Reincarnation Of The Strongest Sword God - Chapter 516

Chapter 516: Successful Evolution

In God’s Domain, aside from leveling up, it was extremely difficult for players to obtain permanent Attributes.

Losing 400 HP, or the equivalent of 20 Endurance points, would significantly weaken a player.

Even Shi Feng would mourn the Attribute loss, let alone other players.

However, despite having seen the true side of the Power of Evolution, Shi Feng still chose to sacrifice 400 HP, albeit begrudgingly.

Although 400 HP was precious, it could not beat being able to upgrade the Icarus’s Heart to Epic rank. Moreover, Shi Feng knew of several methods to increase his Endurance permanently; he could easily make up for the loss he suffered now.

Shi Feng then clicked “Agree,” and suddenly, the strength of the Holy Grail’s Divine Might soared.

In the next moment, strands of green light flowed from Shi Feng’s body and into the Holy Grail. After the Holy Grail absorbed 400 HP from Shi Feng, it fired a purple ray at the Icarus’s Heart.

Immediately, the Icarus’s Heart released a brilliant golden glow, forcing Shi Feng to shut his eyes.

After the golden radiance faded, Shi Feng opened his eyes and looked at the Icarus’s Heart, discovering that the necklace now emitted a faint purple glow.

“Was it a success?” Shi Feng was somewhat nervous as he examined the necklace’s Attributes.

If it had failed, then he had permanently lost 400 HP for nothing. Moreover, he would also have to wait for ten days before the next sacrifice.

However, after investigating the Icarus’s Heart’s Attributes, Shi Feng’s tightened fists relaxed as excitement quickly overtook him.

That’s right; it was a success!

[Icarus’s Heart] (Necklace, Mysterious-Iron Rank [Can be evolved])

Equipment Requirement: All Attributes 120

Level 20 – Level 80 (Currently Level 30)

All Attributes +18

Luck +7

Additional Skill –

Divine Providence: Temporarily increases player’s Luck by 25 points for 30 seconds.

Cooldown: 45 minutes

Evolution Condition: Absorb the Life Force of 300 players to evolve to Secret-Silver Rank. (0/300)

After evolving, Icarus’s Heart’s rank had upgraded from Bronze to Mysterious-Iron. The Luck it provided had increased from 5 points to 7 points. Aside from that, Divine Providence’s Cooldown had decreased from one hour to 45 minutes. This would save Shi Feng a lot of time.

However, the best improvement by far was the change to the Evolution Conditions.

Originally, the Icarus’s Heart required Shi Feng to kill Lord ranked monsters. Moreover, it required 100 kills. Lords were extremely rare, and Shi Feng would have to waste a lot of time to kill 100. Now that the conditions had been adjusted, Shi Feng only needed to kill 300 players and absorb their Life Force instead.

A Lord was very difficult to find, but players crowded the streets.

As long as Shi Feng worked hard, he could upgrade Icarus’s Heart to Epic rank very quickly. At that time, he would gain massive profits from opening the Twilight Treasure Chests.

At the thought, Shi Feng could not help but grow restless.

If not for the ongoing war with Overwhelming Smile, he would have struggled to find opponents. Now, however, his target was clear. He would use Overwhelming Smile’s players as sacrifices for the Icarus’s Heart.

Now that Overwhelming Smile’s White River City branch has been defeated, it won’t be easy to find large groups of players. I might as well make a trip to Maple City and have a look at the situation there. After some consideration, Shi Feng felt that Maple City was the best location to take action.

Overwhelming Smile had already become Maple City’s overlord. The Overwhelming Smile members there had nothing to fear within the region of Maple City. It would be far easier for Shi Feng to find targets there than in White River City.

Shi Feng then slipped the Icarus’s Heart over his head and headed for White River City’s Teleportation Hall.

Shi Feng very much looked forward to upgrading the Icarus’s Heart to Epic rank. Not even the night in God’s Domain could hinder Shi Feng’s yearning.

The sooner he upgraded the necklace to Epic rank, the sooner he could obtain better items from the Twilight Treasure Chests. One could obtain even Epic items from the Twilight Treasure Chests. If he could get his hands on several Epic items, he could help the guild tremendously. Naturally, he would upgrade it sooner rather than later.

As for the matter regarding the Light Stones, he fully trusted Melancholic Smile’s capabilities. Shi Feng believed that it wouldn’t be long before the Light Stones raked in a massive income.

Just as Shi Feng arrived before the Teleportation Hall, the sound of his communicator rang near his ears. The caller this time was none other than Gentle Snow, who had been busy consolidating her power as the new Guild Leader of Ouroboros.

Although Gentle Snow had chased away her biggest competitor, Cao Chenghua, the resulting internal struggles within Ouroboros had resulted in the first-rate Guild falling apart. If Gentle Snow wished to consolidate her power, she would need to spend a lot of time and effort to do so. In addition, a more powerful opponent, the first-rate Guild Star Alliance, lurked, waiting to strike.

Shi Feng had never thought that Gentle Snow would have the spare time to contact him with the burdens she currently shouldered.

“Guild Leader Black Flame, may I ask if you have the time to speak right now?”

In the video call, Gentle Snow still wore the calm and elegant smile she usually displayed. She looked like a goddess that was high above mortals. It felt as if she were in control of everything. However, though she appeared completely fine on the surface, her act did not deceive Shi Feng.

He could feel that Gentle Snow had grown frailer than before. Seeing a superwoman like Gentle Snow so exhausted, one could just imagine how terrible Ouroboros’s current situation was.

However, giving the situation some thought, Shi Feng felt that such an outcome was expected. Gentle Snow had just taken control of Ouroboros. The number of people she could trust was limited. Meanwhile, after ruling Ouroboros for so many years, Cao Chenghua would not give up so easily after being kicked out of his position. In addition to a great enemy like the Star Alliance threatening the Guild, it would be very difficult for Gentle Snow to cope.

“Miss Snow, there is no need to mince words. Our Guilds are allies, so feel free to speak your mind,” Shi Feng spoke candidly.

Gentle Snow revealed a bitter smile on her pure and delicate face upon hearing Shi Feng’s words. “Guild Leader Black Flame’s senses are as sharp as always. I’ll speak openly, then. I’m calling about the Candlelight Trading Firm that suddenly appeared on one of Star-Moon City’s golden Lands and the Candlelight Trading Firms in White River City. I can’t think of anyone in the entire Star-Moon Kingdom other than you who is capable of launching such firms.”

“That’s right; I am indeed the founder.” Shi Feng did not try to hide it. To begin with, he had no need to do so.

He had spoken with Gentle Snow about his plans to establish a Lifestyle Guild long ago. Back then, he had hoped to utilize Ouroboros’s fame to promote his Trading Firm. Even without Gentle Snow’s call today, he had prepared to seek her help to promote the Candlelight Trading Firm at an appropriate time.

As a first-rate Guild, Ouroboros had a large number of members scattered across Star-Moon Kingdom. Practically every major city in Star-Moon Kingdom housed the Guild’s members. There were even branches in other kingdoms. If the Guild helped with promotion, the Candlelight Trading Firm’s business would flourish.

However, the supply of Basic Strengthened Armor Kits simply could not meet the demand. Even if Ouroboros promoted the Firm right now, it would not significantly increase the Firm’s income; hence Shi Feng had decided to hold off on seeking Gentle Snow’s help for the moment.

“Excellent; this will make things easy. I want to invest into the Candlelight Trading Firm. I don’t want a lot of shares; 20% will do. Naturally, I will compensate you appropriately. The compensation will include 30% of Ouroboros’s shares, as well as funds, channels, and materials, which will allow the Trading Firm to develop quickly.

“What do you think of my offer?”

---

If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!

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---

Current release rate: 21 chapters/ week

Chapter 517: Fate Makes Fools of the People

One had to admit that Gentle Snow’s proposal was tempting.

Even Zhao Yueru and the Elders of Ouroboros standing beside Gentle Snow were shocked by her offer.

After all was said and done, Ouroboros was a bona fide first-rate Guild and possessed a massive fortune. The Guild had only achieved its current status after striving for many years. Although the Guilds’ internal struggles were serious, the Guild itself was still frighteningly strong; second-rate Guilds were still no match for it.

Yet, just for 20% of the shares of a Trading Firm, Gentle Snow actually intended to trade 30% of Ouroboros’s shares for 20% of the Trading Firm, in addition to providing various funds and channels. This decision was simply insane.

“Snow, have you gone mad? You only hold 50% of Ouroboros’s shares right now, yet, you’re actually going to give Black Flame 30%? What will you do if Black Flame joins hands with Cao Chenghua?” Zhao Yueru persuaded her friend softly.

Although Zhao Yueru trusted Black Flame, 30% of Ouroboros’s shares was simply too important. If utilized properly, Gentle Snow could easily persuade more of the Guild’s Elders to her side. That way, Cao Chenghua would not be able to impact the Guild so easily. Utilizing the Guild’s shares to boost Gentle Snow’s strength and solidify the Guild was far more valuable than obtaining 20% of the Candlelight Trading Firm’s shares.

