《MMORPG: The Leveling Specialist》


 Chapter 1：Prologue

The life of lying in an ice coffin...


    The history of mankind continues in the boundless game world.


    It was all just a dream for Fan Tian.

 Chapter 2：Mechanical Alchemist

    The sunset glow lengthened the shadow of the tavern sign. Inside, the stout boss was counting the unpaid drinks behind the counter, while his patrons drank ale and watched as a singer was singing lazily on the stage with a harp in hand.


    "...when the first chapter of all legends is written, the so-called heroes are just like us."


    Xiao Ling loved this poem by Hugh Heathley; it had a touch of the martial world. All heroes were equal, and the term ''hero'' was just the honorific given to a person by a group of people. The so-called heroes were actually no different from ordinary people.


    With a dog-tailed grass between his lips, Xiao Ling leaned against an old willow tree outside the small town of Vejin, spending the afternoon doing nothing. He had been busy mining recently, and he finally had time to rest for a while now. It was near dusk; the setting sun lazily sprinkled its orange glow on the small town, and the gusting night breeze was lifting yellow dust from the ground.


    In the small town, men and women bustled about: some were mages and priests in robes, some were paladins in silver and white armor, some were barbarians, elves, or humans. They were all busy creating value for the game company.


    They were either getting ready to set out or looking to form a team. Many were shouting loudly, making the whole town seem lively.


    "Level-35 high-dps Fire Mage with a full purple suit seeking to form a team for the Ash Forest quest. PM if interested."


    "Level-40 Barbarian Warrior, high defense and high HP, seeking to form a team for the Elasi Swamp quest..."


    "Level-40 elite team needs a priest with 500+ in healing skill points, shoutout if interested."


    Looking at these busy players, Xiao Ling was envious. ''When can I truly start leveling?'' The thought of what he had experienced when he first joined the game depressed him. Of all classes, warlocks were unpopular; it was the most unneeded class for most of the major quests because its dps was never as good as that of a mage, and many of its control skills were only effective against a handful of weak monsters. When facing a boss, a warlock could only stare at it. Furthermore, it was a demon class. Apart from Brakada, NPCs elsewhere would not provide warlocks quests.


    Although unpopular, there were still quests that required warlocks. Some skills of Demonic Warlocks, Destruction Warlocks, and Affliction Warlocks were actually very useful in these quests. If the player had good reflexes and decent equipment, a warlock could be as effective as a mage, a class that was claimed as the soul of the battlefield.


    Moreover, these three warlock specializations were the gods of solo-leveling; the speed of them leveling solo was as fast as rogues, a class that was called the King of the Wild.


    The Alchemist, also a specialization of warlocks, was a marginal specialization of the already unpopular class, and was further divided into Apothecary Alchemists and Mechanical Alchemists.


    Apothecary Alchemists increased their power by making various elixirs. Their spell damage was very low, and could barely reach 80% to 90% of the spell damage of ordinary warlocks after imbibing the concoctions. However, the brews made by them were extremely expensive.


    In Eddins, the capital city of Brakada, an Elixir of Empowerment made by a high-level Apothecary Alchemist could be auctioned for at least one to two thousand gold coins.


    If Apothecary Alchemists were considered somewhat useful, then Xiao Ling''s choice of mechanical specialization was the most useless one. After all, the spell damage of Mechanical Alchemists was only about 40% of that of ordinary warlocks.


    The talent of Mechanical Alchemists was engineering, with which they could make mechanical puppets. Every Mechanical Alchemist could bring a mechanical puppet, which possessed a certain level of fighting strength. For example, the spell damage of a basic level-1 mechanical imp was about 80% that of a Mechanical Alchemist, which could make up for his weakness of low spell damage to a certain extent.


    The combination of a Mechanical Alchemist and a mechanical puppet could produce the same spell damage as an ordinary warlock, and if the puppet''s level was high enough, the specialization of Mechanical Alchemists was superior to any spellcasting class.


    Xiao Ling had joined the game with this fantasy and even learned the four production professions of mining, alchemy, blacksmithing and engineering, getting ready to make his own mechanical puppet.


    But, the fantasy was soon shattered. After a month, when many players had reached level-40 or above, begun to enter various dungeons, and put on Superior Rare or Epic armor, Xiao Ling remained at level-1.


    Without mechanical puppets, Mechanical Alchemists were good-for-nothing and could not level up at all. But, making mechanical puppets was not that simple.


    It took money to learn alchemy, and so did blacksmithing and engineering. All the money Xiao Ling earned from mining ore every day had been thrown into this bottomless pit.


    In a month and a half, his four production professions had improved dramatically, but his level had not moved at all.


    Mining: Artisan rank, expertise rating 307/500


    Alchemy: Expert rank, expertise rating 175/300


    Blacksmithing: Journeyman rank, expertise rating 102/150


    Engineering: Apprentice rank, expertise rating 47/50


    The only achievement Xiao Ling was proud of was his rank in mining and alchemy. At present, he was the only one who had reached artisan-rank in the mining profession in the whole server, and there were only two expert-rank miners, who would take some time to become artisan-rank miners.


    As for the alchemy profession, there were only three people who had reached the Journeyman rank, and Xiao Ling was the only one who had reached the Expert rank.


    If anyone could keep digging for a month in the apprentice mine outside Brakada, work more than thirteen hours a day, and be as lucky as Xiao Ling to find three pieces of amethyst in succession, he might also become an artisan-rank miner.


    If anyone could risk failure and throw three pieces of amethyst into a smelting furnace without hesitation, and successfully smelt them into amethyst bars, they might also become an expert-rank alchemist.


    But, no one had such good luck, and no one dared to do so.


    With the professional certificates given by the system, Xiao Ling could get a good position in any major guild and receive an enviable salary, but that was not his ambition. His goal was to be the number one player in the game, not the number one player in the production professions, but the number one player in terms of level and strength.


    If it were not for his artisan-rank mining and expert-rank alchemy professions, he would have deleted his character and restarted from scratch, and his situation would not be as bad as it was now.


    Xiao Ling brushed the smooth surface of the amethyst bars with a hand as if he were caressing his lover. The dazzling light emitted by the smelted bars was his hope.


    Amethyst: level-3 Rare ore, can be used in alchemy, blacksmithing, and engineering.


    It was said that a piece of unsmelted amethyst ore was sold for 2,000 gold coins in the auction house of Brakada, and only one was found so far. Xiao Ling sighed with emotion about his luck. He had been digging hard in the apprentice mine that day when he found a lilac ore. Then, after digging with a shovel three times in a row, he was stunned by a series of prompt tones and the fact that his rank of mining had jumped directly from Expert to Artisan. Later, he was extremely excited by the three purple ores in his pouch.


    They were all Rare ores!


    Ores were divided into three qualities: Common, Rare, and Epic, and each quality was divided into five grades. Common ores were quite common, Rare ores were few, and level-3 Rare ores were even more scarce. Xiao Ling had not seen a Rare ore above level-3, let alone an Epic ore.


    What would happen if amethyst bars were crafted into a mechanical puppet?


    Three amethyst bars were enough to craft a mechanical puppet!


    But, there were problems he needed to solve first. He could only craft the most basic mechanical imp after his engineering had reached the rank of Journeyman. He estimated that it would take another 3,000 gold coins to do that. Moreover, after he attained the rank, he would also need to purchase the blueprint for crafting the mechanical puppet. A blueprint of a level-2 mechanical imp was sold for 2,000 gold coins in the market.


    In other words, if Xiao Ling wanted to craft a mechanical imp, he needed at least 5,000 gold coins.


    ''That is 5,000 gold coins!'' Xiao Ling rolled his eyes. After mining for more than a month, not counting the value of the three amethyst ores, he had made only about 3,000 gold coins, and that was also because of luck. It was possible for an artisan-rank miner to earn only ten gold coins after mining for one whole day. After all, mining had a lot to do with luck.


    A common journeyman-rank miner could earn about twenty gold coins a day while an expert-rank miner could earn fifty. As for the artisan-rank, no one had counted it yet. Xiao Ling estimated that he should have no problem earning more than one hundred gold coins a day.


    It also meant that he had to spend another month or so mining before he could craft a mechanical imp. But by that time, most of the players would have probably reached level-50 and above.


    Xiao Ling glanced at the rankings of the human world. At present, the highest level was a Barbarian Warrior named Kuang Long, who had reached level 49, leaving everyone far behind. The second place was a Priest named Huawu, who was only at level 47. But, it was not easy to climb up the second place as a female Priest. He speculated that she should be a Shadow Priest; otherwise, she could not have leveled up so quickly.


    Compared with them, Xiao Ling was a little ashamed. He tried to go out and grind, but he could not even defeat the Normal skeletons in the Skeleton Forest outside the small town of Vejin. Moreover, he was used to being alone, had no friends, and disdained being a low-level player who provided additional experience to others. Even if he were willing, because of his class and weak strength, no one would want to form a team with him.


    A Mechanical Alchemist without a mechanical puppet was a good-for-nothing! Xiao Ling had finally acknowledged that. So, no matter what price he had to pay, he had to craft himself a mechanical puppet!

 Chapter 3：Alchemy Glyphs

    Xiao Ling once thought of buying a mechanical puppet, but the price tag of 8,000 gold coins for a level-two mechanical imp made him give up the idea. He might as well craft one himself with the money. For some unknown reason, he had never seen anyone selling level-1 mechanical imps.


    ''I wonder what will be the strength of a mechanical imp made of amethyst?'' The quality of materials used had a certain influence on the mechanical puppet, and it was known that good materials could greatly enhance the puppet''s attribute.


    Anyhow, Xiao Ling could only satisfy his desire to grind and level up in his mind. His hope of making this desire a reality was still very slim.


    "Brother Xiao! Brother Xiao! Uncle Bald at the watch shop asked you to help him repair his clocks!" A boy about thirteen or fourteen years in age came running up from the town. He was quite handsome, with curly blond hair, and was clad in an ill-fitting leather mail which was too large and made him look bloated.


    Xiao Ling sighed. ''Why am I, the future epic hero of Endace Continent, reduced to repairing clocks for a watch shop?''


    He reluctantly followed the boy toward the center of the town. It was a job he had fought for, repairing clocks and watches for a watch shop free of charge, while he could get the opportunity to train his expertise rating in engineering at the same time for free.


    At the thought of the stingy bald guy, Xiao Ling could not help but curse under his voice. When he applied for the job, the guy had been giving him a hard time and even refused to pay him in the end.


    The boy chattered along the way. Everything that happened in the town excited him. "Uncle Locke killed a Spotted Leopard in Skeleton Forest, so we have meat to eat again tonight! He also defeated a limping Skeleton Soldier...Brother Xiao, can you defeat a Skeleton Soldier?" He turned to look at Xiao Ling with innocent eyes.


    Xiao Ling blushed and said hastily, "Of course!"


    "Then why haven''t I seen you kill Skeleton Soldiers in Skeleton Forest?" The boy asked curiously.


    Xiao Ling felt his scalp begin to go numb. "That''s because I''m too lazy to go. We are very close to Uncle Bald''s shop, so we''d better hurry over." He quickly changed the topic.


    "Alright!" The boy nodded and ran to the watch shop. "Uncle Bald, Brother Xiao is here! You said you''d give me a silver coin...What? You''re not paying me again?"


    The so-called watch shop was actually just a low and shabby shack that smelled of damp mold. It was so worn-out that Xiao Ling worried it might collapse if there was a strong wind or heavy rain.


    "Greetings, what can I do for you?" The stingy, balding old guy in the watch shop was stooping obsequiously to introduce the watches to a player. His clothes, which had not been washed for days and were a little black, smelled of copper, and there was a trace of saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth. Pointing a finger at a gold pocket watch on the wall, he said, "This pocket watch is the proud work of Vieri, the greatest Mechanical Alchemist in history. Watches are the greatest creation of Mechanical Alchemists, for they mark the time of each day and divide it to 24 hours. Such a magnificent masterpiece will surely be remembered by history. I must admit that Mechanical Alchemist is the greatest class in the world." Despite his stinginess, the old man was generous with his compliments. However, Xiao Ling remembered the last time when a Fire Mage came to the shop to buy something, the bald fellow said that Mage was the greatest class in the world.


    Xiao Ling briefly studied the player. He was a handsome young man with short black hair, deep eyes, and a handsome appearance that made the former a little jealous. It was just the proud look on his face that made people uncomfortable. He was wearing a gorgeous white robe inscribed with various ancient glyphs, just like the glyphs on the walls of the Chapel of Mechanical Alchemists.


    ''This guy is also a Mechanical Alchemist,'' Xiao Ling was slightly surprised. Mechanical Alchemists were rare; out of a few thousand players, there might be only one.


    With his superior judgment trained in the watch shop, Xiao Ling could see that at least two of the player''s equipment were Epic, and the rest were Rare. And their levels were quite high.


    The quality of equipment was divided into Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Artifact, and Heirloom. Common, Uncommon, and Rare were relatively easy to find, and the attributes of the equipment were also closely related to the required level. The required level for a level-50 Common item might be higher than that of a level-10 Epic item, and the higher the level, the rarer the equipment would be.


    A level-40 or above Rare equipment with good attributes could sell for thousands of gold coins.


    The bald guy kept on introducing and, from time to time, looked at the player''s side.


    Xiao Ling followed the guy''s eyes and saw a short fellow hopping restlessly beside the handsome young man. It was less than one meter tall, and its body was entirely made of silvery-white metal, exquisitely structured and fully inscribed with Mechanical Alchemy Glyphs. Its imp-face did not look horrible at all, but rather cute, and it mumbled incomprehensible words.


    Mechanical puppets were the greatest masterpieces of Mechanical Alchemists! In contrast, the watches were just rubbish.


    Xiao Ling did not know what kind of metal the imp was made of, but just by looking at its appearance, he knew that it was at least level-3.


    The price of a level-3 mechanical imp was about 50,000 to 60,000 gold coins! And the spell damage of a level-3 mechanical imp''s Flame Burst was more than 1,500. If the young man''s spell damage was around 1,500 as well, the combination of two was not weaker than that of a Fire Mage.


    ''Why is there such a big gap between him and me when we are both Mechanical Alchemists?'' thought Xiao Ling in exasperation.


    ''I hate rich people!'' he thought bitterly as his eyes wandered uncontrollably up and down the imp. He was fascinated by all the Strengthen Glyphs, Link Glyphs, and Fire Glyphs.


    The greatest gist of engineering lay in these glyphs. Legend had it that glyphs were created by ancient goblins and taught to human beings. However, to embezzle these great technologies, human beings drove the goblins out of their homes and into the Western Plague Swamps of Eli. From then on, only human beings could master glyphs.


    These glyphs contained a powerful energy. Legend had it that ancient goblins, with some rare metals, had once crafted the world''s most powerful alchemy creation¡ªthe Titans, who were no less powerful than Black Dragons. Although it was only a legend, the power of glyphs was evident. The energy contained in the high-level glyphs was extremely potent.

 Chapter 4：A Lock Glyph

    Xiao Ling stared obsessively at the patterns on the mechanical imp. After reading them, he confirmed that the imp was a level-3 puppet. ''Only an expert-rank Mechanical Alchemist can inscribe level-3 glyphs...'' He studied the young man once again. If this guy were not too weak, his overall strength should at least put him in the top 100 in the whole server.


    The young man glanced at Xiao Ling. When he saw the newbie robe inscribed with mechanical alchemy glyphs Xiao Ling was wearing, he showed a look of disdain. A Mechanical Alchemist who did not even have a mechanical imp was a disgrace to all Mechanical Alchemists.


    His expression made Xiao Ling have a sense of disgust toward him. Too lazy to pay any more attention to him, he walked to the repair counter. An ancient wall clock waiting to be repaired on the counter caught his attention.


    The glyphs on this wall clock turned out to be all level-5 mechanical alchemy glyphs. Xiao Ling had only read such high-level glyphs in books, so he began to study them in silence while dismantling the clock.


    "Did he repair all the clocks and watches in this shop?" The young man asked the bald old man.


    "Yes, he repaired all the clocks and watches here. He is quite skilled at that. Look, how wonderful it is, these aged clocks and watches are brought back to life a second time by his hands." The bald man patted an old clock beside him.


    Xiao Ling wanted to stop him, but it was too late. The table clock was two thousand years old, and almost all the parts inside had already been damaged. How could it withstand the old man''s slap?


    Under his torture, the ancient clock creaked and stopped working, and then a clanking noise rang out of it, telling everyone that all its internal components were falling apart. The bald guy''s face, almost cramped with excitement, turned purple in an instant.


    The young man said mockingly, "I really can''t imagine what kind of clock a man in newbie robe and without a mechanical imp can repair."


    The bald man stood there embarrassingly, but Xiao Ling did not seem to hear that because he was attracted by the wall clock in front of him. It was really a strange artifact; its surface was covered with level-5 Reinforced Glyphs, but there was not even a Power Glyph in it. What was its core power source then?


    According to the principle of mechanical deterioration described in ''Specialization of Mechanical Alchemists'', the material, the damage degree of the clock, and the glyphs on its surface showed that it was at least ten thousand years old. Could it be something from the Goblin Age? Only goblins could create core power sources other than Power Glyphs. Every goblin was a wise man; their thin heads were always filled with all kinds of strange ideas, and they had created a great technological civilization ten thousand years ago.


    Xiao Ling carefully removed the outer case of the wall clock, and the internal structure slowly revealed in front of his eyes. Every part inside fit perfectly and rotated rhythmically. Such a fine structure made him more convinced that the clock must be the masterpiece of goblins, because only goblins with sharp heads and dexterous fingers could create such perfect machines.


    There were two hidden compartments inside the clock, among which the core power source must be hidden.


    He opened the compartment under the clock and saw two rolls of pale-gray, slightly chipped parchment inside. Seeing that, his heart raced instantly. They were no ordinary things, he knew, and were probably blueprints of goblin''s machines. ''Such things must not be given to that stingy bald man...'' Without examining the two parchments, he quietly put them into his pouch.


    System: You received a Mechanical Alchemy Blueprint.


    System: You received a Goblin''s Treasure Map.


    Looking at the system prompts, Xiao Ling was momentarily stunned, but he quickly repressed his ecstasy and continued to study the wall clock. Soon, he found blue lines flowing out of another compartment, which kept the clock working. Inside this compartment should be the core power source.


    ''Besides Power Glyphs, what could become the core power source of the wall clock and keep it running?'' Xiao Ling''s obsession with mechanical alchemy was beyond ordinary people''s understanding. For him, unlocking an ancient secret of mechanical alchemy was as exciting as finding ancient treasures.


    The young man felt bored when he saw Xiao Ling ignore him.


    Just then, the wooden door of the shop creaked open. In the dim yellow light, a female priest in a white priest robe and a female mage in a fiery red magical robe came walking in from the outside. The female priest was beautiful and gorgeous, gentle and quiet. Her black hair hung behind her and her bangs were tied into two braids, falling on both sides of her face and giving her a graceful air. Her white priest robe looked holy and solemn, making her look like a saint.


    If she were water, then the female mage beside her was fire. The fiery red magical robe could hardly conceal her hot figure, and her pretty appearance seemed to be carved out of the finest jade. She had a pair of beautiful eyebrows, a tiny nose, and slightly pouted lips. And she was charming, with the slightly frowned eyebrows and the playful look in her eyes.


    They were simply the masterpieces of God.


    "Oh, my God, are they angels?" Looking at the two girls, the bald shop owner exclaimed exaggeratedly.


    When the young man saw the two beautiful girls, he paused for a moment with a fascination in his eyes. "Huawu, Huowu, why are you here?" He walked over to them and said fawningly, "Aren''t you with Boss?"


    The young man''s look made the female priest, Huawu, frowned slightly. With an indifferent expression, she said, "We will set out in half an hour. The target is the Blood Unicorn in Zanga Marsh. Boss asked me to inform you."


    If Xiao Ling knew that the female priest was Huawu, who was ranked second in the server, he might not be stingy with his gaze. But at this moment, he was already attracted by an ancient glyph inscribed outside of the hidden compartment.


    It was a level-5 Lock Glyph. Familiarity with various glyphs was a compulsory course in engineering, but Xiao Ling''s understanding of the Lock Glyph was limited to its structure. After all, the rank of his engineering was not even journeyman, so he only knew it and was not familiar with it. Moreover, Lock Glyphs had tens of millions of variations, making them extremely difficult to unlock, let alone the fact that a level-5 Lock Glyph had exceeded his skill to crack.


    Still, Xiao Ling calculated according to various basic theories of engineering, guessing the ways to crack this Lock Glyph.

 Chapter 5：The Titans Heart

    Xiao Ling continued to look at the wall clock intently. Seeing that, the mage in the fiery red robe, Huowu, could not help wondering what attracted his attention so much that he completely ignored the arrival of others.


    "Feng Long, remember to meet us at Vejin Church in thirty minutes. Huowu, let''s go! Huowu?" Huawu had just taken a step when she noticed Huowu still staring blankly in the same place. ''What''s wrong with her?'' Confused, she followed her eyes and saw Xiao Ling, who was fiddling with the wall clock at the counter.


    "What? Oh, let''s go!" Huowu responded a little absentmindedly.


    Huawu gave Huowu a queer look, then turned to glance at Xiao Ling. As he was concentrating on the job at hand, Xiao Ling did not look up.


    From the corner of his eyes, Feng Long shot a look at Xiao Ling. "The quality of the newbies nowadays is getting lower and lower," he sneered. "He can''t even repair a clock. The server has been up for more than a month, and yet he is still at level 1. There''s nothing to see here. We better leave now."


    Both Huawu and Huowu were disgusted by his sarcasm. There were always people like him, taking every opportunity to make themselves stand out, not knowing that it just revealed how superficial they were.


    Xiao Ling did not hear the sarcasm at all. With the carving knife in his hand, he carefully carved the last line on the Lock Glyph. Suddenly, a blue light flowed out of the glyph, forming a blue light path.


    ''It worked!'' Xiao Ling was excited as the Lock Glyph slowly unlocked.


    With a chime, a pleasant system voice rang out in his head.


    System: You received 10 points in engineering expertise rating.


    System: Your engineering has been promoted to the Journeyman rank.


    Engineering: Journeyman rank, expertise rating 57/150


    ''After more than a month, my engineering has finally reached the Journeyman rank!'' Xiao Ling was very excited, but his hands did not stop as he slowly opened the lid of the hidden compartment. What was in it was no less attractive to him than a beautiful half-naked woman.


    He was greeted by a bright blue light, and then he saw a gemstone suspended quietly in the compartment, emitting a dazzling blue light.


    Titan''s Heart


    Unique Gem


    Item Level: 3


    Quality: Epic


    Attribute: Unidentified


    Use: Jewel crafting, blacksmithing, engineering


    Xiao Ling''s eyelids twitched wildly. He could not believe it was an Epic gem! So far, there had never been an Epic item found in the server. In fact, not even a level-4 Rare item was seen before, let alone a level-3 Epic item.


    He did not want to give this item to that greedy and stingy old guy. To save the precious Epic gem, he put it into his pouch without hesitation. Fortunately, no one saw it, because he would be in big trouble if anyone learned that a level-3 Epic item was found here. He was likely to be hunted down by countless people, and in the process of being pursued, there was a certain chance that the contents of his pouch would drop out.


    "Let''s go! We''re leaving in half an hour, and we still have to buy some bread and spring water from the inn, as well as take some time to make bandages," Huawu said. She, too, was curious about Xiao Ling''s behavior, wondering what exactly attracted him so much that he refused to look up. However, she would never waste her time on irrelevant people.


    "Okay!" Huowu answered as she glanced at Xiao Ling again. Although there were still some doubts in her mind, she followed Huawu outside.


    Seeing that Feng Long was going to leave with them, the bald guy said urgently, "Mister, won''t you buy some gifts for these two beautiful ladies?"


    Feng Long stopped; the suggestion was very tempting indeed.


    "It is not necessary. We don''t need any gifts," said Huawu flatly. The apparent refusal in her voice brought a hint of shadow to Feng Long''s eyes. ''It is because you are Boss Kuang Long''s sister that you can be so proud and arrogant in front of me. If I can lay my hand on you one day, I''ll definitely torture you hard!''


    He glanced at Xiao Ling, who was at the repair counter, and sneered, "I can tell from the quality of your worker that the items in this shop are really not worth paying for. These clocks and watches are just like a heap of scrap copper and iron. I don''t want to find my watch suddenly stop working when I''m in the middle of grinding. I think I''d better go to Eddins. At least the quality of items is better over there."


    The bald guy''s face turned livid in an instant. Xiao Ling had just put the Titan''s Heart into his pouch when he heard that. ''Why is this man so impolite?'' He was very angry at the remark, and the more he looked at Feng Long, the more he disliked him.


    "Feng Long!" Huawu''s face was serious as she snapped, "You''ve gone too far!"


    Feng Long''s heart skipped a beat at the sight of her disgusted expression. He did not want to leave a bad impression on Huawu, but it was absolutely impossible for him to apologize. For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.


    Just then, a loud boom rang out from the counter where Xiao Ling was, followed by the clatter of parts falling on the ground. Some parts shot upward and smashed the clocks and watches in the shop before scattering everywhere. Amid the chaos, one of them fell hard on the old guy''s bald head, causing a large bump to swell on his smooth scalp.


    Everyone was startled.


    Xiao Ling felt very depressed. For some reason, the wall clock in front of him suddenly exploded. If he had not dodged fast enough, he would have died by now.


    Even so, his face was blackened by the smoke from the explosion.


    Huowu giggled at the sight of his face which was almost as black as the burnt bottom of a pot. Huawu also could not help but chuckle, covering her mouth with a hand.


    The stunning appearance of the two girls was like a magnificent scenery. It was then that Xiao Ling noticed that there were two beautiful girls in the shop.


    In the reflection on the glass of a wall clock, Xiao Ling vaguely saw the face of an African refugee. He paused for a moment before remembering that it was his own face that was blackened by the smoke from the explosion. But, he was not in a bad mood at the moment; the harvest just now made him very happy.


    "Xiao Ling! You are fired! Oh, my god, you have destroyed all my lovely clocks!" The bald guy growled. The big purple lump on his head and the nearly twisted face made him look rather intimidating. With trembling hands, he picked up the broken pieces of clocks and watches.


    Xiao Ling shrugged. Now that he could no longer stay in the watch shop, he did not want to entertain the stingy bald old man anymore. Since the guy did not owe him any wages, he walked out relaxedly.


    As he passed Huawu and Huowu, he seemed to see the sympathy and worry on their faces, which made him smile. ''They are two sentimental girls.'' At this moment, he was thinking more about the future than anything else.

 Chapter 6：Alchemy Blueprint and Treasure Map

    Xiao Ling walked to the stream at the edge of Skeleton Forest and washed his face with cold water. His heart raced again when he recalled what had just happened. He could not believe that he had suddenly obtained so many good things. It took him quite some time to digest the fact and calm himself.


    Items like Titan''s Heart only appeared in legends from ten thousand years ago. Sometimes, one or two singers mentioned its name in the inns, but Xiao Ling only regarded it as a fictitious item. He never thought he could get his hands on one. And those two blueprints were definitely not common items either. He still felt a little dizzy even now. ''I''m not dreaming, am I?''


    Legend had it that mechanical imps, mechanical gargoyles, Titans, and Diamond Dragons were all extremely powerful alchemy creations. The first two were too common and could be seen everywhere, while Titans and Diamond Dragons had only appeared in ancient myths, but their prowess was beyond doubt. The most important component for a Titan was none other than the Titan''s Heart, as only with it could a Titan be driven. Of course, it was not easy to obtain the rest of the components, so it was unlikely for Xiao Ling to craft one now. However, the Titan''s Heart alone was worth at least hundreds of thousands of gold coins on the market.


    But, Xiao Ling did not plan to sell it, because a Titan''s Heart was the dream of all mechanical alchemists, and the pleasure of owning an item worth hundreds of thousands of gold coins was not something ordinary people often had the opportunity to experience.


    He fiddled with the bright blue gemstone carefully and could hardly tear himself away from it. It was a long time before he put the Titan''s Heart back in his pouch.


    Then he took out the two parchments. They were also extremely valuable items.


    Mechanical Alchemy Blueprint


    Use: Crafts a Mechanical Gargoyle


    Requires Journeyman Engineering


    Requires 2 Metal Ingots, 5 Deep Blue Gems, 5 Verdant Gems


    Skills: Frost Blast, Ring of Frost


    Mechanical gargoyles were a kind of mechanical puppets one rank higher than mechanical imps. The fighting power of a level-1 mechanical gargoyle was equivalent to that of a level-3 mechanical imp, sometimes even stronger, and its market price was around 100,000 gold coins. Moreover, those sold on the market had only one skill at most; mechanical gargoyles with two skills were rare. At present, there were not many mechanical alchemists who owned a mechanical gargoyle in the whole server, only one or two at most.


    Xiao Ling estimated that if he could make a dual-skills level-1 mechanical gargoyle and sell it on the market, the price would be around 200,000 gold coins. However, except for some major guilds, it was very difficult for ordinary players to afford such a large sum of money.


    He already had the required metal ingots, but he did not have 5 Deep Blue Gems and 5 Verdant Gems. The market price of a Deep Blue Gem was 2,000 gold coins, and the price of a Verdant Gem was 1,500 gold coins. In other words, he had to save 17,500 gold coins to craft a mechanical gargoyle.


    "Why do I feel that I am getting further and further away from my goal of leveling?


    "Originally, I only needed a few thousand gold coins to begin my journey of leveling, but now I need 17,500 gold coins.


    "Well, as the road ahead will be long, I''ll regard all this as paving the way for my future journey of leveling. After all, the strength of a mechanical imp is much worse than that of a mechanical gargoyle. If I can really craft a dual-skills mechanical gargoyle, then my grinding speed will definitely be faster. It''s like laying a foundation."


    Xiao Ling looked at another parchment.


    Treasure Map of Goblins


    "We have been driven out of our homes to a terrible land of plague, where many of our people have died in pain from disease. There is no hope for our future. In order to get out of the nightmare, we buried our last wealth in the Western Plague Swamps..."


    After taking a look at the map, Xiao Ling felt depressed and angry. "God gave me a slice of roast meat, but forgot to let me grow the teeth to eat it! Why is the treasure buried in the Western Plague Swamps?"


    Brakada was located in the southernmost part of the Endace Continent, while Western Plague Swarms was located in the northernmost part. If Xiao Ling wanted to find the treasure, he must pass through the Human kingdom of Erathia, the Elf kingdom of Hamundale, and the Undead kingdom of Deya. The Human and Elf kingdoms were easy, because they and Brakada were a part of the Angelic Alliance, so he could travel through them freely. But, Deya was an Evil Alliance kingdom. There were often wars between the two alliances, and their rancor ran deep. It was extremely difficult to cross an Evil Alliance kingdom to reach the Western Plague Swamps in Eli, a feat that even those who had reached the level of over 40 did not dare to try.


    For Xiao Ling, it was simply impossible to get the treasure.


    "I''d better put aside these wishful thinking for now and be a miner..." he sighed. "It seems that I still have a long way to go in my mining career. Well, I''ve no other choice anyway..."


    ...


    "Sis, now that he is fired, isn''t he jobless?" Huowu asked worriedly.


    Huawu smiled. "Don''t tell me you''re in love with him?" Her smile was always so subtle and gentle, dignified and generous.


    Huowu''s pretty face turned red as she pouted her lips and said, "No!"


    "Who was it that looked at him in a daze just now, then?"


    Huowu stamped her foot and said shyly, "I was just wondering what he was doing." The charming red on her face was as intoxicating as a puddle of Nu''er Hong[1], attracting the glances of people around them.


    "Alright, don''t be angry!" Huawu comforted her. "Everyone has his own future, and he has to rely on himself to grasp it. No one else can help him. We just happened to meet him somewhere in our lives. Even if some of his behavior caught your attention, we are just random passers-by. It is likely that you will forget this person in a day or two. So, why should we care about him so much?"


    Huowu nodded. "Sis Huawu''s words always have a good deal of reason." She was only curious about Xiao Ling like all other girls would, and she would forget him in a few days.


    Through a narrow dirt path, the two girls walked to the inn, bought bread and spring water, and then made all the necessary preparations. Half an hour later, a large team of fifty players, all over level-45, headed toward Zanga Marsh.


    [1] Nu''er Hong - A variety of huangjiu(yellow wine) that originates from Shaoxing, in the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang. It is made of glutinous rice and wheat. This wine evolved from the Shaoxing tradition of burying nu''er hong underground when a daughter was born, and digging it up for the wedding banquet when the daughter was to be married. The containers would be decorated with bright colors as a wedding gift. To make the gift more appealing, people began to use pottery with flowery carvings and patterns.

 Chapter 7：The Eastern Mine of Eddins

    Xiao Ling washed his face by the stream and saw a skeleton soldier with a broken sword and tattered leather armor rushing toward him as soon as he got up.


    "I''m only at the outer edge of the Skeleton Forest...How can there be a skeleton soldier!"


    At that moment, the skeleton soldier''s broken sword fell on him.


    Xiao Ling took to his heels, rolling and crawling as fast as he could. He had no fighting power! Due to their weak combat talent, Mechanical Alchemists'' basic arcane skills were only half as powerful as ordinary level-1 Demonic Warlocks, Destruction Warlocks, or Shadow Priests, and two-thirds as powerful as Affliction Warlocks. Without the help of mechanical imps, they could not even defeat an ordinary skeleton soldier.


    As the sword approached, Xiao Ling ducked down, and the blade went over his head. Drenched in cold sweat, he made a hasty roll on the ground and then sprinted out of the Skeleton Forest.


    The skeleton soldier let out a shrill laugh, as if it were laughing at Xiao Ling''s cowardice, and pursued him further.


    Skeleton soldiers had always been known for their slow speed, so it did not take much time for Xiao Ling to get rid of the sudden attacker. But then, his back was already soaked with cold sweat.


    "Damnit!" he cursed. "When I get to level 50, I''ll definitely come back and kill you, and then use your femur to pick my teeth!"


    The fact that he was forced to flee by a normal skeleton soldier depressed Xiao Ling. "It seems that the primal mining area is safer." With that in mind, he started for the eastern mining area outside the castle of Eddins. After passing through tree-lined paths, Eddins¡ªthe capital city of Brakada built halfway up Mount Kilo¡ªgradually revealed its magnificent outline in the distance.


    The whole castle was built halfway up the mountain, overlooking the earth like a giant, and its walls¡ªmore than ten meters high¡ªwere covered with traces left by the years, indicating its history.


    Eddins had a history of thousands of years and was a holy place for warlocks. Since the warlocks defected from Erathia and established a free kingdom in Brakada, the kingdom had gone through several wars that nearly destroyed it. The warlocks had fought with an indomitable will and defeated Erathia every single time, eventually earning the recognition of Erathia, and Eddins had survived the wars as well.


    Eddins was the spiritual symbol of the free kingdom of Brakada. In the hearts of many warlocks, the castle standing on the mountain was more magnificent than Mount Kilo.


    After the warlocks defected from Erathia, some sold their souls to demons in exchange for great power while others placed their faith in science and became Apothecary Alchemists and Mechanical Alchemists.


    Warlocks who sold their souls to demons became the mainstream in Brakada, but Apothecary Alchemists and Mechanical Alchemists were not edged out by them, and had gained their ground in this kingdom.


    Through the morning mist, one could vaguely see the alchemy towers and magic towers that thrust one hundred meters into the sky within Eddins, with plumes of smoke swirling around their red walls and green tiles that made it look like a mysterious city in a fairy tale. It was a spectacular sight to behold.


    Xiao Ling walked under the towering walls of Eddins to the east. In the eastern part of Kilo Mountains was an open mine.


    The mine was rich in common metals such as gold, silver, copper, and iron, and their quality was good, most of which at level 3 and 4. So, some players of production profession liked to mine there. Each stack of 20 raw gold, silver, copper, or iron dug up there could sell for about 3 to 5 gold coins, and with good luck, some rare metals could be found as well.


    Black mechanical gargoyles could be seen resting on the huge trees around the open mine. Made entirely of metal and hanging from the trees like giant bats, they were the guards of the mine. Whenever monsters or necropolis creatures intruded the mine and threatened the safety of players who were mining, these gargoyles would kill the intruders without hesitation.


    The mine was opened to all alchemists, and they could get the materials they needed for alchemy here. But, most mechanical alchemists had left to kill monsters and grind in higher-level areas, where they often encountered some rare ores.


    Xiao Ling wondered why every mechanical alchemist player had at least one level-1 mechanical imp when it was so expensive. Were all mechanical alchemists so rich? However, since he had no friends and did not know whom to ask, there was no answer for him.


    He walked to the center of the mine and began his busy day with his pick, searching for his targets.


    He was quite familiar with this mine. Whenever he saw some metal blocks that gave off a faint white light, he would hit them with his pick, and he would obtain ores such as silver soon afterward. If he were lucky, he could even dig up some mithril ores. Because of its excellent magic-breaking attribute, mithril had become the favorite of mechanical alchemists, who often added some to the metals used to craft mechanical imps and gargoyles. So, each mithril ore could sell for as high as 5 to 6 gold coins.


    If it were a yellow glowing metal block, it should be copper or gold.


    System: You have obtained a Common level-2 silver ore.


    System: You have obtained a Common level-3 iron ore.


    System: You have obtained a Common level-3 iron ore.


    Xiao Ling dug tirelessly, and he felt happy whenever he obtained one or two pieces of ores. ''These are all gold coins!'' As he continued to work, he immersed himself in his little happiness.


    Usually, a backpack of ore could sell for 40 to 50 gold coins. There were often traders buying ore around the mine, but the price they offered was generally low. Black-hearted traders normally took 20% of profits from miners who sold them ore, so Xiao Ling preferred to sell his ore further away at the market in Eddins.


    After selling the ore, he took a look at the gold coins in his pouch ¡ªthere were only 713 gold coins. So, he went back to work.


    The fruits of today''s labor were not much, even though he had worked from early morning when the world was enveloped by mist to when the sun hung high up in the sky, and stopped when the dusk was settling in. Yet, he only managed to get about 100 gold coins. For an average miner, the sum was considered a lot, but it was a little less for an artisan-rank miner.


    As gargoyle guards had poor visions at night, monsters often intruded the mine after the world turned dark. Even though their levels were low, they were still a threat to Xiao Ling.


    Just as he was about to call it a day, he saw a cluster of ores give off a faint purple light in the dusk, and his heart raced. ''Is it amethyst again?''


    It was in this condition that he dug up three pieces of amethyst in succession last time.


    He suppressed his excitement and walked to the cluster, then began to hit it with his pick. The hard rock broke under the sharp pick.


    System: You have obtained a Common level-3 iron ore.


    System: You have obtained a Common level-4 gold ore.


    Even after digging for a long time, Xiao Ling found nothing special but these ordinary ores.


    ''Could I be wrong? Am I seeing things? Perhaps there is no amethyst here?''


    Even as he was lost in thought, a black figure approached him rapidly in the dusk. He was startled; he knew the figure very well.


    The Son of Grugor was a legendary sinner who could transform into a werewolf when the moon rose. His speed was so fast that even the gargoyle guards, who were famous for their speed, could not catch up with him. In his werewolf form, he often sneak-attacked mining humans at dusk.


    The Elders Council of Eddins had sent people to hunt him down several times, but he escaped every time. Xiao Ling had met him not long ago and had seen several miners get killed by his claws.


    Should he run away or stay?


    Xiao Ling was only at level 1, so he would not drop to level 0 even if he died, and the three hours of weakness state after he was resurrected had no effect on him either. However, it made him feel a little distressed that 1% of his gold coins would drop after he died. ''Those are seven gold coins! I have to work hard for a long time to earn them back!'' Also, when he died, a random item would drop out of his pouch. He would not feel anything if it were an ordinary ore, but if it were the blueprints or the Titan''s Heart, he would definitely weep himself to death. ''Why didn''t I think of putting them in the chest first?''


    As the moon climbed up the night sky and sprinkled its dim light across the open mine, the Son of Grugor gradually grew taller and transformed into a werewolf, his sharp claws gleaming coldly. Xiao Ling had no doubt that if the werewolf were allowed to come to his side, he would be ripped to pieces.


    The shadow kept approaching him. Xiao Ling grew anxious, but he continued to swing his pick. ''I will earn everything back if it is a piece of amethyst.''


    System: You have obtained an iron ring.


    Xiao Ling was stunned. ''What is this?'' As the purple light on the cluster of ores gradually faded away, the werewolf''s claw caught him from behind. He felt a stab of pain in the back of his head, and then his consciousness slowly left him.


    He was instant killed again!


    ''If I could choose my class again, I would never choose this weak mechanical alchemist again!'' But his resentment could not change the fact that he had become a mechanical alchemist.

 Chapter 8：Identify The Iron Ring

    The Son of Grugor was a level-15 boss. His speed was extremely fast, and could be regarded as the killer of spellcasters. There was no chance that Xiao Ling could withstand his attack.


    Xiao Ling chose resurrection in the graveyard. He reckoned that the Son of Grugor should be gnawing at his corpse by now. The thought of how his corpse was treated badly like that depressed him.


    Fortunately, he only lost 7 gold coins and a few pieces of ore.


    He had twenty reasons to delete his character, but his expectation for the future made him stay.


    ''I seem to have dug up an iron ring just before I died. I wonder what it is?'' Xiao Ling took out the ring.


    Iron Ring ¨C Unidentified.


    It was the first time he had obtained an unidentified item, and that somewhat comforted his wounded heart.


    ''Come to think of it, I haven''t even visited the Appraisal Hall. The server has been opened for more than a month, and other players are all dressed in Uncommon, Rare, and Epic equipment, but I haven''t even seen any unidentified equipment until now. How ironic!''


    ''Are my skills worse than others?'' If truth be told, Xiao Ling was very proud of his gaming skill, and confident that he was no worse than anyone. But, he was like a dragon stuck in shallow water now, and there was nothing much he could do to change the situation.


    As he pondered, he walked into the Appraisal Hall.


    It was a tall tower with a conical roof. From the ground level, a staircase spiraled upward to the top, where the appraisers could be found.


    It took Xiao Ling ten minutes to walk up the stairs to the top of the tower. There was a small room with windows, from which the whole Eddins could be seen. ''Look at all the huge buildings that stand tall and mighty! What a spectacular city!''


    Then he saw two people in the room, an old man in a warlock''s robe and a beautiful young female apprentice. At the sight of such a combination, who he knew had to stay together all day long, Xiao Ling could not help but think of something wicked.


    The apprentice was responsible for identifying low-level items, and most players'' items were identified by her, while only equipment above the qualify of Epic was identified by the old man.


    The elder was leafing through a well-thumbed book with a glass lens in his hand. It was an advanced magic book.


    "Hello, do you need to identify items?" The female apprentice came up to Xiao Ling. She had a charming face; her white appraiser''s robe could not quite conceal her slim and curvy figure, and her hands were unusually fair from years of bathing in holy light.


    "Yes." Xiao Ling took out an antique ring from his pouch. It was obviously very old, with traces of rush everywhere on the surface. He really could not find anything unusual about it, and he guessed that its level was not high either. But, it was always good to identify and learn about its attributes. "Please help me identify this ring."


    "Alright!" She took the iron ring and held it in her hand, then a holy light lit up in her palm and enveloped it. Suddenly, a black light burst out of the ring, and it was ablaze with a black flame in the blink of an eye.


    "Ouch!" The female apprentice cried out and hurriedly threw away the ring, but the scorching black flame had already left a burn mark on her hand, stark against the fair skin that surrounded it.


    The iron ring fell to the floor with a chink, and as it kept spinning, the black flame slowly faded away. Soon, it lay quietly on the floor, looking ordinary.


    ''What happened? Could it be that this iron ring is unidentifiable?''


    "Are you all right?" Xiao Ling asked. He wondered what the iron ring was exactly and why it had just emitted a black flame. Hearing his concern, the apprentice covered the wound with a hand and shook her head. "I''m fine. I can''t identify this ring."


    The noise stirred the old warlock. He shot a look at Xiao Ling and the apprentice, then turned his gaze to the iron ring on the floor. The seemingly ordinary item had caught his attention.


    He rose to his feet and picked up the iron ring.


    "This is the item this customer wishes to identify," said the apprentice hurriedly.


    After briefly examining the ring, the old warlock turned to scold the girl, "I told you to study hard and you didn''t listen. Now you''ve learned your lesson! How can a demon item be identified with holy light?"


    "I''m sorry!" The apprentice answered meekly and stood aside.


    The warlock glanced at Xiao Ling again. The sudden flash in his eyes made the latter''s heart tremble. "Are you the one who wants to identify the ring?"


    "Yes." Xiao Ling felt that the old man was not an ordinary warlock. Just the way he looked at him had already sent a chill down his back.


    Warlocks were actually a branch of mages. Mages were divided into Frost Mages, Fire Mages, Thunder Mages, and other elemental mages, while warlocks specialized in mind spells. In the era of Erathia Empire, warlocks were as noble as mages, but because their mind spells were too strong and some evil warlocks even used their spells to spread evil everywhere, they were boycotted by all the mages and eventually expelled from Erathia.


    Every warlock was very good at mind spells. Although this warlock looked ordinary, Xiao Ling knew that when warlocks reached a certain level, they would restrain their power and recover their original simplicity.


    ''The NPCs in the Alchemy Tower and the Mage Tower of Eddins are indeed very strong.''


    The old warlock nodded. He took the iron ring aside to study and carefully examined it through the lens in his hand, then rummaged for the information on the bookshelf.


    Xiao Ling was curious to see the old warlock so busy. ''Isn''t it just an iron ring? Does he need to be so serious? Could it be something extraordinary?''


    ''But, since the apprentice can''t identify it, that means the ring should at least be an Epic equipment!''


    ''Is this really the case?'' Xiao Ling could not help but feel a little excited, and his previously depressed mood was swept away. If the ring were indeed an Epic item, then it was surely a stroke of luck to him!


    The price of a high-level Epic item was at least thousands of gold coins, and even the worst one could sell for hundreds of gold coins. Xiao Ling could not help but wonder what the attributes of the ring were.


    The old warlock found an ancient book from the bookshelf, quickly turning to the last page where he finally found a drawing of a ring, which was exactly the same as the iron ring!


    ''Does this iron ring have its own name? Only Epic and Legendary or above equipment have names!''


    With a restless heart, Xiao Ling looked forward to the old warlock''s answer.

 Chapter 9：Hilaires Demon Ring

    The old warlock took a reagent bottle that contained a light blue liquid from the bookshelf, then found a rag and soaked it with a small amount of the liquid. Using the rag, he carefully rubbed the iron ring. Slowly, the rust on the surface of the ring dissolved, revealing its original appearance ¡ªa dark ring glowing with a demonic light. Although it had not been thoroughly identified, it was plain to tell that the ring was an extraordinary item just by looking at its appearance.


    Without lifting his head, the warlock said, "The fee to identifying this item is 675 gold coins."


    ''God, this is ridiculous!'' Xiao Ling almost vomited blood. ''675 gold coins is enough for me to buy an Epic armor with lower attributes! Ordinary Uncommon and Rare items only need a few or dozens of silver coins to be identified, while an Epic armor only needs a few gold coins. In fact, the attributes of those that need dozens of gold coins to be identified are quite good already. I can''t believe it takes 675 gold coins to identify this ring!''


