Legend

Heavenly Body guild.

"Leader, we've received information from a reliable source about the sightings of Gongzi You in the Sacred Snowy Mountain. She got into a fight with one of the parties there."

"Oh." The leader of Heavenly Body was none other than the top-player of the Northern Continent, Lethal Poison, who was also known as the No.1 Druid of Fate. He was a plump man who was always wearing a kind smile on his face. But if one mistook him for a pushover, they would be making a grave mistake. Despite his good nature, Lethal Poison could also be cruel in battle. He was more vicious and merciless than the top-players of the other continent, and those who dared stand in his way would find themselves suffering from his wrath.

And his methods were very creative.

Lethal Poison was currently studying the map of the abandoned fortress made by one of the Life Players in his guild.

The major guilds in the Northern Continent each had tricks up their sleeves to survive in their peculiar balance of power. Each of them maintained large numbers of sub-guilds, as well as untold numbers of Life Players that were not part of their guild as part of their logistics network.

The benefits of such a measure is self-evident. It could greatly reduce the spendings of a guild, and hide the true strength of a guild's logistics from its rivals.

Heavenly Body would of course employ such a measure, as well as Sangharama Shrine, Rain of Blood, and the other major guilds of each continent.

Each guild knew that their rivals would do the same thing, but they could never have an accurate gauge of the extent of their rivals.

Lethal Poison's maps were made by one such group of Life Players, who made the maps under the escort of one of the sub-guild's Rogues under very dangerous circumstances. Even if they could not gain direct access to the fort, the players were still able to map out the staging area of the three guilds.

It could be said to be the best possible map to be made. If GPS existed in the game, it would achieve the same result.

Lethal Poison's attention was focused fully on the maps. He did not appear to be paying attention to his subordinates, but those who were close to him knew full well that he was capable of multitasking. He was digesting the information given to him even as he was studying the map.

His subordinates waited patiently for his orders. They knew the way he handled things after working for him for a long time. He might appear to be absent-minded, but the cogs in his mind were churning.

Lethal Poison raised his head after a long while, "How many members were there in the party? Five of them?"

"Yes."

"Were they all killed?"

"No, three of them were killed, one was crippled, and one managed to flee." Lethal Poison's subordinates were confused by his question, but they remained silent. They knew that even if his questions served a purpose even if they appeared to be illogical.

Lethal Poison blinked, and the smile returned to his face as he continued studying the map. Some of his subordinates were growing restless, "Leader, do we…"

"Go after Gongzi You?"

"Yes. She's the top player of the Eastern Continent. Won't there be a problem if we leave her be?" the guild members aid with a sigh, "Her presence in this place especially at a time like this is quite worrying."

"Nangong, do you think that I've not thought about that?" Lethal Poison who was still staring at the map smiled at a Rogue standing before him clad in Purple-quality equipment. Despite the usually dark theme of a Rogue's equipment, the faint patterns on his armor was a sign that it was of the best quality. The Rogue was Nangong Yunfei, the top Rogue of the Heavenly Body guild, and was one of Lethal Poison's most trusted subordinates.

Nangong Yunfei was actually a player who was on par with a top-tier player. But due to his humble nature and his rare appearance in public, not many of the guild's members knew about his true strength. Some of them did not even know of his existence. This trait was exactly what Lethal Poison needed. A nameless but skillful player who could lurk in the dark was more useful than a well-known player at times.

This was why Nangong Yunfei was deeply involved in intelligence gathering for the guild.

"I don't quite get it."

Nangong Yunfei and Lethal Poison shared a weird relationship. Their relationship was that of a subordinate and a boss, but they were also old friends who knew each other very well.

"I know how you like to play things safe, but I don't Gongzi You is here because of the fort." said Lethal Poison with a smile.

"I disagree. Are we going to ignore the fact that she might help one of our rivals out just because she's a player from an opposing continent? If I'm not mistaken, she made a deal with Genesis last time." Nangong Yunfei shook his head. He was worried about the presence of a top-tier player from an opposing continent.

