Shi Luo Ye (失落叶). : другие произведения.

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  Zhan Long Chapter 2
  
  Chapter 2 - The Driving God of Legends
  
  In the curtain of rain, the Ferrari"s window rolled down to reveal a young man with dyed hair, eyes full of arrogance. "Yo, I see today you brought a loser as well."
  
  34D smiles, saying: "Yes..."
  
  My self-confidence was attacked and I clenched my fist tightly in anger. I really wanted to rush out there and smash the Ferrari but after smashing it, I wouldn"t have enough to pay for the damages. Forget it, I"ll resist the temptation.
  
  "Let"s start!"
  
  The 34D at my side pushed the gear stick down and started the engine. The Ferrari at the side also started to move.
  
  zoom
  
  The car chassis rushed forward and the inertia was extremely frightening.
  
  The three cars rushed forward together and raced down the mountainous road under the curtain of rain.
  
  Straight ahead was a sharp turn and I grabbed onto the armrest tightly, mouth clenched. At this speed, if the car did not drift, it would get flung into the ravine below.
  
  Whish
  
  The beauty at my side violently turned the steering wheel while simultaneously tugging on the gear stick. Such precise drifting!
  
  As expected, the tyres of the car skidded on the ground, taking a nice drifting arc. Completing this turn, 34D managed to pull ahead of the other cars.
  
  34D"s lips curled into a smile, laughing sweetly. She turned to look at me, to which I returned a blank stare. This made her a little disappointed. She probably wanted to scare me into kneeling on the seat and asking "Please, spare me and let me out of this car".
  
  From behind, the roaring of an engine could be heard. The Ferrari swerved past the TT, overtaking it in an excellent arc. The TT truly could not compare to that of a race car.
  
  The Goddess tightly gripped the steering wheel, her eyes glued to the front. She continued to accelerate.
  
  34D tried to overtake the Ferrari but to no avail. She was slightly irritated and nearly scratched into one of the guard rails once.
  
  Whish
  
  Rain water splashed up from the front when the Ferrari turned sharply, perpendicular to the TT. 34D had no choice but to slam the brakes, causing her visible displeasure.
  
  Slamming the steering wheel, 34D gritted her teeth.
  
  The man in the Ferrari continued to laugh, saying: "What"s wrong? Do you only have this much skill? Where did the fiery attitude you challenged my younger brother with from last week go? Hahaha!"
  
  I exited the car hurriedly, walking over to the driver seat and knocked on the window. "Climb over to the passenger seat, let me try!" I said to her.
  
  34D was stunned: "You? Do you have a driver"s license?"
  
  I crack a smile and reply: "Nope, but you don"t have to worry..."
  
  "You"re asking me to relax when you don"t even have a driver"s license?"
  
  "You already lost anyway, and since you want to die with me, you might as well let me try it out!"
  
  "Okay then..."
  
  34D decided, climbing over to the passenger seat. A pair of snow-white legs were displayed in front of me, which made my mouth water. If she didn"t hate me, that would be great. What a beautiful lady, snow white...
  
  Sitting in the driver"s seat, I push down the gear stick, poking my head out of the window. "Hey, it isn"t over yet. First one to the mountain wins, deal?"
  
  The Ferrari man"s face contorted with disdain, saying: "Tch, a security guard... let me bet with you then!"
  
  The Ferrari flew into action, followed closely by the Camaro, and me at the end. Neither quickly nor slowly, I approached the second bend and slammed the gas pedal, pulling up the gear stick. Skshhhh The sounds of the tyre screeching flew past the Camaro as I brushed past it. That was a beautiful pass if I do say so myself. End-to-head, the Camaro guy was afraid and had no choice but to slow down. Who would dare to follow me that closely?
  
  At the fifth bend, I seemed to have no intention to accelerate at all, but when I reached the bend I immediately accelerated, speeding forth. The TT was now side-by-side with the Ferrari, completing a high-risk overtaking move. The muddy water splashed onto the Ferrari"s car as I completed the maneuver.
  
  Upon hearing the angry shout of the Ferrari man, 34D could not hold in her laughter.
  
  A few minutes later, the Ferrari overtakes another car again. This time I gently hold on to the steering wheel, tilting the rear of the car. This scared the man and he turned the Ferrari as well, causing the rear to scratch against the Ferrari"s number plate.
  
  "..."
  
  As the TT rolled to a stop, the Ferrari stopped as well. The angry man opened the door and scolded: "Lin Wan Er, count yourself lucky this time. We will meet again. Damn it!"
  
  The Ferrari and Camaro sped into the rain as losers of the race, quickly escaping in shame.
  
  I lie back into the seat, body poised to look out the window. The rain slowly stopped as well.
  
  34D silently sat there for awhile, for saying: "Your driving techniques aren"t half bad, where did you practice?"
  
  I laugh, "I was in the traffic police department for awhile. I was known as the number one driving god."
  
  "..."
  
  Seeing the heavy atmosphere, I decide to ask: "This is horrible weather to have a race in, how could you not treasure your life?"
  
  Eyes a little red, she looks out the window. "Someone like you can not understand my past grievances."
  
  I laugh a little. "Your grievances? Look at me, I don"t even have money for the next meal, and my rent hasn"t been paid for the past two days. Look at you, you drive an Audi TT and you still call it a grievance? Your mother is a grievance!"
  
  34D looks at me pitifully with apologetic eyes. She pushes the door open and says "You should get out..."
  
  Of course, I get out.
  
  Zoom
  
  The car engine roars, and the Audi TT speeds away into the distance.
  
  Standing in the rain water, I was dumbfounded for a short while before realising: "Damn it, I just got left on the mountain top! Great, this is a good comeback, this is a brutal comeback!"
  
  Wiping the rain water off my face, I smile. Reaching into my pocket, I find less than 10 cents. There"s no way I"m going to be able to ride public transport back. What a minor issue, this couldn"t set me back one bit.
  
  Taking to my heels, I run an entire 20 kilometers back to the company. An incredible sight occurred - a young man dressed in a security guard uniform continuously ran past public transport and rental cars, dredging deeper and deeper into the stream of traffic, stopping for no one at all.
  
  After a little over an hour, I arrived at the entrance to the company, short of breath and panting heavily.
  
  Naturally!
  
  I only managed to get back to the company at 5pm, which worried me a great deal. I did not have any dinner prepared, but since it"s the rush hour now, I couldn"t go to the company"s cafeteria to eat as well.
  
  Changing out of my uniform, I left the company building.
  
  As the night fell, the city"s lights shone brightly, as if a graceful woman had just put on her evening gown. What a pity, this sight could only be enjoyed by rich people and as for people like me... I belonged to the group known as "city garbage"1.
  
  Oh well, it"s time to earn money now.
  
  Clang clang clang
  
  The sound of the chuan2 banging against the wok3 clamoured into the night. This was a stall that only opened at night4. Fried rice, fried noodles, fried vegetables, small dishes like this were sold and there were many customers.
  
  After cooking about 20 plates of fried rice, head full of sweat, the boss patted my shoulder and said: "Well done, Xiao Li, you"ve worked really hard today. Here"s your pay for today..."
  
  I ecstatically took the 5 yuan5 and set off for the next destination.
  
  Beside the big road, there was a red light district club called Bi Hai Lan Tian6. This is the place where rich people gather and waste money. As I slowly walked up to the entrance, the young bouncers ahead recognized me immediately.
  
  After entering, a fatty looked at me and smiled heartily, saying: "Ah, you"ve finally arrived, Li Xiao Yao!"
  
  I nodded my head, asking: "How many songs today?"
  
  "3 songs, 10 yuan each!"
  
  "Okay, thanks Brother Biao7!"
  
  "Hold on, wear your attire first!"
  
  A Western style top was thrown at me and I quickly put it on. Walking deeper into the club, I walked up the stage and sat in front of a big piano. Putting my fingers to work, I played three songs in total - the first Tian Kong Zhi Cheng8, the next being Xiao Gou Yuan Wu Qu9, and the last being Yu De Yin Ji10. After finishing the last song, the club erupted into applause.
  
  I quickly exited the stage, smiling for the audience before preparing to leave. Just as I was about to leave, a tender arm grabbed my hand. It was the arm of a beautiful foreign lady, who hurriedly put a piece of paper into my front pocket. On it was a string of numbers. She smiled seductively and said: "Hi, call me!"
  
  I smiled lightly and exited the main entrance, removing my attire and taking the three 10 yuan bills from the fatty, walking away.
  
  Looking at my back, Brother Biao lets out a deep sigh-
  
  "My gosh, what a talent!"
  
  Spending 5 yuan on a plate of omelette rice, I guess I managed to get by another day. Slowly walking along the big street, I see a huge LED screen displaying a "Destiny" advertisement. This game was a major breakthrough that many video game addicts have been waiting for. I as well, am a video game addict and I really wanted to dive into the world of "Destiny". However, I did not have enough money at hand. What"s more, there were only 1 million helmets sold worldwide, and the black market is selling it for 10000RMB a piece. There"s no way I would be able to play. Forget it, I should just slowly save up and wander around11.
  
  It"s such a shame, the day after tomorrow will be the launch of "Destiny". If I miss the first day launch, I"ll surely fall behind the rest!
  
  I returned to my lodging, Long Hua Xiao Qu12. It was a two room flat consisting only a bedroom and living room, with a rent of 800 yuan. However, I have not paid the bill for two days now, and the sarcastic old landlady whose heart is cold and criticism is fiery would not let me stay for much longer. There was no other way to deal with this kind of woman at this age other than to endure it.
  
  Arriving at the first floor of the building, I reached for my keys and tried to open the door. Hmm? It wouldn"t open!
  
  What"s going on?
  
  Looking closely, I realised the lock had been changed. There was also a note above that saying: "Li Xiao Yao, since you haven"t paid the rent in two days, there are people coming tomorrow to decide if they want it. There"s no choice, I"m kicking you out. Your stuff is beside the kitchen!"
  
  I turned around to find a blanket and some toiletries on the floor, all collected in one place.
  
  Racking my brain to understand what"s happening, I finally understood-
  
  Damn it, I"ve been evicted!
  
  Lifting my head, I see countless bright stars in night sky. It would be great for poetic inspiration...
  
  Hmm, today is a weekend, there will countless mushy and romantic lovers in the park. I definitely can"t sleep there. Guess there"s no choice, I will have to sleep in the lawn outside Long Hua Xiao Qu. It"s summer anyway so besides the mosquito bites, there won"t be much else to disturb me. I"m a strong man, and I know martial arts so I won"t be scared of any robbers.
  
  Around 11pm, the night was cooling and I was cuddled in the blanket. In the corner of the lawn, my consciousness slowly drifted away.
  
  Bzzzzzz
  
  The mosquitoes buzzed incessantly around my head. This was a challenging task to endure but I wouldn"t let it affect me. I placed a thick mosquito net over my head which covered my face and protected me from the mosquitoes but did not obstruct my breathing.
  
  The night passes and at dawn, the rooster does it"s job.
  
  I open my eyes and see the morning sky, which reminded me of a poem: I wake from my dreams, the willows billowing in the dying of the moonlight13.
  
  Before I manage to finish reciting the poem, an arm suddenly rests on my shoulder. "Brother Xiao Yao, what are you doing sleeping outside?"
  
  Zhan Long Chapter 3
  
  Chapter 3 - The Soaring Grasshopper
  
  Awaking from my slumber, I arose and turned my body, only to see Song Han - he was 24 years old, and one of my buddies from the previous game. His nickname is Xiao Lang and he filled the role of an assassin in our group. Furthermore, he was considered the best player in our group.
  
  I knitted my eyebrows. If Song Han and my other buddies who viewed me as a hero found out I was evicted today, and was forced to sleep in the lawn and wake up drenched with morning dew, I would not be able to bear the shame.
  
  I whispered in a low voice: "Recently I"ve been learning a new style of high-class martial arts, which requires me to absorb nature - wind, rain, cold and even the morning dew. As such, I decided to sleep outside yesterday. What brings you here?"
  
  Song Han looks at the toothbrush and bowls next to me. His frowns and says: "No matter how I look at it, you have been evicted. How long did you not pay your rent?"
  
  I shake my head, "It"s all a false image, we are both adults now. We need to look past outer appearances and into the true nature of the situation. Has your ethics teacher not taught you that before?"
  
  Song Han grins, saying: "Brother Xiao Yao, don"t lie to yourself, was it the stingy old landlady that gave you problems?"
  
  I shake my head again, answering: "How can that be? You"re imagining things..."
  
  At that moment, a door to my right opened and the landlady poked her head out to look. She acts as if she didn"t see the both of us and snided: "Oh, that Li Xiao Yao bugger, he didn"t come home last night. I can ignore it if he didn"t pay the rent, but to not pay the water and electricity bills as well? He even asked for a few days of extension! What has happened to the youths of today? Since their body is so strong, why don"t they go out and work a little? Can"t even pay the rent, no future prospects, it"s this kind of people that don"t deserve a girlfriend for their entire lifetime!"
  
  I solemnly thought: "You can scold me for being poor, but to insult me and curse me to never get a girlfriend? That"s too cruel!"
  
  Song Han smiled wickedly and said: "She really is annoying, how did Brother Xiao Yao endure her for so long? It really has been hard on you. Do you want me to get rid of her, to chop her head off?"
  
  "Relax and put down the butcher knife, young one..."
  
  "Then wait for me for half an hour!"
  
  "What"s up?"
  
  "You"ll know in a while!"
  
  I packed up all my stuff, tying them into bundles. This way, I could travel with ease. After waiting awhile Song Han returned. In his hands were a big bucket which was filled with yellow dung. Noticing that, I couldn"t help but knit my eyebrows. "Xiao Lang, what"s up with that?"
  
  Song Han smiles, taking a small disposable bag out from his pocket, which was filled with dirty grasshoppers and other such insects, saying: "I went to Master Liu"s house to collect these little flies, and then went to Grandma Wang"s house to catch a bunch of crickets and grasshoppers. Since that landlady of yours doesn"t care about pride, let"s give her something from lost times - a grasshopper-dung bomb1!"
  
  My whole body shuddered as I thought of what to expect next.
  
  "Brother Xiao Yao, hide further away!"
  
  "Okay!"
  
  I lugged all my stuff and sprinted about 10 meters away, while Song Han smeared the dung on the landlady"s house walls and poured the disposable bag of insects into her house. He also purposely scratched her windows below leaving. That definitely wouldn"t be able to be washed away.
  
  Taking a deep breath, I strongly patted Song Han"s shoulder: "Xiao Lang, you really are my long lost brother!"
  
  Song Han giggles and proclaims: "We should leave here quickly, hell will break loose!"
  
  "Yes!"
  
  As we left, the screams of the landlady could be heard, but whatever, I don"t plan to meet her any time soon.
  
  On the street, Song Han helped me carry the plates and bowls while I slinged the bundles of clothes over my back.
  
  "Brother Xiao Yao, I came to find you for a reason, he said, shaking a porcelain bowl.
  
  I nodded my head in agreement, saying: "I know, say it. What have you come to find me for?"
  
  Song Han stopped and clenched his fists. Eyes full of fighting spirit, he smiled and said: "I looked for you because Lao K and Hu Li want to rebuild the Zhan Long office. We could leave more records of us in heroic destinies. How about it?"
  
  I looked him in the eye and said: "Do you have enough for the helmet?"
  
  "Temporarily, no!"
  
  "That"s no good, wait a little more, we need to earn money first!"
  
  "Brother Xiao Yao, you"ve already been evicted, where do you live from now on?" Song Han asked with obvious worry.
  
