NOVEL ONLINE FREE XI – This strength and speed…
Ye Lan murmured to herself, though her opponent couldn’t hear a word. To him, she was nothing more than a small figure shrouded in a worn-out black coat she’d found in the abandoned building. It was a bit dirty and torn but at least kept her ears and tail hidden.
At first, she thought she’d have to fight until the bitter end. Who would’ve guessed she’d unlock a skill like this? Alongside her trusty abilities, and the somewhat questionable [Loli Sanhao] she now had three powerful skills.
- [Blood Armor]
- [Charm]
- [Beastkin Never Be Slaves]
She couldn’t help but feel these combined abilities bordered on being ‘cheats’ Or perhaps this was just the natural power of the beastkin race?
In any case, humans seemed to have it rough in comparison. She wondered if they might get some kind of power boost in the future. Though she was a beastkin now, she still felt a lingering connection to humanity, and it would be good news if they had a fighting chance.
But for now, she had to focus on the enemy in front of her!
Ye Lan raised her fists with determination. The man across from her looked at her with a sneer, took two steps forward, and stopped.
“With that height, are you even a five feet? How tiny can you get? Sneaking around, hardly the mark of a brave person. And what’s with the dark rag? Are you even a man?” he taunted, laughing loudly.
She, instead of being frightened, pulled her coat even tighter around her face, hiding it almost entirely in its shadow. From afar, it was impossible to make out her expression.
"Tch! Coward!" the man spat with disdain. "Let me show you the power of a real man!" He raised his hand, and a magic circle about a meter in diameter appeared in the air in front of his palm.
Magic? A magic circle?
"Ha! Never seen this before, have you? I'll be generous and explain it to you. At level 20, humans can learn magical abilities. What I'm using now is magic! [Blazing Fire Bear]. Accept your fate and be grateful as I take you down!"
With an arrogant grin, the man cast the spell. A large flame took the shape of a bear and charged toward Ye Lan.
Surprisingly, instead of feeling fear at the sight of the fire bear, she was completely calm.
"Eh... This thing looks malnourished, doesn't it?" she murmured softly. She extended her hand and, without hesitation, pushed the fire bear's head down to the ground. The bear dissolved into ashes with a simple puff as a damage notification appeared above Ye Lan's head.
[-1 HP]
"…"
"…"
Both were left in stunned silence. Ye Lan glanced at her own hand, which felt a bit warm but remained unscratched.
The man, wide-eyed, was completely astonished. Trying to regain his dignity, he cleared his throat. "What happened before was because I was holding back! Taking you down with magic isn’t worthy of a real man. A real man fights with his fists!"
He clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and powerful energy surged from his feet.
[Explosive Step] + [Meteor Fist]
In an instant, he activated his two main skills. He was confident that even a level 25 opponent would take devastating damage from this blow, let alone a nobody at level 5!
In a flash, he closed the distance, and Ye Lan’s eyes widened at the sheer speed and force radiating from the man’s fist. She couldn’t help but gape in amazement.
"This strength and speed…"
Before she could finish her thought, the man’s fist collided with her raised arms, causing a small explosion of air. But as the dust settled, the man’s confident grin started to fade.
Ye Lan, puzzled, looked at his fist, blinked, and then continued the sentence she had left unfinished.
“This strength and speed… aren’t even half of mine?” she murmured, surprised at her own words.
Could it be that even with his level 20 skills, this human’s attributes still didn’t match her pure physical strength? Ye Lan felt a bit awkward as she looked up to see the man, who seemed even more bewildered.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! How is this possible?! Are you some kind of defense specialist or what? I don’t believe it! Let’s see if you can handle continuous attacks!” he shouted, gritting his teeth as he launched a flurry of punches, almost childlike in his frenzy.
Ye Lan simply blinked, surprised. His punches felt slow, and honestly... weak.
Effortlessly, she raised her hand and moved her palm lightly, blocking each punch without breaking a sweat. Her health bar not only stayed intact but even showed full recovery thanks to her regeneration ability.
“Ora ora ora ora!” the man yelled, his strikes growing more desperate.
“Ha~” Ye Lan sighed, extending her other hand as she exhaled, her eyes half-closed, clearly unamused.
“No, that’s enough” she murmured, and with minimal effort, closed her fist and delivered a swift punch to the man’s stomach.
Bang!
Crack!
The sickening sound of ribs breaking echoed as the man’s eyes widened in shock, his body launched backward and crashing into the wall behind him.
Boom!
His health bar instantly dropped to zero, shattering into fragments of light.
[You’ve defeated a level 20 player]
Ye Lan glanced at her experience bar, which barely budged. A level 20 player didn’t even yield enough experience to help her level up. Frustrating.
So, if I can defeat a level 20 human in one hit at level 5, am I practically invincible at this stage? It almost feels like cheating, she thought, smiling faintly in disbelief.
Then again, beastkin ranked sixth in the Ranking Order, whereas humans were down at thirteenth. This difference in strength wasn’t surprising. Still, there were five races above beastkin… better not to dwell on that just yet. For now, encountering them seemed unlikely.
She let out a sigh, relaxing. Dropping down in a corner, she exhaled deeply and thought, Ten minutes until the next scan… I think I can rest a bit. She closed her eyes, settling in for a brief nap.
Unable to resist stretching, Ye Lan's eyes slowly closed, and in moments, she was sound asleep.
Zzz…
Zzz…
Zzz…
Meanwhile, far off in the distance, Mu Xuetong found herself in the midst of a fierce battle, surrounded by a throng of enemies.
In that distant place...
Mu Xuetong held her Qing feng sword, eyeing the group of foes encircling her. Most were level 15, but one stood out, a level 20 player with a smug expression. “Move aside! I don’t have time to waste on you” she declared firmly, her gaze fierce. “Xiao Lan is still waiting for me, and I need to get back to her as soon as possible!”
Although Mu Xuetong was only level 15, her swordsmanship was exceptional, and she had honed her skills enough to be confident in one-on-one combat.
However…
The sheer number of enemies was daunting.
She locked eyes with the level 20 leader, who looked back at her with arrogance. She tightened her grip on her sword, her mind racing with strategies.
If I can take down the leader, maybe I can clear a path using the new skill I just learned. She thought, a spark of determination lighting up her eyes.
