Chương 13: Chapter 13 The Birth of the Hedgehog

Biên tập viên: EndlessFantasy Translation

Upon hearing that Li Yao wanted to spar with Li Haitao, the crowd immediately erupted.

Li Haitao's immense strength was something they had all witnessed. None of the students could last more than a minute against him in PvP (Player Vs Player).

Even the two students ranked second and third, Zhang Ming and Wang Qiang, who were clad in green equip, had shown off before, but still didn't last one minute in the finals against Li Haitao. Li Haitao, on the other hand, had only lost less than a third of his health.

In a context where green equipment represents the premium gear and some people couldn't even afford a full set of the ordinary white equipment, Li Haitao's full set of enhanced green equipment made him simply invincible. It was uncertain whether even ten people could kill him. More likely, he'd end up killing them instead.

"Yaozi, you've drunk too much," Zhao Lei hurriedly supported Li Yao, speaking loudly, "Sorry everyone, Li Yao just had a bit too much to drink earlier, he was just talking drunk."

Li Haitao smiled and responded: "Leizi, how could Yaozi be drunk? Since Yaozi wants to spar, I naturally can't refuse, as long as everyone is having fun."

Li Yao stopped Zhao Lei and said: "Alright, let's not keep everyone waiting any longer. Let's get started."

The crowd erupted with cheers. Even though no one was optimistic about Li Yao's chances, they still applauded his bravery.

Li Haitao maintained a calm face but was elated inside. He was looking for an opportunity to personally defeat and embarrassment Li Yao, and Li Yao just served himself up on a platter.

Although he was loath to admit it, Li Haitao harbored deep jealousy for Li Yao. He simply couldn't understand why Feng Yi, a girl who even he could not attain, would take a liking to Li Yao.

Because he's good at academics? That's a joke. In the Qin family, even a successful businessman with billions in wealth wasn't particularly impressive, let alone an excellent student.

He thought about the last banquet he attended; his father and the patriarch of the Qin family, who was also Feng Yi's father, had a small business collaboration. His father's old rivals were practically green with envy when his father merely shook hands with the Qin patriarch. That incident took place more than two years ago, but it was something his father still repeatedly bragged about.

This made him even more resentful. Li Yao had outshone him and ruined his relationship with Feng Yi. He had been excited for the longest time and now he could finally bring disgrace upon Li Yao all the while appearing righteous.

Even he, with his calm demeanor and stoic face, couldn't help but tremble from excitement as he held his glass of wine.

Li Haitao took a deep breath and said: "Since we're having a friendly bet, I'll up the stakes. If Yaozi beats me, I'll admit that he is the best."

"That's not right, Haitao. Everyone has seen your generosity. The competition is over, and the champ is the champ. No one would deny that," Wang Yan said loudly. "Since there's a stake, Li Yao should also put up something of equal value, shouldn't he?"

"I'd hate to disappoint everyone," Li Yao said, acknowledging the crowd. "But sorry, I don't have a father who allows me to throw money around recklessly. As a humble commentator, let alone not having the money, even if I did, I wouldn't splurge recklessly. Isn't that fair?"

"Yeah, we ordinary folks have it tough. Haitao, let's just have fun, don't go overboard," came the agreement.

Most of the old classmates were simple folk and they rallied around Li Yao.

Li Haitao's face fell. He didn't expect Li Yao to be so cunning and bring himself down to the level of his classmates.

The normally silent Feng Yi spoke up for the first time: "If you want to bet, I'll accompany you. Let me make it clear, I earned my own money, I didn't use one cent from my family."

Li Haitao's face instantly went through a range of emotions, his heart was antsy. Suppressing his anger and forcing a smile, he said: "If Feng Yi wants to join the fun, I certainly can't refuse. Let's get started."

As the two walked towards the gaming room, Li Haitao whispered to Li Yao, "Li Yao, you brought this upon yourself. I'm going to make you lie at my feet like a dead dog."

Li Yao calmly replied, "I'm waiting."

Upon logging in the game, Li Yao saw an option on the panel that allowed him to connect to the competition server. Li Yao chose to enter.

Li Yao, cloaked and invisible, and Li Haitao, a warrior shimmering in green, appeared in a large plain.

"This isn't fair. An open plain gives Yaozi no place to hide," Zhao Lei exclaimed loudly.

In the game, Li Haitao was slightly taken aback but pretended to be magnanimous: "If you think it's unfair, we can change the location."