  "Don"t worry, how could this little matter affect me? I can ask for the company to give me a night shift, and from then on sleep in the building"s foyer. There are water coolers and toilets, so you don"t have to worry at all." I smiled rashly and replied.
  
  Song Han nods his head. "That"s good, let"s leave it at that for the moment. I"ll return when I have saved enough for the Zhan Long office!"
  
  "No problem, take your time. What"s your latest job?"
  
  "Ah, I"ve applied to be a pastor, to help people arrange and conclude their wedding ceremonies!"
  
  "Good, there are future prospects in that." I gave him a thumbs up. "Go and help me get the pastor license as well, we can help to arrange people"s marriages together!"
  
  "Okay!"
  
  At the company.
  
  The security head slammed the chair and table, pointing at me: "There"s no slots! The night shift isn"t something you can just apply for and get. Our department has so many security guards, and everyone wants to get the night shift. Do you think that by applying, I"ll give it to you? Dream on! And besides, what are you trying to do with the blanket and quilt in your hand? Are you trying to go on strike?"
  
  I smile pleasantly and reply: "No way, I don"t have that kind of courage, security head."
  
  "Ou, whatever, since you know now, stick to your afternoon shift and get rid of that lousy blanket!"
  
  "Yes, leader!"
  
  Carrying my blanket out of the company"s gates, "Hmm, I"ve been rejected again. I can"t use the "sleep in company foyer" plan any more. Whatever. Even if the world rejects me a million times, I"ll still ask with the same pleasant attitude. That"s because attitude is the determining factor in everything. There"s no choice but to find another way." I thought to myself.
  
  Just then, a police car drove up beside me, and the door opened. Out came the silhouette of someone I was very familiar with. It was the S.W.A.T team head and previously my superior, Wang Xin!
  
  "Get in!" Wang Xin says.
  
  I nodded, threw the blanket into the car and got in. "Leader Wang, you"re not inviting me to tea, are you? I"ve left the S.W.A.T team for almost 2 years now, surely everything"s been wiped clean, right?"
  
  He smiles and replies: "You little brat! Ah, from a special agent to a S.W.A.T member, from a S.W.A.T member to a traffic police officer, from a traffic police officer to an auxiliary police officer, and now you"re a security guard. Normal people rise up the promotion ladder, are you taking the opposite path?"
  
  I was slightly embarrassed by his words and said: "It"s nothing..."
  
  Wang Xin gave me a good look before speaking. "When you were being kicked out of the S.W.A.T team, I knew, the fault wasn"t yours was it? However, you were too obvious. Cases that nobody touched, you alone took. Although you managed to find the culprit, they also have methods to get rid of low-ranking officers. I really wanted to help you at that time, you know? But as they say, wanting to help doesn"t mean it actually is possible2. Surely, you wouldn"t blame me right?"
  
  I shake my head, softly replying with a smile: "It"s all in the past, I have already forgotten about it..."
  
  "Mm, that"s good"
  
  Wang Xin tells me, "This time, I"ve come to look for you to offer you a job, a very serious and important job, and I hope you can consider."
  
  "What job?" I ask.
  
  He replies: "Tian Xi Corporation, you"ve heard of it before right? It"s currently the biggest science and technology corporation in South-East China, and is the forefront of modern technology."
  
  "Yea, I know of it. What gives?"
  
  "Tian Xi Corporation is apparently so large it attracted the attention of several groups, and even foreign influence is seeping in. The CEO of Tian Xi is of military nature, and so he"s not afraid of the threats. However, his weak point lies in his daughter. He"s hired many bodyguards to protect her but all of them were not up to standard. He asked me for help, and I immediately thought of you..."
  
  I smile coldy and say: "No thanks, don"t involve me in this kinds of missions any more, I don"t want to get backstabbed again. I"ve had enough!"
  
  "Don"t be like this... Your only job is to protect the young lady and ensure she doesn"t get hurt, furthermore, the pay is quite high."
  
  My eyes suddenly gleamed: "How much?"
  
  "8000RMB a month!"
  
  "Ou..."
  
  I consider it for awhile, but I declined: "Forget it, I don"t want to do these kinds of life-threatening jobs any more. I feel the security guard job is quite decent, the only danger I have seen is a water dispenser falling over."
  
  "..."
  
  After several moments, Wang Xin looks at me and says: "Okay, how about this? I"ll increase the price specially for you, how does 10000RMB sounds? Surely it"s enough, right? Besides assassinations, I doubt you could get a higher-paying job."
  
  How enticing!
  
  It looked like was I suffocating there, fighting the battle of greed against logic. Finally, I said: "This much, I still have to consider. After all, I don"t want to sign a contract of servitude again."
  
  Wang Xin looks at my luggage and says: "Then... how about 10000RMB plus an airy blanket? It"s feathered!"
  
  "What?"
  
  I shudder in excitement, tightly clenching my fist: "An airy blanket, feathered as well... There"s no way anyone in the world could resist. Okay, I"ll do it!"
  
  Wang Xin smiled, saying "Nice!"
  
  I thought about it some more, and then added: "Though, you"ll have to return me my partner. There"s no way I"m relying on my fists to protect the young lady."
  
  Wang Xin nods, saying: "Of course, your buddy is already in the trunk, take it yourself! After you take it, I"ll bring you to the employer. If there"s no problems, the contract can be signed immediately!"
  
  "Good!"
  
  Getting off the car, I opened the trunk and in it was a long, black cloth bag. The exterior was exquisite, decorations and all. Within the bag, there was a old-fashioned long-sword. I grabbed the familiar long-sword and the nostalgia overwhelmed me. I could not resist saying: "Xiao Hei, we haven"t seen each other for two years now!"
  
  Wang Xin stood at the side, saying: "I vouched for you with my life to get that dangerous weapon out of our armory. You"re really an oddball, you know? Using this kind of sword to threaten the city bureau committee member. You really know no bounds, huh?"
  
  I said lightly: "Whatever it is, if no one wants to do it, I"ll do it instead."
  
  "Come, let"s go see your employer!"
  
  "Okay"
  
  Ten minutes later, the car stops gently next to an extravagant training ground. With the black cloth bag in hand, I walk into the training grounds. In the distance, the sounds of swords clashing could be heard. Woah, there was an expert!
  
  
  Zhan Long Chapter 4
  
  Chapter 4 - Meeting the Goddess again
  
  Entering the training grounds, I could see two people sparring in the distance. Their swords clashed again and again, what"s more, both of them were not using the fake competition-use swords, they were using swords like Xiao Hei - plain, heavy large swords!
  
  One of them was wearing black outerwear, his appearance looking very imposing. His lips slowly formed a smile. Just one slash of his blade rendered the opponent"s attack useless. He carried the aura of a winner. There"s no need to think hard about it, this person is definitely my employer, the legendary CEO of Tian Xi Corporation!
  
  Wang Xin brought me up to the front, shouting out: "Director Lin, I"ve brought the person I introduced!"
  
  The person stopped his blade, turned around and smiled. "Leader Wang! You"ve arrived at last. Let me see, this person you"ve personally recommended. You"ve praised him a lot, now show me what he"s made of!"
  
  Wang Xin pointed at me, saying: "This is the person I"m talking about - Li Xiao Yao. Xiao Li, this is the CEO of Tian Xi Corporation, Li Tian Nan, you should introduce yourself."
  
  Lin Tian Nan looks at me, eyes devoid of any feelings. He extended his hand, and smiled. "Young One, nice to meet you!"
  
  I stretched my hand out in return. "Nice to meet you too!"
  
  Luckily, there wasn"t any excessive strength used when he shook my hand. If not, it would have been a blood bath!
  
  The person in white beside Lin Tian Nan looks at me and smiles arrogantly. "What can someone like him do?" he says.
  
  Leader Wang smiled and answered: "Once you test him, you"ll find out."
  
  Lin Tian Nan consented, saying: "Li Xiao Yao, this is my third brother, Lin Feng. Third Brother, why don"t you test this guy"s skills?"
  
  Lin Feng nodded his head, walking forward with his sword in hand. "Do you know how to use guns effectively?"
  
  "Of course, I"m experienced in both long range combat and near range combat."
  
  "Can you use a sword?"
  
  "Yes, I"m experienced!"
  
  "Good, then let"s see your skill in using a sword."
  
  Saying that, Lin Feng raises his broadsword, eyes full of contempt. The two bodyguards brought a large cement tile over. The tile had a steel bar in it as well, but luckily it already started to rust.
  
  Lin Feng smiled, saying: "One slice of the blade to cut it in half, can you do it?"
  
  Saying that, his blade swung down and the sword made a loud clang sound. The cement tile split into two and fell to the ground.
  
  Leader Wang praised him: "Excellent, excellent. Li Xiao Yao, it"s your turn to try."
  
  I walked up nonchalantly, receiving the brand-new sword from Lin Feng. Smiling, I swung the blade down. ka cha, the blade slices the cement tile into two cleanly.
  
  Lin Feng looked a little shocked, saying: "Good, let"s carry on then!"
  
  Lin Tian Nan said otherwise. "Third Brother, you don"t have to test anymore. Li Xiao Yao is way stronger than you."
  
  "Big Brother, what do you mean?" Lin Feng was puzzled.
  
  Lin Tian Nan walked forward, pointing at the blade. He then responded: "Third Brother, although you did indeed slice the cement tile in two, your blade chipped a little. Look at Li Xiao Yao"s sword. It"s the exact same material, but after he cut the tile in two, his was perfectly fine. Do you understand the difference between the two of you now?"
  
  Lin Feng was stunned. "Why is this?"
  
  Lin Tian Nan smiled slightly and replied: "You used brute force to slice the material in two. He, however, controlled the blade with his internal energy, allowing it to flow into the blade and split the tile into two. It wasn"t actually the blade of steel that sliced the tile, but his internal energy. Do you understand? Okay. Li Xiao Yao, since you were introduced by Leader Wang, I don"t have to check your morals and qualities. Tomorrow, you"ll accompany my daughter and enrol in Liu Hua University. Since she"s attending her first year, you"ll be a first year as well. I"ll send someone to help you admit into the university this afternoon."
  
  "Liu Hua University... Year One..."
  
  My mind was mangled. "Mister Lin, I"m already 25 years old, don"t you think it"s unsuitable for me to join as a Year One student?"
  
  "There"s no problem, you might have the vibe of an elder, but you can always have a young heart!"
  
  "..."
  
  Just like that, we left the training grounds, my Xiao Hei still on hand. Sitting in the police car, Leader Wang instructed: "Liu Hua University is a renowned upper-class university, to be honest it"s really expensive. I"ll tell you first, your school fees are all handled by our department"s resources. However, if you finish the semester with 7 red marks1, you can expect your death!"
  
  I felt remorseful for accepting. "I don"t want to continue this life any more..."
  
  "There"s no escape, if you break your promise, I"ll ensure you"re locked up for 10 years!"
  
  Since it was a new job, I was still feeling unaccustomed. The 10000RMB I got from Leader Wang was kept safely in my hands. I"ll just find an apartment near the university. Whatever happens, I will deal with it as it comes.
  
  Carrying my luggage with me, I walked up to the front of the university. From afar, the school environment looked pleasing. Xiao Hei in hand, I walked around the campus grounds before entering one of the housing districts beside the campus. I looked around a bit before seeing an advertisement on an electricity pole. Dialing the number, I soon found myself knocking on the door of the apartment. Not long after, a 100kg woman walked out and smiled happily. "You"re looking at the apartment right, come in!"
  
  The moment I entered, I knitted my brow. There were melon peels all over the living room, which was fine. However, the really disturbing part was there was a used Durex condom lying on the floor. The first thing I thought of was disgusting. Really disgusting!
  
  "What"s the condition at night like here? Is it noisy?" I questioned.
  
  I must be careful about this. The previous situation was unbearable, it was as if there were mentally challenged before living there.
  
  Especially since everyday, I hoped that the 34D beauty was my next-door neighbour. What I got was a pot-bellied old uncle who played the Er Hu2 until 3am in the morning!
  
  It was still bearable last week, but this week it turned into something horrible!
  
  Everyday I worked morning, afternoon and night shifts. When I returned home, I still had to endure the pestering of this stupid old man. If the ocean could wash away my worries, I hope it will wash away this old man first.
  
  Delved deep into my thoughts for awhile, the landlady brought me back to reality by saying: "The conditions aren"t too bad, it isn"t that noisy. You should enter the room and see for yourself."
  
  I nodded my head and entered the room. Just as I entered, I could hear the squeaking of a bed next door. There were occasionally moans from a woman as well. As I listened to it, my face flushed a full spectrum of red. I"m sorry I can"t handle it since I haven"t had a girlfriend yet!
  
  "How much do I have to pay?" I asked.
  
  "Three-room flat, the final apartment as well, I"ll charge 400. I"ll take a 3 month deposit on top of that, so a total of 1600RMB!" The landlady replied.
  
  I shake my head: "That"s too much isn"t it? Look at the state of this place. You still want to charge 400 a month?"
  
  "This place costs this much, even if you go to other places to look, you"ll still get this price. It"s not expensive at all, think about it yourself. If you don"t want it, I"ll give it to someone else instead."
  
  Knitting my eyebrows, I walk up to the window. Once I lifted the curtains, I saw a nude woman happily humming in the opposite building.
  
  Immediately I turned around and said: "I"ll take this place!"
  
  The next morning, I casually woke up, got dressed, and carried a small bag out. I"ll use this place as a home for now.
  
  25th of August was the admission day for Liu Hua University.
  
  When I reached the school gate, there were already tons of people around.
  
  My phone sounded. It was Leader Wang, asking me to wait at the right side of the gate for him. Meeting up with him, I looked at the crowd and asked: "Leader Wang, about the person I need to protect, what kind of person is she exactly?"
  
  Leader Wang smiled deeply, answering: "I"m not too sure, but according to rumours, Lin Tian Nan"s daughter is super beautiful, even more so than those stars on TV!"
  
  I nodded my head. "That"s good..."
  
  Soon after, a Lincoln stopped by and a female student exited the car, surrounded by several bodyguards. She entered the school grounds from quite a distance away. The man walking in front was a man I knew. It was Lin Feng.
  
  As the crowd made way, a beautiful girl wearing a short skirt walked up, tugging a luggage. Her long hair fluttered in the wind. A beautiful and captivating face appeared from within the crowd, and very quickly, she garnered the gazes of the crowd. She widened her pair of precious eyes, staring at me sternly. "So it was you..."
  
  My body trembled a little and my heart clamoured: "How in the world could it be her again? The person I need to protect, it"s 34D Goddess again! I"m done for, this life is over for me."
  
  Lin Feng smiled, saying: "Oh, you guys know each other? Li Xiao Yao, this is the person you need to accompany in the University, it"s my elder brother"s precious gem, Lin Wan Er! Wan Er, come and meet the new student!"
  
  Lin Wan Er walks forward, dragging her luggage as well. Her short skirt fluttered in the wind and her mystifying snow-white pair of legs was exposed. Her face brimmed with a large captivating smile, and she happily sounded: "Li Xiao Yao, nice to meet you."
  
  This one line of formality was supposed to sound pleasant, and yet I could only hear the faint sounds of a murderer. It"s August and the days are supposed to warm, yet my entire back was shivering. My god, my future is gone.
  
  Nodding my head, I say: "Wan Er, nice to meet you..."
  
  "Come on, let"s go register."
  
  She grabbed my collar and dragged me to administration. At the same time, she stole glances of the black bag in my hands, asking: "What"s this?"
  
