Stealth... breaking stealth

Killing was a cruel act, but in a game, killing people and all that was just part of everyday life.

In reality, an assassin's failure often meant their own life was in danger. That was why these people painstakingly honed peerless skills that struck terror into the world. Some even called it "an art."

But in a game? Just go see the angel lady when you died. One flash of light, and you were back in business!

Different pressures produced different people, and the peculiar nature of assassination set an especially high bar for entry-the ones without the skills all died. Anyone who could make a living at it definitely had some ability. Survival of the fittest was a particularly brutal rule in that line of work!

As for games... if you wanted to play an Assassin, go right ahead. No matter how terrible you were, you were still an "Assassin." No rule said a bad player had to have their character deleted. Hmm, if "death" in a game truly had to correspond to "death" in reality, it should be called "character deletion."

In reality, Cold-Hearted would already have departed this mortal coil. But this had happened in a game... how should one put it? There was an upside to that. Not only could Ye Fengxing foil the poor little Assassin's sneak attack, he could also kill him a hundred times, a hundred times...

Cold-Hearted and Invincible Sword of Overwhelming Might had already run back to their bodies. Since Deputy Commander Kuang Dao had told them to wait until the main force arrived before reviving, the miserable little Warrior could only keep waiting in spirit form.

Cold-Hearted, however, did not have to obey that order. He was an Assassin-who could corpse-camp an Assassin? (Corpse-camping: a gaming term for killing a player, then hiding nearby and waiting for them to revive so you can kill them again. It was a particularly obnoxious practice, but most Assassins were not afraid of it, since they could enter Stealth immediately upon revival. As long as they did not reveal themselves, their opponents could do almost nothing to them.)

Cold-Hearted refused to accept it. His skill as an Assassin ranked among the best in the team, yet he had been utterly crushed this time... unacceptable! Unbearable!

"Lousy Mage, I'm going to slaughter you this time!" Cold-Hearted bit his lip and stared at the figure in Mage robes ahead of him, silently vowing revenge.

With revenge filling his head, the Assassin could not wait to revive. The instant he did, he slipped into Stealth.

"Huh? Why's he raising his hand?" The Mage's movement puzzled Cold-Hearted. Why's he waving this way? Has the main force arrived already? Right behind me?

Cold-Hearted glanced behind him. Before he could see anything, he felt a faint warmth below him. Somehow, flames had already begun licking up his legs!

"Fuck!" the wretched little Assassin cursed. He simply could not understand how his opponent had flushed him out with Sea of Flames again. Last time, having his Stealth broken had cost him the initiative and led to his miserable end... and now the opening was exactly the same. F-U-C-K!

Could it be... he saw me the instant I activated Stealth? Cold-Hearted could no longer summon the will to resist. He had already witnessed that bastard Mage's incredible damage. If even a Warrior with such good equipment could be killed so quickly, how long could a squishy Assassin like him last?

"That's impossible..." Cold-Hearted still could not believe his own conclusion. "How fast would his reactions and inputs have to be to catch that instant? Is this guy Superman?"

-139, Flame Devours the Body.

-1011, Explosive Impact.

-401! Critical hit! Flame Arrow!

Cold-Hearted fell to the ground once more, his eyes full of suspicion and bewilderment.

[Team][Kuang Dao]: Why did you die again?

[Team][Cold-Hearted]: Deputy, I... I made a mistake. That Mage broke my Stealth.

[Team][Kuang Dao]: Broke your Stealth... forget it. Run back to your body first.

An inexplicable rage rose in Kuang Dao. Cold-Hearted was taking his words far too lightly! He had clearly told them to wait for the main force and revive together, but this brat just had to act on his own.

Fine, you were an Assassin, you were awesome, nobody could corpse-camp you! But what about now? What did the facts say?

"Disgraceful! Absolutely disgraceful!" Kuang Dao could not help cursing angrily. "If you don't have the skills, don't act like you know everything. You just had to fucking show off. What the hell was that shit?"

"Enough, enough. It was just one mistake. Do you really need to get so worked up?" War Hero Yi Yan leaned toward Kuang Dao and said quietly, "There are a lot of people here. Watch how you come across."

[Team][Cold-Hearted]: Deputy, Brother Yi Yan, there's something I need to report.

[Team][War Hero Yi Yan]: Go ahead.

[Team][Cold-Hearted]: That Mage's skill... really seems out of the ordinary.

"See? He's no good, and now he's making excuses." Kuang Dao grew angry again.

War Hero Yi Yan held Kuang Dao back. He was genuinely curious now... because he knew Cold-Hearted's character. As one of their division's top Assassins, the man was a little conceited, but he was certainly not an arrogant fool, nor was he afraid to admit defeat! In that case, if even he said this, there might really be something strange going on.

