MMORPG: The Elementalist

Based on the firsthand testimony of numerous player parties, the news spread like wildfire throughout Bailey Town and the Goblin Mountains, about a “secret event” which only took place at night, up in those mountains.

According to them, they were first drawn to the area by an unusual noise, where they all reported witnessing the same incredible scene: a tiny mouse-like creature, barely Level 10, doing battle through the forests of the Goblin Mountains with Tier 2 Goblin Warriors and Shamans—and despite facing multiple opponents each time, it was always a one-sided massacre.

It was the first time the players had ever seen monsters fighting amongst themselves. At first they had thought that it was somebody’s summoned creature, but this particular creature had the most intriguing name, written all in red:

Poochie!

Upon finding that this unique little monster was bearing such an unusual name, those players who happened across it became excited beyond measure! Immediately they began to wonder if this might perhaps be some kind of event in H&G followed naturally by the thought that maybe, if they killed this monster, there would be all sorts of surprise rewards!

Without hesitation, these players would then rush in for the kill.

Of course, Poochie was not a prey to be so easily poached.

Quicker than any monster they’d ever encountered, the moment any player tried to approach it, it would skip away and disappear amongst the trees, never to be seen again. As a result, the players who encountered Poochie were left with nothing but bitter disappointment, thinking that they’d encountered some rare and special event, but let it slip right through their fingers!

Throughout the night, more and more players ran into Poochie, and the legend continued to grow.

In the beginning, hardly anyone paid much attention. But as an ever-growing number of players continued to exaggerate their accounts of Poochie’s abilities, it gave birth to a new version of the “secret event” of Poochie.

Poochie, it was said, might be some special, highly intelligent kind of monster, which hunted Goblin Warriors and Shamans across the Goblin Mountains in order to gain levels. With each new level that it acquired, there would even more rewards for the one that managed to slay it! Provided, of course, that they could handle the increased challenge!

As the rumors were echoed in countless different voices, the event continued to sound more believable, more realistic… Eventually, the story was such that it was able to persuade even the most skeptical of players!

Seeking this mythical fortune, many players made their way towards the Goblin Mountains. Some even formed specialized hunting teams to take down this epic quarry, while cunning Bandits plotted together to sneak up on Poochie using their Stealth, and then knock it unconscious with their saps, taking down this unique monster with a single stroke, and thereby earning themselves the coveted “event rewards”.

***

Meanwhile, Poochie—the source of all these untoward rumors—having been discovered yet again by other players, was in the sixth different mine now, receiving a stern admonishment from Qin Ruo.

“You idiot, who asked you to make such a show of yourself? Have you been seeking out an audience on purpose?”

Qin Ruo watched with bemusement as the little thing perched upon his shoulder held its tiny paws to its hips, giving him a look of utmost innocence, shaking its head in fervent denial of his accusations.

‘You little… you still won’t own up?’

Having spent several hours with it, Qin Ruo had become well-acquainted with its tricks and patterns. When the levels had been going by quickly, the little fellow had been a model worker, darting through the woods slaughtering monsters by the dozen.

However, ever since Level 13, it seemed to have grown very tired of the sight of Goblin Warriors and Shamans, and began to slack off bit-by-bit. Occasionally, when Qin Ruo eased off on it for just a moment, the little thing would suddenly declare break time for itself, returning to their cave and hopping up onto his shoulder with a squeak, shirking its work with all the audacity in the world.

That was the reason why this was not the first time it had received a scolding from its master.

Perhaps the little rascal had become too full of itself. Not only did these lectures have no effect upon its behavior, it would also watch him with hurt eyes and a forlorn expression, making him look like the villain mistreating a hapless little angel. It was almost too much for Qin Ruo.

At first, Qin Ruo had yet to figure out what was really going on. He’d thought that it’d really just wanted to take a break, so he’d allowed it a few minutes’ rest, before sending it out once more to keep hunting monsters for XP.

After several rounds of this, Qin Ruo finally noticed the real problem. The little fellow’s speed and skill with its attacks had increased to the point that a single Shadow Strike, followed by two basic attacks, was all it took to kill off a Goblin Warrior as soon as it appeared.

Poochie went through this routine without hesitation or remorse, and then went back to searching for more prey… but there was no longer any enthusiasm or passion for the job.

Qin Ruo thought the most amusing thing about the whole affair was how quickly it had managed to get bored of Tier 2 enemies.

For the sake of safety and secrecy, Qin Ruo hadn’t been keeping a constant eye on Poochie. As it became discontented, after just a bit of training, it would look for a chance to lure some players over. It was a good thing that it hadn’t forgotten its master’s current ‘disgrace,’ so that with loud noises it would draw players away to somewhere else, and then sneak back quietly to keep up the pretense of honest hard work.

