Virtual World: Close Combat Mage
chapter-734-30041322

Chapter 734: Chapter 734 – Numerical Superiority

Sword Demon did not really have a very good understanding when it came to guilds, so he had no idea regarding such minute details. However, the frame of the question was really too narrow that even July had not taken note of it. That was when Brother Assist came forward, sounding a little dissatisfied as he demanded, “Why didn’t you ask me this?”

“Oh, do you know the answer?” Sword Demon quickly turned around to face Brother Assist.

“Of course I do,” Brother Assist proudly puffed out his chest as he told Sword Demon, “Firstly, we need to be certain what you’re trying to find out. Do you want to know if a player’s guild applications can be held for a period of time? Or do you wish to know how a player could hold a guild application?”

“Brother Assist!” Sword Demon heavily called out his name.

“Fine, then I shall explain based on that example you’ve given. You just mentioned that a level 1 guild would have a maximum of 50 members, so if that is the condition here, then the answer is very obvious: There would be no way for players to hold their application, because the guild is already filled, and when the players apply, the system would automatically help the guild leader reject these applications,” Brother Assist said.

Sword Demon took a deep breath, “Then what sort of situation would the applications be preserved?”

“Just as a guild is about to hit their limit, if someone applies to join the guild, as long as the guild leader ignores said request, neither accepting or rejecting it and leaving it in that state of limbo, it would of course remain there the whole time. This sort of situation is very common, and many other online games often do it as well,” Brother Assist.

“Is there a limit to how many could be reserved in such a manner?” Sword Demon asked.

“Nope. But the system would clear out these requests in a timely fashion, most probably during the weekly maintenance period,” Brother Assist answered.

“This is it!” Sword Demon waved his fist.

“What’s the matter?” Everyone hurriedly asked.

“Everyone from the enemy had already sent their guild applications, but the guild leader had not done anything to them for the moment. Once the guild gets up to level 2, he could simply absorb all the members he needs all at once. They don’t have to spend too much time in the Hall of Guild Creations for that. All they need to do in this case is to just send the players who have completed their quests back to hand them in.” Sword Demon explained.

“But they can’t get in anyway if we’re guarding the building!”

“They could use a Teleportation scroll!!” Sword Demon blurted.

“Guard the inside of the building!!” Brother Assist had already turned around and shouted out the order as everyone charged into the Hall of Guild Creations. But there was not just one quest giver inside. There were as many as 12 NPCs that were important and often approached for quests, and they were all scattered throughout the entire Hall.

“Every team will guard two quest NPCs. Kill anyone who immediately appears when they teleport in!” Sword Demon quickly arranged everyone to cover the entire building, but the situation was anything but ideal. As long as the enemy left a spot in their guild empty, that meant there could possibly be up to 49 players returning with a quest. Sword Demon and his teams only had 10 more players than their 49 enemies, and most of them were the less combat-capable ladies of Amethyst Rebirth. They completely lacked the ability to wipe out all 49 combatants from Colored Clouds, but they would have no problems if it was just four men.

Seeing that everybody was dispersed and standing somewhere near the 12 NPCs, Sword Demon had also realized this problem, and he heaved a sigh, “It’s useless. It’s basically impossible for us to stop them from completing their quests…”

Brother Assist was gauging the situation from the side, “A level 1 guild would need 5000 prestige points to get up to level 2, and the average standard quest would reward about 150 or so prestige points. If we take it to be the lowest 150 points, our enemy would need to complete around 34 of these sorts of quests to get up to level 2, and having 49 people questing means they have plenty to spare. Additionally, the enemy has another 200 plus assistants on their side, so the likelihood that they run into trouble completing their quests is essentially non-existent, and all they need is a bit of time on their side. But given that these quests spreading out across the various corners in the city, even including those that might send them out of the city, there’s just no way for us to stop them!”

Everyone was feeling dejected. In the beginning, they had all been completely convinced by Sword Demon’s deduction, only to discover that the enemy already enacted a plan that had them in checkmate. There was nothing that they could do to stop them from leveling up their guild.

