"Yoko, be ready to heal me. This guy might really be a ruthless killer," said the Queen, feeling a wave of regret. Perhaps she and her team shouldn't have provoked this man after all.
But the potential benefits of killing Su Xiao, who was alone in this faction, were too great to pass up. The Queen, a Level 6 contractor, had been reckless entering this Level 3 world.
Su Xiao's foot slammed into the ground, and he shot towards the Queen like a cannonball.
The Queen raised her massive shield to block in front of her.
Su Xiao gripped his sword, but instead of slashing, he used his left hand to steady the blade and thrust it directly at the shield.
Crack.
The tip of Dragon Slayer pierced the shield, but it got stuck. Although Dragon Slayer was a top-tier white-grade weapon, the Queen's shield was a green-grade item with a score of 26. If not for Su Xiao's sheer attack power, it wouldn't have broken through.
Seeing her precious shield damaged, the Queen's heart ached. Repairing this green-grade shield would cost her a fortune.
In the early stages of the Reincarnation Paradise, few contractors chose to focus on stamina. Being a tank meant taking hits without fighting back, which discouraged most. It was a frustrating role, standing at the front line, absorbing damage while not retaliating.
That's why tanks were carefully cultivated, often by stable adventuring teams. Typically, a ten-person team would have one main tank and one secondary tank, as their goal was to kill enemies, not just take damage.
After the tip of Dragon Slayer embedded itself in the shield, Su Xiao swiftly kicked the front of the shield.
Bang!
The Queen staggered back several steps.
Su Xiao had been testing her defenses, and they exceeded his expectations. He'd need a more tactical approach.
Meanwhile, the sniper on the rooftop hadn't fired for a while, meaning Juuzou had probably found them.
Without sniper support, the Queen also sensed something was wrong.
"Black and White, Black and White?" The Queen tried to contact her sniper.
Through the earpiece, she heard heavy breathing.
"Queen, I can't support you right now. I've been discovered by an NPC."
"Who?"
"Suzuya Juuzou."
The Queen's face darkened. Without Black and White's sniper support, she had no way to deal with Su Xiao.
"Give me five minutes," said Black and White confidently. The Queen trusted Black and White completely.
"I'll do my best to hold out for five minutes."
The Queen took out a potion, biting down on the bottle. While Yoko could heal her anytime, Su Xiao's ability to break her shield with one strike made her wary.
While the Queen and Black and White communicated, Su Xiao charged forward again.
The Queen quickly responded, swinging her shield forward. The surface of the shield began to glow with golden light.
"Holy Shield Assault!" the Queen shouted, charging at Su Xiao with her shield.
The shield came at him with immense power, slicing through the air. Su Xiao instantly recognized the danger—this must be a skill.
Just as the golden shield was about to hit him, Su Xiao leaped gracefully, placing one foot on the shield, and used its momentum to perform a backflip.
He landed smoothly as the Queen's skill ended.
Stunned, the Queen looked at him in disbelief. Her worldview was shattered.
"How did you dodge my skill?"
Her "Holy Shield Assault" was labeled as an unavoidable skill.
Su Xiao didn't answer, stepping closer to the Queen instead. This contractor relied too heavily on skills, not realizing that skills were only meant to supplement combat. True battles required adaptability and experience.
The Reincarnation Paradise wasn't a game. So-called "unavoidable" skills could be countered.
Su Xiao had evaded her skill purely by understanding combat.
"What about skills?" Su Xiao muttered, kicking the shield hard.
Even with the strength-boosting aura, the Queen was forced back several steps, her stance wobbly.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Xiao moved swiftly behind her, switching to a two-handed grip on Dragon Slayer. He swung with all his strength at her back.
Rip!
The sword tore through her armor, the blade sinking into her flesh. The special energy from Azure Steel Shadow flooded into her body.
Instantly, the Queen's health bar dropped by 27%. This was a vicious strike.
Su Xiao's attack power, the sharpness of Dragon Slayer, combined with Azure Steel Shadow's true damage, was devastating.
The burning sensation from Azure Steel Shadow draining her mana made the Queen scream, staggering forward.
Su Xiao didn't let up. He slashed at the back of her neck, Azure Steel Shadow once again draining 10 mana and dealing 10 true damage.
The pain from the first hit hadn't even subsided when the second wave of agony struck.
With two layers of pain overlapping, the Queen's face turned pale, the intensity of the pain nearly driving her mad.
This second strike reduced her health by another 31%.
If this continued, the Queen wouldn't survive more than four strikes.
Before she could recover from the pain, Su Xiao's third strike came down.
The sword sliced through the air, emitting a terrifying wail.
Hearing that sound, the Queen bit down hard on the potion in her mouth, swallowing it along with shards of glass.
Slash!
Blood spurted wildly. This time, she lost another 34% of her health.
Three consecutive strikes had left the Queen feeling like she was breaking apart. It wasn't the severity of her physical wounds, but the unbearable pain from Azure Steel Shadow inside her that almost drove her insane.
Azure Steel Shadow was showing its terrifying power—once Su Xiao landed the first hit, if the target couldn't endure the mana-burning pain, they had no chance to retaliate.
As the Queen stared at Su Xiao in despair, his fourth strike descended.
Her high defense felt like paper under his blade. Azure Steel Shadow's true damage nullified her armor's protection.
Su Xiao was surprised the Queen was still alive after three strikes. This tank had incredible endurance.
Even the ghoul, Yamori, couldn't withstand three strikes from him.
Thwack!
A slender arm flew into the air, still gripping the massive shield. Su Xiao had severed the Queen's shield arm.
This strike only reduced her health by 16% since it wasn't aimed at her torso.
If the Queen hadn't taken the potion, she would already be dead.
Now, she had only 19% of her health remaining.
Just as Su Xiao prepared for the fifth strike, a green orb flew from a distance and merged with the Queen.
Her health rapidly recovered, climbing from 19% to 34%, and it continued to rise.
"So, your third teammate finally reveals themselves," Su Xiao muttered, slashing at the Queen again.
But thanks to the green orb, the Queen had recovered from the pain of Azure Steel Shadow.
The Queen rolled on the ground, barely dodging Su Xiao's strike.
"You maniac!" she gasped, crouching down and breathing heavily, blood dripping onto the street.
She had said she would last five minutes, but only 30 seconds had passed, and she had nearly died.
If not for Yoko's healing, she would be a corpse by now.
(End of Chapter)
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Translator's Note :- I am Not that familiar with a lot of the fictional worlds mentioned in the story. So if I make a mistake naming something please correct me by writing a paragraph comment on the mistake. Thank you.