Volume 10 Bugs Chapter 11: Fighting on the Devil's Away Field
"Speaking of which, it's our fault..." After figuring out the whole story, the lifelong obsessed dreamer said to us sincerely, "...If there were only a few of us, I should have given this...um...'treasure armor'..." These two words were spoken so carefully by the gorgeously dressed paladin, which always made people feel deeply ironic, "...back to you."
"Boss..." He Xi Ni immediately shouted angrily, "...How can this be our fault? I picked it up, why should I give it back to them? It's not like we can't beat them . Even if we kill them and make them offline, we are not afraid..."
"Alright, alright..." The Paladin leader waved his hand to stop the objection, "...you should show some self-improvement. You mobilized a large force just to grab such a piece of junk equipment. If it gets out that more than 50 members of the Hammer of Retribution killed six people offline just to grab a pile of junk, will it have a good reputation? What do you think our guild is? A scrap collection station?"
Having said that, this seemingly fair Paladin glanced at us with a very bad eye, and I suddenly felt deeply that I was a rag picker.
It's so unfair!
"But..." Lifelong Persistence in Dreams changed the subject, pointed at his guild members around him, and said to us with difficulty, "...You can see that many people from our guild have come this time. I'm afraid they won't agree to let you go, let alone take away this... um... 'treasure armor' without saying a word..."
Oh, God Most High, please don't say these two words anymore!
"…I'll give it back to you. Not only will it be very difficult for me, but I'm afraid they will come to trouble you afterwards…"
His words confused us: from what he said, it seemed that he was planning to kill a few of us to appease the public anger; but if he really wanted to kill us, he should have done it just now, and not wait until now?
But thinking about it carefully, I have to admit that what he said does make sense: if it were you, after receiving a message for help from your guild mate, you would come all the way to help with a passionate and sincere sense of justice, and you would be eager to help him put on enough preparations and save face, and just when you are about to give it a try, suddenly someone tells you: You have nothing to do here, just do what you should do.
How would you feel at this time?
Maybe it's like throwing a piece of dyed charcoal into a basin of ice water, which instantly makes your hot heart cool, and then you feel the humiliation of being teased and played by your friends. Maybe at that time, you were able to control your emotions well and not get angry on the spot, but after a while, when you encounter such a thing again, and your brothers and friends in the guild ask you for help, will you still rush to help without hesitation like this?
When a guild becomes demoralized and disunited, and loses the cohesive force of friendship and mutual assistance, the guild is not far from being disbanded.
Thinking of this, I have a better understanding of the Paladin President's concerns.
"So...what do you want?" I shook my head and asked guiltily - I understand, but if he really wants to kill me on the spot to vent public anger, although I have the courage to face the bleak life, I can't help but feel a little scared.
"I have an idea..." Lifelong Persistence in Dreams discussed with us gently: "...Since things have come to this, why don't we have a one-on-one PK here, and the victory or loss will be determined by this... um... 'treasure armor'..."
Hey, you are really using this disgusting word to tease us!
"…As a bet, the winner can take it away. This way, both of us can save face without hurting each other. What do you think?"
The friendly and peaceful tone of negotiation about sticking to dreams all your life is very deceptive and almost makes us mistakenly believe that we still have the right to choose.
On the surface, this seems to be a fair and good idea. But if you think about it carefully, it is not difficult to find the strong self-confidence in the heart of the leader of the first guild in the alliance: his group of high-spirited subordinates came here with the murderous intention of killing and robbing, and if he wants to make them feel "at ease", he must win - losing the duel will obviously only intensify the conflict and will not help ease the mood.
In other words, from the very beginning, the proud Paladin had never considered the possibility .
However, for us who were surrounded by enemies, this was a generous and touching decision. If everything went according to the plot envisioned by the First Guild Leader, this would be a good idea that would have the best of both worlds. Both sides got what they wanted: they saved face, and we saved our lives.
…
Soon, the news of the duel spread. This news really eliminated the dissatisfaction of the "Hammer of Punishment" group to a large extent, and aroused their curiosity to watch the excitement. Before long, cheers for the leader echoed throughout the open space.
Facts have proven that the Hammer of Punishment Knights are worthy of being the number one guild in the Continental Alliance. They are not only numerous and powerful, but also full of talented people. In just a few moments, the members watching have already written countless magnificent poems praising their leader's heroism and bravery, which have aroused the public's excitement:
"Ah, our president is a warrior of the Continental Alliance, a hero who stands tall and proud, and a man made of special material. Where does his heroic spirit come from? Because of his infinite love for the people of the continent and his hatred for the invaders. In the Hammer of Punishment Guild, there are tens of thousands of people like him. This is the pride and glory of our great guild... (See famous lines from the movie "Heroic Sons and Daughters")" a deep and powerful baritone recited loudly.
He has been persistent in his dream all his life. He is majestic and upright, as if he is blocking the ground from sinking alone, and holding up the sky with one hand. It makes people sigh: Why are the battle flags as beautiful as paintings, why is there always spring on earth...
"Master President, PK, PK, PK, Master President has done a great job, Master President has done a great job, don't give your opponent any chance. Great Master President, he has inherited the glorious tradition of PK strongmen. The souls of Jack the Ripper, Alien, and Chainsaw Killer are possessed at this moment. Master President alone has created the tough style and tradition of our guild. He is not fighting alone, he is not alone..." An obviously postmodern bestial bard shouted at the top of his lungs with his hoarse duck voice.
