Virtual World: Close Combat Mage Chapter 5

I’ve gotten chapters 1-7 from Logaste Translations so I’ve edited the terms used and posting them here for easier reading.

Translated by: Quentin

Edited by: Sietse (Valici)

Chapter 5: Fireball

The adjustments and reparations of the game were being carried out on a large scale and the game officials were announcing their progress daily. On the first day, the company revised the small, cute monsters in the beginner levelling area to more hideous-looking wild boars, wild wolves, and other such beasts, completely prohibiting the use of cute cats, rabbits, and dogs.

The second day…

The third day…

The players were holding their breath in anticipation as they watched from the sidelines. Although the last beta test had only lasted half a day, everyone had experienced the unprecedented feeling that VR games brought to them. Hence, the expectations, including Gu Fei’s, this time were even fiercer than before. The first thing that he would do every day when he came home was to go on the webpage to closely follow the game’s modification progress. After all, he finally had a place where he could release his Kung Fu skills. Due to this, he would often laugh himself awake during sleep.

Since there were really too many things that needed to be revised, this wait lasted for a whole month. The plan that Xiaowu had proposed had already been approved of, however, the workload that came with wanting to make all of these aspects perfect was even greater. Therefore, the game company decided that the game would first come back online, while these plans would be progressively added in in the future.

As luck would have it, Gu Fei had class today. After the final lesson ended, he immediately went home and entered the game with his heart filled with expectations. This kind of eagerness was something he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

The previous time he had logged off, he was still on the top of a mountain somewhere in the wilderness. However, right now he was standing once more at his spawn point: the Mage Academy. Could it be that he had to start anew? He quickly checked his own level and was relieved to find he was still Level 6. The money that he had picked up from the purses that day was also still there, while those two small semi-rusted butchering knives were also still equipped to his waist.

As he surveyed his surroundings, Gu Fei realised that many of the Mages were gathered in front of an NPC, queueing in long lines. After Gu Fei verified that that NPC wasn’t selling glasses and brooms, he also curiously went to queue up.

“What is this line for?” Gu Fei curiously asked.

“Learning skills!” The person who was in front of him turned his head around and swept a glance over him.

In order to let players have the ability to protect themselves, the game officials had intentionally lowered the required level for players to learn skills. Players who were just born could now immediately obtain their first skill for free and for every six levels following after, they could learn the next skill from their own class. Therefore, apart from buying glasses and brooms, all of the players who had just spawned in the Mage Academy now also had this additional job to do.

The queue flowed very quickly. In the blink of an eye, Gu Fei was already in front of the NPC and was talking to him. He spoke with the NPC and he quickly obtained the Mage’s first ability, the Fireball technique. However, he was already Level 6, so apart from the starter Fireball, he could also learn the second skill: Resistive Ring of Fire. If the Fireball was a beginner Mage’s main assaulting skill, then this Resistive Ring of Fire was the main skill for beginner Mages to protect their own frail bodies.

However, as a VR game, the use of spells actually was slightly special in terms of its traits.

Gu Fei saw more than a thousand people gathered together in a group in the center of the Mage Academy’s expansive open area, shouting out in unison, “Fireball!”

Thousands of fireballs immediately ignited in front of everyone. It was a very magnificent sight as they floated in the air and the faces of the mages were all filled with delight. At this moment, Gu Fei noticed that the person beside him was deathly pale and seemed to have been greatly startled.

“Shoot!” It was unknown who took the lead and shouted out, but everyone immediately followed and shouted out. Sounds of “Shoot” surged and filled the whole plaza. However, the Mage Academy was classified as an absolute safe zone. This place prohibited the use of spells and other such combating skills. Even though this order to “Shoot” had been issued, the Fireballs did not move. However, the colour on the face of this guy beside Gu Fei turned even whiter. Finally he couldn’t hold his curiosity in any longer and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

“F*ck!” This person first cursed, following which he added Gu Fei as a friend, “Look at my name.”

Gu Fei immediately laughed. As it turned out, this person’s name was Fireball. It was no wonder that thousands of people calling out his name in unison would cause his heart to feel alarmed and cause him to leap up as well.

In this moment, there was a continuous flow of people learning their first skill. Hence, there were constantly people loudly shouting out the word “Fireball” in the center of the plaza. This was really too much for Fireball to bear. Finally, he offered his farewells to Gu Fei as he was preparing to leave.

“Heh, I am also leaving. It is too damn noisy here,” Gu Fei said while following behind him.