    He hesitated. ''Should I spend the money? What if the ring''s attributes are not good? Even if they are excellent, its price should be above 60,000 gold coins according to the ratio of item value to the identified price of 100:1. Few people can afford an item of such a high price on the market!''


    After much deliberation, Xiao Ling finally decided to identify the ring. ''If I can''t use it, I''ll just sell it at a low price. The money I get will be enough to buy a mechanical imp, and then I''ll be able to embark on my journey of leveling!'' At the thought of this, he could not help but feel a little excited.


    After the fee of 675 gold coins was paid, the old warlock began identifying. He was absorbed in his work as he kept rubbing the iron ring with various potions. Slowly, the ring radiated a black light like a demon''s eyes that could absorb one''s soul.


    Xiao Ling was shocked to find that the ring was emitting a terrible demon aura. But as a warlock, the other had no fear of it because warlocks served demons.


    Before long, the iron ring was completely enveloped in a scorching and dazzling black flame. The old warlock breathed a sigh of relief and threw the ring to Xiao Ling.


    System: You have obtained the Hilaire''s Demon Ring.


    Hilaire''s Demon Ring


    Quality: Artifact


    Use: Signs an accord with demons and possesses the talents of Demonic Warlocks, Destruction Warlocks, and Affliction Warlocks.


    System: Do you want to bind it to your character?


    For a moment, Xiao Ling felt dizzy. ''The ring has no attributes? What does this even mean?'' He vaguely remembered that Hilaire was one of the first few warlocks to sign an accord with demons, the father of all warlocks. In those days, in order to fight against the siege of the human kingdom of Erathia, Hilaire and his companions had signed an accord with demons and gained great power. Eventually, they won the war to defend Eddins and signed an armistice with Erathia. After that, Brakada pledged its allegiance to Erathia and paid a certain amount of tax every year in exchange for peace. Warlocks had been accepted by human kingdoms ever since.


    "You''re in luck, young man! The ring is an Artifact item. After binding with it, you can work on the three specializations of demon warlocks at the same time, on top of your current specialization of a mechanical alchemist. You can learn all the spells of these specializations, and all the bonuses of talents to attributes will be based on the highest," said the old man as he closed the book on the table and put it back on the shelf. "It is the best warlock equipment I''ve ever seen except for Natalio''s Ring, which is an Heirloom item."


    It finally dawned on Xiao Ling that if he wore the ring, he would become a demon warlock of three specializations. He was shocked at why there was such a freakish item in the world. The talents of Demonic Warlocks and Destruction Warlocks had a 5-times bonus to spell damage than that of Alchemy Warlocks. The spell damage of Alchemy Warlocks increased by 0.2% per level while that of Demonic Warlocks and Destruction Warlocks increased by 1%. If the highest bonus was taken, Xiao Ling''s spell damage would increase by 1% for every new level he gained, and he would be able to fight like any warlock of the three specializations.


    In addition, he could learn various spells of Demonic Warlocks, Destruction Warlocks, and Affliction Warlocks.


    The Summon Demon spell of a Demonic Warlock, the high dps of a Destruction Warlock, the Curse spell of an Affliction Warlock, and the mechanical imp''s bonus to a Mechanical Alchemist''s dps¡­when the strongest strengths of the four specializations were combined, how much power would they generate?


    Xiao Ling was completely stunned. The ring was truly worthy of being an Artifact item that was only inferior to an Heirloom item!


    He could finally get rid of the weakness of a mechanical alchemist and grind like a demon warlock! He did not want to waste his life in that mine that only produced low-quality ore anymore!


    Without hesitation, he chose an option.


    Yes!


    System: The Hilaire''s Ring is now bound to you.


    After binding, the ring could never be traded again, and would not drop after he was killed. A ring of Artifact quality worth 60,000 gold coins was probably Xiao Ling''s most expensive piece of equipment, but he would never regret the decision.


    "Do you have anything else to identify?" asked the old warlock.


    Xiao Ling took out the Titan''s Heart from his backpack. Its pale blue light instantly lit up the room. "Please help me look at this item."


    The old man''s eyes lit up the instant he saw the gemstone. "An Aquamarine Titan''s Heart, wonderful! Do you want to identify this item?"


    "Yes."


    "The fee of identifying this item is 6,251 gold coins."


    The old warlock''s words made Xiao Ling almost cough up a mouthful of blood. ''6,251 gold coins? Oh, my god, what the hell is this?'' With an awkward smile, he said, "I''m sorry, but I don''t have so much money. I think I''ll not have it identify right now."


    "Pity!" The old man sighed. Xiao Ling did not know whether he felt pity for not being able to identify a super treasure or for the lost 6,251 gold coins.


    After coming out of the Appraisal Hall, Xiao Ling could not help but throw his head back and roar, relieving the pent-up depression inside him. Looking at the players wearing Uncommon or Rare equipment in Eddins, he suddenly felt that life was so beautiful. He finally had the power to pursue these things!


    He walked to the Auction House. After wearing the demon''s ring, the first thing he had to do was buy some skill books.


    The Auction House was packed with people, all staring at the magic display screen to bid. The price of basic skill books was very low because they were produced in relatively large quantities. Xiao Ling browsed through them and chose some that were useful to the three specializations of demon warlocks.

 Chapter 10：The First Performance of The Three-Specs Warlock

    Alchemy Warlocks had no offensive skills other than Arcane Bolt, so there were no skills to buy. Most of their time was spent in improving the power of their mechanical puppets, and therefore their physiques were very weak. Without the help of mechanical puppets, they were good for nothing.


    After browsing for some time, Xiao Ling finally found some useful skills, including Demonic Warlock''s Repellent Ring and Drain Life, Destruction Warlock''s Force Blast and Searing Pain, Affliction Warlock''s Corruption, and some skills shared by all three specializations such as Shadow Bolt. These skills cost him about 30 gold coins in total.


    A level-1 warlock could only learn five skills at most, but Xiao Ling had learned ten. Such an amazing achievement made his blood boil. He had a feeling that one of his feet had stepped into the Warlock Temple, and perhaps his name would be inscribed on the temple''s memorial plaque at some point in the future.


    Clenching his teeth, he spent another 50 gold coins and bought some basic Uncommon equipment from the Auction House. Although their attributes were slightly poor, they were much better than the novice clothes he was wearing now. He could wear them after gaining a few more levels.


    After buying some bread and spring water from the inn and storing all his valuable possession such as the Titan''s Heart and amethyst bars in the NPC''s warehouse, Xiao Ling eagerly made his way to the Skeleton Forest. After all, it was the ideal place for beginners to grind and gain levels.


    ''I have to level up as soon as possible. I''m too far behind now.''


    ...


    From time to time, bursts of shrill laughter could be heard ringing out from the depths of the forest, echoing through the quiet air and adding an eerie atmosphere to the place.


    A skeleton soldier in ragged leather armor was wandering aimlessly in the distance; it was a level-1 undead. Xiao Ling was a little excited and nervous, because this was his first attempt to kill monsters and level up. In the past, he had fled whenever he saw a skeleton soldier.


    He approached the enemy slowly until he was about twenty yards away, just within the attack range of his spells.


    Corruption!


    His first attack was a curse spell. The skeleton soldier''s attribute was slightly reduced due to it, which caused its physique to weaken and be no longer as strong as before.


    Shadow Bolt!


    The black Shadow Bolt arced perfectly through the air as it went for the skeleton soldier while Xiao Ling quickly moved backward.


    Searing Pain!


    The damage of these offensive spells to low-level monsters was amazing. By the time the skeleton soldier saw Xiao Ling, its health was already down to 37%. Waving the broken sword in its hand, the undead charged at him.


    Drain Life!


    Xiao Ling drained the health of the skeleton soldier. Drain Life could extract 10 points of the enemy''s health per second and convert it to the caster''s health, but the caster had to stand still. A basic-level Drain Life was pretty useless, but when its level reached high enough, it was very powerful.


    He waited for the skeleton soldier to rush before him, and then...


    Force Blast!


    A blast of force erupted from his body, slowing down the enemy.


    Repellent Ring!


    The skeleton soldier was pushed away by a white ring of light. Warlock was a class specializing in controlling spells. Their controlling spells were derived from the mages'' controlling spells, but due to the warlock''s spiritual expertise and weak fit with elements, their spells had been strengthened in control effect while being weakened in damage. Many of their skills, including Force Blast and Repellent Ring, were typical warlock controlling skills.


    By the time the skeleton soldier came to its senses, the cooldown of Xiao Ling''s other skills was over.


    Shadow Bolt!


    Searing Pain!


    It took twelve seconds for the battle to end. The skeleton soldier fell to the ground and dropped several silver coins. One hundred silver coins were only equivalent to one gold coin, so this money was really nothing to an artisan-rank miner. However, they were of great significance to Xiao Ling, because it was the money dropped from the first monster he had killed.


    Without even suffering an injury, he had killed a skeleton soldier easily. Was this the power of multiple skills? A three-specs warlock was just too strong! Xiao Ling could hardly imagine how high the combined spell damage between a mechanical imp and him would be if he brought one with him.


    He glanced at his experience bar: it was at 32% now. He would be leveled up after killing a few more skeleton soldiers.


    He sat down on the ground, drank some spring water, and waited for his mana to recover. When it was full again, he stood up and moved on. Mana was very important to a spellcaster. When a spell could not be cast because it was short of just 1% of mana, it usually meant the end of a spellcaster''s life. Therefore, mana must be fully recovered before any battle. That was not the case when there were instant mana potions, but most of them were too expensive for ordinary players to use.


    Ten minutes later, a white light lit up after Xiao Ling had killed three more skeleton soldiers. He was extremely happy, because he had finally gained a level after the game was launched over a month ago!


    He was given 5 attribute points, which he added to his intellect without hesitation. As a warlock, the higher his intellect was, the greater was his spell damage. Although his physique was slightly weaker, as long as he managed it well and did not let any monster come close to him, he should be safe. With so many controlling skills, he was full of confidence.


    After gaining a level, his spell damage was increased by 10%. And after he equipped himself with an Uncommon staff, which added 2 to his intellect and 1 to stamina, killing skeleton soldiers became much easier.


    Xiao Ling familiarized himself with the skills as he explored the area, moving through the dark Skeleton Forest. Soon, he saw a group of six level-1 skeleton soldiers in the distance. With the pale-gray staff in hand, he wondered if his plan would work.


    At that moment, he aimed at one of the skeleton soldiers.


    Shadow Bolt!


    Searing Pain!


    As soon as both spells fell on the enemy, all six of them came running at him.


    Force Blast!


    Boom! All the skeleton soldiers were hurt.


    Repellent Ring!


    They were then pushed far away.


    Shadow Bolt!


    The first skeleton soldier fell to the ground. Affected by the Force Blast, the remaining skeleton soldiers moved toward Xiao Ling at an extremely slow speed.


    Yet, he changed his target.


    Searing Pain!


    Instead of retreating, he pressed on and approached the enemies, choosing a suitable position.


    Force Blast!


    Then, he backed off several steps and glanced at his mana, which was down to 11%, and patiently waited for the Force Blast''s cooldown. When he could cast it again, he moved up, dodging the attack from a skeleton soldier.


    Force Blast!


    Another skeleton soldier fell to the ground.


    Shadow Bolt!


    Searing Pain!


    After killing two more, his mana was almost completely empty, with only 2% left, which was only enough for him to cast a Repellent Ring. Meanwhile, the health of the last two skeleton soldiers was down to about 3%.


    ''Why didn''t I calculate my mana properly before the battle?'' thought Xiao Ling in exasperation.

 Chapter 11：Encounter In The Wild

    ''Although warlocks are slightly weaker in physique, I should have no problem in killing two skeleton soldiers who are one level lower than me and only left with 3% of health.'' After considering for a moment, Xiao Ling brandished his staff and charged toward one of the skeleton soldiers.


    The skeleton soldiers counterattacked with their broken swords, causing his health to drop rapidly. ''It is really unwise for a spellcaster to fight a melee. I better avoid doing it again.''


    After killing the two skeleton soldiers with only 3% of health, Xiao Ling''s health was down to 10%. However, his body burst into a bright light at that moment; he had gained another level, and his state was fully restored.


    Six skeleton soldiers dropped twelve silver coins for him. In addition to that, there was a glowing item on the ground. He picked it up and found that it was a pair of unidentified gauntlets, which was a basic item and could not be sold for a good price. Nevertheless, he casually tossed it into his backpack.


    By the time dusk crept in, Xiao Ling had reached level 5. Such speed was quite fast, considering the fact that average players could only reach level 3 on the first day while experts could reach level 4.


    As the world grew dark, moving around in the wilderness became extremely dangerous. At night, players'' visions were limited, but monsters could sense players'' life force. Hence, it was very difficult for players to guard again their sneak attacks.


    Xiao Ling did not want to risk his own safety for the sake of leveling up, so he found an inn and spent his night there.


    The next day, Xiao Ling had already woken up when the morning sun had not yet risen and the sky was just beginning to brighten. After restocking his bread and spring water, he started for the Zombieland, which was not far away from the Skeleton Forest. The area had refreshed with some zombies, whose level was around 5. They were slower than skeleton soldiers, but their health and experience were higher.


    Zombieland was further away from the small town of Vejin, and it required a long walk to arrive there. The area was very close to the border of Brakada, across which was the hell kingdom of Krurod. So, some players of the Evil Alliance often visited the place as well.


    There was a lot of bad blood between the two major alliances. Whenever players from the Angelic Alliance and the Evil Alliance met, there would inevitably be some fights. Therefore, Zombieland was extremely unsafe, but Xiao Ling really could not think of a better place to grind. There were just too few low-level grinding areas in Brakada. Of course, he could choose to go to the human kingdom of Erathia, but warlocks were not welcome there, and NPCs of Erathia were reluctant to give missions to warlocks.


    Alternatively, he could choose to go to Bairds, the kingdom of swamp people. But, the monsters there were so mixed that often one or two monsters of level 20 or 30 would appear among monsters of level 5 or 6. If he came across them, he would definitely die. So, Bairds was not an option for him as of now.


    Xiao Ling had identified the three pieces of equipment he picked up yesterday. They were not of his class, and their attributes were poor. Hence, he sold them in the shop and got himself 50 silver coins. He had also purchased some Identification scrolls from the Appraiser so that he could use them out there. An identification scroll for Uncommon items cost 50 silver coins, for Rare items cost 2 gold coins, and for Epic items cost 10 gold coins. He purchased a few of each type.


    On his way, he came across an old alchemy warlock. The elder required 50 zombie skulls, and the reward was ten gold coins and a piece of Uncommon warlock equipment. The duration of the mission was three days, so Xiao Ling accepted the mission without hesitation. The attributes of the Uncommon equipment were pretty decent, and he should be able to use it when he reached level 15.


    As he walked, he glanced at the Sea of Death west of Brakada. Waves were roaring across the great sea. It was said that there was a sea race dwelling in the water here, and their fighters were all beautiful mermaids. However, it was just a legend, as no one had ever seen them.


    After passing the shoreline of the Sea of Death and walking around the foot of Kilo Mountains, Xiao Ling saw a burned land in the distance, with zombies wandering aimlessly across the blackened earth.


    Soon, he began to clean up the monsters on the edge of Zombieland. With so many skills, killing even these zombies was very easy for him.


    Zombies had high health, high attack damage, and were strong against physical attacks. However, they were slow and provided a good amount of experience. Apart from their high health points, which caused Xiao Ling to spend longer time to kill them, they were simply created specifically for warlocks.


    Shadow Bolt!


    As another zombie fell to the ground, Xiao Ling reached level 6. In just a very short time, he had already collected two zombie skulls. He sat cross-legged down on the ground and drank some spring water to recover his mana.


    The surroundings were calm, and a gentle breeze blew away all the rancid smell of the Zombieland, making Xiao Ling feel refreshed.


    ''It seems that there is an unusual atmosphere lingering in the air...I have a feeling of being watched.'' His heart skipped a beat, but he found nothing upon glancing around. The zombie closest to him was some fifty yards away.


    He had a bad feeling, as if something was about to happen. Suddenly, a thought flashed through Xiao Ling''s mind.


    A rogue''s Stealth!


    Xiao Ling suddenly remembered that Stealth was one of the rogues'' skills. Rogues were known as the king of the wild and the bane of all spellcasters. If any spellcaster was approached by a rogue in stealth mode, the only ending was death. Several of rogue''s skills with stun effect were very powerful against spellcasters. If the rogue''s skills were good enough, he could stun a spellcaster to death.


    Force Blast!


    Boom! A blast of force exploded from Xiao Ling''s body. As a result, a rogue in a white leather armor revealed himself because of the attack somewhere about one meter behind him.


    ''That was a close call!''


    The player was a rogue of the hell race. The hell race had higher magic resistance than other races and a strong attack damage, which made them very suitable for the rogue class. Xiao Ling did not expect to meet someone from the Evil Alliance so soon.


    The player''s name was Hunter, and he was a level-7 rogue. Perhaps it was because he had just joined the game, his level was very low. And yet, his equipment was very good, all being of Rare quality. It seemed like he was supported by some powerful people.


    Corruption!


    Searing Pain!


    Xiao Ling jumped backward as he cast two spells in a row. The rogue drank a bottle of potion to dispel the Corruption before charging at Xiao Ling.


    Repellent Ring!


    The ring knocked the rogue far away.


    The player could not help but curse under his breath. ''How can this warlock have the skills of three different specializations? It seems I''ve found myself a tough opponent.''


    With a dagger in hand, the rogue looked for an opportunity to strike. The weapon in his hand gleamed with a green glow, clearly showing that it was poisonous.


    The encounter of players from both alliances in the wild usually ended with either side being killed, so Xiao Ling did not hesitate to cast another Shadow Bolt.

 Chapter 12：Honorable Kill

    The rogue was hit several times in a row, but he had not even touched Xiao Ling once, and his health was already down to 7%.


    He did not expect Xiao Ling''s reaction and attack to be so fast, and the damage of his attacks so high. ''Damnit! Is he a demonic warlock, a destruction warlock, or an affliction warlock?'' the rogue cursed in his mind. ''How can there be such a freakish player?'' Hurriedly, he drank a bottle of instant minor health potion and his health soared to 67%.


    Wind walking!


    He entered stealth mode once again.


    Evidently, the rogue was very rich, because he had just used a bottle of instant minor health potion that cost 5 gold coins each.


    Items in the server that could restore health included bread, bandages, and health potions. Usually bread and bandages were used after the battle, and they could slowly restore health. If they were used during the battle, the restoring process could be easily interrupted. Health potions, on the other hand, were usually used during battle. They were relatively rare, and if used properly, they could allow a player to survive the battle or even turn the tables. Of course, they were quite expensive, so Xiao Ling was surprised to see the rogue use one as if it were nothing. Although it was only a minor health potion, it was an item that cost 5 gold coins.


    The rogue disappeared from his sight, but Xiao Ling calmly watched his surroundings. Although he had never fought a PvP before, it did not mean he could not fight a PvP. With the skills of three warlock specializations, if he could not defeat another player in a PvP, he had better kill himself by slamming his head into a wall.


    Of all his skills, only Force Blast was an AoE (Area of Effect) attack, which could be used to reveal the rogue''s position. However, it only had an AoD (Area of Damage) of 5 yards. If the rogue were outside the range, his attack would fail. So, he had to wait for him to come closer.


    It was terribly quiet; a gust of wind blew across the vast barren land, filling Xiao Ling with a chill. He was all tensed up as he sensed for any movements around him, and his Force Blast was ready.


    He was guessing when the rogue would attack and predicting the approximate position he would appear when he felt a chill coming from behind his head. ''He is so fast!'' Xiao Ling did not expect the enemy to come so close to him so quickly and his pupils constricted.


    Force Blast!


    From sensing the rogue''s attack to reacting, it took Xiao Ling only less than 0.5 seconds. However, he was not satisfied, because a true expect would have reacted faster.


    The Force Blast exploded like a bomb within an area of five yards, its blast wave sweeping through the area in an instant. As a result, the rogue grunted and revealed himself.


    ''That was a close call!'' If the rogue managed to get close enough to Xiao Ling and used the Sap skill, the latter would be stunned for five seconds. As an intelligence-based warlock, Xiao Ling''s health and defense were very low, and with a rogue''s powerful dps, five seconds were more than enough for him to kill the other. But, the opportunity was gone now, because Wind walking had a very long cooldown, and the rogue had to wait for it to be over before entering his stealth mode again.


    The target was locked down.


    Corruption!


    Shadow Bolt!


    Searing Pain!


    The rogue struggled to approach Xiao Ling.


    Repellent Ring!


    Arcane Bolt!


    The torrent of attacks generated a total damage of over 400 points. Few could defend against such attacks unless they were warriors, knights, or similar classes with high health and strong defense. By the time the attacks were over, the rogue closed his eyes and fell to the ground.


    System: You have achieved 1 Honorable Kill and received 1 Brakada Honor Point and 1 Player Honor Point.


    Brakada Honor Point referred to the Kingdom Honor. For each player from a kingdom of the Evil Alliance killed by the player of Brakada, an honor point would be added to the Kingdom Honor. A kingdom with more Kingdom Honor would rank higher in the Angelic Alliance and have a louder voice, and the players of the kingdom would receive more benefits. As for the Player Honor Point, when it reached a certain level, the player would be given a certain title, which came with some rewards and special treatments.


    After killing the rogue, Xiao Ling breathed a sigh of relief. He kicked the body that was sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, and then picked up some gold coins. ''What! 13 gold coins? According to the drop rate of 100:1, he had at least 1,300 gold coins with him!''


    ''Tsk, tsk...He is so rich!'' Xiao Ling thought with mixed emotions, ''How can a mere level-7 rogue have so much money?'' After that, he searched the body and found a level-7 Superior Rare rogue leather armor that could be sold for dozens of gold coins. He was pleased with the loot.


    ...


    "What''s wrong, boss? Why do you look so upset?" asked Headhunter, an ice mage. It was rather curious for a level-47 element mage who was ranked in the sixth place in the entire Evil Alliance to call a level-7 rogue boss.


    The rogue, Hunter, said depressingly, "I was killed by someone this morning and lost my Rare leather armor." What bothered him was not the leather armor, but the humiliation of being killed by someone.


    Headhunter was slightly surprised. According to common sense, a rogue couldn''t be killed in the wild. If Hunter had encountered a higher-level enemy, he could enter into stealth mode and sneak away. And if the enemy''s level was equal or lower than his, given his all Rare equipment and instant minor health potions, he should have slain the enemy. Headhunter opened his mouth and wanted to ask the enemy''s level, but the words were caught in his throat.


    "He is a level-6 warlock." Hunter could tell the question in Headhunter''s mind, and he answered honestly.


    Headhunter gaped in astonishment. ''This is incredible! Was Boss ambushed by the player? But that cannot be! A rogue can use Windwalking and enter into stealth mode as soon as he is attacked, so how can he be caught?'' He knew Hunter''s skills, which were more than enough to put him among all the top experts. Had it not been because he joined the game too late, he would have been one of the top-ranking players. And yet, he was killed by a warlock one level lower than him. It was simply inconceivable!


    Hunter did not explain further; there was no need to explain this sort of thing. He was defeated, that was all. A cold gleam flashed through his eyes. If he met that player again, he would definitely make him pay for what he did to him. ''Xiao Ling...'' he read the name in his mind. ''A warlock who knows the spells of three different specializations, interesting...''

 Chapter 13：Team Up For The First Time

    Xiao Ling continued to collect zombie skulls, and before long, he had collected forty skulls and reached level 7. He planned to grind for a little longer here before returning with a town portal scroll.


    The sun over the vast barren land was eternally black like a terrible curse, and the earth was riddled with eerie-looking zombies that wandered aimlessly and restlessly. He searched for zombies everywhere, turning these horrible undeads into his own experiences.


    When he walked past a low slope, a pungent stench drifted over from the distance and made him sneeze. His curiosity drove him into that direction and brought him to a gloomy cave, with heaps of rotting corpses near its entrance and streams of stinking blood flowing across the muddy ground.


    The Cave of Maggots!


    In general, the monsters in a cave would have a higher level than the creatures outside, so it was very dangerous for a player to enter a cave without two or three companions. However, the items produced in a cave would also be of a higher level than those outside, often being Uncommon or Rare equipment. If the player were lucky, he could even find some Epic equipment.


    Xiao Ling was uncertain whether he should enter the cave or not. ''If I can obtain one or two pieces of either Uncommon or Rare equipment wearable by me in the cave, it will be of great help to my leveling...''


    As he pondered, he cleaned up all the zombies outside the cave. However, he did not get anything apart from a few gold coins.


    "ROAR!" A roar in the distance startled him. It did not sound like a monster. He wondered if it were another player of the Evil Alliance as he hid carefully.


    Bear Roar!


    It was a giant bear, about two meters tall, with furry brown hair covered all over its body and a very mighty look. Waving its thick paws, the bear was slapping at a zombie and pushing it backward.


    Sap!


    Suddenly, a rogue revealed himself behind the zombie and stabbed a dagger into the back of its head, stunning it in an instant.


    Eviscerate!


    As the skill was activated, the dagger slashed down through the zombie''s back, leaving behind a long gash down to the bone. Meanwhile, the giant bear lifted its paw and slapped the undead, knocking it away and throwing it to the ground.


    Heal!


    A white ray fell on the bear, restoring its health to the maximum level.


    "Xiao Yu, how many times have I told you that Heal should be cast in combat? You are wasting mana by casting it after the battle is over." The giant bear scolded in a deep voice.


    "Got it!" said a female priest in a white magical robe as she kept twisting her sleeves with her fingers. She had a very comely face that looked soft and delicate, with a timid expression that made anyone who looked at her feel tender and protective toward her.


    At the sight of the way she looked now, the bear shook its head and sighed.


    The rogue, who wore a suit of white leather armor, hurried over to ease the situation. "Xue, don''t be too harsh on Xiao Yu. She''s new to playing games."


    "I know you dote on her, but look at her now, timid and fearful and not daring to get in touch with anyone. I think we''ve spoiled her too much," said the bear as it walked in Xiao Ling''s direction. "We''re about to reach the Cave of Maggots. Let''s go!"


    The frightful scene in the surroundings had turned the female priest''s pretty face pale. She chewed her lips and followed.


    Soon, the three players walked in Xiao Ling''s direction. As they were from the Angelic Alliance, Xiao Ling did not worry that they would attack him, because it was rare for players of the same faction to fight with one another unless there was bad blood between them. Moreover, the player who attacked first would be seriously punished.


    While he continued to kill monsters, he kept a close eye on them. It seemed to him that they were going to enter the Cave of Maggots. He hesitated for a moment, then decided that it was better for him to leave this place and avoid any misunderstanding since they were going into the cave. As a spellcaster, it was very dangerous for him to enter a cave with a narrow space.


    He picked up the silver coins dropped by the zombies he killed and was about to leave.


    When the rogue glanced at all the zombie bodies on the ground, he was surprised that Xiao Ling alone could kill so many monsters. Using his Detect skill, he found that the other was only at level 7.


    "Hold on, my friend!" shouted the rogue.


    Xiao Ling looked back as he secretly put on his guard and asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "I''m Luan Ying, a level-7 rogue. This is my eldest brother, Yu Xue, a level-8 druid, and my little sister, Fei Yu, a level-7 priest." The rogue introduced themselves to Xiao Ling. He was a young man, twenty-five or twenty-six years in age, with an average but rather honest appearance.


    Xiao Ling could not help but turn to look at the giant bear. ''So this bear is actually a druid...'' At that moment, the bear began to transform and eventually turned into a man about thirty years in age. The druid, Yu Xue, waved at Xiao Ling and greeted, "Hi."


    "Hi," he waved back at the man.


    The girl whose name was Fei Yu tightly clutched her priest staff with both hands and looked a little nervous as she said in a low voice, "He-he-hello, my name is Fei Yu." By the time she was done, the fair skin on her face was already red, which made her look especially charming. She then bowed her head and stared at the ground timidly.


    Yu Xue smiled apologetically at Xiao Ling. "My little sister is not good at talking with people."


    Xiao Ling nodded to show that he understood.


    "Do you also want to enter the Cave of Maggots? Well, it happens that our team is short of a spellcaster responsible for attack. If you don''t mind, we wish to invite you to join our team and explore the cave together. We will share the money and items we find according to PB style." The rogue, Luan Ying, told Xiao Ling his intention. Although the combination of a rogue, a strength-based druid, a high-dps warlock and a priest was not the best, it was still considered not bad.


    "What is PB style?" Xiao Ling asked curiously. (Author''s note: I made up the term.)


    Luan Ying felt strange. ''How could he not know about this?'' He looked at Yu Xue and saw that he was puzzled too.


    "Well, I''ve always been grinding alone and have never formed a team with anyone before," Xiao Ling explained.


    "I see...no wonder. PB style means that the money we obtain by killing monsters will be divided equally, and the items will be bid upon by all four of us. Then, the gold coins paid by the winner will be distributed equally among the teammates."


    "Xiao Yu is less skilled, so she will take half of her share," Yu Xue added.


    Xiao Ling considered for a moment. ''It is very dangerous for me to enter the cave alone. Although I''ve never joined a team before, there''s no harm in giving it a try.''


    "Alright, I''ll join your team."


    System: You joined Yu Xue''s team.


    "There are many forks in the Cave of Maggots, and maggots often come out of them. Be careful!" Luan Ying warned everyone.

 Chapter 14：The Cave of Maggots

    "Roar!" Yu Xue once again changed back to the form of a giant bear. With Luan Ying following behind, both of them stepped into the cave. As Xiao Ling and Fei Yu were spellcasters, it would be better for them to stand behind both men.


    The scene at the entrance of the cave was somewhat grim. Seeing Fei Yu''s pale face and shaking hands, Xiao Ling could not help asking with concern, "Are you all right?"


    Fei Yu bit her lip and shook her head stubbornly as the two of them followed Yu Xue and Luan Ying into the Cave of Maggots.


    Some white maggots had been refreshed in the cave, which were monsters above level 10. With so many abilities up his sleeves, Xiao Ling could handle monsters one or two levels higher than him, but it was still a little difficult for him to deal with those three levels higher. This was when the advantage of joining a team to grind came in. When in a team, one did not have to worry even if the monster''s level was five to six levels higher than the average level of the team members. After all, there was strength in numbers.


    Luan Ying went into stealth mode and sneaked up on a maggot.


    Sap!


    The maggot was incapacitated.


    "Roar!" Yu Xue rushed over and slapped his thick paw into the maggot''s pink flesh.


    Corruption!


    Shadow Bolt!


    Searing Pain!


    Xiao Ling cast three spells in a row. Under the effect of Corruption, his Shadow Bolt and Searing Pain could deduct more than 100 points of the maggot''s health each.


    Under the attack of Luan Ying and Yu Xue, the maggot was killed without even fighting back; their stun skill never allowed it to wake up. Xiao Ling could see that they were quite skillful. Luan Ying had practiced his controlling abilities to perfection, but the rogue''s stun skill was difficult to sustain. When dealing with some monsters with a lot of health, the stun effect would wane at some point, but the gap was immediately filled by Yu Xue. After changing into bear form, druids also had an skill that could stun the enemy. Hence, the two of them cooperated perfectly.


    Meanwhile, Xiao Ling''s spell damage surprised Luan Ying and Yu Xue as well. He was only a level-7 warlock, but his spell damage was already so high. They looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other''s eyes. Moreover, Xiao Ling even knew the abilities of three warlock specializations, which was unprecedented in the game! Of course, they would not rashly ask questions related to personal privacy.


    "How do you allocate your attribute points?" Luan Ying asked.


    "I add them all to intelligence."


    "No wonder!" Luan Ying nodded and moved on. Spellcasters usually added attribute points to intelligence in pursuit of high damage. However, few people would put all attribute points to intelligence, because that would make the health and defense extremely low, which would lead to a low survival rate, especially players like Xiao Ling who would grind alone. Unless they had great confidence in their own abilities, few people would choose to add all attribute points to intelligence.


    With just one question, Luan Ying roughly estimated Xiao Ling''s skill level.


    "Not far ahead is the nest of poisonous maggots. Have you brought any antidote?" Luan Ying asked.


    "No." Xiao Ling was still not very familiar with the game, so he knew nothing about these details.


    Luan Ying and Yu Xue felt a little puzzled. How could Xiao Ling come to Zombieland without bringing antidotes? For a moment, they could not figure out whether he was an expert or a rookie. If he were an expert, he could not have failed to notice these details. However, if he were a rookie, he could not have such good abilities.


    They guessed that he had never played this game before, but had accumulated good experience in other games, which was why he played so well now.


    "This is an antidote, take it! Those poisonous maggots can spray venom. If the venom sticks to your body and you do not detoxify it in time, you''ll keep losing health." Luan Ying said as he handed Xiao Ling a bottle of antidote. The colorless crystal bottle contained some pure blue liquid, which looked very refreshing and pleasing to the eye.


    "Thanks!" Xiao Ling took the antidote from Luan Ying. He vaguely remembered that a bottle of antidote cost several gold coins. He accepted it for the safety of the team, but also made a mental note of the gesture.


    Fei Yu was shivering as she walked beside Xiao Ling, trying to hide behind him and get herself some sense of security. However, she was afraid to get too close as well because she was a bit unfamiliar with him.


    ''She''s such a delicate and piteous little girl.'' Xiao Ling did his best to shield her from some of the gory scenes. Fei Yu seemed to sense that and her heart was filled with gratitude toward him.


    "Be careful! There are three poisonous maggots ahead. After killing them, we will face the Maggot King. The three poisonous maggots are level-11 monsters, while the Maggot King is a level-15 BOSS." Luan Ying had explored the Cave of Maggots in stealth mode and knew all about it.


    With so many forks in the cave, it was really not easy for Luan Ying to remember the path so clearly.


    At that moment, Xiao Ling found a heap of ore in a corner of the cave that was giving off pale green light.


    "Wait a minute! Let me dig out the ore." Xiao Ling said hurriedly. Higher-grade ores could often be found in the wild, and Xiao Ling could not miss such opportunities.


    "You know how to mine?" Yu Xue was surprised. "We''ll wait for you then. Ores in the wild are usually worth several gold coins, so don''t let them go to waste."


    Everyone stopped while Xiao Ling took out his pickaxe and began digging.


    Ding! You obtained 1 Malachite.


    Ding! You obtained 1 Malachite.


    Xiao Ling dug more than twenty times in a row and found five pieces of malachite before the heap of ore gradually disappeared. Malachite was material for jewelcrafting, and each piece could be sold for about five gold coins.


    He held the five pieces of bright green malachite in his hand and said, "Let''s divide them equally."


    Luan Ying shook his head. "You are the one who dug them out. Even if we had seen them, we would not have dug them out. You''d better keep them."


    Fei Yu''s bright eyes seemed to look at Xiao Ling with a plea. He thought about it for a while and then said, "Well, I''ll keep them, then."


    The girl''s face beamed with joy. Seeing her exultation, Xiao Ling smiled and said, "Let''s go!"


    When they reached a fork in the road, they could vaguely see three poisonous maggots ahead blocking their way. Yu Xue pondered for a while and said, "I can control one."


    "I can control two." Luan Ying thought for a moment and added, "Just barely though."


    If the melee players at the front of the team could not control the monsters and caused them to attack the spellcasters, or if the melee players died because the priest at the back did not heal them in time, what awaited them was the decimation of the whole team.

 Chapter 15：Amulet of the Redmoon

    The eyes of the other three players fell on Fei Yu''s face at the same time because she was the weakest link among the four of them. When she saw them looking at her, she became a little stiff and then seemed to make a major decision as she said, "I...I can do it." But after she had finished, her eyes flashed with a trace of fear and bewilderment.


    Yu Xue nodded and said earnestly, "We believe in you! No matter when, you must learn to be strong. No one can help you, and you must learn to face it yourself."


    The druid was very strict most of the time, and it was rare for him to speak so gently. Xiao Ling could see that he still cared about Fei Yu.


    Luan Ying laughed, trying to ease the situation. "You don''t have to be so serious. Alright, let''s go!" Compared with Yu Xue, Luan Ying was more easygoing, but their concern for Fei Yu was the same.


    Xiao Ling reached out a hand with the intention to pat Fei Yu on the shoulder and encourage her, but he pulled it back halfway because he was afraid of frightening this girl, who was as sensitive as a rabbit.


    With his back against the cave wall, Yu Xue slowly approached the three poisonous maggots and stopped not far from them. On the other side, Luan Ying had used his Stealth skill to sneak around behind a maggot.


    Then, he made a gesture to Xiao Ling, Yu Xue, and Fei Yu.


    The battle began!


    With his Sap skill, Luan Ying smacked one of the maggots in the back, stunning it in an instant. Then, Yu Xue rushed over with a roar and, together with Luan Ying, quickly attracted the attention of the remaining two maggots.


    Heal!


    Suddenly, Fei Yu cast a quick heal on Luan Ying, her hands tightly clutched at her priest staff. Just as she was about to give Yu Xue a quick heal as well, Xiao Ling quickly stopped her. "Don''t be nervous, their health hasn''t dropped too much, so don''t waste your mana. Believe in yourself, you can do it!"


    His slow, low voice struck deep into Fei Yu''s heart, and her hands gradually relaxed.


    Holy Renew!


    She cast a spell that could slowly recover health over time on Luan Ying and Yu Xue. Seeing that, Xiao Ling nodded approvingly and began to wave his staff.


    Corruption!


    Searing Pain!


    Shadow Bolt!


    With two melee players tanking in front, Xiao Ling did not need to worry about anything else except concentrating on attacking.


    The damage of each of his attacks was about 100 points, which surprised Luan Ying and Yu Xue. ''The dps of a high-intelligence warlock is so strong!'' If truth be told, even some of the fire mages of the same level they met before might not have as high a spell damage as Xiao Ling.


    Bam! A critical hit occurred, and a large number of 300 something appeared over the maggot. It was hard to believe that Xiao Ling''s critical hit could inflict three times his normal damage.


    While squeaking, the poisonous maggot ditched Luan Ying and charged straight at Xiao Ling.


    "Not good!" Luan Ying was caught off guard and tried to catch up with the maggot, but it seemed to have targeted only Xiao Ling and pounced on him at high speed.


    Xiao Ling was alarmed by the sudden change while Fei Yu''s eyes flashed with fear. However, as he often engaged in grinding alone, Xiao Ling was very sensitive and responsive to various situations. So, he only panicked for a brief moment and then recovered his composure.


    Splash! The venom ejected by the maggot turned his whole body green, and his health went down to only 39%. He backed away hurriedly, then pushed the maggot away with the Repellent Ring.


    Shadow Bolt!


    Searing Pain!


    Two spells rushed at the maggot.


    Heal!


    Surprisingly, Fei Yu managed to cast a quick heal on Xiao Ling, which instantly recovered his health to the maximum level. At the same time, he quickly drank the antidote.


    Splash! Another stream of venom hit him, taking away 53% of his health. ''What a close call!'' thought Xiao Ling. Had it not been for Fei Yu''s Heal, he would have fallen to the ground now.


    Force Blast!


    Bam! The spell instantly deducted more than 200 health points from the maggot. Force Blast was a close-range spell with relatively low spell damage, and no one expected its critical hit to cause more than 200 damage points.


    The poisonous maggot fell feebly to the ground.


    "Are you alright?" Luan Ying caught up and asked.


    Xiao Ling smiled and said, "We are fine, thanks to Fei Yu''s timely heal."


    Luan Ying glanced doubtfully at Fei Yu; he could hardly believe that she could react in such an emergency. Fei Yu was a little uneasy from the gaze, but the expression on her face was one of happiness. However, perhaps because she was a little embarrassed, Xiao Ling saw that the fair skin behind her ears had turned red.


    "Thank you!" said Xiao Ling with a smile.


    Fei Yu smiled sweetly as she shook her head and said in a low voice, "You''re welcome!" There was gratitude in her eyes as she looked at Xiao Ling.


    Luan Ying nodded. Then, he turned back to help Yu Xue, as the maggot next to him had already woken up. The three of them stepped up their attack, killing the maggot Yu Xue had trapped before moving onto the last one.


    The last maggot did not cause too much trouble and was soon killed by them. When the battle got over, Luan Ying picked up what the three maggots had dropped.


    Xiao Ling received 75 silver coins. Luan Ying had also found a glowing red amulet from under the body of one of the maggots. After identifying it with a scroll of identify, he said with surprise, "Oh, this is a Rare item!"


    Xiao Ling looked at the amulet: it was a silver amulet with a crescent-shaped red gem that looked crystal clear and extremely delicate.


    The Amulet of the Redmoon


    Rare Item


    Attributes: +3 Intelligence, +2 Agility, +10 Heal Effect


    Class: Priest


    Required Level: 6


    Clearly, it was an item for Fei Yu. Its attributes were pretty good, especially the +10 Heal effect that was very useful for a priest. With all the attributes, it could be considered as a low-level superior-grade item, and she should be able to use it until she reached level 20.


    Xiao Ling smiled and said, "Congratulations!"


    Fei Yu thanked him with a red face.


    "The market price of this amulet should be around 60 gold coins," said Luan Ying. "According to the agreement, we should give you 20 gold coins."


    Luan Ying traded the gold coins with Xiao Ling, who nodded and accepted them. Although they already developed a good friendship, the rules could not be broken. If it were something that he could use, Xiao Ling would also pay them for it.

 Chapter 16：About Hatred

    How many friends had turned against each other because of the equipment found? Since the PB style had been established in the game, there would be some unnecessary troubles if Xiao Ling did not follow it. Therefore, he did not hesitate to accept the gold coins.


    Yu Xue walked up to him and said, "As you used to be alone, it is understandable that you do not know some rules of being in a team. But, I have to tell you that you did something wrong just now. As a warlock who serves demons, all creatures have a certain degree of hatred toward you. When you are in a team with other players, your damage output shall not be higher than twice that of any main melee players. Otherwise, the monsters will shift their hatred toward you. This is also why many warlocks cannot generate as much damage as mages even though their spell damage is higher than that of mages. In a team, a mage is not in any danger because their damage output is not more than three times that of the main melee players. They can cast spells freely, but you can''t. You have to control your damage output."


    Xiao Ling nodded silently. He had never formed a team with other players, so he really did not know these rules. Nonetheless, he was absorbing them like a sponge now. As a member of a team, these kinds of common knowledge must be known. Otherwise, it was likely to lead to the destruction of the team.


    Yu Xue felt strange and really could not understand why Xiao Ling''s critical hit could cause more than 300 damage, and that was under the condition that he had not been buffed. Even an average fire mage of over level 10 might not have the same damage output. Was he also wearing some items that added high intelligence, in addition to adding all his attribute points to his intelligence? Yu Xue wondered, but these questions were not to be asked blatantly.


    Worried that Xiao Ling would not be happy after listening to Yu Xue''s admonition, Luan Ying smiled and said, "Our eldest brother has a quick temper, so don''t take it to heart if his words are too harsh. All right, enough of that! The Maggot King is in the cave ahead, so be careful. I didn''t expect that we could get an Epic item just by killing a few little monsters. It seems that the items dropped by the Maggot King will just be better."


    In fact, his worries were unnecessary. Xiao Ling was not a narrow-minded person, and what Yu Xue said made sense. Hence, he would not hold grudges against the other.


    Luan Ying went into stealth mode and headed for the cave, followed by Yu Xue. It was a very spacious space with a rancid smell lingering in the air and a huge maggot resting in the middle.


    The maggot king was about two meters tall and five or six meters long. It was covered with gray spikes, and its soft flesh was green in color. There was a lot of sticky liquid on the ground around it, all of which was its venom. Anyone who entered the range of two meters around it would be poisoned.


    Luan Ying gave Yu Xue and Xiao Ling a look. Xiao Ling immediately knew the meaning in that look and stood in a relatively remote place in the cave while Fei Yu stood beside him.


    It was a pleasure teaming up with Xiao Ling. Although they had only worked together for a few hours, he understood every gesture and look Luan Ying and Yu Xue made. There was good teamwork between them as if they were old friends who had known each other for years.


    Fei Yu had put on the Amulet of the Redmoon. The red gem set off her pretty and delicate face, making her look as lovely as a doll while the faint and pure aura exuded from her priest''s robe made her especially attractive. If truth be told, Fei Yu could be considered as a beauty. Although she was not one of the glamorous girls, her lovely temperament as a girl-next-door was much more charming than those fashionable girls.


    As Fei Yu spent more time with Xiao Ling and with what happened just now, she became less of a stranger to him. Moreover, she felt that he was the kind of person who was extremely easy to get along with, so she began to talk more. Only then did Xiao Ling know that it was not that she did not like to talk, but that she was afraid of strangers.


    Xiao Ling''s eyes fixed absently at her face. Fei Yu blinked at him and asked curiously, "Brother Xiao, why do you keep looking at me?"


    "Because you look good," Xiao Ling smiled embarrassingly.


    Fei Yu smiled sweetly. As if she were a little shy, she turned her head with her eyes flashing and her cheeks turning red. No one knew what she was thinking now.


    Xiao Ling liked her pure and lovely temperament very much, just like a little sister.


    ...


    Luan Ying drank a bottle of antidote and slowly went around behind the maggot king. Meanwhile, Yu Xue roared in a low voice at the maggot king, and his voice soon attracted the monster''s attention. The two looked at each other and a fierce battle was about to break out.


    Bam! While the maggot king''s attention was caught, Luan Ying knocked it with his Sap skill from the back, stunning it in an instant.


    "Roar!" Meanwhile, Yu Xue rushed over and slapped the maggot king on its hard shell.


    Both Luan Ying and Yu Xue trapped the maggot king and kept attacking it. As the monster was a boss, the duration of their stun skills on it was relatively short, so they had to inflict more damage on it during the duration.


    Xiao Ling listened to Yu Xue and did not dare to output more damage like before. This maggot king was not like those poisonous maggots, and once it turned its focus onto him, the consequences would be quite serious. As a spellcaster, he was unlikely to survive a single attack from a maggot king.


    Corruption!


    Corruption was a spell that caused no damage but could reduce the enemy''s defense, so it would not attract the monster''s hatred.


    Shadow Bolt!


    Searing Pain!


    Xiao Ling memorized Luan Ying and Yu Xue''s damage value, and he soon found that Luan Ying''s dps was much higher than Yu Xue''s. ''Rogues are indeed the most powerful melee class.'' Now, as long as his dps did not exceed twice that of Luan Ying, he would be safe.


    Fei Yu gripped her staff tightly, and as soon as she saw Yu Xue''s health about to bottom out, she cast a quick heal on him. Although her technique was still not too skilled, at least she was not as clumsy as before. The experience of saving Xiao Ling just now had gradually built her confidence.


    Xiao Ling was happy for her. Fei Yu was like a flower in bud; once she bloomed, the whole world would be overwhelmed. He believed that once this beautiful young girl had built up her confidence, she would definitely be more charming than any other girl.

 Chapter 17：Crisis

    One minute, two minutes...Xiao Ling had been restraining his attacks, keeping the damage just under twice as much as Luan Ying''s. But, what he did not know was that Luan Ying and Yu Xue were terrified by that very fact.


    His attacks often caused 200 to 300 damage. On several occasions, Luan Ying and Yu Xue both thought the maggot king was about to shift its target and hurriedly increased the frequency of their attacks, only to discover that the monster had always taken them as the target.


