Chapter Twenty-Three: One Against Five

"Bang!" With a sharp crack, the air inexplicably shattered. Amidst a spray of sparks, a player was revealed from thin air, his eyes filled with terror.

"-135" (Stunned for two seconds)

Xiao Liang was just about to ask Lu Yang what he was doing when, seeing a player suddenly manifest behind them, he instinctively shouted, "It’s a thief!"

The thief, dazed by Lu Yang’s strike, asked in panic, "How did you know I was behind you?"

Lu Yang sneered and said, "Because your level is too low. I’m already level 4; do you really think I wouldn't notice a level 1 noob tailing me?"

"What?" The thief suddenly felt like a fool. He had assumed Lu Yang hadn't noticed him at all, only to realize he had been played like a toy the entire time. Chagrined and furious, the thief spat, "Don't think just because you're high level you're something special. I’m not here to kill you; I’m just tracking you."

Lu Yang asked, "Tell me, who sent you?"

The thief said arrogantly, "My boss, Black Blood. You dared to offend him, and now he’s sent his elite squad. Just wait and see how you die."

"I don't know about how I’ll die, but I certainly know how you will." Lu Yang ignited a fireball in his hand and launched it at the thief.

The thief only had 160 total health. After losing 135 points to the Fire Blast, he had only 25 remaining. Facing both a mage and a warrior, he had no means of escape, so he stopped resisting and let Lu Yang send him back to the city.

System Prompt: You have killed a player!

Xiao Liang asked anxiously, "Boss, what do we do now?"

Xiao Liang was well aware of Black Blood’s reputation; it was his men who had monopolized the level 1 monster zones on one side of the Flower Language Plains.

Lu Yang said nonchalantly, "Don't worry. Just step aside and watch how your boss deals with them."

"Boss, you’re going to take on Black Blood’s men all by yourself?" Xiao Liang asked in disbelief.

Lu Yang replied, "It’s not a confrontation. It’s a slaughter."

At this current stage, player strength was generally low, as everyone was still a novice just two days into the game. Even the elites under Black Blood couldn't possibly have better gear than Lu Yang. Moreover, Lu Yang possessed over a decade of advanced techniques and knew the simplified incantations for fire magic.

...

Meanwhile, about 500 yards away, five figures were rapidly approaching.

The leader, a warrior, wore a set of black battle armor. He held a blade in his right hand and a green orb in his left. Beside him was a hunter in leather armor who had activated the Aspect of the Cheetah, increasing the movement speed of the entire group by 10%. The other three were a mage, a priest, and a thief.

"Everyone, be careful. The hound we sent to tail him was discovered and killed. That guy has some skill," said the warrior, Golden Eagle.

"What?" the team's thief, Wind Patrol, cursed. "This is the guy the boss ordered us to kill. Don't let the bastard get away!"

As he spoke, Wind Patrol caught sight of Lu Yang standing in the open field of the grassland. A savage expression immediately crossed his face, and he shouted, "He’s right there! We’ve caught up to him!"

Golden Eagle had been worried about being berated by the boss if the target escaped, but he hadn't expected them to catch up so quickly.

"All together now, don't let him run!" Golden Eagle said excitedly.

"Don't worry, he’s not going anywhere." Wind Patrol suddenly activated his speed-boosting skill—Sprint—increasing his movement speed by 30% as he dashed toward Lu Yang.

The priest in the group frowned and said, "Be careful. You’re red-flagged, and you’re too far away for me to heal you."

"Do I need healing to kill him? Watch how I crush him." Wind Patrol was highly confident in his technique; in the entirety of *Eternal*, his skills as a thief were ranked first.

In fact, each of the five who had come was an absolute elite under Black Blood. In a one-on-one, each was a formidable expert within the guild.

"Pin him down, we’ll be right there," the team's mage said.

"Then you’d better hurry." By the time he spoke, Wind Patrol had reached within 30 yards of Lu Yang. He drew a crossbow from his back, leaped into the air, and fired an arrow at Lu Yang.

"Let's see where you run now," Wind Patrol mocked.

"You're courting death." A massive ball of fire, burning twice as bright as a standard fireball, suddenly appeared in Lu Yang’s hand. He launched it at Wind Patrol.

*Pyroblast*

Type: Fire Spell
Cost: 30 Mana
Cast Time: 5 seconds
Range: 35 yards
Description: Launches a scorching fireball at the target, dealing 36–42 points of fire damage with a knockback effect.

Wind Patrol was still in mid-air and never expected Lu Yang to suddenly unleash a Pyroblast at that moment.

"Bang!"

"-144"

Wind Patrol was struck dead on the ground. A full-agility level 2 thief only had 100 health. Even in his final moments, he couldn't comprehend how Lu Yang had instantly cast a spell that required a 5-second incantation.

Little did he know that Lu Yang, having unlocked "Free Mode," knew how to simplify incantations. As the primary damage-dealing skill for fire mages in the future, Pyroblast had been researched by countless master fire mages until the cast time was reduced to 0.7 seconds, allowing Lu Yang to cast it as if it were an instant spell.

The warrior Golden Eagle and the mage behind him were stunned by Lu Yang’s magical damage.

"He actually one-shot Wind Patrol? How much spell power does he have?" the mage asked.

"I don't know, and I swear he didn't channel that Pyroblast," the hunter added.

"Does he have the 'Presence of Mind' skill?" the priest asked.

