Virtual World: Close Combat Mage 699 Chapter 699 - Playing to the Death

"Go. Look for the NPC." This time, Brave Surge sent a comrade that he could depend on down into the cavity. Brave Surge had no desire to search a place twice, and he had already secretly made the decision that no matter the task from here onward, as long as it was any sort of vital quest, he would ensure that it was one of his dependable comrades that follow through on its progress.

When his dependable comrade went down into the cavity, he had also searched through all the tents inside and out once over. Finally, he came out and reported, "There's no NPC here!"

"How is that possible?" Brave Surge was skeptical. He had personally came over to set up the defense for the quest before, and he had met the NPC Guillermo as well. How could it be nowhere to be found now? Could it have been instkilled? Impossible; Brave Surge could not have been that careless. He had been looking down from the edge of the cavity just now, and he had specifically made sure that Guillermo was not among the bunch of players below before he obliterated them all. There was no way the NPC could be instkilled if it was inside the tent, so how could it have died?

"Look around for clues," Brave Surge took several men down to personally search the area, turning each tent inside out carefully, even going so far as to flip the tables and chairs to see if they were hiding any sort of secret passageway, but nothing turned up.

"Did the NPC die?" Someone asked.

"It would respawn even if it died, right?"

"Maybe it's something unique to City Wars? After all, the NPC guards that were posted around our camps had not respawned after we killed them," another chimed in.

"Was those guys' quest to kill the NPC?" Everyone began to guess.

Some hypothesized it died, while there were naturally those who guessed that it had run off. In any case, everyone discussed the matter until Brave Surge finally remembered about Flux Bead and began calling for him in the guild channel. Flux Bead had just made the decision to not tell them about what he discovered and was sulking about it, so he simply replied he had no idea. Brave Surge was not really in the mood to think too much about this random guild member, so he did not bother to show much concern and began trying to figure out what happened with his inner circle.

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Over with Folding Fan Invader, the 100 strong division of Archers and Thieves that he was in charge of were all job classes that possessed fast movement speed. A good number of them were even faster than Gu Fei, and with how they were able to shoot and give chase on the go, they were effectively able to hamper Gu Fei's movement greatly. However, Gu Fei persisted his whole way through, before he finally made it into the small copse of trees. Looking all around, he had no idea if the despicable men from Forever in Flowers were still hiding in that area. He turned around and saw his pursuers getting closer and closer, so he hastily continued his way through the trees without thinking twice.

"Drunk bro, be careful. There's a Trap in front of you," a voice suddenly called out from one of the bushes on the side. Gu Fei reacted swiftly and somersaulted over the trap the moment he heard the cry.

"Cool!" That same voice praised. However, Folding Fan Invader had just stepped into the treeline and that cry had caught his attention almost immediately.

"There's an ambush here," Folding Fan Invader called for everyone to halt their advance.

"Ambush? Who would actually be helping him out?" Someone expressed his doubts openly.

"Have you not heard the news? Those guys from Forever In Flowers had come and lent him a hand during his skirmish with Traversing Four Seas and Colored Clouds," Folding Fan Invader glared at the person who had said that. These updates had already been announced over the guild channel, so anyone who had no idea about this must surely have not been paying any attention to the channel, despite the guild requesting its members to closely follow the information that was posted over the channel during the City Wars event.

That person looked embarrassed, no longer saying anything else as he laughed it off with a sheepish chuckle.

"Forever In Flowers is filled with Hunters. Everyone should beware of Traps," Folding Fan Invader reminded.

"Tsk. What's so scary about those abhorrent boys? It's just stepping on a Trap, how can they kill me?" If the standard of players was rated across a scale, there was no doubt that the players from such large guilds would be highly rated, while a small guild like Forever in Flowers with a poor image and reprehensible qualities would be entirely disregarded. Such a sentiment was already expressed by quite a few people present as they showed their utter contempt toward the opponents they were facing this time.

"It's best to be careful," Folding Fan Invader was honestly not afraid of Forever in Flowers either, but as the leader of this operation, he obviously could not be so casual about things, and decided it was better to err on the side of caution. "Thirty. Guzzler; the two of you will lead 20 men each to our left and right to surround this copse from the outside."

"Just 20 men? Would that be enough?" Thirty's full IGN was Beyond Thirty Miles. He felt very pressured when he heard Folding Fan Invader instruct him to bring 20 men to intercept Gu Fei. There were plenty of players who were convinced of Gu Fei's prowess, and there were those who had their doubts. Beyond Thirty Miles was considered to be one of the former.

"If you die, so be it. Remember to inform us where he is going," Folding Fan Invader said.

"You're being far too inhumane!" Beyond Thirty Miles' tears were flowing freely as he counted out 20 men and departed. These people were all influenced by Beyond Thirty Miles' emotional state, so all of them were looking particularly morose, each consoling themselves using the fact that they would not lose their levels if they died.

