Lichou and his companions stared blankly at the player’s threat, then burst into laughter.
Lichou stepped forward, locking eyes with the player who’d threatened them—Furious Blade. “I remember you. You topped the PVP rankings on launch day. But this isn’t the newbie arena you ruled back then!”
Lichou recalled clearly: while most players were grinding levels at launch, PVP enthusiasts like Furious Blade had stormed the arena. That day, he’d achieved a terrifying 100-win streak.
But launch day was launch day. Everyone was low-level with limited skills. Such rankings meant little—this game truly began at max level. Still, Furious Blade’s name had caused quite a stir for his “sword wave” mastery. Top guild members like Lichou had been too busy leveling to care.
Days later, when they finally entered the arena, Furious Blade had vanished without a trace. As top guild players flooded PVP, his rank plummeted—now he wasn’t even in the top thousand.
To Lichou, those early “PVP gods” like He Yucheng today were unimpressive. True strength couldn’t be judged with such level gaps.
That’s why he dismissed them utterly.
Xiaoye glanced at Furious Blade. “Xianggu Warrior,” she said calmly, “you’re being underestimated.”
“...Call me Swift Blade, anything but that, Manager An?” Swift Blade drew a longsword glowing blue, pulled headphones from his bag, and put them on with a pained look.
“Nineteen ninety-seven.” Xiaoye’s tone was flat.
“...”
Xiaoye eyed his sword. “Still using that restrictive fashion weapon?”
“No. I like the skill bonus. It’s just... not cool enough.” Swift Blade swung the blade.
“True. Without it, you’d be useless.” Xiaoye and Swift Blade chatted casually, ignoring the fuming trio.
“So, Manager An, about the bounty—”
“That’s enough!” Lichou snapped. Humiliation boiled over. He raised his spear and charged at Xiaoye and Swift Blade.
Swift Blade’s gaze turned icy. Xiaoye had already retreated. Lichou’s spear swept through Swift Blade’s body—no damage.
Lichou’s eyes narrowed. He backpedaled. “Phantom Flash? Four displacements?”
Swift Blade didn’t answer. His orders were clear: eliminate these three or stall.
His movements blurred into afterimages.
*Whoosh.* A crescent sword wave slashed horizontally. Swift Blade displaced instantly, following the wave. A vertical chop released another wave—merging with the first.
He became pure motion, his steps falling into a rhythmic cadence. Each displacement let him fuse new sword waves into a growing storm.
Lichou tried to dodge sideways, but Xiaoye mirrored Swift Blade’s movements. They sealed his escape routes—left, right, above. Breaking out risked being stunned between them. Using Forced Break now would leave him vulnerable later.
Lichou knew this. He could only retreat straight back. Counter the waves with skills? Swift Blade’s attack speed kept increasing—sword waves flying faster.
*Does his weapon boost attack speed?*
For top players, attack speed rarely mattered. Too many skills relied on cooldowns, not speed. Sword waves were especially weak in high-tier matches.
Without teammates, dodging them was easy.
But Swift Blade’s waves were different. Faster attacks meant denser waves.
No Cursers here to nullify this storm of fused blades.
“Sundown! Dusk! Flank right!” Lichou couldn’t retreat forever. His partners nodded sharply. “Understood!” All three darted right.
Xiaoye intercepted Lichou. Spear and glaive clashed fiercely.
Swift Blade canceled his skill chain. Charged Thrust closed the gap—immediately followed by a mini Drawn Blade Slash. The combo flowed like a single move.
Xiaoye dominated Lichou one-on-one. He could only hope his partners would crush Swift Blade.
But Xiaoye’s ally was no pushover.
He’d just chained two skills seamlessly.
Against two top-500 players, Swift Blade held his ground.
“Damn it... why aren’t they done yet?” Lichou struggled against Xiaoye. His partners were elites—how could they fail against one man?
Swift Blade’s footwork stayed precise. His icy gaze flickered. UltimateArt—Flash Strike! He vanished, reappearing behind one opponent. A downward shockwave launched him upward—Rising Dragon Strike slammed the player airborne.
“Xianggu Warrior. We’re leaving.” Swift Blade prepared to exploit the opening, but Xiaoye’s voice cut in. His expression softened slightly. He hurled a cluster of ice crystals—Mirror Image.
Xiaoye fired a high-intensity sword wave to propel herself backward, then sprinted toward a gap.
Dust billowed and battle cries erupted outside—the guild alliance reinforcements had arrived.
Amidst clashing blades, Xiaoye and Swift Blade slipped through the chaos and vanished.
Lichou wanted to chase, but the sea of enemies turned his face green.
Three against two. They’d not only failed to win—they’d been outplayed.
Reinforcements from multiple guilds swarmed in. A massive guild war was about to explode.
“Lichou, chase them?” a partner asked. Lichou took deep, heavy breaths. “Let them go. Clear Sentinel Tomb first. Or Drunk Immortal Palace will hassle us again. Today... was utterly humiliating.”
