magic potential growth at 4 stars is good if one uses it as a magic pet. At least it would be useful to level and PK at the early stages. Magic is the weakness of armoured classes, and the proof it that this Level 39 monster can shave off 200+ of my HP with it"s ice cone.
  
  
  
  I continue to roam around the Deep Cold Forest with my Jade City Sword in hand, searching for Indigo Seagrass while keeping an eye out for a Level 1 Ice Rat, making sure not to miss it.
  
  
  
  After drifting around for more than an hour, it"s almost 9PM already, but Lin Wan Er hasn"t contacted me for supper. Dong Cheng Yue did joke that tonight was my turn to treat, because my bet with Lin Wan Er was still on-going and I got killed by the Generals twice, which meant I owed them 2 meals.
  
  
  
  While fighting an Ice Rat, I suddenly hear the sound of footsteps and voices coming from just outside the forest-
  
  
  
  "Boss, these are the carcasses of Ice Rats. It looks like there"s a player nearby, and he must"ve been here recently because the carcasses haven"t disappeared yet......"
  
  
  
  "Okay, let"s go in and take a look. To train in this area requires a group of at least 10 players, or they wouldn"t be able to withstand the monster"s attacks."
  
  
  
  "Yeah!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Shadows move as a few players enter my field of vision. I simply stand there holding my Jade City Sword, surrounded by nothing but empty space. I stare at them as our eyes meet.
  
  
  
  "Seriously......"
  
  
  
  A thin archer remarks coldly: "Xiao Yao......Xiao Yao Zi Zai...to actually bump into him here. Boss, what should we do......"
  
  
  
  The Level 31 Berserker lifts his battle axe off his shoulder, as his face turns savage: "Isn"t it obvious? Kill him!"
  Chapter 58 - Battle Between the Sword and the Shield
  
  This chapter was sponsored by William Wang!
  
  TL: Kind of sick today, so only chapter today. Sorry!
  
  There were a total of 7 players. The two berserkers were level 31 and the party consisted of another healer, archer, musketeer and mage. In addition to this, there was a level 32 monk with heavy armor. Overall this team combination is perfect for targeting bosses. Also to level up to 32 as a monk certainly isn"t an easy task, which shows how well of a player that monk is.
  
  
  
  The captain seemed to be the berserker carrying a shining axe, above his avatar are the words, "Mu Tain", and judging by its looks, the axe should be a silver tiered item; its attack damage surely wouldn"t be low. Though the biggest problem was probably their long ranged attackers, since I had no way of blocking or escaping it. A single round of attack from the entire team would probably be capable of killing me.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Under a tree I smile and ask: "I"m simply walking around collecting Indigo Seaweed, doing nothing to you. Why would you want to kill me?"
  
  
  
  Mu Tain waves his axe and laughs: "By killing you, we would earn a thousand gold. So of course we want to kill you. Do you have any last words before you die?"
  
  
  
  I stayed silent for a second, before I said: "This Deep Cold Forest is my domain, if you aren"t afraid, you can come and try to kill me."
  
  
  
  Immediately afterwards, I rushed into the Forest and since it was nighttime the visibility for everyone was poor and I disappeared out of their sight.
  
  
  
  Mu Tain pauses before saying: "Release your pets, we will let them find him for us. Today is the day that Xiao Yao Zi Zai dies!"
  
  
  
  Moments later a few bats, goblins, and other pets were summoned. None of them had a truly outstanding attack force, therefore being a limited threat.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  "Rustle......"
  
  
  
  As my battle boots steps on the moist grass, I slowly walk through the forest. I"m kind of scared of facing a 7-member team, if they came at me all at once, I would definitely die. But if I focused my strengths and pinpointed their weaknesses, I would have a good chance in killing them. I"ll use Baby Bobo"s mobility to assassinate their healer before moving on to the squishies: the mage, archer, and musketeer.
  
  
  
  I began to flank to the side of their party and raising my hand, I summon Baby Bobo. He flew towards the healer as quick as a bolt of lightning and breaks through their defense line and uses his LV4 [Combo]
  
  
  
  "Crap!"
  
  
  
  The healer immediately moves backwards and first hit of the combo misses, but Baby Bobo continues with his combo and two solid damages flew up.
  
