Chapter 400: It’s All About Momentum
Translator: Lonelytree Editor: Millman97
“Important notification: The Battle of Butterfly will initiate soon. Your data will be inputted in thirty seconds. Please do not leave the log-in lobby. Commencing the ten-second countdown before logging in. Nine, eight, seven… two, one.”
After the countdown ended, the system said, “Fluttering through the flowers is the Jade Butterfly, flapping its wing to glide proudly through the sky.”
With that opening, Feng Bujue was transported into the scenario.
“Downloaded completed. You are currently playing Tournament for the Best—Battle of the Cocoon.
“This mode does not have a scenario introduction, no side/hidden quest or unique world view.
“Reward for winning the scenario: Move onto the Final Tournament
“Main quest has been triggered.
“Kill your opponent.”
Soon the white light around Feng Bujue dissipated and his body regained mobility. He was standing in the middle of a Roman colosseum. Around him was a circular stand but there was no audience. Above him, the sun shone blindingly. Around him was silence. About 20 meters before Brother Jue stood a female player.
Xu Huai Shang was in the prime of her age. She was tall and slim, with a small waist and long hair. Her beauty was breath-taking, with fair skin and exquisite features. This was a woman who would make a lasting impression with her appearance. The uniform of Red Sakura accentuated her beauty. It was a long white dress with a pattern of blood sakura flowers. It fluttered in the wind, giving the woman the appearance of a fairy.
On the other side… Even though he could be called handsome, he had this creepy and strange presence about him. The lazy eyes and witless gaze blocked people from reading his mind.
…
“What the hell… So, this is Feng Bujue? Is he really the player ranked second on the combat stat ranking? Did the system get it wrong?”
“And… what is with this subpar Joker outfit? This man is suffering from serious Sophomore Syndrome. I doubt he is really that strong…”
“So, Feng Bujue is this pervert-looking man! If he dares to lift a finger to our Shang Shang, we will make sure he pays with his life!”
In the market, Xu Huai Shang’s fans obviously had bad things to say about Brother Jue. Even though this was expected, to be slandered seconds after he appeared was a bit much…
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. The Battle of the Butterfly that is much awaited is finally here,” the commentator said on the screen. “I am your commentator for the night, Hwa Xiong.”
“And I am Pan Feng,” Pan Feng added.
“Today, we naturally bring you another interesting match.” Hwa Xiong continued, “Both parties are VIP players or seed candidates. I am sure everyone is familiar with one of them already. Yes, she is the star player from Red Sakura, the goddess in many people’s eyes, Xu Huai Shang.” That was followed by loud cheers from the audience. Looks like Xu Huai Shang did enjoy a ton of popularity. In all the market servers, there were her fans cheering her on.
“And on the other side…” Pan Feng said with a strange tone, he was probably reminded of some not so happy memory. “Is a mysterious challenger. For this past month, his name has been traveling to various corners of Thriller Paradise but not many have seen him in person before… But today we shall witness the reason behind his fame. Or shall we say, infamy!” That was followed by loud and long boos… Even though the players couldn’t hear the reaction from the crowd, Xu Huai Shang’s fans tried their best to express their stance.
“Okay, as shown on screen, the battle has already started,” Hwa Xiong commented. “We can see the two players standing in the middle of the colosseum. None have made the first move.”
Pan Feng explained, “This is a match between experts… before knowing the other’s background, no one will move recklessly. Based on my prediction… the battle will most likely start with long-ranged attacks that are meant to test the other party.” The two were quite clever to cut right into the match and did not discuss Feng Bujue and Xu Huai Shang further, because the two chose to hide their names on the ranking so the official GMs were not in the place to talk about their ranking.
…
At the same time, the confrontation in the colosseum continued. Xu Huai Shang’s weapon was a sword. Dual swords, to be precise. The pair of swords was not that long. Two sheaths sat around her waist. The swords were still in their sheaths and the girl had her hand over the hilt. But Xu Huai Shang did not make any move.
She was cautious around this mysterious Feng Bujue. She naturally had heard of the rumors that this was the player who placed second on the combat stat ranking. However, her gaming studio could get no information on this man, and that unsettled her.
He appears clean and decent… but he does not appear strong… Xu Huai Shang observed. Even though he is dressed quite uniquely, upon closer inspection… they are all cheap clothes, and they aren’t much use in battle. Other than the normal pocket, there is nothing that looks like it could store a weapon… Her eyes wandered all over Brother Jue. But this does not preclude the fact that it could all be a disguise or…
Suddenly Brother Jue moved. To confuse everyone, he knelt down on one knee…
What is he doing… asking me to marry him? Xu Huai Shang was baffled. She was more than ten meters away from him, but she still retreated half a step. The next second, Feng Bujue activated his skill calmly and summoned a strange-looking primary school student.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk… it’s for my time to shine again, is it…” Musashi Koganei appeared in all of his strangeness and smiled wretchedly. Actually, Brother Jue knelt down earlier just to complete the requirement for this summoning skill—to do a strange action.
Xu Huai Shang also soon realized that, but her speculation was… the summoning requirement was for the player ‘to go down on one knee.’
So, he is a summoning-based player? Xu Huai Shang thought to herself. But his summoned creature doesn’t look that strong… Perhaps it’s some high-level creature that uses magic or spiritual power? Just as she was speculating, Brother Jue whispered into Musashi’s ear. Then the latter turned around with a wicked smile and bounced away… he ran and ran until he left the colosseum.
What’s happening… Was I right? Xu Huai Shang looked at this but still did not move. But she asked probingly, “You asked that summoned creature to find a hiding spot… so he can snipe me from the dark?”
“Snipe from a hiding spot? Hue hue hue…” Brother Jue used a tactic he learned from Woody—to answer a question with a question and paired it with a wicked laugh. The tactic was horrid but useful. It had a high chance of angering the target and creating mental pressure at the same time. If you don’t believe me, try using this at school or at work… For example, when the teacher asks you, “What year was the Xin Hai Revolution?” You will answer, “Xin Hai Revolution is it… Hue hue hue…” When the manager from your department asks you, “Where is the report that I asked for this morning?” You will reply with a sneaky smile, “Oh, that report… Hue hue hue…” If you can combine that with an expression that suggested, you have used that thing to wipe your ass, that would be perfect. In conclusion, this tactic worked every time with immense consequences. Without the awareness of seeking death, please don’t ever use it, hue hue hue…
Anyway, back to the battle… Obviously, what Brother Jue did was merely using the scenario to complete his character quest, because he only needed two more tries to complete the 50 summoning so of course he would not give up the opportunity. But Xu Huai Shang did not know that. With the pressure given to her by Brother Jue, she shouldered an invisible burden, and she had no idea… She was only worried about a non-fighting creature that had already left the battlefield…
“Fine, so you don’t want to tell me.” Xu Huai Shang’s beautiful brow creased as anger entered her eyes. She continued, “Indeed… I shan’t expect you to reveal to me your tactic in battle.” As she spoke, her hands landed on the hilts of both swords, she was ready to take action. “No matter what it is, I will…” She stopped because Feng Bujue did something to shock her again.
What the… he took out a stool from his inventory? Xu Huai Shuang looked at the scene before her and she did not know what to say.
Brother Jue held the stool and waved it several times in the air like a professional baseball player warming up before the big match, his moves were quite impressive.
After the exercise, he took a deep breath and turned to Xu Huai Shang. “I am a gentleman, so I shan’t hold a lady’s time for too long.” He paused. “Therefore… you will soon be eliminated from this brutal and bloody competition. It’s for your own good.”