MMORPG: The Elementalist

Not only had Violet Orchid been looking up the way through the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods, she had also been checking out the current position and status of Scarlet Bauhinia’s party as well. In fact, Scarlet Bauhinia himself had also given her some details about what awaited them on the fifth level.

Scarlet Bauhinia had sent someone to pass along a message: Netherclaw, the League Master of Netherspirit’s Claw himself, had given his word that none of his people would lay a hand on anyone belonging to the Angel Faction on the fifth level.

Despite this, Violet Orchid decided to speak on Qin Ruo’s behalf, rejecting Scarlet Bauhinia’s invitation. She told him that there was no need to fuss over such matters.

Since Qin Ruo had rescued her from Tiger Cub’s clutches and delivered her safely to the fifth level, his debt to the Bauhinia Clan for their help with that matter in Killer Bee Valley was considered paid. In fact, for his contribution of the White Tiger Shaman, a Tier 5 Support-Type Miniboss, it was now the Bauhinia Clan that owed him big time!

Not only was a White Tiger Shaman comparable to a high-level Radiant Priest, it was also a monster with combat abilities surpassing that of a Tier 5 Supreme Champion. It would be a tremendous boon in their battles against the Demon Faction to acquire Divinity!

Qin Ruo could hold his head high and walk away without shame if he wished to lead his party off to find their own fortune in the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods.

Violet Orchid then shared some updates about what was happening in the Graveyard of the Gods via their Party Channel.

In the fifth level, one could find Tier 6 monsters with all their might and cunning; Tier 6 Minibosses, who were a terror to face in combat; scattered groups of player parties; as well as the ongoing clash between Alliances from the Angel and Demon Factions.

As they listened to Violet Orchid’s information, everyone felt the grip of suspense tightening around their hearts. From the sound of it, the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods was where the war between the Factions was at its fiercest and most brutal!

There were 20 Leagues and Clans from the Demon Faction. They were split into four Alliances to hold various positions across the fifth level. Each group contained at least 20 or 30 champions equivalent to a Field Commander, and they were led by one or even several Tier 5 Supreme Champions!

What did all of this mean?

Putting things into perspective, although Qin Ruo’s current group did seem to boast a great many people, they were largely just a bunch of noobs compared to the kind of players they would likely encounter there.

Oh sure, the Amethyst Orc and the White Tiger Shaman were nothing to sneeze at. But if it were not for those two Tier 5 Minibosses, they would probably be the weakest group in the entire fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods!

And no wonder!

There had to be some unusual cases roaming the fifth level—extraordinarily powerful individuals or parties that were formed spontaneously just like Qin Ruo’s own six-man party, opting to steer clear of any competition as they focused on hunting for high-level gear and Divinity.

It was not a situation that allowed for much optimism.

As everyone knew, normal monsters generally did not grant high-level equipment or rewards. Even in places where it was possible, the chance of it happening was extremely low, and you should not hope to get anything amazing. Due to that, high-level players tended to ignore them.

If you wanted to get your hands on the really good stuff, the only way was to slay Bosses. However, on the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods, the weakest monsters present were already Tier 6 Minibosses! They were a little stronger than a Tier 5 Mega Boss, and anyone who was short of a Tier 5 Supreme Champion would find it tough to deal any damage to them.

Traveling through such a hazardous environment, and still having to watch out for the deadly threat of an ambush by players from the enemy Faction… Just thinking about it made one’s hair stand up on end.

The entire time, Steel Dude had been quiet in the Party Channel, but he suddenly posed a question to Qin Ruo and his party, “Are you really going to explore the place by yourselves?”

Although he had only known them for a short while, Subjugator and Judge had proven their worth on the battlefield. Then there was Fateless, who could go toe-to-toe against Tiger Cub as an equal—Steel Dude held him in high regard as well. When he heard about how they were planning to split up immediately after escorting them to rejoin their Alliance, it left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Of course! Between your three mighty Leagues, you already have more than enough Champions. Having us there or losing us won’t make any difference. Why would we tag along with you to beg for scraps?” Subjugator’s bold declaration left everyone rolling their eyes.

Qin Ruo wiped his forehead, suddenly breaking out in cold sweat. This was too much—he had just offended multiple Tier 5 Supreme Champions and several dozen Field Commanders!

“Damn it, watch your tongue! Begging for scraps… You make me want to run off along with the rest of you,” Steel Dude’s reply got some reactions from the crowd.

Subjugator and the others would like nothing better.