  "It"s my dining partner!"
  
  "Mm..."
  
  34D Goddess, no, Lin Wan Er smiles, turning back quickly and waving at the bodyguards. "Okay, I"m fine now, you guys can go back now. Third Uncle, you can leave as well!"
  
  Lin Feng and the bodyguard team left for tea, while I was dragged around by Lin Wan Er. Since I haven"t studied in a university before, she helped a great deal.
  
  Arriving at the registration counter, Lin Wan Er hands the admission notice, saying: "Chinese department, Lin Wan Er, as well as... oh. Chinese department, Li Xiao Yao."
  
  When the teacher-in-charge raised his head, his jaw dropped. Saliva spewing, he said: "Oh, you"re placed in the first female dorm, do you need me to show you the way?"
  
  Lin Wan Er smiles, her eyes wide and sparkling: "There"s no need. Can you tell me Li Xiao Yao"s dorm number? I"ll have him accompany me and I should be able to find the way myself."
  
  The teacher-in-charge wiped his saliva, saying: "Li Xiao Yao is placed in the second male dorm, you two are quite close together."
  
  "Oh, thanks, teacher-in-charge."
  
  "Lin Wan Er, please leave me a message..."
  
  Entering the first female dorm block, Lin Wan Er"s dorm room was on the fourth floor. Seeing as there was no one, I carried her bags up the stairs, helping her place her things down. After that, I say: "Miss Lin, you should give me your number so it"s easier to contact you."
  
  "Okay!"
  
  After swapping numbers Lin Wan Er opens her suitcase. She took out two helmets, one white and one red. She took the red helmet and passed it to me, saying: "Here, this is for you."
  
  I was shocked. "This... this is the "Destiny" headgear right?"
  
  Lin Wan Er replied: "Dad says to let you play this game as well, so you can watch over me in the other world too. You should understand already, right?"
  
  I nodded my head, taking the helmet. Then, I asked: "Miss, do you hate me?"
  
  Lin Wan Er bit her lips, looking deeply into my eyes, both of her arms folded. Her twin peaks showed, and she smiled, saying: "This question, I"m not too sure of how to answer so I"ll answer you with my actions in the future. Go on, go back to your dorm."
  
  Exiting the female dorm, I held the red helmet tightly in my hand. It"s a limited edition one too! My heart fluttered as I thought: "Damn it, who cares if you hate me or not, my path to conquering "Destiny" cannot be blocked!
  
  
  Zhan Long Chapter 5
  
  Chapter 5 - The Nine Main Classes
  
  In the afternoon, I was on the phone with Lin Tian Nan. The content was pretty simple - he"ll let me get close to Lin Wan Er to protect her. Moreover, I am to get rid of any male in the entire school who tries to lay their hands on her, no questions asked. If not, I should inform him immediately. Of course, he purposely stressed the last sentence, which was to never hold any feelings for Lin Wan Er. At the same time, he felt that Lin Wan Er would look down on me any way so there was no need to bother. This hurt me a fair deal.
  
  Liu Hua University"s dorms were fairly decent. Each room was supposed to be shared by two people, and blankets, daily necessities and other commodities were given to us in a set. Sitting in the large bedroom, I finally realised why Leader Wang was so uptight about the school fees - there was no way this school term costed anything less than a few ten thousands.
  
  At dinner time, I went to the female dorm 1 alone. Not long after, Lin Wan Er came down, followed by a girl in a green dress. She was pretty, at least pretty enough to steal a few glances in a large crowd. Too bad she"s standing next to Lin Wan Er, who was far beyond comparison. From afar, I thought: this girl made friends too recklessly!
  
  After the two girls stopped in front of me, Lin Wan Er shot me a glance before saying: "Come on, let"s go eat!"
  
  I kept my mouth shut, saying nothing at all. My status here constantly reminded me that I wasn"t part of the rich families that could send their children here. I was hired to be a bodyguard for her.
  
  Surprisingly, the beautiful girl next to Lin Wan Er keep looking at me strangely. She extended her hand and said to me with a smile: "You must be the Li Xiao Yao that Wan Er talked about, right? She has told me everything. I"m her roommate, Dong Cheng Yue. Nice to meet you!"
  
  I shaked her hand, nodding and smiling. "Nice to meet you, Dong Cheng1."
  
  "How old are you, Xiao Yao?" Dong Cheng Yue suddenly asked.
  
  I shivered a little: "21..."
  
  "Considering how you look, that can"t be true, right?" she asked mischievously, her head slightly tilted.
  
  I tightly clenched my fists: "Fine, I"m 23."
  
  "That"s not true either, you definitely look like you send your children here instead."
  
  Dong Cheng Yue continued to make fun of me, before Lin Wan Er stopped her, saying: "That"s enough, you should stop teasing him so much, Xiao Yue. What"s there to tease about this boring guy? Let"s quickly go and eat so we can prepare a little earlier. Tomorrow "Destiny" officially releases, and we need to rush to the number one spot quickly!"
  
  Dong Cheng Yue smiled happily, saying: "Okay, okay. but I find Li Xiao Yao is really interesting though."
  
  I smiled sarcastically, replying: "You praise me too much, Dong Cheng. Which canteen should we eat at?"
  
  "Number 1!"
  
  "Okay."
  
  The two beautiful girls were in front of me, talking about school-related topics in high spirits, happily laughing and smiling. Lin Wan Er finally let out a smile. From the side, I snuck a peek and my heart fluttered a little. She looks really good when she smiles.
  
  In the dining room, Lin Wan Er sat together with Dong Cheng Yue on the opposite side, while I sat alone. The two of them wanted a Western-style dinner. I ordered two servings of omelette rice and one serving of Xie Huang Geng2. This only happened because Lin Wan Er took out her gold credit card and paid for all the food. Thank god I don"t have to pay for my food while working as a bodyguard. I could save the money from my salary to buy Xiao Lang, Lao K and Hu Li the helmets so we could enter the game world together and rebuild our Zhan Long office. Once again, we could gain fame and glory!
  
  Hmm, to be honest the Zhan Long office never once had fame and glory...
  
  "Xiao Yao~" Dong Cheng Yue looked at me with a smile, saying: "I"ve heard from Wan Er that you also have a gaming helmet, you going to accompany Wan Er in the game as well right?"
  
  I nodded my head, saying: "Yea, my gamer ID is 000747, it"s relatively early isn"t it?"
  
  Lin Wan Er puckered her lips. "Dad made people line up for days to go get the helmets, so obviously it"s early. We actually wanted to send that helmet to someone as a gift, but that person already purchased it, so you"re lucky this time."
  
  Dong Cheng Yue smiled, asking: "Xiao Yao, have you played any games before?"
  
  I raised my index finger to indicate one, saying: "In 2014, wasn"t there that game that boasted 27% realism? It"s called Conquer which I played before."
  
  "Oh, really?" Dong Cheng Yue"s beautiful pair of eyes widened in surprise, saying: "I"ve also played Conquer before, what were you called and what rank were you in the server-wide rankings?"
  
  I replied fearlessly: "Forget about the name, I myself can"t even remember clearly. I only remember being placed at about 3,970,000th rank!"
  
  Dong Cheng Yue smiled again, saying: "As far as I know, doesn"t Conquer have about 5 million players? Aren"t you a below-average player then?"
  
  I nodded my head, "Practically..."
  
  On Lin Wan Er"s beautiful face a little disappointment appeared. She said: "Wu, then... then do you mean that the limited edition helmet I passed to you was wasted? Damn, what a pity..."
  
  Dong Cheng Yue, while smiling, lightly hit Lin Wan Er"s shoulder and said: "Everyone has some self-respect, don"t put it that way... Xiao Yao, we"ll be playing Destiny together, what plans do you have? Out of the five races and nine classes, which one will you choose?"
  
  "Well... to be honest I haven"t looked at any information yet." I replied.
  
  Lin Wan Er got a little mad. "You haven"t even looked at any information and you still shamelessly accepted the helmet I gave?"
  
  I smiled wryly and said: "There"s not much to worry about, if I just go online and read about the races and classes, I"ll naturally know what to choose. Dong Cheng, why don"t you tell us about the races and classes?"
  
  Dong Cheng Yue seemed to be a game addict, and she recalled religiously: "The five races are humans, wind elves, barbarians, undead and moon elves3, the barbarian being the strongest class in terms of power. The wind elves are great at long distance combat and the moon elves are the best at prolonged fights. The undead have an attack boost of 15%, which is considered the most dreadful. The humans are the most average of all the five races, but they can choose any class."
  
  I nodded my head: "What about classes?"
  
  Dong Cheng Yue blinked her eyes, before smiling and saying: "The nine classes are swordsmen, magicians, berserkers, knights, assassins, healers, marksmen, archers, and monks4. You should be able to tell from the names of the classes what their jobs are since you"ve played before. Oh yea, what class and race are you going to select?"
  
  I take in a deep breath before saying: "That"s easy. I"ll select a support class, one that can heal. I guess I"ll select the healer? That"s the one they nicknamed the "breast milk" class5?"
  
  Dong Cheng Yue smiled widely: "Yeah, the healer can heal others, it"s definitely going to be a popular class. I thought you were going to choose something like a swordsman, knight or a berserker, those kinds of classes. I heard that most of the boys in our class are going to choose those violent classes."
  
  As she said this, she looked over to Lin Wan Er mischieviously and said: "Wan Er, there"s a guy who"s willing to play the support class for you, you should just go ahead and marry him."
  
  Lin Wan Er replied with no expression at all, saying: "If you want to, you can go ahead and do so yourself. I"m not happy with this at all. Li Xiao Yao, I"m interested to see how you survive the early stages of the game by picking the healer class. Picking a support class as a guy, I"ll see how well you fare!"
  
  Of course, I understood what Lin Wan Er meant. The healer had no attack power at all, and you definitely need someone to carry you in the early stages of the game. If a girl picked it, she could just stand at the beginner village and ask sweetly: "Brother, won"t you help me level?" Definitely, some guy would help her. If a guy picked it, unless you were those super handsome Korean stars, you definitely would be sitting there alone hitting things with a wooden rod.
  
  However, my heart was prepared and wasn"t afraid of that at all.
  
  I confidently told Lin Wan Er with a smile: "There"s no cause for worry, I"ll be able to manage."
  
  Lin Wan Er"s lips pursed a little. She did not say anything and seemed as if she still doesn"t fully trust me.
  
  Dong Cheng Yue on the other hand warmly said: "I"ve already decided to be a magcian - a class that loses out in terms of pure strength. It"s Destiny"s version of a magic-user. Wan Er decided to be an assassin, so we could alternate between short and long distance combat and get levels that way. We should be able to rush for the top soon!"
  
  I nodded my head, saying: "Mm, good luck to you guys!"
  
  After eating dinner, we exited the dining room and casually strolled outside. There were lots of students heading in our direction.
  
  A few minutes later, a guy suddenly pointed at us as if he saw ghosts, and yelled loudly: "I... I haven"t seen wrongly, have I? That girl... isn"t that Lin Wan Er, the star that five months announced ago she was quitting the entertainment industry?"
  
  After that, several guys turned to look our way, and some nodded: "Yea! That really is Lin Wan Er! Wow! Who knew Lin Wan Er would go and attend Liu Hua University, I"m so lucky!"
  
  Several male students suddenly rushed forward, and one in particular shouted: "Lin Wan Er is that you? We... could we take a picture? I"m your greatest fan, and I really loved your [Heart of Time] piece!"
  
  Lin Wan Er looked a little embarrassed, softly saying: "I"m sorry, I already quit. I only want to study here normally from now on."
  
  Whish
  
  I quickly stood in front of Lin Wan Er, my arms spread out wide, holding several guys back. I smiled and said: "I"m sorry, but Miss Wan Er doesn"t want to be disturbed, so please respect her decision as fellow schoolmates!"
  
  One guy got enraged, saying: "Who in the world are you? Is this a place where you can speak? Get lost!"
  
  I did not speak a word, but I jerked my arm a little, and hu the sounds of a few guys stepping backwards could be heard. Each one of them stood there, all slightly afraid. They didn"t even understand how they got pushed back.
  
  Coldly standing there, I didn"t say a word. I didn"t let any stranger get close to Lin Wan Er, which was Lin Tian Nan"s biggest order.
  
  Dong Cheng Yue giggled from behind, saying: "Woah, this Xiao Yao is actually pretty decent."
  
  "Let"s return to the dormitory?" I asked.
  
  "Okay."
  
  Lin Wan Er was standing below the female dorms, when she suddenly looked at me and said: "Li Xiao Yao, tomorrow"s breakfast and lunch will be sent to our dorm directly, you don"t have to come. At 12 noon tomorrow Destiny opens so don"t disappoint me."
  
  "I understand." I nodded.
  
  Only after seeing Lin Wan Er did I myself leave. Walking on the pathway connecting our dorms, I wiped the sweat off my forehead. I don"t know what job she had, to actually have so many hardcore fans. The journey ahead of me will be long and arduous!
  
  Entering the bedroom, I opened the door only to find a diary on the table. There was a guy sitting on the bed on the opposite side of mine. There"s no need for much guessing, this should be my roommate.
  
  My roommate raised his head, his thick glasses reflecting light into my eyes. He smiled and said: "You must be my roommate, Li Xiao Yao right? Nice to meet you, I"m called Tang Gu, but you can call me Ah Gu."
  
  I nodded my head, saying: "Mm, nice to meet you glasses boy."
  
  "Please use my name, Tang Gu!"
  
  "Sure, glasses boy."
  
  Glasses boy"s age was definitely above 25, seeing as his head contained so many wrinkles. I wonder how much money this guy poured into the school before they allowed him to attend, what complete horse hockey.
  
  Glasses boy quickly pulled the chair out, seating on it. His face was extremely excited, and he said: "Just now, I was at the canteen and I saw you and Lin Wan Er sitting together. What"s your relationship with her? Hoho, knowing Lin Wan Er, you must be really lucky!"
  
  "Lucky for what?" I asked with a little confusion. "Who exactly is Lin Wan Er?"
  
  "My god!"
  
  Glasses boy slammed the table, saying: "You don"t even know? Lin Wan Er... two years ago, when she was 17 years old, she came out with a hit single [Heart of Time] which shocked the entire Asia continent. From then on, she was known as a goddess. She"s the idol of many guys" dreams! What a pity though, five months ago she quit the entertainment business. Who knew, she actually came to Liu Hua University to study."
  
  I was shocked: "So... she could sing?"
  
  Glasses boy spat a mouth of blood on his computer screen.
  
  Zhan Long Chapter 6
  
  Chapter 6 - Brother Xiao Yao Takes on the World!
  
  The next day, at 11am, there was still an entire hour before "Destiny" officially opened. I ate a boxed lunch early and sat there in the bedroom with glasses boy just waiting for time to pass. What"s more, I managed to squeeze out all the details from glasses boy. Apparently this guy is an online site operator who opened several black market stores and earned upwards of 10000RMB a month. He paid 3000000RMB to study here in Liu Hua University, reason being he wanted to become educated and talented. No matter how I look at it though, this guys seems to want to just play here for four years and rot to death after graduating like me.
  
  On the desk, there was a Destiny magazine that was distributed, which included a lot of information about the game. I took a quick look, but nothing really stood out. However, the game had one master designer, four executive designers and an additional 150 other designers. One of the executive designers looked extremely familiar - it was Lin Cheng!
  
  Body trembling a little, I sat there dazed. Don"t tell me it"s that old geezer?
  
