Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 186 Purity Essence

Ye Ci’s voice was soft, but it was still enough to quiet the crowd. It was if time had stopped at that moment; the gathered players were all as stoics as statues as they stared dumbfoundedly at Ye Ci.

Ye Ci wasn’t used to others having such a reaction towards her; she’d never thought of herself as someone special. Nobody in ‘Upwards Ho!’ would when they saw her, thus she felt like like an alien that had just arrived from outer space.

“Oh shit, it’s Gongzi You…”

One of the players gasped in admiration, breaking the long period of silence. Ye Ci let out a sigh of relief the moment he did so—the awkward situation had finally been resolved. Immediately afterwards a large number of players began to send messages in the Map Channel, “Guys, let’s gather at the western gate of Dark Clay City! With Gongzi You on our side, we can bring the fight to those Northern Continent scum!”

“Is that really Gongzi You?”

“Are you for real? You’re joking, right?”

The Map Channel instantly erupted into chaos. While some players doubted the credibility of such messages, many were excited. A huge number of them immediately header towards the western gate of Dark Clay City to join in on the fun. Some of them also spread the news to the players in their guild, which attracted even more players to the Swamp of Sorrows.

Most of them claimed that they were coming to fight the Northern Continent players and defend their fellow players, but most of them were simply boarding the hype train.

With this, the once-quiet Swamp of Sorrows had become as busy as Champion City.

However, this was nothing compared to the tens of hundreds of players that flocked towards the western gate moments later. Ye ci was relieved when she saw the enormous amount of reinforcements; with so many players from the Eastern Continent present, she definitely be able to slip away. But when they finally arrived at the western gate, Ye Ci realized just how wrong she’d been.

There would always be people like them in the world: People that weren’t afraid of dying, or of losing their items and levels. The only that they played for was to have fun, for the rush of excitement, and for the endless stream of gossip. So long as you could provide them with enough of these things, they would gladly die for you.

Ye Ci suddenly realized that she was the source of their excitement and gossip, and immediately felt a large amount of discomfort amidst the crowd of people. It was like she was a an exhibit on display, being showcased to everyone possible. A lot of players ran up to her and took different poses besides as they took photographs with her.

At that moment, Ye Ci felt like she was a statue or some sort of landmark at a tourist hotspot; she’d suddenly become the perfect backdrop for others to take pictures with. The players had even formed lines so that they could take photos with Ye Ci. This was the darkest moment in her life.

With the crowd growing larger and larger, Ye Ci finally decided to act. She refused to allow this situation to continue. She cleared her throat, then spoke to the nearest player trying to maintain order, “Excuse me, may I know your name?”

The player she’d spoken to was an Elf with blonde hair and blue eyes. He turned around after suddenly being called out to, only to be shocked when he realized that it was Ye Ci that had called out to him. “M-my n-name is C-Cactus. G-Gongzi You, is there anything that you need help with?”

“Ah, I’ve been meaning to ask… Are you guys here to launch a counteroffensive on the Northern Continent’s players?” Ye Ci would always try her best to be as polite as she could to people who weren’t of immediate interest and that she might not ever meet again; nobody knew what the future held. After all, when one gives another leeway, one is giving one’s self leeway.

When he heard her question, Cactus finally remembered that the main aim of the players gathered here was indeed to bring the fight to the Northern Continent’s players—who were doing whatever they wanted in the Swamp of Sorrows—instead of taking photos and interacting with their idols. He paused slightly, then somewhat awkwardly responded, “Y-yes, we’re here to fight the Northern Continent’s players!”

“Then if you don’t mind my question, who’s in charge?” Ye Ci nodded. Very good, at least they haven’t forgotten what they’re here for. Ye Ci finally felt relieved after being stared at like an exhibit for such an extended period of time.

“Aren’t you the one in charge?” Cactus stared at Ye Ci, shocked. Based on his understanding, Ye Ci should naturally be the one in command as a god-tier player who was present.

However, he soon realized his mistake when he saw that Gongzi You’s smile had frozen, and that the corners of her mouth were twitching. She stared at him, not saying a word.

