Engaging in player-versus-player combat, or PK, was an entirely new experience for Bai Xia. While many players considered PK the very essence of a game, she honestly wasn’t particularly fond of it. For one, her personality simply held no interest in it; for another, her memories of PC gaming were riddled with instances of being mercilessly crushed in one-on-one duels.
Though the full-holographic gaming experience was vastly different now, this fact alone hadn’t sparked much interest in Bai Xia. She still preferred battling peculiar little monsters to clashing with other players. Of course, a few casual skirmishes to pass the time or hone her skills were acceptable, but the current circumstances were entirely different.
“Alright, before we begin, let me explain the rules.”
While Bai Xia was still somewhat disoriented, the white-haired youth who had just been bickering with Qian Qiao stepped forward again. He surveyed their trio as if they were mere ants, making Bai Xia seriously wonder if he suffered from chuunibyou.
Whether he truly had chuunibyou remained unclear, but his utter certainty of victory was undeniable; his nose was practically pointed at the heavens. While his arrogance was a touch irritating, he refrained from any outright insults. Instead, after giving Qian Qiao a provocative glance, he announced, “The rules are simple: each side fields three combatants, who will fight in a chosen order until only one person remains on either side. To save time, no buffs, healing potions, or recovery skills are permitted during combat. Furthermore, once a participant is chosen, they cannot be replaced!”
“Our side has no objection.” Moonlit Night, serving as their representative, nodded in agreement, having first exchanged a brief glance with her companions.
Compared to a best-of-three format, these rules clearly demanded superior individual skill. Fighters would need a more sensitive grasp of their abilities and current status, as prematurely revealing a trump card could easily lead to defeat in the next round if its cooldown wasn’t sufficient.
After Moonlit Night’s assent, the white-haired man nodded and added, “Since this is the wilderness, and to prevent us from accumulating ‘sin value’ through malicious PK—and also to ensure things don’t get too ugly or tense between our two parties—both combatants must select ‘sparring mode’.”
In the game, whether in the wilderness or within a city, any malicious act would generate ‘sin value’. While a high sin value wouldn’t lead to an account ban, NPCs would develop an aversion to you, refusing quests or even reneging on agreements. Furthermore, if your sin value became sufficiently high, entering a town would result in expulsion or even arrest. The game also featured bounties specifically targeting malicious ‘red-named’ players or particularly fierce NPCs; defeating them not only avoided increasing sin value but also yielded rewards.
“Sparring mode?”
Having rarely engaged in PK, Bai Xia was momentarily bewildered by the unfamiliar term. Noticing her confusion, Moonlit Night, standing beside her, leaned in to explain, “Just as the name suggests, it’s a type of free mode. However, unlike the ‘deathmatch’ mode, which entails equipment loss, sparring mode incurs no penalties whatsoever, and you can even revive directly on the spot.”
After her explanation, Moonlit Night looked back at the man opposite them.
“We accept that condition as well.”
After all, neither side had reached a point where it was a life-or-death struggle. Their goal was to select representatives to decide the rights to the monster. Thus, even during a duel, there was no need to fight to the death; it was always wise to leave a path for future encounters.
However, Qian Qiao bristled upon hearing this stipulation. Extending a hand, she pointed directly at the white-haired man opposite them. “I don’t care about anyone else, but when it’s my turn with this fellow, I’m requesting deathmatch mode! Your granny here is going to blast his underwear right off him!”
“You vulgar woman! Deathmatch it is then! Do you really think I’m afraid of you?”
Seeing the two of them ignite like a match struck against gunpowder, poised to explode after barely two sentences, Moonlit Night, as their leader, resisted the urge to smack Qian Qiao on the head. Instead, she offered an apologetic smile. “My apologies, this child is just joking. Please don’t take it to heart.”
The white-haired man was about to retort when another voice echoed from behind him.
“Alright, Black Sword, don’t waste time.”
The slightly cold tone made the white-haired man pause. Finally, with a disdainful sniff, he conceded, “Fine, this lord won’t stoop to your vulgar level! Now, let’s introduce our first combatant. Blind Fatty, it’s your turn.”
“How many times have I told you not to call me Fatty? Call me Qian Gungun!”
A plump figure squeezed out from behind, his voice laced with mild indignation. He walked over to the white-haired man’s side and offered Bai Xia’s trio a friendly smile. “Ahem, I am Qian Gungun. Please don’t hold any ill will towards me just because of this dead fatty. I’m actually a conservative who tries not to lay hands on women whenever possible, but today, alas, there’s no other choice. So, please forgive me, please forgive me.”
Though he introduced himself as Qian Gungun, Bai Xia felt that ‘Round Gungun’ might have been a more fitting name. The man before them wasn’t particularly short, but he was exceptionally corpulent, though his round face possessed an undeniably auspicious quality. In his hand, he clutched a meter-long staff embedded with white gems, and the subtle, chilling aura emanating from him indicated he was an ice mage! Bai Xia couldn’t help but wonder if such a person could truly maneuver effectively in combat. It wasn’t a prejudice against larger individuals, but simply that he presented an enormous target!
Seeing their opponent’s first selection, Moonlit Night, their side’s leader, naturally stepped forward without hesitation. Though her full face remained obscured, her smile was exceptionally gentle. “In that case, I’ll take the first round for our side. My in-game name is Moonlit Night. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Moonlit Night Goddess! So, so pleased to meet you! So pleased to meet you!”
