MMORPG: The Elementalist

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Fresh blood dripped upon the ring. At that moment, Qin Ruo sensed what appeared to be a soft tremor from the Ring of Honor. Then, as if lightning, the blood was absorbed and vanished without a trace while a faint drop of blood promptly materialized on the surface of the ring, seemingly alive.

Just as Qin Ruo was quietly startled, a clear system notification rang in his ear.

Ring of Honor quest activated!

Time limit: One hour. Countdown started…

Weird ring. Qin Ruo frowned at it for another few seconds—a ring actually has its own quest, could it be that all Legendary tier rings were so complicated? Or perhaps this particular ring was an alternative aid?

"Never mind, then. All will be well when I get rid of the Stone Golem!" Qin Ruo said quietly, keeping the ring in his pouch while collecting his mind to turn his eyes upon the Stone Golem beneath him.

"Let's get started!"

With a diagonal point of the Water Dragon's staff, water elements in the air quickly answered the call of Qin Ruo's faint chant, gathering before him without resistance…

Three water element spheres wolfed down other water elements that cascaded toward them across all directions, incessantly and rapidly gathering, compressing before gathering and compressing again!

"Ice!"

With a soft chant, cold, freezing air began to rise before Qin Ruo. Then, with a flap of his wings, he dived below, firing three Compressed Frost Bullets in rapid succession—it was an offensive technique Qin Ruo learned from Majestic Hero. (Long-ranged lock and attack could still work even if both sides are more than thirty meters away from each other, as long as you can ensure your speed and control your spell so that it doesn't fly off thirty meters away, earning you an offensive advantage)

After trying it many times in the Buried City, Qin Ruo had already grasped the technique and used it masterfully on the Stone Golem! Virtually in the very moment Qin Ruo was within thirty meters to the monster, the first 'Compressed Frost Bullets' struck the Stone Golem's body directly…

A very normal attack, but used by Qin Ruo as he was now, it was imbued with many offensive skills and had a compelling edge—not only would the multiple and rhythmic blows would extend the offensive effect, it would also increase frozen and penetration damage, pushing the destructive capacity of that self-made magic to its very limits!

Nonetheless, it remained that the Stone Golem was a Tier 5 Mega Boss. In the split-second that Qin Ruo attacked, it viciously raised its wolf fang club, and a silver-gray circle of light burst out from its body, swiftly covering its bloated body with a layer of silver-gray luster that had a metallic sensation!

Tier 5 Earth-element skill—Metal Armor!

Still, it was regretful that such a defensive skill did not buff much in terms of frost magic resistance. The powerful stream of frost struck.

Bang!

Target hit!

The Compressed Frost Bullets secured the early advantage, and struck forcefully upon the sturdy Stone Golem's outer shell—

Thud!

A dull collision and a dent thus appeared over the silver-gray metallic surface. Then, just like an ice wall that had been struck powerfully, lines of fractures began to crack upon it as well.

Rapid Rupture!

Boom!

The Stone Golem was thus severely injured—a huge cluster of snowflakes compounded with a terrible shockwave of chilly air detonated in its face! A second wave of Compressed Frost Bullets and Rapid Rupture soon followed, as well as a third wave of the same!

The Stone Golem's Metal Armor was unable to fully withstand even Qin Ruo's first wave of willful assault. It thus crumbled with a bang as the second wave of rapid assault struck, dealing severe explosive and rupture damage upon the physical body of the monster during the second and third waves!

As he received a steady stream swift combat status updates as the battle unfolded, the corners of Qin Ruo's lips curled up in a satisfied smile.

The damage values were quite high.

Before the Boss's skill Metal Armor was broken, the damage value had already exceeded 700, proving that his choice was right and that Earth-element magic could not stop the erosion of frost. Then, right after its defense crumbled, the damage values leaped to four figures, and the total damage thus exceeded fifty-six hundred points!

'Heh.'

With the three rounds of offensive finished, a blue vein of light rose over the Stone Golem's body in the three seconds remaining of the Chilled duration.

It was Mana Drain.

Unhurriedly, Qin Ruo flapped his Angelic Wings and soared a circle in the air as if a huge bird, and then dived downwards at breakneck speeds from the sky!

"Lycan Barrage!"

Unleashing a second Tier 4 spell charged swiftly mid-flight, the Lycan Barrage darted at a triangular formation in the very second the Stone Golem was about to be free from its Chilled state, striking simultaneously on its feet and head.

Roar!

As the golem bellowed in fury and humiliation, its gigantic body fell headfast and suffered another three thousand plus damage. But even as it climbed up from the ground, Qin Ruo had already rise forty meters in the air, deliberately leaving the Boss's attack zone and leaving the monster utterly helpless.