In these contests with Poochie, it was clear to see that Qin Ruo was on the back foot. Seeing its unrepentant attitude, all he could do was sigh in exasperation. Either way, they couldn’t stay here any longer—more and more player parties were cropping up around the area, and if this kept up there was even the risk of drawing over the Ron Couple, as well as the attention of the Holy Clan.

Dismissing Poochie into an extra-dimensional pocket for the moment, Qin Ruo slipped into Aquamorph form and disappeared into the night.

***

At the entrance to an unnoticed, abandoned mine in the Goblin Mountains, four players held a tense stand-off in the darkness. Nearby, there lay the body of a fallen Bandit.

Looking at both sides, it did not seem to be a fair fight.

On one side, there was a lone Tier 3 Swordmaster—the Level 31 Terra Swordmaster, Wandering Soul. His helmet was already scored from enemy weapons. A layer of magical earthern armor covered his whole body in yellow-ochre. His chest heaved as he glared at the three people who stood before him. They glowed faintly with red—they all had red tags.

“Hey, kid. There’s nothing left to talk about. If you won’t be a good boy and hand over your equipment now, every time we see you, we’ll kill you again.”

The one speaking to him was a warrior—the only Tier 4 character present—a Beastblood Berserker, particularly arrogant in manner. However, what he wore didn’t quite match the grandeur of the words he spoke—just a set of ordinary Violet-quality equipment.

“Is that supposed to scare me? This stuff wouldn’t even fit you! Haha! Why don’t you fight me one-on-one—if you win, it’s all yours. You’ll do it if you have any balls!”

When Wandering Soul shouted this out loud, Qin Ruo—who’d just happened to be passing by—paused for a moment. With this Red Tag hanging over his head, he’d normally avoid getting involved in other people’s affairs. Even if it was for a memorable guy like Wandering Soul, he would rather not get tangled up in another mess.

But when he’d heard the Tier 3 Swordmaster challenging the Tier 4 Berserker… well yes, it was cocksure and arrogant, but it also reminded him of his own Tier 3 days, when Crackpot provoked him so much that he took his lower-leveled character to go up against a Tier 4 Radiant Priest—not once, but twice.

Despite himself, Qin Ruo stopped to watch. He wanted to see if this Wandering Soul could really walk his talk, or if those had just been the last, defiant words of a dying man.

“You’d better keep your word!” The one who replied was not the Beastblood Berserker, but instead another Tier 3 character beside him. Qin Ruo took this opportunity to analyze the three aggressors: the one who’d just spoke was a Level 36 Terra Swordmaster, while behind them there stood a Level 39 Electromancer.

Talking about levels, all three of them were beyond the kid, yet none of them had equipment that was anything like his. After all, the Wandering Soul had an item of Gold quality—and the rest was nothing to sneeze at, either.

But a long-ranged attacker backing up two warriors… was there any question that they wouldn’t be able to handle a single Level 31 Terra Swordmaster? What a joke! And he was betting his equipment, too?

‘Damned fool!

‘They all have red tags—what do you expect they’ll do?’

Qin Ruo was starting to sweat, but at the same time he felt a sense of growing respect for Wandering Soul. A Tier 3 player being able to hold his own for this long against all three of them at once, he must be something else!

That was when the Beastblood Berserker turned and snapped at the Terra Swordmaster standing at his side, “Duel, your ass! Look at his equipment; look at ours! You should be more familiar with his skills than I am: physical attacks will be useless against him! Fight him one-on-one… you must be out of your mind!”

Still not finished, the Berserker continued to roar even louder. “You worthless trash! You’ve brought me nothing but failure! Once we get started, you’d better fight seriously! If you screw me over anymore, there’ll be nothing for you!”

“Don’t you forget that it was I who told you about his equipment. I’ve even paid you money!” The Level 36 Terra Swordmaster had become agitated.

Facing them, Wandering Soul gave a cold smile, but the fury in his expression only grew hotter. “I knew you were a rat. Was this just because I wouldn’t lend it to you? To think that I used to call you a friend!”

“I spit on your friendship. Some friend you were!” His face was twisted with contempt. “Won’t even lend me one miserable little piece of equipment. What kind of friend is that?

“You’ve got such amazing stuff, but instead of training yourself up, you’re wasting time mining ores for some Blacksmith bitch… Damn you! I’ve got nothing good on me, but I’m out there busting my ass all day long trying to get to the next level; you dress yourself up like a king just to hang out in a mine somewhere. Is there anyone as wasteful as you?

“And another thing! Why is that blacksmith only nice to you, huh, why?” At this, the Level 36 Terra Swordmaster, “Sentinel”, had worked himself up into a hysterical rage, and finished with a roar!