  
  
  "489！"
  
  
  
  "512！"
  
  
  
  Damn! The healer didn"t die. He must have added at least 5 points to endurance each time he leveled up in order to gain such a high health. While thinking this, Baby Bobo does a basic attack and the healer drops to the ground
  
  Mu Tain quickly turns around and shouts loudly: "Musketeer and archer target and butcher his pet!"
  
  The bullets and arrows almost immediately locked on tos Baby Bobo and even though Baby Bobo"s defense was decent it wasn"t enough to stop their high attack power. They dealt a little over 500 damage and in addition, the mage cast a [Rock Spike] and [Chilling Wind] on Baby Bobo
  
  
  
  "+600！"
  
  I stay in the dark while while I cast the Heal on Baby Bobo. Afterwards, I command Baby Bobo to retreat from the battlefield. If he stays there, he"d be a target practice for them!
  
  
  
  "Monk, use [Lower Your Sword] on his pet!" Mu Tain yells as he makes a vicious attempt to hit Baby Bobo, but his attempt is futile as Baby Bobo is simply too fast.
  
  
  
  A golden light emits from the monk"s staff and hits Baby Bobo. Baby Bobo"s attack got reduced by 10%! His 610 damage has become 549 in a split second. This fight isn"t in my favor anymore.
  
  
  
  "Fucker, you want to leave?!"
  
  
  
  The other berserker charged forward with his battle axe. On the axe are flickering flames and it looks like he wants to use his fire axe skill to kill Baby Bobo.
  
  I can"t stay hidden anymore!
  
  
  
  I quickly surge forward and use my Lvl 4 [Combo] with my Jade City Sword and as his focus is elsewhere, 3 numbers pop up.
  
  "358！"
  
  
  
  "347！"
  
  
  
  "333！"
  
  His face shows a glimpse of his panic and he immediately retreats. I followed him closely since he must be almost dead after being hit by my [Combo], even if he have added a lot of stat points to endurance. When my attack was ready I make an extremely fast vertical slash.
  
  
  
  "Fuck，how is this possible？"
  
  
  
  The berserker is shocked at my speed and before he can recover his stance, his chest starts sprouting out blood. He drops to the ground and his battle axe drops!
  
  
  
  Before I get the chance to grab the spoils, I immediately retreat. Just a second later, the spot that I was standing at before is hit by two arrows and a bullet.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Carrying Baby Bobo in my arms as I retreat. I wait to heal both me and Baby Bobo back to full health. When we finally get back to peak condition, I approach again knowing that the graveyard where the players respawn is far from here. I have approximately 10 minutes to kill the rest of the party. I firmly believe that I must kill all those who dare to attack me, so no one believes they can push me around.
  
  
  
  As I peek around, I see a furious Mu Tain yelling: "Damn two people have already been killed and what have you been doing? You guys have barely reacted and your pets are useless!"
  
  
  
  The monk quietly said: "Our vampire bat are simply unable to keep up with the bee"s speed."
  
  
  
  "Just keep defending this area until they respawn. Then we will continue the hunt."
  
  
  
  "Fine."
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Even though they can afford to wait, I can"t. I command Baby Bobo to circle around to the other side. This time our goal is to kill the mage and archer.
  
  Shuaa!
  
  
  
  The humming Baby Bobo flies towards the mage as quick as lightning.
  
  
  
  "He"s here again!"
  
  
  
  The mage was very observant and quickly manages to cast [Icicle Shot] onto Baby Bobo, which slowed him greatly. This enabled the mage to continue moving backwards, he"s using the hit and run tactic.
  
  
  
  As they were distracted by Baby Bobo, I approached the archer from behind. Using the Jade City Sword I used [Combo] to strike at his left shoulder and at the same time, I swung my fist at the ground.
  
  
  
  Peng!
  
  
  
  The [Binding Chains] was a success and the mage is rooted to the ground. In two strikes Baby Bobo, kills the mage. Mages are unwilling to put points into endurance like healers, since a mage"s only job is to do lots of damage. So a mage must put every single point into Magic Power, otherwise he wouldn"t have enough mana to keep up his lethal attacks.
  
  
  
  As the archer dies, his vampire bat squeaks and disappears as well.
  
  
  
  In seconds, two players have been killed and only 3 are left.
  
  
  
  Hong!
  
  
  
  A combination of pain and heat emanate from my shoulder as I got hit by a [Fire Axe].
  
  
  
  Zheng!
  
