029 A Formidable Foe

Dewdrops fell from the leaves, landing on his head. He shivered, wiped his face in resignation, and gave himself a self-deprecating smirk.

This was the fifth day since Duan Shanyue had entered the Emerald Forest.

He struggled through the undergrowth, reaching out from time to time to push aside obstructing branches. Whenever strange cries echoed from the distance, he would pause to listen, ensuring they didn't signal some approaching danger.

As the strongest guild in the alliance, Jianghu had not invested much energy into Green Stone Village. While they had members there, they clearly hadn't reached the level of the Wings of Freedom. Therefore, when a rumor surfaced and the guild leader ordered him to bring men to investigate, he had come along with the attitude of someone just looking for a bit of excitement.

The Wings of Freedom had been making big moves, including their recent provocations in Lanca County, which were actually all bluffs—they seemed to know something and had transferred many elite players here. The local village also had a numerical advantage; he had even been intercepted when he first arrived.

It hadn't been an evenly matched battle. To create trouble for his team, they had deployed many reinforcements, including novices born in Green Stone Village. Looking at it this way, the once-famous player known as Wuji Huanshen still had some guts, but such a display only exposed the truth: there was something truly valuable inside the Emerald Forest.

If this was also a bluff, then the price they had paid was far too high.

Without preparation or hesitation, he had led his remaining men straight into this allegedly treacherous forest, and as expected... he had paid the price.

The initial monsters they encountered didn't give them a sense of the forest's harshness, and because of their proximity to the newbie village, the team was convinced the monsters would be as weak as expected. But afterward, just like the Wings of Freedom, they were reduced to the awkward situation of him being the only one left.

They had encountered a giant tiger.

Even now, recalling that tiger made Duan Shanyue feel a lingering fear. Its size was something no ordinary tiger could possess, yet it moved with a speed that defied its massive frame. In just a few exchanges, his teammates were pounced upon, torn apart, swatted away, and bitten—until, when he finally fled, the tiger opened its mouth and fired a cyan wind sphere. That was when he realized this creature, which could cast magic and was no different from a demonic beast, was absolutely beyond his ability to defeat.

He ran for his life, passing several streams and a dilapidated wooden shack along the way. He thought he saw human figures out of the corner of his eye, but he had no time to spare. Relying on his agility, he circled various terrains so many times he nearly became dizzy. Finally, when the roaring faded into the distance, he climbed a tree, holding his breath and waiting for the surrounding commotion to subside.

Now, he was still wandering deep in the forest, unsure of what to do next. After cresting a dirt slope, he leaned on his knees and gasped for air. Before him lay endless trees, and the surrounding sounds faded into quiet, which calmed his mood slightly.

As for catching up to the Wings of Freedom, he had no idea how to proceed. In such a difficult situation, with their level of preparation, they must be doing much better than he was. He tightened his leather armor, checked the dry rations in his pack, calculated how much longer he could survive here and when he should retreat, and then, looking ahead, sighed and continued on.

He hoped this effort wouldn't be in vain; all he could do now was his best and leave the rest to fate.

***

The image of a farm uncle he had imagined never appeared.

As the group bypassed the giant tree that had been blocking their view and clearly saw the source of the sound, they were truly stunned by the scene before them.

It was a ragged man. Although he looked pitiable, his movements were resolute. He held a hoe, digging into the ground stroke by stroke. Sometimes he would stop to rest, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his tattered sleeve, then bury his head back into the hard work.

After observing for a while and confirming that this strange scene held no apparent danger, Duan Qing and his group finally approached. After whispering for a moment, Meng Zhu, who had been chosen as their temporary negotiator, walked out hesitantly and asked, "Excuse me... sir?"

The girl’s voice carried through the forest. It wasn't loud, but it seemed to travel far, because the moment she spoke, the sound of the hoeing stopped. The endless forest, usually filled with various background noises, fell into an abrupt silence as if by agreement.

The next moment, an irritable shout suddenly erupted.

"You! Leave here at once! Get out!"

