Chapter Thirty-Six: The Stalker in the Shadows

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Hunter Behind

When only ten people remained atop the high platform, Shen Ce immediately heard a gentle system notification: “Congratulations! You have defeated your opponents and advanced to the second round. Please continue your efforts.”

As soon as the prompt faded, Shen Ce, Han Qisha, and the others were transformed into streaks of white light, their figures disappearing and reappearing in the plaza below. Standing still, Shen Ce gazed at the high platform, which had once again been reset for a hundred competitors, and felt a surge of emotion.

Lost in thought, Shen Ce’s shoulder was tapped, not too lightly nor too heavily. Though this was a non-combat zone, Shen Ce, unused to others’ touch, glanced warily at the newcomer.

A sharply contoured, handsome face appeared in Shen Ce’s sight; the other flashed a sly grin. “Zero, did I scare you?”

Shen Ce pressed his lips together, surprised that Han Qisha could be so childlike. He shook his head to indicate he wasn’t startled. “Qisha, did you need something from me?”

Han Qisha propped his chin with one hand, gazing at Shen Ce. “I haven’t thanked you for helping me kill Crimson Blood Wolf earlier.”

Shen Ce shook his head again, his voice calm and indifferent. “I wanted to kill him again anyway. Besides, your grudge with Crimson Blood Wolf was because of me, so you don’t need to thank me.”

Han Qisha lowered his hand, his expression unexpectedly earnest, dropping his usual roguish air. “Zero, you’re always so distant. To be honest, after the last city defense battle, I wanted to invite you to the celebration banquet, but when I turned around, you were gone.”

Not wishing to talk further, Shen Ce smiled faintly and bid Han Qisha goodbye.

Watching Shen Ce’s figure gradually disappear among the crowd, Han Qisha’s pale green eyes flickered. As if remembering something, a mischievous smile crept onto his lips, but it quickly froze, turning into a sigh.

The first round lasted three days. Shen Ce didn’t spectate again; instead, he focused wholly on leveling up and honing his skills. Seros, who seemed to have nothing better to do, occasionally watched Shen Ce fight monsters. When interested, he’d spar with Shen Ce for a round or two. Though brief, these exchanges were immensely beneficial, allowing Shen Ce to use some unpolished combos with greater fluency.

Because of this, Shen Ce grew curious about just how strong Seros truly was. The minor advantage of having one less rival paled in comparison; Shen Ce would much rather witness Seros give his all on the battlefield—a spectacle that would surely be breathtaking!

Once, Shen Ce wanted to spar in earnest with Seros, but Seros glanced at him lazily and replied, “Not interested.”

Seeing Shen Ce’s gloomy expression, Seros teased him by quoting the oath the Grand Priest of Ling Shui City had him swear: under no circumstances could he harm Shen Ce during the quest, or he’d violate their pact. So, any duel would be a guaranteed loss for Seros. With such a legitimate excuse, Shen Ce was frustrated but utterly helpless.

After his disappointment, Shen Ce recalled Seros’ promise to watch if he entered the Glory Battle. Yet on the day of the first round, Seros was nowhere to be seen. Unable to hold back, Shen Ce asked, “Seros, didn’t you say you’d come to watch my match? I didn’t see you, and you can’t enter the second round’s jungle battle. Are you that confident I’ll make it to round three?”

Seros narrowed his eyes, a mysterious smile curving his lips. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Hearing this enigmatic reply, Shen Ce paused. Though he had no idea what Seros was planning, he nodded. “Then I’ll await your arrival.” Deep down, Shen Ce hoped Seros would come to watch in person, for he had accepted that Seros was stronger than himself. If Seros could observe his match, perhaps he could point out Shen Ce’s weaknesses. After all, Shen Ce longed for greater breakthroughs.

On the day of the second round, Shen Ce logged in early as usual. Unlike the first round, this jungle battle only allowed competitors to teleport into the second arena at the scheduled time.

Shen Ce was not impatient. He prepared all his supplies ahead of time, and at eight o’clock, as soon as the system prompt sounded, he entered the second battleground.

It was simply too dark—his first impression. Coming from the dazzling sunlight of Ling Shui City, Shen Ce’s eyes hadn’t yet adjusted.

When he finally adapted to the dim light, his second impression emerged: it was eerily quiet, with not a trace of human sound.

Suddenly, a cold wind swept through, carrying the cool, faint fragrance of grass and trees, invigorating Shen Ce. Aside from the rustling of leaves, the surroundings were utterly silent, uncertain where danger might lurk.