  I quickly pulled a chair out and opened Tang Gu"s computer. "Hey glasses boy, let me use your computer for a while." I said.
  
  "Ah, what"s wrong?" Glasses boy got shocked and said: "I"ll let you, don"t be so sudden next time though. What"s wrong with you, Li Xiao Yao?"
  
  I opened a browser and quickly searched the web using the keywords "Destiny" and "Lin Cheng". As expected, the information appeared. Lin Cheng was the main designer of Destiny. There was also a picture of him with that always-smiling face. I laughed in disbelief - it really was that stupid old geezer!
  
  Glasses boy looked at me, surprised. He said: "Oh, what"s up? This Lin Cheng, you know him?"
  
  I nodded my head but didn"t say anything. How could I not know this guy? From 14 to 19 years old, I was always by his side, constantly practicing and training my body. Who knew this geezer would run off to game design and design this super popular game?
  
  Knitting my eyebrows, I said: "Glasses, this Destiny is obviously a game right? Why did they choose this old man to be part of the main design team? I really don"t understand..."
  
  Glasses boy smiled: "Obviously you won"t understand, Destiny was announced really early on, and it"s major selling point is that it invited all the big names in each profession to join the design team. For example, the world"s best blacksmith, the world"s best archer, even a herbalist and a martial artist were invited. This game could be considered the closest to reality ever. The mental aspect like attitude and spirit all took a major step forward, and additionally, you can create your own skills and styles. Whatever it is, this game is heaven for game addicts.
  
  "Create your own skills and styles..." I muttered. "So it"s like this, huh?"
  
  "Why, have you seen a ghost?" Glasses boy hit me.
  
  I shook my head while smiling, saying: "I"m fine, let"s prepare to enter Destiny."
  
  "Mm, wait till I get higher leveled, I"ll carry you!"
  
  "Carry your dad, just focus on not getting clobbered by monsters. The information says the monsters are extremely ferocious, if you die once you"ll lose a level. Be careful!"
  
  "I know already, I was ranked 7000+ in Conquer, and I"m considered a pro. How could I mess up Destiny?"
  
  "Stop gloating already."
  
  My lips curled into a smile as I thought of what Dong Cheng Yue said. She was ranked 79th in Conquer. She definitely is a top tier player. What"s more, apparently Lin Wan Er was ranked even higher than that. These people really invested a lot of money into game. One by one they all become so ferocious.
  
  At 11.50am, I put my helmet on. It scanned my iris, confirming my identity. As expected, it could not find any information on my previous account, so I had to create a new account and choose a class. However, at the moment there was only a timer counting down to the launch of Destiny. There was nothing I could do for now.
  
  I waited impatiently as the 10 minutes slowly trickled by. Apparently glasses boy says that the very first person to enter the game will get a prize. I won"t bother since I"ll definitely make my character look handsome, and then I can achieve my life-long goal - finding a girlfriend.
  
  "3!"
  
  "2!"
  
  "1!"
  
  Finally, as I counted down, Destiny launched. A scene of a desolate temple and ruins appeared in front my eyes. The camera panned in the sky, and a big Sun shined viciously down upon me. At the foot of the mountains, there was a battlefield. The neighs of the war horses could be heard. There were thousands of arrows whizzing past, and in the background was a gigantic tree that grew into the sky, beyond human vision. Below the tree, calvalry rushed forward and bodies were slaughtered. One by one the barbarians holding battle axes let out a savage roar, their teeth horribly disordered.
  
  On the mountain top, a beautiful young woman sat there, body fully plated with armor. She looked at the entire battle field with her beautiful eyes and suddenly stood up. Her pair of heavenly legs slightly bent. Teng The sound of her springing into the air could be heard. As she flew down the mountain top, her arm pressing onto an umbrella. Swish the blood-red umbrella sprang open, stopping her fall. She unsheathed her blade and slashed.
  
  Bang
  
  Her blade shone as she charged at a group of barbarians and she turned them into a pile of meat. She smiled confidently and with a swing of her sword, the battlefield around her combusted into flames, rapidly killing everything.
  
  Roar!
  
  In the midst of the roar, a huge body towered over her, casting a shadow down on her. That was a special barbarian who had a golden axe. It was a legendary-level barbarian hero. The axe was covered in flames and it swung down at her.
  
  The girl"s reaction was extremely quick, stepping backwards to avoid it. At the same time, she reached for the blood-red umbrella on her back and quickly opened it. It sprang open with a swish and turned into a defensive shield. Bang, a bullet was fired from the umbrella and it shocked the barbarian with electricity. The axe still hit the umbrella and the loud clang sound was imprinted into the girl"s heart.
  
  She widened her pretty eyes and her pupils had flames dancing in them. With one flash of her dagger, she left a wide cut on the barbarian"s neck. Violently, she killed the barbarian. She then proudly soared up towards the World Tree.
  
  The scene suddenly shrank, supposedly this was a opening cutscene. The entire Destiny map was shown on the screen. At the south side was the human population and their seven main cities. In the middle the Bu Gui Ocean1 was occupied by the Sea Nymphs. The North was fully uncharted, and icons of monsters like dragons, undead and barbarians were displayed. After that the the sky was filled with a giant word - Destiny. This game"s art was truly breath-taking!
  
  After that, a menu appeared and the system notice said: Please pick your race!
  
  5 races appeared before my eyes, being the Human race, Undead race, Moon Spirit race, Barbarian race and the elf race. As I looked through each one of them, I realised: The undead looked too undesirable, which conflicted with my goal of creating a super handsome character. The moon spirits looked really tempting, but it was limited to girls only, because the race"s name was moon spirit girl. The barbarians were too crude. The wind elves had wings they could use to fly, but they were too squishy and died easily. As a result, I chose the human race in the end. The human race is good because it looked identical to real life people.
  
  I confirmed my selection of the human race, after which the system showed an image of a male who slowly morphed to match my features. He was wearing simple villager clothing and held a wooden sword. To be honest, he looked pretty handsome already so I didn"t customize the character look at all. After that, the system notice changed, saying: Please select your class!
  
  There"s not much to talk about here, the class I wanted to be the most was the healer. To each his own, the healer provided healing, which could be said to be our youth generation"s most important aspect!
  
  I smiled lightly, but when I thought about how I was going to train my healing and levels, I felt I was too near-sighted...
  
  Oh well. I confirmed the selection of the healer class, and before me stood a character in cloth , about 1.8m tall. I fit the "tall, handsome and wealthy"2 branding.
  
  The system notice changed once again, now saying: Please enter your name!
  
  I thought of this long ago.
  
  A panel appeared in front of me with a text box in it, indicating for me to type in my name -
  
  Diao Chan of the Three Kingdoms3
  
  Ding
  
  System Notice: The name you selected is already in use!
  
  I clenched my fists tightly, saying: "What in the world, such a weird name and it"s already taken!"
  
  It"s fine, I thought of a backup name just in case something like this happened. This time, I typed the letters in -
  
  Miss, Please Stop4
  
  Ding
  
  System Notice: The name you selected is already in use!
  
  Again a system notice, my heart almost shattered into pieces, this is too hard, all the names I want are taken! Continuing on, I typed yet another name. This time, I made it less cool-sounding, hopefully it"s not taken already.
  
  Brother Xiao Yao Takes on the World5
  
  System Notice: The name you selected is already in use!
  
  "What the?"
  
  I almost coughed up blood. I gritted my teeth, focused my will and decided to use a name I"ve used for a long time but eventually decided to abandon -
  
  Xiao Yao Zi Zai6
  
  Ding
  
  System Notice: The name you selected is not in use, do you want to use this name?
  
  Oh, finally. I managed to select a name, who cares about anything else?
  
  After selecting the "confirm" button, a character was created, just like that. System Notice: Do you want to enter the game world immediately?
  
  After selecting "yes", shua a flash of light blinded me as I entered Destiny. Flashing lights whizzed past me, and before long I finally got put on a simple and slightly broken platform. Looking around, I saw several broken pillars. There were also confused noobs around me. System Notice: You"ve been assigned to the 19th Beginner Village, [Straw Dog Village].
  
  Straw Dog Village, what a good name!
  
  Standing on the platform, I didn"t rush to exit this place. Beside me, tons of people drew their swords and charged into the plains surrounding the village. Mm, it seems they really wanted to grind their levels.
  
  Reciting the words "Player Information", there was a screen full of information that was brought up in front of me. Indeed, it was the player stats.
  
  Xiao Yao Zi Zai (Novice Healer)
  
  Level: 1
  
  Attack: 1-1
  
  Defence: 2
  
  Health Points: 100
  
  Magic Points: 50
  
  Charm: 0
  
  What great attacking power, 1-1. Can I even defeat a chicken? Seriously...
  
  In my hand was a old broken wood staff. I glanced at it. Mm, it seems the 1-1 attack power was because of this lousy weapon. Walking out, I decided not to rush out and grab some mob kills. After, I don"t think I"ll be able to snag any. Being a healer, I must gathers lots of information. I won"t stick with the group of noobs outside and try to kill grass dogs.
  
  Walking to the blacksmith, a tall and bulky guy greeted me. He smiled and said: "Boy, do you want to buy weapons?"
  
  I nodded my head, and quickly started to browse through the selection. There was metal sword that only required level 1 to equip and it had attack power 1-3. However, it costed 15 copper coins and I only had 10 in my wallet. Damn it!
  
  After thinking about it for a while, I decided. I took out my old wooden staff and sold it for 7 coppers. I had 17 coppers now and I happily bought the sword. It wasn"t a high class sword, and the requirement and stats weren"t that high either. Whatever, I"m a healer, some times I need to rely on my knife when I"m doing an operation, and some times I need to rely on it to eat7. It"s attacking power was good enough.
  
  Sword in hand, I walked on.
  
  
  Zhan Long Chapter 7
  
  Chapter 7 - Creating a Skill
  
  Walking back to the village entrance, I stopped for a while only to get pushed from behind by beserkers carrying their battleaxes. These people are too excited to kill Grass Dogs, aren"t they?
  
  Having strength that doesn"t match up to others, I resisted the urge to do the same.
  
  Looking at the stats menu, I realised the system gave me 10 stat points at level 1. I put them all into Strength. That"s right, this is my fighting style. I"ll fight the world with my ability as a healer to heal and my strength to fight. This is the true way to success!
  
  I"ll have to take it slow and wait patiently. I can"t steal the mobs that the beserkers, swordsmen etc. with stats all added to strength out there are killing. I"ll look around in the village and see what quests I can get. Then I"ll go kill the Grass Dogs, that"s killing two birds with one stone!
  
  In the small village, there was a well sitting right in the middle of the plaza. Beside the well was bits and pieces of stone. Each stone was separated from the rest, but together they lined up to form a brilliant formation.
  
  I took a good look for a whole 5 minutes before realising - it"s the Seven Star Style! There"s no mistaking it, this is the formation of the Seven Star Style. Previously, while I was training under the old man, I had to learn the way of the Seven Star Style while wielding a sword, which gave me heaps of suffering. In the game, there actually was a Seven Star Style! This can only mean one thing - between the game designers, there must be an actual sword master. If not, there"s no way the Seven Star Style was implemented.
  
  As if magnetised to it, I couldn"t stop myself from walking to the foot stands, facing the shining light"s mysterious form. Spontaneously, I drew my sword and starting slashing.
  
  Clang
  
  Although I"m a healer, I added all 10 points into strength, which gave me a decent physical strength boost. The sword was unsheathed and it carried sword energy. I have not felt this since so long ago, who knew it would be in a game that I felt this familiarity with the sword again.
  
  My heart beated furiously. Damn, if it"s really like this, plus with the info that was given in that pamphlet, this could really be the time for me to shine!
  
  Clang
  
  The second time I slashed, my feel for the sword grew a little.
  
  It was as if I was in a daze, standing there just swinging my sword over and over again. I lost myself in the game and was slowly understanding the way of the sword. There"s some pleasure to be had in this if you were a swordsman.
  
  About an hour after I started practicing with my sword, many noobs gathered around and watched me curiously. There was even a level 2 beserker with his battleaxe, shaking his head while looking at me. "Oi, even if the game said that you could create your own skills, do you really think it"s possible? Only an idiot like you would believe this stupid rumours. This guy looks as handsome as me, I wonder why he"s so dumb though."
  
  I didn"t show any expression at all and continued swinging my sword. Just like this, everything else was swallowed away by my concentration.
  
  In a blink of an eye, it was already afternoon. I didn"t make any progress at all. I kept feeling as if I was about to break through but it just didn"t happen. I continued all the way to 8pm at night, when the phone outside rang. It connected to the game system and displayed Lin Wan Er"s phone number.
  
  "Li Xiao Yao, Xiao Yue and I are going offline for some dinner, you want some?"
  
  I was very excited once I heard that. "I"ll go with you guys. I haven"t eaten much since afternoon... I mean I need to protect you guys..."
  
  Lin Wan Er giggled and then continued: "Okay, come to us and when we see you, we"ll go down too."
  
  "Okay!"
  
  Logging out in this some town should be fine since it was a safe zone.
  
  Taking off my helmet, I looked above my bunk to see glasses boy shivering, as if he had a stroke or something. He should be leveling. I shouldn"t disturb him, and just eat with Lin Wan Er.
  
  Outside, I reached the girl"s dorm and soon after a graceful Lin Wan Er arrived together with Dong Cheng Yue, who was carrying a white handbag. Despite the distance separating us, Dong Cheng Yue shouts with more enthusiasm than Lin Wan Er: "Hi, Xiao Yao!"
  
  I nodded and smiled: "Good evening, where should we eat?"
  
  "Let"s go, canteen number 1 again? After we come back we can continue leveling. On September 1st we have to start lessons already, so we should take this opportunity to focus on the game!"
  
  "Mm."
  
  In the dining room, we ordered several fried dishes, and the three of us sat there facing each other, waiting for our dinner. The two ladies were also pretty hungry, as the sound of stomachs rumbling could be heard. It was as if they were about to eat me up too.
  
  Lin Wan Er looked at her phone, resting against the back of the chair. Her long hair extended past her shoulders. In that short period of time, she captivated everyone who was looking at her. I too was looking at her and I had to tell myself: Don"t forget, I need to respect Lin Tian Nan"s orders as well.
  
  After a while, Lin Wan Er raised her head to look at me, saying: "Li Xiao Yao, after one whole afternoon, what level are you?"
  
  "Level 1, I haven"t had any experience fighting at all."
  
  Lin Wan Er was shocked and her mouth was gaped. "There"s no way, right? Not killing mobs or gaining experience, what were you doing? Even if you become our mule1, you at least need enough stamina to run back to the capital. At this rate even the small monster on the way back can kill you..."
  
  I rubbed my nose, embarrassed by what she had said. I said: "Actually... actually I was just getting used to the freedom this game had to offer, at the moment I have not gotten completely used to the 97% realism of this game."
  
  "Ha... what a noob!" Lin Wan Er suddenly smiled.
  
  She should have achieved her goal and must be feeling quite satisfied right now, making fun of me. I knew this woman bore a grudge... or did she? That"s not quite right, considering I practically saw everything that day. With this big shot"s personality in mind, Lin Wan Er not killing me straight away can be considered as forgiving already.
  
  Dong Cheng Yue also looked at me with shock. "Xiao Yao, you"re really one of a kind..."
  
  I nodded and smiled, saying: "Xiao Yue, what levels are you and Miss?"
  
  Dong Cheng Yue pursed her lips a little: "We"re alright, I"m level 7 and Wan Er is level 6. To be honest you don"t have to call her Miss, Wan Er doesn"t really mind. Just call her Wan Er..."
  