    After being frightened several times in a row, the two finally realized that Xiao Ling had been restraining his attacks, and all his attacks had been calculated! Although the damage they caused seemed to be a lot, they were, in fact, the result of careful calculation!


    The conclusion surprised Luan Ying and Yu Xue. Although the damage of each of their attacks was only a few dozen points, their attack speed was quite fast. It was not a simple task to mentally add up all the damage caused by each attack and then calculate the damage he should generate with each of his attacks. Although many people who could calculate mentally at high speed could do that, how many of them would really do this?


    And he had to calculate such complicated things mentally while casting his skills to attack the monster. How did his brain even work? Luan Ying and Yu Xue wondered if he actually had two brains in his head.


    ''He has a very promising future! If possible, we must establish a good cooperative relationship with him, so that we can have a strong helper for missions or whatsoever in the future,'' Luan Ying and Yu Xue decided secretly. Moreover, they could see that Xiao Ling was very easy to get along with, which would definitely make things easier.


    In fact, it was quite simple for Xiao Ling to add up these double digits. What was difficult was that he had to distinguish which number was Luan Ying''s damage and which was Yu Xue''s. If truth be told, he was already dazzled by all the values that kept jumping out over the monster.


    When the maggot king''s health dropped to 20%, it suddenly squeaked, and its flesh began to squirm rapidly as a large number of small maggots poured out from the joints between its hard shell, rushing toward Luan Ying and Yu Xue like a tide.


    These small maggots were only level 5, and their defense and health were not high either. However, their dps was quite high, and they came in numbers; there were about fifty to sixty of them.


    Even Luan Ying and Yu Xue could not hold on for long if all fifty to sixty small maggots attacked together.


    They cursed under their breath, as they did not expect this maggot king to have this skill. No wonder several teams that had tried to kill it had all failed. The most outrageous thing was those players never telling anyone that the maggot king could summon minions.


    "Let''s go!" While defending themselves against the attacks, Luan Ying and Yu Xue retreated toward the exit of the cave while the small maggots followed them closely. Xiao Ling and Fei Yu also moved toward the exit.


    Bam! Xiao Ling casually threw a Shadow Bolt on a maggot, causing more than 200 damage and instantly killing it. These small maggots were only level 5, and their health was very low, only slightly over 200. Nevertheless, they were extremely fierce, as they kept attacking Luan Ying and Yu Xue while squeaking.


    Fei Yu''s Heal and Holy Renew kept falling on both of them. She was afraid that they would be killed by the monsters if she missed even once.


    However, her spells still failed to recover their health in time. Seeing that his health almost bottomed out, Luan Ying gritted his teeth and drank a bottle of minor health potion, which restored his health to half and allowed him to hold on for a few more seconds. Then Fei Yu''s Heal finally fell on him and saved him from the brink of death.


    Force Blast!


    If Luan Ying and Yu Xue died, Xiao Ling and Fei Yu would soon be killed as well. So, when Xiao Ling saw both men fall into danger multiple times, he threw all his worries to the wind and jumped to a more appropriate position, from where he used an AoE skill. The Force Blast exploded within a five-yard radius and inflicted more than 100 damage to each of the fifty to sixty maggots, dazzling all eyes with the numbers that jumped out over the maggots at the same time. For Xiao Ling as a spellcaster, using an AoE spell in this situation was equivalent to courting death, because he had made all the maggots shift their hatred toward him as they began to circle him. Without uttering another word, he turned and ran.


    If he had two AoE spells that could be cast instantly, perhaps the battle would be over by this time. But the problem was that Force Blast was the only AoE spell he knew.


    Xiao Ling glanced at the cooldown of Force Blast and saw twenty seconds. He had to survive for twenty seconds!


    He ran back and forth in the empty space of the cave. The speed of those little maggots was extremely fast. Even after being slowed down by the Force Blast, they did not move much slower than him.


    Two seconds, four seconds, six seconds¡­All of a sudden, the maggots started moving faster because the slowdown effect from the Force Blast was gone.


    ''This is not good.'' Looking at the approaching maggots, Xiao Ling counted the time in his head. Meanwhile, Luan Ying and Yu Xue were stunned by the sudden change, and a thought flashed through their minds, ''Xiao Ling is dead! He did this to save both of us!''


    Their eyes turned red as they shouted and rushed at the little maggots, hoping to save Xiao Ling by turning the maggots'' hatred on them. However, their skills were all single-targeted. Melee classes such as rogues and druids did not have AoE skills until they changed their professions for the first time at level 30. Even if they did, such AoE skills could only lure up to five nearby monsters. They could never lure so many maggots!


    The key to Xiao Ling''s survival lay in whether he could avoid the attacks of so many maggots himself!


    The little maggots swooped at him like a swarm of grasshoppers. No one knew how they moved; although they had no limbs, their speed was still incredibly fast.


    Xiao Ling counted the time as he ran. Ten seconds had passed, and he could cast another Force Blast in another ten seconds. At that time, most of the maggots would be dead and his crisis would be relieved. But, the remaining ten seconds were the most dangerous ones!


    He casually cast a Shadow Bolt and a Searing Pain, killing the two maggots closest to him. However, at the moment when he cast the spells, the other maggots rushed up and surrounded him, constantly attacking him.


    One second, two seconds...


    Just when Xiao Ling''s health was about to bottom out...

 Chapter 18：Hiders Leather Armor

    Heal!


    At the moment Xiao Ling cast the Repellent Ring, Fei Yu''s Heal also fell on him. He did not expect it, if truth be told. He had held on for two seconds before casting the spell, but if he knew that she could heal him in time, he would have held on for one more second.


    Anyhow, the spell pushed the maggots away. Xiao Ling carefully adjusted his position, so that the ring pushed most of them into a narrow space surrounded by raised rocks.


    Although spells like Repellent Ring were very useful, it was extremely difficult to control where the enemy would bounce to. So, when Luan Ying and Yu Xue saw him manage to push those maggots into the narrow space accurately, they could not help but shout, "Excellent!", for they knew few in the entire server could have such precise control. If Xiao Ling could perform like this every time, there would be no problem for him in joining some strong teams or guilds when he reached level 30 to 40.


    Four more seconds passed as the little maggots scrambled out of the narrow space. Xiao Ling ran backward and killed the maggots closest to him, and when he saw the Force Blast''s cooldown get completed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He did not cast the spell immediately, however, but took his time to search for the right position.


    He waited patiently, and when all the maggots came within five yards of him...


    Force Blast!


    With a bam, all the remaining little maggots were killed in an instant.


    At that moment, shafts of white light burst out of Xiao Ling''s body and his stats went back to their maximum levels. The rich experience from killing the monsters had gained Yu Xue, Luan Ying, Fei Yu, and him each one level.


    Xiao Ling added all 5 stat points to his intellect without hesitation.


    Luan Ying and Yu Xue breathed a sigh of relief while Xiao Ling wiped the cold sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. It was really a close call!


    When Fei Yu, who was standing to the side, saw Xiao Ling walk over to them safely, she finally put her mind at ease. She was very worried about him just now.


    The three men smiled at each other, then Luan Ying and Yu Xue rushed over and circled the culprit of the accident, the maggot king, and showered it with their skills.


    Under the attack of Xiao Ling, Luan Ying, and Yu Xue, the maggot king''s health soon bottomed out.


    Bam! Bam! Bam! Xiao Ling managed to achieve three critical hits in a row, each with a higher damage value than the other. Moreover, the last one actually reached 370, showing signs of exceeding 400. That had shocked Luan Ying and Yu Xue once again, and made them consider whether they should even play as a full-agility rogue or a full-strength druid.


    Under the three critical hits, the maggot king finally fell to the ground.


    Xiao Ling was pleasantly surprised when he saw his experience rise by another 30%. He did not expect to level up so quickly.


    Meanwhile, Luan Ying picked up the items dropped on the floor by the maggot king: they were a pair of gloves and a dagger.


    He tried to identify them with common identification scrolls but failed. Suspecting that they might be Epic items, he took out identification scrolls for Epic items and tried again. Immediately, the two items in his hand burst into a dazzling purple light. "We found something amazing!" he cried out in surprise.


    Xiao Ling glanced at the items'' attributes.


    Magic Cloth Gloves


    3 - 6 Armor


    +9 Intellect


    +2 Agility


    +10 Mana


    Requires Level 10


    Dragonfang Blade


    13 - 31 Damage


    +2 Attack Speed


    +5 Strength


    +3 Agility


    Requires Level 10


    The pair of gloves could be used by all spellcasters, and it was better than the ones that Fei Yu and Xiao Ling were wearing. As for the dagger, it clearly belonged to Luan Ying.


    Xiao Ling thought for a moment and then said, "I give up." Although he was not a gentleman, he could never allow himself to fight for an item with such a delicate and lovely girl as Fei Yu.


    "This won''t do," Yu Xue rejected that. "Xiao Yu has taken the Amulet of the Redmoon, and together with this Dragonfang Blade, the three of us have taken two items. If we were to take this item, it would mean that you got nothing at all. Our conscience will smite us."


    "Indeed!" Luan Ying chimed in. "As we are a team, the three of us often find some good items. But, you are different, brother Xiao. You always grind alone, and it will be very difficult for you to kill those high-level Bosses. You''d better take this pair of gloves."


    Fei Yu also tucked at his sleeve and said with a hint of supplication, "Just take it, brother Xiao!"


    Looking at her shy face, Xiao Ling smiled and said, "All right." Since they insisted for him to take it, it would likely leave a knot in their hearts if he refused.


    Luan Ying said, "According to the market price, a Dragonfang Blade is about 100 gold coins, and a pair of Magic Cloth Gloves is about 70 gold coins."


    "Well, you can just give us 20 gold coins," said Yu Xue.


    Xiao Ling nodded, then transferred 20 gold coins to Luan Ying and put away the gloves. Suddenly, he remembered he had a suit of Rare rogue leather armor. He wondered how its was quality compared to the one Luan Ying was wearing now. "I have a Rare rogue leather armor, but I''m not sure if you can use it or not."


    "Oh?" Luan Ying''s ears pricked up as soon as he heard that there was a rogue-class item. "Show me!"


    Xiao Ling took out the leather armor and passed it to Luan Ying.


    Hider''s Leather Armor


    13 - 23 Armor


    +5 Strength


    +3 Agility


    Increases your chance to dodge an attack by 2%.


    Luan Ying''s eyes lit up when he saw the item. "Can you sell this leather armor to us?"


    "Sure!" Xiao Ling had planned to sell the armor when he returned to town, but since Luan Ying could use it, he might as well sell it to him.


    After calculating silently for a while, Luan Ying said, "According to my estimation, this leather armor should worth around 180 gold coins."


    "180 gold coins?" Xiao Ling''s eyes grew wide. "Why is it so expensive?" No matter how he looked at it, he could not find anything unusual about the armor.


    "Well, rogues are a class focused on speed and dodging, and its uniqueness is the high dodge chance," explained Luan Ying. "Take me, a level-8 rogue, as an example. My dodge chance is about 7%. Dodging is very useful in combat, so any rogue equipment that can increase dodge chance on the market is very expensive. A low-grade Common, Uncommon, or Rare equipment that adds 1% to dodge chance will cost at least 30 extra gold coins, and 100 extra coins for 2%. Moreover, the other attributes of this leather armor are pretty good as well, actually being better than most Epic equipment. That''s why it''s so expensive. I should be able to wear it until level 20 or 30."

 Chapter 19：Future Path

    Xiao Ling nodded and said, "I see." He kept that in his mind and learned a lesson. Each attribute of every item had its worth, and he should never sell the item before he figured out its market price. Otherwise, with his lack of knowledge of this game, he would be cheated without even realizing it.


    Both Luan Ying and Yu Xue were good men, and they would not deceive him. Xiao Ling trusted them; in fact, if they could not be trusted, then no one else in the game could.


    He did not expect that a leather armor dropped by a mere level-7 rogue was actually worth 180 gold coins. It was no less than a windfall for him.


    "But, we don''t have so many gold coins with us now," said Yu Xue in a rather embarrassed voice. "Why don''t you tell us where you stay, and once we return to town, sell the items, and send the money to you, then you send us the leather armor?"


    Xiao Ling waved and said, "There''s no need for all that trouble. You can keep the leather armor. Just send me the gold coins whenever you have enough of them."


    Yu Xue hesitated for a moment, but since Xiao Ling was so generous with him, he decided to accept it. After trading 80 gold coins with Xiao Ling, he said, "We will send you the rest of the money after we have sold the items we found."


    "That sounds good to me," said Xiao Ling.


    Luan Ying glanced around and saw that all the monsters in the surroundings were cleaned up. "What are you going to do next?" he could not help but ask.


    "I have to go back to town and submit a mission, then I''ll continue to grind." As Xiao Ling said as he tidied up his backpack. The trip had been rewarding; he had earned quite a lot of money, and he had also reached level 8. It was just that his backpack had emptied, and he decided to return to town and restock the supplies.


    "Do you want to grind with us?" asked Yu Xue.


    Xiao Ling gave that a thought. It was true that there was good teamwork between the two men and him, and he did not mind fighting Bosses with them for the sake of finding good items. However, if he were to grind for levels, teaming up with them would not be as convenient as working alone. Usually, it took a longer time to level up when in a team, and that would seriously affect his speed of levelling up.


    Fei Yu, too, was staring at him with a look of anticipation in her eyes.


    When Luan Ying saw Xiao Ling not answering, he laughed and said, "Well, you don''t have to force yourself. If you have other things to do, you can go ahead with your plans. You can always call us in the future whenever you run into something that you cannot solve or some Bosses you cannot defeat. Likewise, when we find a Boss that we cannot defeat and call you to join our team, you better not reject us."


    "No problem!" Xiao Ling agreed readily. His answer made Luan Ying and Yu Xue smile happily, but there was a flicker of disappointment in Fei Yu''s eyes.


    "Where do you stay?" asked Yu Xue.


    "The inn in the little town of Vejin."


    "Got it," Yu Xue nodded. "Let''s go now."


    "Goodbye!" said Xiao Ling with a smile. Then, he turned to Fei Yu, who was standing beside him in silence, and said, "Xiao Yu, I''m leaving. I''ll see you again."


    Fei Yu suddenly felt a little scared. She chewed her lip as she lowered her head and said sadly, "Goodbye, brother Xiao!"


    With a faint smile, Xiao Ling activated the returning to town function. Twenty seconds later, he turned into a beam of white light and vanished.


    "We should be leaving as well." Luan Ying and Yu Xue activated the returning to town function while Fei Yu stared blankly at the place where Xiao Ling had disappeared. It was a long time before she activated the returning to town function and disappeared from the area.


    When Xiao Ling opened his eyes again, he was already inside the inn. From there, he went to the blacksmith and repaired his equipment. To his surprise, it took him 2 gold coins to repair the crappy Common equipment he had, which depressed him a little. As he had almost finished up all his consumable items, he bought some bread and water in the inn and put them in his backpack.


    After that, he went to the old alchemy warlock and claimed his reward. When he added it with the income from killing monsters, he was happy to see that he now had over 500 gold coins.


    The sky grew dark then and dusk was settling in the small town. Soon, Xiao Ling went back to the inn and rented himself a room.


    The inn was a very shabby building, a wooden house with the ceiling on its first floor only two heads taller than Xiao Ling. After paying the innkeeper, he started for his room. The wooden stairs and floor creaked as he walked, and he thought that they were about to collapse.


    He stepped into the shabby room and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He needed some quiet time to think and plan for his future.


    The expertise rating of his skills was already at their maximum level, so it was time for him to find the warlock trainer and upgrade them. As for what he should do next, he had absolutely no idea. The Endace Continent was full of adventurous areas, but he did not know where he should venture next.


    His first question was whether he should venture south or north. Since Brakada was at the southernmost tip of the continent, if he went south, he would enter the depths of Brakada, where he could find beautiful snowfields and glaciers, barren lands and swamps, as well as great mountains and deep valleys. Many legendary warlocks had gained great demon power after training there. However, the south was a very dangerous area, and as he was alone. He would have to face all kinds of dangers by himself.


    If he went north, he would enter the war-torn battlefield. With Erathia as the center, the Angelic Alliance kingdoms such as the human kingdom of Erathia, the elf kingdom of Hamundale, the dwarf kingdom of Ofer, and the swamp kingdom of Bairds were resisting the invasion of the Evil Alliance kingdoms such as the hell kingdom of Krurod, the orc kingdom of Titalia, and the undead kingdom of Deya there. It was a region where battles took place every day. If he joined the battle, the benefits would definitely be significant, because he could get a lot of equipment from the players of the enemy faction, and at the same time a lot of Honor Points. And if he accumulated enough Honor Points, he could be awarded some noble title. But as the saying went, ''if you play with fire, you will eventually get burned''. While he planned to kill others, he must also be ready to be killed by others.


    It was not that Xiao Ling feared PvP, but his current level was too low, and it would be very difficult for him to survive in a war-torn battlefield as of now. After much deliberation, he finally set his target to the south of Brakada.


    The future was bright, but the path that led to it was winding and twisting. Since he had found Hilaire''s Demon Ring, Xiao Ling felt he could already see the future.


    He removed the ring from his finger and carefully studied it. It was reflecting a queer black light, with wisps of black flame burning quietly around it, which could be clearly seen even in the dark of the night. During the day, when it was not stimulated by anything, the ring would always return to its appearance of a simple and ancient iron ring. Only at night would it be set ablaze with wisps of black flame.


    Anyhow, the black flames never hurt him. They twitched with a very strange rhythm, as if they were trying to tell him something that was long forgotten. Gradually, the demonic flame made his eyes lose focus, and before long, he fell asleep.


    It was quiet throughout the night.

 Chapter 20：Mana Cape

    When sunlight gradually dispersed the morning mist and shone on the beautiful land, players started another busy day and embarked on their own journey.


    The bleak streets of the small town were quiet. Occasionally, one or two players wearing low-level equipment walked across them, hurrying to grind and level up.


    Xiao Ling walked out of his room, somewhat puzzled, ''Why did I suddenly fall asleep last night?'' He glanced at the ring on his finger and saw that it had turned back to its simple appearance of an iron ring. Although, it looked brighter than when he had found it, with all its rust removed by the old warlock.


    "Mister, you have a package." The servant of the inn, who wore the same grayish-white old uniform every day, told him.


    He could not remember if he had any friends in the game other than Luan Ying, Yu Xue, and Fei Yu. So, the package should be from them. He took it and found 100 gold coins and a level-13 Epic warlock cape inside, the attributes of which were much better than the one he was wearing now.


    Mana Cape


    Material: Cloth


    3 - 7 Armor


    +10 Intellect


    +3 Agility


    Increases mana regenerate speed by 1%.


    Requires Level 13 Classes: Warlock


    If this cape were put in the market, it could be sold for at least 200 gold coins, because its attribute of increasing mana regeneration speed was the dream of all spellcasters. During battles, spellcasters often faced the problem of low mana; therefore, equipment that could increase the maximum value and regeneration speed of mana was very expensive, especially the latter.


    Xiao Ling briefly browsed through the transaction records of the Auction House and found that similar capes were sold at 250 gold coins or more. He could not accept such an expensive item without paying for it. He remembered Yu Xue tell him that they were staying in an inn in the small town of Eli, so he sent him 260 gold coins.


    He also sent Yu Xue a message: "I''ve received the item. I will take the Mana Cape, and I''ve sent you 260 gold coins."


    "Got it. What are you going to do next, brother Xiao?" Yu Xue''s reply came almost instantly, and he did not mention anything about the money.


    "I''m going to grind in the south of Brakada."


    Yu Xue''s reply came a short while later: "We are going eastward to Bairds."


    "Oh! I shall meet you again someday then."


    "Sure! Keep in touch."


    "I will."


    Both Yu Xue and Luan Ying were worthy friends, but Xiao Ling was used to being alone. It gave him lesser ties and more freedom.


    After paying for the cape, he was left with 350 gold coins. He went to the warlock trainer in Brakada and upgraded his skills, which cost him 320 gold coins. ''Damnit! Why is it so expensive to just upgrade a few skills?'' he cursed in his mind. It was impossible for him to buy any other equipment now, but he had fortunately purchased all the consumables, and the other odds and ends would not cost him too much money. ''Money is never more than enough...'' he sighed with mixed emotions.


    He did not regret spending the 320 gold coins though, because they had upgraded all his skills by two levels. The basic damage of his Shadow Bolt had increased from 30 to 60, Searing Pain from 20 to 40, Force Blast and Arcane Bolt from 10 to 20; moreover, Drain Life could now drain 20 health points per second instead of 10.


    After all his skills were upgraded, his combined spell damage had increased significantly as well.


    The so-called combined spell damage was the combination of the basic damage of his skills, his character''s basic damage, and the damage added by the equipment. After his skills were upgraded, the damage of his Shadow Bolt was increased to about 160, and the rest were all over 100, while his critical hits could inflict just over 400 damage.


    Xiao Ling tried all his skills, calculated their damage, and compiled all the data. As he knew more skills than others, he could produce about 500 damage in three seconds, and that was without any critical hits. Such damage was hardly imagined among players of the same level as him. By adding all attribute points to intellect, his spell damage was much greater than spellcasters of the same level. And because he knew more skills, his dps could even be comparable to an average level-15 spellcaster.


    His equipment was poor in quality though. In other words, he still had a lot of room for improvement. Once he could get better equipment, his spell damage would increase again.


    After upgrading his skills, Xiao Ling walked out of the Magic Tower toward the outside of Brakada. The city was packed with players, most of whom were already over level 30, while some skillful players who stuck to the same teams had reached level 40 or above. However, there were still some low-level players, as they joined the game later, and they were all busy grinding for level.


    He headed for the south gate, walking between tall Magic Towers and Alchemy Towers, passing various defensive buildings that attracted his attention.


    Eddins had been breached countless times, but the unyielding warlocks had used their blood to build this imperishable castle. After so many years, it was still standing mightily amidst all the storms that lashed at it, overlooking the continent from the south.


    Clearly, it was wrong for Erathia to expel warlocks in those years. Although some warlocks had used spiritual spells to do evil everywhere, most warlocks were innocent. The decision of expelling warlocks had plunged the whole kingdom of Erathia into a civil war that lasted thousands of years, and opened the door for the hell race, the undead, and the orcs to rise in power, eventually plunging the entire continent into chaos.


    However, there were also rumors that claimed otherwise, words passed across the continent with their authenticity unproven. Xiao Ling was not a man who loved gossip, so he paid them no mind.


    He looked at it more incisively. It was impossible for a kingdom to completely expel a class even though many people in the class had done intolerable deeds. There must be some secrets unknown to the public.


    But, Xiao Ling did not have time to investigate the secrets.


    Along the streets, many people were chatting loudly about their experiences, and some were showing off their equipment. Players who did not wear Rare or Epic equipment were too embarrassed to talk, while those who did spoke loudly and kept glancing around from the corners of their eyes, only to raise their voices when they saw girls looking at them.

 Chapter 21：Ellandis Necklace

    Xiao Ling went about in the bustling crowd, being in stark contrast to others. While he didn''t want to talk to anyone, he still heard some chatter of the others.


    Xiao Ling halted when he heard what the player said¡ªhis attention was drawn to the words "Cobalt Gem". He turned to glance at the player, who did not look like he had a high level, as he was in an Epic armor, probably level 10 or above.


    "The Scarlet Monastery," Xiao Ling murmured with a lowered head. He was not sure if he could go there. The Cobalt Gem was one of the materials to make a gargoyle, but would something so expensive drop in a low-level dungeon? He did not know where the Scarlet Monastery was, either.


    "You actually managed to get it? I heard that there''s only one-ten-thousandth of a chance that a Scarlet Mage could drop a Cobalt Gem," a Barbarian Warrior exclaimed from the side.


    One-ten-thousandth¡ªthe probability was immensely low, but Xiao Ling wanted to try. After all, the price of a gem was incredibly high, and it was incredibly difficult to stockpile that much wealth, not that one would be able to buy it even with the money available. It would be the best if he could obtain some himself. Since that player could kill a Scarlet Mage, the latter''s ability was probably quite weak. He could train leveling in addition.


    "Gems will only appear drop from mage-class humanoids. I heard that the price of gems has gone up now. The Cobalt Gem is already being sold at 3,000 gold coins, yet you''re only selling it for 2,000 gold coins. You''re making a big loss," said a rogue mercilessly.


    "Are you sure what you said is true?"


    "Of course it is!"


    A pitiful moan came from behind Xiao Ling''s back. He could already imagine that player''s grief that came after the mounting happiness.


    Nonetheless, Xiao Ling was not in the mood to gloat. The inflation of the Cobalt Gem''s price was no good news to him, as it meant that he would need to spend more money to build a gargoyle. It seemed like he would have to defeat several mage-class humanoids to acquire gems; he wondered how long it would take him to collect the mass of gems.


    Not knowing how to go to the Scarlet Monastery, he decided that he would buy a map.


    Arriving at the server''s vendor, he asked about the price of a map. A general map of Brakada required 500 gold coins, while a detailed map cost as much as 5,000 gold coins. Xiao Ling sighed; maps were not affordable for the poor at all.


    Xiao Ling considered it for a moment, and went to the Appraisal Hall. This time, he was not here to appraise items, but to ask for directions. As Xiao Ling really did not know how to get himself to the Scarlet Monastery, he might as well ask a NPC.


    The old warlock was still there, reading a magic book beside the table. Xiao Ling thought that this might be the same book he''d been flipping through the last time. As for the female apprentice, she was nowhere to be seen, probably having been sent home by the old warlock.


    "You wish to go to the Scarlet Monastery?" The old warlock squinted his eyes slightly to scrutinize Xiao Ling. "Keep going southwest from Brakada and you''ll be there after going through the Reese Valley."


    Xiao Ling knew about the Reese Valley. Some level 6 sprites spawned there; the sprites had low HP and low defense, and Xiao Ling had contemplated hunting them for leveling, but he gave up ultimately as the sprites had too high a resistance to magic.


    "Young man, I have a quest here. Do you want to accept it?" asked the old warlock.


    "What quest is it?"


    "Clearing the Scarlet Monastery. The reward for the quest is Ellandi''s Necklace. It''s a Legendary item, but it has been sealed," said the old warlock.


    Xiao Ling thought about it for a while. "Can I have a look at the necklace?"


    "Sure." The old warlock retrieved a silver necklace from a closet. Various odd glyphs were etched in the necklace.


    An alchemy glyph again! The glyph looked different from the previous glyph he saw. There were many branches of glyphs, and the Mechanical Alchemists had only grasped one of them¡ªthey mainly learned about engineering glyphs, including connecting glyph, power glyph, lock glyph, reinforced glyph, and others. Moreover, the glyphs passed down from humans and the goblins'' authentic glyphs varied. The passage of thousands of years had caused the glyphs to evolve continuously, resulting in countless glyph systems existing currently. Rare were the people who know how many glyphs the Endace Continent actually had.


    The alchemy glyphs were not merely limited to mechanics; they could be used in many aspects, including the sealing glyph on this Ellandi''s Necklace.


    The sealing glyph was one of the branches of the alchemy glyph with an array of usage.


    The sealing glyph was divided into Apprentice rank glyph, Journeyman rank glyph, and Expert rank glyph; each rank was again separated into five tiers, and the glyph of each tier could restrain a certain amount of energy. The glyph had a characteristic as well¡ªit was capable of disregarding the attributes of the energy, be it frost, fire, lightning, light, or demonic. As long as the glyph was of sufficiently high level and strong, it could restrain energy from any attribute.


    Xiao Ling could perceive that the glyph on the Ellandi''s Necklace was a type of sealing glyph. The entire necklace was crafted from silver and shone with a light metallic luster; its streamlined smoothness was evidence of its exquisite craftsmanship. The hanging pendant was a white silver demon head, while the strange patterns engraved on the chain gave the Ellandi''s Necklace a mysterious aura that also concealed its splendor.


    The sealing glyph on the Ellandi''s Necklace was at least an Expert rank''s! Xiao Ling was not acquainted with knowledge of the sealing glyph, so it was impossible for him to unlock it. He had to find relevant books in order to unseal the glyph. However, books regarding the sealing glyph were only available in the library of Brakada''s chief. To enter the chief''s library, one had to be a lord or a duke and above!


    As a Mechanical Alchemist, Xiao Ling was familiar with items crafted from metal. Just from the white silver luster radiating from the necklace, he could guess the materials and ingredients used.


    The white silvery shade was most probably from mithril as its main material, while the slight dullness in the luminescence had to be from a mix of Blackrock. Blackrocks were only produced in the Island of Evmont on the southern sea of Brakada, where the Barbarians'' hometown was. Blackrocks had an excellent buff effect to the demon''s spells and were quite scarce, making them invaluable. A small piece of Blackrock was worth a few millions gold coins to tens of millions gold coins. Other than certain noble NPC in Brakada who could afford the Blackrock, common players could only wish for it.

 Chapter 22：Ellandis Necklace 2

    The name of the necklace was Ellandi''s Necklace.


    Ellandi was a legendary character, one of the seven servants of Hilaire and a powerful Demonic Warlock. It was said that he could summon Firelords from the underworld to fight for him; these five to six meters tall giants burning with green flame of hell were more terrifying than certain large mobs in the swamps or mountains. During the Ninth Defense of Eddins, Ellandi depleted all his magic to summon a Firelord and wiped out a team of 200 mages, becoming a long-lived legend among the warlocks.


    As Ellandi was Hilaire''s servant, would this Ellandi''s Necklace be related to Hilaire''s Demon Ring?


    Was there any intention behind the old warlock''s act of making Ellandi''s Necklace the reward?


    The corners of Xiao Ling''s eyes skimmed the old warlock. The latter was dressed in plain cloth regalia. Xiao Ling noticed a strange emblem that was embroidered on the collar of the old warlock''s cloth regalia¡ªit was a red vampiric bat. Noblemen usually liked embroidering their house seals on the collar because it represented the glory their houses once had. As warlocks believed in demons, bats, snakes, dark dragons, scorpions, and whatnot became their favorite.


    However, it was rare to use red as the main color of a house emblem. The grounding color in creating a house seal was rigid, with gray being the most and black second most common, while red was the most noble color in Brakada, used only by certain old houses that had contributed immensely to Brakada.


    It was only a glance, but Xiao Ling had etched the house seal on the old warlock''s collar deep into his mind. If he were to see this emblem again, he could definitely recognize it at the first glance.


    Other than the emblem, there was nothing special about the old warlock. He was just like a common elder, but Xiao Ling felt that this old warlock was incredibly unusual. This was also the old warlock''s strength.


    Xiao Ling looked down at the Ellandi''s Necklace and felt baffled.


    This was real Legendary equipment!


    The sealed Ellandi''s Necklace:


    Spell Damage +10%


    Reduces 10% of Inflicted Spell Damage


    +100 Spirit


    +80 Strength.


    Buff: Demonic power up, Demonic Warlock summoning spell effect +5%.


    First Tier Demon Call:


    Summon a Firelord, 500 points attack, 5000 points HP, mana depletion 300 points, limited to one use per day with duration of three minutes.


    This was the effects of the Ellandi''s Necklace when it was sealed! How strong its attributes had to be when not sealed! Seeing the attributes of Ellandi''s Necklace, it was as if Xiao Ling could see the shadow of Ellandi, the legendary figure who had killed a team of 200 mages.


    He was so magnificent back then!


    Xiao Ling compared the values between Hilaire''s Demon Ring and Ellandi''s Necklace, wondering why the latter was only a Legendary item when the former was an Artifact. Prior to this, Xiao Ling did not have a clear perception of the Demon Ring''s Artifact attributes; comparing it to Ellandi''s Necklace now, he gradually discovered the ring''s value.


    No matter how strong Ellandi''s Necklace was, its value had a price tag to it. Hilaire''s Demon Ring, however, was invaluable! Ellandi''s Necklace could power up someone temporarily, but what Hilaire''s Demon Ring could give was a future! Owning Hilaire''s Demon Ring, one''s development would transform completely. How strong would one be when he possessed the talents of three Demonic professions?


    Although the attributes of Ellandi''s Necklace were strong, they still lacked greatly in comparison to the value of Hilaire''s Demon Ring.


    Regardless, both items were exquisite treasures!


    It must be mentioned that Xiao Ling was currently swayed. To pocket a treasure like this would make it an excellent weapon whether he was leveling or killing players! However, the quest could not be something simple if the old warlock could offer a treasure like this as the reward. Xiao Ling wondered if he could complete it as a level 8 warlock.


    "What is the particular content and requirements of this quest?" Xiao Ling asked. Ellandi''s Necklace was great, but he could only receive it if he stayed alive! If it were a quest that was impossible to complete, Xiao Ling would never accept it.


    "Clear the Scarlet Monastery. To prove that you have completed your quest, you must bring back 1,000 scarlet seals. You must also wipe out Sister Oslinland and her three servants; bring back the scarlet seals on them, including a glyph book Oslinland has. Other than these items, everything else you get during the quest belongs to you. I heard that Oslinland has plenty of gems and glyph stones." The old warlock squinted his eyes and drummed on the table with his fingers. It was impossible that Xiao Ling would not be drawn in by the abundant rewards.


    Indeed, no one would remain unaffected in his place. Putting Ellandi''s Necklace aside, the gems and glyph stones Oslinland had were more than enough to draw players in. The price of gems was known¡ªcommon gems would already cost more than a few thousand gold coins¡ªwhile glyph stones were even pricier. To be accurate, glyph stones were hard Azure Stones that were engraved with unique glyphs and studded onto equipment to enhance the equipment''s attributes. The effect was stronger than equipment attributes enhanced by processed gems. Highly attributed glyph stones could go up to 6,000-7,000 gold coins in price.


    Something so precious would not be lodged onto common equipment. When a player reached level 40-50, leveling would become difficult. High-level equipment with strong attributes was rare, and players hardly changed their equipment; this caused them to choose studding gems, glyph stones, and even items like Emblem Stones or Totem Stones to enhance the attributes of their equipment. The more high-level players there were, the larger the market for studded items like gems and glyph stones and the higher the inflation of their prices.


    "What are the levels of Sister Oslinland and her three servants?" asked Xiao Ling.


    "Oslinland is level 30, while her servants are level 25 elite experts," the old warlock supplied. "Your current ability is inadequate. The time limit for this quest is three weeks. You''ll have enough time to level up."

 Chapter 23：Invasion Warning

    "If her level''s that low, why didn''t you defeat her?" Xiao Ling gave the old warlock a sharp look. He did not believe that the old warlock could not even defeat a level 30 Elite. If he was lying, Xiao Ling would immediately give up on the quest!


    "Even the most skilled hunter can''t do anything about the sly fox that has slipped into a hole. The terrain of the Scarlet Monastery is too complicated, with traps and contraptions scattered all over the place. Only a handful of Mechanical Alchemists steeped in engineering could find the central courtyard of the Scarlet Monastery," the old warlock explained.


    His explanation was acceptable. Xiao Ling asked, "Why didn''t you seek the assistance of a Mechanical Alchemist, then?"


    "That''s got something to do with the conflict between the Brakada factions, I can''t explain well. However, this does not seem to be a problem for you. You were a Mechanical Alchemist before you obtained Hilaire''s Demon Ring." The old warlock was in no apparent hurry. He had planned this in advance. He did not believe that Xiao Ling would pass on a quest with such handsome rewards. If Xiao Ling gave up on this, he would achieve nothing on his journey in search of strength.


    When Xiao Ling had come to the Appraisal Hall to have his Hilaire''s Demon Ring appraised, he''d been wearing the outfit of a novice Mechanical Alchemist. This was why the old warlock said what he had now.


    The old warlock seemed to have predicted what person would accept this quest. Indeed, Xiao Ling found it hard to resist the allure of the rewards. There were not many players who would let the opportunity to accept a quest with such handsome rewards slip past their fingers. "What''s the penalty if I fail the quest?"


    "You''ll lose five levels," replied the old warlock. This penalty was considered light. Compared to the value of Ellandi''s Necklace, a legendary item, the penalty was nothing.


    "Alright, I''ll accept it." Xiao Ling glanced at Ellandi''s Necklace. The old warlock put the necklace away, and it vanished from Xiao Ling''s sight. Xiao Ling felt a strong urge to possess Ellandi''s Necklace. That necklace was truly too powerful. Since he had seen it, he would not let it slip through his fingers.


    System: You have accepted the quest: suppressing the Scarlet Monastery. You have three weeks to complete the quest.


    Xiao Ling was given a lot of time for the quest, and so had ample time to prepare. He decided to level up and improve his strength as quickly as possible. Other matters could wait.


    The old warlock smiled. "I''ll await your good news."


    Xiao Ling was indifferent. He walked past the old warlock and exited the Appraisal Hall. He proceeded southward. He would be busy for some time. He had to level up to at least level 30 as quickly as possible so that he could finish the quest.


    Xiao Ling reminisced about his past experiences. Perhaps he had too many strange encounters, or perhaps the Legendary items and Artifacts were too common, but he had seen one Legendary item and two Artifacts already. Xiao Ling recalled the story of the game, and guessed, ''Since the old warlock is willing to offer Ellandi''s Necklace as a reward, there must be many Legendary items and Artifacts.''


    The Endace Continent''s history alone spanned more than 10,000 years. He wondered how many Legendary and Artifact heroes had been produced throughout the years. The Artifact heroes Xiao Ling himself knew numbered more than 30,000, and there were innumerable Legendary heroes. Every Artifact and Legendary hero had left behind some of their equipment which bore their emblems. These equipment would in turn become Legendary equipment and Artifacts.


    As for Heirlooms, those were for the possession of the gods.


    Although these items which he encountered were so rare some might not even have a chance to encounter them, they definitely existed. Of the billions of players, there should have been many who were equipped with Legendary equipment or Artifacts. He made a mental note to be careful around such players in the future. The Legendary equipment and Artifacts were too powerful. They would not be easy to deal with.


    Xiao Ling immersed himself in his thoughts as he walked toward the south gate. Brakada''s players were roused. They jostled about in the streets. He wondered what had happened.


    Just when Xiao Ling was stuck in his bewilderment, a shrill sound broke across Brakada''s peaceful skies. A fiery light shot into the skies and exploded with a loud bang between the blue sky and the white clouds. It turned into thousands upon thousands of red lights which illuminated Eddins completely.


    It was a warning flare made by a Mechanical Alchemist!


    It was the warning about an attack!


    Eddins was under attack!


    Shortly after, system messages completely filled the sight. They were all messages about an attack. Xiao Ling quickly extracted the most important pieces of information.


    System: Eddin''s Frielanz''s Town is under attack.


    System: Invaders have entered Frielanz Town. Descendant of the Warlock King Arland, take up your arms, defend the glory of Brakada, and drive these infidels out of our lands! For the true god Terhida, for our king, Arland... Fight, mighty warriors!


    Frielanz Town was not far from the main city Eddins. It was under the jurisdiction of Eddins. No wonder the elders of Brakada fired the warning flare.


    Once Eddins fired the warning flare, the players with military ranks and nobility would swiftly gather to defend Eddins. If Eddins was taken, the players of Brakada would lose their capital and experience a 10% drop in all their attributes until they could retake their capital. However, with a drop of 10%, the first thing they would have to face was the onslaught of the Evil Alliance. With a 10% drop in their attributes, 10 of them might not even be a match for a single enemy player of the same level.


    Hence, the capital was extremely important. Every local player had the responsibility to defend their nation''s capital.


    Frielanz Town was located south of Brakada. It was coincidentally on Xiao Ling''s way to the Scarlet Monastery. Xiao Ling would play no part in such a large-scale battle. Players capable of invading another nation would be at least around level 40, and they would come in the thousands. A battle of such a level was not something that Xiao Ling could take part in.


    However, Xiao Ling had no choice. He had to go through Frielanz Town! Xiao Ling gave it some thought. He could sneak around the edges of Frielanz Town. There was a high slope and low forest beside Frielanz Town near the Kilo Mountains. He could choose to make his way through the low forest.


    He walked along the path outside Eddins. The players hurrying toward Frielanz Town formed a magnificent traffic of characters. Some of them wore flashy purple armor, and there were Barbarian Warriors with huge weapons in each hand, rogues in black cloaks, druids who took the form of bears, storm crows, lions, and leopards, elven archers with silver longbows, Hunters, dwarf lictors, and other types of characters. The sheer variety and number of players dazzled Xiao Ling.

 Chapter 24：Barbarian Warrior

    Players from the human nation of Erathia''s Divine Hall were the most numerous among the travelers. There were Mages, Priests, Magic Archers, Arbalists, Magic Warriors, Lancers, Knights, Paladins, and Gunmen. These players who worshipped the god of the humans, Tarmis, made up the bulk of the Angelic Alliance.


    Naturally, there were many warlocks among the travelers. Brakada was a nation of warlocks, after all. There were numerous warlocks among them, and they made up about 20% of the numbers, while Mechanical Alchemists only constituted about 1%. Without exception, they each brought with them their mechanical puppets. Most of them brought mechanical imps, while a few brought mechanical gargoyles. Along the way, Xiao Ling only saw two to three gargoyles.


    As he looked at these lively mechanical imps and gargoyles that leapt about and carried on with their antics, Xiao Ling was filled with envy and jealousy. He thought that there were too many rich people in the world!


    They traveled in small groups of six or seven and large groups of 40-50 as they made their way grandiosely toward the town of Frielanz.


    Upon the highest observation tower in Eddins behind them, a majestic and loud horn was sounded with unbroken tones. It reverberated across the whole world for a long time. The Elder Council''s most powerful Destruction Warlock, Hux, was praying for the players making their way to the frontlines. His thick voice chanted a complicated and tart spell as he prayed, "My brave heroes, may the true god Terhida grant you protection. For the glory of the true god, for the glory of the king, defend Eddins, defend Brakada! May the true god Terhida be with you all."


    As he looked around at the eager players who were pumping themselves up to head toward the frontlines and kill their enemies, Xiao Ling suddenly felt a surge of hot blood within his chest. An unfamiliar passion was rising within him. Before he knew it, the glory of this nation seemed to have penetrated his marrow, affecting Xiao Ling and every other player.


    When they were two kilometers from Frielanz Town, the players on the road began to break up, and proceeded to outflank the town.


    Xiao Ling, on the other hand, took a detour and intended to bypass Frielanz.


    The brassy and majestic note of the horn sounded again, traveling far and wide, and reverberating throughout Brakada. This was a war horn. It was intense and highly impactful. It made the listener''s blood boil, and battle drums sounded in reply. The players had begun their charge on Frielanz.


    System: Black Fire (party) has defeated the enemy. Seized control of Frielanz Town''s third turret.


    System: Dark Fire (party) has defeated the enemy. Seized control of Frielanz Town''s main gate.


    ...


    The system notifications kept popping up. Frielanz Town was now a heated battlefield. It was said that Black Fire and Dark Fire were subordinate branches of the Divine Hall''s Fire Guild. As expected of the largest guild of the Angelic Alliance. Their subordinates were truly a cut above the rest.


    Though Xiao Ling was curious about the battle situation, he decided to stay away out of safety considerations. After all, the only possible outcome for Xiao Ling if he ran into a player from the Evil Alliance would be death.


    Xiao Ling walked up the slope some distance away from Frielanz. The slope was dotted with slender trees three to four meters tall. They were not exactly lush. Xiao Ling clambered onto a protruding rock and could faintly make out the situation at Frielanz. He saw flashes of blades, flashy display of martial skills, extravagant and intertwining shots of magic... It was a blurred yet splendid scene to behold.


    Xiao Ling could even imagine how intense the battle had to be. He felt his temperature rise despite himself. He reminded himself of his current level: level 8. That was certainly not enough to take part in a battle of such a scale. He felt his spirits dampen.


    ''Work hard to level up!'' Xiao Ling told himself with determination. When his level was high enough, he would certainly enjoy the ecstasy of fighting his heart out in battles like this.


    Turning his eyes away from the battle at Frielanz, Xiao Ling walked toward the Reese Valley in the distance. Flowers were blooming all across the Reese Valley. A scenery that resembled paradise in Brakada attracted Xiao Ling''s attention.


    Occasionally, Life Fairies the size of his palm would flutter past him as they beat their transparent wings on their back and scattered spots of green fluorescent light, which accentuated the beauty of the Reese Valley. These Life Fairies were granted the Goddess of Life Alice''s blessings. They did not take part in any battle, and no creatures would attack them. On Endace Continent, Life Fairies were the symbol of peace.


    Xiao Ling continued to look at the cute fairies dancing in the air. He was filled with awe. There was nothing in the world more beautiful than Life Fairies.


    Sounds of a battle reached his ears and broke the silence. Was someone fighting here?


    A glaring radiance burst forth dozens of meters from where Xiao Ling stood. With a slight moment''s hesitation, Xiao Ling slowly walked over and stopped at a spot where the vegetation was thick. He looked toward the empty ground.


    Charge!


    Wild Dance!


    This was a Barbarian Warrior. He was covered in thick, heavy silver chain armor of an exquisite design. The reversed barbs on the armor made it stand out. It shone with a mysterious silver-white radiance. It was clear that this armor had been forged with mithril. It should have a high magic resistance.


    The Barbarian Warrior was almost two meters tall. Muscles bulged over his thickset body, which gave him a terrifying appearance even under the cover of his armor. His head was snugly covered by a silver-white horned helmet. Great white swords wider than five fingers were in both of his hands. He was facing off a Evil Alliance party made up of a Berserker, Death Knight, and a Necromancer.


    Like the gladiators of the ancient Rome, the Barbarian Warrior was fearless even though he was on his own. The swords he brandished shone brightly with silver radiance. He charged toward his three opponents with lightning speed.


    "Die, you vermin!" The Barbarian Warrior''s swords weaved in and out as he attacked. His extremely domineering attacks greatly intimidated the three Evil Alliance players. The Barbarian Warrior lived up to his reputation of being the main battle tank of the battlefield. The impact he unleashed was extremely terrifying.


    ''But, can a level 40-ish Barbarian Warrior defeat three of his peers? This Barbarian Warrior might''ve been too reckless. Even though he saw that there were three of his opponents, instead of fleeing, he''s now charging straight toward them. This is strange, even for a Barbarian Warrior. Is he out of his mind?'' Xiao Ling thought.


    The three Evil Alliance players were also experts of level-40 and above. They were not weak. Naturally, they wouldn''t be paralyzed with fear this easily.


    Ritual of Death!


    The Necromancer''s black staff drew an arc in the air. The ground shifted. White bony hands emerged from the earth, and more than 10 skeletons pulled themselves out from beneath the ground. They blocked the Barbarian Warrior''s way.

 Chapter 25：Legate

    Necromancers would usually take one of two paths while leveling up.


    The first path was quantity. These Necromancers would be able to summon large amounts of skeletons and overwhelm their enemies through sheer numbers. However, these while skeletons would usually be weak and rarely put up a good fight.


    The other path was quantity. These Necromancers would only be able to summon a single creature, but it would usually be formidable. It was said that Necromancers could even summon the legendary Bone Dragon after their second Class Advancement at level 60.


    This particular Necromancer clearly pursued the quantity path. A dozen skeletons formed a tightly packed bone wall before the wizard in an attempt to block the attacker.


    "Berserk Enhancement!"


