“You make a pretty good point. If you want nothing for yourself and always think of others without expecting anything in return, then yeah, you can come off as a fake saint. I guess my own values aren’t quite as enlightened as I thought.” Han Ming couldn’t argue with what the other person had said. In fact, it made a lot of sense.
He smiled faintly and looked at the twenty or so members of the Blade Skull Group. “Don’t say I’m picking on the weak. Come at me all at once. My time’s precious.”
Han Ming spoke with a calm, detached expression, as if stating a simple fact. He didn’t take these people seriously at all. After all, beating a bunch of nobodies wasn’t anything worth bragging about.
Han Ming’s attitude only made Ning Yu angrier. At most, the other guy was a few levels above him. Even if they were both hidden classes, there was no way he could take on more than twenty people over level ten at once. This was blatant contempt for them. If Ning Yu backed down today, he’d lose the respect of his battle group—and that was absolutely unacceptable!
“Since you put it that way, we’ll all go together. Boys, kill him!” Ning Yu knew full well that his opponent was a higher level than him, so he wasn’t stupid enough to insist on a one-on-one fight. He chose the safest option. If they could take down a level-twenty player, they’d gain far more than they ever could by robbing a few rookies here!
“That’s so shameless! They’re all attacking him at once! Big brother Han Ming, we should get out of here!” An’an was furious, but there was nothing she could do. In this world, there was no such thing as fairness.
Han Ming didn’t answer. He simply asked, “By the way, what happens if you’re killed in this world?”
“If you get killed, you die, obviously! Even though the world’s been turned into a game, you still only get one life. If you die, you’re really dead!” That was why she was so scared. If people could revive like they did in games, then so many of them wouldn’t have died.
“I see.” Han Ming nodded. He’d gotten the information he wanted. Killing other players had been an everyday occurrence for him in the game, but actually taking someone’s life so easily still weighed on him. “Combat Protection: Activate!”
Han Ming activated the game’s Combat Protection system, a mode for players to spar with one another. All attacks were forced to leave the other player with one HP.
“You’re distracted in a fight to the death? I don’t know if you’re fearless because you’re clueless or if you’re just tired of living!” Ning Yu charged at the front and launched his opening combat skill, drawing the long sword from his back!
『Combat Skill—Charge』! 『Combat Skill—Cleave』!
It was a standard opening move for a melee fighter: close the distance with a charge, then use a sword-drawing skill that boosts attack speed. It was a great way to seize the initiative!
“Cleave stuns you for three seconds. You’re way too careless!” Seeing that Han Ming hadn’t reacted in time, Ning Yu landed his Cleave and stunned him. A mage and a priest then buffed Ning Yu, boosting his attack, defense, and speed.
『Buff—Minor Strength Boost』! 『Buff—Minor Speed Boost』! 『Buff—Minor Defense Boost』! 『Elemental Effect—Minor Lightning Infusion』!
Ning Yu landed a three-hit combo while Han Ming was stunned. Just as the stun was about to wear off, he used another control skill. “This isn’t over! 『Combat Skill—Heroic Shout』!”
The chain of control continued. Han Ming stood motionless, making him the perfect target for the mages and ranged Rangers. Fireballs and ice arrows rained down on him as they unleashed everything they had!
“You must be regretting picking a fight with us now, huh? But I’m not giving you a chance to fight back. Regret it in hell! 『Flowing Water Sword Art—Storm of Blades』!” Ning Yu’s class was the hidden class Flowing Water Swordsman, which let him learn special water-element skills. Storm of Blades was his signature move: it struck the same target ten times in a frenzy like a storm, then the final blow unleashed a powerful torrent, dealing damage equal to the combined total of the first nine hits!
“That guy’s definitely dead, right? The boss took half the health off a level-fifteen boss with one attack before. There’s no way a human could survive that!” The spiky-haired man snickered from the sidelines. That guy’s only mistake was being too arrogant. The boss had killed him before he even got a chance to fight back.
“You bastards!” An’an tried to rush forward, but Xue Yun pulled her back. “Don’t be reckless. Going over there won’t help anyone. Remember all of this—and hold onto it until we’re strong enough to do something about it!”
The torrent unleashed by Ning Yu’s final strike came rushing forward with incredible force, crushing the rubble of buildings in its path. He was certain Han Ming couldn’t possibly survive that onslaught.
“Yawn~ Is that it?” Han Ming yawned. If the system hadn’t forced him to take at least one point of damage, that guy wouldn’t even have scratched his health bar. His attacks were weak and slow, yet he’d been so smug about them.
Han Ming stood in front of Ning Yu, completely unharmed. His clothes hadn’t even been dampened by the sword skill. The members of the Blade Skull Group, who’d been laughing moments earlier, went pale. Their boss had hit him with his full combo, and more than twenty people had piled on with their own attacks. Yet they hadn’t even managed to harm a single hair on his head. What kind of monster was he?
“Impossible! This is impossible! You must’ve cheated! Why didn’t my attacks do anything?!” Ning Yu was the most shaken of all. He’d once believed that reaching level twenty would make him the strongest around here. But Han Ming’s appearance had shattered that dream, and he couldn’t accept it.
“Since none of you are making a move, I guess it’s my turn. 『Gun Skill—Piercing Shot』!” Han Ming simply raised his hand, took aim at Ning Yu, and fired without a care. The bullet pierced straight through Ning Yu, then went on to hit its targets behind him. Everyone from the Blade Skull Group standing in its path was reduced to one HP and knocked unconscious, left on the brink of death!
With a single shot, half the Blade Skull Group—including its leader—was defeated. Han Ming had only left the others standing because if he knocked everyone out and left them on the brink of death, monsters would eat them. They could take care of the “bodies.”
“I activated Combat Protection, so these people are all still at one HP. If you don’t want them to die, heal them quickly and get out of my sight. My time’s precious.” Han Ming had woken up after nearly a year of sleep and missed a lot. Even with max-level stats and skills, it would take a huge amount of time to catch up.
Han Ming’s words jolted the remaining members of the Blade Skull Group into action. They hurried to heal the wounded and restore their HP. But the unconscious wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, so they had to carry them away first.
“Big brother Han Ming is so cool—and so strong!” His display of power was so overwhelming that, to An’an, he seemed even stronger than the human camp’s most powerful fighter, the captain of the guard!
Xue Yun and Mo Li raised their estimate of Han Ming’s strength once again. He was definitely a super-strong fighter over level thirty, and might even have completed his second class advancement!