"F*ck, what's so scary about this? It's not like we are milksops. Thousand Miles Drunk better not let me bump into me," Among the twenty men that Guzzler was assigned to lead, there was one such player who doubted the capabilities of Gu Fei.

Beyond Thirty Miles turned around and glance at this person before laughing, "Weren't you someone Gu Fei had stepped on earlier? What are you blustering on about?"

"M*th*rf*ck*r, I'll show him what's what!" That person bellowed as his ears turned red.

"Let's go!" Guzzler waved his troops off as he left with his group of twenty men.

"Everyone, keep your eyes peeled, and watch out for any Traps," Folding Fan Invader reminded everyone again as he continued onward with the remaining 60 men and begin his search of the area.

Gu Fei stepped over a Trap, and the next thing he knew, a player from Forever in Flowers had pulled him to the side by a bush. Gu Fei took a look and saw that this bush was a man-made disguise that they had pulled together, though it looked very natural. He could not help but sigh at this sight. Truly, people with talent and skill could be found in all sorts of circles.

"Drunk bro," as Thousand Miles Drunk's number one fan, Fireball had already made his way over from where he had been hiding out the moment he heard Gu Fei was back.

"Did you get anyone?" Gu Fei casually greeted him, feeling very repugnant upon uttering it out loud. Sure enough, the environment played a part in influencing people. Hanging out with these people here, even Gu Fei had involuntarily began to trend toward their line of thinking.

"Nope," Fireball shook his head and continued to ask Gu Fei, "any goods?"

"What?" This time, Gu Fei was clueless as to what he was referring to.

"Are there any ladies?" Fireball had no choice but to translate it for him.

"I don't know," Gu Fei was nettled, so Fireball crooked his head out and asked the person beside him. The man's head was buried in the bush, while his eyes furtively scanned the place. He was very annoyed by Fireball's disturbance, "Don't distract me. I'm currently looking!"

"G*dd*mm*t, let me have a look," Fireball justled.

"Stop jostling. Go back to where you were."

"F*ck*ng hell, you're trying to hoard it all to yourself. Quick, let me see."

"No!"

"Are you courting death?"

"Just scram already."

"Drunk bro, kill him!" Fireball proposed.

"I'll kill the both of you," Gu Fei was exasperated. The two men bickered, and it soon escalated to a physical altercation. This was the small guild that would never amount to much in Carouse's eyes. They had been lying in wait here, yet this small disagreement had actually exposed their presence. Carouse had been conscientiously advancing deeper into the copse of trees and they had all noticed the commotion in that direction. Everyone exchanged looks with each other because the bush was shaking very vigorously.

"Is that some sort of trap?" Someone wondered.

The moment these words were spoken, Fireball came falling out of the bush with a thud, as the other man had shoved him out of the cover.

"You dare push me!" Fireball was enraged, waving his hand to cast a spell.

"F*ck me, you're really attacking me," A shove would hardly kill anyone, but using the skills and spells that the game provided definitely beheld the possibility of killing someone. That rascal from Forever in Flowers quickly ducked away from the spell and instantly pounced on Fireball. The two kids began tussling with each other and tumbled away from the bush.

The men from Carouse were all dumbfounded. Just what was going on here?

"Folding Fan, what do we do?" These people had no idea what they should do.

"F*ck, hell if I know." Folding Fan Invader was also at a loss for what to make of this. In the end, Gu Fei took this moment to suddenly burst out from the bush, addressing the crowd while holding his sword in reverse, looking completely disheartened, "Ignore them, I'm right here!"

"Drunk bro, leave the ladies to me," Fireball poked his head out and shouted this as he continued to scuffle with his guildmate.

"Scram!" Gu Fei gave a swift stomp to his head as a response.

The players from Carouse were all staring dumbly as Gu Fei rolled up his sleeves, saying, "Come."

"Come what?" They were all astonished.

"Make your move! How many of you are here?" Gu Fei was on his tiptoes trying to count them, oddly commenting, " Seems like there were more of you before…"

Folding Fan Invader and the others were completely clueless by this point. The two men that tumbled out from the bush were fighting with each other without using any skills; just what sort of devious plot was this? And just what sort of bait was Gu Fei to so casually step out like this? Just how many more experts were hiding out within these trees? This was what it meant to overthink a simple issue. The two men were fighting simply because they were fighting, and Gu Fei had stepped out into the open precisely because he had finished replenishing his mana. Everything was really that simple.

