Chapter 8 An Attack Every Eight Seconds

An attack every eight seconds, mana never depleted. It sounded wonderful. But something not so wonderful was how many attacks one would receive within those eight seconds.

Theoretically speaking, Against the Flow had a thousand members. Even if each person only attacked once every eight seconds, that was still a thousand attacks. Moreover, it was unlikely to be that slow. Of course, this was just a rough calculation. Considering actual positioning, attack initiation time, and the flight time of spells and arrows, how many attacks Against the Flow could land on Gu Fei in eight seconds was rather uncertain. Especially since, at this moment, Against the Flow was chasing too aggressively, stretching themselves out into a single long line…

For the first time, Gu Fei didn't rush headlong into battle. He stood his ground. With mana recovery at two percent per second, he needed more mana. The eight-second attack was just a math problem. Actual combat wouldn't be as simple as solving a problem. Maybe he'd strike three times in eight seconds, then not at all for the next sixteen. Such allocation problems were actually a common topic in online games, such as how DPS classes control their output.

Gu Fei watched his mana slowly increase. The archers were already starting to fire at him. Gu Fei glanced up. He realized he couldn't wait any longer. Against the Flow's formation was stretched out, perfect for him to hold the line. If they really gathered together, a hundred mages casting area-of-effect spells, even a million mana wouldn't save him.

"Here they come!" Gu Fei shouted, charging downhill with his sword. Several assassin players were stealthily approaching from below. Gu Fei knew exactly where they were. He rushed towards them at high speed. With a flash of fire, the battle officially began.

Six assassins returned to camp, tears streaming down their faces. Shan Zi Ling was still the leader of the pursuit team, charging far ahead. Luckily, he wasn't among the six. Seeing the situation, Shan Zi Ling quickly commanded the thieves in the pursuit team, "Qian Li Zui's anti-stealth accuracy is too high. Stop using stealth."

Anti-stealth skills and equipment in the game also had a chance to fail. If every attempt was successful, the thief's stealth skill would be meaningless. It was a contest between two skill levels. If you improve your anti-stealth, I can improve my stealth. Both sides were just trying to maximize their chances. So even though Gu Fei repeatedly foiled their stealth attempts, some thief players stubbornly hoped for luck. But Shan Zi Ling had completely given up. He simply told everyone not to use stealth and throw their lives away.

"One spell," Shan Zi Ling muttered to himself, cleverly shrinking back into the crowd. As one of the top ten thieves, Shan Zi Ling had ambition. He didn't want to be cannon fodder. To deal the final blow to Qian Li Zui! Shan Zi Ling felt that was more fitting of his status.

The archers stopped at this position. Naturally, they wouldn't rush up and engage Gu Fei in close combat. Gu Fei glanced around. This wasn't good either. If the archers gathered a hundred or so, a hundred-plus Tracking Arrows would be certain death!

*He can't let them gather their strength*, Gu Fei thought, ignoring another wave of assassins flanking him, and charging straight towards the archers. Archer team attacks had a fatal flaw: they relied heavily on positioning. A chaotic jumble made it impossible to spread out properly. The people in the back couldn't shoot. The archers were gradually getting into position, finding their shooting angles, when Gu Fei charged in.

No matter the time, place, or opponent, archers in this situation would turn and run. But today, Against the Flow's battle strategy prevented them from doing so. They wanted to deplete Gu Fei's mana. So a line of five archers stood still, selflessly sacrificing themselves.

"Twice," Shan Zi Ling muttered.

"Four seconds," Gu Fei also counted, but he was counting time, not attacks. Sword tip lowered, Gu Fei quickly began chanting.

"Fire Tree Thousand Heavy Flames, dodge!" Someone in Against the Flow shouted. Gu Fei was surprised. He was secretly casting the spell, but Against the Flow was closely watching his every move.

The players several meters in front of Gu Fei scattered. Gu Fei's ambush failed, wasting a spell, and he felt a pang of regret. But the opponent's formation was disrupted. The archers had to reposition themselves. Gu Fei flashed back, helping Against the Flow stretch out their formation.

After abandoning stealth, the assassins used Haste, exceeding Gu Fei's speed. Taking advantage of his attack, several circled behind him. As Gu Fei retreated, they met him, surrounding him from all directions.

Gu Fei ignored them, charging in a direction and attacking with lightning speed. Seeing he wasn't using mana against a single target, the assassins reluctantly charged up, sacrificing themselves to lure Gu Fei into using a big skill.

Gu Fei didn't hold back. He swung his sword in a circle, casting a Double Flame Flash. Surprisingly, one assassin was tough enough to survive. But the priests were far in the rear, and no one could heal him. The assassin tried to run, but Gu Fei was too fast. With another quick slash, the assassin, left with only a sliver of health, couldn't escape and returned to camp.

"Three times!" Shan Zi Ling continued counting, watching the fourth wave charge in. He was starting to sound the charge in his mind. *It's almost my turn*, he thought.

