Chapter 1080
Chapter 1080 - 166: The Crow’s Mouth
1,454 words
•
8 min read
"Are there still four fights left?"
As the battle progressed to this point, every subsequent match was bound to be exceptionally tough.
Unlike "Twenty Rabbits," whose information was almost transparent and whose abilities were so brutally straightforward that they couldn’t be hidden, it was impossible to obtain information about the remaining four through normal channels.
"I have some information on Eve..."
Alright, make that three people.
"...Is Eve stronger, or were those previous people stronger?"
"Not counting Fei’er, none of those people put together could take on a fully prepared Eve. Eve’s strength largely depends on how much she’s aware of her abilities. Given enough time, she will be quite difficult to deal with."
Okay, let’s leave future concerns for later and focus on the next three challenges.
There was less than half an hour to rest and adjust, and most of that time was for others to settle their previous bets and to place new ones.
This time, after the fight, Lu Ping’an was on the receiving end of many hostile gazes... too many people didn’t have faith in him. After all, he was still an unknown, and regardless of how intimidating his past exploits sounded, it couldn’t compare to the reputation of a legend with decades of fame—especially when he had just been burrowed like a mole in his last fight, which led to a serious underestimation of his actual combat abilities by laypeople.
He had made people lose money; naturally, there were more hostile gazes.
"What are you looking at? Want to come down and try?"
As a strongman, Lu Ping’an rudely glared back.
Accordingly, he was met with a barrage of averted gazes... here, idle boasts could indeed provoke a real fight to the death.
"’Protector’ Sarla is going to kill you!"
"You’re right, you won’t be smiling long, Sarla has been a hunter for at least thirty years..."
The clichéd noise and threats only made Lu Ping’an let out a haughty laugh and almost made him want to chuckle.
I don’t know if ’Protector’ Sarla is strong or not; I’ll know after the fight... But whether he’s strong or can beat me, what does that have to do with your tirades?
"You, fight me to the death."
As he spoke, Lu Ping’an pointed directly at the professional making the loudest fuss and issued a challenge.
Then what? Was there something else? The guy just chickened out... turned and ran, pretending he hadn’t heard anything.
This was the domain of the God of Martial Fight, where accepting a challenge could turn into an actual fight to the death at any moment... and even if not, Lu Ping’an could behead them at any time.
This was the lawless high seas, where nationals from different countries inherently had a tense relationship; Lu Ping’an naturally let himself loose a little.
"A bunch of cowards." This scene seemed to be exactly what he had anticipated.
He scanned the crowd, dropped a group taunt, and no one dared to respond.
With a snicker, the unrefined Lu Ping’an just went about his business as usual.
He never understood why those with powerful abilities, the so-called "protagonists," when faced with injustice or provocation by the weaker, still had to swallow their anger... If something’s bothering you, just deal with it, you’re not as strong as me yet you dare to confront me? Are you in a hurry to die?
But his arrogance seemed to quickly meet with retribution...
"...Is there really no information broker willing to sell me information?"
From his temporary agent Wang Hai, Lu Ping’an received some unexpected bad news.
𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
After all, he was acutely aware of the kind of unscrupulous life forms that information brokers are, who would sell anything for a profit.
"It’s not that they’re unwilling, it’s that they really have none. If it were before, there would probably be someone trying to deceive you... but if they dare to do so now, it’s a death wish."
Although he had been purchasing intelligence all along, Lu Ping’an’s original "scarce harvest" was because he had offered too little. Now it seemed that the opponent’s information was actually too sparse, and even now, he couldn’t squeeze anything out... After all, they only had him as the sole buyer, and once the fight was over, their information would be worthless.
The last two fights involved the brothers, where it was understandable to have little information, given they were so-called Saints reared within the Church of the Lady of the Forest’s inner circle, who might not have any outdoor combat records at all.
But that there was also no intelligence leak about "Protector" Sarla was somewhat incomprehensible... It seemed nearly impossible that a veteran mercenary who had been in the profession for decades didn’t leak any information, indicating there might be more to the story.
"The absence of information is actually the greatest piece of information, there are several possibilities..."
Big Cat’s experience seemed to be of use once again.
"Where’s the politeness..."
"Please speak."
"...Fine, the biggest possibility is that he’s a high-level Contractor..."
As he spoke, Big Cat listed a bunch of possibilities.
Things like signing a passive contract with witnesses that prevents them from disclosing information, being skilled at using illusion and sleight of vision magic, a natural master of the Rule System... Big Cat thought of all the possibilities Lu Ping’an couldn’t imagine.
Just from the title "Protector," Big Cat had already considered several of the most likely options...
"Abilities from the Binding system/Protection system, it’s also possible he’s a very powerful Rule System ability user, similar to you. Uh, it’s likely he’s also skilled in defense, you see he’s paired up with that cowboy kid before, who was clearly all about full offense and long-range attacks. What he needs most is a sturdy wall always standing in front of him..."
Lu Ping’an took note of each possibility, knowing that Big Cat wasn’t idly speculating riddles; having a contingency plan made a world of difference compared to having none. Merely considering the possibilities could significantly increase the odds of coping successfully.
No one would willingly leak their own information. If Lu Ping’an had made any guesses, it would have been easy for him to deduce from the opponent’s performance, verify his inferences, and quickly confirm them.
And it was only when the real fight began that Lu Ping’an was surprised to discover...
"All the guesses above... are correct."
A massive explosion, coupled with a terrifying repulsive force, sent Lu Ping’an flying like a baseball.
He was flung dozens of meters by brute force, skimming the ground like a stone skipping across water before he finally managed to stabilize himself.
His opponent, the "Protector" who had just entered the stage and dealt him a fierce blow, was no longer dressed like any ordinary priest.
His new attire brought an oddly familiar feeling to Lu Ping’an, as if...
"...Heh, Lu Ping’an, isn’t this a Heavy Armor Knight cut from the same cloth as you? How does it feel to look into a mirror?"
Yes, the one that had just flung Lu Ping’an was a towering knight clad in full armor over two meters tall.
It was a rather simple set of European armor, yet it was adorned with a bizarre elongated silver cross, which gave it an incongruously awkward appearance.
His stance, armed with a mace and a tower-shield for defense, evoked an oddly nostalgic feeling in Lu Ping’an.
Big Cat’s guess was correct; this shieldbearer, who appeared to have a high defense, was a surround-and-heal operator of "Twenty Rabbits," and on top of that, a healer... Combined, the power of this paladin and shooter increased effortlessly, doubling and tripling with ease.
He also understood that a Heavy Armor Knight in this defensive form was not without offensive capabilities... after all, reality was not a game, there was no need to pursue any kind of professional balance.
And from his opponent’s stance, Lu Ping’an could tell that his own Heavy Equipment Profession Abnormal Ability had been incorporated as easily as leveraging Heavy Equipment abilities within this Secret Realm combat.
But a universal trait of Heavy Armor Warriors is their reliance on the strength of their equipment.
"Speaking of which, that weapon, it couldn’t be Rule-level, could it...."
A moment later, the rule aura shimmering upon it confirmed Lu Ping’an’s dire premonition.
— End of Chapter 1080 —