Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 218 Depravation (Part 1)

“So..
You’re telling me that we need to reorganize the structure of our guild?” asked Bai Mo after taking another bite of the roasted chicken.

Ye Ci shook her head, and a sly smile appeared on her face, “My dearest cousin, guild administration is not my forte.
I’m merely stating my opinion.
I do not run the guild, so it’s probably not a good idea to ask me such a question.”

Bai Mo expected Ye Ci’s answer to be like that.
He was not disheartened when he received her response.
“Yeah, you and I both have our own responsibilities,” sighed Bai Mo with a smile, “But, Ye Ci, shouldn’t I make decisions when it comes to things outside the guild as a man, while you worry about things that are going on within the guild as a woman?”

“I’m not your wife.
You can save this analogy for when you’re married.” Ye Ci rolled her eyes at Bai Mo.
She would help the guild out when she was needed, but managing the guild was not her strong suit, and she would never force herself to do something that she wasn’t suited for.

Using the most suitable person in the most suitable position was Ye Ci’s lifelong principle.
She knew that she was not suited to manage guild affairs.
The process of handling every single detail and incident in the guild, no matter how serious or how trivial they were, would definitely drive Ye Ci mad.

Bai Mo laughed at Ye Ci’s words, “Why do you sound so bitter?”

Ye Ci rolled her eyes at Bai Mo.
She then stood up, and threw the chicken bones to the ground, “Is that so? Then there must be a jar of bitter gourd juice in your heart.”

Bai Mo smiled at Ye Ci’s antics, “Where are you going?”

“That Epic-tier quest of course.
I guess I’ll be busy with that quest in the near future.” Ye Ci waved her hand dismissively, and with that, she left without even casting a glance at Bai Mo.

To Ye Ci, her recent days were overly peaceful and quiet.
In truth, these days were as normal as any other day, but due to the previous incident, the peace felt very surreal.

Tan Polang would always come home during the weekends.
It was however his first time returning to the new home.
He was a smart and alert boy and thus, instead of heading straight home, Tan Polang traveled to random locations all around the city before finally slipping into a mall.
From there, he called a cab and headed home.

He arrived home in the evening to a dining table filled with Zuo Xiaolan’s dishes.
The aroma of the home-cooked meal filled his heart with warmth.
Tan Polang stood at the entrance of the house, taking in a few whiffs of the food’s fragrance before entering his new home, “Wow! Is this our new home?” asked Tan Polang with a smile.

“Go wash your hands and come have dinner.
We’ve been waiting for you.” said Zuo Xiaolan with a smile as she came out of the kitchen with yet another dish in hand.
“Okay!”

Ye Ci sat in her wheelchair, observing the joyful interactions between her family members, and a thought began forming slowly in her mind. This happiness and warmth is something that is not easy to come by.
I must protect them, no matter the cost.
I will crush those who seek to destroy them.

“Sister Ye Ci, help yourself to this pig’s foot to supplement your legs.
I hope you get well soon.” Tan Polang placed a piece of simmered pig’s feet into Ye Ci’s bowl, with a smile lighting up his face.

His smile was mirrored by Ye Ci.

After finishing their meal, Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan cleaned up the table and logged into the game.
Tan Polang, who had not logged into the game for some time, could barely contain his excitement.

Bai Mo and Ye Ci sat on the balcony, enjoying their dessert of fruits.
The scenery at night was beautiful.
A clear bright moon illuminated the sky, accompanied by the glittering stars.
It was a good night.
Bai Mo popped a cherry into his mouth, savouring the sweet juice of the fruit that immediately filled his mouth.

“Did you receive any news from Green Hill’s Moon yet?” asked Bai Mo.

“Nope.” replied Ye Ci while casually shoving another cherry into her mouth, “You seem quite anxious about it”

“Indeed, I am.” Bai Mo narrowed his eyes.
The expression on Bai Mo’s face was something that Ye Ci was unfamiliar with.
It was an expression that was cold and calculative.

“What?” Ye Ci was startled by Bai Mo’s demeanor.

“Little Ci, even a little girl like you understands the concept of seeking revenge when you’re wronged.
Do you think that I, as a grown man, do not have the courage to fight back?” said Bai Mo with a smile.
It was a smile that did not reach his eyes.

Ye Ci remained silent.
At that moment, she was struck by a sudden realization.
She had only seen the good side of Bai Mo in her entire life.
In her mind, Bai Mo was a gentle and kind person.
She did not expect him to have had such a side to him.

