MMORPG: The Elementalist

Locking down a common Tier 4 Berserker and Tier 3 Electromancer was practically effortless for Qin Ruo. It was as simple as freezing a bit of water, and then blocking them off with two Frostramparts, never allowing the Electromancer to get a clear shot at Wandering Soul.

The Beastblood Berserker had never expected that, in the last moment, some Aquamancer would pop up out of nowhere and screw them over like this. The goose had been nice and cooked, but now it was flying away!

He was so angry his lips were quivering, and at the top of his voice he shouted, “Damn you! Get out here, right now!”

That wonderful item had been right before his eyes, easily within reach, and then it had been suddenly knocked out of his hand by someone else. Any other player might have reacted the same way. The Beastblood Berserker realized that even if he managed to chase the boy down, he wouldn’t be able to defeat him by himself now.

Eyes flaring and mouth swearing, he shared every curse he knew with Qin Ruo, who was still hiding somewhere on the sidelines.

The other player still on the scene, the Electromancer, was taking an entirely different approach to the situation. Having failed repeatedly to get past the obstruction, he gave up and quietened down. As an Elementalist himself, he obviously realized that the skill required to lock down two players at once could only come from a highly skilled Elementalist. He was only in Tier 3—no matter what, he couldn’t afford to make an enemy of someone like that.

Even the Tier 4 Beastblood Berserker would probably be no match for this mysterious interloper, although at the moment the Berserker was busily unleashing a whole torrent of filth into the night—there would be no stopping him now. All the Electromancer could do was keep quiet and stand to the side, hoping to be spared.

The Beastblood Berserker roared himself hoarse, but he still couldn’t calm down. He stood there and continued to holler for the little sneak to show himself.

And then, the Frostramparts in front of them suddenly fell away.

“Are you sure you want me to come out?” A new voice suddenly rang out from the darkness.

Both men trembled!

The Beastblood Berserker sucked in a ragged breath, and stopped his shouting. He turned fearful eyes in the direction that the voice had come from, and found himself looking at the empty space between him and the Electromancer.

“You… you…”

The Berserker instinctively tightened his grip on his weapon, suddenly lost for words. At first he had thought there was only one player involved, but now it seemed that besides the Aquamancer, there was also a Tier 4 Bandit!

Yes, he’d rather think that the one who’d spoken was a Bandit, and not the Aquamancer himself!

That would be madness! An Aquamancer who could turn invisible… what kind of ridiculous character was that? ¹

“Yes, what about me? I’m the Aquamancer you’ve been shouting for,” said the mocking, disembodied voice. “Have you been wanting to see me? As you wish, then.”

As soon as he’d finished speaking, a shadow appeared between the two of them, tinged with red. It was an aura of evil red light, suffocating them with the stench of fresh blood.

In that moment of silence, nothing could be heard but the heavy breathing of the two men!

The Beastblood Berserker couldn’t believe what he was seeing! It was the worst possible thing to run into out here: an invisible Aquamancer, and a mass-murdering Devil at that! His face had gone white, and in his heart he was screaming silently, “What the hell is this? Someone just strike me dead right now!”

Since the unknown player was a Devil, there was the opportunity to kill him and take all his equipment. However… there was just something so unnerving about this whole situation, and both the Beastblood Berserker and the Electromancer were cursing their ill fortune, unconsciously backing away from him. Never mind casting spells or readying attacks—at that moment, the only thing on their minds was to run.

“Beat it!” Qin Ruo snapped at the Berserker, who was tilting on the ragged edge of panic. With the relief of a death row convict who’d just received a full pardon, the Beastblood Berserker immediately yanked out a Return Scroll and left at all speed.

***

When the two of them had left, Qin Ruo turned back toward the treeline, and the Terra Swordmaster who had emerged once again. Frowning, Qin Ruo slipped back into Aquamorph form, preparing to vanish into the mountain forest.

“Why did you save me?” Wandering Soul’s bewildered question floated over to him, just as he was about to disappear.

“I didn’t do it to save you. There was just something I didn’t like about those two.”

Qin Ruo walked away as he said this, but Wandering Soul was somehow able to follow him through the darkness, and chased after him, shouting more questions from about ten meters behind.

“Really? Anyway, I’m still grateful to you. Oh yeah, and why haven’t you killed me?”

“Why would I kill you?” Qin Ruo was taken aback by this.

“Aren’t you a Devil? I’ve heard that only players who go around killing other people for their stuff become Devils… but you don’t seem like the sort. Could it be that, among players with red tags, there are those who feel sympathy for each other? Uh, maybe you saw that I also have a red tag, and that’s why you saved me?”

