Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 775 - 773: Shadow Dragon

[Phantom Moon Guild--Litang Jianxue] against [Monster Alliance--A Man Playing Music is Really Charming]

[Prometheus Laboratory Company-ECMA] against [Sword King Court--Spear Narrow]

[Burn Wind Guild--This Child Shall Obscure My Name] against [Burn Wind Guild--This Child is Terrifying]

[Special Affairs Bureau--Dragon Stride Leopard Transform] against [Syndicate--Amber]

[Global Occult Coalition--raining] against [Thunder Bluff Heartbreak Front Alliance--Uninvited Tauren Warrior]

...

The restrictions were lifted on forty-nine arena rings simultaneously, and the ninety-eight players who received the System notification entered the field, heading to their respective areas.

With so many matches happening, even the Watcher's Society couldn't commentate on all of them; they simply didn't have enough personnel. So they didn't comment on any, letting the audience watch whichever matches they wanted.

They would officially commentate again once the number of participants was reduced at the higher levels of the Sky Fighting Arena.

"These are all experts above Lv20."

Li Ang muttered as he watched the various uniquely dressed contestants, "And they all have their guild's names before their own."

"Players who dare to sign up for the arena battle first are definitely confident in their own strength."

The mule beside him explained indifferently, "Phantom Moon is a medium-sized guild established by a daughter of a Datuk from Malaysia, and it's quite influential over in Southeast Asia.

That Datuk has also gained status because of his daughter and has been very active recently, wanting to advance even further.

The world's largest black market previously had ties to the Phantom Moon.

This Litang Jianxue is probably the vice president of the Phantom Moon Guild. Recently promoted to Lv22, she has pretty impressive strength and is likely to win.

ECMA is a senior manager from Prometheus Company based in France, and their strength should be quite close to that of Spear Narrow from Sword King Court; it's expected that they'll end up in a protracted battle.

Burn Wind Guild was founded by one of the earliest players, Qimian Xuantian, who has good relations with the Special Affairs Bureau.

The two players taking the stage are from the same guild, so they probably won't go all out, just make a gesture and then surrender, to send a teammate to the second floor."

Li Ang listened carefully to the mule's breakdown of the situation on the arena rings. These contestants were all figures with significant status in the real world, and their detailed information was not top secret, but normal players would not find it easily unless they actively looked for it.

And the mule didn't think it would be a loss to share this information with Li Ang—firstly because this information couldn't be sold for a high price, and secondly, building a good relationship with Li Rising was far more important than a few hundred Game Coins.

Alongside the mule's commentary, the players each took their places on the arena rings.

The big screens randomly broadcast the scenes from one of the arena rings, and the staff of the Watcher's Society quickly adjusted all the camera positions, ready to record the combat scenes from each arena ring.

"..."

On the fourth arena ring, a buzz-cut burly man named [Dragon Stride Leopard Transform] twisted his neck, his arms crossed in front of his chest. His simple black tank top could not hide his muscular build.

He was a Mobile Detachment instructor stationed at the Special Affairs Bureau's Chang'an base, and like Xing Hechou, he came from a military background.

What differed was that he became a player a month earlier than Xing Hechou and was a level higher at Lv21.

"Hello, I'm an officer from the Special Affairs Bureau. Looking at your arena nickname, are you a member of the Syndicate?"

Dragon Stride Leopard Transform looked at the redhead woman dressed in extravagant pirate attire before him and said solemnly, "I wonder if you would be willing to communicate with us..."

"No need for communication."

The tall female pirate named [Blood Sea Amber], standing lazily, with her hand resting on the hilt of her long knife at her waist, said indifferently, "Just like before, we do not accept any form of communication, negotiation, transactions, or consultation."

"Is that so?"

Dragon Stride Leopard Transform slightly furrowed his brow and looked past Amber to the Special Affairs Bureau section in the audience around the six o'clock direction. Many of his colleagues and officers were seated there.