  Lin Wan Er stared at me: "No! He"s not allowed to call me Wan Er!"
  
  "I understood, I won"t call you that, Miss." I replied.
  
  Dong Cheng Yue looked at me, then at Lin Wan Er. After that, she seemed to have understood something, and covered her mouth while laughing: "Oh, looks like something must have happen between the two of you. There"s no way it would be like this if that"s not the case... Ahhhh, Wan Er, stop pinching me, I"ll stop!"
  
  The two beautiful ladies were messing around and several males that were eating were stunned. Even the noodles that were in their mouth dropped out.
  
  Not long after, the dishes arrived. I didn"t take much, only the food in front of me. I also ate three bowls of rice though. Lin Wan Er looked at me with surprise. That"s no expression to have, she must think I eat too much while only being level 1. I guess she thinks I am a good-for-nothing.
  
  At 10pm that night, the phone sounded and Lin Tian Nan"s number showed up.
  
  "Xiao Li, how was today? Wan Er didn"t trouble you much, did she?" Lin Tian Nan asked.
  
  I shaked my head, saying: "How can that be, Miss has treated me well. Mr Lin, you can rest assured!"
  
  Lin Tian Nan smiled. "Mm, Wan Er"s personality is actually gentle, but... regarding the situation of having a bodyguard around to protect her, she has always been non-compliant. The several bodyguards" I"ve hired before you couldn"t take it any more and gave up. I hope you can perservere and continue on..."
  
  I smiled lighty and said: "To be frank with you, it"s not that tough. It"s just accompanying her for meals, playing games, little stuff like that. I can handle that much, at least."
  
  Lin Tian Nan laughed heartily at my response, saying: "That"s great, then. How"s your aptitude in gaming? What rank were you in the previous game?"
  
  "About 3 million plus."
  
  "Wow, that"s really noob..."
  
  "..."
  
  Hanging up the phone, I realised that glasses boy logged off and cooked himself some instant noodles. He was very excited, saying: "Little Li2, how is it, this 97% realism game? It"s awesome, isn"t it? I"m already level 4, not bad right? What level are you?"
  
  I said with an expressionless face: "Level 1, how did you get..."
  
  "Haha, level 1? Wow, how many times did you get killed by monsters, to only be at level 1?"
  
  "There"s nothing I can do, level 1 it is. I"m a healer anyway so I have no attack power..." I calmly replied.
  
  "Healer, this breast milk class? Although you can"t kill anything, but you can heal yourself. Surely you couldn"t be killed back to level 1, right? Li Boy, you"re a special kind of noob. No worries though, with your brother over here, I can return and help you level. I"ll definitely make you one of the top ten in Destiny!"
  
  "You idiot! Will you die if you stop bragging?"
  
  "Haha!"
  
  At night, I played a little over an hour more, returning to try and find the special sword skill feeling, but again, there was no progress. I"m not worried though. It"s only a game anyway. Even if I don"t break through, there"s no rush. At 12, I logged off and slept. This was the schedule given to me by Lin Wan Er.
  
  The next day, I got up at 7am, went out to get some snacks, and wanted to give them to Lin Wan Er and Dong Cheng Yue. It"s a pity I couldn"t go up, as the dorm lady fiercely shouted: "You rascal, if you want to get into the female dorms, you"ll have to get past me!"
  
  I quickly left and at the same time, I found out there were two other young bodyguards in the dorm main office. From their movements, I can tell they know gong fu. Mm, this must be Lin Tian Nan"s arrangement. For his daughter, he hired other bodyguards besides me.
  
  Returning to my dorm, I continued practicing the sword.
  
  In a flash, it was late morning again. I had to repair the sword as I practiced with it but as usual there wasn"t any break through. Though, I felt like it was very close, an imminent and intense feeling of breaking through.
  
  In the afternoon, I was in the dining room with Lin Wan Er and Dong Cheng Yue again for lunch.
  
  "24 hours already..." Dong Cheng Yue smiled and said: "Apparently, most of the players have left their respective beginner villages and the highest level achieved so far is level 12."
  
  Lin Wan Er held her hair as she ate, saying happily: "I"m at level 11!"
  
  "After this, all I need is 2 more hours to reach level 11. I"m a spiritualist and yet my training speed is slower than an assassin. Wan Er, you"re giving me too much stress..." said Cheng Yue.
  
  Lin Wan Er smiled, pointed at me and said: "It"s alright, that person over there can give you some solace. Li Xiao Yao, what level are you? Oh and, what rank are you?"
  
  I hesitated a little before saying: "Level 1, I"m exactly 1,000,000th place."
  
  Lin Wan Er"s pretty face turned to stone, staring at me completely shocked. "There"s only a million players in the opening of the game... You... you"re really a disgrace to Destiny"
  
  I scratch my nose silently.
  
  Dong Cheng Yue smiled as she ate: "It"s fine, when I have a break I"ll come back and carry you through."
  
  I nodded my head, saying: "Thanks a lot, Dong Cheng, you"re a lot more caring and sincere than our Miss over here..."
  
  Lin Wan Er immediately shot a glance at me, killing intent awaiting: "Oh, can you repeat that?"
  
  I tightly grasp my chopsticks, saying: "Come on, let"s eat. Once we finish eating we can go back and level more."
  
  1pm, at the Grass Dog Village.
  
  Clang
  
  I slashed for the Nth time. At that moment, the sword surged with a formless energy. At the same time, my body shivered. A gold color rose from my feet and the system sound played.
  
  Ting
  
  System Notice: Congratulations, you have completed the proficiency training! You have created a skill. As a result, when you have a sword equipped and drawn, your attack power is increased by 10%. Please choose a name for your skill!
  
  Zhan Long Chapter 8
  
  Chapter 8 - The Sword Tempest
  
  Bzzz
  
  My head went blank as I trembled with excitement. Finally, the noob goes pro! The game really let me make a skill. Damn, that"s cool. If I equip a sword I gain a 10% increase in attack damage. This skill is a little too strong. Although my attack right now was only 6-6 and a 10% increase would basically amount to nothing, later on when I gain more strength and power, the effects would be monumental. This buff is so good. What"s more, my weapon later on should be sword-related, if not this skill would go to waste!
  
  After pondering for a long time about what exactly I should name this wonderful skill...
  
  My mind flashed and a name popped out - Sword Tempest1!
  
  This name is perfect. After you wield your sword, a massacre follows. This is only but the path of the sword. It"s the opening to the fight. I"ll use this!
  
  Ding
  
  System Notice: Congratulations, you have successfully named the skill. You are the first person to create an SS skill in the entire server, do you want to disclose your identity?
  
  I immediately smashed the "No" button. I must stay low-key. Low-key not for fame or for showing off, but to protect my life. Since olden times, those who are famous always receive jealousy2. Once my identity is disclosed, who knows how many times I"ll get murdered. I"m not scared of publicity but instead scared of getting beaten. It"s pretty alright, being like this, a level 1 healer. The pros won"t even bother disturbing me. This feeling is simply spectacular.
  
  Ding
  
  System Notice: Congratulations, player xxxx has understood the SS skill - [Sword Tempest]!
  
  Currently, the whole server was chaotic.
  
  Very quickly, in my Skills tab an icon of a sword flashed. My first "obtained skill" which was also my second skill, was a SS grade skill. The other was the healer skill, [Hemostasis3]. It was D rank, and indeed, the lousiest healing skill. No matter though, it"s still decent as I can heal myself.
  
  [Sword Tempest] (SS) : While wielding and using a sword, your attack power is increased by 10%. Does not consume any strength. Cannot be leveled.
  
  [Hemostasis Lvl 1] (D): Heals 50 HP, costs 5 MP. 0/100 EXP, level 1.
  
  After finishing my preparations, finally, I was ready to take on the world!
  
  Finally, carrying my sword, I was ready to step out of the beginner village, a whole 24 hours after the opening of the game. My inventory was completely empty of supplies, or should I say, I could not afford to put any supplies into my inventory. Whatever, slowly, I"ll get whatever I want.
  
  Outside the beginner village, the clumsy players were killing the Straw Dogs near the forest. The Straw Dogs are level 1-2 monsters, which is also the lowest leveled monsters in the game. These lousy players...
  
  Escaping the crowd of players, I found another road. The north of Straw Dog Village was a secret forest, but the map showed little red dots there. This means that the monsters are above my level, but who cares? I can still try, since I have a natural advatange. I can hit and heal at the same time, and I also have [Mighty Sword Wave] to help, even if it isn"t much help at all.
  
  In the distance, a few players were bickering over a plain white tunic, loudly shouting: "This equip can sell for 20 coppers, it"s ours! We are the main DPS dealers!"
  
  I could not help but snicker: "What noobs!"
  
  Looking down, I see a bunch of copper coins sitting out in the sun inviting people over. Very quickly, I ran over and looked around. Great, there isn"t anyone. I started picking up the loot.
  
  Oh! I"m rich! Looks like it"s my day.
  
  I spent all the money from before on fixing my sword, and currently all I had was this 1 copper. Which idiot killed all the Straw Dogs but didn"t pick up the loot? Really, what a genius.
  
  Continuing on, after going around the Straw Dog spawning areas, the players were few and far between. There were dense clumps of bushes and shrubs. The Straw Dogs rarely spawned.
  
  After a few minutes, a low growl sounded. Finally, I"ve found a mob worth fighting. It was a ferocious Hyena. God damn it, all the mobs around this beginner villages are dogs.
  
  [Hyena] (Common Monster)
  
  Level: 3
  
  Attack: 7-11
  
  Defence: 3
  
  Health: 150
  
  Skills: None
  
  Good, a level 3 monster. Just killing two of these will bring me to level 2. Let"s go!
  
  Clang
  
  I pulled the sword out of the sheath, and the [Sword Tempest] activated and gave me a 10% attack boost. Walking forward, although I wasn"t very near, the Hyena got aggro"ed and howled. It rushed out, and with no skills, it looked to open its mouth and bite me directly.
  
  Rushing to react, before the Hyena bit me, my sword was already falling on its forehead. Kacha a {12} jumped out. At the same time, the Hyena bit my leg and hung on, taking 25 hit points away from me. Hoho, it"s cleanly twice of my damage.
  
  I was not worried and continued to attack as I attacked faster than the Hyena and it kept howling and growling. When I took two hits, I immediately raised my hand and a holy beam fell upon me. [Hemostasis]!
  
  {+50}
  
  Strong! Able to both hit and heal, this is truly the emperor"s path to success!
  
  After some time, I killed the Hyena and shua my experience bar filled to a full 50%. At the same time, it growled and fell to the ground, exploding into two coppers. I quickly took them. Not a bad reward...
  
  Continuing on, after sweeping the second Hyena, shua a golden light fell on my head and I raised one level. I broke through the level 1 barrier and became a level 2 healer. All 10 points were added to strength as usual, but as a healer the 10 strength points only gave 5-5 more attack damage, as I had a 0.5x strength multiplier. If I were a berserker, it would be a 11-11 attack damage boost, this is so unfair...
  
  Sword tilted at an angle, I walked on. I"ll farm to death!
  
  After killing tens of Hyenas, I saw that my MP was very low. A [Hemostasis] costs 5 MP and my max MP was only 60. With no immediate healing items, I would probably die here. Luckily, at that moment, I leveled up and reached level 3. My HP and MP filled back to full and I continued adding the 10 stat points I gained to strength. My character really became a fighting priest.
  
  [Xiao Yao Zi Zai] (Novice Healer)
  
  Level: 3
  Attack: 11-13
  Defence: 4
  Health Points: 120
  Magic Points: 70
  Charm: 0
  
  Although a healer is naturally weaker than the others, if I change to a good weapon, I can break through the monster"s defence if they are at least the same level as me. If I can break through, it"d be great since I can heal myself, then I won"t have to worry about dying. After a prolonged battle, I"ll have better survival capabilities than any other class. Though, I added all my points to strength and not magic, so I don"t have enough MP. I need to get healing items, if not I can"t fight for long.
  
  Mm, I"ll stay here and kill some more. After earning about 50 coppers, I can go back and buy some potions. With the potions, I can go deeper into the woods and kill higher leveled monsters.
  
  Kacha
  
  After slicing through a Hyena"s head, another two coppers exploded out and I quickly grabbed them in one swift motion. I moved onwards to kill more mobs. After leveling up, my attack power got higher and killing the Hyenas proved to be less of hassle than before. It"s pretty useful.
  
  Crossing some plains, and then moving forward some more, in the distance I saw a Black Bear wondering around the trees. It"s level 5 and it"s attack, defence and health stats are all ridiculously high.
  
  Tightly grasping my sword, I took a deep breath. Let"s try killing it, if I don"t manage to kill it I can run!
  
  About 10 yards from the Black Bear, it got aggro"ed and came sprinting after me, it"s massive body flying through the plains. It"s furs stood on end and it raised it"s paw, ready to attack.
  
  Pam
  
  The fresh blood splattered everywhere. The combat in the game is so realistic, my shoulder got a large wound and blood pooled dyeing it red. A damage number popped up -
  
  {42}
  
  God damn, it hurts!
  
  I quickly raised my sword to attack but it only dealt {15} damage. I continued to attack and at the same time, the holy light of [Hemostasis] shined down upon me, healing 50 health. Once it went off cooldown, I immediately used it again.
  
  Gu
  
  The Black Bear ferociously opened its jaws and took a big bite of my arm, leaving it dangling. Again, it took a large amount of hit points.
  
  {82}
  
  My god, I could only get hit once more.
  
  I got scared and quickly took to my legs and ran. Who in the world would be idiotic enough to stay there?
  
  After running for my life, I took two steps backward and managed to aggro the Black Bear again. It ran after me, and in the short period of time where I wasn"t being attacked, I raised my sword and healed myself for {50} HP with [Hemostasis] at the same time. I continued to attack the Black Bear in this manner.
  
  It was only a level 5 normal monster, and yet it took me a full 30 seconds to beat it. At last, the Black Bear let out a deathly cry. I only had 41 HP left when it ended.
  
  Paafuu
  
  The bear dropped to the ground and disappeared. I heard the sound of items dropping but it wasn"t the clear tinkle when copper coins dropped. Wow, I even got an equip, not bad. That looks like a really dumb wristguard though.
  
  Rushing to grab it and see, I realised it average.
  
  [Black Bear Gloves] (White Equip4)
  
  Type: Armor
  
  Defence: 7
  
  Required Level: 4
  
  Armor, huh? I can"t equip it anyway, so I"ll just sell it. It"s a white equip anyway, so I doubt anyone would want it.
  
  On the ground, there was also 5 coppers. High level monsters are so much more generous than those Hyenas. I picked it up, turned around and left. I"m not killing any more bears for now, since their attack is so high and I"m so squishy. I simply can"t take the hits. Currently, I have no equips besides my sword. Some random guy with no armor will simply be killed anyway.
  
  I continued killing the Hyenas. At level 3, killing level 3 mobs becomes so much easier. In only an hour, I reached level 4. At the same time, my inventory was 47 coppers heavier. It seemed like it was going to explode.
  
  Taking a look behind me, there were quite a few players training here now. I probably can"t stay here for too long. I"ll go back to the village and sort my items, buy some potions, then go find higher leveled places.
  
  Carrying my sword, I walked back past the plains with my head lowered. At this moment, several people walked past and a level 6 barbarian carrying a battleaxe rushed up to me and asked: "Hey, dude. In this grinding spot, did you get any equips that a beserker can use?"
  
