Chapter 45: The Stolen Kill

“Weakness Curse!”

At this crucial moment, the Shamatte-styled individual, surprisingly, once again pulled out yet another trump card!

He pulled out a grey item, which looked like a small bottle, and then “CRACK!” he crushed it.

While it would be difficult to crush a bottle so easily in real life, in a game, crushing a bottle signified the immediate use of an item.

A grey aura instantly burst from the bottle, swiftly coiling around Azure Dragon’s claws.

Azure Dragon’s movements immediately became sluggish.

The Shamatte-styled individual, seizing the moment, calmly dodged Azure Dragon’s attack and began consuming recovery items to replenish his health.

“What the hell is that now?

Is it similar to that ‘Wither Orb’?

How does this guy have so many strange and unusual things?”

Kabasiji watched in astonishment as Azure Dragon was enveloped by the grey aura; not only had its movements slowed, but its attack power also seemed significantly diminished.

“This guy leveled up so quickly, and he’s quite formidable himself, possessing all sorts of bizarre gadgets,” Kabasiji exclaimed admiringly.

“He even captured White Tiger as a battle pet.

If we hadn’t been vigilant and set up an ambush here first, he might very well have completed the quest!”

“This doesn’t appear to be a dark-attribute item; it seems to be just a consumable,” Xue Hu typed, observing Azure Dragon slowly extend its claws, yet fail to land a hit on the Shamatte-styled individual.

“However, I’m not sure where he acquired it.

Its effect looks incredibly potent, even against a formidable boss like Azure Dragon.”

She added with a sigh, “This guy must be more than just powerful; he possesses exceptional luck, otherwise, he couldn’t possibly have gathered so many highly specialized items.”

Soon, the Shamatte-styled individual had fully restored his health.

At the same time, the “White Tiger” battle pet was resummoned.

Although Azure Dragon had regenerated some health during this interval, it was once again brought down to critical HP, roughly one-seventh or one-eighth of its total.

This health threshold was extremely precarious.

Azure Dragon did not cast its clone secret technique again, indicating that it wouldn’t be able to use that ability a second time within a short period.

At this point, the Shamatte-styled individual only needed to unleash a furious assault, and he could defeat Azure Dragon without even waiting for the “White Tiger” battle pet to rejoin the fray!

“Quick, let’s go!

Full damage output!

We absolutely must secure the kill!”

Hank, witnessing the unfolding scene, immediately stepped forward and decisively issued his command.

“While he’s in his damage downtime (TL Note: A period where a character’s damage output is temporarily reduced or paused due to cooldowns or other factors.), let’s push hard and claim Azure Dragon’s kill!”

“Wh-what?!

You guys!”

As Hank no longer bothered to conceal his presence or voice, the trio was instantly exposed to the Shamatte-styled individual.

After spending so long dueling Azure Dragon alone, he was infuriated to discover he had been observed by others the entire time.

“Don’t even dream of it!” the Shamatte-styled individual roared.

“Azure Dragon is mine; none of you will get the kill!”

The three had long prepared to steal the kill, so the moment Hank gave the order, they collectively stepped into Azure Dragon’s aggro range.

Raising their hands, they began pelting Azure Dragon with gold-attribute orbs.

Though momentarily stunned by this sudden turn of events, the Shamatte-styled individual quickly recovered.

He hastily pulled gold-attribute orbs from his inventory and began flinging them at Azure Dragon as well.

However, perhaps due to the extensive consumption in the previous battle, few orbs remained in his item slot; he used up the last few after just a couple of throws.

He was forced to frantically retrieve a stack of orbs from his bag to replenish his item slot, making him appear somewhat flustered.

“Yi Ye Zhixia (TL Note: The game name of the Shamatte-styled individual, who is female.), look behind you!”

Just then, an unknown voice shouted.

The Shamatte-styled individual instinctively glanced backward, naturally halting her actions.

The grey curse on Azure Dragon had already dissipated.

With its aggro still fixed on the Shamatte-styled individual, Azure Dragon immediately charged, slamming into her and sending her flying.

“Damn it!

I fell for it!”

Although she reacted almost instantly, the Shamatte-styled individual had still been hit.

The stun from being knocked back prevented her from continuing her attack, effectively handing over the critically wounded Azure Dragon on a silver platter.

Yi Ye Zhixia (the Shamatte-styled individual) was incredibly vexed at having fallen for such a foolish trap.

Yet, she was also deeply puzzled as to how someone knew her game name.

While it was a name she frequently used, she hadn’t mentioned it here, and furthermore, she was playing as a male character.

Could it be that one of the three people present knew her in real life and recognized her voice?

****

“Ahhhhh!

Over there, make way, let me through!”

Behind Xingxing, a clear voice echoed, accompanied by—

The thundering hooves of a beast horde.

Flames, like a hellish sea of fire, consumed the surging beasts, and with them, Xingxing’s last shred of hope.

She instinctively flung all her orbs at the horde.

Her buff duration had also ended.

White Tiger swatted Xingxing with a single paw, flattening her into a meat patty.

The critically wounded White Tiger, in turn, had its life ended by the miraculously spared Yi Ye Zhixia, who thus obtained the “White Tiger” battle pet and finally reached Level 200 thanks to her experience bonus.

****

The memory concluded there.

Yi Ye Zhixia gazed at Azure Dragon, which had crashed to the ground before her, feeling a sense of wistful loss.

History, it seemed, was eerily similar, with only the roles of the players often shifting.

Watching the three white lights continuously flash before her, and listening to the almost maniacal upgrade notification sounds, Yi Ye Zhixia knew her chance was gone.

All her rare items had been depleted.

Another attempt to fight Azure Dragon was now impossible.

Truthfully, there was no “next time” to begin with; this had been a fight with her back against the wall.

Now, a second chance was even more inconceivable—unless, by some oversight, her opponents allowed her to exact her revenge!

Meanwhile, the three individuals on the other side excitedly watched their character levels.

Indeed, apart from Xue Hu, both Hank and Kabasiji had leveled up to 190, while Xue Hu herself had reached 189.

If they continued grinding like this, they would reach Level 200 tomorrow, or at the very latest, by tomorrow afternoon!