In my hand, the longsword gleamed with a faint blue light. Its blade was engraved with crimson dragon patterns—the emblem of the legendary Crimson Dragon Legion. The edge gleamed coldly, forged from a monomolecular structure. It was exceptionally sharp and durable!
As my gaze lingered on it, the sword's attributes floated into view—
[Legion Blade] (Quality: Blue) Tier: 2 Type: Monomolecular Sword Base Parameters: Attack 145–200, Attack Speed 0.9 times/sec, Durability 2000/2000 Strength: +20 Length: 0.8M Weight: 4KG Blessing: Lifesteal +2% Specialty: Armor Penetration, ignores 15% of the target's armor Requires strength: 200 Details: A standard-issue sword of the Crimson Dragon Legion, forged by a master swordsmith. Incomparably sharp. ...
Looking at the Legion Blade's attributes, I could not help taking a deep breath. Its attack power was absurdly high—far stronger than the Vanguard Bee Sting's measly 15–25 attack!
Moreover, the Legion Blade had two highly useful additional attributes. One was 15% armor penetration, while the other was 2% lifesteal efficiency. Both were effective attributes for melee classes!
Clack!
I equipped it immediately. The cheap-looking Vanguard Bee Sting in my hand instantly became the blue Legion Blade. At the same time, my attributes rose sharply, and with the replacement of my main-hand weapon, my combat level soared!
[Shadow Chaser] (Starry Sky Super Weapon · Sword Specialization · Tier 2) Level: 22 Attack: 332–540 Defense: 110 Health: 8700 Critical Hit: 3% Lifesteal: 4% Damage Increase: 5% Charm: 0 Essence: 100/100 Overall Combat Level: 1125 Potential Point Allocation: Strength 280 / Agility 121 / Spirit 80 / Constitution 60 Achievements: 6 ...
My maximum attack had broken through 500, and my Overall Combat Level had reached a terrifying 1125. At this stage, players usually did not even have more than 100 armor. One could only imagine how painful a 500+ attack would be!
Furthermore, my lifesteal efficiency had risen to 4%, and my combat recovery ability was steadily improving!
"What did everyone get?"
Axe sounded excited. "I got a green Wind Whisperer. Awesome!"
"Congratulations!"
Zhang Ruolin smiled. "I got a green bracer. Not bad."
Ling Baiwei said, "I did all right too. I got two Explosive Grenades. What about you, Ding Han?"
"I did a little better."
I did not hide it. "I got a blue Tier 2 one-handed sword. Its maximum attack is 200, plus 15% armor penetration and 2% lifesteal."
"Holy crap..."
Axe was stunned. "That good? Seriously?"
"Why would I lie?"
I raised my hand and waved the Legion Blade. Blue light flickered across it.
"It really is a blue one-handed sword..."
Ling Baiwei said, "The stuff from your BOSS Ability Crystal is better than ours. It should be related to your damage output in battle, right?"
"Probably."
Ruolin answered for me. "According to the settings of Star Abyss, the hidden quality of Ability Crystals from BOSS fights is assigned according to damage contribution. Ding Han took at least 50% of that Mutated Direwolf's health bar, so his Ability Crystal was bound to be better than ours. He also had a greater chance of getting top-tier loot."
"So that's how it is..." Axe said, suddenly enlightened.
"It's getting late. Let's go."
I looked over the nearby wilderness. "If night falls and we get targeted by alien creatures, it'll be a real hassle. Alien creatures have an absolute advantage in nighttime combat, while we don't have much night-vision equipment."
"Mm, let's go!"
Axe nodded.
Everyone returned to where we had started and drove the pickup truck toward the Phase Teleportation Array.
An hour later, the Phase Teleportation Array appeared vaguely in our field of vision. After returning the pickup truck, Axe and I walked toward the array side by side.
"You guys go ahead."
Xiao Bai said, "I just saw some level 15 beasts to the north. Ruolin and I still have plenty of bullets left, so we're planning to go grind Basic Shooting levels."
"That works."
I nodded. "Be careful."
"Don't worry. This place is close to the teleport point and the market. People from the Crimson Firmament Alliance maintain player order here, so nothing should happen."
"That's good."
Axe and I stepped into the Teleportation Array together.
Axe had ridiculously good luck. When we killed the Devourer, he had obtained an Ability Crystal and opened a white submachine gun from it, so he eagerly headed for the trading house. I lingered for a moment, intending to replenish some ammunition.
"Old Ma."
"Ding Han."
Old Ma rubbed his nose. "I've told you eight hundred times, my damn surname is Liu, not Ma..."
"Mm, got it. Old Ma, do you have RPG-32 grenades here?"
"I do, but they're expensive. Eight thousand each. How many do you want?"
"Damn..."
My eyes widened, and I felt a little regretful. That shot on the Morning Glow Plains had certainly felt amazing, but the price had been painfully steep. One shot had cost 8,000 Star Coins. That was outrageous!
"So, do you want any?" Old Ma looked at me teasingly.
"Ahem..."
I was at a loss for words and was just trying to think of an excuse to cover up my embarrassment.
Then, Xiao Bai's voice came through the still-open Team Channel. "Ding Han, Axe, Ruolin and I are being PKed! They're people from Ragnarok, waah..."
The next moment, Xiao Bai let out a muffled groan, followed by a message in the Team Channel:
[Team Notice: Teammate Xiao Bai was attacked by player Ah Dui Dui Dui and has entered the Lightly Injured state!] ...
