**Reign of the Hunters**
Translated by: Jimminx
Romance Fantasy Esports Modern Female recs
"One of the best VRMMORPG novels out there with translation quality of unprecedented level!
It's 10/10 worth your time if you're looking for a good read"
- Jimminx (An Awesometacular Translator)
***Synopsis:*****
For Ye Ci, the happiest thing in the world for her was a chance to right all her past wrongs.
She walked down a dark path, abandoning all for the sake of an empty glory in a game, leading to
her own demise. Suddenly Ye Ci reincarnates back into a time when she still had her parent’s love.
For the sake of her family and a new beginning, she began her life as a professional gamer. She’s
no longer a Human Sorceress, she plays as an Elven Huntress.
Chapter 1 Reincarnation
Ye Ci sat on the observation floor of Glory Corporation’s main building.
By her side lay the trophy she had just obtained: Fate’s Second Battle of the Kings, Solo PVP
Runner Up.
As Ye Ci lowered her head to take a glance at the crystal trophy, she felt an emptiness within her
heart.
She rummaged through the pocket of her coat and retrieved the cigarettes that she had just bought.
Ye Ci never smoked, but today, she felt tempted to smoke one.Lighting the cigarette she had in her
mouth with ineptitude, Ye Ci took a deep puff and immediately gagged. She looked up into the
night sky and grimaced.
Ye Ci caressed the trophy with her slender fingers and raised the trophy up high before shouting in
a hoarse voice, “Mum, dad, I did it. But why don’t I feel the slightest bit of happiness?”
“Look, I got a trophy. I have become strong. I’m standing at the top, but why am I not happy!?”
In this bustling city with neon lights lighting up the skyline, nobody noticed the tiny lone human
being.
She cupped her face with her hands. It was dry, devoid of even a single drop of tear. “Is this what
I deserved? Is this what I get for turning my back on everything for the sake of becoming
stronger?” Ye Ci screamed in agony.
In the next moment, a laughter that she could not suppress left her mouth.
“I turned my back on everything? I became stronger? The truth is, I was abandoned by
everybody else. What have I done to possess the achievement I have today? I angered dad to death,
mom left, and I’ve abandoned all my friends. I was notorious back then. I thought that I was
special, I thought that nobody could understand me. The truth is, I am trash.”
“But now…”
Ye Ci closed her eyes. Her mind was overwhelmed by the embarrassment she felt when her right
to join the competition had been denied just because she didn’t have any teammates, just because
she didn’t have any friends.
“Fate is not about individual strength, as the strength of an individual comes from the people
surrounding them. Miss Ye, I’m sorry, but the essence of the Battle of Kings is group battle.
Without a group that is willing to accept you, we have no choice but to refuse your entry.”
No groups were willing to accept her...
Hehe, how could any group be willing to accept her!
She was the number 1 Sorceress in Fate, yet the most callous and black-hearted one as well. She
had never offered assistance to a single soul in her 10 years of playing Fate.
Even in real life, she was the embodiment of selfishness and cruelty.
After pulling out her cellphone, Ye Ci dialed one of the few numbers that were stored in it. She
was lonely. She wanted to speak to someone, anyone.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service.”
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service.”
……
90% of the few numbers stored in her phone were no longer in service. Exactly how long ago had
she lost contact with other human beings?
The cursor on the screen stopped at the last number. It was a number that she was extremely
familiar with, and it represented the final sliver of warmth within the depths of her heart. That
person…he might still be around. She dialed after a moment of hesitation.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service.”
The cold voice of the receiver seemed to have sapped Ye Ci of all her energy. Her situation was
laughable. Was there anybody else in this world who was like her? Seemingly glamorous on the
surface, yet isolated from her kin.
After struggling to stand up, Ye Ci threw the phone into the air. “Inactive numbers! I, Ye Ci, do
not need you people…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the night wind swept her off balance and she fell down the
building. She subconsciously extended her arm out of desperation and managed to grab hold on
something. Raising her head, she realised that the object she was dangling from at the edge of this
hundred-meter-tall building was none other than her trophy.
Ye Ci was taken aback for a moment, after which tears began streaming out.
In the end, was this the only thing she had left?
Was there still any meaning to her life?
Let it go, let it all go. Let her miserable life come to an end like that, in loneliness and sorrow.
Throwing a final glance at the PVP trophy, Ye Ci loosened her grip.
Endless darkness swallowed her entire being; it were as if she had never existed.
A splitting headache came.
However, the cozy sunlight lulled her to sleep for a moment longer.
The girl on the bed took in a deep breath and curled underneath her blanket, returning to her sweet
dreams.
10 seconds later, the soft white blanket was pushed aside violently. The girl sat up abruptly and
surveyed everything in the room, looking as though she had seen a ghost.
“Is this heaven? Or am I dreaming?” She muttered to herself before shaking her head, “I doubt
that a person like me could make it to heaven…”
She lowered her head and looked at her white, tender hands. Those hands wormed themselves into
the comfort of her blanket and forcefully pinched her leg.
“Ahh!!” She screamed at the excruciating pain, tears flowing down her cheeks.
It’s not a dream!
“What happened? What’s going on?” A middle-aged man with an apron stormed into the room
with a ladle in hand. The anxiety on his face was clearly displayed on his face as he asked the girl
on the bed urgently, “Ci Ci, what happened? Are you ok? Did you fall onto the floor after a dream
again!?”
Ye Ci sat on her bed staring at the man, unable to recover from her surprise.
“Don’t tell me that you have a concussion!?” Ye Nantian waved his hand in front of Ye Ci.
“Dad!” Ye Ci grabbed hold of his hand, stood up, and wrapped her arms around Ye Nantian’s
neck as tears streamed down uncontrollably from her eyes.
She didn’t want to care anymore. Even if it was just a dream, she’d be happy just to be able to
meet her parents once again.
“What’s with you?” Ye Nantian was puzzled. His daughter had never had such an intimate
interaction with him ever since she was 15. Her sudden change today left him bewildered.
“Dad, it’s good to see you again.” Ye Ci spoke from the depth of her heart. Tears blurred her
vision as she held on tightly to her dad.
“What are you talking about!? You’re speaking as though I came back from the dead.” Ye
Nantian laughed and patted Ye Ci on the back before pulling her to the side. “I’m going to make
breakfast, come down quickly when you’re fully awake!”
He patted Ye Ci’s head again and walked out of the room.
Ye Ci sat on her bed and stared blankly at the digital clock on the wall as if it was a magnificent
piece of sculpture.
20th August 2050, 7.37am
Year 2050?
It’s the year 2050!!!?
After being stupefied state for an untold amount of time, she sprang into action. Rushing to her
desk, she grabbed hold of a mirror with trembling hands to look at her reflection.
The face of a 18 or 19 year old appeared in the mirror. The face had a healthy shade of red with a
little bit of baby fat. There was life and vigor in her eyes.
This was her 10 years ago.
Ye Ci was a hundred percent sure. This face did not have the scar left behind by that car accident
10 years ago.
But what happened?
Ye Ci put down the mirror and looked around the room. There was a bamboo bed, a book rack,
and a computer desk, along with with a Fate promotional poster hanging on the wall. A corner of
the room was emptied out.
Did she return 10 years back in time?
She had returned 10 years back in time!
Ye Ci’s heart initially filled with frenzied happiness, but it was soon replaced with other emotions.
God had treated her well. Just when she had thought that she would end her life full of regrets, she
received a second chance!
Was this a chance for her to rectify her mistakes?
Ye Ci could no longer hold herself back. She stood up and rushed towards the living room.
Ye Nantian was currently busy serving breakfast while Zuo Xiaolan was wiping off the dust from
the cupboard. Both of them raised their heads upon hearing Ye Ci’s footsteps.
The first thing that Ye Ci saw after entering the living room was the scene filled with warmth that
was long gone from her life.
She blinked, and there was a lump in her throat.
There were countless times when she had thought that she would be a good daughter if her dad
could come back from the dead, and her mother would not leave her. She would stop being wilful,
selfish and rebellious. She would be an attentive and obedient daughter.
She would never have thought that she’d receive such a chance.
Ye Ci bit her lips for a moment before letting out a hearty laugh. “Dad, mum, good morning!”Ye
Ci said with a loud and cheerful voice.
Zuo Xiaolan sat on the sofa while gazing at Ye Ci, who had been busying away in the kitchen. She
nudged Ye Nantian and murmured to him, “Say, what’s wrong with Ci Ci? She seems a little too
obedient these few days. Not only did she break up with those friends who were being a bad
influence, she even offered to do housework. Something must be wrong!”
“Are you not happy that your daughter became obedient?” Ye Nantian threw a grin at his wife
and beckoned for Ye Ci to sit down with them.
Ye Ci sat down with her parents. She was happy, despite not knowing why her father had called
for her. To her, the life she was currently in was heaven. She was fine with anything.
Ye Nantian cleared his throat and said, “Ci Ci, you once told me that you want a Fate Gaming
Cabin. I promised you that I’d buy one for you if you could get into a university. So, I will fulfill
my promise now. The Gaming Cabin will be here tomorrow.”
Ye Ci was stunned for a moment. Her past memories replayed in her mind like a movie.
Yes, the Fate gaming cabin.
Her fate was changed from that moment onwards.
The fate of her family was also changed at that moment.
If she could start over, what would be her choice?
“However, you have to tell me, why would you need such a high end gaming cabin? You can
play the game with a regular helmet as well, so why would you need a holographic gaming
cabin?”
Ye Nantian was unaware of the turmoil within Ye Ci’s mind and was silently staring at her with a
smile.
The gaming cabin was just a bet with a friend. Despite not being rich, her parents were willing to
buy the luxurious item for her out of love, one that cost about a hundred thousand bucks.
How did she answered her parents at that time? She said that she wanted to soar in Fate.
What happened in the end? She did it. However, in her quest to soar high in the sky, she had lost
her friends, her parents, her happiness, and even her life. It was all due to her presumptuous
foolishness and arrogance!
Chapter 2 Gongzi You
Thinking of her past, Ye Ci’s blood froze.
She gripped the hem of her skirt tightly and loosened her grip. When Ye Ci finally raised her head
again, the agony and guilt in her eyes were replaced by her will to be tough and unyielding.
She gazed at Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan, the parents that could give their all for her. A surge of
emotion she had never felt before churned within her heart.
They had once lost everything trying to protect their selfish and foolish daughter. This would be a
guilt that Ye Ci could never forget.
She had made too many mistakes in her past life. In this life, she was going to do it right.
Dad, mom, this time, it’s my turn to protect you!
“I want to be a professional gamer.”
Ye Ci voiced out her thoughts word by word.
“A professional gamer?” Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan said in unison, staring at Ye Ci in awe.
This was unexpected.
There were many reasons Ye Ci could have had for wanting a gaming cabin. It may have been a
bet, or it could be that she simply wanted to show off. It could even be the spur of a moment, but it
was inconceivable for her to want it as a career.
She was not a responsible person.
Despite her parents’ shocked expressions, Ye Ci smiled. She understood what provoked such
reactions from her parents, and she came to realise that she was indeed rather…miserable.
She affirmed her decision: “Yes, I want to be a professional gamer.” After a short paused, she
smiled again. “Dad, mom, you have taken care of me for so many years. I’ve grown up now. It’
s my turn to take care of you.”
Being a professional gamer, Ye Ci had given serious thought to it.
She knew her own capabilities. Studying was never her forte, and even if she made it through the
four years of studying in a university, she would still merely lead a muddled life.
However, her current situation was different. She had knowledge of what was going to happen in
the next 10 years.
Fate was operated by several nations around the globe. It had been said that even the testing stage
of the game took 10 years to complete, and different aspects of the game were quite developed. It
managed to dominate the market prior to its release, and its glory lasted for more than a decade.
Fate’s achievements brought life to the gaming industry, as well as several other smaller
industries. It managed to attract people of different ages and occupations.
Fate was viewed as merely a form of entertainment for the young 10 years ago, but within that
period of 10 years, it became a irremovable part of human life.
Ye Ci grew from a newbie to the No.1 Sorceress within that 10 years of Fate’s golden era, and she
knew almost everything about the game, including its patches, and even… BUGs.
But in an age and time when Fate was not operational yet, what could Ye Ci do?
It was, no doubt, her destiny to once again enter the embrace of Fate.
But she would do better this time. She would not depend on anyone to achieve success. Her
existence itself was like a miracle!
While Mr. and Mrs. Ye were still puzzled by their daughter’s 180 degree change in attitude, Ye Ci
was already preparing to restart her journey in Fate.
Fate’s open beta test was scheduled to be on August 30th, 2050, at 14:00 hours.
When the gaming cabin was finally delivered to Ye Ci, it was already the six in the evening on the
28th of August. She bought some nutrient fluid to be used in the gaming cabin with the pocket
money she had earned, and after a long talk with her parents, she decided to move into a place of
her own. She intended to rent a room not far from campus.
Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan finally agreed with their daughter after discussing it for an entire
night.
She found a room on the 29th of August and cleaned it.
Everything was in place by 8:30 at night and the family had a wonderful dinner.
The couple could only sigh with emotion as Ye Ci sent her parents home.
On the 30th of August, Ye Ci woke up at 10:30 in the morning and cleaned everything. After
having lunch, she connected the nutrient fluid to the gaming cabin and did a final check on the
machine.
By 13:28, Ye Ci had already laid down in the gaming cabin. She let out a long breath before
slowly closing the lid.
Fate, here I come.
Here I come, once again, to my fate!
The company that was in charge of Fate was the Glory Corporation, which was formed by
members from different countries. The server, with a capacity of 5 billion users, was placed in
Country Z. It was the largest gaming server in the world.
Ye Ci remembered that Glory opened their server at 13:30 hours.
But it was limited to only ten thousand players. The others would have to log into the game at
14:00 hours.
Back then, the advantage given by that half an hour gave birth to a lot of Godlike characters.
Back then, Ye Ci was pissed at Glory for using such measures. This time around, the only thing
she felt was endless gratitude.
She successfully connected at 13:29:57.
And so, Ye Ci logged into the game.
In her last life, she chose to be a Human Sorceress.
This time, she would become an Elven Huntress.
Ye Ci had deep knowledge when it came to Fate. Despite having never tried her hands before as
an Elven Hunter, she knew that such a combination of race and class will be insanely strong in the
later stages of the game.
A more important factor was that clearing certain missions as an Elf could potentially unlock
hidden races such as the Sky Elves or the Sea Elves. The former could fly while the latter had the
ability to dive underwater.
Such racial traits could be considered icing on the cake for a late-game huntress.
Having already made up her mind, she skipped almost all the other options and even randomized
her Character ID. The only options that she had paid attention to was picking Elf as her race and
Huntress as her class.
The entire character creation did not last more than 30 seconds. Only when she was spawned in a
newbie village did she call out the menu and look at her Character Stats.
ID: Gongzi You
Race: Elf
HP: 100
MP: 20
Endurace: 10
Stamina: 2
Strength:5
Intelligence: 2
Agility: 6+2 (Racial Attribute)
Speed: 2
Balance: 2+1 (Racial Attribute)
Perception: 1+1 (Racial Attribute)
Trait: Stealth (Racial Attribute), Concealment (Class Attribute), Sly, Diplomacy, Leap, Roll,
Haggle
As the attributes were already fixed, Ye Ci was only interested her character’s traits. These
specialties would decide the development of a character in the future.
Character traits were something that had never appeared in Fate’s closed beta. It was a unique
attribute released during the open beta.
Stealth and Concealment were attributes assigned to Elves and Hunters. Ye Ci specifically went
for Diplomacy and Haggle that were innate attributes assigned to the Human race.
As a high tier Human sorceress, Ye Ci knew these 2 Human traits well.
Diplomacy gave a starting 50 Prestige Points with every major city.
50 Prestige Points were nothing in the later stage of the game, but they played a crucial role during
the early stages. They decided the number and quality of the quests received by each player.
Although Diplomacy was a trait that everyone was familiar with during the later stages of the
game, the only one that had thoroughly understood it earlier was Ye Ci.
As the saying goes, details decided outcome.
The rebirthed Ye Ci would never let anything beneficial to slip pass her.
Haggle was an attribute that must be learned by every class. Money was something very important
in Fate. Without an attribute like Haggle, one would definitely be scammed by the NPC’s.
The money in Fate could be exchanged with real world cash. Nobody would want to see their
hard-earned cash being scammed away by NPC’s, especially during the first 3 months of Fate
when the game coins and real world cash exchange had yet to be released. Only few players
possessed more than 10 gold coins. As such, this attribute was one of the most law-defying
attribute.
When Ye Ci’s sights landed on her character ID, she was slightly disappointed.
Gongzi You…
It was a nice name, but to have such a masculine name paired up with a female character… Ye Ci
decided to forget about it. It wasn’t a matter she would want to fuss about anyways.
Ye Ci surveyed the newbie village after closing the interface; it was like a ghost town. With only
ten thousand players online and distributed across tens of thousands of newbie village, it was
normal for her to be alone.
She turned around and walked up to the chief of the Elven village. Elf was a race that she had
never played as, but was quite familiar with.
In the 10 years of her last life, her footsteps covered every inch of ground. She had completed
every single quest, learning everything there was to learn.
She wouldn’t be boasting if she had claimed that she could identify her location just by a whiff of
the air. She knew what kinds of quests were available, which NPC’s were the ones offering them,
and what rewards she would get by completing them. She even knew… What sort of BUGs
existed.
The village chief handed Ye Ci her first mission after a brief conversation: Kill all the rabbits
around the village. Ye Ci walked away without hesitation.
A unique rewarding system existed within Fate. The first person in the entire world that completed
a certain quest, killed a certain BOSS, or cleared a certain dungeon would receive a specific set of
rewards.
Despite being the easiest mission in every newbie village, killing rabbits was also the starting
quest of the entire Fate. To be the first among almost a billion players to complete the quest was a
near-impossible feat.
Ye Ci could still remember a popular thread in the forum several years after the Fate server had
begun its operation. The owner of the thread was anonymous, but he clearly described the reward
of being the first one to complete the rabbit killing quest.
The activation of a side quest.
Of the countless players of Fate, he was the only one that activated the side quest. He did not go
into the details of the reward given by the quest, but he was expressing his regret of a wasted
chance to become Godlike by not choosing the right character and class.
Ye Ci glanced at the on-screen timer.
13:30:51……
Chapter 3 The Side Quest
Chapter 3 The Side Quest
Fate Officials were despicable.
Not only that, they had shrouded the closed beta in mystery. The server launch was announced out
of the blue as well.
12 days before its launch, Fate popped out just like that, out of nowhere. As if the 10 years of
silence from its developers were in preparation for the 12 days of frenzy that followed.
In these 12 days, there was only one word left in the world, Fate.
As mentioned, Fate’s officials were despicable.
Even with their endless streams of promotion, there was very few announcements or content about
the game on its official website.
Things such as Character Traits did not even exist in the closed beta, not to mention on the official
website.
The time was 13:30:51, 51 seconds after the server’s launching.
Even with 9999 other players logging into the game with Ye Ci, all of them were still tangled with
race and class combination, as well as those damned Character Traits.
Nobody could achieve a First Blood yet.
Although being sure about that, Ye Ci did not dare to let her guard down.
Everything had an exception.
She headed straight for the house at the village chief’s left.
Although the quest was to kill the rabbits in the “surrounding areas” of the village, Ye Ci knew
from her knowledge of the game that killing the rabbits behind the house was sufficient to fulfill
the “Rabbit Hunting” quest.
The rabbits at the spot were highly concentrated. There were around 30 of them, but the downside
was that the respawn rate was slow.
Nevertheless, the spot was very close to the village chief, making it the perfect place for Ye Ci.
Besides, she only needed 15 kills to complete the quest.
She equipped the newbie equipments gifted by the System and charged into the horde of rabbits,
swinging her dagger.
Even at level 1, the rabbit’s attack damage were not low. Each of their attacks dealt 2 to 5 damage
points to Ye Ci.
Ye Ci was very adapted to playing as a Human sorceress. She was able to maintain an outstanding
positioning while dodging attacks with a character that had very low speed and agility. With her
playing as the agile and fast Elven Huntress, she shed a tear of joy.
It was such a boon to play as a class with high mobility in the early stage of this game.
Ye Ci slew 15 rabbits under 3 minutes and managed to collect 6 Rabbit Teeth and 7 Rabbit Meat.
She wasted no time to head back to the village chief after collecting 10 Rabbit Teeth and Rabbit
Meat.
They were the quest items required for the follow-up quest. Although the First Blood for the
“Bunny Hunting” quest was her priority, she could not suppress the greed to get First Blood for
the next 2 missions and therefore took the risk. She silently prayed that nobody had completed the
quest before her.
“Young adventurer, you’re the bravest individual I’ve ever met, in such a short time….” the
village chief was bullshitting as usual.
Ye Ci immediately activated the “skip conversation” option.
It was common to offend an NPC if one interrupted or skipped the NPC’s dialogue, as everything
in Fate had 99% realism.
One could have the sense of smell, touch, and sight in Fate, just like one did in the real world.
Every NPC in the game was capable of higher thought functions. Every single action could affect
an NPC’s view of a player, which would subsequently affect the quality and quantity of the quests
given out by the NPC’s.
Although certain quests would still be given to players that were hated by NPC’s, they could only
obtain the high-valued, somewhat rare Random Quests through their high Intimacy with NPC’s.
This was what made players in Fate appear humble in front of NPC’s, even when they were
willing to kill each other.
Ye Ci, however, skipped the village chief’s dialogue without fear, not because she did not care
about her Intimacy level with the village chief. This was due to one of the character traits that she
had chosen — Sly.
The description of Sly was vague: Sometimes, you might need to do just that.
Sly was placed as one of the last options as a Character Attribute. On top of its vague description,
most of the players would not notice it.
No one actually noticed it at the beginning of Fate.
Not many chose such an attribute while creating a character. After all, who would want something
negative to be included in their Character Attributes?
But a newbie had picked Sly as one of his attributes by pure chance and, out of sheer coincidence,
learnt about the true nature of the attribute. Once it made its way into the forum, it became the
regret of hundreds of thousands of players. A large number of them even recreated their accounts
to acquire Sly.
There was only one simple reason to that. Sly enabled a player to interrupt or skip an NPC’s
dialogue when interacting with it. The NPC would still recognise that the player was listening to it
attentively and with good attitude.
One did not simply look down on such attribute. Its usefulness to Red Named players or those that
had low prestige points was very high. Some would even complain that the attribute was broken.
The village chief gave Ye Ci a nod and a satisfied smile even after his dialogue was skipped.
“Young adventurer, you’ve contributed greatly to the village and you have a very sincere attitude.
The Jiama Continent shall prosper because of youngsters like you.”
A system notification rang beside Ye Ci’s ear right after the village chief finished his speech,
“Congratulations for being the first player to complete the quest “Rabbit Hunting”, do you want
your ID to remain hidden?”
After the baptism of her previous life’s mistakes, Ye Ci had learnt the important lesson of humility.
Her priority was to take care of her parents while simultaneously leading a simple life. Reputation
was no longer the thing that she craved for.
She did not hesitate to press “Yes”, after which golden letters flooded the System channel,
accompanied by a soft female voice.
“Congratulations player **** for achieving First Blood for the quest ‘Rabbit Hunting’.
Rewards: Gold 1, system prestige 1000 points.”
“Congratulations player **** for achieving First Blood for the quest ‘Rabbit Hunting’.
Rewards: Gold 1, system prestige 1000 points.”
……
Ye Ci looked at the time and let out a long sigh. It was 13:36:42.
She had gotten the First Blood.
She noticed that her palms were sweating, and she couldn’t suppress the laughter that escaped her
lips. Since when had she become so nervous?
Ye Ci was alone in the newbie village. This was why she missed all the cursing from the other
players that saw the announcement.
Her entire attention was focused on the village chief. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the
thread on the forum, the activation of the one and only side quest. Was it possible? Was it even
remotely possible!?
“Ah, young adventurer, I can see some traces of gracefulness possessed by the late Elven King
Dau’er on you. Are you interested in some stories of the past?”
It’s here! Ye Ci almost jumped with joy.
It’s true! What was said on that thread was real!
She called herself the Great Encyclopedia of Fate, but in all her knowledge and understanding,
there was no such quest in the Elven newbie villages.
No, to be accurate, it wasn’t her ignorance.
The only reason she did not know of the existence of such quest was because she entirely had no
chance of coming across this quest! Nobody else did either.
“Of course.” Ye Ci replied with a warm tone that she had never used before.
“A long long time ago…” The village chief began his illustration, but Ye Ci did not have the
time to listen to his story. She did not know how long it would take.
She once again chose to skip the dialogue, saving it down just in case she needed it in the future.
“You will now embark on a journey following Dau’er’s footsteps. Oh young adventurer, this is
a road full of hardship. Are you willing to walk down this path?” The village chief’s dialogue
was cut short to the part where he offered a quest to Ye Ci.
“Yes, I am willing.”
“Head to the Icy Cave and bring me the fang of Shator!”
Ye Ci was no stranger to Icy Cave. It was one of Fate’s top 10 preparation dungeons. The
difficulty was moderate, but its Normal and Elite difficulty settings was why players from level 3
to 15 flocked to the place.
In her last life, she had graduated from Icy Cave at lvl 18 with a complete set of Blue Equipment.
She was so familiar with this dungeon that she could complete it with her eyes closed.
Shator was Icy Cave’s normal difficulty BOSS. The lowest level requirement was lvl 3, but
considering that she was doing it solo, she decided to brave the dungeon when she reached lvl 5.
Of course, one of the more important reason was that she could learn two basic Huntress skills at
lvl 5 — Slash and Bow Proficiency. Although a Huntress’s trademark skill, Pet Raising, could
only be learned at lvl 8, Ye Ci was not worried.
As a high leveled mage, one with enough SOLO experience and knowledge of everything there
was to know about Fate, Ye Ci trusted herself to handle the dungeon once she had learned Bow
Proficiency.
“Your honor, I will do my best to complete the assignment.” Ye Ci placed her left hand on her
chest, spread out her right hand, and bowed. She could immediately hear the System’s hint:
“Your Intimacy level with the village chief has increased by 10.”
That action was the sincerest form of greeting in Fate. When one greeted an NPC in such way, it
could increase his or her Intimacy level with the NPC, but it only worked once.
It was not a secret in the later stage of the game, but it was currently one of the ways to stay ahead
of others.
Chapter 4 The Robin’s BUG
Ye Ci took a look at the rewards offered by her side quest while traveling towards the next target,
Rami the tailor. Much to her dismay, the rewards offered by the quest were still represented by a
big question mark.
Despite being curious, she could do nothing about it.
Hiding away her quest log, she walked up to the house of Rami the tailor. After greeting him
sincerely, Ye Ci declared her intention and immediately received a quest from Rami: “Collect 10
Rabbit Teeth”.
When she handed in the Rabbit Teeth that she collected beforehand, Rami was a little surprised,
“By the Gods. Young adventurer, you sure work fast.”
Ye Ci smiled humbly. She was not fast. It was just the knowledge of her past life.
Ye Ci immediately received another quest from Rami to gather some fur from the Little Boars
residing at the outskirts of the village. He gave her a skinning knife with only 10 points of
durability left.
She located the Little Boar’s lair after leaving the village. The attack power and speed of a Little
Boar were notably higher than that of a Rabbit’s. Ye Ci had to fight them one at a time with her
level disadvantage.
With every attack of her dagger, Ye Ci’s proficiency with the weapon increased.
Although the process of killing a Boar was slow, a Huntress’s prowess in melee combat was much
superior to a Mage’s. The difference in damage output filled Ye Ci with indescribable happiness.
She had one hell of a time trying to kill these Boars in her past life as a Mage.
In her moment of glee, the system notification rang in her ears once again.
“Your friend Liu Chang is calling, do you want to connect the call into the game?”
Ye Ci trembled at the seemingly normal system notification. Her attacks slowed down, and she
even received damage from the Little Boar that took advantage of her opening.
The pain caused Ye Ci to wrinkle her eyebrow. She quickly dispatched the Little Boar and
connected the call.
Ye Ci had a long-running relationship with Liu Chang.
20 years ago, four couples lived in a certain residential compound. They married in the same year,
got pregnant in the same year, and even gave birth at the same day.
The scene, Ye Ci thought, must’ve been very jovial.
Ye Ci and Liu Chang were two of the four children.
Their story however, did not end there.
The four children played together, and they even went to school together. Despite being separated
after residential compound was demolished during their senior years in highschool, the four
families retained their friendship.
The four children would still remain very close to each other, if it had not been for….
Ye Ci bit her lip. If only she hadn’t hurt her friends time and time again in the search for glory in
her last life.
Ye Ci laughed, as she had the chance to start anew.
Ye Ci hated the fact that she was trembling at that very moment. When the system connected Liu
Chang’s call, Ye Ci felt as if her heart was being wrecked by a stage-12 typhoon.
How long had it been since she last heard Liu Chang’s voice?
Was it three years? Or was it five? Or was it even longer?
“Hey! Little Ci, are you playing Fate as well?” Liu Chang was blunt as always. Whenever one
picked up her call, the first thing that could be heard was her crisp voice.
“Yes.” Ye Ci wanted to say more after hearing Liu Chang’s voice, but she could not suppress
her emotion. She was choked with sobs, and that was the only word she could squeeze out of her
mouth.
Ye Ci’s personality had always been cold and detached. It did not trouble Liu Chang at all as she
continued with a grin, “I’m going to play as a Priestess. Hehe, Human Priestess. I can heal while
dishing out damage. I’ll take care of you!”
Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. She remembered that Liu Chang was also playing as a Human
Priestess in her last life. Due to the character’s difficult mechanics, her low level and inferior
equipment, Liu Chang was always asking her for help. However, Ye Ci had been busy leveling up
back then and hadn’t even bother to help Liu Chang. She had even blocked Liu Chang off.
After that…they had never contacted each other again.
She was lucky that fate had given her a chance to make amends.
Liu Chang was still bragging at how good she would become at the game when Ye Ci gave her a
suggestion, “A priestess can heal and deal damage. If you’re doing good, this class could be
omnipotent, and if you’re doing bad, it’s known as the thousand-year benchwarmer. Everybody
would want you if you’re a master of this class, but the slightest mistake could cost you dearly.
Do you want to play as a different class instead?”
Liu Chang was stunned. Ye Ci had never talked much, and although she was great at playing
games, she was selfish and would never share information.
But… What was with her today?
“Liu Chang?”
Ye Ci asked, noticing that Liu Chang was quiet.
“Then what class should I choose?” Asked Liu Chang after recovering from her shock.
The question baffled Ye Ci. Liu Chang was always appearance-oriented. She did not care about
the difficulty of a game as long as it looked good. Ye Ci was worried that she would not be
satisfied with her suggestion…
“How about…. “ Ye Ci was unsure, “ How about a Lycan Summoner…..”
“Lycan Summoner? Is it good?”
Liu Chang’s reaction surprised Ye Ci. She was glad that her suggestion was not rejected right
away.
Maybe she never did truly know Liu Chang, but it was still not too late.
“Lycans have higher base Endurance than all the other races. It’s racial trait is Ferocious, very
useful in life and death situations. It can summon minions at lvl 5, and it’s very tough character
when it comes to fighting, leveling up, or even dealing damage in dungeons.”
“Then I’ll go for Lycan Summoner.” Although Liu Chang was puzzled by Ye Ci’s sudden
change of personality, she was happy to accept her friend’s suggestion.
“By the way, when you create your character, remember to select traits such as Diplomacy, Sly,
Haggle and Meditate…” Ye Ci told Liu Chang everything she knew.
“How do you know so much?”
Ye Ci was momentarily lost for words before finally coming up with an excuse, “I bought some
closed beta information from some workshop…”
That did not arouse Liu Chang’s suspicions. She hung up afterwards and prepared for the server
to open at 14:00 hours.
Ye Ci could not suppress her joy. Her excitement manifested into furious attacks against the Little
Boars.
After slaying the boar, Ye Ci took out the skinning knife and realised that she had learned the skill
“Gather”, but this was only for the duration of the mission. Gather would disappear after the
mission was completed.
Although 1 point of Durability was deducted when she gathered from a Little Boar, she managed
to collect all the usable materials from the Boar, such as Boar Fangs, Boar Hide, Boar Meat, and
Boar Bones.
All of those were needed in the main quest.
The skinning knife disappeared after Ye Ci gathered from the 10th Boar. She did not immediately
return to Rami but instead went to a particular tree outside the village.
She would be stupid if she had completed her quests in order just like a newbie.
Ye Ci had her own thought in this matter.
There was a BUG here that had not been discovered until four years after the server was open.
Hordes of players flocked under the tree to exploit the BUG once the information was leaked. This
triggered a swift response by Glory Corporation and the BUG was removed overnight. Players
who exploited the BUG received the penalty of dropping 1 level.
Ye Ci opened the 20-slot Newbie Backpack, which contained a tiny red bottle and a candle.
The candle was for illumination. In Fate, players had to use candles or torches as their light source
before learning the skill “Night Vision”.
Ye Ci made a campfire under the tree. She intended to complete the bugged quest before more
players could enter the game.
She roasted the Rabbit Meat that had been obtained earlier. Although she had no cooking skills,
the meat was sizzling on top of the flame.
“Kaw, kaw….” A brown robin landed beside Ye Ci, eyeing the roasted meat in her hand.
Ye Ci was generous. She threw little pieces of meat to the robin. She did not, however, throw the
last piece of meat out. She held onto that piece of meat and handed it to the robin.
The robin opened its mouth wide for that piece of meat.
Ye Ci paid close attention to that particular piece of meat. When half of it entered the robin’s
mouth, she pulled the meat out immediately. However, the robin flapped its wings with
satisfaction, as if it had eaten the piece of meat. A few golden feathers dropped onto the ground.
It succeeded!
Ye Ci was excited, as the quest was repeatable. When 10 Golden Robin Feathers were handed to
an NPC, the player would randomly receive a Skill Book of his or her class.
But…. The robin was an asshole. It would drop its feathers the first time it was fed. After that, the
chance of it dropping its feathers was only one in a thousand.
Despite knowing that the rewards for completing this quest were good, a lot of players gave up on
it.
But….
Right there and then, this BUG…..
Chapter 5 A Change of Fate?
Ye Ci passed the piece of roasted meat to the robin again, after which the robin behaved as if it has
eaten the 10th piece of meat.
Repeating the same trick, Ye Ci pulled the meat out.
The robin was satisfied, and it pecked out a few feathers.
The BUG was successfully exploited.
The robin’s programming was stuck at the time when it was eating the tenth piece of meat. It
would always think that the meat given to it was the first piece of meat. The feathers required by
the repeatable quest could be collected by repeating the process.
Ye Ci threw the piece of meat at the robin after exploiting the BUG for what seemed to be the
tenth time. She collected all the feathers, put out the campfire, and headed back to the village.
Ye Ci could see flashes of light appearing at the spawning point right after she entered the village.
The time was 14:02:03.
The server was finally officially opened.
“Wow, I thought I was the first one here, looks like there someone that made it before me!”
Shouted an elven warrior when he spotted Ye Ci.
Ye Ci nodded her head as a form of greeting and headed straight for Rami.
After receiving the Little Boar skins from Ye Ci, Rami directed her to John the Blacksmith, and
then the little beggar…. Why were newbies always used as couriers in every single game?
Ye Ci noticed more and more newbies appearing, and soon, the village was packed full of players.
With much difficulty, Ye Ci finally walked up to little Lemmy.
Ye Ci let out a long sigh. Moving around in an extremely crowded place was never easy.
“Lemmy, the chief said that you’re looking for something right?”
Lemmy was a four or five year old child. She looked at Ye Ci and blinked, asking with a doubtful
tone, “Are you willing to help me, Huntress?”
“Of course.”
Little Lemmy showed a worn dress to Ye Ci. “My mom’s dress was torn. I wanted to sew it back
together with some beautiful decorations, but I need some robin’s Golden Feathers, can you bring
some for me?”
“Are you talking about this?” Asked Ye Ci as she handed Lemmy a feather.
Little Lemmy was surprised, “Wow! Huntress, you work fast!”
“Completed quest ‘Lemmy’s Dress 1’, Rewards: 1 copper coins, 100 experience points.”
“Huntress, I need a little bit more, can you bring me more feathers?” Lemmy made another
request after measuring up the dress.
Ye Ci pulled out another feather.
She immediately heard a system notification, “Completed quest ‘Lemmy’s Dress 2’, Rewards:
50 copper coins, 500 experience points.”
Ye Ci was shocked after receiving the notification. All the repeatable quests she had ever come
across offered the same amount of rewards, but this particular one seemed to have increasing
rewards...
Lemmy requested feathers again and again, which was fulfilled by Ye Ci every single time. When
she did that for the ninth time, the experience points accumulated from the rewards alone raised
her level by four!
When Little Lemmy asked for the robin’s feather for the tenth time, Ye Ci handed her the last
feather. Little Lemmy clapped happily and said, “Thank you, Huntress! I’m able to repair my
mom’s dress for your help! You’re the kindest, most patient, and fastest person I’ve ever met!”
Little Lemmy then pulled out a book and gave it to Ye Ci, “I have nothing to repay you with.
Take this book as a reward! Sister Horner said that this book contains great knowledge. I can’t
read, but I hope it could be of use to you!”
“Congratulations for being the first player for completing the repeatable quest ‘Lemmy’s
Dress’, do you want your ID to remain hidden?”
The system was going to flood the screen because of this?
Fame portended trouble for men just as fattening did for pigs. Of course the ID must be hidden.
“Congratulations player **** for being the first to complete the quest ‘Lemmy’s Dress’,
Rewards: 5 gold coins, 5000 points System Prestige.”
……
The system flooded the chat with such messages, and Ye Ci had the honor of listening to the
players’ reaction.
Some of the players responded with admiration while others with strings of curses. Ye Ci’s
attention, however, was focused on the random Skill Book she received.
“Random” was a word that Ye Ci was deeply afraid of. She had never had much luck since she
was young. She never got lucky with her lotteries and loot.
As for randomized rewards…. She had never gotten anything other than trash.
Ye Ci first took a breath before flipping open the Skill Book. Her heart momentarily stopped.
Strength Conversion: Huntress (Passive). Convert 10% of damage dealt into MP. Level
requirement: 1.
Ye Ci blinked and looked up into the sky. Had the sun risen from the west?
A bright sun hung high up in the sky, and it appeared to have risen from the east.
Was her fate really changed?
Strength Conversion… A skill as overpowered as this could just appear at random? No way! The
very existence of this skill was a BUG. 10% of damage dealt converted into MP…
Even in the later stages of the game, a Hunter’s skill would only consume 500 MP at most. But
the damage dealt? At least 8000-20000. With this, wouldn’t she be incapable of running out of
mana?
In the game, the amount of MP by a character determined his or her damage output. The Hunter
class was a pure glass-cannon, and MP consumption was always a problem for that particular class.
An entire mana bar could only sustain approximately 30 skills before running dry. This skill would
make her into a killing machine!
Ye Ci rubbed her eyes, she could not believe that she would be so lucky despite being surrounded
with an aura of misfortune.
She could see it clearly. The skill book was resting on her hand, the coarse surface of the paper
telling her that the book was real.
Ye Ci’s hands trembled, and she flipped opened the skill book without hesitation. It disappeared
into a flash of white light. Ye Ci was feeling insecure even after that. She finally relaxed after
confirming that Strength Conversion was listed in her skill list.
That’s great!
Ye Ci was in such joy that she jumped up and down, attracting attention from the newbies handing
in the quests around here. Embarrassed, she immediately turned back to Lemmy and said with a
broad smile, “Thank you Lemmy!”
Little Lemmy touched her pointed ears and laughed, “Hey Huntress, I see that you’re happy with
my gift!”
“Of course! I’m more than happy!”
“Then can you do me another favor?”
Ye Ci nodded her head. If memory served, Lemmy would be directing her to the Class Skill
Instructor.
“The bad guys from the Forest of Stone took the doll that mom made for me. Can you help get it
back?”
What kind of quest was this?
Ye Ci was shocked. She had never come across this quest before, despite being the
self-proclaimed Fate Encyclopaedia.
Don’t tell me… A thought suddenly occurred to Ye Ci, and she opened Little Lemmy’s character
attribute. As expected, her intimacy with Lemmy had reached Intimate.
She finally understood why there was a Hidden Quest that she did not know of. She completed the
quest very fast, and expressed gratitude towards Lemmy’s gift. This was why her intimacy level
with Little Lemmy increased exponentially to the point where the Hidden Quest was unlocked.
“Of course!” After accepting the Hidden Quest from Little Lemmy, Ye Ci followed the flow of
the main quest and headed for Instructor Zol, a skill instructor for beginner Hunters.
The Forest of Stone was one of the hardest dungeon in the Big 10 Prep Dungeon. The level
requirement to enter the dungeon was lv8 to lv20. Ye Ci could not clear the dungeon SOLO. She
decided to reach level 8 and contact Liu Chang for after that.
With Lemmy’s introduction letter and a few pieces of paper, Ye Ci headed to the skill learning
area situation at the back of the newbie village.
Newbies were still trying to level up, and none of them were able to reach the minimum level
required to learn the skill. Other than a few players that stumbled upon the place, Ye Ci was the
only one here to learn skills.
She located Instructor Zol and greeted him with respect before stating her intention.
Zol did not even respond. He sat underneath the sun, carving an arrow with his sharp knife.
His movements were slow, as if he was making the world’s best sculpture.
Ye Ci stood beside him silently. Every NPC has his or her own behavior. They could be jolly,
introverted, reserved, or even sly. As for Zol that was sitting in front of Ye Ci, he was….depressed.
Standing in front of an NPC without doing anything was a waste of time, but to get to the Icy
Cave, it was necessary.
Zol’s pale skin and snow white hair betrayed his age. An Elf’s appearance would not change
despite his or her age, but the hair and skin of an Elf would grow whiter and whiter as the Elf grew
older.
Respecting an elder was a virtue. Ye Ci showed patience when facing such elderly instructor.
After countless moments, Zol lifted his head and stared at the young elf in front of him with his
jade green eyes. He spoke softly, “How could a Huntress without a bow call herself a Huntress?”
Chapter 6 The Impolite Black Wolf
Although Zol was a rather depressed person, he was quite orderly. After receiving Lemmy’s letter,
Ye Ci had leveled up from lvl 4 to lvl 5. Zol wasted no time in teaching the two lvl 5 skills to Ye
Ci, Slash and Bow Proficiency.
Not only that, Zol even rewarded a Green Bow to Ye Ci because she had been highly praised by
the other NPC’s in the newbie village.
Sharp Bow: Attack damage 4 -10, Attack Speed +1%, Level Required: 5, Class: Hunter.
Although instructors would hand out weapons to players, the quality of the weapon depended
highly on their mood. Most of the players received White equipment, while the slightly luckier
ones would get Green equipments. Only the truly lucky ones might have the chance of obtaining a
Blue equipment.
Apparently, Ye Ci’s luck was pretty average in this case.
She did not complain. Her past life had taught her to appreciate what she had. She had learned not
to reach for something beyond her grasp; she had learned not to be greedy. This brought her peace
and closure.
She opened her Character panel and looked at her stats.
ID: Gongzi You
Race: Elf
HP: 250
MP: 120
Endurance: 25
Stamina: 12
Strength: 15
Intelligence: 12
Agility: 26+2(Race Attribute)
Speed: 2
Balance: 12+1 (Race Attribute)
Perception: 6+1 (Race Attribute)
Trait: Sneak (Racial Attribute), Concealment (Class Attribute), Sly, Diplomacy, Leap, Roll,
Haggle.
The stats points of every class in Glory were automatically distributed by the system. Of the eight
main stats, speed was the only one that needed to be increased by having good equipment. The
other seven stats would increase by a total of 16 points whenever a character leveled up.
All the classes were provided with 16 points. The only difference was the distribution of those
points.
For example, whenever a Hunter or Huntress leveled up, the system would distribute their stats
points as followed:
Endurance: 3, Stamina: 2, Strength: 2, Intelligence: 2, Agility: 4, Balance: 2, Perception: 1.
All the stats were perfectly balanced in their own ways.
Such automated distribution had its pros and cons.
The good thing about it was that it avoided the creation of characters with totally broken stats,
while keeping the balance between different classes. The downside to it was the heavy
dependency of players on equipment and skills to gain an edge on their opponents.
But from what Ye Ci could see, this was how Glory Corporation earned its money.
When players relied heavily on skills and equipments, Glory Corporation would earn big, as
players would definitely invest more money into the game when the Game Coins and Real World
Cash Conversion System opened.
After closing the character panel, Ye Ci straightened up her newbie clothing and headed for Icy
Cave.
Before she could reach Icy Cave though, she needed to visit a place called the Crossroads.
All the other classes in Fate, with the exception of melee classes, required different consumables.
Mages required different materials to cast their spells, healers required certain mediums, while
Hunters and Rangers that used bows require arrows.
These consumables normally cost quite a lot.
That, of course, was only a small matter. What troubled players the most was that high grade
consumables were not sold in shops. As for where they were sold…
Only Ye Ci and God Himself knew.
As Ye Ci left the newbie village, she could see a lot of players along the way. Some grouped
together in twos and threes while others worked alone. They waved about the beginner weapons
gifted by the system and busied themselves with leveling up…or rather, stealing monsters away
from each other.
Ye Ci let out a sigh. She was glad that she managed to enter the game half an hour earlier. If she
had entered the game at 14:00 hours just like these people, she would be drowned by the tide of
people leveling up. Would she still be able to go to the Icy Cave?
A Huntress’s base movement speed was 2. It was higher than melee and mage classes, but to Ye
Ci, it was very slow.
She took a staggering half an hour to reach the Crossroads that was not very far from the newbie
village.
She even felt hunger after reaching the Crossroads.
She slowed down and walked towards a small wooden house at the side of the Crossroads.
Natasha the Elf was sitting in a corner of the house with arrow crafting materials scattered around
her feet, but sets of completed arrows were already stacked on the table.
Ye Ci greeted the Elf and stated her business. Natasha was not surprised. She even handed a set of
arrows to Ye Ci without raising her head.
Ye Ci smiled and shook her head after inspecting the arrows, “Natasha, I want better ones.”
Hunters and Huntresses could use 3 types of arrows before they leveled up, namely Crude
Arrows(1 damage) , Wooden Arrows(3 damage) and Copper Arrows (6 damage). The prices of
these three types of arrows were different as well.
Each set of Crude Arrows cost 1 copper coin, each set of Wooden Arrows cost 20 copper coins,
and a set of Copper Arrows cost 1 silver coin.
A freshly lvl 5 Huntress would normally not have more than 10 silver coins. They would have
even less after purchasing some essentials. Their arrows of choice could only be the cheapest
Crude Arrow.
The arrows handed to Ye Ci by Natasha were the cheapest Crude Arrows.
However, she underestimated Ye Ci. Despite her newbie equipments, she had collected 12 gold
coins after being awarded by the system for obtaining the “First Blood” for 2 quests in a row.
With her wealth, Ye Ci would naturally prefer Copper Arrows over Crude Arrows.
Ye Ci fished out 10 silver coins from her pocket for ten sets of Copper Arrows. Of course, if the
capacity of her quiver could accommodate a hundred sets of arrows, she wouldn’t mind
purchasing all hundred of them at once.
That was enough to provoke a reaction from Natasha. She glanced at Ye Ci with her cold purple
eyes and handed 10 sets of Copper Arrows to Ye Ci.
Ye Ci received the arrows with respect and left after placing them in her quiver. Before she could
leave, she heard an unfamiliar voice, “Young Huntress, how would you like to begin your
journey?”
It was Natasha. Ye Ci was somewhat surprised. She thought that the NPC was mute. In her past
life’s memory, Natasha never spoke once to any player.
“From Dau’er’s past. I will follow the Elven King’s footsteps.” Ye Ci replied with one of the
village chiefs sentences after a moment of thought.
Natasha raised her eyebrows and her ears jerked all of a sudden. She closed her eyes, taking in a
deep breath before saying, “Go, young Huntress. May Elven King Dau’er stay by your side.”
She continued making more arrows after that, as if nothing had happened.
Ye Ci waited for more words from Natasha, but soon left the house disappointed. She entered the
dense and quiet forest from a hidden path at the north.
The Elven Forest was the name of the forest surrounding the Elven newbie village. The forest was
so big that it was endless. The only thing Ye Ci knew about it was that it contained a lot of Elven
newbie villages, as well as 3 prep-Dungeons.
The trees in the Elven Forest were enormous. One could only see the trunks and dense leaves of
the trees when raising one’s head. Only tiny glints of sunlight were able to pass through the leaves,
as if they were stars that warmed up the forest floor. With layers of leaves carpeting the ground, it
gave off a soft and wet feeling upon walking through it.
Unknown species of plants and mushrooms flourished under the leaves.
Ye Ci walked down a hidden path stretched into the deepest parts of the Elven Forest, buried by
the leaves.
It was deadly quiet except for the occasional level 4 and 5 monsters loitering around.
A prerequisite quest must be completed before entering the Frost Cave. Avoiding monsters along
the way, Ye Ci reached the Altar of Molor situated in the heartlands of the Northern Elven Forest.
A few robed, low level priests were muttering on the altar.
“Young Huntress, I’m sure you’re here to help us. The Elven King did not abandon us.” The
lead priest was happy to see Ye Ci.
“What can I help you with, honorable Priest?”
“The Rat Men from the Icy Cave stole my badge while I was sleeping. Oh! Do you know that!?
It was very important. The Grand Priest will be here for inspection in a few days, if he finds out
that I lost it, I’m finished!” A pained expression surfaced on the priset face, and he cast a sly
glance at Ye Ci. He chuckled and said, “Huntress, if you could help me to get that badge back, I
will make it worth your while…”
Ye Ci accepting the quest while sighing internally. These NPC’s were very good fighters, but they
were still using players as their runners.
“Hey! You there, gimme a hand!” Ye Ci could hear a clear shout coming from her back just as
she was about to enter the Icy Cave.
Turning around, Ye Ci could see a black wolf running towards her, with a horde of spiders in hot
pursuit!
“Don’t just stand there! Hurry up, take care of some of them for me!” Shouted the black wolf to
Ye Ci impolitely while running.
Chapter 7 Lukewarm Water
Ye Ci took a look at the black wolf that was a actually Lycan. In her past life, she would never
have even thought of stopping to help. At that time, she had deemed matters that were not related
to her unworthy of her attention.
However, the current Ye Ci was no longer her past self. She drew out her bow despite the horde of
spiders that were closing in on the Lycan’s heels. She drew an arrow from her quiver and nocked
it onto the bow. She let the arrow loose, after which it flew straight and true.
Ye Ci had never played as a Huntress before. But after having spent ten years playing as a
Sorceress, she developed the accuracy necessary for launching a ranged attack. The first arrow
flew right into a spider’s eye. The spider hissed in agony and turned its attention to Ye Ci.
Ye Ci, of course, did not stand still.
She unleashed a flurry of arrows at the spider while running away from it. An Elven Huntress had
very high balance. In a high speed chase, their advantage was obvious when it came to balance.
Ye Ci kited the spider while leaping up from time to time. She defied gravity, landing on tree after
tree. The spider could not even get close to her.
She slew a spider and drew the attention of another.
Her damage had not been very high, but the copper arrow managed to raise it exponentially.
The lvl 4-5 spiders were ferocious. Since Ye Ci was kiting and leaping around, however, none of
them managed to get close. A vast majority of them could not even close the distance before they
were slain and subsequently converted into experience points.
Ye Ci’s aid greatly reduced the Lycan’s pressure. He morphed into human form and swung his
blade at the nearest spider.
The Lycan glanced at Ye Ci from time to time. He could not help but marvel at the Elven
Huntress’ graceful and precise movements, as well as her ruthless attacks.
Even if they’d never crossed swords, the Lycan could tell from the excellent positioning and the
extremely fast reaction speed of the Elven Huntress that she was an expert when it came to PvP.
But the Lycan was more amazed by how adept the Elven Huntress was at controlling her character.
The server was opened for only a few hours, but she had already reached lvl 5 (only lvl 5
characters could obtain beginner class-related weapons). Besides that, the way she moved about
was not something that a newbie could pull off.
She looked more like an expert that was smurfing.
Was Fate openly tested before? Other than the beta test that was so shrouded in mystery that its
very existence was debatable, there was no other occasion.
The Lycan’s curiosity towards Ye Ci increased.
They took care of the horde of spiders in no time. Before Ye Ci could speak, the Lycan was
already smiling at her. “Thank you so much, Huntress.”
Ye Ci felt slightly reserved. She was never good when it came to interacting with people. She
nodded and said after a slight pause, “You’re welcome.” With that she turned around with the
intention to leave.
The Lycan did not feel awkward despite Ye Ci’s reserved attitude, he laughed and said, “I’m
Lukewarm Water. That was close. I could’ve died.”
Judging from what he said, Ye Ci could tell that he had died more than once.
“It’s ok even if you die. There’s no death penalty before you reach lv10.” Said Ye Ci with a
smile.
“I know, but if I die, I need to get back here from the village. Just so you know, it’s not simple.”
Lukewarm Water explained. He shook his head and let out a sigh.
It was Ye Ci’s turn to be curious. Lukewarm Water’s equipment was clearly pre-lvl 5. Common
sense dictated that he should be questing near the Lycan newbie village. Even when Lycan villages
were pretty close to the Elven villages, there was no reason at all for him to be questing on the
Elven side…
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m questing of course!” Said Lukewarm Water without hesitation. He raised his eyebrow after
sizing up Ye Ci, “Oh yeah, isn’t an Elf supposed to be questing in Elven Territory? What are you
doing in the Lycan Black Forest?”
This… This…
Isn’t this like the kettle calling the pot black?
Ye Ci was baffled. Could Lukewarm Water be one of those people with…absolutely no sense of
direction? She pursed her lips and said, “This is the Elven Forest.”
“Eh?” Lukewarm Water’s attention was still focused on the Altar of Molor. He was surprised by
Ye Ci’s words. He stared at her and grabbed his hair. “It can’t be!”
At this point, Ye Ci was fully aware that Lukewarm Water was an idiot with no sense of direction.
She nodded her head, “This is the Elven Forest.”
“Damn!” Lukewarm Water cursed under his breath, “I got it wrong again! I’ve wasted my 30
minutes of advantage just by navigating around the map!” He then looked at Ye Ci and let out an
embarrassed laugh. “See, I’ve been so long-winded that I did not even ask for your name yet.”
“Gongzi You.” Ye Ci made no attempt to hide her name. After all, the Lycan had already
introduced himself.
“This is a rather…” Lukewarm Water stole a glance at Ye Ci and said, “A very, very gender
neutral name.”
Ye Ci knew this would happen. If a character’s gender in Fate was not set according to the player’
s original gender, she would’ve been mistaken as a ladyboy.
“It is very neutral.” Said Ye Ci with a sigh. She was ready to part with Lukewarm Water and
head into the Icy Cave.
“Wait, wait.” Lukewarm Water stopped Ye Ci, “Little You, I still have something I need to ask
you.”
Little You… Ye Ci was even more baffled.
Lukewarm Water was acting as if they had known each other well. The problem was…they had
just met...
“What is it?”
“I’m from Blank Space, and I can see that you’re a pro. You’re a good person too. Do you want
to join our guild?” Lukewarm Water was straightforward.
Ye Ci was stunned.
It was not because of Lukewarm Water’s invitation. Blank Space had a feud with her in her last
life.
At that time, she stole a Field BOSS from Blank Space alone. Not only did she steal a tremendous
amount of experience points from the guild, she stole many top-tier items as well. Blank Space
was, of course, significantly angered by her action.
Blank Space hunted Ye Ci down for nearly half a year. She fought back every time and killed
hundreds of their members.
Blank Space was bullying the weak, but Ye Ci was the one who started it.
Lukewarm Water was worried when he received no response from Ye Ci. “Don’t tell me you’ve
never heard of us!? We’re one of the top 10 guilds in Z Country!”
“Of course I’ve heard of it…” said Ye Ci with a smile. Not only had Ye Ci heard of the guild,
she was also very familiar with it — in her past life of course. “If it’s about joining up, I have
no such intention yet. But I’m willing to help if you guys run into trouble.”
Lukewarm Water did not attempt to persuade Ye Ci. He added Ye Ci as his friend and said, “Ok,
let’s work together in the future.”
It was only for courtesy's sake.
Both of them knew that.
Blank Space was a guild with the capabilities of making it into the top 10 of an entire nation. They
had a lot of experts, therefore they wouldn’t need outside help, especially from someone that they
barely knew.
Despite that, it was still nothing bad to have a friend.
The fastest route to get back to the Lycan newbie village from the Elven Forest? Suicide.
Lukewarm Water waved goodbye to Ye Ci and rushed into a swarm of monsters. Within moments,
he was gone.
Ye Ci saw her encounter with Lukewarm Water as an interlude in her new journey in Fate. She did
not take it to heart.
The Icy Cave was situated in a dense part of the forest, northwest of the Altar of Molor. It was
hidden but not hard to find. It was all thanks to the Gathering Stone that sone with holy light just
outside of the entrance.
There was an eternally lit campfire underneath the Gathering Stone, but it was so common that
most newbies would fail to notice it. Ye Ci took one of the thicker burning sticks that functioned
as a torch and headed into the Icy Cave.
A flash of blue light later and Ye Ci was already in the Icy Cave.
Before clearing a dungeon in Normal Difficulty, it was impossible to unlock the higher difficulties
of a dungeon. The difficulty of the Icy Cave was set to Normal when Ye Ci entered the dungeon
for the first time.
Ye Ci lit up the torches placed in the Icy Cave with expertise and brought lighting to the pitch
black cave.
The dungeon at the Normal difficulty setting was easy for Ye Ci. She headed deep into the cave
after lighting up the torches at the entrance.
The mobs in the dungeon were tougher than the ones outside, and if one ran into an Elite, it would
be harder to kill. However, all those were nothing to Ye Ci. She moved effortlessly in the cave,
clearing a path without even the need of consuming a single health potion.
Ye Ci managed to reach the deepest part of Icy Cave in no time. 3 BOSSes were present: the first
one was Sator the Wild Boar, and the other two were his Ratman Bodyguard and a Kobold
Bodyguard.
The three of them were far away from each other and they did not move together. It was easy to
take care of those three.
They fell and were converted into experience points that flowed into Ye Ci’s EXP Gauge after
some intense kiting.
As Sator died glaring at Ye Ci, the system notification chimed in, “Congratulations for being the
first player to clear the dungeon ‘Icy Cave’, do you wish for your ID to be hidden?”
Chapter 8 Clingy Wolf
Ye Ci chose to hide her ID as usual.
Just then, a golden word ‘World’ flashed across the screen.
“Congratulations player **** for being the first to complete the dungeon “Icy Cave” on
Normal mode, Rewards: 10 gold coins, system prestige 5000 points.”
……
“Are they even human!? The game has only just started and someone already cleared the
dungeon! What the hell?!”
“Must be an alpha tester!”
“Alpha Tester my ass! Fate never had an alpha release…”
……
A random Human player
“Boss, should we investigate…?”
“It must have been those group of people who entered first. It’s just a normal dungeon. There’s
no need to muster a large force over something like this. Just look for someone to keep an eye out
on the situation,” a human cleric calmly replied in the private chat after killing off the last
monster.
A random Orc player.
“Little Seventh, go check who cleared the dungeon.” An orc warrior announced his order
through the private chat.
……
Lukewarm Water, who had just ran into the Lycan Black Forest, heard the system announcement
and scratched his head.“To think someone has already cleared the normal dungeon… Just who is
it?” Then realisation suddenly hit him.
The Icy Cave seemed to be within the Elven Forest. If his source was reliable, it should be around
the place where he and that Gongzi You had met.
Could it be that…..
Lukewarm Water shook his head, then reconsidered inwardly. “Even if her skills are great and her
positioning was good, there’s no way she could have cleared the dungeon so fast. Moreover…
the system didn’t announce that it was a party, so it seems like it was cleared by a solo player.
Moreover, she is a huntress… That shouldn’t be possible.”
Just as he was grasping onto the situation, the external guilds were getting noisy in the voice chats
all because of this incident.
Since the game server was just opened, there weren’t any guilds created yet, therefore no one was
able to use the guild voice chat provided in the game. Due to that, the major guilds were all using
an external voice chat system for easy communication with their guild members.
Lukewarm listened to the animated chat within the guild. He had some hunches, but since he
wasn’t too sure about himself, he’d rather remain silent instead of bringing it up to the guild.
In contrast to the liveliness of his guild, the guildmaster of Blank Space spoke calmly as he
usually did. “If you guys have time to discuss this, why don’t you all quickly grind to raise your
levels? It’s just a dungeon on normal mode. Our target is to conquer the dungeons on Hard and
Expert mode.”
As a person who rarely spoke in public channel, his single statement immediately garnered the
support from all of the players. After chatting for awhile, he switched into the Management
channel. “Nine Nights, go investigate the person who cleared the dungeon. Don’t forget to
identify which guild he is from.”
“Roger.”
Ye Ci, who had been in the Icy Cave the whole time, had no idea how much of an uproar a single
system announcement message had caused in the entire Fate. She just knitted her eyebrows
together, studying the few items in her hands.
She had thought that being able to get her hands on a heaven-defying passive skill book like the
Strength Conservation would have allowed her to be on the road of fortune. However, reality had
proven that an unlucky person like her would not escape the clutches of bad luck so easily.
Other than dropping the 2 quest items that she needed, along with 3 Weapon Exchange Crystals,
she only received 2 bottles of medium health potions, 40 silver coins, and a White grade dagger
from the 3 BOSSes!!
What the hell!?
What in bloody hell was that!?
She got the First Kill! And she did it SOLO!
No matter how you saw it, a Blue grade weapon should most likely be dropped instead!
How did it turn out like this! Not only was there no Blue grade weapon, there wasn’t even a
Green grade weapon in sight!
Who had ever heard of a Boss dropping a White grade weapon!? Who?! This basically just broke
the history record among all the disgraces a game could have.
She sighed a few times before accepting her fate and dumping these items into her bag. As Ye Ci
wearily looked at all the rubbish she had picked up from the dead bodies along the way, she only
felt like crying a stream of tears.
Exiting the Icy Cave dejectedly, she cleared the contents of her bag at a shop just outside of the
Forest of Stone. After that, Ye Ci once again marched valiantly into the Icy Cave.
She believed that she’d eventually get something nice if she kept trying. After all, there was no
way she’d be so unlucky every single time.
Nevertheless, reality had proven time and time again that Ye Ci’s luck was just that bad.
She repetitively visited the Icy Cave about 7 or 8 times. The crystals used for weapon exchange
had been accumulated to almost 30, yet she still didn’t manage to get even one of the Icy Cave’s
signature weapon from the Icy Series on her hands.
Her experience points were instead going up rapidly and, in the blink of an eye, she was nearly
level 8.
Ye Ci sat beside Shator’s dead body, crying invisible tears and looking at the loot in her hands.
No way. Could it be that her luck was completely used up after getting that Strength Conversion
skill book?
The arrows she had on her right now were almost depleted too. To waste her time any further here
was pointless, so Ye Ci decided to return and stock up at the Newbie’s Village first before coming
back again.
The Crystal that exploded from the Boss’ body could be exchanged for Green grade equipment at
the Altar of Molor. Although these equipment were slightly inferior to the weapons dropped in the
dungeon, they were still way better than those extremely expensive white grade weapons sold in
stores.
For people like Ye Ci who had farmed from dungeons yet weren’t lucky enough to obtain
equipment drops, these Green grade equipment were their best options.
With the 30 crystals she had on her hands, she only had enough to exchange for one equipment.
After pondering for a long time, she finally decided to trade for a pair of shoes.
Molor’s Boots: Defense 11. Endurance +1, Speed +1.
Defense and endurance didn’t matter much to Ye Ci. That little extra boost of speed was what she
needed the most. As long as her speed was high enough, it would bring her attack and evasion up
to another level.
She took a few steps after putting on her Molor’s Boot. They felt slightly more comfortable than
the Newbie’s Shoes. However, the appearance of these shoes were still too normal looking and
weren’t much different than the Newbie’s Shoes.
But she couldn’t care less about it. At least no one would be able to tell what was different about
her.
Upon her arrival to the Newbie Village, Ye Ci immediately ran towards the Village Chief.
“Oh, it is you, my hardworking Huntress. I thought you must have been eaten by Shator. I truly
didn’t expect that you would be able to return here unscatched. It seems like the blessing of the
Elven King Dau’er is upon us.” The Village Chief was about to babble on with his meaningless
monologue again.
For the sake of the rewards, however, Ye Ci smiled and waited for him to finish with his useless
words instead of choosing to skip.
She had always known that the rewards for this type of quest were not bad, but she did not expect
them to be so favourable.
1 Gold Coin and 1 Talent point.
Ye Ci couldn’t care less about the money. Compared to the money, that one Talent point was far
more priceless.
In Fate, characters beyond level 10 would be able to learn different Talents. Every Talent
emphasized on different areas which could in turn affect the future growth of each character
differently.
Every player was allowed to select different Talents, and everyone was also allowed to select up to
3 Talents at the same time. As long as you had enough Talent points, there would be no issues if
you maximized every Talent attribute.
The only concern was that…
In Fate, the game would reward one Talent point each time a player leveled up. Additional Talent
points would need to be collected through some specific First Kills or quests of a similar nature.
In other words, under the condition where players had the same level and equipments, players
with more Talent points would have more heaven-defying character attributes.
This was also the reason why Ye Ci’s mood was lifted.
The Village Chief continued to chatter on for awhile before announcing the second quest. This
was still to be carried out at the Icy Cave but her target this time was the Icy Cave’s Boss on Hard
mode, Shator.
“Huntress, you will definitely be rewarded handsomely if you are able to return to me with the
head of Shator.” The corner of the Village Chief’s lips curled into a smile, after which he
motioned for Ye Ci to come closer. “But you are not allowed to tell Guard Officer Tony that it is
you who killed Shator,” He whispered.
Ye Ci raised her eyebrows. This Newbie Village’s Village Chief who appeared to be a simple and
honest man was apparently not too honest. It seemed like he intended to take credit for the head of
Shator and find Tony for rewards.
Since he was unkind, then he shouldn’t blame her for being unjust.
To Ye Ci, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she didn’t slaughter this fat pig that had
voluntarily presented itself on her front door. She crinkled her eyes and gave him a non-scheming
smile. “Of course, Village Chief. I will surely follow your orders, only that…” She trailed off
here and didn’t continue her sentence.
She believed that a treacherous man like him would definitely understand what she had meant.
As expected, the Village Chief quickly nodded in agreement. “Of course.” Ye Ci then found
another Skill Book in her hands. “If you can bring the head of Shator back without letting a word
of it escape…”
The Village Chief trailed off and paused for a moment like Ye Ci did just now, as if he still had
more to say.
Ye Ci promptly looked at the book in her hands.
Fire Arrow Crafting: Crafts arrows that deal fire damage. Requires: Mid Tier Arrow Crafting.
Ye Ci raised an eyebrow - this book was good, but she didn’t have the Arrow Crafting Skill. This
meant that the book was of little value to her.
Looking at Ye Ci who wasn’t too satisfied, the Village Chief continued calmly. “My young
Huntress, you will have bread as long as you have enough wheat.”
Oh, so that was how it was going to be…
Ye Ci couldn’t help but secretly spit. This Village Chief was a sly old fox through and through!
He went as far as to bait her with a carrot that she couldn’t sink her teeth into. Was he treating her
like a donkey?
For the sake of that one Talent point, however, she’d still play the role of the donkey.
And so, like two unscrupulous businessmen with their respective ulterior motives, they joyously
reached a deal with dazzling smiles on both their faces.
The Icy Cave on Hard mode was not somewhere Ye Ci could solo play. She looked at the time and
found out that it was about 9 at night. Without much hesitation, she went to somewhere secluded
in the Newbie Village and logged off.
After having casually found something to eat, she received a call from her parents who bombarded
her with questions and ordered her around as usual. It was almost as if they were afraid that Ye Ci
would starve herself to death.
Not long after, when she had finally hung up on her parents’call, Liu Chang’s call came through.
The two of them exchanged a few pleasantries. Liu Chang could hardly even wait for Ye Ci’s
question and had already jumped straight to showing off to Ye Ci. “Let me tell you this! My
Lycan Summoner had reached level 3! Did you know that! My speed of levelling up is simply
terrifying! Let me tell you this, I formed a party with a few people and I am now hunting the
Poisonous Spider in the Lycan Black Forest! If anyone bullies you, just tell them my name, the
Clingy Wolf. Big Sister got your back!”
Chapter 9 Old Friends
Ye Ci suppressed a laugh and nodded, “Yes yes yes, big sister Clingy Wolf.”
No matter how she looked at it, the name was rather comical…but she would never say it out loud,
not ever.
“Oh yes, I’ve just found out that Dong Yin and Yi Cang are playing this game as well….” Liu
Chang changed the topic abruptly.
Ye Ci was lost for words.
The four of them grew up together.
They went to school together, came home together, sat for exams together, received their results
together, got beaten up by their parents together, even their birthdays were celebrated together. In
spite of everything, people change. Ye Ci became lonelier and lonelier as she grew up. Since when
had her happy years started to change?
Was the change brought about by herself?
Ye Ci couldn’t even muster the courage to remember how badly she had hurt Dong Yin and Yi
Cang in her past life. She trembled after their names were mentioned by Liu Chang, a searing pain
spreading across her chest.
“Little Ci, Little Ci, what happened to you?” Liu Chang raised her voice after receiving no
response from Ye Ci. It pulled her back into reality.
“Nothing, I’m listening.” Ye Ci hid her absent-mindedness with a smile.
She was reborn. She was given the chance to make amends, to save her relationship with Dong
Yin and Yi Cang.
Liu Chang continued yapping away for quite some time and finally hung up the call after they
exchanged their in-game IDs. Of course, Liu Chang laughed at Ye Ci’s “neutral” name.
Ye Ci laid there on the bed, unable to sleep well. Images of her childhood flooded her mind. She
didn’t have much of the memories after she had grown up. She couldn’t even remember the
things she had done in those 10 years of her previous life. She could only vaguely remember
making a lot of mistakes, and now was the time to rectify them.
Although she restlessly slept, Ye Ci woke up at 7 in the morning due to her circadian clock.
After washing her face, Ye Ci entered the game again.
Before she could enter the game, there was a new patch to be installed. It was a newly added
ranking system. There was an option, “Do you want your ID to be listed in the rankings?”
Ye Ci declined. This time, she intended to lay low.
She could see the rankings right after logging into the game. In Ye Ci’s memory, the ranking
system was also released on the second day of Fate. Her rebirth did not cause much of a butterfly
effect to the world.
Ye Ci hesitated for a moment before clicking on the rankings.
She was curious to see if the people she knew in her previous life would be listed.
Even if they were her adversaries, even if the only thing she could remember about them were
their names, even if they were her friends… Perhaps she had no friends at all back then.
Fate was very pragmatic when it came to the ranking system. It ranked only 5 simple factors that
were able to directly represent a player’s strength.
Level, Wealth, Equipment, Quest Completion, and Karma.
There was also a Guild Ranking right below the Personal Ranking. The guilds were ranked by
their Wealth, Equipment, Quest Completion, and Karma.
The Guild Ranking was empty, as no Guilds that were recognised by the system had been formed
yet.
Only the names of the top 20 players of each category would be showed on the ranking board. Ye
Ci could only search for familiar names from the 100 names that were listed.
Fate’s server was a global server, therefore the names of a few foreigners could also be seen on
the board, automatically translated by the system. One in particular caught Ye Ci’s attention —
Fleeting Time.
If Ye Ci remembered correctly, Fleeting Time was an American player that she had fought against
in the PVP Competition. He was an Elven Hunter. They were matched up against each other three
times. The first two of their matches ended in a draw, but in the last match, she was completely
destroyed by his unpredictable movements, extreme positioning, and ruthlessly fatal attacks.
That match made Ye Ci realised that Fleeting Time intentionally hid his true strength in the earlier
matches.
Ye Ci undoubtedly lost that battle and had not been able to get first three for the PVP match. When
Ye Ci once again mustered the courage to fight against him, he had disappeared… This had been
one of Ye Ci’s lifelong regrets.
Ever since that season’s PVP match, Fleeting Time was given the title of the Hunter God. Videos
of his gameplay went viral on the internet with millions of views.
It was that fight which had caused Ye Ci to wholeheartedly study everything about the Hunter
class. From there, she extended her research to all of Fate.
She could not help but laugh. She should thank Fleeting Time. If it hadn’t been for him, she
would not have been able to know so much about Fate after her rebirth.
This time, she would definitely duel with this person again.
As a Huntress against a Hunter.
Chinese players were veterans when it came to games that required much investment in terms of
time and money but offered little content to the players. No foreigners could ever hope to compete
with China when it came to leveling up.
The top 5 players on the Level Rankings were all players from China: Let Go Of That Girl,
Golden Man, Clear Skies Snowy Land, Coltfoot (the name of a flower), and Seven Leaves Flower.
Not only did they level up fast, their names had also appeared on other rankings aside from the
Karma Rankings.
Ye Ci could not hold back her laughter. Rebirth. She could still meet someone she had known
through her rebirth, even though they had once been enemies. Despite having been so, these
familiar names touched her heart deeply. Ye Ci looked at Let Go Of That Girl who was ranked
number 1 in the Level Rankings. This person was very close to her level, which was 40% of lv7.
She knew all the shortcuts and BUGs, but somebody was still able to catch up with her. He must’
ve skipped sleep to do just that.
Closing the Rankings list, Ye Ci decided to replenish some arrows. She would once again
challenge Icy Cave. She refused to believe that she had such bad luck!
Before she could reach Natasha’s little cottage at the Crossroads, Ye Ci received a friend
invitation. It was from Liu Chang’s “Clingy Wolf”. Ye Ci accepted the friend request without
thinking.
Liu Chang’s crisp voice entered her ears right after, “Hey, hey, what’s the level of my little
Gongzi?”
Ye Ci’s attributes were hidden. Even if if was open for public viewing, the players could only see
her equipment but not her name and level.
“What is your level?” Ye Ci did not reply, and instead had thrown the question back.
Liu Chang was happy to answer that question. The main reason for her to wake up so early in the
morning was to brag! She did not sleep until 4 am in the morning after cutting her call with Ye Ci.
“I”m lvl 5 now! I’ve finally learnt my first skill! I can summon Fire Minions now! Wahaha! I
bet you’re jealous!” Liu Chang bragged nonstop in the voice chat. If there was no ceiling in her
house, her wolf’s tail would’ve risen right up into the sky! “Tell me, which map do you want to
go to? Don’t hesitate! I, your sister, will take care of you! I’m strong! Against monsters, I show
no mercy…”
Liu Chang was still yapping happily when Ye Ci asked curiously, “Weren’t you only lvl 3 when
you called me last night?”
“Uh…” Liu Chang was momentarily lost for words. It took her awhile to admit to Ye Ci that she
had joined a party and was busy leveling up throughout the entire night.
Ye Ci sighed. “You could rest in the Gaming Cabin, but it was nowhere as comfortable as a
bed…” She asked, “You wanna go explore a dungeon?”
“The dungeon!” Liu Chang’s eyes immediately lit up after hearing the magic word. She nodded
her head rapidly.
“Come to the Elven Forest, I’ll wait for you at the Crossroads. We’re going into the Icy Cave.”
“Sure! I’ll be there right away!” Liu Chang immediately abandoned the idea of looking for
handsome men at the village entrance. She headed straight for the Elven Forest, and with glittering
eyes, she asked, “Isn’t Icy Cave the dungeon that got completed SOLO by a mysterious person
yesterday?”
The certain “mysterious person” coughed slightly and said, “Get Dong Yin and Yi Cang to join
us as well…”
“Forget about them. One of them is a Human and the other is an Orc. They’re like 10,000 miles
away from us! I’ve just talked to them, they’re only lvl 3!”
Since there was nothing Ye Ci could do about it, she opted to ask for Dong Yin’s and Yi Cang’s
ID and added them as friends. The four created a voice channel and began to chitchat.
Liu Chang’s voice was the loudest as usual. She spared no effort in bragging to Dong Yin and Yi
Cang, provoking jealousy from the duo. Ye Ci could feel a long-lost warmth creeping into her
heart as she listened to their interaction.
It was as if she was back in her childhood days.
Chapter 10 If You Can Find That Map
Within a night, players who had reached lvl 5 appeared like bamboo shoots that had sprung up
after the rain.
Liu Chang gaped at the sheer number of players gathered near the entrance of Icy Cave as she
arrived there with Ye Ci.
“Wow, you can’t be serious! So many have reached lvl 5?” Liu Chang eyed the weapons and
equipments of the players with doubt clearly written on her face. She mumbled, “It’s so hard to
level up in Fate, are they on steroids or something? How could they do it so fast!?”
Ye Ci did nothing but smile. It was easy to level up pre-level 10. Once they went past the lvl 10
threshold, however, even raising their level by one would be as hard as climbing up the sky. “Let’
s go into the dungeon.” Ye Ci said to Liu Chang.
Liu Chang could not recover from her shock for quite some time. She scanned the player-formed
party with doubtful eyes after spacing out for a short moment. She was right. Her eyes were not
lying to her. What’s more, she had just noticed that there were only 2 people in her party…
“Say, you must be having a fever! Just the two of us?”
“Of course.”
“Ye Ci, even though I’m level 5, even though I have the capability of summoning some minions
to use as meatshields, you can’t act so rashly!” Spoke Liu Chang as if she was a senior showing
her junior the ropes, “The dungeons in Fate have very high difficulty, don’t underestimate the
Prep-dungeons…”
Ye Ci smiled. She interrupted Liu Chang who looked like she had more to say. “We’re just going
in to have a look. We’ll just go as far as we can. There’s no death penalty anyway. In the worst
case scenario, all we have to do is to restart our progress.”
“How about adding more members into our party…?”
Ye Ci flashed an unfathomable smile at Liu Chang and walked away from her. She lit up a torch
and said to Liu Chang, “Are you that afraid to die?”
Liu Chang looked at Ye Ci and scratched her head. She gritted her teeth and walked up to Ye Ci,
“Fine! I don’t mind dying!”
Liu Chang was prepared to die, but with Ye Ci around, it would be quite hard for her to lose her
life.
Even after Sator and his two bodyguards had been slain, Liu Chang was still stupefied. It did not
feel real for her.
“Liu Chang, come get the loot...” Other than leveling up Liu Chang, Ye Ci invited her to the
dungeon for a change of luck. Even when one was riddled with misfortune, luck will eventually
come as long one did not give up. However, Ye Ci did not have the patience to wait for it.
“Oh…”
That was the only response that Liu Chang could offer. She pinched her leg and the pain almost
made her jump. “It’s real” Liu Chang murmured to herself.
As expected, Liu Chang was way luckier than Ye Ci ever was.
The three BOSSes yielded 6 Blue items. 2 leather armor, 2 cloth armor and 2 chainmail.
The Blue equipment obtained from the dungeons were far superior to the exchangeable items.
Although none of the six were part of the Frost series, it was still sought after by players very
much.
A Huntress could only equip leather armor at the early stage of the game, therefore Ye Ci placed
the two leather armor into her inventory. Liu Chang was using a class that required cloth armor,
and the two cloth armor were no doubt hers. The two chainmail were for Don Yin and Yi Cang, as
the former was a warrior while the latter a knight. Ye Ci intended to mail them the equipment after
leaving the dungeon.
Of the two leather armor, one was a clothing while the other was a gauntlet. Although they did not
possess the agility and speed buff that Ye Ci was looking forward to, they were way superior to
her current equipment. She equipped the leather armor and cleared away the mobs, preparing to
leave the dungeon.
Liu Chang was very happy with her armor. She caressed it repeatedly before remembering
something. “Little Ci, how did you clear this dungeon alone?”
Ye Ci stared at Liu Chang and laughed, “I had you with me.”
Liu Chang scratched her head and offered Ye Ci an embarrassed smile, “Yeah, right.”
Despite saying that, Liu Chang knew her limits. Even with her Fire Minion, her damage was not
high. The lvl 1 Fire Minion died pretty easily. She did launch an attack or two from the back but
the channeling time was quite long. Their combined damage output was nothing.
Ye Ci’s attack, on the other hand, was on an entirely different level. She had even seen the
number “500” from Ye Ci’s single attack.
On paper, both of them were clearing the dungeon together. In reality, Ye Ci could clear this
dungeon solo without a hitch, just like the mysterious person that cleared the dungeon SOLO.
“Wait a second...” Thought Liu Chang, but before she could voice it out, Ye Ci said, “Let’s not
waste time, we’ll clear the dungeon again.”
Liu Chang was puzzled, but she nodded. She could do nothing but shove down the question that
was about to leave her mouth and follow Ye Ci into the dungeon.
After several times journeying through the dungeon, Liu Chang finally grew familiar with the
place. Other than the mobs themselves, the hardest thing about the dungeon was the need of
precise positioning. She noticed that Ye Ci had not messed up her positioning even once and her
movements were extremely nimble.
Liu Chang knew that her plays were not top tier, but this didn’t mean that she wouldn’t know an
expert when she saw one. She was deeply impressed by Ye Ci’s gameplay. Her movements were
fast, her positioning excellent, and her reaction was quick. She could handle sudden events
perfectly and she rarely missed her attacks.
If even this were not expert-level skills, she wasn’t far from being an expert.
As they went back to the newbie village for supplies, Liu Chang could no longer hold back her
question. “Little Ci, were you the one who cleared the dungeon SOLO yesterday?”
Ye Ci laughed and said, “It was just sheer dumb luck after dying countless of times.” She replied
vaguely. She knew that she could not hide it forever, and since Liu Chang asked, she took the
opportunity and gladly answered the question.
“Damn!” Liu Chang’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after receiving the answer. Ye Ci
did not tell her the full truth. There was no way she could tell Liu Chang that she knew everything
because she was from the future.
Despite that, she made Liu Chang to keep it a secret, even from Dong Yin and Yi Cang.
Liu Chang understood Ye Ci’s way of keeping a low profile, and she knew that disaster would
follow if someone kept a high profile in any web game. She agreed to Ye Ci’s request.
Their trip was bountiful. The two already managed to change out every piece of equipment they
had aside from their weapons. Ye Ci was satisfied with the +2 Speed attribute of her boots. With
them, she felt way more agile than when she had only been wearing the newbie boots.
Liu Chang went back to the newbie village to level up her Fire Minions and sort out her quests. Ye
Ci came along with the intention of replenishing her arrows and acquiring the Huntress’s
trademark skill, “Pet Raising”.
The duo parted ways at the Crossroads. Liu Chang headed for the Lycan newbie village while Ye
Ci went to Natasha’s cottage.
There were more Hunters buying arrow from Natasha, bringing about a lively atmosphere to the
otherwise quiet cottage.
Ye Ci handed 10 silver coins. Natasha glanced at Ye Ci, her beautiful eyes forming into slits.
“Young Huntress, was your adventure in Icy Cave hard?”
“Not bad, it’s quite interesting.” Ye Ci offered her a smile.
Natasha raised her eyebrows at the answer, nodded and said slowly, “Do you know of a legend?”
“What legend?”
“The great Elven King sealed his soul away at the end of the world, far, far away. The way to the
place where his soul was sealed is drawn on a map. If you can find it…” A cunning smile lit up
Natasha’s usually pretty but emotionless face.
“And after I found it?” This was yet another quest that Ye Ci had never heard of. She couldn’t
help but think: how many hidden quests are there that players do not know of in this vast world of
Fate?
Natasha laughed lightly. She held her fingers at her lips lightly and laughed. She laughed like a
vixen, and her laugh was very seductive, “If you can find that map… I think I might tell you.”
The system notification chimed in right after her words: Do you want to accept the Hidden Quest
“If You Can Find That Map?”
Ye Ci accepted the quest without hesitation. Such Hidden Quests were rare, there was no way she
was going to let it slip by her. Besides, Ye Ci was interested in something that even she had no
knowledge of in her past life.
The NPC’s in Fate had the tendency of using players as their mule. Just like the “honest” village
chief, Natasha gave Ye Ci a skill book.
Magical Arrow crafting: An ancient arrow crafting technique, able to craft arrows with magical
properties. Requires: Mid Tier Arrow Crafting
Ye Ci looked at the skill books with a heart full of sorrow. The two top-tier Arrow Crafting skill
books owned by her could not be used due to her low proficiency in arrow crafting. Was there
something more saddening than that in this world?
She angrily stored the Magical Arrow Crafting skill book into her inventory and rushed towards
the newbie village.
Before Ye Ci could go far, she noticed that the road ahead was blocked by a large crowd.
“This place was booked by the Spring Rain Guild. All of you, go somewhere else!!!” A male
voice could be heard over all the commotion.
Chapter 11 Collateral Damage
That voice…
It was something that Ye Ci would never forget, even in death.
That person was the one who trapped her in White Stallion City with the help of ten other pros.
They’d even made an oath to make her drop all her equipment. After trying to lose them for a few
days, Ye Ci finally ended the fiasco by escaping the city with an expensive teleportation item.
After that incident, Ye Ci would always kill any one of them that she had come across, and they
would also gang up on her whenever they had seen her. In the end, Ye Ci had more success in
causing trouble to them. The victory rate against them was about 70% to 80%
Everyday Meat from Spring Rain Guild. Ye Ci would never forget about that person even after 10
more years.
That guy’s persistence and stinginess were the stuff of legend. Despite his high level, top tier
equipment, and exceptional skills, his character was questionable. He was once listed in Fate’s
Black List and was forced out of the game.
Acts such as taking over an entire leveling area was just the tip of the iceberg of what Everyday
Meat used to do, but it caused huge trouble for the newbies.
More than twenty of them occupied the junction leading to the newbie village and Wolf canyon,
completely sealing off the area.
Truth be told, it was the perfect leveling place to take over.
Wolf Canyon was an important post-lvl 5 questing and leveling area that yielded a lot of coins and
experience, while the newbie village was the place where every newbie needed to go.
Everyday Meat had on a full set of Green equipment, and the players with him possessed high
quality equipment as well. The most frightening thing about the posse, however, was the blood red
color that covered their characters.
Killing a player in Fate was forbidden, and the deed came with a high price. The upkeep for a
red-named player was way higher than the upkeep of a normal player. Judging by the red names of
the players standing behind Everyday Meat, they were all from Spring Rain Guild.
The Spring Rain Guild did not make it into the top 30. For a guild to be able to afford so many
red-named players, its strength should not be belittled.
However, no matter how unreasonable Spring Rain Guild was, there were many more players
bolder than them.
A lot of newbie players protested the guild’s actions.
“Who gave you the right to do that!? That place has your name on it?”
“Yeah, you guys seriously think that it’s your property!?”
“Let’s not waste our time talking to them. Go get ’em! A red-name’s items will drop if we kill
him!”
……
The already tense situation went out of control immediately. The newbie players drew their
weapons and charged at the Spring Rain Guild players. In a situation like this, there was no way
Spring Rain guild would just stand still and watch. When Everyday Meat motioned with his hand,
almost thirty red-named killers charged out to meet the newbie players in battle with their blood
red weapons.
The entire junction erupted into chaos just like that.
Ye Ci climbed on and carefully avoided the warzone. Although Everyday Meat was her nemesis in
her past life, she was not dumb enough to instigate a conflict with him at this time and place.
“Boss, somebody was trying to sneak into the canyon!” Shouted one of the players. Everyone’
s attention shifted to the same direction.
Ye Ci was about to jump down from the branch and leave when she felt watchful eyes staring at
her. She was momentarily stunned stunned. Damn! What had she done to deserve such attention!?
The players that were either fighting or blockading the place stared at Ye Ci.
When somebody paid close attention to you, you might have felt that you were charming. But
when so many elves were staring at you at the same time, perhaps the only thing you could feel
was danger. It was especially so when you were merely a passerby who suddenly became the
center of attention.
Ye Ci pursed her lips and jumped onto the next tree.
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She felt a chill creeping down her spine just as she leapt, and her HP bar dropped by half.
“You were attacked by player Rabid Dog, you have 10 minutes to retaliate.”
“You were attacked by player Tianhe Boy, you have 10 minutes to retaliate.”
“You were attacked by player Glittering Diamond, you have 10 minutes to retaliate.”
Streams of system messages flooded into Ye Ci’s ears.
Ye Ci lowered her body and hid among the leaves. She took the opportunity to go into Stealth.
Sun of a beach. Why was she caught in the crossfire? She was merely trying to sneak past the
blockade and into the newbie village.
Alas, Ye Ci was never one to be afraid even though she tended to avoid confrontations.
“Damn! Where’s that Huntress!”
“Must’ve died…”
“I did not see a death notification!”
Ye Ci peered out from between the leaves. There were not many left at the junction. The newbies
were defeated with little to no casualties on Spring Rain Guild’s side due the difference in level
and equipment.
A few players that were coated blood red were looking at Ye Ci’s general direction while literally
standing among piles of corpses.
Although her opponent could not see her when she entered Stealth, Ye Ci’s movement speed was
halved. If she moved from a tree to another with that speed, the wobbling of the branches as she
moved about would attract attention and she would therefore become an instant target.
Ye Ci was formulating a counterattack plan as a strong gust of wind blew past the area. She seized
the opportunity to leap onto another tree. She dashed past a few branches, stopped, and nocked an
arrow. She took aim at the Hunter, Rabid Dog, and let the arrow loose.
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“You have slain an enemy!” The system chimed in. Rabid Dog laid motionless on the ground
and Spring Rain Guild members closed in on her hiding spot after a brief moment of hesitation.
Using the howling wind as cover, Ye Ci hid herself among the leaves and repositioned herself
rapidly while firing arrows at Tianhe Boy and Glittering Diamond, taking their lives as well.
Ye Ci was about to disengage from the enemy when a sudden agonizing scream pierced thru the
air. Before she knew it, Everyday Meat had fallen.
Who did that?
Right after that, arrows and magics peppered his men from every direction.
Everyday Meat’s men fell, succumbing to utter confusion after his death. Despite the ruckus, they
were able to get organized very quickly. After all, they were still a well known guild. Even without
command, they had split into several groups and headed for the source of incoming attacks.
Nobody, of course, was awaiting them there.
The junction became more chaotic than it already had: the newbies that respawned to reclaim their
items, the Spring Rain Guild who were looking for their assailant, and the invisible assailants
themselves. The situation was more heated than a pot of boiling water.
Ye Ci backed away after assessing the situation. She was merely retaliating against her attackers
and were not interested in such chaotic melee. The ones that attacked her were dead anyways.
Ye Ci’s priority right now was going back to the newbie village to learn skills, then proceed in
leveling up to lv10 and getting into one of the big cities.
The battle at the junction raged on. Ye Ci stole a glance at Everyday Meat. A Fireball landed on
him just as he was revived, sending him back into death’s embrace. A few red-named players
suffered the same fate. Spring Rain Guild seemed to be suffering from an organized ambush.
There was no need for Ye Ci to stay.
Ye Ci continued to dash between the trees while stealthed, heading straight for the village and
leaving the junction far behind her.
Hunters could learn Capture Pet, Snake Venom Needle and their first Protection skill --- Falcon
Protection.
Ye Ci was alreading lvl 9 after adventuring in Icy Cave for two days straight. She was 70% away
from lvl 10. She took a look at the Level Rankings and saw that Let Go Of That Girl was at lvl 8
80% progress, nearly catching up with her. Ye Ci sighed. That guy was a fanatic in leveling up.
In her previous life, Let Go Of That Girl was very famous. He was Fate’s no.1 leveling madman.
Every game was like a compact society with different people. Some of them loved money or
fighting over the smallest trifles. Some of them loved their equipment and arming themselves with
only the best gear. Some of them loved to have friends, and they had friends everywhere. Some of
them love to level up so that they can always stay ahead of everyone. Many of them love money
as well, while others craved for power or even girls. Some of them just loved to have an adventure,
while others loved glory. All of them were different in their own way.
Let Go Of That Girl was the sort that liked to level up. Ye Ci knew the person, but at the same
time, he was an unfamiliar figure.
She knew him because he was always high up on the Level Rankings board. She was unfamiliar
with him as she had never actually met him.
Despite that, Ye Ci was happy to see a familiar name from her last life on the ranking board.
ID: Gongzi You
Race: Elf
HP: 420
MP: 200
Endurance: 37+5 (Equipment buff)
Stamina: 20
Strength: 23+2 (Equipment buff)
Intelligence: 20
Agility: 42+2+5 (Race Attribute) (Equipment buff)
Speed: 2+2 (Equipment buff)
Balance: 20+1+3 (Race Attribute) (Equipment buff)
Perception: 10+1 (Race Attribute)
Traits: Stealth (Racial Attribute), Concealment (Class Attribute), Sly, Diplomacy, Leap, Roll,
Haggle.
Her Agility and Balance were high, but she was lacking on Strength.
In a Huntress’s stats, Agility affected critical chance and dodge rate. Balance affected the
accuracy of attacking while on the move, and Strength affected the damage value.
Ye Ci’s character had a low Strength and she was not satisfied with her damage value. She could
do anything but depend on equipment and Talent in the later stage of the game.
Turning off her Character Attribute menu, Ye Ci walked into Instructor Zol’s wooden house.
Good heavens. The entire place was bustling with noise, just like one would expect of a market.
Chapter 12 An Overpowered Skill Book
Zol noticed Ye Ci right away despite the crowd. Ye Ci was the holder of several First Kills and
was the one who activated the hidden side quest. Her prestige in the village was quite high, and
the NPC’s in the village were always happy to see her. Even Zol, an NPC who was never overly
enthusiastic to interact with players, greeted Ye Ci warmly.
“Oh, young Huntress, it’s good to see that you’ve grown once again. I’m sure that Elven King
Dau’er would be glad that a Huntress with so much potential was born in the Elven race.” This
was probably the longest sentence to ever leave Zol’s mouth since the game started.
Merchant and Instructor class NPC’s dialogues with a player could not be heard by any
bystanders. If they could, Zol’s words would certainly make Ye Ci the object of all the player’s
envy.
“Hi sir, I would like to learn a new Skill.” Ye Ci bowed humbly at Zol, showing her respect.
It didn’t matter what anyone thought. One does not simply offend an NPC.
“Let me see what skills are available to you.” Zol spread out his hands and closed his eyes. A
faint blue light appeared on his palms. He opened his eyes after a few moments and said, “Oh, I
see it now. You can now learn Pet Capture, Snake Venom Needle, and Falcon’s Protection. Of
course, Slash and Bow Proficiency could be leveled up. Which skills do you want to learn?”
“All of them.”
“Oh really?” Zol raised his eyebrows slightly. Fees were required to learn skills in Fate, and the
fees that Ye Ci needed to pay right then were nothing compared to the astronomical amount in the
later stage of the game.
These skills cost 50 silver coins each, and most early lvl 10 players would not have more than 2
gold coins with them. Learning those skills all at once was unbelievably extravagant to them.
Zol candidly accepted the 2 gold and 50 silver coins handed to him by Ye Ci. A bright golden flash
appear on Ye Ci’s character, and the system notified her that she had learnt Pet Capture, Snake
Venom Needle, and Falcon’s Protection. Slash and Bow Proficiency had been upgraded to lvl 2 as
well.
“Young Huntress, you have the grace of an Elf. You’re carefree and are never stingy. It’s always
good to see such an excellent specimen among the young ones. I’m really very happy. If you can
get me a hundred Wild Wolf’s Eyeballs, I think I have a little present for you.”
Zol gave Ye Ci a quest after teaching her the skills instead of making her leave.
“It’s an honor.” Ye Ci bowed and accepted the quest. She couldn’t help but think: another
hidden quest… Was all my luck eaten up by my encounters with Hidden Quests?
Ye Ci was about to explore the Icy Cave at Difficult setting to see if she could SOLO the dungeon.
If she was lucky, she could even get an Elite Spider as a pet.
Changes came faster than the plan. Before meeting Zol, Ye Ci had never even thought that she
would be able to find a Hidden Quest, and an easy one at that. Standing under the sunlight after
leaving Zol’s house, Ye Ci took a look at the quest details and attempted to find out its rewards,
that was if she could see it…
She did not expect to actually be able to see the rewards to Zol’s Hidden Quest, unlike all other
Hidden Quest which had their rewards listed as question marks.
Quest: A Hundred Wild Wolf’s Eyeballs
Quest description: …
Quest reward: Hunter’s Mark Skill Book
The quest reward almost made Ye Ci jump with joy.
Just like Pet Capture, Hunter’s Mark was the Hunter class’s trademark skill. When used on a
target, a visible mark that could only be seen by the Hunter/Huntress’s party members would
appear for 15 minutes. With each level increased, the skill would be able to deal additional bonus
damage to the target. The Hunter’s Mark could deal up to 15% bonus ranged damage to an enemy.
It was a very overpowered skill when it came to PVP and PVE. Of course, if every Hunter or
Huntress could learn it, the entire Fate world would be crawling with Hunters and Huntresses.
As mentioned earlier, Fate was a shameless game, and Glory was a shameless company.
If they could design such an OP skill, it meant that not everybody could have it… Why?
Game balance.
All the skills in Fate could be leveled up by Instructors, with the emphasis on “leveling up”.
It meant that players could find out about all the overpowered skills from the Instructor NPC’s.
But… They were only leveling it up for the players. “What does it mean?” One might ask. It
meant that players were required to learn said skills on their own first.
How? Two simple options. The first method, Skill Books. The second, learn from NPC’s that
nobody had ever seen or heard of before.
Nobody even knew if the second option was real. The first one was more plausible to achieve.
There were only two ways to obtain skill books. They were either gifted by NPC’s or dropped by
monsters.
Simply put, the chances were very slim.
Take Hunter’s Mark for example. Nobody had ever heard of an NPC that would give out the skill
book. As for the drop rate from monsters… One out of ten thousand from the Final BOSSes of lvl
40 dungeons.
Cough, cough. “One in ten thousand” does not necessarily mean that the book would appear
every 10,000 times a Final BOSS was killed.
Such an overpowered skill book with a ridiculous drop rate. How could Ye Ci not be happy?
To hell with Icy Cave and Forest of Stone! Ye Ci’s priority was at Wolf Canyon!
Ye Ci was able to make a profit from her adventures in the dungeon. She mailed two Blue chain
mail to Gleaming Sunshine and Leftie (Dong Yin and Yi Cang), and sold the rest of the Blue
equipment that were of no use to her to an NPC. She gained almost 2 gold coins out of that.
Of course, she’d earn a lot more if those were sold to the players. But that was not what Ye Ci
wanted. It would basically tell everybody that she had been to the dungeon a lot of times.
Although it was just a minor dungeon, it was always not a good thing to get attention from overly
curious individuals.
Besides, she could save a lot of time by doing that.
Ye Ci was going to leave the newbie village for the city. The auction houses there were more
convenient than having to set up roadside stalls just to sell items.
After getting a blacksmith to repair her equipment, Ye Ci headed for the junction.
A strange thought surfaced in her mind — was the fight still going on?
As expected, the crowd had not dispersed yet.
The fight was not as intense as before. Less than 30% of the newbie players were still having a
standoff with the Spring Rain Guild. The guild’s members were already beginning to scatter.
Ye Ci thought of sneaking into Wolf Canyon through the battlefield, but not everything went
smoothly.
Someone stood up abruptly from beside Ye Ci, after which she subconsciously dodged to the side.
It was Everyday Meat who was being spawn camped. He decided to respawn, thinking that he was
well-hidden.
He was not red-named, and had not reached lv10 yet. The newbie protection meant that he would
not drop any equipment upon death, but… Being spawn camped for almost an hour was a
torturing experience.
Besides, pain in Fate could only be reduced to a minimum of 30%. With so much death, Everyday
Meat must’ve been driven to the point of madness.
“It’s you! You’re the one who killed me!” Everyday Meat saw Ye Ci who had not been three
meters away from him. His eyes lit up with fiery anger as he tried to grab at Ye Ci without even
waiting for an explanation.
Ye Ci was rather baffled. It had nothing to do with her at all. Why was she the suspect?
She slapped Every Meat’s hand away and said coldly, “Look carefully before you accuse me!”
“What do you mean I did not see clearly!” Everyday Meat spoke with his action. He drew out
his staff and threw a Fireball at Ye Ci.
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Ye Ci shifted her body, and the Fireball brushed past her shoulder, and an arrow planted itself at
Everyday Meat’s back. He immediately fell onto the ground on all fours.
Ye Ci looked at Everyday Meat. A mischievous grin crept onto her face as she knelt down beside
Everyday Meat. “I told you, it wasn’t me. See!” Taunted Ye Ci.
She stood up, and clapped her hands together. She looked at the corpse and said, “I’ll be on my
way. I’m telling you, your death had nothing to do with me.” She literally walked over Everyday
Meat’s dead body as she left. The guy was so angry that he coughed up blood. He ranted in the
Guild channel that he would find out the whoever that was responsible for his death.
Wolf Canyon was packed full of people.
There were a lot of wolves in the canyon, but they seemed to be the minority.
Ye Ci snorted. At this rate, she’d never be able to complete the her quest.
Thinking of the Hunter’s Mark skill book, however, she was willing to kill steal if that was what
she needed to do.
She climbed onto a tree and began going scaling the cliff wall of the Wolf Canyon thanks to her
high Balance. She managed to reach a flat ground at the hillside.
Ye Ci original intention was to have a bird’s eye view of the place, but she ran into 20-30 wolves
instead. And more importantly, there was no one around!
Oh, she was mistaken. There was someone swinging his weapon wildly at the wolves with sweat
dripping down like a waterfall.
Chapter 13 A player from the Leaderboard
He was killing the wolves very quickly, but as a newbie who was not even level 10, he could not
match the wolves’ respawn rate no matter how fast he was. As he did not have any plans to
eradicate every wolf in the entire canyon, he stood in the northwest corner and battled only with
the ones around him.
This was perfect. If they could take one corner each, both of them would meet their objectives
without interfering the other.
After activating Falcon’s Protection, Ye Ci immediately fired her arrows. Whether it was kiting or
standing still, she really enjoyed killing the wolves.
Before long, she received a party request message: Golden Man sent a request for you to join his
party.
Golden Man? Ye Ci was momentarily stunned when she saw the name. It was the Golden Man
who just behind Let Go Of That Girl on the leaderboard.
Yi Ce had memories of this player as well. Even though he did not level up with insanity like Let
Go Of That Girl, he was also a crazy leveler. She had only seen him on the leaderboard before but
now she had the chance to meet him in person!
Ye Ci accepted his request without a moment of hesitation. Then, she opened her map and realized
that Golden Man was actually the player who was killing wolves at the northwest corner.
His was a Rogue, which meant that his critical hit was high and his speed was fast. No wonder he
could level up so quickly.
“Let’s do this together. It will be quicker.” Golden man looked at the hunter on his party list.
She had hidden all her information so he did not know what to call her. Golden man was actually
very reluctant to form a party. He did not have such intentions when he first saw Ye Ci climbing
up.
After he saw the way she positioned and kited, however, he immediately decide to form a party
with her.
The speed at which that hunter could kill was comparable to his. It might even be faster, therefore
he knew that they would be efficient if they formed a party together.
“So, you are Golden Man.” Ye Ci lifted her head and looked at Golden Man who was standing
not far from her. She felt an indescribable feeling. It still felt quite strange to form a party with
someone she had only known from the leaderboard in her past life.
“Yes, you are…”
“I am Gongzi You.” Ye Ci laughed and immediately changed the setting of her name to “allow
party to view”.
“Oh.” Golden man looked at Ye Ci’s smiling face, then at her name. He could not resist
laughing. “That is a very...interesting name.”
It was that again. It was that again... Her name was random. She was not a ladyboy!
Both of them exchanged some pleasantries as they starting kill the wolves again. Individually, they
were already two strong players. After grouping up, they became a wolf-massacring tank. There
were wolf carcasses everywhere they went.
The drop rate for Wild Wolf’s Eyeballs was very low. Only one eyeball dropped for every ten or
more wolves that were killed. Ye Ci could only stay calm and concentrate on killing wolves.
However, she wondered what was Golden Man’s purpose was. He was also engrossed in this wolf
killing. If it was just for a quest, he would have completed it much earlier.
“Why are you killing so many wolves. If it is for a quest, it should be faster than this.” Ye Ci
asked him as it came to her mind.
“Quest.” Golden Man replied with a smile. It was obvious that he did not really like talking.
“What about you? Why are you killing so many wolves?”
“Same.”
Both of them smile and looked at each other. Suddenly, they realised that all the wolves in the
canyon had disappeared, to be replaced by a gnome in the north corner.
As they walked over, they heard a loud voice from the gnome. “Is it you two?! You actually killed
so many wolves! Did you came here to help me negotiate?”
Hidden NPC!
Both of them became excited when they saw the NPC. They immediately rushed to the gnome and
nodded. “How can we help you?”
“How can you help? You can help negotiate with that Heishan! That beast! I told him I was only
here to discover more ore veins. It actually locked me here! Doesn’t it understand speech!? Enter
from the mountain opening behind me, and please tell Heishan to quickly return my treasure to
me!”
Locked? Ye Ci looked at the gnome and winked. “Where are you locked? How can we save
you?”
“Eh! Damn you tallies! You think that Frodo is lying! No, Frodo is the most honest gnome! I am
trapped in this piece of empty land! God! Are you laughing at me? Quickly, go and negotiate with
Heishan! If you don’t go now, I will kick your butts!” The gnome named Frodo looked angry and
kept jumping, both his eyes fiery.
Locked in this piece of land? Ye Ci looked at Frodo’s height and understood. Well, it seemed that
such a concentration of essence was not always a good thing.
Golden Man bit his lips and jeered. “Well, let’s go!”
When they looked again, a shining light that indicated an dungeon appeared on the mountain wall
behind Frodo.
The two of them were about the enter the dungeon when they heard a prompt from the dungeon:
The minimum level requirement for the dungeon Heishan’s Lair is level 8. Please have 5
members in your party. You do not meet the requirements. There is a risk of dying if you enter this
dungeon without proper consideration. Please confirm if you would like to enter this dungeon.
There wasn’t much risk for the both of them as they had already reached level 10 and would not
lose experience if they died. However, it would be such a pity to die and exit such a dungeon
without obtaining any items.
“Do you have any friends who are level 8?” Goldman asked Ye Ci.
“The highest is at level 7.” Ye Ci looked at the characters in her “Friends” box. Only Liu
Chang had reached level 7 after she having completed a few quests. Gleaming Sunshine and Leftie
were both still struggling at level 4.
Goldman sent a Friend invitation to Ye Ci and simultaneously replied, “I have a few friends who
are now at level 8. Can they come along?”
“Of course. You can look for the other members.” Ye Ci nodded in agreement. Judging from the
requirements of this dungeon, they should not be able to complete it with only two of them. Since
she did not have the necessary resources and Golden Man did, there was no reason for her to reject
him.
Goldman quickly contacted his Friends. Then, he said to Ye Ci, “Gongzi, I can only find 2
Friends who are at Level 8. One of my friends is in a party with another level 8 player. However, I
do not know him so I am not sure of his background. Do you want to invite him?”
Ye Ci laughed in a heroic manner, “Why can’t he come? Friends are made by playing together.”
This was Ye Ci heartfelt words. In her previous life, she had no friends. That was because she had
been unwilling to play with anyone and she was stingy when it came to sharing.In the end, she had
become all alone. This time around, she would not make the same mistakes.
The smile on Goldman’s face became warmer as he heard Ye Ci’s words. He nodded and
contacted his friends. After some time, he said to Ye Ci, “They can only reach us in an hour. They
are currently travelling on the map. Let’s go back and replenish our supplies in the meantime.”
“No problem. Let’s meetup here later.” Ye Ci nodded, bidding farewell to Goldman. Then, she
leaped onto a branch and quickly left.
Golden Man followed suit and left the area speedily.
When she got back, she repaired her equipment and replenished her arrows. In an unprecedented
manner, Natasha, the enigmatic expressionless beauty, actually gave Ye Ci a quiver with 12 slots.
She explained that because Ye Ci’s accumulated spending had reached a certain amount, she gave
her a small reward.
Surprisingly, such promotional methods used by supermarkets were also emulated in this game. Ye
Ci smiled as she received the quiver. She quickly filled up the 12 slots of arrows and raced
towards the horizontal slope at the midpoint of the Wolf Canyon.
She thought that she was fast but there was actually someone even faster. Goldman was actually
waiting for her. He sat on the floor with a bottle of water and was munching a dry biscuit. He
waved his hands at her once he spotted her.
As both of them sat down, Ye Ci began to eat her biscuit to satisfy her hunger. After barely
chatting for awhile, they saw a panting dwarf who was with a female gnome, the latter of whom
was panting even harder. They climbed up the slope.
After he reached the slope, he sat down heavily, faced Golden Man, and said, “You horrible
person. Why would you find a dungeon on a slope. Do you know that my legs are short? How can
I compare to both of you elves who have long legs?”
The female gnome had resigned herself to lying on the grass. Between large breaths, she said, “I
am so tired. I am so tired. Why did I chose to be a gnome at the start? It kills me to just climb a
hill.”
Golden Man laughed loudly. He said to Ye Ci, “Gongzi, let me introduce them to you. The dwarf
is my friend, Let Go Of That Girl. The female gnome is my sister’s friend, Ideal Height 1.7m”
Ye Ci froze for a moment. She was startled and could only look at the dwarf blankly. She did not
expect this person to be the number one player on the leaderboard, Let Go Of That Girl. In this life,
she had seen all the characters that she had never met in her previous life.
“That Girl, Ideal, this is a new friend I just met, Gongzi You. Her controlling is super
impressive!” Golden Man introduced Ye Ci to his two other friends who were sitting down.
“Oh, you are really a female? Why did you give yourself a male name? I don’t think this game
allows transvestite characters.” Ideal Height 1.7m stared at Ye Ci with her eyes wide and a face
full of curiosity.
Ye Ci really wanted to bawl her eyes out.
“It was random.” Ye Ci face the sky as she cried a bowl of tears in her heart. Life...is such a
tragedy.
Let Go Of That Girl, warrior, crazy leveler, spoke candidly.
Ideal Height 1.7m, Warlock, seemed to have a vaguely romantic relationship with Let Go Of That
Girl, Innocent, spoke frankly.
Amidst their conversation, they spotted a person climbing up. Ruffling his fur, he change to a
human form. He headed towards the group and smile as he walked, “Hey, hey, hey. What you all
are doing is not right. How can you get a Lycanthrope to help you fight wolves? Haven’t you
heard the saying: We were originally grown from the same root. Why should we hound each other
to death with such impatience?”
Let Go Of That Girl jumped up and said to the Lycanthrope with tears in his eyes, “Four Seas, he
really manage to find you. I thought he’d just find some noob to satisfy me.”
“How much do you think you can take?” The Lycanthrope cleric said. Four Seas immediately
pushed away Let Go Of That Girl who was intending to hug him enthusiastically. He walked
directly towards Ye Ci...
Chapter 14 Trust Is A Premium Ability
“Gongzi You? I’ve heard a lot about you.” Four Seas smiled at Ye Ci while extending his hand.
Heard of her? Ye Ci was puzzled. The game was still quite new. Where could he have heard about
her from?
Ye Ci shook Four Seas’ hand politely. It’d be rude to leave him hanging. She asked with a hint of
curiosity, “Whom have you heard of me from?”
“I was doing a quest in Lycan Black Forest when I met a friend. He told me that he came across
an Elven Huntress with mad skills. I wasn’t going to come when Golden invited me, but when I
heard that there was an equally skilled Elven Huntress in the party, I couldn’t resist the urge to
witness myself just how good you are.”
Upon his explanation, Ye Ci sweated.
“Are you talking about Lukewarm Water?” It was the only idiot with zero sense of direction that
she knew.
Four Seas did not give Ye Ci an answer. He sat down and started eating. He smiled at Ye Ci, his
handsome face made it seem as if he was pondering something.
Ye Ci was no stranger to this kind of feeling. It was a feeling of distrust. If she had come across
such an expression in her previous life, she would definitely cuss at the person. In this world,
however, she felt that it no longer mattered.
Making friends with a sincere heart was more important to her now.
She sat down and continued munching on her food, her face revealing no inner emotions.
Four Seas observed Ye Ci for a moment before suddenly saying, “Yes, it’s Lukewarm Water.”
Ye Ci was stunned for a moment. She was not sure if it had been done it on purpose or if Four
Seas was typically slow to respond to questions. She nodded, “I’m not that good.”
Four Seas raised his eyebrows in disbelief, as if he were about to say something. Golden Man
stood up and said, “I’m sure you guys are done replenishing. Let’s go.”
After wolfing down the last of the biscuit and washing it down with a few gulps of water, Ye Ci
stood up and followed her companions into Heishan’s Lair.
Ye Ci had never been to this dungeon before. It did not even exist in the forums during her past
life. There were two possibilities to this. Either this dungeon was never discovered or the ones
who discovered it kept it a secret.
The reasons did not matter to Ye Ci. The dark damp cave did not scare Ye Ci. Instead, it filled her
with excitement.
The excitement of exploring the unknown was very precious to Ye Ci. She had explored every
known dungeon in Fate during her past life. She had never expected to find anything new.
“Why are caves always so dark? Can’t they make a more scenic dungeon?” Ideal Height 1.7m
slipped and gave the ground a big hug due to the darkness.
She began to grumble after getting up.
Ye Ci smiled. There were a lot of scenic dungeons in the later stages of Fate. The scenes were so
beautiful that the players would even forget that they were there to fight monsters.
“Beautiful scenery? You’re talking about the sightseeing area…” Let Go Of That Girl rubbed
his nose and squinted, “Why are there no lights?”
“Elves can see pretty well in the dark, Lycans have Night Vision, Dwarves can do pretty good in
the dark as well, but as for Gnomes…” Four Seas looked worriedly at Ideal Height 1.7m.
