Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Hero’s Challenge (Part Six)

Pushing through the crowd, Murong Shanshan grabbed my hand and we jogged over to the trading post. She listed the shield for sale at 5,000 RMB, then smiled and said, "Watch closely. Tonight, we’ll come back and split whatever we earn. How about it—fifty-fifty?"

"You’re not serious, are you?" I was half amused, half exasperated. "Your sword aura skill was incredible—I only dodged it once by sheer luck. And where did you even learn that Frost Slash? That move’s almost invincible in PvP. If you’d used it right away, I wouldn’t have stood a chance."

"Hmph, as long as you know!" Murong Shanshan huffed, clearly unwilling to admit defeat. "I got Frost Slash from a quest." She had no idea that my own arsenal included skills like Frozen Edge and Berserker Slash, neither of which I'd even used yet—if she knew, who knows what she'd say.

I kept her company at the trading post for a while. Since potions weren’t allowed in the tournament matches, we didn’t buy any. There weren’t any skill books suitable for me either, and even if there were, I’d be reluctant to buy them. The prices for skill books had been driven sky-high by unscrupulous resellers—a basic Frost Arrow now cost over 2,000 RMB, and higher-level books were going for tens of thousands. Skill books above level 20 were rare to begin with. Thinking back, I’d managed to buy three such books with mere gold coins just a few days ago; what unbelievable luck that was.

"By the way, when will you help me grind reputation?" Murong Shanshan suddenly asked. So she hadn’t forgotten.

I thought for a moment. "Tonight, then. There aren’t any matches in the evening, and after the tournament, the high-level players will probably head to the main city. I won’t be coming back here to grind anymore."

She nodded and asked, "Are you sure you’re free tonight? Won’t you be hanging out with those girls from your studio—Keke, Flying Feather, and Temptation? They’re all beauties, aren’t they?"

I was surprised. "How did you know their in-game IDs?"

She snorted. "I watched your match this morning, of course I know. That Keke—she’s the priest you gave the purple necklace to, right? She’s really cute." There was a definite note of jealousy in her voice.

"Didn’t you have a match yourself? Why were you watching us?"

"I finished off five noobs in under a minute. Unlike you guys—dragged it out forever and even lost a teammate. So embarrassing!"

"…"

…

Beep!

A message from Xue Han—

"Lin Fan, assemble at the usual spot. Time for the next match!"

I checked the time—it was nearly two o’clock. I said goodbye to Murong Shanshan and headed over.

When the clock struck the hour, our five-person team was teleported into the arena. Our opponents were a random assortment, nothing impressive, and we made quick work of them. After so many matches, Xue Han, Xu Lin, and Xinyu had become ever more skilled and coordinated—especially Xue Han, whose healing prowess was unmatched in Gale City. I doubted there was a better priest than her.

By four thirty, we’d reached what amounted to the round of sixty-four and finally faced our first real challenge of the afternoon—

The opposing team was all level 26; just one level below Xue Han and the others, and a level above Li Qing. They had two mages, a priest, a knight, and a rogue. None of them wore blue gear, but their full set of green equipment made them formidable.

Xu Lin issued orders in a low voice: "Same strategy as usual. Xinyu and Lin Fan, take out their priest first, then the mages. The rest of us, focus on debuffing them and try not to get killed. Xue Han, watch the healing."

Even before she finished, the match began!

Their rogue vanished early on, while Xinyu’s Concussive Shot hit the priest. This time, it was a critical—the number 426 floated above the priest’s head. Unfortunately, their gear was solid, and their health dropped by only half.

I dashed forward, but was hit midway by a mage’s Frost Arrow, cutting my speed in half. The priest’s stun wore off almost immediately, and he cast a curse on me, while the other mage unleashed a long-charged Fireball—168 damage. The number surprised even them.

At last, a team had chosen me as their primary target. Too bad for them, their attacks weren’t as overwhelming as Murong Shanshan’s. After a single instant heal from Xue Han, my health was full again. Then, a milky white light fell over me as Xue Han’s Mana Dispel cleansed all debuffs, forming a Purification Aura at my feet—fifteen seconds immune to all curses and magical debuffs!

Swish!

A crisp red arc flared behind me, and I felt a sharp pain in my back. The rogue had backstabbed me, but it only did 88 damage. With my heavy armor, their pitiful attack couldn’t do anything fatal.

I closed in on the priest and unleashed a combo. Instantly, two notifications appeared!

System message: Player "Vegetable Soup with Jade" has killed player "Big Healer" with a combo!

System message: Congratulations! Your skill "Advanced Combo" has leveled up!

…

To my delight, my combo skill had leveled up during the match, reaching level 4—the legendary tier that allows three consecutive attacks!

Even after losing their priest, the enemy team didn’t panic. The knight and rogue attacked me from front and back, while the mages bombarded me with Fireballs. Despite my high defense and magic resistance, taking on four players at once was tough, and Xue Han’s steady healing was beginning to falter as my health dropped.

I shouted over the party channel: "Xinyu, team up with Lin-jie and focus the mages!"

Xinyu immediately switched targets, locking onto a mage. Her high attack, combined with the piercing effect of arrows, was deadly to the mage’s frail body. After a few quick shots, the mage was down.

My pressure eased, and I moved in on the remaining mage, just as my combo’s cooldown ended. I struck:

"345!"

"364!"

"324!"

A flash of white light—the level 26 mage, at full health, was killed instantly!

Only two opponents remained. The rogue stunned me as I prepared to strike back—maybe they realized that taking down the top player in town was unrealistic. After stunning me, they rushed at Xu Lin. Unfortunately, they underestimated her; the seemingly delicate mage unleashed a fully charged Magic Impact, instantly killing the half-health rogue. The knight, despite high defense, lost nearly half his health as well.

Xu Lin, after all, wore three high-level blue pieces—they had badly underestimated her…