Chapter 034: Abdication and Counterattack!

Morning Breeze always spent a long time playing games and was invariably the last one to eat. Each time, it was Snow who reheated the food for him in the microwave. While Snow and the others watched TV in the living room, they saw Morning Breeze come down for dinner; Snow immediately went over to warm up his meal. After eating quickly, Morning Breeze came over to rest for a bit—after all, a whole day of gaming had left him somewhat fatigued.

“I’m already level 22. I’ve collected most of the skills a marksman hunter can learn. Let’s have another match in a while.” As Morning Breeze noticed the leftover oranges, he picked one up and started eating, just as Ye Xin challenged him again.

Lately, Morning Breeze had noticed that this long-legged beauty hardly ever went out anymore; she seemed almost obsessed, staying in the game world to level up and hunt for skill books. According to Snow, Ye Xin had even spent money on the official trading website to buy skill books and gold coins.

“I have two purple Brotherhood Swords. Do you really think you’re a match for me? Once I get close, it’s far too easy for me to finish you off,” Ye Xin boasted.

Morning Breeze finished the orange, clapped his hands, and replied, “The equipment gap isn’t so easy to bridge, and besides, I have dual talents now, which gives me a professional edge over you. Do you really think your mechanics are better than mine?”

Better than Morning Breeze’s mechanics?

Ye Xin was taken aback. Morning Breeze’s skill execution was near perfect—better than her own. His movement and positioning were top-tier, making it hard even to kite him. Competing with Morning Breeze in terms of skill? Impossible! Equipment advantage? Professional edge? Morning Breeze had all these advantages; how could she possibly win?

Seeing Ye Xin stunned, Morning Breeze chuckled. “If you want to know how big the gap between us really is, I’ve arranged a match with a friend soon. You’ll see how strong I truly am.”

“Huh? Morning Breeze, are you fighting a pro player?” Zhang Xinting, nearby, was intrigued. She knew Morning Breeze was strong, but just how strong remained a mystery. Now that he said he had found an opponent worthy of his best effort, she was interested.

“Where’s the match? I want to watch too,” Lin Shanshan, bored, wanted to see some PvP action. According to Zhang Xinting, Morning Breeze was easily at a professional level. If someone could go head-to-head with him, they must be even better than the average pro.

“He’s not a pro, but he’s probably stronger than most. His game ID is Martial Maniac. He wields an epic two-handed sword, Ashbringer, and is also of the hidden class, Flamebearer. Our equipment and classes are evenly matched, so this will be a contest of pure skill. The match is at 8 o’clock in Arena 444, password 444444.” Morning Breeze checked the time—half an hour to go. He went out of the villa to stretch his legs before coming back.

Sure enough, after Morning Breeze created the room, all the girls showed up. The monk, ever the flirt, immediately tried to strike up a conversation, but no one paid him any attention, so he had to sit off to the side, sulking.

Martial Maniac saw that Morning Breeze, a warrior, had equipment as good as his own and possessed dual talents, making him a worthy opponent in the arena. That made him excited. Martial Maniac loved martial arts; in real life, he was a police detective, but rarely had the opportunity to put his skills to use. In the game, however, he could truly showcase his abilities.

The stronger the opponent, the more exhilarated Martial Maniac became!

“Go all out!” Martial Maniac, worried Morning Breeze might hold back, urged him to attack with everything he had.

“Ha! Bring it on!” The two entered the standard arena, the countdown began, and Morning Breeze immediately vanished into stealth. Martial Maniac had wanted to charge at him, but to his dismay, found the skill unavailable.

Heroic Leap!

Unable to charge, Martial Maniac used Heroic Leap to jump backward, hoping the area attack on landing would flush Morning Breeze out. But he was wrong; Morning Breeze wasn’t there.

Charge!

With enhanced stealth allowing movement, Morning Breeze had already relocated after activating it, unwilling to give Martial Maniac any chance to bombard him at the start. As Martial Maniac landed, Morning Breeze charged in, achieving far greater skill execution. But Martial Maniac reacted quickly, chaining two back-steps to dodge, causing Morning Breeze’s charge to miss!

[Vibration Wave]: Stun skill. Unleashes a powerful energy wave forward, dealing 150% attack damage and stunning all enemies within a 10-meter cone for 4 seconds. If it hits three or more targets, cooldown is reduced by 15 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Cost: none.

A signature move of shield warriors, Morning Breeze’s right hand unleashed a massive Vibration Wave. Martial Maniac, too close to dodge, took 387 points of damage and was stunned.

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Morning Breeze rushed over, landing a Bloodthirst strike, but unfortunately didn’t trigger a free Whirlwind. He activated Berserker’s Fury, gaining three Raging Slash opportunities, and immediately followed up with dual sword slashes.

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With the Vibration Wave successfully stunning the opponent and leading into Raging Slash, Morning Breeze had already shaved 2,200 HP off Martial Maniac, who only had 3,000 HP total. Martial Maniac was nearly finished. But after Morning Breeze’s Raging Slash, a burst of flame knocked him back, and Martial Maniac snapped out of the stun.

A special skill of the hidden class?

Blazing Fire Dragon!