    The Berserker cast a buff spell on the skeletons. Berserkers were a profession of the hellions; they were like Priests of the humans. They were capable of casting buff spells on their companions, which made them a natural match for Necromancers.


    The skeletons drew swords that shone with glaring red radiance. Their listless eyes flickered with a peculiar red glow as if they were suddenly full of life. They started advancing upon the Barbarian Warrior with sharp sickles and swords in hand.


    The Barbarian Warrior did not seem to mind these creatures. He continued charging toward the three Evil Alliance players.


    The fragile skeleton soldiers were no match for the Barbarian Warrior''s attacks. With a sharp swipe of his blade, all the skeletons that came into contact with it were instantly shattered.


    The Barbarian Warrior laughed. "These small fry aren''t even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth! I''ll show you what a real PK is today." The Barbarian Warrior''s huge white swords were brought down like meteors. One of the skeleton soldiers was split in two from its cranium down, and its bones scattered everywhere. The Barbarian Warrior''s formidable strength transformed the white swords in his hands into divine weapons that could crush anything.


    "Be careful, guys. He''s got a rank-7 legate outfit," the Berserker exclaimed with surprise.


    The military ranks were divided into 12 ranks. They were rank-1 private, rank-2 private, rank-3 new recruit, rank-4 sergeant major, rank-5 centurion, rank-6 senior tribune, rank-7 legate, rank-8 brigadier general, rank-9 general, rank-10 grand general, rank-11 marshal, and rank-12 generalissimo. They would be granted earldom based on their military achievements, and were eligible for certain rewards in any of the main capitals of the Angelic Alliance. If they had enough money, they could even buy outfits forged by dwarf or human Blacksmiths. These outfits often had powerful attributes. A legate''s outfit was equivalent to a level 40 Epic outfit. It was no wonder that the Berserker was feeling flustered.


    Climbing up the ranks from a rank-1 private to a legate was a long process. As a legate, he would have at least achieved 20,000 Honorable Kills. He was a player who was baptized in the blood and fire of war. There was no reason to doubt his PvP abilities. It was no wonder that he faced off against three players on his own without fear.


    The Berserker and the Necromancer staggered backward under the cover of the skeleton soldiers. The Death Knight rode on a Skeletal Horse whose body was covered in scarlet flames. He wore black armor and wielded a black lance that was two meters long. He circled the perimeter of the battlefield, ready to give the Barbarian Warrior a fatal strike.


    Xiao Ling''s curiosity compelled him to continue watching this battle. It was one against three. Although the Barbarian Warrior was formidable, the three Evil Alliance players were not weak, either. They were players level 40 and above, after all. They must have had their fair share of PvP experience while leveling up. They were definitely not pushovers! Why was the Barbarian Warrior so confident that he could defeat the three of them?


    The Barbarian Warrior lifted his right arm and rested his sword on his shoulder. He stood there haughtily, observing the three Evil Alliance players silently. The sword was more than a meter long and forged from mithril. It did not look light. However, the Barbarian Warrior lifted it without difficulty as if it was nothing. This frightened Xiao Ling. The Barbarian Warrior was too powerful.


    The Barbarian Warrior carried his sword and guffawed. "I''ve fought five opponents at once before, and I''ve never lost against three. Prepare to die, little ones."


    "You might''ve spoken too soon." The Death Knight tightened his knees around his steed and the Skeletal Horse reared as it hissed. Then, it galloped toward the Barbarian Warrior.


    Long-range Raid!


    The Death Knight leveled his two-meters-long lance and charged at the Barbarian Warrior like the wind.


    Bloodthirst!


    The Berserker cast a buff spell on the Death Knight. The Death Knight was enveloped in a radiant scarlet glow. His stats rose.


    The Barbarian Warrior seemed calm and unruffled in the midst of all this. He lifted his sword slowly.


    Berserk!


    His body swelled and grew taller by a head. He now resembled a primordial beast, and was even taller than the Death Knight on his mount. The sharp aura he was unleashing was like an unsheathed steel blade.


    His huge body was reminiscent of a creature endemic to Evermonde Island, the Behemoth! It was said that a Berserking Barbarian Warrior could fight a juvenile Behemoth!


    "Rargh!" The Barbarian Warrior roared and charged toward the Death Knight.


    The Berserker and Necromancer began preparing their spells. Two black balls of light appeared at their hands. Xiao Ling found himself breaking out in a cold sweat for the Barbarian Warrior''s sake. Could he really defeat the three Evil Alliance players? After all, they were level 40 and above.


    With a metallic ring, the Barbarian Warrior parried the Death Knight''s lance with his right huge sword. He brought down his left sword mercilessly onto the Death Knight.

 Chapter 26：One Against Three

    The Death Knight grunted as he reeled from the impact. The Barbarian Warrior had dealt a shocking 1,000 points of damage to the Death Knight without using any spells. If a melee strike could deal 1,000 point of damage, that was some terrifying attack! At this moment, the Berserker''s and Necromancer''s spells rained down on the Barbarian Warrior. Instead of backing away, he charged toward the Berserker and the Necromancer.


    The Death Knight, Berserker, and Necromancer merely dealt a collective 1,000 points of damage to the Barbarian Warrior. The magic damage of the Berserker and Necromancer only amounted to 300 points. This was because the Barbarian Warrior''s equipment had magic-breaking properties!


    The Death Knight hastily said, "Be careful, his defenses have been enhanced, and he has 5,000 HP."


    The Barbarian Warrior was like a metal tank that was crushing the Berserker and Necromancer. With loud bangs, the skeleton soldiers the Necromancer summoned at short notice were immediately shattered by the Barbarian''s huge swords. Bone fragments shot everywhere. Everything in the swords'' path was swept away.


    If they allowed the Barbarian Warrior, a powerful melee class, to get too close, the Berserker and Necromancer would surely die.


    The Death Knight bellowed and lifted his lance once more. He kicked the Skeletal Horse with his heels and charged toward the Barbarian Warrior.


    Decelerate!


    With the Barbarian Warrior almost upon them, the Berserker cast a decelerating spell on the Barbarian Warrior. The Barbarian Warrior''s movements seemed to have slowed down for a moment; then, his body burst forth with dazzling golden radiance. The effects of all the spells cast upon him were negated.


    The Berserker cursed, "It''s the rank-7 military merit reward skill, Magic Negation! Run!"


    They were feeling quite gloomy now. They had just arrived at Frielanz in Brakada. They had intended to pick some easy prey on the outskirts, but instead they ran into this formidable opponent. A player with a rank-7 military merit was someone held in high regard by the other players! Every player with a rank-7 military merit might not necessarily be powerful against a Boss, but they were certainly undefeatable overlords in a PvP. This was especially true if said rank-7 military merit player was a Barbarian Warrior. Among all the professions, the Barbarian Warrior was a terrifying existence.


    The Berserker and Necromancer picked up their pace as they retreated. The Death Knight chased after them. When the lance was about to pierce the Barbarian Warrior''s body, the Barbarian Warrior leapt as high as three meters and dodged the Death Knight''s attack wonderfully.


    Berserk Air Slash!


    He whipped both swords as one and unleashed an air slash which hit the Berserker''s head mercilessly. The Berserker''s eyes widened in terror as blood splattered everywhere. A single air slash had whittled away 70% of the Berserker''s HP. The health bars of spellcasters were too short. They could barely withstand an attack from a melee user.


    With a dull thud, the Death Night''s lance pierced the Barbarian Warrior''s body and dealt about 1,000 points of damage. The Profession of Knights and Death Knights enabled them to increase their damage points as their steeds picked up speed. Hence, the Death Knight''s damage points were increased more than twofold under the acceleration of his Skeletal Horse. That was how the Death Knight dealt 1,000 damage points to the Barbarian Warrior. Even so, the Barbarian Warrior still had 60% of his health points left.


    Wild Dance!


    The Barbarian Warrior ignored the Death Knight''s attack. He swung his huge swords about, unleashing air slashes. The spinning and wild air slashes instantly devoured the Berserker. Damage of 400 to 500 points was continuously dealt to the Berserker. Blood splattered everywhere. The Berserker fell to the ground, lifeless.


    "One down," said the Barbarian Warrior coldly. He lunged at the Necromancer.


    The Barbarian Warrior''s cold voice sent chills down the Necromancer''s and Death Knight''s spine. Was this how a terrifying rank-7 military merit Barbarian Warrior fought? They were horrified. He had killed the Berserker while the three of them had pincered him. The Necromancer and the Death Knight had lost the will to fight. The Barbarian Warrior''s invincibly heroic manner had crushed their determinations.


    Seeing that the Barbarian Warrior was now moving toward him, the Necromancer''s heart sank. He summoned as many skeleton soldiers as he could to shield himself. These skeleton soldiers were extremely troublesome to deal with for any ordinary level 40 players. However, under the swords of this rank-7 military merit Barbarian Warrior, they could not even withstand a single blow.


    The Death Knight galloped at the Barbarian Warrior. He was gaining speed.


    The Barbarian Warrior, who had been chasing the Necromancer, suddenly turned around. He sneered at the Death Knight, "You''re my target!"


    Wild Dance!


    Streaks of light shot from his huge dancing swords toward the Death Knight. The Death Knight had been charging ahead at too high a speed. He could not stop now.


    "Bam!" The two of them collided. The Death Knight''s emaciated figure was sent flying by the Barbarian Warrior''s iron tower of a body. The Skeletal Horse was mercilessly shattered by the air slashes released from the huge swords. (P.S. Death Knights can summon their Skeletal Horses again.)


    After two exchanges, the Death Knight was left with 57% of his health points. The Barbarian Warrior did not relent in giving chase. The ruthless attacks of his huge swords washed over the Death Knight like unbroken and perilous waves.


    "Puh!" With his steed gone, the Death Knight had no means of dodging the blows from the Barbarian Warrior''s swords. The Barbarian Warrior still had about 20% of his HP left.


    Only the Necromancer was left!


    The Barbarian Warrior fell into deep thought. With only 20% of his health points, he was near the warning level already. However, the Barbarian Warrior could not bring himself to use the Journeyman rank health potion in his pouch. A vial of health potion cost 200 gold coins. Also, a blood potion could really save his neck if he was in a pinch. Although things were bordering on dangerous at the moment, he should be able to take care of that Necromancer if there were no accidents.


    The Necromancers had the undead creatures he summoned form a barrier around him as he prepared his Town Portal Scroll. A white sphere shone on his palm. Reading the Town Portal Scroll would require 20 seconds.


    Charge!


    The Barbarian Warrior charged toward the Necromancer. His momentum dealt AoE damage to the skeleton soldiers protecting the Necromancer. The skeleton soldiers were sent flying from the impact.


    The Barbarian Warrior glanced at his own health bar: 11%.


    Kick!


    The Barbarian Warrior landed a kick on the Necromancer. The Necromancer''s teleportation was interrupted. At this moment, there was no longer fear in the Necromancer''s eyes. Instead, he started sneering.


    The Barbarian Warrior was too careless. He was taking his opponent too lightly to be fighting with 11% of his health points.


    The Barbarian Warrior''s attacks rained down on the Necromancer. The Necromancer''s health points dwindled at high speed under the perilous waves of attacks by the Barbarian Warrior.


    67%, 38%, 21%, 3%...

 Chapter 27：Unexpected Failure

    The Necromancer''s pupils narrowed. He fixed his gaze on the withered bones of a skeleton soldier beside him.


    Corpse Explosion!


    The corpse of the skeleton soldier beside him exploded, and the shock wave swept across the area around it, devouring the Barbarian Warrior.


    Nihility Hide!


    The Necromancer morphed into a mass of black mist which scattered slowly, evading the havoc of the shock wave.


    Corpse Explosion was a high-damage spell of a Necromancer after their class advancement at level 30. It could inflict more than 3,000 points of damage. However, the only flaw of this skill was that it was indiscriminatory. Fortunately, the Necromancer had a life-saving escape skill, Nihility Hide. With that, he managed to avoid being hit by the Corpse Explosion, but the Barbarian Warrior did not have such luck.


    The Barbarian Warrior''s vision blackened as he fell to the ground. The Corpse Explosion had killed him.


    His carelessness had cost him dearly! If the Barbarian Warrior had not underestimated his opponent, the Necromancer would not have the chance to kill him.


    The Necromancer had disappeared to some unknown place. The surroundings were now empty save for the three bodies.


    ''The spoils are unclaimed!'' Xiao Ling''s heart gave a leap. These were bodies of level 40 players! Any single item they dropped would be a great treasure for a player at Xiao Ling''s level.


    Xiao Ling looked toward the Barbarian Warrior''s corpse. There seemed to be something gleaming on the forest floor. It resembled a dagger. Its lower half was of a dark golden sheen, luxurious and exquisite. It was about an inch long, and its blade gleamed dark blue. It was lying silently under the Barbarian Warrior''s body.


    He was sure that the items on the Barbarian Warrior would not be cheap. It would at least be Rare. Otherwise, the Barbarian Warrior would not have carried it around.


    Xiao Ling walked out from his hiding place. His guts told him that the Necromancer had not gone far. He had to exercise utmost caution.


    The lure of the item was so strong that Xiao Ling ran over to the dagger. He could see it clearly now. Mechanical Alchemists had a special eye for the grades of metallic items. With a single take, Xiao Ling could tell that this dagger''s grade was not too shabby. Judging from the exquisiteness of the workmanship, it might even be an Epic.


    A cold wind blew. The atmosphere was slightly eerie.


    A faint black mist floated across the edge of the forest. It gathered and scattered, scattered and gathered. Xiao Ling felt a chill at the back of his head. He had the feeling that he was being watched.


    The black mist at the edge of the forest began condensing slowly into a humanoid form. There was a limitation to Nihility Hide¡ªthe caster''s movements would become extremely slow under the Nihility condition. Also, as it could only be maintained for 30 seconds, there was no way for the caster to travel far. In other words, the Necromancer had been keeping an eye on Xiao Ling.


    The Necromancer regained his original form and fixed Xiao Ling with his cold glare. A black mass of light appeared on his palm. He was preparing to cast a spell.


    Xiao Ling cursed inwardly. He lowered his head to look at the dagger. It was only a few steps away now. A level 40 Necromancer could kill him with any random spell. Should he run away or take the treasure?


    ''F*ck it. Humans will die for riches, just as birds will for food.'' Xiao Ling ran forward, picked up the dagger, and stuffed it into his rucksack.


    "Die, you level 8 garbage!" When the Necromancer saw Xiao Ling taking the dagger from the ground, he was infuriated. He was the one who''d killed the Barbarian Warrior. The Necromancer had already regarded the items dropped by the Barbarian Warrior as his own. He would not allow anybody else to snatch it away from him. When he saw Xiao Ling harvest it hurriedly before he could do anything, he was completely livid.


    The black ball of light shot from the Necromancer''s hand and drew a perfect arc in the air. It bore down toward Xiao Ling, who had nowhere to run from the Necromancer''s attack.


    Xiao Ling''s vision blackened when the black ball of light hit him. The glaring black light made Xiao Ling lose his sight momentarily.


    With a bang, Xiao Ling staggered backward. Surprisingly, he was still alive!


    Xiao Ling saw that he had taken more than 100 points of damage. The Necromancer''s spell had only nicked one-third of his health bar. Xiao Ling was shocked. ''A level 40 Necromancer didn''t take me out with a single hit? This is unbelievable!''


    Perhaps the Necromancer was currently in a weakened state? It might be the debilitating effect caused by the Nihility state! Also, after a battle with the Barbarian Warrior, he could not have much of his health left!


    Xiao Ling''s eyelid jumped. Should he choose to fight or flight? Xiao Ling had a strange idea. Perhaps he could defeat this Necromancer! The thought exhilarated him. Even if there was only a 1% chance of victory, there was no reason for him not to take it.


    Corruption!


    Shadow Bolt!


    The black Shadow Bolt streaked toward the Necromancer with a bang, and inflicted 20 points of damage onto the Necromancer. Even in his debilitated state, Xiao Ling''s spell could only deal about 10 points of damage to the Necromancer.


    After his fight with the Barbarian Warrior, the Necromancer was only left with 3% of his health points, which amounted to 60 points. Xiao Ling took 20 from him, and he was now left with 40 points.


    After taking the hit from the Shadow Bolt, the Necromancer was slightly stunned. He''d never thought of fighting Xiao Ling. He merely wanted to scare him away. A level 8 warlock was now facing a level 40 Necromancer; did this kid have a death wish? Even though he was debilitated, did the level 8 warlock think that he could actually defeat him?


    Searing Pain!


    A jolt of pain as if he was being burned pulled the Necromancer back to the present. Was Searing Pain not a Destruction Warlock''s spell? Was Corruption not an Affliction Warlock''s spell? He had to be seeing things.


    Looking at his dwindling health bar, the Necromancer pushed all thoughts of retaliating out of his mind. He hastily fished a Journeyman rank health potion from his bag.


    If he could only drink this potion, Xiao Ling would have no chance of winning!


    Arcane Spell!


    A gray-white ball of light streaked toward the Necromancer. Xiao Ling sped toward the Necromancer and got within five paces of him.


    Force Blast!


    With a bang, the sweeping force collided with the Necromancer''s body. The Necromancer lost what was left of his health points. His expression was still incredulous as his eyes lost their focus. His body fell limply onto the ground.


    Perhaps even at the point of his death, he could not believe that he could die under the hands of a level 8 warlock. Even with only 60 health points and weakened, a level 40 player of any class could have easily crushed a level 8 warlock. However, he had lost all the same!


    The spells of warlocks were unlike the spells of the other classes. Warlocks specialized in soul and their spells could be fired spontaneously, whereas the other spellcasting classes needed time to prepare. However, due to their low affinity with the elements, they could only rely on the dark power they inherited from Terhida to battle. Hence, the dps of the warlocks'' skills was much lower compared to that of the other classes. After all, they were only half-assed mages.


    Perhaps the Necromancer could not wrap his mind around the fact that a single player had learned that many warlock skills. That, to him, was unbelievable.

 Chapter 28：The Town of Tilia

    Xiao Ling could even feel the Necromancer''s frustration. If he had been up against an ordinary warlock, there would have been no doubts regarding the outcome of the battle. However, he had been up against Xiao Ling, a monster of a warlock who managed to inflict 60 points of damage to him before he could drink that health potion of his!


    Xiao Ling could not restrain his laughter. He did not expect this battle to end like this


    System: Glorious Kill, quantity, 1. Brakada Glory +50. Player Glory +50.


    Depending on the enemy''s level, killing one player from an opposing faction could earn him up to 50 Glory points. A level 8 player killing a player from an opposing faction of level 40 and above was regarded as an impossible quest. He was rewarded with the highest amount of Glory points possible: 50.


    System: You''re awarded the military rank of rank-2 private.


    It was easy to move up the early military ranks. 50 Glory points had directly promoted Xiao Ling to a rank-2 private.


    Finally safe, Xiao Ling allowed himself to feel happy. He quickly collected the gold coins and the drops from the floor. He obtained 31 gold coins and three pieces of equipment. For a time, he was as pleased as Punch.


    These four should have been elite players already. The four of them were at least at level 40. Naturally, the items they had would not be cheap. Xiao Ling looked at the items he obtained.


    Dragon Slaying Dagger: Melee dagger. Class requirement: none. Epic. Damage: 100-102. Attack Speed +10. Strength +60. Ignore Defense 3%. Level requirement: 25. Equipment Appraisal rank: SSS.


    Once an item''s value crossed a certain threshold, the Appraisal Hall would give the item a certain rank label ranging from one ''S'' to three ''S''s. Rank S was the lowest, while rank SSS was the highest. If an item was ranked SSS, it meant that it had the best attributes among the other items of its level.


    Legendary, Artifact, and Heirlooms had no level requirements.


    A level 25 SSS item was priced at more than 5,000 gold coins. Its attributes were no less inferior compared to an ordinary Epic dagger!


    These items could only be dropped by a level 60 Boss!


    What an unexpected harvest. Xiao Ling felt dizzy from the excitement. This dagger was a melee dagger, not one of those used by Thieves. In other words, Xiao Ling could use it! Spellcasters would usually equip a dagger to protect themselves. They could use it when they were jumped by a monster or an opponent had gotten close. Since he found a completed, exquisite dagger, Xiao Ling did not think twice.


    He looked at the other three equipment.


    Prophet''s Robe: Material: cloth. Epic. Defense: 21-23. Intellect +30. Mana Limit +5%. Spell Damage +2%. Level requirement: 30. Equipment Appraisal rank: SS.


    Necromancer''s Armor: Material: plate. Epic. Defense: 68-70. Strength +39. Agility +20. Ice Spell Resistance 5%. Level requirement: 30. Equipment Appraisal rank: SS. Class requirement: Knight, Death Knight.


    Mana Headdress: Material: cloth. Epic. Defense: 15-19. Intellect +25. Magic replenishment rate +3%. Mana Limit +5%. Level requirement: 30. Equipment Appraisal rank: SS.


    He knew from the first glance that the three Evil Alliance players frequently got together to clear a Boss or something. That was why the qualities of the dropped items were so similar.


    The higher the equipment''s level was, the lower its drop rate. A good level 30 Epic equipment could serve a player well up to level 40. This made life easier for Xiao Ling. He no longer had to worry about his level 30 equipment. Also, he could use these until he was at level 40!


    Xiao Ling buzzed with happiness as he put the items away. He walked toward the deeper parts of the Reese Valley. To prevent himself from dropping these items, he had to settle down in a town as soon as he could and deposit them into his storage.


    Xiao Ling exited the Reese Valley and was greeted by a vast plain. He could see residential structures scattered across the wide plots of farmland. There was a town, and it was called Tilia. He looked southwest and saw a majestic building built in the architectural style of a red church. That had to be his destination, the Scarlet Monastery.


    The town of Tilia was a typical agricultural settlement. Due to the frequent outbreaks of war, Tilia was no longer the peaceful town it once had been. A perimeter wall more than two meters tall had been erected around the town. There were even turrets placed at fixed intervals along the wall, protecting the town like a tortoise''s shell.


    Xiao Ling walked up to the Vaultkeeper and stored the dropped items in his personal Vault. The Vaults were unique to the players. No matter where they were, all they had to do was locate a Vaultkeeper and they would have access to their stored items. Players had to pay a certain fee to maintain a Vault. The first payment was 50 gold coins, and then the player would be charged an annual maintenance fee of five gold coins.


    The Vault was rumored to be the masterpiece of the Sorcerer Supreme of Space, Eltr, from 10,000 years ago. Ever since Eltr''s mysterious disappearance, some high space magic became lost magic. The others only managed to scrape the surface of his knowledge, yet they managed to pass on his theory of constructing a personal Vault using space magic. 3,000 years ago, the great merchant Stephen put Eltr''s theory into practice and finally built the Vault. He benefited greatly from his success, and became the richest man on the continent.


    Vaults had provided great convenience to the lives of the inhabitants of the Endace Continent. This technique was soon stolen by the Evil Alliance, and they built a parallel Vault as well.


    The stories that were passed around decorated the entire Endace Continent like pearls. They added color to the Endace Continent, making it more beautiful and moving.


    With their geographical advantage and the players'' tendency to frequent the nearest spot, mini markets could usually be found near the Vaults. These mini markets were not as regulated as auctions. None of the prices here were fixed. However, if one had the eye for it, they would often be able to find some treasure that was well worth the money.


    The contents of Xiao Ling''s coin pouch were embarrassing, but that did not stop him from browsing the things sold at the market.


    "Two rubies for a level 20+ Fire-resistant Mage Glove!"


    "Three emeralds for a level 20+ Fire-resistant Knight Armor!"


    Different players hollered, advertising their prices and wares in the mini market. He did not expect to find the fire-resistant items being this popular. A ruby was worth about 100 gold coins. Three emeralds were worth about 150 gold coins. Xiao Ling clicked his tongue in surprise as he noticed that fire-resistant equipment was sold at such prices here. There must have been some monster with fire-type magic around here. Otherwise, the fire-resistant items would not have been sold at such high prices.

 Chapter 29：Scarlet Monastery

    The first thing he had to do in the town was to find lodgings. Xiao Ling quickly located an inn and made it his Town Portal point. He intended to return here to rest at night. Next, he had to accept a quest at the Mercenary Guild. The Mercenary Guild frequently released quests that players cold accept, rewarding them with gold and experience. Also, players could level up by killing monsters during quests, which was an efficient means to do so.


    The Mercenary Guild was filled with traveling players and NPCs. The NPCs would issue quests to the players via the Mercenary Guild.


    Xiao Ling browsed through the quest list. They were hundreds of them, all about purging the Scarlet Monastery. None of the quests overlapped. Xiao Ling gave it some thought and accepted two killing quests.


    Quest 1: Kill 30 Scarlet Warriors. Rewards: 30 gold coins, 3,000 experience.


    Quest 2: Kill 20 Scarlet Mages. Rewards: 30 gold coins, 3,000 experience.


    There was not much of the day left. Finishing these quests and the experience he gained from killing monsters should be sufficient for him to get to level 9. If everything went smoothly, he might even reach level 10.


    Xiao Ling looked up at the quest with the highest rewards on the list.


    Quest: Kill Oslinland. Rewards: 30,000 gold coins, 300,000 experience, level 30 SSS Epic Magic Leggings or level 30 SSS Defensive Melee Leggings. Time limit: three days.


    The handsome rewards made Xiao Ling''s heart stir. If he could get his hands on the 30,000 gold coins, it would mean that he was one step closer to having his own mechanical gargoyle.


    That quest could only be accepted by players around level 30. With Xiao Ling''s level, he would just be sending himself on a suicide mission by charging at Oslinland.


    He accepted his quest and obtained a quest record card. Every Scarlet Mage or Scarlet Warrior Xiao Ling killed would be recorded on this card.


    He went out from the western door and headed southwest. This was a majestic and unsophisticated mountain, towering over Tilia''s southwest like a giant. It had an intense pressure. The scarlet building halfway up the mountain became Tilia''s nightmare. The Scarlet Monastery would frequently loot the riches of the towns and abduct little girls.


    Even though Brakada often sent dedicated troops to purge this place, the Scarlet Monastery persisted like weed. Once winter was over, they would emerge once more and wreak havoc.


    Many players were currently making their way toward the Scarlet Monastery. Xiao Ling avoided them as much as possible.


    He climbed the narrow mountain path with slow but determined footsteps. When he looked over his shoulder, the town of Tilia was already an insignificant spot in the distance.


    Scarlet Warriors frequently spawned here. Xiao Ling dared not let his guard down. He carefully took notice of any signs of movement around himself.


    A Warrior in standard red battle armor gave a battle cry and leapt out of the bushes toward Xiao Ling. The scarlet broadsword shone with a bloodthirsty radiance.


    Scarlet Warrior, level 10.


    Xiao Ling''s lips curled up in a sneer. He had noticed the Scarlet Warrior before it appeared. He waited until the Scarlet Warrior was about five paces from him.


    Force Blast!


    More than 100 damage points. Due to the Force Blast''s effect, the Scarlet Warrior''s movements slowed and became sluggish. It moved closer to Xiao Ling with difficulty.


    Corruption!


    Shadow Bolt!


    Searing Pain!


    He unleashed a series of skills and landed a critical hit. The three spells inflicted more than 700 damage points on the Scarlet Warrior. When he saw that the Scarlet Warrior was only left with 11% of its health bar, an Arcane Spell drew a beautiful arc in the air toward it.


    With a bang, the Scarlet Warrior fell to the ground. Xiao Ling gained more than 30 EXP.


    ''Is this a level 10 monster? Why''s it so fragile? I''ve killed it too quickly... so quickly, in fact, that it''s unimaginable.''


    Xiao Ling picked up the silver coins the Scarlet Warrior dropped. He continued onward toward the Scarlet Monastery. He ran into many Scarlet Warriors along the way and killed them without fail. Xiao Ling was becoming more familiar with his skills, and his reflexes sharpened. When he ran into a monster, he did not have to think much before unleashing a magic spell. It was almost reflexive.


    Xiao Ling''s combat reflexes, sense, and calculative abilities were quite formidable. After such a long time, he gained more combat experience and his strength improved quickly.


    Even Xiao Ling found it strange. These battle instincts seemed to have been rooted within himself. Everything felt so natural to him. Xiao Ling suspected that he had hot blood with a lust for battle flowing through his veins. Perhaps one of his ancestors had been a battle maniac.


    Xiao Ling observed the Scarlet Monastery''s terrain as he loitered outside its buildings. Standing here, Xiao Ling managed to catch glimpses of the outer corridors of the Scarlet Monastery. They seemed to be cordoned off by rows of bald columns, like in a Parthenon of the ancient Greeks.


    There were shadows moving about. Many Scarlet Mages were walking up and down the outer corridors. These level 30 Scarlet Mages could unleash Fireballs with shocking spell damage. Every hit could take 200 points off Xiao Ling''s health. He had a few close calls during his encounters with them. Xiao Ling now understood why fire-resistant equipment was so valuable in Tilia. Without fire-resistant equipment, fighting against that many Scarlet Mages would be nothing short of looking for death.


    With Xiao Ling''s current level, it was too dangerous for him to attempt exploring the outer corridors. He was better off killing some scattered monsters outside the Scarlet Monastery''s walls to level up.


    However, Xiao Ling had also understood the Scarlet Monastery''s layout after spending so much time here. He had learned engineering before, after all. Although engineering was divided into two main branches of architectural mechanisms and mechanical alchemy, and Xiao Ling majored in mechanical alchemy, he had dabbled slightly in architectural mechanisms as well. He was quite knowledgeable when it came to buildings.


    The popular architectural style on the Endace Continent was ancient European style. Strict adherence to symmetry was the unique feature of this style. Compared to other buildings, it was much easier to locate the central hall.


    The Scarlet Monastery covered a wide area of several thousand miles[1. Probably square, or the author confused units¡­ There''s no city proper this big on Earth (unless you count the urban area in). For example, New York City is around 300 miles square. Well, if you count the urban area, it''ll be over 8k miles square.]. Rows upon rows of churches and towers were built in the monastery in complicated arrangements. However, even from the outside, Xiao Ling could roughly deduce the internal architectural structure of the Scarlet Monastery.


    However, Xiao Ling did not currently possess the strength to venture into the Scarlet Monastery.


    The last blood-colored rays of the setting sun made the skies appear like a solemn and stirring painting.


    It was rumored that the Scarlet Monastery''s Sister Oslinland would sacrifice a little girl for the bloodthirsty Evil God Reernard in exchange for eternal life.


    A day passed. This meant another young life would be lost amidst wails.

 Chapter 30：Gold Coins!

    At a quarter past six, Xiao Ling''s level finally rose by one. He was now at level 9.


    Night was falling, as was visibility. Xiao Ling would usually return to the nearest town at about seven o''clock. However, this time, Xiao Ling lingered on until nine.


    He could hardly see anything around himself now. Relying on his sharp senses and quick reflexes, Xiao Ling managed to detect and kill the monsters in time. Hence, he could prolong the time he had to level up, but he was also taking a great risk at the same time.


    What would Xiao Ling have given to have night vision. That way, he would have nearly twice as much time as the other players had for leveling purposes. Demonic Warlocks had their Demon Eye which increased a player''s visibility in the dark. Hence, they had more time for leveling compared to other classes.


    He heard that the skill tome for this skill could be dropped by a certain Boss in the vicinity. However, the drop rate was very low, which meant that the price was sky high. It had once been sold for 15,000 gold coins at the Brakada Auctioneer. The mere mention of the price inspired fear in the listeners. Xiao Ling did not have the luxury of considering buying items that expensive... at least for now.


    If he wanted to do some leveling, his current set of skills was certainly insufficient. Xiao Ling remembered that each class had its own set of practical skills. These skills became the goals that Xiao Ling sought after. They included the Demonic Warlock''s Demon Eye and Summon Demon; Life Tap, Curse of Agony, and other spells of the Affliction Warlocks; and Infernal Fire, Meteor Fire, and other AoE spells of the Destruction Warlocks.


    These were classic spells used by the three specializations of the Warlock Class. They were very practical. However, the skill tomes for magic spells were usually very expensive. Xiao Ling would have to pay a high price to collect these spells. This would have to wait until later. Moreover, building a mechanical puppet required a lot of gold as well. For now, Xiao Ling did not have any excess money to purchase magic skill tomes.


    Xiao Ling fully appreciated how valuable money was. Without money, he could not do anything.


    Truth be told, there was no shortage of gold-making avenues on Endace Continent. For instance, with Xiao Ling''s Artisan rank mining, if he went to mine some ores in the wild, he would be able to earn several hundred gold coins per day. If he found any Rare ores, he might even be able to sell them for 1,000 to 2,000 gold coins. However, Xiao Ling did not have the patience. He had too much that he wanted to achieve. His current priority was to kill Sister Oslinland.


    Xiao Ling could only level up nearby. He accepted the fact that he would have to wait for his chance after his level was high enough.


    The night was thickening; he could not even see his fingers. Xiao Ling had no choice but to teleport back to Tilia. Xiao Ling handed over his quest at the Mercenary Guild and obtained 60 gold coins and 2,000 EXP. The 2,000 experience points raised Xiao Ling''s level by one. He was now at level 10.


    Under the orange glow of the magic lamps, Xiao Ling went back to the inn. Dozens of players were gathered there, chatting. These players were adventurers who had come here from other places. Most of them were only in the range of level 10-20. Perhaps they were here for leveling up or to farm gemstones. However, their destination was usually the same place, the Scarlet Monastery.


    Xiao Ling sat down in a corner and ordered a Hamundale fruit juice. Under the orange light, he drank his beverage slowly. As a warlock with formidable spiritual power, it was no issue for him to go a week without rest. He found it relaxing to be killing time here. He could even learn some useful information from the conversations between players here.


    To prevent his Hilaire''s Demon Ring from catching too much attention, Xiao Ling bought a pair of warming gloves from the inn and wore it over the ring.


    There was a loud din of conversation in the inn, but he could not deny that he could obtain much useful information from the conversation between the other players. At the same time, Xiao Ling''s greatest pastime was to appraise the equipment of others. It must be said that a Mechanical Alchemist''s eyes were too vicious. Xiao Ling could tell the likely attributes of the equipment he was appraising based on some knowledge of the ores he learned before.


    Most of the players had equipment which shone with a light blue glow. The light blue glow was most likely released by the Rain Frost Metal which could be found in the southern tundra. This metal was widely used to forge equipment, giving it some fire resistance. However, due to the lackluster quality of the ore itself, its effects were only mediocre at best.


    Xiao Ling remembered the Scarlet Mages'' Fireballs with their high damage. It seemed that the players had prepared the equipment specifically to defend themselves from the Scarlet Mages'' Fireballs.


    An elite player would usually prepare a few sets of equipment which had frost resistance, fire resistance, lightning resistance, shadow resistance, pure defense, or a similar property. While fighting against a Boss or PvPing, they could switch between different sets of equipment based on their opponent''s attributes.


    However, these were games that the rich played.


    Xiao Ling only had 16 slots in his bag. If he filled them with various equipment, he would not have space for anything else.


    A 16-slot bag only cost 50 gold coins. A 20-slot travel backpack produced by the Mage Association only cost 100 gold coins, the 30-slot version cost 500 gold coins, and the 50-slot version cost 5,000 gold coins. The larger the capacity, the higher the price!


    Xiao Ling could not afford such an expensive backpack!


    Xiao Ling could not help but curse inwardly. ''It''s still a problem of money!''


    He spent a whole three hours in the dark corner. However, he was rewarded with lots of information, including the locations where gemstone drop rates were higher or things to note while killing monsters and fighting Bosses in the Scarlet Monastery. Xiao Ling remembered most of them.


    It was rumored that a party formed by 33 level 40+ players had accepted the Mercenary Guild''s quest of killing Oslinland for the huge reward, but they returned in low spirits after their apparent failure. They searched for two days within the Scarlet Monastery, and could not locate Oslinland. However, they managed to kill one of Oslinland''s servants, Christina, and she dropped an SSS level 20 equip and two gemstones.


    However, that was not worth the time and energy they''d spent in there. A piece of SSS equipment and two gemstones were not too valuable for a party of 33 elite level 40+ players.


    Xiao Ling listened on silently. Nobody would take much notice of him, after all.

 Chapter 31：Enchanting

    Xiao Ling sat in the dark corner. The other players could only see his shadow. Xiao Ling''s equipment did not exactly stand out, which made the other players take less notice of him. On Endace Continent, solo players were never in short supply. However, not many of them were very accomplished.


    Could a solo player challenge a Boss? No! If they could not defeat a Boss, this meant that they could not get good equipment, which consequently limited their achievements. Naturally, they could buy equipment at the Auction House, but there were not many would sell treasures at the Auction House. Even if they got their hands on good equipment, they would usually prefer to trade it within their own circles.


    Most players would frown upon solo players. This was because they would not understand what it meant to be in a team and work as one. If they forced a solo player into their party, that would be a surefire way of being wiped! Once a player embarked as a solo character, they would be cast aside and shunned by everybody else, doomed to the fate of being alone.


    The low and battered wooden door creaked as it opened. A female and three male players walked in. The other players merely glanced at them before continuing their conversations. It was perfectly ordinary for players to come in and out of the inn.


    Xiao Ling glanced at them as well. These four players were a Priest, a female Thief, a Mage, and a Warlock. He found this to be a peculiar combination. They seemed to be lacking in one party member of a melee Class. Could a Thief be the main tanker? Moreover, she was a girl. In Xiao Ling''s impression, female players generally avoided running up to a monster.


    The female Thief looked to be in her thirties. Her body was extraordinary. The exquisite light blue leather armor she wore accentuated her curves without reserve. Her looks were not considered unparalleled, but she was well worth a second look. Her gentle silhouette was easy on the eyes. Xiao Ling could not understand why a gentle-looking lady such as herself would choose the Thief class.


    The stranger thing was that the Priest beside her was actually a Shadow Priest! Shadow Priests were different from Holy Priests. Holy Priests specialized in healing. Their powerful healing and revival abilities made them the favorites of any party. Many classes had revival abilities, but none of the other classes could hold a candle to Priests in terms of healing abilities.


    "Life or death, Priest!" This was the comment of every player toward Holy Priests. A Priest with a high healing power was always in high demand; there was no worry about being unable to form a party regardless of where the Priest was.


    Shadow Priests, on the other hand, were different. They sacrificed one-third of their healing power in favor of shadow damage and curses. Shadow Priests could even be equated to Affliction Warlocks in their leveling. This was very advantageous to Shadow Priests. Even without a party, they could still carry out leveling alone. However, the loss of one-third of the healing power could prove fatal to a party.


    A Priest''s healing power would determine the type of monsters the party could kill. Shadow Priests were often a burden in big quests. Their curses could not be compared to the Affliction Warlocks'', their dps was not as high as ordinary spellcasters'', and even their healing abilities were half-baked. They could not even compare to Nature Druids. Who would want such a Priest? These Priests were only fit to kill monsters with some below-average party or take on low-level Bosses.


    It was said that Shadow Priests would experience a substantial improvement in stats after the second class advancement. The highest level currently achieved by players was only level 49. Who would know anything about level 60? Under such a setting, Dark Priests were as rare as Mechanical Alchemists. The solitary backs of Dark Priests could only be seen in the wild farming grounds. A party with a Holy Priest would never pick a Shadow Priest.


    The warlock on the side had to be a Destruction Warlock, and the mage a Frost Mage. A Frost Mage with crowd control abilities and a Destruction Warlock with high dps. They were fine as far as ADCs were concerned, but it seemed unbalanced to be pairing up with a Thief. The problem was still there. They had a high-dps Destruction Warlock, but could the Thief occupy the monsters?


    ''Maybe there''s still some of their other party members who have yet to arrive. If they had another Warrior among their ranks, that would be ideal,'' Xiao Ling thought. He ordered another glass of fruit juice.


    Xiao Ling had just taken his eyes off them when something on the Shadow Priest''s light blue staff caught his eye. The round symbol on it made Xiao Ling lose his voice. ''Good heavens! It''s an enchantment!''


    This Shadow Priest appeared to be slightly over level 10, and yet he managed to add an enchantment on his staff!


    A blue magic crystal was embedded on the top of the pure dark gold staff. Judging by the detailed workmanship, the staff had to be an Epic. Xiao Ling guessed that it was an SSS-ranked item. Otherwise, the Shadow Priest would have never enchanted his staff. Enchanting an item cost at least 1,000 gold coins. Did this mean that his staff was of such high quality that he was willing to spend 1,000 gold coins to enchant this level 10 item?


    Enchantments could be categorized as followed: totem enchantment, crest enchantment, netherweave enchantment, glyph enchantment, and magic circle enchantment. The totem, crest, and netherweave enchantments were products of the Evil Alliance''s technology. Only a fraction of those would find their way to the Angelic Alliance. On the other hand, glyph and magic circle enchantments were commonly seen in the Angelic Alliance.


    The enchantment pattern on the staff was round. Several geometrical shapes were drawn in the center, while the edges shone with a faint bluish hue. Xiao Ling knew that the bluish glow was the product of the pulsing magic elements. The enchantment figure on that staff had to be a magic circle. Engraving one''s staff with a magic circle would enable it to convert the magic elements in the air to energy for the staff.


    The civilization of the Endace Continent was too rich. The Angelic Alliance''s technology alone was divided into the three branches of glyphs, magic circles, and transmutation circles. These technologies had progressed over the 10,000 years they had been passed down for. Their development was endless. They produced sub-branches of their own, which made them unimaginably complex in their current forms.


    Take Xiao Ling for example. As a Mechanical Alchemist, glyphs and transmutation circles were his specialty. However, he had only scratched the surface of glyphs and transmutation circles knowledge. The mechanical alchemy glyphs and mechanical construction transmutation circles Xiao Ling learned were but insignificant branches of the field of glyphs and transmutation circles.


    Glyphs, transmutations circles, and magic circles were used in enchantments as well. Xiao Ling did not know much about enchantments. The only thing he knew was that enchantments granted the enchanted equipment certain unique attributes. He could not decipher what the Shadow Priest''s staff was enchanted with. The only thing he was sure of was that enchanting was expensive!

 Chapter 32：Strange Party

    Xiao Ling glanced at the equipment of the remaining three players. Their gauntlets, staves, robes, and weapons were covered in enchanting magic circles. Xiao Ling had the feeling that he was about to faint. The total cost of their equipment would be at least 30,000 gold coins!


    That was an amount of money most players could only dream of. The four of them had to be supported by some large guild. With their equipment, they would be practically unstoppable in any leveling ground with monsters around their own levels.


    It was possible that their equipment belonged to their guild. Guilds usually had a selection of low-level equipment which the low-level players could use so that they could level up quickly and catch up to the progress of the raid quests. Some guilds would even provide a whole range of equipment from low-level ones to SSS-ranked enchanted ones. Naturally, the players were subjected to a rigorous selection process before they were allowed to use the equipment.


    Xiao Ling was silent for a moment. He was thinking about his own way forward. He realized that it would be difficult for him to rise above all the other players. Some of them had a head start, some of them had financial support, and some of them had a fixed and powerful team. On the other hand, Xiao Ling had nothing. He had to work hard for himself. He was also friendless, which meant that he would not be given any information about the game. However, Xiao Ling was not a person who would resign himself to such a lowly fate. He could allow himself to fail, but he would never allow himself to be mediocre.


    "Excuse me, is the seat taken?" A gentle and clear voice came. Xiao Ling looked up to the speaker and saw the four players who had just entered the inn. It was the female Thief who spoke.


    Xiao Ling scanned the inn. The other tables were fully occupied; his was the only one with empty seats. Xiao Ling nodded, and the four players sat down. Xiao Ling sized them up. The Dark Priest was a man in his 30s, with a sturdy build, chiseled face, and a stubble, which gave him an overall air of steadiness. The Frost Mage and Destruction Warlock looked younger and were quite handsome.


    However, Xiao Ling was not used to spending time with strangers.


    The five of them sat at the table. Xiao Ling felt awkward sharing a table with strangers.


    He was about to get up when the female Thief spoke with a smile, "What''s your name, little brother?" Her smile was polite, and so were her actions. She left a good impression on him.


    "Xiao Ling," Xiao Ling replied out of helplessness.


    "My name''s Lin Fei, you can call me Sister Lin," said Lin Fei. She continued to introduce the others. "This is my husband, Tian Kuang. These two are Tian Fei and Tian Xin, our party members."


    Lin Fei made the introductions heartily. Xiao Ling was slightly at a loss, he was unsure how he was supposed to react.


    Tian Kuang nodded toward Xiao Ling. He was a steady middle-aged man. It was difficult to picture such a person bearing such a name.


    Tian Fei and Tian Xin shot Xiao Ling polite smiles.


    They were kind. The two youngsters were well-behaved as well. Xiao Ling''s impression of the four of them was not bad. However, Xiao Ling did not usually mingle with strangers out of choice, nor was he used to exchanging pleasantries.


    "I''m here for quests and to level up by killing monsters while I''m at it." Xiao Ling was careful not to say too much. He was slightly guarded against them.


    Lin Fei nodded, and said, "We''re heading to Alterac Valley to kill some monsters and do some leveling ourselves. Will you be interested to join us, little brother?"


    Alterac Valley was beside the Scarlet Monastery. There were several camps of Scarlet Warriors and Scarlet Mages there; the place would be teeming with them. Anyone intending to farm monsters at spots where they aggregated in such high densities would have to pick their teammates carefully. Xiao Ling was only a level 10. Lin Fei was only inviting him out of courtesy.


    "I have another quest to complete tomorrow. I might not have the time to join you," Xiao Ling turned down her offer politely.


    "Oh, very well, then," Lin Fei replied. She glanced at Tian Fei beside her. "Fei, you can go and recruit the others now."


    Tian Fei nodded. He stood up and went to the inn''s counter.


    To make forming parties easier, the players had a customary convention. The inn at nighttime was where players gathered. There would usually be a dedicated counter where players recruited party members and discussed the next day''s plans.


    As he looked at Tian Fei''s receding back, Xiao Ling could no longer restrain his curiosity any longer. He wanted to know why there were only four of them. He asked, "Is there someone from your party who isn''t here yet?"


    "There are only four of us in this party." Lin Fei''s words did nothing to quell Xiao Ling''s curiosity. Parties supported by large guilds should have had fixed members. This did not explain why they were short of a main melee player.


    "So, are you thinking of recruiting a melee class player?" Xiao Ling ventured.


    Tian Kuang and Lin Fei looked at each other and smiled. She shook her head, but did not explain herself. It seemed as if it was an important matter that had to be kept secret. Although he was still curious, he knew better than to pester them when they had no intention of telling him. Perhaps the reason for their silence was because this concerned some secret. Xiao Ling would be rude to press for an answer.


    "I''ll be heading upstairs now. Goodnight." Xiao Ling stood up and addressed them.


    "Goodnight," replied Tian Kuang and Lin Fei with faint smiles. They could tell that Xiao Ling did not like to mingle with strangers.


    Xiao Ling navigated through the crowd toward the wooden stairs.


    "Our party''s recruiting a Fire Mage or Destruction Warlock with 100+ dps and AoE skills to farm monsters in the Alterac Valley. We''ll be heading there at fixed times for three days. Anyone interested, please whisper me." Xiao Ling could clearly hear Tian Fei''s voice over the din of the crowd. He paused in his tracks.


