VRMMO Botanist - Chapter 59

Within the Boundless World, the equipment had several tiers. In order, they were classified into White, Bronze, Black Iron, Gold, Legendary, Mythical, and Epic. Throughout the five years of the game, only 21 Epic Equipment had appeared in the Oriental Region. Moreover, every time it spawned, the system would alert the entire region of its appearance. With every new Epic Equipment, a raging inferno of commotion would sweep across.

Hence, in the eyes of the conventional adventurers, Mythical Equipment was already top-notch. If anyone could lay their hands upon a Legendary Equipment set, coupled with just one piece of Mythical Equipment, the eyes of surrounding Adventurers would turn green with envy.

Yet, this man in front of the party now had an entire set of the Sky Ruinance Mythical Set!

The Assassin turned to Ye Chen while the others were still dumbstruck by his overwhelmingly powerful equipment. He coldly laughed. “Hahaha, I was so confused when the Warring Dragon Guild canceled the Guild Warrant on a few low-leveled adventurers, so I came on a search. Looks like the poor fella is you! You can change your appearance, but that gaze in your eyes can’t escape!”

“Chen Feng, are you here to show off your Mythical Equipment? It’s been years since we met, and you are as useless as ever!” Looking at the Assassin, Ye Chen mocked without holding back.

“Hmph! What else can you do other than these toxic words? Take a look at yourself in the mirror! Level 30, a full set of trash equipment, how pathetic! I’m impressed you dare to walk out with this putrid look!” Chen Feng scrutinized Ye Chen, sniggering condescendingly.

“No matter how pathetic I may look, I’m confident that I am at least a thousand times stronger than you are. Just wait and see, I will skin that Mythical Equipment off you one by one.” Despite the dominating presence of a top-tier adventurer, Ye Chen was not swayed a single bit.

“Hmph! Ye Chen, those demeaning eyes of yours never change! Four years ago, you looked at me like trash. Now, it remains the same! But, you better be careful, I am not the same as four years back. In these three years, I have been grinding my skills every day. No one can beat me! Not even you! Alas, now that I’m stronger, you have become a stray puppy. Not even worthy of my revenge!” A hint of mania streaked across Chen Feng’s eyes. The tone of his words reeked of a pungent hatred, his eyes were flaming, fueled by his immense feud with Ye Chen.

“Hehe, is that so? Dare I ask, how powerful are you now? Without your brother, can you take the Warring Dragon Guild off my hands? Without the Warring Dragon Guild that I built, can you get this Mythical Equipment by yourself? Without the Warring Dragon Guild that I built, will you even have half of the power and influence you have now? Without the Warring Dragon Guild that I built, will you be even fit to flaunt those baseless strengths in front of me?”

“I…!” The rapid chain of ice-cold rebuttals pierced straight at Chen Feng’s heart. To all of these questions, he did not have a single answer.

On the sidelines, Ye Chen’s words left the entire party in a daze. They knew Ye Chen was a powerful adventurer before his rebirth. However, they had never expected that the top guild in the game, the Warring Dragon Guild, had its foundation laid by this man beside them!

Concerning the founder of this mighty guild, several adventurers had tried to excavate from the information. Alas, it had always remained a mystery. Moreover, the Warring Dragon Guild had never publicly announced the name of its founder.

The Warring Dragon Guild had started off as an inconspicuous and humble guild, clawing their way up to the pinnacle. Their data before fame, original members and founders, were unknown to the masses. Other than a part of the top executives, the other founding members were never mentioned and kept out of public knowledge.

Who would have thought that such a tightly sealed secret would be blurted out at this time and place?! With the sudden revelation, Canon and the others could feel their eyes widen, and jaws drop. They stared at Ye Chen and Chen Feng, struggling to make sense of this sight and fact.

While they had a thousand questions looming in their minds, they knew better than to ask now.

These two men were staring daggers, emanating a malicious and sharp aura, keeping anyone from opening their mouths, or even inching a tad bit closer.

“The biggest strength in the game is numbers. Not using the resources at hand would be the most idiotic thing. I got this equipment with my ability to lead, they are tangible proof of my skills. What’s more, even if I can’t get it alone, what makes you think that you can?” Frigidly, Chen Feng objected.

“Of course, I can. This time, I’ve come to take back what belongs to me! Even if I can’t take it back, I will tear down what I’ve built up with my bare hands.” With one firm step forward, Ye Chen’s frost-filled gaze stared deep into Chen Feng’s soul. It was a blatant declaration of war!

Ye Chen’s words drew a momentary silence from Chen Feng. Then, suddenly, he burst into a peal of maniacal laughter. His eyes narrowed into Ye Chen, as his lips curled into a small contemptuous grin. “This must be the joke of the century!” Chen Feng said curtly, “Come, show me how you will destroy the Warring Dragon Guild! In these three years, the Warring Dragon Guild had earned an uncountable sum of money for us brothers! But it’s alright. For you, I will even bomb half of all of this money. I hope you still remember, ‘Houseflies’. Now, they are much more challenging to deal with than before!”

