CHAPTER 77: THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FIRST BOSS BATTLE 077

I am doing this to protect my home!

I am doing this to build my courage! I am absolutely not doing this because I am afraid of Lin Bai!

Jimmy Navada fell silent for a moment, then stood resolutely at the door. Sera Wade stood beside him, holding a stack of iron bowls.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Seeing someone at the door, the players reflexively shot their crossbow arrows. Dozens of arrows pierced Jimmy Navada’s body, passing right through him.

He was completely unharmed.

His phantom constitution made him immune to any physical damage.

Glancing at the dense cluster of arrows sticking out of the ground, Lin Bai sighed internally. Only after becoming a BOSS did I realize how troublesome players are. They’re unscrupulous, they swarm you, and you can’t kill them! If there’s anything they fear, it’s probably losing levels, dropping equipment, and being imprisoned. The most detestable part is that in this game that pursues realism, groups of level-one newbie characters armed with sharp weapons can still inflict damage on high-level NPCs. This is fucking ridiculous! An NPC’s life is so damn hard.

Lin Bai reminded, "Jimmy, guard, justice."

WHOOSH!

The crossbow arrows passing through his body hadn’t harmed him, but they had thoroughly enraged Jimmy Navada. If I were a living person, I would have died a second time by now. Indeed, one truly can’t treat The Chosen Ones as ordinary people.

With a wave of his hand, Jimmy Navada sent an iron bowl flying with a whooshing sound.

BANG!

A crisp sound echoed.

A name vanished into the night.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Another volley of crossbow arrows.

An iron bowl!

A volley of arrows!

Neither side feared death; they exchanged fire face-to-face.

Jimmy Navada’s throws were vicious. As long as he hit his mark, one iron bowl could eliminate a low-level, "brittle-skinned" character.

Sera Wade handed him the bowls, and Jimmy Navada threw them.

After a few practice throws, the couple’s coordination gradually became seamless, and their efficiency skyrocketed.

...

"With the right weapons, even level-one characters can cause so much damage. Once players level up and team battles begin, the in-game nations will probably undergo upheavals."

"How could it be that easy? The early game is tough. Do you know how much money Lonely Old Man spent on this batch of Crossbow Arrows? Besides, who playing a game would willingly let themselves be ordered around like a common soldier?"

"Organized warfare on a large scale is impossible without spending real money. Once you start spending, it’s a bottomless pit. The game companies only care about making profits; they couldn’t care less if you manage to overthrow dynasties."

"Hang in there, Lin, the Storekeeper! Defeat those bad guys! This young lady supports you!"

"If I’m not mistaken, what Lin, the Storekeeper is throwing are bowls, right?"

"That’s right! The bowl that hit his face even had a chip in it. That’s a signature of Chef’s Divine Food Stall."

"No, you’re mistaken. The one at the entrance isn’t Lin, the Storekeeper; it’s the phantom from the shop."

"Holy shit! It really is the phantom!"

"I thought Lin, the Storekeeper made iron bowls because he was afraid someone with OCD would smash them. I never expected they’d serve as the phantom’s weapons!"

"To be precise, those aren’t bowls; they’re hidden weapons."

"Let’s see who dares to eat at Chef’s Divine Food Stall in the future. Every bowl is stained with player blood and brains. Even though they’ll refresh, the thought is still disgusting."

"Damn, Lin, the Storekeeper is too cunning, using the phantom to draw arrow fire!"

"This proves it: this is a game for smart people. Otherwise, you just get tormented by NPCs."

"Light a candle for Dumbelldore’s intellect."

"Humanoid NPCs really aren’t that easy to take down. Lonely Old Man is going to suffer a huge loss this time. Let’s see how he cleans up this mess."

"Lin, the Storekeeper, hang in there! Only I can take you down! The items you drop can only be mine!"

...

’Immortal World’ was already highly renowned, and Lin Bai was the most popular virtual icon in the game. Lonely Old Man initiating the first BOSS battle naturally attracted widespread attention.

Just as Lonely Old Man had said, this BOSS battle held significant commemorative value. Every player wanted to understand the combat methods of humanoid BOSSes through it.

Even the comedic act Dumbelldore put on at the beginning held high reference value for those with a discerning eye.

From what had been observed so far, the NPCs in the game had excessively high IQ. Playing the game in the usual way carried a high risk of being toyed with by them...

...

A flood of bullet comments streamed across the screen.

Watching the forces deployed at the restaurant entrance dwindle rapidly, Lonely Old Man felt so frustrated he could almost cough up blood. "Everyone, stop! Stop wasting arrows! The one at the entrance is the shop’s phantom."

His heart ached so much it felt like it was bleeding. From the time the developers started promoting Lin Bai until now, only a few short days had passed. Even if the folks at the Blacksmith Shop worked overtime, how many more arrows could they produce? He only knew the phantom couldn’t leave the shop, but he didn’t know the phantom could throw things out! Damn it, only a few rounds and more than half the arrows are wasted! When Lin Bai comes out later, what the hell are we supposed to fight him with?!

In the time it took to utter a sentence, two more level-one characters were killed by bowls.