  I discreetly took out the armor gloves from my inventory and said: "White equip, no class specifications, do you want it?"
  
  Barbarian guy smiled: "7 defence, huh? Being a tank, of course I want it. How much are you selling for?"
  
  I looked around. "The shop buys it for 21 coppers, can you pay more than that?"
  
  "Of course!" The barbarian smiled happily. "I"ll give you 50 coppers, how"s that?"
  
  "Okay, deal!"
  
  After few seconds later, I walked away with my sword, my inventory close to 100 coppers, or a single silver.
  
  Returning to Straw Dog Village, I took out the level 2 armor I got from killing those Hyenas, as well as their skins and other white equips and sold them all. At last, my inventory had 121 coppers! I took a look around the shop. Level 2 tunic, +2 defence, 70 coppers. That"s too expensive. No thanks, I"ll just wait for mobs to drop some equips.
  
  I reached the potion shop. A level 1 blue potion healed 50 MP and costed 5 coppers each. In one breath I bought 23 and repaired my sword as well. Again I was broke, having only 1 copper left. Yet again, I was like a noob.
  
  Leaving the place, my path to becoming a fighting priest has begun!
  
  
  Zhan Long Chapter 9
  
  Chapter 9 - Bramble Bear King1
  
  Opening up my map, because of my level restrictions, I could only see bits and pieces of the areas around the village. Beyond that was completely empty. Contemplating for a while, I finally decided to head North-East.
  
  That was a little further away from Straw Dog Village and there are lesser players as well. If I get KS"ed2 as this special kind of healer class, I"ll probably die out.
  
  Looking at my skills tab, [Hemostasis]"s experience level reached 77/100. Just a little more and I can level it up. Level 2 [Hemostasis] can recover 100 HP in the blink of an eye, and my survival capabilities will thus drastically increase.
  
  Onwards!
  
  Carrying my sword out of the village, I took the path out of the Straw Dog Village area. I cut through the Hyena area, continuing into the dense forest. After 20 minutes of walking, I finally reached the area that I didn"t dare to challenge previously - the Wild Bear Forest. Inside were bears of all kinds, all level 5-7. Taking a look at my level, it wouldn"t be incorrect to say that I was forcing myself to take unnecessary risk, but I had 23 Blue Potions and should probably be able to fight prolonged battles.
  
  On!
  
  I charged straight at a level 5 Black Bear. I swung my sword and took care of it in 30 seconds, healing myself 4 times in the process. I spent 20 MP on one bear, which was acceptable. I went on to find another target.
  
  A level 4 player killing a level 5 mob grants a little experience penalty, but the leveling rate was still half decent. In about an hour, another Black Bear fell and I reached level 5!
  
  Gaa
  
  The Black Bear let out a terrifying cry, and erupted into a grey hand guard. Picking it up, I realised I could use it.
  
  [Black Bear Arm Guard] (White Equip)
  
  Type: Cloth
  
  Defence: 3
  
  Required Level: 4
  
  Wearing the White hand guard3, my defence rose to 9. When I looked up, a level 7 Grey Bear was growling, its claws inviting me. It was looking me straight in the eye, which only spelled one thing - certain death.
  
  With the sword in hand, I slowly advanced forward and looked around. There wasn"t any other mobs or players within 50 yards. I"m taking on this level 7 Grey Bear solo, let"s go!
  
  Sou
  
  I rushed forward and braced my sword. Reaching it, I brandished my sword at its head but only the sound of a loud clang could be heard. It was as if I was swinging at steel. The damage number I inflicted wasn"t that high either...
  
  {15}
  
  Even with an attack of 23, I only hit this little. This Grey Bear"s defence must be really high, even higher than the Black Bear.
  
  Kong
  
  Raising it"s head, it roared loudly, swinging its claws, one of which hit my shoulder. I was anticipating the attack and when the Grey Bear attacked, I tried to dodge to the right but too bad, I still got hit.
  
  {37}
  
  It hurts like hell! The healer class with Cloth Armor is simply too squishy!
  
  I swung my sword to deal more damage and at the same time, I was thinking - Why can"t I dodge the monster"s attack? [Destiny] announced that according to the player"s skill, you could, with proper footwork and movement, dodge attacks. Why can"t I do it?
  
  The second time, the Grey Bear"s claws swung down again. I saw it and quickly stepped back.
  
  Pa
  
  {39}
  
  One tight slap across my face. It really hurts. Quickly, [Hemostasis]!
  
  The third time, when the Grey Bear was attacking, I purposely stood there. Just as the claw reached right before my eyes, I reacted and hopped in the opposite direction of the claw about 1-2 yards. I only heard the sounds of wind rushing past me. This time I managed to use the short amount of time, and a big word floated up -
  
  {Miss}
  
  Battle Notice: You dodged the Grey Bear"s attack. Finished movement - [Elementary]!
  
  Silently celebrating, I swung down with my sword at the speed of lightning and kacha my sword directly hit the Grey Bear"s eyes. A {34} rose up from the attack. Attacking the weak point, this was one of the gamer"s most important skills.
  
  What a pity, my reaction speed wasn"t that high and my movements were also slow. If not, I could probably evade plenty of attacks and my success rate would at least be around an [Apprentice Level]. This Evade technique was something that you needed to learn, if not no matter what you fight against, a monster or a player, you"d be losing out. Of course, it"s different from person to person. There are many types of evasive moments, and it relies mostly on how the poor player deals with it and reacts to it4.
  
  Kacha
  
  My sword once again slashed the Grey Bear"s head, and it let out a groan. It fell and dropped another equip. My luck was out of this world, getting two drops in a row.
  
  In the green grass, I bent forward to pick up the item. It was an average looking robe. I looked at it and god damn, I was disappointed. It was an attribute item!
  
  [Grey Bear Robe] (Black Iron)
  
  Type: Cloth
  
  Defence: 10
  
  Magic: +2
  
  Required Level: 5
  
  Once I saw the attribute, I smiled with glee. It was so good! A +2 in Magic was something I needed, and the defence was also commendable. I quickly put it on and immediately, my defence rose to 19. The healer"s Magic growth was 1.0x, so a +2 in Magic meant an additional 20 MP. It gave me an additional 4 [Hemostasis] uses. Truly, it"s a wonderful item.
  
  Paafu
  
  Staring at the robe I had on, I changed the POV for a short while and yeap, it really looked like a Chinese uniform. My entire character looked scholar-like. Only my sword broke the look. If I changed it to some books, it would be perfect! Though, killing things with books sounded stupid. Killing things with a sword was definitely more reasonable.
  
  Having high enough defence, I went on to challenge more Grey Bears. As expected, I only got hit for {20+} damage. It was definitely acceptable. At the same time, I continuously worked on my Evade movements. I focused all my concentration on the fight. The Grey Bear"s attack was different every time thanks to the random number generation. I had to come up with new ways to dodge every single time.
  
  Battle Notice: You dodged the Grey Bear"s attack. Finished movement - [Inferior]!
  
  Battle Notice: You dodged the Grey Bear"s attack. Finished movement - [Inferior]!
  
  Battle Notice: You dodged the Grey Bear"s attack. Finished movement - [Elementary]!
  
  A bunch of battle notices appeared one after another and slowly, I found myself getting to enjoy the combat in Destiny more and more. I was immersed in the game. Although the success rate of dodging was very low, only about 10% at most, it was a repeatable form of training. Being able to dodge some of an enemy"s attacks definitely couldn"t be a bad thing. Though I haven"t fought it out with any players yet, so I"m not too sure where this is effective or not. I guess now I have something to look forward to.
  
  Now, killing a level 7 Grey Bear was not stressful any more. Currently, most players only had a set of White Equips. I, on the other hand, was equipless head to toe, except for a Black Iron Grey Bear robe. This was simply a luxury. [Destiny]"s drop rate was considered low. It was announced previously that low level monsters would only drop a Black Iron tier item about 0.1% of the time. Every one already had their expectations set.
  
  In a blink of an eye two hours had passed, and I reached level 7 by killing nothing but Grey Bears. All my stat points were added to strength as usual. On one hand, I needed the strength for more attacking power. On the other hand, I was a healer, a full and complete nurse. I needed the high strength to increase my arm strength, if not I would not be able to equip weapons later on. I definitely couldn"t use a staff to smack people, or I would be made into laughing stock.
  
  Looking at my stats, mm. I guess I"m still 10 levels below the outstanding people.
  
  [Xiao Yao Zi Zai] (Novice Healer)
  
  Level: 7
  
  Attack: 31-33
  
  Defence: 21
  
  HP: 160
  
  MP: 130
  
  Charm: 0
  
  Although my attack isn"t as high as a berserker or swordsman, my defence isn"t as high as a knight, and my magic power isn"t a high as a magician or other healers, my speciality lies in the fact that I can both heal and attack. It"s the fabled solo path. Although it"s slightly third-rate...
  
  I walked on and considering my levels and stats, I decided to try and fight a level 9 monster. You need to have the smarts to survive!
  
  Raising my head, I found that the sky turned dark. The moonlight was like water, condensed into the patch of forest. Occasionally, there would be blood-curling howls from bears that would make one"s hair stand on end. Mm, I"ve arrived at the deepest part of the Wild Bear Forest.
  
  Quickly stopping, I found a new target. It was a bear with prickly spikes on the top of its head. The name was perfect and it was level 9 as well, just what I was looking for.
  
  [Bramble Bear] (Normal Monster)
  
  Level: 9
  
  Attack: 32-50
  
  Defence: 15
  
  HP: 300
  
  Skills: [Sharp Claws]
  
  Introduction: Bramble Bear, a type of animal modified by magic. It has a lot of attack power, and it could return 10% of damage taken back to the dealer. It most often hides in the forests and doesn"t come out. It kills all types, even humans.
  
  "Hoho, this is it..."
  
  Wielding my sword, I took the challenge head on. God damn it, Lin Wan Er and Dong Cheng Yue should both be above level 14, and yet I"m messing around below level 10. I need to get to level 10 quickly, get out of the beginner village and go to the main city, if not I"ll lose all my self-respect!
  
  Hua
  
  With the effects of [Mighty Sword Wave], my sword took a brilliant arc in the air and headed straight for the Bramble Bear"s eyes. However, it"s movement speed was a little too fast, moving its head aside. It"s too difficult to hit the eyes of a moving target like this!
  
  {17}
  
  As expected, the defence was high. I was starting to doubt my strength a little.
  
  The Bramble Bear groaned, and it raised it"s sharp claws. Shua a line of red follow the claws as they swooped down. This must be the skill [Sharp Claws]. I must dodge this, if not it"ll definitely hurt a lot. My eyes were locked on the Bramble Bear"s movements, deciding which way to move to avoid the attack. I immediately stepped backwards about 2 yards, but I couldn"t dodge it in time. My chest took the hit and burned with pain.
  
  {51}
  
  Once I saw how much damage that dealt, I felt like I lost my will to fight. I hurriedly used [Hemostasis] and attacked with my sword. As the battled continued, I would be able to heal and the Bramble Bear would not. This must be my win!
  
  Yet again I took several claws and my HP was almost gone. [Hemostasis]"s cooldown was 6 seconds, which would not be able to keep up with the monster"s damage any more. I was starting to get nervous and worried. Thankfully, just then a [Lv +1] rose from on top of my head. The next time I use [Hemostasis], it"ll use 10 MP directly.!
  
  {+100}
  
  Thank god, I reached level 2 [Hemostasis] just in time.
  
  It was then that I realised how scary a level 9 monster is. Slowly hitting it, I managed to kill it after 1 minute. My luck was normal this time, only dropping 3 coppers5. I picked them up, drank a Blue Potion and continued hunting for another Bramble Bear.
  
  I played all the way to 7pm, but I didn"t get a message from Lin Wan Er at all. Looks like she"s also hard at work, and she didn"t plan to get offline any time soon. Oh well, I"ll grind till level 9 then.
  
  At 9pm, after a shower of golden light, the sword-based healer reached level 9. The stat points from level 7-9 were again, added to strength. This ensured that I would remain powerful.
  
  Wuowuo
  
  The flies danced and piles of human bodies were stacked there. Atop a green rock, a wild bear with golden gloss slept. Above its head was the words -
  
  [Bramble Bear King] (Boss Monster)
  
  Level: 10
  
  Zhan Long Chapter 10
  
  Chapter 10 - Bramble Sword
  
  Paa
  
  The sword entered the mud as I quietly sat there, thinking about what to do. The beginner village boss, huh? Looks like it"s hard to find. I"m surprised no one has killed it yet. It surely has to do with my exploration in the deep jungle. This Bramble Bear King surely must be the Grass Dog Village"s strongest monster. Once it"s killed, it"ll surely drop loads of great items, so I must not miss out on it.
  
  But, what should I kill it with? Surely I can"t use this body of mine with second-rate fighting skills and one piece of cloth armor to kill it, right?
  
  I looked at the sky, then back at the boss. Slowly, my willpower gathered and I made up my mind. Mm, it"s not like it can"t be killed. I"ll need to use the landscape. The Bramble Bear King"s body is huge, and its legs aren"t considered long. It"s attacking style should also be limited by this. Perhaps, I could use that big hole in the tree on the right and hide inside. Maybe then, I can slaughter this boss.
  
  Hua
  
  Standing up, I hesitated for a short moment before deciding to go through with it. Whatever I say, I shall do.
  
  Just then, as I was getting up, a low voice came from behind me.
  
  "Hi, friend. Do you plan to kill that bear king on your own?"
  
  Damn, there"s people now.
  
  I took my sword and turned. There were 5 people about 30 yards away from me, all levels 8-10. One of them had a team leader symbol on his arm. He was level 10, which was pretty rare.
  
  [Western Tyrant1] (Novice Swordsman)
  
  Level: 10
  
  His name was quite aggressive. Behind him, there were 4 other people. Two were level 9 magicians, one was a bald barbarian shaman and one was a musket-wielding knight. This team feels a little a weird. Or... more like this team doesn"t a have a healer!
  
  Western Tyrant walked up, looked at me, and then he laughly heartily, saying: "Dude, you"re really something. A healer wielding a sword, hoho. How much strength did you add, having this much arm strength? Whatever it is, even if you can wield a sword, you can"t kill a level 10 boss solo.
  
  I looked at them without saying a word.
  
  Western Tyrant continued: "How about this? You join our team of five, and we all kill this Bramble Bear King together. If a cloth equip drops, you and our two magicians will Roll and see who gets it. How"s that? Or else..."
  
  I couldn"t help but smile cynically. "Or else what? You"re gonna bully me? With a team of five but no healer, you five can"t even kill the boss anyway. You guys should know that!"
  
  Western Tyrant flashed a evil look before smiling happily. "Don"t think so much about it, I didn"t mean it like that. Although I, Liu Ying, am not any kind of well-natured prince2, but to steal the kill on a boss is something I definitely won"t do. Look, you can"t kill it solo, we also can"t kill it without a healer. Why not just team up and follow the suggestion I previously mentioned? Hmm... your [Hemostasis] level should be at least level 2, right? Level 1 [Hemostasis] only heals 50 HP. If it"s only at level 1 there"s no way we can kill it."
  
  I nodded my head: "Mm, my [Hemostasis] is level 2. Though... I have a request. You must agree to this or else even if you PK me here, I won"t agree."
  
  Western Tyrant laughed loudly. "Okay, its better than having to kill you. Say it. Though, it musn"t be too ridiculous. Other than that, I"ll accept anything."
  
  "Okay!"
  