"No need. It doesn't matter where we fight, the outcome is already decided," Li Yao's in-game voice, unlike his real one, responded. Not only his voice, but even his appearance was different. The game system rated your character creation, for example, if you were rated five points in appearance, your character would also be rated five points. This was done to protect players' privacy and to prevent them from deceiving others through beautification.

"It seems you're aware of the result. You're correct. It doesn't matter the location," Li Haitao chose to confirm preparation.

Li Yao also confirmed, and countdown timers appeared in both players' fields of vision.

"Who do you guys think will win?" Zhang Ming asked loudly.

"It should be Haitao, right?"

"What do you mean 'should'? It's 'definitely'! Wang Qiang said loudly, "Not to mention equipment, Haitao has learned six skills, one passive and five active. Except for Haitao, who among us doesn't envy the two skills they have?"

Everyone nodded. Zhang Ming said, "Look, they are starting. Haitao's learned the Charge skill. Once Haitao charges, Li Yao will be stunned for a second. Then a hamstring to slow Li Yao, followed by a heavy blow and a Thunder Strike to finish off Li Yao."

Everyone nodded again, because all the people who met Li Haitao were instantly taken out, without a chance to retaliate.

"What a bore. To think it was... What's going on? Why isn't Haitao charging?" Wang Yan exclaimed in a sharp voice.

Everyone was at a loss, for as the countdown ended.

Li Yao suddenly fired an arrow. Li Haitao rolled aside to dodge, but before he could get up, another arrow shaft glowing with a pale blue light hit him in the head.

Li Haitao pushed himself to stride towards Li Yao, whereas Li Yao was retreating while rapidly firing arrows.

-10-12-9-13...

One after another, damage numbers floated over Li Haitao's head, but he couldn't even touch the corner of Li Yao's clothes.

"Yaozi must be sentimental about their school relationship. He doesn't want to embarrass Li Yao too much. Haitao has over four hundred health points, and Li Yao has less than two hundred. Letting him win a few points would be nothing." Zhang Ming justified it.

However, no one responded to him, because Li Haitao's face had turned ashen. The unmistakably furious expression on his face was clearly visible to everyone.

Wang Xiaolei was also confused. She turned to Feng Yi, "Feng Yi, I heard you're also a commentator. Can you help us with what happened?"

"Yeah, Feng Yi, please explain this to us."

"Yes, please, explain."

Feng Yi was not shy; she walked up to the screen and took the mic. After a slight cough, a gentle voice came from her mouth.

"It is actually straightforward. Li Haitao did not avoid the charge. He couldn't charge."

"Can't charge? What do you mean? Why wasn't he able to charge?" Zhao Lei asked.

Feng Yi looked at Li Yao's sharp gaze and softly spoke, "You need to know, a warrior's charge is within thirty yards. Even with passives, the maximum distance can only be thirty-five yards. If you look closely, their distance has always been maintained above thirty-five yards while a bow and arrow can attack from a distance of forty yards or more."

Everyone suddenly realized. The lively hall quieted down and everyone paid full attention to the competition along with the gentle commentary.

"Li Haitao is very formidable; he managed to dodge Yaozi's Concussive Shot with a dodge roll. Look, he dodged this time and his speed increased, he was just two seconds away from charging. But Li Yao didn't give him a chance. Using Shadow Roll twice to create distance again. Li Yao's archery is too strong; he only afforded Li Haitao to dodge one Concussive Shot. Li Yao's attack is highly lethal; it can penetrate even enhanced equipment. If things continue this way, Li Haitao doesn't have a chance and the outcome of the match is already determined."

"Aargh!" Li Haitao could no longer restrain himself and roared with rage. His face contorted in fury.

While Li Yao simply focused on firing arrows, each glowing arrow shaft shot out accurately, with almost no misses.

Li Haitao, on the other hand, was roaring continuously, the health bar above his head kept decreasing.

When Li Haitao was down to less than half his health, he started to use hit and run tactics. But he could not dodge Li Yao's Concussive Shot; irrespective of whether he moved forward or backward, he still could not dodge Li Yao's arrows.

Li Yao was like a venomous snake who seemed to see through all his moves. He tumbled left and dived right, but he couldn't dodge Li Yao's arrows.

After a few minutes, Li Haitao was like a live target; arrows were all over his body. Full of frustration, he fell to the ground and looked like a giant porcupine.

