Genius Chapter 56: Get Rich Quick

Chapter 56: Get Rich Quick

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The Northern Desert was anything but peaceful. Outside the Desert Inn, on the vast and barren expanse of the desert, a small-scale 3v3 battle was erupting. A task team from [Zenith Expanse], while preparing to return to the main city for recovery, was ambushed by an assassin. First, the healer within the team was intercepted and killed by a female assassin. Shortly after, a physical swordsman joined in the fray. In less than two minutes, the entire team of three was completely wiped out.

Enraged by their defeat, the team leader of the small squad angrily shouted in the Vicinity channel, asking them to wait. However, the opponents showed no fear and instead taunted them, especially the physical swordsman named ‘ClearWindIsHere’.

“I’ll be waiting here for you. Go back and call for reinforcements,” taunted the swordsman.

The assailants were a small squad from a guild called ‘Get Rich Quick’, a name unfamiliar to the [Zenith Expanse] members. Upon seeing this, the small squad immediately reported to their guild, only to find out that [Get Rich Quick] had willingly declared hostility against their own guild. This further fueled their indignation, and the leader of the small squad quickly gathered two more allies to reclaim their honor in the Northern Desert.

“Physical swordsman, assassin, and cleric,” the leader said, “Take out their cleric, have the marksman focus on the assassin, and strike her whenever she shows herself.”

The team of five once again arrived at the Northern Desert and spotted ClearWindIsHere standing atop a sand dune. The leader immediately led two others in a charge, while another member went to engage the enemy’s cleric, and the marksman kept an eye on the assassin’s movements. Despite similar equipment levels, the trio from [Get Rich Quick] proved to be more agile in combat.

The cleric was as elusive as a fish, especially adept at evading while continuously healing the physical swordsman. The swordsman fought fiercely, undeterred by facing two opponents at once, swinging his sword with tremendous force that made each blow painful to endure. The assassin, on the other hand, displayed unusual tactics, refusing to retreat even when discovered by the marksman, her natural enemy. 

“Damn, they’re wearing us out,” the leader fretted, “Call for more reinforcements from the guild.”

After shouting for three more reinforcements from the guild, members of [Zenith Expanse] quickly arrived, turning the situation into an 8v3. The initially evenly matched trio began to falter, and the cleric’s healing pace slowed down. However, they showed no intention of fleeing. Instead, they became more cautious, dodging skills while launching attacks, no longer displaying their previous ferocity but rather seemed to be prolonging the engagement.

Without much thought, the members of [Zenith Expanse] sought to eliminate the trio, but at that moment, two summoned creatures suddenly joined the fray, disrupting the rhythm of the battle. The summoned creatures first controlled the marksman, allowing the assassin to swiftly approach and eliminate the marksman before turning to aid the cleric.

“Be careful! Summoner incoming!” the squad leader exclaimed, “Take out the summoned creatures and focus on the cleric.”

“Damn, their coordination is impeccable, isn’t it?”

“Save the healer first.”

“It’s too late, the healer’s gone.”

The cleric fled, but the summoner left them no chance. With the assassin’s assistance, they controlled one and eliminated another, causing the eight-member team to lose three members in a short time, including their only healer.

Several minutes earlier, Su Mo arrived at the Northern Desert, where the team’s voice channel was filled with the frantic cries of two teammates. 

ScarletFruit yelled while running, “Help me, help me, help me, help me, help, they’re chasing me.”

ClearWind, waving his sword, shouted, “Fruit, heal me, I’m running out of health.”

ScarletFruit retorted, “Help? How do you expect me to cast skills? Men are unreliable after all. ZenSlasher sister, ZenSlasher sister, are you there? Help me!”

ClearWind replied, “I’m really low on health, seriously low. Damn, this guy is fierce, swinging his sword around like he’s in a fight.”

Assassin ZenSlasher tactfully suggested, “Maybe use a health potion first.”

The scene was chaotic, with each of the three focused on their own survival, yet managing to hold on. Su Mo was speechless. The summoner’s helpless voice interrupted the channel’s wailing, “ZenSlasher, I’ll control the marksman, you use your skills to take out the enemies.”

…

What started as a 5v3 became 8v3, then 8v4. Eventually, all eight members of [Zenith Expanse] were wiped out, lying dead in the desolate sands of the Northern Desert.

“You damn well wait,” one of the fallen [Zenith Expanse] players cursed.

ClearWind responded, “Wait? I gave you a chance to call for reinforcements the first time. Next time, if you’re not skilled enough, bring more people. Understand?”

The fallen player cursed vehemently, but could only watch as the four enemies disappeared from view.

The quartet from [Get Rich Quick] didn’t give them a chance. They headed back to the safety of the Desert Inn, enjoying tea and meat while tallying up the points they earned from their kills. ClearWind, the wealthy one among them, generously treated everyone to a meal, finally explaining what had happened.

