MMORPG: The Elementalist

The scarlet ground complemented the fiery sky.

Scorching heat filled every corner of the place. Steaming smoke from the ground gave the false impression that the surroundings were about to catch fire at any time. Traveling in such an environment, Qin Ruo reckoned he would spontaneously combust sooner or later.

However, one thing was certain: he hated the place.

He could not feel the presence of any water droplets in the atmosphere. The region’s humidity was the lowest among all the places he had visited before. He had never experienced such extreme dryness, not even when he was fighting the Grand Reaper in the Underworld.

A simple Tier 2 Spell would require the same time usually needed to charge a normal Tier 5 Spell. The awfully slow condensation speed almost broke Qin Ruo.

Nevertheless, despite the appalling environment, Qin Ruo and his comrades could not help but be marveled by the place.

‘It’s amazing!’

It was hard to imagine that the Secret Dungeon had brought them back to this place again.

***

“Hey, do you guys remember when was the last time we entered the Graveyard of the Gods?” Black Rock asked his other nine compatriots excitedly while he sized up the NPC who had appeared not very far away from them. He appeared after the System Notification reported their location.

Subjugator seemed to enjoy the place the most. He replied, “Three, maybe four months ago? Why bother?” He was relishing the endless supply of Fire Element around him. The fiery realm was like a warm and comfortable cradle to him.

Sadly, none of the other members could appreciate the heat as he did.

The Party had never expected to return to such an iconic location in the Graveyard of the Gods. When they departed Winter Demesne, Subjugator had pictured all sorts of possible destinations but not this place—the place that marked their first rise in the H&G world.

The Swordmaster felt especially exhilarated to find the abundance of Fire Element around them. The ease of garnering the Fire Element was beyond his wildest imagination. His attack must have been boosted significantly there as a small flick of his weapon instantly sparked a blaze in the air.

‘Life is full of surprises!’

***

Other members neither felt Qin Ruo’s despair nor Subjugator’s jubilation. They were more thrilled and curious by the fact that the dungeon had led them to the well-known Graveyard of the Gods.

The Graveyard of the Gods!

A few months ago, when there were only thirty-five Tier 5 players throughout the entire H&G, the furthest level any player managed to venture back then was Level 6. No one could have handled a Demigod Boss during that time.

This time, they learned through the System Notification that they had been transported there by a Divine Summoner named Emerson who was standing right next to them using the Great Teleportation Spell and Spatial Imprint.

Their currently at the tenth level of the Graveyard, the Inferno.

After they settled down, Emerson began to narrate how the map ended up in the Underworld and the reason why he had sent them to the Graveyard of the Gods.

***

Emerson was a Divine Summoner who excelled in Teleportation.

Divine Tier!

The title alone made him stand out among the vast NPCs in the Mythical Continent. His power and reputation were comparable to that of the Warrior of Endless Battle.

Emerson was unlike any other Champion who resided in the Graveyard of the Gods.

He was a strange man who traveled between the Mythical Continent and Underworld all by himself, relying on his power and Teleportation skills.

Due to his gifts and obsession over Teleportation, he found the path leading into the Underworld from the Graveyard during a chance meeting. Since then, he began to immerse himself fully in the research of permanent one-way and two-way Oriented Teleportation. Emerson even saved a Demigod Berserker named Orlie and made her his assistant.

Thus began both of their lives in the Graveyard of the Gods. After ten years of relentless effort, Emerson finally invented the prototype for the one-way Warp Portal to the Underworld.

Unexpectedly, the Warp Portal did not send his assistant to the Underworld. Instead, it teleported Orlie from the fifth level of the Graveyard to the tenth level.

It was a forbidden zone that not even the gods dared to trespass.

The experiment was a complete failure. The supposedly oriented transportation ended up to be a random Warp Point.

Emerson deeply regretted his actions when he discovered the outcome. However, all was too late. He had lost his only companion, Orlie, whom he had fallen in love with after the time they spent together.

He tried to look for her madly year in and year out. Unfortunately, the tenth level of the Graveyard, Inferno was an enormous piece of land. Emerson was merely a Summoner without the power of Elemental Perception. His attempt to find Orlie was unfruitful after numerous tries.

Eventually, despair consumed Emerson. Age caught up to the Divine NPC and tainted his sideburns with a gray color. With all hope lost, he could just wholeheartedly delve into his research. Finally, he made a breakthrough and grasped the technique to construct a Spatial Imprint, as well as the ability to perform Oriented Teleportation.

Emerson had never forgotten the help and motivation his love provided. Dead or alive, he was determined to reunite with Orlie. Hence, he began to travel across the Underworld and the Graveyard of the Gods to distribute out as many dungeon maps as possible.

“Such an everlasting love. Emerson still hasn’t given up even after all these years,” Violetmoon Devilite lamented.

