Orochimaru! [1]
This person appeared in the battles of the second segment like a whirlwind. Each of his battles was incredibly bloody and brutal, and every single one of his opponents were torn to bloody pieces. In fact, he would intentionally drag on the match so that his opponent would be pummeled until there was not a single piece of skin left intact. He did this to nameless normal players and to the powerful players on the influence ranking board.
During the first segment, this person behaved like any other regular person and had remained an unknown entity. However, when the second segment began, all the players who were to compete against him were sure that they had ran into a lunatic. He was an incredibly bloodthirsty madman and had a disdainful and cold smile always on his lips. With a pair of samurai swords in the shape of crescent moons, he humiliated his opponents until they looked like lambs up for slaughter.
The worst of all was that once they ended the fight, Orochimaru would stick his weapons in his opponent's corpse to further humiliate his enemy! His attitude provoked everyone and challenged their tolerance.
When all the victims uploaded their battle replays on the forum, countless students in the University of South China were enraged. They protested and requested South China Martial Arts Ranking Board to reveal this person's information and major so that they could spit on them. They even said that they found it unbelievable that they would have such an inhumane and crazy fellow university mate!
The Three Lonely Wolves were bombarded with phone calls and found themselves in a predicament. In the end, they dug out that person's information and were stunned…
Orochimaru was not a current student in the University of South China, and neither was he a student in the universities around the area. He was a senior who had not graduated and did not have a fixed job. As of current, he was a former senior of theirs who did not even get his graduation certificate.
Once they released this information, not only did they not manage to quell public outrage, they just stirred up an even greater wave of anger. The people began to make guesses that since this person did not get his graduation certificate, he harbored a grudge against the University of South China, and his anger had even come to involve the current students in the university, which was why he deliberately did something so provocative and gory!
Once they came to this conclusion, a number of hot-blooded people demanded that the top players on the influence ranking board defeat this person and treat him in the way he treated others!
In an apartment in another city, a man with a pale face and ghastly eyes browsed through the forum with an extremely mocking expression. He blew out a mouthful of smoke, and with a cigarette between his fingers, he typed swiftly on his keyboard.
[I am Orochimaru.
[My dear juniors, feel free to try and defeat me!]
Once he posted his thread, a bloodthirsty and rabid look flashed briefly through his eyes.
As one of the veterans who was among the earliest group of people to join World of Martial Arts, he had already played the game for nearly three months. Not only was he rich in experience, he had also made quite a name for himself in the game. Some of the players in the city would even turn tail and run when they saw a person dual-wielding a pair of samurai swords.
Almost one hundred Gate Realm players had died in his hands, and every day, that number increased by dozens. 'The greenhorns in the University of South China only have one or two martial arts in Grandmaster Realm, and they want to teach me a lesson? They must have a few screws loose in their heads!'
However, he did not care what kind of deep impression he left in the minds of his dear juniors. Regardless of whether it was good or bad, his name should be a hot topic in the University of South China for a period of time. He had also intentionally left behind his real information because he wanted the news to reach his tutor's ears, which should happen very soon…
Hmph!
When he thought of this, Orochimaru snorted coldly, and a smug look appeared on his face.
He looked forward to what sort of expression his tutor would have once he learned of his current reputation and his accomplishments. He might not be able to raise his head in front of the other tutors.
Chapter 64 - An Evil but Powerful Player
When the second segment ended, Happy had quite the amount of time left on his hands. He quietly logged off the game and opened his eyes, and he was just in time to hear the Three Lonely Wolves talk about their former senior Orochimaru taking revenge through gritted teeth. He listened to them while retaining his composure, but as he heard more, he slowly furrowed his eyebrows.
Orochimaru…
He had heard this name before.
It was the name of an antagonist from a popular manga known as Naruto. He did not think that someone would actually use this name to walk about World of Martial Arts. In his previous life, when he heard this name, he did not pay too much attention to it, but later on, this person created an outrageous incident known as the Hundred Man Massacre in the game.
During a mission to search for a treasure, whoever took up the quest had to go through a deep and narrow ravine in Five Dragon Mountain. At that time, one hundred or so martial artists had to go through it.
When they reached the middle of it, countless poisonous creatures fell upon them. They were followed by poisonous smoke and fog, and the hundred or so martial artists simply did not have any room to dodge. If they were not bitten to death by the poisonous creatures, they were s.u.c.k.e.d into the poisonous smoke or fog while trying to crawl forward. The situation had been incredibly devastating and terrifying. All the people's power was greatly reduced, and they were killed by Orochimaru, who had hidden himself in the group.
None of the one hundred or so people survived!
This matter had incited more than twenty sects to gather together to pursue him. However, while they chased after him, there were players who were continuously killed by Orochimaru when he struck back, and his name rang through the entire game.
Speaking of which, Orochimaru could be considered as an infamous evil player who was ruthless and would use all means to achieve victory. He was well-known for his brutality and because he stood at the other side of justice.
'It's him?'
Happy lay down on his bed and breathed quietly.
