It sure Is Lively

Rogues are the fastest characters in Fate, followed closely by Hunters.

But was there really any Rogues faster than a Hunter like Fleeting Time? Fleeting Time's response speed was fast, and his arrow was even faster.

The only thing Ye Ci could when she finally reacted was his back as he charged at Spotless Autumn.

Of course, Spotless Autumn was no pushover. He was still unaware of the identity of his assailant, but he knew that he had to act quick.

He immediately cast Magical Barrier on himself the moment Fleeting Time launched his attack. The barrier, at level 3, could absorb 30,000 damage points in a duration of 10 minutes, with the cooldown of 1 minute. The barrier would break when it received more than 30,000 damage points.

This meant that as long as Spotless Autumn could avoid suffering from 30,000 damage within a minute, he would be able to ensure his survival. Of course, it might be something easy to pull off against a normal player. But against a Fleeting Time who had was currently seething with rage..

Spotless Autumn attempted to slow Fleeting Time down with his ice spells and had to constantly reposition himself, but he was simply much slower than a Hunter. He gulped down a bottle of Haste Potion, increasing his speed, and making his fight against Fleeting Time just slightly easier.

But most of his spells were evaded by Fleeting Time, and the few that managed to land were barely dealing any damage to the Hunter, and the debuff that he was hoping to afflict on Fleeting Time did not occur. Crap! His level cap has increased! I do not have the high ground in this fight.

Despite that, Spotless Autumn had no intention of giving up. He continued running in a zigzag pattern, dodging behind trees, NPCs, and players alike. I can't be as fast as him, so I'll use the terrain against him.

This guy is good. Who is he?

Spotless Autumn had the habit of muting his system messages, which was why he was unaware of the identity of his assailant. He finally had the chance to tap open the channel as he darted between NPCs and players alike.

He received the shock of his life when the channel was unmuted, "You've been attacked by the Western Continent player: Fleeting Time. You are allowed to defend yourself, or to remain silent."

A frown immediately appeared on Spotless Autumn's face when he saw the name. F*ck me! It's Fleeting Time!

So that's why this guy is so good! He would've broken my barrier if I did not hide in the crowd! Hell, I might even be dead! The Hunter class is really the bane of my existence! Damn my luck!

Just then, another thought entered his mind, Wait a minute… So Fleeting Time the one whow as doing that with Gongzi You…

What were they doing? Are they exploring the human anatomy? W-w-what have I done?

Fleeting Time could only feel pain.

It was a pain that made him grit his teeth.

He had always thought of himself as someone who was calm. He had never been particularly interested in anything in his twenty-odd years of life. His personality might have affected his ability in making friends, but he was lucky to have friends who are as close to him as brothers.

They have grown used to his personality, but he would still frequently find himself doing some self-reflection on how he would always treat things with indifference. Could this be some sort of abnormality with my personality? There were even times when he had the urge to talk to a psychiatrist.

Gongzi You, however, was an exception.

He was caught off guard by her sudden appearance, by how easily she broke into his life. She had torn a gaping hole in his monotonous life in the most elegant and fiercest way before swiftly disappearing.

She once again appeared before him fiercer than ever when he had almost forgotten about her, enlarging the already gaping hole in his heart. And from that point onward, he could no longer forget about it.

They barely had the chance to run into one another, and Fleeting Time was not a person with good memory, Despite that, each of their encounters would always leave its mark in his heart. At this point, he could no longer tell which was the first time she left her mark.

But one thing was certain: He was interested in Gongzi You.

It started off as an interest in a rival who was evenly matched with him, but he was slowly captured by her wild ambition, and her will to persevere. Gongzi You had never appealed to him as a member of the opposite sex.

It was something that was rare.

In his twenty-odd years of life, members of the opposite gender had caused him much trouble. His handsome face was a source of his trouble since he was young, and was also why he hated jobs that would require him to show his face in public. This was also why he had always made sure to hide his face whenever he took part in a tournament so that the audience would notice his strength and not his face.

And when it came to his love life, his face had also caused him a lot of trouble, mostly in the form of White Fairytale.

