An Dong had never heard the name [Voodoo Potion] before.
However, upon seeing the dark green glow, he instinctively sensed that something was amiss.
As Little Green slapped the [Mithril Gauntlet (Left Hand)], now imbued with the [Voodoo Potion], onto his body, the color of his [Poisoned Status 9] on An Dong’s status bar deepened considerably. The venom, which had previously drained 180 HP per second, now surged to 360 HP per second.
Even a moment of this intensified poison proved unbearable for An Dong, prompting him to swiftly raise the ring on his left hand and cast a Tier 4 [Healing Spell] to stabilize his dangerously low HP.
‘Could it be a potion that amplifies poison damage?’ An Dong wondered, a slight frown creasing his brow. ‘This is proving to be quite troublesome.’
He knew he had to counterattack immediately!
Before Little Green could don the [Mithril Gauntlet (Right Hand)], which boasted blocking capabilities, An Dong quickly raised his shield and slammed it down once more towards her.
“Shield Bash!”
Little Green, however, did not dodge; instead, she slowly spread her arms, meeting the descending greatshield head-on.
In that precise instant, her left hand, clad in the [Mithril Gauntlet], and her toxic, purplish-brown right hand landed on An Dong almost simultaneously, even as An Dong’s [Shield Bash] struck as expected.
Time seemed to stand still, allowing An Dong to witness the triumphant, mischievous grin spreading across Little Green’s angelic face.
First came the purplish-brown, venomous right hand.
“Ten layers.”
[Poisoned Status 10] flashed across An Dong’s status display.
Then, her small left hand, encased in the pristine white [Mithril Gauntlet], gently caressed An Dong’s chest.
Following immediately was An Dong’s heavily swung greatshield, hurtling down towards Little Green’s tiny head, crowned with her soft, emerald-green short hair.
****
“Shield Bash!”
“Poison Detonator.”
****
“Winner: Hayata Midori.”
Through the massive screen suspended in the sky, Yan watched the white text appear on Arena One.
‘What… what just happened…’
He stood there, mouth slightly agape in shock, utterly bewildered by the current situation.
All he had witnessed was An Dong and his opponent, [Poison Maiden], entangled in a lengthy skirmish, with both their HP bars appearing relatively healthy.
Then, during that last exchange, the very instant An Dong’s [Shield Bash] connected with Little Green, An Dong’s HP bar had abruptly plummeted to zero?
‘This has to be a joke, right? An Dong is a tank!’ Yan thought, incredulous. ‘What kind of ability could possibly instantly kill a tank like An Dong, who already boasts 6000 HP at this stage?’
Unable to fathom the situation, Yan promptly pulled up his friends list and typed a message to An Dong.
[– What happened?]
[– Ahaha, that little girl was just too strong. I couldn’t beat her.]
Even through the screen, Yan could almost sense An Dong’s awkward yet magnanimous chuckle, which brought a slight sense of relief to his heart.
‘After all, he’s a mature adult,’ Yan mused. ‘He wouldn’t get angry over something so trivial.’
[– In the end, Little Green… ah, that is, [Poison Maiden], used a mutated potion called [Poison Detonator]. It instantly detonated all 10 layers of poison on me… essentially, it unleashed the full damage that [Poisoned Status 10] would have dealt over 60 seconds, all in a single burst.]
[– Naturally, I was instantly killed…]
[– Huh? [Poison Maiden] can use potions in PK?]
Yan’s brow furrowed in disbelief. Unable to hear the conversation between the two contestants on the arena, he found himself utterly bewildered.
[– Ah… if I started explaining from there, it would be a long story. I’ll tell you all about it after your match.]
[– Oh.]
Yan could only respond with a sound. He looked up at Arena One, where only Little Green’s petite figure remained, then couldn’t help but lower his head and type again.
[– Well, for a tank to perform like that in a PK match is already incredibly impressive. Brother An Dong, you’re probably the strongest tank in this new server right now, aren’t you?]
[– Hahaha, it’s hard to say. Isn’t the [Monster Tale Master] you’re fighting also rumored to be a tank player?]
[– If you don’t knock him off the arena, my title as ‘First Tank of the New Server’ won’t be safe anymore.]
An Dong teased playfully, his words laced with humor.
‘He’s still encouraging me, even in this situation, despite having lost his own match without a care,’ Yan thought, a surge of admiration for An Dong’s vast magnanimity rising within him.
[– Mm, I’ll do my best.]
Yan replied with a light chuckle, his gaze then falling upon Zhen Bupo, who stood not far away, resembling a dashing young noble.
‘This guy… can he even be called a tank?’ Yan pondered.
