Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 770 - 768: Preparing for War (4K)
These numerous and vexing strategy threads, although creative with certain referential value, were practically difficult to replicate. Their implementation complexity was not proportional to the potential gains, making them hard to realize in practice. Probably only true greenhorns would take them seriously as the gospel truth.
In addition to this, the number of advertisements on the forums had also surged. All medium to large forces wanted to seize the advantage in the great era of contention. Small societies and Lone Wolf Players did not want to miss out on the Doorway Battle, potentially wasting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to soar to prosperity.
In these tumultuous times, with undercurrents surging, the number of advertisement posts continuously hit new records as the Doorway Battle drew near. Guild organizations were recruiting troops and talents. Lone Wolf Players were sincerely looking for teammates, seeking like-minded companions. And various merchants were beating drums and gongs, eager to sell off their inventory.
Players above Level 20 who had signed up for the Doorway Battle were pulling out all the stops to convert every bit of Game Currency into immediate combat power, and their guild organizations were also giving their all in support. Under these circumstances, merchants on the Game Square were profiting handsomely. Ingredients that provided buffs saw a price increase of 20%; equipment forging services went up by 15%; body modification procedures increased by 25%; and potions went up by an average of 20%. Consequently, the prices for equipment and items listed in the auction house also rose by 10% to 30%.
Li Ang, the owner of the Immaculate Furnace Shop, had likewise reaped substantial benefits. His shelves of Magic Potions sold out. He conducted about ten body modification surgeries daily, and the All-purpose Grinder and Forging Furnace operated non-stop 24 hours a day, breaking down materials, forging equipment, and earning a profit. The ceiling for self-entrepreneurship is always higher than that for being an employee.
Li Ang's Game Currency at one point broke the 30,000 threshold, and naturally, he had to spend it. With this money, he purchased several pieces of equipment and Skill Scrolls from the game mall before the Doorway Battle officially began, to fill in the gaps in his personal combat power panel.
[Skill Scroll Name: Cloud Ascending Ladder]
[Attribute: Learning-type, disappears after one use]
[Type: Spiritual Energy]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Special Effect: Ladder Clouds. Creates a transparent, floatable, rectangular energy entity beneath the feet. The energy entity lasts for up to one second.]
[Cost: 10 Spirit Energy]
[Cooldown: None] 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
[Learning Requirement: Spirit Energy Value ≥ 1000]
[Note: The energy entity will disintegrate upon sustaining a strong impact.]
[Note: Soar high to enjoy distant views, ascend clouds to capture the moon.]
This Cloud Ascending Ladder was a Spiritual Energy skill and had nothing to do with the lightness skill called "Cloud Ascending Ladder" from the wuxia novel *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*. Despite numerous jokes circulating on the internet about the Wudang Cloud Ascending Ladder enabling one to "step on one's own foot to ascend to the heavens," there is no such passage in the original text of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*. Rather, it was in other wuxia novels that such descriptions appeared. For instance, Gu Long's *Hero Without Tears* contains the text, "Xiao Gao wasn't dragged down by her; instead, he sprung upwards again, with his right foot boosting his left, using the momentum to surge another yard higher."
(Newton is furious!)
Li Ang purchased Cloud Ascending Ladder mainly to compensate for his deficiency in mobility. Before that, if Li Ang wanted to climb upwards on his own, he could only use plant vines to catch onto surrounding buildings and climb up like Spider-Man. If there weren't any climbable platforms nearby, he would have to use his No One Can Defeat Me In My BGM skill and physical strength to jump up and glide a distance. In case he encountered an enemy capable of circling high in the air and bombing him from above, he would inevitably find himself at a disadvantage. Therefore, Li Ang was looking for equipment or a skill that could enhance his mobility—like the Green Goblin Skateboard from the *Spider-Man* series, the Moon Walk from the manga *One Piece*, or the Flying Skill from *Dragon Ball*. The Cloud Ascending Ladder skill had a short cooldown and consumed little Spiritual Energy. Although he couldn't purchase Moon Walk or the Flying Skill, it was a very good alternative.
[Skill Scroll Name: Fingers Dissociation Technique]
[Attribute: Learning-type, disappears after one use]
[Type: Arcane Magic]
[Quality: Perfect]
[Special Effect: Disintegration. After a short delay, releases an Energy Ray from the fingertips or other extremities, causing continuous Disintegration Damage to the target hit by the ray. It can damage and Seal the Special Effects of equipment up to Perfect quality. The duration of the Seal depends on the Mysterious Degree of the target object.]
