Ye Fengxing had quite a few gaming buddies, and Brick and Sky were two of them. He had known both for four years, so their friendship went without saying.
Brick and Sky were fairly skilled, but neither was a star player. At best, they were "experts among ordinary players, noobs among experts." They had reached the threshold of professional play, but had yet to step across it.
Nothing went wrong along the way, and the three reached their destination safely. Since the mentors for the different classes were stationed far apart, they could only split up for now and seek out their respective "bosses."
At the beginning of the game, classes were not divided into detailed specializations. Once players reached level 10, however, they had to choose a specific path to pursue.
The original main classes were Warrior, Mage, Missionary, Assassin, Archer, Ranger, Shaman Priest, and Necromancer.
Each class had several paths, and players could choose according to their preferences. Warriors, for example, could become Shield Warriors, Berserkers, or Agile Warriors.
Mages were a little different. This class had four paths-Gale Mage, Thunder Mage, Frost Mage, and Blaze Mage.
Although these paths seemed straightforward, the actual options went far beyond the few listed by the system. Players were not restricted to a single path; they only needed to choose one as their primary specialization. If they had skill points to spare, they could absolutely invest them in another branch.
Each branch had certain unique skills that could only be learned by players who chose it as their primary specialization. Most basic skills were not subject to that restriction, though, so players still enjoyed considerable freedom in choosing their paths.
Following the coordinates Eske had given him, Ye Fengxing found the legendary Mage mentor.
He was an elderly level-40 Dragonkin named "Dragonkin Magic Mentor Aston the Aged." Although the old fellow looked no different from an elderly human, a faint draconic aura radiated from his entire body.
According to Eske's quest description, this old fellow possessed formidable magical abilities. In his younger days, he must have been a real mover and shaker. Apparently, he had even made quite a name for himself in the human world! In any case, to Eske's generation, this old fellow was unquestionably an idol-worthy badass!
As for... why such an illustrious elder had been reduced to a decrepit old man at a mere level 40, teaching at the grassroots level in this godforsaken backwater... well, Ye Fengxing had yet to come up with a reasonable answer.
"Young man, you seem quite promising." Aston leafed through the letter of introduction, clicking his tongue in approval. "That youngster Eske thinks very highly of you. Says you're a Mage with a Warrior's heart. Now, tell me-is that true?"
Ye Fengxing said nothing. He merely regarded the old Dragonkin with utterly calm eyes, his expression neither servile nor arrogant and his posture perfectly straight.
You had to be careful at times like this! Ye Fengxing knew how these things worked and would never fall for it. The NPCs in Chronicles of the Sky had extremely advanced AI. A player's behavior toward them could trigger all sorts of reactions, which would in turn lead to different subsequent actions. There were plenty of tricks to navigating that.
During the closed beta, Ye Fengxing had once spoken rudely to an NPC and had his quest reward confiscated. From then on, whenever he completed a quest issued by that NPC, a portion of his reward would always be missing.
Watching the Yun Sisters receive piles of top-tier rewards from that same NPC had left him absolutely furious... Surely there ought to be a limit to holding a grudge? I'd done so much for you! Even if I didn't deserve credit, surely I deserved something for the effort? Even if you hated my guts, couldn't you put an expiration date on it? How could you be so damn petty...?
Ye Fengxing had no idea what sort of temperament this old fellow had, but what could he possibly say now? Offer a few modest words? The old man might say he lacked drive and ask where his confidence was. Boast about himself instead? The old man might decide he was immature and conceited, spout something about a beardless boy being unfit for responsibility, and conclude that he was simply unreliable.
Ultimately, the NPC had a mouth of his own and could interpret things however he pleased. If a player failed to figure out his temperament and blabbered carelessly, they might end up paying dearly.
Reduced quest rewards were hardly a major problem; at least that was out in the open. Some NPCs were far more underhanded. During the closed beta, for instance, Yun Xixue's mentor had actually withheld quite a few skills from her out of spite... That incident had sent our second young lady Yun into a "thunderous rage." Apparently, the moment she found out, she kicked open her gaming capsule and called Blue Star headquarters directly!
Even a certain someone had spent quite a while feeling humbled by the second young lady Yun's swift, decisive approach.
After a long while, the old Dragonkin finally looked away. Ye Fengxing could count that staring contest as a narrow victory.
"Young man, I'm quite willing to believe you're an outstanding youth, but this alone is not enough for me to judge you." Aston raised the letter of introduction. A flicker of flame suddenly sprang from his fingertips, reducing the letter to ashes in the blink of an eye. "You must do something to prove you have the ability to become a proper Mage. Well, young man? Do you dare accept my trial?"