“Even if we killed them all off here, and then used the teleportation scrolls we have to pursue them back to their spawn point to grief kill them 25 times, even if we clear them all out, it would still just be 49 players. Since the enemy has 300 players, if all of them were to apply to the guild, they could still fill up the 200 members list and still have around 50 Priests and Knights that would not be part of the guild… There’s a frighteningly good chance that this 300 headcount is not merely due to Young Master Han’s love for tidy numbers but a prediction of the current circumstances, yes?” Brother Assist never begrudged having to ponder deeper when it involved Young Master Han.

However, Sword Demon shook his head, “Hunting down the 49 players is no more than a theoretical argument. Do you think we are able to instantaneously finish off all 49 of them in one go? Even if we can coordinate and clear them out in unison, how do we even have the necessary strength to hunt them all down in the various spawn points? Even if we do have the strength to do so, how could the enemy not have their own arrangements on their end? It may just be the 49 players who make their way over, but there are still over 200 players who aren’t coming. All they need to do is position several dozens of men in each of the spawn points and our attempt to hunt them down would end with us being griefed instead!”

“Are you telling me that all we can do is kill these people who are handing in their quest altogether, just that one time?” Brother Assist moaned.

“I’m afraid we can’t even succeed doing that. After these 49 players hand in their quests, they would most likely come for our lives with the mindset of perishing with us together. This is because they would very clearly understand that they would merely die just this once, while if we end up getting dragged to the spawn point with them, any one of us would end up dying 25 times…” Sword Demon’s voice trailed off.

“Does… Does that mean that all we can do is let them blatantly complete their quest as we stay here, too afraid to move?” Royal God Call said.

“If we maximize our positioning, we are still able to kill some… But the problem would be what happens afterward…” Sword Demon said.

“What’s going to happen after?”

“The enemy would possess an absolute numerical superiority, and would be able to leave 40, 50 men lying in wait in each of the spawn points, while leaving a team that is roughly around the same number as us who would recklessly attack us without any regard for consequences, substituting whenever the need arises. They do not mind dying, but we sure as hell cannot afford to do the same!” Sword Demon said.

Everyone was silent. If the enemy did end up using such a strategy, they would most definitely be able to fully maximize the advantages their numerical superiority brought to the table. While Extremely Heaven Defying and Amethyst Rebirth had such top tier, super experts like Thousand Miles Drunk, Sword Demon and maybe Svelte Dancer, no matter how strong an expert could be, they were still just an individual facing against attacks from all angles; it was not as if these experts could be everywhere at once.

“There could only be one solution,” Gu Fei suddenly voiced out.

“What solution?” Everyone turned to regard him.

“I’ll go find Ray,” Gu Fei turned around, making his move to depart from the place.

“Are you going to discuss this matter with him? Would… Would that work?” Brother Assist was skeptical.

“Discuss?” Gu Fei turned around and glanced at Brother Assist. “If the guild leader gets slain 25 times and gets removed from the City Wars event, how could he accept the guild members into the guild?”

Everyone was dumbfounded. Even though it was true that Ray was the enemy’s guild leader, everyone could already tell that they had only used him for his status as someone on the city defender’s side. Ray himself most likely never participated in the matter, and his hands were clean on this. He was disparate from this and was just the Ray who earned money through simple pleasures and entertainment. But now, Gu Fei had instead seen Ray as a target of retaliation.

“That is the only way,” Sword Demon nodded in agreement as well. “There’s no point in us just staying here either. Maintain all your various teams, everyone, and search around the city. Try your best and stop the enemy if you see any of them doing their quest. If any of you bump into Ray, kill him as quickly as you can and immediately messaging Miles about it, let him take care of Ray’s respawn… Wait a minute…” Sword Demon suddenly recalled something.

“What is it now?”

“What if the enemy has already predicted that we’ll take this step? Ray’s job class is a Knight, and so he would revive back at the Knights’ Barracks if he dies. If the enemy were to set up a trap over there, would we not end up walking into their ambush instead!?” Sword Demon said.

