Game’s Dogma

It was a high-damage skill that was difficult to evade at the cost of charging time.

Hau Ngai had gone all out from the start. The platform wasn’t spacious enough for him to skirmish, not to mention Mask’s agility was too much for him to handle; it was a wild dream to attempt kiting Mask in such a situation. He chose to dish out as much damage as possible to force Mask to deal with the incoming attacks. His task was to delay Mask’s advance, not defeat him.

The Level 35 Sun Shot was one of his ultimate skills, yet he used it to buy time for the true ultimate skill—Mana Shot, the Level 40 Mana Shot.

Mana Shot fired off eight projectiles that automatically homed down onto the enemy, a skill best suited for dealing with enemies like Mask. No matter how swift Mak was, his footwork technically couldn’t overcome the tracking arrows guided by the system. This was a simple yet troublesome issue for Mask even now.

Mana Shot’s charge was nearing its end. Swirls of light particles gathered at the arrow, lighting the platform bright purple.

Dragon Capturing Hand was not going to make it in time.

Bang!

Fluffs of snowflakes fluttered as the purple glow abruptly vanished. Hau Ngai’s face was as pale as the snow when he realised Mask was right in front of him.

“Impossible! You can’t be that fast!”

Drako Yau didn’t stop with just Snowy Doorstep. The moment he entered melee range and initiated his combo, the battle was already over.

“I’m not fighting alone,” he replied.

A flick of his spear with Soaring Flames triggered Grilled Erudite’s explosive effect. Drako Yau’s explanation was rather simple, though Hau Ngai still understood what he meant. From the beginning, Hau Ngai only took into account Drako Yau’s capability and neglected Dakki, a dancer whose strength was buffing others.

Buffed by an Agility Scroll, Flame Form, Wanderer, and Dragon Empyreal Step, Drako Yau’s speed was already frightening enough. The most critical part, however, was Dakki’s Dance of Godspeed which increased attack speed and movement speed by eighty per cent for ten seconds. Such a powerful skill naturally had a long cooldown time of twenty minutes.

His overpowered speed had ruined Hau Ngai’s calculations right from the start. The battle might not be intense, but the true fight took place in their heads. Hau Ngai made the wrong calculations, so he lost.

“Let’s go.”

Drako Yau and Dakki ran up to the third floor and disappeared from the platform into another trial.

Chau Yu and Handsome Scholar appeared on the sixth floor.

“Scholar, guard this place. I’ll go alone.”

Handsome Scholar sent Chau Yu a glance. If any other cleric said he was going to challenge the tower alone, Handsome Scholar would think he was out of his mind, but Chau Yu was no ordinary cleric. The purple flash was a skill that even Handsome Scholar doubted whether he could defend against it.

“Take care.”

Chau Yu nodded and entered another trial.

They were lucky enough to reach the fifth floor after their first trial. Now, Tripurity was guarding the fifth floor while Handsome Scholar was guarding the sixth. Their enemy was Mask, and his only task was to halt Mask’s advance.

Footsteps reached him from the stairs below. He readied his round shield and thought, How exhilarating! To think that my first enemy after receiving the Gate Defender Brand will be Mask!

Contrary to his anticipation, the newcomer didn’t wear a fiery red mask but instead had a hulking physique. He was as wide as two Handsome Scholars put together, his chubby body wobbling every time he took a step, yet he seemed rather energetic and was moving without any difficulty.

The red ID above his head indicated his identity as an enemy from the West.

“Kid, get out of my way. You’re not my target.” His voice was that of a hawker in a market—boorish, vulgar, rough.

Handsome Scholar didn’t comply. While he might be enemies with Mask, he was also a player from the East. They could fight all they want for the first Holy Ground among themselves, but it mustn’t end up in the hands of the West.

“Kid, I’ve warned you,” the plump man said crudely before taking out a knife.

The knife was short, because it was a cleaver, one used for butchering. That was because he was Butcherer, and he was damn good at butchering pigs.

Drako Yau and Dakki emerged from a trial once more. Taking on the trials was not the issue; while the trials were difficult, it wasn’t to the degree of being impossible to clear. Players posed a much larger problem. Thankfully, Drako Yau was the first of the lot to enter the tower, or else the situation would only turn more chaotic with more players attempting to seize the tower.

The two didn’t have any luck with skipping floors, so they cleared the trials one by one and were headed for the fifth floor, guarded by Tripurity.

Tripurity launched no surprise attack and simply allowed them onto the platform to a standstill.

“Move,” a cold voice rang out through the Necklace of Deceit, sweeping across the platform like a chilly gale.

Tripurity wasn’t irritated by it and asked with his eyes glued to Mask, “Try me.”

Whatever couldn’t kill a person made one stronger. Losing to Danting had dealt a heavy mental blow to Tripurity. Back when he had been defeated by Mask, he believed that it was merely a slip-up, and more importantly, he saw himself on the same level as Mask, trailing just a tad bit behind. However, the fight with Danting shattered his illusions—even Mask’s subordinate could defeat him.

Tripurity didn’t level up a lot, nor did he receive any new inheritances or encounter quests. Based on the system’s algorithm, he was no stronger than before. But he was—his mind had been tempered.

Drako Yau stared at Tripurity in silence and nodded.

“Thank you,” Tripurity said earnestly and readied his wooden sword, not using Sword Manipulation but actually holding it with his hands.

This action alerted Drako Yau. Having activated Frost Form the moment he met Tripurity, he now saw a stunning sight—the surrounding air turned stiff briefly before scurrying away when Tripurity drew his sword. They were fleeing from the wooden sword.

Drako Yau had a grim look. If Tripurity were to fight Danting right now, it’d be difficult to guess the victor. Flames erupted from his spear and danced on it with liveliness as he pointed it forwards.

“I will only strike once. If you can block it, I’ll let you through.”

Drako Yau replied with silence. Tripurity’s statement might sound bold, but he understood the intention behind it. The next strike would be Tripurity’s most powerful attack that synchronised the mind, body, and spirit. If Drako Yau could defend against that strike, there’d be no point in fighting any longer either.

Tripurity lifted his wooden sword above his head. A dull sword it was, yet it harboured a razor-sharp aura.

This is… I sense a cultivation style within him!

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