MMORPG: The Elementalist

Magic Penetration triggered. Poochie destroyed the Frost Barrier.

Amethyst Orc hit the target, inflicted 132 Damage to Cerberus.

Poochie hit the target, inflicted 1 Damage to Cerberus.

Status Effect: Stun inflicted, lasts for two seconds.

Under Qin Ruo’s command, the Amethyst Orc and Poochie worked tacitly to force back Cerberus. Not only was the monster now inflicted with Stun, it was also receiving heavy poundings by Poochie and it fell back toward the waterfall entrance.

The Amethyst Orc also maintained its hot pursuit.

Bang!

The Amethyst Orc moved swiftly and caught up to Cerberus body rolling on the ground. Three Amethyst Blades hit the monster on its head and caused the stunned Cerberus to groan in extreme pain. Its gigantic body was once again pushed back several meters.

Poochie now acted like a typical accomplice. It hit Cerberus whenever there was an opening to lead the monster away from the Dimensional Portal. Poochie timed the attacks precisely without hindering the Amethyst Orc’s.

Taking advantage of the fact that Cerberus was currently being overwhelmed by Poochie and the Amethyst Orc, Qin Ruo bypassed the battle and dashed toward the portal.

***

The erupted fight between the two sides silenced the third party near the waterfall entrance.

From the moment they saw the tiny creature, the expressions on Brony and the few other Netherspirit’s Claw members fell. Their eyes were suddenly filled with uncertainty and deep worries.

A powerful Aquamancer with a little monster Pet… The opponent’s identity was on the tip of their tongue.

“Brony…”

One of them, unsettled, asked through the channel in a low voice, “Isn’t he… the Aquamancer wanted by Dark Dragon?” He remained uncertain and asked his comrades, seeking for affirmation.

Brony and two other Netherspirit’s Claw members in the party took in deep breaths at the same time before Brony replied with a gloomy face, “Yes, that should be him.”

The other three comrades got anxious with Brony’s immediate confirmation. “What should we do then?”

“Do we really do as Dark Dragon said and…?”

“And get yourself killed?”

The Summoner from the Hall of Heroes was amused by their conversation. He looked at the four Netherspirit’s Claw members oddly and interrupted them through the party channel to ask, “What are you guys talking about? You all know the Aquamancer?”

“I wish I didn’t.” Brony smiled bitterly.

The other Netherspirit’s Claw Elementalist seconded Brony’s answer. “Me too.”

This further sparked the Summoner’s curiosity. He continued and asked, “So, is there some sort of a feud between you and him?”

“I wish. Sadly, the one this lad offended is not us but our superior,” Brony said grudgingly as he sighed.

“No way! You are telling me that he offended your League Master, Netherclaw?”

The Summoner opened his mouth and looked at the figure now fast approaching the Portal in disbelief. His impression toward the mysterious stranger had suddenly inflated exponentially at a horrifying scale.

His misunderstanding was quickly corrected. Another Netherspirit’s Claw member interjected him and said, “Not our League Master. It’s Dark Dragon…”

“I see.” The Summoner felt a little relieved after learning that Netherclaw was not involved. But then, he realized that Dark Dragon was nobody short of significance. ‘The f*ck?! Dark Dragon? Isn’t he the second Tier 5 Supreme Champion in Netherspirit’s Claw?’ His heart began beating faster involuntarily following the realization. “You are saying that this is the Aquamancer that had managed to escape under Dark Dragon’s nose?”

Brony and the others threw him an “isn’t-it-obvious” look.

***

When Qin Ruo was about to reach the Dimensional Portal, he was surprised to find an uninvited guest hidden nearby.

The Bandit was rather unlucky having been sent out by Brony at such bad timing. None of them had foreseen that Qin Ruo was able to fend off Cerberus by force at such ease and get near the Portal so speedily. Due to Qin Ruo’s magnificent deterring aura, the Bandit had hidden quietly with bated breath thirty meters away from the Aquamancer.

Brony was very confident that he had managed to persuade him to open the chest, but he was not naive enough to believe that the Aquamancer would just let him be once he opened the chest and took the treasure away on his watch.

The Bandit was truly observant. He finally understood why Qin Ruo had been squatting in front of the portal with his back against the battle for so long just now.

The Grade 3 Herb Nightstar. Only two more were left inside the rift now.

The Bandit reckoned that Qin Ruo would continue gathering the two remaining herbs, so he stayed at his spot and waited patiently with his Stealth mode on. He was prepared to take the treasure in the chest and run upon the commencement of Qin Ruo’s herb gathering. The Bandit believed that the Aquamancer would not be able to do anything else once he started to focus on the task at hand.

What he did not know was that he had been exposed to Qin Ruo’s Elemental Perception when he got within range. His movements were now under Qin Ruo’s surveillance. With Qin Ruo knowing that, a light bulb flickered on in his mind as a brilliant idea came to him.

‘A Bandit! What a chance!’

Pretending as if he were alone, Qin Ruo sneered. He continued to advance purposefully toward the portal and squatted down near the Nightstar.

The treasure chest was only less than ten meters behind Qin Ruo. The rich Water Element in the surroundings bound the Bandit’s movements and the chest condition well within Qin Ruo’s Perception range.