Ideal Height 1.7m snorted, “We’ll carve our own path if one is not provided to us. You don’t
have to worry about me.” She took a torch out from her inventory and handed it to the tallest
person, Golden Man. “Here, take it so that everyone can see.”
Golden Man explored with caution in the front of the group. Not even the quietest of sounds were
present in the dungeon.
It was awfully quiet.
Ye Ci walked at the rear of the group, protecting their Cleric, Four Seas, and Ideal Height 1.7m.
Clerics were aggro magnets in dungeons. If the warriors did not taunt the monsters that appeared
in time, all of them would be heading straight for the Cleric.
Ideal Height 1.7m was a mage and also a soft target. An Elite monster in a dungeon like this could
kill her within two hits.
Ye Ci walked silently at the back of the group with her bow drawn. She was ready to shoot at
anything that moved.
Four Seas took a look at Ye Ci, only seeing her calm and expressionless face. He thought that
there was a hint of excitement as their eyes met briefly.
Ye Ci realised that Four Seas was looking at her and she asked, “What? Is something wrong?”
“You’re calm.” Four Seas was straightforward.
“There was nothing to be afraid of.” A smile lit up Ye Ci’s bored face. “It’s a dungeon. It’
s either you or the monsters that are going to die. There’s no third option.”
Four Seas was puzzled. Gongzi You was very different from the female players he knew, “Death
is painful.”
“Escaping is my forte.” Ye Ci let out a forced laugh. “As long as you’re not dead, we won’
t get annihilated.”
“You trust me that much?” Four Seas did not expect that answer. Why would she trust him when
they’d just met?
“I see you’re close friends with Golden Man and Let Go Of That Girl. If they trust you, you
won’t be that bad.” Ye Ci concluded. “Everybody else would come to the same conclusion. This
has nothing to do with trust.”
Ye Ci surveyed their surrounding while taking to Four Seas. Her voice was soft, a special kind of
soft only possessed by elves. It was music to the ears.
Four Seas did not reply immediately. He was deep in thoughts.
Ye Ci took in a deep breath and said, “Trust is a premium ability that couldn’t be owned by
everyone. I was just trying to lean in and hope that I could…” she continued with a short pause,
“do it.”
Four Seas expression changed, he could not describe how he felt. He was silent. He Glanced
meaningfully at Ye Ci and said with a playful tone, “Hey, Gongzi You, I’ll entrust my life and
Ideal’s life to you since you’re so skillful. Don’t let us die.”
It was Ye Ci’s turn to be stunned. Looking at Four Seas, she could feel a pressure building up
within her.
It was heavy, but she felt at ease.
This pressure is called… Trust.
“Sure.” Her lips formed into a rare smile.
The silence and darkness was very unsettling.
“F*ck, we must be lost! Or was the game bugged? We’ve been walking for 10 minutes and we
haven’t seen jack shit!” shouted Let Go Of That Girl who was walking side by side with Golden
Man.
“Stay calm. You must remain calm.”
Golden Man kept his calm. He walked forward slowly while slowly surveying his surroundings.
He was as steady as an old monk.
A chill crept down Ye Ci’s spine all of a sudden. She held her breath and mouthed silently, “It’
s here.”
At the same time, Golden Man halted and spoke at the same time as Ye Ci, “It’s here.”
Before they could finish their sentence, a blinding light flashed into their vision.
“Ladies and gentleman, why are you trespassing my territory?” A crisp voice resounded in the
area.
Ye Ci squinted and saw a wooden door not far from them. A rat man stood close by and shouted,
“Let’s welcome our guests in the name of our great leader!”
As the door slowly opened, Golden Man’s ears twitched. He shouted, “There are monsters
behind the door! Be careful!”
The group prepared themselves for battle. Nevertheless, the wolf pack that swarmed out of the
doorway was an awe inspiring sight.
When one side fought with unequal numbers, the speed of their movement and the ferocity of their
attacks was most important.
The only one that could deal damage to the wolf pack was the ranged class. And among the five,
the only one who was a ranged character with high agility was Ye Ci.
“Gonzi, you….”
Ye Ci was already in position before Golden Man could finish his sentence. She jumped onto a
lamp post and suspended herself in the air with her high balance. She fired rapidly at the lead
wolf.
Ye Ci’s extremely high balance allowed her to jump between lamp posts. The wolf packs aggro
was handled by the two melee characters of Golden Man and Let Go Of That Girl. They easily
picked off the wolves that were already gravely injured by Ye Ci.
To the four of her companions, Ye Ci was like a kite unaffected by gravity, raining death as she
soared through the air.
Chapter 15 Heishan’s Lair
The five of them had never been in the same party before, but they fought as if they were familiar
with each other.
“Tsk…” Let Go Of That Girl clicked his tongue and praised Ye Ci. “No wonder you said that
she’s good. I’ve never seen a Huntress with such balance before. It’s almost like she could
handle this alone. If her attack damage was higher, I think she could’ve finished SOLO.”
“Four Seas, what do you think?” Golden man ignored his companion’s praise and asked Four
Seas, the latter of whom was doing his job and healing the party.
Four Seas stretched himself and sighed, “The pressure is real…”
Let Go Of That Girl shouted, “Hey! Hey! Hey! Do your job. I’m risking my life here. Heal me,
don’t let me die!”
“Somebody else was working hard up there and you’re complaining at a mere scratch?” Ideal
Height 1.7m did not miss the chance to make fun of Let Go Of That Girl.
Four Seas looked at Let Go Of That Girl, then at Ye Ci. He appeared to be deep in thought.
“You’re not yourself today. You’re actually doing a good job as a healer.” Golden Man could
not believe that Four Seas was sticking to his job.
“I’ve always been a good healer.” Four Seas was proud of himself. “Nobody is as good as I
am.”
Ye Ci could see everything clearly in the air. “Get past that door, there’s a bridge beyond it. We
can make a stand there.” Ye Ci shouted.
The group sped up and managed to clear away the last of the wolf pack, getting onto the bridge.
The dungeon was easier after that. It was almost like they were steamrolling through the entire
dungeon.
The bridge was so narrow that Let Go Of That Girl alone could block the entire way just by
standing in the middle, allowing only two wolves to attack them at the same time. With such
excellent terrain, they could even defeat an entire army.
Four Seas was the one who did the least among the five. He sat on the ledge, yawning while
healing his comrades.
Out of boredom, he looked at the damage output ranking.
He was not surprised to see that Let Go Of That Girl, their usual main damage dealer, was no
longer ranked first. Gongzi You was, without a doubt, the one who dealt the most damage. Her
damage output was 35% of the total damage output. Four Seas could not help but steal a glance at
Ye Ci.
Few Hunters or Huntresses had managed to deal more damage than the tank. They tended not to
attract aggression from the monsters.
This Huntress… Her gorgeous movements and kiting were not the only thing she was good at.
Ye Ci could feel that somebody was looking at her . As she turned around, she locked eyes with
Four Seas. He did not avert his gaze. Instead, a lazy smile formed on his lips.
Ye Ci did not suspect much, as she was never one to care about somebody else’s thoughts. It
would be too tiring for her.
The group have also nearly cleared the bridge. The wolves on the other side of the bridge
obviously thinned out.
Only a few grey wolves lurked around, but they were visibly larger than the wolves earlier on.
Their attributes identified them as Elites.
“We’re facing against Elites, put your backs into it.” Golden Man reminded the party.
He received no reply. The others were already in action before he spoke. Even Four Seas that
appeared bored a few moments earlier charged into the fray.
“What a bunch of animals...” Golden Man, who had been left behind, sighed before he charged
out to join his companions.
There was basically nothing difficult about the dungeon. The only situation that placed everyone
in danger was at the part before the bridge. They could easily get surrounded by the wolves,
therefore teamwork was very important. After that, everything was very straightforward except for
the occasional Elite Wolf.
They effortlessly reached a staircase. Ye Ci leaped onto a huge rock beside the staircase and
surveyed the surrounding before jumping back down.“Heishan is in there. His hit points are high,
around 100,000. This we can handle. But for the three guardians in front of him, it seems like their
movements are linked.”
“I’ll take care of two of them. You guys concentrate your attacks on the remaining one.” Let Go
Of That Girl drank a Defense Potion and rushed onto the staircase with the three Guardian Wolves
in hot pursuit.
The group, or as Golden Man said, the group of animals, pounced on the wolves.
Of the group, two of them were listed on the Rankings. One of them was a moving cannon, and
the other a ferocious Huntress. With the aid of a basically useless Cleric, they took care of the
three guardians in under 10 minutes.
“Go go go, hurry up, go for the loots!” Let Go Of That Girl rubbed his hands happily, laughing
at the corpse of the three guardian Wolves.
Ye Ci stood far away. She was afraid that her “Black Hand Aura” would affect the loot.
Golden Man thought that she was merely being shy and said, “Gongzi, what are you doing, go
pick up the loot.”
Ye Ci smiled and said, “Nevermind, I’ll leave it to you guys.”
“Your damage output is the highest, you should do it.” Golden Man pushed Ye Ci towards one
of the corpses.
“My hands are very unlucky.” Ye Ci was helpless.
“Don’t worry, the so-called “Black Hand” means that you’ll get things that we don’t need.
But with our current situation, I think you’ll get lucky no matter what.”
Ye Ci looked into the sky. She was speechless. Her “Black Hand” was different. Her “Black
Hand” would ensure that there were no loots.
The “Black Hand” aura had always followed Ye Ci. It had always been by her side. Always.
The corpse that Ye Ci looted contained nothing, while the other two yielded three Blue
equipments.
Let Of Go That Girl looked at Ye Ci and cried out in anguish after failing to obtain the weapon
that he dreamt of, “You sure as hell are unlucky.”
Ye Ci shrugged and sighed, “You made me do this…”
Heishan was a paper tiger without his three guardians. Nevertheless, he lasted for almost an hour
just because of his immense number of hit points.
Let Go Of That Girl was the one that looted the corpse, and his luck was good.
The corpse yielded 4 Blue equipment, as well as some potions and materials. There was also a key
that was a Quest Item.
The description was vague: You might be able to use it at the cellar of the Red Monastery.
The Red Monastery!
It was a 50-man-party lvl 40 dungeon!
Ye Ci remembered the time when she went to the Monastery with a group. There was a mysterious
door in the cellar, but they had never been able to open it. Looks like they had just found the key.
Each of them received the Quest Item. They added each other as friends and promised to go to the
Red Monastery to complete the quest when the time came.
They divided the loot and each of them received at least two or three items, with the exception of
Ye Ci who only received a gauntlet that doubled her strength. Golden Man felt sorry for Ye Ci, and
he gave her all the potions and materials looted from Heishan.
Ye Ci happily accepted.
“This dungeon is so lit. It’s easy but it gives a lot of experience points and good gear, although
we don’t know when it will reset.” Let Go Of That Girl was deeply satisfied from his experience
bar, which was already half full at lvl 9.
“I’ll go see if I can find some quest item.” Said Ye Ci who was the first one to have cleared up
her items. She saw a pile of rope ladder glistening with a light which hinted it could be picked up.
It could be the Quest Item.
Something fell out from beneath the pile of rope ladders as Ye Ci lifted it up.
Ye Xiu picked up the object and a system notification chimed in: Black Ring was bound to you.
It was a very curious case. For an item in Fate to be bound, a player was usually required to bind it
through Soul Bind Mage.
She took a look at the ring’s stats. It was a Grey equipment, something with the lowest quality. It
had 0 stats, as if it were merely for decoration.
Walking out of the house, Ye Ci showed the ring to her companions. They waved it off as a BUG,
and since it was bound to Ye Ci, it belonged to her.
Ye Ci felt guilty. She did not obtain that item fairly, even though it was a simple Grey equipment.
She attempted to pay Golden Man with 10 gold coins as compensation.
Her action, however, unsettled the group. They refused the compensation while Four Seas jokingly
said, “If you really mind about it that much, the next time you obtain some sort of God-tier
weapon, give it to me.”
Although it was a simple joke, Ye Ci found closure in her heart. The group left the dungeon and
parted ways.
Frodo accepted the rope ladder from Ye Ci, but he maintained a glare at her without explanation.
He sat on a rock and refused to speak with Ye Ci.
It was already late and if Ye Ci did not go for dinner soon, her parents would be worrying about
her again. She logged off the game.
Ye Ci made some food to satiate her hunger after climbing out of the gaming cabin. She
immediately received a phone call from her parents checking in on her. After hanging up the call,
her phone rang again before she could go into the shower.
It was an unfamiliar number. After a moment of hesitation, Ye Ci connected the call.
“Hello? Who is this?”
“Little Ci, it’s me.”
Chapter 16 Thousand Sunsets
The voice was familiar. It was so familiar yet Ye Ci could not be sure who it belonged to.
“What? We’ve just talked in the game, and you’ve forgotten about me already? It seems that I
have to call you more often.” Said the person in a cheerful tone.
“Yi Cang?” asked Ye Ci with uncertainty after a brief hesitation.
“I thought you’d forgotten me.” Yi Cang laughed out loud. It was just like so many years ago.
Nothing had changed.
Ye Ci had a sense of vertigo.
It was as if she had never experience the ten years of her past life, never had done anything to hurt
her friends. They were still an adorable bunch.
“Let’s have a meal together tomorrow.”Yi Cang stated his purpose after noticing that Ye Ci was
silent.
Ye Ci had a sudden realisation. She remembered something. Yi Cang had also given her a call in
her past life. However, she rejected his invitation as she had been busy leveling up in the game.
She would never repeat the same mistake in this life. “Sure, where to?”
“Eh? You agreed!” It was Yi Cang’s turn to be shocked.
“What? Is it strange that I’ve accepted your invitation?”
“No, it’s just that you’re a madman when it comes to leveling up. I thought you’d decline my
invitation if I asked you out for a meal.” Yi Cang answered after scratching his head. He
understood Ye Ci less than he had thought.
Ye Ci felt bitter. Looks like she was quite despicable in her last life. But she immediately became
happy. She had the chance to turn over a new leaf. “There’s no such thing. Tell me where and
when and I’ll be there in time.”
Yi Cang immediately told her the venue and both of them hung up after a brief conversation.
Early in the morning on the next day, Ye Ci went out after cleaning her room.
The city was named as the “City Most Suited For Human Life” due to its go green projects. Ye
Ci could smell the fresh air right after leaving her room.
Ye Ci took a deep breath and exhaled, as if she wanted to eliminate the years of accumulated
sorrow.
Ye Ci decided to walk to their gathering spot as it was still early. She was jovial for the entire
entire journey to the point where she even broke into a small jog.
Although she was slightly out of breath, it felt good to be alive.
Ye Ci spotted Liu Chang right away after reaching the spot where they were supposed to meet up.
She had been pacing back and forth in a pair of jeans in front of the restaurant. Liu Cang waved at
Ye Ci and she ran towards her, gasping for air.
“What? You participated in a marathon or something?” Liu Chang laughed at Ye Ci and dragged
her upstairs.
Yi Cang and Dong Yin were already there.
They were still the same. Yi Cang was busy with his handheld computer while Dong Yin was
peering at the screen from his side. They would sometimes have a heated discussion about
something. Both of them raised their head after Ye Ci entered the room and they waved at her,
greeting her warmly. It was all the same, just like back then in their childhood.
A waiter handed them the menu right after they were seated.
After shirking the menu around, it landed with Ye Ci. She was stunned. Truth to be told, Ye Ci
never knew the favourite dishes of her friends. She should have known them well since they grew
up together. Ye Ci was overwhelmed with guilt. She knew very little about the people around her.
Ye Ci awkwardness was noticed by Liu Chang. She took the menu from her with a smile and said,
“You got me so many equipment yesterday. As a reward, I shall offer you my service!” She
ordered everyone’s favourite dishes.
Ye Ci sighed in relief. She stole a glance a Liu Chang, who happened to be looking at her. They
smiled at each other knowingly.
The food was quickly served, but there was an extra set of cutlery on the table. Ye Ci look at the
set of cutlery and asked, “Is there someone that was supposed to be here was well?”
Yi Cang took a look at his watch. He did not seem to mind, “He will be here soon. Don’t mind
him. Let’s eat.”
The voice of a man could be heard even before Yi Cang could finish his sentence, “How unkind.
You started without me, you brat!”
Ye Ci and her friends raised their head. A well-built man walked into the room. His pace was
quick but steady. His hair was cut nicely and short. Yi Cang stood up and welcomed the man,
giving him a tight hug.
Dong Yin and Liu Chang greeted the man with smiles of their own as well. Although they did not
offer to hug him, they seemed to be familiar with the man.
Ye Ci did not know the man. She merely stood up and greeted him.
Yi Cang let go of the man after a short while and showed him to his seat excitedly. He said to Ye
Ci, “Little Ci, hurry, allow me to introduce to you my instructor when I was in the military
academy. Now we’re like brothers…”
Without waiting for Yi Cang to finish his introduction, the man extended his arm to Ye Ci, “Don’
t listen to Yi Cang. What instructor? I’m just a normal citizen. The name’s He Xiao. You must be
Ye Ci right? I’ve heard a lot about you. I’ve tried to invite you several times earlier on, it’s good
to finally meet you!”
Earlier on? Ye Ci couldn’t help but remember. For her, it was something as far as ten years ago.
There was no way she could remember that. She shook He Xiao’s hand. It was the hand of a
soldier, firm and rough.
“It’s nice to meet you too. I was quite busy back then, I’m really sorry.” Ye Ci nodded with a
smile.
“There’s no need to be sorry! Since we have the chance to be acquainted, we’re friends!” He
Xiao was carefree. He did not care about the little details.
The group continued eating after their brief introduction. The atmosphere was harmonious. Fate
was soon brought up.
“Brother He, are you playing Fate as well? I’ve tried asking you but you never gave me an
answer. I will get a definite answer from you today.” Yi Cang smiled at He Xiao.
“This is exactly why I’ve asked you guys out,”He Xiao looked at the group,“I’m playing Fate,
and I’ve decided to form a guild once I’ve reached lvl 10.”
“Wow! You’re forming a guild!’ Dong Yin seemed to adore He Xiao. Her eyes lit up whenever
he spoke.
“Most of the members would be my retired comrades.”
“Brother He, what’s your in-game-name? I’ll add you as a friend later!”
“Thousand Sunsets.”
As the rest continued their conversation, Ye Ci was stupefied after hearing that name. She raised
her head and stared at He Xiao. So this was Thousand Sunsets?
Thousand Sunsets was not quite famous at the earlier stages of the game. His fame came from the
guild that he created --- Steel Blooded Battle Spear. From her knowledge of her past life,
Thousand Sunsets was a man of honor. He was a former military man. The entire guild was
structured like the military, and the main force of his guild was formed by the best of the best.
Their guild was different from the other big guilds. It was formed after they’d started playing Fate.
Its growth, however, was astonishing. They became one of the nation’s top 10 guilds in just three
years. Thousand Sunset’s hard work could not be overlooked.
On a personal level, Thousand Sunsets was very good at making friends. He had his way of
making friends with people of different background. There was once a saying in Fate, “It’s okay
for you to not recognise the top 10 players of Fate, but it’s unforgivable if you do not know
Thousand Sunsets.”
This was the proof that Thousand Sunsets was very famous in Fate.
Ye Ci had crossed path with Thousand Sunsets before, but it was not a good meeting.
At that time, Fate officially opened the Guild War event. Steel Blooded Battle Spear was the
defender. Blizzard Gate was the attacker.
Thousand Sunsets sought help from Ye Ci through Yi Cang one week before the war, as she was
the number one Human Sorceress. He paid her well to help defend their city. Ye Ci did not decline.
Blizzard Gate reached out to Ye Ci and offered to pay three time more than Thousand Sunsets for
her aid.
Three days later, the reinforcement that Thousand Sunsets was hoping for appeared in the midst of
his enemy.
Steel Blooded Battle Spear and Blizzard Gate were equally matched. He was trying to break the
balance by inviting Ye Ci over to his side. It did not end well for him.
In the end, Steel Blooded Battle Spear was dealt a crippling blow. The defeat they suffered took a
long time to recover. This affected their progress in clearing dungeons and many of their members
left because of that. Eventually the guild was nothing but a ghost of its former self, soon fading
away from everyone’s memories.
This was why Yi Cang and Dong Yin had cut off all ties with Ye Ci. It also destroyed Ye Ci’s
relationship with Liu Chang.
The past conflict was like a dream to Ye Ci. She had never thought that Yi Cang was contacting
her for the sake of Thousand Sunsets.
There were times when Ye Ci had thought that she had everything under control. She was wrong.
“Little Ci, Little Ci. Brother He is talking to you!” Dong Yin noticed that Ye Ci was
unresponsive and nudged her from under the table. Ye Ci was pulled back into reality.
“What?”
“We’re joining Brother He’s guild when it’s formed. Let’s go together!” Dong Yin was so
excited her face turned a faint shade of red.
Chapter 17 The Mysterious Ring
Ye Ci did not agree to Dong Yin’s words and instead glanced at He Xiao was still smiling at her.
“It’s no big deal. To me, it’s just friends playing a game together. We could take care of each
other. It’s ok if you have other plans, we can add each other as friends. It’s the same anyways.”
“Ok, I’ll join your guild.” Ye Ci gave her answer.
Her decision to join Steel Blooded Battle Spear was not because of her guilt for her past life’s
betrayal. It was because of Yi Cang, Dong Yin, and Liu Chang. She did not have to do everything
alone if she joined them.
“I told you she would agree!” Liu Chang hollered, hugging Ye Ci and smiling at Dong Yin.
Ye Ci laughed along and the five of them continued their meal with glee.
He Xiao parted with the four after the meal. Ye Ci was planning to continue leveling up but Dong
Yin proposed a trip to the nearby theme park. The four of them went to the theme park for an
entire day before finally parting ways at 8 pm.
Ye Ci did not log into the game that night. She slept after giving her parents a phone call.
Ye Ci slept like the dead that night. Even her circadian rhythm failed to wake her up. It was
already midday before she had finally woken up.
After a light meal, Ye Ci tidied herself up and logged into the game.
Ye Ci received a private message right after she went online. It was from Golden Man, asking her
if she had left the newbie village.
Ye Ci was still in Wolf Canyon.
“We’re going to explore the Abandoned Mine in Moonfall City. Are you free?”
“It’s not possible at the moment. I’m still at the spot where I went offline that day. I need quite
some time to get to Moonfall City from here.” Ye Ci calculated the distance between her location
and Moonfall City. She needed at least two hours to get to Moonfall City.
“Ok then, we’ll go first. Remember to get in touch when you have the time.” Golden Man said
in a regretful tone and cut off the voice connection.
Ye Ci surveyed her surroundings. Frodo was still sitting at the same spot. She did not mind him
and was preparing to leave. Frodo shrieked unexpectedly, “Hey! Big one, you’re walking away
with my stuff!”
Ye Ci was baffled. She turned around and saw a furious Frodo, “What have I taken away from
you? I gave that ladder back to you.”
“Hmph! Frodo knew not to trust the wretched Elves. They never speak the truth!” Frodo was so
angry that he jumped up and down, waving his fists at Ye Ci. “My ring! My precious ring! It’s
with you!”
Ring? Ye Ci produced the bound Black Ring from and asked, “Do you happen to be talking about
this?”
“Yes! This is it!’ Frodo rushed towards Ye Ci in an attempt to grab the Black Ring. She hid the
ring away and asked, “Don’t you think you have some explanations to make? Like...what exactly
is this ring?”
Something that was important to a hidden NPC, and what’s more, one that automatically bound
itself to her… There must be something more to the Grey equipment than what it appeared to be.
Ye Ci could feel that the ring was nothing ordinary, but she would need to figure out the way to
discover its secrets from Frodo.
Frodo glared at Ye Ci, looking as if he could spew fire from his eyes. He breathed heavily and his
face was so red that it looked like he would explode. “Frodo will never tell you where that thing
came from! Frodo will never tell you that the precious thing is related to the Dark Lord Naga!”
Ye Ci nearly laughed out loud. There was a Gnome NPC that had been labeled as log-headed by
the players.
Ye Ci held the ring up high. Frodo tried his best to grab the ring away from her, but his height
denied him success. Ye Ci grinned and patted Frodo’s head, “Yeap, you’ll never tell me that the
ring has anything to do with Dark Lord Naga…”
Ye Ci kept the ring into her inventory and pretended that she was leaving the area. She did not
expect it when Frodo jumped at her and shouted, “Give it back to Frodo!”
Frodo’s name was green. It meant that the players could not attack him. His tackle caught Ye Ci
off balance and she nearly fell. She managed to steady herself, trying to dislodge the log-head.
Gnomes are known by their small size and high level of intelligence. Of course, their intelligence
had nothing to do with them being log-heads. Although having a disadvantage in size, Frodo held
on to Ye Ci with dear life. In the end, he could not escape the fate of being grabbed by the hem of
his shirt.
Ye Ci was gasping for air by then. Having low strength was such a pain in the neck. If only she
was a warrior, she could’ve sent Frodo flying.
She lifted Frodo away from her by the hem of his shirt. Frodo furiously swung his fist at Ye Ci but
he was just too small.
“I have something to ask you.”
“No! Frodo will not speak to this sly Elf!”
Ye Ci raised her eyebrows. The NPC did not understand the situation that he was in. She did not
waste her breath on him. She shook Frodo up and down violently and the Gnome screamed in fear.
Gnomes had very sharp voices. With Frodo’s screaming, Ye Ci felt as if her eardrums were going
to burst.
“Kind and beautiful Elf, what do you need from me?” Although Gnomes were log-headed, they
were still afraid to die. His behavior showed a 180 degree change after Ye Ci stopped shaking him.
“What is this?” Ye Ci took out the ring and showed it to Frodo.
Frodo had been seeing stars before, but his vision recovered immediately. He could only look
helplessly at the ring and replied, “It’s something precious.”
“What is so precious about it?”
“It’s something that can open Dark Lord Naga’s vault…” Frodo rubbed his hands together,
staring at the ring, his face red. “Through the ring, one can acquire the power of Naga, the power
of world domination.”
“How do I get it?”
Frodo gasped as if he was roused from some sort of trance. He looked at Ye Ci with a surprised
expression and covered his mouth. “I can’t tell you, I can’t tell you.”
Try as she might, Ye Ci could not force an answer out of Frodo aside, leaving him to mumble on
“I can’t tell you” incessantly. There was no longer any clues from him. Ye Ci let go of her hands
and Frodo fell onto the ground with a thump. Without looking back, Ye Ci jumped onto one of the
branches and left Wolf Canyon through the dense forest.
The power of Naga?
Dark Lord Naga was one of the hidden quests of Fate. There were hints pointing towards him in
the early stages of the game, but he only appeared after 9 years of Fate in a hundred-man lvl 100
Dungeon — Death’s Abyss.
Death’s Abyss was the biggest Dungeon cluster in Fate. This cluster of Dungeons had a very high
difficulty. Even before her rebirth, no guild in the world had ever cleared even the easiest
introduction Dungeon to the Death’s Abyss dungeons, the Gates of Flame.
A ring that had something to do with Naga? A ring that gave its bearer the power of Naga? Ye Ci
could still remember the time when players attempted to clear the Gates of Flame. Naga was
always hidden behind the dungeon’s BOSSes. Nobody had ever laid eyes on him. His mere breath
could annihilate an entire squadron of players.
Naga’s strength could no longer be described by the word “insane.” It was absolutely
overpowered.
How could this ring contain the power of Naga? Despite her doubts, Ye Ci was very excited.
However, the ring seemed normal no matter how she looked at it.
A flash of light appeared from the ring after Ye Ci wore it on her finger. She took a closer look at
the ring, and noticed that its stats changed.
Mysterious Ring:
Grey Equipment
Strength +2
Level Required: 0
Bound to: Gongzi You
Special Attributes: Growable
The stats of the ring are growable! Ye Ci was stunned. Only God-Tier equipments in Fate
possessed this attribute. How could a Grey Equipment possess such a quality?
Could Frodo be telling the truth?
Ye Ci did not put too much thought into it. Naga’s appearance was still a long way away. She had
no need to delve into the matter. The additional 2 points in Strength was satisfying enough for Ye
Ci, who had been longing for an increase in her attack damage.
Chapter 18 A New Pet!
Quite some players reached lvl 10 after Ye Ci’s one day of absence. However, there were still a lot
of new players appearing in the newbie village.
Ye Ci returned to the newbie village and handed 100 Wolf’s Eyeballs to Zol.
“Oh, young Huntress, I must say that you’re fast. You’ve brought me so much loot in such a
short amount of time. You’re a qualified hunter. You’re certainly a Huntress worthy of inheriting
this skill.” Zol handed the Hunter’s Mark skill book to Ye Ci without too much nonsense.
Ye Ci clapped her hands together after receiving the skill book. The skill book turned into a bright
white light and entered her body.
“You have learned Hunter’s Mark.” the system notification chimed in immediately.
It’s done! Ye Ci grinned after hearing the notification. With that skill, she was a true Huntress.
Talent could be accessed after a character hit lvl 10, and Ye Ci could wait no longer. A Huntress’s
talent was divided into three different categories: Pet Talent, Shooting Talent, and Survival Talent.
One does not simply get the salmon along with the bear’s paw. The choice of Talent worked the
same way.
Talent points were limited. To create the strongest character with such limited Talent points had
always been a topic of debate among Fate’s forums. Most of the popular topics on the forums
were about the combination between class, race, and Talent distribution.
Every one of them had their own point.
Of course…. If one had unlimited Talent points, this was not a matter to be worried about.
Ye Ci had 11 Talent points with her, 10 of which were from leveling up and one from completing
the village chief’s side quest.
She studied the first row of Talents available to her. She maxed out the 5 points of pet endurance,
distributed 3 points to upgrade Hunter’s Mark as well as 3 more points to the Survival Talent, and
upgraded Falcon’s Protection.
Ye Ci’s combination was mediocre.
Most players would agree that one should focus on only a single category of Talent, leaving aside
the other two merely as support.
Ye Ci, however, was more concerned about the Talent points earned from side quests. She greedily
distributed points to all three categories.
Ye Ci’s Hunter’s Mark and Falcon’s Protection had significant changes despite the few Talent
points distributed to each skill.
Falcon’s Protection had an increase of 30% attack damage. Hunter’s Mark’s increased range by
15m and its ranged damage was increased by 30%.
The Talent points distribution was mediocre, but the changes they brought to Ye Ci’s skills had a
major impact.
The only thing that Ye Ci lacked was a pet.
Ye Ci headed straight to Icy Cave. In Hard difficulty of Icy Cave, there would be an Elite Spider
following every rat man. The spider was Ye Ci’s target.
Monsters were visibly stronger in the Difficult version of Icy Cave. However, with her empowered
Hunter’s Mark and Falcon’s Protection, it was not hard for Ye Ci.
As Ye Ci approached Shator, she heard a low growl emanating from a bush not far from her. A
powerful figure was walking between the shrubs.
Haxie the Ripper!
It was a Wandering Boss that had a one in a thousandth chance of appearing in Icy Cave. It was
the best pet for a pre-lv30 Hunter or Huntress. Haxie was not part of Ye Ci’s plan. To run into
something that had only one in a thousandth chance of appearing was simply too hard. There was
once a Hunter who waited every single day for three months in Icy Cave for Haxie to appear. It
did not.
Ye Ci did not expect that she would run into Haxie in her first trip to Icy Cave on Difficult.
She decided not to go after the Spider and approached Haxie with Stealth activated.
Immediately after she had gotten within range, Ye Ci exited Stealth and attacked Haxie the Ripper
ferociously. A Huntress’s Capture Pet could be casted under any condition, but the chance of
success would be higher the lower the hit points of a target monster. She jumped left and right,
kiting the jet-black panther. She casted the Light of Enticement when Haxie’s health was at 5%.
Light of Enticement was a skill under the category of Pet Rearing used to capture pets. There were
also Pet Summon, Disband Pet, Release Pet, and Pet Heal.
Light of Enticement had a 12 seconds channeling time which could not be disrupted by any
monsters unless the caster died.
Haxie the Ripper was a Wandering Boss in the Difficult dungeon and its attack damage was high.
Ye Ci drank an assortment of potion such as Defense Potion, Agility Potion, and Health Potion
without stop during the 12 seconds channeling time of Light of Enticement. It was the longest 12
seconds of her life.
Haxie’s launched the fiercest and the most desperate of attacks under the effect of Light of
Enticement. Ye Ci almost gave up due to the pain, but the potions she brought along allowed her
to go on.
A golden flash emanated from Haxie the Ripper after the 12 seconds. Haxie was successfully
entrapped.
Ye Ci herself was not in a good condition. She had only 11% of her hit points left. Her clothing
were torn in several places and she could feel immense pain all over a body. She gulped down a
bottle of health potion before checking Haxie’s stats.
Name: Panther
Owner: Gongzi You
Level: 1
Hitpoints: 1630/1630
Stamina: 1300/1300
Skills: Scratch, Taunt, Speed Boost
Attribute: Wise, Loyal
Loyalty: 10
It was truly high grade! The happiness which arose from looking at Haxie’s stats could not be
described by words. She had never seen pets with such attributes before even in her last life! Pets
would normally possess quality such as Tame, Honest, Smart, Loyal, Sly, Bad Tempered,
Deceptive and Picky. “Wise” was the rarest quality of all.
Although she had never really calculated the rate of pets having “Wise” as their quality, Ye Ci
had come across a lot of pets with different attributes. No more than ten of them possessed the
quality “Wise”, and all of them had only one quality.
Wise pets possessed a higher level of intelligence and they would have a higher chance of learning
skills on their own as opposed to their counterparts. Loyal meant that the loyalty of a pet could be
easily obtained, and it would almost never abandon its owner no matter how bad a situation was.
Hunters in Fate treated their pets almost like their own parents. No Hunter would waste their time
or the space of their Pet Slot on a normal pet. Most of their pets were Elite monsters. The process
of acquiring them was tedious, and if they ran away, the invested money and experience points
would all be for naught.
Ye Ci looked at Haxie who was beside her. It was not as fierce as before. It stared at Ye Ci with its
big, glassy eye. When it learned that Ye Ci was looking back at it, it lowered its head shyly and
licked its paw.
You’re acting cute! You must be acting cute!
The system notification chimed in, “Do you want to rename your pet?”
“Yes.”
“Please name your pet.”
“Ol’ Three.”
“Are you sure you want to name your pet as ‘Ol’ Three’? You can only name your pet once.
Please name it carefully.”
“Confirm.”
“Naming successful!”
Although Ol’ Three was loyal, this didn’t guarantee that it wouldn’t run away. Before a pet’
s loyalty reached 100, any one of them could run away. There was only one way to raise a pet’s
loyalty — feed it.
Let’s be honest, pets were always vigorous eaters….
Ye Ci handed her biscuits to Ol’ Three. It sniffed at the food and turned its head to the side with
an expression that clearly said: this is not what I want.
“Your pet does not like this kind of food.” The system notification chimed in again just as Ye Ci
was about to figure out Ol’ Three favourite food.
Favourite food: Meat, poultry or fish (Of course, it would be better if it was cooked!)
She finally understood something. The reason behind why Hunters were usually the top 10 cooks
in Fate, it was all for their pets!
There was nothing she could do. Ye Ci munched on the biscuit ignored by Ol’ Three and handed
to it a few pieces of meat.
Ol’ Three did not hold back. It gulped down five pieces of roasted meat before letting out a
satisfied burp.
Ye Ci took a look at its Loyalty. It increased exponentially, haven risen to 15 points already. There
was still a long way for Ol Three’s Loyalty to reach 100. With a pet of her own, Ye Ci could
attack the 3 Bosses of Icy Cave without fear.
As a Boss grade pet, Ol’ Three performed well. It fought ferociously. Against the onslaught of 3
Bosses simultaneously, however, even an angel could not hold the line. Within moments, Ol’
Three lost its life and Ye Ci fled from the dungeon.
Ye Ci summoned Ol’ Three right after exiting the dungeon. It was feeling sad and its loyalty
dropped by 3.
“It’s like trying to serve a prince! It can’t starve and it can’t die!” Ye Ci grumbled at the rough
fate of Hunters in the not so distant future while feeding pieces of roasted meat to Ol’ Three.
As Ol’d Three was happily chomping down on its meal, Ye Ci could hear…..
Chapter 19 Icy Cave Hard Difficulty!
As Ol’ Three was happily devouring his meal, Ye Ci could hear the chime of a private message.
“Little Ci, Little Ci, are you there?”
It was Leftie (Yi Cang), “Yes? Anything going on, Yi Cang?”
“Brother He created his guild just now. We’ve all joined it. Let’s join in too!”
Steel Blooded Battle Spear was formed? It did not even take two days. Ye Ci was stunned. “Ok,
get somebody to add me.” Ye Ci replied after Yi Cang blabbered impatiently.
“Sure, wait a moment!”
Ye Ci continued feeding roasted meat to Ol’ Three after Yi Cang’s voice faded away. She
planned to learn Cooking in the city. She could no longer satisfy Ol’ Three’s appetite.
“Peacock Blue invited you to join ‘Steel Blooded Battle Spear’.”
“Confirm.”
“System will teleport you to the guild encampment once for free. Do you want to be teleported?”
Ye Ci thought about it for a moment. The guild encampment lead straight into the city. If she
teleported at this moment, it would save her the time of travelling. Since she had caught a pet and
could not clear Icy Cave on Hard Mode, why not go to the guild encampment and then select a
major city to bind her City Recalling Crystal to?
Ye Ci selected the option “Yes” and she was transported along with Ol’ Three to the
encampment.
Steel Blooded Battle Spear was obviously still recruiting. The encampment was chaotic with
people walking all over the place. The encampment was still lacking a lot of necessary facilities,
and the guild chat was bustling with activities as well.
Ye Ci walked towards the NPC guard in the guild encampment after muting her guild chat. Steel
Blooded Battle Spear was still a level 1 guild. The encampment NPC could provide guild
members with a buff that would increase their hitpoints for 10% for 3 hours. The NPC could also
transport guild members to different main cities.
After receiving her buff, Ye Ci confirmed the location of Steel Blooded Battle Spear members in
each of the main cities. After making comparisons, Ye Ci chose the Red Lake City, which was not
bound by any Steel Blooded Battle Spear members to the City Recalling Crystal. She paid 1 silver
coin and was transported to the city.
Red Lake City was very developed. The huge red lake in the middle of the city was its namesake.
This was a rather scenic city. Doing business in the city could be a chore for someone who could
not afford a boat ride. One must swim across the lake or traverse half the city to get to their
destination.
Ye Ci located and reported to the Mayor in the city hall. After skipping his dialogue, Ye Ci was
directed to an administrative officer by the mayor. Ye Ci bound her City Recalling Crystal with the
help of the officer and received a repeatable quest: Clear away the rubbish around Red Lake City.
Similar quests were offered in every major city. But these quests were generally avoided by
players at the start of the game as they had low experience, gold, and prestige reward.
Ye Ci knew, however, that carrying on such quest would raise her prestige in the city and allow
her to receive a special reward from the mayor. Regrettably, Ye Ci had yet to receive any special
rewards from a city as she had always been switching her bound city to avoid assassination
attempts by her rivals.
The special reward was obtained by doing the repeatable quests. If the quest was interrupted, the
player had to start the quest all over again.
As Ye Ci was carrying a broomstick around cleaning the city, Liu Chang was looking for her in the
guild encampment. Leftie and Gleaming Sunshine were finally lvl 8 while Liu Chang was lvl 8.
She was planning to look for a healer, whereupon the five of them would attempt to clear Icy Cave
on Hard difficulty.
Ye Ci could not be found in the guild encampment. She could not even be contacted through
private messages. Liu Chang was so anxious that she nagged at Leftie and Gleaming Sunshine.
“Yi Cang, Dong Yin, are you sure you guys have invited Ye Ci into the guild? I can’t find her!”
“I’m sure! I’m very absolutely sure! Wasn’t she invited in already? I’ve personally asked for
Sister Blue’s help for that. I’ve even confirmed it with her!”
“Then where is she!?”
Leftie and Gleaming Sunshine shook their heads collectively, obviously stating that they had
nothing to do with Ye Ci’s disappearance.
Liu Chang glared at the duo. Before she could say a word, Peacock Blue’s voice rang in the guild
channel. “To those who have not gone to any dungeons yet, report to Drunken Dream at
Administration. You’ll each be assigned to a party and sent into the dungeon an hour later.”
Leftie and Gleaming Sunshine were excited. “Liu Chang. Since you can’t find Ye Ci, let’s head
into the dungeon and get ourselves some good equipment!”
“Hasn’t Little Ci given you guys a set of equipment each?”
“We must go into the dungeon ourselves at least once!” Dong Yin grabbed hold of Liu Chang
and dragged her to register with Drunken Dream.
After spending 2 hours cleaning Red Lake City, Ye Ci greeted the NPC’s and learned Gathering,
Skinning, Potion Brewing, and Cooking. She returned to the city hall and handed in the quest to
the officer.
Ye Ci then went back to the guild encampment, then to the newbie village.
She once again arrived at Natasha’s to replenish her arrows and headed to Icy Cave.
“Icy Cave Normal Difficulty. We need two more, need one tank and a healer!
“Orcish Rogue going to Icy Cave normal difficulty, looking for a party!”
“Lvl 10 Gnome Druid, I can tank and heal. Add me into your party!”
……
When the players had begun to level up, hordes of lvl 5 players gathered in front of Icy Cave.
Some of them looked for a party while others were a party looking for members.
Most of them were going for normal difficulty. There was no one going for Hard difficulty of Icy
Cave. Ye Ci decided to write a message searching for a party.
It was then that she realized her chat channels were automatically muted by the system when she
had entered Red Lake City. She unmuted her Private Message and Map channel, after which she
immediately received a message from Liu Chang. “Goddammit! Where have you been Little
Ci!?”
“I went to Red Lake City to bind my City Recalling Crystal. All my chat channels were reset and
muted.”
Liu Chang did not trouble her further but still grumbled under her breath, “I have been looking
for you!”
“What’s up?”
“Icy Cave, Hard difficulty of course. I’ve been looking for you everywhere and I could not
contact you. I was dragged by Dong Yin and Yi Cang to perform hard labor instead.”
“What hard labor?”
“The guild admin separated us into different parties to head into the dungeon. It was not that bad,
except for the fact that it was quiet once we entered the dungeon and the equipment was not
divided fairly. The party leader took what he needed and gave one of the best equipment to the
guild. Only then did we get to divide the rest amongst ourselves!”
Liu Cang was agitated. “I don’t really care about the equipment, but after all our hard work, we
only got like one or two each. The party leader got at least three!”
“That’s how it works. Guilds would usually try their best to raise the GS (equipment rating) of
their core players so that they could clear dungeons. It’s normal for you guys to receive less in the
earlier stages.” Ye Ci was not surprised as this was how the major guilds usually operated.
“You mean that we’re all substitutes!” Liu Chang was even more depressed.
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll get your chance once you have enough GS. Your current
equipment is possibly even better than your party leader’s. You’re not a substitute.” Ye Ci
comforted Liu Chang with a laugh.
“Sigh, talk to you later. We’re fighting a BOSS.”Liu Chang didn’t appear to be in a good mood,
but she was no longer agitated after her conversation with Ye Ci. She closed the private message
channel just as the party leader directed them to fight against Shator.
“Any brave ones headed for Icy Cave hard difficulty!? Looking for DP (note: a slang for damage
dealers). We need three more members!”
Someone announced this right after Ye Ci turned off her private message. She immediately looked
for the source of the voice and sent a request to join the party.
Her request was immediately accepted.
A Dwarven Warrior and a Human Cleric was in the party. The warrior’s name was Little Icy Cold
Hands and the Cleric’s name was Icy Cold Little Hands. It was obvious that they were friends.
They shouted in amazement as the saw Ye Ci, “Wow there’s actually someone who’s not afraid
to die!”
Ye Ci was ridiculed by the duo. “Will the fear of death prevent you from dying?”
“Make sense!”
The now trio gathered in front of Icy Cave and Little Icy Cold Hands called out for party members
again. Little Grouper Fish and Just A Blade joined the party. They were a Mage and Barbarian
respectively, the former lvl 8 and the latter lvl 9. They were still under newbie protection. No
wonder they were not afraid to die.
With the exception of Little Icy Cold Hands, the rest of the party was either Orc, Human, or Elf.
All of them were tall. Little Icy Cold Hands could only look up to them as he spoke, “I’d like to
think that nobody has been to the Hard difficulty of Icy Cave yet. Don’t be afraid to die when you
enter the dungeon!”
Chapter 20 First Blood on Icy Cave Hard Difficulty!
The group entered the dungeon with high morale after renouncing their fear of death.
There was an internet saying. “One did not need to be afraid of godlike opponents, but one should
always beware of piglike teammates.”
This was the first time they worked together as a team, and Ye Ci did not expect much teamwork
from them. However, Ye Ci was on the verge of collapsing after an encounter with two monsters.
Of her four teammates, only Little Grouper Fish had some gaming basics. He was merely
throwing fireballs while standing still, however, without much consideration to his positioning.
Just A Blade played like a tank, facing off against monsters head, and while Icy Cold Little Hands
did not heal as a Cleric, she was busy throwing lightning balls alongside Little Grouper Fish
instead. Little Icy Cold Hands was doing bad as well. He could not build up an aggro of the
monsters they encounter and protect his team mates properly.
If it was not for Ye Ci who took out the two monsters single-handedly, the entire party would be
annihilated.
“We can’t make it, our equipments are inferior. If we carry on, we’ll really die.” sighed Little
Icy Cold Hands, almost giving up.
“It’s just two monsters. Can you not be such a defeatist?” Icy Cold Little Hands glared at him,
lowering his head as he continued to munch on his biscuit.
Little Grouper Fish looked at the rest of them and spoke slowly, “Who will be in command?”
Just A Blade immediately shook his head. “I’ll just follow any orders to the letter.”
Little Icy Cold Hands wanted to raise his hand and volunteered, but decided against it in the end.
“If you trust me, how bout letting me have a try?” said Ye Ci.
Ye Ci’s damage output was clearly listed out. Although it was merely two monsters at the
entrance, she was the only one in the party who seemed not to have made any mistakes. The others
looked amongst themselves before nodded in agreement.
“I’ve been in this dungeon in Normal difficulty quite some times, and I’ve explored the Hard
difficulty of the dungeon before. There shouldn’t be a problem as long as you guys listen to me.”
said Ye Ci after noticing distrustful expressions from the others.
They did not object.
Ye Ci began stating out the mistakes her teammates had made after having observed them earlier
on. “LIttle Icy Cold Hands, you’re a warrior, the MT (main tank, the most essential character in
a dungeon), you must defend against the mob. Use Taunt to draw their attention. Don’t hesitate to
use down whenever the CD (cooldown timer) is up. You must remember this. Don’t let Just A
Blade take all the damage, he’s a melee damage dealer. He’s the 2T (a substitute for the MT in
case the MT died).”
“Ok, I understand.” Little Icy Cold Hands replied with confidence.
“Just A Blade, simply time your attacks with Little Icy Cold Hands and be careful not to OT
(have a damage output higher than the tank, causing aggro to switch).”
Just A Blade nodded with a serious expression.
“Icy Cold Little Hands, you’re a healer, not a DP (damage dealer). Your main job is to heal the
tank while paying attention to the health of Just A Blade and the others.”
Icy Cold Little Hands creased her eyebrows, appearing to be worried. “But I can deal more
damage…”
“We don’t need that much damage in this dungeon. What we need is a healer.” Ye Ci guided Icy
Cold Little Hands patiently.
Icy Cold Little Hands was about to voice out her objection again, but she nodded instead after
noticing the attention from the rest of the party, “Ok, I’ll heal.”
Ye Ci shifted her sight towards Little Grouper Fish, “Little Grouper, Have you learned Mobile
Casting?” asked Ye Ci.
“No, I don’t have enough money.” The question seemed to have hit a spot as he trembled
slightly.
Ye Ci kept quite. She understood the pain. Mages could learn a passive ability called Mobile
Casting at lv8, It was the only passive ability made available to learn from instructors.
Despite that, almost 80% of the mages would never learn this ability at lv8. There was only one
reason: It was too darn expensive!
Ye Ci could clearly remember that day when she tried to learn Mobile Casting in her past life. She
almost had a seizure after learning of the price.
20 gold coins!!!
It was an impossible amount of wealth to be accumulated by a newbie!
After assigning roles to her party members, the group continued with their journey in the dungeon.
Despite being on Hard difficulty, Icy Cave was still a tiny prep-dungeon. It was not that hard.
Although three of them were newbies, they followed Ye Ci’s words to the letter and performed
their assigned tasks well.
With someone tanking the mob, Ye Ci could not be bothered with moving all around the place and
stood beside Little Grouper Fish at the rear of the team.
Ol’ Three was perhaps the most relaxed in the entire party. The only thing it did was to wag its
tail behind Ye Ci while acting cute and wandering away once in awhile. It even asked Ye Ci for
meat from time to time.
Ye Ci did not forget about Ol’Three. She was merely trying to raise its Loyalty so that it could be
used against the Boss later on.
The experience points rewarded in Hard difficulty was way higher than the normal difficulty. Ol’
Three was already lv5 and they had barely completed less than half of the dungeon. Its loyalty had
increased from 12 to 23.
The party soon reached the Boss Shator in no time.
The entire dungeon was no different from the Normal difficulty, aside from the Boss’s joint
movement and an additional Elite spider..
This dungeon was a trial to the players’ damage output capabilities. A slight screwup could easy
annihilate the entire party.
Ol’ Three died the last time exactly because the spider spewed venom nonstop.
“Let me make some arrangements before we go in. Little Icy Cold Hands, you must distract the
Rat man and the Spider away from our DP and make sure that Boss have their backs towards our
DP. Icy Cold Little Hands, your job is to heal Little Icy Cold Hands. Don’t let him die. Blade, you
attack the rat man from the back. Don’t stand anywhere near Little Icy Cold Hands. That’ll
relieve some pressure from the healer. You guys need to concentrate your attacks on the spider and
take it out first.”
The four nodded and asked almost in unison, “How about you?”
Ye Ci smiled and pointed at the Kobold and Shator, “I’ll keep them occupied. Take out the
Kobold once you’re done here, and then the Boss. Is my explanation clear?”
They silently grumbled despite understanding Ye Ci’s words. For a Huntress to go up against two
Bosses, it was insane!
Attack.
As per their previous arrangement, Little Icy Cold Hands and Ye Ci rushed at the 3 Bosses at the
same time. Little Icy Cold Hands casted Taunt at the Ratman and its spider, securing their aggro
on himself. Then, he shifted his position so that the Bosses had their backs to Little Grouper Fish,
Just A Blade and Icy Cold Little Hands.
Ye Ci released Ol’ Three which pounced on the Kobold. Ol’ Three casted Taunt on the Kobold,
placing the Kobold’s aggro on itself. Ye Ci casted a Hunter’s Mark on Shator and fired a “Snake
Venom Needle” at it.
A critical hit! -210!
With her first arrow being a critical hit, Shator’s aggro on Ye Ci was instantly raised to 200%. It
charged at Ye Ci and breathed at her.
It was one of Shator’s skills in the Hard difficulty, “Frosty Mist”. Players hit by the skill would
be affected by a “Frozen” debuff (negative status), slowing down their movement speed by 50%
for 10 seconds.
Being frozen was like a death sentence to an average player. Once they were frozen, it usually
meant that the party would be annihilated.
Frosty Mist had a channeling time of 1.5 seconds. The moment Shator began the channeling, Ye
Ci leapt onto the air with the nearby cave wall as her springing board. She narrowly dodged the
Frosty Mist. Ye Ci spun around in midair, firing another Snake Venom Needle at Shator.
It’s another critical hit! -221!
Her movements were smooth and clean.
Icy Cold Little Hands and Little Grouper Fish happened to be facing Ye Ci at that time. They were
stunned by Ye Ci’s ferocity as she kited the helpless Shator, so much so that they had even forgot
to do their own task.
Ye Ci observed the rest of the party while she was kiting Shator. She realized that Icy Cold Little
Hands and Little Grouper Fish were dumbfoundedly staring at her. After noticing that Little Icy
Cold Hand’s health was dropping rapidly, Ye Ci shouted, “Icy Cold Little Hands! The MT’s
health!! Little Grouper Fish, don’t stop attacking!”
The two snapped out of their trance and the former resume healing and the latter began his attack.
Little Icy Cold Hands was horrified as his hit points which had nearly hit the rock bottom.
Because of her mistake, Icy Cold Little Hands could never raise his hit points beyond 40% no
matter how hard she tried.
With the situation once again stable, Ye Ci continued kiting Shator while healing Ol’ Three once
in awhile.
The Ratman and its Elite spider finally fell after a short while.
The four immediately collapse upon the Kobold and made short work of it.
They then converged on Shator. By that time, it had only 30% of its hit points left. Shator was
dead within 10 minutes.
The system notification chimed in the moment Shator’s corpse hit the ground: Your party was the
first to complete Icy Cave Hard difficulty. Do you want the name of the party members to be
shown?
The first! The first to clear the dungeon!
Little Icy Cold Hands rubbed his hands excitedly. He looked at Ye Ci, seeking her advice. The
battle earlier on had upgraded her status from a “good” Huntress to a real “pro” in Little Icy
Cold Hands’ heart!
Chapter 21 First Blood on Icy Cave Hard Mode! (2)
“I’ll leave it up to you.” Ye Ci said after pondering for awhile. Although she wanted to hide her
name, it would come off as suspicious if the rest didn’t hide their names and she was the only one
doing it. They might even associate that First Kill incident of the Normal Mode Icy Cave to her. If
that was the case, she’d get involved in unnecessary troubles.
Since Ye Ci decided to leave it up to Little Icy Cold Hands, he immediately decided to make it
public.
“Please name your party.”
Little Icy Cold Hands was getting excited. Without thinking, he immediately typed “Freaking
Awesome People.”
The System Channel was immediately flooded by system messages.
“Congratulations, ‘Freaking Awesome People’, a party of 5 members for being the first to clear
the Icy Cave on Hard mode. Let us remember their names!”
“Congratulations player Little Icy Cold Hands’ for getting the First Blood in Icy Cave on Hard
mode. Rewards: 30 gold coins, system prestige points: 10,000, 1 Talent point.”
“Congratulations player ‘Icy Cold Little Hands’ for getting the First Blood in Icy Cave on
Hard mode. Rewards: 30 gold coins, system prestige points: 10,000, 1 Talent point.”
Congratulations player ‘Gongzi You’ for getting the First Blood in Icy Cave on Hard mode.
Rewards: 30 gold coins, system prestige points: 10,000, 1 Talent point.”
“Congratulations player ‘Little Grouper Fish’ for getting the First Blood in Icy Cave on Hard
mode. Rewards: 30 gold coins, system prestige points: 10,000, 1 Talent point.”
“Congratulations player ‘Just A Blade’ for getting the First Blood in Icy Cave on Hard mode.
Rewards: 30 gold coins, system prestige points: 10,000, 1 Talent point.”
The four of them squealed in excitement. Right now, it was as if nothing else could beat the
excitement of First Blood. Even if they were all strangers to each other before entering the
dungeon, they were pretty much comrades who had been through thick and thin now.
Just A Blade even pulled out the ranking list and quickly found his way to the Icy Cave page on
Hard level. Sure enough, five of their names were recorded on the First Blood record. He smiled
gladly. “I would have never thought that my name would be up there in my whole life. This is too
amazing!”
While the few of them were celebrating in the dungeon, all the major guilds were turned upside
down.
The Spring Rain Guild.
“Just what kind of party is the Freaking Awesome People? Who are they? How did they manage
to clear the Icy Cave on Hard mode! Quickly get to the bottom of this!”
The Blank Space Guild.
“Find out which guilds these people belong to. If they don’t belong to any, then get all of them
onboard.”
“Are you guys pigs? How could you let the First Kill slip away like this? Go investigate this!”
Steel-Blooded Battle Spear.
Thousand Sunsets, who was clearing monsters in the Icy Cave on Hard mode with a few other
core members, was stunned when he heard this Global System Announcement too.
Peacock Blue who was healing beside him was surprised too. She knitted her brows. “What
Freaking Awesome People? I have never even heard of them. Where did they come from and how
did they get the First Blood?”
Thousand Sunsets paused for a moment before he resumed slaying monsters. Seeing that he didn’
t utter a single word, the few of them could only resume the task on their hands.
He only turned his head around after the final monster had been slain. “Go check which guild
these few people are from.”
Peacock Blue immediately went to look for someone to relay this order. It wasn’t even one minute
before she turned around and informed Thousand Sunsets, “Boss, that Gongzi You seems to be
from our guild.”
“What?” Thousand Sunsets was startled. “From our guild? Why have I never heard of this
name?!”
“I recall that Leftie had approached me personally this morning, asking me to accept this person.
No wonder why this name sounded so familiar. I went to run a check and turns out that she is
indeed from our guild.”
“If she is from our guild, then why didn’t she follow us to the dungeon?! Why did she go
wandering off alone and even got the First Blood out there!”
Thousand Sunsets frowned. First Bloods play an important role in contributing towards a guild’s
ranking. His own guild member didn’t help his guild in clearing a dungeon, and instead went out
there to get a Difficult First Blood. This soured his mood.
Peacock Blue, on the other, hand was at loss. Although she was part of their guild and their guild
had parties for dungeon, not everyone would participate in guild activities. This was quite
common, yet when she didn’t know how to answer Thousand Sunsets’ questions.
All she could do was to silently stand at one side.
Thousand Sunsets sighed again and looked at Peacock Blue and the other three. “Guild Member
Benefits system must be done by today. Let me have a review after that.”
“Roger.”
“Go online and search for the video of this First Blood. If it doesn’t exist, go find Gongzi You
herself and ask her who the leader was. Find a way to recruit that person into our guild.”
Thousand Sunsets stopped fighting. This global system message had killed his mood for dungeon
grinding. He just wanted to return to the guild base quickly and get the benefit system.
Freaking Awesome People…
Ye Ci looked at the party name speechlessly. Nevertheless, this kind of party name was a one-time
thing, as long as they don’t go to the party management NPC to spend their money. However, the
idea of seeing this kind of party name on top of her own name forever recorded on Fate’s ranking
list still made her feel a little conflicted.
That was a very questionable naming taste.
“Gongzi, Gongzi! Come loot the BOSS!” Ever since they cleared this dungeon, these four
people had been completely worshipping Ye Ci. They were all anxiously staring at her with their
endlessly sparkly eyes, hoping that lady luck was still with her and she could bring them some
luxurious battle spoils.
Although they had placed the faith in her, Ye Ci didn’t have that kind of confidence on herself.
She shook her head. “No need, I’m unlucky. There are four bodies on the ground, each of you
take one.”
No matter how hard the four of them had coerced her, Ye Ci firmly refused to loot the bodies. In
the end, the four of them could only go forward and loot each of them.
The loot they got was quite decent. The four bodies produced a total of twelve blue weapons and
two skill books - the Beginner Level Arrow Crafting Skill and Blazing Contract.
Ye Ci on the other hand was most excited about finally being able to see the special items of the
Icy Cave, and it was not just one of them.
Icy Great Axe x1
Icy Longsword x1
Icy Shortbow x1
Icy Staff x1
………
Among the twelve blue graded weapons, four of them were weapons of the Icy series. Except for
Little Icy Cold Hands, everyone got one for themselves. But he wasn’t sad, because among these
twelve blue graded weapons, two of them were Cleric’s equipment.
Although the four of them were looking at these items with sparkly eyes, they still decided to give
Ye Ci the rights to decide on the battle spoils distribution.
“I only want the shortbow and the two skill books. You guys can have the rest. Sounds fair?” Ye
Ci rejected the distribution right from Little Icy Cold Hands with a smile and asked the rest of
them instead.
To be able to get her hands on an Icy Shortbow in this dungeon was already a great reward to Ye
Ci. The beginner level Arrow Crafting Skill was also something she had been yearning for, and it
was extremely lucky that she could get it this time.
The Blazing Contract was one of the twelve summoner’s skill books. It allowed summoners to
summon a high level Fire Spirit and was one of the skills that a summoner must learn. Although
they didn’t really have a low drop rate, they could only be found in dungeons on Difficult mode.
None of the summoners possessed it yet so she wanted to give this to Liu Chang.
The four of them felt shy when they heard that Ye Ci only wanted only these few items. After all,
they had only managed to clear this dungeon thanks to Ye Ci’s lead. She had even handled two
BOSSes by herself. If it wasn’t for her, they would still probably be a lying corpse right now.
As it is, she had only wanted items that were useful for her job class.
However, she said, “Equipment aren’t really categorised at early stage, so aside from some
specific weapons, job classes of the same series can basically share the same weapons. Don’t
waste the equipment. Share them among yourselves. I am content enough to have these three
items. The other items are useless to me anyway.”
Since Ye Ci had already put it this way, the four of them stopped declining and happily distributed
the goods among themselves.
“Oh damn. I have forgotten to record a video of it just now! What a mistake!” Little Grouper
Fish who was about to get her Icy Staff weapon suddenly cried out in regret when she remembered
about the event from just now. The rest felt extremely regretful too. They wanted so badly to ask
Ye Ci to replay her nimble controls.
Ye Ci breathed a sigh of relief too. It was lucky that they didn’t record it. If they had uploaded this
on the net, it would cause an uproar. She had also ordered everyone not to disclose the fact that
she was in command today. Although the four of them were a little curious, they agreed without
further questions.
Actually, Ye Ci didn’t know how long these people could keep this secret. It’d be good if they
could keep it as long as possible. She didn’t have any time on her hands to deal with those
unnecessary things that would happen after this incident was exposed.
After adding each other on their friend lists, they bid their farewells. Ye Ci walked behind the
other party members. She waited until the four of them had exited the dungeon before turning
back for Shator’s dead body. Using a little knife, she cut off its head and stashed it into her bag
before finally exiting the dungeon.
It wasn’t that she had forgotten about it just now. If she had cut off Shator’s head during that time,
she wouldn’t know how to explain to the other four about her quest. She could not possibly tell
them that she knew how to unlock this particular side quest because she was reborn and had
played Fate for 10 years.
Never mind. It was best that no one knew about this.
As soon as Ye Ci exited the dungeon, she took out the Icy Shortbow and scanned through the
attributes.
Icy Shortbow:
Blue weapon
Attack Speed: 1.5
Attack 20 - 35
Strength +14
Agility +20
Specialty: Attack Accuracy Rate +10%
Specialty: 20% chance of ice damage, reduces target moving speed by 50%, effect lasts for 8
seconds.
Required level: 10
Class: Hunter, Ranger
After equipping the Icy Shortbow, Ye Ci immediately searched for a few monsters that were about
level 10 in the Elven Forest to test the weapon on.
-154.
-161.
Critical attack - 297!
This amount of damage exceeded the original weapon by one third! If she was using a higher level
arrow, her damage would be brought to another level!
She immediately learned the Beginner Level Arrow Crafting Skill...
Chapter 22 Clear Moon
Beginner Arrow Crafting only enabled the user to craft wooden arrows. It required a lot of feathers,
which were rather common in the newbie village. Newbies would usually sell the Cuckoo Bird
Feathers they had gotten from loots to NPC’s for some pocket money. Ye Ci sat at the entrance of
the village and shouted out, “Buying Cuckoo Bird Feathers, 1 silver per complete set. Buying
from whoever that has them!”
A complete set of Cuckoo Bird Feathers could only be sold to NPC’s at 20 copper coins each.
Hearing that someone was purchasing them at bulk with 1 silver coin per set, the newbies in the
village almost broke out into a riot.
In less than an hour, she had more than enough feathers for her arrows and quickly left the area.
She stored all the feathers into the warehouse before walking up to the village chief. She handed
Shator’s Head to the sly old man with an honest appearance.
“Ah, look who’s back! It’s our brave little Elven warrior!” Perhaps Ye Ci have been to Icy
Cave too often, because her prestige in the Elven newbie village had already reached Respected.
All the NPC’s of the entire village treated her warmly.
Even the village chief who was always putting up airs bowed towards her as a form of greeting
before continuing, “Young Huntress, I smell the blood of a beast on you. If I’m not wrong….
You’ve brought me the head of Shator?”
Ye Ci handed the boar’s head to the village chief and completed her quest.
The fox-like village chief was not stingy at all. He immediately rewarded Ye Ci with 1 talent point
and a dagger.
Ye Ci ignored the long-winded speech that came after her reward and focused her attention on the
dagger. It was a Green equipment, but the stats were nice.
Dagger of Haste
Green Equipment
Attack Speed: 1.5
Attack 8-18
Agility + 11
Strength + 7
Special Attribute: Attack speed increased by 0.5
Class requirement: None
The dagger could be used by players of any classes, but it was especially effective when used by
Rogues, Rangers, and Hunters that depend highly on Agility and attack speed.
A character can only utilize its Agility to its maximum by carrying a light load.
A bow is a ranged weapon with a minimum range of 6 feet. Hunters and Rangers could only resort
to melee when an enemy approached the 6 feet radius. This meant that they rely heavily on melee
weapons as well.
The Dagger of Haste increased the agility of its user exponentially as well as boosted the attack
speed by 0.5. This meant that when two players were using daggers with 1.5 attack speed, the one
who was using the Dagger of Haste would be able to attack 1 more time within 3 seconds.
For Rogues, Rangers, and Hunters that did not rely much on Strength, the 1 additional attack
could tip the scale of the battle.
That was why Ye Ci felt that the dagger was as good as any Blue equipment, despite its quality
being Green.
Ye Ci got used to the dagger’s weight after equipping it. She gave the dagger a few swings and
could feel the change in attack speed.
“Ah, young Huntress….” Noticing that the village chief was about to end his speech, Ye Ci
sheathed her dagger and waited for the chief to hand out a new quest.
“I’m happy that you’ve grown so fast. I’ve heard about the news of some bandits residing in
Forest of Stone from Officer Tony. They’ve been causing trouble for the city administrator. If you
could bring the right hand of their leader, John, to the city administrator, I believe it’ll be
beneficial for you.”
Ye Ci accepted the quest without hesitation.
She was about to complete Little Lemmy’s quest and she could complete both the quests at once.
Ye Ci was a patient person, not a leveling maniac. After completing the quest from Hard difficulty
Icy Cave and learning Beginner Arrow Crafting, she did not attempt to level up anymore. She
bought some “wooden stakes with no specified purpose” from an NPC and began to train her
Arrow Crafting skill.
But even when she was not out looking for trouble, trouble had a way of finding her.
Before she could settle down, dozens of strangers sent her messages asking for the details of Hard
difficulty Icy Cave. She was too tired to answer the lot of the questions and resorted to muting her
private message channel. The world was suddenly peaceful and quiet.
Right after silencing her voice channel, Ye Ci’s word channel immediately beeped. She could
only silence every available channel.
Even with that, a pigeon appeared high in the sky and flew towards her.
There were 3 ways of communication in Fate. When a person could not be reached via private
channels or word channels, someone desperately trying to reach said person could use a
messenger pigeon. The message would reach the recipient in the blink of an eye.
There were still places where the messenger pigeons could not reach. It could not reach a player
who was in a dungeon or who was underground. Messenger pigeons could only be sent if a player
had added another player as his or her friends with 2 silver coins per usage as payment.
Despite not knowing who the sender was, Ye Ci did not reject the message as it was sent via
pigeon. It was a message from the four who had cleared the Hard difficulty Icy Cave with her
earlier on. The message read, “Gongzi, a lot of people are asking us questions about who was the
one giving out commands. What do we tell them? It’s driving us crazy!”
“Just tell them that I was just a passerby. I’ll leave the rest to you guys.” Ye Ci laughed. She
was not the only who was being troubled. After releasing the pigeon, a few more arrived.
It was from Golden Man, Let Go Of That Girl, and Ideal Height 1.7m. They were all asking her
about the details of her exploits in the Hard difficulty Icy Cave and invited her to join them in
exploring the Abandoned Mine as their progress was hampered.
Ye Ci replied all their messages without making any promises.
Another pigeon arrived right after that. It was from the Violent Cleric Four Seas, “Gongzi, have
you been to the Forest of Stone? We need your help clearing it two weeks later.”
Forest of Stone? Ye Ci was puzzled. It was not a very difficult dungeon. Why would Four Seas
need two weeks to prepare for? Just then, another message arrived from Four Seas, “I forgot two
words, ‘Hard difficulty’. Are you free to go to Hard difficulty Forest of Stone two weeks from
now?”
“I think I can make it but I’m not that sure yet.” Ye Ci replied. Her new semester in college
would begin in one week. It had been years since she last studied in a college. Although she had
forgotten about it, Liu Chang made it a point to remind her.
“Sure, I will seek help from a couple of my friends as well.”
Yet another message arrived right after Ye Ci managed to reply all the messages directed at her. It
was Liu Chang. She was not as courteous as the others. Ye Ci could almost see her friend roaring
through the letters on the message.
“Where the hell are you? Get your ass back to the guild encampment!”
Ye Ci could not hold back the laughter that escaped her mouth. She inserted the attributes of the
Fiery Contract in a message to Liu Chang and added a few words, “Elven Newbie Village no.
42.”
“Sis, I’ll be there right away.” Liu Chang replied almost immediately. Ye Ci could almost see
Liu Chang’s expression.
After dealing with the trouble that unfortunately plagued her, Ye Ci could finally craft arrows in
peace.
A shadow suddenly appeared in front of her accompanied by a soft voice, “Excuse me, how much
are you selling for a set of arrows?”
It was a young Elf with blond hair and fair skin. He was looking at Ye Ci with his big eyes. He
appeared to be a lv5 newbie judging from his newbie clothing and the crude wooden bow that he
was holding.
“You can have it for free.” Natasha was selling the wooden arrows at a cheap price. Since Ye Ci
was practicing her arrow crafting, she decided to give them away to a newbie instead of disposing
of it later and waste them.
The player was surprised. He stared at Ye Ci for quite awhile before bowing to her, “Thank you,
thank you so much sister!”
Ye Ci handed the five sets of wooden arrow to the player and said, “You can come back to me if
you need more, I’ll be here all day long.”
“Ok, ok, thank you! Thank you so much!” the player was in joy. He accepted the arrows with
trembling hands while thanking Ye Ci repeatedly. He sent a friend request to Ye Ci and said,
“Sister, I’m Clear Moon, I’m a Ranger. Can you add me as a friend?”
Ye Ci did not decline the request. Clear Moon was in a miserable state at that moment, but nobody
would know how would he be like in the future. Clear Moon was happy that his friend requested
by Ye Ci, but he became stupefied right in the next moment.
“What?” Ye Ci was puzzled.
“Sister, you’re Gongzi You?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve always thought that Gongzi You is a guy!”
Chapter 23 School Begins!
Ye Ci did not know whether to laugh or cry in regards to that black line above her head.
“You are the Gongzi You who had cleared Icy Cave at Difficult Stage?”
“……”
The line above Ye Ci’s head became darker for a few minutes. It couldn’t be... Even a newbie
knew about this?
“Big sister, why are you here?!” Clear Moon looked at Gongzi with his unrestrained excitement.
His pair of eyes were sparkling brightly as diamonds. “Everyone is looking for you on the World
Channel.”
After contemplating for some time, Ye Ci still did not know how to answer him. In the end, she
just laughed and said, “Don’t tell anyone else that I am here.”
“Sure, sure, I won’t tell anyone! Big Sister, don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me!” Clear
Moon nodded. He winked and laughed at her before he turned and ran away.
Finally, she had the time to practice her Arrow Crafting skill...
Today was really too eventful. Ye Ci had only practiced her Arrow Crafting skill for twenty to
thirty minutes when she heard the shuffling footsteps heading her way. She lifted her head. Other
than Liu Chang, who else could it be?
Her smile was like the arrival of spring. Ye Ci could feel the goosebumps on her back when she
saw that shuddering expression.
“Hi, my dear little Ci Ci. I’m here. You only have to call once and I will find you immediately. It
is even faster than calling your darling.” Liu Chang said as she leaned forward to hug Ye Ci. Ye
Ci promptly plopped a skill book on Liu Chang’s face, pushing that girl away.
“Fine! Fine! It is such a hot day, don’t be so corny.”
“You’re really quite something! You’re actually going to give me this book?!” Liu Chang took
the skill book and planted multiple kisses on its cover. It was almost as if she wanted to print her
saliva on the cover.
Ye Ci checked if there was anyone behind Liu Chang. Before she could say a word, Liu Chang
said, “Stop it, no one followed me.”
Do you think I am stupid. I have closed all my channels. Of course I don’t want anyone to find
you. I can even hide from the entire world.” Liu Chang stuffed the skill book into her backpack.
She sat down beside Ye Ci. “Peacock Blue is looking everywhere for you.”
“Peacock Blue?”
“She is the guild member in charge of logistics.” Liu Chang replied as she snorted. “She is only
slightly better looking but she is so full of herself. What gives her the right to talk to us with her
nose in the air?”
“Why is she looking for me?” She wondered how Peacock Blue had offended Liu Chang as she
looked at her friend’s expression.
“I am 100% certain that it is because you cleared the Icy Cave. What else could it be? When the
information was announced, the faces of the whole management level turned green. They were
extremely unhappy.” Liu Chang continued, snorting again. She complained angrily, “Blue
Peacock looked for us immediately. She acted like a queen and told us, ‘You all brought Gongzi
You in. Now the guild is looking for him so get him here quickly! You’ll all face the
consequences if he’s late.’
”
The smile on Ye Ci’s face widened. ‘Face the consequences…’ That person had a queen
complex!
“She belongs to the management level of the guild. It is normal.” Ye Ci did not mind Peacock
Blue’s remarks. She raised her brow with a teasing look and asked Liu Chang, “What makes you
so angry?”
“How can I not be angry? Especially that Yi Cang, he was just like a dog. One word from
Peacock Blue and he immediately agrees! Fuck, is he so deprived of women!” Liu Chang became
angry and angrier the more she complained, even her face was turning red.
Ye Ci chose to keep her views to herself. To some extent, Liu Chang did like Yi Cang. Maybe, she
could not differentiate whether that feeling was romantic or a sort of familial feeling which arose
from the time they had known each other. Since she did not make it clear, Ye Ci naturally found it
inappropriate to bring that up to embarrass her. She just consoled her with a few choice words.
“Little Ci, aren’t you even a tad bit angry? How can that woman talk this way!” The more Ye Ci
consoled, the more Liu Chang raged with a need to find someone to stand on her side against that
enemy.
Ye Ci squinted her eyes. “She is just a stranger. Why should I get angry over a few words? It isn’
t as if I will face any consequences just because she say so. Plus, what are the consequences?”
Even though this was Ye Ci’s second life, her personality was still basically quite cold. She did
not even care about what Blue Peacock said so she was naturally not infuriated.
“Well, you’re open minded.” Liu Chang sighed. Almost instantaneously, she seemed to have
received a message. “The guild is inviting me to fight a normal small dungeon, I’m leaving.”
“Didn’t you say that you don’t want hard labour?”
“Members with 80 GS and above will be rewarded 2 DKP per trip into the dungeon. You can
change 1 DPK for $100. This is a deal I won’t miss!” Liu Chang stood up grinning cheekily
again. “I have never earned a cent from any games. Even if I can’t get any equipment, I will be
pleased to have earned some change!”
She was someone whose anger came quickly and dissipated just as fast, so Ye Ci was not worried
about her little rant.
“You can just hide here. I am leaving. I won’t tell anyone your location.” Liu Chang bid Ye Ci
farewell and left to find the teleporting NPC in the village. She disappeared in seconds.
After Liu Chang left, she seemed to have also brought away all disturbances. No one else looked
for her. She was thankful for the silence and she continued making arrows as if her life depended
on it.
For the following days, Ye Ci did not open her personal channel nor her word channel. She did not
return to the guild encampment. She simply grinded through the Normal level Icy Cave over ten
times to level up. She spent her remaining time crafting arrows. When the proficiency level of her
Beginner Arrow Crafting reached 35.2%, it stopped increasing.
From her observation, crafting additional wooden arrows would not add to her proficiency any
longer. She had to find a different component list to create another type of Beginner arrow.
Even though she spend most of her time in these two days crafting arrows and grinding in the Icy
Cave, she also did some other things. Her Gathering skill was already at Beginner Level. She
could now gather Fire Dragon plants, which were required for beginner grade fire resist potion, as
well as Water Caltrop Flowers required for beginner grade ice resist potion.
These two herbs could be found in the Difficult Level of the Icy Cave. Ye Ci brought Ol’ Three
with her as she went into Icy Cave a few times each day to gather herbs. She spent her days quite
happily.
When her Gathering Skill, Apothecary Skill, Skinning Skill, and Cooking Skill had all reach
Beginner Level, her University semester had finally started.
Ye Ci woke up early in the morning and headed for her university, carrying the bag she prepared
the previous day.
This was a really weird feeling. Even though she had returned back to ten years ago, it didn’t feel
that different because she had always been in Fate. It didn’t feel that different at all. Going back to
the university was vastly different.
She had graduated many years back. She felt very uneasy entering the university at the “old age”
of 28.
Ye Ci grades were quite good. She had done extremely well for her finals and managed to enter
the elite university — D University. Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan felt that it was the outcome of
the fortune gathered through the culmination of many incenses placed on their ancestral tomb
throughout the generations.
As Ye Ci rented an apartment near D University, she packed lightly and went ahead to register at
the school herself. She did not need the hassle of having her parents accompany her.
Many senior students were orientating the new students. They were quite friendly and it did not
take long for Ye Ci to complete her registration and go to her own class.
D University was famous for its environment. The place was wide and spacious, with colourful
greenery spreading across the campus and pavilions that littered the space. Nine out of ten people
would think that this was a garden if they had not told that it was a university.
Walking along the once familiar path, she easily found her classroom. The lecturer in charge was
not here yet and the class was filled chattering students.
D University was one of the top university and they had many students from all over the world.
Everyone was curious on the first day. Ye Ci was one of the students who arrived later. Those that
were early had already stayed in the campus for a week so they were already familiar with each
other. As she did not stay in the hostel, this was her first day here. So many of her classmates were
curious.
“I am Fang Su Su from 612. Which hostel are you living in? I have never seen you.” Ye Ci had
just found an empty seat when a round-faced girl greeted her warmly.
Ye Ci looked at her as a wave of emotions rushed through her.
Fang Su Su was one of the people who treated her very well. She was a good person. However, Ye
Ci hurted her so badly that she left the country with a downtrodden heart.
Ye Ci did not want to think about the past.
“I am Ye Ci. I live in an apartment near the school so I don’t stay at the hostel.” Ye Ci smiled
brightly. She offered her hand for a handshake.
“What a pity. It would be great if you were staying at the hostel.” Fang Su Su was a person who
easily warmed up to others. It wasn’t long before they were acquainted with each other. She even
grabbed her bag to sit with Ye Ci.
Even though they both had very different emotions, they both regretted not knowing each other
earlier. They got along well very quickly.
“Students! Students!”
A few loud shouts broke the lively chatter in the room. There were three or four students from
some student clubs standing at the lectern. The leader was a guy in dark blue T-shirt. He had dark
hair and his pair of crystal black eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. He wore a warm, gentle smile and
his face had a heroic spirit to it.
“We are from Zhengfeng Club, I am the vice president Qin Churuo. Everyone questioned what
Zhengfeng club was. Zhengfeng club was a student club that was formed 5 years ago. Our gaming
club is formed by various D university students from different years!”
Qin Churuo spoke with charisma and resolution, which subconsciously attracted many listeners.
“We have played in various popular games like Seas of Grey L and Wonderous World L, and we
have set many great records for multiple categories. Our guild, World Conqueror Guild, is ranked
20th countrywide….
Chapter 24 World Conqueror
Looking at Qin Churuo, Ye Ci could only smile bitterly.
Some things could never be avoided even after she had been reborn.
“Have you guys heard about that started 20 days ago?”
It was an age when only gaming was popular among youth. Everybody, of course, have heard
about the Fate that was very popular. Almost the entire class answered in unison when Fate was
mentioned, “Yes!”
A feeling surfaced within Ye Ci. It was good to be young!
When the students heard about the World Conqueror Guild, they were excited. You could be
playing solo without a guild, but there was no way one could not know about the top 20 guilds in
the nation. It was a symbol of strength, the metaphor for legends.
All of their attention was focused on Qin Churuo as they waited for him to continue his speech.
“We of the Word Conqueror guild have officially entered during its open beta test and we have
already formed our guild in the game. I’m here today to invite all of you to join World Conqueror,
a guild of our own campus. Let us fight for our campus, and let us fight for our glory!”
Excitement boiled within the class. Every student had their own question for Qin Churuo.
“President, where do I join the guild? In game or in real life?”
“President, which dungeons have you guys cleared? I’m already lv11 but I don’t have a guild
yet! Can I join up?”
“President, are there any benefits after joining World Conqueror?”
“President, which character class do you guys need? Are there any limitations against the more
unpopular character classes….”
“President…”
Ye Ci looked at Fang ShuShu. She seemed to be asking Qin Churuo something, and her face was a
shade of red.
At that moment, Ye Ci had a sense of déjà vu.
It was as if she had never been reborn, as if she had never grown up and was still in her youth.
Ye Ci faintly remembered something from a long time ago, something she never had the courage
to remember. It was a ridiculous and imaginary relationship between the three of them. She kept
Fang ShuShu and Qin Churuo apart from each other, using them for her own benefit and then
selling them out time after time.
What had she done in her past life….?
“Ye Ci, Ye Ci, you’re in a daze!” Fang ShuShu shook her hands in front of Ye Ci after receiving
no response from her.
“What?”
Ye Ci was pulled back into reality. She blinked and stared at Fang ShuShu. She was still young
and innocent, just like the first time they had met in Ye Ci’s past life.
“Ah, why are your hands so cold? Are you sick?” Fang ShuShu held on to Ye Ci’s hands, she
was surprised by how cold they were. It was September and the weather was unrelenting!
“No, nothing, I’ve always been like this.” Ye Ci immediately hid her emotion, attempting to
erase the bad memory from her mind. She smiled at Fang ShuShu, “Don’t you worry. What do
you need from me?”
“Ye Ci, do you play Fate?”
“Of course.”
“Me too!” Fang ShuShu was happy, as if she had found her soulmate. “Let’s join the World
Conqueror guild!”
Ye Ci shook her head with a smile, “Sorry, I am already in a guild.”
Aww, what a pity. We’re so congenial, it’s a shame that we can’t be in the same guild. “How
about I —”
Fang ShuShu’s train of thoughts was interrupted by Ye Ci who shook her head. “It’s okay. World
Conqueror is our campus’s own guild. You can consider joining them. I’ve already made a
promise to my childhood friends to join my current guild. I won’t be leaving it so soon.”
Fang ShuShu did not insist after listening to Ye Ci’s explanation, although she was feeling slightly
intricate about the matter. “I’ve finally met a girl that plays games. If only we could play
together.”
“Well, we can add each other in game, my IGN (in-game name) is Gongzi You.”
“Ah, your name is nice. It’s like the name of an ancient warrior!” Fang ShuShu was the only
one who praised Ye Ci’s name. “My name’s Flutter n’ Sway. Don’t forget to add me in-game!”
Ye Ci nodded.
Flutter n’ Sway. It was a name Ye Ci would never forget.
Qin Churuo’s method of recruitment was very effective. Almost all the students signed up for
World Conqueror. Even among the freshmen, at least 70% of them had joined World Conqueror
with the exception of the 30% who did not play the game.
With an institution such as the university where every one of them eat and sleep together, a
person’s character could easily be determined. The good ones and the bad ones could easily be
identified. It also fostered a sense of belonging as the students interacted together on a daily basis.
Even after they graduated, they would never leave the guild as they already had deep ties with it.
It was basically shackling them to the guild.
The schedule for the first years was more packed. Although it was nothing for Ye Ci, she still had
to go to classes for her attendance, which greatly reduced her gaming time.
On this day, she received a pigeon from Four Seas right after she logged into the game, “Say,
when are you going to unmute your chat? Was that incident not over yet?”
It made sense to Ye Ci. It had been 20 days since she cleared the Hard difficulty Icy Cave. Many
would have already forgotten about it. She unmuted her personal channel and word channel,
immediately sending a message to Four Seas, “The semester has started, I was so busy that I’ve
forgotten about it.”
“Are you still a student?”
“Yes.” Technically….
“Are you free to go to Hard Difficulty Stone Forest 3 days from now?”
It was a weekend. “I’m free.” replied Ye Ci.
“Good, I’ll contact you after 3 days.” Four Seas was not long winded, and the conversation
ended shortly.
“Wow, sister, you finally unmuted your private message channel?” A voice rang in Ye Ci’s ears
right after Four Seas ended his conversation with her. It was Clear Moon.
Ye Ci was curious. His timing was too perfect. “How did you know I’ve unmuted my private
message channel?”
“I’ve been sending you messages everyday, and it finally got through today!” Clear Moon was
very happy.
Clear Moon would look for Ye Ci everyday ever since she gifted him the arrows. All he wanted to
do was to talk to her and tell her the stories of his exploits and adventures in the game.
Although his leveling progress was slow, he completed every single quest patiently without
complaint. He had even received a Hidden Quest and was rewarded with the skill“Mining” upon
completing the quest. He would mine for ores everyday with his pickaxe aside from questing and
leveling up.
Before Ye Ci could direct a question at him, Clear Moon told her about everything he had come
across in the past two days as if he was delivering a report.
He was getting better and better at mining ores.
Ye Ci was not bored by such talk that others would normally find petty. Instead, she was intrigued.
In her past life, should anyone nag at her nonstop, she would have been pissed off, but the new Ye
Ci felt warmth. It was the kind of warmth one would feel from the dependency of others.
She did not interrupt Clear Moon.
“Oh yes, sister, the blacksmith gave me another quest!”
Another Hidden Quest?
“What is the quest about?”
“The blacksmith said that if I could give him 100 ores with the quality of 20 and above, he would
teach me the skill, Forging,” Clear Moon was jovial, “I am 2 ores away from acquiring the
skill!”
Ye Ci was surprised. A newbie learning the skill Mining in the newbie village was already
surprising enough, but Clear Moon could even learn Forging!
Ye Ci had always thought that she knew a lot about the game. It seemed to her that her knowledge
regarding Fate was only the tip of the iceberg.
Clear Moon was persistent, but it was his persistence that allowed him to acquire two skills that no
one had ever expected to learn.
Clear Moon let out a surprised yelp which startled Ye Ci. “What happened?”
“Sister! I’ve gotten another piece of ore with the quality above 20! I need only 1 more! Talk to
you later, I’m going to resume mining!”
With that, Clear Moon cut off the voice connection and continued mining. Meanwhile, Ye Ci
decided to have a look at Sandy Plains….
Chapter 25 Sandstorm Scorpion
Sandy Plains was situated near the Human race’s Sunset City. It was not a fertile land. Howling
winds blew over the plains constantly, creating sandstorm that obstructed one’s vision. The
in-game timer was at sunset when Ye Ci arrived at Sandy Plains.
The setting sun was like a huge ball of fire that scorched the land.
Ye Ci could only squint at the road as she made her way to the Flowing Sand village. She
purchased a gauze cap from the tailor with 1 silver coin. The cap had no special uses aside from
shielding its wearer against the raging sandstorm.
Ye Ci was relieved after putting on the cap.
She travelled into the depth of Sandy Plains from Flowing Sand Village with Ol’ Three, the latter
of whom had reached 80 Loyalty points.
Sandy Plains was the map hosting the dungeon Forest of Stone. There were not many players
around as the minimum level requirement for the players to enter the dungeon was lv8. If they
followed the flow of their main quest, they would have reached here by the time they were at least
lv11 or lv12.
That was why Ye Ci didn’t encounter many other players on her way to her destination aside from
a few parties. Ye Ci was not in a hurry. Her main aim was not the Forest of Stone. She was going
after the Wild BOSS of Sandy Plains — Sandstorm Scorpion.
Sandstorm Scorpion was a lv15 BOSS that spawns once every 10 days. If it was not defeated
within 3 days of its appearance, it would disappear until the next reset.
Ye Ci had been keeping track of wild World BOSSes ever since Fate was launched. Although the
lv5 Wild BOSS Rabid Boar was slain, there was no news regarding the Sandstorm Scorpion.
The position of the Sandstorm Scorpion played an important role.
There were no monsters in the Sandy Plains except for some lv1 and occasionally lv2 Yellow
named (neutral monsters). The players arriving at the place were at least lv10. They had no time
for the neutral monsters. Their goal was the Forest of Stone dungeon.
Besides that, the Sandstorm Scorpion was well hidden. It was hidden beneath the sands and would
never attack unless a player directly stepped on it….
Ye Ci walked as slow as possible on the warm and soft sand. She had deviated quite far from the
Forest of Stones and was the only one within visual range.
This was where the Sandstorm Scorpion was hiding itself.
In a quiet and isolated corner of the Sandy Plains, a BOSS that would sought after by countless
players in the later stages of the game, Sandstorm Scorpion, laid in wait.
The sands beneath Ye Ci’s feet gave way all of a sudden…
It appeared!
Ye Ci leapt backwards like a kite unaffected by gravity. Ol’ Three was already on the move,
casting Taunt on the shifting sands. Ye Ci had also casted her Hunter’s Mark and Snake Venom
Needle in the blink of an eye.
Critical! Armor Penetration! -571
Ye Ci laughed at the damage she dealt.
Critical Strikes and Armor Penetration were rare against a World Boss, but her first attack
achieved just that.
She performed several attacks in the blink of an eye, heavily damaging the Sandstorm Scorpion
which had yet emerged from the sand.
The Sandstorm Scorpion was agitated. It crawled out of the sands, raising its two gigantic pincers
and tail stinger with angry hisses. It ignored Ol’ Three’s Taunt and charged straight at Ye Ci.
The BOSS was 3 to 5 times larger than Ol’ Three. It appeared intimidating with its black
carapace gleaming underneath the red sun.
Ye Ci was fast, but the Sandstorm Scorpion was even faster than her. Just as it was about to grab
Ye Ci….
She jumped onto one of its pincers and somersaulted away. The Sandstorm Scorpion grew even
more agitated and this process repeated several times. Its red eyes glared at Ye Ci menacingly.
Ye Ci repeated again the maneuver she had been using on the scorpion but immediately felt a
sharp pain. She was stung.
“You have been poisoned.”
The system notification chimed in, announcing Ye Ci’s status. She creased her eyebrows and
jumped onto a poplar tree not far away.
The Sandstorm Scorpion was still charging at Ye Ci angrily in the direction of the tree.
As Ye Ci landed in front of the poplar tree, she could hear a loud “crack” from behind her.
A smile formed on Ye Ci’s lips.
She had succeeded.
She turned around slowly while chugging down a health potion and chuckled at her handiwork.
The upper torso of the Sandstorm Scorpion was stuck in between a few poplar trees. The branches
were like a steel cage, entrapping the Sandstorm Scorpion. Its two pincers were entangled between
the branches and its stinger was trapped as well. It could do nothing but hiss angrily at Ye Ci.
A wild World BOSS was far superior than a BOSS in the dungeons. They had a very low spawn
rate and were way tougher than a dungeon BOSS of the same level. A more important factor was
that World BOSSes had a wider movement area in the wild, gravely increasing their lethality.
Of course, a wild World BOSS would drop rare loots such as mounts, special accessories, and
treasure maps….. Those were things that normal BOSSes could never produce.
That was also a main reason why players would camp at the spawn locations of World Bosses at
the later stages of Fate.
Ye Ci bandaged the sole of her foot and directed Ol’ Three towards the Sandstorm Scorpion,
allowing it to attack at will.
The scorpion was too venomous! If not for her fast reaction time as well as the large amount of
health potions she carried, Ye Ci would’ve died right there and then.
The strategy of trapping the Sandstorm Scorpion between the poplar trees was not originally Ye
Ci’s idea. She had learnt it from a video that was taken down by Fate officials 3 minutes right
after its release. They claimed that it was a BUG exploitation.
The BUG took three whole days to be rectified after the release of the video. Within that period of
time, Ye Ci did nothing but train vigorously to achieve the bug.
She finally mastered the art after dozens of times. By the time the BUG was repaired, Ye Ci had
already memorised all the necessary steps.
It was because of her practice that Ye Ci that could easily entrap the Sandstorm Scorpion at lv12.
After burning through 3 bottles of Large Health Potions and dozens of bandages, Ye Ci finally
escaped from the verge of death. Staring at the few bandages she had left, she decided to hand
more fabrics to Flutter n’ Sway for her to craft more bandages.
Life is precious.
Ye Ci stood up and walked up to a spot where she could have the best view of the Sandstorm
Scorpion. She began to fire arrow after arrow at the BOSS.
Wild World BOSSes were indeed rare creatures. The Sandstorm Scorpion, at lv15, had an
astonishing 800,000 hit points. It took her approximately 4 hours to finish off the Sandstorm
Scorpion.
As usual, the system allowed Ye Ci the choice of revealing her name, to which she declined.
Red words flooded the system channel, “Player xxx have successfully slain the lv15 wild World
BOSS, Sandstorm Scorpion, alone and survived. Special rewards: Global Prestige Points x 3000,
Sunset City Prestige Points x 10000, 100 Gold Coins, 3 Talent points!”
“Player xxx have successfully slain the lv15 wild World BOSS, Sandstorm Scorpion, alone and
survived. Special rewards: Global Prestige Points x 3000, Sunset City Prestige Points x 10000,
100 Gold Coins, 3 Talent points!”
……
The world channel and official forums went mad. It was not because of the 3 Talent points, nor
was it because of the wild World BOSS. It was because of the word “alone”.
World BOSSes was synonymous to meat grinders. And someone had slain a World BOSS alone!
How could the players not go crazy with this news?
The madness and mayhem had nothing to do with Ye Ci. At that moment, there was only one word
that could describe her, and the word was — tired.
She was so tired that she almost threw up.
Ye Ci could no longer feel her arms. Her Stamina was still lacking. She was lucky she had the
overpowered skill that could replenish her mana. A normal person would not be able to last three
to four hours of continuous attack without consuming vast amounts of mana potions…
Chapter 26 Brooch Of Deceit
Chapter 26 Brooch Of Deceit
Ol’ Three’s mood was becoming terrible. It did not even acknowledge Ye Ci as she threw a few
pieces of roasted meat at it. Ye Ci rubbed her hands and walked up to the Sandstorm Scorpion’s
corpse.
“Dear God, I’ve already been shrouded by bad luck for so long. Please let me be lucky just this
once.” Ye Ci muttered under her breath and began looting the Sandstorm Scorpion’s corpse.
Scorpion Stinger x1
Venomous Scorpion Armor x1
Venomous Scorpion Headband x1
Venomous Scorpion Gauntlet x1
Brooch Of Deceit x1
Mysterious Treasure Map x1
Gold coins x629
High Health Potion x7
High Mana Potion x9
Rage Potion x7
Defence Potion x6
The moment Ye Ci’s hands touched the corpse, a long list of loot appeared before her eyes, and
she shouted excitedly, “Dear God, you’ve finally graced me with your blessing. Thanks for not
letting me go home empty handed….”
As she read the long list of loot, she could only mumble dumbfoundedly, “Oh my God, oh my
God….”
Each World BOSS would produce their exclusive armor set. A typical armor set in Fate had 8
components, which were: head gear, shoulder guard, mantle, armor, belt, gauntlet, leggings, and
boots. Some of the armor sets would have 9 components with weapon included.
Sandstorm Scorpion was one such BOSS that produced a 9-component armor set. Ye Ci could not
believe that she got 4 out of the 9 components in one go. What’s more, the weapon that came with
the armor set, the gear with the lowest drop rate of them all, was one of her loot!
Of course, Ye Ci was not shocked because of that, but rather the appearance of an item —
Brooch of Deceit.
Brooch of Deceit:
Unique Attribute: Allows user to randomly change appearance. (Class, Race, Gender and Level
are randomized)
Unique Attribute: Allows user to hide Massacre Value.
Unique Attribute: Greatly empowers the user’s “Sly” trait, you will be able to trick all NPCs!
All World BOSSes had a unique loot item, and the one dropped by Sandstorm Scorpion was
Brooch of Deceit!
With the Brooch of Deceit, Ye Ci could change her appearance, level, class, and race at any time.
She could even hide her Massacre Value. This was the item that every Red named player could
dream of, and it was one of the main reasons why Sandstorm Scorpion was one of the most
sought-after BOSS in Fate.
However, the drop rate for Brooch Of Deceit was just too low, with the drop rate of a mere 1 out
of 100,000.
Again, this did not meant that players would definitely get it after killing Sandstorm Scorpion for
100,000 times…
Ye Ci noticed one of the Brooch of Deceit’s attribute. Sly was one of her character’s personality
trait! This meant that she would be able to hide her stats even from the NPC!
Ye Ci almost shouted out in joy!
The Brooch Of Deceit was one of her greatest discoveries!
She took a look at the other Venomous Scorpion armor set.
Venoumous Scorpion Stinger:
Short Sword
Purple Equipment
Attack Speed: 1.5
Attack: 129-180
Strength +16
Agility +123
Balance +125
Perception +125
Special Attribute: Target has 20% chance of being poisoned, target will receive continuous
damage, lasts for 12 seconds.
Special Attribute: 5% chance of stunning target, lasts for 5 seconds.
Special Attribute: Additional 5% Armor Penetration
Required level: 20
Class: Ranger, Rogue, Hunter, Druid
Venomous Scorpion Armor:
Clothing
Purple Equipment
Defense: 585
Strength +89
Endurance +85
Intelligence +70
Agility +92
Balance +90
Special Attribute: 30% resistance against poison.
Special Attribute: Increase defence value by 50%, lasts for 8 seconds (passive)
Required level: 20
Class: Ranger, Rogue, Hunter, Druid
Venomous Scorpion Headband:
Headwear
Purple Equipment
Defense: 298
Endurance +67
Stamina +65
Intelligence +60
Agility +71
Perception +71
Special Attribute: 50% bonus to Night Vision
Special Attribute: Detection. Can see through any enemy movements, lasts for 15 seconds,
cooldown: 30 seconds.
Required level: 20
Class: Ranger, Rogue Hunter, Druid
Venomous Scorpion Gauntlet:
Gauntlet
Purple Equipment
Defense: 325
Endurance +80
Stamina +68
Strength +73
Agility +80
Balance +80
Perception +80
Special Attribute: 10% chance of blocking melee damage
Special Attribute: 20% chance of poisoning enemies, lasts for 12 seconds. (passive)
Required level: 20
Class: Ranger, Rogue, Hunter, Druid
Purple equipment was the best pre-lv60 equipment in Fate. It was way superior than Blue
equipment. The Sandstorm Scorpion armor set had far more attributes than Ye Ci’s equipment. It
even came with passive and active skills, which were good tools in combat.
From the four pieces of equipment, she already had 2 poison based skills, a defensive skill, and an
OP skill — Detection. It was a shame that she had not reached the level requirement to equip
these equipment.
The huge experience points awarded for killing the Sandstorm Scorpion raised her level to lv14
with 75% progress. It was still a far cry from the required lv20.
Post lv10 leveling progress was rather slow. Players could only grind the game nonstop to level up.
Even with countless trips to the Icy Cave, Ye Ci could only raise her level up to lv12. It showed
that leveling was very tough at this point.
The Mysterious Treasure Map could only be identified after being appraised by an Appraiser in
the city.
After collecting all the loots into her inventory, Ye Ci pinned the Brooch Of Deceit to her chest
and a small icon immediately appeared at the lower right corner of her vision. She clicked the icon
softly and the system notification rang in her ears: Disguise successful.
Ye Ci was disguised as a lv20 Orcish Druid with a magical staff. Her GS was also raised to 267
from 110.
A sudden realisation struck Ye Ci. She took the Venomous Scorpion Stinger out of her inventory
and attempted to equip it.
She succeeded!
Ye Ci’s assumption was correct. After disguising her actual level, she could equip any equipment
that she could not equip with her current level.
Was this a BUG? In Ye Ci’s perspective, a BUG was something that could be exploited by
everybody. But since this advantage was one given to her and her alone, even if it was a BUG, Ye
Ci would not report it.
Ye Ci equipped the four Venomous Scorpion equipment set under the guise of the lv20 Druid. Her
GS soared past the 400 mark, reaching an astonishing 472 points! In a time where the average
player GS was only 100, her GS was insanely high. Ye Ci canceled her disguise, and shot an arrow
at the nearest lv2 scorpion.
Critical hit -1261!
It was a 1 hit KO!
Ye Ci briefly calculated her damage and discovered that it was raised from approximately 100 to
over 550. It was a great improvement of combat strength.
Two fists were no match for four hands. Despite having such superior equipment, her appearance
would attract attention and people might want to kill her for her armor. After contemplating her
situation, Ye Ci disguised her GS as 85, and her armor’s appearance was also altered.
Humans were afraid of being famous, while pigs were afraid of growing strong. With her disguise,
Ye Ci was satisfied.
Ye Ci wasted no time in contacting the online customer service. After selecting a few options, a
warm and kind voice rang in her ears, “Hi, I am Z nation Customer Service #79246, how may I
be of assistance?”
Ye Ci looked at the corpse of the Sandstorm Scorpion, and explained to the customer service word
by word about the Sandstorm Scorpion’s BUG.
The operator was stunned for quite awhile before replying, “Are you reporting a BUG for
Sandstorm Scorpion?”
“Yes.”
“Please wait, I will contact the manager on duty of the development team.” The customer
service operator replied before disappearing.
Ye Ci waited patiently. She gathered the carapace, meat, venom sac, and other innards from the
Sandstorm Scorpion’s corpse and stored them into her inventory. The very corpse of a World
BOSS was a treasure trove. They were all priceless materials in the later stages of the game.
Ye Ci originally planned to exploit the Sandstorm Scorpion BUG for a few more times, but she
was deterred by the possibility of being discovered by Fate’s high end system. If she repeated the
process and again, the system might automatically record her actions and report the BUG to the
development team. The development team would definitely fix the BUG right away and confiscate
all her loots.
If she was the one who took the initiative to report the BUG, she could keep all her loots and
might even receive some special reward.
And of course, Ye Ci did not believe in her own luck. She did not believe that she would be able to
get any more than she already had with her luck. It would be great loss for her if the BUG was
discovered by the system.
This was why humans must always be happy with what they have to ensure a happy life.
Even if Ye Ci did not report the BUG, it would still be discovered by somebody else eventually.
She might as well report it earlier and get the rewards of turning in a BUG for herself….
Chapter 27 Customer Service No.094
Just when Ye Ci was busy dissecting the Sandstorm Scorpion, a lvl 1 human smurf suddenly
appeared three meters in front of her. After logging in, the first thing he did was to turn around and
survey his surroundings. It was after confirming his coordinates did he notice the inelegant Ye Ci
who was currently squatting by the side, butchering the Sandstorm Scorpion...
That human smurf stared at Ye Ci’s butchering fearlessly for a moment before clearing his throat
to greet her so as to capture her attention. “Nice to meet you, I am the manager from the
development team of《Fate L》, Customer Service No. 094.”
Actually, from the moment No. 094 appeared, Ye Ci, who had her sensitivity heightened by her
equipment, had already noticed his existence. However, as she was busy trying to remove the
poison sac from the Sandstorm Scorpion, she didn’t have the time to bother about him.
Now, sitting on the carcass of the Sandstorm Scorpion, which was hanging on a desert poplar tree,
Ye Ci stared at No. 094 with a smile. To think that it would be No. 094 receiving her...
There were a total of 400 customer service smurfs in Fate’s development team and they numbered
from 001 to 400. These customer service smurfs follow these developers for life. Even if they
were to leave the game and Glory Corporation, these customer service smurfs will be retained for
them forever.
Fate’s customer service No. 094 was probably still an unexceptional development assistant at the
moment. However, three years from now, he would become one of the chief developer of Fate!
Although not a single player might know of his existence right now, three years later, countless
gamers will have his name etched their heads.
He was the chief developer of Fate’s 2nd update ‘Another World’, and it was due to this very
update that Fate managed to accommodate to all age groups over the world.
If one had to list some unforgettable names which had appeared in the history of Fate, then
customer service No. 094 was definitely at the top of the list.
Even until now, Ye Ci still remembered the words of a human priest that No. 094 said through an
update CG.
“Give me three seconds, and I will bring you to an entirely different world! I am Fate.”
Perhaps, Ye Ci wasn’t the only one who remembered these words. Perhaps, all of the players in
Fate remembered these words. Yes, they remembered these words, Fate, as well as the human
priest who said them.
Fate Customer Service No. 094 — Wang Jiang Nan.
“Nice to meet you. May I ask if you were the one who reported the BUG?”Wang Jiang Nan was
extremely polite. Seeing Ye Ci staring at him, he had scratched his head awkwardly before
greeting her.
This was the first time Wang Jiang Nan had met a player reporting a BUG. Very possibly, this was
the first BUG which had appeared since the inception of Fate. This made the development team
pay particular importance to it. One must know that they had conducted tests on every single
detail of the game more than several hundred times. Although they couldn’t claim that their
system was entirely flawless, a major BUG wouldn’t appear so easily at the very least.
Thus, when Ye Ci reported this BUG to the customer service lady, Wang Jiang Nan, who was on
shift, came to look at this BUG without hesitation.
Ye Ci narrowed her eyes as she nodded her head, “Yes, I am the one who reported the BUG.”
“Is this with regards to the Sandstorm Scorpion BUG?” Seeing Ye Ci answer his questions,
Jiang Wang Nan opened the development system to check on the logs.
“Yes, that’s how I reported it.”
Wang Jiang Nan stared at the development system for a moment before pausing suddenly. Then,
he raised his head and stared at Ye Ci with an astonished expression, “Did you kill this Sandstorm
Scorpion alone just now?”
“There is this panther as well.” Ye Ci pointed at her pet. Ol’ Three immediately growled and
stretched its back to make its existence known.
“...” Jiang Wang Nan stared speechless at the Elf Huntress sitting on the Sandstorm Scorpion.
Then, he seemed to have suddenly recall something. He typed Ye Ci’s ID out on the development
system and soon, all of the actions Ye Ci did ever since her entry into Fate is appeared on the
interface.
Actually, a typical developer wouldn’t do such a thing as it was too troublesome. Furthermore, if
he didn’t carry it out properly, he could be sued by the player for revealing their personal
information, consequently causing him to be punished by the company. At worst, he might be
jailed. However, Jiang Wang Nan couldn’t help but be curious about the previous deeds of a
player who used a BUG to kill a Sandstorm Scorpion and reported it right after.
After looking through Ye Ci’s log, Jiang Wang Nan no longer felt puzzled by how Ye Ci could
have possibly found the bug.
There were many kinds of players. Some players would play the game within the boundaries
determined for them while some would break the rules of the game to create their own. There
were even those who would ascend beyond the rules of the game and used everything they could
lay their hands on to create their own glory.
It was apparent that the Huntress before him was the third type of player.
There were normally two types of ending for these kind of players. They could end up banned or...
“No. 094, it can’t be that you are reading through my logs. That is against the rules and
regulations.” Upon seeing Wang Jiang Nan busying himself and sneaking occasional glances
towards her, she couldn’t help but guess his actions.
The moment her words landed, Jiang Wang Nan immediately panicked and closed down Ye Ci’s
logs.
“I didn’t.”Jiang Wang Nan tried to hide the fact that he had been exposed by Ye Ci. After which,
he cleared his throat again and said, “I thank you for your help on our negligence on behalf of
Fate’s customer service team. We will…”
“Traces will be left behind in the system when one checks a player’s logs. A player can apply for
an inquiry into these traces. Say, do you think that I should apply for one now?” Upon seeing
Wang Jiang Nan’s dodgy appearance, Ye Ci could ascertain that he was looking at her logs a
moment ago.
The edges of her lips curled up into a faint smile as she started to threaten the customer service No.
094 which had yet to make his name — Wang Jiang Nan. She was thinking of the fact that a few
years from now, if she were to tell others that she had once blackmailed Wang Jiang Nan, what
kind of expressions would be awaiting her?
Wang Jiang Nan freezes for a moment. Then, the corners of his lips twitched.
What did he just say? There were some players who would ascend beyond the rules of the game
and use everything they could lay their hands on to create their own glory.
It was obvious to see that he is about to turn into something usable to this huntress before him...
The Glory Corporation did not demarcate the job scope of the development team clearly and
granted them too much authority. Initially, the purpose of it was to avoid risk but never would they
expect that it would be exploited now as a stepping stone to step over their heads.
Just like that, the two of them stared at one another, as if it would never end until one of them
died.
“What kind of help do you need from me?” In the end, Wang Jiang Nan sighed helplessly and
asked Ye Ci irritatedly. Then, he further added, “Within the scope of my abilities, I can grant you
some rewards. However, this reward must not destroy the balance of the game. So, what can I help
you with?”
There were so many restrictions even to granting a reward. Ye Ci frowned and asked, “Then, my
beloved customer service No. 094, stop giving me so much empty talk. What can you give me?”
After pondering for a moment, Wang Jiang Nan retrieved a shiny egg from his bag and threw it to
Ye Ci, “This is the best reward that I can give you within the limits of my abilities.”
Ye Ci caught the egg which was about the size of a bowling ball. She wanted to take a look at its
attributes but what she got in return was: This is a mysterious egg.
“This is a pet egg. It just happens that you are a Huntress, so you are able to use it. However, I
cannot guarantee you what would hatch from it.”
“By chance?”
“That’s right, by chance.” Wang Jiang Nan nodded his head. Then, he recorded the coordinates
for the BUG and the incident into the development system before hurriedly bidding Ye Ci farewell.
If he were to continue interacting with this Huntress, who knew what kind of mess would arise
from it?
Just when he was about to log off, he suddenly thought of something. He gazed at Ye Ci, who was
busy studying the egg, and said, “I want to ask you something. If Fate were to come up with
trailer, what kind of contents would you like to see?”
Actually, Fate’s first trailer was already in the midst of its development. In regards to it, Wang
Jian Nan was only in charge of the minor details. He knew that with his identity, he might be
unable to become a chief developer in his entire life. Even so, he couldn’t resist visioning it, about
what would happen if he were to become the chief planner one day. Today, meeting Ye Ci and
reading through her ‘glorious past events’, he suddenly wanted to know the thoughts of a player
who ascended beyond the rules of the game.
Ye Ci found this extremely sensationally wondrous.
For a chief planner of Fate who would shine three years from now to ask about her opinion on the
game, no matter how one looks at the matter, it was a wondrous interaction.
She kept the egg and stared at Wang Jiang Nan seriously. His eyes were passionate and resolute.
A person with a such gaze would definitely meet with success. Regardless of whether time had
flowed back or whether he had met her, he would definitely succeed in life.
Ye Ci laughed. That was a sincere laughter without any meaning behind it. She straightened her
body and imitated the actions of Wang Jiang Nan in the CG, “Give me three seconds, and I will
bring you to an entirely different world! I am Fate.”
This was the action of Wang Jiang Nan back then. However, at this moment, when Wang Jiang
Nan gazed at Ye Ci as she performed those actions, the agitation rippling through his heart could
not be described through ink. His lips trembled as he shot a wide smile towards Ye Ci, “Thank
you.”
“Give me three seconds, and I will bring you to an entirely different world! I am Fate.”
This time, Wang Jiang Nan didn’t stop. He waved at Ye Ci and disappeared soon afterwards,
bringing along indescribable agitation and motivation with him.
After sending away Wang Jiang Nan, Ye Ci continued to dissect the Sandstorm Scorpion. It took
her half an hour before she finished stuffing the items she had retrieved from the Sandstorm
Scorpion into her bag. Satisfied with her returns, she walked back to Red Lake City.
Although the 10000 Sunset City reputation was rewarded to her by the system …, she did not
intend to bind her City Recalling Crystal to Sunset City. After all, she had been doing quests in
Red Lake City for almost twenty days by now and she almost had sufficient reputation to activate
the city official system.
Throwing everything in her inventory into the storage, Ye Ci walked towards the auction house.
This was a habit she had cultivated whenever she walked into large cities...
Chapter 28 Peacock Blue
When a person was reborned 10 years back into the past, what would he or she do? Studies
speculated that it was to make investments in…things.
Things like property, the stock market, and… Pork….
Ye Ci was no exception to such behavior. Her only problem was that she did not have the funds in
real life. Her greatest hobby was to hang out at the auction houses and stock up on “rubbish”.
Of course, those things were “rubbish” as no one knew of their true value.
Every single piece of “rubbish” acquired by Ye Ci would be worth a fortune 10 years into the
future. Sellers sold them at 1 or 2 gold coins, sometimes even a few silver coins. If they knew
about the truth, they would’ve gone crazy.
Ye Ci had always felt that she did not behave like a woman.
She did not like shopping, did not like jewelleries, and hated to have to shop for clothings. But in
the auction house, she was a real woman.
She would fight to the end for whatever she had her eyes on to the end.
Herbs, gem shards, enchanted materials…. Nothing could escape her sharp eyes.
Ye Ci would always put her loots on sale in the auction house anonymously after her big purchase.
When she thought about it, she realised that she had been quite the wastrel.
With her loot from the dungeon everyday, she could’ve made at least 1,000 gold coins per day, but
she had spent all the money stocking up on things.
With her inventory full of items, Ye Ci headed to the largest bank in Red Lake City.
“Give me another vault, the one with 50 slots!” Ye Ci slapped 500 gold coins in front of the
bank’s clerk.
“Ah, Miss Gongzi You, it’s good to see you again!” The clerk said to Ye Ci with flattery written
all over his face. If it was not for the uniform the clerk was wearing, Ye Ci was certain that it
would even wag its tail at Ye Ci.
It was not easy to trigger such behavior by the bank clerk. There were some conditions to be met.
One’s prestige in Red Lake City must reach “Friendly”, and more importantly, one must be rich
and have spent a lot of money on the Red Lake City bank.
