Chapter 36 – Fight to the Death
by Salted FishThe leader of Meteor Blitz needed to heal his wounds, but the leader of the Ghost Server Legion needed it even more.
Because while the former could still receive comfort from his teammates, the latter—
Polly: “It’s fate.”
Jiang Yang: “Serves you right for being dumb enough not to change your password, hahaha…”
438: “Commander, even if you fought to the end, you might not have won…”
2B: “Oh my god, I laughed so hard I can’t breathe, I need a break~~”
Sister Blood Bull: “At least we can finally do team battles now.”
Damn it, is there no humanity left?!
Thus, the first match of the first group in the second round came to a half-hearted conclusion, leaving the contestant in tears, the audience deflated, and the commentator on the verge of a breakdown.
Brother Feifan swallowed two digestive pills to ease the frustration in his chest before his fingers flew across the keyboard again—
[System] Commentator: The opening match was truly a test for the audience, but as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait! We firmly believe the next two players will bring us an even more exciting showdown!
[System] Commentator: Mad Lad vs. Gentle Blade!
As the commentator’s message scrolled across the screen, the Assassin and the Demon Refiner appeared at their respective starting positions.
This round’s map was special—an ancient tomb. The confined space limited the players’ vision and movement. Mad Lad spawned in a burial chamber, surrounded by nothing but cold stone walls and a few sarcophagi on the ground. Gentle Blade, on the other hand, spawned right in the middle of a tomb passage. The passage was only wide enough for two people to walk side by side, with narrow stone walls on either side and pitch-black darkness stretching ahead and behind, making it impossible to tell which direction to go.
Gentle Blade summoned his Fire Sprite pet first, instantly illuminating the tomb passage slightly with the flames it emitted.
Mad Lad, meanwhile, traversed several burial chambers before finally entering the pitch-black passage.
The two contestants moved forward cautiously, like travelers lost in the dark.
Brother Feifan had nothing to say, so he simply watched and waited.
Then, the two players, unwilling to stay silent, started chatting—
[Arena] Gentle Blade: Hey handsome=_=
[Arena] Mad Lad: Impressive. You can see through the darkness and judge me by my ID alone.
[Arena] Gentle Blade: Even Sister Feng1A Chinese internet celebrity (real name Luo Yufeng) who became famous around 2009 for her statements about her own superiority and her impossibly high standards for a future husband, despite not being conventionally attractive. would be a beauty in my eyes=_=
[Arena] Mad Lad: You’ve got no standards, and that’s not good.
[Arena] Gentle Blade: So you’re underground too?
[Arena] Mad Lad: Misery loves company.
[Arena] Gentle Blade: So, should we fight down here or go back up?
[Arena] Mad Lad: Up to you. I’m fine either way.
[Arena] Gentle Blade: Honestly, you should just surrender. I’m not fighting alone—if you even last till my second pet, I’ll be impressed.
[Arena] Mad Lad: Hope your pets are tough enough. Don’t disappoint me.
[Arena] Gentle Blade: Why can’t I see you yet?
[Arena] Mad Lad: XX, XX. Waiting for you.
Mad Lad dropped his coordinates, causing an uproar in the audience. The reason? The guy had posted his real coordinates—and then just stood there! He was practically demonstrating the phrase “sitting duck” with his life on the line!
Fang Zheng was also losing his mind. He had just suffered a frustrating loss and was counting on this guy to restore their pride: “Are we sure it’s the Assassin playing? Did someone else take over? This gentlemanly act isn’t his style!”
438 kindly reminded him, “Commander, the Assassin won fair and square last time too…”
Fang Zheng: “…”
Fine. He had already mentally labeled the guy as an old scoundrel, and it was hard to shake that impression.
Gentle Blade naturally didn’t believe his opponent had given his real coordinates, but based on experience, the enemy was likely nearby anyway. Just like the last match, this map offered no advantage for ambushes—because ambushes relied on familiarity with the terrain, and this convoluted labyrinth of a map served no purpose other than to waste time. So, to actually engage in combat, both sides preferred to meet up as soon as possible.
Moreover, unlike open-field maps where a single coordinate could be approached from multiple angles, the tomb passage was so narrow that even if Gentle Blade wanted to avoid a direct confrontation, he had no choice but to steadily advance toward Mad Lad.
Jiang Yang sat in front of his computer, eyes narrowed as he vigilantly scanned his surroundings. Their healer had just lost a round, so this match was crucial. If he lost too, it wasn’t just about face—it would deal a heavy blow to the entire legion’s morale. He realized he really didn’t like that idea.
The last time he’d felt this sense of honor—this “I must win for the team” mentality—was back in middle school during a sports competition.
So, was he regressing in life?
And worse, he was enjoying it?!
