Admitting defeat doesn’t mean losing happily; Blade was feeling a mix of emotions at this moment. Besides his confusion about Ryan Carter’s skills, he also felt regret for himself. Once the top player in online games, now defeated by a mage 15 levels lower than himself—was everything he once had really a thing of the past?

Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a release from behind—Ryan Carter had let him go. Blade turned around, took two steps back, and looked at Ryan Carter. “What’s your name?”

“Thousand Miles Drunk!” Ryan Carter replied.

“Very good. I’ll come looking for you again!” said Blade.

Ryan Carter nodded with a smile. As Blade turned to leave, Ryan Carter suddenly called out, “Wait, your dagger.” With that, he tossed the dagger toward Blade.

Blade reached out and caught it, but was stunned. This dagger was called Frost Memory. Besides its damage, it also granted 25 agility, a 30% chance of a critical hit, and a 10% chance of level 3 freeze damage. Blade had gotten it by using the terrain in the woods to trap a monster and wear down a boss of unknown level. Among all the weapons listed on the official site, none had better stats than this one. Half the reason Blade was so devastated after losing was because this dagger had ended up in Ryan Carter’s hands.

But now Ryan Carter had tossed it back to him. Blade gripped it tightly, hardly able to believe it was real. Nowadays, online games were full of pay-to-win players, and an item like this could easily sell for several months’ salary for an average person. But this guy—did he not understand its value, or what?

Blade couldn’t figure it out, nor did he know what to say. He could only nod at Ryan Carter, thank him, and turn to leave.

Chapter 9: The Expert’s Routine

The other players from the Defying Heaven guild, seeing their guild leader lose so thoroughly, all looked dispirited. After shooting a few fierce glares at Ryan Carter and Blaze, they silently followed and left.

Blaze, on the other hand, was relentless in victory, whistling and jeering. The online gaming expert he once admired was now, in his mind, summed up in one word: pfft!

“Drunk Bro! Drunk Bro!!!” Once the Defying Heaven people had dispersed, Blaze had already found a new idol.

“How did you know he was behind you?” Blaze asked.

“Because I sensed killing intent,” Ryan Carter smiled.

“Killing intent… is that really a thing?” Blaze muttered to himself.

“Of course,” Ryan Carter nodded. “I’m not that sensitive to killing intent yet—the best at it is my fourth uncle. For example, if he’s sleeping and you walk around or make noise next to him, he’ll keep sleeping soundly. But the moment you focus your attention on him, he’ll wake up instantly!”

“You really know martial arts!” Blaze said.

“It’s not martial arts, it’s kung fu!” Ryan Carter replied.

“What’s the difference?”

“Martial arts are for fitness; kung fu is for defeating enemies and protecting the country.” As Ryan Carter spoke, he sighed. This was exactly the difference in understanding between him and his father. His father always insisted they practiced martial arts, but Ryan Carter felt it was clearly kung fu.

“Protecting the country… is there really a need for that now?” Blaze asked.

“No,” Ryan Carter laughed, “that’s why I’m playing online games now!”

“Oh… then can I learn it?” Blaze perked up.

“You…” Ryan Carter hesitated.

“Is it because I’m too old?” Blaze sounded disappointed. He was already in his twenties, and according to some martial arts novels, the protagonist would already be famous by this age. If you only started learning martial arts at this age, all the good wives would have been snatched up by the time you made your name.

But Ryan Carter shook his head. “Kung fu is something you can only start learning formally after your body has fully matured—at least fifteen or sixteen. You’re about the same age as me, so how could you be too old? It’s just that learning kung fu takes a lot of time—at least eight to twelve hours a day. Do you have that much free time?”

“No,” Blaze answered without even thinking.

“Or maybe you could use your in-game time…”

“No, no, I’d better not. Let’s just keep playing!” Blaze hurriedly interrupted.

Ryan Carter could only smile wryly.

By now, the six vagrants by the pond had respawned. Ryan Carter picked up the meat-cutting knife he’d dropped earlier and got ready to go fight. Blaze said from the side, “Drunk Bro, the monsters here are too high-level for me. I don’t have your skills—I’ll go train somewhere else.”

“I can help you!” Ryan Carter offered.

“I’m here to play, not to be carried!” Blaze said with determination.

“All right, then. Go ahead!” Ryan Carter smiled.

“Drunk Bro, don’t level up too fast—don’t leave me in the dust!” Blaze waved as he ran off. “If you’re still online later, let’s go back to town for a drink.”

“Sure, sure!” Ryan Carter replied.

With that, the two parted ways. Ryan Carter continued grinding monsters in this leveling area. The fight with Blade had left him exhilarated—it had been a long time since he’d had a chance to spar with someone like that. In that instant between victory and defeat, Ryan Carter loved the feeling. Although his opponent’s fighting technique was rather rough, in a realistic combat game like “Parallel World,” sooner or later everyone would master some fighting skills. That would be when things really got interesting.