148: Chapter 148: A World Where Only Players Get Hurt Achieved! Second Profession: The Sword Immortal's Ambition

The pitch-black energy ball in his palm did not explode as Luolin Muye had expected; instead, it emitted a muffled sound like a sudden cardiac arrest.

Buzz—!

There were no light or shadow special effects, nor was there any earth-shaking roar. With Qin Ji's palm as the center, the space within a hundred-meter radius seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand. The air was sucked dry, light was distorted, and those dilapidated walls and ruins that still retained a few hints of life disintegrated directly from the molecular level into primeval dust the moment they touched the black ripples.

This was the companion form of the evolved Greedy Grasp—Material Stripping.

"Run!"

Only this single word remained in Luolin Muye's mind. As a Great General of the Empire who had weathered many battles, his combat instinct screamed frantically at this moment. The Wind Element Wings on his back suddenly exploded, and he burned his essence blood recklessly, turning into a piercing green rainbow as he retreated violently.

But though he was fast, someone was faster.

Just as Luolin Muye had pulled away a hundred meters and thought he was temporarily out of danger, a playful voice sounded right against his ear, like a maggot on a bone.

"Great General, in such a hurry to leave? Weren't you going to tear me into ten thousand pieces just now?"

Luolin Muye's hair stood on end, and he subconsciously swung his spear in a horizontal sweep behind him.

Clang!

A crisp sound of metal clashing rang out.

Qin Ji held a Dark Gold Rank longsword he had casually picked up from a pile of loot with one hand, effortlessly blocking that strike which was powerful enough to pierce through a city wall. Within his purple-gold pupils, Luolin Muye's features, distorted by extreme terror, were reflected.

"Your power is too weak."

With a flick of Qin Ji's wrist, his terrifying Strength attribute exploded instantly.

Crack!

The legendary spear in Luolin Muye's hand was actually knocked away by sheer force, the web of his thumb split, and blood splattered. The massive recoil sent him flying back like a kite with a broken string, crashing violently into the dense City Guard array behind him.

Boom!

Over a dozen elite Shield Warriors didn't even have time to scream before they were crushed into a pulp of flesh by their own general.

"Monster... You're a monster!!"

Luolin Muye scrambled up from the pile of corpses in a wretched state. His once exquisite armor was now covered in cracks, his hair was disheveled, and he no longer possessed even a hint of an Empire general's majesty. Looking at the figure slowly approaching with a sword, he finally broke down.

That kind of pressure was simply not something a human player should have; that was a primeval Vicious Beast in human skin!

Qin Ji was in no hurry to pursue, instead walking into the crowd as if taking a leisurely stroll.

Swish swish swish!

The sword light was as clear as water; with every swing, several white lights of death rose up.

[Killed Elite Spearman, looted Agility +1!]

[Killed Court Mage, looted Intelligence +2!]

Those City Guard soldiers who had been eyeing him like tigers were now as fragile as paper dolls before him. Qin Ji's figure pulled out series after series of afterimages on the battlefield, flickering left and right; one second he was beheading a mage on the east side, and the next he had already appeared on the west side to crush an Assassin's skull.

This was a one-sided slaughter.

With trembling hands, Luolin Muye took out a Communication Talisman that emitted a crimson glow from his robe.

"Your Majesty... your subordinate is incompetent, I can't hold it anymore..."

"Start the National War!!"

As the Talismanic Incantation was crushed, a blood-red pillar of light shot into the sky, instantly piercing through the dark clouds in the firmament.

The next moment, that cold and grand System notification sound exploded in the ears of all online players in the Star Kingdom.

[Server-wide Announcement: Due to a major invasion from the Devil's Den, the Black Wind City defense line is in critical danger! The Star Kingdom National War mode has officially begun!]

[Mission Issued: All Adventurers who kill units from the "Night Walkers" faction can receive high rewards!]

[Reward Details: Ordinary Night Walkers (free attribute points +5, Gold +20); elite Night Walkers (free attribute points +10, Gold +100)...]

The world channel, which had fallen silent due to the previous nuclear explosion clearing the ground, instantly boiled over.

Attribute points!

And they were free attribute points given just for a kill!

For players who were still toiling away at quests for just one or two attribute points at this stage, this was simply a carnival of pie falling from the sky.

"Holy crap! These rewards are insane, right?"

"Brothers, charge! The time to protect the kingdom (and grab attribute points) has come!"

"Coordinates Black Wind City, LF party for mob grinding, need high DPS!"

