Virtual World: Close Combat Mage

Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales

Brave Surge was completely astonished when he received that system message. Even if he was not particularly acquainted with Young Master Han, Brave Surge believed he had always been sufficiently polite with the man. And because he knew that Young Master Han was a talent, he was all the more aware just how capable the Young Master’s Elite mercenary group that he led was.

There was, of course, no hard criteria for players to join guilds, so whether a guild leader wanted to recruit or kick someone, it had nothing to do with the system. Similarly, no one could change a player’s mind if they decided to decline an offer or to quit a guild. It was just that players in guilds would have earned contribution credits and the number of credits determined just how bountiful a reward they got during guild quests. The rewards players could obtain from guild quests were all cardinally numbered, and the more contribution credits players got, the more rewards one could expect the higher they were based on the number. Thus it could be said that any player that possessed contribution credits would always have an advantage over the unaffiliated players when it came to the amount of gold and experience earned.

Furthermore, the contribution credits a player earned would be wiped clean the moment they left the guild, so most people would always weigh the pros and cons before quitting their guild. But this was essentially a non-existent problem for Young Master Han since he barely participated in any guild quests or activities. As a result, the contribution credit he earned was paltry, so he hardly felt the ache when he left. However, Brave Surge felt that even if he had wanted to leave, should Young Master Han not at least give him a heads up about it first? Or perhaps it could be some sort of mistake that he made with the controls? Brave Surge contemplated over all the possible reasons as he sent a message over to Young Master Han, showing his mild concern, “What’s the matter?”

“Oh. Nothing. Just randomly changing my guild to play around,” Young Master Han answered, which left Brave Surge at a loss as to what he should say to Young Master Han. Should he raise the issue of the friendship that they had fostered? But there was none to speak of between these two. Touch upon feelings and emotions? That man was hardly attached to the guild in any emotional sense either. Then what about his contribution? There was nothing there too. Brave Surge had finally realized that Young Master Han here was acting like a master. Even if Brave Surge were to kneel down, and if Young Master Han gave him face, there was simply no reason for Brave Surge to pin much hope of convincing him otherwise.

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Over in Colored Clouds’ site, Young Master Han was pleasantly smiling even as he asked his question, and quite a good number of players that turned round to look recognized him. Even those who failed to recognize him could also guess who this person was. Forget a black Mage’s robe or a sword that glowed purple, there was no such thing as truly unique equipment, but Young Master Han’s face was truly something that was, without a doubt, irreplicable.

“Is that Young Master Han?”

“Yup, he’s the mercenary leader for Young Master’s Elites!”

“That’s the expert who’s with Thousand Miles Drunk and the others!”

The whole group of players was whispering to each other in hushed tones, and none of them actually answered Young Master Han’s question.

“Hey, I’m talking to you guys. Is your guild still recruiting?” Young Master Han posed his question once more before the crowd started. For such a famed character to take the initiative and seek to join the guild, even a fool would understand that this was no small matter, so someone quickly stepped up to receive the man, “Please wait a moment. We’re informing the guild leader right now.”

Young Master Han was no doubt an impressive player who deserved the guild leader to personally meet. While Gu Xiaoshang found it to be a little strange when she heard the news, she nevertheless still came running over to meet the man. When she arrived, she saw Young Master Han was seated with the whole group of men, bantering away.

“Lady boss!” When these men saw Gu Xiaoshang, they quickly got up to their feet and made way for her. Anyone with half a brain could tell that this gesture stemmed from real respect, something that was uncommonly seen in MMOs.

“It really is you!” That was the first thing Gu Xiaoshang had said to Young Master Han when her eyes fell on him.

“The one and only,” Young Master Han replied.

“You wish to join our guild?” Gu Xiaoshang asked.

“That’s correct.”

“Why?”

“It’s got a good ambiance,” Young Master Han said.

“That sounds too formulaic, give me something more specific,” Gu Xiaoshang said.

“The guild leader’s pretty.”

