The sudden turn of events left everyone confused.
Originally, they had planned to assist the plot character, King, in a five-against-one battle. But before the fight had even begun, someone had already run away? This wasn't how things were supposed to go! Did he know the opponent?
The three adventurers who had been ready to strike were bewildered, Qin Ming, who had been suddenly attacked, was also confused. The only one who wasn't confused at all was the burly man who had smashed through the window and fled—he ran without hesitation.
What? Five against one? They had the advantage?
Advantage, my ass! Two S-rank skills! Two A-rank skills! And even a terrifying A-rank bloodline!
Forget four people! Even if forty people came, they still wouldn't stand a chance! Stay and die? No thanks!
He hadn't run earlier, not because he didn't want to, but because he had been too scared to move!
Now, he finally had an opportunity! Finally, someone else had stepped up to draw the fire! How could he not run?
His name was Tianmu, a fairly capable adventurer, but more importantly, his innate skill was extremely unique.
And the reason he chose to flee without looking back this time was precisely because of that skill.
[Innate Skill: Tianmu]
[Effect: Can see through all detailed attributes of any existence, including adventurers.]
[Description: Hehe! In front of me, you're as good as naked... Ow! Why are you hitting me? I wasn't being a pervert! It was just a figure of speech!]
Tianmu's skill was special, and after awakening this ability, his personality had also become quite distinct.
His strategy in life could be summed up in one phrase: cling to strong people!
He always managed to find powerful individuals and naturally became their follower. Combined with his excellent scouting and support abilities, and most importantly, his keen sense of what to take and what not to take, he had been thriving in this world.
What he hated the most, though, was the slaughter mode, as it completely countered his usual playstyle. But hate was one thing—fear was another.
After all, he could instantly determine who was strong, who was weak, whether he could win, and what treasures or trump cards his opponent had. If he realized he couldn't win, he would flee before the other party even noticed him.
Executing a strategic retreat when encountering a powerful foe was something Tianmu had done countless times before. He was well-practiced in it.
But this time, his panic wasn't just routine—it was sheer terror.
S-rank skills! Legendary S-rank skills!
Forget about the mission world—even in the intermediate trading zones, Tianmu had only seen them on other people twice in total!
And now, he had encountered a monster with not just one but two S-rank skills?! He had never even heard of such a thing!
Tianmu admitted it—he was scared to death.
He was afraid the other party would target him, even more afraid that the other party would realize he had already seen through all his attributes.
If that happened, he'd be dead with no chance of survival!
And those skills? They weren't even the scariest part! The real nightmare was his innate ability!
He could fuse items to upgrade them?! What kind of ridiculous power was that?!
Run! He had to run! Before he was noticed, he had to escape!
Crashing through the window, Tianmu scrambled and rolled his way into the distance, quickly disappearing from everyone's sight.
All that remained were the confused spectators, who only recovered from their daze after a long moment.
The three other adventurers had no idea just how much of a mental shock Tianmu had suffered from seeing Qin Ming's attribute panel.
Not understanding why he had suddenly bolted, the three exchanged glances, shrugged slightly, and once again raised their weapons toward Qin Ming.
The burly man wielding dual axes even roared loudly,
"King! Don't be afraid! We're here to help you kill him!"
At those words, both King and Qin Ming turned their attention away.
Still tangled together in their struggle and pressed against the bar counter, they suddenly looked at each other.
"Uh… are these your friends?"
"No. Your reinforcements?"
"Never met them."
"Then where the hell did they come from?"
As they spoke, King loosened her legs that had been wrapped around Qin Ming, and Qin Ming immediately released the arm he had locked.
To the stunned gazes of the three aggressive adventurers, the two—who had been fighting fiercely just moments ago—simply stopped as soon as the three intervened!
Clearly, these adventurers had no understanding of the nature of fighters in the King of Fighters world and didn't realize how deeply they respected the art of combat.
If no one had interfered, Qin Ming and King, both fully immersed in the fight, wouldn't have stopped until one of them hit the ground.
But now that others had meddled, the two instinctively chose to halt the fight.
After all, with interference, the match had lost its meaning.
Winning under these conditions wouldn't be a real victory.
Taking a step back, Qin Ming rubbed his sore neck with a grimace.
King, dressed in tattered clothes, sat on the bar counter, flexing her bruised arms with a frown.
Their sudden ceasefire left the three adventurers, who had already drawn their weapons, in an incredibly awkward position.
They exchanged a look, their expressions conflicted—unsure whether to advance or retreat, caught in a moment of indecision.
"Why have they suddenly stopped fighting?" they wondered. "If they just halt the brawl, it'll make them look ridiculously awkward!"
Silence fell over the bar. After several silent seconds of mutual staring, one of the adventurers suddenly gritted his teeth and snarled,
"This guy's hurt really badly! Don't give him any chance to recover! All in—let's kill him!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than he leaped forward without hesitation.
Seeing this, the other two exchanged a glance and, without a second thought, followed suit.
One was a plot character already left nearly broken, and the other a powerful adventurer who had sparred with that character for ages—both severely injured.
This was a prime opportunity, like a clam and a bird fighting over a morsel; it simply couldn't be wasted!