“Sounds good! Come on, come on! More help is always welcome!”

“That’s right!”

“Fortune rides with us. If we take down a Boss together, you can count on getting a share of the best loot. Over there, there’ll just be way too many people—work for them a whole day and it still won’t be your turn to get something.”

Subjugator spoke eloquently, making an irresistible offer in order to court the services of the Bauhinia Clan’s Field Commander. Violet Orchid finally decided to interfere. Shaking her head, she directed everyone to line up and get ready to enter the warp point.

***

[Graveyard of the Gods, Level 5]

“Someone’s come in.”

Behind a tiny hillock, a Bandit hiding under the cover of Stealth pulled his eyes away from a sparse little grove of trees in the distance. He alerted the seven Demon Faction players behind him, each one clad all in Dark Gold.

Someone came in? Arranged in a formation, which allowed them to keep a lookout in all directions, the eyes of the seven other players lit up.

At last, fresh meat!

Without asking, they already knew that the new arrivals were Angel Faction players.

They had found this spot by chance—the little grove a hundred meters away was actually an entry point for players from the Angel Faction.

By staking out nearby, they had managed to ambush and kill several enemies in a row: some were alone, some in a party, and among them was even a Field Commander or two.

Having been able to gain some experience in such matters, they developed a better understanding of how the warp points worked!

As long as they kept a cautious distance of a hundred meters or more from the warp point, the system would not take any extra measures to safeguard the incoming players, such as shunting them off to a clearer location elsewhere.

While observing this condition, they also made use of the surrounding terrain to hide themselves from any players entering the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods. That way, when they struck, success was all but guaranteed!

Particularly now that they had eight Champions who were on par with Field Commanders, their victories came one after another. And in this way, they had been picking up good equipment much more easily compared to hunting those fearsome Tier 6 beasts.

However, no matter how exciting all of it may be, outwardly they were all perfectly calm and serene.

“How many people this time?” The one who spoke was a Titanwraith Berserker. He was wearing the emblem of the Sightless Eye and carrying a broadsword, which pulsed with crimson light along its entire length. As he said this, several others in the party turned to their Bandit, who was scouting out their latest target.

As a Field Commander in the ‘Reaper’s Gaze’ Clan of the Demon Faction League known as the ‘Zeus Legion’, as well as the only Champion in the party who wielded a Legendary weapon, Black Mask was evidently the mightiest Champion within the randomly-assembled group. He was also their leader for the moment.

Lying flat behind the crest of the hill, the Bandit peered into the distance for a few moments, his eyebrows gradually knitting together.

“This doesn’t look good. There are a lot of people this time!”

“A lot?” Black Mask and the others exchanged looks of apprehension. They all understood what that really meant.

They had either sacrificed a great number of players in order to create an opening for themselves to slip past into the fifth level…

… or slew the Boss guarding the warp point!

Whichever one it was, it meant bad news for them. The former would need to be able to draw upon a large roster of elite players—something only a League was capable of; the latter was worse—to be able to defeat a Tier 5 Boss in direct combat indicated that they were too powerful to challenge.

“Find out more!”

“I want to know which League they’re from, how many people they have exactly, how many are at least Field Commander-level in their ability…” Black Mask resisted the urge to just pop up and take a look himself. Instead, he instructed the Bandit to keep an eye on them.

However, each bit of new information hit them with the force of an atomic bomb. Each announcement was more surprising than the last.

They were a rag-tag group of mixed allegiances.

They were almost 40 in number.

Although not that many of them were Field Commanders, they had among them two unusually large and powerful monsters.

The most surprising thing of all was that this massive force of people did not immediately set out in a specific direction upon entering the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods. On the contrary, they stopped beside a narrow brook just beyond the grove and took up a defensive formation.

***

Just outside the grove, the group waited for Violet Orchid to log back into the game. Then they heard Fateless whisper urgently through the Party Channel, “There are signs of several recent battles in the area. Everyone stay alert!”

This was followed immediately by Qin Ruo’s merry tone. “At our three o’clock, there are eight Demon Faction players, all Field Commanders. While we wait for Big Sis Orchid to return, shall we go over there and say hello?”

“What? How did you notice them?” Fateless yelped through the Party Channel, his voice strained with annoyance.

Already in Aquamorph form, Qin Ruo was using an invisible rope of water to suspend himself from the top of a tree at a height of 20 m. From his high vantage point, he easily spotted the eight figures hiding behind the slope, their figures outlined in bright red.

Mirthfully, he replied, “Well, I have the high ground.”