Virtual World: Close Combat Mage
chapter-774-30041322

“Greetings,” Gu Fei was very troubled when he saw Oathless Sword and Brave Surge. These two were most definitely not considered strangers. He could give them face and acquiesce with their requests were this any other matter, but the present issue was something that would affect his own tangible pursuit in the game! Even though players were not on the same level as him, they were at least stronger than the monsters that he could meet in the wild. No matter just how high leveled these wild monsters were, an attack pattern would emerge after fighting them for a long time, and that made them very boring opponents. While Gu Fei was sometimes able to slay players in a single stroke, there just might be different considerations when dealing with each of them, and that was what made it enjoyable!

Meanwhile, Gu Fei believed that the two men in front of him were not just looking to sign a peace treaty with him just for themselves; they would surely consider all the guildmates in their guild as well. As a guild that was very clearly a head above the rest in Yunduan City, just Carouse and Traversing Four Seas alone would be including a good majority of experts here in the city. It would be far too great a sacrifice to promise and let them go.

There was actually a line that Gu Fei felt quite embarrassed to say, and it was that there were quite a lot of players who were totally overvaluing themselves back outside the City Hall entrance. Gu Fei had been rather clear right from the beginning that ‘experts beware’. The function of his Bounty License meant Gu Fei was prepared to use it on experts who were more skilled than the average players, but that actually ended up creating a scene where each of them thought they were all under threat. In fact, who would actually call those who belonged in those mid-range guilds experts? Even if they were their respective guild’s guild leader, that did not mean they had any standards. These were the people who were simply too over sensitive.

“Miles bro, let’s just chat. Give us that face, at least.” Oathless Sword and Brave Surge were both looking rather pitiful. Gu Fei got a little soft-hearted and ultimately nodded. However, he was already thinking about how he would reject their request. Human relations were truly quite troublesome, especially when Gu Fei did not think that there was anything right or wrong about this. It was just entertainment, and he was embarrassed at needing to stick to his guns and reject them.

“Let’s go to Ray’s Bar then. It’s not far from here, and Miles Bro is a frequent patron there as well,” Brave Surge suggested.

Gu Fei nodded. He was already presently headed to the place to meet up with his old friends, so such an arrangement might conversely save him some time.

For the first time ever, neither Oathless Sword nor Brave Surge brought their men with them, as if they were trying to express their sincerity to this talk. However, Gu Fei had impeccable eyesight as well as his ability to sense killing intent; he had long since detected that there were people who were secretly spying on them from either side of the street and figured one side must have been men from Traversing Four Seas while the other were members from Carouse. All of them were all moving in step with their respective guild leader, pretending to be passing by as they made their way toward the destination.

Gu Fei pretended to be unaware of all this as well, and the three of them walked side by side as they arrived at Ray’s Bar. Oathless Sword and Brave Surge acted like they owned the place, one leading the way to find them a seat while the other went straight to Ray to get the drinks.

Oathless Sword brought Gu Fei over to find a room to settle in as Brave Surge brought the drinks over.

“Please!” Oathless Sword held a glass to Gu Fei, ignoring Brave Surge. At this very moment, he was really hoping that Brave Surge would just scram to one side, so the man did not shift along the long sofa they were seated in to make space for Brave Surge. Instead, it was Gu Fei who showed consideration, making the move himself to shift over, so Brave Surge could seat next to Gu Fei. Oathless Sword instantly regretted his choice. Was Thousand Miles Drunk such a good natured person? Why did I not know about this?

With all three men now seated, it was only natural for them to knock their glasses together before setting it down. Gu Fei had already taken the initiative to start the conversation. Anticipating the enemy’s plan, preemptively making his move would allow him to get the upper hand; as an expert kung fu practitioner, Gu Fei was very well versed in this logic.

“Guild leaders, I know very well what your intention is coming here. But you’re simply asking too much from me here. I won’t deny that the purpose of me playing this game is completely different from all of you. I don’t really care for equipment, quest or any of these things; what I really do not wish to miss is the opportunity to contend and fight with other people. However, I can’t possibly just walk down the street and casually kill players left and right, can I? That is why Bounty Missions are my own option. Previously, I would randomly pick players based on their PK Value, and 8 out of 10 people that I end up fighting would all die in a single attack. But now, with this Bounty License in hand, I can challenge experts every day, and that is truly an experience that I just can’t miss.” Gu Fei was speaking honestly, and the tone and words that he had chosen demonstrated just how serious he was. However, all Oathless Sword and Brave Surge heard was a man complaining.

The man is indeed a PK maniac, at least I’m not wrong about that… Oathless Sword thought to himself.

Don’t really care for equipment? If you’ve got the guts, give me your Moonlit Nightfalls and Midnight Spirit Robe then, Brave Surge muttered in his heart.

