My Players Are So Fierce

“Block it! Block it! Quick, where are the gunners? Block the back street!”

Meow King, holding the Crimson Witch’s Staff, was standing on the roof of a two-story building, issuing commands as night fell. However, he was no professional like Onboard Joy Stick, so his orders lacked precision and were based more on intuition.

Still, the little players had an “illustrious” performance today.

Thanks to their dishonorable daylight ambushes, they had already collected 22 vampire heads by dusk.

Of course, those vampires the little players could locate so easily were far from elite, just fringe members of the clan. Even after killing them, all they got were feeble Vampire Hearts, yielding no significant rewards.

But it proved that hunting vampires during the day posed little risk.

Especially with the Witch Hunters’ special potions and sword oils, making the task even easier, though the fanatical armed Blood Servants were more troublesome.

Fortunately, the players had strength in numbers, or they could have easily been ambushed and wiped out.

However, as night fell, the tide turned abruptly.

Those Blood Vulture traitors who had evaded the day suddenly revived at full strength, and elite vampires who had been hiding emerged to hunt.

Empowered by the night, they slaughtered players like chickens, forcing the little players to hole up on a single street, too afraid to disperse.

Fortunately, at this moment, Lady Adele and six vampire descendants joined the battle without warning, finally allowing the little players, who had been hunting since the afternoon, to catch their breath.

“I see it clearly now, we’re just bait, you get it? Like crafty fishermen using chum to lure the fish!”

Inside the merchant’s residence the players had “temporarily requisitioned” as a base, Electronic Succubus Old Tune, gripping a gun at the window, kept complaining.

He said to Black Stockings Under the Keyboard, meditating nearby:

“That cunning Murphy lured those weak Blood Vulture traitors by sending us out first. Once they surrounded us, Lady Adele and her elite servants would launch a powerful surprise attack on those greedy fools.

A good tactic, but why does it feel so unsatisfying?”

“Just shut up and be grateful to E-Sister for saving our asses,” said Led More Than Three to Five Pecks, panting while holding his shield.

He glanced at Lady Adele soaring overhead, chasing two vampire traitors and cackling as she slaughtered them, then whispered:

“Without that NPC backup, those vampires would have buried us tonight with their strength and numbers. These guys are too good at hiding; who would have thought little Bataxin was harboring over 70 Blood Vulture traitors?

Damn!

The scouting spell I cast earlier seemed to glimpse a silver-rank Blood Vulture traitor flashing by in the air. Isn’t that a field BOSS?”

“Oh shit! Help! I’m being targeted!”

Meow King’s shrill cry came through the team channel. The fellows who had been resting immediately grabbed their weapons and rushed upstairs. As Day One No Fap ran up, he didn’t forget to shout at the hapless merchant cowering in a corner with his wife and child:

“Take your wife and kid to the basement! Don’t come out until it’s over! Go to Crimson Citadel and ask Count Murphy to compensate for the damage to your house!”

It was well-intentioned advice.

However, the otherworld husband couldn’t understand the common tongue. But the hapless merchant wasn’t foolish enough to run out with his family at a time like this.

My God, this not-so-wide street now had at least 20 vampires and 50 Blood Servants fighting each other, tantamount to a “War of the Gods” for ordinary civilians.

“To hell with it! You two dare to ambush me? Think I’m a pushover? I’ll stab your mothers!”

As the Four Heavenly Kings and Don’t Need Hands to Show Off charged up to the roof, they were met with Meow King’s vulgar roars.

The Oak Apprentice’s shoulder was bleeding, his beloved Crimson Witch’s Staff was on the ground, and blood was everywhere. But the cunning social butterfly was savagely pinning a female vampire to the ground, straddling her waist as he furiously drove the burning replica Avalon Sacred Blade toward her heart.

Behind him, another vampire night stalker was ensnared by spirit vines. The Four Heavenly Kings didn’t waste words, they brandished their weapons, pounced on the enemy, and sent him to meet the Night Mother.

Meow King was clearly consumed with rage, roaring as he incinerated the struggling, pleading female vampire beneath him to ashes. Only then did he collapse, being forcefully pulled up by his old buddy, Don’t Need Hands.

Before their eyes, the street had descended into chaos!

Those Blood Vulture traitors pursuing the little players were no match for Lady Adele and her six elite family members.

As fringe members, they could only bully the weak, while Lady Adele’s elite descendants hunted them down, shouting about purging the traitors.

This also placed immense psychological pressure on the traitors’ minds.

“Look! Maxim is here too!” cried Electronic Succubus Old Tune, whose eyesight was the sharpest, pointing down the other end of the street.

