Kite Tactics

Zhang Ruofeng sprinted forward without warning Xin Mu. After all, not every battle allows you to prepare yourself mentally. Although monsters generally possess low intelligence, many can launch surprise attacks that catch even Zhang Ruofeng off guard. Since Xin Mu has the advantage of agility, she must learn to protect herself in various situations. Zhang Ruofeng naturally hopes she can surpass him in handling emergencies, as he is ultimately worried about her getting hurt.

"Whoosh!" Zhang Ruofeng saw Xin Mu throw her throwing knife; he shifted his body slightly to the left, narrowly dodging the blade, and continued his advance. Xin Mu had improved significantly since the last time. As her first strike missed, she began to retreat continuously, throwing another knife straight at Zhang Ruofeng's torso. To avoid injury, Zhang Ruofeng had to step to the right, which slowed his speed and widened the distance between them to five paces.

Xin Mu continued to retreat. Her goal was to throw all ten wooden daggers, so she didn't want Zhang Ruofeng to get close. Although her stamina had never been great, since becoming an adventurer, her speed had subtly begun to surpass Zhang Ruofeng's. If they were both running at full tilt, and if she weren't so unaccustomed to the many obstacles in the forest, she was confident she could keep kiting Zhang Ruofeng indefinitely.

Zhang Ruofeng wouldn't just stand there as a target. He felt there was no need to train Xin Mu's accuracy anymore; he had full confidence in her aim. The focus now was on her ability to handle sudden situations in combat and her close-quarters fighting skills to protect herself. Seeing Xin Mu on the verge of grasping how to fight against him made Zhang Ruofeng very happy. Although she was a "good girl," she played enough games to be familiar with the concept of kiting.

"Hah." Zhang Ruofeng crouched slightly, and his entire figure suddenly vanished from Xin Mu's field of vision. Xin Mu stopped in her tracks, intending to move right to locate him, but Zhang Ruofeng suddenly lunged out from her left. Seeing they were only two paces apart, Xin Mu held a dagger in each hand. As Zhang Ruofeng threw a punch, she swung her body violently to the right, dodging the attack while throwing herself into his guard, her daggers pointed directly at his chest.

"Better than before." As Zhang Ruofeng evaluated her, he grabbed Xin Mu's right hand and tripped her slightly. Losing her balance, Xin Mu was lifted briefly by Zhang Ruofeng and landed on his feet.

"Your attacks prioritize speed over force. Obsessing over power and striking weak points will cost you your advantage in close combat. If you hadn't tried to stab my heart just now, but instead retreated a step to throw a knife at my eyes, you would have created space to withdraw and continue kiting me," Zhang Ruofeng explained, patting her head. "You did very well; you lasted ten seconds longer than the first time."

"Again." Xin Mu's competitive spirit had been ignited; she was determined to use all ten throwing knives this time.

"Alright." Zhang Ruofeng was happy to train with her. After all, he didn't want to return to the surface covered in wounds and rags every time, so increasing either of their strengths would make their work much easier. He pulled Xin Mu up and delivered a light punch to her abdomen. Although her endurance was already quite high, she felt her vision go black for a moment; Zhang Ruofeng's strength was now far greater than that of an adult dwarf.

Xin Mu looked at Zhang Ruofeng with a mix of pain and confusion. He was usually very kind to women, so the sudden punch caught her off guard.

"At the beginning, my uncle told me that I had to learn how to take a hit before I could learn how to hit others." Seeing Zhang Ruofeng's pained expression—he was very reluctant to hit a girl—he continued, "I later understood that if you cannot endure pain, unless you can make it so others can never attack you, you will lose the strength to counterattack the moment you are struck, leaving you to be trampled. You've never been hit before, so you panic when you take damage. That's why I will use painful attacks today to help you adapt to combat." Zhang Ruofeng lowered his head apologetically. "I promise you anything I can do as compensation."

"Okay." Xin Mu knew Zhang Ruofeng had made a difficult decision to act this way, as he was still clearly wavering. But she knew it was for her own good. Without another word, she endured the pain, kicked Zhang Ruofeng in the abdomen, used the momentum to retreat a step, and threw her knife.

Seeing Xin Mu was ready, Zhang Ruofeng set aside his reluctance to use such extreme methods. He blocked the knife with his left hand, letting it pierce his flesh, and stepped forward to pursue her. Xin Mu was prepared and began to run backward.

About two hours later, Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu emerged from the edge of the forest. Zhang Ruofeng's clothes were torn in three places and stained with blood, though it was clearly his own. Xin Mu, looking pale, was being carried on his back.

"Five times," Xin Mu whispered weakly while slumped on his back. Although Zhang Ruofeng had held back his strength each time, the four strikes to her abdomen and back had each left her feeling suffocated—a sensation of being unable to breathe that she had never experienced before. The final blow, which left her unable to walk, occurred when Zhang Ruofeng lunged from her side. Before she could react, he collided with her; even without using his full strength, seventy percent of his power sent her flying into a large tree, nearly knocking her unconscious.

"Hahaha, my bad." Zhang Ruofeng laughed awkwardly. He had indeed intended to use a bit more force for that last collision, but he hadn't expected Xin Mu to fail to defend against it entirely. The prolonged confrontation had drained her stamina significantly, while Zhang Ruofeng, whose endurance had reached the A-level, was not overly exhausted.

"Next time, again," Xin Mu said, still a bit unconvinced. Zhang Ruofeng nodded, "No problem, I'm ready whenever you are."