Chapter 399 - Death Mode

Chapter 399 - Death Mode
Although Nimble Snake’s voice was soft, his tone was sharp and unquestionable.
Gentle Snow frowned upon hearing Nimble Snake’s words, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
Cao Chenghua actually targeted Zhao Yueru for his own team.
However, when Gentle Snow considered the matter, she could not find anything strange about Cao Chenghua’s actions. Zhao Yueru’s potential and strength were both very high. In the past, Zhao Yueru had been uninterested in virtual reality games and had only started gaming due to her unyielding insistence. Meanwhile, despite never training seriously, Zhao Yueru’s strength had reached frightening levels. Zhao Yueru’s talent was obvious to anyone who had seen her fight.
If Zhao Yueru had bothered to put more effort into her training before this, very few in Ouroboros would have been a match for her.
At this moment, a majestic-looking middle-aged man walked out from the crowd. Upon seeing this man, everyone among the crowd respectfully moved aside. This man was none other than Ouroboros’s Acting Guild Leader, Cao Chenghua. Even looking at him from afar, they could clearly feel the pressure Cao Chenghua emitted from his gaze alone. Cao Chenghua felt like a ferocious beast.
Cao Chenghua was currently Level 24, and he was fully armed with the Level 20 Wind Roar Set Equipment, a Secret-Silver Set Equipment meant for Berserkers. On his back, he carried a greatsword that was as tall as he was. The greatsword was the Iron Cutter, and it was one of the few Dark-Gold Weapons in Star-Moon Kingdom.
“Enough! Nimble Snake, you’ve said too much!” Cao Chenghua reprimanded as he shot a glance at the Assassin.
“Yes, Guild Leader,” Nimble Snake self-consciously retreated behind Cao Chenghua and fell silent, gazing at his Guild Leader with reverence.
“Yueru, I hope that you will consider your options carefully. You will not have a future if you stay by Gentle Snow’s side. Only by joining my team will you have a bright future in God’s Domain, achieving your dreams,” with a charming smile, Cao Chenghua tried to persuade Zhao Yueru.
“Forget it. I will never join you,” Zhao Yueru snapped, hatred coloring her expression as she sneered at Cao Chenghua. “The battle hasn’t even begun yet. The winner and loser still haven’t been determined. If we lose, I will leave the virtual gaming world with Snow.”
“Yueru.” Gentle Snow’s heart was moved.
“Hmph. It seems you refuse to see things my way until you face reality. With just your two Level 22 aids, even I feel sorry for you.” Nimble Snake snorted and laughed disdainfully.
Originally, Zhao Yueru had wanted to refute Nimble Snake’s words, but when she saw Cao Chenghua’s team members and looked at her own team…
They truly were a pitiful sight.
Cao Chenghua’s team consisted of four Level 24 players. Other than Cao Chenghua and Nimble Snake, there was Ouroboros’s Third Branch Leader, Blackhearted Arrow, and the strongest member of the Twelve Apostles, Soaring Snake. As for Cao Chenghua’s last team member, he was a Level 25 Shield Warrior who had hidden his identity behind a black cloak.
Initially, Zhao Yueru still had some hope for victory. However, after seeing Cao Chenghua’s team, other than Blackhearted Arrow, whom she had a 40% certainty of defeating, her chances of defeating the other four were less than 30%.
Moreover, Cao Chenghua’s team also had Soaring Snake. Even Gentle Snow only possessed slightly more than a 50% chance of victory against him.
“Since everyone has arrived, this competition will be overseen by us Elders.
“There are a total of five matches in this competition; the first to claim three victories will win. The victor will become Ouroboros’ Guild Leader, while the loser will leave God’s Domain forever. The Main God System has already accepted this condition. In addition, the arena has been set at Death Mode. A match will conclude only after one side has died. Before entering the arena, either side can choose to forfeit. That way, even if it is a loss, you won’t have to suffer the penalty of Death Mode.
