MMORPG: The Elementalist

“Is something wrong…”

Inside the Netherspirit’s Claw’s League channel, a feeble voice moaned. “Big boss, we just let the Fallen Angels take over Black Flame Valley? Yesterday, I promised my girlfriend that I will let her ride on the Black Flame Steed in three days’ time, boss.”

Just as he was done talking, someone refuted, “Damn you John. I still remember that you had just gifted your girlfriend a Snow Martes a few days ago. I think it has not even hatched yet and now you want to gift her another Pet Egg?”

“Err… that one huh. No point bringing it up since it is in the past already…” John replied and sighed. “You know what, the one I cherish the most right now is my beautiful dear Little Sisi. She is the real eastern beauty, noble and elegant. Only Black Flame Steed, the most noble beast, can compare to her…”

Before John could finish talking, people in the League channel started throwing up.

“Oh please, can you don’t always use such sickening and disgusting words? For every girlfriend you had, you had always praised them highly as if there are no better woman in the world already.”

“Yeah…”

“Often times when we saw you shopping with your girlfriend, we always see you with a different girl. If not because the girl hugged you, we would have thought that you were shopping with your mother.”

“Hahaha!”

“You are so mean.”

The League channel was suddenly filled with laughter and John was angry for being teased. The laughing stopped when Netherclaw started to speak and switched the topic back to the Black Flame Valley.

“Fallen Angels’ League Master came to visit us personally already. Do you think I can still reject him?”

“What’s the problem of rejecting him? He is a League Master and so you are. Why do we have to listen to his requests?” John asked, disgruntled.

“Reject him?”

Netherclaw smiled mockingly. “I hope I can too, but you all have failed to live up to my expectations, so what can I do?”

“Ah…”

The group of people did not understand what Netherclaw was trying to imply.

After a few seconds, Netherclaw huffed coldly. “Still don’t understand?”

“Hmph, the third phase had just ended and you all haven’t even looked at your own results… There are fifty Field Commanders in our League and only thirty-four got into the top ten thousand list. Including me and Snowmelt, who are in the top hundred… plus the other seventeen comrades, we Netherspirit’s Claw only have fifty-three people advancing to phase four.”

Netherclaw stopped for a while, and continued talking even more furiously.

“Fallen Angels still got the first ranking despite having to handle other things in phase three.”

“Except for this, Fallen Angels has eight people in the top one hundred list!”

“And! Fallen Angels has one hundred and sixty something people inside the top ten thousand list!”

Netherclaw was getting more furious as he talked. One could actually sense sadness within his anger. In the end…

“You guys always think you are very good right? What can you say this time? Let me tell you all, for those who didn’t advance into the top ten thousand list, don’t you dare brag again. And John… you bastard, your pace of changing girlfriend is even faster than your level grinding. I can’t imagine you still request from me when you are not even in the top ten thousand list.”

“Uh…”

John was scolded and immediately shrank away.

“From now onwards, I hope that every one of us can speed up our leveling pace and hit Tier 6 as soon as possible… The Currency Exchange System is going to be released soon. By then, don’t tell me Netherspirit’s Claw can’t even capture a city in the Underworld! It will be embarrassing if that happens!” Netherclaw unleashed his rage through that announcement.

“…”

“So… what about Black Flame Valley?”

After the League channel fell in silence for a while, John carefully whispered Netherclaw, “When the City System is released, our League will need to invest a huge amount of money, right? After all, the building cost for a city is four hundred million gold coins… how do we get so many gold coins?”

“What are you trying to say?” Netherclaw asked back.

When John heard Netherclaw’s question, he smirked and said, “I heard that Fallen Angels farmed at least thirty Black Flame Pet Eggs yesterday. According to the current market price, they are worth at least five million gold coins…”

“Stupid, do you think Qin Ruo wants the Black Flame Valley just for money?” Netherclaw’s reply startled John. John then replied after a moment, “What is he looking for if not money?”

“If he wanted to earn money, he can just go to the Underworld and farm Liches. The drops from a single Lich are more worthy than a group of people farming in Black Flame Valley for a whole day.”

“Ah.”

John was in disbelief. “Farming Liches? It is not that easy.” From John’s perspective, the Lich was a rare monster in the Underworld. It was hard to find and even harder to kill.