“That’s right, Young Madam Snow; you have to consider this carefully. Those shares are the last resort left by Young Master for you to keep Cao Chenghua in check. Although Cao Chenghua can no longer play God’s Domain, in the real world, his authority in the company has not been affected in the slightest. If you give those shares to someone else and lose this protective talisman, he can easily join hands with the other shareholders of the company to oppose you,” a man nearing his fifties in butler clothing similarly attempted to persuade Gentle Snow.

“You don’t have to say anymore. I know what I am doing.” Gentle Snow shook her head, waiting for Shi Feng’s reply.

She was no fool. She knew this was not a worthwhile transaction. Even so, she insisted on conducting such a trade to deepen the relationship between their two Guilds.

Although she was the Guild Leader of Ouroboros and one of the major shareholders of the company, neither her authority nor her words were of any use. Unfortunately, although she had tried to nurture plenty of people herself, there were too few capable personnel under her command. It was especially true for experts in God’s Domain.

Cao Chenghua had managed Ouroboros for many years now, so he had previously had the time and resources to nurture plenty of experts.

Due to her premature victory over Cao Chenghua in God’s Domain, he had decisively ordered all of the experts under him to abandon the Guild. In addition, Cao Chenghua had also roped in many of the Guild’s Elders and had secretly been transferring personnel out of the Guild, gradually splitting Ouroboros in half.

If Ouroboros split in half, then the shares she had on hand would be meaningless. Hence, she might as well use it to pull Zero Wing to her side.

Although Zero Wing seemed only to occupy a single city right now and looked to be inferior to many second-rate Guilds, Zero Wing’s city had the second highest population in Star-Moon Kingdom. That was far better than occupying three to five minor cities with a population of only several hundred thousand players.

In particular, after seeing Ye Feng’s and Violet Cloud’s performance…

Although Zero Wing was still a fledgling Guild right now, Gentle Snow had seen Zero Wing’s small, but sharp, fangs. When the time was right, Zero Wing would rip apart all enemies in its way and become Star-Moon Kingdom’s overlord.

At this moment, just the fact that Black Flame had managed to establish a Candlelight Trading Firm on one of Star-Moon City’s golden Lands displayed the man’s capabilities and power.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng was similarly stunned by Gentle Snow’s proposal. He had never expected Gentle Snow to make such a tempting offer.

However, Shi Feng still shook his head and said, “Miss Snow, your offer is indeed very tempting. However, please allow me to refuse.”

“Refuse? Why?” Gentle Snow asked in disbelief, her beautiful eyes widening with shock.

Her proposal was no different than shoving money at Shi Feng’s face. If Zero Wing and Ouroboros joined forces, not only could they make up for each other’s deficiencies, but it would also become more convenient for their two Guilds on their paths to becoming the overlords of Star-Moon Kingdom. She could not fathom why Shi Feng would reject such a proposal.

“As I understand it, I know that you hope to deal with Ouroboros’s internal problems quickly, but I do not want Zero Wing to get mixed up in the internal struggles of other Guilds,” Shi Feng explained. “However, I have another proposal that Miss Snow might be interested in.”

“Another proposal?” Gentle Snow could not help but ask curiously.

“It’s very simple. Miss Snow simply needs to bring Ouroboros’s members into Zero Wing. I can give Miss Snow 15% of Zero Wing’s shares.” Although Shi Feng’s voice was utterly calm, his words were astoundingly shocking.

“Are you trying to annex Ouroboros?” Gentle Snow said, slightly indignant.

Ouroboros did not belong to her entirely. Originally, it should have been her brother’s. Only, due to her brother having an accident, Cao Chenghua had taken the opportunity to weasel his way to the top. And all this time, she had been thinking of a way to help Ouroboros recover its past glory, so how could she possibly agree to merge Ouroboros and Zero Wing right now?

“Is there a difference?” Shi Feng countered. “Ouroboros exists only in name now. Although you have acquired the position of Ouroboros’s Guild Leader, you do not possess the corresponding authority. Sooner or later, Ouroboros will split in half, so why not join Zero Wing instead?”

Shi Feng had his own considerations regarding Ouroboros.

In reality, Ouroboros was not all that important to him. The only reason he had decided to offer 15% of Zero Wing’s shares was solely due to the war goddess herself, Gentle Snow. Everything else meant little to him.

In the past, Cao Chenghua had defeated Gentle Snow. With the entire Guild pitted against her, it was only natural that she had lost. Aside from Gentle Snow’s most trusted followers, not a single person had stood with Gentle Snow. How could she have won?

Even if her own abilities were amazing and her strength famed throughout God’s Domain, the people’s aspirations could not be easily swayed just by strength alone.

Although Shi Feng had helped Gentle Snow win the competition this time, her fate had not changed much. In this life, she was simply the one standing on the righteousness rather than Cao Chenghua. Even so, the majority of Ouroboros’s members were still Cao Chenghua’s subordinates. He could just withdraw his men and form his own Guild. Only, the price he would have to pay would not be small.

However, Cao Chenghua had no other choice.

In the end, Ouroboros would disband.

What point was there for Gentle Snow to strive so hard? It would be much better for her to take the opportunity, while a small portion of the Guild still supported her, to join Zero Wing.

Time crawled by.

Both sides silently looked at each other.

At this moment, complex emotions filled Gentle Snow’s heart.

She had won the competition, but lost the Guild.

This sentence fit her situation perfectly. Despite her desperate efforts to preserve the Guild, at the end of the day, she could not escape her fate.

“Fate makes fools of the people!”

Gentle Snow quietly exclaimed. She then looked at Zhao Yueru and the several Guild Elders beside her. They were all people whom she trusted the most. By the time Cao Chenghua extracted all of his underlings from Ouroboros, the Guild would only exist in name. At that time, it would be very difficult for the Guild to continue in Star-Moon Kingdom.

After all, Ouroboros and the Star Alliance were sworn enemies. Even if Ouroboros only existed in name, the Star Alliance would not let it off the hook. Only when the Guild had thoroughly erased Ouroboros from God’s Domain would it rest.

---

If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!

Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!

If you would like to show even more support, please consider purchasing a copy of RSSG’s first e-book, second e-book, third e-book, fourth e-book, fifth e-book and even sixth e-book!

We also have a Patreon, so if you would like to get early access to a certain amount of chapters, or wish to contribute to a faster release rate, or both, please consider donating at RSSG Patreon!

---

Current release rate: 21 chapters/ week

Chapter 518: Breaking the Balance

After some time, Gentle Snow released a small sigh.

Shi Feng could see the helplessness Gentle Snow struggled with through the screen. However, her reaction was only natural. After all, who would willingly merge the Guild they had spent an endless amount of effort to establish with another Guild?

However, Shi Feng had his own considerations as well.

Even if Zero Wing and Ouroboros were allies, the Guilds resided in two different cities. And as no one could predict the future, both Zero Wing’s upper management and its Guild members had to keep up their guard constantly. In order to avoid adding to Zero Wing’s worries, the best result would be to annex Ouroboros.

It was truly hilarious.

A little Guild like Zero Wing actually dared to annex a first-rate guild?

However, Shi Feng possessed the strength and confidence to succeed.

Zero Wing currently possessed many experts. There was also a continuous supply of funds from the Candlelight Trading Firm, so Zero Wing could afford to annex a gigantic existence like Ouroboros. Moreover, after receiving Ouroboros’s trade channels, the Candlelight Trading Firm could profit further.

In addition, after operating in the virtual gaming world for so many years, Ouroboros must have accumulated plenty of old customers, who were very rich and willing to spend lots of money in virtual reality games, as well as corporate sponsors. Otherwise, the Guild would not have such an impressive income.

Zero Wing Workshop was currently still developing their customer base. If the Workshop could claim Ouroboros’s old customers, it could very quickly earn large sums of Credits, unlike the Workshop’s current state where it was without a stable income and required Shi Feng to look for a source himself.

“Guild Leader Black Flame, I need some time to consider this matter,” Gentle Snow said after calming down. “Since Guild Leader Black Flame has no intentions of selling the Candlelight Trading Firm’s shares, may I purchase some Coins from you?”

Although there were plenty of people selling their Coins on the virtual trade center, the available volume was very small. Moreover, every other Guild in the game was also attempting to purchase Coins in bulk, making it practically impossible to purchase large sums. Thus, Ouroboros could only rely on its own money-farming teams to cover the Guild’s daily expenses.

“Miss Snow, you should know how tight the various Guilds are for Coins right now. However, if you’re only interested in purchasing a small sum, there should be no issues. May I know how much you are looking to buy?” Shi Feng asked.

Although he had spent quite a lot of money already, both the Starstreak Trading Firm and the Candlelight Trading Firm provided him with a significant daily income. He could easily sell one or two thousand Gold.

“I don’t want much; 5,000 Gold will do,” Gentle Snow stated after giving the matter some thought. “I can transfer 50 million Credits for them immediately.”

With 5,000 Gold, she should barely be able to stabilize Ouroboros’s current situation. If she established a Guild Residence and gave the Guild members some hope, it would make it more difficult for Cao Chenghua to lure players away.

