Chapter 65 - He is Pedestrian A!
“Nothing much. I just had a private chat with Pluto, and he agreed to let me give it a try.” Lu Ran smiled.
“The fight might kick up some dust, so I’m wearing a mask.”
Considering that the Abandoned Laboratory Secret Realm’s boss was an Intermediate Champion, with weapons making it much stronger, this Dragon-Tailed Scorpion would be a decent warm-up.
“Huh?” Lu Bing’s eyes widened.
What is Lu Ran even talking about?
Each of his words individually made sense, but strung together, they gave her a strange feeling.
Lu Ran didn’t explain much, and under the puzzled gaze of the Lu Village squad, he walked out from the crowd.
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“Hey...”
Lu Bing called out but couldn’t stop Lu Ran.
***
The Galaxy Guild had a decent reputation. Since Pluto claimed he was the first to discover the boss, the others were willing to give him a chance.
However, when Lu Ran walked into the battle zone, the spectators furrowed their brows.
Who is he?
People observed him carefully, but no one seemed to recognize him.
“Is he outside reinforcement from the Galaxy Guild?” someone guessed.
“He couldn’t be here to steal the boss, right? Must be an external reinforcement.”
No sane beginner would be foolish enough to challenge the Galaxy Guild for a Champion boss. Even if someone had that level of strength, they could just go clear hell-level secret realms for the same rewards.
“You.” Pluto glanced at Lu Ran with a hint of hostility.
“Watch closely,” Lu Ran said as he remained calm.
After hearing this brief exchange, the spectators concluded one thing.
So, they do know each other!
But something seemed off. Why was there only one person coming to help? If they were bringing in reinforcements, surely it would be more than one person, especially since Pluto's lightning trait-infused Lightning Eagle couldn’t pierce through the scorpion’s defenses.
“Wait a second. Do they really know each other?” the Lu Village squad murmured as they tried to piece things together.
“Could it be that we underestimated Lu Ran? Is he some kind of big shot after all?” Lu Bing speculated, sending shockwaves through the group.
“Did Lu Ran actually have a private chat with Pluto just now? Was it really Pluto that started it?”
“I’m not sure, but why do I get the feeling that this little brother Lu Ran’s identity is more than what it seems.”
They all started to reconsider this possibility, their expressions slowly changing. No way. Could it be that Lu Hai, the former Village Chief, had a grandson who was secretly a big shot?
While the others were deep in thought, Lu Ran had already taken out his Black Card and summoned his familiar.
Buzz.
A giant circular summoning diagram appeared before him, and a gust of wind accompanied the summoning ritual.
A thunderous howl rang out.
“Awooo!”
With a flash of light, Captain Doofus, with its robust form and cold demeanor, emerged from the magic circle. Even though it was now brimming with a heroic aura, it was still just a doofus.
This sight left many in the crowd dumbfounded.
So... the reinforcement Pluto called for is just a guy with a husky?
“No, wait!”
In the crowd, someone finally realized what was happening.
“Wait a second. A husky? Could he be...” they muttered.
Suddenly, the dots connected. Those familiar with Limitless City #3 began to suspect who this figure really was. As soon as Captain Doofus emerged and gripped the wind blade in its mouth, the realization hit.
After Captain Doofus’ howl, the airflow around it suddenly became turbulent. Surrounded by an ice-blue whirlwind, a sword made entirely of wind formed and was held in its mouth. Its gaze was just as calm as Lu Ran’s as it looked at the Dragon-tailed Scorpion.
The dog wields a sword!
Everyone knew about the famous husky that topped the Heavenly Familiar Ranking in Limitless City. Whispers of the dog that fought like a warrior were legendary, but few had seen it in action.
At this moment, it was as if Lu Ran’s identity had been confirmed. A name appeared in everyone’s mind.
“He’s Pedestrian A!” someone shouted.
The name carried immense weight.
Pedestrian A was currently ranked first on Limitless City #3’s Heavenly Familiar Ranking. He was the one who ranked higher than Pluto!