Shen Ce looked up. Through the dense branches, he saw several obscure stars hanging in the sky—no wonder the lighting was so poor; it was deep night in the second arena.

Night. Shen Ce’s gaze grew serious. The second round required each contestant to search for sea pearls scattered across the battlefield. There were only 600 pearls in total, and players had to find at least two to advance to the finals. Moreover, after finding them, one couldn’t teleport out; everyone would be sent away together when the match ended. If killed or robbed of a pearl in the meantime, it was all for naught.

The pressure was immense, for according to unofficial statistics, 5,000 players had advanced to the second round. At most, only 300 could make it to the finals. If someone with strong luck and skill managed to claim several pearls, it would only make things harder for others.

Now it was deep night, the sea pearls were a dark indigo color, and his vision wasn’t high enough—Shen Ce didn’t think he’d luck into finding a pearl.

But standing still wasn’t his style. Shen Ce chose to proceed cautiously. He hadn’t anticipated the second arena would be at night, so he was dressed in conspicuous white priest robes at first. He quickly donned a black cloak over them, avoiding light spells lest he become a beacon, opting for a single light shield for protection.

He hadn’t gone far when a commotion arose ahead. Shen Ce’s eyes sharpened, and he quietly hid behind a tall tree.

“You can cry all you want, but it’s useless. I saw you pick up a sea pearl earlier. Be smart and hand it over!” The voice was menacing and threatening, making Shen Ce tense—someone had already found a sea pearl just after entering the second arena?

Shen Ce wasn’t sure whether to envy or pity the person. Such luck, exposed so quickly—truly, the game loved to toy with people.

He saw a female elf in red, kneeling on the ground, her delicate face still streaked with tears, evoking sympathy. “I—I’ll give it to you. Please don’t kill me.” Her voice was stammering, her body trembling—she seemed terrified.

The male warrior standing before her stared intensely, and Shen Ce, not far away, clearly heard him swallow. “Beauty, I’m in a good mood today. Want me not to kill you? Fine, but you… heh heh… let’s see if you’ll take the initiative…”

Hiding behind the tree, Shen Ce was momentarily confused. He tilted his head and saw the elf stand, glancing coyly at the warrior, both shy and pleased. Clad in tight-fitting attire, her swaying waist accentuated her allure, nearly making the warrior’s bones melt.

Shen Ce now understood their intentions. In “Heaven’s Dominion,” to protect female players from harm, the game had implemented the Thunder System. But if a female player took the initiative, the penalty wouldn’t be triggered. Shen Ce pursed his lips, face dark, but he had no intention of intervening. If his guess was correct, the elf was no innocent.

The beautiful elf approached the warrior, pressing her ample chest against him. The man, entranced by the sight, licked his lips, while the elf, now in control, smiled seductively, her previous fear gone. She draped herself over him and began slowly unfastening her outer garment.

The male player’s eyes were ablaze, obviously distracted, but wary of the Thunder penalty, he dared not move. In that instant, the elf laughed coldly to herself and plunged a sharp dagger straight at the warrior’s heart!

To her shock, as soon as her blade cut through his armor, her hand was seized in a vice grip. The elf looked up, tears streaming down her face, appearing pitiful. “I—I didn’t mean to. I was just scared…”

Before she could finish, the male warrior flung her three meters away. Already wounded, the elf coughed blood and vanished in a flash of white light, a dark indigo pearl rolling from her body.

The warrior picked up the pearl, cursing at the vanished elf, “Cheap slut! Did you think I’d fall for your tricks? Look at you, all fox-like, still trying to play games. Come back in a few years!”

Relaxed and smug, the warrior was caught off guard when two light missiles arced through the air toward him.

He tried to dodge but realized he’d been hit with a slowing spell; his movements were sluggish. Eyes wide with panic, he saw a man in a black cloak appear before him, face cold, staff raised and glowing—clearly preparing a powerful spell.

Unwilling to die at the hands of a mere priest, the warrior launched a charge at Shen Ce, but it was too late. Before he could reach Shen Ce, he was finished off by Shen Ce’s Holy Light Sword.

Shen Ce took a steady breath, lips curving into a slight smile as he bent to pick up the sea pearl the warrior had dropped.

[Author’s note: Silent Night threw a landmine at 2014-08-10 20:43:04. Eternal Angel threw a landmine at 2014-08-10 17:22:42. Thank you, Silent Night and Eternal Angel, for the landmines! o(*￣▽￣*)ブ Watch as the hopeless author pounces on you, hugs and kisses~~]