Chapter 327

Touch~my~skin~drum~

……

Ah (short)!

Ji Ming couldn't bear such utter humiliation; he flew into a rage, no longer caring about holding back—today he would definitely make these shameless players pay the price!

From then on, anyone who dared step into the circle centered on him would be met with a lightning strike from his raised hand; if the target was hit and could still stand, he would instantly follow up with a finishing blow, and if not dead, he would keep striking, relentlessly, until the target was blasted to pieces.

As a result, the spearman, despite dodging three shots in a row with his agility, was still hit by this dense barrage of lightning that could be called saturating fire; moreover, the Mysterious Merchant gave him face, striking once and immediately following with a second, then a third, a seamless chain.

The continuous current surged violently through his whole body; under the crazy stacking of negative effects, even if his body were strong, he would inevitably enter a paralyzed state, at which point he could only tremble and lie on the ground awaiting death.

"Ah I'm dead (electric sound)!"

Although powerful figures emerged from all sides and new tough players appeared almost daily in the open beta, the spearman's dominance as a legendary player was inevitably waning, yet his embarrassing defeat still made the other players on site feel a chill in their hearts.

He thought, this boss's growth speed is astonishing—it's as if it's getting stronger alongside us, always staying one step ahead.

And after enjoying a few waves of AOE Da Zhao, Ji Ming also chose to restrain himself a bit, for although fighting the Earth Resentment Demon had let him fully experience the power of lightning, he couldn't possibly stay in the Underground World forever.

When he returns to the surface to continue operating, he certainly won't be able to indulge in unlimited energy anytime, anywhere, so he still needs to prepare in advance.

With so many targets present, rushing toward him in waves, it was a good chance to practice using each skill precisely, lest he fight like a nouveau riche, wasting seventy percent of his energy—certainly not a good habit.

These players indeed gave face: after the spear‑blade finished off Justice, Justice kicked the bucket and then the Legendary went up, one after another in a seamless chain, never letting Ji Ming, eager for battle, feel an itchy urge.

Even before the old guilds had made their rounds, the unwilling-to-be‑outdone new guilds had already sent their elite troops to besiege the Mysterious Merchant, rushing to be the first to come here and throw their lives away at the boss.

……Are you sick? Even fighting over this trivial matter?

Besides venting, Ji Ming also opened his eyes; he knew the players' makeup was complex now, but he hadn't expected it to be this complex—when he saw a blind man wielding a flaming sword, like a martial‑arts film hero, greeting him by striking his own head, he was completely dumbfounded.

But chaos aside, the gap between level and skill set is a huge chasm; many oddballs would have no chance to strike if Ji Ming weren't observing them closely, for they'd be struck down by a single lightning bolt.

Therefore, even with many more experts on the field, this wheel‑battle brought him little pressure; these were just trifles, and the only real threat always came from……

"Sell! Sell! Sell!"

Speak of Cao Cao and he appears—on the tense, fierce battlefield suddenly arose a riot of colors, as several burly men waved glowing placards, shouting wildly like fans at an idol concert.

That's right, they were the Challengers who had expanded their membership once more after the open beta.

These die‑hard Challengers, in order to disgust the Mysterious Merchant and distract him, spared no vile means, including but not limited to——

Pretending to seek reconciliation with the Mysterious Merchant, then launching a surprise attack immediately after signing the contract.

Giving him nicknames that sound cute but are also disgusting.

Holding various enthusiastic, overly flirtatious cheering events, even hiring a row of clippers to whisper rustic love words to him.

Finding four burly men wearing little cloth to violently confess their love, then publicly starting to wrestle fiercely (literally).

In short, to defeat the Mysterious Merchant, they truly used every trick in the book.

Even though Ji Ming was very skilled at backstabbing, he had to give his all against them, and occasionally even learn their new methods in reverse, then put them into practice in his own Sunshine City.

So Ji Ming gave them no face at all—who knows what the Death God is doing right now with the alchemical poison gas Ji Ming gave him; maybe he's just waiting for Ji Ming to let his guard down so he can charge out as a suicide truck!