Adventurers are opportunists—if you put it bluntly, they're like schemers and gamblers. Once they spot an opening and decide the time is right, they'll bet it all without hesitation.
And this time was no exception!
The first rushed in and forcefully clung to Qin Ming, the second swung his dual axes in a wide arc, aiming straight for Qin Ming's head, while a third, at long range, took careful aim with a sniper rifle.
Their target was crystal clear: they intended to kill Qin Ming.
As for King? If, after taking down Qin Ming, their conditions were still acceptable, they wouldn't mind taking her out as well—completing their primary mission.
The three attacked with speed and brutality, their moves agile and fierce. Yet, when their combined assault struck Qin Ming, sparks flew from the impacts, and not a single hit broke through his defenses.
Worse still, as the melee erupted on their side, the sniper—biting his lip and drawing several special explosive bullets—was suddenly ambushed by a chair flying straight at him. The chair slammed into his rifle, tilting the barrel so that he could no longer lock onto his target.
King, who was seated at the bar, raised her leg and kicked, sending the chair soaring toward the sniper. Simultaneously, she sprang into the air and delivered a kick directly to his chest; then, with rapid single-leg taps, she unleashed a flurry of kicks.
Don't be fooled—when this chain of kicks landed on Qin Ming, it appeared ineffective. That was mainly because Qin Ming's defensive power was so overwhelming that even such rapid strikes didn't faze him. It wasn't that the attack wasn't potent.
Against other adventurers, however, such an assault would have been an entirely different story.
The sniper, caught off guard by King's sudden close approach, was kicked back repeatedly. He staggered, barely managing to stand, let alone launch a counterattack.
The brutal onslaught left him overwhelmed and with nowhere to escape.
Especially, the final explosive ultimate—Phantom Dance—landed over twenty consecutive kicks, capped off with a final thrusting kick.
The sniper, hit squarely in the chest, flew back like a cannonball, his body embedded in a cabinet, utterly immobilized.
In a close-quarters situation, the sniper was effectively "taken out" by that continuous combo!
No—"taken out" isn't even the right word; he had, at best, lost all fighting capability.
Lying amid the debris, the struggling sniper looked up as King charged toward him, and he suddenly activated his innate skill.
In the next second, his body twisted in an almost unnatural manner as he vanished from the bar on the spot. When he reappeared, he was in a room on the opposite building—right by a window, facing this way.
[Innate Skill: Sniper Tactics]
[Effect: Instantly teleport to a location locked onto by your gaze; can be used three times per day]
[Description: Securing high ground is essential for a sniper. But knowing how to quickly reposition once your location is discovered is just as critical.]
The sniper teleported instantly to the opposite floor. He took a deep, determined breath.
Ignoring the searing pain in his body, he suddenly raised his rifle toward the bar below—without even taking time to aim—firing a shot without hesitation.
A blind shot!
Bang!
Amid the deafening sound, King—who had been momentarily taken aback by the enemy's sudden disappearance—her pupils constricted as her head instinctively jerked to the side.
In the next second, a cascade of hair at her temple exploded outward as a high-speed spinning bullet grazed past her head, slamming into the wall ahead and leaving a fresh bullet mark above.
Relying on her battle instincts, King dodged the sniper's shot at the crucial moment and ran sideways without a backward glance.
She ran—so the sniper would continue sniping! With the sniper rifle vibrating with each shot, bullet after bullet rained down upon the bar!
The bullets shattered the drinks, made the walls tremble, and continued to relentlessly track King.
Even if King took cover behind something, he could, with his special ammunition, fire a shot that pierced through walls—a blind shot that forced King out from behind cover.
In the blink of an eye, the tide of offense and defense reversed. King, who once held the absolute advantage in close combat, became nothing more than prey—completely devoid of any ability to counterattack, forced only to run desperately to evade pursuit.
Had it been during her prime, King's agility and speed might have allowed her to hold her own against such opponents.
But the earlier intense battle—especially the relentless punishment to her legs—had severely hampered her mobility, leaving her skills greatly diminished.
After evading over twenty sniper shots in succession, King was eventually cornered by the sniper.
With a loud bang, with no escape, a bloodline burst from her shoulder as pain forced a muffled groan from her.
Instinctively, she reached up to cover her arm, clenching her teeth in agony.
At that moment, the sniper—who in real life was a top marksman—did not hesitate. He adjusted his rifle's aim and pulled the trigger once more!
Bang!
Amid a burst of muzzle flash, a bullet streaked out at high speed, spinning as it reached King, who had quickly shifted aside into a defensive posture in an attempt to minimize the damage.
Then, in the very next second…
Clang!
A piercing collision rang out. Amid scattering sparks, the bullet slammed against an object at high velocity and, in the next moment, was forcefully deflected.
Witnessing this, the sniper—still holding his rifle—stared in disbelief, his eyes wide as he slowly lowered his weapon.
And below, in the bar, right in front of King—was none other than Qin Ming, who had somehow come close. He raised his hand horizontally across King's chest.
That very sniper bullet had struck the dull, golden-colored protective bracer on his arm and was then deflected!
The bracer, which granted an extra 50 points of defense, when bolstered by Qin Ming's S-rank skill, provided nearly 100 points of damage immunity!
Not even a sniper bullet—nor a cannon shell—could dent it!
(End of Chapter)