Jiang Yang felt like he’d been cursed by Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng. He’d remembered the name when transferring money because it sounded like a girl’s. But the moment the guy opened his mouth, any trace of innocence vanished, leaving only the urge to kick and bully him.
Before Jiang Yang could dwell on it further, a red glow appeared on his screen.
The Fire Sprite pet! Jiang Yang reacted almost instantly.
[System] Commentator: After a long wait and much groping in the dark, the Ghost Server Assassin has finally encountered the Demon Refiner’s pet!
[System] Commentator: In an open-field battle, the Assassin could’ve used Stealth for an ambush or outmaneuvered the pet to attack the Demon Refiner directly. But the tomb passage restricts all of that. The Demon Refiner was right—if the Assassin wants to win, he’ll have to break through all three pets!
[System] Commentator: Three pets! A Blood Warrior or Berserker might be able to tank them, but for a leather-armor class like the Assassin, it’s rough!
[System] Commentator: Wait—the Assassin switched to a bow! The Fire Sprite was hit by a Frost Arrow!
Sure enough, the Fire Sprite on-screen turned into an ice statue, frozen in place. Two seconds was all Jiang Yang needed to charge at the Demon Refiner!
Just as the audience thought the Assassin was about to engage in close combat, the Fire Sprite suddenly vanished, replaced by a massive brown bear that instantly blocked the path between the Assassin and the Demon Refiner!
Everything happened in a flash. By the time anyone processed it, Mad Lad was already locked in battle with the bear!
[Contestant] Beef with Scallions: Smart move by the Assassin, but the Demon Refiner’s APM is even faster.
[Contestant] Pork with Celery: It’s not just APM. He probably prepped the pet swap the moment he saw the arrow change.
[Contestant] Bastard Zeng: Game sense and mechanics.
[Contestant] Greatsword: Tsk, the Vice Guild Leader of Meteor Blitz didn’t earn his title for nothing=_=
[Contestant] Water Phantom: Commander, you’re awake?
[Contestant] Greatsword: …
[Contestant] Greatsword: When the hell was I ever unconscious?!
Jiang Yang couldn’t see the outside world. Right now, his eyes were locked on this damn bear! Since the Frost Arrow trick was foiled, there was only one path left—fight head-on! A surge of determination welled up in Jiang Yang’s chest, fueling his fingers as they rapidly and precisely hammered skill keys.
Fuck it, so what if it’s three pets? Might as well be a foursome! If there was one thing he was confident about, it was his stamina!
[System] Commentator: The brown bear has fallen! Gentle Blade summons the Fire Sprite again!
[System] Commentator: The bear already took half the Assassin’s HP. Will he fall at the second pet, just as the Demon Refiner predicted?
[System] Commentator: No—the Assassin is speeding up! His DPS is shockingly high!
[System] Commentator: The Fire Sprite is down to a third of its HP!
[System] Commentator: Gentle Blade recalls the Fire Sprite and swaps in a full-HP Shaman pet! He’s going for a war of attrition!
[System] Commentator: Wait—the Assassin fires another Frost Arrow! The Shaman is frozen! The Assassin is closing in on the Demon Refiner! If he gets close, with his DPS, he could one-shot the Demon Refiner!
[System] Commentator: Sure enough, at the critical moment, the Demon Refiner swaps back to the Fire Sprite to block!
[System] Commentator: The Assassin continues savaging the Fire Sprite!
[System] Commentator: The Fire Sprite is down! The Assassin is almost out of HP!
[System] Commentator: The Assassin charges at the Demon Refiner for the Nth time! The Shaman reappears!
[System] Commentator: Another Frost Arrow! The Shaman is frozen! This time, the Demon Refiner has no pets left to swap!
[System] Commentator: The Assassin is closing in! The Demon Refiner flees desperately! But the Assassin seems faster!
[System] Commentator: He’s catching up! He’s caught him!
[System] Commentator: The Assassin has landed his first hit on the Demon Refiner!
As the Assassin’s blade struck, the Shaman—still slowed by the Frost Arrow—slowly caught up from behind and swiped at Mad Lad without hesitation! But Mad Lad was sandwiched between the Shaman and the Demon Refiner, so he ignored the attacks from behind and fired another Frost Arrow, locking the Demon Refiner in place to prevent further escape.
For the next stretch, the audience witnessed a brutal three-way battle—Shaman clawing the Assassin, Assassin stabbing the Demon Refiner—until finally, the squishy Demon Refiner collapsed first.
Mad Lad had about an eighth of his HP left. If the Shaman hadn’t vanished with its master’s defeat, one or two more swipes might have ended him.
But this was the PvP Tournament. Even if you survived with a single drop of HP, you were the winner.
And only the winner had the right to regale the audience with his tale of blood and tears—
[Arena] Mad Lad: Three pets? Back when I was getting chewed up by a dozen mobs on the Path of Infamy, you were still wearing open-crotch pants, you little shit!
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