Chương 20: Chapter 20: Tomb of Flames
Biên tập viên: EndlessFantasy Translation
A team of players moved cautiously through the jungle.
"Be careful, this will be tricky," led by the hunter player named Beast Speaker.
The leading warrior, Holding Up The World, was holding up his shield. As he eyed the corpses in the distance, he murmured, "Li Yao is a real troublemaker. At the start of the game, when we should be accumulating strength, he goes around causing trouble everywhere."
A female priest player also whispered, "The problem is that he has provoked the Ember team. A small squad was wiped out by one player twice, we might not fare any better if we run into them."
"Enough with the complaining. After all, the boss has been good to us. Now that the boss's brother is bullied, it would not be right if we didn't step in." Beast Speaker frowned, "Besides, you better not let Li Yao overhear those things you said."
"Don't worry, Beast Speaker. We're not that stupid," the priest girl chuckled.
Just then, Priest girl detected a white shadow in the bushes, "There's something in the bushes."
Before she had finished speaking, Beast Speaker shot an arrow into the bushes without hesitation, and a mage also released an ice arrow.
Bang....
The violent explosion took everyone by surprise.
"What the hell is that?" The warrior looked nervously at the fiery explosion in the distance. Even though they were far away, they could still feel the intense heat.
Just as they fixed their eyes on the bushes ignited by the exploding sheep, they heard a buzzing sound.
"Watch out for the crossbow arrows." Beast Speaker had already received a message from Li Yao, and everyone cautiously surveyed their surroundings.
Thud...
Looking at the steel arrow embedded in the tree, Beast Speaker felt his scalp tingling.
Suddenly, Beast Speaker noticed something wrong- the steel arrow was stained with blood. He also noticed a hissing sound nearby and felt a sudden heat on his body as if he had been splashed with hot water.
Beast Speaker looked back in horror, his face pale as he saw the priest sister and the mage back-to-back, both clutching their throats.
With a look of confusion and pain in their eyes, they slowly fell to the ground.
"This was shot from a heavy crossbow over a hundred yards away," Beast Speaker pushed his stupefied subordinates to the ground as he himself collapsed.
"A hundred yards away, how is that even possible?" Holding up the World asked with a gloomy face, "Are you sure, boss?"
"I'm absolutely sure. If he were closer, wouldn't we see him?" Beast Speaker said painfully.
The ambush party dared not show their heads again. After a minute, another group arrived. Beast Speaker explained to them in the team voice chat, and they all carefully concealed themselves behind trees.
Fighting Unparalleled, the captain of the second squad, swallowed hard and said, "This is too much, instantly killing with one arrow, and even killing two at once. Beast Speaker, you're also a hunter, what do you make of this?"
"He used a steel arrow as thick as his thumb and launched it with a heavy crossbow, just like a sniper rifle. The human throat is a lethal point, and with enough damage and rupture, anyone shot there would be instantly killed," Beast Speaker explained, "moreover, Flame's archery skills are impressive, I suspect he's an athlete in the real world, and not just an ordinary one."
"I don't care whether he's an athlete or not, just kill him. Where are the other squads? Surround him from other directions. I don't believe he has three heads and six arms. This game is not for lone wolves." Li Yao roared in the team voice chat.
Beast Speaker frowned slightly and said, "Everyone, find good cover, and advance under the cover of big trees. This is a jungle, it's difficult for us to find him, but it's also hard for him to find a suitable shooting angle through so many trees. We will be fine if we are just cautious."
With Beast Speaker's words, everyone spread out. Fighting Unparalleled also said, "Everyone, there's no need to be afraid. The one who should be scared is Flame. If we can surround him he is doomed. We can then upload the video of us killing him to the internet. Our Prosperous Era will surely gain popularity and we'll all become famous."
With coordinated command, the players of Prosperous Era regained their confidence.
Li Yao frowned slightly, looked for a few positions, but found no suitable targets. He put the heavy crossbow back into his bag and started placing Explosive Sheep again.
The Explosive Sheep he had placed earlier were tediously herded into the bushes by him. He finished placing all the Explosive Sheep in his bag quickly.
Then Li Yao climbed up a tree and sat on a branch.
In a few minutes, figures began to appear in his field of vision, and the tree that Li Yao have chosen was already surrounded by players.
"Quite a fancy team to deal with me, they've actually dispatched an entire group," Li Yao said calmly.
