Genius Chapter 49: Return

Chapter 49: Return

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai 

[Hunting Grounds] ReturnToSimplicity killed AlwaysWantingToSleepLate.

[Hunting Grounds] ReturnToSimplicity killed StarsAndSeas.

…

Almost all of the system broadcasts were dominated by ReturnToSimplicity’s solo show. Within just half an hour, he had completed 12 kills, reducing the original 100-person hunting ground to 88. With the decrease in personnel, the conditions for ending the battlefield prematurely were becoming closer. Originally relaxed players started to feel nervous.

The battlefield was supposed to last for 4 hours, but at this rate, with ReturnToSimplicity’s killing speed, it might not even take an hour to meet the kill conditions and end the battlefield. By then, hunters who hadn’t completed their kill tasks and prey who hadn’t picked up the protective talisman would be eliminated.

Su Mo and Watermelon didn’t linger in the starting area but chose to move deeper into the densely populated Valor Peak. They also needed to hurry to complete their tasks.

Watermelon said, “Is ReturnToSimplicity going crazy? Does he want to end the battlefield by taking 20 kills in one go?”

“With more prey than hunters in the field, you can pick anyone randomly, and the chances of them being prey are much higher than being a hunter. So, to achieve the achievement of ending the battlefield with 20 kills, it’s best to do it in the first hour of the battlefield, when there are the most people and the best chances to kill,” Su Mo said, walking alongside Watermelon, keeping an eye on the surroundings. “The best way to end the battlefield is also the fastest way to reduce competition.”

“But if he changes his identity to prey in the second hour, wouldn’t the efforts of the first hour be wasted?” Watermelon asked.

“But that’s a 50% chance. Don’t forget, the hunting ground is a battlefield mechanism. It was stated at the beginning that there are up to 110,000 participants, divided into multiple hunting grounds for competition,” Su Mo said to Watermelon. “Besides instant rewards and penalties, surviving players will advance to the second round, then the third… until the final winner is determined, taking home the ultimate reward of the hunting ground. Killing with the hunter’s identity is the fastest way to eliminate all competitors.”

That’s what sets the battlefield apart from dungeons. The battlefield was a competitive arena with no room for cooperation.

“So, were you blindly attacking at the beginning too? Catching me in a burst of damage could have ended me if I were prey,” Watermelon said.

Su Mo paused for a moment, calmly lying, “Yes, but now we need to be cautious. Prey isn’t without means of counterattack. ReturnToSimplicity completing multiple kills has made others more cautious. Taking risks is not advisable.”

ReturnToSimplicity’s ability to complete so many kills in such a short time indicated his strength, but with only 10 minutes left, ReturnToSimplicity still needed 8 more kills. If he managed to get the hunter’s identity in the second round, then this hunting round could be declared over.

“So, what are we doing now?” Watermelon asked. “Should we find someone to kill just to be safe?”

“Yes,” Su Mo continued, “we can start by finding the protective talisman.”

Watermelon looked puzzled. “Why?”

“Total, there are 24 protective talismans, with 6 dropping per hour. Prey will be more anxious than hunters,” Su Mo said. “Have you heard of ‘sitting under a tree waiting for rabbits’? Find the talismans, and the prey will come.”

Watermelon believed him.

[Hunting Grounds] 77 players, 20 hunters, 57 prey, identity refresh remaining time: 00:03:12.

[Hunting Grounds] MostBeautifulLittleFairy: How many kills does ReturnToSimplicity have? Has anyone counted?

[Hunting Grounds] BubblyMilkNoSugar: Seems like 17, with 3 minutes left.

[Hunting Grounds] Cat: Prey, stay hidden for now. Don’t come out yet.

With few protective talismans dropping, prey could only prolong the game by dragging time until all 24 talismans fell into the hunting ground, maximizing their chances of survival. In contrast, although hunters could gain a mechanism for survival and offensive capabilities, their opportunities would become fewer and fewer.

“Damn, only 3 minutes left, and the prey is hiding too well.”

