Virtual World: Close Combat Mage
chapter-648

Chapter 648 – Wind in the Valley

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Aside from Gu Fei and Eternal Dominion, there was actually no one else among them that was prepared to log off for dinner. In the eyes of these players, it was these two men who were the weirdos, whereas in the duo’s eyes, this lot of gamers were the real deviants for choosing to skip a meal.

Dusky Cloud was the guild leader of a very large guild, but his nature remained unchanged as he took the chance to find out and inquire after the guilds the two men were in, and how they were doing respectively. Gu Fei knew what his intentions were and casually replied with a few throwaway sentences; he figured that it was fine as long as he could instill in Dusky Cloud the fact that he did not have such a desire. Eternal Dominion, meanwhile, was honest. Given how he had been viewed by everyone to be a local tyrant the moment he entered the game in Luori City and that he had never had the experience of being propositioned by anyone from a guild before, the man suspected nothing and simply told him the truth when Dusky Cloud tried finding out about the guild he was part of.

Dusky Cloud was secretly delighted when he heard that such a celebrated expert was actually without a guild, and he immediately began the inveiglement process. He first tried leveraging the fact that they were both within the ranks of the Five Unyielding Experts, only for Eternal Dominion to express his doubts. “You’re one of the Five Unyielding Experts, too?”

“Heh… It seems that we haven’t been formally introduced yet. My name’s Dusky Cloud.” He chuckled affably.

Eternal Dominion scratched his head, turning to look at Gu Fei to say, “Dusky Cloud? Is there such a person among the Five Unyielding Experts?”

Dusky Cloud saw the earnestness Eternal Dominion was showing and suddenly felt a little nervous as well. Indeed, he had not gotten the chance to check Parallel World’s experience leaderboards these past few days. Could someone below him have managed to squeeze him out of his position? Just as he was thinking of finding his friends to confirm this, he heard Eternal Dominion add, “The Five Unyielding Experts I remember are Drifting, Svelte Dancer, Southern Lone Blade, Deep Waters, and me!”

Dusky Cloud’s mouth hung agape. Gu Fei could no longer stand it and interjected, “What edition of the rankings do you have there? Southern Lone Blade already perished by your hands; how could he still be an Unyielding Expert?”

“Oh, I forgot about that.” Eternal Dominion came to the realization. “So, who are the five now?”

Dusky Cloud was stunned for a good moment before answering, “Now, it’s you, Drifting, me, Slyris, and Brave Surge.”

Eternal Dominion scratched his head, evidently having not heard of some of those names.

“Aside from you two, the rest are all Mages.” Gu Fei, on the other hand, knew a lot.

“Yeah. Isn’t Brave Surge someone from Yunduan City?” Dusky Cloud asked.

Gu Fei nodded. “He’s also a guild leader.”

“I’ve heard that before,” Dusky Cloud commented.

“Does Miles bro know anything about Slyris?” Dusky Cloud continued to inquire.

“She’s a lady from Xiawu City.” Gu Fei told him.

The situation with the Five Unyielding Experts was no secret, and anyone interested could easily learn more on the forums after a bit of nosing about. Dusky Cloud actually had quite an understanding of his fellow Unyielding Experts, and he was merely using these information tidbits to find a topic to chat with Gu Fei. Otherwise, he would be unable to stand it if the two men started talking about things like single hook, double palm strike, palm thrust, spinning elbow, and other such things. Furthermore, Dusky Cloud was the de facto head of the Ten Guild Alliance here in Yueye City, and he no longer made decisions based on his hot-bloodedness or his likes and dislikes. Recruiting newcomers, coordinating with his fellow guild members, negotiating with other guilds… Even though he was just the leader inside a MMO, the fact was he still had plenty of responsibilities to shoulder. Being in the position that Dusky Cloud was now in, he too had every intention to give it his all and do a good job leading the alliance, so of course he could no longer act like before and say things without putting any thought to it.