Li Yao of Prosperous Era looked at Li Yao with cold eyes, sneering, "Run, weren't you good at running? Why are you not running now?"
Li Yao glanced at him and asked in surprise, "I don't understand what you're talking about. When did I run away? I've been in this place for almost half an hour now. When did I escape?"
"You stubborn..."
"Wait a minute, Prodigy." Beast Speaker stopped Prodigy, whispering, "The boss has just sent in orders, you wait a moment."
Li Yao Smirked and turned his head.
Beast Speaker coughed gently and said to Li Yao, "Brother Flame, our boss admires your skills and abilities very much. Do you know that because of your impulsivity, you missed out on a chance for wealth?"
Li Yao revealed a mocking smile and said slowly, "Did Li of Prosperous Era ask you to say that? Did he say that as long as I publicly apologize on the forum, he would give me a sky-high contract, and we would be one family in the future?"
"How did you know that?" The Prodigy stared at Li Yao wide-eyed.
"Li of Prosperous Era is still as arrogant as ever, never changing. You tell him, I am his father."
Everyone was left with their mouths open. They knew how powerful their boss was. From Li Yao's words, it was obvious he did too. Yet, knowing the power behind their boss and still daring to talk so big, this was really courting death.
Beast Speaker was also taken aback, and then frowned, "Do you know what kind of being you're provoking by saying that? As an individual who has solo killed bosses and even won the Platinum Medal, you're quite the expert. I just want to ask, how did our Prosperous Era offend you?"
Li Yao, looking down on the Prosperous Era's players, said slowly, "It's nothing much, it's just that I find your Prosperous Era Guild irritating. Whenever I see the scum of Prosperous Era, I just can't help wanting to take action."
Everyone was left speechless...
The surprise turn of events had left many Prosperous Era players reeling.
"It seems we have nothing more to say." A hint of regret flickered on Beast Speaker's face, quickly replaced by indifference as he continued, "In that case, do not blame us for killing you back to Level Zero."
"You really don't appreciate my kindness, turn him into ashes!" A significantly agitated player from Prosperous Era hollered.
Immediately around them, the sound of spell incantations resonated, with all the ranged characters busy casting spells, while the melee fighters kept a close eye on Li Yao, preventing him from escaping.
"You all are quite daft. If I didn't have a plan, do you think I'd be waiting here alone just to die?" Li Yao confidently called out from his perch high up a tree branch about 20 yards up, "Time for the fireworks. Everyone, cover your ears."
Having said that, Li Yao was the first to cover his ears.
Beast Speaker and the others dumbfoundedly looked at Li Yao, thinking, "Fireworks? Are you insane? You're about to be blown into smithereens."
However, before any of their spells had the chance to take effect, a series of explosions erupted, one after another, creating a cacophony of sound.
Nearly a hundred "Exploding Sheep," hiding in the bushes, detonated near them.
Underneath the tree where Li Yao was, it appeared to have turned into a blazing inferno with the fierce explosions charring the earth.
Most of the dozens of surrounding players were obliterated by the cacophonous explosions before they even knew what happened.
The mixture of firelight, black smoke, and the white light that came with players' death came together in a gruesome scene.
Li Yao couldn't pay attention to the ringing in his ears at the moment and hurriedly tossed three Arrow Towers downwards.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...
The Arrow Towers instantly began firing, tragically cutting down the few surviving low-health players. Half a minute later, the area below was in shambles.
Li Yao then jumped down and drew his bow, an arrow glowing brightly yellow as he began to seek out any remaining living targets.
Behind a large tree, Beast Speaker, who had sought refuge after being heavily wounded, saw Li Yao's silhouette and bitterly said, "Do you know what the consequences of your actions will be?"
Beast Speaker was severely injured, his health constantly ticking down with bleed effects, it was pitiful sight to behold.
"What consequence, being hunted by people from Prosperous Era? Thanks for the heads up."
Li Yao loosed his arrow, and it pierced straight into the Beast Speaker's eye socket, immediately draining the last of his health.
"Li Yao, you're as good as dead. I swear I'll chase you to the ends of the earth in game, if I find out who you really are...you'll wish you were dead." A hatred-filled glance came from the Prosperous-Era player, who had survived, pinned beneath a few corpses.
"Oh, I am so scared." Li Yao's bow and arrow were brimming with a yellow light. "By the way, I already recorded everything, so I'll expect you to be under investigation. Get ready to spend your time in jail."
