Su Hao sprinted through the dense forest, the distant town fading behind him.
Trees blurred past as his boots pounded the earth, but despite his speed, a gnawing realization crept over him—he couldn't shake the nine Grandmaster-level warriors chasing him. No matter how fast or how far he ran, they were still locked onto his trail, like relentless shadows.
So, he began to run in a zigzag pattern, switching directions frequently, hoping to throw off their pursuit. However, no matter how many times he changed course, the nine warriors remained locked on to his trail.
Su Hao understood that they must have some way of tracking him. No matter how he maneuvered, they could instantly pinpoint his location.
Realizing his zigzag pattern was only slowing him down and offering no escape, Su Hao decided to abandon the evasive maneuvers. He would have to outrun them in a straight line, giving himself the best chance to maintain his lead.
As he sprinted at full speed, Su Hao analyzed the situation: "The distance between us is about 1,500 meters (0.93 miles). How are they tracking me? Could it be through perception, scent, sound, or some unknown rune?"
The nine Grandmasters behind him were only slightly slower than he was, and he didn't know how far their tracking ability extended. This meant it was uncertain how long it would take to completely shake them off.
An idea struck him, one that left a bitter taste in his mouth: his speed alone wasn't enough. He needed something beyond just running. A ‹Flight› rune… He cursed himself. He had always known he'd need to develop one, but he'd kept putting it off. Now, in this critical moment, it would've been his salvation.
Su Hao frowned as he thought. He realized that continuing to run like this wasn't in his favor. He had no idea if there were more enemies or beasts lying in wait ahead.
If he turned back now, he would only face nine Grandmasters—a known risk. But if he kept running, he might face more than just the nine, an unknown and potentially greater danger.
He needed to control the risk.
With a sharp intake of breath, Su Hao made up his mind. 'Enough running. I'll confront them head-on.'
After all, Grandmaster-level warriors weren't invincible.
The only issue was their numbers. If he allowed himself to be surrounded, even his runes and speed wouldn't save him. But if he could force them into isolated one-on-one confrontations, he'd have a chance to dismantle them one by one.
'So, I'll create conditions for nine one-on-one fights and take them out one by one.'
Su Hao's mind raced. He quickly set his basic combat goals, mapped out the vicinity, and determined the order of his attacks.
"[Little Light], analyze the nine Grandmasters chasing me. Prioritize them by speed and tag them," Su Hao commanded silently.
[Analysis complete.]
Su Hao's [Minimap] instantly marked each Grandmaster with a number, ranking them from 1 to 9 based on their speed. Number 1 was the fastest, a Grandmaster whose blood Qi flickered like a beacon. The others followed closely behind, their positions spread in a formation designed to trap him.
Su Hao smirked. 'Perfect'
His plan was simple: keep moving, never stop. His speed would be his greatest asset, and he would strike only when absolutely sure of a kill. His priority was to eliminate the fastest warrior first. Slowing down the others would give him more breathing room as the fight progressed.
Taking a deep breath, Su Hao accelerated, drawing a wide arc as he turned around, charging directly toward the nine warriors.
One Master versus nine Grandmasters!
All the runes on his weapons and armor were fully activated.
With the help of [Cosmic Light], Su Hao simultaneously prepared other runes.
‹Fireball›, ‹Ice Spike›, ‹Corrosive Ray›, ‹Earth Spike›, and ‹Electric Discharge› runes were all ready to be triggered.
In the blink of an eye, the two sides met.
The Grandmaster wearing a water-patterned cloak, leading the charge, was the fastest, with the others trailing slightly behind.
Narrowing his eyes, the cloaked warrior saw the silver-armored figure speeding toward them. He spread his hands, drawing a circle in the air and shouting, "Spread out! Encircle him!"
The warriors flanking him responded immediately, splitting into a pincer formation. They moved with fluid precision, their blood Qi pulsing in unison as they prepared to trap Su Hao.
"Heh!" A chuckle escaped Su Hao's lips.
'Good. They're spreading out. Less chaos for me to deal with.'
Now, he only needed to focus on taking down the water-cloaked warrior.
Locking his gaze on his target, Su Hao's speed increased, and his momentum grew.
The leading warrior, the one wearing the water-patterned cloak, realized that Su Hao had chosen him as his target. But he felt no fear. His saber first dimmed and then emitted a dull, grayish glow as the ‹Hardening› and ‹Penetration› runes activated. His armor also dimmed before flashing a red light, activating ‹Hardening› and ‹Barrier›.
Who was he?
He was the renowned "Unbreakable Master" of He'an City, renowned for his unyielding defense and rapid healing abilities. Who could intimidate him?
This fool dares challenge me?
Su Hao found the warrior's facial expressions increasingly bizarre, shifting from arrogance to something borderline crazed. 'What was wrong with this guy?'
But Su Hao didn't care. The fact that his opponent dared to use rune-weapons and armor to fight him meant their fate was already sealed.
‹Triple Burst›—«Shadow Step»
In an instant, Su Hao vanished from the Grandmaster's vision, reappearing at his side. The cloaked warrior barely had time to react before his world turned upside down. There was no sound, just a flash of light and then darkness.
Su Hao didn't even slow down as he continued sprinting forward, leaving only the sight of his back.
Behind him lay the lifeless body of the cloaked warrior, his severed head rolling away from his body.
"???" The remaining eight Grandmasters stood frozen in place, momentarily stunned.
"Chase him!" One of them finally shouted, his voice laced with urgency.
The remaining warriors snapped out of their stupor and took off after Su Hao, already coordinating a plan as they moved.
"The "Traveler" is too fast for us to engage head-on. Our weapons and armor won't withstand his attacks. We need to focus on evasion."
"Pair up in twos," another suggested. "Cover each other and prevent him from getting in close!"
"Our objective is to slow him down and tie him up in close combat. Once we do that, we'll give Lao He a chance to strike."
Lao He was a scrawny, elderly Grandmaster who appeared even shorter than the others. His frail appearance didn't hint at the immense power he possessed.
Soon enough, Su Hao circled back, his runes recharged.
"Here he comes! Be ready to dodge. His target is me—move toward me and wait for an opening."
As Su Hao approached, he noticed the group had adjusted their formation. They had adapted quickly, coming up with a countermeasure against his hit-and-run tactics.
But he was prepared.
‹Earth Spike›
As Su Hao's foot touched the ground, the rune's power surged into the earth. The ground trembled.
"Thud∼! Thud∼!"
Sharp earth spikes burst from the ground beneath the eight Grandmasters.
The Grandmasters reacted swiftly, leaping to avoid the spikes, but their formation was disrupted, just as Su Hao had intended.
He closed the distance in a heartbeat.
‹Triple Burst›—«Shadow Step»
His speed surged again, and his blade cut through the air. His opponent raised a saber to block, but Su Hao anticipated the move.
‹Electric Discharge›
Electricity coursed through the Grandmaster's armor, momentarily stunning him. Su Hao spun, his short blade slicing cleanly across his opponent's throat.
Blood sprayed as the second Grandmaster's head tumbled to the ground.
Without pausing, Su Hao dashed forward again.
Two more Grandmasters moved to intercept him.
‹Fireball›
A fireball erupted from Su Hao, expanding outward.
Though the flames didn't deal much damage, they still forced the warriors to retreat, unable to close the distance.
With their formation broken, Su Hao slipped through the gap, vanishing into the trees once more.
The seven remaining Grandmasters cursed under their breath, helpless as Su Hao once again disappeared into the forest like a phantom.