Reign of the Hunters

Ye Ci bade farewell with the Gnomes and immediately left the party when the battle was over. She refused to remain in a free-win team.

She was immediately transported to the grand hall in the Golan Arena. There was a huge billboard in the hall, displaying parties that were looking for more members, and members in need of parties. Learning from her previous lesson, Ye Ci decided against searching for a random party with the help of NPCs. She stood in front of billboard, studying the details of each party. Despite attracting many attention from the players around her, Ye Ci opted to ignore the stares she received for the sake of finding a good party.

There were multiple battle modes available in the Golan Arena. Of course, players would have no need of searching for teammates in a 1v1 battle, while most of the players engaging in 2v2 battles have a fixed duo. Most of the parties that were in need of members were taking part in 3v3 and 5v5 battles. The rosters of these parties would constantly change as players come and go. It was almost impossible to form a party with a fixed roster under such condition. The 10v10 battle mode, on the other hand, were always made up of parties with members from the same guild. Recruitment messages for 10v10 battles would never appear on the billboard. Most of the recruiting parties were seeking to take part in 3v3 and 5v5 battles.

The best way to earn Battle Points in the Golan Arena was to take part in 1v1 battles. However, such battles would typically last for a short duration of 30 seconds, and the victor would then be decided with 2 criteria: The first player who was able to obtain three kills would win the battle even before the time was up. If none of the combatants were able to secure any kills, the player with the highest amount of damage dealt would be the victor.

1v1 battles rely heavily on individual strength. As long as a player was skillful enough, he or she would be able to secure a kill within the time limit, and be awarded with 300 Battle Points. If both combatants possess the same skill level, could only try their best to deal damage to their opponents before time runs out.

That was why most players would still opt for 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5 battles even when they could earn more Battle Points from 1v1 battles. Only players who were truly skillful would take part in this battle mode.

However, 2v2 battles require a high degree of teamwork. Many players who do not have a fixed partner would shun away from this battle mode, favoring the 3v3 or 5v5 battles. If a player was lucky enough, he or she would be paired with a decent team, and if things went well, they could earn a lot of points.

The opening of the Golan Arena served as an indicator. It foretold the beginning of the battle between the four continents. The battles would not be fought in stadiums or arena, but between players in cities and in the wild. This was also the core feature of Fate’s major patch called “A New Continent”. When the patch was released, the Middle Continent would be made available to players from all continents. With the exception of the major cities, every map in the Middle Continent was a potential battleground where players could engage each other in combat.

This was why the Golan Arena was introduced into the game. It would allow players to acquire PVP equipment while training their skills in actual combat. After all, nobody would willingly allow themselves to be slaughtered. Players would take part in battles in the Golan Arena to improve their combat capabilities.

Of course, it was a fact that still remained unknown to most of the players in the current stage of the game. They knew that the Battle Points they’ve acquired from the Golan Arena could be exchanged for PVP equipment. But... What are these equipment for? This was a question that was overlooked by many of the players, giving rise to the countless free-win teams in the arena.

Although it was apparent that the players would naturally have their own playstyle, Ye Ci still frowned upon the free-win teams. They were refused to work for what they want, and refused to work to improve their PVP skills. When the new patch was released, these players were swept aside by the new changes introduced into the game.

Ye Ci was able to gain exceptional PVP skills in her past life by immersing herself in 1v1 battles. Her best record in 1v1 battles was an astonishing 287 consecutive victories that was the envy of countless players, and this record was held by Ye Ci for a very long time. This was why Ye Ci was very confident in her PVP abilities, and was also why she did not choose to take part in 1v1 battles in her current life.

What she needed was to brush up on her teamwork, and not a display of her own combat prowess. That was why joining a random 5v5 team was her best choice. She would be able to face enemies of different classes in battle as well as a variety to different team compositions and strategies. She knew that even her strength was limited in a large scale battle, and the only way for her to get good was through practice.

