Reign of the Hunters

“It’s like you’re an entirely different person. You’ve been making mistakes left and right. Even I am worried that you will affect the performance of the party once we begin challenging the final BOSS.” said Bai Mo with a smile. He had always been straightforward when he was talking to Ye Ci.

Ye Ci rubbed her aching temples after listening to Bai Mo’s words. “I know it’s bad for me to keep this up, but I’m very upset right now.” said Ye Ci as she let out a long sigh.

“What happened?” Bai Mo could tell that something was up.

Ye Ci closed her eyes and muttered to herself before finally speaking up, “I had a conversation with Liu Chang just now.”

“Liu Chang?” Bai Mo was momentarily stunned. Liu Chang was a person in a precarious position. Despite her fall out with Yi Cang, she maintained some form of friendship with Dong Yin. Getting into contact with her would often mean that one had also gotten into contact with Dong Yin, “Was it about Dong Yin?”

“Not really. She knew that we were beaten up, but was unaware of the circumstances behind the incident. Besides, I’ve never let her in on the fact that we’ve moved, and that I had a new number,” sighed Ye Ci, “It’s not that I don’t trust her, and I’m sure that Liu Chang knew who was in the wrong as well. She would never tell Dong Yin anything about us. However, if we maintained close contact with Liu Chang, it might bring trouble for her and her family as well. I don’t want to drag even more people into this mess.” Ye Ci knew that Bai Mo did not fully trust Liu Chang, even if he treated her with courtesy. Because of what happened before at the stall earlier on, his distrust of Liu Chang grew.

Ye Ci hoped that Bai Mo would not see her as an unwitting accomplice, as Liu Chang was also a victim.

Bai Mo smiled at Ye Ci. He understood the meaning behind her words, “Look at you! You’re still trying to cover for you friends even if you’re in a mess right now. Don’t you feel burdened by all of this?” the smile then disappeared from Bai Mo’s face, “I’m sure that Liu Chang did not only speak of petty matters with you. There must be something else. Don’t keep any secrets from me.”

“I’m not.” Ye Ci frowned in response, “It’s just that... I’m still not sure about it yet.”

“What is it?”

“There’s a high possibility that our guesses are correct.” Ye Ci could feel her headache intensifying.

“You’re saying that Dong Yin was behind all that?” Bai Mo was not surprised to receive such an answer. He and Ye Ci had made their speculations, and they came to the conclusion that Dong Yin was the most plausible culprit behind the incident, but they could not be entirely sure. The same thing could be said about Ye Ci’s heist on Steel-Blooded Battle Spear’s warehouse. Even though she was the biggest suspect, Thousand Sunsets could not be sure. No evidence was left behind.

Acting rashly without proof would only bring them trouble, especially when the problem would follow them into their real lives.

Bai Mo’s eyebrows furrowed when Ye Ci told him about the conversation she had with Liu Chang, “So you suspect that Dong Yin was not the only person involved in this, and that Thousand Sunsets was backing her up?”

“This is the thing that’s bothering me the most.” Ye Ci sighed, “We’re just a newly formed guild in Fate. Even with our First Bloods, we’re still a relatively small guild. Steel-Blooded Battle Spear was on an entirely different level. Even if the guild was split into Bloody Steel and Battle Spear, a starving camel is still larger than a horse. Thousand Sunsets had the backing of an entire financial group as well as a number of his wealthy associates. Going up against them with our current strength is like striking a stone with an egg. It’ll be even worse for us in real life. We’re even living in the same city as Thousand Sunsets. I’ve severed all ties with Dong Yin, but if she instigated him into taking action, you know that normal people like us can do nothing against them.”

“What are you planning to do?” Bai Mo could tell that Ye Ci had a plan judging by how thoroughly she was able to analyze the situation.

“If we don’t solve this problem at its roots, it will cause us endless trouble.” Ye Ci stared into the foggy sky, with worry in her heart, “What an unexpected turn of events...”

“What do you mean by that?” Bai Mo was startled by Ye Ci’s words. However, he knew that Ye Ci was hiding a secret deep in her heart. It was a secret that nobody was able to reach. Even Bai Mo himself would never be able coax out such a secret.