The man, who appeared to be an NPC, had a raspy voice, as if he hadn't drunk water in days. His hair was disheveled, and a frantic gaze pierced through the strands. He glared at the group, who were clearly startled, showing no sign of stopping.

"Get lost! Did you hear me! Don't come any closer!"

Meng Zhu hugged her shoulders and looked back at the others with a pleading expression. However, she was met with looks of shock and suspicion: Why was this man digging a hole here? Why was he driving them away? And most importantly... why had he become like this?

Once the initial shock passed, questions lingered in everyone's minds. The awkwardness lasted for a few seconds until the girl, urged on by the others, had to speak again: "Sir, is there... is there anything we can do to help? We... we can..."

"Get out! Are you deaf! Just get out!"

With such frantic eyes and an unreasonable attitude, had this been a real-life scenario, the group would have either been scared off or angered into leaving. But this was a game. Even Xiao Bai and A Niu could sense that something was unusual here, so how could the other players easily give up on this strange person who had appeared in the deep forest? However, just as Duan Qing prepared to step forward and attempt a negotiation himself, the beggar-like figure, seeing that his warnings were ignored, raised his hoe and swung it toward them.

"Get out! All of you, get out...!"

Duan Qing, who possessed ten points of Strength, could hear a faint whistling sound when he swung his short sword at full power. Yet, with the hoe swinging toward them, he could faintly hear the sound of wind and thunder.

Amidst the chaos, the scene turned into a scramble. Liu Qingniu yelled and prepared to fight back, but was pulled back by Duan Qing.

"Don't fight, don't fight! This person might be a key figure... Everyone, retreat for now and think of a plan before coming back... Hey, hey, stop fighting, we're leaving, we're leaving, okay?"

"Don't let me see you again!"

"Ah, ah, run, run..."

After scurrying away in a panic and fleeing for some distance, the group finally escaped the man's pursuit. When Duan Qing looked back, the frantic figure was barely visible. Faintly, he could still hear the *clang-clang* sound of digging coming from that direction. If their eyesight had been sharp enough, they could have seen the hunched shadow stumbling back to the spot, bending down to toss something into the pit he had dug, and then beginning to bury it...

"Hahaha..."

Amidst the laughter, Duan Qing glared at the woman in the black cloak who was covering her mouth. "What are you laughing at! You were running right along with us..."

"That's different; I followed along with composure."

The woman laughed for a while longer before finally stopping, her expression turning serious. "Alright, alright, let's get to business. What do you all think..."

***

"Running into a person like this in a place like this... there's definitely something wrong with it..."

"From what I saw of that man's behavior, it doesn't seem like the actions of an ordinary person. Perhaps he is someone who has weathered great storms and is now emotionally overwhelmed..."

"I just want to know what kind of hero uses a hoe as a weapon. Does he use some sort of 'Heavenly Demon Flailing Hoe' technique?"

"But those two moves he pulled off were still quite impressive! They had the style of our boss from back in the day..."

"Quiet! Careful, you'll draw him back... Hey, what are you doing going over there..."

"Since he's a madman, maybe we can trick him. I'll just tell him I'm his long-lost son..."

Xue Linghuanbing watched the group and listened to their outrageous remarks. While she felt disdain, she also felt something inexplicable.

*What kind of things am I hearing? Are you all really novices who have never seen the world? ...Well, you are a bunch of novices. With so many cute ideas, someone at my level would definitely not have such wild imaginations...*

However, thinking back, had she done things like this when she first started playing games? At the time, she had been indifferent to such things; how could she remember? But sifting through her memories, aside from the expressions of her subordinates toward their superiors, there was only that look from Xu Liangyu.

*No, what am I thinking about...*

Xue Linghuanbing shook her head, attempting to steer the discussion back on track.

"Has anyone here seen that man before? Or heard of such a person? Did you notice his movements..."

From the forest behind them, a massive roar echoed.

"ROAR!"

To the shock of the group, the figure of a giant tiger suddenly pounced out from the woods.

***

*A tiger entering a flock of sheep*—this phrase was truly the most fitting for the current situation.