“Well, look at you saying something like that!!” Gu Xiaoshang was actually a little embarrassed, which made all her underlings very uneasy. They then hear her continue, “same to you.”

“Hahaha…” Conversely, Young Master Han was not in the least bit embarrassed, chuckling as he replied, “There’s no need to compare with me, you just have to compare yourself against the other guild leaders.”

“Hahahaha,” Gu Xiaoshang laughed. Everyone who heard this strange exchange each wanted to crawl away.

“However,” It was now Gu Xiaoshang’s turn to take the lead in this conversation, “Our guild is full.”

“A guild of over 1000, and you can’t even squeeze out a spot for one man?” Young Master Han asked.

Gu Xiaoshang looked around her at the group of guildmates that were gathered around her, looking conscientiously before saying, “Nope. Not even a spot.”

“Oh. Let’s forget it since you don’t have any space left. Actually, it doesn’t matter if I join your guild or otherwise,” Young Master Han said.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Do you have any thoughts about this City War event, specifically regarding what happens after this?” Young Master Han asked.

“Nothing for the moment,” Gu Xiaoshang answered.

“I’ll suggest one for you.”

“Speak.”

“Thousand Miles Drunk and Sword Demon,” Young Master Han offered.

“What?”

“These two men have become a very unique existence here in this City War. They are players, yet they had been assigned to be on the system’s side as part of the city’s defenders. Those two are the real reason why we’ve been thrown into such chaos this time round. Perhaps, we might earn quite a bountiful contribution score reward if we take care of them!” Young Master Han said.

“Aren’t they your friends?” Gu Xiaoshang asked.

“All of us play the game as friends, but when the game pits us against each other, even if they are friends, you’ll still get that urge to be victorious. You couldn’t possibly intentionally lose to them just because they are friends, right?” Young Master Han said.

“Haha! Well said, indeed. Friendship is friendship, and the game is the game,” Gu Xiaoshang nodded. “But why did you come looking for us? Could you not vanquish them while in Carouse?”

“Oh. I’m not too familiar with Carouse,” Young Master Han replied.

“We’re not exactly friends here either.”

“If you say the word, we’ll all be well acquainted,” Young Master Han commented.

“You’ve got a pretty good eye on things, huh!”

“That is why I said you’ve got a good ambiance going in Colored Clouds; it wasn’t mere empty words, without a doubt, your guild has an exceptional ambiance that other guilds lack. Your guild is strong In terms of its unity and cohesion, since they have you, the guild leader, as their core,” Young Master Han analyzed.

“And that is why you came looking for us. You’re hoping for us to supply you with the manpower while having you in charge of the stratagem and tactics, so as to accomplish this plan of yours to deal with those two men, am I right?” Gu Xiaoshang said.

“Precisely,” Young Master Han nodded.

“What does everyone think?” Gu Xiaoshang turned her head around and randomly asked those guildmates near her. This was how her guild differed from the other guilds. During such instances, most guild leaders would take the time to gather their close associates and discuss the matter by one side, but Gu Xiaoshang was a lot more casual with this, almost to the point she seemed a little illogical. But to those people who she ended up asking, all they felt was a warmth in their hearts.

“It’s pretty interesting,” someone said.

“We’re not doing anything else anyway. So why don’t we go search for those two guys and see just how powerful they are?”

“That’s right. I’ve always wanted to spar with Thousand Miles Drunk, but I’ve never found the chance.” Someone was all the bolder in his assertion. However, Gu Xiaoshang swept her gaze over that person and commented, “I’ve personally witnessed his skills, and you’re far from being up to par.”

“I can at least give it a fair shake!” That person blurted out.

“That’s easy. Ask for a 1v1 duel when you get the chance to meet him, I’m sure he’ll agree,” Young Master Han said.

“But I just keep missing him,” that person said.

“Which is why you should support my plan,” Young Master Han interrupted.

