MMORPG: The Elementalist

The first thing the next day, Qin Ruo hurried outside and picked up a couple of snacks to satiate his hunger, then dove right back into the game.

Although last night Slayer’s Heart had outlined a good idea for reducing his time as a wanted man, having spent ten hours down in the Goblin Mines, Qin Ruo was gradually coming to the realization that this plan was not as simple as he had thought.

Firstly, the first level of the Graveyard of the Gods was like another Mythical Continent unto itself—it was unbelievably vast! Never mind coming across Demon Faction players with their own Honor Points, finding even a single player from the other side was quite unlikely, so there was little opportunity for that kind of action.

Besides that, Qin Ruo was unclear whether there were any areas within the Graveyard of the Gods where he could use his Elemental Perception. Without it, running around blindly was extremely hazardous!

With this in mind, Qin Ruo felt that it would be better to just find somewhere safe outside, and while away his penalty time there. He had to get rid of the red tag as soon as possible, so he would no longer have to worry about being hunted by every player in the game.

As for work...

Seeing as Qin Ruo’s performance at work had been excellent so far, his supervisor had approved his sick leave over the phone, giving him permission to spend a few days resting at home. In the meantime, his workload would be shared out between poor Wang Da and the rest of his colleagues.

***

Logging in once more from the dark and damp Goblin Mines, the rhythmic sound of mining could suddenly be heard from not far off, giving him a nasty little jolt. To think that this early in the day there would already be someone in here, in a forsaken little hole like this, looking to get something done... such an exceptional, hard-working miner.

It was a good thing that Qin Ruo had done some research beforehand to find a safe, secluded little corner to log off at, in order to avoid running into other players the moment he came back on.

Qin Ruo immediately activated his Aquamorph skill, and then let out a long sigh.

Before he finished exhaling that breath, the continuous sound of chipping rock stopped all of a sudden, and then Qin Ruo felt a pair of alert, suspicious eyes sweeping past him. His breath caught in his throat.

‘This person is surprisingly sharp!’

Qin Ruo immediately held his breath, but then let it all out once more, and merrily began to size up this industrious, extraordinary, and incredibly sharp little miner.

The miner looked to be a very young and fair sort of fellow, a Level 31 Terra Swordmaster, brandishing what looked to be a newly bought iron pick, still brand-new. At the moment, the metal point of the miner’s pick was lodged deep into the stone wall. One hand upon the pick’s handle, the miner was presently looking hard around his approximate location.

Of course, at his level, he would not be able to spot Qin Ruo.

But Qin Ruo noticed something unusual about this Level 31 Terra Swordmaster: among the equipment he was wearing, there was a flash of Gold from his bracers, while the rest of the items were Dark Violet. For someone in the early levels of Tier 3, this was pretty amazing stuff to have!

If not for what had just happened, Qin Ruo might have concluded that this Tier 3 kid had gotten his equipment as a gift from a friend; however, he could not believe that the boy had detected him as a mere coincidence. To be able to notice him breathing from over twenty meters away, it was no small feat. And there was something else Qin Ruo could not help wondering about...

With such fine equipment, he should not be short of money, at least not to the point that he would have to run down here to do some mining. Anyway, looking at his mining skills, he still seemed to be pretty new at it.

First thing in the morning, what in the world was this boy up to?

As Qin Ruo thought about this, the boy gave up on his search, having found nothing, and went back to his work hacking apart the tunnel wall.

Listening to the sound and rhythm of his strikes, he could tell that the miner was no longer able to devote his full concentration to the task. With a little smile, he turned to leave.

As he stepped out of the mine, his Elemental Perception drew his attention back to the little miner once more, now over forty meters away. The young fellow suddenly whirled around to face the exit, shooting an odd look down the tunnel after him. Brow furrowed in bewilderment, he mumbled, “If you still haven’t made a move, is it because you’re scared of me?”

Qin Ruo’s mouth fell open, wide enough to swallow an egg whole.

It was still early in the year, but every day was one surprise after another!

A Terra Swordmaster, barely Level 31, had actually been able to track his movements? This was too much! He had been able to detect him earlier, too! What was going on, here? Could it be that he had not actually woken up yet, and was still in bed dreaming?

Standing at the mouth of the tunnel, Qin Ruo hesitated for a moment, but finally decided that in the interest of his own safety, he would not go back into the mine to investigate this suspicious occurrence.

But Qin Ruo made sure to remember the name of the Level 31 Terra Swordmaster he had almost met.

Wandering Soul.