Take now as an example; he originally had nothing to talk about with Gu Fei and Eternal Dominion, but he managed to find a common topic between them after much effort. This very suave method of dealing with this situation was similar to how Silver Moon did things in the past. Had he persisted with the temperament of the Dusky Cloud from before, they would not even be talking now since there was nothing to talk about. It would be unlike what was happening right now; he would not see the need to waste time talking nonsense just for him to keep a conversation going with the other party, especially when he already knew about the topic in question. Sometimes, even Dusky Cloud found his present self a little nauseating each time he thought back on how he had acted during such times. He suddenly thought of that timeless saying, ‘When one is in Jianghu, one will soon adapt accordingly,’ and realized how applicable it was to his current predicament.

Dusky Cloud went through the topics and changed them in such a fashion that the conversation slowly shifted back to the issue of guild development, as he spoke in detail about the ideals he hoped to achieve by establishing his guild, as well as the major problems he was currently facing; one of which was of course the lack of talented individuals in the guild. The conversation digressed once more, and just as he was about to probe the guild-less Eternal Dominion about his thoughts on the matter, he saw Gu Fei come to a halt. “Alright, Old Cloud. Why are you sending us so far for? It’s not like we don’t know our way back. You should head back now and quickly continue to practice the efficient monster grinding routine!”

“Ah?” Dusky Cloud froze up. It seemed that the other party did not hear a word of what he had said before when he was trying to build an amiable rapport. Dusky Cloud was in tears; he was still not very good at doing this sort of thing! Helpless, he was about to wave his hand and bid farewell when Gu Fei became alert. “Someone’s here!”

“What?” Dusky Cloud was taken aback.

“A Thief on Stealth.” Gu Fei said this as he leaped to the side. Eternal Dominion’s reaction was extremely nimble as well. Lifting his hand and thrusting it out, he scattered white dust about. Unfortunately, the valley they were was windy, and Eternal Dominion did not consider the wind direction when he scattered the white dust, so it ended up dispersing in the wind, coating the three men with the powder, instead. Gu Fei and Eternal Dominion did not really seem bothered by it, but it was Dusky Cloud who felt miserable. Thieves had the habit of going into Stealth once they were to engage in a fight. Dusky Cloud was in the process of doing just that when Eternal Dominion’s white dust was blown over to him, interrupting his Stealth and leaving him staring blankly as he stood there, completely at a loss on what he should do. He was one of the formidable Five Unyielding Experts from Yueye City – a region known for its crazy PK-ing. After his Stealth got interrupted in such a manner, what experience he had was momentarily insufficient, and he was completely clueless on what he should be doing now.

“Dodge!” Gu Fei was also surprised when he saw Dusky Cloud stood there petrified like a wooden block. He had fought alongside with normal players plenty of times, and even though most of them had no idea how to detect where the Stealthed Thieves were positioned, most would at least very expertly run off when they realized that one was around. At the very least, they would not just stand there and wait for the Thief to strike. Dusky Cloud was someone from Yueye City, after all; why would not even know something so common?

Dusky Cloud snapped out of his daze and hurried to reposition himself, deftly zigzagging and throwing a hand of white dust when he turned around.

Yueye City was adjacent to Baishi City, and with the increase of players traveling between cities, the wondrous item called the ‘white dust’ was no longer just something only players in Baishi City would use, and it was more likely for players residing in the PK-crazed Yueye City than the players from Baishi City itself to be carrying a pouch or two around.

Dusky Cloud did not throw this out without any consideration like what Eternal Dominion had done. The man made sure to take note of the wind’s direction before he loosened the pouch and emptied its content. The dust covered a wide area thanks to the wind’s help, and instantly, eight Thieves were exposed by that one action.

These eight Thieves all had their faces masked, yet Dusky Cloud was already laughing emotionlessly. “Wraith Pig, you idiot. What’s the point of keeping your face covered in such a manner? Do you really think that I wouldn’t recognize you, m*th*f*ck*r?”

In Gu Fei and Eternal Dominion’s eyes, the eight Thieves that had so abruptly appeared looked identical to one another going by the way they were dressed and with their similar physique, and this made it really hard to differentiate them from one another. Gu Fei was surprised that Dusky Cloud was able to recognize this player from these sparse details, and he could not help but see the man in a new light.

