MMORPG: The Elementalist

After defeating Raziel, Qin Ruo knew the next one would definitely be Dark Dragon. Allowing others to step forward would be futile and Dark Dragon wanted to defend the pride of Netherspirit’s Claw, so he could not gang up on him. Therefore, Dark Dragon would definitely step up alone.

Qin Ruo had a plan, naturally, to deal with Dark Dragon.

In fact, he had planned this since the day he saw Dark Dragon’s overbearing attitude toward everyone in the Graveyard of Gods. He had secretly treated this Tier 5 champion as his personal enemy and was always thinking of ways to ruin his reputations, to tear down his overbearing snobbish face.

However, Qin Ruo did not anticipate everything that happened after.

After leaving the Graveyard of the Gods, Qin Ruo had acquired Legendary equipment, Divinities and had even advanced to Tier 5 after discovering the Buried City. His rapid growth had turned many heads in the game’s community—even this Tier 5 veteran, Dark Dragon, started to pull back his arrogance against Qin Ruo, burying his impulses to take on Qin Ruo numerous times.

Today, thanks to the Ring of Honor’s “Mimic” ability, this Dark Dragon finally stood before him. Qin Ruo could finally press his snobbish face to the ground and destroy him. Regrettably, he was not “Qin Ruo” at the moment—he was “Netherspirit’s Menace”. Even though he could use skills like Compressed Frost Bullets, he could not cast his Twelve Frostramparts to keep his identity a secret.

Other than that, his ring could not give his pet Poochie a disguise. So, in this battle he needed to face a few limitations. He must not summon Poochie, not unless he wanted to reveal the secret of his Ring of Honor.

If it was fighting a Tier 5 veteran like Dark Dragon, he must give it his all in the battle. Or else, he would not only be unable to defeat Dark Dragon, he might even be killed.

To safeguard his Ring of Honor’s secrets and defeat Dark Dragon, Qin Ruo devised a psychological trap…

As soon as he heard Dark Dragon asked him about “Qin Ruo’s opinion” of him, he knew his plan had worked.

***

“Our clan leader did mention you. He said Dark Dragon is one of the most powerful Tier 5 veteran players. However, he said you’re much weaker than Majestic Hero, Netherclaw, and Homme Fatale. Out of the top 30 veteran players in the game, you’re one of the weaker ones.”

Dark Dragon silently groaned, but did not deny.

“If you fight with our Clan Leader…”

“You think I’ll lose to him?” Dark Dragon scorned coldly.

“Of course not.”

Dark Dragon’s face was lit with delight for a second, then he realized something was wrong.

And as expected, Qin Ruo continued with a wry smile, “I don’t ‘think’ you’ll lose to him. I’m certain you’ll lose to him. If not, you won’t be coming here to wrestle with us Fallen Angels when he’s still trapped in the Underworld.”

“Why you…”

“And it’s not just him.”

Qin Ruo continued as he stared at Dark Dragon’s grim and heated face, “Our clan leader said, you might not be able to defeat even me…”

“What a load of bull crap!” Dark Dragon finally burst out in anger. The nerves on his temples could be seen pulsing and cracking.

“Bull crap?”

Qin Ruo stared coldly into Dark Dragon’s eyes, with murderous intent, then continued, “Raziel had fallen before me. So, how about we make a bet?”

“…”

The moment his opponent stared into his soul, Dark Dragon felt an eerie chill down his spine—it was as though a venomous snake had locked on him as its prey.

A real champion! Only a real champion could give him this feeling. It was almost like the last time when he met Qin Ruo at Moonwaltz’s Smithy.

Yet, this Netherspirit’s Menace appeared to be giving him more pressure than Qin Ruo.

As they were staring at one another, they both breathed heavily. Qin Ruo’s voice continued to ring in his ears. “Our clan leader also told me, unless I don’t use my pet, you might still be able to win me with the help of your pet.”

“So, let’s make a bet.”

“In our fight, I won’t summon my pet. As for you, you’re allowed to use your pet to your heart’s content. But I’ll beat your ass nonetheless.”

***

After listening to Netherspirit’s Menace’s discussion about Dark Dragon and his betting rule in their battle, the spectators were all stunned!

A fameless Tier 5 Aquamancer wanted to duel with a Tier 5 veteran player; not only that, he wanted to defeat his opponent by setting a handicap for himself? This method was usually used by players who are stronger than their opponents, to humiliate the latter.

This Netherspirit’s Menace surely thought that he was truly a menace to the Netherspirit’s Claw.

Or perhaps, he was indeed exceedingly strong, like what Winter Demon had said. One who was so strong that he could go easy on Dark Dragon at will.

