Virtual World: Close Combat Mage

No one, including Gu Fei who had sacrificed himself to help Royal God Call with his ‘Bounty Mission’, entered the prison to serve time jovially. In contrast, these new arrivals openly expressed their excitement upon seeing that the cell had quite a lot of occupants.

At this moment, the players inside the cell were currently split into two factions. Gu Fei was the leader, as well as the sole member, of the ‘depressed’ faction. He was dazedly occupying the left corner of the cell while wondering whether he should log off or not. As for everyone else, they were part of the ‘indignant’ faction and were all standing by the right corner as they furiously regarded Gu Fei. A fight would have long broken out between the two factions had the entire prison not been designed as a safe zone.

The new arrivals saw this situation of Gu Fei being ostracized by everyone. All these prisoners barely knew each other and would mostly spend a couple of hours together here, so how did such a conflict occur in just a short duration? And yet, the current conflict seemed to be so serious that all were isolating Gu Fei.

After considering everything, the three began to move closer to the larger group first.

“Hello, fellow brothers...” The leader cheerfully greeted the lot. It was rare to see people who were jovial of being sent to prison, so the pack of players found their behavior to be somewhat odd and regarded the lot with raised eyebrows.

“Were you guys sent here by an Archer?” one of the players finally inquired.

“Ah? No. We came here of our accord,” one of the three men replied.

Everyone felt shocked. They turned themselves in... Such an occurrence was much more infrequent, as most people would rather work to rid themselves of their PK value by asking their buddies to help them accomplish ‘Bounty Mission’. This sort of honest players who would willingly turn themselves in could not be found PvPing in the first place.

The three men conversed with them for a while, before finally pointing at Gu Fei who was sitting by a corner on his own, “That guy....”

The group of convicts once more burst into an angry chatter, with some whispering to one another. Their indignation gradually became evident as their voices and swearing grew louder with each passing moment. Gu Fei could no longer bear it, so he got up from his corner and made his way to the front of the group.

“What are you trying to do,” everyone stared at Gu Fei. Although the players who had fought with him and had mostly been insta-killed by him knew of Gu Fei’s fighting prowess, the fact that the deadly Gu Fei could not do anything to them inside this prison that was a big safe zone emboldened everyone.

“Say whatever you want, but don’t speak such vulgarities,” Gu Fei stood up, towering over them as he lectured the men squatting by the wall for their foul language.

“F*ck! Why do you care?” all arrogantly demanded with raised chins.

Gu Fei exasperatedly said, “I won’t care if you are speaking of others; but you’re cursing at me, right? Actually, we should be condemning that Archer together. I share the same fate with you all since I was also sent by that guy here!”

When he said that, over half the players present stirred emotionally. They were sent to prison by an Archer, so this Mage doing ‘Bounty Mission’ had nothing to do with them at all. Conversely speaking, Gu Fei was indeed on the same side as them as he was sent to prison by the Archer as well. Since Royal God Call had been busying himself with the bounty hunting business these past two days, most of the cell occupants were truly Royal God Call’s doing.

When Gu Fei’s ‘customers’ saw that a majority of the people were getting convinced by Gu Fei’s words, one of them quickly voiced his opposition, “Don’t be fooled, everyone. They must be working together.”

Gu Fei took the lead in staring at the speaker as if he was an idiot. Even the three newcomers at the side chimed in, “Working together? Why would the Archer dump him in this prison if they are indeed working together?!”

“How would I know? There must be a reason behind this!” the person insisted.

All turned their noses to this fool. Gu Fei sighed in his heart. This saying really held some truth: ‘The minority was the one who always had a good grasp of the truth!’

“By the way, did you guys see what that Archer looks like? The brat actually attacked me from behind, so I didn’t get a good look of his face,” Gu Fei began to dissect Royal God Call, planning to utterly divert everyone’s attention from the recent allegation.

His plan worked perfectly as everyone began to discuss and partake in all sorts of gossips about Royal God Call. As Gu Fei had expected, many of Royal God Call’s ‘customers’ were sent to prison without seeing a lick of his shadow due to his fighting method. Almost all of them were taken down by Royal God Call’s sneaky shots from afar, so not one actually saw his face clearly.

