Bab 2: The Battle Emperor Returns!
Editor: Atlas Studios
'Strange, I can still feel.'
He sat up suddenly and looked around in a daze. His nostrils felt uncomfortable, and his limbs felt hot and weak.
'Is this a cold?'
"Brother, I'm back!" As the door lightly opened, his sister Lin Xiaoxue entered carrying a bag. She said, "I brought you some fruits but take your medicine first."
His mother entered through the door as well, as she gingerly patted Xiaoxue's head and slotted a toy helmet onto Lin Jie's bed under his sheets. She said, "Take good care of this. You are right, all roads lead to Rome. Who is to say that playing games will not help you succeed? But don't let your dad see it. In future, you can pretend to head out for work and actually head over to Xiaoliang's to play… No, to work."
Lin Jie's memories were slowly getting clearer. That fateful year, he had ended his high school education thinking that he would not pass the exam. That was also the year when the second world of the game The New Age had been released, and from then on he had decided that he would become a professional gamer.
Of course, that incident had incurred the wrath and objection of his father. After getting badly beaten up in the middle of a heated argument, Lin Jie had rebelliously decided to leave the house. He had ended up being stranded in the rain for the entire night and caught a fever.
However, his mother had withdrawn the money meant for emergencies and bought him a helmet and even helped him to cover up about going to Zheng Ziliang's, his best friend, house to "work".
His family relations were at its worst, until when they had unexpectedly received the notice of acceptance. It was then that his father relaxed a little after an entire month of anger.
"Mother, Xiaoxue," Lin Jie cried as he hugged them both.
His mother laughed dotingly. "Isn't it just a helmet? It's a trivial thing, don't cry." She thought that her son was moved.
"Brother, your snot!" Xiaoxue helplessly lamented as Lin Jie rubbed against her.
"Hehe, sorry." Lin Jie wiped off the snot from his nose and asked, "Where is dad?"
Xiaoxue wiped off the dirt on her shirt and handed a piece of tissue over to Lin Jie. She shook her head and said, "He is still angry. How can he not be angry at you leaving the house?"
"I'll go and find dad to apologize," said Lin Jie as he jumped off the bed past his mother's and sister's shocked eyes.
"Jie!"
Just as Lin Jie left the house, a well-dressed young man donning a tuxedo rushed in and threw a small box towards Lin Jie. That man, whose attire seemed a little overboard, was Lin Jie's good friend, Zheng Ziliang.
His father, Zheng Guangming, was one of the wealthiest businessmen in the entire city and there even rumors that his company had sponsored the The New Age. Normally speaking, the heir of a wealthy man should have been partying, toying and sleeping around with women and enjoying the vices of life. Yet that guy was passionate about carrying the load of his family's money and doing good deeds on the streets doing what was known as 'stealing from the rich and handing it to the poor.'
"Keep this thing safe. If my dad sends people over, say nothing about having met me." Zheng Ziliang panted, seeming as if the contents of the box were a horrifying thing.
Lin Jie was curious. Since the two of them were very close, he naturally did not care about his restrictions and opened the box straight away. It was ten bottles of exceptional nutrient serum.
That serum was light green and was luminous. The bottles were made of finely processed crystal and were likely highly expensive.
With the huge advancements in technology, the human body had been improving under the influence of various medication and genes were also getting stronger. Then, it was already considered normal that humans were able to live a long life.
The nutrient serum was a high-tech and expensive product. It would have almost had no destiny at all with a poor family like Lin Jie's. One bottle of such a serum could replace ten days worth of food, allowing consumers to experience a lack of hunger and at the same time replenish an abundant amount of nutrients. The body would then not only not shrivel due to a lack of food, but it would also become bright and energetic and possess improved functions.
"This is a nutrient serum right? Not like you have not taken it before. Why are you so scared?"
Zheng Ziliang gestured. "Don't even bring it up. How can that be considered as a nutrient serum? This thing tastes like sh*t! My dad said this is some special nutrient serum and he could get it only through his connections. He forced me to drink a little of it and immediately after I drank it, my whole body hurt a hell lot, as if my veins were about to pop out. I even almost went to run against the wall. After drinking this thing, you have to train like there is no tomorrow and keep surpassing your own limits. Only then it will unleash its true potential effects. Isn't this akin to stealing my life? I can't take this anymore. Anyhow, you keep this thing with you. You can either throw it away or sell it. I have not a single clue how my dad got this thing. That's it, I'm leaving!"
When he was done, Zheng Ziliang left the box and ran off in a hurry.
Lin Jie simply laughed and brought the box back into his room. Then he set off to his father's workplace to find him.
His father's name was Lin Jiawu. He was 42 years old and was working as a construction worker at a construction site.
As Lin Jie got nearer to the site, the guilt in him got increasingly pronounced. Previously, when he left his own house for Zheng Ziliang's and entered the New Age, it was a rather well-known incident. However, during that period, his sister was about to enroll in university and the family needed to bear the burden of two members' education. Both parents worked very hard and yet he used his pocket money to go around freely spending it.
If his mother had not accidentally blurted out the situation in the family and wept, Lin Jie would still have not known that the family was in such a bad situation.
Under the promise given by the government to its citizens, it would only provide subsidies for one child's studies. And Lin Jie's sister, Lin Xiaoxue was about to become a university student. The huge tuition fees would definitely become a significant burden on a family's finances without any government subsidies.