“You don’t have to worry about me.
I won’t allow myself to get hurt.” Bai Mo could see the worry in Ye Ci’s eyes.
He caressed her hair, and smiled warmly at her.
It was a pure and sincere smile that was perhaps reserved for Ye Ci alone, “I do not wish for you to get hurt, just like how you do not want me to be in harm’s way.
I’ve told you before: No matter what your choice is, I will always be by your side until the end.”

Ye Ci let out a long sigh, “Alright then.”

Bai Mo nodded, appearing satisfied with Ye Ci’s answer, “Let me know if you get anything from Green Hill’s Moon.”

“I will.”

Bai Mo stood up.
In the past, Ye Ci was always the first to leave when she had a conversation with Bai Mo.
He would always be the one to stare at her silhouette as she left.
However, he had been the one to take initiative to stand up and head to his room.
He patted Ye Ci on her shoulder as he walked past her wheelchair, “Little Ci, there’s no right or wrong in this world.
It’s all a matter of perspective.
We’re simply protecting ourselves.
You don’t have to feel guilty about anything.”

Ye Ci’s heart clenched.
So Bai Mo knew.
Bai Mo had always known what Ye Ci was thinking.
He was simply waiting for the right time to make it known to her.
Ye Ci lowered her head, and popped another cherry into her mouth.
The sweet cherry juice spread into all corners of her mouth, just like anxiety that was spreading in her heart.

……….

Potions, check.

Consumables, check.

Attack buff items, check.

Arrows, check.

Ye Ci carefully made an inventory of the items she was carrying with her to make sure she hadn’t overlooked anything.
She was prepared for anything that might happen when she entered Andrei’s treasure vault.

Even after a few days, Bella was still floating around the spot where she and Ye Ci parted ways.
When Ye Ci initiated the conversation with Bella, she received the same response.
She immediately chose the first option, indicating that she was ready to explore the Andrei’s treasure vault.
“I wish you the best of luck, my dearest friend.” said Bella, and a boulder in front of Ye Ci disappeared into a mass of light blue light.

It was a familiar sight for Ye Ci, as the light was an indicator of a dungeon’s entrance.

This is actually a dungeon? Thought Ye Ci to herself as she walked into the mass of light.

It was indeed a dungeon.
As she entered the mass of light, Ye Ci was transported into a dark cave.
The indicator in the map identified the place as a dungeon.
With that, Ye Ci was sure that Andrei’s Treasure Vault was a dungeon, and that it was a single-player dungeon.

With the exception of Ye Ci’s current location, the rest of the map was grey.
This meant that the other areas of the map was unexplored.
After noticing that she could not pick out any any clues from the map, Ye Ci decided to begin exploring the dungeon.

Of course, Ye Ci remembered the hint about the dungeon given to her by Bella.
Andrei’s Treasure Vault had been infested by the spirits of the dead since Bella’s death.
Of course, they were not the Undead that were a playable race by players.
The creatures in Andrei’s vault were semi transparent beings like Bella.
They were ghosts.

The monsters in Fate were divided into several classes, from the lower class life forms such as Slimes and Man-eating flowers to the various animals in Fate and the humanoid monsters and magical beings like Angels and Demons.

The combat capabilities of different monsters varied greatly with their class.
An Angel would possess a vastly superior offensive and defensive capability compared to that of a Slime.
Most of the monsters that Ye Ci had faced in dungeons were beasts and humanoids.
It was her first time going up against Undead.
Although these beings were classified as humanoids, they were stronger than the other humanoid life forms.

Even with their average level damage and defensive capabilities, Undead were still tough opponents to deal with.
Players would often find the odds stacked against them in a battle against Undead opponents because of their skills that would allow them to call upon the spirits of the dead to fight by their side.
Players could only rely on Priests in the process of clearing dungeons full of the Undead.
A party lacking adequate firepower would easily be wiped out by Undead opponents.

Hunters were able to fare better against Undead opponents compared to characters of other classes.
As long as a Hunter was able to keep his or her distance and kite the Undeads well, the Hunter’s would be able to survive an encounter against the Undead.

Ye Ci knew that the dungeon was full of Undead enemies because of Bella’s hint, and had prepared a lot of Fire Arrows for her journey.
Holy Arrows were the most effective countermeasure against Undead opponents, but because of her current level, Ye Ci was forced to employ Fire Arrows as a substitute.
Despite their significantly lower damage output, Fire Arrows dealt additional burn damage to Undead opponents, which made them the best option in a situation where Holy Arrows were unavailable to Ye Ci.

This was why a fire type mage was the most popular choice in clearing a dungeon full of Undead monsters, assuming the party was unable to recruit a character with the Priest class to their party.

Ye Ci was assaulted by a gust of chilly wind when she entered the cave.
The stench of death and rot immediately entered her nostrils.
Ye Ci felt as if she herself would soon join the ranks of the Undead.