358 Chapter357-The Defense Battle in the Arena
That left only one possibility — this individual was a newcomer...
A newcomer player daring to challenge him — regardless of anything else, that courage alone piqued John's interest in this person...
John had just received the challenge when it was broadcast across the arena hall's holographic screen.
In an instant, the entire hall erupted into a cacophony of noise.
"Holy smokes, am I seeing this right? Someone's challenging Galewind?"
"For real? Which guy's got the guts?"
"Loving_Lollipop? That name seems kind of familiar..."
"Isn't that the mysterious player who recently shot up to the 5th rank on the leaderboard? Odd, I've never heard of them before, no idea where they sprang up from!"
"To climb to the 5th rank so swiftly means this guy must be pretty powerful, but to rashly challenge Galewind is, let's say, admirably courageous..."
"This name makes me think they're not that old..."
"You can tell you've never followed the arena's PvP battles. This Loving_Lollipop is actually a very young lad, and just like Galewind, an independent player not aligned with any guild..."
"An independent reaching such heights says a lot about the kid's gaming talent!"
"Seems to be a warrior player, but the few battles I've seen, their style is completely different from other warriors, must have come across some special legacy."
"Lucky fellow..."
...
John wasn't privy to the onlookers' discussions.
He had already materialized in a virtual landscape, the system having constructed a massive virtual platform specifically for this battle.
Spanning a vast area and surrounded by thick defensive barriers, John reached out with his divine power, probing casually.
The barrier responded immediately to his probe, its light flickering as it completely dissolved the touch of John's divine power.
It appeared the defensive capability of this barrier was quite formidable.
While John waited, somewhat listlessly, a figure slowly materialized directly in front of him.
"Loving_Lollipop?"
Upon clearly seeing the figure, John's expression turned quizzical.
He had never expected the one challenging him to be such a young lad.
As he confirmed he had never seen this unfamiliar face before, a suspicion began to form in John's mind.
The boy looked quite ordinary, lean with a pair of bright eyes shining with resolute light.
Sporting a supremely confident smile, his armor gleamed under the light.
Hearing John's query, the youth replied, "Yes, I am Loving_Lollipop. Although I'm a newcomer, I'm not intimidated by your reputation. I'm confident that I can defeat you!"
John cracked a small smile; such a 'chunibyo' statement was quite fitting for someone of his age.
But the boy's courage and confidence far exceeded his expectations, kindling a sense of anticipation for the upcoming battle.
John had already silently unleashed the Eye of Artemis.
Loving_Lollipop's attribute information was now completely unveiled before him.
At the sight of Loving_Lollipop's basic attributes, John's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
The boy's fundamental stats were alarmingly high, a rarity not just among independent players, but even compared to the guild leaders of top-tier guilds at a lofty level of 113.
Loving_Lollipop's base attributes had far surpassed what one at his level should possess.
It must be related to his hidden class.
"Dragon Slayer Warrior? What kind of hidden class is this? It seems quite extraordinary... Could it be that this lad's entire set of epic gear is exclusive equipment that comes with his hidden class?"
John murmured cautiously, a flicker of shadowy light crossing his eyes.
What intrigued John most were the energy nodes coursing through the young player.
Remarkably, there were over a hundred.
Normally, given the current level of players, the energy nodes within the body should not exceed thirty.
Over a hundred energy nodes – those were figures expected of someone above level 300.
The more energy nodes, the more robust the energy storage, translating to greater HP and MP.
This young man named Loving_Lollipop, with over a hundred energy nodes circulating within, meant that he would have superior endurance and explosive power in battle.
Interesting indeed…
"Since you're so confident, let's have ourselves a real contest. I accept your challenge!"
John spoke casually.
The crowd hushed gradually, all eyes fixated on the impending clash between John and Loving_Lollipop.
Their gazes locked, the air over the arena thickened instantly with palpable tension.
The corners of John's mouth curled up slightly, his right hand flipping gracefully to reveal a pale blue energy sword in his grasp.
