A Flash of Inspiration, a Cunning Plan

Though Ye Fengxing had thoroughly humiliated his opponents with all sorts of hidden mechanics as he fought his way over, that did not mean he could escape unscathed. No amount of skill could change the fact that he was a mage-"the lowest defense and least health of any class" was an accurate description, and no one could deny it.

"Mages: cannons as fragile as glass!" That was the class description explicitly posted on the Blue Star Official Website.

A certain someone had only a third of his health left... He couldn't help it. Those flies were so damned annoying that killing at least one was the only way to vent his anger! But that had come at a price. To take down that Little Assassin, Ye Fengxing had deliberately eaten several heavy hits from their ranged classes so he could finish his target quickly-that kid called Xian or whatever was pretty damn good at healing. He couldn't afford to wait for him to catch up!

Only then did Brick notice his health. Apologizing repeatedly, he hurriedly waved the Holy Light Cross and healed him to full.

Ye Fengxing wasted no time either. Starting with his encounter with Adaric, he gave a clear, concise account of the whole affair in twenty seconds.

"So that's what happened." Brick and Sky listened with keen interest. They had wanted Ye Fengxing to make the story a little more vivid and dramatic, but one look at the murderous expression on his face as he stared outside convinced them to keep their mouths shut.

It had been quite lively outside at first, but now things had quieted down. Presumably, they were typing out their tactics so they could catch the people inside by surprise.

The cave entrance was not very large. Even two or three people entering together would find it cramped, and someone of Adaric's build could only come in one at a time. That was just as well. Their opponents' numerical advantage was useless here, while Ye Fengxing could freely bully the small fry coming up in twos and threes.

The first wave came. Three warriors jogged forward abreast, looking for a chance to Charge straight into the cave. Unfortunately, both heavy hitters inside were ranged classes, and Sky was an archer to boot. His range advantage was no joke...

At this stage, probably no one had leveled Charge past rank three. At ranks one and two, its effective range was only twenty meters. How could that compare with archers and mages?

On the stretch from thirty-five meters away to twenty, the three warriors experienced exactly what it meant to "fall behind and get beaten," and why "even the best footwork can't dodge a bullet"... Their opponents weren't feeding them lead, admittedly, but those enormous fireballs and brutal triangular arrowheads packed even more of a punch, didn't they...? Psychological intimidation had become a visual spectacle, and that hardly made it any less frustrating.

Sky's equipment was excellent, while Ye Fengxing wore top-tier gear from head to toe. Both dealt explosive damage! Unfortunately, their targets had people frantically healing them from behind, making the three warriors genuinely difficult to kill. Ye Fengxing was considering how to lure out those healers when he suddenly saw flames blaze in Sky's right hand, heating an arrow until it glowed red...

"Huh, that's..."

While he was still wondering what the hell Sky was up to, Sky released the bowstring and sent a stream of flame flying.

Boom! One of the opposing warriors snapped his head back and went flying in the classic "headshot" pose. The visual effect was... extremely satisfying!

Plenty of people loved playing FPS shooter games, so that pose was sure to look familiar-some diehard fans were even obsessed with the feeling of landing a headshot! Whenever they saw an opponent fly backward like that, they felt an inexplicable rush of excitement.

This was how Blue Star made its living. Whatever players wanted and enjoyed, it had to find ways to deliver. Chronicles of the Sky might have been a fantasy-themed online game, but it had no shortage of ranged classes. Why not throw in some headshots? As for why an arrow produced the same effect as a bullet... Well, who cared?

"Not bad, kid. What skill is that? Pretty damn satisfying." Clearly, Ye Fengxing liked this outrageously badass skill.

Sky proudly posted his newly learned skill in the party channel. His smug little expression really had the air of someone letting a little success go straight to his head.

Flameburst Arrow: Fires an arrow imbued with explosive flames, dealing 72-81 fire damage to the target and knocking them back 8 meters. Instant cast. Battle aura cost: 45. Cooldown: 6 seconds.

"Badass!" Ye Fengxing gave Sky a thumbs-up and asked, "Where'd you learn that?"

Sky said smugly, "A skill book dropped from an elite monster. You have no idea, Brother Ye. That elite could take a serious pounding. Brick and I spent seventeen minutes wearing it down, and Brick emptied his mana bar seven times."

Ye Fengxing ignored the little show-off's boasting. Instead, he said in a low voice, "The one in the middle. Let him through."

Sky understood immediately and unleashed a furious volley at the unlucky fellow on the left! Ye Fengxing hefted an egg-sized stone from the ground. With a flick of his hand, the miserable little warrior collapsed to his knees like a toppling mountain, paying an enormous bow to the three animals opposite him!

The War Hero Family members' eyes went wide... What-what kind of skill was that? Wasn't that a little too shameless?!

Staring at the "Knee Rupture" debuff above his warrior teammate's head, Xiao Xiaoxian's eyelids twitched wildly. He blurted out, "That's not right. That isn't a mage or hunter skill. Is there another warrior inside the cave?"

War Hero Yi Yan said slowly, "Are you sure... a warrior can make someone kneel from thirty meters away?"

