Professional level

Tian Qi and his two companions didn't dare to breathe too loudly, fearing they might disturb Jun Mo Xiao's battle. At the same time, they were on high alert, ready to jump into the fight at any moment. However, as they waited, they saw Jun Mo Xiao and the Skeleton Warrior engaged in a perilous fight, with no indication that Jun Mo Xiao wanted their assistance. Positioned on the left, right, and directly behind the Skeleton Warrior, all three of them stayed well outside the range of the warrior's occasional shockwave attacks.

"He's not planning to solo this, is he?" Mu Yun Shen messaged Tian Qi.

"To be honest, I'm starting to wonder that myself," Tian Qi replied.

"Soloing a hidden boss?" Just typing these words felt incredibly thrilling to Mu Yun Shen.

"It's not like it's never been done before..." Tian Qi said.

"Brother expert is too strong. What's his background? At this level, I feel like we're not even in the same league," Mu Yun Shen said.

"Not even close," Tian Qi concluded. The guild leader of the Poor Moon Guild was revered by all for his 200 APM (actions per minute). Yet, just one day into exploring the new zone, three traitors had already emerged within their ranks, showing utter disdain for their leader.

At that moment, Qian Sheng Li also sent a message: "He's not planning to solo this, is he?" In the game, voice chat was limited to "current" surroundings, without any private messaging feature. With the distance between them, they would have to raise their voices to be heard, so they opted to message each other quietly to avoid disturbing the expert battling the monster.

"Possibly," both Tian Qi and Mu Yun Shen responded to Qian Sheng Li's message together.

"Should we record this?" Qian Sheng Li asked, referring to the game's recording feature.

"Let's not. Brother expert didn't say we should," Tian Qi advised.

"Oh," Qian Sheng Li acknowledged and fell silent. The three continued to watch Jun Mo Xiao battle the monster, marveling at his mastery with the war spear. His dodging and maneuvering were like something out of a martial arts film. Compared to him, the regular players' combat and PvP skills were crude, to say the least.

Chen Guo stood behind Ye Kai, counting the hits. From a spectator's perspective, she was less engaged than Tian Qi and his friends because she shared the first-person view of Ye Kai, which limited her view of Jun Mo Xiao's actions. The rapid changes in perspective made her dizzy, often losing track of the character's orientation and the Skeleton Warrior's position.

However, Ye Kai's control remained precise and clear. Chen Guo noticed that his left hand was moving faster than she had seen the day before, and his right hand, which held the mouse, moved even quicker, though with fewer movements. Each movement was decisive, immediately followed by a click of the left or right mouse button.

Chen Guo was amazed. She knew that generally, the left button was for basic attacks and the right for skills, with the cursor indicating the direction and target of the attack. Ye Kai's movements were crisp, without any hesitation. Even as the screen shifted rapidly, the cursor was always perfectly positioned for the attack.

Ye Kai's right hand was not just fast, but also incredibly steady.

"Professional level, indeed," Chen Guo exclaimed. Meanwhile, a faint "scrape" sound from Ye Kai's headset marked the twentieth hit, but Jun Mo Xiao's health hadn't decreased at all, meaning the Skeleton Warrior hadn't landed a single hit on him.

"Mu Yun Shen, Crushing Mountain Strike!" Ye Kai suddenly shouted into his headset.

"Is it our turn to join in?" Mu Yun Shen had thought they wouldn't need to intervene, but at Ye Kai's command, he didn't hesitate to draw his sword and charge. Jun Mo Xiao had just launched a sky strike, sending the Skeleton Warrior flying towards him. Mu Yun Shen met it with a Crushing Mountain Strike, executing an eight-hit combo, the limit for this move.

"Block!" Ye Kai's shout was a reminder for Mu Yun Shen, who was already prepared to block. The Skeleton Warrior's shockwave hit his sword, pushing Mu Yun Shen back. His level four block skill could mitigate 70% of physical damage. Since the shockwave wasn't a major attack, the remaining 30% damage was negligible.

Jun Mo Xiao had already dodged the shockwave and immediately counterattacked, causing the Skeleton Warrior to stiffen. Mu Yun Shen, understanding the plan without needing a prompt, was ready to use his stiffening skill.

"Tian Qi, Qian Sheng Li," Ye Kai called out, and the two rushed over, quickly grasping the tactical intent and preparing their stiffening skills.

"What's going on?" Chen Guo was puzzled by Ye Kai's sudden call for assistance.

"Didn't you see?" Ye Kai asked, then had Jun Mo Xiao look down, showing Chen Guo the Skeleton Warrior's sword lying quietly on the ground, already dropped and broken after the ring was hit.

"What happened? Wasn't it supposed to be 24 hits?" Chen Guo was surprised. Although the headset was hanging around Ye Kai's neck, a bit far from her, the metallic "scrape" during the battle with the Skeleton Warrior was very distinct. She was sure she hadn't missed any.

"It was 24 hits," Ye Kai said.

"But I only heard 20 hits," Chen Guo said.

"There were four instances of a double thrust, making it a two-stage attack. It was too fast for you to notice. Add those four, and you get exactly 24 hits," Ye Kai explained.

Chen Guo was astonished, "A double thrust hitting the same spot? That should trigger a bleeding effect, right? Why didn't I see it? Not even once? Was it blocked by the ring?"

"Skeletons are immune to bleeding effects," Ye Kai said.

Chen Guo blushed with embarrassment. Many types of monsters in Glory were immune to bleeding effects, including skeletons. Without flesh, how could they bleed? This logic was basic knowledge, and Chen Guo, an experienced player, had momentarily forgotten it.

"It's all because of this guy, with his shifting perspectives, I even forgot what monster we were fighting," Chen Guo grumbled as she returned to her computer. Outside the novice village, the crowd was still thick, and monsters still needed to be fought for. Feeling annoyed, she then heard Ye Kai ask, "Boss, are you planning to pull an all-nighter?"