***

His safe house had been breached. Now Qin Ruo needed to find a new place to hide. Fortunately, the Goblin Mountains were riddled with mines, and there were countless little hidey-holes where most players never considered to venture, so the matter was simple enough.

Qin Ruo opened up the full reach of his Elemental Perception, and after making sure no one else was around, he began to train Tier 4 of the Snow Eagle Dive skill, as well as AoE spells such as Raging Frost Roar and Million Arrow Sleet. Of the Tier 4 attack spells he often used, these three were the only ones he had not yet raised to their maximum level.

Although the process was dull and repetitive, and did not reward him with any Experience Points or new equipment, at least there were two things worth being happy about.

Long periods spent using Aquamorph to avoid the roving Bandits of Holy Clan had raised his Mastery of that skill to over eight hundred points. It would not be long before he could raise it to the next level.

Besides that, in less than ten hours, his Shadowfox “Poochie” would be fully hatched. With Poochie by his side, these training sessions would become much less tiresome.

***

Ten hours. Neither soon enough to arrive, nor too long to wait.

During this time, Qin Ruo changed hiding spots twice, in the process raising both Snow Eagle Dive and Raging Frost Roar to max level, while also receiving some useful information from Slayer’s Heart.

It was last night that the three great Leagues of the Angel Faction put their heads together and devised a momentous strategy. In the Graveyard of the Gods, all the Clans associated with the three great Leagues, as well as several other Clans of note, were prepared to deliver a great blow to the Demon Faction!

Due to the random nature of entrance to that area, conflicts between the two Factions would be inevitable!

Furthermore, due to the unusual circumstances within the Graveyard of the Gods, even high-level players were at tremendous risk. As such, the three great Leagues hoped that by making alliances, they would increase not only their combined might but also their odds of survival.

(This was especially important for the highest-level champions—each death would cost them a level, and several deaths would mean a substantial drop in power.)

It was their unanimous decision that all players and Clans present at the assembly, should they encounter each other within the Graveyard of the Gods, were strictly forbidden from fighting over Bosses and monsters, or attacking one another directly, unless absolutely necessary. Upon encountering an allied party, it was mandatory to immediately join forces, towards the goal of breaking through to the next level of the Graveyard of the Gods!

At first, Qin Ruo had paid little heed to this directive. However, the very next day, it was discovered that the Demon Faction had recently formed an alliance between its four greatest Leagues, issuing the exact same orders.

The Graveyard of the Gods had yet to even open, and the major Leagues from both Factions were already rallying for an all-out war!

Meanwhile, various Clans from both Factions who had been remaining neutral in the matter, seeing all the excitement that was going on, decided to throw in as well! Rallying troops and sounding war-horns, the mood was contagious—everyone was anticipating an epic battle!

This suddenly made the situation even more dangerous for Qin Ruo!

Originally, he had planned to stalk through the Graveyard of the Gods, hunting down Demon Faction players with Honor Points. However, if everyone would be traveling around in packs, this would be all but impossible.

Deep in consternation over this matter for nearly half an hour, a sudden series of system notifications completely dispelled his gray mood!

Congratulations!

Shadowfox hatched successfully!

Please name your pet...

Qin Ruo was overjoyed! He had never realized how adorable the alert of a system notification sounded.

“Poochie!”

The pet name ‘Poochie’ is available. Confirm?

“Yes!”

Naming successful. Please say ‘Poochie’ to summon your pet!

Please consult your Pet Interface for more details about your new pet.

***

When the system notifications had faded away, Qin Ruo excitedly abandoned his spellcasting, dismissing his Frost Barrier and Darkfrost Shield, and then used Aquamorph.

“Poochie!”

Nothing appeared. He had been expecting a flash of light, and then his fuzzy golden Shadowfox, but instead there was nothing!

Confused, Qin Ruo blinked his eyes a few times.

‘Uh... did I do it wrong?’

“Poochie,” he called again, and then felt something on his shoulder. Then something furry brushed past his neck, a soft and cozy sort of feeling.

Turning his head to look, his eyes met with a pair of bright, dark eyes. Overwhelmed, he froze, and then realized that the little fellow looked a lot like a squirrel—not exactly alike, it stood only thirty centimeters tall upon his shoulder. Its long bushy tail swished around playfully, occasionally stroking along the back of his neck, where he was ticklish.

And then, Qin Ruo’s expression switched from delighted to dumbfounded.

‘This little critter... how is he able to stand upon my water-elemental body?

‘And is this really an Shadowfox?’

With confusion on his face and despair in his eyes, Qin Ruo beheld “Poochie” on his shoulder.

‘Why is it so big, so light... and why is its fur brown? Oh gosh... is this even the right animal?’