MMORPG: The Elementalist

It was half a month ago—Qin Ruo could still clearly remember that he only had one simple wish at that time: Before Xin Yu’s sickness became any worse, he had to scrape together enough money to pay for her treatment. Just that alone would be enough!

After he had sent her to Beijing and returned to the game, Qin Ruo completed one of the most important tasks of his lifetime, while also embarking on a whole new chapter.

That was when he suddenly remembered something Wang Da had once said to him.

“Heh, heh! Hey, Ruo Ruo, if there’s ever a chance after I’ve made it big in the game… I’m going to wear a full set of Gold Equipment with a spare set put away in Storage. Every day, I’ll be out painting the town red, picking up the prettiest chicks, enjoying the high life of an elite player in Honor & Glory!”

At the time, this notion seemed perfectly plausible to Qin Ruo.

However, these past few days in the Graveyard of the Gods had been a severe test of his faith!

From single-handedly slaughtering dozens of Demon Faction players to escaping Dark Dragon’s grasp, then discovering the Emerald Plains through sheer luck… his abilities had increased and his horizons had expanded. Qin Ruo suddenly felt as though…

‘Maybe I can still do better than this.’

More and more, Qin Ruo was coming to discover his own burgeoning potential. He was still not quite the equal of a Tier 5 Supreme Champion, and he had yet to complete his own Tier 5 Advancement Quest. However, as long as he had Poochie, even if he had to go up against opponents like Dark Dragon—who had yet to amass a full set of Legendary Equipment—victory might not be completely impossible.

Perhaps, in the near future—when he managed to put together a full set of Dark Gold Equipment and reached the threshold of Level 49—with Poochie by his side, he would be able to quickly break through to Tier 5 and take his place amongst the Supreme Champions.

Without realizing, his ambitions continued to soar even higher!

Collecting a full set of Dark Gold Equipment—Qin Ruo had begun to think of that as his primary objective in the Graveyard of the Gods!

As for Divinity, that was just as vital, but he was not holding out too much hope for it. Qin Ruo had never been the sort of person who went off on flights of fancy while he had nothing more than vague possibilities that were still out of reach.

Up to this point, Qin Ruo had already acquired as many as eight Dark Gold items from slain players and Boss monsters, while another three, which he had successfully crafted, were currently sitting in his Storage. They should be more than enough to trade in for a decent set of Dark Gold Equipment suitable for an Aquamancer.

However, never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined that, even before possessing any proper Dark Gold items for himself, he would actually chance upon something of Legendary quality instead.

Qin Ruo took a long breath of air, delicately caressing the treasure he was now holding in his hand. Every kind of emotion rushing through his heart.

Returning to his senses, Qin Ruo quickly slipped it into his backpack—a valuable piece of Elementalist equipment—and hurriedly gathered up the rest of the Dark Gold items on the ground along with a Mana Core, which was a mixture of red and black. Then he withdrew. Some of the loot had to be left behind because his backpack had reached full capacity, and it was already straining with protest.

This time, Qin Ruo only kept that Legendary item of unknown level. Its properties were mysterious and ominous. The rest of the stuff he passed over to his envious teammates, with the Gold Equipment going to the supporting spellcasters from earlier.

There were a few who did not receive any of the loot, but they did not complain. After all, it had been a desperate fight against a Tier 5 Boss, and anyone who had not been able to contribute much to the battle would obviously not be getting a share of the reward.

Besides, when the Skelewing Dragon finally fell, a fire had awoken in their eyes. They were willing to turn a blind eye as Qin Ruo took the Legendary item for himself.

Their gazes were bright with excitement and anticipation as they looked at the warp point, which was no longer being guarded by any big, scary monster. They could not wait to travel to the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods and see with their own eyes the place where, legends say, the gods themselves had been slain.

What sort of dangers lay in wait?

***

“Dark Gold Equipment, a Pet Egg for a Tier 5 Elite Miniboss, Skill Books, and now a Legendary item… Heavens, what kind of fortune does he have? For crying out loud, now I’m seriously thinking about getting more Spirit Orbs so I can go looking for some Lost Merchants back on the first level.” Black Rock watched Qin Ruo with envy and discontentment, muttering away to himself.

Those two Sealed Mana Cores had cost 4,000 Redemption Points in total, but the investment had brought tremendous returns. A Legendary item would have cost at least 50,000 Redemption Points with any of the Lost Merchants, yet one had been acquired just like that. It was an incredible bargain.

“If you want to go back to the first level, I’ll be cheering for you,” standing next to Black Rock, Judge lent voice to a jealous heart.

This did nothing to make Black Rock feel better.

