MMORPG: The Elementalist

450,000 points!

The golden font that topped the rankings baffled those who witnessed the alteration in real time, regardless if they were regular players or Veteran Champions. Qin Ruo’s gains from his initial 270,000 points by another 180,000 points seemed to have sucked out the air and energy from the entire Mythical Continent.

Players were gasping for air, not being able to handle the fact.

‘Only within half an hour.’

Prior to this, some “experienced analysts” on the forum had predicted that this competition would most likely end up within the range of 200,000 points.

But the current points had doubled since the initial prediction.

450,000.

Such a hefty sum could only be achieved by defeating at least a Tier 4 Ultimate or a Tier 5 Overlord, in addition to either a Tier 6 Megaboss or a large horde of Tier 5 or 6 monsters.

It was difficult to imagine how a solo Aquamancer could achieve such a feat within such a short time.

“This sure is a crazy world!”

***

“Gasp…”

Netherclaw, who still hadn’t entered the Mythical Mirage, gazed at the eye-pricking numbers on top of the leaderboard. Dazed, he took a deep breath and stood still for a long time. When he finally regained his composure, he looked away and shook his head with a bitter smile on his lips.

He should have known…

Despite the fact that Netherspirit’s Claw had secretly developed several high-tier Summoners that possessed the Master Rank Sealing Technique, Netherclaw believed the Fallen Angels and the other clans or Leagues must have also done the same.

A good example would be Dinosaurcerer from Fallen Angels League. Although this lad held the position of Clan Leader in Violent Army, he was once a member of Slayer’s Heart’s party and fostered a close relationship with Qin Ruo. If the Winter Demon needed a favor from him, it would be totally feasible for Qin Ruo to seal a Tier 5 Megaboss or even a Tier 6 Boss easily with Dinosaurcerer’s help.

“Yup, this must be the only explanation.”

It was certain that Qin Ruo would have carried along a Tier 5 Megaboss or a Tier 6 Boss into the Mirage. And so, it was by the assistance of such external forces that Qin Ruo managed to defeat one after another Boss, all worth close to 200,000 points!

“…” Netherclaw sighed. Originally, he still contemplated on whether he should use the Tier 5 Megaboss or Tier 6 Elite Miniboss’ Sealed Mana Core in this competition.

He was considering whether it would be worth for him to exchange the two Mana Cores valued at 300,000 gold coins with temporary fame and glory.

After all, the two cores were initially his chips for the final day gamble, where the strongest champion would be determined then. To use it at this point would be quite a waste.

Of course, he was willing to sacrifice one of the cores at the last moment to take down the number one spot and partially restore Netherspirit’s Claw dominance—only possible if the points did not exceed 350,000.

‘Qin Ruo, grrr….’

Netherclaw suddenly found himself in a tight spot.

If he used the core, he wouldn’t be able to best the points collected by Qin Ruo thus far. Even with the help of a Tier 5 Megaboss or a Tier 6 Miniboss, a beast with more than 100,000 HP would still be a giant headache. Not to mention the normal monster and Miniboss guardians that he would need to defeat first before reaching the main target. The monster hunt would be filled with unknown danger.

Besides, Netherclaw did not have the confidence all along to take down two heavyweight Bosses within half an hour.

Nevertheless, if he did not use the core…

Driven by Qin Ruo’s current insurmountable points, Demon Faction players would certainly try to catch up by all means.

Qin Ruo’s actions spurred another wave of point-grabbing frenzy.

Without the mana core, the Netherspirit’s Claw’s League Commander might not be able to squeeze into the top twenty, or even top fifty spots.

That would leave Netherspirit’s Claw in an embarrassing position at the end of the event.

In short, Qin Ruo had put him into a deep, problematic dilemma.

Four hundred and fifty thousand points. These numbers pressed on his chest like a giant rock that suffocated him.

Netherclaw was not alone. Many players from Demon Faction were equally displeased.

Other than the unattached Jungle Cobra, all the Veteran Champions from Demon Faction hated Qin Ruo to the marrow of their bones after receiving the news.

At first, they only needed a few more points to catch up. Now, the gap had been widened to 180,000 points.

“How do we catch up now?”

Making time for a Miniboss or a horde of normal Tier 6 Monsters would be easy. They only needed a few trips to familiarize with the monster.

But to beat a Tier 6 Megaboss was an entirely different matter.

It was not as if they could magically strengthen themselves by popping a can of spinach…

As the players bemoaned Qin Ruo’s imbalanced lead, a horrible turn of events once again unfolded before their eyes.

In less than a minute after the figure locked at 450,000, the number on top of the leaderboard was once again altered.

At a rate of thousands per time, Qin Ruo’s points shot up again from 450,000. Within two minutes, the points had raised to a new height of 468,000 points…

“Screw it! When are you going to stop?”