Netherclaw moaned silently as he was lazy to explain to John. John was just a normal Tier 5 player, he couldn’t understand how strong a Champion was and what the name Winter Demon implied.

Netherclaw then said, “Regarding Black Flame Valley, Fallen Angels must have another objective. But since they have taken over it and I had already promised Qin Ruo, let’s just not bring this up anymore. What’s more… Qin Ruo doesn’t even need to participate in the phase four competition. He is the only one in the top hundred list who had advanced to the very last stage in phase three. Since he is guarding Black Flame Valley personally now, I think let’s just not mess with him at this moment.”

“Oh.”

One could tell Netherclaw’s intolerance from his words. John could sense that and so, he did not continue asking anymore.

“…”

Black Flame Valley

Many Tier 5 players from Fallen Angels were able to control the Black Flame Steed farming points easily and at the same time, they could still watch the exciting phase four competition that was currently in progress.

Phase Four’s small party competition…

The parties were randomly assigned based on the top ten thousand players on the ranking list before twelve noon today.

Except for Qin Ruo who was hovering in the sky with his Angelic Wings, the remaining nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine players were arranged by the system to have three party matches.

“…”

In phase four, each small party had half an hour to fight with their opponent.

During the battle, all players were allowed to use any items such as Magic Scroll, Spell Arrow, Sealed Mana Core, and other similar things.

However…

Simply winning the battle did not guarantee the players a place in the top hundred list. The system would analyze the players’ combat power, adaptability, combat techniques, and other criteria to decide whether the players should be listed in the top hundred list or not.

The official website had mentioned it before.

During the phase four competition, any players who win easily by using items will not get a good score. Conversely, if the players performed very well without using items, even if the a player loses, he or she may still have a higher score than those who win by using items.

Players who could get into the top hundred list were able to proceed to the competition’s phase five and fight for the final ranking.

“…”

Honestly, when Qin Ruo was notified by the system that he could get into phase five directly by skipping phase four, he was happy but at the same time, he felt a little sorry.

This was because from Qin Ruo’s point of view, phase four was the most interesting and challenging phase compared to those previous phases.

Previously, Qin Ruo was fully prepared for phase four of the competition already and he decided to perform well inside to see what kind of scores the system would give him.

He wanted to know how many known and unknown players were still above him.

But who knew, he was able to skip phase four and advance to phase five immediately, which wiped off the expectations that he had.

“How I wish I had known this earlier and not gotten the first ranking.”

If other people knew Qin Ruo had such thought, perhaps he would be despised by millions of players. It was everyone’s hope to get into the top hundred list easily. He deserved a real spanking to have such a ridiculous thought.

Even Qin Ruo slightly despised himself when he realized he had such thoughts.

If the first ranking was someone else instead of him, he would not be so calm anymore. Perhaps he would not regret as well. How ridiculous!

Just at this moment…

A loud laughing came from below him.

“Hahaha!”

“It feels so good!”

“Big boss! Pet Egg! We farmed one more here!”

Qin Ruo slightly shook his head. He knew who was yelling without even having to look at that person.

As expected.

Players from far away who heard that had cheered the team that had successfully farm the Pet Egg.

“Wow!”

“Big Ape’s party got one again?”

“Really?!”

“Damn it! This is not logical!”

“Yeah! We farmed here for the whole day already but there is no egg at all. The other side already had three eggs… Damn it! Big boss! Is it a feng shui ¹problem?!”

“I can’t do this anymore! This is too boring! No egg at all from my side! Big boss! I request to change party! Let us exchange with Big Ape’s party! So that we can enjoy the excitement too! What do you think, comrades?”

“Hahaha! Yeah! That’s right!”

“Let’s do it this way so that the Big Ape’s party won’t be able to show off again when they get an egg!” The parties that did not get Black Flame Steed started to jeer.

Big Ape did not accept that easily. He stared and pointed at the parties that jeered. “Hey, since when did I show off? I just reported the result to our leader. Plus, you all chose the farming point yourselves, nobody forced you. It is your characters’ problem that you are not able to farm any eggs. Don’t blame the gravity!”

Big Ape’s rebut irritated the players who jeered.

“Wow Big Ape!”

“So you are humiliating us huh!”

“Alright!”

“I don’t believe we can’t even get an egg here… Listen to me, my comrades! Let’s put more effort in farming! Don’t be undermined by those people!”

“Right!”