MMORPG: The Elementalist

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

The pure white Angelic Wings waved gently through the air, allowing Qin Ruo to hover in place.

The wings were quite easy to handle, and Qin Ruo soon mastered its intricacies. Already, he was able to perform all manner of aerial maneuvers, soaring, gliding, and darting about through the sky as he pleased.

When the Skeleton Dragons approached, Qin Ruo was still relishing the sensation of speed and agility which thrilled him to the core of his soul. As he continued playing around on his wings, he looked down with contempt upon the Buried City and Eternity Peak.

It was only when Poochie began squeaking in alarm that he noticed the dozen or so hostiles, flying their way with a distinct air of menace.

At first, Qin Ruo tensed—but then he relaxed once more.

Skeleton Dragons were just common Tier 5 Undead creatures, their combat ability not even equal to a Tier 4 Miniboss like the Gorefiend Spider Demon. At his current level of power, there was absolutely no cause for worry.

It was only because he'd been drunk on the pleasure of flight, and then suddenly caught sight of several enormous Skeleton Dragons bearing down on him ferociously, so he'd been startled ever so slightly.

Regaining his composure immediately, Qin Ruo shook off the heady delight of his maiden flight, and prepared for battle!

Qin Ruo had found some appreciation for the flashy war stories of several Tier 5 Supreme Champions, and had picked up some basic understanding of aerial combat. As such, he had no intention of missing this chance to get some firsthand experience of his own. It would be his first-ever battle after acquiring his Angelic Wings.

Against a dozen Skeleton Dragons, posing only a mild threat to him, this battle would be a quick and easy one. He couldn't have asked for better.

The Angelic Wings fluttered gently. Holding the Water Dragon's Staff aloft, Qin Ruo faced the fourteen Skeleton Dragons, all howling as they swarmed towards him.

As though noticing the power of the one who stood before them, the Skeleton Dragons all began wailing hideously, batting their wings and thrashing their tails before descending into the attack.

As he finished casting his first spell, the confidence in Qin Ruo's eyes shone brighter, and he looked out upon the Skeleton Dragons with mockery and disdain.

"Die!"

Drawing upon the Aqua Shard, it did not take three seconds to form a couple of Compressed Frost Bullets. They shot forth, leaving behind a white trail of frost, everything within ten meters all around freezing in their wake.

Specialized at short- to medium-range combat, the Skeleton Dragons were Chilled even before the Compressed Frost Bullets hit them, and their movements were so drastically slowed down that the Dragons in the back nearly crashed into the ones in front.

Qin Ruo did not even watch to see if the Frost Bullets hit their mark; with a sweep of his wings, he soared like a bird to a point directly above the Eternal Barrier.

Bang! Bang!

The two Compressed Frost Bullets slammed into the Skeleton Dragons bringing up the rear. Right where the dragons were the most densely packed together, they exploded spectacularly, spraying out millions of Ice Knives—Sudden Explosion!

Although the Skeleton Dragons were immune to Laceration, the Darkfrost Potion was still in effect, and quite a number of dragons froze solid outright. Their wings paralysed, they traced out a downwards spiral as they tumbled out of the sky.

The nine remaining Skeleton Dragons chased after Qin Ruo, howling in unison for blood, until they too had reached the zenith above the Eternal Barrier.

Frantically drawing upon the Aqua Shard as he retreated, Qin Ruo had already speedily conjured three Frostrazors. The moment the Skeleton Dragons came within range, he released them!

Another three Skeleton Dragons were taken down. It reminded him of how poor Death Jesus had been Stunned by a Thunder Network cast by Homme Fatale, and lose the use of his Demonic Wings. Brought back down to earth, he'd quickly been surrounded and beaten to death.

Such events were even more dangerous in these circumstances. If the disabling condition lasted long enough, a fall from this height—all the way down to the mountains on the next level below—would be certain death for a common Tier 5monster like a Skeleton Dragon.

The remaining five Skeleton Dragons did not fare any better. They'd been so focused on Qin Ruo that they'd failed to notice, in the Eternal Barrier beneath them, a monstrous figure had fixed its violet eyes upon them.

Qin Ruo had deliberately lured them to the skies above the Eternal Barrier.

Here, the Amethyst Orc, crouched and waiting all this while, sprang upwards with an explosive burst of might, passing right through the Eternal Barrier. Three scintillating Amethyst Blades slashed across the wings of two of the Skeleton Dragons.

Bone fragments scattered in all directions as the wings were destroyed.

Wham! Wham!

The Skeleton Dragons, grievously damaged, crashed heavily into the shimmering purple Eternal Barrier.

