Chapter 703: Now… Offense and Defense Have Transformed (Not Really)
My final words utterly tore down their fig leaf at this moment.
Why would they carefully design such a bait and set a trap, even sacrificing a Little Beast King to k*ll me once?
Because my actions completely treated them, who were also Teaching Assistants, as trading goods, rather than as lofty instructors.
Perhaps in other Extraordinary Academies, the position of Teaching Assistant isn’t held in high regard, but they are still part of the “privileged class.” Now, they are being thrown into the mortal realm, slaughtered like points by those ordinary low-level students.
They absolutely can’t stand it!
So they must give the heaviest counterattack…
In short, it’s just a face issue. Since they feel my actions are “insulting to Teaching Assistants,” rather than what a defeated subordinate should endure… they will react.
Therefore, identity is indeed a magical thing. If we really get serious, I’m also a Teaching Assistant～
Suddenly, I seemed to understand the Betrayer Witch’s mentality towards the Witch Race.
As a fellow Teaching Assistant, looking at them being idle and not stepping onto the right path, should an opportunity arise, I definitely won’t let them be too comfortable.
Perhaps someone would ask why I must pick a fight when they are just minding their own business…
Do they really not affect me?
I still don’t know the name of the Teaching Assistant who doesn’t affect me. If it weren’t for coincidence, I wouldn’t even know the Yi Rui group.
Only when someone jumps out would that remind me, a person who dislikes trouble.
As the people lying in ambush against me came out one by one, I recognized who they were.
All familiar academies, and there were even two Teaching Assistants from the Witch Academy.
It was evident; after all, there’s a hierarchy between academies, and those who aren’t good enough can’t play together.
“Everybody, stop the chatter, just give her an unforgettable lesson.”
As this was suggested, the sentiment resonated with everyone immediately, as they found they seemed to be outmatched even in trash-talking… the opponent’s words were filled with a threatening vibe, even though they were merely stating facts.
More importantly, despite being completely surrounded, there wasn’t a hint of fear on their faces, which made many feel that dragging this on too long might lead to unforeseen circumstances.
So even if they held absolute advantage, they irrationally chose to ambush!
In the blink of an eye, two arrows locked down my attacking route, embedded with stealth magic runes.
The previously slightly awkward Little Beast King from the Beast Academy also approached to block my way out.
Spells from the Wizard and Witch Academy were rapidly charging, and everyone was buying more time for them.
Between multiple people, even without too much coordination, the dazzling succession of skills was enough to corner even high-level players into retreat.
Since the Power Network relies on standardized and modular ability releases and combos, there must be a kind of synergy between these skills that perfectly locks down the opponent.
This is the “irrationality” of this mode; rather than expecting my perfect operation, it’s better to pray that the opponent makes a mistake amid the chaos.
The absolute power mode paired with a procedural response thought process, within this rule-focused “game,” mastering the rules is tantamount to mastering victory or defeat.
So this game is essentially about who has the upper hand in the rules over the opponent.
“How is this possible? Catching arrows with bare hands?”
In the distance, the elves watched in shock as I caught an arrow with my bare hands while wrestling with the orc.
The arrows shot my way were also attached to elven spells, with the armor-breaking runes and penetration runes still active, I seized the opportunity to stab into the orc’s carotid artery, directly breaking their bodily defenses.
Yet even so, the orc still pushed through with its powerful Undying state, going berserk.
At the moment he discarded his rationality, he was also led by the nose, ultimately earning me a Fireball Spell, with the explosive aftermath easily countered by my own magic protection.
I must say, the “Stone Skin” and “Magic Shield” spells in the Mage skill tree are indeed very convenient.
Although this kind of resistance cannot directly withstand offensive skills, it provides flexible combat with more maneuvering space and many buffer chances.
“d*mn it… Is this how your fire support works?!”
The Beast Academy member shouted angrily, and in that brief moment, he was hit repeatedly by the armor-breaking arrows and the Fireball Spell.
After pulling out the arrow in his neck, even his berserk effect ended prematurely.
I must say, among these people, there was only the minimum level of cooperation and coordination; after all, they could never truly expect to work in unison.
Each one had their own agenda.
So, under my guidance, their internal clashes began to show.
At this moment, the only Holy Angel present promptly sent out a Divine Light.
