Chapter 385 I Can Win
For this battle, Xiao Tan's opponent was indeed a player who was good at close quarter combat. His ID was 'Southern Fist Northern Kick with Sophomore Syndrome'. The man looked around twenty. He had a ponytail and wore a blue kung fu outfit. There was no guild logo on his apparel. Overall, the young man's appearance made him out to be a character from a wuxia novel, but his ID hinted though at his lone wolf nature.
Hmm… looking at the stance of my opponent on the other side, I believe he is just like me… without access to any long-ranged attacks. Southern Fist Northern Kick with Sophomore Syndrome thought to himself. He was still strategizing when Xiao Tan shouted right at him, "Hey, Sophomore Syndrome! Can you hear me?"
"What do you want?" Sophomore Syndrome shouted back with almost the same volume. Even though the distance between the two was not that large, due to the howling wind, they had to resort to yelling to have their voice carried across the gulf.
Xiao Tan came out of the gates to ask, "You do not have any long-ranged attack, right?"
"Erm…" Sophomore Syndrome hesitated before shooting back, "What does that have to do with you?" Being asked a question like that during a battle, only an idiot would answer honestly.
"You definitely do not have one!" Xiao Tan roared, "Because I do not have one either!"
Hey, hey… why are you exposing valuable information like that to your enemy? Do you think we are friends or something… Sophomore Syndrome had black lines down his face and then he continued with, "So what if that is true!"
"Then how about we get down to the rope and fight?" Xiao Tan asked.
When Sophomore Syndrome heard that, he was confounded. A few seconds later, he replied, "Have you lost your mind?"
"I have not!" Xiao Tan answered.
"F*ck… the man's serious…" Sophomore Syndrome mumbled to himself. He raised his eyes to look at the rope that dangled precariously in the air. "Fighting while standing on the tightrope?"
He shook his head and quickly tossed the idea out of his mind. "Even though I have confidence that I can stand or even run on that thing, but to stand on top of that and fight… and while the wind is blowing so strongly, that is a bit too much…
"Are you kidding me? Do you think I will fall for a taunt like that‽ If you are so capable, then why don't you go up there first‽" Sophomore Syndrome challenged.
"Okay then! I will wait for you up there!" Xiao Tan promised easily. Then he leaped with ease into the air and stood on top of the rope. Even though he was still above the elevator, both of his feet were standing on the rope and he found himself to be quite stable standing up there.
Okay… I get it now; this guy is an idiot… Sophomore Syndrome came to this conclusion in his mind. He then added in a shout, "Since you are already up there, why don't you come over here to me instead? We will fight on top of my elevator!"
Xiao Tan answered without hesitation, "You will try to assault me when I am halfway through the journey and when I am in the middle of the rope, won't you?"
Tsk, so he saw through my plan easily… Sophomore Syndrome's expression had sold himself out. His embarrassment from being exposed turned into anger. "F*ck! You must have known that under this condition, staying on top of the elevator in a defensive pose is the most logical strategy-wise, right?"
"But if both of us stay at our elevator and not moving, where would that leave us?" Xiao Tan argued. "If anything, if we continue to stay at our spot, the game will kick both of us out for AFK-like behavior!"
"Fine then!" Sophomore Syndrome shouted, "Then you come over here! I promise I will not fire any bullets at you!"
"I know you do not have a gun," Xiao Tan answered. "But I know you must be holding some kind of hidden weapon on the hand that you are hiding behind your back now, right? You guarantee you will not 'fire any bullets' at me, but you will definitely strike me with some thrown hidden weapon, won't you?"
"Damn it…" Sophomore Syndrome was exposed once more. "Stop wasting my time! If you dare, then come over here now!"
"I have lost all trust in your words!" Xiao Tan grumbled. "Why don't you come over to my side and I promise I will not attack you when you are moving on the rope!"
"Humph…" Sophomore Syndrome scoffed with derision, "Well, that just proves that you are as cowardly as I expected you to be!"
"Well, I am a coward, but I am sure you are not. In that case, you come over to me." Xiao Tan tossed the argument back to his opponent.
…
At the same time, inside Feng Bujue's conference room, the three from the Underworld Frontline was naturally watching the live feed from Xiao Tan's match. At that moment, Laughing Soul banged her head again and again against the surface of the conference table; Passing Rain looked at the screen with a lack of expression on her face; while Brother Jue… held his chin with his palm and commented with a soulless and helpless sigh, "Aiz… these two idiots…"
"Even though there may not be that many audiences tuned into Xiao Tan's match, the players that these two have met in the preliminaries will most likely be watching this…" Passing Rain suggested.
