Chapter 76: The Pea Gambit: A Duel on the Log Bridge

“Then let’s do this,” Su Yingning stated calmly.

“Hmph! How arrogant!” The elite assassin, his voice sharp and reedy, sneered, his form gradually fading until he vanished into thin air.

“It’s Stealth! I can’t believe this guy actually mastered Stealth! Truly worthy of an elite team’s top player!” The male player beside Lihuanhuan exclaimed, filled with admiration.

Lihuanhuan felt a surge of pride. This elite assassin was her devoted follower, a man she had effortlessly captivated, twisting his heart until he was utterly smitten. Even the most beautiful woman couldn’t sway his loyalty; his feelings for her had long transcended mere infatuation, blossoming into profound love.

Yet, what did it matter? In her eyes, he was nothing more than a dog. An animal she could discard or crush at any moment… she was hardly an animal lover.

Meanwhile, inside the dungeon, the three remaining players gazed at the forum, their brows furrowed in concern. On the forum, a few bored spectators were providing a real-time text broadcast of the situation unfolding outside.

The original poster had intended to live-stream a guide to the Spider Cave, but serendipitously stumbled upon this dramatic turn of events. With both a beauty to admire and a spectacle to witness, it was an unprecedented stroke of luck! He immediately began to savor the show, cracking melon seeds contentedly, while simultaneously providing a live, illustrated broadcast of the battle. Most of the images were magnified close-ups of Su Shunhua and Su Yingning, though Su Yingning, being the central figure, featured more prominently.

[The aloof beauty, unfazed by peril, issued a duel challenge to Sword Sweeping the World’s (TL Note: A guild name) entire Branch 29. Though Sword Sweeping the World was hesitant, the elite assassin ‘Leng Shisan’ (TL Note: ‘Leng Shisan’ translates to ‘Cold Thirteen’) ultimately stepped forward to accept the fight!] Following this was a picture depicting the confrontation, with Leng Shisan at the bridge’s edge and Su Yingning standing at its center.

[Leng Shisan has gone invisible! Holy hell, this guy actually possesses a rare Stealth skill book!] The screen now showed only Su Yingning, standing ready and vigilant.

“Leng Shisan? Oh heavens, I’ve heard of him,” the beautiful young female mage in the dungeon lamented, pressing a hand to her forehead in despair. “His technique and equipment are top-tier across all Sword Sweeping the World branches. I heard he even solo-killed ‘Qingyang Feng’ (TL Note: ‘Qingyang Feng’ translates to ‘Clear Soaring Wind’), the strategist of ‘Arid War’ (TL Note: A guild name) — one of the Ten Great Guilds — just yesterday, infuriating Arid War’s higher-ups. Bèi Yātou (TL Note: A familiar nickname for Su Yingning, roughly meaning ‘Girl Bei’ or ‘Little Bei’) can’t possibly defeat him…”

Bèi Yātou was the familiar appellation guild members used for Su Yingning.

The man beside the beautiful mage merely frowned, remaining silent, a flicker of worry visible on his stern face.

“Qingyu, should we summon the guild members to come here? To fight them head-on? Otherwise, if Bèi Yātou issues a challenge only to be instantly slain… wouldn’t that be incredibly humiliating? Bèi Yātou would be utterly devastated, wouldn’t she?”

Qingyu, indeed, was the same restaurant attendant, the very backbone of Su Yingning’s guild. He was one of the rare veteran members who had remained fiercely loyal to Gunfire Rose (TL Note: A guild name) even after Sword Sweeping the World had repeatedly targeted and wiped their guild. His profession was that of a Demon Race Wolf Demon Killer.

“…Yes, call them,” Qingyu stated in a low, somber tone. He spoke little in-game, embodying the archetype of a cool, reticent handsome man who frequently captivated infatuated girls on the sidelines.

“Alright, I’m calling them then, aren’t I? Nobody cares about a little experience loss anymore anyway… let’s just fight! Even if we die, we’ll take a fierce bite out of Sword Sweeping the World’s scoundrels before we go! Even if we can’t rip off a chunk of flesh, we’ll make them hurt for a while!” The beautiful mage declared fiercely, looking utterly determined. “But if Bèi Yātou gets angry and blames someone, I’m telling her it was all your idea!”

“…Whatever,” Qingyu replied expressionlessly, drawing his dagger, ready to exit the dungeon and throw himself into the fray at a moment’s notice.