He had even regretted his decision to have a haircut and a shower on the day he met White Fairytale. Perhaps she wouldn't be so obsessed about me. He had thought. Perhaps I'm doomed to the fate of forever looking sloppily.

His handsome face had even brought him trouble in the game. He truly regretted his decision to not adjust his appearance in his haste to experience the new game. The randomized features had come to haunt him as those who did not know him would always disregard his skills and focus on his face.

Gongzi You was different.

He could still remember their first encounter, "There are so many Hunters in Genesis, so why me?" he asked. He had looked down on her back then, but the answer he received from Gongzi You came as a shock, "Because they're not Fleeting Time."

She was the first person to take note of him not because of his face.

And this was why he accepted her challenge even when it was something that he had never done before. He wanted to see if the Huntress standing before him truly meant what she said.

And he was satisfied by the results. Even though she was not still not as experienced back then, she had never presented herself as a helpless female. Her actions were swift and decisive, and she had managed to leave a lasting impression in his mind: She was a great Huntress.

And this impression would only be reinforced after each of their encounters. She had never let him down. He had truly enjoyed his fights with her.

But it was like a drug. And he found himself addicted to that drug.

And before he could even realise it, Fleeting Time began to pay attention to every little news about Gongzi You. It started off as a mere desire to watch her growth, but it slowly became a desire to take part in her journey in Fate. He would tend to speak out of turn, and her reaction had never once failed to bring him joy.

He did not know when he had fallen into this trap, but he found himself unable to stop himself from continuing this game of cat and mouse with her, no matter how lame it was. And to that, Absalom had only one word to say: Childish.

Even Fleeting Time himself thought of himself the same way.

So what? As long as I am happy, I don't care if it's childish.

He had always felt that Gongzi You would never truly be disgusted by his childish behavior. To him, Gongzi You was simply reacting out of embarrassment. (Author's note: Fleeting Time, you're not only childish, but shameless as well!)

And this little joy of him eventually grew into a stronger desire.

Which went unnoticed by him. Until that very moment…

He knew that what he did was not right, and he struggled to keep himself in check. But the power of his will was not as great as he thought.

Even he himself did not know what would happen if he was not forced to stop by the system.

Despite that, there was still a fire burning in his heart. It was a raging flame that he was unable to put out. He had never experienced something like this before. The only thing he could do was to remain silent, and try his best to suppress that feeling.

But God had always been by his side. He found the perfect vent for his frustration in the form of a certain player.

And at that moment, Fleeting Time exploded into action. His entire being was screaming for release, and the perfect target showed itself just at the right place and the right time.

He was a Sorcerer. And a very competent one.

Not many were deemed a competent sorcerer by Fleeting Time, and the player in front of him was one of them.

Sorcerers were known to be slow, but that man did not allow it to drag him down. He attempted to restrict Fleeting Time's movement with a multitude of crowd controlling spells, but it did not work due to level penalty.

He did not give up despite his disadvantage. He dove into the crowd, and was successful in using the terrain against Fleeting Time.

A smile appeared on Fleeting Time's face. This will be fun.

Oh, what's his name again?

Fleeting Time opened his system channel as he pursued the player. And his eyes narrowed when he saw his name.

So this is Spotless Autumn. Very well, you're dead!

Spotless Autumn gulped down another bottle of Haste Potion. He was almost out of breath, "Hey, Gongzi You, it's all my fault! I shouldn't do something like this! Forgive me, please…"

Ye Ci leaned against the wisteria tree. Fleeting Time had already left in his pursuit of Spotless Autumn. She let out a long sigh, stooped over, and rested her hands on her knees. She could feel the heat on her face, and her legs felt weak.

Goddamn it! Am I that much of a failure?!

Ye Ci cursed under her breath. It was just a kiss! Should I be acting like a typical female protagonist!? She gritted her teeth, and forced herself up after taking in a deep breath. She looked at the direction where Fleeting Time and Spotless Autumn had taken off, and headed into the opposite direction.

She did not know why she did it, but there was only a single thought in her mind: I must get the hell out of here!

"Hey, did you take screenshots of that?" a player popped his head out from behind a bush once Gongzi You had left her spot.