Meanwhile, when this person heard his name being called out thusly, and that Dusky Cloud had managed to identify him, he glumly pulled off the cloth that was covering his face. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Dusky Cloud’s expression change. “D*mn. It’s really you, m*th*rf*ck*r!”

“F*ck!” The player called Wraith Pig instantly became flustered, looking as if he wanted to place the cloth back on his face, but having already pulled it off in the first place, keeping his face hidden any further would just be meaningless. In that moment when this Thief was left at a loss on what to do, the other seven men beside him gave him a look of contempt.

Gu Fei was dumbfounded as well! It seemed that Dusky Cloud had not truly identified the man the first time round, but had just made a lucky guess about the person’s identity! In the end, the other party was just too honest, so he got tricked by such a remark. Even Gu Fei really believed that Dusky Cloud was being serious when he called out the name; it was truly a testament of how convincing Dusky Cloud’s acting had been.

“G*dd*mm*t. Your ambushing has even gotten you setting your sights on yours truly.” Dusky Cloud continued his mirthless laughter.

Based off what Gu Fei overheard from this exchange, he was certain that the two parties were acquainted, and it was very likely that they had quite a history between them. This sort of altercation between guilds was really just a pile of bad debts and grudges, sometimes even going as far as to antagonize each other for the sake of antagonizing each other. If somebody were to ask one of the parties the reason for their bad blood, there was a high chance the answer would be something along the lines of: “He’s too arrogant, so he deserves a beating!”

There was no right or wrong when it came to this sort of altercation, and Gu Fei believed it to be nothing more than a form of entertainment players sought for at the end of the day. Thus, he did not feel that it was his place to spoil things. Waving his hand to Dusky Cloud, he said, “I’ll leave you to your business, Old Cloud; we’re taking our leave first.”

“Ah?” Dusky Cloud was shocked, and even the other eight Thieves found this strange. The pair were obviously on friendly terms with Dusky Cloud, so even if they were not particularly close friends, was it not just a tad bit too shameless to casually say “We’re taking our leave first” in such a situation?

Dusky Cloud was also unprepared for this. His memory of Gu Fei was the man who demonstrated a strong brotherhood code when he lent a hand to help put down Past Deeds a long time ago, causing an earthshaking upheaval that shook the entire city. He did not consider how different the matter at hand was to what had happened before. There were very specific factors to that situation with Past Deeds back then, but the Gu Fei right now was uninterested in disturbing their pursuit of fun in the game.

Alas, Dusky Cloud could not possibly rush over, hugging Gu Fei’s leg as he was leaving and wailing, “Save me! Don’t go!” All he could do was stare blankly as he bade farewell like how he would usually say goodbye, “Oh… Have a good one…”

“Thanks.” Gu Fei nodded, not even turning around as he nonchalantly walked away. Eternal Dominion, for his part, followed him hesitantly. He turned around, doubtful. “Shouldn’t we help?”

When Wraith Pig saw how lost Dusky Cloud looked, a sardonic laughter burst forth. “Dusky Pig, don’t be afraid. You want their help, don’t you? I’ll help you ask them.” Dusky Pig and Wraith Pig seemed to be nicknames the other party mockingly called of their accord. Just like how Dusky Pig’s real name was Dusky Cloud, Wraith Pig’s real name would of course not be Wraith Pig, but Wraithspeak.

Wraithspeak waved his hand once he was finished with his words, and four Thieves came lunging out toward Gu Fei and Eternal Dominion.

Dusky Cloud was quite devious himself; the moment Wraithspeak made his move, he realized that the man must have not recognized Gu Fei and Eternal Dominion. They probably thought that they were just two men who were afraid of the ensuing confrontation, which was why they were leaving. As such, Wraithspeak and his men were hoping to have the prestige of killing the two to torment Dusky Cloud.

Actually, were it not for Dusky Cloud knowing just how powerful the pair of kung fu practitioners were, he would not have any idea what other explanation there could be to justify why the two men were leaving. Anyway, since he saw that Wraithspeak was courting death now that he intend to trouble those two, Dusky Cloud was secretly delighted, yet he kept a serious expression. “Come at me directly for your issues with me; don’t trouble my friends, too!”