The tiger suddenly charged into the crowd, and Xue Linghuanbing, standing at the back of the formation, bore the brunt of the attack. However, as the strongest player in the team, all she could manage in her haste was to block with her long sword before being sent flying by the immense force.

"Am I really... a jinx..."

With Jiecheng E'shao's mournful expression, the giant tiger's shadow suddenly magnified before his eyes, and he was pinned to the ground by the massive beast.

A Niu, standing nearby, didn't hesitate to draw his iron staff from his waist and strike at the tiger's massive forehead. He had also invested ten points into Strength, and the power of that blow was not to be underestimated. With a whistling sound, the staff struck, emitting a dull *thud*.

A Niu felt a sharp pain in the webbing between his thumb and index finger from the recoil, and a flash of ferocity appeared in the tiger's yellow eyes. It pushed off with its hind legs, leapt forward, and swatted down with its right claw.

With a scream, A Niu was sent flying, crashing into the bushes in the distance.

The giant tiger turned around, approaching its next prey, its eyes fixed on the remaining two with intense murderous intent. Meng Zhu tremblingly drew her dagger, but despite pointing it at the tiger, her mind was completely blank.

*W-what is going on... Where did this monster come from...*

The crisis had arrived suddenly. The girl’s mind was a blank slate, and instinctive fear made her teeth chatter; her body felt as if it had lost control. Although she had faced monsters like wild boars before, a boar was just a boar—even if it looked fierce, one eventually got used to it. But the creature before them was a real, living tiger.

It had to be said that the design of a monster had a significant impact on combat in this virtual reality game. At the very least, Meng Zhu was completely intimidated. The girl trembled, barely managing to keep from collapsing, and subconsciously sought help from others: "Wh-what do we do..."

Duan Qing, over on the side, was already in motion.

He bent his knees, tensed his muscles, and lunged to the right. The massive brown-and-yellow figure sensed his movement and shifted its body slightly, turning toward him. Duan Qing stopped his momentum, realizing that flanking it wasn't going to work. Under the tiger's feet, the groans of E'shao were still audible: "Help... help me..."

The situation didn't allow for delay... so Duan Qing let out a loud shout.

The tense air suddenly exploded. The tiger seemed to have its hair stand on end as it lunged fiercely at Duan Qing.

The giant shadow grew too fast, and even with his best efforts to dodge, his body's reaction ultimately couldn't keep up with his thoughts. Duan Qing twisted his body, and while sidestepping, he used the momentum to slash his short sword across the tiger's right claw. The price was being struck in the shoulder by a paw.

An immense force traveled from his shoulder, and Duan Qing was sent spinning through the air against his will. With blood spraying, his body rotated several times before landing on the ground and rolling into the bushes.

The giant tiger's head tilted toward the last standing figure. The girl backed away, consumed by a sudden, overwhelming fear. The giant tiger approached slowly, only to be struck by a sword beam cutting in from afar.

"ROAR!"

As the giant tiger retreated in pain, a figure in a black cloak gradually appeared at the source of the sword beam. Though she looked breathless, Xue Linghuanbing's eyes remained cold. Her hands moved slowly, raising her silver-gleaming long sword, which she held diagonally in front of her.

"Everyone run further away!" she shouted.

On the other side of the thicket, the man she found so detestable coughed as he stood up. His left arm hung limply, his left shoulder was soaked in red, and he was clearly severely injured. The impact just now had been painful, but it seemed he was the only one left who could fight...

*Damn it! This team is all novice players. Even when I led a team of Wings of Freedom elites, we ended up in such a miserable state. I don't know how strong this monster is, but if it's compared to that giant snake...*

Her pupils dilated suddenly.

***

The tiger didn't give her time to think. It let out a massive roar, and a cyan sphere erupted from its blood-stained maw, shooting toward her at high speed.

Reacting instinctively, she jumped sideways, and the sphere landed exactly where she had been standing.

"BOOM!"

In a thunderous explosion, several giant trees toppled over, caught in the magical blast. Fallen leaves scattered, kicking up a cloud of dust. Xue Linghuanbing knelt on one side, coughing violently, and Duan Qing slowly crawled over, though his heart sank like the fallen trees.

