27. Search for the Oasis

“Let’s head to the oasis first.” Just standing around was a waste of water. Why not take a look at whether the oasis was still where HereticKing remembered it to be?

Players who’d been grinding in the desert all know it’s very important to know where the oasis was. It’s one way to be sure they had a steady supply of fresh water. Those who were lucky might even hunt some food.

“Okay.” XiaoYu’s eyes were already exhausted by the endless sea of yellow. It would be nice to freshen them up with the legendary desert’s oasis.

The location of the oasis closest to the city had already been charted out by other players. It’s now a secret everyone knows. It just so happened to be in the same direction as the area they were about to scout out.

Bai XiaoYu bent down to pick up the tiny cat and followed behind HereticKing towards the south-west. He’d learned not to walk around half-heartedly now. His two round eyes stared down at the ground as he walked. The tiny cat imitated its owner in staring at the floor as well. Anyone witnessing this sight might think gold and treasures would be popping out from beneath the sands.

HereticKing would occasionally look back at the two cats “hanging their hands in remorse”. While he admired how well XiaoYu was able to follow him with his head hung low, the mischievous side of him wondered – if he just stopped and turned around without notice, would XiaoYu just rush in and send himself into HereticKing’s arms?

The thought lingered in his mind, but HereticKing never acted on it. He knew LuckyCat didn’t have skin as thick as I_Am_A_Poor_Man. His face was as ripe as a tomato during the incident before. If he was teased again, he might faint from embarrassment and anger or even just stomp away and tear up a Return Scroll right then and there.

He’s got plenty of time. He’ll play with this little guy another day.

XiaoYu was oblivious to the fact he’d narrowly escaped from a “disaster”. Still, he could hide once but he can’t hide forever. He’ll be met with more “disasters”.

HereticKing always had I_Am_A_Poor_Man chattering on beside him. It felt rather strange to be walking on and on in silence. Furthermore, he didn’t have a tiny cat to play with now. Perhaps he could make the rare move to try and start a conversation.

However, HereticKing didn’t know what’s the trendy topic for boys these days. (There’s a reason why the little cat viewed him as an “uncle”.) I_Am_A_Poor_Man nattered on endlessly last time, but he never mentioned anything about LuckyCat’s interests or hobbies. LuckyCat looked like he should be around 20 years old, about the age of a university student.

“Are you studying in university?” HereticKing slowed down until he was walking beside XiaoYu. They should be walking side-by-side if they’re chatting. If they talk while one is at the front and the other behind, it’d feel like a leader questioning his subordinate.

“Um…no.” If all those events hadn’t happened, XiaoYu should be in his second year now.

“…” HereticKing didn’t think his eyes were fooled. XiaoYu’s awkward personality didn’t seem like he’s already struggling in society’s rat race. The only option left was he’s a university student. As for the miniscule chance of not being either… At the sight of XiaoYu’s dull eyes, HereticKing decided not to continue asking about this. Perhaps some unhappy memories were related.

“What kind of healer are you planning to be?” Since there’re some issues with his real-life situation, HereticKing thought they could talk about his in-game life.

“I’m thinking tank.”

“Oh…not many build tank healers.”

Other than the basic Intelligence for healers (to increase Magic Attack, Magic Defence and MP), the other stat points could be distributed as a player pleased. There were many builds for healers, like the violent build (Strength), the tank build (Vitality), Agility build (increases dodge chances, reduces cooldown and delays), speed build (upon reaching 200 in Intelligence, a new stat would be branched out – Wisdom. It increases casting speed and MP recovery speed), and even pure Intelligence builds.

 Based on the current meta for healers right now, a lot plan their builds towards the latter few. There weren’t many healers around. They’d usually train in parties and even then, it’d never be their turn to tank monsters. They do very much need their spells to be fast, so they can protect every party member, and effective, especially their healing spells.

“I grind solo.” So, to ensure he would not be smacked to death with just one blow, he needed to increase his Vitality!

“Not going to party up?”

“Too much trouble.” XiaoYu shook his head. When he saw doubt on HereticKing’s face, he lifted up the kitty in his arms. “It levels up according to the items it picks up, and it loves to pick up items. I won’t restrain it, nor would I put it away.”

“So that’s why. There’s already been trouble from it, right?” Otherwise, you wouldn’t look so helpless and crestfallen.

“Mn…”

“Don’t be upset. They think everyone’s like them. Petty and selfish. I know you definitely won’t hoard everything.” You wouldn’t have chased after me just to return that one gold coin otherwise. HereticKing ruffled XiaoYu’s hair.

“Thanks.” It felt nice to be trusted. XiaoYu brushed away the clouds in his mind and smiled, revealing two cute little canine teeth.

As if he was infected by that smile, HereticKing smiled back. It sort of felt like they were smiling knowingly at each other.

“Once you reach your second Job Change, would you be willing to join the Heretic Demons?” The minimum requirement for entering the branch guilds of Heretic Demons was over Level 50 after the second Job Change. As the big Guild Leader, he can’t break the rules. Still, he really hoped XiaoYu could be part of them.

“Yes.” A guild must be lively. Perhaps he could experience the atmosphere of a classroom again.

“Remember to notify me as soon as you successfully get through your Job Change.”

“No problem.”

“Then, I eagerly await your application.”

“Mn. But, my level would be the lowest. Hehe.”

“It’s fine. Your level would be quickly trained up. Maybe you’ll level up five times or more once this S-rank quest is done.”

“That much experience?” Why not hunt for an egg to trip over every day?

“That’s a conservative guess. Quests ranked S and above aren’t easy to find.” Of course, the Level 100 was an exception to the rule. The game would love it if everyone rolled a quest ranked S or above, so they’d lose experience from being unable to complete the quest. In reality, over 90% of players would draw an S-ranked quest the first time they attempt the Level 100 quest.