“Want to heal? Did you get my permission?!”
As I cast a Fireball, it was blocked by an Ice Shield Spell sent up by her, and as the Ice Shield shattered, the Divine Light illuminated the orc.
“Foolish! The Holy Light Healing Spell targets designated individuals!” The Holy Angel looked at me as I approached the orc, not attacking but extending her hand, and commenced a sneer.
“Oh yes, yes, yes～”
I lightly snorted. Although I hadn’t received healing just now, the Holy Light attribute was legitimate, and the curse on my arm began to show signs of unraveling at this moment.
Seeing it indeed effective, I also returned the taunt.
God knows how troublesome this curse is; that wizard used it as a medium to scheme against me, causing me to miss countless opportunities to deliver lethal blows.
The wizard’s spells may not have strong offensive power, but the disruption they cause in combat is truly outrageous. No wonder the Wizard class is defined as supportive/disruption types.
At this moment, the wizard, who had been hiding behind maintaining the curse, cursed inwardly, glaring angrily at the Holy Angel.
Although he said nothing, the Holy Angel instinctively took a few steps back.
Perhaps he too knows he’s in the wrong…
The advantages in battle are always reflected in these unintentional details.
In the following fight, even though these two orcs had fully healed, they were soon beaten to an even worse state than before.
Crack!
As yet another arrow broke inside the orc, the sound made the elves shiver.
During the fight, I deliberately targeted and destroyed the arrows shot by the elves.
At the beginning of the battle, when I dodged the third arrow shot by the elves, which then lodged in a tree, I understood that the elves needed to recover their arrows.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be shooting every arrow so conveniently into nearby trees; if they flew too far, it would be difficult for them to recover.
So I intended to render every arrow that was shot utterly non-recoverable.
Upon realizing my deliberate targeting, the elves became increasingly frantic, and I was even more certain that I was doing the right thing.
At this time, many people’s gazes shifted to the few witch Teaching Assistants participating in this encirclement, as if silently questioning why they couldn’t be as troublesome as this guy!
The teaching assistants from the Witch Academy also shot back with a glare. If they were as troublesome as the opponent, why would they need cooperation?
If there’s something to complain about, it’s the Power Network; the killing power of those skills is simply too weak. The first spell being a Fireball Spell is offensive, but what about the rest?
Defense, control, healing, magic resistance, physical resistance…
Only the seventh spell is another offensive spell, yet it’s an area-based spell, the Hail Spell.
As for single-target damage, it could only be counted as obstructive spells…
With such a skill tree configuration, how can they k*ll enemies?
But don’t complain that the Mage class is such, other classes are similarly close; functional skills occupy the majority, intended for users to flexibly adapt to the varying forms of combat instead of relying on overwhelming strength.
Yet I must say, although it seems to be many against one, and I appear to be in the “advantage,” only I, the hunted, truly know how dire my predicament is.
Every one of my powerful attacks is an attempt; I have tried thoroughly killing a person but found no opportunity, tried forcing my way out but also found no opening. Perhaps they can’t k*ll me, but they can ensure I can’t escape and can’t k*ll anyone.
The terrifying life essence granting them Undying is their greatest trump card to suppress me at this moment; they have already revealed their cards to me.
Right now, my only opportunity is to pretend to attempt killing someone thoroughly, forcibly tying down someone who can hard control me. The elves’ arrows have been depleted by me; the elves can only use close-combat daggers or short swords, and this change in combat method is also an opportunity for me.
So I directly set my sights on this opportunity and charged towards the wizard!
After all, the wizard’s disruptive spells are just too annoying; I’m not afraid to clash with anyone, but being disrupted by spells is genuinely unbearable.
Moreover, attacking the wizard might make the Holy Angel’s divine spells cautious.
As I approached the wizard, I immediately fell into a triggered curse; though I endured a curse, it was not painful or itchy for my current actions, but it hard restrained the Holy Angel’s Divine Light support.
Although the Holy Angel is designated for healing, every class has a certain offensive capability, and even Divine Light, being an offensive skill, can interfere with curse spells.
So I didn’t just receive a curse; I essentially wrapped myself in a Divine Light immunity.
“Stop her!”
At this moment, the fastest ranger shouted and charged at me with a sword.
