Book 6: Chapter 14: Representation

Odo kept his head down, making it hard to see his expression. After a long while, he raised his head again. Although his face was still a bit flushed, his eyes had regained clarity.

“You knew there was a xenomorph hidden there all along?” Odo asked calmly.

“I knew there was a trap, but not that it was a xenomorph!” Qin Lun said with a smile. He could tell that Odo’s fighting spirit had vanished, so he immediately dropped his previously aggressive and provocative attitude.

“I know that giving up the favorable terrain was one of the reasons for my final defeat! Looking at our professions, I always thought my chances of winning were greater. But the reality is, I used three high-rank scrolls in a row, almost exhausting my trump cards, and you still beat me as if it were a game!”

As Odo spoke, his expression was extremely complicated, mixed with a hint of confusion. “The Dark Gold Staff in my hand is very important to me, but I’m not heartbroken over losing it. This battle, I lost heart and soul. However, before I give up the Invitation Letter, can you tell me exactly where I went wrong?”

Qin Lun raised an eyebrow, couldn’t help but laugh, and shook his head faintly. “I’m not your new Leader. I have no obligation to guide you! Go back and tell your Leader about the battle. He will tell you why!”

“Perhaps you’re right, but my Leader didn’t witness the fight himself. I’d rather hear your explanation!” Odo thought for a moment, reached into his chest, and pulled out a small flat flask. “This is a flask of Walnut Wine that can restore both health and Stamina Points. Since I’ve already lost, it’s useless to me now. I’ll trade it for your advice!”

A trace of helplessness appeared on Qin Lun’s face. He knew he had to accept this trade. At the same time, he understood the gap in resources between himself and the rookie Apostles from those large teams.

Take this rookie Apostle before him as an example. The Summoner first used an invisibility spell on the xenomorph. This invisibility spell was very high-rank, so high that not even the Heavenly Insight Eye could detect any trace of it; only the Detection Aura sensed a faint xenomorph presence.

This kind of invisibility spell was clearly not something a Novice Apostle could master; it must have been a high-rank Magic Scroll. Then, he used a defensive scroll that could even block bullets shot from a Legendary firearm, followed by that fire-based magic as high as the eighth rank: the Fire Dragon Bullet.

He threw out high-rank Magic Scrolls as if they were cabbages. Moreover, Qin Lun estimated that this probably wasn’t all of the Summoner’s trump cards; he should have had other high-rank scrolls. It was just that the xenomorph had died, and he felt that even if he used those scrolls, he couldn’t win against Qin Lun, so he gave up the fight.

Qin Lun considered himself quite well-off and well-prepared. But in just this internal selection match, he encountered such a wealthy high and mighty type, which inevitably made him a bit uneasy. His confidence in winning the Metropolis Domination War was slightly shaken.

The two parties renewed the Soul Contract regarding this flask of Walnut Wine. Then Qin Lun spoke thoughtfully, explaining: “The Summoner is a jack-of-all-trades profession, with its focus mainly determined by the summons it possesses. Being able to control so many summons in battle without showing any strain proves you are a talented Summoner.

However… your understanding of the combat profession is too superficial, and your grasp of the battle rhythm is terrible. Weren’t you asking me how I knew you were a rookie from a large team? Because only rookie Apostles who have always mixed within teams develop such a one-sided view of combat professions.

You gave up control of the terrain so easily, setting a trap with the xenomorph, obviously wanting to use the xenomorph’s close-combat ability to finish me off in one hit. But the problem is, who told you that a shooter can’t have excellent close-combat martial skills? Who told you that I definitely couldn’t detect an invisible xenomorph trap?”

Odo remained silent for a long while before hesitantly asking: “But, you climbed to the top of the stone pillar, and you were so fast; close combat was unavoidable. Besides using the xenomorph to set a trap, I couldn’t think of any other way to win. Even if I used Magic Scrolls to attack you, the number of scrolls is limited…”

“You didn’t fail to think of it; you just didn’t think in that direction!” Qin Lun shook his head faintly. “Facing a cautious opponent like me, wanting a quick victory is impossible! If you want to win, you can’t just react to my moves. What I do isn’t important; the key is you must understand what you cannot do!

Deep down, you understand the importance of a Summoner maintaining distance from the opponent, yet you still recalled all the Black Scale Beasts to your side. You easily gave up the favorable terrain, trying to take a shortcut with a trap. That was a major mistake you made!”

“Then what should I have done?” Odo asked softly, with a bit of curiosity.

“You should have played hide-and-seek with me, dragging out the time as much as possible!” A hint of cunning appeared in Qin Lun’s eyes. “You have so many Black Scale Beasts. If you spread them out, placing one on each stone pillar, what do you think would happen?”

“Ah?” Odo stared at Qin Lun, dumbfounded.

“This way, first, you could test my close-combat ability. If my close-combat ability wasn’t high, and I was flustered by the Black Scale Beasts, even without the xenomorph’s invisibility, with two xenomorphs, you would have a sure victory!” Qin Lun said with a light laugh.