"Despicable!"
The player from Prosperous Era was stunned, knowing that regardless of his identity, having the recording that's been taken earlier, he'd be detained for at least a few days.
"Thank you for your compliment, and I hope you have a good time in there." Li Yao shot an arrow that took out his opponent's life in an explosive headshot.
The flames had extinguished, and the bushes had turned to ashes.
Li Yao quickly gathered all the equipment, tossing the standard items aside and pocketing the Green Equip. Seven squads made up of thirty-five players had been taken out—most by the Exploding Sheep, while the rest had been harvested by the Arrow Tower.
Li Yao had picked up thirteen pieces of Green Equip, three of which were leather armors that he decided to equip himself.
"Hello, I need some guidance on how to deal with this situation." Li Yao sent the recording material to the company immediately after he finished gathering the items. Although it wouldn't truly incriminate the player, it could get him detained for several days.
Ten minutes later, tens of people revived, but they all were deadly silent.
Buzz...
They again heard the whistle of a Crossbow Arrow ripping the air apart.
Following the direction from where the arrow was fired, people saw Li Yao standing on a tree a hundred yards away, even waving at them.
The players looked at each other, their hearts filled with an unsettling chill.
Looking at everyone's levels on the team panel, the squad leaders had bitter expressions on their faces.
A total of thirty-five players had died once altogether, some of whom had been close to advancing to Level 4, but lost a lot of experiences and fell back to Level 2, while the Level 4 players fell back to Level 3.
The player from Prosperous Era had suffered the worst, thrice dead. He went from being Level 4, to Level 1. Some of the unlucky souls even died twice, going from over Level 3 to falling back to Level 1.
They were the elites of Prosperous Era. This one mission alone had wrecked an entire squad. Those whose levels had fallen to 1 or 2, now couldn't even enter the dungeons.
"Are we chasing, or...?" The player called Fighting Unparalleled mumbled.
Beast Speaker glanced at him and responded, "How do we chase? We've just been wiped out and lost numerous levels..."
"Is this a game world or World War II? How does he have so much explosives? This is practically cheating." Fighting Unparalleled grumbled.
Although they didn't want to admit it, they were indeed terrified. If they continued the chase, there was a possibility they'd be killed back to Level Zero.
"Boss's order, retreat."
After Beast Speaker finished saying this, he hid behind a tree and began the process to teletransport back to town.
The rest of the players all breathed a sigh of relief. They each took cover behind the trees to transport back to town. They could not afford to fall behind the main force's progression. Otherwise, others would replace their spot...
Chương 21: Chapter 21: Troll Priest
Biên tập viên: EndlessFantasy Translation
Li Yao watched as the people of the Shengshi Dynasty began to leave, regretting a little as he jumped down from the tree, realizing he was out of Exploding Sheep.
Just as the Beast Speaker had predicted, battling in the jungle both protected and limited Li Yao.
The dense trees and shrubs required good angles for long-distance shooting, and shooting opportunities were often fleeting.
Especially since they had figured this out, finding good cover was difficult. Even though he was higher leveled, if controlled even for a bit, he would be overwhelmed by countless attacks.
"My power base is insufficient, I must speed up the process. It may be dangerous to obtain that object at level five, but the risk is worth taking." Li Yao frowned as he made a certain decision, an adventurous plan, but first he needed to secure the mine. Without the copper mine, everything would be in vain.
If he couldn't become proficient in engineering, having the mechanical blueprint wouldn't be enough without sufficient metal to build. Realizing this, he understood that he had many tasks to complete.
"Jia Jia, right? The people of Shengshi have been driven off. You can level up safely now." Li Yao sent a private message via the Children of the Stars system.
"Thank you, since you're my brother's friend, let me invite you over for a meal next time you come home." Li Jia joyfully responded.
"Alright, there will be a chance." Li Yao noted that it was already dusk in the game and said, "Leave it here?"
"Um." Li Jia hesitantly replied, "It's like this, my classmate Driplet has a mission that requires defeating a boss. Could you help us out? Of course, if you're busy you can ignore this."
Hearing Li Jia's slightly restrained request, Li Yao showed a slight smile. When his sister had an issue, even if he was out of time, he would make time.
"Kill a boss? Sure, but let me make this clear. I do not want any mission items, but any Hunter items that drop are mine. Ask her if she agrees. If so, I'll come, if not, let it be."
