by <unknown>
Most of the players, including the mission participants, thought this. Although they could not inspect his stats, they made the assumption based on his previous battle recordings as well as the fact that he was only a Version 1.0 character.
Although he was definitely strong, how much stronger than them could he be? The difference between them and Han Xiao’s strength had to have decreased significantly since the start of the game. They were players! They leveled up super-fast!
The first player who was selected for the test had the ID ‘Falling Leaf’, and he took a big step out of the crowd.
The surrounding players immediately backed up to clear a space. Although fighting in Players’ Main City would usually worsen their reputations with the city’s NPCs, it should be fine with Han Xiao there.
Countless pairs of eyes stared unblinkingly, as if waiting for something.
“Start.” Han Xiao said a single word.
Falling Leaf immediately got into a defensive stance while waiting for the incoming blow.
Hum—
Four Sonic Spheres flew out while crisscrossing in the air. Attached to the spheres were detection devices that both increased the weapons’ range and accuracy.
An ear-piercing explosion suddenly bloomed on the stage!
Falling Leaf’s health dropped instantly, and he was rooted where he was by a stunned effect.
Boom boom boom!
Six pre-planted turrets suddenly sprang out of the ground and simultaneously opened fire on Falling Leaf. The combined firing rate was so fast that it was as if a miniature hailstorm was occurring where Falling Leaf was standing. Within a few moments, Falling Leaf collapsed onto the ground after being blasted to bits by the turret.
Although Falling Leaf had activated multiple energy skills to surround himself with a thin layer of energy, he was pinned to the ground as bullets rained down on him. The Sonic Spheres were also constantly applying various kinds of crowd control debuffs on him, locking him on the ground.
His health dropped to a dangerously low level within the blink of an eye, but the hurricane-like assault suddenly stopped, and the ground cleared up as if nothing had happened.
“You didn’t pass,” said Han Xiao with a flat voice.
Falling Leaf was stunned. It was all over before he even realized what had happened.
The surrounding players all had their mouths hanging wide open as they could not believe what had just happened.
A max level pro player could not even resist for five seconds before almost being wiped out!
There was no need to even talk about skills or controls. Han Xiao might as well have just hung him up and whipped his backside.
The player had been completely suppressed!
What surprised the players even more was that Han Xiao had remained in the same position throughout the whole thing. Even his pose was the same!
“Are Mechanics supposed to be this overpowered? Do we really have the same class‽”
“He didn’t even move. How did he control those weapons?”
“Isn’t he too overpowered for Version 1.0? Could it be that Planet Aquamarine can no longer limit him and that’s why he has decided to go into space?”
“Based on his past battle recordings, Black Phantom still has a lot of cards up his sleeves. This means that he didn’t even go all out!”
“Wasn’t that DPS a bit too ridiculous? Even a fifty-man raiding party would be turned into mincemeat if they had to fight a Boss like that…”
The same question once again surfaced in the players’ minds, albeit with them feeling completely different emotions this time around—just how high was Black Phantom’s level‽
The players had been in contact with Han Xiao ever since the open beta. They had thought that they had already closed the level gap between each other after farming so much experience. But never would they have expected to be so wrong… as expected of the Great Mechanic Han!
When Han Xiao turned around and saw the dumb expressions on the players’ faces, he knew that he had achieved the intended effects. He had once again refreshed his position in the players’ hearts, and they once again worshipped him.
Although the players were at max level, they were still too lacking in terms of talents, attributes, and skills. Their characters were still, after all, built around player templates. Han Xiao had now reached LV 70, and he was only stuck here due to the class change requirements, unable to choose a new sub-class. However, the difference between him and the players was the difference between one whole Version. On top of that, with Han Xiao’s Boss templates, his countless talents, skills, energy capacity, and weapons, the damage that he was able to output was unimaginable for the players.
LV 60 players only had around 3,000 health and some meager defense. They were still too weak in front of him.
Moreover, his Sonic Spheres had been upgraded to the purple grade and had very high damage. Sonic Spheres were a very unique type of weapon in Version 1.0. They operated on an entirely different set of tactics, dealt very high damage, and required high-level control skills.
The pro players’ expressions were all frozen on their faces.
Li Ge realized how wrong he had been when he ran his mouth off earlier, saying that this would take a long time. Han Xiao had basically one-shot the previous challenger!
None of the participating players dared to be careless anymore, and they all listened carefully for when they got picked. Everyone was starting to feel nervous in front of this monstrous foe.
The battles continued. The following players were much more careful, and they all tried their best to kite around Han Xiao. None dared go head on. The moment a player was hit by Han Xiao’s attacks, they would go down within ten seconds. Everyone tried everything that they could to survive for thirty seconds.
The surrounding audience grew in size, and some started to post recordings of the ‘fights’ onto the forums.