“Hahaha…” Everyone laughed, even as Gu Xiaoshang remarked from the sidelines, “You can’t solicit votes like this!”

“Then if you would please.”

Gu Xiaoshang turned around and swept her gaze around the crowd once more, shouting, “Anyone who wishes to go up against Thousand Miles Drunk and Sword Demon, come on out!” What Gu Xiaoshang shouted was the same as the message she sent in the guild channel. Now that every player in the guild was aware of this news, a good number of them came running over to find out more.

“Lady Boss, what’s the matter? Why are we suddenly taking on those two guys?”

“For fun!” Gu Xiaoshang answered.

“Then what about the City War event?”

“I’ve no idea how to continue fighting in the City Wars, and dealing with those two is also a part of the City War event here, anyway,” Gu Xiaoshang shrugged.

“Then I’ll go!”

“Me too!”

“Count me in as well!!”

The response from these people was tremendous. Every name that Gu Xiaoshang saw pop up was included in the mix. Even a level 20 newborn came grinning from ear to ear, only for Gu Xiaoshang to slap the man to one side, “Scram. Don’t be a nuisance.”

With so many players belonging in Colored Clouds, Gu Xiaoshang actually knew every one of them. She even knew about their basic information, such as their level and job class, and that was something extremely rare among guild leaders. After a good while, Gu Xiaoshang picked out about a hundred odd men, evidently all elites, from all those who stepped forward and expressed their interest in the operation, and she made further efforts to ensure that their job class composition was well-balanced. Gu Xiaoshang finally nodded with satisfaction, turning back to regard Young Master Han, “How’s that?”

“Actually, there’s no need for so many,” Young Master Han said.

“It doesn’t matter. They’re idling till their balls ache anyway,” Gu Xiaoshang said as hushed grumbling could be heard behind her.

“Alright then, those with aching balls can follow me!” Young Master Han waved his hand. Everybody was downcast, none of them moving forward. Would they not be admitting their balls ache if they move?

“I’ll be going too,” Gu Xiaoshang added.

“Of course, You are more than welcome,” Young Master Han said.

“But you’re still going to be in charge of the commanding. I, too, want to see with my own eyes what sort of talent the man who led six men to beat a hundred men possess.” Gu Xiaoshang said. It was already a miracle that the six-man mercenary group Young Master’s Elite had managed to become the champions of the mercenary PvP competition.

“Oh, then I’m afraid you won’t be able to see anything like that today, now that we’re only going up against two guys, this will be a piece of cake.” Young Master Han said.

“Tell us about your plan first!” Gu Xiaoshang said.

“Let’s discuss it as we walk!”

“Okay,” Gu Xiaoshang nodded her head and waved. “Let’s move out!!” This time, there was no mention of balls aching, so everyone very happily went along with them.

“Those two are so elusive, how are you going to find them?” Gu Xiaoshang asked.

“I know who their next target is,” Young Master Han confidently replied.

“Oh?”

“Oathless Sword,” Young Master Han divulged.

Perhaps Oathless Sword believed that his name would be something special to Gu Xiaoshang, but the fact was that Gu Xiaoshang did not really show any sort of reaction when she heard his name, merely asking off-handedly, “How are you so certain?”

“I asked.”

“Asked?”

“That’s right because we are friends!” Young Master Han said.

At the moment, Brother Assist was beseeching Gu Fei and Sword Demon for their forgiveness as tears streamed down his cheeks freely, “You guys gotta understand! Imagine, he had guessed I know who your target is, so if I didn’t reveal the identity of this person to him, who knows what sort of disaster might have befallen me. Don’t forget, this is Young Master Han we’re talking about!”

“It’s fine, no one’s blaming you,” Gu Fei consoled.

“He knows we’re going to strike against Oathless Sword, so the simplest method would be to wait for us to serve ourselves up on a silver platter….” Sword Demon said.

“Well, we can’t possibly just waltz into his trap like this. We gotta come up with something unexpected as well,” Gu Fei pondered.