Lethal Poison nodded at his words, "You're not necessarily wrong, but I don't think that's the case."

He looked away from the maps and at Nangong Yunfei, "If Gongzi You is here to help one of the guilds out, she would be scouting out the Mor Jiami plains instead of sneaking her way into the Sacred Snowy Mountain. That is proof that she did not wish to be caught in a fight against us. It's obvious that her destination was the Sacred Snowy Mountain from the start. If my guess is correct, she was here for a very important mission. Besides, if she wouldn't have been spotted by that party so easily if it was her intention to raise trouble for us."

Nangong Yunfei was still worried despite Lethal Poison's words, but he remained silent after noticing the certainty in his guild leader's expression , "Alright then, I'll send someone to spy on her."

"By the way, find out what sort of mission she is up to if you can. She might be trying to explore a dungeon just like the one she did with Fleeting Time." there was a hint of annoyance in Lethal Poison's voice, "Goddamn it, those lucky bastards in Genesis! I bet they got a lot of items with two top players clearing a hidden dungeon for them."

"Understood." Nangong Yunfei knew that Lethal Poison was not happy with the exploration of Vosok by Gongzi You and Fleeting Time. After all, the number of dungeons in each continent were balanced. But ever since Vosok was explored by Fleeting Time and Gongzi You, Genesis was able to monopolize on unique high quality items acquired from the dungeon. Some of the lower end items even made their way to the Northern Continent. This earned them the envy of Lethal Poison.

There was nothing that he could do to change the situation, but the vice leader of Genesis was able to earn quite a considerable sum of money from Heavenly Body. Nobody would enjoy having a huge chunk of flesh torn out of their side, which was why Lethal Poison immediately directed his subordinates to search for hidden dungeons in the Northern Continent.

"Is Spotless Autumn in the Northern Continent as well?" a sudden thought entered Lethal Poison's mind. Due to his immense workload, his only source of information was from Nangong Yunfei. He had completely forgotten about the presence of Spotless Autumn until the name Gongzi You was brought up.

"Yes."

"And he got into a fight with the Sangharama Shrine?" as he was busy preparing for the coming battle, Lethal Poison had no energy to spare on mere gossip, which was why he immediately took the chance when he had the time.

Nangong Yunfei began explaining the circumstances surrounding the confrontation to Lethal Poison once again, "According to my intelligence, the Sangharama Shrine had recently acquired a Purple-quality hoe with very good stats...."

Lethal Poison bursted into laughter after listening to the explanation, "I told you. Sangharama's Grace is good at everything but the management of his subordinate's family members. Why would they allow a complete trash like Kiss Me Babe to handle the hoe? That is just outright stupid." and he rubbed his chin, "And Kiss Me Babe was killed by a Hunter?"

"Yes."

A smile appeared on Lethal Poison's face, "Oh, I see...."

"What is it?" Nangong Yunfei was curious, "You seem to be thinking about something funny."

"I'm wondering... What will happen if Spotless Autumn finds out that he became a scapegoat of Gongzi You? Will they end up fighting?" the regret was clear in Lethal Poison's expression, "What a shame. If only I can witness their fight in person..." and he let out a long sigh, "Get some men to shadow the both of them. Do not interfere with whatever they're doing, and don't let them know that we're watching them."

The task of shadowing two top-tier players was not an easy one. They were the top players of their continent for many reasons. Their skill level would undoubtedly be high, and their equipment and gaming sense was also something that should be taken into account. Locating these players would also be a very daunting task. Nangong Yunfei, however, was excited. He was always happy to receive a high difficulty mission.

Lethal Poison stared out at the azure sky outside his window when Nangong Yunfei left. He could not help the grimace that appeared on his face. Ahh... I really want to go meet them both. Not as a guild leader, but as a player.

…

But as a guild leader, he was without the freedom to act as he pleased.

