Light of Freedom had no shortage of superbly equipped mages who strutted around in top-tier purple gear, convinced they were gods of magic. The reason was simple: three or four spells would put anyone with inferior equipment flat on the ground. There was no challenge at all.
But before Ye Fengxing, these so-called "god-tier mages" all had to keep their distance!
As one "god of magic" put it, "Fuck! One Leaf Windwalk is a goddamn bug! When he runs, he leaves three or four afterimages. My eyes go blurry just watching him! Not one projectile spell has ever hit that bastard. Once he gets close, you might as well shut your eyes and wait to die." (Projectile spells: spells that follow a path through the air, such as Fireball and other spells that have to travel to their targets, as opposed to certain spells that ignore distance and take effect directly on the target.)
Lan Xi was nothing like ordinary mages. The guy invested in both agility and intelligence! Since he played his freakishly powerful character so well, he had considerably more attribute points than most people, so his spirit wasn't low either. Fighting him in PvP often gave Ye Fengxing a headache, because the guy's spells could really turn corners...
Left uncontrolled, spells simply flew in straight lines. That worked against ordinary players, but any reasonably skilled expert could predict their paths and dodge. Guys like Ye Fengxing were especially good at "reacting second, striking first"-I'll dodge or block once the spell comes flying. No problem. My agility's high enough. I've got time.
All spellcasting classes had a skill called Soul Lock. Its purpose was to aim, with the system doing the aiming for you. Spells traveled so fast that ordinary players really couldn't control them, which was why this skill existed: so the mage community could hit people with their eyes closed. Ahem...
Soul Lock was impressive, but it wasn't perfectly accurate. Someone like Ye Fengxing, who specialized in reacting after an attack, could dodge a spell an instant before it hit. But against a freak like Lan Xi, whose reflexes were just as fast, that trick wasn't nearly as effective.
You can dodge, but I can steer my spells around corners myself. Let's see which of us has better control.
To use driving as an example again... turning was easy at low speed, but once you were doing a few hundred miles an hour, trying to turn freely was beyond ordinary people... ahem, ordinary people would probably already be seeing double. The timid ones might even throw up. Only F1 drivers could take it in stride.
In the game, spells traveled faster as spell power increased. A very few spells were as fast as bullets. Steering those spells around a corner while still hitting the target precisely was really... something only freaks could manage.
Lan Xi happened to be just such a freak, so he had beaten Ye Fengxing quite a few times. Although Ye Fengxing had won more often, he really hated fighting the guy in PvP. The reason was simple: it was exhausting...
After every fight, both of them needed a rest. That was usually when a crowd of high- and low-level characters joined forces to stomp the hell out of Lan Xi's corpse.
After thinking it over for ages, Ye Fengxing put all forty-five of his free attribute points into agility. Intelligence and spirit could wait.
He gave his attributes a satisfied glance.
ID: One Leaf Windwalk Race: Dragonkin Class: Mage (Apprentice) Level: 9 HP: 550 Mana: 550 Constitution: 45 Strength: 45 Agility: 90 Intelligence: 45 Spirit: 45 Attack power: 46 Spell power: 92 Movement speed: 6.5 Physical defense: 47 Magic defense: 47
Goddammit! All that agility, and my movement speed only went up this much? On average, it takes 60 agility to add 1 point of movement speed. What a rip-off... no wonder those mages love dumping everything into intelligence. Sigh... 1 intelligence gives you 2 spell power. That really is sweet.
This won't do. Without equipment and skills to back them up, these attributes are nowhere near enough. How am I supposed to get equipment and skills?
His eyes began to dart about...
Eske finally finished muttering. He turned around and stared at Ye Fengxing for a long while, then silently picked up the enormous dragon fang and laboriously carried it toward the cave behind him.
Ye Fengxing sighed. He had known all along that a purple-quality treasure like that wasn't meant for him. Such was his fate... his miserable fucking fate...
He swung his hoe and got back to work with renewed vigor. If he dug up another treasure this time, he would hide it first. No more letting the boss exploit him for free.
An hour later...
Ye Fengxing suddenly noticed Foreman Esk striding toward him. He couldn't help feeling a little surprised. What, I dug up a treasure and let you present it, and somehow I'm still in trouble?
Things clearly weren't as bad as he had imagined. Eske hurried up beside Ye Fengxing, patted his shoulder, and said, "Good lad! Well done! Lord Eshavante was most delighted and rewarded us with plenty of things. All the boys got to share in your good fortune."
"None of this would've been possible without your guidance, boss." He could only steel himself and keep up the shameless flattery.
"Lord Eshavante said that, in recognition of your service in finding the Ancient Dragon Fang, he has granted you special permission to roam and gather freely here. If you run into any trouble, invoke his name. He hopes you'll keep up the good work and find him more ancestral relics."