In fact, at a very early time, the Syndicate, a Secret Society that "roamed and committed crimes" all over the world, had already attracted the attention of the Special Affairs Bureau.

The latter always wanted to obtain more information about the Syndicate; however, the Syndicate's methods were as elusive as the horns of an antelope.

Each time they were involved in an incident, whether it was a dam collapse in the United States, an energy firm going bankrupt in Germany, or a fire in Congo, there seemed to be no connection between these events, nor any discernible far-reaching effects.

The Special Affairs Bureau had tried various methods to make contact with the Syndicate, but could never locate their strongholds in the real world.

Once, a Mobile Detachment operating overseas accidentally captured an outer cadre member of the Syndicate. However, before he could be transferred and interrogated, the cadre was rescued from a highly secure dungeon. The entire Mobile Detachment was taken down without a single casualty, and they didn't even get a clear look at the rescuer's face.

"Our Special Affairs Bureau always welcomes other societies to let down their guard and communicate on equal terms,"

Dragon Stride Leopard Transform withdrew his gaze that had been set in the distance. He had already received instructions from his superiors that there was no need to stick around. "But for now, let me take the points from this match..."

Before he finished speaking, the countdown timer above the arena ring had already hit zero, and Dragon Stride Leopard Transform had vanished from the spot, leaving only Amber, standing somewhat surprised and motionless.

At the spectators' seats, at the six o'clock direction, in the Special Affairs Bureau's area.

Xing Hechou, dressed in a sharp suit, furrowed his brows as he gazed toward Dueling Field number four.

"What's wrong, Old Xing?"

Chuyin, sitting next to Xing Hechou, took a sip of his drink and casually asked, "Why the serious face? Are you worried about your comrade-in-arms?"

Dragon Stride Leopard Transform and Xing Hechou had once served in the same unit at different times; although they did not know each other before, they shared a comradeship.

Xing Hechou slowly shook his head and said in a deep voice, "It's unlikely for weaklings to appear in the first round of the arena battles, especially when the other side is sporting the Syndicate's name. Dragon Stride Leopard Transform revealed one of his trump cards right from the start, proving that on the arena ring, he could clearly feel the energy fluctuations transmitted by his opponent..."

Trump card?

Sitting next to him, Xun Zian, the leader of the Mobile Detachment's Team Six from Yin City, frowned and crossed his arms in front of himself.

Since the Special Affairs Bureau needed to leave enough personnel to control anomalies in the real world, many of its agents who had reached Lv20 did not sign up for the Door Struggle.

Although neither Xing Hechou nor Xun Zian were participating in the events, the former had high enough clearance to be privy to the information regarding operatives deployed from other strongholds without entering the competition himself.

He's already using his trump card so quickly...

On the arena ring, Amber raised her eyebrows slightly and surveyed her surroundings.

The presence of her opponent had vanished.

The Sky Fighting Arena was monitored by the System. Any act of using skills or items to leave the arena ring area would be immediately detected, granting the opponent 5 knockout points. If a player did not return to the arena ring for an extended time, they would be declared defeated outright.

At the moment, there were no characters floating above the arena ring, which meant Dragon Stride Leopard Transform was still within the arena ring area.

So, where could he be...

Amber's eyes narrowed slightly, and in a flash, her right hand reached out. The slim and slender Pirate Scimitar instantly slipped out of the scabbard, diagonally pointing toward the ground in front.

BOOM!

Suddenly, three massive gashes appeared on the surface of the arena ring, radiating from the tip of the curved sword.

Large quantities of bricks and stones from the arena ring surface shattered and scattered into mid-air. Spectators could clearly see the gray stone beneath the broken bricks—the Sky Fighting Arena's arena ring itself could be destroyed, but the deeper the stone, the more solid it was.

The Watcher's Society had even compiled a chart based on how deep a player could break the surface of the arena ring to assess the level of their power output.

Amber's seemingly casual strike had carved three nearly one-meter-long fissures into the arena ring.

