Chapter 401
What happened?
Gentle Snow, who watched the fight from the spectator stands, focused on Cao Chenghua, her mind replaying Cao Chenghua’s last attack.
No matter how she looked at it, Zhao Yueru had blocked the attack. Yet, somehow, Cao Chenghua’s sword had appeared somewhere completely different.
It was like a magical sword.
Zhao Yueru was just as confused. She could not understand what had happened. However, she no longer had the time to think on it.
Cao Chenghua’s attack dealt -1,241 damage, reducing Zhao Yueru’s originally low HP to 470 points. If she suffered another attack, she would die.
Mages were especially weak in terms of Defense, Strength, and Agility. If a melee class like the Berserker close in on a mage, only tragedy awaited them.
Zhao Yueru instinctively used Flame Circle, a type of instantaneous activation spell. Immediately, a ring of flame expanded outwards, forcing her enemies to retreat.
Cao Chenghua remained unfazed by the incoming flames as he swung his greatsword down at them.
_Boom!_
Cao Chenghua’s greatsword sliced apart the ring of flame. However, he was still forced to take a step back due to the resulting impact, abruptly stopping his attack momentum.
Taking this chance, Zhao Yueru retreated while pelting Cao Chenghua with Frost Arrows.
“Don’t even think of escaping!” Cao Chenghua roared. Enduring the attacks from the Frost Arrows, he sent a Horizontal Sweep at Zhao Yueru.
Zhao Yueru used her staff to defend once more.
This time, Zhao Yueru focused on the greatsword, devoting her full attention to determining the weapon’s trajectory.
Just as Iron Cutter was about to land, Zhao Yueru quickly shifted her staff to block the attack.
Cao Chenghua, however, simply revealed a mocking smile as he focused all his power into his slash.
Once again, something strange occurred…
Cao Chenghua’s Iron Cutter suddenly disappeared before reappearing and striking Zhao Yueru’s blindspot.
Before Zhao Yueru realized what had happened, her body was on the ground, her vision darkening.
“Zhao Yueru, do you understand now? Only by following me will you have a bright future ahead of you,” Cao Chenghua said as he looked down at Zhao Yueru’s fallen body.
Zhao Yueru wanted to rise and retaliate. Unfortunately, her HP had already fallen to zero…
Victor in the first match: Cao Chenghua!
Meanwhile, not only had Zhao Yueru lost a level after dying, but she had also dropped a piece of her equipment and lost a significant amount of Skill Proficiency.
After resurrecting, Zhao Yueru walked up to Gentle Snow, her disappointment written all over her face. Feeling deeply ashamed, she said, “Snow, I’m sorry…”
Her loss had undoubtedly increased the burden on the later fights. After all, out of the next four matches, they needed to win three to win this competition.
“It’s not your fault. Cao Chenghua hid his strength too well. Not only did he learn a control removal skill, but he also learned a new, mysterious skill. There is nothing wrong with losing to him,” Gentle Snow comforted. “Leave the rest to me.”
“Mhm.” Zhao Yueru silently nodded, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
Although Gentle Snow had consoled her, she could not forgive herself. What frustrated her the most was the fact that she didn’t even know how she had lost.
Shi Feng, who had observed the fight from a distance, was similarly surprised.
Since when had Cao Chenghua become so strong?
Thinking back to Cao Chenghua and his team’s expressions, Shi Feng finally understood why they had been so confident in Cao Chenghua’s victory.
“Big Brother Ye Feng, do you know what sort of skill this Cao Chenghua used? Even after watching the match, I still failed to discern the attack pattern of that strike of his. Cao Chenghua’s attack clearly wasn’t that fast, yet, his blade had suddenly vanished and reappeared somewhere else. How can anybody block such an attack?” Violet Cloud was curious about Cao Chenghua’s previous attacks.
If Cao Chenghua possessed such a strange skill, then one could only kite him and kill him from a distance.
“Did you think that was a skill?” Shi Feng chuckled.
“Was it not a Berserker’s skill?” Violet Cloud asked, surprise filling her face.
Shi Feng shook his head, explaining, “That isn’t an in-game skill. Rather, it is a martial arts technique.”
“A martial arts technique?” Violet Cloud gaped. If anyone else had said these words, she would suspect that they were boasting. However, if they came from Shi Feng, they must be true.
“Cao Chenghua used a technique similar to rock-paper-scissors, using ‘scissors’ before he took action. Zhao Yueru, upon noticing Cao Chenghua was about to use ‘scissors,’ naturally chose ‘rock.’ However, before the two clashed, Cao Chenghua suddenly changed to ‘paper.’. So, Cao Chenghua won, while Zhao Yueru could not figure out how Cao Chenghua had used ‘paper.’
“That’s the general idea of this technique. Although it sounds easy theoretically, it is actually quite difficult to pull off.
“One needs to have learned Omnivision and carefully observe their opponent. However, I’m not referring the ordinary observations we make. One needs to see the whole picture, looking at everything objectively without bias to gain insight into the enemy’s actions. When Cao Chenghua had attacked earlier, he had analyzed Zhao Yueru’s actions, her body’s movements, defensive positions, everything. Hence, when Zhao Yueru was about to defend herself, Cao Chenghua changed the trajectory of his attack, striking Zhao Yueru’s blindspot. By the time Zhao Yueru reacted, she had already taken damage.
“Of course, when Cao Chenghua swung his greatsword, he had also used a technique called Second Acceleration. When he swung his greatsword, he had not attacked with his full power, using only around 40%. Only when he changed his attack’s trajectory did he use his full power. Such a sudden acceleration leaves an after-image, causing one to think that the greatsword still followed its original trajectory. So, when you saw Cao Chenghua’s sword suddenly vanish, what you actually saw was a false image produced by your mind.
“Zhao Yueru does not possess such combat experience, and she has no martial arts training. It is only natural that she lost.”
A realization struck Violet Cloud as she listened to Shi Feng’s explanation.
After hearing Shi Feng, Violet Cloud felt as if a door had opened within her, and she had discovered a whole new world beyond that threshold.
So, players could use such techniques in battle…
As Violet Cloud recovered from her shock, a new thought suddenly popped into her mind.
_Since Big Brother Ye Feng can explain it in such detail, does that mean that Big Brother Ye Feng knows how to do it as well?_
The thought excited the young Cleric.
As Shi Feng and Violet Cloud discussed the fight among themselves, the system revealed the next pair of combatants.
Shi Feng then shifted his gaze to the electronic display above the arena.
Second match: Gentle Snow vs. Blackhearted Arrow.
Gentle Snow was a Berserker, while Blackhearted Arrow was a Ranger. Comparing classes, Berserkers were the more dominant of the two classes. Although Rangers had some close combat capabilities, their advantage lay in their ultra-long-range attacks. They were more suited for fighting in jungles or forests. In this arena with limited space and no obstacles to use as a cover, Rangers were at a disadvantage. Furthermore, Gentle Snow’s techniques were stronger than Blackhearted Arrow’s.
Despite being in such a disadvantageous position, however, Blackhearted Arrow was still very calm. There was even a hint of scorn in his eyes, his gaze void of the respect he had shown Gentle Snow in the past.
When both fighters entered the arena, the countdown for the battle began.
5…
4…
3…
2…
1…
Start!
Blackhearted Arrow immediately spun around and activated Wind Chaser, intending to increase the distance between him and his opponent.
However, Gentle Snow’s first attack stunned everyone present.