Virtual World: Close Combat Mage

Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales

Broken Water Arrow was heading into the jungle after leaving Linyin City to go to the area where Deep Freeze had staked a claim in with familiar ease. The man had really given his all into helping improve that guild. While they were still far off from the standard of jungle warfare he had in mind, he already expected as much and never did he presume that these players would be able to reach that level of expertise.

After all, everyone was here in this game in search of entertainment and not to be properly drilled. Because what they were currently doing was a novelty to them, these guild members looked forward to these skills and tactics they had picked up, in hopes it would help them clinch victory in whatever battles they participated in from here on. However, Broken Water Arrow was well-aware that this motivation could disappear at any moment; All he could only hope was for everybody to improve a little while they were still devoted to this and to gain a certain advantage when it came to PvPing in the jungle for a period of time.

At the moment, the effect of this was rather distinct. He had at least been able to change plenty of the more glaring bad habits these players had by imparting plenty of good habits that they should cultivate to them. Still, in these aspects, the players from Deep Freeze already possessed knowledge others did not have when it came to PvPing, and their capabilities were already above that of the average player out there.

I’ve already taught them all that can be taught. The other things don’t seem to be too appropriate for a game… From here on out, it should be enough if they continue to practice on their own. Now that Xiaowu and Thousand Miles Drunk have officially butted heads, I suppose it’s time to say goodbye to Deep Waters as well. Broken Water Arrow was thinking of this when he received Deep Waters’ message, which was asking for his location.

“I’m making my way over,” Broken Water Arrow replied, not thinking too much into things. This was about the time when he would be together with the others in the jungle every day, so it was only normal for Deep Waters to ask this question since he had yet to show up.

“Oh. I’ll be waiting for you.” Deep Waters gave such a simple reply, even as he included his current set of coordinates.

Broken Water Arrow did not think too much about this, either. Deep Waters could actually be considered as one of those players he had been imparting skills to and was someone he personally considered as among the more outstanding players. The man was smart and quick on the uptake, able to draw inferences from other instances and analogies. The things that Broken Water Arrow mentioned to him were quickly implemented into the game, and with how the man had a much clearer understanding of the game than Broken Water Arrow, he had been able to successfully meld some of the techniques and rules in the game with what Broken Water Arrow had taught him, even going as far as to improve upon it in execution. It was during those times that Broken Water Arrow ended up learning from Deep Waters, instead. On top of that, there was not much to say as to how Deep Waters treated his friends; Broken Water Arrow was rather fond of this friend he had made.

—————-

Deep in the jungle.

By the time Broken Water Arrow finally spotted Deep Waters’ figure in the distance, he could also make out another individual standing right beside the man at the same time. It was a Mage, whose black robe hung limp to the ground, with a dark purple sword stabbed straight into the ground right before him. Its glimmering blade was not completely unnoticeable beneath this overcast jungle canopy.

“That guy came so soon…” Broken Water Arrow was a little astonished to see Gu Fei move so quickly. Was he not just exchanging messages with Ye Xiaowu just moments ago? In the blink of an eye, he had actually travelled all the way into the jungle and was now waiting for him to turn up. Broken Water Arrow had even thought that the man would be held up by the strained relations between him and Deep Waters and the others right now, so even if he made a move, he would not make it in full view of Deep Freeze here. That was the point when he realized how mistaken he was. This Thousand Miles Drunk person was determined when it came to his ideals and motives, and matters pertaining to the more human aspects of the world would not rock him in the least; it was completely impossible to restrain how he behaved. Just look at how he had not only opted to avoid Deep Waters, he was even waiting for his arrival alongside the man.

In the time these thoughts surfaced in his mind, Broken Water Arrow reached the two men.

“You’re rather gutsy! You can clearly see me standing here, yet you didn’t even show a shred of hesitation as you strode over,” Gu Fei marveled.

“Hey! I said I’d do the talking first!” Deep Waters quickly interjected. He was really afraid that Gu Fei would immediately begin his body language conversation with Broken Water Arrow.

Broken Water Arrow was chuckling, though. “I came here to look for Deep Waters; why should I be afraid of you?”

“Okay. You guys can go ahead and finish your business first.” Gu Fei nodded.

Broken Water Arrow held his gaze on to Deep Waters. “It seems you’ve more or less been filled in on what’s going on.”

Deep Waters nodded. “I really don’t understand that line of thinking you guys have.”

“It’s really simple. Because of that man there, you and your guild encountered something very unfair, and what we’re doing is merely hoping to provide you guys a certain reparation,” Broken Water Arrow explained.

“And that’s what you’ve been doing all this while?” Deep Waters asked.

“Yup.” Broken Water Arrow nodded. “Even though I’ve only provided you guys with a handful of techniques, and I can’t guarantee that you will all ultimately attain victory through this in the City War, the standard of your PvPing in the jungle should’ve at least been elevated. I’m sure you’re very clear on this.”

Deep Waters nodded. “That’s true. You’ve indeed been a great help to me and my guild. Plus, no normal player could’ve provided us aid in these areas besides you.”

Broken Water Arrow merely chuckled.

“But…” Deep Waters suddenly raised an objection. “While it is a good idea, have you guys ever thought of the possibility of the recipient rejecting your kind gesture?”

“You’d reject it?” Broken Water Arrow was confused.

“No,” Deep Waters admitted, “but you guys didn’t seem to have asked us me.”

“Why ask when you’re not going to reject it?” Broken Water Arrow questioned.