“Understood.” The two joined the hundreds clashing below.
...
“Few can match your hand speed in this game.” On a dusty stone road, Xiaoye and Swift Blade sheathed their weapons. Xiaoye rubbed her wrist.
“Uh... but your overall strength is insane too, Manager An. Wait—you took leave just to game these past days?” Swift Blade wiped sweat, pulling off his headphones. He’d been at work when Shallow Peace called, ordering him to the nearest internet café immediately.
Xiaoye gave him a flat look. “Gaming’s secondary. Family matters. Do you think the company would just let me go otherwise?”
“True... Your dominance is legendary.” Swift Blade grinned. Xiaoye sighed. “When will you get serious? Any hospital job beats being a low-level grunt at our company.”
“What’s wrong with this easy, stress-free life?” Swift Blade strolled leisurely, ambition-free.
“You mentioned needing a better fashion weapon? Transfer Stone?” Transfer Stones moved skill bonuses between cosmetic weapons. Swift Blade occasionally gamed after work, but family obligations—and ugly weapons—kept him from the arena.
Xiaoye knew his PVP skill was terrifying. If he tried, he could claim PVP Rank #1.
“Manager An... are you giving me one?” Swift Blade’s eyes lit up. He wasn’t poor—just financially managed.
“I’ll find a source. You handle the rest.” Xiaoye’s tone turned ominous. Swift Blade suddenly felt this whole thing was a total loss...
Skipping work. Docked pay. If his wife found out...
He slumped in defeat. “Fine. Just... don’t call Lingyu, okay?”
“Go back to work.” Xiaoye glanced at the pitch-black sky. Eternal Night City was near.
“...” Swift Blade realized he’d been played. He’d lost time, money, and peace of mind for errands.
“Ugh. Logging off. Contact me later...” He trudged away, utterly outmaneuvered by Xiaoye’s scheming.
Light enveloped Swift Blade as he vanished. Xiaoye decided her in-game business was done. Real life awaited.
...
He Yucheng, Lengjiang, Recomposed Words, and Moonshadow reached the gates of Eternal Night City. Using Concealment Jade, He Yucheng scouted ahead. Every mob spawn point was occupied by guild players—utterly stripped bare.
He returned, raking his hands through his hair. “Tch. Butterfly Shadow’s gone insane. Not a single mob left.”
“Not a single mob? That’s impressive.” Recomposed Words leaned against the gray stone wall, relaxed. Max-level and uninterested in grinding, he only visited Eternal Night City for scenery—which this desolate zone lacked.
“Bro He,” Moonshadow said sympathetically, “coming here was pointless.” He Yucheng sighed. Being targeted as a public enemy usually meant random PKs—not city blockades and spawn camping.
To level here, he’d have to go PK mode and kill the campers.
But that would confirm his location. He’d face another city siege like this afternoon’s in Radiant Imperial City.
That’s why he hadn’t entered. Eternal Night City was a newbie zone—rarely visited by high-level players. Yet he’d spotted max-level vendors at the gates. A trap.
“(／_＼) Husband... what now?” Lengjiang pouted. Being stuck was boring.
He Yucheng sighed. Going PK would reveal his position, inviting another siege. Staying safe meant no mobs, no quests, no levels.
His head throbbed.
The four stood in silence.
“(๑°⌓°๑) Oh!” Lengjiang suddenly gasped, eyes wide with realization. The others stared at her, puzzled.
(￣▽￣)~* My dear husband, how about we also do some 'quests'? Some 'system quests' give experience~” Lengjiang seemed utterly absorbed in her own cleverness, basking in smug satisfaction~~~
“Huh? Not a bad idea!” Recomposed Words chimed in suddenly. He hadn’t done quests in ages and had barely checked the mercenary guild’s quest system.
System quests were usually snatched by players below max level. Near max level, main quests dried up. To level up, besides raiding dungeons and killing monsters, quests were the only option.
“Shall we enter the city and check the mercenary guild?” Every main city had one. He Yucheng’s level barred him from advanced districts. Right now, only Radiant Imperial City and this Eternal Night City were accessible…
“Go, go—we have no choice. I’ll scale the wall; you figure it out…” He Yucheng glanced at the city wall towering dozens of meters high. His heart sank…
Why did gaming have to feel like thievery…
It was just stealing an item and teasing a little girl…
Did it really warrant a ‘death sentence’…
Tsk tsk…
“You go for it.” Recomposed Words had planned to swagger in, but Moonshadow yanked him back instantly.
“What?” Recomposed Words grumbled. Moonshadow spread his hands, pointing at the “Sentinel Tomb” icon above Recomposed Words’ head. “Brother Recomposed, forgotten you’re also a ‘hostile target’?”
Recomposed Words froze like a statue. After a pause, he muttered bitterly:
“I’ve truly boarded a pirate ship this time!!!!!!!!”
Lengjiang snickered. Moments later, she eyed the high wall above and murmured: “╮(╯﹏╰）╭ I just feel this’ll be a really bad quest, I say~~~”
