MMORPG: The Elementalist

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After plowing for about a quarter of an hour through the twisting tunnels that wound through the volcano, Qin Ruo finally thought that he had found his way forward.

The Flametongue Toads seemed to always be well aware of his position and movement, and were intimately familiar with this network of tunnels. With each move that he made, the Toads drew a little closer toward him.

Qin Ruo didn't know if this was because he had his Frostbarrier up, allowing the Flametongue Toads to home in on the source of cool air, but it certainly saved him a lot of trouble!

At least he wouldn't have to keep bumbling blindly through the tunnels, looking for the Toads so he could finish that task!

In this way, a great many Flametongue Toads were slain in less than twenty minutes, with Qin Ruo using the same trick on each one so that they were incinerated in the lava that they themselves drew forth.

***

The first task had been completed!

The tunnels in Qin Ruo's wake had met with the same fate as the Flametongue Toads, and now only one long and winding corridor remained, leading ahead.

Although he did not know if he had perhaps sealed the only exit out of here, the only thing Qin Ruo could do at the moment was to keep walking! If there was only one path left, he would follow it all the way to the end!

Fortunately, the first stage seemed to have only contained those Flametongue Toads, who perhaps had also been meant to drive him toward this way out. As long as the player did not allow the Toads to rupture both ends of the tunnel they were in, nor make any amateurish mistakes, they should be able to avoid meeting their doom within that maze.

It took several minutes for Qin Ruo to make it through the lightless tunnel and out to the volcano's exterior.

It was sweltering hot outside as well. The volcano, covered in lava flows and belching thick black smoke, seemed to light up the sky from below, coloring it the deep red of roasted flesh.

In the wavering heat, the lava spilled over the scorched ground, following the contours of the volcano's slopes to form a network of darkly glowing rivulets, oozing and winding their way downhill.

As soon as Qin Ruo poked his head outside, he heard a boom nearby!

Before he could duck back inside, several huge balls of fire came roaring in from either side!

Bam! Bam!

The flames washed over his Frostbarrier, obscuring Qin Ruo's view of his surroundings.

However, in that instant when Qin Ruo came under attack, he was able to lock onto the creature attacking him from the left of the exit. It was some sort of fox, and the fireballs were being catapulted from its three fiery red tails.

A Level 55 Wildfire Fox!

Qin Ruo tensed.

When he first began this Hellfire Trial, he hadn't thought much of the monsters he had to face. However, the Level 52 Flametongue Toads had given him quite a scare back there. Now, he knew better than to make light of any of the common Tier 5 monsters he had have to deal with.

Besides, no matter how you looked at it, if these foxes were cunning enough to have set up an ambush for him, there was little question that they would be more of a challenge than those clumsy Toads!

Hunkering down, Qin Ruo weathered nearly ten rounds of the Flameburst as he dashed out from the volcano. If the first salvo was already this intense, he was worried the Foxes might collapse the tunnel mouth.

Boom!

An explosive blast erupted from within the tunnel, and nearly sent Qin Ruo sprawling.

Protected by his Frostbarrier, Qin Ruo was spared the worst of this sudden blast out of nowhere. Looking back, he felt his hackles rise.

"Crap!"

The tunnel mouth had been brought down by a Chain Flameburst from several Wildfire Foxes. Bright red lava came churning out from within.

Qin Ruo stared in astonishment. Certainly, they earned the name 'Wildfire!'

In his moment of hesitation, the Wildfire Foxes continued to press their attack on Qin Ruo.

Digging its claws deep into the ground, the nearest Fox raised its head to emit a peculiar howl. And then, with a toss of its head, it bared its fangs to reveal a mass of Compressed Firebolts, which it hurled at Qin Ruo, still trying to evade the flowing lava.

"Huh?" As he sidestepped a broad channel of lava, he was on edge like never before, keeping an eye on the Wildfire Foxes nearby. People generally described foxes as "cunning" and "vicious" creatures, and he was wary of any more unpleasant surprises.

As the Firebolts streaked toward him, the other Foxes seemed to heed the howled command from the lead Fox, and the pack split apart.

One of the Foxes spewed another volley of Firebolts.

The other Foxes seemed to be making some odd motions… all four claws gripping the ground tightly, three tails raised high, they quivered and bared their fangs, heads held low. Every one of them was watching Qin Ruo intently, as though they were—

"Spellcasting?"

Terror gripped his heart as he noticed the familiar sensation of a Tier 5 AoE spell being cast by the four Wildfire Foxes in the back.

A four-fold assault with Tier 5 AoE attack spells?

'You must be kidding!' It was the first time Qin Ruo had ever encountered such a situation: common Tier 5 monsters casting Tier 5 AoE spells. His face twisted into a mask of horror.

Just now, a minor Chain Flameburst from several Wildfire Foxes had caved in an entire tunnel. If he allowed them to finish casting those Tier 5 AoE spells… Heavens preserve him, it could mean unimaginable disaster!