  
  
  "227！"
  
  
  
  Mu Tain takes advantage of my temporary stunned state to perform a normal attack for 154 damage. His eyes open wide, in shock: "What is that defense?!"
  
  
  
  I didn"t bother responding and tilted the edge of my sword to hit the abdomen of the musketeer. On the other side, Baby Bobo activates his LV-4 [Stinger], even with the 10% debuff on attack, the damage dealt is extremely impressive and the musketeer slowly falls to the ground.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Zheng!
  
  
  
  The monk hits me again and I almost feel like laughing as 49 points of damage pop up. A monk might be incredibly tough and have enormous amounts of health. But what does it matter if he isn"t a threat in combat, such a shame.
  
  
  
  "Its your turn now."
  
  I make a quick step sideways and a big MISS appears as I successfully dodge Mu Tain"s attack. His eyes are filled with anger as he realizes that I might annihilate his entire team. He uses his LV 4 [Penetration], his next attack will ignore 20% of my armor.
  
  
  
  I see that my skills are available again and quickly decide to take his attack head on, and immediately afterwards use [Combo] on him. The tip of my Jade City Sword glows golden hexagrams and I viciously make 3 continues attacks.
  
  
  
  "357！"
  
  
  
  "342！"
  
  
  
  "344！"
  
  Mu Tain"s health instantly drops to zero and he clenches his teeth as he dies.
  
  
  
  Behind the team leader is the monk, who silently stood as he casted his spells. First, he casted a LV 4 [Regen] which improved his regen by 4% and afterwards a LV 4 [Golden Defense] which improved his defense by 12%.
  
  
  
  "Come on!"
  
  
  
  The monk exclaimed loudly: "Lets see you break my defense. Lets see the limits of a close-combat healer. Either you or me will die today."
  
  
  
  I continued staying silent, directing Baby Bobo to kill his pet goblin.
  
  "Huaa!"
  
  
  
  The Jade City Sword flips as I move forward in a smooth motion. In a single moment, I appear in front of the Monk with my sword ready to attack. He was horrified at my speed. Before I began my attacks, I took advantage of his surprise to crash into him. The defensive stance of the monk instantly shatters and he takes staggered steps backwards!
  
  
  
  A glow emerged from my feet as I quickly used my S-Class combo [Strength of a Thousand Men]!
  
  
  
  "98！"
  
  
  
  "101！"
  
  
  
  "79！"
  
  
  
  "109！"
  
  
  
  As I let out my continuous attacks, the Monk keeps losing his balance, stumbling backwards. Under the effects of my ram, he completely lost his balance, perfect for the 0.2 seconds delay for my [Wind Blade]. This would be the final hit.
  
  
  
  Peng!
  
  
  
  A huge number appeared when [Wind Blade] connected with the Monk.
  
  　
  
  "711！"
  
  
  
  The monk is surprised and stunned as he said: "That was.... was that a custom combo?"
  
  
  
  I remain silent as I finish him off.
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Shua!
  
  
  
  The level 32 monk died.
  Chapter 59 - Jian Feng Han
  
  This chapter was sponsored by William Wang, Manuel Arden Tobing, Jhon Van James Taylaran and Douglass Cheng!
  
  Looking at the ground, I see that Mu Tain and the monk both dropped some equipment. Mu Tain dropped a green-ranked armor, but my Armor of the Earth is obviously better, so I don"t need it. But the monk dropped a shiny leg guard, so I pick it up and check it out. It"s bronze-ranked and it"s not too bad. My cloth leg guard conveniently dropped when I was fighting the Generals.
  
  
  
  【Feral Bear"s Leg Guard】（Bronze-rank）
  
  
  
  Type: Armor
  
  
  
  Defense: 65
  
  
  
  Strength: +15
  
  
  
  Other: Increases users defense by 20 points
  
  
  
  Level Requirement: 30
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I"m almost in a full suit of armor now, and my defense also rises to another level, breaking 500 points. Even if I meet Mu Tain and his gang again, I may not lose 200+ HP when I eat an axe. I scan around the area to check for any other drops, spin around, and go into the forests to continue searching. After wandering around for a while, without finding anything new, Wan Er sent a message, "Want to go out for a midnight snack? We"re hungry..."
  
  
  
  "Mm, I"ll be there immediately!"
  
  
  
  "Okay!"
  
