Reign of the Hunters Chapter 238 A Trustworthy Ally

“Why are there burn marks in this place?” Ye Ci lifted her head once again and stared at the scorched surface of the wall.

“There must be so sort of trap sowhere, but with how things are looking, it’s been here for for a long ti.”

“That doesn’t an that it’s not functioning.” said Ye Ci as she studied the stairways intently. Her gaze landed on so of the paintings at the stairways that appeared to be out of place, and appeared to be newer compared to the rest of the palace.

“The trap is hidden behind the paintings.” said the duo simultaneously, and they shared a smile.

“Well, since we’ve figured out where the trap is, how are we going to get past it?” asked Fleeting Ti. Although Hunters had the ability to lay traps, the did not have the skill to detect the triggering chanism of a trap and dismantle the trap. Rogues were usually the ones who were tasked in disarming traps.

The Rogue class had the highest Perception in the ga, which allowed them to receive hints from the system, and locate any triggering chanism in the vicinity. However, if a Rogue was not careful in his or her attempt to disarm a trap, the Rogue might risk triggering the trap and taking damage as a result. This was not a task that could be perford by the Hunter class.

Making their way past the traps without disarming them was not an easy task.

The stairway was at least 16 yards in length, and there were 6 paintings along the length of the walls. This ant that the duo had to move past 6 traps on their way to safety. Judging from the scorch marks on the wall, the hidden traps must have the ability to shoot flas.

Vo’sok was a lvl60 dungeon. There was no way Ye Ci and Fleeting Ti could evade the traps that were carefully placed in a stairway that was only five yards wive. As a Western Continent player, Fleeting Ti could easily respawn and return to the dungeon after his death. The sa thing, however, could not be said for Ye Ci. An Eastern Continent player like her would have trouble if she was killed.

After a brief mont of thought, Ye Ci produced so Cat Claws from her inventory and handed one of them to Fleeting Ti, “We can try using this.”

Fleeting Ti took the Cat Claw from Ye Ci and began studying it with apparent interest, “Is this a product of an Engineer in the Eastern Continent?”

“Yup.” Ye Ci estimated the distance between her and the railing at the end of the stairway and then looked at her Cat Claw. She then took aim and threw the Cat Claw at the railing.

The hook of the Cat Claw flew straight and true, clinging onto the railing as it landed. Just then, six massive jets of flas erupted from behind the paintings, burning them to crisp. If Ye Ci and Fleeting Ti were hit by the flas, neither of them would be able to survive.

Ye Ci tugged at the end of the Cat Claw. She could feel the heat from the flas even when she was beyond the range of the traps. Before she could shield her face from the wave of heat, a figure stepped out in front of her.

“Stand back, I’ll go first.” said Fleeting Ti as he stood with his back to Ye Ci and began swinging the Cat Claw.

“I’ll go first. You’ve not used the Cat Claw before...” said Ye Ci as she stared at Fleeting Ti’s back. He does not have the experience of using the Cat Claw! This is suicide!

Fleeting Ti glanced at Ye Ci, and nudged her aside. Before she could protest, he flung his Cat Claw at the railing. He then took two steps back, and stared at the flas.

The traps would discharge flas following a certain pattern. Flas would be spout from the traps for as long as 8 seconds, and after 2 seconds, the traps would continue spewing flas. With the absence of a Rogue in the party, Ye Ci and Fleeting Ti could only think of a way to make their was past the traps.

It was an impossible to cover 16 yards in 2 seconds by foot. However, with the help of the Cat Claws, things were different.

Fleeting Ti bent his body forward and extended on of his legs to the back, making ready to spring forward. A Hunter could only perform high agility maneuvers after gathering enough montum. The terrain of a certain area would always be a limiting factor for the movents of a Hunter. This was why Hunters had to rely on quick movents that require short bursts of energy as they perform certain maneuvers.

With his eyes laid on the fla-spewing traps, Fleeting Ti’s muscles began to tense. He was like a cheetah that was burst into action. Ye Ci, who was standing at the side, stared silently at Fleeting Ti. The glowing flas bathed the two Elves with its bright light, painting their fair skin with a shade of red.

Fleeting Ti was waiting for the right mont to spring into action.