‘That style of fighting, transforming into a monster, it hardly fits into traditional player classes anymore, does it?’
‘Well, his primary stat allocation is still VIT, so he’s specialized in HP, I suppose.’
Information of this caliber had already spread like wildfire across the World Channel when Zhen Bupo secured the arena master position in the afternoon matches.
Other arena masters hadn’t garnered nearly as much attention; after all, a player who could transform into a monster was simply too sensational to ignore. It was bound to attract notice.
Yan, sighing faintly, lifted his head and followed Zhen Bupo’s gaze, observing that battles on the other arenas in the sky had mostly concluded.
The ultimate victors were Lian from Arena Five, Xiao from Arena Four, and Hayata Midori from Arena One.
“Ah, An Ruina finally finished her match.”
Just moments ago, Arena Two had also finally decided its victor.
“As expected of her, she’s still so powerful.”
Zhen Bupo turned to look at Yan, a smile playing on his lips that could have been either relief or resignation.
The final victor of Arena Two was An Ruina.
Just as they had initially surmised, An Ruina’s formidable position in the smaller arenas was unshakable; Ivan’s chances against her were only twenty percent, and yet An Ruina had not made even the slightest mistake, leaving Ivan no choice but to concede defeat.
‘Well, that kid did choose to fight the [Iron-Blooded Queen] himself, so he probably mentally prepared for defeat long ago, didn’t he?’
‘It’s just a game, after all. Win or lose, as long as you have fun and enjoy the fight, that’s what matters.’
Yan shrugged, a helpless smile gracing his lips as he recalled Ivan’s excited expression whenever he encountered a powerful player. Though not intimately familiar with the interesting young lad, Yan had always found him endearing, like a younger brother who constantly gave him cause for concern.
Lost in thought, Yan glanced sideways at the time displayed by the system.
It was 7:09 PM, leaving only one minute until his agreed-upon time with Zhen Bupo. It seemed Zhen Bupo truly understood his sister, confident that An Ruina could win her match within ten minutes.
“It’s just the two of us left to fight.”
Yan looked at Zhen Bupo, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“Indeed, I apologize for the long wait.”
Zhen Bupo closed his folding fan, tucking it into his robes, and spoke with a hint of apology.
“Oh, it’s quite alright. I got to witness some truly spectacular matches, so it wasn’t a wasted wait at all.”
Yan replied with an honest smile.
“Then, shall we dispense with further pleasantries?”
Zhen Bupo’s bright black eyes fixed on Yan as he inquired.
“Alright.”
Yan assented, retrieving the long spear from his back. He lightly twirled it in his hand, forming a spear flower, and adopted his fighting stance.
“Haha, you’re quite decisive.”
Zhen Bupo threw his head back and laughed heartily, his ink-black, flowing long hair swaying gently behind him.
His handsome, lean frame suddenly shot upwards, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a colossal, sky-scraping giant.
“Well, now, watching your transformation from outside the arena truly doesn’t compare to the sheer impact of seeing it up close.”
Yan chuckled softly, tightening his grip on his spear as he tilted his head back to gaze at the Old Ape’s towering form.
The Old Ape’s scarlet eyes, gleaming ominously, widened as he stared intently at Yan below.
“What good is being big?” the Old Ape’s strange voice rumbled, sounding somewhat aggrieved. “The ones you can’t beat, you still can’t beat.”
Hearing his rough appearance paired with such a “deeply earnest” and wronged tone, Yan could barely suppress a laugh.
“Spearmaster Yan, you… are very strong…”
The Old Ape hunched his massive body, his shaggy, fur-covered head lowering, to gaze down at Yan from above.
Hearing the earnestness in that peculiar voice, Yan’s smile faded, and he met the Old Ape’s scarlet gaze with equal seriousness.
“To be honest,” Yan stated, his voice firm, “just as I said when you first ascended the stage and I first saw you, my chances against you are quite low.”
“But I won’t give up easily either.”
He spoke with unwavering determination, his resolve clear.
“Mm.”
Yan responded with a small smile. He had always held respect and admiration for players who were so stubbornly persistent and never gave up.
Upon hearing Yan’s reply, the Old Ape nodded his shaggy, fur-covered head.
“Then…”
The Old Ape straightened up, his towering body eclipsing a large portion of the sky above the arena.
“I look forward to our match!”
The Old Ape raised his arm high, and a red circle, symbolizing danger, rose from beneath Yan’s feet.
“Ah.”
Yan, utterly undaunted, curved his lips into a faint smile. Gripping his spear, he dashed towards the Old Ape’s colossal form.
The spear tip shimmered with a cold light as it lunged sharply towards the monster’s body.
“No, I should be the one to say, I look forward to our match!”