“That is highly probable,” Gu Fei nodded his head in agreement. “A team should follow me to head out to the Knights’ Barracks first. The rest will go and adhere to Sword Demon’s orders!” Their opponent was the crafty Young Master Han. Gu Fei did not dare to be too unrestrained and thought it was better to bring along some helpers. Gu Fei had already experienced the value of having helpers around when he went up against Young Master Han’s deployment of troops from Carouse the last time. Had it not have been those mercenary soldiers that he was given, the result of the fight might have been very different.

With the assignments all settled, everyone quickly began to make their move. Royal God Call and his team followed Gu Fei to the Knights’ Barracks, while Sword Demon had asked Svelte Dancer for further information. Svelte Dancer had made her rounds visiting 4 different spawn points before, but according to what she had told him, she simply did not find anything else noteworthy then. The lady was just like Gu Fei; she had hoped that she could take care of anyone she chanced upon along the way, but her wish remained unfulfilled in the end.

The four spawn points that Svelte Dancer visited did not include the Knights’ Barracks, so when she heard that there was a good chance for something serious to happen there, it was only natural for the lady to make her way toward the location as well since something fun could go down there. Sword Demon warned her to take extra care, telling her to be wary of an ambush, yet she did not really take it to heart. The lady’s movement speed was greater than Gu Fei’s own, and given how the man was bringing along a team of players as well, it was no surprise that Svelte Dancer ended up arriving at the Knights’ Barracks much earlier than Gu Fei and the others.

For Svelte Dancer, the brinkmanship between herself and Gu Fei had already become a huge theme of her gaming life in Parallel World, so of course she would send a message to ridicule Gu Fei’s tardiness by this time.

It was also a habit for Gu Fei to meet the lady’s challenges, replying with great exasperation, “Running so fast like that, no one’s gonna bury your corpse when you turn up dead!”

“Tsk, I wonder who was it who first to turn up dead. Succumbing to an Honor kill too!” Svelte Dancer gloated.

Gu Fei was in tears. This was a blotch in his record! Furthermore, it was a stain that he would not be able to wash off since this death had already occurred, and he was destined to be mocked by Svelte Dancer until the City Wars event ended.

“You should be careful, we’ll be arriving soon,” the Honor killed Gu Fei truly had no means to refute her taunt, so all he could do was grimly change the topic.

“Yup!” Svelte Dancer was just someone who enjoyed being a bit of grandiose with her actions, and that did not necessarily mean that she did not comprehend the severity of the situation. She completely understood what sort of outcome she would end up in if she were to charge into 50 or so players. Actually, upon reaching the vicinity of the Knights’ Barracks, she had already gone into Stealth when she began to message Gu Fei.

Moving onward slowly, Svelte Dancer noted how empty the street was. Quite a few of the ladies from Amethyst Rebirth had already come to the realization that being active in the empty city was actually somewhat terrifying. Aside from those who were bold enough, most of the ladies had paired up while they went around doing their quests. Svelte Dancer was quite conflicted on this front. She was also a little afraid of being alone in this empty city setting, but with how she usually behaved, she simply could not bring herself to admit she was ‘afraid’, so all she could do was grit her teeth and bear with it. When Gu Fei had sent her to the four spawn points all by herself to note down the coordinates for all the Teleportation scrolls, she was really gnashing her teeth in anger deep down, but she would never show it.

Currently Stealthed, Svelte Dancer very slowly edged her way down the empty street, and that only contributed more to the ambiance. Even the slightest rustle of the grass in the breeze caused Svelte Dancer to nervously look in every direction. She was not afraid of being subjected to a sneak attack, but she was instead afraid to find herself in a situation where she could clearly hear movement behind her, only to find no one when she turned around.

Svelte Dancer stuck herself flat against the wall, shifting herself down the street bit by bit.