Countless white lights of teleportation lit up on the outskirts of Black Wind City. Tens of thousands of players, eyes red with greed, swarmed toward the battlefield like sharks smelling blood.

Qin Ji raised an eyebrow, and looking at the sudden surge in the number of players around him, a playful curve formed at the corner of his mouth.

"Calling for backup? How interesting."

He didn't mind having more players; after all, in his judgment, players were also "mobs," and they were high-quality leeks that could respawn and be harvested sustainably.

However, since it was a National War, he had to make the fire burn even brighter.

Qin Ji opened his friend list and sent a message to a familiar avatar.

"Fatty, bring Monkey and come to Black Wind City to stock up."

Almost the second the message was sent, a reply came.

"Godfather! We've been ready for a long time! We're coming!"

A moment later, on the flank of the Black Wind City battlefield, two figures charged into the army of Night Walkers like bulldozers.

Charging at the very front was a fatty as round as a ball, encased in two layers of thick light shields, looking like a heavy tank. The surrounding ferocious Night Walkers bit and tore at his shields frantically, but could only trigger ripples; instead, the Thornmail on the fatty's body shocked them until their health bars dropped rapidly.

It was none other than the server's number one tank, Fatty Zhou.

And behind Fatty Zhou, a thin figure flickered like a ghost.

That was Monkey.

At this time, Monkey was no longer the invisible nobody who only knew how to hide in the back and shoot arrows. Under Qin Ji's previous "attribute point feeding plan," his attack speed had already broken the twenty mark. The short bow in his hand was drawn almost into a full moon, and his arrows formed a silver line of splashing water.

Twang twang twang twang!

Dozens of arrows poured out every second. Those Night Walkers who had been crippled by Fatty Zhou's Thornmail didn't even have time to wail before they were harvested by Monkey's precise finishing blows.

"Refreshing! So refreshing! I only need to kill two mobs for a level; this leveling speed is like being on a rocket!"

Monkey's face was flushed with excitement. This feeling of only needing to output damage mindlessly without worrying about survival was truly wonderful.

Fatty Zhou gave a chuckle and crashed into a pack of mobs while maintaining his double shields: "Follow Godfather and eat nine meals in three days! After we finish farming this wave of National War rewards, we brothers will definitely be able to walk sideways!"

On the distant city wall, Archmage Aibier looked at these two fierce men who had suddenly appeared, and a hint of joy appeared on his once desperate old face.

"What powerful Adventurers! With these two joining, perhaps Black Wind City can still be saved!"

However, he didn't know that these "Kingdom Saviors" in his eyes were actually shills called in by the "Devil Head" who was currently slaughtering the City Guard.

This was Qin Ji's wicked sense of humor.

I lead the army to besiege the city, and my underlings help you defend it.

Eating from both sides, farming from both sides; a world where only players and NPCs get hurt was achieved.

In the center of the battlefield, the slaughter continued.

With the addition of the player army, the battle reached a brief stalemate. Although Qin Ji's individual prowess was unstoppable, the Night Walkers he brought were, after all, only the vanguard force of the Devil's Den, and they began to die in large numbers under the players' human wave tactics.

"We won! We're going to win!"

A guild leader cut down an elite Night Walker and roared with excitement.

But before his joy could last long, a pitch-black Sword Qi suddenly traversed the sky, slicing him and over a dozen guild elites behind him in half at the waist.

Qin Ji stepped over the equipment and potions scattered across the ground, walking step by step toward the City Lord's mansion.

At this moment, he was covered in blood, looking just like a Shura.

Anyone blocking his path—whether players, City Guard, or third-party forces trying to steal kills—was dealt with in a single sword strike.

There were no fancy skills, just pure attribute suppression.

With Strength over ten thousand, a basic attack was a forbidden spell.

With Agility over ten thousand, movement was teleportation.

"How is it possible... how can a player have this kind of damage right now?!"

A wealthy warrior wearing a full set of silver equipment watched his health bar empty instantly, his eyes nearly popping out. He had spent five hundred thousand real-world currency to gather that equipment, yet he couldn't even withstand a single basic attack from the opponent?

"Stop throwing your lives away! That guy is a BOSS! He's definitely a humanoid BOSS!"

Panic began to spread among the player groups.

Qin Ji didn't care about the clamor of these small fry; his gaze remained locked on the figure trying to escape.

"Luolin Muye, I said you must die today."

The moment the last word fell, Qin Ji's figure vanished into thin air.

When he reappeared, he was already standing above Luolin Muye's head, the longsword in his hand carrying the weight of ten thousand tons of thunder as it cleaved straight down.