[Cost: 200 Spirit Energy]
[Cooldown: 5 seconds]
[Learning Conditions: Intelligence Attribute ≥ 14, Perception Attribute ≥ 14]
[Note: The extremities used to cast Fingers Dissociation Technique will suffer 25% recoil damage from the Disintegration Technique and cannot be used to cast it again within 24 hours.]
[Note: Fingers Dissociation Technique recharges one charge every 2.4 hours, storing up to a maximum of 10 charges.]
[Note: Disintegrate one finger!]
This Perfect-quality Skill Scroll was bought by Li Ang from the game mall for the market price of 13,000 Game Coins to make up for his lack of ranged and energy attacks.
Through my testing, Fingers Dissociation Technique can be released from fingertips, toes, arms, and even the tongue. Li Ang had found. When released, a greenish glow condenses at the extremity. After an approximately 0.7-second delay, the green light shoots out as an Energy Ray at 850 m/s in the direction the limb is pointing. Its effective range is 2,500 meters; the damage gradually reduces after 1,000 meters and becomes completely ineffective at 3,000 meters. The Disintegration Ray causes Disintegration Damage to any solid target it touches during its flight. Specifically, materials like diamond alloys crack and disintegrate, energy fields corrode to form circular openings, and flesh and other living matter melt around the point of impact, spreading up to a radius of 3 meters.
From its trajectory, Fingers Dissociation Technique isn't considered excellent. A straight-line ray flying at 850 m/s with a significant casting delay is easily detectable and avoidable at mid-to-long range for a player of my level. Furthermore, the Disintegration Technique only damages the first solid target it encounters. One can block its first wave using a substance with a density at least equal to that of ordinary alloy steel plates, or items like anti-Spell fields or anti-Spell barriers.
The main reason I spent so much on this Skill Scroll is its excellent damage effect. Smaller and medium-sized ordinary material objects (like humans, elephants, cars, and low-level Golems) hit by it will completely disintegrate into basic materials in about 10 seconds, the process slowing over time. During this process, no healing methods (including Life Potions) are effective. Only by quickly amputating the affected part can the disintegration be stopped. Hitting vital organs like the head is almost an instant kill. It's particularly suitable against enemies with strong regenerative abilities and abundant vitality.
Secondly, the cooldown of Fingers Dissociation Technique is extremely short, just 5 seconds. In a close-quarters encounter, it's entirely possible to fire ten shots in one go for burst damage.
Lastly, and most importantly, Fingers Dissociation Technique can damage equipment and items, temporarily sealing their Special Effects. The higher the Mysterious Degree of a transcendent item, the shorter the sealing duration and the lighter the damage. If the target were armor on the level of the Mirage Dragon Red Mane Coat, it would likely cause its Special Effects to malfunction for about 0.1 seconds, temporarily reducing it to ordinary armor. This brief spell-breaking window is naturally far from sufficient for ordinary players. But for top-tier players like me, 0.1 seconds is enough to launch an attack, penetrate the sealed armor, and strike vital points.
Since Fingers Dissociation Technique required a Perception Attribute of at least 14, and he was still two points short, Li Ang specifically purchased a new piece of equipment to meet the requirement.
[Name: Detective's Monocle]
[Type: Wearable]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Special Effect: Sharp Insight. When worn, passively increases Perception Attribute by 2. Marks the recent footsteps of hostile targets in the line of sight. Chance to detect hidden mechanisms and traps in the line of sight.]
[Cost: None]
[Cooldown: None]
[Equipment Requirement: Cannot be equipped with other eye-slot wearables.]
[Remark: Locard's Exchange Principle reveals one thing—a criminal will inevitably interact directly or indirectly with the crime scene and its surroundings, consciously or unconsciously leaving traces. There is no such thing as a perfect crime. Do you understand, Watson?]
The strongest effect of this Detective's Monocle was its ability to increase the Perception Attribute by 2, effective immediately upon wearing. The higher a player's level, the more Experience Points were required to level up, making every free attribute point incredibly precious. A single piece of equipment increasing two attribute points was definitely worth the cost.
To satisfy the equipment requirement, Li Ang removed the Cat's Eye Orb that had accompanied him for a long time. After a brief moment of remembrance, he tossed the Cat's Eye Orb into the All-purpose Grinder.
After purchasing these three items, Li Ang also spent several thousand Game Coins at other shops to buy consumables to restore Spirit Energy Value and Sanity Value. Just in case, he thought. The Doorway Battle could start in any bizarre form, and it's always good to have extra precautions.