“How utterly despicable and shameless!” everyone criticized Royal God Call severely.

“Very true!” Gu Fei agreed as he laughed inside. His ‘customers’ could not interject anything and could only stare at Gu Fei hatefully while squatting by a corner. Gu Fei no longer bothered himself with them and turned his gaze toward the three newcomers. The prison’s lighting was slightly dim, so distinguishing the others’ looks at a certain distance was hard. Unexpectedly, Gu Fei felt stunned when he recognized one of the three, “SILVER MOON!”

Who else could the person on the left be but the guild leader of Past Deeds, Silver Moon?

The three men were originally checking Gu Fei out with a slight smile on their faces. Evidently, they were quite interested in him. While the three viewed the others inside the prison as mediocre beings that had lost in PvP, they saw Gu Fei as a talented individual who had contributed to the population inside this prison by bravely doing ‘Bounty Mission’.

As for how he got sent to this prison, the three heard everything clearly: ‘An Archer attacked him sneakily!’ Archers had an advantage when it came to PvP over Mages, so they thought it was still reasonable that Gu Fei was eliminated by an Archer no matter how strong he was, especially since it was a sneak attack that might have caught him off-guarded.

Unexpectedly, this Mage that the three were interested in actually knew Silver Moon.

“You’re...” Silver Moon hesitated. Many people knew him, as he was a guild leader, but that was in Yueye City. It totally did not make sense for Yunduan City’s players to recognize him – unless, they were from Yueye City.

Gu Fei promptly got a hold of his emotions and he schooled his facial expression into a neutral one, saying, “I once went to Yueye City in the past. I heard and even saw you at the time.”

“Oh!” The three were visibly relieved by this.

Silver Moon was even pleased with himself, This proves that we are so well-known that even those from other cities visit Yueye City just to see us. Furthermore, some remember us to the point of recognizing us at a glance despite barely meeting us. As he relished in this thought, his impression of Gu Fei deepened by quite a lot. “Bro—” Just as he was about to ask Gu Fei’s name, he discovered that the Mage had squatted down once more with the rest of the trashy players to deride the Archer that they all despised.

Silver Moon felt somewhat shocked. Why is this guy’s interest in this bunch of commoners stronger than his interest in an important person like me? With this thought in mind, Silver Moon joined the crowd of squatting players and addressed them, “Gentlemen, what’s the name of that Archer who bullied you? Since we met by fate in this place, I will take it upon myself to avenge you all when I get out.” With that, he smiled cheerily at Gu Fei.

What are you smiling at me for, you f*ck*r?! Can’t you see that I don’t wanna associate myself with you? Gu Fei thought to himself as he shifted to the side by half a step. He felt as if someone wanted to get closer to him while he was taking a dump in a latrine pit... It was downright disgusting!

Meanwhile, Silver Moon mistook Gu Fei’s action as him being afraid that the space was too cramped for Silver Moon, so the latter kindly gave the former more space. Silver Moon was instantly delighted by this as he glanced at everyone emotionally, awaiting their reply to his suggestion.

“Who are you?” Someone suddenly sank the spirits of Silver Moon with this seemingly innocent question, causing Gu Fei to sputter as he stifled his laughter.

Everyone curiously stared at him, not understanding what Gu Fei found so funny. Gu Fei quickly recovered himself and introduced the arrogant prick to everyone, “Silver Moon here came from Yueye City. Have you guys heard of the Past Deeds Guild?”

“Oh...” everyone chorused.

Silver Moon. That person was almost as famous as Close Combat Mage 27149 who had single-handedly cut down No Smile eight times. However, while the source of Close Combat Mage’s fame lay in his PvP prowess, Silver Moon’s fame lay in his OP equipment.

The story of the protracted guild war in Yueye City had long spread on the forums. The players of Parallel World were engaged in a verbal war on the forums as they wantonly discussed and analyzed Silver Moon’s equipment. It was rumored that he had a top-grade sword that could bolster the stats of his teammates, turning them into monstrously strong PvPers. The skill was dubbed by others as ‘City of Golden Armor’.