“It’s nothing.” Ye Ci grimaced. She was staring at Bai Mo, but her thoughts had already wandered far away.

Indeed, Ye Ci did not expect such a turn of events. Dong Yin’s family suffered the same fate in her past life, and things did not end well for her. However, Ye Ci was not responsible for such a thing. She had merely declined Dong Yin’s pleas for help. How about my current life? Will I be the one who caused Dong Yin’s downfall? Ye Ci had the urge to laugh. Fate was such a funny thing. Even after her reincarnation, there were things that she was entirely powerless to change.

“All hands, listen up! I’m initiating the boss fight now. Press the “confirm” button if you’re ready.” Overflowing Ink spoke up in the Command Channel.

Bai Mo stood up, and patted Ye Ci on her shoulders, “So how is it? How are you feeling right now?”

Ye Ci took in a deep breath, and slapped her own cheeks in an attempt to clear her head. She looked at Bai Mo and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, I won’t allow my emotions to affect the performance of the party.”

Bai Mo nodded, and spoke in a soft tone, “Don’t carry everything on your shoulders. Remember, I’ll always be with you. No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you.”

Ye Ci understood the meaning behind Bai Mo’s words. Her heart was filled with dismay. Will someone as pure as Bai Mo fall from grace because of her? Ye Ci was bitter. She had thought that she could protect everyone dear to her after her reincarnation. With all said and done, am I still going to fail?

Bai Mo stared at Ye Ci’s pained expression, and pain spread through his heart as if a nail has been driven into his chest. He pulled Ye Ci into an embrace and patted her on the back, speaking to her in a soft voice, “Little Ci, don’t make that face. You shouldn’t be having that kind of expression. I know what you’re thinking. You don’t have to worry for me. I’m not as pure and innocent as you think I am.”

“Bai Mo...” Ye Ci was surprised to hear Bai Mo’s words.

“Little Ci, you have to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes sometimes.” Bai Mo released Ye Ci from his embrace and caressed Ye Ci’s hair with a smile on his face. He then turned around, heading towards the party that was gathering front of Overflowing Ink.

“What are you doing? We’re going to initiate the boss fight soon, why are you just standing here?” Fruit Jelly walked up to Ye Ci and patted her shoulder as a reminder.

Ye Ci finally snapped out of her daze. She looked at Fruit Jelly and nodded, shoving all her thoughts to the back of her mind. She was finally able to calm her emotions.

As Overflowing Ink immediately initiated the process of challenging the BOSS, Ye Ci stood amongst the members of her party, readying herself for the fight ahead.

“Attack!” with the order given by Overflowing Ink, the party members immediately charged into the pond at the center of the map. Aside from its increased health and damage, there was nothing special about the fifth BOSS. This was, however, the first time the party had attempted to challenge the BOSS at Expert difficulty. They were simply testing the waters before engaging in a serious fight.

“Relax, this is just a test run. It’s the first time we take on this BOSS on Expert difficulty. We’re trying to gauge its damage. Don’t worry about it. We’ll just leave the dungeon if we suffer a high amount of casualties. I want all of you to relax.” said Overflowing Ink to the rest of the party in a carefree tone, which did not go unnoticed by the party members.

It was rumored that the four guilds that had already secured First Five had a hard time in defeating the BOSS. The party members did not have high hopes in their success during the first attempt. For them, it was a process to familiarize themselves with the BOSS before the real fight began.

The mood in the party was light under such circumstances. They were relaxed as there was no need to feel pressured. The atmosphere in the dungeon could be said to be harmonious. One of the party members even began humming a tune. It was as if they were not even trying to clearing a dungeon, and was instead having a get-together meeting with the fifth BOSS.

The party was able to perform unexpectedly well under such an atmosphere. Before long, they were already at the third stage of the boss fight. Even Ye Ci was surprised. The members of the party must have trained hard during her one month of absence. Their team work was perfect, and their positioning was precise.

