Master vs. Master

Mech elemental attributes are only available after a mech reaches level ten and undergoes evolution.

Currently known elemental attributes include Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, Thunder, Light, and Dark, each with some counter-relations to the others.

This need not be elaborated on for now.

"The battle has begun!"

As everyone watched the two with great interest, they didn't keep the crowd waiting. Yang Bo, piloting the Wave-Chasing Halberd mech, charged rapidly towards Wang Xinghe's Dragon Hunter.

The Wave-Chasing Halberd didn't start with a skill, as it held a significant advantage. A direct, head-on assault was its best option.

Wang Xinghe's Dragon Hunter responded quickly. He put one hand behind his back, his curved blade vanishing, replaced by two spinning, fiery chakrams.

He then flicked his wrist, and the two fiery chakrams flew towards the Wave-Chasing Halberd from either side.

The chakrams were incredibly fast, and the Wave-Chasing Halberd couldn't dodge them. However, it didn't panic. A blue light flashed on its trident, and a watery blue shield enveloped it.

The chakrams struck the shield, creating violent ripples, but ultimately failed to break the Wave-Chasing Halberd's defensive skill.

Though the chakrams were ineffective, the Dragon Hunter's actions didn't stop. It leaped high into the air, dual-wielding its blades and thrusting directly at the Wave-Chasing Halberd.

The Wave-Chasing Halberd blocked the attack horizontally with its heavy halberd.

Then, the two engaged in close-quarters combat. The curved blades and the halberd clashed, producing waves of metallic impact. If not for the protective barrier, no one present could have withstood the noise.

The two mechs fighting felt like two master martial artists sparring, back and forth, a truly spectacular display.

Their movements, dodges, attacks, and defenses were all optimal for the current situation.

The clash of curved blades and the halberd was exhilarating. Every skill was executed with precision, and the skill mechanics were perfectly utilized.

Wang Qian Duo watched the battle on the field, his eyes glued to the action, not wanting to miss a single detail.

Although their skills were evenly matched, the Wave-Chasing Halberd, by virtue of its elemental advantage, gradually gained the upper hand through its skill deployment.

It was like a seasoned general, its attacks broad and powerful, fully leveraging the advantage of its longer reach.

Just as everyone thought the Dragon Hunter was about to be suppressed and defeated, it seized an opportunity during a successful defense. Flames suddenly erupted from its entire body.

Two rings of flame bound the Wave-Chasing Halberd, making it difficult to break free.

Following this, a projection of an ancient fire dragon appeared behind the Dragon Hunter. It sheathed its dual blades, replacing them with a flaming longsword.

The sword was deep crimson, with flames erupting from its hilt, forming a pair of dragon wings. As the Dragon Hunter swung the sword, the flames descended upon the Wave-Chasing Halberd like a demonic dragon soaring through the sky.

The Wave-Chasing Halberd, having just broken free, couldn't dodge in time and was hit directly on its right side by the flaming demonic dragon.

The Wave-Chasing Halberd's shield skill, its energy shield, was directly shattered by the fire dragon. The mech's right arm was completely disabled.

"What kind of weapon is that? It has such destructive power?!"

"It's not just the weapon, it's the skill synergy too!"

"Three layers of defense, completely destroyed. This skill is too much!"

The situation on the field didn't seem particularly special to Wang Qian Duo, a novice. But to the veteran players who understood the game, it was utterly unbelievable.

The skill shield, the shield provided by the mech's shield equipment, and the mech's armor – all three layers of defense were broken. This was the result of overwhelming damage.

They knew the mechs were of similar levels, but this skill shattered their understanding.

"So that's why you provoked me into this duel. You've obtained an Ultimate skill!"

Yang Bo, the pilot of the Wave-Chasing Halberd, said in a deep voice as he looked at his mech's damage report.

"Mhm! Though I didn't expect you to be so easily tricked!" Wang Xinghe, the pilot of the Dragon Hunter, replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Heh, I lose this time. But I've taken note of today's events!"

Yang Bo conceded defeat readily. With his defenses broken, he no longer had the capital to continue fighting, even if the opponent had run out of energy.

