MMORPG: The Elementalist

Chapter 170: The Destination—The Mythical Battlefield

A Boss-tier Pet Egg was a Pet Egg dropped by a Boss after getting defeated. Without a doubt, the Pet that would be hatched from that sort of Egg would definitely have much higher Attributes than those from a normal Egg. And that was exactly why Slayer’s Heart and his members had their eyes set on the idea of bonding with one. Between the quicker hatching of a normal Egg and the slower one of a Boss-tier Egg, they chose the latter hands down as the results would be a lot more satisfying.

But it was easier said than done.

The drop rate of Pet Eggs from open world monsters was typically very low. Not to mention the chance of finding a Boss to battle against was not in the least easy. With that said, how many Bosses would each of them need to kill in order for a Pet Egg to be dropped? And it was not as if other players would just give up on fighting a Boss should the opportunity present itself to them. If a word was to be used to describe what they were aiming for, it would be ambitious.

Another thing to consider was the number of players who might possibly have the same target as Slayer’s Heart and his members. There could be just a handful. But there could also be a whole mass of them just biding their time.

Qin Ruo could already picture numerous players getting their heads bitten off by Bosses as they fought to win the Egg race.

Would they really be able to get Boss-tier Pet Eggs? Only time could tell.

Fortunately, Slayer’s Heart was not unaware of those issues. Deciding that it was time for a reality check, he announced that a few of them will be given priority in terms of battling Minibosses as they were greater in number. The drop rate will always be confirmed before any battle commenced to establish the number of Minibosses they would be fighting. It was unrealistic to expect all of them would be able to get a Boss-tier Pet each. Should there be a suitable Pet Egg from a monster of high levels, it would be possible for them to improvise in order to succeed. If the opportunity presented itself in the future, they could always turn back and train more vigorously.

Qin Ruo listened intently, understanding the hard facts.

After parting from Violetmoon Devilite and the others, Qin Ruo hastily went offline and shoved some food into his mouth to satisfy his hunger pangs just enough to last a while. Immediately after that, he went back online. Recalling that his task of gathering the Dreamy Blue Ice Chrysanthemums at Snow Domain was not completed yet, he went to the shop, created the quest, and assigned it to a delighted Black Marketer. He then proceeded to send a voice message to Slayer’s Heart and the rest, finding that they were at the Champion’s Restaurant.

In his wait for them at the entrance of the town, Qin Ruo noticed quite a number of players actively whispering among themselves while glancing in his direction. Apparently his fight with Wildfire Bro had spread like fire across town. News really did travel fast. He was now a man of fame in a small town.

Rubbing his nose, he did not allow his mind to linger on those thoughts. Thinking too much always brought complications along the way. Simply following his ideals without straying from his path would be the best. Whatever he experienced before was necessary in his pursuit. Ever since his victory in his last battle, several people had opted to not approach him. He did not know if it was because they felt guilt, dread, or something new altogether about him.

***

A few minutes later, Slayer’s Heart appeared with five ladies by his side. And because of that, if not for the League insignia on his chest and his honest appearance, the players in town would have been staring daggers at him.

‘Huh?’

Qin Ruo was surprised to see an unusual member among the ladies.

‘Violetmoon Devilite?!

‘Why is she here?’

“Little Devil… is going with us too?” It was not something he had expected when he accepted Slayer’s Heart party invitation.

Slayer’s Heart nodded.

“It is going to be very dangerous when we battle a Boss. It will be more assuring to have an extra Priest with us,” said Burning Rose, winking at him. “Little Devil begged to come along to gain experience. She even said she will not pick up anything, but just heal our HP. What an amazing offer! How could we say no? Plus, it will be great having your girl around, wouldn’t it, Ruo Ruo?”

“…”

With awkwardness overwhelming him in an instant, he pushed it away as quickly as it came. Knowing Burning Rose was teasing him, he ignored her words although he subconsciously understood the underlying meaning behind them. Instead, he faced Little Devil.

“What about the other two?”

“Grandiose Dragon went on a solo training while Blue Princess went back home to deal with some personal matters. I didn’t inform my brother of anything.” Little Devil blushed a little in excitement. She could not believe she was going to go on an experience trip where she would be going up against a Boss with a group of professionals. The thought alone took excessive space in her head that she paid not much attention to Burning Rose’s words, or the meaning behind it.

“Oh.” Qin Ruo gave a short response before turning to Slayer’s Heart.

“Little Devil’s support skills will be invaluable to us. It is good news that she’s part of our squad. So, where are we heading to first?”

They knew now that ever since the Pet System was activated, some players had already set their eyes on certain spawn spots of Minibosses on the second level of Aricus Underground Ruins at Savis Town, Snow Domain, and several other territories. Each spot would have at least three to four Minibosses that will appear. Those Minibosses were not ones that were easy to handle. It would not do to simply provoke them on a normal day.

“Do you know which spot has the highest number of Bosses?”

Slayer’s Heart looked at him and responded to his question with another question.

“Are you testing me?”