Ye Ci even felt that they had the chance of defeating the fifth BOSS in this fight. Just then, she heard the voice of Overflowing Ink, “Use your mana potion if you’re low on mana, and cast all the buffs you have. Don’t worry about it. If we die, we can simply restart the fight.”

Ye Ci was surprised by the calmness in Overflowing Ink’s voice. He was able to remain calm even when they were at the third stage of the fight. It was apparent that Overflowing Ink had improved greatly as a commander.

The party was able to reach the fourth stage of the fight without much of an incident. “F*ck me sideways! Is this for real? None of us actually died! Am I dreaming?” shouted Overflowing Ink in surprise, as if he was an entirely different person.

It was something that the rest of the members had in their minds as well. “Charge into the circle when your name is called. Just use any consumables you have on you and give it all you got! We’re going to defeat this BOSS in one go!” shouted Overflowing Ink with excitement clear in his voice.

“Roger that!” even if their commander remained silent, the party members had a clear picture of what the should do during the fourth stage of the fight.

Ye Ci stole a glance at the time. It had been 40 minutes since they began challenging the BOSS. If they were unable to defeat the BOSS within 10 minutes, the dungeon would be reset. This meant that the efforts of the party would be in vain, and it was something that Ye Ci wanted to avoid. After chugging down some potions that would raise her attack damage, Ye Ci began pouring in all her firepower onto the BOSS.

It was amazing how fate would work in wonderful ways at times. Upwards Ho!’s boss fight was the perfect example. Many of the parties of other major guilds have tried their best and gave their all to defeat the BOSS, but many of them had a hard time in defeating the BOSS. On the other hand, Upwards Ho! was able to defeat the BOSS without even breaking a sweat. God must be asleep during these se times, which would explain their dogshit luck.

Not one of them knew that things would end up this way when they started the fight. However, reality seemed to disagree with them.

The entire dungeon was quiet when the BOSS returned to her throne and gave the mandatory speech that was part of her death cinematic. The Upwards Ho! players stared silently at the BOSS. It felt like a dream to them. They were surprised that they have defeated the BOSS just like that. It all finally felt real when the system announcement began flooding the World Channel.

“Congratulations Upwards Ho! for clearing the 100-player dungeon, Castle Ruins on Expert difficulty. Rewards: Guild Prestige x4000, Global Prestige x20,000, Gold Coins x15,000. Let us remember the names of the heroes!”

“Congratulations Remote Depths for achieving First Blood in the 100-player dungeon, Castle Ruins on Expert difficulty. Rewards: Black Stone City Prestige x500, Talent Points x5. Achievement: “Expert Difficulty Castle Ruins First Five”. His name shall forever be remembered in the history of Fate!”

“Congratulations Overflowing Ink for achieving First Blood in the 100-player dungeon, Castle Ruins on Expert difficulty. Rewards: Black Stone City Prestige x500, Talent Points x5. Achievement: “Expert Difficulty Castle Ruins First Five”. His name shall forever be remembered in the history of Fate!”

“Congratulations Mi Lu for achieving First Blood in the 100-player dungeon, Castle Ruins on Expert difficulty. Rewards: Black Stone City Prestige x500, Talent Points x5. Achievement: “Expert Difficulty Castle Ruins First Five”. His name shall forever be remembered in the history of Fate!”

“Congratulations Fruit Jelly for achieving First Blood in the 100-player dungeon, Castle Ruins on Expert difficulty. Rewards: Black Stone City Prestige x500, Talent Points x5. Achievement: “Expert Difficulty Castle Ruins First Five”. His name shall forever be remembered in the history of Fate!”

“Congratulations Let Go Of That Girl for achieving First Blood in the 100-player dungeon, Castle Ruins on Expert difficulty. Rewards: Black Stone City Prestige x500, Talent Points x5. Achievement: “Expert Difficulty Castle Ruins First Five”. His name shall forever be remembered in the history of Fate!”

......

“Congratulations Gongzi You for achieving First Blood in the 100-player dungeon, Castle Ruins on Expert difficulty. Rewards: Black Stone City Prestige x500, Talent Points x5. Achievement: “Expert Difficulty Castle Ruins First Five”. Her name shall forever be remembered in the history of Fate!”

......