Everyone was at a loss for words. Just now, Li Haitao was like a War God who instantly finished anyone he saw, regardless of the quality of his green equip, he was dazzling.

Looking at Li Haitao on the screen who had turned into a porcupine and then at Li Yao, fully replenished, everyone seemed to be in a daze. Everything appeared so unrealistic.

With a bang, Li Haitao kicked the stool blocking his path, heavily panting, he stared at the calm and composed Li Yao. He coldly said, "Since it's a duel, it should be a best of three rounds. I suggest that we can use all objects apart from Healing water in the next round."

"Enough of this! Can't you accept defeat?" Zhao Lei loudly said.

Wang Qiang also announced loudly, "A one-on-one fight is always best of three rounds, that's a rule."

The grace of Li Haitao was long gone, with a gloomy face staring at Li Yao, like a venomous snake. He sneered, "Suppose you don't dare?"

Li Yao looked at his vicious face, gently smiled, sighed and said, "Can we use props? Are you sure?"

"Yes, all items except Healing related potions can be used." Li Haitao panted out.

"Hmm, I see, that's fine." Yaozi said in a low voice.

"So you agreed." Li Haitao laughed out loud.

"Well, I have not had enough yet." Li Yao turned and walked back into the arena. As he had just said, he had only killed him once in the game. He hadn't let off steam yet...

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Chương 14: Chapter 14: Brutal Tyranny

Biên tập viên: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Oh, by the way." Li Yao turned around again, asking Li Haitao, "Are you sure you want it to be best of three?"

Li Haitao finally broke into a smile and tauntingly replied, "What, you're backing out?"

"You've misunderstood, I'm just double-checking so there's no change to best of five or best of seven later. I don't mind but it wouldn't be fair to let others wait because of us." Li Yao gave a radiant smile, "Don't you think so, leader Li?"

The students watching burst into laughter, causing a commotion.

Li Haitao's smile froze on his face again. He took a few deep breaths to prevent himself from rushing up to PK Li Yao.

"Enough talking, let's start." Li Haitao was verging on exploding.

Although others might not have noticed, Qin Feng Yi's forehead furrowed even tighter. Li Yao had changed so much, he was barely recognizable compared to her old impression of him.

The current Li Yao was less impulsive but exhibited more wisdom and cunning. From the moment they started squaring off, Li Haitao had unintentionally been suppressed.

Li Yao was calm, but was known to be very irritable with Li Haitao.

"Who do you guys think will win this round?" Wang Xiaolei asked.

"Well, it's hard to say..."

If it had been a moment ago, they would have certainly thought that Li Haitao would win; that luxurious gear was just too overwhelming and rumor had it that it cost an average person's salary for two years.

But just now, the formidable Li Haitao couldn't even touch Li Yao's shirt before becoming irritated and turning into a porcupine. Now everyone was hesitating to judge.

Wang Qiang stated loudly,"Is there even a doubt? Haitao will surely win. Just now they couldn't use items, but now that they can, Li Yao is bound to lose."

Zhang Ming also chimed in,"Do you guys know about magic scrolls and speed potions? Hehe, you'll know when you see them. Let's just say, the starting bid for a potion is at least two silver coins."

Wang Xiaolei frowned,"Feng Yi, maybe you can explain for everyone, otherwise everyone will miss out on a lot of the action."

While everyone was discussing, the two of them appeared on the screen again.

Qin Feng Yi pointed at the screen and said,"This time the two appeared in a place similar to the Ancient Roman Colosseum, another field advantage for Li Haitao."

"The PK has started, look, Li Haitao is holding a scroll that is shining a fiery red light, it must contain some kind of fire magic."

Everyone held their breath and listened carefully to Qin Feng Yi's explanation. They didn't expect her to have such a thorough understanding of the game, being able to deduce a lot from small details.

"Currently, everyone's level is below 5. As far as I know, the fire scrolls being sold in the stores are limited to the Fireball Technique Scroll and Strong Fire Scroll."

"The match has started, both of them started to attack simultaneously. Li Haitao tore a scroll, it's the Fireball Technique. Li Yao reacted quickly and used his Shadow Roll to dodge the Fireball Technique."

"Oh no, Li Haitao wants to control the pace. He quickly gulped down a basic speed potion and basic armor potion. For the next ten minutes, Li Haitao's movement speed will increase by 20% and his armor will increase by 20%. With Li Haitao's enhanced green equip, his armor value is horrifyingly high."