"Get ready for battle!" Folding Fan Invader finally growled out his order. His men had also equipped the appropriate gear for this fight, and at least half of these people disappeared the moment the command was given — The Thieves had all activated their Stealth, while the Archers did not stay rooted to where they were, scattering in every direction, finding cover in the trees and other foliage from their surroundings. At a glance, Gu Fei could see that these men had no intention of giving him a chance to gather them together and slay them all at once. It looked like he had to be very careful dealing with them.

"Here I come!" Gu Fei suddenly yelled, actually taking the initiative and dashed out. This was no different from making the move to step right into the enemy's encirclement; Folding Fan Invader and his Thieves that had gone into Stealth were still setting up how they would go about to surround Gu Fei, yet he had so quickly arrived right into their midst.

"Spread out!" Folding Fan Invader shouted. He was well aware that Gu Fei could easily take advantage of the situation once they were all grouped like this.

"Face him one after another. Let's make him use up his mana. Call the guild to send Priests over," Folding Fan Invader very calmly took command of the situation.

Gu Fei hurtled into their midst, not using any spells as he slashed to his left and right, instantly picking out three men. These three men were momentarily stunned when their Stealths were broken. Meanwhile, the voice of Fireball could suddenly be heard by the bush, "F*ck, stop messing around. Drunk bro has already made his move." A Mage could then be seen poking out from the foliage, but this time he was raising his magic staff, chanting an incantation to summon a Thunderbolt from the heavens. As Gu Fei's number one fan, Fireball had immediately chosen to be a Lightning Mage after reaching level 40. He had ultimately made this decision without a hint of hesitation, ready to wield the same arsenal of spells like Gu Fei. He was one of those who were cheering for the change as the rare few commoners who had saved quite a bit of coin before the recent goods and currency update.

Unfortunately, while Fireball had appeared so dramatically, his damage output was insufficient for him to cause any sort of change casting a single bolt of lightning. However, the Hunter who had been brawling with him had also stepped out at this time, sending out a Snipe with an arch of his bow.

This Hunter did not stop firing after that Snipe; just that first shot would have been enough for the Thief, but he soon realized the pair were now working in perfect tandem against him. Fireball and the Hunter took turns sending out their Thunderbolt and arrows respectively, leaving the Thief disoriented as he took the attacks one after another. Gu Fei was busy lashing out to his left and right as well, picking out a few more players once more. When Fireball saw how many people they were going up against, he happily threw out an AoE spell as a follow-up.

None of these people were fools, so they very naturally scattered to avoid this spell, as several of them had already dashed toward the two men.

"F*ck, they're coming. Time to leave!" The Hunter turned tail and quickly disappeared.

"Where am I supposed to go!? Do you even know what it means to demonstrate loyalty?" Fireball was flustered. He did not have much movement speed and was instantly surrounded by Carouse's Thieves.

"Of course I do! I will appreciate your self-sacrifice from afar, hahaha!" The Hunter had already cleared several meters of distance in the last few seconds, coming to a halt as he took a few potshots at the Thieves that surrounded Fireball, though it was evident that was hardly enough to save Fireball.

"Monkey business is all you know!" A lady's voice could be heard out of nowhere, as a flash of Heal that was nothing as magnificent as a Heal from a Light Priest basked Fireball in its light. Vast Lushness appeared from behind another tree, granting Fireball some reprieve as she commanded several Hunters to appear from every direction, ready to fight.

As the saying went, "Anyone versed in the art could discern expertise through a single move". Vast Lushness did not bother messaging through the guild channel either, verbally passing out instruction and sending her men to their positions. Folding Fan Invader and everyone could hear what was being relayed, and they could all tell she was someone who had plenty of experience in party PKs.

"Who is this lady?" Folding Fan Invader was astonished. In an instant, the men from Forever in Flower, whom everyone from his divison had largely dismissed, were now organized and proceeded to counter suppress Carouse's attack. Actually, if this was a proper confrontation between either group, there was no way Forever In Flowers would hold the upper hand in this skirmish without Gu Fei within Carouse's midst. However, Gu Fei did not bother to strike with any ferocity either. All he did was stroll about, cutting to the east and slashing to the west, taking a stab at whomever he chanced upon. He avoided using his mana this entire time, which made Folding Fan Invader and his men afraid to surround him. One by one, Gu Fei was able to reap each and every player without using even a bit of his mana.

"Retreat, let's withdraw for now!" By the time Folding Fan Invader had discovered that they had already suffered ten casualties, he felt that the situation was beginning to turn dire and quickly gave the command in hopes of falling back with him men.

Everybody turned around to withdraw, only to find the sound of traps triggering non-stop within the copse of trees, snaring half of these men at one go. They had been retreating in the direction where they had originally come from, so the path had been cleared from any traps before. Now that they suddenly appeared, that could only mean that they had fallen for this maneuver during their ongoing skirmish. 