*Ding* The sound broke the silence of the street all of a sudden, and Svelte Dancer had the fright of her life. She became all the more flustered when she saw that there was no one anywhere near her, and just as she wanted to send a message out to Gu Fei asking them about their progress here, she very quickly realized that her messages were lit up. Apparently, the *ding* sound she heard was the system’s prompt.

Pulling up her messages, she saw Gu Fei had asked her, “What’s the situation there?”

D*mn him, scaring this madam like that! Svelte Dancer was grinding her teeth, but of course she could not say anything about it, so she simply replied, “Nothing has happened. Where are you guys?”

“We’re not gonna come over if there’s nothing there,” Gu Fei answered.

“Screw you!!” Svelte Dancer was incensed.

“What’s the matter?” Gu Fei was confused by her intense reaction.

“Nothing…” Svelte Dancer replied.

“Is there a situation or not? Since you’ve gotten there in such a rush, it’s fine even if you’re ambush, since you’ll return back to the Thieves’ Union. As for me… Oh crap, you haven’t even given me the Teleportation scrolls! You better not die, otherwise, I can’t save you,” Gu Fei said.

“Hmph, do you think I’ll die so easily? Who do you take me for? You?” After Svelte Dancer got provoked like that, her fear had slipped somewhat. Boldly taking a few big steps forward, she checked the street corners, alleys and anywhere nearby where people could be trying to hide themselves in, but she found no signs of anyone at all. The courtyard of the Knights’ Barracks was right in front of her, and when Svelte Dancer moved over, she poked her head through to take a peek. In the end, all she saw was the place, devoid of people. She heaved a long sigh before replying Gu Fei, “I’ve taken a look around, but I don’t see anyone.”

“Is that so? Actually, I also felt there was no need to set up an ambush there at this time. A good majority of the enemy are still neutral third party players, so how could they spare the manpower? However, you better not leave now. Just hold your position and if Ray gets sent over, you can just kill him,” Gu Fei said.

“I refuse! I will not do something as boring as waiting for someone!” Svelte Dancer hurriedly argued.

“Eh?” As best as Gu Fei could recall, Svelte Dancer was quite patient when it came to things involving sneak attacks and assassinations!

“If you want to guard the place, you can do it. I’m leaving,” Svelte Dancer said firmly.

“Then set some scrolls for the Knights’ Barracks. Yeah, make at least two!” Gu Fei said.

“Where are you?” Svelte Dancer asked Gu Fei even as she did as he instructed.

Gu Fei messaged her his coordinates as he disbanded the team with him, “Svelte Dancer went ahead of us and took a look around the Knights’ Barracks. She discovered that there was no ambush there. So everyone can get back to what you’ve been originally asked to do!”

Royal God Call nodded and led the rest elsewhere to begin searching for the enemy. He barely cleared a few meters before Gu Fei could hear someone in his team call out, “Leader, what are you walking over there for? Shouldn’t we be heading that way?”

Gu Fei waited for Svelte Dancer where he was, and the lady soon caught up to him, handing him a stack of scrolls when they met. Svelte Dancer did not argue with Gu Fei about this matter. Even though she enjoyed challenging Gu Fei, she knew deep down about the disparity between him and her, so she was not going to mess things up when it came to serious business.

“Alright, well done. I’ll be sure to mention your contributions to Sword Demon when I next talk to him,” Gu Fei commended Svelte Dancer.

Svelte Dancer rolled her eyes as she asked, “Where do you plan to find Ray?”

“I was thinking of heading to his bar to take a gander first,” Gu Fei said.

“He’s not gonna be foolish enough to hole up in such an obvious location, is he? Surely he should know better,” Svelte Dancer countered.

“Well, I’m not going to blindly look for him anyway,” Gu Fei said. Looking for a player in-game without any direction was a horrendous way to spend their time in Parallel World. People who had a set location like a home, place or school made it more convenient to locate them, at the very least.

When their conversation ended, Gu Fei headed in the direction of Ray’s Bar. He took several steps before he suddenly came to a halt, turning his head around as he asked in astonishment, “What are you following me for?”

