In this moment, Ghost Blade’s mentality was worlds apart from Gu Fei’s. After those three consecutive attacks, his body was drenched in cold sweat. The last hit, especially, was a completely subconscious movement on his part to protect himself which had helped him block that attack.
The other party was a Mage, while he was a Thief. Naturally, it should be him who tried to think of a way to draw near to the other party, while the Mage, by any means necessary, should aim to maintain a safe distance with him, using long range spells to attack.
But now, it was actually the Mage who was brandishing a dagger, confronting the Thief head-on. In the end, after the Thief had come close and took those three melee hits, he moved far away from the Mage and did not dare to come forth. No matter how abundant his experience with online games was, Ghost Blade had definitely never expected that there would be a day where he would have to experience this sort of scenario. At first he was actually pretty apprehensive of the Mage’s first magic skill: [Fireball]. Despite it being an entry level spell, if the [Fireball] really hit him squarely head on, the injury that he would sustain was equivalent to two to three of his own strikes. However, this Mage simply did not use his magic skill. Instead, he had actually taken out a dagger and slashed at him consecutively three times. This matter was simply too unreasonable!
Thus, they were locked in a stalemate as neither of them dared to rashly approach the other at this moment.
Ghost Blade rapidly went through all the tactics he had in his head. He had not learned any long range attacks yet and in order to knock the other party down, he had to get close to him. However, the mere thought of drawing into another melee with this Mage caused cold sweat to reappear on his forehead.
“Uh, Fireball…” Gu Fei suddenly turned to face the crowd of people and spoke. However, with a faint – Hu! – a [Fireball] rapidly ignited in front of him.
Shit. Due to his restraining fear towards that guy’s close combat abilities, he had forgotten that his opponent was still a Mage when all was said and done. Once Ghost Blade saw the [Fireball], he did not wait for the other party to unleash his attack as he had already started advancing in an irregular S-shaped maneuver. He had already seen Mages deploying the [Fireball] in this game. After the [Fireball] shot out, there would be a short instance where it would lock onto its target within an extremely small area of effect. As long as one did not get hit or if they ran out of the effective area of effect during that timeframe, it was possible to dodge the skill.
Ghost Blade continued with his crazy dance in the middle of the crowd, cautiously awaiting the single word – “Shoot,” – from Gu Fei. Unexpectedly, Gu Fei simply stared blankly at the conjured [Fireball] in front of him and mumbled to himself, “I wasn’t calling you… I was calling that Fireball…”
– Hu! – The [Fireball] extinguished. However, immediately after, a second [Fireball] ignited. As it did, Ghost Blade brought his crazed dance up to a new level of insanity. In spite of that, Gu Fei’s [Fireball] still lingered without being shot for a long period of time. He just stood there not knowing what to do, eventually allowing the [Fireball] to extinguish on its own.
At a distance, he had to be wary of this [Fireball], while he was also unable to gain the upperhand in close combat. How should he even fight this… He had no other choice, he would have to use that! Ghost Blade was under the impression that Gu Fei conjured the [Fireballs] to control his movements. Without waiting for Gu Fei to ignite the third [Fireball], Ghost Blade unleashed his class skill. His figure gradually thinned and resembled a dense fog and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared from everyone’s sight.
“[Conceal]!” Someone shouted from within the crowd.
[Conceal] was a trump card for the Thief class but it wasn’t worth getting shocked over. The real cause of everyone’s surprise was that [Conceal] was a skill that only thieves who were Level 24 and above could learn. Although everyone knew that Ghost Blade’s level surely slightly surpassed their own, they hadn’t expected the gap to be so large. He was worthy to be the top ranked player in the world of online gaming. In the blink of an eye, those who were still deeply worrying over Gu Fei’s previous three attacks were now brimming with confidence.
In online games, levels were everything. Level 25 versus Level 10 – such a big gap in levels, could that even be considered a fight?
Having vanished before everyone’s eyes, Ghost Blade was now hiding in a certain position on the field, closely paying attention to Gu Fei’s movements.
He had not activated [Conceal] right from the start. This was completely due to Mage’s Level 6 skill – [Resistive Ring of Fire]
One of the characteristics of [Conceal] was that as soon as one launched an attack or got hit, they would immediately become visible again. Although the attack power of [Resistive Ring of Fire] was insignificant, it enveloped the body and covered a small radius away from the wielder as well. Therefore, thieves had no way of quietly closing in on Mages under the circumstances whereby the Mages were still utilising the [Resistive Ring of Fire].