    Dps referred to a player''s damage output. Xiao Ling was puzzled. They already had a Frost Mage and a Destruction Warlock, so why were they recruiting another DPS instead of a melee class player? Xiao Ling found this odd. They also wanted a player who knew AoE skills. Were they planning on farming hordes of monsters at once? How would the Thief cope with that?


    Xiao Ling was puzzled, but he knew that this had nothing to do with him. If they did not want to tell him, it was not his place to ask. Xiao Ling turned to the stairs and headed up to his room.

 Chapter 33：Concept of a Perpetual Motion Device

    Lin Fei waited until Xiao Ling''s silhouette disappeared up the stairs. She turned to Tian Kuang. "I think that kid''s got skills. We should invite him to join us if we bump into him in the future."


    "You can tell?" asked Tian Kuang. He was always impressed by this wife of his. She was much cleverer than he was.


    "I''ve asked him if he was here to do quests or leveling. Do you remember his answer?" Lin Fei asked.


    Tian Kuang recalled his words. "He said he was here for quests, and to level up while he''s at it."


    "However, using my Detection, I discovered that he''s only a level 10. For a level 10 player to be doing quests here, either he must have really good equipment or he''s very confident in his control skills, and I can see that he didn''t have much good equipment on him," Lin Fei explained. She''d thought that the kid might actually be out of his mind, but she''d quickly stamped it out. From their conversation just now, Xiao Ling seemed like an alert person. At the very least, he was not stupid.


    Tian Kuang gave it some consideration. He found that he agreed with Lin Fei.


    Xiao Ling entered his room and the outside noise was instantly silenced. Every room was equipped with noise-cancelling barriers. No amount of noise would disturb Xiao Ling in his room.


    He lay down on the bed and thought about his future. How should he go about distinguishing himself from all these other players? If he wore Hilaire''s Demon Ring, he might become a powerful player among his peers, but if he wanted to become a real powerful player, he would have to raise his level.


    Was there any way to level up quicker than the other players?


    Xiao Ling''s mind wandered. Tian Fei''s words lingered in his ears. He mumbled, "AoE magic. It''d be nice to have some AoE magic." Although Force Blast was regarded as an AoE spell, it could only be released in short range. Also, its spell damage left much to desire.


    Xiao Ling thought about the skills of the warlocks.


    With all three specializations, Xiao Ling had a wide range of abilities to choose from. However, every player was only allowed to learn 20 abilities. Before he learned any of them, he would have to study them before deciding to buy their skill tomes. He would have to spend his money prudently and buy only those that he needed.


    He would need to buy Demon Eye, which would improve his visibility at night. After learning this skill, Xiao Ling would have access to more leveling time than the others. If he worked hard, he was certain that he could catch up to them.


    "Continuous operation for 24 hours, isn''t that a perpetual motion device?" Xiao Ling wore a dreamy smile. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. A perpetual motion device, could he actually become a perpetual motion device?


    Xiao Ling remembered an Affliction Warlock skill called Life Tap, which converted part of his health points into mana points.


    While farming monsters, Xiao Ling had to sit down and drink spring water to restore his mana. If he learned Life Tap, he would never have to worry about having insufficient mana as long as he had enough HP.


    A Demonic Warlock''s Drain Life and an Affliction Warlock''s Life Tap, what a terrifying combination that would be!


    He could maintain his full health with Drain Life and delegate some to MP with Life Tap when it was running low. Then, he could continue draining life from monsters with Drain Life.


    If the skill levels of Drain Life and Life Tap were high enough, Xiao Ling could abandon bread and spring water completely. In other words, he could save up to 50% of leveling time every day!


    With the addition of Demon Eye, he would have twice as much time for leveling. Xiao Ling would have 24 hours of leveling time each day, a staggering four times more than ordinary players. This way, he could quickly narrow the gap between him and the high-level players.


    This unexpected discovery seemed to have made Xiao Ling see light at the end of the tunnel. This was a path leading straight to the altar of the gods! This was his future.


    However, it was too early to celebrate. The outrageous prices of Life Tap and Demon Eye aside, he would still have to spend much time mastering Drain Life. A low-level Drain Life was a useless skill. It was almost pitiable to see the meager amount of health points drained. Hence, Xiao Ling had to use Drain Life more and increase its mastery. Then, he would have to raise its skill level with the help of a warlock tutor.


    However, there was a setting in the game. Skill mastery levels could only be raised if he killed monsters no lower than two levels from his own. Hence, it was not practical to train his mastery level by farming low-level monsters. He could only improve his skill mastery level by using Drain Life more frequently while he was leveling.


    He heard that the skill tome for Demon Eye could drop somewhere nearby. However, he did not know the exact location, and would have to try his luck wandering blindly. Hasty men would not get to eat hot tofu; he would have to take one step at a time to achieve his goals.


    Xiao Ling was also prepared to sell some of the equipment in his vault for money to buy skill tomes. However, skill tomes were not always available even if one had the money for it. Luck was also important. He wondered if he would have enough luck to meet someone selling the skill tomes of these skills.


    Xiao Ling immersed himself in deep thoughts as he lay there on the bed. After some time, he began feeling drowsy and gradually fell into a deep sleep.


    The night was dark and quiet.


    In the early hours of the morning, before the sun was up and only faint white light emerged from the horizon, Xiao Ling woke up and walked out of the inn. He took a deep breath of the fresh air. It was the beginning of a new day.


    He cast his gaze to the southwest. He saw four figures walking toward the Scarlet Monastery.


    ''What a hardworking bunch,'' Xiao Ling thought. He told himself that he should get to work as well. The Mercenary Guild was already bustling with players who were here to accept the day''s quests.


    Xiao Ling looked at the list of quests. Most of them were about the Scarlet Monastery. Xiao Ling picked a few. If he completed the quests today, he would level up again.


    There were more than 300 quests on the list with varying rewards. For a time, Xiao Ling was spoiled with choices. Suddenly, a quest stood out and caught his eye.


    Finding Crazed Boar Fangs: Collect 30 Crazed Boar Fangs. Location: Alterac Valley''s Boar Mine. Rewards: 50 gold coins, 5,000 experience, a level 20 Rare spellcaster Class gauntlet. Time limit: Three days. No penalty for failure.


    It was also noted that players should be of level 20 and above. The rewards for this quest were not exactly generous, but the words "Boar Mine" attracted Xiao Ling''s attention. These mines usually produced many high-quality ores, so perhaps he could chance upon some rare ones. After accepting the quest, Xiao Ling would be able to pin the Boar Mine''s exact location on the map. Even if he failed the quest, there would be no penalty.


    He accepted several other quests for killing Scarlet Mages and Warriors. Xiao Ling packed his belongings and headed toward the mountains in the southwest.


    Xiao Ling remembered that Lin Fei''s party was headed for the Alterac Valley. He wondered if he would run into them.

 Chapter 34：The Alterac Valley

    As he passed by Tilia''s gates, a roadside stall caught Xiao Ling''s attention. The stall was selling rapid-restoring mana potion. Exquisite crystal vials held the watery blue potions as they were displayed at the stall. The liquid was clear and pure.


    These rapid-restoring mana potions were a great boon to players. With the replenishment from these potions, the players could stay engaged in battle for a longer period of time, enabling them to challenge Bosses of higher levels and obtain equipment of higher levels as well. More importantly, the rapid-restoring mana potion could very well save a player''s life at crucial times.


    Magic was a spellcaster''s lifeline! There was no error in that statement. A spellcaster without mana would only have death waiting for them in the face of a formidable monster or player. It was every spellcaster''s dream to have these rapid-restoring mana potions at hand at all times.


    However, they were not exactly affordable for everyone.


    The scarcity of magical herbs meant that the supply of mana potions could not keep up with the demand, pushing the price of mana potions well above that of health potions. It was six times more expensive than health potions. However, even with this outrageous price, players would still rush like ducks to buy all available stock.


    The vendor was a young man in his 20s. His short crop of dark hair gave him a fresh look. He wore an alchemist''s robe, which was different from a Mechanical Alchemist''s robe. The robes of Mechanical Alchemists were embroidered with glyphs, while his was embroidered with ivy. This was a sign of his identity¡ªhe was an Apothecary Alchemist!


    There were more than 30 vials of mana potions on display. Every vial of rapid-restoring mana potion was priced at 30 gold coins!


    The young man hollered, "Mini rapid-restoring mana potions for sale! 30 gold coins each, ceasing operations after three minutes. Get it while stocks last." His tone was layered with some pride. It was as if he did not have to worry that his rapid-restoring mana potions would not sell. People would still buy it even if he set a higher price tag.


    There were no poor Apothecary Alchemists. That was true. Apothecary Alchemists would frequently encounter magical herbs during their leveling. They would then harvest these herbs and concoct various potions, some of which they used themselves, and the remaining ones they sold for money.


    By selling these mana potions alone, the young man could earn more than 10,000 gold coins!


    Xiao Ling felt as if he was the only poor person in the world. He felt slightly helpless. He dared not buy such an expensive potion. He was about to leave when he stopped and turned back. He was thinking of buying one vial just in case. After all, it might just save his life when he found himself in a pinch. He steeled his resolve, took out 30 gold coins, and bought a vial. He quickly stowed it away in his bag and continued his journey to the southwest.


    Xiao Ling barely left the stall when other players gathered around it. The 30 or so vials of mini rapid-restoring mana potions were swept away by the customers. There were also those who asked for more.


    "That''s all I have," said the young man drily. He packed his stall and gave his puffy bag a pat. He had a smile on his face. ''With this money, I''ll be able to buy a lot of high-level equipment. It''s so tiring to level up on my own.''


    When the other players heard that, they walked away, appearing slightly dejected.


    The morning mist had obscured the Scarlet Monastery. The scarlet buildings could faintly be seen amidst the white mist, making them appear mysterious and peculiar. This being his second time here, Xiao Ling navigated the area with familiarity. However, this time, his destination was behind the Scarlet Monastery. He was heading for the Alterac Valley.


    Boar Mine. Coordinates: Tilia 329.238.506.


    Xiao Ling ambled along the Scarlet Monastery''s perimeter walls. This was a frequent spawning spot for Scarlet Warriors and Mages. He had to be careful.


    A solo player would have to prepare for more dangers. Xiao Ling found himself missing the days when he farmed monsters with Luan Ying, Yu Xue, and Fei Yu. He quickly drove the thought out of his mind. He could not allow himself to have a tendency of relying on others. If he got used to working in a team and relying on his teammates, compromising for them, this would mean that he had sacrificed a huge part of who he was.


    Teams would usually give rise to brainless spellcasters. This was because they rarely had the need to move about. With a Warrior taking damage in front of them and a Priest Healing them from the back, all they needed to do was locate a remote corner and churn out spell after spell. They just had to be careful to keep the damage within the threat level.


    Xiao Ling did not want to become such a spellcaster.


    Xiao Ling thought about being a merit-centric player before, but the current levels of the players were too high. He would only be going onto the battlefield to get himself killed instantly. Without another choice available to him, he could only farm monsters and raise his level slowly.


    Xiao Ling walked along the Scarlet Monastery''s perimeter wall toward the Alterac Valley. The morning mist was still lingering, and he could not see too far ahead. He kept his pace slow so that he would not run into too many monsters and land himself in trouble.


    He managed to kill many Scarlet Warriors and Mages along the way. He even picked up an Uncommon equipment piece. It was an unidentified item.


    Xiao Ling chucked it into his bag and navigated through the forest. He could hear raging waters which sounded like the hooves of a stampeding horses from afar. He followed the sound and arrived at a waterfall, dozens of meters tall and four meters wide, situated between two mountains. Water sprayed everywhere in a fine mist. There was a pond at the end of the waterfall, which emptied into a winding stream that disappeared into the horizon. There was a vast plain between the mountains. The green mountains and clear waters resembled something out of a painting. It was beautiful beyond words.


    This was the Alterac Valley! A valley dotted with plains and forests. Thin mist hung within the valley, giving it a peaceful and aesthetic quality. If Xiao Ling had to imagine how paradise would look like, this was exactly the way he would picture it.


    Xiao Ling stood at the source of the waterfall and cast his gaze to the horizon as he took in the sight of the Alterac Valley. The sharp relief of the mountain walls several hundred meters tall which flanked the valley added a majestic quality to it.


    There was a small path leading down to the Alterac Valley beside the waterfall. It was steep and struck fear to those who looked down. One would surely die if they fell from this height.


    Xiao Ling was walking down the path into the Alterac Valley when he heard some weird noises from the nearby forest.


    The trees parted. A fiery red figure emerged from the mist and moved toward him. The figure wielded a huge sword which shone with a cold gleam. It was coming at him!


    It appeared to be a Scarlet Warrior. If it was a single Scarlet Warrior, Xiao Ling would not be worried. He prepared himself for battle.


    A sharp cry rang through the heavens. It sounded like some kind of eagle. A black shadow shot past above him.


    Xiao Ling looked up and saw a black eagle. Its wingspan was about one meter, and its feathers were completely black. It circled above Xiao Ling''s head.


    Xiao Ling hesitated. Was this black eagle a monster too? Was it targeting himself as well?

 Chapter 35：Hunting Down

    Charge!


    The Blood Warrior brandished its huge sword and charged toward Xiao Ling. Its merciless sword strokes broke through the morning mist; it gleamed brightly as its force shot out in all directions.


    Scarlet Barbarian Warrior: Level 13 leader. Xiao Ling felt his chest tighten. He did not expect to run into a leader-ranked monster.


    Leader-ranked monsters were slightly inferior compared to Bosses or elite monsters. They were the equivalent of small-time Bosses in some monster spawning grounds.


    However, such a monster would already be a handful for Xiao Ling.


    The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior was still some distance away, yet the force emanating from its sword grated on Xiao Ling''s eardrums. When he saw that the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior was five paces away, Xiao Ling unleashed his Force Blast without hesitation.


    The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior merely slowed for an instant before continuing its momentum toward Xiao Ling. The same spell had drastically different effects on Boss-level monsters compared to ordinary monsters.


    Xiao Ling retreated as he released his instantaneous spells. Under normal circumstances, these spells could deal 100 to several hundred points of spell damage, but as they hit the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior, they merely dealt several dozen points'' worth of damage. After a volley of spells, Xiao Ling only managed to take 3% out of the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s health bar.


    These monsters were designed with a team of players in mind. It was impossible for him to face it alone!


    Run! That was Xiao Ling''s first instinct. He would undoubtedly die if he chose to fight the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior. He could not afford to be tied down by it.


    "Bam!" The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s weapon shot past Xiao Ling''s body. The 200 points of damage struck fear in Xiao Ling''s heart. The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior was three levels above him. Its attacks were terrifyingly powerful. On top of that, his defenses were not exactly high. A single sword strike would deplete half of his health bar.


    Ring of Repellent!


    A white ring spread out from Xiao Ling''s body. The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior was pushed back until it was more than 10 paces away from Xiao Ling. Without wasting a single second, Xiao Ling ran. He eyed the long and narrow path. Xiao Ling did not have the luxury to be picky now. He ran along the path toward the Alterac Valley.


    The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior was hot on his heels. The two figures sprinted along the mountain path.


    The cliff was dozens of meters tall. The simple act of peering over the edge made one''s knees go weak. On the other side was the raging waterfall, splashing water as cold as iced blades onto the faces of the trekkers.


    Xiao Ling''s agility was a far cry from the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s. It was slowly closing the distance between them. Xiao Ling glanced at the cooldown countdown of his Ring of Repellent.


    There was another eagle-like call. The black eagle folded its wings and a dived like a meteor toward Xiao Ling. This was the action of eagles moving in to catch their food!


    It never rains but it pours. Why did this eagle pick him as a target? He did not even know what level it was at.


    Xiao Ling glanced at his health bar; only slightly more than 40% was left. He wondered if he could fend off the black eagle while running away from the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior.


    Three seconds, two, one.


    The cooldown for his Ring of Repellent was finally up. The black eagle had swooped down from above. It was getting closer and closer to him. Xiao Ling could even see the black eagle''s steely talons and sharp beak.


    Condor: Level 13.


    Birds had a certain speed boost as they dived. With his remaining 40% of health points, he was certain that he could not withstand a hit from the Condor.


    He was in imminent peril. He could not think of any other way.


    Ring of Repellent!


    A faint white ring pushed the Condor away. It turned and rolled in the air for a long time before finally stabilizing itself.


    Furious Slash!


    Behind him, the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s sword was finally brought down. It gave a sharp whistle as the blade moved through the air toward Xiao Ling, unleashing a blade force several meters long.


    He had just used his Ring of Repellent, and Force Blast was definitely not enough to parry the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s attack. Xiao Ling cursed. The cold draft from the waterfall mingled with the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s blade force and came at Xiao Ling. He had nowhere else to run. He glanced at the deep pool below.


    Without a second choice available, Xiao Ling leapt sideways and dropped toward the pool. The wind roared deafeningly in his ears as his body lost altitude.


    Xiao Ling could only pray that his 40% HP was enough to survive the fall. If he''d known that this would happen, he would have stocked up on some health potions.


    As he fell, he seemed to have seen the Condor perching on the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s shoulder. The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior was sneering at him.


    With a plump, Xiao Ling felt a great slap across his back. His throat stung. His eyes, nose, and ears were instantly filled with water. Xiao Ling found it difficult to breathe. He struggled desperately, and finally felt his body stop sinking.


    Xiao Ling forced himself to hold his own breath. He moved his limbs and swam upward.


    He then seemed to have touched something with his hand. He immediately grabbed hold of it and pulled himself out of the water. It was a protruding rock on the bank.


    Xiao Ling filled his lungs greedily with air. He bit back the tearing sensation in his eyes and observed his surroundings. Fortunately, there were no monsters around.


    Xiao Ling was still panting. He eyed his health bar: 7%. The pond''s water had somehow broken his fall and greatly reduced the impact, but his health bar was too short. A drop from more than 10 meters took more than 30% of his HP.


    There was the call of the Condor again. The sound streaked across the air. Xiao Ling felt his chest tighten and looked up. A black shadow was circling the skies like a specter. They were not letting him go just yet!


    Xiao Ling quickly dashed into the low bushes nearby. He hid himself there for a while and ate a piece of bread. His health was slowly returning.


    The Condor was still circling the skies. It might be looking for Xiao Ling''s actual position.


    Xiao Ling silently cursed his own fate of running into these two monsters. Although the Condor''s level was not high, it had a wide field of vision once it was in the air. On top of that, there was the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior which could show up at any time. Xiao Ling had to consider his current situation seriously. Would they hunt him down?


    Usually, the area''s leader monster would not give chase after he was out of the area''s bounds. Did he perhaps kill too many Scarlet Warriors and caused the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior to develop a certain amount of hatred against him? Was that the reason why it chased after him relentlessly?


    Xiao Ling looked at his current location on the map. He was a kilometer away from the Boar Mine. He would have to get past this low forest.


    ''If I''m in the Boar Mine, that Scarlet Barbarian won''t come after me, right?'' Xiao Ling thought.


    He kept an eye on the Condor in the skies. Under the cover of the trees, he made his way toward the Alterac Valley.


    A brilliant flash of light erupted far away. The glaring radiance made Xiao Ling''s pupils contract. A searing patch of clouds gathered in the air in the distance, covering a large area. The flames burned the surrounding air. Then, red fireballs rained down with a shocking density and force. The smell of char filled the air.

 Chapter 36：Farming

    The searing clouds were toasting the mist around them. The mist evaporated instantly.


    The rain of flames had a terrifying grandeur. It could be clearly seen even from a few kilometers away. Xiao Ling could imagine what would happen if he found himself in the thick of that fiery downpour.


    ''That must have been a Destruction Warlock''s Meteor Fire!''


    The sheer might of the spell inspired awe in Xiao Ling. He longed for the day where he would master a destructive spell with a wide AoE such as that one.


    The formidable spell was worth several thousand gold coins!


    ''Who would farm monsters here with Meteor Fire? Could it be them?'' Making the connections with what he had seen and heard yesterday, Xiao Ling found it highly possible that this was the work of Lin Fei and her companions. He was curious. How would they farm monsters? They were a party of a Frost Mage, Destruction Warlock, Shadow Priest, and a Thief. Could they farm monsters with that lineup?


    His curiosity got the better of him. Xiao Ling moved closer under the cover of the trees.


    He saw a few figures standing there. If they discovered that they were being spied on, things would get awkward. Xiao Ling inched carefully toward the edge of the forest, and finally saw what was happening.


    The sight made his jaw drop; he was horrified. Corpses of Scarlet Warriors were strewn all over the place. There were dozens of them on the forest floor. The Scarlet Warriors all showed signs of being burned. They were clearly bombarded to death by the Destruction Warlock''s Meteor Fire.


    White ice crystals glittered at their feet, the origin of the spell that conjured them unknown. Gold coins shone on the ground. There were even several pieces of equipment. Lin Fei was clearing the place. Tian Kuang, Tian Xin, and Tian Fei were sitting on the ground and having a drink of water.


    How did they do it? They were too formidable! To think that they were capable of killing dozens of Scarlet Warriors in one go!


    What a scary efficiency! Xiao Ling could not even bring himself to imagine such a rate of killing monsters.


    Lin Fei picked up the items and stood up. She spoke to Tian Kuang, "I''ll go attract more monsters."


    "Alright." Tian Kuang nodded. He continued drinking spring water to replenish his mana.


    Lin Fei ran toward the Scarlet Encampment in the distance.


    Xiao Ling made some guesses about their monster farming procedure. However, he did not know the details of their operations. He wondered what was the meaning of having a Frost Mage and a Destruction Warlock in a party.


    Xiao Ling remained where he was. He stood there silently while he waited to see how they farmed monsters.


    There was another bird''s call in the air. It was that Condor again. He reckoned that the Condor had noticed the situation here.


    Tian Kuang looked up at the Condor. He opened up a voice channel. "Come back now. He''s coming."


    Lin Fei looked up at the Condor and walked back slowly. The Condor was the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s eyes. The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior was sure to be here soon. If they attracted more monsters, they would be in trouble. It was safer to take care of the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior first.


    Xiao Ling was disgruntled. If it were not for the Condor, Xiao Ling would have been able to see how they farmed monsters. Judging by their reactions, that Scarlet Barbarian Warrior should be appearing at any moment now. The components of their party were not suitable to take on a Boss. However, with their abilities, it should not be a problem for them to deal with a small-time level 13 Boss.


    Xiao Ling gave it some thought. It was meaningless for him to stay here and watch them fight a Boss. He decided to head toward the Boar Mine for the quest.


    Xiao Ling scanned the area. Where did Lin Fei go? She was here just a moment ago, where did she disappear to? He saw Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin looking in his direction. Xiao Ling knew that this could mean nothing good. He made to slip away.


    Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. His heart skipped a beat. He turned around to see Lin Fei looking at him with half a smile.


    Xiao Ling felt his hair stood on ends when he saw Lin Fei''s "leer".


    "I''ve invited you to come with us, and you''ve rejected. What''re you doing sneaking around here, then?" Lin Fei asked him with a soft giggle.


    Xiao Ling felt his cheeks burn. He mustered as much conviction as he could, and replied, "I''m here for a quest, and ran into you guys coincidentally."


    "Oh, really?" Ln Fei eyed Xiao Ling suspiciously. She gave it some thought before speaking, "You''ve just arrived, right? What quest are you doing?"


    A Thief was an expert in countertracking. If Xiao Ling kept following behind Lin Fei, there was no way that she would not notice. The only explanation was that Xiao Ling had truly just arrived in this place and ran into them unintentionally. However, why would a level 10 player be here on a quest in the first place? Was Xiao Ling that confident in his own strength?


    If Xiao Ling had said that he did not know how to use the map, Lin Fei and her companions would not have believed him. Xiao Ling was too poor to afford a map and did not socialize with other players. With his limited sources of information, it was only natural for him to have no idea where he should or should not go. He practically stumbled upon this place.


    Tian Kuang and the others made their way here. When Tian Kuang saw Xiao Ling, he first appeared shocked, but he quickly regained his calm expression.


    Xiao Ling felt that there was no need to hide that. After all, they did not seem to harbor ill intentions. This was also a good opportunity for him to clarify his reason for being here. Xiao Ling told them, "I''m going to the Boar Mine to farm Crazed Boar Fangs.


    Tian Kuang''s expression changed. He exchanged a look with Lin Fei, and they saw the shock in each other''s eyes. Xiao Ling was going to the Boar Mine for a quest on his own, at his level!


    Xiao Ling did not plan on completing the quest soon. He merely wanted to try his luck at the Boar Mine and see if he could dig up something valuable. Xiao Ling was completely oblivious to the amount of shock his innocent words had given Lin Fei and the others. Xiao Ling did not know that they were aware of his level. That was why he answered their question carelessly.


    "Do you need help?" asked Tian Kuang. "We have a quest at the Boar Mine as well." Tian Kuang was also curious about Xiao Ling''s strength. He was filled with interest in Xiao Ling.


    Xiao Ling gave it some thought. Teaming up with them would only be beneficial for him. He could even see how they go about farming monsters. Since he was given the offer, he was sure that there would be hard feelings if he turned it down again.


    Xiao Ling nodded.


    System: Tian Kuang invites you to join his party. Will you accept?


    Accept!


    System: You have joined Tian Kuang''s party.


    When Xiao Ling joined the party, he concealed his own level. This was a right for the members of any party. When Tian Kuang and Lin Fei saw Xiao Ling conceal his level, they exchanged a meaningful look and smiled.


    Xiao Ling looked at the levels of the others. Lin Fei was level 17, Tian Kuang level 19, and Tian Fei and Tian Xin were level 16. Their levels were slightly lower than Xiao Ling expected.


    "Do you have any AoE spells?" Tian Kuang asked.


    Xiao Ling''s face reddened as he said, "I only have Force Blast."


    Force Blast was a beginner level spell. Every Destruction Warlock knew it.


    Tian Kuang eyed Xiao Ling''s equipment. With his experience, he could certainly tell that Xiao Ling''s equipment were cheap items that cost several gold coins apiece.


    Tian Kuang nodded understandingly. "You can be in charge of dealing with the stragglers while we farm."


    "Alright." Xiao Ling was still curious to see how they farmed monsters.


    There was a sharp whistle from afar. It was the Scarlet Warrior''s. The Condor flew over toward it.


    Tian Kuang smiled, and said, "Scarlet Barbarian Warrior. Let''s have an appetizer, shall we? We can take this opportunity to get to know each other as well." Finding a suitable party member was hard work. If Xiao Ling had good operating skills, Tian Kuang would love to have him stay as a party member.

 Chapter 37：Scarlet Barbarian Warrior

    The Condor circled above their heads while keeping a watchful eye on their movements. The morning mist had all but evaporated. They could faintly see a fiery red figure moving toward them through the openings between the trees.


    The relaxed expressions of the other members made Xiao Ling relax as well.


    "These Scarlet Barbarian Warriors are leaders of the Alterac Valley. They often patrol these parts. We''ve killed a few before this," said Tian Kuang.


    Xiao Ling was hit with a sudden realization. No wonder they appeared so relaxed.


    Lin Fei appeared well at ease. She walked up to the cluster of trees and hid herself from the Condor''s view with the canopy.


    Stealth!


    Lin Fei turned invisible as she waited silently for the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s arrival. Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin remained where they were. They stood there casually. Since they were not worried, Xiao Ling thought he would not have to be too worked up about this. After all, he was not the main character here.


    The Condor gave another call. It seemed to be reporting their whereabouts to the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior.


    When the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior saw Xiao Ling and the others standing there, it moved closer with more caution.


    "Ready?" Tian Kuang asked.


    Tian Xin nodded. He gripped his azure staff. Xiao Ling glanced at Tian Kuang, and then at Tian Xin. He had no idea what they had planned.


    The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior stopped. It sensed dangerous auras coming from Tian Kuang, Tian Xin, and the others. It could also sense the auras of its now-dead comrades.


    Berserk!


    The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior seemed to swell up. Its skin was now the color of blood. The bloodlust it exuded was almost tangible, and its eyes showed a passionate intent for battle. It stared at the four of them.


    At this moment, Lin Fei moved in. She moved by pushing herself forward with the tips of her toes. Her movements were nimble and agile. Her blinding speed made her appear like a blur which shot past. The taps of her toes seemed to have some unique rhythm to them. The blue dagger in her hand found its way to the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s head.


    There was a flash of cold light and a spray of blood. The dagger cut open the soft flesh of the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s neck effortlessly. The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s bright red burning gaze lost focus gradually. It was now stunned.


    Lin Fei''s movements were fluid without any pauses. The dagger made no sound as it moved through the air. Xiao Ling could not help but cheer. He was amazed. He had been wrong. Lin Fei was not gentle and meek as he''d thought. Her skills were not inferior to any other Rogue[1. Author called her a Thief at first, but now it''s been "Rogue" for a while. It''s possible that one is a subclass of the other, or just a mistake.]. Her feats did not concede to that of men.


    Corruption!


    Tian Kuang''s, Tian Xin''s, and Tian Fei''s spells drew perfect arcs in the air while they sailed toward the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior. However, Xiao Ling''s magic had already hit the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior. Tian Kuang, Tian Xin, and Tian Fei noticed that their spell dealt much more damage to the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior than they normally would have.


    Tian Kuang exclaimed inwardly. This was an Affliction Warlock''s skill, Corruption! When he heard Xiao Ling said that he knew Force Blast, Tian Kuang had thought that Xiao Ling was a Destruction Warlock. He did not expect Xiao Ling to know an Affliction Warlock''s Corruption as well. Tian Kuang realized that he would have to reassess Xiao Ling''s worth. Also, Xiao Ling had cast his curse before any of them did. This showed that he had good reflexes and operation skills.


    He wondered what Xiao Ling''s class was. He should be a warlock. There was much potential to be discovered in Xiao Ling.


    He wondered if Xiao Ling was willing to be a permanent member of a team. The guild had initially intended to assign some players to the four of them to form a permanent party, but Tian Kuang rejected the offer. He knew that players assigned by the guild could never forge genuine relationships with them. They were the eyes and ears of the guild.


    It was not without reason that Tian Kuang and the others enjoyed such a good reception after joining the guild. They had signed an agreement with the guild. While they were allowed to use the guild''s public equipment, they were required to shoulder certain responsibilities. If they wanted to leave the guild, they would have to pay a penalty depending on their personal progress and contributions to the guild. Said penalty would not just be a sum of 10,000 to 20,000 gold coins¡ªit was a much larger sum. Hence, most contracted players would not leave the guild.


    Tian Kuang''s party was a special case. They had better skills and were awarded a certain degree of freedom by the guild. They were allowed to move about freely, and would not be assigned other players for a permanent party.


    Tian Kuang and the others had their own plans. They were searching for suitable players with good operation skills to join them as a permanent member. Xiao Ling had undoubtedly made it into that list.


    While they were fighting the monster, Tian Kuang spent much of his attention on Xiao Ling. Although there was no operation or skills involved in dealing damage, he noticed that Xiao Ling could manage aggro well.


    While fighting a Boss, one of the key things for a Warlock was to control aggro. Balancing the monsters'' aggression between oneself and the main melee player was something an accomplished Warlock had to do. If the Boss shifted its attention away from the main melee player, the Warlock would put himself and his entire team in grave danger. The worst-case scenario was that they would be wiped.


    Tian Kuang smiled. He said to Tian Fei and Tian Xin, "A level 13 Boss, let''s work hard to wrap this up in two minutes."


    "Roger." Tian Fei and Tian Xin increased their damage output at the same time.


    Tian Fei conjured up a black fireball in his hand. The black hellfire burned brightly.


    Dark Pyroblast!


    The black fireball shot from his hand. The fireball was so black that it sent a chill down Xiao Ling''s spine. He was overwhelmed by just how rich they were. They even had Dark Pyroblast! It should be known that Dark Pyroblast was a single-target spell with the highest base damage for a Destruction Warlock before his second class advancement.


    ''Maybe it''s sponsored by their guild too,'' Xiao Ling mused. He knew that it was useless to envy them. Xiao Ling organized his feelings and concentrated on damage output. Tian Fei did not stop after he cast the Dark Pyroblast. He kept shooting spells at his target.


    ''Wait, isn''t he worried about controlling the aggro?''


    Xiao Ling had a bad feeling about this.


    He was dealing way too much damage. It would be a wonder if the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior did not take its eyes off the main melee player.


    As expected, the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior ignored Lin Fei when it snapped out of its stupor, and charged toward Tian Fei.


    Tian Fei''s damage output was so high that the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior made him its new target. However, Lin Fei did not appear surprised. Instead, she continued landing attacks from the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s back. Deep gashes where its bones were visible were slit open on the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s back.

 Chapter 38：Ring of Frost

    Tian Kuang and the others did not appear flustered at the sight of the charging Scarlet Barbarian Warrior. Tian Xin planted himself before Tian Fei and gauged the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s charging speed and the distance. He waved his staff calmly and said the incantation.


    Three seconds later, the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior was upon Tian Xin.


    Ring of Frost!


    A layer of faint white frost spread outward swiftly. The ground was covered in a thick layer of ice, which emanated and struck the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s body. His feet were instantly immobilized by thick blocks of ice. The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior wanted to charge forward, but his feet would not budge from the ice. He could not move.


    Tian Fei and Tian Kuang were still casting their spells without restraint. Lin Fei caught up to the monster as well and hacked away at the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s back. Fresh blood sprayed everywhere as she landed hits in rapid succession. The damage of the attacks was not high, but they were numerous. The most striking feature of a high-agility Rogue was the extremely high speed of attack. The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s health bar decreased rapidly.


    They had come prepared! Xiao Ling had never thought that a Frost Mage''s Ring of Frost could be used in such a way. As expected of a class renowned for its crowd-controlling abilities.


    "Ring of Frost," Xiao Ling muttered. He seemed to remember that one of the gargoyles he wanted to build had a skill called Ring of Frost as well. He wondered if it was the same Ring of Frost as the Frost Mages''. Xiao Ling could not help but feel excited. If they were the same, the mechanical gargoyle he wanted to build would have a much higher value. He never expected a mechanical gargoyle to possess such a powerful crowd-controlling skill.


    Xiao Ling had been studying the blueprint of a gargoyle during his free time. He noticed that the blueprint of the gargoyle was at odds with many of the concepts outlined in the book Majoring in Mechanical Alchemy. However, Xiao Ling could tell that the designs of the gargoyle were much more logical and advanced. Xiao Ling guessed that this was the difference between the technologies of goblins and humans.


    As for how Uncle Bald got his hands on the wall clock, Xiao Ling decided not to think about it now. Uncle Bald had the knack to find the most broken of items for him to fix. Most of them were old machines 1,000 years old. Nobody collected these antiques on Endace Continent, and they ended up becoming rubbish. Coming across something from the Goblin Era was not surprising. Xiao Ling never understood how he managed to unlock a rank-5 runelock with his Apprentice rank engineering knowledge and obtain this amazing item.


    Goblin technology was certainly mysterious.


    Xiao Ling looked at the terrifying impact Tian Xin''s Ring of Frost had on the ground. He felt a surge of emotions. How flashy would he look if he had a gargoyle capable of casting Ring of Frost. Naturally, being flashy was secondary. Xiao Ling''s own strength would be greatly improved as well.


    Xiao Ling did some calculations about how he should go about making money. It would be very slow for him to earn money by farming monsters and doing quests. He might have a higher income fighting Bosses with a party, but his own level was on the low side. Good parties might not even want him, while joining a weak party would not be of much help. He wondered if he could earn more by mining ores while farming monsters. After all, he was an Artisan rank miner. Also, if he sold everything he did not need in his vault, he might just be able to save up enough for a mechanical gargoyle.


    Ever since he''d obtained the Hilaire''s Demon Ring, this was the first time he felt such an urgent need to build a mechanical gargoyle.


    Xiao Ling seemed to be out of it while hitting the monster with his attacks. Fortunately, he was not the main ADC, so it did not matter if he slacked off for a bit.


    Every time the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior broke free of the Ring of Frost''s control, Lin Fei would stun it again. Although the period where the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior stayed stunned or frozen became shorter and shorter, Lin Fei and Tian Xin worked very well together, and the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior could not stay unafflicted enough to break free.


    For a minute and a half, the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior was put under control until it died. It did not even manage a retaliation before it was killed.


    The melodious system sound of a level up rang in his ears. Xiao Ling was elated; he had finally leveled up. He called up his character panel and added five points to his Intellect.


    "I''ve leveled up," he said.


    "Congratulations." Tian Kuang and the others smiled. They were already used to leveling up. A beginner''s level up was child''s play to them.


    The Scarlet Barbarian Warrior''s Berserk-state body withered away. Xiao Ling remembered his encounter on the path beside the waterfall, and felt a lingering fear within his heart. As expected, there was a huge difference between killing a monster alone and with a party. Xiao Ling''s conviction of solo leveling faltered slightly.


    Xiao Ling had an idea. What if he farmed monsters with the four of them for now? If leveling alone was not quicker than leveling in a party, he had no reason to stubbornly insist on leveling alone.


    Lin Fei collected the items dropped by the Scarlet Barbarian Warrior. She passed a warlock robe to Xiao Ling.


    Demon Robe: Cloth. Defense: 5-8. Intellect, +13. Agility, +5. Fire Magic Resistance: 5%. Required level: 12. Class: Warlock.


    "It''s yours." Lin Fei passed the Demon Robe to Xiao Ling.


    Xiao Ling studied the attributes of the robe. It was not bad, especially since fire-resistant warlock robes should be expensive in Tilia. However, he was as poor as could be, and did not think he had the money. His face flushed as he asked, "How much for this?"


    "How much?" Lin Fei said with a smile. "You don''t have to pay. Our party doesn''t subscribe to the PB principle. Everyone can take what they need as long as it''s under 1,000 gold coins."


    Xiao Ling gaped. No words came out of his mouth. He mumbled inwardly about how they were as rich as he thought to ignore items below 1,000 gold coins'' worth. Xiao Ling would never be courteous to rich people. He accepted the warlock robe gladly.


    Tian Kuang looked at Xiao Ling as he said, "Alright, let''s not dawdle. Shall we do some leveling here or head for the Boar Mine right away?"


    Xiao Ling shrugged, and noncommittally said, "The time limit for the Crazed Boar Fang quest is three days. There aren''t any penalties for failure."


    "That''s good to know. We''ll do some leveling here before heading in, then," said Tian Kuang. That was his original plan. The monsters'' levels in the Boar Mine were too high. It would be difficult for them to enter it prematurely.

 Chapter 39

    "I''ll go and attract some monsters," said Lin Fei.


    Lin Fei ran along on her own toward the Scarlet Encampment in the distance. The monsters there gathered in massive numbers. Xiao Ling could not help but feel worried for her. Would she run into any danger?


    Tian Kuang and the others seemed casual about it, though. They found a clean spot and sat down. With a smile, Tian Kuang said, "There''s no need to worry about her. She''ll be alright. This is how we usually work. By the way, the spells you''ve cast just now, they''re an Affliction Warlock''s Corruption and Searing Pain, am I right?"


    "Yes," Xiao Ling replied.


    "You can cast a Destruction Warlock''s Force Blast?" Tian Kuang eyed Xiao Ling inquiringly. He did hear Xiao Ling saying that he knew Force Blast.


    Knowing the skills of both an Affliction and Destruction Warlock would certainly raise some eyebrows. It seemed wrong to withhold this information since they were party members now. The problems of the fine details would often affect the survival of the entire party. Moreover, there was no way to conceal these things while fighting monsters. If he kept this from them on purpose, it would only create more rifts between them.


    Xiao Ling was not an honest person, but he knew certain basic rules of treating other people. Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin did not seem the type who would blabber about another person''s secret.


    Xiao Ling gave it some thought before saying, "I know skills of all three warlock specializations.


    "They''re all ordinary skills," he added awkwardly.


    Tian Kuang was slightly surprised that Xiao Ling knew spells from all three warlock specializations. Tian Fei and Tian Xin could not conceal their shock as well, especially Tian Fei. As a Destruction Warlock, he knew the value of the three warlock specializations the best. Possessing the curses of an Affliction Warlock, the summoning skills of a Demonic Warlock, and the destructive power of a Destruction Warlock at the same time... What kind of a freak would that give rise to?


    There was a limit to the number of skills a player could learn. It was impossible to learn every skill of all three warlock specializations. However, merely picking certain classic spells would be enough to create a substantial blast.


    Tian Kuang seemed to accept this revelation more readily than Tian Fei and Tian Xin. He nodded slightly, and said, "I''m amazed that you can learn the skills of all three warlock specializations. Our party is looking for some permanent members to fight Bosses. Would you like to join us?"


    After learning about Xiao Ling''s ability, Tian Kuang held him in higher regard now. If Xiao Ling could level up further, he would certainly be able to shoulder the role of a main force.


    Xiao Ling mused for a moment before saying, "I haven''t thought it through."


    "On normal days, you can do whatever you want. You''ll just have to gather when we''re raiding a Boss, and you can take whatever drops you need. How does that sound? After all, you can''t get any good items when you''re going solo. Our current lineup isn''t suitable to take on a Boss yet, so we''ll need another Warrior or a Druid. If it''s a massive raid quest, our numbers are far from enough. We can work that out slowly, though." Tian Kuang was now looking at Xiao Ling eagerly.


    Xiao Ling did not know why Tian Kuang was so interested to have him as a permanent party member. With their strength, it would be very easy for them to join ordinary parties. However, Tian Kuang''s conditions did not sound bad to Xiao Ling. He considered it briefly and nodded. "I''m okay with that."


    "Very good." Tian Kuang finally smiled.


    Xiao Ling asked, "Aren''t you guys from a guild? Why aren''t you joining the guild''s party?" Judging from the looks of their equipment, Tian Kuang and the others seemed to be treated well by the guild. He wondered why they decided to spread their wings outside the guild.


    Tian Fei sighed, and said, "It''s not easy being in a guild."


    Tian Fei did not elaborate. Tian Fei and Tian Xin were not talkers. Since he did not want to talk about it, it was clear that he did not want to explain.


    Tian Kuang managed a smile. He looked slightly desolate as he spoke, "It''s complicated in the guild. Also, conflicts about equipment, money, and power are the sources of a guild''s feud. There''s no end to them. We''re better off out here on our own. However, it''s troublesome to break off from the guild. We''ll have to pay 500,000 gold each if we want to leave the guild. The higher your level, or the more resources of the guild you used, the higher the price you''d have to pay."


    Xiao Ling was flabbergasted. 500,000 gold was a harrowing concept to him. However, Xiao Ling found it logical. If the price to pay was not high, the elites would certainly be snatched away by other guilds. Xiao Ling could understand why the guild made it this difficult for its members to leave.


    "What''s the name of the guild you guys are in?" Xiao Ling asked. They did not display their guild''s crest. It seemed as though they did not want to show it. Hence, Xiao Ling could not tell which guild they belonged to.


    "Dragon Flame," Tian Kuang replied.


    "Dragon Flame, that''s the second largest guild in the Angelic Alliance!" Xiao Ling gasped. It now made sense why their equipment was flashy. Only a formidable guild such as Dragon Flame would have enough resources to draw upon to supply good equipment to the low-level players.


    However, Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin did not show any sign of being proud. Instead, they were smiling wryly. They were like locusts tied onto a rumbling war machine. When the guild moved forward, they would have to follow suit. They did not have any freedom.


    Xiao Ling made some judgements about the personalities of Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, Tian Xin, and Lin Fei. Tian Kuang and Lin Fei were easy to talk to, and though Tian Fei and Tian Xin seldom spoke, they all seemed to be good people. Xiao Ling did not mind working together with them for now. If it did not work out in the end, they could still part on friendly terms.


    After all, he was on his own. He made his plans on the go. Nobody could threaten him, nor would anybody ever have anything to be used against him.


    He did not expect that there would be such raging politics under the shiny fa?ade of a guild. He was now convinced that not joining a guild and maintaining his status as a free man was a wise choice.


    "She''s back. Let''s farm some monster," Tian Kuang reminded everyone.


    Xiao Ling looked up. He stared for some time. He could only see Lin Fei running toward them. Her nimble body was a blur over the land. Dozens of Scarlet Warriors were on her heels.


    ''They can''t be thinking of wiping all these Scarlet Warriors out at once.'' Xiao Ling swept his gaze across the land. There were more than 30 Scarlet Warriors behind Lin Fei.


    Tian Fei and Tian Xin were prepared now. They wielded their staves and readied themselves to cast spells.


    Lin Fei sprinted toward Tian Xin, who began droning the incantation as he calculated the distance between himself and the Scarlet Warriors.


    Ring of Frost!


    Tian Xin gave a cold shout. Rings of icicles swept across the land, instantly conjuring blocks of ice where they hit the horde of Scarlet Warriors.


    The feet of the more than 30 Scarlet Warriors were now covered in thick ice. Their movements were impeded. Every single one of them was rooted to the ground.

 Chapter 40 - Shadow Priest

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°There¡¯s one that¡¯s not frozen.¡± Tian Xin leapt backward away from the Scarlet Warriors. There was one that could still move about!


    Windwalking!


    Lin Fei moved with incredible speed as she charged toward the Scarlet Warrior. A series of afterimages lingered in the air as she passed.


    Lin Fei caught up to the Scarlet Warrior in no time. She lifted her hand and brought the dagger down mercilessly onto the Scarlet Warrior¡¯s back.


    These overlooked monsters were Xiao Ling¡¯s responsibility. When he saw that Scarlet Warrior being immobilized, he cast his spells without holding back.


    Peculiar demonic sigils floated in the air.


    The flaming clouds gathered above them once more, radiating scorching heat toward their surroundings. The atmosphere became suppressed and gloomy. Tian Fei shouted in a deep and hoarse voice.


    Meteor Fire!


    Beautiful red flames spread out like fireworks. Balls of fire rained down heavily onto the group of Scarlet Warriors.


    A cacophony of wails could be heard. It was like hell on earth. The flames burned the Scarlet Warriors and a charred smell filled the air.


    Tian Kuang¡¯s eyes shone with various colors before finally settling on a black as dark as ink. His black eyes shone with a dark godly light.


    Excruciating Pain!


    The peculiar black vein lines on his light gray priest robes flowed. His Withered Staff emanated faint dark aura. Dark Priests were clerics who sought the power of darkness. They sacrificed their own healing abilities for powerful curses and attacks. In Xiao Ling¡¯s eyes, Shadow Priests were weak. Perhaps they had an advantage compared to Holy Priests if they were operating alone, but for a team, a Dark Priest rarely contributed as much as a Holy Priest.


    However, the aura Tian Kuang was currently exuding surprised Xiao Ling. The purity of this energy was not inferior to the dark power of a Demon¡¯s aura.


    A spellcaster¡¯s powers depended on the deity they worshipped and the amount of power they could obtain from their deity.


    Judging by this energy aura, it was clear that the god which the Shadow Priests worshipped was not inferior to the Warlocks¡¯ Demon God Terhida.


    Black auras streaked from Tian Kuang¡¯s staff. They circled around the Scarlet Warriors. Their screams intensified.


    This spell was an AoE curse!


    Xiao Ling could not help but take a few more glances at Tian Kuang, who was now covered in a black aura. With every wave of his staff, fatal curses were cast. So Shadow Priests were powerful as well. It was just that the Shadow Priests he had encountered before were too weak, and he did not understand this group much.