"Damn, something happened!"
Without another word, my expression changed drastically as I rushed away. I directly spent 1,000 Star Coins to select the Morning Glow Plains and teleported back. With a whoosh, I appeared on the other side of the Phase Teleportation Array. Opening the minimap, I saw Ruolin and Xiao Bai's positions. They were not far away, in a patch of bushes about half a kilometer away.
Whoosh!
I charged out at maximum speed and opened the star map at the same time. "Ah Dui Dui Dui, I'm Shadow Chaser. The people you're PKing are my friends. Please show some mercy. We're all players; there's no need to kill them all. She's already injured. If you keep attacking, someone could die."
However, nobody from Ragnarok said a word on the star map.
"Damn it!"
I gritted my teeth and said in the Team Channel, "Give me their coordinates!"
Zhang Ruolin immediately reported their location. It turned out they were even closer to me, so I drew my sword and charged over.
Ahead, night had fallen. Clear gunfire could be heard, and after I rushed through a stretch of woods, I spotted the firing position. There were three enemies, all prone atop a low hill, while Zhang Ruolin and Xiao Bai were pinned down in a cluster of bushes on the flat ground in the distance!
Only one of the three was continuously firing bursts from a submachine gun. The sound of "tada-da-da~~ tada-da-da~~" rang out without pause, and sparks frequently burst from the bushes. Those were bullets striking Ruolin's shield.
It was obvious that the shooter genuinely wanted to kill Ruolin and Xiao Bai!
"I'll say this one more time!"
On the star map, I spent another 1% of my experience points. "I'm Shadow Chaser. You're attempting to kill my friends. If you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to act."
At that moment, the player named "Ah Dui Dui Dui" finally spoke, sneering, "Those two women fired first and stole a Devourer from me. They even got a green necklace from it. Not even the King of Heaven can stop me today—I'm killing both of them! Shadow Chaser, quit pretending. If you've got the guts, just make a move. We at Ragnarok don't cause trouble, but we don't fear it either!"
"Fuck you!"
I frowned, then drove hard with both legs. The instant I burst from the bushes, I activated Bio-Optical Invisibility. My body vanished into the forest as I charged toward the nearby slope!
"Something's wrong..."
On the hill, a player holding a sniper rifle frowned. "I heard footsteps. It sounds like someone is coming, but why can't I see anyone?"
"Could it be a Shadow Assassin?"
The other player looked shocked.
Meanwhile, Ah Dui Dui Dui changed magazines and aimed at the bushes a hundred meters away, unleashing another wild burst of fire. "You two bitches, let's see how I kill you!"
I did not hesitate for even a second longer. Raising my hand slightly, I directly activated my SS-rank skill—Tian Gong Kai Wu!
Whoosh~~~
Twenty Essence Points transformed into a rain-like stream of golden energy that seeped into their bodies. Just as the three of them reacted, I shot forward like lightning. With a bang, I activated Explosive Charge, piercing through all three of them and stunning them in place!
At the same time, a basic attack + Ground Spike Slash + basic attack landed on Ah Dui Dui Dui. His health bar trembled violently as damage numbers leaped everywhere!
772!
2034!
765!
Tian Gong Kai Wu had reduced his armor by over 40%, while the Legion Blade ignored another 15%. Before my sword, he was practically naked. What armor could he possibly have left!
"You..."
Ah Dui Dui Dui turned pale in shock. He had not expected me to suddenly rush out, and hurriedly turned around, trying to spray me down with his submachine gun!
Whoosh!
With Step Slash, I instantly appeared behind and to his right. Turning around, I unleashed a combo of basic attack + Bloodthirsty Assault + basic attack, and even stronger damage numbers surged upward!
742!
771!
1045!
3028!
712!
The third strike of Bloodthirsty Assault had crit, and combined with the earlier combo and Explosive Charge's damage, I had dealt over 10,000 damage to him in just three seconds!
Ah Dui Dui Dui was a Firepower Specialist. For survival and to be able to wield heavy weapons, Firepower Specialists usually distributed their points among Strength, Agility, and Constitution. But even with plenty of Constitution in a mixed build, his health could not have exceeded 8,000. Under that devastating combo, his health bar vanished outright!
Thud...
Ah Dui Dui Dui's eyes rolled white as he fell to his knees. Above his head, four increasingly dark red words flew up in succession: "Lightly Injured," "Severely Injured," "Near Death," and "Dead."
His throat had been slit, and blood sprayed out, dyeing my clothes crimson.
"K-Killed?"
"H-He died?"
The other two Ragnarok players stood dumbfounded.
"He died."
I nodded. "Did you two attack them just now?"
"N-No..."
One of them said helplessly, "We don't have any deep grudge against Ruolin and Xiao Bai. We'll run into each other again sooner or later. But that Dui Dui guy... he's pretty narrow-minded. He probably wanted to make their equipment drop too, so... we couldn't persuade him, and there was nothing we could do..."
"Get lost!"
"Okay..."
The two of them slunk away in disgrace.
I quickly collected all the belongings Ah Dui Dui Dui had dropped into my Dimensional Storage Space, then rushed toward the bushes where Ruolin and Xiao Bai were hiding. Taking out Randel's Shield, I said to the injured Xiao Bai, "Let's go. Ruolin and I escort you back to the Teleportation Array!"
Before you continue