It was a well hidden location.

A hidden door leading to the Job Center stood in a secluded corner of the back half of the wisteria garden. Due to its location, it was never discovered by players.

Not many players would even pass through the area, and not a single soul was anywhere near the wisteria tree that Ye Ci and Fleeting Time were leaning against.

This was why Ye Ci was shocked. How did Spotless Autumn find this place? Did he come across that place by chance?

Ye Ci once again covered her face with a hood after straightening out her disheveled clothing. She studied her surroundings, and left from the hidden door after making sure that there were no other players in the vicinity.

But…

"Yes I did! Have you recorded the whole thing?" another player appeared from behind the bush.

They were able to hide behind the tall bush in the area, avoiding detection by Ye Ci and Fleeting Time who were in the thick of the action.

A stroke of luck had brought the players to the scene of battle between Ye Ci and Fleeting Time, and they decided to follow the combatants.

They did it for only one reason:

Affairs happen all the time, but not everyone is around to see them happen.

And they came to the conclusion that something might happen between Gongzi You and Fleeting Time in such a romantic environment.

They were soon able to feast their eyes upon a scene that could on be described as:

Awesome!

Thrilling!

And simply unforgettable!

"It's a shame that we're too far away. Imagine if we can hear them." sighed the player who recorded the action between Ye Ci and Fleeting Time when he reviewed his recording.

"You really want to hear what they have to say?" the other player shivered, not believing what he heard from his peers, "Do you really not treasure your equipment and experience points? If those two found out what we're doing…"

"So what? We can just disconnect from the game!" the player was very satisfied with the video he took, "Besides, what's the worst that could happen? Gongzi You would definitely be mad, but will Fleeting Time even mind?"

"How'd you know?"

"It's just a feeling."

"Bullshit." replied the player who took the screenshot, "Let's go offline and post these on the forums. This will definitely make the top 3 in the popularity leaderboards. We're gonna get rich!"

"Yup, we should leave. We'll be in deep trouble if they return." said the player's companion.

Unbeknownst to Ye Ci, the worst case scenario happened.

There were times when things simply do not work out.

As the saying goes, "What is done by night appears by day."

One must not assume that their misdeeds would remain unknown, for no deeds, no matter good or bad, would go unnoticed.

In short, one must always be careful.

Ye Ci received a voice message from Spotless Autumn just as she left the wisteria garden, "Gongzi You, my lady, I've wronged out! I shouldn't have done something like that! Please, forgive me!"

"What are you talking about?" Ye Ci was baffled.

"Tell your man to let me go! Please!"

The raging emotions that Ye Ci worked hard to suppress surged once more. Her face immediately heated up, and had she not hidden her head under the hood, passerbys would definitely see a female Elf with fair skin slowly turning into a bright shade of red.

She took in a deep breath, and shouted into her private message channel with all the strength she could muster, "He's not my man! Can you hear me?! He's not!!"

He dismissed Ye Ci's anger as a response out of her embarrassment, "Not your boyfriend? After doing that? What do you think you're doing? Munching on carrots?"

Ye Ci could feel her face heating up. It was bad enough that something like that was seen by someone else, and Spotless Autumn had made it worse with his description, "Why don't you just go and die!"

The reply came after a few seconds, "I'm dead."

"Serve you right!"

Spotless Autumn attempted to send yet another message after a short while, "I've seen the errors of my way. Please tell your man to forgive my transgression. I know the sentries will not attack you for fighting in the wisteria garden, but can you get him to stop camping near my corp-..."

A system notification rang up before he could finish the sentence, "The player you're trying to contact is no longer within reach."

This meant that Ye Ci had muted the channel and condemned him to his horrible fate. Allies who have been through life and death situations in the Southern Continent? It meant nothing to Ye Ci.

Spotless Autumn stood by his corpse, staring at Fleeting Time who was sitting not far away. He could feel tears welling in his eyes. Players from hostile continents could not communicate with a hostile player who was dead. "It's my fault! I shouldn't have disturbed you guys. Please let me go! I swear I'll not do something like that again." These were the words Spotless Autumn would say to Fleeting Time if they were allowed to communicate.

