Chapter Fifty-Seven: Vengeance Must Be Served

Ye Chen followed the location marked by 2058 and, upon arrival, discovered it truly was a treasure trove: a narrow crevice tucked between several massive boulders, a spot utterly unnoticeable without guidance. Overjoyed, Ye Chen immediately thanked 2058 profusely, then, in high spirits, chose to forcefully log out. Let that fool, Roaring Tiger, wait as long as he likes.

He pulled off the slightly damp helmet and was suddenly struck by an overwhelming urge to use the bathroom, remembering with shock that he had been holding it in for over a dozen hours. He panicked inwardly—he couldn’t afford to damage his most precious part, upon which the happiness of his later years depended.

He dashed out of the room in two strides, heading straight for the bathroom. In his daze, he didn’t notice why the bathroom light was still on and barged in without hesitation.

A short, panicked scream rang out. Ye Chen froze, staring blankly at Ling Yue, who was caught with her underwear hanging from her knees, his mind going completely blank.

“Get out! Get out! Get out! Why didn’t you knock?” Ling Yue was on the verge of tears. She hastily pulled up her pink underwear, stood up, and pushed Ye Chen away.

Ye Chen cleared his throat, feigning calm. “Don’t worry, I didn’t see anything. By the way, I’ve mentioned countless times that the bathroom lock needs fixing. None of you listened, so this isn’t my fault.”

But Ling Yue was in no state to listen. With a loud slam, she shut the door and hid inside without another word. Outside, Ye Chen was beside himself with discomfort, urgently knocking. “Ling Yue, are you done yet? I can’t hold it any longer! Please, let me in—” As he finished, his heart skipped a beat. That sounded ambiguous. Why did it suddenly feel so heated? He figured he’d better take a cold shower later.

There was a click as the bathroom door unlocked from within. Ling Yue’s face was still flushed bright red. She shot Ye Chen a fierce glare, pinched his side with all her might, then spun around and fled back to her bedroom.

Watching her retreat, Ye Chen finally exhaled in relief, his discomfort returning in force. He rushed into the bathroom to take care of business, then splashed cold water on his face to cool down before heading back to bed.

He slept deeply and long, from a little after three in the morning all the way until three in the afternoon—a solid twelve hours. Fortunately, Ling Yue had been responsible for meals these days, or else the hungry girls would have dragged him out of bed long ago.

When he got up and went to the living room, not a soul was in sight—as expected, everyone must be immersed in the game at this hour. He grabbed a few bites of food in the kitchen—still not completely cold—then returned to his room, donned the helmet, and logged in.

He found himself still wedged in the crevice among the rocks. After greeting 2058—who seemed particularly busy today—Ye Chen didn’t linger, but slipped out and hurried along the mountain path leading back to town. He thought to himself that after more than a dozen hours, surely Roaring Tiger and his lot would have dispersed by now.

But as he approached, he saw that several players still guarded the mountain pass entrance, among them Roaring Tiger himself, as well as the hunter known as Chasing Wind. There were also two of his diehard followers: the rogue named Demon Slayer, and the berserker known as Thunder Dragon. Ye Chen now recognized them all. There was also Drifting Rain, a priestess of the Holy Light. The five of them looked thoroughly exhausted, clearly having stayed online all night.

A swordsman, a hunter, a rogue, a berserker, and a Holy Light priestess—a fairly standard party composition, but lacking any truly strong ranged damage. The threat wasn’t overwhelming; this could be his chance.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, observing the group from a distance, his heart beating faster. He hadn’t lost anything tangible by being blocked all night, but the frustration was enough—he wouldn’t rest easy until he settled the score. Besides, running away in stealth wasn’t his style. A true man repays his grudges!

Having made up his mind, Ye Chen took a Phantom Soul Pill, drew the Abyssal Staff from his pack, and drifted silently toward the group blocking the path.

Roaring Tiger’s group was nearly dead on their feet from the all-nighter. The rogue, berserker, and priestess were dozing against a tree by the roadside. Only Roaring Tiger and Chasing Wind were forcing themselves to stay alert and occasionally scan their surroundings. Chasing Wind rubbed his eyes and said, “Roaring, I think that guy probably force-logged. There’s no point in us waiting here—maybe we should pack it in?”

“Quit now? Wasn’t it your idea to block him in the first place? You want to give up already?” Roaring Tiger shot Chasing Wind a glare and said darkly, “That kid definitely didn’t force-log. The plains are crawling with wandering warlocks—logging out here is suicide. I bet he’s hiding somewhere nearby, waiting for us to leave. If he can hold out, so can we. Who’s afraid of whom? If we go back now, the other guilds will just laugh at us.”

Chasing Wind gave a bitter smile. “So, how long do we keep this up? We started with thirty people and now just a handful are left. You keep this up, and morale’s going to collapse.”

“Collapse, my ass. The ones who ran off had no guts, no loyalty.” Roaring Tiger still sounded tough, but his face looked grim. After a moment’s silence, he grunted, “Half an hour more. I refuse to believe he can hold out any longer. You keep watch—I’ll wake the others. Let’s stick it out for this last half hour.”

While Roaring Tiger and Chasing Wind were talking, Ye Chen had already crept close.

Roaring Tiger got up and moved away to rouse his companions, leaving only the hunter at the entrance. Ye Chen was delighted; of all of them, the hunter posed the greatest threat—the guy looked well-equipped, possibly even wielding a rare weapon, and his level was high to boot. His attack power must be formidable. This fleeting opportunity had to be seized; best to take him out first.

Ye Chen drifted forward, bringing the hunter into range for his Black Fireball spell.

Chasing Wind seemed to sense something, lifting his head and scanning the area warily. His perception was impressive—no wonder Roaring Tiger had left him on watch. Ye Chen froze in place until the hunter relaxed, then began quietly chanting the Black Fireball incantation.

The barely perceptible words floated forward on the gentle breeze. Chasing Wind, who had just started to relax, suddenly sprang up and shouted, “There’s some—”

He never finished the word. A jet-black fireball materialized out of nowhere and shot toward his chest with a howl.

Bang! Minus 735 hit points. Chasing Wind didn’t even have time to turn before the Black Fireball struck him squarely, and his body instantly dissolved into a burst of white light—a clean kill.

“Damn it, Nightfall, I’ll kill you!” Roaring Tiger spun at the sound behind him, just in time to see Chasing Wind vanish in a shower of white sparks. His eyes reddened with rage, and he drew his longsword, charging at Ye Chen.

At the same time, the other three Tiger Guild members were startled awake by the commotion, staring at Ye Chen as he appeared not far from them.

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