Chương 41: You Call This Level 110?

A whole squad of high-level assassins vanished without a trace, and Lin Jue didn't even consider that Xiao Chen might be responsible. Killing people was the easiest thing in the world. Glass cannon assassins were especially easy to kill. The rewards were so massive that it genuinely tempted you toward murder. Compared to the grind of taking down bosses, this seemed like a shortcut. Xiao Chen loved money, and he had some strength now, but he still wasn't willing to point his bow at innocent people of his own kind.

Of course, those ten professionals from earlier probably weren't exactly innocent. Xiao Chen kept himself hidden all the same, letting Brother Fan handle the questioning.

"I am an enforcer of the Star Pact! Show me your identity information!" Zhang Fan had never been one for details--he even dared to impersonate a Star Pact enforcer. Hearing Zhang Fan's voice, not a single one of them showed any sign of nervousness. Was the Star Pact really this toothless?

"Star Pact enforcers, huh? Since when did you people dare to enforce laws outside the city?"

"Fifth Brother, how many enforcers have I killed at this point?"

"Too many. Lost count."

"Enforcers are way richer than regular folk. Free meat delivered right to your door tastes the sweetest." After hearing that exchange, Xiao Chen knew exactly what kind of people they were dealing with. Not a single decent person among them.

"Brother, just hit them!" Zhang Fan didn't even need to say it--Xiao Chen was already moving, loosing volley after volley of arrows.

"Bro Fan, don't get too close, these guys are pretty strong!" Their levels were probably around 130, but with various team buffs, their actual strength was considerably higher. Some of them, if they'd awakened special class skills, would be tough to handle.

"No worries, just small fry. Third Brother, hit them!" A skeleton archer appeared beside Xiao Chen--he'd actually trained it all the way to Gold Grade. After a few rounds of attacks, Xiao Chen had killed three of them, and Zhang Fan had taken one down. Collecting the bounty rewards, Zhang Fan was beyond excited.

"Holy crap, I finally got that kill achievement too! Damn, being a good guy is hard work. Running into scum like this isn't exactly easy." No wonder this guy had charged in so aggressively--he'd been gunning for the kill count. Zhang Fan probably wasn't a good person in the absolute sense, but he didn't go around killing innocents either.

"From now on, even I can score kills and gear up!" Four glass cannons taken down with ease--that was an excellent start. But things took a turn after that. Arrow after arrow hit its mark, yet those people refused to go down. Keep in mind, Xiao Chen was under the effects of a Berserk Potion, with an attack power of 140, 000.

"-91, 368""-94, 536" Normally three arrows were enough to kill one person. Now he'd fired dozens of arrows, and those six were still standing there perfectly fine.

"Holy hell, are they popping potions? Have they no shame?"

"It's not just potions. Even with my attack power, I can't out-damage their healing. They've got a serious tank and a serious healer in their group."

"Or maybe... more than one." Tanks could absorb damage directed at allies, and some powerful tanks took a pretty high percentage of shared damage. These healers' recovery output was insane!

"Judging from the damage numbers, these guys' defense is over 40, 000 too." Even with all the buffs, that was seriously impressive. No doubt about it--every one of them was above Level 130.

"Bro Fan, Crimson Guild members probably have way higher stats than normal people." Killing other professionals granted attribute points. That was a pretty insane drop mechanic. The higher your level, the more professionals you'd killed, the stronger you became.

"Looks like we picked a fight with some serious heavyweights. Either way, call for backup." Xiao Chen and his crew could probably handle these six professionals, but there was no guarantee Crimson Guild didn't have even stronger members lurking around. Better to play it safe.

"I already told Chen Zhan in advance. There should be reinforcements coming, right?" Xiao Chen wanted revenge, but he'd never planned to take on an entire guild by himself.

"These six, we should be able to handle." Xiao Chen's arrows had auto-tracking, and they were flying high with extreme attack range. Ordinary professionals could barely reach them. Right as Xiao Chen thought that, he saw one of them suddenly raise a long rifle, barrel pointed skyward.

"Holy crap, a Gunslinger!" These bastards had been hiding their classes on purpose! You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. If you wanted to know whose attack range exceeded an Archer's by a huge margin, it was absolutely the Gunslinger. Xiao Chen had once seen a Gunslinger one-shot a boss right at the dungeon entrance. Long range, fast attack speed, and solid damage to boot.

"Bro Fan, evade!"

"Damn, hard to dodge!" Having a massive summon was sometimes a liability.

"BANG!"