In Ye Ci’s case, the vault she had bought in the bank exceeded the value of 5000 gold coins. She
was a major customer, which was why the bank staff treated her so well.
Ye Ci dumped all the items into the storage and, before she had the time to sort them out, a private
message rang in her ears, “Little Ci, are you there?”
It was Yi Cang.
There was a hint of odd cautiousness in his voice.
“I’m here, anything?”
“Are you free right now?”
“Sure.” replied Ye Ci without pausing her task at hand.
“Can you come to the guild encampment?”
To the guild encampment? Ye Ci had not been there for a long time. She had even forgotten that
she was a member of the guild.
“Is there anything you need help with?”
“Sister Blue wants you back here. She said that there’s something she needs to discuss with
you.” Yi Cang’s voice was soft, as if he was intentionally suppressing it.
“Sister Blue?” Ye Ci could not remember the name.
“She’s… The…. Uh… The Guild Admin… Sister Blue.” Yi Cang’s voice became even more
softer to the point where Ye Ci was having a hard time listening to him.
“Ok, I’ll be there.” replied Ye Ci. She guessed that Yi Cang was in a very awkward situation
and therefore did not question him much.
Ye Ci sighed at the state of disarray her storage was in. She had no choice but to postpone in
sorting out the mess. She walked towards a Guild NPC and paid a few silver coins to be
transported back to the guild encampment.
The encampment had a lot more buildings than Ye Ci could remember, and the original facilities
had also been upgraded. Thousand Sunsets invested quite a lot in the guild. Ye Ci was lost. She did
not know where to find Yi Cang. Before she could contact him, however, she heard a voice not far
from her.
It was a shrill, angry female voice.
“What’s with your friend! He secretly cleared dungeons and get First Blood for it, muting
himself when the guild ordered her back to the encampment! He’s not even here yet! Who does he
think he is? Is his dad Li Gang? (1) What the hell! He thought that I don’t have the guts to kick
him out from the guild! Let me tell you something Leftie, what we need in Steel-Blooded Battle
Spear is teamwork, not some individualistic prick….”
Ye Ci leaned at the door frame while assessing the situation.
A Human Cleric beside Leftie was complaining nonstop and the latter listened silently with his
head bowed.
Ye Ci knew the Human female Cleric. It was Peacock Blue. It was the “Sister Blue” that was
mentioned by Yi Cang.
Peacock Blue, the administrator of Steel-Blooded Battle Spear. She was a beauty. In a guild where
males were the majority, her looks was something to be proud of. This was why she was arrogant.
The guys in the guild treated her like a princess.
Ye Ci knew that she had greatly offended Peacock Blue.
Yi Cang helplessly listened on, unable to defend himself.
Ye Ci knocked softly on the door. The sound was not loud, but it was enough to announce the
presence of a third person in the room.
Leftie raised his head and saw Ye Ci. He was truly glad to see her, but before he could greet her,
Peacock Blue exploded.
“Who the hell are you! Why are you here! Can’t you see this is the administrator’s office? I’
m busy here! Where’s your discipline! Which squad are you from! Tell me your name!”
Ye Ci stared at Peacock Blue who was seething with anger. She did not even flinched. She smiled
at Peacock Blue and smiled, “I’m Gongzi You….”
“So what? Which squad are you from! I will punish you for insubordination…..” Peacock Blue
continued to grumble a bit more before stopping abruptly.
She looked at Ye Ci up and down and shouted, “YOU are Gongzi You! You’re a girl?”
Ye Ci touched the tip of her Elven ears and smiled, “If the system did not scan my features
wrongly, yes. I’m a girl.”
Peacock Blue was speechless. She glared at Ye Ci without uttering a single word. Nobody would
be able maintain their composure when they were caught talking behind someone’s back.
“What do you want from me?”
“The guild is organising an expedition into the Chilly Wetland dungeons. We’ll begin clearing
the first dungeon, Cruel Pit, in three days. All guild members with 100 GS must be present!” said
Peacock Blue with distaste in her tone.
“MY GS is only at 85.” Ye Ci sighed and showed her Character information which was already
disguised by the Brooch Of Deceit.
Peacock Blue’s brows creased. Gongzi You’s equipment were garbage. So how could someone
like her clear Icy Cave at Hard Difficulty?
It seemed that she was just lucky to have a good party.
This did not faze Peacock Blue at all, “I don’t care. This is an order from the guild leader. Even
if your GS is not 100 yet, you’ll still be a substitute.” With that, she left the room.
She could not understand Sunset Cloud’s attention to such an individual.
Leftied let out a breath that he had been holding after Peacock Blue left. He smile awkwardly at
Ye Ci and said, “Little Ci, don’t mind Sister Blue. She’s an admin. Sometimes she need to state
her authority. She has nothing against you.”
Ye Ci nodded and said to Leftie, “Yi Cang, not everyone is suitable for you even if they might
look good. Don’t hurt yourself for something that’s not worth it.”
“Little Ci, what do you mean….” Leftie was confused.
Ye Ci did not elaborate. She could see that Yi Cang liked Peacock Blue. When a man was afraid of
such arrogant women, it was usually due to the fact that he liked her, not because of her abilities.
However, there were times when “like” doesn't necessarily mean “suitable”. Yi Cang’s case
was the perfect example.
Ye Ci had never been afraid of such empty threats. She could totally ignore Peacock Blue, but she
decided to go with the guild.
The reason was none other than Peacock Blue’s words.
“What we need in Steel-Blooded Battle Spear is teamwork, not some individualistic prick…..”
Translator’s Note:
(1) “我爸是李刚” “My dad is Li Gang”: It was an incident back in October 16th 2010. A car
was speeding in campus and was involved in a hit and run accident. When intercepted by guards
and students at the campus gate, the driver, the son of a Chinese official named Li Qiming shouted,
“有本事你们告去, 我爸是李刚!” which meant “Sue me if you can, my dad is Li Gang”. It
immediately became trolling material for Chinese netizens.
GS: Equipment rating
DKP: Guild contribution points
Chapter 29 A Citizen of Red Lake City
Individualism.
No teamwork.
Ye Ci was reminded of her last life. She was always alone and she never accepted any friendship.
As a result, she was rejected by everyone.
Even if Steel-Blooded Battle Spear was not something she wanted, she felt that she had no right to
be rebellious.
She could never forget what the Glory Corporation said to her. “Fate is not about an individual.
Only with the help of your most trusted comrades can you stand at the top of the world.”
She took in a deep breath. Since she had made her decisions, there were matters that she needed to
attend to. She contacted Four Seas.
There was no story without coincidences.
Before she could contact Four Seas, she received a message from him.
“Gongzi, I’m so sorry. We might need to delay our appointment. I’ve received orders from my
guild. We’re going into the Chilly Wetlands tomorrow.”
It was a beautiful coincidence, but it was bound to happen. Most of the players have reached lv10,
and the Chilly Wetland dungeons were the ones first post-lv10 dungeon to be explored. Many
guilds had made preparations for expeditions into the Chilly Wetland.
“It’s okay, I was about to contact you as well. My guild had an expedition planned into the Cruel
Pit 3 days later.”
“What a coincidence. Which guild are you in?”
“Steel-Blooded Battle Spear.”
“Ah, the guild that is quite famous lately.” Four Seas was a veteran gamer, so he knew almost
anything happening in the game. “You must be part of the main force!”
“I’m just a substitute.”
If Ye Ci could see Four Sea’s expression, she would be amazed. Four Seas was shocked beyond
believe. He stood still with mouth agape.
“How strong Steel-Blooded Battle Spear really is? Even you are a substitute!” asked Four Seas.
Ye Ci did not answer directly. She did not know the guild’s true strength, and she was never one
to gossip. She hung up after talking briefly with Four Seas.
With her inconvenience settled, Ye Ci decided to make some preparations despite being a
substitute.
No battles could be won without preparations.
In the following days, Ye Ci gathered a lot of fabric and sent them to Flutter n’ Sway to be made
into bandages. She then headed to the Forest of Stone.
The First Blood of Forest of Stone was already taken by a secretive organization called “Cain’s
Wrath”, but this did not reduce Ye Ci’s enthusiasm towards the dungeon.
Blue equipment was always inferior to Purple equipment. With Ye Ci’s previous damage output
based on Blue equipment, it was hard for her to clear the Forest of Stone. With the Venomous
Scorpion equipment set and Ol’ Three, however, she steamrolled the dungeon easily.
She couldn’t help but let out a whistle after defeating the BOSS John.
Purple equipments. With them, it was almost a massacre. Before having such equipment, Ye Ci
could not clear Forest of Stone unharmed.
Ye Ci’s eyes lit up after receiving book from the BOSS. It was a skill book.
Rapid Fire (level 1): Unleashes an Hunter’s innate ability, each arrow fired will turn into four
arrows. Required level: 12
Rapid Fire was one of the most important Hunter skill. A level 1 rapid fire can shoot 4 consecutive
arrows. When it was maxed out at lv15, it can fire 20 arrows at one go. With critical hits, the
damage dealt to a target would be enormous.
Ye Ci was jovial. The drop rate for the skill book was 2%. This was the first time Ye Ci had come
across this skill book despite all her past life’s experiences.
Ye Ci clapped her hands together and the book vanished into a flash of white light, entering her
body.
Other than quest items such as “Lemmy’s Doll” and “John’s Right Hand”, Ye Ci received
some other equipments as well, but only a ring caught Ye Ci’s eyes.
Ring of Unjust:
Blue Equipment
Strength+5
Stamina+5
Intelligence +8
Required level: 12
Although it was a ring mainly for mages, it was better than nothing. The additional 5 points of
Strength would be of much help to Ye Ci. After putting everything into her inventory, Ye Ci
returned to Red Lake City.
John’s Right Hand was the third quest item for Ye Ci’s quest. She could hand it to the mayor of
any major city and would subsequently be rewarded huge amounts of prestige points in that city.
Ye Ci, of course, handed it to the mayor of Red Lake City.
“Ah, young Huntress, I’m impressed!” The mayor adjusted his spectacles and, with a face full
of disgust, took a look at John’s Right Hand that was laying there. “This is John’s right hand
alright! You’re a brave lad! Ok, this thing is disgusting, take it away.”
Ye Ci picked the hand up and stored it back into her inventory.
“Okay, you can get your rewards from the administration official. He’ll give you your reward!”
With that the mayor left the room.
Ye Ci bowed at the mayor half-heartedly and left.
The administration official was way more generous than the mayor. He rewarded Ye Ci greatly
after receiving John’s Right Hand.
Red Lake City prestige points x2000, Gold coins x1000, Talent points x2
Ye Ci’s prestige in Red Lake City soared to “Intimate” from “Friendly” within an instant.
This meant that she could receive a lot more quests in the city. She could also unlock the
“Military Rank” system for Red Lake City.
The Military Rank System could be unlocked when a player’s prestige with a city reached
“Intimate”. They could receive quests with increasing quality and difficulty proportional to a
player’s military rank.
“There’s a bunch of bandits northwest from here. I want you to investigate them.” The
administration official gave Ye Ci her quest.
The official then gave Ye Ci another quest, “Young Huntress, you’ve done a lot for this city. The
citizens of Red Lake City remember your deeds. Although you’ve been here for only a short time,
I believe you love this city sincerely. I would now like to invite you to become a citizen of Red
Lake City. Do you agree?”
Ye Ci agreed without hesitation.
A player could become a citizen of a city in Fate when their City-recalling Crystal was bound to
the city, and players can only be a citizen of one city.
Some of the cities that were situated in more lush areas were suitable for potion makers and cooks.
Cities that were closer to mines were suitable for miners and blacksmiths. There were also cities
situated closely to dungeons, which were the favourites of guilds and other warmongering players.
The city was crucial for the growth of its citizen. Many of the players did not understand this
important factor. They did not think clearly about the choice city and, in the later stages of the
game, had to pay huge fees to change their citizenship.
As for Ye Ci, she chose Red Lake City because it was one of the cities with no Steel-Blooded
Battle Spear members as residents. More importantly, however, it would become one of Fate’s top
10 most developed cities in the future.
Although Red Lake City was more isolated, high level dungeons would appear near it in the future.
The surroundings of Red Lake City was rich with plants, animals, and mines. It was the perfect
place.
Ye Ci could remember clearly that Red Lake City would be packed full of players in a few years’
time.
“Congratulations, you’re now officially a Red Lake City citizen.” The official said with a stoic
voice, after which his expression soften. This gave Ye Ci a sense of belonging.
A bright golden light emitted from Ye Ci’s body, and at the same time, a system announcement
rang out.
“The young Huntress Gongzi You has settled in Red Lake City after a long journey and is now a
citizen of Red Lake Citizen! This is a very joyous event!”
Chapter 30 Substitutes
The system message naturally did not have the shock value of something like First Blood. Not
many people lamented over it.
However, to Ye Ci, it carried a different meaning.
“You are the first outsider to join our Red Lake City. I will definitely reward you well.” The
official seemed extremely happy and took out a medal from the box on the office table, giving it to
Ye Ci.
Ye Ci received the medal and took a look. It was a citizen’s medal.
Red Lake City Citizen’s Medal: 5 HP regeneration per second.
The medal appeared to be related to the Prestige within the city. The greater the Prestige, the better
the bonuses the medal provided. Although the stats of the medal was average, it was better than
nothing. Ye Ci immediately stuck it on her chest.
Afterwards, the official urged Ye Ci again, “There are not enough people in the Military
Department. Gongzi You, are you perhaps interested in helping?”
Here it is.
Ye Ci had worked so hard and so long just for this question.
Before her, there were two options: yes or no.
If she replied yes, she would activate her own Military Rank System. If she replied no, the
Military Rank System would not have any connection with her ever again.
She obviously answered yes. Next, Ye Xi was sent to the Military Department by the official.
“Gongzi You, you now are a citizen of Red Lake City. Do you want to protect this city?”
Naturally, Ye Ci’s answer was again yes. Afterwards, the Military Officer immediately helped Ye
Ci with her registration, and her Citizen’s Medal was switched to a lvl 1 Soldier’s Medal.
Although the medal was changed, he stats remained the same.
After becoming a lvl 1 Soldier, Ye Ci received a quest from the Military Officer— patrol Red
Lake City. If your immediate superior instructed you, you must directly follow their orders. The
quest seemed easy, but it actually proved to be very hard upon attempting to complete it.
A patrol officer had a lot of duties to fulfill . From protecting the citizens, to maintaining order, to
cleaning, the patrol officer was required to do everything. Although it was only one patrol a day, it
would take at least an hour. It was tiring as hell and about as relaxing as fighting a BOSS.
After the patrol was complete, Ye Ci could go to the Military Officer to collect the Salary Pack of
the Day. Inside were fifty silver coins and fifty Military Honor points.
Military Honor points were needed for promotions. Other than doing the Military Officer’s quests
every day, there were no other ways of obtaining it. If one wanted to be promoted, they would
need to patiently bear with the oppression.
After finishing the day’s worth of oppressive work, Ye Ci left the Administration Office, and
accepted another few simple quests, conveniently raising her to lvl 15. Afterwards, she traveled
towards the Hunter Instructor.
The Combat Skills in Fate do not require mastery like the Life Skills. As long as the lvl of a
character fit the requirements, one can always level up a Combat Skill as long as the fees were
paid.
Since Ye Ci’s reached lvl 15, she could level up all her skills. She could even learn a skill at lvl 15,
a very important one - Mount.
Quite a lot of players were already riding horses. With them galloping at full speed with their
hoofs, it was a glamorous sight. Even Ye Ci felt quite tempted to ride one. She wasted no time in
learning the skill right after she hit lvl 15.
Skills that could be learned by spending money were never cheap, and Mount was especially
expensive. Ye Ci spent almost 30 gold coins in the process of leveling up her skills and acquiring
the skill Mount. With her wealth, Ye Ci did not even flinch at the price, but any other average
player would be able to feel the pain for a long time.
The next step after learning Mount was to get a horse. Horses were cheap. They only cost 10 gold
coins each. After almost half a day of ‘careful selection’, Ye Ci finally bought a small maroon
colored horse, and rode around Red Lake City happily.
Something that ran on four legs was obviously faster than someone with two legs. Despite only
increasing movement speed by 40%, the horse that costed 10 gold was a way better alternative
than walkingon foot.
After showing off her horse, Ye Ci noted that it was late. She logged out of the game and did her
school work.
Life of a college student was tough, isn’t it true! With loads of school work every day, isn’t it!
Can’t miss a class! Isn’t it true! Isn’t it true!
Ye Ci went online early in the morning the following day. She immediately received a mail. It was
the bandages from Flutter n’ Sway.
With the fresh bandages, Ye Ci took out a series of potion from her storage and headed to the guild
staging area.
Ye Ci thought that she was already early, but she realized that it was nothing to be proud of when
she arrived at the guild staging area, as hundreds of players had already gathered there.
Ye Ci took a look at her friend list. Yi Cang, Liu Chang, and Dong Yin were not online yet. Since
she knew nobody else from the guild, she sat in an empty corner. The three logged into the game
not long after.
Just as the four gathered, Peacock Blue’s voice rang in the guild channel, “All participants please
take note, please find out which party you belong to from the bulletin board and report to your
party leader. Our mission today is to clear Cruel Pit, and achieve First Blood! Any party that clears
the pit will be rewarded. The party leader will be awarded 10 DKP, while party members will be
awarded 5 points each. If we can achieve First Blood, the party leader will be awarded 200 DKP,
and the members 100 each!”
The players present were excited. 1 point = 100 bucks. Anybody would be excited!
Ye Ci was left speechless. He Xiao was truly willing to spend a lot. She thought that he was just
someone who was slightly rich, but she did not expect him to be that wealthy. Even if they could
not achieve First Blood for the Cruel Pit, he’d need to pay out hundreds of thousands RMB.
As expected of a rich person.
After taking a look at the bulletin board, Ye Ci was the only one of her friends left without a party.
Liu Chang creased her eyebrows, “Did they accidentally leave you out, why was your name not
there?”
Ye Ci, of course, knew the truth. She stopped Liu Chang and said, “It’s okay, you guys go on
ahead. I’m fine.”
“But….” Liu Chang was still unsatisfied, but Peacock Blue was already giving orders for party
members to gather. Liu Chang had no choice but to leave for her party.
With her three friends gone, Ye Ci contacted Peacock Blue, “Peacock Blue, I did not see my
name on the bulletin board.”
“I’ve told you, you have insufficient GS, you’re just a substitute. Stand aside. I’ll call for you
when somebody from a party left or was disconnected from the game.” Peacock Blue retorted
after realizing that it was Gongzi You.
“Can I form a party of my own then?”
“Do what you want, as long as it’s not with some wild party [1]. Take whoever that’s willing to
go with you.” Peacock Blue replied.
With that, Ye Ci immediately shouted in the guild channel, “Looking for party members for Cruel
Pit. Need Tank, Healer, and DPS.”
Two players immediately requested to join her party. It was a Dwarven Mage named Timely Rain
and an Orcish Warlock named Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw.
Ye Ci shook her head. Dwarves were meant to be Warriors or Knights, while Orcs were most
suited to being Rogues, Rangers, Druids or Priests. A Dwarven Mage and an Orcish Warlock… It
was a rather odd combination.
Both of them were lvl 12, and their equipments were a mess. They suffered greatly due to the odd
combination of race and class and ended up as substitutes.
“Are we really going to the Cruel Pit?” asked Timely Rain right after joining the party.
“Can we clear it?” Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw sounded desperate.
“Why not give it a try? We’ll proceed if we can handle it and leave immediately if we can’t.”
Ye Ci didn’t like to make superficial promises , “Even if we can’t clear the dungeon, we can at
least get to know the map. It’d be easier to look for a party next time.”
The two agreed immediately.
Nobody else joined their party.
Timely Rain and Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw almost gave up, “Just forget about it, we’ll just
wait here as substitutes.”
“If we can’t find someone from the guild, we’ll just find some random Tank and Healer.”
“But Peacock Blue forbade us to form wild parties.”
“The party belongs to our guild if more than half its members are from our guild.” Ye Ci
explained, “Come with me if you want. If not, you can leave the party.”
The two did not leave the party. They’ve been benchwarmer for quite some time already. They
would never easily let go of such an opportunity.
With all their doubts cleared, the two followed Ye Ci to the Cruel Pit.
Perhaps due to the fact that Cruel Pit was the focus of a lot of big guilds, the place was packed
with players. Ye Ci shouted, “Cruel Pit, need a Tank and a Healer. Three people in the party, we’
ll start as soon as we have enough members!”
She immediately received requests. She was puzzled. She had thought that she would need at least
half a day to form a complete party. Were Tanks and Healers so unpopular in this her current life?
But, as she looked carefully, Ye Ci was overcome with joy.
The people who joined her party were none other than Little Icy Cold Hands and Icy Cold Little
Hands….
TL Notes:
[1] Wild party: party with members w/o a guild.
Phoenix Claw: a fancy way of calling “chicken feet”. It’s actually a delicacy though hmm…
Chapter 31 Why?
It was such a small world.
The two greeted Ye Ci right after they joined the party, “Gongzi, what a coincidence, we’re here
for the fun, but we only found guild parties. We were just about to leave and then we saw
somebody looking for party members.”
We never thought that it’ll be you. We joined immediately without thinking!” Icy Cold Little
Hands idolized Ye Ci, she was happy to be in her party.
“I was wondering, had all the Healers and Tanks lost their jobs?” Ye Ci was happy to see people
that she was familiar with. Their skills were not that good, but she knew their strengths and
weaknesses, having already partied with them before. It would be easier to control the situation
once they entered the dungeon.
“Wow! Both of you are from the Freaking Awesome People! You’re the ones who got First
Blood on Icy Cave hard difficulty!” Timely Rain and Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw said
excitedly.
Normally, Little Icy Cold Hands would’ve bragged about it. But he could not bring himself to do
so in front of Ye Ci. He scratched his head awkwardly and asserted, “It’s just a coincidence. Just
a coincidence.”
Those two underestimated the power of idols. Despite Little Icy Cold Hands’ reserved behavior,
Timely Rain and Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw treated him warmly. Ye Ci sighed. She was also
part of the people who cleared it you know….
“Have you guys completed the prerequisite quest?” asked Ye Ci.
“Yes,” replied the four collectively.
With the average player progressing towards the Chilly Wetlands, even those without a party
would have the common sense to complete the prerequisite quest just in case.
Ye Ci nodded her head and led the four into the Cruel Pit.
Just before she entered the dungeon, Ye Ci’s private voice message channel rang. The
conversation also appeared in her text message channel.
The person had a Fate Logo beside his name in the word channel. It was a Fate Official.
“Hello, I am Customer Service No.094. Miss Gongzi You, do you still remember me?”
“Yes, what do you want?” It was Wang Jiang Nan. Ye Ci was bewildered. Why was a person
from the development team looking for her? Was he taking back her pet egg?
“We’ve been studying the bug that you submitted. It is in the opinion of the entire development
team that this BUG is impossible to be exploited. Are you hiding the presence of other BUGs?”
Wang Jiang Nan was in a difficult position. He knew that Ye Ci could kill the Sandstorm Scorpion
with the BUG and he had reported it after investigating her movement records.
Of course, he could not tell that to his boss. He would be fired.
He could only try his best to explain the BUG reported by Ye Ci to his bosses and tell Ye Ci about
the results of the investigation.
Ye Ci was momentarily puzzled. She then answered coldly, “Since you do not believe me, why
are you here? Handing out punishment? Confiscating my loot?”
“No, Miss Gongzi You. The development team wishes for you to demonstrate the BUG you used
to kill the Sandstorm Scorpion so that we can confirm the problem and fix the BUG.” Wang
JiangNan sighed. He knew that it was almost a mission impossible.
Ye Ci remained silent as if she did not hear his words. She stayed with the party in the gloomy
dungeons, clearing away the occasional monster.
The first floor of the Cruel Pit was slightly brighter. Scattered rays of light shone in from the
cracks of the ceiling. The glittering light made the atmosphere even scarier. The mobs on this floor
was scattered and it was easy to take care of them. The party could even joke around as they
progressed through the floor.
“Miss Gongzi You, what do you think of my proposal?” Wang Jiang Nan was desperate when he
received no response from Ye Ci. He was the one who reported the BUG to the higher ups, if it
turned out to be a fraud, his bonus for the month would be gone. He might even lose his position
in the development team that was planning the release of a new trailer.
Money did not matter to him. But if he was kicked out of the development team, it would be truly
troubling.
But it was impossible for him to tell that to Ye Ci. Thus, he could only urge her to make up her
mind faster.
Ye Ci gave the matter a moment of consideration before she replied, “Why?”
It made Wang Jiang Nan speechless. Then again, It had always been that way. Players had no
obligation to report a BUG. To repair a BUG was the Official’s responsibility. It had nothing to do
with the players. And to seek help from a player to repair a BUG without any reason…..
Exactly. Why?
Wang Jiang Nan did not know what to say, but he couldn’t just hang up like that. As such, the two
continued to remain silent.
It was Ye Ci who spoke first, “If you can let me have all the dropped items, I’ll do it again.”
Wang Jiang Nan immediately relayed Ye Ci’s condition to the higher up and it was approved
immediately. They agreed that if Ye Ci could get in touch with Customer Service No.094
whenever she was free, they could work together to repair the BUG.
The party was preparing to enter the second floor just as the conversation ended. Little Icy Cold
Hands was curious about Ye Ci’s silence (She was talking to Customer Service No.094) and asked,
“Gongzi, you’re quiet today….”
Ye Ci was puzzled, was she normally very noisy? “Then what do you want me to say?”
“It’s just that…. It’s weird to not hear you giving out orders in the dungeon.”
A smile lit up the pale face underneath the dim light, “Be careful on the second floor, the mobs
are no longer scattered. They’ll be swarming us.”
“How do you know…..” before Timely Rain could finish his sentence, loud noises emanated
from all around them.
A horde of skeletons were rising from the ground and moved slowly towards the party. The dim
light in the dungeon shone on the bits of rotten flesh that still hung loosely off the skeletons,
making for a horrible sight.
Icy Cold Little Hands let out a yelp and fell onto the stairs. Timely Rain also had his wits scared
out of him by the skeleton horde.
The party would be annihilated at this rate. Ye Ci pulled Timely Rain backwards and shouted at
Little Cold Icy Hands, “Little Cold Icy Hands, have you learnt Charge!?”
Little Cold Icy Hands was also shivering out of fear, but when his name was mentioned, he
regained his wits and answered, “Yes”.
“Charge at them! Charge at the place where they’re most concentrated!”
Charge was a Warrior’s only means of building up mass aggro. It could attract the aggro of eight
monsters at most along its trajectory. Little Cold Icy Hands charged at the skeletons, and a sharp
sound resounded when his armor collided with the skeletons.
Ol’ Three followed close behind Little Cold Icy Hands and attracted the attention of the skeletons
around him, relieving some of the pressure from him. At the same time, Ye Ci fired arrows at the
skeletons and, with her high balance, began kiting them without attracting the attention of more
skeletons.
Ye Ci finally found the time to give instructions to the three mage classed players who had lost
their morale, “Warlock, cast Frost Beam! Aim for the skeletons nearest to the Healer and the
Sorcerer! Healer, don’t just stand there, heal the Tank! Sorcerer, attack whichever target that the
Warrior is attacking, be careful of what you hit! Control your aggro, be careful not to OT!”
Icy Cold Little Hands were frightened by the horrifying scene. She would’ve cried out loud if not
for Ye Ci. She suppressed her fear, raised her staff with a trembling hand, and healed Little Cold
Icy Hands.
Despite being men, Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw and Timely Rain did not fare any better. With
the scenery assaulting their senses, they would’ve been in utter confusion if not for Ye Ci’s
instructions.
With Ye Ci’s careful and precise instructions, the party slowly got used to her orders and her
combat style. With Ye Ci’s perfect positioning and controls, their fear of the skeletons decreased
and they began to fight with order.
But the GS of the two DPS was too low, which badly affected their damage output. It was Ye Ci’s
superior equipment that raised the party’s damage output.
The battle ended.
All of them sat on the ground, tired and sweating. Ye Ci threw a piece of roasted meat at Ol’
Three and patted its head, and to show its happiness, Ol’ Three rubbed its head against Ye Ci’s
thigh.
A pale-faced Little Icy Cold Hands looked at Ye Ci but detected no hint of unusualness on her.
Even her facial expression remained the same. He sighed and said, “Gongzi, you’re brave….
Aren’t you afraid of this scary dungeon?”
Ye Ci laughed. She was tempted to tell them that there were even scarier dungeons in the later
stages of Fate. Cruel Pit was just the tip of the iceberg. She replied with half of the truth, “It’s
just a game. It’s not real. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
The rest of the party sighed and shook their heads. They were impressed by Ye Ci.
After resting for a short moment, Ye Ci said, “Let’s go, there are more skeletons ahead. Be
careful.”
The group gulped, and clutched their weapons tightly….
Chapter 32 Cleared! Cruel Pit!
Cruel Pit was the introductory dungeon to the Chilly Wetlands. Its design was different from the
other dungeons within the Chilly Wetlands. The dungeon itself was themed after Gothic horror.
The entire dungeon was filled with an eerie atmosphere, and players who enter it for the first time
were likely to be affected by the psychological induction of fear and ended up underperforming.
That was one of the reasons why a dungeon that was not exactly hard bogged down the progress
of millions of Fate players for quite a while.
Ye Ci could remember herself being scared senseless when she first entered this dungeon. The
only solution offered by the forums at the current stage was to watch more horror films to build up
the resistance to the horror themed dungeon. It was useless. One would never be able to relate to
the horror when one was watching a film as they were not directly experiencing it. The only way
to overcome such fear was to visit the dungeon more often. After experiencing the dungeon for at
most ten times, the fear of seeing skeletons with bits of meat hanging loosely off them will start to
fade.
And what was the second key to clearing this dungeon one might ask? It was of course…. Damage
output…. And…. Puzzle solving.
The damage output required was an issue for a lot of players. In Ye Ci’s knowledge, an average
player must possess at least 150 GS to clear the dungeon. Even with someone like her around, the
average GS of the party members must reach 130. Without reaching this condition, their attacks
might not even be able to penetrate the BOSS’s defense.
Although Timely Rain and Phoenix Claw in her party did not have more than 100 GS, Little Icy
Cold Hands and Icy Cold Little Hands had 140 GS. As long as she moved faster, her party could
clear the dungeon easily.
As for the puzzle….
Ye Ci looked up into the sky, it all depended on luck.
For example, the puzzle currently faced by the party was one that tested the dexterity of one’s
thoughts.
The door leading to the first BOSS was in a small square patio. Four chairs were set at each corner
of the room, and when the puzzle was activated, only one player of the party could try to solve it,
while the four other party members had to sit on the chairs.
One mistake could possibly end the lives of the other four members.
Ye Ci made a slight mistake, and Little Icy Cold Hands was impaled by a spike that suddenly rose
off the ground. He was left with only the slightest amount of HP. He was scared shitless and yelled,
“Gongzi, you must be careful, be careful! Luckily it was me who got impaled, if it was the others,
they would’ve died!”
“Ah, it was a mistake, it won’t happen the next time.” Ye Ci nodded and chuckled.
“You’re taking revenge on me!” Icy Cold Little Hands cried.
Something clicked, and the door opened.
Ye Ci straightened up and walked towards the door. The four asked with uncertainty, “It’s done?”
“Of course.”
The four immediately jumped off the chairs and rushed into the first BOSS’s room after offering
different sorts of prayers.
The first and second BOSSes were defeated easily. After being in the scary dungeon for three
hours, the group was finally used to the atmosphere. Eventually, they reached the door leading to
the third and final BOSS.
The third BOSS of Cruel Pit was the Head Warden Tito.
Cruel Pit was crowned as the milestone of the humanization of the A.I. It was not because of the
difficulty of the dungeon. It was due to the fact that the final BOSS of this dungeon, Tito, was the
first high intelligence BOSS that players encountered in the game.
A conventional BOSS was designed to follow several programs, but Tito used his own wits to
bring out the maximum potential of his skills. This was the hardest factor in the entire dungeon,
and part of the reason why many players were bogged down in this dungeon. They could not
figure out a pattern to Tito’s attacks.
“...... Timely Rain have you learned Exhaust?”
Exhaust was the only Debuff skill that a Warlock possessed. Exhaust reduces the target’s attack
damage by 30% for 8 seconds. Despite that, it had a 20 seconds cooldown. It was one of the
life-saving skills.
“I did,” Timely Rain nodded. He did not dare to continue… He’d never used the skill before.
“Ok, Tito will have a skill called Anger. When you see the skill channeling, use Exhaust on
him.”
“Got it.” Timely Rain learned a lot about positioning after partying with Ye Ci. He’d even
mastered skills that he normally would not use and had got used to the casting timing. It could be
said that he had benefitted a lot.
He only had the mindset of exploration when he first entered the dungeon. He was thoroughly
impressed by this Huntress. He couldn’t help but imagine that they could clear this dungeon under
her guidance.
“Phoenix Claw, have you learned Weaken?” Ye Ci asked because most beginners did not have
many coins with them and were forced to selectively learn skills. They sometimes would overlook
skills that were crucial in dungeons and PVP.
“Let me see, I could’ve sworn that I learned it,” Phoenix Claw’s face was red with
embarrassment. He finally found Weaken in his skills panel, “Yes, I’ve learned it.”
“When Timely Rain’s Exhaust duration is finished, cast Weaken immediately. Weaken has a low
cooldown, you can keep using it. But you must take care not to use it when Exhaust is still in
effect, they will cancel each other out. It will greatly increase the pressure for the MT and the
Healer.” With the exception of Phoenix Claw, all the members of the party were fast learners.
Despite being a slow learner, Phoenix Claw was a good follower, he followed every instruction to
the letter.
“I understand.”
“Gongzi, they’re not going to attack the BOSS?” Little Icy Cold Hands asked, he noticed that
Ye Ci only instructed the two to use Debuff on the BOSS, but did not mention a word about them
attacking.
Ye Ci shook her head, “This BOSS has a high GS requirement. Players that are not lvl 15 can’t
even damage the BOSS without 180 GS. It would just be a waste their mana. It’s better if they
spend all of their mana on Debuffs. At least they would be able to keep some of the pressure off
you.”
The four of them were afraid, seeing as only Little Cold icy Hands had reached lvl 15. The others
were not even lvl 15 yet. They began to sweat profusely.
“Gongzi, if that’s the case, can we clear this dungeon?” Timely Rain’s confidence was slightly
shaken.
Ye Ci could understand his thoughts. She looked at Timely Rain and affirmed, “In a dungeon, it’
s either the BOSS or us, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Even if we die ten times, we’ll only lose
half a level worth of experience. With some work, we can get those back within a week. What?
Can’t bear the loss?”
With Ye Ci’s words, and seeing that nobody else had the intention to leave, Timely Rain kept
quiet and forced himself to stay.
Phoenix Claw said, “You’re a guy, act like one! Are you going or nah? The treasure chest is
waiting for us, don’t be a pussy!”
Timely Rain was a shy person, with the words of Phoenix Claw, he was too embarrassed to leave.
He gritted his teeth, “Let’s go!”
At the next moment, the battle started immediatel.
Icy Cold Little Hands, Timely Rain and Phoenix Claw stood together, distancing themselves in a
straight line 20 m away from Little Icy Cold Hands. Ye Ci stood between them, acting as a barrier.
All they needed to do at the beginning of the fight was to stand still and dish out damage, nothing
else was really needed. Five minutes later, Tito grabbed the hem of Little Icy Cold hands angrily,
intending to throw him aside. If it’s not for Little Icy Cold Hand’s reaction speed, he would’ve
been thrown away.
Tito shouted in a loud voice, “Damned ants, you’ve pissed me off!”
Ye Ci was shocked, in her countless visit to the dungeon, she’d never seen Tito combining the
skills of Anger and Ignite together. She shouted, “You three, move in the same direction as I do
after Exhaust is cast, don’t stay in the area of his attack.”
Timely Rain immediately cast Exhaust. Just as Ye Ci’s voice died down, flames burst out of Tito’
s mouth in a fan shape. Players within the affected area suffered sustained and serious burn
damage.
The three mage classed playerswere immediately put into a state of disarray. Noticing that Little
Icy Cold Hands was nearly dead, Ye Ci drank a bottle of Rage potion and took the aggro of the
BOSS away from him with a few critical hits. She released Ol’ Three to the front line as a meat
shield.
“The four of you hurry up and recover your health with potions and bandages. We’ll do it
again!” Ye Ci said and began kiting Tito in the small room.
In Fate, the combat state would not be removed unless the entire party left the area or was
annihilated. It was not worth to die just like that, and Ye Ci refused the exit the dungeon, leaving
behind a BOSS that only had 37% of its health left. She immediately instructed the members of
her party to recover themselves.
The four of them were gasping for air by that time. The three mage classed players were especially
ashamed of their performance. The used the best consumables they had.
After healing up, Little Cold Icy Hands charged up to Tito and took over the Aggro with the help
of Phoenix Claw. Ye Ci immediately returned Ol’ Three to the pet storage and went back to her
position.
By that time, they were used to Tito’s tricks. They dodged his Ignite with ease.
There were occasions where time passes real quick, and there were also occasions where time was
slow. Half an hour was normally not a long period of time, but in the party’s situation, it felt like
10,000 years. Tito’s hit points finally hit 1% and Ye Ci immediately reminded her party members,
“Be careful, he will now randomly release an ultimate skill!”
At that moment, Tito began to channelthe skill Mutual Destruction!
Ye Ci was shocked, nobody had the skill that could cancel other skills at this point. If this ultimate
skill was successfully released, it would deal 999,999 points of damage, annihilating everything in
the area! She chugged down another bottle of Rage potion.
“Please don’t let me die now, come on, lemme have a critical hit! Armor break!” Ye Ci shouted,
and cast Rapid Fire, at the same time, a Weaken debuff appeared on Tito.
Critical hit! Armor break! -3749!!
Chapter 33 F*ck Off
Mutual Destruction’s channeling was finally canceled when the countdown timer hit 0.03 seconds.
Tito’s softened body crumpled onto the ground, and he did not move again.
Suddenly, an eerie silence crept over the Pit.
The group could not believe the scene unfolding before them, Tito had actually died?
Icy Cold Little Hands even pinched his own face while mumbling, “Did our party get annihilated?
Are we standing here as spirits?”
While the four were stunned, Ye Ci was not. She took a deep breath. It was finally over. That was
so surreal.
“Do you want to keep the guild name and party ID hidden?” the system announcement
immediately popped out after Tito had fallen.
Ye Ci chose ‘no’. It was not the time to stay hidden. After all, getting First Blood on this
dungeon will raise the prestige of the guild. One must go on tolling the bell as long as one was a
monk, as she was a member of Steel-Blooded Battle Spear, she should at least fulfill her minimum
duties as a guild member.
“Congratulations ‘Steel-Blooded Battle Spear’s five members for being the first in the world to
achieve First Blood for the Cruel Pit dungeon, Rewards: 500 Guild Prestige points, let us
remember their names!”
“Congratulations ‘Gongzi You’ for clearing the Cruel Pit, Rewards: 100 gold coins, 1000
global prestige points, 2 Talent Points.”
“Congratulations ‘Timely Rain’ for clearing the Cruel Pit, Rewards: 100 gold coins, 1000
global Prestige Points, 1 Talent Point.”
“Congratulations ‘Phoenix Claw’ for clearing the Cruel Pit, Rewards: 100 gold coins, 1000
global Prestige Points, 1 Talent Point.”
“Congratulations ‘Little Icy Cold Hands’ for clearing the Cruel Pit, Rewards: 100 gold coins,
1000 global Prestige Points, 1 Talent Point.”
“Congratulations ‘Icy Cold Little Hands’ for clearing the Cruel Pit, Rewards: 100 gold coins,
1000 global Prestige Points, 1 Talent Point.”
The World Message channel was spammed by the red words of the System Announcement. At that
moment, the entire world exploded. The group’s friends channel began beeping nonstop. Little
Icy Cold Hands and Icy Cold Little Hands had already experienced such matters and immediately
muted their channels. Timely Rain and Phoenix Claw finally were able to mute their friend chat
channel and the world returned to silence.
“Gongzi You! You went out with a Wild Party, am I right!” Peacock Blue’s message reached Ye
Ci just as she was about to mute her private message channel.
“We did not have a MT and a healer, so that’s why I randomly looked for two more extra
members.”
“Little Icy Cold Hands and Icy Little Cold Hands were the ones who cleared Icy Cave with you,
and you tell me you met them by chance? Do you think that I’m an idiot?” Peacock Blue raised
her voice after hearing Ye Ci’s neutral tone, “Are you trying to help them get equipments!”
“So what? You’re the one who asked me to look for members on my own.”
“But I did not ask you to form a Wild Party!”
“The achievement belongs to the guild, what do you mean by wild party?” Ye Ci furrowed her
eyebrows. She had never liked having arguments over trivial matters, but Peacock Blue was doing
exactly that.
“Do not give them any equipments, you must hand in all MT and healer equipments!” Peacock
Blue continued after a pause, “Give the MT equipments to Thousand Sunsets, send the healer
equipments directly to me!”
Ye Ci narrowed her eyes, her expression turning cold. This woman, Ye Ci was too lazy to deal
with her, but she thought that she could bully her? Finding fault with her, like that, did she think
that Ye Ci was just someone soft?
Ye Ci said in a cold voice, “Cut the nonsense, f*ck off.” She then turned off her private message
channel and muted that woman.
Although Ye Ci’s channels finally became quiet again, Peacock Blue that was rejected and then
scolded by her was extremely agitated. She shouted in the guild channel, “Gongzi You! Who do
you think you are! Clearing a dungeon with a wild party! I would’ve let it slide if you handed in
the equipments, but you told me to f*ck off! Who do you think you are? Tell you what, if you
hand in the equipment for MT and healer right away, I’ll let you off the hook, if you don’t, I’ll
kick you out right away! Don’t you think you’ll be getting any money from us!”
Little Icy Cold Hands and Icy Cold Little Hands were not guild members of Steel-Blooded Battle
Spear and had no access to the guild channel. They did not know what was occurring between the
two. Timely Rain and Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw were stunned after reading Peacock Blue’s
words.
They looked at Ye Ci, but she shook her hand, signaling that she did not mind at all, “Ignore her,
we’ll split the loot, and sell anything that we can’t use.”
“But… ” Timely Rain was wary of Peacock Blue. After all, she was an administrator in the
guild and had some power. He was afraid to offend her.
“But what? These items are more important. In the worst case scenario, you can just go join
another guild, a lot of them are recruiting, just what are you afraid of?” Pepper Pickled Phoenix
Claw was way smarter than Timely Rain. Like Ye CI, he paid no heed to Peacock Blue.
“Gongzi You! I will kick you out of the guild!” Peacock Blue was already in a state of rage
when she was ignored by Ye Ci.
At that moment, a system message flashed across the screen: Peacock Blue has been stripped of
her admin rights by Thousand Sunsets.
“Thousand!!” Peacock Blue screamed. Thousands of guild members were either waiting for
Peacock Blue to continue her rage or were waiting for Gongzi You’s response, but nothing else
surfaced in the guild channel.
“Something happened in your guild?” Little Icy Cold Hands immediately guessed that it had
something to do with Ye Ci’s guild.
“It’s nothing, just some petty quarreling in the guild,” Pepper Pickled Phoenix Claw laughed.
“I see, this is why I don’t want to join a guild, too troublesome.” Little Icy Cold Hands
scartched his head and looked at Ye Ci, “Gongzi are you going to pick up the loot? If you’re not
gonna do it, I’m going to pick up all of them!”
Ye Ci smiled at Timely Rain and Pepper Pickled Phoenix Claw “Which one of you has a better
luck? Go open the chests,” pointing at the three glimmering chests at the corner.
Cruel Pit was a dungeon that a lot would prefer not to revisit after clearing it once. Other than its
eerie theme, the loot was also given in a very disgusting way. Players would only obtain a treasure
chest key each from the first and second BOSS. They can only obtain the rewards after defeating
the third BOSS and open the treasure chests behind it with the keys dropped from slaying each
BOSS.
Frankly speaking, if one could not clear the dungeon, it’s a waste of one’s effort.
The two shook their heads, stating that they were members of the “black hand” (unlucky) army.
The mission of opening the boxes fell to Little Icy Cold Hands and Icy Cold Little Hands.
Their luck were unprecedented. Other than the quest items to activate the rest of the dungeon
cluster, they obtained 6 Blue equipment that were fully lvl 15.
Sadly, none of them were bows or crossbows. Ye Ci could only watch as they distributed their new
weapons.
The Barbarian two-handed axe and the Druid staff that were leftover were sold in the auction
house and the profits would split between the five party members.
Ye Ci couldn’t help but suspect if she would only had the luck with skill books in her current life.
The three chests gave them 17 pieces of equipments in total, and they got one or two each, with
the exception of Pepper Pickled Phoenix Claw, who obtained three items. Ye Ci was the only one
who did not get anything other than two skill books.
The drop rates of skill books however, was in an entirely different realm when compared an
equipment’s drop rate. With Ye Ci’s two new skill books, it’s worth it.
Frost Trap: Deploying it along the opponent’s movement path will freeze the target for 12 seconds.
Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Poison: Coat the user’s weapon with poison, target will be poisoned along the skill’s duration. All
physical damage against targets will be have the Poisoned effect. Duration: 60 seconds. Cooldown:
90 seconds. Class: Rogue, Hunter, Ranger.
Some of the classes in Fate will share similar skills. Poison was a skill used by Rogue, Hunter and
Ranger classes. It’s one of the best skills for assassination and killing BOSS.
The five added each other as friends after splitting up the loot and left the dungeon.
Ye Ci went back to Red Lake City and cleared the daily quest and obtained the salary pack
containing 50 silver coins and 50 Military Honor Points. Just as Ye Ci was about to go offline after
sorting out her item storage, a pigeon approached her. It was Liu Chang. She had heard about Ye
Ci’s confrontation with Peacock Blue after being leaving a dungeon upon her death.
“Nothing, I don’t think it’s anything big.” Ye Ci dismissed it as something petty.
“Even if you don’t mind, that b*tch might not feel the same. She thought that everybody should
listen to her. She might have added much more oil to the fire when complaning to Thousand
Sunsets” said Liu Chang coldly.
“She can say what she wants. It’s not like my life depends on her. If worst comes to the worst, I’
ll just leave, not that I care.” Ye Ci yawned, appearing to not even care about the topic, “I’m so
tired, getting a First Blood is not easy, I’ll go to sleep.
Liu Chang did not say much to Ye Ci with her current condition. She said goodbye to Ye Ci, and
went offline as well.
Ye Ci had not eaten for the entire day while exploring the dungeon. With her exerting so much of
her attention in the game, she did not feel hungry. However, hunger assaulted her senses as soon as
she went offline. She went to bed after a quick meal and was asleep the moment her head touched
her pillow.
After an unknown period of time, her phone rang.
Ye Ci buried her head in her blanket and continued sleeping, not paying heed to the phonecall. But
the caller did not give up, and the phone rang on and on to the point where Ye Ci had to pick up
the call.
It was Yi Cang.
Yi Cang seemed to be contacting her frequently nowadays, thought a sleep-addled Ye Ci.
“Litle Ci, let’s have a meal together tomorrow.”
“Your dad gave you more pocket money?”
“No, Brother He said that it’s a guild activity.”
“Which Brother He?” Ye Ci was still groggy.
“He Xiao, Thousand Sunsets.”
Ye Ci’s mind immediately cleared. To call her out for a meal at this time? It did not seem like a
good timing. Ye Ci could not help but remember the events that occurred in the afternoon.
Translator note: Due to previous mistranslation, "Steel Blooded Battle Axe" will now be renamed
as "Steel Blooded Battle Spear"
Chapter 34 Flutter n’ Sway
Reason number one, Yi Cang found it hard to suppress her own joy out of excitement. Number
two, she couldn’t really afford to miss the activity organized by the guildmaster since she was still
in the Steel-Blooded Battle Spear guild. Third and most importantly, she wanted to know what
kind of trickery Thousand Sunsets was trying to pull off.
However, Ye Ci didn’t really get to interact much with Thousand Sunsets the next day. Both of
them had only met with each other at the specified restaurant.
He Xiao looked like he was in a hurry, but he still wore a friendly smile on his face upon seeing
Ye Ci. “Oh it’s you, Gongzi. Hurry and go upstairs, they are all in the big private room on the
third floor. I’ll excuse myself for awhile since I have some business to attend to, but I’ll be back
soon.”
As soon as he finished his sentence, he let the smiling man who had escorted him down earlier to
bring Ye Ci upstairs at once. He then briskly walked towards a luxury car that was parked at the
roadside, opened the door, got in, and pulled away.
Ye Ci took a glance at that car. Although she couldn’t really accurately estimate its price value,
she could easily tell that it was worth at least a few million just from its brand.
“Let’s head up.” the man beside her reminded Ye Ci with a smile.
Ye Ci gave him a nod and followed behind him as they walked upstairs.
This man introduced himself with a smile. “I’m Zero Arsenic, the vice guildmaster.”
The moment Ye Ci heard the name Zero Arsenic, she couldn’t help but to take another few good
look at this man. So he was Zero Arsenic.
Although guildmaster of the Steel-Blooded Battle Spear guild was Thousand Sunsets, according to
the experience of the previous generation, this man was the guild’s true mastermind.
“How do you do?” Ye Ci nodded as she gave a greeting that was neither humble nor pert. She
didn’t show much enthusiasm either.
This was somewhat a surprise to Zero Arsenic. Most members were enthusiastic to meet him, but
this person was quite unusual.
“You are Gongziyou, right?” Ye Ci wasn’t much of a conversationalist and Zero Arsenic didn’
t want the atmosphere to turn awkward either. Hence, he took the initiative to converse with her as
they climbed the stairs.
“Yes.”
“The first time I saw that name, I thought you would be a guy.” Zero Arsenic’s gaze never once
left Ye Ci’s face when he was speaking, wanting to catch any trace of emotions on her face. But
much to his disappointment, the expression on Ye Ci’s face remained placid. There was neither
excitement nor the intention to converse further. Even her replies to him were dull and a little
inarticulate.
“It was randomized by the system.”
The invitation today to Ye Ci was not Thousand Sunsets’ idea, but Zero Arsenic’s.
Her name, Gongziyou, was in two First Kills and she had caught Zero Arsenic’s attention.
Although Peacock Blue was a hundred percent sure that the GS of this equipment was only 85, the
Icy Cave was cleared because of a good team. However, something still felt off to him.
After she had once again claimed the First Kill of the Cruel Pit Boss: Warden Tito, Zero Arsenic
immediately contacted Timely Rain and Pickled Pepper Chicken Feet who had just exited the
dungeon. The two of them were immediately singing praises of this huntress’ control and
command, as if it had been raining flowers. It was nothing like what Peacock Blue had said.
This had greatly piqued Zero Arsenic’s interest in Gongziyou.
As the proverb says: Money can make the devil push the millstone.
Or even better: Problems that can be solved by money are not problems.
And so, he had actually paid someone yesterday evening to investigate Gongziyou’s past. The
result that turned up had him screaming in excitement. He didn’t expect at all that this somewhat
pale girl was actually one of the best ten players in the previously popular game of the world, the
‘Otherworld Online’.
It seemed like these two First Kills were not mere accidents. Perhaps… Zero Arsenic couldn’t
help his mind that was running wild. To think that the repeated First Kills were the achievements
of this huntress.
He took another glance at Ye Ci and remembered the words of Timely Rain. “She was so familiar
with that dungeon that it almost as if it was the backyard of her house. Her controls were really
perfect too. I never knew the true definition of friggin’ awesome until I tagged along with her to
the dungeon.”
Ye Ci turned her head to the side to look at Zero Arsenic, wondering what was wrong with this
man and why did he keep giving her these bizarre stares.
Right then, they arrived at the entrance of the private room. Zero Arsenic immediately showed Ye
Ci the way in. There was about ten tables in the room with quite a lot of people seated around
them. Zero Arsenic was doing introductions and it turned out that they were all the main members
of the Steel-Blooded Battle Spear guild. Their guild stronghold was also in the same city that Ye
Ci had stayed. The objective of this gathering was to discuss the matter of advancing into the
Chilly Wetlands.
However to her surprise, Peacock Blue did not attend this gathering of the main members. This
made Ye Ci a little disappointed. She really wanted to see how b*tchy Peacock Blue looked like.
As soon as Ye Ci took a seat, someone immediately came up to give her a toast. Fortunately, it was
stopped by Zero Arsenic. But she could still feel the the excitement of these main members over
yesterday’s First Kill and their great hopes on advancing the Chilly Wetlands.
“How do you feel about the First Kills of these two dungeons? Were they difficult?” They drank
three rounds and were half done with their meals. Zero Arsenic, who was sitting beside Ye Ci
suddenly questioned her with a smile.
“As long as everyone work well as a team, time will be the only issue in clearing a dungeon,”
Ye Ci gave him a look as she evaded the crucial point of his question and gave him a vague
response.
After hearing her reply, Zero Arsenic didn’t question her further. He only chuckled and engaged
in a few idle chats with Ye Ci. Then he pulled out a bank card and placed it in front of Ye Ci.
“Gongziyou, there’s fifty-thousand dollars in here. It’s your reward for getting the First Kill on
the Cruel Pit Boss.”
Ye Ci looked at that card. The corner of her mouth curled up into a cold smile. She was right all
along.
It seemed like after her two First Kills, Zero Arsenic was a little curious about the previous First
Kills she had done anonymously and wanted to rope her in. A new guild like the Steel-Blooded
Battle Spear would never match up to veteran guilds that had been established for over more than
ten years. They lacked elites, experience and skillful players. There was nothing but one thing that
had allowed this kind of guild to sustain up to this scale - money.”
But then again, money was not a long term solution. If they wanted to be powerful, they would
inevitably need to pull a few experts into their guild. Without saying further, ever heard of the
celebrity effects?
The reason Ye Ci had joined the Steel-Blooded Battle Spear guild now was because she had let
Thousand Sunsets down in the previous world. But this didn’t mean that she planned to stay there
for her entire life. After all, it was too exhausting to serve a guild attentively and on top of that,
she was someone who was used to soloing. Just being restrained in a guild was a great ordeal to
her.
But she was afraid that rejecting Zero Arsenic outright would not only make things difficult for
her but also Zero Arsenic. After all, he was the vice guildmaster.
And so Ye Ci gave him a smile. “I like to hoard contribution points. Let’s just stick to the 200
points of DP that Peacock Blue had promised me.”
Zero Arsenic was a little startled by her response, but it was very quickly concealed by his smile.
When he saw Ye Ci’s firm gaze, he stopped insisting. Because he knew that once she had made up
her mind, the outcome would not change or worse, it would make things unhappy for both parties.
So it was better to pull back at the right time and wait for the next opportunity.
The gathering was celebrated with songs and dances on the surface, but ended with ulterior
motives in each of their minds.
Zero Arsenic invited Ye Ci for a song, but she indirectly turned him down. She called for a cab by
herself and returned home.
She logged on to the game. After she did some daily missions, Ye Ci immediately went into the
auction.
The few equipments dropped by the Cruel Pit Boss yesterday that no one wanted had all been sold
out. A profit of about 2,000 gold coins was made after deducting the auction fee. She sent out 400
gold coins to each of the other four people and then started searching for other auction items that
piqued her interested.
Suddenly, a Pure Iron Arrow recipe came into her view. It was every hunter and ranger’s wish to
craft their own arrow because it would save them a big sum of money. But not everyone was lucky
enough to get their hands on that damned Beginner Arrow Crafting skill book.
This Pure Iron Arrow recipe had been put up on auction for almost 24 hours but it didn’t seem
like it had attracted anyone’s attention, or at least not much people could do arrow crafting.
The recipe costed only 10 gold coins, so Ye Ci immediately bought it and learnt it. The Copper
Arrows she had been crafting no longer raised her proficiency level so a higher-level recipe was
just what she needed. She didn’t expect things to go so smoothly for her to be able to get her
hands on a recipe today.
Ye Ci was enthusiastically crafted the arrow at one corner of the Red Lake City when she
suddenly received a private message.
“Ye Ci, are you there?”
No one other than Flutter n’ Sway would call her by that name. Or at least, for now.
“I’m here, what’s wrong?”
“Are you busy right now?”
“I’m crafting arrows.”
“I’ll leave you alone then,” Flutter n’ Sway said as she was about to close the private chat.
Ye Ci hurriedly stopped her. “Just tell me if you have something to tell me.” Flutter n’ Sway
was a nice person, but she always placed everyone else before her. She’d put others problems
before hers even when she was struck by an emergency situation. If someone was a little busy, she
didn’t want to bother them.
But then again when would you be free of trouble in game? You’d even get into trouble when you
were searching for a place to nap.
Flutter n’ Sway hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Our guild is fighting the Wild Boar
King at Plains of Despair but we kept getting wiped out. Can you come over to help?”
The Wild Boar King at Plains of Despair? Ye Ci was just thinking of going to fight it too but she
didn’t expect the World Conqueror to be so quick on their feet and had already beaten her to the
punch.
The Wild Boar King and the Sandstorm Scorpion were lvl 15 World BOSS. They had about the
same amount of difficulty.
However, three cities were scattered around the Plains of Despair so it was frequently visited by
many players and guilds, unlike the isolated desert where the Sandstorm Scorpion hid. It was
unknown if anyone had ventured into there over half a month. That respawn point of the Wild
Boar King had been a chaotic land of battles ever since the day Fate’s server opened.
There was so much hesitation in Flutter n’ Sway’s words. She was just worried that it wasn’t
that they couldn’t handle the Wild Boar King but they had instead met someone who was kill
snatching. So they was hoping that she could snatch the final killing blow for them. (In Fate, the
right to loot a Wild BOSS belonged to the player or the party who landed the final killing blow).
Since she was friends with Flutter n’ Sway and she had requested, there was little reason for her
to not go.
Ye Ci agreed without any reluctance. She asked them to manage for a little more while she’d
arrive at most half an hour later. She then rode on her red pony and dashed towards the
Teleportation NPC.
Fortunately, the Teleportation Master in Fate was very responsible. Very soon, Ye Ci was sent to
Scarlet Sand City, which was the closest to the Plains of Despair. She then immediately bolted
towards the respawn point of the Wild Boar King without stopping, and not forgetting to ask
“Shushu, you didn’t tell Qin Churuo that Gongziyou is Ye Ci right?”
“Nope. If I did, he would be looking for you every single day to make you join the World
Conqueror,” Flutter n’ Sway knew Ye Ci’s personality well so she naturally wouldn’t tell. “But
hurry, we are almost at our limits.”
After hearing that, Ye Ci immediately ran even faster…
Chapter 35 Killing the Wild Boar King
The Plains of Despair appeared to be lush green grassland, it did not even give off the air of
despair. But as one travel deeper into the plains, the grass grow more yellowed, and in the deepest
parts of the plains, a desolate piece of land replaced the lush green scenery and crows flocked the
sky. It indeed gave off an air of despair.
Ye Ci, however, was not here for the scenery. Her destination was the lair of the Wild Boar King.
The Wild Boar King’s lair was not hidden in the deepest part of the map. It was situated right
beside a main road. This was the reason why the Wild Boar King wandering the Plains of Despair
alone, or being a walking disaster for isolated pre-lvl 10 players.
However, when most of the players had reached the level requirement, the glorious days of the
boars were over as well.
The guilds based in the nearby cities will always form parties to slay the Wild Boar King. But
when too many people are out for a single BOSS, there will always be conflicts, which usually
ended with a huge melee between several guilds. The Wild Boar King still roamed free, killing
anybody it came across, this was why the Wild Boar King had not been slain even once.
Ye Ci did not even need to ask for the coordinates, all she had to do was to go in the general
direction where people were headed, and she reached the melee.
As expected, World Conqueror was part of the melee between several guilds. They were all
famous guilds in her past life.
Street Assistance Guild: The founders were rumored to be a group of players in their 50’s. They
had been playing games from a young age and they’re all veterans, the best of the best. With the
growth of their guild, they managed to attract quite a number of younger players to join their guild.
They ranked no.9 in Z Country’s Fate OL guilds.
Blade of Darkness: Ranked 8 in Europe and America. They were a bunch of hot-blooded
caucasian. They’ve been in international competitions for various games as well. Although Ye Ci
did not interact much with guilds from foreign countries, not to mention it was rare to see a
foreign guild on Fate’s Eastern Continent.
And then there’s the Z Country’s 12th ranked guild, World Conquerer.
Other than the three big guilds, there were a lot of smaller ones lurking around, trying to sneak in
and grab the First Blood of the BOSS.
“ShuShu, add me to your party.” Ye Ci immediately sent a message to Flutter n’ Sway.
Almost immediately, Ye Ci received a party invitation from ‘Flawless Reflection’.
Ye Ci joined the party immediately without hesitation. She could hear a jovial voice as soon as she
entered the command channel, “Are you Gongzi You? I’ve never thought that you’re a friend of
Flutter n’ Sway.”
Everybody else was muted in the Command Channel, even text messages were limited to one
every 30 seconds. That was why Ye Ci asked directly with a text message, “Do I take care of the
players or the BOSS?”
“All you need to do is to secure the BOSS, leave the rest to us.” Flawless Reflection’s voice
gave Ye Ci a sense of familiarity. It was Qin Churuo!
Although she had tried her best to lay low, the two First Blood she obtained along with Timeless
Rain and Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw’s bragging, even when her name did not pop up in the
forums, Gongzi You the Huntress went viral. Within a fortnight, many knew her name.
That was the reason why Flawless Reflection immediately made Flutter n’ Sway fetch Gongzi
You as soon as she mentioned that she was a friend of Gongzi You. The reason was none other
than the two dungeon First Bloods achieved by her. She must be good. As long as they could get
the BOSS, nothing else mattered.
“Got it.”
Flawless Reflection continued after receiving a reply from Ye Ci, “As long as we can get the
BOSS, you can choose between 50,000 real word cash or the priority to choose any piece of
equipment you want.”
Ye Ci smiled at Flawless Reflection’s words. He was just as she remembered, he never wanted to
take advantage of others.
This time, however, Ye Ci wanted him to owe her one. Flawless Reflection was a man of honor.
He’ll always repay someone who did him favors. It was exactly this sort of behavior that got him
betrayed in the end.
Since he was loyal to any of his friends, Ye Ci would not avoid things that are unavoidable. It
would be better to be his friend, and then put his loyalty to good use.
Ye Ci replied after 30 seconds, “I’m only helping Flutter n’ Sway out, I don’t need your
gratitude.”
Flawless Moon did not expect Ye Ci’s words, Flutter n’ Sway was also touched by her actions.
She messaged Ye Ci in private, “Thanks a lot.”
Ye Ci did not say much, she dashed towards the Wild Boar King. Empowered Hunter’s Mark,
Falcon Protection, summoned Ol’ Three and Snake Venom Needle were casted almost at the
same time. In the blink of an eye, the Wild Boar King roared and charged towards Ye Ci, brushing
aside the MT’s surrounding it.
Even with the Wild Boar King’s speed, there were just too many players around. It took the BOSS
quite some time to reach Ye Ci, and she kited the Wild Boar King with the other players acting as
her ‘barrier’.
Before Ye Ci arrived on the scene, the Wild Boar King was already badly beaten up by players and
it had lost almost 70% of its HP. Although locked in a vicious melee, the guilds retain their
original goal of trying to get the BOSS. But at that moment, the Wild Boar King that they’ve been
steadily building aggro on was snatched away by someone. The persons in charge of the guilds
present became desperate.
They immediately switched tactics. They abandoned relying on the MT’s to build up the aggro,
and instead ordered their ranged players to attack the Wild Boar King.
However, it was not an easy task. First of all, Ye Ci’s movement speed was very fast. As she
zipped left and right all around the place, the Wild Boar King did the same. Neither one of them
was moving in a straight line. The mages with their slow channeling speeds cried. Just as their
spells were done channeling, the Wild Boar King was already out of their range.
Secondly, the Wild Boar King would sometimes accumulate energy with its hind legs and then
leap towards Ye Ci. But Ye Ci had very high Balance and Perception stats. She jumped away from
the Wild Boar King’s attack before it could land. This however, was a case of misfortune for the
players trying to chase after the Wild Boar King. If they kept their distance, they could never get
close enough, but if they followed closely, they’d be kicked to death by the Wild Boar King.
And the third factor that caused their desperation was because of the players the other guilds.
Despite having the common goal of killing the Wild Boar King, the players from different guilds
were fighting among themselves. They needed to chase after a raging boar in the midst of so many
players engaged in combat, whilst having the need to constantly cast spells while on the move. It
was a near-impossible feat.
Flawless Reflection stood on a tree in the Plains of Despair. At the height that he was at, he could
clearly see Ye Ci in action. Although he appeared calm, he was actually deeply awed. He’
d always
thought that he’s one of the experts, and it was the truth. But compared to Gongzi You, Flawless
Reflection felt that he still had much to learn.
Even without factoring in the skills owned by her that he did not even possess, to jump around
with her high balance and to flawlessly achieve a continuous combo with her skills, it was not
something the average player could do. From the perspective of players from different classes,
Gongzi You’s movements were elegant, but only Hunter classed players would be able truly
understand the true mechanical skills required behind those elegant movements.
To be honest with himself, even if Flawless Moon could jump leap around with his Balance, to be
as masterful as Gongzi You was still far from possible.
Gongzi You, just who the hell are you?
If Flawless Moon asked for Gongzi You’s help through Flutter n’ Sway, he saw her merely as an
extra pair of helping hands, and did not recognise her strength, his views of Gongzi You had
entirely changed. Gongzi You was not just an average joe, it would be best if she could be part of
his guild…
“The Wild Boar King is nearly dead, everybody hurry up!”
Someone randomly shouted, and the players maddeningly hastened their chase. Spells after spells
landed on the enraged Wild Boar King. Ye Ci chugged down a bottle of Rage Potion, turned
around in midair, and casted Rapid Fire.
Copper arrows coated with poison from the Venomous Scorpion gauntlet landed right between the
Wild Boar King’s eyes. That was its weakness. Attacking that spot will have a 100% chance of
triggering a critical hit and armor penetration. However, due to the Wild Boar King’s massive size,
it was impossible to hit that spot unless one did a backwards jump like Ye Ci.
Critical Hit! Armor Penetration! -3281!
The Wild Boar King let out a roar, and its body that was as big as a small hill crashed down with a
‘Boom!’, kicking up dust.
System messages began to flood the World Channel:“Congratulations‘World Conqueror’guild
to be the first to slay the lvl 15 Wild BOSS Wild Boar King, Rewards: Guild prestige 300, Red
Sand Sity prestige 1000, gold x 100. Let us remember their names!”
“Congratulations ‘Flawless Reflection’ for slaying the Wild Boar King, Rewards: Red Sand
City prestige x100, Talent Points x2.”
……
“Congratulations ‘Flutter n’ Sway’ for slaying the Wild Boar King, Rewards: Red Sand City
prestige x100, Talent Points x2.”
……
“Congratulations ‘Gongzi You’ for slaying the Wild Boar King, Rewards: Red Sand City
prestige x100, Talent Points x2.”
……
Ye Ci was glad to earn more Talent Points. She said goodbye to Flutter n’ Sway and immediately
left the area. She rushed towards the Red Sand City frantically. If she stayed, she would’ve been
surrounded and annihilated by the other guilds.
The entire World Conqueror guild erupted into cheers. The cheers of World Conqueror guild could
be heard throughout the entire Plains of Despair. They carried Flawless Reflection down from the
tree and threw him into the air repeatedly.
Flawless Reflection himself was delighted. But what got his attention was the golden words that
appeared right after the announcement, “Gongzi You left has the party.”
He did not ask for anything, nor did he say his goodbye. He left the party right after slaying the
BOSS.
A strange feeling formed gripped Flawless Reflection’s heart. It was not his style to owe
somebody. But he could not do anything for the time being, and could only plan to contact Gongzi
You after the celebration was over.
Chapter 36 What is a Player?
From the day the forum was invented, it became the place where gossip and news originated.
Wasn’t there a saying? Forums were like the People’s Square. No matter what it was, everyone
would know so long as you hung it up.
The second night after the brutal dungeon was cleared, three videos had been edited and posted up
on the forum as usual. These video recordings had always been a timely help. Of course, he was
still very wise to post it in the technology exchange forum and not in the busy gossip forum. Even
on these kind of forums, however, the page views were already climbing to seven million on the
second day!
There were only two reasons. Reason number one, he never played with a guild and therefore had
never learned from other’s experiences within a team. Reason number two, the elf huntress inside
was literally like a BUG. She had excellent control and her positions were accurate. Suddenly, she
became a target of examination and study for many hunters.
There were even some players who liked to mind other people’s businesses and screenshotted all
of Gongzi You's controls. They made a section which provided explanations on how to improve a
hunter’s skills.
This post suddenly became the most popular in the hunter’s career forum. For the hunters who
seemed unable to improve any further, it looked like they all found a new learning target and a
direction to develop their skills upon seeing this post.
The following days would be a little different.
To be exact, Ye Ci’s days in the association would be a little bit different.
As the guild channel will notify when a member comes online, many people greeted Ye Ci as soon
as she came online. She wasn’t aware of when this had started, but numerous people greeted her
everyday. It made Ye Ci, who was naturally aloof and lonely, weary of dealing with this situation.
Most times she just replied: “Hello everyone.”
Not only that, Peacock Blue was abnormally quiet, even though she still managed the big and
small matters in the guild, she left Ye Ci alone.
The matter of her asking for equipment wasn’t even mentioned and her attempt of kicking Ye Ci
out of the guild hadn’t been mentioned. It seemed as if the rage from that day on the guild channel
had never existed.
Although she didn’t know the reason, Ye Ci was nevertheless happy by the quietness. Everyday,
she just crafted arrows, picked herbs, and practiced life skills.
Two or three days passed in a flash. Ye Ci was currently crafting arrows, having just reached the
most important stage. She only needed 1% more to receive the intermediate level of archery
craftsmanship, so Ye Ci held in a vigorous effort to finish it in one hour.
Coincidently, her private messages started ringing at this time. After a look, it turned out to be
Jiang Nan.
“Miss Gongzi You, if you don’t mind me asking, do you have time tomorrow?”These few days,
Wang Jiangnan was online every day to wait for Ye Ci’s call, but he hadn’t even seen a shadow.
Every day, he looked up to his boss who always kept a straight face and seemed like he was
punishing him for lying. It made him very irritated.
Due to the BUG repair matter, Wang Jiangnan paid especially close attention to Ye Ci, therefore he
knew that Gongzi You recently succeeded in the brutal dungeon and helped someone else kill the
Wild Boar King. She had probably already forgotten about his matter, so he felt that he really
shouldn’t carry on waiting for her message. He could only contact her voluntarily.
Ye Ci was crafting arrows when she heard Wang Jiangnan asking very carefully. She couldn’t
control her laughter. This lead designer, one who would control the future destiny and attain a
worldwide reputation, always had a high and vigorous spirit with a condescending attitude. When
did he ever talk to someone in a distressed attitude?
“You will know the day after tomorrow of what happens tomorrow.”
Wang Jiangnan was so embarrassed. How was he meant to answer after this sentence? “Then
when can we kill the Sandstorm Scorpion again?”
Ye Ci didn’t want to be too harsh on this future lead designer. If she offended him now, what if he
held a grudge in the future? In the end, her arms were still no match for the thigh. After crafting a
few more arrows, Ye Ci snorted: “I am crafting arrows now. At the very longest, I would take half
an hour to upgrade to intermediate level of arrow craftsmanship. How about I go after that?”
“Then I will go first to contact the development team.”
“There will also be people observing from the sidelines?”
“Yes, it needs to be judged.”
This time it was Ye Ci’s turn to be confused. Why did she feel so strange? She felt as if she was
going to participate in a talent show and perform a talent in front of the judges.
The facts proved that her feeling was completely correct. When Ye Ci rode on her little red horse
to the Sandstorm Scorpion's new location, she could see from a distance the level 1 subsidiary
characters from five or six different races, just standing there.
Her eyesight was very good, so she could see a Human Cleric smurf from far away. He waved at
her. Ye Ci waved back and dismounted, but she didn’t walk towards where the crowd of people
were gathered. Instead, she walked in the opposite direction to where the Sandstorm Scorpion was
hidden.
She believed that the Sandstorm Scorpion should have respawned after so many days. Even if it
hadn’t respawned, the crowd of developers gathered there should would already have made it
respawn.
The soft but burning hot sand covered Ye Ci’s steps. It seemed that with every step she took, it
sunk into the ground.
Her footsteps were slowing down, slower and slower. Then, she suddenly faced back and sprang
away. The Falcon’s Protection, Empowered Hunter’s Mark, Snake Venom Needle, and the Ol’
Three’s Taunt were cast simultaneously. Before she landed on the ground, the Sandstorm
Scorpion was still underground and it’s head had already trailed with big red words that showed
the damage.
—1729！
A few evaluating developers stared at Ye Ci with mouth agape.
They had seen a lot of people with good mechanical skills, but there were not many as swift and as
ferocious. The number of such players could be counted with the fingers of both hands.
After this, there was something that happened which surprised the designers even more. That
Sandstorm Scorpion was like a chicken trying to find its chicks just after opening its eyes. It was
following behind Ye Ci without missing one step. In less than fifteen minutes, it got pushed by Ye
Ci to the edge of a pile of dead Cottonwood trees.
In a flash, the Sandstorm Scorpion got stuck in the Cottonwood forest without being able to move.
After that, the huntress didn’t show any more of her skills. She just stood somewhere near the
Cottonwood forest to shoot using the stationary, no-brainer shooting style.
The ferocious Sandstorm Scorpion, stuck there like a gigantic bullseye, began hissing. It wasn’t
able to move, not to mention getting out of combat.
Following this procedure, it would be shot dead in no time. There was no point in carrying on
watching from here. A few designers sighed because they had to admire the player’s ability to
discover something. They thought that they tested the game hundreds of times and repaired
numerous BUGs. However, there were still many BUGs from the player’s perspective.
“Miss Gongzi You, we are very thankful for you to spend your precious time with us, doing this
important evaluation. We will repair this BUG.” There was a leader among the designers who
walked in the front. This was a gnome. Ye Ci had to look down when talking to him, which made
her neck very uncomfortable.
“Anything dropped by it belongs to me.” Ye Ci mentioned it again. Some things have to said
face to face. Otherwise, who knew how these fellows would change the condition: “Including the
carcass.”
The few developers looked at each other, the Gnome that was their leader nodded his head. “Of
course. This was what we agreed on in the beginning.”
“You won’t go back to change the drop rate now, right?” Ye Ci squinted her eyes and looked at
a few people with mistrust.
A few developers acted as if Ye Ci read their minds, and they repeatedly waved their hands. “No,
no. You gave us such a good tip off, we wouldn’t do that kind of thing.” They didn’t wait for Ye
Ci to speak. Instead, they turned around and told Wang Jiangnan to accompany Ye Ci until she
finished tidying up the carcass before going back. The just disappeared without a trace into flashes
of white light.
Wang Jiangnan could actually just help Ye Ci finish up the Sandstorm Scorpion in one action, but
he didn’t know why he didn’t want to do it. He sat down on a piece of rock nearby and quietly
looked at Ye Ci using her skill non-stop.
Neither person said anything. It felt like the whole world’s time just solidified like that.
Who knew how much time had past before Wang Jiangnan suddenly turned his gaze from
Sandstorm Scorpion to Ye Ci. He asked, “Gongzi You, is this game fun?”
Ye Ci was slightly taken aback. She turned her face to look at Wang Jiangnan a little puzzled.
“Wasn’t this game designed by your team? Why would you ask me?”
“It was designed by us and we think it’s fun because we see a lot of people coming to play, so
we thought it should be fun.”
“Then why did you ask me?”
“Don’t know. I just wanted to ask a normal player what this game actually feels like.” Wang
Jiangnan sighed and gazed at the distant desert. His gaze was a little confused. “I suddenly don’
t have much confidence. I don’t know if people actually like the things we create.”
Ye Ci quietly stared at Wang Jiangnan. She couldn’t tell how old he was from that randomly
generated Human character. From Ye Ci’s memory, however, Wang Jiangnan should only be 20
years old right now, the youngest designer on the designing team. Although he was known as a
genius by the historians, geniuses probably had their own confusion and distress.
“If you don’t know what it’s like because you’re the one designing it, then go experience it as
a player.” Ye Ci lightly said as she turned her head around and looked at the Sandstorm Scorpion
with only 10% of its HP left.
“I already tested the game…”
“No matter how many times you test it, be it a hundred or a thousand times, you will always be
one of the developers. You have the highest ranked weapon, wear the coolest equipment, cut
BOSSes down like you would vegetables. Even one person can just solo the BOSS God. This is
not called a player, this is called a evaluation machine.” Ye Ci immediately interrupted Wang
Jiangnan.
“A so called player means that from the start of the game, they are full of anticipation for it and
they take every option seriously. For example, things like whether the eyebrows look good or
whether the name sounds nice. Players think about how to earn more coins and how to level up
faster; they laugh around with friends and fight with opponents for revenge. Players fight over
each other for a single equipment and battle between millions of people. This is a player. The
game is their life.”
When Ye Ci spoke up to this point, she turned to look at Wang Jiangnan with a smile. “The lovely
customer service number 094, do you still need to ask me such a simple question?”
Chapter 37 Fruit Jelly
Sunset.
The Sandy Plains were coated a shade of amber red by the setting sun. The scene itself was
beautiful.
Wang Jiangnan stood in this beautiful scenery, staring at Ye Ci as if she was an alien. He was
known as a genius even when he was young. It was said that geniuses are lonely. Wang Jiangnan
felt just that. He was alway left out from his school days until work, so this was the first time
someone talked to him like that.
It was a strange feeling.
He suddenly laughed along with Ye Ci, “Heh, wouldn’t it be cheating for me to play the game? I
know everything about the game.
Ye Ci rolled her eyes, “And what good can it do you? You think the players are playing with
those privileged accounts of yours? Getting any items you want just by knowing where they
would drop?” She felt as it there was a gap between them. She waved her hand impatiently,
“Whatever, you don’t have the time to play the game anyways, why bother asking so much? I’
ll kill this Sandstorm Scorpion, you guys record it, and we’re done.”
Wang Jiangnan was not angry. He grinned at Ye Ci, “You don’t seem to like me.”
“I hate game developers.”
“Why?”
“There are two things you guys will do. One, Punish the players exploiting the BUG and then fix
the BUG. And two, use the players to fix the BUG. How do you expect me to feel good about you
guys?” Ye Ci was a gaming veteran, how could she not understand how the game companies
work? Players are like sheep, and the fur comes from the sheep.
Wang Jiangnan was stunned for a moment before letting out a hearty laugh. This was the first time
he had heard a player’s comments about game developers. It was very accurate. He laid on the
sand, squinting at the red sky, not betraying a hint of his thoughts.
Ye Ci paid him no heed. A game developer was not somebody she could afford to offend, and she
would not offend them even if she could afford to.
The final arrow hit its mark, and the Sandstorm Scorpion went limp. It turned into a huge amount
of experience points and surged into Ye Ci’s experience gauge. Her level instantly rose to lvl 16
with 20% experience. Although she was still two levels below the Let Go Of That Girl who was
ranked first in the level rankings, it was good enough.
After throwing a few chunks of meat to Ol’Three that was acting cute, Ye Ci happily went to loot
the carcass.
“Give me a chance, let me complete the Venomous Scorpion set in one go.” Ye Ci made a cross
gesture with her hand and prayed to God with all sincerity.
She then extended her ‘black hand’ [1] towards the Sandstorm Scorpion.
Apparently, God felt no obligation to fulfill Ye Ci’s wishes and ignored her prayer. She was once
again shrouded by her ‘black hand aura’.
The Sandstorm Scorpion only yielded two equipment, two skill books, a bunch of potions and
several hundred gold coins.
Venomous Scorpion Greaves x1
Venomous Scorpion Cape x1
Decoy x1
Resurrection x1
……
Although she could not complete the equipment set, the two equipment she received were not
something that she already had. This at least made Ye Ci feel somewhat better. Especially with the
+7 Speed of the Venomous Scorpion Greaves as well as the additional active skill called Dash.
Dash: Dashes 25m to the front, cooldown: 1 minute.
It was a lifesaving skill, especially when it comes to PVP and kiting!
Ye Ci immediately activated her Brooch of Deceit and adjusted her level so that she could equip
the two equipment. She was still feeling a bit of regret for not being able to obtain a complete set
of the Venomous Scorpion item set and unlock its secret attribute. She immediately let go of that
thought. A lvl 20 Purple equipment set would only last her up to when her character reached lvl
35.
After equipping the Greaves and the Cape, Ye Ci’s GS immediately hit 627! She had 200 or so
more points than the ranked one player on the equipment rating ranking.
Decoy was also one of the Godlike skills of the Hunter class. It could move the aggro of its caster
to a specific target. This was a must-have skill when it came to exploring dungeons and kiting
Wild BOSSes.
Resurrection was a skill for Clerics and Priests. It was a skill usually found in lvl 35 dungeons. It
was a must-have skill for Clerics and Priests. Although it could be learned by a lvl 12 character, it
was only dropped in lvl 35 dungeons. It was a very rare drop.
Ye Ci believed that not a single person in the game had this skill book already. She couldn’t even
imagine the chaos that would erupt if she sold it in the auction house.
Ye Ci never expected the skill book to drop from the Sandstorm Scorpion. Her luck was not that
bad after all. However, Ye Ci had no thoughts of selling the skill book. The main reason was that
the game and real life currency exchange system was not yet available, she would not be able to
sell the skill book at a good price.
That was why Ye Ci decided to hold on to that skill book temporarily.
After equipping the necessary equipment, learning some necessary skills and sorting out the loot,
Ye Ci climbed onto the Sandstorm Scorpion’s carcass and dissected it.
Wang Jiangnan had also finished his report. He walked towards the Sandstorm Scorpion, looked
up at Ye Ci and smiled, “Gongzi You, we’ll meet again.”
Ye Ci simply laughed, “I, for one, hope that we’ll never meet again.”
Wang Jiangnan did not respond, he waved his hand at Ye Ci, “Goodbye.”
Ye Ci waved back, and continued dissecting the Sandstorm Scorpion carcass.
Ye Ci was done after half an hour. She summoned her steed and galloped back to Sunset City.
Ye Ci saw a Cleric in gray robe fighting against a bear. The Cleric’s movement was adept, and she
was able to masterfully use her skills. She did not waste even one bit of CD time, and managed to
follow up her attacks with skills after skills. She defeated a lvl 13 monster with only 4 skills.
That Cleric could deal some serious damage. Although she only stood still, but with some training,
she could become an excellent Cleric.
Ye Ci silently praised the Cleric as she rode past her. She noticed the Cleric’s info the moment
they brushed past each other. The Cleric did not hide her information.
ID: Fruit Jelly
Race: Elf
Class: Cleric
Level: 12
Fruit Jelly?
Ye Ci hesitated for a moment. The name was familiar. Ye Ci finally remembered the name after
traveling for quite some distance. Isn’t that one of the top 10 Offensive Clerics, Fruit Jelly? If Ye
Ci could be counted as someone who loved to PK, but Fruit Jelly was even more fanatical when it
came to PKing. When the arena opened during the later stages of the game, she spent 10 months in
the arena, earning enough Kill Glory to redeem the first complete General-class equipment set in
Fate.
But to say that she was famous only because of her PK tendencies was unfair. Her mana
conservation was one of the best. She once took care of a 25-man squadron, and none of them died.
However, she had a flaw. She would ensure that her target’s survival, but there was no guarantee
that the target that was healed would walk away with full health.
She was later known as ‘The Undying Fruit’ because of that.
Of course, it was something that would happen only in the future. Fruit Jelly was still a Cleric who
had spent her stats points wrongly.
Fruit Jelly was an honest person with a good character. As a girl, she never hid her feelings, and
she was loyal to her friends and a straightforward person. Ye Ci suddenly stopped, and a thought
slowly formed in her head.
What if she had an Offensive Cleric like Fruit Jelly in her team some day?
Her own team?
That thought grew in her head like grass in the spring. Despite not having a clear plan, Ye Ci
turned back and headed towards the direction of Fruit Jelly.
Fruit Jelly was still fighting against monsters one at a time. Fate was the first game she had ever
played. She was a real beginner, and she had distributed her stats incorrectly. Thoughts of deleting
her account and starting from scratched had surfaced, but she could not bring herself to let go of
her lvl 12 character.
“Hey, Cleric.” a voice suddenly rang out. Fruit Jelly turned around and saw an Elf riding on a
red horse besides her. The Elf who was smiling at her had fair skin, and her amber eyes glittered
gems. A panther followed her close by, also eyeing her with amber colored eyes.
“Greetings Huntress.” Ye Ci grinned at Fruit Jelly, while the latter replied after carefully
examining her and Ol’ Three, “Anything I can help you with?”
Ye Ci immediately started a trade with her, and included the Resurrection skill book, “Do you
want to have this?”
As expected, Fruit Jelly’s eyes brightened up right away, she believed that the Huntress knew the
worth of that book.
“How many coins do you want for it?” Fruit Jelly stared at the Resurrection skill book, and then
raised her head and looked at Ye Ci, her eyes were filled with caution, and a hint of glee.
“10,000 gold coins.” Ye Ci gave her a random priced.
Fruit Jelly was momentarily stunned, and her facial expression changed slightly. She eyed the skill
book again and reluctantly ended the trade, “Sorry, I do not have that amount of money.”
“Are you not going to consider it?” Ye Ci’s eyes formed into slits, her smile not betraying any
of her true intentions.
Fruit Jelly turned her head around and joked dejectedly, “Do you accept a 10 years installment?”
It was Ye Ci’s time to be stunned. She did not know that Fruit Jelly had a sense of humor. She
laughed and then shook her head, “Of course not, I’m not the bank.”
“Then there’s nothing to consider.” Fruit Jelly turned around, it was obvious that she wanted
that skill book very much.
Chapter 38 A Rigged Quest
Ye Ci issued out another trade. She selected the Resurrection skill book on top and then pressed
down to confirm deal.
Fruit Jelly turned around a little angrily, “I said I don’t have the money...”
“It’s for you.” Ye Ci said quietly as she gazed at Fruit Jelly’s slightly angry face.
“Eh? “Fruit Jelly froze there immediately without finishing her words. She stared wide-eyed at
the huntress in front of her and then picked her ears. She laughed in disbelief: “Did I hear you
wrongly?”
“No, I said I will give you this book as a gift.” Ye Ci smiled.
“Why?” Fruit Jelly was surprised to the extent that she couldn’t speak, “This is the
Resurrection skill book, its value is...”
“I know, I check the auction house every day. I know better than you.” Ye Ci stopped Fruit
Jelly’s words by mentioning it casually.
“Then why would you give it to me?”
“Why?” Ye Ci lifted her head and thought about it for a while. She obviously couldn’t tell her
that she would become a famous Cleric with top-notch controls and mana conservation in the
future, so she wanted to befriend her. “I find you pleasing to my eyes, I feel like you are the type I
can interact deeply with.” Ye Ci said after thinking for a while.
This answer made Fruit Jelly’s forehead crease. She was given the Resurrection skill book just
because she looked pleasing to Ye Ci’s eyes. Just because Ye Ci thought that she could interact
deeply with her?
Is there something wrong with this person or do they just have too much money? Although it was
suspicious, Fruit Jelly had to say that she admired Ye Ci’s personality. She hesitated for a while,
“I might delete my account.”
“Then just assume that this book will go to waste.” Ye Ci looked like she didn’t care at all. She
didn’t believe that Fruit Jelly will delete her account after learning the Resurrection skill book.
“I don’t have anything to trade with it, nor do I have money…”
“I said before, I find you pleasing to my eyes, I want to befriend with you.” Ye Ci repeated.
Fruit Jelly looked towards the book and hesitated for a while. At last, she bit her lips and agreed to
the deal. Then she immediately sent out a friends request to Ye Ci.
Ye Ci accepted the request and added her.
Fruit Jelly stared blankly at Ye Ci’s name, “You are Gongzi You?”
Ye Ci scratched her head. She didn’t think that they had interacted before so why did she have a
strange ‘oh, so it’s you?’ face? “Yes I am, so?” said Ye Ci.
Fruit Jelly seemingly dropped all her previous precautions and enthusiastically looked at Ye Ci’s
eyes, “Your controls are so impressive. I go to the forums everyday to see your explanatory post.
Even though I am a Cleric, I still learnt a lot of things!”
What post? Ye Ci was confused, she was busy crafting arrows lately and the practice life skills
were never posted on the forum. What is she talking about?
Fruit Jelly was a very talkative person once she got close to someone. She chatted with Ye Ci for a
while. Fruit Jelly trusted Ye Ci more than before and was also more grateful, “Gongzi! Even
though I’m not very good at playing games but just call me if you have anything that needs my
help in the future!”
This was obviously what Ye Ci wanted the most. They said a few words to each other before
parting to do their own things.
Although the Resurrection skill book was given away, resulting less income but making friends
with Fruit Jelly, the future top ranked Cleric, was worth it.
Ye Ci rushed to the auction house immediately after she finished her daily routine from Sunset
City to Red Lake City. She already learnt the Flaming Arrow Crafting book but she still hasn’t
gathered all the materials yet so she was still a bit worried.
After she cleared the Cruel Pit, she could move on to the Chilly Wetlands where all the BOSSes
had ice attribute. Fire based skills and weapons with burn effects could deal a lot of damage to
them.With her flaming arrow, her DPS would be increased by a lot in the Chilly Wetlands’
dungeons.
It’s such a pity that in the auction house, the Fire Crystal Shards that were necessary to craft the
Flaming Arrows were very few in number. The sparse quantity available were already all bought
by Ye Ci. However, she still did not have enough of them.
Just as she was mulling over this problem, her private message channel rang. Clear Moon’s
excited voice traveled through, “Sister! My Mining and Forging skills have reached 50% of the
Beginner level!”
Ye Ci was surprised. No way, 50% of the Beginner level?!
It was very hard to level up the Life Skills in Fate. These skills were divided into seven levels:
Apprentice, Beginner, Medium Tier, Advanced Tier, Expert, Master and Grandmaster. To progress
to the Beginner tier from the Apprentice tier, a player needed to either gather ores non-stop or
repeatedly practice a particular skill. The advancement from Beginner to Advanced required a
huge amount of time and gold coins or experience points. Moreover, for a player to progress from
Advanced to Grandmaster, they’re required to spend tremendous amount of time, money and
experience. Additionally, they had to complete a randomly generated high difficulty quest.
Clear Moon was not very wealthy. The fact that he was able to have reached 50% of the Beginner
level meant that he spent a great portion of his experience points on his Forging and Mining.
“What’s your level now?”
“Lvl 11.” Clear Moon replied with a grin.
It was as she expected. Rangers were usually very fast when it came to leveling up solo. With Ye
Ci’s guidance, Clear Moon would’ve been at least lvl 13 or lvl 14. However, since he was still at
lvl 11, it was proof that he had spent all his experience points leveling up his Life Skills.
“With your level, it must be dangerous to go out mining.” Ye Ci let out a sigh.
“It’s okay, sister, I’ve mastered the art of escaping. Don’t worry, I don’t like leveling up, it’
s boring. I’m more interested in mining and forging. Clear Moon obviously did not even care
about his level and experience points.
Fate was all about creating one’s own fate. Some players wanted to earn lots of money, some
prefer to level up, while there are others who love to learn Life Skills.
Apparently Clear Moon had chosen to learn Life Skills. Ye Ci could only encourage him so that he
would not give up. After a brief talk, Clear Moon mentioned that he was mining at the edge of
Scorching Plains.
Scorching Plains was the lvl 15 to lvl 20 leveling area. The place was rich with ores, and Fire
Crystal Shards were a unique product of Scorching Plains.
“Do you have many Fire Crystal Shards?”
“I have so many of them that I can’t even fit them all into my storage anymore. These things are
a must when it comes to crafting weapons that deal burn damage. Sadly I do not have the
blueprints to craft such weapons. I originally intended to just stockpile some of them. But now I
have so many that I have half a mind to sell them to the NPC’
s.”Clear Moon’
s eyebrows creased
after he mentioned his Fire Cyrstal Shards. He appeared to be distressed.
Ye Ci was overjoyed, and she immediately said, “Don’t sell them to the NPC. Sell them to me
instead. I’ll pay you 50 gold coins per a stack. Give me 20 stacks.”
“Take them if you want, sister. You don’t have to pay me.”
“You need the money for forging things. Don’t act generous. I will need a lot of them in the
future.” Ye Ci declined Clear Moon’s offer, and immediately sent 1000 gold to Clear Moon.
Within moments, a mail had arrived from Clear Moon. It contained the Fire Crystal Shards. He
even sent 10 extra stacks of them, and wouldn’t accept money for them from Ye Ci no matter
what she said.
With the necessary materials acquired, Ye Ci began to focus on crafting the Flaming Arrows.
After crafting around 10 stacks of them, Ye Ci received another private message. It was from Ideal
Height 1.7m. Despite having onlypartied once, they remained in contact, and were friends who
shared a healthy relationship with each other.
“Gongzi, are you free? Can you help me?” Ideal Height 1.7m was frank as ever.
“What is it?” Ye Ci was also straightforward.
“I have a quest that can only be completed with 3 people. It is to retrieve an item. You’re the one
who’s the most suitable for this job. Please help.”
“What quest is that?”
Ideal Height 1.7m immediately sent Ye Ci the quest details. It was a quest to retrieve an item from
a mountain. This was a quest every Mage class players had to do. The mission was to retrieve a
package from a pine tree at the cliff at Thousand Sect Mountain.
This quest tested not only balance, but also the reaction speed of a player.
Players who accepted the quest must retrieve a package from the tree that was at a crumbling cliff.
A slightly lost of balance would cause the player to fall into the bottomless cliff. Even if the
package was successfully retrieved, a lvl 15 Elite Python would appear from the hollowed out tree
to snatch the package away. If the player could not attract the aggro of the python and reacquire
the package, the quest would be reset and could only be initiated the next day.
If the quest was done of a flat land, it was not hard. But to do it on a cliff with a slanted tree was
an entirely different matter.
Ye Ci spent an entire week in her past life to pass this mission. Ideal Height 1.7m seemed to be
having troubles with the quest as well. Ye Ci did not decline her request and instead accepted it
straight away.
She crafted a few more sets of flaming arrow, sorted out some of her equipment, and headed out to
the Thousand Sect Mountain outside of Notting City.
Teleportation was nifty. Ye Ci arrived at Thousand Sects Mountainwithin half an hour. Ideal
Height 1.7m and Let Go Of That Girl were talking at the foot of the mountain. After they spotted
Ye Ci, they immediately greeted her. The three of them then summoned their mounts and raced
towards the top of the mountain.
Ye Ci had a sense of reminiscence as she stood at that exact spot. It was as if she was still a Mage,
and her past as a Mage flashed through her mind. She smiled and looked at Ideal Height 1.7m and
Let Go Of That Girl, “Wait here, I’ll go get it.”
“Please be careful, I’ve died for more than ten times already.” Ideal Height 1.7m creased her
eyebrows, “To make us Mages complete this quest that requires high Balance, isn’t it rigged?”
Let Go Of That Girl said, “When the snake appears, jump back as fast as you can, I will cast
Taunt on it. Don’t fall down.”
Ye Ci showed the duo an ‘OK’ sign, and jumped gracefully onto the slanted tree. She extended
her arms towards the package.
But, at that moment…
Chapter 39 This Has Nothing To Do With Me
A black python as thick as a lamppost slithered out of the hollowed bark, extending its red tongue.
It crashed into Ye Ci, and held the package in its mouth.
When Ideal Height 1.7m saw the python she shouted, “Gongzi, watch out!” and she cast a Frost
Arrow, hoping to draw the aggro of the python.
Let Go Of That Girl panicked. He was a melee classed player, and could not perform any ranged
attacks, “What the hell! It’s not supposed to come out so early! Who’s the one who designed this
quest, it’s rigged!”
The python had appeared early, which was why the group was caught off guard. Fortunately, Ye Ci
was someone who who was a mage in her past life, and she just happened to be a Huntress in her
current life. She knew that the time which the python will appear was flexible, and her Balance
was high.
She leaped into the air, intending to grab hold of the package.
According to Ye Ci’s calculation, as long as she could land on either the snake or the dead tree,
she could bounce back onto the cliff with a little force.
However, reality would not always unfold as one would expect.
In a flash, the python coiled itself around Ye Ci and she fell downwards.
Even with her past life experiences as a Sorceress, this sudden change managed to surprise Ye Ci.
Reflexively, she tried to break free, but the python’s coil tightened around Ye Ci.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. Ideal Height 1.7m was so startled that she shouted out in a
shrill voice, “Gongzi! Be careful!”
Let Go Of That Girl leaned forward, trying to grab hold of Ye CI, “Gongzi, give me your hand!
Grab on to me!”
The Frost Arrow cast by Ideal Height 1.7m landed on the python precisely at that moment. The
python opened its mouth and roared with anger. The package in its mouth fell out, and Ye Ci
caught it. She then threw the package up the cliff.
The python breathed poison at the two trying to help Ye Ci, and fell down the cliff with Ye Ci in
its embrace.
The bottom of the cliff was like a deep abyss, if one fell down that would be the end of them.
There would be no chance for survival. Losing experience points while helping somebody out
with their quest? What a joke. Ye Ci was determined to not let this happen. She drew out her
Venomous Scorpion Stinger and stabbed at the python.
With slippery scales covering the entire length of its body, Ye Ci’s stab only dealt a little more
than 100 damage, which was nothing to the python that had 200,000 HP.
Fortunately, the Venomous Scorpion Stinger’s passive managed to proc. The python turned into a
shade of green after being poisoned, causing it to struggle in pain. The python’s struggle caused
its body to tense up, further constricting Ye Ci and forcing the air out of her lungs.
Ye Ci could feel her head spinning and darkness began to creep into her vision. She was
completely at the python’s mercy. Even with her godlike skills, she could do nothing in this
situation.
.
Before her world was completely enveloped by darkness, Ye Ci thought helplessly: What an
embarrassing first death ever since her rebirth!
Ideal Height 1.7m and Let Go Of That Girl could only watch with eyes wide as Ye Ci fell down
the cliff, along with the python that had coiled around her. Ideal Height 1.7m was especially
panicked, she was still holding the quest item that Ye Ci had thrown upwards.
“Gongzi!!” she shouted.
Let Go Of That Girl grabbed hold of her, “Let’s go down there!”
Before the duo could descend from the mountain, a party notification chimed in, “Your party
member ‘Gongzi You’ was kicked out from the party by the System.”
Kicked out of the party by the System!! What the hell had happened?
The duo was immediately shrouded with astonishment and uneasiness. Without hesitation, they
immediately tried to send private messages to Ye Ci, but they would only receive a system
notification, “The user that you’re trying to contact could not be reached at the moment.”
Even the Messenger Pigeon that could reach anywhere could not get in contact with Ye Ci.
What the hell happened !?
Drip.
Drip.
Chilly water droplets fell onto Ye Ci’s forehead as she slowly regained conscious. She quivered
and sat up abruptly. Before she could get her bearings straight, she felt something wet on her back.
She almost jumped as she looked back.
She was lying on top of the python, the wet feeling was actually the mucus from the snake’s body.
Ye Ci would not be able to fight back if a lvl 15 Wild Boss chose to strike at such a close range.
She would definitely die there and then. However, the python unexpectedly chose not to attack. It
stared unmoving at Ye Ci with cold and malicious eyes.
Ye Ci had always disliked snakes. Her skin would be covered with goosebumps whenever she sees
one, not to mention one at such a close distance.
Despite her dislike of snakes, Ye Ci discovered that something was off with the python. She stood
up, and slowly backed off. The python, however, merely flicked its tongue at Ye Ci. She then took
a look at its status.
She couldn’t resist the urge to purse her lips. The python was heavily wounded, having only a
sliver of HP left. If she could strike at this time, she would be able to defeat it.
Ye Ci let out a whistle, and Ol’ Three appear. It stretched itself out lazily, and then bared its fangs
at the python, showing its dominance.
The python’s gaze grew even icier, but it could not move its body. It struggled and breathed out
poison at Ye CI.
Ye Ci was instantly covered by a green mist, and her HP began to drop rapidly. She could only
drink two bottles of potions to recover, and after healing Ol’ Three as well, she set it loose upon
the python.
Empowered Hunter’s Mark, Decoy, Venomous Snake Needle, Rapid Fire.
The python did not possess a high level of intelligence. Its attention was immediately drawn to
Ol’ Three by the use of Decoy. Despite reacting, the python’s immobilized body meant that it
was only a paper tiger.
It might be the simplest battle that Ye Ci had ever experienced since she started the game. In three
minutes, the python disappeared into a huge quantity of experience points and flowed into Ye Ci’s
and Ol’Three’s experience gauge. Experience points provided by a Wild Elite BOSS such as this
was a lot. Ye Ci’s experience points was immediately filled up to 78% of lvl 16.
It was a shame that the python was only a quest monster. It did not drop any loot, save for some
gold coins and potions.
It was still better than nothing. Ye Ci began to dissect the python’s carcass after she stored all the
items into her inventory.
The python’s entire length was covered with wounds. There were huge patches where it scales
had dropped off and blood poured out from its wounds. Ye Ci was curious. What happened to the
snake? Ye Ci only found out the truth when she saw its bones.
Every single joint of its bones was dislocated.
Ye Ci looked up, she could not even see the top of the mountain.
It seemed that they fell right from the top. Ye Ci surveyed her surrounding while dissecting the
carcass. It was a haven. Tall trees were everywhere and the ground was covered by lush grass. The
impact of their fall snapped quite a few trees, messing up part of the scenery.
Ye Ci, who was coiled tightly in the python’s embrace, had survived the fall. The python was the
one that took the damage from the impact, while Ye Ci was able to walk away with her life.
Snake meat, snakeskin, scales, bones, snake gall, venom sac, and 108 glossy snake ribs.
These were all the spoils from Ye Ci’s battle with the python. She wrinkled her nose. The blood
covering her body made her uncomfortable. She jumped into a clear pond not far away to wash
away the blood.
She suddenly felt a sharp pain on her right hand. She was shocked. Was she bitten by something?
She had no antidotes left. She came out of the water and noticed that the source of the pain was a
small fishhook.
A fishhook?
A fishhook !!
What was a fishhook doing at a place like that! Ye Ci pulled the fish hook out of her hand, and
traced it to the source using the fishing line. Her face began to twitch.
At the other end of the line was a fishing rod, held by a hand, and the hand was crushed
underneath one of the trees that had snapped in half.
Ye Ci realised that she seemed to have done something that she shouldn’t have…
She climbed back up to shore and pushed aside the broken trunk with all her might. A blond man
lay underneath the tree, he was already dead. Ye Ci looked at him, puzzled. There were a few
words below his name.
Johnny’s Corpse (Grandmaster Fisherman)
Tears streamed down Ye Ci’s cheeks. She swore that it had nothing to do with her!
The person must’ve been murder! The corpse must have been left behind because of a quest! That
must be it!
She would never admit that she accidentally killed a Grandmaster Fisherman when she fell down
with the python.
After calming herself, Ye Ci looked at the dead Grandmaster Fisherman and began to consider
doing some funeral arrangements.
How kind was she? She even thought of burying him. Where could one find such a kind player?
Chapter 40 Under Attack
The Grandmaster Fisherman was not a normal NPC. He was entirely different from the NPCs who
could be found in the game and were programmed with just one or two lines of nonsense. If Ye Ci
recalled correctly, instructor NPCs were usually categorized as high grade NPCs, while
Grandmaster instructor NPCs were Legendary NPCs. Only one of them would be present on any
given continent.
If a Grandmaster instructor died, the system would automatically respawn one.
However, it took a a longer period of time to respawn such NPC. A total of three years time in real
time.
Ye Ci dragged Johnny’s corpse into a ditch she dug out as she talked to herself, “Three years are
actually quite short, they’ll pass by in the blink of an eye,” said Ye Ci. She then turned around
and asked, “Ol’ Three, what say you! Let’s be more artistic, time passes quickly like a white
pony’s shadow across a crevice [1], the passing of a millennium is just in the mere blink of an eye.
Am I right, am I right! Even a thousand years can pass in the blink of an eye, not to mention three
years!”
It was uncertain if Ol’ Three could understand Ye Ci’s words, but it was wagging its tails at her,
acting all cute.
With great effort, Ye Ci threw Johnny into the ditch and covered him with soil. She then let out a
long sigh.
It was definitely not in vain.
A Legendary NPC’s corpse would disappear in 18 months of real time upon its death, and an NPC
with a similar tier would respawn in another 18 months. This meant that in the next 36 months, the
East Continent would not have any Grandmaster Fisherman.
If any Life Players [2] wanted to learn fishing skills from a Grandmaster, she was sorry, but they
could only look for one in the other four continents. And to leave the continent… Ye Ci looked up
into the sky, this really had nothing to do with her!
Although she kept telling herself that, Ye Ci still fulfilled her ‘responsibility’ and buried the
body. If someone was to discover the death of the Grandmaster Fisherman, and noticed that a NPC
of a similar tier did not respawn, they would definitely report if to the game officials and God
knows if they’d link the incident to her.
She really had nothing to do with it!
After properly burying Johnny’s body, Ye Ci picked up the fishing rod that nicked her hand earlier.
It was an ordinary fishing rod. Ye Ci immediately threw it away and began surveying the small col
once again. She wanted to get out of the place.
Of course, the scenery of the place was still beautiful. Birds were chirping happily and soft green
grass covering the floor. If one ignored the mess that Ye Ci and the python had created with the
impact of their fall, the place was still beautiful.
The trees would respawn soon anyways. Now, Ye Ci needed to get out of this place.
Ye Ci took a final glance at the col before she hurriedly left the place as if it was haunted. There
was only a narrow path leading away from the col and Ye Ci reached a small wooden house after
jogging down the path.
There was a sign on the door: Johnny’s House.
This Grandmaster Fisherman sure likes leaving his name everywhere! He even wrote his name on
his house! Originally, she planned to leave as soon as possible but Ye Ci stopped as soon she saw
the house.
That guy was a Grandmaster Fisherman, shouldn’t he have something valuable?
Ye Ci walked into Johnny’s house and began rummaging through the place. The interior of the
house was simple, there was nothing of value. Ye Ci then found a row of fishing rods and a fish
basket at a corner of the house.
She reached out and grabbed the closest one, and the system notification immediately chimed in,
“Are you sure you want to choose this fishing rod? The fishing rod will be bound to you, and you
will not be able to choose another fishing rod.”
Ye Ci immediately chose the ‘No’ option.
This was it!
The most valuable thing owned by a Grandmaster Fisherman was of course fishing rods! But there
was such a big row of fishing rods, with stats that were unable to be seen, which one should she
pick? Ye Ci looked from left to right, and then from right to left, but she still couldn’t make up her
mind.
Some of the fishing rods were glossy, some were surrounded with silvery sparkles, while others
were delicate in design. Each and every one of them looked like a good choice.
Although Ye Ci had not learned fishing skills, she would be an idiot to just pass over something
free. She wanted to pick the fishing rod with the best stats. Her sight laid on a fishing rod at the
end of the rack.
The fishing rod was dusty and it looked nothing out of the ordinary but Ye Ci just couldn’t shake
off the feeling that it was the one for her.
“Are you sure you want to choose this fishing rod? This fishing rod will be bound to you, and
you cannot choose another fishing rod.” the system notification chimed in. Ye Ci chose ‘Yes’
without hesitation.
Even if the fishing rod was not something good, it did not matter too much anyways because Ye Ci
had not learned fishing skills. Besides, to have such a mediocre looking rod in the midst of all the
other delicate looking ones, something was obviously off.
With the fishing rod in hand, Ye Ci could finally see its stats.
Balesan’s Precious Fishing Rod
Bound
Orange Equipment
Unique
Double Handed
Attack: 447-672, attack speed: 3.0
Can be equipped by Master Fisherman and above.
Special Attribute: Can breath under water after equipping.
Special Attribute: Increase fishing skill mastery and fishing speed by 10%.
Special Attribute: 5% increased chance to encounter rare fishes.
As expected of an orange equipment. Even if it served little use to Ye CI, its stats would drive any
fishing Life Players mad.
Ye Ci was especially happy with the additional ability to breath underwater after equipping the
fishing rod. However, it was a double handed rod, which meant Ye Ci could not equip any other
weapons while equipping the rod. It meant she would have to sacrifice her ability to attack. Under
this circumstances, Ye Ci could only visit the shallow waters, but had to stay away from the deeper
areas.
Despite that, Ye Ci wanted to try the orange equipment that she had obtained. She activated her
Brooch of Deceit, she wanted to disguise herself as a Master Fisherman. Unfortunately, she
received a notification telling her that the Brooch of Deceit could not allow her to replicate a skill
that she had not learned yet, forcing her to give up.
Ye Ci then picked up the fishing basket that was at the other corner of the house. It was a purple
equipment, ‘Johnny’s Fish Basket’. It was also bound to Ye Ci. the fish basket was
somewhatlike a backpack, with 48 slots for fishing related items. With 1 stack of items per slot
and 99 items of the same name per stack, the fishing basket’s capacity was rather big.
Regrettably, it was only for fishing related items and could not be used as a normal backpack.
Even though she could not put the two items to good use, Ye Ci was still happy. After all, she was
satisfied just by looking at the grade of those items. Ye Ci continued to ransack the house looking
for anything valuable, and after confirming that she’d scrounged through the entire house, she
left.
Of course, she did not forget to take down the sign hanging on the door.
Ye Ci then summoned her steed and continued her way along the narrow path.
The map was called the Desolate Lands and everywhere was barren except for the small patch of
greenery that Ye Ci had left behind. Even the rays of light shining down were grim and gloomy.
The place was a lvl 30 to lvl 40 leveling area, hosting the Desolate Tombs dungeons. A lot of
players would be leveling up in this map in the near future.
But with the average level of players below 20 at this time and as such, not a single soul could be
seen in the Desolate Lands.
Ye Ci rode along the main road, wary of the monsters spawning at both sides of the road.
Ye Ci suddenly fell from her steed, and was hit with dizziness. She was rooted to the spot and
could not move. It was a situation that Ye CI was familiar with. She was under attack by a player.
“You have been attacked by an unknown player.” the system notification then chimed in. There
was only one possibility when the notification hinted that a player was attacked by an unknown
player. The assailant had hidden his name.
Ye Ci eyed the DEBUFF, it was Staggering Blow. The effect lasted for 6 seconds.
It was a Rogue’s skill.
But where did the Rogue came from?
It was very unlikely for players to appear in the Desolate Lands at this time, and even if there were
any players, Ye Ci was not a red named player, why would the attack her?
She felt a chilly pain at her back.
Ye Ci could see her HP dropping rapidly.
6 seconds seemed short, but in this situation, it felt like a millennia for Ye Ci.
Players under the ‘Stunned’ status could not move. Ye Ci could only watch as her HP dropped.
She was filled with remorse. Why did she went so fast? If only she did not dismiss Ol’ Three,
then she’d not be at the mercy of her assailant.
The Rogue was fast. He cast one skill after another on Ye Ci. Bleed, Assassinate, Searing Stab,
Eviscerate… Within six seconds, he had almost finished using all his main skills on Ye Ci.
What surprised him the most was that despite dealing more than hundreds of damage, the Huntress
did not fall. She had also hidden her personal info, which meant that the Rogue could not see her
HP bar. Why was she so hard to kill?!
In truth, Ye Ci was not that well off. If it were not for the equipment she had, she would’ve been
killed instantly after receiving damage from so many of the Rogue’s skills.
When the effect of Staggering Blow was finally over, Ye Ci activated the Dash ability of her boots
and dashed away…
Translator Notes:
[1] time passes quickly like a white pony’s shadow across a crevice 时间如白驹过隙
A Chinese saying describing how fast time passes
[2] Life Players
Players focusing on Life Skills
Chapter 41 The Other Continent
In the blink of an eye, Ye Ci was already 25m away. She did not stop there. She activated Stealth
and disappeared into the gray map.
The Rogue was baffled. His second stunning skill, ‘Stun’ was ready but the target had
disappeared before he could cast it. He then received a system notification: “Target has
disappeared, skill casting failed.”
The scariest thing during a PK was not an opponent’s mechanical skills or even their damage
output, it was if your opponent disappeared and you could not spot them.
Ye Ci’s sudden disappearance turned the tables. The Rogue’s brief moment of hesitation meant
that he had already compromised his position even after he turned on his Stealth.
Ye Ci lurked 25m away from the Rogue. She chugged down bottles of Health Potion while
watching the Rogue closely.
In a PK match against a Hunter, one must be careful to not place oneself more than 2m away from
the Hunter. A Hunter’s attack had a blind spot of 2m. If a target was within the 2m range of a
Hunter, the Hunter could not launch ranged attacks against their target. A Hunter without their
ranged attacks was no different from a bird that had lost its wings.
When one was in a PK match against a Rogue, one must always remember to not give the Rogue a
chance to get to one’s back. A Rogue had a lot of control skills, once they got behind a player, the
player would lose all initiative. Once someone was hit by a Rogue’s control skill, unless the
player had some very OP items, the battle would be over then and there.
Ye Ci silently calculated the path that the Rogue would take and planted a Frost Trap there. She’d
appear out of Stealth when she cast a skill. It was very dangerous as Rogues and Hunters shared
the similarity of relying on agility. Both classes had high speed.
A trap needed three seconds to be completely set up. Within that three seconds, if the Rogue had
an additional speed buff, he would be able to dash up to her and use a Staggering Blow.
That was why Ye Ci kept an eye out for the Stealthed Rogue.