Listening to Wandering Soul’s wild speculations, Qin Ruo suddenly felt that he had done something really stupid. Was this kid an idiot? Didn’t he realize they were walking down the road that led out of the Goblin Mountains? If he kept on following Qin Ruo, he would soon be noticed by other players nearby!

This was bad! If someone discovered Wandering Soul now, it would be bad for Qin Ruo as well: with the boy following so close behind him, yammering away non-stop, anyone would assume that he wasn’t alone.

“Hey, stop following me! You keep this up, and I swear I’ll kill you before we’re out of these mountains!”

“Oh.” Wandering Soul’s face fell, and he halted immediately. From his point of view, this shadowy character, wreathed in deepest red, was like one of those crazy hermits from folk tales, unpredictable and wild. For all he knew, it really was dangerous to hang around near him for any longer.

For his part, when he noted the boy’s crestfallen silence, Qin Ruo felt a pang of guilt. A Tier 3 Terra Swordmaster who had slain two players would be on the Wanted list for six hours. He felt like that his fault somehow—if only he had acted sooner…

At this, a thought occurred to Qin Ruo. Brows furrowed, he turned around and called out, “Do you know a blacksmith named Moonwaltz Rimbo?”

This was the “Blacksmith bitch” that Sentinel had mentioned during his embarrassing personal revelations, and it had caught Qin Ruo’s attention immediately. Female Blacksmiths were rare in this game, especially ones who could produce high-quality equipment.

Sure enough, upon the merest mention of the name, Wandering Soul’s face became the portrait of alarmed suspicion. “Bro, you… you know her too?”

“Not her, personally—I’m acquainted with her old man.” Qin Ruo was quick to clear this matter up.

“He’s not her old man, he’s her grandfather ² ,” Wandering Soul corrected him. There was the faintest hint of annoyance in his tone.

“Ah, close enough,” Qin Ruo replied callously, recalling the image of that well-to-do storekeeper who did not look too old yet. Father or grandfather, he did not look like either.

“Oh, by any chance… might you be that stuck-up—er, I mean, mysterious master Aquamancer, Qin Ruo? Moony’s told me about you!” Wandering Soul stared at him with wide, enthusiastic eyes.

‘Stuck-up?’

Qin Ruo’s eyes rolled back, and he looked inward to seek out the memory of his first meeting with Moonwaltz Rimbo. A shudder ran through his heart as he realized it would be an accurate description: he had not really spoken to her at the time, and in fact he had looked down on her. It should not come as any surprise that he had left the young woman with the impression that he was an arrogant, obnoxious kind of guy.

He’d been just about to send Wandering Soul a Friendship Request, but now he had changed his mind.

“Wow, it’s really you! You’re my idol, you know? Hey, bro, could you tell me where you get your Millenium Darksteel? To have so much—you must have saved up a long time! Oh and also, bro, are you a pro Miner? Moony says I should hurry up and max out my Mining skill, promising to make some high-level equips for me if I can find any high-level ores… but I’ve only just gotten started, so could you give me some tips—what’s the fastest way to max out Mining?”

Ugh! Qin Ruo silently cast his gaze up to the heavens.

‘Not this Twenty Questions crap again!’

***

Qin Ruo did not give a rat’s ass about the boy’s problems.

“I don’t have time to talk. Since we share a mutual acquaintance in Moonwaltz Rimbo and her… grandfather, I’ll tell you this much: Before someone else finds you, you’d better run off and hide somewhere. Your red tag should be gone by morning.” With this, he turned on his heel and coldly strode off.

Wandering Soul seemed to have just remembered that he had a red tag now, and would be Wanted for another six hours… yet here he was, following Qin Ruo around everywhere, just asking to lose his equipment.

Feeling a sudden sense of anxiety, the boy ran up to him.

“Oh, what now?”

“Bro, I’ve got classes tomorrow. I can’t wait around until morning.”

“And how is that any of my concern?”

“Help a brother out…” Wandering Soul then proceeded to outline a daring plan: Qin Ruo could kill him now, sending him down to the Underwater Prison of Sin City, and he could help hold on to any lost items in the meantime. In this way, he would only lose a level, but at least he needn’t worry about his equipment.

After a long silence, Qin Ruo finally inquired, “Aren’t you worried I might not return your stuff to you?”

“Ahaha, bro, everyone knows what a great guy you are! There’s no way you’d be interested in any of my stuff! Oh and Moony also just told me that if you go back on our deal, all your crafting projects with her will automatically fail.”

Wandering Soul carefully lifted up his gaze, barely daring to look straight at Qin Ruo, who was now pissed off beyond belief.