Of course, the [Resistive Ring of Fire] also had a weakness. The skill had a duration and a cooldown period. Due to the disparity between the two, Mages were unable to guarantee that the [Resistive Ring of Fire] could cover their bodies at all times. It was during those intersecting moments that unleashing a sneak attack while using [Conceal] to draw close to the opponent was most effective.
Taking into account his own experiences, Ghost Blade had come up with two ways to deal with that skill: The first was PK-ing a beginner Mage which was by breaking the [Resistive Ring of Fire] as soon as the fight started; The second was that the opponent definitely would not suspect that he had already grasped the skill [Conceal] that only a Level 24 and up Thief could possess. Therefore, his original plan was to wait until Gu Fei’s [Resistive Ring of Fire] went on cooldown before using [Conceal], sealing the deal with a single fatal strike.
However, looking at the current situation, his two inferences were totally wrong. Gu Fei had neither cast [Resistive Ring of Fire], nor did he reveal any trace of astonishment with the appearance of his [Conceal] skill. To add to that, this Mage’s close combat capabilities were even more fearsome than a Thief such as him… If Ghost Blade hadn’t experienced it for himself, this whole scenario would be utterly unimaginable.
Under these circumstances, Ghost Blade had no choice but to use [Conceal] first. He believed that after seeing his opponent cast [Conceal], the Mage would immediately counter with [Resistive Ring of Fire] for sure. However, his [Conceal]’s effective duration was three seconds longer than that of the [Resistive Ring of Fire]. Thus, he would first close in, and wait for the [Resistive Ring of Fire] to enter cooldown before using these three seconds to approach the other party and eradicate his opponent. Unless… the other party’s [Resistive Ring of Fire] had been levelled up before and would then last longer than his [Conceal]. This, however, was merely hypothetical; neither time nor money permitted a Level 10 character to upgrade any of the abilities in their skill tree.
Through his understanding of the game, he could make accurate predictions, and finally drew up the most optimal assault strategy – this was Ghost Blade’s online gaming style. Even if the opponent was only a Level 10 Mage, he would not hold him in contempt.
What a pity, he had made a wrong deduction yet again.
Gu Fei still did not activate [Resistive Ring of Fire], neither did he wander around the field in an attempt to dodge his invisible opponent. He was still standing there without even moving a single inch from his original spot.
“Could it be that… he still hasn’t learned the skill, [Resistive Ring of Fire]? Or is it that he really is an absolute noob that can’t get any noobier?” Ghost Blade was bewildered. However, time waits for no man. He swiftly closed in on Gu Fei while trying to predict the possible routes that Gu Fei would take.
However, Gu Fei didn’t move an inch; he didn’t even lift a finger. Ghost Blade was even skeptical if he were to stand in front of the latter and blow a puff of air in his face for him to have even a little sense of danger?
In the blink of an eye, Ghost Blade arrived behind Gu Fei, yet the latter had no reaction whatsoever. Ghost Blade already didn’t have the luxury to think any further. The duration of his [Conceal]’s effect was about to run out. He was already prepared to unleash the most powerful offensive strike in his possession – Level 18 Thief skill: [Backstab].
Being true to its name, this attack displayed the most effectiveness when deployed behind a target. This ability caused the wielder to deal 200% + 40 daMage under normal circumstances. Even though the effect of [Conceal] would disappear the instant that [Backstab] was activated and the gasp of surprise from the surrounding crowd would alert Gu Fei, the dagger would have already stabbed through his heart by then. With a difference of 14 levels and a Mage being totally vulnerable to a Thief’s [Backstab], Ghost Blade could not imagine any other outcome apart from total annihilation.
With regards to the encircled audience, nobody understood the changes that were taking place on the field. No one knew that Ghost Blade was already in position behind Gu Fei right now.
Yet at this moment, Gu Fei suddenly turned around and extended his left hand out in one swift motion. The circle of spectators couldn’t help but let out a gasp of incomprehensible surprise. However, following closely after, Ghost Blade’s figure appeared in a cloud of air. He extended his right hand that was tightly gripping a dagger but that right wrist of his had been steadily seized by Gu Fei’s left hand.
