Chapter 10 – Kill-Steal Expert
“Heh heh. Buddy, with us here you’ll get nothing. Go somewhere further off and try your luck there, eh? Maybe there won’t be people who know that hunter traps can be stepped on”, said an a.s.sa.s.sin called Toxic Hand, as he patted Chen Mo on the shoulder.
In the beginning, other players were not able to s.n.a.t.c.h monsters from hunters but when the number of players increased, people soon discovered that hunter traps could be stepped on. The hunter players were at a disadvantage after that.
The Wild White Rabbits sp.a.w.ned again and Toxic Hand saw that Chen Mo had not left as he’d suggested. He shrugged. Oh well, this world was full of people who just would not listen to the voice of reason. Seems like this fellow couldn’t swallow his pride and was going to compete with him to the bitter end.
The resp.a.w.n lights flashed, and the surrounding players raised their weapons, used skills and threw spells. The Wild White Rabbits were eliminated in the blink of an eye.
“d.a.m.n it, I was a step too late again and didn’t get one!”
“Oh, I just need a few more.”
“Haha! I got another one!”
Noise erupted around Chen Mo. The players who managed to get a monster were elated and the players who didn’t were full of regret for not getting one. Seeing others complete their goal and advancing ahead of them, they felt increasingly anxious about having to spend more time stuck on this low level quest.
Toxic Hand was unperturbed by the upset people around him. He had gotten a monster again. Five more and he’d complete his quest. The people near him were not as quick and Chen Mo, a hunter who relied on traps, was below his notice.
Wild White Rabbits sp.a.w.ned yet again and the surrounding players rushed to the kill. Toxic Hand’s dagger flashed and a Wild White Rabbit perished.
But this time, he looked oddly at Chen Mo. This hunter had previously tried attacking with his bare hands and this time, he used a crossbow bolt.
Wild White Rabbits have very low HP. With so many people attacking at once, there was hardly any difference between bare-handed and weapon attacks. As long as one manages to get the first blow in, he will get the kill.
In Toxic Hand’s opinion, using long-distance skills and weapons to kill-steal was a dumb move. Low-level monsters sp.a.w.n in set locations and long-distance attacks were disadvantageous. On the other hand, short-range attacks are likely to be successful if one calculates the resp.a.w.n time and attack in advance.
Many surrounding players were doing this too but were unsuccessful because he, unfortunately, was there. It was impossible for them to steal Wild White Rabbits from him. He had calculated the resp.a.w.n time and optimal timing to attack and it was not possible to be faster than him. If anyone tried to attack before him, his or her effort would be in vain.
Wild White Rabbits sp.a.w.ned once more and amidst all the weapons, Toxic Hand’s dagger flashed downwards.
The Wild White Rabbit died immediately but this time, Toxic Hand paused, shocked.
He didn’t get the kill!
His gaze landed on Chen Mo. He knew. It was Chen Mo’s crossbow bolt which had pierced the Wild White Rabbit first.
Was it luck?
Toxic Hand couldn’t help wondering.
The Wild White Rabbits sp.a.w.ned. Toxic Hand focused his attention, and swiftly swung his dagger.
He didn’t get the kill this time either! That hunter s.n.a.t.c.hed it away!
d.a.m.n, he’s an expert!
Toxic Hand looked at Chen Mo and finally understood why he had not attacked bare-handed but switched to a crossbow bolt.
Even if this hunter did his bare-handed attack perfectly, he would only match his timing and hit the Wild White Rabbit at the same time. When that happens, the kill will go to the player with the higher attack.
Toxic Hand’s an a.s.sa.s.sin so his ordinary attacks were higher than a hunter’s bare-handed attack. A hunter would never be able to kill-steal bare-handed.
That was why this hunter used a crossbow bolt. The crossbow bolt has the combined attack of the crossbow and the bolt and has a higher damage than bare-handed attacks.
Toxic Hand also had “Stab”, the basic a.s.sa.s.sin skill, but he wasn’t fully confident that it would work.
He was able to get the kill from all the surrounding players not just through exact calculation – he had a trick up his sleeve too.
When attacking, he would move his dagger to the Wild White Rabbit’s resp.a.w.n position and deliberately slow a little. The moment the Wild White Rabbit resp.a.w.ned, he increased his speed. That ensured him first strike even if his calculations were off. If he used his skill, he would have to be 100% accurate or his attack would highly likely be too quick and strike at empty air.
Toxic Hand was unable to be so precise and that was why his gaze held a trace of horror.
This hunter must be a super expert!
Chen Mo was not aware of Toxic Hand’s thoughts. In truth, he was not as scary as Toxic Hand had presumed. It was all estimation after all and it was impossible to be that precise. He was able to kill-steal twice in a row by a sheer measure of luck. He was just doing his best to get to the monster first and was doing none of the complicated stuff Toxic Hand was thinking about. If he didn’t get one this time, he would just try again. No biggie.
