Chapter 238 A Trustworthy Ally (Part 2)

“It’s nothing” sighed Fleeting Time as he took the ring from Ye Ci, “I’m just saying that this ring can help a player out a lot in fights. Was it able to help when you had it around”

Ye Ci immediately thought of her fight with Werebeast Shaman Buru. However, she was too embarrassed to admit that she was able to defeat the BOSS with the help of Fleeting Time’s ring. She shifted her gaze and replied with a rigid voice, “I leveled up pretty fast, so I did not run into a situation that requires me to fight an opponent that has a higher level than me.”

“Oh?” Fleeting Time’s eyes narrowed even further. He then nodded an said with a smile, “Yeah, Little Gongzi is the Queen of Solo in the Eastern Continent. I’m sure you have your own way of dealing with a high level opponent. I’ve even thought that my ring was able to help out in your fight against Werebeast Shaman Buru. Looks like I’ve thought too much.”

Ye Ci turned her back to Fleeting Time, and immediately diverted the topic, “Urmm.. It’s quite late now, don’t you think we should begin exploring the second level?” she was uneasy to hear Fleeting Time’s words. Why must he see through my lie?

Damn it, Fleeting Time! Can’t you just be slightly dumber? Or at least act the part? Is something like this really meaningful? Is it?

Fleeting Time smiled as he stared at Ye Ci’s back. He was unaware of the details of Ye Ci’s fight with Buru, and was merely making fun of her. However, Ye Ci’s reaction was proof that his guess was correct. Fleeting Time rubbed the bridge of his nose, Aiya… Why did I say something like that? Gongzi You is a shy person after all. It might not matter if it’s something else, but a right though…

He then stared at the ring he was holding in his hand. The name of the player who crafted the ring that was engraved on the ring was so unpleasant to look at. If only I’m the one who crafted this ring. thought Fleeting Time as he planted a gentle kiss on the ring and stored it into his inventory quickly before Ye Ci could turn around.

Unlike the first level, the second level of the Goblin Palace was full of monsters, with Undeads, Orcs, and groups of enslaved Goblin roaming the area. Despite the numbers of their enemies, the duo was able to easily clear away the monsters with the help of their pet. They encountered a Goblin slave operating the flame traps that were set up at the stairway, and slew it before it could react. When Ye Ci and Fleeting Time returned to the stairway that connected the first and second levels, the flame had already died down.

Ye Ci found an item with the name “Energy Core” on one of the enslaved Goblins when she looted the corpses of fallen monsters. The energy core shared a similar appearance to the ones handed to the duo by Nicky, but had a dimmer color. This meant that there was barely any energy left in the core. The only description on the energy core indicated that it was a limitea use item unique to Vo’sok, and could not be used in any other dungeons.

“What’s this?” Fleeting Time, who did not take part in looting the corpses, was curious when he saw the energy core, “An energy core?”

“Yup. The only thing written in its description is that it’s a limited usage item, and that we can’t take bring it out of the dungeon. Just how are we going to use this thing?” said Ye Ci as she studied the energy core, “Is this thing used by tanks as well?”

Fleeting Time took the energy core from Ye Ci, and examined the item, “I don’t think this thing is used by Goblink tanks. The energy cores that Nicky handed to us were larger in size and brighter in color. This thing right here has a dimmer color. I don’t think it can be used to power a tank.”

“Then what could it be?” Ye Ci began a search in the areas near the corpse of the enslaved Goblin, “I don’t see any sort of machines around here. Do you think this core can be exchanged for items?”

“Heh! That’ll be nice.” said Fleeting Time as he tossed the energy core at Ye Ci, “Why don’t we continue with our exploration and see what we find?”

The duo began exploring the rest of the second level. The Orcs and Undeads that they encountered during their exploration yielded no loot drops.

“There don’t seem to be any machines around.” Ye Ci searched through the second level inch by inch but to no avail.