It was only after that did Lin Jie start to help provide for the family. Even so, the past two years had already taken a toll on his father's body. After the family's financial situation got better, his body would still ache so much during rainy days that he could not sleep well.
"Father, mother, sister… sorry," Lin Jie whispered. "I admit my mistakes. This time, I want to give you the best, the most… stable life."
Previously, when his mother and sister had gotten into an accident, it was as if something had deeply pierced through Lin Jie's heart. In his new life, he would become selfless and shower with love only those he truly loved and cared about! In this life, he would definitely not let the road accident happen again!
Comparatively, Baili Changcheng's betrayal seemed insignificant. Without fear, before rebirth, Lin Jie would have gathered his entire strength and asked, "Why?"
If everything could start over again, what was there that was more important than family?
At the construction site…
"Yo, Jie is here? Your father was just nagging about you."
"Shh, stop talking nonsense, you know very well his temper."
"Jie, it's been hard for your dad. He's so honest and never has he taken any shortcuts in his work. You have to sympathize with him."
The moment he reached the site, a few of his colleagues began to talk non-stop.
His father had always kept his feelings hidden unless he could not hold it in anymore. Given so, Lin Jie's leaving the house had definitely hurt his father to the core.
Lin Jie nodded his head politely and proceeded to the site.
"Oh? Jie you naughty brat. What made you so obedient all of a sudden?" One of the workers asked.
Lin Jiawu was carrying a clay shovel and judiciously carrying out his work. Gone were the days of him standing upright, as he could only stand with his back hunched. That sight made Lin Jie very sad. He stood in front of his father and lightly called out, "Dad."
Lin Jiawu kept a straight face, slightly wiggled his nearly scorched lips, turned his back and continued working.
Lin Jie went in another direction and continued to call out, "Dad…"
"What?" Finally, Lin Jiawu stood up and looked calmly at his son.
That face was haggard and aged. Many people said that Lin Jie looked like his mother and did not seem to inherit any of Lin Jiawu's genes. Whenever this happened, his mother would jokingly reply, "Give Jie another few more years to grow and he will be exactly like his dad."
"Dad, I am here to apologize, I'm sorry," Lin Jie said seriously, it was as if he wanted to repent for his entire life's worth of guilt.
Lin Jiawu let out a laugh, gulped down a bottle of mineral water, let out a long sigh and sarcastically replied, "How would I not know of your temper? If your mother said I am as stubborn as a bull, then you must be a rhinoceros. Now has the rhinoceros finally gotten it?"
"Dad, I want to be frank with you. Mother…" Lin Jie stuttered and thought about revealing the truth about his mother buying the gaming set for him.
"I have already known about it since a very long time ago." Lin Jiawu glanced at his son and gleefully continued, "I was the one who gave your mother the money. All roads lead to Rome. You are still young. Since you want to head down this path, you had better try your hardest."
Lin Jie started tearing up. He didn't know that his father was aware of it all along. In the previous life, he was so naive to have believed that the gaming helmet was bought by his mother without letting his father know. Little had he known that he had already received the support of his seemingly cold dad and yet he still went to hide in Zheng Ziliang's house and avoided seeing his dad.
Between the past and present lives, the invisible ideological barrier between father and son instantly broke down and vanished. Even if crowned as the Battle Emperor, had Lin Jie not gotten the gaming helmet bought by his dad, he would not have had such an achievement! Besides, his mother and sister did not have a single complaint about his rebellious attitude.
Even years after, when Lin Jie had become rich from playing The New Age and flaunted his riches and properties in front of his family, they still cared about his health and work. His father had not praised him for his success but instead wanted to teach him to be humble and avoid going down a misled path.
However, that was a time when Lin Jie was young and hot-blooded. He had not heeded his father's advice…
The moment he realized that he felt even more guilty and teared up even more. In this life, he decided to properly make up for his misdeeds, to properly love and care for his family! He put his heart into freeing his father, mother, and sister from such a painful life.
As for the sudden car accident, it had to be prevented! Also, after Baili Changcheng's betrayal and all of those events came to an end, new possibilities had arisen. In this life, all sufferings had to be changed!
The love of his father was not less than that his mother's. However, their love was a tough one. It was silent and at times hurtful. This was why when he was young, he fell out with his father, almost to the point that they became strangers living under the same roof. When one's father aged and lost his temper, strict nature and usual energy to beat them up, one started to gloat. However, at the same time, one realized the sad reality that their father was getting old.
"Dad, I promise you that I will become successful and give you, sister and mom a good…"
"Don't make empty promises," Lin Jiawu said sternly as he showed Lin Jie the look that he once had whenever he was about to start nagging. He continued, "When a man makes a promise, he must make sure he can keep it. Before you achieve what you promised to, don't talk so much! Speak only after you have attained whatever you set out to achieve."
Lin Jie nodded his head in approval and said, "Yes, dad."
Lin Jiawu looked at his son with a puzzled face, and immediately after, let out a laugh, "Well brat, quickly go back home. Just kidding… go and work."
"Hehe, I'm not in a rush. Let me help you. Anyway, dad, since whatever salary you're getting from this job is merely the minimum wage, why don't you just slack off a little while working?"