Presence of Mind allowed for an instant cast, but it had a 2-minute cooldown.

Golden Eagle said, "Forget it. Let’s take him down. Everyone, follow me, and watch your formation."

"Understood." The mage and others put aside their arrogance, their expressions turning grave.

When the four of them were within 50 yards of Lu Yang, the hunter and mage moved laterally from behind the warrior, while the priest stayed behind the warrior. The four formed a fan-shaped formation to surround Lu Yang.

"I’m going in first!" Golden Eagle reached the 30-yard mark and immediately used the Charge skill on Lu Yang.

Charge was the primary crowd-control skill for warriors. It not only crossed 30 yards in under a second to reach the opponent but also stunned them for one second.

As long as Lu Yang was stunned for that second, the combined output of the hunter, mage, and warrior would be enough to kill him. Facing this, Lu Yang remained calm. The moment Golden Eagle was about to collide with him, a golden ring of flame erupted from Lu Yang’s body.

*Blast Wave*

Type: Fire Spell
Cost: 10 Mana
Cast Time: Instant
Range: 5 yards
Description: Releases a powerful shockwave, pushing enemies away. The greater the level difference, the further they are pushed.

With a "bang," Golden Eagle, who had charged right up to Lu Yang, was suddenly blasted backward more than ten steps.

The mage and hunter on the flanks had not expected the Charge to fail. The mage was already chanting an Ice Bolt; if it hit, Lu Yang’s movement speed would be reduced by 30%. However, Lu Yang wasn't about to let the mage finish the spell.

After blasting the warrior away, Lu Yang backhanded a Counterspell.

*Counterspell*

Type: General Spell
Cost: 10 Mana
Cast Time: Instant
Range: 35 yards
Description: Counters the target’s current spell, preventing them from casting any spells of that school for 12 seconds.

A flash of light passed, and Lu Yang successfully silenced the enemy mage’s frost spell. Just then, the hunter’s arrow arrived, a venomous bolt tipped with Serpent Sting appearing before Lu Yang. In the nick of time, Lu Yang used Blink to appear 3 yards away from the hunter.

The hunter’s bow was automatically unequipped by the system, forcing him to switch to a polearm staff.

"What—what’s going on? Why can’t I use my bow?" the hunter cried in shock.

Golden Eagle shouted, "Retreat! You’re in his blind spot! Move back one yard and you can use your bow again!"

The hunter knew about the blind spot, but Lu Yang’s sudden attack had rattled him. Reacting to the command, he immediately stepped back. But as the hunter retreated, Lu Yang advanced; as the hunter took two steps back, Lu Yang took two steps forward. When the hunter angrily stepped forward to strike with his weapon, Lu Yang retreated exactly one step, always keeping himself in the hunter’s blind spot.

Seeing this, sweat poured down the hunter’s face. In all his years of gaming, this was the first time he had been forced into such an embarrassing position.

"Don't worry, I’m coming to help!" The warrior regained his footing and used Intercept on Lu Yang.

Intercept was the warrior’s second control skill, with the same effect as Charge. But just as Golden Eagle started his dash, before he could reach Lu Yang, Lu Yang began chanting another Pyroblast. 0.7 seconds later, the spell struck the warrior with precision.

"Bang!" Golden Eagle recoiled involuntarily, his Intercept interrupted, and a "-147" appeared above his head.

"Heal me, quick!" the warrior shouted.

The priest immediately began chanting "Renew," but the channel time was 3 seconds. Before the priest could finish, Lu Yang’s second Pyroblast arrived.

"Bang!" Golden Eagle was killed on the spot, his green orb dropping to the ground, while the priest’s incantation was only halfway done.

"How is this mage’s Pyroblast always instant?" the priest asked, panicked.

"It’s not instant, I saw him channel it. Mage, counter him!" The hunter, being closest to Lu Yang, had clearly seen the casting method.

But seeing it and being able to counter it were two different things. With a cast time of only 0.7 seconds, even top-tier mages struggled to time the counter. Watching as Lu Yang’s next Pyroblast reduced the priest to zero health, the priest could only blindly attempt a Counterspell.

The result was self-evident: the counter failed!

Seeing this, the priest turned and ran in terror, abandoning his allies. But Lu Yang wasn't about to let the low-health priest escape. Seeing that Fire Blast had finished its cooldown, he aimed at the priest’s back and cast it.

"Bang!"

"-135"

The priest was dropped dead on the ground.

Now, only the mage and the hunter remained. Lu Yang felt more and more exhilarated. Since his rebirth, this was his first PK. To show off his skills, Lu Yang continued to stay within the hunter’s 3-yard blind spot, while stopping his use of Counterspell to let the enemy mage attack, choosing to trade Pyroblasts head-on.

Unfortunately for the mage, Lu Yang’s Pyroblast only took 0.7 seconds, while the mage’s Ice Bolt took 2.5 seconds. Before the Ice Bolt could finish, Lu Yang’s Pyroblast had already struck home.

"-142"

The level 2 mage, having put all points into intelligence, only had 96 health and was killed instantly.

Lu Yang turned to look at the hunter and said, "Only you left."

Facing Lu Yang’s ferocity, the hunter was scared out of his wits and didn't dare to fight back, turning to flee for his life. Unfortunately, before he could take two steps, two successive Pyroblasts struck him.

"Bang! Bang!"

After the two sounds, the hunter also fell dead to the ground.

One versus five, Lu Yang had achieved a total victory!