Chapter 1222: One Hit Certain Kill
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
Heart-Piercing Stab!
After the Leaping Blade was slapped aside, Ghost Lantern immediately followed with a Heart-Piercing Strike that stabbed towards Steamed Bun Invasion's chest.
Steamed Bun Invasion stepped diagonally to avoid it and swung his arm horizontally, latching onto Ghost Lantern's neck. Tiger Flips the Mountain.
A huge amount of power surged forth, and Ghost Lantern was flipped into the air. However, a wound also appeared on Steamed Bun Invasion's waist.
Mother and Child Stab!
When Ghost Lantern had been thrown into the air by Tiger Flips the Mountain, Li Xun quickly sneaked in this attack.
It was a trade, but Li Xun was very unhappy with the outcome.
He was someone who liked one hit kills, and Life Risking Strike was an attack that traded health for health, so for him, his health was equivalent to damage. Health was an extraordinarily precious resource, so even though it was an even trade, in his eyes, he had lost out. Li Xun had his own idea of an acceptable trade, but this trade wasn't one.
Steamed Bun didn't care about Li Xun's feelings though. Mother and Child Stab didn't really do anything other than deal damage, so with Ghost Lantern in the air, Steamed Bun Invasion had the initiative. Steamed Bun wouldn't let go of this opportunity and continued his attacks. He leaped up with a Powerful Knee Strike, smashing his knee towards Ghost Lantern.
Ghost Lantern simply jumped to the side while in the air and avoided the attack.
Air Jump. Only Assassins, who had access to this passive skill, had the ability to jump in the air. Other classes could only jump once off the ground. With this double jump, Ghost Lantern dodged the Powerful Knee Strike and returned with a kick downwards towards Steamed Bun Invasion.
Diving Arrow!
The Assassin skill, Diving Arrow, shared a few similarities with the Striker skill, Eagle Stamp. Diving Arrow didn't have as high of a priority, but it was far faster than Eagle Stamp. After the first kick connected, his two feet kicked him another four times in an instant, forcefully sending Steamed Bun Invasion flying to the side.
For Assassins, as soon as a single hit connected, the following combo would be linked together extremely fast. After the Diving Arrow, Ghost Lantern suddenly left behind an afterimage, flickering to Steamed Bun Invasion's side and piercing him with his dagger.
Flickering Stab!
This Level 65 Assassin skill was a displacement skill, but it was rarely used as a movement skill because the displacement was extremely small. It was only one step, a distance of one unit. But this single step was no different than an instant movement. When an Assassin used Flickering Stab, he might originally have been in front of you, but the attack would come from the side. If the Assassin were to the side of you, then the stab might turn into a back attack. Hever, more often than not, the Assassin looked to still be one step away, when his dagger was already in your chest.
Steamed Bun Invasion was hit once again. By this time, Ghost Lantern had landed back on the ground. He kicked upwards and struck Steamed Bun Invasion's ankle.
Ankle Break!
It didn't deal much damage, but it lowered the target's movement speed by 30% for 5 seconds. During these 5 seconds, trying to escape from an Assassin's pursuit was nigh impossible.
Splitting Water Stab, Heart Piercing Stab...
All kinds of assassination skills struck Steamed Bun Invasion one after the other. Blood splattered onto the pine tree. In an instant, countless red spots appeared on the surface of the tree.
This really is easy.
Li Xun smirked. Team Void had obviously done their research on Steamed Bun's tendencies. He knew that from time to time, he would make an extremely unusual and surprising move, but under his fast and tight offense, it didn't matter what type of crazy imaginative tricks he had. If there aren't any openings, what can he do?
Blade Storm!
Li Xun used another high-level damage skill. Blood splattered even more crazily.
That's enough.
Li Xun thought to himself. With the Blade Storm, Steamed Bun Invasion was forced back by the momentum.