"Ah… Even though this is more than a bit embarrassing but… It does not matter. After all, you will be able to see similar stories on the television every summer," Feng Bujue said.
"What do you mean by that?" Passing Rain asked.
Feng Bujue jumped onto the conference table without saying a word, then pointed at the spot where no one was seated. "Do you dare to come up here?" Then he jumped back down to the spot where he was pointing earlier. He faced the top of the table and challenged back, "Do you dare to come down here?"
Passing Rain smiled and said, "Liu Shahe is it?"
"Cousin…" Laughing Soul buried her head in her arms like she was too ashamed to show her face. "Your level of humor is slowly being dragged down by the leader… This is a dangerous sign."
…
Sophomore Syndrome and Xiao Tan shouted at each other for a while. They only stopped when their throats were sore from all the yelling. At that moment, Sophomore Syndrome noticed a flurry of movement from the opposite end. He saw Xiao Tan crawl back into the interior of the elevator and then started to shake the elevator heavily from within. The elevator was like a swing and started to move in a pendulum-like arc parallel to the direction of the rope.
"He wishes to use this method to close the distance between the two elevators?" Sophomore Syndrome mumbled to himself. "Hmm… The efficiency of this method aside, at the very least he is doing something… In contrast, if I continue to stand here and do nothing, it will not take long for the system to deem me as being in an AFK-like state."
After swinging the elevator about thirty times, Xiao Tan leaped up to the roof of the elevator again. He looked at Sophomore Syndrome direction and shouted, "Hey! Do you think I have gotten closer to you even by a bit?"
"Ha?" Sophomore Syndrome was baffled. He thought to himself, If I tell him honestly that the distance has not changed, then he might give up on what he is doing but if I lie to him and tell him that the distance has indeed closed up slightly… Then he will continue to waste his Stamina Points. Hmm…
As they say, all is fair in love and war. After a few seconds of internal struggle, Sophomore Syndrome replied, "I think the distance does close up a little bit!"
"Oh, okay!" Hearing that, Xiao Tan returned back into the elevator and continued to play with his swing…
Even though there is that small prick of guilt, but a match is a match… This is your own fault for being too gullible. Sophomore Syndrome calculated in his mind. After you have wasted most of your Stamina Points on this meaningless exercise and are too weak to unleash any powerful skills, I will rush over the rope and when I reach you. Even if I am attacked by you during the journey, it will not hurt as much… And when it becomes close-quarter combat, there will be no reason for me to lose.
"Eh? Wait…" Sophomore Syndrome was about to clarify the plan further in his mind when something hit him. Hey! Isn't now the perfect chance to get close to him! The man is stuck inside the elevator. He won't be able to spot me get close to him!
Indeed… the two elevators that hang from the rope were facing against each other; or rather to be more precise, the doors of their elevator opened to the opposite side of each other. Therefore, Xiao Tan who had returned inside his elevator would not be able to see what Sophomore Syndrome was doing.
It is true what they say… idiocy is like an epidemic. Spend too much time with an idiot, and your intelligence will drop as well… Sophomore Syndrome huffed as he climbed on top of the rope. I was so confused by this idiot's actions…
He stood on the rope and prepared to race to Xiao Tan's elevator. If I run over now and cut off the hook that linked his elevator to the rope, it will all over for him…
With that thought in mind, Sophomore Syndrome prepared to make his move. But… he was suddenly reminded of something, and he stopped himself. Even though it pains me to admit it, hasn't he seen through my tactic earlier?
Sophomore Syndrome started to doubt himself again. What if this time the man is just acting dumb to lure me over to his side…
The thoughts were crashing against each other in his mind.
Perhaps… he is currently waiting inside the elevator for me to make my move. Maybe he has some kind of equipment that allows him to observe my movement even though he stays inside the elevator. When I have run to the middle of the rope, he will leap out from the elevator and assault me when I am most exposed.
Just as he was considering what to do, Xiao Tan crawled out from inside the elevator again. He jumped onto the rope and huffed and puffed. "Hey! How come it feels like the distance between the two has not even moved at all?"
Sophomore Syndrome was pulled back from his thoughts. He hesitated for a few seconds before replying, "Ah? Ah… It… it is probably your mind playing tricks on you. I have been watching the progress made by you. The elevator has indeed moved a few meters my way! Trust me!"
"Oh… Okay." Xiao Tan answered and then returned inside the elevator that was still swaying and then he continued to work.
