Chapter 84: Rising Again as a True Hero

Zhang Shan glanced at his health bar, now more than half gone, and saw that five warrior-class opponents were still standing, untoppled by his attacks. The other ranged classes were also closing in; if he were targeted again by their combined fire, he’d certainly have to give up his first life.

Ah, if only he had a lifesteal skill! Without any support to heal him, standing toe-to-toe in a brawl like this was really stretching his limits. Fighting three to five at once wasn’t a problem, but there were still more than ten enemies on the field—five warriors, and seven mages and archers lurking on the periphery.

There was also a support class, a Taoist, still in play. The Taoist, having kept a safe distance, had so far evaded Zhang Shan’s attacks. This couldn’t go on. Even with two lives, he could very well lose here if things didn’t change.

The only good news was that many from the Across the Seas guild were being savaged by wild wolves. Though they hadn’t yet been killed, they were too busy fending off the beasts to focus on Zhang Shan. Only the five warriors by his side, heedless of the wolves’ attacks, were single-mindedly intent on cutting him down.

He needed to maneuver. Standing his ground and trading blows against a group of warriors was not the forte of a hunter. The duration of his Frenzy skill had also ended; the six seconds of supreme speed were over, and his attack rate dropped noticeably.

The wolves surrounding him both shielded him from some enemies and severely restricted his ability to dodge and reposition. He could only try to use his panda companion as a shield, putting it between himself and the warriors to at least block one attacker.

Suddenly, Zhang Shan noticed that the last support Taoist from Across the Seas was making his way over. Was he planning to resurrect the Dragon King of the East Sea?

Damn it, whatever—he’d better take down this last support first. If worst came to worst, he could just respawn in ten seconds and fight again. Did they really think that just because his health bar was almost empty, he was finished?

With two shots, he took down the Taoist.

Now, there were no more supports left nearby for Across the Seas to perform any resurrections. Anyone who died would have to return to the city to revive, losing a level in the process.

After landing a critical hit that felled one of the warriors, Zhang Shan himself finally dropped—his first life extinguished.

He lay on the ground, awaiting resurrection in ten seconds.

But the members of Across the Seas didn’t know he had a resurrection skill. They thought he was truly dead.

“Damn, we finally killed that freak.”

“Hell, that artifact is really powerful. We need to do whatever it takes to gather information about it.”

“What now? Should we just teleport back to town?”

“Our boss is still lying on the ground. Let’s get someone over to resurrect him.”

“Others might not be able to get here soon. There are too many monsters around.”

“We’ll wait. They’ll figure out how to get a support through.”

“Why is Six-Barreled Bodhisattva still lying there, not reviving at town? Waiting for someone to save him?”

“Forget about him. Shame we can’t desecrate his corpse—otherwise, I’d chop him up myself, hmph.”

“By the way, with Six-Barreled Bodhisattva’s name so red, why didn’t any gear drop? That doesn’t make sense.”

“No idea. Maybe there’s some special item that prevents equipment loss?”

“I’m posting in the world channel first. In a moment, I’ll upload the video of Six-Barreled Bodhisattva’s fall to the forums, ha.”

World channel:

“Six-Barreled Bodhisattva, weren’t you so tough? Now you’re lying there like a dead dog. If you’re so great, get up!”

“What’s going on? The artifact guy died?”

“He must have. Otherwise, the Across the Seas people wouldn’t be so vocal.”

“This isn’t a solo game. No matter how strong your gear, you need a team to really shine.”

“Exactly. Six-Barreled Bodhisattva is the perfect counterexample.”

Wind-and-Cloud Blade calls out:

“How’d you die? Want me to send someone with resurrection to help?”

Zhang Shan didn’t reply to anyone, just lay silently on the ground, watching Across the Seas put on their act.

Ten seconds passed quickly.

Across the Seas still had four warriors and six “squishy” players left in the field, but they couldn’t slack off. They were fighting desperately to clear out the wild wolves; if they paused even for a moment, they risked being overwhelmed.

So when Zhang Shan suddenly stood up, they didn’t even notice at first.

He realized his position was perfect—near the squishies, farther from the warriors. The four warriors had to hold the monsters up front.

Just right. As soon as he got to his feet, he fired rapidly—one shot per enemy, two shots per enemy—and before they could react, all six squishies were down.

“Damn, how did Six-Barreled Bodhisattva get back up? Did someone from Wind-and-Cloud Guild come to help?”

The Across the Seas players were dumbfounded, still clueless about what had happened.

Zhang Shan wasn’t about to show mercy. Only four warriors remained; he didn’t even need to use Berserk, since warriors at this stage didn’t have any stun skills.

It was no trouble to take them out with basic attacks. He even had time to summon his panda companion to his side.

The four remaining warriors were in despair. Earlier, with so many people, they’d only managed to kill Zhang Shan after a grueling struggle. Now he was back at full health, while they were the only ones left. There was no way to win, not even a chance to escape.

They had no choice but to fight to the bitter end.

It didn’t take Zhang Shan long to finish off the last four warriors. Only he remained on the field, surrounded by corpses and countless wild wolves.

The Dragon King of the East Sea, unable to endure the humiliation, chose to respawn in town. One by one, the others on the ground vanished in flashes of white light.

With the enemy gone, Zhang Shan calmly resumed grinding monsters. He hadn’t killed that many this time, fewer than eighty. His infamy score was over seven hundred, less than when he’d clashed with the Heaven and Earth Guild. By evening, he should be able to clear his red name.

Oh, right—he should reply to Wind-and-Cloud Blade, or else the man wouldn’t know what had happened.

“Brother Blade, it’s all settled. The Dragon King and his lot have been sent packing.”

“What do you mean? Didn’t they just say in the world channel that you died?”

“I lost one life. After resurrecting, I sent them all back to town.”

“Damn, your resurrection skill is a bit overpowered. No wonder nobody’s seen it before, ha. Aren’t you going to clear things up in the world channel?”

“Can’t be bothered.”

“I’ll do it! These guys have never been properly schooled by the game’s social side. I’ll give them a heads-up.”

“Go ahead.”

“Watch me. I’m going to rub the Dragon King’s face in the dirt, stomp it a few times for good measure.”

Zhang Shan...

World channel—

Wind-and-Cloud Blade: “Where’s Dragon King? You didn’t finish the job. Six-Barreled Bodhisattva is still out here on Wolf Hill, having a grand old time. If you start something, at least see it through—quitting halfway is a bad habit.”

“What the hell is going on? The artifact guy isn’t dead?”

“This is complicated. All the spectators are confused—can someone explain?”

“Dragon King of the East Sea, show yourself.”

“No response? Did they just bluff earlier, pretending they’d killed the artifact boss?”

“No need to ask. Across the Seas Guild has all returned to Yunmeng City. As for Six-Barreled Bodhisattva, nobody’s seen him leave.”

“Total nonsense. If you’re going to fight, just fight—what’s with all the bragging?”

“Exactly. Losing isn’t shameful, but talking big and getting slapped in the face is true humiliation.”

“Sigh, Dragon King’s face must be swollen by now. I feel sorry for him—just for a second.”

“Six-Barreled Bodhisattva, do you still have that red axe?”

These people were really something, still concerned about the axe. But that was fine—interest meant he might be able to sell it for a high price.