Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 222 What a Shitty Decision

Engaging an opponent like Fleeting Time in combat was very taxing to one’s physical and mental strength. After two short minutes of fighting, both of the combatants were exhausted. Fleeting Time was panting slightly, while Ye Ci, with a slight disadvantage due to her female character, could even feel fatigue on her limbs.

Despite that, Ye Ci refused to give up.

They were within 8 yards of each other. In such a range, a Hunter’s bow or crossbow would be rendered useless, and melee weapon would be the Hunter’s only option to engage the enemy. Ye Ci tried her best to keep Fleeting Time 8 yards away. Without the skill ‘Backwards Leap’ employed by Fleeting Time earlier on, Ye Ci could only maneuver under her own power.

However, Fleeting Time began closing in on her.

In Fate, a character that was moving forward would always have a faster speed than a character that was going in reverse. No matter how hard Ye Ci tried to shake Fleeting Time off, he was able to follow her movements. “What are you doing?” Ye Ci creased her eyebrows.

A smile appeared on Fleeting Time’s lips. Truth to be told, Gongzi You was not a very pretty girl. One might even say that her expression was stiff most of the time. However, she could be very intimidating when she was angry. For reasons unknown, Fleeting Time enjoyed looking at that expression.

“Aiya, shooting arrows at each other could be quite boring sometimes. Why don’t we fight at melee range?” Fleeting Time offered Ye Ci a suggestion.

He knew that his proposal would anger Gongzi You. After all, she was not a person who would do something as senseless as that.

As expected, Gongzi You erupted into a fit of anger, “Fleeting Time, are you crazy? Why would you engage me in a melee combat when you know that our class excels at range combat?”

“Well, isn’t this more fun?” Fleeting Time ignored the anger he was already expecting from Ye Ci, and drew his short sword, stabbing it at Ye Ci.

Ye Ci dodged the attack reflexively, and drew her own sword to parry yet another blow from Fleeting Time.

The weapons met in midair with a loud “clang!”. Fleeting Time did not hold back against Ye Ci, who was also putting her entire strength into the swing of her weapon. Ye Ci’s hand went numb with the force of the impact.

In Fate, the stats of the character in Fate would automatically be distributed according to the character’s class when players leveled up. In other words, when players from the same class with the same level would have similar base stats. The differences in their combat strength would be determined by their equipment and mechanical skills.

There was not much of a gap between the combat capabilities of Ye Ci and Fleeting Time. They share the same class and level. The difference in their equipment was not significant as well due to their character’s level. The only differences laid in their gender, and the stats of their weapons and jewelleries.

A female character suffered from an inferior strength, but a male character would have more trouble in sustaining a prolonged battle. Both of the characters did not have an absolute advantage over one another.

Both of the combatants shoved with all their might, but neither of them was able to push each other back. Ye Ci narrowed her eyes. She would never allow the pace of the battle to slow down. She cast “Leg Trip” at Fleeting Time in an attempt to throw his balance off.

However, Fleeting Time was able to avoid Ye Ci’s move. In his attempt to avoid Ye Ci’s Leg Trip, Fleeting Time’s grip on his sword faltered slightly, and Ye Ci seized the opportunity to force his sword away. She them stabbed at Fleeting Time, aiming at his vitals.

Fleeting Time made a slight miscalculation in his attempt to dodge the blow, and Ye Ci’s sword stabbed into a spot near his heart.

It was a near miss.

This near miss was enough to shake Fleeting Time. He had poured a lot of effort into mastering the art of feigning his moves. He was confident that no one would be able to see through his feint, which gave him the confidence of using it on Gongzi You. However, she was able to see through his maneuver, and dealt an effective blow.

If he was not careful, Gongzi You would have hit his heart. Even if the blow might not be enough to kill him, it would definitely take away a huge chunk of his hitpoints.

Did Gongzi You see through my move? Or was it sheer luck?

With the question nudging at Fleeting Time’s mind, he decided to test Ye Ci out one more time.

He swung his short sword at Ye Ci. Despite its simplicity, Fleeting Time’s attack was deadly. Even a single swing contains countless dangers.

A short sword different from a blade, nor was it similar to a double-handed sword or a longsword. Despite its setting as a Western Fantasy game, there was a huge number of developers from the east, filling the game with characteristics from the eastern culture. Although swordplay might not be considered as an important factor in Western Fantasy games, it was something that was very important in Chinese culture.

Due to their size, blades and two-handed swords could deal devastating damage when they were swung at targets. As double edged weapons, swords tend to be more agile than blades. Their sharp point meant that they could be stabbed at an opponent as well.

