Chapter 153: Brute Force (1/2)

The next match appeared on the big screen. Before we knew it, it was already the final of the “Who Will Fight Me” tournament!

Peach Garden:

Indigo Collar LV-62 Warrior

Moon Scar LV-61 Assassin

Soft Nocturne LV-61 Bard

Wheel Shadow LV-62 Archer

Painted Skin LV-62 Mage

Bloody Mercenaries:

Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand LV-64 Undead Swordsman

Beiming Xue LV-63 Dark Archer

Gui Guzi LV-63 Undead Knight

Yamete LV-60 Priest

Amazing Expert LV-60 Warrior

…...

Level-wise both teams were pretty similar, and everyone had finished their third promotions. The key difference lay in the fact that Peach Garden had a high-level bard, and Bloody Mercenaries had three top-rate dark players. Both sides had good reasons to be wary of each other.

Swhoosh swhoosh...

Ten players were teleported into the tournament stage about 25 yards away from each other. They were free to make any last minute adjustments until the countdown hit zero. Once the barrier disappeared, both sides would meet one another in a clash of metal and blood.

The young warrior, Indigo Collar was gripping his blade and watching us with a half-smile. Behind him, the assassin Moon Scar was bending slightly so that he could enter stealth at any moment. They were definitely not someone we could underestimate. Their battle stances, class synergy, and teamwork were better than any other opponent we had encountered thus far.

Snowy Cathaya’s defeat hadn’t been entirely undeserved. Even if Lin Yixin had been in top form, their chances of winning still wouldn’t exceed 50%.

As I watched the five enemies in front of me, I couldn’t help but think that the waters of the gaming world run too deep. Who knows how many more experts like the ones before me were training in the mountains and waiting for their moment to shine? The reason I was never able to become as arrogant as Roaming Dragon was because one, I just wasn’t born or raised that way, and two, I had never thought myself to be insurmountable.

Peach Garden hadn’t lost a single match all the way to the finals, and not even Snowy Cathaya, the guild of the Fruit Knife Goddess, was able to halt their footsteps. They were destined to become a powerful force in Floating Ice City, and who knows, maybe Peach Garden was plotting the same thing as us. Maybe we both wanted to use this competition as the stepping stone to further our conquest!

Indigo Collar clutched his sword and smiled at me. “Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand, huh? Heheh, I didn’t think we would run into you and your men in the final! Whatever the outcome of this final may be, know that you have my sincere respect. You are the only person in the entire Floating Ice City who has the courage to challenge Gods of Destruction alone. Even I am not that courageous…”

Indigo Collar chuckled. “That being said, I’m not giving up the first place of this competition to anyone. I’m sorry, but the Bloody Mercenaries are going to die just like Snowy Cathaya!”

Behind me, Beiming Xue raised her bow and retorted, “You talk big for someone who got lucky. Do you really think you would stand here had Wind Fantasy been in her best shape?”

Indigo Collar smiled uncaringly. “It doesn’t matter. When it comes to five-man matches, I’m certain that Peach Garden is unsurpassed in Floating Ice City. Like it or not, you are not winning this fight!”

Beiming Xue was panting with rage. So young and innocent. She had a long way to go before she could truly master her own emotions.

Gui Guzi asked in the team channel, “How should we fight this, boss?”

I replied, “They have a third-promotion bard, and that’s very scary. Act as you see fit, but always remember to focus-fire whoever their bard applies her buff to. Lil Beiming, you’re the crowd control of our team. Anyone you shoot, we’ll prioritize killing them before anyone else. Mamate, protect yourself. Move backward if you think the situation demands it. Get it?”

They all nodded and said, “You don’t need to tell us…”

“...”

Ah, fuck them. Let the final match begin!

The system began its countdown.

3!

2!

1!

Start!

Soft Nocturne, the enemy bard, took action the second the battle began. First, she played the zither twice and applied Divine Valor and Death Match to Indigo Collar. Then, she applied an instant buff on the archer, Wheel Shadow, that increased his critical rate by 25%. What a crazy lass!

“Die!”

I raised my sword and charged straight at Indigo Collar. This warrior had 2 buffs on him, so I had to be the one to stop him. No one else in Bloody Mercenaries could deal with a 20% stat increase!

“Heh!”

Indigo Collar gave me an eerie smile at me before charging toward me like a bull. I smiled right back. After I recovered from my illness, my brain lag was actually reduced to the point where I was slightly above the average person. Plus, I had predicted that he would use Charge on me!

Rustle rustle…

I slid 5 yards to the right in one smooth motion. Indigo Collar withdrew his lazy, arrogant smile when his Charge completely missed me!

Here’s my chance!

I launched a Charge of my own seeing the enemy failing. After many days of observation, I discovered a fatal flaw in the skill. There was about half a second of pause when a player reached the end of a Charge. While the player could still attack like normal, they were rooted at the spot for that split moment.

Considering my current reaction speed, half a second was enough for me to whatever I needed!