Bai Fu had a very clear plan for leveling up.
No matter how much popularity she could build up among the players, the most important thing was that she had to survive until the game's first version update after its public beta launch, so she could see whether the game would adjust her lousy stats based on her performance.
When survival was the goal, putting most of her points into Constitution was obviously better value than investing them in any other attribute.
Anyone who played League of Legends knew that, in a team fight, the enemy usually focused on their own AD carry or mid laner. Unless it was absolutely necessary, who would want to blow all their skills right away on a Malphite with maxed-out defenses and health?
Not every Malphite liked wearing the Coral Reef skin and dancing while yelling, "You will lose!" to draw aggro.
That wasn't the only reason Bai Fu focused on Constitution.
Neither before nor after transmigrating had she ever systematically studied any fighting techniques.
Even if she put most of her points into Strength, she could still get thrashed in a real fight because of moves like "Fatal Miss."
She had to learn the corresponding Body Cultivation Style skills, work out the best combos, and get used to her opponents' attack rhythms before she could bring out her full potential.
If Bai Fu were a player, she would definitely choose that playstyle.
Whatever Great Desolate Prison-Heaven Finger, whatever Ultra Instinct—if it looked cool, that was all that mattered. Whether it hit anyone was another question. Who didn't have a few chuunibyou fantasies?
But Bai Fu was now an NPC who couldn't revive, so she chose a simpler, more brutal approach.
Like playing an ultra-heavy build in a Soulslike game.
Max out health, poise, resistances, stamina, and healing flasks, then put on the heaviest armor and carry the heaviest shield.
Dodge?
No need.
Skill?
No need.
Buff up, whip out the unrestricted combat techniques she'd learned online, and give the enemy the old "you do your thing, I'll do mine." Then see whose health bar was thicker in the end!
Once she had made up her mind, Bai Fu hurried home, stuffed a few boards into her clothes, changed into a particularly thick outfit, and headed straight for Brother Dabiao's hideout.
At 6:49 p.m., the sun sank below the horizon.
On a path lit by faint moonlight, Martin cursed and kicked a wall that had collapsed years ago.
"Are those Outsiders locusts or something? They didn't even leave me a single bottle cap."
He had just come from Brother Dabiao's hideout.
Good grief, the place was so empty even the mice would have cried!
To be honest, he hadn't expected Bai Fu to complete the task in the first place. His plan had been to wait for her to fail, then dock a hefty sum from her wages.
Who could've guessed those Outsiders would suddenly butt in and kill Brother Dabiao?
Great. Now the task couldn't go ahead, and he had no excuse to dock Bai Fu's wages.
"Damn it, those gangs from out of town have no manners at all!"
Martin was furious.
He had very wholesome interests.
Most people who saw Bai Fu might think about how they could spend a year with those legs. He was different: he only wanted her to make money for him or to get money out of her.
The thought that he couldn't dock Bai Fu's wages made him feel as miserable as if he'd swallowed a fly.
He refused to believe he couldn't find a way to dock those wages.
The Outsiders had been causing quite a stir lately, hadn't they? He'd send Bai Fu to capture a few of them. If she went to her death without a fuss, fine. If she dared to make excuses, he'd dock her pay!
The thought made Martin feel much better.
He lifted his foot and was about to leave when he noticed someone blocking the path ahead. The person was wrapped up from head to toe, with only a pair of eyes showing.
The hell? Someone was blocking his way. Did Brother Martin of the Abandoned Cooling Plant look like someone who'd put up with that?
Martin walked up and unleashed a three-part barrage of insults.
"What stray dog did you crawl out of? How dare you block your daddy's way? Do you even know whose turf this is? Get lost, or I'll stab you!"
The disguised Bai Fu didn't react.
Just to be safe, she used [Spiritual Vision] on Martin again.
[Name]: Javier Martin (Elite) [Template]: Ordinary [Primary Class]: Ordinary Boxer Lv6 [Secondary Class]: None [Health]: 80/80 [Attributes]: Strength 8, Agility 8, Constitution 8, Intelligence 3, Spirit 4, Inspiration 2 [Skills]: Fatal Strike Lv3, Sweeping Leg Lv1 [Talent]: None [Favorability]: Contempt (-6) [Threat Level]: Blue
His main attributes were extremely balanced. In gamer terms, Martin had built an all-rounder.