If it was true, this battle would be quite a show to watch.

If it was not true, this kid was probably overestimating his own limits after winning just one battle.

Just as Qin Ruo waited for Dark Dragon to hurl his attacks in anger, a calm voice suddenly said, “So, what’s the wager?”

‘Uh oh…’

Qin Ruo was surprised to hear that. Something was wrong.

Dark Dragon’s reaction was entirely different than how he expected.

He thought after provoking him in front of everyone, Dark Dragon would then fight without his pet to secure his reputation. Yet, this Dark Dragon seemed to have changed to a different person. He proactively shifted the topic to the “wager” of the fight.

Qin Ruo frowned.

Shit, it was a counter checkmate. Dark Dragon appeared to want to go through with his “suggestion”—using this opportunity to defeat him by collaborating with his pet.

Damn.

However, Qin Ruo must continue with the act. If he allowed Dark Dragon to see through his plan, it would not only push himself into a corner it would also reinforce Dark Dragon’s confidence and self-esteem.

After pondering for a while, Qin Ruo took out a white crystalized hexagon from his backpack.

“A Divinity Crystal.”

As he raised the crystal up in the air, there was a loud cheer and applause roaring from below.

Even though there had been over three hundred Winged Champions in the game lately, there were still many players who had never seen a Divinity Crystal before. This naturally caused quite a stir among the spectators, including the Fallen Angels and The Executors.

“Damn!”

Remorseless Warrior looked at the Divinity Crystal that was shining beautifully under the sun and then sighed. “How did the Fallen Angels get this many Divinities? Every single one of them seem to carry one of these on them.”

However, the Fallen Angels, except for the smiling Xiaoxiao, were surprised too. The Fallen Angels’ Divinities were, in fact, limited. And they knew every single Divinity Crystal they had in the clan too—they would be invited to and informed about every single treasure hunt that involved bosses that were as strong as Liches. Who was this “Netherspirit’s Menace”? How did he get his hands on a Divinity Crystal? Or perhaps, he actually single-handedly defeated a Lich? Or slew a Tier 4 Ultimate Boss alone?

“Can you believe that?!” Subjugator whispered to Black Rock. Then, the latter replied, “I don’t know. All I know is that… this Netherspirit’s Menace is stronger than me and he picked a fitting name for himself.”

As they were talking, another Divinity Crystal was taken out from Qin Ruo’s backpack. Now there were two Divinity Crystals glittering in his palms under the scorching sun.

***

“Dark Dragon, if you could beat me today. You can have these Divinities. Both of them! However, if I win, I’ll take one Divinity Crystal from you.”

If it was a wager, one ought to put all the chips in! Qin Ruo’s chips in the game were the two Divinity Crystals.

This made every spectator shiver.

‘This arrogant kid!

‘How arrogant could he get?!’

However, it was obvious that as soon as Qin Ruo waved two Divinity Crystals under the sun, everyone seemed to have sided with him. They all seemed to have believed his words about his capabilities of beating Dark Dragon alone and the capabilities of Dark Dragon’s pet.

Dark Dragon was also tongue-tied after seeing the madness that this Netherspirit’s Menace had flashed in front of everyone; anxiety struck him so much that his Angelic Wings flapped with uncertainty. In fact, after hearing his propositions and wagers, Dark Dragon felt a sudden urge to just slaughter this Aquamancer with all that he had.

However, he remembered what happened to Raziel earlier. If he were to lose in this battle, his fame and reputation would all be gone. He was not about to risk everything just to shut an insolent Aquamancer up. So, he used an excuse, the “wager”, to legitimate his pet’s use in the battle. He was very sure that he could defeat this Netherspirit’s Menace with the use of his pet.

Yet, he did not expect this. He did not expect his opponent would actually put in a wager. And the wager was two priceless Divinity Crystals too!

A tremendous pressure weighed upon Dark Dragon’s shoulder. It was probably one of the most important decisions he had to make in his life in H&G. One wrong move, he’d end up like Raziel—crashed down from the peak of glory, ruining the fame and reputation that he had worked so hard to attain.

Netherspirit’s Menace was no ordinary Tier 5 Winged Champion. He was a real demon, a demon that was eviler than the Winter Demon himself!

‘Wait… maybe this Netherspirit’s Menace is one of the players who was bullied and pressured by Netherspirit’s Claw. And then, he deleted his original character and rebuild another one. Now, he’s back for blood?’

As his mind wandered wildly, Qin Ruo urged him again. “So? What about it? You’re a Field Commander for the number one clan of the Angel Faction. Don’t tell me you don’t even have one Divinity Crystal on you?”