As always, the names of the party members who secured First Five appeared in the World Channel. As one of the last players to join the party, Ye Ci’s name appeared last. It was easy to miss the name “Gongzi You” if one was not pay attention.

However, even if Ye Ci herself missed the name, players in the World Channel did not. Before long, some of the players with sharp eyes found Gongzi You among Upwards Ho!’s party roster, and a heated discussion began in the World Channel.

“Question: Am I hallucinating? I seemed to have seen Gongzi You’s name just now.”

“Eh, I saw it as well, but it was flooded by other messages. I was not sure if it was really her.”

“Are you for real? How is that possible? Didn’t Gongzi You leave the game? You must’ve gotten it wrong! Just think about it... How many fake Gongzi Yous appeared since the disappearance of the real one?”

“But... It doesn’t look like an impostor to me...”

“Are you kidding me? Will a fake Gongzi You appear in Upwards Ho!? Even if the world is filled with fake copies of Gongzi You, do you think that it’s possible for one to be in Upwards Ho!?”

“Ehhhh? Did yet another Gongzi You appear again?”

“You fools! Didn’t Gongzi You die a long time ago? How can the dead log into the game?”

“Who said that Gongzi You is dead? She’s the god-tier player of our continent! She won’t die that easily!”

“They made an analysis about this in the forums. As a professional player, it’s impossible for Gongzi You to have quit the game just like that. There’s only one possible reasoning behind this. Even if she’s not dead, she definitely won’t still be alive!”

“Bullshit! What if she ran into some sort of trouble in real life? I know you maggots in the Western Continent wish for her death, which is why you embraced such a conclusion happily!”

“Exactly! Long live Gongzi You! Long live Gongzi You!”

......

As Upwards Ho! members were still flabbergasted by their dogshit luck, the World Channel had already exploded into chaos. The players, who were surprised by the appearance of Gongzi You, initially expressed their shock about Gongzi You’s return, but the conversation eventually degraded into a mudslinging contest between players from all four continents.

Ye Ci, who was the focus of their discussion, was oblivious to the uproar she had caused in the World Channel. At that moment, she was standing beside the slain BOSS, praying earnestly to God, hoping that good Hunter equipment would be included in the loot drop. At that point, the loot did not matter to her. If the BOSS did not yield any drops for the Hunter class, Ye Ci would definitely be frowned upon by the Hunters in Upwards Ho!.

Fruit Jelly who was known as a Red Hand walked up to Ye Ci who was praying to God. “Gongzi, I told you a long time ago, there’s use clasping the Buddha’s feet when danger arises. You should’ve gone to the Archbishop a long time ago and taken a dip in the Holy Fountain to wash away your bad luck.” said Fruit Jelly with a smirk.

Ye Ci rolled her eyes at Fruit Jelly, “Nobody will mistake you for a mute if you keep quiet.”

“Alright, alright! I’ll shut up.” sighed Fruit Jelly. She stared at Ye Ci with an expression full of disdain and waved her hand dismissively, “Off with you. I don’t want you anywhere near me when I loot the corpse. I might get some of your bad luck, you know.”

“Oi.. Oi.. Oi..” Ye Ci’s face twitched.

“Don’t you dare threaten me. Take a look, all the Hunters are glaring at you now. For your own safety, I suggest that you back off.”

Ye Ci stole a glance at the Hunters who were staring at her with bitter expressions. Guilt flooded her heart. I did not ask for this bad luck! I want to be lucky for once as well!

“Guild leader, can you stand away from the corpse?” one of the Rogues in the party spoke up as Ye Ci began sobbing internally. It was the last straw for her. She walked away from the BOSS’s corpse, and silently knelt at a corner, tracing circles with her finger.

Those words were just too hurtful.

I want to have good luck as well! I want to be someone who is lucky as well! thought Ye Ci as she sobbed.

The guild members gathered around Fruit Jelly, praying for a good loot drop. Some of them even began lighting up incense. They were looking forward to the bountiful loot yielded by obtaining the First Five for slaying a final boss in Expert difficulty.

