MMORPG: Divine Mech Hunter

In the history of the High Elves, the core area of the Tower of the Sun was actually not the current Beginner’s Village, but the destination for Li Yao and his team that day, which was also the site of the live-streamed pioneer competition: the Faselin Academy, a cluster of hidden instances.

Yes, it’s an instance cluster and one with a substantial level range.

The Faselin Academy was once a cradle of magic cultivation, where High Elves aspiring to become magicians would be sent to study from a young age.

Over thousands of years, this magic academy has cultivated numerous accomplished magicians who have matured and become royal decision-makers.

The Faselin Academy flourished, but it couldn’t escape the catastrophe.

Beyond being a magic academy, the Faselin Academy was also an important node for drawing magic energy from the Sunwell to Silvermoon City. After the outbreak of magic addiction, the Faselin Academy turned into Hell on Earth.

Only a handful of High Elves managed to escape from there, and the place has become a forbidden zone for them. The kingdom was in turmoil and to this day, it hadn’t allocated the resources to clean this place up.

Even though it was an academy, in reality, it was a small city — and what’s more spectacular, it was a majestic floating city.

The instance to be opened up for this pioneer competition was only at the most inconspicuous entrance of the city, accounting for only a small portion of the city.

The monsters present were level five to six elites, and the boss was level seven.

The city appeared as if it was a castle in the sky, with two massive spiral walkways winding up, connecting individual floating platforms and buildings. It was truly miraculous.

On the left side of the city was a lake as bright as a pearl, on the right, a lush green meadow. On the ground, various small animals and unknown wildflowers exuded a faint fragrance.

From a distance, it looked like a fairyland. The picturesque scenery and towering city had already attracted countless viewers since the live broadcast began yesterday.

Besides the two spiral walkways connecting the ground to the city on the left and right, no other supports were visible — as if the city was built on clouds.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful!” Eyes sparkling with excitement, a girl gazed at the academy in the distance, its clouds merging with the sky in perfect harmony.

Li Yao patted her on the head, questioning, “Can the person you found be trusted? His task is vital — to help us collect spoils.”

“Don’t worry,” the girl said confidently. “He’s my little brother. He’s very obedient. If he dares to, well, just trust me — he won’t dare.”

Still unsure, Li Yao continued, “Did you tell him that he can get a share of the spoils? But when we advance, he won’t be given any experience.”

“He knows, he knows. Oh, brother, you’re more nagging than my sister. Are you a middle-aged woman?” The girl’s excitement faded, and she looked dejected. “If you don’t trust me, go find someone else. I’ll tell my little brother to go back. ”

“Alright, alright. It’s my fault,” apologized Li Yao, trying to placify her. His main purpose for this trip was to gain experience and another piece of Creator’s Equipment. If he didn’t end up getting it, it was no big deal.

As they were almost there, the usually quiet Chameleon Witch suddenly said,

“Li Yao, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” Li Yao casually responded, then it dawned on him — she hadn’t used his game name, but his real name. Gazing at the Chameleon Witch, he asked, “Do you know me?”

Upon hearing this, the shocked girl hastily put away her grief and pricked up her ears, filled with curiosity.

“We’ve been together for two years. Guess who I am.” The Chameleon Witch took a deep breath and spoke evenly, her voice morphing into one Li Yao was familiar with.

“Feng Yi, is it you?” Li Yao stared at the Chameleon Witch with complex emotions. He never expected to meet her in the game, let alone become friends with her.

It was absolutely not the Chameleon Witch’s scheme since it was impossible. Furthermore, she was a reporter and could assume another identity. The Chameleon Witch was merely her second in-game identity.

Xiayao, his commentator alias, was too famous. Having a massive fanbase, playing with this name would just be asking for trouble.

The atmosphere between the two became incredibly awkward all of a sudden. Sensing the tension, the girl exclaimed, “So, Big Brother is named Li Yao and the Witch Sister is Feng Yi. Have you two been together for two years? Were you boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“I’m truly surprised,” admitted Li Yao with a smile.

“Likewise,” gratefully sighed the Chameleon Witch. “I found out when I got home from the party. I didn’t want to lie to you. Now, do you still want to team up with me? You should know that I’m live-streaming today under a different identity.”

Nodding in a daze, Li Yao replied, “And why not? It’s your first live-stream, isn’t it?”

He didn’t know how he felt at the moment. Absent-minded, he agreed to it. Even he couldn’t deny it was fate. Among the throngs of people, they had been randomly assigned to the same Beginner’s Village, met each other, and became friends again. That was the wonder of fate.

Xiayao, a well-known domestic commentator, had never revealed her face. People had always speculated that Xiayao – with her enchanting voice – was too ugly to show her face, sparking several debates on forums.

In reality, it was due to Xiayao’s family circumstances and, of course, Li Yao. He had a strong desire for possession, which aligned with Xiayao’s family views, so Xiayao never publicized her face.

Upon entering this game, one’s appearance changes, hence, even if she is seen by others, her real-life identity remains concealed. Furthermore, with the ever-increasing pressure of beginning a new game, if she does not livestream or make public appearances, her path upward will be blocked. After all, she cannot commentate official contests with her face hidden.