Steamed Bun Invasion was under hit stun as he slid back, while Ghost Lantern also couldn't move due to the ending lag from Blade Storm. This sort of safe period was often built into high-level skills.
However, players would always try to find a way to get around this safe period to seize the initiative.
As a pro, Li Xun obviously had these thoughts as well. When he used his high-level skill, he had taken the terrain into consideration. The final stab sent Steamed Bun Invasion sliding backwards, but he would only slide back at most four units before slamming into the pine tree behind him, extending the stun by a tiny amount. More importantly, the distance between the two would stay close, only four units.
This is more than enough!
The experienced Li Xun laughed confidently. His Ghost Lantern used As the Shadow Follows.
As the Shadow Follows was a high-level Assassin movement skill. The user didn't have much control over it though. After picking a location, the character would move at an extremely fast speed towards that location.
As the Shadow Follows to close these four units of distance and then Life-Risking Strike!
When he used As the Shadow Follows, he had thoroughly burned down his health. The damage dealt by this Life Risking Strike would be more than enough to instantly kill Steamed Bun Invasion.
An afterimage was left behind as Ghost Lantern moved three steps. One more step and Steamed Bun Invasion would be dead.
Three steps might have been more ideal. This thought suddenly popped into Li Hua's mind. Because at this moment, he saw Steamed Bun Invasion suddenly move. The hit stun had ended. The extra stun from slamming into the tree hadn't been enough for Ghost Lantern to complete all four steps.
Four steps might not be perfect, but it's enough.
With just a distance of one step, what skill could be faster than As the Shadow Follows? Instant movement skill? Shadow Clone Technique? Substitution Technique? At this distance, there wouldn't be enough time to activate those skills, let alone the fact that Steamed Bun Invasion didn't have access to those skills.
Li Xun loved to take risks, but he never lost his calm. Daring but careful was the reason why he was an outstanding pro player.
One hit certain kill!
Yes, one hit certain kill, but the one to be killed was...
Li Xun looked flabbergasted at the afterimage left behind below the tree. He stared in astonishment at the Steamed Bun Invasion in front of him. The sharp claws on his fists were pierced through his Ghost Lantern's chest.
Li Xun turned around to take a look.
Within this one step, Ghost Lantern had moved one-third of a step, while Steamed Bun Invasion had moved two-thirds of a step.
Thus, Steamed Bun Invasion's attack had been faster. That Life-Risking Strike had been prepared for after that two-thirds of a step.
"Holy shit, I finally got a chance to use it," Li Xun saw Steamed Bun's message in the chat.
Followed by: "Huh? How are you dead? My god, this skill's that powerful??"
This skill's that powerful?
As Li Xun's point of view fell along with Ghost Lantern, he saw that afterimage from below the tree disappear.
Flickering Stab?
Tooth for Tooth?
How long has it been since I used Flickering Stab? He activated Tooth for Tooth at that time? After stealing the skill, he used it just a step before his death and then killed me instead?
If it was Flickering Stab, then for a distance of one step, it was faster than As the Shadow Follows. If this had all been a part of Steamed Bun's plan then Li Xun would have been shocked at how terrifying he was, but seeing Steamed Bun's words, Li Xun could only feel that it was ridiculous. This match was ridiculous. I actually lost like this?
What type of stupid luck was this!!
Li Xun sat there in a daze for a long time. The referee had to come over and remind him.
Li Xun walked out of the player booth. As for the crowd, there were traces of hesitation in their cheers. The problem was Steamed Bun's final words. If he hadn't said those words, everyone would have thought that he had planned everything, waiting there patiently for Li Xun to make his final move. But with those last words, the marvel of this spectacular play instantly disappeared. Everyone had the same thoughts as Li Xun: he won just like that?
In any case, a win was a win. As Happy's supporters, there was no reason not to be happy about a win, right? Even if the win had been so comical and absurd that even the winner didn't really understand the situation. Speaking of which, this winner who didn't understand why he won seemed to be quite happy with this victory. After coming out of the player booth, he ran around the stage once.