  I glanced at Western Tyrant, as well as the knight next to him. Smiling, I said: "About this, I don"t need the cloth equip. If a cloth equip drops, you guys can have it. I only want sword-related weapons. As you guys can already see, my weapon is a sword. I only have this request. Once a sword drops, I"ll Roll together with you guys to decide to gets it. How"s that?"
  
  Western Tyrant let out a "Hmm?", considered for a while, then finally said: "Although I"m a swordsman, seeing as you"re a battle healer who uses swords as well, okay then. If a sword drops we"ll roll. Come, join our party!"
  
  "Okay!"
  
  I entered Western Tyrant"s party. The party of us 6 prepared to kill the boss. The five of them discussed about their roles. If a sword drops, I"ll join the Roll. If a cloth armor drops, I don"t get any thing. Western Tyrant really doesn"t want me to get anything, huh? Taking away my Roll chance like that. A sword isn"t even that like of a drop any way.
  
  "Okay, let"s go ready to fight!" Western Tyrant said while holding his sword. Looks like he"s about the same as me in terms skill. He methodically ordered: "Tu Lu, you"ll tank. Take the boss"s aggro. The magicians will concentrate their firepower directly on the boss. Knight, you"ll use your Heavy Slash. I"ll use my Multiple Slash to attack. Xiao Yao Zi Zai, you make sure Monk doesn"t die. Keep healing him."
  
  "I understand!"
  
  Monk, huh? That 24 years old or below barbarian took a staff and rushed in. From afar, he hit the Bramble Bear King.
  
  Guu
  
  {8}
  
  What pitiful damage. The Monk class in Destiny has high scaling on their defence and health, also known as the meat shield class. Only in the late game does their attack shine. Currently, it"s laughable how low it is.
  
  WRAHHH
  
  The Bramble Bear King got aggro"ed and jumped down from its rock ferociously. As it landed it clawed the Monk and a frightening damage number appeared.
  
  {74}
  
  "Holy..." Western Tyrant stared blankly. "Tu Lu, you"ve been adding 5 Defence and 5 HP each level right? Yet, you still took 74 damage from 1 hit. Have you given your defence away?"
  
  The Monk leapt back quickly, yelling loudly at the same time: "There"s no problem with my defence, the Boss"s attack stat is way too high! I only have 500 HP, so I need Xiao Yao Zi Zai to heal me well!"
  
  "Okay!"
  
  When the Bear King attacked for the second time, I immediately healed the Monk and he gained 100 HP. Crisis averted, somewhat.
  
  Western Tyrant let out a roar and charged in with his sword. On his sword a golden hexagram shone, and with a shua shua sound he hit the boss twice. It"s the swordsman class"s skill - Multiple Slash. It should be level 2, judging from his damage.
  
  {58}
  
  {61}
  
  It"s pretty obvious that Western King added all his stat points into strength. The two magicians behind started waving their staffs and channeling their magic. They fired waves and waves of fireballs. Fire magic, huh? Shua shua The Boss"s health dwindled by over 100 HP. The Bramble Bear King should have 3000HP at most. Effects of the magicians" work could be easily seen as the HP bar dropped line after line.
  
  Shua
  
  {+100}
  
  I healed the monk again. After that, I moved closer to the boss with my sword in hand. I wanted to test my damage. What resulted was a clang sound and a damage number floating up -
  
  {21}
  
  Western Tyrant shouted in shock: "My god, that"s really strong! You"re an oddball of a healer!"
  
  The Bear King took another swing of his claws and forced the monk to retreat. Western King hurriedly replaced his position, taking the hit from the Bear King. He lost about 90+ HP, but he shouted: "Xiao Yao Zi Zai, don"t bother healer me. Continue to heal the Monk! We need to control our firepower and not let the Boss aggro get messed up!"
  
  I nodded my head and continued healing the monk.
  
  Although the entire duration of the fight was dangerous, the Monk"s defence was really too high. Coupled with my healing, the Boss couldn"t deal any damage and after only two minutes of intense fighting, the Bramble Bear King"s health dropped to 7%.
  
  Hei
  
  Western Tyrant, while carrying his sword, suddenly appeared next to me. His eyes was full of content. No way, is he trying to kill me?
  
  "Damn Bear King, go and die!"
  
  The blade had the golden hexagram again, attacking twice. Another Multiple Slash. He wanted to use it on me! One for the boss and one for me. God damn, you want to get rid of me in the confusion of battle? Good thinking!
  
  Sha
  
  My legs danced on the grass as I quickly jumped 2 yards away. A big MISS appeared and Western King stared blindly, shocked to no end. The Monk"s HP fell below 200 and he shouted loudly: "Xiao Yao Zi Zai, what in the world are you doing back there? Quickly, heal me!"
  
  I purposely bided my time. The Bear King attacked with his claws twice and killed the knight directly. The Monk wasn"t getting healed either and he got angry.
  
  As if understanding my intentions, Western Tyrant didn"t attack again and just apologised, smiling and saying: "Sorry, my hand slipped there..."
  
  I immediately thought to myself: "Hand slipped? Why don"t you let your hand slip and cut off your manhood while you"re at it?"
  
  Whatever, I gave the Monk a [Hemostasis] and charged at the Boss at the same time. I stayed out of Western King"s reach. If I were hit by a swordsman"s Multiple Slash, even if I didn"t die up front, I"d still be at least half health down. That definitely can"t happen.
  
  A few seconds later, the Bramble Bear King let out a huge roar and fell to the ground. It was dead!
  
  Hualala
  
  An equip dropped with a silver coin. The Boss was quite generous, huh? It dropped silvers directly.
  
  After I understood their intentions, I wasn"t going to let them get their way. I was the nearest to the Boss and when I took a look around, I was shocked. A sword really dropped! A glimmering longsword! I stretched out and pa grabbed it immediately. At the same time I used the Roll system function and determined my Roll points. It stopped at a beautiful 99 points!
  
  The 5 members looked at the sword"s stats and were shocked beyond belief.
  
  [Bramble Sword] (Black Iron Equip)
  
  Attack: 21-35
  
  Strength: +3
  
  Required Level: 8
  
  Who would have guessed? A sword really dropped! The only equip that dropped was a sword!
  A silver coin or 100 copper coins also dropped. It could be counted as a small fortune.
  
  "Damn!"
  
  Western Tyrant"s eyes looked as if they were about to pop out. Wielding his sword, he said: "Damn it, kill him!"
  
  The players finally showed their true colours. Western Tyrant"s sword had the golden hexagram again. Yet again, the Multiple Slash!
  
  I quickly jumped back but I only managed to dodge 1 hit.
  
  {Miss}
  
  {71}
  
  At the same time, the two magicians starting chanting and fire rained down from the heavens. I have no way to dodge this.
  
  {81}
  
  {+100}
  
  {77}
  
  In the split second between the attacks I healed myself. I ran towards the nearby forest while silently praising my healing skills. To my chagrin, a rush of cold air blew from behind me. Western Tyrant was a swordsman, whose movement speed should be much higher than mine. He swung his sword down in one smooth motion. An basic attack fell on my head.
  
  {88}
  
  A wave of pain entered my body and lights shone in front of me. I died!
  
  Shua
  
  I appeared at a nearby grave, really close to my corpse. I need to run back to the corpse to revive. Dang it, after killing the Boss I reached level 10, and now I"m level 9 again.
  
  The five members stood there. Western King shouted angrily: "Xiao Yao Zi Zai, unless you are a wuss and don"t mind hiding forever, you should come out now and forget about the Roll! If you do that we can still be friends!"
  
  I couldn"t help but smile. I said: "You"re not fit to be a friend of mine. The Bramble Sword is mine. If you guys have the luck, roll a 100. If not, shut up!"
  
  As expected, the members started to Roll.
  
  Western Tyrant: 41
  
  Knight: 91
  
  Ding
  
  System Notice: Roll ended. Item [Bramble Sword] is given to player Xiao Yao Zi Zai!
  
  Pa ta A black sword appeared in my inventory. It really was the Bramble Sword! Hehe, dying and dropping a level was still worth it!
  Chapter 11 - Obsession Kills
  
  While in spirit form, I ran up to the corpse of the boss. Near the corpse was Tyrant of Western Chu, guarding my corpse, looks like he plans to kill me as soon as I revive in hopes of my Bramble Sword dropping.
  
  I couldn"t help but laugh at him, hah, I don"t care if you guys puppy-guard my corpse, I"ll just wait, I have tons of time, now let"s see who has more patience.
  
  .....
  
  At this time, my cellphone rang, immediately, the call was forwarded into <>. It was Ling Wan Er calling me...
  
  "Li Xiao Yao?" Ling Wan Er"s voice was extremely beautiful.
  
  "Yeah, m"lady?" I asked.
  
  Ling Wan Er laughed before continuing: "Yue Er and I are planning to get something to eat, come over to our building and wait there..."
  
  "Alright, I"ll be there in 5 minutes."
  
  "Good, we"ll wait for you."
  
  Looking at Chu"s pathetic party, I hid a smile. In my mind, I said to them I"ll be getting some free food, take your time! Then I logged off while in spirit form which guaranteed my safety in-game.
  
  After I took off the helmet, I glanced over my roommate. Glasses was twitching on his bed, he must be in a fierce fight. Whatever, it"s his own problem, time to leave!
  
  At the girl"s dormitory, Ling Wan Er and Dong Cheng Yue were waiting for me outside. As soon as they saw me, they rushed over. Dong Cheng Yue patted her stomach, complaining: "I already told Wan Er to get dinner but she insisted that I keep on playing. Now I"m starving, let"s hurry and get a midnight snack."
  
  I smiled at Dong Cheng Yue: "Alright."
  
  Liu Hua University"s cafeteria is always open, 24/7, showing the incredible wealth Liu Hua University has.
  
  After ordering a couple of dishes, we dove in. Since I was really hungry, I disregarded appearance and swallowed 7 steamed buns in an instant. The two girls were shocked at my voracious appetite. From afar, a couple male students were also shocked, staring at me: "That guy...not caring a bit about his appearance, even in front of those two girls!"
  
  Ling Wan Er"s smile was frozen on her face and gave me the evil eye: "Were you starved in your past life? Eat slowly."
  
  I nodded without saying anything, instead, I finished my seafood soup in one gulp, MLGBD [ref]1[/ref], when have I ever had such great tasting food? Being rich truly has its good points.
  
  .....
  
  Dong Cheng Yue finished her plate and was tasting her soup before smiling at me: "Xiao Yao, Today"s the day where you get pass your level 1 obstacle right?"
  
  It was incredibly awkward for me: "Yeah, I"m level 9 already ..."
  
  "Oh! You"re pretty fast in raising your level, getting to level 9 in just 10 hours!"
  
  Ling Wan Er kept her poker face, glancing at her phone before talking to Dong Cheng Yue: "It"s pretty late, we should get back and sleep."
  
  She just ignored me!
  
  I asked: "Dong Cheng, what level are you guys?"
  
  Dong Cheng Yue smiled again before proudly saying: "I"m already a level 15 mage, trying to get to level 20 in order to register officially as a mage. Wan Er"s level is even higher than mine, she"s already level 16. God, the speed in which Assassins are able to raise their levels right now is insane, even the mages can"t keep up."
  
  I asked: "You guys already left the newbie village?"
  
  "Of course, we left the village yesterday..." Dong Cheng Yue winked before continuing: "Oh right, me and Wan Er choose Fan Shu City as our main city, what about you?"
  
  I thought about it and said: "My newbie village is really close to Ba Huang City, maybe I"ll stay there for some time before venturing out to find you guys..."
  
  Ling Wan Er gave me another evil eye with her perfect smiling poker face: "Oh, so you really don"t want to see me in game eh?"
  
  Immediately I shuddered feeling a killing intent from her. Instantly I straightened and hurriedly said: "What are you talking about? I actually really want to go to Fan Shu City to meet up with you and Dong Cheng. But the monsters between the city have really high levels, and I"m only a small healer. How in the world can I get over there? On my way there, I"ll be killed tons of times, I might even be sent back to newbie village..."
  
  Finally, Ling Wan Er"s poker face showed signs of breaking, she forcefully swallowed a laugh, biting her lip, before regaining composure: "Okay, then just stay at Ba Huang City, if you find yourself in a bad spot, then come and find us."
  
  Dong Cheng Yue excitedly added: "Yup yup, me and Wan Er will protect you!"
  
  Ling Wan Er showed signs of irritation: "Why are you so happy Yue Er?"
  
  Dong Cheng Yue instantly froze, while blushing she quickly said: "Well...me and you are both damage dealers, if we could bring Li Xiao Yao, we"d also have a healer. The pace at which we can kill monsters would definitely increase, right....."
  
  "Really?" Ling Wan Er"s eyes flashed an indiscernible emotion and stared at Dong Cheng Yue before reverting back to her sweet, poker face smile: "Alright, I trust you..."
  
  Dong Cheng Yue patted her chest: "Ugh, that was close..."
  
  "What did you say?!"
  
  "Umm, I said that this soup is really good..."
  
  "..."
  
  .....
  
  At about 10 PM, I escorted the two girls back to their dormitory and took a walk around the dormitory. After finding a spot where no one else was around, I quickly jumped above the wall of the dormitory. On top of a tree, I monitored the dormitory"s surroundings.
  
  Since it was at night, the University was extremely crowded, there were students that belonged to the University and a surprising number of students that didn"t belong to the University. On the roads of the University were countless Porches and Ferraris that raced past each other. After waiting for 2 hours, to about 12 PM, I left my "post". After such a long guard, I ensured that there wasn"t any immediate danger. At least for now, there wouldn"t be anything that could harm Ling Wan Er.
  
  Even though the game is fun, I must not forget my job to protect Ling Wan Er. My top priority isn"t to be with Ling Wan Er and Dong Cheng Yue but rather to ensure that no harm befalls Ling Wan Er.
  
  While I was on the tree, I opened my phone to check up on Tian Xin Corporation and Ling Tian Nan. I needed to figure out what Tian Xin Corporation and Ling Tian Nan have done to cause such danger to themselves and why they were so important. To be able to have police from Hang Zhou directly send out men (me) to protect Ling Wan Er, Tian Xin Corporation must have extremely powerful connection and Ling Wan Er must be extremely important to Ling Tian Nan.
  
  On my phone, I was able to access data on Tian Xin Corporation -
  
  Tian Xin Corporation, founded by core engineers by Lockheed Martin, holds patents in high-tech radar invisibility technology and is a major player in the production BMI compounded materials. In 2015, they split from Lockheed Martin and under project leader, Ling Tian Nan, became a supplier of the Chinese military. With them, they brought state of the art technology in weaponry. In recent years, they began developing nano-bullets, using the fact that the high frequency sound that atom collision makes can be used melt metal. These new bullets are extremely effective against amortized units such as tanks. In addition, they are a huge player in developing China"s most advanced aircrafts and radars.
  
  After reading Tian Xin Corporation"s bio, I couldn"t help but take in a huge breath. I never imaged that Ling Tian Nan could be that important, from the information gathered, Tian Xin Corporation"s addition to the Chinese military boosted the development of Chinese weapons by at least 10 years, especially strengthening China"s Air-force. Because of Tian Xin, China was finally able to make progress on fifth generation aircrafts.
  
  Because of how strong Tian Xin is, every country in the world is envious of Tian Xin"s technology. Yet, Ling Tian Nan is extremely cautious and doesn"t show many weaknesses that can be exploited. One of the few, or the only weakness that Ling Tian Nan has is his daughter. Because of this, many people have tried to kidnap Ling Wan Er and use her to threaten Ling Tian Nan in giving up his company"s latest technological innovations. As a result, the Hang Zhou police is also handling Ling Wan Er"s protection, trying to find someone that is both smart and strong but also unnoticeable to protect Ling Wan Er, and that person is... you guessed it, it"s me!
  