Ye Ci stared at her party members with eyes full of hatred, “Curse you all! You will never get any equipment from this BOSS! You will never roll more than 10 points with the RNG! And I hope that all the loot drops are skill books for the Hunter class....”

Before Ye Ci could finish her sentence, the temperature of her surroundings plunged. Her guild members were shooting daggers at her with their icy glares, “What? I’m already very far away from the corpse!” asked Ye Ci in an innocent tone.

“I think we should gag her up before we loot any BOSSes in the future.” said Let Go Of That Girl to Bai Mo.

“Oi.. Oi..” Ye Ci immediately voiced her protest.

Which, of course, fell on deaf ears as the party members nodded their heads in agreement. “What the heck? I’ve already lost my right to be near the corpse! What else do you...”

Before Ye Ci could complete her sentence, she was surrounded by the Hunters in the party, who were staring at her with adoration clear in their expressions. “What are you guys doing?” Ye Ci was uncomfortable with the situation.

“Guild leader... The next time they loot the BOSS for any drops, please place a jinx on them so that the BOSS will yield only items for the Hunter class.” said Naturally Cute as she stared at Ye Ci, which earned her the approval of the rest of the Hunters. “Yes! We’re counting on you, guild leader!”

The corner of Ye Ci’s mouth twitched, “I don’t think it’s possible...”

“It is! It’ll be great if all of those skill books are Hunter’s Mark. We need it! If the BOSS can drop 9 of them, it’ll b awesome!”

Ye Ci silently turned away from the Hunters. Her heart was filled with sorrow. What the heck? It’s rare enough for the BOSS to have multiple skillbooks of the same class! The chances of it yielding several copies of the same skillbook is next to zero...

Relief came to the members of the party after Fruit Jelly looted the BOSS, and the drops were distributed to each member by Bai Mo. However, not everybody in the party had the luck of enjoying part of the loot. Bai Mo patted Ye Ci on her shoulder, expressing his endless sympathy for Ye Ci’s bad luck.

Upwards Ho! began clearing the dungeon as frequent as they could after securing a spot in the First Five. As sponsored dungeon clearing of the Castle Ruins Expert difficulty would begin in a month, they had to pick up the pace so that Upwards Ho! members could obtain better equipment in preparation for the sponsored dungeon clearing.

As the commander of the second squadron, Purity Essence was able to familiarize himself with the members of his party. The second squadron was able to clear the Castle Ruins on Normal difficulty, and was making preparations to challenge the dungeon on its Expert difficulty.

Purity Essence would naturally come to Ye Ci’s mind whenever the second squadron was mentioned. She have not interacted with Purity Essence since he joined Upwards Ho!, and was away from the game for an entire month. The only information she had about the progress of Purity Essence was from Let Go Of That Girl.

In truth, due to the incident at the Swamp of Sorrows, many of the guild’s officers and most of its members were dissatisfied when Purity Essence was appointed as the commander of the second squadron.

Ye Ci herself was worried that Purity Essence would suffer as a result of the gossip about him that was circulating amongst the guild members. She even paid extra attention to Purity Essence of out worry. However, after the injury she suffered, Ye Ci was unable to log into the game for an entire month, and she lost track of Purity Essence’s progress of settling into the guild. To her surprise, Let Go Of That Girl who was initially hostile to Purity Essence was now showering him with praise. It was a shock to Ye Ci.

“That guy is pretty good. He’s humble and very hardworking.” such was the assessment of Let Go Of That Girl on Purity Essence. At that time, Purity Essence was appointed as the commander of the second squadron as there was already two commanders in the first squadron. It was unnecessary to assign yet another commander to the first squadron. Other than that, the members of the first squadron were made up of the guild’s officers and elites, and Ye Ci was worried that conflict might arise between the two parties. The most important reason Purity Essence was assigned to the second squadron, however, was because of the fact that it was impossible for Upwards Ho! to grow with only the first squadron. At that time, the second squadron did not have a fixed roster, and a charismatic commander was needed to lead the scattered members of the second squadron.