  
  
  I disconnect and take off the helmet. I turn around, and I notice that a pair of eyes are staring at me. It"s Glasses, aka Tang Gu!
  
  
  
  "Oi, what do you want?!" I frown and ask.
  
  
  
  Tang Gu continues to stare at me, "Xiao Yao, I hear you fought with Liu Ying and his gang and that you even beat all four of them by yourself! Is that true?"
  
  
  
  I smile, "Where"d you hear that from? Don"t joke around."
  
  
  
  "Was that really not you? Liu Ying won"t admit it, but students saw it..."
  
  
  
  "I"m going for a midnight snack, you think what you want!"
  
  
  
  I put a coat on and leave. I arrive at the girls" dorm and two beauties wearing skirts are waiting for me. With their skirts fluttering in the wind revealing their attractive long legs, I can"t help but let my imagination roam.
  
  
  
  "Where are we going today?" I ask.
  
  
  
  Wan Er smiles, "Today you"re treating so you can decide!"
  
  
  
  I slap my leg, "Woops, I didn"t bring money today. Can you cover for me today? I"ll pay you back tomorrow..."
  
  
  
  "You are shameless..."
  
  
  
  "Cough cough, Miss is the best..."
  
  
  
  "......"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  In the restaurant, we order a few dishes and a hot soup to get us through the night. Of course, having two beautiful women sitting in front of me is a blessing as a bodyguard. Looking at these two happily eating, I can"t help but remember my previous experiences as a bodyguard.
  
  
  
  The first time, I was the bodyguard of some foreign executive and drove him around all day. I also helped bring him all kinds of women. There was one time when, as I was driving, I started hearing moans in the back. That marked the end of that job.
  
  
  
  The second time, I was the bodyguard of some bigshot drug dealer. I got paid 5000 Yuan (~$800) everyday. During the drug deals, he killed a few innocent people in front of my face. Later on, when his enemies sent people to kill him, I did nothing as I saw his head got blown apart by an M9 pistol. After that, I dismissed myself...
  
  
  
  My third employer is Ling Wan Er or rather, Ling Tain Nan. This is the first time I didn"t want to kill my protection target. Mm, I better cherish this.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  "Li Xiao Yao, what are you thinking about?" Wan Er suddenly raises her head and looks at me.
  
  
  
  I smile, "It"s nothing, just..."
  
  
  
  "Just what?" She blinks with her pretty eyes and asks.
  
  
  
  I go silent for a moment, then say, "I"m just worried that so many people in Ba Huang City are chasing after me, and because of that I might not be able to increase my level. I"m always getting killed, and if my level doesn"t go up, I won"t be able to resist. The bounty hunters will only get stronger as they come at me."
  
  
  
  "How can that be?" She smiles lightly and says, "I was just looking at the forums, and I saw that you 1v7"d an entire group. It was pretty good, and a lot of people are calling you Ba Huang City"s Border Zone"s Death God..."
  
  
  
  My face goes red, "What are you talking about? That was only a struggle for survival..."
  
  
  
  Wan Er purses her lips, and stares at me, "Still, you really need to be careful..."
  
  
  
  "You"re talking about Jian Feng Han?"
  
  
  
  "Mm."
  
  
  
  Wan Er nods, and says, "Jian Feng Han. I dueled him some time ago. He is a person who understands battles very well and specializes in using his pets to lure others into a disadvantage. Also, he"s somewhat of a battle maniac, and he won"t allow anyone to be stronger than him. Think about it: virtually everyone in Ba Huang City knows you, and the bounty for you is so high as well, so its not possible that Feng Han come and challenge you!"
  
  
  
  Cheng Yue is sipping her tea on the side, and suddenly smiles, "I feel that instead of challenging you, he wants to teach you a lesson."
  
  
  
  After saying that, she sits up straight and says, "Xiao Yao. How about Wan Er and I go to Ba Huang City to protect you for a few days? I haven"t seen this Feng Han, and I really want to see his strength. How about it?"
  
  
  
  Though I know she offered it to protect me, I shake my head, "Nah, it"s fine. I"ll deal with whatever happens by myself. I"ve already been making preparations against the people Liu Ying sends after me. If Feng Han really comes, then that"s fine. Even I get killed by him, I make sure he pays. Just you watch..."
  
  
  
  "Then we"ll be expecting more meals from you..."
  