Gu Fei didn't rush to attack this wave. The previous four attacks had been very rapid, within a dozen seconds. Seeing the opponent was scattered, Gu Fei decided to stall for time while they lacked offensive power. So when the assassins attacked, Gu Fei didn't immediately kill them. He patiently parried their attacks, constantly retreating, keeping Against the Flow's formation stretched.

Seeing Gu Fei's behavior, Shan Zi Ling thought, *Could he be out of mana?*

Intel showed Gu Fei's maximum Double Flame Flash attacks was four. He had only used it three times. But, they had fought in the forest before, and he had been running for his life. He probably hadn't had a chance to replenish his mana, so he couldn't use a big skill!

"A chance!" Shan Zi Ling was excited. He launched a stealth attack, shouting, "Brothers, the moment of truth has arrived!"

Everyone understood that the time was ripe, and they rushed forward, eager to kill Qian Li Zui. What an honor that would be! The archers were depressed. The assassins were swarming forward, stealing their chance to shine, and not leaving them any room to shoot. It seemed they would miss out on this glory…

Although they were annoyed, no one would sabotage their own team. Some archers bravely put away their bows, pulled out their daggers, and tried to snatch the opportunity.

Gu Fei was only focused on saving mana. He didn't consider the emotions of his opponents. He just saw them suddenly become excited and charge forward without holding back.

*Are they going to use a rogue tactic?* Gu Fei was startled, misunderstanding their intentions. Were these people planning to endure the damage and crowd around him? But logically speaking, it was impossible to use that tactic against a one-hit-kill opponent. The damage was just too much.

*I can't stall any longer…* Gu Fei stalled for a few seconds, recovering some mana. He dodged through the wave of thieves. The thieves realized the time was ripe and chased after him. Gu Fei continued to run, and saw these guys were suddenly so cooperative, piling up behind him.

Such a good opportunity, Gu Fei couldn't resist. After running a small circle, he suddenly stopped, pointed his sword at the ground, and began chanting. Gu Fei knew someone might be watching his mouth, so he hid it this time. As he turned, his robe billowed up, covering his mouth. Gu Fei figured no one could have seen it. As soon as he finished chanting the earth spell, Gu Fei turned in a circle as if observing the situation. His sword was naturally in his hand, but the tip pointed to the sky. Gu Fei's mouth was hidden in his collar, chanting again sneakily.

Everyone was here. Gu Fei was completely surrounded. But this was a killing field he had set up. He didn't care about wasting mana anymore. Seeing everyone was close, he raised his hand and cast Instant Movement.

Gu Fei teleported outside the circle, leaving everyone in Against the Flow stunned.

*He still has mana?* Everyone wondered.

"We've been tricked! Dodge!" Shan Zi Ling, as a clever expert, saw everyone crowded together, and Gu Fei teleported away. He immediately realized something was wrong. But it was too late. Fire Tree Thousand Heavy Flames erupted beneath their feet, burning everyone. The Heaven Descent Wheel, chanted slightly later, fell from the sky to join the fun.

The combined damage of the two spells instantly killed most of them. Those who stubbornly survived were on the verge of death. Gu Fei immediately turned around and charged back, ignoring the burning damage from the Fire Tree Thousand Heavy Flames, and began to reap the remaining lives.

Shan Zi Ling was among them. He was an expert, with top-grade equipment. Because he was facing Gu Fei, he wore as much fire-resistant equipment as possible. His life wasn't critical, but he understood the situation. Gu Fei's spell usage exceeded their understanding of four times. He had either increased his mana capacity or had a way to recover it. This was terrible news for them.

In Shan Zi Ling's eyes, he was an expert, one of the top ten, a higher-level player than anyone else here. But in Gu Fei's eyes, they were all just characters about to be killed. He didn't recognize Shan Zi Ling, and didn't give him any special treatment. He just picked them off one by one.

The flames under the trees had long been extinguished, but the survivors were still suffering. Without priests, it was especially painful. Everyone could only run away. Gu Fei's Dark Night Flowing Light Sword's physical damage was enough to finish them off.

Gu Fei wished it could last forever. Reaping kills, watching his mana regenerate, it was blissful.

Gu Fei was killing as fast as possible, even sacrificing some of his own health, but there were too many targets. They were scattering in all directions, and Gu Fei could only focus on one direction. Many of the remaining survivors escaped. But after this wave, Gu Fei was surrounded by open space, with an excellent shooting angle. Shan Zi Ling saw an opportunity and waved, "Fire!"

The archers, who had regretted missing out on the glory, saw those comrades who had been the target of their envy fall to this end, and their feelings were complicated. To laugh would be inappropriate; not to laugh, but it felt so good…

Some had even put away their bows, but now they hastily pulled them out again and fired. Gu Fei walked around, guiding the arrows. Except for the Tracking Arrows, after Gu Fei dodged, the other arrows struck the fleeing, low-health players. They couldn't withstand the attack and were killed by their own brothers.

