NOVEL NEXT XII – Morning Grumpiness
"You can’t escape. Look around, you’re surrounded by elites, all at your level, while I’m at level 20 with mastery in magic. You have no chance of getting away, so you might as well join us willingly~" said the man at the center, extending a hand toward Mu Xuetong with a sly smile.
At this proposal, Mu Xuetong found it even more ridiculous than being told, 'Become my pet!' She gripped her sword tightly, lifting it in silence before swinging it without hesitation.
[Icy Radiance: Manifestation!]
As a human, Mu Xuetong possessed an innate skill starting at level 1, while beastkin typically had two. This technique, [Icy Radiance: Manifestation] was her innate skill, a powerful ability with excellent range and attack power.
A blue light surged from her sword, cutting a swath through the enemies surrounding her. Yet, her foes raised their arms nonchalantly, withstanding the strike with their reinforced defenses.
[—20 HP]
The damage was unexpectedly low, and Mu Xuetong’s eyes widened in disbelief. Meanwhile, the level 20 man looked on, unfazed, as though the result had been entirely expected.
"Dealing 20 points of damage is impressive, considering every member of this elite group has specifically reinforced defenses, our health and endurance levels are superhuman. You can’t hope to defeat us..."
He paused, flashing a mocking smile. "They’re specialized in defense, while I’m specialized in attack. You don’t stand a chance. Just join us. Think about it, if you’re eliminated, you’ll carry debuffs in the real world for a couple of days, and outside the event, death is permanent~"
The man tried to intimidate Mu Xuetong as he pulled out a pair of spiked gloves and slipped them on" You’re smart, you won’t do anything foolish, right?” he added with an arrogant smirk.
Hearing his words, she lowered her head, but her lips curved into a faint smile, and she began to laugh softly.
“What are you laughing at?” the man asked, visibly annoyed.
“Me? I’m laughing at you” she replied.
Mu Xuetong adjusted her hair, lifted her head, and looked at the men surrounding her. "So, you say they’re specialized in defense? That means their attack power is weak, right? Do you think an assassin can’t take down a tank? If I have enough time, won’t my sword eventually chip away at their health bars?"
As she spoke, she raised her Qing Feng sword, which shimmered with a soft blue light.
"Attack? Are you ignoring me?" he sneered. "Your game analogy is amusing. If you’re the assassin, then I’m the warrior. Do you think an assassin like you can defeat me, especially when you’re surrounded by so many tanks?"
The man tilted his head, his expression full of disdain, but in that instant, Mu Xuetong flashed a small smile and, in a blur, lunged forward, appearing right in front of him.
"Don’t be so sure~" she said, then opened her mouth slightly and shouted the name of the skill she’d unlocked at level 10.
[Falling Flower Palm]
A powerful surge of energy shot out from her palm, sending the man flying backward, his eyes wide with shock.
[Forced Ejection]
With a confident smile, Mu Xuetong spun her sword. [Falling Flower Palm] was a skill she had gained upon reaching level 10, reminiscent of the mage technique from DNF1Dungeon & Fighter. The move could be cast instantly, forcing her opponent to be thrown back, though it didn’t deal direct damage.
"Well, that takes care of the 'warrior'. Now it’s just you tanks. Time to finish this~" she said, raising her sword as the tanks instinctively backed away in fear.
A demon! She was a true demon! A demon queen!
They had grossly underestimated Mu Xuetong. In the gaming world, she was a master, famous for her icy precision and flawless technique.
Mu Xuetong held more than a dozen titles, the most renowned among them earned during a siege battle where she had lured hundreds of enemies into a trap, eliminating them all in a single move. This feat earned her the title [Demon Queen] which she wore with pride, far more than her other titles like [Executioner], [Demon] or [Empress]
Meanwhile, the man Mu Xuetong had launched with [Falling Flower Palm] was still airborne. With his points maxed out in attack, his low defense meant he flew quite a distance.
Boom!
He crashed into the wall of an abandoned building, leaving a massive hole, then rolled across the ground, his head accumulating several painful bumps.
"Damn it! How dare she throw me? She’ll pay once I’m back on my feet!" he growled angrily, struggling to stand. Just then, he sensed someone nearby.
"Who are you? Don’t you know I’m trying to sleep? I’m exhausted…" murmured a groggy voice. Ye Lan stood up from the ground, her hair a messy tangle, rubbing her eyes with an expression of barely suppressed irritation as she let out a sleepy growl.
[Congratulations, you’ve unlocked a new passive skill]
[Morning Grumpiness]
[Morning Grumpiness: When woken from sleep, you enters a rage state that increases your attributes by 100%.]
"Do you know what happens when I don’t get my beauty sleep?" She exclaimed, clenching her fists in pure rage.
The man across from her, noticing his opponent was just a small girl, sighed in relief.
"A level 5 rookie? Daring to talk to someone like me? It won’t take long to deal with you!" But as soon as he finished speaking, Ye Lan had already moved like lightning, mimicking Mu Xuetong’s technique, and appeared right in front of him.
"Waking me up has serious consequences" she muttered as her fist collided with his face, hitting with such brutal force that he was sent flying, a loud crack resounding from his neck.
"I… will return!" he managed to shout in his last moments before vanishing, disappearing as a faint, blinking star.
With a yawn, Ye Lan closed her eyes again and sleepily curled up in a corner to resume her nap.
[5 minutes remaining until the next position detection]
The man, after his 'free trip' landed heavily on the ground with a loud thud. His body was fractured in multiple places, but somehow he hadn’t been eliminated. His health bar showed a single point remaining.
"At least unlocking the level 20 skill [Unyielding] saved me… A 10% chance to trigger the immortality effect… That was pure luck… But how can that girl have such strength…?" he muttered, struggling to recover some health.
Just then, before his health bar even reached double digits, a figure began approaching him slowly.
"Well, well! Look what we have here~!" a crystalline voice sounded beside him. Hearing it, the man broke into a cold sweat.
Standing before him was Mu Xuetong, her level 20 plainly visible.
"Thanks for the XP gift, pal. Double-click2Essentially, it's a like. and a 6663The number 666 is used to express admiration for something impressive or amazing. just for you!" she said, raising her sword with a playful smirk.
"………"
