Chapter 399: The Players Return (2/2)

That was when one of the Players revealed how they kept in contact before the Player forums came online.

At the time, Players would often be revived at far-flung places after they died in a dungeon or an event. They had to communicate in real-time as well, which was why some Players simply agreed upon a meaning for the different order which they arranged their buffs, so that after several refreshes, the other Players in the party could tell what was going on.

That method certainly couldn’t be used by the Long Ears since they couldn’t see a fellow tribesman’s HP bar or status bar.

Nonetheless, they were inspired by the story and developed very simple sorcery.

The effect was to cut a heartstring in two down the middle to dod something similar.

“Three twists and two curves.” Rangka’s gloomy look turned cheerful right then. “Players are returning to our village.”

“That’s wonderful!”

Laybit breathed a sigh of relief as well.

After all, if it were only the Long-Ears, they would never really be able to hold their own if the more fearsome Nonhuman tribes come calling.

“What is a Player?”

Woosprout asked in curiosity after listening to them, and had a hunch from how the other two Long-Ears were relieved. “Could they be some magical beasts your tribe tamed?”

That being said, it was too troublesome to tame magical beasts in this day and age. While it was fine for the Eastern Continent with their systematic nations and churches, the Western Continent was much more chaotic that even the human territories were always caught in a conflict between feudal warlords. That meant catching a powerful magical beast was already difficult, and having them to procreate like your typical domesticated beast was even more so.

Even over at the Eastern Continent, the most successfully bred magical beast was only the wyvern flocks of the Temple of Glory.

As such, even if some nonhumans had the immense luck of capturing a magical beast and taming it, they had to be released back into the wild when the creatures were in heat. They would have to wait and see whether it might bring its young back to their settlement, because magical beasts could get very violent in heat and would threaten the entire tribe.

That was why Woolsprout would assume that the Players were some powerful magical beasts when she saw how relieved Rangka and Laybit were upon learning their return.

“N-no… Urgh, if I had to say it…”

Rangka denied it by reflex, but suddenly found that Woosprout was not exactly wrong after thinking about it. They would often eat and drink what the Long-Ears had and defending their tribe when there was trouble, occasionally helping them with menial labor. They would leave the village when it was time for one of their feast, before returning after some time…

They certainly resembled domesticated magical beasts in that respect.

Be that as it may, Rangka would never dare to directly label the Players as magical beasts, and shuddered when he remembered how they destroyed the Tigermen and the Nightstalker in quick succession.

“Hmm,” he said solemnly, “they are beings more horrific than magical beasts, and could well be a calamity.”