"While working? Slack off? What do I normally teach you? One has to keep his end of the word, always…"
"I'm wrong, I'm wrong, I have heard this 800 times already."
"Then listen to it for the 801st time, one has to keep his end of the word…"
For the entire afternoon, Lin Jie helped his dad work as he listened to him preaching for a good four hours. Those words, which he had found annoying in his previous life, were starting to resound with him. Even his dad was so surprised to the point where he tried to touch his son's forehead to check if he had a fever.
As the father and son pair ended their work for the day, they surprisingly went to get a few cans of beer and went home for a usual dinner. However, as times passed and circumstances changed, that meal was the most heartwarming meal that Lin Jie had had. This led to Lin Jie becoming much more steadfast in his mission to protect his family.
As long as the family was present, the road ahead would shine brightly.
In the evening, Lin Jie hugged the smooth gaming helmet as his eyes almost seemed to shine brightly.
"The New Age… I am back. The Battle Emperor, Fu Sheng is back!"
That midnight was when The New Age was officially launched. Along with this news came the news that many established gaming companies had folded and the news that the world was facing a temporary shortage of electricity supply.
Countless people were waiting for the launch of the second world of the game!
At that moment, Lin Jie's heart felt heavy. When he touched the gaming helmet, the image of his best friend betraying him with the ice cold look on his face flashed past his eyes.
The story shared by Lin Jie and Baili Changcheng started as such. At first, Lin Jie had obtained the Heritage Blade but came under attack by the three alliances—Kingdom of Glory, Mage Heavens, and Dark-robed Knights. The person who had come to Lin Jie's rescue was none other than Baili Changcheng! It was then when the two of them formed a strong bond with each other.
Immediately after, Lin Jie found out that the leader of the three organizations was one of Baili Changcheng's family members. He was a person who plotted to control the entire economy, and his name was Baili Xuanyuan! The two of them had fought in arms and in the game destroyed three guilds. Since then the nicknames Battle Emperor, Fu Sheng, and the King of Swords, Baili, spread afar! Everything, until the day of the War of the Gods, had ended with flaws.
"Hoo…" Lin Jie put on the helmet, cleared his thoughts and waited just like any other normal person for the game to start. However, he kept thinking about his path. His memory of the game surpassed that of normal people. Since he had been reborn, he would definitely be more glorious than in his previous life!
In his previous life, when he had first started the game, he had treaded multiple erroneous paths and even ended up working as a measly soldier for the Grand Guild before slowly becoming stronger and finally becoming the Battle Emperor. In this life, he had to take a different path!
He had to devise a path best suited for leveling up and at the same time address the regrets left behind in his previous life. Not only that but in real life, he also had to try his utmost best to improve his own health. Had he been stronger and healthier in his previous life, he would not have lost his life in the game. It seemed like the nutrient serum that Ziliang sent earlier in the day could be put to good use.
'Ding~'
As the bright light shone, the blurry fog started to disperse, and the sky and earth started to split.
As the war started, the Guild of Light's Paladins and Priests immediately chanted the Holy Light. The sky turned Holy clean, as brave warriors let out a war cry. The Tribe of Darkness's Undead crawled out from the ground, dragging along a piece of bloodied meat.
The flames of war burnt on without an end! Despite seeing this scene countless times in his previous life, this was still as mind-blowing as ever!
Under the control of Lin Jie's mind, the image started to zoom in. He could analyze all the available jobs and races and could also choose what job he wanted.
There were two opposing sides in the game - the Guild of Light and the Tribe of Darkness. Those two organizations spoke different languages, and whenever they met, there would definitely be bloodshed. Killing a member of the opposing organization would grant glory and equipment. Of course, if one disliked war, he could choose to work in a Neutral organization, such as the Goblins Trade Union and the Giants of the Mountains.
"My choice, Warrior!" Lin Jie commanded, as the system immediately removed a warrior from the battleground. The warrior looked on in a daze, as his well-built muscles blocked the secret attacks directed at him.
— 'Is this your final decision: [Human Warrior]?'
"Yes!"
The Warrior was a job class suitable for strength-based and melee brawls. At level 10, the character could evolve into a Berserker, Weapon Specialist, Shield Specialist, Elementalist, etc.
At a command, that warrior limped off. In the land of The New Age, a sudden combination of a natural disaster, the Undead, and Demons started to spread. The commoners prayed to the gods to send their prayers to dispel the evils. As a result, the gods borrowed the bodies of humans and sent the representatives of the gods with the "invulnerability" and "growth" capabilities, which were the players themselves.
— 'Please choose your starting talents and basic abilities. (Note: If you make a random choice, you have a chance of acquiring hidden talents and abilities).'
Several hundreds of ability icons floated in the air for players to choose.
In The New Age, players could delete their accounts and reconstruct them. This was also to provide players with the opportunity to choose their jobs, but the talents of each job could only be selected once. If a change was desired, one had to wait for a month to change their talents or their jobs.
In the previous life, starting gamers naturally thought that they would be the lucky one and ended up choosing the random talents resulting in many rubbish talents and wasted accounts. Those groups would either change their jobs or wait for an entire month before changing their talents. Only a handful of gamers had obtained the special talents, one of which was the Kingdom of Glory's Eighteen Massacres.
