Churan maneuvered He Yucheng to grind mobs while dodging pursuers’ skills. After hitting level 2, He Yucheng gained the Displacement Skill "Triple Slash," making evasion and travel far smoother.
Lengjiang wore only newbie gear. She’d always weaken the next quest mob for He Yucheng first—he’d finish them off with a single skill flick and turn in the quest.
Fewer players chased He Yucheng simply because he was absurdly fast…
Partly because they’d seen player "Nightingale" claim the full bounty reward and vanish.
Worse, they’d realized He Yucheng specialized in "Mirror Image"—and used it masterfully. When they circled his phantom, he’d ignore swapping positions and instead use "Charged Thrust" to dash away. When they stopped circling, he’d swap with the phantom mid-thrust to widen the gap.
After endless grinding yielded zero kills, more pursuers gave up.
"Living the dream, huh?" Song Qian’s voice startled Churan. He’d materialized on Churan’s hospital bed, eyes glued to the screen.
Churan jolted—he’d been so immersed in OFO he hadn’t noticed. "Don’t sneak up on me!" He barely glanced at Song Qian before refocusing on the thrill of fleeing while questing.
"What do you want? Busy chasing your own mobs?" Churan spared half his attention. The remaining pursuers, Lengjiang had explained, were elite members of a "Slaughter" contract guild. The underleveled ones had already quit, and others fled after seeing "Nightingale" claim the bounty.
"Finished my dungeon. Just watching." Song Qian leaned on Churan’s shoulder, grinning. "Seriously impressive—escaping a mob like that. How long was I here before you noticed? Guilty conscience?"
"Eh, they’re not top-tier. Otherwise I’d never have made it out." Churan’s eyes stayed locked on-screen.
"I wonder if your illness’s even real? You transform when gaming—total net addict. Or… dumped me for a wife?" Song Qian teased.
Churan shoved him off with his shoulder. "Piss off. Who’d want your gay-gay vibes?"
"Whoa! Priorities shifted already? Give me back my Lengjiang!" Song Qian wailed.
Churan sighed. "Relax. We’re not meeting IRL. How many net-love fails have you seen? We’re just messing around." A flicker of regret crossed his face.
"I don’t care—I see couple-y crap and wanna punch you."
"...Call 110 and report you bullying a patient. Try me."
"Go ahead. This is a hospital. If I cripple you, they’ll fix you. If I kill you? Your account’s mine."
Churan glared. Song Qian’s shamelessness was truly art.
*Cough! Cough!*
Churan convulsed, face flushing from oxygen loss.
"Hey—!" Song Qian jumped up. Churan waved him off with one hand while dodging skills with the other, gesturing for water. The bed rattled with each cough.
Even gasping, Churan finished the quest before drinking.
"Dude. Gaming over your life?" Song Qian patted his back, taking the cup.
"What choice do I have? This isn’t some novel where you magically cure illnesses." Churan’s color slowly returned. He took the cup again. "I’d love that too."
Song Qian shook his head. Then he pulled out his phone. "Your aunt and uncle are flying back tonight. They want to talk."
Churan’s eyes dimmed. They’d dropped everything upon hearing his diagnosis.
"...Later." His gaze sharpened. He’d just hit level 5. Weak? Yes. But with his skills, he could whittle down a few pursuers—if he played perfectly. This game favored skill over gear.
Song Qian retreated to his own bed. He’d watched since He Yucheng started questing. Even without seeing the pursuers on-screen, he knew Churan had escaped an army.
Lengjiang wasn’t beside He Yucheng now, but her absence highlighted her support mastery. Her single-target buffs required sniper-like prediction. After early misses guessing his Mirror Image swaps, she’d learned his rhythm. Their coordination became seamless.
He Yucheng never used her as a human shield—even though standing together would deter AoE attacks. He wasn’t that kind of player.
Fighting alongside Lengjiang just felt *right*. Games were meant to be shared.
She should’ve been at the next quest hub, but she’d whispered, "People coming. Hiding." He Yucheng had no idea where his little cat vanished.
Ahead stood the quest NPC. One submission would level him to 6—and unlock the high-output "Drawn Blade Slash."
All non-basic skills had low/high-output modes. Low-output Drawn Blade Slash? A tiny ring of light. High-output? A surging blade wave.
He Yucheng needed that level-up.
He flung petals backward—activating "Mirror Image!"
*Quest complete!* Level 6! He learned Drawn Blade Slash instantly, then spun to face the dozen pursuers.
