Reign of the Hunters
chapter-389-30041322

It was not a good sign.

Not being able to pass through the barrier meant that she would not be able to obtain the bow. This meant that her two months of effort would be wasted.

Just then, a notification rang out in Ye Ci’s ears, “Your external alarm is ringing. Please attend to it as soon as possible.”

Oh God. Ye Ci sighed. Time sure flies. Another day has passed.

Zuo Xiaoland and Ye Nantian had voiced out their displeasure for Ye Ci’s time spent online, and had set a time limit for Ye Ci. She must log out of the game by 11pm every single day, or her parents would press on the external bell of her gaming cabin.

It was a safety feature built into the gaming cabin in cases of emergencies. A player could be contacted from the outer world via the bell in event of an emergency. If the bell was ignored, the person at the outside world could continue pressing on the bell. The player would then be forced offline after five minutes of accumulated bell time.

Ye Ci had tried ignoring the bell, but her parents were relentless. They would often press on the bell until she was ejected out of the game.

Wait… This means that I have to go offline. And if I go offline… Ye Ci glanced at the altar. It was very bad timing to go offline.

The shrine was still in the Kira Mountain Range. And if she was forced offline, there was a chance that she would be teleported into a random location.

But the person outside the gaming cabin did not know of Ye Ci’s worries. The bell was persistently pressed until she would be forced offline.

Ye Ci was on the verge of panicking. She thought of contacting Bai Mo or Tan Polang, but the two night owls had already gone to sleep. What day is this?

There was nothing she could do within the five minutes. And she was ejected out of the game with sorrow deep in her heart.

Ye Ci climbed out of the gaming cabin and saw the smiling face of Zuo Xiaolan looking at her, “I made some congee for you. Do you want to have some before going to sleep?”

There was grief in Ye Ci’s eyes as she stared at her mother. “I’ll go take a shower and head to bed.” she shook her head with a sigh.

“Oh? Are you not going to get back online for a little while?” Zuo Xiaolan was curious. Ye Ci would always remain online throughout the night. It was very rare of her to head to bed so early.

She shook her head and replied weakly, “There’s no need for it anymore. It’s useless now.”

“What do you mean by that?” Zuo Xiaolan was baffled, but the only reply she received was the door of the bathroom slamming shut.

Perhaps due to the emotional blow that she suffered after being forced offline, Ye Ci did not wake up early in the morning; she slept until she was woken up by Zuo Xiaolan, and eventually stumbled her way to the dining table after a quick shower.

She was shocked to find Tan Polang in fanciful clothing, which was the direct opposite of what he would usually wear at home, “What with the outfit? Are you going out on a date?”

Tan Polang rolled his eyes at Ye Ci, “Do you think I’m an unpopular old man like Brother Mo who has to attend blind dates set up by his parents every year?”

“Bai Mo said the same thing when he was your age. Look what’s happening to him now.” Ye Ci chuckled at the boy.

Just as Ye Ci continued talking sarcastically about Bai Mo who had already gone home for the new year, someone slapped Ye Ci at the back of her head. “Oh you’re saying something like this when he’s gone? He’ll deal with you when he gets back.”

Ye Ci extended an arm towards the steamed buns on the table, “You and Polang are the only ones here. If he finds out, it must be either of you.”

Zuo Xiaolan rolled her eyes at her daughter and continued eating her breakfast, “Polang is going out later. Go with him.”

“What for?” Ye Ci glanced at Tan Polang, “He’s all grown up now. He doesn’t need someone going with him.”

“You’ve been staying at home and playing games for days. I wouldn’t have cared otherwise.”

Ye Ci was reluctant to go with Tan polang, but she could not defy Zuo Xiaolan’s will. After a few bouts of futile protests, she was forced to change her clothes and leave the house with Tan Polang.

The city was bustling with activity as new year was just around the corner. Ye Ci let out a yawn as she stood waiting for a bus with Tan Polang, “What’s so good about a game convention? Almost all the games are getting out of business because of Fate. Why do you even bother?”

“Say, Sister Ye, can’t you show some youthful energy? Shouldn’t game conventions be popular among young people like us? We get to try out new games, enjoy the cosplays and other activities that they have over there! Are you not interested in those at all?”

Ye Ci pursed her lips. Young? I was almost forty in my last life…

“Tell you what, Sister Ye, the Glory Corporation has hired a lot of famous cosplayers to the events There’s a lot of handsome guys over there that will make a stay at home girl with no boyfriend like you drool!”

Ye Ci shot Tan Polang a glare, but she had no words for the boy, for it was the truth that she did not have a boyfriend. Fleeting Time did not count as he was someone she knew from a game. She did not know him as a person in real life.

And she knew the boundaries between what was happening in the game and in real life.

Tan Polang was worried when Ye Ci remained silent. Have I gone overboard? “Sister Ye, are you in that sort of relationship with Fleeting Time?”

“What sort of relationship?”

Are you two a couple?”

“About that…” Ye Ci pondered the question for a little while, and gave him a very honest and objective answer, “Fleeting Time is the boyfriend of Gongzi You.”

Tan Polang tilted his head. Wait… It doesn’t sound like she’s denying it but… Does it mean that they’re a couple in game, but not in real life? Is she drawing a line with Fleeting Time when it comes to stuff in real life?

He looked up into the sky and sighed. Dear God, please don’t let me get a girlfriend like Sister Ye. I do not have the patience like Fleeting Time.

When the duo finally arrived at their destination, Tan Polang’s excitement was a direct contrast to Ye Ci’s deadpan expression. Oh God, why are there so many people! Isn’t this just a game convention? What’s with the crowd…

Due to his growth spurt, Tan Polang has grown very tall within a year. Ye Ci was gasping for air as she followed her brother through the crowd. She was almost pushed away by the crowd on several occasions, but was successfully pulled back by Tan Polang who grabbed hold of her hand.

Respite came when they finally found an area where the crowd was relatively thin. Ye Ci was exhausted. She had been following Tan Polang around in high heels. It was a miracle that she was able to keep up at all.

This earned her some ire from Tan Polang, “Why must you wear something like this, woman? Aren’t you asking for trouble?”

Ye Ci immediately stomped on Tan Polang’s foot, “You were the one who told me that you’re just looking around. I didn’t know that we’re coming to a place like this!!”

“That is so cool!!” came the voice from a crowd nearby.

“Wow! Is that guy even human?!”

“That gameplay right there! That’s word class!”

……

Tan Polang’s eyes immediately lit up when he looked at the direction of the voice, “Sister Ye, let’s go check that out! Let’s go!”

“What is that?” Ye Ci’s feet were still hurting as she was pulled along by Tan Polang.

“It’s esports! Haven’t you heard about esports?” there was a smile on Tan Polang’s face as he looked back at Ye Ci.