In the last few milliseconds of the Frost Trap’s deployment, Ye Ci detected a presence creeping up
from behind her with her high Perception. The person pounced at her at high speed.
It’s finished… Ye Ci felt a chill creep down her spine, and her body dodged to the side out of
reflex.
Miss!
The Rogue was disheartened when he saw his Staggering Blow miss at a crucial moment like that!
It was a crucial moment, how could he miss it!
That was not as depressing as the fact that the Huntress dodged his follow up attack by lowering
her body and rolling away on the ground.
If that was not depressing enough, what happened next would sink the Rogue further into
depression.
Ye Ci’s movement caused the Rogue to miss and he stumbled forward due to his momentum. He
then stepped on Ye Ci’s Frost Trap.
The Rogue was instantly frozen in a huge ice block.
Ye Ci stood back up and immediately cast a red Empowered Hunter’s Mark on him. At the same
time, she released Ol’ Three and backed off.
A Frost Trap would typically last for 12 seconds. But if attacked, the ice will shatter and the frozen
target would regain freedom of movement.
Since this was not a fight against mobs, Ol’ Three’s Taunt had no use. Instead, Ye Ci
commanded it to cast a damage over time (DOT) skill — Bleed. Ye Ci herself jumped onto a
wilted tree and used Venomous Snake Needle and Rapid Fire on the Rogue.
The Rogue’s first course of action was to cast a Stun on Ol’ Three, then he headed straight for Ye
Ci.
Despite his speed, Ye Ci remained calm. They were close to each other in terms of Agility, and she
also had a slightly better Balance than the Rogue. However, when it came to Speed, she had a
Purple Equipment with +7 Speed bonus. With the distance between them, as long as he did not
possess and dashing skills, the outcome of the battle was already sealed.
The Rogue had good equipment as well.
Ye Ci’s excellent equipment could only deal a little more than 400 to the Rogue.
Despite his high attack, Rogues were still glass cannons. After taking two to three hits that carried
more than 300 damage, the Rogue’s lifeless body crashed onto the ground before he could get
close to Ye Ci.
“You received Kill Glory +2”
Ye Ci was momentarily stunned, he was a player from another continent.
There were five continents in Fate, the North, South, East, West and the Middle continent. The
East Continent and South Continents were allies, players from these continents could not kill each
other. It was the same for players from the West Continent and North Continent. The Mid
Continent was not open yet at this stage of the game.
In contrast, the East-South Alliance and the West-North Alliance were enemies. Players from both
factions could kill each other on sight. There would be no penalties, and they would receive Kill
Glory instead. A player could exchange for unique PVP equipment with enough Kill Glory.
Killing the Rogue granted Ye Ci Kill Glory. It meant that the Rogue was from either the West or
North Continent. But what was a lvl 20 Rogue doing in the heartlands of the East Continent?
Since a player from a hostile continent came here to give away Kill Glory, Ye Ci would feel really
bad if she did not try and kill him a few more times.
The moment the Rogue’s body fell lifeless to the ground, Ye Ci entered Stealth and dismissed Ol’
Three, it was basically a beacon announcing her presence!
Not two minutes later, the Rogue’s corpse turned into a pile of bones, and Ye Ci leaped out. She
drew her bow and cast Rapid Fire at a silhouette not far away from the original position of the
corpse.
Players who had just revived possessed only 40% of their HP and mana, which of course meant
that it was easy for Ye Ci to make a short work out of him.
Puff, the Rogue dropped dead once again.
He was depressed. He had spent a great effort sneaking into the East Continent in search for some
stuff. When he saw the Huntress, he thought that he could take her down easily because her
equipment appeared to be low tier. He had not expected to run into someone so tenacious.
He was sure that his skills were on par with the Huntress, but… she seemed to have some very
good equipment. He misjudged her strength and had paid the price.
If the Rogue knew that he would end up like this, he would have definitely avoided the Huntress.
East Continent NPCs were hostile towards him. He could not repair his broken equipment in the
city if they were damaged too much or if he had died too many times. He was glad that his items
had not drop, and decided to just stay on the ground.
Ye Ci crouched on the branch of a nearby tree, staring at the Rogue’s corpse. He did not even
move for a full ten minutes. He realized that Ye Ci was camping nearby.
Just as Ye Ci was hesitating on whether to continue camping the Rogue or not, a few messenger
pigeons flew towards her.
Ye Ci deactivated Stealth and received the letters sent by the pigeons. The Rogue that was lying on
the ground had a 360 degree field of vision after he diedt. He finally saw the Huntress on a branch
23m away from him. He was glad that he had not immediately revived himself again.
The letters were from Ideal Height 1.7m and Let Go Of That Girl. They were asking if she was
okay, they sounded worried.
Ye Ci was touched. A warmth that she could not describe crept up her heart. To not further worry
her two companions, she replied to the letter and told them that she was safe.
“Gongzi You, where are you right now?” Ye Ci’s private message channel rang up. It was
Peacock Blue. After she muted Peacock Blue for the first time, the system would automatically
unmute her after 72 hours and Peacock Blue could send her private messages once again.
However, Peacock Blue appeared to be different. She did not act high and mighty, nor did she
actas if she was superior to Ye Ci. Her tone was so ordinary that Ye Ci nearly mistook her for a
stranger. Although Ye Ci had never liked Peacock Blue, but since she decided not to find fault with
Ye Ci this time, Ye Ci would not do anything to provoke her either.
“I’m in the Desolate Lands.”
“The Desolate Lands?”Peacock Blue was obviously surprised by Ye Ci’s answer. She mumbled
to herself for a moment and did not try to question Ye Ci any further. She immediately stated her
reason for contacting Ye Ci, “the Guild will challenge the Automaton Formation in three hours,
are you free?”
”
“I’m free.” Ye Ci calculated the time it would take her to return to the Chilly Wetlands dungeon
before she gave Peacock Blue an answer.
“I have a spot for you, are you coming?” Peacock Blue still acted as if it was just official
business, her voice did not betray any emotion.
“Sure, but I might be slightly late.”
After receiving a reply from Ye Ci, Peacock Blue immediately ended the conversation. It seemed
that she was not happy to have to talk to Ye Ci, but to Ye Ci, it did not matter.
Knowing that, she did not have anymore time to waste on the Rogue. Ye Ci jumped down from the
tree and said to the Rogue, “There’s something that I need to do, let’s fight again some other
time!” then she left.
The Rogue revived right after Ye Ci left. But before he could stand still, he heard another puff, and
he dropped dead again!
“Aren’t you supposed to be gone already!” the Rogue could not hold himself back anymore and
shouted at Ye Ci.
“To tell you the truth, even if someone gave up on camping you, you shouldn’t revive so quickly
you know.” Ye Ci grinned at the Rogue from 20m away. She summoned her steed and waved
gracefully at the Rogue, “This time I’m gone for real!”
Chapter 42 The Top of the Charts
The Rogue waited for a while before he got up. Unexpectedly, more Pew Pew noises resounded,
and he once again fell into the embrace of the earth.
“What are you doing! Stop toying with people!” The Rogue almost went mad.
Ye Ci’s hearty laughter rang out from afar as she said,“Hey, hasn’t anyone taught you to observe
your surrounding before getting up? I am really leaving this time~~”
The Rogue was so depressed that he was about to weep. He was really unlucky today. Originally,
he had just wanted to earn some Kill Glory. Why did this fiend appear? This time, no matter what
she said, he firmly decided to not respawn.
However, this time, Ye Ci had not lied. She really left and rode her little red horse, heading
towards the Red Lake City through the road of the Desolate Lands.
In order to get to the Red Lake City from the Desolate, one would need to bypass four to five
maps, some of which contained lvl 50 mobs. Ye Ci had to be very careful throughout the journey
and it took her over three hours to finally reach the Red Lake City. She asked in the guild channel
whether it’s time to assemble. A reply told her that the team was already at the entrance. She
immediately threw the fishing rod and the fishing basket into her warehouse and rushed towards
the dungeon.
Although she had suffered throughout the journey as she rushed back to the Red Lake City from
the Desolate Lands, Ye Ci still felt very sorry. When she saw the group of players that had already
assembled at the gathering rock in front of the Automaton Formation dungeon, she felt even more
embarrassed.
She had never really been that great. This time, she had actually made everyone wait this long
during a guild gathering event, which was very unreasonable. Therefore, the moment Ye Ci joined
the team, she apologized sincerely to the entire team.
“Everyone, really sorry that I’m late.”
“It’s alright. I heard from Little Blue that you came back from the Desolate Lands.” Zero
Arsenic responded, his face full of smiles. Zero Arsenic was a Sorcerer equipped in a top notch
equipments. Without the aid of equipments similar to the Brooch Of Deceit, one could tell his G
was over 200 with a glance.
Zero Arsenic was the vice leader of the guild and he was also the best Sorcerer in the guild. He
stood out among the rest with his superior armor.
Since Zero Arsenic said so, there was no need for Ye Ci to explain anymore. As such, she just
replied with a nod.
“Rushing back from that place must have been dangerous. I remember that there were a few high
level maps on the route back. “Was it easy for you when you when you were on your way back?”
Zero Arsenic’s smiling eyes appeared rather gentle and his voice also sounded extremely gentle.
However, from the beginning to the end, Ye Ci felt that his eyes were conveying something
indescribable.
His eyes were liike that of a fox, studying its prey.
“I just needed to run along the big road without deviating left or right. Even a level one smurf
could run back by following this route.” With neither a servile nor overbearing tone, Ye Ci
warded off Zero Arsenic's probing with a soft answer.
The smile in Zero Arsenic’s eyes became deeper. No one could tell what emotions hid deep within
his black eyes. He nodded and stopped talking to Ye Ci. He then turned and said to the team,
“Today, two squadrons will advance into the dungeon and explore it. Everyone, don’t be greedy.
Just do your best. Everyone will obtain a reward of five points. If we managed to pass it, then the
points will naturally be higher.”
Joyful chatter could be heard amidst the assembled group. One could tell that with the stimulation
of money, many people were eager to give it a try.
After completing his briefing, Zero Arsenic assigned Ye Ci to the second squadron and ordered the
leaders of the two squadrons to lead their members into the dungeon.
The Automaton Formation dungeon was a 25-man dungeon. Steel Blooded Battle Spear’s core
members consisted of around a hundred players. They were split into two squadrons to explore the
Chilly Wetlands, with 50 players in each squadron. However, the ones who were present to
explore the Automaton Formation dungeon, were the cream of the crop. All of them were selected
from the Steel Blooded Battle Spear’s core members. Their game sense and awareness were more
than a match for normal guild members and wild party members.
The GS of the entire squadron had an average of 240 and above, they were especially eye-catching
as they gathered and awaited orders.
Ye Ci followed the second squadron into the Automaton Formation dungeon. She suddenly felt
that she went overboard in her attempt to disguise her equipment. In the midst of the second
squadron, she stood out the most due to her disguised poor quality weapon.
The person in command was Crimson Millions. His voice had a hint of Jiang Nan[1] accent. His
voice was soft and nice, with a little passion in it. But in exploring a dungeon, clearing it was the
most important. Anything else simply did not matter.
Ye Ci blended into the midst of the ranged classed players, keeping a low profile. However, due to
her superior equipment, her DPS was always at the top. She dealt more damage than the top player
of the second squadron, Seductive Dance.
As Crimson Millions commanded the squad orderly, he opened up the damage chart habitually. He
was flabbergasted after just one glance. Gongzi You was at the top of the chart! Her damage dealt
was several hundred thousands points more than Seductive Dance. And on the damage taken chart,
Gongzi You was at the bottom of the list. She hadn’t taken any damage!!!
This attracted the attention of Crimson Millions.
Despite her two dungeons First Blood, and her First Blood of Wild Boar King with World
Conqueror, Crimson Millions view of Ye Ci was similar to Peacock Blue. In his opinion, Ye Ci
was merely lucky.
Crimson Millions had been paying attention to Gongzi You ever since they’ve entered the
dungeon. But she appeared to be mingling in the midst of the ranged classes, and did not appear to
have much of a performance. He was more convinced than ever that Ye Ci was merely lucky with
her First Bloods.
That was, of course, until he took a look at the damage charts.
The Automaton Formation was filled with tiny metal balls that would explode and deal damage in
a wide area. Even Purple Corydalis, one of the best players with the best positioning skills in the
second squadron suffered some damage. But this Huntress had not even suffer a single point of
damage!
For an average player, the charts were simply rows of numbers. But in the eyes of an expert or a
commander, it was the thing that determined the strength of their party members.
Dishing out the highest damage while receiving none.
The automated generated charts would never be wrong. Crimson Millions perspective of Gongzi
You instantly changed. This Huntress was just like what Zero Arsenic described. Her strength was
very well hidden.
Crimson Millions closed the damage charts and continued giving out orders, “DPS beware of
your aggro, be careful of any OT.” Ye Ci took a glance at her aggro after listening to Crimson
Millions’s words. Her aggro was among the lowest.
Seductive Dance noticed the damage charts as well, and his facial expression changed. He had
been gaming for almost eight years, and he was always playing as a DPS. His skills are
undeniably good.
He also had very excellent equipment. His damage could even be on par with Zero Arsenic. After
being used to be on the top of the damage chart for so long, how could he retain his composure
after being placed in the second spot?
Since Ye Ci was in the midst of the ranged classes, she could see the facial expression of
Seductive Dance.
Sorcerers are different from Warlocks. They do not have much aggro controlling skills during the
early stages of the game. If they did not control their damage output, their aggro would almost
always rise to the point where they could no longer control it.
In a short period of time not more than 10 seconds, the Elite Guardian that was focused on the MT
and secondary tank turned and charged towards the ranged classes.It was the first time such an
incident occured under Crimson Millions’s command.
“The sorcerer Seductive Dance is now OT!” a system notification chimed in. Crimson Millions
shouted, “Seductive Dance, stop! You’re OT! MT, do your job, don’t let the mobs reach the
ranged classes!”
Before his words died away, before the MT could arrive, Crimson Millions saw a light and nimble
figure jumping out from the group of ranged classes. A red mark immediately appeared on the
elite guardian’s head. Seeing this, Crimson Millions was shocked again as he exclaimed, “The
Mark of Hunter!” He didn’t expect that a hunter in their team would know how to use this skill!
When he saw the one who had jumped out, he suddenly felt that everything made sense.
Of course, this person was Gongzi You.
Empowered Hunter’s Mark, Falcon Protection, Snake Venom Needle and Ol’ Three’s Taunt
were casted in that short moment. She then made a 180 degrees turn and changed course in midair.
Ye Ci released Rapid Fire and Decoy in midair, dealing four to five critical hits with 2000 damage
each. She had successfully transferred the Elite Guardian’s aggro to herself from Seductive
Dance.
As the Elite Guardian was dashing towards the ranged classes, it suddenly stopped and made a
turn, heading towards Ye Ci. The danger of the team of ranged classes was alleviated.
Her movements were extremely quick. From defending to attracting aggro, it only took her three
seconds. Her beautiful and acute control amazed everyone.
Even Crimson Millions stopped in surprise. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Could an ordinary
Huntress get up this way? Can an ordinary Huntress borrow external forces and fly in the air as if
the force of gravity didn’t exist?
“Mortal! You have enraged me!” Although the elite guardian was not the Boss but it was still
one of the monsters in the dungeon that were very hard to deal with. The Elite Guardian roared
and dashed a few steps forward. The instant it approached Ye Ci, it casted Fear towards Ye Ci.
It actually hit!
Ye Ci had just descended the ground and was about to jump when she got stunned. Her whole
body trembled and she could no longer make any movements, showing a rigid state. This was the
normal behavior of someone that was hit by the Fear.
The duration of the Fear was 5 seconds and Ye Ci counted the time. The elite guardian could
release two attacks during these five seconds, and Ye Ci didn’t know whether she could endure it
or not.
As the sound of the wind blew, the Elite Guardian had already caught up to Ye Ci and with the
raise of his hand its blade swooped down and it hacked down towards Ye Ci…
Translator's notes:
Jiang Nan: A province in China
Chapter 43 Challenging the Automaton Formation
Before anybody could react...
The sharp blade of the Elite Guard hit a silvery shield with a sharp clank.
Ye Ci felt that someone had abruptly dashed out from behind her. They pressed their back against
hers, then she heard the sounds of metal clashing.
“Heh, Gongzi You, leave the rest to me.” A light, smiling voice rang out from behind her. Ye Ci
could not turn back, but she felt as if a huge boulder in her heart was released in that moment.
"What are you guys standing around in a daze for? DPS and Healers keep up!" Crimson Millions's
commanding voice once again rang out.
As expected of a well-trained main force. Although such an unexpected event had occurred, within
a few seconds, everyone had regained their composure. Such incidents were insufficient to disrupt
their initial battle rhythm.
Ye Ci finally recovered. She turned to see that the person who was standing behind her and had
taken that blow for her earlier wasn’t team two's MT, but the second tank, Traceless Insanity.
While retreating back to the long-range attack team, she recalled the things that had occurred
earlier. She then looked at Traceless Insanity's handling of the role of tank. She noticed that
although his skills as a tank were slightly lacking, his teamwork and positioning were all quite on
point. A good party would be an ideal platform for him to get more training, in less than a year, he
would probably become one of the top MTs around.
Very quickly, the elite guards were all knocked out and a blue robe for Warlock's appeared. Such
equipment was not dropped by the BOSS. Three Warlocks rolled the dice and the one with the
highest number happily acquired the equipment.
After splitting up the equipment amongst themselves, Crimson Millions got everyone to take a
break while he made adjustments for the party's battle rhythm.
“Seductive Dance, I kept saying we need to control the damage output, don't be too greedy, don't
OT. What's wrong with you? You're also an old timer DPS now, there's no need for me to repeat
that you need to handle aggro properly. Since this is an accident, I won't deduct your points. But
the next time this happen again, I'll deduct five points straight away.” Although Crimson
Millions's voice had had a certain softness unique to Jiang Nan, thought with his authority and
slow enunciation, he exuded a tremendous pressure.
Seductive Dance lowered his head as he munched on his bread. He knew that he had been too
greedy and too concerned about his reputation, thus he did not dare to rebut any of Crimson
Millions's words. However, when Crimson Millions once again announced that there were going
to press on forward, he looked toward Ye Ci, who appeared as if she had no regard for the others
around her.
Ye Ci intended to send a friend request to Traceless Insanity while they were having a break, but
he unexpectedly sent her a friend request of his own.
After the two of them added each other as friends, Traceless Insanity sent a private message, "Hey,
your mechanical skill was really good. Earlier, when I saw it, it really stirred me up. Would you be
able to teach me?"
Ye Ci did not reject him and said, "A Hunter's and a Warrior's movements are different. But if you
don't mind, we can exchange pointers when we have time."
"Alright, alright. Let's do it when we get out of the dungeon." Traceless Insanity was an impatient
person. If not for the fact that they were still in the dungeon, he would have wanted to immediate
exchange pointers with Ye Ci.
"No problem."
The party continued to advance and very quickly, arrived at the deepest point of the dungeon.
Rows and rows of automaton were perfectly lined up, seemingly inanimate.Behind these
automatons, there were two tall stone towers, with a few Dark Gnome on the top. There were two
huge gates behind the two blocks of towers, with a giant robot right in front of it.
That was the Automatons Formation's final BOSS, Number 48.
Based on the dungeon's design, this was the entrance that lead to a cold and humid land. They
must bring out the quest item from the Cruel Pit and it must be brought out and place onto the
large gates behind robot number 48. When that was done, the path toward the cold and humid land
would be unobstructed.
Number 48 was massive in size, but the most challenging point of the dungeon was not the BOSS.
After all, even a tough BOSS would not be able to hold its ground if it was swarmed by players.
Moreover, Number 48 was merely a blockhead. It was simply too easy to defeat.
The hardest challenge in the dungeon was that Automatons Formation and the two blocks of stone
towers behind them.
Steel Blooded Battle Spear’s intention was for them to explore the new dungeon, various guilds
had just broken through the Cruel Pit recently and there were not many of them who had
challenged the Automatons Formation. With no information and no video guides online, Steel
Blooded Battle Axe could only brace themselves and challenge the dungeon head on.
Crimson Millions did not know how difficult this dungeon was, but Ye Ci knew very well that it
was not easy.
There were a total of 81 automatons and attacking one of them would trigger the rest of the
automatons to attack all at once. The Dark Gnomes on the two towers will also fire their cannons
at targets that were besieged by the automatons. Those did not know of clearing away the swarm
of automatons would suffer massive casualties.
Crimson Millions got the others to take a break while he looked toward the automatons Formation
from afar, remaining silent. After a short while, he turned to say to the rest, “Although there are
many monsters around, we'll do what we usually does, attract them one at a time and slowly kill
them all.”
When Ye Ci heard this, she was dumbfounded. Wasn't that just asking for defeat? Not wanting to
rebut the party leader in front of so many players, Ye Ci sent a privately message to Crimson
Millions,“Leader, I don't think that is plausible. These monsters seemed to be linked and if one
was attacked, it's likely that the others would be triggered and attack all at once. Can we use
another method to tackle this? "
Those in the lead would tend to have their own way of thinking, as most of them would feel as if
they had more battle experiences and had seen more things. There were not many who would be
willing to accept other people's opinions before they were put into an unfavorable position.
Crimson Millions was no different. He had been playing games for five to six years and had taken
the lead in parties for over four years. He took pride in the fact that his leadership ability was not
too bad. Although he thought well of Ye Ci, it did not mean that he fully recognized this strength
of this Huntress.
Therefore, he interrupted her with his unique and pleasant voice, "Gongzi, have you come here
before?"
It was bullshit. Not only that she had entered the dungeon before, she even did it multiple times.
She was extremely familiar with the entire Fate. But these were all things that Ye Ci could not say.
Therefore, she shook her head, “No.”
Crimson Millions smiled and continued to use that pleasant voice to emphasize, “Since we're
exploring a new dungeon, we should try things a little at a time. Only then would we be able to
find the best solution. You don't have to try and resort to trickeries right from the start.”
Although what Crimson Millions said was not wrong, Ye Ci was still speechless. What did he
meant by resorting to trickeries? Her intention was not to have unnecessary sacrifices and she had
not wanted to waste money on fixing her equipment. How could he call that as resorting to
trickeries?
However, no matter what she says, Crimson Millions would probably not be willing to listen.
Humans are creatures who would only learn after experiencing the worst. Ye Ci sighed, and
retreated back to the very back of the long-range attackers, no longer trying to persuade Crimson
Millions. She would just wait for his command to launch their attacks. Once the monsters began to
swarm up, she would immediately make her escape out of the dungeon.
She had wanted to tell Traceless Insanity to get him to escape together with her, but eventually
only sent out a private message, “During times of emergencies, you got to be smart and think for
yourself.” She did not want to blatantly tell him to escape. Moreover, she had just met Traceless
Insanity and they could not even be considered close. She did not wish to let her words be spread
out or it would eventually be blackmail materials for others.
Traceless Insanity actually did not really agree to Crimson Millions's plan either. When he
received Ye Ci's private message, he instantly understood that they had both thought of the same
thing. He immediately replied, "Understood. If things doesn't look right, immediately escape out
of the dungeon."
The two were still talking when Crimson Millions gave the command and the long-range attackers
began to launch their attacks on a robot in the extreme corner and then...
Ye Ci only remembered that the whole place became a big mess and that all the automatons
swarmed toward them like gushing waves.
Looking at the multitude of automatons, the people who had trypophobia immediately turned pale
and their legs gave way. Those whose legs did not give way also immediately turned to run. Under
this situation, they could no longer care for any battle rhythm or whatsoever. If they did not run,
the many automatons would only bring about their utter destruction.
Ye Ci was standing furthest away and also she also had great agility and speed, thus she was the
first to escape out from dungeon. Following behind her were a few other Rogues, Hunters, and
Rangers who were quick on their feet. These classes with high agility showed their superiority
while they made their escape.
Traceless Insanity was not as lucky. He was a Warrior and did not have high agility. Although he
had started making his escape at the first possible moment, he eventually died a heroic death right
before the dungeon's entrance.
The few who escaped reckoned that those inside were all dead, and the entered the dungeon once
again. As expected, the long line of corpses really formed a trail of marker, guiding their way.
The party managed to regroup.
As they were exploring a new land and he had not accepted Ye Ci's suggestion in the first place,
Crimson Millions did not blame the members who managed to make their escapes. Saving their
actual strength was also an important battle technique.
Ye Ci also pretended that she had not mentioned anything to Crimson Millions, and instead
lowered her head and sat in a corner, munching on her bread, occasionally throwing two pieces of
roasted meat to Ol’ Three who was unrelentingly acting cute. Suddenly, the sound of a private
chat rang out. It was Crimson Millions.
"Gongzi, what method do you think is best to deal with this automatons Formation?"
Although Crimson Millions was a leader with his own views, this did not meant that he was
obstinate. When they first attacked, he had already realized that he had made an extremely grave
mistake. Therefore, now that everyone was taking a break, he sent Ye Ci a private message,
hoping to get the Huntress' opinions.
Ye Ci turned to look toward Crimson Millions, only to realize that he was looking at her, smiling
as he nodded his head, appearing very humble...
Chapter 44 Expert of Destruction
Since this was for the sake of clearing the dungeon Ye Ci wasn’t petty about it. She wasn’t
holding any grudges about what had happened just now either.
She looked at Crimson Millions and thought for a moment before speaking. “Do you realize that
the grass here is denser than other places in this dungeon?”
She had said this in hopes of Crimson Millions catching on because she couldn’t really tell him
directly that there was an NPC hiding among the dense grass around the Northwest corner that
must be found in order to clear the dungeon. If she had said that, she was pretty sure Crimson
Millions would then be wondering howshe knew so much even though it was her first time
entering the dungeon.
Crimson Millions only turned his head and checked out his surroundings after hearing Ye Ci’s
words. The grass here was indeed a lot denser here compared to the areas they had went through
and had already grown taller than a person in most of the places here. If something was hidden
among this dense grass, one would definitely miss it if they didn’t search for it carefully.
“Everyone, search among the grass around the Automatons Formation and look for clues to clear
the dungeon.” Crimson Millions was also an experienced leader. Ye Ci had only briefly pointed it
out and he had already caught onto it so he immediately issued his order to the party members
who were still taking a break together.
As expected of a well-trained party, everyone stood up and started to search towards the denser
areas around the Automatons Formation. Ye Ci purposely didn’t go in the Northeast direction but
she instead went in the opposite direction.
Since she was the one who suggested the problem, people would be suspicious if she was also the
one who found the NPC.
Just as expected, a party member shouted towards Crimson Millions very soon. “Leader, there’s
an NPC here!”
Crimson Millions ran towards that party member as soon as he heard him. Ye Ci didn’t follow
him but instead walked to the front of Automaton Formation and sat down. The NPC would come
here later anyway.
After talking to the NPC for what seemed like half a day, that little Gnome finally came towards
Ye Ci while cursing.
“You damn big fellows. Can’t you see that I was trying to hide? I’m on a mission b that my boss
gave to me, but it’sonly to watch these traitors but not defeat them.”
Ye Ci laughed. This Gnome NPC was still the same as ever. What could he possibly see crouching
among such dense and tall grasses?
“I’m telling you all that I’m only helping you out this time because of the money. If you guys
fail, don’t come looking for me. I have my own principle.” The little Gnome took out some tools
from somewhere and then instructed the players to push out some cannon emplacements that
looked no different than trash from the bushes.
As an old saying goes, “a little body often harbors a great soul”. Although the Gnomes were
small in stature, they were the best experts in machineries and their race specialized in engineering
and alchemy.
In just a short moment, the little Gnome had repaired all three cannon emplacements.
“Just these. These are all I’ll offer to help fix.” The little Gnome jumped down from the last
cannon emplacement that he repaired and returned to his place of hiding.
He was the key to clearing this dungeon because there were many monsters in the Automatons
Formation. There was no way to clear them out in one go other than relying on these cannon
emplacements. But even so, the shells of the cannon emplacement were limited. Only a total of six
rounds were prepared for the three cannon emplacements.
This was also where the difficulty of the dungeon lied. If the six rounds of shells couldn’t kill all
81 automatons, then many Dark Gnomes would immediately appear from the Stone Tower to
repair these automatons. After ten seconds, these automatons would all be fully repaired and
continue their assault at the players. By that time, the dungeon would pretty much be considered a
failure.
In the process of this challenge, many parties were stuck here. They either couldn’t kill all the
automatons or tried to kill them all with brute force but got annihilated in the end instead.
After the three cannon emplacements were set up, Crimson Millions started assigning members to
get on them. One of them was Traceless Aftermaths and the other was a rogue by the name of
Grim Moon. Just when Crimson Millions was pondering about the candidate for the last cannon
emplacement, Ye Ci took the initiative to volunteer, “Leader, can I have a go at it?”
People immediately started whispering at her self nomination. Ye Ci’s performance was
exceptional, and she had impressed others even more after entering the dungeon. But even so, this
was the first time they had worked together as a team so compared to others, most people weren’t
too familiar with her so they’d naturally worry about leaving such an important task in her hands.
Needless to say, Crimson Millions had also thought about this. But in the end, he decided to take
the risk. He was curious to see how capable this huntress, Gongziyou, was.
So he gave her a nod as he ignored the distrust of other party members and assigned the last
cannon emplacement to Ye Ci.
“Everyone has two rounds of shells. Aim to kill as many of them as possible, don’t waste any the
shells. The more automatons you kill the less pressure for us at the back.” Crimson Millions
briefed the three of them and let them get on to the cannons. As soon as he saw the three of them
had mounted the cannon, he spoke again. “At the count of three, fire...”
Before Crimson Millions could even finish his sentence, he heard the sharp noise of the feathers
on the tip of an arrow rustling in the air as it flew towards the Automaton Formation.
-1742.
The automatons immediately dashed towards the attacker’s direction. Crimson Millions was
shocked at the sudden turn of events as he turned around to the initiator immediately and shouted
angrily. “Gongziyou, what are you doing? Are you trying to get us all killed?”
Although Crimson Millions was extremely pissed off right now, he couldn’t afford to waste his
time cursing at Ye Ci. He hurriedly ordered the party to retreat.
For a moment, the whole party was in chaos. Like a headless chicken, they had lost their bearings.
The whole party channel was filled with curses directed towards Ye Ci and complains towards
Crimson Millions. It was so noisy that it was irritating.
Grim Moon had already jumped off from the cannon emplacement at the side and joined the
fleeing team. Traceless Aftermaths jumped off from the cannon emplacement too and was about to
escape with the others. But then he lifted his head and saw Ye Ci was still standing on the cannon
emplacement with a calm face. An inexplicable calmness emerged in his heart.
But even so, he still called out to her frantically. “Gongzi, hurry up and go!”
Ye Ci still remained silent as she stood on the cannon emplacement. She readjusted her angle
without caring about the rest. She didn’t even bother about Crimson Millions’ anger and the
other party members who were already in chaos. When the automatons rushed to a specific spot, a
‘bang’ noise was heard as the explosive was launched out.
“Pass me a shell.”
Before the shell was sent flying, Ye Ci’s hand was already extended towards Traceless
Aftermaths.
Traceless Aftermaths was a little baffled but his body actually reacted faster than his brain as the
next moment as he quickly picked up another shell from the ground and passed it to Ye Ci with
lightning speed. Ye Ci skillfully loaded it before launching it out.
The first shell landed exactly at the spot where most automatons were gathered. A crowd of red
figures flashed by, followed by a dense smoke and fire sparks flying astray. A calm system
announcement was made monotonously in the party channel: “Gongziyou has shot down 67
automatons and achieved a combo of 157.”
Ye Ci then launched another shell. The system announcement rang out again. “Gongziyou has
shot down 73 automatons and achieved a combo of 189.”
Traceless Aftermaths stood there, completely dumbfounded. What in the world… She’s that
fierce?
“Shell.” Ye Ci shifted her gaze to Traceless Aftermaths who was standing there dumbly as she
extended her hand to him again.
“Roger.” Traceless Aftermaths quickly placed another shell in her hand without any doubt this
time.
“Gongzi You has shot down 81 automatons and achieved a combo of 234.”
After that, everyone unlocked the “Berserk Destroyer” achievement.
There was quite a few achievements unlockable in the Automatons Formation. The “Destroyer”
was the lowest so any party that could defeat 81 automatons before all the six shells were used up
would be able to unlock this achievement. However if 81 automatons could be defeated with three
shells or less without suffering any damage, then the “Berserk Destroyer” achievement would be
unlocked. If only two shells were used, then the “Violent Destroyer” achievement would be
unlocked. If only one shell was used, then the “Bane of the Automatons” achievement would be
unlocked.
Ye Ci was extremely dissatisfied with this result. She was someone who could slay 81 automatons
with a single shell consecutively for 50 times in her previous life and was awarded the “The
Terminator”, thus leaving behind a glorious record in Fate.
Seemed like she had gotten so rusty that she needed three shells to get them all.
Despite Ye Ci’s dissatisfaction, the rest were already speechless. The people who were able to join
the second squadron were not ordinary players and they could basically be considered elites. After
getting annihilated the last time, they already knew how difficult it was to kill all these automatons
with cannon shells.
With such a massive amount of them, six shells might not even be enough yet this huntress before
them was able to take care of everything with just three shells. Of course some refused to accept it
and were planning to come try again once the dungeon had been reset tomorrow, but none of this
mattered anymore.
Crimson Millions was rendered speechless at this too as he walked to the side of the cannon
emplacement and saw Ye Ci who had just jumped off from it. He stared at her and finally spoke
after a long while. “You’ve come to this dungeon before?”
Ye Ci chuckled as she gave away a half truth “I was a Sniper on Fire Shooter Online before.”
But Crimson Millions still had a lot of doubts. Could she be a beta player? Or she was somehow
related to the core team of Fate? Or could this be the side account of one of the GMs? The guesses
and doubts could go on forever, but the reason that Ye Ci gave seemed to be the most plausible
one.
“About the things I’ve said…” Crimson Millions felt a little embarrassed when he suddenly
remembered about what he had said in his anger. He scratched his head and was thinking of
apologizing to Ye Ci, but then again he felt a little reluctant to do it. After mumbling to himself for
a bit, he told her firmly again, “You should have listened to the orders just now. We were able to
clear with this stroke of luck, but if we were unlucky....”
Ye Ci laughed again and interrupted his lecture. “I’m sorry. It’s been awhile since I last touched
anything with a scope so I got excited.”
Chapter 45 Automaton Formation! First Five!
Even though Ye Ci had spoken to her in such a way, she didn’t show any trace of remorse. It
wasn't that she was seeking the limelight this time, but if these cannons were to be fired by three
people simultaneously, they’d need extremely good coordination to kill their enemies in one
attack. However, if their teamwork was poor, they could easily cause the eighty-one automatons to
scatter, and with the automatons split up, a team wipe wouldn't be to far off.
Ye Ci couldn’t say that Grim Moon and Traceless Aftermaths had poor coordination, but her own
personal coordination with the two was definitely poor. Rather than wait for the the team to blame
it on her arrogance when their uncoordinated team was wiped out, it was better for her to take care
of everything herself.
Crimson Millions couldn’t bring himself to believe what Ye Ci had said. But since she’d already
given them an explanation, it would be bad for him to pry any further. He was only able to nod
awkwardly and said to the other party members, “Press forward, towards the stone tower.”
Cannonballs rained down on them the stone towers, but after several party members had been
sacrificed, the rest of them figured out the way to dodge the cannonballs. They managed to easily
destroy the cannon emplacements within 20 minutes.
“These foolish mortals have trespassed into the machine world. No.48 is angry. The invaders
made up of flesh and blood are to be annihilated." An ear-piercing sound of metal creaking
resounded through the area.
Thus the battle against the reanimated Automaton No.48 began. With the most difficult part of the
Automaton Formation taken care of, it was relatively easy to defeat the BOSS. A tank with decent
skills was all that was needed to accomplish the job.
The MT of the second squadron was barely qualified for the job. Despite nearly dying several
times, he’d survived thanks to the five healers they had in the party.
After a tough battle that lasted about half an hour, Automaton No.48 was finally defeated. The
system notified them the moment Automaton No.48 had been defeated.
“Congratulations to Steel-Blooded Battle Spear Guild for completing the ‘First Kill’ of the
Automaton Formation dungeon. Rewards: 300 guild prestige points, 5,000 global main city
prestige points, 1,000 gold. Let us remember their names.”
“Congratulations on clearing the Automaton Formation Dungeon, Crimson Millions. Rewards:
100 Black Rock City prestige points, 1 Talent Point. Achievements: [Automaton Formation First
Five].”
……
“Congratulations on clearing the Automaton Formation Dungeon, Traceless Aftermaths. Rewards:
100 Black Rock City prestige points, 1 Talent Point. Achievement: [Automaton Formation First
Five].”
……
“Congratulations on clearing the Automaton Formation Dungeon, Seductive Dance. Rewards:
100 Black Rock City prestige points, 1 Talent Point. Achievement: [Automaton Formation First
Five].”
……
“Congratulations on clearing the Automaton Formation Dungeon, ‘Gongzi You’. Rewards: 100
Black Rock City prestige points, 1 Talent Point. Achievement: [Automaton Formation First
Five].”
……
The party was initially stunned when they heard the announcement. After they overcame their
brief shock, they hugged each other tightly, and erupted with cheers. Ye Ci, who was standing to
the side, also felt excited after witnessing their excitement. However, she didn’t betray any
emotions, as she still didn’t have any sense of belonging.
“Gongzi, cheer up!” Out of the blue, a person gave Ye Ci a tight hug and slapped her on the
back. “I’m so happy that we were able to get a First Blood! I didn’t think I’d ever get one!”
It was Traceless Aftermaths.
Ye Ci’s back hurt from the continued slaps she received. However, she was influenced by
Traceless Aftermath joy, and didn’t stop him. She instead imitated his actions, and slapped him on
the back as well.
Ye Ci couldn’t help but think of the first ever First Blood she’d gotten in her past life. The ecstasy
that had come from the deepest part of her heart—the sheer excitement that had caused her to
spread her arms wide and spin around in circles, screaming loudly as she spun, venting her joy.
Even though it was a long time ago, even though she’d been reborn, even though she’d achieved
countless First Bloods, her blood still boiled from the excitement.
There were billions of players in the game. To be the first to clear a dungeon amongst countless
other people was certainly a glorious and exciting feat.
However, Crimson Millions was probably the happiest amongst them. He was usually a relatively
reserved person, but his current behavior was in direct contrast to his usually calm self. He hugged
each and every party member, his eyes red with emotion. He probably would’ve cried out had
nobody else been around.
The players present couldn’t hold back their excitement, thus their joy lasted for quite some time.
Crimson Millions walked to the fallen BOSS and took a deep breath before he looted it. There
were players from both the “Black Hand”[1] army and the “Red Hand”[2] army. Ye Ci was from
the “Black Hand” army, while Crimson Millions was from the “Red Hand” army.
A long list of items appeared. The rewards were much more plentiful than normal because this
was the First Blood. Being one of the first five parties to clear the dungeon had lucrative benefits.
After the five spots had been taken, no more additional rewards would be given out. The average
loot dropped would be three to four pieces of equipment, along with some miscellaneous items.
However, they’d received fourteen pieces of equipment, along with four skill books, and a huge
amount of various items.
As an unspoken rule, the MT, the healer that had healed the most, and the DPS that had dealt the
most damage, all had the privilege of taking precedence when it came to equipment distribution.
Seductive Dance was usually the top DPS, but his place had been taken by Ye Ci. She alone had
dealt a staggering 1.7 million damage in the dungeon. Seductive Dance, who was in second place,
had only dealt around 1 million points of damage total. The difference in their total damage dealt
was just too great.
Seductive Dance was impressed after when he saw Ye Ci’s mechanical skills and ability to adapt,.
He was open-minded, and knew that he wasn’t as good as Ye Ci. His could only work hard and
improve himself. He hoped that he could, one day, clear a dungeon with this Huntress again, and
compete against her.
Ye Ci examined the equipment closely, and realized that none of them were ideal for her, even
though there were a few that could be worn by professions related to agility, so Ye Ci gave up on
choosing any of the equipment. Instead, she aimed for the “Multi-Arrow” skill book that she’
d seen when she was first looking over the rewards. At that time, she’d decided that she’d give up
on everything else, just to get this skill book.
The Multi-Arrow skill book wasn’t considered rare, but certainly didn’t have a high drop rate
either, with a 1 in 5000 chance. The skill book would be dropped from BOSSes between Level 20
and Level 50, but with many new players playing as the Hunter class, the Multi-Arrow skill book
was still considered a valuable item. Before Ye Ci had reincarnated, a Multi-Arrow skill book
could be auctioned for up to 10,000 gold coins.
This was why Ye Ci had picked the skill book without any hesitation.
The Multi-Arrow skill was one of very few Hunter skills capable of dealing damage to multiple
targets. At its initial stage, Multi Arrow would release three arrows in a cone shape, dealing
damage to any enemies in its path. At lvl 20, Multi Arrow would release 48 arrows in a circle
around the Hunter. It was an overpowered skill. However, the skill could only be leveled up by a
specific NPC after it reached lvl 12. As to where that NPC was…..
Only God knew.
In her past life, the highest level Multi-Arrow that she’d encountered had only been lvl 12, which
fired arrows out in a 160 degrees cone shape. She could clearly remember her fight against
Fleeting Years from her past life. She’d been defeated by that lvl 12 Multi-Arrow.
Ye Ci couldn’t help but tear up at that particular memory.
“You don’t want any of the equipment? Just that skill book?” Although Crimson Millions had
already expected Ye Ci to choose the Multi-Arrow skill book, he was still surprised that she didn’
t want any of the equipment.
“No thanks, everyone did their part. I’m content with just this skill book. I don’t need anything
else.” Ye Ci shook her head. There was no way that she could tell Crimson Millions that the
equipment dropped wasn’t as good as her current equipment.
Crimson Millions didn’t insist on giving Ye Ci anything else after witnessing her generosity. He
proceeded to distribute the equipment and items amongst the remaining party members. Ye Ci’s
action left a good impression on the other party members. The Rogue, Ranger, and other Hunters
expected her to hoard all of the equipment, but she’d unexpectedly only taken a single skill book.
Their appreciation towards Ye Ci wasn’t something that could be described with words.
Each of the party members received quite a large amount of loot due to the First Blood rewards
being as they were. The ones who were able to obtain equipment were happy despite having to
deduct the DKP they received, while the others were happy with whatever they got, as they could
exchange the guild rewarded DKP for real world cash.
Everyone was happy.
After leaving the dungeon, Ye Ci checked the time. It was nearly 3 in the morning. She hurriedly
said farewell to Traceless Aftermath, logged out of the game, and went to sleep.
The person in charge of the second squadron, Crimson Millions, headed straight to their guild’s
encampment, and walked into the conference room.
The guild conference room was a special room that could only be entered by players invited by the
guild leader.
Thousand Sunsets and Zero Arsenic were currently watching the recording from the second
squadron’s First Blood. Thousand Sunsets pointed to the part when Ye Ci had been aggroing the
Elite Guards and said, “Rewind it, let’s watch this part again.”
Zero Arsenic rewound the video, and the two began to carefully study her movements.
Crimson Millions stood there silently for almost an eternity. He then realised that the Guild leader
and the Vice Guild Leader were so focused that they hadn’t noticed his presence. He could only
take the initiative to greet them. “Leader, Vice Leader.”
“Crimson, you came?” Zero Arsenic greeted him promptly, and told him to sit. Afterwards, he
pointed at the recording and smiled. “Have you seen it yourself?”
“I was there myself, but I didn’t see the whole thing.” Crimson Millions walked to the front of
the room to see the recording with a strange look on his face that was hard to describe.
Thousand Sunsets suddenly asked, “What do you think of her performance?”
Translator's Notes:
[1]Black Hand: Very unlucky especially when it comes to looting
[2]Red Hand: Yeah, you guessed it.
Chapter 46 As Long As You Shoot Properly
The way an expert commander judges a player is entirely different from the way an average player
or even an expert player would.
Thousand Sunsets was a very careful person. So even after hearing first hand accounts from
Timely Rain and Zero Arsenic’s investigation, even after watching the process of obtaining the
First Blood in person, as well as studying every single frame of the recording, he still wanted to
listen to what Crimson Millions had to say.
“I’m not talking about her skills, you’ve already seen it for yourself. There’s nothing much to
say about it, really. She’s simply too good. She has a very good grasp of the situation, and is very
adaptable to changes.” the video reached the part where Ye Ci was firing the cannon, “She was
quite a brave one. She tends to solve problems in a very bold fashion, and I’m not used to
something like that.”
Thousand Sunsets laughed as well, “You were in the army once, and you’re still more hesitant
than a woman.”
Crimson Millions was not angry since they had once been comrades in the army. So he could only
laugh out loud, “Better safe than sorry. That’s what you taught us.”
Zero Arsenic smiled at the two, “So, it’s decided then?”
“It is.” Thousand Sunsets said as he slammed his hand onto the table.
With a shocked expression, Crimson Millions said, “Guy, you must be kidding.”
The duo shook their head.
“You are the ones who are truly bold…” Crimson Millions muttered as he rolled his eyes.
Due to a lack of sleep, Ye Ci was currently dozing in class. By the time class ended she was
already slumped over the table.
Fang Shushu, at the same table as her, started teasing, “What happened to you? Did you secretly
go on a date with some guy last night?
Ye Ci grinned, “I wish. I just don’t have the time for that. I’d spent last night clearing the
Automaton Formation.”
“You guys are tenacious. We’ve just cleared cruel pit recently and you’ve already started
exploring the Automaton Formation. It must’ve been quite hard.” Fang Shushu laughed. “We
were exploring the same dungeon yesterday, our party has been annihilated so many times that I’
m about to cry. I’ve heard that we’ll explore it again today. I’m almost out of money for repairing
my equipment.”
“Cleared it.” Ye Ci yawned.
“Huh?” Fang Shushu’s eyeballs popped out of their sockets, she thought she’d misheard what
Ye Ci had said, “Are you serious?”
Fang Shushu pestered Ye Ci with questions but she remained silent. A clear voice then suddenly
rang out from outside of the classroom, “Shushu,” it was a very familiar voice. Ye Ci raised her
head and saw Qin Churuo running towards where she was sitting.
Fang Shushu’s face instantly gained a a shade of red when she heard Qin Churuo calling her name,
“Senior Qin.”
The two greeted each other and Qin Churuo stated his business, “Shushu, you’re close to that
Gongzi, right?”
Fang Shushu subconsciously nodded, “You could say that.”
“The first thing I heard after when I arrived in campus today was that Steel-Blooded Battle Spear
had cleared the Automaton Formation last night and won First Blood. I also heard that Gongzi You
was a member of the party that did it.”
“Oh.” Despite having already heard the news from Ye Ci, Fang Shushu was still mildly shocked.
She cast a glance at Ye Ci, who was unfortunately fast asleep, and completely disregarding the two
of them.
“The forums went crazy. People are asking for Steel-Blooded Battle Spear to release videos of
them clearing the dungeon. The guild refused. I just hope you can contact Gongzi You and ask if
she is willing to help us out.”
“About that…” Fang Shushu stole another glance at Ye Ci. She wanted to tell Qin Churuo that
Gongzi You was right there, but this was something she was not allowed to do. She could only
reply vaguely, “I’ll try to get in touch with her.”
Qin Churuo let out a breath he’d been holding. After a brief conversation, he left the classroom
and invited Fang Shushu to come and clear the dungeon at night.
“Did you hear that Ye Ci? Hurry up and tell me how to do it!” Fang Shushu immediately
grabbed hold of Ye Ci’s hand and started begging for answers as soon as Qin Churuo left the
classroom.
Ye Ci looked at Fang Shushu with half-opened eyes, and paused briefly before saying, “Just tell
him to shoot properly[1].” Fang Shushu’s face immediately reddened. After confirming that Ye
Ci had not pulling her leg, she noted down Ye Ci’s word in all seriousness.
When Fang Shushu relayed this to him that night, Qin Churuo also felt puzzled by Ye Ci’s
words. .
By the time Ye Ci logged into the game, it was already 5 in the afternoon. The first messaged in
her mailbox was from Liu Chang. It told Ye Ci in a gossipping tone, “Little Ci, I have some news
for you.”
Ye Ci was never interested in gossips. Even if she did not hear any of it, it didn’t matter. She
would never be as inquisitive as Liu Chang.
“What is it?” Ye Ci responded absent-mindedly, while she was crafting some arrows.
“Dong Yin has a boyfriend.” said Liu Chang with a mischievous smile.
“She’s almost 19, it’s normal to have a boyfriend, why are you acting as if you’re her mother?”
“Yes, that isn’t so strange. But, do you know who her boyfriend is?”
This wasn’t very interesting to Ye Ci. A friend’s boyfriend was none of her concern. She asked
her interest waning, “Well, who is it?”
“You’ll be surprised. It’s He Xiao.” said Liu Chang slowly, word by word.
Ye Ci’s hands immediately froze. She could see that Dong Yin liked Thousand Sunsets, but she
never thought that things would work out between those two. Ye Ci resumed her arrow crafting
after a moment’s pause, “Is Thousand treating her well?”
“He is, according to Dong Yin.” Liu Chang laughed and wanted to continue discussing the topic
with Ye Ci, but eventually gave up due to her lack of interest.
Steel-Blood Battle Spear’s two First Bloods in a row was like a ripple on a calm surface that
rocked its entire Fate. Its influence continued to grow, along with its fame. The guild that was
already considered a black horse once again captured everyone’s attention, and more and more
players came to join the guild.
The leadership of the guild was extremely busy. Within the short span of five days, the guild had
grown a lot. and Its members increased by a staggering additional 5,000.
Ye Ci had a lot of free time since she hadn't been pressed into service to explore the new dungeons.
She had the choice to go and clear some smaller dungeons on Hard Difficulty or just level up in
the normal dungeons. Her days were simple, but satisfying.
After several days hard work, Ye Ci finally reached lvl 18, she was catching up to the
Let_Go_Of_That_Girl who was in the leaderboards. She received a message from Gleaming
Sunshine as she was leveling up in a dungeon, “Little Ci, what are you doing?”
“I’m leveling up. What’s up?”Ye Ci noticed that it was a message from Dong Yin, and with her
conversation with Liu Chang from earlier, Ye Ci’s instincts told her that it was Thousand’s idea to
have Dong Yin approach her.
It was as Ye Ci expected. After a short conversation with Ye Ci, Dong Yin’s revealed his intention,
“Can you please come to the guild conference room,” she continued after a brief pause,
“Thousand wants to talk to you.”
“Okay.” Ye Ci let loose a few arrows, ending the life of a monster in front of her, then prepared
to return to the guild encampment.
The encampment was bustling with players, but all of them were new faces. Most were members
who had just joined the guild. Of course, with thousands of members in the guild, there were also
veterans who Ye Ci has never even seen before.
Ye Ci knocked on the door of the conference room, and was immediately transported into the
room.
It was her first time in a guild’s conference room. Despite being a top-10 Sorceress in her past life,
her despicable character meant that no guild would ever accept her. So this was an entirely new
experience for her.
A long table was situated in the middle of the conference room that could easily fit a hundred
players. It was identical to those dining tables used by the European aristocrats. Thousand Sunsets
sat at the host’s seat at the end of the table. Gleaming Sunshine was seated on his right.
Only 3 players, including Ye Ci, was present in the conference room.
Gleaming Sunshine immediately greeted Ye Ci upon seeing her. Her face was a slight shade of red,
her eyebrows moist, and she appeared to be in a good mood. It was all thanks to the quality
production of Fate. Even the player’s mood could be portrayed on his or her character with a 95%
accuracy. This allowed a player’s emotion to be conveyed to the people around the player.
Thousand Sunsets sent a friend invite to Ye Ci, which she did not reject. She nodded at Gleaming
Sunshine and took a seat opposite Thousand Sunsets. She spoke, neither servile nor overbearing,
“What do you need from me?”
Thousand Sunsets remained silent. Gleaming Sunshine stood up and said to Ye Ci, “I’ll take my
leave.”
Thousand Sunsets nodded and smiled at her, “Let’s go leveling up together later.”
Gleaming Sunshine was happy. Her face reddened even further. She lowered her head and left
hurriedly. She was so happy that she even forgotten to greet Ye Ci on her way out.
Ye Ci studied the interaction between Gleaming Sunshine and Thousand Sunsets, feeling slight
uncomfortable.
Thousand Sunsets slowly spoke after Gleaming Sunshine left the room, “Gongzi, I’ve heard that
you played before?”
Otherworld OL? Ye Ci tilted her head. For an average person, Otherworld OL was one of the most
popular video games before Fate’s open beta, and it was 2 months since Fate was launched. But
for Ye Ci, it was something she had done 10 years ago. And her memories of that game had
already faded by this time.
Translator's note:
[1]shoot properly (把炮打好): "打炮" literally translated as "firing the cannon" is a slang for
"having sex". So the author was making a naughty sexual joke here XD
Chapter 47 In Command of the First Squadron
Receiving no reply from Ye Ci, Thousand Sunsets assumed her silence was due to a lack of trust.
And so he smiled and said, “I’m just asking. It’s okay if you don’t feel comfortable answering.”
Ye Ci stared at Thousand Sunsets. She knew he had misunderstood her silence. But she merely
nodded and didn't try to offer an explanation.
“May I know your name in Underworld OL?” Thousand Sunsets cautiously asked after seeing
Ye Ci respond.
This was an especially hard question for Ye Ci. For her, that memory was from a time long long
ago. Even back when she'd been famous in Otherworld, it hadn’t necessarily meant that she
remembered everything that had happened at that time. She tilted her head, and racked her brain
before shifting her gaze over to Thousand Sunsets, and replied, uncertainty evident in her eyes, “I
think… It’s… Oceanic Lantern…”
Her voice was soft, so much so that Thousand Sunsets missed the uncertainty within her voice. Yet
the name itself still managed to stir up his emotions. He was also a former player of Otherworld,
and was familiar with the name Oceanic Lantern since it was quite renowned.
She was a Sorceress with top notch skills and an unprecedented position. Although she appeared
immature in some ways, it was an undeniable fact that Oceanic Lantern was one of the best
Sorceress in the entire Otherworld.
Thousand Sunsets had already learned from Zero Arsenic that Ye Ci was Oceanic Lantern. But he’
d had his doubts.
Despite being skillful, Oceanic Lantern was immature and somewhat impatient. She’d never been
as ruthless or efficient as Gongzi You was. Besides, Oceanic Lantern was a difficult person to
interact with. She was rebellious, cold, and selfish. The direct opposite of what people claimed
Gongzi You was.
So as a guild leader who needed to always stay cautious, Thousand Sunsets felt he needed to make
a final confirmation that Ye Ci was indeed the famous Oceanic Lantern.
A hint of surprise flash past his eyes but he quickly took hold of his emotion. He then smiled and
went on to say, “I always thought that Oceanic Lantern was someone older, but it turns out you’
re the same age as Yin Yin.”
The nickname Thousand Sunsets had given Dong Yin caused Ye Ci to cringe. She was curious
about Thousand Sunset’s intention. He’d had Dong Yin contact Ye Ci and then talked to her about
the game Otherworld. What was he hoping to achieve by doing this?
Regardless, Ye Ci still remained silent.
In the past 10 years, Ye Ci had learned a valuable lesson.
In the process of making a deal, one must always let one’s opponent be the one getting the ball
rolling. The calmer you were, the more distressed your counterpart would be.
With that, Ye Ci merely laughed and stared at Thousand Sunsets.
Thousand Sunsets knew that Ye Ci was only 18 years old. It was an age where people tend to be
fickle and immature, and their thoughts could easily be grasped. They would usually be placated
by a few praises. Despite this, he was still unable to figure out Gongzi You’s thoughts.
She was not as naive as Dong Yin and Yi Cang, nor was she as impulsive as Liu Chang. She was
calm like water, both silent and unmoving. It was as if her silence could swallow everything he
tried to throw her way.
Thousand Sunset’s current situation was the perfect example of this. Even after praising Ye Ci for
her exploits in Otherworld OL, she remained unmoved. She merely kept on silently gazing at him,
as if those things had nothing to do with her.
Thousand Sunsets lost his patience. He was trying to be friendly and intimate to Ye Ci, and with
that he could take the opportunity to show her some favors and ensure that she would stay in the
guild and remain loyal to it.
He did not expect Ye Ci to do nothing but smile and silently gaze at him. The conversation
immediately turned into a one-sided dialogue.
Ye Ci couldn’t help but yawn after realizing that she had wasted almost an hour in this room.
Thousand Sunsets was able to maintain his composure. Must Ye Ci compromise and give him
what he wanted? Well, sorry to disappoint, she wasn’t planning on doing so.
Ye Ci stood up and said, “Guild leader, I have a friend asking me for help in clearing a dungeon.
If you have nothing else to say, I’ll be taking my leave.”
Ye Ci turned around and was about to leave without saying anything else. But Thousand Sunsets
could not longer hold himself back, “Gongzi, I have something else to say. Please hold on.”
“What is it? Is it about Otherworld OL?” Ye Ci turned around, seemingly sneering at him.
“No.” Thousand Sunset let out a sigh. He really felt helpless now, this little girl was quite good,
since she was able to force his hand, “No, it’s not that. The guild would like to nominate you as
the vice commander of the Guild Battle Command”, he sent a trade request to Ye Ci, which
containing a virtual account, “You’ll be paid a salary of 10,000 RMB per month through this
account. Of course, there will be other bonuses as well. All you need to do is to help us clear the
dungeons. You’ll be offered lots of rewards if you’re able to secure the First Five for our
guild….”
10,000 RMB was a large sum for an 18 years old girl. So Thousand Sunsets’ intention had been
made very clear.
Was he trying to buy her loyalty? Ye Ci narrowed her eyes.
Steel-Blooded Battle-Spear would definitely take the opportunity to boost their public image if Ye
Ci were to accept this offer. The guild would definitely reveal her identity as Oceanic Lantern in
the forums. Even when she hadn’t been the best player, she’d still been the only female player to
be crowned as the top 10 experts of the game. If Steel-Blooded Battle Spear used this fact to
promote their guild, they would easily be able to increase their fame. And with so many First
Blood being secured by “Oceanic Lantern”, the sheer benefit…
Only idiots would not able to understand the reasoning behind it.
Ye Ci remained unmoved by Thousand Sunset’s offer. She hated being used by someone else.
Besides, she could not guarantee that she would be staying in Steel-Blooded Battle Spear forever.
Why would she sell herself out for something so trivial?
Was she worth so little?
“I don’t like to be in a position of power. I also don’t want a salary. I’m just playing for fun,
money is not really something important to me.” she smiled slightly, and declined Thousand
Sunsets’ offer without hesitation. Which left Thousand Sunsets slightly embarrassed, “If you
need my help in clearing dungeons, I will of course do my best.”
At that point, Thousand Sunsets had given up trying to appear courteous, “Then go clear the
Automaton Formation with the first squadron,” he paused, then continued, “You’ll be put in
charge.”
Ye Ci nodded her head, “You think highly of me. I’ll try my best.”
Ye Ci left the conference room, and Zero Arsenic stepped into the room a moment after, “How
did it go?”
Thousand Sunsets creased his eyebrows and sighed, “I’m beginning to doubt that she’s only 18.
She too cunning. I can’t take advantage of her.” Zero Arsenic raised his eyebrow as Thousand
Sunsets continued, “She refused to be a Battle Commander, but she did not oppose to the idea of
being a party leader.”
“What about that thing about Otherworld…” Zero Arsenic’s eyebrows also began to crease.
“She almost did not say a word. I was f*cking talking to myself like some sort of ape!”
Zero Arsenic played the voice recording he set up in the conference room beforehand. He listened
for a short moment and sighed, “Her voice is so unclear, we can’t possibly use it to publicize the
fact that Oceanic Lantern is now in our guild.”
Thousand Sunsets grimaced, “Let’s just forget about it, and stop thinking of using such things to
publicize our guild. It’s flashy but it ain’t useful. As long as our guild is able to progress well in
terms of dungeon clearing, we will gain popularity anyways.”
Ye Ci had managed to guess that Thousand Sunsets wanted to use her, but she hadn’t expected
them to even go so far as to record her voice.
At 6 in the evening on the second day, Ye Ci punctually went online and led the already formed
party into the Automaton Formation dungeon. Since the second squadron had already cleared the
dungeon, the members of the first squadron had gotten wind that the Huntress with the
unprecedented performance would be the one who led their party into the dungeon. Some of them
rejected her and so kept a distance. This was human nature. It was clearly shown when they chose
to keep a distance from Ye Ci.
Ye Ci did not mind at all. Her job was to help them clear the dungeon. She was not there for
camaraderie.
To take command of a party was not something new for Ye Ci. She had experience doing so in her
past life. Due to certain reasons however, no guild had been willing to accept her.
It had been awhile since she had to take charge of a group of players, which made her feel quite
nervous.
She regained her composure after a short time. Ye Ci’s style of commanding was both simple and
concise. She would only repeat something twice, and her style relied heavily on the cohesion of
the entire party. One would need to expend a considerable amount of energy to focus on her words
and also needed very good team work.
The first squadron was not used to Ye Ci’s style. Added up to their initial rejection of Ye Ci, they
were unable to bring out their full potential. So everything erupted into chaos when they were
fighting against the Elite Guards and three tanks instantly died from an Ultimate Skill from a
monster. The fourth and fifth tank were unable to follow up and the failure of the healers to
control the aggro caused the aggro to go OT, which caused dozens of players to die within
seconds.
……
The party channel was flooded with grumbling, complaints, and even curses. They were regretting
not being able to kill Ye Ci to vent their frustration and anger.
Chapter 48 First Squadron, First Five!
At this moment, Ye Ci was able to hold back the Elite Guard with her exceptional adaptability and
her fantastic mechanical skill. She kited it to death in an extravagant fashion while the party just
watched. At this point, those who were still filled with indignance were finally accepted Ye Ci. An
Elite Guard that would usually take 25 players to take down was defeated by her alone. If this
news got out, it would be an embarrassment for them.
The party members revived themselves and ate some supplies to recover their health. They no
longer gossiped about Ye Ci. Her actions earlier were like a slap to their faces.
Ye Ci sat on a rock at the side, patting Ol’ Three’s head. She quietly scanned the crowd with an
icy gaze.
The group of twenty four players were all scared witless by her stare. It was only after a while that
some of the more courageous players finally asked, “Leader, do we still push onwards?”
Ye Ci’s intimidating gaze immediately swept over the few who were still chattering. Those she
stared at were all frightened and no longer dared to speak.
The world was just like that, if you wanted others to obey you, a few flowery words would not be
enough. The most direct method would be to let the other party know of your valiance. Then they
will automatically submit to you.
“I know that you might think that I do not have the capabilities to lead you guys. However, I’m
only here to clear this dungeon. Your thoughts are none of my concern.” Ye Ci said in an icy,
unsympathetic tone.
The moment she said this, one of the players who were discontented with Ye Ci immediately
spoke out, “Who do you think you are? You don’t speak clearly, you don’t give us many pointers,
and you expect us to clear the dungeon? What do you think we are? Demigods?”
Ye Ci glanced sideways at the player, then she stood up with a gentle expression and spoke in an
indifferent tone, “The elites of Steel-Blooded Battle Spear can’t even do their job with a change
in commander.”
Although this sentence was as light as the feather of a goose, its impact however was as heavy as
that of Mount Tai, causing all of the players to turn red with anger. In reality, Ye Ci had already
clearly explained the method to clear the dungeon right at the start.In between, she had given
relevant heads-up at the appropriate times. However, the real issue was that they were not used to
being given such efficient commands. Additionally, they were not really willing to follow Ye Ci’s
orders therefore they weren’t able to display the full extent of their abilities.
This was a matter that nobody wanted to admit. It was without doubt that they would rather push
all the blame to Ye Ci, this ‘outsider’.
Turning around, Ye Ci ignored the angry rants of those behind and said tranquilly, “Those who
don’t wish to fight can choose to retreat, those who wish to fight can just continue.”
Instantly, she heard consecutive sounds from the system notifications.
“Random Dance of the Sakuras has left your party.”
“Only One Meter Four has left your party.”
“Strange Differences has left your party.”
……
After the sound from the system notifications stopped, Ye Ci glanced around at the players left.
There were roughly 10 players who left, not a lot but not very little either, there were only 15
players left. The remaining players who stayed back comprised of those that were completely
convinced of her strength, those that were simply not resigned to giving up after such a long fight
and those who wanted to earn DKP.
The MT and Secondary Tank had left the party, while the main healer stayed behind along with the
third and fourth healer. Some of the DPS left as well. The party only had half its strength left.
The main healer was a woman of few words. She had excellent equipment and a good character.
She was originally skeptical of Ye Ci. However, after witnessing Ye Ci’s outstanding performance,
she made the choice to follow Ye Ci’s lead and clear the dungeon since the Huntress was willing
to continue pressing forwards. Despite that, she was still discouraged by the desertion of a portion
of the party members, “Leader, do we still continue?”
Ye Ci studied the Cleric named Cherry Blossom and smiled, “Let’s go, carry on.” She then
shouted into the command channel, “Steam, you’re now the MT. Don’t panic, and just do what
you would normally do. If the healers does not OT, Steam will be alright. As for the DPS, just dish
out the highest damage possible.”
Ye Ci’s words alarmed Steam, who was only the third tank. His equipment was not as good as the
MT, and he did not have much experience. His palms began sweating after hearing Ye Ci’s ,
“Leader, I’m afraid that I can’t control the aggro.”
“It’s okay. There’s only one rule. All the DPS can only attack the monster being engaged by the
tank.”
The requirements set by Ye Ci was as low as possible. It was the basic task of any DPS player.
However, the DPS players were afraid. Was it payback for their insubordination? Was she trying
to get the party annihilated?
Despite that, there was a golden rule that the party leader was the highest authority in a dungeon.
The DPS players could only obey Ye Ci’s command and dish out as much damage as possible.
Strangely, none of them seemed to have the problem of OT. No matter how much damage they’ve
dealt, their aggro did not exceed the value of their tank.
The DPS players began gossiping among themselves, “That’s weird, I had to hold back when it
was the MT. We’d even OT if we’re not careful. Why did we not OT just now?”
The reason was simple. Ye Ci had been lazing off earlier. But with so many party members
deserting, she had to put her back into the task and dish out damage to make up for the lack of
numbers. Her aggro immediately exceeded everybody in the party. But with her Decoy skill that
has a 10 seconds CD, she was able to transfer her aggro to the tank every now and then. It was
impossible for the others to OT.
Other than that, the DPS players soon discovered that the damage output of Ye Ci, which had
always been mediocre, was higher than every one of them and was rising rapidly. Despite the fact
that the dungeon was filled with Elite Monsters, Ye Ci could still deal enormous amounts of
damage to the mob.
The remaining 14 party members of the first squadron could not believe themselves when they
reached the Automaton Formation. Despite being slower in terms of progress, their survivability
had greatly increased.
Ye Ci located the related NPC, set up the cannon emplacement, and instructed the remainder of
the party members to take a rest.She left Steam to pass her the ammunitions of the cannon.
By now, the group’s trust towards Ye Ci had become incomparably firm. Although they had been
annihilated several times in this part of the dungeon, they still had confidence. They believed that
as long as Gongzi You was with them, the Automaton Formation would be nothing.
Even when she was facing the Automaton Formation alone, the party believed firmly that they
would be able to make it.
Ye Ci delivered. After attracting the attention of the mob with some arrows, Ye Ci bombarded the
formation with the cannon. The results were better than that time with the second squadron. She
was able to annihilate the entire Automaton Formation with two shots. The entire process lasted
less than 30 seconds, and the 15 party members all received the achievement [Berserk Destroyer].
Cheers erupted among the party. They could not believe their eyes. The problem that had hindered
their progress for days had been solved in a flash.
Ye Ci was the center of attention. Many of the party members offered her hugs. Ye Ci, who was
not used to such intimate social interaction felt overwhelmed. Her face reddened. She waved her
hands and said, “It’s too early to celebrate. Do it when we clear the dungeon.”
With high morale, the party continued their advance. With the Automaton Formation defeated, the
did not face any more difficulties. They had a minor setback in the fight against Automaton No.48
because the equipment of their tank were not on par, and there were several occasions where he
was nearly killed. However, he was able to survive with the help of Cherry Blossom and the other
two healers.Finally, they were able to clear the dungeon.
The moment Automaton No.48 was defeated, the system message began to flood the channel.
“Congratulations ‘Gongzi You’ for clearing the Automaton Formation dungeon. Rewards: 100
Black Rock City prestige points. Achievement: Automaton Formation First Five.”
“Congratulations ‘Cherry Blossom’ for clearing the Automaton Formation dungeon. Rewards:
100 Black Rock City prestige points. Achievement: Automaton Formation First Five.”
“Congratulations ‘Steam’ for clearing the Automaton Formation dungeon. Rewards: 100 Black
Rock City prestige points. Achievement: Automaton Formation First Five.”
……
The remaining 14 members of the first squadron showed the same reaction as the second squadron
when they cleared the dungeon. They screamed in joy. Even when they were unable to get the
First Kill, they still managed the achieve the second place of the First Five since no other guilds
were able to clear the dungeon yet in the past few days. Additionally, they did it with only 15
members in their party!
Facing the excitement from her party members, Ye Ci originally planned to just hide in a corner
and hoped to slip away undetected. However, she was found and the group tossed her into the air
repeatedly.
As the group was celebrating in the dungeon, regret welled in the 10 deserters who had gathered in
the guild conference room. They were embarrassed when Zero Arsenic laughed and said to them,
“You guys lack patience.”
The deserters were the ones who had asked for a live broadcast of the dungeon clearing process.
Although they had difficulties with the first few monsters they encountered,the party with only
fifteen members remaining was able to reform itself into a formidable fighting machine under Ye
Ci’s command.
The 10 were especially surprised when Ye Ci was able to defeat the Automaton Formation. Their
hatred and distaste against Ye Ci turned into endless regrets.
Flawless Reflection cringed after Steel-Blooded Battle Spear grabbed another spot of the First
Five for the Automaton Formation dungeon. He felt pained as he looked at Automaton No.48 who
was at the end of its life. They were very close in defeating the BOSS. Although they were also
featured in the system announcement, the attention they garnered was not as much as
Steel-Blooded Battle Spear.
After all, Steel-Blooded Battle Spear was able to achieve First Five twice.
The BOSS was looted by Steam. His luck was quite good. Although their loot was not as much as
the second squadron, they were still able to obtain 3 skill books and 11 equipments. Ye Ci received
an equipment and Skill Book after the spoils were distributed.
The entire party was overwhelmed with joy.
Upon exiting the dungeon, Ye Ci sent a message to Thousand Sunsets. Despite being offered
numerous rewards by Thousand Sunsets, Ye Ci insisted upon receiving only DKP. She then
immediately went offline.
Hi guys! I've set up my Patreon! Yanno *cough cough* If anybody wants to throw in some monies
$$$ for Jimmi *cough cough*
Chapter 49 Winter Hotspring
In both lives that Ye Ci’s had lived, Steel-Blooded Battle Spear had always been a black horse.
The only difference this time was that a black horse usually only appeared in the later part of the
game. Totally unlike what was happening in Ye Ci’s current life, where they had presented
themselves as the black horse only two to three months after the game had started.
They’ve managed to take 2 of the 5 Automaton Formation First Five, and have become the focus
of every player. They received all sorts of request on the forums to reveal the dungeon clearing
video. They’ve also gotten a lot of new applicants, within a few days Steel-Blooded Battle Spear
had become one of the most popular guilds within the Eastern Continent.
Even with her remarkable performance while taking command of the first squadron, her simple
and concise style of command was rejected by the more conservative veteran players. However,
this did not affect Thousand Sunset’s desire to rope in Ye Ci. So from that time on Ye Ci had
become the only player to enjoy such extreme freedom in a guild that formerly had such a highly
militarized management system.
She could literally do anything she wanted.
Although not many had knowledge of such arrangement, those who knew of it were extremely
dissatisfied. Peacock Blue being one of them.
“Thousand, you can’t do this. She’ll destroy the order in our guild!”
Thousand Sunsets ignored Peacock Blue’s objection. He already knew that his action of letting Ye
Ci roam freely might affect the other guild members. But after considering the fact that Ye Ci was
somewhat of a loner, this influence was actually quite limited. With that in mind, Thousand
Sunsets had chosen to not restrict Ye Ci’s movements.
“She is only here to help take charge of our dungeon clearing team. We don’t have to care about
the rest.” Thousand Sunsets said and dismissed Peacock Blue.
Peacock Blue stormed out of the conference room in anger then ran into Zero Arsenic. They had
been friends for many years, and Zero Arsenic was concerned after witnessing her anger.
Peacock Blue immediately spilled her thoughts about Gongzi You, “She’s merely a huntress, but
Thousand allows her so much freedom just because she’s a friend of Leftie.”
Zero Arsenic patted her shoulder, “You know that she’s Oceanic Lantern right?”
“So what? This is Fate, not Otherworld. Everybody should be treated the same. Why does she
receive such special treatment?” Peacock Blue couldn’t help but feel wronged, her tone filled
with a hint of bitterness, “What’s so good about her that she attracts Thousand’s attention?”
Zero Arsenic knew that Peacock Blue held some feelings towards Thousand Sunsets, he laughed,
“Hey, Gleaming Sunshine is the one who is his girlfriend, not Gongzi You. It’s unfair that you’
re angry at her because of this.”
Noticing that Zero Arsenic saw through her thoughts, Peacock Blue was embarrassed and angry,
“I don’t care! I just think that with such example, it’ll be hard to keep the other guild members
in line.” with that, she ran away.
Zero Arsenic could only let out a long sigh. As an administrator, Peacock Blue was quite
narrow-minded. Despite her exceptional administrative skills, she’d failed to see that Gongzi You
would greatly aid in the growth of their guild.
Zero Arsenic, of course, did not inform Thousand Sunsets of Peacock Blue’s tantrum. In the
following days, Thousand Sunsets did not give any more assignments to Ye Ci. he spent most of
his time in the Automaton Formation dungeon, practicing the method of clearing the dungeon by
studying Ye Ci’s video.
Despite having two of its squadron having First Five, Steel-Blooded Battle Spear still owed these
achievements to Ye Ci. Thousand Sunsets had always been careful. Even if he wanted to rope Ye
Ci in, she was after all someone he still couldn’t fully trust. It was only appropriate for someone
who is a core member to master the way to clear a dungeon with such a high difficulty.
The elites of the squadrons, especially those who’d originally played First Person Shooter games,
were all required to practice firing the cannon.
Despite it appearing easy, the players quickly learned that it was a difficult task to kill all the
monsters with only 2-3 shots.
Thousand Sunsets did contact Ye Ci on the day after the first squadron was able to clear the
Automaton Formation. He indirectly tried to entice Ye Ci, but the latter pretended to not
understand his meaning. He could only give up and instructed Ye Ci to make preparations for the
Frosty Wastes that the guild was planning to clear two weeks from now.
Ye Ci was very familiar with the dungeon. There was no specific strategy of clearing it. All that
was needed was a few specified potions.
Ye Ci spent an entire week leveling up and training her Life Skills.
She was finally able to learn the Huntress’s trademark skill, “Feign Death” after reaching lvl 20.
A Hunter without Feigned Death was not a Hunter. Ye Ci had tried to loot the skill book before she
hit lvl 20 but to no avail. In her moment of sadness, Ideal Height 1.7m had been the one to send
her a Feigned Death skill book.
She was extremely touched.
After learning the skill Feigned Death, Ye Ci went through the Forgotten Volcanoes and arrived at
the Winter’s Hotspring.
It was situated at the western part of the Eastern Continent and was crawling with monsters at lvl
40-50. But there was a special herb that grew only in that area called the Herb of Warmth.
It was a crucial material in crafting a novice Frostbane Potion. But because it was a novice-tier
material it’s growth was also limited to a small area. It would only grow around the hotsprings
found in the Winter’s Hotsprings map.
A novice Frostbane potion did not have a high efficiency, but it was enough to handle the frost
attacks of the mobs in the Chilly Marshes. The potion could protect players from a certain
percentage of frost damage and also render players immune to the frost debuff.
The herb wasn’t available from the auction house due to its unique location.
With Stealth activated, Ye Ci carefully crept towards the hot spring in the center of Winter’s
Hotspring. She avoided the monsters lurking around the area, and use Feigned Death to remove
aggro whenever she was detected, then used Stealth and pressed forward one again.
The entire process took her more than 2 hours.
The big hot spring in the middle of the map was called Big Hot Spring. Ye Ci was bewildered by
this name. Could those developers be any lazier?
As she approached Big Hot Spring, Ye Ci noticed a gigantic tortoise resting near the hot spring
and her heartbeat increased.
It was Winter’s Hotspring’s Wild BOSS, Armored Giant Tortoise.
At her level, Ye Ci could not even peek at the stats of the Armored Giant Turtle, but it was
something that she still remembered quite well.
The Armored Giant Turtle was a lvl 40 monster, it was one of the few “passive” Wild BOSSes in
Fate, also know as “yellow-named monster”. As long as it was left alone, it would not actively
attack any of the players.
The BOSS itself was extremely tanky. Despite having a low attack value when compared to the
other lvl 40 Wild BOSSes, it was still a tough opponent for a lvl 20 player to fight.
The Armored Giant Tortoise was the only monster in the vicinity.
Ye Ci started to harvest the herbs around the area, but she still paid close attention to the Armored
Giant Tortoise, only barely managing to hold herself back from trying to slay the BOSS.
She knew very well that she did not have the capabilities to defeat the BOSS. But any player
would feel the urge to try their luck against a Wild BOSS that was literally represented a pile of
top-tier equipment as they saw it.
While waiting for the herbs to respawn after having harvested them, Ye Ci could do nothing but
keep on staring at the Armored Giant Tortoise.
Despite the high amount of BUGs discovered in Fate, the Giant Armored Tortoise was an
exception.
After harvesting more of the herbs Ye Ci left the area. But turned back after having walking a
short distance. The temptation of the loots dropped by a Wild BOSS as well as the chance to
obtain an Epic Quest was just too great for her to resist. The Armored Giant Tortoise did not have
a fixed spawn point. She was lucky to have run into the Wild BOSS. If she missed this chance, she
might not get another.
The situation was ideal for her. There were no other monsters around. The chances of her
accidentally triggering the aggro of the other monsters were next to none.
Ye Ci finally made up her mind. She’d regret it if she didn’t even try to take down the Armored
Giant Tortoise.
Feel free to track me down in Volare's Discord channel yo! Ping me and I shall heed your
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Chapter 50 Armored Giant Tortoise
It was easy to have dreams. But in the face of a real challenge, dreams may not be that easy to
achieve.
Ye Ci sat at the edge of the hot spring, staring at the Armored Giant Tortoise. She was considering
strategy after strategy in order to defeat the BOSS.
Armored Giant Tortoise, lvl 40. It was known for its tough hide and an unprecedented amount of
HP. Along with its incredibly hard shell, its defense was not something that one could
underestimate. When angered, the BOSS will breath out a thick layer of mist. Players affected by
the mist will have their lowered speed and take continuous frost damage. This frost damage will
slowly chip away at a player's HP. An even more absurd trait of this BOSS was that it will dive in
the water to hunt for fishes to heal itself.
With its tremendous amount of HP and its self-heal ability, the Armored Giant Tortoise could be
called overpowered.
Despite that, when the average player level reaches lvl 40, hordes of players would still challenge
the BOSS. This was because they wanted to obtain a shield with absolutely broken stats that
would be dropped by the BOSS. This shield could be used by a Warrior or a Knight until they
reach lvl 80.
According to Ye Ci’s experience in her past life, Winter’s Hotspring was one of the most popular
maps in the Eastern Continent. The place was basically a second home for Warrior and Knight
players. The spawn points of the Armored Giant Tortoise was always crowded by players.
Even back then, only 15 of those shields were dropped in the span of 10 years. The drop rate of
the shield could only be said to be ridiculously low.
Although she had no interest in the shield, Ye Ci was still tempted to try and defeat the BOSS. A
Wild BOSS such as this would usually drop skill books and was also a chance for players to
discover Epic Quests. Of course, one of the most crucial reasons for her desire to slay the BOSS
was the 4 Talent Points rewarded for drawing First Blood on Wild BOSSes that were lvl 30 and
above.
These 4 Talent Points were very crucial for Ye Ci.
Ye Ci circled the Armored Giant Tortoise, trying to figure out its weak points. Its movements were
slow, a perfect victim to kite. But with Ye Ci’s current stats, it’s level and defense were far too
high. She would not be able to break through its defense. This meant that she could not dish out
much damage to the BOSS.
The creature was covered by a thick shell as tough as iron walls on all sides. But this did not mean
that there was nothing Ye Ci could do.
The Armored Giant Tortoise has two weaknesses.
One weakness was at its neck, while the other was at its tail. These two spots were not covered by
its armor. Instead, they were covered by a layer of very thin skin. Even at lvl 20, Ye Ci could deal
a high amount of damage to the BOSS if she was able to hit those 2 spots.
But how?
After pondering a bit, Ye Ci gave up on attacking the neck. Although it was the easiest spot to hit
and could even potentially damage the Armored Giant Tortoise’s heart, Ye Ci had to position
herself near its head to pull that off. Despite having a slow speed, the BOSS had rows of sharp
teeth that Ye Ci was particularly wary of. With her level, she’d die instantly if she got bitten.
The only place left was the spot on the tail was… Also known as… The ‘ass’ ...
Ye Ci looked up atthe sky and prepared herself mentally. As long as she was able to defeat this
monster, she was willing to try anything.
Ye Ci gave up on attacking from a distance after taking their level differences into account.
Besides, the weak spot was too small for her to hit accurately. Instead, she chose to use her
Venomous Scorpion Stinger for melee attacks.
Attacks delivered by the Venomous Scorpion Stinger had a chance of poisoning its target. Once
poisoned, the target will continuously receive poison damage that ignored level differences.
Ye Ci walked up to the Armored Giant Tortoise and planted a Frost Trap. She then backed off and
fired an arrow at the monster.
The arrow hit the Armored Giant Tortoise that was still sleeping. It opened its eyes and studied its
surroundings, looking for whoever or whatever that had dared to disturbed its nap time. It saw Ye
Ci and let out an angry roar. The BOSS began to ‘charge’ towards Ye Ci at the ‘speed of light’.
It took two steps forward, stepping on the Frost Trap planted by Ye Ci earlier. The BOSS was
instantly frozen. Ye Ci ran towards the back of the big block of ice, resisting the urge of taking a
selfie with the biggest block of ice she had ever created.
Ye Ci dashed to the location of the Armored Giant Tortoise’s tail and stabbed its backside
repeatedly.
—781
—311
—345
Damage values floated in Ye Ci’s vision, along with a poisoned indicator that showed that the
BOSS was poisoned. The ice entrapping the Armored Giant Tortoise immediately disintegrated. It
roared and attempted to turn around to attack Ye Ci. However, she immediately released Ol’
Three to attract the aggro. She leaped away, spun around in midair, and shot an arrow aimed at the
base of the Tortoise’s neck.
—511
The attack triggered another poison attack, which stacked with the previous one.
The arrow damaged the Armored Giant Tortoise. It released the near-dead Ol’ Three and charged
towards Ye Ci, who kited the BOSS in circles with Ol’ Three attacking its tail.
The entire situation was somewhat comical.
Ye Ci’s strategy was simple. That was the only thing she could come up with against a BOSS that
had no known BUG. She put a distance between the BOSS and herself, then planted a Frost Trap
whenever it was off CD. The BOSS would then get frozen and she would repeat the process of
attacking its backside again and again as she had previously done.
Slowly, the HP of the Armored Giant Tortoise dropped. It was only a matter of time before it was
defeated.
It took Ye Ci almost 8 hours to chip away the HP of the Armored Giant Tortoise to 8% of its HP
left. If she could hold on for another half an hour, Ye Ci would be able to defeat the Armored
Giant Tortoise.
However, at that moment, Ye Ci felt a presence 10 meters away from her. In a flash, that feeling
once again appeared directly behind her. She subconsciously shifted her body and heard a system
notification chiming in, “You’ve sucessfully avoided an attack from Lazy Blue.”
Lazy Blue was an Orcish Rogue. When he cast Staggering Blow on Ye Ci, he would be forced out
of Stealth. He was surprised that his attack missed. He hesitated briefly, which was enough time
for Ye Ci to dart away and put up some distance between them.
In combat, a player could not enter Stealth. The first thing the Rogue did after noticing Ye Ci’s
disappearance was to look around to locate her. The moment the Rogue caught sight of Ye Ci, two
arrows buried themselves into his body, almost taking away his life. He immediately drank a
health potion and retreated.
Ye Ci did not know the Rogue, nor could she possibly have any grudges with him. The only
possible reason for him to appear at this place and time was for the Armored Giant Tortoise. They
must’ve been hiding for a long time, awaiting the right moment to strike as Ye Ci tired herself out.
But if the Rogue was here for the Armored Giant Tortoise, why would he retreat immediately after
getting hit by two arrows? What if…
Ye Ci’s heart sank as the HP of the Rogue was filled up immediately.
A Cleric was nearby.
In a fight against a Wild BOSS, there would be more players than merely a Cleric and a Rogue.
As expected, three more players appeared. One of them was a Human Warrior, an Undead
Sorcerer and a Human Cleric. She narrowed her eyes, and began formulating a strategy.
The Warrior used Charge on Ye Ci as soon as he spotted her.
A Warrior’s Charge was very different from the Charge skill possessed by Ye Ci’s boots. The
active skill carried by Ye Ci’s boots was solely for escape. A Warrior’s charge would stun its
target if the skill hit.
What is the deciding factor in a PK?
A player’s adaptability and the player’s ability to predict his or her enemy’s movements.
Ye Ci had expected a Charge from the Warrior. She immediately dismissed Ol’ Three and the
Armored Giant Tortoise immediately made its way towards Ye Ci. She released a Decoy with the
Warrior as the intended substitute. With a roar, the Armored Giant Tortoise changed its course
towards the warrior.
Ye Ci placed herself at the position where the Armored Giant Tortoise and the Warrior would
collide. The success of her strategy depended on being at the correct place at the correct time
and…
The moment the Warrior and the Armored Giant Tortoise collided, Ye Ci immediately activated
Feigned Death.
Her body fell onto the ground like a ragged doll, just like a real corpse.
Everything happened so fast that nobody was able to notice anything peculiar. The Warrior was
the only one who witnessed Ye Ci’s supposed death.
He was distracted by the sudden drop of his HP and was alarmed. He immediately associated the
gigantic tortoise in front of him with the sudden damage he received.
“This guy’s damage is just crazy! Hurry! Heal me!” with Ye Ci feigning death, along with the
use of Decoy which transferred all her aggro towards the Warrior, the poor Warrior became the
focus of the BOSS’s attention. Even with his tough defenses, a lvl 20 Warrior could never
withstand the attacks from a lvl 40 Wild BOSS. This was why he had shouted out in panic…
Chapter 51 Which girl hadn't fallen in love with all the wrong bastards when they were young?
The Cleric was actually quite capable. He was able to rescue the Warrior from death’s grip in such
a dire situation.
Despite having the strength of an entire party, nobody would be able to fight against a Wild BOSS
like this using conventional means. The party that arrived had either made serious preparations, or
they’re outright stupid.
Apparently, these guys came with a plan.
They lured the Armored Giant Tortoise to a specific spot near the hot spring, where a group of
man-sized rocks stood. These rocks formed a perfect camping spot for at least five players. As
long as the Warrior stood still in between these rocks, the monster's underbelly would be stucked
between the rocks, exposing it to attacks from ranged players.
However, the BOSS was not entirely stuck. As soon as the Warrior moved away from the group of
rocks, the Armored Giant Tortoise would follow suit. This would mean the annihilation of the
entire party.
Ye Ci had originally thought of fighting the Armored Giant Tortoise using the same method. But
Ol’ Three was not a player. When it was hungry, its attack damage and aggro value would be
halved. If Ye Ci fed Ol’ Three at that moment, Taunt will be interrupted. This would cause the
Armored Giant Tortoise to phase out of combat status or shift its aggro.
This was why Ye Ci chose to kite the BOSS instead.
However, with the strength and cooperation of a party, Ye Ci’s assailants would be able to defeat
the Armored Giant Tortoise that had 8% of its HP left within an hour.
Ye Ci laid silently not far from their location. Thanks to her reflexes, she was able to avoid
suffering any damage.
As one of the most wanted person in her past life, Ye Ci pushed herself to the extreme in order to
survive. Her action of dodging the attack from the Rogue was a very rare skill in Fate. The skill
was dubbed ‘Superior Dodge’.
‘Superior Dodge’ was not a skill that can be learned from NPCs. It was a result of a player’s
experience in combat. Despite appearing to be only a slight shift of position, it requires a lot of
skill to pull off successfully.
When was the best time to dodge? How to dodge a physical attack? How could a magical attack
be dodged? How to achieve the highest efficiency of dodging with the slightest amount of
movement? How does one increase their chances of dodging an attack?
Ye Ci was able to find the answers to all of these question after gaining a lot combat experience.
Nobody was born a pro. Even the pros were once newbies.
Ye Ci discovered ‘Superior Dodging’ by chance. But she was very perceptive when it came to
gaming. She was able to seize that exact moment and store it into her brain. She then fought in the
arena for months to hone her skills. She pressed on despite death after death and spent tens of
thousands of gold to repair her damaged equipment.
She finally mastered her skill in a fight for her life against other players.
Ye Ci was reminded of her ‘Superior Dodging’ when she was previously ambushed by the
Rogue from the Western Continent. At first, she was not able to use it successfully as she was not
used to her body that was 10 years younger. She was no longer able to adapt to the tempo and she
was troubled by her complete change in class. She trained day and night in Red Lake City’s arena
to reacquire her long lost skill. As the basics were already ingrained in her mind, she was able to
reacquire the skill.
But with little combat experience, Ye Ci had not completely mastered ‘Superior Dodging’.
It was out of sheer luck that she pulled it off against Lazy Blue and the Warrior.
The party did not hide their names. Ye Ci was able to see their name while lying on the ground.
The Warrior’s name was Potato-Eating Dace, while the Sorcerer was MuQing, and the Cleric’s
name was Glistening Snow.
The group stood not far from Ye Ci, dealing blows after blows to the Armored Giant Tortoise
while chatting with each other.
“Glistening Snow, are you sure that it’s Gongzi You?” asked Potato-Eating Dace while staring
at Ye Ci’s ‘corpse’ with disbelief.
“Of course she is. I’ve heard about her from someone from Steel-Blooded Battle Spear and had
seen her performance in the video. I recognize that panther. She’s definitely Gongzi You.” Lazy
Blue nodded.
“Isn’t Gongzi You a little too fragile? She died just like that!” Potato-Eating Dace still could not
believe his eyes.
“You’re not the one who killed her. It was the Armored Giant Tortoise. You really think that she’
s weak? Didn’t you see her reaction when I tried to sneak up on her? She disappeared before I
could blink.” said Lazy Blue, reminiscing the moment when he was about to cast Staggering
Blow on Ye Ci. He shook his head with creased eyebrows.
“Enough. Lazy Blue, beware of our surroundings. Take her out as soon as she revives. Don’t
miss the 5 seconds window where she is weakened upon respawning.” the Cleric, MuQing
interrupted the conversation.
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry, I got this. After all, I’m one of the best in the Tang Dynasty.” Lazy
Blue waved his hand dismissively at MuQing.
MuQing immediately turned quiet.
Ye Ci grimaced. They were players from the Tang Dynasty guild.
She had thought that she would be able to avoid certain things after her reincarnation. But she was
wrong. The Goddess of Fate would not let her off the hook that easily. She would still run into
certain people that she had no intention of ever meeting again. She took a deep breath and
remembered the things that she had intended to forget.
There was once a saying: Which girl hadn't fallen in love with all the wrong bastards when they
were young?
Ye Ci had the misfortune of falling in love with the wrong person. She had always been cold and
detached. She even expected herself to be single until she died. She had not expected to fall in
love. But she did. And her naive self expected her love to have a happy ending just like in a typical
romance movie.
However, her romance brought her nothing but woe and sorrow. She had always thought that
everything was worth sacrificing if it was for love. Although she was able to foresee the beginning
of their relationship, but the ending was not something she expected.
She gave her all to that man. But he parted his way with her after enjoying the glory she brought
him with a simple apology. The reason was a curt, “We just don’t suit each other”.
All those memory felt so distant. She used to feel that the entire world owed her everything. She
took vengeance on everybody who ever loved and cared about her. In the end, she had no one left.
The memory felt like a dream. It felt stupid.
Ye Ci looked up into the sky.
She tried to remember that man’s face. She tried and failed.
“Wandering Cloud says that he’ll be here soon.” said Glistening Snow all of a sudden.
The group’s spirit soared after the heard Wandering Cloud’s name.
Ye Ci’s mind went blank after hearing the name. She already had a bad feeling after learning that
the players were from Tang Dynasty. An unsettling chill crept up her limbs when she heard the
name ‘Wandering Cloud’.
“Slow down, we must wait for Wandering Cloud,” said MuQing, “To get that shield, he bought
information from the black market for 200,000 RMB.”
The party members nodded.
The corner of Ye CI’s mouth twitched. It was all for that shield. It was that particular shield on
Wandering Cloud’s hand that had attracted Ye Ci to him. As the first person to obtain that shield,
he was of course an extraordinary person.
She had never thought that he got that shield from this place.
With each passing second, Ye Ci was able to slowly regain her composure. Her wandering
thoughts came back to the reality. She peeked at the amount of HP the Armored Giant Tortoise had
left. It was already under 2%. Should she take them out right now? Or should she strike when
Wandering Cloud arrived?
Just as Ye Ci was hesitating, a voice she knew so well that it was almost unfamiliar rang in her
ears, “Damn, without the Invisible Potion, I wouldn’t have made it here!”
Ye Ci finally understood how the party was able to make their way to Winter’s Hotspring. It was
through the help of Novice Invisible Potions. The potion itself is not cheap. Each of them could
only last one minute. For the five of them to arrive at this spot, they must’ve invested a lot.
“Cloud, you’re here? Hurry up. You risk missing the loot.” said Glistening Snow.
Wandering Cloud joined the battle. He casted a glance at Ye Ci who was lying on the ground and
asked, “So this is Gongzi You?”
The party members nodded.
“Not bad, you’ve defeated her.” Wandering Cloud smiled at his men.
“We did no such thing.” Lazy Blue mumbled. He was the one who had fought directly against
Ye Ci. He knew her strength but he was too afraid to speak loudly.
Wandering Cloud did not hear Lazy Blue’s words, and continued asking, “She was afraid to
respawn after being killed by you guys?”
“Yeah, she might be good in PVE, but her PVP skills sucks! I guess she was afraid that we would
kill her again. So she stayed like that.” Glistening Snow told a lie.
Wandering Cloud nodded. He then immediately recalled something important, “What was the
BOSS’s HP before you guys stole it from her?”
“Around 10% I think, Potato-Eating Dace’s Charge pushed her in front of the Armored Giant
Tortoise and she was killed by it.” MuQing described what they had witnessed truthfully.
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Chapter 52 1 vs 5? Or was it 5 vs 1
Wandering Cloud quickly realized that something was wrong from Potato-Eating Dace’s words,
“I thought you guys said that you had defeated her? Why would she just lie there when you guys
stole the monster when it has 10% of its HP left? How is that possible…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Ye Ci rose from the ground like a phantom and fired an arrow
at Glistening Snow.
Ye Ci’s equipment was superior and a Cleric was a soft target. Nobody expected her to suddenly
rise and attack. They were not prepared for Ye Ci’s sudden movement. Glistening Snow was taken
out by Ye Ci’s attacks before he could react.
Lazy Blue managed to react and attempted to deliver a Staggering Blow at Ye Ci, but she had
already leaped away. Even the arrow that she first shot at Glistening Snow was fired while in
mid-air.
The party was not new to PK. They immediately counterattacked right after Glistening Snow was
taken out. With the exception of Potato-Eating Dace who had to hide within the rock formation
and maintain the Armored Giant Tortoise’s aggro, the other three charged at Ye Ci.
MuQing began channeling a spell while he moved, while Wandering Cloud Charged at Ye Ci.
Affected by her feelings from her past life, Ye Ci did not dare to look him in the eye. She dodged
his Charge with a slight adjustment and landed on Lazy Blue. Using him as a springboard, Ye Ci
once again leaped into the air and cast Rapid Fire on MuQing.
MuQing fell lifelessly to the ground after receiving a flurry of critical hits with additional poison
damage.
After taking out two enemies in one go, Ye Ci dashed towards the Armored Giant Tortoise. She
cast the Empowered Hunter’s Mark at the BOSS, cast Falcon Protection on herself, and fired a
Viper Needle at the BOSS’s eyes. She then cast Decoy on herself.
The aggro of the Armored Giant Tortoise on Potato-Eating Dace was not that high. With Ye Ci’s
rapid attacks, she was able to snatch the aggro away from him. The Armored Giant Tortoise
immediately moved away from the rock formation and headed straight for Ye Ci.
“Dace, secure the BOSS’s aggro!” shouted Wandering Cloud.
But his order was more or less impossible for Potato-Eating Dace. This was a lvl 40 Wild BOSS
that they’re talking about. Even if he was able to hold the aggro, he would’ve easily been killed
by the BOSS.
Despite that, Potato-Eating Dace cast Taunt at the BOSS. Ye Ci, however, was very generous. She
fired a Decoy at Potato-Eating Dace, generously transferring all her aggro to the Warrior. The
Armored Giant Tortoise turned its head towards Potato-Eating Dace and chomped down on him.
With a scream, he fell lifelessly onto the ground.
The 5 man party had been reduced to only 2 in less than 30 seconds.
Wandering Cloud gritted his teeth, “I thought you said she’s bad at PVP?”
The ones who had already died laid there and did not dare to speak a word. Glistening Snow was
especially quiet as if he had truly died.
Lazy Blue who was still alive paled. He did not expect Gongzi You to fake her death for nearly
half an hour just beside him.
This Huntress was truly skillful and bold. Lazy Blue felt like he was outplayed. Not only in terms
of skill but in terms of intelligence as well. He was toyed by this Huntress called Gongzi You.
Lazy Blue was enraged, and he charged straight at Ye Ci.
Ye Ci, on the other hand, darted towards her 2 remaining opponents, with the Armored Giant
Tortoise following close behind. A spell casting indicator appeared on the monster’s icon. It was
casting Mist.
It’s finally using that spell. Ye Ci faced Lazy Blue with a sinister smile.
Lazy Blue and Wandering Cloud were so focused on Ye Ci that they did not notice the small
changes taking place behind Ye Ci. The moment they saw Ye Ci’s sinister smile, they knew that
something was wrong.
They were unable to react in time. Ye Ci activated Charge and darted away from between the two.
The Armored Giant Tortoise let out a mighty roar and blasted towards Ye Ci with Mist. It missed
Ye Ci but Lazy Blue and Wandering Cloud were not so lucky.
They received a full blast from the BOSS.
Wandering Cloud could feel himself slowing down. He glanced at his status and was shocked to
see a 50% slowed debuff as well as a 20 seconds damage over time debuff. He took out a potion
and shouted out to Lazy Blue, “Blue, be careful…”
At the next moment, Wandering Cloud’s eyes almost popped out of their socket. Lazy Blue was
already dead.
How did he die? He noticed a wound on Lazy Blue’s throat and was hit with a sudden realization.
Lazy Blue was at the side of Gongzi You’s dominant hand when she dashed them.
That woman had slit Lazy Blue’s throat in the short moment when she dashed past Wandering
Cloud and Lazy Blue!
Having Ye Ci as its target, the Armored Giant Tortoise was totally oblivious to Wandering Cloud.
It moved steadily forward, plowing into Wandering Cloud and sent him staggering to the ground.
Wandering Cloud couldn’t help but shudder as he stared at the Huntress who was leaping around,
kiting the Armored Giant Tortoise in the process.
She was just too strong.
Her skills in PVE, her perfect timing when it came to PVP, and also her unprecedented bravery in
faking her death.
It was not something an average person could pull off.
Wandering Cloud felt a coldness creeping up the tips of his fingers. He knew that Gongzi You was
skillful. That was obvious since she was able to obtain so many First Bloods. But while she was
good in PVE, he had never expected her to be as good when it came to PVP.
She was able to react instantly to her environment.
The way she took Lazy Blue out… Perhaps even Lazy Blue himself did not expect her to be able
to land a hit in that short time window.
Ye Ci summoned Ol’ Three, which continuously attacked the Armored Giant Tortoise’s backside.
Ye Ci herself, on the other hand, led the Armored Giant Tortoise towards Wandering Cloud.
Was she trying to kill him the same way she killed Potato-Eating Dace? Wandering Cloud ran for
his life.
He really wanted the shield that dropped from the Armored Giant Tortoise, but apparently, this
was not the time for him. He was the sole survivor of a 5-man party. With Gongzi You’s
unprecedented skill and cunningness, he stood no chance.
Despite the temptation, Wandering Cloud knew that he had to run away and accept his blunder.
Tang Dynasty was one of the largest guilds in the Eastern Continent. As long as he could get away
safely…
What Wandering Cloud had overlooked was that he was under a ‘slow’ debuff. Ye Ci caught up
with him and stabbed him in the back of his knees.
He felt a sharp pain and strength immediately left his right leg.
“Your right leg has been crippled.”
The act of crippling an opponent was something unique to the PVP in Fate. The system employed
concepts from Chinese martial arts. Damaging an opponent’s ligament with blades will cripple his
or her body parts and the only way to repair the damage was to return to one of the main cities and
seek medical attention from specific NPCs.
Being crippled was a status that will not take away a player’s HP. However, to cripple an
opponent, one must act fast and strike with precision. It was impossible for a player to master such
a skill without a long time of practice.
The crippled Wandering Cloud was shocked out of his mind. The ‘crippled’ debuff was only
mentioned briefly on the official Fate website but the section was left without much description.
He did not pay much heed to that particular piece of information. He assumed that one could only
be crippled by chance, but he was wrong.
Wandering Cloud stared at Gongzi You. Was his luck that bad? Before he could react, he felt
another sharp pain in his left leg. He could no longer feel both his legs.
The Armored Giant Tortoise had finally reached Ye Ci and was about to attack her.
Was it Karma? Would the Huntress be killed by the Armored Giant Tortoise?
Joy soared within Wandering Cloud’s heart. He unsheathed his sword and wildly swung in the
general direction of Ye Ci and the Armored Giant Tortoise. His plan was simple: It would be a
great payback if he could somehow kill Ye Ci and if he was able to slay the Armored Giant Turtle
with a lucky hit…
He immediately felt a stabbing pain in his arm, “Your left hand has been crippled.”
“Your right hand has been crippled.”
“F*ck.”
Wandering Cloud could only curse in frustration as he glared at Ye Ci, waiting for the Armored
Giant Turtle to bite down on her. However, he didn’t expect that Ye Ci would suddenly disappear.
Wandering Cloud adjusted his view and saw Ye Ci leaping into the air and landing on the Armored
Giant Tortoise’s back with a summersault. She held a blade in each hand and stabbed the
monster’s neck.
The Armored Giant Tortoise let out one final roar and fell.
The system notification immediately chimed in.
“Player Gongzi You has slain the lvl 40 Wild BOSS Armored Giant Tortoise with her own
strength and survived the ordeal. Special Rewards: Global prestige x8000, Chilly Wind City
prestige x1000, Gold coins x1000, Talent Points x4”
The entire Fate universe exploded into madness.
Somebody was able to slay a lvl 40 Wild BOSS when the average player level was at lvl 20? Was
that a BUG? A lot of them began gossiping about Gongzi You and some of them even reported
Gongzi You to the customer service. The reply they received from the customer service was, “The
player defeated the BOSS through normal means, there was no BUG involved.” This statement
further plunged the players into insanity.
Ye Ci was oblivious to the chaos that she stirred up. She had muted the World Channel a long time
ago.
She stood on top of the Armored Giant Tortoise’s carcass, looking down on Wandering Cloud
who knelt in front of her.
Her face was calm.
In her past life, this man, had brought her fake joy with his deceit and had used her heartlessly.
She hated him. She had sworn to grind him into dust if she ever met him again one day.
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Chapter 53 The Past Doesn't Matter
Ye Ci had always felt the scar left in her heart by this man.
Even after her reincarnation, she had trod carefully, ignoring any and all information regarding the
Tang Dynasty. When she learned anything about Wandering Cloud, she acted as if she was
illiterate and could not understand anything at all. She did not want to face him.
However, the Goddess of Fate was headstrong.
She was hit by this drama in her moment of peace.
She was caught off guard by his sudden appearance.
Truth to be told, Ye Ci knew that she could not ostracize herself and hide from him forever. The
Tang Dynasty ranked no.2 in the East Continent. They ranked no.5 in Country Z. Their paths
would meet eventually no matter how hard she tried to avoid him. But she had never thought that
they would meet so soon.
How do I face him? Ye Ci had thought, thinking of the scenario when she would meet Wandering
Cloud once again.
With hatred? With anger? Or with meek expectation?
It was a question that she had thought of many times but had no answer to.
However, life is strange.
When she once again faced this man, she only felt an odd unfamiliarity and nothing else.
Wandering Cloud knelt on the ground, looking up at the Huntress before him. Her skin was pale.
While her eyes were not gorgeous, there was something about her gaze that intimidated him. She
stared at him with her amber eyes. It was as if those eyes were devoid of any human emotions.
They were so calm that he even felt despair as she stared on.
Wandering Cloud gulped and said, “You really are Gongzi You…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Gongzi You had grabbed him and her face inched closer to his.
He could even feel the warm breath coming out of the Huntress’s mouth. It was as if tens of
thousands of ants had burrowed themselves into his skin, gnawing at his nerves. He felt afraid.
Ye Ci took a careful look at the face so close to hers. It was so young, so handsome. It was a face
that had once deeply enchanted her. However, she no longer cared for it.
When the system gave her the choice to hide her name, she chose to announce it. It was not for the
fame. But rather because… she had realized that the past doesn’t matter anymore.
No matter what she did in her last life, what relationship she shared with this man, they were all in
the past.
She was Ye Ci. She was Gongzi You. She had begun a new life. There was no point in torturing
herself with something that had happened in her last life.
At that moment, she felt a sense of relaxation that she had never experienced.
She was herself. She lived for herself. Her joy and happiness were all for herself.
Just these things were enough.
Ye Ci smiled.
It was a relaxed smile that Ye Ci never had before. A smile that was so warm that it could even
melt the snow.
Wandering Cloud looked at the unforgettable face so close to his. Coldness has always been her
only expression. Then that expression was suddenly replaced with a smile. He then heard her cold
voice coming out of her moist lips.
“What is mine, nobody else can take.”
Her voice was soft and carefree. Additionally, there was a hint of coldness and detachment in her
eyes despite her smile.
“Whatever belongs to me, Gongzi You, don’t you even think about taking it away. Not even the
Tang Dynasty has that right.” her smile disappeared, replaced by an icy gaze as cold as the steel
of her blade.
She let go of Wandering Cloud and stood up, never taking her eyes off him. In the blink of an eye,
she nocked an arrow and let it loose. Glistening Snow, who had just revived fell back onto the
ground with a yelp.
“If you don’t want to drop any items, tell your men to stay put, or… “ Ye Ci’s lips formed into
a grin.
That is, if, it counted as one.
Wandering Cloud’s eyes burned with anger.
He was the vice guild leader of Tang Dynasty. Never had he suffered such a great humiliation. He
had paid attention to Gongzi You and he had guessed that the previous First Bloods had something
to do with the Huntress.
After he confirmed that Gongzi You was on the same continent as him, he was afraid that the
Huntress would try to steal away his most prized loot, the shield dropped by the Armored Giant
Tortoise. It was information he had bought from a certain Fate GM before the open beta test had
begun with 200,000 RMB.
He had already known that the Armored Giant Turtle had a chance of dropping one of the best
pre-lvl 80 shield, the Swordback Hold. Since the average player level was still quite low, he was
not worried that someone else would seek out the Armored Giant Tortoise and try to defeat it. As a
precaution, he had ordered some of his trusted guild members to pay close attention to Winter
Hotspring.
After finally getting to lie on the bed after staying up all night long, Wandering Cloud received a
phone call from Lazy Blue before he could even close his eyes. He was then informed that Gongzi
You was collecting herbs at Winter Hotspring. He was anxious, but did not pay too much heed to
it. After all, the Armored Giant Tortoise was a lvl 40 monster, even Gongzi You could never defeat
it by herself.
But after five to six hours of sleep, Lazy Blue called once again. Gongzi You had already started
fighting the Armored Giant Tortoise and had already chipped away half of its HP. It was at that
moment that Wandering Cloud truly became nervous. He immediately arranged some of his men
to meet up with Lazy Blue and stop Gongzi You from getting the First Blood. He got off from his
bed and raced to the spot from the other side of the Eastern Continent.
What happened next you already know.
This entire fiasco was all Wandering Cloud’s idea. He told nothing about the BOSS stealing to the
guild leader, NightAndDay. He was an honest and upright person. He would be very angry if he
learned that Wandering Cloud had tried to snatch a First Blood and BOSS away from somebody
else. Wandering Cloud was very afraid of NightAndDay.
He wanted to call for help badly, but… he couldn’t.
He knew that NightAndDay would never allow him to use guild resources for this matter. He was
a smart man. He knew that NightAndDay would question his words even if Wandering Cloud told
him that Gongzi You was the one who tried to KS the BOSS. The guild leader had once promised
Wandering Cloud that once most of the members of the guild had hit lvl 40, they would help him
acquire the shield. Except this incident would definitely arouse NightAndDay’s suspicion.
The shield was definitely valuable. However, to lose his standing in the guild for a mere shield
was a very dumb move.
However, Wandering Cloud couldn’t bring himself to admit defeat to Gongzi You. He bit his lips
and glared at Ye Ci as she casually killed any of his friends who tried to revive themselves.
He couldn’t bear to watch his brothers sacrifice themselves again and again for his sake. He
finally relented, “Do not revive.”
……
Wandering Cloud’s men were shocked by his decision. He was not someone who could stomach
humiliation, but…
“I already said, don’t revive yourselves,” although Wandering Cloud had deceived Ye Ci in her
past life, he still cared about his friends. His roar had managed to stop his men from their
continuous attempts to revive. He then looked at Ye Ci and said, “Gongzi You, I’ll remember
you.”
Ye Ci laughed at his words. She sat on the Tortoise’s shell and said, “I will never forget someone
who tried to steal something that’s rightfully mine.”
Wandering Cloud gritted his teeth and remained silent. He could only watch on as Ye Ci dissected
the carcass of the Armored Giant Tortoise.
Ye Ci collected the loot from the carcass with the fastest speed possible. She did not even take
note of her loot. She knew very well that Wandering Cloud was the vice guild leader of Tang
Dynasty. If that bastard called for help, she’d be in a pinch.
At this stage of the game, she only had single target attacks. She could easily handle a few players
in combat but if more were to arrive on the scene, she’ll certainly get defeated.
After solving the matter that has been gnawing at her heart, Ye Ci did not have the mood to stay at
this place for any longer.
The past doesn’t matter anymore. Not to mention that at this point in her new life, she did not
have the strength to defend herself against a large guild. It would be stupid to not run away as
soon as possible.
As she was about to leave, Ye Ci took one last glance at Wandering Cloud’s angry face. Her eyes
narrowed and her lips formed into another sinister grin. She walked up to Wandering Cloud and
stooped down.
Wandering Cloud gritted his teeth, “What do you want?”
Ye Ci leaned in closer to Wandering Cloud seductively and said in a small voice, “Floral
Apartment, Room 612. Don’t always do it in the same place. Go somewhere new once in a
while.”
With that, she patted Wandering Cloud’s shoulders and summoned her steed. Ye Ci smiled at him,
“Till we meet again, o’ great guild leader,” then left.
As soon as Ye Ci disappeared from their sight, the people who were previously laying on the
ground immediately got up. “Cloud, let’s gather some players from the guild, we’ll go after her.”
said MuQing.
“No.” said Wondering Cloud. His face was pale white and sweat dripped from his forehead. He
was trembling with fear.
“Why?” Wandering Cloud was known to be a vengeful person. His reaction was something out
of his character.
“I said no!” Wandering Cloud roared in anger. The others were shocked after noticing his
expression. Knowing that he had lost control, Wandering Cloud immediately changed the topic,
“I’ve been crippled, carry me back to the city, I can’t move.”
The four knew that Wandering Cloud was hiding something and it had something to do with the
what that Gongzi You had whispered to him. Nobody dared to ask. They carried him up from the
ground and prepared to return to the city.
Chapter 54 Bai Mo
After leaving Winter Hotsprings, Ye Ci headed straight to Red Lake City.
The wind caressed her long hair, reminding her of the past.
She wasn’t exactly a kind person. If she was kind, she wouldn’t have threatened Wandering
Cloud.
Ye Ci had learned about the scandal a little too late. The guild leader of Tang Dynasty,
NightAndDay treated Wandering Cloud like a brother. There was nothing unusual, but then shit
happened.
Wandering Cloud and NightAndDay fell in love with the same girl but Wandering Cloud chose to
let it go. The girl then became a couple with NightAndDay. From that day onwards, Wandering
Cloud had never talked to that girl. The story would’ve ended there. But when the Fate servers
opened, the girl joined the game as well.
Sometimes, things happened not because of right or wrong but because of the timing.
What Wandering Cloud and the girl lacked was the so-called ‘timing’. But in Fate, their time
finally came. In the end… one of them betrayed a lover, and the other betrayed a brother. This
was the beginning of a shocking scandal, but also a testimony of their ‘love’.