Lin Jie chose the [Grip Strength Multiplier] talent and the [Fire Gun Specialist] ability.
In his previous life, he had chosen the [Ambidextrous] talent, which allowed him to wield two weapons at once. That talent allowed for a very high initial damage output and also had a high equipment requirement. However, after switching to the Berserker job after level 10, that ability would become useless. The Berserker's specific ability had the same effect and even had an additional +15% damage increase. It was as if he was one talent down compared to other payers and that had nearly made him delete his account.
For the basic ability, he did not choose the skill most effective for warriors, the [Double Strike] and instead chose the [Fire Gun Specialist.]
Basic Skill Books could be bought at a low price. After level 5, killing monsters would spawn Skill Books. That meant that before level 5, players could only use their basic ability as their primary form of offense.
— 'Talent and ability successfully chosen, please enter your character's name.'
"Fu Sheng."
— 'This name can be used, character loading, choosing birthplace.'
'Ding~'
— 'You have chosen the City of Light as your birthplace.'
A ray of bright light teleported him in front of a silver-white ancient European style city. In the middle of the city was a tall tower, which was the icon of the City of Light - the Tower of Light! The City of Light's rulers were the Priests, Paladins, and other holy job holders who held godly powers. They were situated at the forefront of the border between The New Age and the Devils. It was also one of the previous few avenues where one could come into contact with the Undead. Besides, that birthplace was directly related to the plans that Lin Jie had made.
Lin Jie looked on at the all-too-familiar sights and let out a long sigh. And then, he casually browsed through his own stats.
Fu Sheng: [Human Warrior]
Level 1
HP: 100
Mana: 30
Rage: 0 (Your attacks generate rage, which causes some of your ability casts to cost resources)
Attack: 2-5 [Grip Strength Multiplier +1]
Defense: 4
Strength: 8
Endurance: 8
Agility: 6
Wisdom: 3
Spirit: 3
Resistance: 2 (Determination affects the time under crowd control effects)
Grit: 1 (Your grit affects your offensive judgments)
Block: 0 (Starting shield causes you to gain 10% of your starting block)
Parry: 1 (Parry chance 5%)
Load: 10/35
Talent: Grip Strength Multiplier (Increases your attack by 1 point, reduces your equipment load by 5)
Ability: Fire Gun Specialist (Fire Gun-type weapons' damage +1, Critical Hit Damage +1, Armor Ignore +1)
In The New Age, all equipment had no job restrictions. In other words, a Mage could also level up by training using an axe. However, the limitations fell under the "load." A heavy axe would be akin to a Golden Pole at later stages of the game.
New players did not possess any starting equipment, and they had to start off attacking monsters without any weapons. Consequently, those with low attack points were bound to die.
In his previous life, Lin Jie had foolishly gone head-on against monsters with his bare fists and ended up being bitten to death by Rats multiple times before finally realizing that he could have visited the shop to buy starter items. He had truly regretted his decisions.
He teleported to the Town of Meyer, which was the town of hundreds of new players. Players could purchase starter items for 1 bronze coin each. Clothing, helmets, shoulder guards, bottom armor, boots, weapons, capes, two rings and one necklace were available. These were just enough for a new player to spend all the 10 coins given to them.
Lin Jie spent one coin on an Inferior Bronze Sword with an attack of 1-2. Should he have gone on with the selection, the price would have increased to three coins. Wielding four Inferior Bronze Swords and rushing to the doorstep, the Town of Meyer was the frontline of the land of The New Age. That was one of the areas most badly affected by epidemics and natural disasters.
That also caused the level 1 monsters in the Town of Meyer to be called, [Fear Devils], with an attack that was twice that of Rats and other monsters of the like.
"Soldiers, hold your ground!"
"Fight!"
Screams spread from the doorstep. The NPC guards fought valiantly and prevented the Fear Devils from infiltrating the town easily.
Lin Jie maneuvered past the group of guards and headed towards the outer perimeter, entering the looming plains. The surrounding Fear Devils looked on at Lin Jie with a laugh. They were neutral monsters and could not directly attack him.
"Coordinate."
One soldier sat down on the ground handicapped. His weapon was turned back. Unless a miracle happened, he was destined to die there.
"Hello, human." The soldier lifted his head, revealing that he was a Half-elf Warrior, and smiled. "I may die here. Please, send a message to my parents."
'Ding~'
—'Do you accept this mission? [The Warrior's Last Wishes]?'
"No!"
Lin Jie pulled out his Inferior Bronze Sword and laughed. "I'm afraid you won't get to say your last wishes, please find your own way back."
He set the longsword in front of the warrior and left.
At that time, it was best not to accept the warrior's thanks and just leave quickly. In the previous life, many players noticed that there were many of such warriors out in the wild and intelligently donated their weapons. In the end, they only received a measly amount of experience and reward, until someone discovered the secret—players needed to donate three weapons.
After donating three of his weapons to the warrior, Lin Jie held his last weapon and headed deeper, where there were more and more Fear Devils. The settings of The New Age were interesting. NPCs and monsters all obeyed the rules of real life. This also caused the accumulation of a majority of monsters before the map opened up.
Nearby, 10 Fear Devils formed a circle. Among them was a Sword Assassin wearing a tattered robe. His longsword was already broken as he tried his best to slash the surrounding Fear Devils.