The threat Orochimaru brought was quite great.
He did not enter the tournament just because he wanted to take revenge on the University of South China, much less because of the reward for first place. He wanted to get first place in the South China Martial Arts Ranking Board region so that he could humiliate the university.
If he succeeded, he would deal a fatal blow to the morale of all the students in the University of South China…
If Orochimaru got through this test of strength in South China Martial Arts Ranking Board and was set to have his strength examined by the international martial arts tournament, the public would definitely direct their anger at whoever had recommended him. If they did not handle this matter well, South China Martial Arts Ranking Board, which the Three Lonely Wolves had worked hard to manage, would receive a heavy blow. If the situation went bad, they might not even be able to recover from the setback.
When he thought about this in-depth, a fierce glare shone in Happy's eyes. He made a decision in his heart. Since South China Martial Arts Ranking Board got into trouble because of how he spurred the events, he had to take responsibility and protect it!
'Orochimaru, since you provoked the University of South China, then I will do as you wish!'
Once he made that decision, Happy logged back into the game without batting an eye. He returned to the dimension the official developers developed—the stage for the martial arts tournament.
Time flowed like a rapid stream, and soon, they the third segment began.
By then, the number of participants in the University of South China had been cut down to less than two hundred. All the people were gathered in one dimens
ion, and many of them were familiar faces. They were all people who had once shown their brilliance on the influence ranking board.
Happy's appearance quickly gathered many people's attention.
Quite a number of gazes were gathered on him!
However, when a cry of surprise appeared, even more people's attention moved to a corner of the stage. Orochimaru was there, and he was dressed in tight-fitting, black clothes. He looked like a warrior with a katana and wakizashi fixed diagonally behind his back.
Happy also saw Orochimaru. He frowned, because he was forced to recall a certain unpleasant country based on his attire. Killing intent rose in him for a brief moment.
"Happy!"
A familiar voice with a hint of happiness quickly drew close to him. When he turned his head around, he saw B.u.t.t Shaker, who had nearly ended up injuring him badly at the risk of his own life. He squeezed through the crowd with his disheveled appearance and approached Happy.
"Bum, you're here too?"
When he heard Happy call him Bum, B.u.t.t Shaker was instantly stunned. He stared at Happy dazedly.
"Just who are you?"
Only a handful of people who were very familiar with him would call him Bum. However, he knew all of his close friends' in-game IDs, and he did not find anything familiar about Happy. Yet somehow, Happy had called him that name in a very casual manner.
"You'll never guess." Happy grinned and noticed that two other people were heading his way. His expression froze, and he immediately wanted to turn away and flee.
"Stay where you are!"
Phoenix Dances' voice immediately drowned out quite a number of voices in the area. Many people's gazes were attracted to them. They looked at Phoenix Dances' graceful and alluring figure and the masked and mysterious Happy with indecipherable expressions.
Phoenix Dances might have a number of pursuers in the university, but all of them had failed. There was no other reason for it besides Phoenix Dances basically being an all-round genius.
Those who had strong bodies were not as eloquent as she was, and those who were eloquent could not win against her in a physical fight. Those who could win against her could not play an instrument, and those who were very good at persuading others would usually be defeated when she challenged them to drink a bottle of white wine with her. Those who were good at drinking did not dare to show that they had high alcohol tolerance, because there was no one who could challenge her when it came to drinking.
Over the last two years, many people had been utterly defeated in their quest to date her, and within a short period of time, all the boys who tried to woo her failed. From then on, a saying came to circulate among the boys. "A boy who can stand up to this girl hasn't been born yet…"
Happy was one of the boys who knew what went on, so he did not want to catch this girl's attention…
'Too feisty. Not my type.'
Hence, when he saw Phoenix Dances walk over with traces of hate in her bright eyes, he shuddered, turned around, and wanted to run. He was truly worried that this girl would recklessly pull off his mask.
But when he was called, he did not want to destroy his own reputation either.
He chuckled, and his gaze landed on Phoenix Dances, who was as dazzling and charming as ever. "I was wondering who it was. It's you, huh? My greatest hobby is to talk with beautiful ladies, so why don't we go to a quiet place and talk?" He spoke to her with a tone reserved for very familiar friends. But when other people heard it, he sounded just like a rascal.
"Who'd want to talk with you?"
Phoenix Dances fell for it, just as expected. She stood seven feet away from him, looking like she wanted to keep a distance from him.
"Hmph, I came here to tell you that the person over there is yours! You must do everything you can to defeat him. If he places first in the ranking board, even if I have to dig three feet into the ground, I'll still dig you out of your grave!" When she said this, her gaze was fixed on the person in black standing at the corner far away.
Happy rubbed his nose and joked, "I'm not dead yet, did you have to curse me?"
Phoenix Dances' eyebrows twitched, and she looked like she was about to fly into a rage.
B.u.t.t Shaker saw this, and his heart thumped against his c.h.e.s.t. He quickly ran up to mediate the situation.