  
  
  "......"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  After eating, I return to the dorms, but I can"t sleep, so I grab my helmet and go online. Might as well grind a bit more and quickly get to level 40 for that second promotion. After I learn some new skills, I"ll feel a little safer. If I meet a really skilled player now, I may very well be helpless.
  
  
  
  Whoosh
  
  
  
  I appear back in the forest while holding my sword. I summon Baby Bobo, and I carefully check the area around me. Some level 39 Ice Rats scuttle around, but there are no players. Mu Tain and his gang got completely wiped out by me, so I"m guessing he gave up on the bounty. Of course, losing a level is quite an impact, and without a certain way to kill me, no one would risk it.
  
  
  
  Everyone thinks that in the area near the border, this Xiao Yao Zi Zai is an extremely skilled player, but it"s nothing but a false rumor. Even though in these past few days I"ve killed quite a few skilled players, I know how much I"m worth. I may have done some damage to the Generals, but if I dueled Yan Zhao right now, I"d only have around a 40% chance of winning. Yan Zhao Warrior has been leveling insanely fast and keeps getting better and better equipment. In addition to all that, he has [Prague] backing him up; I can"t fight against him.
  
  
  
  Whatever, I"ll continue level grinding until level 40, and then I"ll see what skills Beast Tamer Dalin has for me!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  During the night, I continue killing Ice Rats until around 12 o"clock. I have a ton of Indigo Seagrass, so it"s time to return to the city and create a batch of level 5 Seagrass pills.
  
  
  
  As I was thinking of leaving, I raise my head, and feel a chill. Rather than being actually cold, the chill was more like an aura, an aura of killing spirit. Behind me, at the end of an open ground. 20 yards from me, I see a young man wearing black armor and leaning on a rock. His eyes are full of provocation, and over his head there"s a row of words--
  
  
  
  ID: Jian Feng Han LV-37 Swordsman
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  It"s the guildmaster of [Vanguard], the extremely strong person that Wan Er talked about. This guy might even be above Yan Zhao!
  
  
  
  He silently stares at me, and after a few seconds, he raises his head and smiles, "Oi, Xiao Yao Zi Zai, you"re pretty interesting. To be able to resist bounty hunters trying to get that 1000 gold coin bounty, and single-handedly surviving in this high level forest. You live up to your name!"
  
  
  
  I say lightly, "Friend, do you need me for something? I don"t recognize you."
  
  
  
  "The world has many heroes, why know them all? If I came here, of course I need you for something. That"s..."
  
  
  
  His eyes suddenly go cold, and yells, "My only goal for coming here--To defeat you!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I don"t say anything more. I raise my hands, and pull out my sword. Feng Han definitely came, so I probably can"t run away. Either I get killed, or he dies!
  
  
  
  Feng Han smiles, and quickly reaches for his sword. At the same time, a hexagram appears under his feet, and he summons his pet. It"s a huge blood-red cyberus. It prowls, looks at me, and growls.
  
  
  
  As if he could read my mind, Feng Han smiles, "Don"t be surprised. This is a Hellhound, 4.5 stars attack 4.5 stars agility. It"s slightly inferior to your Bee Overlord, but that"s not important. Whether or not a pet is strong is determined by the owner! Come, Xiao Yao Zi Zai, and show me the strength of Ba Huang City"s players!"
  
  
  
  Stepping along the cold, grassy ground, Feng Han quickly dashes forward. At the same time, the Hellhound also rushes towards me from another angle. He"s controlling both his avatar and his pet at the same time!
  
  
  
  Clang!
  
  
  
  The edge of my sword slices through the air and receives Feng Han"s attack. With a clang they collide. His strength isn"t too high and surprise sweeps across Feng Han"s face when he gets pushed back, but he quickly recovers and his face becomes calm again. His feet slip backwards and he stops himself from falling at a seemingly impossible angle. But before I could consider his awkward moment, his arms are spread, and his sword is already slashing down!
  
  
  
  Without thinking, I activate my LV-4 [Combo]!
  
  
  
  Clang!
  
  
  
  Our swords collide again, but Feng Han"s moves just like a big ape so even though I have a higher strength than him, he still has an advantage. Before I regain my posture, he starts his attack again.
  
  
  
  Bang!
  
  
  
  "301!"
  
  
  
  I get hit and with that, Feng Han stops my combio. I feel a wave of heat from behind as the Hellhound bares its fiery claws and pounces towards me!
  
