Reign of the Hunters Chapter 221 Top Player

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

She was imdiately transported to the grand hall in the Golan Arena. There was a huge billboard in the hall, displaying parties that were looking for more mbers, and mbers 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 mbers were taking part in 3v3 and 5v5 battles. The rosters of these parties would constantly change as players co 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 mbers from the sa guild. Recruitnt ssages 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 ti 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 ti limit, and be awarded with 300 Battle Points. If both combatants possess the sa skill level, could only try their best to deal damage to their opponents before ti 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 ga. It would allow players to acquire PVP equipnt 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 ga. They knew that the Battle Points they’ve acquired from the Golan Arena could be exchanged for PVP equipnt. But... What are these equipnt 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 ga.

Ye Ci was able to gain exceptional PVP skills in her past life by imrsing 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 ti. 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 mbers 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 na 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 ard with Tier 8 equipnt 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 ga 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 ga sense, and can work with the team. Don’t co 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 ga 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 nas displayed on the billboard. As a player who had only took part in 1v1 battles, she was inexperienced when it ca to searching for the right team. After long monts of hesitation, Ye Ci noticed a team that was looking for a lvl40 player with Tier 8 equipnt and good chanical skills. The high requirents set by the group naturally ant that their mbers were rather capable players as well. It would be easier for Ye Ci to work with the party.

She imdiately joined the party.

The team, which was nad 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 lee 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 imdiately abandoning a party that she joined. She was even able to bare with free-win team, not to ntion her current decent-looking team.

But... A player like Gongzi You would always cause a small commotion with their appearance. Ye Ci was t with surprised gasps when she joined the party, “There must be sothing 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 ga...”

“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 mbers also begun introducing themselves to Ye Ci, “I’m Beauty’s Grave, a Warrior.”

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

“The na’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 sa Gongzi You who was called out by Custor Service No.094 at the Dragon Dance Competition? The Gongzi You who had a battle with Fleeting Ti, 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 co 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 excitent, “So are you really that Gongzi You?”

The corners of Ye Ci’s mouth twitched again. “Duplicated nas are not allowed in the ga.” 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 an 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 sothing 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 t 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 Ti 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 mont, 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 so 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 Ti.”

“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 imdiately nodded and forced out a laugh, “Alright, let’s cut the nonsense. I’m initiating the battle.”

With that, AppreciatingTheScenery imdiately started the countdown, and the rest of the party imdiately 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 imdiately 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 ga 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 ca 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 co 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 mbers 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 mbers could react, two lines of golden words appeared once agian in their vision. You’ve gotta be kidding ! That’s just too fast! They imdiately jumped into the basin after Ye Ci.

Just at that mont, 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 Ti.

Hiya minna-san! Here’s yet another aweso chapter of the awesosauce novel translated by an awesomtacular translator (that is , 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 . Aside from the assignnts and midterms of course ahaha... Life is still fun. Got to hang out with friends and stuff... We even got to enjoy so 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 ans a lot to . *deep bow* Thank you for supporting and staying with Jimmy and Reign of the Hunters!

Ye Ci was montarily sunnted. Fleeting Ti?

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 imdiately headed for the opposite direction. Hell, if she allowed Fleeting Ti the chance to close in, it would be a great bother. Judging from his trajectory, Ye Ci was not his only target. Fleeting Ti 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 Ti in one go?

“Beauty’s Grave, Returning Winds, I want you two to rush at Fleeting Ti. 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 Ti.

“But he’s Fleeting Ti...” 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 Ti? He’s a Hunter, not a God! Why are you scaring yourself witless?” Ye Ci’s opinion of Glistening Moonlight dropped imdiately 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 Ti.

Fleeting Ti 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 imdiately was away by a surge of vigor. In the short period of ti Fleeting Ti 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 Ti 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 Ti. 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 Ti’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 lee players, however, were quite a headache to Fleeting Ti. It was not hard to take on three opponents at once, but it was not an easy task to defeat Gongzi You within the ti limit.

Fortunately for Fleeting Ti, the Hunter class ca 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 Ti, hounding his every move. However, she was quick to realise that Fleeting Ti was not suffering from level penalties in his duel against her. This ant that their levels were very close. Fleeting Ti might even be at the sa level as Ye Ci.

This did not co as a surprise to Ye Ci. After all, she was absent from the ga for an entire month. If Fleeting Ti 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 Ti held his own against her. He remained calm as Beauty’s Grave and Returning Winds began their approach. All of a sudden, Fleeting Ti’s movent stopped apruptly, which was an opening for Ye Ci. However, before the opening could be exploited by Ye Ci, Fleeting Ti propelled himself backwards with a sudden movent. None of Ye Ci’s attack connected with Fleeting Ti as he soared backwards.

Backwards Leap!

Ye Ci was shocked, Fleeting Ti 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-movent, and cause the character to leap 20 yards to the back, ignoring all attacks during the process. This skill was a very potent gachanger for a Hunter.

The ongoing battle between Ye Ci and Fleeting Ti was a very suitable example. With the additional 20 yards, Fleeting Ti 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 ant that her tempo was disrupted by Fleeting Ti, 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 Ti fired off his skills at the approaching Warrior. The Warrior fell lifelessly onto the ground before he could even get within range of Fleeting Ti. By that ti, Ye Ci had nearly caught up with Fleeting Ti. Before she could get within firing distance, however, Fleeting Ti summoned Little Five and directed its attacks against Ye Ci.

In the short mont it took for Ye Ci to summon Ol’ Four to battle it out against Little Five, Fleeting Ti 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 movents were so fast that Beauty’s Grave and Returning Winds could not even react to his attacks. They did not even know how Fleeting Ti 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 movents of his or her entire body in the ga, dodging a blow and completing an attack with minimal movents.

When Beauty’s Grave and Returning Winds were slain by Fleeting Ti, 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 Ti, 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 Ti’s movent. She tell that Fleeting Ti had mastered the art of feigning his movents as well as stutter stepping that could only be mastered by top-tier players.

Even though Ye Ci had always viewed Fleeting Ti 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 Ti, 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 an 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 t again, it was as if they have ran into their nesis. The two beats imdiately engaged each other in combat without orders from Fleeting Ti and Ye Ci.

Fleeting Ti was not the only one who has grown stronger. After its nurous battles against Ol’ Four, Little Five learnt so 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 harassnt, 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 Ti 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 Ti’s equipnt shimred in a spectacle of faint gold pattern. It was obvious that he was equipped with a high tear PVP gear. His equipnt, along with the golden color sche of Ye Ci’s equipnt 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 Ti, 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 movents, 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 Ti. 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 Ti and Gongzi You opened his eyes. He finally realized that he had always been wrong.

A thought erged 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 excitent. Even when he was a Rogue, even when he was playing as a lee character, Returning Winds could tell that there was much to learn from the duel between Fleeting Ti 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 chanical precision. A re five minutes might not be enough to decide the victor.

At that mont, 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.