Chapter 149 – Summit Showdown (Part 2)

After winning twelve consecutive matches, even resilient warriors like the Saints would have met Athena by now. Yet, after a brief rest and resupply, MadB Squad dove back into the Arena, ready to challenge their thirteenth opponent.

As they waited for the system to assign their rivals, the five squad members displayed varying degrees of emotional turbulence—2B was nervous, Mad Lad was expectant, Thousand Mountains was exhilarated, Everything Breaks unconsciously tightened his grip on the mouse, and Passing Master downed two cartons of Telunsu milk in one go.

But in reality, far more people—too many to count—were even more anxious than these battle-ready warriors. The audience! Among them were diehard fans who had loyally followed MadB through recent matches, wild fans drawn by reputation to witness the famed winning streak, teams taking breaks to scout their rivals… and even bettors waiting outside to see the results of their wagers. _(:з」∠)_

Though their motivations differed, their anticipation was the same—could MadB keep winning?

Continuing their streak would mean inching closer to the First Legion. Specifically, if they won two more matches, reaching 770 points, they would undoubtedly face the First Legion head-on. Because just moments ago, while MadB Squad was resting and resupplying outside the Arena, the second-ranked team on the Total Score Leaderboard—Frostbite Canyon, with 770 points—had lost to the First Legion for the second time, dropping back to 740 points and tying with Flame of the Gods for second place. Meanwhile, the other two teams with 740 and 710 points respectively seemed to have coordinated their moves, both entering Lover’s Constellation.

[Sky] New Moon Like a Hook: When I went to buy potions, they were tied for fifth in total points and sixth in individual points. By the time I bought dyes, they were fourth. The gods truly favor the dark horse…

[Sky] Shattered Rain: They won again?

[Sky] New Moon Like a Hook: They won without even fighting—the enemy surrendered.

[Sky] The Wind Rises: Humanity can no longer stop Thousand Mountains’ winning streak…

[Sky] Durian Noodles: Have you even watched the previous matches? You think it’s just Thousand Mountains who’s unstoppable? You humans are so naive.

[Sky] Savage Traveler: The real expert is their captain, Mad Lad. His gear is insane, his skills are sharp, and most importantly, his mindset is on another level—pure chivalry. Last match, when the enemy healer disconnected, he immediately had one of his own healers log off too, instantly channeling Guo Jing’s righteous spirit! It was like watching him spill blood to defend Xiangyang City!

[Sky] War-Bodhi Patriarch: Are we talking about the same MadB Squad we know?

[Sky] War-Sorrel: A scoundrel roaming the world isn’t scary—what’s scary is a scoundrel pretending to be a hero.

[Sky] Shattered Rain: Stop messing around. Arena recon—the match is up! They’re fighting Flame of the Gods!

Only when the battle truly begins does the match appear on the audience’s selection list. So when Shattered Rain shouted this, hundreds of spectators flooded in. But the two teams on the field were already oblivious to the outside noise, fully immersed in their own perspectives—

[Flame of the Gods] Guardian of the Gods – 740 points

[Flame of the Gods] Weapon of the Gods – 740 points

[Flame of the Gods] Milk Bottle of the Gods – 740 points

[Flame of the Gods] Fahai of the Gods – 740 points

[Flame of the Gods] Zongzi of the Gods – 740 points

Mad Lad: “Typical buddy-team setup.”

2B: “But a buddy-team that climbed to 740 points isn’t just any buddy-team.”

Everything Breaks: “More like a buddy-dagger squad, with a 200% synergy buff.”

Passing Master: “Huh, their names kinda resemble someone from the First Legion…”

Thousand Mountains: “Why isn’t the map loading yet? I can’t waaaaaait~~~~”

[Huaxia Summit] Mad Lad – 710 points

[Huaxia Summit] 2B Fighter Jet – 710 points

[Fairy Dreamland] Passing Master – 710 points

[Holy Light Sanctuary] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains – 710 points

Guardian: “Figures it’d be them.”

Weapon: “They’re on a hot streak.”

Fahai: “Just a ragtag team.”

Zongzi: “Yeah, one of them just happened to top the Main City leaderboard once. Big deal.”

Fahai: “Pfft, that was pure luck.”