As the others turned their heads, they saw Maxim, fully armed like a ferocious beast, swinging his menacing Night Claws and joining the battlefield with his massive Blood Wings flapping.

He descended from the sky, blocking a fleeing ordinary vampire’s path. With a tear of his hands, the unfortunate one was ripped in half by his ferocious Night Claws, screaming in agony.

“Holy shit! So bloody brutal! Befitting Murphy’s ‘monster’! I love it!”

Black Stockings Under the Keyboard, also a physical class, shrieked excitedly, itching to rush out and join Lord Maxim in slaughtering everything in sight. But he was quickly restrained by the other brothers.

Snap out of it, will you?

He’s an elite NPC!

You’re just a rookie who hasn’t even passed the Black Iron Trial. Don’t go adding chaos for our side.

The intensity of this battle had clearly surpassed what players could participate in. It was better to just watch the action cutscene and snag a few heads.

“Murphy’s little bird is here too! Look!”

Old Tune shouted again.

He eyed enviously as the Blood Vulture Spirit swooped down from the night sky, folding its wings and shredding a vampire’s Blood Wings with its talons, before carrying the unfortunate one away.

Hey, Old Tune was a gunner too. Maybe he could get a cool, ferocious little birdie as a scout someday.

“Ah, thank you for Nature’s gift! Thank you for Night Mother’s blessing!”

Excited howls arose from the students in the courtyard nearby.

The unfortunate vampire whose Blood Wings had been torn apart by Revnor had crashed right into their territory. Ah Yuen and Gugu Chicken immediately pounced, slashing wildly with their blades.

Another head was collected.

This scene made Meow King’s heart race.

Although they couldn’t use Vampire Hearts now, Lady Tris at the Blood Vulture Halls was always collecting them.

Players all said turning in Vampire Hearts could quickly raise Lady Tris’ affection and the Blood Vulture Clan’s reputation. So they naturally viewed them as a “premium token,” though their use beyond submission was still unknown. But stockpiling some in advance couldn’t hurt!

“Let’s go! We’ll sneak in and grab a few heads too.”

With a wave of his hand, Meow King stealthily led his brothers, slithering to the edge of the chaotic battlefield, eyeing lone ordinary vampires as potential ambush targets.

But before they could act, a piercing screech roared from the depths of the night. Then, to the little players’ shock, it precisely and savagely swept across the few traitors before them.

The sinister Necessary Evil’s entire demonic blade was already drenched in thick blood, like a bloodthirsty flying serpent. But it was unsatisfied, now like an utterly unleashed mad dog, greedily craving more blood to fill its weakness.

Three ordinary vampires couldn’t satisfy its bloodlust. Like an arrogant gourmand taking a single bite of a tender, juicy delicacy before tossing the bland thing aside, it made an impossible 90-degree high-speed turn, soaring back into the sky to hunt tastier elite traitors.

The scene left the players dumbstruck.

They all knew Lord Murphy had acquired a formidable weapon from Salrokdar, but had no concept of just how formidable.

Witnessing it firsthand made them question their very existence.

“Damn! Fully automatic target-seeking cruise missile sword! Who knew bushy-browed Murphy was a Wudang disciple?” Day One No Fap cried out.

The others immediately burst into laughter, but Meow King’s expression was peculiar.

He suddenly recalled the hidden quest chain he had shelved. He hadn’t thought much of it before, but after witnessing Necessary Evil’s ferocity and dominance, Meow King began to scheme.

Murphy had clearly stated that the unfinished design in his hands was a Blood Vulture craftsman’s replica of the Desire Demon Blade. Even if players couldn’t obtain sacred blades of Necessary Evil’s caliber, having an automated attack capability would still be invaluable.

Yeah!

Decided!

Meow King made a silent resolution.

After passing the Black Iron Trial, he would promptly complete this hidden quest chain.

If he could truly obtain the replica sacred blade design and monopolize production of this clearly formidable weapon, his little group’s path to riches would be at hand!

Ah, thank you for Lord Murphy’s generosity. I thought I was a nobody, but now it seems Murphy still loves me!

Yeah, it must be because I’ve raised my affection high enough!

It has to be!

—

“Little Ashina, let’s just forget about it, okay?”

While Meow King’s gang and the students were busy collecting heads, the girls had not joined the intense main battlefield. Instead, they were hiding on a high platform in the northwest corner of Bataxin City.

Clearly, they were scheming to do something nefarious.