“That is why I say, no matter what request either of you come up with, I’m afraid it would be very hard for me to accept it,” Gu Fei came to a conclusion and felt that he had shut down all potential wriggle room.

Oathless Sword and Brave Surge exchanged glances with each other and Oathless Sword first started, “What are you doing?”

“What are YOU doing?” Brave Surge asked back.

“I mean, don’t you think you should be the one to leave first?” Oathless Sword said.

“Why must I be the one to leave first? Why not you?” Brave Surge was disgruntled.

“Because you’re closer to the exit,” Oathless Sword answered matter-of-factly.

“Idiot….” Brave Surge swore but he was still the first to get up and leave the room. Even though the two had come together, it appeared as if either man had their own plans that they did not wish for the other to learn.

Brave Surge stepped out of the room and Gu Fei waited for Oathless Sword to speak up. Unexpectedly, the man suddenly slammed a punch fiercely on the room’s wall next to him. Even though this room was built by Ray, it was not particularly sturdy, and that punch nearly caused the entire room to collapse. That was when Oathless Sword bellowed, “Don’t you dare to sprawl up against the wall outside and try to eavesdrop. I can smell your stench from here!”

“B*llsh*t…” Sure enough, Brave Surge’s voice did come from behind the wall. The man had really thought to listen in on what Oathless Sword was planning to do, as well as Gu Fei’s response so that he could use it for reference. But how was he to know his intention would be uncovered, so he had no choice but to leave.

“Guild leader Oathless, start speaking if you’ve got something to say!” Gu Fei smiled. There sure were plenty of hijinks between these two guild leaders.

Oathless Sword was silent for a good while before finally speaking, “From what I just heard what Miles bro have said, I originally found it a little awkward to mention this, but I do have a final request, and I hope Miles bro would find it in him to fulfill, no matter what.”

“What is it?” Gu Fei asked, wondering to himself if this man would just ask to let himself go. If that was indeed the case, then this would truly be worth despising, and he will make it a point to search for Oathless Sword every day.

“Uhm, I honestly don’t care if my guild has players who cause trouble and earn themselves PK points as a result. But sometimes, as guilds, we would be caught in battles with other guilds. During such times, I do wish Miles bro would let my guildmates off.” Oathless Sword finally voiced out his request.

Gu Fei very quickly began thinking about this proposal after he heard it.

During group battles, players would end up gaining a huge amount of PK points, and that would be precisely the best time for Gu Fei to complete his Bounty Missions, yet Oathless Sword was trying to get Gu Fei to give up on this delicious slice of cake, which he was more than a little unwilling to do so.

“Most of the time, such group PKs would not occur without any prior build up, so I’ll first send a letter over to Miles bro, so you can give us a short period of time to exempt us from your Bounty hunting. By the time the battle’s over, we’ll immediately get our PK Value down to zero and will absolutely not affect your pursuit of entertainment in Parallel World. How does that sound?” Oathless Sword said.

“This…”

“Of course, we wouldn’t be hassling Miles bro for nothing. Every time we expect such activities to occur, we’ll be sure to send you a remuneration. As long as Miles bro agrees, we can properly discuss the price of this service that you’re doing for us,” Oathless Sword was not all talk and was willing to let Gu Fei profit greatly from this arrangement.

Gu Fei was speechless for quite a long time before finally heaving a deep sigh.

“I think I’m still going to reject your offer,” Gu Fei answered.

“Why?” Oathless Sword had been appreciating the change in Gu Fei’s expression this entire time, believing that he had plenty of hope in succeeding.

“I don’t wish for my activity to have such restrictions. I’m not giving you face here, which naturally means that there’s no need for you to show mercy to me. Actually, you guys can also foresee when I’m about to strike. I will most definitely prioritize those experts, especially those experts who are high up in the ranking leaderboards, as targets. Take for example if Brother Oathless ended up with some PK points, you should immediately be wary,” Gu Fei explained.

“Wow, Miles bro. You’re not going to be so heartless that you won’t even let me off, would you?” Oathless Sword tried to laugh the matter off. He realized there was essentially no hope left, so he was hoping to use this joke to try and earn himself a special spot.

“That’s hard to say! It’s best if you are careful,” Gu Fei chuckled.

Oathless Sword went slightly pale, but he was still able to squeeze out a feeble smile. However, he had not yet given up deep down in his heart, convinced that there must definitely be a way to move Thousand Miles Drunk. This was what Oathless Sword was thinking, but he could tell that there was nothing he could do this round. Oathless Sword was rather unwilling, but he still sent a message out to Brave Surge, “Hey, it’s your turn.”

“How did things go with you?” Brave Surge was waiting outside, messaging Oathless Sword as he made his way over.

“It was a bust,” Oathless Sword purposely tried to deal a blow to Brave Surge’s confidence.

