Chapter 009: The Battle of the Ring Envoy!

Legendary Samurai Sword! That should be a one-handed sword, and the Dwarven Paladin mentioned it largely to spark Mornwind’s interest. After all, Mornwind’s main character was a single-minded berserker, and his fascination with legendary one-handed swords was well known. Given the Dwarven Paladin’s understanding of Mornwind, if he claimed he could escape invincibly with his Hearthstone and that Mornwind had no way to counter him, Mornwind would never believe it.

Indeed, this legendary samurai sword piqued Mornwind’s curiosity. That’s why, even with a fortune in his possession, he stayed behind, hoping for a chance to act. Tall as the Heavens not only held a magic ring but also a legendary one-handed sword—both exactly what Mornwind craved. That was enough to make him take the risk.

“The fourth treasure is all mine!” Tall as the Heavens roared. In his eyes, no one could challenge him for this hoard now. He’d killed everyone else; even if someone remained, who would dare come out and fight him for it? He truly believed no one would dare covet his prize.

Everything had gone smoothly for Tall as the Heavens in the national zone, as if divinely favored—whatever he desired, he obtained; whatever loot he wished to drop, he acquired. He’d completed quests for both the Rogue’s hidden class, the Samurai Ninja, and had just finished another class quest, earning a legendary samurai blade, cementing his status as the nation’s number one. On top of that, he’d obtained three pieces of epic gear, bought two more, and killed a patrol to loot a dark gold necklace. Fully geared in high-level equipment, he was even stronger than Mornwind.

Mornwind hadn’t been able to leverage his advantage as a psionic assassin much; his two years of gaming experience gave him only a slight edge. Compared to professional players, he still lagged behind. If it came to killing, Mornwind would claim first place without hesitation, but in quests and gearing up, he struggled—even with his rebirth advantage—against those with rich experience and deep networks. Mornwind couldn’t help but regret not being more active on forums in the past, not gathering more information.

As a psionic assassin, entering the game was mainly to hone his abilities; his advantages were indeed limited. That he’d made it to the forefront of the game was already impressive. But professionals like Outrace and Tall as the Heavens, with their experience and connections, naturally had the upper hand in quests and gear collecting.

What?

Tall as the Heavens reached the front of the room, and instead of piles of gold and treasures, he saw only a throne in the center, its glow now faded. He never expected that the fourth treasure had already been taken.

“It was Outrace! That bastard!” Tall as the Heavens bellowed. Now he understood why Outrace had given up the treasure for a mere epic shield—he had already secured the real hoard.

Outrace, waiting in the void, heard Tall as the Heavens’ roar and was baffled—had he done something he didn’t even know about?

“A raven! We saw a raven fly in before we entered—maybe it was that raven that took the treasure!” A nearby dwarven rogue suddenly recalled. At first, he hadn’t thought much of the bird, but the more he considered it, the less he could imagine anyone else pulling off such a feat.

A raven? Tall as the Heavens felt a sense of dread. As he pondered, the dwarven rogue was suddenly ambushed—Mornwind’s claws flashed, striking relentlessly. The rogue tried to flee, but Mornwind immediately activated Sprint and gave chase.

Mornwind wielded a pair of epic claws, while the dwarven rogue only had blue-grade defensive gear—he stood no chance against Mornwind’s sudden assault. Tall as the Heavens tried to attack Mornwind, but was sent flying by a ghostly rhinoceros. With a True Sight Eye nearby, the rogue’s attempts to vanish were futile; Mornwind killed him outright.

—845

After the dwarven rogue fell, Mornwind quickly shattered the True Sight Eye, entered stealth, and slipped away into a dark passage, waiting for his skills to cool down. The ghostly rhinoceros also retreated from the room after Mornwind escaped. With his friend dead, Tall as the Heavens felt a creeping fear. He didn’t pursue the ghostly rhinoceros—this monstrous physical tank could withstand even his epic weapon, and its lifesteal effect made killing it slow going. If the beast was luring him out for an ambush by Mornwind, that would be troublesome indeed.

The fourth treasure was gone! All his friends had been killed and forced offline; Tall as the Heavens felt an ominous premonition. He even feared he might lose his magic ring now. When he saw the dwarven paladin Outrace enter the room, his anxiety intensified.

The treasure was gone? Who had taken it?

Outrace stood guard at the door, equally stunned that the treasure had vanished. Was the map a fake, and the real treasure hidden at the end of another fork? But the fact could not be changed—the treasure was gone. Outrace now set his sights on Tall as the Heavens’ magic ring and legendary one-handed sword.