Milk Bottle: “I wasn’t online that day. Regret of a lifetime.”

Zongzi: “Even if you were, you might not have been his match. Just being honest.”

Guardian: “This is 5v5, not 1v5. You think Thousand Mountains can solo our whole team?”

Weapon: “Haven’t heard much about the others.”

Milk Bottle: “The Assassin and Blood Warrior are from some ghost server, right? They were pretty popular on the forums a while back. The Berserker and that healer, no clue.”

Guardian: “Twelve wins in one night—even if he used to be a beggar, from now on, he’s a legend. Map’s up, stay sharp!”

The match list vanished as the map slowly loaded—mountains, forests, valleys, rope bridges—Frostbite Canyon!

The crowd erupted.

One of Huaxia Online’s unique features was that each server had a small exclusive map—ten servers, ten distinct mini-maps. These maps had no dungeons, no world bosses, no materials—just picturesque scenery and unique NPCs representing each server. Many players loved taking screenshots here, using them as forum signatures or avatars to flaunt their server pride.

But for a server’s unique map to appear in Sky Arena was incredibly rare. After all, only players from that server would know the terrain well, giving them an unfair advantage. Yet, with limited PvP maps, all ten server maps were still in the database.

2B: “Shit, glad it’s not Flame of the Gods’ map. That’d be brutal.”

Mad Lad: “If it were Huaxia Summit, we’d have an edge.”

Everything Breaks: “Holy Light Sanctuary or Fairy Dreamland would work too.”

Thousand Mountains: “Looking at it that way, our odds of getting a favorable map aren’t bad.”

Passing Master: “Um, can I… timidly interject something…?”

2B: “Go ahead, we’re all family here. No need to be shy.”

Passing Master: “I got one-shot.”

…

[Spectator] Little Tailor: The healer got insta-killed within 30 seconds. This is the legendary dark horse? _(:з」∠)_

[Spectator] Savage Traveler: There’s still one healer left.

[Spectator] Little Tailor: That’s not the point! The point is their combat power is just too weak!!

[Spectator] Silence is Golden: Fahai picked a great ambush spot.

[Spectator] Silent Seventh Lord: But how did he know that spot was viable?

[Spectator] Huaxia Ancestor: If there were a Frostbite Canyon map familiarity contest, every guild in Frostbite Canyon would lose to Outer Flame.

[Spectator] Heavy Sword No Edge: Including “Iceborn”?

[Spectator] Huaxia Ancestor: That guild where Festive Lantern is? They’ve only dominated Frostbite Canyon for a few months. Do you know Outer Flame Legion’s predecessor? Bitter Cold to the Bone!

[Spectator] Silent Seventh Lord: The former top guild of Frostbite Canyon? Didn’t they disband ages ago?

[Spectator] Huaxia Ancestor: They didn’t disband—they just ran out of worthy opponents in Frostbite Canyon, so the whole guild migrated to Flame of the Gods, starting from scratch.

[Spectator] Little Tailor: And now they’re the top guild in Flame of the Gods too?

[Spectator] Huaxia Ancestor: Yep. But Frostbite Canyon wasn’t even their original home—they started in Fairy Dreamland. Guild migration seems to be their tradition.

As more skirmishes unfolded on the battlefield, the audience gradually stopped typing, though their hearts had already begun lighting candles for the dark horse. Everyone loves a miracle, an underdog story, a dark horse rising—but dark horses aren’t synonymous with true strength. Facing real experts, even if it’s heartbreaking, reality must be accepted.

Passing Master’s one-shot demise was simple: he spawned in a valley filled with randomly scattered bushes, rocks, and streams. Despite being cautious, he stepped on a bear trap, losing two HP. For a squishy class, two HP was negligible, let alone for a tanky healer. But the sudden damage stunned him for two seconds—just long enough for Fahai, hiding in a nearby pit trap, to summon his Giant Python, which swallowed Passing Master whole.

This description was no exaggeration—the pet’s ultimate skill was to swallow an enemy for 15 seconds before spitting them out. During those 15 seconds, the victim’s screen went pitch black. Though they could still attack, most panicked, unable to aim or even comprehend what was happening, while their HP steadily drained from the pet’s gastric acid. Passing Master, for example, was so disoriented by the churning stomach that he forgot to heal, leaving him a corpse upon ejection.

