Game Time PM 22:51
Tian Zhu Mountain, First Outer Mountain, Noob Arena.
Accompanied by a twisting light, Mo Tan, clad in silver-white plate armor, was teleported to the center of the Arena. Not far in front of him, a large rooster with exceptionally wide eyes and no distinguishing features stared at him menacingly, its claws continuously scratching the ground, looking full of murderous intent.
Special Quest Activated: Duel Little Chicken Number Three. Quest Reward: ???, First Chicken Challenge Right.
The system prompt echoed in Mo Tan's ears, its familiar yet strange content making him feel as if he had returned to that ape-less night seventeen days ago. Similar time, same location, he had been utterly defeated here by this 'Number Three Chicken' in front of him, losing his first match without inflicting any damage on the opponent.
But at this moment...
The chicken was still that chicken.
The person, however, was no longer the same.
"Long time no see~" Mo Tan drew the crimson greatsword from his back, holding it steadily across his chest, and greeted the chicken in front of him gently, "Please enlighten me again this time."
He didn't hold a grudge at all...
Little Chicken Number Three, not far away, turned its head to peck at its feathers, then glanced at Mo Tan disdainfully, "Cluck!"
It could only make this sound. Although it lacked the gravitas of a phrase like 'Insignificant nobody, this chicken has been waiting for you for a long time, come quickly and meet your demise,' it was rich in information.
"Uh, I'll take that as a greeting." Mo Tan shook his head with a wry smile, then summoned his Self-Destructing Sheep. In the last second before the Arena barrier disappeared, he flipped onto the sheep's back, his greatsword held steadily in front of him, and a phantom image of dark golden thorns flashed behind him.
Little Chicken Number Three slightly narrowed its eyes. It felt that this weakling in front of it seemed to have changed a lot from before, becoming somewhat dangerous...
It was right.
Mo Tan
Race: Half-Dragon - Thunder Scale Bloodline
Gender: Male
Level: Warrior Lv.5, Thorn Knight Lv.15
Alignment: lawful good
HP: 820 / 820
Stamina: 510 / 510
Talents: Devotion, Steel Spirit, Incredulous, Integrity, Thunder Scale
Basic Attributes: Strength 25, Agility 7, Wisdom 17, Constitution 41
Civilized Attributes: Eloquence 5, Charisma 10, Knowledge 20, Leadership 15
Combat Attributes: One-Handed Weapon Mastery Lv.8, Two-Handed Weapon Mastery Lv.5, Shield Mastery Lv.3
Active Skills: Charge Slam, Mad Rush, Sword Wind, Thorn Thrust, Shield Block (Unavailable), Thorn Charge, Thorn Aura (Activated), Rallying Aura, Knight Skill - Tiger Spear, Knight Skill - Falcon Strike, Knight Skill - Turtle Shrink, Knight Skill - Crimson Lotus of Wrath
Passive Skills: Voldemort, Basic Horsemanship, Knight Spirit: Valor, Knight Spirit: Honor
Equipment: Heavy Sword Great Fire, Inferior Steel Shield (Carried), Static Sword (Waist-mounted), Others omitted
As the strongest of Mo Tan's (regular) three characters, the combat power of the 'Mo Tan' character had undergone a qualitative leap compared to when he tragically died under Number Three Chicken's beak (which was only a dozen days ago). Not only did he acquire a mount, but his equipment and skills were also greatly improved and enhanced, and attributes like Strength and Constitution more than doubled.
Coupled with the extensive combat experience accumulated over these days, there was no doubt that the current Mo Tan was very strong!
"But that Number Three Chicken should not be underestimated either."
Jia Deka, in the audience, stroked his long beard and said with a solemn expression, "It is undoubtedly a dangerous raptor!"
"Very dangerous... raptor?" Lu Jiang, sitting beside him, stared blankly at the Arena, her delicate face full of confusion, "It clearly just looks like an ordinary rooster."
Ya Ya, on Jia Deka's other side, shook her head vigorously at Lu Jiang, "Not ordinary, woof! That woof is very scary, woof! I can't even beat it, woof!"
"Gezi-jie." Lu Jiang reacted for a moment, then turned to Ji Xiaoge, who was sitting behind her, and said with a wry smile, "Could you translate? I'm still not used to Ya Ya's way of speaking."
Ji Xiaoge, while fiddling with her toaster, frequently looked up at Mo Tan, who was silently confronting Number Three Chicken, and casually replied, "She said that chicken isn't ordinary, it's terrifyingly strong, and Ya Ya can't even beat it."
