Virtual World: Close Combat Mage
chapter-644

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

No Smile’s mood was naturally extremely foul at this point, yet Young Master Han continued to unleash the full force of his sarcasm by tormenting the man. “Bro, you want to join us? Do you not know the name of our mercenary group? Young Master’s Elite! E-L-I-T-E, did you hear that? Do you really think you’re qualified to join us?”

War Without Wounds rumbled with laughter as he chimed in, “This guy’s an elite? He’s more like an spe— ¹ ahem, never mind…” War Without Wounds originally wanted to make a very suggestive joke at the expense of No Smile, but he quickly stopped himself when he suddenly realized that a large group of ladies had already charged right over, and that making such a comment would ruin his image in front of these ladies. However, the man felt that his creativity was simply too amazing, and was feeling anxious if he did not say it out quickly.

The others had already gathered what he had wanted to say, and when they saw just how troubled he was at having to say it in front of all these ladies, Brother Assist clapped him on his back. “Alright, we know…”

“Yeah! HA HA HA!” War Without Wounds was happy, delighted now that his comrades had all gotten his amazing creative wordplay.

F*ck!” No Smile stopped acting like a dog with his tail between his legs and decided to make a reckless play, putting his life on the line as he went pouncing on Young Master Han.

However, Young Master Han disregarded his action, not even making the effort to evade this attack as he tossed a Heal on himself. He merely took care of his glass of liquor, as if the content of it were more important than his HP.

No Smile was miserable; the difference between the quality of their equipment was too significant! That bit of damage output he could deal was no match for the healing Young Master Han could do; even though someone possessing a combat job class like him would end up with the upper hand in the long run, how would he even have the chance to continue grinding his HP away in his current situation? Svelte Dancer had already danced her way right next to him like a raging hurricane.

No Smile did not wish to stay and wait for his death, but he did feel that escaping was too difficult for him, and he would rather risk his life and bring Young Master Han down with him. In the end, when he saw that his damage output was not even enough to make the man turn to react, he realized that dying together with Young Master Han was nothing but a foolish dream. Thus, in an attempt to try his hand at escaping, he swiftly gave up on his assault to Young Master Han and decided to go into Stealth. In the end, a whole bunch of ladies came running to him with white dust scattered all over the place. Forget No Smile, even that table of twelve men were dusted by that move. Poor Young master Han would rather take all that dust flung in his face as he did his best to protect that half-glass of liquor in his hand, but it instantly became a glass of liquor sludge.

“F*ck me!” Young Master Han was infuriated, slapping the table before him as he got up.

No Smile was elated, feeling as if the mistake these ladies had made wound up offending someone they could not afford to offend. He thought he had found himself an opportunity to slip out in the troubled waters.

In the end, everyone saw Young Master Han, the dignified Priest that he was, lift his leg up and unceremoniously kick No Smile, not even giving off the aura of an expert at all, but that of a hooligan ready to engage in a street fight, instead.

Nobody knew if it was because the emergence of this kick from Young Master Han was too sudden, but No Smile actually failed to avoid it, so Young Master Han’s boot landed firmly on him. A kick from a Priest hardly did any damage, and it left No Smile crying even as no tears came out. These guys truly lack any virtue; was I even the one who scattered the dust? Why is he venting his frustrations on me?

Alas, that kick alone was not the end of it. There were twelve men seated at that table, and while Young Master Han was in pain over his liquor, the others were hurting over their hairstyle and equipment! Each of their heads was now littered with white flecks of dust; what sort of look was that? The whole table of men bared their teeth in seething anger as they stood up and stalked over to ring No Smile. The ladies were all anxious; this prey was theirs!

“Don’t you dare to steal this kill; I’ll slay anyone who snatches it!” Svelte Dancer barked out her threat.

Everyone stopped moving when they heard this. None of them was a stranger to Svelte Dancer; in fact, they knew her temperament all too well. There was no room for discussions with this lady as she truly had no qualms stabbing anyone who piqued her.

Furthermore, the rest of the ladies were also flustered. Chasing after Svelte Dancer, they shouted, “Slow down, Xiaowu! Let us beat him up a little, too!”

No Smile was depressed. He was a living and breathing human being, yet he was being viewed as no more than a punching bag being fought over by everyone.

It was very likely No Smile would be dead with a stab from Svelte Dancer, and while the lady was not one to be courteous or humble to others, she actually looked upon the ladies in her guild very fondly. Thus, when she heard how everyone also wanted to enjoy taking their turn to beat up No Smile, she did not choose to end the man’s life that quickly, gesturing for the others to go ahead and take their turn before she did.

These ladies were not even alike the male players at all; they had all been fighting to be first and were afraid of being left behind just moments ago, yet they were now showing great concern and care for one another with their quarry right before them, courteously letting the others land the first strike.

