Even though One Blade's title looked normal, no matter what kind of title it was, most of the abilities that it gave the player were very useful. For example, Xiao Tan's title, Panicked Ambusher, looked much weaker than One Blade and One Sword, but its title skill, Retreating Slash, still gave the player a lot of room to maneuver in battle.
No matter how weak, weird, or even wretched the title was, the usefulness of the title skill was undeniable. No matter how weak the title was, it would come with a skill that matched the player's characteristics and would definitely be useful. Of course, 'useful' and 'powerful' were two different concepts. A powerful title would naturally come with a powerful skill.
The title skill, Decapitation, was the same for Beginner's Swordsmanship.
— — — Name: Decapitation
Special Ability Type: Active
Effect: Appear behind the target in an instant and deliver a heavy slash at the target's neck that is five times the player's maximum strength. (Cooldown time is two hours. Can only be used on humanoid monsters. Player must be within three meters of the target when the skill is activated.)
Remark: This skill was created by Guan Xiaoyu, the Blade Master of his generation. When Guan Xiaoyu was eighteen, he already had a ferocious face. After three years of learning, he became an executioner for the imperial court. At that time, the court was corrupt and eunuchs were in power. Guan Xiaoyu executed many loyal people over the years, and the hatred in his heart could not be quelled. At the age of twenty-three, Guan Xiaoyu decided to step into the world of martial arts and seek revenge.
One Blade charged forward. When he was within three meters of General Zaroff, his lips curled into a smile. It was as if the BOSS's head was already in his hands.
One second later, One Blade disappeared from everyone's sight for a brief moment. He then reappeared behind Zaroff and swung his blade at the back of the man's neck.
Then there was a muffled thud.
As if he knew where One Blade was going to appear, Zaroff elbowed him, and at the same time the blade appeared, it hit One Blade's ribs.
Before the blade in One Blade's hand could touch Zaroff's skin, he was sent flying by the boss. He slammed into the wall and coughed out a mouthful of blood. Yidao's eyes were wide open. The shock and pain caused him to lose the ability to move.
The impact of the attack just now was abnormally huge, causing One Blade's internal organs to be severely injured. Although there were no wounds on his body, almost all the ribs on his left side were broken. The displaced broken bones caused serious internal bleeding, which added the [Bleeding] effect.
One Slash's Life Points dropped to five percent, and it was still dropping. It was too late for the others to save him because Zaroff stood between them and said in an unquestionable and cold tone, "Look at your friend. What kind of rude and reckless behavior has he committed?" He did not even look at One Blade who was sitting on the ground. He knew very well that this player would not be able to stand up again.
"If he wasn't so weak, perhaps I would have saved him, healed his wounds, given him the best food, sufficient rest, and exercise, so that he would have a chance to participate in my hunting again. It's a pity … "Zarov made a gesture.
Ivan saw the general's order and immediately walked to stand before One Blade. He pulled out his revolver and aimed at the spot between his target's brows.
"Save …" One Blade found it difficult to speak. He only managed to utter one word before his head was blown up, and his body dissolved into white light and disappeared.
"Team Member: One Blade, Dead."
Everything happened so fast. One Blade's impulsive action made it so that the other four could not help him even if they wanted to.
From Feng Bujue's perspective, his action … was no different from suicide. Feng Bujue knew very well that at the beginning of the scenario, any action that attempted to clear the scenario using the simplest and most direct method would not succeed. Unless this person had the aura of a protagonist and the aura of a domineering king, otherwise, taking risks with a fluke mentality would undoubtedly lead to one's own destruction.
Seeing his friend die in an instant, One Blade's face blanched. Actually, he had the same thought as One Blade. He thought that these two bosses were not that strong. Compared to the monsters that he had encountered in the previous scenario, these two who looked no different from normal humans were more like ambassadors of goodwill. Ivan looked slightly scarier, and General Zaroff was nothing to be afraid of.
However, One Blade did not have a skill like Decapitation, so he did not go for the kill directly. Initially, he wanted to discuss with One Blade so that the two of them could attack together, but One Blade wanted to make a name for himself. With the support of his title skill, he suddenly charged forward.
What was even more unexpected was that this Boss was actually able to "interrupt" a skill, interrupting the effect of a high-speed skill before it could even be used. Furthermore, it almost instantly killed One Sword with a single attack.
Feng Bujue sighed helplessly, but he quickly came up with a plan. He wanted to use One Blade's death to gain more information. "That's right, general. My friend is reckless, but if it was me …" As he spoke, he took out the M1911A1 pistol from his inventory, but he did not raise it to aim. Instead, he held it in his hand like it was a toy. "… I would have used a more advanced weapon." He tossed a questioning look at the general. "You can't possibly be able to catch a bullet, right?"