The Bandit, as expected, wasted no time and walked toward the chest as soon as he saw Qin Ruo starting to concentrate purple radiance onto his palm. He tiptoed, doing his best to not get caught by the herb gatherer.

He squatted beside the treasure chest and swiftly took out a gold wire from his waist pouch.

He stuck the wire into the keyhole while in Stealth—an advantage of a Bandit. As long as a Bandit did not attack or was under attack, he or she would always be able to maintain invisibility for a great deal of time.

Unfortunately, the Bandit had not realized that the moment he executed Lock Picking, Qin Ruo, who had been watching his every move, had quietly canceled Gathering. However, Qin Ruo did not take out the Aquadragon Staff as it would be too obvious then and that might alarm the Bandit. He would be at a loss should the Bandit cease the Lockpicking process.

Qin Ruo decided to take action right after the chest was unlocked. Even though he might not be able to draw out the staff in time, he was fully confident that he could still freeze his opponent instantly under this Aqua-rich environment without his weapon in hand.

Although this is not very honorable…

Nevertheless, Qin Ruo did not feel guilty at all. If they could use dirty tricks to trap Bizarre Blade’s comrade and force them to give up on their treasure, so can I. An eye for an eye, hehe…

…

The process was much easier than Qin Ruo anticipated.

Click!

The lock was successfully opened. A distinct sound of a deadbolt opening was heard coming from inside the keyhole.

Qin Ruo immediately turned around. Before the terrified Bandit could open up the golden chest, a bolus of Water Element immediately condensed above the Bandit. It was a pre-planned attack on Qin Ruo’s part, but in the eye of the shocked Bandit, it was an instinctive reflex in response to the faint unlocking sound.

It was unclear whether it was due to Qin Ruo’s powerful image or out of his fear of being revealed after picking the lock. Once the Bandit saw Qin Ruo facing him while condensing magic, he quickly raised both of his hands and shouted, “Please! Don’t attack me!”

Qin Ruo went speechless. ‘Damn, this reaction is epic.’

Though amused by the Bandit’s reaction, the treasure chest was still on his mind.

“Water!”

“Freeze!”

In split second, a Frostrampart was summoned and it separated the Bandit from the treasure chest.

Qin Ruo, finally relieved, spoke to the paled and nervous Bandit with a smile while walking slowly toward the chest. “Thanks for your help, buddy.”

“Oh yeah, as far as I can remember, you do not belong to the Netherspirit’s Claw, right?” Knowing that not one of the players near the entrance dared to make a move, Qin Ruo was not at all afraid of any sudden attacks or actions to grab the treasure in the chest. So he let down his guard and began to strike a conversation with the Bandit.

The Bandit looked at Qin Ruo in surprise and wondered why he knew such a thing. He nodded honestly. “Yes, I am with the Hall of Heroes.”

Qin Ruo smiled and said, “Don’t be surprised. I’ve been listening in on you guys from the beginning.”

Qin Ruo joyfully opened up the treasure chest. Blinding gold radiance shone from within and the strong glow struck the players at the entrance. They lamented in great regret. ‘Such a spineless Bandit. How could he surrender as soon as he was discovered? Damn it, I should not have jumped the gun and tried to get to the treasure chest this early. Great, the loot will now go to the Aquamancer.’

“What an idiot! Why is he frightened by someone from the same faction? He could have at least claim one item after opening the chest and run!”

“True that! I have never met such an idiot.”

Brony and his gang were greatly displeased by what they saw and they were furious. But the Bowmasters within the party knew better than them. The moment the Bandit was exposed, Qin Ruo’s Water Element spell had already taken form on top of his head. It was simply too fast, as if prepared beforehand. They made the calculation and deduced that even if the Bandit had grabbed an item from the chest and ran right after, he would not have survived the attack. It would have been an instant kill.

The Bandit’s cowardice had at least kept him alive.

***

In the midst of their conversation, Qin Ruo ignored the Bandit’s helpless yet desirous look over the treasure chest. He took out the large equipment from the chest one after another.

The chest was rather full! Not only was it filled with equipment, it was also full of gold coins. A dark gold dagger lied on top of the gold beside a set of black scaly chain mail. In addition, there were also a Magic Skill Book lying together with a Mana Core and an emerald gem.

Qin Ruo placed the loot into his backpack one by one while being vigilant against the Bandit. Most of the items required identification and their attribute could only be determined once he got back to the town.

In contrast to Qin Ruo’s glee due to his rewarding harvest, the Bandit’s mood could not have gotten any gloomier. His saddened face twitched every time Qin Ruo put a treasure into his backpack.

Qin Ruo noticed the Bandit’s reaction when he ransacked the gold coins in the chest. He grinned, then took out a Gold equipment suitable for a Bandit he obtained from the Underground Frostlake and put it on top of the treasure chest. ‘This was initially a gift intended for the little brat, but now…’

He pointed toward the treasure chest and addressed the pitiful looking Bandit, “These are all yours now.” No matter what, the Bandit had contributed in opening the chest after all. ‘Let’s consider this a collaboration.’

Hearing that, the Bandit gloominess was quickly replaced with delight. He pointed to himself in disbelief. After Qin Ruo reassured him, he excitedly blurted a few “Thank yous” before falling to his knees to start scooping up the gold coins left inside the treasure chest.