“Five thousand? Miss Snow, you think too highly of me.” Shi Feng smiled bitterly. “How about this; I can sell you 2,000 Gold at market price. However, I will require Ouroboros’s help to purchase a few plots of Land in Star-Moon Kingdom’s top ten cities and to promote the Candlelight Trading Firm.”

Coin’s market value constantly depreciated. Currently, 1 Gold Coin was worth about 6,000 Credits. One could roughly purchase a piece of Level 25 Mysterious-Iron Equipment or Level 20 Secret-Silver Equipment with that kind of money.

Gentle Snow’s offer to purchase 5,000 Gold at 50 million Credits was far above market value. However, even if she had 50 million Credits, she couldn’t even purchase 4,000 Gold, much less 5,000. Otherwise, those corporate giants would have long since bought up all the available Lands in major cities.

One could say that Coins were at their peak value right now. If one could purchase a good plot of Land now, they could earn back the money spent by ten, or even dozens, of times. These massive corporations naturally would not hold back from spending their Credits. Unfortunately, such a thing was simply not possible.

“Two thousand Gold?” Gentle Snow was immediately stunned.

Before, she had only mentioned 5,000 Gold with the intention of probing Zero Wing’s bottom line. Throughout God’s Domain, there was not a single Guild that was capable of revealing 5,000 Gold, yet Shi Feng had just casually mentioned that he would sell her 2,000 Gold.

Two thousand Gold!

In order to acquire so much money, she would have to spend several days relentlessly trying to purchase Coins and draft the Guild’s money-farming teams and her confidants. On the other hand, even after purchasing so many golden Lands, Shi Feng could still afford to sell 2,000 Gold.

His financial prowess was unmatched…

“Is it not enough?” Shi Feng pondered for a moment before saying, “I can offer you 3,000 Gold at most. If it is still not enough, you will have to look for other avenues yourself.”

Gentle Snow had helped him plenty of times, so he would not kick her while she was down. He would help her to the best of his abilities so long as it was within his capability.

Although he had a lot of money, he needed that money to purchase Lands and set up Shops in other cities. Besides that, he also needed to leave some for the Guild in case of emergencies.

“Thanks, I’ll transfer the money to you right away,” Gentle Snow said, inwardly feeling overjoyed. With 3,000 Gold in addition to the 2,000 Gold she currently had on hand, she would have enough to purchase a plot of Land and establish Ouroboros’s Guild Residence, as well as maintain the Guild’s daily expenses. This way, Cao Chenghua would find it far more difficult to tear the Guild.

—

After Shi Feng sold 3,000 Gold to Gentle Snow through the virtual trade center, he then teleported to Maple City.

Maple City was also considered a major city in Star-Moon Kingdom’s Eastern Region. The city had nearly one million players. This was also one of the reasons that many people had an optimistic opinion of Overwhelming Smile.

Aside from a few small Guilds, Overwhelming Smile was the only large Guild residing in the city. It had already chased any major competition out of Maple City. One could say that Overwhelming Smile had fortified itself in Maple City. It would be very difficult for other Guilds to cause even the slightest bit of trouble here.

At this moment, as Shi Feng wandered through Maple City’s; streets the majority of the players he saw on his walk consisted of Overwhelming Smile’s members. Every one of these Overwhelming Smile members flaunted their arrogance, and players of other Guilds could only do their best to avoid standing in the way.

“Overwhelming Smile has set up a Trading Firm in Maple City! The Shop’s name is Overwhelming Trading Firm, and it’s in the central district! The items there are much cheaper than the ones in NPC Shops! They also offer plenty of items that are not available in NPC Shops! If everyone is interested, please go take a look!”

Many Overwhelming Smile members loudly promoted the Overwhelming Trading Firm, attracting many players’ attention.

After all, player-owned Shops were far better than NPCs’. In particular, none of the NPCs’ Shops sold Whetstones. Normally, they could only purchase such items from Forging Apprentices. Unlike White River City, Maple City did not possess a Starstreak Trading Firm that allowed players to purchase many items not normally found in NPC Shops.

“Overwhelming really is the dominant force here. Unfortunately, that will only hold true for now.” Shi Feng currently sat under a small outdoor pavilion, sipping wine as he observed the lively streets of Maple City.

In a moment, a middle-aged man close to his forties arrived before Shi Feng. Respectfully, he said, “Hello, Guild Leader Black Flame. My name is Liang Chen. Guild Leader snow has sent me to you. Here is the agreement stating that I will purchase Land on your behalf. Please look through it.”

“Thank you for your efforts.” Shi Feng received the agreement and gave it a quick glance. After making sure that everything was in order, he signed his name and said, “Let’s head to the City Hall and proceed, then.”

---

If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!

Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!

If you would like to show even more support, please consider purchasing a copy of RSSG’s first e-book, second e-book, third e-book, fourth e-book, fifth e-book and even sixth e-book!

We also have a Patreon, so if you would like to get early access to a certain amount of chapters, or wish to contribute to a faster release rate, or both, please consider donating at RSSG Patreon!

---

Current release rate: 21 chapters/ week

Chapter 519: Silent Massacre

Inside Maple City’s City Hall…

At this moment, Liang Chen, the person whom Gentle Snow had delegated to assist Shi Feng in purchasing Land, was utterly stupefied.

Without hesitation, Shi Feng had purchased a plot of Land located in the central district of the city that cost over 2,000 Gold. Immediately after, he established a Luxury Shop for 1,000 Gold. In total, Shi Feng had spent over 3,000 Gold in a span of just a few breaths.

Liang Chen was someone whom Gentle Snow trusted absolutely, so she had already shared her knowledge regarding Shi Feng.

Hence, Liang Chen knew that Shi Feng had sold Gentle Snow 3,000 Gold not long ago. Otherwise, he would not have exposed the fact that he already had enough Reputation in Maple City to become a Baron.

Although Maple City was not as good as White River City, the number of players who had reached the Reputation of a Baron was still extremely low. There should only be two or three such players throughout Maple City right now.

Previously, Shi Feng had spent 3,000 Gold. Now, he had spent over 3,000 Gold once again. This level of wealth far surpassed Ouroboros.

With such financial prowess, who could possibly challenge Zero Wing in a war of attrition?

Only now did Liang Chen finally realize why Overwhelming Smile, a Guild that had managed to dominate Maple City, had failed to defeat Zero Wing, and why Zero Wing was publicly acknowledged as White River City’s number one Guild.

The other first-rate Guilds’ upper managers believed in their hearts that, although it was no match for Zero Wing in White River City, particularly in terms of the number of experts each Guild possessed, Overwhelming Smile would still emerge victorious. After all, Overwhelming Smile possessed ample funds, whereas Zero Wing was a Guild with no background or capital at all. At most, Zero Wing could only hold out for a bit longer.

However, now that Liang Chen reexamined the situation…

Even three Overwhelming Smiles would not be enough to defeat Zero Wing.

It seems the sky in Maple City will change soon, Liang Chen inwardly sighed.

After learning more about God’s Domain, the various Guilds had obtained a general understanding of its rules. If a Guild wanted to become an overlord in the game, they required three things; experts, financial prowess consisting mainly of Coins, and member count.

Among these three points, member count was the least important as it was very easy to increase a Guild’s population. As long as a Guild possessed sufficient financial prowess, they could increase their member count indefinitely.

God’s Domain was different from past virtual reality games where member count was a Guild’s top priority. In past virtual reality games, the differences between each individual player were simply too small. In these games, numbers equaled power. If one person was not enough, then they could just send a group. If a group was not enough, then they could send a hundred players. Sooner or later, they were bound to exhaust their enemies to death.

Unfortunately, God’s Domain was different; a single top-tier expert could single-handedly dominate an entire region. Moreover, unlike in past virtual reality games, the top-tier experts of God’s Domain were not easily produced. In the past, one could easily become a top-tier expert if they had sufficiently powerful equipment. Now, however, players needed sufficiently powerful combat techniques to qualify as a top-tier expert.

Meanwhile, Overwhelming Smile was far behind Zero Wing regarding both experts and financial prowess. The result of the confrontation between the two Guilds was already self-evident.

In reality, so long as Overwhelming Smile hurriedly established their trade and earned large sums of money through it, they would have a fighting chance. Only, now that Shi Feng had arrived, how could Overwhelming Smile contend with Star-Moon Kingdom’s Chief Forger with its few Lifestyle players? Moreover, the Candlelight Trading Firm possessed three bona fide Forgers; they were several times more powerful than Advanced Forging Apprentices.

The Candlelight Trading Firm also possessed the tactical weapon known as the Basic Strengthened Armor Kits. Simply put, Overwhelming Smile stood no chance of victory whatsoever.

After Shi Feng obtained some information regarding Maple City from Liang Chen, he hurried towards the city’s Teleportation Hall.

From the information Liang Chen had given him, Shi Feng basically knew all of Overwhelming Smile’s elite members preferred grinding locations. He could use this chance to sacrifice these players to the Icarus’s Heart.