Such cases are especially true when it came to short swords.

There was no distinct difference between short swords and daggers in traditional Chinese martial arts. One could even say that in the age of traditional weaponry, daggers and short swords referred to the same thing.

However, for the benefit of the players, the developers of Fate made a clear distinction between daggers and short swords.

But there one similarity between the two weapons was certain. Both daggers and short swords were used mainly for stabbing. Of course, they swinging and slashing were still viable options for such weapons, the users of the weapons could deal the most damage by stabbing their opponents.

Of course, the wielder of a weapon is free to use it however he or she pleases.

In a battle between experts, however, reckless attacks would spell death for a combatant. In the eyes of an expert, every move could be the turning point of a duel.

Fleeting Time’s attack was a feint. Despite the swinging motion of his weapon, he could quickly follow up with a stab should his opponent fell for the trick. As long as an opponent attempted to dodge the same way he or she would evade a slash, Fleeting Time’s attack would hit its mark.

His attack, although swift and deadly, was meant as a test for Ye Ci. He wanted to know if Ye Ci was indeed capable of dodging his blow, and how good she really was.

He attacked with the full intention of testing Ye Ci out.

Ye Ci, however, was entirely serious. She saw Fleeting Time’s action as a potentially fatal attack. Will she yield? No! No no no no! Ye Ci would never do such a thing!

She was a person who would always repay the misdeeds of her enemies, giving them a taste of their own medicine. With the slightest of movements, she was able to dodge the attack from Fleeting Time, and the sword slid harmlessly across her armor.

The lvl60 Hunter equipment set was made up of sturdy metal instead of leather. Despite its lack of defensive capabilities compared to a Warrior’s armor, it was still way more durable than armor made up of leather. As a player who emphasize on dishing out the highest amount of damage, Fleeting Time was armed with the best weapon. He would not allow himself to carry an inferior weapon at any time. Of course, the same could be said for Ye Ci.

Sparks flew in all directions when Fleeting Time’s short sword brushed against Ye Ci’s chest with a loud screech.

Micro dodge.

Fleeting Time’s eyes widened at the realization.

He had never expected Gongzi You to know such a move, he did not expect her to be able to dodge his attack, and he certainly did not expect that Gongzi You would be dodging his attack with a micro dodge. He paid close attention to every detail of Gongzi You’s movement. He did not even blink out of fear that he might miss even the slightest detail that might help him in analyzing Ye Ci’s moves.

She was swift and agile in her movements. It was apparent that it was not a skill that she had just recently acquired. Fleeting Time was filled with glee. It was the happiness of being caught up by a rival. He studied the intense expression of Gongzi You’s face and thought to himself, just what else does she have hidden up her sleeves?

Fleeting Time’s thoughts wandered off for the fraction of a second.

And in a duel between experts, victory and defeat can be decided in the moment it took a person to blink.

After slashing his weapon at Ye Ci and missing his mark, Fleeting Time immediately followed up with a stab to Ye Ci’s face. Even though there was no risk of disfigurement in the game, a blow to the head would still be fatal to Ye Ci. She leaned backwards, dodging the incoming attack while kicking out with her legs.

Fleeting Time felt a sharp pain on his chest as he fell backwards onto the ground. He instinctively grabbed at the culprit that caused his fall: Ye Ci’s ankle.

“Kyah!” Ye Ci did not expect such a move from Fleeting Time. With her body already leaning backwards, she immediately lost her balance.

However, Ye Ci did not have the chance to even yell at Fleeting Time as she fell onto the ground along with Fleeting Time.

Fleeting Time laid on the ground, staring at the blue sky as he gasped for air. Despite his condition, his mood was extremely well. The smile on his lips could be said to be a manifestation of his extremely good mood.

Unlike Fleeting Time and Ye Ci who were engaged in intense combat, Returning Winds had been a bystander for the duration of the fight. With his character crippled, he could only seek medical attention from NPCs in the city after the battle in the arena.

Of course, he was not the only audience of the duel. His party members had already respawned by that time, and have made their way to Returning Winds.

“Where is he? Where’s Fleeting Time?” sand Glistening Moonlight as she studied her surroundings. She was to first to arrive, driven by her desire to spectate a battle between her idols. As a Sorceress, which was the character with the lowest speed in the game, she was able to arrive on the scene faster than a Warrior and a Cleric.

“Moonlight, aren’t you a lil’ too fast?” gasped AppreciatingTheScenery, who arrived with Beauty’s Grave later. He then cast a healing spell on Returning Winds, who was rapidly losing his HP, “What is it? Were you crippled?”