Violet Orchid and Xin Yu nodded together.

“It’s remarkable.”

“If Orlie’s still alive, I bet she’ll be very touched.”

However, it was apparently rather impossible that she would still be alive. Orlie was just a Demigod Berserker sent to the tenth level by a failed prototype. The chances of her living through all those years alone were very slim.

After all, the most common monster in the region was at least of Divine Tier, not to mention the roaming Divine Bosses!!

Even normal monsters in that region possessed exceptional sense and flair, let alone the Bosses. The monsters in the region were of a different rank, which was way beyond the league of a Demigod player.

Unless, Orlie was teleported to a safe area at the start and she was vigilant enough to survive for tens of years… But, what were the odds?

“What a crazy quest. We’re being asked to look for Orlie’s Remains and return it to Emerson. But after all these years, wouldn’t the bones already be burned to ashes in such a scorching place?” Wandering Soul furrowed his brows and fanned his face with his hand.

“Perhaps not!” Slayer’s Heart answered him. “I remember that my mentor once said, every time us Berserkers unleash Berserk, our blood catches fire as well… Slowly, our bones also become more resistant to heat. At Demigod level, I believe the remains of a Berserker would no longer be destroyed easily by high temperature.”

“Er… Then, isn’t it a bit troublesome to cremate the dead?” Wandering Soul’s senseless mumbling caused the few Berserkers to roll their eyes at him.

“Ahem.” Qin Ruo’s intentional cough drew everyone’s attention.

“All right, no matter what, we have two bad news and two good news. Let’s discuss about whether we should continue the mission.”

“Two good news?”

“That’s right. I believe most of us gained quite a fortune during the last Graveyard opening. We’ve yearned to come back this entire time. Since we’re here once again and allowed to experience the Graveyard all over again, I assume this can be considered as good news?”

“Hehe.” They looked at each other and laughed implicitly.

“The second good news… The high drop rate in the Graveyard of the Gods is a well-known fact. Here, every Divine Boss lives in its territory, and they don’t impinge each other. That means it’s easier to locate a Divine Boss here compared with the Underworld, right? If we’re lucky enough, maybe we can get our hands on Divine Equipment or even a Tier 6 Skill Book!

“Then again, we shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the potential danger. First of all, we can only go forward in the Graveyard because there’s no return path. Besides, all of you have already tasted the environment here. The nature of this place makes Subjugator and I useless in battle. We can only provide minimum aid with our Pets.”

The Party grew grim as Qin Ruo went through the facts.

The ability of an Aquamancer was greatly restricted in such a dry environment. It was not an exaggeration to say that the place was as good as a land of death for Aquamancers.

On the other hand, even though Subjugator’s attack was greatly amplified by the environment there, it was the same for the monster inhabiting that level. Only Fire-type Divine monsters with high resistance against Fire Element Damage could survive a harsh environment like that. In short, Subjugator’s power, like Qin Ruo’s, was also sealed in there.

Without Qin Ruo’s long-range firepower and Subjugator’s powerful melee attack, the output of the ten-person Party was dealt a massive blow.

“Furthermore, the difficulty of a searching quest goes without saying. This isn’t going to be easy. The risk of getting wiped out by a horde of Divine monsters or a Divine Boss is very high. A careless mistake would cost us dearly!”

“That’s why…” Qin Ruo dragged his tone and continued, “We have to carefully consider if we should give this up and challenge the Conspiracy Surrounding Hades instead. Should we bet our lives on this one?”

The other nine members gave each other quick glances.

“This is such a rare opportunity to pass,” Judge said calmly. He had already put on a set of heavy armor with a flame-shaped totem on it.

“I heard that the Graveyard of the Gods is an annual event. We would be despised if our comrades knew that we immediately chickened out after coming in.”

The three ladies in the Party also agreed to carry on. All nine members voted in favor of continuing the quest unanimously.

“All right, since all of you have voted to take the risk, as your leader, I have no choice but to follow the majority to avoid any disputes.” The others immediately found his pretentious claim loathsome.

Who did not know that he was always the one who refused to yield?

It was exactly this place that Qin Ruo had made a name for himself and officially set off his climb to the pinnacle of H&G.

So, it was the most impossible for him to give up, not at the place that marked the beginning of everything!

***

“Only three large regions are left unchecked by Emerson. Let’s start with the farthest left region!

“While we move, Fatale, you’ll be our scout. If there’s a Divine monster, Judge will go first. Black Rock and Fatale, the two of you will be the main source of damage. Sister Violet and Devilite, I will leave the buff of the entire Party to you two. Brother Slayer and Subjugator, please make sure the Priests are safe. Soul, please remember to back Judge up in case of any danger. Xin Yu, judge the situation and act accordingly.

“All right! Let’s go!”