There was a huge amount of parties looking for members on the billboard. However, it was quite easy to tell the fixed teams apart from the random teams. A fixed team that was in need of an additional players would have its name displayed, while a random team would appear as “Random” on the billboard. This made the process of looking for a party easier for players.

Ye Ci filtered away the random teams, and began sifting through the fixed teams.

: A skillful 5v5 party armed with Tier 8 equipment with a win streak of 34 battles in need of a DPS player! Don’t bother joining us if you’re not good.

: 3v3 battles only! We need a Healer with great positioning and game sense!

: We’ve won 40 battles in a row yesterday! We need a good DPS with excellent positioning and gaming sense as well as Tier 8 and above gears. We only want players who are lvl 38 and above.

: 5v5 team looking for a DPS! We need a who is lvl 40 and has a good game sense, and can work with the team. Don’t come to us if you’re not confident in your PVP capabilities.

......

Even with the random teams filtered, the numbers of the fixed team was quite high as well. The game had a population of nearly 1 billion players. Even when those who were exploring dungeons, or were life players, and those who did not have sufficient level to take part in battles in the arena were not taken into account, there was still millions of players left in the arena.

Ye Ci was bedazzled by the sheer number of team names displayed on the billboard. As a player who had only took part in 1v1 battles, she was inexperienced when it came to searching for the right team. After long moments of hesitation, Ye Ci noticed a team that was looking for a lvl40+ player with Tier 8 equipment and good mechanical skills. The high requirements set by the group naturally meant that their members were rather capable players as well. It would be easier for Ye Ci to work with the party.

She immediately joined the party.

The team, which was named consisted of a Healer, a Mage, a Warrior, and a Rogue. With Ye Ci added into the mix, it was a very standard composition of 2 ranged characters, 2 melee characters, and a healer. A team like this could easily achieve victory if it did not have the misfortune to face off against a team with characters that were equipped with crowd control abilities.

However, Ye Ci was slightly dissatisfied with her choice. She had intended to join a team with a more unconventional team composition so that her teamwork would be pushed to the limit.

Despite that, Ye Ci did not have the habit of immediately abandoning a party that she joined. She was even able to bare with free-win team, not to mention her current decent-looking team.

But... A player like Gongzi You would always cause a small commotion with their appearance. Ye Ci was met with surprised gasps when she joined the party, “There must be something wrong with my eyes! The player who has just joined our team is called ‘Gongzi You’!”

“It can’t be that Gongzi You, right?”

“There’s only one Gongzi You in the Eastern Continent and the entire game...”

“Oh shit! We’re so lucky! Gongzi You joined our team! I’m gonna buy a lottery when this is over!”

Ye Ci could not muster up a response for the obvious enthusiasm of her teammates. She stood in a corner, silently studying the rest of her team. A Human male walked up to her and introduced himself, “I’m AppreciatingTheScenery, a Cleric, and the leader of this party.”

The three other members also begun introducing themselves to Ye Ci, “I’m Beauty’s Grave, a Warrior.”

“My name’s Glistening Moonlight, a Sorceress.”

“The name’s Returning Winds, I’m a Rogue.”

Ye Ci spoke up after they were done with their introductions, “Hi, I’m Gongzi You, a Huntress.”

“Are you that Gongzi You who frequently got First Blood? The one who killed Werebeast Shaman Buru?” as the only female player in the party other than Ye Ci, Glistening Moonlight appeared to be interested in gossip, “Are you that Gongzi You who left Steel-Blooded Battle Spear to join Upwards Ho!? Are you the Gongzi You who was accused of bad things by Steel-Blooded Battle Spear in the forums? The same Gongzi You who was called out by Customer Service No.094 at the Dragon Dance Competition? The Gongzi You who had a battle with Fleeting Time, the god-tier player of the Western Continent? The Gongzi You who had a scandal with Purity Essence? The Gongzi You who disappeared for an entire month?”

Glistening Moonlight was a very gorgeous Elf, and her ability to gossip was even greater than her looks. She bombarded Ye Ci with questions after questions without even skipping a breath.

The corner of Ye Ci’s mouth twitched. She was dumbfounded by the sudden torrent of questions, and was unable to come up with a response.