There was no way for Lethal Poison to escape the crushing responsibility of a guild leader. The guild was like a churning machine that crushed his dreams of freedom as a player. He once again let out a long sigh and refocused his attention on the map.

Whatever. I might as well concentrate on what I have to do.

Rain of Blood guild.

The news of Gongzi You's arrival in the Northern Continent was spreading like wildfire in the guild encampment.

Dried Bones, the leader of Rain of Blood was rubbing his forehead with a pained expression, "How are the two other guilds handling this situation?"

"They've sent people to watch over the two, but they don't seem to have the intention to interfere with their business." the person speaking to the guild leader was also wearing a pained expression. It was someone who knew Gongzi You very well. He was none other than Melodious Flute, the man who died to Gongzi You every single time, and the only one to have a feeling of dread when he received the news. He had a feeling that Gongzi You was the bringer of his bad luck.

Every confrontation against Gongzi You was a failure.

"Alright, I guess we should send someone from our side to see what they're up to as well. Don't get too close, or she might be forced into a situation where she must fight our people. Even if a fight does break out, we'll let the bastards from Sangharama Shrine and Heavenly Body to take the brunt of the damage. Do not reveal yourselves."

There was of course more than one abandoned fort in the Northern Continent, but both the Sangharama Shrine and Heavenly Body guilds had their eyes set on the fort. It was in a strategic location, and it would be the first ever fort to be conquered by Northern Continent players. This was why the two major guilds did not hesitate to commit their forces to the map, and why Rain of Blood was willing to enter the fray.

Dried Bone's objective was simple.

If he was hoping to capture the fort when Sangharama Shrine and Heavenly Body were tearing at each other's throat. Even if his guild was not able to capture the fort, there was still much to gain by scavenging the battlefield. The equipment that were dropped during the battle could be used to arm the new recruits of Rain of Blood.

Melodious Flute could feel a shiver crawling down his spine as he stared at Dried Bone, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Eh? Have I not made it clear enough for you? You're the one who is in charge of this mission." Dried Bone shrugged.

"Hey, hey, hey! Haven't I told you that I'm always getting my ass handed to me whenever I run into her?" Melodious Flute shook his head.

"But you're the only one in our guild who had experience in fighting against her. You should be used to it by now. It's only logical to assign this mission to you..." Dried Bone saw nothing wrong in his arrangement. It was something that any guild leader would do for the benefit of his or her guild.

Melodious Flute was at a loss for words. He knew that he could not escape the dark fate that awaited him, but it was worth trying. After all, nobody would want to go up against that walking disaster, "What about the things here? Are there any problems?"

"Nope." Dried Bone shook his head despite the worries that were written all over his face, "I'm just trying to make a quick fortune out of this fight. I wonder if Sangharama Shrine and Heavenly Body will give me the opportunity to do so."

"It's good to hide your trump card, but there are times when you have to go all in." Melodious Flute did not find himself agreeing with Dried Bone. His leader had always been overly cautious. If he had the chance, he would definitely have been bold and decisive.

Dried Bone was cautious and very prudent, but it also meant that his foundation was firm. It would not be easy to destroy what he had achieved. A person like him was crucial in the growth of a guild.

"Do you think that I don't know what's going on in your mind? But have you considered the fact that the new patch is going to be released in less than a week? We'll have more opportunities, as well as challenges. Do not forget that Golden Era is coming. I'm sure you know what sort of guild they are. If we don't build up our strength, do you think that we can survive the coming storm?" Dried Bone sighed. The worry was something that was shared by the leaders of many other guilds.

The discussion sent Melodious Flute's head swimming. His only interest in the game was to explore its vast world and the excitement of engaging other players like him in combat. He was never someone who could set his mind to the management of a guild. Why would people want to be the leader of a guild? He had always thought to himself, aren't they just asking for trouble?

"Fine, fine! I'd rather handle Gongzi You than the development of our guild." Melodious Flute cupped his hands against his ears, "If you're looking to bore yourself to death, be my guest. Don't drag me down along with you. Your brother I am still young and unmarried yet. I don't want to end up like a dried pile of bones like you." and he turned around to leave.

