Reign of the Hunters

Fighting in the air is more complicated than conducting battle on land. Unlike on the ground where enemies could only approach from a single plane, a combatant conducting aerial warfare had to deal with more vectors where an enemy could attack. It was a 3D battle sphere that was very taxing on one’s focus and one’s ability to react to a crisis.  

It had been four years since the introduction of aerial steed. Maintaining an air force of sorts had become a norm among the more established guilds and even some of the minor ones. The skill level requirements on a player to be able to fight in the air had increased drastically since then, especially when the number of Dark Players began to grow, which brought with them an ever increasing trend of PVP. 

One might even say that a player qualified to join an air force of any guild is among the best of the best even among the elites. Even the steeds used in such avenues of warfare underwent much scrutiny before they were deemed an asset. 

There was even a saying that a player could have absolutely horrible gear, but his aerial steed must be equipped with nothing but the best for him to be effective in a fight. 

But due to the scarcity in aerial steed equipment and its high price and demand, the supply of aerial steed equipment was at an all time low. This led to an even higher increase in prices. Any player who sought to conquer the skies would find themselves bereft of their hard-earned gold coins. 

Ye Ci was one of them. She might even have resorted to taking out loans had it not been Fleeting Time. The man knew how to make money. 

Pride, however, would not allow Ye Ci to take his money for nothing. She would leave him credit notes as assurance that she would one day return the money. When Fleeting Time counted one day out of boredom, he was amused to find that she had borrowed money from him for as much as more than fifty instances. 

Ye Ci sighed at that thought. Why am I so poor? I’m supposed to be rich…

The brief moment of lapse had seen Ye Ci ending up in the thick of an ongoing battle. She switched over to the voice channel reserved for the air force, and listened in on the commander giving orders to the forces under his command. 

He was calm and collected, as if he was unfazed by the fierce battle raging all around him. He started his career as a nobody, who slowly gained fame when Dark Players were finally forming their own air force. 

A Second was his name. And it was not the first time Ye Ci worked with him. She knew his style well. “Gongzi You, approach from the enemy’s rear, box their Black Drake in along with the first squadron. I want it slain ASAP.” 

True to his namesake, A Second gave out short and concise instructions. This did not initially sit well with his fellow players. But it was his insight and acute observation of a battle and his ability to react quickly to changes that had earned him his fame. 

He would never admit to anyone else, but he was nervous when Ye Ci was first placed under his squadron. She was at a height that he could never achieve. That made him doubt himself. He was unsure if he could simply order such a legend among legends around.

But Ye Ci proved him wrong. Gongzi You, who seemed to be at a height so unapproachable, was able to work well with him and cooperated seamlessly with the rest of the squadron. That was also the first time he truly had respect for Gongzi You. 

“Your job is to give out orders, while mine is to carry them out. It's as simple as that.” Gongzi You had said to him. And it would stick to him for the rest of his gaming career. 

Ye Ci’s words had given him the confidence that he lacked back then. 

“Acknowledged.” responded Ye Ci. She accelerated towards the position indicated by A Second, and found an old friend riding on the Black Drake. It was Flawless Reflection, who had become one of the best aerial player among the players of Light. 

She was filled with envy as she eyed the glimmering equipment on the player and his steed. No matter where and when, Ye Ci had always been an envious person. She would not allow anybody to have equipment better than hers. She could not tolerate such an insult. 

She nocked an arrow and fired it off at Flawless Reflection. But a flaming red silhouette blocked the shot that would have otherwise been a fatal hit. 

Ye Ci’s expression immediately darkened. Why must he interfere when I’m on a mission? No matter how much she wanted to win, no matter how much she wanted to be the victor of their long rivalry, Ye Ci did not think the current situation best suited to be their arena. 

Well, since you’re already here… She knew that continuing with her mission would be impossible. There was no way she could disengage once Fleeting Time had caught up. She reported the situation to A Second, advising him to send a replacement for her assassination attempt.

“Hey, are you trying to kill your husband?” Fleeting Time raised an eyebrow when Ye Ci immediately switched her target.

Ye Ci rolled her eyes without acknowledging his words. 

But a Holy Dragon was not as fast as a Phoenix in the air, and with Fleeting Time’s bonus speed equipment, Ye Ci could not catch up with him at all. It was an equipment that he snatched from Ye Ci when they were clearing a dungeon. She thought she had it in the bag when she rolled at 99, but Fleeting Time was able to secure it by rolling a 100. 

It seemed that Ye Ci was still plagued by her bad luck no matter what she did.  

Ye Ci gritted her teeth at that thought, and fired off an arrow at Fleeting Time while simultaneously launching attacks on the Phoenix with her Holy Dragon. Unlike on the ground, Fleeting Time’s movements were much more limited. It was harder for him to dodge her attacks. 

He immediately made the choice to flee. 

With his higher speed, he was able to outrun Ye Ci’s steed in no time. This added up to the frustration of Ol’ Six, who was unable to hit its opponent. Ye Ci began another flurry of attacks on Fleeting Time that reaped away a large amount of his HP. 

He immediately gulped down a bottle of Large Healing Potion just to keep himself from dying. But before Ye Ci could finish him off, Fleeting Time turned around and immediately fired a golden arrow at Ye Ci. 

With their close proximity, there was no way Ye Ci could avoid the hit. She pulled on Ol’ Six’s rein to avoid the rest of his attacks, but it was a close call. 

Fleeting Time took the opporunity to widen the gap between them. Despite his Phoenix’s speed, it lacked the agility of a Holy Dragon. This meant that Fleeting Time had to concentrate more on steering his steed. 

When he turned around to once again look at Ye Ci, she saw her readying to let loose yet another arrow. A smile appeared on his lips as he took aim as well.