Fleeting Time had even summoned his pet as he sat eating and drinking beside Spotless Autumn's dead body. Today was the day he camped the man and taught him a lesson he would never forget.

He knew Spotless Autumn was still lingering around, which was why he commanded Little Five to patrol the area. The moment Spotless Autumn revived, Little Five would immediately dive at the Sorcerer. The pet did not know of the rage in Fleeting Time's heart, but it carried out its duty nonetheless with tasty food from its master as reward.

Fleeting Time knew that Spotless Autumn would not revive himself, and Gongzi You was already long gone from the garden. He tapped open his Map Channel, and sent out a message in the Common Tongue.

"Come to the wisteria garden (coordinates: 4237:1289:761), Little Gongzi. The view here is nice. Better than what we saw earlier even."

The Map Channel was relatively clear due to the low average of players. None of them were advertising the products they were trying to sell, and there were no players looking for parties or members for their parties. Many of the messages in the chat were simply players asking for directions. The content of Fleeting Time's message should be something that was not out of the ordinary.

Its sender, however…

Fleeting Time was the synonym of a top-tier legendary player. He was an existence that the average players could never achieve, and his message would naturally attract a lot of attention.

Too much information laid hidden within that simple message.

And it is human nature to seek out information for gossip.

After much discussion, the players reached a conclusion: Despite the large number of players with 'Gongzi' in their name, the only player that the top Western Continent Hunter Fleeting Time know as "Little Gongzi" could only be Gongzi You, the Huntress from the Eastern Continent.

And from that message had the gossippers gleamed a few hints.

One: Fleeting Time's location

Two: Fleeting Time is looking for Gongzi You

Three: They were with each other earlier on.

Four: They were somewhere in the wisteria garden.

Five: They got separated from each other for reasons unknown.

...

Fleeting Time's message was followed by a few insignificant chattering from the players nearby before silence finally fell upon the channel. It was as if the chat was experiencing a massive lag. Somebody finally spoke up a few moments later.

"Was that the real deal?"

"Is it real? Is Fleeting TIme really looking for Gongzi You?"

"It's been awhile since I saw anything from those two. Could it it fake?"

"Hey Fleeting Time, what were you doing with Gongzi You just now?"

...

Similar messages began to flood the Map Channel. The public was always happy to discuss gossip such as this. The Map Channel was immediately filled with discussion among players after the message from Fleeting Time. Multiple theories about the incident had surfaced in the short span of 10 minutes. There were even eye-witnesses who proclaimed that they have seen the two together in the wisteria garden.

The commotion was of course not missed by Ye Ci.

But she had always been one to not bother with accusations like this. To her, the rumors would eventually fade away, and she would be digging her own grave by attempting to clear the air.

That was why Ye Ci decided to head into a very discreet shop in a secluded corner in Hero City.

Fleeting Time knew that he would not receive a response from Gongzi You, and followed up with yet another message, "Ah, my mistake. I shouldn't let a lady come to me. I should go get you instead."

His message drove the already excited crowd wild. Many of the players began cheering for Fleeting Time, and some female players who had crushes on Fleeting Time were jealous of his attention on Gongzi You.

Hero City's Map Channel was suddenly brimming with life.

Ye Ci's heart clenched when she saw the message. He can't be serious! Is he really going to come look for me?!

She did not know how she was recognised in the job center, but she was certain that Fleeting Time had a way of detecting the identities of players even when they were hooded. This was how he was able to tell who she was by just a glance.

She studied her surroundings, making sure that she was already a distance away from the wisteria garden. Hero City was still new to the player, which gave her the advantage of knowing the map better. This was why she did not bother to react to Fleeting Time's message.

Just then, she received a message from Bai Mo, "You ran into Fleeting Time again?"

"Yup." replied Ye Ci despite her reluctance to admit the truth. It was very obvious that Bai Mo was already in Hero City.

"What were you two doing just now?" a mischievous smile appeared on Bai Mo's face. He could sense the anguish behind the single-word response.

"Fighting." Ye Ci replied after a long while. She was telling the truth. They were indeed fighting in the wisteria garden. And there was nobody around to see what happened after that.