The lights and the bustling beauty of a metropolitan city meshed together intoxicatingly in the dark of the night.
The blazing heat and brightness of the day were symbolisms of work life, while the darkness of the night coupled with the vibrant lights in contrast were symbolisms of indulgence in a life of luxury.
Under the vibrant lights of the bustling city center, the upper class whom ordinary people could not hope to reach, enjoyed the night.
The night was their paradise.
Fang Ran had seen such lights before. This might not be the city that he lived in, but he had seen such a flourishing city with bright and shimmering lights in the night before.
Many a time, it was when he glanced back on the way home alone.
Sometimes, it was after having plenty of fun with his classmates, and everybody stared at the lights of the skyscrapers in the distance.
Then, they would tease each other, "What're you looking at it for, that's not a place where we can go to anyway." After deprecating themselves, they would laugh at the face of reality and bid each other goodbye, before making their way home.
Yes, Fang Ran still remembered the lights of the city center that he had seen countless times, but had never visited.
Perhaps he would not be able to go there in his lifetime.
Fang Ran still remembered the last time he saw these kinds of lights…
'Wasn't that when he was f*cking being chased by a monster trying to bite his a*s!'
"Ahhhhhh!!! Hel-ppp!
Fang Ran was sprinting along unfamiliar streets for dear life. While doing so, he roared fiercely with a hoarse voice!
'F*ck this Night Battle system!'
Fang Ran cussed ferociously in his heart non-stop!
'Why the f*ck am I inside again?!'
'It's only been a total of three f*cking days since I was first dragged in!'
'Once a day!'
'Are you intending to f*cking kill me?!'
'System, did you take an aphrodisiac!'
'According to the plots in novels, at a time like this when I've just f*cking gone through the newbie instance, shouldn't I be revealing my talent for the first time, having a beautiful woman in my arms, making acquaintance with the upper class, and only embarking on the next instance after strengthening my abilities from a fortuitous encounter!'
'You're f*cking unpredictable!'
'Do you know that if you write a book like this, even the editor will not read it!'
'Stupid Night Battle system, I'm scolding you, do you hear me!'
Fang Ran yelled and cursed fiercely in his mind. Then, with a sour expression on his face, Fang Ran added on in his mind while looking on the brink of tears,
'If you hear me, hurry and stop the dozen or so idiots hot on the heels of my a*s. Master System, I beg of you!'
More than a dozen pitch-black figures chased after Fang Ran. There was nothing to be seen on their entire body. Only pairs of eyes that shone with a strange purple glow came hopping towards Fang Ran like frogs.
"What the f*ck! Are they Endermen! System you're the God!"
Amidst his busy schedule, Fang Ran still had the time to turn his head around and scared himself out of his wits. After pumping himself with one more scare, he then continued to go full speed ahead. In the past, he had heard that there was a person who when faced with the threat of a bear, it stimulated his survival instinct so much that he was able to jump two meters high and climb onto a plane's wing to escape. Fang Ran did not believe it then, but he believed it now. In the past, if he ran at full speed, he would only be able to last for 100 meters.
But now, under the threat of a dozen pitch-black things trying to bite his ass, he had surpassed his limit!
He ran 200 meters.
…
Fine, that was actually quite useless.
"I'm going to… huff… huff… huff!! Die… huff..huff! Already!!!"
After 200 meters, Fang Ran was already out of breath. He felt like his throat was on fire, just like the first time when he ran the one marathon he tried but failed to finish.
'I'm screwed. I'm afraid that I might run out of gas soon. Not only are there so many of these b*stards behind me, but they are also running faster than the zombie from the previous scenario.'
This time, he could not even run a street ahead of them.
'F*ck!'
Fang Ran could feel the lactic acid burning his thighs and calves. Suddenly, his legs turned to jelly, and he fell flat on his face against the ground!
"Huff! Huff….Huff!"
Fang Ran panted violently as he turned his head back to look at the dozen black figures that were closing in on him. In the end, he let out a deep breath with all his strength.
'No choice but to fight.'
However, just when he was thinking about this, a wild voice rang out from the back of the black figures!
"Flame Fence. Fire Pillar!"
A figure fell from a high altitude, and the flames on his hands rotated with his body, extending into huge pillars of fire!
It savagely smashed onto the ground fiercely from the air!
Boom!
Fang Ran swore that he had never seen such huge pillars of fire in his life! 'Who the hell has ever seen such huge pillars of fire?'
The pillars of fire came crashing down. The raging fire and wild flames drowned all the black figures in a split second!
Then, among the pillars of fire, a man slowly ambled out. Decked in a pair of dark denim trousers and a dark-coloured jacket, the man was casually combing through his hair with his left hand, tidying up his hairstyle that had been blown into a mess by the flames and wind.
Fang Ran was shocked.