The people who watched the recordings were flabbergasted. It had only been a few days ago that these pro players had been showing off their skills in the tournament. However, watching them getting butchered like pigs by this NPC aroused their curiosity.
It was not an everyday occurrence for them to be able to watch pro players get bullied like that. More and more people got interested in this event as they got to watch the pros get shredded one after another.
Han Xiao’s strength was also recognized once again. Many posts were discussing this topic intensely. The happy bunch, of course, consisted of the Mechanics. Mechanics, on average, had the worst performance during the tournaments, causing many of them to be unhappy about the status quo. Watching Han Xiao pop off was like a breath of fresh air!
So, we can become that strong! Please show us the way!
Han Xiao’s mission had exploded among all players, and many tried to come up with jokes about the situation. What was originally a serious topic quickly turned into a source of memes. Only someone as famous as Han Xiao could get this kind of treatment.
“Black Phantom: Hold on for thirty seconds if you are a man!”
“Shocking! Pro players can’t even do it for thirty seconds!”
“Guide by pro players: How to hold on for thirty seconds!”
Making fun out of everything was what these players were best at.
‘Thirty seconds’ soon became a well-known term, while ‘seconds’ became something that people used to quantify a pro player’s strength. Those are players who were able to make it to the end of the thirty-second test all became the legendary ‘Thirty Seconds Warriors’.
…
The selection continued into the night. The crowd only started to disperse after Han Xiao had returned to his quarters to rest. The mission period was five days, and the remaining pro players went away with heavy feelings in their hearts, stressing about coming up with a strategy for the next day.
Han Xiao was just about to enter his house when he thought about something and suddenly stopped. He then turned and w
alked toward the room with Frenzied Sword and the others.
When Han Xiao pushed opened the door to their room, he saw that the four were chilling in the room. They immediately stood up when they saw Han Xiao walk in, curious as to what was about to happen.
Black Phantom would not look for them on normal occasions. He would only find them when he had missions or benefits to distribute.
When the four thought about the commotion earlier in the morning, they were able to make some faint guesses, and the anticipation started to show on their faces.
As Black Phantom’s followers, they had always been receiving special treatment. So, maybe this time as well…
Han Xiao chuckled before saying, “You’re all my friends. I am about to leave this planet for the boundless world above. Are you guys willing to come with me?”
Look at this!
Everyone had only been able to find out about Han Xiao’s plans through the mission that he gave out earlier. Yet, he had come to invite them in person. They could even directly skip the selection. What a caring boss!
“I’m willing!” Frenzied Sword answered without a second’s hesitation with a face full of excitement.
Chapter 315. Prelude to an Age of Strife (1) |
Although Frenzied Sword and Hao Tian had both accepted the selection mission, neither was confident about passing. Now, with Han Xiao’s direct offer, the two could finally let out a deep breath.
This was a golden opportunity, and of course, none of them would want to reject it. Bun-hit-dog was especially happy about it. He understood the impact that being one of the first few players to journey into space could have on his videos. Moreover, most of the people to follow Han Xiao would certainly be exceptional pro players, allowing him to interview them whenever he wanted to boost his show’s popularity.
At first, he had felt heartbroken when he saw the requirements that one needed to meet in order to join Han Xiao’s journey. He was not a particularly skillful player, and he had thought that he had no chance of following along Han Xiao.
In this moment, Bun-hit-dog was so excited that he would have jumped through the ceiling, but he stopped himself after he thought about the fines that he would have to pay if he did.
To Han Xiao, Bun-hit-dog was the perfect reporter. Although he did not even think that Bun-hit-dog would be good enough to be cannon fodder, his role in the group was still irreplaceable.
Bun-hit-dog’s shows served as a bridge between Han Xiao and the players, and it helped to boost his popularity. Han Xiao leading the only group of players who could adventure in space would definitely bring in loads of attention. So, he would be able to continue to leave a deep impression on the players despite having left Planet Aquamarine.
The player’s curiosity for the space in Galaxy as well as their fan-craze on the pro players would ensure views for Bun-hit-dog’s ‘Exploration Diary’.
After all, things like this were highly entertaining for the players and would be in high demand.
“Are you really going to space?” asked Maple Moon curiously. She was a big fan of anything plot and lore-related.
Han Xiao’s eyes flashed. He glanced at Bun-hit-dog before saying in a cryptic way, “This planet is about to witness an unprecedented calamity. Only the endless reaches in the galaxy beyond hold the key to saving the planet.”
Calamity‽ The four were shocked.
Bun-hit-dog had started recording their conversation the moment Maple Moon asked that question. He had a feeling that what Han Xiao had said just then could be something big very soon.
A few days later…
Boom!
Within the flashes and sounds of explosions stood the Second Prince, who was still hanging on for all he was worth.
“Fourteen, thirteen…”
The surrounding crowd counted down in excitement.
“C’mon, you can do it man! You must join the thirty-seconds club.”