This was true. Ya Ya and Jia Deka had both challenged Number Three Chicken in the single-player Arena, and Ya Ya had indeed lost to that raptor. Ji Xiaoge knew about this, but Lu Jiang, who spent most of her time cultivating 'Dragon Virtue' techniques with Feimigeer on Little Dragon Peak, was hearing about it for the first time.
"How amazing!" He exclaimed softly, unsure if he was marveling at Number Three Chicken's terrifying power or Ji Xiaoge's dog-language translation skills...
"The speed, strength, and stamina of that Little Chicken Number Three are all close to that of a Mid-Tier professional," Jia Deka said to Lu Jiang with a serious expression, "and its combat intelligence is very high. In all aspects, it's a respectable opponent. The previous battle put a lot of pressure on me."
He didn't have a trauma regarding Number Three Chicken like Ya Ya did, after all, Jia Deka's match against Little Chicken Number Three ended in victory. But he also gave a very high evaluation of the latter. Combined with the Old Mage's extremely robust physique and his highly destructive Self-Destructing Sheep tactics, it was clear that Number Three Chicken's strength was indeed very high.
"But it should have also discovered that the current Mo Tan is not easy to deal with." Ji Xiaoge fluttered the wings gathered behind her, pointing at the center of the Arena with a smile, "Otherwise, that rooster wouldn't be so cautious."
Indeed, Little Chicken Number Three was very cautious. It didn't attack Mo Tan immediately, but instead cautiously circled the edge of the Arena, occasionally letting out two low 'clucks'.
One should know that the last time it encountered Mo Tan, it charged in to fight the moment the barrier disappeared.
"It's treating me as an Egalitarian Opponent, huh." Mo Tan, riding on his Self-Destructing Sheep, also circled unhurriedly, his gaze firmly fixed on Number Three Chicken, "It's a bit..."
Whoosh~
"Cluck!"
A whistling sound and a screech rang out simultaneously. Number Three Chicken suddenly accelerated at that instant, rushing like lightning beneath Mo Tan, its cold, sharp beak pecking straight at the sheep's belly.
Not only did it seize this opening to directly rush into Mo Tan's blind spot, but its attack angle was also extremely tricky. If Mo Tan's mount beneath him wasn't a Self-Destructing Sheep, but something like a warhorse... the consequences would have been unimaginable.
It was a pity that Mo Tan was now a Sheep Knight, so he simply and unhurriedly lowered his feet to the ground, then pushed off hard...
"Cluck!!"
"Cluck!"
Number Three Chicken, having pecked at empty air, immediately became enraged, and a certain player in the audience also let out a curse at the same time. After many days, Great Light Knight Kevin once again recalled the fear of being dominated by 'long legs'.
A surging Sword Wind swept the unprepared Number Three Chicken into the air, followed immediately by countless crimson spear phantoms, like a sudden storm, swirling into the sky. The raptor, flapping its wings desperately, tried to break free from the range, but was still continuously struck by the pervasive spear shadows, its plump body being pushed higher and higher, little by little.
"Flattered."
Mo Tan rapidly wielded the greatsword in his hand, keeping the opponent firmly within his attack range, and at the same time completed the half-finished sentence that had been interrupted earlier. Then, at the last moment of the Knight Skill - Crimson Lotus of Wrath's duration, he sent Number Three Chicken directly above him.
"Cluck!" The latter roared, its entire chicken body rotated 180 degrees in place, and at the moment the spear shadows dissipated, it spun and plummeted straight down, pecking fiercely at Mo Tan's glabella!
The next second, it was splattered with a sword light swirling with spiral qi.
Thorn Thrust
Active Skill
Mastery Requirements: Two-Handed Weapon Mastery 3, Strength 20, Constitution 40
Cost/Restriction: 100 Stamina, equipped with a two-handed weapon
Effect: Delivers a powerful thrust to the target, dealing moderate damage. If it collides head-on with the target's melee attack or skill, it reduces and reflects 10% of the damage taken. If it directly hits the target's face, there is a 100% chance to inflict a blinding effect on the opponent. Cooldown: 3 minutes.
Note: Due to multiple complaints that Grand Lord Theodore Diesel's method of poking people's eyes with his fingers violated Knight Spirit, he later graciously changed to using broadswords, lances, warhammers, executioner's axes, and other weapons to poke opponents' eyes.
To be honest, when Mo Tan leveled up Thorn Knight to Lv.15 and automatically learned the skill, he was stunned on the spot. Then he deeply felt that the notes in the Knight Training Guide might have some issues, and that the Diesel Family's misfortune didn't start until Jia Deka was born, but rather started to go astray from the second generation...
