Reign of the Hunters

Ye Ci stood alone in the starter village. 

She had removed all her equipment, and was dressed in a starter’s armor she purchased from a tailor in the starter village. It might not be the same design, yet it still looked more or less the same. 

The feeling she had back then was gone, but she would have to make do. Well I guess this is how it is. She thought. 

Of course, she was still fixated on some of the more minor details. Something like the patterns on her boots, the length of her shirt, and… 

She tried her best to describe how her clothing looked back when she first started the game. And after 30 minutes of picking apart the details, the tailor finally lost her patience, “We’re no longer selling those, Adventurer. They’re outdated.” she rolled her eyes at Ye Ci. 

There was nothing Ye Ci could do. She pursed her lips and settled with the closest thing she could get her hands on. 

The NPC let out a long sigh of relief when NPC walked out of her store. Business was not going well in the starter village, but Ye Ci was still too much to deal with to the NPCs there. 

Ye Ci was happy with how she looked. She made her way to the spawn point, chose a spot, and closed her eyes. It was as if she had just spawned into the game. 

Wait… A moment of self realization hit Ye Ci. What am I doing? 

She made her way to the end of the village, where two graves sat in silence. One of the belonged to Tamra, while the other was where Andriel rested. She sat beside the two deceased Elves, with memories of the spots she passed by still in her mind, and she smiled. 

She pulled out an expensive bottle of wine from her inventory along with three cups. 

“Long time no see, young one.” Tamra sat beside Ye Ci with a smile, while Andriel glared at her. 

He stood silently and unflinchingly beside the duo, as if he was a tree. Ye Ci wa not surprised by his reaction. 

She toasted Tamra, and bumped her cup against Andriel’s gravestone, before downing the content of her cup, “Andriel, I know what you’re thinking.” 

The only response she received was a snort from the spirit of the Elf. 

Tamra said with a smile, “We’re both dead, my old friend. The living is the one who should decide where their paths lead. You have your faith, but the young one has her own choice to make. Nothing else matters.” 

Andriel finally relented after a long moment of silence. With a nod, he sat with the duo with a sigh. It was obvious that he was wary of Ye Ci. 

“I’m here to share a toast with you guys.” Ye Ci smiled, “Even if we are to become enemies tomorrow, we’re all friends today.” 

Tamra nodded, and looked at Andriel, who was still caught between his faith and Ye Ci’s choice. In the end, he lifted his cup and gave Ye Ci a toast, “I might not like your choice, but I respect you as a person. Let us drink.” 

Drinking with NPCs, especially those from the opposing faction, was something that brought great comfort to Ye Ci. Nothing else other than their friendship was involved. She was lucky that the starter village was empty, or she would quickly find herself becoming an exhibit. 

“You’re supposed to be a busy person.” Tamra looked up at the dark sky, “Where did you find the time to drink with us?”

Even if he was not made up of flesh and blood, Ye Ci could still feel his gaze piercing into her soul when he stared at her, “Why are you here today?” 

“Nostalgia.” 

“Nostalgia?” Andriel who was silent spoke up, “This is something that we, the deceased lament on. What happened to you?” 

Ye Ci offered him a smile. It was something that Andriel and his friend could never comprehend, “Let’s just drink.” 

And drinking seemed to be the right choice. 

Ye Ci bade her farewell with the two NPCs when sunlight returned once again to the land. The only thing that was left was the three empty cups and the two graves. 

She wanted to fly around the places she had been to in the game, but she chose this spot instead. 

She did not know why she came to this place. But it felt like it was a journey she had to take. Was it for nostalgia’s sake? Was it to say goodbye? It was something that she did not have an answer to. But she knew that she had to do it. 

After casting on last glance at the graves, Ye Ci emptied the poured herself another cup of wint. 

“I’ve finally returned to this place after so many years. The first time I was here was probably during my past life. I can barely remember what happened back then. It’s something that’s so distant. Is this all a dream?” 

Her voice was soft. These were things that she dared not tell a single living soul. 

“Ahhh… What a realistic dream. I was such a horrible person back then, weren't I?” she laughed, “I got my second chance. We all have regrets, but how many of us have the chance to act on them?” 

She raised her cup to the sky, “Whatever deity you are, I thank you for giving me a second chance. I thank you for letting me correct whatever stupid mistakes I made. This is the best gift I’ve ever received in my entire life.” 

Ye Ci gulped down the content of her cup and threw it aside, “It’s all so unreal. Thank you for allowing me to reconcile with my parents. Thank you for letting me save my cousin. And thank you for allowing me to rediscover friendship. I thought achieving all these was already the best outcome in this second life,” Ye Ci smiled, “But you led me to him too. You led me to a dream that I wasn’t able to fulfill.” 

The sun continued to rise, covering the land with its golden blaze, bring warmth and light to all corners of the world. 

“Tomorrow will be a better day.” Ye Ci looked up into the sky and took in a deep breath. 

She had returned to the beginning of her journey.. No matter what happens next, she thought to herself, through joys or hardship, I’ll never forget this place, where it all began.  

Ye Ci, you can do it. 

Ye Ci, all will be well.