Sparks From A Candle
Point out any errors I made in the chapters, as I'm very lazy and sometimes can't be bothered to reread them. Also give your opinions on something I should change or add
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The Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion was split into two Pavilions. One was the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, while the other was the Phoenix Pavilion. Of the two, Nine Dragons Emperor controlled the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion, while Phoenix Rain managed the Phoenix Pavilion.
Although Nine Dragons Emperor looked quite young, he had merely managed to retain his youth due to the technology of this era and exercise. In reality, Nine Dragons Emperor's real age had long since passed 35.
Even so, the fact that Nine Dragons Emperor had been able to become the Pavilion Master of a super-first-rate Guild at the age of 35 showed that he was a promising talent.
However, Phoenix Rain was even more amazing. Despite still being in her early twenties, she had already become the Pavilion Master of the Phoenix Pavilion. As a result, the time when Phoenix Rain had reigned over the Phoenix Pavilion had been hailed as the Pavilion's golden age. During that time, the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion had rapidly grown stronger.
At present, Phoenix Rain was the reason that everyone considered the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion as a Guild that was closest to becoming a Super Guild.
Even the extraordinarily mysterious Great Pavilion Master of the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion was willing to allow Phoenix Rain to succeed him, becoming the Great Pavilion Master.
Currently, Phoenix Rain wore a bright red mage's robe, the robe showcasing her exquisite figure. Every one of her actions carried an air of bewitchment, causing others to submit voluntarily.
"Hello, Guild Leader Black Flame. This young woman is known as Phoenix Rain, the Phoenix Pavilion Master of the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion."
Phoenix Rain beamed a flourishing smile at Black Flame. In spite of the smile being incredibly mesmerizing, neither Black Flame nor Melancholic, who stood behind him, showed any reaction in the slightest to the woman's captivating smile.
Seeing Black Flame's and Melancholic's lack of reaction, Phoenix Rain's smile became more pleasant as she carefully observed them.
From the reports she had received, she knew that this Cleric woman was a Refinement Realm expert appointed as the manager of the Candlelight Trading Firm, which was easy for Phoenix Rain to confirm by the feeling of danger she radiated and her refined movements.
Her main subject for scrutiny, though, was the middle-aged man in front of Candlelight's manager, who was the Guild Leader of the mysterious and incredibly powerful Zero Wing, which had wiped out the entirety of the forces sent by Nine Dragons Emperor, including the War Dragon Legion, effectively crippling the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion for some time, and he was also the true owner of the Candlelight Trading Firm, Black Flame.
After only a few seconds of being in close proximity, Phoenix Rain was quickly able to confirm the information she had previewed wasn't exaggerated, and possibly even failed to grasp the full extent of what kind of danger Black Flame was.
Just standing in his presence caused Phoenix Rain's sharp instincts to scream at her to run away, while a deep fear of the man before her was rooted in her mind when Phoenix Rain looked into those void-like eyes that showed not a glimmer of emotion behind them.
Yet, her powerful senses didn't even register his existence, as if he wasn't there at all, giving off no particular feeling.
If one didn't know any better, they could easily mistake Black Flame for an average passerby that didn't seem like a mysterious expert at all, a trait which had fooled the arrogant Nine Dragons Emperor, who couldn't imagine someone like Black Flame was much more powerful than he led on and able to get past his keen perception.
Knowing what he had done and what he was capable of, as well as having seen footage of his strength, though, made Black Flame's seeming unremarkableness all the more frightening.
But Phoenix Rain was no ordinary person either, and she didn't allow Black Flame's unknown and unfathomable abilities to deter her from achieving her goals in coming here today, simply smiling like everything was completely normal and that she was in control of the situation.
"Sit," Black Flame spoke, which seemed more like a command, in a calm tone, before inquiring about the Pavilion Master's visit "Phoenix Pavilion Master, you previously mentioned that you have a gift for me and that I will regret it if I don't take a look? Go on, then, my time is limited."
"Guild Leader Black Flame really is impatient. We've only just met, yet, you're already so straightforward. I don't even know from where I should begin," Phoenix Rain complained as she sent Black Flame a resentful gaze, inwardly thinking an interaction with a powerful straightforward person like him won't be as easy as she had hoped. Sighing, she said, "However, since you've already asked, it would not be right to refuse."
Phoenix Rain then took out a treasure chest that flashed with a purple glow, carefully placing it on the table.
"Behold!"
The moment Phoenix Rain said so, Black Flame and Melancholic Smile, who sat beside him, switched their gazes to the Treasure Chest, giving it a casual inspection for a second, before looking back up at Phoenix Rain with unimpressed expressions, as if waiting for the girl to continue her presentation.
"Ahem, this is an Epic Treasure Chest," Their lackluster reactions didn't inspire much confidence in Phoenix Rain, causing her to let out an awkward cough as she cleared her throat and revealed the Treasure Chest's identity, thinking the two of them might not have immediately recognized its rank, her lips curling up into a bit of a forced smile. Hyping up the reveal, she said, "Our Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion encountered this item accidentally. In order to obtain this chest, we sacrificed tens of thousands of lives. I wonder if Guild Leader Black Flame is satisfied with this gift?"
"It's decent." Black Flame nodded in affirmation after using the Eyes of Truth to appraise the treasure chest and confirming what he already knew; there were no signs of forgery, and this treasure chest before him was a bona fide Epic Treasure Chest.
Though, this only served to unsettle Phoenix Rain even more. Her asking if he was satisfied was only for show, as there was no one across the entirety of God's Domain who wouldn't be thrilled over the possibility of obtaining an Epic Treasure Chest.
There were plenty of treasure chests in God's Domain. However, the majority of them were Common Treasure Chests. One would be lucky if they encountered a Bronze Treasure Chest, whereas obtaining a Mysterious-Iron Treasure Chest would make them rich.
If one encountered a Secret-Silver Chest, they would become the envy of many.
As for Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold Treasure Chests, most players have yet to see what they even looked like.
Meanwhile, an Epic Treasure Chest was a legend.
Yet, Black Flame's and Melancholic Smile's reaction was that of encountering something fairly common.
Actually, such behavior of looking at something rare and not caring much about it wasn't anything new to Phoenix Rain, as she herself had displayed it multiple times when coming across lower-ranking Treasure Chests, such as Secret-Silver and Fine-Gold rank chests.
It was cool and all, but not something to fuss about or get specially excited over.
But this was an Epic Chest!
Dark Gold Treasure Chests had a fixed chance of containing an Epic item.
What about an Epic Treasure Chest, then?
At the very least, an Epic item would drop.
An Epic Treasure Chest was thus incredibly precious. One could say that it was far rarer than an Epic item. The Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion had been lucky to stumble upon it by chance. To secure it, they had even paid a colossal price.
As for what one could obtain from an Epic Treasure Chest?
Even if an Epic item with bad Attributes dropped, its value would still be significant.
There was no need to mention how much the chest would benefit a guild if it contained something even better than an Epic item. Just using it as a gimmick would allow a Guild's reputation to soar, not to mention letting an expert equip it and enter a Dungeon.