After that incident, Wandering Cloud used Ye Ci as a tool to increase his influence. He was able to
replace NightAndDay as the guild leader of Tang Dynasty and also replaced NightAndDay as well
as the husband of his wife.
All these things were learned by Ye Ci after she left Wandering Cloud. At that time, Wandering
Cloud’s relationship with the girl was exposed, and it became one of the top 10 scandals in Fate.
Ye Ci was quite pitiful. She was merely cannon fodder in a larger scandal.
However, looking back on it as a reborned person, the entire incident was like a joke.
She wasn’t unfamiliar with the fire deep within Wandering Cloud’s eyes. It was exactly the fire
she saw in her past life when he found his resolve to take down NightAndDay. He was a man who
would go to extreme lengths to achieve his ambitions. Despite not being afraid of him, Ye Ci
didn’t want trouble. After all, she want nothing to do with Wandering Cloud anymore.
She took a look at the time. It was right after the time when Wandering Cloud had an affair with
the girl in Floral Appartment, room 612. It was a widely-known fact in Ye Ci’s last life. But in her
current life, it was still a secret.
Wandering Cloud thought that his secret was safe. But how could he maintain his composure
when his supposed secret was known by Ye Ci?
His expression… was rather funny.
Recalling Wandering Cloud’s reaction earlier on, Ye Ci flipped her hair, throwing everything to
the back of her mind. She galloped at full speed back to Red Lake City.
The moment she stepped through the city gate, she received N numbers of messenger pigeon. All
of them asking were asking about the same incident: The First Blood.
Ye Ci’s head hurt with the sudden influx of messages. She had originally wanted to give herself a
chance to face her past. But she had never thought that it would bring her so much… ‘troubles’.
Helpless, Ye Ci decided to go offline to hide herself.
This was probably the longest period of time that Ye Ci had spent online. She was totally
exhausted when she went finally offline. She didn’t even care about eating and headed straight to
sleep.
Even Ye Ci herself did not know how long she had slept. She was woken up by the the ringing of
her phone. Ye Ci curled underneath her blanket as she made up her mind to ignore the phone call.
But her caller was even more persistent. The phone rang and rang and finally Ye Ci relented.
“Hello?” Ye Ci didn’t even open her eyes, her voice full of sleepiness.
“Ye Ci, look at the time, get your ass down here!” a magnetic male voice entered her ears.
That voice sounded so familiar… Ye Ci was still in a daze. Suddenly, a realization struck her. She
immediately sat upright. With trembling lips, she asked cautiously, “Bai Mo?”
“Of course it’s me! Is there another man who would patiently call you on the phone while you
doze on like the lazy pig you are?”
Ye Ci felt something flowing out from her eyes, clouding her vision. She clutched her phone
tightly and pressed it closely to her ear, listening intently to Bai Mo’s voice. She didn’t even dare
to let out even a tiny breath.
What’s wrong with her eyes, dammit.
She rubbed her eyes and discovered that her hand was wet.
She tried her best to suppress her emotion, worried that Bai Mo would notice something peculiar
from her voice. Despite that, tears were already flowing freely down her cheeks.
He’s alive, Bai Mo is alive.
Bai Mo was one of Ye Ci’s cousins. He was one year older than her. The two had a close
relationship when they were young, they were just like siblings. When Ye Ci broke up with
Wandering Cloud in her last life, Bai Mo was deeply concerned about her. He brought her out for
a ride but Ye Ci had insisted on taking the wheel. Because of her insistence, Bai Mo had allowed
her to drive.
Ye Ci had sped on the highway. Bai Mo had told her that she was driving too fast but she wouldn’
t listen. She accelerated the vehicle. In the end, shit happened. She could only remember a loud
bang, and the warmth when Bai Mo clutched her in his embrace.
She would always remember the last words Bai Mo had said to her: “Little Ci, be happy.”
If her parents were her regrets in her last life, then Bai Mo’s death was like a debt that she would
never be able to repay. His death was caused by her own hads.
But right now, Bai Mo was still alive.
Ye Ci couldn’t even being to describe her feelings with words. She wasnt even sure herself if the
onslaught of emotions were tremendous joy or extreme shock. The words in her entire vocabulary
were not enough to describe her current feelings.
“Say something, don’t tell me you went back to sleep.” After receiving no answer from Ye Ci,
Bai Mo scratched his head and said, “Is my voice so hypnotic that it became a lullaby?”
“Nope, where are you right now?” Ye Ci recovered from her raging emotions and asked with a
smile.
“I’ve almost reached your home, but I’ve heard that you’ve moved out…”
Ye Ci jumped down from her bed before Bai Mo could finish his sentence, “I’ll be back right
away. You better wait for me.” She immediately hung her phone and basically flew into her
bathroom to clean herself up.
Bai Mo was puzzled and mumbled to himself, “What’s with her today? Why is she sudden acting
so friendly…”
When Ye Ci reached her home, Bai Mo was already there. The first thing that Ye Ci saw after
opening the door was Bai Mo’s handsome face. Her hands trembled. Even Ye Ci herself didn’t
expect that she would embrace Bai Mo in a tight hug, feeling his warmth and energy.
Bai Mo was extremely confused by Ye Ci’s sudden actions. Despite his close relationship with Ye
Ci, they never had such intimate contact ever since they were seven or eight years old due to Ye
Ci’s cold nature. He didn’t even know how to react to her sudden intimacy.
It really was Bai Mo, he was alive.
Ye Ci burried her face into his chest, holding back the tears that were very close to flowing out.
She raised her voice, putting on an air of being carefree, “Long time no see Bai Mo!”
Zuo Xiaolan was momentarily stunned to see Ye Ci dragging Bai Mo along, she smiled and called
out to them, “Why are you still standing there? Come, wash your hands and eat!”
Ye Ci felt as if she was in a dream. Although she was able to calm herself down, Bai Mo’s
presence still felt surreal.
Bai Mo was the son of her mother’s sister, who lived in another city. He moved to Ye Ci’s city as
a transfer student.
Ye Ci raised her eyebrows, “You transferred here? This is the first time I’ve heard of somebody
doing that. Aren’t you a postgraduate already?”
Bai Mo did very well in his studies when he was young. He had even skipped a few grades. This
was why he was already a postgraduate by the time that Ye Ci had enrolled into the university.
“Professor Xia in your campus is the mentor to my professor and my professor suggested that I
should enroll in your university and thus, here I am.” said Bai Mo with a mouthful of rice, “I
thought that I’d need to rent a room near the campus. But since you’ve already rented one, let’
s share!”
Ye Ci replied with a hint of disdain, “Then what am I going to do if you bring your girlfriend
home at night?”
Bai Mo immediately blushed. He glanced at Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan, “Hush, I don’t have a
girlfriend.”
Ye Ci once again showed her disdain.
Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan were happily watching the two bicker. It had been quite awhile since
the atmospherein their house had been so lively.
In the end, Ye Ci compromised and allowed Bai Mo to move into her rented unit. The two said
goodbye to Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan and returned to their own place.
Ye Ci could see a truck parked near her dormitory the moment they arrived. Bai Mo immediately
rushed towards the truck and began to talk to the workers. He then shouted to Ye Ci, “Dammit
open the door already, can’t you see that I’m trying to get things moved here?”
Ye Ci rolled her eyes. There was a saying ‘The dove taking over the magpie’s nest’. Bai Mo was
doing just that.
Ye Ci’s place was a small unit with 2 bedrooms and a living room. It was the only available unit
left. The small unit was now a humble abode of two residents. Ye Ci was exhausted after helping
Bai Mo with his stuff. She couldn’t help but grumble, “I shouldn’t have rented this place.”
Chapter 55 Remote Depths
Bai Mo shamelessly pretended that he hadn’t heard any of Ye Ci’s grumbling. He went
downstairs, preparing to move more of his stuff.
A large box was carried into Bai Mo’s room. Ye Ci stared at the box, stunned. Wasn’t that a Fate
gaming cabin? She had never known that Bai Mo played the game, even in her last life.
Ye Ci and Bai Mo were the only ones left when the movers finished. Ye Ci asked while unpacking
the gaming cabin, “Since when did you start gaming?”
“I’ve been gaming for years now,but it’s a secret. I haven’t told anybody else, not even my
parents.” Bai Mo cleaned the surface of the gaming cabin carefully with a piece of cloth
“Gaming is almost like an everyday thing now. Why don’t you tell them?”
“They expected me to become a scientific researcher, but I want to be a professional gamer. I
know that that they’d be pissed if I told them.” Bai Mo tossed the cloth and leaned on the gaming
cabin. He smiled, revealing his shining white teeth.
Ye Ci blinked as she suddenly realized something. She pursed her lips and said, “You’re so
enthusiastic about studying here. Now I know why. You’re just here so that you can game in
peace…”
“Ayy, you’re not cute at all. How can you say such things?” He hugged Ye Ci from behind and
messed up her hair.
Their difference between their strengths was too great. It took all of her strength to get free from
the bear hug. She panted, gasping for air, “So you’re lying about coming here to study?”
“Oh, that’s for real though. I wanted to tell them after I’ve gained success in-game. With that,
they’ll not object to me being becoming a professional a gamer.” Bai Mo observed Ye Ci’s
already messy hair and ruffled it again.
Ye Ci slapped his hand away and was satisfied when he let out a yelp, “So what’s your name in
Fate?”
“Remote Depths.”
Bai Mo immediately gave Ye Ci his in-game name. She was deeply shocked and stood still as if
she was hit by lightning.
Bai Mo was Remote Depths!
Remote Depths was one of the top 20 MT in Fate in Ye Ci’s last life. He was a member of Tang
Dynasty. His position as a tank in the guild was only second to Wandering Cloud. His skill was far
superior to Wandering Cloud’s, but Wandering Cloud’s equipment was on an entirely different
level.
Wandering Cloud was a narrow-minded person. He attempted again and again to sabotage Remote
Depths. Left with only the worst of members of the guild in his party, Remote Depths was still
able to become famous due to his top-notch skills and good character.
Remote Depths suddenly disappeared from the game one day. Even Ye Ci felt that it was odd back
then. She now knew that Remote Depths was her very own cousin, Bai Mo.
Ye Ci had received calls from Bai Mo when she dated Wandering Clouds. He had been advising
her discreetly and indirectly to open her eyes and beware of Wandering Cloud. Of course, Ye Ci
had chosen to not listen to him.
Bai Mo had called her several times in real life, while Remote Depths was one of the few people
who still supported Ye Ci in-game. She thought that he was someone who wanted to take
advantage of her but…
“What, is my name too cool?” Bai Mo noticed that Ye Ci had spaced out and waved his hand in
front of her face.
Ye Ci slapped his hand away and smiled, “Which guild are you in right now?”
“I just joined Tang Dynasty a few days ago.”
“How’s the treatment over there?”
“I’m just doing my part, I don’t mind.” Bai Mo smiled mischievously, “I know you’re playing
Fate too.” Ye Ci raised her eyebrows as Bai Mo continued, “Uncle told me. So, do you need help
leveling up?”
Ye Ci’s eyebrows were even higher now. A creepy smile slowly formed on her lips.
Bai Mo could feel the hair on the back of his neck rise after looking as Ye Ci’s smile, “Hey hey
hey, don’t look at me like that. Say, what’s your in-game name?”
“You’re a warrior right?” Ye Ci asked despite knowing the answer.
“Yes…”
“Hurry, clean up and go online, I have something for you.” Ye Ci cut off whatever Bai Mo had
to say and walked out of the room.
“Hey, you said you were gonna to give me a hand.”
“The thing that I’m giving you may or may not be some good stuff. If you don’t want it, I can
help you tidy up your things up.” Ye Ci’s threat was obvious.
“Fine, fine. Take your time. I’ll finish tidying up on my own.” Bai Mo was initially lazing
around but after being tempted by the ‘thing’ that Ye Ci had mentioned, he relented and tidied
his room up in a flash.
“I’m in Red Lake City.” said Ye Ci, while heading back to her own room.
An entire day had passed since Ye Ci had soloed the Armored Giant Tortoise, and the players had
calmed down. There were no longer crazed cheers when Ye Ci went online. She still received a lot
of pigeons, most of them from friends writing to congratulate her. She replied to their messages
one by one, thanking them.
Liu Chang was one of the people who congratulated her. Ye Ci’s heart sank as she received a
letter from Dong Yin. She was asking about the loot dropped by the Armored Giant Tortoise.
Ye Ci was 100% sure that it was Thousand Sunsets who was asking her about the loot through
Dong Yin. She began to loathe Thousand Sunsets. After all, he was in her friend list. Why couldn’
t he ask her directly?
Ye Ci replied to Liu Chang’s letter and purposely left Dong Yin’s letter untouched.
After replying to the letters, Ye Ci loitered around the gate of Red Lake City, patiently waiting for
Bai Mo.
A Warrior in mediocre-looking armor appeared half an hour later; he didn’t hide his character’s
info and Ye Ci was able to click it open.
ID: Remote Depths
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Level: 17 (Progress: 12%)
It was Bai Mo.
Remote Depths grumbled as he ran towards Red Lake City, “That damned girl is ordering me
around again. I’m supposed to be the older brother.”
He was still grumbling as he walked pass Ye Ci. She held back a laugh and called out to him, “Yo,
that guy over there, are you interested in doing a quest for me?”
Remote Depths immediately turned towards the source of the voice and saw a female Elf leaning
on the Red Lake City gate. Could that be a random NPC giving out a Hidden Quest?
Random NPCs were something unique to Fate. The system would randomly generate nameless
NPCs and randomly select players for some random quest. These NPCs were rare and the quests
they usually gave out were nothing short of bizarre. But there was something all these quests had
in common: the rewards they offered were enormous! These NPCs were like the God of Wealth to
an average player.
Remote Depths couldn’t bring himself to believe that the female Elf was talking to him. He
looked around, and then pointed at himself, “Are you talking to me?”
Ye Ci held back a laugh, “Would you rather that I talk to somebody else?”
“No no no, here I come. Don’t call out to someone else, I’m here.” Remote Depths
immediately dashed to Ye Ci’s side, afraid that she would look for someone else to hand the quest
to.
Ye Ci immediately sent him a trade request.
Remote Depths immediately lost his wits after noticing the name of the player who was trading
with him. It was Gongzi You.
This person wasn’t an NPC?
This person was Gongzi You?
The Gongzi You that was so popular in the forums?
The Gongzi You who had gotten so many First Bloods?
He sucked in a deep breath. He had never expected himself to be able to meet such a top-tier
godlike player.
……
He stared at the female Elf. Her skin was fair and her silvery hair was tied into a ponytail. Her
pointed ears twitched occasionally and her amber-like eyes were all so captivating. There was fire
in her eyes, giving her an air of dominance. He was already impressed by Gongzi You after
watching videos of the Huntress in action, but to see her for real…
Remote Depths began to stutter, “G-gongzi Y-yo-you, I-I am a f-fan of yours. C-can you t-take a
selfie w-with me…?”
Ye Ci was puzzled. She had never seen Remote Depths idolizing anybody before. To think that his
first idol was a virtual character… Mischievous thoughts floated into her mind. What if Bai Mo
learned that she was Gongzi You? What would his expression be?
Looking at Bai Mo’s blushing face, she decided to further stir up his emotion. It would be better if
he fainted right then and there. It would be a very good clickbait in the forums.
The title: The First Player to Faint After Meeting Gongzi You…
That was of course, merely Ye Ci’s imagination. She placed the Swordback Hold into the trade
column and confirmed the trade.
Swordback Hold was the shield that Wandering Cloud sought. Ye Ci had never expected that she
would be able to obtain that shield on her first try. She intended to sell it right after real-world
currency conversion was introduced into the game. But when she learned that Bai Mo was Remote
Depths, she decided to give the shield to him instead.
As the saying goes, don’t let one’s fertile waters flow into somebody else’s fields.
Chapter 56 The Most Important Thing Is: Does He Treat You Well?
“Confirm the trade.” said Ye Ci. Remote Depths was still recovering from the excitement of
meeting Gongzi You in person. He hadn’t even noticed what Ye Ci had put into the trade column.
He slowly shifted his gaze to what was being traded after a reminder from Ye Ci. His legs almost
gave way.
Swordback Hold:
Purple Equipment
Defense: 271-347
Required level: 0
Required Strength: 105
Special attribute: 64% of physical attacks blocked, 52% chance of blocking magic attacks, bonus
80-110 defense, increased 20% block chance.
Special attribute: All skills level +1.
Special attribute: Increases mana by 10.
Special attribute: Bonus 10 resistance to Burn, Frost and Poison damage.
Class: Warrior, Knight.
(T/N: Name totes not borrowed from a certain game XD)
“M-miss, I-I-I d-don’t h-have that m-m-m-m-much money…” Remote Depths stuttered even
more.
“Hurry up and accept the trade.” Ye Ci was puzzled to see Bai Mo’s reaction. Poor thing, to be
so overexcited because of a shield, he must’ve never seen a truly top-notch piece of equipment
before.
“I r-really d-don’t have that m-much money…” Remote Depths’s face reddened even further,
“C-can y-you w-wait for a moment? I-I-I w-will borrow some m-money from m-m-my sister.”
“For me to lend you some money just so that you can buy something from me? Am I the idiot or
are you the idiot?” Ye Ci decided that she had enough fun with Remote Depths and revealed her
true identity.
Remote Depths was once again dumbfounded. He stared at Ye Ci for a full 3 minutes, as if he was
studying an alien. He then asked in a meek voice, “Ye Ci?”
“What?”
Remote Depths let out a breath. The next thing he did was something that Ye Ci hadn’t expected.
He ‘gracefully’ accepted the shield and said, “Silly girl, do you have any money? Give me
some. I’ll go buy some equipment.”
……
What defines a shameless person? Just look at Remote Depths.
Ye Ci’s lips formed a slight smile, “You like it?”
“Of course I do! You’re just too goddamned amazing!” Remote Depths even kissed the shield.
If he could hug it as he slept, he definitely would.
“I got this right from under Wandering Cloud’s nose. If you’re going to walk around in Tang
Dynasty with that thing…” Ye Ci let out a mischievous laugh.
“Oh?” Wandering cloud was Tang Dynasty’s MT and the vice guild leader as well. His
equipment was awesome and his character was equally ‘awesome’ as well. Remote Depths'
curiosity was immediately aroused after learning that Ye Ci had snatched the shield away from
Wandering Cloud.
Ye Ci gave a brief explanation to Remote Depths, minus the part about her past life and also gave
him some words of caution, “You’re in Tang Dynasty right now. Don’t just walk around with
that shield casually. He might do something to you.”
Remote Depths laughed. He stored the shield into his inventory and ruffled Ye Ci’s hair. She
slapped his hand away, and he yelped in pain. “I’m not as skillful as you, but I’m not afraid of
him. Don’t worry about me. Besides, Tang Dynasty is just a guild, not a friggin bank vault. I can
just leave anytime I want.”
Ye Ci was about to continue her conversation with Remote Depths when she received a pigeon
from Zero Arsenic, asking her to report to the guild encampment. She creased her eyebrows. She
left on her steed, not forgetting to once again advise Remote Depths to not show off the
Swordback Hold.
Remote Depths mumbled his reply and left to clear some quests. Meanwhile, Ye Ci headed to the
teleportation NPC and teleported into the guild encampment. She headed straight to the guild
conference room.
It was crowded.
Most of them were people that Ye Ci had met before. People like MT’s and main healers from the
first and second squadron, as well as Peacock Blue, Thousand Sunsets and Crimson Millions.
There were, of course, some unfamiliar faces too.
Zero Arsenic introduced them to Ye Ci with a smile. One of them was Little Dan, the person in
command of the first squadron, and the other two were White Shallows and DuDu, also DPS
players from the first squadron.
After all of them were seated, Zero Arsenic began a short briefing about the guild’s expedition to
explore the Chilly Ruins. “Gongzi, I know that you are still not very familiar with certain
members, so that’s why I’ve gathered everybody here. You can take this chance to interact with
them and perhaps discuss a plan to clear the Chilly Ruins in the shortest time possible.”
The elites of Steel-Blooded Battle Spear were deeply impressed by Ye Ci after she helped the
guild secure two of the First Five. They no longer spoke to Ye Ci in an arrogant manner.
“There’s nothing much to it. Fate Officials have released a notice stating that the mobs in Chilly
Ruins have the ice attribute. I think we should all prepare some Ice Resistance Potions.” Of
course, Ye Ci couldn’t directly tell them about the way to clear the dungeon as nobody had ever
set foot in the dungeon yet.
Hence, she could only remind them to create the potions needed to clear the dungeon.
Thousand Sunsets immediately instructed Peacock Blue to oversee the process of creating the
potions, while the others began discussing their different views of the dungeon. Ye Ci merely sat
at a corner, letting her mind wander.
Was there any meaning to sheer theoretical discussion? The more practical way would be heading
out to the dungeon in person.
Ye Ci immediately left the conference room after the boring meeting. She saw Dong Yin, who
immediately stood up from her sitting position beside the flowerbed. She waved at Ye Ci, “Little
Ci.”
Ye Ci greeted her as well, “You’re waiting for Thousand Sunsets?”
“No, I’m waiting for you. You want to go for a walk?” Dong Yin proceeded to drag Ye Ci
towards the flower garden.
Ye Ci didn’t decline. She looked Dong Yin up and down. Perhaps it was because of Thousand
Sunsets, but her equipment was way better than Liu Chang and Yi Cang. Dong Yin strolled around
the garden with Ye Ci in tow, gossipping here and there and occasionally talking about the
scenery.
Ye Ci was very familiar with every blade of grass and every single tree in Fate. She didn’t care for
the scenery. She was only there with Dong Yin for two reasons. One, it was already late and she
didn’t have the time to do anything else. Two, she was interested in finding out what Dong Yin
wanted her for.
After quite a while, Dong Yin stopped walking and studied Ye Ci, “Little Ci, why are you so
quiet?”
“I don’t talk much. You guys know that.”
Dong Yin pouted and her eyebrows creased. If it was the past Ye Ci, she might’ve asked her friend
what was distressing her. But the current Ye Ci knew what was going on.
She wanted nothing more to do with Thousand Sunsets.
Hence, she refused to speak.
“Little Ci, congratulations for getting First Blood on the Armored Giant Tortoise. You’re really
amazing!” Dong Yin finally said with a smile. Ye Ci could see the sincerity in her smile. It was
the sincerity of a friend.
“It’s merely a coincidence.” Ye Ci nodded. As expected, it was all about that shield.
“Uhh…” Dong Yin immediately fell into a dilemma after congratulating Ye Ci. Even if it was
hard for her, she still had to say it, “Uhh… was something called the ‘Swordback Hold’
included in the loot dropped from the Armored Giant Tortoise?”
Would Dong Yin know about the Swordback Hold? Of course not. Thousand Sunsets was
obviously the one who knew about the Swordback Hold.
Ye Ci was stunned. She knew about the item from her past life, while Wandering Cloud bought the
information from the black market. How did Thousand Sunsets learn about it? There were no
mentions of the shield on the official websites about the loot drops of Wild BOSSes.
“Swordback Hold? What’s that?” Ye Ci pretended that she had no knowledge of the shield.
“It is a shield. Used by a Warrior.”
“What about it?”
“If you have it with you, T-Thousand would like to buy it.”Dong Yin’s voice became very quiet.
She knew that Thousand Sunsets treated her better than everybody else because of Ye Ci. She was
bitter at the ugly truth, “With real-world currency.”
“I have never seen that thing before.” Ye Ci stared at Dong Yin, her voice cold as usual.
“Oh…” Dong Yin let out a breath. She then continued, “T-then, do you have any guides on how
to defeat the Armored Giant Tortoise? With your current level, you m-must have exploited some
sort of BUG right… C-can y-you show it to me? I-I can pay you…” Dong Yin could no longer
bring herself to continue. Her face was pale and tears began to cloud her vision.
At that moment, Ye Ci knew that she could no longer stay in Steel-Blooded Battle Spear. It wasn’
t just for herself, but for Dong Yin’s sake as well. She had her own values and Dong Yin had
somewhere she belonged too. They were not the same type of people. If she stayed, it wouldn’t be
a problem for her. She was tough. But Dong Yin would definitely get hurt.
3 First Bloods and 2 First Fives. She had repaid her past life’s debt to Steel-Blooded Battle Spear.
It was enough.
“There was no BUG. I simply kited it with the help of Frost Trap.” Ye Ci told her the truth.
She was pained to see Dong Yin’s tears that had almost rolled down her cheeks.
“Oh, I-I see.” Dong Yin nodded with a little hint of gratitude.
“Dong Yin, how is Thousand Sunsets treating you?” Although Ye Ci preferred to not mind other
people’s business, she could no longer hold herself back after seeing Dong Yin’s expression.
“H-he’s a good person.” Dong Yin replied meekly; she couldn’t look Ye Ci in the eyes.
“It doesn’t matter if he’s a good person. The most important thing is: Does he treat you well?”
Asked Ye Ci slowly with a soft voice.
Dong Yin lowered her head and answered after a short pause. “Yes.”
Ye Ci didn’t waste any time in trying to determine the truth. She caressed Dong Yin’s hair and
said, “I have class tomorrow. I’ll go to sleep now.”
With that, she turned around and left.
It wasn’t because Ye Ci did not care about her. Everybody had to grow up at some point. They had
to pay the price for the choices they made and pain was one of the prices to pay for someone to
grow up.
Chapter 57 Bane of the Automatons
After clearing the daily quest in Red Lake City, Ye Ci saw a figure walking into the municipal
building. It was Remote Depths.
“I thought you had some quests to attend to? Why are you still loitering around?” Ye Ci laughed
at Remote Depths. This future top tier MT was still a poverty-stricken Warrior.
“I’m here to bind my City-Recalling Crystal.” Remote Depths chuckled.
“What was your original home city?”
“Champion City.”
Champion City was the largest city in the Eastern Continent. It was one of the top 5 most
flourishing cities. It was not as quiet as Red Lake City and was very developed. The city was
packed full of people and of course, offered more quests than Red Lake City. The majority of the
players would naturally choose Champion City as their home city.
“Are you sick? Just stay there. Why would you come to such a backwater place like Red Lake
City?” Ye Ci was astonished. An official nearby creased his eyebrows when he overheard that Ye
Ci had described the city as ‘backwater’.
“ Tsk tsk, yeah right. I refuse to believe that the famous Gongzi You would bind her
City-Recalling Crystal to such a ‘backwater’ place!” Remoted Depths snorted, “Sis, you tryna
trick me? You’re still too young!”
Although the official was offended, he still kept his calm and did his job, approving Remote
Depths’s request to bind his City-Recalling Stone. The official then prepared the necessary
documents so that he could become a citizen of the city.
“Don’t forget to accept the Repeatable Quest.” Ye Ci reminded Remote Depths before leaving.
Ye Ci received a private message after clearing her daily quest. It was from Four Seas, “Are you
free tomorrow? I need your help to clear the Automaton Formation.”
Four Seas was a very skillful Cleric. There weren’t many things that could trouble him, especially
to the point where he had to ask for help. This was his first time doing so. “You’ll have to pay
me,” said Ye Ci jokingly.
“Heck I was afraid that you wouldn’t say that.” Four Seas laughed. He was not joking. “I’ll
pay you 5,000 gold if you can finish them off with six shots. If you can do it with three, I’ll pay
you 10,000 gold. I’ll pay you 20,000 gold if you can clear the automatons with two shots, and if
you can finish them all with only one shot…” Four Seas continued after a short pause, “If you
kill them all with one shot, I’ll pay you 30,000 gold. But… Uhh… You won’t seriously be able
to clear the wave away with only one shot right?”
“Are you for real?”
“Yes. My guild’s progress has been hindered. Three of the First Five were taken by
Steel-Blooded Battle Spear, while World Conqueror has the other two spots. They refused to share
the info with us. We’ve been trying to clear it for a week. But we can’t afford to keep trying
anymore, or we’ll be left way behind.” Four Seas sighed. It seemed that he really was in trouble
this time. Even if he was tough, an excellent team is what mattered in Fate. “I wouldn’t have
called for outside help if the situation was not dire. Can you help me out?”
Ye Ci knew that it wasn’t in Four Seas’ nature to call out for help. She also knew that
Steel-Blooded Battle Spear would not allow her to help another guild.
But, she was Gongzi You. And Gongzi You wasn’t a property of Steel-Blooded Battle Spear. Ye
Ci would be an idiot to reject an offer that would let her help a friend out while allowing her to
earn some money.
“Sure, I have class tomorrow morning. Gather your players after lunchtime tomorrow.” said Ye
Ci.
Four Seas agreed to Ye Ci’s proposal. He then said, “We’ll take care of the mobs. All you need
to do is to blast that Automaton Formation away with the cannons.”
“Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After agreeing upon a time, Ye Ci went offline.
She immediately went online after lunch the next day. Four Seas immediately sent her a party
invitation which she accepted without hesitation.
There were two other players in the party who Ye Ci was familiar with other than Four Seas. The
moment she saw the names Good Ol’ Days and Lukewarm Water, she knew that Four Seas was
from the Blank Space guild.
Although Good Ol’ Days wasn’t one of the top players in Ye Ci’s past life, he was still someone
who could get things done. He was steadfast and romantic. He was the one who had led Blank
Space to new heights. Blank Space was widely known as a neutral guild which didn’t take part in
a lot of PVP battles. The guild was popular with Life Players and players who were good in PVE.
Ye Ci was even more familiar with Lukewarm Water. He was the first person she met in Fate that
had a poor sense of direction.
Four Seas greeted Ye Ci warmly immediately after she joined the party. Lukewarm Water greeted
her as well, “Little Youyou, We’ve finally met again! I couldn’t sleep last night knowing that
we’ll meet again~~”
Ye Ci laughed and said, “Did you lose your way today?”
The party immediately made fun of Lukewarm Water. Ye Ci felt a sense of belonging even when
she was surrounded by strangers. They soon arrived at the dungeon. The mobs were already
cleared away.
When Ye Ci arrived at the spot near the Automaton Formation, there was already a crowd at the
place. They ate and drank in groups, some of them were even dancing. It was as if they weren’t
there to clear the dungeon, but for a picnic instead.
Good Ol’ Days stood up when he saw Ye Ci. He greeted her immediately and sent her a friend
request, “Hi, the name’s Good Ol’ Days. I’ve heard a lot about you Gongzi You.”
Good Ol’ Days was someone who would rarely take the initiative to send out friend requests. He
wasn’t like Thousand Sunsets who preferred to befriend any and every person he met. Instead, he
chose his friends well.
Ye Ci approved his friend request and nodded. The Elven Sorcerer had a good looking face and a
warm smile. He gave off an air of familiarity.
The crowd immediately surrounded Ye Ci when they saw her. Some were curious about her, some
were there to idolize her, and there were even two Hunters who insisted on becoming her
apprentice. It was a very joyful atmosphere.
Ye Ci was able to relax. She wasn’t very good when it comes to interacting with people. Such a
situation was perfect for her.
Without offering many words, Ye Ci walked towards the cannon emplacement that awaited her.
To Ye Ci, it wasn’t something special. Every single player in the dungeon was tense as she
skillfully took aim. Would they succeed this time?
They held their breaths as the Huntress fired an arrow at the automatons.
The arrow flew straight and true, hitting an automaton at the far left.
“Intruder… Intruder…”
The automatons began to activate themselves and swarmed towards Ye Ci.
The group of players behind Ye Ci panicked upon seeing the horde of automatons coming their
way. Even if Gongzi You was very famous, they still had some doubts.
At that moment, Ye Ci chuckled, “Four Seas, how much did you said you’ll pay me if I can take
them all out in one shot?”
All of Four Seas’ attention were on the automaton. He didn’t expect the sudden question from Ye
Ci, the person who was holding his life in her hands. He simply answered subconsciously,
“30,000 gold…”
He then recovered from his daze and shouted, “Gongzi, here they come!”
“It seems that… You’ll have to pay me that 30,000 gold.” as if she hadn’t heard Four Seas’
s words, Ye Ci jumped down from the emplacement and walked towards the players gathered
behind her.
Just as they were about to run for their lives, a loud “BOOM!” resounded, followed by the sound
of metal bits hitting the ground.
System messages began to flood the screen.
Every member of the party had received the achievement [Bane of the Automatons].
Silence settled over the dungeon. At that moment, it was as if everything had disappeared. For the
24 party members, the only thing left in their vision was the Huntress who was still calm and
indifferent. She walked towards the group. There was no bragging.
It was as if the entire ordeal was nothing out of the ordinary.
Although Good Ol’ Days was able to remain calm and collected, he was deeply impressed by Ye
Ci. He let up a breath as Ye Ci walked up to him, “Gongzi You, you sure live up to your
reputation.”
Without delay, he immediately traded 30,000 gold to Ye Ci.
Ye Ci politely accepted the gold. A deal was a deal.
“Okay, now that the most difficult part of this dungeon is cleared, I’ll be on my way,” with the
30,000 gold in her pocket, Ye Ci was happy. She then left the party, “I wish you guys good luck.”
“Gongzi, how about joining our guild?” Lukewarm Water sent a guild invitation to Ye Ci who
had left the party.
Ye Ci smiled but didn’t offer an answer.
“You no longer belong to the party in this dungeon. You’ll be kicked out of the dungeon in 29
seconds.” the system notification chimed in and a timer appeared. Ye Ci shook her head and said,
“We’ll meet again.”
Lukewarm Water was about to say something when he was cut off by Good Ol’ Days who smiled
at Ye Ci, “Gongzi You, don’t hesitate to seek our help in the future. Blank Space will always be
your friend.”
Chapter 58 It’s Not Time Yet
Ye Ci originally planned to go offline until she remembered that the Glory Corporation would
soon introduce the Game Coin and Real World Cash conversion system.
The 30,000 gold might seem a lot, but once the conversion system was introduced it would be a
meager amount.
It was not a wise choice to stock up on gold coins on that point. Items would be a smarter
investment.
Ye Ci looked up Clingy Wolf and Remote Depths in her friend list and sent both of them the same
message, “How many coins do you have right now?”
The two immediately replied. As Ye Ci had expected, they were both poor.
“Little Ci, you need money? I have 20 gold. It’s all I have. Lemme send them to you.”
Responded Clingy Wolf.
“I’ll have 18 gold once I sell all these miscellaneous items I have. I’ll hand it to you later.” Was
what Remote Depths said.
Tears flowed down Ye Ci’s cheeks as she stared at the 30,000 gold in her inventory…
Was there nobody else around her that knew how to make money?
“I’ll give you 1,000 gold coins.” Ye Ci sighed. She received a reply right after sending a
message to the two. If Ye Ci did not know beforehand that Clingy Wolf and Remote Depths were
in separate locations, she might’ve suspected that they were both in the same place. The replies
were almost identically retarded.
“Oh, although I’m young and beautiful, b-but I’m straight. I’m not a lesbian. Even if you pay
me 1,000 gold, I will not change my view. I’m a person with integrity. But if you’re willing to
add 100 more gold into the sum, I will try my best.” Was what Liu Chang replied.
“Little Ci… Are you going to a gathering where you’re the only one without a boyfriend and
you need me to pass as one? Oh, you don’t have to pay me for that. Your brother is cool and
handsome. But if you really have to pay me, then pay me 999 gold, it’s a lucky number.” Replied
Remote Depths.
Ye Ci had the urge to kick the two from her friend list after receiving their messages. How did she
know such obnoxious individuals?
She sighed and replied, “I’m doing it so that you have money, so that you can have some savings,
not because of something that retarded.”
The two remained silent for a long time, and then replied in unison, “You really are giving me
money? I thought you were pulling my leg. Where did you get such a large amount of money?”
They almost drove Ye Ci crazy. She even thought to herself: Why are those two not BOSSes? If
they’re BOSSes, she would’ve killed them repeatedly.
After more chattering, the two finally believed that Ye Ci was quite well off and was sincere in
giving them the 1,000 gold. They immediately rushed to Red Lake City. They were so excited, as
if they’d won the lottery.
Ye Ci gave them 1,000 gold each, and urged them to stock up on materials that she knew would
become popular in the future.
They’re not idiots, and understood that once the Game Coin and Real World Cash conversion
system was introduced, the in-game currency would surely suffer inflation. It would be more
beneficial to have a stockpile of materials instead. The three split up, and Ye Ci retrieved the
necessary materials to craft Novice Frostbane Potions.
Although Ye Ci had made up her mind to leave Steel-Blooded Battle Spear, she was a person who
kept her promises. Since she had promised to clear the Frosty Wasteland for Thousand Sunsets,
she would leave after fulfilling her promise. Besides, Frosty Wasteland was the place where a
much-needed skill book would drop. If Ye Ci left then and there, she would not be able to find
another 25-man party in such a short time.
As the saying goes, “make the best use out of everything.”
Even if she hated it, she still had to do it.
Ye Ci received a private message from Zero Arsenic as she was crafting her Novice Frostbane
Potions.
“Gongzi, what are you doing now?”
“Leveling up some Life Skills.”
Zero Arsenic did not immediately reply. Ye Ci knew that he had something to ask of her, but she
did not take the initiative to continue to conversation. It was never her way.
Both of them remained silent. For a moment, it was as if the conversation did not take place at all.
Zero Arsenic could no longer hold himself back after that short moment of silence, “Gongzi, did
you… Did you help Blank Space with a dungeon today?”
Ye Ci answered with a slight smile, “Yes.”
“Why did you not inform the guild first before doing so?” Although Zero Arsenic’s intention
was to reprimand Ye Ci, his tone was quite gentle. Nobody would be able to be harsh towards a
person who brought 3 First Bloods and 2 First Five to their guild.
“Oh? I need to inform you about that?” Ye Ci narrowed her eyes.
It was Zero Arsenic’s turn to remain quiet. In an attempt to make Ye Ci stay in the guild, they did
not restrict her actions. She was allowed to do anything she wanted. But just as the guild was
keeping the video of her clearing the dungeon as a top secret material, she decided to offer help to
someone else in order to clear the dungeon.
When it was announced that Blank Space received the achievement [Bane of the Automatons],
Peacock Blue was the first one who noticed that Ye Ci’s name was included in the announcement.
She immediately reported her discovery to Thousand Sunsets and Zero Arsenic. Thousand Sunsets
was pissed, but before he could reprimand Ye Ci’s behavior, he was stopped by Zero Arsenic.
There was no other reason.
They had not fully grasped Ye Ci’s character. What if the Huntress chose to just leave in the face
of Thousand Sunset’s anger?
The guild was already preparing to explore the Frosty Wasteland dungeon. It was said that World
Conqueror was doing the same thing. If Ye Ci left them at that crucial moment, they would lose
more than they would gain.
Although it did not necessarily mean that they would definitely be able to clear Frosty Wasteland
with Gongzi You’s help, the difficulty of doing so would greatly be decreased with such an
excellent player in the team.
Zero Arsenic was able to calm Thousand Sunsets down with his reasons, but this incident was not
something that they were able to simply overlook. It was then decided that Zero Arsenic would be
the one to clear things over with Ye Ci.
“Cough cough. What I meant was that… A guild has its own system, and every guild member
should have team spirit.” Zero Arsenic coughed lightly to hide his emotions.
“Team spirit…” Ye Ci repeated slowly with a slight hint of sarcasm.
Zero Arsenic was embarrassed after hearing Ye Ci’s tone. The word “team spirit” was ridiculous,
especially when they knew very that Ye Ci was simply being exploited.
Zero Arsenic had a strong will. But in front of Gongzi You, he could not maintain his composure.
He let out another slight cough and decided that it would be a great idea to not further question Ye
Ci’s actions, “Anyways… Just let us know if you’re going to go clear a dungeon with players
who are not from our guild. We want you to lead a party into the dungeon in the following days.”
Zero Arsenic was truly worthy of being the strategist of Steel-Blooded Battle Spear. He managed
to avoid a topic that would be too awkward for him to continue and then took the chance to restrict
Ye Ci with orders from the guild.
Ye Ci of course knew full well of what Zero Arsenic was thinking. But with her mind set to leave
the guild after clearing the Frosty Wasteland for them, she accepted the order.
On that day itself, Ye Ci was “abducted” to work as a hard labor for the guild.
From the core players who do not have good enough equipment, to the substitutes, and then the
normal guild members, Ye Ci’s timetable was packed full.
Ye Ci narrowed her eyes at Zero Arsenic. She did not even flinch after reading the timetable that
Zero Arsenic handed to her. She only made one request: she would bring Liu Chang along.
Although Liu Chang was able to level up very fast, a Summoner itself was weak, relying heavily
on summoned monsters to fight for him or her. With her rusty skills, Liu Chang died frequently
and eventually, nobody wanted to party with her, and she became the one who had the worst
equipment among the 4 friends.
Despite being hesitant, Zero Arsenic accepted Ye Ci’s request.
Liu Chang was so touched that she was crying internally.
After following Ye Ci into the dungeon for 2 days straight, Liu Chang’s equipment was greatly
improved. Even if she was very unskillful, she made up with her lack in skill by working hard.
With that, she was able to greatly reduce her deaths when exploring dungeons.
Liu Chang’s hard work paid off. She was able to avoid dying while clearing a Hard Difficulty
Cruel Pit. Her excitement was doubled when a mid-tier Fire Spirit was dropped among the loots.
After distributing the equipment and disbanding the party, Ye Ci left the dungeon with Liu Chang.
She immediately received a message from Zero Arsenic, “Gongzi, there’s a party needing your
help in Hard Difficulty Forest of Stone.”
Even an angel would be pissed after being worked like a pack mule for days, not to mention
someone like Ye Ci who had a temper. She replied coldly, “What? You’re treating me like a slave
now? I don’t even get to rest?”
Zero Arsenic was a very sociable person. Ye Ci had been keeping quiet as he ordered her around
for days and he was used to it. But when Ye Ci finally snapped, Zero Arsenic immediately realized
that he had gone too far. He immediately said with a smile, “Uhh, no, definitely not. Why don’t
you take a 2-hour break?”
Ye Ci did not utter a single word, and cut off the voice connection.
“Little Ci, why don’t you just leave?” Asked Liu Chang, who was beside Ye Ci.
Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. She stared at Liu Chang, slightly surprised. She had never
mentioned her intention of leaving to anybody.
Liu Chang laughed and said, “Even if I’m just a nobody in the guild, it doesn’t mean that I’
m ignorant. The Ye Ci I know would’ve left a long time ago. Why are you holding yourself
back?”
Ye Ci simply smiled, “It’s not time yet.”
Chapter 59 The Mystifying Battle Commander
Ye Ci’s daily tasks in the guild were quite simple. In the current stage of the game, eight 5-man
dungeons had already been explored. The were 10 daily entries for normal difficulty dungeons,
while there was 5 entries for the hard difficulty. Ye Ci did not have to use all of her entries. What
her task was, was to help clear the hard difficulty version of in each of the 8 dungeons once per
day.
The feeling of working for someone else was totally different from the feeling of working hard
only for oneself. Even Liu Chang felt that heading into the dungeon was a chore after fully
upgrading her equipment. She would’ve given up on clearing the dungeons if not for the sake of
improving her skill.
After four days of leading parties into the dungeon, Ye Ci discovered that she had mysteriously
received an administrator position, the Battle Commander. The guild warehouse that was only
open to the guild leader and vice leader was also made available to Ye Ci.
If assigning her to help clear dungeon’s was Steel-Blooded Battle Spear’s way of restricting Ye
Ci, then their action this time was a very obvious attempt at buying her loyalty.
What is a guild’s Battle Commander? It could be considered as the very soul of that guild, a
figure that could lead the guild forward. A Battle Commander of a guild was always somebody
who was a very experienced commander or a very skillful player. In a fight, the Battle
Commander would always be the focus of attention.
As for the rights to freely use the guild warehouse, it’s the highest benefit a guild member could
receive.
The wealth of the guild was stored in the guild warehouse. Top-tier equipment, materials and skill
books… Everything in the guild warehouse was high quality.
Even a small 100-person guild viewed their guild warehouse as something very important. In
normal circumstances, only their leader and vice leader of a guild have the authority to freely use
the guild warehouse. The normal guild members could only watch from the sidelines and dream
about it.
For Thousand Sunsets and Zero Arsenic to grant such a great authority to Ye Ci that even Peacock
Blue did not have, their intention of buying her loyalty was very obvious.
“Oh, Gongzi, you came online?” (Jimmi: no shit Sherlock.) Ye Ci’s curiosity was aroused when
Thousand Sunsets contacted her on his own accord, as it was very rare for him to do so.
“Yeah.”
“I’ve heard from Zero Arsenic that you’re learning Life Skills. It must be hard. I’ve given you
access to the guild warehouse. Take anything you need.” Said Thousand Sunsets.
“It’s inappropriate for me to do so. After all, they’re the blood and sweat of the other guild
members.” Ye Ci understood the saying “after dinner comes the reckoning” as well as the idiom
“carrot after stick”. She knew that Steel-Blooded Battle Spear was giving her the “carrot,” but
she had no attention of accepting that “carrot.”
“Oh, it’s okay. You’re one of us after all.” Thousand Sunsets let out a hearty laugh. Ye Ci
thought to herself, if he wasn’t so driven by benefit, it would be easy to befriend someone like this.
Unfortunately, there was a huge gap between them that could not be crossed.
“You can take any equipment and potions you want as well.”
Ye Ci did not want to argue with Thousand Sunsets on this matter. It was their choice to grant her
the authority, but to use it or not was up to her. She got straight to the point and addressed the
matter that bothered her the most, “Thousand Sunsets, I think you should appoint someone else as
the Battle Commander, as I’m not the one for the job. I’m not a veteran, nor have I contributed
much to the guild. It is inappropriate for me to be appointed as the Battle Commander.”
“Who said that you have no contribution? Who else can achieve 3 First Bloods and 2 First Fives
for the guild?”
“It was teamwork. Fate is all about teamwork. Everybody did their part, there was no heroism.
Maybe I’ve performed outstandingly, but I was merely doing my part. I believe that the guild will
still be able to have such achievements even without me. If you appoint me as Battle Commander
just like that, it’s inappropriate.” Ye Ci spoke gently. She was being courteous, but her intention
of rejecting her position as Battle Commander was clear.
Thousand Sunsets, of course, would never let the matter go so easily, and the two were unable to
reach a common ground regarding this matter.
“Thousand Sunsets, shit just hit the fan!” Thousand Sunset’s conversation was interrupted by
Zero Arsenic.
“What happened?”
“Our boys went to hunt for the Sandstorm Scorpion, but they ran into Tang Dynasty’s players. A
fight broke out.” Zero Arsenic continued with a pause, “Little Dan and Crimson Millions were
slightly dissatisfied with the whole Battle Commander thing, and they vented their frustrations on
Tang Dynasty.”
Thousand Sunsets cursed under his breath and said, “Get them to pull back. We’re still no match
for Tang Dynasty. We still need to explore the Frosty Wasteland in 3 days, so we must cut our
losses to the minimum!”
“I’ve already ordered them to pull back, but they won’t listen!”
Thousand Sunset’s anger rose. He decided to take a look himself, and led the guild’s elites along
with Zero Arsenic to the Sandy Plains.
When Ye Ci found out the fight between Steel-Blooded Battle Spear and Tang Dynasty, the battle
was already at its climax.
Tang Dynasty lived up to its name as the rank 2 guild in the Eastern Continent. Although it had no
First Bloods, the guild very well organized and has a strong sustainability. As soon as the
command was given by their Battle Commander, hordes of Tang Dynasty players swarmed into
the Sandy Plains.
Despite being a dark horse, Steel-Blooded Battle Spear was a new guild that was held together
with money. They were able to stand their ground in the beginning of the fight, but as Tang
Dynasty’s main force arrived, they were slowly pushed back. At that point, Thousand Sunsets no
longer cared about conserving their strength. He immediately called for reinforcements in the
guild channel, promising rewards in terms of DKP for those who were willing to join the battle,
and managed to hold the line.
Victory will increase Steel-Blooded Battle Spear’s ranking, but defeat will greatly humiliate the
guild.
In that situation, Thousand Sunsets had to try and win.
“Say, our guilds are at each other’s throats right now. My guild is already giving out benefits so
that our players will join the fight, isn’t your guild going to do anything?” Remote Depths ran
into Ye Ci who was on her way to complete her daily quest.
Ye Ci was momentarily stunned.
Steel-Blooded Battle Spear had a confrontation against Tang Dynasty? When did that start?
Thousand Sunsets was still having an idle chat with her one and a half hours ago, and he did not
mention anything about the fight. What the hell happened?
Ye Ci did not realize that since she had muted the guild channel, she would not know about it even
if the channel is in chaos, unless somebody sent her a private message.
“How long ago was that?”
“Around an hour I think,” Remote Depths thought for a short moment before asking, “Why?
You’re not joining the fight?”
It was a question that Ye Ci did not have an answer to. She instead threw the question back at
Remote Depths, “Why don’t you go?”
Remote Depths shook his head, “I finally have enough Strength to equip the Swordback Hold, I
ain’t going to that hellhole. There’s no skill involved in such battles, it’s a fight of sheer numbers.
What if I died and the shield dropped?”
“It’s not like I receive a salary from the guild. I’m not going as well.” Ye Ci answered. It was
something that she had thought deeply of. She had no sense of belonging at all to this guild. There
was no need for her to join the chaotic melee going on in Sandy Plains.
Besides, Wandering Cloud might still be holding a grudge against Ye Ci after her PK incident with
that person. He was still wary of Ye Ci because she knew about his arrangement in Floral
Apartment. What if he took the opportunity to take her out if she showed up?
That was why Ye Ci decided to not join in the fight.
A fight between guilds in the same continent was meaningless. They did it for honor, but it would
bring more harm than good to the guild. Despite being a big guild, there were still investors
behind the scenes. Would any investors waste their money in fighting such meaningless battles?
The situation was the same for Steel-Blooded Battle Spear.
At the beginning of the guild battle, both sides poured in considerable efforts in an attempt to gain
the upper hand. But when their core members began suffering casualties, they began to slowly pull
their elites off the frontlines and sent in the auxiliaries instead.
Such large scale battles do not require skills. All the participants needed to do was to charge in the
general direction of wherever everybody was charging. But even then, the auxiliaries were not
idiots, especially those who died and lost some of their equipments, and the battle slowly died
down.
By the time Ye Ci got wind of the situation, the only battles that were fought between both guilds
were in the global chat.
Sending a message in global chat cost 100 gold coins. Before the Game Coins to Real Word Cash
conversion system was introduced, 100 gold coins was considered a large sum. Even if both sides
were rich, the fight that got carried into the world chat finally died down.
Even after suffering massive losses, Steel-Blooded Battle Spear managed to fight Tang Dynasty
into a standstill. As news of the battle was posted in the forum, Steel-Blooded Battle Spear’s
popularity soared. Of course, Tang Dynasty would not take it quietly. Once again a battle between
the two guilds was ignited, but it was fought in the forums instead.
Even after the battle against an external enemy had ended, an internal struggle was still taking
place.
The leaders of the first and second squadron were extremely dissatisfied that Ye Ci did not show
up in the battle despite being the Battle Commander. They argued with Thousand Sunsets in the
guild conference room for hours. Even Zero Arsenic’s attempt to defuse the situation failed, and
they had no choice but to remove Ye Ci from the position of Battle Commander.
When Ye Ci received the system notification, she was on her way to meet Clear Moon. She
received no explanations. Ye Ci mysteriously lost her position as the Battle Commander, just like
how she mysteriously gained it.
Ye Ci however, did not mind. She had never once done her duties as a Battle Commander anyways.
After a few moments, she was contacted by Zero Arsenic, “Gongzi, we’re going to explore the
Frosty Wasteland the day after tomorrow. You’ll be the third in command. We’ll let Little Dan
and Crimson Millions try their best. If they can’t make it, you’ll be taking their place.”
Chapter 60 The Frosty Wasteland
On the surface, everybody was from the same guild. The guild was like a warm and loving family,
and its members were like brothers and sisters. But in reality, it was all nonsense, just like the
advertisements shown on TV.
As the saying goes, “don’t judge a medicine by its advertisement, but by its potency.”
Steel-Blooded Battle Spear had a fantastic advertisement, but its potency was mediocre.
Internally, the discrimination was real. Ye Ci’s treatment was the perfect example. The moment
she threatened the position of an influential member’s position, Ye Ci became a hindrance.
Ye Ci was dissatisfied after hearing the news from Zero Arsenic. It was not because she wanted
the position of the commander. In a party like this, she would rather go idling in a dungeon like
this… But as a commander, she’ll be given priority when distributing the loot, this was the one
thing she was interested in.
This was something that even Ye Ci could think of, so how could the higher-ups overlook it? Zero
Arsenic’s intention was to ensure that the fertile water did not flow into Ye Ci’s farm. [1]
Ye Ci was a Huntress, and there were also other Hunters and Huntresses in Steel-Blooded Battle
Spear. They did not wish to see Ye Ci having priority when it came down to loot distribution.
Ye Ci understood the logic behind it. What an understanding child she was. That was why she kept
quiet after hearing Zero Arsenic’s words.
Ye Ci remembered that the info on Frosty Wasteland provided by Fate officials was really very
vague. They rated the dungeon as “a dungeon so easy that it’s literally handing out equipment to
players.”
Was Frosty Wasteland as easy as the officials claimed it to be? Ye Ci grimaced. Those who didn’t
listen to officials might not be deemed good children, but trusting everything the officials said
didn’t necessarily make one a good child either.
Clear Moon was fishing by Pearl Lake at Shuna Heights.
“Weren’t you focusing on leveling up your Forging skill? When did you start fishing as well?”
Ye Ci sat on a small boat in the middle of the lake with Clear Moon. She dipped her legs into the
cold water. She couldn’t resist the urge to stretch as she enjoyed that sheer satisfaction.
“I recently acquired a recipe to craft some plating which can increase physical damage by 60
points. Tetra Fish Scales were one of the required materials, and this place has the most Tetra Fish
in the entire Eastern Continent.” Clear Moon spoke softly, not wanting to scare away the fish.
He handed a few platings to Ye Ci, “Sister, I made these yesterday. I was gonna mail them to you,
but there isn’t a single mailbox around here, so I can only hand it to you in person.”
Ye Ci accepted the platings without hesitation.
Tetra Plating: Can be socketed into armors and weapons. Increases physical damage by 60.
The Tetra Plating was a very good item. A normal equipment would need to be refined 6 to 8 times
before it was able to have a bonus 60 physical damage. Factoring in the chances of failure in
refining the equipment, it would cost players several hundred gold. But socketing a Tetra Plating
to a piece of equipment could easily solve the problem. In the future, if they could start to
purchase game credits, this item would be worth a lot.
Knowing that Clear Moon would not accept any monetary compensation from her, Ye Ci did not
bring up the matter. She simply left for Red Lake City after an idle chat with him. She then sent
him a bundle of ores afterwards.
Ye Ci did not receive any missions from Steel-Blooded Battle Spear the day before they explored
the Frosty Wasteland, so she was free. She decided to spend her free time by acquiring some
equipment for Remote Depths. Ye Ci contacted Clingy Wolf and invited a random Cleric along the
way, and the four of them entered a 5-man dungeon.
After a day of hard work, they had quite a fruitful return. Bai Mo was so overjoyed that he treated
Ye Ci and Liu Chang to a great meal.
After returning home that night, Ye Ci and Bai Mo had wanted to enter the game, but they
discovered an official notification that as the purchase of game credits was going to be made
available soon, the game would need to undergo maintenance for 20 hours.
Ye Ci estimated that after 20 hours of maintenance, it would be about 4 p.m. the next day. This
timing was not very good. The initial plan the Steel-Blooded Battle Spear had was to start
exploring from 8 a.m., but now the last minute system maintenance notification had messed up
their plans.
She came out from the gaming cabin, planning to rest earlier tonight, considering it as giving
herself a break. She had just washed up and laid down when she received Fang ShuShu’s call.
“Ye Ci, Ye Ci, I’m going crazy! Qin Churuo has been pestering me!” Fang ShuShu’s nagging
voice came through with a hint of sweetness, exploding next to Ye Ci’s ears.
“Isn’t this good?” Ye Ci grinned and said. Although she might not be able to tell what other
people were thinking, she understood Fang ShuShu’s very well. This lass had long had her sights
on Qin Churuo, but was just too shy to be the one to admit it.
“What are you saying! That’s not what I meant!” Fang ShuShu’s face turned flushed red.
Thankfully, Ye Ci could not see it, otherwise, she would definitely tease her. “I meant in the game!
He has been pestering me every day to introduce the two of you to each other.”
The corner of Ye Ci’s lips curled up as she said, “Is it for exploring the Frosty Wasteland?”
Fang ShuShu didn’t even try to hide it, “That’s right. We’ve been in the Frosty Wasteland for
three days. We haven’t even seen the first BOSS yet, but we’ve died so many times that I can’
t even afford to repair my equipment.”
“Steel-Blooded Battle Spear is also planning to explore that dungeon tomorrow.” Ye Ci was
astonished over how secretive and fast World Conqueror was. To think that no news was leaked
despite the fact that they had been exploring the dungeon for three days. It was obviously easier to
keep students in line.
When Fang ShuShu heard Ye Ci’s words, she knew that there was no chance for her to save them,
and thus stopped the conversation about the game. They then continued to have a heart to heart
talk for a while before respectively heading to bed.
The next day, after waiting very long for the system to be available again, Ye Ci went online at 4
p.m. on the dot.
Many of the people from Steel-Blooded Battle Spear had already arrived, all of them in a
commotion over the recent system upgrade. Previously, many of them had suffered enough as
poor people, and now that they could purchase credits, almost everyone had planned to purchase
some. It was a pity that even the items that were put up for auction had also soared in price, so
those who were poor continued to remain poor, while those who were rich, continued to be so as
well.
The equipment of the Steel-Blooded Battle Spear’s first and second squadron were ready, thus
they decided to move in at the same time. Ye Ci was assigned to the first squadron. Since the
previous experience of having 15 of them overcoming the Automatons Formation, many of the
members were familiar with her. The moment she joined the party, Cherry Blossom and the others
immediately greeted her warmly.
This was supposedly not a big deal, but because of the issue with Ye Ci’s position as the Battle
Commander, Little Dan, who was in charge, was not very pleased. With so many members
greeting Ye Ci, his face turned cold. He spoke out, “If everyone’s here, let’s move in. So much
time has been wasted due to the system upgrade, let’s not waste any more time.”
Ye Ci took a look at the party members. Almost all the elites in the guild were here. There were
even guild administrators, including Thousand Sunsets, Zero Arsenic, and Peacock Blue,
Their exploration progress was very smooth.
As expected of the commander in of the first squadron, Little Dan’s greatest trait was his calm
and rational way of dealing with things. When there were unexpected situations, he would be able
to make the best judgements in the shortest time possible. His voice was loud, and gave others a
feeling of excitement and hot-bloodedness.
However, Ye Ci felt that his commands were a little too naggy. He treated everything with great
importance, no matter how trivial it was, and had also had a low tolerance for mistakes.
Although having such a commander would allow them to progress steadily, it was too restrictive
and the commander was worrying too much. Usually, it would not be possible for them to
continue with such a setup in a 100-man dungeon. This was also the biggest reason why even
though Little Dan was a great commander in a dungeon for 25 people, he could not be considered
an important role for commanding dungeons meant for more than 25 people.
After proceeding on for 15 minutes and having defeated 7 to eight groups of monsters
consecutively, Peacock Blue typed in the channel, “This dungeon really doesn’t look tough.
Little Dan, buck up, we must get through this today and get the first kill. Don’t make us have to
change to another commander later.” (When exploring dungeons as a party, other than the
commander being able to speak, all other party members were muted and were only able to type in
the chat.)
Little Dan grinned and said humbly, “We’re just starting out, don’t speak too soon.” Although
he said this, Ye Ci could sense a hint of pride in his tone.
She knew that Peacock Blue’s words were meant for her, but she did not feel angry. However,
Cherry Blossom privately messaged her, “Gongzi, ignore Peacock Blue. This is how she talks,
but she’s quite pitiful also.”
Ye Ci smiled at Cherry Blossom and asked casually, “What’s so pitiful about her?”
“She likes Thousand Sunsets, but even though Thousand Sunsets knows about it, he pretends not
to know and continues to go on with his things. She is a guild administrator, how could she not
feel bad? Therefore, as time passes, she became a little...” Cherry Blossom let out a sigh and said
with some disdain, “It’s just crap.”
This was really complicated. The two of them quickly ended the conversation and followed the
rest of the team. Those who were supposed to just laze around did so, while the others continued
to carry out the commands given.
Very soon, the team arrived at the first infrastructure that seemed to be more complete and entered
the desolate wasteland. Ye Ci no longer left her guard down and started to treat this more
seriously.
It was because it was only from this point onward that they were really considered to have entered
the Frozen Wasteland. Compared to the monsters they had encountered earlier, what they would
be encountering from now onward was truly what was dangerous. Unlike how the entire party was
moving on boldly, Ye Ci was being extremely careful, looking in detail at every spot they passed
by.
Suddenly, she heard panicky cries at the front of the party. She lifted her head to see that a
Warrior’s legs had been frozen and was made immobile. Not only that, he also continued to have
his life drained because of the “Frozen” debuff. The Cleric immediately healed him to keep him
alive.
Surprised, Ye Ci immediately called out in the channel, “Stop the healing.”
“If the healing is stopped, he’ll die. I’m the one in command now. Continue.” Little Dan
immediately rebutted in the channel and gave the orders.
Ye Ci frowned and immediately retreated a few steps. Since they wanted to court death, there was
no reason for her to join them.
She only backed off for a few meters when she heard a few more panicked cries...
Finally able to get un-grounded, so here's a chapter, it's been awhile.
And since somebody had mention something about my Patreon, I'll be frank with you guys.
I appreciate your support on Patreon. It's what allows me to translate the novel we all love, so I'm
thankful for those who do support me. I don't give out things on my Patreon like others do, so I
realize that when you donate, it's because you love the novel. And really, if you think my Patreon
messages are "shameless", you always have the choice of unsubscribing. It would be good for
people to pledge their support on Patreon because of their love for the novel, not because of the
incentives. But ayy, because of awesome people like you, I continue to translate. Thanks again.
Contrarary to popular believe, not all translators translate as a career. Some of us do it for the
money, yes, but there are many of us who did it as a hobby, or a process of self-enrichment. I for
one, translated Reign of the Hunters because I like the novel, and wanted to share it with the
community. I have life out there, and I apologize if real life stuff get in the way of me translating.
But ayy, gotta respect the person paying for the roof that I'm living under.
Patch notes:
Frosty Wastes is now Frosty Wasteland
Chapter 61 The Beginning of the End
Ice covered everything as far as the eyes could see, transforming the depressing atmosphere of the
dungeon into an enchanting scenery.
Ye Ci and a few ranged players were the only ones who survived the wave of frost, while the rest
of the party were frozen solid. Their HP dropped rapidly under the effect of frost damage.
“Those Clerics who aren’t frozen, hurry up and heal!” shouted Little Dan, who had not
expected something like this to happen.
The Cleric who previously casted a healing spell was already frozen solid. Cherry Blossom was
the only healer left among those players who could still move. She was standing not far away from
Ye Ci, and she immediately raised her staff and chanted a spell slowly after hearing the order from
Little Dan. It was the Novice Mass Light Healing.
Ye Ci was very familiar with the spell. As a veteran Human Sorceress, she spent most of her time
dealing with Clerics. She could tell the skill that a Cleric was releasing just by looking at the
character ’ s action while casting the spell. But what surprised Ye Ci was the fact that
Steel-Blooded Battle Spear managed to acquire a skillbook for that healing skill.
Novice Mass Light Healing: Randomly heals a small amount of health of 8 random teammates
within a 20 yards radius of the caster. Casting time: 5 seconds, cooldown: 8 seconds
Most Clerics in the earlier stages of the game do not have any AOE healing spell. A mass healing
spell is the deciding factor of a party’s survivability and endurance.
But it was not the case this time.
The problem here was that if Cherry Blossom casted any healing spell, she would be the next to
get frozen, along with the players within a 15 yards radius of her position.
“Cherry, don’t heal…” Ye Ci immediately tried to stop her.
Little Dan exploded angrily, “Don’t tell me you’re just going to let them die? Gongzi You,
where’s your team spirit? Don’t you know there’s a death penalty?”
Cherry Blossom looked at Ye Ci with doubt in her eyes, and the latter sent her a private message,
“Drink a large health potion later.”
Cherry Blossom was alarmed. She understood that something bad would happen to her. As she
was about to stop the incantation, Little Dan roared in anger, “Cherry, hurry up and heal them
up!”
Her long term obedience kicked in and she continued casting the spell.
Knowing that it was impossible to stop Cherry Blossom from casting the spell, Ye Ci roughly
calculated the distance between Cherry Blossom and herself and darted away. Cherry Blossom let
out a surprised yelp just as Ye Ci stopped 15 yards away from her.
Just as expected, Cherry Blossom was frozen along with the players around her.
“Phew, that’s peculiar.” a lost gasp entered Ye Ci’s ears. She turned around, and noticed that
a Rogue had also managed to escape the freeze’s area of effect.
Ye Ci was slightly surprised. She had not expected someone to have retreated away from the
freeze’s area of effect. She did it out of her past life’s experience. So what caused the Rogue to
have the same reaction? The Rogue grinned at her, “Heh, Gongzi You, we meet again.”
The person was an Undead Rogue with ashen skin and withered limbs. His sunken eye sockets hid
his pitch-black eyes. The Rogue was able to catch up with Ye Ci despite his small build, meaning
that he was a full-Agility Rogue.
Ye Ci initially felt that he was somewhat familiar-looking and realized that he was the only Rogue
who have not left the party when she led the first squadron to secure the Automaton Formation
First Five.
The Rogue’s name was Evil Winds. Ye Ci had not noticed anything out of the ordinary about the
Rogue, but his performance a few moments ago was a surprise to Ye Ci. She responded with a
smile of her own, “Well met indeed.”
Evil Winds chuckled and looked at Little Dan. His tone was as if he was telling Little Dan ‘this
has nothing to do with me’ as he asked, “Little Dan, are you guys going to leave the dungeon, or
do you want the both of us to go die as well?”
Little Dan couldn’t help but felt depressed as he glanced at the two surviving players and sighed,
“We’ll leave the dungeon. Help us pick up our equipment.”
“Sure, y’all can go rest in peace now.” Evil Winds let out another chuckle.
There was nothing wrong with the sentence itself. But it brought out different feelings for different
audiences. For those who were frozen, they almost coughed up blood. As for Ye Ci, it was as if he
was taking joy in the misfortunes of the other party members.
But truth to be told, watching silently while the rest of the party slowly got annihilated was
something quite wonderful, especially when numbers signifying the loss of their HP floated on
their heads constantly.
Within 20 seconds, 23 of the party members who were frozen vanished into flashes of white light
and left the dungeon.
Evil Winds spoke up just at that moment, “Gongzi, how are we going to retrieve all o’ that
equipment?”
Ye Ci remained silent. She turned around and looked at Evil Winds, who laughed, “I think they
must’ve stepped on some sorta OP trap. But I noticed that you were being very cautious as you
moved about. I thought you’ve had something figured out.”
“It’s nothing, I’ve merely picked a safe path that was already taken by somebody else.” Ye Ci
nodded. The Rogue was good. Even if his mechanical skills failed to leave an impression on Ye Ci,
his perception of the situation was excellent.
Evil Winds did not doubt Ye Ci’s words. He nodded at her and said, “I’ll go retrieve the
equipment.”
“I’ll go.”
Evil Winds smiled and shook his head,“You’re obviously the better among the both of us. If I die,
you can still clean up my mess. However if you fail, I don’t think I’d have the ability to pull it off.
So I’ll go.” he stood up and moved towards the closest piece of equipment.
Ye Ci did not reject his offer, and paid close attention to his movements.
Rogues have the highest Perception among all of the classes, just like how Hunters have the
highest Balance.
A heightened Perception allows Rogues who were usually soft targets to detect danger and allows
them to be more aware of their surroundings. Whenever Evil Winds took a step forward, he would
turn his head around and observe his surrounding carefully. He was using his Racial Trait, Detect
Danger.
Under such circumstances, Evil Winds was able to safely retrieve every single piece of equipment
and walk away safely.
Before he could sit down and rest, footsteps could be heard in the area. It was the players who had
revived themselves and they were led by Thousand Sunsets. After Evil Winds returned the items to
his comrades, Little Dan spoke up, “Are you the one who retrieved all the items?”
Evil Winds did not deny it, and Little Dan continued after a slight pause, “You take point. Lead
the way with your Racial Trait. I want the rest of you to follow him closely.”
Evil Winds hesitated before nodding in confirmation, “Alright.”
The party members replenished themselves, repaired their equipment, casted BUFFs on
themselves, and were ready to move out.
Ye Ci furrowed her eyebrows. Having Evil Winds lead the way did not solve the root of their
problems.
And it was just the first problem they would face in the Frosty Wasteland.
Frosty Wasteland was a “very easy” dungeon according to Fate officials. But were their words
right or wrong? There was no definite answer. It depended wholly on the definition of “simple”
and “difficult”.
It it was compared to the dungeons in the later stages of the game, Frosty Wasteland was of course
child ’ s play. But at this period of time … The difficulty of the Frosty Wasteland was
unprecedented.
Fate is a game that stressed heavily on teamwork. This teamwork was not limited to the average
player. It also includes the teamwork between the normal players and the life players. And this
stage of the dungeon was exactly one that is testing the capability of a life player’s culinary skill.
There was an invisible monster hidden not far away from the party’s position, and its biggest
weakness was gluttony. Players must place a dish called “Fragrant Seafood” at a very specific
location to trick the monster into showing itself. Upon appearance, it will cast an AOE spell that
will annihilate any players within a 35 yards radius. The skill will activate an old clock tower not
far away from the players.
Players must position themselves according to the clock hand or risk being frozen. As soon as
somebody casted a spell on the player who was frozen, players within a 15 yards radius around the
caster will in turn be frozen.
When the players reposition themselves, ranged players must focus all of their attacks on the
invisible monster. If the damage output did not hit the requirement set by the system within a
certain amount of time. The monster will release the same AOE skill when its HP hits 80%, 60%,
40%, and 20%. If the party was unable to dish out enough damage, the only thing that awaits them
was annihilation.
But the monster was only an appetizer. In the face of the dungeon’s BOSS, it was very simple.
Evil Winds advanced slowly and carefully. He was able to sense a grave, unknown dangerous
presence looming ahead, but was unable to find its exact location.
Perspiration formed on his forehead. He eventually stopped, and sent a private message to Ye Ci,
“Gongzi, I can feel a dangerous presence ahead, but I can’t locate it.”
“Be careful and pay close attention to your surroundings and see if you can find any hints.” Ye
Ci of course could not tell him that there was an invisible monster resting not 30 yards away from
him.
Evil Winds listened intently and heard a soft voice. He took a step forward reflectively and heard
the system announcement, “You have been frozen by the Wasteland’s ice…”
A crippling pain crept up his body along his legs, and Evil Winds felt panic rising in his heart…
Chapter 62 A Confusing Difficulty
“Heal.” Little Dan ordered without any hesitation.
Ye Ci retreated without any hesitation either. Her movements were rapid as she retreated to a spot
which was 15 yards away from the last player with lightning speed.
As a party leader, one must be observant and alert. Ye Ci’s movements were naturally detected by
Little Dan. While he ordered them to cast a healing spell, he asked Ye Ci, “Gongzi You, why are
you retreating? I haven’t given you any orders to retreat…”
Before he could even finished his sentence, members of the party let out blood-curdling screams.
They were all frozen after the Cleric cast the healing spell.
Ye Ci had retreated far enough and was out of the battle. She sat down pleasantly. There was a
slight mocking tone in her cheerful voice. “There ought to be someone to stay here and help you
all pick up your equipment.”
Little Dan was filled with gloom because the party was going to be annihilated again, and also
because Ye Ci was acting as if this was none of her business. “Let’s hurry back into the dungeon
again,” he said angrily and didn’t say anything else after that.
Ye Ci was blinded by the white glow from the death of other players in no time. She squinted her
eyes as the corner of her mouth lifted cooly into a faint smile. “This is really quite a splendid
scenery.”
By the time the party had once again returned to the dungeon, the equipment they had dropped
were all neatly arranged on the floor. Ye Ci was still sitting at the same spot, as if she had never
budged.
No one spoke. People who had dropped their equipment picked them up from beside Ye Ci before
quietly sitting down to recover their HP.
To be annihilated two times in a row was quite a blow to their confidence. Even Peacock Blue,
who had always been arrogant, was silent right now and seemed to be in low-spirits.
There was an old saying in dungeons: You must be alive to be useful.
No matter what class you were, if you wanted to have a high DP, or to tank against monsters, or
even have the highest heal value, you must be able to satisfy the first rule, which was also the only
bottom line - to survive. One could only be able to display their greatest strength when they were
alive. If they were a dead body, even the most awesome player would only be a good-for-nothing
who free loaded on experience points and equipment.
Although the Steel-Blooded Battle Spear was a new guild, they have managed to clear quite a few
dungeons. The reason was naturally understood by everyone who was a member.
So right now, no one dared to blame Ye Ci about anything. She had only done the most accurate
choice under the worst situation.
Little Dan didn’t say anything either. He just sat at one corner, silently staring at the ruins that
weren’t really special ahead of them while he reflected on the problems and the lessons they had
gained through these two annihilations. After awhile, he turned his head to look at Evil Winds,
“Evil, did you discover anything just now?”
“I only sensed a great danger ahead of us. There should be an Elite Monster there. But I canno
detect it.”
“Have you tried using Detection?”
“Not yet.”
Little Dan nodded and then ordered another Elf Rogue from the party to follow the route that Evil
Winds had taken just now towards the area ahead of them to cast Detection. After just a short
while, he heard the rogue scream as he got frozen once again.
Little Dan wasn’t panicked. He just remained stoic as he quietly ordered another healer to heal
him and then quietly observed Ye Ci. When he discovered Ye Ci standing up immediately to
retreat a distance after he ordered for a heal, he pretended to retreat by accident too and retreated
to almost the same distance as Ye Ci.
He then turned to the front again. As soon as the cleric started to chant the healing spell, the ice
that had enveloped the rogue quickly travelled towards that cleric and instantly froze her. Not only
that, the other few players who were within 15 yards radius from the cleric got frozen again too.
So this was how it was.
Little Dan had finally figured out the pattern and the things that would trigger the ice to freeze the
players as well as its freezing radius. He threw Ye Ci another glance again. Although he was still
pissed over the incident when Ye Ci was made the Battle Commander, he couldn’t deny the fact
that this Huntress’s observation skills were extremely formidable when it came to PVE.
After greeting a few people who had been resurrected, Little Dan seized the opportunity to talk
while everyone was still recovering. “After thinking through about it just now, there must be
some sort of mechanism in the area ahead and this mechanism is very concealed. If we step on it
by accident, we will be frozen.” He stopped here and lifted his head to look at the previous spot
where the rogue got frozen then confirmed again. “Players within a radius of 20 yards from the
first person who got frozen will also be frozen. We will basically die once we get frozen.”
He paused for a moment and looked at everyone. He discovered that they were all attentively
listening to his analysis so he subconsciously casted a glance at Ye Ci again. But instead, he saw
that she was just polishing the bow in her hands with her head lowered and he couldn’t see the
expression on her face. He let out a sigh again but didn’t say anything.
“Those who are frozen shouldn’t be healed. Otherwise the person who is healing them and those
who are within a 15 yards radius from that healer will also be frozen.” Little Dan’s eyebrows
were knitted together again as he explained. “Not only healing, anyone who attacks with magic
spells will also be frozen.” He continued uncertainly.
Ye Ci was only polishing the Icy Shortbow. She had already embedded a Tetra Plating on it to
slightly raise its attack. With that, it had only barely be able to perform on par. If it wasn’t for its
additional effect of reducing agility, it was really time for this shortbow to be retired.
Ye Ci didn’t show any emotions in particular towards Little Dan’s speculations. Little Dan was a
decent leader. If he couldn’t even make such deductions on this kind of pattern even after dying
consecutively for a few times, then he really couldn’t live up to his reputation of being a decent
leader. However, just knowing these few things wasn’t enough. He needed to figure out how to
solve this.
As for how to solve this… She wasn’t the leader so it was none of her business.
Although Little Dan had figured out the theory, he still had no idea on how to solve it and had led
the party to its consecutive annihilation for another few times. However, he had been consciously
following Ye Ci’s movements, so his death counts were less than the other players. But this
situation wasn’t any better either.
Especially when it came to the special rules of the death penalties in Fate.
After level 10, player would drop by one level regardless of how they died outside of dungeon and
zero to two of their equipment would be dropped by random. There wouldn’t be any penalties for
dying under 20 times a day within the dungeon, but the equipment’s endurance would be reduced
and a few equipments would be dropped by random. These could be fixed by money. However, if
the death count went over 20 times in one day within the dungeon, 50% experience points would
be deducted.
So normally if a player had died 20 times in a dungeon, they would not continue playing anymore.
After all, levelling up after level 10 was a very difficult task. Any slight deduction in experience
points would be a heartache to anyone, let alone losing 50% experience points every time.
This area was indeed a difficult one. If one was going to find a solution without any guides, there
wouldn’t be any results even after dying 50 times. The party had been stuck here for too long,
from 4’o clock in the afternoon until almost midnight, but they were still not making much
progress.
The team sat together to discuss among themselves but nothing was really working.
Ye Ci was growing drowsy at one side instead. The characters in game could eat the food in game
to allay their hunger
Without eating for so many hours and without any nutrient fluids provided, Ye Ci was about to
pass out from her hunger. To make the situation worse, Remote Depths was dropping her a private
message of dishes names every hour, which drove her even crazier.
“How many times can everyone still die?” The dungeon’s death count reset every morning at 7
o’clock. Little Dan looked at the time and it was already 1 o’clock in the morning.
“6 times.”
“8 times.”
“7 times.”
“……”
After going around, the lowest count was only 3 times. The most was of course, Ye Ci. She didn’t
die even once.
Little Dan frowned as he listened to the death counts. This really didn’t look good.
All of a sudden, Thousand Sunsets spoke up. “Little Dan, why not let Gongzi You lead?”
Little Dan was a bit shocked and immediately turned around to look at him. He then looked at
Gongzi You who was leaning against the wall drowsily before shifting his gaze back to Thousand
Sunsets again and shook his head. “Thousand Sunsets, you should believe in me,” he insisted.
Thousand Sunsets opened his mouth, as if about to say something again, but Little Dan was still
shaking his head insistently. “She’s never been here before, too. You have to believe in me in this
kind of situation.”
In the end, his insistence was still compromised by Thousand Sunsets. Thousand Sunsets nodded
his head and gave Little Dan a pat on his shoulder. “The person with the highest death count only
has three more chances. You better make the most of it. If things still don’t work out, think about
it after you go offline. You will still be leading tomorrow. If we still can’t clear this tomorrow, I’
ll have to switch the leader.”
Little Dan took a deep breath as he gathered the party once again.
The outcome wasn’t really of any difference. After the whole night’s confusion, they were only
certain that there was a powerful elite monster at a place no one could see, and this monster was
groaning about being ‘hungry’ in a very soft voice. Other than that, they basically ended up
empty-handed.
Ye Ci crawled out of the gaming cabin, about to be starved to death. She dashed into the kitchen.
Bai Mo had left some food for here there, but she couldn’t be bothered to heat it up in the
microwave and shoved it right into her mouth. Everyone had something they couldn’t tolerate and
for Ye Ci, hunger was something she couldn’t tolerate the most. Skipping one meal was her
highest limit. If she were to skip two meals… she was pretty sure someone would have to come
collect her corpse.
Ye Ci went online early the next day. She had initially planned to buy some stuff off the auction
before heading to the dungeon. However she had received a last minute notice that the meeting of
the leaders of the first and second squadron would hold a meeting to discuss the strategy of
clearing the dungeon, and their operation to start clearing the dungeon was delayed to 6pm on the
same day.
But it was only 8 in the morning right now…
If they were going to change the time, they should have informed earlier. At the very least she
could have slept in.
While she was fuming, she heard a system notification…
Chapter 63 Second Rally
“The player Flawless Reflection would like to add you as a friend.”
Qin Churuo? Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. Senior Qin was a person with his own principles.
He must’ve decided to contact Ye Ci personally instead of troubling Fang Shushu as the
middleman.
She accepted the friend request.
Qin Churuo immediately contacted Ye Ci. After giving Ye Ci a conventional greeting, he stated his
intention for contacting her,“Gongzi You, we’re stuck before we could even reach the first BOSS.
Our Rogues figured out that there was an Elite Monster hidden somewhere, but we just couldn’t
find it. I thought it was a BUG, but the officials claimed that there was nothing wrong with it. Do
you have any ways of getting past that guy?”
World Conqueror’s progress was hindered by the same problem faced by Steel-Blooded Battle
Spear. Ye Ci gave thought about the matter for a moment, and then decided to not share any info
with Qin Churuo.
She had always been a responsible person. Since she was still part of Steel-Blooded Battle Spear,
and have not helped the guild to clear the dungeon yet, she would never share any information
with somebody else. “We’re stuck at the same place as well.”
Ye Ci managed to dodge Qin Churuo’
s question skillfully. She avoided the topic of her knowledge
of a possible solution to the problem, and instead directed her words towards Steel-Blooded Battle
Spear’s progress.
Thinking that Ye Ci had no solution for getting past the Elite Monster either, Qin Churuo let out a
sigh. “This dungeon is so hard. I thought that as a leader of a party, you’d know a thing or two.”
Ye Ci laughed, “I’m not the one in charge.”
“What?” Flawless Reflection was shocked, “I’ve heard rumors that you’ll be leading
Steel-Blooded Battle Spear’s progress in exploring the Frosty Wastelands. That was why all the
other guilds were so desperate to clear the dungeon. They’re afraid that you guys will get the First
Blood. Why are you not the one in charge?”
Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. She had no knowledge about the rumor. She had unintentionally
let a vital piece of information slip. Unable to come out with an excuse to cover it up, Ye Ci said,
“We’re taking turns to command the party.”
Flawless Reflection’s suspicion was not aroused. After all, every guild has multiple commanders,
and each of them needed time to familiarize themselves with the dungeon.
“Since you’re not the current commander, how about helping us out? I will fully compensate
you.” Flawless Reflection immediately had the thought of enticing Ye Ci.
Ye Ci however, declined the offer, and Flawless Reflection decided to let that matter go. He
instead asked for Ye Ci to share information with him if her guild managed to make any progress.
While the two was busy chatting, another conversation was taking place. Dong Yin who was
unable to find Ye Ci during the meeting of the first and second squadron sent Thousand Sunsets a
private message, “Thousand, why is Little Ci not here?”
“Oh, this is a meeting for core members, she was not informed.” Replied Thousand Sunsets.
“Isn’t she one of the commanders?”
“She was not the one in charge yesterday, she wouldn’t know anything. So it’s meaningless to
call her over anyways. Besides, she’s famous, I don’t want to waste too much of her time.”Ssaid
Thousand Sunsets to Dong Yin with a dull tone.
“B-but she obtained so many First Bloods, maybe she’s experienced in this kind of stuff. Don’
t we need more ideas and opinions to solve this dungeon? Besides, she’s so skillful…”
Thousand Sunset’s anger began to rise. He knew that Gongzi You was very capable, and had tried
his best to buy her loyalty. But he came to realise that Gongzi You’s thoughts were not as simple
as those that a normal 18 year old would have. She was not as easy to manipulate as Dong Yin and
Yi Cang. That was why Thousand Sunsets began to harbor some hostility towards Ye Ci.
A capable person who couldn’t be controlled was of course less favourable than his brothers that
were like his own arms.
His lack of restriction towards Ye Ci earlier on, followed by appointing her as Battle Commander
and granting her access to the Guild Warehouse were his attempts to buy her loyalty. Thousand
Sunsets had never expected Ye Ci to be so unenthusiastic towards Steel-Blooded Battle Spear.
That was the main source of his anger. Ye Ci’s behavior of passiveness after being provoked by
Little Dan had also provoked Thousand Sunsets’ anger.
Must she throw a fit after being reprimanded by the commander? Although she was probably right
in that matter, would it hurt to just let it go? Can’t she give some constructive suggestions about
clearing the dungeon? Was she a princess or something?
Thousand Sunsets cut Dong Yin off before she could say more, “I granted her access to the Guild
Warehouse exactly because she’s skillful. I even made her the guild’s Battle Commander. But
what has she done for the guild? She didn’t even show up during our battle with Tang Dynasty.
Little Dan and Crimson deserved the position more than her, but I gave her that position anyways.
But how did she repay me? It’s just a few First Bloods, does that give her the right to be so high
and mighty? She doesn’t even give a shit about the guild’s regulations. I have never doubted her
capabilities, but someone must also have a good personality. One must not forget the guild even
when one becomes famous. Yin Yin, let me tell you something, stay away from people like this.
She’s selfish and cold. She might sell you out someday.”
Dong Yin was also angry after listening to Thousand Sunsets’ words, “We’ve known each other
for more than 10 years. I know her very well. She’s just awkward when it comes to social
interaction. She’s a good person.”
Thousand Sunsets creased his eyebrows. He did not want to argue with Dong Yin. A little girl like
her was always overly naive and stubborn. It was very hard to change her views once she made up
her mind.
He started his relationship with Dong Yin because she was a childhood friend of Ye Ci. He had
hoped to gain useful information from Ye Ci through Dong Yin. But Ye Ci had never shared any
guides and tips with her. This gave him an impression that Gongzi You was someone who would
disregard even her best friends.
He sneered at Dong Yin, “If she’s such a good person, why don’t she tell you anything about the
Armored Giant Tortoise when asked?”
Dong Yin was made speechless. She stared at the sneer showing on Thousand Sunset’s face. Was
this the Thousand Sunsets who had always treated her very very well? Was this the Thousand
Sunsets that wouldn’t even use any harsh words on her?
Deep down, Dong Yin knew that Thousand Sunsets accepted her because of her relationship with
Ye Ci. But she had always tried to convince herself that it was not the truth. She was deeply
shocked by Thousand Sunsets’ sudden words.
She suddenly remembered something Ye Ci had said to her.
“It doesn’t matter if he’s a good person. The most important thing is: Does he treat you well?”
Noticing Dong Yin’s silence, Thousand Sunsets softened his tone, “Yin Yin, you’re different
from people like Ye Ci. You’re pure and sincere, while she’s cunning and calculative. I’m afraid
that you’ll get hurt by her. That sort of person would never be accepted into a guild if not for us
taking her in. She has absolutely no team spirit.
Dong Yin stood up, slapped away Thousand Sunsets’ hand that was resting on her shoulders, and
left the conference room. This attracted the attention of the others who were present. Thousand
Sunsets merely waved his hand, “She’s just throwing a tantrum, don’t mind her.”
Dong Yin sought out Liu Chang after leaving the conference room. She had intended to tell Liu
Chang the whole story, but in the end kept it to herself.
Not able to leave Red Lake City, as her guild would resume exploring Frosty Wasteland later that
day, Ye Ci had nothing to do but loiter around the city while clearing her daily quests. Through her
efforts, her Military Rank had risen from First Rank Soldier to Second Rank Soldier.
After completing her daily quests, Ye Ci hunted for beasts nearby the city and collected their meat
to level up her cooking skills. Ol’ Three’s appetite increased along with his level. He was no
longer satisfied with normal food. This was why Ye Ci was forced to learn some cooking skills.
At 5pm that evening, Ye Ci went offline with Bai Mo to eat dinner before going back online.
She went online just in time to gather with the party at 6pm.
The entry limit for a 25-man dungeon was once a day. If one wished to store their progress, they’d
need to pay certain amount of gold coins according to the dungeon’s difficulty to a specific NPC.
There was, however, no need for the party to record their progress, as they had not even met the
first BOSS. They started all over again, but the atmosphere was gloomy, and even Peacock Blue
was overly quiet.
When they reached the place where their progress was halted, Little Dan immediately ordered a
Rogue to remove all his equipment before he placed some food at a very specific spot.
Little Dan and company were quite smart. They were able to figure out the key to lure out the
invisible monster within a day. But with nearly 200 different kinds of food, it would take a long
time for them to figure out the right one.
Ye Ci sighed as she watched the Rogue.
If the food placed by the invisible monster was not the one it liked, the person who placed the food
would be killed instantly. Ye Ci could still remember the countless lives lost when players tried
offering different sorts of food to lure the monster out. It could be said that the path to clearing the
dungeon was paved by the corpses of countless players.
Chapter 64 Dispute for Commander’s Position
When the Rogue retreated to a distance about 10 yards away from the food, an angry voice rang
out, “Shameless fools, do you think this will make me happy? I’ll punish your insolence!”
The voice was not loud, but it echoed around the enclosed space, causing headaches to the players.
Their hit points even dropped a little.
The Rogue who placed the food wasn’t as lucky. He was turned into a giant popsicle and died
instantly.
The Rogue didn’t drop any equipment, as he had removed everything before placing the food. He
revived himself and continued to try different types of food. He tried 10 times, and was killed each
time without finding the correct type of food. After his 10th attempt, he looked at Little Dan and
shook his head, “Brother Dan, I have no food left.”
Little Dan nodded and said to Evil Winds, who had also removed all his equipment, “Evil, it’s
your turn.”
It didn’t take long for Evil Winds to die for 10 times as well. He also indicated that he ran out of
food.
Little Dan sighed, “Seems like these 20 foods are no good.” He then turned towards Thousand
Sunsets, “I’ll ask Crimson if they made any progress.” Judging from Little Dan’s facial
expression after contacting Crimson Millions, they had failed as well.
“Forget about it, we’ll try again tomorrow. We’ve exhausted all the food we brought.”
Thousand Sunsets was annoyed. He stood up and was about to leave the dungeon.
Ye Ci wrinkled her eyebrows. They were going to try again tomorrow? How long would it take
with such trial and error method? Ye Ci let out a breath. She no longer cared if she was not the
person in charge. They were ultimately wasting her time as well. She would rather spend her time
doing something else. She stood up and spoke softly, “Let me try.”
Thousand Sunsets was momentarily stunned. He had not expected Ye Ci to act. He was also
curious at the same time. Had this Huntress figured out the problem that they’d spent a whole day
trying to crack? He the asked, “You’ve prepared some food?”
“It dropped from a monster.” Ye Ci replied with a random answer, and it cleared any suspicions
that Thousand Sunsets had. He pursed his lips. It appeared to him that Ye Ci was only good in
solving the smaller dungeons that were not so difficult, and she was less experienced than Little
Dan when it came to the larger dungeons.
After all, she was an 18 year old girl.
Little Dan had been staring at Ye Ci ever since she spoke. He watched as she moved with careful
steps towards a position entirely different from where the previous 2 Rogues had placed their food,
“Gongzi You, your position is wrong. You can’t do it from there.”
Wrong position? Can’t do it from there? Ye Ci’s lips almost twitched. She had placed the
Fragrant Seafood countless times in her last life, and now somebody was telling her that her
position was wrong.
“I’m just trying it out.”
Little Dan was a little unhappy after hearing Ye Ci’s answer. He did not remind her to unequip her
gear, and was even looking forward to watching her die and drop her equipment.
Despite doing the same thing, the vast difference between their skills was obvious. A Hunter’s
Perception was lower than that of a Rogue’s, and they do not have the Detection skill. Despite
that, Ye Ci’s steps were light as feather, and she was able to reach the spot in no time.
After quickly placing the food, Ye Ci bent her knees and leapt onto a rock. Using it as a
springboard, she leapt gracefully into the air and landed amidst the party members.
She completed the action within seconds, and her grace attracted countless pairs of eyes.
Just as she landed, a hoarse voice sounded, “Mortals are always the most pretentious. Do you
think I’ll let you live just because you brought my favorite food? No! You mortals only deserve
the embrace of death!”
Ye Ci immediately shouted, “Back off now, as far as you can!” She chose not to include the safe
distance of 35 yards to avoid the attack, as it would be very hard to explain herself later on.
Most of the players in the first squadron had the experience of being under Ye Ci’s command and
were able to react immediately. Little Dan was surprised that Ye Ci had survived after placing the
food, but he was also annoyed when Ye Ci immediately instructed the party to back off right after
landing in their midst. Who’s the one in command here?
Little Dan’s anger increased when he realised that most of the players have reacted to Ye Ci’s
instruction. He spoke loudly, “You guys, hurry up and back off, listen to my commands!”
Ye Ci had warned the players out of reflex, and had not put much thought in it. She was
momentarily stunned by Little Dan’s words.
It was like a slap to her face.
Somebody patted her shoulder. It was Thousand Sunsets. He smiled at Ye Ci, “Don’t mind him,
he was supposed to be the one in charge, after all.”
Ye Ci twitched her lips. Little Dan’s reaction was totally unnecessary. She did not have the
intention to steal all the glory. It was very ungraceful for a such a big guild to act so stingy over
something so trivial. Ye Ci’s anger was ignited. She made the decision to never intervene no
matter how high the casualty of the first squadron was.
The party retreated 35 yards away from the invisible monster, the Wasteland Lurker, and dodged
its ultimate thanks to Ye Ci’s warning.
But another challenge immediately arose. As the Wasteland Lurker devoured the Fragrant Seafood,
a layer of frost seeped up from underneath a slanting clock tower not far away.
The layer of frost spread towards the crowd with a slow but steady speed. If players in the
dungeon did not position themselves according to the clock hand, they would be frozen. There
were also skills that could counter the frost, such as a Cleric’s Expel Frost, a Warlock’s Resist
and a Hunter’s Feigned Death.
Unfortunately, Expel Frost and Resist had very low drop rates, and players from Steel-Blooded
Battle Spear were not outfitted with such skills. However, this was none of Ye Ci’s concern. She
would not be harmed by the creeping layer of frost as she had learned Feigned Death.
She activated Feigned Death the moment the layer of frost touched the sole of her feet.
“Immune.”
As expected, the entire party was annihilated, with the exception of Ye Ci.
The frost would disappear after all the frozen players in the dungeon were dead.
“Cuck! Not again!” Some of the male players began to curse under their breath, but they did not
dare to raise their voices. The game promoted civility. If the players cursed with vulgarities
recognised by the system, they would be struck by lightning, or even have their stats reduced at
random. That was why the players did not even dare to curse loudly despite their anger.
Ye Ci rose up from the ground after the party disappeared into flashes of white light and the frost
disappeared. She then waited silently for the party to revive themselves.
The Wasteland Lurker turned back towards the clock tower and disappeared after the system
registered that all the players were dead (Ye Ci had cast Feigned Death, and was counted as being
dead.)
The members of the party re-entered the dungeon moments later, and Little Dan asked, “Gongzi
You, where is the Wasteland Lurker?”
“It exited combat.”
Little Dan clenched his fists. They’d found a solution to draw out the Wasteland Lurker, but why
would something like that happen? Wasn’t the dungeon supposed to be “simple?”
The death of the party was not in vain. They had managed to discover the Wasteland Lurker’s
favorite food. Little Dan immediately passed the information on to Crimson Millions, while the
guild’s Life Players began their preparation.
If the Fragrant Seafood was not one of the dishes that could be learned from an Life Instructor
NPC, Ye Ci would be able to make a huge profit out of it.
The preparations were finished at around 10pm. Although they’d tried countless times to deploy
the Fragrant Seafood just like how Ye Ci did, the party was still annihilated time after time, to the
point where several members of the party had died 20 times. Little Dan could only call off the
exploration temporarily.
Noticing that the commander for the next day was not announced, Ye Ci couldn’t help but ask
aloud, “Who will be in command tomorrow?”
Little Dan shared a look with Thousand Sunsets. Remembering Thousand Sunset’s words the day
before, he remained silent. Zero Arsenic knew of the deal between Little Dan and Thousand
Sunsets. But before he could confirm with him that Ye Ci would be in charge, Thousand Sunsets
spoke up, “We’re still exploring this dungeon. Since Little Dan and Crimson Millions have been
leading the party for these last few days, I think it’ll be best to keep them in command. You’ll be
placed in command of the next 25-man dungeon.”
Ye Ci furrowed her eyebrows. She had been waiting patiently just because she wanted a
Disrupting Shot skill book dropped from this dungeon. But with Thousand Sunsets’ sudden
decision, her patience was at its limit. Disrupting Shot was a Hunter’s only way of interrupting a
BOSS skill in the early stages of the game, and it would only be dropped in the Frosty Wasteland.
Aside from the 100% drop rate in the event of a First Blood, the drop rate of the skill book was
very low.
The decision to not place her in command meant that her rights to have priority on the skill book
was taken away.
If that was the case, Ye Ci had no more reason to continue wasting time with the bunch.
Ye Ci nodded, “Alright, then I won’t be coming tomorrow.”
Ye Ci's words were like a pebble cast into a pond, the ripples spreading long after she finished
speaking.
The party members showed different reactions. Some were astonished, some remained calm, while
there were others who were whispering amongst themselves.
Thousand Sunsets was momentarily taken aback, he then said with a smile that did not reach his
eyes, “Gongzi You, this is a guild activity. It’s not good for you to just go absent like that, right?”
Ye Ci raised her eyebrows. She was not asking for their permission. She was simply informing
them about her decision. [EN: Finally!]
“Little Blue, would you tell her what is the 4th rule under the Guild Activity Regulations?”
Noticing Ye Ci’s expression, Thousand Sunsets gave his instruction to Peacock Blue who was
standing behind him.
Chapter 65 Upwards Ho!
Peacock Blue pursed her lips and then cleared her throat. She said in a clear and slow voice,
“Those who are inactive in taking part in guild activities or those who choose to not take part in
guild activities without reason will have 50% of their current DKP deducted.”
Such rule were part of every guild, but the punishments could vary. It was usually just for show
and rarely applied. But at this time, Thousand Sunsets decided to use that particular rule to
pressure Ye Ci.
The punishment was quite heavy, which was the reason why attendance in Steel-Blooded Battle
Spear was high. It was all for the money.
“Thousand,” Zero Arsenic tried to stop Thousand Sunsets. He then smiled at Ye Ci. But it was a
smile filled with awkwardness, “Gongzi, do you have problems in real life tomorrow?”
“You don’t have to stop me, Zero.” Thousand Sunsets ignored Zero Arsenic’s effort to salvage
the situation. Ye Ci’s refusal to reveal info about the Armored Giant Tortoise was already like a
thorn in his hide. He was even more irritated when Ye Ci went missing during the fight between
their guild and Tang Dynasty. Her announcement of her absence for the next day was the last
straw.
He wanted to teach this insufferably arrogant Huntress to know that even if a small pot looked
puny, it could not be crushed easily.
He wanted to show her that one does not simply disrespect Steel-Blooded Battle Spear, and one
does not simply walk away from Thousand Sunsets.
“This is a guild activity. Why are you not taking part? Just because you’re not appointed as the
commander? Gongzi You, this is a guild, not your home. This is not a place for you to throw
tantrums. You’re famous, yes. But don’t forget, you must also have a good character.” As a
former drill instructor, Thousand Sunsets was very good when it came to giving out life lessons.
“Many in the guild have had enough with your attitude. If it wasn’t for me, do you think you’d
still be able to stay in this guild?”
“Thousand, enough.” Zero Arsenic was unsettled by Ye Ci’s calm expression. He tried to stop
Thousand Sunsets from continuing his rant. He then smiled at Ye Ci, “Gongzi, if you have
something urgent, you can go offline first.”
“Zero, don’t be a pussy. You’ve always said that she was a great player. From what I see, she’
s just slightly better when it comes to PVE. So what? Can she be so famous without the backing of
a guild?” Thousand Sunsets was not as tactful as Zero Arsenic. But his thoughts were not wrong.
In Fate, one must always need a the help of a team. One could not achieve anything alone.
But, Ye Ci was no ordinary person.
Ye Ci stared at Thousand Sunsets and offered him a cold smile.
As expected, people who can’t see eye to eye must walk separate ways.
“Since you’ve already put it that way, then farewell.” Ye Ci left the guild without hesitation.
She could not be bothered to talk back to Thousand Sunsets. His character would get him nowhere
in Fate.
Narrow minded, short sighted, and pretentious.
Ye Ci was someone who would repay someone who did her wrong. She smile as she took a glance
at Thousand Sunsets. Had he mistaken her for a pushover just because she remained silent?
“Gongzi,” Zero Arsenic’s facial expression, along with the rest of the guild members’
expressions had changed the moment she left the guild; What the hell had happened?
Zero Arsenic desperately tried to stop Ye Ci from leaving, “Gongzi, Thousand has always been
frank and outspoken. Perhaps it’s just a misunderstanding. Don’t think too much about it,
please.”
Thousand Sunsets’ anger was at its peak the moment Ye Ci left the guild. Zero Arsenic’s action
made it worse. He roared at Zero Arsenic, “Zero, she’s just a Huntress. What do I care if she
leaves?”
System: Gongzi You has left the guild Steel-Blooded Battle Spear.
A system message appeared every time a guild member joined or left the guild. There were
countless guild membership related messages in the world channel every day. However, none of
them were as shocking as the one that had just appeared. The world channel immediately erupted
into chaos. People started to guess the reason behind Ye Ci’s sudden decision to leave
Steel-Blooded Battle Spear.
Players began to gossip and several different theories surfaced. There were even some who
claimed that they have insider’s information.
Ye Ci’s private message channel rang nonstop. Some of them were from her friends who were
curious about the situation, while most of them were guild invitations. The system notification
never stopped ringing in her ears.
System: GoodOl’Days has invited you to join the guild Blank Space.
System: Flawless Reflection has invited you to join the guild World Conqueror.
System: CorruptingDaLiving has invited you to join the guild Street Assistance.
System: Dain has invited you to join the guild Blade Of Abyss.
System: NightAndDay has invited you to join the guild Tang Dynasty.
System: Sir Ditty has invited you to join the guild Wolf Pack.
……
What were they doing? Even Tang Dynasty joined in the fun. Even a guild from overseas sent her
a guild invitation. There was even an invitation from the Eastern Continent’s number 1 guild,
Wolf Pack? Why didn’t she herself know that she was so popular?
Ye Ci’s chat channels were not the only one bustling with activity. The World Channel was
flooded with messages from guilds from the entire Eastern Continent. They were trying to recruit
Ye Ci into their guild. Those who were capable offered lots of benefits, while those who were not
were trying to entice her with the “power of friendship”.
Thousand Sunsets had also noticed the world channel. His expression soured.
Zero Arsenic was still trying his best to persuade Ye Ci into staying, but she merely laughed, “I
hope that Steel-Blooded Battle Spear will grow stronger .” And then she left the dungeon.
If you don’t, I won’t have as much satisfaction when I destroy you guys later.
As she left, she declined all the guild invitations, and sent a private message to Flawless
Reflection. Before he could speak up, Ye Ci had already spoken, “Frosty Wastelands, tomorrow at
1300 hours, I’ll have dibs on all the Hunter items. 30,000 gold coins. I’m not responsible for
clearing the common mobs.”
It was not an enquiry, but a statement.
Flawless Reflection paused momentarily and immediately gave up on persuading Ye Ci into
joining his guild. He laughed. What arrogance... But it was an arrogance that he admired. Only
people who were capable had the right to be arrogant. Only a true expert had what it takes to be
arrogant.
“You’re helping us to get First Blood?”
“Of course.”
“As far as I know, Wolf Pack and Tang Dynasty have solved the difficult part of the dungeon
right before the First BOSS. They’ll be challenging the First BOSS tomorrow. Are you sure you
can do it?”
“It depends on the standards of your party as well. If they’re all noobs, even I can’t do
anything.”
World Conqueror was the 12th guild in the entire nation. It had quite a long history, and its elites
were all expert players. Flawless Reflection was not angry at Ye Ci’s words. Instead, he laughed.
“What if we can’t get the First Blood?”
“I’ll pay you 50,000 gold coins.”
How bold. Flawless Reflection was deeply impressed. Even though the Game Coin and Real
World Cash conversion system was already in place, Glory Corporation was controlling the flow
of gold coins in the game strictly, in fear that the game’s financial system would be destroyed.
Even a guild like World Conqueror had only a circulating fund of 100,000 gold coins, and Ye Ci
was willing to pay 50,000 gold coins in an event where she failed.
“Do you want to sign a contract?”
“Come to Red Lake City.”
Half an hour later, Flawless Reflection and Ye Ci left the Red Lake City administration hall with
an added electronic contract in their inventory.
“What do you need us to prepare?” Flawless Reflection grinned at Ye Ci.
He had been trying to woo Gongzi You into joining World Conqueror. But when he had a chance,
Ye Ci declined his invitation. He promised himself that he would try his best to get Gongzi You to
join World Conqueror.
“Each party member must have at least 8 Cold Resistance Potions and Freeze Resistance Potions,
5 Dungeon Random Teleport Scroll and 3 Fragrant Seafood.” Ye Ci continued after a pause, “All
your tanks must have more than 300 Defence, and the magical damage of your mage class players
must be higher than 180 while the other ranged players must have at least 200 physical damage.
You must bring along at least one Rogue that has more than 5 movement speed and a Druid with
more than 3 movement speed. Said Druid must also have already learned Enraged Bear Form.”
Flawless Reflection clicked his tongue at Ye Ci’s request, “That’s a rather high requirement to
meet.”
“Why? You can’t make it?” Ye Ci quirked her lips.
“Nope, it’s not a problem.” Despite Ye Ci’s high requirement, World Conqueror was quite
capable, “I’ll see you at the entrance of the dungeon tomorrow then.”
“Sure.”
Without any more words, the two parted ways.
Ye Ci was shocked the moment she opened the lid of her gaming cabin. Bai Mo was squatting
right beside her, staring at her, his dull expression an indication that he was daydreaming. Ye Ci’s
could almost feel her heart in her mouth. She took in a deep breath and roared, “Bai Mo, what the
f*ck are you doing?”
Bai Mo ignored her, and scooped her out of the gaming cabin, “You left your guild?”
“Yes.” replied Ye Ci with a yawn.
“Why?”
“I’m not happy with it.”
Bai Mo stared at Ye Ci for a brief moment without saying a word. He then messed up her hair and
said, “I’ve bought supper. If you’re not afraid of getting fat, it’s yours.” And then he left.
Ye Ci smiled at Bai Mo. She the ate the supper and went to bed.
Ye Ci immediately logged into the game after coming home and taking a shower, having finishing
lunch at school.
Flawless Reflection immediately sent Ye Ci a party invitation. The moment she joined the party,
he transferred the party’s leadership to Ye Ci.
“I’ll be there shortly.” Ye Ci immediately headed to Frosty Wasteland.
Before she even left Red Lake City, she received a guild invitation.
System: Remote Depths has invited you to join the guild Upward Ho!.
Upward Ho!? What kind of guild was that? But since it was an invitation from Bai Mo, she was
curious.
“This is my very own guild. Join up, I, your brother, am the guild leader. With the protection of
the guild leader, you can do anything you want!” Remote Depths laughed.
Chapter 66 Nightmare Difficulty
Ye Ci was momentarily stunned.
She would’ve stood there for a long time if not for Remote Depths pulling her back to reality. She
laughed along with Bai Mo and accepted the guild invitation.
A system notification immediately declared to the world that she had joined a guild.
System: Gongzi You has joined the guild Upward Ho!.
The entire world channel went crazy once again. The memory of the big and powerful guilds of
the Eastern Continent trying to recruit Gongzi You was still vivid in everybody’s minds. There
were even bets going on in the Eastern Continent forums about what guild she would join. It was a
shocker to everyone.
What kind of guild is Upward Ho!? Who the hell were they? Why would Gongzi You join them?
Gossip immediately surfaced in the world channel.
Ye Ci had the foresight of muting all her chat channels before calling up the guild interface.
It was a very “clean” guild.
There were only 2 names in the member list.
Leader: Remote Depths.
Member: Gongzi You.
Remote Depths promoted Ye Ci to the vice leader and laughed at her, “You’re now the vice
leader, you can now bully the common people.”
Ye Ci was puzzled as she stared at the blank member’s list, “Bullying the common people? Are
you referring to yourself?”
This of course, faced strong objections from Remote Depths, and greatly improved Ye Ci’s mood.
She turned off the guild interface and headed for the Frosty Wasteland.
The elites of World Conqueror had already gathered at the entrance of Frosty Wasteland. Flawless
Reflection immediately stood up upon seeing Ye Ci, and introduced her to the rest of the party. He
then asked with a smile, “What kind of guild is Upward Ho!? What drove you to join that guild?”
Ye Ci chuckled, “My cousin created it.”
Flawless Reflection had not given up yet, “Then you can all just join my guild. The benefits are
negotiable.”
“Sorry, my aspiration is not in the guild.” Ye Ci shook her head, clearly declining his offer.
Flawless Reflection was a sensible person. He immediately kept quiet and steered the topic to
another direction.
After each of the party members were introduced to her, Ye Ci nodded and asked,”What is the
highest defence value of your tanks?”
“382.” The MT, Dragonwitch reported his defence value.
As expected of a tank from one of the best guilds in the nation.
“How high is your block chance?”
“21%.”
Before the existence of something as overpowered as the Swordback Hold, a 21% chance of
blocking was already decent for a lvl 20 tank, even if it was not as high as what Ye Ci had
expected. Even the 4th tank had a defence value of 345 and a block rate of 19.7%.
“I’m going to activate the dungeon.” Ye Ci said to the rest of the party.
There were 5 dungeon difficulties in Fate: Normal, Hard, Expert, Inferno and Nightmare.
A regular 5-man dungeon had only 3 difficulties: Normal, Hard and Expert, while Inferno and
Nightmare difficulties were only available to 25-man or larger dungeons.
The difficulty system of a 5-man dungeon was very different from a 25-man man dungeon. One
must complete all the difficulties in ascending order while clearing a 5-man dungeon, while in a
large dungeon, the choice of difficulty was not limited.
“Gongzi You, are you sure you want to activate the 25-man dungeon, Frosty Wasteland?”
“Yes.”
“Please select the difficulty for your party.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Ci selected the hardest difficulty, which was Nightmare.
She was never a quiet person. Her veins were pumped full of adventurous spirit. It’s either go big
or go home. To her, merely clearing the dungeon at the normal difficulty was no challenge at all.
A notification chimed in the party’s channel, “World Conqueror has activated the 25-man
dungeon Frosty Wasteland, difficulty: Nightmare. This is the beginning of a new nightmare. The
dangers within the dungeon are beyond your imagination. Come forth, heroes, write a new epic in
the history of the Dalayar Continent.”
The notification was exclusive to the Inferno and Nightmare difficulties. It also came with a BUFF
that lasted for the entire duration when players were in the dungeon.
A reddish-gold glow emanated from the bodies of the party members and the received a BUFF
named Blessing of Dalayar: Increases all stats by 15 points.
Despite having such a good BUFF, challenging the Nightmare difficulty dungeon was still a
terrifying experience.
Good lord, she selected the Nightmare difficulty. They’d not even passed the first BOSS of the
Normal difficulty yet. To challenge Nightmare difficulty…
Flawless Reflection was shocked. He walked up to Ye Ci’s side and asked worriedly, “Gongzi,
did you choose the wrong difficulty? This is the Nightmare difficulty…”
“Nope.” Ye Ci turned around and grinned at Flawless Reflection, “Why? Do the members of
World Conqueror not believe in themselves?”
“This is not a matter of confidence…” Flawless Reflection sighed, “Do you want to try the
Normal difficulty first instead?”
Ye Ci shook her head, “I’ll only do Nightmare and nothing else. If you think that we can’t make
it, consider our contract voided.” Her voice was not loud, but the other party members heard her
clearly. The party was silent. They stared at the Huntress. She was calm, and she was serious. Her
calmness impressed even the veterans of the guild.
Although they did not have full confidence in Ye Ci, the members of the party had reached the
same conclusion in their hearts.
“Let’s do this! Flawless, we’re the World Conqueror! We must trust in our strength!” Shouted
a Rogue. His cry was echoed by countless others, and the morale of the party soared.
Flawless Reflection was also infected by their eagerness. He nodded his head at Ye Ci and smiled,
“Okay then. I’ll leave this to you. Commander, our lives are in your hands.”
Ye Ci kept quiet and turned towards the dungeon entrance. She then waved her hands, “Let’s
move out.”
The Nightmare difficulty was on an entirely different level from the Normal difficulty dungeon.
Even the mobs at the beginning of the dungeon were very tough. But they were nothing in the face
of World Conqueror’s firepower. They were able to reach the difficult spot in no time, and Ye Ci
began to explain the strategy of clearing the hidden monster.
“The moment I start engaging the monster, you guys must make sure that you’re at least 15
yards away from me. When the Wasteland Lurker appears, reposition yourselves on my command
and focus your attacks on the monster. You don’t have to worry about OT, just hit it with all you
got. We must kill it within the shortest time possible. Remember, we must deal at least 20% of its
health within a minute or we’ll get annihilated. So I want all the ranged players to time your
attacks properly, and take note of your mana consumption.”
It was not a simple request. It called for excellent timing and tempo of releasing skills. The players
must make sure that their attacks were continuous while simultaneously controlling their mana
consumption. It could not be achieved by normal players. But, the players present were all the best
of the best, the elites of World Conqueror.
“What about the melee classes?” Asked Flawless Reflection.
“All they need to do is to move around like the rest of the ranged players and make sure that they
don’t die. By the way… Clerics are not required to heal, all you guys need to do is to attack the
monster like the rest of the ranged players.”
The players looked at each other in confusion. They had never heard of a dungeon where healing
was not required.
But since Flawless Reflection had passed the command on to Ye Ci, they followed her orders
without voicing out their suspicions.
When the battle started, Ye Ci was able to deploy the Fragrant Seafood and returned to the party
safely. Her speed and the height of her leap deeply impressed the players present. Flawless
Reflection was especially in awe. He was a Hunter himself, and he paid extra attention to Ye Ci’s
actions.
