MMORPG: The Elementalist

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"In this phase, there will be no more unlimited rounds. Now, whether we, the Fallen Angels could rise up to be one of the Top Ten Thousands… it would be all up to everyone's efforts!"

On the third day, the third phase of the contest had begun sharp at 12:00 pm. Qin Ruo's voice blasted firmly in the Fallen Angel's League Chat Channel.

"I'm sure everyone is now familiar with the various rules of The Last Man Standing Contest."

"We only have half an hour to find our prey, defeat them and accumulate our scores. We need to do this swiftly… try to avoid the Tier 4, Tier 5 and Tier 6 Monsters; only take on the weaker Minibosses and Elite Minibosses or the Bosses because they yield more scores. If it's possible, you can also try to take on the Elite Bosses or even the Overlord Bosses!"

"In 24 hours, the system will be following up and updating everyone's progress…"

"Even if we break through and rise up to be one of the Top Ten Thousands, please do not let your guard down. The others could take your place in the very last minute. Focus on only two things—earning more scores and raising your rank on the Leaderboard."

Then, Qin Ruo added some good news to the mix.

"I've talked to the other Clan Leaders and we've decided… if anyone in the League could rise up to be one of the Top Ten Thousands, they would be eligible to a 50% discount when shopping in our League's Trading Hall. They can buy any equipment with said discount…"

As soon as his announcement was made, some members in the League finally couldn't hold it in anymore; and one of them asked…

"So, if we, The Executors, wanted to purchase some of the Fallen Angels clan's items… is that also allowed?"

Before there was any reply, Remorseless Warrior's scolding kicked in.

"Bloody fool, just stop it! If you've got anything you want, I'll go and get them for you. Don't you dare humiliate your own clan like this!"

Qin Ruo smiled and replied, "If you can rise up to be one of the Top Ten Thousand, the Trading Hall of Fallen Angels would welcome you with open arms."

"Really? So we can even buy Divinity Crystals at half the price?"

"How about Legendary equipment?"

"Yeah, we want to know too!"

In an instant, several more League members started to press for answers.

Then, the Field Commanders and Clan Leaders from Ascendant Saber, Bauhinia and Violet Army Clan shook their heads and started bickering.

"Oh my, oh my, we didn't think you little pricks wanted someone else's gear so bad?"

"Darn you little bastards! I'll skin you alive if you don't rise up to the Top Ten Thousand!"

"How humiliating."

"…"

"Oh well, we, the Fallen Angels, have better stuff after all."

"Oh boy, I didn't think so many brethren want our gear so badly. Ah, this is so upsetting." The replies, in jest, were from Black Rock and the others. This made Remorseless Warrior, Dinosaurcerer and the others get even more angsty. They then proclaimed that they would make sure that they would hit the Top Ten Thousand soon and buy every single gear off the Fallen Angels.

As the veterans were bickering with one another in the League, Qin Ruo was comforting Xin Yu, who was feeling a lingering guilt for killing him earlier in the Purge Tower.

Xin Yu knew this from Black Rock. Right after knowing that the Aquamancer she killed earlier was in fact her Brother Qin, her uplifted spirits immediately turned to sadness, especially after she saw the Aquamancer's pause in the final second on the Official Forum's video… she knew it was Qin Ruo pulling back due to him seeing through her disguise in the tower. Now, no matter how Qin Ruo and Xiaoxiao tried to comfort her, Xin Yu still couldn't stop pouting and was extremely saddened with guilt.

"Oh, you little goofy girl."

Qin Ruo tapped gently on Xin Yu's shoulders, "It's just a coincidence that we were matched together in the Purge Tower. It's no big deal. See? Brother Qin's not suffering any damage or did he lose anything valuable too. Besides, it's not your fault—it's the system. If you didn't deal the final blow, we would have still needed to fight in the end… but all's well that ends well, right?"

"No… I'm too stupid. It was so obvious… and yet I couldn't even recognize Brother Qin in the tower… I am so stupid… It's all my fault that other people now belittle Brother Qin… they say you're weaker than a newbie like me."

Xin Yu finally expressed why she was this upset that made Qin Ruo understand instantly after hearing it—she was worried that his reputation would be damaged from the fight.

"Oh, it's not a problem. This is a Grand Tournament so it's all fair game. Now, all you need to do is to get better in your ranking on the Leaderboard. If you get better and show that you're no newbie, it'll be a great help for Brother Qin. See? Then Brother Qin wouldn't be losing to a newbie, right?"

Xiaoxiao, who was standing next to Qin Ruo, looked at him, impressed. It was quite a creative way indeed to uplift Xin Yu's spirit.

And this was quite effective too.

As soon as Xin Yu heard that there was a way to help save his reputation, her eyes instantly glimmered with hope and she leapt back to the Mythical Mirage, disappearing under Qin Ruo's and Xiaoxiao's noses.

Xiaoxiao, feeling a jolt of surprise, turned to Qin Ruo, "If it's Xin Yu, she would go all out in the contest to save your reputation. She might even rise up to Top Hundred on the Leaderboard."

Qin Ruo winked at her, "Well, how about you? Perhaps, being the Winter Demon's girlfriend, you'll also need to put in some effort too?"

"Hmph, how quaint! Don't you worry, I've now mastered the Fatal Frost Crystals. I'll have no issue killing some Tier 5 Elite Bosses."

