Chapter 891 - Newcomer's Nightmare
Violent Bear's explanation of the daily Battle Point allotment was correct.
However, it had been a petty move from the Secret Pavilion.
It was true that there were a total of 350 slots for the simulation training system this time. It was also true that the training system was a holy ground for rapid improvement. However, to face a decent opponent for a day, one needed at least 100 points. Even so, that was only enough to afford a Half-step Refinement Realm opponent. To obtain 100 points or more each day, one needed to rank within the top 200.
Among the 350 people participating in the training system this time, 200 happened to be the Secret Pavilion's members.
These elites, whom the Secret Pavilion had nurtured, had already displayed relatively high combat standards. Now, they had received over a month's head start in this training system. To put it simply, the members from other Guilds had no chance of claiming any of the top 200 positions.
Meanwhile, those who ranked between 200th and 300th place could only afford to practice every other day.
To newcomers, this was a nightmare.
When they first joined the training system, they ranked below 300. Receiving only 20 points each day, newcomers had to wait for five days to fight a decent opponent. If they did not purchase the 100-point starter pack, they would have to waste even more time to familiarize themselves with the training system's battles.
Individuals could only purchase the starter pack once, and among the ten experts within the starter pack, eight were Half-step Refinement Realm experts, and two were Refinement Realm experts. If newcomers trained with these experts for three days, they could improve their techniques significantly. This way, they could qualify to fight for one of the top 300 rankings. Although joining the top 200 would be difficult, it wasn't entirely impossible.
While the Secret Pavilion's members could face Half-step Refinement Realm experts once a day at the very minimum, members from other Guilds could only face one every other day at best.
As for challenging Refinement Realm experts, that required 200 points. Those in the top 200 only needed to wait two days, while they needed four. As time passed, the difference between both sides would only grow.
"Shi Feng, don't let him trick you! Your starting 100 points are crucial!" the elegantly beautiful Du Xin advised.
Newcomers like them could not contend with Violent Bear. Even those in the Refinement Realm had difficulty defeating the Berserker. After all, Violent Bear had reached the Refinement Realm a long time ago. Experts who had just reached the Refinement Realm could not compare to his physical control.
Although Du Xin did not know which Guild Shi Feng originated from, she knew that even first-rate Guilds' top-tier experts were no match for Violent Bear.
"Kong Haoran, I'm not talking to you right now. I'm offering a sincere invitation to this little brother. I'm sure he isn't a scaredy cat like you are, afraid of challenging me even once. In the end, you can only boast your strength in your little Guild," Violent Bear sneered. Although the man scolded Kong Haoran for his incompetence, his words were meant for Shi Feng. "Little brother, you agree with me, right?
"Even if he does lose, it's just 100 points. As long as he ranks among the top 300, he'll earn those points back in two days. Although he won't be able to face a decent expert during that time, at least he can still challenge the ranking competition once a day and practice against the normal simulated experts. Kong Haoran, you're just exaggerating to scare him.
"Since you don't want the newcomer to fight me, why don't you try your luck instead? You've already been here for five days, after all.
"I'll even handicap my Attributes by 10%. If you win, I'll give you 800 points. If you lose, you just need to give me 100. How about it? Do you dare to accept my challenge? If not, get lost. Letting a coward like you in here was a waste of a precious training slot."
Kong Haoran turned ashen as he glared at Violent Bear.
However, he hadn't been able to utter a single word. It's not that he feared a fight, it's just that he had other uses for his points. Yesterday, one of his companions had joined the system and fell for a veteran's provocation. In the end, that companion of his had lost their points. Today, he had finally accumulated 100 points and planned to buy a starter pack for that companion. If he lost a match to Violent Bear now, his companion would have to wait several more days before getting their starter pack.
"Tch. You're a coward till the end," Violent Bear cast a disdainful look towards Kong Haoran when the man turned to leave.
"Fellow brother, aren't you being insincere? You're willing to lower your Attributes and raise your bet to 800 points, yet against me, not only did you not offer to use a handicap, but your bet was also only 500 points," Shi Feng said softly as he glanced at Violent Bear.
"Oh? You want a match?" Violent Bear's gaze shifted back to Shi Feng, and he began to size up the Swordsman. Laughing, he continued, "Sure. If you want to fight me, I'll offer you the same terms."
Following which, Violent Bear led Shi Feng to the battlefield.
"Why is he so impulsive? Didn't he see how miserably Violent Bear beat his previous opponent?" Du Xin asked, slightly frustrated.
"He might've done it because he didn't want Violent Bear to continue humiliating me," Kong Haoran responded, feeling somewhat guilty as he watched Shi Feng depart.
After interacting with Shi Feng for some, he could tell that Shi Feng was not impulsive. Moreover, he had not seen any anger or pride within Shi Feng's gaze. On the contrary, he had appeared extraordinarily calm as he challenged the Berserker. This showed that he was aware of Violent Bear's strength and had only challenged the man after considering it calmly.
…
"Violent Bear is so lucky. He's going to haul in 200 points in one day. With this, he can take on a Refinement Realm expert for an entire day."
"However, that newcomer is pretty smart. He got Violent Bear to lower his Attributes by 10%."
"Violent Bear has already set foot into the Refinement Realm. Against a newcomer, a 20% handicap wouldn't change anything, much less 10%. Without also having reached the Refinement Realm, that newcomer doesn't stand a chance."
Everyone in the main hall had their gazes glued to the massive screen, envy flashing in their eyes as they watched Violent Bear.
"Red, don't you think that newcomer looks kind of familiar?" Purple Eye asked. As she watched Shi Feng on the screen, she felt as if she had seen him somewhere.
"Familiar?" Red Feather's loss vexed him, so he was in no mood to pay attention to the new duel. However, after Purple Eye's comment, he shifted his gaze towards the screen. Immediately, he fell into deep thought as he muttered, "Indeed. He does feel familiar, but I can't recall where or when I've met him before."
As Purple Eye and Red Feather watched Shi Feng, Shi Feng's duel with Violent Bear began.
The battlefield was set in a desert. It was a standard, open battle with no terrain to benefit either player.
Shi Feng had chosen the Swordsman class for this match, while Violent Bear stuck with the Berserker. However, Violent Bear had reduced his overall Attributes by 10%. In terms of Strength, he was roughly on par with a Swordsman of the same Level.
As the battle began, Violent Bear used Charge at Shi Feng.
"Brat, I'll show you just how powerful I am!" Violent Bear tightened his grip on his battle axe and swung the weapon at Shi Feng violently. Although the axe did not seem to move quickly, it vanished halfway to Shi Feng.
Second Acceleration!
Violent Bear was quite confident of his melee combat capabilities. Even with reduced Attributes, with his Second Acceleration technique, he could defeat a Swordsman of the same Level easily. Even a melee expert who had also reached the Refinement Realm would find it immensely difficult to block his attacks, not to mention a newcomer like Shi Feng.