Guilds’ elite members were different from ordinary players. When night arrived, ordinary players would usually return to their respective cities to rest or log out of the game, whereas elite players would continue leveling out in the fields. Because of their equipment or combat techniques, elite players had no reason to fear the monsters at night. Only, their leveling speed would slow somewhat this time of day. Even so, it was much better than others who could not level up at all. Even if their leveling speed were slower at night, they would gradually widen the gap between themselves and other players. As a result, the levels of Guild elite members were usually a lot higher than ordinary players.

Meanwhile, Overwhelming Smile’s main grinding location was the Dragon Ridge.

Dragon Ridge was a Level 25 to 30 leveling area. The monsters inside consisted of Dragonmen. Dragonmen were born with thick scales and had inherited the unparalleled Strength of Dragons; they were natural-born warriors. Moreover, as they were a small branch of the Dragon race, Dragonmen also had an innate love for collecting treasures. Hence, Dragonmen had significantly higher drop-rates. There were also many quests available in Dragon Ridge that required players to deal with the Dragonmen, so many players loved to level here.

However, Overwhelming Smile monopolized the high-resource areas within Dragon Ridge. So, other players could only complete some Kill Quests for Dragonmen in areas with low monster populations.

Shortly after Shi Feng teleported to Dragon Ridge and was in the midst of searching for Overwhelming Smile members, Melancholic Smile suddenly contacted him.

“Guild Leader, I’ve completed the task you gave me. Sure enough, they tried to steal all three Advanced Forging Apprentices who have learned the Light Stone Forging Design, regardless of cost. In the end, all three defected,” Melancholic Smile said excitedly.

With all three Advanced Forging Apprentices poached, that meant the Firm had received the compensation for three Light Stone Forging Designs. They had earned nearly 50 million Credits, just like that. As for the loss of the three Advanced Forging Apprentices, Melancholic Smile was utterly unaffected. After the Candlelight Trading Firm had developed itself, the benefits it provided its members were extremely good. The Firm’s Forgers also received an unlimited supply of materials. As long as they worked hard, they could earn a lot of money. Hence, many Forging Apprentices had arrived to apply to the Firm. Among them, there was no lack of Intermediate Forging Apprentices. As long as the Firm nurtured them a little, it would have another batch of Advanced Forging Apprentices in no time.

Although Overwhelming Smile had successfully stolen many players from the Candlelight Trading Firm, the Firm’s Advanced Forging Apprentice count had not decreased since its establishment. On the contrary, they had accumulated more forgers…

“Good.” Shi Feng similarly smiled. With this sum and what he received from Gentle Snow, he could soon carry out his expert training plan. “Right, how many Light Stones have been produced so far?”

“I have secretly recruited dozens of Advanced Forging Apprentices in other cities, and they are frantically producing Light Stones in their respective city’s Forging Associations. They are still unfamiliar with the production process at the moment, so their production is somewhat slow. Even so, we already have several hundred Stones. In one or two days, we should accumulate up to 20,000 pieces,” Melancholic Smile said confidently. “At that time, Candlelight will become a household name. I guarantee that Candlelight will become Star-Moon Kingdom’s number one trading firm.”

Melancholic Smile had spoken these words not out of arrogance, but because the Light Stones’ value was simply immeasurable. Both elite players and ordinary players could afford them. Considering the number of players producing the Light Stones right now, they could supply several cities’ worth of players.

After Melancholic Smile finished her report, Shi Feng had stealthily arrived at the inner region of Dragon Ridge.

At this moment, one could see lights flickering occasionally through the dark and quiet forest, coupled with the sounds of explosions. The cause of these phenomena was none other than Overwhelming Smile’s elite players grinding Dragonmen.

These Overwhelming Smile elites were very organized. Forming groups of twenty, the team of one hundred took turns battling the Dragonmen army. They fought with great efficiency. While one group fought, the others would rest and remain vigilant of their surroundings, preventing other monsters from ambushing them.

“You guys will be it.” Shi Feng smiled.

---

If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!

Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!

If you would like to show even more support, please consider purchasing a copy of RSSG’s first e-book, second e-book, third e-book, fourth e-book, fifth e-book and even sixth e-book!

We also have a Patreon, so if you would like to get early access to a certain amount of chapters, or wish to contribute to a faster release rate, or both, please consider donating at RSSG Patreon!

---

Current release rate: 21 chapters/ week

Chapter 520: Expert Hidden in the Dark

Overwhelming Smile’s 100-man team currently grinded a Dragonmen Nest in shifts.

In the Dragon Ridge, Dragonmen Nests were considered treasure lands. One could find various treasure chests inside these Nests. Moreover, at least one Boss guarded every Nest. These Bosses were usually Chieftain and Lord rank, but rarely the latter. Nests were also high-resource areas, and they were suitable locations for elite teams to level up and upgrade their equipment.

This 100-man team from Overwhelming Smile had not noticed Shi Feng’s slow approach at all.

However, when Shi Feng was roughly 100 yards away from the team, he suddenly stopped.

“Why is he here?”

Shi Feng was confused when he saw the thinly-built man standing at the forefront of Overwhelming Smile’s team.

Shi Feng’s equipment and Attributes far surpassed current players of God’s Domain. Moreover, with a powerful identification skill like the Omniscient Eyes, his vision was naturally superior to ordinary players. Even during at night, his vision was not significantly affected.

Meanwhile, the thinly-built man he saw was none other than War Wolf, a true top-tier expert he had met several times before. At this moment, War Wolf was already a Level 27 Tier 1 Shield Warrior. His equipment had also undergone major changes. Currently, he wore nothing but Level 25 Dark-Gold ranked items, and his HP was close to 7,000. Compared to Zero Wing’s Chief MT, Cola, War Wolf was only slightly inferior. However, the most significant change about the man would have to be the Guild Emblem on his chest.

Shi Feng had once attempted to recruit War Wolf to Zero Wing. However, the latter had expressed his dislike of being bound by a Guild, so Shi Feng had given up. Yet, now, not only had War Wolf joined a Guild, but the Guild he had joined was also Overwhelming Smile…

How could this not shock Shi Feng?

No wonder Overwhelming Smile’s Dungeon raiding progress in Maple City is so fast. It turns out that they have his help. Shi Feng came to a realization. He had personally witnessed how skilled War Wolf was. With the help of the Tier 1 Shield Warrior, Overwhelming Smile would not need long to clear a Team Dungeon.

However, Shi Feng could not figure out just how Overwhelming Smile had managed to persuade War Wolf.

On this 100-man elite team, aside from War Wolf, Shi Feng could also see several more experts. These people were clearly different from the elite members of Overwhelming Smile. A decisive aura surrounded their bodies, and in terms of attacking and dodging, they were obviously a cut above Overwhelming Smile’s elite members.

Several of these experts had even reached the level of a true expert. No matter which Guild they joined, they would be their Guild’s top combatants. Regarding combat techniques and experience, none of these people were less than Ouroboros’s Soaring Snake.

Overwhelming Smile really knows how to hide its secrets. Fortunately, I discovered this ahead of time. If these people gradually accumulate their power in the dark, they will become a vicious threat to Zero Wing in the future. After watching for some time, Shi Feng discovered that there were seven true experts in this 100-man team; including War Wolf, there were eight.

Not even Zero Wing possessed so many true experts.

Although the seven others were inferior to War Wolf, they were most likely stronger than; Cola and the Five Demon Generals only Flying Shadow of the Five Demon Generals was close to being a match for these seven experts. If it really came down to a battle, if Flying Shadow did not possess the advantage in Attributes, he would not last against any of these experts. The only ones who could contend with these seven people were Fire Dance, Aqua Rose, and Violet Cloud…

Of course, regarding growth potential, Cola alone was already far above these seven people, not to mention Aqua Rose and Violet Cloud who had the potential to reach God-tier.

In God’s Domain, every peerless expert capable of reaching God-tier was an extraordinary existence. Experts who had only touched on the Refinement Realm stood no chance against them.

Furthermore, these experts’ combat techniques resembled War Wolf’s. It was clear that they had only achieved the skill they had today after training with War Wolf for many years. Meanwhile, Cola, Fire Dance, Flying Shadow, and the others were only ordinary people. In the past, they had to rely on themselves and undergo countless trials and errors to attain what they had.

The number of experts in God’s Domain is limitless. I really can’t afford to take things lightly. After seeing these experts, Shi Feng suddenly felt that he was too negligent.

The world’s population was massive. Adding to the fact that this was an era of technology and humanity as a whole focused on physical fitness, there were countless capable people throughout the world. Even though he had been the Guild Leader of a second-rate Guild in the past, he had only seen a small fraction of God’s Domain. He was just a frog at the bottom of a well. There were still plenty of secrets about God’s Domain that a minor character like him was not qualified to see.

Take War Wolf for example. In the past, Shi Feng had never once heard of the man before, yet the strength War Wolf displayed was already so powerful. He definitely had a high chance of becoming a Tier 6 god-ranked expert in the future. Meanwhile, this was only Star-Moon Kingdom. There were hundreds of kingdoms and empires in God’s Domain, and kingdoms held the fewest experts. One could just imagine how many experts and secrets there were in God’s Domain that he was still unaware of.