System notification: Accept the quest [Mentor's Trial]?
This was obviously no time for another display of "modesty." Ye Fengxing accepted the quest without hesitation, said a few words to the old fellow, and prepared to leave.
"Young man." Aston suddenly spoke again. "This task will not be easy. I have a few items here. Take them with you; they may be of some help."
The old Dragonkin waved his hand. White light flashed around a certain someone, and a set of equipment instantly appeared on him. It was called the "Mage Apprentice Set."
Excellent. Finally, he wouldn't have to run around in nothing but shorts and a tank top. That outfit had been blighting the scenery, after all.
"Thank you. I'll be right back." Ye Fengxing hefted the Magic Device hovering in midair and strode away.
"Hmm. A very interesting young man," the old Dragonkin murmured thoughtfully, a strange gleam flashing through his eyes. That unusual reaction lasted only an instant, however. A moment later, the old fellow was back to looking half-asleep, his aged eyes narrowed to slits.
The quest was not exactly hard, but neither was it that easy. It required the player to collect 100 Magic Core Shards. Where could those shards be found? Inside monsters' bellies.
These monsters were called "Fuckyou." Ahem... that name was indeed rather odd. Especially for overseas players, it seemed to carry a somewhat uncivilized message...
Fuckyou looked very peculiar. They were shaped like long squid, their entire bodies gleaming with an enchanting crystalline luster, much like translucent crystal. No, they were actually closer to certain ocean jellyfish. Their beautiful appearance was certainly eye-catching.
Despite being squid by name, Fuckyou were bona fide Elemental Creatures. They did not live in water, either, but floated through the air. Their habits were decidedly strange.
Killing Elemental Creatures like Fuckyou generally yielded no coins, only materials, magic cores, and the like. Those would not fetch more than a few coppers at a shop, so players disliked hunting these monsters.
Moreover, these monsters could fight both at range and up close, and they moved extremely fast. Once one latched onto a player, getting away was no easy matter. That made people even less willing to farm Fuckyou.
Ye Fengxing found an area where Fuckyou spawned and saw only a handful of people-presumably miserable little Mages doing their class quests, ranging from level 10 to level 12.
At those levels, fighting level-13 Fuckyou really was a bit difficult. The little Mages were getting beaten so badly by the monsters that they were crying for their fathers and cursing their mothers, thoroughly demonstrating their profound mastery of Chinese language and literature. A dozen or so people swore chaotically for several minutes without repeating a single insult.
Ye Fengxing fiddled with Eske's Precious Orb and stored Magic Missile inside it. The little Magic Device suddenly gave off a dazzling halo, signaling that the spell setting had taken effect.
A Magic Device could store one basic spell, then fire it automatically at its own attack rate without requiring the player's attention. In that respect, it was no different from an Archer's bow.
Of course, anyone who wanted a greater challenge could divide their attention and control the Magic Device manually. Lan Xi, for instance, often liked to make its spells curve in flight. That fellow was a complete glutton for punishment, and plenty of people wondered whether he had practiced Old Master Zhou's Left-Right Combat Technique.
Once Ye Fengxing had his Magic Device ready, he picked a target and waved his hand. Two Magic Missiles shot out with a whoosh, striking the Fuckyou squarely in the head. Bending down to pick up a small stone, he threw it backward as he ran. The stone struck the magic core in the Fuckyou's head with perfect accuracy, instantly pinning the creature in place.
Elemental Creatures generally had little fear of physical attacks. Unless an attacker could strike the magic cores inside their bodies with great precision, inflicting lethal damage was difficult. That was also why melee classes hated Elemental Creatures so much.
Ye Fengxing did not seem particularly averse to these things. His aim was accurate, and he was very confident...
At that moment, however, he frowned slightly. Although his thrown stone had struck the Fuckyou's magic core, the Magic Missile fired by his Magic Device after he turned his back had gone wide.
Unacceptable! He immediately began taking this seriously...
Who was our great god Ye? A god! A professional-level player! He was only fighting a monster. If his stats were too low to beat it, that would be understandable. But missing a monster around his own level? That was a serious problem...
Whether fighting players or monsters, no matter how lousy the character being controlled was, a true professional could disregard differences in level, stats, equipment, and every other external factor wherever skill could bridge the gap, overcoming a stronger opponent and taking them down!
That last Magic Missile of his had clearly fallen short of the standard... let alone a professional standard.
Before you continue