Sun Eggplant was fanning the flames from the side. He stood with a small group of people who had all passed the test. Han Xiao had secretly weakened his attacks for certain players as they were the one that he wanted on his team. Most of them were big names in the pro-scene and those that had performed well in the tournament.
The onlooking players could only feel envious about it, and they comforted themselves by telling themselves that those who had passed were all godly pro players. The group of people who had passed were then called the ‘thirty-seconds club’.
“Damn, you just needed another second.”
“Why do I keep finishing early?”
During the days of the selection, Han Xiao never changed his attacking style. He just stood still and controlled the Sonic Spheres and the turrets to suppress the challenger. This gave the players hope, as they believed that this was just like clearing a dungeon. They could always learn and analyze Han Xiao’s moves from the others’ attempts and even their own failures, thus gaining an advantage for themselves later on.
However, try as they might, no matter how much the players learned about the fight, most were completely suppressed by Han Xiao and could not even last longer than ten seconds.
Second Prince, huh… He’s not bad, thought Han Xiao as he slowly let up his attacks.
An opening! Second Prince’s eyes flashed, and he threw himself on the ground and rolled out of the range of the attacks. The rain of bullets slowly inched toward him, and he did not even have time to get back up on his feet before he started to wiggle around on the ground in a desperate attempt to stay alive.
“… two, one, zero!”
“He made it!”
“I can’t believe he used his trump card—Repeated Barrel Rolls!”
The crowd started laughing at the pro player’s sorry state.
Second Prince got back up with a face covered in smoke and dirt, and Sun Eggplant, who stood to the side, raised his thumb before snickering. “You have really opened my eyes today. You even pioneered your own fighting style, becoming the grandmaster of rolls. What a man.”
King Admiral pretended to be comprehending something. “It feels like it would be quite useful. How about you learn it as well, Li Ge?”
Li Ge remained expressionless. “What an embarrassment.”
“Screw off!” Second Prince was enraged.
This bunch of star players were opponents in competitions, but they were also old friends, and they often bickered among each other whenever they hung out.
Han Xiao had basically gotten all the members that he needed. He had already gotten a hold of pro players from the four big guilds and from the top eight teams. Most of the top eights from the individual matches had also joined his team. After counting up everyone, there was a little over fifty people total, but it was not a big deal, as he could simply purchase the new tickets on board.
Thanks to the official tournament, Han Xiao had an easy time looking for talents. He had packed most of the top rankers on Planet Aquamarine into his group in one go.
To him, not only were the players the best cannon fodder, they were also his main information channel. Galaxy offered countless storylines, and Han Xiao could become the middle-man to offer all these missions to the players, just like he did on the planet. That way, a part of all the pro players’ earnings would go directly into his pocket. He had basically acquired a group of sweet, little bees that would work tirelessly for him, earning the resources that would have gone to the other NPCs instead.
This was the correct way to utilize the players’ advantages.
Ultimately, Galaxy was like a theme park, full of distractions. He would need to use some methods if he wanted to ensure that these players stayed by his side. Now, having established his position among the players as ‘one of their own’ combined with the benefits that moving together as a single party would offer, there should not be any problems in the short run. Han Xiao would not have to worry about the pro players being tempted by something else in space for now.
Regardless, Han Xiao had long
since become accustomed to being prepared for anything. He had already come up with a more concrete plan to deal with issue. However, he would have to wait until they actually entered space before he could start implementing his plan. This was not some sort of idea that had sprung out from a moment’s brilliance, but rather, a plan that he had thought up after considering the big picture, and it was a crucial step for his future developments.
“They’re all star players. Isn’t this too extravagant of a line-up?”
“Doesn’t it feel like we’re a few persons short?”
The more meticulous fans realized that Hao Tian and Frenzied Sword had not come for the mission.
“All the other pro players came. How could they let go of a chance like this? Even other Long Sky members participated in the selection.”
The star players had also realized this, and Li Ge frowned. “Where are those two? Where’s Hao Tian?”
Sleepy Winter felt helpless. “I have already asked. Old Hao and Frenzied Sword were already qualified to begin with.”
The crowd could not process what Sleepy Winter had just said for a second.
Hao Tian and Frenzied Sword had triggered Black Phantom’s Hidden Storyline. Was that why they got this special treatment‽
The bunch of pro players suddenly felt a sense of unfairness in their hearts. They could not believe that they had to come here to get tortured over and over again, while those two just backdoored their way in.
Where was the justice in that!
The pro players were jealous to no end. They also wanted to receive such benefits.
Once the testing was over, the crowd started, albeit quite unwillingly. However, at that moment, Han Xiao silently sent out another pre-written mission to the surrounding players.
_____________
The Last Bastion
Mission Type: Prize-Pool Mission
_____________
The players stopped dead in their tracks and focused on the new information.
“What a sudden mission. Where did it come from?”
“Black Phantom didn’t say anything, right? Could he be the one who sent it?”