It seems that I’ll have to proceed with the experts training plan quickly. Although Shi Feng had wanted to train Fire Dance and the others, pushing them into the Refinement Realm to become true top-tier experts as soon as possible, he was simply too busy to do so. He also did not have the appropriate facilities or supplies. Hence, he had told Fire Dance and the others to train by themselves for now.

Seeing that War Wolf and his team ventured deeper into the Dragonmen’s Nest, Shi Feng did not rush to take action. Instead, he followed after the team secretly, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

It was not because Shi Feng was incapable of killing these players. Rather, he hoped to take care of these experts in one go. It was especially true for War Wolf. Before, although War Wolf was not his friend, they had not been enemies, either. Now that War Wolf had joined Overwhelming Smile, however, that meant that War Wolf stood against Zero Wing. Naturally, Shi Feng could not let him go.

However, Shi Feng was only one man. Facing a team of a hundred players, if these elites focused on escaping with their lives, how could Shi Feng possibly kill every one of them? Not to mention, there were eight top-tier experts in their midst. Among them, there was also a thorny existence like War Wolf. If War Wolf and the seven other experts cooperated to deal with him, even Shi Feng would face the threat of death.

Hence, Shi Feng was not in a hurry to attack.

First and foremost, a good hunter required patience. A hunter also needed to have a firm grasp of timing. The first ambush was particularly important. Shi Feng had long since become familiar with ambushing his enemies. Unfortunately, the terrain was simply too spacious. Forests also covered the surrounding environment, making it easy for players to escape and hide their trails. Naturally, Shi Feng could not act rashly and prematurely expose himself.

Moreover, time was on his side at the moment. It was already night-time in God’s Domain, and players’ vision significantly weakened during this time of day. If Shi Feng hid under the cover of darkness, it would be even more difficult to discover him. In addition, Shi Feng was currently Level 30. He was much higher-leveled than the monsters inside the Dragonmen’s Nest, so it would not be easy for monsters to detect him.

Time passed slowly, and Shi Feng followed War Wolf’s team as they pushed deeper into the Nest.

With nothing better to do, Shi Feng opened Twilight Treasure Chests whenever Divine Providence was ready.

After the Icarus’s Heart had evolved, the Luck Attribute it provided had significantly increased. Upon activating Divine Providence, Shi Feng’s Luck could reach a maximum of 32 points; that was 7 points higher than before. With each use of Divine Providence, Shi Feng could open up to nine treasure chests, and among these nine treasure chests, there was a very high probability of Shi Feng obtaining one or two pieces of Tier 1 Set Equipment.

After Shi Feng had tailed War Wolf’s team for close to four hours, he had completed the Hurricane Set Equipment, the Tier 1 Set Equipment for Swordsman.

As expected of a godly tool. I’ve only gone through half of the treasure chests, and already, I’ve completed a set of Tier 1 Set Equipment. If I can upgrade the Icarus’s Heart to Epic rank and open up the remaining Twilight Treasure Chests, I might complete the Tier 1 Set Equipment for all classes. Shi Feng grew excited as he smiled at the brand-new Hurricane Set Equipment inside his bag.

As a Tier 1 Set Equipment for Swordsmen, the Hurricane Set was only inferior to an Epic Set Equipment. It was far superior to the Level 20 Dark-Gold ranked Dragonclaw Set Equipment he currently wore. Moreover, unlike the Dragonclaw Set, the Hurricane Set specifically catered to Swordsmen.

---

If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!

Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!

If you would like to show even more support, please consider purchasing a copy of RSSG’s first e-book, second e-book, third e-book, fourth e-book, fifth e-book and even sixth e-book!

We also have a Patreon, so if you would like to get early access to a certain amount of chapters, or wish to contribute to a faster release rate, or both, please consider donating at RSSG Patreon!

---

Current release rate: 21 chapters/ week

Chapter 521: A Monster That Evolves

As the closest thing to an Epic Set Equipment below Level 50, a Tier 1 Set Equipment was naturally extraordinary.

Initially, Shi Feng had not been very confident of wiping out War Wolf and the others. However, now that he had completed the Tier 1 Set Equipment for Swordsmen, his combat power would soar once he equipped it.

His chances of defeating War Wolf’s group of eight top-tier experts would also significantly increase.

Shi Feng then replaced the Dragonclaw Set Equipment with the Hurricane Set Equipment.

Unlike the Dragonclaw Set, the Hurricane Set was specifically designed for Swordsmen. The silvery-blue streamlined armor did not hinder its user’s body at all. Shi Feng now felt much lighter in the Hurricane Set Equipment.

As expected of a set exclusively for Swordsmen. Not only does it have strong Defense, but it also increases the player’s dexterity. Ordinary equipment cannot compare. After testing his range of movement, Shi Feng’s lips curled into a smile.

[Hurricane Set Equipment]

Level 20 – Level 50

Equipment Requirement: Tier 1 Swordsman

Set consists of five parts: head, chest, hands, legs, and feet.

Binds when equipped.

Set effect

Two-piece effect: Damage increased by 10%, Attack Speed increased by 20%, and all Swordsman Skill effects increased by 20%.

Four-piece effect: Strength increased by 15%, and Agility increased by 15%. Obtain Sword Aura Release Skill: Deals 300% weapon damage to all enemies within a radius of 5 yards, knocking back all enemies by 12 yards and stunning them for 1 second. Cooldown: 1 minute.

Five-piece effect: All Swordsman Skill Cooldowns reduced by 20%. Receive one stack of Hurricane Energy every time you deal damage to the target. Each stack increases Attack Speed by 2% and attack range by 1 yard for 20 seconds. Maximum of 10 stacks. Obtain Hurricane Skill: Deals 200% + (30%* Number of Hurricane Energy stacks) weapon damage in a cone to enemies within a range of 20 yards and lifts all targets struck into the air, preventing movement for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 10 minutes.

With the set’s Basic Attributes, Shi Feng’s Strength finally broke past the 500-point threshold even without entering a Berserk state. His Agility also passed 600 points. Regarding Movement Speed and Attack Speed, Shi Feng was confident he would not lose to any player unless said player wore an Epic Set Equipment.

Moreover, even if they wore an Epic Set Equipment, it was not necessarily better than the Hurricane Set Equipment.

Once equipment reached Dark-Gold rank or above, it would undergo a unique transformation. This transformation was not reflected in the equipment’s information. Rather, the set provided a hidden advantage.

This advantage came in the form of the equipment’s compatibility with a player’s movements. It was similar to how a person would find it uncomfortable wearing shoes and clothing that did not fit. Every class and player had different movement habits. Ordinary equipment was standardized, not adapting to a player’s movement habits, and was somewhat inconvenient for a player. Although the inconvenience might seem negligible to ordinary players, to experts, this inconvenience was like having a nail in their shoe. It would cause their movements to become awkward and significantly affect their performances.

A Tier 1 Set Equipment’s quality was higher than Dark-Gold. Hence, in the system’s settings, the set equipment would adjust to fit the player’s class movement habits.

Currently, Shi Feng felt as if the nail that had been inside his shoe was finally gone. He could now move unhindered.

Following which, Shi Feng resumed his wait in the shadows.

War Wolf and the others were already close to the heart of the Dragonmen’s Nest. The terrain was narrow with mountains looming on each side. The team could only advance or retreat; there was no third option. This place was the best location to set up an ambush.

“Boss Wolf, I’ve already scouted ahead. Aside from some Elite Dragonmen, there aren’t any traps or mechanisms throughout the path towards the heart of the Nest. However, the Boss guarding the treasure is a Level 30 Lord. Moreover, it leans towards magical-type, so it will be somewhat difficult to deal with,” a Tier 1 Assassin in black named Shadowless Rat reported.

“A magical-type?” War Wolf, who had a sickly complexion, frowned slightly.

Magical-type Bosses usually possessed many AOE Skills and had a variety of attack patterns. However, the most frightening aspect of such Bosses was their ability to instant-kill players. They were different from physical-type Bosses that could be contained using a variety of methods.

The biggest difference between physical-type attacks and magical-type attacks was that physical-type attacks were normally very straightforward; they did not have any compound attack patterns. Although physical attacks were a lot faster, it would not be a problem if one reacted quickly and defended against the attack. On the other hand, magical attacks were usually compounded. Because of this, these attacks could easily instant-kill players.

In the past virtual reality games, monsters’ attack patterns were monotonous, unlike the monsters in God’s Domain whose attack patterns were very realistic. Moreover, with the increase in level, monsters’ attack patterns would also evolve, transforming from the initial monotonous attack patterns to the current compound attack patterns. In other words, players had to guard more than one area, possibly up to five or six.

Most ordinary players already struggled to defend against single fold attacks, much less twofold attacks. The simplest example of a twofold attack was an attack that came in tandem. In a panic, there was a high chance that both attacks would strike ordinary players. They would have to train rigorously to avoid such tandem attacks.

Meanwhile, although the members of the various large Guilds had killed plenty of monsters, monsters with compound attack patterns only began appearing after Level 25. Hence, a majority of players would usually suffer the first time they encountered such monsters. Against a Boss, even team-wipes were common.

“Let’s take a look at it first before coming up with a strategy,” War Wolf said.

