Chapter 40: Dialogue Between the Strong

A group of people stood face to face inside the cavern, a clear strip of open ground between them marking the boundary. At the very front stood Lu Kuan and Master Hong. Many members of the Sword of the Flame Demon had already seen the faces of the three girls; their gazes swept now and then over the three beauties behind Lu Kuan, eyes filled with provocation and disdain. Yet when their eyes returned to Lu Kuan, there was a subtle, masculine hostility.

The trio in blue remained composed and unruffled. For some reason, as long as they saw the figure of the human ranger seated at the front, a sense of inexplicable reassurance settled in their hearts.

Feigning nonchalance, Lu Kuan glanced toward the deepest part of the cave, catching sight of a little blond boy sleeping soundly on a straw mat, seemingly oblivious to the tension around him.

Master Hong, his imposing frame twice as broad as Lu Kuan’s, looked down at him with a natural authority. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re the ranger who finished the class quest first this morning, aren’t you?”

Lu Kuan smiled faintly. “And if I’m not mistaken, you must be Master Hong, captain of the Sword of the Flame Demon. To come across you in such a remote place—could there be treasure nearby?”

At that, Master Hong’s brow furrowed ever so slightly, realizing that this human ranger was even trickier than he’d anticipated.

“We just enjoy wandering the wilds,” Master Hong replied with a slight grin, his eyes darting toward the boy lying inside the cave. “Untouched lands are full of treasures—you know how it is. Are you here on a quest? If you’ve come all the way out here, it can’t be anything ordinary. Need any help?”

Lu Kuan let out a cold laugh. How could he not see through the other’s hidden motives? The Sword of the Flame Demon was notorious for their philosophy: ‘if you don’t take advantage, you’re at a loss.’ From his words, it was obvious he’d guessed they were on a chain quest and was already scheming.

Before Lu Kuan could respond, Akui behind him could stand it no longer. Confronted with such blatant provocation, the female mage hefted her staff onto her shoulder and boomed, “Help you? Help my ass! Want me to teach you the rules of the game?”

Someone in the crowd behind Master Hong whistled, grinning. “Whoa, feisty little thing! Got some fire, don’t you? Your man hasn’t said a word, what are you getting all worked up for?”

Laughter erupted from the group, their words crude and suggestive. Akui’s face flushed red with anger, and she was about to retort when the blue-robed girl beside her caught her arm and gently shook her head. “We’ve got this old fox here, what’s the rush?”

Though her voice was low, it didn’t escape Lu Kuan’s ears. He glanced back just in time to see the blue-robed girl pointing at him with her slender finger.

The three girls burst out laughing, then quickly turned their heads as if nothing had happened. All Lu Kuan could do was shake his head helplessly.

“Well, since that’s how it is, there’s nothing left to say,” Lu Kuan announced, standing up and stretching lazily. “Let’s get this over with.”

At once, the members of the Sword of the Flame Demon leapt to their feet, and the three girls behind Lu Kuan were quick to raise their weapons in response. The atmosphere grew tense, each side glaring at the other, but after a long standoff, no one made a move.

Master Hong’s gaze grew colder, his tone threatening. “You’ve got courage. Aren’t you afraid you’ll lose that new epic gear you just got?”

Lu Kuan curled his lip. “If that happens, tough luck for me. But from then on, wherever the Sword of the Flame Demon goes, there’ll be a ranger at your heels—close as glue, never letting up. Kill a boss? I’ll kill your healer. Hunting treasure? I’ll leak your info to others.”

“There’s probably treasure nearby, isn’t there? What a coincidence—I happen to know members of Eternal Dusk and a few merchant players. If I tell them about this, how long do you think it’ll take them to get here? Half an hour? An hour?”

Lu Kuan’s tone was relaxed, as if discussing some trivial matter. Instead of growing angrier, Master Hong’s icy gaze softened, and by the end, he burst into laughter.

“Ha! Excellent! I never expected such a master in the professional circle—I’ve never even heard of you before! Consider this our first meeting. May both our quests go well. Until we meet again!”

With that, Master Hong sprang to his feet and strode off without hesitation. The other members of the Sword of the Flame Demon followed in turn, though their glares at Lu Kuan brimmed with undisguised enmity.

All these years, who else had dared speak to the captain of the Sword of the Flame Demon like that?

Once out of the cave, Master Hong marched on for over ten minutes before finally stopping. Moments later, an elven rogue caught up and waved to the group. “No one followed us.”

“They wouldn’t dare! Giving them too much face as it is!” someone sneered.

Master Hong’s expression remained flat as he said in a deep voice, “Three, give a detailed account of the encounter just now.”

Number Three, the elven ranger who’d been shot in the shoulder by Lu Kuan, recounted the brief skirmish in detail. The group listened in stunned silence.

“He hit your shoulder for 50 damage?” someone finally blurted out, disbelief in his voice. Only after Number Three sent the combat log to the team channel did everyone accept the truth.

“If you had another chance—two against one—what are your odds?” Master Hong asked, his eyes still on the glaring red “50” in the chat.

The elven ranger hesitated, then shook his head. “No chance at all.”

“What about you, Grasshopper?” Master Hong turned to the gnome rogue, who scowled, snorted, and said nothing.

Everyone knew Grasshopper’s temperament. If there was even the slightest chance, he would never admit defeat. His silence spoke volumes.

“An ambush where neither side was prepared—a single exchange, one immobilized, one out of the fight, and not even knowing when he’d set the vine trap,” Master Hong said, gazing up at the black rock overhead. “So cunning in his actions… for someone like that to achieve the world’s top score is only fitting.”

“But are we really going to let it go? That kid is too cocky—he needs to be taught a lesson. He’s definitely got epic gear on him, and their quest must be something big…” Grasshopper clenched his fists, clearly unwilling to let it rest.

“Hmph! The official site spells it out: for those without PK value, the chance of dropping epic gear is one in a thousand, and that’s only if the equipment isn’t bound,” Master Hong snapped, glaring at Grasshopper. “Our top priority now is to follow the clues to the treasure and gather two more pieces of rare gear—only then will we have the strength to challenge the field boss! We can’t lose sight of the big picture for a petty grudge.”