As there was a limited number of players allowed to enter a Dungeon at a single time, the quality of players entering a Dungeon would significantly impact the raiding progression. If a Guild allowed one of its experts to equip an Epic item, the total damage of any team said expert joined would instantly rise to a whole new level.
Naturally, the team's raid progression would be much faster than other Guilds, having a significantly higher chance of obtaining the First Clear of a Dungeon. The team could also challenge Dungeons that other Guilds found impossible to raid. The amount of money one could save from the losses the team suffered while raiding the Dungeon would be massive.
No Guild with any ambition would let this golden opportunity slip through their fingers, much less the extraordinarily ambitious Zero Wing.
There might even be an extremely tiny chance that the chest might contain a Legendary item.
Phoenix Rain did not believe there was anybody in the world who could react calmly over the prospect of a Legendary item, so she assumed the two of them were merely putting up a composed front in order to hide their true feelings.
A fact that Phoenix Rain didn't know, however, was that they had seen many Epic Treasure Chests during the previous timeline, especially Feng who had opened thousands of them and even a large number of higher ranking ones, so a measly Epic Treasure Chest wasn't enough to stir them up.
"I'm glad that it has attracted your attention. Initially, I was worried that Guild Leader Black Flame will not be satisfied with this." Phoenix Rain revealed an expression of relief, there being some truth to her words after having seen Black Flame remain so calm.
"Alright, then, just tell me what you want. I don't believe that anyone would gift me an Epic Treasure Chest for no good reason." Black Flame asked, his tone as placid and distant as when he first walked into the room.
"Hahaha! Guild Leader Black Flame is indeed smart! There are no free lunches in this world. What I need Guild Leader Black Flame's help with is simple. I would not ask you to do something that will displease you. Moreover, this matter offers no harm, only benefits," Phoenix Rain laughed. "However, I will require you to sign a contract before I can tell you. Otherwise, we will have to forget about this altogether. Only, it would be a pity for this Epic Treasure Chest..."
"What are the conditions to open this Epic Treasure Chest?" Not pausing to think over Phoenix Rain's obvious attempt at tempting him, Black Flame asked, even though he already knew the answer.
Phoenix Rain wasn't surprised when Black Flame asked this question.
Any ordinary person's first reaction when seeing a treasure chest would be to claim it for themselves. Even the Guild Leader of a first-rate Guild, someone who had undergone the tempering of many storms, would grow excited should they encounter an Epic Treasure Chest. It was simply impossible to stay calm. After all, the potential benefits one could gain from an Epic Treasure Chest were almost limitless, so much so that it could be the turning point of a Guild. Hence, how could anyone possibly stay calm when an Epic Treasure Chest was within their reach?
But Black Flame wasn't some regular existence, and it was per her expectations after he remained so calm that Black Flame would not forget about there being certain requirements to opening high ranking Treasure Chests.
"Indeed, just as Guild Leader Black Flame has surmised, there is a condition to open this Epic Treasure Chest. However, this condition should not be difficult for a Guild like Zero Wing to meet. Even if it isn't possible now, it will be in the future. It is only a matter of time." Phoenix Rain came clean without trying to hide anything.
In spite of her saying that, Black Flame showed no signs of planning to take the Treasure Chest, Phoenix Rain trying to hide something being blatantly obvious to him.
He merely remained silent and continued staring ahead at the cunning girl calmly, giving her the look an adult gives to a child while waiting for them to confess to whatever they were trying to hide.
Phoenix Rain frowned slightly as she stirred uncomfortably in her seat under his penetrating gaze. She did not think Black Flame would be so adamant for an answer.
Although an Epic Treasure Chest was indeed tempting, she had held the chest for a long time now. Unfortunately, she had no way to open it and could only stare blankly at the glowing chest. Otherwise, who would possibly use such a priceless item as a bargaining chip?
"Hah... Forget it. I believe that, if I don't tell you, you will most likely refuse to negotiate," Phoenix Rain sighed. "Truth be told, the condition for opening this treasure chest is relatively simple. One only needs to gather eighty-eight Mana Stones. I have investigated the Mana Stones somewhat. They only drop from 100-man Dungeons with a certain probability. Of course, it will not be possible to gather eighty-eight pieces within a short time. However, with Zero Wing's strength, collecting them will only be a matter of time, right?"
"Is that so? Sure, I agree. What is it that you wish to discuss?" Simply nodding after hearing the condition impossible to fulfill by others at this stage of the game, Black Flame accepted Phoenix Rain's gift.
"I knew Guild Leader Black Flame would be a pleasant person to work with!" Phoenix Rain hurriedly said. "However, I don't want others to know about this matter; only you and I are allowed to know. May we move to a more private location?"
"Okay, follow me, then."
Saying so, Black Flame led Phoenix Rain to a VIP reception room. The room offered luxury and comfort. Moreover, it was also not possible for others to listen in on their conversation.
The VIP reception room on the second floor was like an entirely different world.
The rich fragrance of flowers and the chirping of birds filled the room. One could also see green mountains and blue creeks in the distance. The space inside this room looked just like the garden in paradise.
"As expected of a 3-star Shop. It actually offers such an impressive location." Phoenix Rain expressed her admiration as she surveyed her surroundings.
"If Phoenix Pavilion Master likes it, you can easily obtain one for yourself. Although a 1-star Shop has less space and available environments to choose from, this garden environment is also available in a 1-star Shop." Black Flame casually informed.
God's Domain was not considered a different world without reason.
While nearly everything that could be found in the real world existed in God's Domain, things that did not exist in the real world could also be found here.
In God's Domain, the available activities were not limited to just killing monsters and leveling up. They could also enjoy a leisurely life here.
However, the extremely realistic sensations that God's Domain offered was not its most attractive aspect. Instead, it was the time dilation.
This was the greatest scientific creation of mankind in this century, and only God's Domain had managed to implement this function. No other virtual reality game had achieved this feat. This was also the main reason for God's Domain's popularity.
The flow of time in God's Domain was twice as slow as that in the real world. In other words, God's Domain's players could theoretically live twice as long as ordinary people in the real world. Moreover, activities such as learning, relaxation, and resting could all be done in God's Domain. People could have more time to do what they wished inside the game world.
In the real world, there were only 24 hours in a single day. A student like Feng would normally commit five or six hours of their day to study. Sleep also occupied roughly nine hours. After deducting the time spent eating and other necessary activities to sustain one's life, a student like Feng would only have around five or six hours of free time.
Meanwhile, each day in God's Domain had 48 hours!
In other words, a student in God's Domain could possibly have up to 30 hours of free time, five times that of ordinary people. Who wouldn't want to live such a life? Not to mention, the Main God System was constantly expanding the world of God's Domain, allowing this virtual world to become more realistic, interesting, and mysterious. Who wouldn't be tempted by something like this?
"Guild Leader Black Flame must be joking. Although I really wish to obtain a house like this for myself, unfortunately, Ordinary Shops are no good. Such an environment is only available in Luxury Shops. Meanwhile, constructing a Luxury Shop requires 1,000 Gold. I already wish I could spend 1,000 Gold as if it were 2,000, so where would I possibly find so much money laying around to construct a Luxury Shop?" Phoenix Rain shook her head, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes as she surveyed the room's elegance.
