Game’s Dogma

Tigeroar’s Feral Rage set had an even scarier effect of lowering Attack of all enemies within a certain range by twenty per cent, though it lasted for only a minute. Celestial Hero lowered movement speed instead of Attack, which was less powerful in a sense, but its duration was fifteen minutes.

If the Level 30 Arena set gives 20 bonus Strength, what are the buffs on the Level 35 Feral Rage set? Tigeroar also has the legendary Divine Martial Sword…

While Drako Yau might have sounded confident in front of Fatty, he knew deep down that Tigeroar was a threat to be recognised. He won this time thanks to the element of surprise, though Tigeroar had also shown all his cards. He guessed that his chances of winning in their next fight were roughly fifty per cent if they fought again under the same conditions.

However, now that he had the Celestial Hero set, the disparity in equipment quality was less extreme, though Tigeroar’s weapon was still superior.

If I can defeat him with terrible gear, there’s nothing to fear with my new set of armour.

Only several of his five hundred or so battle medals remained. He stashed it away in his warehouse and went on to the quest location.

As Drako Yau walked, he realised something. Isn’t this the way towards the starter village? Fatty had such a serious look just to send me off to a quest in the starter village?

He let out a laugh of relief. Quests were also categorised by levels; the higher the level, the greater the difficulty. For example, Ichor Hon’s “The Honno-ji Incident” staged encounter quest had Level 25 enemies while Mitsuhide Akechi was even a Level 40 epic boss. They were too strong for Drako Yau’s group to defeat.

If the quest location was the starter village, enemies in the quest probably wouldn’t be of high levels according to game design principles. Players who received quests in the starter village were newbies, so it wasn’t very plausible for the starter village to give out extremely difficult quests. What if Drako Yau didn’t receive Fatty’s invitation and the quest was taken by a Level 1 or 2 player instead? Sending them to fight against high-level monsters didn’t make sense.

Reaching that conclusion, Drako Yau slowed down a fair bit. The series of incidents lately had made all tensed up; taking on a leisurely quest seemed like a good change of pace.

With Wanderer’s passive effect and using the stockpile of Agility Scrolls he made to level up his subclass, Drako Yau’s casual stroll to the starter village didn’t take too long.

The starter village was as crowded as always. With Real World gaining further popularity, a world where everyone played the game didn’t seem like a distant dream anymore. It was gradually becoming an alternate world thanks to the linked exchange rate between real life and in-game currency, with more and more people working and socialising in the game.

There were many instances of the starter village. Without Fatty’s tip, Drako Yau couldn’t have known about nor found the quest.

New players were sizing him up and down; after all, he was well-equipped and eye-catching. The dazzling spear Shooting Star on his back, the fluttering bloody cloak, Devil King’s Cloak, and the fiery red Mask of the Hidden Dragon all suggested that he was no starter at all. High-levelled players rarely visited the starter village either.

Ignoring their stares, Drako Yau headed for the quest reminder icon that was levitating above the village elder before him.

“Young hero, you’re here just in time. There’s a quest I want to give you… but it’s better for you to talk with the villagers first.”

Ding!

“Quest received: Talk with the villagers and figure out the situation.”

“Hah… Outsiders shouldn’t ask too much. This is something for us to handle.” An auntie drove Drako Yau away with a basket.

“Hmph! I know the village elder sent you here to persuade us! Don’t even think about it! I’ll protect her with my life!” yelled a young man whose back was drenched in sweat while swinging the axe in his hands as practice.

“Big sis… Big sis turned strange after her eighteenth birthday.” A little girl looked at a particular house worriedly and trotted away.

Drako Yau took the time to converse with every NPC in the village. He discovered that their dialogue revolved around a mysterious girl who hid in her house all day long. He tried to enter the house, but entry was forbidden as the door turned out to be a teleportation array. Without the system’s permission, it wasn’t possible for him to enter.

The village’s ominous atmosphere pressed down on him like a mountain, and the great pressure was suffocating. He put on a grave look and went back to the village elder. 

“Hero… I didn’t want to trouble you… Sigh, never mind. You should go speak with her.”

Ding!

“Converse with the mysterious girl.”

Drako Yau found the quest to be rather odd. Throughout the quest, he wasn’t given any information at all, and all he could do was act according to the instructions.

It was unlike typical quests.

Just what is going on?

This was his first time receiving such a strange quest that wasn’t an encounter quest. Why would an ordinary quest out in the wilderness have such strange mechanics?

After receiving the quest notification, he was granted access to the house. He stepped into the teleportation array and ended up in a simple house that wasn’t large by any means.

Drako Yau stiffened on the spot. His gaze, his soul, all of him was sucked in by the house… no, by the person in it.

A young lady was silently tidying up the house. She wore an ordinary long, black dress that revealed her pearl-white shoulders, her silky dark hair that reached her waist oscillating along with her movements.

What caught his attention the most were her dark pupils. Like two black holes, they sucked in his gaze; he simply couldn’t get his eyes off them. While Drako Yau hadn’t fallen in love before, he had seen plenty of beauties. Idyllic Poet and Dakki were both exceedingly charming ladies, but this was his first time seeing a girl with such a unique quality.

Wherever she might be, she naturally became the main character and centre of attention. Even Drako Yau, who had a firm way of the heart, was mesmerised to the point he froze.

‘Eh? Who are you?’

The young lady finally noticed Drako Yau’s presence and locked her cold gaze onto him. He felt himself running short on breath as if a terrifying beast had set its sights on him. The next moment, the feeling vanished without a trace.

“As per the village elder’s orders, I’m here to seek your opinion,” Drako Yau regained his composure from the initial shock and said.

“Oh.” The young lady’s voice was enthralling. It sounded gentle but also hid a tint of bewitching charm within. “Tell the village elder this: I will not comply.”

Ding!

“You have received the mysterious girl’s response. Report it to the village elder.”

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