Reign of the Hunters

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Chapter 243 De’frei Spotted (Part 1)

“Say, isn’t this supposed to be a job for Fleeting Time? Why did you not call him over?” complained Silent Hymn as he sat beside Absalom a took a sip of water. He had just receive yet more troublesome quests from the Black Iron Dwarves.

“Who will be keeping an eye on Gongzi You then?” yawned Absalom. He was already very tired, and was missing his soft bed dearly.

“She’s just one person! What can she do?” Silent Hymn was sceptical to the explanation offered by Absalom, “It must be Fleeting Time isn’t it?”

“Shh… Don’t say it out loud. I’ll feel sad. I’ve been like brothers with him for so many years, but I have not noticed that he’s a person who would place his lover over friendship. I’m starting to doubt my ability to judge characters.” chuckled Absalom.

Silent Hymn let out a laugh as well. He was not placing the blame on Fleeting Time, but the man was in dead more well-read than he was when it came to the books in the National Library. This meant that Silent Hymn’s progress was significantly slower. If Fleeting Time was the one who was in charge of completing the quest, he might even be able to complete it in a single day. A yawn escaped Silent Hymn’s mouth as he leaned against a wooden crate. Before he could drift into sleep, a thought flashed across his mind, “By the way, White Fairytale seems to be trying to woo Fleeting Time, am I right?”

“What do you mean by ‘seems to be’? It’s already a widely known fact! The spirit of gossipping is weak within you.” Absalom rolled his eyes at Silent Hymn as a sign of disdain.

Silent Hymn paid no heed to Absalom, “I’ve never cared about baseless rumors like that,” and he continued after a slight pause, “So Fleeting Time had really taken a fancy to Gongzi You?”

“I guess so.” Absalom sniffed, “If he can seduce Gongzi You into joining the Western Continent, I’ll be rich!”

It was Silent Hymn’s turn to roll his eyes at Absalom, “Say, there’s something that just came into my mind.”

“What is it?”

“How do you think White Fairytale will react when she finds out about this?”

“Who knows?” Absalom was apparently not interested in the love life woman like White Fairytale, “I think you should talk to Sour Apple about this. I know nothing about this.”

“I’m not interested in White Fairytale’s love life, but I think that she can be quite extreme at time. She’s a person who is quite disconnected from reality. I understand that not everybody in this world is perfect, but I’m quite nervous about this.” Silent Hymn knew that Absalom had never thought about such an eventuality.

“Why is that?” Absalom finally caught on to the meaning behind Silent Hymn’s words, and the fatigue immediately left his body, “You mean to say that…”

“If memory serves, Sour Apple once said that White Fairytale has loved Fleeting Time for 13 years, but her love was never reciprocated by Fleeting Time. Her strong desires that went unquenched will definitely make her irrational. Once she finds out that Fleeting Time likes Gongzi You…”

Absalom furrowed his eyebrows, “You’re saying that…”

He received a nod from Silent Hymn, “And don’t forget that she’s a member of our main force. Even if she’s not an officer of her guild, I’m pretty sure that she knows a lot of our guild’s secret because of her close relationship with Sour Apple. It would be best if she’s able to accept it as it was. It’ll be the best outcome both for Fleeting Time and herself. But… What if she loses all sense of rationality? What if she decides to exact revenge on Fleeting Time?”

“Even when Genesis is the largest guild in the Western Continent, it does not mean that our position is firm. Besides, Golden Era is coming soon. It’ll be hard times for us if they decide to come to the Western Continent.” Silent Hymn had always been zealously cautious. According to the words of Fleeting Time, he was a pessimist who would always expect the worst outcome in things.

“You’re afraid that White Fairytale might betray us?”

“I don’t think she will under normal circumstances, but I’m not so sure now.” said Silent Hymn as he stared at the members of his party that was approaching from afar, “We can’t expect her to forget the things that had already happened, but we can still take precautions against her. All of us, especially Sour Apple, must maintain a tight lip around her.”

“I’ll find a way to transfer her away from our main force.” Absalom realised the gravity of the situation. He stood up and cross his arms in front of his chest, appearing to be deep in thought. It was not something that could be easily done especially when he must avoid arousing White Fairytale’s suspicions.

“By the way, I’ve been contacted by some corporations that are willing to invest in us, but I don’t think that they’re ideal choices for us. Do you want to wait for more offers? Or should we proceed with the ones we have?”

“Let’s just wait then. I have the feeling that things are going to change soon.” Absalom took in a deep breath, “If the Mithril ore vein is real, Genesis will be able make history!”

Absalom’s statement was something that even Silent Hymn could not doubt.

“Just keep moving forward. There are no more monsters ahead.” Ye Ci received a message from Fleeting Time the moment the logged into the game.

“How long do I have to walk?” Ye Ci could feel aching when she saw the countless reflections of herself.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Fleeting Time responded with a laugh.