He was displayed as the Anonymous Sword Artist, with a ragged kit. He was obviously cannon fodder.
Only Lin Jie knew his real name, Wind Rider Sword Saint, Carsey Meyer!
Bab 3: [Chanter Griffin]
Editor: Atlas Studios
"D*mned Devils, if I had a sword, you would all be dead!" The Sword Saint shouted while wielding a tattered wooden pole. To a Sword Artist, his weapon was akin to his life!
The Wind Rider Sword Saint was one of the Warrior Heroes. Every job had three heroes. The difference lied in the location in which they were guarding in the Mainland. The Wind Rider Sword Saint was one of them. After a particular natural disaster, the heroes together created a seal, and each of them contributed their powers to sustain the seal. The Wind Rider Sword Saint was an honest and upright person, and hence he contributed all of his powers.
After he lost all his powers, he went into hiding. However, the natural disasters seal showed signs of weakening, and thus he had no choice but to come out of hiding and try his best to ward off the monsters causing the natural disasters and look for a promising warrior to undergo his training. In time to come, becoming a disciple of the Sword Saint was a necessary requirement to have a job change to become a Legend.
"Whoosh~"
An Inferior Bronze Sword flew across, forming the trajectory of an arc, into the hands of the Wind Rider Sword Saint.
A sword was still a sword regardless of how inferior it was!
"Go to hell!" The Sword Saint shouted, as a sudden burst of the sword's aura immediately killed all of the Fear Devils.
Lin Jie ecstatically picked up the coins on the ground. Ten monsters dropped merely 4 bronze coins. This showed how low the drop rate for the in-game coins really was.
Lin Jie respectfully said, "Hello, respected warrior."
The Sword Saint kept hiding his real identity. If he had pretended to be smart and revealed his identity, his favorability points would have been reduced by 10. In the previous life, Lin Jie had naively done that and had learned his lesson for this time so this time. Unless the Sword Saint revealed the identity on his own, Lin Jie knew that he should never do so.
"Thank you, young man." The Sword Saint was a stubborn person. As his hair drifted along with the wind, he continued, "You saved me. I should rightfully reward you. What do you wish for?"
'There it is!' Lin Jie held his breath in sharp focus.
NPCs had their own personalities. The Sword Saint's personality was one of directness, or rather, bluntness. Take the current situation as an example, if one shyly said, "It is only right to help you." Then they would not have gotten anything in return.
On the other hand, if one wished for too much, they would not only not get what they wanted, their favorability points would also get deducted.
"I want to learn the way of the sword," Lin Jie said in a serious tone.
"Sure." The Sword Saint nodded his head and continued, "The way of the sword lies in being agile…"
'Ding~'
—'The Anonymous Sword Artist explained to you the skills of using the sword, your attacks while equipped with a sword will now deal +3 damage. You have learned [Blade Aura Executioner]'
—'The Anonymous Swordman's favorability towards you has increased by 10 points.'
"Young man, I hope you practice diligently and may we meet again." The Sword Saint smiled and made an elegant exit.
Lin Jie was thrilled.
In his previous life, the first player who accepted the Sword Saint's quest was also the one who had received the Heritage Cape, Ophadi Wantless. He was said to have obtained a treasure map and from there unearthed a Skill Book. But so what? It was utter trash compared to the personal coaching provided by the Sword Saint himself!
— Blade Aura Executioner: Level 1, Familiarity 0/3000. Active ability, once activated, your attacks drain 3 mana and gain the Blade Aura, increasing damage by 10%.
That ability's crux did not lie in its damage. It was a symbol of acceptance by the Sword Saint himself. Although he kept a low profile, in the eyes of an NPC, he was a hero. As long as he cast that skill, he could show off in front of powerful NPCs.
Only after waiting for the Sword Saint to leave did Lin Jie return to the Town of Meyer. The Captain respectfully bowed and said, "Thank you, human. You have helped us rescue three of our brave soldiers."
'Ding~'
—'You have gained 200 experience points. You have gained 30 bronze coins. You have gained 200 points of popularity from the Town of Meyer.'
—'Your favorability in the eyes of the Town of Meyer's Captain has increased by 50.'
Gaining the favor of the Captain was the biggest reward of this quest!
The favor of the NPCs influenced the attitude of other players, according to the words of the Captain of the Guards. His responsibility was to kill all the monsters in the vicinity of the Town of Meyer. After players obtained his favor, he would ensure their safety.
"War is imminent. The Guild of Light is already worn out from its defense efforts. You all will become the mainstay in the defense against the enemies from hell!" The Captain said in a serious tone. "However, you are still too weak right now. Young man, remember, you can explore the vicinity of the Town of Meyer but please do not ever venture too deep into the Umbral Plains."
Lin Jie nodded and left for the Town of Meyer under the pleas of the Captain of the Guards.
Lin Jie had obtained 30 bronze coins, so he headed to the equipment store.
"Hello, young adventurer." The equipment store owner, who was a middle-aged man in his forties with a huge mustache, politely acknowledged Lin Jie. That kind of artificial intelligence had widespread applications within The New Age.
This equipment store sold magic equipment as well as engineering equipment.
Lin Jie spent 20 bronze coins and bought 5 [Simple Freeze Traps], 5 [Touch-Triggered Shackles] and [Life Powder], and even spent 8 bronze coins on a [Fire Gun] with an offense point of 1 - 2.
