Chapter 8: Unchanging in the Face of Change
"Very well. I will come to find you again!" said the Sword Demon
Ah! Beautiful! Suddenly, the sound came from the fireball. Thinking that if Gu Fei were to lose, he would be the next target for the opponent, he had been quite anxious. At this moment, seeing Gu Fei win so brilliantly, he felt invigorated, clapping his hands as he rushed out of the crowd, approaching the two and patting the Sword Demon, saying: "You are level 24, right? You were defeated by a level 10 mage, how do you feel about that? Hahaha!" The fireball wore a look of great satisfaction, as if he had defeated the Sword Demon.
In the distance, he was wary of his fireball, and in close combat, he couldn't gain the upper hand; how could he fight like this? There was no choice but to proceed as such! The Sword Demon thought that Gu Fei repeatedly igniting fireballs was meant to restrain his movements. Before Gu Fei could ignite a third one, he unleashed his unique skill. The figure of the Sword Demon gradually became thin like mist, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from everyone's sight.
Unfortunately, this time he judged incorrectly again
In the blink of an eye, the Sword Ghost had arrived behind Gu Fei, yet Gu Fei showed no reaction. The Sword Ghost had no time to think further; his stealth duration was about to expire. He was prepared to unleash his strongest attack at that moment, the level 18 rogue skill: Backstab.
Damn, while being wary of that guy's close combat abilities, I completely forgot that he is a mage. As soon as the Sword Demon saw the fireball, he began to move in an irregular S-shape without waiting for the opponent to cast it. He had seen mages in the game cast fireball spells before; once the fireball is launched, it will track the target for a brief moment and within a very small range. As long as he is not hit or does not run out of range during that time, he can be considered to have successfully evaded it. He had seen mages in the game cast fireball spells before; once the fireball is launched, it will track the target for a brief moment and within a very small range. As long as he is not hit or does not run out of range during that time, he can be considered to have successfully evaded it
Gu Fei still did not activate the Resistance Fire Ring, nor did he move back and forth in the *Illustrated* book to evade the unseen enemy; he remained standing still in place.
The Sword Demon was quickly calculating his tactics. He did not yet have any ranged attack techniques; to defeat his opponent, he had to engage in close combat. However, the mere thought of close combat made cold sweat break out on his forehead.
Is it possible that he hasn't learned to resist the Fire Ring? Or is he truly an utterly incompetent novice? The Sword Demon felt a mix of surprise and doubt in his heart, but seizing the opportunity, he quickly approached Gu Fei while predicting several routes that Gu Fei might choose.
In just a few moves, Gu Fei had rendered the rabbit helpless and the hawk grounded. By the time those around reacted, the Sword Demon had already been completely subdued by Gu Fei
At this moment, Gu Fei threw it back into his own hands, tightly gripping it. The Sword Demon could hardly believe that this was real. Nowadays, the online gaming world is filled with a large number of cash warriors, and such a rare item could easily be sold for several months' salary of an ordinary person. But this young man before him, did he not understand, or what was going on?
The Sword Demon did not use stealth right from the start; it was entirely due to the Mage's level 6 skill: Resistance Fire Ring
"Fireball..." Gu Fei suddenly spoke towards the crowd, but in an instant, a fireball ignited rapidly in front of him
The onlookers did not perceive the changes occurring on the field, nor did anyone realize that at this moment, the Sword Demon had already closed in behind Gu Fei
Stealth is undoubtedly the signature skill of the rogue profession, which is not surprising. What truly astonishes everyone is that Stealth is a skill that can only be learned at level 24. Although they knew that the Sword Demon would certainly be at a higher level than them, they did not expect it to be by such a significant margin. Truly, he is the number one player in the online gaming world. Just moments ago, the crowd was worried about the Sword Demon being repelled by Gu Fei in three moves, but in the blink of an eye, they were filled with confidence again.
The Sword Demon was at a loss for words and did not know what to say. He could only nod at Gu Fei, express his gratitude, and turn to leave
The images in people's minds are frozen at this moment, yet the scene continues to change.
The Sword Demon reached out to catch it, but was taken aback. This dagger, named Frost's Remembrance, not only dealt damage but also granted an additional 25 points of agility, a 30% chance of a critical hit, and a 10% chance of level 3 freezing damage. It was a weapon that the Sword Demon had inadvertently used to exploit the terrain in the forest to wear down a BOSS of unknown level. Among the weapons currently listed on the official website, none have attributes that surpass it. After losing, the Sword Demon's face turned ashen, partly because this dagger had fallen into Gu Fei's hands. Among the weapons currently listed on the official website, none have attributes that surpass it. After losing, the Sword Demon's face turned ashen, partly because this dagger had fallen into Gu Fei's hands
As the name suggests, this move should be executed from behind the target, capable of inflicting 200% damage plus an additional 40 points under normal circumstances. Although the stealth effect will dissipate the moment the skill is cast, the astonishment of those around will serve as a reminder to Gu Fei; however, by that time, his dagger will have surely pierced the target's back. With a level difference of fourteen, the rogue's backstab on the mage can only result in a conclusion other than the instant kill of the sword ghost.