Hearing the full story, his teammates were enlightened: “I thought 438’s Flying Fish was ridiculous, but Fahai with a Giant Python? Ridiculous squared.”

Passing Master whimpered, “Sorry, I reacted too slowly…”

2B: “No worries. As long as your ‘assets’ are ample, other shortcomings are forgivable.”

Passing Master: “But I haven’t been feeding you much these past few matches…”

Everything Breaks: “There’s always time.”

Thousand Mountains: “Wait, were you at (500, 500)? I think I see your corpse. But there’s no monk or snake nearby.”

Passing Master: “He’s hiding again—right under that patch of withered grass about two or three meters away. Be careful!”

Thousand Mountains: “Withered grass… withered grass…”

Dammit, all the grass here looks half-dead!!!

But asking further would just highlight his lack of observation skills, so Thousand Mountains decisively chose to resurrect Passing Master first!

At that moment, the other teammates hadn’t encountered enemies yet, so the audience’s perspectives unanimously focused here. From their view, Thousand Mountains was chanting Resurrection, while Fahai’s Giant Python was already stealthily emerging from beneath the withered grass.

In the blink of an eye, the python struck like an arrow loosed from a bow!

The entire audience held their breath. On YY, Passing Master shouted, “Watch out!”

But before the echo of his warning faded, the dark horse team’s second healer was similarly swallowed, and the Resurrection spell fizzled.

The crowd erupted. Losing one healer in a dual-healer team was survivable, but losing both? Not even divine intervention could save them now. And this was just minutes into the match! Newcomers who’d come to witness the famed dark horse team felt utterly scammed…

Wait!

What was that?!

The python’s belly suddenly began glowing, the light intensifying until—no, it burst open!

The python collapsed, and beside it stood No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains, hammer in hand, bathed in the crimson glow of Crimson Lotus Holy Fire—majestic, solitary, imposing…

[Local] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: The hell is this slimy crap all over me?

The audience faceplanted. Couldn’t you have waited two more seconds before ruining the moment?!

In high-level battles, the tide turns in milliseconds. By the time Thousand Mountains finished typing, Fahai had already summoned a second pet, which attacked before Thousand Mountains could finish his chant! By the second hit, his HP was halved!

Thousand Mountains’ chant seemed unusually long—likely a high-level skill.

The pet’s attacks were swift, whittling his HP down to a third!

Even if Thousand Mountains finished his cast, there was no guarantee he could one-shot a max-level pet. Earlier, though the audience couldn’t see inside the python’s belly, Thousand Mountains’ MP consumption suggested multiple attacks. Now, with his HP so low, he’d only get one shot.

Finally, the chant completed—but the skill’s animation wasn’t aimed at the pet. It was directed at Passing Master’s corpse!

Sacrificing himself to resurrect a defenseless healer to counter a ruthless Demon Refiner—what kind of strategy was this?

Among the crowd’s bewilderment, Passing Master was resurrected. The moment he stood up, Thousand Mountains was hit again, his HP whittled down to a thread!

Meanwhile, the still-weak Passing Master assumed a battle stance!

The audience knew he was about to heal Thousand Mountains, but a full heal required chanting—far too slow to outpace the pet’s next strike. An instant heal, while faster, was weaker, and Passing Master’s weakened state halved its effectiveness, making it a drop in the bucket.

The pet attacked again!

The weakened Passing Master raised his hand—instant heal, and not just any, but the AoE mega-heal Ten Thousand Blossoms!

Using a skill that consumed a third of his MP to heal one person was beyond extravagant, but the audience understood—it was his only gamble. Normally, Ten Thousand Blossoms could restore 50–55% HP to medium-HP classes like healers or assassins. But weakened, its effect was halved, and Thousand Mountains’ HP pool, bolstered by his gear, was slightly above average for healers. At best, this would restore 20–25%—matching the pet’s attack power.

The radiant glow of Ten Thousand Blossoms enveloped Thousand Mountains!

The pet’s skill—a searing lightning bolt—struck simultaneously!