She has missed opportunities because of this in the past, but she doesn’t want to lose any more now.

“So, Mr. Prairie Fire, be ready for my fans and I to interview you.” Qin Feng Yi said with a brilliant smile, her character’s name in the team being changed to Xiayao.

“It’s an honor.” Li Yao also put on a bright smile, as if they were back in the old days when he would help Xiayao gather materials, or obtain them through battles, and then she would provide voiceover commentary.

“Hold on, how come the Witch has two identities as well!? You two are really too much!” Dumbfounded Tongtong exclaimed with wide eyes as she watched the Witch transform into Xiayao.

“Xiayao, Xiayao, oh, you couldn’t be my favorite commentator, Sister Xiayao, could you?” Hoping, Tongtong turned her gaze to Qin Feng Yi, before suddenly realizing, “Right, right, no one else could register the in-game name Xiayao, oh my God, you really are Sister Xiayao.”

“Who knew, Tongtong turned out to be your little fan.” Li Yao laughed.

“Ah…” Tongtong suddenly pointed at Li Yao with wide eyes, exclaiming, “You’re Sister Xiayao’s boyfriend, I, I, I’ve discovered a big secret. Plead with me, beg me, or I’ll expose you on the website and you’ll be torn apart by the male fans who love Sister Xiayao.”

Li Yao flicked her on the head, laughing and said, “Calm down, we’re here. This is your little brother, right?”

“Yes, this is my little brother.” Tongtong promptly moved her hand from her head and coughed seriously, saying, “Cough, Little Shadow, aren’t you coming over to introduce yourself?”

“Coming, coming.” A young man jogged up merrily behind Tongtong, his eyes lighting up when he saw Li Yao, “Great Master Prairie Fire, I’m a fan of yours. Call me Small Shadow, I’m Shadow Dance Mad.”

Er… Puff…

“Cough, cough, what did you say your name was?” Li Yao almost choked.

“Shadow Dance Mad.” The young man scratched his head, looking lost.

“Well, let’s add you to the team first.” Li Yao was somewhat disoriented.

In his past life, Shadow Dance Mad was a well-known legend. Allegedly from a slum, after joining the game, he became obsessed with soloing bosses and dungeons.

It’s safe to say that in all challenges, one-tenth of the records were created by him, none could hold a candle.

He even participated in the Olympics, winning gold medals in individual PK matches and rogue matches, renowned as the most mysterious and sharp player.

He once single-handedly confronted a guild, a large guild of over a hundred thousand people, none of whom could take him down. Instead, the high-level members of the guild were continuously being killed. It could be said he put the guild through hell.

The guild eventually disbanded. Amid his overwhelming momentum, when the Divine Enthronement War arrived, he ascended to godhood in one fell swoop, becoming the most feared and revered among the three god-ranked rogue players.

Although three rogues successfully became gods, whenever people mentioned the God of Thieves, there was only one person, Shadow Dance Mad.

Now, looking at Shadow Dance Mad, who was scratching his head while looking at him adoringly and shyly, Li Yao felt something was off. But, thinking that the future God of Thieves admired him made him feel great.

He nonchalantly added him to the team, saying, “Tongtong has told you the rules, right? I won’t repeat them. Don’t back out later.”

Shadow Dance Mad was overjoyed, quickly replying, “No, no, that won’t happen. As long as I can learn from you, Master, I don’t need anything else.”

“Alright, no problem.” Li Yao patted his shoulder, saying, “I can’t promise a lot, but I do know some about the techniques. If you don’t understand something, just ask me.”

“Thank you, Master. Thank you, Master.” Said Shadow Dance Mad, thrilled.

Qin Feng Yi looked at Li Yao in surprise but didn’t inquire further. Instead, she asked, “Are you sure you want to take on a LVL 10 side dungeon?”

The livestreamed dungeon exploration competition was for the LVL 5 dungeon in the left corridor. The other corridor held a LVL 10 dungeon, inhabited by LV 10 to 12 elites.

“Xiaoyao Studios wants to slap my face, right? Then I’ll give them the direct opportunity to do so. They’re exploring the low-level dungeon on the left. We’ll go for the high-level dungeon on the right. Just trust me, I won’t do anything without certainty,” Li Yao assured.

“This is so exciting,” said Tongtong, her fists clenched and waving in the air.

Shadow Dance Mad looked at him in admiration, saying, “Worthy of a Great Master, so domineering!”

Qin Feng Yi was speechless. The elites were above LVL 10, five levels higher than them. Didn’t she see how other parties were struggling against the LVL 5 elites? She had hoped the two of them could convince him, but didn’t expect this outcome.

“Are you sure? I’m going to start the livestream if you are.” Qin Feng Yi asked one last time.

There was a twinkle in Li Yao’s eyes as he said, “It’s a fact that Hunters deal less damage than other DPS roles. But today, I want to show all Hunters what it means to be a true Hunter. A Hunter’s priority is not to deal damage.”….