The instant the countdown ended.
Shi Feng leaned forward, bent his legs, and like a cheetah, burst into motion, launching himself off the starting line.
A sharp whoosh.
By the time the goblins' muskets finally cracked, Shi Feng had already covered three yards. The shot slammed into the starting line.
Then came another volley—six bullets in total, sealing off his path forward. Green predicted trajectories crisscrossed around Shi Feng's body, and if his reflexes weren't sharp enough, he'd be riddled with holes.
Seeing the bullets streaking toward him, Shi Feng sidestepped to the right, dodging nearly a yard to evade the second volley before surging forward again.
Although the three goblins kept adjusting their aim and firing relentlessly, bullet casings clinking and clattering onto the ground, Shi Feng moved with the agility of a cheetah. It was as if he had mastery over the bullets themselves—he always managed to dodge a step ahead, advancing a few more yards with each new wave.
"No way—he already made it 10 yards?" The male priest watched Shi Feng cross the ten-yard line in under five seconds, almost twice as fast as their leader Ci Xin, and couldn't hide his astonishment.
Beside him, Ci Xin said nothing, quietly watching Shi Feng press forward.
He'd originally taken Shi Feng for some clueless newbie who didn't even know who Ci Xin was—just some random kid messing around in the challenge arena. But the precision and speed on display were the mark of a seasoned veteran who'd spent years honing himself in these trials. Every movement was simple and efficient, far beyond what an ordinary newcomer could pull off. Even Ci Xin, who had cleared multiple challenges himself, had to admit he couldn't have dodged any better.
Still, Ci Xin's pride as a top player wouldn't let him concede. He explained, "Maybe this newbie was an athlete or practiced martial arts—that would explain the agility. But once he passes the 15-yard mark, the goblins change their attack pattern. There's no way he'll hold up then."
"The boss is right. If even our Assassin Alliance has never heard of this guy, he's definitely nobody. Wait till he hits 15 yards—he'll get the shock of his life and end up looking like a beehive."
"Exactly. After 15 yards, they fire 12 bullets instead. They stop focusing on the player directly and spread their fire wide. Dodging left and right won't work at all."
The rest of the Assassin Alliance members nodded in agreement—they'd watched this challenge seven or eight times over.
When Ci Xin had first attempted it, he made it past 15 yards, but in subsequent tries he'd only managed to reach 20 yards. That alone spoke volumes about how brutal it got after the 15-yard mark.
"He passed 15 yards," one of the Assassin Alliance members announced.
Immediately, every pair of eyes—including Ci Xin's—locked onto Shi Feng, eager to see what he would do next.
On the challenge field, the moment Shi Feng stepped past the 15-yard line, the three goblins flew into a frenzy. They stopped aiming carefully and just started spraying bullets wildly.
In an instant, the trajectory lines covering Shi Feng's field of vision became a sprawling web. Only three bullets could actually hit him, but getting tagged by even one meant game over.
"So they're going to play dirty now?" Shi Feng smirked calmly and drew his beginner's sword, charging straight into the hail of bullets.
In his previous life, as the leader of the Shadow guild, Shi Feng had been too busy with work and leveling to ever try the challenge arena himself. But he'd watched plenty of runs and knew exactly what to expect—after 15 yards, the goblins switched tactics.
The 15-yard mark in the Black Market challenge was essentially a benchmark for player skill. Passing that bronze-medal threshold meant you'd achieved a basic level of body control and mechanics. But most players needed two or three months to reach that level, a rare few managed it in a month, and only an exceptionally talented handful could clear it on their first attempt. Ci Xin was one of those rarities.
Three bullets were heading straight for Shi Feng's head, chest, and arm.
"This kid's done for. There are too many bullets, too scattered—he's forgotten to even dodge and just charges in like an idiot." Ci Xin watched Shi Feng rush headlong into the bullets and thought it was absurd. Did this kid really think the challenge would continue after taking even one or two hits?
But right then, Shi Feng tilted his head, swung his beginner's sword, and a streak of white light flashed out.
Crack!
The beginner's sword connected perfectly with the bullet aimed at his chest, sending up a tiny spark.
Three lethal bullets—neutralized effortlessly, just like that. Shi Feng advanced another stretch.
But the three goblins had no intention of stopping. Their muskets might as well have transformed into machine guns—muzzle flashes erupted without pause, with barely any gap between rounds. In the blink of an eye, Shi Feng faced five more bullets, all around him, cutting off every avenue of escape.
Clang, clang, clang!
Shi Feng frantically swung his beginner's sword to deflect the unavoidable shots while shifting his body to let the rest graze past him. He could hear the bullets tearing through the air right by his ears.
In just three more seconds, Shi Feng crossed the 20-yard line. Only ten yards remained to the finish.
"Holy—Boss, is this guy even human?! He's batting bullets out of the air with a sword!" The male priest's eyes went wide, completely stunned. The shock Shi Feng delivered was beyond words.
Sure, knowing the bullet trajectories was one thing—actually blocking them precisely was a completely different matter. It required razor-sharp judgment and impeccable physical skill. The margin for error was practically nonexistent.