[Simple Freeze Trap]: You set a freeze trap, causing anyone triggering it to have 35% reduced movement speed lasting for 3 seconds. This trap is completely effective against monsters of level 3 and below.
[Touch-triggered Shackles]: Every set of touch-triggered shackles consists of 100 venomous snake eggs, which die after 30 seconds. When there are more than 20 eggs alive, the target is stunned for 1.5 seconds. This shackle is completely effective against organisms of level 5 and below.
The effective range of the fire gun was 30 yards. In The New Age, the two melee jobs, Warriors, and Bandits could use ranged weapons including the fire gun and the bow. Among them, the Bandit could also use flying daggers.
After donning his equipment, he spent a further 2 bronze coins on a bundle of 20 loaves of bread. Lin Jie spent the entirety of his quest reward of 30 bronze coins!
His destination was the place that the Captain of the Guards had said that he should never go - the Umbral Plains! The Umbral Plains lied in the west part of the Town of Meyer. The lowest leveled organism there was level 3 and the monsters there were highly aggressive. It was a place that new players should never go.
"Hey kid, do not go too deep into the Umbral Plains!" The Captain of the Guards warned Lin Jie before he left. The difference brought about by the increase in favorability points was evident.
Lin Jie headed northwest. The surrounding ground gradually turned from black to green.
—'You have entered the Umbral Plains.'
Lin Jie carefully treaded on the plains. This place spawned new level 3 Flame Demons, level 4 Fear Devils, level 4 Bare-bone Skeletons. After forging a path through those monsters, Lin Jie reached his destination— the "Dark Servant" spawning grounds.
[Dark Servant]: Level 5 biological creature, Health Points: 250.
Dark Servants were fallen humans who willingly gave up their beliefs in order to survive. They could use [Stealth] and were one of the few monsters which used magic as their primary offense. Their damage experienced points were especially high. One Dark Servant could barely be killed by a small level 5 team.
However, that wasn't Lin Jie's target! His target was the lead chanter chanting the Bible of Darkness in numerous Dark Servant centers.
[Chanter Griffin]: Level 5 Bronze-tiered Boss, Health Points: 1100
Chanter Griffin was one of the few Bosses with a name. Bosses with a name proved that they had a past. They had much better skills and drop rates than other Bosses of the same level.
Lin Jie retrieved the Simple Freeze Trap and started assembling it. This kind of equipment was classified as something meant for new players to experience and was only effective against low-leveled monsters, and almost completely ineffective against high-leveled monsters.
Assembling the trap required one minute.
After Lin Jie assembled the Simple Freeze Trap, he retreated 30 yards and retrieved a cloth bag, containing many small snake eggs, which served as the shackles. The principles of how it worked were similar to that of making use of the heat generated by stepping on it to incubate it. The venomous snake would bite and inject venom into its target, incapacitating it.
The Touch-Triggered Shackles' effective time was very short. Although the venomous snake eggs could survive for 30 seconds, if the buried assembly lasted for more than 10 minutes, the inner parts of the venomous snake eggs would die in large batches. They would then completely lose their effectiveness.
The Life Powder was a 'fertilizer' in The New Age. Normally it was meant for farming, but it could also increase the lifespan of the venomous snake eggs and reduce the chances of death of the venomous snake. That, in turn, increased the rate of success of the incapacitating assembly.
After spending 10 minutes, Lin Jie completed setting up all of his traps. In the Dark Servant spawning grounds far away, Chanter Griffin stood there and became the target of Lin Jie's fire gun.
'Bang!'
A bullet engulfed in flames penetrated the Boss' skull and caused 1 point of damage!
The Boss got furious and charged towards Lin Jie! Lin Jie started fleeing, but the Boss had a very fast basic movement speed, which was faster than Lin Jie's by more than 30%!
'Bang!'
The Boss stepped right on the freezing traps, causing multiple ice shards to fly out and securely root its legs, which greatly reduced its movement speed! When the Boss freed itself, Lin Jie had already fled for about 20 yards.
When it once again caught up with Lin Jie due to its speed advantage, the ground sank in again! Chanter Griffin was immune towards crowd control abilities, and the same trap was ineffective when used twice in succession!
However, this time it was not the freezing traps but a group of small venomous snakes. They sank their fangs deeply into Griffin's body, causing it to be stunned instantly and unable to move. Lin Jie made use of this time to continue retreating!
After the two traps were set off, Lin Jie had already fled more than 30 yards. If he had continued retreating, the Boss would have given up its hostile intents.
Luring a prey was a skill to master.
Indeed, the Boss' movement started to become slower, and it even looked back at its own territory. Those were signs of giving up its hostile intents! Lin Jie raised his fire gun and shot a bullet once again. This time it was a critical hit!
After being repeatedly taunted by a human, the Boss became furious and its hostility stabilized!
Immediately after, the cycle of getting trapped and then freeing itself repeated until Lin Jie and the Boss gradually got near the Town of Meyer. Lin Jie noticed that the Captain of the Guards had already caught sight of him, and hence he retrieved his rusting bronze sword. He swung the sword across, exuding its Blade Aura, which burst in the Boss' chest!
-2!