Su Mo finally understood what had transpired. The previous night, after he logged off, UnchainedWanderer somehow located the positions of the Zenith Expanse members through some means, then led ScarletFruit and ClearWind to ambush them. The trio’s ambush directly provoked the assassin from [Zenith Expanse], leading to a heated exchange on the Global Channel. ScarletFruit decisively declared hostility.

ScarletFruit asserted, “They were originally from the Eclipse faction, and they’re allied with the [Temple of the Gods] Alliance. Making them one more enemy isn’t a big deal, and it’s fair game to kill them in the wilderness.”

“I’m done with missions. I’ll earn points by killing them. They tried to ambush me while I was live streaming, and when I went offline, my online friends told me their locations. I went to ambush them,” ClearWind said, “Killing for points is lucrative. I’ll cover the cost of the guild’s tracking items with my money. If you have enemies from their Alliance, let me know, and I’ll take care of them one by one.”

ZenSlasher added, “Just call me when you need me. I’m always here.”

ScarletFruit joked, “Big brother, why are you silent? Are you moved by us?”

Then he added, “Actually, there’s no need to be that touched. Just remember to save me next time.”

ClearWind said, “That depends on Brother Wanderer. He found their coordinates last night, and we killed them swiftly, especially those two assassins. We killed them repeatedly, and they got so angry they started trash-talking us on the Global Channel.”

ScarletFruit said, “Oh right, we were supposed to fight this morning too, but for some reason, I didn’t log in this morning.” He looked at Su Mo. “Bro, take a break, and then we’ll go find some solo players to kill. We’ll avenge you. Why should [Zenith Expanse] bully you when you’re alone? If they dare to kill you, it’s like kicking me, ScarletFruit, in the leg. We’ll strike back to liven things up. They’re allowed to kill people, but we’re not allowed to ambush them?”

Su Mo knew that UnchainedWanderer had gone to the hunting ground. It seemed like the ceasefire period was almost over.

“We’re outnumbered, so ambushing players from their Alliance would be easy,” ZenSlasher hesitated, “We should be more cautious in general. Don’t venture out of the safe zone alone. They can’t track us if we’re out of their sight.”

Eye of Heaven is coordinate-based, but coordinates refresh every five minutes. Don’t linger in one place for too long to avoid being tracked constantly.

Suddenly, Su Mo asked, “If I hadn’t logged in just now, would you three have faced their eight alone?”

ClearWind replied, “We wouldn’t have fought. A real man knows when to retreat. With more people, we’d definitely run.”

“Don’t worry, bro. We’re not idiots,” ScarletFruit added. “ZenSlasher’s sister has an item that boosts movement speed. When activated, we can run really fast.”

“Thanks.” Su Mo looked at them and felt a strange feeling. He felt it wasn’t necessary, but his teammates were still risking danger to vent his frustrations. And UnchainedWanderer, the silent one, was leading the charge, which was hard to imagine.

ScarletFruit was surprised by the attention. “Bro, just let me help you make money. No need to thank me. Oh right, about the zombie mud you wanted, I found a supplier for you. It’ll be delivered tomorrow. Do you need any other materials?”

“Who is [Zenith Expanse] hostile towards? Fruit Platter?” Su Mo suddenly asked.

ZenSlasher knew about this. “When I left, factions hadn’t been divided yet. But since then, factions have formed, and there’s been more factional hostility…”

The Eclipse faction is allied with the Abyss faction, and several large guilds are evenly distributed between the two factions.

Among them, the Eclipse faction’s biggest forces are two major Alliances. One is led by array master Night Bell, known as the Heaven’s Gate Alliance. Its main guilds are [Zenith Expanse], [Temple of the Gods], and [Eternal Flame]. The other is led by the warrior Cloud Traveler, known as the Human World Alliance. Its guilds are Veiled Cloud Sanctuary, Common People, and Hidden World.

These two Alliances are opposed to each other but also united against the Abyss faction, engaging in both internal and external conflicts.

“We, Abyss faction, are led by Leisure and Polaris. The leader of the Leisure Alliance is Broken Oracle, and on the Polaris side, it’s Milk with Bitter Melon from the Fruit Gang.” ZenSlasher thought for a moment. “From the current situation, [Zenith Expanse] should be hostile to all guilds in the Abyss faction. During guild battles, they often clash over resources. In the Abyss faction, resources are evenly distributed between the two Alliances, but Eclipse is aggressive in seizing them. Cloud Traveler and Midnight Bell don’t get along.”

As Su Mo listened to their discussion, he had the customer service retrieve detailed rules and information about guild battles.

ScarletFruit asked curiously, “Bro, why are you asking about this? Do you want to join the Eclipse Alliance and then go after [Zenith Expanse]?”

“No.” Su Mo looked at the rules and mechanisms of guild battles and had an idea. “We don’t need to get our hands dirty. There will be people willing to do it…”

The others looked at Su Mo.

***

When Yu Zhen came out of the hunting ground, he noticed Momo was online. He switched to his alternate account, UnchainedWanderer, and received a party invitation from Momo as soon as he switched. He was about to inquire when he suddenly noticed Momo standing in front of him.