  
  
  Bobo immediately intercepts him, and he fights against the Hellhound. At the same time, I slide along the ground, and a huge "Miss" appears from Feng Han"s third attack. He retreats a few steps to prevent any counterattack from me, and whoosh my attack hits air.
  
  
  
  Damn it! If I continue this then I"ll die from Feng Han"s continuous attacks!
  
  
  
  Bangbang!
  
  
  
  I take two more hits on my shoulder, but I kick my feet out!
  
  
  
  Bang!
  
  "341!"
  
  "297!"
  
  "174!"
  
  
  
  I retreat a few steps and awkwardly stop my fall. Suddenly, something becomes clear, I raise my head and look at Feng Han, muttering, "This pattern...This is from the 12 strikes in Extension Boxing?!"
  
  
  
  Feng Han pauses, "You actually figured it out...Heh, but you"re still going to die!"
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  I cast [Heal], and recover 600 HP, following up with a health potion, I"m back at full HP!
  
  
  
  Rustle...
  
  
  
  Feng Han"s body is like a shadow. He dashes towards me in an arc. He extends his arm and stabs towards me!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Hmph!
  
  
  
  I stand still, and focus. I suddenly lash out with my sword, and with a clang, I knock away my opponent"s sword. At the same time, I step forward, and my left fist heavily hits the chest of Feng Han!
  
  
  
  Bang
  
  
  
  "179!"
  
  
  
  The ground around me starts to glow as I activate my combo, [Strength of a Thousand Men]!
  
  
  
  "Oh crap..."
  
  
  
  Alarm flashes in Feng Han"s eyes, but under my rapid strikes, his hip and chest get repeatedly attacked.But when he gets hit by the fourth strike of [Strength of a Thousand Men], he bends his body and his palm mercilessly pats the ground, and then with a flip, he backs away a few yards!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  [Wind Blade] slices the air, and a huge "MISS" pops up!Chapter 60 - Borrowing a Knife to Kill
  
  This chapter was sponsored by Estela Perez (sorry no accent), Wong Ying Lin Gabriel, Archaic Pickle, Thomas Wierinckx and William Wang!
  
  I spin around and run towards the Hellhound. While running, I punch the ground and cast [Binding Chains]!
  
  Whoosh!
  
  As my fist reaches the ground, Feng Han shifts a few meters sideways, and a huge "MISS" pops up next to him. At the same time, his pet Hellhound also wags its tail as it backs away a few meters. Such coordinated control! Both player and pet moved at the same time to dodge my skill!
  
  
  
  I need to kill the Hellhound first, or else Baby Bobo"s HP can"t keep up!
  
  
  
  I raise my sword, and slash towards the Hellhound. But I wouldn"t have thought that Feng Han kept on pulling the Hellhound back, making me unable to catch up to it. At the same time, I feel a chill behind my back, Feng Han"s [Combo] is coming!
  
  
  
  Before turning around, I sink my body downwards, and block my back with my sword. I couldn"t block such a strong attack, and my entire body sprawls forward. But I spin my sword around, and I heavily slash Feng Han!
  
  
  
  "341!"
  
  
  
  "Eh..."
  
  
  
  Looking at my attack damage, he seems a bit surprised. He takes his sword and backs away, and drinks a health potion. After taking 3 [Combo] hits, my HP is near empty. I wait for the cooldown of [Heal], and with a wave of my hand I recover 600 HP. But at that time, Baby Bob cries out, and dies from the attack of the Hellhound.
  
  
  
  I can"t chase Feng Han, so I can only spin around and chase the Hellhound, since Bobo died, its only fair that Feng Han"s pet also dies. But I never would have thought that the Hellhound waved its tail and ran, giving me no chance to attack. Feng Han on the other hand recovered to full HP and immediately takes his sword and attacks!
  
  
  
  My custom combo is still in cooldown, so I can only use [combo], and pray for the best!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  Within 3 steps of me, Feng Han suddenly stops. A golden hexagram starts to appear on my sword, the start of my [combo]. I can"t let it go to waste, so I hastily rush forward to attack!
  
  
  
  Who would have thought while he was backing away, the Hellhound attacked me from behind, and interrupted my [Combo]!
  
  
  
  "I"m done for..."
  
