An earth-shattering secret… just what kind of secret could qualify as earth-shattering?
But one thing was certain, at least: this quest he’d inadvertently triggered in the novice village was no ordinary kind of difficult. Heaven only knew whether that child of theirs called Xiaoming was dead or alive, or where he’d been taken. He didn’t even know what the boy looked like.
Still, the good part was that this quest carried no time limit and no penalty, so he had no reason not to accept it.
“Whoa! Look at that man — good heavens, he’s so perfect it’s almost unbelievable.” A shapely female player covered her lips and cried out with exaggerated flair. And the target her flickering gaze pointed toward was none other than Ye Tianxie.
“He’s probably adjusted his looks up,” said the female player beside her.
“Even if he did, he’s got to be really handsome in person too.”
“You little minx, there you go getting all worked up again — if you’ve taken a fancy to him, just go snag him!”
“Hmph! Once I make my move, with looks like mine, isn’t he as good as caught?”
The female player composed her expression, put on a charming smile, and sauntered forward, giving Ye Tianxie’s shoulder a light pat as she cooed, “Hey there, handsome — could you take us sisters along to level up?”
Those peach-blossom eyes brimmed with undisguised flirtation and enticement. Ye Tianxie’s eyes narrowed, and he was just about to speak when he suddenly caught sight of the name floating above her head. The words about to leave his mouth were forcibly swallowed back down, and he turned on his heel and walked off, leaving that female player stamping her feet in fury.
Her name, glaringly, was… Rong Momo by the Shore of Daming Lake.
Heading north the whole way, when he passed that crook-necked tree, he found the strange old woman with the sealed lower body already surrounded by a crowd three layers deep, inside and out. Though the quest item she wanted was wolves’ eyes, hers was an ordinary quest that could be taken at Level 0. And having burned more than an hour at the blacksmith shop, in that time the army of players had migrated a good distance north, setting foot in the territory of higher-level monsters.
Fierce Wolf Valley lay at the northernmost edge of the novice village. Apart from an atmosphere that was somewhat bleak and desolate, both the scenery and the air here were exceptionally pleasant. Every so often, bursts of wolf-howls could be heard drifting in from the distance.
The entrance to Fierce Wolf Valley was a relatively narrow ravine mouth. No sooner had Ye Tianxie stepped inside than he gave a soft “Oh?” — because apart from him, there were, incredibly, other people present here. At a glance, five people in all were circling and battling an enormous wolf.
Compared to Ye Tianxie in his most ordinary novice cloth robe, these people already had complete sets of equipment, several pieces even shimmering with a dim blue glow — Steel-grade equipment, no less. The wolf they had surrounded was nearly twice the size of an ordinary wolf, and under the five players’ combined assault it let out bursts of enraged roars from time to time, the health bar above its head descending at a slow pace. Above that health bar was the name “Giant Fierce Wolf,” and before the name hung three golden stars.
A three-star BOSS!
Giant Fierce Wolf — Level 5 three-star BOSS. HP: 1,300. A mutant among the fierce wolves, with an enormous body and formidable power far surpassing an ordinary fierce wolf. Skill: Berserk.
In the World of Fate, BOSSes were divided into one-star, two-star, and three-star, plus Lord-tier. Strictly speaking, monsters with one or two stars over their heads didn’t really count as true BOSSes — it would be more apt to call them elites among their own kind. A one-star BOSS was equivalent to an ordinary elite among ordinary monsters, its power exceeding an ordinary monster of the same type by one to two times; a two-star BOSS was an elite among elites, exceeding a one-star by one to two times; a three-star was the chief of a territory, more formidable by far. A Lord-tier BOSS, meanwhile, was the supreme ruler of a vast stretch of territory, possessing terrifying power. And above the Lord-tier were beasts that, though likewise BOSSes, were countless times more terrible than a normal BOSS — the Immortal Spirit beasts, Heavenly Radiance beasts, Divine Mystery beasts, and Holy Annihilation beasts.
Once players reached a very high level and formed a massive team, they might perhaps stand a chance of defeating a low-level Immortal Spirit beast — but from the Heavenly Radiance tier onward, for players, their existence could be described in just three words: cannot be defeated!
The names floating above these players’ heads couldn’t help but pique Ye Tianxie’s interest. All five began with “Red Leaf,” and the name “Red Leaf Pact” flashed through his mind. He seemed to have just a tiny bit of history with this faction called the Red Leaf Pact.
The sudden intrusion of an outsider set the hearts of those besieging the Giant Fierce Wolf slightly on edge. They’d only just discovered this map called Fierce Wolf Valley, and then discovered a roaming three-star BOSS — a thing both lucky and painful for them. But when they saw Ye Tianxie’s novice clothes, that faint tension melted back into disdain. And his flawless face meant that, on top of gritting their teeth in envy and jealousy, they had to tack on hatred as well.
Still, their distraction lasted only an instant. Using their average level of three to deal with a three-star BOSS — even with a full five of them — was no easy matter.
The five happened to be one Apprentice Guardian, one Apprentice Warrior, one Apprentice Archer, one Apprentice Mage, and one Apprentice Priest — five people, five different classes. The Guardian held a wooden shield out front, downing potions while gritting his teeth to block the Giant Fierce Wolf’s attacks; the Apprentice Warrior dealt rapid damage at the wolf’s back; the Apprentice Mage stood at the optimal magic-attack range, ceaselessly flinging magic bolts with no attributes to them; the Apprentice Priest ran about casting healing spells while drinking Minor Magic Recovery Potions, having acquired the most basic little healing spell; and the Apprentice Archer was hunkered behind a rock, loosing arrows one after another.
-9. -11. -8. -22…
The five coordinated with real rapport, their positioning just right, and they’d just barely fought the Giant Fierce Wolf to a standstill. The Level 5 three-star BOSS’s defense left their attacks looking especially feeble, the main damage output resting on that Apprentice Mage’s undefendable magic bolts. Even so, the Giant Fierce Wolf’s HP wasn’t dropping slowly; by the time Ye Tianxie arrived, the health bar over its head had already fallen to close to 30%.
Ye Tianxie stopped, watching the five tautly strung players with keen interest — his expression not one of appreciation, but of amused, spectator-like relish. Having a full set of equipment already showed these people were no ordinary players; add to that their fairly flawless coordination and footwork, and even if these five weren’t the upper echelon of the Red Leaf Pact, they ought to be people of some standing.
“Come on! It’s got under 300 HP left, hurry up… I’ve only got my last potion, I can barely hold anymore. Little Priest, mind the heals!” The Guardian, who’d been holding his shield high to block the wolf’s attacks all this while, tacked on a “Provoke” skill and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“My mana’s almost out too.” The Apprentice Priest swiftly cast a healing spell, then hurriedly ran off to wait out the cooldown.
(Here they come! Here they come! Tianxie’s main toys for the early game… the Red Leaf Pact’s woebegone five-man squad has arrived!!)
(End of Chapter 16)