Even large Guilds had their own troubles to face.
A small Guild had few members, so it was relatively easy to manage. Thus, the Guild required less money to sustain it. On the other hand, it was extremely complex to manage a large Guild that had a large number of members. A super-first-rate Guild like the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion was even more frightening. There were many aspects that required money. It was especially true during the initial stages of the game. It was like investing into a bottomless pit.
Fortunately, Guild Residences allowed the Pavilion to earn some money through Guild Quests. In addition, the trading firms and the raiding teams that had already taken shape had also begun to profit the Pavilion, allowing them to invest less as a result.
However, in terms of extravagance, no one throughout all of God's Domain could compete with the Candlelight Trading Firm.
"Phoenix Pavilion Master, nobody will be able to listen in on our conversation here. You should be able to state your condition now, right?"
"Before I reveal it, I hope that you will first sign this confidentiality contract," Phoenix Rain said. She then revealed a contract that she had prepared, placing it on the table. Quite seriously, she said, "It is not that I do not believe Guild Leader Black Flame, but this matter is simply too important to take risks. If a third party discovered this situation, it would not benefit either of us."
Black Flame picked up the contract and gave it a glance. Indeed, it was a very common confidentiality contract.
Under the surveillance of the Main God System, it was impossible to reveal any secrets covered by a confidentiality contract in the game. Of course, the Main God System could not control any leaks in the real world.
The moment Black Flame finished his signature, the notification sound of the system immediately rang by his ears.
System: Contract established. If either party violates the contract, the violator will be banished from God's Domain.
Although the system's female voice sounded crisp and pleasing, its words would give anyone goosebumps.
Banished from God's Domain. Moreover, there was only one condition. Any player who wished to live in God's Domain would not dare violate this condition.
However, Black Flame didn't care for such things.
One of the great benefits of being a Perfect Clone was that, no matter what kind of contract he signed or the penalties for its conditions being violated, he could simply have his information be updated by Feng, and the contract would be erased like it had never been signed. Of course, it came at the high price of many Seven Luminaries Crystals.
After hearing the system notification, Phoenix Rain smiled at Black Flame as she said, "In reality, my condition is very simple. I just wish to obtain a portion of the Candlelight Trading Firm's shares, but in my own name, not the Phoenix Pavilion's and, even more so, not the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion's.
"Of course, I will provide even more benefits. The simplest would be Land for Shops. You should know that Reputation is required to purchase a good plot of Land in every city. Although one can obtain it through sub-sales, the strategic plots of Land in every city are not something an ordinary Guild can obtain easily. Currently, Zero Wing might have secured the best plots of Land available in Star-Moon Kingdom's two largest cities, what about the important cities in other countries?
"If the Candlelight Trading Firm is to grow, it will require a larger market. I am sure that you will not be satisfied with just ruling over these two cities, right?
"I can provide this convenience. I can allow the Candlelight Trading Firm to obtain the valuable plots of Land available in the main cities of many kingdoms and empires. In addition, I also have plenty of connections that can enable you to obtain raw materials cheaply, as well as provide you with the forging designs and recipes obtainable from Dungeons. You won't have to worry about collecting and purchasing these things yourself. Of course, this matter will be carried out discreetly. I will not reveal my involvement.
"More importantly, I am not your enemy. Nine Dragons Emperor might have a grudge against you, but I do not stand with him. To be more precise, I stand with you. May I know what Guild Leader Black Flame thinks of my proposal?"
At this moment, Black Flame was silent.
Phoenix Rain's proposal was indeed generous. A super-first-rate Guild's background was extraordinary, and could bring several benefits to Candlelight.
Moreover, just as Phoenix Rain had said, she was not his enemy.
On the surface, the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion might seem like a single Guild, but in reality, the Pavilion was two Guilds joined as one. If not for that mysterious Great Pavilion Master maintaining the balance, the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion might immediately break into two separate Guilds.
Though, all that she said wasn't why Black Flame was silent. Instead, he merely wordlessly acknowledged what she was saying and looked at Phoenix Rain with an expression that said 'Alright, keep going', as if expecting Phoenix Rain to continue making her proposal.
After several moment of Phoenix Rain looking at him in confusion, unsure of what he wanted her to say more, Black Flame seemed to finally clue in that she didn't have anything else to say, figuring she thought this was enough to make a deal with him despite of the strength Zero Wing had displayed when it completely obliterated her fellow Pavilion Master's strongest force, and couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly in discontent, asking "Is that it?"
Phoenix Rain was stunned upon hearing his response, looking at Black Flame as if saying, "Are you kidding me?"
The connections the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion possessed were exactly what the trading firm needed most, as having a wide range of connections meant that more people would purchase the trading firm's products. Not to mention, the Candlelight Trading Firm would also get its hands on a large supply of raw materials, recipes, and forging designs. These were items that a trading firm lacked the most.
Currently, although the Candlelight Trading Firm's range of influence had grown quite wide, it only had control over two truly useful cities, and a couple of good ones. One was White River City, while the other was Star-Moon City. If the Candlelight Trading Firm worked with her, it could spread its influence to dozens of major cities. The profit it could rake in at that time would surpass its current income dozens of times.
Meanwhile, the only things the Candlelight Trading Firm could offer in this cooperation was Coins, products such as the Intermediate Mana Armor Kits, Light Stones, and other specialty items, as well as possibly how it already possessed so many Shops with high star rankings; but Phoenix Rain doubted Black Flame would reveal such a valuable secret to her. Aside from that, there was nothing special about the Candlelight Trading Firm.
Yet, Black Flame behaved as if she had just made some worthless offer.
"Phoenix Pavilion Master, if that is all you have to offer for this partnership, then we can just end the discussion here. Frankly speaking, none of the benefits you have brought up are of any worth to the Candlelight Trading Firm." Saying so, Black Flame stood up and prepared to leave.
"Please wait, Guild Leader Black Flame, don't you want to expend the Candlelight Trading Firm further and increase your profits? With just the Shops you currently have in the Star-Moon Kingdom, won't you be limiting Candlelight's potential? Wouldn't using the connections I provide bring many more benefits than operating on you own?" Phoenix Rain hurriedly questioned when she saw that Black Flame dropping the entire talk before it even got started.
Although it irked her a bit to have to hold back the opposing side from leaving during negotiations, as it put her in an unfavorable position, Phoenix Rain had already given away an Epic Treasure Chest for free in order to get to this point, so, at the very least, she needed to find out the proper reason for Black Flame's blatant disinterest in her offer.
In response to Phoenix Rain's inquiry, Black Flame merely eyed her in amusement for a short moment, and, instead of answering, sent her a data sheet.
Wondering what the data Black Flame had passed to her was supposed to mean, Phoenix Rain gave it a curious look over, only for her eyes to nearly fall out of their sockets as they widened to the limit, while the Pavilion Master's mouth dropped.
