Game’s Dogma

Teleportation commencing. Countdown timer over.

Drako Yau’s opponent for his 86th match was a berserker who hung a greatsword on his back.

His ID was Yip Ku-sing, a name Drako Yau was familiar with. Even back in his university days, he loved reading novels. It was natural he had read the martial arts fictions written by the reputable Mr. Gu, and the name ‘Yip Ku-sing’ belonged to one of his characters.

[Note: Yip Ku-sing is a character in the Chinese martial arts novel ‘Luk Siu Fung’, written by Gu Long.]

‘You’re… not bad at all.’ Yip Ku-sing stood in a daze with his arms behind his back, his sights gazing into the distance at the fully seated spectator stands. ‘Just surrender.’

‘What?’

Even Drako Yau who was always so calm had no idea what that man was up to.

Yip Ku-sing sighed and said, ‘You don’t know me?’

‘I don’t.’

‘Hah… I’m an arrogant one, so I don’t have any friends, though I don’t care about it at all. However, true loneliness is when you have no enemies.’ Yip Ku-sing sighed and said a line which came from the character of the same name, ‘I don’t want to kill you. Train yourself and come back to challenge me after 10 years.’

‘Isn’t that Yip Ku-sing? The one who ranks 9th on the Arena rankings?’

‘It’s him!’

‘Oh my gosh! It’s gonna be an incredible fight again!’

While the crowd was getting hyped up, Drako Yau was so confused that he asked, ‘Are you gonna fight or not?’

Yip Ku-sing shook his head and sighed again. ‘You still don’t get it. I’m giving you a way out.’

Drako Yau gave up on talking and closed in with his spear in hand. Seeing the approaching spearman, Yip Ku-sing sighed yet again and pulled out his greatsword.

‘If you’re so persistent, take this. Flying Fairy!’

Flying Fairy!

The greatsword shot out from Yip Ku-sing’s hands and bolted straight towards Drako Yau.

Clang!

Drako Yau parried the flying sword with Moon Breaker. Having lost his weapon, Yip Ku-sing could do nothing as Drako Yau gave him a beating.

‘Ahahaha! That idiot Yip Ku-sing, this is karma! Ahahaha!’

A player lost it and started laughing like a maniac. Everyone around him immediately went over to ask him about what he knew.

‘Yip Ku-sing’s just a piece of garbage! He’s nothing but a spendthrift who bought a whole set of Epic gear to thrash everyone else. That’s how he got all the way to 9th on the rankings! Look at him now when equipment doesn’t take effect! Ahahaha!’

After punching Yip Ku-sing so much that his face was swollen, Drako Yau asked in bewilderment, ‘Why aren’t you fighting back?’

Yip Ku-sing shook his swollen head and sighed. ‘You’re no match for me, why should I end your life?’

‘How would you know if you don’t fight in the first place?’

As Yip Ku-sing sighed, he patted dust off his clothes. ‘Where can I seek someone who truly understands me in this vast world? My arch-rival, you’re still too fresh. I’ll appear again when you get strong enough.’ He then picked up his Level 20 Epic greatsword and left the Arena.

Drako Yau was left baffled.

There’s all sorts of people in this game…

It was now his 90th fight. He only had to win 11 more fights to solve his quest.

However, the system was now matching him with tougher opponents because of his 100 per cent win rate, such as Bloodless Bladester and Yip Ku-sing. While Yip Ku-sing was all about his equipment, he still won almost all his ranked matches thanks to his overwhelmingly good gear. There weren’t a lot of players who could pierce through the defence of a full Epic set, yet he could easily chew away a third of his enemy’s Health with a single hit.

Anyways, Drako Yau’s next opponent was a player covered in a cloak. Above the cloaked man’s head was his ID: Fei Yeung.

Once the translucent barrier disappeared, Fei Yeung took a step forwards and made his move without greeting his opponent. He took out his short staff from beneath his cloak and shot an Electroball at Drako Yau.

Mages could choose between two branches. First was ice and fire, which progressed into Elementalist, while the other was lightning and dark magic, which progressed into Tormentor. Fei Yeung was clearly the latter, a tormentor.

Despite having lower overall damage and area-of-effect radius than Fireball, Electroball was superior in projectile speed. Like an arrow of lightning, it whizzed through the air at Drako Yau. However, Drako Yau wasn’t going to stand there foolishly either as he moved his legs to evade the Electroball.

Fei Yeung was already chanting another spell as he muttered something to himself. The shadow beneath him suddenly moved at Drako Yau and shot out from the ground, turning into tentacles which extended their grasp at their target.

Shadow Tentacles, Level 23 tormentor skill!

This meant Fei Yeung was at least Level 23. Drako Yau was also a bit curious about it. In his design, Shadow Tentacles had the ability to track its target, but the target player or mob could still evade the skill if they tried hard enough.

Shadow Tentacle’s effects varied based on the target’s state. If the target was stationary when hit, it would immobilise and silence the target for 3 seconds. If the enemy was moving, it would apply a slowness debuff and deal damage over time for 5 seconds.

Of course, Fei Yeung’s Shadow Tentacles was nowhere as potent as the tormentor instructor’s skill which invoked almost a hundred tentacles during the Siege event. 

Drako Yau also wasn’t going to get caught stationary because he knew getting immobilised when up against a mage was never going to end well. Still, the tentacles with their tracking ability eventually caught up with him, sending a shock and paralysing sensation through his body. The slowness debuff and damage over time were clearly taking effect.

After casting Shadow Tentacles, Fei Yeung retreated backwards while chanting another spell. Sparks gathered around the tip of his short staff. He pointed it at Drako Yau, firing off a lightning spark.

It was the Level 20 tormentor skill, Charged Spark.

Charging the spark was actually optional. It would increase its damage and apply a slowness debuff, but because charging the spell took time and would render him vulnerable, Fei Yeung who was no ordinary mage chose not to charge the spell.

The spark clashed against Drako Yau’s spear. Even though he successfully triggered the parry system, the lightning still immobilised him momentarily.

It was enough time for Fei Yeung to cast Toxic Swamp, a Level 18 mage skill. If Drako Yau advanced, he would be caught by the swamp and receive a slowness debuff together with poison damage.

This fight fully displayed the differences between classes. For Idyllic Poet who majored in fire spells, her skills all packed a heavy punch and inflicted burning damage over time. Meanwhile, the ice skill tree focused on controlling and freezing the enemy.

Tormentors, on the other hand, had all sorts of debuffs and ailment-inflicting skills in its dark magic skill tree, including poison, slowness, silence, and various immobilising skills, but they dealt relatively low damage. The lightning skill tree had higher damage and inflicted paralysis. It was difficult to say which class or skill tree was the most powerful.

This was why the game was so attractive—there were countless ways to play the game, and every player could tread on a unique path.

After casting Toxic Swamp, Fei Yeung followed up with another spell.

Level 23 skill, Thunderbolt. Strikes a thunderbolt at the target location and deals damage in a two-metre radius.

The skies roared and a thunderbolt descended from above Drako Yau.

Paladin

Description: A class progression branch of the cleric class. When clerics realised they couldn’t save the world through healing, they picked up swords and shields to protect all and everything.

Skill type: After progressing from the cleric class, paladins lose their potent healing powers in exchange for sturdiness and defence. Paladins serve as a powerful shield that leads the frontlines and charges into danger. Apart from being adept in combat techniques, they can also cast light magic. However, their light magic is battle-oriented.

Skill tree: Light magic, Paladin Warskills.

Weapon type: Longswords, Shields.

Class progression: ???