Perhaps unlucky, Watermelon searched far and wide but couldn’t find a single prey. Or if he encountered someone, they would attack immediately, only realizing they were hunters after being beaten to 0%.

The mountains were filled with hunters, yet not a single prey was spotted, completely evading capture.

“He’s not making it in time. Someone must be blocking him,” Su Mo said.

With fewer prey and each hunter killing more, they were also squeezing the survival space of other hunters.

“Can I survive?” Watermelon asked.

“You should pray he didn’t get the hunter identity in the second round,” Su Mo said. “If he becomes prey in the second round, his kill count will be reset, and the game won’t end prematurely.”

Getting 20 kills in the first hour was easy; it would only get harder afterward.

Su Mo caught a glimpse of the display exclusively for prey, showing the number of protective talismans and the refresh time. Five talismans had been taken in the first hour, leaving one undiscovered in the hunting ground.

[Hunting Grounds] ReturnToSimplicity killed MostBeautifulLittleFairy.

[Hunting Grounds] ReturnToSimplicity killed MostBeautifulLittleFairy2.

With 2 minutes left, ReturnToSimplicity’s kill count reached 19.

“Boss, I’m getting nervous,” Watermelon said.

Su Mo continued searching for the protective talisman without looking away. He was very familiar with the terrain of Valor Peak. They had searched most of the mountain, and if there was one last talisman, according to the random map refresh mechanism, the distribution of talismans should be even, so there should be one in this area…

At this moment, he suddenly saw a strange light pass over a tree top, and then he saw the protective talisman floating slightly under that tree. Su Mo instinctively grabbed Watermelon’s hand and pulled him directly behind the tree, just as a rain of arrows descended from the sky, filling the spot where they had previously stood with scattered arrows.

Watermelon, belatedly realizing the situation, exclaimed, “Damn! It’s ReturnToSimplicity!”

The arrows were fierce; any slight carelessness could be fatal.

Su Mo’s expression immediately turned serious. No wonder the last talisman took so long to refresh without anyone picking it up. ReturnToSimplicity probably discovered this talisman from the beginning and lurked here, killing one prey after another.

With only 1 minute left, ReturnToSimplicity, hiding in the tree, descended.

Su Mo had a sudden idea. “Let’s control ReturnToSimplicity.”

Watermelon was puzzled. “Why? He’s a hunter; we can’t kill him.”

“But we can control him,” Su Mo said. “Aren’t you worried about him killing us prematurely? We’ll hold him off for the remaining minute, preventing him from completing the kills, and drag it out for this hour.”

Watermelon immediately saw the logic in this and prepared to go invisible.

Su Mo scanned the terrain and judged where ReturnToSimplicity might move. “Don’t go invisible; flank him while sneaking.”

Watermelon, ranked fifth on the assassin leaderboard, was naturally proficient in assassin operations. After Su Mo’s hint, he immediately understood the strategy. He activated all his skills and stealthily flanked around. With the complex terrain and heavy rain in Valor Peak, visibility was low, making it a perfect opportunity for stealthy attacks.

With 40 seconds left, ReturnToSimplicity agilely descended from above and swiftly charged toward them, obviously intending to complete the kill in the final moments.

“You go left, I’ll go right,” Su Mo commanded.

Summoning several beasts, Su Mo launched an attack as soon as ReturnToSimplicity appeared within skill range. The latter agilely dodged the attack, and a cold arrow whizzed past Su Mo’s feet. A marksman’s arrows had high damage output with consecutive attacks, and if the chain of attacks was high, the arrows’ power increased. Su Mo dashed through the mountains, using the cover of the forest while his summoned beasts attacked ReturnToSimplicity, momentarily holding off his assault.

The cold arrows struck again. Su Mo leaped onto a tree to avoid the attack.

So fast…! This was the first time Su Mo encountered a marksman with such a high attack speed in the game Celestial Horizon, and this player’s skills were impeccable. Several times he evaded Su Mo’s control over the summoned beasts and seized the opportunity to attack. If Su Mo’s movement speed weren’t fast enough, he would have been riddled with arrows long ago.

