TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 53

With the update to the game version, the official planners’ understanding of convenience has also improved, knowing well the ways of quick-play games. Therefore, the game’s design became more user-friendly as time went on, for example, new dungeon maps would include fast travel routes, reducing players’ time and energy spent traveling. Xia Tong was not very good with directions, but he didn’t worry—he followed Lin Ming Fei and arrived at the entrance of the river valley in no time. There were already many players gathered, and based on the color of their IDs above their heads, they were all team members.

Xia Tong didn’t immediately notice the group of people, still sticking to Lin Ming Fei like a little tail, hopping around while reliving the exhilarating feeling of earlier. The frustration he had been holding in had finally been released, and the feeling of having someone backing him, being able to do whatever he wanted, was just so amazing. The more he thought about it, the prouder he felt, and the more he looked at Lin Ming Fei, the more he liked this Alpha. Without thinking, he suddenly leapt up, wrapping his arms around Lin Ming Fei’s neck, bending his knees and curling his short legs, clinging to him like a koala.

“Zero, I love you!”

As soon as he said that, he felt Lin Ming Fei freeze up. At the same time, several strange gazes were aimed directly at him.

A player named “Bai Jie Twelve” stuttered and blurted out, “Captain’s… wife.”

Lin Ming Fei froze. From his perspective, he was all too familiar with the way they were looking at him, distilled into two words—”beast.”

Lin Ming Fei: “… It’s not what you think, let me explain.”

“Z-God, you don’t need to explain!” A hunter player with a red scarf on his chest waved his hand with understanding, “We’re all adults, I get it! Even gods need to descend to the mortal realm! We’ll stay out of your private life! Hey, brothers! Z-God helped us avoid a trap team today, so just pretend we didn’t see anything, didn’t hear anything! This is the captain’s disciple, not the captain’s wife! Be righteous, don’t spread this around!”

“No problem, no problem!” The team members echoed.

Lin Ming Fei: “…？？？”

Damn, the imagination of modern players was too strong. He hadn’t said a word, and they had already arranged the entire scenario for him.

Xia Tong didn’t quite understand what he had just said, still clinging to Lin Ming Fei’s shoulder, tilting his head and greeting the teammates in the ridiculous koala-like hug.

“Hello everyone!” he cheerfully greeted the team.

Lin Ming Fei’s ears turned slightly red. He patted Xia Tong’s arm, speaking softly, “Get down, we’re entering the dungeon.”

Xia Tong: “Aww!”

He obediently let go and stood up straight, curiously scanning the people and things around him.

Not only was he curious, but the other players were also eyeing him with interest.

After a moment of exchanging glances, Lin Ming Fei quickly gathered the team.

“Alright, everyone, let’s head in,” he said in a calm tone, no hint of teasing in his voice, already in full control of the situation.

He had an innate leader’s aura—he usually stayed calm and composed, but once he spoke, it was hard to resist, and people would unconditionally believe and follow him.

The group of players moved in an orderly fashion towards the narrow and deep river valley.

The Siren River Valley, being one of the mainstream dungeons, hadn’t reached the point of being easily crushed by everyone. Therefore, there were many different strategies for tackling it, each with its own merits. This really tested the leader’s skills. If the leader was good, the team could clear it quickly, but if the leader was poor, they might spend hours stuck on certain parts.

Lin Ming Fei didn’t waste words. He gave clear, concise commands, guiding them to avoid the small monsters hidden in the vegetation on both sides. The team then took a shortcut over a stone bridge and soon reached the first boss.

Everyone was amazed.

“Damn! I had no idea these small monsters could be avoided! These monsters are such a pain in the ass!”

“We usually take nearly half an hour just to clear up to the octopus! And we’ve only just started!”

“Z-God is too amazing! Honestly, I was a little worried before the dungeon! After all, Z-God seems to have always been doing PVP…”

“Are you kidding me? Back in the day, Polaris was the first-tier raid team for dungeon progression, and Zero was the leader, of course, they’re awesome!”

Lin Mingfei ignored their whispers, quickly marking a few points on the map and starting to assign tasks.

