Chapter 259: Overexertion

Jack dismounted from his armored war horse and threw a punch into the air with his Endless Fury Gauntlets. The sparks that erupted from the friction with the air were dazzlingly brilliant, revealing the extraordinary nature of this weapon.

In the past, he would have scorned using the Affix properties of the Endless Fury Gauntlets in such a manner, considering it a cheap trick. But ever since he saw Qian Long repeatedly punching the air to store fire attribute damage in the Elemental Sprite’s Piggy Bank for his Ultimate Skill, Hellfire Fist, Jack had also begun to learn these underhanded techniques.

After all, this was a creation designed by Kamiyu, who had embedded her own cunning little ideas into it. It was meant to be used this way from the start.

If she could wield warrior-type weapons, she would be punching the air nonstop, even faster and more exaggeratedly than Qian Long.

In combat, it’s not about who is more honorable, but about who strikes harder.

The player team from Wuwu County watched as Jack proactively approached Wu Qi and his gang, their expressions filled with concern.

“Isn’t this tall guy being too reckless? Wu Qi has sixty or seventy people, and he’s all alone. How can he fight? If they all attacked together, there might still be some hope.”

“Exactly. Besides, Wu Qi is Level 13, while the leader of Pingdu City isn’t even Level 9 yet. He’s basically walking to his death.”

Jack held his head high and walked forward fearlessly, getting closer and closer. Seeing Jack’s unwavering advance, Wu Qi thought to himself, “This tall guy has killed people, and quite a few of them at that. He’s serious.”

“But so what? I’ve killed plenty too. I can’t be afraid. I have an Ancestral Legendary Weapon—why should I fear him?” Wu Qi bolstered his own courage.

“Everyone, attack! Hack him to pieces with your blades!” At the last moment, Wu Qi chose to gang up on Jack, overwhelming him with numbers.

“Charge!” “Brothers, let’s go!” “I’m going to chop off his head and use it as a ball!”

“My cleaver can slice monsters in two with one strike. I’ve never tried cutting a person before.” In an instant, dozens of people rushed forward.

Jack still showed no intention or movement to dodge. He maintained his dignified pace, his eyes fixed firmly on Wu Qi.

As the underlings’ cleavers were about to slash down on Jack, some of the female players from Wuwu County closed their eyes and let out screams.

However, some noticed that Jack’s “subordinates”—the players on the war horses—didn’t look worried. Instead, they wore expressions of anticipation and excitement, as if waiting for a good show. One player, who looked like a bespectacled student, even took out a small notebook to record Jack’s battle.

“What? He’s taking notes?”

The next moment, over a dozen large cleavers, capable of killing Aberrant Beast Demons with a single strike, all landed on Jack’s body, producing a series of sounds: “Clang, clang, clang,” “Thud, thud, thud, thud,” “Boom.”

Some blades struck his cuirass, others hit his leg armor, and one even landed on Jack’s head.

“What kind of sound is that?” one person asked, puzzled.

“Did I just hit a block of iron?” An underling’s hand trembled from the impact, and his large cleaver even fell to the ground.

“No way, is his body made of steel? How is it so hard?” A lackey gaped in disbelief.

Yet, none of it had any effect. Not a single point of health was deducted, nor was a single point of armor durability reduced.

Jack merely whispered, “Thorns Reflection.”

The sounds of bleeding—”Splurt,” “Splash, splash,” “Swish, swish, swish”—formed a reverberating chorus.

The dozen or so thugs who had attacked Jack all bore slash wounds on their bodies—some lost hands, others lost feet, and the one who had aimed for Jack’s head found his own skull split open in the same spot.

Within seconds, all dozen or so lay dead, leaving behind a gruesome scene of severed limbs and scattered body parts that shocked everyone present.

As a Barbarian Warrior and the Main Tank, Jack’s skills required him to vocalize commands, a habit he had ingrained through practice.

“What just happened?” Wu Qi and the players from Wuwu County were stunned.

“I don’t get it—he didn’t move at all, so why did our brothers die for no reason, and in such a horrific way?” Wu Qi’s heart pounded wildly with fear.

Players from Wuwu County exclaimed in astonishment: “Incredible strength—is he a verbal incantation class?” “Doesn’t seem like it; he’s clearly a Warrior class.”

“But can a Warrior player withstand over a dozen Ancestral Legendary Tier attacks without taking any damage?” one player asked in amazement.

“There’s only one possibility: this tall Warrior is far higher in Level and possesses extraordinary Defense Power.”

Meanwhile, on Jack’s side, a Frontline Team member explained: “This is the advantage of the Tank class—it reflects as much Damage as it receives, allowing it to match a Mage’s one-versus-many DPS.”

“And these guys are absolute Newbies, thinking they can dominate just because they have powerful Weapons. Whether in past versions or the current merged-realms version, players without Armor are still just Flesh and Blood.”

“Exactly. Players without Armor dare to Charge and fight a Full HP, fully defended Tank—they really don’t know the meaning of Death.”

“Look, the ground is now covered in blood. Captain Jack is already stained with it, and his Defense Power has increased severalfold. Everyone here combined couldn’t defeat him.”

“So that’s how it is,” Chu Feng and the others in the Student Legion nodded in understanding.

Unfortunately, the distance was too great for the Wuwu County group to hear the Frontline Team member’s words.

They saw Wu Qi react dramatically, as if pumped with adrenaline, raising his simple blade and charging forward.

“At least this guy has some backbone and didn’t Flee,” one Wuwu County player remarked.

“Who would’ve thought Wu Qi was such a loyal and righteous person,” another chimed in.

They widened their eyes even further, watching the upcoming battle with tense anticipation.

Wu Qi, who was actually as timid as a mouse, had no intention of avenging his brothers. After seeing over a dozen men mysteriously killed in seconds, he was terrified and wanted to turn and run.

But he didn’t know Jack had another Skill.

“Trying to run? Taunting Shout.” Jack used a Taunt Skill to pull him back, making onlookers mistakenly believe the fleeing Wu Qi was courageously charging at Jack.

“Noooooo!” Wu Qi wailed and screamed.

“Wow, the Gang Boss is so loyal and righteous,” the fleeing thugs behind him were moved by his actions and turned back to help Wu Qi.

With that, the remaining few dozen men followed Wu Qi in a Charge, rushing toward Jack.

Seeing Wu Qi raise his blade to strike, Jack neither dodged nor avoided it. Instead, he took the hit head-on and, with his right hand clad in the Endless Fury Gauntlets, threw a powerful punch straight at him.

Merely accumulating the elemental spirit piggy bank from empty strikes was naturally insufficient to unleash Hellfire Fist, but a single basic Attack from the Endless Fury Gauntlets was enough to instantly kill Wu Qi.

With a “Boom,” a straight right punch struck Wu Qi squarely in the face, setting his entire body ablaze.

“What a pity,” Jack remarked calmly.

It wasn’t pity for him, but pity for himself—for using too much force, killing Wu Qi before he could burn to death.