Better to avoid embarrassment later than to…… now.

"Holy shit!"

The Challengers had planned to pose as fervent fans, using the pretense of asking for an autograph to quickly get close to the Mysterious Merchant, but what they got in return was a merciless electric blade slashing horizontally.

"You! No, we're sincerely cheering! Don't zap us with lightning!"

If they hadn't spoken, it would've been fine, but the moment they tried to explain, the Mysterious Merchant began unleashing a large‑scale AOE skill.

Ji Ming couldn't help but utter the first—and only—sentence of the match.

"Chal·len·gers·, all· of· you·, get· out· of· here·!"

Moreover, given Ji Ming's efficiency, this battle could have ended quickly; even if all the major guilds came to trade a couple blows with the newbie‑village boss, at most it would take an hour to wipe them all out.

However, as time passed, the battle gradually drifted from its essence, subtly taking on a different flavor.

Because the game currently doesn't allow overly violent clashes between players, and it's hard to tell a winner from arena fights alone, after seeing several famous old guilds utterly defeated by the newbie‑village boss, the player community gradually spread the saying: 'The guild that can last longest against the newbie‑village boss is currently the strongest.'

So even at the cost of a drastic drop in their main combat level, many aspiring‑to‑be‑famous semi‑top guilds rushed in to repeatedly challenge, just to hold out a second longer against the Mysterious Merchant, gain a bit more prestige in this fierce competition, and attract some high‑potential players.

Many ordinary players who hadn't planned to join the fray also couldn't resist jumping in, since at worst they'd lose just one level; being low‑level, they could easily regain it by killing a few savage goblins in the combat training camp.

And who knows, they might even……

"Folks, send rockets and flood the chat—Brother Ox will now perform a whole‑roasted ox for you all; let's see if I can chain seven undead blows!"

"It's obvious this boss has a pre‑combat wind‑up; later, when you all take the field, you can act according to this formation—heavy fire must be in place, got it?"

"Hi everyone, I'm 【Red Card Spectator】; I'm continuing to broadcast the Mysterious Merchant challenge match—most of the 【Rhine】 guild, made up of Iron‑Blood players, has been completely defeated; this is our analysis team's preliminary combat data, viewers can take it as a rough reference."

Now it's truly the case that players aren't bothered, but Ji Ming is annoyed—over 300,000 players keep coming in waves like tourists checking off a scenic spot, and many determined players even make a second return.

Therefore, no matter how he slaughters or how fierce he is, he can't scare them off; there will still be a crowd packed around the battle ring like sardines in a can, and among them are those with strong learning ability who, by watching his deliberately set opening move, can perfectly predict and dodge the slashes of his lightning whip.

These crafty, evil Challengers also never die of greed; the surveillance they set up has never ceased, presumably to see if he has a built‑in fatigue system, and who knows when they'll strike while he's sick with a nauseating, no‑holds‑barred ambush.

So, seeing that time was already approaching noon, the Mysterious Merchant, after killing the last player nearby, simply withdrew, leaving only a floating box that said 'rematch in seven days'.

"Oh well, nothing to watch now."

The watching players instantly erupted in boos, yet they didn't disperse; instead, clutching what they believed to be the correct theory and data, they began loudly debating which guild was truly the strongest and which deserved a spot in the top twelve.

As a result, these guilds hadn't even scheduled arena duels yet; their fans, however, were constantly arguing back and forth, and a few who couldn't hold back came to blows, getting both sent to the mine tunnels for labor reform.

With the energy leak gone, Ji Ming, now able to act normally, didn't choose to rest but hurried back to Sunshine City, intending to go to Sheng Guang Jiao Tang to report his safety and, by the way, ask them about recent conditions in the city.

But when he stepped out of the Clinic, he unintentionally noticed that the opposite diseased‑tree materials shop was inexplicably closed in broad daylight; he turned back to find AdaiEr, who was in the middle of surgery, and asked what was going on—she, holding a freshly severed lower leg, thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"I didn't even see the Clinic open this morning."