  As I sat atop the tree, I shuddered at the enormity of the task that was entrusted to me.
  
  I switched my focus back to afar, maintaining high awareness of my surroundings. I quietly checked the surroundings one last time, yup, final checks show that tonight is definitely safe.
  
  Mature Warning - Can be skipped since doesn"t affect plot
  
  "Aah aah....."
  
  As soon as I was positive that it was completely safe, small sounds came from the right, starling me. Looking over, I closely examined the space to my right, hmm, there are 2 upperclassmen, a guy and a girl... the guy was seated on the rock chair while the girl was on top of the guy. On her right leg dangled her panties, hmm, it"s a bright pink. The two of them moved slowly and even though they didn"t make any huge movements, they still made quite a bit of sound.
  
  I jumped off the tree, a soft "paa" sound accompanied my jump. Even though the sound wasn"t big, the two upperclassmen still heard me and turned their head in unison: "Who is it!"
  
  I shuddered at their attentiveness, calmly, as if I were talking to lions: "Just walking around...Sorry if I am interrupting, please continue."
  
  Taking a shortcut by walking across the grass, I reached a lamppost by the side of the road in a couple of steps. Behind me, someone said: "MLGBD [ref]1[/ref], let"s continues, these bastards!"
  
  ......
  
  I was looking forward to taking a shower once I got back to my dormitory. But unfortunately, Glasses was already taking a shower so I had to wait.
  
  While waiting, I sat in front the dorm"s desk and used Glasses" computer to go on the internet. After I booted up his computer, the first thing that popped out was Destiny"s official website, in the tabs next to it was information about the players with the highest levels, best equipment etc., it was extremely messy.
  
  But I didn"t browse through the stuff that Glasses was already reading, I needed information that would actually help me.
  
  After browsing through Destiny"s official website, I finally got a grasp of Destiny"s map. On the map were 7 great kingdoms, of them, the Chinese sever had access to Tian Ling Castle. Under Tian Ling Castle, there were 3 secondary cities, Fan Shu City, Jiu Ling City and Ba Huang City. Once new players walk out of the newbie villages, they would choose one of the three castles as their home castle. For Tian Ling Castle, the monsters around it were way to high leveled. At this point, the player with the highest level is only level 18, even for him, attempting to go to Tian Ling Castle is suicide. After all, even if he had the best level 18 equipment, he still wouldn"t be able to defeat level 70 monsters around Tian Ling Castle, the gap between stats was just too huge.
  
  Then I zoomed in onto Tian Ling Castle and its three subordinate cities, yeah, Grass Dog Village was closest to Ba Huang City and very, very far from Fan Shu City, I"ll visit Fan Shu later.
  
  At the same time, Glasses finally finished his long shower and walked out of the bathroom. When he saw me, he couldn"t help but laugh: "Li Xiao Yao, how"s did your leveling go today?"
  
  "I"m at level 9, what about you, Glasses?"
  
  "Impressive, that"s a pretty fast pace, already level 9, even I"m only level 13. Right now I"m at Jiu Ling City, where do you plan on going? How about coming to Jiu Ling City and playing with me, we can take on the world together..."
  
  My mouth twitched at the thought of being together with Glasses: "It"s alright, for me to get to Jiu Ling City, I need to go across dozens of mountains and swim through dozens of rivers. I"ll probably be killed back to level 1 before I even the reach the city. I"m close to Ba Huang City, so I"m planning on making Ba Huang City my home city."
  
  Glasses also smiled when I mentioned me being killed back to level 1: "Alright, just wait until your level is high enough and able to own horses, then you"ll be able to go anywhere you want, don"t be impatient and try to come to Jiu Ling!"
  
  "Yeahhh."
  
  I looked at the time, it was about 3 hours since I logged off, lemme log back on.
  
  .....
  
  After my data was read, "Shuaa", a blinding light transported me near Bramble Thorn Bear"s corpse. I was still in my spirit form and looking around, there didn"t seem to be anyone around. I was about to revive when a thought crossed my mind. I should probably double check my surroundings. After walking around, I found Tyrant of Western Chu hiding behind a fallen tree, the two mages were also hidden behind shrubs. How wretched, these people are way too obsessed, right? All this for a Black Steel tier weapon? Really...such wretchedness.
  
  I logged off, took a shower and went to sleep. If they really want the weapon then why don"t the puppy-guard my corpse for an entire night.
  Zhan Long Chapter 12 - The Alchemist
  
  Please note that this isn"t a perfect word to word translation, instead there are parts that are added to aid the flow of the story. For example in the last chapter, people started laughing for no reason after seeing Xiao Yao which is really confusing. And then in this chapter Ling Wan Er calls out wait to Xiao Yao even though Xiao Yao made no motion to leave.
  
  The next morning, I woke up bright and early, not to play games but rather to perform my duties. After dressing and brushing my teeth, I headed out.
  
  My first task was to buy 3 servings of breakfast. Afterwards, I headed to the girls dormitory and called Ling Wan Er. Within minutes, she came down, wearing a sky blue miniskirt along with a dress shirt. Her two sources of pride were precariously pressuring the buttons on the dress shirt. Thankfully, she also noticed this and wore a T-shirt inside of her dress shirt.
  
  I stood in front of the gate, glanced at her, looked away and then couldn"t resist and peeked at her again. She is truly gorgeous, but unfortunately she also holds a grudge against me.
  
  Like before, Ling Wan Er gave me the evil eye as soon as she saw me: "How long are you going to stare at me? I"ll be taking the breakfast, now you should hurry back and raise your level in <>. After all... after all, you work for me... If your level is too low, I would feel ashamed."
  
  I took a deep breath and promised: "I promise to not disappoint, I"ll be taking my leave now."
  
  "Wait..." Ling Wan Er suddenly called out, she paused for quite a bit before articulating her next words: "Li Xiao Yao, I want to ask you...before, were you really a part of Special Ops?"
  
  I was taken aback by the question: "Huh, why are you asking about that?"
  
  "I only want to understand. I don"t trust what Wang Xin"s says, how can a special ops who"s killed someone before be as shameless as you? All you do every day is leach off of our food and game time..." (<> costs about 1 yuan, 16 cents per minute to play)
  
  While speaking, she kept peeking at my face, widening her smiling when she saw that I started looking downcast. As expected, Ling Wan Er still was out for revenge. Her happiness is built from my pain.
  
  I tightened my fist before replying: "It doesn"t matter if you don"t believe what Wang Xin said. All that matters is me being able to protect you. I"ll be heading back now."
  
  Without so much as a glance at Ling Wan Er"s, I started walking back to my dorm.
  
  "Oh, you"re angry? You can"t be that easily angered right?"
  
  I turned around and mustered the sunniest smile possible and said: "M"lady, you really know everything! Don"t you?"
  
  Looking at my face and voice, dripping with sarcasm, she knew that she hadn"t gotten under my skin. Her frustration at having her victory taken away made her stamp her foot in anger: "Hmph, that"s enough, I"m going back to raise my level."
  
  "Okay, have fun playing!"
  
  On my way back to my dorm, I nibbled on a meat bun and thought about what I would do today in <>. So, my goal today should be to get to Ba Huang City. Thus, I would be able to at least keep pace with the majority of players in <>. At the very least, I should leave Newbie Village, staying there would be pinning myself as a loser.
  
  ...
  
  After returning to my dorm, I immediately logged into <>, sliding the metallic helmet over my head.
  
  "Shuaa"
  
  Instantly, the darkness was replaced with blinding light. I was still in Wild Bear Forest. I carefully looked around, yup, Tyrant of Western Chu and his companions had left. It was probably because they knew that I had logged off and waiting around for me to respawn was useless. After all, they, like me, were trying to get to Ba Huang City, so any grudges could be settled there.
  
  I revived in peace after checking my surroundings one last time.
  
  After a golden light, I was in control of my body again. In this empty forest, I opened my inventory. Phew, when I died I only lost a couple of potions and not any of the important things. From my inventory, I took out Bramble Thorn Sword.
  
  The sword caught the light and shined brightly -
  
   [Bramble Thorn Sword] (Black Metal Tier)
  
   Attack: 21-35
  
   Strength: +3
  
   Level Requirements: 8
  
  ...
  
  The 21 to 35 points of attack from the Bramble Thorn Sword was like god compared to the 1-3 points of attack that my level 1 Steel Sword gave me. As I held Bramble Thorn Sword, I could clearly feel the power welling up in my arm, coming from the sword. At the same time, my stats increased by a huge chunk -
  
   [Xiao Yao Zi Zai] (Trainee Healer)
  
   Level: 9
  
   Attack: 69-83
  
   Defense: 23
  
   Health: 180
  
   Mana: 150
  
   Charm: 0
  
  ...
  
  69 - 83 attack, incredibly, swordsmen of the same level who put all of their stat points in strength probably would be jealous of this attack. Mm, with Bramble Thorn Sword, the possibilities were limitless.
  
  With Bramble Thorn Sword in hand, I plowed forward. Currently I"m only at level 9 with 57% experience, I"ll be able to get to level 10 after killing a couple of monsters. Afterwards, I"ll go back to Newbie Village, restock on some potions, repair my equipment and head out to Ba Huang City.
  
  On a hill back to Newbie Village, a level 9 Thorn Bear was peacefully basking under the sun. I smiled at the bear, let"s see what my 83 points of attack can do.
  
  "Shuaa"
  
  I sprinted towards the bear and simply slashed when I got close enough. The hit flew true and landed on the bear"s forehead. A damage number flew up from my strike, my attack didn"t disappoint -
  
  "117!"
  
  Incredible.
  
  While the thorn bear hadn"t reacted to my first strike, I landed my second strike!
  
  "114!"
  
  The thorn bear was immediately enraged. It raised its sharp claws and slapped at me. I took the hit head on and took 37 damage but at the same time, I landed my third strike onto the thorn bear. With that it was defeated, hmph, this damage isn"t anything to be laughed at.
  
  I picked up the 4 copper coins that dropped from the corpse of the thorn bear and continued on my way. After killing about a dozen thorn bears, a light appeared above me, signaling my level has increased to level 10. With the new level, I gained 10 stat points and put them all in strength which boosted my damage by 5-5. Alright I was ready to go back to the village, recuperate and head out to Ba Huang City.
  
  ...
  
  After getting back to Newbie Village, I sold a couple of white tier leather armors. With this, I had 2 silver coins! After I repaired my equipment, I went to the pharmacy. Since I was a healer, I didn"t need any potions that would recover health, instead I needed potions that would restore mana.
  
  But when I asked for the prices of the mana potions, I was heartbroken -
  
   [Mana Potion LV-1]: Recovers 50 mana, 5 copper coin/potion
  
   [Mana Potion LV-2]: Recovers 100 mana, 50 copper coin/potion
  
   [Mana Potion LV-3]: Recovers 150 mana, 5 silver coin/potion
  
  .....
  
  What the heck, I can"t even afford a level 3 potion! Ugh whatever, I"ll just buy lots of level 1 potions, they should be enough while I head to Ba Huang City.
  
  When I got to the village"s gates, the village elder who was stationed besides these gates sent me off. The elder shakily used his bark-like hand to mess up my hair, in his eyes, tears were welling up: "Child, you"ve grown and now you"re about to leave this village. I truly feel happy for you, remember, you are our pride. In the future, you will definitely be a great adventurer (the name NPC"s call players) and help Tian Ling Empire defeat its enemies."
  
  I nodded: "I understand, elder."
  
  "Child, I have 3 letters of recommendation, you may choose one of them..."
  
  In front of me a table lit up,
  
  [Fan Shu City] [Ba Huang City] [Niu Li City]
  
  With your letter of recommendation, you can go to the city that you choose and showing the letter of recommendation to a teacher of your profession, you will be able to learn skills unique to your class!
  
  It was a no-brainer, I choose Ba Huang City. As soon as I finished, the elder started talking again: "Go, my child. No matter where you go, even if you become an ordinary soldier or a commanding general, don"t forget today. You will always be our source of pride..."
  
  .....
  
  Ba Huang City is located at the northern point of Tian Ling Empire. In fact, it"s located at the northernmost tip of the human continent. It"s also the city that"s closest to the unknown lands to the north. It"s more like the first line of defense against monsters in the north rather than simply being a city. This was one the reasons that I choose Ba Huang City as my home city. Another, more important reason is that the monsters around Ba Huang City are probably more savage than monsters around the other 2 cities. Under these conditions, players at Ba Huang City would have more chances to improve.
  
  After confirming Ba Huang City"s location on my minimap, I began heading towards it. On the way, I saw quite a few of players also heading to Ba Huang City, most were also level 10. Everyone seemed to be in a rush to get to Ba Huang or challenge some strong monsters even if their levels couldn"t support them, as if there wouldn"t be enough monsters for them if they were late. In reality, <> was designed to be able to support 100,000,000 players online at the same time and there are at most 1,000,000 players that play right now. Therefore, there"s no need to hurry and challenge strong monsters.
  
  Along the way, I saw a warrior with white tiered armor that was followed by a female healer. The healer wore cloth armor and held a healing staff which had the outlines of a Medicine Pot on top of it. This was a real healer unlike me.
  
  In addition, I met many players that choose to be Wind elves, they were mainly archers, mages or healers. Because Wind Elves could fly, many players choose to be Wind Elves, in fact by one estimate, about 35% of all players choose to be Wind Elves. But I didn"t choose to become a Wind Elf because Wind Elves were basically sitting ducks while in the sky. In addition, the growth of Health and Defense for Wind Elves was extremely bad while spell damage had decent growth but fighting on the backline didn"t fit well with my play style.
  
  ...
  
  Travelling with other newbies that were heading towards Ba Huang City ensure my safe passages. In fact, the majority of monsters blocking the paths had already been killed. After traveling for about 70 minutes, a towering castle appeared. In front of the castle was a huge rock knife. That"s Ba Huang City"s main landmark, the legendary Ba Huang Knife, maybe it"s a god-tier weapon...
  
  After entering the castle, with some directions, I found the teaching association.
  
  Besides a dark green pool was a dozen of female Wind Elves who congregated together while holding healing staffs. They all were healers and at the center was a level 50 NPC Wind Elf who was the professions instructor.
  
  I walked up to her, took out my letter of recommendation and said: "Teacher! This is my letter of recommendation, I"m an adventurer from Grass Dog Village, please let me study under you."
  
  The instructor stared at the Bramble Thorn Sword in my hand, her shocked face betraying her calm voice: "Okay, from now on you are a trainee healer of Ba Huang City and a part of our empire"s pride.
  
  ...
  
  *Ding*
  
   [Encourage]
  
   Encourages target. The target gains 1% extra attack damage per level in Encourage.
  
   Requirements: Level 10 - Healer Professions Only
  
   Cost to learn: 1 Silver Coin
  
  There was only 1 skill that I could learn!
  
  But the skill itself was pretty good, at level 1 it would raise 1% damage but at level 10 it would raise 10% damage. At the same time, it"s incomparable to [Turmoil Sword] which raises 10% damage instantly without any proficiency.
  
  It pained me to part ways with 1 Silver Coin but I did in the end, NND [1]).
  
  ...
  
  After talking with the instructor, I decided to go raise my level and proficiency of [Encourage]. But I remembered something. There was something that I had to do before heading out.
   I needed to get a productions professions. I needed to become an Alchemist.
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