Chapter 411: The Battle of Wits and Reactionary Countermeasures

At this moment.

The three Holy Spirit Barriers were only two meters away from Ling Zhan, charging to surround and kill him.

But to their astonishment, even at such a dangerous distance, the non-specialist made no attempt to dodge!

It was as if he was saying: "I'm standing right here; if you have the guts, come and crash into me!"

Seeing this.

The three Holy Spirit Barriers gritted their teeth and made up their minds.

Originally, they were just pretending to charge, hoping to trick Ling Zhan into dodging so they could catch him during the dodge's recovery time, but they quickly abandoned that plan and went all out!

"Since you want to get smashed into a pancake, we three brothers will grant your wish!!"

The Holy Spirit Barrier leading the charge roared furiously.

"Here it comes!"

"We're about to hit him!!"

Every spectator stretched their necks, eyes locked onto the screen at this heart-stopping moment!

But just as the tension reached its peak...

Ling Zhan finally moved!

Swoosh!!

His movement was like a teleport, vanishing from everyone's sight!!

Bang!!

"Ah!!"

As expected, the three Holy Spirit Barriers crashed into each other violently, their painful screams echoing in unison!

They couldn't hit Ling Zhan but were unable to stop their momentum.

The aftermath of the 'Holy Shield Assault' and the powerful inertia of 'Valiant Charge,' coupled with such a short distance, was too extreme!

By the time the damn non-specialist somehow vanished, only 20 centimeters separated them from him!

They had planned to stop at two meters and then capitalize on Ling Zhan's dodge recovery time.

If they had caught him successfully, the three brothers would have unleashed a deadly combo!

The two-meter distance.

Was, in their eyes, the limit of their strategic maneuvering.

As top students of the Royal Academy, they were extremely confident in their physical control and coordination, believing they had enough time to adapt and change moves.

Little did they know...

This was just the 'limit of their own strategy.'

They never dreamed that the non-specialist would be so bold!

He waited until there were only 20 centimeters between them to dodge!

And the worst part is—he actually dodged successfully!!

Damn it!

Who could outplay him like this!

Many people think that a battle between professionals is just about who has higher attack power, more damage, and stronger skills.

But that's not the case.

Simply comparing stats and skill power is only for low-level battles between professionals.

In true high-level combat, every move is a constant battle of wits between experts.

Anticipating moves, countering attacks, and even reactionary countermeasures are all common in high-level fights.

When both sides start charging, neither of them can do nothing during the sprint.

This is the key moment for strategic gameplay between both sides.

You have three options.

The first option is to do nothing during the charge and wait until you're face-to-face with the opponent to unleash your skills.

This is the preferred tactic for professionals with some combat skills.

But it's also the easiest to predict.

Because if the opponent knows your class in advance, they'll have an understanding of your skills.

They'll know which of your skills are instant-cast and which require a longer cast time.

If you dare charge head-on, it means you're relying on your instant-cast skills.

So the opponent only needs to prepare a countermeasure for your instant-cast skills to defeat you easily.

The second option is to start charging while preparing a long-cast skill in advance.

But you can switch your move midway.

The opponent will see you're charging with a skill, but they'll worry that you'll change moves.

At this point, both sides are in a fair game of wits.

No one knows if the other will switch moves or not.

This introduces an element of luck, where the one who guesses right wins.

Especially in close-combat fights between similar classes, luck plays a crucial role.

The third option...

Is something only experts dare to try.

It's what we mentioned earlier: reactionary countermeasures.

Relying entirely on your reflexes to catch the opponent's skill as it's cast.

Then, in the instant the opponent's skill is released, you counter it accordingly.

No luck involved, just pure skill.

No room for the opponent to react.

As a non-specialist, Ling Zhan...

Has a natural advantage in these mind games.

As mentioned before...

The strategic battle is no more than a game of rock-paper-scissors.

But the problem is...

This non-specialist doesn't just have rock-paper-scissors; he also has hammers, broadswords, longswords, and so on...

His options for countermeasures are far too many!

Plus, directly reacting to the opponent's charge and shield bash shows that this non-specialist has an exceptional level of reactionary countermeasures!

A 20-centimeter distance...

This level of confidence in his reflexes is at the peak!

Coupled with the passive effect of the 'Eye of Ten Thousand Demons,' Ling Zhan's dynamic vision is greatly enhanced.

Movements that seem incredibly fast to others are slowed down countless times in his eyes.

Therefore...

Even without using skills or talents, Ling Zhan can still toy with the opponent thanks to his superior physical attributes and reflexes.

Especially against a heavy class like the Holy Spirit Barriers!

At this moment.

The three burly men had already crashed into each other.

The immense impact sent them flying, spitting blood, and leaving them severely injured.

And the non-specialist?

Tap!!

His figure landed lightly, like a feather.

Yes...

At the moment when he was about to be hit, he leaped into the air.

This was all thanks to a passive from a general skill.

'Leap!'

[Leap (A+): Increases your jumping power by 500%.]

It's widely regarded as the most useless general skill!

Because no one bothers to level it up!

At F-tier, Leap only increases your jump power by 5%.

And learning the skill costs 50 skill points!

Maybe later in the game, 50 skill points will seem trivial when it takes thousands to upgrade an A-tier skill.

But early on, no one wants to waste 50 points.

However, for Ling Zhan, investing in these small skills pays off greatly.

All thanks to his innate talent and foundation: Almighty.

A 500% jump boost.

Coupled with his terrifying base attributes.

And his perfectly refined body from the Ten Thousand Demons Breaking Realm Pill.

It allowed Ling Zhan to leap so effortlessly that to others it seemed like teleportation.

In fact...

Within a 10-meter range, Ling Zhan doesn't even need to use any skills. With just the passive 'Swift Wind' general skill, he can move faster than most displacement skills.