"Victory!!" Steamed Bun yelled.
The crowd cheered and clapped.
"10 to 1!" Steamed Bun shouted.
10 to 1! Everyone echoed his words. But they soon had a realization. What the fuck was 10 to 1?
Fortunately, Steamed Bun immediately noticed his mistake.
"10 to 0!" he corrected himself.
10 to 0! This time, there was no problem and everyone cheered.
After running around in a circle, he bumped into Li Xun, who was coming down from the stage. He went over and extended his hands out without any signs of embarrasment.
"You played well!" Steamed Bun said.
"You… you played well too," Li Xun said. In all honesty, he had wanted to say "you fucker," but the goddamn referee just happened to be nearby.
"Keep trying," Steamed Bun patted him and then ran back to this team. As he passed Team Void, he waved at them. The Team Void players looked at one another, unsure what to do. Luckily, Steamed Bun quickly passed by them.
After finally returning to his team's seats, Steamed Bun celebrated with everyone.
"Mm, as long as you win, it's good," Ye Xiu nodded his head.
For this match, it was too embarrassing to say that this win was due to Steamed Bun's crazy imagination… it could only be said that his Tooth for Tooth, which he had used on Flickering Stab for some inexplicable reason, gave Steamed Bun good luck.
Yes, luck.
The key factor to this win was luck. It was something that could eclipse hard work and talent: luck.
"With this kind of luck, he could have probably won just lying down!" Wei Chen sighed.
These words were somewhat exaggerated, but it could be considered as a strong comment towards that fight.
The loser on Void must be feeling very wronged, right? Ye Xiu looked towards Team Void. But then again, if Li Xun didn't like one hit kills, this sort of luck might not have happened.
In the end, luck only worked when the differences in skill weren't that large. Lying down and winning would never actually happen.
Chapter 1223: The Old General’s Way of Winning
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
Two battles of the individual competition were now over. Whether through luck or strength, Happy now had a 2-0 lead. For this upcoming third match, the digital displays showed the players' names and the players stood up. After a pause from the audience, there was suddenly a small wave of cheers.
"Old Wei, can you really do this?!" In the audience seating near Happy's player area, someone hollered at him.
Wei Chen evidently heard it. He turned in the direction of the shout, swept his gaze over, then lifted his index finger and waggled it in that direction. Void's players were dumbstruck. Waving your index finger wasn't as much of an insult as showing your middle finger, but there was at least some scorn in the gesture. To do this towards your own home audience, what was he thinking?
But what surprised them more was that the audience members whom Wei Chen gestured at, although they were boiling and starting hooting at him, were in an undisguised laughing and joking mood.
Anyone could tell, it wasn't that they didn't support Wei Chen. This was a sort of good-natured teasing between close friends and people who knew each other well. If people didn't have a close enough relationship, they couldn't crack such jokes.
To have such a relationship with fans?
Void's players continued to stare. It seemed somewhat unacceptable, but in their hearts there was a bit of… envy. They didn't have this, thus they felt envy. It was a very natural thing.
In this kind of atmosphere, Wei Chen went onstage. Happy's fans didn't have this same kind of relationship with the other players of Happy. The reason for this was that after everyone became pro players, only Wei Chen still had the air of being close to the earth with them.
Even now, his Windward Formation would still make frequent appearances in the game.
His professional career had only lasted two years, but he had spent over a decade in the Glory game. This was a deeply-ingrained part of his life that had no way of being eliminated. Preventing him from going into the game would be even more difficult than preventing him from smoking.
Windward Formation wasn't an especially famous name, and it was clear that Wei Chen's primary role at Happy was just as a substitute, so he didn't receive much attention. His character in-game wouldn't be surrounded or gawked at to the point where he couldn't move.