“Raven, let’s join forces to kill Tall as the Heavens! We’ll split the magic ring and the legendary sword!” Outrace didn’t bother with private messaging; he spoke aloud, knowing that as a professional player, Tall as the Heavens’ English would be good enough to understand.

Mornwind said nothing, sitting at the entrance to the dark passage, watching the two men, biding his time for a final strike. His ghostly rhinoceros had already slipped into the void, ready to ambush. If the two wore each other down, so much the better.

In a direct fight in the room, the rogue was always at a disadvantage. Outrace planted two True Sight Eyes at the door; within four meters, Tall as the Heavens had no way to escape. Trying to channel a Hearthstone would break stealth, leaving him open to interruption.

Outrace summoned his wyvern, which began circling the room, searching for Tall as the Heavens. As long as he held the doorway, escape was impossible. Alone, Outrace might have feared Tall as the Heavens, but two against one? He had no fear at all.

The room wasn’t large; the wyvern soon located Tall as the Heavens and began harrying him. Outrace stayed put, letting his wyvern attack from above, denying Tall as the Heavens any chance to stealth. With the doorway guarded and True Sight Eyes in place, there was no escape. Outrace had no need to clash head-on with Tall as the Heavens; he could simply wait for Mornwind to finish him off.

It was just as Mornwind expected—any alliance with the dwarven paladin would yield little benefit. If he didn’t emerge, the stalemate would simply persist. Since Tall as the Heavens played a rogue, escape was easy for him; only by cooperating could they kill him.

Silent Lunge!

Mornwind crept up on Tall as the Heavens, his claws stabbing into his back and rendering him unconscious. Against a rogue, it was best to control them first, then whittle them down at leisure.

Tall as the Heavens instantly used Self-Preservation to remove the stun, leaping backward. He’d deliberately used the skill to lure Mornwind out; if he were controlled again, he’d be in serious trouble.

Seeing Mornwind make his move, Outrace relaxed. The best outcome would be for Mornwind and Tall as the Heavens to fight each other to exhaustion, leaving him to pick up the spoils. If he’d guessed right, and Mornwind had taken the treasure while ignoring his previous calls, then if both died fighting, Outrace would claim not only the treasure’s riches but also two magic rings and a legendary one-handed sword—the perfect ending.

The hidden class Samurai Ninja was no joke—swift movement and rapid attacks, with the ability to throw shurikens from a distance, making him even faster than Mornwind. With a legendary one-handed sword, Mornwind dared not face him head-on; should the opponent gain control, Mornwind would be in deep trouble.

Although Mornwind and Outrace were nominally allies, ultimately all three were enemies. This was a clash between Ring-bearers; each wanted the others’ rings. Neither Mornwind nor the Samurai Ninja fought with their full strength, each holding something back.

Primal Shift!

Mornwind entered stealth, unwilling to keep fighting Tall as the Heavens—doing so would only benefit Outrace. Moreover, entering stealth would worry Tall as the Heavens, since the combo points Mornwind had built up would vanish after twenty seconds, and he’d remain a target for Mornwind’s ambush.

Once Mornwind vanished, the wyvern swooped down to attack, and as Tall as the Heavens tried to enter stealth, the ghostly rhinoceros rammed him, keeping him in combat. Unless he used Vanish, sneaking away would be difficult. Even if he did, Mornwind and Outrace’s pets could still sniff him out. With Self-Preservation and Vanish both on cooldown, disaster loomed.

Outrace summoned his Mecha-Titan, leaping atop it and readying lasers and machine guns to strike Tall as the Heavens. Though the Mecha-Titan’s energy was precious, with the magic ring within reach, it was worth any price.

“Outrace, let’s join forces to kill Mornwind—he took the treasure and is loaded with loot. If we kill him together, it’s all yours!” Tall as the Heavens, now truly alarmed, tried to sow discord. If things went on like this, no matter how fast he was, he’d be worn down by Mornwind and Outrace. His only hope was to provoke infighting, creating a chance for survival.

None of the Ring-bearers were easy prey. Tall as the Heavens racked his brain to survive. He’d finally realized the big map was truly treacherous—one moment on top, the next in dire straits.

“Do you think I’m that kind of person? We’re friends—I’d never turn on a friend.” Outrace spoke with noble conviction, though inwardly he thought, once you’re dead, he’ll die with you!

Outrace would never attack Mornwind, since he didn’t even know where Mornwind was. If Mornwind had found a way in, he could find a way out. Besides, Mornwind had a terrifying forbidden spell scroll—push him too far, and everyone might die together.

The three of them kept this tense standoff, none daring to be careless. In this clash of Ring-bearers, a single mistake could end everything.