How Do We Play If This Boss Isn't Nerfed?-Chapter 69 - 67: Smurfing

Lin Ye closed the tournament page and, with a thought, entered his personal preparation space on the "Martial Peak" platform.

It was a pure white, boundless Virtual Space.

His gaze fell upon the weapon rack in the center.

Previously, he had always used the standard-issue, high-strength alloy staff provided by the system.

But now, Chen Meng had said he was ready to use a spear.

This meant his spear mastery had likely surpassed his Staff Skill.

Lin Ye reached out and began navigating the virtual menu.

A moment later, the weapon rack flashed, and a spear bearing some resemblance to Jiang Feng’s Black-Scaled Dragon Fang materialized before him.

The shaft was also pitch-black, but it lacked any ornate engravings. It was simple and unadorned, with only the cold feel of metal.

The spearhead had a classic, tri-edged, armor-piercing design, its blade glinting with a subdued, cold light.

This was the military-standard Array-Breaking Spear. It wasn’t valuable, but it was prized for its durability, making it the most widely issued weapon in the Alliance Army.

The moment Lin Ye gripped the shaft, a familiar feeling washed over him, as if the weapon was an extension of his own bloodline.

It was as if this spear was a natural extension of his own limbs.

Just then, a system notification sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Host’s primary weapon has been changed!]

[You have acquired a new passive skill: Spear Momentum!]

[Spear Momentum Level 1 (Passive): When wielding a polearm, each of your attacks accumulates "Momentum." When enough Momentum has been gathered, you can actively expend it to enter different combat stances and receive powerful buffs.]

[Currently unlocked stances:]

[Breaking Army Form: Enter this stance to imbue your spear attacks with an armor-piercing effect. Moves such as direct thrusts, shattering strikes, and cleaving blows are enhanced, ignoring a portion of the target’s defense to deal greater damage.]

[Flowing Dragon Form: Enter this stance to drastically increase your attack and movement speed, though single-hit damage is reduced to 60% of its base value. Moves such as chain thrusts, spinning sweeps, and sliding lifts are enhanced. Dodging enemy attacks will grant bonus Spear Momentum.]

[Soul-Chasing Form: Enter this stance to make your attacks more precise and lethal. Moves such as Throat-Piercing Spear, Spiral Thorn, and Out of the Abyss are enhanced. Landing a blow on an enemy’s vitals deals 1.5x damage.]

[Note: This skill changes based on the host’s equipped weapon. When the host resumes using a staff or club, or performs Staff Skills with another weapon, this skill will automatically revert to "Staff Momentum." However, the skill levels for the two weapon sets are calculated independently.]

[Remark: Shattering power, swift as the wind, and a soul-stealing hunt!]

As Lin Ye finished reading the new skill description, his eyes lit up.

The Breaking Army Form followed the powerful, sweeping style of a heavy staff.

The Flowing Dragon Form was more balanced between offense and defense than flashy staff work, allowing for fluid advances and retreats.

The Soul-Chasing Form, on the other hand, completely made up for the wild staff’s lack of precision by specializing in targeting an enemy’s vitals.

Although changing weapons had dropped the skill from Level 6 to Level 1.

It would have to be leveled up again, but its potential and ceiling were clearly on a whole other level compared to the staff.

Most importantly, Staff Momentum wasn’t gone. Lin Ye had always agreed with Chen Meng: it was never a bad thing to have another martial art in his arsenal.

He wouldn’t let his Staff Skill grow rusty.

Without further hesitation, Lin Ye clicked the matchmaking button for a ranked match.

[Searching for an opponent...]

[Match Found!]

[Map: Crater Stone Forest]

[Black Iron III] Goblin Grunt vs. [Black Iron II] Tyrant Tiger

As light and shadow shifted, Lin Ye’s figure appeared in a field of jagged, bizarre rock formations.

Opposite him, a burly figure holding a giant axe also appeared.

A line of text floated above his opponent’s head.

[Level 7]

Lin Ye was currently Level 12.

He was a little taken aback by the five-level gap.

’How is there such a large gap?’

’Well, people in this tier are probably around this level.’

’Lone Wolf was this level, too.’

’I’ve just gotten stronger so quickly that the matchmaking system hasn’t caught up.’

"One hundred percent pain feedback? Trying to act tough? Quit now if you don’t want to suffer."

Lin Ye didn’t reply.

He just calmly watched his opponent, slowly raising the spear in his hand, its tip angled toward the ground.

"Not quitting? Fine, I’ll finish you in three seconds!"

Tyrant Tiger roared. Like a raging bull, he raised his giant axe and charged straight for Lin Ye.

Then, his vision filled with a black afterimage.

The afterimage seemed to ignore the distance between them, vanishing in a flash.

Tyrant Tiger hadn’t even had time to swing down the giant axe in his hands.

A cold touch was already pressed precisely against his brow.

He froze.

He saw that the spear-wielding youth opposite him had somehow appeared right in front of him.

The spear in his opponent’s hand was held steady, half an inch from his brow.

The sharp intent radiating from the spear’s tip made his scalp numb and the hairs on his body stand on end.

Then, Lin Ye gave the spear a gentle nudge forward.

[Tyrant Tiger has been defeated!]

[Victory!]

As the system notification sounded, Tyrant Tiger dissolved into a flash of white light and vanished.

The fight, from start to finish, truly had taken less than three seconds.

Back in the matchmaking lobby, Lin Ye, expressionless, immediately queued for the next match.

[Match Found!]

[Map: Bloody Colosseum]

[Black Iron III] Goblin Grunt vs. [Black Iron II] Sword Swings the Wilderness

This opponent was also Level 7.

The Colosseum map was small. The moment they appeared, they were no more than twenty meters apart.

"What the hell is with that ID!"

A flippant voice piped up.

The youth opposite him, dressed in white martial arts gear and holding a longsword, sized up Lin Ye with a mocking smile.

"Dude, are you serious with that ID? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’re an NPC."

"Take a piece of advice from me: change your ID. Take mine, Sword Swings the Wilderness. It just screams ’expert,’ you know?"

"With an ID like that, you’ve already lost half the psychological battle before we’ve even started."

’This guy’s a motormouth.’

"Hey, why aren’t you talking? You mute or something?"

"Fine, fine. Since you’re so pitiful, I’ll spot you three moves. You can..."

He hadn’t even finished his sentence.

As the pre-battle countdown ended.

Lin Ye moved.

Once again, it was a flash of black lightning, impossible to track with the naked eye, tearing through the air!

"Holy shit!"

The pupils of Sword Swings the Wilderness contracted. All his trash talk died in his throat as he instinctively raised his longsword to block.

CLANG!

A crisp sound echoed.

An immense, irresistible force traveled up the blade.

Before he could even steady himself.

The pitch-black spear, barely slowed by his block, followed like a shadow.

It drove straight onward!

A bone-chilling killing intent engulfed him like a tide!

The mind of Sword Swings the Wilderness went blank with a buzz.

PFFT.

A soft sound.

The phantom spear struck him precisely in the chest.

And, in an instant, pierced straight through!

Sword Swings the Wilderness felt a sharp, intense pain.

He screamed out in agony on the spot.

The gaping hole in his chest made him understand the true meaning of a bone-deep chill.

[Sword Swings the Wilderness has been defeated!]

[Victory!]

In the second before he dissolved into white light, the last thing Sword Swings the Wilderness heard was a voice, detached and utterly devoid of emotion.

"So noisy."