    ¡°We¡¯ve abandoned the belief of light and sought dark power. We gave our souls up to the shadows and gained control over death.¡± Xiao Ling never understood what these words of the Bards were. He seemed to understand them a little now.


    Xiao Ling and Lin Fei took care of that Scarlet Warrior. They looked toward the others. The 30 Scarlet Warriors were in their dying throes.


    They combined a high-dps AoE spell and an AoE curse! That was scary!


    Occasionally, a couple of Scarlet Warriors would escape Meteor Fire¡¯s range, but they were quickly dealt with by Xiao Ling and Lin Fei, who were now unoccupied.


    The battle ended in two short minutes. The flaming clouds slowly dispersed. Tian Kuang returned to normal as well.


    The ground was littered with corpses. Experience points filled the screen. (About the term ¡°screen¡±, some readers found it illogical since they can¡¯t visualize the screen[1. I think we replaced it with ¡®sight¡¯ in at least some places. So it seems like it¡¯s more like augmented reality.]. I think that it¡¯s useful to think about mecha anime, where a virtual screen would pop out in the air, displaying the system messages, and the characters can tap the various options with their fingers.)


    Although killing one Scarlet Warrior only gave them several dozen experience points, with more than 30 monsters here, they were awarded with nearly 1,000 EXP. Xiao Ling found this kind of leveling much faster than when he was doing it alone.


    Lin Fei began picking up the dropped items. Tian Kuang and the others sat down. They drank spring water to replenish their mana. Lin Fei departed to attract more monsters after she cleared the area of items.


    ¡°It¡¯s much faster than soloing, right?¡± asked Tian Kuang with a chuckle.


    ¡°Mm-hm, it¡¯s much faster,¡± Xiao Ling agreed. It was a nice experience leveling with them. If they farmed here for a whole day, he should be able to gain three levels.


    Soon enough, Lin Fei brought another batch of monsters toward them. There were many Scarlet Mages among this batch. They stuck to their previous procedure which they used against the batch of Scarlet Warriors. The scattered Scarlet Mages were left to Xiao Ling and Lin Fei.


    His experience bar was quickly filled. It had only been three hours, and Xiao Ling shone with a white radiance again. He was now at level 12. He wore the warlock¡¯s robe and his stats rose. The dark robe was embroidered with a scarlet pattern of a demon. It did look flashy.


    ¡°There¡¯s a Cobalt Gem,¡± Lin Fei said as she walked toward the others. She cradled a navy gemstone the size of a dove¡¯s egg in her hand.


    Tian Kuang smiled and nodded. ¡°Not bad. We should be able to sell that for a good price.¡±


    Xiao Ling beamed. This Cobalt Gem was one of the required materials to build a mechanical gargoyle. However, they were the ones who caused this item to drop, and his contribution was small, at best. It was already a show of extreme benevolence for them to apply the take-what-you-need rule to Xiao Ling as well. After all, they all had top-grade equipment already, and had no need to swap it. When spellcaster items were dropped, they would give everything he could use to him. If Xiao Ling wanted this Cobalt Gem as well, he would come across as greedy.


    A Cobalt Gem cost more than 3,000 gold coins! That was no small amount.


    Xiao Ling hesitated. He did not have the money to buy the Cobalt Gem himself. The most valuable items he had were in his vault, and they might not even be what the others would want.


    The only option available to him now was to take this Cobalt Gem on credit. If he let this gemstone go now, he did not know when he would able to get his hands on a similar material.


    Players could sign pacts as a form of I.O.U.s in the game. If the debtor did not pay up once the loan term was up, the creditor could take forceful action.


    There were deities above their heads, and the gods were omnipresent throughout Endace Continent. Any pact or vow connected to the gods could never be broken.


    Xiao Ling considered it before speaking up. ¡°Can you sell this Cobalt Gem to me?¡±

 Chapter 41 - A Loan

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Tian Kuang, Lin Fei, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin all looked at Xiao Ling, bemused.


    ¡°You want to embed the gemstone in your equipment? If your level is too low, you¡¯ll lose more compared to what you gain by embedding a gemstone in your equipment,¡± said Tian Kuang. Only large guilds would do something like studding a low-level equipment with a gemstone. Ordinary players would never do that.


    Xiao Ling hesitated for a moment. Should he tell them that he was a Mechanical Alchemist? If he said that, he might just shock them out of their socks. The other players could still accept another player being a general Warlock, as all three specializations shared some similarities. The three specializations were branches of a single class and shared the same source of power. No matter how powerful they become, they would not be able to overcome the limitations imposed upon the demonic classes.


    However, Xiao Ling was sure that they would not be able to accept another player being a general Warlock and a Mechanical Alchemist. It was too mind-blowing for a player to have a general demonic class and a Mechanical Alchemist. This was especially true during large raid quests. A player whose damage output was no lower than an ordinary Warlock¡¯s coupled with the damage output from their mechanical puppets would certainly outshine Fire Mages who were known for their high damage output.


    Being a Mechanical Alchemist was his secret. Although Tian Kuang and the others were nice people, they barely knew each other. If he told them this secret of his, he would not be able to forgive himself for being reckless.


    Xiao Ling said, ¡°I¡¯ve learned engineering, and am now at the Journeyman rank.¡± Tian Kuang should be able to pick up on his evasiveness. He hoped that they would understand.


    ¡°Journeyman rank engineering?¡± Tian Kuang and the others were greatly shocked. They did not expect Xiao Ling to take up the unpopular ability of engineering. It was not as if engineering was useless, but more that engineering was a difficult ability to train. There would only be several thousand Journeyman engineers, at most, on Endace Continent. There were certainly none of the Expert rank. With his Journeyman rank engineering skills, he would be treated like a VIP in any small guild. He would also be treated well in large guilds.


    Under normal circumstances, only certain Mechanical Alchemists would take up the life skill of engineering. However, they merely had to familiarize themselves with it. After all, if they were bringing a mechanical puppet as a companion, they would need some engineering for basic routine maintenance works. Only a handful would continue up to the Journeyman rank. They would only do this to build better mechanical puppets.


    ¡°No wonder your level is this low. You¡¯ve been focusing on improving your life skill,¡± said Tian Kuang after some thought. ¡°What do you need to make that item you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Five Cobalt Gems and five Verdant Gems,¡± replied Xiao Ling.


    The others drew cold breaths. That was a cost of nearly 30,000 gold coins! What was Xiao Ling planning on making?


    Mechanical puppets were not the only products of mechanical engineering. There were many other useful items that could be made, for instance firearms, volatile explosives, Smoke Powder, spyglasses, monster detectors, ore detectors, and other items. The most interesting object would be the Goblin Jump Cables, which could shock another player back to life. However, there was a limit to how many times a player could be revived by the Jump Cables; a player could not be revived endlessly.


    Products of engineering were sold at extremely high prices. Naturally, the costs of their raw materials were high as well.


    Tian Kuang did not think that Xiao Ling would spend that much energy to build something impractical. Since Xiao Ling seemed reluctant to tell them, he chose not to ask.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t now that you¡¯ve learned engineering as well.¡± Tian Kuang glanced at Lin Fei, and asked her, ¡°How many more Cobalt Gems and Verdant Gems do we have?¡±


    Tian Kuang and the others had been farming Scarlet Warriors and Scarlet Mages here for quite some time. Also, they farmed the monsters in batches.


    ¡®They have more Cobalt Gems and Verdant Gems?¡¯ The thought of this made Xiao Ling¡¯s heart leapt.


    ¡°We have seven Cobalt Gems and six Verdant Gems. I think that their prices will go up, so I stowed them away and haven¡¯t sold them yet.¡± Lin Fei and the others had bought these gemstones with their own gold. They bought several other gemstones as well. They wanted to sell it after their values had appreciated. However, she did not say that they actually bought them. Xiao Ling almost leapt at Lin Fei¡¯s words. He did not expect them to have this many in their possession. If he had five Cobalt Gems and five Verdant Gems, Xiao Ling could build a gargoyle already!


    ¡°If you need them, brother Xiao, take them,¡± said Tian Kuang in a casual tone.


    Xiao Ling was dumbfounded. That was tens of thousands of gold they were talking about! Naturally, Xiao Ling knew that Tian Kuang was not so rich that he would give away 30,000 gold¡¯s worth of items. He intended on using this as a gesture of friendship.


    There were times where money could not buy friendship, but there were exceptions as well.


    Xiao Ling shook his head, and said, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    Xiao Ling was not a person who would leap at any benefit laid out before him. He would like to have Tian Kuang as a friend as well, but accepting another person¡¯s gift without good reason would mean that he would be owing him a favor, which was much more troublesome than owing him money. However, since they had the gemstones he needed, Xiao Ling did not wish for this opportunity to slip past him. After all, they would still be selling it to him. ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll enter into a loan pact with you guys. I¡¯ll buy the Cobalt Gems and Verdant Gems from you.¡±


    Xiao Ling insisted on not easily accepting the gemstones for nothing.


    ¡°Five Cobalt Gems and five Verdant Gems. I¡¯ll sell them to you for 20,000 gold.¡± Tian Kuang knew that he could not dissuade Xiao Ling. If Xiao Ling had accepted the gemstones forthrightly, he would have to reconsider his judgement of Xiao Ling¡¯s character. A person had to correct his own character if he wanted to earn another person¡¯s respect. Making friends was matters of the heart. Not coveting every single item your friend owned was the most basic rule of friendship.


    The current market prices of the Cobalt Gem and the Verdant Gem were about 3,000 and 2,500 gold coins, respectively. Judging by the current trend, their prices would continue to rise. Buying them at 20,000 gold coin was a great offer for Xiao Ling. It would not be asking for too much even if they were sold at 30,000 gold. Xiao Ling opened his mouth to say something, but Tian Kuang cut across him. ¡°It¡¯s a deal, then. We¡¯ll have many chances to work together in the future. Don¡¯t fret about this trifling amount.¡±


    10,000 gold was a trifling amount? When Tian Kuang said this, Lin Fei, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin showed no signs of protest. For a high-end player, any amount of money lost could be earned again. However, it was difficult to find a good party member; they were priceless. Tian Kuang¡¯s thought was that if this gesture could compel Xiao Ling to stay as a permanent member of their party, 10,000 gold coins was a small price to pay. Even if Xiao Ling chose not to stay, he would still be more than willing to offer his help at their request in the future.


    To Xiao Ling, Tian Kuang¡¯s intention of forming a permanent party was completely beneficial. Xiao Ling accepted the offer gladly. Since Tian Kuang insisted that he take them, he would only be making matters difficult by rejecting it.


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± said Xiao Ling.


    ¡°I¡¯ll store them in my personal vault for now. Let¡¯s continue farming. I¡¯ll pass them to you at night when we¡¯re back in town,¡± said Lin Fei.


    ¡°Mm-hm,¡± Xiao Ling grunted in response.


    Lin Fei was off to attract monsters again. Xiao Ling let his imagination roam. He did not expect that he would be able to build a mechanical puppet this quickly. Xiao Ling was highly looking forward to the gargoyle¡¯s attributes.


    Xiao Ling¡¯s mind seemed to be elsewhere throughout the afternoon. Fortunately, he did not have to do much operating. He did not make any serious mistakes throughout their farming process.

 Chapter 42 - Building a Mechanical Gargoyle (1)

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    By nightfall, Xiao Ling¡¯s level rose by one again. Xiao Ling was awed as he saw his experience shooting up. Leveling with them was quick!


    His level 13 experience bar was now half-full. If he handed in his quests of killing Scarlet Warriors and Scarlet Mages, he would level up again.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Let¡¯s head back. We¡¯ll rest for a while and go to the Boar Mine tomorrow,¡± said Tian Kuang.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Xiao Ling responded. The four of them began reading their Town Portal Scrolls. Four streaks of white light shot up. When Xiao Ling reopened his eyes, the four of them were once again in the inn in Tilia.


    ¡°I¡¯ll auction off the drops.¡± Tian Fei took the dropped items and walked toward the Auction House.


    Xiao Ling made some estimations. The Cobalt Gem aside, they should be able to sell their loot for at least 1,000 gold coins. As he expected, things were different when players had good equipment and skills. This was like an input-output equation. The more you put in, the better your equipment, the better your skills, the quicker you killed monsters, and the more items you would obtain.


    Lin Fei removed five Cobalt Gems and five Verdant Gems from her personal vault. She passed them to Xiao Ling, and said, ¡°These are the gemstones you wanted.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Xiao Ling as he received the ten dazzling gemstones from Lin Fei. He entered a debt contract with Lin Fei in the name of Terhida, the god of Warlocks. The amount of the debt was 20,000 gold.


    Xiao Ling was filled with emotion as he looked at the 10 gemstones in his hands. The goal which he had been striving for was near at hand. There was no way that he was not excited at this prospect.


    Tian Kuang could tell by the look on Xiao Ling¡¯s face that he was very excited. Tian Kuang was wondering what Xiao Ling intended to build. What item would inspire such excitement in Xiao Ling?


    ¡°We¡¯ll be going to the Mercenary Guild to hand in our quest. Where will you go?¡± Tian Kuang asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll head back to my room. I¡¯ll hand in my quests tomorrow,¡± said Xiao Ling. Xiao Ling¡¯s ideas for building his mechanical gargoyle had a higher priority than leveling up.


    ¡°Very well, go on.¡± Tian Kuang knew that Xiao Ling wanted to build that item in his room.


    Xiao Ling bid farewell to Tian Kuang, Lin Fei, and Tian Xin. Then, he went upstairs.


    Looking at Xiao Ling¡¯s receding back, Tian Xin could not help but ask, ¡°Big Brother, can we really trust him? Is it worth it to sell our investment gemstones without profit to him?¡±


    ¡°His ability to learn skills of all three Warlock specializations and his Journeyman rank engineering alone are well worth us spending thousands of gold coins to keep him with us. He¡¯s not much of a talker, but I can tell that he¡¯s a good person. At the very least, he isn¡¯t a money grubber. Also, we bought those gems at that price. Even though their value had risen, we didn¡¯t incur any loss. Just think of it as doing him a favor,¡± Lin Fei explained on Tian Kuang¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°My thoughts exactly,¡± Tian Kuang said with a smile.


    ¡°Since you both agree on this, I¡¯ll say no more,¡± Tian Xian said with a defeated air.


    Tian Kuang laughed and patted Tian Xin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your big brother has never been wrong in judgement of a character so far. We can definitely trust Xiao Ling. Also, we won¡¯t run into any conflict of interests with him. He¡¯s not much of a socializer, and may not be a good friend, but he¡¯ll certainly be a good teammate. However, I have the feeling that he¡¯s hiding something from us.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of those 10 gemstones?¡± asked Tian Xin.


    Tian Kuang nodded slightly. He looked toward Xiao Ling¡¯s door, which was tightly shut. He had no idea what was going on in there. Tian Kuang suddenly remembered something as he said to Tian Xin, ¡°No matter how curious you are, don¡¯t go around poking about his private information.¡±


    Tian Xin was taken aback. Why would Tian Kuang say this to him? He considered it before nodding and replying, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Tian Kuang knew that Xiao Lin was a man with principles. If they treated him as a friend, he would respond in kind. However, if they raised their guard against him and tried to find out more about him behind his back, Xiao Ling might very well draw the line with them and stay away from them.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± said Tian Kuang. He walked out of the inn.


    Xiao Ling went into his room and closed the door. He took out the 10 gemstones and placed them upon the table in the center of the room. The 10 gemstones glowed luminously in the dark room, making it as bright as day.


    The materials for building a mechanical gargoyle were not complicated per se. All he needed were 10 gemstones and two chunks of metal.


    As for the process of building the mechanical gargoyle, that was complicated. There were two parts to a mechanical gargoyle. The main body structure was constructed with parts built from the processed metals, while the energy source was built from the gemstones.


    The making of the processed metal parts was extremely complicated. There was a total of 53 parts to a mechanical gargoyle¡¯s body. He would have to produce each in turn using transmutations circles according to the blueprint. There could not be any mistakes in their size, or else his previous efforts would all go down the drain. Fortunately, metals did not disappear during the crafting process. He could try again if he failed until he succeeded.


    Mechanical puppets could be considered as cutting-edge technology on Endace Continent. Although mechanical gargoyles did not have high requirements for the individual parts, the attention to detail of the maker while making the various parts had a direct effect on the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s strength. This was because the parts of the mechanical gargoyle would be put under immense stress while taking attacks during a battle. If there was any damage, the maker would have to deconstruct the mechanical gargoyle and fix it up. If the maker was careless while making the parts, the gargoyle would be fraught with flaws. It would be much more troublesome trying to fix it then.


    There was also the issue of the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s core, which was the part made from the gemstones. That was a crucial component. The energy which the mechanical gargoyle absorbed and released would be transferred by these gemstones. If the channels of energy transmission were not smooth, the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s attack strength, attack speed, and agility would be greatly reduced.


    Hence, the quality of a mechanical gargoyle produced by an Artisan rank expert engineer and a Journeyman rank engineering student, respectively, would be completely different.


    The quality of a mechanical gargoyle was also graded with three ¡®S¡¯s. The gargoyle¡¯s various basic stats and functions would be taken into consideration.


    After producing the parts, the next problem to tackle would be assembling the gargoyle. He would have to integrate the various parts with linking glyphs, energy coupler glyphs, insertion glyphs, joint glyphs, and other mechanical alchemy glyphs to build a complete mechanical gargoyle. After that would be the finishing touches. He would have to apply fortification glyphs, protective glyphs, magic-resistance glyphs, and others on the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s outer shell, vital parts, and parts which were prone to damage.


    Xiao Ling¡¯s capabilities were limited. With his Journeyman rank engineering knowledge, building an entire gargoyle was very difficult. Also, he could only apply rank 1 glyphs on his gargoyle, which gave it limited protection and fortification.

 Chapter 43 - Building a Mechanical Gargoyle (2)

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Xiao Ling took out the blueprint for the mechanical gargoyle and studied it. The gargoyle was built on the mechanical principles of goblin technology. It was different from human technology, and Xiao Ling had to study it carefully to look for any similarities. Before he mastered them completely, Xiao Ling could only settle for trial and error.


    The process of making the mechanical parts was comparatively simpler.


    Xiao Ling took out some energy powder from his bag. Energy powder was a unique material needed to activate transmutation circles.


    Energy powder was not anything mysterious. It was merely made of powdered ores that were mixed together using a certain ratio. Energy powder was a good conductor of energy, and was only sold at five gold coins for a bag at NPC merchant stalls. The cheap price, portability, and ease of use of the energy powder enabled the swift development of transmutation circles on Endace Continent. No matter where the user was, with some energy powder at hand, they would be able to make a simple transmutation circle and craft any metal parts. Naturally, energy powder was not the only tool to activate a transmutation circle.


    Transmutation circle technology and glyph technology were similar in breadth and depth. It was a difficult task to master transmutation circles completely. Xiao Ling could only make the various mechanical gargoyle parts with simple transmutation circles.


    Xiao Ling set up the transmutation circles as outlined in the blueprint as he studied their structures. Humans and goblins had crossed paths 10,000 years ago. The gap of 10,000 years had created an irreconcilable gulf between the two technologies.


    The mechanical alchemist blueprint was written in goblin script. Xiao Ling could not understand the annotations on it. However, every goblin was a grand sage. They created the most graceful and figurative script ever seen on Endace Continent. Even though he could not understand it completely, he could guess the meaning of the words by their appearance.


    Human and goblin technologies had proceeded toward different extremes. Humans tended to simplify complicated matters because of the limited capacity of their brains. The simpler a concept was, the easier it would be to remember. Throughout the long 10,000 years, they continually simplified the technologies they inherited from the goblins and categorized them with strict criteria. They were of the opinion that a person¡¯s abilities were limited. A Journeyman rank engineering student would never be able to use glyphs of rank 3 and above. Hence, they decided to make it a rule that Journeyman rank students could not learn glyphs of rank 3 and above.


    Goblins were different. They were of the opinion that their intelligence could be symbolized better the more complicated and detailed an item was. They firmly believed that there were no limits to a goblin¡¯s intelligence. Even a newborn goblin should learn how to disassemble machines. A Journeyman rank engineering student could master glyphs of rank 5 and above. Hence, though their glyphs were complicated and complex, there were no limits on ranks.


    The transmutation circles of the goblins were too complicated. Xiao Ling could not even operate them. He could only lay out the transmutation circles without fully understanding them. He drew a neat-looking circle on the floor with his energy powder. There were several geometrical shapes within it. Radiant beams of energy flowed along the lines of energy powder. The brilliant light exuded faint energy auras, making them appear mysterious and gorgeous.


    It was rumored that transmutation circles were contracts the intelligent life forms entered with the god of elements, Cilia. The intelligent life forms could offer up their spiritual power to the god of elements, Cilia, through the transmutation circles, and the god of elements would morph the metals into the shape the intelligent life forms had in mind.


    However, transmutation circles could only be used to modify one metal at a time. If the user wanted to mix several metals together, they would need an amount of energy that was several magnitudes greater.


    Transmutation circles were simple and easy to use. Also, the items modified by the god of elements were much more refined than the works of any ironsmith. Hence, they were widely used in engineering. However, in terms of crafting equipment, products of transmutation circles were a far cry from the works of an ironsmith.


    Transmutation circles operated under the Law of Equivalent Exchange. The quantity of the end product depended on the quantity of the starting material. There were no losses throughout the process of crafting. Players would have to supply the energy needed with their mana. The amount of mana needed was twice the amount of energy used. One part of it was for the energy needed in crafting the object, and the other part was offered up to the god of elements, Cilia.


    Xiao Ling produced a metal carving knife from his bag. This was a carving knife used only by Mechanical Alchemists. Its half-inch length made it smaller than daggers. The blade was inscribed with various glyphs in packed rows. They were fortification glyphs, sharpening glyphs, and other glyphs. There was an odd sense of beauty about it.


    The metal of the carving knife was tough to begin with. With the combination of the enhancements from the various glyphs, this carving knife could be used to carve objects and cut 80% of metals! The sharp blade could easily cut open any ordinary metals to leave some carving marks.


    Xiao Ling carved out a portion of the metal and placed it in the center of the transmutation circle. He fixed his eyes on it solemnly and chanted some odd and awkward-sounding incantations. It seemed to be some form of prayer asking to form a contract. As a Mechanical Alchemist, he had to learn the language, although he needed not necessarily understand its meaning.


    Xiao Ling¡¯s expression was solemn. He had to stay serious throughout the entire process of transmutation. If he showed the slightest sign of disrespect, it would be taken as an offense against the god of elements, Cilia, and the transmutation circle would fail.


    Xiao Ling released a light blue aura. This was the magic element released from Xiao Ling¡¯s body. The light blue radiance illuminated the room. A comforting magic aura now filled the space.


    The incantation ended. Xiao Ling lowered himself slowly to a squat. He visualized the structure of the metal part in his mind. He extended his right hand slowly toward the starting point at the transmutation circle¡¯s edge. The moment his fingertip made contact, the magic element about him surged wildly into the transmutation circle like an outgoing tide. The blue magic element flowed along the network of the transmutation circle drawn by the energy powder and the circle glowed. This network resembled the meridian vessels in a human¡¯s body. He could see the constantly pulsing magic element on it.


    Xiao Ling felt as if his mana was completely drained in an instant. The feeling of having his mana stripped away was not a comfortable one. Fortunately, this sensation passed quickly. When he felt that it was enough for the transmutation circle to function, Xiao Ling retracted his finger. He eyed his mana bar. He had lost more than 100 points. That was not too bad.


    The geometric shapes in the middle of the transmutation circle brimmed with magic elements. For an instant, a bright light burst forth. The glaring radiance made Xiao Ling¡¯s pupils contract. He quickly shielded his eyes with his hands. The transmutation circle was releasing an elemental aura unique to transmutation circles. The blinding light made the room seem as bright as day.


    Xiao Ling could vaguely sense an aura that was not inferior to demonic energy among the energy aura released by the transmutation circle. Could this be the god of elements Cilia¡¯s aura? Xiao Ling had his guesses. It seemed that the legends were not entirely baseless, after all.


    Xiao Ling sat down and drank some spring water while he waited for the results.

 Chapter 44 - Building a Mechanical Gargoyle (3)

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    More than 10 minutes later, the radiance died down. A metal part rested silently in the center of the transmutation circle. This was a small section of the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s skeletal structure. It was the shape of a half moon. The part was smoothed and polished, without any signs of having been carved.


    Transmutation circles functioned differently from polishing. Polishing involved changing the shape of the metal through application of a strong external force. The product would be cruder. When transmutation circles crafted the metallic parts, they modified the metal from the inside to turn the metal into the desired shape, which was a comparatively finer procedure. Hence, when building a high-end technological object such as a mechanical gargoyle, players would usually opt for transmutation circle products over delegating the task to blacksmiths.


    For instance, if the corner of a part in the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s skeleton was slightly out of place, the corner would cause the entire section to be stuck. In light cases, the mechanical gargoyle would have difficulty moving about and some of its parts might be badly damaged. In serious cases, the entire machine would be crippled.


    There was no cause for such worries if the gargoyle was built with parts produced from transmutation circles.


    Xiao Ling stroked the metallic part. The amethyst was smooth and cold to the touch. This metal part was practically perfect. Every notch arced perfectly, and the inner walls were smooth without any protrusions¡ªas expected of a work of a god!


    Xiao Ling placed the part on the table. The used energy powder could not be reused. He drew another transmutation circle according to the mechanical alchemy blueprint and continued to make parts.


    The size of each part was difficult to gauge. Xiao Ling had to do it all over again if there were some failed products. Eventually, 53 parts of odd shapes and sizes were produced and laid on the table.


    The sight of the oddly shaped parts made it difficult to imagine that they could be assembled into an eccentric product of mechanical alchemy.


    Xiao Ling polished the connectors of the parts and compared their sizes. If any part was slightly larger or smaller, he would have to carve out or add on some metal accordingly and remake it. After five long hours, Xiao Ling finally had all his parts ready. He began assembling them.


    Adjusting and assembling the mechanical gargoyle required great determination and patience. A good sense of the overall structure was also needed. As Xiao Ling put the pieces together, he carved linking glyphs with his carving knife on the connecting sections. Although it was only a rank 1 glyph, Xiao Ling could barely manage it. His expertise ranking was on the low side. After all, he was not a full-time engineering student, as he gave up on his training halfway through.


    Slowly, the main parts were connected. The outline of a short mechanical gargoyle could be seen now. The dark golden sheen of the metal flickered with a captivating glow in the dim light. The beautiful radiance made Xiao Ling¡¯s heart leap. It was as if he was forming a life form with his very hands.


    After connecting the various parts, the bare skeleton of the mechanical gargoyle now seemed fuller. Xiao Ling did some basic tests. Its limbs and body moved freely without any sign of delay.


    Seeing that every joint was as flexible as could be, Xiao Ling was overjoyed. This time, he made no mistakes. He carried a pair of bat-like wings made out of metal and carefully fixed them onto the gargoyle¡¯s back. He tried moving them. They could be moved flexibly like any gargoyle¡¯s wings. Xiao Ling carefully carved linking and fortification glyphs onto the connecting joints between the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s wings and body.


    The entire structure of the mechanical gargoyle was now displayed before Xiao Ling¡¯s eyes. Its entire body screamed metal. Aside from the empty, lusterless eye sockets and a dozen nooks all over its body, it was perfect.


    Xiao Ling took two Cobalt Gems, which shone with a mysterious color. He fitted them into the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s eye sockets. The mechanical gargoyle¡¯s eyelids closed slightly. The gleam in the gargoyle¡¯s eyes startled Xiao Ling. The Cobalt Gems seemed to be the vital finishing touch. The mechanical gargoyle actually seemed alive right now.


    He fixed the other mechanical parts into the nooks of certain crucial joints, which included the kneecaps, shoulders, hip, the wings¡¯ base, and other joints. Then, he carved some insertion and energy coupler glyphs into them. The Cobalt Gem on the gargoyle¡¯s chest required additional motive power glyphs as well because the Cobalt Gem would be the energy source which powered the mechanical gargoyle. Only then would the mechanical gargoyle be considered complete.


    He observed the mechanical gargoyle silently as it stood there, about a meter tall, with a slender body and a peculiar face that made people laugh. Unlike its weak frame, its wings were powerful and looked like the most perfect sculpture in the world. Xiao Ling found himself awed by it.


    However, there seemed to be something else missing.


    Xiao Ling smacked his forehead. How could he forget that? Xiao Ling slowly reached out to the Cobalt Gem on the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s chest. The instant his fingers touched the mechanical gargoyle, the gem on its chest started sucking Xiao Ling¡¯s magic elements like a magnet. It shone with a bright azure light.


    The magic elements gathered around the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s chest. Then, it spread quickly to all parts of its body. The amethyst of the gargoyle seemed to have brightened up and became exceptionally glaring. The gemstones on its arms, kneecaps, and other parts of its body shone. The magic elements flowed along the fine channels of the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s central skeleton. With a click, the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s finger twitched.


    Shortly after, the dim glow in its eyes intensified, turning into a burning light. The magic elements clumped into a mass around its eyes and formed blue eyeballs surrounded by colorless crystals. Xiao Ling looked into the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s eyes and could clearly see his own reflection. At this moment, Xiao Ling had the strange feeling that the mechanical gargoyle was studying him¡ªit seemed to be regarding its master with curiosity.


    A mechanical puppet would only have a single master. Once a player infused his own magic element into the mechanical puppet¡¯s heart, it was the equivalent of forming a master-servant contract between the two entities. The master granted the mechanical puppet a certain amount of consciousness, and the mechanical puppet could only swear fealty to a single master. Similarly, a player was only allowed one mechanical puppet at a time. If he wanted to switch to another mechanical puppet, he would have to disassemble the mechanical puppet. The gemstones would also break in the process, and the mechanical puppet would lose its consciousness.

 Chapter 45 - The Gargoyles Attributes

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    At this moment, the mechanical gargoyle seemed to have come to life. It moved its fingers, then its legs, and then its powerful wings. The wings continued flapping, and the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s feet were slowly lifted off the ground. With the beating of its wings, it hovered silently in the air.


    If the wings were removed from the mechanical gargoyle, it would resemble a mechanical imp.


    Mechanical gargoyles were modeled after gargoyles. Legend had it that gargoyles were only rock statues perched on top of roofs. After a millennium of perching after being crafted by their human sculptors, these gargoyles finally had a weak life aura. Then, Necromancers came along, cursed them, and they became enslaved.


    Throughout the millennia of fighting against the Undead, the goblins noticed that the gargoyles¡¯ body structure was indeed logical. They were skinny and small, which made them speedy fliers thanks to their light weight. They could also launch long-range magic attacks against their opponents. If an opponent got too close, they would pounce and unleash their claws and fangs on them. Although they were petite, their unique skeletal structures granted them formidable strength. They were terrifying foes in the air. They could even gravely injure large dragons with their sharp claws and fangs.


    After studying the gargoyles¡¯ bodily structure carefully, the goblins came up with a grand masterpiece. With the gargoyles as reference, they built a type of mechanical puppet, a mechanical gargoyle. However, the might of the mechanical gargoyle was watered down and popularized. On top of that, when the goblins started producing more powerful mechanical puppets, the diamond dragons, mechanical gargoyles were slowly phased out. The current generation of mechanical gargoyles only had less than one-tenth of the original mechanical gargoyles¡¯ strength.


    The gargoyle moved its eyes. It slowly focused its gaze, and its pupils became clearer as well. It looked about itself curiously. It looked at Xiao Ling.


    Xiao Ling hesitated for a moment. After all, seeing a conscious mechanical puppet coming to life by his own hands and moving about, Xiao Ling could not help but find this experience surreal.


    The mechanical gargoyle muttered a series of strange notes as it flailed its petite arms. Combined with its peculiar expressions, it was almost comical to look at. However, it seemed to like Xiao Ling very much. With another flap of its wings, it plunged into Xiao Ling¡¯s embrace.


    Xiao Ling was taken aback, but a smile quickly found its way onto his face. It looked like he would be having another companion from now on. Xiao Ling caressed the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s head. The mechanical gargoyle¡¯s eyes were closed as it made a satisfied expression. It kept brushing against Xiao Ling¡¯s arms.


    The mechanical gargoyle¡¯s expression gave rise to a strange feeling within Xiao Ling¡¯s heart. He did not mingle around much. Now that there was suddenly another conscious life form around him, Xiao Ling was having some conflicting feelings.


    When a Mechanical Alchemist obtained his mechanical puppet, he would be provided with a sub-space to store the mechanical puppet.


    Xiao Ling gave it a light pat on the head. He called up his character panel and noticed the addition of the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s attributes below. Xiao Ling read it.


    Mechanical gargoyle:


    Attacks: Spell, ranged melee, basic attack.


    Spell damage: 200 (average).


    Melee damage: 500 (average).


    Cooldown between attacks: 3 seconds (spell), 2.5 seconds (melee).


    Spell range: 30 yards[1. 1 yard is almost 1 meter, so 27 meters or so.].


    Material: Metal. Rank 1 defense enhancements.


    Agility: 15.


    Health: 800 (regeneration per second: 8).


    Spells: Frost Blast (base damage 200), Ring of Frost (base damage 100).


    Mana regeneration: 5 per second.


    Visibility: 100 (day), 50 (night).


    Mechanical gargoyle rank: Rank 1S.


    As expected, this gargoyle was only a rank S gargoyle. Its combat strength was the equivalent of a rank 2 mechanical imp. Xiao Ling laughed at himself. With his Journeyman rank engineering skills, it was already a commendable feat for him to craft a gargoyle. On top of that, most of the glyphs the gargoyle was inscribed with were rank 1 glyphs. It was only natural for it to have a lower ranking.


    The only praiseworthy thing was that the mechanical gargoyle retained its dual skill attribute. If Xiao Ling was right, that Ring of Frost should be an Ice Mage¡¯s Ring of Frost. This powerful control skill alone could raise this mechanical gargoyle¡¯s value fivefold.


    Xiao Ling was quite satisfied with the various attributes of the mechanical gargoyle. Having a mechanical gargoyle meant that he had another combat power. This would certainly help him a lot in his leveling.


    Xiao Ling inspected the mechanical gargoyle again. When he confirmed that there were no glitches, he stored the mechanical gargoyle in the sub-space. He would not be able to test the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s strength here. He could only wait for the opportunity to present itself.


    Xiao Ling was beginning to feel the exhaustion from a whole night¡¯s work. Having one¡¯s mana sucked away was a taxing task. Xiao Ling crept onto the bed and pondered. Should he tell Tian Kuang that he had built a mechanical gargoyle? If they had a mechanical gargoyle on their side, they would certainly be leveling up much more quickly. However, if he told Tian Kuang that he had built a mechanical gargoyle, how was he supposed to explain where it came from? Should he tell them that he had the attributes of a Mechanical Alchemist and a general Warlock, which made him four classes in one?


    Xiao Ling thought about it and promptly shook the idea out of his head. He would keep this a secret for now. He decided to only use his mechanical gargoyle when he was back to soloing.


    Xiao Ling entertained his other thoughts on his bed and fell asleep before he knew it.


    In the morning, Xiao Ling heard knocks on his door.


    Xiao Ling woke up and opened the door. Tian Kuang was waiting for him outside. Tian Fei, Tian Xin, and Lin Fei were already downstairs, ready to depart.


    Xiao Ling smiled apologetically. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve overslept.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. The others are waiting,¡± said Tian Kuang. He went down the stairs, Xiao Ling followed him. The four of them walked toward the Mercenary Guild.


    Tian Fei and Tian Xin were both curious about Xiao ling¡¯s activities last night. However, they found it difficult to bring it up when Xiao Ling was not talking about it.


    ¡°Our destination today is the Boar Mine. We¡¯ll take all the quests related to it and complete what we can.¡± As Tian Kuang spoke, he passed some potions to Xiao Ling. ¡°This is a spell damage enhancement potion to increase your spell damage. Take one. We might be fighting a Boss today. If a Boss appears, drink it. Lin Fei is a Rogue and isn¡¯t well-suited to hold down a Boss. We can only reduce her time of holding it at bay by increasing our damage output.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Xiao Ling responded. He received the spell damage enhancement potion from Tian Kuang. He checked the effects of the potion.


    Spell damage enhancement potion: Increase spell damage by 10%. Lasts for two minutes.


    Although he did not know how much this potion cost, judging by its effects, he had a feeling that it was not cheap. There was no room for being stingy in matters pertaining to the party¡¯s survival. Xiao Ling stored it in his bag.

 Chapter 46 - Basic Mistake

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    There were many players at the Mercenary Guild today. They did a fair bit of bustling before they reached the counter. Tian Kuang gave the list of quests a cursory glance. He accepted every quest related to the Boar Mine that seemed manageable and came with lighter penalties.


    ¡°Number 33, the one about collecting ores, let¡¯s take that one as well. The rewards aren¡¯t bad. There¡¯s no penalty for incompletion as well,¡± said Xiao Ling. He turned to speak to Tian Kuang as he handed in his quests for the day before.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a miner,¡± said Tian Kuang. Xiao Ling suddenly remembered that he never mentioned about his mining abilities to Tian Kuang.


    ¡°I know how to mine,¡± Xiao Ling explained.


    Tian Kuang was taken aback. ¡°This quest requires Journeyman rank mining skills.¡±


    ¡°I can do it,¡± said Xiao Ling again. He did not know how he should break it to them. If he told them that he was an Artisan rank miner, he was certain that they would be more shocked.


    Tian Kuang gave Xiao Ling a peculiar look. Then, he accepted that quest as well. Tian Kuang said with a wry smile, ¡°I realized that it¡¯s getting more difficult to put a finger on you. Journeyman rank engineering alone would¡¯ve taken a lot of a person¡¯s energy. Even those specializing in engineering might not be able to raise their expertise ratings to the Journeyman rank. I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯re a miner as well.¡±


    Xiao Ling shrugged. Then, he added, ¡°It¡¯s not just engineering and mining. I¡¯ve even picked up metal crafting and blacksmithing as well.¡±


    There was a loud spitting sound, followed by fits of coughing. Tian Xin, who was sitting at the table while waiting spit out the mouthful of tea he had been drinking. He was startled by Xiao Ling¡¯s words. ¡®Good heavens, what is it with this guy?¡¯


    These four life skills were skills that ordinary players would never pick up, save for those who were making a trade out of them. Ordinary players would only learn life skills related to their classes. Mechanical Alchemists would pick up engineering so that they would be able to fix their mechanical puppets once they malfunctioned, saving them the trouble of traveling to dedicated service centers in the big cities. However, only Apprentice rank engineering was required to fix mechanical puppets. They would not invest time to raise their engineering expertise ratings. Apothecary Alchemists would learn herbalism and potion-making because these were the basic tricks of their trade. Some ordinary players would also learn skinning, gathering, fishing, spring water-making, or baking to earn some side cash while farming monsters or to reduce their expenditures.


    However, it was slightly absurd for a Warlock to learn mining, metal crafting, blacksmithing, and engineering. Did he now know that there were limits to a person¡¯s energy? A single skill was difficult enough to master, and this fellow had learned four. What made him feel more puzzled was that his mining and engineering were both at the Journeyman rank. It was a commendable feat for other players to reach that level of expertise in a single skill.


    Tian Xin and Tian Fei exchanged glances with wry smiles on their faces. ¡°Freak,¡± they blurted out at the same time. That was the only word they could think of to describe Xiao Ling. He would certainly be the only player who learned skills this way. In their eyes, Xiao Ling was as dumb as could be.


    Tian Kuang opened his mouth to speak. He wanted to tell Xiao Ling that it was wrong to learn skills this way, but he did not know how. After all, Xiao Ling¡¯s expertise ratings in both skills were quite high. He could never ask him to delete them. Since Xiao Ling had learned them, Tian Kuang chose not to comment.


    Tian Kuang could not help but ask, ¡°Were you planning on becoming a life skill player when you joined the game?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Xiao Ling shook his head. He could not tell Tian Kuang that he was a Mechanical Alchemist. However, Xiao Ling was puzzled. Did nobody learn four skills like he did? How did they come about owning their mechanical puppets, then?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯ve chosen to learn four life skills, but it might be better for you to focus on only one or two skills to master. If you learn too many life skills, you might end up being a jack of all trades but master of none. That won¡¯t be beneficial for your progress,¡± Tian Kuang advised him. He was genuinely worried that Xiao Ling would proceed down the wrong path and spend all his energy and time improving his life skills. If he did that, they would lose a good comrade.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Xiao Ling responded with a nod.


    Xiao Ling handed in his completed quest and leveled up again. He was now level 14. However, the gold coin reward was too little for Xiao Ling. It was only 80 gold coins. He had a huge debt to pay off. Although the others did not pester him to pay up, he would have to clear his debt sooner or later.


    Xiao Ling looked to the top of the list, where the quest with the highest reward was listed. He wondered when would he be able to kill Oslinland. If he could kill Oslinland, he would have enough money to pay his debt. Xiao Ling was still thinking about the Ellandi¡¯s Necklace.


    After accepting the quests, the five of them came out from the Mercenary Guild. Tian Kuang said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. If we pick up the pace, we might just be able to complete all these quests.¡±


    The party walked out of Tilia against the throng of players. The others were here to accept quests from the Mercenary Guild.


    ¡°Big Brother, Yue Wen¡¯s in the game as well. She picked the Mechanical Alchemist Class. She wants you to help her complete some class quests,¡± said a young man in mage robes to a big and tall Barbarian Warrior. Their conversation piqued Xiao Ling¡¯s interest. He wondered what the Mechanical Alchemist¡¯s class quests were.


    The Barbarian Warrior frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t the first class quest of a Mechanical Alchemist extremely simple? Why can¡¯t she manage it?¡±


    The young man smiled wryly. ¡°I can¡¯t help it if she¡¯s so clingy. The reward for the quest is a mechanical imp. Without a mechanical imp, it¡¯s impossible for a Mechanical Alchemist to level up. Let¡¯s help her out.¡±


    The young man¡¯s words stunned Xiao Ling, who did not even remember hearing the remainder of the conversation. The young man¡¯s words resounded in Xiao Ling¡¯s mind. ¡®I could¡¯ve obtained a rank 1 mechanical imp from a quest? No wonder all the other Mechanical Alchemists have mechanical gargoyles at their sides! That¡¯s why nobody¡¯s selling rank 1 mechanical imps on the market!¡¯


    After connecting all the dots, Xiao Ling finally realized his mistake. It was an absurd mistake, a downright stupid one.


    Because of this mistake, Xiao Ling had wasted a whole month of leveling! Xiao Ling could not find the words for the complicated emotions he was feeling right now. He would have liked to stab himself with a dagger. How could he make such a basic mistake?


    Xiao Ling recalled his memories of choosing a class. The Mechanical Alchemist tutor had been explaining about the deep history of the class and the various legendary and epic heroes. Back then, Xiao Ling was not in his best condition. He was muddleheaded throughout the entire process. Even when he left the Mechanical Alchemist Hall, he did not even understand a word the tutor had spoken.


    It seemed as if he had missed the Mechanical Alchemist¡¯s class quest at that moment! Then, he saw mechanical puppets on sale in the market, and heard about some engineering student building a quality mechanical puppet. Hence, he naively thought that mechanical puppets were built by Mechanical Alchemists.


    Also, Xiao Ling had been building a cart behind closed doors. Nobody corrected his mistakes.


    Xiao Ling was very annoyed by this. Could there be anything more upsetting than this?


    When Tian Kuang saw Xiao Ling¡¯s extremely upset expression, he could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling ill?¡± Then, he laughed hysterically at his own words. They sounded silly, even to him. This was a game, there was no way that they could be sick!


    Xiao Ling shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 47 - Demon Eye

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Alterac Valley was as serene and beautiful as they remembered it. It seemed to be isolated from the secular world. It was as if the conflicts between humans and other living beings would never affect this place. Even if the battles between humans and monsters left wounds in the landscape, nature would swiftly take its course and heal the land.


    The steep flanking precipices towered to the heavens, inspiring fear in those who set eyes upon them. There was a cave opening that was five or six meters tall at the base of the precipice. It was dark and deep, leading to parts unknown. Vines hung over the cave¡¯s entrance as they swayed with the wind. There was a faint scent of ivy in the air.


    This was their destination, the Boar Mine.


    The five players stood at the cave¡¯s entrance and peered into it. Tian Kuang produced a map and flattened it out on the ground. He pored over it.


    This map was roughly a meter in length and width. A dense magic aura pervaded the map. Tian Kuang infused some of his magic element into the map as the map shifted. Clumps of magic elements flowed across its surface like a hologram which depicted the terrain inside the Boar Mine clearly. Even the rocks and distribution of Bosses were replicated with the utmost likeness by the magic elements.


    This was Xiao Ling¡¯s first time seeing a map of Brakada like the ones sold in NPC stores. This had to be the full and accurate map which cost 5,000 gold coins. When he saw the high-fidelity virtual hologram, Xiao Ling was filled with awe.


    Tian Kuang studied the map carefully. He seemed to have come up with a plan. He pointed at the map, and said, ¡°This is the spawning ground for normal Boars. If we farm about 150 of them here, we¡¯ll be completing three quests related to normal Boars. Then, we¡¯ll pass through this narrow cave. This is the spawning ground for Frenzied Boars. There¡¯s a 0.1% chance of encountering a Frenzied Boar King, which is a level 17 quasi-Boss. We must be careful. If we kill 200 Frenzied Boars, we¡¯re basically done with our quests. If we have enough time, we¡¯ll be heading here.¡± Tian Kuang pointed to the end of the Boar Mine. It was a patch of empty land. There was only a black Boar wielding a cranium crusher.


    Tian Kuang looked around at everybody. Finally, his gaze rested on Xiao Ling. ¡°Level 22 quasi-Boss. Demon Boar King. This Demon Boar King can drop some pretty neat items. There¡¯ll also be something for you.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡± Xiao Ling asked, puzzled.


    ¡°Demon Eye skill tome. It¡¯s an expensive item worth 15,000 gold coins. The only problem is that the drop rate is quite low,¡± said Tian Kuang with a smile.


    When he heard the words ¡°Demon Eye¡±, Xiao Ling felt a jolt of excitement. This classic Demonic Warlock spell could increase his leveling time twofold! Due to the time limit of their demonic summons, Demonic Warlocks were slower to level up compared to other classes, even though they made formidable opponents in PvP. High-level Demonic Warlocks were generally of lower levels compared to players of other classes. Hence, the system compensated the Demonic Warlocks with the Demon Eye skill tome. It was a skill tome with an extremely low drop rate and an extremely high price tag.


    If they could get a Demon Eye skill tome, he would be able to increase his leveling speed by leaps and bounds. Naturally, Xiao Ling wanted this skill very much.


    ¡°Is this Boss spawned at random or at fixed intervals?¡± Under normal circumstances, a killed Boss would vanish, and another Boss would randomly spawn. Bosses that spawned at regular intervals were rare, but not completely nonexistent.


    ¡°The Demon Boar King can be revived before 12 a.m. regardless of how many times it was killed by players. This Boss should be one of the few Bosses that spawn at regular intervals. However, the drop rate of Demon Eye is 1%. So, only a handful of the Demon Eye skill tomes have dropped here before,¡± said Tian Kuang.