"BANG! BANG!" After a few shots, Xiao Chen felt the Dark Eagle beneath his feet lurch violently. Hit!

"Quick, descend to the ground or we'll fall to our deaths!" During the descent, Xiao Chen didn't let up on his full DPS output. No matter how powerful the healer, their mana pool would run dry eventually.

"Captain, we're here!" Fang Chengbao and the others had arrived too.

"You gain the Revitalizing Blessing effect. HP +10%, Defense +10%." Now they had a healer on their side too--things weren't so scary anymore! When they were still about a dozen meters from the ground, the Dark Eagle was killed outright. Xiao Chen used Blink just before landing and took no fall damage. The chubby guy's reflexes were fast too--his summon cooldown had long since finished, and he immediately summoned another Dark Eagle. But this time, he didn't dare fly openly at high altitude.

"Damn, that Gunslinger's strength is on par with a Level 150 professional!"

"Bro Bao, all of you stay prone and don't move. Don't worry, as long as we keep our heads down, we won't get shot." With a healer around, taking a few bullets wasn't a big deal. Arrows didn't have this problem--they could arc. Xiao Chen's arrows especially so. They could change trajectory. He just lay prone on the ground, still pouring out damage in the enemies' direction like a madman.

Zhang Fan and Fang Chenghu's summons, plus Little Strong with his ten clones--twenty summons charging forward with battle cries made for an intimidating sight.

"Chenglin, slap a continuous healing skill on those summons."

"All ranged summons, focus fire on that Gunslinger!"

"Bro Bao, don't push too far forward--that guy might two-shot you." The enemy's strength was far trickier than expected.

"No way, I'm a tank."

"He's popped potions. Single-hit damage is over 200, 000." Bro Bao could probably survive it, but the healer would be under serious pressure. Xiao Chen couldn't be sure whether those guys were hiding even more tricks up their sleeves. Bottom line: hold the line, don't get cocky.

"BANG!"

"-145, 986" The bullet penetrated the earth and struck Xiao Chen, taking out a huge chunk of his health. With the defense buff, Xiao Chen's defense had reached 40, 000.

"Is this possibly a Level 160 professional?" This level of strength was beyond anything Xiao Chen had encountered.

"Sending someone like this after us--is that not giving us a little too much credit?"

"Specifically you, not us. You made the Planar Announcement, so it's not unreasonable that they're taking you seriously, right?"

"Fair enough. I don't have boss-level strength, but I did something even bosses couldn't pull off." BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Several ranged summons finally got within striking distance of the enemies, but that also meant they'd entered the enemies' attack range. A female mage holding a staff tossed out several fireballs, each over a dozen meters in diameter, directly at the group of summons.

"-213, 695""-246, 987" Mage damage was just absurd. One fireball exploding wiped out a whole swath in an instant.

"This is absolutely a Level 150 mage too!" After taking a few fireballs, Little Skeleton was already critically low. These guys had some serious power! Xiao Chen was even considering retreating. Of course, he couldn't retreat now. He had to go full DPS, suppressing those guys with his bow. If he gave them breathing room, a few fireballs could wipe everyone out. He was here for revenge, not to get his teammates killed.

"Bro Fan, what do we do?"

"I'm just a Summoner, what do you expect me to do?" Of all those summons, only Little Strong and the Earth Bear were still standing. The Gunslinger added two more shots, and they went down too. Truly worthy of being Epic-grade summons--even when they were useless, they were the last to fall.

"Boss, hurry up and help, or we're done for." At this point, Xiao Chen could only call for help.

"Hang in there. We've got our own fight going on here. Damn, kid, you're something else--you actually drew out their strongest assassins."

"This..." Something was definitely off. He was getting the VIP treatment here. They were dead set on putting him in the ground.

"Bro Bao, each of you buy a Random Teleport Talisman. Something's not right--if we can't win, teleport out immediately."

"Captain, is it that bad?"

"Isn't it obvious? Can't you see I'm not daring to move a muscle here?"

"I feel like you could 1v6 no problem. You're the man who solo'd bosses, after all."

"Bosses don't have this kind of gunplay. The key is, this guy's attack range completely counters mine." Xiao Chen realized that without distance advantage, his Blink and positioning were a joke. Fortunately, his arrow suppression was still formidable. Without a tank and healer, this attack speed and this DPS--no one could withstand it. The current situation was a stalemate. Neither side could finish the other.