As solid as a citadel wall, these colossal impacts didn't create even the faintest ripple in the Eternal Barrier. Like ants caught in a whirlpool, circling the drain, the Skeleton Dragons were carried down the Eternal Barrier, and then cast into the fathomless depths below, all the while wailing in incredulous disbelief.

Squeak, squeak!

As the Amethyst Orc made its attack, Poochie sprang forth from Qin Ruo's shoulder, hopping off a Frostrampart that Qin Ruo was suspending in mid-air, before ramming viciously into another Skeleton Dragon.

The remaining two Skeleton Dragons managed to unleash their Dragon's Breath upon Qin Ruo's own Barrier, and then the Amethyst Orc leapt up once more, catching hold of a bony wing directly.

Brutally, it tore the wing apart!

The Skeleton Dragon cried out in pain, writhing as the Amethyst Orc continued to mutilate its body, until it finally joined its fellows in the same fate.

Watching Poochie and the Amethyst Orc working together to bring down the Skeleton Dragons in the skies above Eternity Peak, Qin Ruo glanced around in boredom.

Too easy.

Each Skeleton Dragon was worth more than seven hundred Experience Points, and Poochie meanwhile seemed to be getting almost seven hundred as its share.

'Heh heh, not a bad spot for farming XP. ' The problem was that there didn't seem to be all that many Skeleton Dragons in this area, and besides, their main priority right now wasn't hunting Skeleton Dragons—they had to get beneath Eternity Peak, and vanquish the Spectral Shamans within the time limit.

Legendary-tier equipment represented a tantalizing reward for Qin Ruo. Another Legendary item meant another bargaining chip to trade for Legendary-tier Aquamancer equipment.

There was just the problem of how he was going to bring the Amethyst Orc down there with him. In a fit of frustration, Qin Ruo threw his hands up to the sky and soared away on his Angelic Wings.

Circling around the Eternal Barrier at a dizzying distance, everything suddenly came together!

Of course, this problem wasn't truly beyond Qin Ruo. During his Advancement Quest to reach Tier 4, he'd been able to make his way down from Snowpeak quickly and safely, all the while being pursued by the Wintry Vajra.

This time, he had the mighty Amethyst Orc, and his own wings with which to fly—what excuse did he have not to succeed?

Soon, an unusual scene could be seen taking place upon Eternity Peak.

Angelic Wings spread wide, Qin Ruo dived sharply down Eternity Peak—and then, minutes later, soared back up again with a sharp whistling of wind. In tandem with this maneuver, the Amethyst Orc began a life-threatening high-altitude bungee jump.

Eternity Peak presented a different situation compared to Snowpeak: it didn't have straight, knife-edge slopes to take advantage of. Although the distance from the peak to the mountain pass, on the next level below, far exceeded the height of Snowpeak, Qin Ruo had been able to find some jump-off points for the Amethyst Orc here and there.

Once they made it past the Undead army along the mountain pass, and reached the foothills of Eternity Peak, things would be much simpler.

Before the startled gaze of the Demigod Champion Darius, the Amethyst Orc performed what seemed like a suicidal dive off the mountain cliff.

The enormous purple figure, piloted by Qin Ruo with phenomenal precision, time and again managed to find some broad, rising slope along the mountainside, and in this way made its swift descent.

Sometimes things went slightly awry, but Qin Ruo was able to quickly throw up a Frostrampart, providing the Amethyst Orc with a slope upon which to continue its descent down the mountainside.

When they reached the mountain pass below, the Amethyst Orc fell like a meteor, a single Amethyst Burst instantly throwing aside a dozen Skeleton Warriors, Zombies, and Hellhounds. Then Qin Ruo followed up with a cascade of Frostbursts, and they calmly proceeded once more down the mountainside.

***

Qin Ruo and the Amethyst Orc had successfully reached the foothills of Eternity Peak.

The Undead were mainly concentrated around the entrance to the mountain pass, so there were only a handful of zombies scattered through this area, wearing armor or robes, stumbling around aimlessly.

Qin Ruo had chosen a safe route down the mountainside for the Amethyst Orc, allowing them to bypass not only the majority of the Undead Horde, but also the much greater threat of the Spectral Shamans.

Qin Ruo did not fold his wings away. He directed the Amethyst Orc to clear a path towards the nearest Spectral Shaman, while he took a moment to check up on the others.

In addition to Slayer's Heart, the girls had also managed to make it down Eternity Peak. They had already begun to draw away small groups of Undead, in order to farm XP and gain levels.

Although Slayer's Heart knew that he had no chance of completing the quest, the Tier-5 Miniboss piqued his curiosity. Hopefully, it would drop some sweet loot—and so his sights remained set upon the Spectral Shamans.

After he ascertained everyone's status, Qin Ruo took a look at the time: Since he started this quest, almost ten minutes had passed already.

They had better get going!