As for combat equipment to replace the Soul Reaping Bronze Scythe, Li Ang also crafted a weapon for himself using the Forging Furnace.
[Name: Tyrant Halberd]
[Type: Weapon]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Attack Power: Medium]
[Special Effect: Pushing Through. After at least 30 seconds of intense combat, the wielder can launch a charge forward lasting up to 10 seconds, or until a target is hit. Charge speed gradually increases. For the first second of the charge, the wielder is immune to most control effects. The charge can be stopped at any time.]
[Cost: 400 Stamina]
[Cooldown: 10 minutes]
[Equipment Requirement: Strength Attribute ≥ 10, Agility Attribute ≥ 10]
[Remark: The Tyrant Halberd reigns supreme in its range, conquering thousands of enemies within its space.]
This weapon resembled a historical Chinese horse lance (*shuò*) in shape, with a 0.5-meter-long blade and a 3.5-meter-long shaft. However, an ordinary *shuò* was made by soaking fine cudrania wood (used for strong bows) in oil, drying it, then binding it with fish bladder glue, wrapping it with hemp rope, coating it with raw lacquer, and finally covering it with kudzu cloth through a series of complicated processes, resulting in a tough and sharp weapon. The Tyrant Halberd, on the other hand, was entirely made of a metal-like material. Its blade was dark silver, and its shaft was pitch black and extremely heavy. Even Li Ang felt its significant weight when he held it.
Heavy weapons are good weapons, Li Ang mused. Even if their Special Effects aren't impressive, I can still smash an enemy's head by swinging it. Moreover, the Tyrant Halberd's charge Special Effect comes with a brief period of control immunity. If used well, I can definitely thrust it to end an enemy's life when they think they have me under control.
These were all the new equipment Li Ang had acquired. His current player panel was as follows:
[Mystery Delver·Li Rising]
[Level: 20 (Experience Points: 1453/2000)]
[Strength: 12 (14)]
[Agility: 12 (14)]
[Intelligence: 14]
[Constitution: 11 (14)]
[Perception: 14 (Carefully Cautious +1, Bone Seeking +1, Detective's Monocle +2)]
[Charm: 4]
[Equipment: Clean Earplugs, Soul Banner, Phase Boots, Virulent Poison, Roanoke God Seal, Mirage Dragon Red Mane Coat, Minor Master Ball, Detective's Monocle, Tyrant Halberd]
[Backpack: Ruitu Military knife 300, Alchemist's Magic Box, Origin of Life, Automated Pet Box, Beehive, Abyssal Magic Mirror, Blessed Spring Water x4]
[Skills: Adrenaline Activation Method, Ripple Breathing Method, Fragment Scatter, No One Can Defeat Me In My BGM, Drown in Misfortune Assassination Method, Necromancy Technique (Intermediate), Summoning Method·Fearful Warhorse, Alchemy (Intermediate), Cloud Ascending Ladder, Fingers Dissociation Technique]
[Game Currency: 5084]
[Spirit Energy Value: 1400]
[Sanity Value: 700]
[Swamp God Power: 875/1000]
Overall, Li Ang's means for close combat and long-range attacks were now well-supplemented. He had also improved his mobility with the Cloud Ascending Ladder and Fearful Warhorse, and he was not lacking in support skills either. Besides a slightly inadequate beyond-visual-range (BVR) strike capability, he had almost no weaknesses.
In the Game Square's personal combat power rankings, he had correspondingly risen 5 places, now at 49th.
The rise in ranking isn't as much as I imagined... Li Ang thought. It's probably because the Doorway Battle is nearing, and everyone else on the leaderboard is also trying their utmost to enhance their strength. Considering I'm actually a summoner specializing in support skills, factoring in all my summoned creatures, my actual ranking might be a few places higher.
The first Beehive in the Ogasawara Islands is already complete. Over the past few days, it has collected thousands of marine creature genes, producing over nineteen thousand low-level Worker Bugs specifically adapted to the aquatic environment. The number of Worker Bugs and Soldier Bugs in the Automated Pet Box has also recovered to around seventeen thousand.
It's a pity I still haven't managed to purchase a spatial item that could load and deploy a large number of creatures in one go...
BRRRING—
The alarm clock beside the computer desk suddenly rang. Almost simultaneously, a System notification sound echoed in Li Ang's ear.
[The registration for the Doorway Battle has ended. The specific schedule is now announced.]