As the two clashed fiercely, their distance closed. Just as Su Mo finally saw ReturnToSimplicity’s full appearance, ReturnToSimplicity also saw him. In that moment, ReturnToSimplicity’s hand hesitated on the bowstring as he saw Su Mo.

And in the next moment, his bow shifted direction, and a freezing arrow directly locked onto the stealthy assassin, completely immobilizing Watermelon in place.

“Bro, keep a hand, let’s meet again in the future!” Watermelon panicked as soon as he was immobilized. He had clashed with ReturnToSimplicity on the battlefield many times, and fighting this person did put some psychological pressure on him.

Su Mo slid down the tree root, grabbed onto a branch, and leaped, quickly landing behind ReturnToSimplicity. With a swift strike of his lamp staff, he clashed with ReturnToSimplicity’s dark bow in a brief melee combat. In just a few seconds, Su Mo realized the disadvantage he faced against ReturnToSimplicity’s heavy bow. With a slight turn of his lamp staff, Solitary Wolf silently approached behind him.

At that moment, Su Mo seized the opportunity when ReturnToSimplicity raised his bow, and Solitary Wolf suddenly lunged forward, catching ReturnToSimplicity off guard and stunning him!

“Watermelon, take over!” Su Mo commanded. Watermelon, released from the stun, teleported forward and stabbed his short sword towards ReturnToSimplicity’s back. In just a few seconds, ReturnToSimplicity’s health dropped by 30%.

Watermelon felt a surge of indescribable emotion welling up, “Damn! This is the first time I’ve taken 30% of his health. I can go boast to the newbies now. Master Momo!! I love you!!”

The birds in the mountains were startled as the three continued their assault.

Following Solitary Wolf’s attack, Su Mo immediately followed up with Group Chaos. The wide-range attack from LunarFeline landed on Watermelon and ReturnToSimplicity, giving them a few seconds of crowd control.

Watermelon, still overwhelmed by his unexpected success, was caught off guard by the chaos.

In the chaos caused by the summoner’s skill, Watermelon, who was about to defeat ReturnToSimplicity, was suddenly caught off guard. At this moment, ReturnToSimplicity, who should have been in a chaotic state, broke free from the crowd control and began attacking Watermelon one after another, nullifying the assassin’s advantage.

With a counterattack, ReturnToSimplicity quickly reduced the assassin’s health to zero, triggering the hunter’s stasis immobilization.

Watermelon was dumbfounded and hastily said, “Master! I can’t beat him…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the summoner standing next to the protective talisman, picking it up in front of them.

What’s going on?? Picking it up?? Watermelon stood dumbfounded, not quite understanding the situation. He muttered to himself, “Hunters can’t pick up protective talismans, right? Weren’t we supposed to control ReturnToSimplicity to buy time?”

“He’s the prey, and the protective talisman is his objective,” ReturnToSimplicity said calmly, putting away his bow and standing up, his gaze falling on the summoner in the distance. His tone was indifferent, “Don’t you know?”

“…?”

The wind and rain in Valor Peak grew stronger, and the thunder became more intense. Watermelon suddenly heard the voice of the marksman standing beside him. The voice was not loud, but amidst the wind and rain, it was just audible enough.

The voice was steady and calm, with a faint familiarity, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

Watermelon couldn’t quite remember, “Wait a minute, brother, your voice sounds familiar…”

As the summoner successfully picked up the protective talisman, at the same time, the time ran out, and all players’ identities were shuffled again.

[Dear player, your current identity is [Hunter], with a refresh time of 00:59:50 remaining, and the countdown for the hunting ground is 02:59:50.]

[Identity is confidential, please do not trust others lightly, and wish you good luck.]

Su Mo put the protective talisman into his backpack. In the next moment, he moved, using his rapid movement skill to rush towards Watermelon’s location. ReturnToSimplicity was a formidable opponent. Regardless of his identity, he had to be taken out first.