But Dried Bone called out to him.

"What is it?"

"By the way, do you know that Spotless Autumn is in the Northern Continent as well?"

"Yup. Rumors have it that he even got into a fight with someone from the Sangharama Shrine." he responded after a slight pause, "Don't tell me you want to track him down as well.. Unlike Gongzi You, he's very unpredictable. He's way more troublesome to deal with than Gongzi You."

"Oh, don't worry too much about it. It'd be nice if you can track him down. If you can't, so be it. I believe the other guilds have sent out their own as well." said Dried Bone with a smile, "We're at the eve of battle, I'm sure they do not have the men to spare in hunting down the two. There might be two of them, but they might actually be more powerful than two squadron's worth of players. Everything is fine as long as they stay away from the Mor Jiami Plains."

"But the Mor Jiami Plains is right beside the Sacred Snowy Mountain. Of course, there's no path leading down the mountain from that direction other than a very high cliff." Melodious Flute was anxious. He knew nothing good would come from an encounter with top-tier players. One could never be certain what would happen during that encounter.

"This is why there's nothing we have to worry about. No matter how good they are, there's no way they can survive a fall from several thousand meters." Dried Bone waved his hand dismissively.

Yeah, I might've been overthinking here, thought Melodious Flute, "Alright then. You can worry yourself silly here, I'll be heading to the Sacred Snowy Mountain."

As the three major guilds were busy sending out the Rogues to conduct surveillance on Gongzi You, Ye Ci was still looking for the right spot to climb the cliff. She had been repeating the same action for almost half an hour, but to no avail.

Ye Ci sat one the ground to replenish her Stamina with food and wine when her ears twitched and she heard the sound of conversation from quite a distance away.

"Did the real Gongzi You actually appear in this place?"

"Didn't the party earlier on confirm that they ran into her here?"

"What is Gongzi You doing here?"

"Do we even need to be here if we know?"

"Is it because of something that she found here?"

"Who knows."

"I think we should head back. Is it really worth tracking Gongzi You down? What if we actually find are? You're gonna walk up to her and say 'Hey, I'm a fan of yours, let's take a selfie!'?"

"Nonsense! We're not here for a selfie!" responded a hoarse and very distinguishable voice.

"We'll be famous if we can kill Gongz You! She's the top-tier player of the Eastern Continent! I'm sure she has a lot of good gears on her. Don't forget that players dying in a hostile continent will be facing a higher penalty. If she drops some of her good equipment, We'll be rich!"

A smile tugged on Ye Ci's face. People are so willing to die for the sake of wealth. She paid the players no heed as Ol' Four stood guard beside her.

"But she's Gongzi You! She's not your average Tom, Dick, and Harry! Do you think it's that simple to try and take her on?"

"This is why we brought so many with us! More will come. We can't take her on alone, but with so many of us here, we can literally bury her with the bodies of our dead!"

The players were 60 yards away from Ye Ci, who could still hear them clearly despite their soft voice. She stood up, and saw a group of more than a hundred players heading towards her.

The area facing a cliff was shaped like a bottle gourd, which provided Ye Ci with a narrow chokepoint that she could use to her advantage. It's a shame that their equipment is mediocre at best, or I would be able to put my backpacks to good use.

She cast detection in some of the players that have entered the chokepoint. They were mostly players that were barely lvl50. As a lvl60 character, Ye Ci enjoyed the advantage of level penalty against them. What a shame, I've used up all my bombs, and Blossom is not at the level where he can make bombs yet.

Ye Ci had no intention of engaging these players in combat. She knew that they would swarm at her like flies once fighting broke out, and no matter how skillful of a player she was, she would run out of supplies and eventually be buried under the sea of players.

It was not a good way to die.

But the battle ahead was something that she could not avoid. Her only option was to finish her opponents off quickly and ascend the cliff.

