MMORPG: The Elementalist

After learning about the information about the Demon Faction from the old informant, the dozen leaders of the Angel Faction quickly established a temporary voice channel as Scarlet Bauhinia, Netherclaw, Majestic Hero, and the fifteen League Clans held the most urgent of conferences!

The Demon Faction had ventured out of Sin City and gathered upon the Mythical Battlefield for an ambush once before, when ‘Black Witch’, the Fourth League of the Demon Faction was just established. At the time, the Three Great Clans of the Angel Faction had led hundreds of other clans, directly repelling the terrible assault of more than two hundred elite Demon Faction players in Moonrise City…

On that day, darkness shrouded the land!

Moonrise City, the most impregnable and magnificent city of the Angel Faction promptly dimmed as tides of enemies encircled it. As players crowded the city from within to without, fearsome siege ladders bit down on the ramparts, while both sides engaged in a bloody fight, the slaughter hence descending to utter chaos!

At the time, the hierarchy of Tier 5 Champions, Tier 4 Elites or whatnot were all insignificant. Each had their own battle to fight, the most vicious of a deadly struggle. On several occasions the Demon Faction broke through and entered the city, only to be sent retreating after countless deaths and wounding by the physical bodies in the city!

Even the Tier 5 Supreme Champions fell a few times then—in terms of champions, the Demon Faction had many more.

But ultimately, was is thanks to hundreds of clans combining to send Tier 5 Magic Scrolls to the frontlines and the Tier 5 Supreme Champions’ money-burning style of counter-offensive that they jointly sealed countless Mana Core monsters. At the price of Tier and tons of gold, they would wallop every enemy out of the city and meet the reinforcements arriving from other towns. It was only thanks to that that Moonrise City was saved without needing the Angel Faction’s demigod champions to save them… Nevertheless, that was one day all fifteen members of the League Clans would not dare forget!

All the famed Clans of the Angel Faction were dealt severe casualties and were forced to make great sacrifices. For many times they had fallen to despair, believing that they could not escape their fate and that their honor lay in retreating… (an honorable retreat, League no longer, Clans crumbling and starting a new, rebuilding glory)

For a long time, after reinforcements arrived and Moonrise City was finally saved, the Angel Faction stationed themselves across every sector of the Mythical Battlefield. Hundreds of battalions stayed on the watch to prevent a second invasion from the Demon Faction!

That was also why every leader of the Fifteen League Clans had abandoned all tasks at hand and shifted after receiving the information from the old informant… They would never allow what transpired two months ago to happen again! Just as they could not throw that person away, they could not afford him!

Meanwhile, Scarlet Bauhinia’s voice echoed in the somber channel.

“I believe everyone must know by now—although the truth of it is still to be seen, I personally believe that it’s not fake news. The one who revealed the information was an old piece information with strong credibility, so let’s dispense with the nonsense… what does the rest of you think?”

***

“The progress of Divinity and Buried City must have stimulated them…”

“Hmmm. I think so too—they wouldn’t start such drama at such a key moment otherwise. The event at the Graveyard of the Gods earned much Divinity for the Angel Faction, and our progress in the Buried City is smoother than theirs. If we beat them to the portal of the Buried City, we would pull level against them.”

That was what some of the leaders thought.

***

“If what he said is true, we don’t have much time—there’s only twenty minutes to half-past-eight. Netherclaw, Scarlet, Hero, decide as quickly as you can.

“As I’ve said, inform the big clans to sent people and help our defense, and remember to evacuate all low-ranked players inside Moonrise City. We got a bad hand in the last battle precisely due to that, all that they are is a bunch of weaklings here to watch the show, doing nothing apart from getting in the way.”

One of the leaders said viciously, and there were protests as soon as he finished.

“That won’t do. I think we should not inadvertently alert the enemy… if we scared the Demon Faction away this time, who knows if they would invade even more stealthily next time? I think this is a good chance: The Demon Faction should not be aware that we have gotten wind of this, we should give them one painful strike in the face!”

“Agreed!”

“I have the same idea as Hero,” Scarlet Bauhinia began, “but if that is the case, we must temporarily impose an information lockdown as well as calling in Black God and the more composed Clan Leaders, have them prepare Elite battalions, prepare supplies so that they could enter battle at once.

“That would work! But there’s still something else…” Netherclaw added even as he agreed with Majestic Hero and Scarlet Bauhinia. “Each of our clans should dispatch a hundred-men Elite battalion into the Mythical Battlefield, logout, make contact offline and ambush the enemy’s rear at the key moment!

“Um-hmm…”

“Not bad!”

The leaders all voiced their agreement.

“Good. This shouldn’t wait—let’s do this as planned, and reach out in the channel if there’s any problem.”

As the leaders conversed, the undercurrents amongst the Angel Faction surged.