“Yep.” Returning Winds nodded at the direction of the basin where Ye Ci and Fleeting Time were locked in combat, “I could’ve sworn that my attack would land on Fleeting Time, but he was able to dodge it. And...” he shrugged, “Before I knew it, I’ve been crippled.”

“Gongzi You took out four of them right?” Beauty’s Grave was very mindful of the outcome of the battle. He was relieved that Returning Winds was not killed by Fleeting Time.

“Yup.” Returning Winds was still staring at the ongoing battle, “If Fleeting Time is not able to kill Gongzi You, we’ll win this match.”

With the assurance from Returning Winds, Beauty’s Graves and AppreciatingTheScenery could finally calm down and pay close attention to the combatants.

“Wow, they’re fast!” observed AppretiatingTheScenery. As a Cleric who was used to highly paced battles, he was still shocked by the swiftness of Fleeting Time and Gongzi You.

“Spectating their battle live is way better than watching a video recording of the thing.” sighed Beauty’s Grave. Even when he was not a Hunter, the battle between the two top players was still a very captivating. “Is it common for Hunters to maneuver and jump around like that? How are they even running on the wall of the basin? Isn’t Fate a game that is 100% realistic? Won’t that be a BUG?”

As the saying goes, “different trades, world apart.”

Returning Clouds rolled his eyes at the question of Beauty’s Grave. He was a Rogue, who share certain similarities with classes like the Hunter and Ranger. This provided him with some insight of the Hunter class. “Every Hunter could pull that off. Of course, what Gongzi You and Fleeting Time are doing requires practice. As for their ability to literally run up walls...” said Returning Clouds with a sigh, “It’s because of their Balance. Hunters have higher Balance stats than all of the classes in the game. With a high Balance and sufficient amount of training, one could eventually pull that off, but...”

“But what?” asked Beauty’s Grave, who was immersed in Returning Winds’ explanation, annoyed by the sudden pause.

“But you need a high movement speed for that to build up a momentum. You’ll need a high Balance and some basic knowledge on how inertia works as well.” said Returning Winds as he shifted his gaze towards Beauty’s Grave. The words that followed were like a bucket of cold water that was splashed onto the burning spirits of Beauty’s Grave, “As a Warrior, your Agility is too low for that. Hell, even a Rogue like me with high Agility is not able to pull that off. So just give up, don’t even think about it.”

“What a bummer. I thought I might be able to do that.” Beauty’s Grave was filled with disappointment.

“Eh? Why are they engaging each other in melee? I thought Hunters are supposed to be weak at melee range?” Glistening Moon’s curiosity was piqued. Of course, she was quick to lose interest in that question. For a person like her, a good gossip is always the most important. A sudden realization flashed across her mind, and her eyes immediately lit up. “Why do I smell a scandal going on?” asked Glistening Moon with excitement written all over her face.

The three male players of the party were dumbfounded by Glistening Moonlight’s remark. As one, they decided to ignore her words and continued watching the battle.

Even without the attention from her party members, Glistening Moonlight was still able to gossipping. She began taking screenshots of the battle, and even started to record the entire scene.

Glistening Moonlight let out a loud scream when Fleeting Time fell onto the ground with Ye Ci. Her face was blushing with a deep shade of red as she gasp for air. Some might even have the impression that she have done some indecent things.

“It’s so exciting! It’s just so exciting! Fleeting Time! Why don’t you just push Gongzi You down? Ahhhh!!! Gongzi You, you can be a little more forceful as well!” Glistening Moonlight was ecstatic. The two combatants were oblivious to her words due to the distance.

Unlike their audience who were enjoying the show, Ye Ci and Fleeting Time were exhausted as they lay gasping for air on the ground.

Despite lasting for mere minutes, the two felt as if the battle has been going on for years.

“There’s 40 seconds left, do you want to continue our fight?” Fleeting Time smiled at Ye Ci after stealing a glance at the timer.

“Like I said, I’m going to kill you.” said Ye Ci in a hoarse voice, her throat was burning with thirst.

“Yup, yup.” Fleeting Time nodded as he smiled coyly at Ye Ci, “I’ve even remember something you said a long time ago, ‘You bastard, I’m going to kill you until your level hits 0!’. Is today the day?”

The corners of Ye Ci’s mouth twitched as she noticed the smile on Fleeting Time’s face. The urge to stomp down hard on his face boiled within her. For reasons unknown, running into Fleeting Time would always have an effect on her. It was as if she had lost all her abilities to speak. The man seemed to have a talent of driving someone to die of anger. He was even making fun of her with her own words, and it was driving Ye Ci mad.