“Then we must complete it.” XiaoYu clenched his hand into a fist. He could almost see the vast amount experience waving at him.

“Meow!” The little cat stretched out a paw and waved, as if it too was set on the mission. But it was most likely seeing a pile of gold coins waving at it instead.

“Hehe.” The big and tiny cats were so in synced with each other. It looked like his future won’t be boring at all.

“There’s a snake!” XiaoYu, who’d been staring down at the ground, suddenly noticed something wriggling in the sand before him. Upon a closer look, it was a small green snake about as wide as his wrist.

“Don’t panic. It’s a passive mob. It’s fine if you don’t step on it.”

“Oh.”

XiaoYu carefully stepped around the little snake. It seemed to be able to detect when players were near it. It raised its round head and stared at XiaoYu. He somehow felt disdain coming from it. The snake then looked at HereticKing and quietly stretched back on the sand to continue its slow wriggling.

Did a snake just look down at him? =_=+

“Seems like the A.I. of the monsters around here were improved.” That meant their journey west might not be that peaceful. Thus, HereticKing started up a discussion with I_Am_A_Poor_Man via private messages again.

“Don’t be sad. Once your level is higher, we’ll come back. I guarantee it will be moving around you instead then.”

“Mn.” XiaoYu scrunched his nose and silently glared at that cowardly bully of a snake.

XiaoYu’s discreet actions did not escape HereticKing’s gaze. He was very satisfied to see LuckyCat being more relaxed around him. So much different to that respectful and formal yet detached attitude from the start.

Perhaps LuckyCat was just like some lonely little beastie (Not a typo! It’s not little bottom!). At the start, he’d treat anyone trying get close with hostility and indifference. Once they know each other more, he’d slowly let down his guard and reveal his original naive personality. He’d even throw a minor temper tantrum now and again.

HereticKing smiled. He affectionately looked at XiaoYu who kept his head down low in search of “treasures”. It’s sort of like how an older brother would look on at his pouting younger brother, yet not really.

Translator’s Note:

1. Hide once but can’t hide forever: Twist to the Chinese saying, “One can hide on/from the first day, but they can’t hide from the fifteenth”. The reason the 15^th is used is due to the lunar calendar. The first day is the new moon and the 15^th is the full moon. Some interpret it as never being able to hide from justice or karma. Bad deeds are typically done during the night, so the moonlight is seen as a metaphor for justice.
2. “Disasters”: More accurately, it’s the character used for trials and tribulations (more commonly found in cultivation stories).
3. They think everyone’s like them. Petty and selfish: Rephrasing of a Chinese idiom (以小人之心度君子之腹). The proper translation is “assuming the noble heart with the mentality of a petty man”.
4. Smiling knowingly at each other: Part of a meme/idiom (相视一笑). It simply translates to “Smile at each other” but there are some nuances in it that’ve been added in since the poem it first appeared in.
5. Beastie/Bottom: There are many homonyms to “shou” (bottom/uke in Chinese). This is one pairing the author specifically pointed out.

◄Previous •Index• Next►

26. Mysterious Egg

The bird was caught, but XiaoYu needed to buy the appropriate riding equipment for it from the Mount shop before he could ride it properly. Thus, XiaoYu kept the Peco Peco in his Mount Inventory for the moment.

XiaoYu snuck a glance at HereticKing. He was standing some distance away with a compass and trying to get an accurate reading on where they were. It was likely they’d be heading to some other place in the desert next.

XiaoYu scratched the back of his head. The other didn’t display any distaste or dislike for their current situation. It wouldn’t be good if he tried to object and try to leave alone, so XiaoYu gently walked over, thinking to ask about where they’re going next or something.

“Ouch!” Crash!

When HereticKing heard XiaoYu’s startled cry coming from behind him and the sound of something heavy dropping onto the ground, he quickly turned around, thinking there was a monster nearby. All he saw was XiaoYu sprawled on the ground with his limbs thrown out and a bright red -1 floating above him.

“! What happened?” Strangely enough, there was not a monster’s shadow in sight. HereticKing bent down to help XiaoYu up. As he did so, he witnessed that cute cat-like face covered in sand. He was also pouting in dismay. “Pfft.” HereticKing was still unable to stop himself from laughing.

“Peh. Peh…” Bai XiaoYu spat out the sand in his mouth and looked back in search of the source of his misfortune.

On the flat desert plains, somehow, there was a white oblong object protruding out from the ground. It was as if a large egg was buried in the sands and only a tiny portion of it was being exposed.

The tiny cat was crouching next to the unknown pale object that was about the same size as it. It pawed at the sand covering the object, hoping to figure out just what kind of mystical being was it to make its owner collapse in a whirlwind.

“Hahahahaha!” HereticKing seemed to already know what it was. He laughed so hard that he had to bend over. The only thing he didn’t do was slam his fist on the ground in his laughter.

XiaoYu thought that laughter sounded oddly familiar, but now was not the time. He didn’t know what the object was yet. Hence, he knelt down beside that thing and started pawing sand away with the small cat.

It really was an egg, pale white and bulky. XiaoYu wondered if such a large egg could be a dinosaur’s egg.

“That’s the egg of a Peco Peco bird. It’s my first time seeing someone get injured by it. Hahaha…” HereticKing thought this trip was really worth his effort. As expected, the two cats would always bring him joy.

Egg-type monsters are the players’ most favourite monsters of all. They won’t attack and even when being attacked, they won’t attack back. So, it’d go on until the players kill it by cracking its shell. It could also act as a food source for players camping outside. With just a few minutes over the fire, it’d be edible. It’d also lower the Hunger meter rather substantially. The only issue was Egg monsters were too hard to find. They’d always be well-hidden by its fellow mature monsters.