Young Master Han was not in the least bit gracious, and he kicked No Smile several times while all this transpired. No Smile was already surrounded, and he knew that there was no way he could survive this with his life intact, but he could not possibly be such a coward as to let this Priest kick him around like this! He waved his dagger wildly as he kicked up a storm like he had gone insane. Since he was going to die, he might as well let these people suffer in process!

When Young Master Han saw the man acting like a lunatic, he casually took his glass from the table and splashed it right at No Smile.

The glass contained liquor and the sludge due to the white dust included in it, and it splattered right onto No Smile’s face.

“My eyes!” No Smile yelled, both his hands going to his face, but it seemed that he had forgotten he was still holding his dagger, promptly stabbing himself right in the face.

A self-inflicted stab would still deal damage. No Smile wiped his brows as his blood flowed; his face was a mess now with his blood getting mixed with the liquor and white dust sludge. The ladies were also finished with their civilities; who else would be more qualified and had more reasons to give the first punch than July herself?

July was standing at the head of these ladies after they nudged her forward. In truth, the matter between No Smile and her had happened a long time ago, and the feelings that she had felt back then were long gone. There was no need to talk about the animosity she had toward him, either. Hatred would mean she took the matter to heart, but July had long since treated No Smile as a stranger. How she ended up making the trip down to Baishi City at his appearance was largely under the urge of furious, passionate young women like Svelte Dancer and Lie Lie. To put it in more unpleasant terms, the emperor himself was not in a hurry despite his eunuchs being all anxious for him. July herself no longer had any hang-up with this matter, yet the other ladies pitching in to help July get her revenge now had all found this to be a very enjoyable pursuit..

The fraternity of ladies was united, and each of them supported this particular activity, so July had no wish to brush off their well-meaning intentions; thus, she went along with everything. Since everybody had given her the chance for the first strike, she was not about to be courteous, either. Even though she was no longer taking this matter with No Smile seriously, she would still take pleasure in giving the man a good beating.

No Smile had just stabbed himself in the head, and was still panicking as he cried out for his eyes. In the end, he felt the bridge of his nose dip, as he took a punch square in the face. July looked physically frail and skinny, but because she had a Fighter job class, and she had unleashed that punch with her skill, the destructiveness of her punch went beyond that of a Warrior’s punch. No Smile’s body crumpled right there and then. Being unable to see, it was that much harder for him to get a grasp of his balance, and he flailed about wildly for support as he went down, managing to grab the back of an empty chair. Alas, because he was falling back so forcefully, the chair flipped, and No Smile found himself planted down on the ground in the next second.

There were quite a crowd present in the tavern, and although No Smile looked to be tremendously pitiful, the fact remained that this was a PK situation, and No Smile was not a beautiful damsel in distress. Barely anyone was interested to step in with their weapons drawn, so all everyone did was quietly watch the spectacle unfold.

No Smile was now sprawled on the ground. With no one stepping forward to lend a hand, No Smile could not even open his eyes fully as he leapt to his feet using his one hand on the ground for support while his other hand gripped his dagger tightly. He continued to slash and cut to his left and right in manic fury, yelling as he waved his arms all over the place, “Come on, then! Once more! I’m not afraid of you all!”

“Don’t get anywhere near him first. Let him go wild for a bit.” Luo Luo saw that Lie Lie was about to go up and give No Smile his second punch, so she stepped forward to stop her, signaling to everyone to give the man space and let him lash out at the empty air around him.

Young Master’s Elite and Southern Lone Blade’s team of seven quietly complied, shuffling to the side even as they wondered to themselves. Who is it that said women are soft-hearted? Look at just how merciless this lady here is, intent on messing with No Smile to the very end.

No Smile’s flurry of furious and unrestrained cuts and stabs this whole time left him dizzy, yet his attack connected with no one. No one was even responding as he yelled himself hoarse throughout the entire sequence. Nobody uttered a word in the tavern anymore as everyone quietly watched this person roar and wildly swing about as if he were having a seizure.

After a good moment, No Smile realized that there was something off about the situation. Wait a minute; why is everything so quiet? No Smile stopped his shouting and discovered that there was not a sound around him.

Where is everyone? No Smile wondered to himself as he stopped his crazed actions, finding the time to rub both his eyes. He opened his eyes with difficulty, taking in the blurry sight before him. Everyone was still around! Just as he got his bearings, he felt another force apply upon his nose bridge as another punch landed on it again. This time, it was Lie Lie who had thrown this punch, and she was a lot more ruthless than July. That one punch for her did not even give No Smile the chance to grab a chair for support as he was sent toppling backward.