Because of those reasons, Purity Essence was assigned to the second squadron upon joining Upwards Ho!. He faced an unprecedented problem when he took charge of the second squadron. Its members were undisciplined, and were equipped with grossly inferior equipment. Members of the second squadron saw the first squadron as the main force of Upwards Ho!, and came to a conclusion that they were mere substitutes. Many of the second squadron members even gave up on improving themselves. Purity Essence did not even blink in the face of such a difficult problem. He began training and guiding his party members, while slowly reorganizing the second squadron. It took him two weeks to finally organize a fixed roster for the second squadron, and another two weeks to improve the combat potential of the party. Under his leadership, the second squadron was able to clear Castle Ruins at Normal difficulty.

The members of the second squadron shed tears of joy when they cleared the Castle Ruins, and Purity Essence himself cried out loud in the dungeon. It was a very touching moment that Ye Ci could only witness through recordings from the party members. Despite that, Ye Ci could feel that Purity Essence gave his all to the second squadron.

She was glad that she made the decision to recruit Purity Essence into Upwards Ho!.

Despite that, a brief episode happened when the second squadron cleared the Castle Ruins. After noticing the good performance of a number of players in the second squadron, Overflowing Ink and Mi Lu had a talk with Purity Essence in hopes that they could induct the players into the first squadron. Despite his reluctance, Purity Essence did not reject their request. But when Overflowing Ink and Mi Lu approached the players, they invitation was rejected.

“We’re members of the second squadron! We ain’t going to the first squadron.” This was the answer received by the two commanders.

Ye Ci smiled when she heard about the incident. Purity Essence was indeed a man of high caliber. However, Bai Mo was worried when he received the news.

“Isn’t that a good thing? Why are you worried?” Ye Ci was unable to come up with a reason for Bai Mo to be worried about it.

“From a commander’s point of view, it is indeed something good. This means that Purity Essence is a very capable commander, and that you’re a good judge of character. It is, however, quite bad for the development of the guild.” said Bai Mo as he chewed on a piece of roasted chicken. This was one of the wonderful features of Fate. As long as one has the money, one could purchase all sorts of delicacy from the NPCs.

“What do you mean?” asked Ye Ci. She eyed Bai Mo who was enjoying the roasted meat, and snatched a piece of roasted chicken away from him.

“Although Overflowing Ink and Mi Lu’s actions were rather uncourteous, the fact that those players chose to remain in the second squadron meant that they’ve begun developing a cadre mentality. If such thing is left unchecked, it will be bad for our guild.”

After giving Bai Mo’s words a moment of thought, Ye Ci stated her own views, “From your point of view, it is indeed a problem. But.. Think about it.. What if the members of the first squadron have such a mentality as well?”

Bai Mo stared at Ye Ci incredulously, “What do you mean?”

“The first squadron is comprised of the elites of our guild. They’re always the first to explore a dungeon. This means that they’re seen as the strongest group in our guild. Don’t you think that it will give them a sense of superiority?” Ye Ci snorted. Not everyone disinclined towards bullying those that they perceive to be inferior. It was something that Ye Ci herself did in her past life. She was not naive. She knew that such a situation would arise even in a new guild created when she reincarnated into a new life. The strong would always bully and prey on the weak.

In truth, such flaws had always existed in every human. There was nothing we could do to change that fact. The only thing we could do was to turn a blind eye to the occurrences that were happening all around us.

Bai Mo appeared to be deep in thought after listening to Ye Ci’s words.

“You can go talk to those players, and ask them why they rejected the offer to join the first squadron. Do you think that they are unaware of the fact that the first squadron is the main force of the guild? And that the first squadron is the elite of our guild? They’re not idiots! They know that they would receive more benefits by joining the first squadron. But why did they then reject the offer? You told me that they’re forming themselves into a cadre, but can’t you see the cause behind all that? Can’t you see that the members of the first squadron have once caused them to be scarred??”

Bai Mo stared at Ye Ci for a long, silent moment before finally speaking up, “Little Ci, you’re always so straightforward... You know... It will cause more harm than good at times.”

“Bai Mo, kindness is something that I lack in my character. This is why I tend to look at things from my own selfish perspective. I’m able to see how ugly things are, and it helps with spotting the root of many problems.”