Shan Zi Ling was hit by a sniper shot. Despite his excellent equipment, his life was reduced to a big "1". He turned pale and shouted, "Stop shooting randomly! Don't run! Reform the formation!"

In a parallel world without friendly-fire immunity, forming a battle formation was a real art. Looking at the chaotic situation, it could lead to a tragic slaughter.

Shan Zi Ling issued the order, and saw Gu Fei wasn't heading his way. He felt lucky, but then saw Gu Fei raise his hand towards him.

"What?" Shan Zi Ling wondered, when a tattered dagger struck his chest… Shan Zi Ling had only "1" health. He failed to dodge the attack, was forcibly hit, and turned into white light.

Shan Zi Ling was in tears. He, a top ten thief, was killed by a mage's throwing attack, and with a piece of absolute trash he couldn't even identify! The dagger was rusty!

Gu Fei killing Shan Zi Ling was just a casual move. He had been consciously guiding the arrows, so Shan Zi Ling had also been targeted. Seeing this guy wasn't dead after being hit, Gu Fei figured he had little health left, so he threw a dagger.

With the power of the attack and the quality of the dagger, the attack shouldn't have broken through the player's defense. But, the tragic Shan Zi Ling had only one health point left. Even a brick would have killed him…

Gu Fei ran around, accumulating some mana. His strategy was still the same: he couldn't let the enemy form a formation. So he ignored the survivors and charged towards the archers.

This time, the archers wouldn't sacrifice themselves. They had wanted to deplete Gu Fei's mana, but now everyone saw Gu Fei casting spells one after another. Everyone had to wonder if the sacrifice was worth it. So, as Gu Fei approached, the archers began to retreat.

This was troublesome for Gu Fei. His movement couldn't compare to the archers in Against the Flow, and they were scattered everywhere. Gu Fei didn't have a target to wipe out in one attack. Besides the archers, the assassins in Against the Flow were hesitant. They pushed each other, and no one dared to step forward. So Gu Fei took the initiative. The guys hesitated and hesitated, and finally lost face and ran!

"Eh, Jiang Jin, what a coincidence, it's you again…" Thirty miles away, during the fast-paced escape, he unexpectedly met Jiang Jin Jiu again.

Jiang Jin Jiu was still so carefree when running away, dashing elegantly. Hearing Thirty Miles Away's voice, he looked back and smiled calmly, "It's me."

"What happened?" Thirty Miles Away discussed tactics with Jiang Jin Jiu.

"Without a doubt, Qian Li Zui has a way to recover mana. Our tactic ran into a master. Most people died for nothing." Jiang Jin Jiu's analysis was surprisingly insightful.

"So what do you think we should do now?" Thirty Miles Away asked.

"What should we do? Aren't we running?" Jiang Jin Jiu said.

"Forget it, I'll give my name its due today. I'll run him thirty miles away. Call me if anything happens." Thirty Miles Away stopped listening to anyone. He decided to run to the end.

Gu Fei was depressed. No one was fighting him. The people of Against the Flow were like chicks without a hen, fleeing the eagle's pursuit all over the mountains. The annoying part was the archers. They ran far away and continued to attack. When Gu Fei chased, they ran again. Gu Fei understood that he was being kited. As for the thieves, they were watching from afar.

These two speed classes were Gu Fei's main opponents. There was a clear gap between these two classes and the rest of the Against the Flow's army. Gu Fei could see the mass of people inching forward, but how to deal with archers running all over the place?

Lightning Spell!

Gu Fei couldn't get close to engage in melee combat, so he had to use spells. The damage of the Lightning Spell wasn't as high as the Double Flame Flash, but the mana consumption was lower. The key was that when lightning struck, players couldn't dodge unless they reacted quickly. So Gu Fei raised his Dark Night Flowing Light Sword and ran around electrocuting people. One strike wasn't enough, two strikes, two strikes weren't enough, three strikes… The people of Against the Flow were running in tears. They remembered Gu Fei was a mage, and a ranged class. The mage's attack range wasn't as far as the archers, but the archers couldn't kite people from tens of meters away. They generally stayed within ten meters, which was well within Gu Fei's attack range. So left, right, everywhere were thieves and archers running around, convulsing with electric sparks.

Against the Flow had heard the reports from behind. Against the Flow had a total of about three hundred thief and archer players. According to incomplete statistics, about two hundred had fallen. From the pursuit in the forest to now, Against the Flow had been losing constantly. Against the Flow had thought sacrificing forty or fifty people would deplete Gu Fei's mana, and the remaining two hundred and fifty would be enough to deal with him. But now he realized he was the idiot, the idiot being played by Gu Fei.

"Everyone, retreat!" Against the Flow ordered, gritting his teeth. He could see with his own eyes, constant lightning on the hill in front. Every strike made a guild brother shiver, and Gu Fei was running around, electrocuting people, having a great time.