Fleeting Time shrugged after he was met with silence from Ye Ci, “Alright, even if it’s a pleasure to have you kill me, we don’t seem to have enough time.” said Fleeting Time as he eyed the match timer. There were only a few seconds left. He then said with a smile, “Why don’t we head into a 1v1 room? We fight all we want.”

We can fight all we want. The proposal was undoubtedly very tempting to Ye Ci. However, after a moment of thought, Ye Ci concluded that the odds were against her in a fight against Fleeting Time. She was not in her top condition, and was even feeling very tired.

“Are you giving me your silent consent? Or are you ignoring me?” Fleeting Time continued to stare at Ye Ci with a smile on his face. His mood was very good. It did not matter if Ye Ci declined his proposal. He enjoyed staring at her angry face.

Ye Ci glared at Fleeting Time, “Hey, do you know that you’re very annoying?”

“I know. Aren’t you telling me that right now?” Fleeting Time nodded, giving Ye Ci his full cooperation.

“You...” Ye Ci was annoyed by Fleeting Time’s response. She glared at him, and then at Fleeting Time’s hand that was still holding on to her ankle, and her temper soared. She kicked away Fleeting Time’s hand and stood up.

Just then, the system announced the end of the better, and Ye Ci’s party was declared the victors. Before she could leave the party, Fleeting Time called out to her, “Little Gongzi!”

What the hell?

Little Gongzi?

Even the corners of Ye Ci’s eyes began to twitch as she heard the nickname given to her. She glared at Fleeting Time and shouted out loud, “I’m Gongzi You! Not Little Gongzi!”

“I know, I know. But Little Gongzi, we’ve known each other for quite some times now. Don’t you think that we should not fight each other every time we meet?” Fleeting Time stood up and dusted his clothes. He was not affected at all by Ye Ci’s apparent anger.

“I can’t think of anything else to do to a player from an opposing continent. Do you expect me to drink some wine with you?” Ye Ci sneered codly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. She was bemused by the seemingly stupid suggestion by Fleeting Time.

Fleeting Time, however, appeared to be considering the option seriously. He then nodded and walked up to Ye Ci with a smile on his face, “Aiya, this is a splendid suggestion!”

“What?” Ye Ci raised her eyebrows, since when have I made such a suggestion?

“Alright, it’s decided then.” said Fleeting Time with a snap of his fingers. The smile was still on his face as he leaned closer to Ye Ci. He was so close that she could feel her warm breath on her face, “Let’s have another duel the next time we meet. If I win, I’ll buy you a drink.”

What a shitty decision! thought Ye Ci to herself. However, there was another issue that was more important at that moment, “What do you mean by ‘if you win’? Let me tell you something, Fleeting Time! You’re going to die by my hands!”

Fleeting Time nodded and let out a sigh. He patted Ye Ci on her head, earning him a smack from ye Ci’s sword. He immediately retracted his hand, “Well, if you insist, you can try your best to defeat me the next time we meet. And after that... Well, perhaps we can have a drink.”

“I’m definitely going to beat you.” Ye Ci was infuriated by Fleeting Time’s indifferent attitude. Can he not be such an asshole?

“Fine, fine. You’re going to beat me.” Fleeting Time narrowed his eyes and said with a charming smile on his face, “Alright then. Little Gongzi, let’s have a drink together sometime.” said Fleeting Time as he turned around and left with a wave of his hand.

Ye Ci stared at the waving had of Fleeting Time for a brief moment before she was hit by a sudden realization. She seemed to have overlooked something important.

What did that bastard say again? Have a drink with him? My ass!

Ye Ci could feel blood flooding his face. She could still feel the lingering warmth of Fleeting Time’s breath on her face, and her ears was still filled with his cheerful voice. Ye Ci stared at the silhouette of Fleeting Time as she trembled with anger, “Fleeting Time! You bastard!” shouted Ye Ci after a long moment.

“Until next time, Little Gongzi!” Fleeting Time was in a very good mood. He paid no heed to Gongzi You’s insult as he waved goodbye to her.

It was time for them to be transported out of the arena.

A bright flash of white light erupted in Ye Ci’s vision as soon as Fleeting Time finished his sentence, and she was transported back to the main hall. She stood motionlessly for a long moment. There was a heavy weight crushing down on her chest. She was irritated. She was very irritated.

Since when do I, Ye Ci, have to bear with something like this?