Through it all, Qin Ruo ignored all the Stone Golem's raging howls—whether it stomped holes into the ground and flattened the giant trees over Monster Mountains, there was nothing to do with him. Since there was a shortcut to completing that mission, he was thus unwilling to risk his body to engage the monster in a melee fight. Who would know what kind of armament that damned wolf fang club was, and what if there was a sudden penetration or a Tier 5 AoE spell that fell him, would it not be over for him?

Qin Ruo would never do something so foolish! In his point of view, his best solution was to do what he was doing: relying on multiple Compressed Frost Bullets and Lycan Barrages to "gradually" tire the Stone Golem and complete the Ring of Honor's quest…

However, just as the skill cooldown for Compressed Frost Bullet was almost over, a powerful magical fluctuation and astonishing presence suddenly emanated from below!

Something was coming?

Qin Ruo's heart tightened.

He had encountered that situation for so many times!

In the Underground Mazes within the Buried City beneath the Eternity Peak, most Bosses would take that measure against winged airborne humans whenever they were helpless. Furthermore, Tier 5 AoE spells could certainly harm Angelic Wings, forcefully severing the link between player and Divinity…

Qin Ruo hence quickly flapped his wings, distancing himself away from the Stone Golem as it charged its Tier 5 AoE spell—but ultimately, a Tier 5 Mega Boss was no beast that could compare to Liches or Spectral Commanders, nor could it cast magic like players who used Magic Scrolls.

The extended period for channeling the spell offered Qin Ruo a chance.

Successful evasion.

Once he had retreated a hundred meters away, the Stone Golem stopped charging its spell and instead bellowed violently in sheer rage! All of Monster Mountains trembled beneath its coarse voice!

Nevertheless, even as Qin Ruo used his Angelic Wings and shameless tactics to trample all over the Stone Golem in the depths of Monster Mountains, he was simply unaware that the Mythical Battlefield had become a supreme barrel of gunpowder that could blow up with a single spark!

***

"After them!"

"Don't let them escape Combat Status!"

"Bandit, give chase!"

"Pincer them from left and right!"

On another corner of the Monster Mountains, several players from the Angel Faction were running for their lives in the dark forests in a chase of life-and-death. Not far behind them were a party of Demon Faction players who had just ambushed them, with the fleeing warriors and archers unable to shake them off no matter how they tried.

"F*ck!" The Berserker amongst the Angel Faction players could only sprint away even as he cursed loudly, his expression restless and never once caring if there was any path ahead of him. "Is there a need to mobilize that many to pursue us? F*ck this!"

And it was no exaggeration on the Berserker's part—the ones giving chase was assuredly being ridiculous. Every single one of them were elite elements of League Clans, and there were hundreds of them, not to mention that each of them were bewilderingly well-equipped. Not only did they ambush the Angel Faction's raid party, but they also did not spare the few budding sprouts left, chasing them into the middle of the Monster Mountains.

They were nothing other than a simple player party that did not share any grudges was there a need to be so enthusiastic?!

The remnants were about to despair!

***

Even as Berserker complained, one of the party members who were lagging behind bellowed.

"The rest of you, run! I'll hold those bastards back…"

In seconds, that warrior was blasted into an unrecognizable corpse by three bursts of flames. The pursuers did not pause, trampling over the body as they kept chasing their quarry into the depths of the Monster Mountains, even as a cold voice yelled away.

"Keep going!"

"Do not miss a single one!!"

As if responding to the orders of the Demon Faction player, the numbers of the pursued were decreasing one by one, never once escaping their chasers even as minutes passed.

"F*CK!"

The last three remaining—two men and a woman were the fastest and the last elites amongst their party. Their movement speed and their choice of escape path were commendable as it mostly evaded any effect from the environment in the Monster Mountains, but it remained that they were no match for the Bandits of the Demon Faction League. If the trio did not stay together to hold themselves as a certain threat, the pursuing Bandits who were locked in combat status behind them would naturally have caught up and slit their necks.

"Do you hear that?"

"It's a Boss, there's a raid party inside!"

"Emma, Poison Dragon, hold on!"

The trio was at once encouraged. They never imagined that there would be a raid party so deep in the Monster Mountains—if they were from an allied faction, they might be able to stand against those from the Demon Faction!

On the other hand, they would finish if it was not a party from the Angel Faction—there was no way for them to escape a pincer attack from the front and rear alive!

Still, at the very thought of the pursuers behind them, the trio could only bet their last hope on the party of unknown allegiance.

Death was inescapable!

***

As the bellow of the monster became ever nearer, the pursuers from the Demon Faction sensed that the trio was approaching that unknown battlefield.

"Captain?"

"Any raid party who can hunt here won't be amateurs, Speed! Call for another team—I won't let anyone escape from this hunt."

Light, mostly shrouded by dark clouds, splashed down upon Monster Mountains. It vaguely illuminated the cold face of a Swordmaster as he issued the command.