Xiao Xiaoxian was instantly speechless.

Kuang Dao spat viciously on the ground and shouted, "Healers, keep those three warriors topped up! Second wave of melee fighters, get ready! Ranged classes, just throw spells into the cave. It doesn't matter if you can't see anyone. I don't care whether you hit anything-just cast! Don't hold back on mana. I want those three bastards inside to be unable to see out!"

Of the first wave's three warriors, one had been knocked back by Flameburst Arrow and another had his kneecap cracked by Mighty Throw. Only one "lucky fellow" remained, "struggling" toward the cave through spells and arrows.

Huh, he could make out two figures!

The warrior instantly grew excited... Fuck those goddamned bastards! I finally made it across those fifteen fucking meters of thorns and hardship! I did it!

Unable to contain the inexplicable excitement surging through him, the warrior tightened his grip on his weapon, roared, and charged inside without hesitation...

Boom! Crack! Whoosh! Whoosh!...

Several huge fireballs came hurtling straight into the face of the supremely brave pioneer, accompanied by the twang of bowstrings, the whistle of arrows, and two men taking turns unleashing a torrent of profanity.

By now, the cave entrance was ablaze with light. All manner of spells competed like flowers blooming in spring, each vying to show off its dazzling visual effects.

Of course, the noise they produced was tremendous too! The men of the War Hero Family could neither see nor hear what was happening inside. All they knew was that the health bar of the fellow who had charged in lurched violently a few times, then turned gray...

"What the hell were you healers doing?" Brother Dao was furious again.

The healers were thoroughly frustrated. Just look at the cave entrance... Right? Lord Dao wasn't born blind and deaf. How was this their fault?

At their current level, not everyone could learn Soul Lock. Whether dealing damage or healing, ranged players had to locate their targets through sight, sound, or similar means. The moment that warrior charged into the cave, every healer lost his target. How were they supposed to heal him?

"This isn't going to work." Kuang Dao actually understood all that. He simply couldn't stomach the fact that over twenty of his elite players were helpless against three people... He needed somewhere to vent, didn't he? Curse the three bastards opposite them? They certainly wouldn't hear him. He could only make use of his own guild members.

War Hero Yi Yan knew Kuang Dao's temper. Sure enough, whenever the fellow ran out of ideas, he came looking for his "leader."

Seeing War Hero Yi Yan's expression, Kuang Dao gave an embarrassed smile. What could he do? Yi Yan was full of crafty ideas. When he didn't know what to do, asking him was always the right choice.

War Hero Yi Yan fell silent for a moment. Rather than offering his own opinion, he patted Xiao Xiaoxian's shoulder and asked with a smile, "Xiao Xian, got any good ideas for this situation?"

"Me?" Xiao Xiaoxian was clearly overwhelmed by the attention. He paused, then said hesitantly, "Guild leader... I haven't quite worked it out yet. That mage deals incredibly high damage. I don't know if it'll work."

Kuang Dao said, "Why don't we stop the ranged classes from bombarding them for now? It's wasting mana and keeping our own healers from doing their jobs."

War Hero Yi Yan shook his head. "Keep it going for now. There are three people in that cave. The mage can certainly Blink straight out, but what about the other two? Surely they haven't learned Blink too? Trap them inside. As for the mage, if we can't stop him, so be it. Even if we can't kill him, killing his two accomplices is still worthwhile."

"The guild leader is right," Xiao Xiaoxian suddenly said. "Maybe... we could try this."

"Go ahead." War Hero Yi Yan brightened at those words. He knew the young man never spoke without a reason. If he was saying this, he had probably already come up with something crafty.

Xiao Xiaoxian took a deep breath and spoke rapidly. "We could have the ranged classes keep up suppressive fire, then position one team of healers on either side of the entrance, outside the people inside's line of sight. Then we send a second team of healers in behind the melee fighters, who push forward three abreast. The healers stop near the entrance. The first team heals the second team, and the second team heals the melee fighters. That way, as long as the melee fighters don't push too deep, they shouldn't be under too much pressure. Guild leader, Brother Dao, do you think that would work?"

War Hero Yi Yan did not answer. He simply gave him a thumbs-up. Damn... young people's brains really do work better. I'm getting old. No denying it.

Kuang Dao said nothing either. After all, he had never liked Xiao Xiaoxian. Still, at this moment, he had to admit that the kid was full of devious ideas! He was talented-damned talented.

[Guild][I'm Just That Cocky]: Brother Yi Yan, Brother Dao, how are things over there? Our Second Division is all assembled. We're about two minutes away from you.

Kuang Dao's heart leaped with joy. Damn it, reinforcements were finally here!

[Guild][Kuang Dao]: We're in a stalemate. Hurry up! Tell all the fast classes not to wait for the main group. Use whatever skills they've got. Getting here first is the priority.

"One Leaf Windwalk... Hmph! I don't care whether you're the real deal or a fan. Either way, this time you're going down, and you're going to stay down." A smile crept across Kuang Dao's face, shifting between light and shadow beneath the flickering glow of magic...