This was a general rule when asking for help. If he didn't mention this, it would be suspicious.
On the other hand, when Li Jia mentioned Li Yao's condition, Longyou Sihai's face darkened. He was a Hunter. If Hunter items dropped and Li Yao took them, what would he get?
"Who does he think he is? Why should he make such a demand? We in the Qionghua Club lack many things, but we are not short of experts." Longyou Sihai complained.
Li Jia's best friend Driplet whispered, "Qionghua's president Xuemei personally led a team and failed, you know."
Dragon's face changed, "Okay, even president Xuemei failed, then who does he think he is? Do you believe Xuemei is inferior to the Starfire?"
Fleeting Beauty calmly said, "There is no shame in being less skilled than others. You can learn and catch up. But if you cannot even acknowledge this and see yourself clearly, then that's the most significant problem."
Longyou Sihai's face turned red instantly. He was eager to help because he liked Fleeting Beauty. It was rumored that Fleeting Beauty's words were more valuable than the club manager's and president's, which was why he pursued her.
Fleeting Beauty had made her stance clear with her words, but he pretended not to understand and dared not object. He became silent.
"He indeed qualifies." Sighed Fleeting Beauty, "I just received the news that Starfire wiped out a team from Shengshi. The poorest few have already dropped from level four to level one. And the team was led by the Beast Speaker."
"Even a team led by the Beast Speaker was wiped out, this..." Dragon could no longer argue. He had been poached from Shengshi to Qionghua, so he was well aware of the Beast Speaker's power. Although he wasn't the leader, his words carried more weight than the leader's. The strategies for team matches, guild wars, and even the squad competition, were all credited to his brain.
"Zhao Long, if you feel aggrieved, you can level up first. After all, the threat from Shengshi's people is gone." Fleeting Beauty said. Qionghua valued honor and was always striving. Otherwise, they would not have sought external help in times of danger.
"No, I'm fine, I don't even need the equipment." Dragon couldn't leave. He had finally persuaded Fleeting Beauty's sister, i.e. Li Jia's best friend Driplet, to seek his help in times of danger. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have had the qualification to stay by Fleeting Beauty's side and practice.
"Jia Jia, please invite your brother's friend over. Tell him we agree with the rules, and he can also be the team leader." Fleeting Beauty instructed.
"Okay." Li Jia contacted Li Yao again.
After about ten minutes, Li Yao met up with a few people.
Driplet pointed at a group of small bonfires in the distance, saying, "The one sitting by the bonfire is the target of my mission, a level four boss. It's too hard to kill."
Li Yao looked in the direction she pointed at, spotting a troll roasting meat by the bonfire, a smile crossing his face.
The hatred between Trolls and the High Elves could be traced back to ancient times. The Troll Empire once defeated the Insect Empire and began to dominate most of the mainland.
The elves were originally unified, strictly speaking, they were also a branch of Trolls. These were known as the Dark Trolls, but their habitat was around the Eternal Well.
The Eternal Well was a source of energy left by the Creator God Titan on the ancient continent, continuously absorbing energy from the void of Outland and nourishing this beautiful land.
The significant energy fluctuations also changed the Dark Trolls. After a long time, they became different from the Trolls, and were later renamed Children of the Stars, that is, Dark Elves.
Latterly, the Elves defeated the Troll Empire to become the rulers of the world. After a long time, the continent shattered due to an unprecedented war and the Elves split apart.
The High Elves were exiled. The High Elves came to the East Continent to thrive, whereas the Forest Trolls barely managed to survive here.
Even so, they were not opponents for the exiled High Elves. The High Elves allied with humans to fight against the Trolls and defeated the Trolls.
That was how the High Elf Kingdom was established. As the defense system of Sunwell was put in place, the High Elf Kingdom gradually stabilized, constantly squeezing the living space of the Trolls.
Thousands of years had passed, and though there were no significant wars between the two factions, minor confrontations continued to unfurl.
The task that Little Raindrop had was to take down the low-level Priest Skakir who had trespassed on High Elf territory.
"I guess you must have already tried. Tell me about the boss's skills and the situation you encountered," Li Yao, who had already seen the boss's data, said.
In his previous life, this boss was famous, ranked as one of the top ten nightmare bosses to the lower-level players. It had a nasty reputation. Adventurers trying to level up or complete quests in this area would often end in tragedy.