My sudden shift in combat rhythm stunned many; what was previously a defensive mode flipped into an assassination—who would expect that?
And this was an assassination against a wizard!
Why though?
There seemed to be no reason!
From their perspective, assassinating the wizard wouldn’t yield any good results for the opponent, let alone that success isn’t guaranteed.
“Too late!”
My goal was naturally not to k*ll him, but to… disarm him!
The “game mode” of this Power Network dictates that the most shameless method is to disarm, which essentially blocks the opponent’s ability to use skills.
I don’t need to k*ll them; as long as they can’t hinder me, that’s enough.
Upon seeing the witch weapon in his hand shatter due to the Box of Books, he froze for a second.
I then took this opportunity to cast a spell, retaliating against the ranger blocking my path.
“You!” The ranger suddenly hit by a fierce counterattack was astonished but quickly reacted, “Quick, block her path! She’s trying to escape!”
“Why say so much?!” I fiercely swung the Box of Books towards her waist. She could only defend with her short sword.
Vines erupted and wrapped around her calf, providing resistance, preventing her from blocking me immediately.
In the end… it was the Birdman Holy Angel most likely to catch up to me.
However, I had already cast Gale Spell on myself, and as long as I distanced myself, the Holy Angel would need to risk a massive chance to intercept.
“Quick, chase! How could we let her escape?!”
At this moment, another ranger shouted bitterly, then stepped forward swiftly.
The other Holy Angel unfurled her angelic wings.
Of course, these wings can’t fly; at least without skill enhancement, they can’t fly, as it defies aerodynamics. Angels flying can’t possibly flap their wings sideways, right?
The Holy Angel’s wings serve as a medium for divine spells and holy light; divine spells are the essence of flight, and now these divine spells have been integrated into skills.
My proactive escape granted me a distance advantage, and if nothing changed, this battle wouldn’t be more than a transition from ambush to pursuit.
I quietly determined my direction, and after obtaining a bit of information, I turned towards another heading.
At this moment, the Holy Angel empowered by divine spells rapidly caught up with me.
“Troublesome…”
I cursed inwardly and quickly assessed distances and speeds; just as I was about to launch an attack, a figure suddenly sprang out!
That shadow shot out and confronted the Holy Angel in the air!
The speed of the action and the ferocity of the figure made even those chasing from behind gasp in shock!
“It’s you! Li Feiya! You betrayed us?!”
“Li Feiya?”
Upon hearing this name, I was taken aback, then I realized that figure was indeed Li Feiya!
But another term also caught my attention: “betrayal”?
“Betrayal? Heh, cats have no loyalty to any group.” Li Feiya mocked, then approached me, “Xiao Han, hurry and come with me! There’s no time to explain…”
“Do you have a way to escape from these people?” I asked, frowning.
“No, but us two are better than you alone…”
“No means don’t go with me.”
I glanced at her outstretched hand, grabbed it firmly, and then headed determinedly in a certain direction.
However, after running for a while, the distance still hadn’t widened, and in fact, Li Feiya and I were falling into a worse position.
“Sister Xiao Han, are you sure about this run? Why are you slowing down?”
“Remember the mentor Sheril we met before the joint exam hunting?” I tilted my head towards Li Feiya. Given the urgency of the situation, many questions were difficult to ask and explain.
For instance, it was clear that Li Feiya’s profession was no longer a Mage but rather… a melee beastkin cat, but I didn’t question her right away.
“I remember… what does this have to do with anything…”
“I mentioned… when someone is chasing me, another group will definitely protect me.”
“Ah? Sister Xiao Han, what nonsense are you saying?”
“I’m still being hunted; guess what happens～ if the candidates pursuing me can’t find mutated beasts… what will happen?” I asked while running.
“Ah?”
“They will encounter… a group of Teaching Assistants.”
As I finished speaking, an ominous black mass appeared ahead, a hunting party specifically assembled for large groups of mutated beasts. Yes, “Hunting Party”! Just the number was enough to make Li Feiya freak out.
“No… no way! It looks like they’re not here to help us?!”
“Anyway, they’re not here to help them, right?” I pointed at the nearly twenty Teaching Assistants chasing behind, gloatingly said.
“Now… offense and defense have transformed!”