What Black Flame had sent her was a list of data containing the deeds of over forty plots of Land that he was the owner of, and as she read the locations of those plots, particularly the names of the cities where those plots were located, Phoenix Rain began to doubt her eyes.
A Golden Land in each of the Four Great Empires' Imperial Capitals, as well as one such Land in the capitals of forty other popular Empires, including the Black Dragon Empire, the place where the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion's mainly operates.
Although Phoenix Rain had already known this particular piece of Land, which was the one next to the Auction House and the most important Land of every city, in Black Dragon City had been taken before the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion could get its hands on it, while, in spite of the pavilion's investigation, it was still unknown who had secured it in advance, she had never expected that the situation for the Land's purchasing would be something like this...
Having the deed for even one of these incredibly valuable plots of Land would be incredible, not to mention in so many across the entirety of God's Domain.
At this moment, a newfound fear appeared in Phoenix Rain's eyes when she looked at Black Flame, wondering just what kind of power could be capable of achieving something like this, which was beyond even the Five Great Super Guilds.
At the same time, she found her previous notion of a partnership with the Candlelight Trading Firm laughable. What could she possibly provide to the Candlelight Trading Firm that it didn't already have or could easily obtain with the power backing it?
Its Land and connections certainly weren't things she could top.
Originally, thanks to paying the closest attention to the matter between Nine Dragons Emperor and Zero Wing, she was able to begin investigating the mysterious force that had completely annihilated her main competitor in the guild, and get some results, before any other spectating power could.
However, it could hardly be called an investigation.
All the information she could scrape by were some basics that most residents of White River City know, with barely any truly useful knowledge.
Everything concerning Black Flame or the many mysterious experts which had appeared out of nowhere was completely unknown. Even when she bribed some of Zero Wing's high ranking elite members and managers, getting insider info, it still didn't explain anything and only allowed her to learn a few interesting bits of information that she mostly suspected about how the elite members of Zero Wing were so strong.
Another thing was how many of the current core members, all of which were seemingly impervious to bribing, had only recently been newly joined Zero Wing members, as well as overall noobs to the virtual gaming world, but suddenly became great experts overnight and instantly got promoted to the core member position the next day.
When asked how they had improved so much, all that the newly recruited members said was that they had undergone Zero Wing's Special Training, while the training's details couldn't be explained with words.
Having made nearly no progress in the background of Zero Wing's experts, Phoenix Rain switched to investigating its connection with Candlelight and the Trading Firm's current situation, coming to the conclusion she had previously stated and how to make a worthwhile deal with Black Flame, before rushing over with her Epic ranked gift in order to get ahead of any other power planning to do the same thing.
Now, though, that seemed to have been a massive failure as well since she didn't manage to find out a single clue about the firm owning so much more Land, and Phoenix Rain could only inwardly curse Black Flame for being so overly mysterious and secretive.
"Though, I suppose there is one thing you can do for me that will save me some trouble," After pretending to think for a minute, Black Flame gave Phoenix Rain an opportunity at a partnership between them "If Miss Rain can fulfill this condition of mine, along with the benefits you had previously brought up, I suppose I could offer you 5% of Candlelight's shares."
"Guild Leader Black Flame, please speak. As long as it is within my capabilities, I can agree to any condition." Seeing that there is still a chance to invest in the Candlelight Trading Firm, Phoenix Rain immediately spoke up in a sincere tone.
With the amount of Land the Candlelight Trading Firm had at its disposal, as long as Shops were constructed in each of those locations and enough products like the Light Stone were provided to the shelves, it wouldn't be at all surprising if the firm could earn over 200,000 Gold Coins daily.
That would mean that by simply offering some plots of Land to Candlelight, which didn't have much value to it considering its ability to get ownership over so many high value locations, as well as some materials and other basic necessities for a Trading Firm, Phoenix Rain could potentially obtain at least 10,000 Gold Coins a day with minimal effort.
Even if the extra condition Black Flame had costs her a lot, she definitely must obtain those 5% of Candlelight's shares considering the future potential of the trading firm.
"It's simple really. I am aware that Miss Rain has a slot for creating a team in the Dark Arena, correct? I want authority over the team. You'll be responsible for finding opponents for the team, while members of my guild will win the matches. The remunerations will be split 70-30 between us. After ten matches, once the team obtains ten victories, we'll challenge the Dark Arena's organizer and obtain the hosting rights." Black Flame spoke in a calm tone as if everything had already been settled.
Meanwhile, Phoenix Rain couldn't help but grow surprised after hearing black Flame's offer. She never expected his condition would be something like this.
In fact, the matter of putting together a team for matches in the Dark Arena has been something occupying Phoenix Rain's mind for a while now, and she had even considered bringing up a similar proposal to Black Flame when she considered the strength Zero Wing's members had displayed, but gave up after thinking someone of Black Flame's power would surely have connections in the Dark Arena and could make his own team if he wanted to.
Though, his terms were a bit more than she had expected or planned to propose herself.
Full authority over the team would mean she, the team's sponsor, would have no say in anything concerning the team except its opponents. Wouldn't she practically be reduced to a manager at that point?
Moreover, her getting only 30% of the remunerations was also be unfavorable for Phoenix Rain. As she started deeply considering Black Flame's offer, however, a system announcement suddenly sounded in their ears...
White River City Region System Announcement: Congratulations to Zero Wing for becoming the first team to conquer the Hell Mode of Ruins of the Crow God. All players on the team will be rewarded with 2,000,000 EXP, 50 Silver, 80 White River City Reputation Points, and 20 Star-Moon Kingdom Reputation Points.
Star-Moon Kingdom Region System Announcement: Congratulations to Zero Wing for becoming the first team to conquer the Hell Mode of Ruins of the Crow God. All players on the team will be rewarded with 3,000,000 EXP, 3 Tier 2 Gemstones of random Attributes, 100 White River City Reputation Points, and 50 Star-Moon Kingdom Reputation Points.
God's Domain Eastern[1] Continent System Announcement: Congratulations to Zero Wing for becoming the first team to conquer the Hell Mode of Ruins of the Crow God. All players on the team will be rewarded with 5,000,000 EXP, 1 Tier 3 Gemstone of random Attributes, 80 Star-Moon Kingdom Reputation Points, and 5 Humanity Reputation Points.
While Black Flame thought 'Perfect timing' to himself, Phoenix Rain received another shock.
As far as she knew, the Ruins of the Crow God was a Level 25 50-man Team Dungeon, a type of dungeon whose Hard Mode the various superpowers were currently beginning to undertake. As for clearing such a dungeon's Hell Mode? No power would be able to achieve something like that even a week from now.
Yet, at this stage of the game, Zero Wing had done just that.
If she could recruit members of such a team, who Phoenix Rain was fairly certain were at the Domain Realm standard from what she had seen, then securing easy victories in the Dark Arena would make it worth the loss in profits.
Clearing her throat, Phoenix Rain tried to keep her tone unhurried as she agreed "Very well, Guild Leader Black Flame. I'll leave the battle team members to you, and I'll try to find an opponent for you as soon as possible. As for the other matters, when the time comes, I will send someone discreet to contact you. In addition, I will also send you reports on the cities of other kingdoms and empires. If Guild Leader Black Flame wishes to develop further in whichever city or require certain items, you can notify that person. That person will handle everything for you."