A golden light flashed, and Ye Fengxing immediately gained a buff called "Ashavante's Protection." (Buff: a beneficial spell, usually referring in online games to magic placed on a character to enhance their abilities.)
Ashavante's Protection: You carry the aura of the flame dragon Eshavante. Most creatures in the Dragonrest Wilds will give you a wide berth. Activate this buff again to release a measure of draconic might-immediately inflicts fear on all targets within 20 meters, causing them to run about wildly. Cooldown: 30 seconds. (CD: Cool Down, meaning a skill's cooldown.)
Oh, now this is good stuff. Too bad it won't last. The duration was clearly listed as three days.
"Lad, you're really something now." Eske was clearly quite envious of the buff himself.
"I'll always be your humble foot soldier, boss." Before he even finished speaking, Ye Fengxing already wanted to throw up. Goddammit! This fucking system wouldn't let him level up. To break through the level-nine barrier, he had no choice but to resort to this.
"Could you... help me take care of something?" Eske finally uttered the words he had been longing to hear.
"Just say the word, boss! I'd brave fire and water without hesitation!" Ye Fengxing smiled faintly, but a trace of murderous intent flashed in his eyes... Once my level's high enough, I'll torment you to death, you dumbass. If I don't, my surname isn't Ye!
"A few years ago, I accompanied Lord Eshavante on a raid against the human empire, and we seized countless treasures. On our way back to the Dragonrest Wilds, the human empire's powerful fighters caught up with us. Although our lords fought desperately and ultimately drove them back, most of the treasures we'd seized were lost in the Dragonrest Wilds. As it happens, I lost a precious scroll in that battle. Could you retrieve it for me?"
System notification: Accept the quest "Eske's Request"?
Accept, obviously! Who turns down a quest? Someone with brain damage?
"Head that way. The approximate location is XX, XX." Eske gave Ye Fengxing a set of coordinates, then looked at him hopefully and patted his shoulder. "Do your best. It's all up to you."
"Yes." Ye Fengxing really didn't want to spout any more nauseating flattery. He answered briefly and was about to set off, but after a moment's thought, he spoke again. "Boss, I don't know how to do anything except dig. I don't know what dangers I might run into out there, either. Could you teach me a trick or two? That way, I won't disgrace us Dragonkin."
"That's easy enough." Eske readily agreed. After looking Ye Fengxing over, he said, "You don't look like a strong, sturdy warrior, so I'll teach you a few simple spells."
White light flashed in quick succession, and Ye Fengxing learned two skills.
Magic Missile (Level 1): Fires 1 ball of magical energy, dealing 41-50 spell damage to the target. Cast time: 1.5 seconds. Range: 30 meters. Mana cost: 50. No cooldown. Conjure Food (Level 1): Creates a portion of Magical Rations that can be eaten out of combat to slowly restore Health Points and mana. Cast time: 2 seconds. Mana cost: 100. No cooldown.
"Thank you." Ye Fengxing still didn't want to waste another word on the "boss" before him. He had the quest now, so it was time to get moving. I haven't got time to stand here feeding you sickening flattery.
After walking for a long time in the direction Eske had indicated, Ye Fengxing finally spotted some monsters, all little creatures around level 10. In that case, why hold back? He cleared his throat, targeted a level-13 Six-Clawed Rabbit, and began casting Magic Missile.
-84, Magic Missile.
Bang. The pale white ball of magic exploded against the Six-Clawed Rabbit's head. The giant rabbit, half as tall as an ordinary person, instantly became red-eyed and hopped toward Ye Fengxing with a series of hisses. He calmly stayed right where he was and continued casting, sending two more Magic Missiles crashing into it.
-83, Magic Missile. -125! Critical hit! Magic Missile!
The Six-Clawed Rabbit had already lunged within reach. Ye Fengxing twisted aside to avoid its claws and drove a rising right hook into its soft belly! As the beast doubled over in pain, he swung a horizontal left hook, instantly smashing its face out of shape! He pivoted sharply and followed up with a spinning side kick, sending the Six-Clawed Rabbit flying!
-46, Basic attack. -47, Basic attack. -70! Critical hit! Basic attack! Combo-3!
One Leaf Windwalk's lightning-fast flurry had stripped the Six-Clawed Rabbit of 559 HP. While the beast lay on the ground, staggered from its fall, he pounced and stomped it viciously several times! With a wretched scream, the Six-Clawed Rabbit "gloriously" became his experience points.
Chronicles of the Sky had a mechanic called a "combo." When a player dealt consecutive hits to certain specific parts of a target's body within a short time, the target would become staggered, drastically reducing its movement speed, attack speed, and ability to dodge! Generally, three such strikes were enough to form a combo.
Ye Fengxing was unquestionably a combo expert. Back in Light of Freedom, countless people had been captivated by his combo techniques. No, they had been utterly awestruck!
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