After all, almost all experts went through the process of imitation, learning, and finally surpassing
their predecessor.
The moment the Wasteland Lurker let out a mighty roar, Ye Ci stared intently at the slanting clock
tower. The moment its only clock hand moved, Ye Ci immediately shouted out, “Move to the 7 o’
clock position!”
The members of the party were in the state of constant alertness(feels like my wording is
cancerous). The moment Ye Ci shouted out to them, the party moved as one towards the 7 o’clock
direction.
“Stop. Start attacking.”
The 25 members of the party were able to act as one, meeting Ye Ci’s expectation of the elites
from a top guild. Flawless Reflection noticed that Ye Ci had not lifted a finger in the entire process,
even when the situation is in dire need of every ounce of damage output.
It was not because Ye Ci was lazy. She wanted to determine the firepower of the ranged players of
the party when they concentrated their attacks on the same target.
The result satisfied Ye Ci. Despite not receiving aid from Ye Ci, the ranged players of World
Conqueror were able to defeat the Wasteland Lurker within the given time.
A hint rang out in the dungeon the moment the Wasteland Lurker fell.
“The road forward is no longer cold.”
“Go, loot the corpse.” Ye Ci smiled at Flawless Reflection.
“Uhh?” Flawless Reflection could not believe his eyes. They’d managed to defeat the
Wasteland Lurker just like that?
It was the reality.
They were able to conquer something that had taken countless lives. And it was at Nightmare
difficulty.
Cheers erupted from the World Conqueror players after a few seconds of pause. They were deeply
impressed by Ye Ci. Flawless Reflection was able to obtain a lvl 18 Warlock equipment from the
loot.
They pressed on forward, and ran into a group of elementals. There were at least 18 of them, and
each of them had 20,000 hitpoints. In a 5-man dungeon of the same level, that was equal to the
hitpoints of a small BOSS.
“Have any of your Hunters learned Feigned Death?”
Chapter 67 The Dungeon (Part 1)
Ye Ci eyed the elementals.
Flawless Reflection and another Hunter called An Apple A Day nodded, “Yes.”
“Go and attract the aggro of those mobs. If you can’t handle them, activate Feigned Death.”
Ordered Ye Ci. She then began to instruct the rest of the party to began preparations for battle and
headed towards the elementals alone.
After Ye Ci left, An Apple A Day whispered to Flawless Reflection, “Trying to hold the aggro of
the mobs as a Huntress… I thought it was really hard to control the aggro for our class? Hunters
only have Decoy to redirect aggro, how is she planning to pull it off?”
Flawless Reflection did not understand Ye Ci’s intention either. He shook his head, “We’ll just
have to wait and see.”
Ye Ci crept carefully to a small hill 50 yards away from the elementals. She grabbed hold of the
low hanging vines and climbed upwards. She stood at the top of the hill, nocked an arrow and took
aim, silently estimating the distance between her and the elementals.
They were closely packed together. Each elemental was only 2-3 yards away from the others.
There was a thin line separating a safe distance and a fatal one.
If the elementals were 2 yards apart, their aggro would be linked once triggered. But when an
elemental was 3 yards away from another elemental, their actions wouldn’t be linked. It was a
very clever design.
As the queen of soloing dungeons in her past life, Ye Ci required no aiming assistance. Her eyes
were her most trustworthy tool.
There were once a lot of buildings in Frosty Wasteland. After thousands of years of decay, some
became nothing but soil, while some formed into little hills like the one that Ye Ci was on. Hordes
of monsters scoured the spaces between buildings. A party that was not familiar with the terrain
would easily be annihilated.
Ye Ci’s position was the best position she had found in her past life’s experience of soloing the
dungeon. She would only trigger 5 monsters at most from her position. If she was able to grasp the
firing angle, timing and the distance perfectly, she would only trigger 2 monsters at a time.
Ye Ci nocked an arrow and waited quietly for the elementals to move to a position that favored her
the most.
One minute passed, and then another.
Ye Ci stood as still as a statue on the hill, as if she had blended in as part of the dungeon. The
players who were waiting below were so anxious that their hearts were already in their mouths.
They stared at Ye Ci, not wanting to take their eyes off her, fearing that things would take a 180
degree turn if they took their eyes off her.
Flawless Reflection stared intently at Ye Ci as well. He was even very careful when he blinked,
afraid that he would miss something.
Without warning, Ye Ci let loose the arrow and immediately headed back towards the group.
Did she hit? Or had she missed? Did she trigger an entire horde of them or only a few? Flawless
Reaction’s anxiety was at its maximum as he asked, “How many are there? How do we handle
them?”
“Get the tanks to do their jobs.” Ye Ci did not even turn her head as she calmly gave the
instruction.
The tanks immediately got into position. 3 elementals appeared, baring their fangs at Ye Ci’s
direction.
“Shield Bash.”
“Taunt.”
The tanks immediately engaged an elemental each, and the healers followed up.
The elites of a top guild were very different from the others. They knew what needed to be done
even without instructions from Ye Ci. Their positioning was excellent, and their game awareness
was good. It would be absurd for a party like this to not be successful.
Ye Ci then pulled the mobs in the same way, bit by bit. The horde of elementals were nothing but
dead carcasses before long. After Flawless Reflection looted the carcasses, the Warlocks
immediately swarmed all over the elementals carcasses for their elemental dust.
17 elementals yielded 2 Blue Equipment and a Green Equipment, all of them lvl 18 and above,
which were perfect for the current stage of the game.
“Why is the drop rate in this place so high? Even the common mobs dropped Blue Equipments.”
a Sorcerer player was surprised.
“This is the Nightmare difficulty. If only a BOSS dropped loot, then it would be an outright
fraud.” Flawless Reflection was satisfied with the loot. Ye Ci had specifically asked to be given
priority only on Hunter equipment. Although it was not beneficial for Flawless Reflection as an
individual, he was a commander, it did not matter to him even if his equipment was slightly out of
date. The most important thing was that the performance of the party was increased.
With Ye Ci’s help, they were able to clear all the obstacles they faced before reaching the first
BOSS with zero casualties.
It was not because of Ye Ci’s talent alone. The experience of a party of veterans who had spent
years playing together was on an entirely different level when compared to a guild like
Steel-Blooded Battle Spear that had been formed for only 3 to 4 months.
“The first BOSS is an easy one.” Ye Ci smiled at the first BOSS, Liepi that was lying on the
ground asleep, “Druid, transform and go and pull his aggro.”
“The BOSS deals magical damage?” Flawless Reflection was slightly surprised. This was the
first time he came across a magical damage BOSS since the beginning of Fate.
“That’s right. The Druid must consume the Frost Resistance potion when the BOSS began
chanting his spell. The ranged players do not have to consume any potions, but it is important that
you guys do not stick together. You must take note that the BOSS will name a player randomly.
The player who is named by the BOSS must immediately get at least 50 yards away from the
BOSS or you’ll explode. This might lead to the annihilation of the entire party.” Ye Ci explained
the strategy to defeat the BOSS briefly, “This first BOSS is easy. All you need to do is to stand
still and fire away. It’s not as difficult to take care of as the monster back at the clock tower. Let’
s do our best and take it out in one go.”
This was a 25-man Nightmare difficulty dungeon. But the players had this illusion that the BOSS
was very easy to defeat because of Ye Ci.
The party was still annihilated once.
The Druid was too unlucky. Ye Ci had never seen the BOSS cast a “Freeze” spell immediately
after the battle began. Before the Druid could even get near the BOSS, he was frozen solid by the
BOSS’s skill and became a giant block of ice.
Although Ye Ci had given the order to retreat, 20-odd players still died as they were unable to
react.
Because of that, the Druid cursed silently at the first BOSS. Maybe it was due to the Druid’s
cursing, the BOSS was easily defeated on their second try. Despite that, there was still an incident
where the Druid almost died to the BOSS because his magic resistance was slightly lower than
expected, but was able to survive after being healed by the combined efforts of the Clerics in the
party.
Even Ye Ci was slightly shaken when it happened.
Even with a slightly lower magic resistance, the Druid was like a beast. He was able to control the
aggro of the BOSS perfectly. With the help of the Decoys from the Hunters who were present, the
aggro of the BOSS was firmly held by the Druid.
After expending a lot of mana, the party was able to defeat the first BOSS within 40 minutes.
In the Nightmare difficulty dungeon where even the common mobs yielded equipment, the loot
drop from the BOSS was not overly abundant. The first BOSS merely dropped 6 items: 4 weapons,
2 armor, 200-odd gold coins and nothing else.
One of the 4 weapons caught Ye Ci’s attention.
Liepi’s Hasty Crossbow
Crossbow
Blue Equipment
Attack speed: 0.7
Attack: 112-165
Strength: +57
Agility: +62
Balance: +71
Special Attribute: Attack speed +1, reload speed reduced by 0.5 seconds.
Special Attribute: 5% chance of stealing 1% of target’s hitpoints.
Special Attribute: Increases Armor Penetration value by 5.
Required class: Ranger, Rogue, Hunter.
The crossbow was one of the equipment with the lowest drop rate yielded by Liepi. Ye Ci had
never come across this crossbow even after clearing the dungeons countless times. She had only
seen a screenshot of the crossbow in the forums.
Ye Ci claimed the crossbow as her own without hesitation.
Although Flawless Reflection and An Apple A Day were also drooling over the Liepi’s Hasty
Crossbow, they did not object to Ye Ci’s action due to their previous agreement. A sudden thought
occurred to Ye Ci after she equipped the crossbow, “Let’s roll points and see if I can get it.”
“67.”
“81”
“7”
Ye Ci stared expressionlessly at the points that she had rolled. She was glad about the decision
about asking for priorities over Hunter gears. (author’s note in the bracket, so it’s irrelevant.
The road ahead, however, was not so smooth. World Conqueror managed to defeat the second
BOSS after getting annihilated a few times and had finally reached the third BOSS.
The third BOSS was a gigantic bird. According to the lore, it was the mistress of the dungeon that
preys on adventurers who dared venture close to its lair. It was especially fierce, as it was about to
lay eggs soon.
“The third BOSS has several skills. The first one is ‘Wing Flap’. It will continuously deal wind
type damage to players in a 270 degree area. If you’re unlucky, you’ll be blown away. The second
skill it has is ‘Spit’. Those who are hit by its saliva will be frozen. This is why you shouldn’t be
stingy about consuming your potions. The tank must pull the BOSS around in circles. All the
ranged players must be direction opposite of the tank and rotate around the BOSS according to the
tank’s position. If you don’t move, you might be blown away if you’re unlucky enough.” Ye
Ci was very satisfied with the party’s progress. She let out a satisfied laugh.
The party members, especially the Druid earlier on who had become the laughing stock of the
party, laughed as well after listening to Ye Ci’s explanation.
“To all the Rogues, remember to go steal the eggs.” Ye Ci pointed at the huge nest not far away.
Chapter 68 The Dungeon (Part 2)
“Whenever the BOSS loses 10% of its hitpoints, it will lay an egg. When that happens, the
Rogues must go and steal its eggs and then throw them off the cliff behind the nest. Remember,
don’t let her see you, or she’ll become enraged.”
Despite sounding simple, it was Nightmare difficulty. Even when one know of the strategy, it was
still hard to pull it off.
The first time the party got annihilated, it was fault of the main healer. He was so focused on
healing the tank that he was 2 seconds too slow to reposition. Misfortune struck, and he was
blown away to a far far away place.
The second party annihilation came when the party’s tank died. The entire party with the
exception of 3 Hunters and a Rogue were blown away.
As for the third time, the Rogues were discovered when they tried to steal the eggs. If Ye Ci had
not realised it early and activated Feigned Death, she would’ve died along with the rest of the
party.
The fourth time…
The fifth time..
……
The tenth time…
Once again, the party was annihilated. Ye Ci asked around for the lowest death count, and then
remained silent.
The players from World Conqueror still had high morale. Even if it was Nightmare difficulty, even
if they were still on the pioneering stages of this dungeon, they did not keep quiet. The party
members interacted with each other actively, discussing and sharing information.
Flawless Reflection glanced at Ye Ci, “Do we start again?”
Ye Ci stared silently at the party members. A commander is merely someone who lowers the
mistakes made by his or her party members. But to totally avoid mistakes, it was up to the
members themselves. An obedient party member was the best party member, but a blindly
obedient party member was the worst.
Those who were not willing to think were the reason why a party was repeatedly annihilated.
They had died for the 12th time in the hands of the third BOSS.
Ye Ci stood up and said, “This is the last time. I hope that we can clear this dungeon in one go.”
Although they’d only known Ye Ci for a few hours, the members of the party seemed to have
already figured out her speech patterns and their hidden meanings. They knew that when Ye Ci
said “in one go”, it meant that it was not a simple statement, it was a must.
With that, the party members were pressured.
But at times, the pressure was just what people needed as a driving force. When pressured, people
tend to have extraordinary performance.
The battle began.
Dragonwitch raised his shield and braced himself, standing right in front of the BOSS. Shield
Bash, Taunt, Stunning Blow were released on the BOSS, building up its aggro.
“Shift 30 degrees to your 4 o’clock direction.” Shouted Ye Ci after observing the BOSS’s spell
channeling.
Dragonwitch was already moving, and the BOSS moved with him. The ranged players
repositioned themselves as well. At the next moment, the spot that they move away from was
covered with ice.
The BOSS suddenly flew up, ignoring the players as it flew towards its nest. A Rogue immediately
entered Stealth and crept towards the nest.
The BOSS flew back towards the crowd after laying its egg. Dragonwitch immediately pulled the
BOSS’s aggro back from the Clerics with a Shield Bash. The Rogue immediately climbed into the
nest and grabbed the egg. He then ran as fast as he could towards the cliff.
The egg was heavy, reducing his movement speed by 50%. He rushed towards the cliff and
dumped the egg just as the BOSS turned its back towards him. The timing was very hard to grasp.
They have only figured it out after the sacrifice of several Rogues.
When the BOSS had only 20% of its hitpoints left, a Sorcerer moved too slowly and was frozen.
He consumed a Freeze Resistance Potion but was then blown away by the BOSS’s Wing Flap.
The other ranged players began to feel anxiety, and their resolve faltered.
Ye Ci immediately spoke up, “Keep it up, don’t lose heart, it’s just 1 person.“
Before she could finish speaking, a Cleric and a Druid were also blown away.
The party members became even more distressed. Ye Ci creased her eyebrows, “I want the rest of
you to keep attacking. Just make sure that you don’t die. Do your part. Be more professional.”
Ye Ci’s voice was not loud, but it was filled with authority. She managed to calm the faltering
party though. Although the damage output of the party was slightly reduced, the members were
still doing their best to fulfill their task.
The BOSS began to move faster and faster, killing more and more of the party members and
blowing some of them away. The ones who remained, however, carried on Ye Ci’s order: As long
as you live, fight on.
By the time the BOSS had 5% of its hitpoints left, the only ones remaining in the party were a
Rogue, the MT Dragonwitch, the main Cleric, and Ye Ci.
To take pressure off of the Cleric from having to continuously heal the MT up, the Rogue hid
behind the BOSS and landed skill after skill on the BOSS. He asked, “Commander, what will
happen if I OT now?”
“If you managed to OT, the chances of us defeating this BOSS will be higher.”
The Rogue nodded, chugged down a bottle of Rage Potion, and began to attack the BOSS as if
there was no tomorrow.
His aggro values began to rise rapidly.
34，47，59，71，88，97.
It was going to overtake the aggro of the MT.
Ye Ci immediately gave out an instruction, “I want the MT and healer to switch positions by my
command.”
The Rogue’s aggro value was still climbing.
103，107，114，126.
OT.
“Now!” Ye Ci shouted out when the Rogue’s aggro was at 114, and the MT and the main healer
immediately moved to each other’s location.
The BOSS chomped down on the Rogue, killing him instantly. His sacrifice bought the party
another 20 seconds.
The main healer died when the BOSS’s hitpoints was at 3%.
Dragonwitch took in a deep breath and chugged a health potion. He died after holding on for 6
more seconds.
At that moment, all eyes were on Ye Ci. The entire party’s hope lay on Ye Ci’s shoulders. She
took in a deep breath and summoned Ol’ Three while leaping 25 yards away from the BOSS.
Ol’ Three could stand it ground against the BOSS for approximately 15 seconds. But the 15
seconds was enough.
The BOSS had a ranged attack just like Ye Ci, which was very unfavourable for her. Despite the
odds, Ye Ci knew that she had to fight on.
Ye Ci expended all her skills within 8.5 seconds, which meant she had 6.5 seconds left before Ol’
Three was killed by the BOSS. A few lucky critical hits reduced the BOSS’s hitpoints to 1%.
But the BOSS’s attention had shifted towards Ye Ci. It ignored Ol’ Three and flew straight at Ye
Ci. Ye Ci immediately darted at the cliff wall that the bird’s nest was leaning against, and leapt
into the air. She used the cliff wall as a springboard and launched herself at the BOSS.
Ye Ci brushed past the BOSS at high speed. She drew her Venomous Scorpion Stinger and stabbed
the BOSS’ wing.
Poisoned.
Ol’ Three finally caught up with the BOSS and reacquired its aggro with Taunt.
4 seconds remaining, and the BOSS had only 0.8% of its hitpoints left.
Ye Ci cast a Pet Heal on Ol’ Three and launched herself 25 yards away from the BOSS while
firing at the BOSS nonstop.
She had already equipped Liepi’s Hasty Crossbow. Although having a high firing speed, the
crossbow lacked crowd control as it does not slow down its target upon hitting it.
The BOSS let out a mighty cry and chomped down on Ol’ Three. The strike was fast and
ferocious, and Ol’ Three was instantly killed.
Ye Ci was slightly shocked. The situation had taken a bad turn. She ran as fast as she could,
keeping a 25 yards distance between the BOSS and herself while continuously casting skill after
skill at the BOSS.
With each passing moment, Ye Ci’s Stamina dropped. If her Stamina dropped below 10%, her
movement speed would be reduced.
She had only 12% of her Stamina left.
Ye Ci analysed the situation calmly. As long as she avoided making mistakes, she would be able to
defeat the BOSS.
Although Ye Ci was calm, the party members who were lying dead on the ground were extremely
anxious. They did not even dare to breath. It was as if they have died along with their in-game
characters.
The BOSS let out a roar and flapped its wings frantically when it had only 0.5% of its hitpoints
left.
Empowered Wing Flap.
Even Ye Ci couldn’t resist the urge to curse under her breath.
She was lifted up by the strong gust and was blown towards a cliff wall.
Ye Ci raised her crossbow and fired her last skill at the BOSS before her death.
Bang!
She was slammed into the cliff wall, and her hitpoints plunged. She had only 100+ hitpoints left.
The entire party sighed. It was over.
As Ye Ci’s body fell, her hitpoints bar was suddenly filled. She was shocked when a tremendous
amount of experience points flooded her experience gauge, raising her level to lvl 20 with 89%
progress.
Plop.
Before Ye Ci could recover, she fell into the BOSS’s nest. The thick interior of the nest cushioned
her fall, but she still lost half her hitpoints.
A system announcement immediately chimed in.
“Congratulations ‘World Conqueror’ for being the first guild to clear the Nightmare difficulty
Frosty Wasteland. Rewards: 800 Guild Prestige Points , 10000 Global City Prestige Points , 5000
gold coins. Let us remember the name of these heroes.”
“Congratulations Gongzi You for leading the party of World Conqueror to be the first to clear
Frosty Wasteland Nightmare difficulty. Rewards: 300 Black Rock City Prestige Points , 5 Talent
Points . Achievement: [Nightmare Frosty Wasteland First Five]. Her name shall forever be
remembered in the history of Fate.”
“Congratulations Flawless Reflection for achieving First Blood on Frosty Wasteland Nightmare
difficulty. Rewards: 300 Black Rock City Prestige Points , 5 Talent Points . Achievement:
[Nightmare Frosty Wasteland First Five]. His name shall forever be remembered in the history of
Fate.”
“ Congratulations Dragonwitch for achieving First Blood on Frosty Wasteland Nightmare
difficulty. Rewards: 300 Black Rock City Prestige Points , 5 Talent Points . Achievement:
[Nightmare Frosty Wasteland First Five]. His name shall forever be remembered in the history of
Fate.”
……
The world channel was flooded by the system’s messages.
At this moment, the world chat belonged to only one guild: World Conqueror. At this moment, the
attention of the world was focused on one player: Gongzi You.
Chapter 69 Good Things Come in Pairs
Chapter 69 Good Things Come in Pairs
[A note from Jay: I’m getting real sick of negative crap getting posted in the comments. If you
want to be negative, go elsewhere. We translate and edit because we love the series, so stop
treating our releases as a ‘right.’ The next negative comments I see are going to be reported and
probably banned. We don’t need it here, nor am I going to continue to tolerate anyone insulting
Jimmi. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything.]
It was finally over. Ye Ci felt nothing but exhaustion.
When Ye Ci thought about it, the reason her near-empty health bar was filled was probably thanks
to the lifesteal effect on Liepi’s Hasty Crossbow. She had to admit that she had gained a lot from
this dungeon. The crossbow alone was worth the trip. It was a shame that she had socketed the
Tetra Plating onto her Icy Short Bow.
She could at least still keep it around in case somebody she knew played as a Hunter.
In contrast with Ye Ci, the “corpses” of World Conqueror filled the party channel with with cries
of joy as soon as their guild achieved First Blood. The revived themselves and rushed towards Ye
Ci who was climbing out of the nest. They surrounded her and showered her with applause.
Despite being someone who had reincarnated, Ye Ci was also infected by the party’s joy. She
broke out in laughter along with them.
Dragonwitch was the one who looted the corpse, and Disrupting Shot was of course among the
loot along with a few Blue Equipment. Although none of them were suitable for Ye Ci, she was
content with just the skill book. Flawless Reflection stared silently at Ye Ci, his eyes filled with
suspicion. He then sent her a private message, “Gongzi, we’re still in the pioneering stage of this
dungeon, but how do you know of the strategy to clear this it? Were you part of the closed beta
test? Or…” He continued with a pause, “Or, are you a Glory Corporation Employee?”
Ye Ci pursed her lips. As expected, the question was asked. This was why she was unwilling to
help others to clear dungeons. Not only were her personal benefits affected, she would eventually
expose the fact that she had prior knowledge of the game.
She knew that her actions would arouse the suspicions of people like Flawless Reflection.
Who said that reincarnated people would definitely be able to live their lives effortlessly? They
had their own hardships to face. For example: Hiding the fact that they’ve been reincarnated.
But Ye Ci had already thought of an answer to such questions. She looked at Flawless Reflection
and answered with a half truth, “I’ve watched videos of the Fate closed beta.”
Was there really a closed beta test for Fate? Only God knew.
But Ye Ci who was reincarnated knew for a fact that there was indeed a closed beta test for Fate.
The famous players during the later stages of the game were beta testers. They’d signed a contract
to keep it a secret, and once they breached the contract, they would need to pay a large amount of
fees.
Despite that, there was a rumor circulating among players. It was said that there was an
ultra-secretive website hosting footage of Fate’s closed beta. However, not many could find their
way to the website. Even Ye Ci didn’t know if it really existed, but most players believed in its
existence anyways.
Flawless Reflection was one of those who believed. When he heard Ye Ci’s words, he assumed
that she was a beta tester. He was smart enough not to ask any further. He knew that he would get
nothing more from Ye Ci.
He nodded, satisfied with her answer to his suspicions.
It was already really late when the group left the dungeon. The party members were so hyped that
they decided to go have fun at the largest tavern in Black Rock City instead of going offline. But
at that time, Ye Ci who was already very tired and hungry had to decline. Knowing that she was
indeed exhausted, the group did not make things difficult for her. After all, they were all deeply
impressed by her. A lot of them even sent her friend requests. After receiving 30,000 gold coins
from Flawless Reflection, Ye Ci immediately went offline for dinner.
The night’s meal was very satisfying.
After learning that Ye Ci had led World Conqueror into achieving a First Blood, Bai Mo was
overjoyed, as if he himself had gotten the First Blood as well. He immediately went offline and
waited for Ye Ci in her room. As soon as she climbed out of her gaming cabin, he dragged her to
the nearest restaurant and treated her to a meal.
After the dishes were served, Bai Mo kept placing food into Ye Ci’s plate, piling up a miniature
mountain.
Ye Ci could not possibly finish them all, and she immediately objected to Bai Mo’s action. He
merely cast a silly grin at Ye Ci and said, “Sis, the next time you’re on an adventure, bring me
along yo. See how good I’m treating you~” He even winked at Ye Ci.
“Can’t you just say it properly?” Ye Ci rolled her eyes, exposing Bai Mo’s pretentious act. The
two began bickering while having their meal.
“Whoosh!”
A loud crashing sound resounded in Steel-Blooded Battle Axe’s conference room.
The European-style conference table in the middle of the room was split in half by Thousand
Sunsets’ sword. Splinters showered everybody who was in the room. Peacock Blue screamed out
in fear and hid behind Zero Arsenic.
The rest of the guild members present were gray-faced. They remained silent, not daring to speak
up.
Thousand Sunsets was panting while he paced back and forth angrily. He then swung his sword
with fury again, slashing and hacking at the other furniture in the conference room. Even the
chairs that were not occupied was kicked away by Thousand Sunsets.
Zero Arsenic immediately stood up and shouted at the other guild officers, “What are you guys
still waiting for? Stop him!”
The guild officers sprang into action. They jumped at Thousand Sunsets and managed to hold him
down after much struggling. Thousand Sunsets panted like a bull, and finally calmed down after a
long moment. He then said in a hoarse voice, “Let go of me.”
The guild’s officers held on to dear life, fearing that Thousand Sunsets would resume his rage.
They then looked at Zero Arsenic.
“What? Am I not your guild leader? You don’t have to listen to me anymore?” Thousand
Sunsets’ anger began to resurface.
Zero Arsenic signaled the officers. They immediately let go of Thousand Sunsets, and
immediately backed off into a corner of the conference room to avoid being the cannon fodder in
the face of Thousand Sunsets’ anger.
“Thousand…” Even Zero Arsenic had no idea how to calm him down.
Thousand Sunsets rose and straightened out his clothes. He then cut Zero Arsenic off and roared at
Little Dan and Crimson Millions who had their heads lowered this whole while, “This is all your
fault! I wanted to appoint her as the Battle Commander because she’s capable! You guys are
jealous that she contributed more to the guild than both of you and objected to the idea! You
objected! Now see what happened! Tell me!”
Little Dan and Crimson Millions could not muster the courage to even speak up to defend
themselves, and it made Thousand Sunsets even angrier, “You think you’re so great, hogging the
commander’s position. Especially you, Little Dan! I told you to let her be the commander and
what did you tell me? See what happened? We haven’t even gotten past the first BOSS and she
had already cleared the Nightmare difficulty for World Conqueror!”
Little Dan lowered his head even more.
As if his tongue lashing was not enough, Thousand Sunsets walked up to the two and grabbed
Little Dan by his collar and said with a face full of sarcasm, “Gongzi You was still one of us
yesterday, and today she helped somebody else get First Blood. On the Nightmare Difficulty, no
less! I thought you said that she’s useless? Isn’t she ‘inexperienced’? Didn’t you say she’
s heartless and selfish? Are you trying to make me look stupid?”
Little Dan felt hurt after being on the receiving end of Thousand Sunsets’ wrath for such a long
period. He gulped and mumbled, “We didn’t say anything, it was your idea…”
“What did you say? What did you say!? It’s my fault now!? I trusted you guys! You were like
my brothers! I removed her from the Battle Commander’s position because you asked me to! I did
not place her in command at your request! So now that’s an issue for you!?” Thousand Sunsets
roared, unable to restrain his anger.
Not a single living soul dared to speak up. Even when Thousand Sunsets was obviously shirking
his responsibility in the matter, no one was willing to risk triggering his anger.
The person in charge of human resources entered the conference room a few moments later and
delivered a report saying that a lot of members had left the guild after Gongzi You left. The level 3
guild that they tried so hard to achieve would be downgraded if the situation continued.
The report was like adding oil to an already raging flame. It was one disaster on top of another.
Thousand Sunsets’ eyes reddened. He glared at the human resource officer and suddenly roared,
“Out! Get the f*ck out!”
The human resource officer who was simply collateral damage in the face of Thousand Sunsets’
anger immediately retreated out of the conference room.
Thousand Sunsets then pointed at the rest of the guild officers, “Out! All of you! Out! Get the
f*ck out!” the officers immediately rushed to the entrance as if they’d been granted amnesty.
Before they could leave, Thousand Sunsets’ voice rang out again, “Little Dan, Crimson, I don’
t care how you do it, but I want the Frosty Wasteland cleared by the end of this week!”
The two mumbled their answers and left.
Zero Arsenic was the only one left other than Thousand Sunsets. He sighed, “Thousand, forget
about it, this…”
Thousand Sunsets raised his hand, “Zero, I need time to calm down alone.”
Zero Arsenic nodded and left the room. He left the conference room that had became a mess, with
Thousand Sunsets in it. Thousand Sunsets leaned on his chair with a distant stare on his face, and
a sinister coldness slowly crept into his eyes.
When Ye Ci woke up after a good night’s sleep, it was already time for lunch. Bai Mo was already
logged into the game, so Ye Ci could only prepare a small meal for herself and then logged into
the game as well. The moment she was online, she noticed that the guild was suddenly bustling
with activity. There were quite a lot of members in the guild.
Liu Chang, the Little Hands couple, Timely Rain, Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw, Let Go Of That
Girl, Ideal Height 1.7m, Clear Moon… She saw a lot of familiar and unfamiliar names. They
greeted her immediately after noticing that she was online.
Ye Ci was surprised and curious at the same time, “Why are you guys here?” As far as she knew,
most of them did not like the idea of joining a guild.
The first to comment type: First Blood!!!
Chapter 70 Morrow Canyon
All of them gave answers of their own, but all of them were directed at Remote Depths.
Ye Ci found it odd, and she immediately sought out Remote Depths for an answer, “How did you
find them? You actually know them?”
Remote Depths chuckled, “You’re wise as a rule, but this time a fool. How would I know any of
your friends other than Liu Chang?”
Ye Ci found it even more odd, if he did not know them, how did they join the guild? “Did they
request to join our guild?”
“Of course not.” Remote Depths chuckled, “It was quite simple actually. I sent a message to the
world channel, looking for those who are in Gongzi You’s friend list to add me as a friend.”
“And then they added you?”
“Ahh, quite a lot of players added me, but not many of them actually know you. I asked them a
few questions, and I was able to confirm if they really knew you.” Remote Depths rubbed his
hands, “Sis, your relations with people are so wide, you even know Let Go Of That Girl who is
the number one of the leveling ranking list.”
Ye Ci was dumbfounded. With her ways of doing things, she would never even consider trying
what Remote Depths did in her entire life. She looked at Remote Depths and let out a long sigh,
“Are you not afraid of trouble?”
Remoted Depths smiled at Ye Ci’s words. He patted her hair out of habit and said, “Why are you
always worrying? Little Ci, this game is your stage to shine. Don’t think too much. Be Happy.
Play the game. Make some noise. Don’t think too much about it.”
“It’s not that I’m not happy, it’s just that…” Ye Ci could not describe her feelings with words,
but she felt that what Bai Mo did was not exactly right.
Remote Depths shook his head, “Problems exist to be solved. Why are you worrying about them?
I’ll be there for you, not matter what happens.”
Ye Ci stared at Remote Depths, and broke into laughter. Yes, this was the Bai Mo she knew, this
was the Remote Depths she knew.
Sociable, knowledgeable, and overly optimistic. He was the direct opposite of Ye Ci. There was
confidence in his heart, and there was nothing that he couldn’t do. To be with such person, even
the world would appear brighter.
“I’ll go farm some monsters. Let Go, please show us the best leveling spot, we’ll form a party
and head there.” Bai Mo grinned, and his jolly mood was infectious.
With the exception of Ye Ci, the entire guild, although only around 10 players, went out to the
leveling spot. Ye Ci objected to their action of “discriminating” against her, but was met with
disdain. The group then headed for a lvl 18 leveling area, leaving Ye Ci behind in an empty guild
encampment, or to call it in a glorified way, to “watch the fort”.
Ye Ci glanced at all the player classes in the guild and suddenly thought of a person. She pulled up
her friend list and the person was online. She then sent them a message.
“You there?”
Ye Ci’s counterpart immediately replied, “Yeah.”
“Do you have a guild now?”
Fruit Jelly was saddened after hearing the question. At the earlier stages of the game, she was
unable to learn Novice Healing as her level was too low. That was why parties rejected her and in
dejection, she decided to level up on her own. She was already lvl 18, but she hadn’t learned any
basic healing skills. She had totally given up on joining any guilds.
“Nope.”
“Huh?” Ye Ci was astonished at the answer she received. Fruit Jelly was an excellent Cleric.
The players who partied with her would definitely be impressed. Especially with her Revival, how
could she not have a guild?
Fruit Jelly was also dumbfounded by Ye Ci’s astonishment. She sighed,“Nobody wanted to party
with me earlier on, so I have always been alone, and I got used to it.”
“You… Don’t tell me you’ve never entered a dungeon before.”
“Yeah…”
Ye Ci sobbed internally. The life of Fruit Jelly before she became an expert was tough.
“Do you wanna join our guild? They’re partying up and are headed for the leveling zone.” Ye
Ci immediately sent her a guild invitation.
Fruit Jelly didn’t even think as she accepted the invitation. There was no other reason. Gongzi
You was the one who gave her the Revival skill book. Besides, she knew that it was almost
impossible to go solo in Fate. It was a pity that she was always a quiet person, and she was too shy
to join a guild on her own accord. How could she reject an invitation from Gongzi You?
After inviting Fruit Jelly into the guild, Ye Ci immediately instructed Remoted Depths to help
direct her to his location. Fruit Jelly immediately shook her head, “It’s alright, I’ll go look for
them myself.” This was the first game that Fruit Jelly had ever played, and it was her first time
partying up with others in her 4 months of gaming. She was very nervous.
Remote Depths laughed, “Nah it’s okay, we’re family after all. Stay put, I’ll go get you.” Once
Fruit Jelly was in the party, Ye Ci sent Remote Depths a private message and explained Fruit
Jelly’s situation to him, and told him to watch her skills in healing carefully.
Remote Depths, of course, agreed to it.
As Ye Ci was going to continue doing her daily quest in Red Lake city, a system notification
suddenly chimed.
“There is a strange change to your equipment, please take note.”
Ye Ci immediately thought of the Mysterious Ring on her finger, and immediately pulled out the
ring’s stats.
Mysterious Ring
Gray Equipment
Strength +2
Required level: 0
Able to grow
It was no different from before, but there was a small row of hints underneath the stats: There
seems to be some strange changes happening to this ordinary ring. Perhaps the Dwarven scholar
La’ Pito at Morrow Canyon knows what is going on.
Ye Ci had been wearing the ring ever since she’d gotten it from the mysterious dungeon. She had
thought of looking for hints about the ring in the game, but she had never been able to come across
one until the system notification rang out.
This got Ye Ci excited. According to the NPC called Frodo, the ring was related to the Dark Lord
Naga, and it seemed that it could unlock Naga’s treasure trove.
Even if it might not be real, the sheer possibility of it was alluring enough.
Without thinking too much about it, Ye Ci completed her daily quests with haste and immediately
headed for the Morrow Canyon. Before she left, she instructed Remote Depths to lead the guild
members who do not have good enough equipment into the dungeon to loot some equipment.
The Morrow Canyon was situated at the northernmost part of the Eastern Continent.
It would take Ye Ci 5 whole in-game days to reach the canyon from Red Lake City. Not only that,
the road to Morrow Canyon was filled with lvl 40 to lvl 60 leveling zones. Ye Ci had to be very
careful as she passed through the area.
Even though Ye Ci wanted to reach her destination as soon as possible, her safety was still her top
priority. She cast Feigned Death multiple times along the way to avoid death. By the time she
reached Morrow Canyon, it took her 7 in-game days.
Although the leveling ranking did not experience many changes during the 7 in-game days, their
leveling experience progress was raised by a lot.
Although Ye Ci felt that it was very embarrassing for her to be quite behind in terms of leveling as
someone who had reincarnated, she made the decision to place priority on the ring.
The Morrow Canyon was a very picturesque place. It was covered by lush green plants that bore
countless unknown wild fruits. Sunshine shone on the entire map, blanketing the place in a
brilliant gold. But, if one assumed that the place was safe just because of the scenery, then he or
she was horribly wrong.
It was said that a Master Rogue resided in the canyon. The place was littered with traps and mines,
along with monsters that were lvl 65 to lvl 75. There was also a high concentration of Elite
monsters and even Field BOSSes. The map was a very dangerous place.
The only reason Ye Ci had dared to set foot in this place was because of her Feigned Death skill.
She wouldn’t dare to venture into that map otherwise.
She had even maxed out her Advanced Concealment and Empowered Stealth trait in the Survival
category to increase her level of security and movement speed when she activated Stealth.
She could walk safely past a monster with the same level or 5 levels higher than her within a 5
yards distance. If the monster was more than 5 levels higher than her, then the safety distance
would be increased to 10 yards. If a monster was 10 levels higher than her, she would need to be
at least 15 yards away from the monster to avoid detection. This meant that with Ye Ci’s level, she
would be detected by monsters as soon as she was within a 15 yards range of a monster even
during Stealth.
Fortunately for Ye Ci, she knew the approximate location of La’ Pito, and she was able to reach
the deepest part of the Morrow Canyon safely after avoiding countless monsters.
It was a completely different world.
The deepest part of Morrow Canyon was a direct contrast to its outer part. The ground was
covered by red soil, and the scent of machine oil filled the air.
Ye Ci was impressed by herself. She was able to remember the place that she had stumbled upon
while avoiding several large guilds’ manhunts.
She sniffed the air and walked deeper into the canyon. The smell of machine oil was becoming
stronger and stronger. A small cave then appeared in Ye Ci’s view.
Chapter 71 It’s A Small World
Ye Ci took a step forward and heard a “click.” She immediately froze, and knew that she had
messed up…
It was a very familiar feeling.
The feeling of a spring being compressed. The feeling of metal parts grinding together. Ye Ci
immediately realised what it was.
A landmine .
In Fate, players who had learned Engineering could build and create different types of firearms
including bombs, land mines, hand grenades or even high explosives. But how could there be a
player made landmine in this map? The only possibility was that…
It was done by an NPC.
Ye Ci sighed. She was too careless. She knew that there was a Master Rogue and an Gnome
Scholar who was a Great Engineer, but she had forgotten about them.
The only thing Ye Ci could do was to avoid as much damage as possible as she lifted her leg away
from the landmine .
An NPC-made landmine was on an entirely different level from a player’s. Especially for
someone as ingenious as La’ Pito, the landmine s that he created would definitely bring
devastating effects. Ye Ci crouched slowly, and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
She did not want to die for the first time in Fate because of her own careless mistake.
Ye Ci looked around, trying to look for an object with a similar weight as her body. She might be
able to place it on the landmine and then she’d be free. Ye Ci could not find any pieces of rock
after studying her surrounding, but instead found danger approaching from behind.
The “danger” approached her at a very high speed. By the time Ye Ci had noticed, his presence
was already behind her.
It was a Rogue.
Before the Rogue could bury his dagger into Ye Ci’s back, she leaned to the side and dodged the
attack.
She turned her head and saw her assailant. The person looked quite familiar, as if she had seen him
somewhere. He wore a badge on his chest that had a different color from Ye Ci’s badge. She
immediately knew that the person was from the North-West Continents Alliance.
It was not very favorable conditions for Ye Ci to PK another player. She could not move, and was
unable to use her ranged weapons. This meant that she had lost a huge chunk of her
damage-dealing capabilities. Aside from that, with the area full of landmine s, summoning Ol’
Three was not a smart move. It might step on other landmine s buried nearby and trigger chain
explosions.
Just as Ye Ci was pondering of different ways to deal with the Rogue, she heard another “click.”
The Rogue immediately stopped moving. His eyes that were visible through his face mask
showing his expression that said, “D*mmit, why am I so unlucky?”
Heh! Lady Luck is on my side, thought Ye Ci. Even if she was still in harm’s way, somebody else
was here to suffer alongside her. She let out a smirk, “This is why you don’t hit a person who’
s down. Look at you, Karma sure is a b*tch.”
The North-West Rogue’s anger rose after being taunted by Ye Ci. He glared at the Huntress not 3
yards away from him. His expression immediately changed as he exclaimed, “Oh my god! You
again!”
Ye Ci felt odd. Judging from his tone, she must’ve known him from somewhere? Ye Ci stared at
the Rogue for a few seconds and chuckled, “Oh, it’s you.”
They had fought in the Desolate Lands before, and Ye Ci had ended up defeating him and spawn
camping him a few times. To think that Ye Ci would run into him again in such a place, it was
really a small world.
The two stared at each other. They could not do anything at all. The slightest of movements could
possibly trigger the landmine s detonation. However, they could also not just continue staring at
each other.
Ye Ci drew out her Venomous Scorpion Stinger and pointed it at the Rogue, “What are you, a
player from the North-West, doing in the Eastern Continent?”
The Rogue snorted, he was very unhappy to meet Ye Ci, “I’m doing some quests, of course! Who
cares about this goddamned piece of dirt if not for a quest?” He then glared at Ye Ci, “Are you
some sort of mercenary? I keep running into you.”
They were both considered experts, but under such circumstances, they could only trash talk each
other. Both of them insulted each other’s continent for quite some time, but the topic of their
conversation eventually strayed back to the problem at hand. The Rogue, “I’m a gentleman, I’
ll take you out once I’m safely away from these landmines.”
Ye Ci sneered at him, “If you have the skills, kill me now. You’re just all talk.”
The Rogue glared at Ye Ci, and sighed, “This landmine packs a punch. I’ve already died once.”
Ye Ci naturally knew of the landmine’s killing power. One of them almost killed her back when
she was a lvl 85 Sorceress. Both of them were lvl 20. Ye Ci thought for a moment and said, “Do
you have a short sword?”
“Of course.”
Ye Ci crouched down and said, “We’ll slide our swords underneath the sole of each other’s feet,
and press it on the mine’s trigger mechanism. We’ll jump off simultaneously.”
With Ye Ci’s idea as the only solution, the Rogue had to agree. He crouched down as well and
drew his short sword and inserted it at the sole of Ye Ci’s foot.
The leg that was stepping the mine could not let go before the sword could be safely placed on the
trigger mechanism, or the land mine would detonate. This was why the entire thing sounded
simple, but was not easy to pull off.
After much effort, the two managed to secure the the trigger mechanisms of each other’s feet.
“Put your back into it! Don’t let go, or we’re dead.” The Rogue was very worried at Ye Ci’
s strength, but he was met by Ye Ci’s icy glare, and he decided to drop the matter and said, “I’
ll count to three, and we’ll jump off together.”
“Ok.”
Seeing that Ye Ci had already agreed to it, the Rogue began to slowly count down. Ye Ci took a
deep breath. She calmly analysed her surroundings, and immediately found a safe landing spot
after she jumped off while coming up with strategies on how to defeat the Rogue.
She was not trying to throw stones at somebody who fell down. They were from opposing factions
after all. Although they’re working together, their sincerity was thin as paper, and no one could
change that.. The game was just like society in real world, although there were some who were
above the law, there was still a bottom line that nobody would want to cross.
Ye Ci secretly locked onto the Rogue so that she could launch her attacks on him in the shortest
time possible.
Of course, the Rogue did the same.
“One… Two… Three…” Ye Ci immediately sprang up like a coiled spring towards the safe
spot that she had found earlier. Two gigantic explosions followed, showering the place with
shrapnel and dirt. Although Ye Ci had a high Perception, she was unable to dodge all of the
shrapnel. She was hit midair and her health dropped rapidly.
The moment Ye Ci landed on the rock, she immediately laid down on top of it, narrowly being
missed by a few pieces of shrapnel. Even then, she had lost a huge chunk of her hitpoints. She
immediately chugged down a Large Health Potion and managed to survive.
Even after the explosion had subsided, dust still filled the air. The thick dust meant that Ye Ci’s
visibility had dropped, and she was unable to pinpoint the Rogue’s location.
However, since she had locked onto the Rogue beforehand, she was able to know the Rogue’s
general direction.
He was on a rock at Ye Ci’s 8 o’clock direction, 43 yards away. The rock that he was on was of
similar height to the one Ye Ci was standing on. She had no advantage over him, but she was not
at a disadvantage either.
There was a breeze blowing in the area, and 43 yards was a rather long distance’; the arrows
might be blown off course by the breeze. Ye Ci drew out Liepi’s Hasty Crossbow, measured the
wind speed, and fired an arrow at the Rogue.
The Rogue had also fired an arrow at Ye Ci. Ye Ci immediately knew that she was under attack
when she heard the screeching sound of the arrow. She judged the trajectory of the arrow by its
noise, and rolled to the side. The arrow landed on the spot where Ye Ci had just been lying.
In battles with low visibility, Perception and both side’s awareness to their surrounding played an
important role.
As ranged classes, Rogue and Hunters have very similar stats. They have high Agility, high
Perception and also a high Balance. In a fight where both were on equal footing, combat
experience was the deciding factor.
Ye Ci of course, had much more experience than the Rogue. Although he was skillful, it had only
been 4 months since Fate was launched. His skills would be no match to Ye Ci’s 10 years worth
of experience.
That was why, before long, he made his first mistake.
Hi peeps! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Well uhh... Yanno... Uhh... If you like the chapter and want to reward Jimmy for the chapter, hit
the donate button on the right side of the page. You can also support Jimmi's Patreon here:
https://www.patreon.com/Jimminx
And well, I went and bought this yesterday when I went out to the mall with some friends!
So uhhh if I suddenly go missing or anything, just want you guys to know that... I'm still alive
okay? XD XD XD
(Yes I know I unwittingly bought the older model T__T)
Aaaaaaaand first in the comment type First Blood!
Chapter 72 Featherfall
As the dust slowly settled, the two could see each other more clearly. They were both using
crossbows. If they fired normal attacks at each other, neither would gain the upper hand. But Ye Ci
was a Huntress; she had more abilities in her arsenal. Before long, she was able to gain the upper
hand.
They hopped from rock to rock. Although he had a lot of Health Potions, the Rogue’s weakness
was soon exposed: His attack range was shorter than Ye Ci’s, and his arsenal did not include the
“Fire on the Move” Talent, which meant he would be immobile for 0.5 seconds whenever he
fired off a shot.
Ye Ci was quick to discover the Rogue’s problem. She smiled coldly and cast a Rapid Fire on the
Rogue.
He had only 30% of his hitpoints left, if one of the arrows fired under the effect of Rapid Fire was
a critical hit, the Rogue would’ve died then and there. Ye Ci pulled the trigger of her crossbow,
fwiip, fwiip, fwiip, The bolts sliced through the air with a screeching sound, flying straight and
true towards the Rogue.
The Rogue knew that he would not be able to dodge the bolts. He had just fired off a shot and was
still immobile. He had lost again.
Before the bolts could hit the Rogue however, several even sharper noises rang out, and the couple
of bolts fired by Ye Ci were knocked away by an unknown assailant’s bolts.
It happened so quickly that even Ye Ci was unable to react.
Was that a player? If she was here because of the ring, and the Rogue was here because of a quest,
who else would venture to this place? Had a lvl 70 map became a hotspot for lvl 20 players?
“You’re a sorry excuse for a Rogue.” Remarked a sarcastic voice. Ye Ci looked in the general
direction of the voice, and saw a tall man wearing a cape and holding a jet-black crossbow.
His name and level were unknown to Ye Ci.
However, he was not a player, but an NPC.
Ye Ci almost immediately knew who he was. He must’ve been the Master Rogue hiding in the
Morrow Canyon.
The NPC stared at the Rogue with disgust written all over his face, “Our class’ high standards
have declined exactly because of Rogues like you.”
The hair on Ye Ci’s neck immediately stood up, and she sensed a grave danger approaching.
As expected, the NPC raised his crossbow and pointed it at Ye Ci, “Although I hate Rogues who
are utter trash, there’s nothing more that I hate than the Hunter who brought embarrassment to the
Rogue class.”
Ye Ci of course, would not just sit and wait for death to come to her. The moment the Master
Rogue pull the trigger, she dodged and rolled on the floor, several crossbow bolts barely missing
her.Just when she was about to counterattack, she discovered that the name of her assailant was
green.
In Fate, if an NPC’s name was green, it meant that the NPC was considered friendly. A player
could never attack an NPC with a green name. If the NPC’s name was yellow, it was neutral. It
meant that it would only attack players after being attacked by players. NPC’s with red names
would actively attack any players they came across.
The Master Rogue that was attacking Ye Ci had a green name.
It meant that Ye Ci could only give up on counterattacking. Her only option was to run away, as
she could not even attack the NPC.
“Andy, you can’t act so impetuously, it doesn’t suit your age.” Said a sharp voice just as Ye Ci
was having a hard time trying to dodge the bolts.
So the Master Rogue’s name was Andy. He lowered the crossbow and shrugged at the owner of
that voice. He then laughed, “I went easy on her. Do you think she could really last that long if I
didn’t?”
Ye Ci stopped moving and gasped for air after noticing that Andy’s attacks had stopped. The past
30 minutes were quite eventful for her. First she stepped on a mine, got ambushed, almost got
blown up, ended up in a PK with a player from the opposing faction and was then chased around
by an NPC. If Andy did not stop, she would’ve definitely died.
The one who spoke was a Gnome with a white beard. He was La’ Pito, the NPC that Ye Ci was
looking for.
La’ Pito did not waste his time on Andy. He looked up at Ye Ci and shouted, “Hey, Tall One, get
down here! We Gnomes hate to have to look up at people.”
Ye Ci climbed down from the rock that she was standing on and stood beside La’ Pito. Before
she could speak, La’ Pito closed his eyes and sniffed at Ye Ci. His expression changed, “I can
smell the scent of Naga…”
He then opened his eyes and turned around immediately, “Oh, what are you waiting for, Tall One?
Follow me. You must be here to see me.”
Ye Ci followed La’ Pito into the cave. As she glanced back, the Rogue had also left with Andy.
Ye Ci felt that it was worth it to meet with La’ Pito, despite the troubles she had faced earlier. She
handed the ring to La’ Pito, who held the ring in his palm and stared at it with a face full of
anxiety. He clasped the ring between his palms and when he opened his hands again, the ring
looked more delicate than it was before.
La’ Pito returned the ring to Ye Ci, and she immediately too a look at its stats.
Mysterious Ring
White Equipment
Strength +20
Intelligence +2
Required level: 0
Special Attribute: Can activate “Featherfall” for 3 minutes. Cooldown: 20 minutes.
The ring was not as simple as it appeared to be. The Featherfall was a high tier Sorcerer spell that
could only be learned by lvl 50 Sorcerers. It was a spell that could slow down the speed at which a
player was falling from high places. Featherfall was a very useful survival skill.
Ye Ci had come across equipment that had Featherfall as well, but they were usually rare and
pricey, which were something that could never be afforded by the average players.
She had never thought that the ring would have such a skill after being appraised by La’ Pito. At
that moment, all the troubles she went through were worth the effort.
“Oh, Tall One, you’re certainly not a bearer of good news.” Said La’ Pito with a face full of
depression. When an NPC showed such behavior, it usually meant that there was a quest coming;
“Although I’ve been living in the Morrow Canyon, I do not wish to see my homeland destroyed
by Naga. My strength alone is not enough. I need the help of others. Can you help me get in touch
with a few of my friends?”
A quest was definitely coming.
Ye Ci immediately bowed to him and said with a tone full of respect, “Mister La’ Pito, it’s an
honor to be of service.”
La’ Pito was very pleased with Ye Ci’s manners. He handed a letter to her and began giving her
instructions. Ye Ci of course, skipped the conversation. It seemed that she would be acting as a
courier.
Ye Ci gritted her teeth as she saw the quest targets. She had to contact people from three different
continents, as well as one underground and another up in the skies. This was not a simple mission.
By the time Ye Ci had located all the NPCs, she would be at least lvl 80.
The quest definitely had something to do with the Dark Lord Naga.
Ye Ci was immediately reminded of the Death’s Abyss dungeon.
Despite the inhumanely difficult task required by the quest, Ye Ci accepted it. She then shifted her
attention to La’ Pito. His place was stashed full of high-tier products such as automatons,
high-powered bombs, mechanical birds and even a semi-completed plane.
Since she was already in the house of this Great Engineer, she would feel sorry if she left just like
that without some of the good stuff. But La’ Pito was very stingy. He flatly rejected Ye Ci’s
request to take some of his items. He even rejected Ye Ci’s request to learn Engineering because
she “did not have the talent.” Ye Ci could only leave with her heart full of anger.
Ye Ci did not run into the Rogue on her way out, nor did she step on any landmines.
After travelling carefully for 2-3 hours, Ye Ci had finally reached the Expeditionary Forces Camp
at the entrance of the Morrow Canyon. She suddenly sensed danger, before she could teleport
away from the map.
Ye Ci turned around while simultaneously jumping away, and cast Snake Venom Needle at the
source of the danger.
-171
-50
-50
Red letters representing damage values appeared, revealing the form of the Rogue that Ye Ci had
encountered earlier. The NPCs in the Expeditionary Forces Camp immediately slew the Rogue
after noticing that he was not an allied player.
Ye Ci was baffled. Even if her assailant wanted to farm some Kill Glory, why would he be so
stupid as to try it in a camp full of lvl 70 NPCs…?
Chapter 73 Melodious Flute
The Rogue laid on the ground, refusing to revive. He shouted at Ye Ci, “You goddamn jinx! Why
do I always have bad luck when I run into you?”
Ye Ci was puzzled. Why was he so immature? He was the one who made the mistake. She gave up
on the thought of leaving and walked over to the Rogue’s corpse. She snorted, “You can’t blame
me for your own stupidity. Haven’t you looked around before trying to ambush me? You’re
literally surrounded by lvl 70 Elite NPCs. You’re the one who had a death wish.”
The Rogue was also puzzled, “Who said that I was going to ambush you?”
“Then why are you tailing me while Stealthed?”
“If I don’t go into Stealth in such a high-leveled map, aren’t I asking to be killed? I’m not
tailing you, I just wanted to borrow something from you.”
“Can’t you just ask me?”
“I don’t know your name! Besides, I can’
t send you a message because we’
re not from the same
faction!” The Rogue felt bitter. He had merely wanted to borrow something from Ye Ci and then
return to his own continent. His level! His experience points! The Rogue had a sudden urge to cry.
Ye Ci’s face did not show any expression. Years of experience told her that she must be merciless
when dealing with her enemy, especially one who had just attempted to ambush her. She would
never consider trusting the words of her enemies, but…
“What do you want?” She narrowed her eyes.
“Can you buy a Flying Shard for me?”
The Rogue sighed, he would’ve died countless more times if he were to return to his own
continent without the help of the Flying Shard.
According to the legends, Flying Shards were pieces of a Flying Gem forged by a great Mage of
the Dalayar Continent a long time ago. The gem could transport an individual to any and all
locations. It was then broken into countless pieces during a great war. The Teleportation Crystals
in the main cities of each continent were made from the larger pieces of the broken Flying Gem.
Some Mages had then created tiny pieces of crystals based on the remaining magic of the Flying
Gem. They share the same magical property, and they allow players to fly between cities.
But…
Even though a Flying Shard can allow player to travel to the main cities in different continents,
there were still some limitations. If a player was at the Eastern Continent, the player could only fly
around with a Flying Shard bought from the Eastern Continent. But if the player flew to the West
Continent using an Eastern Continent Flying Shard, he or she could only return to the Eastern
Continent by purchasing a Flying Shard in the Western Continent.
In Fate, players from opposing factions were not prohibited from traveling on each other’s
continents. But, if one travelled to an opposing faction’s continent, one must also have a means to
return from said continent. In the earlier stages of the game, players were not able to talk to NPCs
from an opposing faction through conventional means. It was not easy for a player to return to a
friendly continent from a hostile one.
But when players reached lvl 60, the La’Shur City in the Middle Continent would be made
available to them. When their prestige level in La’Shur City reached “Intimate”, they would be
able to purchase Flying Shards from all the continents, which would allow them to travel freely
between continents.
But at this stage of the game…
Ye Ci was not really a kind hearted person. She knelt down beside the corpse and asked, “I can
buy it for you, but you have to tell me something.”
“What is it?”
“If you did not have the shard, how would you get back?”
The Rogue remained silent, not willing to reveal his secret to Ye Ci.
Ye Ci stood up, and walked towards to Teleportation Master. She knew that the Rogue would
reveal his secret. It must’ve been quite a dangerous way of travelling. Ye Ci’s theory was
supported by the fact that the Rogue had chosen to try and borrow a Flying Shard from her rather
than to use that secret method of travelling.
Seeing that Ye Ci was about to leave, the Rogue sighed and called out to her, “I’ll tell you if you
buy a shard for me.”
Ye Ci raised her eyebrows. She wasn’t afraid that the Rogue would lie to her. After all, she was
the one having the upper hand. Ye Ci nodded, “No problem.” Then she headed to the camp’s
merchant NPC.
The merchant in the Expeditionary Forces Camp would also randomly sell certain items. Players
who had reached lvl 60 would usually loiter around the merchant and waited for the items sold by
the merchant to be refreshed, and if they were lucky they might be able to find some rare items.
Ye Ci’s luck was good. She saw quite a few rare items when she opened the store page, such as
the recipe of High-tier Paralysis Potion, Morrow Soup recipe, Silvery Moon Robe recipe and a lot
of Scarlet Bombs.
The Scarlet Bombs were sold at 100 gold each, and there were only 20 of them. Ye Ci did not even
hesitate as she bought all of the Scarlet Bombs. With these 20 Scarlet Bombs, a bold thought
formed in Ye Ci’s mind.
She bought all the high-tier recipes along with the Scarlet Bombs and also a Flying Shard. She
walked up to the corpse and showed the Flying Shard to the Rogue, “See, it’s here. Now spill.”
“You can find an NPC named‘Filthy Dick’at the border between 2 continents. He will teleport
you into a special tunnel. If you’re lucky, you might be able to reach the neighbouring continent.
But…” The Rogue continued with a slight pause, “It’s too dangerous.”
Filthy Dick? Ye Ci had never heard of that name before. It seemed that she did not know the game
as well as she thought.
“Where’s the NPC? Do you have his coordinates?”
“No, he’ll keep moving along the border continents. You’ll run into him if you walk around that
area.”
Ye Ci stood up after she got what she wanted. She threw the Flying Shard on the ground and said,
“Good luck.” She then turned around towards the Teleportation Master.
The Rogue cried out to her, “Hey! Don’t throw it here! At least place it outside the camp! You
want me to die?”
Ye Ci waved her hand without looking back, “Have a safe and happy journey~” Then she
disappeared into a white flash of light.
Ye Ci immediately headed for the House of Thieves and spent 100 gold coins to find out the name
of the Rogue that she kept running into. She did the same thing last time, but was too busy
clearing dungeons at that time. By the time she had time to collect the information, it had already
expired.
But this time, she would not miss the chance.
With enough money, even the Devil Himself would work for someone.
As long as you pay, the House of Thieves could get almost any piece of information you want
within the shortest amount of time. But there’s a bottom line. They will not give you everything
you want. If a player was to buy information regarding BUGs, the NPCs in the House of Thieves
would report the player to the system.
“Heh, Elf, the person you’re looking for, I have info on him.” Said a black clothed Dwarven
Thief as he walked up to Ye Ci’s table. He pour her a glass of water, and after making sure that
nobody was eavesdropping, said in a low voice, “He’s a Rogue from the Northern Continent.”
He then coughed, and with a greedy expression rubbed his thumb and his index finger together..
Ye Ci gave him another 50 gold.
A Thief asking for tips was something designed into the game, and hence Ye Ci thought nothing
about it. If one haggles for the price during their first time in the House of Thieves, they might
even get rejected by the NPC.
“His name is Melodious Flute.” Was the only thing that the NPC would tell Ye Ci.
Melodious Flute! Ye Ci was shocked. It was Melodious Flute!
Melodious Flute was a renowned Rogue in Ye Ci’s past life. He was a very skillful player, and a
cordial person. He was also a Great Engineer, and the damage he could deal out was crazy. There
was a saying, “As long as Melodious Flute has a cannon shell left, he might be able to slay an
Epic BOSS.”
As one can imagine, this guy was a formidable opponent.
It was no wonder that Melodious Flute ranked third in the top 10 Rogues of Fate.
Ye Ci had never came into contact with him in her last life, but she had ran into him twice in her
current one. It was a shame that such a skillful player was in the opposing faction. He might even
cause her trouble in the future.
Ye Ci immediately left the House of Thieves after getting the information she wanted. She no
longer doubted that Melodious Flute was lying about the secret tunnel. After all, he was someone
that could be trusted in her past life.
The trip to the Morrow Canyon meant that Ye Ci had lost 10 days of time to level up. Quite a lot
of players had already reached lvl 21. As a reincarnator, if her level was lower than the average
players, it would be an embarrassment.
She would be sorry for herself if she did not go out and farm some experience, especially after the
20 Scarlet Bombs that she had bought. She decided to head to the Boneyard.
In Fate, maps that were below lvl 30 were filled with animals-type mobs. Humanoids and Undead
type monsters began to surface in the lvl 30 and above maps.
The Boneyard was a lvl 30 map. The edge of the map was filled with wolves and sabertooths. As
one traveled deeper into the map, there were more and more skeletons, the trademark monsters of
the Boneyard (obviously!). At the very heart of the Boneyard was a deserted monastery, which
was Ye Ci’s destination: Buren Monastery.
HI PEOPLE!!! FINALLY GOT CHAPTER 73 DONE OHH YEAHHH! LET'S GOOO!
Anyways, if you enjoyed this week's chapters, and want to reward Jimmi for them chapters, hit the
donate button on the right side of the page!
Chapter 74 Buren Monastery
Ye Ci had replaced all her munitions with Novice Fire Arrows before heading to the Boneyard as
undead and skeleton type monsters were vulnerable to fire type damage. Mage players who go
down the Elemental Talent pathway while selecting their Talent would usually party up and farm
experience points in the place.
By that time, they would have their first AOE damage skill, Starfall. 10 mages with the help of a
Hunter or Ranger to pull in the mobs could level up very fast.
At this point, the Boneyard was still a decently quiet place. Chilly winds blew throughout the
entire map, adding to the creepiness and the already eerie background music of the map. Ye Ci’s
destination was the Buren Monastery. She did not try and fight the mobs roaming around the area.
She would walk around them, or simply activate Feign Death.
Before long, she was able to reach the Buren Monastery.
According to the lore, Buren Monastery was one of the five great monasteries that were corrupted
during the Great War. However, the zealots of Buren Monastery were not like the zealots in the
Blue Shirt Monastery who willingly joined the Dark Side. Their zealots were one of the most
faithful in the entire Dalayar Continent. The zealots fought to the last man to protect the pride of
their monastery from Naga’s minions. The tenacious resistance of the zealots caused great
casualties to the Dark Lord Naga’s army. Out of rage, he burned the entire monastery with his
demonic flames.
The corpses of the zealots were bathed by the demonic flames and were demonized. But their
owner’s craving for the Holy Light brought them grave pain and suffering. They rose from the
dead, turning into skeletons to protect their once holy temple.
Although Ye Ci had read about this sad story in the library of Champion City, she was more
concerned about the location of the sacred artifact in Buren Monastery. In her last life, a player
claimed on the forums that the sacred artifact that eluded Dark Lord Naga was hidden in a secret
place within the Buren Monastery itself.
The thread itself became a hot topic. But the person who posted that thread did it anonymously,
and had not given any updates regarding the topic. Many began to doubt the credibility of the
poster. As a Sorceress, Ye Ci had tried to search for the artifact, but to no avail. It was revealed
after many years that there was indeed a sacred artifact in the Buren Monastery. It was a shard of
the Eral Gem.
If Ye Ci was not interested in the Eral Gem as a Sorceress, then as a Huntress, it was definitely the
gem that she was dreaming day and night about. The gem was split into 5 pieces during the Great
War, and those pieces were placed in 5 monasteries in 5 different continents. Should all 5 of the
gems be combined together, it would be a God-tier ornament that players would die for.
Ye Ci’s objective in the Buren Monastery, other than leveling up, was to find the Eral Gem shard
before other players began exploring the map.
As Ye Ci stood in front of the Buren Monastery, the background music immediately switched into
a sad and sorrowful one, adding a tint of dismal atmosphere to the already ruined monastery.
Ye Ci’s equipment was way better than players of the same level. With those equipment, her level
difference penalty between her and the skeletons were slightly reduced.
However, Ye Ci still avoided getting tangled with too many skeletons. Before she could get to a
safe farming spot, she had limited her fights to kiting one melee skeleton at a time. Ye Ci would
definitely avoid confrontations with the ranged skeletons. It would be suicide to try and fight one
when she was at a level disadvantage.
Fighting monsters that were at a higher level than her did give a lot more experience points.
In Fate, if the monster’s level was 5 levels above that of a player, the player would receive twice
as much experience points than they normally would. If a monster was 8 levels ahead, a player
would receive 4 times the experience points. Monsters that were more than 10 levels ahead of a
player would yield 5 times more experience points while monsters that were 20 levels ahead of a
players would reward them 10 times the normal experience points rewarded.
But… The higher the level, the higher the penalty as well. The case was especially true for
monsters that were 10 levels higher than a player. They might not even able to damage it. This
factor greatly limited the players’ ability to fight monsters that were at a higher level than
themselves.
The skeletons within Buren Monastery itself were 10 levels higher than Ye Ci. Even she would
need to kite a single skeleton for nearly 20 minutes. But whenever Ye Ci slew a skeleton, she
received 5 times the normal experience rewarded and she was able to level up to lvl 21 in 4 hours.
There was an NPC that could teach players very OP skills when paid a certain amount of gold
coins in the northern quarters of the Buren Monastery. The usage of the skill would be limited to
only within the Buren Monastery itself. High leveled players would not even bother with that NPC,
but at the current stage, the NPC’s presence was like a blessing.
The problem was that there were just too many skeletons roaming around the area where the NPC
was. Ye Ci could only climb onto the nearly crumbling roof of the monastery and head
northwards.
The road to the NPC was a very dangerous one. Ye Ci was spotted by Skeleton Mages several
times as she moved along the roof. Had she not cast Feigned Death in time, she could really be
dead. Ye Ci was able to creep her way to the top of the room and jumped in through a small hole
on the roof.
Ye Ci cursed as she squeezed through the hole. It was too small. If she was of another race like a
Dwarf, Orc or even Human, she would never be able to pull it off.
Ye Ci made it into the room. As she dropped in, she accidentally stepped on a piece of debris,
attracting the attention of all the skeletons within the room. Feigned Death was still on cooldown,
but the skeletons were already approaching to investigate. Ye Ci looked around and saw a broken
beam that she could use to hide herself.
Without much time to think, Ye Ci leapt up and climbed onto the beam. She pressed herself
closely to the beam, not daring to move.
Her hiding spot was 15 yards from the entrance of the room. In her current hidden state, she would
be safe as long as the skeletons did not go within 8 yards of the beam.
The clattering of bones announced the presence of the skeletons. There were at least 8 of them. Ye
Ci held her breath, wary that the sound of her breathing might betray her location.
The skeletons stood at the entrance and surveyed the room. They then spoke to each other with a
language that Ye Ci could not understand. In Fate, every race had their own language which could
only be understood by beings of the same race. There was also a lingua franca used by the races of
the 5 continents but that was the only language known to the players other than their own racial
language. Languages from the other races must be learned through specific items or NPCs.
The skeletons left after chattering to each other. However, one of the Skeleton Mages turned
around after walking a few steps away and headed straight towards Ye Ci’s hiding spot.
Ye Ci immediately feel panic surging through her. She was not afraid of a single skeleton. But…
If it saw her, it would definitely call for help. It would be the end of her.
As the Skeleton Mage approached her, Ye Ci counted the distance until it would detect her
presence.
4 yards, 3 yards, 2 yards…
Ye Ci took out her crossbow and loaded it up with Flaming Arrows, ready to ambush the Skeleton
Mage as it came near.
1 yard left.
The Skeleton Mage stopped. The skeletons outside of the room began chattering again, as if
summoning the Skeleton Mage. It then left.
Ye Ci let out a sigh of relief. Her palms were sweating. She could’ve died back there. She slung
her weapon and jumped down from the beam. She was careful, not wanting to alert the skeletons.
There was a zealot in purple robes named Hank in the room. He was dead, and all that remained of
Hank was his spirit. He had not realised his own death, and thought that he was still conducting
his research.
“Oh, an Elf!” Hank appeared happy to see Ye Ci, “Have words of my great research spread
throughout the land?”
“Yes, Zealot Hank.” Ye Ci bowed respectfully, “Your research is very famous in the entire
Dalayar Continent.”
“I knew it!” Hank’s spirit was gleeful. He patted Ye Ci shoulder, but she could not feel his
touch, “And you must be here to tell me of this great news?”
“Yes, Zealot Hank.”
“Good, good.” Hank was very satisfied with the answer, “As a token of my gratitude, I will
teach you one of the fruits of my research.”
A choice of 3 skills immediately appeared in front of Ye Ci…
Hey y'all! So here's chapter 74.
Went out to watch Aliens: Covenant today with some friends. Can't say that I'm satisfied with the
movie. Aaaand.. Is it just me or they've messed up the lore? Where are the pulse rifles and smart
guns? And weren't the Xenomorphs like around long before humans start exploring space? Why
was it hinted in the movie that the synth named David made the Xenos? Confused confused
confused.
Anyways, if anybody wanna give Jimmi some free bucks, hit that donate button at the right side of
the page:
Chapter 75 Sacrificial Altar
Flame Pillar, Starfall, Light of Enticement.
Flame Pillar and Starfall were both high level magic spells. After level 25, players who came here
to clear out monsters would mostly pick these two high level AoE magic spells to defeat the
monsters. Ye Ci however, picked the third one - Light of Enticement.
She had her reasons for picking it.
Flame Pillar and Starfall were high level AoE magic spells, and she didn’t lack MP. But since it
was an offensive skill of mage, any offensive skills that were related to mage classes would
definitely involve one attribute - intelligence. Only players with high intelligence could dish out
high damage with these kinds of magic spells. If agility-based classes that had relatively lower
intelligence or melee classes used this type of magic spell, then its effectiveness would be halved.
Light of Enticement was a skill from the mage’s Necromancer Talent tree. This skill could
summon different beings to make up for a mage’s lack in attack power. Although this skill
depended on the Intelligence stats, it only affected the amount of time needed to entice monsters
instead of the success rate.
So for Ye Ci, whose class had low intelligence, picking this skill was the most sensible choice.
Looking for some fighters to serve her was the wisest thing to do.
After making her choice, Ye Ci saw an additional skill in her skill panel. There was also an
explanation below the Light of Enticement skill: Can only be used within the Buren Monastery.
Ye Ci picked a skeleton mage that was closest to the door and then started to use the Light of
Enticement on it. She only heard a buzzing noise from the electrical current that was coursing
around the skeleton’s body. Its name had also temporarily turned yellow from red. If Ye Ci was
able to successfully summon it, its name would turn green. If she didn’t succeed, then the skeleton
mage would immediately shatter and Ye Ci wouldn’t gain any experience points either.
Casting the Light of Enticement was a test of patience. Although Ye Ci could brag that she was
quite patient, to continuously maintain a pose to cast a magic on a monster could get a little tiring
over a period of time. She couldn’t help but yawn. She was just thinking to herself that if she
couldn’t succeed in summoning this Skeleton Mage, she might as well kill it instantly. Just then,
she heard the system announcement. She had successfully summoned the Skeleton Mage.
Ye Ci cheered up. The Skeleton Mage’s name had already turned green and then it came walking
towards her. Ye Ci felt so much more confident after her first success. In just a short while, she
managed to “recruit” another three Skeleton Mages. Their names and levels were white in color.
If Ye Ci kept roaming around the Buren Monastery without going offline, these skeletons would
gradually level up. The highest they could reach was the grade 7 with a dark blue name.
Although there were only four white name levelled Skeleton Mages, they were all monsters above
level 30. Their strength shouldn’t be underestimated. Skeletons were monsters with very low
intelligence. As long as they were successfully enticed, they would very rarely become traitors.
Therefore, they didn’t go easy at all on the other Skeleton Mages who were their companions just
before.
With these four Skeleton Mages, Ye Ci could finally walk around the Buren Monastery without
any worries. Regardless of whether it was the speed of killing monsters or moving, everything
sped up by a lot. She passed through the corridor and arrived at the once Sacred Pond of the Buren
Monastery.
There used to be pure and holy spring water flowing here. The pilgrims would pass through the
Sacred Pond to cleanse the filth on their body. Now, the Sacred Pond had long been destroyed. Not
only that, the spring water had also long since dried up.
The skeletons that roamed around the public square of the Sacred Pond were all melee skeletons.
Compared to those skeletons in the corridors outside, they were not only holding a weapon but
also wearing armor. Even so, they still didn’t stand a chance against the four mages. Ye Ci could
pretty much pass through very quickly. Soon enough though, she stopped dead in her tracks
because she saw a level 35 elite monster not far away - Skeletal Guardian
The Skeletal Guardian was a lot taller than normal skeletons. It was fully dressed in armor,
complete with a helm on its head. There was a shield equipped in its left hand and an extremely
sharp broadsword in its right hand. Sunlight shone on the blade, causing it to gleam coldly. Ye Ci
didn’t notice it earlier because it had been sitting on a rock. Now that it stood up, she was able to
notice its existence at a single glance.
She started to assess the situation in her heart. This guy was an elite monster. Its HP and defense
were nearly twice as high as a normal skeleton. Not only that, it also moved very fast. If she
dragged the four skeleton mages along with her to attack it, even though the odds of winning
wasn’t high, it didn’t mean that there wasn’t any hope. Elite monsters would normally drop Blue
grade equipment. However, this was a level 30 training area. The Blue graded equipments would
all be above level 30. Even so, Ye Ci wouldn’t necessary be satisfied with them.
Since this was the case, she might as well entice this Skeletal Guardian into her fold. That would
greatly increase her safety factor.
Thinking up to this point, she let the four Skeleton Mages start attacking the Skeletal Guardian
while she started to entice it. The Health Points and Defense of this Skeletal Guardian were higher
than normal skeletons, so if she wanted to raise the success rate of enticing it, she would need to
bring its HP down to critical level before attempting to entice it.
Fortunately the spawn rate of skeletons around the Sacred Pond wasn’t very fast. Ye Ci went
around the Skeletal Guardian while leading it towards the small lawn at the side of the Public
Square. There wouldn’t be any monsters spawning there, so it was the best place to entice it.
Ye Ci stopped the Skeleton Mages’ attacks when the Skeletal Guardian ’s HP was lowered to
about 15 points. She then started to continuously shine the Light of Enticement on it. Even though
most of its HP had been depleted, it still wasn’t easy to entice it. She saw the skeletons around her
spawning more and more. Ye Ci could only assign the Skeleton Mages around her so that they
could surround her and the Skeletal Guardian for protection.
Her Light of Enticement must not be interrupted at all cost, otherwise all of her previous efforts
would go down the drain.
As the old saying goes: What you fear is more likely to happen. While Ye Ci were seriously using
her Light of Enticement, she saw another Skeletal Guardian slowly making its way towards her.
Why was there another one here? Wasn’t there normally only one elite monster in this kind of
area? How could two of them spawn at the same time? Ye Ci was anxious as she watched the path
of the Skeletal Guardian . She was just afraid that it would come over here. So when it had just
walked into the attacking range of the Skeleton Mages, Ye Ci immediately activated them, letting
them go attack the Skeletal Guardian .
When the Skeletal Guardian was attacked, it immediately raised the broadsword in its hand and
rushed towards Ye Ci. It raised its gigantic sword against the four Skeleton Mages without any
restraint. In just a flash, the last Skeleton Mage that she had enticed was smashed into pieces. The
HP of the other Skeleton Mages were also starting to go down. Since one of the Skeleton Mages
by her side was smashed, there was a gap that could allow the Skeletal Guardian to pass by. The
Skeletal Guardian was obviously way more intelligent than the normal skeletons. It shifted its feet
and slashed towards Ye Ci through that gap.
Damn.” Ye Ci felt a chill in her heart. Her efforts were all going down the drain.
“Successfully summoned the Skeletal Guardian .” Heaven never bars one’s way. Just when her
heart was sinking, the system announcement rang out. The Skeletal Guardian who had just been
successfully summoned dashed towards his own kind despite its critical HP.
Ye Ci didn’t dare to stay any longer either. She immediately leapt a few steps backwards to put a
certain distance between them before she started to attack.
Although the Skeletal Guardian was tough, it was no match for Ye Ci’s posse. It became a pile of
bone remains on the floor in a flash. Ye Ci exhaled. What a close call. The skeletal guardian was at
its last drop of HP as well. The other three Skeleton Mages were also on the verge of dying. She
went up looted the pile of bone remains and found a Blue grade equipment. It looked like a
barbarian’s belt, but it was yet to be appraised.She didn’t mind and threw the belt into her bag,
then led her posse towards her next bjective - the Sacrificial Altar.
She summoned another Skeleton Archer on their way. Ye Ci’s party couldn’t be said as inferior.
The Skeletal Guardian acted as a meat shield at the front, while the other few small skeletons
trailed behind it. They would take care of any skeleton that appeared in a flash.
While Ye Ci hurried on with her band of skeletons, another party of more than ten people also
came to the Sacred Pond.
“Twilight why are there so few monsters here?”
“Someone was here.” The leader, Crimson Twilight, was a mage dressed in a dark red mage
robe that seemed to have flames faintly flowing on it. This was a unique item from the Scorching
Canyon dungeon located at the southern part of the Eastern Continent - the Scorching Mage Robe
Set. Other than its exceptional attributes, it also had an additional Fire attribute. This was the best
equipment for clearing skeleton monsters. This set of equipment was the only reason why this
group of people dared to come grind at the Buren Monastery when they were only level 20.
All of them looked at the scattered bones remains on the floor as their heart sank. Their guild had
went through all the trouble of getting three sets of Scorching Mage Robes before coming here to
clear monsters. There was someone who actually managed to come here earlier than them? Could
it be another guild?
Crimson Twilight was the guild’s vice president and also the organizer of this grind session. His
heart sank a little when he saw the mess before his eyes. After contemplating for awhile, he called
out towards a rogue from one side. “Mallow, follow the trail of bone remains and see what’s up
ahead. Find out which guild has come. Stay safe.”
Mallow nodded and immediately switched to stealth mode, then started to follow the trail of bone
remains and went in the direction of the Sacrificial Grounds.
Crimson Twilight immediately ordered all members to start clearing out monsters at the Sacred
Pond’s public square while they waited for news from Mallow.
At this moment, Ye Ci wasn’t aware that a guild had also entered the Buren Monastery. She was
just hurrying towards the Sacrificial Grounds along with her little juniors. The area here was gourd
shaped. The entrance was very narrow, but very spacious in the abdomen area. The Sacrificial
Altar leaned high up against the mountain. Standing on the Sacrificial Altar was a monster that
could be mass killed for privilege points. This was heaven for mages to farm monsters in the
future, but for now only Ye Ci knew of this place.
Hello peoples! So here's Chapter 75 for y'all! Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
I've been extremely busy these few days and I think that I'll continue being busy throughout the
week. So... Apologies in advance if I couldn't post double chapters on Friday.
Aaaaand.... If you wanna give Jimmi some freebies hit that sponsor button at the right side of the
page. (Anybody plays Grim Dawn? *cough cough* it's not like I want the game yanno but *cough
cough* maybe somebody can send it to me in Steam? jk gonna save up for that)
Anyways, FIRST IN COMMENT TYPE FIRST BLOOD!
Chapter 76 Sacred Hall
Ye Ci’s position was very strategic. In a place with such a geographical shape, it was very easy to
enter the room, but near-impossible to leave it quickly. Ye Ci placed her 5 “henchmen” on the
Sacrificial Altar that was at the side of the mountain, and began to draw in monsters from the
narrow entrance. Due to the low movement speed of the skeletons, a class with high Agility like
Ye Ci’s Huntress was very suitable for the job.
The monsters that were drawn in locked their aggro on Ye Ci’s skeletal henchmen on the
Sacrificial Altar, drawing them deeper into the area.
Had the skeleton that swarmed into the place not been melee ones, Ye Ci’s skeletal henchmen
would’ve been torn apart within moments.
With Ye Ci’s efforts, the Sacrificial Grounds was packed full of monsters. Ye Ci ran along the the
side of the mountain with her high Balance, and was able to make it safely to the Sacrificial Altar.
Her aggro value was very high, so the melee skeletons charged at her, waving their weapons as
they went. Their bones ground together with a clacking sound. Players with trypophobia would
definitely have their wits scared out of them. The narrow choke point was crammed full by
hundreds of skeletons. Their ghastly white bones appeared eerie under the sunlight.
To be honest, Ye Ci was uncomfortable being stared at by so many skeletons. She did not dare to
spend the time to appreciate her own “achievement”. She took a Scarlet Bomb out, pulled the pin,
and lobbed it into the densest part of the skeletal horde. As if sensing the impending danger, the
skeletons tried to escape, but it was impossible.
The skeletons at the front that had sensed danger tried to turn around and run, but the skeletons
swarming in from behind could not see what was happening in front of them. They continued to
charge at Ye Ci. With this, the skeletons became tightly clumped together. Ye Ci’s Scarlet Bomb
landed right in the midst of a huge group of skeletons.
“BOOM!” a large explosion shook the area. Ye Ci could only see red numbers blotting out her
screen, and her experience gauge was filled up rapidly.
There was only a crater left where the Scarlet Bomb exploded. The system would automatically
fix any damage done to the terrain within a few hours, or Ye Ci would’ve been accused of
destroying terrains in the game. The skeletons around the crater were pushed in by their comrades
and they fell into the crater. Ye Ci did not hold back. With the help of her 3 Skeleton Mages and a
Skeleton Archer, she began harvesting the lives of the trapped skeletons.
The wail let out by the dying skeletons sent shivers down Ye Ci’s spine.
It was a very efficient way to farm experience. Before long, Ye Ci had leveled up from lvl 21 to lvl
25 with 67% progress, and her experience points were still rising. She might even be able to reach
lvl 27 by the time she was done with all the skeletons. She would have a higher level than the top
player in the leveling rankings.
Mallow, who was hiding just outside the chokepoint, was utterly shocked. He couldn’t believe
that this was something that could be done by a lone player. He immediately sent a message to
Crimson Twilight and relayed the information.
Although not witnessing the scene first hand, Crimson Twilight shivered at the thought of it, “Are
you sure she’s alone?”
“Yes, she is. She’s a…” Mallow stared at the tiny silhouette standing on the Sacrificial Altar,
unsure, “I think she’s a Huntress.”
“You think?”
“She was surrounded by quite a number of skeleton minions, so I figured she could be a
Necromancer. I’m not too sure.”
By the time Mallow had completed his report to Crimson Twilight, Ye Ci had cleared away all the
monsters and was preparing to leave the Sacrificial Grounds.
Ye Ci was already lvl 27. With her level, her survivability as she looked for the Eral Gem shard
was raised exponentially. As she approached the entrance of the Sacrificial Grounds, Ye Ci
stopped dead in her tracks. She had felt the presence of a Rogue.
Mallow was anxious. He thought to himself: The Huntress won’t be able to detect me, right?
When the Huntress stopped abruptly, Mallow’s anxiety increased. But she then continued walking
forward.
There was only 2 possibilities that could explain the presence of a lvl 20 Rogue in the place. He
could be part of a party, or he had been tailing Ye Ci for quite some times. Ye Ci did not feel the
presence of the Rogue earlier, which meant that he was part of a party.
A party was here to farm higher level mobs… Ye Ci gave it a thought, and decided to not deal
with the Rogue. She wanted to find out which party he belonged to.
Since Ye Ci’s farming method was already discovered, the place would soon be crawling with
players. Ye Ci herself, who had already benefitted from it, did not have the need to continue it
anymore.
Thinking that the Huntress had not detected him, Mallow let out a sigh of relief and continued
tailing Ye Ci while in Stealth. He reported everything he observed to Crimson Twilight. Ye Ci was
not in a rush. She used Hawkeye which was one of the skills in her Talent to survey the area, and
was able to detect traces of a party nearby.
Confront them, or avoid them?
After a pause, Ye Ci decided to avoid the party. She didn’t want a confrontation, as her priority
was to locate the Eral Gem shard. Ye Ci immediately headed to the Sacred Hall.
Ye Ci rounded a corner and stopped. A 12-player party let by a man in a Scorching Mage Robe
was in front of her.
The man stopped as well after seeing Ye Ci. He studied Ye Ci carefully.
It was an Elven Huntress with a very bland appearance. If she were to appear in the crowd in a city,
she would easily be overlooked. But... the skeletons surrounding her sent chills down his spine.
The most notable of the 5 skeletons was an especially large armored one following closely behind
Ye Ci. Its large frame, neat armor, and the sword and shield in its hands, as well as the blue flames
lighting up its eye sockets, made the skeleton very intimidating.
The moment he laid eyes on Ye Ci, Crimson Twilight was able to tell that she was the Huntress
that Mallow was talking about. He stared at Ye Ci and began assessing her strength. Her
equipment appeared inferior to that of his party. Common sense dictated that a Huntress could not
summon undead minions, but the Huntress in front of him had 5 of them. What scared him the
most was that the skeletons were quite high-leveled, and the biggest among them gave off an
intimidating vibe.
Then again, they had strength in numbers. They would not be at a disadvantage if they went into a
confrontation with the Huntress. The flow of the battle would depend on how the Huntress reacted
as well.
Ye Ci stared back at the party and began calculating her odds. She was contemplating if she
should take the party on. They definitely outnumbered her, and 3 of them were equipped with the
Scorching Mage Robe set. They could deal some damage. Ye Ci had the Skeleton Guardian on her
side. She would not have trouble taking out the party, but she had no time to waste.
Just as she was still giving the topic a thought, a lvl 32 Skeleton Warrior appeared in her view. Ye
Ci immediately thought of a way to solve this. She directed the 3 Skeleton Mages and the Skeleton
Archer to attack the Skeleton Warrior. The lvl 32 Skeleton Warrior didn’t even last 2 seconds
under the onslaught.
The scene shocked Crimson Twilight deeply. Their party would need at least 30 seconds to defeat
a lvl 32 Skeletal Warrior, but the Huntress did it in 2… Immediately, he gave up on trying to take
Ye Ci on. He smiled at her warmly and greeted her, “Greetings.”
Ye Ci nodded. She chose not to speak and instead walked past Crimson Twilight’s party with her
“skeleton entourage” towards the Sacred hall.
By then, Mallow had already rejoined the group. He stared at Ye Ci who was already leaving and
asked, “Boss, we’re not going deal with her?”
“We can’t.” Crimson Twilight shook his head. He knew that the skeletons following Ye Ci
around were no ordinary skeletons. If they clashed, their party would be wiped out within seconds.
However, Crimson Twilight was curious. If Huntress was here to farm experience point, wouldn’t
the monsters at the outer area of the map be sufficient for only 1 person?
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Crimson Twilight led his party and followed Ye Ci towards the
Sacred Hall.
Ye Ci had reached the Sacred Hall after walking through a corridor.
The entrance of the Sacred Hall was filled with lvl 35 Elite Monsters. Ye Ci walked quickly.
Noticing that Crimson Twilight was tailing her, she did not clear away all the monsters she
encountered. She instead left a few of them here and there to slow them down. Although the
entrance was crowded with Elite Monsters, the Sacred Hall itself was empty. As long as Ye Ci was
able to enter the Sacred Hall, she would be able to complete her objective.
Unfortunately, the Ye Ci’s skeletal henchmen would have to act as bait to draw the monsters away.
She would no longer be able to keep them around.
She commanded her Skeletal Mages to run circles around the Sacred Hall, baiting the Elite
Skeletons away from the entrance. Ye Ci then entered the empty Sacred Hall safely.
The interior of the Sacred Hall was dark. The once glorious candles that used to light up the hall
had long ago been extinguished.
As an Elf, Ye Ci had perfect night vision. She could still see the interior of the Sacred Hall. It was
a mess. Literally nothing was left intact, save for a statue of the God of Light. It was definitely
something fishy.
Ye Ci walked up to the statue and grabbed hold of the staff that the statue was holding. A glaring
light lit up the place all of a sudden, and the ground underneath Ye Ci disappeared. She fell.
Ye Ci’s head was spinning. By the time it stopped, she was already at the bottom of a very deep
hole.
Chapter 77 A City Under Siege
The devs are too lazy. This was literally a plot right out of a wuxia novel! Making sure that she
was not hurt, Ye Ci stood up. The only remaining skeleton with her, the Skeleton Guardian, stood
up as well.
The space was not big. There was a huge throne in front of Ye Ci, and on that throne sat a gigantic
skeleton. It appeared dead; there were no signs of it coming to life. Ye Ci’s gaze roamed around
the skeleton’s body, and stopped at a box sitting on its lap.
If her assumption was correct, it contained the Eral Gem shard that she was looking for.
Without a moment of hesitation, Ye Ci bounded for the box. As she opened it, she saw a
multicolored gem. She scooped the gem out of the box, but before she could put it into her
inventory, something had grabbed hold of her arm.
It was the hand of the giant skeleton. The giant skeleton’s eyes glistened with a red light as it
stared at Ye Ci, and a name appeared on top of his head: Nameless Zealot. His stats and level were
all represented by question marks.
It meant that the skeleton was at least 20 levels higher than Ye Ci.
The skeleton said in an eerie voice, “Elf, unhand the gem. If you let go of that gem with your
sinful hand, I shall let you leave this place alive.” An undeniable pressure was exerted upon Ye Ci,
nearly suffocating her.
It was the aura of a high-level BOSS. Players affected by the aura would feel a certain degree of
pressure exerted upon their bodies. The pets or minions summoned by players would also be
affected by a debuff that would make them shudder, reducing their movement speed and attack.
But, would Ye Ci let go of that shard? Ye Ci laughed and sneered at the Nameless Zealot. She
would be an idiot to let go of that Eral Gem shard. She looked at the Skeleton Guardian. It was
shuddering, affected by the aura of the gigantic skeleton as well. Ye Ci commanded the Skeleton
Guardian to attack the Nameless Zealot.
Although the Skeleton Guardian was terrified, it had to act in the face of a command from its
master. It charged at the Nameless Zealot, raised its sword with a trembling hand, and brought it
down on the hand that was grabbing on to Ye Ci.
“Foolish ant, you attack me because of a lowly Elf?”The Nameless Zealot immediately let go of
Ye Ci and shifted its attention to the Skeleton Guardian. Ye Ci took the opportunity to put the Eral
Gem shard into her pocket and took out a City Recalling Stone.
“You’re not allowed to use the item in this place.” Ye Ci’s attempt to leave however, was met
with the cold voice of a system notification.
If she couldn’t recall to a city, there were only 2 ways of leaving the place. Kill the big guy, or get
killed by it. Truth to be told, Ye Ci did not wish to try either one of those options. As she directed
the Skeleton Guardian to fight against the Nameless Zealot, Ye Ci studied her surroundings,
looking for a way out.
Because of its sheer size, the Nameless Zealot was very slow. Despite having powerful attacks,
they could be easily dodged.
The Nameless Zealot was thoroughly enraged when the Skeleton Guardian dodged its attacks
under Ye Ci’s direction. It raised its hand and roared. The roar formed into a shockwave and dealt
damage to Ye Ci. She immediately drank a Large Health Potion to prevent herself from being
killed. The sound wave attack did not affect the Skeleton Guardian though, as it had absolutely no
hearing. It resumed its attacks on the Nameless Zealot.
“I’ve held back, thinking that you’re my comrade. But you did not repent. You shall share the
same fate with this shameless Elf.” The Nameless Zealot swung its hand at the Skeleton
Guardian.
The Nameless Zealots hand was able to stretch and retract at will. With that mighty swing, it
smashed the Skeleton Guardian into the wall. The ground began to tremble. Had Ye Ci not held
onto a protruding rock, she would’ve lost her balance.
“Crack!” The stone wall ruptured and a ray of bright light shone into the hole. Ye Ci cast a
glance at the source of the light, and saw that a huge opening was created in the wall of the hole
by the Nameless Zealot. The Skeleton Guardian had already disappeared. It must’ve gotten
thrown out by the force of that hit.
Since there was already a way out, Ye Ci immediately headed towards the opening.
“Shameless ant, you shall not escape!” The Nameless Zealot gained a sudden burst of speed and
rushed towards Ye Ci. He was a BOSS, which meant that his intelligence was way higher than a
normal skeleton. It was able to tell that Ye Ci was trying to escape through the opening, and it
moved to intercept her.
Ye Ci did not even hesitate as she jumped onto the extended hand of the Nameless Zealot that was
in her way. With the aid of the force of his swinging hand, Ye Ci leapt again and landed on his
ribcage. Using the Nameless Zealot’s ribs as ladder, she was able to climb towards his shoulder.
The Nameless Zealot was enraged. It began to shake its body and attempted to swat Ye Ci away
from his body. Ye Ci darted between the seams of his bones, avoiding his attacks. The few times
his fingertip was able to scratch at Ye Ci, her health dropped rapidly.
Ye Ci continued her great escape while using bandage after bandage to sustain her hitpoints, not
daring to stop. She headed straight for the opening.
Ye Ci leapt right as she climbed onto the Nameless Zealot’s shoulder. She stood at the opening,
and realised that she was at a really high place.
Down below, she could see an an oasis and a prospering city. Ye Ci then remembered that the
Boneyard was a upward rising slope, and the Buren Monastery was at the highest point of the hill.
The map directly connected to the Boneyard was called the Green Ark. One of the top 3
prospering cities, the Oasis City, was situated in the Green Ark.
She was in a secret chamber underneath the Sacred Hall. And since the wall had already been
broken by the Nameless Zealot, the opening naturally led to her current position.
“You shall not escape! Come and face your doom!” The Nameless Zealot laughed maniacally as
he advanced towards Ye Ci. Rocks fell after being dislodged by his booming voice. The secret
chamber was about to collapse.
Ye Ci smiled and said, “See ya later, Nameless Zealot.” She then activated Charge, and she
dashed 20m into the air, and fell.
“Nooooo!” The Nameless Zealot roared, and the chamber’s walls shook even more violently.
As the speed of Ye Ci’s descent accelerated, the soft winds became sharp as blade, slicing at Ye
Ci’s skin. She grimaced at the pain. As the ground was nearer and nearer, Ye Ci activated her
Mysterious Ring’s additional skill, Featherfall. Her body instantly became light, and she landed
on the ground with the speed of a feather floating downwards slowly.
She would definitely have died if not for the Mysterious Ring’s additional skill. She let out a deep
breath, and summoned her steed.
Just as Ye Ci took off, the roar of the Nameless Zealot boomed behind her, “Stand still, you
despicable vermin!”
Ye Ci was shocked. She glanced backwards and found out that the Nameless Zealot had landed
not far away from her, snapping several trees in half. Ye Ci shivered out of fear, and immediately
galloped towards Oasis City.
Oasis City was surrounded by lvl 20-lvl 25 monsters. It was a place where players gather to farm
experience and level up. In her current situation, Ye Ci headed straight for the most populated area.
She darted left and right in the forest, giving the expression that she was merely returning to the
city for supplies.
Ye Ci was the only one who knew that she was running away. Running away for dear life.
Despite his height, the Nameless Zealot was hindered by the tall trees in the forest. He was slowed
down considerably by the trees.
As Ye Ci left the forest, the players leveling up nearby the area finally spotted the Nameless
Zealot.
The players immediately shouted, “It’s a BOSS! A Wild BOSS!”
The players in the vicinity immediately charged at the direction of the Nameless Zealot.
Ye Ci mumbled heartlessly under her breath, “You guys sure are good people. Thanks for
delaying the monster for me. You’ve saved my life, such a trifling matter is not worth mentioning,
am I right?”
The Nameless Zealot was at least lvl 80, and it was a BOSS. No matter how many players went
after it, they only faced death. Before long, most of the players were already dead or dying. The
Map Channel of the Green Ark instantly clamored in an uproar. There were players who ranted
and cursed nonstop. It was very lively.
By that time, Ye Ci had already reached the Oasis City. She immediately rushed towards the
Teleportation Master. Before she could leave, she noticed a message in the chat, “That giant
skeleton thingy is headed for the city! Is it trying to attack the city?”
Ye Ci immediately gave up on leaving. She instead headed towards the City Hall.
Ye Ci was stopped by the sentry as she rushed into the city hall. “Sir Mayor, i’m a Second Rank
Soldier of Red Lake City, I have something of utmost importance to report!” Shouted Ye Ci as
she showed the mayor her badge.
“Oh, it’s a guest from Red Lake City? Ah, forgive our lack of manners. Let her pass.” the
Administration Officer motioned at the sentries, signaling for them to let Ye Ci pass while smiling
warmly at her.
Hey peeps! Chapter 77 is here!! Only 23 more chapters until we hit 100!!! Ooooorah!!!
Chapter 78 Van der Loof’s Request
Chapter 78 Van der Loof’s Request
Fate is a large scale game. Different players have their own social circles. Even NPCs have their
own social circles. The lord of Oasis City, Van der Loof, and the lord of Red Lake City, Sha’gar,
were comrades that fought side by side in the Great War. They were very close to each other.
However, because the distance between their cities was great, the two lords normally would
communicate with each other through letters.
Despite the distance, the friendship of the two lords was as thick as blood. They treated each
other’s citizens in a friendly manner as well. This was why Ye Ci was not punished for barging
into the City Hall and was instead received as a visitor.
Of course, the only reason she had dared to barge into the City Hall was exactly because she had
knowledge of the relationship between the two city lords. Had it not been the case, she would’ve
been chased out of Oasis City by the sentries, and her prestige in the city would also drop.
The relationship between the NPCs of each continent was recorded in the public library. As long
as players were willing to invest time in the library, they would discover a lot of secrets about Fate.
But players were generally always busy leveling up, so who would actually think of going to the
library? Ye Ci was no exception. In her last life, she was forced to hide in the library for 2 months
to evade her foes. Out of boredom, she had read all the history of the continent during her stay,
and was able to gain much knowledge from her experience.
“Your Honor.” Ye Ci bowed towards the mayor as she was led into his office, “I have
something important to report.”
“And what would that be, our friend from Red Lake City?” The mayor was of course not the
city lord, but simply a “butler” appointed by the lord. Their behavior varied, just like the
behavior of any other human being. The mayor of Oasis City was apparently much more sincere
than the mayor of Red Lake City.
“As I was going through the Green Ark, I saw a gigantic skeleton heading straight for Oasis City.
Oasis City and Red Lake City have always maintained a good relationship. As a citizen of Red
Lake City, how could I ignore this matter? This is why I made my way here as fast as I could to
report my sightings to you, Your Honor.” Ye Ci looked at the the mayor with an expression full of
sincerity, totally ignoring the fact that she had twisted the truth.
“What? A giant skeleton?” The mayor of Oasis City immediately stood up, alarmed. He was
able to quickly hide his worried expression as he nodded at Ye Ci, “Dear friend, please rest here
for a moment. I will send some of my soldiers to check it out.” He immediately gave out his
orders.
Before long, a soldier returned, “Sir, a giant skeleton has breached through the city’s outer
defensive shield and is now heading to our middle tier shield.”
The mayor was anxious. “Dear friend, thank you for bringing us this news, I thank you in my
lord’s stead. I’m in a rush now, I have to inform the City Lord of this.” Said the mayor promptly
as he rushed towards the City Lord’s castle.
The administration officer and the captain of the guard who were left in the office discussed the
contingency plans against the giant skeleton, and none of them paid attention to Ye Ci. She stood
in a corner and looked out of the office’s window, staring at the activity far away while reading
the rants of players in the map chat channel.
The Nameless Zealot had become bigger. When he was at the secret chamber, Ye Ci noticed that
the Nameless Zealot was only 3 times larger than her. But he had already grown to the point where
he was even taller than the city wall of Oasis City. It was apparent that the Nameless Zealot was
growing. Countless spells flew towards the Nameless Zealot and splashed across his bones. But
when the Nameless Zealot swung his arm, countless white lights flickered, reaping the lives of an
unknown amount of players.
Ye Ci suddenly heard a flurry of hasty but powerful footsteps heading towards the City Hall and
she turned around just in time to see a blonde middle aged man walking towards her, his blue cape
flowing behind him and a sword hanging on his hips. The handsome looking man was the Lord of
Oasis City, Van der Loof.
“Ah, dear friend, thank you for bringing me this valuable information. Please forgive my
inability to thank you properly, for I must now lead my troops into battle.” Van der Loof nodded
at Ye Ci.
“Your Grace, please allow me to fight alongside you.” Ye Ci immediately proposed her request
to Van der Loof. That was the reason she was waiting in the mayor’s office. Although she was not
sure if her request would be accepted, Fate’s theme was “infinite possibilities”. Hence it was
worth a try.
“Dearest friend, this is a very dangerous task. I cannot allow a friend to place herself in danger.”
Van der Loof’s face showed a hint of surprise, but he shook his head.
It seemed that something was definitely up. Despite rejecting Ye Ci’s offer, Van der Loof sounded
hesitant. Ye Ci decided to press the matter further, “Your Grace, as a friend, I can understand why
you rejected my offer. But as a friend, I must fight.”
Van der Loof appeared very touched, “Dearest friend, you shall always be a friend of Oasis City.”
Right after he finished speaking, Ye Ci heard a system notification, “Your prestige in Oasis City
has reached ‘Intimate.’
” Eh? She managed to reach that level of prestige so fast? Ye Ci would
need to complete at least 3 months worth of daily quests in order to have her prestige at
“Intimate”. But a few words from her was able to achieve such a result. The old Chinese saying
was right.
It’s easier to win over the heart.
Although Van der Loof had agreed to allow Ye Ci to take part in the defence of the city, she did
not receive any special treatment. Riding in the midst of armor-clad soldiers on tall white horses,
Ye Ci’s own little red steed was an unusual sight.
As a city lord, Van der Loof did not join the battle himself. General Bruce of the Oasis City was in
charge of the city's defence. He was a lvl 120 BOSS-class NPC. His tremendous amount of
hitpoints was a testimony of how tough he was. He shouted in a loud voice, “Deploy the magical
barrier!”
In the heart of every city laid an enchanted stone in a fountain. The fountain was usually guarded
by groups of lvl 100 Elite Soldiers. It was nothing but mere decoration during peaceful times, but
when faced with incidents where monsters attack the city, the enchanted stone could be used to
deploy a ghostly blue barrier that cannot be breached around the city.
However, there was a time limit for the magical barrier; It would only last for 2 hours. If the
enemy could not be defeated within that period of time, the barrier would be breached and the city
could suffer destruction. If the situation was truly dire, the city might be turned into ruins.
A lvl 120 BOSS was totally different from the other BOSS. He himself did not even need to join
the battle. He directed the musketeers, archers and sorcerers under his command to continuously
attack the Nameless Zealot from the other side of the barrier. The NPCs were not the only one
who had joined the battle. Players from different parts of the Eastern Continent had flocked to
Oasis City. The already bustling city was instantly packed full of players.
Some of them were here to fight, some just for the fun, while some of them wanted a piece of the
loot the monster might drop. In short, guilds with their separate aims from all over the Eastern
Continent had gathered at Oasis City.
Lurking in the midst of the NPCs, Ye Ci saw members from Steel-Blooded Battle Spear, World
Conqueror, Wolf Pack, Tang Dynasty, Street Assitance Guild, Blade of Abyss… All the renowned
guilds of the Eastern Continent were on the scene, and even the smaller guilds had joined the
battle.
The NPC army was tenacious, and they were aided by players, but the Nameless Zealot was
ferocious as well. He consumed the life force of players who attempted to charge at him, using
their lives to strengthen himself. He had grown larger and larger. Even though his hitpoints were
dropping continuously, but…
“This is the power of Naga!” Van der Loof shouted out in a sorrowful tone.
Ye Ci glanced at the time. The magical barrier would only last for 20 more minutes, but the
Nameless Zealot had at least half of his hitpoints left. It seemed that the battle was lost. But she
had reached “Intimate” prestige with Oasis City, it was worth it.
“Dearest friend, I know this is hard, but can you help me with a very important task?” said Van
der Loof to Ye Ci out of the blue, and a quest marker immediately appeared on top of his head.
Oh? A quest? Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. She then immediately dismounted and knelt in
front of Van der Loof, “Your Grace, it is an honor to be of assistance.”
“I’m very touched.” Van der Loof sighed, and Ye Ci’s prestige in Oasis City increased by
several hundred points, “I’ve sensed the power of Naga on this terrifying monster, but I shall
never give up. I have here with me a shard from the gem in the God of Light’s shrine. Although it
can’t defeat the Dark Lord Himself, it is enough to take out one of his minions. Can you stab this
shard into the monster’s heart?”
Adjusting her gaze to where Van der Loof was pointing at, Ye Ci saw a beating heart in the
Nameless Zealot’s chest that was previously empty. However… It was easier said than done. Ye
Ci was lvl 27, but the Nameless Zealot was at least lvl 130. How would she be able to complete
this quest?
“Your Grace, I would really like to help, but I’m weak. I don’t think I can make it.”
“Ah, all is well, I will protect you.” Van der Loof directly handed the shard to Ye Ci. Ye Ci
stared at the shard and grit her teeth. He was forcing her to carry out the quest. If she refused,
would she be beaten to death by the soldiers around her?
Fine, at most I’ll just drop a level. Ye Ci sighed. She took the gem shared and immediately noticed
a Buff in her status.
Holy Light: You’re covered by the shard’s holy light. You are immune to all damage. Duration: 5
minutes.
Because Jimmi is a totally awesome person, and does not want his readers to get stuck by a cliff
for too long, he had decided to post Chapter 78 early! Isn't Jimmi a kind person? xDD
Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! Last chapter of the month!
If you think this chapter is awesome and want to reward Jimmi for this awesomtacular chapter, hit
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Aaaaaand first in the comment type First Blood!
Chapter 79 Hero!
How extravagant, Ye Ci received an invulnerable status straight away. With this, she was, of
course, not afraid of dying. She bowed to Van der Loof,“Your Grace, I’ll try my best to aid you.”
Just as she was about to leave, Ye Ci remembered something else, and continued “negotiating”
with Van der Loof, “Your Grace, I have something of importance to ask.”
“Dearest friend, what is it?”
“If I am to fall on the battlefield, what about my stuff?” Ye Ci gestured at her equipment, while
looking at Van der Loof, hinting at him.
“Don’t worry, we’ll definitely retrieve your memento.” Said Van der Loof with a smile that
says “I gotchu fam!” Ye Ci almost gagged, what do you mean by memento…
But since Van der Loof had indicated that he would take care of her items should they drop, Ye Ci
had no more worries. In the worst case scenario, her level would only drop by 1. She took the
shard of the Holy Light Gem and charged at the Nameless Zealot.
The countdown of effect of the Holy Light Buff would begin the moment Ye Ci was 20 yards
away from Van der Loof. She was still quite far away from the Nameless Zealot. She summoned
her little red horse and galloped at top speed. The people who knew her spotted her and in an
instant, the chime of incoming private messages filled her ears. Ye Ci however, had no time to
reply them. Her attention was on the Nameless Zealot.
“Oi! Damn brat, where you going? Remote Depths’ voice rang out. Ye Ci turned her head
around, and saw Remote Depths and the members of Upwards Ho! Standing at one side of the
road, throwing skill after skill at the Nameless Zealot. Apparently they were here for drops.
Ye Ci couldn’t spare the time to explain the situation to him, so she simply waved and continued
galloping onwards at full speed through the crowd of players.
The players were not stupid. The moment they realised that a magical barrier was deployed around
the city, they immediately retreated into the safety of the barrier and let the NPCs do their jobs,
while they waited for the moment the Nameless Zealot fell and the loot dropped.
When Ye Ci arrived at the city gate, it was already opened by 2 soldiers. She galloped straight and
fast, zipping out of the city gate. It was closed again the moment she left the vicinity of the city, as
if it had never been opened.
The Nameless Zealot was a skeleton, which was among the lowest tier, being among the undead
race. Although he had evolved and his level had increased from lvl 80 to lvl 130, his intelligence
level did not increase. At least, he did not recognise Ye Ci as the person who had stolen the Eral
Gem shard.
“You’re here to die, little ant?” The Nameless Zealot laughed, his bare lower jaw trembled,
letting out the sound of bones grinding together which sent chills down Ye Ci’s spine. “Come,
your strength shall be mine!”
Ye Ci eyed her invulnerability timer. 3 minutes left. It was enough for her to climb up to his chest.
The players who had already retreated to the safety of the magical barrier quickly noticed that the
person galloping out towards the Nameless Zealot was Gongzi You. Discussions among the crowd
soon began.
Some said that Ye Ci had a death wish, some said that she was just trying to be the hero; the vast
majority of them climbed onto the city wall, wanting to have a front row seat of how the legendary
Huntress would defeat the Nameless Zealot, or how she would be defeated.
The Nameless Zealot’s speed had increased considerably. He swung his hands at Ye Ci again and
again, forcing her to focus her full attention on dodging the incoming attacks. Although Ye Ci had
the invulnerable BUFF, she weaved left and right, sometimes jumping and even rolling to the
ground to avoid hits out of instinct. Her maneuvers were like a high quality tutorial for the players
gathered on the city wall.
A lot of them had even started recording Ye Ci’s maneuvers.
“.... it’s been awhile since we’ve partied with her. She’s improved.” Said Little Icy Cold Hands
as she observed Ye Ci.
“This is the first time I’ve seen her live in action…” Fruit Jelly mumbled. She was also
recording Ye Ci’s movement, “I want to be able to do the same.”
“Don’t even think about it. She’s a Huntress, you’re a Cleric. Your movement speed is slow,
you’ll never be able to achieve that.” Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw immediately rained on Fruit
Jelly’s parade.
Fruit Jelly glared at him, “Just you wait!”
……
The members of Upwards Ho! were worried for Ye Ci despite their cheerful appearance. She was
just too reckless.
When the Nameless Zealot slammed his hand down on the ground again, Ye Ci was prepared. She
held onto one of his fingers and was lifted into the air when he raised his hand. It was a risky
move, but since the Nameless Zealot’s speed was too fast, Ye Ci needed a change in strategy.
The Nameless Zealot was baffled when he could not see Ye Ci when he lifted his hand. He looked
around, and noticed Ye Ci clinging onto his finger. He was enraged. Feeling that he had been
insulted, the Nameless Zealot waved his hand around, causing Ye Ci to become dizzy. She hung
on, not daring to lose consciousness. She paid close attention to her altitude, waiting for the
perfect timing.
Some of the crowd cried out in alarm as they saw Ye Ci on the hand of the flailing Nameless
Zealot. It was like watching a 3D movie.
When the Nameless Zealot raised his hand higher than his head, Ye Ci saw the opportunity and let
go. She dropped down towards the shoulder of the Nameless Zealot at high speed.
“Ahhhhh!” Some of the more timid players among the crowd shouted out.
With her invulnerable state, Ye Ci did not receive any damage when she fell onto the giant’s
shoulder, but the audience witnessing the entire process could feel their hearts in their mouths. As
Ye Ci regained her balance, a huge palm was already slamming down on her. She did not hesitate
to slip down through the small chink between the collarbone and the shoulder blade, landing on
one of the Nameless Zealot’s ribs.
The Nameless Zealot became even more enraged after noticing that Ye Ci was inside his body. He
could not swat Ye Ci away with his hands, so he opted to jump up and down frantically, trying to
throw Ye Ci out.
Although Ye Ci would not fall as long as she clung tightly to the rib, it did not mean that she was
in a good spot either. She was beginning to feel nauseous, and she still couldn’t reach the heart
that was dangling right in front of her.
33 seconds of invulnerability left.
If she did not find the chance to reach the heart, Ye Ci would definitely be jolted to death. Staring
at the dangling heart, Ye Ci realised that she was aligned with the heart in a straight line. She took
a deep breath. There was only one way.
The moment the Nameless Zealot landed, Ye Ci had only 21 seconds of invulnerability left. She
let go, and activated the Charge ability. Her body surged forward, no longer affected by the
skeletons movement. In the blink of an eye, she bumped into the heart.
18 seconds of invulnerability left.
Ye Ci clung onto the beating heart tightly. She no longer cared if it felt gross. She stabbed the gem
shard into the heart.
A system notification began to chime, “The Holy Light is purging the Darkness. Please do not let
go of the Holy Light Gem shard. 14 seconds remaining until the purge is complete.”
It was not what Ye Ci had planned. She had originally thought that she would be able to jump
away and land on the ground right after stabbing the gem shard into the heart. She did not expect
that she could not leave instantly. There were only 17 seconds of invulnerability left. She gritted
her teeth. She could not let her efforts go to waste. Even if she died, she would drag this big guy
along with her.
15 seconds was considered short by most, but at that moment, it was like Ye Ci was counting
down to the last moment of her life. She could no longer hear anything but her own heartbeat.
Ba thump, ba thump. One beat sounded at a time, strong but steady.
“Lord Naga, return to me my faith!” The Nameless Zealot raised his hand and bellowed when
the countdown was completed. He was enveloped by the Holy Light, and then he exploded into
pieces.
Ye Ci could only feel herself falling and falling amidst the bright Holy Light. The explosion
happened just when she had 2 seconds of invulnerability left. The BUFF protected her from the
damage. Ye Ci’s mind suddenly cleared, if she fell to her death after surviving that explosion, it
would be daft.
Featherfall.
She activated the skill just in time, right before she hit the ground. As she was too close to the
ground, nobody noticed that she had cast Featherfall. Ye Ci’s body fell lightly onto the grass.