Following which, the two signed a contract to seal the deal, both about the Dark Arena battle team and the Candlelight Trading Firm.
Phoenix Rain's decisiveness hadn't surprised Black Flame.
In reality, aside from getting a chance to use her connections for establishing a team in the Dark Arena, where he could obtain many easy resources of decent value, he only bothered to make a partnership with Phoenix Rain in order to get closer to her.
He placed zero value in neither the Lands she could obtain for him nor the Forging Designs and Recipes she was capable of getting, since all of that he could just acquire himself, and ones of much greater worth at that, with only an extra source of materials being somewhat useful to him.
Finding a way to recruit her and restore Phoenix Rain's memories was what he actually cared about, and this was the most effective method he had at the moment.
After all, getting back one of Zero Wing's top-tier experts like Phoenix Rain, someone who has reached high into both the Beyond Domain Realm and Beyond Transcendental Realm, as well as a Vice Guild leader, was much more valuable than some resources and the loss he'd make by giving her 5% of Candlelight's shares.
With her returning, aside from boosting Zero Wing's strength, it would also help with the guild's large management problem, which will only grow more severe as time passes along with Zero Wing's size and strength.
In fact, out of all of Zero Wing's seven Vice Guild Leaders, who were, for some reason, all, excluding Blue Frost who's only the Branch Leader of one of Zero Wing's Branches and not an actual Vice Guild Leader of the Zero Wing Guild[2], female, Feng's suspicions about the Main God's System being sexist after realizing most of the powerful experts in the entirety of the Universal God's Domain were women and considering the situation in his guild as well, with all of the seven Vice Guild Leaders and five Unthinking Realm experts, along with many of its other top experts like Fire, all being girls, greatly solidifying, Phoenix Rain was ranked among the best in management capabilities due to running the Phoenix Pavilion, which was practically a guild itself, for a fairly long time.
She was also the best native manager of Zero Wing's Vice Guild Leaders living in this God's Domain.
Thus, it was imperative that they enlisted Phoenix Rain into Zero Wing once more and as soon as possible.
After Phoenix Rain quietly left, Black Flame stored away the Epic Treasure Chest and left the VIP reception room. He then notified Feng of the matter with Phoenix Rain being done, before returning to his Forging Room, while Feng headed towards White River City's Teleportation Hall.
He was fully capable of opening the Epic Treasure Chest, but naturally chose not to after having seen the possibilities of what he could obtain from Treasure Chests when Kismet Cascade was activated; even if he no longer had the Aurora's Blessing to boost its effects.
Following which, Feng teleported to each of the Empires where he had previously purchased Land and made a trip to their Imperial Capitals' City Hall, choosing to set up Shops on those plots and hire NPCs to conduct the Shops' operations; spending over 45,000 Gold Coins in the process and beginning Candlelight's true debut.
Since the Shops needed two hours to finish construction, Feng then made his way to the Starstreak Trading Firm in White River City.
"Your Excellency Ye Feng, you've arrived." Anna, who was currently busy with work, greeted Feng when she saw him enter the President's Office, her voice downcast and not as friendly as before when Feng was still making Starstreak a huge profit.
"Yes, please notify President Henry and tell him that I have completed the task he entrusted me with." Feng nodded in reply, not minding her attitude since he knew how his behavior looked like from an NPC's perspective. He then said, "However, I want to change my remuneration."
As soon as Anna heard these words, she left the President's Office to invite President Henry over.
After watching Anna leave, Feng examined the documents on the table.
These documents were the business listings of the Starstreak Trading Firm's purchases, shipments, and other such dealings. However, all of these dealings had been organized by Anna herself.
Anna was an NPC who possessed 91 Intelligence. Such NPCs were extremely rare in God's Domain. If she became a guard, her potential would be nearly limitless.
And Feng knew full well how strong she can become when enough resources were at her disposal, having become one of Zero Wing's main powerhouses in the previous timeline.
Naturally he was going to recruit her again in this timeline and help her become even stronger, hence Feng wished to negotiate with Henry.
The quests that NPCs commissioned were not without room for change. It only depended on whether or not the player involved possessed the strength to make such changes.
Previously, the reward they had agreed upon was a Tier 4 magic scroll that would allow him to reach the Dark Den easily and obtain the Bible of Darkness.
But Feng knew that he could fight for more as there are some mysteries hidden within.
It was especially true for the assistant, Anna.
After Feng had waited in the magnificent and grand President's Office for some time, the dignified and elegant President Henry entered the room.
However, behind President Henry was a Level 180 Tier 3 Berserker.
Whether it was among players or NPCs, a Tier 3 class was considered a big shot. In White River City, such an NPC would be at the same level as an overlord.
Although the Starstreak Trading Firm was one of White River City's top trading firms, it definitely could not afford to hire a Level 180 Berserker King as a guard.
"Your Excellency Ye Feng, you have truly surprised me. I did not expect that you would actually complete this quest so quickly!" Henry chuckled. "Here, allow me to introduce you. This man beside me is the Berserker King Schneider. He is an expert our trading firm has invited from Star-Moon City to annihilate the Black Scorpion Corps."
"President Henry, I want to make a deal with you," Feng stated, completely ignoring the Berserker King before him and keeping his gaze on Henry.
He would naturally never place a mere Tier 3 NPC in his eyes, even if he was at Level 180. After all, it was still more than possible for Feng to kill Schneider considering his current capabilities.
Also, he didn't bother interacting with the Berserker since he already knew Schneider wouldn't place a Tier 1 Adventurer in his eyes either, so conversation was pointless. Not to mention, he had already taken care of the NPC's job beforehand by annihilating the Black Scorpion Corp.
Although the bandit group was strong and possessed many high-tiered NPCs, including the captain who was a Level 180 Tier 3 Shadow Warrior, in front of Zero Wing's Main Force, with Celestina at the front, they stood no chance.
Even with the huge level difference, while none of them were even Level 100, once Celestina fired off her Mana Domain, which was more like Pseudo-World Creation at her current level, it became irrelevant, and all the Black Scorpion Corp's captain could do was try to cling onto his life while attempting to run away.
Of course, he never managed to, and Feng obtained all of Starstreak's stolen goods.
As the merchandise was of some value to Feng, more so than 30,000 Gold Coins, though, he had chosen to use the second option anyway, as he could also negotiate for Anna this way more easily.
Noticing that he had been ignored, Schneider frowned slightly as he glanced at Feng, but couldn't be bothered with saying anything to a mere Tier 1 ant.
"May I know what Your Excellency wishes to discuss with me?" Henry asked, not paying any heed to Feng and Schneider's lack of exchange.
Taking out the thirty thousand Gold Coins and placing them on the table, Feng said "While I have been responsible for managing the Starstreak Trading Firm, Anna has helped me significantly. It was only because of her that I have lived up to your expectations and reached the goal of earning 30,000 Gold. Hence, I now wish to recruit Miss Anna as my personal assistant. Naturally, I am willing to pay the appropriate price.