"Good, each Tier 5 Elite Boss yield around 15,000 points. You'll be able to accumulate get to the Top Ten Thousand in less than half an hour. Not many can get this much score in such a short time."

Then, Qin Ruo suddenly took a glance at the cute silver Twin-headed Bee, "If you want, I could always get you an Ultimate Boss pet…"

"Don't you dare touch Pouchy. Pouchy's been a good kid; I like it a lot. I'm not going to replace it ever." Xiaoxiao shot a glare at Qin Ruo and turned to comfort Pouchy, who was flapping its silver wings furiously.

"…"

Qin Ruo looked at Pouchy, who seemed to have developed some disdain for him, and zipped his mouth. The pets seemed to have developed their own personalities lately, and if he were to continue persuading Xiaoxiao to replace it, Pouchy might just sting him as soon as he leaves the town.

After de-summoning the angry little Pouchy, Xiaoxiao spoke to Qin Ruo again.

"Let's stop worrying about us. How about you? Are you prepared yet?"

"Me?"

Surprised by her words, Qin Ruo turned to her with a smile.

"What do I need to prepare for? You think I'm not able to put my name on the Top Ten Thousand Leaderboard?"

"Hmph. You're not fooling me." Xiaoxiao threw him another glare, "I know what you're thinking. Sure, the third phase isn't a challenge for you. However, you, Black Rock and Slayer's Heart have been intently researching something lately? It must be your men's ego, trying to over-refine things to make sure everything goes perfectly, right?"

Qin Ruo's jaw fell to the ground after hearing this. Then, he let out a bitter smile.

"Oh, you knew?"

"Hmph…" Throwing him another glare, Xiaoxiao responded with a "Of course I knew" look.

"Other than the two random battles where you don't get to pick your opponents in the final battle, the only time that you get to pick your fights would be today, in this Third Phase of the contest… besides, other than us, there are also clans and leagues who are also researching the best and most efficient means to defeat monsters. Even Dinosaurcerer was discussing this with some colleagues in the workplace. So, how could I not know?"

"That prick… he shouldn't be thinking of anything else but work at the workplace." Qin Ruo let out a bitter smile. Then, he explained to Xiaoxiao, "Since you have caught wind of this, there's no need to keep this a secret from you then. This time, we must grab that Top One spot. This is my duty as the League Leader of the Fallen Angels League."

"Because of those stupid rumors on the forum?" Xiaoxiao looked at Qin Ruo calmly.

There had been a lot of people spreading defamatory rumors about the Fallen Angels and Qin Ruo on the forum—this, probably due to an enormous amount of Demon Faction players' Honor Points being wiped out overnight. During the Last Man Standing Contest, many players were able to recognize Qin Ruo and started to write various poison letters attacking him on the forum.

Other than that, there were also several Veteran Champions who openly challenged him, the League Leader of the Fallen Angels, to a duel in the Third Phase of the Last Man Standing Contest.

Sinistress and Savior wanted to take the Top One place on the Leaderboard to show the world that they were still above the Winter Demon and Angel Faction.

Qin Ruo took in a deep breath and nodded.

"Majestic Hero, Scarlet Bauhinia, Netherclaw, and Black God said they would also participate in the competition. This contest isn't just about me. It also concerns the honor of the entire Angel Faction."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Xiaoxiao scolded Qin Ruo softly.

Qin Ruo embraced her in his arms and replied, "I don't want you to worry too much and give you unnecessary pressure. Don't worry. Helga and Little Rice would be handling the data compiling while Black Rock and Subjugator will handle reviewing the data. I'll just need to wait for them to come up with the best battle strategy."

"Hmph, sure. You're a smart cookie indeed." Xiaoxiao, resting her head in Qin Ruo's arms affectionately, then asked, "So, what's your plan?"

"We're not sure yet. We have a few ideas in mind though. Nonetheless, we'll still need to enter the Mythical Mirage at least two times more and do more research. Then, we'll decide on the best way." Qin Ruo replied.

"Majestic Hero and the others are thinking of taking on the Tier 6 Megabosses, the ones that could yield 180,000 points each."

"Because no one has confidence in taking on the Bosses that are of higher tiers… besides, even if the plan of killing a lot of Tier 5 Elite Bosses was a good one… it would have taken too much time in seeking them out. If they could obtain 180,000 points then spread out to hunt other easier Bosses, they could effectively score above 200,000 this way."

"How about Tier 4 Ultimate Bosses? Those would yield more points than the Tier 6 Megabosses, right?" Xiaoxiao asked.

Qin Ruo nodded.

"Indeed… Tier 4 Ultimate Bosses would each yield 200,000 points. However, killing them is extremely difficult. There are too many unknown variables to consider. Besides, it would take a lot of time seeking them out too."

"Then, what's your target?"

Xiaoxiao suddenly raised her beautiful fair face and asked, "You said just now that Majestic Hero and the others are taking on the Tier 6 Megabosses. So, you're saying… you don't agree with their plan?" Xiaoxiao knew Qin Ruo very well, and was able to infer what was hidden in-between his words.

Qin Ruo smiled and replied, "It was because they all had the same idea… I would be breaking through with a different plan… I think it would be better for me to seek out the Tier 6 Elite Megabosses and Tier 4 Ultimate Bosses. And if my guess is correct, Sinistress and Savior probably have the same thing in mind too."