Chapter 54: The Grey-Shirt Gang Style Shock (Happy New Year!)

"What's there not to dare?"

"Since Lord Leader has such enthusiasm, let's have two rounds. However, if my two companions win within three moves, I hope Lord Leader will reconsider the contract. Our Green Sparrow Gang is very sincere."

Flo couldn't help laughing, yet his eyes remained fixed on Lin Qi, utterly failing to grasp what the Grey-Clad Gang leader was planning.

Fischer and Papp were genuine advanced apprentices, with physical strengths around 630 kilograms and speeds exceeding 20 meters per second. Furthermore, both had mastered an apprentice-tier martial art, making them incomparable to the wild drifters in the badlands who merely reached the advanced apprentice level.

It could be said that even if the two of them faced all fourteen apprentices of the Grey-Clad Gang right now, they could retreat unscathed, let alone in single combat.

Even according to Lin Qi's request—a friendly spar limited to three moves—Fischer and Papp could easily defeat the opposing apprentices within three moves.

No matter how one looked at it, this match was meaningless.

Unless Lin Qi, the leader, personally stepped into the fray. But an intermediate apprentice who wouldn't even participate in a life-or-death battle—even if he could withstand three moves, what would that prove?

Flo had no idea that Lin Qi never intended to fight himself. His gamble was that the Green Sparrow Gang's people absolutely could not win within three moves. Currently, players whose physical attributes had reached the primary apprentice level, relying on multiple mastered apprentice-tier martial arts, were entirely capable of defending against an advanced apprentice for three moves.

Especially Luo Wushang and the others, who had mastered quasi-martial artist-tier techniques. As long as they could block three moves, it would be enough to prove the strength of the Grey-Clad Gang's apprentices. After all, if the Green Sparrow Gang's advanced apprentices couldn't finish things in three moves, they would have no ground to claim that the primary apprentices of their martial arts dojo lacked strength.

On the training grounds, as Flo agreed, the players throughout the area once again broke into cheers.

"Dojo Master is epic! Just speaking up doubled the slots, truly worthy of our Dojo Master!"

"I'm crying! Turns out we wronged the Dojo Master. Refusing earlier was fighting for our benefits! Twenty slots! Now us newcomers have a chance too!"

"Those two look like advanced apprentices. Which one of us do you think the Dojo Master will send up?"

Watching Lin Qi secure an opportunity to double their slots, the players on site felt he was far too good to them. They even found their usually stingy Dojo Master much more pleasing to the eye.

This scene suddenly made Flo and his two companions doubt reality.

"Flo, do you think there was something wrong with how you phrased it earlier? Is that why they're so happy?" Fischer couldn't help asking Flo, feeling that he must have expressed himself poorly before, which was why these Grey-Clad Gang members were so excited.

A gang leader was letting more of his subordinates march to their deaths, yet instead of anger or resentment, these subordinates were cheering, feeling that the leader's decision was wonderful and completely correct.

It even made Fischer wonder if their Green Sparrow Gang was getting the short end of the stick by offering more slots.

"It must have been my lack of clarity earlier." Looking at the cheering players, Flo also felt something had gone wrong with his delivery.

If he told this to members of other gangs, those people would likely turn around and slap him to wake him up.

At that moment, Lin Qi turned to face the assembled players.

"The time to fight for glory has arrived. How this contract is written depends entirely on you. Which of you will step up to claim this glory?" Lin Qi paused, trying his best to use NPC dialogue to stir the players' fighting spirit. "Any victor will receive extra rewards. As for the losers, you know what the outcome will be."

As Lin Qi finished speaking, the players erupted into excitement once again.

"This storyline is amazing! They're actually handing the initiative over to us."

"It's not just handing the initiative to us. Didn't you hear the Dojo Master say that how the contract is written depends entirely on our performance?"

"Does that mean if we perform well, we get more slots? And if we perform poorly, the slots get cut?"

"I get it! This plot has unlocked a dungeon difficulty selection. Based on our strength, we'll see if we can trigger a higher difficulty."

"Doesn't that mean if we want to unlock higher difficulty, we have to win these two matches?"

Everyone chimed in one after another, leaving the three from the Green Sparrow Gang bewildered, though they grasped the general gist.

It seemed these Grey-Clad Gang members were deeply grateful that Lin Qi had entrusted the choice to them. As for how many people would ultimately be sent out, it depended entirely on their performance.

For a moment, Flo and his companions felt a chill. The chill emanated from every Grey-Clad Gang member present, and it was a sensation all three of them knew intimately—the feeling of being targeted by monsters.

"Are these people all lunatics?" Fischer watched the players gearing up to risk their lives for slots, suddenly wondering if she was the one who wasn't normal.

Abnormal gang members were those who wouldn't risk their lives for the gang's interests.

Normal gang members were supposed to be talents willing to offer their hearts for the gang's interests.

"Let me take the first battle."

Floating Cloud took the initiative, wearing an expression that said "leave this entirely in my hands, rest assured, organization."

Neither Luo Wushang nor Fang Zhen raised any objections. After all, when it came to explosive power, Floating Cloud was second to none. Especially after three days of improvement, Floating Cloud was no longer a quasi-apprentice, but a genuine apprentice.

Not only had his strength reached 235.7 kilograms, but under the guidance of Mentor No. 1 over the past few days, the Spiral Demon Spear Kill had been refined to 16% of the fifth stage, making its power even greater than before.

Tested explosive power could reach approximately 2.5 times.

In other words, a single Spiral Demon Spear Kill could unleash 824.95 kilograms of force, a level of power already reaching the quasi-martial artist tier.

Among the experts present, no one could completely block this move, so when Floating Cloud stepped forward, the others naturally said nothing.

"Fine, then I'll be your opponent." Fischer smiled as she stepped forward to face Floating Cloud from the Grey-Clad Gang.

Under her powerful perception, Floating Cloud's physical fitness was merely that of a primary apprentice, with strength not exceeding three hundred kilograms. A single punch from her could spell the end of Floating Cloud's life.

"Then let's begin." Lin Qi didn't mind and directly announced the start of the first match.

"Wait, aren't your people wearing protective gear?" Flo asked Lin Qi with great astonishment.

At this moment, Floating Cloud was wearing his signature dark grey long-sleeved T-shirt, holding nothing other than an A5-grade black steel spear in his hand.

Under such conditions, if Fischer's battle saber so much as grazed Floating Cloud, it would mean severe injury; a slight misstep, and he'd lose his life.

"Protective gear? Not needed." Floating Cloud shook his head, leveled his spear at Fischer, and said with an overbearing posture, "I, Floating Cloud, have fought countless battles in my life and never worn protective gear. Besides, since this is combat, I, Floating Cloud, will only go all out with zero reservation."

"Today's match between the two of us, as far as I'm concerned, will decide both superiority and life or death!"

As Floating Cloud's words fell, the three members of the Green Sparrow Gang were deeply shocked, especially Fischer, who was participating in the duel and felt the impact most profoundly.

"Decide both superiority and life or death?" Fischer looked at Floating Cloud, who didn't look like he was merely pretending to be indifferent to life and death, put away her contempt, and praised sincerely, "Very well! Then let us fight in earnest!"