Getting back to the point, from an objective perspective, the Thorn Thrust skill can only be described as mediocre. After all, the requirement of directly hitting the opponent's face is simply too difficult to achieve. The reason is simple: if you can directly hit the opponent's face, then you are basically not far from victory. In this situation, the Blinding effect becomes insignificant.
But at this moment, facing Number Three Chicken, which used a part of its face as a weapon and attack method, Mo Tan's move immediately achieved excellent results!
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!!!"
Number Three Chicken, whose vision was plunged into darkness, shrieked and fell to the ground. Its long beak was already crooked, and there were scorched marks on its body, which were singed by the slight fire damage attached to Rage Red Lotus. The entire chicken staggered backward, looking extremely disheveled.
At the same time, Mo Tan activated Thorn Charge and Knight Skill - Tiger Spear / Falcon Strike, instantly rushing in front of Number Three Chicken, his sword falling!
Whoosh!
Special Quest: Duel Little Chicken Number Three, Completed. Gained Thorn Knight Experience 3500 points, Adorable Little Chicken Necklace, Angry Little Chicken Amulet, Synthetic Chicken Meat three catties six taels, Magic Scroll: Charge! Bulldozer Chicken * 1, First Chicken Challenge Right.
"It's the first time I've seen equipment for the accessory slot, so this reward is indeed good. However, the synthetic chicken meat and that magic scroll for 'Charge! Bulldozer Chicken' feel quite bizarre. And that Little Chicken Number Three shouldn't be dead yet..."
Mo Tan quickly recovered his status by the matching crystal, then walked to the stands and made a high-five gesture to Ya Ya, who had just stood up, because the dog girl was also preparing to challenge Number Three Chicken again.
"Woof!" Ya Ya immediately cooperated by placing her small hand in Mo Tan's palm, then wagged her tail quickly, her big eyes blinking, and instinctively stuck out her small tongue.
Mo Tan subconsciously reached into his pouch, casually pulled out half a piece of jerky, and put it into her mouth. Then both of them paused.
Why does this feel so strange...?
Mo Tan let out a dry laugh, then patted Ya Ya's shoulder, "Good luck."
"Mm!" The beast-eared girl nodded happily, the momentary blank expression instantly vanishing. She then bounced and hopped to the top of the stands, crouching by the matching crystal to operate it.
Jia Deka gave Mo Tan a thumbs-up, "Well fought!"
"Thank you~" Mo Tan smiled, sitting in Ya Ya's previous spot and spreading his hands to the others, "I was also gambling just now. Although it seemed quite relaxed, if that quick attack hadn't succeeded, it would have been troublesome later. That little chicken is very fast; even if I were riding the sheep, I'd probably have a hard time catching it."
Lu Jiang shook her head, looking at him with great admiration, "Mo Dage, you're too modest. Strong is strong. I wish I could be as perceptive as you."
"It's very difficult for Mo Tan to lose. I'm more worried about Ya Ya." Due to Lu Wei's 'special mission', Ji Xiaoge, who often played 2V2 with Mo Tan, wasn't too surprised. She just looked back at the beast-eared girl who was hopping and stretching, and said with concern, "She hasn't mastered those few dragon... uh, dog-language spells yet. What if that little chicken bullies her?"
Jia Deka, while applying an ice pack to his staff, said with a wry smile, "But it's already difficult for her to encounter an Egalitarian Opponent, and to advance to the next Arena tier, she must pass the First Chicken's test. Since we're here to improve our strength, we can't stay in the Noob Arena forever."
According to the rules of the Tianzhushan Grand Arena, to advance from the Noob Arena, one must pass the tests of First Chicken and Number Three Chicken. To play the next tier's 5V5 team battle, at least three members must graduate from the Noob Arena. Jia Deka and Mo Tan had already obtained the right to challenge First Chicken, and Ji Xiaoge and Lu Jiang were not solo players, so the last spot could only be contested by Ya Ya.
And this girl's combat power in her normal state wasn't very strong. Aside from her speed, intuition, and a certain beast-like instinct, Ya Ya's strength was even inferior to Guichu Qi, who was also a warrior in the previous Arena team named 'How Long Can Our Team Name Be'.
Moreover, her berserk state was completely uncontrollable, appearing very inconsistently without the help of Jia Deka's staff exploding her tail or other frustrating situations, and even if it did appear, she wasn't guaranteed to win.
Without Ji Xiaoge's indescribable cooking attacks and flying ability, nor Lu Jiang's near-physical immunity and skilled gender transformation... I mean, transformation ability, unconsciously, this adorable beast-eared girl, whose Mandarin wasn't quite standard, gradually became the weak link in the five-person team...
Of course, that was two days ago~
No one could say how Ya Ya would perform now.
Chapter 213: End