"Aside from the 30,000 Gold you have requested, I am willing to offer an additional 3,000 Gold. May I know what you think of this offer?"
Anna, who stood beside Feng, was stunned, her delicate mouth parting as she stared at Feng in disbelief. The advanced NPCs working at the trading firm only made a monthly salary of several Gold. Yet, Feng had offered 3,000 Gold to poach her.
Anna wasn't the only person who was shocked. Even Schneider, who had paid Feng no mind, was awestruck.
As a Tier 3 Berserker King, he had only been offered 1,000 Gold to deal with the Black Scorpion Corps. That was enough to allow him to purchase an Epic item to increase his strength. Naturally, if he could recover the Starstreak Trading Firm's stolen merchandise, he could earn a bonus. Even then, however, he would not earn as much as 3,000 Gold.
At this moment, Schneider no longer looked at Feng as if he were an ant; his gaze towards the player had softened.
Henry squinted his eyes as he evaluated Feng carefully.
After a short moment, he sighed, smiling as he said, "Your Excellency Ye Feng, it is not that I do not wish to let Anna go, but our Starstreak Trading Firm simply cannot do without Anna. Just like how Your Excellency has taken a liking to Anna's talent, it is only because of her that the Starstreak Trading Firm has its position today. Please forgive me for refusing your offer."
"Four thousand Gold!" Feng made a new offer without hesitation.
To NPCs, this was an astronomical price.
Such an amount of money was sufficient for the Starstreak Trading Firm to hire several hundred advanced NPCs.
"This... won't do. As you can see, Anna is responsible for so much daily profit. For the sake of the trading firm, I am afraid I cannot accept your offer," Henry said, his expression revealing his struggle.
Merchants were all about profits!
This held true in both the real world and the virtual world.
"Five thousand Gold. I won't go any higher. If you still refuse my offer, I can only choose to hire Mister Schneider beside you and have him take Anna's contract for me by force." Feng said as he looked at Schneider with a faint smile.
The moment Feng said these words, Schneider's eyes suddenly glowed. It was obvious that the Berserker King was tempted.
The Starstreak Trading Firm had only offered him 1,000 Gold as remuneration for getting rid of the Black Scorpion Corps. However, the Captain of the Black Scorpion Corps was a Tier 3 expert. It would not be easy for him to secure a victory. Not to mention, the Captain of the Black Scorpion Corps also had plenty of underlings.
On the other hand, taking a single contract from the President of the Starstreak Trading Firm would be child's play, and the remuneration he would obtain was five times what the Starstreak Trading Firm had offered him.
At this moment, Henry could no longer remain calm. Hurriedly, he said, "Your Excellency Ye Feng must be joking. Since you are so sincere, I believe that Anna will have a better future if she follows Your Excellency."
After Henry agreed, he immediately took out Anna's contract.
Feng also handed over 35,000 Gold without hesitation.
After Feng obtained Anna's contract, the sound of a system notification rang out by his ears.
System: Anna's Favorability towards you has increased by 30 points.
Although her Favorability had slightly decreased due to Feng's previous unorthodox method of running the Starstreak Trading Firm, seeing him still take out the promised 30,000 Gold Coins like him and Henry had agreed, along with spending 5,000 Gold to recruit her, caused any misgivings she had towards Feng to disappear.
"Your Excellency Ye Feng, this is the Tier 4 magic scroll that President Henry promised you," Anna said as she revealed a tattered scroll surrounded by a flashing purple glow.
Although the scroll looked worn, the magic power contained within caused even Schneider, a Tier 3 Berserker King, to palpitate with fear.
The power within a Tier 4 magic scroll was the equivalent of a full-powered blow from a Tier 4 class. It could easily and heavily injure a Tier 4 class. It could even wound a Tier 5 class, not to mention Tier 3 classes or ant-like Tier 1 classes.
But Feng receiving the scroll very casually and examined it.
Normally, magic scrolls were Consumable items; they would become useless after one use. However, this magic scroll that had been passed down from ancient times could be used multiple times.
But there was a limit to how many times it could be used and conditions for each use.
[Position Teleportation Scroll] (Tier 4 Magic Scroll)
Allows player to move to any desired location (Unable to teleport to certain special locations). Can be used a maximum of ten times. After each usage, requires five Mana Stones to replenish the scroll's magic power.
Cooldown: 3 days
(Current uses 0/10)
Ten uses... In order words, it was the equivalent of having ten Tier 4 Position Teleportation Scrolls.
After completing the quest, Feng did not hurry to complete the final phase of the Epic Quest Darkness Descends. Instead, he led Anna to the Adventurer's Association.
If players wished to recruit an NPC to serve as their guard, the NPC first needed an Adventurer class.
However, most of the NPCs in God's Domain were ordinary people. They did not possess an Adventurer class at all. Hence, if players wished to recruit such NPCs as their guards, they needed these NPCs to register at the Adventurer's Association. At the same time, they were also required to select a specific class for these NPCs, allowing them to learn and train to become an Adventurer. Only then could these NPCs become a player's guards.
At this time, Feng entered the Adventurer's Associations' main hall. Due to it being daytime right now, there wasn't a large number of players present. A simple glance told Feng that there were only a few dozen or so people here.
The Adventurer's Association's review of an NPC's ability to become an Adventurer was a tedious one.
The first evaluation was of the NPC-in-question's various Attributes, followed by a test for the NPC's suitability of the various classes. Only after these two tests were complete could the Adventurer's Association determine whether an NPC was suited to become an Adventurer or not.
In total, each NPC's review lasted roughly two minutes.
"Please, follow me, Lord Marquise." The test officer said respectfully after glancing at Feng.
Feng nodded and followed the test officer into the testing room.
"Lord Marquise, based on the Adventurer's Association's rules, each test will cost you 10 Silver. As my lord is a Marquise and a Viscount of White River City, you can enjoy a 70% discount, so my lord only needs to pay 3 Silver per test." The test officer explained uneasily as he arrived before the test apparatus.
"Here." Feng readily handed over 3 Silver Coins.
Following which, Anna walked up to the test apparatus and began her potential evaluation.
Time seemed to crawl by. However, even after two full minutes had passed, the test apparatus had yet to produce a conclusion. On the contrary, due to the test apparatus consuming too much power, the test officer had no choice but to replace the Magic Crystal powering it.
One crystal... Two crystals...
In the end, Anna's test used a total of five Magic Crystals. At this moment, the test officer had also turned pale.
Meanwhile, the result displayed showed that Anna was suited to become a Summoner, and her rating for the class was SSS-rank!
Although the cost of five Magic Crystals had turned the test officer's complexion a sickly shade of green, the lost Magic Crystals were of little importance compared to the final results of the evaluation.
"Is the test apparatus broken?" The test officer hurriedly began checking the test apparatus.
SSS-rank rating... This was a rating never before seen in the history of White River City. Not even in the entire Star-Moon Kingdom had there ever been someone with an SSS-rank.
After an A-rank NPC officially became a guard, there was a possibility for them to become a Dark-Gold guard. However, the probability of this happening was so low that it was negligible.
