Chapter 17: I’m Very Hur (2/2)

“Hmm, I should get to 30 as soon as possible. The skills I’ll get after my second class promotion will only be stronger!” I thought to myself before going online.

Swoosh!

Once again, I appeared inside the dim, dark confines of my grave. It was pitch-black everywhere except the single ray of light peeking from my tombstone. This hiding spot was just wonderful. Most players in Floating Ice City had to use tents when they logged off, but as a result, they stood out like a sore thumb in a training ground. In my case however, no one would ever suspect that my avatar was hidden in a grave.

Rustle rustle…

I pushed aside the rotten soil that formed the “entrance” to my resting spot and poked my head above the ground. By now, I had absorbed enough undead sparks to reach the level of a Bone Creature, and I had regrown a tiny amount of flesh. I was no longer just a skeleton. Unfortunately, it also made me look even more terrifying, and even I was shocked by my own appearance when I changed the camera angle.

Pat pat!

I patted away the dust and soil on my knees and tried to leave. Suddenly, a burning wind attacked me from the side!

It was Flame Thrust again!

Without thinking, I swung my sword and blocked the attack. At the same time, I slammed into my attacker and stabbed him twice through his chest armor with incredible agility. A green halo surrounded my sword as I shouted, “Admit defeat already!”

Crack!

The Forest Green Blade penetrated Gui Guzi’s chest without any resistance. Blood poured out of his wound as a huge damage number popped out—424!

It was a critical hit!

Gui Guzi’s attempt to defeat me came to an abrupt end just like that. He was unlucky. He would have had a small chance to turn this around if my counterattack hadn’t resulted in a critical hit.

“Ugh…”

Gui Guzi groaned before collapsing to the ground, his level falling from 20 to 19 again. Does he grind only to lose levels to me?

I hugged my sword and waited for him to revive. A few seconds later, Gui Guzi’s soul reentered his body, and he performed a cool-looking kip up to get back to his feet. He pointed his spear at me and asked, “You… are you really not Candlelight Shadow? Why is your technique so similar to his?!”

I smiled playfully at him. “Is that so? I told you I’m not Candlelight Shadow. Anyway, you should upgrade your equipment before you challenge me again. At least make me feel like going all out.”

“You!”

Gui Guzi glared at me. “Who on earth are you? There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize someone with your level of fluidity and rhythm. If you’re not the Martial God then… are you A Speck of Dust? Dark Shadow Drifter? Or… Falling Dust?”

“No, you can’t be Falling Dust…” Gui Guzi shook his head. “Falling Dust was crippled two years ago, so it can’t be him. Sigh, what a shame!”

I smiled. Gui Guzi was a pro himself, and he knew that unlike in real life, a professional player wasn’t someone who mastered the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms or anything of the sort. A pro player was just a normal person like everyone else. What really set them apart from the average person was their absolute mastery over their own rhythm and movement in a game.

Long story short, they were well-practiced.

I walked toward Frost Mound before stopping to look at Gui Guzi. I asked, “Bro, there’s something I want to know. You’ve lost to me 3 times already. Do you admit defeat?”

“Of…” Gui Guzi stared at me coldly and unyieldingly. “Of course not!”

I nodded. “Very good. You know, why don’t you look at this from another perspective? We can be friends. At the very least, I wouldn’t recommend you coming at my life every time we meet. Also, I’m planning to build a guild in the near future. Don’t you think it would be better if we join hands and sweep Floating Ice City together?”

“Ah?!”

Gui Guzi trembled before blurting out, “You… you’re willing to team up with me?”

“Why not?”

“Hmph!” Gui Guzi suddenly sneered at me disdainfully. “A true pro would never rely on others!”

“But you’re not a pro.”

Gui Guzi mulled over my offer for a moment before replying, “For now, I have no such plans. Let’s speak about it again in the future. However, I’m not done challenging you yet. Just you wait, I’ll work hard to catch up to you.”

“Very good!”

I turned around while various thoughts danced in my head. Although Gui Guzi’s current skill was perfectly average, he was both determined and talented. All true pros started like this. If I could make Gui Guzi submit to me, he would definitely become a pillar of my future guild.

As for my goal of building a guild, I suddenly recalled a memory from the past. The Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls and He Yi’s gorgeous face appeared in my mind—

A young man and a young woman stood beneath a cyan tree. He was a Warrior, she, an Archer.

He Yi looked at me and asked, “Lu Chen, what do you desire?”

I answered, “Money and women.”

Clearly dissatisfied, He Yi threw a forceful punch at me, so I corrected my answer to “career and love”. This time she gave me an approving smile.