“Relax, take your time. Since there’s a power core drop, there must be something that requires the core to work.” Fleeting Time calmness was a contrast to Ye Ci’s impatience. In truth, it was rare for Ye Ci to be so restless, but her heart was filled with unease since her conversation with Fleeting Time about the ring. She was even beginning to regret her action. Why did I do that? He looks like someone who has a lot of good equipment, so there’s really no need to return the ring to him. It’s a spoil of war that I’ve obtained by defeating him!

Ye Ci grew more and more restless when the thoughts repeated themselves in her mind. She could feel the flames of anger rising in her heart, igniting her emotion. The monsters encountered by the duo became the unfortunate victims of Ye Ci’s wrath when she vented her anger through combat.

Fleeting Time could only smile as he witnessed the fury unleashed upon the monsters by Ye Ci. There was no way he would be teasing Gongzi You at a time like this. Even though it was fun for him, he immediately decided against it when he saw her darkening expression.

Some things cannot be rushed. Before he could make any progress, he was content with being a good teammate for Gongzi You.

Just then, Fleeting Time spotted a light, and he immediately pulled Ye Ci back.

Ye Ci shot Fleeting Time an inquisitive look as he shove Ye Ci behind a pillar. “There might be an ambush ahead.” said Fleeting Time with a low voice.

A Goblin was sitting on a wooden crate 20 yards away from the duo. There was a bonfire in front of the goblin where a rabbit was being slowly roasted. Ye Ci could smell the fragrance of the roasted meat even from her position.

Ol’ Four and Little Five could smell the meat as well. They waited impatiently behind their owners, wishing that they could kill the Goblin and claim the rabbit meat. However, with Fleeting Time and Ye Ci holding the two beats back, they could only protest with their low grumbling.

Before Ye Ci could take a better look at the situation ahead, a pair of monsters were attracted by the grumbling of Ol’ Four and Little. The monsters, which were an Orcish archer and an Undead mage was significantly tougher than the monsters roaming in the second level. The ranged monsters that could deal both physical and magical damage were tough opponents to deal with.

Ye Ci and Fleeting Time did not have the attention to spare on the lone Goblin. They had to take care of the imminent threat posed by the pair of monsters. The duo rolled and ducked in an attempt to avoid incoming attacks while firing off arrows of their own, and was able to defeat their opponents after a protracted battle. However, before its death, the Undead mage was able to make its way to the Goblin that was sitting not far away. Despite Fleeting Time’s attempt to slay the monster, it was still able to attract the attention of the Goblin with a shrill cry.

“Oh no, we’ve been spotted.” Ye Ci’s heart sunk. She immediately directed Ol’ Four at the Goblin. She was able to remain calm. It’s just a Goblin. Fleeting Time and I can deal with it easily, especially with the help of our pets. Fleeting Time, who was following close behind Ye Ci, cast Detection on the lone Goblin. His heart sunk when he saw the name of the Goblin.

“Damn it! We have to kill this Goblin fast, or he’ll warn his allies!” shouted Fleeting Time as he fired his high damage abilities on the Goblin while directing Little Five to launch its attack.

Ye Ci immediately cast Detection on the Goblin as well when she heard the words of Fleeting Time.

Goblin Lookout

Level: 60

HP: 30,000

A Goblin Lookout was an ordinary monster, but it had a very unique ability, which was to send out an alarm that would attract the attention of a large horde of monsters. The Goblin Lookout was one of the most annoying enemies. Players would find themselves surrounded at all sides by monsters summoned by the Goblin Lookout. A party with a lack of teamwork would easily be wiped out by their superior numbers.

When it was alerted by the dying whail of the Undead, the Goblin Lookout immediately sprung into action. It jumped down from the wooden crate and ran up to a gigantic machine not far away. The Goblin then pressed on a red button on the machine. Just then, Ye Ci noticed a well-hidden bell beside the Goblin Lookout.

“F*ck!” Ye Ci gritted her teeth when the Goblin Lookout extended its hand towards the red button. She immediately launched a flurry of attacks on the Goblin. The Hunter class was able to deal high amounts of critical damage on their opponents, and the amount of damage that could be dished out by two top-tier Hunters was something that should not be underestimated. However, the Goblin Lookout was able to activate the alarm before its death despite the duo’s best efforts.