Hmm… looks like I have been worried for no reason. Sophomore Syndrome revealed a self-conceited smile that was unique to people like him. He thought to himself, Sigh… my own cautiousness is really a double-edged sword… This man is so gullible and has presented me with so many openings.
Finally, after many rounds, Sophomore Syndrome moved down the rope. A distance of about fifty meters and a rope that was less than twenty centimeters in width. For a player over level thirty that was good at physical activities, this was not that big of an obstacle. If there was no accident, the distance could be closed in six to seven seconds. Even with the wind trying to knock him off, Sophomore Syndrome was not affected, and he did not pause. He successfully reached the part of the rope where Xiao Tan's elevator was hanging from.
"Goodbye then…" Sophomore Syndrome activated his skill and slammed with both of his palms.
———
Name: Jade Dragon Claw
Skill Card Property: Active, Permanent
Skill Class: Fighting
Effect: Use both palms to strike out a hit that can split the strongest metal (Cooldown time is twenty minutes)
Consumption: six hundred Stamina Points
Learning Requirement: Fighting Mastery C
Remark: This skill originated from Tian Gang Fist Middle One Style. The most optimum stance to use this skill is: raise both of your palms upward, place them at your chest, then turn your palms downward, tense your feet straight and strike with both palms.
———
At that moment, Sophomore Syndrome used the quintessential stance suggested in the remark and activated the skill. Both of his palms gathered together and slammed against the hook that tied the elevator to the rope. That would guarantee the elevator to fall without breaking the rope. That was a good idea that he had but…
Just as Sophomore Syndrome was about to use his skill, inside the elevator, the side that faced the door formed a 45-degree angle that could look upward. Xiao Tan inside the elevator was pushing and dragging the handrail attached to the walls of the elevator to make it swing. Suddenly, a great vibration came from the top of his head. At that moment, his thinking was too slow to catch up to his movement.
The only thing that saved Xiao Tan was his instinct, his instinct told him—jump out from the door and grab onto the rope. So, three seconds later, Xiao Tan's elevator dropped vertically into the abyss below. And on the rope above the elevator once was stood two figures. The distance between the two was less than five meters but their weapons were not close enough to reach the other. The two-started their battle with this hard to assess distance between them.
So, this has eventually turned into a situation like this after all… Sophomore Syndrome thought to himself. Humph… oh well. Since we are both close-combat players, we are in the same spot, facing the same difficulties standing on this shaking rope. Eh? Wait! If we're assessing the situation… isn't there a safe elevator behind me? And I am closer to the elevator than he is! Currently, this rope is the only passage that we can move on. As long as I turn around now and get to the top of the elevator before he does, then wouldn't he become a sitting duck left to defend himself on the rope? Then I would be free to toss my bombs and Flying Locusts[1] at him…
But in the few seconds Sophomore Syndrome used to make and form his plan, Xiao Tan had already made his move.
"AH!" Xiao Tan suddenly shouted in his face and charged toward his enemy.
What? He's coming right at me? Sophomore Syndrome was not one to sit idle in that situation. Since the opponent wanted to fight him head-on, he was not going to cower in fear. He prepared to counter. But Xiao Tan's figure split into two and then the two joined back into one as he materialized behind Sophomore Syndrome.
The Shadow of the Evil Bat helped Xiao Tan to phase through his opponent and helped his gain the advantage as he raced toward the remaining elevator.
"What!" Sophomore Syndrome reacted as fast as he could. When Xiao Tan's body split into illusions, he had already turned around. If Xiao Tan struck with his hidden blade when he teleported behind his enemy, Sophomore Syndrome would successfully block the attack. Thankfully, Xiao Tan also understood that the chance to killing his enemy whom he believed was good at close-quarter combat with one hit was impossible, so he did not stop but used the advantage given to him by the skill to rush forward.
"Damn it!" Sophomore Syndrome soon realized what Xiao Tan was up to and he quickly gave chase after his opponent. But Xiao Tan had an early lead on him, and his speed was faster than Sophomore Syndrome. So, he reached the other elevator first and claimed his spot on it.
"That is too cunning! You use such a low ball technique of shouting at me to distract me and make me think that you are going to attack me but actually, you teleported behind me to get to the more advantageous geographical location first!" Sophomore Syndrome stopped chasing because if he ran over there now, he would be looking down the barrel of Xiao Tan's Winchester Shotgun. That was no way he could avoid the bullets from the gunshot.