Go back to the first level? As though it was that simple!

Never mind that amassing 2,000 Redemption Points was a monumental undertaking in itself, who would turn back, now that they had finally cleared the way to the fifth level? You could not have kept him away even if you beat him with a stick!

While waiting for everyone to get ready, Black Rock looked around idly and overheard a conversation between Subjugator and Fateless.

“That’s right, Fateless. Just now, didn’t you say that you ran into Tiger Cub? What happened?”

“Nothing happened.”

Fateless shrugged and turned around to reveal a frustrated expression. “It’s all because you guys killed the Skelewing Dragon so quickly. I was distracted when it died, and that allowed him to get away from me.”

“Oh no, you must be in pieces right now! This makes him the first Bandit to ever face you and live! Haha, so much for the ‘Bandit Assassin’—time to kiss your title goodbye!” Black Rock cackled raucously at him.

There was nothing else Fateless could do other than nod and say, “Yeah.”

The truth was, Fateless had always presumed that Tiger Cub only relied on his Cloak and close-combat techniques to gain the name of “Bandit King.” When it came to Bandit mainstays like Ambush and Assassinate, he probably held the advantage.

What he did not account for was how Tiger Cub could maintain such a presence of mind even under extreme pressure. It was such a rare opportunity to take down Tiger Cub, but it slipped right through his fingers.

Now that he had missed it, he would not likely get another chance—unless Tiger Cub followed them to the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods, and came looking for trouble on his own.

“Don’t worry, there’ll be another chance.”

Qin Ruo threw Fateless a sidelong glance, and said, “A person like Tiger Cub wouldn’t abandon his prey so easily. I have a feeling that he’ll be following us up to the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods.”

“Oh?” Fateless and several others turned to Qin Ruo, including a few of the Bauhinia Clan elite. Judging by their expressions, they seemed to agree with what Qin Ruo had said. They also felt that it was cause for some concern.

After what happened in the tomb, they came to realize just how determined Tiger Cub was to kill Violet Orchid. For the sake of a single Radiant Priestess, Tiger Cub had kept watch outside the tomb for over two hours!

Although there were more people around now, would he really just allow Violet Orchid to traipse on through to the fifth level? Would he just stand back and do nothing while she joined up with the champions of the Angel Faction?

It was simply not possible!

On top of that, Tiger Cub’s combination of Stealth and Cloak made it virtually impossible to defend against him—a single moment of carelessness could be the end of you.

Everyone had a feeling that as long as you knew Tiger Cub was out to get you, you would be wound up tight at every moment, never able to relax.

After hearing Qin Ruo’s words to Fateless, Subjugator felt a surge of renewed vigor, and eagerly asked about something himself.

“Once we reach the fifth level, what’s the plan?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s the plan?'” Qin Ruo did not quite get it.

“What I mean is, are you going to stay with Big Sis Orchid, and join up with the three big Leagues? Or do you prefer to keep going at it alone? I seem to recall that you have some bad blood with Netherspirit’s Claw, right?”

Subjugator had fished out the issue that Qin Ruo was presently most worried about.

Of course, it was really exciting to be able to reach the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods. But the dangers they had encountered were far beyond anything they ever had seen up to this point. However, what Qin Ruo was most apprehensive about was the high likelihood of running into Champions from Netherspirit’s Claw in that region.

It could lead to serious trouble.

Subjugator’s idea was that Qin Ruo could first escort Violet Orchid to rejoin her team, then part ways to continue on by himself.

Hearing this, Black Rock, Judge, Snowleaf, and Fateless all turned to Qin Ruo with looks of hopeful anticipation.

They were well aware that if they joined up with the alliance of the three great Leagues, they would be constantly overshadowed by higher-level players, and hardly any of the rewards would come their way. They would also feel rather awkward the whole time.

If Netherspirit’s Claw was still sore about their previous quarrels with Qin Ruo, and they singled him out to be bullied, then no one in their six-man party would likely get anything at all!

Qin Ruo understood the problem and thought deeply about the matter. Truth be told, he never had any intention of putting himself under anyone’s command—certainly not as part of an alliance with Netherspirit’s Claw. That would suck.

Anyway, he had his own ideas. He still possessed one last Sealed Mana Core, as well as a Blink scroll for a little teleportation magic. Along with three bottles of Great Tree Sap and a few servings of Special Roasted Snails, their odds of survival did improve although they could not exactly stroll through the fifth level with impunity.

As they were figuring things out, Violet Orchid—who had logged off momentarily to get more information—reappeared amongst them.

Around the warp point, everyone rose to their feet and straightened up.

It was time to enter the fifth level!