Chapter Seventy-Three: Rewriting

The required experience points increase with each level, and after reaching level 20, the amount needed for each subsequent level becomes terrifying. To advance from level 20 to 21, the experience required is nearly three times that needed from 19 to 20. This demands hunting higher-level monsters, yet the opening of regular level 20 dungeons is still far off.

Zhao Nan began to seek other ways to strengthen himself.

The first step was advancement. After level 20, he progressed from Iron to Bronze as an Ancient Arcanist. Therefore, as soon as he left his party, Zhao Nan headed straight for the Mage Hall in East Source City and found Heidien.

“You truly amaze me,” Heidien said, his face showing surprise, though his hands moved with practiced efficiency as he performed the advancement ritual for Zhao Nan.

“Ding! Congratulations, player Zhao Nan, on your class advancement. You are now a Bronze Ancient Arcanist! Reward: All attributes +20, base attack +30, base health +500, base mana +500, inheritance of Ancient Arcane, unlock Copy skill.”

“Ding! Congratulations, player Zhao Nan, for achieving the second class advancement. Additional reward: Health +300.”

The system notifications were numerous, and the increase in power this time was astonishing. Zhao Nan did not bother to check each message, focusing instead on the skill panel.

When he first became an Ancient Arcanist, his skill panel expanded from one to five sections. Now, the five panels remained unchanged... but he did discover the so-called ‘Copy’ skill.

It was a passive skill.

Copy: Exclusive skill for Ancient Arcanists. Passive, but can be toggled on or off. Effect: Copies the skill cast once.

What did it mean to copy once? Instinctively, Zhao Nan activated Copy and cast a simple fireball. To his astonishment, two identical fireballs appeared in his palm. The mana consumed was twice that of a single fireball.

He frowned slightly, letting both fireballs strike the floor. With two thuds, their power proved to be equal.

Copy!

This was Copy!

Simply put, it allowed him to launch two identical skill attacks at the same time...

“Ding! Player Zhao Nan has maliciously damaged the Mage Hall. Penalty: 500 gold coins.”

The penalty was severe; 500 gold coins might be all a regular player possessed, perhaps even more. But Zhao Nan was unconcerned. As Heidien grew somewhat exasperated, Zhao Nan cheerfully paid the fine and walked out of the advancement chamber with a light heart.

“The first advancement granted the passive skill ‘Reduction’; the second, ‘Copy’... Both are exclusive skills... It seems every advancement as an Ancient Arcanist yields one exclusive skill.”

Zhao Nan strolled calmly through the Mage Hall. Reaching level 20 had unlocked many new skills for him. His face was calm, resembling the other mages in the hall—head bowed, seemingly focused on choosing the best skills to learn. But his inner thoughts were far from tranquil.

The passive skill to reduce time would drive all mages mad with desire, and Copy was even more perverse, as it directly doubled his uninterrupted attack output...

After spending nearly an entire morning selecting skills, Zhao Nan bit into an elven biscuit and used a long-distance teleportation at the East Source City portal.

He could not use a teleport crystal this time, as the destination was unmapped—a newly opened area on the fringe of the map.

There lay a castle.

Inside the castle was an egg—a very large egg.

...

...

While Zhao Nan acted for the sake of that egg, in the Guild Hall of East Source City, a young man was struggling with another matter.

His name was Simon Yu.

He sat quietly in a room belonging to the “Inferno” guild. Though called a room, opening the door revealed a peculiar space with a hundred different chambers within. This was his office. At this moment, besides him, several others were present—his trusted aides in “Inferno.”

“Sir, our manpower has expanded to its limit.”

This was Sun Kelang, nicknamed Wolf Brother, who spoke with concern, “Only official members can enter the guild chambers. The quota is limited, and those who can’t enter are starting to complain.”

The discontent among peripheral members was inevitable. Why should others become official members? Even those who worked hard and were strong couldn’t enjoy better benefits?

Simon Yu had devised measures such as rotating membership, but these had little effect... Those unable to enter the guild rooms could no longer be appeased by mere money.

It was not about having an extra free lodging. The real allure was the training grounds inside the guild chambers.

Each training room consumed a fee and provided virtual monsters for practice. Killing these virtual monsters yielded no experience, but skill proficiency could still be improved, and players’ combat techniques grew rapidly.

Most importantly... No one died here.

“Assign some elite members to take those who can’t enter into level 10 dungeons,” Simon Yu frowned, unwilling to sacrifice his own, “As long as the items are not of purple quality or higher, distribute them as needed.”

“The issue is, plenty of wandering players are also in those dungeons. The dungeon is large, but the number of East Source City players is overwhelming. Capable people will find ways in,” Wolf Brother sighed, “Besides, since ‘Guardian Knights’ changed their Guild Leader, their development has been good. The new leader, Duan Tianlang, is strong—almost as strong as Nanyang Sheng. His character is much better... And ‘Blood Shadow’ has ended their internal strife and is showing signs of resurgence.”

“Blood Shadow can’t make much of a splash now—their early reputation was too poor.” Simon Yu pressed his hands together under his chin, squinting at his aides, “No doubt, in terms of overall guild strength, we are the strongest... So when appropriate, we can be a bit domineering.”

A dark-faced man, head bowed, hesitated, “Won’t being domineering alienate people?”

“Bee,” Simon Yu chuckled, glancing at the man, “Why should I show mercy to outsiders while letting my own suffer? Just like that man—why could he, without fighting or competing, seize eight mutant dungeon slots from both me and Nanyang Sheng? Because he knows that in this society, people are even more selfish and self-serving than before. So he shows his dominance directly, knowing that unless we’re madmen, we won’t choose to fight him.”

“He truly is a madman,” Sun Kelang sighed, recalling what he’d heard about that man holding off a boss single-handedly for several minutes during a mutant dungeon—his only impression.