  
  
  My heart goes cold, and watching the glow of his golden hexagram flicker, his sword strikes my shoulder 3 times in succession, and I die!
  
  
  
  .......
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  I appear at a nearby graveyard, and check my equipment. I didn"t drop anything, but I stand there expressionlessly. It"s not that my skills isn"t up to par with him, it"s...it"s my gaming knowledge isn"t up to par. This loss, it is really because of the tactics that Feng Han employed...
  
  
  
  After thinking for a full 5 minutes, going through what Feng Han did; controlling both himself and his pet, and continuously changing his opponent"s focus while grinding down their HP. Even if I have [Heal] I still got killed easily. Although his tactics are very clear, but I can do nothing about it, his reactions are too quick!
  
  
  
  Whatever, I"ll return first!
  
  
  
  After 10 minutes, I reach back to my corpse. From a distance, Feng Han holds his swords, and sits under a pine tree, He"s staring at my corpse, obviously waiting for me to revive. He wants another round?!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  I don"t hesitate to revive, and because of dying I lost a level. I cast [Heal] and my HP becomes full again. I take my sword, and [Turmoil Sword] automatically activates. I also summon Bobo out. This time I need to counter-attacks, or else I would lose again.
  
  
  
  Feng Han looks at me from afar, and smirks, "Xiao Yao Zi Zai. You"re not bad eh, I felt a bit of pressure. It"s really hard to find these kinds of opponents, Looking at Ba Huang City, there are probably only 10 people who have a strength like you!"
  
  
  
  I silently listen, "And?"
  
  
  
  "I quite admire you, how about you join [Vanguard]?" Feng Han smiles.
  
  
  
  I point my sword at his chest, and say, "Admire me..is it? Let me kill you first!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I step on the ground with my Silver-Locked boots, and rush towards him. I raise my sword and attack.
  
  
  
  Feng Han laughs coldly as he slowly unsheathes his sword, it seems like he has already calculated my path. With a clang, he takes his sword, and with a jump, he"s on his feet. The leaves crunch under his feet, and suddenly he extends his leg and kicks!
  
  
  
  My body is in the air, but I grab onto the chain armor on his shoulders, and my entire body changes it"s original path. Going around Feng Han, a nearly perfect "MISS" pops up for his kick. At the same time, I roll on the ground, and punch the ground with my left hand. With a clang, I cast [Binding Chains]!
  
  
  
  Sadly, Feng Han is very sharp, and he completely figured out my tactic. He slipped back a few steps, and "MISS" pops up for the [Binding Chains]. His sword starts to glow, and he slashes at Bobo but at the same time, Bobo"s [Combo] also starts!
  
  
  
  Bangbang...
  
  
  
  After the rapid strikes, Feng Han"s HP dropped over 500 points after Bobo"s two attacks! But, Bobo"s HP is only around 100 points now. The Hellhound growls, and prepares to take his life!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  "+600!"
  
  
  
  I wave my hand to cast [Heal]. I need Bobo alive, or else I will lose against Feng Han and his pet!
  
  
  
  .......
  
  
  
  I command Bobo to back off, stretching out their firepower. Bee Overlords are very fast, and immediately Bobo backs off a few meters. Both the Hellhound and Feng Han"s attack end up slashing air, and two beautiful "MISS" pops up. At the same time, I rush forward, raise my sword, and use [Combo]! My target: the Hellhound!
  
  
  
  "397!"
  
  
  
  "422!"
  
  
  
  "447!"
  
  
  
  Sadly, after three strikes the Hellhound still hasn"t died and has around 50% HP.
  
  
  
  Growl!
  
  
  
  The Hellhound growls, and it jumps pounces at my chest. I twist my body, and my sword"s edge skims the Hellhound, taking away 200+ HP. But within a moment, my HP is below 50%, from its attack. I immediately back off, and get Bobo to attack the Hellhound!
  
  
  
  "Ah?"
  
  
  
  Feng Han suddenly smiles in self-mockery. He never would have thought the tactic he just used would be copied and used by me.
  
  
  
  With a bang Feng Han kicks his Hellhound away, and at the same time he uses his level 4 swordsman skill [Haste]: Increases attack speed by 8% and movement speed by 4%. After he kicked the Hellhound, his sword also aims straight at Bobo"s head!
  
  
  
  Boom!
  
  
  
  "389!"
  