"Let's not be rash, he doesn't know about it…" He turned around and whispered to Happy, "Bro, just promise her. One of the girls in Phoenix Dances' dorm was tortured and killed by Orochimaru. Anyway, that bastard is a bad guy… She cried for a long time, and Phoenix Dances has already declared war under the thread Orochimaru posted. The entire university knows about it. You… know about it as well, right?"
Happy did not say anything. Once he heard B.u.t.t Shaker's explanation, he put away the joking look on his face.
His gaze slowly turned cold, and he stared at Orochimaru through the crowd, who was also staring at their side while arrogantly standing in the corner with a straight back. There was a look on his face that made chill crawl up the hearts of all the people in the area.
"I'll deal with him." Happy's voice was cold and ghastly, and he spoke with confidence.
Happy did not notice that when he said those words, Bum, Phoenix Dances, and Brother Tea Words, who had walked over with her, sensed a presence from him that made their hearts quiver.
Chapter 65 - Arhat Spade
Due to the lesser amount of people, the third segment ended very quickly!
When they fought, those involved in the fight still could not see the battles of the other participants. A rule had also been set that they could not leave the game. Happy understood this very well, and he did not log off the martial arts tournament anymore. He swiftly ended the three elimination rounds for himself, and after achieving complete victory, he emerged as one of the ten competitors who were left.
Just as expected, the other nine competitors were Orochimaru, Brother Tea Words, NotaRascal, Puffy God, Phoenix Dances, Rampaging Dragon, One Circle, and B.u.t.t Shaker. The only thing that took Happy by surprise was that the female opponent he faced during his first fight, Glutinous Rice, was also among them.
When he felt the fiery gazes of the two female players on his face, Happy turned his gaze away in slight awkwardness!
Phoenix Dances stared at him because she had placed her hopes on defeating Orochimaru on him, as for the other one, she might still be angry that he had kicked her off the stage in one go.
'Glutinous Rice…'
If she could reach this stage, she was definitely quite good. Why did he not have any memories of her from his previous life?
Happy remained puzzled until the system notified them about the rules for the fourth segment!
The rules for the final segment of the tournament were rather unique.
The ten competitors would be randomly split into Group A and Group B. The five competitors in each group would fight against each other until they competed against every member in the group besides themselves. They would fight four rounds, and the person who won the most would emerge as the victor in that group, and they would fight against the victor from the other group.
Once the rules were announced, Happy was immediately taken aback.
The next moment, he was teleported to another stage. Brother Tea Words, Phoenix Dances, Rampaging Dragon, and NotaRascal stood beside him. None of them could move, as if they had been fixed to the edge of the stage. Happy raised an eyebrow, and his gaze landed on the other stage thirty-two feet away from him. His target, Orochimaru, was there, and he had an evil smile that stirred up aversion in others.
"First round. Participant Happy will go up against Participant Brother Tea Words!"
The instant the system's gave its notification, Happy felt the power that was placed around him suddenly vanish. He could not resist leaving the group of people when he could move around freely again.
Brother Tea Words also moved out. He cast Happy a profound glance before he sighed. "If nothing goes wrong
, the victor of Group B should be Orochimaru. I've already lost once against him, so I won't join in the fun. Phoenix Dances is right. You hold promise, so we'll let you handle this important task."
Once he finished speaking, he returned to the ranks.
The system made an announcement. "Participant Brother Tea Words from Group A gave up his right to participate in the first round. Participant Happy won automatically. Arranging his second opponent.
"Second round. Participant Happy will go up against Participant Phoenix Dances in Beautiful Robes!"
Happy spread his arms in resignation. He had already forfeited once against her because he had been struck by a wave of sentimentality from the friendship they had shared in his previous life. This time, he would not back down again.
"Participant Phoenix Dances in Beautiful Robes from Group A gave up her right to participate in the first round. Participant Happy won automatically. He has now won twice. He will now automatically enter his third round," the system announced emotionlessly.
The other two people in Group A were puzzled by Brother Tea Words and Phoenix Dances' actions.
When it was NotaRascal's turn, he did not have the intention to follow in the former two's footsteps. Even though the abilities Happy displayed and the fame he gathered were very astonishing, he still wished to personally tests Happy's strength. If he could, he did not mind destroying the legend around him as well.
Happy had won two rounds without a fight, and if Rampaging Victor wanted to emerge as the final victor, Happy would be the one he had to pay most attention and the one he had to defeat!
"Please grant me your instructions."
Thud!
A bronze spade that was around seven feet long slammed against the stage! The stage trembled, and the spade's aura instantly spread out. Along with NotaRascal's tall and thin figure, his sharp gaze, and the incredibly domineering presence that came from him despite his honest face, he instilled fear in people the moment they saw him.
He had a long-ranged weapon that was rarely used by others. In a one-to-one fight, it had a psychological advantage against others, and the user also held another advantage in terms of battle experience, because the user definitely had more experience handling this weapon compared to their opponent. This was especially so for new players, who lacked battle experience. The effect would be incredibly clear when dealing with them.
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