Chapter 116: Renowned Throughout the World

I carefully skirted the edge of the forest, doing my best to avoid these people, but there were simply too many of them. My name, hovering above my head, had already been spotted.

"Isn't that Green Vegetable White Jade Soup, the top-ranked player in Silver Moon City?"
"Yeah, that's him! Look, his gear is glowing with a purple light!"
"Damn it, kill him! Let's loot that purple gear, brothers!"

They were insufferably arrogant, shouting at the top of their lungs instead of using the party channel. As they clamored, a level 38 mage named Playboy, the guild leader of the soon-to-be-formed "Worldly Playboy" guild, barked, "Shut up, all of you! Do you really think a top-tier player is going to be taken down by you so easily?"

Pushing through the crowd with a smile, Playboy walked over. "My friend, I am the leader of the upcoming 'Worldly Playboy' guild. As the saying goes, a wise bird chooses its tree. A master like you belongs in a powerful guild like ours!"

Just as I was about to speak, Playboy held up a hand, turned around, and pointed. "You can see for yourself. Our guild is already strong enough to crush any faction in Silver Moon City. These eight hundred people are just a fraction of our strength. We have nearly five thousand members over level 30, and the rest are arriving in Silver Moon City soon."

Playboy pressed his advantage. "Well? If you join us, I can deposit fifty thousand into your salary account every month!"

I chuckled. "I already have my own organization, the Green Vegetable Family. Sorry."

Playboy’s expression darkened, and he sneered, "What, fifty thousand a month isn't enough? That’s all you’re worth. Don't push your luck."

I couldn't help but laugh. "What? If I don't join your guild, are you going to kill me?"

Playboy offered a suave smile. "Of course not. I have at least that much decorum. But if I let you walk away like this, I wouldn't be able to answer to my brothers. Besides, looking at your gear, you have at least a few purple items. To be honest, I'm a bit envious!"

*Snap!*

As he spoke with that practiced, winsome smile, I suddenly saw a flash of red combat text:
System Prompt: You have been maliciously attacked by Playboy. You have lost 285 HP. Frost power has reduced your movement speed by 15%!

A powerful attack! Even with my high magic defense, he still managed to shave off 285 HP. This guy definitely had at least two pieces of purple gear!

As Playboy struck, the ranged players around him unleashed their own attacks. Dozens of Frost Arrows rained down on me. Fortunately, their gear wasn't nearly as impressive as his, and after accounting for level-based damage resistance, the highest damage they dealt was only 50.

Even so, nearly half of my 3,440 HP was gone. Another round like that, and I would be finished.

I quickly scattered some fluorescent powder and entered stealth. Since the highest level among them was still four levels below me, they wouldn't easily detect me even if I stood right next to them.

In "Moon Eternal," anyone who initiates a malicious PK is marked by the system with a gray name for 30 seconds. During this time, killing them does not incur any PK points for the attacker.

As the crowd shifted, I counted twenty-four gray-named players, including their leader, Playboy. They were all mages and archers.

Seeing me vanish into thin air, the group panicked. Several archers began firing flare arrows to scout the area. Luckily, I was fast enough to dodge the illuminated zones; if one of those hit me, I’d be exposed and dead for sure.

"Damn it, where is he? The system said he was a swordsman—how can a swordsman go invisible?" Playboy snarled.

I was close enough to see the spit flying from his mouth. Dammit, if nothing else, I wouldn't be able to rest easy until I cut this guy down.

*Slash!*
"584!"

Without warning, an Icebound Slash erupted from the void. Cold snowflakes swirled, as if freezing everything in time.

Playboy was caught, naturally frozen. Before his underlings could react, I unleashed my combo.

"370!"
"382!"
"375!"

With my current attack power of 760, those hits showed that Playboy actually had decent defense! Unfortunately, the stamina on his gear gave very little HP to a mage—100 stamina for a mage was like 30 for a swordsman. After four hits, his health, which couldn't have been more than 1,000, was depleted.

A staff and a necklace dropped. I lunged to grab them, but I wasn't a professional thief; I was a split second too slow, and another rogue player snatched the necklace. The staff, however, was safely tucked into my pack.

Without pausing, I landed a heavy strike on a nearby gray-named mage for 925 damage, killing him instantly. A robe dropped, but there were too many enemies to risk picking it up, so I turned my blade and finished off another mage with a basic attack.

By now, the members of Worldly Playboy realized their leader had been ambushed and had lost two of his three pieces of purple gear!

Within seconds, a barrage of attacks rained down on me. The sky was suddenly filled with colorful spells and skills. I didn't have time to admire the view; I frantically scattered more powder to force a stealth state, though I still had to tank the brunt of the incoming damage.

After the wave of pain subsided, I checked my status while hidden in the shadows.

That was close! After that round, I had less than 200 HP left. If I hadn't moved fast, I would've been sent back to level 40!

The bridge was well and truly burned with Worldly Playboy. Since they had bullied their way to my doorstep, I had to show them that the Green Vegetable Family wasn't a soft target.

Right, the staff Playboy dropped looked decent. Let me check it while I escape the scene.

[Flame Staff] (Staff – Purple Gear)
Magic Attack: 205-280
Intelligence: +42
Stamina: +44
Agility: +38
Bonus: Increases Fire spell damage by up to 120
Required Level: 37

Not bad at all. It would suit Xu Lin, the mage girl who loved fire spells, quite perfectly!