Ultimately, before he could land flat on the ground, his collar was seized by someone. No Smile lifted his head and saw a female Warrior, with dust still smeared all over her face. This lady smiled at him when he looked up, lifting her arm high and holding him in the air. This female Warrior whirled her arms twice in a windmill motion and spun No Smile two full revolutions before she let him go, sending the man sailing through the air. The players standing where she had thrown the men dispersed in their surprise, none of them expecting the lady to toss him right at them.

No Smile crashed landed right into a table and three benches. July and Luo Luo hurried over and apologized to the players who were startled by this move before turning back to blame June’s Rain. “Xiaoyu, don’t be so rash! Bruising people isn’t good, and damaging the furniture here will result in compensation.”

Svelte Dancer proudly laughed. “Don’t worry; just damage whatever. I’ll be taking care of the bill today.”

“Is that so? That’s great!” June’s Rain was overjoyed as she broke a table into pieces right next to her with a wave of her arm.

“That… That’s not what I meant…” Svelte Dancer was stunned. She did not mean that June’s Rain could just directly destroy the tables and chairs for her entertainment; Xiaoyu was really a little too muddled-headed at times.

No Smile had taken two punches to the head, and several kicks from Young Master Han, but it was unfortunate that the damage from these series of attacks were nothing significant, and the Thief was still alive and kicking. Uncertain of just what other cruel methods he might suffer at the hands of these people, No Smile decided to just lie there and not get up.

“Feigning death, are you?” Svelte Dancer was prepared to walk up to him and pick him up.

“Xiaowu, be careful. That guy is very crafty,” Luo Luo hurriedly warned.

“Me? Afraid of him?” Svelte Dancer scoffed openly, kicking him twice when she walked right up to that ‘corpse’. “Get up!”

No Smile did not move, having decided that he was going to fake his death.

The cheapness of humans knew no bounds, and once someone acted shamelessly, there was really nothing anyone else could do about it. Most of these ladies were still rather mild-mannered and were not as spirited as Lie Lie or Svelte Dancer. They were not the sort that would fight for a chance to kick or punch the man, and seeing that it was more or less done, and the man was no longer putting up a fight, Svelte Dancer simply took care of No Smile with a clean stab.

Everyone in the tavern heaved a long sigh. All of them deeply realized the truth of this statement: ‘No one can afford to offend a woman.’

“Awesome!” Even though that final stab Svelte Dancer had executed was nothing exciting, she already felt great being able to witness No Smile go through that entire session of beating, so she was more than happy to loudly declare how she was feeling right now.

Young Master Han and the eleven other men were currently cleaning themselves up after this lot of ladies from Amethyst Rebirth scattered their pouches of white dust all over. They were not the only ones; plenty of the patrons were collaterally affected by their tosses. Still, seeing that they were all women, everyone simply endured it. The shameless War Without Wounds and Royal God Call even tried flirting with the ladies as they cleaned the dust off their faces!

“Thanks a lot! Do inform us if you see any trace of that guy again…” Svelte Dancer said.

“Isn’t he at the Thieves’ Union now? Why don’t we all go there right now and continue this hunt?” War Without Wounds and Royal God Call made the move to invite the ladies. They loved doing activities with the ladies, finding it far more interesting than doing the instructor job the other men here were engaged in.

In the end, these two were already bickering with each other before the ladies could give their answer. Royal God Call threw a side-glance at War Without Wounds. “What are you even hunting for? With those thick thighs of yours, can you even catch up to that man’s pinky?”

War Without Wounds was not about to lose out, and he immediately rebutted sarcastically, “Can you even hunt him down? Do you even know which direction the sun sets once you step out of the door? You’d best take care not to end up in space giving chase after No Smile.”

“Alright, enough with the arguing! We’re not wasting time tracking that man down. We’ll just kill him if we bump into him next time!” The ladies had spent quite some time grinding with Royal God Call and War Without Wounds before; in fact, the time they spent with these two men was more than the time they spent with Gu Fei, despite him being their actual fellow guild member. They were much more familiar with the two in comparison, so they were not too fussy with being courteous to them.

Seeing that there was no fun to be had, the two sighed and did not say a word. The ladies were in no hurry to leave either, so they came forward and tried to learn more about the efficient monster grinding routines.

“There’s no use asking us about this; we are just employees. Wait till tomorrow when Miles get along; he’s the one you want!” Young Master Han answered. He could tell that these ladies intend to take a backdoor here. This was but the way of the world, and Young Master Han completely had no issues with them doing so, but he truly had no way of helping them. Regarding the efficient grinding routine for the next grinding map, these men simply had nothing else they could do until Miles and Eternal Dominion develop the relevant routines.

