A Bully and a Coward

An hour later.

Lu Xing appeared at the Respawn Point in Emperor Tomb Village.

His battle with Wonder Butterfly still left him shaken. Afterward, he realized that Wonder Butterfly had been perfectly capable of killing him with ease, yet had chosen to torment him by toying with him instead.

After his death, large numbers of players had already formed groups and set out for Windwave Pool, determined to take down this Fourth-Generation Primordial.

Lu Xing brought up the Forum panel.

After selecting the livestream category, he clicked on the stream of the player "Nightfall Is Coming."

Through the livestream, he could see what was happening.

After over an hour of trekking, the player team led by Nightfall Is Coming had reached the vicinity of Windwave Pool. Wonder Butterfly was just beyond the volcano spewing flames ahead of them.

At that moment, large numbers of players in the stream were discussing one question: was Wonder Butterfly still there?

Half an hour later, that question was answered.

In the bushes at the far end of the livestream image, a pair of eerie green eyes kept blinking, watching what was happening outside.

Seeing that Wonder Butterfly was still there, both the players on-site and the spectators in the stream cheered.

But their excitement lasted only a few seconds before Wonder Butterfly suddenly leaped from the bushes, flapped its wings, and flew high into the sky.

The players who had come as a group were instantly dumbfounded.

"Fuck, we spent all that time traveling, and Wonder Butterfly just flew away?"

"Where are the Eagle-Headed Demon players? Hurry up and flap your wings! Go after it, quick!"

"Dumbass, we Eagle-Headed Demons are grounded chickens. We can only glide short distances, not fly... at least not at our current level."

Wonder Butterfly flew farther and farther away, but the players who had come as a group could do nothing. They could only stare longingly as it gradually vanished from sight.

Helpless, they had no choice but to turn back.

Seeing this, Lu Xing couldn't help shaking his head.

The operation to contain Wonder Butterfly had ended in complete failure.

Closing Nightfall Is Coming's stream, Lu Xing turned on livestream mode, then bought ten cans of food costing one point of Sacrificial Power each from the shop interface, preparing to continue his journey of exploring the world.

Two hours later.

After passing through the Ancient Battlefield region teeming with Blood Corpses, Lu Xing arrived in the Windwave Pool region again.

This time, he did not stop, continuing northwest along the pool's edge.

Just then, a fierce gust swept down from the sky.

Lu Xing jerked his head up and was astonished to find Wonder Butterfly descending from above, its broad white wings bearing straight down on his head.

"Holy shit!"

Lu Xing immediately switched to Eagle-Headed Demon Form and lunged to the side.

"Coo, coo!"

Amid the flying dust, Wonder Butterfly landed and let out an excited cry.

Wonder Butterfly's reappearance left Lu Xing a little bewildered. Looking up, he found Wonder Butterfly watching him with an almost human look of provocation.

"No fighting! No fighting!" Remembering how he had been beaten for over half an hour last time, Lu Xing promptly admitted defeat, turned, and ran.

But Wonder Butterfly would not let him go.

It flapped its wings, flew up behind him, and knocked him to the ground, then flew over to perch on a distant Twisted Ancient Tree, gazing at him as it cooed again.

Knocked to the ground, Lu Xing immediately sensed trouble.

Wonder Butterfly seemed to have set its sights on him.

Recalling that the Guide's analysis had described Wonder Butterfly as "a bully and a coward," he realized that he seemed to have become a weakling Wonder Butterfly thought it could bully at will.

"Coo, coo!"

Wonder Butterfly flapped its wings and leaped from the ancient tree, diving at him once again.

Lu Xing dodged without hesitation, but Wonder Butterfly still struck him, sending him tumbling head over heels on the spot before he landed on his backside, seeing stars.

Coo, coo!

"You've gone too far." Gazing at Wonder Butterfly standing with its head held high on a branch it had flown to, Lu Xing seethed with frustration.

When Wonder Butterfly dived at him again, Lu Xing decided to stop backing down. He flapped his wings and went to meet it head-on.

As Lu Xing fought Wonder Butterfly, the number of viewers in his stream kept climbing.

"What a surprise! I thought Wonder Butterfly had flown away. I didn't expect it to come back. We've got a shot at containment!"

"I suspect too many people went there and scared Wonder Butterfly into flying away. Next time, fewer people need to go, or a strong player should challenge it alone."

"Come on, take on Wonder Butterfly again! You can win!"

As spectators poured into the stream, encouraging tips began appearing again.

Lu Xing and Wonder Butterfly also began a new round of combat. This time, Wonder Butterfly no longer used Wind Control to fight, instead toying with Lu Xing in close combat.

The torment lasted half an hour. Finally, utterly exhausted, Lu Xing lay curled up on the ground, giving up all resistance and letting the wings lash him.

As a player who played for the scenery, he had never expected to suffer such an ordeal on his travels.

Before meeting Wonder Butterfly, he had been killed by monsters and Evil Spirits, but none of those deaths had been as agonizing as this.

Lu Xing was filled with grief and indignation, but Wonder Butterfly showed no mercy. It flapped its wings, summoning countless Wind Blades to surround him and end his life.

After Lu Xing logged off, large numbers of players formed groups again and headed for Windwave Pool.

This time, the players had wised up. Realizing that Wonder Butterfly bullied the weak and feared the strong, and that they could not challenge it as a group, they selected a level 10 player to approach it after reaching the vicinity of Windwave Pool.

But to the players' astonishment, Wonder Butterfly took one look at the challenger, flapped its wings, and flew away on the spot.

Unwilling to give up, the players stayed and hid some distance away.

Half an hour later, Wonder Butterfly flew back. After circling Windwave Pool twice to check the situation, it landed in the bushes.

This time, the players sent someone around Lu Xing's level to challenge it, but the result was no different. Upon spotting the player, Wonder Butterfly flew high into the sky and disappeared without even waiting for him to approach.

The players who had come as a group gnashed their teeth in frustration, but there was nothing they could do.

Just then, a voice rang out in the Party Voice Channel:

"Wonder Butterfly seems fixated on Explorer. He's the only one it sees as weak. Since we can't get close to Wonder Butterfly, why don't we find a way to get Explorer to beat it?"

Once proposed, the idea received support from quite a few players.

When Lu Xing logged on again and started streaming, a flood of players suddenly poured into his stream.

"Bro, we're leaving the crucial task of defeating Wonder Butterfly to you."

"The reward for containing the first Fourth-Generation Primordial is bigger than winning the lottery. You can do it."

"Bro, you've got to believe in yourself. We all have high hopes for you."

Somewhat bewildered, Lu Xing read through the comments and gradually understood why these players had come looking for him. Clearly, they wanted him to go to Windwave Pool and fight Wonder Butterfly again.

In response, Lu Xing shook his head and said he had decided to change his exploration route and would no longer visit the Windwave Pool region.

But a constant stream of tips followed. Though the amounts were small, they showed how much these players wanted him to fight Wonder Butterfly again.

Some players also said they would provide coaching from the sidelines, guaranteeing that he could beat Wonder Butterfly.

After a long silence, Lu Xing finally plucked up his courage under the viewers' monetary offensive:

"All right, I'll give it another try!"

Seeing Lu Xing agree, the viewers flooded the stream with cheers.

Lu Xing also set out on his journey to fight Wonder Butterfly again.