Xiao Tan took aim with his gun and said seriously, "It is pretty ironic to hear that coming from a person who has the term Sophomore Syndrome in his gaming ID…"
Under these circumstances, the tactical value of the shotgun was amplified indefinitely. Sophomore Syndrome, who was left on the rope, had no way he could safely avoid the shotgun's bullets no matter which kind of method he used to approach Xiao Tan. On top of the rope, there was no space for him to evade and he had limited area to stand. When he was close enough, the bullets that came out from the shotgun would hit him no matter what. The probability said so. The bullets would not be strong enough to kill him, but the impact from the bullets would knock him off balance and send him spiraling down the abyss.
…
"Well, our man is making quite a return…" Feng Bujue commented as he studied the screen on the conference table.
"It is only because he is lucky," Laughing Soul said, "If the door was facing downward when the hook was destroyed, then…"
"He could still get back on the rope," Feng Bujue interrupted her. "He could leap out from the elevator and kick against the elevator as it was falling to help him gain the momentum to jump upward. It does not matter he can grab the rope or not as long as he can jump higher than the rope itself. Then, he can adjust his position in the air." He paused for a moment. "Of course, you are not wrong that he was lucky… Under that condition, if his opponent reacted fast, they could still attack. And in that scenario, Xiao Tan would land in a very dangerous situation indeed."
"I am curious. If you are the one in this match, how you will deal with it?" Passing Rain asked.
Feng Bujue smiled. "If I am the contestant, the system will not generate this kind of map. I only needed to use Geppo to fly into the air and use two shots of Kankyaku to break the rope cleanly and the match would have ended in less than ten seconds…"
"Hmm…" Passing Rain contemplated. "Looks like it is true that the system is trying to protect the other players when it decided to directly send you into the Battle of the Butterfly…"
…
"It is far less taxing on the Stamina Points to maintain my balance on this rope." After facing off against Xiao Tan for a few minutes, Sophomore Syndrome thought to himself, In contrast, even though he needs to use both hands to hold the gun, he has a smooth surface to stand on and he is in a much better condition than I am…
He gave out a long sigh. So, this most likely means that I will have to try again in the redemption round…
"The man who is blessed with the power of light and burdened with the tragic background and support from his friend… The wish that cannot be fulfilled, the glory that is slipping again… At the moment, it was as if hope and despair started to match their footsteps in rhythm, the potential power of darkness that is immensely powerful that has been in hibernation in my body suddenly awakens… After defeating the enemy before me, I will have to find ways to seal up this power that might destroy the world… It is unlikely a plot like that will happen to someone like me…" Looks like this person who suffered from Sophomore Syndrome understood that the chance of the scenario that he described happening to him was close to zero.
"You must feel so gutted to lose on a map like this, right?" Xiao Tan said to break into his thoughts. "Actually, this is not how I wish to win this fight either… No, that is not true, this cannot even be called a fight." Then, to his opponent's surprise, Xiao Tan put his gun away.
"Wh… what?" Sophomore Syndrome gasped in shock. Once the sentence left his lips, he knew he was in for something horrible. "Damn, I accidentally said something the bad guys usually say before they are going to be killed…"
"I believe, since this competition is called 'Tournament for the Best', then every participant, at least should have… the belief that 'I am stronger than my opponent'," Xiao Tan said in an unusual serious tone. "I can use the safest way and stand here while you waste away your Stamina Points until eventually, you drop off the side of the rope." He paused. "But… I do not wish to win that way."
Xiao Tan paused for a few seconds before he announced, "Do you still what I suggested at the beginning?"
Sophomore Syndrome answered a bit numbly, "To have a fair fight… while on top of this rope?"
"That's right…" Xiao Tan said as he jumped from the top of the elevator to stand on the rope. He aimed the barrel of the shotgun at the hook of the elevator and blasted it off with one clean shot. "If I just said that you might not believe me. But now… neither of us have any safety nets to protect us anymore."
As the elevator fell into the white abyss, Sophomore Syndrome's Terror Points continued to steadily rise… He was not afraid of the condition that he had found himself in but the presence that radiated from the man before him.
"I believe I can win." Xiao Tan put away the shotgun. Sanleng Thorns had gathered enough energy. "No, I know I can win."
Instantly, black fire lit up leaving traces on the rope. Xiao Tan ran on the bottom of the rope, hanging upside down. On that line that seemed to pierce through heaven and earth, a murderous aura blossomed like a dark flower against the snowy mountains.
Shadow Soul Impel was unleashed and the claws from hell grasped at Sophomore Syndrome. The wailing from the deepest depth of the underworld overwhelmed his ears, amplifying the sound of the cutting wind that had not ceased to howl…
[1] Flying Locusts are a thrown hidden weapon from the Qing Dynasty.