Game’s Dogma

They were at a loss for words. Never did they think that they would be forced into such a mystifying mode.

The system always came up with new surprises for Drako Yau too. As simple as it may sound, there were many ways to go about contesting for five towers with five people on each team. Should they each contest for a tower, or should they spread out in two or three groups? Either way, there was only going to be one winner.

‘Okay, I think we all know what this mini-game’s about’, Drako Yau said and lifted his palm to show five fingers. ‘Five towers. Will each of us take a tower individually? Or perhaps we’ll head out in groups? Any ideas?’

Hades answered after a brief silence, ‘According to the system, we only have to take three of the five towers to win, so there’s no need to look for all five towers. I think we should split into three groups.’

‘My thoughts exactly. It’ll save us the trouble of searching around in the dark on our own. But we’ll have to decide on how we split the five of us.’ As no one objected to the idea, Drako Yau continued, ‘I’ll head out alone. What about the four of you?’

Everyone continued to remain silent. In the past few days, they had seen enough to know he was absurdly powerful, thus no one present doubted his strength. He was almost like a boss monster himself. If someone could take him out in a duel, they would be rather interested in such a person more than anything.

Hades decided to speak up. ‘Maybe I’ll go on my own too? I’ve learnt Temporary Lurk after getting to Level 18, it’ll keep me relatively safe even if I’m alone.’

‘I’m not used to teaming up. I will go alone’, Greenstone said out of the blue.

The four of them sent awkward glances at each other. What sort of cleric would want to go into battle alone?

During their short days of farming the dungeon together, Greenstone had never said more than five words in the rare occasion that he spoke. What he said just now was already a record breaker.

Just when Hades wanted to say something, Drako Yau patted him on the shoulder and said, ‘Let him be.’ Greenstone had already stood up and was looking into the distance without caring about the squad.

‘Hades, Soulsmith, and Zephyrwolf, it’ll be the three of you together then.’

The light dome started to fade. Everyone stood up, their gazes set on the purplish land.

The system’s voice had a solemn hue to it. ‘Where rivals meet, fortune favours the bold. May luck be on your side.’

The dome vanished the next moment. The five of them went down three different routes, disappearing along with the dome.

Drako Yau steadily strode forth. He knew that while the plains seemed large, the Towers of Imprisonment wouldn’t be too difficult to find. This particular game mode aimed to force players into combat. Making the towers difficult to discover defeated the purpose and also made it possible for players to sneak their way to victory.

After walking for less than 10 minutes, a Tower of Imprisonment came into sight. He immediately amped up his speed upon noticing it.

The tower wasn’t tall at all, barely reaching three-storeys tall, and its entrance was a simple staircase. The moment he stepped onto the first stair, he could hear the system’s voice. ‘Entering a tower occupied by the enemy. Enemy countdown has been reset.’ He silently hauled Moon Gazer from his back and prepared himself for combat. 

Didn’t take long at all to meet the first enemy, did it…

‘Hoho, who’s here? Tell me your name.’ A voice sounded from the top of the staircase.

Drako Yau made no effort to answer the question, with the Mask of the Hidden Dragon fully concealing his face. He took another step forward, and a fireball came flying straight into his face.

He focused his eyes and shifted his legs to turn his body slightly. The fireball brushed past the tip of his hair before slamming into a nearby wall. As he moved, a Crescent Slash accompanied by a battle cry headed for his torso. He quickly parried the slash and leapt back, his mind busy analysing the two people in front of him.

One vanguard and one rear guard, a male and a female.

The man had a large, rough face decorated by a shrub of pointed beard, and he gave off the impression of a candid man. However, his bloodshot eyes suggested otherwise—they reflected sheer madness.

The bewitching lady behind him was an absolute beauty. The tiny mole at the corner of her eye only served to add cuteness to her enchanting appearance. She held a staff in her hands, the weapon surrounded by a stream of flowing light; it was clearly an epic staff.

Booksy Swordsman, Idyllic Poet.

Soulsmith, Zephyrwolf, and Hades headed for another tower. Upon entering their tower, the system announced, ‘Discovered Tower of Imprisonment, entering countdown.’

Zephyrwolf made a smug smile. ‘We’re pretty lucky, no one’s here.’

After five minutes though, the system made another announcement in their heads. ‘An enemy has entered the tower. Countdown has been reset.’

The three of them gave each other a nod. They hurried to take out their weapons, immediately on guard against their upcoming enemy.

A man walked up the stairs. He had a cold look on his face while he held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Despite being alone, he had the atmosphere of someone who could take on thousands just on his own.

‘So it’s the three of you?’

Number one paladin, Handsome Scholar!

Drako Yau was up against two enemies, but he knew not what fear was. The past few days of duelling the skeleton king had heightened his battle mindset… or more precisely, recovering his mindset to its previous level.

For most of his childhood, he had been living in the woods with the old geezer. The torturous training had nearly turned him into a killing machine, especially in the final two years of training. He only returned to society at the age of 15 to pick up books instead of weapons, yet he somehow managed to get into the top university with flying colours. Years of study had worn away his killer instincts, and he had led a normal life as a youngster until now.

After somehow getting stuck in the game, the martial arts and atmosphere of a fighter was gradually resurfacing.

Confidence—it stemmed from strength.

Booksy Swordsman and Idyllic Poet were a bit surprised that the man didn’t flee immediately after seeing the two of them. They were pretty well-known in the game, with one of them being the guild master of a first-rate guild while the other being the Pyrowitch who was famous for her beauty. Yet this man… He was going to fight both of them together?

‘A brave man indeed. Tell me your name.’ Booksy Swordsman already recognised that the enemy was Mask, the mysterious man from Yoda. What he wanted to know was his true name. Of course Drako Yau ignored him and simply held onto his spear tightly.

‘Are you not going to say anything?’ Booksy Swordsman snickered. There was bad blood between him and the Yoda-Evergrand coalition in the first place. After encountering Mask, it was obvious that he was up against the ‘Dual Coalition’ squad which he absolutely despised.

Booksy Swordsman felt the urgency to kill the coalition squad; he could never rest easy if he didn’t. He used Dash and charged at Drako Yau, and Idyllic Poet also started chanting simultaneously.

Their combination was a well-thought out one. Idyllic Poet the Pyrowitch was devastating in battle. They relied on her to take care of the summoned minions when challenging the Demon City in Hell difficulty so the other squad members could safely engage the skeleton king. Despite all that, a mage was still a mage. She would be at a disadvantage when caught in melee range by a warrior.