“If my close-combat ability was strong, then you could fight a battle of attrition with me. You have so many Magic Scrolls. Use the Black Scale Beasts to tie me down, hide yourself in the shadows, and hit me with attacks from time to time… Even if I eventually destroyed all the Black Scale Beasts, even if I wasn’t covered in wounds, I would have already used all my trump cards. You would still have two xenomorphs in hand, and the outcome would be hard to say!”

“But what if you didn’t approach the pillars occupied by the Black Scale Beasts? Then wouldn’t we have to drag on forever… Oh, no, I could use the twenty-plus Black Scale Beasts to advance in waves, eventually forcing you into a corner!” Odo began to realize it himself halfway through speaking. “So, my failure was because I haven’t fought independently enough and didn’t think comprehensively enough?”

“This has something to do with combat experience, but it’s not the root cause!” Qin Lun sighed and continued, “I said your fundamental failure lies in your understanding of the profession and battle rhythm. In a one-on-one duel like ours, what do you think was the most important thing at the very beginning?”

“Observing the opponent is most important!” Odo said after a moment of thought.

“Hmm, good. You are undoubtedly a Summoner; the appearance of over twenty Black Scale Beasts proves that!” Qin Lun said faintly. “Then what profession do you think I am?”

“I originally thought you were a pure shooter, but now it seems you also practice close-combat martial skills. You should be a hybrid gunfighter, combining ranged and close combat?” Odo said somewhat uncertainly.

“Heh, you finished a duel but still haven’t figured out my combat profession. Of course, part of the reason is that you made it too easy for me, so I didn’t need to show all my abilities. But it also proves that you lack understanding of other professions.”

Qin Lun said with a smile, “Think about it: the direct reason for your failure was that I saw through the xenomorph trap. Under what circumstances would a Novice Apostle see through such a high-rank invisibility spell?”

“In the case of profession counters… countering invisibility, seeing through traps, and having such high shooting skills and close-combat martial arts…” Odo muttered to himself, gradually widening his eyes, and exclaimed in surprise, “You are a Hunter!”

“So that means… I didn’t even force out your summoned beast!” Odo looked very discouraged.

If Qin Lun’s earlier analysis had made him feel that this defeat was just due to wrong strategies, now he finally completely lost confidence in victory. Clearly, if Qin Lun had one more summoned beast, even if Odo’s strategies were all correct, the two remaining xenomorphs against Qin Lun with his summoned beast would still inevitably lead to defeat.

“At the very beginning, you misjudged my combat profession directly. Afterwards, you contracted your defense, giving up the most important probing phase, and completely fell into my battle rhythm. Naturally, you were destined to fail!” Qin Lun finished faintly and stretched out his hand. “It’s getting late. Can we complete the trade now?”

Although forced by circumstances to point out his opponent’s main flaws, Qin Lun was unwilling to say more. Actually, Qin Lun understood in his heart that this Summoner’s talent was very strong; what he lacked was just experience and thinking.

A Summoner’s ability lies in the quantity and quality of their summons. This Summoner, with the help of a large team, wouldn’t lack summons. Once he grows up, he will be very formidable. Losing to an opponent like Qin Lun at the novice stage was actually good training. Perhaps this was the real reason his new Leader had him participate in the Metropolis Domination War.

“Oh, one last question!” Odo hesitated but still asked, “Earlier, when you provoked me into using the Dark Gold Staff as a contract stake, was it because you recognize this staff?”

“Heh, yes, I do recognize this Adis Short Staff. In my first Quest World, I once obtained a Hexagonal Prism Shield. At that time, the Apostle who traded the shield with me showed this Dark Gold Wand. I remember it can use magical energy to replicate summons of mid-rank and below. Your two xenomorphs and so many Black Scale Beasts probably also owe to it, right?” Qin Lun nodded with a smile.

“You got that Hexagonal Prism Shield in your first Quest World?” Odo’s pupils contracted, and he fell silent. Slowly, an Invitation Letter engraved with a blue whirlwind appeared in front of him. At the same time, the Adis Short Staff in his hand and the flat flask containing the Walnut Wine also floated in the air.

However, just before his figure completely faded, the Summoner looked up and shouted to Qin Lun: “My name is Odo. If you haven’t joined any other large teams yet, you can come to ‘Sky Float’ to find me. I’ll introduce you to our new Leader. I believe with your ability, you should receive treatment at least no worse than my main force treatment!”

“I will consider it carefully!” Qin Lun was slightly taken aback, then smiled and waved his hand. Immediately, he caught the three items falling from the air.

As soon as Odo’s Invitation Letter touched Qin Lun’s palm, it merged into his body, slowly overlapping with another Invitation Letter bound to his Apostle Soul Mark. Meanwhile, the Death Notice sounded with a prompt from Shattered Starry Sky.

“Apostle 70053, you have obtained the representation rights for the Domination War of Apostle City 07! After resting for half a day, you will be directly teleported to the Domination War venue in Atlantis through the law imprint in the Invitation Letter. Please be sure to make preparations before this!”