A completely harmless bird’s egg actually tripped XiaoYu up. It was even such a hard fall the game decided XiaoYu was injured. It was probably the first time such a thing had happened in this game’s life. Whoever witnessing a scene like this would at least fall over laughing once.

Great. The tiny bit of courage XiaoYu spent so much effort gathering was instantly shattered. He hung his head low, blushing deep red. His finger would occasionally poke at the egg. The tiny cat mimicked its wonder. Left paw. Right paw. It’d scratch at the egg, as if the egg was a ball for it to play with.

“Alright. You can take your revenge on it however you like. Once this egg is deal with, I’ll take you to the desert’s oasis for some sightseeing.” HereticKing ruffled XiaoYu’s hair. At least, the other didn’t run away with the little one in his arms like last time. Otherwise, XiaoYu would likely never sneak out with him to play again.

“Oh…okay.” XiaoYu thought about it for a moment and decided to put the egg into his bag. There’d be more chances for revenge in the future. Once he became a chef, he’ll fry it up, steam it, mash it, boil it. He can do anything to it then.

“Ding. Players LuckyCat, HereticKing, do you accept the hidden S-rank quest: Escort the brave Peco Peco egg back to its village?”

“Hah?” The sudden notification sounding out in their ears stunned the both of them.

“Open your Inventory. Look at the egg’s description.”

“Oh…= =|||”

“What is it? Share it with me.” HereticKing couldn’t see the description of an item in XiaoYu’s bag. However, quest information could be shared within the party. He should be able to know what’s going on with the egg that’d made LuckyCat look so awkward and speechless.

XiaoYu was reluctant to let HereticKing read the egg’s description, but he still shared the tab to the other. This quest might be impossible to finish solo after all.

(Brave) Peco Peco Egg: A brave egg that could injure a player. It’s revered by the Peco Peco tribe and would become the next Peco Peco King.

“…” HereticKing had thought his luck in quests was already that, but he didn’t think this big cat would be quite a hard worker too. With just a simple trip, he found an S-ranked quest. Not only that, he didn’t smash the egg into smithereens in a fit of rage from all the embarrassment. Instead, he just kept the egg as if it was all normal.

“Should we accept this quest?” Even in death, XiaoYu would never have thought his impulse to seek revenge later would be the trigger for a secret quest. Still, he’d never accepted such a high-ranking quest. He’d decide after seeking the opinion of an experienced player.

“Accept.” The rewards for quests at ranked S and above were very generous. Quests like that could only be stumbled upon based on luck and not wishes. While quests above S-rank could be extremely hard to complete, it could also be ranked that highly because it had harsh trigger conditions even if it was rather easy to complete. This quest before them was very likely to be in the second category.

“Ding. Players LuckyCat, HereticKing, accepted the hidden S-ranked quest: Escort the brave Peco Peco egg back to its home. Please complete this quest within 10 days.”

But where was the Peco Peco’s village?

The Quest tab only indicated to walk west. How far west did they have to go? They’d only know once they start heading west. With such vague directions, they had to head back and review their plans.

The further one ventured into the desert, the more dangerous it was. Quicksand, unpredictable hurricanes, large venomous scorpions, etc. In such atrocious and deadly environment, a major accident could kill even a high-level player.

The time limit was ten days. Considering how humane the game was for taking into consideration the players’ real life, this quest should be completable within 48 hours if one didn’t eat or sleep. The quest could also be shared within the party, that meant the quest could be completed by up to ten players. (The party limit was capped at 10 players.)

“Ouch!” XiaoYu suddenly covered his ears with his hands.

“What is it now?” HereticKing thought he’d been 120% careful this time. How could LuckyCat get ambushed again? But he soon knew what happened in the next few seconds.

“Chief! How could you steal my lucky cat away?” I_Am_A_Poor_Man’s demonic voice rang out from afar. It made one cover their ears on impulse. However, that wouldn’t stop the spell from being heard.

“I_Am_A_Poor_Man roared at you?”

“Mn…” XiaoYu rubbed his temples and lowered the volume settings in the game. He’d just received I_Am_A_Poor_Man’s message about carrying him for some speed grinding in the Zombie Cave. (The truth was he’d promised HereticKing he’d personally gather materials himself yesterday, but it would be too lonely to do it alone. So, he was thinking of bringing LuckyCat along to grind while he acted as a bodyguard.)

In the end, when XiaoYu told I_Am_A_Poor_Man he was out in the desert with HereticKing, the other immediately roared, “What? You eloped with Chief?” The shockwaves made XiaoYu see stars.

“When did he become yours?” For some unknown reason, HereticKing didn’t like I_Am_A_Poor_Man’s tone yet he didn’t realise his own voice carried hints of the sour scent of jealousy.

“Huh? Chief, did you eat some vinegar? Are you jealous?”

“No.”

“Tee-hee. Got it. I get it. But, why are you bringing LuckyCat to the desert for? You’re not holding onto a grudge about yesterday, right? He didn’t mean to…”

“To catch a bird.”

“W-We didn’t elope. We’re capturing Peco Peco.” When the spell died out, XiaoYu recalled the last line the other shouted at him and instantly attempted to clear up the relationship between him and HereticKing. They’re only mount-hunting…while a little accident happened. >///<

“Hee-hee.” Upon hearing the two replies coming in at the same time about bird-hunting, I_Am_A_Poor_Man thought that their minds were rather alike. They might as well just go elope.

Wait…” Chief? You’re online. Why are you hiding yourself?” It was only then that he realised Chief’s icon wasn’t lit up. If LuckyCat hadn’t told him they were together then, he wouldn’t have gone to shout at Chief.

“To avoid harassment.” Specifically, by you.

“That’s not fair! I’m working overtime every day to the point where I don’t even have time to go dating! But you’re sneaking off to a date with our little friend!” I_Am_A_Poor_Man was filled with rage at the injustice and stalked around the outer walls of the game-generated homes in the capital. It made any by-passers stay far away from him.