As long as she could enter a lvl80 zone, she would no longer have to worry about the players.

With her mind set, Ye Ci immediately gave the order for Ol' Four to charge.

The narrow area was immediately filled with Ol' Four's roar. The reverberating sound was even causing snow to drop down from the cliff.

And the alarmed players immediately adopted a defensive posture.

"W-what is happening?"

"Aiya, it's common to have mini avalanche happening in the Sacred Snowy Mountain. Just stay away from the cliff, and we'll be fine."

"No, that's not it. Can't you guys hear that sound?" the players who were at the front had obviously heard the roar from Ol' Four. The roar of a tyrannosaurus rex was very distinct from the life forms that populated the mountains.

"Could be a bear or something like that. The spawn point of Snow Bears is right above us."

"No! Look! Something is heading right towards us!" one of the players pointed at Ol' Four that was charging in their direction.

The entrance leading to the terrain was narrow, and with their vision obstructed by the bellowing snow, the players at the back of the formation had no idea what was going on. Panic began to spread among the group of players.

"What is it? What's coming?"

"Fall back! Fall back now! There's a monster coming our way!"

"Aiya! You guys at the front, stop pushing!"

The party that was formed impromptu by a mix and match of players was incapable of handling sudden changes in a situation. A well coordinated party would never panic in such a situation, and could face the sudden appearance of Ol' Four with relative calm. But Ye Ci she was facing down such a party, her chances of winning would be very slim.

Ol' Four was already in a position to attack before the players could begin to sort the mess out. A large number of them were Stunned by Ol' Four's Tremor and Tail Swipe.

"Motherfluffer! This guy is tough! Let's get the hell out of here!"

"Wait a minute, isn't this thing Gongzi You's pet? Does it mean that she's nearby?" some of the more observant players have realised that the dinosaur standing before them was Gongzi You's pet. It's distinct size and color was something that was very unique in the entire game.

And to speak of the devil...

Gongzi You appeared in their view right when her name was mentioned.

Ye Ci bounded into the air from Ol' Four's tail, and fired Rain of Arrows at the group of players. The players were showered by arrows in less than 5 seconds, and the sea of red damage indicator that appeared on their heads was a horrifying sight.

"No way!" most of the squishy characters were immediately slain, while some with heavier armor remained standing.

"My God, is this the true strength of Gongzi You? Is she at max level already?"

"Why are you still standing there? Let's make a run for it! Do you want to lose your equipment?" many of the players were merely there in hopes that they could gain something while staying out of the action. Gongzi You's display of strength was a rude awakening for these players, who immediately began to flee.

The few players who remained untouched by Ye Ci's attacks ran as well, leaving the bodies of their dead on the ground as they scattered in every direction.

Ye Ci did not give chase. She knew that she would not be able to chase down so many players, and that her best option was to ascend the cliff.

After directing Ol' Four to pick off the stragglers, Ye Ci continued to look for a good spot that would allow her to climb the cliff.

The battle was an unforgettable experience for the players of the Northern Continent who were present on that day. The only thing they saw was the sudden appearance of a Huntress clad in winter clothing who leapt into the air as she appeared from the mist, and arrows began raining down at the next moment, killing the majority of their numbers. The Huntress then disappeared back into the mist without even looking back.

Not a single one of them was able to see her expression, or even her face on that day. The only thing they saw was the faint blood red glow around her character.

Her sudden appearance, and her equally abrupt disappearance became the stuff of legend.

Ye Ci was still attempting to find a spot where her Cat Claw would gain purchase on the cliff. Perhaps due to the battle and the countless enemies slain, Ye Ci's luck was drastically improved. Her first swing was able to find a firm grip on the icy cliff. After giving the rope a few tugs, a satisfied Ye Ci began climbing up the cliff.

It did not take long for Ye Ci to make her way up the cliff. She looked down, and saw the silhouette of Ol' Four in the mist chasing the players around. She shook her head, and disappeared into the bellowing snow after dismissing Ol' Four with a sigh.