“It’s really him.”
“Pedestrian A is here!”
“This is the first time he’s shown himself in public, right?”
“Is it really him?”
“What is he doing here with the Galaxy Guild? Is he one of them?”
“No, it can’t be. Just look at Pluto’s face; something more is going on here.”
Speculations erupted in the crowd. At the same time, the Lu Village team fell into silence.
Holy crap. He really is a big shot! And not just any big shot—he’s Pedestrian A.
“Lu-... Lu Ran. Pedestrian A. My god,” Lu Dingding stuttered.
“I never saw this coming...” Xiao Wu was dumbfounded.
The whole situation was absurd. Earlier, they were talking about helping Lu Ran level up, but now that seemed utterly laughable. Who in Limitless City #3 hadn’t heard of Pedestrian A, the enigmatic powerhouse?
“How did we miss this?” Lu Yi lamented.
Lu Bing remained silent. Who could have guessed that the random hometown guy they met was actually this insane?
Now, the crowd finally understood. The boss was unbeatable by Pluto, so it was time for Lu Ran to step in.
Can he do it, though?
Meanwhile, the gathered beginners held their breath as Captain Doofus unleashed its Sword Momentum.
The Redrock Dragon-Tailed Scorpion had sensed the doofus’ terrifying aura. It immediately shifted its attention toward it, treating the dog as a far greater threat than the others.
“Ssss!!!”
The scorpion hissed, attempting to intimidate Captain Doofus.
But Captain Doofus remained unfazed. The wind surrounding its body gathered rapidly into the wind blade clutched in its mouth.
The swirling energy built as the sword transformed into an ice-blue sword made of ice, emitting a deadly chill that froze the ground beneath the scorpion.
A gust of icy wind quickly followed.
“Rawr!!!”
Feeling the impending danger, the scorpion lashed out, hurling a barrage of massive purple rock spikes toward Captain Doofus.
“Dodge, and then use Storm Slash,” Lu Ran commanded.
The calmness in his voice baffled the onlookers.
Then, everyone’s eyes widened.
Swoosh.
Captain Doofus leaped into the air, the spikes narrowly missing it and embedding themselves in the ground, dyeing it gray. Mid-flight, Captain Doofus started to exude a sharper and more lethal energy.
The Redrock Dragon-Tailed Scorpion felt like it had been plunged into a blizzard. It struggled to move and attempted to construct a half-dome of stone to shield itself.
“It’s afraid!” someone exclaimed in disbelief.
Afraid of what? The answer came swiftly.
In a flash, Captain Doofus flicked its head, releasing a blinding ten-meter-long ice-blue sword qi from its mouth.
The appearance of the sword qi instantly made the beastmasters on the scene feel a drop in temperature as a biting cold filled the air. But even more terrifying than the chill was the sheer power of the sword qi.
As soon as it formed, it plummeted like a meteor, directly targeting the Redrock Dragon-Tailed Scorpion. The dazzling sword light engulfed the scorpion’s protective rock wall almost immediately, grinding the wall into a cloud of rubble.
And before the scorpion could even process what was happening, the terrifying sword qi crashed onto its body!
Boom!
The deafening blast made Pluto’s expression change dramatically. In that instant, the Redrock Dragon-Tailed Scorpion felt as though countless ice blades and wind blades were tearing it apart piece by piece.
In mere seconds, its hard body could no longer withstand the sword qi’s devastating force, and it began to shatter into fragments. Layer upon layer of frost formed along the cracks in its body.
Rumble!
The sword qi continued its onslaught. By the time the onlookers snapped out of their daze, the husky had already landed gracefully, tightly clamping its mouth shut as the Wind Blade in its jaws dissipated.
With a single blow, it had turned away as if the fight was over. In its wake was a deep, ten-meter-long fissure carved into the ground. The Dragon-Tailed Scorpion had completely vanished, most likely sliced all the way into the earth!
The crowd fell into a long, stunned silence. Nearby, Pluto and his Lightning Eagle stared in wide-eyed disbelief as if something was caught in their throats, preventing them from speaking.