The duel turned heated from the start and all the old classmates at the gathering ceased their activities, craning their necks to watch this thrilling battle.

"The game should be over." A cold glint flickered in Li Haitao's eyes.

He flicked his wrist and as the scroll crumbled, a whiff of black smoke flashed past and a skeleton holding a bone scythe rushed at Li Yao from his right side."

At the same time, Li Haitao swifty closed in on Li Yao from the left side, aiming to quickly close the distance for a charge. Thanks to the speed potion, his speed was obviously much faster."

"It's bad, Li Yao is in a pinch now. Whether he attacks the skeleton or Li Haitao, he will get held up. As a hunter, being held up in close combat basically means death."

"Li Yao chose to attack the skeleton while trying to keep a distance from Li Haitao. But Li Haitao is too fast, he will be in charging range in three seconds. If he gets hit, Li Yao will be instantly killed."

Qin Feng Yi didn't realise that she was noticeably starting to worry for Li Yao.

"This is bad, Li Yao got close to the skeleton, but Li Haitao can already charge and he charged."

Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen. Almost everyone knew the match was over when they saw Li Haitao charging ahead.

Wang Qiang and Zhang Ming even let out excited roars.

Zhao Lei had already closed his eyes, but he heard an incredulous gasp in his ear.

"This can't be, the game must be bugged." Wang Yan screamed loudly.

"That's impossible." Li Haitao, who had collided with his own skeleton, roared furiously.

"I demand a review, halt the match." Li Haitao shouted.

The match paused and Qin Feng Yi brought up the replay, selecting slow-motion. A screen popped up in front of Li Yao and Li Haitao, displaying the previous footage.

Everything happened too quickly just now. Everyone thought that Li Yao was doomed, but somehow Li Haitao's charged attack hit his own summoned skeleton warrior instead of Li Yao.

But they clearly saw his target was Li Yao. The warrior's charge was considered a lock-on skill, it is impossible to dodge once the charge is launched, even in free mode.

"So that's what happened." Qin Feng Yi replayed the footage again and explained to the still baffled crowd, "Look, Li Haitao's target was indeed Li Yao, but we all forgot that while the charge is fast, taking less than half a second from initiation to collision, it still has a time difference."

Seeing that everyone was still confused, Qin Feng Yi looked at the nonchalant Li Yao and said again, "You guys forgot, they're both in free mode, and there's no absolute lock-on in free mode. Look, Li Haitao's charge path is not a straight line, but a curve. This curve happened because Li Yao used a Shadow Roll when Li Haitao was charging."

"Look, as Li Yao's position changes with his Shadow Roll, Li Haitao's charge path also bends accordingly. As Li Yao got behind the skeleton with his Shadow Roll, Li Haitao's charge arrived. This skill is a lock-on, true, and under enough distance it can change direction, following the path. But the issue is, at such speed and distance, Li Haitao's charge can't possibly perform a half-circle to avoid the skeleton warrior and still hit Li Yao. So the result is what we all saw."

"That's possible? Li Yao is too lucky." Zhang Ming said begrudgingly.

"That's damn lucky, he still doesn't die." Wang Yan complained resentfully.

Although no one responded, they all thought it was luck.

However, a hint of a smile appeared at the corners of Qin Feng Yi's mouth, and she said again, "Perhaps you all think this was luck for Li Yao, but on the contrary, it's not luck, it was Li Yao's calculated plan."

"That's impossible, even if you were Li Yao's girlfriend you shouldn't side with him." Wang Qiang retorted.

"Just like family indeed," Wang Yan sighed.

"Right? No one should be able to react so quickly, should they?"

However, Feng Yi responded with a faint smile, saying, "You're missing something," as she replayed the scene for a third time.

You're missing something? The crowd was baffled. In slow motion, they thought they saw everything clearly.

"Yes, you're missing something. You thought you saw everything, but did you really? The charge takes less than half a second, yet we are watching it in slow motion, fooling ourselves into thinking we understand. The reality is, everything happened within half a second."

Even Li Yao's best friend, Zhao Lei, was puzzled. "What exactly have we missed? Stop beating around the bush."

"I'm not. Like I said, you've disregarded a critical point. It takes less than half a second for a charge to hit its target. It's so fast it could rival the wind or lightning, but did you realize—if Li Yao activated his Shadow Roll just slightly earlier, considering how fast it is, even if Li Yao reached behind the skeleton, and then Haitao initiated the charge, what would happen?"

