Chapter 069: The Fierce Battle

As soon as the other side saw Old Fourth's words appear in the chat box, they were immediately enraged, unleashing a torrent of curses, forgetting all about fighting monsters. The freedom of the internet made these players’ tongues even less restrained. Perhaps the person sitting at the other end of the computer was a well-dressed white-collar worker or a manager at some major company, but in the game, he could vent his emotions using the most vile, filthy, and shameless language imaginable.

Lin Jia rarely swore in his daily life—at most, when among younger friends, he might use a bit of manly slang. In situations like this, it's often the case that barking dogs don't bite, while biting dogs don't bark!

Once the war of words began, Lin Jia didn’t hesitate—a bolt of lightning struck out, landing squarely on the foul-mouthed Taoist priest. With a dull groan, the man’s body jerked backward, and immediately after, Old Big Brother’s red poison splashed across him, dyeing him a bloody crimson!

Lin Jia and Old Big Brother had been teaming up for so long that their coordination was flawless. Except for Old Fourth, who lacked ranged attacks, both Old Big Brother and Lin Jia simultaneously targeted the Taoist who was using Poison Spell. Once the fight started, it was only natural to eliminate the greatest threat first. The Taoist's red and green poisons weren't fatal, but they were certainly the most troublesome for the enemy, so right from the start, Old Big Brother quickly swapped the talisman in his right hand for poison powders and unleashed both red and green poison upon the enemy team of five.

Swapping talismans and poison powders was a cumbersome process for a Taoist, and no enemy would give you time to pause during a fight. So, once the chaos began, there would be no more chance to use Poison Spell. After splashing both powders on the five opponents, Old Big Brother swiftly switched back to his talisman and hurled a fire charm at the unluckiest of the Taoists.

But before the fire charm even landed, the Taoist who had already taken three blasts of Lin Jia’s lightning let out a miserable cry and collapsed behind the human wall. Perhaps he didn’t have a potion or a random teleport scroll ready in his six shortcut slots, or perhaps for some other reason, but the unlucky level-21 Taoist didn’t manage to use one before being killed. The remaining three warriors and one Taoist all used their random scrolls, escaping from the monster-surrounded corner.

Lin Jia snorted as he saw the system message in his chat box: “You have committed murder!” Strangely enough, the words felt almost nostalgic. Killing for profit in the novice village brought back fond memories for Lin Jia—a twisted sense of evil satisfaction in ambushing and killing others.

Of the four who teleported away, three vanished, probably ending up on the other side of the Fragrant Stone Catacombs. The remaining warrior, by sheer misfortune, appeared right in front of the three brothers. Without a word, he swung his top-grade bronze axe and charged, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw them!

Two of the three wore level-22 professional gear, while the Taoist was accompanied by a gleaming white skeleton. Such a formation made him hesitate to attack, but just because he held back didn’t mean Lin Jia’s brothers would. Old Fourth raised his horse-slaying saber and advanced, while Old Big Brother’s fire charm and Lin Jia’s lightning fell upon their target in perfect synchrony!

Two spells landed on the warrior, already poisoned red and green, likely draining half his health instantly! Old Fourth’s overhead slash sent him staggering, scaring him into using another random scroll to flee.

Warriors inherently have low magic defense, and with Lin Jia’s absurdly high-magic mage attacks, level-2 Lightning was no joke. With his defense and HP crippled by poison, if the level-20 little warrior didn’t teleport out, he’d be watching the “black-and-white movie” from the ground in no time. Even though warriors have the most health of the three classes, a level-20 warrior still doesn’t have much. The combined assault from Lin Jia and his brothers nearly finished him off in a single exchange.

The other three, who had just teleported out, now circled back from the other side of the catacombs. Melee broke out again. The Taoist who had been floored at the start lay on the ground, cursing furiously with the usual nonsense: “Despicable!” “Sneak attack!” “Just you wait!”

Among the three on the enemy side, there were two warriors and one Taoist. Along with the recently teleported warrior, their attack power seemed stronger than Lin Jia’s group. But Old Fourth, high in attack, and Lin Jia, high in magic, were fired up and had no thought of backing down. Old Fourth, wielding his long saber, charged the enemy Taoist, while Old Big Brother—a half-warrior, half-Taoist—gripped his demon-quelling weapon and followed suit.

Taoists were the most hated among players, thanks to their cockroach-like tenacity, constant harassment, and ability to fight long battles. They were always the primary targets, to prevent them from healing their allies or poisoning yours. Lin Jia stood his ground, determined to blast the Taoist with lightning even if it meant taking a hit from the other two warriors.

Fortunately, the enemy warriors weren’t high-level—just seventeen or eighteen—no match for a level-22 player clad in professional gear. Even without considering level, the equipment on Lin Jia and his brothers alone would be enough to make the other side despair. If Old Fourth, in full top-tier gear, couldn’t beat a Taoist in medium armor, he might as well delete his account.

Warrior-versus-warrior combat was straightforward—a clash, then trading blows back and forth. The Taoist was always busiest on the battlefield: poisoning, swapping powders, and summoning skeleton pets. The Taoist beset by Old Big Brother and Old Fourth lasted barely two strikes before teleporting away again, his plummeting health surely making his heart pound with dread.

The enemy’s three warriors, returning to the fray, didn’t bother rescuing their companion—instead, they charged straight for Lin Jia. He quickly maneuvered his little mage back toward Old Big Brother and Old Fourth. Joke as he might, Lin Jia knew that while mages hit hard, they died just as quickly. With three warriors on him and no heavy armor equipped, he wasn’t about to play the hero. Old Big Brother and Old Fourth, having driven off the enemy, hurried back to shield him.

Old Fourth, Old Big Brother, and the skeleton pet each intercepted one of the charging warriors. The enemy Taoist’s skeleton pet, left behind after his master fled, was still trapped amid the endless sea of monsters, surrounded by zombies.

In team melee PK, mages are even more attractive targets than Taoists—dangerous, low on HP, and honored as the number one target for elimination on the battlefield.

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[Relief: Whew, thank goodness it didn't reach 10,000 votes... Posting one chapter for now, more updates tomorrow morning!]