"Hahaha …" Zaroff laughed again. "Of course, my friend. How can a human catch a bullet?" He used his hand to knock on his chest, and a heavy thud came from underneath his tuxedo. "That's why I've put on some protective measures under my jacket." He paused for a second before adding, "But I know that you're an excellent hunter, and your marksmanship must be good. If you can shoot me in the head, I'll face death calmly." As he spoke, he glanced at Ivan beside him. "But I don't recommend you do that, because Ivan will avenge me at all costs. Without a commander, he's no longer a soldier, but the world's most ferocious beast. "
Feng Bujue got what he wanted, so he put the gun away and replied with a smile, "Thank you for your kind reminder, general. Then, I think it's time for us to leave. "
"Haha … See you later, my friend." Zaroff laughed heartily. His friendly and polite attitude combined with his cold and murderous nature made him a charming villain. His performance was so effortless that it seemed as if he had no weaknesses. It was simply chilling.
Feng Bujue gave a look to his three teammates who were still fighting, meaning … they could leave now.
Five minutes later, the four of them returned to the stone steps outside the castle. Along the way, they did not even dare to breathe loudly or move. They even had to think twice before making a loud noise.
In other words, General Zaroff, the boss who had appeared at the start of the scenario, had displayed a power that could make one despair and suffocate. From Feng Bujue's perspective, other than the Master of Time and Sam Montier, of all the NPCs he had met, only Oink from the previous scenario could give him a sense of helplessness. For a boss like Professor Ashford's mutant, General Zaroff would probably be able to take care of it with a dagger.
In the end, it was Feng Bujue who spoke in a concluding tone to break the silence. "Obviously, General Zarov's human appearance does not mean anything. From the perspective of the game, he is a monster. He is a hunter whose physical fitness is ten times greater than ours. He is a hunter with a meticulous mind, rich in experience, and strong in execution. And we are his target … or rather, prey. "
"Of course, you don't need to tell us that," One Sword said.
"I don't know if you realized it after listening to my conversation with Zaroff or after One Sword was knocked out by the elbow … In any case, Brother One Sword must have realized it after that, but it was already too late," Feng Bujue said. "Thankfully, we still have a chance to discuss this …"
"Wait a minute," One Sword interrupted. One Sword Stroke interrupted. "I've been meaning to ask this for a while now. At first, I thought you were the type of player who was particularly 'immersed' in the game. That's why you were talking to the boss. But later, I realized that you seemed to know what Zaroff was going to do. What's going on?"
"Hmm … Actually, explaining this question is just a waste of time, but it looks like if I don't explain it, you won't listen to what I have to say next …" Feng Bujue's words, combined with his expression when he said it, could easily be interpreted as … 'Since you asked so sincerely, I will be merciful and give you an answer.'
"If you're done, then hurry up and say it," Passing Rain suddenly said from the side.
After being exposed, Feng Bujue laughed. "Fine, the plot of this scenario should be taken from a novel called The Most Dangerous Game. The story itself is not long, and it basically follows the main character … er … a hunter who is tricked by Zaroff into coming to the island. Then, he becomes the prey, and a hunting game that lasts for three days begins.
The main character uses his own survival skills and hunting knowledge to hide and create traps to deal with the general. He successfully survives the time limit and sneaks back into the castle on the third day to win the game. "
At this point, he paused. "However, from the content of the novel, Zaroff could have killed the main character on the first day. He just wanted to enjoy the fun of hunting so that he could come out and exercise the next day, so he let the main character go.
In the few encounters that followed, even though Zaroff lost a few hunting dogs, he was able to escape from the main character's traps at the last moment. At most, he would suffer some light injuries. As long as he had an excuse, he would temporarily let the main character go and stop the hunt. He would return to the castle to rest before coming back. "
"He wants the hunting to be as fair as possible?" Passing Rain asked.
"Based on the difference in strength between us and the enemy, that can only be a dream …" Feng Bujue smiled bitterly. "The general just doesn't want his entertainment to end too soon." He paused for a moment before continuing. "But Zaroff is indeed a gentleman. Even though his actions are similar to serial murder, he would not lie to us or go back on his word after failing. His advice about the Death Swamp was also very sincere. It looks like he sincerely hopes that we will be harder to catch, or else his hunting will become very boring. "
"Hmm … Now, I will tell you more about the actual situation." Feng Bujue stopped and left the stone steps. The group followed him to the edge of the forest.
In the open space, the moonlight was enough to illuminate the area, but when they were close to the forest, other than Feng Bujue, the other three all took out their lighting devices. Passing Rain used a lantern, and One Sword and Not a Scaredy Cat both used flashlights, but the models were slightly different.