This enemy was notoriously difficult to defeat. It was a nightmare for the lower level players. The boss's attributes increased along with the number of attackers, making it terrifying. This meant that quantity over quality was not useful here.
Yet, because it dropped a piece of gear, it became a punching bag years after the game was launched. Players took it down, often within half a day, every week after it refreshed.
Fleeting Time said, "Let me explain it. The Qionghua Club tried three times yesterday. The most successful attempt was when they managed to reduce its health to 60% before failing. In the first 50% of its health, the boss would summon two level four cobras every ten seconds. We could handle its Lightning Arrow attack spell. But when its health was cut in half, it transformed into a colossal cobra. It then used Toxic Breath and Poison Fog attacks, which we couldn't withstand."
"Did you try using low-level antidote potions?" Li Yao asked.
Dragon Across the Four Seas said, resented, "Things you can think of, don't you think our strategy team would have tried? If antidote potions worked, we could have handled it ourselves."
"If you could solve it by yourselves, why would you need me?" Li Yao said dryly, then turning around and spoke seriously, "Now I'm the team leader. If you want to get past this boss, listen to me. You can make suggestions. Otherwise, don't mention irrelevant things unless I ask. If you don't like the idea, I can easily step out."
"Zhao Long, don't forget the rules of Qionghua Club, there won't be a next time," Fleeting Time said harshly, glaring at her little sister. Her naive sister accepted whatever was said, even if it was Fleeting Time, the club's boss, ensuring people's cooperation. It was just wasteful to misuse club resources. Fleeting Time began to despise Zhao Long, who was exploiting her ignorant younger sister, no matter what the reason was.
"I promise there won't be a next time."
"Good, that's what a large club should look like." Li Yao pondered for a moment before saying, "We need one more healer."
"Adding another healer will transform us into a team, resulting in an increase in the boss's health," Little Raindrop mumbled.
"In a five-man team, how do you plan to win with four damage dealers?" Li Yao asked rhetorically.
Dragon Across the Four Seas cleared his throat and said, "Considering our ability to defeat the boss, I think Sweet Dreams should exit the team first and come back after we've slain the boss."
"Then I'll leave the party first," Li Jia said softly, her voice hinted at disappointment.
"Well, I came here for Li Jia's sake. Why should I help you guys if she quits the team?" Li Yao scoffed. "Although we are both Hunters, I doubt your effectiveness."
"You doubt me? I am a professional player!" Dragon Across the Four Seas became infuriated.
"So what if you're a professional player? If you don't believe me, choose to compete in DPS or PvP." Li Yao sneered. Dragging an eSport player around, the one who sideline chasing girls and worked as someone else's sidekick without realizing that the girl he was chasing was the club's boss, was simply a fool asking for death.
Dragon Across the Four Seas was seething, wanting to challenge Li Yao to a duel, but he knew it would give Fleeting Time a bad impression. Also, he doubted that he could be a match for him in a fight. After all, Li Yao had single-handedly wiped out a team. Who knew what other tricks he had up his sleeve?
"Zhao Long, you can join operation team 2 in the future. I will tell Snow Plum about this." Fleeting Time also became furious but didn't show her anger. Turning to Li Yao, she said, "I invited a Paladin who knows two healing spells, and gives King's blessing. They are hardy, stronger than a Priest. What do you think?"
Dragon Across the Four Seas turned pale, hating Li Yao even more.
"That works." Li Yao led the group around and found a small valley before saying, "Wait for me here. I will pull the boss over to this spot."
"Why here? Is there anything special about this place?" The group was doubtful. It looked just as desolate as the hillside where they had stood earlier.
"You'll see."
Seeing the female Paladin named Blue Dream arrive, Li Yao quickly ran towards the boss.
Li Yao stopped at a distance of more than 150 yards, changed to a heavy crossbow, and quickly loaded a steel arrow.
Then, he slowly aimed at Skakir, who was having his dinner. After aiming, he gently pulled the trigger.
Whirr...
A steel arrow, accompanied by a whistling sound, plunged into Skakir's back.
A scream came from Skakir's mouth as his body tumbled away unprepared.
-86
A large damage number floated up.
The troll priest who had got up saw Li Yao and roared angrily, "Damn elf, you're looking for trouble."
Li Yao put the heavy crossbow back into his bag and started running...
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