Chapter 78: The Director’s Script

This particular challenge failed to garner widespread attention, for daily grievances and feuds were commonplace in the martial world, and only those directly involved truly cared about the unfolding events.

However, when one of the combatants was Sword Sweeping the World, the number of ‘concerned parties’ swelled to an almost absurd degree.

Some merely watched for a laugh, while others harbored hopes of witnessing Sword Sweeping the World make a fool of himself.

Though the overall viewership wasn’t vast, every significant player was keenly observing.

With such a respectable viewership, the caster happily continued broadcasting the battle.

[Yan Quan has yet to intervene in the command, appearing to dismiss his opponent entirely. Indeed, the Sword Sweeping the World branch has dispatched an ordinary first-tier player, not one from their elite squad.]

Despite their opponent being merely an ordinary player, the members of Gunfire Rose still held their breath for their president.

Gunfire Rose was not a guild known for seeking trouble; their president was exceptionally low-key, rarely engaging in direct combat.

Yet, judging by her past performances, she didn’t seem particularly formidable.

Even if their president had encountered some fortuitous event, elevating her equipment and level to that of a second-tier player, this was a single-plank bridge!

Here, player-versus-player combat skills reigned supreme above all else!

And how strong could a dainty, adorable girl like their captain possibly be in terms of PK skills?

Had Leng Shisan not been careless earlier, even a third-tier player could have knocked her off.

“My apologies, little sister!”

The player dispatched by Sword Sweeping the World was also a warrior, but specifically a shield warrior.

Shield warriors sacrificed agility and offense, gaining enhanced defense and crowd control abilities.

Theoretically, on this single-plank bridge, they possessed an advantage second only to mages among all classes.

For him, the strategy was simple: approach Su Yingning with his shield raised, then use a Shield Bash to knock her off.

Even someone entirely unfamiliar with PvP could achieve this with ease.

“Come.”

Su Yingning stood at the center of the bridge, opting not to initiate an attack.

The shield slowly advanced, and the spectators held their breath, intently watching the unfolding battle.

‘With such a shameless tactic employed by the shield warrior, surely the beautiful girl would be utterly helpless?’

A few seconds passed, and the shield warrior was now less than two meters from Su Yingning.

[Great Leap!]

Su Shunhua suddenly shouted in the private chat channel.

Having discussed the strategy beforehand, Su Yingning reacted instantly, preparing to jump.

Although Su Yingning didn’t understand why she needed to jump, she followed the instruction precisely.

Her feet left the ground, and she soared high, leaping a full three meters into the air!

Precisely at that moment, a white glow, signaling a skill activation, bloomed from the warrior’s shield.

Shield Charge!

Skill activation required time, and the warrior had never anticipated Su Yingning would leap as if foreknowing his move.

Left with no alternative, he raised his shield high and, steeling himself, followed her with a jump, determined to knock Su Yingning out of the air!

Skills could not be used during a charge; this was the inherent weakness of charging abilities.

He had been exceedingly cautious, initiating his charge only within two meters.

At such close range, even if an opponent tried to jump and dodge, it would be impossible to evade.

What he hadn’t foreseen, however, was that her jump would be timed *precisely* with the instant he activated his charge!

He had no room for choice.

To knock Su Yingning off the single-plank bridge, he hadn’t charged directly along its length, but rather at a slight angle.

If he failed to hit an enemy target, he wouldn’t stop, continuing his charge for the full twenty-meter distance—which would send him plunging into the swamp!

The shield warrior reacted swiftly, instantly adjusting his direction!

He roared, hurtling towards Su Yingning in mid-air!

Both combatants, suspended in the air, lacked leverage or space to maneuver, capable only of simple rotations.

After her initial jump, Su Yingning had nowhere left to dodge!

Her leap seemed to be nothing more than a lamb walking straight into a tiger’s maw!

‘Did she think a mere jump would save her? How naive!’

‘She clearly didn’t expect my reaction to be so swift!’

The shield warrior approached rapidly, a triumphant sneer twisting his lips, closing in swiftly… flying… flying… higher and higher!

Further and further!

He flew off the single-plank bridge!

He flew over the swamp!

He flew towards the moon!

*Plop~*

Then he plummeted into the swamp, gargled a string of bubbles, and vanished without a trace.

‘MDZZ (TL Note: A common internet slang term, short for “Mā De Zhàng Zhì”, meaning “idiot” or “f*cking stupid”), don’t you know there’s a skill called Heavy Drop (TL Note: A skill that allows a character to rapidly descend from the air)?’

‘How dare you activate a charge and jump after her?’

‘No skills can be used during a charge, so while Su Yingning could use Heavy Drop to land instantly, were you hoping to become an Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon (TL Note: A fictional superweapon from the anime Gintama, known for its absurdly long and convoluted name) by jumping with your charge active?’

‘Poor child, having dreams is a good thing, but you forgot about gravity!’

Su Yingning’s small face flushed with tension, and she stole a shocked glance at Su Shunhua.

‘How did Xiaoya predict the opponent would charge within two meters and then commit suicide by jumping after me?’

‘The opponent clearly had other options, so why did they choose such a suicidal method?’

‘It was as if they were a director!’

‘They had orchestrated every single detail of the entire battle even before the opponent stepped onto the bridge!’

‘Before the battle began, I had harbored some doubts, but to my astonishment, everything truly unfolded exactly according to Xiaoya’s meticulously planned script!’

Each person’s combat style was intrinsically linked to their personality.

Before a battle, numerous subtle body language cues could betray an opponent’s planned actions.

Of course, this demanded an exceptionally vast accumulation of experience.

These players, though possessing considerable abilities, had never experienced true life-or-death crises.

They lacked any genuine combat experience and utterly failed to conceal their intentions.

From Su Shunhua’s perspective, they might as well have etched their personalities and fighting styles directly onto their faces!

“What? Su Yingning won again?”

The guild chat channel of Gunfire Rose fell into a stunned silence.

“What? They messed up again?”

The guild chat channel of Sword Sweeping the World’s 029 branch was utterly silent.