If the monsters are sentient beings, thought Ye Ci to herself, I could’ve sworn that I saw a smile on the Goblin Lookout’s face before it died. It’s as if the Goblin Lookout is telling me that “Even if I die, there’s still a million of us out there!”

A swarm of robots appeared when the shrill tone of the alarm reverberated in the second level of the Goblin Palace. Despite the thick smoke rising from their mechanical bodies, the robots movements remained agile as they attacked Ye Ci and Fleeting Time from two sides.

“Deploy some traps, don’t let them box us in.” said Fleeting Time as he dashed out to meet his opponents in combat. Ye Ci had also sprung into action before Fleeting Time could finish his sentence. As Hunters that excel in solo play, and were expert in handling sudden events, the duo was able to make their judgement in the shortest amount of time, and immediately took the course of action that would ensure their survival.

NPerhaps due to the similarities in their thought process, Ye Ci and Fleeting Time mirrored the movement of each other perfectly. If there was a bystander who was recording a video of the duo in action, he or she would discover that the duo’s trap placement and attack pattern was exactly the same. Even Ye Ci and Fleeting Time themselves would be shocked by the spectacle. They were like mirror images of one another, displaying similar movements and sharing the same thought process. They wasted no time in taking control of the tempo of the battle, and was able to pick the robots off one by one.

The entire process was so perfect and smooth that any bystanders would be stunned into silence.

Such was the difference between top players and the average players. A gameplay by normal players would not be able to bring awe to their audience. It might even appear boring to any onlookers as it was how everybody would play. The gameplay of a top player, however, was on an entirely different level. Their movements were so clean and their mechanical skills so perfect that one might even have the feeling that the players were playing the game with the aid of hacks. This would never fail to amaze the audience.

Despite the vast number of their enemies, the duo was already used to such dangerous situations. They did not even require any form of communication as they stood with their backs against one another, smiting down one enemy after another.

These two were enemies. One of them was from the Eastern Continent, while the other was from the Western Continents. As a top player, neither of them would expose their back to their enemy. This was a common knowledge of players in the game. On this day, however, the two players from opposing continents were depending on each other in the dungeon.They had only once choice: to trust in each other.

Trusting one’s back to one’s teammates was one of the first thing a player would learn in the game.

Fate is such a wonderful thing. thought Ye Ci as she engaged the robots in front of her in combat. She had never imagined that she would ever entrust her back to a player from an opposing faction, especially someone like Fleeting Time.

She could still remember what Tan Polang said to her in a night a long time ago.

Trust is not a talent. It’s a skill that you must acquire. So am I learning that skill right now, or am I being forced into it by fate? Ye Ci did not have the answer to the question. However, for reasons unknown, her heart was filled with calmness. This was a feeling that she had never had for a long time.

When was the last time I felt calm? Even Ye Ci herself could not remember.

Ahh… Fate always like playing tricks on people..

Ye Ci could not help but laugh at herself. The first person she had learned to trust was actually her rival. Is there something more ridiculous than this?

With slightly lesser monsters on his side, Fleeting Time was able to defeat his opponents faster than Ye Ci. He immediately turned around to aid Ye Ci in taking down her opponents. Fleeting Time took up a position beside Ye Ci, nocked an arrow, took aim at a target, and let the arrow loose. His movements were so smooth and practiced, and even Ye Ci who was standing beside him could hear the low humming of his bowstring as he fired his arrow at the enemies.

Silence finally fell upon the second level of the Goblin Palace when the final enemy was dispatched with a Black Feather Arrow. Fleeting Time slung his bow, and smiled at Ye Ci, “Little Gongzi, go collect the loots.”

Ye Ci’s mood improved when she saw the the beaming smile on Fleeting Time’s face. Despite their past conflicts, the man standing in front of her at that moment was a trustworthy ally.

At that very moment, Ye Ci was grateful that Absalom decided to assign Fleeting Time as her escort.

It’s actually a good thing.

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