“Li Bai Bai, go to point one. Lu Zhou Hao Cha, go to point four. Elves and Wizards, group up at point two, clear the view for point three.”

His voice was deep and composed, with a magnetic quality, sounding somewhat lazy but sharp and precise. No one had any objections; everyone followed his instructions without question.

Xia Tong obediently followed Lin Mingfei’s instructions and stood on the stone at point two. Soon, two elves joined him—one named “Bai Jie Twelve” and another male elf named “Crimson Do Re Mi.”

Xia Tong stepped back a little to make room for them. He was mentally running through his skill rotation and swinging his staff to warm up when suddenly he heard someone sneering, “You actually plan to fight the boss?”

Xia Tong froze, raised his head, and saw the male elf, Crimson Do Re Mi, glance at him sideways.

“I do… Why wouldn’t I?” Xia Tong asked in confusion.

“I suggest you put down your weapon,” Crimson Do Re Mi said indifferently. “Otherwise, you’ll pull the boss’s aggro and wipe the group.”

Xia Tong: “???” He looked even more puzzled and genuinely asked, “I don’t understand, why would using skills make us wipe the group…?”

“You don’t even know this? You must be one of Z-God’s people who just came to mess around in the dungeon,” Crimson Do Re Mi said with a faint sneer, “Forget it, you’re Z-God’s… friend, right?” He pointed at the points Lin Mingfei had marked, where many people were already standing, and said, “Do you see these points? They form a straight line, and the boss is in the middle. We’re going to use a strategy called ‘extreme distance kiting.’ This way, we don’t need to use a tank to pull aggro, which lets us have another axe warrior for more damage, and everyone can stay in position and focus on high DPS, maximizing efficiency.”

“Only someone with great math skills could come up with this strategy,” Bai Jie Twelve commented. “If it were me, I couldn’t handle assigning positions like this with so many players.”

“Then… why does it matter whether I deal damage or not?” Xia Tong still didn’t get it.

“Are you dumb?” Crimson Do Re Mi said with slight impatience. “Look at where you’re standing. You’re not even in the damage zone. If you start using skills, the boss’s aggro will shift.”

Xia Tong was confused but felt uncomfortable. “Zero didn’t say I can’t deal damage…” he muttered with a hint of resentment.

At that moment, Lin Mingfei had already positioned everyone. He stood at the back of the group, holding his sniper rifle.

“I’ll count down from three, two, one. Everyone, focus on DPS!” he said loudly.

“Three, two, one!”

“Bang!”

Like a starting gun, he took a shot from far away, hitting the octopus boss’s head.

The boss instantly turned red, roaring and charging toward Lin Mingfei. Flashing skills shot out from both sides, and in the blink of an eye, the group’s AoE damage locked the boss in place, preventing it from moving. The boss looked confused, shaking its body in place, unable to decide who to attack.

This strategy kept the group’s health stable. The healers, the elves, were almost stress-free. Crimson Do Re Mi crossed his arms and smugly said, “See? I knew it—”

Xia Tong, who wasn’t needed, fell silent in frustration. Suddenly, he heard a message ping in the private chat.

Polaris_Zero: [Why are you standing still?]

Xia Tong was stunned. He quickly checked the DPS stats. Lin Mingfei’s ID was at the top of the list—how could he still have time to message him?

Feeling wronged, Xia Tong replied.

Xia Xiao Tong: [They said I shouldn’t attack or I’ll cause a wipe.]

Polaris_Zero: [It’s fine, don’t listen to them. Go ahead and attack, show me your highest DPS.]

Those words were like a shot of adrenaline, fully releasing his excitement!

“Crack!” The sound of rapid spells echoed, and colorful magic flew out like a dragon.

“Hey, are you crazy? Stop!” Crimson Do Re Mi shouted in surprise, but Xia Tong ignored him and focused entirely on the spellcasting. His staff trembled as he cast, unleashing blue, sparkling energy that enveloped him, dazzling to look at.

The octopus boss, hit by Xia Tong’s magic, started writhing and rushed toward him, but just as Xia Tong hesitated, he remembered Lin Mingfei’s words.

[Go ahead and attack, show me your highest DPS.]

That sentence sparked a fire in his heart.