The long time Dusky Cloud had spent as a guild leader was not at all in vain, having learned how to be crafty after having interacted with so many players in the process. He knew the more he said thusly, the enemies would be all the more convinced to act. After all, these Thieves had no interest in killing the two, but they would be more than happy to do exactly what Dusky Cloud had no wish of them doing. After all, that was the mentality these men, who held such hatred toward someone, possessed.

“You should be more concerned with your own circumstance first!” Wraithspeak boomed in a deep voice, bringing the remaining three men with him to surround Dusky Cloud. He had quite a good understanding of Dusky Cloud’s strength. Even though he was one of the Five Unyielding Experts, the four men were not weaklings. They should be more than enough to take this lone man down.

Wraithspeak understood this, but it was of course Dusky Cloud who was actually very clear just how this would ultimately unfold. Of course, Dusky Cloud had no intentions of clashing with these four head on, much less when there was a show that he was still looking forward!

Dusky Cloud opted to retreat instead of pressing forward, allowing him to back off a good distance with a swift dodge backward. Wraithspeak laughed coldly. “Dusky Pig, what are you doing? This doesn’t seem to be your style!” From what he understood of Dusky Cloud, the man would never retreat in situations where death was inevitable; to Dusky Cloud, exchanging the lives of these two for his own would have been considered worthwhile, while killing two would be seen as a profit.

“Could it be that, since you are now ranked as one of the Five Unyielding Experts, you started becoming protective of your level?” Wraithspeak’s eyes glinted malevolently even as he said this. The more Dusky Cloud cherished something, the happier he would be ruining it for him.

Dusky Cloud did not bother giving him an answer, running even as he looked over to what was happening on Gu Fei’s side. In the end, what he saw stunned him. Wraithspeak also noticed what he was doing, and seeing that blank expression on his face as he looked in a certain direction, he only felt an indescribable enjoyment wash over him, immediately turning his head back. “So soon?”

“Yeah! So soon…” Dusky Cloud answered. It was really too quick. Dusky Cloud was still trying to find a moment of breather to get a glimpse of the show, yet by the time he looked over, those four Thieves were already gone, while Eternal Dominion and Gu Fei were already standing there, facing them.

“Eh? Have they not made their move yet?” Wraithspeak wondered.

Dusky Cloud swept his gaze over to that Thief, wondering to himself just what sort of crazy talk the man was spouting.

It was no crazy talk from Wraithspeak. He had not found it strange not to see the four players because they were Thieves, and it was common for them to be on Stealth prior to striking, but he soon did a double-take. All of us were exposed by that scattering of white dust moments ago. Since my Stealth is still on cooldown, so there’s no way that those four can be in Stealth mode, but because none of them were anywhere to be seen…

“This…” Wraithspeak’s m outh was agape, a look of disbelief affixed on his face. Dusky Cloud felt great when he saw that look on Wraithspeak’s face. That was the effect he wanted; Thousand Miles Drunk and Eternal Dominion had indeed not disappointed him.

Gu Fei originally did not intend to interfere with this, but when the four Thieves arrogantly lunged at them to initiate the fight, why would Gu Fei care to extend any sort of civility to them? A lift of his hand had sent three to their graves. By the time the fourth realized that everything had gone awry and tried to escape, he had already ended up getting combo-ed by Eternal Dominion’s flurry of punches – truly the most tragic fate out of the lot. Eternal Dominion, who had already been enlightened, was utilizing the suite of his Gu family’s Dragon Fist when it came to PKing in all its viciousness and violence.

This time, the enemies took the initiative to fight him when Gu Fei was hesitating, but it was thanks to that that he should just finish off the remaining four men along the way, but in the end, those four just stood rooted to the ground over there, blankly staring at Eternal Dominion and him.

“Ahem…” Gu Fei cleared his throat. “Are you coming?”

“Coming?” Wraithspeak was shocked.

“To fight?” Gu Fei continued.

“Fight what?” Wraithspeak asked.

“Aren’t you guys intending to fight us as well?” Gu Fei challenged.