A wide golden blade wave shot toward him. He sidestepped calmly. Ignoring follow-up projectiles, white light flared at his right hand. Key prompts flashed above his head (a "Pro Mode" perk). A narrow, curved blade wave erupted from him!
"Tch. Finally stopped running? Level 6 vs. us? Brain-dead!" They sneered as the slow wave crawled toward them.
Drawn Blade Slash’s speed scaled with skill points. He Yucheng’s wave crept like a turtle.
He smirked. Their mockery meant nothing.
They remembered his earlier Mirror Image spam—a useless decoy that couldn’t stagger or deal real damage. "Mirror Image + Charged Thrust" combos rarely landed.
But He Yucheng hadn’t been trying to hit them while fleeing.
Now? He intended to *kill* with it.
The pursuers still thought it was an escape tool.
As the blade wave neared their feet, they hopped over it like skipping rope.
*Fools.*
The instant they leapt, He Yucheng repositioned. His crosshair locked onto the solidified phantom. Light erupted—phantom and player simultaneously slashed toward each other’s positions at light-speed!
Two slash strikes precisely hit the player bearing the title "Tingyu Pavilion member"!
Because that player was airborne dodging He Yucheng’s Drawn Blade Slash, and He Yucheng used Charged Thrust to swap positions with his shadow—something the pursuers never expected!
Exploiting these psychological gaps, He Yucheng knew the player couldn’t dodge. The Mirror Image Charged Thrust slash inflicted a stun effect. Right after swapping with his shadow, He Yucheng surged upward, leaping level with the player. He swung his beginner’s short sword for a flurry of basic attacks!
This entire maneuver lasted barely over a second!
Though the player lost only one-twentieth of his HP—making a kill difficult—He Yucheng never claimed he’d finish the job alone!
Those dozen players shared one goal: kill He Yucheng before Nightingale, the Red Name List’s top player, arrived. But their motives differed. The assassination-contract guild sought Zhusha rewards. The Tingyu Pavilion member just wanted to vent his anger!
Different ultimate purposes meant these two groups couldn’t party together!
In other words, the guild team could attack that Tingyu Pavilion member!
He Yucheng’s swapped position was perfectly strategic—right between the two groups. Deliberately, he casually made a face at the assassination-contract guild members.
Who lost their cool first among those ten players? Someone habitually triggered a high-damage AoE skill. He Yucheng just smiled faintly—he’d anticipated this. Mid-air, he dodged effortlessly!
But the Tingyu Pavilion member was stunned by He Yucheng. With such close proximity, he couldn’t react in time!
Several blinding beams pierced the Tingyu Pavilion member. His HP plummeted instantly, leaving a sliver. Even a random skill from He Yucheng could finish him!
Seeing this, the Tingyu Pavilion member panicked. He tried to use Forced Break to escape stun, gain half a second of Invincibility, and flee. But how could He Yucheng not predict this move?!
As the beams passed through the Tingyu Pavilion member, He Yucheng immediately followed up with Triple Slash—killing him. Then he dashed downward to land and escaped!
World Channel:
He Yucheng: He Yucheng has killed "Tingyu Pavilion member" XXXX
He Yucheng copied the kill announcement at lightning speed, pasted it into chat, and sent it. His sole purpose? To taunt the Tingyu Pavilion leader who’d mocked him!
Of course, he had no time for guerrilla fights with the others—he couldn’t win anyway. He’d identified the two groups because their coordination differed!
That guild had strong bonds and teamwork. With only his level and skills, He Yucheng couldn’t kill them—they had healing Cursers too!
So, if he couldn’t win, he ran!
...
Watching He Yucheng fade into the distance, the team exchanged glances.
"Forget it. This guy’s too slippery. Chasing him wastes time we could use clearing dungeons," one said bitterly, forced to admire He Yucheng’s top-tier escape skills.
Just as the guild turned to leave, a figure materialized from the endless grasslands in the distance. It vanished instantly, phasing through the group!
An exquisite spear crackled with electricity, dancing in the wind. Its tassel fluttered. Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. One instant slash!
Current Announcement:
"Nightingale" has killed XXXX1
"Nightingale" has killed XXXX2
"Nightingale" has killed XXXX3
...
Every announcement was a kill by "Nightingale"!
He Yucheng glanced at the notifications—his pupils contracted!
Those players chasing him moments ago were wiped out instantly!
A chill crept down his spine. He Yucheng stopped, turning around with a grave expression.
A wolf-like gaze, thick with killing intent, locked onto him!
"Weapon Wielder—UltimateArt! Flash Strike!"