“Shush. There’s an S-rank.”

“Chief, did your RNG act up again? What kind of S-rank quest?”

“LuckyCat triggered it. Party-shared. Investigate the areas west of the Peco Peco region.”

“Roger.” Complaining was one thing, but he should still do his best to finish the work Chief assigned to him. What kind of quest did LuckyCat’s luck summon? Perhaps he could join in and gain some experience XDD.

Translator’s Note:

Vinegar = Jealousy: It’s a common saying in Chinese to mean one is jealous. Has some historical context, but whether it’s true is another story. Simplified retelling can be found here.

◄Previous •Index• Next►

25. It’s No Good Underestimating Birds~

“You brought sufficient water supplies?” Normally, HereticKing would not natter on about such things. One, he had capable subordinates. A single glance would be enough to make himself understood. Two, even if there were idiots, he wouldn’t bother to worry about them. However, LuckyCat was rather special. Instead, the foolish antics of LuckyCat was funnier and more interesting to him. Provided, of course, that they wouldn’t put LuckyCat’s life at risk.

There would only be a Hunger meter usually, but in certain special areas, a thermometer-looking special status bar would appear in the upper right corner of a player’s vision. For example, a Thirst meter when in a desert, a Freezing meter on snowy mountains, a Heat bar when inside a lava cave, and so on. Once those meters reach over 100 points, the player would be inflicted with a special status and would lose health continuously until they die.

The only way to avoid such a fate would be to use special items, which would lower that specific bar and subsequently stop decreasing the player’s health. The player cannot use Return Scrolls or items like it as they’re being hurt. Once a player was stuck in such a scenario without any supplies, they can only wait for death.

“I brought 100 bottles of milk.” It was enough to fill 1 slot of his inventory.

“= =|||. Bring 5 slots full of clear water.”

Of course, pure water was the most effective against the Thirst meter. However, one cannot buy that in most NPC stores. There were plenty of streams and rivers in the world, should anyone want water. Water didn’t help with Hunger either. Only Kemet’s NPC stores would sell water. 5 silvers a bottle. Of course, there would be players who’d try and earn some cash by collecting empty bottles then come running back to Kemet to sell them to other players.

“Oh.” XiaoYu thought about it. There was a special note in the section regarding grinding in the desert about bringing water which was sold in shops. He should’ve familiarised himself with the area on the forums this morning when he woke up. Sometimes, the want to experience everything first-hand could cost him his life.

“Meow~~” The tiny cat was done scratching its nose and was up and running again. It pounced into HereticKing’s lap and started asking for attention. It’s a pity the large hood blocked its face. Otherwise, the two humans would be able to see its eyes transform into gold coins and its face trying its best to be cute.

“Ugh…” The moment HereticKing pulled the little cat’s hood back, he regretted it. As expected, there’s a reason why everyone says there are some things better off unseen. Now, before the little cat’s expectant gaze, he really can’t refuse to take out something to tease it with.

“Ah.” XiaoYu sighed with his head in his hands. If the small cat was given another chance to choose its owner, XiaoYu was sure there’s an 80% chance it would abandon him at once for the shiny new being.

HereticKing recalled the last time he played with the tiny cat. From what he remembered, it seemed to prefer the gold coin more than the fish. Thus, he took a coin out and flipped it back and forth between his hands. The tiny cat was so interested that it started wriggling and pouncing after the coin.

“Hehe. You should’ve named it GreedyCat.” HerecticKing actually didn’t know the kitten’s name. XiaoYu never mentioned it before and I_Am_A_Poor_Man didn’t mention it at all in his constant chatter last time.

“Close enough.” Both names involved money.

“What did you name it?”

“TinyLuckyCat.”

“Ugh…” His hands froze, and the gold coin was stolen by the little cat. “Hahaha…A big lucky cat and a tiny lucky cat.”

XiaoYu scratched his neck. He was basically immune already to the laughter at the names he entered. He took a gold coin out and handed it back to the other.

HereticKing was made to understand XiaoYu’s stubbornness regarding money once before. So, he said nothing of it and continued teasing the tiny cat with the gold coin.

Once the clock struck 10, the whirling winds immediately stopped. XiaoYu ran once more to buy a bunch of water, then stepped out of the North Gate of Kemet. As soon as they did so, the Thirst meter slowly began to rise.

Far off in the distance, large golden pyramids specifically constructed for Guild Wars could be seen. Unfortunately, they weren’t there to sightsee. Still, the map was certainly huge. It was only after they’d walk to the northwest for over an hour were the pyramids gone from view. (As long as the Guild Wars buildings could be viewed, the area was considered a Guild Wars map. No aggressive mobs will be spawned, and players could not battle each other.)

At this point, XiaoYu and the tiny cat had already drunk half a slot full of water. His respect for veteran players raised even more and his impression of HereticKing rose again.

Meanwhile, HereticKing was frustrated over why he’d been so stubborn as to not buy a horse from the game earlier on and decided to tame a temperamental purebred Thousand-Li Horse. Now he could only stumble along the desert sands with XiaoYu. It would be much more comfortable if he rode his horse, but it’s too stubborn. It would never allow anyone outside of its owner to ride it. The last time a female healer who was interested in him coyly talked about riding together with him, his horse took out half of her HP in one kick. His name had turned grey because of that =_=+.

Before the Guild Wars was patched it, players need only walk for 30 minutes before they arrived at the Peco Peco region. Now, they’d need to walk for about 2 whole hours. Fortunately, he’d decided to carry the TinyLuckyCat in his arms for the journey. He could tease and play with it to relieve the two players’ fatigue. If he teased the big cat, he’d blush. It’d be fine if he teased the tiny one, right? After all, it was covered in black fur. If it blushed, no one knew.