He started casting skill after skill, his mind working faster and faster, and his skills came out in rapid succession.

In no time, the octopus boss was nearly dead, its health dropping rapidly.

Crimson Do Re Mi, now covered in sweat and panic, backed out of the mark area to avoid the boss’s attacks. Bai Jie Twelve, still calm, glanced at the DPS stats and saw Xia Xiao Tong’s instant DPS topping the chart.

“You still don’t quite understand the concept of extreme distance kiting, do you?” Bai Jie Twelve said, surprised. “The boss’s position and the damage position are unrelated—it’s all about aggro and DPS output.”

“What do you mean?” Crimson Do Re Mi was still in shock.

“You can simply understand it as… this kid’s single-target DPS surpasses that of these two groups of people.” Bai Jie Twelve said with a sigh, “So it forms an equilateral triangle!”

–

With Xia Xiao Tong joining the battle, the group’s DPS skyrocketed exponentially. A few minutes later, the first boss was already defeated.

The whole group cheered with excitement.

Xia Tong rubbed his slightly sore wrists and sighed in relief. At that moment, he received another private message.

Polaris_Zero: [Nice, your DPS is higher than mine [thumbs up].]

Xia Tong looked up and saw the hunter in the distance, who was counting the dropped loot. The two made eye contact and shared a knowing smile.

Xia Xiao Tong: [You helped me with my gear! And your leadership was great too!]

At that moment, someone lightly patted Xia Tong on the shoulder.

Xia Tong turned in confusion and saw Crimson Do Re Mi.

The elf had a dazed expression on his face, opening and closing his mouth without making a sound.

Xia Tong, feeling uncomfortable, tried to read his lips: “A-ba A-ba? A-ba-ba?”

Crimson Do Re Mi: “……”

He suddenly shook his head, looking shocked but with a hint of fear as he tentatively asked: “What’s your relationship with Z-God… exactly?”

Xia Tong, unsure, honestly replied: “We’re good friends! He taught me how to play!”

Crimson Do Re Mi was speechless.

If he had initially suspected that Xia Tong was just a naive little fanboy Z-God brought to the dungeon to loot gear, causing him to look down on Xia Tong, he now completely believed what Xia Tong had said.

After all, who would try to pick up a monster DPS machine like this?

—No wonder Z-God chose him as his disciple.

As a fan of Z-God’s skills, Crimson Do Re Mi swallowed nervously, feeling a pang of jealousy. He looked at Xia Tong again, thinking, this kid’s face is pretty, but there’s nothing extraordinary about him. Why did Z-God pick him out of all the people?

He suddenly moved closer to Xia Tong, clearing his throat a few times.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Xia Tong, about to run over to check the loot with Lin Mingfei, was distracted by Crimson Do Re Mi’s dramatic coughing.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Um…” Crimson Do Re Mi hesitated, “Does Zero… still take disciples?”

Xia Tong: “Huh?”

Crimson Do Re Mi rubbed his hands together, forcing a flattering smile: “Little brother, here’s the deal. I’ll give you five thousand gold if you go to Zero and say a few good things for me, and ask if he’d be willing to take in another disciple.”

Xia Tong: “Ah…”

Seeing that Xia Tong seemed easy to talk to, Crimson Do Re Mi’s expression became more submissive: “If I’m lucky enough to become your fellow disciple, I’ll give you another five thousand gold!”

Xia Tong’s big eyes squinted into slits.

After hearing Crimson Do Re Mi’s offer, a warning bell rang in his head, and the following thought popped into his mind:

—He! Wants! To! Steal! Zero! From! Me!

So, the little wizard slowly turned his face away.

“I don’t need it!” he pouted, “I have ten times more gold in my bag than you!”

—

After showing off his wealth, Xia Tong didn’t waste any more time with Crimson Do Re Mi. He quickly ran towards Lin Mingfei, as if he had little engines attached to his feet.

The first boss dropped mostly melee gear, and Lin Mingfei quickly auctioned it all off. By the time Xia Tong arrived, he had already collected all the money.

“Why is there nothing for me?” Xia Tong pouted.

“Because none of the gear dropped for you,” Lin Mingfei smiled.