Lumina knelt on the ground as an observer, worriedly telling the nearby Ashina, who had already set up and precisely calibrated her demon-hunting rifle and was chewing malt candy:

“You just hit level 10 this afternoon. There’s no need to rush the Black Iron Trial, especially the most difficult elite hunting, which must be completed solo. If you fail, you’ll be set back three days upon revival.”

“Geez, you nag so much!”

As Ashina loaded a special “Vampire’s Requiem” round into the chamber, she rolled her eyes at her three concerned companions, saying:

“I said I’m doing this, and I’m confident. You don’t believe me? Hmph, I’ll show you what it means to solo an elite today!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Now’s not the time for your games,” Orchid scolded, leaning on her kite shield.

“We pooled resources to arm you, not for you to waste them on personal stunts. Listen! Go grind some dungeons properly. At least get a masterwork veteran set before attempting this.”

“Commendable courage, but recklessness is unwise,” said Sister Pomegranate, her temper cooling after several battles. Patting Ashina’s head, she advised:

“Elites and regular mobs in this game are completely different concepts. You know this from Lord Maxim’s Strength Challenge. I don’t think you can handle an elite right now. Better to hunt vampires at night.”

“Ugh, you just don’t get it!” Ashina oozed confidence.

Popping another malt candy in her mouth as she chewed, she said:

“You haven’t understood what the game means by its ‘100% realism’ claim! Shame on you veteran players. Let me ask you, if you shot a war hero in the head in reality, would he die?

No matter how capable, he’d die!

If this game truly achieves complete realism, then my plan is absolutely feasible! It’s just a vampire, right? I nailed Salrokdar with three shots before.

That was a golden-rank!

I’m confident I can drop any elite to critical health with my first sniper shot, then finish them off slowly.

Don’t give me that ‘elites are tough with high health’ crap!

This!

This is a real world!

At least, that’s what the devs claim! So let me see for myself.”

Ashina set up her hunting rifle, squinting through the long scope.

In her view, a sneaky female vampire was emerging from a basement, laden with bags, clearly intending to flee. The four of them had chased her here, confirming she was a Black Iron elite.

“For me, this is the perfect real world, don’t you understand?” Ashina’s eyes narrowed.

A stubborn, defiant expression flashed across her slender face as she muttered to herself:

“Of course you wouldn’t understand! You don’t know what kind of life I live every day. Hmph, it has to be real! Hah, target locked on…mmm, cutie, there’s no escape for you now.”

Her sight steady, the rifle barrel elevated slightly as she calculated the lead, taking aim in preparation to fire.

Ashina took a deep breath, finger on the trigger.

“Bang!”

As the female vampire spread her Blood Wings to take flight, the pricey Vampire’s Requiem round Ashina had splurged on from Lady Tris flew from the barrel.

The spherical, smoothbore round should have lacked accuracy, but propelled by the extreme force unleashed from the ignited combustion gold powder, it traversed the distance between shooter and target in an instant, precisely striking the vampire in the back.

The 30x concentrated daylight toxin immediately took effect. With a scream like a bird with clipped wings, she plummeted diagonally toward the ground.

“None of you interfere! Did you hear me?” Ashina shouted at her three comrades, dropping her rifle and drawing twin crimson hand cannons.

“She’s mine!”

With that, she charged forward, leaping off the high platform to the shock of Orchid, who peeked over the edge.

But Ashina bizarrely flashed and rolled upon landing, shedding her momentum before sprinting toward the vampire’s crash site.

“When did she learn dark elf blade arts?” Pomegranate asked in astonishment, looking at Lumina’s complex expression.

“I taught her before the Blood Vulture Halls,” Lumina said softly. “She didn’t learn swordsmanship, just the accompanying shadow steps. I knew this kid had her own ideas, it seems she planned her career path long ago.”

“What’s up with this kid?” Pomegranate murmured.

“Just now, she looked like she wanted to eat someone, totally different from usual cheeky self.”

“Don’t ask,” Orchid patted Pomegranate’s shoulder, having seen the real Ashina. She said quietly:

“She’s always bouncing around, unable to settle down, not because of an energetic nature, and her love for this game isn’t just because it’s fun.

Here, she can run freely, charge headlong into those terrifying yet wondrous things like a warrior, without worrying her body can’t handle it, or spending the rest of her life bedridden.

For Ashina, perhaps reality is the crappy game.”

“Ah?” Pomegranate’s eyes widened in shock. “Impossible? Didn’t she say she learned horseback riding from her mother as a kid? How could…”

“ALS, the more you talk about it, the more tears are shed.”

Lumina shook her head and said:

“It’s not that she doesn’t want to grow taller, that’s why she hates being called a midget. Come on, let’s go protect that little dummy.”