Smiling, Qin Ruo replied, “Where else but the Mythical Battlefield…” Just as he finished his sentence, his expression changed, everything dawning upon him at once. With a heavy tone, he asked, “Brother Slayer, you’re not suggesting we farm for Pet Eggs at the Mythical Battlefield, are you?

“Bingo!”

Burning Rose snapped her finger with a smug look on her face.

Slayer’s Heart explained that if they actually just went over to places like the Aricus Underground Ruins to kill Minibosses, ignoring the fact that the drop rate probability of the Pet Eggs from those monsters was less than one in ten thousand, they would need to use an entire night to check out all of the spawn points of the Gorefiend Spider Demons just to look for them. And the journey would not stop there because they would have to repeat the same thing at all of the other places. It was excruciatingly inefficient.

Now, the Mythical Battlefield was a whole different story…

As all of them knew, the Mythical Battlefield was a perilous land on the Sacred Continent with the most diverse monster races and the highest number of Bosses that were relatively closer in distance to players, making them even more within reach. The place was infested with opposition parties and Bandits, earning itself the reputation of the darkest and most complicated place of all. It was a venue that would not leave players much rest. Instead, it would keep them on alert, their blood boiling, their bodies fueled with passion, and their minds running at full speed.

On the Mythical Battlefield, they were on their own. Should they encounter a monster, they would not be able to focus solely on it as there might opposition players lying in wait to ambush them. Should it be the other way around, they still would not be able to let their guard down as monsters could be doing the same, biding their time for the opportunity to wipe them all out.

With that in mind, most of the players entering the Mythical Battlefield chose a certain path. They focused on the opposition parties. This way, they would only fight the Bosses when and if they encountered one by chance. There were those that specifically hunted players and avoided entering regions that were more populated with monsters to reduce the probability of meeting one.

And that was exactly why Slayer’s Heart wanted to take advantage of the situation. With only a few players targeting the same thing they did, the odds would be in their favor, making this the best time to try their luck at the Mythical Battlefield.

Qin Ruo knitted his brows. Listening to Slayer’s Heart, one particular battle that graced the forum about two weeks ago came to mind. It was the battle between Netherspirit’s Claw and Maverick Vatican. The League Masters, Deputy League Masters, and Field Commanders from both parties were all involved in the battle.

Both leagues were almost slaughtered in the massive bloodbath. Without any prior knowledge of the events, a new monster, never seen before by anyone, suddenly appeared in the midst of their battle. Its Tier 5 AoE Magic Attack was continuously expelled from the middle of the battlefield. Its explosive attack spread in all four directions, injuring and killing multiple players in action. Unable to counterattack or defend themselves against the unexpected ambush, the two leagues gave up the battle and left the battlefield that was decorated with thousands of corpses of their former party members.

It was very unsettling to think that that could potentially happen to them. Qin Ruo needed to ask Slayer’s Heart the one inevitable question—What should they do if they encountered a monster so powerful that none of them could handle it?

But Slayer’s Heart following words put his heart to ease.

“Don’t worry too much about it. We’ll be departing from Moonrise City. I’m pretty knowledgeable about the monster distribution near the city. So, as long as we avoid going into unfamiliar territories, we’ll be alright. We would need to be really down on our luck to have an unbeatable monster spring up on us.”

Qin Ruo nodded. Slayer’s Heart was not being unreasonable. It was unrealistic to expect zero damage in exchange for what they wanted after all…

Just then…

“So, it’s just going to be the seven of us?” Qin Ruo asked Slayer’s Heart.

Before this, the number of party members was not an issue because he did not expect the Mythical Battlefield to be their destination. But now that he knew, he felt obligated to ask about it. The Mythical Battlefield was not just any place that a normal party could walk in and out just like that. What more a small party of merely seven members!

According to Brother Da, they had mobilized a party of over fifty members called Treasurehunting Elite Party to the battlefield to complete some quests to accumulate Battle Points over the past two days. But every time they got in, the whole party would be squashed by the opposition on the inside. It was proof that the combat experience and strength of the opposition parties were on a whole other level!

Qin Ruo’s heart wavered. Having just the seven of them enter felt like a suicide attempt. It would be so easy for the opposition parties to take them out like ants. They were already on the losing end by just mere numbers. There was also the fear of equipment dropping. It was a 100% rate if players were killed by the opposition. Should they really perish by the hands of the enemy, they would lose their equipment upon their deaths!

Slayer’s Heart and the others nodded, understanding the seriousness of the matter.

“It is true that our number is smaller…”

“Little Qin, do you know anyone worthy of your trust to be added to our little group? Invite them to join us. Three will do. We will be taking the Pet Eggs, but the loot will be divided equally.”

“Huh?”

Qin Ruo was stunned at the revelation that Slayer’s Heart actually wanted him to include more party members. “Why don’t you pull members from the League? Aren’t they marginally more powerful?”

Slayer’s Heart shook his head.

“I don’t want to owe them any favor. Plus, I also don’t want that dude to know what I’m doing now.”

“Urgh… Alright then!”

Having been around Slayer’s Heart and the ladies’ for a few days, Qin Ruo roughly knew who Slayer’s Heart was referring to, so he stopped himself from asking further. After giving it some thought, he sent voice messages to three of his friends, each of a different Class…