Finally, the Boss caught up and shot a dark arrow, which viciously knocked Lin Jie back! He was badly damaged by 45 Health Points!
"D*mn it," Lin Jie cursed as he noticed the blood spurting out. He retreated a few steps and ended up within 20 yards of the Captain of the Guards!
The Captain of the Guards frowned and shouted, "Get ready!"
The guards' responsibility was to protect the town, and they would retaliate only if monsters threatened the safety of the town's residents. At the same time, Lin Jie was nearby fighting monsters and was in a precarious position.
The Captain looked at the three soldiers, whom Lin Jie had rescued, and let out a look of seriousness. He conjured a beam of holy light between his hands and cast a holy spell on Lin Jie!
+50!
[Holy Strength]: You gain 3% reduced damage from Dark-type attacks and your attacks become augmented with 2 points of Light-type damage.
Lin Jie was delighted, as his plan worked!
In his previous life, the person who had invented that method was Ophadi Wantless. He had gotten an idea after gaining the favor of the Captain—he had baited the Fear Devils outside the Town of Meyer to fight in front of the NPC and realized to his surprise that even though the Captain had not intervened directly, his healing spells were able to boost his own blessing status and could infinitely stack!
When Ophadi Wantless realized this secret, he was already level 6, and hence mere level 3 Fear Devils naturally could not satisfy him. However, at that time, his capabilities had not reached their peak yet. Even though they could delay the Boss attacking the Town of Meyer, it eventually failed after countless experiments.
Now, Lin Jie accomplished what he was not able to!
Light-type attacks were 100% more effective against dark-type monsters. Lin Jie endured the Boss' attacks and slashed it once, damaging it for a huge amount of 6 Health points!
This was three times more effective than the previous attack!
The Boss' attacks were not sufficient to one-shot Lin Jie. Every attack would trigger the Captain to cast his healing spell on Lin Jie, allowing Lin Jie's Health Points to remain stable and the stacked light-type damage to keep increasing!
-18!
-20!
…
A flurry of attacks rained upon the Boss, and its Health Points kept decreasing.
"Darkness prevails!" Griffin's robe exploded into pieces, and its lean body suddenly exploded in size—Enrage mode!
After the Boss went into Enrage mode, its attacking speed increased by 50% and the rate of dipping of Lin Jie's Health Points increased sharply.
The Captain's healing spell was showing signs of weakening, so he gathered all his might to bathe Lin Jie in a protective holy light shield.
[Holy Light Shield]: For the first second of receiving the shield, the player gains immunity to any forms of damage and for the next 10 seconds, gain the ability to absorb 60% of the Health Points deducted from the largest-damage attack.
This was one of the trademark abilities of the Paladin. With the augment of the shield, the bronze sword in Lin Jie's hands slashed across the Boss' throat and it spectacularly fell to the ground!
'Ding~'
—'You have killed the Bronze-tiered Boss, Chanter Griffin. You have gained 2780 experience (Over-level victory 350%)"
—'You have leveled up to level 2 and gained 5 free stat points and 2 fixed stat points.'
A Warrior's fixed stat points could only be used to increase his Strength, Endurance and Health Points. Lin Jie thought about it. In his previous life, his strategy was an 'all-in' strategy as a Berserker would pay little heed to survivability. To a Berserker, offense was the best defense. This resulted in him being very frail and having a lousy leveling ability.
This time, he used his free stat points to increase his Strength by 4 and Endurance by 1; and used all of his fixed stat points to increase his Health Points.
Health Points could be increased via equipment and endurance points, but their effects were definitely not as pronounced as directly increasing Health Points. 1 point in endurance could increase 8 Health Points (Warrior Augmentation) whereas 1 fixed stat point pumped on Health Points could grant 20 Health Points!
Given this, this strategy enhanced his own attacking capabilities and augmented his defenses. After all, the amount of Health Points was a direct representation of a player's defense capabilities.
Lin Jie squatted and pocketed the bronze coins that dropped from the Boss. A level 5 Boss, under the scenario of over-level victory, had dropped merely 12 bronze coins! The drop rate was really pathetic!
Without accounting for other rewards, killing that Boss surprisingly cost 16 bronze coins, which was enough to squeeze dry the entire life savings of a new player!
'Ding~'
—'You have obtained a Chanter Longsword (Bronze)'
—'You have obtained a black wrist guard.'
[Chanter Longsword] (Bronze)
Requires: Level 2
Attack: 3-9
Strength: +1
Additional effect: Your attacks deal an additional 1 Dark-type damage
Lin Jie was elated. "Such luck!"
It was unexpected that the Boss dropped its directly equipped weapon. A weapon was the most important item in the early game. Wielding the longsword, a gust of eerily strong strength was transferred into his arms. Due to the augment of 1 point in damage, this longsword's actual attack was 4 - 10, which was simply strong!
The black wrist guard was, on the other hand, a Blank wrist guard whose use was restricted to only the Holy Paladin. It increased defenses by 1-4 and most importantly, it could be used by a level 1. It seemed to be a pretty decent defensive equipment.
Lin Jie calmly forced the black wrist guard on himself! Strictly speaking, the equipment in The New Age had no equipment restrictions. The Butcher Mage, Arcane Paladin, and others could put it on, but it would just accordingly deduct their relevant stat points.