In the desert, a player could see everything around them until the far ends of the horizon. With one glance, they could tell if there were monsters around them. Outside of the venomous scorpions buried deep under the sands in the far regions of the desert, it’s still a rather safe area.

“That’s a Peco Peco,” said HereticKing as he pointed to a bird far away with its butt swaying high in the air and trying its best to bury its head into the sands.

= =|||. It’s exactly like an ostrich. Unfortunately, the ostrich had a small brain which could be buried in the ground. This dumb bird worked so hard and so long, but was only able to bury of its large beak in the sands. A gloomy cloud loomed over XiaoYu’s head. He somewhat regretted coming to tame a mount.

HereticKing stepped up and released a Taunt. The skill was successful. Normally, the monster would be forcefully pulled in by HereticKing and attack him. But this idiotic bird just raised its large head, looked around, and continued in its attempt to bury its head in the ground.

= =+. It wouldn’t even respond and be courteous to a major guild’s Leader. HereticKing resisted the urge to slash down at it. After all, the capture would have to depend on XiaoYu himself. Even if a player wanted to make the taming attempt easier by beating down on the monster until it only had a sliver of health left, the attacks must come from the tamer themselves. A monster that had been beaten up by other players could not be captured. Thus, it can be said that Taunt is a skill that was very good at taking advantage of the game’s loopholes.

Far away, XiaoYu frowned slightly. He really didn’t like this Taunt skill. It made him recall the inhumane torture he’d suffered before.

In order to save the reputation of all Knights, HereticKing just walked all the way to the Peco Peco and shoved a handful of sand onto the Peco Peco’s short neck. Such a close-up taunt should have a 100% success rate. If not, he’ll complain to the GMs!

This time, the first thing the dumb bird saw as it raised its head was HereticKing with irritation written all over his face. The two tiny eyes hiding behind its large beak blinked and blinked. Then, it tilted its head 30° and continued blinked. Either way, it just wouldn’t attack. It nearly made HereticKing think he’d found a mentally retarded bird. Just as he was prepared to chop it to pieces and go look for another, it finally flared open its fat wings. With a loud cry, it rushed forward to peck him with its large beak.

HereticKing placed a large stone shield before himself and watched as the Peco Peco pecked hard on the sold rock. When it saw stars from the recoil, HereticKing’s heart was soothed a little. He then gestured XiaoYu to come over.

XiaoYu placed the tiny cat on the ground and he quickly jogged ahead to stand behind the Peco Peco. He stood close to the bird and silently waited for his chance.

“Now,” HereticKing signalled to XiaoYu the moment the Peco Peco confused itself with another failed attack at the stone shield. It would only be confused for 5 seconds or so.

XiaoYu jumped onto the Peco Peco as if it was a vaulting horse from his middle school days. He hurriedly closed his eyes, leaned down, and hugged its neck tightly.

Having recovered from its dizziness, the Peco Peco soon felt the abnormal weight on it. It let out a sharp cry. The sudden fervour and wild rage made one think the dumb and dull bird from before was a totally different perso-no, bird. It flailed itself up and down, left and right. It swung round and round to try and throw XiaoYu off.

XiaoYu who knew he was weaker in strength than the bird, could only cling onto its neck in hopes of winning it over with his stamina.

Now that the Peco Peco had given up on attacking HereticKing completely, the carefree HereticKing put his stone shield away and stood aside, observing the other. Mn. He’d really taken in all the directions HereticKing had told him before. It seemed like their capture attempt would be very successful…Just as HereticKing thought so, an unexpected event happened.

The Peco Peco suddenly stopped struggling. It mournfully cried. XiaoYu slowly opened his eyes and looked up. The Peco Peco’s tiny eyes were streaming with tears. It looked so very pitiful. His heart sank and his arms around its neck loosened.

“Hold tight!” HereticKing thought the Peco Peco’s sudden calm was because the game had already told XiaoYu the capture was successful. (The confirmation dialogue box that appeared before players could not be seen by other players.) However, the gleam flashing across the bird’s eyes when XiaoYu’s grip loosened made his guts tell him there was more to it.

No matter how fast XiaoYu reacted, it was too later. The Peco Peco fiercely swung its tail to the right and XiaoYu was sent flying.

“Mrrow!” Upon witnessing its owner fly off with a swoosh, the tiny cat was yowled in fright. It laid flat on the ground and covered its eyes with its paws.

As XiaoYu’s brain repeatedly chanted “crap” and wondered if he would instantly morph into a beam of white light, he felt himself collapse into a soft embrace.

“Are you okay?”

A deep voice echoed in his ears. The stunned XiaoYu twisted his head up and felt something soft brushing across his face along his ears. (You’re asking about the hood? It’s long been thrown off during the struggle before. ╮(╯▽╰)╭)

>/////<. When XiaoYu realised what it was, his face instantly became as red as a cooked lobster. If one looked closely, they would find white steam appearing above his head.

“Awwk!” screamed the Peco Peco in an untimely manner. It furiously rushed over in an attempt to attack the two humans and burst the pink bubbly atmosphere.

HereticKing quickly put XiaoYu down and stood before him. He brought out his stone shield and blocked the Peco Peco’s pecks.

“Hmph. It’s been so long since I’ve last seen them. Looks like their A.I. became more sophisticated.” Still, an attempt to attack HereticKing was just a daydream. His high Agility was not just for show.

HereticKing’s guess was correct. When there were a lot of new players around, a lot of players ran over to catch this monster which could be the first mount they would ever have in their gaming life. The desert was once filled to the brim with humans. The moment a Peco Peco appeared, all eyes would be staring at it. After countless bloodshed from its elders, the Peco Peco’s A.I. drastically increased. This teary trick was the big stumbling obstacle stopping recent new players from trying to capture them.

Unfortunately, no matter how much their A.I. improved, they’re still a tiny speck before high-levelled players. Frankly, even without any equipment, HereticKing could punch this Peco Peco to death with one blow.