Xiao Chen was grinding out damage when one of them shouted at him:"Xiao Chen, I'll make an exception and give you one more chance today. Join the Crimson Guild. What's done is done--we can let bygones be bygones." Xiao Chen didn't respond, continuing to coordinate in the party channel:"Nobody say anything. This guy might be trying to pinpoint our locations through sound." The enemy was cunning. Silence was the only counter.

"Xiao Chen, I suggest you reconsider. Your attacks can't kill us. Once our reinforcements arrive, you won't have any chance left."

"Only after you truly enter the Crimson Guild will you discover--you've opened the door to a whole new world."

"Xiao Chen, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit."

"Damn it, are you mute?" No one spoke. Only the whizzing sound of arrows filled the air.

"Ding--you triggered Lethal Strike. -436, 987" A professional with over 400, 000 HP--killed in one hit! This was the moment Xiao Chen had been waiting for. 【You killed Deng Yingzhi. Bounty reward: +20, 000 Gold Coins. Guild Contribution Points: +40, 000. 】 What kind of boss-tier character was worth this much? A single bounty of 20, 000 gold--that was the most valuable kill Xiao Chen had ever scored. 【Kill Count +1. EXP +360, 000. Gold Coins +180, 000. AGI +20. 】 【You obtained Staff (Epic Grade).

】 The drops were insane--he'd actually gotten an Epic-grade weapon. Xiao Chen wanted to shout: "Who the hell grinds mobs anymore!"

"Stay calm, stay steady!" That fireball-slinging mage--he'd taken her out. 360, 000 EXP from one kill. That Fire Mage had to be around Level 150. The sudden kill announcement instantly stunned the remaining enemies. They stopped talking and started getting anxious:"That guy awakened a one-shot kill skill. Fall back slowly or we're in deep trouble."

"Okay, retreating now."

"Damn, he's a Level 110 Archer, how is his DPS this ridiculous? His defense is almost on par with ours."

"The hell is this Level 110?"

"Bad intel. Not our fault. Withdraw!" With a Gunslinger providing covering fire, Xiao Chen's group genuinely couldn't pursue.

"Why couldn't I have one-shot their healer instead!" Whether it was the healer, the tank, or even the Gunslinger--if any one of them had died, Xiao Chen would have had absolute advantage. Right now he didn't dare use Blink recklessly, afraid Fang Chenglin's healing wouldn't keep up. The summon cooldowns still had a while to go, and there was no one to cover him if he chased. Xiao Chen's output was already insane, yet these guys somehow kept maintaining healthy HP bars.

"Reinforcements haven't arrived yet, something must have gone wrong. Let's pull back fast, or it'll be trouble when the Star Pact powerhouses from Tiannan City show up." Xiao Chen could only crawl forward on his belly, hoping to trigger another Lethal Strike before they got out of range. Apparently, luck really wasn't something you could control. He watched helplessly as the five professionals walked farther and farther away, finally disappearing into the forest.

Five professionals, each with the strength of a Level 150 or even 160 character.

"These guys' levels probably aren't even 160 yet. Their strength far exceeds their level tier." These people were a lot like Xiao Chen--base stats so high that level gains barely mattered. If you killed enough people, a Level 120 professional could become absurdly overpowered.

"We just let them go?"

"Not strong enough. Can't stop them."

"Had to be the captain, driving off that many high-level professionals." They'd expected to run into a few stealthed assassins at most. Who would have thought they'd encounter so many powerhouses.

"Were these people really here for me? Or was it just a coincidence?" Xiao Chen didn't know. He only knew that things were about to get very dangerous. Picture a Gunslinger with 500 meters of attack range, hiding in the shadows and popping off a few shots out of nowhere--who could handle that?

"Either way, we didn't lose anything." They hadn't lost a single person, while the Crimson Guild had lost 15 members.

"Let's retreat slowly toward the guild territory!" They hadn't gone more than a few steps when a message popped up in the guild channel:"Chuan Mufeng killed Wu Zhuo." Seeing that name, Xiao Chen froze.

"Wu Zhuo?" That name was very familiar.

"Holy crap, the boss took out the Crimson Guild's highest-level assassin?" Wu Zhuo, Level 168 Assassin, ranked among the top hundred powerhouses in Tiannan City. That was seriously impressive!

"Looks like there's still a major battle going on near the guild territory. Bro Fan, how much longer until your Dark Eagle CD is up?" Xiao Chen glanced at Zhang Fan, saw the crimson tint above his head, and went completely rigid.

"What, why are you staring at my head?"

"There's a red mark on your head."

"Meh, if you'd said green, I might be worried."