Since he was playing the game, he couldn't avoid interactions with other players. So the understanding that many people had of Wei Chen didn't solely come from the Alliance, the team, or the official reports from the media. It came from casual conversations in the guild chat, or chatter from a dungeon raid.
And so Wei Chen became this particularly special pro player. Plus, he also carried a record of his own - he was the oldest pro player to date to participate in the Glory Alliance. People even asked him, since you're still coming to play even now, why did you leave a blank space of so many years?
Wei Chen couldn't answer this question.
He only knew, he stood here now. Even though he couldn't do much anymore, he would still put in his full effort. Because, he was a pro player.
Individual competition round 3, begin.
Happy, Wei Chen, Warlock Windward Formation.
Void, Yang Haoxuan, Launcher Translucent.
Yang Haoxuan, a pro player from Season 7, entering Void's training camp at age 15 and offered a professional contract at age 17 from Team Void. Now, he had worked at Void for four years, and wasn't even 20 yet.
"How young…" Wei Chen sighed.
The battle quickly began. Against a Launcher, Windward Formation's high attack range naturally wasn't much of an advantage, so as soon as the battle began, Wei Chen began strategic movement. He had chosen the map, so of course he was very familiar with it.
And Yang Haoxuan? When the match began, he did the same thing as Wei Chen, strategic movement. His character Translucent also took a roundabout path on the map. He quickly made his way to the center and didn't see the opponent's character, so he instantly understood what was going on.
Boom!
Yang Haoxuan immediately had his Translucent to fire a cannon shot, planning to use the sound to lure Wei Chen to expose the position of his Windward Formation.
But when Wei Chen heard the shot, he didn't look around, instead directly controlling Windward Formation to make a U-turn. Everyone saw that this new direction was exactly the direction towards Translucent's current position. The old veteran's hearing ability was still exceptional.
But after Yang Haoxuan fired this shot, he didn't have Translucent stand there motionlessly. He moved Translucent to a different position with a wider view like an oriole behind a mantis.
The method of luring a snake out of its hole.
Many viewers were used to seeing this kind of strategy. Wei Chen had been around for so many years, would he fall for it?
The audience saw from the omniscient view Wei Chen's Windward Formation, creeping bit by bit toward Translucent's original position.
The crowd was becoming anxious. They worried for Wei Chen, but Wei Chen was just foolishly going ahead, as though this possibility of a trap hadn't even occurred to him.
Windward Formation revealed himself, and the crowd sighed.
Yet Yang Haoxuan didn't begin his attack immediately. This strategy was so low-level that even ordinary players could see through it. Wei Chen had the judgment to make his way here through sound alone, how could he not know this sort of simple strategy? Especially now that he could see that the opponent's character wasn't here, it should be even more obvious to him. So Yang Haoxuan didn't think that Wei Chen was just hastily crashing over here, he had to have some defensive preparations. If he attacked immediately, he felt that the opponent's defenses would be at their highest, and he might not be able to achieve any good effect. Better to hide and wait patiently, wait until the opponent felt that this wasn't a trap and lower his guard.
And so Yang Haoxuan didn't move.
And so Wei Chen spoke. "I'm here already, come out and fight! What are you hiding and dawdling for? You think I'll just let down my guard?"
He's trying to trick me! I'm not moving, thought Yang Haoxuan.
"Yes, I'm talking to you! The one at position 45, 56," Wei Chen said.
Yang Haoxuan jolted, and glanced at the coordinates of his Translucent's position. Indeed: 45, 56.
The crowd burst into applause. What incredible judgment! To predict the opponent's movements so accurately and clearly, this demonstrated an incredible all-around familiarity and understanding of both the map and the opponent!
His coordinates were exposed just like that, Yang Haoxuan felt very awkward, but he knew that right now there were countless people watching them. If he just walked out like this, that would be too humiliating!
As he agonized, Wei Chen continued to yell. "What, you're still not coming out?"