“Don’t be fooled by them. Before the game’s notification appears, don’t ever loosen your grip.”

“Um…okay.” The shocked XiaoYu finally snapped back. Still, he was unable to look at the other straight in the eye for now. With his head lowered, he looped over until he was standing behind the Peco Peco. He readied himself, geared up for his chance and pounced…

With a high-level Knight’s death glare beaming down at it from the side, the Peco Peco seemed to know it had lost. With a single twitch of his fingers, HereticKing could beat it back to its respawn point. Thus, it only twisted around for show. It didn’t even bother with “crocodile tears”. It really felt so wrong. It’s innocent! Its beak hurt from all that pecking, and its neck was aching from all that strangling. It really wanted to cry. T-T

“Ding! Peco Peco is now tamed. Would you like to accept it as your mount?”

“Yes.”

“Ding! Congratulations Player LuckyCat on taming your first mount – the desert Peco Peco.” Players could tame an unlimited number of mounts, as long as you have the capability. However, players could only tame one of each kind.

“Done. Thank you.” XiaoYu sat up straight and thanked HereticKing. But his gaze would drift and roam all over the place. Even when he wouldn’t look at the other in the eyes, his face was still burning.

“No need to thank me.” Hm, hm~ There’ll be more chances in the future to bully this disrespectful idiotic bird.

The Peco Peco shivered. Why did it suddenly feel so cold in this blazing desert?

Translator’s Note:

North Gate: Previously translated as South Gate due to a mistake. The proper direction is to the north.

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24. Bird Catching?

During the event, there wasn’t any kind of big unexpected accidents. All the large guilds were defending their own cities. There were no major clashes. Other than the initial seven, another four more cities found their owners. Still, no one took over a number 3 city. It made those cities much more mysterious and mystical.

 As to how the Heretic Demons fared this battle, XiaoYu could only guess from the expressions on the guild members. They didn’t look too upset. Looks like Prole-4 was successfully defended.

XiaoYu who wasn’t used to staying up overnight went back to Serica as soon as the event was over. His revival point was now set to Serica. After some bag organisation, he found an old broken-down little hostel and prepared for sleep.

While he’s now considered quite rich, he’d save and scrimp on wherever he should. It’s just sleep. Close his eyes and he’d be unconscious. Who cared where he slept as long as he wasn’t being bitten by monsters.

XiaoYu was still saving for when he reaches Level 40. Then, he’ll be able to convert in-game currency for real life currency. He’ll convert a portion of his crystals to help with his savings issue. It’d be for the best if he could find a way to earn a lot of money. Then the monthly fee will be paid by crystals and if the game shut down, his bank account would still be filled to the brim. (While there’s a limit to exchanging real life money for crystals, there’s no limit to exchanging in-game currency for real life money, as long as you had enough crystals. But reality has always been that cruel. XD)

When HereticKing ended his meeting and recalled he’d yet to set a meeting time and place with LuckyCat, the other had already taken a tour around the globe while snoring. He tried calling LuckyCat and got the door shut in his face by the game. And so, the rarest of all happened – HereticKing wrote a letter himself. Tomorrow 10 am. Meet me at the North Gate of Kemet.

********

While there was still a lot of time between 9 am and the appointed meeting time, XiaoYu had never been to Kemet which was also hailed as one of the four big cities of AO. Thus, he teleported over bright and early to shop around and prepare.

Kemet was really a city that’d bury a player in sand (what a shock.). Look out to the horizon and all one would see were yellow and gold. The buildings were made with yellow clay and yellow clay. Once out of the city, there’d most likely be sand and more sand. It made him suspect whether camping here for long would turn one colour-blind. No matter what, all colours would be perceived as yellow in the future.

XiaoYu didn’t know what the monsters were around the area or how to capture a mount. He pondered about it. It can’t be he’d have to ride on a gigantic venomous desert scorpion, right? He shivered. HereticKing’s not that petty, right? He didn’t mean to treat him as an NPC yesterday > <.

Still there’s only yellow and more yellow there. There weren’t many people roaming around either. XiaoYu finished exploring the place in a snap. He sat down near the North Gate and started daydreaming.

“Achoo!” “Meow-choo!” There were quite a lot of sand being blown about by the desert winds. XiaoYu had accidentally inhaled some in. Even the tiny cat that wanted to comfort its owner sneezed. XiaoYu rubbed his nose. Did he forget about something?

“Hehe. Little fool, why didn’t you buy a cloak?” A large hand suddenly landed on XiaoYu’s head. He looked up to find HereticKing grinning down at him whilst covered in a large cloak. “Luckily the hurricanes aren’t that active today. If you lost a level due to that, I’d have gravely sinned.”

It was only then did XiaoYu’s mind connected the dots. No wonder most of the players wandering around were equipped with a large cloak. The forums did mention the areas around Kemet would be covered in hurricanes from 8 am to 10 am, and from 4 pm to 6pm. The magnitude differs according to area and time. Even though the city’s quite shielded, players were told to be wary in the post introducing all the major cities in the game. He knew he’d forgotten something.

“I’ll go buy one now.” It’d be normal if players die suffocating in the sands outside near the launch of the game when no one was certain of the times, but to be blasted by sand while in the desert now? That’d be hilarious.

“It’s fine. I bought two extra.” HereticKing took out two cloaks, one large and one mini, from his bracelet and handed them to him.

“Thank you.” XiaoYu was rather moved. The other had remembered his little cat. The cape was already mini-sized but it’s still quite big. If the tiny cat came out wandering at night with its cape on, it’d look exactly like a white will-o-wisp.

“You’re here so early.” HereticKing pulled XiaoYu over to an alcove blocked from the winds and sat down.

“Mn. I came to explore. You’re here early too.”