Only NPCs with S-rank ratings had a decent chance of becoming a Dark-Gold guard.
There was a 100% probability to nurture a Dark-Gold guard into a Tier 5 class. If one were willing to pay the price, there was even a possibility to nurture said NPC into a Tier 6 God-ranked guard.
If a Tier 5 player emerged in a Guild, it would not be strange to see the Guild to celebrate for three days and three nights, not to mention obtaining a Tier 5 Personal Guard. A Tier 5 NPC was much stronger than a normal Tier 5 player.
First of all, there was the difference in Attributes. In the absence of any equipment, the Base Attributes of an NPC were significantly higher than a player's. The second reason was equipment.
In God's Domain, the equipment guards wore and that of players was different. Top-tier equipment for guards could be purchased from an NPC Shop, which included Epic Equipment and Set Equipment. If one were lucky, they could even purchase a piece of Fragmented Legendary Equipment. In other words, one could purchase top-tier equipment for a guard as long as one could afford it.
As for players?
Players had to expend a ton of effort just to obtain Dark-Gold Equipment, not to mention Epic or Fragmented Legendary Equipment.
Hence, as long as a Personal Guard became a Tier 5 class, their strength could immediately reach the peak of Tier 5. On the other hand, players had to obtain weapons, equipment, and other items that were suited to their Tier 5 classes, one piece at a time, slowly and gradually increase their strength.
If the public knew of Anna, who currently wore a blank expression, being evaluated as SSS-rank, it would cause a sensation to sweep throughout the entire God's Domain.
After some time passed, the test officer was finally certain that nothing was wrong with the test apparatus, and he could not help but turn to look at Anna in shock. There were also hints of reverence in the test officer's gaze.
"Miss Anna, you are the first person in our White River City's history to obtain an SSS-rank. According to the rules of the Adventurer's Association, you are now an Honorary Elder of the association. We will prepare a suitable Epic Set Equipment as well as a Tier 1 Class Emblem for you. We will also dispatch a special instructor from the association to guide you. Please wait here for a moment." At this moment, the test officer addressed Anna with immense respect. He displayed even more humility in front of Feng.
"Lord Marquise, as the referrer, the Adventurer's Association will also gift you a special reward. Please wait here for a moment as well." After saying so, the test officer rushed out of the testing room to contact the upper echelons of the Adventurer's Association.
Feng then went to the VIP reception room next to the testing room and munched on Chocolate Sticks while waiting.
Time passed little by little.
Just as Feng was about to bite down on the sixth cylinder of sweetness since he was told to wait, the heavy wooden doors of the reception room parted, and three NPCs walked in.
Of the three NPCs, one was the test officer, one was a black-clothed old man wearing a black felt hat, and the other was a proud and pretty lady dressed in luxurious robes.
The old man in black was a Level 200 Tier 4 Black Wizard with practically the same strength as White River City's Magistrate, Weissman. He was also one of the NPCs protecting White River City.
Meanwhile, the lady was a Level 180 Illusionist, a Tier 3 class of a Summoner.
Both the Tier 3 Illusionist and the Tier 4 Black Wizard were NPCs at the very top of White River City.
With both of these great characters going out of their way to come here, one could see just how much importance the Adventurer's Association was placing on Anna.
"Who's the one who achieved an SSS-rank?" The Black Wizard Glynne asked.
"Association Master, Miss Anna has earned that rank." The test officer hurriedly said.
Glynne's glowing green eyes immediately began to size up Anna, who stood behind Feng. Although Glynne's actions held no ill intent, Feng could still feel a powerful pressure from his gaze, but remained unaffected by the Tier 4 NPC's gaze.
Though, that wasn't because Glynne's pressure was insignificant, but because Feng was simply built different. Even then, he still felt a bit wary as a result of that gaze, so the pressure that an NPC, who has yet to become an Adventurer, felt should be much greater.
Yet, Anna showed no reaction as if she had not felt the pressure from Glynne at all.
"Sure enough, your concentration is extraordinary." The Black Wizard Glynne laughed, satisfied. "We haven't had a talent in White River City for many years now. I didn't think that the next one would be so extraordinary. Irene, I'll leave this little lady in your care. You are the strongest Summoner in our White River City's Adventurer's Association. If you fail to guide her properly, I will find you."
"Association Master, please rest assured. I will nurture Anna with every resource I have." The Tier 3 Illusionist Irene said, chuckling.
"Alright, show this little lady around the association and familiarize her with the place for now." Glynne nodded as he caressed his white beard. He then looked at Feng, saying, "You must be the brat who recommended the little lady, right?"
Feng nodded silently.
The high-tiered NPCs of God's Domain all possessed extremely high intelligence. As for Glynne, the Association Master of an Adventurer's Association, he possessed intelligence that far surpassed even ordinary humans. Moreover, he also wielded immense authority in White River City. A single word for him could make things troublesome for Feng's career here.
Hence, before such an NPC, even Feng had to maintain a certain degree of humility.
"Since you have introduced such a genius to White River City, as the Association Master of White River City's Adventurer's Association, I will not be stingy with you. Since you are a Tier 1 Swordsman, this item should suit you. If you can master it, you will face fewer hardships on the road ahead." Glynne said as he took out a gray book surrounded by an ancient aura.
The word "Taboo" graced the bottom-right corner of this old, gray book.
"Thanks." Yet, Feng still couldn't go against his nature and pretend to be respectful in front of a mere Tier 4 ant. His response would always be casual no matter what if he opened his mouth.
Of course, that didn't mean he didn't value the book given to him or appreciated Glynne's gesture of good will.
There were many Skills in God's Domain. However, a majority of them were ordinary Skills; their might was only subpar, and they could not increase a player's combat power significantly. Only those rare Skills could impact a player's combat power.
For example, the Skills Feng had learned such as Thundering Flash and Thunder Flame Explosion were rare Skills. These Skills allowed a player to fight an enemy that was slightly stronger than they were.
Meanwhile, sure-kill Skills were stronger than rare Skills. These Skills had the ability to instant-kill players of the same Level, changing the tide of battle. One such Skill was Feng's Flame Burst.
However, there was an even more powerful type of Skill that could allow players to threaten enemies that were stronger than themselves.
This type of Skill was known as a Taboo Skill.
The gray book Glynne had just revealed was a Skill Book for a Taboo Skill. A Taboo Skill even allowed players to challenge enemies of a higher tier.
After Feng received the gray book, he left the Adventurer's Association and headed to the Candlelight Trading Firm.
Currently, Anna was still a classless NPC. She would have to spend the next week building her foundations to become an Adventurer. Naturally, Feng would not wait inside the Adventurer's Association for an entire week.
Entering a private lounge, Feng inspected the dark grey book and beginning to study its contents.
[Instant Strike] (Tier 2 Taboo Skill)
Utilizing the power of thunder, instantly move in front of the target. For the next 3 seconds, Attack Speed increased by 500%, and each attack will deal 400% damage to the target and inflict the Serious Numbness effect. Instantly kill targets below 20% HP.