    Xiao Ling remembered his words. It was impossible for Tian Kuang and the others to accompany him in killing the Boss until the skill tome dropped. However, Xiao Ling was determined to have the Demon Eye skill tome. Since he did not have the money to buy it, his only choice was to have it by killing the Demon Boar King. For the time being, it was impossible for him to take on the Demon Boar King alone. It would only be possible if he was five or six levels higher than the Boss, and his defenses and attacks were improved. Then, he would be able to overpower the Boss through sheer advantage in levels.


    After learning that the Demon Boar King was a source of Demon Eye, Xiao Ling set his eyes on the monster. He wondered if he could take on the Demon Boar King daily when his level was high enough in the future.


    ¡°Beep, beep.¡± Tian Kuang had a notification. When he saw the sender, his expression changed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tian Xin asked. He seemed to have guessed the message¡¯s contents.


    Lin Fei saw his expression. ¡°Is it the guild?¡± she asked.


    Tian Kuang gave a bitter smile, and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Tian Kuang turned to Xiao Ling and said, ¡°Something¡¯s come up in the guild. We¡¯ll have to head back to headquarters the day after tomorrow. We¡¯ll keep in touch.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Xiao Ling responded. He could only level on his own now. Although it would not be as fast as following the four of them around, he was confident that it should be an easier job now that he had a mechanical gargoyle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head in.¡± Tian Kuang folded the map and stuffed it into his bag. Tian Fei and Tian Xin wore grim expressions.


    Xiao Ling was bewildered. ¡®They were only called back to the headquarters, do they have to be so glum about it?¡¯


    What Xiao Ling did not know was that they disliked their guild and some of its members. That was why they went away on their own. It was only natural for them to feel reluctant to head back, but they had no choice.


    Lin Fei used her Stealth and entered the Boar Mine ahead of the others. Spellcasters were too fragile. If they accidentally plunged into a sea of monsters, there would be no chance for their survival. Hence, the melee class players would usually scout the area, followed by the spellcasters.


    Lin Fei kept Tian Kuang informed on the situation inside the cave.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t many monsters inside. Let¡¯s go.¡± Tian Kuang entered the cave after he finished speaking. Xiao Ling, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin followed behind him.


    Tian Xin tightened his grip on his azure staff. He was prepared for any incoming monsters. He would unleash a single target frost skill which would slow them down without hesitation.


    Some fat pig monsters roamed about in the Boar Mine. Their skin was a dark shade of gray, and they had fangs as sharp as sickles around their snouts.


    Boar: Level 16.


    It was slightly dark in the cave. They could still manage to see with the help from the light coming from the outside. Their vision reached about 50 yards.


    They ran into the occasional monster along the way. Lin Fei would go behind the Boars under her Stealth mode and unleash her Sap. Then, the monster would be left to Xiao Lin, Tian Xin, and Tian Fei. The three of them could take out one Boar after casting their spells in turn. Sometimes, Tian Kuang would cast his spells as well. However, he had to maintain his mana bar so that it was more than 80% in case something awry happened. He would usually wait for his mana to be regenerated and replenished after casting a few spells.

 Chapter 48 - Calculating Spell Damage

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Under normal circumstances, the time between a spellcaster¡¯s attacks was two seconds. As attack speed was raised, the time between attacks would be shortened. However, without a god¡¯s blessing, spellcasters would not be able to break through the limits of a human body. The shortest possible time between attacks was one second; this was the bottleneck of all intelligent life forms.


    Also, a human brain needed time to react. It was difficult for the brain to gauge the time between the casting of spells. The brain would usually realize that it should be casting another spell after a few seconds.


    The party dealt with the scattered Boars as they made their way toward their first destination. The cries of the Boars could frequently be heard coming from the dark carve. The sounds echoed and lingered in the cave, adding to the gloomy atmosphere.


    Xiao Ling was impressed with Lin Fei. As a female, she showed no signs of fear even in a place like this. Her nimble figure maneuvered the cave at high speed. She was like a ghost in the darkness.


    When he saw that they were farming monsters at a quick pace, Xiao Ling became more serious and dealt damage like never before.


    Xiao Ling kept unleashing his skills with a shocking precision of the time between spells. When Tian Kuang saw this, he rejoiced inwardly. Spell damage would be increased as long as a player had better equipment, but operation skills and reflexes could only be improved after spending much effort. They were also dependent on a person¡¯s talents. Tian Fei and Tian Xin, on the other hand, were noticing Xiao Ling¡¯s spell damage. Being spellcasters themselves, they often compared the stats of other players to their own. One way to compare this was to look at spell damage.


    If two spellcasters were to converse with each other, the question that would most likely come up would be ¡°How much is your spell damage?¡±.


    The value of spell damage seemed to be the golden standard against which a spellcaster¡¯s strength was measured. Whether it was a raid quest or the battlefield, spellcasters would usually be asked about their spell damage before they were invited to form a team. If their spell damage was too low, they would not even be considered, even though spell damage was not everything.


    What bewildered Tian Xin and Tian Fei was that Xiao Ling¡¯s spell damage was only lower than theirs by several dozens. It should be known that they were already level 18, a whopping four levels higher than Xiao Ling. They were fully equipped with level 15 rank SSS enchanted equipment. Was a General Warlock that powerful?


    Even if his spell damage had a bonus of the highest of the three Warlock specializations, that merely meant that he would have a Destruction Warlock¡¯s spell damage bonus. This was because the Destruction Warlock was the Warlock specialization that had the highest spell damage bonus. Regardless of how a player¡¯s class changed, the base spell damage would not change. A level 14 spell damage could not have been as high as Xiao Ling¡¯s. The only explanation for this was that Xiao Ling¡¯s spirit was high.


    ¡°Are you going on full-intellect mode?¡± Tian Fei asked with a peculiar look on his face. Spellcasters rarely chose full-intellect mode because they would not be able to ensure their own safety this way. They would only be bold enough to do that with a powerful and fixed team. However, Xiao Ling usually leveled alone.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Xiao Ling.


    Tian Fei was slightly stunned. He was surprised that Xiao Ling did that. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that full-intellect mode is irrational?¡± As a Warlock himself, Tian Fei had his own opinion on the matter.


    ¡°How so?¡± Xiao Ling asked, puzzled.


    ¡°If you go full-intellect, your attacks and movements will be slower. For example, if you have 10 attribute points, and you pour them all into intellect, you¡¯ll only be raising your spell damage. However, if you add five points to agility, your attacks and movements will be faster. With a higher agility, you can ensure your own safety. Also, with a higher attack speed, the time between your spell attacks will be shortened. Your spell damage output might not be inferior to a full-intellect Warlock¡¯s.¡± Tian Fei told him his own thoughts. It could be said that this formula was completely correct. That was the reality.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Xiao Ling with a shake of his head. It was not because Tian Fei was wrong, it was just that Xiao Ling had a different understanding of things. Although he did not understand the game as well as the other players, he distributed his attribute points as a Warlock after thinking about it. He did not do it blindly.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Xiao Ling was surprised. ¡°Am I mistaken, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re actually right, and I can¡¯t counter your points. But, what I want to say is, there¡¯s a limit to how much your agility can be raised, and it¡¯s 50%. The limit for the time between spells is one second, and the limit to an increment in agility is 50%, which is 10 yards per second. The more points you add to agility, the less its effects are felt, until the point where it does nothing at all. Hence, adding 2,000 points or 20,000 points to agility won¡¯t make any substantial difference,¡± said Xiao Ling.


    Tian Fei laughed involuntarily. He said, ¡°But a Warlock will have to be at least level 100 to reach that limit and be equipped with a full set of Artifacts or Heirlooms!¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t deny that some players will achieve this upper limit in agility one day. When your equipment¡¯s agility bonus raises your agility unto that limit, you¡¯ll realize that you¡¯ve wasted all your points on enhancing your agility. Will you regret it then? Perhaps I¡¯m looking too far ahead. Also, it¡¯s worth noting that attack speed isn¡¯t the only measure of a person¡¯s spell damage. For example, if your time between attacks is one second with a spell damage of 50, whereas my time between attacks is two seconds with a spell damage of 100, I¡¯ll only have to cast my spell once, while you¡¯d have to cast yours twice. If something happened in between your attacks and you weren¡¯t able to cast your second one, my spell damage will be twice of yours!¡± That was Xiao Ling¡¯s opinion. This was Xiao Ling¡¯s understanding of the Warlock class based on the principle of instantaneous spells.


    Tian Fei was silenced for a while. His solid opinion seemed to be faltering now. Indeed, Xiao Ling had a point. A spellcaster¡¯s spell damage per unit time was not calculated based on attack speed. It was only an idealization to say that one¡¯s spell damage output would increase once attack speed was increased.


    Even though many players were aware of the full-intellect mode¡¯s advantages, not many were willing to give up on their agility and stamina. This was because they would not be able to escape the fate of being killed instantly. They were of the opinion that sacrificing some spell damage was a small price to pay in exchange for a guarantee of security. After all, they were not the sole damage dealer in a large raid quest. Also, if they kept themselves alive, their spell damage would increase along with their levels.


    When Xiao Ling looked at Tian Fei and Tian Xin¡¯s pondering expressions, he knew that they were thinking about assigning attribute points. He decided not to disturb them.


    Looking at Tian Fei and Tian Xin¡¯s expressions, Tian Kuang gave a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down here and catch our breaths.¡± He had heard Xiao Ling¡¯s reasoning as well. Before this, Xiao Ling gave him the impression that he knew almost nothing about the game. Now, it seemed that Xiao Ling had his own take on the game.

 Chapter 49 - Binding Bier

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Lin Fei scouted the cave ahead of the others. There were cries of beasts from afar. Lin Fei gestured toward them. Xiao Ling and the others knew what she meant quickly enough. They stood up and made battle preparations.


    ¡°There are six Boars coming our way.¡± Tian Kuang scanned the others, and said to Tian Xin, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the early stage control to you.¡± Frost Mages had the most powerful control abilities of the various spellcasters. However, a Frost Mage alone would not be able to control too many monsters on his own. This was because ordinary monsters would develop some resistance to controlling spells which they were hit with. It would become more and more difficult to control them.


    Tian Xin paused before replying, ¡°Alright.¡± Even though he had his doubts about Tian Kuang¡¯s arrangements, this was clearly not the time to be asking questions.


    Tian Kuang said to Xiao Ling, ¡°Stay by Tian Xin¡¯s side. Have your Ring of Repellent ready.¡±


    Tian Kuang wanted Xiao Ling to protect Tian Xin. Xiao Ling understood what he meant. ¡°Understood.¡±


    Tian Kuang turned to Tian Fei now, and said, ¡°It¡¯s cramped in here. I think it¡¯s better not to use AoE spells, we don¡¯t want to hit our own members. You¡¯ll be in charge of damage output, take out as many as you can.¡± Tian Fei¡¯s AoE spell Meteor Fire attacked indiscriminately. It would be a huge loss if they hit their own party members. However, a Destruction Warlock¡¯s single-target spells were not to be underestimated, either.


    Tian Kuang seemed to be deep in thought. He looked at his own staff which was glowing faintly in dark golden. The appearance of this staff was extremely ordinary. Only the blue magic crystal on its tip which pulsed with a faint glow, like an eye peeking about at its surroundings, made it look different.


    From the outside, it was definitely an extremely ordinary staff. Tian Kuang was the only one who knew how special it was.


    It was not without reason that Tian Kuang and the others were given special treatment in the second largest guild of the Angelic Alliance, Dragon Flame, despite their low levels. It was partly due to their operation skills, and the skills of Tian Fei, Tian Xin, and Lin Fei. The main reason was because of Tian Kuang. It was thanks to Tian Kuang that the others had been given preferential treatment, and the guild was determined to retain them as members.


    Tian Kuang hesitated. He wondered if he should tell Xiao Ling about this. Although he believed in Xiao Ling¡¯s character, there was no guarantee that Xiao Ling would stay on as a party member after this. Friendship had to be built with the flow of time. Tian Kuang could not find it in himself to trust Xiao Ling completely.


    Not everyone was worthy of unconditional trust. Everybody would have a secret or two that they would rather keep. This was the case with Xiao Ling, and so it was with Tian Kuang.


    Six Boars were charging toward them. They were merely behaving atrociously. When they saw the humans in their cave, they roared and charged at the intruders.


    Xiao Ling and the others stood in the best positions they could find.


    As the Boars drew nearer, Tian Xin prepared to case his Ring of Frost. He was gripping his azure staff tightly. He could not cast his Ring of Frost too early, nor could he be too late.


    Veins popped on his arms. With the drumming sounds of the Boars¡¯ hooves on the cave floor, Tian Xin¡¯s chest tightened. He forced his breathing to slow down in a bid to calm himself. He calculated the distance between himself and the Boars.


    A miss would mean a failure and being wiped. For a party member, there was no room for mistakes! This was because a single person¡¯s mistake would drag the entire team into the quagmire of death.


    Xiao Ling kept an eye on Tian Xin¡¯s condition. If Tian Xin could not cast his Ring of Frost in time, he would have to cast his Ring of Repellent as a countermeasure.


    Six Boars, all within range! Tian Xin gave a loud shout.


    Ring of Frost!


    Icicles emerged from the floor, covering it in countless ice crystals. A chill instantly filled the mine. The dim light in the mine was refracted by the translucent icicles, and the mine was now illuminated with bright, colorful radiance.


    The icicles charged toward the six Boars. One, two¡­ six. Every single monster was covered in ice!


    Xiao Ling praised him inwardly. Tian Xin had great timing. All six Boars were now frozen. It should be known that the Boars had been charging at high speed. Tian Xin was only left with a few seconds to react. It was not easy for Tian Xin to freeze all of them.


    Lin Fei gave the signal to attack. A Rogue¡¯s melee combo landed on one of the Boars like a raging tide. The Boar which Lin Fei struck became the target for the others. A series of spells rained down on it.


    In 10 seconds, the Boar wailed. It fell to the ground under their combined attacks.


    The icicles on the other Boars shattered. They had broken free of the control. Lin Fei moved forward and hit a Boar with Sap. Tian Xin managed to control another Boar with his Creeping Frost.


    Destruction Warlocks were weaker in controlling monsters. Xiao Ling¡¯s controlling abilities were not very applicable under such conditions, either. However, this did not mean that they could take it easy. Xiao Ling and Tian Fei increased their damage output on one of the Boars.


    Xiao Ling was surprised to see that the Boar which he and Tian Fei attacked did not charge toward them. Instead, it stood rooted to the ground. The two remaining Boars were also paralyzed.


    At this moment, Tian Kuang¡¯s staff was emitting a scorching and vague black radiance. It was emitting shadow power! This was a rare Shadow Priest magic Tian Kuang learned, Binding Bier! He controlled the other three Boars, making them unable to move.


    The black radiance shone on Tian Kuang¡¯s face, casting it in a mysterious yet stately glow.


    ¡®Were Shadow Priests always this powerful?¡¯ Shadows Priests should have been skilled in curses and not control. Yet, the controlling ability of this spell surprised Xiao Ling.


    Levels aside, Tian Kuang might just be the most powerful Shadow Priest Xiao Ling had ever met. The Shadow Priest¡¯s in Brakada Arena did not have much strength nor the results to prove otherwise. Xiao Ling had thought that Shadow Priests were weak.


    There was a saying that went ¡°there is no weakest class, only the weakest player¡±. It seemed that the saying was founded on reason.


    It was easier handling the monsters after that. Tian Fei and Xiao Ling did short work of a Boar. They had the highest damage output among the five of them. Killing a Boar in such safe, controlled conditions was a piece of cake. They dealt with the remaining Boars once they were done with their targets. A short while later, six Boar corpses lay on the floor.


    Tian Kuang was panting slightly. He looked at his empty mana bar. If it had taken them a while longer, he would not have been able to maintain his spell. Although Binding Bier was powerful, it consumed a lot of mana. It took a huge chunk of mana every second the spell was maintained. Once his mana ran out, the control would be undone. Also, the caster would not be able to launch any attacks while the spell was cast. Hence, this was a spell that could only be used when working together with a team, otherwise it would be meaningless. Also, as the only healer in the party, Tian Kuang had to consider his party members¡¯ safety. If he was not convinced that there was no danger, Tian Kuang would never use Binding Bier.

 Chapter 50 - Trailing

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Lin Fei picked up the dropped items from the ground. Aside from a few gold coins, there was also a Rare Barbarian Armor with good stats. It should be worth some gold coins at the Auction House.


    They passed through a long and narrow tunnel and saw white fluorescent light flickering at the end. It was as if countless fireflies were flying about there. They radiance they refracted adorned the Boar Mine until it seemed like the land of dreams.


    Xiao Ling could not help but feel shocked. ¡°What¡¯s that light at the end?¡± Could there be sunlight this deep in the mine?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the phosphorite section up ahead,¡± explained Tian Kuang after glancing at the map.


    Xiao Ling was hit with a sudden realization. Phosphorite was a Common rank 3 ore. Phosphorite could fluoresce with white light in dark places. It was nothing special; it was only white light. It was easily mistaken for sunlight, which was why Xiao Ling did not recognize it right away. However, Xiao Ling did not have the leisure to waste his time on such Common ores. They were not worth much in gold.


    The phosphorite flickered like stars in the night sky. Lin Fei had scouted the area ahead of them. Xiao Ling and the others waited for Lin Fei¡¯s feedback. They peered into the cave section and could hear faint battling sounds. There were also traces of magic elements in the air.


    Xiao Ling and Tian Kuang exchanged bewildered looks. Did Lin Fei run into some trouble? Did she run into some other players who were here in the Boar Mine as well?


    Tian Kuang mused for a long while. He was fidgeting. Although Tian Kuang usually behaved in a carefree manner and did not seem too concerned with Lin Fei, anyone with bright eyes could tell that they had a fantastic relationship.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check it out,¡± said Tian Kuang. There was a hint of anxiousness in his tone. He did not seem like his usual steady self.


    ¡°Mm-hm,¡± Xiao Ling replied. He could sense Tian Kuang¡¯s irritation.


    A light blue figure was sprinting toward them. Tian Kuang saw Lin Fei¡¯s nimble body and sighed with relief. His eyes were gentle when they looked at Lin Fei. When a man loved a woman, he would not talk about it all day. His love for her would usually be displayed in such moments of carelessness.


    Lin Fei panted and looked at the others. ¡°Why¡¯s everybody standing up?¡± she asked in puzzlement.


    ¡°Sis, if you¡¯d returned a moment later, Big Brother would¡¯ve been charging forward to look for you,¡± said Tian Xin with a smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation there?¡± Tian Kuang quickly spoke with a clearly unnatural expression.


    Lin Fei wore a faint smile. She looked at Tian Kuang, making him blush slightly. She said, ¡°There are a few players from the Evil Alliance farming monsters there.¡±


    Tian Kuang frowned. ¡°Evil Alliance players? Why¡¯re they here?¡± This was the heartland of Brakada. Very few Evil Alliance players could manage to travel all the way here without being noticed by Brakada¡¯s players.


    Lin Fei considered it before replying, ¡°They have a map. They seem to be looking for something.¡±


    Tian Fei walked closer, and asked, ¡°Big Sister, how many of them are there? What are their levels?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s six of them. Their highest level is level 23. There are two level 21s, two 20s, and one 18. As for their classes, there are four spellcasters¡ªtwo Wizards, who are a Poison Wizard and a Shadow Wizard, by the looks of it, a Necromancer, and an Elemental Mage¡ªan Orc Warrior, and an Undead Rogue. The Shadow Wizard placed a Spying Eye on the ground. I dared not get too close. Also, there¡¯s a golden skeleton beside that Necromancer,¡± Lin Fei added.


    They did not sound weak. A golden skeleton was the evolved form of the skeleton soldier. They were much more powerful than ordinary skeletons. However, their summoning process was also more complicated. One would have to kill a golden skeleton first, obtain its skull, and use it as the medium to summon another golden skeleton, unlike with skeleton soldiers, which could be summoned anywhere. Only one golden skeleton could be summoned per skull.


    Also, with a Shadow Wizard there, there was no chance for a Rogue to sneak up on them. This was because the Spying Eye would reveal any Rogues in Stealth mode within its range.


    Tian Kuang considered the possibilities as he spoke, ¡°I wonder what they¡¯re looking for, for them to risk their lives, coming all the way here. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing worthless. Are there any treasures in the Boar Mine?¡±


    If he had his way, he would never let such a great opportunity slip. However, those players were of higher levels than them, and they had numbers on their side. It would be dangerous for them to take them on recklessly.


    In such an encounter, Rogues were usually the ones to make the first strike. The Rogue would take care of the Poison Wizard first because a Poison Wizard played the same roles as Priests in the Evil Alliance. However, with a Shadow Wizard there, a Rogue would be hard-pressed to take out the Poison Wizard with Cheap Shot. They certainly would not be able to overpower them. Their only chance of victory was to wait for the Evil Alliance players to be boggled down by monsters before jumping on them.


    ¡°What do you all say?¡± Tian Kuang asked. Naturally, he could not decide such matters on his own. He would always ask the opinion of the others.


    Tian Fei indifferently said, ¡°I¡¯m down for anything. However, I think that this is an opportunity. The enemy is in the open, and we have the advantage of surprise. We might be able to take them out. Merit points aside, we might even get some equipment.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just curious about the things that they¡¯re looking for,¡± said Tian Xin. His intentions were clear. He wanted to charge over, kill the enemies, and take the treasure.


    Tian Kuang looked at Xiao Ling. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re sneaking up on them, we should have a 70% chance of surprising them and a 50% chance of wiping them out. However, we¡¯ll be in danger as well.¡± Xiao Ling did not state his own view clearly. However, his intentions were clear¡ªthey were the same as Tian Xin¡¯s.


    Tian Kuang looked toward Lin Fei, who shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯ll trail them. You guys follow behind me and look for an opening. Remember to keep your distance,¡± reminded Lin Fei.


    ¡°Mm-hm, alright. Be careful. It¡¯s best to be 30 yards away from them. The lowest level Spying Eye has a range of 10 yards. If it¡¯s at a higher level, it should be able to detect you at 20 yards or more. If thing¡¯s aren¡¯t right, run back here as quickly as you can,¡± said Tian Kuang.


    When she heard Tian Kuang¡¯s words of concern, her lips curled upward. There was a warm, happy expression on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll be off, then.¡± She activated her Stealth mode and went to trail their targets.


    Xiao Ling and the others followed behind Lin Fei. They maintained a wide distance so that they would not be noticed by the Evil Alliance players.


    They walked past a fluorescent section of the cave. They could see some shadows in the distance. They should be the Evil Alliance players.


    Lin Fei stayed close to the cave¡¯s walls and trailed them. The protrusions of the cave walls and uneven floor made it slightly difficult for her to move about. She moved slowly with her back hunched as she carefully moved closer to them.


    Invisibility and counter-invisibility measures were crucial in the battles on Endace Continent. There were many classes capable of detecting an invisible Rogue. At the same time, Rogues had their own unique skills to avoid detection. This was a battle with a ferocity not inferior to actual combat.

 Chapter 51 - Lockheed Soul Staff

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    A Rogue had to always know the target¡¯s detection range while trailing them under Stealth. A skilled Rogue would never wander into the target¡¯s detection range. Knowing the opponent¡¯s detection range was a probing process. The simplest of mistakes would expose their whereabouts.


    The Spying Eye was a light green wooden stick. It was materialized with magic elements. There was a green eye on the top of the wooden stick that would scan its surroundings continuously. The green light of the eye was eerie. It was as if it was all-seeing and nothing could hide from it gaze.


    30 yards, 29 yards, 28 yards, 27 yards. Lin Fei¡¯s palms started to sweat. Her job was to first find out what the Spying Eye¡¯s detection range was. Then, they should keep at the edges of the Spying Eye¡¯s detection range. Once Tian Kuang and the others launched their attacks, she would be able to sneak up upon the Poison Wizard and the other spellcasters.


    Ordinary spellcasters would usually be rendered powerless when sneaked up on by a Rogue. This was because a Rogue had powerful controlling abilities and could deal high single-target damage. Spellcasters with short health bars could not stand up to them.


    The process was perilous at best. Although the Spying Eye¡¯s detection range was fixed, the uneven terrain complicated things. The Spying Eye¡¯s detection range was now not a perfect circle. If she stepped into it by accident, it would be equivalent to exposing herself.


    The most eye-catching among their targets was the golden skeleton. The golden skeleton looked imposing with its two meters in height. It was covered in thick and heavy golden armor. Its body and the back of its skull were completely covered. Fully armed, it looked like a general from the Roman Empire. Only its skeletal face was exposed with its strange glowing red eyes. It wielded a scarlet scythe which was more than three meters long. Its blade was also dripping with thick blood.


    The summoning medium for the golden skeleton was difficult to come by. Some Necromancers might not even be able to obtain a golden skeleton before their first class advancement at level 30. Usually, they would only be bringing silver skeletons. A golden skeleton¡¯s combat strength was not inferior to a level 20 Barbarian Warrior¡¯s. Its attack, defense, and HP were not low, either.


    A large herd of Boars was glaring at these Evil Alliance players. There were about a dozen of them. They wanted to chase away these outsiders, but the huge stature of the golden skeleton which walked in front of the players made them hesitate.


    ¡°Wow, there¡¯s quite a lot of monsters here. I think we won¡¯t be able to get to where we want to go without clearing this place,¡± said the Orc Warrior. He walked forward and stood beside the golden skeleton.


    The leading Poison Wizard glanced at the map, and said, ¡°There¡¯s still a long way to go to the deepest parts of the cave. Looks like we have no choice but to kill monsters all the way. These Boars are one thing, but there¡¯s a Demon Boar King at the end of the cave. That¡¯s the key.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a level 22 quasi-Boss, killing it will be a piece of cake,¡± said the Elemental Mage disapprovingly.


    The Poison Wizard eyed the Elemental Mage with a disgruntled look. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that it¡¯s a demonic creature. Also, its hide is strengthened and has a high resistance to shadow spells. The Shadow Wizard and I are useless against it. Your elemental attacks will only have 90% of their effect on it.¡±


    The Elemental Mage¡¯s cheeks turned a shade of pink. He continued to quibble. ¡°With the golden skeleton here, we¡¯ll have three powerful melee classes. No matter what, I think we¡¯ll be stronger than a level 22 Boss.¡±


    The Poison Wizard coldly said, ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re willing to follow my orders, the guild assigned you to us, and you¡¯ll have to work with us. If the guild makes you the leader, I won¡¯t have any objections, and will hand over the position to you.¡±


    The Elemental Mage opened his mouth to retort, but the Necromancer gave him a cold look. ¡°Shut up. You have no place to speak here.¡±


    The Elemental Mage seemed to be afraid of the Necromancer. He sheepishly closed his mouth. The Poison Wizard cast the Necromancer a dull look. In his eyes, although the Elemental Mage had good operation skills, he was only a clown in the corner. However, the Necromancer was different. He did not know why, but he felt a sense of fear and respect toward the Necromancer as well. This was because he was too powerful. Although he usually kept to himself, it was difficult to meet his sharp gaze constantly hidden under the dark cloak.


    ¡°Let¡¯s pick up the pace. It¡¯ll be troublesome if we¡¯re discovered by the Angelic Alliance players.¡± The Necromancer stuffed his black staff into his bag and took out a pale white staff. The bone-like staff was covered in mottled cracks. There was a white skull at the top of the staff. The skull¡¯s eyes flashed with red light and its jaws clicked as it let out a sharp laugh. ¡°My friend, you¡¯re in need of my help again, kakaka. You should take me out more often. It¡¯s too stuffy in your bag. It¡¯s hard to breathe in there.¡±


    Its strange voice sent a chill down Lin Fei¡¯s spine as she stayed hidden in the darkness. She opened up her chat with Tian Kuang. ¡°Their target is the Demon Boar King. There¡¯s something fishy about that Necromancer. I think he has a Legendary staff. It might even be an Artifact.¡±


    The Necromancer was irritated by its chattering. ¡°Shut up,¡± he said to the skull-studded staff in a cold voice.


    ¡°How rude. Is this how you¡¯re supposed to treat the greatest Necromancer on Endace Continent? Moreover, the said Necromancer has become an immortal Lich.¡± The skull¡¯s jaws opened and closed. Its sharp and hoarse voice sounded like a saw on wood.


    ¡°The greatest Necromancer is Sandro. Also, you did not evolve into a Lich. You¡¯re only a defect. I¡¯ll break your skull off the top of this staff if you keep talking,¡± said the Necromancer with an infuriated tone.


    ¡°Oh, my cute friend. To think that you¡¯re calling Sandro the greatest Necromancer¡ª¡± The skull on top of the staff seemed to want to say something, but when it saw the Necromancer¡¯s cold eyes, it quickly closed its mouth.


    The Poison Wizard found it strange that the Necromancer was talking to the skeleton staff. He felt a chill run down its spine. He did not even have this feeling back in the Toxic Swamp.


    When he saw the Necromancer producing the Lockheed Soul Staff, he knew that this was the signal to attack. The Rogue activated his Stealth and moved toward the Boars.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said the Necromancer. The Poison Wizard was stunned when he heard this. There was a group of Boars before them, so how were they supposed to pass?


    ¡°ROAR!¡± the Orc Warrior howled.


    Berserker Stance!


    His body swelled. Under the effects of Berserker Stance, the Orc Warrior¡¯s attacks and critical hit rate increased dramatically. However, the damage he took would also be increased by 10%.


    The golden skeleton¡¯s eyes burst with red light. It brandished its huge scythe and charged at the Boar herd. The Orc Warrior followed the skeleton closely.


    When he saw the Rogue and Orc Warrior disregarding his orders, a venomous look flashed across the Poison Wizard¡¯s eyes. However, he also looked helpless. The Elemental Mage included, the Necromancer was the only one capable of keeping a hold on them.


    The Necromancer waved his staff, and mounds started rising on the muddy ground. Pairs of pale skeletal hands emerged. The pale skeletal hands scattered all over the ground gave this area an eerie atmosphere.


    ¡°Kakaka, brave ancient warriors of Lockheed, be restored to life! Your great master is summoning you.¡± The skull on the Lockheed soul staff laughed maniacally. The staff was now enveloped in a red radiance.

 Chapter 52 - Authority and Duty

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    More than 10 white skeleton soldiers emerged from the ground. These skeleton soldiers with spiked shields in their right hands and short scythes in their left were miniaturized versions of the golden skeleton. However, they were numerous, and exuded an imposing air as well.


    The skull¡¯s eyes on the Lockheed Soul Staff glared with a furious red glow. These skeleton soldiers¡¯ eyes shone with red light as well as their pupils dilated, eventually turning into the same shape as the eyes of the skull on the Lockheed Soul Staff.


    ¡°Your great master has offered up his soul to the magnificent god of the underworld, and inherited his will, Hades¡¯ will. With blood and honor, a contract was made to grant you souls and thoughts. My brave warriors, prove your piety to the god and fight!¡± Lockheed chanted an ancient spell which affected a person¡¯s emotions.


    When Lin Fei heard this, she felt irritated. She quickly stopped in a corner and calmed herself down so that she would not make a mistake while trailing them. Lin Fei was surprised to see the skeleton soldiers. There were almost 20 of them! She had never heard of a Necromancer who could summon a powerful undead servant and a bunch of low-level skeleton soldiers at the same time.


    ¡®Is it because of that Lockheed Soul Staff?¡¯ Lin Fei thought about the Redra¡¯s Staff in Tian Kuang¡¯s hands. It was not impossible for the Lockheed Soul Staff to accomplish such a feat. This Necromancer was a formidable character for being capable of summoning a powerful undead servant and a bunch of low-level skeleton soldiers at the same time.


    However, while the Necromancer obtained power, he would have to shoulder certain duties or live with some limitations that could be obvious or discrete. No powerful item would bestow great authority to its wielder without imposing certain duties on them.


    Lin Fei whispered to Tian Kuang, ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve run into a troublesome bunch.¡± Lin Fei relayed what she saw to him.


    A powerful Necromancer and formidable support classes such as the Shadow and Poison Wizards. With the Wizards there, the Necromancer was practically unstoppable!


    When he saw Tian Kuang¡¯s heavy expression, Tian Fei could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Things have gone slightly complicated.¡± Tian Kuang told them what he had heard from Lin Fei.


    ¡°Lockheed Soul Staff?¡± Xiao Ling muttered to himself. As he had expected, he was not the only person to be in possession of some unique items. The continent¡¯s history was well established. There were many players who owned Legendary items or Artifacts. Xiao Ling found himself touching his Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring.


    Tian Kuang was also absentmindedly caressing his Redra¡¯s Staff. Tian Kuang spoke, ¡°This is the third Legendary item or Artifact we¡¯ve encountered already. Legendary items and Artifacts are scary, but there¡¯s no cause for worry. Usually, the wielder will also suffer some limitations while using these magical items. Some limitations will lower the user¡¯s stats, while some will impose restrictions on their skills. The more outrageous a magical item is, the more powerful its limitations. He¡¯ll certainly have some weaknesses we can exploit. The more powerful his attacks, the weaker his body will be.¡±


    ¡°Weakness?¡± Tian Kuang¡¯s words resounded in Xiao Ling¡¯s ears. The more outrageous a magical item was, the more powerful its limitations. Did this apply to Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring as well? However, when Xiao Ling bound the Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring to himself back then, there was no system message. There was also nothing on the Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring¡¯s attributes. All it said was that binding the Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring would mean forming a contract with the demon, and he would gain the powers of all three Warlock specializations. Could there be some fine prints to this demonic contract?


    Tian Fei asked, ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°We wait,¡± said Tian Kuang. ¡°Their target is the Demon Boar King. We might have an opening the instant they defeat that Demon Boar King.¡±


    Tian Kuang suddenly paused before adding, ¡°No, something doesn¡¯t add up.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tian Xin asked. Judging by Tian Kuang¡¯s expression, he seemed to have noticed something.


    ¡°That map! Lin Fei said that they had a map of the Boar Mine¡¯s terrain!¡± Tian Kuang said in a heavier tone.


    Tian Fei and Tian Xin seemed to have understood his point. Xiao Ling, however, was bewildered. So what if they had a map?


    Tian Fei explained, ¡°Big Sister said that they had a map, but how come Evil Alliance players have a map of Brakada? From what I know, a map of Brakada could be sold for 50,000 to 60,000 gold coins in the Evil Alliance nations, at least! Do you think normal players would buy it? Only certain guilds will have a map or two in their possession.¡±


    ¡°Maybe their guild gave it to them?¡± suggested Xiao Ling.


    ¡°Any player brining a map of the opposing Alliance¡¯s nation will drop it once they are killed by players from the opposing Alliance. The player who picks it up can exchange it at the capital for rewards such as merit points or experience points based on the Alliance insignia on the map. Due to the scarcity of maps, the price of an enemy Alliance nation¡¯s map sold here has skyrocketed. Do you think they¡¯d bring with them something worth about 60,000 gold coins which could be dropped at any time on a risky adventure to Brakada¡¯s heartlands?¡± explained Tian Fei.


    Xiao Ling did not know much about the details of these settings. Endace Continent was a world modeled after medieval Europe. Besides the chat function between players, there were no modern forms of communication. There were no communications between players aside from word of mouth and notices on the capital¡¯s notice board.


    Because this world had many unknown parts, the players would have to go on adventures and explore it on their own. That was what attracted the multitude of players here.


    Through his experiences, the stories, legends, and the cumbersome game rules gradually made the image of Endace Continent richer in Xiao Ling¡¯s mind.


    ¡°So, there must be something fishy about that map!¡± said Tian Fei meaningfully. ¡°It might be some kind of treasure map! They would never travel all the way for nothing!¡±


    Tian Fei¡¯s words reminded Xiao Ling of the goblin treasure map in his personal vault. Xiao Ling had to admit that Tian Fei had a point.


    ¡°I¡¯m suddenly feeling all fired up!¡± Tian Xin rubbed his palms together excitedly.


    Tian Kuang had a faint smile. ¡°Don¡¯t rejoice just yet. We don¡¯t know if we can chew this bone for now. Let¡¯s wait for more information. I¡¯m now worried that the level 22 quasi-Boss won¡¯t be giving them too much of trouble to kill. We won¡¯t have any chances then. We might even be in trouble if we¡¯re entangled with them.¡±


    ¡°We have you on our side, don¡¯t we, Big Brother?¡± Tian Xin blurted out. He seemed to have immediately noticed his mistake as he stopped talking.


    Tian Kuang was still hesitating if he should tell Xiao Ling about Redra¡¯s Staff. The guild had asked him to keep it a secret before. Tian Kuang considered it and decided to keep it that way unless he had no choice. This way, he would not be going back on his promises.


    Wild Dance!


    Under the cover of the golden skeleton, the Orc Warrior brandished his two huge axes and charged toward the Boar herd. His pair of axes drew streaks of light in the air like a meteor shower.


    The golden skeleton took the vanguard. It led more than 10 low-level skeleton soldiers and charged toward the Boar herd. It raised its scarlet scythe and brought it down. A Boar was sent flying. Their battle had finally begun.

 Chapter 53 - Invisibility and Anti-invisibility

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The scene was a mess. There were too many creatures there. The golden skeleton, Orc Warrior, Rogue, skeleton soldiers, and the Boars made it a chaotic situation.


    When he saw the Necromancer summon that many low-level skeleton soldiers, the Poison Wizard was shocked as well. He¡¯d known that the Necromancer was powerful and in possession of a powerful staff, but he had not known what effects the staff had. He knew now.


    The Necromancer¡¯s five fingers were moving about incessantly as if he was playing the piano. The tune he seemed to be playing was unique and fast-paced. His fingers were practically a blur.


    The Poison Wizard glanced at the Necromancer¡¯s fingers. He knew that the Necromancer could control the skeleton soldiers in two ways. The first one was through his mind, and the second way was through sign language. Sign language could be awkward at times, and it had a high requirement on the flexibility of a person¡¯s fingers. Hence, ordinary Necromancers would not choose sign language. He had never seen a Necromancer able to use sign language with such dexterity.


    The Poison Wizard felt that the Necromancer was merely vying for attention. Could he convey his message while moving his fingers at such a speed? Moreover, could sign language be quicker than controlling them with his mind?


    Those were the Poison Wizard¡¯s thoughts, but the scene that followed left him dumbstruck. The low-level skeleton soldiers behaved like seasoned soldiers on the battlefield with their uniform movements. Under the lead of the golden skeleton, they swiftly divided the Boars into isolated fights. They took on the Boars separately and coordinated with each other. It was as if they were controlled by a pair of unseen hands.


    Could the Necromancer actually be controlling them? The Poison Wizard threw another fearful glance at the Necromancer¡¯s hand. His hand was slender and fair, like a pianist¡¯s. It seemed artistic, even. However, the Poison Wizard felt nothing but fear as he looked at it. It seemed as if the guild did not give him preferential treatment without reason. The guild masters had reminded him not to provoke the Necromancer. He now knew that they were being cautious for a reason. Could he still be considered a human?


    ¡°Oh, my friend. You must be a genius Necromancer. Your right hand is as nimble as mine when I was still alive. Those dumb Necromancers have abandoned sign language. They find it too cumbersome. They don¡¯t know that controlling with sign language is much faster than using the mind. Sign language is a Necromancer¡¯s art!¡± said the Lockheed Soul Staff in an exaggerated tone as he cursed the Necromancers who abandoned sign language and controlled the undead servants with their minds.


    The Necromancer paid no heed to the Lockheed Soul Staff¡¯s complaints. He focused on his controlling.


    The skeleton soldiers brought down their scarlet scythes as one. They cut the Boars into chunks as if they were a huge meat grinder.


    As they saw the sharp and heartless eyes of the Necromancer concealed under his hood, the Boars started squealing. The Poison Wizard gulped. This cold man was too terrifying. Compared to him, the Lockheed Soul Staff was cute.


    The Shadow Wizard applied buffs on the skeleton soldiers from the side. The Poison Wizard¡¯s task was easier. He only had to keep an eye on the Orc Warrior¡¯s and Rogue¡¯s health bars. In truth, the Orc Warrior did not receive too much damage. Most of the damage was taken by the skeleton soldiers. Some skeleton soldiers were also shattered into bone fragments.


    The Boars were soon wiped out. The Necromancer walked forward along the tunnel. The skeleton soldiers made a path for him. They stood at attention in a charging formation as they moved forward.


    ¡°Wait,¡± called the Poison Wizard.


    The Necromancer turned around and said in a cold voice, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°N-nothing. I mean, we should pick up the spoils before moving along.¡± The Poison Wizard found it difficult for him to act naturally under the Necromancer¡¯s cold stare.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in those.¡± The Necromancer continued along the tunnel. The Rogue had already scouted the path up ahead. The Poison Wizard glanced at the few sorry-looking gold coins amidst the puddles of congealed blood. He found his interest in them receding quickly as well. He said the to the Shadow Priest, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    They marched on. The Spying Eye was left on the spot. It was clear that its master had abandoned it. A moment later, the Spying Eye¡¯s magical elements would disperse. Lin Fei allowed herself a brief moment of rejoicing at this opportunity. This was because the Shadow Wizard¡¯s senses would become duller as he went further away from the Spying Eye. Lin Fei went over to the Spying Eye under Stealth. She kept her pace slow.


    On one hand, she was worried that the Spying Eye would disappear if she took too long; on the other hand, she was worried that she would be discovered by the Shadow Wizard if she recklessly entered his detection range. This was a huge trial of Lin Fei¡¯s patience and delicateness.


    Lin Fei focused all her attention on the Spying Eye¡¯s movements as she walked toward it.


    18 yards, 17 yards. She was puzzled. Was that fellow¡¯s Spying Eye only a level 1? 13 yards. Just when she was about to put her next foot forward, the Spying Eye¡¯s pupil contracted. Lin Fei kept her foot still in the air. Then, she pulled it back.


    Her heart was beating against her rib cage. She had nearly crossed the threshold.


    In the distance, the Shadow Wizard stopped.


    The Poison Wizard looked at him with a puzzled expression, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    He thought that he had felt someone touching his Spying Eye¡¯s detection range. However, it had only been a faint, fleeting feeling. It was so subtle that the Shadow Wizard did not dare confirm it. It might have been him imagining things. He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    They walked further along the tunnel. Lin Fei sighed with relief. The Spying Eye dimmed. Lin Fei gauged the distance between herself and where the Spying Eye had been. It was a total of 13 yards. After factoring in the complicated terrain, the detection range should be around 15 yards.


    Lin Fei activated her Stealth again and continued trailing them. She told Tian Kuang with a faint trace of excitement and flaunt, ¡°I¡¯ve found out the Spying Eye¡¯s detection range. I think he¡¯s only raised it by one level. The range should be around 15 yards.¡±


    Tian Kuang chuckled.


    Lin Fei knew that Tian Kuang was not skilled in saying things that would make her happy. She pursed her lips, moved past a huge boulder in the way, and went after the players again. It was much easier now that she had figured out the Shadow Wizard¡¯s detection range. It would be difficult for the Shadow Wizard to tell where she was. Also, the Shadow Wizard did not seem too experienced in countering invisibility. Otherwise, he would not have leveled up the Spying Eye by a single level only.


    A level 1 Spying Eye would only have a range of 15 yards. With such a short buffer zone, he would not been able to withstand a Rogue¡¯s attacks if he had been leveling alone. For a high-agility Rogue, only slightly more than three seconds were needed to cross 15 yards and end up beside the Shadow Wizard. During that period, The Spying Eye would need some time to alert the user of the Rogue¡¯s presence; moreover, the Shadow Wizard himself would need some time to react, and he would need time to cast a spell as well! In short, by the time he reacted, the Rogue had more than enough time to finish him off!


    ¡°Here¡¯s another spellcaster who¡¯s become reliant on teammates!¡± was all Lin Fei could think about. Spellcasters had always been the protected ones in a team. This made them too comfortable with a safe environment and forget all about preparing for danger. If he really wanted to farm in the wild, that Shadow Wizard¡¯s skill would probably guarantee himself a death sentence.


    Even though they were also in a team, Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin had a sense of crisis preparedness. This was because Lin Fei was the only melee class player in their party. They had to sharpen their reflexes and improve their various abilities to react to various possible threats.

 Chapter 54 - Honesty

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Farming monsters in a party or alone were conflicting concepts. If players did not team up, they would not get better equipment. It could not be denied that equipment could frequently determine the outcome of a battle. A player with completely rubbish equipment could never win against a peer with Rare or Epic equipment. No matter how high a player¡¯s stats were, they would only have five times more attribute points compared to their peers. Rare or Epic equipment would easily add points a few levels¡¯ worth to the player¡¯s stats. It was impossible to win with such a huge difference. On the other hand, if a player played with a team, they would slowly but surely get too comfortable with the concept, and would soon forget what it felt like to level up alone. They would certainly forget how to operate their character.


    However, every player had limited time. It was impossible to take care of both ends. Hence, the server was divided into two extremes. There were many with good operation skills, but there were more players who would not survive outside a team setting.


    That Shadow Wizard was the weakest link in a PvP. Lin Fei committed this to heart. This was because the Shadow Wizard had already lost against her in their little battle before this.


    Other classes had skills to detect an invisible Rogue as well. However, they were not as useful as a Shadow Wizard¡¯s Spying Eye. Since she knew the Spying Eye¡¯s detection range, Lin Fei¡¯s delicateness would never allow herself to be detected by the Shadow Wizard. All she had to do was hover along the perimeter of the detection range.


    The Evil Alliance players moved along smoothly under the Necromancer¡¯s guidance. They went all the way toward the Boar Mine¡¯s interior. The seemingly fragile skeleton soldiers were a force to be reckoned with once they put their scythes together. They would wash over any monster they encountered like the tide and decapitate it in an instant. A colony of ants could kill an elephant. This could also be applied to these skeleton soldiers.


    They encountered a Crazed Boar King along the way. This randomly spawned miniboss could be considered formidable. It managed to take down six skeleton soldiers. However, it soon buckled under the attacks of the other skeleton soldiers and was drowned in their attacks. Lin Fei felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the skeleton soldiers¡¯ scythes bearing down on the Crazed Boar King¡¯s huge body like pincers of the ants. It was a sea of skeletons conjured up by the Necromancer! It was almost too horrifying to watch. Melee users or spellcasters would certainly die under the sheer number of these skeleton soldiers.


    Lin Fei tried to decipher the Necromancer¡¯s sign language. If she could understand his sign language, she might be able to take the initiative in the battle. However, he was making signs at too high a speed. Also, with this distance between them, Lin Fei could not even see it clearly. She gave up.


    Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, Tian Xin, and Xiao Ling were following behind her. They kept 100 yards between Lin Fei and themselves. They passed by numerous Boar corpses on the ground along the way. When they set eyes on the scene of carnage, they felt their jaws drop.


    ¡°This is too terrifying. Did the Necromancer do this all alone?¡± Tian Xin could not help but wonder aloud.


    Tian Kuang kept hitting his right hand with his staff. He thought to himself before speaking, ¡°That staff of his is too powerful. There must be some handicap for a staff that powerful. Usually, the more power the user can unleash, the weaker the user will become. If we¡¯re to engage him in battle after this, don¡¯t try and mess with his skeleton soldiers. Kill him first. Without him controlling, those skeleton soldiers will be good for nothing!¡±


    ¡®Understood,¡± Xiao Ling and the others replied.


