MMORPG: The Elementalist

Chapter 171: The Ten-Man Party on the Mythical Battlefield

“Allow me to lead the introductions. This is Brother Da, my sworn brother. He is a Level 40 Zephyrus Swordmaster. His combat skill may not be as good as Brother Slayer’s, but it is still significantly powerful and his attention to detail is foolproof. I thought he might be a good addition to our group, and that it would be a good opportunity for him to gain some exposure and learn from Brother Slayer.”

Standing before Slayer’s Heart was an impressive-looking tall and burly guy. Brother Da looked sensible and was honestly excited to be there. After greeting everyone, he winked at Qin Ruo, sending a brotherly message across.

‘Good brother. You just know me so well!’

Next was Xinqin. Very naturally, Qin Ruo pressed his hand on top of her head.

“This is Gold Digger Babe. She’s a student and a little brat, but don’t underestimate her. She’s a Level 42 Brigand. She excels in Stealth and Assassination.”

Hearing Qin Ruo’s first few words made the little brat furrow her eyebrows and pout in displeasure. Luckily, he followed up with something positive, so she let it go with a smile. Qin Ruo’s attempt to flatter her seemed to be working very well. But as always, it did not last as Qin Ruo proceeded to pat her head.

“Little brat, you need to look at the people you’re dealing with before you get cocky. Every brother and sister you see here are stronger than me. Do as you see fit, but be prudent.”

With that said, Gold Digger Babe stared around agape—starting from Slayer’s Heart to Violet Orchid to Burning Rose to Little Apple to iLittle Arrow, and lastly to Violetmoon Devilite, her eyes full of admiration. The cocky look she had on previously disappeared in an instant as she cried out loud, giving the impression of an obedient little girl, “Big brother! Big sisters!”

Slayer’s Heart and the ladies were quite taken with her as they responded positively. Burning Rose even pulled her aside and promised to pick two pieces of equipment from her warehouse to gift Gold Digger Babe when they returned from their mission. Enthusiasm and excitement grew within her and she started becoming more affectionate.

A sense of awkwardness washed over Qin Ruo was he drank in what just happened. That little brat was indeed good with people. They really took to her so easily.

He then turned to the last person he was to introduce—Dinosaurcerer.

A Tier 4 Summoner stood there dressed in a long robe with golden stripes, holding a dark purplish wooden staff that looked like a fried dough twist. On the top of the staff was a black crystal rock with a small crack that was almost indiscernible. It was a mysterious staff that was strangely eye-catching. The Summoner was the ‘reinforecement’ that Slayer’s Heart and the rest took notice of first when they all arrived.

By the looks of it, Slayer’s Heart and Violet Orchid thought he did quite look the role of a Supporter.

“This is Dinosaurcerer, a Level 40 Shadow Summoner. About his strength… how do I explain this…” Qin Ruo came to a stop, realizing he was at a loss at how to describe his friend’s powers. Dinosaurcerer’s Beastform Fusion was a special power that produced differing results each time used. He also did not have a second Summoning Mana Core to seal a Silverwolf. It was difficult for Qin Ruo to put those into words.

Fortunately for him, they were all understanding and did not mind it.

Seeing the three newly added Supporters Qin Ruo introduced, Slayer’s Heart somehow felt like they were the right choices. A modest Zephyrus Swordmaster, a lovely Brigand, and a versatile Summoner. Did Qin Ruo select them by chance, or did he do the math and strategically pulled the three out on purpose knowing that they were exactly what the party lacked?

The most important thing to note was that all three of them were very easy-going. After exchanging some words, they managed to blend in quite well. The original party members had been afraid there might be some discord, but the meeting went smoothly. With that, Violet Orchid and the others understood that they had been worried for nothing. It was always troubling to think that there were people who would bear grudges against others during their journey together. So, luckily all seemed alright with the new additions.

Slayer’s Heart further explained some minor details to Qin Ruo and the others about what to expect upon entering the Mythical Battlefield, and also about their responsibilities and positions should they chance upon a Boss. That being said, the party of ten soon officially started their adventure, first starting by setting foot on Moonrise City!

***

Moonrise City.

The city had been prospering all these while. However, ever since many players advanced to Tier 4, the popularity had been dwindling. It was mainly because of the newly announced Pet System the day before. In just a short period, the city lost almost all its players.

Instead of being in the city, players either rushed to Pet Shops to pick their Pet Eggs or explored the available peculiar Pet Shop goods in various other cities. It was the first time the Mythical Battlefield lost a bit of its attractiveness this way…

While players were slowly returning there, most of them had directed their attention to the Pet System instead. Most of them who actually frequented the Mythical Battlefield were professional players. So, of course, they were up-to-date with the game trends. Knowing that Pets could greatly boost their strength during battles, that became their priority, especially when they did not want to fall behind.

The moment the ten of them entered Moonrise City, they felt the absence of people in the once bustling city.

The number of people was greatly reduced…

It was a strange sight to see the few players around entering and exiting the city looking excited. They appeared to be in a hurry.

Slayer’s Heart was not one to get thrown off by peculiar events. In fact, he had an explanation for this particular one. The number of parties venturing into the Mythical Battlefield had reduced significantly. This directly affects the probability of players running into their rival Leagues by quite a bit. Players who had already bonded with their Pet Eggs earlier would turn to ambushing their enemies in nearby cities in hopes of gaining victory over them. It was a good opportunity for them to execute their plans that they thought would have foiled should they have decided on them in the past.