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No Smile was still sprawled on the ground when he got revived at the spawn point. The man was feeling even more aggrieved this time despite having experienced losing ten levels at one go before. He had already abandoned his dignity when he faced them with a smile instead of anger, believing that they would not seek to punish him after he had admitted his mistake, yet who would have guessed that they would strike at him so cruelly instead? At the moment, he was really feeling all alone in this cold world. Is there any reason for me to continue playing this game? What sort of fun is there for me at this rate? No Smile was in a daze as this thought ran through his mind…

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The ladies chatted with Young Master Han and the others about their efficient monster grinding routine venture, and they were all a little jealous when they heard how much these men made. In a stroke of brilliance, Brother Assist asked if they were interested in working with them. Brother Assist was not an inconsiderate person and knew that the gaming skills of these ladies were average at best. It would be illogical to send them out to become instructors, but it might not be a bad idea to get these ladies to help out with the administrative task of sorting through the mail and so on.

Even though the two bosses of this business venture were not present, Brother Assist had already gotten a good grasp of their personality, so even if he acted first and reported afterward about this, neither of the two would disapprove of his decision. Gu Fei did not really care about this venture at all, while Eternal Dominion was not the sort to have issues about having more people to split the pot.

Meanwhile, Southern Lone Blade’s team of seven really wanted there to be fewer people in their business deep down; this was so that their share of the earnings will increase as well, but after what they had all been through with the White Mill batch, the seven men became deeply aware that they were unable to pocket this venture by themselves. The bulk of the work required was simply too much, and with Sword Demon and the others thinking of stepping down to be mere temps, they did indeed have a severe shortage of manpower. Since they would have to hire more people anyway, why would they be displeased if they got these ladies to match with the men of their workshop henceforth? When Southern Lone Blade’s team had nothing to do, they would often find themselves feeling sorry for the fact that their group comprised only men, wondering just how much better it would be if they had a lady or two in their midst to balance things out.

Brother Assist gave them an overview of the duties involved in the workshop after, especially his intention of placing the ladies in charge of sorting through the letters and the subsequent task of replying to the prospective pupils.

These ladies were no fools, especially someone as sharp as Luo Luo. The moment she heard their turnover figures, a quick and simple calculation was all it took to realize just how much this business venture could generate, but plenty of time and effort would surely be spent if they were to do it for real.

The remuneration for this work was simply too generous, allowing a player to earn 200,000 gold coins at one go. This was a sum that no one could say no to. Aside from someone like Svelte Dancer, who never had a lack of money or even considered earning money from the game in the first place, all the other ladies were a little tempted by the offer.

However, Amethyst Rebirth had a total of fifty members, and all the ladies showed great consideration and care for one another. Everyone was willing to share a good thing, and quite a few of them had not made the trek to Baishi City, so they made sure to drop this news over their guild channel for others to see.

The reason July did this was to let her members decide for themselves if they were interested in this particular work, and those who wished could go ahead and do so since Miles was one of their own, and the ladies were not all too unfamiliar with some of the other players in the workshop. Thus, all the ladies chattered noisily over the channel, weighing the pros and cons of the offer.

Brother Assist had already done the calculations for them. Seeing that the ladies present were all hesitating, and none of them looking like they would take him up on the offer at this moment, the man smiled and said, “With about 50 members in your guild, I’m honestly afraid that it might be really easy to mess things up with all of you working at one go. Besides, having more people doing this work means that the final share of the earnings won’t be as bountiful as I just mentioned.”

When the ladies heard this, all those who had been on the fence about working or otherwise actually expressed their intention to back down. “If that’s the case, I won’t be going. I’ll let the other ladies have the opportunity!”

All the ladies thought Brother Assist meant that they did not need a sizeable workforce, so each of them began to yield the job to the others.

“Wait a minute; everyone, hold your horses and let me finish,” Brother Assist hurriedly said. “The thing is, our business venture is highly profitable. A single batch, excluding Miles and Eternal Dominion taking a larger chunk of profits, and the rest of us got 250,000 gold coins each!” Brother Assist abruptly paused for a good moment before he glanced over at Southern Lone Blade’s team and continued, “These guys are professional gamers, so this is how they make a living, but we are in a different boat. To normal players like us, 250,000 gold coins is a sum that will be used solely in the game! Given the price of equipment and items in the game right now, as long as we aren’t being too much of a spendthrift with what we earned, there’s really no telling how long this amount will last us. It’s definitely a sum that would be good enough for us to stay rich for a really long time!”

“So what I meant to say is, as long as you guys aren’t intending to make a living off this particular job, everyone can totally take turns with this. Four of you can work today, and you will all earn 250,000 gold coins; tomorrow will be another four, and they will earn their 250,000 gold coins, too. At the end of the day, everyone would have money to spare, and each of you will be well on the road to prosperity. Isn’t that a good thing?” Brother Assist was all smiles saying this.