An all-rounder build was fine in a single-player game. If leveling became a hassle, he could always call in a cheat-engine guru or a Cheat Engine ancestor to max out every attribute and turn himself into an all-around super tank with no weaknesses.
But distributing points like this in an MMO was a little unwise.
Bai Fu confidently closed Martin's stats panel.
Blue meant Martin was theoretically around her level of strength, but that was only in theory. Real combat wasn't a game of comparing numbers.
"Some Outsiders asked me to pass you a message," Bai Fu said in a hoarse voice.
"Outsiders?" Martin paused, but quickly caught on. "You're Bai Fu. Don't think I can't recognize you just because you covered your face and pinched your voice!"
Bai Fu: "..."
How could he even recognize her?
Whatever. Since he'd seen through her, there was no point keeping up the act.
She took off her hood. "Martin, I'll fucking kill you! How dare you use An Ya to threaten me?"
"I thought you wouldn't fight back. So this was what you were waiting for." Martin sneered and cracked his knuckles. "Interesting. I hope you can make this enjoyable for me."
Even though he'd walked into an ambush, Martin remained calm. Brother Dabiao could knock Bai Fu out with one punch. Martin was a little weaker than Brother Dabiao, so if one punch didn't knock her out, surely two would do the trick.
A little nobody daring to mess with a supervisor? Talk about the world turned upside down!
He laughed as he walked toward Bai Fu.
The moment he got close, his boulder-sized fist shot toward Bai Fu like a cannon shell. The force of the punch even stirred her hair.
He planted his feet, joined his waist and legs, and unleashed his strength. [Fatal Strike Lv3] activated beyond its limits.
Thud!
The punch landed squarely in Bai Fu's stomach.
Critical hit!
"-4!"
A bright red damage number floated above Bai Fu's head.
Her body swayed slightly, but she quickly steadied herself.
What? He'd actually dealt 4 damage?
Bai Fu was shocked.
Martin was dumbfounded.
It felt like he'd punched an iron plate. Not only had he failed to knock Bai Fu down, he'd bruised his own hand.
"Are you fucking cheating?"
Martin refused to believe it. He rained a merciless barrage of Ora Ora Ora punches down on Bai Fu.
"-1," "-1," "-3," "-1"...
Bai Fu dodged from side to side. Her Agility was low, so she only barely managed to avoid about half the attacks. Her shoulders and joints still took plenty of punches. Martin kept going until his whole body ached and his vision blurred, then finally stopped. Surely he'd beaten Bai Fu into Bai Fu paste by now?
At first, Bai Fu had been a little worried. She'd thought all those points in Constitution might have gone to waste.
But as Martin's punches grew slower and slower and his damage dwindled, until he couldn't even deal 1 point, she finally relaxed completely.
See? That's what happened when you didn't put points into Constitution, you weakling!
Bai Fu checked her health.
[153/180]
She was still in pretty good shape.
"Right, now it's my turn to have some fun."
Bai Fu grabbed her cudgel and swung it upward in a sweeping arc toward Martin's crotch.
The unrestricted combat technique [Fatal Chicken Strike] activated.
Martin sensed the danger, but his aching muscles and limited stamina left him no time to dodge.
What the hell is this monster? I've punched her so many times and she isn't even hurt!
All he could do was watch in despair as the cudgel drew closer.
Smack!
"-16!"
Another bright red number. Another critical hit.
A searing pain shot up from below to the crown of Martin's head. The instant the blow landed, he fell into a state of [Stagger]. He opened his mouth to scream, but his throat and mouth instantly [Hardened], leaving him able to make only a monotonous, low-pitched "oh-oh" sound. He couldn't scream or call for help.
Bai Fu showed no mercy. She swung the cudgel and struck him again and again.
"-13," "-11," "-8"
Crack! The cudgel broke, but by then Martin had only 32 health left.
His eyes were filled with terror and pain. Clinging to his last shred of reason, he rolled away, trying to escape.
Without a word, Bai Fu rushed over and planted a heavy boot on Martin's face.
Crack.
His nose collapsed, and blood splattered from the back of his head.
By the time Bai Fu lifted her boot, Martin had gone completely still.
[You killed Javier Martin. Contribution Points: 100%. After adjustment for the level difference, you gained 640 EXP.]
Bai Fu took off her bloodstained gloves and stuffed them into her pocket.
That's what you get for training without protecting your crotch, kid!
Bai Fu felt as refreshed as if she'd just drunk an ice-cold soda on a scorching summer day. One word—
Satisfying!
Before you continue