“Then I’ll have to congratulate you for your efforts,” Oathless Sword had failed, so of course Brave Surge would be delighted. In the time they were exchanging messages, he had already pulled open the curtains and entered the room.

This time around, Oathless Sword was very proactive, sliding deeper along the sofa, to let Brave Surge take a seat. However, Brave Surge did not appreciate the gesture this time and just glared at him. However, Oathless Sword’s thick-skinnedness was a tier above the rest in Yunduan City. The man pretended to ignore this as he calmly sat there, drinking his liquor.

“Shameless! Do you think you know Stealth?” Brave Surge barked.

“What? Is there anything wrong with me sitting here?” Oathless Sword was showing off just how thick-skinned he was.

“Get out!” Brave Surge yelled.

Oathless Sword had no choice but to get up, even offering a friendly pat to Brave Surge before leaving, “Then I’ll be congratulating you in advance.”

Regarding the conversation these two guild leaders had through their messages, Brave Surge understood very clearly just what he meant with his ‘congratulations’. It was a blatant curse, but no one cared to nitpick over such things. Seeing Oathless Sword step out of the room, Brave Surge made sure to send him off with his own eyes before returning back to take a seat with Thousand Miles Drunk.

Gu Fei was wearing an utterly bored expression on his face. He was prepared to reject whatever Brave Surge offered no matter what. After all, he had to be impartial! These two guild leaders were both important sources of potential clients, so he should not be showing any favoritism.

Meanwhile, Brave Surge’s skill at grasping people’s moods was a lot stronger than Oathless Sword’s. The moment he saw the look on Gu Fei’s face, he more or less reckoned the man was just waiting to reject whatever he offered! Brave Surge did not think it was prudent for him to give the speech that he had originally prepared for this, seeing no point in humiliating himself seeing just how Gu Fei looked right now. The man was quick on the uptake and did not bother saying a word as he adjusted his mentality to that last step Oathless Sword had taken. Coincidentally, he had also shared the same thought as his most hated rival, Oathless Sword. Seeing how the future ahead was long, it was better to slowly build up a better relationship with Thousand Miles Drunk and work hard then. If he were able to be as close as Sword Demon and the bunch, surely he would be able to go easy on him then?

When Brave Surge thought of this, he was no longer in a hurry to speak up. Instead, he smiled at Gu Fei, which inadvertently caused the very hairs on the back of Gu Fei’s neck to stand. Puzzled, he asked, “Guild leader Surge, don’t you have something you wish to speak to me about?”

“Nah, what’s the point of saying anything? I can’t possibly stand in the way of Miles’ bro pursuit of enjoyment in this game!” Brave Surge laughed.

“Oh?” Gu Fei was really astonished. “Then you came over to…”

“Seeing how Oathless Sword looked as he departed, I suppose the plan he had intricately devised must have fallen through. If he had been able to get Miles bro to give him face, then we would most definitely be in deep trouble. As such, I would have to thick-skinnedly ask for the same treatment from Miles bro as well,” Brave Surge said.

Gu Fei was laughing jovially when he heard, “Of course I will treat everyone impartially, don’t worry about that!”

Brave Surge was elated as well when he heard what Gu Fei said, decisively getting up to his feet, “Then I shall first take my leave. If there’s a chance in the future, let us have a proper gathering. I have a few things regarding the Mage job class that I would love to discuss with Miles bro, but I never found the chance to!” Brave Surge conveniently leveraged their shared job class and sought for a chance to establish a better friendship with Gu Fei.

Gu Fei chuckled, “Take care guild leader Surge. Do be wary if you ever find yourself with PK Value!”

Brave Surge froze for a moment but soon understood what Gu Fei meant. His expression remained unchanged, though his heart definitely slowed a beat or two, before he recovered with a nervous laugh, “Of course, of course.”

Watching Brave Surge leave, Gu Fei let out a deep sigh. Then, without making any sound, he crept his way to the room next door and abruptly crashed through.

Inside this room were five men, who were all having their ears stuck fast to the clapboard. Brother Assist, Royal God Call and War Without Wounds were each holding a glass of their own, putting it onto the clapboard itself as they tried to eavesdrop. Sword Demon and Young Master Han were not as eager and childish as the three, but their attention was definitely in that direction as well. However, when Gu Fei crashed through the curtains, these two men had taken notice, and Sword Demon was immediately embarrassed, while Young Master Han did not appear any different. He was composed as he sat there acting like nothing was happening as he said, “You’re here.”

“I’m here!” Gu Fei knocked on the table. Those three men were still sprawled on the wall trying to listen in!

It was only then when the three turned around, saw Gu Fei and said in unison, “Is it over?”

“Yeah,” Gu Fei nodded.