"Crossbowmen at the main entrance, withdraw! What are the arsonists dawdling for?" Lonely Old Man ordered, exasperated. Although the death of level-one characters wasn’t a major loss, it still took time for them to run back from the Resurrection Point.

"Little Deng, it’s your turn," Lin Bai reminded.

Dumbelldore had long been itching for action. The moment the crossbowmen retreated, he activated his Golden Middle Cover and charged out.

The gleaming turtle shell was exceptionally conspicuous in the night.

The instant he stepped out, Lin Bai had already circulated his Inner Strength. "Crazy Man, Bitter Melon Vine, Dumbelldore has been turned by me. Later, I’ll request commendations for you."

The players were in an uproar!

Offline, Crazy Man and the others watching the livestream nearly choked on their own blood. That damn Lin Bai! He’s too vicious, even resorting to sowing discord!

...

"This is Lin Bai’s attempt to sow discord! Anyone who believes it is an idiot! Stay sharp, everyone!" Lonely Old Man saw Dumbelldore charge out with a turtle shell and quickly commanded, "Save some arrows for Lin Bai! First, kill Dumbelldore and send him back to the Resurrection Point! Overwhelm him with numbers!"

A group of level-one characters wants to kill me?

Dumbelldore snorted disdainfully. Looking at the players swarming him, he channeled his Inner Strength and pushed his hands forward.

Shock Hundreds of Armor!

In that moment, three incomplete dragons danced from his palms, sending the three players before him back to the Resurrection Point.

He was still a novice, lacking proficiency, so he could only manage to summon three incomplete dragons...

Even so, a wave of exclamations erupted in the livestream’s comment section:

"What’s going on?"

"He served him poisoned tea, and Lin, the Storekeeper still taught him Martial Arts? This must be true love, right?"

"Genuinely envious of Dumbelldore!"

"Crazy Man leaking secrets was fake; Dumbelldore leaking secrets is the real deal! It was all an act put on by the master and disciple together! Lonely Old Man was tricked, and everyone was fooled!"

"With such an amazing master, I’d snitch too! Dumbelldore’s acting is superb; he fooled everyone! From now on, please call him Dumbelldore the Movie King!"

"Dumbelldore the Movie King is awesome!"

"His choice to leak the secrets implied he had offended all the players in Jiamucheng. His future days there might be difficult."

"With such an amazing master, does Dumbelldore the Movie King even need those players? If I’m not mistaken, the Martial Arts he used should be the highest level currently available."

"It’s not a betrayal. No one’s acting skills can be that good. He was used by Lin, the Storekeeper, sent out to die."

"An open spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. Unless he hides in Chef’s Divine Food Stall forever, he’s bound to suffer eventually."

"Being able to resurrect? I’d be willing to die too if I got Martial Arts out of it!"

"No matter how shrewd Lin, the Storekeeper is, he can only use this trick once. Players can also break away and go solo. Who’s afraid of whom? Without benefits, only a fool would be his disciple for life!"

"Only Dumbelldore would fall for it. Lin, the Storekeeper’s rhetoric is too potent; every word accurately strikes Dumbelldore’s weaknesses. If I were in his shoes, I might be fooled too."

"Speaking of which, none of Lin, the Storekeeper’s Martial Arts seem conventional, do they? The dragons are incomplete, and even his protective shield looks like a turtle shell! I suspect the founder of the Righteous Door was originally a restaurant owner, and probably had a wife with OCD too!"

"Exactly! Lin, the Storekeeper also runs a restaurant, and the items in his restaurant are also imperfect!"

"Everyone has a story; everyone is a legend. You never know which direction the plot will take. I really want to get in and play! @GameOfficials, when is the public beta?"

...

The suppression from superior Martial Arts was too overwhelming.

The level-one characters were no match for Dumbelldore in a single round. Although there was no significant loss for the attackers, continuing this way would only delay things, and if it dragged on, day would break.

If they alerted the City Guard Army, then all of today’s efforts would be completely wasted. Lin Bai is hiding in the shop, not daring to come out, which proves he isn’t invincible...

"Psycho!" Watching the disruptive Dumbelldore, Lonely Old Man cursed in frustration. "Get someone to snipe him! Aim for the head! Shoot him down!"

It turned out that poison-tipped Crossbow Arrows were indeed the most potent weapon in this BOSS battle.

Dumbelldore, with his turtle shell and only one move, simply couldn’t evade the rain of arrows.

Two arrows struck his head. He held on for less than three minutes, swayed, and launched a few more palm strikes, taking out several more level-one characters with him.

Then, he crashed to the ground with a loud thud, his name disappearing from Lin Bai’s vision.

Dumbelldore had tested the power of the poisoned arrows. Lin Bai narrowed his eyes. Ten years of Inner Strength, and it only lasted less than three minutes. Such potent poison on those arrows!

This proved that, more than the Revitalizing Pill, what he needed was a Detoxification Pill.

With Dumbelldore defeated, the phantom was out of range.

Lin Bai sighed softly, walked to the doorway, drew the kitchen knife from his back, and slashed it towards the sky. In the darkness, a vibrant, multi-colored streak of blade energy soared upwards, erupting like a beautiful firework.