Just a moment ago, a system notification had appeared: the icon representing Jiecheng E'shao in the party list had turned gray.

*One is dead after all... Even though I was prepared for it, it didn't feel good to have it happen in such a desperate situation.*

The giant tiger, perhaps recognizing the strongest one among them, charged toward Xue Linghuanbing again. Although the woman looked quite disheveled, she was prepared this time and managed to hold out for a few rounds against the powerful monster. She moved like the wind, her sword aura sharp as frost. As a Strength-based player, her slashes were heavy and forceful; the giant tiger, with its physical body, likely dared not face them head-on.

But the tiger was clearly very agile—an unreasonable trait for such a massive beast—but when it moved with such fluidity, pouncing and then darting away after its claw attacks were blocked, the word "unreasonable" felt too mild.

"This... this game is really hard..." Duan Qing muttered.

Over there, the tiger lunged again. The woman sidestepped, turned, and took the opportunity to slash down. The tiger, as if rehearsed, jumped to where she had just been standing. The dirt under its claws flew as the massive force propelled its body, crashing into Xue Linghuanbing.

As if releasing an aura, a flash of determination crossed Xue Linghuanbing's eyes. She sank her center of gravity, exhaled, and instead of dodging, she raised both hands high. With a shout, she brought her long sword down in a vertical slash.

"BANG!"

With a massive shockwave, the two figures separated. Xue Linghuanbing stumbled back several steps, then fell to the ground, while the tiger was sent flying, rolling into a thicket behind the woods.

"Hmph, did you really think I was like those others..." The woman gritted her teeth, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth before rolling to the side.

In the bushes, now a mess under the tiger's giant shadow, the tiger performed a side-leap into the air. Its massive body glided elegantly, and a giant cyan sphere flew along with it.

*Boom...*

When the woman struggled to stand again, she noticed the detestable man creeping over.

"How is it? Can you beat it?"

"Certainly better than you could..."

"...Heh, all your people died back there, and I thought you would too... You can beat it! I believe in you!"

"...Thanks for the good words, but I don't do suicide missions."

The sarcastic banter continued, but the giant tiger wouldn't wait. It paced back and forth, closing in bit by bit, its fist-sized eyes glowing with bloodlust; it seemed to be showing signs of being enraged.

"Things aren't looking good. Heaven knows what new tricks it might pull out later..."

"Based on my understanding of this game, it will."

"Can you hope for something good for once..."

"There's a causal technique called a 'jinx,' and I don't want to practice it."

As Xue Linghuanbing spoke, her gaze never left the target. The standoff lasted only a few moments before a gale-force wind kicked up, and the two figures lunged toward each other—

A blue light suddenly appeared in the clearing.

The blue light condensed between the two colliding shadows, and a chill instantly flooded the area, frosting the fallen leaves on the ground. The charging figure halted, and a massive roar and sound of impact echoed from the opposite side.

The sound of shattering ice rang out. The tiger's shrill roar became clear, then faded. Amidst the dissipating cold, the giant tiger's footing faltered, and it toppled to the ground, swaying—it looked like the impact of its own charge hadn't been light.

The sword-wielding woman maintained her defensive stance, her alert expression mixed with confusion. She didn't seem to understand what had just happened—she even thought it was a new move by the tiger. Thus, despite her confusion at the tiger's collapse, she didn't loosen her grip on her sword in the slightest.

However, Duan Qing had seen this scene before. He turned his head quickly, scanning the surroundings.

The next moment, he found the blue figure.

It was still that magnificent blue robe, holding a blue staff. Closer now, he could see that the fine robe was stained with mud and dead leaves, appearing slightly disheveled, but the weapon's appearance was clear—it was definitely a staff. A deep blue gemstone was embedded at the end, designed in a slender diamond shape, and its light was currently fading.

The gaze under the hood was looking toward them, sweeping over the two of them for a moment before settling on Duan Qing. The owner of the gaze seemed to recognize them, nodding slightly in realization.

Subsequently, a soft, womanly voice echoed in Duan Qing's ears.

"Ah... it's you."