The two left the Mage Academy together and headed toward the beginner levelling area outside Cloud City. Along the way he had to constantly listen to Fireball’s complaints. As it turned out, just like him, Fireball had also received his account from someone else and his name and class had already been chosen for him. Gu Fei instantly empathized with him. The only difference was that Fireball originally did not hate being a Mage. It was only after he experienced the scene of thousands of people shouting out his name in unison that he he could not help but to harbour some feelings of reproach toward his name. Thinking about it, if he was to be in a battle that had mages in the future, no matter friend or foe, as long as they loudly shouted out “Fireball”, that would clearly be a kind of distraction! At present, he only could look forward to the time in the future when everyone attained higher levels and Fireball, the lowest level attack skill, would become forgotten.

It was also unavoidable for Gu Fei to want to exchange his feelings with Fireball. He had more or less disclosed a little about his miserable encounter with how he was forced to use the Mage class. To this explanation, Fireball only wore a face of confusion as he couldn’t understand Gu Fei’s reasoning. Finally, he thought that Gu Fei only had a slight disliking toward the Mage class and as such, he spoke to him in an unceasing torrent, introducing the Mage’s radiant history.

Regardless of this unceasing torrent of words, Gu Fei had a rather favourable overall impression of Fireball. That was because he was one of the few mages who was neither wearing the black framed glasses nor carrying a broom in his hands.

The two chatted as they walked and in the blink of an eye, they had already arrived outside the city.

There were already initial results in the game’s modifications. In this moment, wild wolves and wild boars flooded the region outside the city. Moreover, after learning a lesson from the mistakes of their predecessors, this batch of small monsters had been made to look hideous and they belonged to the type that made one want to beat them up at first glance. This enormously boosted the players’ enthusiasm to level up. The hills and dales outside the city were filled with people who were chasing after the wild wolves and wild boars, madly hacking and killing them. The strength was completely disproportional to the images of this pitiful batch of wild wolves and wild boars. Under the players’ crazy beating, the small monsters could only offer up a meager effort of retaliation. The supply of monsters momentarily could not meet the demand. When one monster respawned, ten or so players immediately surrounded it.

Fireball was watching until his blood was burning with anger. He faced forward and walked two steps forward, shouting out loudly, “Fireball!”

A fireball was gradually rising up in front of him.

“Shoot!” Fireball roared loudly.

Upon his command, the fireball shot forward.

With a – Pu – sound, the fireball hit a wild boar, that was being trampled on by a group of players, right in front of him. Sparks shot out all around and the wild boar fell down to the ground with a barbecue smell.

“Beautiful!” Fireball cheering for himself for his first attack and the precision of it. However, in this moment, all of the players that were besieging the wild boar just now had already turned their heads at the same time and looked at Fireball, with a glare which contained more hate than that for the boar.

“Hello, everyone!” Fireball waved his hands at everyone.

“Kill stealing! What a rude brat!” In response to his greetings, Fireball received the curses of the nearby players.

“Huh? Isn’t this monster free to hit?” Fireball looked confused. It was clearly some tens of people surrounding the wild boar and hacking at it. How could it be that once he attacked, it was him who had stolen their prey? Could it be that the one who killed the monster was not counted as the killer despite killing it?

“Are you blind? Can you not see that we are a guild?” Someone bellowed out in rage.

“Guild?” Fireball glanced at Gu Fei, and as he did he realized that Gu Fei was as confused as he was. The game had only just started! Who had the capabilities to establish a guild?!

A group of people nodded their heads at the same time and one person bellowed, “We are Against the Heavens Guild! How dare you mess with us? You don’t want to play this game anymore?”

With such a name, it would be hard for other guilds to be as obnoxious as this one. However, facing this group of aggressive people from Against The Heavens, Fireball had not revealed any fear, catching even Gu Fei slightly off guard. Next, he saw Fireball look straight at everyone and calmly say, “So what if I stole your monster? What can you guys do to me? I am only Level 1!”

Gu Fei smiled. No wonder this guy was so devoted to righteousness that inspired reverence! As a result of following the official website daily, he was also aware of this modification. This was directed to the matter relating to violence that he had previously experienced before too. Players who had PK-protection couldn’t be the target of any skill. Even if they were somehow hit, there would not be any feelings akin to pain. Moreover, the modification this time also transferred players’ autonomous means of attacking into the PK category. This implied that if that kind of fighting matter happened again in this moment, it was impossible for Gu Fei to cause the other party any pain. Moreover, even if he were to hit their eyes, it wouldn’t hurt or blind them either. Currently, Fireball was relying on being protected to view those numerous players in front of him, who bore valiant grandeur, as though he was not viewing them at all.