After the explanation, something came to Slayer’s Heart’s mind.

“Oh yeah, Little Qin. I can’t believe I’ve never asked you this. When do you usually enter the Mythical Battlefield?”

“Never.”

Qin Ruo stopped with just one word, realizing but not understanding the reaction that came after.

“Never? Then what’s the deal with your Honor Points?” This time, the other party members gave him equally strange looks.

Then, it dawned upon Qin Ruo. So, it was about the Honor Points. He proceeded to explain how he managed to obtain seven Honor Points upon his advancement into Tier 4.

His revelation came to a shock to the members. Astonishment was written all over the faces of the nine of them.

“We can get Honor Points from the Tier 4 Advancement Quest?!”

“How come I did not obtain any back then? How about you, Sis Burning Rose?”

“I didn’t either… It’s probably had something to do with the Advancement Quest selection. The difficulty of Ruo Ruo’s Advancement Quest was extremely high!” Burning Rose explained to Gold Digger Babe.

“Ruo Ruo?”

The two words Gold Digger Babe repeated left a weird taste in her mouth. It was absolutely bizarre for her to hear Qin Ruo being addressed in that manner.

While they were all overwhelmed by the sudden revelations and explanations, the ten of them walked smoothly out of the city.

What met their eyes was not something to behold. As battles had been raging on and on for years outside the city, almost the entire area within a ten-kilometer radius of the city looked like a bloodshed war zone. There was not a single place anyone could take cover under, nor were there grass or even wood present within the vicinity. What actually walked there were only a few monsters between Level 40 and Level 45.

Players of H&G, Slayer’s Heart explained, treated any land within that ten kilometers as a safe zone. It was a mutual understanding between players and parties. Within that range, everyone only needed to focus on battling the monsters and need not worry about enemy attacks. No matter how powerful any party was, no one was reckless enough to try to take advantage of the situation by barging into that region to take out other players.

There was not a single hiding spot there. Players could easily spot any sign of their enemy should there be one. If they do though, they would immediately enter their Combat State and hence swiftly determine the Combat powers of their enemies and allies, which would help them decide on their next step, whether it was to proceed with battle or retreat.

That was why, under ordinary circumstances, Honor Points were not easily achievable within the region. However, should they go further than ten kilometers, it was a whole different world. What with more experienced players and the such, their parties would most definitely be wiped out entirely!

And so, players familiar with the Mythical Battlefield knew where the safe zone they could retreat to was, and also what awaited them beyond the ten kilometers…

What stood there was a massive area made up of a variety of forests, swamps, canyons, mountains, hills, and various other perilous terrains. And what lived there were monsters and Bosses of higher levels. Not only that, opposition parties lied in wait for potential victims.

Qin Ruo and his party members now stood on their own to fight. Despite their short journey so far, they had learned of each other’s strengths and had acquired a certain understanding of how they worked.

As they took turns battling monsters with levels higher than Level 45, it was obvious Slayer’s Heart had the most speed. His combo strikes came one after another without a pause. From the start till now, he never gave the monsters a chance to attack. He would always strike first and delay them by twelve seconds. Everyone acknowledged the fact that he was one of their strongest players!

As for Burning Rose and Little Apple, they were almost brought down to their knees. Little Apple lacked the imposing manner and confidence that Slayer’s Heart exuded. Her focus would always be more on her defense which always resulted in delayed attacks. Burning Rose on the other hand had it a bit easier. Her moves would start with her activating her double Magic Defense which allowed her to stop attacks from the monsters, just like Slayer’s Heart. Her magic exhausted in twenty seconds, about the same as Little Apple. However, if the time needed to activate the Magic Defense was taken into consideration, she would actually be slightly more inferior to Little Apple.

Next up, iLittle Arrow and Dinosaurcerer. The former had the tendency to blast out speedy attacks where the attack power was relatively weaker. She would use up more than half a minute to slowly kill the monster. The latter on the other hand, completely relied on the monsters he summoned to be his meat shields, aiding him in moving around. This power of his did not have a high attacking power to it and also brought about a delay of forty seconds…

As for the rest…

Violet Orchid and Violetmoon Devilite had the responsibilities of supporting and healing their party members, so that became their role in battle. Brother Da and Gold Digger’s performance did not bode well for them. Brother Da always required a little time out to replenish himself by taking his potions while the monsters’ attention was on someone else. He would occasionally run around frantically and retreat temporarily. He really did what he could in the battle. But Gold Digger Babe appeared to not dare to engage in it at all.

Finally!

Qin Ruo could no longer bear to look at the pathetic situation before him. Choosing a suitable moment to intervene…

“Condense!”

“Transfigure!”

“Darkfrost Sting!”

With a loud cry, two Darkfrost Stings were launched, emitting a deadly chill. Under the scrutiny of the observers’ eyes, his attacks struck the Violetshock Leopard that Brother Da had been battling for quite some time, and finished it off just like that.

Violet Orchid and Slayer’s Heart stood there in amazement, staring at each other.

‘Tier 4 Magic could be used like that?’