“I was worried there’d be two foolish little cats who didn’t know how to take care of themselves and get blown away by the sands.”

“…>///<” Alright. XiaoYu will admit he did ignore that point. After all, the Undead monsters here, the Mummies, were over Level 70. It’s too early for him to start camping here, so he didn’t pay much attention.

“Hehe. Don’t worry. You’re still a newbie.” When HereticKing saw XiaoYu’s face blushing from embarrassment, he sighed internally. Why did this boy blush so easily? It happened in the Newbie Village. Yesterday too. He only said the other’s hands were small and that tiny pale face immediately flushed red. Afterwards, he was even told by I_Am_A_Poor_Man in Prole-4 that he was flirting with a little kid. But he didn’t think so. He just said what was true.

“Mn.” How was XiaoYu still not used to being humiliating? The number of times he’d humiliated himself in the past month was more than one hand’s worth.

Bai XiaoYu hung his head, as if he was still flustered over how embarrassing he was. Even his kitten raised its paw and buried its face within the large cloak, as though in embarrassment. (It’s actually just scratching at its nose. It was itchy from all the sand.) HereticKing’s lethargy from having to wake up early trickled off by the view of two dusty and ruffled cats. There’s not even a tinge of apathy left in him. Seemed like waking up early once in a while was very much worth it.

HereticKing lifted his hand to pat at XiaoYu’s head again. It’s a pity the pleasant experience was decreased just now due to some bandages being in the way. Now, there’s an additional layer of fabric between his hand and the other’s head. Next time, he’d got to find a chance and make the other take of his accessories and let HereticKing have his fill of touching that hair.

“What’re we catching today?” XiaoYu was not repulsed by HereticKing’s hand at all. It made him recall the time when his parents were still living. They loved to touch and pat his head. He was so opposed to it back then. Now, there’s no chance left for them to do so.

“The desert’s Peco Peco.” HereticKing thought of catching a feline mount for XiaoYu, but he gave up on the notion after some thought. One, there were no large cat mobs in the game that could be ridden. Two, those ferocious feline monsters had rather high levels and there’re way too many obstacles in the forests. If they suddenly stumbled upon a herd, he’d be fine but LuckyCat would be sent flying back to the revival point with just the swipe of a paw.

“…a bird?” XiaoYu remembered reading that monster’s introduction. They range from Level 35 to 45. Large-sized and they run fast. They’re gentle which made them a suitable mount for players who hadn’t hit their Second Job Change. While they’re birds, they can’t fly like the ostrich. However, the biggest difference between a Peco Peco and an ostrich was in the neck. Their necks are thick and short. Their beaks large enough that the special mount reigns could be looped around it. The only issue was only one person could ride on it, and that rider cannot be tall or too buff. For lovers who wish to have a romantic ride together, it was suggested they wait to buy a horse after the Second Job Change.

“Mn. The most important aspect is its stability when running. Players don’t need to learn how to ride and your tiny cat won’t be shaken off.” A player can’t just ride on a horse after buying one. They have to learn how to ride and raise the skill’s proficiency before they could ride on a galloping horse. Otherwise, the player would be galloping alongside the horse.

“Oh. So how do we tame it?”

“Ride on top of it. Hold tight to its neck and don’t be shaken off. Once it calms down, the game will notify you.” While Peco Pecos were gentle, they’d naturally object to humans riding on them. HereticKing’s main duty was to attract the bird’s attention, then ensure LuckyCat wasn’t shaken off. While the ground’s covered in sand, a bad fall will split one’s arse wide open. Their brains too.

“Mn. I’ll try my best.” Since the other had taken so many aspects into consideration, it should be no issue. XiaoYu felt the only thing he can do now was wait for the hurricanes to end at 10 am, then head out of the city in search of a Peco Peco.

Translator’s Note:

What a shock (Kemet): The Chinese name translates to “Sandy City”. So, the sentence would go “Sandy City was really covered in sand (what a shocker).” Trivial puns like this are not worth making a city name weird, especially if it’s just a one-liner. I wish I knew enough Middle Eastern-ish languages to find a proper translation for that. Google Translate is so unreliable _(:3」∠)_

◄Previous •Index• Next►

23. Directly From “a Wide Range”

The reason why HereticKing and I_Am_A_Poor_Man were at the portal zone so early on was for the last preparations at Prole-4. As the mighty Guild Leader, of course he’d have a private plane. This was also why HereticKing only appeared once in the Zhang Village during the last battle. They’d planned early on to focus on conquering Prole-4 first, so I_Am_A_Poor_Man’s saved Teleport locations were just Prole-4’s entrances. Thus, HereticKing only arrived at the guild’s public airport when he decided to have a look around elsewhere.

While Bai XiaoYu didn’t know why HereticKing would want to add a puny portal opener like him as a friend, he still accepted it. Then, he watched as the two heads of Heretic Demons disappeared into a portal’s glow.

He sat down and continued eating.

The tiny cat hung its head in dejection. The uncle didn’t give it any gold coins to play with this time. Paw, dirt. Dirt, paw.

XiaoYu was speechless at the mercenary ways of this little cat. He dug out a grilled fish skewer from his inventory and teased the tiny cat with it. And so, the uncle with the gold coin was thrown back into the back of the kitten’s mind.

************

Meanwhile, HereticKing and I_Am_A_Poor_Man were resting in the Crystal Room after a check over Prole-4’s defences. Once they made sure every defence station had NPC soldiers (The city’s lord could hire a certain number of NPC soldiers to help defend the city, according to the city’s development.), they were prepared for the upcoming three hours of intense battle.

This time was usually meant for I_Am_A_Poor_Man’s and Below_The_Moon’s bantering and lively fights. Unfortunately, Below_The_Moon was rushing a batch of special traps and setting them up today, which were not done yet. That’s because there’re only three Level 100 archers in the entire guild, including Below_The_Moon, who can make this special large AoE trap. The workload was unimaginably huge.