This level of combat immediately caught the attention of the majority of the spectators.

In the midst of the flying debris, Amber gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, her cold eyes roiling with the surge of waves.

WHOOSH!

Without any warning, a cone-shaped, swirling smoky shadow sprang forth from the fist-sized broken rocks at Amber's side, billowing into existence.

Around Amber, a pearl-like white barrier emerged, blocking the conical shadow.

However, the mass of shadow seemed to possess an eerie ability, eroding the barrier like an incurable ulcer, splitting into thin shadowy strands that infiltrated its interior, pushing Amber, whose feet plowed the ground as she continually retreated towards the edge of the arena ring.

"Oh oh."

In the audience section at the nine o'clock direction, a bespectacled otaku in an anime T-shirt's eyes lit up. He took a sip of Coke and mumbled vaguely, "That Dragon Stride Leopard Transform is pretty impressive."

Impressive?

Stonemason glanced back at Perch. After the Professor had told them about the importance of the Door Struggle, he logged off and left the square, even asking Tai Hao to tidy up the chairs in the bar on his way out.

Of the other disciples, Wang Hu suggested they go to the Sky Fighting Arena to watch the first day's competition. Lizard-headed Nasir said he needed to run experiments in the Mortal Realm. LAN, who looked somewhat wan in a white shirt, said he had overtime to do. Meanwhile, Witch and Meow Meow Head were eager to make money by selling subpar Magic Potions, each with their own reasons.

In the end, only Wang Hu, Perch, and Stonemason, the latest member to join the ranks of disciples, came to observe the competition.

As a newcomer, Stonemason was still somewhat reserved. He hesitated, then asked, "Won't... Sister Amber be in trouble?"

"In trouble?"

Perch grinned, "That crazy woman might be the one with the strongest burst of combat power among us, besides Tai Hao and Lose Control. Don't think she's being suppressed; she is just observing, waiting."

Waiting for what?

The question in Stonemason's mind was soon answered.

At the moment when the conical shadow's breath was about to blast Amber off the arena ring, her pirate boots firmly braced against the edge of the arena ring.

The pearl-light barrier around her was completely shattered by the shadow's breath. A great surge of shadowy smoke billowed towards her, but the female pirate wore a smile, saying lightly, "So, it's a shadow dragon..."

The latter half of her sentence was swallowed by the shadow's breath. Perch in the audience section at nine o'clock looked relaxed, but Xing Hechou and others at six o'clock had grave expressions.

Above the arena ring, there was no sign indicating a hit or knockdown.

TING—

A sharp, lingering sound came from within the conical shadow.

A crescent-shaped blade gleaming with a water-like sheen tore through the shadow, crushing all the flying debris in mid-air, and revealed Amber at the edge of the arena ring, unharmed, with her sword pointing forward.

[Name: Tidal Messenger]

[Type: Weapon]

[Quality: Perfect Level]

[Attack Power: High]

[Special Effect: Tide. Imbues the sword with the power of the sea, causing the next attack every 4 seconds to deal additional damage, and inflicts wide cone-shaped split attack damage.]

[Consumption: 200 Spirit Energy Value]

[Cooldown: 4 seconds]

[Equipment Requirements: Advanced sailing skills, possession of a completely loyal large fleet]

[Remark: The lost souls of the Iron-Sail Navy cling to the trusted sword of the fleet commander—Tidal Messenger—enhancing its destructive power against Torrent Demons.]

This Perfect Level Pirate Scimitar, gleaming with the sheen of waves, allows the user to perform split attacks. If faced with a horde of lower-level enemies, one strike could decapitate them all, making it an excellent weapon for group attacks. Even against an opponent of the same level, Tidal Messenger can launch a splash attack across a cone-shaped area in front by striking airborne targets such as stones and leaves, hitting the opponent regardless of distance.

After one strike, all the dust and debris in the air were hit by the water light, leaving the surface of the arena ring clear.

