Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Wagered Duel

“Heh…” Hearing those words, anger flared in Wang Ling’s heart. In truth, he had never harbored any ill will toward Bai Feng. After all, if she hadn’t set a trap to kill the Angel, he would never have obtained the Celestial Dragon Soul. This precious ability, at its root, was something he had Bai Feng to thank for. But now, over a single remark made in the Double Dragon world, Bai Feng actually wanted to kill him. Such a willful and ruthless temperament was truly excessive!

“Kill me? Use my blood to cleanse yourself?” The golden-red mask hid his face, so Wang Ling’s expression remained unseen, but his eyes were full of mocking amusement. “Tell me, how do you plan to kill me? Combat is forbidden in the public area. I know you’re powerful, but do you really think you can defy the rules set by the mainframe of this space, no matter how strong you are?”

“Come with me to the Arena!”

“You want me to fight you in the Arena? Don’t be ridiculous. Do you really think I’d agree to such a thing? Making a request like that—aren’t you insulting my intelligence?”

“If you’re a man, you won’t refuse a challenge!” Bai Feng bit out between clenched teeth. She was a proud woman, one whom no one dared underestimate, not even in this Dreamspace where strength was everything. No one had ever dared insult her—no, to be more precise, anyone who had harbored such thoughts was already a corpse.

She had forced every word Wang Ling had spouted out of the Double Dragon brothers—things like “fiancée,” “shrew,” “fierce and malicious,” and “vicious-tempered.” These words had infuriated her to the point of seeing red. Such vile slander—dying once would not be enough to atone for it; twice, at least!

Remembering those words, Bai Feng’s slender hand gripping Wang Ling’s arm began to tremble with rage, her cheeks flushing a deep red.

Wang Ling took a deep breath. Since he’d already offended this young woman, he saw no reason to soften his tone any longer. With a hint of irony, he said, “You’re publicly recognized as one of the top three powerhouses in the Novice District, aren’t you? That should be right, yes? Beauty, how many main quests have you undertaken?”

Bai Feng shot a sidelong, haughty glance at the golden-red, lustrous mask, her pride barely concealed. “Twelve.”

In fact, after her ninth main quest, when she slew the terrifying Dreamer known as the King of the Night, she had already been counted among the top three of the Novice District, alongside the American “Titan” and the Japanese “Ghost Blade.” After her last foray into the Double Dragon world, where she slew both the Descended Angel and the gang boss, she obtained what she sought, and believed that even the combined strength of Titan and Ghost Blade could no longer rival hers. To possess such might after only twelve main quests filled this phoenix-proud woman with secret satisfaction.

“Hm. I don’t know if twelve main quests is a lot or a little, but it certainly sounds impressive.” Wang Ling shook his arm, found it was still tightly gripped, and smiled. “So, do you really think a rookie like me, who’s only survived two main quests, would agree to fight you in the Arena?”

The onlookers muttered among themselves:

“Only two main quests—a rookie. Why is Lady Bai Feng so angry with this nobody?”

“He really doesn’t know his place. A rookie daring to provoke such a powerhouse—he’s asking for death!”

“To be hated by Lady Bai Feng, he’s bound for a miserable end… Heh, pretty gutsy, though…”

The whispers of the Dreamers around him reached Wang Ling’s ears, making him sigh inwardly. He shouldn’t have come to the Entertainment District—look at the trouble it had brought.

“Two quests? You’ve only just finished your beginner tasks and already entered the Double Dragon world, and came back alive? I don’t believe it!” Bai Feng snapped.

At her words, Wang Ling used his Dream Emblem to publicly display his quest record to the crowd, then called out, “You all see, don’t you? This top expert from the Novice District wants to drag a rookie like me, with only two main quests under his belt, into a deathmatch in the Arena. Isn’t that going too far?”

Unexpectedly, not a single one of the onlookers made a sound. He’d underestimated Bai Feng’s intimidating presence. With her here, who dared stir the pot? Her reputation was built not on bluster, but on the corpses of countless Dreamers. In the Novice District, no one was willing to offend this vindictive woman—everyone who had was already dead.

From the crowd, a tall, sharp-jawed white man with a sinister face stepped forward. “Lady Bai Feng, has this rookie offended you? He deserves to die. You must be about to leave the Novice District, yes? If you’d like, our Beastman Team could take care of him for you during a quest.”