Most players hearts skipped a beat looking at the intriguing string of numbers. “This bastard… How does he still have time left after done with two high-tier Boss? Don’t tell me he is so lucky, he finds an ultimate monster horde immediately after that?”

***

There was no such thing as luck.

Qin Ruo did not bump into a horde of monsters. He simply lured them to him.

***

Qin Ruo did not slow down after he finished off the sorrowful Gale Garuda. He planned to stick above the sea and annihilate the remaining Tempest Eagles.

Although he had twelve minutes left, which was just enough to take on another Megaboss, Qin Ruo knew it was hardly executable. If not because of the Mimic ability, as well as the geographical advantage that he held above the sea, he would have not been able to complete the previous battle in such a swift fashion. Not to forget the enormous help he obtained from Amethyst Orc and Elite Phantom Skeleton.

Mimic had helped him to avoid the large group of Tempest Eagles and safely lured out the great Boss.

The sea too, helped him to lock down the Gale Garuda and gave him and his monsters ample of time to drain the Garuda dry.

If he gave up on the sea and chose a different battlefield…

Not only would he have wasted precious time for relocation, but Amethyst Orc would also find it difficult to travel far on land since the jungle would be filled with monsters crossing their paths.

Judging by the above considerations, Qin Ruo decided to remain above the sea and he took care of the Tempest Eagles first. Only after that would he return to the forest and gain as many points as possible in the remaining time.

Once his points breached the 500,000 mark, he would have less to worry…

***

With the help of the Ring of Honor, Qin Ruo staged the same trick once again.

He masqueraded as a Tempest Eagle and lured a large group of his angry “mates” to the sea with a few AoE spells.

He then dove and activated his Twelve Frostramparts Formation when he was close enough to the sea surface.

The powerful frost current, which could trap even the almighty Gale Garuda, spared none of the thunderous Tempest Eagles. The weaker avian monsters were all frozen in mid-air and dropped to the frozen sea simultaneously.

More than twenty Frostramparts were “ignited” by Qin Ruo to wrap up the hunt. One Frostburst, ten thousand points.

As compared to Gale Garuda and Jebel Pangolin, Qin Ruo did not break a sweat massacring the minion monsters. After several rounds, the majority of the Tempest Eagles in the air had been wiped clean. Qin Ruo’s points had also been steadily pushed beyond the 500,000 mark.

Qin Ruo, who stayed inside the Mythical Mirage was calm despite the record breaking performance. He ascended to the air and activated his Aquawing to fly back to the jungle. He wished to garner more points before time ran out.

But those who were out there, they had gone nuts.

***

Taking the second place on the leaderboard was Jungle Cobra, who’s points had plateaued at 271,000. He was blown away by Qin Ruo with a huge gap of 240,000 points.

Apart from him, most players only had about half the points that Qin Ruo had registered.

This includes Sinistress who had just climbed to the top 100 spots.

***

“510,000.”

After Sinistress put down a Tier 4 Ultimate with much difficulty, she thought the 220,000 points she gained in twelve minutes was a rather satisfactory result. But as soon as she opened up the leaderboard, her heart sank as the number on the top of the table dealt a great blow to her confidence.

She was stupefied for a few seconds, then decisively gave up on the monsters below her. Instead of leaving, she ascended toward another Tier 6 Ultimate while contacting Savior, “Have you seen the leaderboard?”

“I was informed,” Savior answered quickly. She was surprised to sense the ruthlessness in his tone.

Realizing the change of attitude, Sinistress laughed and said, “So, finally feel threatened now eh?”

“…” Savior delayed for a few seconds, then replied coldly, “We are not finished yet. It’s still too early to say who will get the last laugh.”

“Oh,” Sinistress answered back in a slightly astonished tone, “Don’t tell me you have already summoned that thing out?”

Savior raised the edge of his lips and took a look at the Lich following right behind him. Most of the Lich’s body was engulfed by a mysterious dark fog. He turned his head back and said, “Didn’t you?”

Savior was never going to be convinced that Sinistress could locate and defeat a Tier 4 Ultimate with its minion guards within 12 minutes all by herself and her Pet.

Only a Divine Champion would be able to achieve such a feat, not a veteran.

“Ha, you have guessed right,” Sinitress said, “I am not going to stall you any further. Do your best. We only have one chance. If we fail, the face of the Demon Faction will not hold.”

“Alright!” Savior did not say much and quickly turned off the voice chat.

After the Lich was summoned, he knew he would only have one shot. There would be no next time if he failed to overtake Qin Ruo now.

After all, the unexpected appearance of Lich this early in the next round would put the respawned Boss on high alert, forcing the highly intelligent enemy to make unexpected and unprepared adjustments to their strategy. Such was the implication of getting help from a powerful ally.