Deprived of the gravel for cover, Dragon Stride Leopard Transform's figure was finally revealed. He was a half-human, half-dragon being, covered entirely in jet-black, fine scales. He was slender, and gaunt to the point of being skeletal. Curved dragon horns grew from the top of his head, and his dragon tail hung to the ground, curving around his protruding spine, completely unlike his appearance before the transformation.

DRIP. DROP.

The dragon creature lifted its slender forelimbs, pressing against its waist—there lay a long, deep wound, from which blood continuously dripped through the gaps of its fingers.

[Critical Hit!]

Text appeared above the arena ring, signifying that Amber had struck a perfect attack, scoring two points.

"So it's a Shadow Dragon..."

In the spectators' stands, the mule's eyes became serious, and his voice was faint.

Noticing Laura's gaze, the mule turned his head and explained in a soft voice, "I've heard that the Special Affairs Bureau branch in Chang'an has a special power enhancement system, half-dragon transformation. Originally, this was a tome left by the Heterodox Academy that allowed human Cultivators to form a pact with the Eastern Dragons to share their power. After modern modifications, it seems to have become effective for Western Giant Dragons as well.

Dragon Stride Leopard Transform's ability likely stems from the mythical creature known as the Shadow Dragon, which can perfectly meld into shadows, leap between them, and project shadowy breath attacks imbued with Arcane Magic damage.

Right after the start of the arena match, Dragon Stride Leopard Transform immediately submerged into the ground to lure Amber into attacking the ground and scattering gravel. The multitude of shadows cast by the broken stones provided platforms for him to leap towards his opponent rapidly and release the Shadow Dragon's breath in an attempt to strike a fatal blow.

Unfortunately, the opponent's defense was strong; she wasn't knocked off the arena ring, nor did she sustain any injury.

Hmm... As a born assassin capable of hiding within shadows, the Shadow Dragon must not be adept at frontal assaults, especially considering that the female pirate seems capable of delivering wide-range attacks with both energy and physical attributes. Even if Dragon Stride Leopard Transform wanted to continue hiding, he would be forced out bit by bit."

The mule heaved a sigh and said, "The stage that could best utilize the Shadow Dragon's abilities would be intricate spaces filled with complex elements, gradually draining the opponent's energy through stealth abilities until the opportunity arises for a sudden, fatal strike. The monotonous elements and confined space of the arena ring are just too limiting."

On the arena ring, Amber flipped her long knife with flair, shaking off the blood stained on the Tidal Messenger.

She tilted her head and said lightly, "Healing abilities aren't working, huh? My blade is coated with a special poison that suppresses healing effects, even if you take a Magic Potion. Your abilities aren't bad, but they just happen to be countered by mine. In this duel, you might as well surrender now and save some cards for the next battles..."

The half-dragon creature in his transformed state didn't wait to hear her out; he covered his wound with one hand while taking out several potions with the other and downed them in one go.

However, just as she had said, the wound on the half-dragon's waist still bled profusely.

"It's no use, you..."

Amber's words suddenly halted as she saw Dragon Stride Leopard Transform look impassively while pulling out a needle and thread. He brutally pierced through the dragon scales with forced strength and roughly stitched up the wound.

His stitching skills were far from skillful. Additionally, it was a haphazard job done in haste. This resulted in a lopsidedly sewn wound with sharp scales folding inward, piercing the flesh. Blood would spurt out with any slight movement—it looked painfully crude.

"Done."

Dragon Stride Leopard Transform tucked away the needle and thread and shook the blood off his hands, looking at Amber with a detached gaze. "Let's continue the fight."

"..."

Amber cracked a smile, her Pirate Scimitar once again shimmering with water-like reflections, "That's exactly what I want."

Almost simultaneously, both of them lowered their stances. In the next second, a whirlwind of dust arose beneath their feet as the scaly dragon claw met the unrivaled sharpness of the blade edge-on.