She was not as good a speaker as Glistening Moonlight, but it was not an ability that she was jealous of.

Glistening Moonlight was apparently a very impatient person as well, “So are you that Gongzi You? Are you?” asked the Elf when she received no answer from Ye Ci.

Despite their own curiosity, Beauty’s Grave, AppreciatingTheScenery, and Returning Winds were embarrassed by the actions of Glistening Moonlight. AppreciatingTheScenery nudged Glistening Moonlight with his elbow, hoping that she would stop her line of questioning. After all, the person standing before them was not just any ordinary player. She was the god-tier player who was also the best Hunter in Fate.

“Aiya, Mountains, why did you do that?” Glistening Moonlight, who was oblivious to AppreciatingTheScenery’s intention, directed a glare at the man. She then turned around and spoke to Ye Ci with a tone full of enthusiasm and excitement, “So are you really that Gongzi You?”

The corners of Ye Ci’s mouth twitched again. “Duplicated names are not allowed in the game.” replied Ye Ci stiffly under the expectant gaze of Glistening Moonlight.

The answer was a confirmation to Glistening Moonlight’s questions. Under normal circumstances, a simple “yes” would have suffice. But wouldn’t it mean that I’m admitting to all those things? thought Ye Ci to herself.

“In other words.. You’re Gongzi You! The real Gongzi You!” Glistening Moonlight squealed in delight. She ran up to Ye Ci and grabbed hold of her hands, staring at her with eyes burning with passion.

Such enthusiasm and passion was something that Ye Ci was not used to. She cowered back out of reflex, and subconsciously attempted to pull her hands back. However, Glistening Moonlight’s tight grip prevented her from doing just that.

“There’s a question that I’ve wanted to ask when I met the real Gongzi You.”

“What is it?” Ye Ci finally relented under the enthusiasm of her teammate. If she did not satisfy the curiosity of the gossipy mage, this battle would not proceed well.

Glistening Moonlight blinked her beautiful green eyes, and asked, ““So... When you and Fleeting Time got married... Will you go over to the Western Continent? Or will he move to the Eastern Continent?”

Ye Ci almost coughed up blood when she heard the question.

At that moment, Ye Ci could feel her blood gushing to her head, and her eyes turned red with anger. When she stared at the innocent face of Glistening Moonlight, Ye Ci could not bring herself to vent her anger on her teammate. She took in some deep breaths, trying her best to suppress her sudden surge of anger. She then withdrew her hand, and spoke to Glistening Moonlight with a cold voice, “I’m not that close with Fleeting Time.”

“Aiya, the celebrities will always use this line when asked about their love interest.” Glistening Moonlight nodded, and her unspoken words were written all over her face: I understand.

Ye Ci was nearly driven mad by Glistening Moonlight. “Are you guys going to start the battle, or are we continuing the gossip?”

Ye Ci’s words were laced with anger. Even an idiot could tell that the god-tier huntress was annoyed. AppreciatingTheScenery immediately nodded and forced out a laugh, “Alright, let’s cut the nonsense. I’m initiating the battle.”

With that, AppreciatingTheScenery immediately started the countdown, and the rest of the party immediately prepared for battle. Despite her talkative and gossipy nature, Glistening Moonlight was actually a decent player. Even Ye Ci who was a top-tier Sorceress was impressed by her positioning.

The party immediately headed to the basin at the center of the map when the battle started.

The Golan Arena offered more than 500 maps, and each map was distinct and unique in its own way. The players would be transported into a randomized map in each battle to a random spawn point that might or might not work to their advantage. It all depended on the luck of the players.

Ye Ci and her party were transported to a flat plain with a basin at its center. Both teams of combatants began moving to the center of the map to engage each other in combat. With the size of the terrain limited and flat, put the game sense and positioning of players would be pushed to the limit. The basin at the middle of the map was surrounded by platforms with glowing orbs. Each orb came with a distinct BUFF or DEBUFF that would only be made known to players when activated.