Cooldown: 1 hour
Class Restriction: Swordsman
Taboo Skills were different from other Skills. They did not require Proficiency to upgrade, and players of any Level could learn them. Only, one needed to fulfill certain conditions before they could learn them. Taboo Skills were also categorized into different Tiers.
Although Taboo Skills could increase a player's strength, the learning processes of Taboo Skills and ordinary Skills were different. Taboo Skills could not be learned by the click of a button.
One needed to train with a Taboo Skill.
However, a Tier 2 Taboo Skill was extremely difficult for current players to learn.
Other than the fact that only Tier 2 classes or above were capable of displaying the full potential of a Tier 2 Taboo Skill, Tier 2 Taboo Skills were labeled as Tier 2 because Tier 2 or higher players had a much easier time learning them.
The moment Feng flipped to the first page of the book, the sound of a system notification rang out by his ears.
System: Do you wish to bind and learn this Skill Book? Reminder: Skill Book cannot be traded once bound.
Feng immediately chose to bind the Skill Book to himself.
In the past, many players had bound a Taboo Skill to themselves without knowing the difficulty of the Taboo Skill they were about to learn, afraid that the Taboo Skill would suddenly grow legs and run away. However, such a rash decision had filled many players, who had obtained high-tiered Taboo Skills, with deep regret.
After binding the Skill Book, the contents of the book finally appeared.
Inside the Skill Book, other than some texts and pictorial introduction, there was a holographic video depicting the use of Instant Strike, which allowed players to grasp the techniques required to activate the Skill quickly.
Taboo Skills in God's Domain were similar to the spells used by magical classes in which they were very strict about their use.
When magical classes cast a spell, incantations and hand gestures were of the utmost importance, particularly when tracing runes. Only when these actions reached a certain Completion Rate could magical classes display great power.
Taboo Skills were the same. These Skills relied heavily on the accuracy and fluency of the player's footwork, body movements, and attack patterns. Even the slightest mistake could result in a failure to activate the Taboo Skill. Compared to casting spells, players were required to have far more delicate control over their own bodies. They needed a clear understanding of each and every motion that was involved.
Feng didn't bother studying the book to closely, and merely flipped through it, already being very familiar with Instant Strike from using it in battles during his previous life.
In order to learn the Tier 2 Taboo Skill in his hand, Skill Completion Rate when executing it must reach 95%. Moreover, he'd also need to absorb 100 Thunder Crystals from Thunder Beast Kings.
Tier 1 Taboo Skills normally required players to achieve a 90% Completion Rate. To ordinary players, this alone would prevent them from ever learning a Tier 1 Taboo Skill. Even experts would require long periods of bitter training to achieve such a high Completion Rate. Not to mention, there were usually other conditions that needed to be fulfilled as well.
Tier 2 Taboo Skills normally required a Completion Rate of 93%.
Only at Tier 3 would a Taboo Skill require a 95% Completion Rate.
Yet, Instant Strike, as a Tier 2 Taboo Skill, required Feng to achieve a 95% Completion Rate.
However, this was still not the largest challenge.
The real pain in the ass was the 100 Thunder Crystals that he needed to obtain through killing Thunder Beast Kings.
These monsters inhabited a location not far from a Level 50, 100-man large-scale Team Dungeon. Thunder Beast Kings' fur was extremely valuable; it was a rare material that was required to produce equipment with the Lightning Resistance Attribute. The monster's meat was also a must-try delicacy. If cooked properly, it could become a gourmet meal that nobody could resist after a single taste.
The difficulty of learning Instant Strike could already rival a Tier 3 Taboo Skill. The Skill was definitely at the peak of Tier 2 Taboo Skills.
On the final page of the Skill Book, though, there was another a paragraph of text that made life a whole lot easier for Feng.
If Skill Completion Rate reaches 100%, one can call forth Heavenly Thunder into one's own body 100 times, stimulating the power of the Taboo Skill without needing the aid of the Thunder Crystals' power.
Normally this would be nearly impossible for even Tier 2 players to achieve, let alone Tier 1 players, but to Feng, it presented an opportunity. Using a mere Tier 2 Taboo Skill with a Completion Rate of 100% was child's play to him, especially concerning a skill he had already learned in the past like Instant Strike.
Taking a stance, Feng began rehearsing the Taboo Skill.
When he drew the Abyssal Blade and executed Instant Strike, each and every one of his movements felt light and natural. There was no excess power in any of his actions at all.
Then, Feng's initially smooth movements suddenly changed. The afterimages of the Abyssal Blade, which were originally created due to Feng's overly fast speed, suddenly vanished. The Abyssal Blade in Feng's hand also became clear and visible. In the next moment, faint blue electric arcs manifested around Feng's body, filling the air with crackling sounds. The places these electric arcs touched also charred.
System: Instant Strike Skill Completion Rate 100%.
Arcs of electricity continuously sparked around Feng. Although the electric arcs were tiny, the destructive power they contained was practically equivalent to a Tier 2 lightning spell.
With just one try, Feng was already able to execute Instant Strike with a 100% Completion Rate, but he was still dissatisfied with his current performance and continued practicing Instant Strike.
System: Instant Strike Skill Completion Rate 100%.
System: Instant Strike Skill Completion Rate 100%.
System: Instant Strike Skill Completion Rate 101%.
System: Instant Strike Skill Completion Rate 103%.
System: Instant Strike Skill Completion Rate 101%.
System: Instant Strike Skill Completion Rate 102%.
System: Instant Strike Skill Completion Rate 105%.
...
Soon, Feng completed an Instant Strike that reached a 100% Completion Rate for the hundredth time, peaking at a Completion Rate of 117%, and electricity purified his entire body, his skin becoming glossier and the muscles all over his body growing denser and more powerful.
System: You have learned Instant Strike. Obtained Basic Lightning Physique.
Instant Strike was quite valuable, and a Skill Book Feng had hoped to obtain again, as, aside from its usefulness, it was able to improve a player's Physique upon learning it, the gravity one's body experiences decreasing significantly even without any change in Attributes upon mastering.
With the Basic Lightning Physique and the Space Helmet's Aetherial Levity Passive Skill, the gravity that take effect on Feng was practically nonexistent.
Having finished learning Instant Strike, Feng went back to forging Intermediate Mana Armor Kits, up until notifications about the completed construction of the Shops in the various Imperial Capitals started sounding in his head.
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1. This had originally been: God's Domain Southern Continent System Announcement, but I'm not sure if LOC had meant the southern part of the Eastern God's Domain Continent, or if this was before he had officially decided to separate God's Domain into the Eastern and Western Continents.
Since I'm more inclined to believe the latter, nothing about southern parts ever being mentioned again outside of system announcements, I'll go with the announcement happening on the Eastern Continent.
2. Recently realized that Blue Frost might be an actual Vice Guild Leader of Zero Wing, even though I'm like 99% certain it was mentioned at one point that Gentle Snow was the second while Cold Shadow the third Vice Guild Leader, but I'm choosing to change that in my fanfic even if it's true, since he's just too irrelevant to be a Vice Guild Leader (and I'm definitely not trying to force my headcannon onto all of you).