War Wolf then led his team and advanced towards the Lord ranked Boss quickly, killing everything in their path.

[Magic Eye Dragonman] (Lord Rank)

Level 30

HP 1,600,000/1,600,000

As an Area Boss, the Magic Eye Dragonman’s HP changed according to the number of players in its area of influence. The minimum limit was 20 players, and if there were more than 20 players within range, its HP would increase accordingly. In other words, having more players wasn’t necessarily an advantage.

The moment War Wolf’s team of one hundred stepped into the Magic Eye Dragonman’s area of influence, the Magic Eye Dragonman’s HP instantly increased to 8,000,000.

“Shadowless Rat, the nineteen of you will stay with me. Everyone else, leave the Magic Eye Dragonman’s area of influence,” War Wolf immediately commanded upon seeing the Boss’s HP increase.

Facing such a Boss, having more people would only increase the team’s burden. Their team had eight experts who could easily deal with compound attacks, while the other twelve were veteran gamers who could deal with compound attacks relatively well. By forming a team of 20 players like this, they could deal with the Magic Eye Dragonman as easily as dealing with an ordinary Lord.

Very quickly, the others left the Magic Eye Dragonman’s area of influence, hiding in a corner and watching quietly.

Once the 80 players left the area, the Magic Eye Dragonman’s HP returned to 1,600,000.

“Okay, I’ll go first. Everyone else, be careful of its aggro.” Saying so, War Wolf dashed forward, charging at the Magic Eye Dragonman who had a pitch-black tail and was covered in scales.

When the Magic Eye Dragonman caught sight of the Shield Warrior charging at it, it activated Rapid Charge and arrived before War Wolf, swinging its hammer fiercely down on the intruder. As it swung down its war hammer, a massive black eyeball appeared above the Magic Eye Dragonman’s head, silently firing multiple black rays at War Wolf.

Boom!

When the massive hammer the size of a small car landed, even the ground shook. However, after the dust settled, it appeared that the war hammer had not actually struck War Wolf. Instead, the weapon had landed right before the Shield Warrior, missing its target by a fraction. As for the black rays, they had also failed to damage War Wolf as they only brushed past his body. Immediately after, War Wolf swung his sword.

Second Acceleration!

Although War Wolf’s sword seemed slow, while the weapon was in mid-swing, it suddenly vanished. Unknown as to when it happened, War Wolf’s sword had struck the Magic Eye Dragonman, causing over -400 damage to the Lord.

Following which, War Wolf and the others began to bombard the Lord with attacks.

For a time, attacks flew back and forth, the extraordinarily intense battle shocking the Overwhelming Smile members who watched from a distance.

If they recorded this battle, they could enjoy it like watching a sci-fi movie.

“It’s time.” Shi Feng, who had waited for a long time, revealed a faint smile.

At this moment, Shi Feng downed a bottle of Haunted and activated the Ring of Nothingness. Upon entering a state of nothingness, he charged forward.

---

If you like the novel, my translations, and Goblyn’s (and sometimes Mind’s and Vampirecat’s) edits, please leave a vote for RSSG!

Also, take a look at this post and see how you can contribute to some bonus chapters through voting as well!

If you would like to show even more support, please consider purchasing a copy of RSSG’s first e-book, second e-book, third e-book, fourth e-book, fifth e-book and even sixth e-book!

We also have a Patreon, so if you would like to get early access to a certain amount of chapters, or wish to contribute to a faster release rate, or both, please consider donating at RSSG Patreon!

---

Current release rate: 21 chapters/ week

Chapter 522: One Hit

While War Wolf’s team of twenty cautiously faced-off against the Magic Eye Dragonman, the other Overwhelming Smile members watched excitedly, hoping to learn War Wolf and his team’s techniques. They yearned to become one of those twenty players on the team and were enchanted by the battle; they paid no attention whatsoever to their surroundings.

It was not because they were foolish, but because Overwhelming Smile’s prestige in Maple City made them untouchable. No one would dare to provoke them. Furthermore, it was currently night-time, and there were fewer players out in the field grinding and leveling up. Even if someone were plotting against them, they had so many players on their team. There were even top-tier experts in their midst. They had no reason to fear anyone.

“Boss Wolf is really amazing. Despite facing so many magical attacks, he has not once received any magical damage from the Boss.”

“I know, right? If I had just half of Boss Wolf’s abilities, I could easily become the Chief MT of other first-rate Guilds.”

“Half? In my opinion, one-third would be enough to become the Chief MT of Star-Moon Kingdom. Didn’t you see how Boss War Wolf tanked the Final Boss of a 20-man Hell Mode Team Dungeon all by himself? Even when the previous two MTs had all of the healers on them, the Final Boss still took them out easily. Meanwhile, after Boss War Wolf arrived, he tanked the Boss all by himself and only required one healer to keep him alive. My jaw nearly hit the ground.”

When the spectating crowd spoke about War Wolf, admiration for the Shield Warrior filled their hearts.

Due to War Wolf’s appearance, the 20-man Hell Mode Team Dungeons that had previously given Overwhelming Smile a headache had become very easy to raid. If not for the 50-man large scale Team Dungeons having too high of a requirement, Overwhelming Smile would have long since obtained the First Clear.

“Huh? Why does it suddenly feel hot?”

“Hot? Now that you mention it, you’re right. Isn’t it night-time right now?”

Several players began to glance around, searching for the source of the sudden heat. However, they had not noticed anything in particular.

“Wait, above us!” a vigilant Assassin shouted as he pointed towards the sky.

Immediately, everyone shifted their gazes upward, only to find an endless stream of fire-type mana gathering above their heads, condensing into a fire that rained down on them. Meanwhile, a spinning wall of flames had appeared around them. The ground beneath their feet also began to boil.

This phenomenon was none other than Shi Feng’s Firestorm.

After Shi Feng had upgraded the Seven Luminaries Ring, the Level 7 Firestorm now had an effective radius of 30 yards, and the Skill shrouded all 80 spectating players.

Before Overwhelming Smile’s elites could react, a damage of over -10,000 points appeared above each of their heads…

War Wolf had the highest HP in Overwhelming Smile, yet, even he only had close to 7,000 HP. After a storm of flames swept through the crowd, silence permeated the area. All 80 members of Overwhelming Smile had been reduced to ash. Due to Haunted’s effect, the drop-rate of all of the players Shi Feng had killed had multiplied. Moreover, due to Shi Feng absorbing their Immortal Souls…

Not only had these players lost their levels and equipment, but they were also barred from logging into God’s Domain for a long period.

“Good. Only you guys are left.”

Hiding a short distance away, Shi Feng revealed a satisfied smile. This was the fearsome aspect of large-scale destruction spells. In the past, there had been a saying in God’s Domain: one would rather incur the ire of a God-tier Assassin rather than provoke a player with large-scale destruction spells.

God-tier Assassins were only powerful against individual players. However, a player who knew large-scale destruction spells could annihilate an entire army by themselves. If a God-tier Assassin was likened to a sniper rifle, then a player with large-scale destruction spells was like a strategic missile; they were a Guild’s worst nightmare.

In the past, the Midnight Tea Party had stood on equal footing with Super Guilds because they had a Mage God and Curse God on their team. These two players had possessed an arsenal of large-scale destruction spells. To them, an army of thousands was no different than floating clouds. A single Tier 6 large-scale destruction spell could easily wipe out the entire army.

After killing the 80 Overwhelming Smile members, Shi Feng did not bother picking up the loot scattered across the ground. Instead, he charged towards War Wolf, who currently raged against the Magic Eye Dragonman.

Firestorm’s commotion would not have escaped the notice of War Wolf’s team. While both sides were engaged in an intense battle, Shi Feng could not waste this opportunity by picking up loot.

“Boss Wolf, the members on standby have been wiped out. What are we supposed to do now?” Shadowless Rat asked, a lingering fear in his eyes as he watched the raging inferno that faded gradually. At this moment, the names of their team members on stand-by had turned gray.

“Retreat for now. Otherwise, our chances of victory will be too low if we have to fight the Boss while dealing with this new enemy,” War Wolf immediately shouted in the team chat. “I’ll cover for you guys. Everyone, retreat!”

One had to admit that War Wolf’s team was very skilled. Despite realizing that a new enemy had arrived, they still retreated in an orderly manner. War Wolf also retreated slowly as he held off the Boss.

“Only one person?” While Shadowless Rat pulled away from the Boss battle, he suddenly noticed a black figure dashing towards them. He sighed with relief at the sight. Licking the corner of his lips, he sneered and said, “Boss Wolf, leave this bastard to me. He actually thinks he can provoke us and plunder our treasures? I’ll teach him a lesson.”

Saying so, Shadowless Rat activated Wind Steps and dashed to meet the cloaked figure.

Initially, War Wolf had intended to stop the Assassin. However, after giving it some thought, he changed his mind.

Seeing the enemy’s Movement Speed, War Wolf had already managed to judge the enemy’s strength. Although the enemy was an expert and possessed good Attributes, he was still far from being a match for Shadowless Rat.