Fortunately, Cactus was quick-witted. He laughed somewhat fordedly, then said, “Ah… if you’re looking for the person in command… Let me go ask that guy over there.” He said, pointing towards a Human atop a maroon horse. He smiled apologetically at Gongzi You, then turned around and left.

Ye Ci watched from afar as Cactus walked over and talked to the Human, who in turn turned to look at her, then rode towards her. He nodded slightly at her, then said, “Well met, Gongzi You. My name is Purity Essence.”

Purity Essence[1]? Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. She immediately shifted her gaze towards his face and studied his facial features; he was indeed the same Purity Essence she knew. She could recognize him even without the scar that had been left on his face after a certain quest.

So that’s why I wasn’t able to immediately recognize him; he hasn’t completed that quest yet! A smile formed on Ye Ci’s lips when she realized this.

Ever since the advent of online gaming, the name ‘Purity Essence’ had been used by many people, causing the once-special name to become tacky. However, in Ye Ci’s last life, only one person came to mind when she thought of the name ‘Purity Essence.’

He was a lvl70 Human Priest who’d managed to slay the Aquablight Snek, a lvl85 World BOSS, alone. He was also the man currently standing in front of Ye Ci.

Purity Essence had risen from a nobody to one of the most renowned Priests in the Eastern Continent after slaying the Aquablight Snek. Because of his accomplishment, his name was included on Fate’s top 10 Priests leaderboard.

Despite his success however, he preferred to keep a low profile; it was rare for him to appear in public. Ye Ci had only known him because they’d been in the same group in a PvP tournament. After fighting in the same group together for three days, the two had finally had their first conversation.

Through their conversation, Ye Ci learned that Purity Essence hadn’t originally intended to be A Priest; he’d started with the intention of becoming one of the game’s most renowned commanders. His attempts, however, hadn’t yielded any results. Ye Ci had had a small talk with Green Hill’s Moon after the tournament, and had found out that Purity Essence was, truthfully speaking, not a bad commander; he’d simply had the misfortune of joining a guild with a bad reputation. With his guild members constantly bickering and infighting a common occurence, his performance was badly affected.

Despite her cold nature, Ye Ci felt a sense of familiarity towards Purity Essence, as he was someone she knew from her last life. She blinked, nodded, and extended her hand. “Well met indeed.”

Her simply gesture was enough to excite Cactus, but Purity Essence kept his calm. He shook Ye Ci’s hand, then said, “I’ve heard that you’re not going to take command from Cactus?”

“I’ve never really taken command before. Besides, I don’t think I could so many players in line.” Ye Ci said a half-truth.

While Purity Essence remained silent, Cactus’ face was full of astonishment. Gongzi You’s dungeon-clearing videos were extremely popular in the forums. She was known for being extremely direct and efficient while leading her party members, and for being swift and decisive. A lot of commanders couldn’t achieve what she showcased. Her dungeon-clearing videos even served as tutorials for battle commanders in various guilds. As such, Cactus couldn’t bring himself to believe that someone such as Gongzi You wouldn’t be able to lead the Eastern Continent’s players into battle.

“You must be joking! There are so many videos of you leading parties through dungeons in the forums…”

Ye Ci skillfully deflected his statement, “Commanding players in a large scale battle is very different from clearing a dungeon. I’m afraid to admit that I don’t have the talent to be a battle commander.”

When he heard Ye Ci’s words, Cactus tactfully shifted his gaze to Purity Essence and said, “Purity…”

“If Gongzi You doesn’t mind, then I’ll take command.” Purity Essence nodded, not noticing anything wrong with Ye Ci’s words. He’d been an experienced commander in his guild in a previous game. However, it was still the first time he’d taken part in such a large scale battle; he wasn’t sure if he could keep things under control. Even though he had the option to decline the position, when he saw Gongzi You’s dagger-like sharp gaze, he found himself unable to do so.

Translator’s note:

[1]Purity Essence (真水无香): When someone has achieved a high level of enlightment, they no longer about money and fame. They have transcended beyond the material world.