[Divine Blade (Divine Skill) (Level 7): This skill allows the wielder to craft a weapon out of thin air, based on their divine power. The weapon's attributes are determined by the skill level, the character's level, and their divine power. The initial Divine Blade comes with +800,000 points of damage and a 25% critical hit rate.]
"Come then, let me see if your strength can match the confidence you exude..."
The Divine Blade in John's hand thrummed with energy, its blade humming with tiny bursts of sound, as though it could slash through the very fabric of space at any moment.
He, as before, deliberately suppressed his level to 113, to match that of Loving_Lollipop.
Even with the boy's attributes far exceeding those of a typical player at this level, John had chosen to constrain his own power.
After all, without doing so, this youth would pose no challenge to him whatsoever.
Hearing John's unemotional words, Loving_Lollipop was undaunted, drawing an ordinary-looking sword from his pack.
He gripped the hilt firmly, his eyes sparking with fearless resolve.
John's gaze fell on the longsword, and his eyes widened with astonishment.
He sensed many familiar essences emanating from Loving_Lollipop's sword, matching precisely the auras of the dragons he had encountered before.
Clearly, this longsword had been bathed in the blood of not just one dragon.
So, this is the origin of the "Dragon Slayer Warrior" hidden class?
Suddenly, John found himself filled with anticipation for what Loving_Lollipop would show next.
He took a deep breath, and his body burst forth with an impressive aura, the luminance of the Divine Blade growing ever brighter.
"Come, if you've decided to challenge me, then there's no need for hesitation, show me your strength!"
John's clear laughter echoed across the arena.
Upon witnessing this, Loving_Lollipop's expression instantly turned grave.
A bright glow emanated from the hilt of his sword, and a mysterious aura began to radiate from his being.
Faintly, almost imperceptibly, John thought he could hear the anguished wails of countless dragons.
Suddenly, Loving_Lollipop moved like lightning, charging towards John with electrifying speed that nearly surpassed the reaction time of the players.
John's gaze sharpened, but a faint smile played upon his lips as the Divine Blade in his hand met Loving_Lollipop's assault in an instant.
The clashing of their swords rang out in a series of collisions, the temperature on the stage climbing rapidly as if flames were roaring to life.
John pressed forward, the Divine Blade executing a swift arc, as nimble as an antelope's horn, and with the force of a thunderous decree, it thrust towards Loving_Lollipop's body with blinding speed.
Sparks erupted where Loving_Lollipop's armor was struck, and he felt an immense force slamming into him as if he had been hit head-on by a titanic beast of steel.
His body was sent flying backward.
Only then did Loving_Lollipop realize the severity of the hit, looking down in shock to find a fine crack had appeared on his breastplate.
How could this be? His armor, crafted from the hide of dragons, was thought to be impregnable, yet it had been breached so easily?
"Possessing formidable attributes yet such an inexperienced approach to combat, it's pitiable, really. I wonder how you even made it to the top 10 of the Arena Leaderboard… If this is all the strength you can muster, then you had no business challenging me today!"
John's words were dripping with mockery, yet he didn't pursue his advantage, instead, he ceased his attack.
His intention in saying these things was actually to ignite the young man's fighting spirit, to push him to unleash his potential.
It is in moments of intense rage that a person can truly surpass their limits.
True enough, upon hearing John's taunting, a flame of anger was kindled in Loving_Lollipop's eyes.
With a roar, he lifted his longsword once more.
A burst of sword energy suddenly took shape at the tip, manifesting into a majestic dragon, with a wild aura that roared towards John.
John's brow quirked ever so slightly at the sight of the dragon formed from sword energy; it was ferocious and not to be underestimated, it seemed the young man did have something to offer.
However, such a straightforward attack meant nothing to John.
With a mere lift of his hand and a casual swing of the Divine Blade, he shattered the roaring dragon.
"Continue," John said, his demeanor unchanged, voicing just those two words.
This nonchalant attitude only served to infuriate Loving_Lollipop further.
The young man's face turned crimson with rage, not hesitating in the slightest to launch another attack!
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