    Along the way, Tian Xin picked up 13 gold coins and a piece of Rare equipment from the pools of blood. He knocked a gold coin on a rock, confirmed that it was authentic, and clicked his tongue as he commented, ¡°What a rich bunch. They¡¯re leaving the dropped items lying around.¡±


    Tian Fei rolled his eyes. He caught up to Tian Kuang and Xiao Ling.


    The cave was getting darker and their visibility was dropping. In the darkness, monsters had an advantage over the players. This was clearly a setting to make it more difficult for players to farm monsters. Tian Kuang and the others did not mind. The lower their visibility, the more difficult it would be for those Evil Alliance players to kill the Demon Boar King. That meant higher chances of their sneak attack ending in success.


    The deeper they went, the muddier the floor became. The gusts of cold wind brought with them dense demonic aura. Xiao Ling was not affected by it, but Tian Kuang disliked it very much. His brows were tightly knitted together. He showed a more pronounced reaction compared to Tian Fei and Tian Xin.


    Xiao Ling was curious. Tian Kuang was a Shadow Priest who went over to the dark side. He should have been used to demonic aura. However, he seemed to be greatly affected by it.


    Tian Kuang wielded his seemingly ordinary and simple Redra¡¯s Staff. It was glowing with faint white radiance. The light enveloped the staff and seeped into Tian Kuang¡¯s skin. Tian Kuang felt much better now. Xiao Ling was curious again. Tian Kuang¡¯s staff usually shone with black light, but it had just shone with white radiance.


    For an instant, Xiao Ling¡¯s ring buzzed and burst forth with black radiance. Tongues of black flames licked and covered Xiao Ling¡¯s arm. His arm was now flaming, forming a sharp contrast with the radiance of the Redra¡¯s Staff. It was as if they were standing off.


    Tian Kuang and Xiao Ling exchanged shocked looks. Then, they could not help but burst with laughter. At this moment, both of them knew that the other person had an item that was beyond Legendary and had chosen to keep it as a secret. However, neither blamed the other for keeping this secret. After all, one did not parade everything they owned while being out in the world.


    At this moment, it was impossible for the two of them to keep their secrets any longer. This also meant that barriers and distance they had between them were now nonexistent.


    Xiao Ling felt a strange sensation. It was the same feeling Yu Xue, Luan Ying, and the others gave him. Xiao Ling finally realized that he was not used to being alone, but it was just that people who made him feel like a friend such as Tian Kuang, Yue Xue, Luan Ying, and the others were hard to come by.


    As Tian Kuang walked, he eyed Xiao Ling¡¯s ring, which was burning with black flames. ¡°What¡¯s the name of that ring?¡±


    ¡°Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring,¡± Xiao Ling replied.


    ¡°That must be the reason for your General Warlock skills, right? I¡¯ve had that hunch for a long time now, but I couldn¡¯t be sure,¡± said Tian Kuang with a smile.


    ¡°Yes. With this, I can take up all three Warlock specializations and learn their skills,¡± said Xiao Ling with a nod.


    Tian Kuang paused before saying, ¡°Are you a Warlock as well?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a Mechanical Alchemist,¡± replied Xiao Ling. At this point, there was no reason to withhold information.


    Tian Kuang, Tian Xin, and Tian Fei looked at each other with a hint of fright. All three Warlock specializations and a Mechanical Alchemist. Good heavens, that was scary!


    They understood the implications of such a class. When battling a Boss, the player¡¯s aggro was not lumped together with a mechanical puppet¡¯s. As a Warlock, Xiao Ling could deal twice the amount of damage compared to a melee user. A mechanical puppet could also deal some damage. Such a player was too great of a boost to a team.


    Tian Kuang asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your mechanical puppet, then?¡±


    Xiao Ling blushed. If he had not built a mechanical puppet before this, he would not have known how to answer Tian Kuang. This basic mistake of his was too humiliating. Xiao Ling waved his hand and summoned the mechanical gargoyle from his sub-space.


    The mechanical gargoyle beat its metallic wings. When it saw Xiao Ling, it began to squeak with excited tones. Its hideous face kept contorting. It was a comical sight.


    ¡°A mechanical gargoyle!¡± exclaimed Tian Kuang, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin. Tian Kuang understood it now. Xiao Ling had bought the gemstones from them the other day to build this mechanical gargoyle! A mechanical gargoyle¡¯s rarity aside, he was sure that there were no more than 100 players with a mechanical gargoyle on their side.


    ¡°I¡¯ve built it with the gemstones I¡¯ve bought from you guys. It¡¯s a rank 1S, the lowest rank of a mechanical gargoyle,¡± said Xiao Ling. He was feeling slightly disappointed. His engineering¡¯s expertise rating was too low for his liking. Building this mechanical gargoyle was the most he could do.

 Chapter 55 - Redras Staff

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The mechanical gargoyle was covered in amethyst. The glow of the metal flowed along its body. It was mesmerizing.


    Its bat-like wings flapped without rest. Its thin and simple skeletal frame looked beautiful and strong at the same time due to its perfect structure. Although its limbs were slender, its material, amethyst, meant that there was no need to doubt its toughness and tensile strength.


    Tian Xin clicked his tongue in awe as he looked at the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s metallic sheen. ¡°What¡¯s this fellow made of?¡± He proceeded to knock the gargoyle¡¯s back with a gold coin. The mechanical gargoyle turned around and bared its fangs at him. It perched itself on Xiao Ling¡¯s shoulder. Tian Xin chuckled. ¡°He has quite a temper, I see.¡±


    Although the mechanical gargoyle was made of metal, Xiao Ling, Tian Fei, Tian Xin, and Tian Kuang were treating it as if it was a living creature. After all, it had its own consciousness!


    ¡°Amethyst,¡± answered Xiao Ling. When he was building the mechanical gargoyle, Xiao Ling was uneasy. He was unsure if it was suitable for mechanical gargoyles to be built using amethyst. This was because there was no guarantee of ending up with a good gargoyle by simply using expensive or rare metals. The attributes of the metal used were important as well. The protective qualities and flexibility of the metal had to be balanced. It now seemed that it turned out quite well.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve poured a lot of thought into building this mechanical gargoyle,¡± said Tian Kuang with a nod. The 10 gemstones aside, the amethyst was not cheap, either.


    Xiao Ling nodded.


    After learning the Xiao Ling had a mechanical gargoyle, Tian Kuang was convinced that he would be able to be a main DPS in any team. There was no need for him to look for another spell DPS class. With Xiao Ling, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin, there was no need to worry about damage output. He was also enough as a Priest, though it would be better if they had another healer.


    The only problem was Lin Fei. They were lacking in melee users. If they could recruit a couple of other melee users, this party of theirs would be complete. If they continued with this momentum, they would certainly develop into a huge party, just like he wanted. This was also Tian Kuang¡¯s plan.


    When he mentioned about his plan to Xiao Ling, Xiao Ling agreed. The next thing to figure out was the implementation and recruiting other players.


    It was not easy to recruit other players. If they recruited some rubbish players, they would only be doing their party a disservice. The first criterion for player recruitment would be that the player had to have a good character. Then, the player should have good operation skills and a good sense of working in a team as well.


    The quality of their equipment or their damage output would be secondary to these traits. After all, they were looking for a fixed team. They could work on those aspects later.


    Tian Kuang caressed the mechanical gargoyle on Xiao Ling¡¯s shoulder. The mechanical gargoyle eyed Tian Kuang curiously. It did not react in any extreme way. Tian Xin complained about this fact.


    ¡°What skill does it have?¡± Tian Kuang asked. From the bone-chilling sensation of the mechanical gargoyle, this mechanical gargoyle should be of the Frost attribute.


    ¡°Ring of Frost and Frost Blast,¡± Xiao Ling replied.


    Tian Kuang was taken aback. ¡°Two skills?¡±


    ¡°Ring of Frost?¡± Tian Xin¡¯s reaction was much more pronounced than Tian Kuang¡¯s. He did not expect this mechanical gargoyle to have two Frost skills. Also, one of them was his trump card, Ring of Frost. With a tone of incredulity, Tian Xin asked, ¡°You¡¯re sure that it¡¯s Ring of Frost?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t tried it out yet,¡± said Xiao Ling. He did not know if the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s Ring of Frost was the same as a Frost Mage¡¯s Ring of Frost.


    Tian Xin was convinced that the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s Ring of Frost was the same as his own. His hands flew to his own head. ¡°Oh no! I can¡¯t live anymore. An ordinary mechanical gargoyle having a rare Frost Mage skill!¡±


    The mechanical gargoyle grinned haughtily at Tian Xin. It enveloped itself in cold air. Its metallic body was full of a dark and chilly aura.


    ¡°I think this mechanical gargoyle is great! It looks smart as well. If you can modify it, it¡¯ll certainly grow into a good companion!¡± Tian Kuang said with a laugh.


    Xiao Ling nodded. The only replacement metal he had left was a block of amethyst. It was meant for the servicing of the mechanical gargoyle. If he wanted to improve the mechanical gargoyle¡¯s stats or level, he would need a better metal. Also, he would have to improve his engineering expertise rating.


    The others talked about the Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring and the mechanical gargoyle for a while longer. When they heard Xiao Ling recounting his own experience, Tian Kuang and the others were speechless. They were surprised by Xiao Ling¡¯s luck. Tian Kuang had only obtained his Redra¡¯s Staff after more than 50 consecutive quests. He had wasted much time that could have been used for leveling. Tian Fei, Tian Xin, and Lin Fei did not level up for a few days while they waited for him. They bought items and equipment in the town instead and saved up so they could level up.


    Xiao Ling could not help but ask, ¡°What effect does this Redra¡¯s Staff have?¡± Tian Kuang had a Rare magical item as well. After knowing the Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring¡¯s powerful effect, Xiao Ling could not help but feel curious about the effects of the Redra¡¯s Staff.


    Tian Kuang began telling Xiao Ling about its history, origins, and effects. He held nothing back. At this moment, what the two of them needed was to build trust. In his heart, Tian Kuang was already regarding Xiao Ling as a friend.


    Redra: 10,000 years ago, there was a legendary persona in Erathia. He was a genius who could learn Holy and Shadow magic at the same time. He became a Magister at the young age of 20. The Erathian Empire thought that he would become a genius Priest.


    His shocking talents struck fear in the hearts of the Necromancers. They attacked Redra¡¯s abode under the cover of night and killed him. However, Redra managed to burn the Necromancers to cinders with the forbidden spell, Divine Judgement. The Mages of Erathia were heartbroken to learn of his death.


    Redra¡¯s Staff was since passed down among the Priests. If a person could inherit Redra¡¯s will, he would become a great Priest who wielded Holy and Shadow magic at the same time.


    ¡°What are the staff¡¯s attributes?¡± Xiao Ling asked.


    ¡°I can learn the skills of both Shadow Priests and Holy Priests. My healing magic are enhanced by 20%, and my curses are enhanced by 10%,¡± said Tian Kuang.


    Xiao Ling drew a cold breath. That staff was too powerful. All three of its attributes were formidable, especially the enhancement of 20% for healing abilities. A level 40 Priest¡¯s healing effect was about 300 HP. With the enhancements from the equipment and skills, it was a commendable feat for a simple healing spell to replenish 500 HP, while a grand healing spell would be around 2,000 HP. This staff alone would enhance healing by 20%. This was a priceless item for Priests. It was only now that Xiao Ling realized why the guild Tian Kuang was in took so much interest in him.


    Tian Kuang smiled bitterly. ¡°It has great attributes, but its limitations are heavy as well. After equipping this staff, my strength and base stats are reset, and my health bar is halved. My current health points are only less than 100. Basically, I¡¯d die with a simple knock from a monster.¡±


    Xiao Ling¡¯s jaws dropped. That was some handicap. It was the equivalent of pushing the Priest into an extremely precarious position. He could not be attacked by a monster, and could not come to any harm. This indirectly placed a higher requirement on his teammates. A normal Priest could still hold his own for a while with a shield if a monster got too close. However, this was not applicable to Tian Kuang. With his weak body, he would lose his life just by being touched by a monster.

 Chapter 56 - The Way Forward

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Xiao Ling could not help but ask, ¡°Are there restrictions imposed on the wielder for every Legendary or Artifact magical item?¡±


    ¡°I think so. The more powerful the item, the greater the restriction and the higher the requirement on the wielder. At the very least, that¡¯s what I can say for the few items I¡¯ve come across. I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be any item that upsets the balance,¡± Tian Kuang added after some deep thought. There were no exceptions to the Legendary items or Artifacts he had seen. They all came with restrictions. Although he had only seen two of them before, he could make a good guess.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t there any restrictions imposed by my Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring, then?¡± Since he found out that Legendary items and Artifacts had certain limitations, Xiao Ling had harbored the question in his mind.


    Tian Kuang mused for a while before answering, ¡°Maybe the Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring hasn¡¯t manifested its restrictions yet. Or perhaps it¡¯s more subtle, but I can roughly deduce one restriction.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Xiao Ling asked.


    ¡°Holy attacks deal 150% of damage to demonic creatures. When you¡¯ve entered into a contract with a demon, that should apply to you as well,¡± said Tian Kuang. He then added, ¡°Compared to the Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring¡¯s effects, this restriction is almost nothing. Maybe you¡¯ll have to carry out some duty after entering into the contract with the demon.¡±


    ¡°Duty?¡±


    ¡®What duty would that be?¡¯ Xiao Ling wondered. He glanced at his Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring which was still burning with black flames. He knew that he would not be able to figure it out by himself. He would have to wait until the time came.


    ¡°Also, like my Redra¡¯s Staff, your Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring allows you to learn the skills of several classes. However, you must remember this, learning many skills but mastering none is fatal to any player. We can only learn 20 skills, at most, but every class has seven to eight passive abilities meant to improve their unique abilities. You Mechanical Alchemists have more. I think the number is around 10. If you don¡¯t learn the passive skills, your mechanical puppet¡¯s strength will be greatly diminished. If you learned them, you can only pick up 10 active skills. So, you¡¯ll have to decide on a direction. Do you want to be a Mechanical Alchemist or a General Warlock? If you want to be a Mechanical Alchemist, you¡¯ll have to cut down on the Warlock skills. If you want to be a General Warlock and have your mechanical puppet support you, you¡¯ll have to learn the passive skills of the Warlocks,¡± instructed Tian Kuang.


    He knew that Xiao Ling did not understand much about the game. He was worried that Xiao Ling would proceed down a wrong path. Fortunately, it was possible to choose to forget the learnt skills. The only issue was that leveling up the skills would take a long time.


    Xiao Ling had never thought about this before. With Tian Kuang¡¯s reminder, he could not help but start thinking. Did he want to be a Mechanical Alchemist or a Warlock? That was a difficult decision to make. Feelings-wise, Xiao Ling was inclined to choose a Mechanical Alchemist. After all, he had spent so much time on this class. However, comparatively, becoming a General Warlock seemed to have a brighter future.


    ¡°Kukikuki.¡± The mechanical gargoyle seemed to have read Xiao Ling¡¯s mind. It rubbed its small head against Xiao Ling¡¯s sideburn. It tickled.


    Regardless of the class he would decide on, the mechanical gargoyle would accompany him for a long time. He looked at the bizarre mechanical gargoyle and was filled with a strange emotion. Perhaps he had been on his own for too long. Before he knew it, the bizarre mechanical gargoyle seemed to have warmed his lonely heart.


    Tian Kuang could not help but say, ¡°My suggestion is for you to take the path of a Mechanical Alchemist because it¡¯s rare. You might even discover something different. Of course, the choice is up to you. I¡¯m just giving you some suggestions.¡±


    Xiao Ling looked at the mechanical gargoyle on his shoulder. The mechanical gargoyle¡¯s light blue eyes were brimming with naughtiness. Then, he thought about the Titan¡¯s Heart and the Goblin Treasure Map in his vault. He also had four life skills which were basically meant to complement a Mechanical Alchemist. If he gave up on the class of Mechanical Alchemist, his life skills would be useless. Xiao Ling nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t have to worry about you competing with me in the future,¡± Tian Fei said with a smile.


    Xiao Ling knew that Tian Fei meant this as a joke. He smiled faintly.


    ¡°You can pick up some Warlock skills in the early stage for leveling purposes,¡± Tian Kuang said.


    Xiao Ling responded with a nod. ¡°I know.¡± When his level was up, he could forget some Warlock skills and leave some suitable skills. Then, he could focus on becoming a Mechanical Alchemist. Xiao Ling knew the path he wanted to take.


    Since Xiao Ling had his own ideas, Tian Kuang did not have to say any more.


    ¡°Beep, beep.¡± Tian Kuang¡¯s voice channel sounded. He glanced at it; it was from Lin Fei! Tian Kuang looked up and narrowed his eyes slightly. A cold gleam flashed past his eyes. He said, ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡±


    ¡°Kukikuki.¡± The mechanical gargoyle seemed excited. After all, this was its first time joining a battle. Xiao Ling calmed the mechanical gargoyle down, and it quieted down quickly. It glanced all around itself with its pair of huge eyes.


    The four of them sprinted further into the Boar Mine. There were flashes of light up ahead, accompanied by sounds of intense fighting. The four of them were not in much of a hurry. They knew that Bosses such as the Demon Boar King would not die that easily. Also, once the Boss¡¯s health bar was lowered to a certain threshold, it would unleash a more terrifying power.


    The four of them stood at the end of the tunnel and peered ahead.


    It was a wide space ahead. The Demon Boar King was at the center of the space. It was more than three meters tall, and had spikes all over its body, while its pitch-black hide made it blend seamlessly with the darkness. Only its scarlet eyes were glowing with a peculiar glare as if they were a demon¡¯s. Its long tusks were snow-white and sharp, just like curved blades. It reminded them of a mammoth.


    The Demon Boar King roared. The low-level undead swarming it like tides were infuriating it to no end. It swept its long tusks around and sent three skeleton soldiers flying. It fixed its eyes on the humans who had just entered. The Demon Boar King had a certain level of intelligence. It knew that these humans were the cause of all this.


    The Necromancer controlled the low-level skeleton soldiers to boggle the Demon Boar King. His other party members quickly took up positions. The Shadow Wizard and Poison Wizard stood at the back. The Shadow Wizard set up a Spying Eye beside himself and covered the others in its detection range. This was a standard procedure. With the Spying Eye in place, they could effectively guard against sneak attacks by other players, especially Rogues. Moreover, they were in Brakada¡¯s heartlands. They had to be more careful.


    The Rogue chose to go into Stealth and hung around at the edges. He did not dare charge at the Boss just yet. The Demon Boar King¡¯s strength was truly shocking. He could not hold it down alone. He needed to work in harmony with the Orc Warrior and the Necromancer¡¯s skeleton soldiers.


    ¡°RAWR!¡±


    The Demon Boar King howled. The entire Boar Mine shook as if it was crumbling. The powerful sound wave washed over the low-level skeleton soldiers. They froze. The Demon Boar King charged at them and sent them flying with the strong impact.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming.¡± The Necromancer looked at the Demon Boar King that was charging toward him. There was no concern in his eyes, nor were there any signs of being flustered. He remained calm and composed. He was used to such situations already.

 Chapter 57 - Sneak Attack

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The golden skeleton stepped before the Necromancer. It looked the charging Demon Boar King in the eye. Then, it shone brightly. The glaring golden radiance resembled golden blazing flames.


    Wizard Blessing!


    The Shadow Wizard waved his staff and drew a black arc in the air. A black spell mark appeared on the golden skeleton¡¯s forehead. It set a sharp contract with its scarlet eyes. Both of them shone with a glaring radiance.


    The Demon Boar King rammed into the golden skeleton. The two huge bodies collided, and dust filled the air.


    The golden skeleton could not withstand the Demon Boar King¡¯s charge. Its feet slid backward, leaving two deep lines on the ground. However, as the golden skeleton struggled against the Demon Boar King, it managed to slow it down.


    The Necromancer moved out of the way and left the area where the two of them fought. His fingers kept dancing. A dozen low-level skeleton soldiers waved their scythes and charged toward it.


    ¡°RAWR!¡± The Orc Warrior raised a silver metal shield and launched an attack on the Demon Boar King¡¯s side. Shield Bash! The tough shield rammed into the Demon Boar King¡¯s side with a huge force. The Demon Boar King¡¯s body shifted half an inch to the side from the impact. Orc Warriors and Barbarian Warriors were both considered powerhouse warriors on Endace Continent, and it was not without reason. Although orcs were slightly smaller than barbarians, they were still larger than most humans. They were full of bestial strength. The explosive power contained within their muscles was several times larger compared to humans¡¯. Throughout the course of the charge, his bulging muscles contracted suddenly and burst forth with such a force that even the Demon Boar King with its colossal body had trouble withstanding it.


    The orc Warrior¡¯s Shield Bash sent a jolt of pain through the Demon Boar King¡¯s body and made it roar with pain. On the other side, the Rogue followed up with another suite of attacks. With his eviscerating dagger, he easily slit the Demon Boar King¡¯s hide that should have been as tough as rock. A bloody wound was left in the Demon Boar King¡¯s foot.


    They had surrounded it on all four sides. The plan was perfectly executed! The Poison Wizard¡¯s lips curled into a smile. He glanced at the Necromancer beside him. Perhaps he was not as powerful as he was, but the Necromancer was worse than him in commanding the battle.


    Under normal circumstances, the melee users would be the ones to hold down a Boss, and then the ranged DPS would deal damage. However, the Demon Boar King was different. It was a demonic creature and its hide was fortified. Shadow spells would have no effect on it. Hence, the Elemental Mage was the only one among the spellcasters who was dealing damage. They would have to rely on their melee users for damage output.


    When they were keeping the Demon Boar King occupied, Tian Kuang and the others began laying out their plans as well. Lin Fei found a spot nearest to the Poison Wizard just outside the detection range. She was ready to assassinate the Poison Wizard at a moment¡¯s notice. The orc Warriors and undead Rogue was holding the Boss off and under huge pressure. If the Poison Wizard keeled over, they might not survive it. Hence, killing the Poison Wizard was a simple act that would give them a huge advantage.


    Tian Fei, Tian Xin, and Xiao Ling moved closer. They hid behind the complicated granite terrain. They were ready to launch their attacks the moment Lin Fei struck.


    Tian Kuang was calculating the distance between Lin Fei and himself. If she struck the Poison Wizard, she would surely be turned upon by the Shadow Wizard and Necromancer. He had to ensure Lin Fei¡¯s safety. For that, he had equipped some equipment which increased his agility. With Redra¡¯s Staff in hand, he did not have to worry about not having enough healing power. At this moment, the speed at which he could cast healing spells was key. As a Priest, Tian Kuang could also be a main DPS of the party. This was because a Priest¡¯s Holy Light and Purge could deal 200% damage to undead creatures.


    Tian Kuang stood silently in the corner. As he looked at Xiao Ling¡¯s back, a look of praise crept onto his face. Under Xiao Ling¡¯s command, the mechanical gargoyle rose into the air and flew above the Evil Alliance players under the cover of the dark. It hung upside down on the ceiling like a bat. The players were oblivious to the threat just above their heads. If Xiao Ling gave the command, the mechanical gargoyle would certainly drop down as an unforeseen attacker.


    Xiao Ling had his ideas! As an elite, it was important to have good operation skills and awareness, but it would not do to have no new tactics, recycling old methods in battles. That way, a player would never be the best.


    The Demon Boar King¡¯s sharp tusks cut open the golden skeleton¡¯s body. It swept across toward the orc Warrior. The cold gleam stung the orc Warrior¡¯s eyes. He cursed inwardly and quickly brought his metal shield up to brace against the Demon Boar King¡¯s tusks.


    The tusks collided with the metal shield. An extremely powerful impact sent the orc Warrior flying. His health bar plummeted.


    Shadow Blessing!


    The Poison Wizard¡¯s healing spell reached him in the nick of time. The orc Warrior¡¯s health bar was full again. He staggered backward for a dozen steps before managing to steady himself. He did not have time to think his actions through.


    Charge!


    He tackled the Demon Boar King. If he was away from the battle for too long, the other players would be in trouble.


    ¡®They¡¯re actually a good team,¡¯ Xiao Ling mused. After all, they had been working together for a very long time now. They had much more experience in fighting as a team than Xiao Ling had. Their teamwork moved Xiao Ling. He slowly understood what it meant to be in a team. It was not merely a test of operation skills; it was more of a test of cooperation between team members.


    Looking at their teamwork, Xiao Ling felt that he had much more to learn. This was only working together as a small team. If it was a big team, he would have to consider many more aspects.


    The Demon Boar King¡¯s health bar kept reducing. This meant that the real battle was getting close.


    Tian Kuang had not given the order to attack yet. Lin Fei stayed put as well. She was lying in wait in the corner. If the Demon Boar King was killed, the five of them would lose their opportunity!


    Xiao Ling felt his heart race. It had been a long time since he felt such an exhilarating sensation.


    Tian Fei and Tian Xin were drawing rapid breaths now. They gripped their staves.


    ¡°Be careful. A health bar at 20% is close to the danger level. Everyone, increase damage output!¡± shouted the Poison Wizard. The orc Warrior and the Rogue increased the frequencies of their attacks.


    Demonic Craze! The moment the Demon Boar King¡¯s health bar dropped to 20%, its body swelled, and its eyes brimmed with bloodlust.


    Charge! Shield Bash!


    The orc Warrior attacked the Demon Boar King with every ounce of energy he had. He had to finish off the Demon Boar King¡¯s remaining 20% health points as quickly as possible! The longer this battle was drawn out, the more dangerous it would be!


    The undead Rogue activated his Undead Blessing, increasing his attack speed by 10%. He worked his eviscerating daggers furiously. The golden skeleton¡¯s scythe was swung with higher frequencies as well under the control of the Necromancer.


    The situation was now tense. The Demon Boar King¡¯s muscles rose and fell. They were now terrifying and full of strength. It was just like a Berserking barbarian Warrior.


    He was waiting for this moment! Tian Kuang flicked his Redra¡¯s Staff and a cold gleam flashed across his eyes.


    ¡°Now,¡± he spoke to the party using the whisper function. His voice barely faded when a nimble figure shot out toward the Poison Wizard from the shadows with lightning speed.

 Chapter 58 - Battle

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Spying Eye suddenly turned a shade of glaring scarlet and blared with a piercing sound. The scarlet light shone on Lin Fei, whose form was slowly becoming visible. This was the warning of an attack given by the Spying Eye!


    ¡®There¡¯s an ambush!¡¯ The Necromancer¡¯s pupils contracted swiftly. The Poison Wizard was almost reached by Lin Fei¡¯s cold dagger.


    Suddenly, his Lockheed Soul Staff shot a beam of soft blue light. A skeleton soldier seemed to have been conjured out of thin air. It appeared suddenly and planted itself between Lin Fei and the Poison Wizard.


    That was quick! Nobody expected the Necromancer to be able to react under such circumstances.


    If Lin Fei wanted to attack the Poison Wizard, she would have to bypass this skeleton soldier. If they had a few more seconds to react, Lin Fei would be under heavy fire.


    However, Xiao Ling and the others did not have the time to consider all this right now. They stuck to the original plan. Their target was the Necromancer! He was the core member of this team. Tian Kuang had already warned them not to change their target halfway through the battle no matter what happened. They knew that Lin Fei might run into trouble. However, Xiao Ling and Tian Fei could not help her at all.


    Relieving a besieged ally by laying siege to the attackers¡¯ home base was also a way out of this predicament. Xiao Ling and Tian Fei sent their instantaneous spells shooting toward the Necromancer.


    Lin Fei did not slow down. She was almost upon the skeleton soldier now. If she tangled with the skeleton soldier, she would have to do some fighting.


    The skeleton soldier¡¯s dark eyes were staring at Lin Fei. It raised its scythe and slashed it at Lin Fei.


    A white stream of light descended upon the skeleton soldier. Under the shine of this holy white light, the skeleton¡¯s bones sizzled and burned. It melted into wisps of smoke among the white light.


    It was a Priest¡¯s Purge! When he saw the skeleton soldier turning to smoke under his Purge, Tian Kuang smiled. As he expected, these skeleton soldiers could never withstand a Priest¡¯s pious power of belief.


    Seeing the skeleton soldier being powerlessly purged, a frantic look flashed across the Poison Wizard¡¯s eyes. He retreated backward, but Lin Fei gave him no chances. A Rogue¡¯s nimbleness and agility were not just for show!


    She reached the Poison Wizard in an instant. Her dagger was like a venomous snake set to pounce, and she stabbed it into the Poison Wizard¡¯s neck. The Poison Wizard¡¯s eyes lost focus, and he was now stunned.


    Curse of Feebleness! The Shadow Wizard¡¯s curse landed on Lin Fei. She felt her limbs grow heavy.


    However, this sensation merely lasted for an instant. A sense of warmth flowed into her body and chased the feeling of feebleness away. It was a Priest¡¯s Dispel! Lin Fei knew that with Tian Kuang behind her, she would never die. It was a trust of steel.


    When he saw the Poison Wizard being controlled, the Necromancer quickly cast a summoning spell. Currently, he was focused on the Demon Boar King. Many of his skills were cooling down. Because of the Lockheed Soul Staff, he could not launch any attacks. It was too late to save him!


    A loud wail came from the Demon Boar King¡¯s side. Without the Poison Wizard¡¯s healing, the Rogue became the first sacrificial victim. With three hits from the Demon Boar King, it sent the fragile Rogue back into the underworld. Even at his death, he did not know what the Poison Wizard, who should have been healing him, had been up to.


    The orc Warrior was being pushed back by the Demon Boar King. He parried its blows with his sword. As he saw his health bar almost drying up, he cursed and drank a Journeyman rank health potion.


    Lin Fei¡¯s dagger danced in the air. She drank a potion that enhanced her physical attacks. She landed blow after shocking blow. Every strike took 70 to 80 points from her opponent¡¯s health bar, and there was a spurting sound as fresh blood sprayed everywhere.


    The Poison Wizard remained stunned until he died. After all, with his short health bar, he had no chance of surviving a Rogue¡¯s powerful attacks.


    The Elemental Mage and Shadow Wizard finally noticed what was happening. They rained down their spells mercilessly. Lin Fei¡¯s health points were now critically low.


    When the Poison Wizard fell, something seemed to have dropped from his body. Lin Fei picked it up and smiled beautifully. Her peerlessly charming smile could have made the world fall heads over heels for her. With Windwalking, she sprinted away like a fleeting shadow and disappeared from the Spying Eye¡¯s detection range. She did not leave the scene directly. She paused at the edge of the detection range and bandaged her wounds. She was ready for another round of sneak attacks.


    Xiao Ling and Tian Fei¡¯s spells streaked toward the Necromancer. He was alert against the presence of other players around himself. When he saw the incoming spells, he quickly hid behind a skeleton soldier, which took the two spells for him and was sent flying. What a cunning fellow!


    The Necromancer was clearly a veteran of PvP battles. Compared to the Poison Wizard and Shadow Wizard who were killed with a single blow, his operation skills and awareness were at another level. It would be difficult to sneak up on him.


    Xiao Ling and Tian Fei ran as they kept shooting spells at the Necromancer. They impeded the Necromancer¡¯s movements as they dealt with the attacks from the Elemental Mage and the Shadow Wizard. With spellcasters on both sides, their fight was basically running around while bombarding the other side with spells. However, Xiao Ling, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin were supported by Tian Kuang. Although they were lacking in levels, they still had a clear advantage.


    The Necromancer swept his gaze across the battlefield and quickly discovered Tian Kuang¡¯s position. He shouted to his companions, ¡°Three o¡¯clock. Kill the Priest first!¡±


    The Elemental Mage and Shadow Wizard looked in the direction in which the Necromancer pointed and quickly noticed where Tian Kuang was. They shifted their focus onto Tian Kuang now and their spells found a new target.


    ¡°RAWR!¡± Slash of Dancing Wind! The orc Warrior roared in the distance. The sword in his hands shone brightly and slashed at the Demon Boar King¡¯s body. The Demon Boar King gave a furious squeal before keeling over.


    However, the Demon Boar King had also dealt some heavy damage to them before it died. The skeleton soldiers were wiped out, the golden skeleton was full of mottled wounds, and the orc Warrior¡¯s health points were low. He was panting in the distance.


    The orc Warrior glanced at the dropped items. It seemed to be a single piece of equipment. This level 20-ish equipment was not worth much in gold.


    The orc Warrior bandaged himself up. He dared not dally, and hurried over to the battlefield.


    The Necromancer¡¯s fingers flexed, and the golden skeleton returned to his side. They huddled together outside the range of the spells.


    Xiao Ling and the others stopped as well. Although the Necromancers and the others were heavily wounded, they were still strong. They had the golden skeleton on their side as well. The outcome would not be decided too soon.


    Tian Kuang seized this opportunity to sit down and drink some spring water to replenish his mana. He had been casting healing spells repeatedly. He had consumed much of his mana.


    The Shadow Wizard walked up to the Necromancer, and said in an undertone, ¡°The map has been dropped.¡±


    An unbound special item obtained from special quests would be dropped once the owner was killed. The map was owned by the Poison Wizard. They did not expect the ambushers to be this quick.


    They key issue was that the Shadow Wizard¡¯s Spying Eye did not have the desired effect. Lin Fei had been too quick. They did not have the time to react, and now the Poison Wizard was dead.


    When he heard the Shadow Wizard¡¯s words, the Necromancer¡¯s expression became even colder.

 Chapter 59 - Master and Servant

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Both sides could do nothing about their opponents. For a moment, the atmosphere was tense.


    The Necromancer sat down and drank spring water to replenish his mana. He had used up all his mana summoning all the undead creatures just now.


    The Shadow Wizard and Elemental Mage sat down to regenerate as well. Only the Orc Warrior remained vigilant. The Necromancer sat there silently and went over the battle just now. The players that fought against him were only two Warlocks, one Frost Mage, one Priest, and one Rogue. Did they not have any melee users? Perhaps there were other players still hiding in the shadows?


    They had to be careful.


    The Necromancer look at the Shadow Wizard, and coldly asked, ¡°How did she find out about your Spying Eye¡¯s detection range?¡± Lin Fei¡¯s sudden appearance caught the Necromancer off guard. She seemed to have been lying in wait for a long time already. Also, she clearly knew about the Spying Eye¡¯s detection range. She had come prepared.


    The Shadow Wizard was flustered under the Necromancer¡¯s sharp stare. He felt a chill on his back. He racked his brains to recall. ¡®Was it back then?¡¯ He had sensed something and thought that it was his imagination. However, in retrospect, the female Rogue might have been gauging his detection range at that moment!


    Seeing the fidgeting Shadow Wizard, the Necromancer understood what had happened. He spoke without expression, ¡°She¡¯s gauged you, right?¡±


    The Shadow Wizard felt his palms sweat. He stuttered anxiously, ¡°Y-yes.¡± The Shadow Wizard dared not lie. The Necromancer¡¯s eyes seemed to have a piercing stare. Logically, he was not in the same branch as the Necromancer, and so had no reason to fear him, but he could not explain the strange chill he felt in his heart whenever he held his gaze.


    The Shadow Wizard waited for the berating of the Necromancer, which never came. The Necromancer remained seated silently for a long while. The Shadow Wizard stole a glance at the Necromancer, who was deep in thought. He sighed with relief. ¡®Is this over?¡¯


    It was useless to say anything now that things had happened. The Necromancer would not waste his energy on such matters. Instead, he was thinking of a countermeasure. From their earlier battles, the Poison Wizard had lost to the female Rogue. It was clear that she had skills. They had to guard against her ambushes.


    Tian Kuang was sizing his opponents up as well. They¡¯d managed to kill two of them without any casualties on their end. It was a grand victory. However, their enemies still comprised a Necromancer, an Elemental Mage, a Shadow Wizard, and an orc Warrior. Comparatively, the difference in their strength was not really huge. The Necromancer would be a handful. He had the golden skeleton and a bunch of low-level skeleton soldiers.


    Their current advantage was that Lin Fei knew the Shadow Wizard¡¯s detection range. She could launch a sneak attack at any time. They had a Priest, while their enemies did not! They also had Xiao Ling¡¯s mechanical gargoyle. Their enemies were still oblivious to the fact that Xiao Ling¡¯s mechanical gargoyle was right above their heads, waiting for the order to attack.


    Tian Kuang replayed the battle in his head. He suddenly noticed that the Necromancer had not launched any offensive spells! Under normal conditions, if the Necromancer had cast an offensive spell at Lin Fei, she would have died on the spot. However, he did not do that. Did he not have any attacking spells? Was it the Lockheed Soul Staff¡¯s restrictions which made him unable to cast any offensive spells? He tested out his various theories against his memories of the battle. In the end, Tian Kuang decided that the Necromancer did not have any attacking abilities! He told the others about this, and they agreed with him.


    Even so, they could not do anything about the Necromancer. He had quick reflexes. On top of that, he was in control of many skeleton soldiers. It was difficult to kill him.


    Now that their enemies were prepared, it was pointless to plan their actions. They could only go with the flow and improvise. It would be a battle of reflexes, cooperation, and operation. The inferior side would certainly lose.


    Tian Kuang eyed his mana bar; it was now full. He looked at the other side and found that they were standing up as well. The big and tall golden skeleton stood by the Necromancer¡¯s side. Its wounds were visibly healing.


    The orc Warrior would be the most difficult to deal with! This was because the only melee user on their side was Lin Fei, who could never hold the orc Warrior back. The nature of their classes was different. Rogues were weak against strong Warriors, especially the defensive build ones. This was because their armor would be too thick. Physical attacks would be greatly discounted against them. If it was in the wild, a Rogue could still flee from such an opponent. However, this was a team battle. Any member who fled would be putting more pressure on their teammates.


    ¡°We must take care of that Warrior first, no matter what!¡± said Tian Kuang. Regardless of how bad this battle turned out to be, they would never lose as long as Tian Kuang was alive. This was because Tian Kuang was a Priest! Even if his party member was dead, he could revive them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll attract the Warrior¡¯s attention,¡± said Xiao Ling after some consideration. He was the most suitable candidate to draw the Warrior¡¯s attacks to himself right now. This was because he had two close-range control abilities, Ring of Repellent and Force Blast. He could manage to block the Warrior¡¯s attacks. If it were Tian Fei or Tian Xin, they would be in more trouble.


    Tian Kuang thought to himself for a while before saying, ¡°Alright.¡± Tian Fei and Tian Xin were not suitable, and it would not do to have him, a Priest, up front. He could cast his Binding Bier spell, but he would easily empty his mana bar that way, which was dangerous for his party. If their enemies attracted his attacks with low-level skeleton soldiers, they would lose the initiative in battle. Hence, Tian Kuang would not use that spell.


    At this moment, Xiao Ling, Tian Fei, and Tian Xin were filled with a resolve. They would protect Tian Kuang no matter what happened. As long as Tian Kuang was safe, their entire party would be safe.


    Tian Fei, Tian Xin, and Xiao Ling stepped forward. Both sides stared each other down. Xiao Ling was calculating the distance. They were slightly more than 30 yards from each other. Another step forward and they would be in spellcasting range. The battle would also ensue!


    There was not much need for words or reason in battles between the players from the Angelic Alliance and the Evil Alliance. They could just fight. That was the unspoken agreement of all players. It was not a matter of personal enmity; it was the enmity of their factions.


    Tian Kuang was appraising their enemies¡¯ equipment so that he could calculate their strength. Every order he gave during battle could affect the outcome. This was also the case for the Necromancer.


    ¡°Another bunch of detestable humans,¡± said the Lockheed Soul Staff irritably. All of a sudden, it stopped talking. Then, it began to shake and glowed red.


    Just like before, Xiao Ling¡¯s Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring and Tian Kuang¡¯s Redra¡¯s Staff shone as well.


    ¡°Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring and Redra¡¯s Staff. Kaka, my dear friend, you¡¯re in for a rough battle today.¡± The Lockheed Soul Staff¡¯s sharp cackle was unsettling. Judging by its tone, it was not worried about the Necromancer in the least. Instead, it seemed satisfied. It seemed as if the Lockheed Soul Staff had a strained relationship with its master.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± snapped the Necromancer. He could not help but look at Xiao Ling¡¯s Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring and Tian Kuang¡¯s Redra¡¯s Staff.


    Two items of the Legendary rank or beyond! Moreover, their effects were unknown. The Necromancer gave himself a mental warning. These items might not provide much enhancement to a player¡¯s stats, but certain special effects could still give them a headache.

 Chapter 60 - Gamble

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Lockheed Soul Staff had been a Necromancer who failed to evolve into a Lich and ended up having his soul sealed within the skull at the top of the Lockheed Soul Staff. The staff was then sealed by other Necromancers, turning it into its current form. Although Lockheed had lost his physical body, his soul and knowledge he¡¯d amassed over the millennia remained. It was impossible for him not to know about the effects of Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring and Redra¡¯s Staff. However, he chose to keep quiet.


    The eyes of the skull on the Lockheed Soul Staff pulsed as it said, ¡°My old friend, if only you¡¯d lift my first seal, I could tell you about the effects of Hilaire¡¯s Demon Ring and Redra¡¯s Staff. I can help you defeat them.¡±


    The Necromancer snorted. He would never believe Lockheed¡¯s ramblings. Undoing the seal and releasing Lockheed? He would be looking for trouble.


    The Necromancer took a step back and positioned himself behind two skeleton soldiers. The skeleton soldiers could shield him from most magic attacks. However, his backside was wide open. He was standing near the edge of the Spying Eye¡¯s range of detection.


    Lin Fei fumbled with her daggers. What was the Necromancer playing at? Was he trying to lure her in? She had to admit that his current position was tempting for her. Logically speaking, his current position was the most dangerous of all positions. If a Rogue were to sneak up on him, he would not have a chance of surviving.


    Did the Necromancer have an ace up his sleeve? Did he have the confidence to kill her once she was close enough?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be rash. He might be luring you over.¡± Tian Kuang could not help but remind Lin Fei. Their thoughts were surprisingly similar.


    There was the faintest of smiles on the Necromancer¡¯s face. This was like the way of a gamble, to weaken the image of your strengths and bolster the image of your weaknesses. Lin Fei¡¯s ability to find out about the detection range of the Shadow Wizard¡¯s Spying Eye proved that she was a smart person. A smart person would worry about many things before acting. The Necromancer seemed to have placed himself in a dangerous spot when it was actually the safest.


    Without complete confidence, Lin Fei did not dare risk a sneak attack on the Necromancer. If she was out of the picture, they would not be able to intimidate their spellcasters, which would cost them the initiative of the battle. To be safe, she would not ambush the Necromancer.


    The Necromancer flexed his fingers. More than 10 skeleton soldiers were summoned again. They scattered and covered a wide area in a semicircle.


    They surrounded Xiao Ling and the others. They were rubbing their palms together, ready to strike.


    ¡°Begin,¡± the Necromancer spoke drily in their team chat.


    When he heard the Necromancer¡¯s words, the orc Warrior let out a furious roar and activated his Berserker Stance. Charge! He flew toward Tian Fei, Tian Xin, and Xiao Ling like a huge stabbing sword.


    ¡°Careful, everyone,¡± reminded Tian Kuang.


    Xiao Ling faced the charging orc Warrior, while Tian Fei and Tian Xin dashed to the sides.


    The orc Warrior had a fleeting moment of puzzlement. Usually, the three spellcasters would have attacked him as one to take him down. However, two of the spellcasters had actually run to the sides, much to his surprise. This was not at all like the scenario he¡¯d imagined. However, at this point, the orc Warrior did not have the time to think about it in detail. He had already activated his skill. He would be disrupting his team¡¯s rhythm by pulling back.


    At this moment, time was life. Xiao Ling saw Tian Fei and Tian Xin drink a potion each. Xiao Ling drank the spell damage-enhancing potion which Tian Kuang gave him as well.


    Five yards! Xiao Ling leapt backward. Force Blast! A violent force swept before him.


    The orc Warrior felt something charge against himself. He slowed down slightly.


    Xiao Ling ran backward and cast instantaneous spells at the orc Warrior. The orc Warrior¡¯s defense was too high. Xiao Ling¡¯s hits did no more damage than 50.


    It was slightly taxing for him. Some of the skeleton soldiers were coming toward him as well. They were prepared to support the orc Warrior.


    When they saw Xiao Ling engaging the orc Warrior, Tian Fei and Tian Xin took aim at the others.


    Tian Xin swept his gaze across the spacious area and the numerous skeleton soldiers. He smiled as he spoke to Tian Fei, ¡°Would you like an AoE spell?¡±


    Tian Fei looked around as well. The timing was also suitable. He brandished his staff and started the incantation. The fire element in the air grew restless. Red clouds gathered above them. Tian Xin was right beside Tian Fei, Ring of Frost at the ready.


    The restless flaming clouds were filled with terrifying power.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk. Irascible fire element. A Demonic Warlock¡¯s Meteor Fire. This kid¡¯s quite powerful.¡± The Lockheed Soul Staff acted as if it was its lifelong wish to see the Necromancer defeated.


    Two skeleton soldiers were already charging toward Tian Fei and Tian Xin. Even though they were only two skeleton soldiers, they were completely capable of killing Tian Fei and Tian Xin if they got near enough. This was clearly the Necromancer¡¯s way of testing them. He had follow-up attacks planned. The Ring of Frost¡¯s range was five yards, which was equivalent to five steps. If he froze these two, he would not be able to freeze the others. If he wasted his Ring of Frost on these two skeleton soldiers, this meant that they would be in danger when the remaining skeleton soldiers swarmed them.


    Tian Kuang checked his bag. There was another vial of Journeyman rank mana potion. It seemed to him that he would have to use it when it came to it. Tian Kuang cast two shots of Holy Light and reduced the two skeleton soldiers to smoke.


    As expected, the other skeleton soldiers swarmed them right after the two disappeared. Tian Xin¡¯s staff shone with an azure radiance. His Ring of Frost was ready.


    The Shadow Wizard and the Elemental Mage were also shooting spells at Tian Fei and Tian Xin. However, they dared not pick spells with lengthy incantations. This was because a Rogue was on the loose, and could ambush them at any minute.


    While everyone was occupied with the battle, the Necromancer had shifted his position. He was now 50 yards away from Tian Kuang. His Lockheed Soul Staff shone with a dark crimson glow.


    Tian Kuang was supporting Tian Fei and Tian Xin. He did not sense the encroaching danger. A Holy Priest was the weakest class in terms of sensing danger around themselves. This was because they were usually absorbed in whatever they were doing. If they were not, their teammates might be in trouble. Hence, their attention would be completely on their teammates.


    Tian Kuang cast a healing spell when a cold burst of a blade¡¯s gleam shot toward him.


    ¡°Look out,¡± Lin Fei whispered in an undertone.


    Tian Kuang¡¯s quick reflexes saved his neck in the nick of time. Tian Kuang took a few quick steps backward and dodged the attack. He shot a Shadow Priest instantaneous spell in retaliation.


    Tian Kuang finally saw who his ambusher was. He did not notice the skeleton soldier that had crept up to him. A low-level skeleton soldier had almost cost him his life.


    ¡®That was close!¡¯ he thought. A burst of Holy Light and the skeleton soldier was gone.


    ¡®What a shame.¡¯ The Necromancer did not seem depressed at the failed attempt. He was already working on the next step.