"Hahaha, It is finally my turn," Fireball was extremely delighted. He quickly found a location where there were more players trapped and sent forth his Descending Wheel of Flames and Blazing Tree of a Thousand Inferno in unison. However, the victims of the two spells were all experts from Carouse; there would not be a place for any of them in their guild if they could be instkilled just from Fireballs' spells. These players from Carouse gritted their teeth and glared hatefully at this reprehensible lot, wishing they could just skin them all alive as they stood there, immobilized.

"Drunk bro, it's better if you do it…" Fireball had thrown out four spells consecutively, yet these people were all still standing. Fireball was no longer feeling as cheery as before, calling for Gu Fei to join in on the fun. But Gu Fei was completely uninterested in using his mana in such a fashion as he continued to bully and chase the other players from Carouse who were not caught in the Traps. Fireball was also the only Mage in Forever in Flowers, so all he could do was to bite the bullet and continue his bombardment. As a result, every time their enemy survived the spell Fireball cast, he could hear his own guildmates yell out boos as commentary.

These people from Carouse now feel like they were being toyed with. The embarrassment and shame that they were feeling was enough to kill them, but the traps that these men from Forever In Flowers set were sturdy and their duration lasted for a really long time. Right now, the biggest dream that these men had was for Gu Fei to give them a swift ending, so as to avoid dying at the hands of this shameless Mage.

Just as both parties were feeling extremely awkward about this situation, a blue luminescence suddenly streaked above their heads. This wave of blue that churned in the air instantaneously froze the air into ice, which proceeded to rain down upon these players. This Blizzard spell was far more powerful than what spellpower Fireball possessed, and these men finally did not have to withstand Fireball's humiliation any further. Before they disappeared in their white light, all of them had even thrown a look of gratitude to the person who had unleashed this spell.

"Lady Slyris!" Fireball was very excited as well, taking the initiative to make his way over to her. "Look at how intimately flawless our ice and fire combination was! Hahahaha, speaking of which, why are you here as well?"

Slyris was not someone with plenty of words to begin with, so how would she respond to Fireball's tune? Expectedly, her response was simple: she did not say a word and just quietly walked away. Fireball had just been crushed by a pretty lady, and subsequently suffered the jeering from his guildmates, but he did not seem to care as to what happened. He merely shook his head in amusement as he continued to sing the praises of this wondrous marriage of ice and fire in front of everyone.

Folding Fan Invader had lost half of his manpower by this point, but the copse of trees that they were in was not too far away from the cavity where the majority of men from Carouse were stationed. The moment he realized things had gone awry, Folding Fan Invader had immediately fired off a message and the rest of the guild was already making their way over. With how small this cluster of trees was, it would be a little too far-fetched for Forever In Flowers to stay and fight off the incoming army, so Gu Fei beckoned over to the crowd, "You guys should leave first."

"What about you?" Vast Lushness asked. As the de facto leader of Forever In Flowers now, she was the one who was in charge of such group battles. She had easily determined that the advantage that they held in this fight was only temporary. Now that the entirety of Carouse was being mobilized, the only option they had left to ensure their continued survival was to flee.

"I've still got unused mana!" Gu Fei answered brightly.

"You're insane!" Vast Lushness rolled her eyes, waving the men from Forever in Flowers as they prepared their escape.

"Slyris, you should come along with us. It won't be easy for you to escape since you don't have his movement speed," Vast Lushness told Slyris.

"Indeed," Slyris nodded her head.

"Head out facing west. There's a larger forest that way," Vast Lushness informed Gu Fei before they departed.

"We'll see about that!" Gu Fei replied.

"We'll see your *ss! Can you send a message my way? Give me a straight answer now if you're heading over or not," Vast Lushness demanded.

"I'll message Slyris, and she'll tell you," Gu Fei said.

Vast Lushness's hands were tied. She was not someone with much movement speed either, so she would be in danger if there were any further delays, quickly moving out with Slyris and the others.

Gu Fei continued to wander about in what remained of Folding Fan Invader's originally 100-man division of Thieves and Archers, beating around everyone to the point that they lost their temper. Things would not be so wretched if they were out in the open plains, but because of the presence of trees and foliage around, Gu Fei was able to efficiently use the cover the terrain provided to flit about elusively without using a drop of his mana, yet none of the felt that the rate of their losses were going any bit slower despite such circumstances.

It was only when the Priests from Carouse arrived did Gu Fei see a huge reduction in the threat of his offense. He then began harassing their Priests, successfully killing off two before the Priests began to take care of one another.

"Surround him!" Brave Surge had immediately given the command the moment he arrived.

"He still has his mana," Folding Fan Invader reminded.

"Then we'll use ten men to empty out his mana!" Brave Surge had brought a thousand men, unlike the handful that Folding Fan Invader was assigned with. He was more than willing to confidently expend these lives with how much more men he brought.

Chapter end