Yet, they remained motionless, knowing full well that they were too late to intervene in the battle between Su Yingning and Leng Shisan; player-versus-player combat in this stage was a matter of mere moments.

They awaited the outcome, and while they had already anticipated it, waiting was their only option. The call to rally the guild had only just been sent out; even if every member rushed from the teleportation point without pause, it would still take over ten minutes. They, however, could not sally forth alone, as that would be a mindless sacrifice, offering no chance to even fight back.

Besides Qingyu and the beautiful mage, one other person remained in the dungeon—a friend of Qingyu’s, mentioned previously during their conversation. Unseen by either Qingyu or the mage, this male player discreetly sent a message.

Concurrently, Lihuanhuan received a voice message: Gunfire Rose’s vice-guild leader was mobilizing forces to the Spider Nest.

Lihuanhuan smiled gleefully, for what she sought was now effortlessly delivered into her hands; she had never imagined that this ‘lure the snake out of its hole’ strategy would draw out so many detestable serpents. If Gunfire Rose’s members had remained scattered across the world, she would have been truly helpless, but they were now actively congregating to their demise! This was nothing short of a heaven-sent opportunity to capture them all in one fell swoop!

First, she would eliminate this presumptuous woman in the duel, shaming her beyond measure! Then, she would slaughter every single member of their guild, leaving no one behind! Perfect~

However, in the very next second, her expression froze.

******

Rewinding half a minute, Leng Shisan had just entered Stealth mode, vanishing from everyone’s sight.

[Master, close your eyes. Your sight is useless now; it will only interfere with your perception,] Su Shunhua messaged in the private chat.

Su Yingning stood on the log bridge, where even a slight loss of balance would send her plummeting into the inescapable swamp below. Understandably, her heart pounded with anxiety, yet she maintained absolute trust in Su Shunhua. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

Leng Shisan hesitated to strike, and Su Shunhua understood his intentions, perhaps even better than he did himself.

He was waiting for Su Yingning to descend into terror and despair from her inability to see him, waiting for her to reach the absolute limits of her psychological endurance. Then, in that final moment before she completely shattered, he would strike, unleashing a combo to control and instantly kill her!

Although the log bridge was narrow, meaning he could only attack from the front, and Su Yingning only needed to guard against attacks from that direction, she remained in a passive state. This was because she couldn’t discern when he would strike, whether he would aim for the upper, middle, or lower body.

[Don’t panic. Anticipate the timing of their approach,] Su Shunhua whispered.

This was a trial, a rare opportunity to significantly enhance her practical combat experience, and Su Shunhua hoped Su Yingning would seize it. To his immense satisfaction, she clearly did.

Suddenly, a handful of peas, plucked from the roadside, materialized in Su Yingning’s grasp. Without hesitation, she scattered them forward. Two meters in front of her, the peas seemed to collide with an invisible wall, bouncing away directly.

The effect was remarkable!

Leng Shisan had never imagined Su Yingning would suddenly employ such a bizarre, yet miraculously effective, grassroots method – peas to the face?! It was a tactic completely at odds with the serious tone of battle.

The element of surprise was lost! Engaging a warrior head-on now would be a grave mistake!

Leng Shisan’s form recoiled violently! Alas, it was too late!

The sword Su Yingning wielded at that moment was not the high-attack [Fire Mother is Not Happy At All], but rather the Level 1 green-grade equipment that had dropped from Yujian Lin. While its attack power was virtually negligible for her current level, it came with a rare knockback skill: [Dragon Pouncing on the Moon].

The knockback level scaled with the player’s level, making it effective even against Leng Shisan. On a log bridge, a knockback was tantamount to an instant kill.

Taking a step forward, she moved diagonally!

“Dragon Pouncing on the Moon!”

As a knockback skill, Dragon Pouncing on the Moon followed an upward trajectory. Leng Shisan felt a sudden, sharp pain in his groin, then his entire body was sent flying, and… there was nothing after that.

In an instant, only one of Leng Shisan’s hands remained exposed from the mud swamp, trembling uncontrollably. He was utterly unwilling to accept this! So incredibly resentful!

His ultimate skill, the Stealth ability he had acquired with such difficulty! It was broken before he even had a chance to properly use it! And by such a strange, utterly undignified method, no less!

If he had been pushed into the river by some wild charge or a lucky hit, he might have accepted it… but the MVP of the entire encounter was a handful of peas! What the hell… this…

Leng Shisan, deceased.