  
  
  In a blink, Bobo goes into critical condition again. Feng Han"s recovery and reaction time is extremely scary. In addition, this guy"s ability to adjust to the situation is very strong as well, he is a very scary opponent, or else Yan Zhao would have been able defeat him!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  I can only get Bobo to run for his life, and I also grab my sword and get as far away from Feng Han as I can. He calmly gulps down a health potion, and returns to full health once more. With him and his Hellhound, I could be killed in a single strike!
  
  
  
  But, as fast as I can go, his speed is way superior to mine, and I can"t escape!
  
  
  
  "Hey!"
  
  
  
  Feng Han lowers his sword, and it bounces against the ground, cutting the grass with every bounce. His smile is full malice, and he laughs, "Xiao Yao Zi Zai! You know, you"re quite unique. But do you really think that you can survive when I want to kill you? You"re better off dreaming!"
  
  
  
  "......"
  
  
  
  I don"t stop moving. My attacks and tactics have been seen through by Feng Han so I have no way out. To be honest, if my gaming skill wasn"t so bad, previously in [Conquest] I wouldn"t have been ranked over 3 millionth place.
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Behind me, Feng Han comes closer and closer. I can almost feel Feng Han"s sword on my back, its a really bad feeling, but I can"t do anything about it. My pet control isn"t impressive, and Bobo"s attack patterns are quite foreign to me. I really can"t see any chance of winning. [Combo] and my custom combo are really easily broken or dodged by him, and I can"t land a sure attack!
  
  
  
  I scan around me, and within the forest, I see 3 level 39 Ice Rats scuttling around. An idea pops up into my mind, and it seems possible. Should I try it out?
  
  
  
  Holding my sword, I get Bobo to follow me. A few seconds later we reach the hill, and with a jump, we disappear into the forest!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  I step on some turnips, and my entire body rolls towards some bushes. The 3 Ice Rats immediately start to chirp, and within 10 yards in front of me, they start casting [Ice Cone]!
  
  
  
  Behind me, Feng Han smiles arrogantly, "Don"t pointlessly struggle Xiao Yao Zi Zai..."
  
  
  
  I turn around, and as those 3 Ice Rats fire their [Ice Cones] at me, I put away my sword, and I punch towards Bobo! At the same time, after Bobo receives my punch, he also raised his stringer, and stung my chest. We exchanged attacks!
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  "Damn!" Feng Han"s face goes green, "Damn it, how did I not think of it..."
  
  
  
  That"s right, aggro diversion!
  
  
  
  Aggro diversion is a rule for wild monsters. Originally the 3 Ice Rats"s aggro were on me, but since I was attacking something else, their aggro immediately changes, and also Bobo attacked me, so as a result the aggro landed on the player behind me, Feng Han, who wasn"t attacking anyone!
  
  
  
  Rustle rustle...
  
  
  
  The three [Ice Cones] fly out, and they bring three damage numbers--
  
  
  
  "276!"
  
  
  
  "298!"
  
  
  
  "304!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  Feng Han"s HP is nearly gone, and his entire body is coated with a layer of frost from the attack, lowering his movement speed. At the same time, that Hellhound growls as it pounds towards me. He"s decided that if he dies, the Hellhound to kill me as well!
  
  
  
  Whoosh!
  
  
  
  I hold my sword and dash towards Feng Han, and with a low yell, and 0.2 seconds of preparation, I release [Wind Blade], aimed at Feng Han"s neck! He"s been slowed so it doesn"t matter how powerful or quick he is, he won"t be able to dodge this!
  
  
  
  "Gah, I don"t accept this..."
  
  
  
  Feng Han only says that, and then his body goes limp, and falls on the grass.
  
  
  
  "579!"
  
  
  
  ......
  
  
  
  The Hellhound also disappears with him and I return my sword back to the sheath. Feng Han dropped a couple of health potions and nothing else. I immediately run out of the Ice Rat"s attack range. After running a few hundred meters, I finally got rid of the aggro.
  
  
  
  I take a deep breath. At least I killed him once in revenge. I should switch areas to grind, this isn"t a place where I should stay...
  
  
   Through the night, on the other side of the forest, I kill countless Ice Rats, and I return to level 32. Feng Han also hasn"t appeared again. He was level 37 originally, and pretty close to Yan Zhao in the leaderboard, but with my [Wind Blade] he went back down to level 36 so is probably monster killing to get his levels back.
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