***

Just as the two factions made their own secret arrangements, Qin Ruo himself had flown to the middle of the Mythical Battlefield, looked down from on high over the dense dark clouds of the night sky.

Qin Ruo’s destination was the Monster Mountains which Slayer’s Heart had recommended to him. There was no shortage of high-level monsters in the region, along with quite a few Tier Five Mega Bosses, Tier Four Overlords as well as Ultimates… each of which fits the requirements of the ‘Ring of Honor’.

Moreover, the agility, rapid elevation, and capacity to flee battle of the Angelic Wings could keep Qin Ruo in a safe position throughout. The only thing he needed to do was kill the Boss bit by bit, be acknowledged by the Ring of Honor and award it new Honor and Spirit!

As for the journey that usually took more than two hours, Qin Ruo only needed twenty minutes—with the aid of Angelic Wings, he could travel in a straight line and spare himself troublesome journey across craggy, winding places…

After circling the skies once, Qin Ruo noticed a few parties of players at the outskirts of Monster Mountains and frowned. Parting the clouds, he landed at the depth of Monster Mountains. Leaving the battlefield undisturbed that requires absolute authentication and getting no aid in the process, he naturally had to distance himself away from areas with other player parties.

***

Monster Mountains, the Mythical Battlefield.

Each Boss had their own domain and would not enter another Boss’s domain under normal circumstances, just as they would not allow other monsters to enter and their own lands in provocation.

As Qin Ruo made a circle around Monster Mountains and drew waves of angry, challenging monster bellows, he picked a ‘Stone Golem’ that had four robust limbs, carried a huge wolf fang club and looked very stupid as his stepping stone…

***

As the human who was spreading his Angelic Wings invaded his domain, the Stone Golem clenched the dark and vicious wolf fang club that was over three meters long and slowly rose. Its pair of fist-sized eyes did not blink as it stared at Qin Ruo as he landed from the nearby sky.

Being an Advanced-tier Boss amongst the monsters, the head of the Stone Golem naturally was not all mud and stone. It was clearly aware of what kind of power the wings behind the human insinuated…

Stone Golem:

Level 52 Earth-elemental Boss

200,000 HP

Physical Attack 450-600

Magic Attack 380-450

Physical Defense 350-400

Magic Defense 280-400

After collecting that piece of data, Qin Ruo’s brow lifted and he swept a glance on the roughly-six-meter-tall Stone Golem which bloated stomach was around that size as well. That attribute was very incompatible with its thick and clumsy appearance…

A tough defensive attribute, an extremely threatening attack attribute and a full-combat style Boss.

Speechless.

Still, Tier 5 Mega Bosses were never first place. Qin Ruo therefore did not intend to change targets, and he paused forty meters in the air, drawing that seemingly ordinary Ring of Honor from his backpack while slowly flapping his wings…

Then, Qin Ruo remembered something rather troublesome.

The drop of blood.

How would he drip it? He had no knife with him, and the only sharp tool nearby was that wolf fang club filled with vicious spikes… in the hand of that Stone Golem!

A dilemma!

Qin Ruo swallowed and withdrew his gaze from the wolf fang club that could puncture human bodies. He had no self-mutilating tendencies, and using a wolf fang club to pierce his little fingertip seems a bit excessive…

Then an idea struck.

“Poochie.” He called.

Even as he spoke, a little golden “squirrel” with soulful eyes appeared over Qin Ruo’s shoulder, resembling a complete version of the Shadowfox that agilely darted to Qin Ruo’s palm. Its fur of golden luster permeates a noble presence, just as its spirited and adorable gaze had a faint hint of might.

At Tier 5, Poochie had morphed entirely into a real Shadowfox. It did not have to activate Shadow Form to become identical to the Shadowfoxes of the Wargod Canyon.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by Qin Ruo, the body of the faraway Stone Golem had trembled once in the instant Poochie appeared. Its demon gaze was leveled at Poochie’s direction, just as there was a hint of profound shock and fear.

Still, Qin Ruo did not summon Poochie to deal with it. Carefully holding the carefree Poochie with one arm and grasping the Ring of Honor in another, he somberly entrusted little fellow to scratch a small scar over its little claw.

When he had his say, Poochie lifted its small head to look at Qin Ruo suspiciously, seemingly not understanding him. Patiently, the Elementalist repeated himself twice, and that was when the little fellow whipped its tail, putting the tip on Qin Ruo’s forehead.

One second, two seconds…

“I’m not sick!”

Finally understanding what the devil the little one had been up to, Qin irritatedly swiped away its tail. “Rascal, your mum bit and broke my fingertip too before leaving you with me, bite now… Ugh!”

Before he could finish, with a sudden pain in his hand, the little thing had scratched his finger, and blood promptly appeared.

With haste, Qin Huo pressed his fingertip, squeezing a drop of blood that dripped down upon the broken Ring of Honor.