The helpless Yang Haoxuan prepared to control his character to reveal himself…
"Haha, I know, you're actually at 48, 31!" Another message from Wei Chen suddenly jumped out in the chat. Filled with confidence, Windward Formation scurried in that direction.
Fuck!
Just as he was about to charge out, Yang Haoxuan brought himself to a screeching halt.
"This old fox!" Yang Haoxuan's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He had really been just about to reveal himself. Good thing he had spaced out for a moment. It looked like this round, luck was now on Void's side!
After thinking about Wei Chen's final shout of position 48, 31, Yang Haoxuan had Translucent walk out, preparing to carefully circle around and then bombard Windward Formation with continuous heavy firepower.
Yang Haoxuan took several deep breaths, bracing himself for the intense moments to follow.
But the crowd was filled with the sounds of tsking.
"Young people!" someone sighed.
Yang Haoxuan, among the esports players, couldn't be considered young. He was 20 years old, right in the middle generation that was at its peak. But compared to Wei Chen, who was older than him by over a decade, he really was just a young person.
The young person prepared for the upcoming intensity, but suddenly, a Hexagram Prison descended from the sky. Before he had time to dodge, Translucent was already locked in.
Shit!
Yang Haoxuan instantly knew that, in the end, he had been tricked.
Luring the snake out of its hole. Same strategy, different execution. The older the ginger the spicier it was!
With this ambush, Wei Chen gave himself an excellent advantage. And then, after several exchanges in this sneaky and complicated map, he finally defeated Yang Haoxuan.
A win in every individual match, 3-0!
The live crowd became a wave of excitement.
10-0!!
Countless Happy supporters were shouting. To win all of the individual battles, that was the rhythm of a 10-0!
Yang Haoxuan walked out of the competitor booth, downtrodden and depressed as he came offstage; on Happy's side, Wei Chen lingered inside for quite a while.
"That old thing, trying to act dull on the outside, but he's really passionate on the inside!" said someone in the audience, laughing. Because there was a relatively long break between the individual round and the group arena, the judge didn't immediately come to urge him out.
Wei Chen sat in the competitor booth, a cigarette stuck between his fingers, but eyeing the "no smoking" sign above his head, he still didn't dare light it.
"That was close…" Wei Chen's gaze turned to the computer screen, and he looked at Windward Formation's remaining health: 8%.
He won, but it wasn't easy. That ambush early on had greatly succeeded, instantly giving him a 30% health advantage, but in the end, his health had been whittled all the way down to 8%. This made Wei Chen rather unhappy, and in his heart, an agitated voice once again reminded him of that reality.
"I really am old…" Wei Chen said to himself. "And so, this is my win method.
"But 8% or 80%, does that matter? Tch, this isn't the group arena," Wei Chen muttered. He stood up and exited the competitor booth.
When he finally showed his face, the crowd burst into thunderous applause.
"That's right. A win is a win. As long as this is the outcome." Wei Chen smiled, and his heart suddenly felt lighter.
"Old Wei, you did it!!!"
As he walked along the side of the stage, the audience members nearby again cracked jokes with him. Some of them might not have actually known him well, but seeing other people do the same, they felt that Wei Chen was the type of player you could interact with like this, and so they followed along.
Wei Chen didn't disappoint them by refusing interaction. Towards those who were shouting at him, he responded, even cracking some dirty jokes like "this old man's still got it." He gave a wink and proudly and gleefully walked by.
"A small character like that, I can defeat him with a wiggle of my finger." Upon returning to Happy's player area, Wei Chen gestured with the tip of his little finger and spoke.
"Very strong," everyone praised him.
"You really should've given me a spot on the main roster. An old guy like you should rotate out and rest more!" Wei Chen gruffly patted Ye Xiu.
"Thanks!" Ye Xiu laughed. "But I'm still very young!"
"As long as you don't brag, that's best," Wei Chen said.
Chapter end
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