Wraithspeak would be too much of a fool if he could not even tell that these two men were actually people he could not afford to take on, so after a good moment’s hesitation, he finally gathered the courage. “Can I go back on my word?”

“Ha ha ha ha!” Dusky Cloud was laughing uproariously. “A man who was willing to step up and back down as necessary, you’re really quite the man, Wraith Pig.”

Wraithspeak realized he had made a huge misstep today, but he was left wondering why those two men had chosen to run off if they were actually so powerful. While Wraithspeak was the person who had stepped up to speak out of the eight, the fact was that their strength was about the same with one another. If the four before had been killed off so instantly, the remaining four were sure to have an equally bad time.

This was when the four comrades of his that had died sent a message over. “We got insta-killed by a single Twin Incineration!”

When that line was sent to him, any player who was even in the least bit aware of the gossip that propagated Parallel World would know who this person was. Wraithspeak’s eyes were opened wide as he stuttered, “You-You’re-You’re Thousand Miles Drunk?”

“That’s right.” Gu Fei nodded as unpretentiously as when he said ‘we’re taking our leave first’ earlier.

This was when Wraithspeak realized that what he had done was as good as committing suicide. He’s Thousand Miles Drunk! The man who single-handedly turned the tables on Past Deeds back in the days… Rumors were such frightening stuff, and the current version of these rumors regarding what had transpired back then got to such a legendary degree.

“Uhm… I’ve still got something else on. Dusky Pig, we’ll settle our scores another time,” Wraithspeak excused himself as he led his men to flee. What he did looked really childish, but it was actually very clever on their part. Upon realizing that the other party had someone as indomitable as Thousand Miles Drunk, Wraithspeak had immediately considered that the man was not being afraid when he previously moved to leave, but was likely to have just been unwilling to intervene in their matter. When the man asked him if he was coming to fight, his tone and choice of words meant that he perhaps had a chance of escaping with their lives if he opted not to fight.

He was not going to die if he could avoid it; that was Wraithspeak’s style, and this was the one point which very evidently made him different from Dusky Cloud. The two being unable to see eye to eye was naturally not without reasons. Aside from the incident that was the cause of their hostility, even their personality clashed with each other.

This gamble Wraithspeak took a chance on turned up aces for him. Sure enough, Gu Fei did not give them grief now that they had chosen to back off with their tails between their legs. Actually, this was the attitude Gu Fei always had toward PK; if the opponent admitted defeat and wished to leave, he would usually not bother to make things even more difficult for the other party, unless he had set his mind on slaying the opponent, just like what he had done with No Smile and Southern Lone Blade’s team last time. There were other instances where he had made exceptions as well, such as during the Mercenary PvP tournament, or when he was helping Traversing Four Seas complete their guild mission – whenever there was a reason to pursue for the kill, Gu Fei would not hesitate to make a separate judgment.

Gu Fei did not care that Wraithspeak was leaving, and Dusky Cloud did not chase after them either. Actually, he had originally called for his guildmates, who were practicing in Youye Valley, to come to his aid fast, but Wraithspeak ended up biting off more than he could chew when he provoked Gu Fei, which landed him in his current predicament. Dusky Cloud found this entire affair quite hilarious, hailing his guildmates that it was no longer necessary for them to make their way over even as he expressed his thanks to Gu Fei.

“It was just self-defense on our part,” Gu Fei stated.

“That guy…” Dusky Cloud sighed as he shook his head repeatedly.

“Who is that guy?” This time, Gu Fei could not help but probed out of curiosity.

“That man used to be part of my guild, but we had a falling out over a certain matter, so he quit the guild and did not stop pestering me ever since.” Dusky Cloud shrugged helplessly. With an alliance of guilds that boasted over 4,000 members, how could they be harmonious and bonded like steel ingots? Dusky Cloud had never had so many issues to contend with when he was simply in charge of his small guild a long time ago. In the end, he learned that having such a huge guild was not such a blissful matter.

“Those guys are a little baffling!” Gu Fei said.

“Oh? How so?” Dusky Cloud hurriedly asked.