Chapter 18
Chapter 18
The two server-wide announcements played three times each, flooding every player’s screen with six consecutive messages.
“This bastard again!”
“Even professional gamers aren’t this efficient. Who the hell is he?”
“The same guy keeps getting every reward. Is the company not even pretending anymore?”
…
Countless players erupted into discussion.
They could accept Zhouyou Shijie taking the first class-advancement reward. After all, he had claimed the first Bronze boss kill, so naturally his level would be ahead of everyone else’s.
But killing the first Silver boss on the second day of open beta was simply inconceivable.
Zhou Ming, of course, knew nothing about anyone else’s speculation.
Just as he prepared to continue grinding, however, a system announcement concerning him suddenly rang beside his ear.
“Ding!”
[Town-Wide Announcement from Gaibang Laoer: Zhouyou Shijie, no one who killed one of my brothers has ever escaped me without quitting the game. Five o’clock this afternoon, meet me outside Qingshui Town if you’ve got the guts. One-on-one. Whoever chickens out is a dog!]
That arrogant?
Zhou Ming arched an eyebrow.
“There is no need to acknowledge such a crude provocation,” Qianying’s voice sounded. “He is nothing but a clown. What you need most right now is to increase your strength before the coming crisis arrives.”
“About that…”
Zhou Ming considered the matter, then shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t ignore him. I have to respond.”
“Why?” Qianying asked in surprise.
Zhou Ming explained with a smile, “Because he’s from the Gaibang Guild!”
“Is the Gaibang Guild some extraordinary power?” Qianying could not understand.
Zhou Ming’s gaze turned profound. “The Gaibang Guild is rich.”
A single penny could bring down even the greatest hero!
He played games to enjoy them, but he also hoped to earn real-world income. Otherwise, such an enormous early-game advantage would go completely to waste.
“…Very well.”
Qianying understood. “Once you obtain sufficient wealth, you will find everything else much easier to accomplish.”
“I’m glad you understand my difficulties. Besides, there’s a second reason forcing me to do this.”
“What reason?” Qianying asked, puzzled.
“If I’m not arrogant enough, how could I possibly overcome the Sin of Pride?”
Qianying fell silent.
What was that supposed to mean?
“By the way, weren’t you supposed to be recovering? Why are you awake again?” Zhou Ming changed the subject, unwilling to explain further.
As the saying went, secrets were the key to success.
No one could predict how the situation would develop, so how could he guarantee his plan would succeed?
“I suddenly remembered something I had not told you,” Qianying said bluntly. “Regarding your Talent, I hope you will wait a while before activating it.”
His Talent!
Zhou Ming immediately understood what she meant.
Now that he had completed his class advancement, the Talent on his character panel was ready for activation.
The main reason he had not made a choice was that he knew too little about Talents. He wanted mainstream players to test the waters first, sparing him from stumbling into some unseen trap.
“Is there something special I should know?”
Seizing the opportunity, Zhou Ming pressed her for more information.
“Activating a Talent requires participation in a Talent Trial,” Qianying explained patiently. “A deeper foundation will allow you to go further, but an excessively high level will also raise the trial’s difficulty and may reduce your eventual gains. You should choose the moment when you believe your strength has reached a peak, then attempt the challenge.”
“So that’s how it works!” Zhou Ming murmured thoughtfully.
Put simply, the Talent Trial’s difficulty was closely tied to level, but the strength gained from leveling was not linear.
Going from Level 8 to Level 9, for example, had brought only a small increase to his base attributes. But reaching Level 10 from Level 9 had allowed him to complete class advancement and learn two Rare A-Rank skills, causing his combat power to soar overnight.
“I have one more question. Can you answer it for me?”
“Ask away.”
“How am I supposed to obtain skills related to my class?” Zhou Ming voiced his concern.
He had successfully developed a custom-created class, yet it had granted him no skills at all. Even the only two skills he possessed had come from skill books.