“If no one has any issues, you two can check the agreement. The Main God System will bear testimony to this agreement. After agreeing, you can start drawing the lots for the battle.”
Gentle Snow and Cao Chenghua nodded, confirming their agreement.
Neither side really cared about the arena being set to Death Mode.
Originally, players fighting in the Underground Arenas would not die even when defeated. Their HPs would stop decreasing after reaching 1. However, players could also enable Death Mode. This mode of battle was the equivalent of PvP out in the field, and players would suffer the same penalties for death, losing one level and dropping one random piece of their equipment. They would also randomly lose some Skill Proficiency points. The only difference about Death Mode was that a player’s Crime Value would not increase for killing their opponent.
Meanwhile, Shi Feng, who stood by the side side, finally understood what was going on after listening to Ouroboros’s Elders’ explanation.
It turned out that Gentle Snow’s mysterious departure in the past had been because of this competition.
It was also obvious that Gentle Snow had lost the competition in the past.
As for why she had lost, Shi Feng could see that, as well.
With a treacherous bastard like Nimble Snake stabbing her in the back at the most crucial of moments, how could Gentle Snow possibly walk away victorious?
Seeing the predicament Gentle Snow was in, Shi Feng suddenly thought of himself.
Gentle Snow had only fallen to her current predicament because of her bad judgment of people; Shi Feng had suffered a similar fate in the past.
After campaigning for a decade in God’s Domain, instead of suffering defeat at the hands of his enemy, World Dominators, his own people got rid of him. It was truly laughable…
Just as Shi Feng recalled his past, the Level 25 Shield Warrior on Cao Chenghua’s team finally removed his cloak and revealed his true appearance.
“Why is he here?”
Disbelief filled Shi Feng upon seeing this Shield Warrior’s identity.
This Shield Warrior was War Wolf. Shi Feng had met him once in the past, and the man had left a very deep impression on Shi Feng. He was definitely a top-tier expert, and even Shi Feng had wanted to recruit him. However, War Wolf, at that time, had hated Guilds deeply, so Shi Feng had no choice but to give up on his endeavor. Hence, he was greatly surprised that War Wolf had actually shown up as foreign aid for Cao Chenghua.
War Wolf’s appearance also shocked Gentle Snow. She had previously tried to recruit War Wolf back in White River City. However, the middle-aged man had rejected her, and after that, they both went their separate ways.
As for how strong War Wolf was, even Gentle Snow herself was unsure. However, seeing that even the usually arrogant Soaring Snake and tyrannical Cao Chenghua showed him respect, it clear that something was amiss.
After observing War Wolf for some time, Gentle Snow’s gaze suddenly turned solemn. She could feel War Wolf’s body radiating a sense of extreme danger. This was something that she had never felt before, even from Soaring Snake.
Although Gentle Snow wished to oppose War Wolf’s participation, until today, War Wolf had been utterly unknown in God’s Domain. Hence, arguing the matter wouldn’t do any good.
Compared to Gentle Snow’s grave expression, Cao Chenghua currently appeared carefree.
“What is with Gentle Snow? I thought she would have invited some powerful experts, yet, she actually invited two Level 22 players. One of them is even a Cleric. What a disappointment” the Elementalist, Soaring Snake, commented. Before Gentle Snow’s team had arrived, he had planned to let loose, displaying his full might. Now that he was looking at them, however, it would seem that he would not get the chance today.
“Perhaps my departure had dealt too big of a blow to Gentle Snow, so she simply found a few people to fill the gaps. Otherwise, why would she even invite a Cleric?” Nimble Snake laughed, mocking the other team. “Right now, the only threats are Gentle Snow, Zhao Yueru, and Fierce Snake. Unfortunately, it is impossible for Zhao Yueru and Fierce Snake to win their matches.”
Just as Cao Chenghua’s group laughed, confident of their victory, the system promptly announced the players who would fight in the first match.
Immediately, everyone’s attention shifted towards the large screen above the arena.
First Match: Zhao Yueru vs. Cao Chenghua.