For example, after equipping himself with the Paladin's wrist guard, his movement speed was reduced by 20%! This was just a piece of equipment! If he had equipped himself with two or three, he would have been useless.
Currently, Lin Jie's battle stats were as follows:
Health Points 148
Attack 7 - 16
Defense 5 - 8
They were almost double that of those when he was still level 1! This was the immensely strong effect brought about by the combination of a level and equipment advantage. It would have been such a pity to not make use of such an advantage.
Lin Jie recalled that while players trained, their recovery methods involved either eating or consuming potions. It was a widely accepted standard to carry two sets of value-for-money bread and water, whereas potions, which were considered to be instant recovery items, were a luxury good.
In the early game, many players started learning the way of the Potioneer. However, the 60% chance of failure in concocting a potion deterred many players from actually going into potioneering. Only a few large guilds would nurture specialized Potioneers. Besides, he was broke.
Lin Jie knew of a place where he could learn Perfect Potion Mastery!
After returning to the town, the Captain of the Guards sternly said, "Young man, you should learn to heed your elders' advice. If you are going to be stubborn again, I will not save you."
Lin Jie respectfully replied, "Alright, thank you for your help."
The Captain of the Guards' willingness to help was temporarily gone. He would have to wait for six hours before he would be willing to help in killing the monsters.
Lin Jie bought a set of bread and a set of water and went on to spend 4 bronze coins to buy a bottle of Elevation Potion. He then headed to the eastern part of the town.
Players could partake in 'consumption' while not engaged in battle. Bread could restore health points whereas water could restore mana.
The Elevation Potion was a support potion. It could temporarily reduce the weight of the player, lasting for three seconds. However, it had a high price of 4 bronze coins, and no one bought it.
As the monsters in the Town of Meyer were generally higher-leveled, players gradually congregated at this location. At the doorstep of the town, there were now groups of players killing the Fear Devils. When Lin Jie held the brightly shining Bronze sword and headed out, he invited a swarm of envy. A level 2 player with Bronze equipment was enough to attract the attention of many people!
At the eastern areas of the town lied a dense forest. The trees there were completely shed of leaves and looked much like the claws of a ghost, eerily scary.
—'You have entered the Stumbling Forest.'
A short while after entering the forest, one could hear a "kaccha" sound, which came from the Undead Skeletons in the Stumbling Forest. They were level 2 creatures with higher stats and experience than other creatures of the same level, had a slow movement speed and no ranged skills. Shortly after, this would become the heaven for Mages aspiring to train.
'Tssss-'
The dried twigs got broken from stepping as a dark gray skeleton reached out its hands and started to attack Lin Jie.
[Rotting Skeleton]: Level 2 Undead, Health Points: 120
Lin Jie was shocked. He swung forth a Blade Aura, causing a 12-point-damage! The skeleton had strong defenses. Had it not been for the Bronze longsword and aura, Lin Jie would not have been able to penetrate its defenses!
-11!
-12!
…
He immediately retreated after swinging forth the Blade Aura. The skeleton's movement speed was slow, and hence they were always at least 10 yards apart. Lin Jie had zero interest in tasting the skeleton's potent attacks.
After consecutively swinging forth ten waves of Blade Aura, the skeleton's health points decreased to a measly amount, but so did Lin Jie's mana. He could only wield up his longsword and go up close. He got hit in the chest by the dried up skeleton.
-19!
This was the strong inherent capability of the Rotting Skeleton! Lin Jie ate a blow and finished it off with a slash.
—'You have killed the Rotting Skeleton. You have gained 110 experience points.'
High risk, high reward. The Rotting Skeleton had experience points worth 30% more than other same-leveled creatures and many times more than level 1 monsters. Lin Jie's experience bar had visibly filled up a little more.
However, the price to pay for killing a skeleton was too huge. Lin Jie retrieved bread and water to consume and restored his health points and mana quickly.
Had it been in the past, in order to learn Perfect Potion Mastery, Lin Jie would have dove in head first given that the skeletons moved very slowly and had absolutely no chance of surrounding him. However this time, the situation was different!
The Stumbling Forest was the place in the Town of Meyer where battles among players were the most rampant. All this violence was for the one and only treasure chest!
In The New Age, treasure chests were classified into Bronze, Silver, Sold, Dark Gold and Legendary. Apart from the treasure chests hidden within the dungeon, most chests were not locked.
However, here in The New Age, it spawned a one and only pre-level-10 Gradeless Treasure Chest! The Gradeless Treasure Chest could only be opened ten times. Every time it was opened, the level of the contents inside would be reduced. The first to open the Gradeless Treasure Chest was named 'The Heavenly Shield', the Chairman of the Ironwall Empire! He was the first player in the early game to pioneer the idea of increasing his Health Points stats.
In his previous life, via the Gradeless Treasure Chest, The Heavenly Shield had obtained a Gold-grade Shield. He had become arrogant and scorned others while amassing a huge advantage!
"Coordinates 17283, 47271." Lin Jie looked at the map. To advance to the Gradeless Treasure Chest's coordinates, he had to eliminate at least 10 skeletons. Besides, there were also many monsters guarding the chest. Hopefully, there were enough replenishment items.
At this moment, there was a public announcement.
Regional Announcement: The Ironwall Empire has cleared the site. Uninvolved players, please leave as soon as possible!
Hadiah
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