While she was baffled by the response of Fleeting Time, Ye Ci was not worried. Gongzi You was prepared for any situation and could remain calm at all times. Anxiety will only place a person in the worst possible condition. After the experiences in her past life, there was nothing much that could unsettle Ye Ci.

After picking off the few remaining monsters in the house of mirrors, Ye Ci moved on forward. She arrived at the end of the corridor filled with mirrors, and saw a bright blinding light ahead.

She immediately sprinted forward, leaving the house of mirrors behind her. After taking yet another right turn, Ye Ci realised that she was heading towards the same direction that she was facing when she first walked through the large metal door.

Ye Ci was shocked by the scene in front of her.

She was standing in a long corridor decorated with lights. The floor was covered with Jacquard rug that retained its lavishness despite years of neglect. She saw a man sitting at the end of the corridor, accompanied by a dark red bat.

The sight sent warmth creeping into Ye Ci’s heart. It was the feeling of a person who saw light after a long journey taken in darkness. She was actually happy to see him.

It was a weird feeling that was unfamiliar to her.

It was a feeling that Ye Ci had never experienced before, but it was also a topic that she would not ponder. She would never waste her time on things that she had no answer to. She trusted her instincts, for it was said that the instinct of a person was even more accurate than the rational mind. This was an innate ability of the human race. This was why she could tell the presence of traps without much of a thought. It was her instincts.

At that very moment, Ye Ci’s instincts were urging her to walk up to the man.

She followed her instincts, and walked slowly towards Fleeting Time, closing the distance between them with each step.

She then stopped when she was almost within reach of Fleeting Time.

Fleeting Time looked up at Ye Ci with a brilliant smile. His smile was like a blossoming flower in the spring, charming and enticing.

Ye Ci let out a breath which turned into white fog. She extended her arm, and tapped on the transparent glass in front of her. It was a very thick glass.

“We can’t break through this thing.” Fleeting Time shrugged as he tapped on the icy cold glass as well, “I’ve even tried launching attacks on it.”

Ye Ci surveyed a surroundings and found a pair of majestic looking doors not far away, “I guess there’s a BOSS behind those doors.”

“Most likely.” Fleeting Time stretched his body, “I have not tried opening the door because I’m afraid that I might trigger the BOSS fight.” and he smiled at Ye Ci, “Let’s go Little Gongzi. Let’s go through those doors and see what’s waiting for us on the other side, shall we?”

Ye Ci returned Fleeting Time’s smile with a smile of her own, and headed to the doors.

A system notification rang out before the duo could push open the doors, “You arrived upon a set of gorgeous looking doors. The glorious past of the Goblin race was engraved deeply on the doors. You could feel danger lurking behind these doors. You stood still, and your mind is filled with hesitation. The machines under your control appear to have sensed the danger as well. Just what sort of monstrosity is able to instill fear even in soulless machines? Despite the danger, you’re driven forward by curiosity. Your strong sense of curiosity drove you to push the doors open. By the Gods! All the machines that were under your control broke down the moment the doors swung open! Pity filled your heart as you stared at your comrades that were turned into scrap metals…”

An unskippable system dialogue would always ring out whenever a major event was triggered in Vo’sok, and an attentive player could gain a lot of information from the narration.

“Could it be a very powerful Goblin? Or could it be a machine?” asked Fleeting Time.

“It’s probably an extremely powerful machine.” replied Ye Ci. The system dialogue provided no information about the BOSS ahead, but she trusted her instincts.

“Well, I think there’s a Goblin ahead.” Fleeting Time shared a different opinion, “Why don’t we make a bet?”

“You seem to enjoy taking bets. Are you a gambler?” Ye Ci cast a sideway glance at Fleeting Time with a smile on her face.

“Are you not one yourself?” Fleeting Time was not affected by Ye Ci’s words.

Ye Ci did not respond to Fleeting Time’s words, and instead raised her eyebrows, as if to refute his claim.

“You wouldn’t have come to the Western Continent if you’re not a gambler. You would’ve have continued to explore the Bloody Wilderness after running into me if you’re not a gambler. Hell, you wouldn’t even use the location of the Mithril ore vein as a bargaining chip with Absalom if you’re not a gambler…” Fleeting Time crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared square at Ye Ci, “And if you’re not a gambler, you certainly wouldn’t agree to exploring Vo’sok with me.”

Ye Ci’s eyebrows were raised even higher. Fleeting Time was not exactly wrong.

“Admit it, Little Gongzi, you’re a gambler like me.”

“You might be right.” Ye Ci was in a good mood, “Then what’s your stake?”

Fleeting Time spoke up after a brief moment of thought, “I’ve not thought about it yet.”

Ye Ci turned around without a word and pushed past the doors.

Fleeting Time stared at Ye Ci and followed after her as well after taking a deep breath.

The doors slammed shut immediately slammed shut behind the door, sealing them in an enclosed room. Ye Ci cast a glance at the doors, knowing that they would never open unless she could defeat the BOSS.

But just which of the things in front of her was the BOSS?

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