“I’m going to Ray’s Bar too!” Svelte Dancer answered nonchalantly.

“There’s no need for that. I can do it by myself,” Gu Fei affirmed.

“I’m only doing this because I see you’re 8 more deaths away from being eliminated. After all, our group still need you around, so I ought to protect you a bit,” Svelte Dancer said.

“Is that so?” Gu Fei felt that there were ulterior motives at work here.

“What else could it be?” Svelte Dancer retorted.

Gu Fei pondered about it, and he simply could not imagine that such an indomitable lady like Svelte Dancer would also be a bit afraid of walking all alone in an empty city like any other girl. Finally, he shook his head, “Then it’s settled. You’ll protect me, and I won’t bother saving you if you’re about it die.”

“Tsk!” Svelte Dancer coldly harrumphed and she took a big step forward.

Gu Fei followed behind her, hurrying along toward their destination while he maintained contact with Sword Demon and all the other teams, inquiring after what they had found.

“We spotted a group!!” Someone suddenly messaged over. Cirrus was actually the first to come across their enemies.

“What’s your coordinates!?” Sword Demon demanded in a hurry.

“B*llsh*t, what are they up to!?” It was not Cirrus, but the whole group of players with him that complained soon after.

“What happened?” Sword Demon was beside himself with anxiety.

“The enemy turned tail and ran when they saw us…” Cirrus reported.

“How many were there?” Sword Demon asked.

“Somewhere over 30!” Cirrus answered. Originally, his whole team had been rather nervous about the ensuing confrontation. In the end, the 30 over enemy players immediately turned tail when they caught sight of them, all of them sprinting away like they were in a race.

“Can you differentiate the guild members among them?” Sword Demon asked.

“Not at all,” Cirrus admitted.

“That’s really troublesome,” Sword Demon sighed.

Meanwhile, Cirrus had given the order for his men to pursue and attack the enemy. It was extremely rare for them to stumble upon an opponent that could not retaliate, wasting such an opportunity would be too much of a sin. Cirrus and his men chased the enemies even as they rained spells from behind. This time, these players from Colored Clouds hardly demonstrated even a shred of unity as they ran helter-skelter, dispersing even more when they reached street corners, not even demonstrating any thought to help each other. Cirrus and the team continued to give chase and he managed to pick off quite a few stragglers in the process. Even though they knew that the enemy might all be neutral third party players, being able to vent all the frustration that they were all feeling felt great, and he very eagerly bragged about what happened to the other teams.

When the other teams heard about this delightful occurrence, all of them looked forward to meeting the enemy so they could relish in this joy as well. In the end, some really did end up bumping into the enemy; Royal God Call and July’s team each met the enemy, though the number of enemies they crossed paths with was nowhere as many as Cirrus’, with one numbering just around a dozen while the other was just two men.

Obviously, they gave chase without a hint of hesitation. The enemy relied on the same tactics as before, completely ignoring to even put up any sort of resistance as they focused on fleeing. Ultimately, it was July’s team who was cheering. Her team had discovered that their target was just two men, and they had very swiftly been killed off. Logically speaking, one of them must have been a guild member, so that meant they had finally managed to make a substantial kill.

However, they were unable to continue their hunt. None of the enemies even wore any emblem, so who knew which of the two that died was the guild member in question?

“We can’t continue wasting time like this!” Sword Demon had comprehended the gravity of the situation. “Ray’s the key. Everyone should hurry up and locate Ray. Let the enemy flee if you come across them after this, and don’t waste your time giving chase. They are not trying to run away, but they are actually stalling for time. Given their current situation, attempting to lure us to pursue them is currently their most effective method to buy time.”

Gu Fei and Svelte Dancer had also run into a pack by themselves, but Sword Demon had already given his judgment toward the matter, so the two reacted very reasonably. When they saw how the whole group of enemy was splitting up and fleeing in every direction, they did not even spare them another glance as they swiftly continued their way to Ray’s Bar. Sure enough, the place was not open, and they were left clueless just where Ray could have gone.