"Sigh. I must remain calm. Zha Feng would never design an unbeatable mission. There must be a way to pass this final boss…"
After dying another twenty times, Wu Shun almost sat cross-legged on the ground and crawled into his shell. He had not even touched a single thread on the boss' outfit. She moved and tumbled without a slightest flaw. At times, it seemed as if she was hit, only for onlookers to realize that it was merely her afterimage that had been struck.
This boss was incredible. Monster bosses lumbered about, flinging huge, massive skills in all directions, soaking up tonnes of damage. This boss fought with great skill and intelligence. She was almost unbeatable!
Wu Shun had just experienced the insult of being faceplanted by a more skillful opponent. He tried to match her tumble by tumble, he tried to snipe her from a distance, he tried to take it all in with all his potions. None of it worked!
She's plain unbeatable. Why did she even have a healthbar…
Of course, this only happened to ordinary players. It was a different story for the highly skilled players.
Wu Shun finally gave up. "I don't think I can do this anymore. It is time to watch Ah Yu's broadcast. She is crazy skilled. She won't even need a guide for this game - she'll probably bulldoze through it with her skills even if she chose a bad route… Still, she would probably have to learn by death when it comes to this Master of Anonymous City!"
The Nameless Swordswoman had beaten the life out of Wu Shun. He could not deny that this boss was untouchable. Now that he had time to think, he began to wonder, "In order to trigger this route, most players had to be bonded with this boss in the previous mission. They had to be near death, and she would come to their rescue. Ah Yu is so crazy good, and has never gotten close to death before. How did she trigger this sidequest? Does anybody know?"
He minimized his game and connected to Ah Yu's channel. It was nighttime, exactly when Ah Yu often broadcasted. She had been deep into this DLC as well.
Wu Shun had been beaten for the moment. He needed some time off and some advice from highly talented players such as Ah Yu.
Some viewers responded to his question. Ah Yu had not even met this swordswoman. Still, her Saint Monk had such high in-game fame that he had attracted the attention of Deity Yan Qingyu…
It gave her viewers yet another subject to talk about. They made jokes by comparing it to "How dare a monk fight for a nun."[1] Saint Monk Ah Guang had rejected all three big shots - Cheng Shan, Luo Siqu, and Ye Honglian, intending to reach the edge of the sky and remain there for all eternity. He had earned the utmost respect from the strongest master of all martial art, Li Xiye. Li Xiye stated that he would never raise his sword against Saint Monk Ah Guang, rather, he would fight alongside him!
Saint Monk Ah Guang was the backbone of humanity!
Ah Yu had played this character of saint monk to an almost perfect extent. Even Li Xiye was so highly impressed by it, that he almost turned gay for him. Where does that leave the ladies?
Ah Guang's gameplay did not take any lady into account. A wise man once said, "the best way to win is to be without guide." All of the female characters fell for him, but their sentiments were never reciprocated. A saint monk was no longer of the flesh. Would he be called a saint if he remained so?
Zhao Youyue had created the epitome of a saint monk. She was one of the rare players that made her character name so famous; it went above the Heaven's Chart and into the game storyline itself. Ordinary players just wanted to pass missions and be part of the top ten daily record list…
In order to be part of Heaven Chart, one had to surpass the one above them. It was a torturous process for ordinary players. Ah Yu tortured the Chart.
She conquered each of the mini-games to earn the title of First in Heaven Chart. With that title, she got strong monsters to fight her and slaughtered them all, earning even more points. Ah Guang was the first in the "Most wanted humans" chart as well. It was a call to all monsters to kill this human and earn rewards.
Saint Monk Ah Guang made it to that list by simply slaying far too many monsters. He denied every monster their existence. The only good monster was a dead monster.
Some humans hated him too. Some of them believed in the kindness of some monsters out there that could leave in harmony with humans. Not Ah Guang. If it was a monster, it deserved the taste of his staff.
Compassion would only be expended on humans.
Zhao Youyue thought this was the best way of playing the game. Her viewers were most pleased. Of course, there were complaints that she had reduced the game into something akin to "Monster Hunters" and "Demon Hunters"...
The reputation of this great monk had preceded him, even in the new map - long before Zhao Youyue even set foot. It only took a few missions before Deity Yan showed up to ask for the saint's help - in the name of justice.
Obviously, it was a quest that gave this Saint Monk and opportunity to get close to Deity Yan. The audience wanted to see the love story of the saint and the deity. However, Zhao Youyue told Deity Righteous that had had no business with human disputes - he was only interested in hunting down demons and monsters. He would gladly help if any monsters were rampaging across the land. Nothing else concerned him.
Ah Yu was one of those popular broadcasters who did not pursue Deity Yan. Little did her viewers expect the Nameless Swordswoman to appear in another manner…
Wu Shun was one of the lucky ones to witness the moment in Ah Yu's broadcast.
The health bar of the saint monk took up half of the screen, surpassing even his blue energy bar. It had been further amplified by his Invincible Armor, Iron Skin and Strength of Thirteen Bodyguards. These skills acted as a shield like Xel'Naga's in Starcraft. [2] Swarms of Mutalisks would be swatted away like flies! [3]
Zha Feng was astounded. He had always known that his build was subpar, but this…
Since nothing posed a threat to the saint monk, only the Nameless Swordswoman would be in any danger…
But that won't be possible. She had the reflexes of a fly, and she could run faster than Hong Kong reporters. Wu Shun was an experienced player, but he could not even ruffle up her hair. She was so agile and fast; almost nobody can win her one on one!
The only way one could get to her was by her citizens. This particular weakling of a small boss always gave her trouble. As a descendant of Su, this Nameless Swordswoman would never abandon anyone in her tribe!
Even if they were between the teeth of a demon!
Even if they were at the brink of extinction!
Translation Note:
[1] It was a joke started with there was an essay asking for the shortest but most wonderful martial arts novel in history. The essay required:
1. Three major sects at the same time.
2, Different clan's years of resentment and hatred, but also to break the secular ethics.
3, The plot has to be exciting, one must feel as if a storm was approaching. Also, there had to be room for a sequel - and it has to end in a cliffhanger.
4, The shorter, the better.
The next day, someone contributed a full text with only ten words:
"禿驢,竟敢跟貧道搶師太!" Bald donkey, how dare you to fight a priest for a nun!"
And so on...
[2] StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise, created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance among four species—the adaptable and mobile Terrans, the ever-evolving insectoid Zerg, the powerfully enigmatic Protoss, and the "god-like" Xel'Naga creator race—in a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy known as the Koprulu Sector. The series debuted with the video game StarCraft in 1998. It has grown to include some other games as well as eight novelizations, two Amazing Stories articles, a board game, and other licensed merchandise such as collectible statues and toys.
[3] Mutalisks form the primary flying force of the Zerg, making hit-and-run attacks against vulnerable installations and wheeling across the skies in prodigious numbers above Zerg Hives or land-based forces. Mutalisks are agile and dangerous opponents. They can attack foes both in the air and on the ground by expelling a voracious symbiote known as the Glave Wurm, which can rapidly strike at several opponents as it explosively disintegrates. In large numbers or against weak defenses, Mutalisks are a deadly threat.