No sooner had Moonlit Night stepped forward than Qian Gungun seemed to transform. After a brief moment of stunned silence, Moonlit Night politely gave his hand a light shake, then listened as he continued, “But you’re my loyal fan, so later when we fight—and of course, if you have time, let’s exchange contact info and have a meal together—”
“You son of a b*tch, get back here!”
Before Qian Gungun could utter another word, the white-haired youth, his face dark with fury, dragged him back into their ranks. He took a deep breath. “My apologies, this dead fatty must have eaten something bad today. Just kill him directly when he gets on stage later to vent your anger.”
“Damn it, you skinny bastard, how can you say that? I, Qian Gungun, have never died at a woman’s hands since I started playing games, not even to the Moonlit Night Goddess—”
“Yes, you’ll die on a woman’s belly instead.”
…
Noticing the subtly awkward atmosphere, Moonlit Night seemed a little embarrassed. Bai Xia couldn’t help but raise her hand. “Um, can we please stop wasting time? I still have a dungeon to clear later.”
“Hmph, since the little sister has spoken, I won’t bother with this skinny bastard any longer. Let’s continue, let’s continue.”
With that, Qian Gungun retreated, and the youth, finally wasting no more time, stepped forward. “Then, our second combatant is none other than myself—Black Sky One Sword!”
“Pfft, what about ‘White Day’ then?”
Black Sky One Sword, or ‘Black Sword’ for short, was about to speak when Qian Qiao’s stifled chuckle cut him off. His mouth twitched a few times, but before his inner fury could ignite, Qian Zhong had already pulled his girlfriend back and clamped a hand over her mouth. Qian Zhong’s expression was utterly helpless, and he could only offer Black Sword a wry smile. “My apologies, this child just has a sharp tongue; there’s no malice intended.”
“I only hope your skills are as venomous in the duel as your tongue, otherwise… hmph!”
With a soft snort, Black Sword, feeling that too much time had indeed been wasted, said no more. He merely shot another provocative glance at Qian Qiao.
Without a word, Qian Qiao broke free from Qian Zhong, stepping forward with her hands on her hips, a formidable aura radiating from her. “Then, our second combatant is naturally me!”
Noticing the odd tension between the two, Bai Xia couldn’t resist leaning towards Moonlit Night and quietly asking, just as the opposing side prepared to introduce their third and final member, “What exactly is going on with them?”
While Qian Qiao was usually somewhat disrespectful and lacked restraint, she wasn’t typically the type to relentlessly argue with a stranger for ages, nor did she possess such a fiery temper. Yet, from the very beginning, Qian Qiao had seemed incredibly annoyed with Black Sky One Sword, practically looking as if she longed to bludgeon him to death with her staff!
Responding to Bai Xia’s curiosity, Moonlit Night glanced at Qian Qiao before leaning in and whispering into Bai Xia’s ear, “Ahem… before you arrived, Black Sky One Sword mocked Qian Qiao, saying she was a man disguised as a woman.”
“Huh?”
‘Her chest is flatter than a man’s.’
Well, it seemed Qian Qiao’s restraint was truly exceptional, considering she hadn’t immediately pounced and torn him to shreds. After all, she was usually quite sensitive about topics concerning her chest, so being ridiculed by a stranger as a cross-dressing boy would naturally ignite her fury.
Such a comment, if directed at Bai Xia herself… ‘Hmm? It seems I wouldn’t care?’
She glanced down at her own chest, which was hardly what one might call magnificent, and after a moment’s thought, Bai Xia decided there wasn’t much to be bothered by.
However, there was little time to ponder such trivialities, for the final member of the opposing team quickly stepped forward.
“Allow me to introduce Zhu Ye. My most powerful master!”
The one Black Sky One Sword referred to as his master was a young man a full head shorter than him, appearing to be no older than sixteen or seventeen. He possessed a remarkably delicate handsomeness. Yet, it wasn’t the kind of delicate beauty that resembled a woman; while beautiful, he didn’t appear effeminate, rather, he was a dashing young man with crimson lips and pearly white teeth. With long hair and a black robe, a slender sword hanging at his waist, if one didn’t know this was an online game, observing him would feel like stepping back into ancient times to witness a noble young master strolling through the streets.
As Black Sky One Sword introduced him, the youth also took a step forward. Though his expression was somewhat aloof, his demeanor was quite friendly as he offered a slight bow.
“Zhu Ye, a swordsman.”
Just as Bai Xia prepared to step forward after their introduction, a rather peculiar voice suddenly chimed in from the side: “What are you all playing? And you didn’t even invite me!”
Following the sound, Bai Xia discovered Dream Butterfly squeezing out from the crowd. Seeing her, Qian Qiao couldn’t help but look puzzled, as Dream Butterfly wasn’t supposed to be online.
“Aren’t you preparing for exams lately?”
“Don’t even get me started, that stuff is driving me crazy! Besides, how can exams be as fun as games? So I secretly logged on to relax a bit. What are you guys up to, though?”
As Qian Qiao pulled Dream Butterfly aside to chat, Bai Xia, realizing their conversation wouldn’t end anytime soon, decided not to waste time. However, just as she was about to step forward and speak, she noticed the handsome youth opposite them seemed to be lost in thought.
Following his gaze, Bai Xia’s expression became subtly amused. After a low cough, she deliberately raised her voice. “I’m the last person on our side. Just call me Bai Xia.”
“Cough…”
Bai Xia’s voice finally snapped the youth opposite her back to attention. He discreetly averted his gaze from Dream Butterfly, a faint blush creeping onto his face as he said, “Please guide me later!”
Bai Xia’s eyes held a hint of playfulness as she observed him, but in the end, she merely nodded gently.
“Please guide me too.”