Internet Trolls

"Bang!"

Amidst the sound of Essence erupting, One Blade Into Soul used Explosive Charge at point-blank range!

Finally, he used his skill before I did!

Under the impact of Explosive Charge, my mind went blank for a moment, and then I felt a sharp pain in my back. That blue monomolecular sword actually followed up with a normal attack + Dragon Blade + normal attack. The damage was unusually high!

"300!"

"224!"

"436!"

"227!"

Right after the second normal attack, One Blade Into Soul's face contorted with ferocity. He directly plunged the tip of his sword into the ground, unleashing Ground Spike Slash!

"544!"

The damage was decent. The entire combo dealt over 1700 damage, but my HP was a full 7900 points. It barely made a dent!

To put it bluntly, the grade of my Essence Furnace gave me a massive advantage. Otherwise, the difference in weapons would have been a real problem!

"How could this be..."

One Blade Into Soul seemed a bit dazed, likely not expecting his damage to be so low, nor my HP to be so substantial. Dealing over 1700 damage to my Blood Essence and still having 78% HP left was simply outrageous!

In his moment of stunned disbelief, I thrust my sword into his abdomen, dealing over 260 damage. Instantly, I used Explosive Charge to appear behind him, followed by a normal attack + Dragon Blade + normal attack combo that struck One Blade Into Soul's back!

"402!"

"249!"

"524!"

"271!"

In an instant, the entire combo dealt over 1700 damage. Combined with the damage from the first set, One Blade Into Soul had lost over 2800 HP. His total Blood Essence was only around 5000 points, so his HP bar was now at only 43%!

"Crack!"

Just as One Blade Into Soul turned to cast Step Slash to conjure armor for himself, I switched my main weapon to Roarer. The dark muzzle pointed directly at his face.

All it would take was a pull of the trigger to instantly put him in a lightly wounded state!

"You..."

One Blade Into Soul's face changed dramatically: "You're breaking the rules?!"

I hesitated for a moment. Although this was a small alley with little foot traffic, it was still within the Old City District. If I fired my gun, it would quickly attract the military police, which would be quite troublesome. It could even implicate the entire player Black Market!

So, I switched back to Vanguard Bee Sting, feeling much more relaxed.

I still had over 70% HP, while he only had over 40%. The advantage was mine!

But just then, a shadowy figure suddenly darted out from the darkness not far away. Above their head was a health bar and an ID. They were actually another player on the rankings!

[Gun Like a Dragon] (Starry Sky Super Weapon · Sword Specialization · Tier 2)

Level: 20

Guild: None

It was him!

Although Gun Like a Dragon, One Blade Into Soul, and I were all level 20 players, he had already advanced. He was now a Tier 2 player and might have learned a Tier 2 skill. The Tier 2 general skills for Starry Sky Super Weapon users were Armor Break Strike and Leap Attack. Having either of those skills could be the deciding factor in the battle.

"Stop fighting!"

Gun Like a Dragon arrived in a flash, his gaze fixed on us. He spoke in a commanding tone: "Are you two crazy? Fighting with health bars showing inside the city? Are you afraid the player Black Market won't be wiped out by the Stream City military police?"

I instantly switched to my normal person state.

One Blade Into Soul gritted his teeth and finally switched to his normal person form.

"We can discuss anything properly."

Gun Like a Dragon lowered his voice: "We players are like rats crossing the street, everyone wants to beat us. We already live in the dark underbelly of the Star Abyss world. You two are famous figures on the Stream City rankings, what are you doing?"

"Gun Like a Dragon, this has nothing to do with you," One Blade Into Soul said indifferently.

"Has nothing to do with me?"

Gun Like a Dragon pointed to the Black Market behind him: "I am the current true person in charge of this player Black Market. Do you dare say it has nothing to do with me? If this place gets wiped out, will the people above let me off? Do you dare say it has nothing to do with me?"

I said calmly: "This matter was instigated by people from Ragnarok. Even this alley fight was something I was forced into. I don't want to take any responsibility for this."

"Hmm!"

Gun Like a Dragon looked at me and finally nodded heavily. Then, he turned his gaze to One Blade Into Soul: "Yidao, your temper really needs to be controlled. Your Ragnarok guild is always causing internal strife among players, and it's not good. If you're truly strong enough, Stream City can no longer contain you. Fine, come to our Crimson Firmament Alliance. I, Gun Like a Dragon, will lead my brothers out of the city to fight you. Do you accept?"

"I didn't mean that. Actually, there might be quite a few misunderstandings here..."

One Blade Into Soul's voice had clearly softened.

"It's good if it's a misunderstanding."

Gun Like a Dragon said, "Brother Shadow Chaser didn't provoke you, what are you guys from Ragnarok trying to do? Since it's a misunderstanding, let's resolve it here. You should apologize to him."

"Fine, I, Huang Jinbo, am not someone who can't let things go."

One Blade Into Soul announced his name and turned to me, saying, "Brother Shadow Chaser, this matter was indeed started by my disappointing brothers. Please don't take it to heart. When you have time, I'll personally host a banquet and bring my brothers to apologize to you. How about it? We're all players, and we shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves when we're trying to make a living on someone else's turf."

"Okay."

