079 The first to shatter your Ring of Power!

The moment Wind Rises and Clouds Moves saw Wu Hai challenge Morning Wind, he knew Wu Hai was no match for him. Morning Wind’s equipment, skills, and race were all superior; his technique was no worse either. How could Wu Hai possibly win? Since Wu Hai refused to heed his advice, letting him suffer a setback might make him smarter in the future. In the face of absolute strength, any underhanded trickery was useless.

Trying to play dirty in front of me? Do you even have the chance?

To Morning Wind, Wu Hai seemed like a fool who came just to hand over his gear—too proud for his own good. He still insisted on dueling in the arena despite knowing he was likely to lose. After the match, Morning Wind teleported out and stood before Wu Hai, whose face was dark with anger. He stretched out his hand and said, “Where’s the ring? Thinking of cheating me?”

“I recorded the whole conversation, Scoundrel Wind,” the Monk said, “send me the video. If he doesn’t hand over the ring, we’ll post it on the forums and let Thunder Fury’s team answer to their fans.” The Monk knew Wu Hai was cunning and sly, and might well run off without handing over the ring.

If he were just a regular player, it wouldn’t matter. But as a pro, with few fans to begin with, this incident would cost Thunder Fury’s team even more support—he might even get kicked out. Wu Hai glanced at Wind Rises and Clouds Moves, but saw he was ignored. Now he knew Morning Wind hadn’t set him up.

“You brought them here just to trick me out of my Shadow Ring!” Wu Hai’s face twisted in frustration. The magic ring he’d worked so hard to obtain had been taken from him, and now even the Shadow Ring was lost. It made his gaming life feel unbearably miserable.

War Maniac shrugged. “We told you from the start you were being foolish. Of all people, you chose to challenge him in the arena. Weren’t you just handing over your gear?”

The Monk curled his lip. “Someone like you, I could beat easily. Know this—Scoundrel Wind is the strongest in our squad. Only I can put up a fight against him. You might as well give up on your little tricks!” He scoffed, “Think being a pro means anything? I’ve never thought much of professionals!”

Seeing Wu Hai reluctantly hand the Shadow Ring to Morning Wind, Stealth approached and said, “Hey, thief, how about a few more matches? If you win, we’ll give you 2,000 gold; if you lose, you pay us 1,000.”

“Hey, Scoundrel Wind, War Maniac, or Stealth—pick anyone you like!” the Monk added. “If you can beat me, I’ll give you 3,000 gold!” He admired Stealth’s quick thinking—after all, everyone was leveling nonstop and burning through potions fast.

Wu Hai could feel their utter contempt. They thought any one of them could beat him. If he backed down, he’d lose all respect—not just from these guys, but even his own teammates. “Fine, bring it on! Monk, I choose you!”

“Thank you for the 1,000 gold!” The Monk demanded payment upfront, knowing Wu Hai might try to run if he lost. “Pay me first, or forget it!”

Morning Wind ignored their antics and teleported from the arena, heading to the forge to merge the Magic Ring and the Shadow Ring. Only then would he have a true Magic Ring, and in the future, when he looted rings from other regions on the global map, he could instantly upgrade his attributes. No player could possess two Magic Rings—should one acquire a second, it would be instantly consumed by the first. Fusing just one now would mean missing out on future upgrades.

Blood Magic Ring

A scattered artifact; right-hand ring; drops on death.
Requirements: None

+5% Lifesteal
+20% Maximum Health
Skills: [Space-Time Traverse], [Shadow Concealment]
Effect: 10% chance to be immune to all attacks
Effect: On a critical hit, 25% chance to deal 3.2x critical damage
Effect: When taking hostile action or being affected by an enemy, Stealth state lasts 3 seconds before breaking instead of instantly; for non-rogue classes, damage dealt within 3 seconds of entering combat increases by 30%
Devour: Consumes other Magic Rings to enhance all stats

Description: Every space connected to the continent of Oglas possesses a Magic Ring.

[Shadow Concealment]: Stealth skill. Instantly enter Stealth and become invincible for 2 seconds; no attack can break Stealth. Usable in any state. Cooldown: 1 minute. Cost: None.

A powerful survival tool, perfect for escaping when focused in team battles. For a warrior to have a rogue’s vanish skill, combined with Morning Wind’s own stealth, it would be a formidable combo.

When Morning Wind returned to the arena, he saw the Monk relentlessly chasing down Wu Hai. It was clear the Monk had him completely suppressed; it was only a matter of time before victory. Yet just as the Monk was about to finish Wu Hai off, the rogue vanished and sprinted away; the Monk had no idea where he’d gone and couldn’t attack, letting Wu Hai survive.