However, when all was said and done, players who dared to call themselves as those who went against the heavens still held the spirit of going against the heavens. One look at Fireball who relied on only being Level 1 and acted like a dead mouse who felt no cold, they were not discouraged in the slightest. They roared and rushed up as they were doing before.

“What are you guys doing? I am Level 1! Level 1! Level 1!!!” Amidst Fireball’s emphasis in shouting out repeatedly, people had grabbed ahold of his four limbs and carried him in mid-air. One person shouted out, “Hang him on that tree.” However, that suggestion was immediately vetoed, “No! Throw him into the river instead!”

The official website did not state whether one would be PK protected when they were dropped into the river. Fireball was now starting to panic and was struggling with all his might. However, not to mention that he was a mage, even if he was a warrior, he would also have no chance in this situation. He was like an offering in an ancient tribe that was about to be bestowed to a deity as he was being held high up into the air. As he overlooked his surroundings in one glance, he spotted Gu Fei and immediately shouted out, “Aye, what’s your name, save me!”

Gu Fei nodded and he quickly walked up, rushing toward those people as he moved around in front of them, blocking their way. He then said, “Everyone, if there is something that needs to be discussed, we should slowly talk over it. How about you guys put that person down first.”

“Who are you! Scram!” Everyone swept a glance over Gu Fei and practically disregarded his existence. Because the game hadn’t even be online for a full day, regardless of which class a player was, it was impossible for them to reach the level of being being able to face a whole group of players. What’s more, this guy was merely a mage.

“He is my friend! Quickly let go of me!” Fireball continuously shouted out.

“Friend? Then throw them into the river together!” One person flourished his arm and a number of people rushed toward Gu Fei.

Gu Fei was startled. Not only did Fireball belong to those under PK protection, it was also impossible for this bunch of players that were still snatching the small monsters outside the city gate that belonged to the lowest level to be over Level 10. As such, there was no feeling of pain when fighting under PK protection. If he was truly going to be approached by this bunch of people, then he would definitely be forcibly grabbed and there would also be no way for him to escape. Considering this, he quickly took a step forward of his own accord. With a small push of his foot, he had already leaped up, turned his body to the side and reversed. His left leg then took his whole body along as he slashed an arc out high up in the air from right to left.

– Pu! Pu! Pu! – Three consecutive sounds rang out and the first three guys that had rushed up to him were swept up high into the sky before falling down after being hit by this single kick.

When the three of them landed on the ground, sitting side by side next to one another, they sized each other up, feeling embarrassed and at a complete loss. Even though they did not feel any physical pain, this did not hold true for the mental pain this kick caused them. The feeling was that of someone lightly slapping them across their faces, but the force was so large that they were unable to resist it. The system settings created this kind of frighteningly mysterious matter resulting in an even more terrifying pain. The three guys were foolishly sitting down on the ground as they did not dare to move again.

The rest had a clearer view than the three, and Gu Fei’s roundhouse kick sent everyone scratching their heads.

“What skill was that?” Everyone had a dumbfounded expression on their faces.

“Do you know that skill?” Someone asked their Mage friend.

“No, how did he get that skill?”

“I also don’t have it!” The group of players that consisted of all kinds of classes rummaged through their own skill panels and did not discover any skills that resembled a “Roundhouse Kick”, “Tornado Kick”, or anything of the sort at all.

“What is this guy’s class?” Everyone started to hold disbelieve toward the Mage robe in front of them. Equipment wasn’t class restricted in VR games. Wearing a Mage’s robe to conceal one’s true identity was very sensible and reasonable.

“A hidden class?” Some people started to fantasize.

Everyone fixed their eyes on Gu Fei. At this moment, Fireball who had been raised high up in the air wasn’t able to see Gu Fei’s previous action and only noticed that his surroundings had suddenly turned increasingly quiet. It even seemed as if the guys who were holding him up in the air had turned into statues as they held him steadily in mid-air.

“What are you doing! Quickly let me down!” Fireball bellowed out in rage.

This voice caused these “statues” to wake back up as they quivered before quickly loosening their grip without a second thought. Fireball naturally fell on the ground and laid flat on it. His mouth seized the moment for him to curse out loudly, “F*ck!”

Gu Fei disregarded everyone and walked into the crowd of people in just a few steps, after which he pulled Fireball up and left.

The group of people looked at each other in dismay, yet no one dared to obstruct these two mages.