War Wolf was very familiar with Shadowless Rat’s strength. Among the eight top-tier experts, the Assassin ranked third in one-on-one combat. He was more than enough to deal with an ordinary expert. Moreover, they had already destroyed 50% of the Boss’s HP. It would be a huge waste if they had to start all over again.

Before, he had worried that the enemy was very powerful due to the fact that the latter possessed a large-scale destruction spell. Ordinary players could never possess such Skills. At the very least, the enemy should be an extremely powerful expert or someone with the backing of a large Guild. If it were someone targeting Overwhelming Smile as a whole, they would have no choice but to retreat. After all, with Overwhelming Smile’s high prestige in Maple City, the enemy would have sent a team of several hundred players to deal with their 100-man team. However, since there was only one attacker, it should only be an expert trying to plunder their items. Shadowless Rat was more than enough to deal with such an expert. If Shadowless Rat was not enough, they could just send someone to help the Assassin.

With their combat techniques, it was very dangerous for them to fight against the Boss while fending off several hundred players. However, since the enemy was alone, one person should be enough to deal with the problem. The rest could focus on the Boss.

When Shadowless Rat was only 30 yards away from Shi Feng, he activated Stealth. He intended to finish off Shi Feng with a chain of attacks.

However, who was Shi Feng?

Under the gaze of Omniscient Eyes, no enemies could hide from Shi Feng. Up till now, Shi Feng had intentionally lowered his speed; he had not used his maximum.

Suddenly, Shi Feng’s speed increased.

Xiu!

Only an afterimage remained in Shi Feng’s original location.

“So fast!”

Shadowless Rat immediately panicked. He knew that he had encountered a tough opponent this time.

However, it was too late to retreat. The distance between him and Shi Feng was less than 20 yards. Activating Wind Blade, Shi Feng’s speed soared, and in the blink of an eye, he had arrived before Shadowless Rate. He immediately swung his sword down towards the Assassin.

Shadowless Rat was greatly surprised. However, his instincts as an expert allowed him to react to the attack. After grasping the trajectory of Shi Feng’s sword, he quickly moved his daggers to receive the attack.

In the next moment, however, a black streak of light cut across Shadowless Rat. The Assassin was then forced out of Stealth, a shocked expression on his face as he looked at the black hooded figure before him.

How could any attack possibly be so fast?! Shadowless Rat looked at his bloodied chest, his heart palpitating as his HP quickly bottomed out. He then crumbled to the ground, motionless.

Chapter 523: Cooperation

Shadowless Rat’s instant death stunned War Wolf and the others, who watched the entire encounter.

As his teammates, they were very familiar with Shadowless Rat’s strength and skill.

Moreover, Shadowless Rat was a Tier 1 Assassin who had grasped Omnivision. He could easily perceive his enemy’s attack trajectory and respond appropriately. In addition, the majority of his equipment consisted of Level 25 Fine-Gold Equipment, his total HP being over 4,400. Even War Wolf would have to expend a significant amount of effort to defeat Shadowless Rat. If the Assassin focused on escaping, War Wolf would be helpless against him.

Yet, now, he had actually been killed with a single hit…

Meanwhile, they didn’t even know what had happened exactly. They only saw the pitch-black sword in the enemy Swordsman’s hand transform into a streak of light, and in the next moment, Shadowless Rat was dead.

How could they not be shocked?

After killing Shadowless Rat, Shi Feng did not stop. Turning, he dashed for War Wolf and the others.

This time, however, he did not hold back as he sprinted at full speed. In the dead of night, his cloaked figure looked like a ghost; he was extremely difficult to locate.

“He hid his strength! All those who aren’t Tier 1 classes, fall back! I’ll hold off the Boss. The rest of you, delay him. Maintain your distance! His sword his extremely fast, so do not approach him no matter what!” War Wolf shouted his orders in the team chat.

Although War Wolf’s instructions had been appropriate, he still felt as if something were off about this situation.

Why had such an expert ambushed them?

Moreover, based on the enemy’s behavior, it was clear that he had aimed for them from the very beginning.

This situation greatly confused War Wolf.

Among the various teams in Overwhelming Smile, their team had always strived to maintain a low-profile; they have never provoked anybody. They were an elite team that Overwhelming Smile had formed in secrecy to serve as the Guild’s trump card, and even the normal members of the Guild did not know they existed.

However, the enemy had clearly chosen the best possible moment to launch his attack.

The ambusher’s strength was the most usual aspect. He was definitely one of the rarely-seen top-tier experts.

Although the enemy had only attacked once, War Wolf could tell how powerful he was.

Comparing Basic Attributes alone, this enemy was far superior to Shadowless Rat. Even if both sides fought without any combat techniques, Shadowless Rat would not have an easy time blocking that person’s sword. Not to mention, there was also the attack that contained no excess movement. Being caught unaware, it was only natural that Shadowless Rat had been defeated.

In fact, there was not the slightest bit of error with War Wolf’s judgment. In front of absolute power, all tricks were futile.

Shi Feng currently wore the Tier 1 Hurricane Set Equipment. He also possessed the Epic ranked Seven Luminaries Ring and the Fragmented Legendary ranked Heavenly Dragon’s Breath. With one hand, he wielded the top-tier Dark-Gold ranked Purgatory’s Shadow, and with the other, he wielded the Magic Weapon, Abyssal Blade. He was a Tier 1 Blade Saint, and his One-handed Sword Mastery had reached the level of a Sword Master. In terms of Basic Attributes, he was leaps and bounds above Shadowless Rat.

Even though Shadowless Rat had already reached the threshold of the Refinement Realm, in the face of absolute power, all combat techniques were useless. Not to mention, as an assurance, Shi Feng had even used Flowing Water Acceleration in his attack. How could Shadowless Rat possibly block an attack with that kind of speed?

However, Shadowless Rat’s bad luck was partially to blame for Shi Feng’s ability to kill him with one hit. Even with Shi Feng’s powerful Basic Attributes, it was still impossible for him to eliminate over 4,400 HP, killing the Assassin, with a single hit. At the very least, he needed two hits to finish off the Assassin. However, the attack that struck Shadowless Rat had triggered a triple critical hit. Even death would find it difficult to avoid the Assassin at that point…

In the span of a few breaths, the remaining six experts in War Wolf’s team had already managed to block Shi Feng’s advance. Among these six players, three were melee classes, with one being a Swordsman and two being Berserkers. The remaining three consisted of a Cleric, an Elementalist, and a Ranger. All six players were Tier 1 classes.

A party of ordinary Tier 1 players would be more than enough to deal with a 20-man elite team, not to mention that these six Tier 1 players were true experts. Their coordination was certainly something to behold.

“I refuse to believe that the six of us cannot defeat one of you,” a Level 27 male Berserker in silver armor said irritably as he watched Shi Feng dash towards his team.

“It’s better to be careful. This person’s Attack Power is very high. Even plate armor classes like you will not survive more than a few hits. Focus on pinning him down. Leave the attacking to us ranged classes,” the tall and slender Level 26 female Elementalist suggested.

“We know; relax.” another Level 26 male Berserker in black armor laughed.

They were very confident that they could deal with Shi Feng.

Normally, they often held practice PvP matches against each other. As long as they, the three melee classes, worked together, even their Boss War Wolf would suffer defeat. They also had three ranged classes on their side. They refused to believe that the black-cloaked Swordsman before them could turn the tide of the battle by himself.

The Tier 1 Ranger then fired a series of Frost Arrows, sealing off Shi Feng’s movements. Meanwhile, the Tier 1 Elementalist used a combination of Ice Spear and Ice Wall. Both the Ranger and the Elementalist had grasped Omnivision, so they could see through Shi Feng’s actions and send their attacks ahead of time. Under the combination attack, Shi Feng was forced to stop his advance temporarily and evade the incoming attacks.

“Take this!” Seizing the opportunity, the silver-armor Berserker tightened his grip on his greatsword and used Flame Charge on Shi Feng.

Flame Charge could force the target into a Fainted state for a slightly more than one second. As long as they incapacitated Shi Feng for one second, under everyone’s focused fire, even his 10,000-plus HP would not last. The black-armored Berserker had also used Charge on Shi Feng, though he purposely timed his Skill’s activation so that he would reach Shi Feng a moment after the silver-armored Berserker. Even if Shi Feng activated a Skill to defend against the silver-armored Berserker’s Charge, he could only defend against the first Charge and not the second one. Most importantly, both Berserkers attacked Shi Feng’s sides, making it even more difficult for Shi Feng to force his way through the attacks. There were also the three ranged classes blocking off Shi Feng’s paths of retreats. If Shi Feng tried to evade, the attacks would strike him…

“Die!”

The black-armored Berserker readied his battle axe as the silver-armored Berserker attacked Shi Feng, waiting for the moment when Shi Feng used a Skill to defend against the silver-armored Berserker’s Charge. When that time arrived, it would then be his turn to finish Shi Feng off.

Shi Feng’s only choice was to evade the Charge and in turn, sacrifice some of his HP by enduring the ranged classes’ attacks. That way, he would at least keep his life. In the long run, however, he would only find death here. It was only a matter of time.

“Why isn’t he dodging?” the Tier 1 female Elementalist muttered, confused, as she watched from afar.