The Monk searched for two whole minutes but couldn’t find Wu Hai. Frustrated, he shouted, “Damn it, come out!”

That cunning rogue waited to heal up fully before ambushing the Monk again. After a barrage of attacks failed to bring the Monk down, he vanished and ran off once more. The Monk was helpless; fighting a rogue was always frustrating, especially one as devious as Wu Hai—unable to win himself, yet not letting the Monk win either.

“So that’s how Thunder Fury’s pros play—shameless! I’ll post the video on the forums!” the Monk threatened. Wu Hai had already lost, but kept dragging things out. The Monk wasn’t someone to be trifled with. He knew Wu Hai would try to cheat, so he attacked his weak spot: “I’ll title it ‘Thunder Fury Pro’s Shameless Tactics’—I think it’s a great name!”

If it was just about himself, the Monk could say whatever he wanted. But when it involved the team, Wu Hai had to consider the consequences. In a pro league match, using underhanded tactics to win was one thing. But here in a casual arena, refusing to admit defeat would tarnish the team’s image.

Wu Hai never expected this unremarkable-looking Monk to be so formidable. In the ten days since the game began, he’d always thought monks were trash, but this one was different—his handling of skills was smooth and masterful, his technique terrifying. If the Monk really did post the video, Wu Hai would probably get a scolding from his manager, maybe even lose his bonus.

A thousand gold was a painful loss for Wu Hai. It was all the money he’d earned recently by questing, selling gear, and carrying others. Losing it all at once stung. After weighing his options, he tried again, thinking he had a chance, but the Monk still had tricks up his sleeve. In just a few exchanges, the outcome was decided.

“Pathetic! So that’s the level of Thunder Fury’s pros!” The Monk pressed his palms together, shaking his head in mock regret. If the Monk had lost, he could have offered all sorts of excuses, but with his victory, he stomped Wu Hai into the ground. War Maniac and the others knew well what kind of person the Monk was. Now the sharp rogue had lost his Magic Ring, his Shadow Ring, and even a thousand gold to the Monk’s trickery. It was easy to imagine how defeated Wu Hai must have felt.

He’d once thought that with the Magic Ring, he could dominate the professional league and surpass Wind Rises and Clouds Moves. Now, he’d been brought crashing down to earth. Who wouldn’t be bitter?

How Wu Hai felt wasn’t Morning Wind’s concern. What interested him now was why a player with the ID Skyward Heights wanted to add him as a friend. If not for Cheng Xue telling him someone was looking for him, Morning Wind would have ignored the request. After adding the player, he found himself faced with a string of incomprehensible language.

Of all foreign languages, Morning Wind only spoke English—not a word of Japanese. “Can you speak human language?”

“Hello! My name is Skyward Heights, I’m a player from the Japanese region. I want to buy your Magic Ring; money is not a problem!” This player cut straight to the chase. Clearly, he was a Magic Ring owner himself, understanding Morning Wind’s strength and deciding that buying the Magic Ring would be easier than trying to kill him for it.

“Ten billion dollars,” Morning Wind replied, naming an astronomical figure. Weren’t they supposed to be rich? If you could pay ten billion, Morning Wind would gladly hand over the Magic Ring. With that money, he could build an organization to rival Cobra.

Hearing Morning Wind’s outrageous price, Skyward Heights frowned. “Stop joking. No one would pay that much for your Magic Ring, not even for the Supreme Magic Ring.”

“Didn’t you just say money was no object? I thought players from Japan were loaded. If you’re broke, stop pretending to be a tycoon in front of me!” Morning Wind dismissed him. If you want my Magic Ring, come and get it yourself—no need for these tricks. Especially a Japanese player; Morning Wind wouldn’t sell it even if he died.

Seeing Morning Wind’s attitude, Skyward Heights seemed to realize that nationalism was influencing his decision. “Don’t be foolish. If you refuse my offer now, you’ll regret it once the global map opens. Think it over!”

A very polite threat.

“Threatening me? I, Duan Morning Wind, grew up unafraid. When the global map opens, you’ll be the first whose Magic Ring I take!” Morning Wind ended the call and deleted him from his friend list; keeping him there felt like an embarrassment.

Back when he’d been a psychic assassin, two of his subordinates had died in Japan. Morning Wind had no fondness for the country. The only thing he appreciated was Japanese women, whom he found quite attractive. As for this Skyward Heights, he was now blacklisted. Anyone who dared threaten him clearly had a death wish.

He’d better not set foot on the global map. No matter where he hid, Morning Wind would hunt him down and claim his Magic Ring first. In the regions of Britain, Germany, and France, Magic Ring owners kept their identities hidden—no one knew who possessed them.

End of section.