Chapter 16: Second Phase?
A completely dark space. An arena with a radius of more than two hundred meters hung silently in the darkness. Above the arena, wherever one looked, there was only nothingness. Only the light shining from around the arena barely allowed people to calm down.
“What is going on?”
“How am I here?”
“Wasn’t I supposed to take the game test assessment?”
Zhao Hu stood up and looked blankly at this empty space, completely unable to understand what had happened.
One second earlier, he had still been lying in the virtual game pod. The next second, as if time and space had shifted, the cold coming from his limbs and the chill in his breath made it feel as if every breath sent an icy current straight into his lungs, making his whole body tremble and shiver uncontrollably.
Before Zhao Hu could recover, a one-eyed, resolute man appeared at the center of the arena.
No.
In Zhao Hu’s eyes, the figure in the center of the arena did not look human at all.
He was a towering figure, at least two meters forty. Even though Zhao Hu was two meters tall, in front of this one-eyed, resolute man, he felt like a child.
System: please hold out for 20 seconds.
“This is a game?”
Hearing the system prompt, Zhao Hu froze on the spot, unable to believe it was real.
Although many virtual games focused on feedback to the player’s five senses, such a realistic feeling was something Zhao Hu had never experienced in his life, especially that icy chill reaching straight into the lungs with every breath.
It was as if he were standing naked in deep winter, while someone kept pouring cold water straight from a kettle into his mouth, getting more addicted the more they poured, occasionally even asking him whether it tasted good.
Just as Zhao Hu came back to his senses, ready to face the opponent before him and show what “invincible iron fist” meant, Qin Mu moved at the center of the arena.
With one step forward, the marble slabs under his feet instantly cracked, and Qin Mu shot out like a gust of wind. The fifty-meter distance vanished in less than two seconds as he appeared right in front of Zhao Hu.
“So fast!”
“So strong!”
Looking at Qin Mu, who stood before him like a small tower, Zhao Hu, with his many years of battle experience in Pilgrimage, understood very well that the Qin Mu in front of him was terrifying, absolutely not someone he could easily fight.
Seeing Qin Mu’s fist hammer straight down, Zhao Hu almost instinctively sprang backward, narrowly avoiding Qin Mu’s punch. Because he retreated too hard, he tumbled several times on the ground before he could steady his body.
“That was close. This person’s speed and strength are far above mine. If I want to last 20 seconds, I have to widen the distance.”
Seeing that Qin Mu did not immediately follow up, Zhao Hu kept analyzing the situation in his mind.
The test only required him to hold out for 20 seconds, not to defeat Qin Mu. That undoubtedly made the difficulty much lower, but trying to survive 20 seconds in front of someone whose strength and speed completely overwhelmed him was still no easy task.
As Zhao Hu rolled three times and sprang up in a carp flip, he suddenly froze.
He had no idea when Qin Mu had already appeared right in front of him, a fist filling his entire field of vision.
Boom!
“Am I dead already?”
Zhao Hu stared at the virtual game pod screen in front of him, completely stunned.
Fast.
It was insanely fast.
Zhao Hu had always considered himself someone whom few could truly challenge in close-quarters combat. Even if the opponent’s strength and speed were astonishing, he could still use his agility to contain them to some extent.
But in that fight just now, Zhao Hu felt his spirit was highly concentrated, yet before he could even react, he had taken a fist straight to the face.
“Again!”
Without another word, Zhao Hu directly paid 198 to resurrect and fight again.
No matter what, he had the title of invincible iron fist in Pilgrimage. If he could not even last 20 seconds against an unarmed NPC, it would be a complete joke if word got out.
And with such realism, the feeling this game’s combat brought him was unprecedented. How could he not go again?
His view shifted, and Zhao Hu appeared on the arena once more. This time he no longer had the confusion and panic from the first attempt. Almost immediately, he locked his gaze on the center of the arena, waiting for Qin Mu to appear.
“I don’t believe it. Even if I can’t beat you, I can at least dodge you.”
As Qin Mu rushed at him again, Zhao Hu focused his spirit like never before, staring fixedly at Qin Mu’s every move. The instant Qin Mu threw a punch, Zhao Hu retreated and evaded, keeping just outside Qin Mu’s reach.
One punch.
Two punches.
Three punches.
Zhao Hu avoided Qin Mu’s fists with almost mechanical precision. His control of timing was exquisite, and this state lasted for a full three seconds.
Boom!
Because of a split-second misjudgment, Zhao Hu was headshot by Qin Mu once more.
“I’ve already grasped his attack rhythm. Again!”
Zhao Hu paid another
Five seconds later.
“Again!”
“Again!”
…
After Zhao Hu had died more than a hundred times and was about to start another attempt, a communication alert suddenly sounded in his ear.
“What is it? Make it quick.”
Zhao Hu answered impatiently, his tone edged with reproach.
“Brother Zhao, we’ve already gathered our people in the Tianlong Dynasty. We’re just waiting for you now.”
“Good. I’ll finish this battle here and come right away. You finalize the plan first. I’ll be there soon.”
After saying that, Zhao Hu hung up, stood up, walked to the big refrigerator in the room, took out a bottle of iced beverage, drained it in one go, then paid 198 again to challenge Qin Mu.
“This NPC really is a monster, but I am now completely familiar with his attack rhythm and attack pattern. This time there should be no problem lasting 20 seconds.” Looking at Qin Mu reappearing at the center of the arena, Zhao Hu was full of confidence.
After more than a hundred deaths, Zhao Hu had completely figured out everything about Qin Mu. Earlier, he had almost made it to ten seconds, but because his mind had wavered a bit, he lost the rhythm and got blown up on the spot.
But now Zhao Hu had downed his special beverage that made his brain incredibly excited. For a short time, there would be no problem with his mental concentration.
One second…
Three seconds…
Nine seconds…
“Good, ten seconds.”
Zhao Hu’s face was full of excitement as he dodged another punch.
Qin Mu’s attacks were all lethal. Any small mistake in judgment meant death. Even a grazing hit would still be death.
Now that he had fully familiarized himself with Qin Mu’s attacks, even though he was at a huge disadvantage in strength and speed, as long as his timing was accurate, he could barely evade.
As they entered the eleventh second and Zhao Hu was ready for another cycle, Qin Mu suddenly stepped back, opening up some distance between them.
“Second tier?” Zhao Hu was not surprised.
It was a boss fight. Of course there had to be a second tier. That was basic game logic. In fact, if a boss as good as Qin Mu did not have a second tier, he would definitely go leave a bad review.
At some point, Qin Mu now held a silver spear over three meters long in his hand. With a simple sweep of the spear, a gust of wind almost blew Zhao Hu over.
“Come on, let me see how strong your second tier is.” Seeing Qin Mu’s stance, Zhao Hu understood the real battle was only starting now.
But before Zhao Hu could try to open up the distance, the silver spear in Qin Mu’s hand shot out like a flood dragon leaving the sea.
Seven spear shadows burst forth at once.
“Damn!”
Seeing seven spear shadows attack simultaneously, Zhao Hu’s eyes almost popped.
Previously, Qin Mu’s attacks were just straightforward punches. He only needed to lock onto that single fist.
Now he had to keep track of seven spear shadows at the same time. How was anyone supposed to play like this?
Then everything went black. When Zhao Hu opened his eyes again, his view had returned to the game pod. In his ears, the communication alert was ringing nonstop.
“Brother Zhao, people from Mythical Paradise suddenly attacked. You’re still not here. What should we do now?”