Even when the silver-armored Berserker arrived before Shi Feng, the latter had not moved in the slightest. In the next moment, the silver-armored Berserker swung down his greatsword with all his might.

Dang!

Dazzling sparks scattered to the surroundings as Shi Feng blocked the silver-armored Berserker’s full-powered slash with one of his swords.

“You’re dead!” On the other side, the black-armored Berserker sneered. Shi Feng had actually decided not to evade the attack. He had not even used a Skill to defend himself. He was simply insane.

After being incapacitated by two Charges, not even a miracle could save him from death.

When the black-armored Berserker arrived before Shi Feng and swung his axe …

Everyone heard the sound of clashing metal once again.

How? The black armored Berserker was shocked as he stared at Shi Feng blocking his axe with the Purgatory’s Shadow. Does he possess a Skill that makes him immune to control effects for a short time?

The two robust Berserkers standing beside Shi Feng had failed to inflict any damage.

“Even an Immunity Skill won’t save you!”

Shouting angrily, the silver-armored Berserker’s body increased slightly in size. It was obvious that he had used a Berserk Skill, allowing his Strength to grow. He then used Cross Slash.

The other black-armored Berserker used Whirlwind Slash.

“It should be my turn now, right?” Shi Feng asked softly.

Chapter 524: Ganging Up

Before the fight with War Wolf’s team had even begun, Shi Feng had activated the Aura of Space on the Seven Luminaries Ring, becoming immune to all control effects.

Whether it was the Tier 1 Elementalist’s Ice Wall or the Tier 1 Ranger’s Frost Arrows, Shi Feng had intentionally dodged both the Tier 1 Elementalist’s Ice Wall and the Tier 1 Ranger’s Frost Arrows with the goal of tricking the two Tier 1 Berserkers into approaching him on their own accord, saving him the time of going after them himself.

Releasing a low shout, Shi Feng used the Skill unique to the Hurricane Set Equipment, Sword Aura Release, dealing 300% weapon damage to all enemies within a radius of five yards and knocking all enemies back by twelve yards, stunning them for one second.

“Crap!”

The silver- and black-armored Berserkers immediately realized something was amiss and hurriedly activated Block to defend themselves, swinging the greatsword and battle axe.

Boom!

Both Berserkers felt as if they had just been hit by a truck, their bodies flying backward and slamming heavily into the ground.

Before either of them could react, Shi Feng advanced. He could easily cross a distance of twelve yards with a single step.

In the blink of an eye, Shi Feng appeared before the silver-armored Berserker and sent a Chop down on the man.

Currently, both Berserkers were in a Fainted state. They could not defend against Shi Feng’s attacks at all. However, the instant Shi Feng’s sword descended, he immediately changed his weapon’s trajectory, directing the Chop behind him.

Peng! Peng! Peng!

Before anyone noticed, a Tier 1 Swordsman had appeared behind Shi Feng and similarly used Chop. Hence, Shi Feng had abruptly changed his target.

When the swords of light collided, the impact sent the Tier 1 Swordsman flying, three damages of over -400 points appearing above his head.

How can someone possess such horrific Strength? Is he a human-shaped Lord? The Tier 1 Swordsman stared at Shi Feng in disbelief. He had flown over six yards and had only managed to stabilize himself after much difficulty. Even so, the hand he used to grip the sword that collided with Shi Feng’s blade was completely numb.

During this brief exchange between Shi Feng and the Tier 1 Swordsman, the silver-armored Berserker recovered from his Fainted state. Shock filled his heart when he saw a single hit send his Swordsman companion flying. Immediately, he used Whirlwind Slash in an attempt to scare Shi Feng away.

When the silver-armored Berserker used Whirlwind Slash, the Elementalist and Ranger at a distance promptly begun to launch cover fire.

What a joke!

Shi Feng was capable of sending a Level 26 Tier 1 Swordsman flying with just one hit. If such an attack struck them directly, they would die instantly.

Facing the barrage of attacks, Shi Feng had no choice but to evade, opting to chase after the black-armored Berserker. After all, not only were these attacks overwhelming, but they were also experts’ attacks. If he really tried to take the silver-armored Berserker’s life, it was highly possible he would have to sacrifice his own.

Seeing Shi Feng retreat, the Level 27 silver-armored Berserker unconsciously released a sigh of relief. That was close… I nearly lost my life there.

If he had not instinctively used Block, allowing him to negate one instance of damage coming from his front, he would have lost his life during Shi Feng’s first attack.

Not to mention that alarmingly dangerous second attack…

Despite being in a Fainted state, he could clearly feel the killing intent, which was intimidating enough to cause one to freeze during battle, contained within Shi Feng’s attack. Even if he were not in a Fainted state, he was not confident he could block that lightning-quick attack.

Although he possessed high HP and Defense as a Berserker, his HP was just slightly more than 5,300. With Shi Feng’s frightening Attack Power, even a plate armor class would die from a single hit.

Only a brief second had passed since they had begun fighting Shi Feng. However, this was the first time in his life the silver-armored Berserker had experienced such a long second. His life very nearly flashed before his eyes…

When the black-armored Berserker saw Shi Feng come for him, without hesitation, he turned and fled.

He had also experienced Shi Feng’s power. Not only were Shi Feng’s Basic Attributes leaps and bounds above theirs, but his combat techniques were also far beyond them. Facing such a person head-on was nothing short of suicide!

While the black-armored Berserker fled, the distant female Elementalist cast Ice Wall and Ice Spheres to hinder Shi Feng’s movements. Although the spells could not reduce Shi Feng’s Movement Speed, they still dealt damage. Hence, Shi Feng had no choice but to dodge the attacks. Besides that, the Ranger consistently fired accurate attacks at Shi Feng’s movement trajectory, hindering the Blade Saint’s chase of the black-armored Berserker. The Tier 1 Swordsman also trailed behind him, waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

This is really annoying. Although Shi Feng had expected such a situation, he could not help his slight irritation.

Top-tier experts were top-tier experts for a reason. They were not as easy to deal with as other players. Although he was very fast, he was not fast enough that his enemies could not react. With the six of them cooperating perfectly, attacking and retreating simultaneously, Shi Feng simply could not find any gaps to attack.

As for using long-distance attacks such as Thundering Flash, Earth Splitter, and so on, these Skills casting times were too long. With these people’s skills, they could easily dodge Shi Feng’s long-range attacks. Moreover, using such Skills would also slow his movement, allowing these people to widen the gap between them, placing him at a disadvantage.

However, these people’s ranged attacks were also useless as Shi Feng dodged them easily. As for confronting him in melee combat, they did not have the courage. They would be gambling with their lives if they tried to take on Shi Feng’s attacks.

For a time, both sides were locked in a stalemate.

At this moment, War Wolf had shaken off the Boss and dashed towards Shi Feng with astonishing speed.

“Hahaha! Brat, you’re finished!” the silver-armored Berserker could not help but laugh when he saw War Wolf running over to help them.

War Wolf was a Shield Warrior. Not only did he possess a frightening Defense, but he also had a shield. Adding in War Wolf’s techniques, if he coordinated with them in melee combat, they could easily finish off Shi Feng. Most importantly, while they had a healer, Shi Feng did not. This battle’s result was clear for all to see.

“Encircle him; do not let him escape,” War Wolf hurriedly shouted in the team chat.

“Boss, you can count on us!” Overwhelming Smile’s twelve other elites suddenly emerged from their hiding spots, each of them holding a crimson bead. Once they circled Shi Feng, they immediately began chanting an incantation.

Suddenly, a massive flame barrier rose from the ground, creating a dome that trapped Shi Feng and the others inside.

“Brat, you’re really not simple. We even have to use the Sealing Beads that we obtained from Hell Mode Team Dungeons after going through much difficulty to deal with you. Don’t even dream of escaping now,” the silver-armored Berserker laughed.

No one was allowed to leave the sealing barrier. Unless Shi Feng possessed a Skill with tremendous destructive power, he would have to wait until the barrier exhausted its power. Meanwhile, the barrier had a duration of 15 minutes. It was more than enough to deal with Shi Feng.

“Isn’t he just one extra person? Do you guys really think you can handle me?” Shi Feng retorted with a laugh.

“You underestimate the effect one extra person can have. Even before this, you couldn’t do anything to us. With Boss Wolf’s help, we will break the balance and kill you. Don’t blame us for ganging up on you. You’re the one who ambushed us. Next time, make sure you think twice about who you attack,” the silver-armored Berserker sneered confidently.

“If six of you are just barely a match for me, I wonder how the seven will cope with two?” Shi Feng could not help but ask.

Although Shi Feng’s voice was soft, everyone’s chests tightened.

Even with War Wolf’s powerful aid, they felt that they would only have a 60% chance of taking down Shi Feng. If another expert popped up, then…

“Two? Do you think I’m a fool? Once this barrier is up, nobody is allowed to enter or leave!” the silver-armored Berserker refused to believe Shi Feng’s claim.

However, the moment he finished speaking, another person suddenly appeared by Shi Feng’s side. Moreover, this person was a twin of their enemy. The killing intent this person radiated could similarly make one’s heart skip a beat