This topic had been debated for the longest time; it was only when Past Deeds was entirely eradicated that the interest for the OP equipment of Silver Moon waned and gradually disappeared. Silver Moon did not make any earth-shaking move after his guild collapsed, and rumors had it that he was on the run. It seemed that this was truly the case; otherwise, why would he be in Yunduan City’s prison with them?

Everyone’s “Oh” echoed for quite some time as they each entered a contemplative state for quite a while. Silver Moon was very ecstatic by their protracted “Oh”, as he thought that he had brought everyone toward a new high. Silver Moon gazed at everyone with a satisfied expression on his face as he recalled his past glory.

While everyone was smiling on the surface, all of them were thinking inside, “F*ck! He’s just a dog without a leash, yet he’s acting as if he’s an unparalleled existence!”

Silver Moon felt proud of himself despite leading a losing army because he still considered himself as an expert who left a lasting impression on others. However, no rule saying that experts should be spared from ignominy existed. Currently, Silver Moon was an expert being disdained by the surrounding players. Looking at his gorgeous equipment, they could only sigh, At least, this guy is handsomely attired!

Since Silver Moon did not know what the others were thinking right now, he even added, “I am currently in the midst of forming a mercenary group. Since we are now acquainted, I can help you guys get revenge and I won’t even collect fees from you all.”

Everyone felt ecstatic upon hearing that someone was willing to be their ‘punisher’ for free and began to enthusiastically describe Royal God Call to Silver Moon. Gu Fei listened by the side and provided input from time to time. In the end, Royal God Call turned out to be a tall, chubby individual who wore gaudy equipment; his heels never touched the ground when he walked and his eyes overflowed with wretched intent.

Gu Fei had no words to say if Silver Moon still found Royal God Call with such a ‘helpful’ description from him, as that would be heavens’ will. If that is really the will of heavens, you’re better off giving up, Royal!

During their animated discussion, the ignored ‘customers’ of Gu Fei coldly interrupted, “Big bro Silver Moon, shan’t you help avenge us for our grudge as well?”

“Of cour...” Silver Moon began to unconsciously accept their request when he stopped. Aren’t they the ones bearing a grudge against this Mage? He took a liking to the Mage Gu Fei who instantly recognized him, so Silver Moon swallowed the last word on the tip of his tongue. With that, he put on righteous expression on his face as he said, “We’ve all become acquainted through fate. This... Your request.... It’s truly awkward to perform.”

With that, he smiled at Gu Fei once more. Evidently, he said that to pull Gu Fei to his side. The men snorted and did not say another word. Silver Moon felt this exchange made him and the Mage closer, so he boldly moved nearer Gu Fei and asked, “Brother, what’s your name?”

“Thousand Miles Drunk,” Gu Fei replied.

“When did you visit Yueye City? I don’t seem to recall seeing you!” Silver Moon asked.

“Long ago. Since you are quite the ‘big deal’, you probably won’t recall meeting a nobody like me.” As Gu Fei said this aloud, he thought to himself, You are someone I’ve defeated before, and it’s not even worth mentioning. Do you know that this big bro right here has killed you twice?

Silver Moon nodded his head and continued, “So that’s how it is. Now that I’m here in Yunduan City to play, I’m developing a mercenary group. Brother, I wonder if you’re interested in joining my group?”

“Sorry, but I’m already in one,” Gu Fei rejected him outright.

“Oh, which mercenary group would this be?” Silver Moon asked.

“Uhm. Our idiotic leader doesn’t allow us to casually reveal our group’s name to others. He said it’s to maintain an air of mystery,” Gu Fei fabricated. He did not know if Silver Moon was aware that Young Master’s Elite mercenary group was the catalyst for the Past Deeds’ fall from grace, but their identities would easily be found out once the three lay eyes on the other members. Young Master Han’s and Sword Demon’s unique appearance would be a dead giveaway, since none of them bothered to cover their faces during their participation in the guild war.