Su Mo spoke up first. “I didn’t forget the coordinates. I figured your time in the hunting ground was almost up, so I came to check.” He smiled and continued, “I’m sorry about yesterday. I rushed off without explaining properly because my loader was cut off by my family.”

Yu Zhen hesitated. “No worries. Shall we have a hunt this afternoon?”

“Let’s do it tonight. The afternoon might not be enough time.” Su Mo sent Yu Zhen a trade invitation. “Accept this trade.”

Yu Zhen opened it and found several special items in the trade window named [Anti-Stealth], made by Momo. His eyes widened slightly. “Are these for me? New items?”

The function of the item was similar to Dispel Cloak scrolls, but instead of countering an assassin’s stealth, it countered another skill, Stealth. Usually, an assassin’s stealth is used for escape or avoiding attacks, but in the hands of a skilled assassin, it’s used more for offensive opportunities, especially when dealing with marksmen. Marksman can see through stealth but not through Stealth. When Yu Zhen played marksman, he occasionally encountered stealthy assassins attacking from behind.

“For you.” Su Mo explained the precautions for using the item. “Your marksman profession will make good use of this item.”

Verbal instructions alone weren’t sufficient, especially considering all the help he had received.

Yu Zhen’s mood was slightly stirred. The usefulness of this item was significant, completely compensating for the blind spots in the marksman profession’s vision.

The summoner’s tone was casual, and he provided several usage strategies when introducing the item, such as when to use it most lethally against assassins and how to follow up after triggering it. Yu Zhen was already aware of these points, but hearing them from the summoner made him listen more attentively.

“Why suddenly give me this?” Yu Zhen asked.

Su Mo paused for a moment, then smiled. “Thanks for standing up for me. I heard what ScarletFruit said.” Then he added, “I didn’t know what you needed, but it seems like this item suits you. If it’s not enough, just let me know, and I’ll make more for you.”

Anti-Stealth conflicts with Dispel Cloak items. If Dispel Cloak is activated, Anti-Stealth cannot be used. The practicality of Anti-Stealth in the wilderness is far less than Dispel Cloak. Originally, Su Mo just intended to create it as a backup item, but while chatting with them at the Desert Inn in the morning, he suddenly remembered that Anti-Stealth, while not as effective as Dispel Cloak, was an excellent wilderness item for marksmen.

“Thank you,” Yu Zhen said.

“Don’t mention it,” Su Mo reiterated, “I’m just making it for you for free, but you’ll have to bring your own materials.”

The cost of materials for this thing wasn’t cheap. If he gave it away for free, he’d end up losing a lot. Lately, exchanging materials required coins, upgrading skills required coins, buying materials also required coins…

Yu Zhen smiled upon hearing this. “I understand.”

After expressing his gratitude and giving the item, Su Mo completed his morning task. “Well, I’ll take off now. See you in the afternoon.”

Yu Zhen was about to say, “See you in the afternoon,” when he saw Su Mo dissipate into thin air once again.

Summoners always came and went in a hurry. Yu Zhen looked at the item in his backpack. This item had a special function. With Dispel Cloak preceding it, the usage of this item was even rarer. One could even say that this item was specially tailored for marksmen. This was the first time, after playing the game for so long, that someone had sent him such a customized item.

By noon, Yu Zhen hadn’t spent much time in the game before logging off. When he disconnected the loader, Grandma Cheng happened to come into the room calling for him. “Xiao Zhen, are you done with your work?”

Yu Zhen put down the loader. “I’m done. Didn’t you say not to wait for me?”

Grandma Cheng patted her grandson’s arm. “I made some chicken soup. You used to love the kind of tonic soup your grandfather always made. Don’t you like it?” She urged her grandson to go out.

Yu Zhen went to the kitchen to help. The robot had already served the chicken soup and there was still half a pot left in the pot. He could tell at a glance that Grandma Cheng had made too much again. Grandma Cheng didn’t like using the cooking intelligence robot, usually opting for simple functions. She liked to control the portions herself, but occasionally she would make too much. But usually, it was just a little extra. This time, she had somehow made an extra half a pot.

“You can set the number of diners on the cooking machine next time, and it will automatically calculate the portions for you,” Yu Zhen explained a few more times, “We won’t be able to finish this soup by tonight.”

Glancing at the time, Grandma Cheng said, “Then we’ll give some to the neighbors later. Yes, yes, yes.” She took out her terminal and flipped through the contact list. “I have such a bad memory. I forgot to give you this contact number yesterday. Let’s also send some chicken soup to Xiao Mo,” she said.

Yu Zhen memorized the contact number and prepared to add it as a friend. When he finished entering the full number, the terminal communication popped up with an intelligent match. This contact number overlapped with one of the numbers in his list.

Sitting in the dining room, Grandma Cheng noticed her grandson hadn’t taken any action and asked again, “Xiao Zhen?”

Yu Zhen’s gaze fell on the intelligent match on the terminal.

— ([Group Chat] Get Rich Quick – Mo)