For a moment, everyone froze, yet, time itself had not stopped.
With a twist of Gu Fei’s left hand, Ghost Blade felt a jolt of pain in his wrist, causing his fingers to lose all their strength and for his palm to open up. The dagger that Ghost Blade was holding tightly in his right hand fell to the ground as a result. Gu Fei stretched out his right hand, and whilst flexing his fingers, dropped the weapon that was originally in his hands while scooping up the dagger that Ghost Blade had dropped at the same time. Following the guidance of Gu Fei’s left hand, Ghost Blade’s right arm had been twisted behind his back and Gu Fei had already moved swiftly over. Gu Fei then raised his right hand and placed the dagger horizontally against Ghost Blade’s throat.
These few movements caused Gu Fei to be like a falcon that swooped down when a hare was flushed out. When everyone in the surroundings had come to their senses, Ghost Blade had already been completely subdued by Gu Fei.
The cold edge of a blade was placed against his throat. However, no one knew whether this was really a deterrent situation since it was merely an online game after all. Nonetheless, anyone with eyes could tell who really was the one coming out victorious in this duel.
“Ahh! Beautiful!!!” The one who suddenly made a sound was Fireball. Thinking that once Gu Fei lost, the opposing party would fix him up too, Fireball was no less apprehensive. Upon witnessing Gu Fei’s brilliant victory in this moment, he was in high spirits. He dashed out of the encirclement and stood between the two, applauding. Patting Ghost Blade on the back, Fireball remarked, “You’ve reached Level 25, right? Yet you got rekt by a Level 10, do you admit defeat? Hahaha!” He had a conceited expression on his face, as if he were the one who had thoroughly defeated Ghost Blade.
Ghost Blade was deathly pale; he had definitely lost to the point where he had accepted this reality. Despite being invisible and presented with the perfect opportunity to use his [Backstab] skill, he had been caught; there was nothing unconvincing about his defeat. Being merely a Level 25 Thief, there was only so much he could do. Who the heck was this guy? In retrospect, seeing the moves that he used, it practically wasn’t part of the game’s pre-installed moveset.
Nevertheless, accepting one’s defeat did not mean he was delighted in losing. In this moment, Ghost Blade’s heart was a complete gamut of all five flavours. Apart from being suspicious of Gu Fei’s unnatural abilities, he also lamented at his own incapability. To think that the very person who stood at the summit of online gaming, had now been defeated by a Mage 15 levels below him. Had everything that he had accomplished in the past really become obsolete?
As he was currently deep in thought, his back suddenly loosened. Gu Fei had already released him from the armlock. Ghost Blade turned around and took two steps back, looking at Gu Fei, before inquiring, “What is your name?”
“Thousand Miles Drunk!” Gu Fei replied.
“Very well. I will come and find you again!” Ghost Blade said.
Gu Fei smiled and nodded. Ghost Blade turned around and was about to leave when Gu Fei suddenly called out to him. “Wait, your dagger.” As he spoke, he threw the dagger to Ghost Blade.
Ghost Blade stretched his hand out and caught it but he was inwardly startled. The name of this dagger was <Frosted Memories>. In addition to its base daMage, it also gave a secondary dexterity boost of 25, a 30% chance of dealing a fatal strike, and a 10% chance of inflicting Level 3 Freeze. This was a dagger that Ghost Blade had obtained from aggroing a BOSS whose level was unknown by unintentionally using the forest’s topography. At present, out of all the weapons announced on the official website, none of the weapons surpassed <Frosted Memories> in terms of its attributes. For Ghost Blade’s complexion to be so deathly white after his loss, was partially due to this dagger falling into Gu Fei’s hands.
But now, Gu Fei had actually flung the dagger back to him. Ghost Blade gripped it tightly in disbelief and simply did not dare to believe that this was true. At present, online games were full of Ren Min Bi Warriors*. For such top quality equipment, it would be worth a few months salary of an ordinary person even if it was just casually put up for sale. Yet, to this youngster standing before his eyes… Was he not aware of this or if he was, what was wrong with him?
Ghost Blade could not understand, nor did he know what to say. He could only give Gu Fei a nod and express his thanks. He then turned around and left.
……
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