“Oh?” Brother Assist found it hard to believe. “Did Brave Surge really leave just like? Was that guy really telling the truth?”

“How is that possible? What he did was make progress by taking a step back; Only a fool would be anxious to discuss this situation at this time. He’s taking his time to build a friendship, cultivate some rapport. By then, success would be all but assured when the conditions are met.” Young Master Han said.

“Sure enough, Brave Surge’s calculative nature is a lot more developed than Oathless Sword,” Brother Assist sighed.

“However, being too calculative isn’t necessarily a good thing. Everyone, look; Brave Surge’s actions today have very clearly instigated hate toward Brave Surge in our hero Miles. Oathless Sword’s forwardness in this case had instead put him ahead of his rival,” Young Master Han continued.

“Oh hero Miles, just what exactly are your thoughts deep down?” Royal God Call asked, interview style.

“It is what it is, what is there to think about?” Gu Fei completely did not treat this as a problem.

“So casual, like dirt off his shoulder,” Royal God Call commented.

“That is why I say, it’s really great being acquainted with Miles,” War Without Wounds was back at it again.

“That’s enough out of you!” Gu Fei finally had enough, as War Without Wounds quickly shut his mouth and shrank back into a corner of the room.

“I’ve got something fun to give you,” Gu Fei told Young Master Han.

“Oh?” Young Master Han was extremely surprised. The others were also astonished as well, but Sword Demon very quickly remembered something. Sure enough, it was just as he had suspected. Gu Fei pulled out that Magical Pointed Hat and tossed it to Young Master Han, “How is it? Do you dare to wear it?

Young Master Han took it and gave it a once over, nodding, “That’s some pretty decent stats!”

“The model isn’t too bad either, huh?” Gu Fei said. The others were already smirking.

“Model?” Young Master Han lifted the hat and looked over it a few more times. “Is the model very important? I don’t believe there’s anything in this world that could ruin yours truly’s good looks.”

“F*ck off!” Everyone pointed their middle finger and showed their disdain. The man’s shamelessness plus his narcissism was a deadly combination; even such a ridiculous hat was no match for him.

“Are you sure you don’t want it?” Young Master Han asked Gu Fei.

Gu Fei shrugged. He was someone who cared about his face. There was simply no way that he could wear something so childish out in the open! How was he going to serve as a role model to his students if they were to see their teacher wearing that?

“Do I have to pay for it?” Young Master Han asked.

“Just take it already!” Gu Fei of course did not want it. And so, that man very calmly stowed the hat away.

Just as Gu Fei was about to say goodbye, there was a sound over by the wall of the room, as someone knocked a few times before gingerly asking, “Is Thousand Miles Drunk in there?”

Gu Fei found this voice to be very familiar, quickly answering, “Who’s there? Come on in.”

It was two players that stepped into the room. When Gu Fei turned over to look, he recognized them to be Dommu and Mudou. He had no choice. Gu Fei had really been a bit too hot lately.

“Uhm, are you free now?” Dommu and Mudou were not considered strangers with Gu Fei, so there was no need for them to state their business for coming.

“You guys go on ahead!” The other five players in the room were prepared to duck out. They were in here barely discussing anything important in the first place. Not everyone had collected their rewards yet, so the guild merge had been put on hold for now.

“Don’t go! You guys are all also famed experts. If you are free, we would also like to interview you guys for your opinions as well,” Dommu and Mudou said.

These experts were all very satiated hearing this, so all of them sat back down again, “Go on then. What questions do you have for us?”

“Well, it is the recent rumors about how the various large guilds fighting over immunity from being targets of Bounty Missions,” Dommu said.

“Immunity… From Bounty Missions?” These men were all oblivious.

“That’s right. Hasn’t Miles gotten hold of a new equipment that is said to have the function of searching through and identifying Bounty targets?” Dommu asked.

“It’s not an equipment, but an item,” Brother Assist was the first to correct him.

“That’s right, it’s called a Bounty License,” War Without Wounds added.

“The reward he got was his License being upgraded, giving him such a new ability,” Royal God Call said.

“Miles, do you have anything to add to this?” Dommu asked Gu Fei.

“Nope…” Gu Fei answered.

“We had also been over by the City Hall just now, and we’ve heard Miles had rejected all the guilds that were looking to apply for an exemption? Then may I know what sort of condition should someone provide to succeed in applying for such an exemption?” Dommu asked.

“A beauty with means. Take Svelte Dancer for example. She’s the first to be exempted,” This time it was Royal God Call’s turn to answer first.

“A bro. A True bro like myself.” War Without Wounds said with severity.

“Noob, and being a noob. I do believe that Miles does not have any interest in noobs. He’s only searching for experts,” Brother Assist revealed.

“Miles, do you have anything to add?” Dommu asked again.

“Why don’t you just directly interview them?” Gu Fei suggested.