If anybody else attempted to pull such a stunt on Ye Ci, she would definitely tear him into shreds. However, Fleeting Time was the person who was causing no end of trouble for her, and she was not capable to doing such a thing to him. Is there something more despicable than that?

Of course, Gongzi You’s did not appear in the arena’s main hall for a beauty contest. She was there for a fight. After admiring Gongzi You’s presence for some moments, many of the players began to realize a very important fact: Won’t we be invincible if we team up with Gongzi You?

Thus, Ye Ci was beset on all side by players who sought to invite her into their parties, “Gongzi You, do you want to join my party? We need a DPS player.”

“Gongzi You, join us, our members are quite skillful. If you’re with us, we’ll definitely break the highest record of consecutive wins!”

“Join our party, Gongzi You! We’ve won 23 matches in a row!”

......

The commotion caused by the players was like oil that was being poured onto the raging flames of anger in Ye Ci’s heart. “I’m sorry, but I’m done for today.”

With that, Ye Ci left the main hall of the arena.

The players immediately broke out into a heated conversation.

“Wow! Did you guys noticed Gongzi You’s expression? Did she lost her last match badly?”

“I don’t think so. There’s no way a party that she’s in will lose.”

“Who knows. It might not because of the result of the match. What if she had a fall out with someone in the party?”

“Why don’t we just ask in the World Channel? There’s no point making wild guesses anyways.”

......

The players’ actions were swift and decisive. Turmoil immediately erupted in the World Channel just a few moments after Ye Ci left the main hall.

“I saw Gongzi You leaving the arena with a very sour expression. Did she lose her match or something?”

“Where’s Gongzi You now?”

“In Red Lake City. A lot of us saw her...”

“What do you mean Gongzi You lost? She was in our party just now! We won alright!”

“Wahh! The implicated party is talking! Come on, tell us the truth, did Gongzi You get into an argument with someone?”

“Nope, stop spreading lies. Gongzi You is a very good person.”

......

The discussion immediately flooded the already bustling World Channel with messages.

“Why would she be mad? She took us out before we even know what’s happening! What are you sorry lots from the Eastern Continent crying for?” a message full of anger from a Western Continent appeared in the midst of the heated discussion.

“Oh, there’s more news!”

With people asking questions and their questions getting answered, players from all four continents began to pay attention to the discussion. Many of the players who loved gossipping immediately dove into the discussion. After all, nobody would want to miss out on such a good opportunity on gossipping.

The Western Continent player immediately pointed out that Fleeting Time was in his party. This immediately became the center of attention of the gossipping players. Even with the relationship between Fleeting Time and Gongzi You unknown to 99.99% of the players, they have all seen the conversation between Fleeting Time and Gongzi You in the World Channel during the Western Continent’s invasion of the Eastern Continent.

People immediately began making the connection between the fight in the arena and Gongzi You’s darkened expression as she left the main hall. Different theories and scandals began surfacing among the players.

As the saying goes, “the world is an interesting place with you around”.

On this particular day in Fate, the world was made interesting because of the players’ visualization of the interaction between Gongzi You and Fleeting TIme.

Fleeting Time, however, chose to remain silent in the World Channel, and Ye Ci was absent from the channel as well. The reason was simple: They were not even paying attention to the World Channel.

Of course, it did not mean that people around them were not paying attention to the World Channel.

Absalom immediately walked up to Fleeting Time who had just walked into their guild encampment with a cheerful expression, “I see that you’re in a fine mood today.”

“Yes, indeed.” replied Fleeting Time with a chuckle.

“I saw the thing going on in the World Channel.”

“The World Channel?” Fleeting Time was puzzled, “What’s with the World Channel?”

“You went to the arena just now?”

“Yup.”

“You lost?”

“That’s right.”

“And you ran into Gongzi You?”

“Eh? How do you even know about that?” Fleeting Time stared at Absalom incredulously. The man was beginning to show his talent as a top-tier gosipper.

“How did I know? It’s all over the World Channel!” Absalom chuckled, “Based on your unhealthy hobby of treating Gongzi You in a particular way... You’ve been teasing her again?”

Fleeting Time narrowed his eyes at Absalom. He was annoyed. And his annoyance was growing with each second he stared at the man’s face.

“I was right, aren’t I?” asked Absalom with a mischievous smile. However, in the next moment, Fleeting Time took a swing at his nose, and he immediately saw stars in his vision.

“I am warning you, don’t you dare have any indecent thoughts about the woman that I have my fancy, or I’ll make a quick work of your face,” Fleeting Time pursed his lips, “Oh, by the way, I’m going to do it in real life the next time.”