“Beastman Team?” Bai Feng frowned. “I don’t know you, nor do I recall your group.”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” the man replied obsequiously. “The Beastman Team is a squad of seventeen, with a bit of a name in the Novice District, but nothing compared to you. However, our captain, Visak, is already a reserve member of the renowned Beast King Team in the Intermediate District. The captain has said many times he’d be honored if you would join us once you move up.”

“I won’t join any team,” Bai Feng said coldly.

“In any case, we hope you’ll accept the friendship of the Beastman Team.” The white man gave Bai Feng a fawning smile and a gentleman’s bow. “I’m Elliot, the second-strongest in the team.”

After introducing himself to Bai Feng, Elliot turned to Wang Ling, eyes gleaming with cruelty and bloodlust. “Kid, you’d better prepare to die. With our seventeen-strong Beastman Team watching you in the Novice District, you’re finished! Heh, you’ve only survived two quests—your suffering will be long. Don’t die too early during some mission. Only if you die at our hands will you achieve your greatest value—pleasing Lady Bai Feng!”

Wang Ling’s expression darkened. Though he wore a mask, he might not have escaped notice from those with sharp eyes. After all, he’d first entered the bar, then stood in the Entertainment District for a while; someone might have memorized his features. Being targeted by a squad of seventeen in future quests was no trivial threat. With more than five thousand Dreamers in the Novice District, who knew how many others might try to curry favor with Bai Feng by assassinating him?

A trace of murderous intent flickered in Wang Ling’s heart as he gazed at the grinning white man. He decided he needed to make an example—if he killed this second-strongest member of the Beastman Team, others might think twice before coming after him.

“Bai Feng, since you want me dead, let me give you an opportunity. There’s no way I’m going to the Arena with you, but I’ll fight this Elliot from the Beastman Team instead. If I win, will you drop your grudge against me?”

“Impossible. Anyone who slanders me must die!” Bai Feng’s fury blinded her to the ambiguous undertones of her words. The word “slander” and the blush on her face made the onlookers’ eyes shine with a different light.

“Very well, since you say I’ve slandered you, if I win, will you let me slander you once for real?” Wang Ling deliberately leered at the crimson-faced Bai Feng. “Think about it—this is your best chance to be rid of me. In the main quests, I might never run into the Beastman Team, and I could be hopping around Dreamspace for ages. Beauty, I’m just a small fry who’s survived two quests. Are you really afraid the so-called number two of the Beastman Team can’t finish off a rookie like me?”

The lewd gaze that seemed to come from the mask and his mocking words enraged Bai Feng even further. Driven nearly to madness, she almost blurted out her agreement, but reason forced her to bite back her words. She turned to Elliot. “Share your personal stats and equipment information with me. I want to see your strength.”

…

After reviewing the white man’s stats, Bai Feng was very satisfied. He was a physical-type Dreamer, with stamina over ninety points—top tier among Novice District Dreamers. His strength, agility, and intelligence were lower, but with equipment bonuses, they reached twenty-four, eighteen, and twenty-seven, respectively.

This almost pure-stamina build made him extremely hard to kill in battle. Plus, with his special bloodline, activating its power would give him a rapid boost—his originally mediocre damage and burst would skyrocket.

For a rookie Dreamer, a stamina-focused enemy was a nightmare. No matter what powerful skills or extreme stat allocation one had—even if all defense was sacrificed for pure offense—it was impossible to kill an enemy with over four hundred HP, especially one whose defense, thanks to ninety-plus stamina, was monstrous. Even his not-so-high agility, strength, and intelligence would overwhelm a rookie, not to mention his skills and bloodline abilities. Against such a foe, Wang Ling, with only two main quests under his belt, was certain to die. The gap in strength was insurmountable.

After all, Elliot was a veteran of thirteen main quests, with abundant combat experience. There was no chance he would lose through carelessness.

Bai Feng looked at Wang Ling again, gritting her teeth as she pronounced each word: “Fine, I accept! But on one condition: it must be a deathmatch. Only when one of you dies can the battle in the Arena end!”

“Hmph… I wonder if this Elliot dares accept,” Wang Ling sneered.

“Rookie, you sound confident—maybe you think you have some trump card. But I’ve survived thirteen main quests, and I’m the second-strongest in the Beastman Team. Don’t think you’re the only one with tricks up your sleeve. Hahaha…” Elliot laughed loudly, gave Bai Feng another courtly bow, and declared, “It would be my honor to serve you, my lady. Watch closely as I torture this man you despise in the Arena! I’ll break him until even the lowest mongrel would look at his corpse and pity him!”