He has been pursuing his dream all his life, smiling and waving in the direction where the voice came from, as if he was wishing victory in advance.
"President, you are invincible in PK. You will rule the martial arts world and live as long as the heaven!" A group of young female magicians in short skirts stood side by side with their shoulders linked, cheering loudly while kicking their legs high in unison, revealing the charming , which aroused endless reverie...
For some reason, the man who was obsessed with his dreams all his life blushed slightly, frowned, and looked a little embarrassed.
During the moment he was stunned, someone immediately recited a poem to inspire his will: "The president wants to practice magic, so he castrates himself. If he doesn't castrate himself, then..."
Although I don't know what "castration" means, it sounds like this poem is about encouraging others to never give up, to work hard, and to realize that only by paying a huge price can they achieve final victory.
This is indeed a magnificent and immortal poem, which makes those who have been obsessed with dreaming all their lives feel excited, passionate, and full of fighting spirit, and their faces... ahem... turn blue.
The warm-up work of the Hammer of Punishment Knights was in full swing, and the audience was very excited. This temporary arena immediately became their home court without a doubt - and it was undoubtedly a devil's home court. We were forced to play away from home, and we could only decide the candidates for the battle amidst the harsh provocations and insults:
"His equipment is too good, we really don't have much of a chance..." Xian Ge Ya Yi carefully looked at our opponent and said discouragedly, "...Anyway, they just want to win to save face, so let's just lose..."
Xian Ge Yayi's right-wing capitulationist tone immediately caused the elven female beast tamer Yan Zhen to roll her eyes: "Look at you, you've given up before the fight even started. You don't have any manliness at all..."
The elf sharpshooter shrank his neck in shame under the scolding of his fellow man: "Who said I gave up? I didn't say I wouldn't fight..." He answered embarrassedly with a red face.
"Although the chances of winning are slim..." Foxiao thought for a while and said, "...but I think we can't lose this battle too badly. Firstly, we can't be too embarrassed, and secondly, we can't let them feel that we are perfunctory. For example, if we let me, your father, play..."
The name of the bearded monk is really weird, and anyone who calls him that seems to be taking advantage of others.
"... and then he would be killed by two hammers as soon as he appeared. The other party would think that we looked down on him, which might cause even greater trouble, which would be bad."
I think what Buddha said makes a lot of sense.
"Let me go, let me go..." The dwarf believer Longbow Shooting the Sun could not contain his passion for battle and shouted, "...It's just a fight. I've got a big scar on my head. It's a matter of life and death. I'll fight him..."
"Ahem..." Foxiao coughed twice, and with a smile on his face, he reminded him softly, "... Changgong, didn't I just say that we can't be too embarrassed in this battle?"
"Yeah..." Changgong Sheri nodded rashly, "...So what?"
"So, you'd better not go." Foxiao said with a smile on his face.
"Oh, okay." Changgong was stunned for a moment, and couldn't figure out the connection between the two things. He could only nod suspiciously and step aside.
"Eh!?" After a moment, the slow-witted Highland Dwarf understood a little bit of what Foxiao meant, and asked him doubtfully, "You were mocking me with that sentence just now, right?"
Foxiao suddenly stopped laughing, and looked at the longbow shooting sun again with the eyes of observing a rare animal. He frowned and tried hard to force out a sarcastic smile, and nodded heavily.
"Pfft..." Foxiao's embarrassed expression was seen by his loyal follower, the bearded human monk I'm Your Dad. He immediately felt a sense of intellectual superiority and couldn't help laughing. He bent down and patted Changgong Sheri's shoulder: "Brother, you're not really that slow, are you?"
After saying that, he put on a flattering smile, turned to Foxiao and asked, "Boss, if that's the case, since you're so powerful, why don't you go and compete with him?"
As soon as this question came out of his mouth, Foxiao's mocking expression immediately stiffened, and the muscles on his cheeks twitched slightly. After a moment, he glared at this tactless follower fiercely and said angrily: "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what I just said? We can't have a disgraceful battle, so I will never participate! Do you understand?!"
I am your father, and after being yelled at by him, I hid aside in shame and dared not say a word.
After a while, Changgong Sheri suddenly realized something and asked the human swordsman excitedly, "Buddha Smiles, Buddha Smiles, what you just said should be a self-deprecating remark, right?"
Foxiao gnashed his teeth, his face livid, and he resisted the urge to chop the curious baby into pieces with his knife, and nodded viciously...
As a result, I am your father, who is less than level 40, is of course not among the candidates for participation. The depressed Xian Ge Ya Yi is obviously not counted on either. Fo Xiao is just a crappy third-rate swordsman, and Chang Gong She Ri is a part-time cloth armor berserker who is not doing his job. The only two who are qualified to participate in this duel are the elf beast tamer girl Yan Zhen and me. Any man with chivalry and strong sense of responsibility should stand up at such a time, instead of letting a lady take risks - this is even more true for a warrior like me who is full of enthusiasm, generosity and justice.
So, I had no choice but to volunteer - I know this sounds a bit strange, but it's the truth - and walked to the center of the venue, ready to face the first significant and bleak duel in my life.
Of course, the main reason why I took on this responsibility so readily was that in this duel with friendship and understanding as the main theme, the defeated party would also be revived on the spot...