Xia Tong, dissatisfied, said, “I did such high DPS, and still no gear for me! I don’t like this boss anymore!”

Lin Mingfei smiled gently, reaching out to pat Xia Tong’s head. “It’s fine, we’ll see about the next boss. Let’s go.”

The next boss was the infamous Sea Witch Queen, a vicious woman who was notorious for using wizard players as pawns. Xia Tong immediately became a high-risk target, and after witnessing his terrifying DPS on the previous boss, several players exchanged hesitant glances with Lin Mingfei.

However, Lin Mingfei didn’t show much emotion and calmly told Xia Tong, “Stand at the point I marked, number one.”

Xia Xiao Tong, completely trusting him, cheerfully replied, “Okay!” and ran to the marked spot, standing proudly.

Until Lin Mingfei raised his gun.

Xia Tong: “?”

“Bang.”

Polaris_Zero shot Xia Xiao Tong with a tranquilizer dart.

Xia Tong: “!!!” He was stunned, collapsing to the ground and unable to move. He could only watch as Lin Mingfei arranged the other members’ positions and engaged the boss without him.

The Sea Witch Queen’s stage was enormous, summoning silver dragons made of river water that rained down, creating a terrifying spectacle. Lin Mingfei remained calm, giving commands without any fluctuation in his voice. Since there were no live wizards to be targeted, they easily passed the first phase. Xia Tong was frustrated, but gradually realized that the paralysis debuff was wearing off and he could move again. He quickly got up and joined the DPS, and the later mechanics didn’t involve wizards, so everyone just followed Lin Mingfei’s instructions, smoothly progressing as if doing a set of routine exercises.

This boss had been a huge ordeal for Xia Tong. His limbs still tingled, and he limped over to check the dropped loot, only to find that none of it was useful for him.

Lin Mingfei quickly auctioned off the irrelevant items and laughed softly, “Such bad luck, all the fun goes to others.”

Xia Tong: “Ugh—” he whimpered, “I don’t like this boss either!”

This sense of insignificance continued until the entire Sea Demon Valley dungeon was cleared. None of the three bosses dropped any gear for Xia Tong.

Xia Tong genuinely felt that he had fought in vain. So even though he received a considerable amount of money as a reward, he still couldn’t feel happy and left the dungeon feeling dejected.

“It’s so hard!”

“What’s so hard about it?” Lin Mingfei rubbed his fluffy little head. “At least you improved your DPS skills. Overall, you did well in this dungeon.”

“But I wanted the Cloak of Vigilance,” Xia Tong said pitifully.

“Hmm, isn’t it just the Cloak of Vigilance?” Lin Mingfei said casually. “I’ll sew one for you.”

Xia Tong froze. “Huh?”

Lin Mingfei laughed. “It just so happens that I’ve specialized in tailoring, and I collected quite a few rare materials while running Sea Demon Valley earlier—”

Xia Tong seemed to have realized something, quickly opened the equipment guide again, and checked the details for the Cloak of Vigilance. At the very bottom of the source section, there was a small note: Can be crafted through tailoring specialization. Required materials include Sea Demon Scales, Sky River Stones, Octopus Central Roots, and Valley Stone Stitching Water.

Xia Tong’s eyes lit up: “Wow!”

Lin Mingfei took out the materials from his bag, counting them one by one, and raised an eyebrow, smiling. “How about that? Pretty impressive, right?”

Xia Tong was excited. “Zero! You’re amazing! You just reminded me of a famous ancient poem!”

“Hmm?” Lin Mingfei began crafting, casually laughing. “What poem? Let me hear it.”

Xia Tong earnestly raised his voice: “It’s The Song of the Wanderer by Meng Jiao!”

Lin Mingfei: “……”

His smile gradually faded.

Xia Tong, full of poetic enthusiasm, swayed his head and began: “The thread in a mother’s hand, the wanderer—”

He was only halfway through when Lin Mingfei’s large hand mercilessly covered his mouth.

Alpha gritted his teeth, his face full of frustration: “If you dare to continue, I’ll blacklist you.”

–

Author’s Note: 

Lin Mingfei: No singing, no reciting poems in front of me!

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