'Damn! Dude, you are seriously the ultimate example of "A Cool Guy Never Looks at the Explosions". Do you have to be that cool! Don't you feel hot?!'
However, Fang Ran soon discovered a fact that had the corners of his eyes twitching.
It was that not only were there fiery explosions behind this guy, the guy's entire body was also set ablaze.
'Dude, are you using your life to act cool?'
However, another thing that astonished Fang Ran happened soon after. That cool and unruly young man walked near him and casually flicked his hand. With that, all the flames on his body receded back into his hands, as if they had never appeared!
"Oh oh oh oh!!!"
Fang Ran instantly cried out in surprise like a rooster, as if realisation had suddenly dawned on him!
Could it be that… It was that!
That! The ability that all FFF Club members yearned to have!
Flame-Flame Fruit?!
The man walked up to Fang Ran and looked at Fang Ran, who had collapsed on the ground, in surprise. After thinking about it, he asked Fang Ran with a smile,
"Rookie?"
"Uh, yes!"
Fang Ran paused for a moment, before admitting the fact that he was a noob.
"Hah, this is really…"
Hearing Fang Ran's answer, the young man mumbled to himself while stroking his chin.
"What's wrong?"
Fang Ran could not help but ask. 'Dude, saying something halfway and stopping makes me very anxious!'
"It's nothing, just that you are very unlucky!"
The uninhibited young man smiled candidly, before flashing Fang Ran with a thumbs up.
Fang Ran was speechless.
'Ouch, that hurts, dude.'
"This scenario is a special random battling mode, not a normal scenario. So, you are very unlucky to be dragged into this scenario. What more, you are still a newcomer,"
The man with a handsome haircut and a trace of unruly aura about him, vigorously patted a dazed Fang Ran's shoulder, as he said this with a chuckle.
Fang Ran was speechless.
'Dude, can you be any more sociable? Is patting someone on the shoulder while laughing out loud and gloating over someone's misfortune appropriate from where you are from?'
'Forget it, on the account that you just saved me and on the account that I can't defeat you in a fight, humph, I'll let you off the hook.'
After laughing for a long time, the young man regained his composure. Seeing that Fang Ran was staring at him with a dumbfounded expression, he then smiled embarrassedly to hide his awkwardness.
"Ahem… I'm sorry, I'm a bit dense."
The young man pretended to clear his throat, and said to Fang Ran, who had an 'I don't believe you' expression on his face, "How about this, young friend, I'll carry you in this scenario. How's that?"
"Really! Can you really?"
Fang Ran instantly recovered from his deadpan expression and put on a pleasantly surprised expression in place.
"Yup, sure. I am also someone who came from the era of newcomers. I know how difficult it is. Plus, it will save you a lot of trouble if someone more experienced in the field explains to you about the intricacies of Night Battle,"
The young man smiled and said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Thanking you on my knees, my hero!"
Fang Ran immediately burst into tears and said, "My name is Fang Ran, please take care of me!"
The young man listened, and then smiled as he asked, "Real name?"
"Ah?!" Fang Ran was confused. 'You can't use your real name in the Night Battle?'
"Well… you're still a newcomer, so it doesn't matter. But it's better to use a pseudonym in the future. After all, this is the Night Battle. You wouldn't want the grudges here to be brought into reality, would you?"
Throwing his hands up, the young man said smilingly, "Moreover, perhaps as you grow stronger in the future, this pseudonym will become more well known."
"Yup yup yup!!!"
Fang Ran nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at its rice.
"However, since you are such a noob and still only an E-grade, it's not a big deal,"
The youth added on.
Pfft! Fang Ran felt as if something had been stabbed in his chest, something which he called Pride.
"Let's go, let's get a map first. After finding out which city this is, we can then go to the city center, and I'll share with you some basic information along the way,"
The young man said. Then, seemingly recalling something all of a sudden, he added on, "Oh, yes, my name is Si A, you can call me Big Brother A."
"Um… Big Brother A… There's something that I'm particularly curious about and would like to ask."
"What is it?"
"You must have the Destructive Fire power, right."
"…"
"No! I have the power of a Fire Elemental Haki."
"Big Brother A, you seemed to have paused for a moment just now."
"You're hallucinating."
"Also, your attack has the same name as one of the moves in One Piece!"
"You're hallucinating again."
"But Big Brother A, even your name is the name of that character, Ace, read backwards!"
"You're hallucina- Uh, this is just a coincidence."
"…Big Brother A, are you sure it's ok for you to continue lying like that?"
"No, I am really a Fire Elemental Haki."
"Dude, the power you just mentioned doesn't seem to be pronounced that way…"
"Bro, are you a die-hard otaku?"
"Yeah, what's wrong?" (Duh. jpg)
"…Nothing, take it that I didn't ask…"