As for calling Young Master Han idiotic, that was simply a cathartic remark that Gu Fei often attached to the man’s name whenever he thought of him. And yet, Silver Moon mistook his ‘idiotic leader’ comment as Gu Fei expressing his dissatisfaction toward his mercenary group, so he sighed sympathetically, “To actually have such a rule. How odd, indeed!”

Gu Fei merely smiled and did not pursue the subject, resulting in their conversation to end abruptly. A ‘customer’ of Royal God Call came over and interjected, “Big bro Silver Moon, what’s your level now? We can’t appraise it at all!”

Silver Moon laughed complacently, “Level 40.”

Gu Fei felt shocked upon hearing his answer and he quickly used his Appraisal skill on Silver Moon as well. His Appraisal indeed failed. Although his Appraisal skill’s rank was not high, it could still view some equipment information about his target provided that the player had the same or lower level than him. Gu Fei’s Appraisal failing could only mean that Silver Moon’s level was higher than his. He truly was at level 40!

Having the ability to maintain his level despite the tumultuous PvP in Yueye City, everyone saw Silver Moon in a different light than before. However, Gu Fei knew that things were not as simple as that. Players who had never been to Yueye City would never know the deep grudge existing between the two forces. After the fall of Past Deeds, Vast Lushness got hunted for a whole month and was only at level 30, so how did Silver Moon reach level 40? Was it possible for Dusky Cloud and his gang to treat him favorably?

Thinking of this, Gu Fei probed, “Oh, right. I remember that you’ve got a wife. What’s her name again? It’s a pretty long na—”

“Oh, her! Let’s not talk about her,” Silver Moon showed a crestfallen expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Fei asked.

“Women only bring you trouble! Let’s not talk about it anymore,” Silver Moon waved his hand, but his cadence was somewhat high that Gu Fei was not the only one who had noticed it.

Imprisonment was a very dull matter. Once all perceived that there seemed to be some sort of story behind a certain matter, they pestered Silver Moon into talking about it.

Silver Moon looked very unwilling. But since everyone continued on pestering him, he sighed deeply and said, “That woman... It was great when we first met; playing the game together, forming Past Deeds together, and developing it to the top guild in Yueye City. Yet, who knows that everything would begin to change after that. She associated herself with bad-mannered players, and began to act tyrannical and arrogant, causing trouble everywhere they went. For others, I could still give them a piece of my mind or kick them out of the guild; as for her, how could I deal with her? I could only pick up after her mess. We carried on like that until she offended nearly every player in Yueye City. After that... Well, you all know what happened afterward.”

“Women only bring trouble,” everyone sighed in agreement.

Gu Fei was unmoved by his emotional speech and asked instead, “Where is she now?”

“Who knows?! When Past Deeds fell, she went somewhere. I messaged her several times, but she didn’t reply even once,” Silver Moon laughed bitterly.

“Heartless and cowardly!” everyone commented.

Silver Moon did not say a word and only heaved a long sigh. All came over and gave their condolences; only Gu Fei remained motionless by the side with a cold expression on his face.

Silver Moon’s emphatic speech might be enough to fool these few players of Yunduan City who were strangers to the matter in Yueye City, yet Gu Fei, as the main instigator that caused Past Deeds’ demise, was different and he could easily tell who between Silver Moon and Vast Lushness was speaking the truth.

Vast Lushness’ domineering and tyrannical actions were true, yet such behavior was normal in Yueye City; it could even be said that that was the norm in that city.

Silver Moon pushed all the Past Deeds’ poor treatment of others toward Vast Lushness and several ‘bad-mannered’ members as if they were the only rotten eggs in the omelet. In actuality, all the Past Deeds’ members were arrogant and overbearing. Silver Moon himself acted like that, as Gu Fei recalled that he was once Yueye City’s top PKer on the Wanted Players list.

Right now, Silver Moon had a fresh set of level 40 equipment as he sat here in the prison, basking in everyone’s sympathies and praises. As for Vast Lushness, she was being hunted – or being beaten – to death by their enemies outside. She might have brought him trouble, yet the real heartless and cowardly individual here was Silver Moon.

Disdain. Endless Disdain!