Feng Yi drew an arc, and everyone suddenly understood. If Li Yao had activated Shadow Roll a bit earlier, the several yards of distance would allow enough time for the charge to steer clear of the skeleton.

"What if Li Yao activated Shadow Roll a bit later?" inquired Zhao Lei.

Feng Yi chuckled lightly, "A bit later? Even if Haitao initiated the charge, it would take less than half a second to hit Li Yao. What do you think would happen if he was late?"

Then, all became clear to them.

"So, Li Yao only had less than half a second after Haitao began charging to be successful."

"Damn it, this reaction speed is too fast... is he human?"

"You overlooked the beginning, too. Li Yao had planned everything from the start when he charged the Skeleton Warrior."

"Impossible. You're telling me Haitao has been taken for a ride from the very beginning?"

"That's terrifying."

After Feng Yi's explanation, they finally understood, but the clearer they understood, the more they feared Li Yao.

"Your performance should be over too." As the countdown resumed, Li Yao, in the process of bending his bow, said, "That's all the tricks you've got? I'm disappointed."

Haitao, too, heard Feng Yi's commentary. His eyes firmly glued to Li Yao, as if seeing him for the first time.

Once the game resumed, while dodging Li Yao's first arrow with a roll, Haitao consistently rolled in an attempt to widen the distance.

Rather than giving chase, Li Yao crouched to deploy the Exploding Sheep.

Haitao was unfamiliar with the Exploding Sheep. Seeing it close in on him at a swift speed, he instinctively swung his blade at the sheep.

Boom...

A blaze exploded.

-38

With a scream of horror, the explosion sent Haitao flying into the air, rolling on the ground.

Staggered and dazed, Haitao had barely stood up when he saw the second Exploding Sheep advancing frantically towards him.

Haitao was in a blind panic, scrambling to get up and run quickly, but only after a few seconds, two Exploding Sheep were already behind him, and Li Yao was deploying the fourth.

"Li Yao, enough is enough! I will fight you to the death!" Haitao roared, having realized he was doomed if he continued running.

After setting up the fourth Exploding Sheep, Li Yao stood up quickly, immediately releasing a Charged Arrow.

Thwack...

The glowing arrow shaft hit Haitao's knee, knocking him down. For a creature of human size, hitting the center of gravity would cause an immediate fall.

"It would have been better to fight fair and square. You insisted on playing with props. If you had good props, it wouldn't matter. All you have, however, is the junk you bought from the store—no taste at all. Since you like props, I'll play along. I went easy on you during the last match, but you didn't appreciate it. You don't realize that in front of me, you don't even have the right to stand. Such a foolish man who can't read the situation."

Li Yao vented his bottled-up anger, only because ten years had allowed him to forget the petty rivalries among classmates. Despite this, his opponent's continuous provocations and failure to learn his lesson led Li Yao to decide not to spare his feelings any longer.

As he spoke, Li Yao deployed three arrow towers.

Boom, boom, boom...

Thwack, thwack, thwack...

One after another, the Exploding Sheep detonated and Haitao's body rolled around, unable to stand. The arrow tower's constant hits turned him into a human porcupine in no time.

"I'm going to kill you," Haitao screamed, his eyes filled with rage, his face dark and charred from the blasts.

But just as he got up, Li Yao—who was holding his shoulder—shot another arrow, causing Haitao to fall again.

Every time Haitao managed to stand, he'd face an arrow from Li Yao. No matter how much he rolled or struggled, he couldn't evade Li Yao's arrows.

His high health and high defense once were his bragging points, but now, they became the sources of his pain. He felt like a live target.

The audience was dumbstruck. Damn, was this not too brutal? They were speechless. They were outmatched in skill already. Hoping to regain some success using equipment and props, they ended up worse off in their second match. Following a god-like interruption of the charge, there was non-stop rolling, being hit by arrows, struggling back up, falling down, rolling, being hit by arrows—this cycle of torment was terrifying.

Even Feng Yi forgot about the commentary and could only stare stunned at Li Yao, who was deploying the Exploding Sheep and the Arrow Towers.

When the PK ended, Haitao was too embarrassed to show his face.

The crowd, however, gathered around Li Yao, seeking advice on the game. Li Yao tried his best to answer their questions.

Subsequently, during the meal, Li Yao was the center of attention, while Haitao never showed up, not even by the time the gathering ended...

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