Chapter Eight: The First Time Killing a Player

Staring at the woman, Mu Rongxun’s expression darkened as he gripped the short sword tightly in his hand. He said nothing, but the mutated serpent lunging swiftly from the ground spoke for him.

“Interesting,” the woman in the short-sleeved leather jacket remarked with amusement as the mutated serpent pounced at her. She slowly raised the longbow in her hand. “Let me show you, as a senior, what respect truly means.”

She assumed an archer’s stance, and a formless arrow appeared. Her muscles were so pronounced that, if not for her face, one might have mistaken her for a man.

Mu Rongxun glanced at the Mirage lurking in the shadows, deciding it was best to claim the prey before him before considering his next move.

“Light it up!” he commanded.

At his words, his short sword began to emit a faint glow as he charged into the darkness.

“Oh, right!” Chen Lian quickly nodded, conjuring a ball of light and tossing it into the shadows.

There, the Mirage was inching its way along. It was not fast—its main ability lay in crafting illusions to lure victims, leaving the Ghost Wolf to do the killing.

A flash of sword light split the night, but before it could land, an arrow, swifter still, came flying. Mu Rongxun’s expression grew colder as he parried the incoming arrow with his sword.

“Stealing kills like this is outrageous!” he shouted. If she hadn’t been so far away, he wouldn’t have held back—taking one was one thing, but she seemed intent on taking everything for herself.

The woman sneered. “Newcomer, talking to a senior like that will only bring you trouble!”

She leapt nimbly from the rooftop, dodging the mutated serpent’s attack and firing an arrow in one swift motion.

Faced with an assault from another player, Mu Rongxun had few options but to deal with the Mirage first. He poured his mental energy into the short sword, channeling it to harm the Mirage, for otherwise, he had no means of dealing with a creature without a physical form.

The woman struck the mutated serpent’s lunging head aside with a punch, then sent its tail flying with a powerful kick. Under that immense force, the serpent was like a car hit at top speed, flung far into the air, vanishing before it even touched the ground.

Witnessing this, Mu Rongxun hurried to finish off the Mirage, raising his tally of slain aberrations to six.

With practiced ease, he reached out with his left hand and absorbed the Mirage’s ability for future use.

Crisp footsteps echoed down the empty street. The woman, bow in hand, clad in a leather jacket, pants, and boots, advanced step by step. Her summer attire was understandable, but on a woman over a meter seventy tall, her burly frame and arms thicker than most men’s, it seemed oddly out of place. Had it been a pretty young girl dressed so, she would have turned many heads.

“Newcomer, let me teach you the rules today,” she declared.

Mu Rongxun paid her no mind, inspecting the Mirage’s ability—only to find it disappointing in terms of combat value. Without time to dwell on it, he charged at the woman.

Being both players, he didn’t know whether they were meant to cooperate or compete. But since she’d made herself an enemy, there was nothing left to say.

Seeing the newcomer recklessly attacking her, Li Jing’s stern face grew cold. “Foolish!”

She drew her bowstring and released an arrow. Though it was invisible, Mu Rongxun relied on combat instinct and deftly parried with his short sword. The tremendous force drove him back a step, but it was only a momentary hindrance.

Suddenly, Chen Lian tossed a ball of light in front of Li Jing, whose instinctive reaction to the sudden glare was to close her eyes for an instant.

Mu Rongxun seized the opportunity, dashing forward and slashing at Li Jing. Though temporarily blinded, Li Jing ducked her head back, dodging the blow, and fired several arrows in rapid succession. Yet, deprived of her sight, her aim was abysmal.

With a frown, Mu Rongxun sidestepped her and stooped to collect the Ghost Wolf’s corpse. Weighing his options, he chose to preserve the Ghoul’s power and devoured the Ghost Wolf using the Ghoul’s consuming ability. After all, abilities that could grow were generally more promising—he decided to take the risk.

This brief distraction gave Li Jing time to recover her sight.

Seething, she drew her bow, light gathering brilliantly around the bow and her right hand as a prismatic arrow began to form.

“Since you’re so eager to die, newcomer, I’ll send you to hell myself,” Li Jing spat, her face dark with fury. Being bested by a native was a humiliation beyond words.

Sensing imminent danger, Mu Rongxun darted left and right, but the feeling of being targeted never left him. Suddenly, his body swelled, his speed increasing dramatically. He felt lighter, his movements effortless.

Before Li Jing’s arrow could fully form, he was upon her, slashing at her head with his sword.

Li Jing’s expression changed—she had not expected a rookie, clearly on his first trial, to move with such speed. But there was no time to ponder this. She twisted aside, evading his attack, and the energy she’d gathered began to dissipate.

She was unfazed; energy surged around her fist as she aimed a punch at Mu Rongxun’s face. She despised handsome faces—hence her eagerness to steal the prey Mu Rongxun had worked so hard to bring down.

Mu Rongxun met her punch with his own, and both were forced back two steps.

The parity in their strength shocked them both. Mu Rongxun was surprised because his strength was the result of stacking both Ghoul and Ghost Wolf abilities. Li Jing was shocked because, despite having completed missions in two worlds and focusing heavily on strength as an archer—making her stronger than most men—a newcomer could match her blow for blow. It was absurd.

Yet whatever either thought, Mu Rongxun launched another attack and would not relent so easily.

Defending against his relentless assault, Li Jing’s longbow was a blur, creating a near-impenetrable defense. Suddenly, golden chains, conjured by a burst of light, wrapped around her limbs, binding her fast.

Mu Rongxun wasted no time—sword flashed, and a large head soared through the air.