Highway Robbery?

"The sun shines brightly, flowers smile at me, little birds chirp chirp chirp..."

Xiao Wen hummed a little tune as he walked back, feeling incredibly happy.

Just as he was about to reach the village entrance, ten players suddenly surrounded him.

Among these ten players, six had dark nicknames, three had slightly red nicknames, and the one leading them had a blood-red nickname.

In the online game "Phantom Gods," having a red name wasn't a sign of prestige; it merely indicated that these people had been slaughtering other players!

The more players they killed, the redder their names became.

"Well, well, didn't expect to run into a level four little chick. Little chick, want to go back to the village? Ten gold coins for your life, and we'll let you pass. Otherwise, we'll send you to the resurrection spring for free."

A female swordsman with the nickname Red Sand, holding a rusty longsword, stepped forward and pointed the tip of her rusty sword directly at Xiao Wen's chest.

"A robbery?"

Xiao Wen looked at the ten players in front of him, his expression rather strange.

He hadn't played games in years, and now he was being treated like a pushover.

"You guys have killed quite a few people, haven't you? Your names are already red."

Xiao Wen looked at the ten players in front of him, showing no signs of nervousness.

If there was anything most profitable in games, was it grinding monsters?

No, it was killing players and getting their dropped loot!

According to the game mechanics of Phantom Gods, when a player died, they would lose a level and also have a chance to drop items from their inventory and equipped gear.

Of course, if ordinary players had a 1% chance of dropping equipment, red-named players had a 50% chance. The more players they killed, the higher the chance of dropping equipment. It was common for them to drop everything, leaving them with only their underwear.

Now, these people surrounding him were essentially walking treasure chests!

"Little chick, you know we've killed a lot of people, so hand over your valuables! It's a good deal for you to buy back a level for ten gold coins..."

Before Red Sand could finish speaking, she saw Xiao Wen sidestep, dodge her rusty sword, and throw a punch.

A Summoner?

Fist fighting?

A Summoner without even a weapon?

In that instant, Red Sand puffed out her chest, clad in a white plate armor.

What kind of damage could a Summoner without a weapon inflict?

5 points?

Or 1 point?

Neither!

Health: -450

A bright red number floated up, and Red Sand's full health of 150 instantly vanished, leaving three pieces of faintly glowing equipment on the ground.

"This is called Blood Bar Vanish Technique. You guys can experience it too." Xiao Wen's lips curved upwards, revealing a gentle smile.

But this smile was no different from a demon's in the eyes of the ten people.

This... Is this still a Summoner?

A full 450 damage?

And that was with Red Sand wearing a decent piece of armor. If that was excluded, wouldn't the opponent's punch damage be around 475?

The red-named player leading the group, Sand Bone, his face fell, disbelief etched on his features.

He was already level six. By continuously killing players, he had managed to assemble a set of white-plate gear, and his weapon had even reached the green-tier.

With such strength, he was ranked within the top fifty in this beginner village of a thousand players.

Yet, even with all that, his combined stats only gave him an attack power of 150, less than half of Xiao Wen's.

If he didn't know that there were absolutely no hacks or bugs in Phantom Gods, he would have suspected this kid of using some illegal means.

"Could it be a rare hidden profession among Summoners, the Druid?"

A thought flashed through Sand Bone's mind.

"Attack him together! With such high attack power, he must have something good on him!"

Sand Bone gave the order, and the remaining eight players swarmed towards Xiao Wen.

The nine of them working together could even take on level seven elite monsters, let alone a mere level four player.

Swish!

A sound of rushing wind cut through the air. A mage not far away chanted a spell, swung his wooden staff, and a fireball the size of a fist flew towards them.

Xiao Wen sidestepped, easily dodging the attack.

At that very moment, the remaining eight players completed their encirclement of Xiao Wen, forming a circle and trapping him in the center.

"Little chick, leave your equipment behind. Consider it compensation for my sister. Since you're a hidden profession, I won't kill you. Let's just be friends."

Sand Bone glared at Xiao Wen in the center of the circle, his face grim, and said in a low voice.

"It's great to make friends! Come on, hand over all your equipment and gold. I won't kill you, just get lost!" Xiao Wen replied in the same tone.

"Brat, you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Brothers, kill him!"

Xiao Wen's lips curved slightly. He swayed, dodging a sword strike, and simultaneously threw a punch, smashing into someone's neck.

Critical Hit!

-

800

One person's health bar dropped to zero, their equipment and gold scattering everywhere. Xiao Wen ignored it all and continued his attack on the remaining few.

Although he was fighting nine against one, Xiao Wen seemed to have eyes all over his body, always anticipating the attack trajectories of the group and evading them in advance. In less than half a minute, six of the nine were dead, all killed by a single punch from Xiao Wen, while Xiao Wen himself hadn't even sustained a scratch.

"King-tier! At least a King-tier player! I've really kicked a steel plate!"

Sand Bone was already stunned by Xiao Wen's performance.

His movement was like floating willow catkins, seemingly slow but always managing to brush past their attacks to avoid them. At the same time, the opponent's attacks landed precisely during their moments of stiffness, allowing for counter-attacks that killed with a single punch.

Such keen perception and powerful combat awareness were far beyond what ordinary players possessed; he was at least a legendary King-tier existence!

His body slid, and Sand Bone crept behind Xiao Wen, gripping his green-grade dagger tightly and slowly approaching.

One strike!

He only needed one chance!

As long as he, a rogue, could get close by surprise, he was confident he could kill even a King-tier expert with a single blow!

Hold breath!

Concentrate!

He advanced step by step.

Five meters... three meters... two meters...

The opportunity arrived!

Sand Bone looked at the back that was now within arm's reach, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. He slid one foot forward, and a layer of dark, black light coated the blade of his pale green dagger.

Skill: Shadow Kill!

Activate!

His body slid, his speed suddenly increasing dramatically. The two-meter distance was covered in an instant, and the dagger slashed, aiming for Xiao Wen's neck.

"I say, you've been lurking behind me so sneakily for so long, and this is all the skill you have?"

A light, airy voice drifted over. Sand Bone found that Xiao Wen, who had been right beside him, had somehow taken half a step forward.

It was precisely this half-step that caused his blade's tip to graze millimeters in front of Xiao Wen's neck, missing its target.

At the same time, a punch came, striking him. A sharp pain surged through his body.

Critical Hit!

His health bar instantly cleared, his consciousness faded, and all his equipment was dropped.