And the dark sentry Greisen gave the same answer, though according to his observation, Buluowa seemed not to have returned to the materials shop since leaving yesterday.

Seeing Ji Ming frown with a grave expression, he added another sentence.

"Lord Almighty, actually Lady Buluowa isn't present every day; she occasionally disappears for a day or two, after all you know, her situation is special."

Indeed, logically speaking, given Buluowa's mysterious identity, whether the materials shop is open or closed now is nothing strange.

The only reason I suddenly noticed and became particularly concerned about this is that……

"Keep an eye on things, I'll go ask around!"

Ji Ming hurried to the nearby Holy Guard Knights' station, grabbed a carriage, and went to the church.

"Hello, I'm here to see Archbishop Tenis. Is she in?"

As the invisible gatekeeper, Stirling didn't expect Ji Ming, just back from outside, to specifically request to see the archbishop; but since the person was a renowned God's Chosen, he felt he had no right to pry into their private affairs, so he sent someone to notify them.

Soon, Ji Ming was seated in Tenis's office.

"Ji Ming, God's Chosen, why are you in such a hurry to see me?"

This time Ji Ming didn't beat around the bush; he got straight to the point.

"Where is Ms. Buluowa?"

"Buluowa? Oh, she went out of town on some business; she should be back soon."

As a high-ranking official of the major church and naturally a succubus skilled at playing with people's hearts, Tenis showed no change in expression while saying that, but the fleeting hesitation in her eyes gave everything away.

I didn't expect you to come ask so soon.

Ji Ming took a slight breath.

"Archbishop Tenis, although I don't have a confirmed relationship with Ms. Buluowa, from the standpoint of preaching, teaching, dispelling doubts, and providing necessary protection, she is my teacher."

"In this world, the most valuable thing is human favor, the hardest to repay is also human favor, and what I cherish most is human favor; now she's missing, and you actually aren't willing to tell me where she went?"

Upon hearing these words, Tenis was frightened and wanted to flee, as if she had become some unforgivable great villain.

But Buluowa had already anticipated that Ji Ming would say this, so she had also prepared a response for her in advance.

"She said she doesn't want to tell you."

However, Ji Ming had no fear at all, and immediately turned the bullet around.

"But she said she wouldn't tell me; can't you tell me then?"

"I..."

Now the already nervous Tenis was left speechless, only able to stammer.

In any case, I've already promised Buluowa, so don't expect to get any information from me…… She'll be away for a while, and during that time you can come to me for anything; I'm also your elder, and I'll look after you in her place.

Ji Ming, hearing that, said nothing, just scratched his head, helplessly stood up, and silently walked toward the door.

After just three sentences with him, Tenis was already feeling uneasy, shifting her posture four times; seeing his dejected back, she let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help but speak.

Ji Ming, don't be too sad; meeting you in Sunshine City actually made Buluowa quite happy, she doesn't want you to bear more burdens, and some things aren't for you to handle.

Ji Ming stopped in his tracks upon hearing that.

Really? But my burdens are already many; one more doesn't matter.

What?

Ji Ming took out something and put it on his head, then turned his head to stare at Tenis's eyes.

Auntie, I want to hear the truth.

The archbishop's feigned black pupils instantly burst forth with their original purple glow, that being her succubus mental defense line instinctively resisting.

However, the Evil Eye's accomplishment in this area is not inferior to hers, and furthermore there is the angel race's 【Suggestion Technique】 boost, so this fragile resistance vanished in an instant, and the teacup she was holding slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor.

Ji Ming let out a slight sigh, about to speak, but seeing the old succubus with her head tilted, eyes vacant, and even a hint of a dazed expression on her face, he finally couldn't hold back.

Ah, what a bizarre skill set I have—clearly I'm doing proper work, yet it feels like a slight tilt could send me into overdrive...

Nevertheless, though difficult, he came to the doorway just to check if anyone was eavesdropping; after confirming no one was around, he returned to sit opposite Tenis.

Archbishop lady, can you now tell me where my teacher went?