The opponent didn't need to do anything else; a forced close-quarters engagement, trading damage for damage, would leave him helpless.

As Yang Bo surrendered, the two mechs vanished, followed by the energy field.

He wasn't interested in the subsequent super skills of this match, as he could obtain better and stronger ones.

However, their piloting skills caught his attention.

"So mech piloting can reach this level!"

The battle between the two had opened a new world for him, showing him how captivating duels between masters could be, unlike his previous assumption of simple exchanges of blows.

These two individuals on the field were the true apex of the game, significantly stronger than Sword of Miracles and the others.

In reality, Sword of Miracles and the others weren't that far behind these two. But when they fought in front of Wang Qian Duo, it was like fighting monsters, with fewer operational techniques compared to PVP (Player versus Player) matches.

The next afternoon

Wang Qian Duo and a few others from Sword of Miracles arrived at the agreed-upon location with Lin Qimeng.

"You're so early? It's not time yet, is it?"

Wang Qianduo and his group saw Lin Qimeng and the other two waiting from a distance. They seemed to have arrived quite a while ago.

"We arrived early because there was nothing else to do. Did you guys go do a mission together?" Lin Qimeng asked, looking at them with suspicion.

"No, we went into a dungeon!"

In the morning, they used up all their daily dungeon entries and also spent some fatigue leveling up.

Moreover, all five dungeon runs were on Nightmare difficulty, which greatly benefited Sword of Miracles and the others.

Although Wang Qianduo's combat power didn't improve much, he gained a lot of experience, which was acceptable.

Furthermore, running dungeons doesn't consume fatigue, making it one of the main ways to level up in this game.

He had no main quests left, so he couldn't afford to lose this high-experience method.

Compared to grinding monsters in the wild, dungeons not only have a higher drop rate but also grant more experience.

After five dungeon runs, Wang Qianduo was close to level 6, a feat almost unimaginable for others.

"Into a dungeon? Are you guys familiar with it? And those four don't seem to be from the same guild, do they?"

Lin Qimeng was still a bit confused about how these people ended up together.

Lin Qimeng recognized the people behind Wang Qianduo from introductions by her companions.

[Sword and Rose]'s vice-leader, [Great Qin]'s commander. This was a master even their [Shan Hai] guild couldn't recruit.

"We're okay. Why don't you introduce the two behind you?" Wang Qianduo changed the subject.

"These two are masters from our [Shan Hai] main guild, Wang Ji and Li Fei. They're similar to you guys, both new players at level 5-plus... Li Fei, what's wrong?"

Lin Qimeng's attention was successfully diverted by Wang Qianduo. She started introducing the two behind her and simultaneously noticed that Li Fei's condition was not right.

"Cough... uh, Li Fei used to be a main player for the Great Qin club..." Wang Ji explained the reason to Lin Qimeng via private message.

Lin Qimeng: "..."

She didn't know this information. Li Fei was just someone she knew from the club. She had told people in the company's game department that she needed two high-level players around level 5 for a hidden quest, and the company directly assigned them to her.

And yesterday, she only met Yun Zhongge from Sword and Rose. Who would have thought there would be people from Great Qin too!

"Li Fei! How are you doing now? Is the new company okay?"

Just as Lin Qimeng was about to say something, Sister Cat spoke up first.

"Uh... Hello, Sister Cat! I'm okay! I'm okay!"

Seeing Sister Cat speak, Li Fei forced a greeting.

In reality, players in game clubs were frequently traded, much like in football or basketball. Teammates one season could become opponents the next.

But Shan Hai's entry this time was different from previous ones. Their poaching was too aggressive, making those poached feel a sense of betrayal for selling out friends for money when they met former teammates.

This was actually one of the reasons why Shan Hai's recruitment efforts weren't going as smoothly now.

"It's good that you're okay! Keep up the good work. I look forward to meeting you in the professional league in the future," Sister Cat said with a smile.

Then, as if by unspoken agreement, everyone stopped discussing the matter and began to examine Wang Qianduo's quest.