“Congratulations to the player Gongzi You for aiding in the defence of Oasis City. You have
defeated a formidable foe, and with your life and wits you protected the city. You have won the
respect of all the citizens of Oasis City.”
“Congratulations to the player Gongzi You for reaching the prestige of ‘Respected’ in Oasis
City. Reward: 5 Talent Points.”
If it was said that Ye Ci’s previous achievements were low-profile, her achievement on this day
was completed in front of countless players.
Instant fame.
The city gate opened, and General Bruce led his soldiers out of his city. The soldiers stood at both
sides of the road, while Bruce dismounted, walked up to Ye Ci, and knelt. He then announced in a
loud voice, “Honorable hero, you’re Oasis City’s eternal friend. You are an unprecedented
legend.”
To have a high level Elite BOSS such as General Bruce kneeling in front of her, Ye Ci was still
shocked even when she had lived her life twice.
“Hero, the city lord is waiting for you.” Bruce stood up. He treated Ye Ci in a very respectful
manner…
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Chapter 80 Experts Were Born Through Deaths
Ye Ci nodded and bowed in response, “Very well, General.”
General Bruce saluted Ye Ci, “Hero, follow me.” Then he turned around. Wind blew at the
general’s green cape, making him look exceptionally handsome. He led the way, and walked into
the city at Ye Ci’s pace.
When Ye Ci walked through the city gate, she noticed that a red carpet was already spread across
the white pavement. Soldiers clad in silvery armor and helmets, with appearances similar to that of
medieval knights, stood at both sides of the red carpet. All the other players were blocked by the
soldiers, and not a single of them was allowed onto the red carpet.
“Salute the hero!”
The moment Ye Ci stepped onto the red carpet, the soldiers at both sides knelt down as Ye Ci
walked forward, paying her the highest respect.
There were no less that 500 soldiers in Oasis City, and each one of them knelt down as Ye Ci
walked pass them. For Ye Ci, in was an awe-inspiring sight that she was not able to describe with
words, and to the audience, it was equally stunning.
The entire ceremony was recorded by players and uploaded online. It then became one of the
hottest topic on the forums. Of course, that was something that happened after the fact.
The city lord, Van der Loof was already waiting for Ye Ci at the city hall’s entrance. He too knelt
down before Ye Ci, giving her the highest honor as a knight, “Dear hero, you’re an eternal friend
of Oasis City. Our gates shall always be open to you. As long as you require it, Oasis City will
always be at your service.”
Although it was just a scenario for completing the quest, it was still an event that would make
one’s blood boil. For Ye Ci and the rest of the audience, this would be something memorable even
if it only happened once in their entire life.
Although the scene for completing the quest was flashy, for a “normal person” like Ye Ci, a
materialistic reward was more important than that of a spiritual one. What mattered the most to her
was of course the rewards for completing the quest.
Other than being recorded into the history of Fate, the completion of this quest had also unlocked
the highest level of interaction possible between a player and an NPC. The system was very stingy.
It gave nothing but 5 Talent Points and a couple of useless titles to Ye Ci. Van der Loof, however,
was way more pragmatic. He gave her the title of honorary citizen, thousands of gold coins, and a
Hero’s Medal.
The medal had very good stats. Although no experience points were awarded upon completing the
quest, Ye Ci felt that all her efforts worth it after looking at the stats of the medal.
Oasis City Hero’s Medal: Upon equipping, you and your party’s morale will be boosted by the
Hero’s Aura. All stats are increased by 20 points in areas under Oasis City’s jurisdiction,
including: Green Ark, Boneyard, Bloodied Plains and Savage Swamp.
Oasis City was the third largest city of the Eastern Continent, and very prosperous. Aside from
being in a strategic location, there were a few lvl 40 dungeons near the city, with the most notable
ones being Bloodied Plains and Savage Swamp. They were the dungeons that would yield the first
equipment sets for all the players. These 2 maps would be very challenging for players. Ye Ci
would never forget that in her past life, the large guilds had spent large fortunes so that their MT
would have enough defence and their DPS players could deal enough damage. There were even
guilds who went bankrupt because of it.
Now though, with Ye Ci’s medal, the entire party’s stats would be increased by 20 points each.
They would fare way better than the other guilds when they explored those dungeons. Thinking of
that, Ye Ci was itching to get to lvl 40.
Being an honorary citizen of Oasis City was one of Ye Ci’s biggest catches. Everything she
bought from the NPCs would be 50% cheaper than the other players, and she would receive 20%
more rewards when she completed quests in the city. She would totally be able to purchase items
from NPCs and sell them at 10% higher than what she bought them for, to turn a profit.
Ye Ci’s achievement did not merely attain fame for herself, the reputation of Upwards Ho! had
also soared. The guild began to receive a lot of applications from players. Bai Mo was vexed by
such an incident. He had only wanted to create a guild just for Ye Ci’s friends, but in a short span
of 3 days, the guild’s members had increased to more than one thousand.
“Say, what do I do now? There’s so many members around, it would be hella tiring to manage
this guild. As you know, I’m a very lazy person…”
Ye Ci glance sideways at Bai Mo, “Didn’t you say that you want to be a professional player? If
you don’t have a guild, how would you earn money?”
“Managing a guild requires a lot of investment. The guild that I was originally in would give out
benefits. How can we afford that?”
“The most important aspect of a guild is the quality of a member, numbers don’t matter. Skills
can be acquired. What matters most is the loyalty and the character of your guild members. Get a
grip. Not all of them will stay for long. Just wait and see.” In contrast to Bai Mo’s worries, Ye Ci
was quite calm. She no longer paid heed to the matter after that.
A guild with Gongzi You in it would definitely offer very good benefits.
That was what 9 out of 10 players who had applied to join Upwards Ho! had thought. Once they
noticed that there were no special benefits for them, they immediately left the guild. In 3 days,
there were only around 200 members left in Upwards Ho!.
Among the 200-odd players that were left, some of them were those who truly admired Ye Ci;
some of them were Life Players who had been kicked out by their original guilds; some of them
were friends of the guild members who had joined previously. In short, they remained in the guild
because of different reasons.
Out of the 200, 50 of them were Life Players while the rest were combatants. But, due to various
reasons, their equipment was very low grade. A brief headcount by Bai Mo revealed that the more
decent ones had 2-3 blue equipment at most; the rest had only the lowest quality equipment.
Some said that a person’s behavior while playing poker was an indicator of the person’s character.
Based on the same theory, one could determine a person’s character by observing their actions in
a dungeon. Of course, Ye Ci had only talked about it with Bai Mo privately. The two then divided
the 150 members into groups of 15, appointed the original members of Upwards Ho! as the leader
of each group, and sent them into the dungeons.
As always, Ye Ci did not concern herself with guild matters. Since she was lvl 27, she continously
went on a rampage in lvl 20 dungeons. To call her action by a glorified name, she was leveling up.
Before long, the results were clear. Of the 150 members who went to clear dungeons, many left.
Only 30 of them remained. A lot of the Life Players had left the guild as well due to the guild’s
inability to provide them with materials. Only 15 of them were left.
Within 2 weeks, Upwards Ho! was reduced to a guild with less than a hundred members.
From the member’s list that Icy Cold Little Hands handed to Ye Ci, she noticed a few names that
stirred her up. She immediately asked, “Who recruited See No Evil, Dragon Battling Heavens,
Ashen Cliff, Pea Cake and Cutie Lemon?”
Icy Cold Little Hands replied after a short pause, “We recruited them by chance.”
By chance? Ye Ci was puzzled. They would never know that these players would become very
famous in Fate in the future. Where had they met them “by chance”? Why was it so easy to run
into famous people these days?
See No Evil was a very famous Elementalist in Fate. There was even a legendary moment where
she annihilated a thousand enemies during a siege battle. Ye Ci remembered that she had faced a
lot of hardships before joining the Streeet Assistance Guild, which gave rise to a legend.
Dragon Battling Heavens was the number 1 Barbarian in the Eastern Continent. He was a man of
few words, and he was always honest and straightforward. He was somehow recruited into Tang
Dynasty.
Ashen Cliff, one of Fate’s top 10 Priests. He was a healer, but could also act as a DPS and was
very skillful in controlling mana consumption. Ashen Cliff was a loyal player who had never left
World Conqueror.
Pea Cake was a Grandmaster tier Engineer. He became very famous even in the foreign continents.
According to Pea Cake himself, his earlier days in the game was full of hardships. He was very
distinct when it came to the way he treated people. He would be totally devoted to people he was
close with, and very harsh towards outsiders.
Cutie Lemon was a Grandmaster tier Tailor. She was said to be a young girl. She was in Wolf Pack
in the mid and later stage of the game.
“What’s special about them?” Icy Cold Little hands stared at Ye Ci with curious eyes. Why
would Ye Ci regard them so highly?
Ye Ci laughed and replied with a question of her own, “How did they perform?”
“They have decent character, and were obedient even after dying for so many times. They have
good behavior as well, but…” Icy Cold Little Hands continued with a sigh, “Gongzi, their
equipment and skills are just too bad. The party got annihilated multiple times because of them…”
Ye Ci waved her hand dismissively and smiled at Icy Cold Little Hands, “Every expert was once
a rookie. We’re not the best around in town, so what rights do we have to resent them for doing
badly?”
Icy Cold Little Hands was lost in thought for a moment. She was reminded of her times as a
newbie. She then laughed, “I understand.”
Pea Cake and Cutie Lemon were and exception. They were Life Players anyways. But... the rest of
them had awful equipment and skills. Ye Ci went to a 10-player dungeon with them once, and she
felt like crying after observing their positioning and mechanical skills.
When they finally took down the BOSS, the 3 of them stood at the back, not daring to walk up and
get their share of the loot. They did not even dare to look at Ye Ci, who silently gave them an
equipment each that suited their class.
They were shocked. See No Evil shook her head frantically, “Leader, t-this is unnecessary, we…”
Ye Ci cut her off. She turned around said, “Even if you guys are bad, your patience and
determination in clearing the dungeon deserves a reward. In Upwards Ho!, skills matter, but what
matters most is your effort. As long as you put your back into it, you’ll get your share of the loot.”
“We… We’ve been dragging down the entire party…” Ashen Cliff was touched by the blue
equipment that he received. He was nearly choked with sobs. This was the first blue equipment
that he received after gaming for 3 months.
“Experts were born through deaths.”
Chapter 81 Unavoidable Confrontation
After 2 weeks of hard training in the dungeons, the equipment of the members in the guild was
finally on par. If the benefits in other guilds was their DKP, then in Upwards HO!, it came in the
form of experience points, equipment, and the guidance of an expert. Although there was no
monetary benefit for the members, the benefits they received could not be bought by money. The
remaining guild members were allowed to stay in the guild after much consideration. They might
not have the best of characters, but they appeared to be trustworthy, at least for the time being.
Not only that, when the members had “graduated” from the lvl 15 dungeons, Ye Ci opened the
guild warehouse, which was full of the fruits of her labor in the lvl 20 dungeons. The guild
members drooled at the blue equipment and materials that filled the warehouse. The players who
originally were loyal to Upwards Ho! had even more sense of belonging after seeing the items.
They finally understood why Ye Ci had not led them in clearing the dungeons.
Ye Ci was a person who could not be forced to do something, but when she had made up her mind
to get the job done she would give it her best shot. She did not think that such a commitment was
not worth it. Instead, she did it willingly.
It had been almost a month since Ye Ci had aided Oasis City in defeating the Nameless Zealot. In
that one month, the envy of the players had slowly subsided.
After all, envy would not help them achieve success. The players would rather increase their own
skills instead. A lot of guilds had already cleared Frosty Wasteland, and many of them had moved
on to the Frosty Wasteland Inner Sanctum.
With lvl 22 being the highest level on the leveling ranking, the average level of Upwards Ho!
members was at lvl 18 and above. Although they had the will to explore the Inner Sanctum, they
knew that they were severely under-leveled. With their level, it would be very difficult.
Ye Ci understood the fact as well. After giving it some thought, she felt that it would really be a
waste for her to not put the Oasis City Hero’s Medal to good use. She decided to put together a
party and level up in the Boneyard.
It was the first time Upwards Ho! had organized such a large scale leveling activity, and the
players were looking forward to it. Although they knew that the monsters in Boneyard were high
leveled, they still couldn’t help but feel excited.
The guild members had finished gathering early in the morning, and the 50-odd players formed
themselves into a squadron and headed for the Boneyard.
Although the Boneyard was a lvl 30 map, the isolated monsters roaming around at the edge of the
map were no match for a squadron of 50-odd players. With Ye Ci’s Hero’s Badge that gave the
Hero’s Aura Buff, the squadron’s stats were each increased by 20. That was why the monsters
were steamrolled by the squadron.
Before they’d even reached the Buren Monastery, quite a number of the squadron’s members had
reached lvl 19. The speed at which they were leveling up was a satisfying experience. With their
numbers, Ye Ci no longer had the need to entice more skeletons. She led the rest of the squadron
straight towards the Sacrificial Altar.
Ye Ci pulled in the monsters and then threw a bomb into their midst, and the players’ level
immediately soared to lvl 20. Pea Cake, who was forced to come along, was shocked. “Holy shit,
what’s that?”
“Engineering.” Ye Ci looked at Pea Cake and smiled. Although Pea Cake was an Engineer, his
success rate in crafting items was not all that high. He was sad because of that. Since Ye Ci had
decided to go and level up, she dragged him along as well. Although Pea Cake’s interest in
farming and grinding was not that high, he relented and reluctantly came along. He would actually
rather stay in the encampment and craft some items.
But after witnessing the aftermath of Ye Ci’s Scarlet Bomb, Pea Cake was shocked beyond words.
Due to the limitations of Engineering in the earlier stages of the game, not many players were
willing to go down the path of an Engineer. Pea Cake himself chose to be an Engineer because of
his personal interest in machines. He had not thought that an Engineer was next to useless in the
early stages of the game.
But after what he had witnessed, Pea Cake was fired up. He was curious because the Engineering
product that Ye Ci had was entirely different from what he was learning.
“If you can advance yourself to become a Medium Tier Engineer, I’m sure you’ll receive a
pleasant surprise.” The true OPness of Engineering would only be unlocked by a Mid Tier
Engineer. Nobody would understand how powerful an Engineer could be at the current stage of
the game as players were still Apprentice Engineers.
Pea Cake was able to overcome his doubts. If not because of his low level, he would’ve left the
Boneyard and went back to the guild encampment to train his Engineering skills.
There were simply too many members around. That was why despite the efforts of Ye Ci and a
few other Rangers and Hunters drawing in monsters and then bombing them with Ye Ci’s Scarlet
Bomb, the guild members’ level had only increased to lvl 23. This was, however, a very exciting
matter for the guild members. They had managed to gain more experience points in half a day than
they could if they were to go solo for a month or two.
The mass level up by Upwards Ho!’s members brought big changes to the leveling ranking.
People had begun to question and suspect the guild of exploiting a BUG. Fate officials once again
received a torrent of complaints from players. The officials were quick to reply that it was not a
BUG.
Of course, it was something that happened after.
After a few more rounds of the same method, quite a number of guild members had leveled up to
lvl 24, and Ye Ci decided to call it a day. They would be able to clear Frosty Wasteland with ease
with their level. The only thing lacking now was the equipment of the guild members. That was
why Ye Ci had decided to level them up first before farming for equipment.
The members of the guild were excited when they found out that the guild was making
preparations to explore the Frosty Wasteland Inner Sanctum. Ye Ci, however, did not rush it. She
divided the members into two squadrons, which were led by Overflowing Ink and Mi Lu.
Overflowing Ink and Mi Lu were players who had proven themselves in the last month’s
“dungeon training camp.” They were able to think and analyse the situation quickly. They
managed to catch the eye of Timely Raid, who recommended them to Ye Ci as suitable candidates
to be commanders.
Ye Ci had also gone into a 10-player dungeon with them personally. Although they were over
eager at times and might spout unnecessary commands, they were still full of potential. And
though they were not famous in Ye Ci’s past life, she felt that with enough training they would be
able to bloom into experts. Since her life was changing after her reincarnation, she had no problem
with the game’s direction changing as well.
Overflowing Ink and Mi Lu, who were munching on their bread while sitting on the ground, shook
their heads in horror as Ye ci announced that they would each lead a 25-player party into the
dungeon. “Guild leader, we’ve done badly even with a 10-player dungeon, what if we get the
entire party into trouble in a 25-player dungeon?”
“Then you can simply repeat it again and again. If the party was annihilated because of the
players’ lack of cohesion, then do it until they’re able to fight as one; if the party got into trouble
due to your inability to command them, keep trying until you guys can do it properly.” Ye Ci’s
expression did not even change as she continued, “Every time you guys explore a lvl 25 dungeon,
I will only allocate 100 gold coins to the party leader for equipment repairs. If the cost of your
repairs exceeds 100 gold coins…” She raised her head and smiled at the two, showing her white
shiny teeth, “You’ll pay for them out of your own coffers.”
The guild members, especially Overflowing Ink and Mi Lu, were pressured. The two immediately
began to do research on the art of being a successful commander.
After making the arrangements for the next few days, Ye Ci assembled the guild members and
headed out.
Although the guild members were pressured, they still joked around with each other on their way
back.
Just as they walked out of the entrance of the Sacrificial Grounds, Ye Ci suddenly stopped and
raised her hand. The guild members following close behind immediately went silent. A Rogue
named Homeless Drifter listened intently and said in a low voice, “Somebody’s coming, and
there’s a lot of them.”
Ye Ci was curious. Who else would be farming monsters at this place with the current average
player level?
Her question was answered very soon. At the other side of the plaza with the Holy Fountain, Ye Ci
saw the other party.
They too had not expected to run into other players, and had stopped dead in their tracks. Ye Ci
was able to recognise their leader.
Wasn’t that the same person she ran into the last time? She had a deep impression of the party
with 3 sets of the Scorching Mage Robes. Their equipment had improved by a lot. Of the 30-odd
players in the party, 8 of them were now equipped with the Scorching Mage Robe Set. Apparently
they had been busy in the past month.
Crimson Twilight had also recognised Ye Ci. He gritted his teeth. It was the Huntress! This Gongzi
You! When they were leveling up in the area last month, she was the one who directed her
Skeletal Mage to lure a bunch of lvl 35 Elite Skeletons their way. As a result, their party was
annihilated. Their levels went down, and two of the pieces from his Scorching Mage Robe set was
were dropped.
When they respawned in Oasis City and were about the head back to the Boneyard to retrieve their
items, she rushed into the city with the Nameless Zealot in tow, which wiped out their party.
Great! As Ye Ci became the hero of Oasis City, their guild’s core members suffered losses and had
their level reduced by 2. This affected their progress in dungeon exploration and clearing. As a
result, the ranking of their guild dropped down by 2 within the month.
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Chapter 82 The Valiant Shall Emerge Victorious
For a moment, nobody spoke up.
Ye Ci did not pay the newcomers any heed once she had identified them as the party that was here
to level up the last time. She turned her head around and said to her guild members, “It’s nothing,
let’s go. They’re just here to level up.” With that, the entire group relaxed, and they were about
to move around the Holy Water Fountain and leave the Buren Monastery.
Crimson Twilight refused to let his nemesis walk away just like that, despite the difference in
numbers. In the past month, his guild had been working hard to level up. They have farmed some
Scorching Mage Robe sets from the Scorching Canyon as well. He planned to push his guild’s
dungeon exploration progress after further raising his members’ level and then he would exact
revenge on Gongzi You.
After losing 2 levels the last time, they have managed to level up as Mallows had discovered
Gongzi You’s leveling secret. They gathered all the Sorcerers in their guild and copied the exact
same thing Ye Ci had done. No one had thought that they would run into each other at this place.
Crimson Twilight had made up his mind to teach Gongzi You a lesson. Once he had confirmed
that the Huntress he saw was indeed Gongzi You, he ordered the Rogue in his party to cast
Detection on Ye Ci’s guild members. Although all 50 of them had hidden their levels, the Rogue
was able to get information of their equipment. They all had lvl 15 equipment. It meant that even
if Crimson Twilight’s party only had 39 members, they were able to compensate for the inferior
numbers just by having lvl 20 equipment.
“Twilight, they’re leaving.” A Hunter who was standing behind Crimson Twilight was watching
Ye Ci and her party closely, he immediately notified Crimson Twilight of their actions.
“Hmph! Leave? Sure. I’ll send them back to the spawn point.” Crimson Twilight snorted, and
immediately began to cast Explosion.
Against a concentrated mass of enemies, Explosion was a Sorcerer’s best offensive skill before he
or she had learned any large AOE attack spell. Explosion had a short cast time and splash damage.
With Crimson Twilight’s Scorching Mage Robe set that increased fire-based spell damage,
Explosion’s damage was raised exponentially.
A scorching fireball grow larger and larger at the tip of Crimson Twilight’s staff, the amber color
of the fireball was dazzling. Another skill however, flew towards Ye Ci before Crimson Twilight
fired off his spell. It was a Viper Needle.
Although Ye Ci was already preparing to leave Buren Monastery, her past life experience had
taught her to not let her guard down in any and all situations. Even though she did not think she
had any conflict with the bunch before, she was not familiar with them. Besides, it was very
common for players to clear the leveling area of other players, even if Upward Ho! was about to
leave, she still took some precautions.
It paid off. Ye Ci shifted herself slightly and was able to dodge the Viper Needle. A Summoner
standing behind her was not that lucky and was hit. Her Fire Minions immediately charged at the
enemy.
“XXX has attacked your party.” A warning generated by the system immediately chimed in
every member’s ears.
“Disperse!” Ye Ci immediately gave the order.
Unfortunately, most of the guild members were newbies. They were able to keep their calm when
it came to PVE, but when they have to go up against other players, their minds instantly went
blank. They immediately lost their game sense. The members of Upward Ho! lost their
cohesiveness especially when under attack by enemies. They did not even know how to react
when Ye Ci gave the order for them to disperse.
The Explosion that followed threw them into further disarray. They’d even forgot to dodge, and a
lot of them were damaged by the spell. Fortunately, they’d been leveling the entire day with Ye Ci.
If they were still all lvl 18, many of them would’ve died.
Fighting monsters was an entirely different matter than going up against players.
The game designers would never provide monsters with similar stats as players, and the NPCs
would not have complete gear like the players. That was why pure damage was the only fact taken
into consideration when players fought against monsters. It was known as PVE. But in a battle
against other human players, one should factor in how their opponents would react as well as the
equipment and stats of their opponents. That was why in most situations, the equipment used in
PVE were not suitable for PVP.
That was also the reason why players would have two different sets of equipment with them.
However, in the early stages of the game, there was no difference between PVE and PVP
equipment.
Even if Upward Ho! members were newbies who were completely new to PVP, they were
equipped with lvl 15 blue equipment, while having an average level of lvl 25. They were able to
withstand the damage dished out by Crimson Twilight’s party.
Ye Ci called up the Party Damage Received chart and was able to accurately judge the enemy’s
level and their equipment. She then said in the party channel, “They’re only around lvl 20, with
their highest level being not more than lvl 21. You’re all above lvl 24. There’s no need to worry.
Just listen to my commands and we’ll crush them with our level advantage.”
Even in their state of disarray, Ye Ci was a very influential person in the the guild members’
hearts. They trusted Ye Ci completely. When Ye Ci gave out her orders, they were able to calm
themselves down and were ready to counterattack.
“Fruit Jelly, Ashen Cliff, Floral Water, AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, retreat to at least 20 yards away
from the main force. We’ve just cleared away the monsters, they won’t respawn in the next 10
minutes or so. Stay safe, and start healing!” [Staff Note: lol, apparently the author got a bit sick of
making up names.]
“Warriors, Holy Knights and Barbarians, spread out, stay mobile. Keep the Healers safe, don’t
be too focused on trying to attack the enemy. They’re all ranged, so make sure you try your best to
dodge their attacks, don’t create additional burden for the Healers.”
“Rogues, enter Stealth and cast Detection around the Healers and our ranged DPS. Don’t let
their Rogues and Rangers get close.”
“As for the mage classes and ranged players, clump together in one group. Remember how you
position yourselves in dungeons. You guys have higher levels and their attacks are weaker because
of the level penalty. You guys on the other hand will deal bonus damage to them. Don’t be afraid,
give em all you got!”
After Ye Ci gave out her orders, the members who had experience in PVP immediately sprang into
action, and the newbies followed suit.
“Leader, why are they attacking us?” As a Life Player, Pea Cake was confused. In his
perspective, PVP was something very scary and he thought it was something that would never
happen to him.
“This is a game. Killing or getting killed in a PVP battle is very normal.”Ye Ci of course did not
know of the reason behind Crimson Twilight’s aggression. She did not know that her action of
using the Skeletal Mages as bait to lure the Elite Skeletons away from the Sacred Hall had brought
disaster to Crimson Twilight’s entire guild.
However, the cause itself was not important. What was important to Ye Ci was that she would not
allow herself and her guild to be in a pinch.
And so the battle began.
Crimson Twilight was not able to gain any advantage over his opponents when the battle started.
Although he had reached a conclusion that his opponents were mainly newbies with next to 0
experience in terms of PVP, he could not gain the upper hand. His party’s spells were not able to
deal much damage to their opponents, and they were even immune to most of their spells’ effects.
Crimson Twilight was shocked. He began re-evaluating the level of his opponents.
His opponents seemed inexperienced in PVP despite having a higher level. Despite having a few
skillful ones, the vast majority of them were mediocre, and the ranged players’ attack were very
inaccurate.
“Don’t be afraid of dying. If you die, you can still regain your level. But if you are afraid, you
have no chance of winning, ever. You will be bullied by others for the rest of your life.”
Ye Ci noticed that although her guild members listened to her commands, they were
underperforming due to anxiety. She immediately shouted out loud in the party channel, “What
will happen when two enemies meet down a narrow path?”
“The valiant shall emerge victorious!” Everyone replied.
“I can’t hear you!”
“The valiant shall emerge victorious!” The entire party roared, and their fear and anxiety
disappeared.
“Fruit Jelly, remember to resurrect dead members.” Ye Ci further set the guild members’ mind
at ease. Other than reviving a dead player, Resurrection could also ensure that the level of the
player revived would not drop. The player would only lose 50% of his or her total experience
points.
“Understood.” Fruit Jelly replied in a loud voice.
With the fervor of battle and the worry of death removed, the members of Upward Ho! became
more and more tenacious.
The ranged players began to land their attacks accurately, and while a few of the melee players
stayed back to protect the healers and ranged players, most of them charged at the enemy and
managed to scatter them. Rogues from both sides fought furiously against it other. It was a
magnificent sight.
“Minna-san, stay safe! Be careful of the monsters around you.” Ye Ci reminded her guild
members even though the area was full of melee monsters which did not pose much danger. They
were all still too inexperienced. Some of them had never even been through any tough battles. She
refused to allow them to get trampled before they could bloom. This was a party that could
sincerely accept her as a person. She would not allow to get stomped on.
That was why they must win.
When the monsters respawned, Ye Ci immediately dashed out and lured the Skeletal Warriors near
Upward Ho!’s healers. She charged towards the enemy's’ direction with the skeletons in tow.
Apparently a Hunter from Crimson Twilight’s party had the same idea. He did exactly the same
thing and dashed straight at Ye Ci.
When it came to escaping, Ye Ci was confident that she was the best of the best. When it came to
courage, Ye Ci was outright suicidal. While the gap between Ye Ci and the enemy Hunter closed,
she raised her aimed crossbow at him.
A lvl 29 Ye Ci killed her opponent almost immediately. The skeletons that were originally being
lured by the Hunter switched their attention to Ye Ci. From afar, it seemed that Ye Ci was being
drowned by a sea of white…
Exciting chapter right? xDD The "Explosion" spell reminded me of a certain character from a
certain anime who chanted this:
Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark,
I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson.
The time of awakening cometh.
Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary,
appear now as an intangible distortions!
I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force:
a destructive force without equal!
Return all creation to cinders,
and come frome the abyss!
Explosion!
Oh, and we've received an artwork from a reader, Rabit the hooded! Yay! Everybody please give a
round of applause to Rabbit!
This is the scene from Chapter 1 where a reincarnated Ye Ci woke up, realized that she's in the
past, and yanno, she hugged her dad.
First to comment type first blood, and the rest, please spam EXPLOOOOOOOSION!!!!
Special Announcement:
Calling to all the artistic souls out there, if you wish to submit a fanart of Reign of the Hunters,
please lemme know. I'll post one during each release, or if there's enough of them I might just
make a special post just for the fanart!!!
Chapter 83 Gaming and Life
The party channel was filled with alarmed cries the instant Ye Ci disappeared into the swarm of
skeletons. Overflowing Ink shouted out, “What are you panicking for? Do your part! Keep it
together!”
Ye Ci was impressed by Overflowing Ink. She had noticed that he was good when it came to PvE,
but had not expected him to be able to handle a PvP situation just as well. This guy could be
groomed into a successful commander, Ye Ci had thought. Alas, it was not the time to be thinking
of such matters. Ye Ci activated Charge and dashed out towards Crimson Twilight.
Charge had a range of 20m. When the effect ended, Ye Ci was already at the rear of Crimson
Twilight’s party. She drew out her Venomous Scorpion Stinger and slew a Cleric with a few hits.
Crimson Twilight was a PvP veteran, so he immediately directed several melee players to gang up
on Ye Ci and drive her away from their midst. After all, when one was within 8 yards of a
Huntress, she would lose much of her damage-dealing capability.
However, there was something that Crimson Twilight had overlooked. A Warlock shouted,
“Twilight, the skeletons!”
Crimson Twilight then saw the skeletons that were chasing after Ye Ci and immediately gave the
order.: “Don’t kill her, just drag her away or something.”
A Priest who was standing quite a distance away cast a Priest’s unique skill, Binding Chains at Ye
Ci, pulling her to his side. “I got her!”
Crimson Twilight was very mad as his party suffered loss after loss. He said through gritted teeth,
“Focus all your attacks on that Huntress.” Ye Ci who was caught by the Priest, however, smiled.
She looked at the skeletons swarming towards her and took out a bottle of Novice Invisibility
Potion that she had bought at a high price from the auction house and drank it.
She disappeared.
The Priest was shocked, “Twilight, she’s gone.”
Crimson Twilight was alarmed by Ye Ci’s sudden disappearance as well. He cast spells at the
swarm of skeletons that were charging at his party in an attempt to catch up with Ye Ci. Most of
their melee players were already engaged in combat. There was nobody around to help protect the
mage players from the skeletons.
He immediately shouted, “Fall back! Get to a safe spot! Stop casting skills, beware of the aggro!”
It was too late. A lot of Crimson Twilight’s party members were unable to react in time. They had
cast their skills, and it attracted the skeleton horde. They swarmed at the party. It was a decisive
turning point of that entire battle.
Panic appeared to be something contagious. The state of panic that was plaguing Upward Ho! had
infected Crimson Twilight’s party. They were thrown into disarray by the skeletons. A lot of the
members had even lost the ability to save themselves.
Ye Ci was still invisible. A player who consumed a Novice Invisibility Potion would be invisible
for a duration of 20 seconds while having his or her movement speed reduced by 50%. She moved
slowly back to Upward Ho!’s side.
The most fatal thing in a PvP was: Confusion
Especially when it came to group PK with mobs roaming about. If the players panicked and were
unable to recover from it quickly enough, they risked attracting the attention of monsters around
them, which would cause the annihilation of the entire party.
Crimson Twilight’s party had originally managed to avoid attracting aggro from nearby monsters,
but the sudden onslaught by the group of skeletons smashed through their defences. They
panicked and started fleeing, no longer paying any attention to the details that they normally
would.
One by one, the members of Crimson Twilight’s party disappeared into flashes of white light.
The members of Upward Ho! could not believe that they’d won in a PvP fight. They erupted into
cheers of joy. Ye Ci’s words were able to settle them down, “We must leave this place quickly.
More and more monsters are spawning. We’ll be in a pinch if we don’t leave soon.”
The party members immediately reigned in their excitement and left the place hastily.
Although emerging victorious in the battle, Upward Ho!’s victory was a pyrrhic one. 13 of them
had died in the battle and lost half of their current level’s total experience points.
“Unless you’re dead set on being a Life Player, the need to fight against other players will arise
sooner or later. Even if you’re not the one who provoked a fight, people will still find all sorts of
excuses just to mess with you. That’s why I hope you guys don’t let this minor setback get to you.
We will not make the same mistake twice.” Although they were joyful because of their victory,
there was a lot of hidden sadness in the party members who had lost their experience points. Ye Ci
took the opportunity to console the bunch.
A strong team must not only be good in PvE, it must also be able to hold its own in PvP as well.
After all, one was playing against AI in PvE. Only through PvP would you get to fight against
other players. Wasn’t there a famous quote by Chairman Mao? To battle with people is great fun.
That was why Ye Ci was imbuing such a concept in the minds of her still newbie team.
“Guild leader, what do we need to do?” Dragon Battling Heavens asked after a long silence. He
was the only one who had died twice in the battle. Despite Fruit Jelly’s Resurrection spell, his
level had dropped by 1. His eyes brimmed with tears from the humiliation.
Ye Ci smiled and pointed at the arena in the middle of the guild encampment, “You can spar
against each other here. You won’t die in a duel. Help each other out. Of course, what is most
important is that you must thoroughly understand the class that you’re playing.”
With this, Ye Ci looked up, deep in thought. “There was a saying. It’s been around ever since the
dawn of online games. I’ve always believed it. You might’ve heard of it, but I hope that you can
believe it just like I do.”
Facing the inquisitive gaze of the members of the guild, Ye Ci smiled, “There’s no garbage
classes, only garbage players.”
Many had heard of this saying before. But when it came from Ye Ci, the guild members felt a
surge of emotion. They stared at Ye Ci, with her crossbow slung at her back and the smile on her
face, they saw the truest portrayal of that saying represented by Ye Ci.
The weather had become colder. Ye Ci had her final exams for her first semester. To make sure
that she would not fail her subjects as a reincarnator, Ye Ci went inactive in the game for a week.
She studied hard and was able to end her first semester with a decent grade.
On the first day of winter holiday Ye Ci and Fang Susu were walking out of campus while
carrying some books. Fang Susu was smiling happily, a shade of rosy red dotting her cheeks. She
appeared to be in a good mood. Ye Ci was able to guess what was going on by the way Fang Susu
spout out things about totally random stuff.
“Say, Ye Ci, do you think it’s too early for an 18 year old to go looking for a boyfriend?”
“Nope, unless you want to wait until you’re too old to date someone?”
“Erm… Uhh.. You see… Will you look down on a girl who starts dating at 18?”
“Being in a relationship is a good thing. A girl can learn a lot of stuff from it. Like how to be
strong, be brave, and how to let go.” Ye Ci smiled at Fang Susu.
Fang Susu bit her lips as she stared at Ye Ci. This girl in front of her, with her black hair, fair skin,
childish looking face, and her determined unyielding eyes was simply dazzling. She was a little bit
in awe of Ye Ci. Her efficiency in getting things done, her ability to be far-sighted, her
well-defined likes and dislikes about things, and her perseverance were all the traits that Fang
Susu envied. She sighed, “Ye Ci, you sure know a lot.”
Ye Ci smiled. In reality, she didn’t know that much. She was merely speaking out of experience
from her last life.
“Ye Ci, Senior Qin confessed to me.” Fang Susu suddenly spoke up, she was nervous, “you
won’t think that I’m a bad girl right?”
Ye Ci laughed out loud,“What took Senior Qin so long? He’s slow. Isn’t he afraid of rivals? He’
s not afraid that you’d get desperate during the long wait?”
“Ye Ci, Ye Ci, you’re making fun of me!” Fang Susu’s face reddened even further, and she
chased after Ye Ci, swatting at her with her books.
The two girls chased after each other under a parasol tree, radiating youth. Ye Ci finally slowed
down and laughed at Fang Susu,“You wouldn’t value your lover over your friend and sell me out,
would you? ” [Ed Note: If you don ’ t know what a parasol tree is like me …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmiana_simplex]
“What are you talking about? Do I look like that sort of person?” Fang Susu glared at Ye Ci.
Before she could continued, somebody called out to her. “Susu!”
It was Qin Churuo. He was cycling towards the two, wearing a clean jacket.
“Susu, you’re carrying so many books, lemme send you home.”
“T-there’s no need…” Fang Susu’s face was as red as a steamed crab the moment she saw Qin
Churuo. She then looked at Ye Ci, “I-I’m going back with Ye Ci.”
“Oh, Junior Ye can also come with us.” Qin Churuo looked at Ye Ci and offered her a warm
smile.
Ye Ci immediately jumped to a side, “I ain’t going to be a light bulb!” She took a few steps
away and waved at Fang Susu, “Susu, remember to call me later okay?” And then she ran off.
Qin Churuo smiled, “Your friend is quite observant.”
Fang Susu grew shy. She flipped her hair and walked in the campus with Qin Churuo. She
suddenly spoke up, “Senior Qin, do you need me to contact Gongzi You for you?”
Qin Churuo shook his head and patted Fang Susu’s head, “You thinking that I’m dating you
because of Gongzi You?”
Fang Susu felt embarrassed after her thought was spoken out loud by Qin Churuo.
“Silly, we need to draw a line between gaming and real life.” Qin Churuo looked up into the
azure sky and let out a smile. “She was just part of the game. But Susu, you’re life.”
Translator's note:
Be a lightbulb (当电灯泡): a Chinese slang for yanno, that person who ruins your date by being
there and mess up your special moment
Chapter 84 Sha’gar
Since it was now the winter holiday, Ye Ci and Bai Mo no longer had an excuse to stay in their
apartment. They had no choice but to return to Ye Nantian’s place. Earlier that month, Ye Ci had
sent 500,000 real world cash to her parents through the conversion system. Although that amount
was still a far cry from being able to afford a larger house, it was more than enough to make life
better for her parents.
There was a spare room in the house, so Ye Ci got to sleep in her old room while Bai Mo stayed in
the guest room. The two logged into the game after dinner.
The guild members greatly welcomed Ye Ci in the guild channel. They’d been busy; Other than
training themselves in the dungeons, the guild members had also sparred in the arena against each
other. Even the Life Players took part in it.
Ye Ci went to the guild encampment just in time to see a sparring match. Pea Cake waved
something in his hand around, fighting against a Ranger in the arena. Judging from the situation,
Pea Cake was not losing, but the Ranger didn’t have the upper hand either.
Ye Ci was very interested in what Pea Cake was holding. She could not see clearly what it was, as
he was swinging it around at high speed. After a short moment, the Ranger gave up. “Pea Cake,
you’re too shameless! You told us to not use skills and fight you with our bare hands, but you’re
flailing your own weapon around.”
Pea Cake chuckled, “I’m just experimenting for the greater good of the guild.” He then spotted
Ye Ci, who was standing not far away, and smiled, “Guild leader, do you want to come and try
your hand? If you win, I’ll give my new invention to you.”
Ye Ci laughed and entered the arena, being cheered on by the rest of the guild members, “No
weapons allowed?”
“Yep.”
“No abilities either?”
“Yeah. You can only use your flesh and bones.” Pea Cake let out a smile so shameless that one
would feel the urge to beat the living shit out of him.
Ye Ci nodded, “No problem.”
“Ready?” Ideal Height 1.7m stood on a tall table, holding a little flag, “Begin.”
Gaining experience from his previous battles, Pea Cake began flailing the weapon in his hand
around right after Ideal Height 1.7m gave the signal to start the battle. Ye Ci was fast, and she was
able to dodge that thing by slightly shifting herself. She noticed a claw attached to the tip of the
weapon, but was still unable to discern the exact shape of the weapon.
Ye Ci dodged several more of Pea Cake’s attacks, not showing any intention that she would attack.
Pea Cake chuckled,“Guild leader, it seems that you’re right. A Huntress’effective combat range
was beyond 8 yards. See? You can’t do anything against me without your weapon.”
Ye Ci was ridiculed by his words, and decided to teach him some humility, “Pea Cake, haven’t
you heard, an arrogant army is bound to lose.”
“Yes.” Pea Cake nodded. But before he could continue, Ye Ci whistled, and a jet black panther
appeared out of nowhere. It roared and pounced on Pea Cake.
Pea Cake was merely bragging to his own people. If he ran into a PvP situation, he would
immediately become panicked. He let out a cry and ran right after seeing a panther pouncing on
him. But he could not leave the arena before the battle had ended and as a result, Ol’ Three
pinned him onto the ground and tore into him savagely.
“I give up, I give up.” After such an intimate interaction with Ol’ Three, Pea Cake surrendered.
Ye Ci did not make things difficult for him, and commanded Ol’ Three to stop.
“You cheated!” Pea Cake struggled to get up from the ground, drawing laughter from the other
guild members. He straightened up his clothes and climbed out of the arena with a saddened
expression, “We agreed that you’d only fight me bare handed, with flesh and bones. You’re
bullying a Life Player.”
“Ol’ Three is made up of flesh.” Ye Ci narrowed her eyes.
Pea Cake who was already standing below the arena still had lingering fears as he stared at Ol’
Three that was stretching beside Ye Ci. He was someone who had basically never tried leveling up
before, and had never come into contact with such creatures. Fate was a highly realistic virtual
reality game. At that moment, Pea Cake thought that he would be eaten alive by Ol’ Three.
“There you go.” Pea Cake threw the object in his hands towards Ye Ci, not daring to get close to
her, “I just made it.”
Ye Ci caught the object thrown at her by Pea Cake. It was a three-headed cat claw, a very useful
tool when it came to climbing walls. But considering the fact that Pea Cake was still a low level
Engineer, the durability of that item was something that must be considered.
Pea Cake knew about it as well. He told Ye Ci, “I got the blueprints for this thing when the guild
cleared the Frosty Wasteland the last time, and I learned it back then. But I’m still a Novice
Engineer, and the stuff that I create is a little bit inferior in quality. I wouldn’t dare to give it to
anybody else, what if it snapped when they’re climbing a cliff or something? So I decided to let
you try it out, guild leader.” He said it as if he was sure that Ye Ci would never die.
Ye Ci cast a glance at the other guild members gathered at the side of the arena, who were all
looking at her with faces of approval, appearing to be agreeing to Pea Cake’s words. Ye Ci was
puzzled, “Say, do you guys think that I won’t die even if I fall?”
She suddenly felt like an idiot, and thought that she shouldn’t have asked such a stupid question.
The guild members nodded their heads and it puzzled Ye Ci even further.
After a brief moment of relaxing, the guild members returned to their tasks. Ye Ci began doing her
daily quests in Red Lake City. When she was about to complete her quest, Ye Ci was surprised. An
NPC that was rarely seen, the mayor, was standing beside the administration official.
He twisted his obese body, wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, and once he saw
Ye Ci, he “rolled” his ball-shaped body towards her. “Hey, hey! Gongzi You is back! Long time
no see! I’ve been missing you.”
Glancing at the mayor’s pea-sized eyes and sly smile, Ye Ci nodded indifferently, “What is it?”
She did not even wait for a response, and immediately went and completed her quest. The mayor
followed closely behind her, and Ye Ci, who was annoyed, asked, “What do you want? If it’s
nothing, I still have other matters to attend to.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” The mayor wiped away more sweat from his forehead. “The city lord wishes to
see you.”
The Lord of Red Lake City, Lord Sha’gar was an even more mysterious character than Lord Van
der Loof. In her last life, Ye Ci had only seen portraits of him in Red Lake City’s city hall. She
had never seen the NPC in person. It was said that he had been living in the gigantic castle in Red
Lake City, preferring not to meet anyone. There were also some who claimed that the city lord was
actually dead, which was the reason why nobody had seen him before. If there was a ranking for
Fate’s top 10 mysterious NPCs, Sha’gar would easily be one of them.
This was exactly the reason why Ye Ci was momentarily stunned when the mayor of Red Lake
City told her that Sha’gar wanted to meet her. She then followed him to the gigantic castle in the
eastern part of Red Lake City.
There were a lot of NPC servants in the castle. After silently observing the levels of the servants,
Ye Ci noted that they were all lvl 100 elites. The soldiers in the castle had even higher levels; They
were all lvl 120 Elite Soldiers.
Ye Ci met Sha’gar in the large library within the castle. The man who was the city lord was not as
tough as Van der Loof, and was rather scrawny in comparison. He was sitting in front of a table,
reading a book. He raised his head and looked at Ye Ci after the mayor announced her presence.
He let out a warm smile, “So you’re Gongzi You.”
“Greetings milord, it’s an honor.” Said Ye Ci respectfully. After all, he was her superior.
“I received a letter from Van der Loof. He highly praised you and expressed his endless gratitude
towards you. This made me happy. Van der Loof is a very close friend of mine. I’m glad that
when he was threatened by one of Naga’s minions, a citizen of Red Lake City was able to help
him out.” With that Sha’gar stood up and nodded at Ye Ci, “In honor of your great deed, I’ve
decided to reward you.”
Although it had been a month since the event in Oasis City and the reward came a little late, Ye Ci
was still happy. After all, what’s free is free.
Sha’gar was very generous. He gave Ye Ci a prestige points pack. When Ye Ci opened the pack,
her prestige in Red Lake City became ‘Respected.’ Although it was not as high as the
‘Intimate’ prestige with Oasis City, Ye Ci was very happy with the reward.
After giving Ye Ci her deserved reward, Sha’gar dismissed Ye Ci and the mayor led her away
from the castle. Once she was back in the city hall, Ye Ci immediately made a request to the
mayor to buy land in the city.
In Fate, when a player became a citizen of a city and had a prestige of Respected or higher in the
city, the player could buy land in the city. Because of such a high requirement, not a single player
in the 4 continents had bought any land yet.
“Which plot of land do you wish to purchase?” Although Ye Ci disliked the mayor of Red Lake
City for being despicable, he was able to do his job efficiently. Ye Ci could only comfort herself.
‘Nobody is perfect.’
Ye Ci stared at the map of Red Lake City in front of the mayor. She then shifted her gaze to the
western district. The western district was populated only be a few commoners as well as some
common NPCs. Other than the soldiers patrolling the streets, almost no one would venture to the
western district.
“I strongly advise against choosing the western district. There’s nothing good over there. Look,
it would be wise of you to choose from the eastern district. The city hall is here, and most of the
shops are here as well. You will not regret it.”
Hi people! Here's another artwork submitted by Rabbit the Hooded!
Ye Ci fleeing from the Nameless Zealot xDD
So if you people with artistic soul out there, if you wish to submit anything that you've drawn, do
let us know!
Chapter 85 The Parents Want to Play Too?
Although the mayor of Red Lake City vehemently tried to dissuade Ye Ci, she ultimately still
chose a ring of houses surrounding the small plaza in the Western District. Unlike the extremely
expensive land in the Eastern District, the houses in the Western District were extremely cheap.
Even though Ye Ci bought more than ten storefronts in one go, it only cost her around three
thousand gold. This amount of money would not have been enough to get a storefront in a
somewhat better position.
Ye Ci naturally would not make unprofitable transactions. She did not forget that after the Lunar
New Year, Fate had a more substantial update, primarily for the purpose of increasing a player’s
convenience in exchanging game currency and real life currency. Currently, only the largest cities
in the four continents had such bank exchanges, which were overcrowded with players everyday
and were extremely inconvenient, causing many players to complain. Hence, in the following
update, banks would be dispersed to every city.
Red Lake City’s bank exchange would be precisely in this small plaza.
At present, as everyone’s levels gradually rose, Red Lake City also gradually became bustling
with excitement, due to its surroundings having many maps with ore and herbs, as well as many
nearby areas suitable for players from level 35 to 75. Although the degree of liveliness was
incomparable to Champion City and Oasis City, at the very least it was unlike previously where
there were only a small number of people strolling around the city.
When Red Lake City’s mayor saw that Ye Ci was determined to buy the houses in the Western
District, he was somewhat disappointed. After he helped Ye Ci handle the procedures for the deeds,
he calmly and unhurriedly asked, “Have you investigated the bandit nest northwest of the city
that we spoke of before?”
Recently there were truly too many matters, so this matter was unfortunately forgotten by Ye Ci.
She vaguely made a sound to answer before taking the deeds and leaving the municipal hall.
Taking a boat to the Western District, Ye Ci quickly reached the small plaza. At present, there was
only a crude fountain, with NPC children happily playing around it. The houses surrounding the
fountain were all covered with a yellow cloth which wasn’t originally there. Originally, these
were a few low private houses. Currently, the yellow cloth symbolized that the place had already
been sold, but was yet to open for business. Once the owner decided to start a business here, they
could go to the municipal hall’s construction engineers to choose the building’s model, pay a
fixed fee and then start their business.
As for the small fountain, soon it would become the future circular bank exchange. At that time,
the number of players in this area would suddenly increase, inevitably guiding the business of the
surrounding storefronts. On the other hand, the Eastern District’s popularity would gradually
wither down.
Although she had bought the storefronts, Ye Ci temporarily did not plan to open a business in all
of them. First, she did not have that many items to sell. Second, she did not have that many
suitable people to manage the store. Therefore, she planned to leave them unoccupied for the time
being. Opening after the bank exchange opened was pretty good as well.
With the Lunar New Year, the moment came to intensely work on the team compatibility of
Upwards Ho!. Bai Mo’s parents went on their own vacation, therefore Bai Mo didn’t return home
for the new year and instead remained in Ye Ci’s house. To Ye Ci, this year’s Lunar New Year
had an especially important significance.
This was because she not only had the opportunity to go back in time and once again care for her
parents; She could also amend all her former mistakes. Most importantly, her whole life could
start afresh. When the bell chimed at midnight, Bai Mo pushed Ye Ci to make a wish.
Ye Ci’s wish was very simple. She hoped that the new year would be as happy as the present.
Not unsurpassed fame and profit, it was fine as long as her parents, relatives and friends were by
her side.
As the piping hot dumplings were served, Ye Ci and Bai Mo stuffed their faces with countless
dumplings in a bid to eat the one that contained a copper coin.*
Ye Ci could tell that Zuo Xiaolan had something to say, so she asked as she burped, “Mum, what
do you want to say?”
Zuo Xiaolan was embarrassed, in the end, she nudged Ye Nantian, saying, “Your father will tell
you.”
Ye Nantian also appeared to be rather embarrassed. He glared at Zuo Xiaolan before whispering,
“This sort of thing, this sort of thing, how could you make me say it?”
“Aunt, Uncle, what are you doing, acting as though there’s something shameful?” Bai Mo
looked at the two of them, smiling provokingly.
Hearing Bai Mo’s sentence, the two of them felt even more embarrassed, evading and again
pushing the responsibility to the other. Finally, Ye Ci couldn’t stand it any longer, bluntly asking,
“Is it that the two of you want to tell me that you’re going to give me another sibling?”
“Stupid girl, what nonsense are you talking about?” Ye Ci’s noble suggestion was met with Zuo
Xiaolan’s fist coming down on her head. Soon after, she again started to hum and haw. In the end,
it was still Ye Nantian that was more brazen. He cleared his throat and said, “Actually it isn’t
much. We have retired and always felt bored at home. Seeing you two playing that game everyday
seemed very interesting. Could you teach us how to play too?”
Ye Ci and Bai Mo looked at each other, before they could respond, Zuo Xiaolan already shook her
hand, “Aiya aiya, we only said it casually. We know this is something played by youngsters like
you. We never played games when were were younger, how would we have no shame in playing
with you now?”
“Why not?” Ye Ci grinned. She was not disagreeing and was instead too astonished. In her
previous life, not only did her parents not ask to play the game with her, they simply loathed the
game deeply. Nevermind that ten years later, Fate was already not merely a type of game. Rather,
it was a way of life. Many people went into the game to make money to spend in the real world.
Also, many people simply earned money to enjoy within the game.
In short, Fate became the world’s largest virtual investment industry. Every important political
leader and financial group around the world continuously injected funds. It had already become a
necessary part of life. At that time, almost everyone was playing Fate.
“There are people even older than you that are currently playing.” Ye Ci looked at Bai Mo.
“Ask Bai Mo if you don’t believe me.”
“That’s right, there is a guild called Neighbourhood Officials on our continent. The main
members in their guild are all people of your age, with some of them even older than you. They
are equally playing happily.” Bai Mo totally agreed with Ye Ci’s statement, so much so that he
was a little envious that Ye Ci’s parents were so open-minded to want to play together with Ye Ci.
“What can we do in the game?” Zuo Xiaolan and Ye Nantian were considered more outdated
than when they were younger. Although they lived from the era of desktop games to the present
with VR games, they never played any games, which was considered unusual.
“Fighting monsters, training levels, completing missions, PVP, running a business etc… You can
do whatever you want to do.” Bai Mo answered as he still continued stuffing dumplings into his
mouth.
“ Fighting… We aren’t fond of that.” Zuo Xiaolan promptly shook her head. In the real world,
they tried to never offend anyone and never quarreled, much less fought before. “How about we
forget it, I feel we don’t quite fit in…”
Ye Ci smiled as she interrupted Zuo Xiaolan, “Mum, Dad, fighting and leveling are just a small
part of the game. Actually there are still many ways to play. For example, you can develop your
interests in the game. Look, Dad likes to cook and even took the exam for an amateur chef’s
permit. You can just open a restaurant in the game. Doesn’t Mum like sewing, being a tailor is
also pretty good.”
“It’s possible that way?” Their eyes brightened.
“It’s definitely possible. If you can create good items, you can even make money. Perhaps you
might even earn more than you currently do.” Bai Mo breathed rapidly as he ate, speaking with
his mouth full of food. “Uncle, your dumplings are so delicious, if they were put into the game,
many people will definitely come to eat.”
Ye Ci merely grinned as she looked toward her parents that were getting more and more excited.
Just at that moment, she suddenly thought of an exquisite idea. That is to gift the best store that
she bought to her parents to operate and let the two of them who had slogged their whole life truly
find pleasure in life. Furthermore, they would also often see her within the game. To them, that is
also roughly a kind of comfort.
Regarding the matter of Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan joining the game, Ye Ci could only wait for
them to make up their minds. Therefore she rested well that night. However, Ye Nantian and Zuo
Xiaolan almost fought.
That was because the two of them disagreed on whether they should open a restaurant or a tailor’s
shop. The next morning, Ye Ci saw her parents still continuing to argue over this issue as they
prepared the meal with dark circles around their eyes. She couldn’t help laughing as she said,
“Isn’t it possible for both of you choose a profession each, why do you insist on only picking
one?”
“That won’t do. She (He) needs to be my assistant.” Both of them spoke in unison.
Ye Ci shrugged her shoulders, no longer bothering her parents. In any case, they would eventually
come to a conclusion in their own way.
On New Year’s Day, it was a rest day for Upwards Ho!, with no guild activities. There was also a
distinct decrease in players in every continent. Not knowing when it started, China’s Lunar New
Year had become a significant holiday across the world. Not only the Chinese celebrated the new
year, foreigners also celebrated the new year. Thus, there were relatively few players within the
game.
However, at noon the developers had scheduled a new year’s event, therefore, at 11am, many
players came online one after another. Very quickly, Dalayar Continent was again unusually lively.
Since it was China’s Lunar New Year, the event was completely filled with Chinese features.
This year’s activity was a dragon dance competition. The venue for the competition was each
continent’s largest city. Thus, the competition for the Eastern Continent was naturally held in
Champion City. Before logging off on the eve of the Lunar New Year, the members of Upwards
Ho! had already agreed to head to Champion City on New Year’s Day to participate in the
competition. Therefore, Ye Ci and Bai Mo rushed towards Champion City once they logged in.
Champion City was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, red flags swayed in the wind and
firecrackers popped among a crowd too numerous to count.
Translator's Note:
Dumplings looked like ingots (currency used in ancient China), hence eating the dumplings during
the New Year is a metaphor for eating money. When people eat jiao zi during the New Year
celebration, they hope that it will bring prosperity and good luck for the forthcoming year.
Rich families in ancient times added gold, silver, and other precious stones in their dumplings. To
get one of these dumplings was considered good luck. Later this transitioned to adding coins in the
dumplings. Copper coins, for example, meant that one would never lack money. In contemporary
times, only a few coins are washed and added to the batch of dumplings, and the person who
discovers the coin would enjoy good luck and make a lot of money in the coming year.
Chapter 86 Dragon Dance Competition
Champion City deserved the title of the largest city in the Eastern Continent. This human city was
at least 5-6 times larger than Red Lake City, and that wasn’t all. The economy in the city was at
its peak. The NPCs in the city were generally leading very happy lives. With around a hundred
guilds based in the city, the city was very prosperous.
Clear Moon, who was standing outside of the teleportation point, said to Fruit Jelly beside him,
“T-this is the first time I’ve been to Champion City.”
Fruit Jelly nodded as she observed the people in the city that were more numerous than a hive of
ants, mouth agape. “M-m-me too…”
“Why have you guys not visited this place? It’
s not that expensive to teleport here. You’re acting
like country bumpkins entering the city for the first time.” Golden Man was someone who visited
Champion City often, but the crowd gave him a headache as well. “My goodness, why are there
so many people? I bet we’d be scattered in the crowd before we could find the registration NPC.”
“This place is just too big and with so many people around, I’m afraid that I’ll get lost.” Clear
Moon sniffed again. He was still in awe of Champion City’s grand scale and the sheer number of
players in the city. “If only Red Lake City was this prosperous.”
Ever since Upwards Ho! had bound its staging area to Red Lake City, all the members of the guild
had also bound their city-recalling stones to the city as well. A lot of them joined Red Lake City as
a citizen. Although they’d benefitted from the daily quests in Red Lake City, they still couldn’t
help but envy the prosperity of such a huge city.
Just as the group was still contemplating how to enter the city, Bai Mo sent a message in the guild
channel. “I’ve managed to to register our guild. Don’t leave the vicinity of the city or we might
not be able to locate you later.”
Ye Ci, of course, went into the city alongside Bai Mo. She was able to put her high Agility and
Balance to good use in the crowd and reached the registration NPC before Bai Mo. There were a
total of 5 NPCs in charge of registration in Champion City, situated in the North, South, East,
West and Central Districts. All the NPCs were surrounded by crowds of players.
The Dragon Dance Competition required teamwork. There was only one rule: No solo players
accepted, only teams with between 5-100 members were allowed. The condition was announced
on the official website before the New Year, and a lot of solo players had banded into groups.
The registration was done by the leader of a party. Judging from the sheer amount of party leaders
registering their parties, one could roughly guess the number of players in the city.
As the guild leader, Bai Mo was fast to register the name ‘Upwards Ho!’ to the NPC. A
notification panel then appeared in front of all the party members: The emcee of the Dragon
Dance Competition wishes to invite you to the competition arena, do you agree?
The panel would only appear once. If a player selected ‘reject’ by accident, it meant that they
forfeited from the competition and could not enter the arena. Bai Mo shouted in the guild channel,
“Look closely, choose ‘confirm?’ Y’all must choose ‘confirm!’
”
After some white flashes, they were transported into a special arena. It was a very vast plain with
soft green grass. One could not even see where the plain ended. There was a little flag planted on
the ground every 20m, and the name of each registered party was written on the flag, while the
party members stood below the flag. The props for dragon dancing were placed beside the flag.
The dragon props for each team were different. Ye Ci’s party’s was a green one decorated with
golden patterns. The dragon’s eyes were bright and full of life, as if the entire prop was a real
dragon.
Players who took part in this activity were divided into 3 categories: parties with 20 members and
below were the Lightweight category; parties with 21-60 members are categorized as
Middleweight; parties that had 61-100 members were of the Heavyweight category. They would
compete in different arenas and receive different rewards.
The rewards for being the champion in the Heavyweight category were abundant. The winner
would receive a lvl 5 guild encampment and an Epic tier title for all the guild members. That was
why all the 72 members of Upwards Ho! had taken part in the event, forming a Heavyweight
team.
The members had decided their positions. Bai Mo and Let Go Of That Girl had the highest
Strength in the party. That was why Bai Mo was at the head of the dragon while Let Go Of That
Girl was at the middle part of the dragon. These 2 positions were the key for the dragon to move
forward smoothly. Because of her high Agility and Perception, Ye Ci was placed at the tail so that
she could have a better view of what was going on.
The entire area was bustling with activity due to the huge number of contestants. Just then, a siren
blared across the field, and countless multi-colored ball shaped objects appeared all over the place.
They were the very crucial items in the 4 rounds of competition: ‘Pearls.’
The first round was simple. Players were to collect the ‘pearls’ scattered all over the plains. The
top 10 teams would advance the the next round. Players were allowed to use any means at their
disposal to grab the pearls as long as they did not leave the vicinity of their dragon. Of course, the
usage of weapons and abilities were not allowed in the arena.
A few more sirens blared, notifying players that the competition was about to begin. The players
raised their dragons, and with a signal from the system, the hundred-something Chinese dragons
headed for the ‘pearls’ scattered around the plains.
Dragon Dancing was no longer exclusive to China. The culture had spread to foreign nations as
well, and many foreigners would enjoy watching the Dragon Dance. However, simply spectating
it was an entirely different matter than doing it for real. Dragon Dancing had the same working
concept as 3 legged racing. The people involved must have synchronized pace and tempo.
However, to synchronize the tempo and pacing of nearly a hundred individuals was easier said
than done. A few moments after the event started, chaos erupted as players lost their footing and
fell. Sometimes it was one of the players and the dragon’s body fell, sometimes the head or the
tail.
Laughter, clamor and all sorts of noise filled the place. Although the prize was their ultimate goal,
the players were able to remain cheerful despite their blunders, as it was the New Year. The
atmosphere was jovial.
Upwards Ho! was one of the parties who had done some minor preparations. It was said in the
rules that if one let go of both hands from the pole supporting the dragon’s body, the person
would be counted as forfeiting from the competition. That was why despite falling down a few
times, none of them had dared to let go of the pole.
“Don’t panic, everybody remain calm. Humans, Orcs, Elves and Lycans please slow down so
that the Dwarves, Gnomes and Undead can keep up.” Bai Mo himself had tripped and fallen
several times. He laughed and then shouted into the guild channel, “We gain nothing from being
so rushed, if some of us get disqualified accidentally, it’s not worth it.”
The members of Upwards Ho! stopped, got into formation, and marched in place as they followed
Bai Mo’s marching cadence. They began to advance once they’d gotten used to the pace.
Ye Ci spotted a colored ball in front of her, and just as she moved to retrieve the colored ball,
somebody in front of her threw something out and grabbed hold of the ball.
“Pea Cake, what’s that?”
“It’s the cat claw that I gave you. I thought I couldn’t use it. But it seems that the use of tools
was not prohibited alongside the usage of weapons.” Pea Cake chuckled as he fiddled around
with the cat claws.
So that was how it worked.
Ye Ci took the cat claw out of her inventory as well. After swinging it around for a few times, Ye
Ci was able to get used to it. As a ranged class, Ye Ci was able to grasp the range of it well, and
she was able to collect more than 10 colored balls within a short period of time.
“Pea Cake, do you have any more of those cat claws?” Shouted Bai Mo after noticing the two
having fun with their tools. If all members of the party could have one, it would definitely be
great.
“I have 11 of them right now. That’ll be a total of 12 including the one Gongzi has.”
“Hand them to the Hunters, Mages and the Rangers. Those who received the cat claws, just
remember to keep up with the rest of us, and try and grab those color balls that are too far away
from us.” Upwards Ho!’s dragon stopped once again under Bai Mo’s command. When they once
again resumed moving, Upwards Ho!’s dragon was like Spiderman.
Whenever they advanced, there were not any colored balls left as long as they were within range
of the cat claws.
The other guilds were quick to notice the method used by Upwards Ho!. They were unable to
identify the the tool used by Upwards Ho!, and thought instead that it was some sort of rope as
they began to imitate it, greatly improving their efficiency.
“Bang!” A dragon head suddenly bumped right into Bai Mo, and a wave of dizziness washed
over him, “What the heck, collision in such a wide space?”
“Dammit Steel Blooded Battle Spear, why do you bump into us?” Ideal Height 1.7m was
standing behind Bai Mo. The moment they bumped into him, she immediately recognised the
guild. She then remembered the incident where Ye Ci left Steel Blooded Battle Spear, and
associated their as an act of revenge, “You wanna fight?”
“Well, even accidents could happen in the highway, so what if we accidentally bumped into
you?” The person replying was Peacock Blue, who then showed off her perfectly round breasts to
Ideal Height 1.7m and snorted, apparently looking down on her height.
“What, who do you think you are?” Seeing that somebody was trying to bully Ideal Height 1.7m,
Let Go Of That Girl rushed out with his portion of the dragon’s body and landed a kick on a Steel
Blooded Battle Spear member.
A section of the Steel Blooded Battle Spear’s dragon that was moving smoothly fell, and the guild
members from both sides began shoving and kicking at each other.
“To the members of Upwards Ho! and Steel Blooded Battle Spear, if you do not break away, you
will be disqualified immediately.” A familiar voice rang out just was the two dragons were
‘clashing’ with each other.
Translator's note:
Dragon Dance (舞龙) is a form of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture. Like the
lion dance, it is most often seen in festive celebrations. The dance is performed by a team of
dancers who manipulate a long flexible figure of a dragon using poles positioned at regular
intervals along the length of the dragon. The dance team simulates the imagined movements of
this river spirit in a sinuous, undulating manner.
The dragon dance is often performed during Chinese New Year. Chinese dragons are a symbol of
China, and they are believed to bring good luck to people, therefore the longer the dragon in the
dance, the more luck it will bring to the community.The dragons are believed to possess qualities
that include great power, dignity, fertility, wisdom, and auspiciousness. The appearance of a
dragon is both fearsome and bold but it has a benevolent disposition, and it was an emblem to
represent imperial authority. The movements in a performance traditionally symbolize historical
roles of dragons demonstrating power and dignity.
Source: Wikipedia
Chapter 87 Brick
Ye Ci was slightly puzzled.
If she was not mistaken, the voice belonged to Customer Service No. 094, who she hadn’t seen
for a long time. Wasn’t this an event? Shouldn’t it be handled by the Marketing Department
instead of one of the developers?
Could it be that… Ye Ci couldn’t help but think, was he demoted?
Despite No. 094’s warning, it was impossible for the clash to stop. The members from both sides
were still kicking and shoving at each other. Although Bai Mo and Thousand Sunsets were afraid
that something might happen, there was no force in this world that could stop them.
“Gongzi You, Miss Gongzi You, please instruct your guild members to leave, or you’ll receive a
formal warning from the System.” Ye Ci’s “beloved’ Customer Service No. 094 called out her
name after he was ignored by the members of both guilds.
Ye Ci’s expression darkened. She gritted her teeth. This Wang Jiangnan… Did he hold a grudge
against her? She was just slightly slow when helping him out with the BUG, did he really have to
call her name out? But she was a player while he was taking control of an NPC, so she was totally
powerless against him. Ye Ci could only concede defeat and wait for her chance for revenge.
The members of Upwards Ho! immediately stopped after they heard Ye Ci’s name. They retreated
to a far corner and began discuss what they heard spiritedly.
“Aiya, aiya, why would the emcee of the competition know our guild leader?”
“Haven’t you heard? Our leader is freakin’ awesome! She’s famous!”
“Yep, yep, those Steel Blooded Battle Spear bastards are lucky this time.”
“We’ll get’em next time, there are plenty of chances…”
Although they were unclear about what really happened between Ye Ci and Steel Blooded Battle
Spear, they’d heard a lot of stories from Timely Rain and Pickled Pepper Phoenix Claw that Ye Ci
was treated unfairly back when she was in the guild. They felt angry because of that, and they’d
found the perfect opportunity to get back at Steel Blooded Battle Spear today.
Ye Ci’s expression darkened even further after listening to the discussions. She did not wish to be
famous. Although the things that she had done contributed to her fame, it did not mean that she
agree to Wang Jiang Nan’s action of announcing her name and making her even more
well-known… This… This…
“Go and grab more balls, there’s only 3 minutes left until the competition ends.” Noticing that
they’d wasted a lot of time, Bai Mo was distressed. They were aiming for the reward as the
champion of Heavyweight category: A lvl 5 guild encampment and the Epic tier title. It would be a
shame if they got eliminated in the first round.
The guild members knew what was at stake. They immediately kept quiet and focused on
grabbing more colored balls.
All the colored balls disappeared after the bell signifying the end of the round rang. The parties
returned to their respective flags, and the system began counting the balls collected by each party.
It was a close call. With the difference of 3 balls, Upwards Ho! had managed to be part of the top
10. The guild members let out a collective sigh of relief. It was just too close. But what was even
more embarrassing was that… The first 3 spots of the Dragon Dance competition were held by
foreign guilds…
Players from the 3 other continents immediately ‘congratulated’ the players of the Eastern
Continent.
“We of the Five Millennium guild wish to express our deepest condolences and greatest disdain
to the Chinese players in the Eastern Continent in the stead of all the Chinese players in the
Western Continent.”
……
“Good job, Blade of Abyss! You guys ranked no.1 in the Eastern Continent Dragon Dance
competition, you make America proud!”
……
“Oi, Eastern Continent, aren’t you guys supposed to be like, freaking awesome? Didn’t you
guys get First Blood like literally everyday? How could you lose to those Westerner bastards in
Dragon Dance? What the f*ck are you guys doing?”
……
The Chinese players in the Eastern Continent did not respond to all the taunting in the World
Channel. They were not the only ones who remained silent. Even the foreign guilds that had
obtained top 3 were silent. The reason: They were busy opening the colored balls...
The pearls that players obtained from the Dragon Dance competition contained different items
including: materials, potions, skill books, gold coins, and even weapons. It all depended heavily
on luck.
However, the chances of getting good stuff from the pearls in the first round was low. Most of the
items obtained from the pearls were potions, materials and gold coins. Ye Ci’s luck was not that
great. After opening 30-40 balls, she obtained 30 unrefined copper ore and several thousand gold
coins. Icy Cold Little Hands however, was very lucky. It took her 10 tries to obtain a Barbarian
skill book and a Priest skill book. She was the officially made the ‘colored ball opener’ of the
guild.
Her luck was really good. The Life Players in the guild cheered happily as she obtained a huge
pile of Medium Tier materials from the colored balls. She had even gotten 3 blue equipment from
the colored balls. One of them was a Warrior’s longsword, one was a Druid’s staff, while the
other one was a Ranger’s dagger. The equipment was handed to Bai Mo, who stored them into the
guild warehouse and would distribute them to the guild members once the competition was over.
After a short break, the second round of the competition started. The top 3 parties from the
competition would be taking part in the third round of the competition. Upwards Ho! was in an
awkward position, as they ranked 10th in the first round and the points for each round were
cumulative.
They were still required to grab the colored balls in the second round, but this time instead of
competing on a flat plain, the arena was a huge lake which was covered by a layer of ice with
uneven thickness. The rules were the same: All usage of weapons and skills were prohibited.
This round was way harder than the last round.
Because of the uneven thickness of the ice, if players stepped on the thin portion of the ice and fell
into the lake, they would be eliminated.
“Those with the cat claws please take note, try your best to get more of those red and golden
colored balls. Those 2 give the highest points.” Ye Ci reminded the party as they tread carefully
across the surface of the lake.
In this round, the one at the second position was no longer Ideal Height 1.7m, but a Rogue called
Milk Popsicle instead. He had high Perception, which allowed him to detect hidden danger in
front of him. He would then warn Bai Mo who was at the head to steer clear of dangerous areas.
Everybody wanted a spot in the third round, and every party gave their all to grab the red and
golden colored balls. This led to the constant sound of cracking ice. If the players were able to
react fast enough they were able to continue competing, while those who were unable to escape
dropped into the lake and were eliminated.
Ye Ci waved her cat claw around, grabbing all the multi-colored pearls within her sight.
3 guilds from the Eastern Continent were eliminated after falling into the water. With the help of
their cat claws, Upwards Ho! was able to squeeze their way into the fourth place despite having a
horrible performance in the first round.
Wolf Pack, Steel Blooded Battle Spear and Blade of Abyss were ahead of them in terms of score.
Ye Ci observed her surroundings. A lot of guilds were forced together because of the cracking ice,
and Upwards Ho! was forced together with Steel Blooded Battle Spear once again.
“Popsicle, is there a thinner layer of ice at our 2 o’clock?” Asked Ye Ci after eyeing the position
of Steel Blooded Battle Spear.
Milk Popsicle took a glance and replied, “Yes, the ice beneath the red ball and that golden ball is
thin.”
Steel Blooded Battle Spear could of course detect what Milk Popsicle had detected. Their score
was in an awkward position. Blade of Abyss and Upwards Ho! were very close to overtaking them
with just 1-2 red balls. They need to secure their position. They could not afford to let go of those
2 balls.
But after their run in with Upwards Ho! in the first round, Thousand Sunsets was wary of the guild.
He ordered 2 Gnomish Rogues to try and retrieve the balls while the Rangers kept an eye out for
Upwards Ho! in case they attempted to foil the plans of his guild.
Upwards Ho! was at a position with more balls. While her guild members were busy grabbing the
balls, Ye Ci narrowed her eyes and glanced at Steel Blooded Battle Spear. If she did not act,
Upwards Ho! would definitely lose their chance at winning the grand prize when Steel Blooded
Battle Spear obtained the 2 balls. She was fast to spot the 2 Gnomish Rogues that Thousand
Sunsets sent to retrieve the balls.
Gnomes were the lightest among all the races. As long as they tread lightly on the thin ice, it
would not break, and with the Rogue’s high movement speed, they were the best people for the
job. Steel Blooded Battle Spear had even swapped a Ranger to the dragon tail’s position to
‘conduct surveillance’ on Upwards Ho!.
Ye Ci sneered at Thousand Sunsets’ narrow-minded behavior. She had originally decided to leave
Steel Blooded Battle Spear alone. But with their attitude, she would be sorry if she did not act.
She flipped the object in her hand: a crude iron brick.
It belonged to Pea Cake. His inventory was full of the ‘products’ of Engineering that were junk
in the eyes of an outsider. The piece of crude iron brick became Ye Ci’s precious treasure.
It came from where it was supposed to come from, and went to where it was meant to be.
Ye Ci casually tossed something out and in the blink of an eye she was grabbing more colored
balls with full concentration. Her movement was so fluid as fast that nobody saw what happened.
“Oh by the way, guild leader, why did you want my brick?” Asked Pea Cake.
“It was nothing.” Ye Ci replied with a smile.
Right after Ye Ci spoke, a loud “pop” was followed closely by the cracking sound of the ice and
then the splashing of water and angry strings of curses.
……
The members of Upwards Ho! turned their heads towards the source of the sound. There was only
a huge hole left at the spot where Steel Blooded Battle Spear was supposed to be.
Chapter 88 White Bomb
If the sudden disappearance of Steel Blooded Battle Spear was a relief for the members of
Upwards Ho!, then Clear Moon’s question that followed was the trigger to their heated
discussion.
“Eh? Where did they disappear to?”
After a few seconds of silence, a lively discussion exploded in the party. Some said that the
surface of the ice was actually a jerry-built project, some claimed that it was divine intervention,
while there were some who said it was a glitch in the system. The guild members discussed the
topic enthusiastically while collecting more colored balls.
The culprit, Ye Ci, did not take part in the discussion. She focused all her attention on collecting
more balls.
The second round ended without much suspense. The representatives of the Eastern Continent
who would join the third round of the competition were Wolf Pack, Upwards Ho! and Blade of
Abyss.
After a short rest, the 3 parties were transported to the arena for the third round.
Ye Ci took a quick look at the arena and noticed that they were in the sky. With this, they’d been
to air, land and sea.
The rules were slightly different in this round of the competition. With exception to the platform
that the 12 parties were standing on, players would levitate whenever they left the platform. All
the parties were required to collect blue colored balls while bringing along their dragon. But in the
process of grabbing the blue balls, players must also beware of the white colored ones, which
would randomly explode. Parties that had their dragon’s HP depleted due to the explosions would
be eliminated.
To win the round, a party must collect 999 blue balls, and each blue ball was worth 1 point. When
a party had accumulated 999 points, a giant colored pearl ball belonging to the party would appear
in a specific location. The party must then rush into the giant pearl with their dragon.
The game sounded simple. But for humans who were used to walking on land to suddenly have to
fly in the sky was a huge challenge in terms of controlling their direction and the force needed to
maneuver.
Upwards Ho! was not the only party to face trouble. All the participants had the same problem as
well. Not only that, Upwards Ho! was unable to fully utilize their cat claws as they were unable to
grasp the distance of objects in this 3-dimensional space.
The competition would last for 1 hour. If no party was able to achieve victory within the round, 3
of the parties with the highest score would be selected to proceed to the 4th round. Although
players would only need to hang on for an hour, the blue balls offered rare items and would be
bound to whoever collected them. The players were fired up to acquire as many blue balls as they
could.
It was a sinister design by the developers. Such arrangements in a group activity that offered rare
items that were bound to a player was obviously meant to incite disharmony within a party. Before
long, a party from the Northern Continent had an internal dispute, and their players began shoving
each other.
Just then, Customer Service No.094’s anger inducing voice rang out again along with a system
message, “Everyone remain calm. You can always talk things out. Don’t fight~~ Or your points
might be deducted~~”
What’s with the ‘~~’? Ye Ci strongly disdained Wang Jiangnan’s action of fanning the flames.
Why are you typing out that symbol? Are you trying to act cute or something?
“Everyone, turn on your distance assistance plugin. I want everyone to only grab the balls closest
to them. I don’t wish to see our own members quarrel because of the balls. Those who get into a
fight because of the blue balls will have 50 DKP deducted from them.” Bai Mo immediately
warned his guild members after seeing what happened to the Northern Continent party.
Although blue equipment could be gained from the blue balls, they were still more inferior
compared to blue equipment of the same level obtained from dungeons. DKP was the thing
needed for guild members to redeem items from the guild warehouse. Nobody was willing to risk
their DKP for a couple of blue balls, and the party became rather harmonious.
The accursed white balls were rapidly growing in numbers. They did not move slowly like the
blue balls. They moved fast and they exploded randomly. Some would have a 10 second delay
before exploding, while some would explode instantly upon contact. There was nothing much the
players could do against them.
“Bai Mo, slow down, we’ll advance slowly and steadily. Keep your eyes peeled everyone, if you
see a 10 second delay one, kick it away.” Said Ye Ci calmly after she was hit by an instant
explosion white ball and a time delayed one.
“T-then what about those that explode instantly?” Cutie Lemon was so nervous that the bridge
of her nose was sweating. A white ball exploded right on top of her, scaring her to the point where
her face turned white.
“Then… Chug down more health potions. Don’t die before the dragon’s health is completely
gone.” Ye Ci spread out her hands, indicating that she had no solution to the problem either.
In the hearts of Upwards Ho! members, Ye Ci was a know-it-all and the synonym for
‘awesomeness.’ There was nothing that she couldn’t solve. The emergence of such a problem
drove them to a state of nervousness. They no longer chatted in the party channel. All of their
attention was focused, for fear that they would trigger an instant-explosion white ball.
“Thump.” A white ball bumped into Ye Ci’s pole. It was a delayed-explosion type. Without
thinking, Ye Ci kicked the white ball away towards a spot where several other white balls were
clustered together.
“Thump thump thump…” The white ball that was kicked away by Ye Ci collided with the other
white balls, triggering several large explosions.
Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. It worked like that as well? Even the collision between balls
would trigger a detonation? She immediately shared her discovery to the rest of the members, “If
you encounter a delayed-explosion white ball, kick it towards the other white balls.”
The ranged players were way more adept at doing it than the melee players.
After spending a short period of time to get used to their environment, the 12 teams were able to
stabilize their pace. They no longer quarrelled because of the blue balls, and they were more
skillful when it came to maneuvering in the air.
The 11 other guilds were different from Upwards Ho!. Their dragons were crewed by a full
complement of 100 players. It was easier for them to collect 999 blue balls when compared to the
72-player party of Upwards Ho!. They could easily get more balls.
Ye Ci realised that it would be hard for her guild to get into the top 3 with conventional methods.
She narrowed her eyes, and kicked a white ball which was flying towards her to the direction of a
party closest to her. Her timing was perfect. The delayed-explosion ball exploded right after it
came into contact with the party’s dragon, dealing quite a huge amount of damage.
Everybody was busy with dodging the white balls, and there would certainly be those who were
not that lucky. Nobody had noticed Ye Ci’s dirty trick. They simply became more alert when it
came to dodging white balls. If one continuously pull tricks on the same target, one would be
discovered very soon.
When her guild’s dragon spiraled upwards, Ye Ci did the same trick on several other parties.
Quite a few of them realized that they were victims of somebody’s antics, but they were unable to
locate the culprit as their attention was focused on the competition. They began to retaliate on the
parties that were closest to them. Right then, Ye Ci urged Bai Mo to stay away from her victims,
and turned towards another direction.
It would be daft to get involved in the mess that she herself had created.
Upwards Ho! stayed far away from the 11 other teams, showing clearly that they were not
involved in the plot. They collected blue balls at the edge while watching the other parties plot
against each other. Ye Ci in particular was enjoying the show.
“What are they doing…?” Pea Cake was curious. “Everything was fine just now.”
It did not take long for the other parties to realise that Upwards Ho! was steering clear of the mess.
They immediately shifted their attention to Upwards Ho!. In their eyes, Upwards Ho! that had
only 72 members was the one that was supposed to be eliminated.
“Hurry up and ascend.” Ordered Ye Ci as she noticed the other parties closing in while
simultaneously sabotaging each other’s progress.
The 72 players of the guild were very united. They immediately ascended while furiously
grabbing blue balls right after Ye Ci gave her command.
973… 974… 986… 992… The number of balls collected by Upwards Ho! increased along with
their altitude. Several parties that were close to achieving their goal gave up on going after
Upwards Ho!. Those parties that had entirely no hope at all to advance to the next round gave
chase, hoping to drag Upwards Ho! down along with them.
“Bang bang bang.” Explosions continuously rocked Upwards Ho!’s dragon, and its HP dropped
rapidly…
997… 998…
One ball left. A white ball flew towards Upwards Ho!’s dragon. Ye Ci shifted herself slightly, and
spun in midair. She raised her foot and kicked the white ball away while reaching out towards a
blue ball that happened to be within sight. She grabbed hold of the blue ball and a system
notification immediately chimed in, “Upwards Ho! has collected 999 blue balls. The pearl shall
now activate.”
When Ye Ci thought about it, she had never had good luck in her entire life. She had never won
any lotteries, nor was she lucky when it came to item drops. But reality proved that every cloud
has a silver lining, just like…
The pearl appeared right above Upwards Ho!’s dragon. The guild members were delighted. They
immediately headed towards the pearl. Right at that moment, a few more explosions rocked their
dragon.
It was close. By the time they made it into the pearl, Upwards Ho!’s dragon only had one tiny bit
of HP left.
That, however, was not important. They had managed to advance to the next round.
The one to announce the news was not the system, but Customer Service No. 094.
“Congratulations to the party from the Eastern Continent, Upwards Ho!, for being the first party
to enter the 4th round. All the players of Upwards Ho! please stand still, you’ll be transported to
the arena for the 4th round.”
Chapter 89 Genesis
Ye Ci remembered that she had previously read a novel named < 0 Degrees Ultimate Fantasy>.
Within the novel, there was a quote that left a profound impression on her.
“At times, luck is also a type of ability.”
Therefore, she had always claimed that she had no such ability. Even if she did, she reckoned that
her luck would only backfire and cause her harm. However, fate would make fun of you at times,
letting you suddenly have real luck.
The fourth round of the Dragon Dance competition was, frankly, a contest of this type of ability.
The fourth round of the competition was the easiest round of the competition. It didn’t even
require a dragon. It only required competitors to hold the dragon as they headed to the sides of the
pool in the middle of the arena, and then they just needed to open the colored pearls. The colored
pearls would produce different items, with the obtained items belonging to the one who opened
the pearl. The points for every item were also different.
For example, a skill book was worth 100 points, blue colored equipment was worth 80 points,
green colored equipment was worth 50 points, a BUFF potion was worth 10 points, the red and
blue ones were both worth 5 points, materials were worth 5 points, gold was worth 3 points. The
guild who accumulated the highest points from the items they obtained when the competition
ended would obtain the final victory.
The stipulated duration for the fourth round was ten minutes, but this time would only start
counting down when every member of the participating teams entered the arena. The time spent
opening pearls by competitors who entered the arena earlier was not counted within the ten
minutes given. Hence, the earlier a team entered the arena, the more points they could accumulate.
However, what did this round test?
The fourth round of the competition was a round which tested luck. Such luck based competitions
were usually more unpredictable.
Take opening chests for example, some people might open ten thousand chests without even
finding a gem, while others might found one with the first chest they open. This was called luck,
which was also called deception.
The team from Upwards Ho! were the first to be cast into the fourth round’s arena. As all of them
understood the rules of each round before the competition started, there was no hesitation as they
raised the dragon and dashed toward the edges of the pool in the middle of the arena.
Bai Mo shouted as they charged forward, “Those that have black hands, please wash your hands
and ensure that it’s clean.”
Everyone replied in unison, “Understood!”
Bai Mo then detestably pointed out, “Friend Gongzi You, you especially, it’s best if you washed
your hands a few more times.”
All those who had partied with Ye Ci before understood the extent of Ye Ci’
s‘black hand.’Thus
when they heard Bai Mo’s statement, they were in agreement and all nodded toward Ye Ci, saying,
“That’s right.”
Ye Ci rolled her eyes as she replied, “It’s not like I wished for it…”
“guild leader, you shouldn’t pull down our team’s overall luck because of your own.” Pea Cake,
who was standing beside Ye Ci, had a regretful expression as she patted Ye Ci’s shoulder, making
the latter wish that she could directly kick her into the pool.
The pool was actually very large. The entire team from Upwards Ho! only occupied a fifth of the
circumference of the poolside. It was obvious that everyone was even more driven than when they
were clearing dungeons.
There were often people shouting, “I found materials here, Leader Bai, please deposit in in the
guild storage.”
“Who obtained gold again, why are you so unlucky as to obtain gold? You should at least get
BUFF potions!”
“Wawawa, I’ve got a skill book!”
……
Within the group showing off their gains, Ye Ci silently sat in a corner with a dark expression as
she opened the colored pearls. Whenever someone obtained gold, all of them would look toward
her in concert, their looks causing her heart to bleed. Sure, although the majority of the gold was
obtained by her, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t have the intention of obtaining a skill book.
“guild leader, did you obtain gold again…?” The usually silent Dragon Battling Heavens had
long since silently turned his head to look at Ye Ci when prompted by the system. Of course,
countless pitiful sighs accompanied his words.
Ye Ci bit her lips, fiercely grabbing another colored pearl. These group of beasts, how could they
bully others like this?
Just when Ye Ci was facing unbounded disdain from the other members in Upwards Ho!, the
hateful voice of Customer Service No. 094 once again sounded. “Congratulations to party from
the Western Continent, Genesis, for being the second team to advance to the fourth round. All the
players of Genesis please stand still, you’ll be transported to the arena for the fourth round. There
is one last spot for the remaining teams, who will obtain that spot?”
Genesis?
Ye Ci was surprised. They were the second-ranked guild in the world. In her previous life, their
strength could be said to be heaven defying. They, along with the world’s top ranked guild, which
was also China’s top guild, Storm Totem were embroiled in a closely-fought contest that lasted
nearly ten years in the scramble for ranking within Fate. In the Western Continent, they were the
strongest guild. Essentially, the First Blood for all the large-scale areas and wild BOSSes in the
Western Continent were obtained by them. Not only that, there were many extremists within their
guild
This was a team that was extremely strong in terms of both the guild and members. Just their elite
members already numbered 500. It could be said that any one or two randomly picked members
from their elite group could defeat a hundred others by themselves.
In the previous rounds, Ye Ci was focused on gaining points for her guild’s rise in rank and didn’
t have the time to check which other guilds had advanced. Now that they had reached the fourth
round and only needed to open coloured pearls, she finally had the time to take note of
information about the other guilds.
Within a minute, Ye Ci could see a silver dragon with red patterns already rushing to the side of
the pool. Setting their dragon aside, a hundred or more people appeared. They sat together and
began opening coloured pearls.
“Quickly open the pearls, there’s no need for communication this round. The person who opens
the most pearls will be rewarded with 20 DKP.” When Bai Mo saw the opponent had 100
members, he immediately announced a reward in the guild chat. Suddenly, the group buried
themselves in opening colored pearls.
Ye Ci also continued opening pearls, but her gaze was sweeping over every person of the opposing
guild Genesis. In her previous life, she didn’t have any grudges with Genesis. However, in the
Grand PvP competition, she had fought with quite a few of them; She just didn’t know if these
people had come today.
The equipment of the current members of Genesis wasn’t that great. Even though their guild was
very strong, equipment was scarce, especially for a large guild with so many members. Therefore,
Ye Ci could occasionally see members that only had the lousier green equipment.
These faces were familiar yet foreign. As she looked over them once more, she was surprised that
there wasn’t a single person that she could remember. Could it be that none of the players that she
previously dueled had come?
Suddenly, her gaze faltered . Soon after, the colored pearl in her hand fell into the water…
[Editor's Note: So fun facts for those who didn’t know… 0 Degrees Ultimate Fantasy was the
first novel this author published. They’re totally plugging their previous novels. XD]
Well guys, Sorry that I couldn't post last Friday, was very very busy IRL. Orientation started, and
it will continue for like ughh... 12 hours a day for like 3 more days... Sooo.. I can't really post a
double on Wednesday as well, really sorry. It's just very tiring and all... I'll be back posting on
Friday okay? xDD
Chapter 90 Final Victory
After a pause, Ye Ci bent down and picked up the colored pearl and opened it calmly.
“Balm of Blessings x1”
Balm of Blessings was a rare item which could increase a player’s luck. To Ye Ci, the Balm of
Blessings was something with multiple purposes. When an unlucky person drank a bottle of Balm
of Blessings before looting a monster, his or her chance to obtain a high-leveled item was
increased by 20%. When a player applied the Balm of Blessings to a weapon, the attack power of
said weapon would be increased for a period of time. The Balm could even be used when refining
items with the effect of 20% increased success rate.
Everybody knew how precious that thing was. Not many were willing to use it in the earlier stages
of the game. First of all, they did not have the need of such an item as their level was still too low.
There’s also the fact that the item was simply too rare.
Ye Ci blinked. You must be joking?
To obtain such an item after obtaining gold coins thru dozens of tries was just too intense.
Couldn’t her life be more normal? God must’ve dozed off, thought Ye Ci, it would be impossible
for somebody with her luck to get such an item otherwise. It was simply…
Unimaginable.
Hence, this stingy person silently slid the Balm of Blessings into her inventory, and made the
decision to take a photo of it. Even if she would be extremely unlucky for the next 10 years, it
would be proof that she had experienced some luck at some point of her life.
With the appearance of the Balm of Blessings, Upwards Ho!’s points soared by 500. This was a
shock to all the players. Who got what? Bai Mo intervened before the members could start a
discussion about the matter, “Pay attention to what you’re doing. They’re all parties with 100
players. We are at a disadvantage here. Don’t forget what we’re here for.”
Although Bai Mo was pretty average when it came to his managing skills, he radiated the aura of a
guild leader. He enjoyed a good relationship with other players, and was fair. He was able to have
an imposing figure despite his humble behavior. The whisperings stopped right after he spoke up.
He was right. Upwards Ho! was nothing compared to the other guilds. Even then, there was
always a time where the weak could shine. At this point, nobody wanted to go home with a third
place. They were aiming to be the champion! The guild members immediately hastened to open
more pearls after listening to Bai Mo’s words.
Right at that moment, Customer Service No.094 announced the arrival of the Apex Guild from the
Northern Continent into the arena for the 4th round.
The countdown timer began as soon the Apex Guild entered the arena. With their 1 minute and 47
seconds advantage, Upwards Ho! had already accumulated 1729 points.
Ye Ci took note of the points of the 3 other guilds while opening more pearls. She felt remorse that
the world’s top guild, Storm Totem was unable to advance to round 4. She had always wanted to
meet their mysterious guild leader.
The place was even more crowded with the presence of Apex Guild. The other guilds, however,
paid no heed to them. The distance between the players clustered together showing clearly that
they were from 3 different teams.
Such contests of luck meant that advantages came from numbers. The more members there were,
the chances that somebody obtaining a rare item became higher was well. Despite a few members
in Upwards Ho! possessing very good luck and obtaining quite a few equipment and skill books,
most of them had only acquired materials or potions. With only 72 members, their speed and luck
was at a disadvantage when compared to the other 100-player parties.
After 5 minutes into the round, the other guilds were slowly catching up to Upwards Ho! despite
their lead of 1729 points. Genesis exceeded their points at the 6 minutes and 34 seconds mark,
followed close behind by Apex.
The members of Upwards Ho! was dispirited, and they slowed down.
Ye Ci knew how they felt. She spoke up calmly, “It’s okay even if we ended up third. Just keep
opening the balls. Don’t forget that all the items that we open belong to us.”
Ye Ci’s words were able to stir up their spirits. Since they were here, they must make the most out
of it. The guild members then continued their journey to open more colored balls.
However, Ye Ci still felt unwilling to let it go that easily.
To give up on being the champion just like that? The reward was a lvl 5 guild encampment and an
Epic tier title! Just the lvl 5 guild encampment was very enticing by itself. It would cost a
tremendous amount of gold and prestige points to upgrade a guild encampment to lvl 5, with a lot
of conditions. The reward would raise the level of a guild encampment to lvl 5 unconditionally. If
they did not seize the opportunity, they would lose it forever.
Ye Ci lowered her eyes and resumed opening more colored balls while calmly observing the
points of the 3 parties.
Although Upwards Ho! was surpassed by the 2 other parties, the differences between their points
was not much. The competition was tough, with a 100 point gap, which was the amount of points
awarded for obtaining a skill book.
Fruit Jelly was able to obtain another skill book, and their points exceeded that of Apex Guild’s. A
blue equipment from another member was able to grant them a 60 point lead over Genesis. But
they were once again overtaken by their opponents in the blink of an eye.
The points of the 3 guilds were very close. Their scores constantly surpassed each other. It was a
very close competition.
If Upwards Ho! was unable to widen the gap between their points and the other two guilds, they
might lose to the other 2 parties. Even if everybody else believed in their luck, Ye Ci did not share
their confidence due to her “black hand” aura.
2 minutes were left.
Ye Ci paused for a moment, and took the Balm of Blessings out of her inventory. Even if it was
the one time she was lucky in her entire life, she knew that her gain would not make up for her
loss if she kept it to herself. Even if it was just one short moment of luck, so be it.
Ye Ci gulped down the bottle of Balm of Blessings. She pursed her lips. It tasted like Sprite.
“The Goddess of Luck appears to have descended upon you. You feel a stroke of good luck.” A
system notification rang out, and a BUFF called Lucky Aura that increased her Luck by 20% and
lasted for 2 minutes appeared.
Good. It was the final 2 minutes of the competition, and Ye Ci hoped that Lady Luck would smile
upon her.
Reality proved that Balm of Blessings was an overpowered presence in the game. Even Ye Ci,
who was unlucky for the entirety of her life, was able to improve her luck after consuming a bottle
of Balm of Blessings. Her colored balls no longer yielded gold coins, but materials instead.
This… Was this the so-called “20% increased chance of obtaining high grade items?” Were
these materials high grade? Ye Ci was very puzzled. Even something as overpowered as the Balm
of Blessings could not change her luck.
“Balm of Blessings x1.” A system notification suddenly chimed in. Ye Ci smiled after a moment
of surprise. Oh boy! There goes another bottle of Balm of Blessings. Even though Upwards Ho!’s
points soared, they did not have much of a lead on Genesis who were in second place.
It was still a good sign. At least their lead was significant enough.
With the sudden increase of points, Upwards Ho! was leading the competition with 300 points. It
was not much, but it was able to boost the morale of the guild members. They immediately
hastened, not wasting a single second.
After obtaining the second bottle of Balm of Blessings, Ye Ci’s luck finally improved. She began
obtaining green and blue equipment and an occasional skill book. Just as Dragon Battling Heavens
had said, her black hand was the factor that dragged down the overall luck of Upwards Ho!.
The 2 other parties were following close behind in terms of score in the final 30 seconds. The
party channel was as silent as a grave. The movements of nearly 300 players in the arena was fluid
like flowing water. It was an awe-inspiring sight.
“Balm of Blessings x1.” Ye Ci’s eyes brightened up. She almost jumped in delight. With this
bottle, their remaining 100 point lead was raised to 600 points. Although she was still unable to let
her guard down fully, at least Upwards Ho! had a 50% chance of winning the first place.
“Balm of Blessings x1.”
Another bottle appeared. Ye Ci’s breathing almost stopped. She could not believe her luck.
It was impossible to close the gap of more than 1100 points within 30 seconds.
Unless their opponents were able to produce 2 Balm of Blessings within the 30 seconds.
The score of Genesis suddenly increased by 500 points. Ye Ci was slightly shocked. 13 seconds
left. It seemed that Genesis was able to obtain a bottle of Balm of Blessings as well. The outcome
of this competition was unpredictable. Ye Ci took in a deep breath and continued opening her
colored balls.
10 seconds left.
8 seconds left.
5 seconds left.
Genesis and Apex both had their score suddenly increase by 500 points. Ye Ci was slightly
panicked. There were 5 seconds left and her guild was only leading by 100 points. They might…
“Balm of Blessings x1.” A system notification rang out in Ye Ci’s ears and the score gap
widened once again.
Ye Ci had always felt that she had a strong heart, but at that moment, she felt weak. Dear System,
can you not play with my feelings like that? Not everyone could withstand such ups and downs.
1 second left.
The round ended.
Upwards Ho! was emerged victorious with a 397 point lead over Genesis that was in second place
while Apex was in third place.
It was… Finally over. The Lucky Aura BUFF ended as well.
Ye Ci let out a long sigh. Such a test of luck was not something that she, as a member of the black
hand army, could easily pass. Her heart… Had almost stopped.
“We’re the champions!”
Upwards Ho! members lept up and screamed out their joy after a moment of silence. Their cheers
were thunderous.
“The victor was decided. All players will now be transported away from the arena. Stand still, it
might be a rough ride…” Wang Jiangnan said with a mysterious tone after clearing his throat.
Right after he spoke, all the players felt a sudden lost of weight and they fell.
“Ahhh!” All of them screamed out in horror.
“Bump! Bump! Bump!” The continuous dull thuds were testimony that quite a lot of objects had
fallen from a high place.
“Ouch…”
“It hurts…”
……
The countless screams were transformed into moans of pain after the fall. The contestants realised
that they were back in the arena of the first round. However, they were not alone. A gigantic arena
had appeared, and all the eliminated teams were seated in the spectator’s seats.
They included not only the heavyweight category, but the medium and lightweight categories as
well.
After a short observation, Ye Ci concluded that there could easily be almost a million players in
the arena. As expected of the world’s best server, Ye Ci thought to herself, not even a hint of lag
even with so many players at the same spot. It was simply too awesome.
“Congratulations on being the champions.” The leader of Genesis was a Sorcerer called
Absalom. He smiled warmly and walked up to Bai Mo to shake his hand. As a Human Sorcerer,
Absalom’s facial feature was clearly that of a Westerner.
As expected of a top guild, they were able to accept a loss. Even if they were defeated by a small
and unfamous guild such as Upwards Ho!, Genesis guild was able to maintain their composure.
Absalom smiled in a friendly manner at Bai Mo.
“Will you think that I’m pretentious if I congratulate you for getting the second place?” Bai Mo
winked slyly, and Absalom was momentarily stunned. He then let out a hearty laugh.
“This is an event. The next time we meet on the battlefield, I will not hold back.” Absalom was
very honest.
They belonged to the Western Continent, while Upwards Ho! was from the Eastern Continent.
Even if they were friendly towards each other right at that moment, they were still sworn enemies.
“Same.”
Ye Ci retracted her gaze from where Bai Mo was standing alongside Absalom. She calmed herself
down and walked towards the members of Genesis.
If Absalom and Bai Mo were conversing with each other for diplomacy’s sake, Ye Ci’s action
was a little out of the ordinary.
Although she was very famous in Fate, as a party member, what was she doing?
The players’ gazes followed Ye Ci’s steady footsteps as she walked steadily towards the gathered
Genesis members.
Ye Ci straightened up, and extended her hand towards that person…
This is Double Chapters yo! Don't forget to hit that "Next Chapter" button! xDD
Chapter 91 Duel
Chapter 91 Duel
“Hi, I’m Gongzi You.” Ye Ci stood in front of that person, a shallow smile on her face. She
extended her hand naturally and without reserve.
The person she was talking to was a tall and robust elf with silver hair just like Ye Ci. However,
his eyes were black. The obsidian-esque pupils were a rare combination chosen for the elf race.
He was rather surprised by Ye Ci’s actions. After a slight pause, he narrowed his eyes and stared
at the Elven Huntress in front of him. His gaze was sharp as blade, stabbing at Ye Ci without
restraint. A normal person would awkwardly retract his or her hand under such gaze.
Ye Ci, however, did not do so. She stood still, arm extended, not backing down from his
provocative glare.
Finally, the person’s ears twitched slightly and his mouth formed into a ghost of a smile. He
extended his hand and shook Ye Ci’s hand lightly, and said with a soothing voice, “Hello, I’m
Fleeting TIme.”
Fleeting Time.
That’s right, it was Fleeting Time.
He was the Fleeting Time that was christened as the God of Hunters, the Fleeting Time that
ruthlessly steamrolled over Ye Ci, and the Fleeting Time that Ye Ci could not find when she was
ready for a rematch.
She never knew that he was a member of Genesis.
Ye Ci could not describe her emotions when she saw Fleeting time. She felt joy as well as
excitement, and her blood boiled.
Having a rematch with this person was a dream that she had carried on from her past life. How
could she let this chance slip by?
Ye Ci restrained the intensity of her gaze, and retracted her hand. She then attempted to send
Fleeting Time a duel invitation. The usage of weapons and abilities were prohibited in the arena
earlier on and it meant that they were unable to fight each other. But it might just be different this
time.
“Gongzi You sends you a duel invitation.”
There were many style of PVP within Fate. If both parties involved were in the same alliance, they
would be able to attack each other once they turn on the Massacre Mode. If they did not do so, the
only way was to duel. If players were from different alliances, they would be able to attack each
other directly.
The current situation however was quite unique. Although Ye Ci was in an opposing faction from
Fleeting Time, all the players’ names were green (unable to attack) in the event arena. Under
such circumstances, the only way they could fight each other was through a duel.
Fleeting Time narrowed his eyes at the sudden duel invitation. He knew the Huntress standing in
front of him. She was very famous in the Eastern Continent, and her gameplay videos were highly
sought after by Hunters from all 4 continents. Fleeting Time was different from her. He had
always been a team player. Although his moves were not as elegant, it did not mean that he was
not strong.
However, that was not the point. The point was that he was not the only Hunter in Genesis. Even if
this Huntress wanted to show off her skills, she wouldn’t have picked him out of coincidence,
would she? What was the reason?
“Why do you want to duel with me?” Fleeting Time did not accept nor reject the invitation. He
stared at the Huntress. She was very young, and her face even betrayed a hint of childishness, but
her eyes shone with determination and maturity. “There are a lot of Hunters in Genesis, so if you’
re looking for an opponent, there are others who are better.”
“Because, they’re not Fleeting Time.” Ye Ci pursed her lips.
Fleeting Time creased his eyebrows. The answer was just… something undeniable.
Fleeting Time accepted the duel.
A flag bearing the symbol of dueling immediately landed from the sky in between the two, stirring
up dust.
The jovial atmosphere immediately quieted down after the flag landed, and all the players shifted
their attention towards the flag.
There was 5 seconds of preparation time before the match officially started from the time the flag
landed. The moment Ye Ci and Fleeting Time saw the flag, they reacted just the same, as if they
were a reflection of each other. They backed up 20 yards from each other and hid themselves into
the crowd.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, begin.
Both released an arrow at each other at the same time, which were both Frost Arrows. Both of
them moved in the same direction; both of them darted between the crowd. They were like a
reflection of each other in a gigantic mirror. One of them would always do what their opponent
did…
Ye Ci paused momentarily.
Fleeting Time did the same as well.
The overly similar opening moves caused both sides to lose the initiative. It was now a mimicking
show between the two.
This situation must not continue.
Ye Ci slung her crossbow, bent slightly, rolled on the ground, and disappeared into the crowd.
Fleeting Time slung his bow as he dashed towards Ye Ci’s position. He darted through the crowd
with incredible speed, quick as the wind. He suddenly leapt up, nocked an arrow, and fired it into
the crowd.
Although they knew that they would not receive damage from the combatants in a duel, the crowd
became scared and dispersed immediately, exposing Ye Ci who was Stealthed in their midst.
She wouldn’t have been discovered under normal circumstances, but it was as if Fleeting Time
could see his opponent who was in Stealth. His arrow flew right towards Ye Ci.
Ye Ci had not wanted to move. But as the arrow approached her, she was forced to dodge. Like her,
Fleeting Time was using Frost Arrows during PvP, if she was hit by that arrow, her movement
speed would be reduced by 50%.
In a duel between Hunters, speed was of the essence. Once her speed was reduced, Ye Ci would’
ve already lost the battle. That was why Ye Ci shifted herself without hesitation, and dodged the
arrow.
Thwack! An arrow covered with frost landed where Ye Ci just was. Paying no heed to the arrow,
Ye Ci jumped backwards. Her form emerged from Stealth immediately. If she was Fleeting Time,
she would definitely seize this opportunity to put down her opponent. If even she would do that,
Fleeting Time, who was renowned for his ferocity and accuracy, would never let go of such a
chance.
As expected, as Ye Ci leapt backwards, arrows chased her along her flight path. Fleeting Time’s
movements were so fast and precise that Ye Ci even suspected that the guy had a built-in radar.
Fleeting Time had hidden his level from the Leveling Ranking Board as well. Although Ye Ci
could not see his level, she determined that his level was quite close to hers by observing his speed,
the strength of his attack and how agile he was.
In a situation where both of them were equals in a lot of places, the duel was particularly intense.
Both of them had the same class, had the same level, and were using equipment of the same tier.
Their skill level was equally matched, despite having different combat styles. The duel between
the two was like a very marvelous documentary.
The crowd that originally surrounded both the combatants had already dispersed, leaving both of
them a large empty space.
“Damn, this is what you call a Hunter educational video!” Flawless Reflection recorded the duel
while observing it with a pair of binoculars.
“Flawless, he was able to have a draw with Gongzi You; just who is he?” Flutter ‘n Sway was
also observing the duel with a pair of binoculars, “Are they that good?”
Flutter ‘n Sway was only half combat player. She was utterly useless in PvP and could barely
survived in PvE. She was unable to grasp anything as she observed the duel between the two
Hunters. In her heart, Ye Ci was the synonym of expert, as for the other guy…
“Awesome, he’s simply awesome.” Flawless Reflection clicked his tongue, “Goddamn, this is
a duel between experts. They’re still low-leveled. Imagine if they fought each other when they
were both lvl 100. I can’t even begin to imagine how thrilling it would be.”
“You’re a Hunter as well, is he better than you?” Flutter ‘n Sway’s eyebrows furrowed. She
felt that PvP was meaningless. It was too stressful. It was way more fun to fight against monsters.
“They’re both on an entirely different level.” Flawless Reflection gave the highest of praise to
both of the combatants. He lowered his binoculars and looked at Flutter ‘n Sway, “They’re way
better than I am.” He then continued observing the two and said in a serious tone, “I must work
harder. I want to be one of the best Hunters as well!”
The two were just reading each other too well, and both of them were unable to gain an advantage
over their opponent.
After 4 minutes into the duel, both of them had half of their HP left. Neither side was able to gain
the upper hand.
The time limit for a duel was 5 minutes. When there was no victor after the 5 minutes was up, the
duel would end in a draw.
Fleeting Time was giving his all into this duel. He had actually been fighting seriously when the
duel had reached the 1 minute marker. Watching somebody fight in a video was entirely different
from fighting the same player in person. Fleeting Time had thought that the Huntress’ fighting
style was overly glamourous. It was directly opposite of his fighting style that was meant to deal
killing blows to his opponent, while being not at all flashy.
He had thought that Ye Ci’s flashy fighting style was utterly useless in combat and she would
definitely be the first to get killed in a fight. But when he fought against her on this day, he had to
admit that there was a reason that the Huntress was crowned as the role model for all the Hunters.
Her fighting style was flashy and elegant, but it was not just for show. Beneath that elegance lay a
strong killing intent.
Chapter 92 Happy New Year
Just as Ye Ci had remembered, Fleeting Time’s moves were like a lackluster blade. It might not
look good, but it was definitely deadly. Ye Ci felt that she had done her best, but Fleeting Time
was still calm and composed.
The time was up, and the system determined that the duel ended in a draw.
Both of them exited combat status. Although the difference between their remaining HP was not
high, Ye Ci knew that her skills were slightly inferior to that of Fleeting Time. She had basically
used all of the additional abilities that came with her equipment, but Fleeting Time was able to
suppress her with the Hunter’s original ability, not allowing her to gain the upper hand. If the duel
lasted for 8 minutes, or even 6 minutes, it would not have ended with a draw.
She would definitely be the one who had lost.
“Thanks for the lesson.” Fleeting Time had already slung his bow. He walked up to Ye Ci and
extended his hand.
Ye Ci pursed her lips, which then formed into a slight arc. She then put her hand into his and said
softly, “I will surpass you.”
“That seems to be quite unlikely.” Fleeting Time raised his eyebrows. He squeezed Ye Ci’s
fingers softly and let go of her hand politely. He turned around and left.
Ye Ci took in a deep breath and left as well. Both of them walked towards their own party. They
acted as if it was just an ordinary duel, and in reality, it was indeed merely an ordinary duel.
“Fleeting Time, was she good?” Absalom chuckled as he observed Fleeting TIme’s calm face,
“I heard that she’s the best Hunter in the Eastern Continent.”
“She’s good.” Fleeting Time gave a very objective evaluation. “She’s still slightly
inexperienced, but…” He then paused.
“But what?”
Fleeting Time recalled every moment of his duel with Ye Ci, and shook his head, “Nothing.” He
replied as he looked back. The Huntress was walking slowly towards her own party.
If he was not wrong, she had the potential to be a first-rate Hunter. It seemed that he had quite a
lot of competition.
“Uhh, guild leader, that was definitely an educational video for hunters. It’s just amazing!”
The members of Upwards Ho! were still chattering joyously. Although Ye Ci had a draw with
Fleeting Time, it did not affect their mood. They were happy that they had won the first place of
the Dragon Dance competition.
Ye Ci only shrugged. She did not wish to spoil the cheerful mood, “It was just a duel, nothing
educational there.”
Bai Mo noticed something wrong with Ye Ci’s expression. He walked to her side and asked in a
low voice, “What is it? You feel bad over having a draw?”
Ye Ci pursed her lips. She had no way of telling Bai Mo that Fleeting Time was one of the
milestones in her life that she had worked so hard, but failed, to surpass. She was slightly
saddened by the fact. Noticing her mood, Bai Mo did not say much and instead patted her. “It was
just a duel, don’t let it get to you. They’re from the Western Continent, you’ll have more chances
in the future.”
Exactly. They were enemies, and she had a lot of opportunities.
With that thought, Ye Ci’s spirit was lifted. That’s right, it was still in the early stages of the game.
She would have more chances to face off against him.
The next time she met this person, she would not lose.
It was unknown that if it was intentional or unintentional, but the awards ceremony of the
competition was delayed until the duel ended. Just when Ye Ci was being gloomy, Wang
Jiangnan’s voice rang up again, “What an exciting duel. It sure added more fun to our event. We
would now like to invite the top 3 leaders of the lightweight tier to the stage.”
Although the duel was intense, and Fleeting Time who had always kept a low profile had left a
deep impression in the hearts and minds of all the players, it was not a PvP competition after all. It
was a New Year’s event. The duel was fun to watch, but the one thing that everybody present
cared about most were the prizes.
The event was basically at its end by then, but there was still a tiny episode left.
Every leader who accepted the award would have the chance to say a few words. Most of them
said the same old stuff, thanking various people for their success. When it was Bai Mo’s turn, he
cleared his throat, smiled at the gorgeous emcee, and asked in a low voice, “Is it okay for me to
say anything?”
The gorgeous emcee nodded, “Of course, this is the time for you to deliver you speech. You can
say anything.” The emcee even exchanged looks with Wang Jiangnan after noticing Bai Mo’s
flustered expression, and said, “If you have somebody you would like to confess to, now would
be the best…”
Before she could even stop speaking, Bai Mo snatched the microphone away, cleared his throat
and said, “Upwards Ho! guild from the Eastern Continent is recruiting players of different classes.
There are no other requirements. Those with a good character who are interested can contact
Remote Depths, Icy Cold Little Hands and Timely Rain. Our goal is…”
The gorgeous emcee was stunned; Wang Jiangnan was stunned; even the guests of honor handing
away the awards were stunned.
Bai Mo’s expression was clearly stating that he was waiting the members of Upwards Ho! to
shout out their guild's motto, but their numbers were just too few. This situation could be perfectly
described by the saying “the words of the few carried no weight.” Their voices could not even be
heard. The players of the other guilds however, gave their cooperation and shouted out alongside
the members of Upwards Ho!, “Zero dental cavities.”
At this point, the emcee, Wang Jiangnan and the guest of honor were not the only ones who were
stunned. All the other leaders who were on the stage, along with Bai Mo himself, were stunned.
The “zero dental cavities” was shouted out very neatly. Bai Mo scratched his head, feeling
awkward. It was not something that he had expected. When the voices died down, he chuckled,
“We’re recruiting. Any players of any class. Those who are interested can contact us.” He then
handed the microphone back to the gorgeous emcee, and walked down from the stage with the
other guild leaders with a calm and collect demeanor, as if nothing had happened.
Ye Ci, who was part of the audience, almost buried her head into the ground.
Wasn’t Bai Mo supposed to have an IQ of 140? How could he have done something so daft…?