As Morning Breeze reeled in shock, Martial Maniac swung Ashbringer, summoning a massive flaming dragon to scorch his foe. If Morning Breeze took that hit, he’d be in trouble. He immediately switched to his shield, adopted a defensive stance, and activated Shield Wall to resist the attack.

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Had he not switched to defense and Shield Wall, he would’ve suffered over 2,800 damage—devastating, since his max HP was only 3,000. Clearly, their weapons were so powerful that defense gear couldn’t keep up. In the end, it all came down to who could unleash their burst first.

Intercept!

Martial Maniac charged in. Morning Breeze deftly sidestepped and raised his shield to block a horizontal slash. Parrying the attack, he quickly backstepped, refusing to go toe-to-toe in close combat.

Mortal Strike!

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Morning Breeze blocked Ashbringer’s direct blow with his shield. He had intended to parry, but Martial Maniac’s strike came at such a tricky angle that, had he tried to parry, Martial Maniac could’ve changed direction, causing him to take the full hit.

Wielding a two-handed sword, Martial Maniac’s bursts were frightening. But with Shield Wall up, Morning Breeze could afford to play defensively and gradually wear down his opponent’s health. The remaining two Raging Slash opportunities would likely go to waste, but he had little choice; Martial Maniac’s burst was simply stronger, so retreat was the only option.

Martial Maniac quickly attempted a sweeping kick, aiming to trip Morning Breeze, but Morning Breeze blocked with his knee—he was every bit as quick in reflexes and execution. Having blocked the underhanded kick, Martial Maniac was forced to retreat a step, and Morning Breeze immediately countered with a Bloodthirst strike.

Dodge!

Martial Maniac dodged, sidestepping Morning Breeze’s Bloodthirst. His right foot, already coiled, used the momentum to spin, back pressed against Morning Breeze’s Brotherhood Sword, while his left hand, gripping Ashbringer one-handed, struck at Morning Breeze’s neck. Because Martial Maniac wasn’t a berserker, one-handed weapon attacks couldn’t use skills, and damage was reduced by 70%. Morning Breeze only took 54 damage.

Displacement Counter!

Morning Breeze knew this tactic well. When the opponent slashed, you sidestep and rotate on your right foot, using your left hand to counterattack. He’d heard of this move but never seen it used in action—until now.

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Shield Bash!

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Quick to react, Morning Breeze used his left-hand shield to bash at Martial Maniac’s side, but Ashbringer blocked the shield, causing the skill to fail. However, Morning Breeze’s right hand followed up with a Devastating Strike to Martial Maniac’s back, inflicting 320 damage.

Martial Maniac had intended to use the parry’s momentum to retreat, but Morning Breeze was too quick—he couldn’t escape and took the hit. Now Martial Maniac was down to just 500 HP.

“You really are a master!” Martial Maniac, having lost 2,200 HP from the opening combo, was at a disadvantage, though he showed no sign of worry. His Blazing Fire Dragon had almost turned things around, but Morning Breeze had countered with Shield Wall. Then, as Martial Maniac pressed the attack, Morning Breeze dodged swiftly, taking barely any damage. Even after using the displacement counter technique, he couldn’t regain the upper hand; instead, Morning Breeze exploited the opening to launch a counter of his own.

“I’m curious to see what ultimate move your hidden class has—show me! Otherwise, you have no chance of winning!” For Morning Breeze, victory was within easy reach. If they engaged in a melee slugfest, Martial Maniac would stand no chance.

Burning Fire Sword!

Martial Maniac had initially thought his class gave him the advantage, but against Morning Breeze, he needed to go all out. Ashbringer, gripped in both hands, erupted into flames, transforming into a six-meter-long blade of fire.

Dodge!

A hidden class truly was something else! As Martial Maniac swept the flaming sword across, Morning Breeze ducked low to dodge the attack. He’d planned to intercept after dodging the fire sword, but Martial Maniac reversed his grip and swung again. Martial Maniac knew full well that Morning Breeze had an intercept skill and would not allow him to get close.

Heroic Leap!

Since he couldn’t get close, Morning Breeze decided to run. He knew Martial Maniac’s skill must have a duration—he just had to outlast it. But to his surprise, as soon as he landed, Martial Maniac charged him again. How was that possible? Had he already cleared the Trial Tower and acquired the passive skill “Domination,” reducing Charge’s cooldown from 20 seconds to 12?

There was no time to think. Martial Maniac, left hand gripping Ashbringer, threw a punch. Morning Breeze recognized the warrior skill—Knockdown. If it landed, he’d be stunned for up to five seconds—a nightmare scenario.

Parry!

Morning Breeze raised his shield, blocking the punch, and his right hand swung the Brotherhood Sword in a Bloodthirst strike. Just then, Martial Maniac withdrew his fist and kicked Morning Breeze’s shield, forcing him back two steps, while Martial Maniac also retreated a step. At such close range, Martial Maniac wanted to see how Morning Breeze would dodge his attacks!

But instead of evading, Morning Breeze switched his left hand for another Brotherhood Sword and charged in.

Mortal Strike!

Martial Maniac brought both hands down in a powerful blow, certain it would land. But Morning Breeze quickly sidestepped, rotated on his right foot, and swept at Martial Maniac with the Brotherhood Sword in his left hand.

Displacement Counter! Morning Breeze had successfully learned the move and, with his left hand, unleashed a Whirlwind Strike!