It was a common practice for Ye Ci to ignore the glowing orbs. While a BUFF would definitely be advantageous for her in battle, there was still a 50% chance that she might accidentally activate a DEBUFF. It was a risk that Ye Ci wanted to avoid.

She jumped into the basin when the rest of her party began activating the glowing orbs.

When Ye Ci entered stealth, her teammates were still busying themselves with the glowing orbs on the platform.

“Gongzi You, are you not activating the BUFFs?” said Glistening Moonlight when she noticed that Ye Ci has jumped into the basin without activating any BUFFs, “You can come up here with that pathway... over... there.....”

Before she could finish her sentence, a row of golden words appeared in her vision.

“Gongzi You has slain an enemy.”

The other members shared a confused look. They could not believe the scene that was unfolding before them. Ye Ci had already taken out an enemy not 10 seconds after leaping into the basin.

“Gongzi You has slain an enemy.”

“Gongzi You has slain an enemy.”

Before the other party members could react, two lines of golden words appeared once agian in their vision. You’ve gotta be kidding me! That’s just too fast! They immediately jumped into the basin after Ye Ci.

Just at that moment, two lines of words appeared again in their vision. One of them was golden, and the other one was red.

“Gongzi You has slain an enemy.”

“AppretiatingTheScenery has been slain by Fleeting Time.

Hiya minna-san! Here’s yet another awesome chapter of the awesomesauce novel translated by an awesomtacular translator (that is me, by the way!). Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!

How’s everybody doing today? How’s life been treating you guys so far? I’m doing quite well if you ask me. Aside from the assignments and midterms of course ahaha... Life is still fun. Got to hang out with friends and stuff... We even got to enjoy some nice steamboat xDD Holy shit I think I binged on so much mutton that I finished half the restauran’t supply of mutton hehe... Hey! Don’t judge okay? It tasted REAL nice! And we got to sorta like fry it on our own? So it’s fun!

And hey! I’ve discovered a pretty fun way to prank your friends if you ever go to a buffet... Macha ice cream, wasabi. Nuff said *wink wink*

I would also like to thank my Patrons for your support on Patreon. Thank you very much. It means a lot to me. *deep bow* Thank you for supporting and staying with Jimmy and Reign of the Hunters!

Ye Ci was momentarily sunnted. Fleeting Time?

I actually ran into him in this place? What a rotten luck! thought Ye Ci to herself. She shifted her gaze to the direction of AppreciatingTheScenery corpse, and spotted a silhouette that was sprinting at her.

Ye Ci immediately headed for the opposite direction. Hell, if she allowed Fleeting Time the chance to close in, it would be a great bother. Judging from his trajectory, Ye Ci was not his only target. Fleeting Time was going after the rest of her party as well.

The death of AppretiatingTheScenery was a fatal blow to the party, which relied heavily on their Healer. Panic gripped the hearts of Ye Ci’s teammates when AppreciatingTheScenery was slain.

Ye Ci knew that her teammates were not veterans in PVP battles with their inexperience in dealing with sudden changes in a situation. Of course, Ye Ci’s opinion of the part was rather unjust. Who could keep their calm when their Healer was taken out by Fleeting Time in one go?

“Beauty’s Grave, Returning Winds, I want you two to rush at Fleeting Time. You can’t run around like that when you’re up against a Hunter! Don’t you have even the tiniest amount of common sense?” shouted Ye Ci at her panicking teammates as she had an archery duel with Fleeting Time.

“But he’s Fleeting Time...” it was apparent that Glistening Moonlight did not expect to run into the god-tier player of the Western Continent who was as strong as Gongzi You. Panic gripped her heart, and she was even beginning to give up, “How can we even hope to take him on...”

“So what if he’s Fleeting Time? He’s a Hunter, not a God! Why are you scaring yourself witless?” Ye Ci’s opinion of Glistening Moonlight dropped immediately upon hearing her words. If people are so afraid of challenge, why do they even bother coming to the arena? “Hurry! Get close to him!” shouted Ye Ci at Beauty’s Grave and Returning Winds.