I nodded. "Then I'll be waiting for that banquet from Alliance Leader One Blade Into Soul."

"No problem!"

And so, the top three players on the Stream City leaderboard went their separate ways.

As for the banquet and apology... it's best to just listen to it and not take it seriously. Moreover, even if One Blade Into Soul actually hosted a banquet, I wouldn't have the inclination to attend.

Returned to my residence.

Milo wasn't there; he was probably at the bar for work.

Although I was starving, I first took a hot shower, then found a set of his clothes from Milo's room and washed my dirty laundry. After finishing all that, I went downstairs, planning to get a bowl of hot noodle soup.

Downstairs, in front of the convenience store, stood an old-fashioned arcade machine, the kind where you could play for one dollar. A chubby kid was currently playing King of Fighters 97. He looked like an elementary school student, and his gameplay was quite skilled; his combos with Iori Yagami were masterful.

I glanced at it and let out a scoff.

"What are you laughing at? If you've got the guts, put in a coin and challenge me!" the chubby kid provocatively challenged me.

"I can't be bothered to teach you a lesson."

I chuckled and walked away. As long as I don't make a move, I won't lose.

"Ding Han, going out?"

Downstairs, two old men were playing chess. One was Grandpa Li, and the other was Grandpa Zhao. The convenience store downstairs was Grandpa Li's. I had bought instant noodles there before, so I was familiar with him.

"Yeah, going out for a meal."

He didn't pay me any mind and continued playing chess with his old friend, muttering, "Hey, Old Zhao, I think I had a horse here just now. Where's my horse? Did you hide it?"

Old Zhao argued earnestly, "Old Li, don't wrongly accuse me. Am I that kind of person?"

While they were arguing, I had already left the neighborhood.

I ordered a large bowl of Huimian at a street-side stall. After eating my fill, I walked into a Vero Moda store across the street and bought myself a set of men's clothing. Because it was on sale, the entire outfit, including a jacket, top, pants, and shoes, only cost a little over 1200 Star Coins.

Money should be spent wisely. Although the economic situation has improved slightly, I still need to save on expenses like clothing and food. If I have money, it's more appropriate to spend it on purchasing military supplies.

The next morning.

I arrived at the internet cafe early to switch shifts. Zhao Yihang had dark circles under his eyes and complained, "Damn it, this night shift is not for humans. If I keep staying up like this, I'll retire early."

I patted his shoulder. "Just endure it. Everyone goes through this."

After the shift handover.

Lu Xiaobei returned in a flurry. The weather was getting colder, and she had changed into a gray woolen coat. Coupled with her beautiful hair, she looked elegant and poised. Her beauty was so flawless that no one would associate her with the owner of this rundown internet cafe.

"Breakfast, here."

Lu Xiaobei placed a double portion of breakfast on the counter and said, "What were you up to yesterday? I didn't hear from you all day."

"Busy with my own stuff."

"Went on a date with some girl?"

"Not exactly."

I started eating my breakfast. After I finished, Lu Xiaobei booted up a computer and sat near the entrance of the internet cafe to play Audition. Her slender, long fingers danced across the keyboard like butterflies, a beautiful sight.

She had indeed improved. She was really planning to make the internet cafe business successful.

I, on the other hand, began to write furiously, continuing my novel, My 23-Year-Old Beautiful Boss.

In the afternoon, I finished three chapters, totaling nine thousand words. I stretched and then proofread my manuscript. I'm truly amazing, my writing is so eloquent!

Afterward, I uploaded the day's work and then checked the book's data.

The website had started promoting my book. The number of favorites had now reached a thousand, meaning over a thousand people had read it. The review section, which used to be deserted, now had dozens of new reviews every day.

Of course, where there are good reviews, there are also bad ones. I was mentally prepared for this.

However, one particular review was incredibly harsh.

"How dare you write a novel with such writing? Author, listen to me, if you don't have the ability, don't just write blindly. Look at 'I Eat Dragon Fruit's' book; that's what you call writing. What you've written is trash! You're not cut out for online writing; go get a job, don't mislead people online."

This review really got to me. It's just writing a novel, am I killing people or setting fires? Online trolls are truly terrifying!

But when I clicked on the review, I saw that a user named "My Name Is Lu Xiaobei" had responded to this person.

"The fact that they can write is their skill. What can you do besides spew venom? If you have the ability, write one yourself. If you write better than the author, this young lady will buy all your chapters!"

The troll responded below, "Tsk, tsk. Just because I criticized it doesn't mean I have to write one, right? What kind of logic is that? Are you the author's dog? And you even chose a female protagonist's name. Pfft! The Lu Xiaobei in their book is a super beauty. You're probably an ugly monster, aren't you? Otherwise, why would they say ugly people cause trouble!"

I watched, dumbfounded. These two had been attacking and cursing each other in the comment section for over two hundred replies, truly a match made in heaven, a worthy opponent. They had been arguing from the evening of the day before yesterday until this morning.

It took me ten minutes to finish reading their exchange, and I couldn't help but sigh, "What talented people!"

I know everyone hates evil and doesn't want to see the protagonist suffer, but the protagonist is just an ordinary person like us. Their mindset needs a little change. Don't worry, you guys won't complain later if the protagonist kills too many people and angers the heavens.