It seemed terribly unreliable.
“I don’t know the specifics,” Qianying replied, “but your class is called Flame Demon Lord. Its source of power must have something to do with fire.”
Something to do with fire…
Zhou Ming pondered briefly. Inspiration suddenly flashed through his mind, and he reopened his class panel to study its description.
[Description: This class was comprehended and created by Zhouyou Shijie with the aid of the God-Demon Orb. Its fire-element affinity has no upper limit, granting it immeasurable potential.]
That line did not offer much information.
If it had one crucial point, however, it was this: his fire-element affinity had no upper limit!
“Does that mean I can learn any skill related to the fire element?”
Zhou Ming’s breathing quickened. He felt as if he had opened the door to an entirely new world.
Grrrgl!
At that moment, his stomach interrupted with an untimely growl.
Forget it. He could investigate after returning to town!
Famished, Zhou Ming opened the system panel and selected Log Out. His body dissolved into specks of white light.
Offline!
…
Meanwhile, somewhere on Destiny Continent.
“Master, your disciple was incompetent. I have disappointed you!”
The newly awakened Lin Tao’s face was twisted with humiliation and hatred.
Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to lose, much less suffer such a crushing defeat!
His earlier provocation in Qingshui Town had consequently become a joke.
Worse yet, he had made his master lose face before the assembled gods.
“Focus on recovering. There is no need to dwell on what happened yesterday.” Shui Zhanqiu gestured for him to relax, his manner indifferent. “In truth, losing to that boy may not have been a bad thing.”
“What?”
Lin Tao stared in bewilderment.
“Surely you don’t believe an inexperienced brat truly managed to run circles around an entire group of god-tier experts?” Shui Zhanqiu shook his head and laughed.
Lin Tao had nothing to say.
Wasn’t that exactly what had happened?
“Have you considered what would have happened if we had won?” Shui Zhanqiu analyzed without expression. “Even if we had obtained the promised benefits, there is only one God-Demon Orb and only one Divine Ember Queen. Who would they belong to?”
Understanding dawned on Lin Tao. “You mean…”
“Rather than divide the benefits, it was better to retreat temporarily and scheme at leisure,” Shui Zhanqiu said calmly. “That escape route is why the gods agreed to his wager.”
“I see!” Lin Tao exclaimed, enlightened.
As expected of the gods. Their considerations were truly thorough!
“If my guess is correct, some of those god-tier experts have already begun moving in secret.” Shui Zhanqiu sneered. “Not all of them are skilled at patiently awaiting an opportunity.”
…
Inside his rented apartment, Zhou Ming made himself a bowl of instant noodles.
While waiting, he logged into the official forum on his computer and searched for information about Talents. An avalanche of posts appeared.
“The devs are doing nothing! Why won’t they explain how Talents actually work?”
“I only got a C-Rank Talent. Should I just quit now?”
“Gaibang Laoer’s Talent is S Rank!”
…
“Hm?”
Zhou Ming’s gaze sharpened. He clicked the useful-looking post and discovered that Gaibang Laoer himself had published it to boast about the strength of his Talent.
[Last Stand] (S-Rank Talent): The lower the user’s HP, the more damage they deal, up to a maximum increase of 100%!
“No wonder he dared challenge me. So he has something to rely on!” Zhou Ming understood at once.
An S-Rank Talent!
Its strength was genuinely terrifying.
At critically low HP, nearly every attack could deal double damage.
And this was only S Rank. It could not possibly be the highest rank available!
But with Qianying’s earlier warning in mind, Zhou Ming naturally intended to choose the right moment. He would not rush into a Talent Trial merely because of Gaibang Laoer’s provocation and sacrifice the greater prize for a minor advantage.
He quickly finished his instant noodles, centered himself, and put the gaming helmet back on.
Whether he could afford something better for his next meal depended entirely on the Gaibang Guild’s generosity!
…