“Understood.” Beauty’s Grave and Returning Winds were spurred into action by Ye Ci’s cold voice. They were able to quickly regain their composure and began rushing at Fleeting Time.

Fleeting Time was ignorant of Ye Ci’s presence until she made her first kill. He was excited to learn that Gongzi You was in the opposing team. His lethargy was immediately was away by a surge of vigor. In the short period of time Fleeting Time to rush to the basin, Ye Ci was able to take yet another two of his teammates. With Gongzi You nowhere in sight when he reached the basin, Fleeting Time launched his attack on one of her teammates.

Since I’ve received a greeting from Gongzi You, wouldn’t it be rude to not respond in kind? thought Fleeting Time. After all, he was a polite gentleman.

One of the main reason Ye Ci was able to take out her four opponents easily was because of Fleeting Time’s negligence. He was not paying attention to the battle as Ye Ci struck. When he attempted to eliminate the remainder of Ye Ci’s teammates, it was no longer a simple task.

He was finally able to slay the pesky Sorceress who was constantly harassing him with spells after dueling for nearly a minute with Gongzi You. The two melee players, however, were quite a headache to Fleeting Time. It was not hard to take on three opponents at once, but it was not an easy task to defeat Gongzi You within the time limit.

Fortunately for Fleeting Time, the Hunter class came with a higher Agility and Speed than the Warrior class, and had superior Balance against the Rogue. Shaking them off would not be too hard of a task for him.

Ye Ci locked on to Fleeting Time, hounding his every move. However, she was quick to realise that Fleeting Time was not suffering from level penalties in his duel against her. This meant that their levels were very close. Fleeting Time might even be at the same level as Ye Ci.

This did not come as a surprise to Ye Ci. After all, she was absent from the game for an entire month. If Fleeting Time was not able to catch up with her in terms of character level, he would never be able to live up to the title of “God among Hunters” given to him in her past life.

Ye Ci’s attacks were ferocious, but Fleeting Time held his own against her. He remained calm as Beauty’s Grave and Returning Winds began their approach. All of a sudden, Fleeting Time’s movement stopped apruptly, which was an opening for Ye Ci. However, before the opening could be exploited by Ye Ci, Fleeting Time propelled himself backwards with a sudden movement. None of Ye Ci’s attack connected with Fleeting Time as he soared backwards.

Backwards Leap!

Ye Ci was shocked, Fleeting Time was able to get that skill book!

Backwards Leap with a 25 seconds CD that was very useful in PVP combat. Casting the skill would stop a player’s character mid-movement, and cause the character to leap 20 yards to the back, ignoring all attacks during the process. This skill was a very potent gamechanger for a Hunter.

The ongoing battle between Ye Ci and Fleeting Time was a very suitable example. With the additional 20 yards, Fleeting Time was able to place himself well beyond Ye Ci’s attack range. Ye Ci would have to close the gap between them in order to reacquire her target. This meant that her tempo was disrupted by Fleeting Time, who would be able to seize the opportunity to take on the Warrior and Rogue that were closing in on him.

And that was exactly what he did.

After leaping backwards for 20 yards, Fleeting Time fired off his skills at the approaching Warrior. The Warrior fell lifelessly onto the ground before he could even get within range of Fleeting Time. By that time, Ye Ci had nearly caught up with Fleeting Time. Before she could get within firing distance, however, Fleeting Time summoned Little Five and directed its attacks against Ye Ci.

In the short moment it took for Ye Ci to summon Ol’ Four to battle it out against Little Five, Fleeting Time was able to avoid the Rogue’s attack, and was able to cripple the Rogue with strikes from his dagger and short sword. He then rushed at Ye Ci.

His movements were so fast that Beauty’s Grave and Returning Winds could not even react to his attacks. They did not even know how Fleeting Time was able to dodge their attacks, and eliminating them in the process.

Such was the difference between a top-tier player an elite player.