Feng Bujue picked up a random branch and started to draw on the ground. "In the study, I stood closer to the front, and I saw a map on Zaroff's table. When he showed us his ship trap, the light from the sea illuminated the shoreline very clearly. After comparing it with the map, I can confirm that the island on the map is the island that we are currently on. " As he spoke, he drew an irregular shape that looked like an olive on the ground. "This island is roughly the shape of an olive. The castle is in the middle, built at a high point, so you can basically see the whole island. "He suddenly raised his head." Can you tell which way is north? "
"Hmm …" One Sword raised his head to look at the sky like he was trying to make a random guess.
In the end, it was Not a Scaredy Cat who pointed at the night sky and said, "That is the North Star, right?"
"Very good." Feng Bujue nodded. He used the branch to point at the map on the ground and continued his description. "This is north, and this is south. The swamp is here …" He pointed at the end of the olive. "Before we confirm the escape plan, I have to mention a few differences between the novel and this scenario."
Feng Bujue always appeared to be very reliable and calm when he was analyzing and planning. At this moment, there was no sense of casualness or frivolity about him. In fact, there was a unique charm and persuasiveness in his speech.
"First, the main character in the novel, if I remember correctly, is called Raines Ford … His game time is three whole days, and we only need to escape from the pursuit for five hours. It may seem easier to achieve in terms of time, but it is not necessarily a good thing. As I mentioned earlier, General Zaroff has let Raines go several times because he did not want the hunt to end prematurely. However, our situation is different. After Zaroff finds us, he will definitely make his move.
"Other than that, the novel did not mention any other animals on this island, but when I talked to Zaroff in the study, he made it very clear that there are pythons, wolves, tigers, and so on … Even the mountain boar is quite aggressive. Therefore, other than avoiding the general's pursuit, we also need to be on guard against the threat of those animals in the dark.
"Third, as you can see, that guy is inhumanly strong. Although he was also described as strong in the novel, it was only a thriller based on a realistic setting, not a science fiction or superpower story. But this General Zaroff that we are going to face can kill with one elbow. He is the kind of tactical boss that cannot be faced head-on. Just from the content of the main mission, we can see that the main goal of the scenario is to successfully escape from his pursuit. "
One Sword interrupted, "But when you took out the gun earlier, didn't Zaroff also say that he would die if he was hit in the head? If I had the gun, at that distance, I would have shot him already. At such a close distance, the chance of hitting is very high. "
"If you did that, you and all of us … would be dead …" Feng Bujue shook his head and said, "When I took out the gun, it was to see Zaroff's reaction to this thing and to get some useful information from him." He lifted his head, and his expression was noncommittal. "Based on my understanding, the prototype of modern bulletproof vests appeared in the 1950s, and the author of the original novel, Richard Cornell, passed away in 1949.
"Even so, Zaroff very calmly stated that he was wearing something similar to a bulletproof vest and did not think much of the M1911A1 pistol that I was holding. So it's obvious that the words he said at that time were the system's direct hint to us through the mouth of this Boss. "
"Trying to kill Zaroff with firearms is not going to work?" Passing Rain was the first to react, and she was the first to jump in.
Feng Bujue snapped his fingers. "Correct." His eyes scanned One Sword and Not a Scaredy Cat's faces. "The system generates the scenario based on the player's actual situation. I believe … of the four of us here, including One Sword, who has already been defeated, none of us is a marksmanship specialist. In fact, we don't even have a marksmanship weapon."
Naturally, he was spot on. Of the four of them, only he had a pistol, and it only had four bullets. At the same time, he was the one with the highest marksmanship mastery among them.
"Actually, the last few words that I got from Zaroff, from the perspective of the game, are … if we insist on using a gun to kill him, it is pointless to shoot his body; we have to shoot his head.
Normally speaking, there are only two situations that we can do that. The first is, like you said, to ambush him from the distance; the second is, at some point later, in the dark, with our horrible mastery level, we have to try our luck and hit that incredibly alert Cossack.
Obviously, the first situation is more reliable, but even if we succeed, it will be pointless. Because next … as the general had said, that mute Ivan would transform into a berserk state.
I believe he will immediately replace Zaroff as the boss and start a mad pursuit of us. Then, the setting of this scenario will no longer be similar to the real world. I wouldn't be surprised if that Ivan turns into the Hulk after he goes berserk. Once that happens, we won't even be able to leave the castle alive. "
"Phew …" Feng Bujue gave a long sigh. "In any case, the theme of this scenario can be summed up in one word — run."
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up …" Before One Sword finished, Feng Bujue waved his hand to stop him and said, "I'm about to tell you how to run."
"How?" One Sword asked.
"Split up," Feng Bujue answered.
"Why?" Not a Scaredy Cat was nervous.
Before Feng Bujue could answer, something happened that disrupted his whole plan.
Like Rain's body suddenly dissolved into white light, and the system announcement said, "Team Member: Like Rain, disconnected."
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