“Chief, how do you know LuckyCat?” I_Am_A_Poor_Man is curious. He’s just so curious. At least he’s in the same class as LuckyCat. Even then, they barely interacted. The chief and LuckyCat were really miles apart from each other. He couldn’t think of a way they’d be able to know each other at all.

At the thought of the past two meetings where the big and small cats were mimicking each other, especially the first time they met, HereticKing’s eyes crinkled with laughter.

I_Am_A_Poor_Man’s curiosity was seriously hooked. Chief actually smiled when he thought of LuckyCat. It seemed like they made a good first impression. Was their first meeting so interesting? However, LuckyCat’s reaction to seeing Chief didn’t seem like they met.

Thus, I_Am_A_Poor_Man’s brain started imagining a play about a hero saving the damsel in distress-no. A hero saving the cat in distress. At the time, LuckyCat had been tormented to the point of collapsing on the floor. He’s panting. His vision’s going blurry. TinyLuckyCat was going to falling into the hands of a villain when the hero finally arrives. He saved the little cat and gently returned it back to its owner’s side. Then, he’d walk off into the sky of colourful clouds. The breeze blew dust up, further blurring LuckyCat’s vision. All he saw in the end was the shadow of a back walking away. Smaller and smaller and smaller until it disappeared…At last, LuckyCat’s vision blacken and he faints.

Ah, look at how talented I am at creating scenarios. If Chief doesn’t want me in the future, perhaps I can earn a living through script-writing. As I_Am_A_Poor_Man drowned himself in his thoughts, he suddenly realised Chief never bothered replying to him.

“Chief? Chief~ Chief~” Chief was in a good mood, so I_Am_A_Poor_Man bravely started bothering HereticKing. He was the ideal ever-curious baby.

“Ahem. Nothing. That tiny cat just snatched a gold coin from me.”

“…orz” Reality was cruel indeed. I_Am_A_Poor_Man’s wonderful fantasies were all popped.

However, since the little cat’s race was a lucky cat, perhaps it really loves money. I_Am_A_Poor_Man would try using a gold coin next time. He’d given that tiny cat so many fish skewers but he’d never seen it act so affectionate to him before.

“How do you know LuckyCat?”

“!!” It’s was so rare for Chief to start a conversation. I_Am_A_Poor_Man’s mind perked up and he started blabbing nonstop. It’s still quite early.

“Chief, you don’t know how pitiful and miserable LuckyCat was when I first met him. He was being attacked by a swordsman to the point where his body was covered with wounds. There were at least dozens of cuts on him. All because LuckyCat didn’t want to sell the kitten to that swordsman blah blah blah…”

I_Am_A_Poor_Man never noticed HereticKing’s slight frown.

“…While LuckyCat is a little tactless, he’s an honest, serious and a good child. He even helped me collect Zombie Fluids and Rotten Bandages without pay…Ah.” All of a sudden, I_Am_A_Poor_Man realised what he said and covered his mouth with his hands.

“Hm-hm. So you weren’t the one collecting them, and for free too.” HereticKing’s lips curved into an evil smirk.

“Hehe…That…” Chief really went around in circles just to set a trap for I_Am_A_Poor_Man. He must’ve suspected I_Am_A_Poor_Man’s and LuckyCat’s meeting was most likely related to the Zombie Cave. That’s why, to him, HereticKing’s evil. “I did thank him. I sent him a lot of fish skewers and cake. I even recommended LuckyCat to come earn some pocket money through opening portals!”

“Really…” He knew it. No one was really willing to head into that cave. I_Am_A_Poor_Man loved money so much, he’d never put up a high asking price for those materials. It’s absolutely suspicious that he could actually collect so many materials in such a short time.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t enslave kids. Once the battle’s over, I’ll personally go collect some. T-T” I_Am_A_Poor_Man was getting goosebumps from HereticKing’s stare. He took the initiative to raise his right hand and admit he was wrong. But in his heart, he wept. Why did he let it slip? It’s all Chief’s fault, and Below_The_Moon’s (he’s the most innocent).

HereticKing caressed the patterns on the city’s Protection Crystal with a blank face. Sometimes, it’s not a good thing to have outstanding subordinates. He didn’t say anything at all. He never even thought of punishing I_Am_A_Poor_Man. He just wanted to tease I_Am_A_Poor_Man after watching him try and be smart by covering his mouth up. As expected, after bumping into the two lucky cats, his mood would be especially good.

“Thank you.”

Bai XiaoYu who was playing with the little cat to pass time away suddenly heard HereticKing’s voice. He looked up and around but didn’t see the other at all. Ah, it was a private call.

“Huh?” If it was just about helping out with the Guild Wars, did he need to thank XiaoYu so many times?

“You helped me collect fluids and bandages.”

“It’s nothing much. I happened to be grinding.” So it was about that. It must’ve been I_Am_A_Poor_Man who told HereticKing.

“Do you have a mount?” Name cards exchanged to befriend other players would record the player’s current level then. HereticKing remember glancing at it. The other should be over Level 30. He can have his own mount.

“No.” NPC stores do sell horses, but those can only be ridden after the Second Job Change. Other mounts require him to catch them himself.

“Do you have time tomorrow?”

“Yes.” He has time every day.

“I’ll go catch a mount with you.”

“…Okay. Thanks.”

“Thank me once we capture one.”

“Mn.”

The call ended, and the Guild Wars was about to begin. After a last check through their inventory, every member of the Heretic Demons guild started to put on their serious faces. I_Am_A_Poor_Man didn’t know it yet, but his boss was already prepared to secretly give himself a day off tomorrow. That meant more work would be bearing down on him. By the time I_Am_A_Poor_Man knew about it and started scratching at the walls, it was already too late.

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