Although the traps shut down at almost the sa ti, there was still a miniscule ti difference between the operation of each trap. In the short span of 2 seconds, even the ti difference of 0.5 second could an life and death, and decide the outco of a quest. This was why an experienced player would never based on the assumption that the timing of the traps were in perfect synchronization.

Based on Fleeting Ti’s observation, the fla traps would activate for as long as 7 seconds before shutting down for 1.7 second. This slight difference would normally not an anything, but it was the deciding factor for his success in this situation.

There was no ti to waste. Fleeting Ti had to gather enough montum to ensure that he could launch himself across the stairway within the short tifra. His movents had to be precise, and he must not harbor any hesitations in his actions.

Fleeting Ti’s silence would soon be replace with a surge of energy as he sprung forward. He was still waiting for the correct timing.

With a sudden movent, Fleeting Ti sprung forward like an arrow let loose by kicking against the railing behind him. He increased his montum by kicking against the wall at the entrance of the staircase, and then at the spot right above the first trap. Just then, the flas of the traps sputtered out, and Fleeting Ti flew onward and landed safely at the other side of the stairway in the blink of an eye.

The traps once again began to spew flas the mont Fleeting Ti landed.

The duo looked at each other through the flas. They were so close from each other, yet so far apart.

Ye Ci could barely hold back the urge to cheer for Fleeting Ti after witnessing his amazing movents. This guy sure is sothing. He’s able to ti his jump perfectly, as if he’s been practicing for this mont his entire life. It feels like it’s not his first ti doing sothing like this.

Fleeting Ti looked up from the bottom of the stairway and said to Ye Ci, “I took around 2.3 seconds to take off, and needed 3 spots to I have longer limbs than you. I think you might need four platforms to help in your acceleration, which will make the process of taking off longer for you. The flas will last for 7 seconds before the traps reset for 1.7 second. Take your ti and make your move when you’re ready.”

Ye Ci nodded in agreent. She was shorter than Fleeting Ti, which ant that she would have to recalculate her timing for the jump. With the calculations provided to her by Fleeting Ti, the entire process was easier for Ye Ci.

She assud the sa pose at the sa position as Fleeting Ti. With her body shorter and softer than Fleeting Ti, Ye Ci was able to press herself closer to the ground, and prepared for the jump. She carefully selected the points that could be used as her launching spot. Other than the three spots used by Fleeting Ti, Ye Ci found the marble pillar beside her to be a good spot.

After carefully studying her surroundings, Ye Ci resud her pose, and stared intently at the fla-spewing traps.

One by one, the flas began to die down

It was as if ti was frozen at that very mont. As Ye Ci stared at the traps, she could hear her own breath and the beating of her heart.

Thump, thump, thump.

Her heartbeat was even and strong, and her breathing was calm.

Ye Ci’s success depended on one tiny mont. She leaned forward, and sprung out 15 degrees to her left like an uncoiled spring as she kicked against the railing. She then kicked hard against the pillar and propelled herself towards the wall near the entrance of the stairway, and launched herself forward.

Her movents were natural and smooth, just like a gently flowing stream.

When the flas stopped, Ye Ci soared past the traps like a swallow, heading straight to the end of the stairway. She then flipped her body midair, and landed on the ground smoothly.

Fleeting Ti was stunned. It was just too beautiful. He could not think of a person who could pull it off better than Gongzi You, “That was amazing!” said Fleeting Ti as he clapped loudly for Ye Ci.

Ye Ci was slightly embarrassed by the praise. It was rare for a Chinese person to be so straightforward with his or her praise. “You did very well too.” she nodded at Fleeting Ti.

It was the truth, but was also a reciprocation by Ye Ci. She had to do sothing after receiving the praise. Fleeing Ti, on the other hand, showed more confidence than Ye Ci, “Indeed. I’ll make sure to do better the next ti.”

He then handed the Cat Claw back to Ye Ci.

Ye Ci shook her head, “Keep it. You might need it later.” She then put her own Cat Claw away into her inventory. Just then, Ye Ci spotted at item in a secluded corner of her bag. She took the item out from the bag, and handed it to Fleeting Ti, “You dropped this last ti.”

Fleeting TI stared at the ring held out by Ye Ci. It was the Ring of Accuracy made by Clasped Sunlight, and item that allows its user to take on monsters that were at a higher level. The normal-looking ring rested silent in Ye Ci’s palm, emitting a soft glow.