Chen Feng’s mortifying gaze swept across the others, and he snorted. He left them in cold, suffocating silence as he disappeared from the area.

The deafening silence ensued as the others knew not how to react. Finally, Dharma stood forward, muttering in concern, “Boss…”

Ye Chen waved his hand indifferently. “Let’s return to Aiur Town first.” This place was no longer safe. If they were anywhere else, Chen Feng would have already reduced them to dust!

…

“I know you all have 1001 questions to ask. No worries, I will fill you all on it. I promise, no cliffhangers.” Ye Chen looked at the curious and concerned faces and attempted the best smile he could put up.

In the previous confrontation, even the Queen’s interest had been piqued. After all, this was some astronomical gossip-worthy rumor!

Hearing how Ye Chen had seen through them like glass, their eyes averted his gaze, laughing awkwardly under their breaths. Still, they were worried Ye Chen would avoid this topic, leaving them craving for more eternally.

“It is actually a toxic yet straightforward process. Five years ago, I entered this game when it first started with a bunch of pro gamers. We founded the Warring Dragon Guild together. Since the six of us were all professionals, developing a guild was simple, even more so at the beginning of the game. The Warring Dragon Guild progressed swiftly, attracting tons of other adventurers. It was also then that Chen Feng joined in with his brother.”

“At that time, the guild was in full swing, its strength inflated out of control. With our inability to run, financial problems soon crept through the entire organization. If this problem was not quickly settled, the Guild would undoubtedly develop slower and even face a coup. At that time, Chen Feng and his brother stood out. They were from a businessman family. They made it clear to us and offered us an investment contract. At that time, we were getting along well and still too young. We had poured our lives into the game, and our naive mindset clouded our judgments, failing to see the abyssal trap hidden in the offer.”

“Chen Feng and the others silently held the contract, watching from the shadows. Only when the Warring Dragon Guild became the top guild, they suddenly stood out and sneaked a fatal strike on us all. According to a hidden clause, the Warring Dragon Guild had become their property. We even lost the characters that we played. Then, we only had three choices, stay and work for them, or leave the game forever. Of course, there was a very last resort. To delete the account and start again from scratch.”

As Ye Chen spoke, beautiful memories surfaced one after another, and also the blooding boiling betrayal and coup. If not for the traitors, Chen Feng and his brother, his circumstances would have been vastly different.

A pin-drop silence closed in on all of them as Ye Chen spoke. They had never thought that the top Guild would have such a dark past hidden behind the glamorous front.

“That’s the entire history. As for the details, there is no point in talking about it. Alright, wait for me a bit.” Ye Chen only took them through a highly summarised version of his past, not intending to delve any deeper. After which, he headed to the vaults, and returned quickly.

“This is the entry pass to the Ruins. Take this as my last gift to all of you.” Ye Chen handed the precious item to the entire party.

“What is the meaning of this? You are planning to give up on us?” Suddenly, the silence shattered. Searing rage erupted from Purple Olive as she snapped.

“Kind of. Bringing all of you along is too risky. A party size that is this big attracts too much attention. Not only that, the Houseflies’ are not ordinary people. All of you are not strong enough. You will become huge baggage that I need to carry. It’s better to split early before it’s too late.”

Heartlessly, Ye Chen nodded. He knew Chen Feng too well. This man was narrow-minded and petty. He had immense self-inferiority and would hide the smallest of dissatisfaction for ages. He could make Mount Everest out of a molehill, using a sledgehammer to fight an ant. If it was an ordinary Guild Kill Warrant, Ye Chen could still bring the others along. Alas, now that Chen Feng had recognized him, things would not be so simple.

The Houseflies were not as simple as Chen Feng made them sound. They were not the everyday adventurers within the Guild. They were worse than mercenaries, not just killing the adventurers, but plaguing them like leeches. Like a housefly, endlessly swarming around the victim. Their highly despicable actions had earned them the infamous title of “Houseflies”.

Trying to find the location of an adventurer in the game was not difficult. With Dharma and the others following him, Ye Chen would only become more prominent and traceable. In this situation, leveling would become practically impossible. Moreover, their relationship was not yet at the unbreakable stage. However, with more time, things would get even uglier.

In light of all of these considerations, cutting it off now was the best course of action. Ye Chen had initially planned to go about this task alone. Now, he was just reverting to the initial plan.

“All right, that’s that. Go into the Ruins together. WIth your current strength, you all will definitely get rewards as long as you are careful. Let’s not contact each other unless absolutely necessary in the future. Hm, also, the Warring Dragon Guild will definitely find trouble for all of you. Bear with it, it will pass after some time.” After he spoke his last words, Ye Chen gripped a scroll in his hand and disappeared without any further explanation.

“Did he really leave like this? I misjudged you, bastard!” At sight, Purple Olive exploded, cursing at the empty spot where Ye Chen used to be.

“He didn’t want to get us involved.” The Queen softly sighed as she shook her lowered head.

…

Titan Megacity, in front of an old building.

This place was helmed by the archaeologist Conrad. Some strange and ancient objects found in the game could be exchanged with him for some peculiar things. The mission, Stone of Eternity, was also received here at Level 30 from him.