Qin Ruo turned about frantically and then set out on a flat-out run. Summoning Poochie to help disrupt the spellcasting Foxes, he next retrieved a Magic Scroll from his pack.

Obeying his will, Poochie sprang into action. And then the ground shook with a mighty quake behind them.

Thoom!

Following a deafening boom, a scorching wave of heat washed over them from behind.

Before Qin Ruo had the chance to turn around and see what had happened, a Compressed Firebolt hit the ground in front of him.

Foom!

The Firebolt disappeared into the ground, and then a moment later, as though it was a buried landmine going off, a fierce plume of lava burst out of the ground, shooting several meters into the air!

Searing lava rained everywhere, quite a bit of it hitting Qin Ruo's Frostbarrier.

Damaged by lava: Barrier lost 20 Defense!

Never mind environmental damage! Qin Ruo felt he had managed to figure out what the Wildfire Foxes were up to.

From the beginning, these Wildfire Foxes had already known that their magic would be all but useless against the human adventurer before them. Rather than attack him directly, they planned to take advantage of the volcanic terrain, and defeat him using the overwhelming heat of the lava.

That was why, at the start of combat, they had thrown a Chain Flameburst at the tunnel where Qin Ruo was standing.

When Qin Ruo had managed to dodge that, one of the Wildfire Foxes had immediately barked out new commands, using Compressed Firebolts to throw lava onto him from all sides, while the other Foxes worked on casting more powerful spells.

Now that he'd seen through their scheme, Qin Ruo was able to breathe easier!

One of the Wildfire Foxes, still in the process of readying its third attack, howled as it was knocked into the sky by a streak of brown lightning. Hitting the ground with a thud, it lay motionless in the distance.

As though agitated by the hostile environment, it squeaked anxiously as it scampered across the burning ground, dashing toward one of the Wildfire Foxes which were casting Tier 5 AoE spells.

At the same moment, Qin Ruo was unfurling a Magic Scroll.

"Lycan Barrage!"

With a mighty roar, three wolf heads of carven ice formed out of thin air and scattered apart, narrowly avoiding the sudden appearance of another column of lava nearby, and then flew whistling toward each one of the spellcasting Wildfire Foxes. No longer within the cramped confines beneath the volcano, there was much less chance of them being intercepted with Fire Magic.

At last, Qin Ruo could use his Water Magic!

Even though all Fire-elemental monsters had some resistance to Water Magic, with as much as 360 Magical Attack behind each strike, all three Wildfire Foxes were smacked violently aside!

The total damage was over nine hundred!

(Translator's Note: Or, if you'd prefer, over nine thousand.)

For these Tier 5 monsters, with only about six thousand HP apiece, these were truly menacing numbers. It was a powerful attack which dealt Knockback as well, shoving opponents prone and forcefully canceling their spellcasting.

Now that he was beyond their attack range, the Wildfire Foxes decided to abandon their spellcasting and charge in to attack.

But Qin Ruo had no intention of letting them wear down his Frostbarrier any further. As he ran, he brought his Water Dragon's Staff around, and successfully conjured another three wolf heads for a new Lycan Barrage, which he sent colliding into the Wildfire Foxes which had only just clambered back to their feet.

With sharp cries, the three Wildfire Foxes were sent tumbling away again.

Of the four Wildfire Foxes, three were now being rendered helpless by Qin Ruo. The last one had it worst, Stunned by Poochie for three seconds.

When the ones in the back came rushing in to help, Poochie engaged them immediately.

The Wildfire Fox in the lead, seeming to realize Poochie's fearsome physical prowess, swirled its three fiery tails as Poochie approached. A fireball blazed into life at the tip of each tail, and the moment Poochie came within range, they were launched to intercept him!

However, they were not taking the Shadowfox "Poochie" seriously enough.

With its Shadow Dash on, Poochie cleanly dodged all three fireballs.

Cheep, cheep!

Squeaking cheekily, Poochie rammed into the first Wildfire Fox. Its form blurred, and split!

Three identical copies of Poochie broke away from it, instantly surrounding the Wildfire Fox from all directions—Clone Shadowstrike!

With the most pitiful howl, the leading Wildfire Fox was placed under a 9-second Stun, and it lost nearly a thousand HP.

Against the now-helpless Wildfire Fox, Poochie brought its tail around in a great swipe.

Shadow Break!

Three Firebolts vanished instantly, and then Poochie left the ground with terrifying speed!

Shadow Strike!

One of the Wildfire Foxes was knocked screaming into a lava flow nearby. The moment it plopped into the molten magma, that was it. Amid a slurry of heart-wrenching wails, it sank away into the glowing pool, becoming ash.

This moment was not lost on Poochie. Realizing the incredible power of the lava, it whirled around and rammed another Wildfire Fox toward a lava flow.

The Wildfire Fox fumbled desperately to catch itself, yelping in alarm. The moment it regained its feet, it decided to flee this madness—except that it couldn't outrun Poochie.

Bam!

The streams of lava that the Wildfire Foxes had themselves created would now become their own undoing.