“I’ve always wanted to return it to you, but I can’t send a mail to the Western Continent from the Eastern Continent. I did not get the chance to return it to you because... You know... We were busy killing each other the mont we t, and I forgot about it as ti passes. I happened to spot it in one of my inventory slots just now, so let return it to you before I forget about it again.” explained Ye Ci as he noticed the stare from Fleeting Ti.

It was the first ti she spoke so many words to Fleeting Ti. He narrowed his eyes at Ye Ci, and a smile appeared on his lips as he spoke in a soft voice, “I sort of hope that you’d forget about it.”

“What did you say?” Ye Ci could not hear Fleeting Ti’s words clearly due to his soft voice.

“It’s nothing” sighed Fleeting Ti 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 imdiately 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 Ti’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 to fight an opponent that has a higher level than .”

“Oh?” Fleeting Ti’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 Ti, and imdiately 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 Ti’s words. Why must he see through my lie?

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

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

He then stared at the ring he was holding in his hand. The na 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 Ti 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 fla traps that were set up at the stairway, and slew it before it could react. When Ye Ci and Fleeting Ti returned to the stairway that connected the first and second levels, the fla had already died down.

Ye Ci found an item with the na “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 dimr color. This ant 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 Ti, 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 Ti 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 dimr 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 Ti 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 ti. Since there’s a power core drop, there must be sothing that requires the core to work.” Fleeting Ti 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 Ti about the ring. She was even beginning to regret her action. Why did I do that? He looks like soone who has a lot of good equipnt, 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 flas of anger rising in her heart, igniting her emotion. The monsters encountered by the duo beca the unfortunate victims of Ye Ci’s wrath when she vented her anger through combat.

Fleeting Ti 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 ti like this. Even though it was fun for him, he imdiately decided against it when he saw her darkening expression.

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

Just then, Fleeting Ti spotted a light, and he imdiately pulled Ye Ci back.

Ye Ci shot Fleeting Ti an inquisitive look as he shove Ye Ci behind a pillar. “There might be an ambush ahead.” said Fleeting Ti 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 sll the fragrance of the roasted at even from her position.

Ol’ Four and Little Five could sll the at as well. They waited impatiently behind their owners, wishing that they could kill the Goblin and claim the rabbit at. However, with Fleeting Ti 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 Ti 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 Ti’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 imdiately directed Ol’ Four at the Goblin. She was able to remain calm. It’s just a Goblin. Fleeting Ti and I can deal with it easily, especially with the help of our pets. Fleeting Ti, who was following close behind Ye Ci, cast Detection on the lone Goblin. His heart sunk when he saw the na of the Goblin.

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

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

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 imdiately 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 imdiately 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 sothing 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 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 chanical bodies, the robots movents remained agile as they attacked Ye Ci and Fleeting Ti from two sides.

“Deploy so traps, don’t let them box us in.” said Fleeting Ti as he dashed out to et his opponents in combat. Ye Ci had also sprung into action before Fleeting Ti 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 judgent in the shortest amount of ti, and imdiately took the course of action that would ensure their survival.

NPerhaps due to the similarities in their thought process, Ye Ci and Fleeting Ti mirrored the movent 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 placent and attack pattern was exactly the sa. Even Ye Ci and Fleeting Ti themselves would be shocked by the spectacle. They were like mirror images of one another, displaying similar movents and sharing the sa thought process. They wasted no ti 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 gaplay 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 gaplay of a top player, however, was on an entirely different level. Their movents were so clean and their chanical skills so perfect that one might even have the feeling that the players were playing the ga 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 ga. 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 ga.

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 soone like Fleeting Ti.

She could still rember what Tan Polang said to her in a night a long ti 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 ti.

When was the last ti I felt calm? Even Ye Ci herself could not rember.

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 sothing more ridiculous than this?

With slightly lesser monsters on his side, Fleeting Ti was able to defeat his opponents faster than Ye Ci. He imdiately turned around to aid Ye Ci in taking down her opponents. Fleeting Ti took up a position beside Ye Ci, nocked an arrow, took aim at a target, and let the arrow loose. His movents 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 Ti 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 Ti’s face. Despite their past conflicts, the man standing in front of her at that mont was a trustworthy ally.

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

It’s actually a good thing.