“Mr Expert! You, that hunter expert over there! Come here – I have extra monsters here!”
After Chen Mo had killed his second Wild White Rabbit, rich-boy Green Mountain yelled excitedly, as if he had discovered a new world.
Before Chen Mo turned up, Green Mountain had been watching Toxic Hand.
Green Mountain was a greenhorn through and through. He had first entered the game out of curiosity but had soon been fascinated by this realistic fantasy world.
He had gotten to Level 4 with difficulty and accepted a quest to kill monsters. He left Ayr Town in high spirits but, in the end, after half an hour of vying with other players for Wild White Rabbits, he had none.
Green Mountain blew his top and used his wealth to hire a group of players near him to barricade a sp.a.w.n point.
Money was nothing to Green Mountain. He enjoyed the looks of envy and hate but he knew that spending money to hire people to help him kill monsters was outrageous. Those envious eyes held, too, some measure of despise.
Green Mountain wanted, like other players, to be able to s.n.a.t.c.h the kill from the hands of others. Though it would be slow-going for his quest, it would be much more interesting.
That was why he had observed the players around him and Toxic Hand caught his eye. He had wanted to watch for a while longer, then ask Toxic Hand for advice but an even more skilled hunter arrived on the scene.
Toxic Hand had already seemed like a powerful guy but now there was another guy who was even more awesome! Green Mountaincould no longer remain calm.
Green Mountain’s eyes gleamed with undisguised desire. Chen Mo was no stranger to that look and knew what Green Mountainwanted.
After some thought, Chen Mo walked over to Green Mountain.
It wasn’t too bad a deal – he’d get to save some time while teaching this rich kid.
“Hey, Big Brother Green Mountain, we agreed to help only you finish your quest.”
Green Mountain’s actions immediately drew dissent from the surrounding players.
“Cut the c.r.a.p. I’ll double what I’m paying!” Green Mountain stared at the person who spoke. The players around him quieted down too.
“Mr Expert, you’re really powerful. Can you teach me? d.a.m.n, I tried fighting for half an hour earlier and couldn’t get a single kill!”Green Mountain got straight to the point and looked helplessly at Chen Mo.
Chen Mo was just too cool. Green Mountain got pumped up just thinking about himself being able to also do something like that.
“Of course.” Chen Mo smiled. It was no secret. Get the timing down, and have okay reaction time. Anybody could do it.
Green Mountain nodded while listening to Chen Mo outline the method. He was eager to experiment on the resp.a.w.ning monsters nearby and immediately put himself to the test.
“Haha! Looks like it really does work!”
Green Mountain was no idiot. Chen Mo’s advice had been simple but contained the essentials.
Green Mountain tested it out and could not help getting excited when he found that it seemed to work.
“Observe. The rules are important. Grasp a good time, then go in for the kill. High-level monsters later may be more complicated but overall it’s roughly the same.” Chen Mo reminded as he killed Wild White Rabbits.
“Of course, yes! Mr Expert Silence, it is as you say.” While talking, they added one another to their friend lists.
“I’ve completed my quest. I’ll go off first then. Try to get the hang of it – you can ask me if you don’t understand.”
With n.o.body around to kill-steal, Chen Mo had his 20 Wild White Rabbits in no time.
“Okay! Have a nice walk, Mr Expert!” Green Mountain nodded at Chen Mo but he didn’t turn to look as he spoke. He kept his eyes glued to a spot where the Wild White Rabbit resp.a.w.ned. He was nervous and looked ready to chop down with his sword at any moment.
Chen Mo knew that Green Mountain’s attention was on killing monsters and did not bother him. He left alone.
“Heeeh!”
Not long after Chen Mo had left, Green Mountain’s sword cleaved down and cut the body of a Wild White Rabbit that had just resp.a.w.ned.
“Hahaha! I can kill-steal now! You guys, scram! I’ve already instructed my people to transfer the money to you guys.” Green Mountain laughed in elation. He waved, motioning for the hired players to disband, then looked about himself and inserted himself into the crowd.
He had completed the quest long ago but he had the rare opportunity to learn how to kill-steal. How could he not try stealing the monsters of the surrounding players?
“s.h.i.t! What happened?!”
Wild White Rabbits sp.a.w.ned again but it went differently from how he had imagined.
Over 10 Wild White Rabbits sp.a.w.ned but he was unable to get a single one.
“d.a.m.n it, I don’t believe this!”
Green Mountain stubbornly kept trying and kept a close eye on the resp.a.w.n location and swore that he would not give up until he kill-steals all his Wild White Rabbits.