In Fate, a player could be considered as an elite if the player was able master the abilities of his or her character. A top-tier player, however, was one who had totally mastered the movements of his or her entire body in the game, dodging a blow and completing an attack with minimal movements.

When Beauty’s Grave and Returning Winds were slain by Fleeting Time, they were hit by a realization: The disparity between them an a top-tier player was like a bottomless pit.

Despite the failure of Beauty’s Grave and Returning Winds to keep up with Fleeting Time, Ye Ci faced no such problem. With the keen vision of an Elf and her mastery of the Hunter class, Ye Ci was able to keep track of Fleeting Time’s movement. She tell that Fleeting Time had mastered the art of feigning his movements as well as stutter stepping that could only be mastered by top-tier players.

Even though Ye Ci had always viewed Fleeting Time as her archenemy, she was have no choice but to admit that he was indeed deserving of the title “God among Hunters”. His growth as a player was way beyond her expectation. In her previous battles against Fleeting Time, he was still not able to completely master such moves. However, he was able to pull them off flawlessly in this battle.

It seems that one month of head start could mean a world of difference.

With all the distractions eliminated from the battle, they could finally face each other in a serious battle.

Ol’ Four and Little Five has been acquainted to each other in multiple occasions. When they finally met again, it was as if they have ran into their nemesis. The two beats immediately engaged each other in combat without orders from Fleeting Time and Ye Ci.

Fleeting Time was not the only one who has grown stronger. After its numerous battles against Ol’ Four, Little Five learnt some new tricks as well. Utilizing its ability to fly, Little Five circled Ol’ Four and employed hit and run tactics, hitting the beast from all directions.

Ol’ Four was no pushover as well. It feigned frustration at Little Five’s harassment, but was able to dodge all of its attack. When Little Five once again dove at Ol’ Four, the beast bit down hard on the annoying little creature.

Unlike the heated battle between Ol’ Four and Little Five...

Fleeting Time and Ye Ci were stood silently at each other’s maximum range, with both of them staring intently at one another. Despite their calm appearance, every single fibre of their body was itching for a fight.

A duel between top-tier players was not as flashy as one might imagine. The victor will usually be decided within one or two moves.

Fleeting Time’s equipment shimmered in a spectacle of faint gold pattern. It was obvious that he was equipped with a high tear PVP gear. His equipment, along with the golden color scheme of Ye Ci’s equipment was a sight to behold in the basin.

A strong gust of wind carried a leaf between the two combatants.

As if on cue, they sprang into action just as the leaf floated past, firing arrows as they drew closer to one another.

They’re too fast.

With his character crippled by Fleeting Time, Returning Winds could only observe the battle between the two top-tier Hunters with eyes wide open. He did not even dare to blink, out of fear that he might miss part of the action. However, the action was still too fast for him. Their movements, their combination of abilities and their attacks were swift and deadly.

Returning Winds had always thought of himself as an expert in PVP and PVE battles. Even if was far from being a top-tier player, he could still be considered as an expert. This was why he was not among the players who idolized godlike players such as Gongzi You and Fleeting Time. He was even sure that his capabilities were almost on par with the so-called “top-tier players”, lacking only in experience. As long as he was willing to push himself harder, he would be able to reach the status of a top-tier player.

However, the battle between Fleeting Time and Gongzi You opened his eyes. He finally realized that he had always been wrong.

A thought emerged in Returning Winds’ mind: hard work might not be the key to be a top-tier player.

Observing a fight between top-tier players in person was an entirely experience from watching a video recording of the fight. The fight happening right before his eyes was able to fill Returning Winds with excitement. Even when he was a Rogue, even when he was playing as a melee character, Returning Winds could tell that there was much to learn from the duel between Fleeting Time and Gongzi You.

An attack that he was sure would connect missed its mark. A maneuver that he expected one of the combatants would make would always turn out to be a feint.

The two combatants were able to read and predict each other move with almost mechanical precision. A mere five minutes might not be enough to decide the victor.

At that moment, winning the match was no longer important to Returning Winds. His lesson from the two top-tier players was his biggest gain.

The wind raged on, along with the battle.

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