Gu Fei's left hand swiftly pressed and twisted, causing the Sword Demon’s wrist to ache and his fingers to lose strength. As his palm opened, the dagger slipped from his hand. Gu Fei's right hand bent down to scoop it up, loosening and tightening his fingers, catching the Sword Demon’s dagger while discarding the small knife he originally held. Following this, with a sweep of his left hand, the Sword Demon’s right arm was bent behind his back. Gu Fei had already moved in, raising his right hand to position the dagger across the Sword Demon’s neck
The Sword Demon’s face was ashen. He accepted his defeat with grace; even the opportunity to ambush from behind was given to him, yet he was still taken down. What else could he possibly feel but resignation? A level 25 rogue can only employ such tricks. Who exactly is this person? The techniques he used are clearly not part of the game’s standard skills.
The Sword Demon deduced two points from his own experience. First, when a novice mage engages in player versus player combat, they will immediately activate the Fire Resistance Ring. Second, the opponent would never expect that he had mastered the skill of Stealth, which is only available to level 24 rogues. Therefore, his original plan was to wait for Gu Fei to exhaust the Fire Resistance Ring, then approach in Stealth and deliver a fatal blow
A thousand miles in a drunken stupor! Gu Fei replied
Gu Fei nodded with a smile, and as the Sword Demon turned to leave, Gu Fei suddenly called out to him: "Wait, your dagger." Saying this, he threw the dagger towards the Sword Demon.
In the world of online games, levels speak volumes. A level 24 compared to a level 10 represents such a vast disparity that there's no need to even engage in combat
Through an understanding of the game, precise calculations, and the formulation of the optimal combat strategy, this is the consistent style of Sword Demon in online games. Even if the opponent is merely a level 10 mage, he will not underestimate them in the slightest
Just as he was thinking, he suddenly felt a release behind him; Gu Fei had already let him go. The Sword Demon turned around, took two steps back, and looked at Gu Fei: "What is your name?"
With a sudden sound, the first fireball extinguished, but immediately a second one ignited. The Sword Demon twisted even more frantically. However, Gu Fei's fireball still showed no sign of being launched, as he stood there in a daze. Before long, the fireball extinguished on its own.
The Sword Demon twisted wildly in the open space among the crowd, waiting for Gu Fei to utter the word "shoot." Unexpectedly, after staring blankly at the fireball in front of him, Gu Fei mumbled, "I wasn't calling you; I was calling that fireball."
At this moment, the mindset of the Sword Demon was a completely different scene compared to Gu Fei. Just now, after three consecutive strikes, he was so shocked that he broke out in a cold sweat. Especially the last strike, which was entirely a subconscious act of self-protection that helped him block this move.
Both sides are at a standstill, with neither willing to advance easily.
At that moment, Gu Fei suddenly turned around sharply, his left hand extending swiftly. The onlookers could not help but gasp in bewilderment. But immediately after, a figure resembling the Sword Demon materialized in the air, his right hand firmly gripping a dagger, yet his right wrist was securely held by Gu Fei's left hand
The other party is a mage, while he is a thief. It should have been the case that he sought every possible means to approach the other party, while the latter tried every conceivable way to maintain distance, attacking with ranged spells.
The knife is held against the neck; although this is an online game, whether this situation poses a threat remains unknown. However, the outcome of this contest can be discerned by anyone with eyes.
But now, unexpectedly, the mage was wielding a dagger and charging at the thief. As a result, after taking three hits up close, the thief retreated far away, not daring to approach. No matter how rich the Sword Demon’s experience in online games was, he never imagined he would encounter such a scene one day. Initially, he was quite wary of the mage's low-level spell, Fireball. Although it was of a low level, if he were truly hit by a fireball, the damage could equate to him being struck two or three times. However, the mage didn't even use any spells and instead landed two or three hits with the dagger, which was utterly unreliable!
Being convinced does not mean one is happy about losing; at this moment, the Sword Demon felt a mix of emotions. In addition to his confusion regarding Gu Fei's skills, he also felt regret for himself. Once the top player in online gaming, he was now defeated by a mage who was 15 levels below him. Was everything he once had truly just a thing of the past?
Certainly, the Fire Resistance Ring has its weaknesses. It has both a skill cooldown and a freezing time, and the time difference between these two periods makes it impossible for the mage to ensure that the Fire Resistance Ring is always active. During this time gap, it presents a prime opportunity for launching a stealthy close-range attack.
The characteristic of lurking is that once an attack is launched or one is attacked, it will immediately reveal itself. Although the resistance to Fire Ring's attack is minimal, its range is slightly greater than that of a complete close-range attack. Therefore, a thief cannot stealthily approach while the mage is using the resistance to Fire Ring.
Under the pressure of the situation, the Sword Demon had no choice but to activate his Stealth first. He believed that upon seeing him use Stealth, the Mage would immediately activate the Resistance Fire Ring. However, his Stealth lasted three seconds longer than the Resistance Fire Ring, allowing him to close the distance first. Once the Resistance Fire Ring cooled down, he could use those three seconds to approach and eliminate the opponent. Unless... the opponent's Resistance Fire Ring had been upgraded, lasting longer than his Stealth. But this possibility was virtually nonexistent; a level 10 character would not have the time or resources to upgrade any skill tier.
Gu Fei did not move, not even a finger. The Sword Demon even doubted whether he needed to get close to him and blow a breath on his face for him to have any sense of crisis
The Sword Demon vanished from everyone's sight, hiding in a certain position on the field, observing Gu Fei's movements
However, it now appears that both of his inferences were completely wrong. Gu Fei neither activated the resistance fire ring nor showed the slightest surprise at his ambush. Furthermore, this mage's close combat ability is even more terrifying than that of this thief, which is something that the Sword Ghost could never imagine without experiencing it firsthand.
"Infiltrate!" someone shouted from the crowd