The audience’s hearts leaped to their throats. The clash of equally matched skills was a toss-up… Wait—the pet’s attack was a critical hit! Bold, glaring text: CRITICAL!

[Spectator] Sister Quench My Thirst: Sigh, just fate.

[Spectator] Suzhou River: They used up all their luck earlier. Time for the tables to turn.

[Spectator] Silent Seventh Lord: Now it’s 3v5. No way out.

[Spectator] Little Tailor: The healer’s still alive.

[Spectator] Huaxia Ancestor: His DPS is garbage against Fahai.

[Spectator] Little Tailor: Look closely. I’m not talking about Passing Master—I mean No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains.

The audience gasped. Sure enough, when the light faded, Thousand Mountains stood tall like a monument, still clinging to that sliver of HP—though upon closer inspection, it seemed slightly thicker than before the pet’s attack.

On one side, a weakened healer’s Ten Thousand Blossoms; on the other, a high-DPS pet’s critical-hit attack—and the healer won out?

Before the audience could process this, Passing Master, now out of his weakened state, raised his hand again—another instant heal. With Ten Thousand Blossoms on cooldown, this time it was the minor instant-heal Silent Nourishment.

Unlike Ten Thousand Blossoms, this was an emergency skill, costing little MP but offering minimal healing—typically restoring 25% for Demon Refiners or Spirit Masters, 10–15% for assassins or healers, and peanuts for tanks or berserkers. Then in front of everyone’s eyes, Thousand Mountains’ sliver of HP became half a bar.

The audience was stunned. So was Fahai. Had the game been updated to allow critical heals?!

The only ones unfazed were the pet, Thousand Mountains, and Passing Master. The pet dutifully kept attacking, while Thousand Mountains ignored it, leisurely opening his inventory to chug an MP potion—one wasn’t enough, so after the 10-second cooldown, he downed another. Meanwhile, Passing Master, now that Thousand Mountains’ MP was full and his HP back to a safe level, finished chanting the single-target mega-heal Revival of the Withered.

And just like that, No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains was back at full HP and MP.

The audience had an epiphany—no wonder Thousand Mountains risked death to resurrect Passing Master first. This wasn’t just a healer—this was a fucking heal god!

Perhaps realizing the rarity of a full recovery, Thousand Mountains uncharacteristically refrained from chatter, immediately swinging his hammer at Fahai’s pet. One strike inflicted Stun, and Thousand Mountains seized the moment to chant. After an agonizingly long cast, Crimson Lotus Holy Fire blasted the pet down to a quarter HP. By then, the Stun had worn off, but before the pet could retaliate, a combo of Zephyr Jinx + Willow Leaf Blade + Five Animals Play finished it off.

As for Fahai? The moment his pet was hit by Crimson Lotus Holy Fire, he’d assessed the situation and bolted without a word. Now, even his silhouette was fading. Thousand Mountains didn’t recklessly pursue—Fahai’s hiding spot and escape route suggested deep familiarity with the map. If Fahai knew it well, so might his teammates, allowing them to set up ambushes. Until he could determine whether Fahai was fleeing or leading him into a trap, Thousand Mountains chose to let him go and regroup.

Thousand Mountains: “Passing Master and I are in the valley. Ran into their Demon Refiner—they know this map well. Where is everyone? What’s your status?”

2B: “Everything Breaks and I are in Beast Forest, coords (200, 800). No enemies yet, just swarms of beast NPCs… but I feel like there’s an ambush waiting…”

Mad Lad: “I met Zongzi of the Gods on a bridge, coords (500, 600).”

Passing Master: “Huh, that’s close to me and Thousand Mountains.”

Mad Lad: “This is a chain bridge between two cliffs. Conservatively, I’m about 30,000 feet above you.”

Passing Master: “…”

2B: “Enough nonsense. What happened? Did you kill him, did he kill you, or are you still fighting?”

Mad Lad: “Still fighting.”

2B: “Then I won’t disturb you~”

Mad Lad: “No worries. It’s in the bag.”

2B: “Oh? Confident, are we? Is he that weak?”

Mad Lad: “No. It’s just… strangely, facing him fills me with infinite fighting spirit.”

…

Zongzi of the Gods, Level 70, Class: Zombie.