“W-what the fuck!? That’s it!?” Pluto was screaming internally.
From start to finish, Lu Ran and his familiar had executed just one move, and the Champion boss had disappeared in an instant!
No one even had time to react.
How is this possible? What just happened!?
After witnessing a dog wield a sword for the first time, this crowd was beginning to seriously question reality.
What was that move just now!?
Some beastmasters with better backgrounds had sharper insights. They recognized that move's intricacies, which only shocked them even more.
If they weren’t mistaken, that attack combined Energy Acceleration, Formation, Compression, and Projection—four advanced techniques seamlessly into one.
How could a newcomer possibly master something like that?
Meanwhile, Lu Ran, unconcerned with the thoughts of others, listened to the system’s broadcast without changing his expression.
[Congratulations on slaying the Redrock Dragon-Tailed Scorpion.]
[You have received the rare resource: Flawed Dragonblood Crystal.]
[You have received the advanced resource: Dragon Scorpion Tail Spike.]
“All done,” Lu Ran said, hiding his satisfaction as he turned to the stunned Pluto and added, “Don’t forget our bet.”
With that, he pulled out his Black Card and swiftly recalled Captain Doofus, who was doing its best not to bleed out of its mouth or lose any more teeth. Lu Ran intended to hurry back and treat the dog.
Currently, Captain Doofus had two versions of Storm Slash. One version was the common Storm Slash. This version was where its advanced teeth could handle compressing the sword qi to five times its normal power.
The other version, which Captain Doofus had just used, was an extreme Storm Slash that compressed the sword qi tenfold. This caused a major qualitative change, but it came at a steep cost where not even advanced teeth could survive intact.
This move was something Captain Doofus had developed after a week of intense training, using the Divine Deer Pendant for continuous healing and pushing Energy Compression to its absolute limit.
Though it had been brutal on the dog, at least the rewards were worthwhile.
“Let’s go.”
Lu Ran turned and left, leaving behind a figure that appeared as enigmatic and profound as ever. It wasn’t until Lu Ran had completely left the secret realm via teleportation that the crowd finally came back to their senses.
“Holy crap!!!”
One by one, they stared at the fissure created by the sword qi in stunned awe.
“It really was Pedestrian A!”
“Pedestrian A is so damn strong!”
“Shit, he’s incredible. What does he look like? If I ever see him in Limitless City, I’ll definitely ask to join him.”
“No idea. He was wearing a mask! Damn it!”
At this moment, the members of the Lu Village team stood there with jaws agape, exchanging looks of disbelief. They had finally come to terms with the reality before them.
“Lu Ran really is Pedestrian A.”
“Other than the number one on the Heavenly Familiar Ranking, who else could have caused such devastation?”
“No. It makes sense. He’s the Village Chief’s grandson after all...”
Their minds were still reeling from the shock. Just moments ago, they had been speculating whether Pluto might be the strongest rookie in Limitless City #3.
Now, after seeing Lu Ran in action, they realized just how laughable that idea was.
Pluto and his Lightning Eagle had struggled, only managing to paralyze the Dragon-Tailed Scorpion. But Lu Ran? He’d taken care of it in a single move. And just like he had said, there was indeed some dust.
“Uhh, captain, what just happened?”
Pluto’s team stared at him in a daze, seeking answers.
After all, based on the conversation earlier, it seemed like Pluto had let Lu Ran take the shot. So, did this count as Pedestrian A stealing their boss?
“Damn it! What do you mean, what happened!? Let’s go!” Pluto snapped.
He threw his recovery potion to the ground in frustration, his chest tight with anger. The mere thought of his bet with Lu Ran made him feel nauseous. That single sword strike had terrified him so much that he no longer had any desire to compete with Lu Ran.
At this point, he was even questioning whether Lu Ran was really a rookie at all. Now that Lu Ran had claimed the boss, he still had to pay him an Awakening Fruit. What had he done to deserve this?
Who the hell is this guy...?