"No!! I am a Great General of the Empire! You cannot kill me!!"

Luolin Muye let out a desperate roar, raising his broken spear in an attempt to block.

Crack!

Splatter!

The spear snapped, and the armor shattered.

That fine head flew into the air, and hot blood sprayed across the Black Wind City square like a fountain.

[Killed Star Kingdom Great General Luolin Muye (Platinum Rank BOSS), gained 5,000,000 experience points!]

[Loot successful! All attributes +50!]

[Obtained special item: city establishment token (Pseudo)!]

With the death of the commander, Black Wind City's defense System completely collapsed.

The main army of the Devil's Den, which had been waiting outside the city, poured in like a black tide.

City Lord Buteyarsi stood on the city tower, watching the purgatory-like scene below, his face pale: "It's over, everything is over. Black Wind City cannot be saved!"

Qin Ji casually flicked the blood off his sword's edge, his expression indifferent.

The survival of this city had nothing to do with him; his goal had already been achieved.

He moved through the chaotic crowd and soon found the monk who was performing rites for the deceased souls near a collapsed pagoda.

Tianlong Putuo sat cross-legged among a field of corpses, his face full of compassion, his wooden fish being struck rapidly, but his squinting eyes revealed an irrepressible ecstasy.

"Amitabha, how virtuous, how virtuous."

Looking at the number of souls being crossed over on his quest panel, Tianlong Putuo smiled so much the wrinkles on his face bloomed like flowers. "Snow Emperor benefactor is truly a Divine Being; this slaughter has actually fulfilled this poor monk's Karma."

Qin Ji had no time for his Zen wordplay and reached out directly: "The hundred thousand heads are enough. Hand over the item."

"Naturally, naturally."

Tianlong Putuo did not dare to delay and hurriedly took out a golden card emitting an ancient aura from his robe, handing it over respectfully.

[Class Change Card (Specialized for Second Main Class)]

[Quality: mythic rank]

[Effect: After use, a second main class slot can be opened without affecting the original class.]

Qin Ji took the card, a warm sensation coming from his fingertips. A genuine smile finally appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Although the Archer was strong, it was ultimately somewhat weak when facing high defense or close-quarters combat. Furthermore, always firing arrows from the shadows didn't fit the hot-bloodedness he occasionally felt for a frontal confrontation.

Mage? The mana pool was a huge pitfall; no matter how high his attributes were, he couldn't cast forbidden spells without mana.

Assassin? The damage was overkill; there was no need.

Among the remaining choices, there was only that most classic, jack-of-all-trades class.

Warrior.

Not just because a Warrior was tough and had a high tolerance for error, but because of a lingering thought in Qin Ji's mind.

Since this was a digitized Xuanhuan world, and since there were Warriors, there must be that advancement branch—

Sword Controller!

Imagine, while others were huffing and puffing as they swung greatswords to kill mobs, he would be standing above the clouds with a single shout of "Sword Come!" and ten thousand swords would fly behind him. How much style would that be?

Even if he was just a basic Warrior now, with his freakish Strength attribute, he could spin a greatsword with the effect of a helicopter propeller.

"This is the one."

Qin Ji didn't hesitate for a second and crushed the golden card in his hand.

Buzz!

A brilliant golden light erupted from within him, and the System notification sound was pleasant to the ears.

[Ding! Congratulations on successfully opening your second main class!]

[Class Awakening: Warrior (Novice)!]

[Due to the extreme imbalance between your Strength and Agility attributes, you have triggered hidden class branch clues: Sword Immortal/Mad Demon/Martial Saint... Please explore them on your own during subsequent advancements.]

Qin Ji clenched his fist, feeling the new power surging within him. Within the light and nimble Qi belonging to the Archer, a steady and heavy domineering power was added.

He casually took out a two-handed greatsword that had dropped earlier from his inventory.

This heavy greatsword, which an ordinary Warrior would need both hands to barely swing, felt as light as a toothpick in his hand.

"It's about time to leave."

Qin Ji glanced at the player army frantically counterattacking in the distance, as well as those high-level NPC powerhouses who were starting to target him. The profit from Black Wind City had been squeezed dry; staying any longer would be a pure waste of time.

He turned around, his back to the sky full of fire and ruins.

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing the dilapidated walls and ruins of Black Wind City a dark red. Qin Ji carried that greatsword on his shoulder with one hand while the other was casually stuck in his pocket. His purple-gold pupils glowed brilliantly in the dusk, just like a primeval Vicious Beast that had just finished its full meal, coldly watching the impending eternal night in the distance.