“At the very least, we would be given the right to make the decision ourselves; I don’t need this sort of imposed intentions. There’re already plenty of things out in the real world that are outside of our control; this is but a game, so I insist on having absolute freedom while I am in here. I simply don’t want anyone helping me make any decision when it comes to what I experience,” Deep Waters replied.

“Whoa, Deep Waters. To think you are so profound.” Gu Fei was surprised.

“Of course, real men all have depth to their character,” Deep Waters quipped.

Gu Fei’s hand punched him lightly, almost starting his dialogue of body language with Deep Waters first.

As for Broken Water Arrow, he was quiet for a while before he addressed Deep Waters again. “Then, I’m truly sorry about it. If there’s ever a next time, I’ll be sure to ask you about your choice. As for this time, I originally came over to say my farewell. I believe that this is the limit of what I can do to help you guys.”

“Thank you for your aid despite you not asking me if I needed it…”

“In that case, take care,” Broken Water Arrow said.

“I will. As for you… You’ll need to take care right now!” Deep Waters nodded and glanced over at Gu Fei. “It’s your turn now.”

“Where’s Fleeting Smile?” Gu Fei was never one to beat around the bush. Since it was his turn, he dove straight into the main topic.

“You’ll have to ask him yourself.” Broken Water Arrow chuckled. He was the first man Gu Fei had met that remained so calm despite having fought with him before. Even someone like Eternal Dominion had a shadow after facing Gu Fei, for while they were both kung fu practitioners, Gu Fei was still a tremendously distressing opponent to face – perhaps he could even be considered traumatizing. This was a distance between the two parties that only players that were also fellow practitioners would understand. As for the average players who were considered outsiders to martial arts, they would still harbor thoughts of further grinding their level or improving their equipment and skill proficiency in an effort to get their revenge, yet someone like Eternal Dominion did not bother to mention the resentment he had bottled up over the many years after their bout of two rounds. That was a clear demonstration of just how profound and high level his comprehension of the disparity between him and Gu Fei!

Gu Fei suddenly moved his finger, but Broken Water Arrow was not about to wait for Gu Fei to execute his attack and only respond with his own evasive maneuvers after the fact. He knew that the moment Gu Fei made his move, the speed of his attack was hardly the scariest aspect; what was truly frightening about this Mage was his ability to counterattack almost instantly, and it was through the tempo of exchanging blows that would result in people being misled into thinking that the man was faster than them. Broken Water Arrow knew he would have difficulty dealing with this and was well-aware that Gu Fei had not simply been standing there in hopes of having a chat with him. Seeing Gu Fei’s finger extend, he immediately dove to the side, smoothly transitioning it into a roll as he displaced himself to take cover from behind a tree.

“How amazing!” Before Deep Waters could take his leave, he saw how Broken Water Arrow had repositioned himself in one smooth motion, and blurted out those two words in praise after a slight pause.

Gu Fei was also stunned for the briefest moment before saying, “Where are you running off to? I haven’t even gotten ready to attack yet…” Gu Fei’s finger did indeed move, but was it not normal for people to fidget and shift their bodies after standing for quite some time like he had? Still, he had to give props to the keenness of Broken Water Arrow’s eyes. It was quite the feat for him to catch such a slight movement. At the same time, he had to admire the man’s hypersensitivity. His finger had merely twitched; was there a need for the man to dodge so quickly like that?

Broken Water Arrow did not make a noise from behind the tree as there was no way he would expose himself so easily. He was a true expert now that he was in his element, fully utilizing the terrain advantage this jungle had provided him. Broken Water Arrow firmly believed that even Gu Fei would not be his match here.

“Come on out; I know you’re behind there!” Gu Fei walked up in big strides toward the tree in front him even as Broken Water Arrow smiled from behind another tree. Sure enough, while Thousand Miles Drunk was physically skilled, the man was still nothing but an amateur when in this jungle setting. To think he did not even realize that Broken Water Arrow had quickly made use of the dead angles the first tree provided to shift himself a couple of spots down and hide himself elsewhere.

“Come on out already!” Gu Fei suddenly bent low, his sword slashing right at where he thought Broken Water Arrow’s lower body would be, only to end up striking nothing but air. There was no one behind that tree.

“Eh? Where is he…” Gu Fei was surprised. Meanwhile, Deep Waters was moved by what he had just witnessed. He knew that this was what Broken Water Arrow had always been emphasizing to them: the cruciality of taking note of the dead angles in jungle warfare not just of themselves but of the enemies as well. It was not particularly difficult to get an idea of their own dead angles, but determining the enemy’s dead angles would require a player to possess a wealth of experience before it was possible to grasp the essence behind this concept. If there was even a distinction between what a player determined and what the enemy’s true dead angles were, it would most likely end up backfiring as a player attempted to take cover using non-existent dead angles. Exposing even a finger would simply allow the enemy to learn one’s position, so what was the point of even taking cover?

Deep Waters expected Broken Water Arrow not to stay huddled behind the tree he was seen rolling into, and he was certain the Sharpshooter would have used Gu Fei’s dead angles in his line of sight to reposition himself to somewhere the latter would not have sight of. Still, Deep Waters did not thought Broken Water Arrow would be able to do this without even alerting his enemy in the slightest. It was like Broken Water Arrow had actually made his move while instantaneously concluding just what are the dead angles for them both…

“Looks like the undefeated legend of Thousand Miles Drunk can very well come to an end at the hands of Old Broken here in this jungle…” Deep Waters suddenly had a niggling feeling in his heart.

At this point, Gu Fei was once more standing upright. He clutched his Moonlit Nightfalls firmly despite not having any idea on where Broken Water Arrow was currently hiding himself. The dense jungle before his eyes suddenly seemed so vast.

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