Despite that, the effects of the advertisement worked very well. Right after they left Champion
City, Remote Depths, Icy Cold Little Hands and Timely Rain immediately became busy with
applications.
Going back to Red Lake City with a lvl 5 guild encampment module, all that needed to be done
was to track down the NPC in charge of guild administration in the city hall and replace it with the
old one. A lvl 5 guild encampment was very different from a lvl 1 guild encampment.
A lvl 5 guild encampment was way larger and had a lot of special functions. There was a Life Area
specifically designed for Life Players that provided a 20% buff to their proficiency level growth as
they leveled up their life skills in the area. At the same time, there was also a 10% bonus success
for item crafting. It was not surprising that a lot of the major guilds were desperate to acquire the
lvl 5 guild encampment. With the Life Players in the guild working in the Life Area, the overall
strength of the guild would be increased by a significant margin.
Other than the benefit of the Life Area, there were also other BUFFs as well. The guild canteen
would provide different types of food that could increase either the HP or mana of players by 2000
for a duration of 3 hours. The guild warehouse had also received extra protection. In Fate, if a
guild encampment was breached by another guild during a Guild Battle, its warehouse could
easily be looted. But the chances of a guild warehouse of a lvl 5 encampment being looted was
only 5%. It was as if the guild warehouse was outfitted with an anti-theft door when compared to
the guild encampment of other levels.
Other than that, players could receive different daily BUFFs from guild encampments with
different levels. The BUFF of a lvl 5 guild encampment gave players 20% bonus experience
points and a 5% defence bonus. The existence of such buff was enough to entice players to apply
to Upwards Ho!.
Other than the lvl 5 guild encampment, all players who had participated in the competition were
awarded with a title called “Soaring Dragon of Prosperity.” The title had no other function
except to allow players to resurrect. Players could resurrect using the title’s special ability once
every day, especially during combat, with a cooldown of 24 hours.
This title was next to useless for Life Players, but for those combat type players who needed to
constantly explore new dungeons, the title was very useful. During a time when most Clerics still
hadn’t learned Resurrection, the capability for a player to Resurrect himself or herself was very
overpowered, especially when they were exploring a dungeon. This ability was a very scary tool
in combat.
With this title, the members of Upwards Ho! were itching to explore the Frosty Wasteland Inner
Sanctum. After all, quite a large number of the guilds had already defeated the first BOSS. After a
short discussion with Bai Mo, Ye Ci decided to venture into the dungeon once they’d settled some
guild internal affairs.
The guild members were, of course, excited to learn the news.
With the Dragon Dance competition officially over, the system immediately reminded players to
go offline at a safe spot as there would be a system maintenance that would last for 12 hours. The
Upwards Ho! guild members, who were full of excitement, went offline in the guild encampment
after wishing each other a happy new year.
The atmosphere in real life was just as warm and joyous as the atmosphere in the game. Ye Ci, Bai
Mo, Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan began living out their national culture to the fullest after setting
up a mahjong table. The game ended with the argument between Zuo Xiaolan and Ye Nantian
deciding upon the jobs that they would take in Fate.
The night sky of the city was lit up by fireworks.
Ye Ci stood on the balcony and gazed up into the night. She took a deep breath, breathing in the
heavy smell of gunpowder. Ye Ci then heard Bai Mo’s laughter, “Heh, sis, happy new year!”
Ye Ci turned around and smiled at Bai Mo as well, “Heh, cousy, happy new year!”
Chapter 93 A Hunter’s bottleneck
Tragedy comes without warning, and things were not always predictable.
It was originally an auspicious and peaceful Spring Festival, but in the end tragedy struck.
On the morning of the second day of the new year, Fate’s system had just finished updating, but
before Ye Ci and Bai Mo could even go online a phone call arrived.
The call was from an old classmate of Zuo Xiaolan and Ye Nantian. Ye Ci did not know what
transpired in the conversation. She only knew that even before the call had ended, Zuo Xiaolan
had already started crying. Zuo Xiaolan was a strong and optimistic woman. Even if she would at
times shed some tears while watching Korean dramas, she was able to have a normal conversation
with Ye Nantian right after, “The inflation nowadays, even a steamed bun is now a buck each.”
For a woman like her to be crying so profusely, Ye Ci and Bai Mo felt their hearts likewise
constricting in sympathy. They immediately attempted to console Zuo Xiaolan who continued
crying without giving them answers. Ye Nantian who was standing at a side let out a long sigh and
told them the news.
Zuo Xiaolan did not do well academically when she was young and was always looked down
upon by her teachers. Her class teacher, however, treated her very well. He did not look down on
her and instead gave her special treatment. Zuo Xiaolan’s family was very poor at that time.
When her pants were cut open during the winter and her family could not even afford to repair it,
her class teacher simply bought her new ones.
It was because of her class teacher that Zuo Xiaolan managed to graduate from high school. In
Zuo Xiaolan’s heart, her class teacher Mr. Tan was like a second parent to her, and she would
always pay him a visit every year. In fact, Mr. Tan had treated every student very well, and he was
well-respected among the student body.
Mr. Tan’s family was on a plane trip to Europe for a 10-day vacation when the flight was met with
mishap. There were no survivors. The only remaining member of the family was Mr. Tan’s
grandson who was sick at home.
The class rep immediately contacted all their classmates by phone once he had learned of the news.
Zuo Xiaolan was the first to be informed as she was closest to the city that Mr. Tan was living in,
and that was also the reason why Zuo Xiaolan broke into tears.
Zuo Xiaolan could no longer sit still. She stood up and began packing her bags, preparing for a
trip to City A. No one stopped her, and Ye Nantian began packing his stuff as well. Ye Ci wanted
to go along, but she was stopped by Bai Mo.
“All right, I’m going, you stay at home.”
“I’ll go, you stay.” Ye Ci shook her head.
“Forget about it. It’s the new year, there are people everywhere. If a little girl like you tags along,
uncle has to take care of auntie and you at the same time, don’t go and create more burden for him.
If I go, at least I’ll be able to help out.” Bai Mo patted Ye Ci on her shoulders, “Besides, it’s
the new year! No restaurants are open, what do you want me to eat if I stay home alone?”
Noticing that Ye Ci was about to protest, Ye Nantian spoke up, “Little Ci, just listen to Bai Mo.
Stay at home and look after the house.”
Since even her parents had spoken, Ye Ci could only agree to it, despite feeling worried.
The trio headed straight for the train station after they were done packing their stuff.
As City A was quite near, they were able to buy tickets for the train quickly and by 3pm they
would be on a train to City A. By the time Ye Ci got home from sending the 3 of them off, it was
already 2 in the afternoon. She was still worried, and even called Bai Mo and insisted that he call
her back the moment they arrived at their destination. After a simple meal, Ye Ci went online.
The game’s update was completed.
The update opened the Guild Battle system and the Nemesis system. It meant 2 things: Fate was
not afraid of their players fighting, and Fate was encouraging fights between players.
Other than that, one of the most significant updates was the changes in the cities. An exchange
bank had appeared unnoticed in almost every city, with new special NPCs. With Red Lake City as
an example, an exchange bank appeared right between the shops that Ye Ci had bought, and the
city instantly became bustling with life.
There was previously only one exchange bank in the Eastern Continent, situated in Champion City.
Players who wished to exchange real world cash with game coins could only perform their
transaction in Champion City, no matter where they were from. It was just too money and time
consuming to travel to Champion City. With an exchange bank open in every city, players no
longer had the need to travel far far away to Champion City.
With that, the player population in Red Lake City soared. After all, there were quite a few maps
around the city that yielded a lot of items, as well the presence of several small dungeon clusters
nearby. A number of far-sighted guilds had recognised the strategic placing of Red Lake City and
moved their guild encampment to such a backwater place, bringing with them prosperity.
As she walked in the packed Western District, Ye Ci’s eyes narrowed as she surveyed the shops
around the exchange bank. She felt an unspeakable joy in her heart. It was her one true moment
when she felt that being someone who reincarnated paid off.
The guild chat was livelier than usual after Bai Mo’s advertisement. A lot of players had applied
to join Upwards Ho!, adding a lot to the workload for the administrators Icy Cold Little Hands and
Timely Rain. Ye Ci had to apologise to them in Bai Mo’s stead and explained to them the reason
leading to his inactivity.
The duo, however, laughed candidly, “Gongzi, what are you talking about? Having Upwards Ho!
being one of the major guilds in Fate has always been our wish.”
Feeling guilty that she was unable to help out, Ye Ci directed Overflowing Ink and Mi Lu to
tighten up the training schedule of their party members for Upwards Ho!’s push into the Frosty
Wasteland Inner Sanctum 5 days later.
After receiving their instruction, the two immediately marshalled their parties and headed to the
Frosty Wasteland. Not only were the two good commander material, they were hardworking and
eager to learn. They’d managed to forge Upwards Ho! players from a ragtag band of amateurs
into a well-oiled fighting machine. Ye Ci had even heard from Bai Mo that they’d cleared the
Frosty Wasteland Hard difficulty. This deeply impressed Ye Ci.
As a dummy vice leader, Ye Ci felt that that was the only thing she could do.
She was already lvl 29, which was the bottleneck for Hunters. The main cause for that was the
limitations in terms of Talent Points. There was literally nothing special for Hunters during their
lvl 29 to lvl 35 stage. This however, did not hinder Ye Ci that much as her Talent Points were way
higher than that of an average Hunter.
The second cause was the limitations when it came to skills and abilities. The skill books yielded
in the current stage were not good for Hunters. In actuality, all the other classes were affected, but
the Hunter class was the one affected the most. Skill books suitable for the current stage were just
very rare and their prices were high. Luckily for Ye Ci, her level advantage meant that she was
able to acquire the skill book from auctions before everyone else. Despite that, the 2 skill books
that were sought after by Ye Ci had not appeared.
One of them was an AOE damage skill called “Random Shot,” while the other was a skill used
for ambushes and pulling monsters, “Disguise.”
Ye Ci refused to believe that not even one of either skill book had dropped. People were just too
smart and they knew that skill books were very valuable. This was not a knowledge exclusive to a
reincarnator like Ye Ci, but was known by all administrators of the major guilds as well. If they
came across such skill books, they would of course store it up. Who in their right mind would sell
them away?
The last problem faced by Ye Ci was in terms of pet. One of the key things for a Hunter to be
successful was pets. Pets were not that easy to rear in Fate. It would be a waste of time and money
if a Hunter would wantonly obtain a pet and in the end it was useless.
As a result, places that spawned Elite monsters would be be crowded with Hunters that were
looking for pets.
Ol’ Three was a good pet, but he was an Elite Monster from a lvl 10 dungeon. Even if its growth
was great, it was less desirable at the lvl 30 milestone. The situation was especially true when Ye
Ci was trying to solo a dungeon. Ol’ Three could barely tank against the monsters anymore. Ye
Ci had planned to find a Pet Tamer to try and evolve Ol’ Three as his “Intelligent” attribute was
very rare. Unfortunately, Ye Ci had not found any Pet Tamer NPCs.
Her top priority now was to obtain a good pet.
There were a lot of choices for a Hunter’s pet. As long as they were wild animals, they could be
captured. But animals such as sheep, cows, pigs and rabbits were docile and domesticated, which
was why no one would usually make them their choice of pet. Leopards, bears, wolves and spiders
were usually a Hunter’s favourite.
Ye Ci gave the matter a lot of thought. In her current leveling stage, her best choice was to go to
Swamp of Vines and capture a lvl 35 Elite Diseased Crocodile. But to get to the Swamp of Vines,
Ye Ci had to travel past a destroyed temples crawling with lvl 40 cyclops. These monsters were
adept in seeing through Feigned Death and Disguise. Ye Ci was only lvl 29, it would be suicide for
her to venture into the area. Acquiring a crocodile seemed to be a lost cause. Her next choice was
to obtain a lvl 35 Tyrannosaurus Rex from the Tropical Rainforest or a lvl 35 Fury Lion in the
Greasy Plains.
After pondering for a short moment, Ye Ci decided to travel to the Tropical Rainforest. She
remembered a post about the forest mentioning the presence of a Lycan who would offer good
quests in the Tropical Rainforest if one was lucky. Although Ye Ci knew that luck was not one of
her forte, she still wanted to try her luck.
Making up her mind, Ye Ci immediately made preparations to travel to the Tropical Rainforest.
She walked along the stone road in the Western District, and as she walked past an alley, she heard
a conversation between 2 players, “What a weird NPC. He said that he’d help incubate eggs.
What eggs? Are there even eggs in Fate?”
“ Yep, yep. Must be one of those pranks by the devs.”
Incubation? Ye Ci paused in her steps.
Uhhh... Well.... This is awkward... I don't know what to say... But well.... Uhh.... HOPE YOU
GUYS ENJOY THE CHAPTERS!!!
And well... Uhh... If you wanna reward Jimmi for the awesomtacular chapters, hit that sponsor
button at the right side of the page! Or well, you can visit and support my Patreon!!!
Aaaaaaand.... First in the comments type.... FIRST BLOOD!
Chapter 94 Anthony the Hunter
If memory served, there was a Mysterious Egg in Ye Ci’s storage. She could still remember her
joy as she received the egg from Wang Jiangnan. However, she was unable to get the egg to hatch.
When she tried to crack it open, the system hinted that it was a “treasure” that needed to be
handled with care. When she was trying to appraise the egg with the help of an appraisal NPC, the
NPC merely snorted and claimed that their job was to appraise objects, not living creatures. After
a few days of trying in vain to search for answers, the precious egg was stored away in Ye Ci’s
personal storage.
Ye Ci had never thought that after looking for the answer far and wide without results, she was
able to find it so easily. The way to hatch the egg surfaced right under her nose.
Without thinking about it too much, Ye Ci rushed towards the storage warehouse and retrieved the
egg that was as sleek as a bowling ball. She put it into her bag and rushed straight towards the
incubator NPC. She was quick to spot the shop after taking a turn into the alley.
The shop, which was situated between some shabby houses, was not eye-catching at all. Ye Ci
would’ve missed the shop entirely if not for the shaky signboard in front of the shop. She spotted
an Undead with messy hair brewing a greenish concoction in a corner as she entered the shop. The
racks at the side was line with several flasks whose contents were unknown to Ye CI.
The Undead went to and fro in the shop, as if he did not see Ye Ci at all. He threw ingredient after
unknown ingredient into the pot, as if he was a witch who was brewing some hideous poison. Of
course, the Undead must be a female to fit that criteria.
After observing the Undead for some times, Ye Ci cleared her throat, drawing his attention. She
then stated her purpose of visiting the shop, and handed the Mysterious Egg to the NPC.
The NPC took the egg from Ye Ci and chuckled, “This is quite an egg.” With that, he took out a
magnifying glass and began studying the egg, ignoring Ye Ci’s expression. After a short while, he
nodded and casually dumped the egg into a glass container, spilling the blue liquid within the
container. A sizzling sound could be heard as the liquid dripped onto the floor.
“You need some Magical Crystal to incubate the egg. If you happen to come across some, bring
them to me. The more crystals you get, the faster the egg will hatch. Do as you see fit.” The
NPC’s yellow eyes in his already withered sockets were unlively.
Ye Ci was rather worried for the egg. Although she did not really care about what was inside, she
had no intention at all to waste it just like that after handing it to the NPC. Ye Ci called up the
status window for the egg.
Mysterious Egg
Owner: Gongzi You
Status: Incubating
Seeing that the egg was doing fine, Ye Ci did not stay for long. She turned around and left the
place. She took in deep breaths after leaving the place. The smell was just too pungent. She then
headed to the Teleportation Master, her destination: Damp Tropical Rain Forest.
As the name implied, Damp Tropical Rain Forest was a map with a tropical rain forest. Unlike the
other forests however, the map was hot and stuffy, and would rain constantly as well. One would
need to be constantly vigilant when traversing through the map, as there would be venomous bugs
lurking around. These tiny creatures were not well-known, but if players did not pay attention to
them, they might get poisoned and even receive damage over time. Unless they were protected by
players that were tanky and had high survivability, mage players would usually stay away from the
map.
Damp Tropical Rain Forest was a lvl 35-lvl 40 map filled with monsters ranging from lvl 30 to lvl
45. The majority of the monsters that appeared in the map were beasts, with occasional humanoid
monsters. A nest of Tyrannosaurus Rex resided in the northwest part of the map, with quite a
number of Elite T-Rex lurking around the area. They were perfect pets for Hunters.
Ye Ci’s intended destination was the T-Rex’s lair. But before that, she went to Camp Hamor at the
center of the Damp Tropical Rain Forest to activate her waypoint, as it would be a waste of time to
have to enter the map from the edge every time she visited the place.
Ye Ci was able to make her way safely to Camp Hamor. There were a lot of quests offered in the
camp, but most NPCs refused to hand them to Ye Ci as her level was too low. In Fate, even if one
could not receive a quest, one would still receive a hint about an available quest. The NPCs would
be able to tell a player’s level. If the difference between a player’s and an NPC’s level was not
more than 4, the player would be able to accept a quest from the NPC. The lowest level quest
offered in the area was lvl 34, and Ye Ci was one level away from the minimum requirement.
Not a single NPC in the camp was willing to hand quests to Ye Ci after she had activated the
waypoint. She appeared to have been looked down upon. Ye Ci eventually gave up, as she was not
there for quests in the first place. Before she could leave however, an Orc who had been roasting
meat suddenly raised his head and called out to her, “Heh, Elf, are you free?”
It seemed to be a quest. And since Ye Ci was already there, she was okay with accepting the quest
if it wasn’t hard. “Sure, what can I help you with?”
“In the camp…” Ye Ci immediately skipped the Orc’s dialogue as soon as he began to speak.
She then read the quest description, “Help the orc Bobo to deliver some roasted deer meat to the
Hunter Anthony at Refuge No.17.”
An errand quest.
Ye Ci called up the map for the Damp Tropical Rain Forest and located the position of Refuge
No.17. It was close to the T-Rex Lair. Since Ye Ci was on her way there anyways, she accepted the
quest.
The quest however, wasn’t as easy as it seemed.
Refuge No.17 was located on a very steep mountain with a very eye-catching stone tower at the
top that served as a landmark for travellers. Ye Ci could see Anthony at the top, but how could she
get up there?
She had not learned Climbing yet, but she could still jump her way up to the top of some of the
lower hills. She was unable to climb a tall and steep mountain. After observing her surroundings,
Ye Ci spotted vines hanging from the side of the mountain.
It was one of the good things about a tropical rain forest. There were a lot of vines around. This
quest would be hard had it been a desert area. Ye Ci began to climb up along the vines. Her speed
was slow and her effort tiring, as she had not learnt the skill “Climbing.”
After much struggle, she had finally reached Refuge No.17.
The first thing she saw was the dispirited Anthony sitting beside a flickering bonfire. She handed
in the quest and received a few silver coins from Anthony as a reward.
“Elf, are you a Huntress?” Anthony stared at Ye Ci and asked.
“Yes.”
Anthony nodded and let out a long sigh.
“What is it? Is there anything that I can help you with?” Asked Ye Ci. NPC behaviors such as
sighing, smiling or hesitation while speaking were signs of a quest.
“I’m the camp’s Hunter…” Anthony began to tell Ye Ci his story while eating the roasted deer
meat. He did not appear sad at all.
It turned out that the Hunter was not quite skillful in his job and was looked down upon by the
residents in the camp. He had boasted that he would be able to kill a T-rex in a drunken stupor. He
headed to the T-rex’s lair, but before he could even begin his hunt, he lost his bow. He asked for
Ye Ci’s help to retrieve his tool, and bring back to him a piece of T-rex meat as well.
The reward for completing the quest was a casing with unknown purposes.
After accepting the quest, Ye Ci descended carefully down the mountain. She tread carefully in the
forest and soon reached the T-rex lair. It was a huge grass nest with a few unhatched eggs. A few
green-skinned T-rex were lurking around the area. There was a shiny object on the ground not far
away, which appeared to be Anthony’s belonging.
Ye Ci observed the T-rex, and noticed that they were all lvl 35 Elite Beasts. Although they were
tough, they acted alone. Ye Ci had no problem taking them on one at a time, but their rate of
respawning was a problem.
She summoned Ol’ Three, laid down some traps, activated some BUFFs and cast Empowered
Hunter’s Mark, then began attacking the first T-rex. It was quite an easy task for Ye Ci. Her
abundant Talent Points and superior equipment meant that her strength was that of a lvl 35 player,
and she was able to slay a T-rex without much difficulty.
The lvl 35 Elite T-rex gave her quite a few experience points. She was rewarded bonus experience
points for each kill due to the level difference. Before long, the T-rex in the area had turned into
experience points that flowed into her experience gauge. She harvested the dinosaur meat from
their carcasses and then retrieved Anthony’s tool. Ye Ci then looked at the eggs in the nest. Could
they be hatched into pets? Ye Ci pondered.
She couldn’t hold herself back from touching the eggs in the nest. Just when she was about to
reach them, a growl emanated from her back.
Ye Ci immediately tumbled to a side and turned around towards the source of the sound. What she
saw was a pair of cold, malicious eyes staring at her…
Hi people! This is the first chapter for the month of July!!! Thank you for all who supported Reign
of the Hunters last month, we hope that you'll continue to stay with us until the end of this novel!
Yippee!!!
Sorry that I've not been posting for like 5 days, school's starting and everything is hectic and all...
Aaaaaand I somehow got sick... I'm a little bit behind the schedule *blushes* and I hope that you
guys could bear with me.
Anyways, I present to you Chapter 94 with a *cough cough* CLIFF!!! Huehuehue... Will release
Chapter 95 ASAP no worries XDXD aaaaaand well if you want to reward the ROTH team for our
work, hit that sponsor button on the right side of the page! See you guys next chapter (and in the
comments!!!)
First one in the comments type: First Blood!!!!
Chapter 95 Half-Eyed Garrison
Chapter 95 Half-Eyed Garrison
Ye Ci immediately felt the pores of her body opening, and the tiny hairs of her body stood straight
up as well. All the cells in her body were telling her that danger was approaching.
Ol’ Three had obviously detected danger as well. It arched its hind legs and stretched out its
forelegs, raising its backside slightly. Ol’ Three eyes stared widely at the threat, a low growl
emanating from its throat. It was apparent that Ol’Three would attack the moment Ye Ci gave the
order.
The assailant stood still, hidden behind the layers of leaves, only exposing one half of its golden
eyes that were staring Ye Ci. That’s right, it was exactly one and a half, with the other half
obstructed by something.
Its eyes were not small at all. Even from the distance that Ye Ci was viewing them, each of them
was about the size of a basketball. With a rough estimation, one could guess the actual size of the
monster. A thought occurred to Ye Ci to cast an Identify spell on her assailant to gauge its level.
But because her assailant was hidden too well, she could not even select it as a target. Both parties
remained still, facing each other.
Although Ye Ci was superior compared to the other players as a reincarnator, she was still a lvl 29
Huntress. The world in a web game is very different from the world of xianxia or cultivation. A
player’s strength came from a combination of his or her mechanical skills, abilities and equipment.
It was impossible to suddenly gain strength all of a sudden out of sheer force of will.
The rules in a web game were something inflexible. If you’re lvl 29, you would still have the
performance of only lvl 29, no matter how well you play your character. If one wishes to play a lvl
29 character like a lvl 30 one, sorry, it was impossible.
In Fate, the max level penalty was set at 20 levels. In other words, a lvl 29 player could defeat an
opponent of up to lvl 49 with all their means and BUFFs available to the player, but as soon as the
player faced a lvl 50 opponent, everything the player had would be disregarded. No matter how
hard you tried, you would not be able to defeat that opponent. You would not even be able to break
its defence.
In situations like this, a player should not expect a sudden surge of strength to defeat his or her
opponent like what one would expect in a fantasy or cultivation novel. The only choice a player
had was to run away as fast as you could, or suffer the consequences of losing experience points
and dropping equipment.
Ye Ci was slightly panicked when she was unable to even target her opponent. Under such
circumstances when her opponent was untargetable, there was another reason other than the
geographical factor… Her target was too large. Ye Ci roughly calculated the distance between
herself and her assailant. She concluded that it was not the time to fight it head on. It was best for
her to retreat when their distances were still far apart.
Ye Ci move slightly backwards, appearing as if she had not moved at all, but her body had already
shifted for at least 2 yards.
The pupils on the pair of cold golden eyes contracted visibly.
Fate was a virtual reality game claimed to be unprecedented. The game’s attention to detail was
superb. With the Beast type monsters as example, you could see with your eyes the glossiness of
their fur, feel the softness with your very own touch and their pupils will change according to the
surroundings.
If Ye Ci remembered correctly, when a Beast type monster’s pupils contracted, it was either angry
or it was a sign that the monster was going to attack.
Ye Ci did not dare to move. Her enemy was hidden while she was in the open. Acting rashly was
not a wise choice.
A shiver-inducing roar emanated from behind the trees. The leaves shuddered and Ye Ci could
finally see the face of her enemy.
It was a huge face with pitch-black skin that had a surface as rough as rock and one half lidded eye
on both sides of its face. What was more terrifying was the monster’s gigantic mouth, and the
white teeth that were as sharp as daggers. The face was familiar, as it was quite similar to the few
monsters that she had slain. But compared to this fellow, they were tiny.
That’s right. It was the face of a T-rex. It was the face of a gigantic T-rex.
What is a Tyrannosaurus Rex? In an introduction of the animal kingdom, it was a ferocious
carnivore, and the natural predator of all dinosaurs. Of course, in the game, it could not just walk
up to another dinosaur, chomp down on it, and then open its mouth wide and tell you that the meat
was delicious. But it could definitely kill Ye Ci with one hit.
Ye Ci took in a deep breath as her enemy appeared. She could finally select and target the enemy.
She cast Identify, which succeeded. It meant that the dinosaur was not 20 levels ahead of Ye Ci.
She immediately felt relieved. It seemed to Ye Ci could defeat it once she found a suitable spot to
kite it.
But, that thought only lasted up to the moment before Ye Ci took a look at its stats. After reading
through the stats of the T-rex, Ye Ci immediately made the decision to retreat.
Half-eyed Garrison
Race: Dinosaur
Level: 48
Category: Epic Monster
Abilities: Tearing Bite, Tail Whip, Stampede, Tremor
Epic Monsters were on an entire level than a normal monster. An Epic Monster’s strength would
usually be 3-4 times its level, meaning that Half-eyed Garrison had the strength of a lvl 150 or
even lvl 200 monster. All the players from the entire Eastern Continent might not be able to defeat
it at this stage of the game, not to mention Ye Ci attempting to do it alone.
Only a fool would try to show off and be a hero in the face of such opponent.
Ye Ci felt odd. She didn’t remember ever coming across any Epic Monster in this particular map.
Most of them appeared in the Middle Continent, which was still a forbidden area for players. As
for the other continents, Ye Ci as a reincarnator had not even heard of more than 3 occasions
regarding any Epic Monsters. And even then, it was when players were already at lvl 80.
Why would she run into one right now?
Ye Ci did not ponder much on this question, as she began to run the moment she saw Garrison’s
stats. Half-eyed Garrison let out a loud roar in the forest behind her and began its pursuit. Ye Ci
directed Ol’ Three to attempt to slow Garrison down. Although futile, in that situation, every
second she bought for herself added up to her chance of survival.
Pitching Ol’ Three against the Garrison was no different from striking a stone with an egg.
Garrison merely lowered its head and roared at Ol’ Three, and its HP dropped rapidly. Ol’ Three
laid dead on the ground, and before long its carcass disappeared.
A player could not revive their pets while on the move, and it was impossible for Ye Ci to stop and
revive Ol’ Three and then once again direct it to slow Garrison down. The only thing she could
do was to run. Abilities, Speed Potion, Speed Scroll, all the items that could boost Ye Ci’s speed
were used. She no longer had the luxury to care about the price.
Garrison was still in pursuit. Just as it was about to catch up with Ye Ci, her Charge ability’s
cooldown was ready, and she immediately activated the ability, dashing an additional 20m forward.
Eluded by its prey once more, an angry Garrison stopped.
It raised its head, let out an angry roar, and stomped on the ground with its thick and strong right
leg. The Epic-tier skill Tremor rocked the ground. Multiple cracks spread out in all direction with
Garrison as its center, with a radius of 30 yards.
Ye Ci was fortunately not within the range of Tremor, and had avoided receiving damage.
However, Tremor’s effect was not only to damage its opponent, the ground would tremble as an
effect. Ye Ci could not escape that particular effect and was hit by a DEBUFF called “Fall
Down,” and she fell onto the ground.
As expected of an Epic-tier ability. It had a strong destructive power, massive range, and could
even affect its surroundings. All of them were perfect tools to destroy the enemy.
Noticing that its prey had fell onto the ground, Garrison immediately charged at Ye Ci, who after a
struggle to stand up, planted a Frost Trap.
It took Ye Ci 1.5 second to recover from her fall, 5 seconds to plant the trap, which added up to a
total of 6.5 seconds. Garrison that had released an Epic-tier skill was immobile for 2.5 seconds,
and from its position, it would need 4.5 seconds to reach Ye Ci, which would take it 7 seconds in
total.
Ye Ci did a brief calculation. All of her abilities, potions and scrolls were on cooldown. She had
also fallen down. If she continued running away, she would never be able to escape. That was why
Ye Ci had decided to take the risk and plant a Frost Trap. The level difference between Ye Ci and
Garrison was 18. Despite being an Epic Monster, it could not ignore the rules of the game no
matter how strong it was. With an 18 level difference, the success rate of the Frost Trap was 5%.
Since she would die even if she ran, and would die anyways if the Frost Trap failed to freeze her
opponent, Ye Ci decided to gamble. What if her luck was good and Garrison was frozen?
0.5 seconds was a short amount of time. It was the time an individual would take to blink his or
her eye. It was so short that it could be neglected and overlooked. What can you do in 0.5 seconds?
You might not even have enough time to sneeze before the time is up.
But that short amount of time left a tiny space between Ye Ci and Garrison. With that, she was
able to tumble to the side.
Before she could even turn around, a huge block of ice formed behind Ye Ci.
It… Succeeded.
The effect of Frost Trap was to freeze an enemy without dealing damage to the owner. Ye Ci’s
tumble did not put much distance between herself and Garrison. She was still right under
Garrison’s foot. That was why the big block of ice appeared to be weird.
There was a small space beneath the ice block. And in that small space was Ye Ci who was not
frozen by the trap.
Without thinking, Ye Ci crawled out of the space, and ran towards the edge of the map. She had
been thinking of a safe place, and she had finally come up with one. She was headed for the
Burning Crevice.
There was a deep ravine at the edge of the Damp Tropical Rain Forest. It was so deep that one
could not even see the bottom of it. It was a safe zone, or at least it was safe in the current stage of
the game. It was Ye Ci’s destination.
Yay! Chapter 95! One more step closer to Chapter 100!!! I really can't wait to get to Chapter 100,
it means a lot to me. When I started translating Reign of the Hunters, I was like "shit, will people
like it?" "will I give up translating the story at some point?" BUT LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE
NOW? 95!!! Wooohh!!! Thank you all for staying with Jimmi and ROTH, and thank you all for
your support! Can't wait to reach 100, and will probably do some weird thing as celebration who
knows.
Chapter 96 The Burning Crevice
Chapter 96 The Burning Crevice
12 seconds was a short period of time. Before Ye Ci could put a significant distance between them,
Garrison had defrosted. Apparently Garrison was completely angered by Ye Ci. After the ice
melted away, Half-Eyed Garrison let out a roar. The roar shook the sky itself, creating sound
waves that swept through the forest. Despite Ye Ci’s best effort to run away, she was unable to
escape the effects of the soundwave and her HP dropped rapidly.
“This fella is truly OP.” Ye Ci cursed out loud, and immediately drank a Health Potion to
replenish some of her HP. She then continued desperately dashing forward.
Garrison was just too big. In front of such a massive creature, it was just a waste of time for Ye Ci
to even try to outmaneuver Garrison with her balance and agility. That was why Ye Ci gave up on
maneuvers like jumping around on tree branches, and instead opted to just dash madly through the
forest.
There were a lot of tall trees in the forest, and Ye Ci would always dart through between them.
This hindered Garrison, who was in pursuit, greatly, and managed to slow it down.
The temperature of the air was rising rapidly.
As Ye Ci ran, perspiration formed on her forehead and flowed down through her hair, seeping into
her leather armor. The wet feeling surrounding her body made Ye Ci uncomfortable. She raised
one of her arms, wiped away sweat from her face, and drank another Speed Potion. If she was
running in the correct direction, she was getting closer and closer to the Burning Crevice.
A normal monster would stop chasing after a player once they’d moved out of a certain range.
They had their own territory, and couldn’t be bothered with leaving the place. Epic Monsters,
however, were different. They had the same behavior as dungeon monsters: as long as you’re not
dead, they’ll never give up. But even the monsters in dungeons were conscious about their range
limit. As long as you leave the dungeon, you’re safe. An Epic Monster, however, was a different
story. It appeared in the wild, and could move anywhere in the map. As long as you weren’t dead,
as long as you didn’t flee into a dungeon, its aggro would always be on you, and you could never
escape from it.
Half-Eyed Garrison was irritated by the thick branches, and he suddenly jumped up. Of course, his
jump height was lacking, but that was not the point. The point was that when it landed, Garrison
swept its tail that was a thick as an electric pole at the trees.
The movement of Garrison’s tail produced sharp gusting winds that stung the back of Ye Ci’s
neck. Sporadic cracking sounds followed after the wind. Ye Ci stole a glance backwards, and saw
that all the trees around Garrison, no matter how thick they were, had all fallen, forming a fan
shaped clearing. It was a horrible sight to see.
Ye Ci cursed inwardly. She could imagine that if she was hit by the skill, she might’ve died
without even having time to feel the pain.
Waves of heat assaulted Ye Ci’s senses. It seemed that she was getting nearer and nearer to the
Burning Crevice, while Garrison was also getting closer and closer to her. At long last, the trees in
front of Ye Ci parted, and a wide open space appeared. The ground was charred black, with
scorching hot air rising from the ground. Ye Ci took a deep breath and jumped down the crevice.
Quicker than words can tell, right at that moment before Ye Ci leapt into the air, Garrison
activated another Epic-tier ability, Stampede. He shot out like an arrow discharged from a
bowstring… No, it was more like a derailed atomic bomb, dashing towards Ye Ci.
Fortunately, Ye Ci threw herself high enough into the air, and Garrison could barely scratch at the
soles of her feet before falling down the crevice. Ye Ci took in a deep breath, it was too dangerous.
Had Garrison collided with her in midair, she would’ve been killed.
Despite dodging Garrison’s Stampede, Ye Ci still had to obey Newton’s First Law. She fell into
the crevice right after Garrison. The gushing wind sliced at her ears, while the surging heat wave
scalded her skin.
The bottom of the Burnice Crevice was covered with soil that was charred black, with thick smoke
rising from the ground. There were even places where lava was visible with glaring red. Garrison
was much heavier than Ye Ci, which meant that it fell faster than Ye Ci. Garrison kicked up a lot
of dust and smoke as it impacted on the ground, clouding Ye Ci’s vision.
Just then, Ye Ci activated Featherfall, and her body immediately became light, and the speed that
she was falling became slower and slower. She landed at the bottom of Burning Crevice softly,
just like a feather.
According to the National Library, the crevice was carved out by Naga’s claw, which had charred
the ground with its demonic energy, and the resulting flames burned for years, maintaining a
scorching temperature. Anything that set foot on that plot of land would lose HP rapidly as a result
of the burn.
The place was just too hot. Ye Ci was sweating even more than she was previously. Before long, a
‘dehydrated’ status appeared in her status bar, and the movements of her body became slow.
She took out a bottle of Refreshing Spring Water and drank a mouthful. The Refreshing Spring
Water immediately brought refreshment to Ye Ci, and she greedily gulped down more of the sweet
spring water.
After taking care of the debuff, Ye Ci began searching for the carcass of Garrison. She had landed
a kick on Garrison during the fall. She did not know if she dealt any damage, but if she got lucky,
then all the equipment dropped by Garrison would belong to her.
Although the odds were not on her side, Ye Ci could still feel the joy just by thinking about the
equipment that would be dropped by an Epic Monster.
Ye Ci was able to locate Garrison quickly. It fell not far away from Ye Ci, but was hidden behind a
gigantic boulder, which was why Ye Ci did not see it right away. After climbing onto the boulder,
Ye Ci immediately discovered that her hopes of getting her dream equipment was gone…
Because that fella was still alive despite falling down from such a high place. 90% of its HP was
gone, but it was still alive. It laid on the ground, gasping for air. The rise and fall of its stomach
was slow. It seemed that it was still quite alive.
Perhaps Garrison had not seen Ye Ci, as when Ye Ci climbed onto the boulder, Garrison did not
move at all. It laid still, gasping for air.
Do I kill it? A thought arose in Ye Ci’s mind, but she immediately gave up on the plan. It was an
Epic Monster. Even if it had like 10% of its HP life, Ye Ci had no means to kill it. Even if she
could kill it, it would take her several hours to do it. But this place that they were in had a burning
effect. It was not a good place for a prolonged fight. The thing that Ye Ci was wary about the most
was that this monster could move, and would definitely kill her if she was spotted. It was
definitely not worth it.
After pondering about her possible actions, Ye Ci decided that it was better for her to run away.
Even though it was an Epic Monster, even though the equipment dropped by this monster was
mouth watering, Ye Ci was at a disadvantage and she was running out of potions. She would
definitely lose her life in a prolonged fight.
After reaching a decision, Ye Ci turned around to leave. But right at that moment, she slipped and
a rock rolled down the slope. An alarmed Ye Ci tried to catch the rock, but she failed. The rock
tumbled towards Garrison’s leg.
Oh shit! Ye Ci immediately ducked down, pressing herself close to the boulder, and activated
Disguise. Her body immediately blended as one into the background. Ye Ci remained still while
fixing her eyes on the rock, which smacked into Garrison.
Ye Ci closed her eyes, praying that she would not be discovered by Garrison. However, it was
very unlikely as their 19 levels difference meant that Garrison could see through her Disguise very
easily.
What Ye Ci had not expected was that Garrison simply trembled slightly when the rock connected
with its leg. This… Was very peculiar. Epic Monsters were usually very sensitive to their
surroundings, but it did not even move when the rock connected with its leg. The word
‘abnormal’ could not even fully describe the situation.
Ye Ci felt the urge to cast Identify on Garrison, but such action would deactivate her Disguise.
What if she was discovered?
Making up her mind, Ye Ci jumped out and tumbled behind another rock. After a few seconds, Ye
Ci slowly rose up and cast Identify at Garrison after sensing no activity. Garrison’s status popped
up before her.
Half-Eyed Garrison
Race: Dinosaur
Level: 48
Category: Epic Monster
Abilities: Tearing Bite, Tail Whip, Stampede, Tremor
Status: Crippled
HP: ????
As expected of an Epic Monster. Even when its portrait was showing that it had only 10% of HP
left, the exact amount of its HP was still hidden. Ye Ci narrowed her eyes at the status that had
caught her attention: Crippled.
Crippled, as in unable to move. Ye Ci had pulled such a thing off on Wandering Cloud, and the
results were very remarkable. She had not expected such a thing to happen to an Epic Monster.
However, that was not the point.
The point was that being crippled meant one thing…
Epic Monster or not, Garrison, that was unable to fight back at its current state, was like a lamb
waiting to be slaughtered.
Chapter 97 Tamed! Epic Tier Monster!
Ye Ci stood up.
She steadied herself on the boulder, watching Garrison, who laid motionless on the ground, with a
calm expression. Garrison stared back at Ye Ci with its golden one and a half eyes. Ye Ci unslung
her crossbow and took aim at Garrison. She, however, was unable to pull the trigger.
Garrison was not acting how a monster normally would. The overly extraordinary eyes gave Ye Ci
an indescribable feeling.
Right at that moment, Ye Ci even felt that the thing that laid before her was not a monster, but a
hero who once reigned over the battlefield and was now calmly waiting for its ultimate ending-death.
At such a moment, Ye Ci really had such an impression. She was not sure if she was ill, or was
simply too immersed in the game. She had detected a hint of human emotion from Garrison.
Since ancient times, heroes and beauties shared the same fate. They would never live to see the
day their hair turns white. (1)
At this very moment, Garrison gave Ye Ci the vibe of the sorrow of a hero who was past his
prime.
In the end, Ye Ci lowered her crossbow and mumbled, “Even if this is an Epic-tier monster, the
items that it drops will get outdated eventually. But, an Epic-tier pet might not be the same.” With
that, she jumped down from the boulder and walked towards Garrison that was staring at her with
its cold eyes, until she was within the range of Light of Enticement.
She began to cast Light of Enticement, and a red halo appeared on Garrison’s head. The casting
time for Light of Enticement was 12 seconds, and was also affected by level penalty. Not only was
Garrison 19 levels higher than Ye Ci, it was an Epic Monster as well. The success rate of capturing
it as a pet was quite low.
Light of Enticement consumed 20% of a Hunter’s total mana points each time it was cast. It
meant that one could continuously cast the skill 5 times. Ye Ci had never had to worry about mana
consumption due to her Strength Conservation passive ability. It was different in this situation, as
Light of Enticement would not deal damage to its target, which meant that there were no damage
points that could be converted into mana.
Due to the level penalty, Ye Ci could not tame Garrison even after exhausting her mana. Ever
since Ye Ci had obtained the Strength Conservation skill book, she never brought any mana
potions with her. That was why the only thing she could do was sit still and wait before continuing
after exhausting her mana pool.
After countless failed attempts, Ye Ci was on the verge of falling asleep. As expected of an Epic
Monster, Garrison, with its high defence and high HP, was able to survive the burning debuff in
the Burning Crevice that would have been fatal to a normal monster.
“Being my pet is pretty good, at least I won’t mistreat you. I’ll feed you well, and you even get
to fight alongside me. Don’t you like to fight? Aren’t you a violent one? Just come with me. If
you die here today, it’s not worth it.” The boredom and her drowsiness drove Ye Ci to talk to
Garrison in an attempt to stay awake. She was not even sure if it understood her anyways. She was
just looking for something fun to do so that she would not be bored.
It was something weird, but after listening to Ye Ci’s words, Garrison narrowed his cold eyes that
had been staring at Ye Ci.
It went unnoticed by Ye Ci, who yawned and continued speaking, “They say that a bad life is
better than a good death. Look at yourself, you’re an Epic-tier monster. If you die here just like
that, don’t you think that it’s not worth it? Epic-tier, which is a high grade. I know, I know. You
don’t want to be my pet. If it was me, I wouldn’t want to do that either. I’m the king in the wild,
I’ll kill whoever gets in my way. But have you thought about something? The players’ level will
grow as well. Sooner or later they will defeat you. Even if you don’t die today, you will die the
next time you come across somebody else. I know that Epic-tier monsters only appear once. If you
die here and now, it’s game over. It’s better to come with me. If you come with me, as long as the
game does not go bankrupt, you can still show off your might to the world, how good is that…?”
With that, Ye Ci let out another yawn. She was too sleepy. There was 4 seconds left until the Light
of Enticement could be cast, and her mana would be depleted again after that. It seemed that she
would need to wait for her mana to regenerate again.
After spending so much time, Ye Ci’s mood began to grow sour. She swore to herself that she
would not give up until this big guy was burned to death or was tamed by her. She wanted results,
or all her efforts would be wasted…
Garrison’s eyes closed slowly, and it exhaled through its huge nose, its consciousness appearing
to be dissipating…
A dazzling golden light suddenly appeared around Half-eyed Garrison, and a system notification
rang out: “You’ve successfully tamed Half-eyed Garrison as your pet.“
Perhaps it was due to her countless failed attempts, Ye Ci failed to react to her sudden success.
After a short pause, she cried out in surprise, and immediately called out her pets’ status window.
Sure enough, other than Ol’ Three, there was another pet in her pet column. It was the the
black-skinned golden eye Garrison.
Name: Tyrannosaurus Rex
Owner: Gongzi You
Level: 1
HP: 1100/19320
Stamina: 14000/14000
Abilities: Taunt, Speed Up, Tearing Bite, Tail Whip, Stampede, Tremor
Attributes: Intelligent, Loyal, Blood-Thirsty, Violent, Keen
Special Ability: Combat Steed
Loyalty: 1
Damn, as expected of an Epic-tier monster! It could even be used as a steed. A normal steed
couldn’t be used in a battle, and players would need to dismount in a fight. But this Epic-tier
Monster allowed players to ride it into battle, how could it not be overpowered?
Dammit, as expected of an Epic-tier monster! It had nearly 20,000 HP even at lvl 1! Ye Ci’s HP
was nowhere near Garrison’s, and she was already lvl 29. It was… Embarrassing.
As Ye Ci took a glance at her pet’s Loyalty, she couldn’t resist the urge to curse. Dammit! As
expected of an Epic-tier monster! Even an Elite or Sub-Elite monster would have 10 points of
Loyalty by default. But this guy only had 1 point of Loyalty.
It meant that if either Garrison or Ye Ci died at that moment, Garrison would immediately
escape…
Speaking of the HP, when Ye Ci noticed that it had only a very low percentage of its HP left, she
had immediately attempted to heal Garrison with Pet Heal. But her mana was basically almost
exhausted, and it got depleted after she healed Garrison to the point where it had 3000 HP. The
only thing she could do was to take out some bandages to dress Garrison’s wound at the back of
its legs. She had observed its condition when she was casting Light of Enticement. There was a
deep gash at the joint of the back of Garrison’s right leg, which might be the reason it was
crippled.
Ye Ci bandaged Garrison’s wound while pouring the last of her Health Potions into its mouth. She
was lucky that Garrison’s size shrunk after it was tamed, or Ye Ci’s bandages would not be
enough to bandage even one of its toes.
Garrison stared coldly at Ye Ci with its one and a half eyes throughout the entire process, not
showing even a hint of intimacy. Ye Ci sighed, Epic-tier monsters were just so difficult to serve.
After her hard work, Ye Ci once again cast Pet Healing on Garrison when her mana was
replenished. Ye Ci was able to completely heal Garrison with repeated attempts. She was so tired
that she sat beside Garrison, leaning against it for support while gasping for air. Ye Ci’s stamina
was already nearly depleted. She took out some roasted meat and ate the one with the lower grade,
while feeding a high grade roasted quail to Garrison.
If her assumption was correct, a T-rex was as picky as a panther. A T-rex would not eat anything
like a bear or a tortoise type pet. It only eats meat, especially those that were cooked.
Garrison chewed on the roasted quail. Satisfied with the taste, it nudged Ye Ci with its head,
indicating with a hint of pampered arrogance that it wanted more.
Ye Ci let out a sigh. Such was an Epic-tier monster. She must serve it as best as she could. Ye Ci
fed a few more pieces of roasted quail to Garrison, and its mood improved. It let out a satisfied
burp, and Ye Ci received a system notification: “Your pet is very satisfied with your treatment,
Loyalty increased to 5.”
Satisfied… Ye Ci was puzzled. She had the urge to tell this guy, ‘Please give me more good
ratings, please.’
Then again, the fact that Ye Ci had tamed an Epic-tier monster was very satisfying. The next task
at hand was to leave the place. But before that, another more important thing in Ye Ci’s mind was
to name give Garrison a name. After all, the name Garrison was generated by the system. Since it
was now her pet, it must go by her rules.
“Do you want to name your pet?”
“Yes.”
“Please name your pet.”
“Ol’ Four.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Naming successful.”
Ye Ci was satisfied when Garrison was renamed as Ol’ Four. That’s what she called a family.
She was number one, the eldest, while Ol’ Three was the third, and Ol’ Four was naturally the
fourth. As for Ol’ Two(2)… That name was too unclean, and Ye Ci decided that she would never
use it in this lifetime.
When a pet was crippled, it was different from a player’s crippled state. If a player was crippled,
he or she must be treated by a specific NPC in a major city. But when a pet was crippled, it could
be healed by its owner. As Ye Ci stood up, Ol’ Four stood up shakily as well.
Although Ye Ci could ride on Ol’ Four, she gave up after staring at its 5 points of Loyalty. What
if she angered it after riding on it and it ran away? Who would she cry about it to? After all, it was
an Epic-tier monster. Even if it was arrogant, Ye Ci had to let it be. It was not too late when its
Loyalty reached 100 points.
The DEBUFF in the Burning Crevice was continuously reducing Ye Ci’s and Ol’ Four’s HP. Ye
Ci had depleted her stockpile of potions. She dismissed Ol’ Four and headed in the general
direction of an opening of the crevice based on her memory. If memory served, she would be able
to climb out of the crevice to a neighbouring map.
Translator's Notes:
(1)自古英雄如美人，不许人间见白头(Proverb): A Chinese proverb carrying the meaning that
heroes and beauties do not live long.
(2)老二(slang): Literally translated as "old two". A Chinese slang for a man's penis.
Chapter 98 Eavesdropping
The vertical distance from the bottom of the Burning Crevice to the top was not more than 200m.
But of course, the so-called vertical distance did not take into account of all the protruding rocks
and uneven surfaces of the cliff wall. In Fate, a character could learn an Innate Ability, Climbing.
An Innate Ability was something that could be learned by all characters every 10 levels. When a
character was lvl 10, the player could learn Jump, while a lvl 20 could learn Crawl and Backwards
Jump could be learned by a lvl 30 character. Climbing was only made available to a lvl 40
character while Swimming was unlocked when a character reached lvl 50.
Of course, not learning an Innate Skill did not mean that a player could not carry the actions out.
These skills were capable of being achieved by the human body. Even if players did not learn
these Innate Skills, they could still pull them off. However, the proficiency of such maneuvers and
the success rate was affected by the physical attributes of an individual. A person with an agile
body and excellent coordination would naturally have a better success rate. If a person who was
non-athletic tried to perform such actions, the success rate would be low. Not all players were born
knowing how to leap onto roofs and vault over bars. That was something that was done by the
wuxia experts. Hence, the game offered Innate Abilities to assist players who were not athletic. As
long as they met the level requirement, they would be able to learn the Innate Abilities, and as
long as they’ve learned the Innate Abilities, they would be able to perform better.
Ye Ci was not really an expert athlete, and only had slightly better motor coordination, which did
not distinguish her much from an average person. Before learning Climbing, it was not an easy
task for her to climb up to the top of the Burning Crevice from the bottom.
With tremendous effort, Ye Ci had finally reached a protruding chunk of rock. She leaned close to
the wall and sat down, munching down on pieces of roasted meat and gulping down spring water.
Scaling such a steep cliff without learning the Climbing ability meant that a player’s speed would
be greatly reduced and the player would spend more stamina than usual in his or her attempt to
climb. It was also very likely that one would fall to their death. Ye Ci had thought that her Stamina
would be able to last until she reached the top, but just when she was about to get there, her
stamina was nearly exhausted. If she did not replenish her stamina right then, she would’ve fallen
to her death.
Leaning close to the cliff wall, Ye Ci wolfed down the roasted meat, slowly recovering her
stamina.
All of a sudden, her pointed ears twitched reflexively as she heard a soft voice coming from the
top of the crevice.
“Are you sure the Black Plum Guild will be here today?”
“If you don’t believe it, why bother asking?”
“No, it’s not like I don’t believe you, it’s just that…” After a short pause, the person continued
with a hoarse voice, “This is not a map that people would come here to complete quests. There’
s only a Wild BOSS here. Why would they come here?”
The other individual did not reply.
The one with the hoarse voice continued, “Besides, the major guilds tend to keep their
whereabouts a secret. You’re not one of the higher ups, how did you find out about such a secret?
You’re not trying to dupe me are you…?”
“You doubt my good intentions?” The person snorted, “I have my ways, you do not have to
know about it.”
“Hehe, I know you’re like a brother to Fluttering Red Feathers. But, I’m a vile person, and you
are not noble at all as well.” The man with the hoarse voice chuckled, disdain clearly shown in
his voice.
The other person remained quiet, and continued after a brief moment, “I’ve received the down
payment. When it’s done, I’ll get in touch.”
“Sure.” The person with the hoarse voice chuckled again. There was something special about
his voice. It gave off a wretched feeling.
The two must’ve thought that the place was far too remote and that it was a high level leveling
spot. They did not expect to have anybody eavesdropping on them, and had talked without using
private message. There were times when Ye Ci totally agreed with the old saying “A careful
helmsman can steer the ship for thousands of years.” Had those two spoke using private message,
she wouldn’t be able to hear them. And if she had not heard them, she wouldn’t have made the
decision to find out what was happening.
At that moment, Ye Ci’s head was raised as she leaned close to the cliff wall, looking up at the
black rock and was listening intently. She began climbing up to the top of the crevice after she
heard footsteps leaving the scene.
Ye Ci hung from the edge to survey the surrounding, and after making sure that there was nobody
around, she climbed out of the crevice and entered Stealth. She then headed to the direction of
where the footsteps were moving to.
Ye Ci was not a curious person. She did not usually like to gossip and meddle with somebody
else’s business. She had followed the two because the name of Black Plum Guild was mentioned.
Black Plum Guild was a guild from the Southern Continent. They took part in the Dragon Dance
competition as well, but were unable to enter the finals. That was why Ye Ci was unable to meet
them. In her last life however, Ye Ci had quite a few dealings with them.
Ye Ci was a skillful player, and they decided to put her skill to good use. They’d always ask for
Ye Ci’s help when they explored new dungeons. However, Ye Ci had made too many enemies in
her past life, and Black Plum Guild was unwilling to invite her to be part of the guild.
In the eyes of Black Plum Guild, Ye Ci was a high damage tool in a dungeon, while in Ye Ci’s
eyes, Black Plum Guild was the source of her income and new equipment. Both sides had their
own needs, and neither of them treated each other sincerely, but they did work well with each
other.
It had been half a year since Ye Ci had reincarnated. The only impression she had left of Black
Plum Guild was that they used to be her source of income and that they were quite laid-back.
There was nothing much else that she could remember of the guild. The conversation that she had
eavesdropped on was obviously somebody selling out Black Plum Guild to their enemies, and it
perked Ye Ci’s interest.
Of course, she was not there to help. She was merely there to see if she could gain anything out of
it. Since she was at this place, she could only purchase a Flying Shard from a major city to return
to the Eastern Continent. Since she was leaving, she refused to leave empty-handed.
Ye Ci’s current position was in the map connecting the Southern Continent to the Eastern
Continent: Warsong Tribe. Just like the Damp Tropical Rain Forest, the average level of the
monsters here was lvl 35 to lvl 40. Most of them were humanoid, and they had a higher chance of
dropping equipment. It was a very good spot for parties to level up.
Ye Ci, however, doubted that Black Plum Guild was here to level up. According to her memories
from her last life, they were here for a lvl 35 humanoid Elite Field Boss, Warsong Priestess Dorian.
Achieving First Blood on the BOSS would drop a quest item called “Golden Premium Scroll.”
When used, the scroll would unlock a 100-player dungeon that offered rich rewards. One of them
was an item that was the envy of all the guilds, The Guild Banner.
This Guild Banner was different from the normal Guild Banner. When The Guild Banner was
hung on the flagpole in a guild encampment, the level of the guild encampment would be raised
by 1.
Who wouldn’t want that benefit? If it wasn’t too much of a hassle to transport players of
Upwards Ho! from Red Lake City to this place, Ye Ci would want to join in on the fun as well.
Black Plum Guild must be interested in Dorian because of the Golden Premium Scroll. Ye Ci did
not know how they found out about the scroll. But to her knowledge, Black Plum Guild was the
one who scored a First Blood on Warsong Priestess Dorian, and they were the first guild to have
The Guild Banner.
When she thought about it, the timing was about right.
The butterfly effect of her reincarnation had not affected the progress of Fate greatly.
Ye Ci approached Warsong Priestess Dorian carefully.
The monsters in the Warsong Tribe had a very high movement speed. Although their attack
damage was not high, they would often debuff players and then overwhelm them with sheer
numbers. Since they were all humanoids, there was a visible difference between monsters of
different tiers. The lower leveled monsters were usually unarmed, and could only cast skills like
Slow, Stun or Terrify. The medium tier ones were armed with light weapons. They would usually
cast debuffs such as Burn, Freeze or Poisoning on players. Those monsters that were from the
higher tier were equipped with Armor and heavier weapons. They could Petrify, Stun and Metalize
players. [1]
Their leader, Warsong Priestess Dorian was way stronger. She had skills from all 3 tiers of
monsters, and could cast AOE debuffs. If Dorian cast an AOE damage over time debuff, the
Priests in the party would definitely have a fun time.
Monsters roamed the map in small groups. They were grouped together by their tiers, but there
were also groups that were made up from monsters from all 3 tiers. Ye Ci did not dare to take them
head on and thus decided to avoid them.
As she was Stealthed, Ye Ci’s movement speed was reduced by 50%. When she approached
Warsong Priestess Dorian’s spawn point, there was already a group of players hiding in a ditch
nearby. Their location was well hidden. Had Ye Ci not been intentionally seeking them out, she
wouldn’t have found them. They were camouflaged with tree branches and leaves as they lay
hidden. If one did not pay attention, he or she could easily past them off as a shrub.
Editor’s Note:
[1] Metalize: Literal translation is turn a player into like a metal statue type thing, so we’re calling
it Metalize, because there isn’t really a good translation for a term to do that, that we know of, and
petrify is already taken. If anyone has a better idea, we’re up for suggestions.
Chapter 99 Sneak attack
Ye Ci couldn’t help but laugh as she observed them from afar. Which guild had so much
animosity for the Black Plum Guild, that they would go to such measures to prepare such an
ambush against them? She already had prior knowledge that they were ambushing someone. If she
didn’t, she would have thought that they were conducting a military exercise.
However, their position was chosen very well. It was precisely in a dead angle of the small
monsters’patrols and was hidden well with natural obstacles. Furthermore, it was near the BOSS,
which made it a good ambush spot. Ye Ci roughly counted the number of people present. There
were at least 180 of them. Although she couldn’t see their names or attributes, with detailed
observation she could see that they were all wearing decent equipment. She estimated that they
were all level 21 and above. This team’s fighting strength should not be looked down upon,
regardless of their coordination.
At this moment, Ye Ci was a little puzzled.
The Black Plum Guild didn’t seem to have any feuds. Why would someone make such a large
move to mount a sneak attack? Of course, this wasn’t the reason why Ye Ci was here. She was
here to reap some benefits as the two sides clashed.
It didn’t seem very honorable. However, passing up such a good opportunity doesn’t seem like a
good gaming habit. Ye Ci always felt that she was a good gamer, and a good gamer must abide by
good gaming habits.
While she was letting her imagination run wild, she heard waves of chanting close by. Looking
over, she saw all kinds of magic unceasingly raising winds in a withered grassland. Just from what
she saw, she knew that it would be a hair-raising battle. Although she currently couldn’t
definitively determine how many people were there, for the people to be able to create such a large
scale spell, there should at least be 100 players.
Ye Ci looked at the faraway Warsong Priestess Dorian, who currently had her eyes closed in
prayer while facing the sacrificial altar. She roughly calculated, deducting the level penalty, with
so many people chasing her, as long as their tactics were reasonable and no one messed up, they
would be able to corner her within two to three hours. Unfortunately, the Black Plum Guild was
down on luck today.
The people concealed within the trench were as still as corpses. Ye Ci reckoned that there wouldn’
t be any sound of activity for the time being. Although the enemy the Black Plum Guild faced was
an odd mixture of different people forming parties, they had superiority in numbers. Imagine the
scene of fifty magicians hurling fireballs at the same monster! In any case, even before many of
the fireballs reached the monster, it would have already died.
While they were refreshed from battle, Ye Ci followed them from behind, slowly drawing close to
the ceremonial altar where Warsong Priestess Dorian was. When the Black Plum Guild finally
wiped out the last wave of monsters, Ye Ci had already climbed up the altar. Dorian was worthy of
being an elite wild BOSS, such human NPCs that had intelligence were in fact hard to deal with.
She had a strong awareness and in addition to the level penalty, she would easily discover any
danger that entered her territory.
Ye Ci had just walked up the altar when she saw Dorian’s eyes slightly open. She looked towards
Ye Ci’s direction, and an alarmed Ye Ci immediately froze. She managed to prevent herself from
being discovered by Dorian. However, Dorian was still tensed as she gazed at Ye Ci’s direction
for a while before turning her head back and silently continuing her prayers.
Dorian was dressed in a red robe, holding a very flashy staff. On top of the altar she faced was a
gold chest.
Golden treasure chest.
Ye Ci’s eyes brightened. With the new year’s patch, there was a line which stated that in each
large map there would be many treasure chests appearing and there would be many treasures
within the chests.
However, there was one thing that only Ye Ci knew. That was that although these treasure chests
would repeatedly appear, for gold and above treasure chests, only the first opening would bring
about good items. Although opening the chests afterwards would still reward considerable
experience and gold, the rate of good items would be greatly decreased.
Golden treasure chests would give off a special light. However, this light could only be discovered
if one was within 10 meters of the chest. Clearly, the Black Plum Guild and that mysterious guild
would currently be unable to discover this treasure chest. Ye Ci suddenly felt that her luck was still
decent. At the very least, she could have such an enormous find.
A Golden Treasure Chest being guarded by a Dorian who had not being First Blooded. Heh.
The people from the Black Plum Guild were all situated more than 50 yards away from Dorian.
That was the boundary where they wouldn’t disturb Dorian. If they moved forward any closer,
Dorian would notice them.
They stood in their positions, listening to instructions from a barbarian right at the front.
Ye Ci recognised this barbarian. He was the Black Plum Guild’s leader, Fluttering Red Feather.
The Black Plum Guild was the third ranked guild in the South Continent. They were well known
for their collective strength, as well as Fluttering Red Feather. He was one of the top two
commanders in the Southern Continent, and was also ranked in the top twenty of the whole of Fate.
Furthermore, he is the only one with a melee class in the top twenty commanders in Fate.
Generally, ranged players were more suited as commanders, as ranged classes could view the
whole situation relatively easier, and were also able to view the interaction between players and
the BOSS much more easily. This was especially true in cases where the BOSS constantly
summoned minions. Ranged classes would be able to better control the ground, directing the
players’ movements. However, if the commander was a melee class, various fields of view would
be inhibited and his commanding would suffer from many restrictions.
Ye Ci always felt Fluttering Red Feather was an expert barbarian and an expert commander at the
same time. However, for these two professions to be placed on the same person, it would decrease
the player’s performance by 50%. That was why although Fluttering Red Feather’s leadership
was very famous, he was always ranked outside of the top 10.
When Fluttering Red Feather had finished explaining the strategy to all the party members, the
Black Plum Guild got into formation. With a command from Fluttering Red Feather, they started
their attack. Dorian roared and charged down from the altar. Ye Ci had actually considered
attacking Dorian a fore the Black Plum Guild started their attack so that she would be able to kill
steal. Perhaps she might even get First Blood. However, by doing that, she would definitely not be
able to withstand the retaliation from the Black Plum Guild and that mysterious guild. She was
now no longer alone and was a member of Upwards Ho!. If she was just by herself, such actions
could still be done. However, now that she was part of a guild, such actions that would only harm
others without benefitting oneself should never be done.
Besides, Ye Ci had currently placed all her attention on that gold treasure chest. Who cared about
Dorian?
However, she still couldn’t reveal herself now, as behind her was a team eyeing her covetously. If
she revealed herself now, she might become cannon fodder. Although she was confident in her
ability to escape, there was no need for her to face over 100 level 21 players right?
For now, what she needed to do was to just wait silently.
Apparently, the Black Plum Guild had already done extremely comprehensive preparation to take
down Dorian. They had even done simulations multiple times and their strategy was on point.
Which moment they had to disrupt the BOSS’ skill, when to collectively avoid negative effects,
when to collectively pause and wait for the BOSS’ invincibility to disappear, each and every
timing had been blocked out precisely. So precisely that Ye Ci felt they were the ones who had
been reincarnated. If not, how could they have planned in such a perfect manner?
By the time she saw that Dorian’s only had 10% HP left, Ye Ci’s legs were already sore from
squatting. As for those that were crouching within the entrenchment behind her, they weren’t
feeling any better. However, they had been waiting for this moment to arrive.
10% HP was a very tiny amount. If they had launched their attack when the the BOSS had a
considerable amount of HP left, the Black Plum Guild could just abandon their battle against
Dorian and face them instead. In that case, they wouldn’t have the upper hand. However, once the
BOSS battle had progressed to the point where the BOSS had only 10% of its HP left, members of
the Black Plum Guild would have already expended most of their potions and scrolls. At that time,
they would definitely not give up on the BOSS easily. For them to ambush the Black Plum Guild
at that time, not only would they catch the Black Plum Guild off guard, they could even steal the
First Blood of Dorian.
Therefore, 10% HP was the crucial point for the ambush to be a success.
At this moment, Ye Ci looked at Fluttering Red Feather, she understood Fluttering Red Feather
and knew that he usually wouldn’t restrict strangers from privately messaging him, unlike herself
where she at times even blocked messages from friends and had never allowed strangers to
message her.
Sure enough, his private message channel was not closed.
“There are people preparing to ambush you.” Ye Ci did not beat around the bush.
“Who are you?” Fluttering Red Feather appeared slightly tense. In this kind of situation, no
matter who it was that received such a message, they would be slightly tense.
“I’m not your enemy.” Ye Ci answered after a pause.
“How did you find out about it?”
“I just happened to be in the neighbourhood.”
“Why should I believe you? I don’t even know you…”
“To your 9 o’clock direction, approximately 100 people, level 21 and above.” Ye Ci wasn’t
interested in playing senseless guessing games, immediately closing the private message window
after she finished saying what she wanted to say. Now, she only had to wait for both sides to start
fighting. When no one paid attention to her, she would open the gold treasure chest and escape.
She didn’t have any other intention in informing the Black Plum Guild. Although in her previous
life they only had a mutually beneficial relationship, she had also gotten a lot of money from them.
Considering the payment of money… She didn’t want them to be in a difficult situation.
That was all.
Fluttering Red Feather clearly hesitated at Ye Ci’s words. However, he ultimately still held the
mentality of caution was better than regrets, as he adjusted his troops. Just as he finished adjusting
his troops, he heard a shout of “Charge!” Following that, he saw more than a hundred players
advancing toward the direction of the Black Plum Guild.
Ye Ci seized the opportunity to quickly reach the side of the gold treasure chest, extending her
hand to start opening the treasure chest. Luckily, this treasure chest wasn’t locked.
Opening the treasure chest, 3%… 17%… 78%...
The time needed to open treasure chests varied according to the chest’s rank. For example, a gold
treasure chest needed 20 seconds to open. Taking advantage of this time, Ye Ci looked into the
distance. The two troops had already clashed; spells, sword light, heals and all kinds of techniques
were mixed together. This actually allowed the overgrown map of the Warsong Tribe to be
unusually lively.
Chapter 100 Fluttering Red Feather
Chapter 100 Fluttering Red Feather
Black Plum Guild’s situation instantly became dire as they needed to take on the BOSS and
100-something players at the same time. Fortunately, other than the MT, the Warriors of Black
Plum Guild reacted fast enough and began protecting their Clerics and ranged players. Although
they were still under attack by ranged enemies, they were still relatively safe. This, however, did
not give Black Plum Guild any advantage. In the span of 10 seconds, quite a few of the guild’s
ranged players were dead.
Ye Ci’s gaze returned to the Golden Treasure Chest, which had been successfully opened.
In the chest there was a lvl 30 blue grade Priest gauntlet that gave additional Divine damage when
donneder. It was the perfect equipment for Priests with a damage dealing playstyle. There was also
a decent Ranger’s belt in the chest. Ye Ci would’ve equipped the belt if it were not for her
Venomous Scorpion set. A skill book lay at the bottom of the chest.
It was a very old skill book that was made out of goat skin, with a totally unremarkable look. But
when Ye Ci read what was written in the book, she was thoroughly surprised. It was a skill book
for Disguise, a skill shared by Hunters, Rogues and Rangers, that allowed a player to blend in with
his or her surroundings once the skill was activated. As long the player who cast Disguise did not
move, he or she would not be discovered.
It was strange. This was the skill book that Ye Ci had been looking for. She had never expected to
come across it here. She literally found it by sheer luck after searching for it far and wide.
Without much thought, Ye Ci clasped her hands together and used the skill book. She then turned
around and prepared to leave.
Most of the monsters in the area had already been cleared away. Even those that had respawned
were killed off almost instantly when they were caught in the crossfire between the two guilds. Ye
Ci calmly made her way towards the crowd. As long as she did not attack any of them, her status
would appear green, and nobody would attack her, there would not be a problem.
As expected, Ye Ci was able to wade through the scene of the battle unscathed, and she then
entered Stealth again. Ye Ci spared a glance backwards, noting that the Black Plum Guild was
already at a disadvantage. Most of their players were dead, while the ones who were still alive had
to fight against the BOSS while fending off attacks from their enemies. They were on the verge of
defeat.
By that time, the main force of their enemy had started to shift their attacks onto Dorian. Despite
losing quite a few of their players, they were better off than the Black Plum Guild. Dorian, that
was firmly under their control, had only 3% of her HP left.
After a brief moment of consideration, Ye Ci sent a message to Fluttering Red Feather, “Add me
into your party, I’ll steal the last hit of the BOSS for you.”
Fluttering Red Feather immediately replied, “Who the hell are you?”
“Not an enemy.” Ye Ci answered truthfully.
Not questioning Ye Ci’s answer, Fluttering Red Feather said, “You’ve hidden your name, I can’
t add you. You have to apply to join the party.”
Without much delay, Ye Ci immediately sent a party request which was immediately accepted by
Fluttering Red Feather. Due to Ye Ci’s name, the only details he could see about Ye Ci was ***.
Of course, it was also due to the fact that he was not of the same continent as Ye Ci. If they were
from the same continent, he would be able to immediately see Ye Ci’s name.
After joining the party, Ye Ci headed straight for the crowd that was locked in battle. She felt
awkward herself. Even she did not know why she was helping Fluttering Red Feather out. She had
thought it out before joining the fray, but was unable to come up with an answer. She simply
dismissed it as her conscience trying to repay Black Plum Guild after making so much money off
of them in her past life.
Ye Ci immediately summoned Ol’ Four after charging into the crowd. Although, Ol’ Four’s
Loyalty points were not high, Ye Ci’s exceptional treatment had greatly improved its mood,
making it much more willing to obey her commands. Despite being lvl 1, Ol’ Four was still an
Epic-tier monster, and its ability to wreak havoc was not something that could be looked down
upon.
On Ye Ci’s command, Ol’ Four charged eagerly at Dorian. Stampede, Tearing Bite, Tail Whip
and Tremor caused Dorian’s HP to plunge further while dealing varying amounts of damage to the
players who did not belong to the Black Plum Guild. Tremor, which came with a Stunning effect,
was especially devastating. Although quite a few of the enemy players were immune to the Stun
due to the level penalty, a significant number of them were affected by the skill.
Ye Ci was struck speechless. Ol’ Four was simply too ferocious. It was a shame that he was still
at lvl 1. If only he was at the same level as her. She wouldn’t have the need to lift a finger. Ol’
Four alone would be enough to take care of all the players.
The members of Black Plum Guild were no newbies. They were experienced veterans… They
were quick to adapt to the sudden turn of events and focused their attacks on the enemy players
who were Stunned. Within seconds, they’d managed to kill a large number of them.
Ye Ci’s main objective was still Dorian, and of course she needed to constantly heal Ol’ Four at
the same time. She was hidden in the midst of Black Plum Guild players so that the enemy could
not locate Ol’ Four’s owner. The situation was entirely different for Ol’ Four. The moment the
players around it spotted such a terrifying pet, they focused their attacks on Ol’ Four, and its HP
dropped rapidly.
Ye Ci was forced to heal Ol’ Four non stop and eventually dismiss it. Its Loyalty points were still
too low. If it died then and there, it would definitely run away.
The enemy players shifted their attacks back to Dorian once Ol’ Four had disappeared. Ye Ci did
the same as well. There was nothing flashy about it; It was a contest of damage output.
Ye Ci boosted her attack with potions and scrolls, and immediately began to attack Dorian.
Positioning was no longer an issue. With so many players dead on both sides, the only thing that
mattered was to slay Dorian. It had very little HP left anyways.
Fluttering Red Feather had been taking note of Ye Ci’s damage output the moment she joined the
party. He was shocked by the amount of damage that she could dish out. It was way higher than
what he had expected.
Ye Ci’s assistance in the battle turned the tables around for Black Plum Family. They were able to
stabilize the situation in both their PvE and PvP frontiers.
Dorian’s HP was becoming lower and lower. By the time it had only 0.2% of its HP left, Ye Ci
immediately re-summoned Ol’ Four. Like hell she would miss this chance to get experience
points for Ol’ Four, surely it was easier than her having to kill monsters on her own, yes?
Dorian let out a sorrowful screech shortly after Ol’ Four appeared, “This will not end well for
you! The God of Warsong will curse you!” Then she dropped dead, turning into a huge amount of
experience points in the experience gauge of the Black Plum Guild players.
The battle, however, raged on.
The enemy guild flew into a rage. They were so close to succeeding, but a sudden setback turned
things around, causing them to lose Dorian’s First Blood to Black Plum Guild. Their fallen
members had already suffered great losses in experience points. Wasn’t it a total loss for them if
they gave up just like that? Black Plum Guild, of course, would not back down when their
opponents had obviously chosen not to do so.
That was why the battle raged on.
It raged on despite the system announcement, “Congratulations to Black Plum Guild for
achieving First Blood on the lvl 35 Elite Field BOSS Warsong Priestess Dorian. Rewards: Guild
prestige points x800, Gale City Prestige points x5000, Gold coins x3000. Let us remember their
names!”
“Congratulations Fluttering Red Feather for defeating Warsong Priestess Dorian, Rewards: Gale
City prestige points x300, Talent Points x3.”
……
“Congratulations *** for defeating Warsong Priestess Dorian, Rewards: Gale City prestige
points x300, Talent Points x2.”
……
Ye Ci was very pleased. She had only joined the battle at its end, but she was able to reap the
rewards as well. And when a person was pleased, they would have extraordinary performance.
At this point, Ye Ci’s Multi Arrow could fire 5 arrows at a time, and her Random Shot had already
reached lvl 2. She had never truly test out the firepower of her abilities. But when such a good
opportunity presented itself, she would not hold herself back. She raise her crossbow and attacked.
Countless purplish arrows showered down from the sky, and a sea of red damage figures appeared.
Truth to be told, it was a magnificent sight.
It was not a good day for the enemy.
They could’ve easily won. If only Ye Ci had not decided to head out to catch a pet, if only Ye Ci
did not run into Half-eyed Garrison, if only Ye Ci was killed by Garrison, if only Ye Ci did not fall
down the Burning Crevice, if only Ye Ci did not climb up from the crevice, if only Ye Ci did not
overhear the conversation…
The moral of the story was: The wall have ears. This was a conclusion that had been passed down
through the ages.
The battle was a hard-fought one, with both sides suffering horrendous losses. There was only a
few surviving members of Black Plum Guild by the time it was over. Ye Ci left the party and was
about to leave when she was stopped by Fluttering Red Feather, “Wait up.”
Ye Ci glanced at him, “What is it?”
Heh, it was such a familiar face. Ye Ci couldn’t help but be reminded of her cooperation with the
person in her last life.
Fluttering Red Feather scratched his head. He had wanted to say something, but was unsure of
how to express himself. He the decided against it and said with a smile, “I don’t know your
name.”
Ye Ci narrowed her eyes without answering. After a short pause, she sent him a friend request.
Fluttering Red Feather was shocked when he saw her name, “You are…”
Ye Ci held up a hand, and Fluttering Red Feather was able to understand what she meant. He
chuckled, “I should’ve known. Not many could obtain Random Shot at this stage of the game.”
“See ya.” Ye Ci summoned her little red horse and smiled at him, bidding him farewell.
“Are you going to Gale City? Our guild encampment is in the city.” Fluttering Red Feather
summoned a horse as well, after giving orders to his guild members to revive in the city, intending
to ride back to the city along with Ye Ci. He could’ve used a city recalling stone like he ordered
his surviving guild members to do, but he chose not to.
At this point, Ye Ci knew that there was something that he wanted to discuss with her. Fluttering
Red Feather was a person who would never give up before he could get the answers to the
questions he needed answers too, and Ye Ci knew that. She did not want to receive mail from this
person in the future asking about all sorts of things. Might as well get things sorted out right now.
Chapter 101 Tan Polang
As expected, Fluttering Red Feather immediately spoke to Ye Ci after his remaining members had
left, “This way. There’s a closer route back to Gale City over here.”
Ye Ci of course knew about the “closer route.” In her last life, she was very familiar with the
Southern Continent. But of course, she couldn’t tell Fluttering Red Feather about her identity as a
reincarnator. She turned her steed around and followed Fluttering Red Feather.
Fluttering Red Feather did not stop even for a moment along the way. He knew that it was
dangerous to ride alone back to the city. If his enemies were to go after his head at that moment,
he would be in a dire situation.
Ye Ci understood his thoughts as well. She matched Fluttering Red Feather’s speed, keeping
silent the whole way.
After going through 2 maps, Fluttering Red Feather slowed down right before entering the Gale
City map. He turned around and asked Ye Ci, “Gongzi, how did you know that Isle of Heroes was
going to ambush us?”
So that guild was called Isle of Heroes. Ye Ci could not recall any bad blood between the Isle of
Heroes and Black Plum Guild in her last life.
“Oh, I happened to have heard about it.” Said Ye Ci with a smile.
Fluttering Red Feather could not accept her answer. He pulled the reigns of his horse and stared at
Ye Ci, “What do you mean by ‘you happened to hear about it’?”
Ye Ci pursed her lips. She had really happened to hear about it. But she was not a person with
many words, and was too lazy to explain the whole thing. Ye Ci stopped and looked at Fluttering
Red Feather, “Uhh.. Just beware of your subordinates.”
“What do you mean?” Fluttering Red Feather’s expression darkened. As the leader of such a
large guild, it was impossible for him to not understand Ye Ci’s words.
Ye Ci knew that he was anxious, but how could she explain herself clearly? She merely heard
about the conversation by chance, and had not seen the faces of either party involved. She did not
even know the full story, but only part of a conversation. She shook her hand and said, “I’ve said
what needed to be said. I don’t know anymore than that. You be careful.”
“But…” Fluttering Red Feather seemed to have guessed something, but could still not grasp at
the big picture.
Ye Ci spurred her horse and left.
She was quite familiar with the Southern Continent. This land had given her much wealth in her
last life. After replenishing her consumables in Gale City and repairing some of her equipment, Ye
Ci bought a flying shard and prepared to leave.
She had a sudden change of mind before she left. Since she was here, why not go level up? Ol’
Four was good in dealing AOE attacks, and there was a good leveling spot right outside of Gale
City, so she could level Ol’ Four there.
With her decision made, Ye Ci brought Ol’ Four out of Gale City right after replenishing her
supplies.
The monsters in the outskirts of Gale City were not high leveled. Ye Ci was able to find a bandit
nest at the top of a hill. It was packed full of lvl 15 humanoid monsters that moved in groups.
They would attack any players they came across in droves, and were quick to respawn. This made
the place the favorite leveling spot for newbies.
Ye Ci summoned Ol’ Four which charged forward and attacked the monsters with its AOE skills.
Any monsters that were left out by Ol’ Four were picked off by Ye Ci.
Ye Ci did not gain many experience points by killing low level monsters, but for Ol’ Four that
was only at lvl 1, it was the ideal spot. After the span of 4 days, Ol’ Four was already lvl 17.
When Ye Ci went offline one day and was having a bowl of instant noodles as her meal, she heard
the front door being unlocked. Knowing that it was her parents and Bai Mo, she rushed to the door
and pushed it open before the person unlocking the door could turn the doorknob. She shouted
with excitement, “Dad! Mom! Welcome back!”
Right after Ye Ci called out her greeting, she was momentarily stunned. The first to enter through
the door was a 15 year old boy. His skin was white and his face was pale. The boy appeared
moody as well, which was a direct contrast to Ye Ci. He looked up at Ye Ci, and nodded at her
lightly as a form of greeting.
Who the hell was this?
As a baffled Ye Ci was still standing at the doorway, Zuo Xiaolan entered the house. She pulled Ye
Ci to a side and said, “You’re an adult now, for God’s sake! Make way! What are you standing
here for? You going to collect toll fees from us or something?” Then she said to the boy with a
gentle tone, “Polang, this will be your home starting today. Make yourself comfortable.”
Unable to fully grasp the situation, Ye Ci stared at Zuo Xiaolan. Ye Nantian entered the house
right after. He sniffed, looked at Ye Ci and said, “Little Ci, you’re not eating proper meals again?
Don’t we still have some food? Go and cook something up for Polang.”
Ye Ci was even more confused. What the hell was going on?
Bai Mo was the last one to enter, with the luggage in tow. He grumbled at Ye Ci, “Don’t just
stand there, give me a hand! There’re still more outside.”
When Bai Mo settled the stuff that he was carrying upstairs, Ye Ci pulled Bai Mo downstairs with
the pretense of going outside and carrying in the remaining luggage. The entire situation was too
confusing, and she just had to find out what was going on.
Bai Mo was a generous person. He did not keep Ye Ci in suspense. When he dragged all the stuff
upstairs, he told Ye Ci the full story. The boy was the grandson of Zuo Xiolan’s former teacher,
Tan Polang.
Both his parents and grandparents had died in the plane crash. Zuo Xiaolan and Ye Nantian were
there because of that. Mr.Tan did not have many relatives around, which meant that there was
nobody around to make funeral arrangements. It was decided that his former students would
handle the matter. But Tan Polang was an underaged boy with no legal guardians and he had
refused to go to an orphanage. Hence, the decision was made to adopt the boy.
Because of her close relationship with Mr.Tan, Zuo Xiaolan had volunteered to bring Tan Polang
home.
“I see.” Said Ye Ci as she was panting while carrying a huge box upstairs, “This stuff belongs
to that brat then.”
“You don’t say.” Although Bai Mo was a guy with a strong body, he was also gasping for air
after taking a few trips outside.
“So the brat’s sharing a room with you?”
“No shit. You wanna share a room with him?” Bai Mo rolled his eyes at Ye Ci, having felt that
her level of IQ had dropped after he had not seen her for a few days.
“Of course I know! What I meant was.. Don’t we have no more extra beds in the house? If he’
s sharing the room with you, you’ll be sleeping on the floor!” Ye Ci made fun of Bai Mo’s
misfortune.
It was Bai Mo’s turn to be depressed, “Why had I not thought of that!? It’s winter…”
Although the two were grumbling about it, Ye Ci still treated Tan Polang warmly when they were
having dinner. For a 15 years old to lose his parents, it was indeed a very sad event…
Tan Polang had not recovered from the incident at all. He was dispirited and had no appetite for
food. He had not even finished one third of the rice in his bowl. Zuo Xiaolan felt sorry for the boy.
She sent him to bathe and then to sleep.
At that night, Bai Mo still got to sleep on the bed. It was a queen sized bed, which was enough for
the both of them, but Bai Mo felt awkward. Tan Polang was very quiet throughout the night. He
was so quiet that Bai Mo felt something was wrong.
When Bai Mo woke up the next morning, Tan Polang was sitting on the bed, silently staring at the
gaming cabin placed in the corner of the room. Thinking that the kid was daydreaming, Bai Mo
patted his head and left the room.
The moment Bai Mo left the room, Tan Polang climbed down from the bed and followed him out.
When he saw Ye Ci’s gaming cabin through her open door, he stared at it in a daze as well, until
he was called by Zuo Xiaolan to the dining table.
“Polang, here, eat this. This is auntie’s best dish. It’s your brother and sister’s favorite!” Zuo
Xiaolan placed a piece of fried eggplant into Tan Polang’s bowl.
“Thanks.” Tan Polang kept his head lowered as he thanked Zuo Xiaolan.
“Oh, there’s no need to thank me. How about going out for a walk with auntie and uncle later?
Big brother Bai Mo and sister Ye Ci will be coming as well. The scenery around here is nice!” Ye
Nantian said with a happy smile.
“I don’t feel like going.” Tan Polang’s reply was soft.
Tan Polang’s words were like a bucket of cold water that was poured onto Zuo Xiaolan’s and Ye
Nantian’s good mood. Everybody was lost for words, and the atmosphere immediately became
awkward.
Ye Ci looked at Tan Polang who was eating with his head lowered and narrowed her eyes. She
then said slowly, “You still have a long way to go, why do you have to act so goddamn sorrowful?
You going to star in a tragedy film when you grow up?”
A 15 year old kid is quite intelligent. Kids around that age could be counted as half an adult. They
understood a lot of stuff, but sometimes they just liked to sort things out by themselves, and
pamper themselves.
Chapter 102 Your Sorrow Is Your Own Problem
Zuo Xiaolan and Ye Nantian’s expressions changed right after hearing Ye Ci’s words. They
glared at her, wishing that they could make her swallow her words.
Bai Mo was shocked as well. In his eyes, Ye Ci was a little brat. Since when did she learn to say
such things?
Tan Polang, of course, heard her words as well. His hand that was holding the chopsticks trembled.
He then raised his head and glared at Ye Ci with an expression full of sorrow and some hints of
anger as well. The despair in his eyes were gone, replaced by a fury threatening to explode.
His expression reminded Ye Ci of how she felt when her parents died in her last life. She seemed
to have had the same behavior as well. Ye Ci pursed her lips and placed more food into Tan
Polang’s bowl, “Eat, eat. Then you can have the strength to cry, to be as sorrowful as you want.
Where would you find the strength to do all of that if you’re hungry?”
Tan Polang stood up abruptly after listening to Ye Ci’s words. His body trembled, and his anger
appeared to be at its peak. Despite that, he remained quiet as he glared at Ye Ci with his bloodshot
eyes that were filled with anger. If looks could kill, Ye Ci would’ve been dead.
“Why are you looking at me?” Ye Ci narrowed her eyes and smiled. It was a smile that did not
reach her eyes.
The boy could not stand her provocation any longer. He set down his chopsticks, pushed aside his
chair, and dashed out of the house.
“Polang! Polang!” Zuo Xiaolan immediately shouted after him, “Bai Mo! Quick! Follow and
check on him!”
Bai Mo was stunned by the sudden turn of events. He sprang into action and chased after Tan
Polang when Zuo Xiaolan shouted at him.
“You damned brat! How could you say that!? Don’t you know what happened to his family?”
Zuo Xiaolan, who was thoroughly angered, slapped Ye Ci. “How could you do that as a sister?
Why are you making fun of somebody else’s misfortune?”
Ye Nantian knew that Zuo Xiaolan had lost control of her temper, and he immediately held her
back, “Honey, you have to calm down.” He the gave Ye Ci a meaningful look, “Damned brat,
why are you still standing over there? Go after him! What if he gets lost or something?”
Ye Ci mumbled an affirmation under her breath and slowly walked away. She did not even take
Zuo Xiaolan’s cussing seriously. She let out a sigh. What an egoistic boy.
Tan Polang had not eaten well for days, and Ye Ci had heard about it from Bai Mo. Because of
that, she knew that Tan Polang would not be able to get far.
She walked downstairs slowly, then pulled out her phone and called Bai Mo. After confirming that
Bai Mo had caught up with the kid and that they were at the park, Ye Ci headed to the place slowly.
She could see the two sitting on a bench from afar, and Bai Mo was consoling Tan Polang like a
caring older brother. It did not work out well. He was totally being ignored by the kid.
Ye Ci turned around and walked towards a beef noodles restaurant nearby and ordered 2 bowls of
noodles. She instructed the employees to deliver the noodles to the park, and left. As she
approached the Bai Mo and Tan Polang, Bai Mo, who heard her footsteps, turned to look at her.
She smiled and said, “Bai Mo, you can head back first.”
“Uh?” Bai Mo was baffled, “Why are you here?”
“So I’m not allowed to come here? You head home, or there’ll be no dishes left for you.” Said
Ye Ci who was standing behind Bai Mo with a calm expression.
Just as Bai Mo was about to open his mouth, Ye Ci shook her head, and he immediately
understood her intention. Sometimes, the person who hung the bell on the tiger’s neck must untie
it [1]. Bai Mo stood up, patted Tan Polang on the head, and left.
Ye Ci sat down after Bai Mo left. She stared up into the sky, remaining silent. The weather would
be perfect, if not for the cold. The chilly winds were like tiny knives slicing across Ye Ci’s face.
Tan Polang glanced at Ye Ci and immediately wanted to stand up and leave, but was surprised by
Ye Ci’s sudden words, “With that scrawny body of yours, you’d definitely fall flat on your face
before you could get far.”
Tan Polang’s body trembled. Ye Ci was not sure if it was out of his anger or because of the cold.
Even Ye Ci who was wearing a sweater was trembling in the cold, not to mention a kid in thin
clothing. After a long moment of silence, Tan Polang could no longer hold himself back, and his
anger finally erupted, “Do you have something against me?”
“Nope.”
“Have I done anything to offend you?”
Ye Ci glanced at him sideways, “Not yet.”
“Then why are you bullying me? Is it because I’m an orphan now?” The wimpy kid was finally
thoroughly angered. He was originally angry because he was bullied by Ye Ci. Ye Ci’s indifferent
tone just added fuel to the fire. The attitude that Ye Ci was treating him with was the last straw that
broke the camel’s back.
Ye Ci did not utter a single word, and instead continued staring silently at Tan Polang.
When somebody ignored your anger, it was like throwing a punch at a sack of cotton. It was
obvious that Tan Polang would feel frustrated because of that, “So what if I’ve lost my parents?
I didn’t do shit! Yes, I’m an orphan! So I’m not welcomed in your house? Did you feel that I’
ll be stealing away your parents or something? Let me tell you! I don’t even want to be here! I’
m here because of your meddlesome mother! Do you think I want to be here? Do you think I like
to lodge underneath somebody else’s roof?”
Tan Polang’s voice became hoarser and hoarser as he shouted out his frustration. He had even
began to sob. Although he was a boy, at that moment, his face was filled with tears.
Ye Ci however, remained silent and continued watching him. Her face betrayed no emotion. The
little brat was still cursing and shouting and sobbing. At that point, he was sweating profusely. It
was as if he was tormenting himself. Right at that moment, the boss of the noodle restaurant
delivered two lunchboxes filled with beef noodles. The reddish soup was very appealing.
Ye Ci paid the boss, and began slurping down the noodles after placing another lunch box beside
Tan Polang.
After a few days of not eating well, and with his earlier fit of anger earlier on, Tan Polang’s
tummy was grumbling. He can’t help but swallowed visibly as he observed Ye Ci slurping down
her noodles. In his mind, Ye Ci was his enemy. He must not give in.
However, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Tan Polang’s was betrayed by his rumbling
tummy. This placed him in a desperate situation. He expected Ye Ci to make fun of him, but she
did not even raise her head, and merely said in a light tone, “This restaurant’s beef noodles are
nice. Their food is way better than mine. It’d be a shame if you waste it just like that.”
Tan Polang had an urge to give in to his hunger, but did not do so out of fear of “losing face”. He
snorted and remained still. A chilly wind blew past, and he began trembling.
“You’re a guy. Act like one. If you want to eat, just do it. But you have to pay for it after you
eat.” Ye Ci was still eating the noodles without even looking at Tan Polang.
Tan Polang tried his hardest to resist, but he was unable to withstand the constant protest of his
rumbling tummy. He gritted his teeth and began slurping down the noodles as well.
For a moment, the only sound in the park was that of the two of them slurping their noodles.
“Having lost your parents is indeed sad.” Said Ye Ci as she was eating her noodles. She caught a
glimpse of Tan Polang’s hand trembling and continued, “But, that sorrow belongs to you alone.
It has nothing to do with anyone else.”
It was Tan Polang’s turn to remain silent. He was immersed in eating the noodles.
“Everybody has a sob story. But do you really need to proclaim it to the world? Wasn’t that just
asking for sympathy?” Ye Ci laughed grimly as she looked into the distance, remembering herself
in her last life, “You don’t need to look for sympathy. Nobody would understand your sorrows.
No matter how sad and how tragic your story is, it will always be ‘somebody else’s matter’ in
the eye of another person. They can sympathize with you, and they can feel sorry about it. Heck,
they can even enjoy watching your suffering. But who would truly care about it?”
“I did not show it openly!” Tan Polang protested while he was still stuffing noodles into his
mouth.
“Aren’t you doing it right now?” Ye Ci laughed, “It’s okay to feel sad, but only in moderation.
If you overdo it, you’ll go apathetic before long.”
“I’m not a child anymore! Of course I know!” Tan Polang thought that Ye Ci was still having a
go at him, “I don’t need you to tell me that!”
Ye Ci was not angry. She knew how he felt.
“Sometimes, some sorrows should be hidden in your heart. It’s a precious emotion. You don’t
get to experience it often in your life. You must learn restraint.” And with that, Ye Ci gulped
down the last of her noodles and washed it down with the soup, “Everybody is busy. They don’
t have the time or energy to spare on somebody else’s happiness or sorrow. This is why you must
not trouble others with such matters.”
“You must learn in order to grow.” Ye Ci let out a sigh, as if she was her past self. Her
despicable past self who was full of scars, “Try to be more cheerful.”
“I’m alone from now on.” Tan Polang spoke up after a long moment of silence. It was apparent
that he no longer loathed Ye Ci as much. Or at least his words were way more gentle now.
Ye Ci did not want to stir Polang’s emotion any further. She patted his head and said, “Don’t you
have us?”
The beef noodles were spicy and hot, making it uncomfortable. Tan Polang’s tears were flowing
freely at this point, and he couldn’t see clearly. The boy sniffled, wiped his face with his sleeves
and said, “I don’t have money to pay for the noodles.”
“Well I’ll lend some to you. You can repay me later.”
“You’re annoying.”
“You don’t seem to be a very likeable person either.”
Translator's Note:
1. The person who hung the bell on the tiger’s neck must untie it: 解铃终须系铃人
A head monk once asked his students, "How does one untie a bell that was tied around a tiger's
neck?" which one of them answered, "Only the person who tied the bell can untie it." Moral of the
story, boys and girls, you're the only who can sort your own shit out.
Chapter 103 Guild War
Tan Polang eventually decided to follow Ye Ci home. He was sweating after slurping down the the
beef noodles, and his body was able to warm up. He followed behind Ye Ci, head lowered. Zuo
Xiaolan immediately pulled him into a tight embrace and began to console him. Tan Polang felt a
little embarrassed after receiving her treatment. It was as if he had grown more sensible after
listening to Ye Ci’s words. The bitterness and sorrow were gone.
This perked the curiosity of Zuo Xiaolan, Ye Nantian and Bai Mo. What exactly had Ye Ci said to
Tan Polang? Both of them tacitly remained quiet, keeping it a top secret. Neither of them spoke a
word.
After the matter was settled, Ye Ci and Bai Mo were ready to go online. Bai Mo who had not
played for at least 4 days was especially antsy. Deep down, Bai Mo was suffering. How he wished
that he could instantly waltz online and check in on the guild members. He had left in a hurry,
without even notifying the guild members, and he felt guilty. The guild was preparing to explore
the Frosty Wasteland Inner Sanctum, but he left at the most crucial moment. Bai Mo felt bad about
his actions.
Tan Polang, who had composed himself, stared at Ye Ci and Bai Mo for a short moment and
suddenly spoke up, “What are you guys playing? Is it Fate?”
Quite a few of the youths were playing the game Fate. Ye Ci was not surprised that Tan Polang
knew of the game. She told him the truth, “Yes, we’re playing Fate. You interested in playing as
well?”
Before Tan Polang could answer Ye Ci’s question, Zuo Xiaolan’s voice rang out, “Just play your
game, don’t corrupt Polang. The holiday is going to end in half a month, and Polang has lots to
learn at school. You want him to be like you two? Playing to the point where you don’t even eat
and sleep?”
Bai Mo and Ye Ci shared a look and laughed after Zuo Xiaolan spoke up. They looked at Tan
Polang, shook their heads, and sighed, “Work hard in your studies, you can do it. Upwards ho!”
With that, the two went back to their separate rooms. Tan Polang immediately followed Ye Ci into
hers. Ye Ci couldn’t help but felt odd when Tan Polang followed her into her room, “Didn’t my
mom told you to go study? Why are you here?”
“What is your in-game name?” Tan Polang could only watch as Ye Ci opened up the gaming
cabin.
“Why?”
“Nothing, I’m just asking.” Tan Polang seemed to have something to say, but he held his words
back.
Ye Ci knew that there was something that Polang had wanted to say. She knew that he would
eventually spill everything out without her pushing, so she didn’t press the matter.
“Okay then. Since you’ve asked your question, you can go study now.” Ye Ci was already
climbing into the gaming cabin. She waved her hand dismissively, apparently no longer having
any intention to talk to the little brat. She still needed to go online and level Ol’ Four up.
“Sister Ye Ci, have you heard about King?” Tan Polang suddenly spoke right before Ye Ci was
about to close the lid to her gaming cabin. He had gained much more respect for Ye Ci after her
“life lesson” session. Even the way he addressed her had changed.
King? Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. Of course she knew about that guy. He was the champion
of the International E-Sports Tournament for 5 years. His low-profile character was as famous as
his skills. He had never shown his face. Even when he attended the tournament, he did so by
wearing a pair of sunglasses and a mask. The identity of the players in the E-Sports tournament
were confirmed by fingerprint and a retinal scanner, which was why he was not disqualified.
It was a rather distant memory for Ye Ci, as it was something that had happened 10 years ago. She
simply nodded, “Who wouldn’t know about the 5-time champion of the International E-Sports
Tournament?”
“He seems to be playing Fate.” Tan Polang mumbled under his breath.
“Oh, this game is very popular. It’s not that strange.”
“About that…” Just as Tan Polang was about to finally get to the point after beating around the
bush for so long, a pale-faced Bai Mo rushed into Ye Ci’s room. Anxiety was written all over his
face, “Why haven’t you gotten online yet?”
Ye Ci was baffled, and a feeling of uneasiness began creeping into her heart, “What happened?”
“Hurry up! Somebody declared war on our guild 6am today!” With that, Bai Mo left the room,
leaving behind Ye Ci with a calm expression on her face, and Tan Polang who was utterly
shocked.
“Shit’s hit the fan. I have to go online now. You can go study now.” Ye Ci laid down in the
gaming cabin.
Tan Polang immediately sprung up, “You haven’t told me what your name in game is!”
“Gongzi You.” Ye Ci had satisfied the little brat’s wish and told him her name before closing
the lid of the gaming cabin. He would probably force it open to get the answer, had Ye Ci not
revealed her name.
Ye Ci could see that Tan Polang was just like Fluttering Red Feather. He was stubborn and
relentless. She decided to give him the answer to avoid being disturbed by the kid.
Ye Ci immediately returned to the Eastern Continent with a Flying Shard after she logged into the
game. She then teleported to Red Lake City with her city-recalling stone.
There were 2 ways to initiate a Guild War in Fate, which were closely related to the level of the
guild encampment of a guild. Guild encampments that were lvl1-lvl5 were placed in specific guild
servers, and could only be reached through certain NPCs. To declare war on a guild, a player must
enter a very specific map and locate a very specific NPC to declare war on a guild. This was
different for lvl6-lvl10 guild encampments. An encampment that met the level requirement must
be built on a plot of land adjacent to the city that the guild was bound to. It was easier for the
development of the guild to have their encampment right beside a major city, but it was also easier
for somebody to declare war on them. The moment somebody attacked a guild banner within the
guild encampment, it meant that war had been declared. Of course, with the growth of guilds in
the game, the second type of Guild War became more and more popular.
Ye Ci’s guild encampment was lvl5, which meant that the Guild War was declared using the first
method. This was why there were no fights going on within Red Lake City. Ye Ci headed straight
for the NPC in charge of guild affairs and teleported back to the guild encampment.
The fight was already in full swing by the time Ye Ci arrived. The entire encampment was a mess.
The strong walls of the encampment were badly damaged. It seemed that their opponent had
packed some serious firepower that could overcome even the walls of a lvl 5 guild encampment.
“I want the 1st ranged squad to retreat from the wall and heal up. 2nd squad, go with them as
well. 3rd squad, take their place! I want the 4th squad to heal our melee fighters that are fighting
outside the wall! Summoner Team 1, continue patrolling the area with your minions, direct them
to actively attack any enemies! All the Rogues patrolling the encampment’s perimeter, widen your
patrol area, we must not let them succeed in another sneak attack!” Mi Lu’s voice rang out in the
guild channel. His voice was calm and powerful. It was the quality of a good commander.
It was not hard to tell from Mi Lu’s words that Upwards Ho!’s guild encampment had suffered
from a successful sneak attack by their opponent, which resulted in such devastation.
With the situation temporarily stabilized, Ye Ci headed straight for the guild conference room. She
knew that the guild administrators, including Bai Mo, Timely Rain, Icy Cold Little Hands, Pickled
Pepper Phoenix Claw and Let Go Of That Girl were having a meeting in the room when she
noticed that they were not taking part in the battle.
As expected, they were in the guild conference room having a lively discussion.
“Those cowards! They attacked when most of our members were not online! If it wasn’t for our
lvl 5 guild encampment, we would’ve lost by now!” Let Go Of That Girl brought his fist down
on the table. He was so angry that he’d pulled on his beard until it was in complete disarray.
“Forget about it. They’re just too many of them. Our guild might be popular and famous, but we
are actually quite understrength. Even after we’ve managed to recruit a quite a few members, they
left right after somebody declared war on us. If this continues…” Fruit Jelly let out a sigh, worry
written all over her face.
“Don’t panic. Ink, what’s the situation? How goes the battle?”
“It’s stable. But we’re at quite a huge disadvantage. Our guild was still young, and the
members’ loyalty is not that firm yet. A lot of them were demoralised once we began losing
ground. It’s a tough fight.” Overflowing Ink let out a sigh, “It’s all my fault. If only I’ve came
online earlier…”
“Forget about it…’
“Who was the one that declared war on us?” Ye Ci had been standing unnoticed at the doorway
for quite some time. In their heated discussion, none of the guild admins noticed her presence. She
was able to grasp the gravity of the situation by listening in on their conversation. Other than Steel
Blooded Battle Spear, there seemed to be no other guilds that had beef with Ye Ci. Why would
somebody declare war on them?
“Full Moon’s Night.” Somebody immediately offered Ye Ci a seat.
Full Moon’s Night? Ye Ci was baffled. The guild was not quite well-known, and was not even a
top-10 guild in the Eastern Continent. However, their combat strength was actually higher than
Upwards Ho!, or at least they had more members. But that was not the point. That point was that
Ye Ci didn’t even know them!
“Who’s the guild leader?”
“Crimson Twilight.” It was Icy Cold Little hands, who was in charge of the guild’s public
relations, who answered Ye Ci’s question. She knew almost all the the higher ups of the major and
medium-sized guilds in the Eastern Continent.
Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. She couldn’t say that she did not know the name. So it was them.
Ye Ci grimaced. They did have beef with her guild.
Chapter 104 The Battle
Chapter 104 The Battle
All the guild admins in the room were present during that PvP battle. Once the name was
mentioned, they immediately understood what was going on. Ye Ci eyed the admins that were still
intending to continue the meeting and laughed. “There’s nothing to discuss anymore. Since it’
s them, it only means that they held a grudge against us. Let’s go out there and fight them.”
“We’re severely outnumbered. Mi Lu is now directing members to take turns in joining the
battle. Their engagement endurance is not that good, and they ’ re in constant need of
replenishment.” Overflowing Ink raised a rather important issue, “Although we have managed to
gather a lot of new recruits after the Dragon Dance event, the number of those who would truly
fight for the guild is questionable. Most of them don’t have a sense of belonging to the guild.
Even they helped out, they did not even try their best, and that…”
“That affected the original members of our guild as well.” Ye Ci completed Overflowing Ink’s
sentence.
Everyone remained silent. It was the truth.
Although there were quite a few members in Upwards Ho!, most of them joined the guild because
of the lvl 5 guild encampment. They had their own little agendas, and unity was the last thing in
their minds. In this Guild Battle where they were needed dearly, only the original guild members
and a very miniscule number of the new members were willing to join the fight.
Full Moon’s Night must have had prepared thoroughly for this battle. They’d planned their
strategy well. Their attack on the guild encampment was fast and unexpected. To have war
declared upon them at such an early hour, the guild encampment of Upwards Ho! would’ve been
sacked if not for the tough defences of a lvl 5 guild encampment.
Although a lot of Upwards Ho!’s players had come online and were fighting back, morale was
low. Despite not having any advantages, the enemy’s sudden attack had greatly affected the
members of Upwards Ho!. Although Upwards Ho! was protected by the strong fortifications of a
lvl 5 guild, victory was within their grasp.
The enemy, however, had a weakness.
There were NPCs who sold supplies stationed in the guild encampment. Even if the guild’s own
Potion Masters were unable to keep their production of potions equal to the pace of the battle, the
guild members could always purchase potions from the NPCs. Those on the attacking side did not
have such a convenience. They had to carry their own supplies, and they’d brought only a limited
number of Potion Masters. They could not afford to drag out the fight.
If Upwards Ho! was able to prolong the fight, Full Moon’s Night would’ve lost. However, there
was a time limit for Guild Battles.
The time limit for attacking a lvl 5 guild encampment was 5 hours. In other words, when Full
Moon’s Night began their attack on Upwards Ho! at 6am in the morning, the battle would end at
11am. If the outcome of the battle was not decided by then, the system would then decide the
victors by calculating the casualties on both sides and the damage sustained by both side’s
fortifications.
“What’s the time now?” Ye Ci asked all of a sudden.
“10.27am.” Timely Rain answered.
Ye Ci nodded and left the conference room. “I’ll take a look at the encampment wall.”
Things were definitely not going well.
The ranged players of Full Moon’s Night were positioned 20 yards away from the encampment
wall. There were roughly 100 of them, which included mages and those who dealt physical
damage. It was actually not something that needed to be worried about, as the attack range for
ranged classes was generally the same. The factor that had placed Upwards Ho! in a pinch was the
fact that the skill range in Fate was calculated by distance traveled in a straight line. The players of
Upwards Ho! were all stationed on the encampment’s wall. This meant that there would be an
angle when they fired downwards downwards, and the angle meant that there would be an extra
distance of 2 yards between their range and enemy’s range. Because of that, only abilities that
dealt AOE damage could reach their enemies.
AOE attacks were mana consuming, and had a long cast time. Because of that, the ranged classes
of Upwards Ho! could deal very limited amount of damage to their enemies, and they could barely
defend their encampment wall.
The melee players that had charged out to meet the enemy were bogged down by the enemy’s
melee players. Both sides were evenly matched, which was a bad news for Upwards Ho!. They
could not break the siege, while the enemy was unable to successfully break through their lines.
This quickly became a battle of attrition. There were numerous Rogues and Rangers lurking
beyond the boundaries of the encampment ’ s wall, trying to look for a way in while
simultaneously preventing flanking attacks by Upwards Ho!’s players.
Ye Ci pursed her lips. Crimson Twilight had put in quite a real effort to defeat Upwards Ho!. She
took a look at the wall’s status, and noticed that the enemy had dealt 80% damage to the wall. If
the situation continued, even if they could not break through Upwards Ho!’s defences, the guild
would steal lose due to the damage they’d sustained.
Time was of the essence.
Ye Ci immediately climbed down from the city wall and walked up to the guild member guarding
the main gate, “Open the gate.”
“But…” The guild member was hesitant.
Ye Ci did not make things difficult for him. She immediately spoke to the person in command, Mi
Lu. “Mi Lu, open the gate, let me out.”
“Guild leader…”
“It’s alright. It’s not like I’m heading out seeking death.” Ye Ci knew that Mi Lu was worried
for her, and she consoled him with a laugh.
After a moment of contemplation, Mi Lu ordered the guild members to open the gate and let Ye Ci
out.
Ye Ci immediately ran into Remote Depths and Let Go Of That Girl who had joined the battle.
They were stunned to see Ye Ci, and Remote Depths spoke up, “This is a melee battlefield, what
is a ranged player like you doing here?”
Ye Ci ignored his question and said, “Focus all your attacks on one of them in a while.”
“What?” Before the two could fully understand the situation, Ye Ci summoned Ol’ Four. The
appearance of Ol’ Four brought shock to the players in the area with his sheer size and
intimidating look. The players of Full Moon’s Night began whispering to each other.
“Crimson, there’s a Huntress among them, could she be Gongzi You?”
“Mallow, go take a look.”
“Got it.”
At the same time as Crimson Twilight gave the order, Ol’ Four cast Tremor. Ol’ Four was now
lvl 17, while the players in the area were all below lvl 22. There was no level penalty for Ol’
Four’s skill. The Tremor dealt horrifying damage to all players in a 30 yard radius, and a majority
of them were Stunned.
The melee players in Full Night’s Moon had been fighting for at least 3 hours. Most of them were
exhausted. They had not expected such a sudden change. The only thing they saw was a Huntress
coming out from the encampment’s gate.
The Huntress whistled as she ran towards them and a gigantic black T-rex appeared out of
nowhere. Before they could even react, the dinosaur let out a roar and stomped on the ground.
Cracks appeared underneath their feet, and their HP dropped rapidly.
It was nothing compared to what happened to them next. Almost all of the melee players of Full
Moon’s Night were Stunned.
Chaos immediately erupted in the guild channel of Full Moon’s Night.
“F*ck! What the hell is that pet? Are T-rexes so tough?”
“Where are the healers? Hurry and heal us up!”
“Boss! We’re screwed! That thing is just too fierce! I got taken out in one hit!”
……
After a few days of leveling up and pampering, Ol’ Four’s loyalty was raised to 69. Although its
loyalty was not maxed out, and it would still throw occasional tantrums, it would definitely not
back away from a fight. And the thing that brought tears to Ye Ci’s eyes was that… She could
finally ride Ol’ Four.
Ye Ci climbed onto Ol’ Four right after it cast Tremor. She could see Crimson Twilight. He was
just sticking out too much with his Crimson Mage Robe Set.
When Crimson Twilight noticed that 90% of the melee players of Full Moon’s Night were
stunned, he immediately gave an order. “I want all the Clerics to heal the melees up, be careful of
your positioning, don’t let the enemy ranged players catch you clumping together. Move it!”
Their distance of around 20-30 yards away from the encampment’s gate was not that far. Ye Ci
had already brushed past the melee players of Full Moon’s Night and closed the distance to the
ranged players with Ol’ Four’s Stampede. At least 8 players laid dead in front of Ol’ Four. It
was the result of them being pushed away by the tremendous force of Ol’ Four’s Stampede as he
plowed through their ranks. Their HP was already depleted when they were hit by Stampede.
“It’s Gongzi You! Concentrate all your attacks on her!” Crimson Twilight was quick to spot Ye
Ci, who was riding on top of Ol’ Four, his eyes were red with anger and he immediately gave the
order.
It was still too late.
Ol’ Four jumped up and used Tail Whip. Ol’ Four’s thick tail sliced through the air like a
gigantic blade, drawing a crescent shape in the air. The players who were unable to dodge let out
blood-curdling screams and dropped dead at Ol’ Four’s feet.
Crimson Twilight, who had managed to back away, managed to avoid the full damage of Tail
Whip, but he was still at the edge of the effective range of the skill and had lost two thirds of his
HP. He immediately chugged down a bottle of Health Potion as he ran.
Ye Ci took aim at Crimson Twilight’s back with her crossbow. But before she could fire off a bolt,
the system notification chimed in, “You’ve been attacked by Mallow.”
And sure enough, Ye Ci was Stunned. She sat still on Ol’ Four’s back, unable to move.
The situation was bad for Ye Ci. Everything happened too fast. She had charged in too fast. She
had not expected that there was a Rogue lurking nearby despite the speed of her advance. Ye Ci
furrowed her eyebrows. She could even sense the movements of the mages of Full Moon’s Night
who had regrouped and were pointing their staffs at her…
Chapter 105 Bankrupt~
“You’ve been attacked by Mallow.”
“You’ve been knocked off your mount.”
The 2 system notifications appeared as Ye Ci fell off from Ol’ Four’s back. The biggest
difference between a combat mount and a normal mount was that it could be rode into combat and
it would not disappear if its owner was knocked down.
Ye Ci’s little red horse was a very good example. If she was attacked by someone while riding the
horse, she would immediately be knocked off of it, and the horse would disappear. It would only
reappear when Ye Ci summoned it when she exited combat status. Ol’ Four was very different
from that. Even after Ye Ci was knocked down, it would not disappear, as it was a combat mount,
and it would carry out the most basic defensive actions. This meant that it would automatically
attack the last person who had attacked its owner.
Mallow had actually been trying to hit Ye Ci with a number of his abilities. He was shocked when
Ye Ci resisted the effects of 2 of them. Just how high was the level of this Huntress? She was
immune to 2 of his skills! Staggering Blow and Bash however, were able to connect, and Ye Ci
fell down from Ol’ Four. She stood shakily with her head lowered. She was being Stunned.
What Mallow had not expected was that Ol’ Four did not disappear even after Ye Ci had fallen
from his back. He had not even paid much attention to Ol’ Four, and instead immediately used
Bone Shear on Ye Ci… But before his dagger could sink itself into Ye Ci’s body, his vision went
black, and he received a system notification, “You have died.”
Mallow was baffled. He had not even noticed that he had taken damage, and had not been notified
by the system that he had been attacked either. How did he die? He could not even choose the
method of his resurrection upon death, nor could he see his corpse. He appeared immediately in
the city that he was bound to.
He stood dumbfounded in front of the Goddess of Fate NPC that had resurrected him. Why was he
here? Wasn’t he still in a Guild Battle?
“How did I die? How the fuck did I die?” Mallow immediately shouted out in the guild channel,
“I’ve been sent back to the city! Is that a bug? Wouldn’t I have the choice to revive myse