Game’s Dogma

While listening to Danting’s shrieks, everyone turned their focus to the item revealed before Danting.

‘Magic Crystal Orb, Tier C off-hand equipment.’

‘An orb specifically for mages, it enhances their ability to cast spells. Equipping the orb will decrease mana consumption.’

Danting scorned the orb as he said, ‘I can’t equip this.’

Drako Yau thought and said, ‘Ah, then give it to Poet. She can equip it.’

Danting offered the orb to Idyllic Poet. ‘Sis, here ya go.’

Idyllic Poet was flabbergasted; the orb was no ordinary equipment.

Off-hand equipment existed in the game. For paladins, their shields were considered as off-hand equipment while their swords were their main equipment. The Paladin class was supposed to equip two types of equipment together because shields compensated for their relatively low defence as they were originally clerics. Similarly, rangers, assassins, and hunters could also equip a bow or rifle along with a dagger.

Things were different for mages though. Their short staff was their main equipment, and while they also had off-hand equipment, it was an entirely different system.

Off-hand equipment for mages had no level limits, nor were they classified by the usual ‘common, uncommon, rare, epic’ tier list. Instead, there were three tiers: A, B, and C. Apart from mages, it was rumoured that certain hidden classes also utilised the same system.

Even Tier C off-hand equipment were sold at exorbitant prices because they could be used forever until the player found a better piece of equipment. They also usually came with special buffs or effects, not the usual attribute bonuses. As such, off-hand equipment for mages were almost never going to be outdated, and it would rarely result in a loss when re-selling them when the player got a better piece.

While the magic crystal orb was Tier C, its special effect was reducing the mana needed to cast spells, which was almost godly for mages. It was well-known that mages had powerful spells, at the cost of being fragile, having long cast times, and high mana consumption.

Back when they had been fighting Nin, Idyllic Poet wasn’t dealing maximum damage possible apart from the last 15 minutes, the reason being that she had to control her mana consumption. An outstanding mage always maintained an equilibrium between dealing damage and mana consumption. The aim was to maintain the ability to dish out damage constantly. Mages who brainlessly cast all their spells at once and just sit there as they wait for their exhausted mana pool to recover were noobs.

If she had the magic crystal orb back then, she could deal at least 20 per cent more damage at the very least. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the orb was sold for a million dollars on the trade centre either.

This guy… Does he really know the worth of this orb?

‘This… I cannot…’

‘Poet!’ Drako Yau said suddenly, but he was being completely serious. ‘Take it.’

Idyllic Poet turned silent for a while, but in the end, she received the item with slightly trembling hands. ‘Thank you.’

Delighted, Danting said, ‘Sis, there’s no need to thank me. Just don’t bully me so much okay?’

Idyllic Poet replied with a laugh before her mind drifted off somewhere.

Their firecracker count went down as they continued to pull the lottery crazily. A while later, when they didn’t have a lot of firecrackers left, Zephyrwolf was the one who shouted, ‘Look, look, I got some good stuff!’

‘Level 20 epic long staff: Nun’s Sigh.’

As long staves were used by clerics, Zephyrwolf tossed the staff over to Greenstone without hesitating after having a quick glance at his prize. ‘It’s yours.’

Greenstone received Nun’s Sigh and shook his head. ‘Can’t use it.’

‘Eh?’

Everyone was startled, including Idyllic Poet who was still shocked by the fact that Zephyrwolf gave away the Level 20 epic long staff without even thinking about it. What did he mean he couldn’t use it?

Drako Yau, as though he knew something, said, ‘Give it to me then, I’ll sell it for some money.’

‘Oh…’

Seeing everyone’s doubtful looks, Greenstone finally shed light on the answer. ‘I have a hidden class, my long staff is just a disguise.’

Everyone finally understood the situation. Unlike Fong Sai Yuk, not everyone was eager to let others know that they had hidden classes. Others would mistake Drako Yau for a berserker if he only held a spear and didn’t tell them about his hidden class. The same went for Danting who wielded a greatsword.

It was almost impossible to distinguish between hidden classes and ordinary classes as long as they wanted to hide their classes. As for Greenstone’s intention for hiding his class, no one bothered asking. Who didn’t have their own secrets? Drako Yau wore his mask at all times, and he didn’t even speak before obtaining the Necklace of Deceit.

No one had the intention to ask about it, and the reason was simple—they trusted him.

‘My turn’, Idyllic Poet suddenly said. She opened her palm to reveal an unpaired gauntlet.

‘Tier C off-hand equipment, Sword Array Gauntlet.’

‘Designed for magic swordsmen, it increases their magic array cast speed and damage. Not only does it bear the sturdy defence and can pack a punch like a warrior’s gauntlets, the magic crystal embedded on its palm also enhances magic swordsmen’s ability to use their class skills.’

Idyllic Poet was relieved upon inspecting the item. Her usual smile returned as she said, ‘Lil’ Dan, you want this?’

Danting was almost drooling, his big round eyes staring straight at the gauntlet in her hands while he rapidly nodded his head.

‘Just messing around with ya. Here you go, it’s a fair trade.’ Idyllic Poet tossed the gauntlet to Danting.

She had been on tenterhooks the entire time, but the unexpected trade had finally calmed her mind. Her reasons for following Drako Yau were… complicated. The main reason was curiosity; she was curious about the masked man who was almost like a monster in combat and was shrouded in mysteries.

But when Danting easily decided to give her the million-dollar Magic Crystal Orb, she was caught in a whirlpool of complex feelings. It eased her mind a fair bit after returning the favour by giving Danting an off-hand equipment. Still, deep down, she knew the gauntlet was worth far less than her orb because of its class limitation. How many magic swordsmen were there in the game compared to mages?

‘Poet.’ When she was still having a bee in her bonnet, Drako Yau cut her off with a shout. He even took off his mask to reveal his somewhat gentle and calm face. ‘Don’t overthink it. You’re one of us.’

Idyllic Poet turned around as she trembled ever so slightly. She quickly wiped the drops of tears from her eyes. Why had she been working so hard? Wasn’t it all because she wanted to earn recognition? Here, she had earned it—the recognition from Drako Yau and his squad members. Not for her beauty, not for her physique, but her entire person.

Only from that moment on did Idyllic Poet truly gave her heart to and integrated into the team.

Elementalist

Description: A class progression branch of the mage class, they are powerful wielders of ice and fire.

Skill type: Elementalists are the symbols of ice and fire. The ice skill tree has slowness and freezing skills, while the fire skill tree has skills that deal burning damage and area-of-effect damage. When properly utilised, elementalists are one of the greatest weapons of mass destruction in a team fight.

Skill tree: Ice magic, Fire magic.

Weapon type: Short staff.

Class progression: ???