[Team][War Hero Yi Yan]: Be more specific.

[Team][Cold-Hearted]: Last time, I was watching from the side when Little Sword attacked. I planned to help if he couldn't handle it, but he didn't even last five seconds... that really shocked me. I'd just run over to attack when the Mage broke my Stealth with an AoE spell. Then I lost.

[Team][War Hero Yi Yan]: And this time?

[Team][Cold-Hearted]: This time, the instant I revived and entered Stealth, he flushed me out with the same AoE spell. Although... although my inputs aren't that fast, they aren't slow either. The first time, I thought he was lucky, but this time... I have this feeling that he can see where I am.

[Team][Invincible Sword of Overwhelming Might]: Yeah, exactly! Brother Dao, I saw it all from the side. The moment Brother Cold revived, that Mage turned his head and body toward him.

[Team][Cold-Hearted]: Brother Yi Yan, Deputy, I think you two should discuss this... if that Mage really has that level of skill, he definitely won't be a lone player. He's either a senior member of a major guild or an elite from a gaming studio. You two talk it over. It'll take me a while to run back to my body. I'll wait for you to arrive.

War Hero Yi Yan and Kuang Dao exchanged a glance, each seeing surprise in the other's eyes. Although Cold-Hearted had infuriated Kuang Dao, he had not become completely blinded by anger. If Cold-Hearted said this, the problem really was not that he was "making excuses," but that his opponent was simply too strong.

Without Stealth, an Assassin could beat almost no one, especially when facing a class like Mage, with powerful crowd control and equally powerful counters to it. Without the advantage of striking first, an Assassin would absolutely be crushed by a Mage! Unless there was an enormous difference in levels, equipment, or skill, there could be no other outcome.

The advantage of striking first was hard to define, since every class had different skill characteristics. Stealth, however, was the best skill for guaranteeing that advantage. I always get to strike before you. Don't like it? Go play an Assassin yourself, then.

"Breaking stealth" was a difficult skill to master, a "contest" that tested the two sides' experience, awareness, reactions, execution, composure, and a whole range of other abilities.

Back when Light of Freedom was at its peak, countless people dueled outside the gates of Holy Emperor City at every hour of the day. The ultimate clashes between top Mages and top Assassins were often the most thrilling to watch! (Duels: when players of the same faction wanted to fight, they usually chose to duel. The loser did not die or suffer any losses. Players could also duel members of the opposing faction; the loser would die, but incur no death penalty. Once a duel began, a duel flag descended, which was why dueling was also commonly called "planting a flag.")

Those two beasts, Lan Xi and Xiao Xiao, were unquestionably the finest representatives of their respective classes. Whenever those two bastards grew bored enough to show off in the game and plant a duel flag outside Holy Emperor City, the whole crowd would erupt!

Xiao Xiao's mastery of Stealth had already reached the pinnacle of perfection, but Lan Xi's experience, awareness, reactions, execution, and composure were all top-notch as well!

Whenever Xiao Xiao entered Stealth, the spectators became incredibly tense... because a battle to break stealth had quietly begun! Although everything was silent at that moment, the intensity far surpassed the earlier clamor!

At those times, nobody made a sound without good reason.

Everyone held their breath and concentrated, forming a wide circle at a distance to watch in silence. Sound was an important factor in determining a stealthed player's position. What clueless bastard would dare interrupt the ultimate showdown between their Mage Demon and Assassin God? Did they have a death wish?

Believe it or not, some oblivious idiots actually had done just that... as for the result, Lan Xi and Xiao Xiao had said nothing, but the spectators were not happy-especially the Lan Xi Fans! Because Lan Xi had lost that time...

Once fans lost their reason, no force could stop them! The Lan Xi Fans were truly furious this time! The consequences were severe!

A huge mob of Lan Xi Fans called in players from the opposing faction to kill those idiots over and over! Many friends in the opposing faction needed no leader or organizer once they heard about it. They spontaneously formed teams, and whenever they caught those idiots, they killed and corpse-camped them in every conceivable way. Their methods were exceptionally brutal and violent!

It was not just the Lan Xi Fans. Many Xiao Xiao Fans could not stand it either! They felt Xiao Xiao's victory had been dishonorable and had given the Lan Xi Fans an excuse to argue!

Of course, none of this had anything whatsoever to do with Xiao Xiao personally. The bastards who had interfered were the ones who deserved to die! With that, the fate of those idiots was easy to imagine...

Ye Fengxing and Xiao Xiao often planted flags and dueled too, though most of those matches took place on the Yanhuang League's dedicated server. They had only dueled a few times in the actual game. Besides, their duels were not particularly entertaining, because Ye Fengxing's "One Leaf Windwalk" was simply a freak of a character...