The high-tier spellcaster said leisurely, "You seem to agree with them."
Yu Yu, ultra-aggrieved, protested, "I don't…"
She instinctively glanced at the stage, then nearly jumped out of her skin.
Why did it feel like everyone up there was looking at her?
For real?
No way, time to bolt!
Yu Yu quickly turned her head, facing the unfamiliar spellcaster big shot. "Senior…"
The high-tier spellcaster gave a half-smile. "Felix and I aren't from the same generation. You can't call me Senior."
Auntie?
No way, calling her that felt like a death sentence.
Yu Yu shamelessly persisted, "Senior, I absolutely disagree with their ideas, but I'm just a nobody. I can't out-argue them, so I'd rather stay quiet…"
The high-tier spellcaster didn't correct her again, instead raising an intrigued brow. "Oh? So what do you plan to do?"
Obviously, just nod and say, "Uh-huh, sure, sure."
But Yu Yu didn't dare say that, so she put on a serious face. "Of course, I'll prove myself with actions."
Please let me go! I can feel the Grand Archon staring at me!!
Let me run!!
NoDishWashingAfterEating slammed the table. "How could you be a traitor?!"
The high-tier spellcaster glanced at her.
NoDishWashingAfterEating crashed to the ground, face-first, with a thud.
The thunk was so loud, Yu Yu felt phantom pain just hearing it.
NoDishWashingAfterEating whimpered, "…Ouch, ouch, ouch, waaaah."
Yu Yu shrank back.
She didn't know much about high-tier spellcasters, only that they seemed to hold high status, handling important magic circle affairs.
But were they strong? How strong? Yu Yu had no idea.
Her respect for high-tier spellcasters stemmed entirely from her senior, who was also one.
But now…
Yu Yu was starting to wonder. She couldn't even tell what spell the spellcaster had used.
NoDishWashingAfterEating cried, "NPCs hitting players?! I'm filing a complaint, waaaah, it hurts!"
The high-tier spellcaster snorted, straightening the table. "What's an NPC?"
Her question froze the air. Except for Yu Yu, the other players were dumbfounded.
An NPC asking that?
She's asking us what an NPC is?!
"This is way too smart," someone muttered.
"Why does this game obsess over random details?! If they have time for this, why not fix basic functions? I still can't chat online with my teammates!"
Cold sweat beaded on Yu Yu's forehead. She could feel those unmasked gazes on her, and now even her dull senses were screaming.
Hahaha… no way all those big shots were watching her, right?
Yu Yu tried to move her legs.
Nope, still stuck.
The high-tier spellcaster's gaze swung back to her. Yu Yu, miserable, noticed Zi Shu and the others arriving at the plaza's edge. Had they all finished registering?
And here she was, the unlucky sap caught just for signing up, made an example!
Yu Yu stammered, "By general reasoning, NPC probably means… like… smart tool person…"
Zi Shu, just approaching and catching Yu Yu's words, froze, turned, and walked away.
Yu Yu saw it and lost it.
What kind of teammate does that?! Just turning and running?!
The high-tier spellcaster fell into thought. "That's what it means?"
"They think I'm a golem?"
She started to laugh. "Outsiders… even more arrogant than us spellcasters… hahaha…"
Yu Yu felt the weight lift from her shoulders. She quietly shuffled, and seeing the spellcaster distracted, she bolted like the wind.
Run, run, run!
Zi Shu called, "We're over here!"
Yu Yu panted, "How'd you guys finish so fast?"
No sooner had she spoken than the dozen or so "big sucker" players who'd spoken earlier started to freeze.
Before they could cry for help, they were locked in place, turned into lifelike ice sculptures.
The high-tier spellcaster coldly crossed her arms. "Register yourselves."
Her tone was anything but polite. The players who came after, having witnessed it all, were noticeably meeker, terrified of being unreasonably frozen by the NPC.
They were here for rewards, not to PK with NPCs.
Shu Tu was baffled. "What happened? Why did an NPC single you out?"
Zi Shu added, "And asking such a sensitive question—you actually answered honestly?!"
Yu Yu's face was bitter. "What else could I say? They were too obvious. I couldn't even smooth it over."
The spellcasters weren't idiots. The players' arrogance didn't need words—anyone with eyes could see it.
How was she supposed to bluff?
Don't forget, her senior and the Grand Archon were watching from above. Even if she could fool this high-tier spellcaster, there was no way she'd fool her senior or the Grand Archon!
Since that was the case, better to tell the truth. She figured the magic circle probably already knew… right?
Zi Shu sighed. "I feel like you spellcasters are completely different from us."
"Our registration was super quick. Just a chubby water elemental at the desk, a few guards, no high-level NPCs."
She snuck a glance at the field. "You've got a ton of high-level NPCs here, and I don't even recognize any of them."
The registration venues for each class were separate. Spellcasters were at a large plaza in Silver Moon's north city, while other classes were scattered elsewhere.
Yu Yu said wryly, "Because after morning registration, the matches start in the afternoon."
"That fast?" Zi Shu was genuinely shocked.
Shu Tu looked at a silver-white screen that had appeared out of nowhere. "Yeah, and Xiao Yu's up first."
Yu Yu: "???"
First match: Yu vs. NoDishWashingAfterEating
Yu Yu was floored. "This is rigged! No way this is random!"
Zi Shu: "…Cheer up. Maybe it really isn't random."
Yu Yu was momentarily speechless.
Fuyu, forced out of stealth for the nth time, grumbled, "Weird, why can't I stealth here?"
Zi Shu: "Maybe because there are so few spellcasters?"
"But with only one morning, won't some people miss registration?"
Yu Yu, resigned to her rigged fate, mused, "Most spellcaster players probably joined the magic circle. They likely got notifications from the magic circle."
With the magic circle organizing, everyone could probably register within a morning.
Spellcasters had to learn skills through the magic circle, so in theory, the magic circle had info on every spellcaster player.
Arranging players would be easy for them.
Fuyu: "Our registration was like a battlefield—tons of invisibles, tons of stealthers. Take two steps, trip over three people."
Shu Tu: "Pretty much."
Zi Shu: "Feels like NPC class discrimination. Your treatment's way better than ours."
Yu Yu laughed it off. "Is it? Haha, let's go, let's go. Matches start this afternoon."
Leaving the plaza, they ducked behind a small flowerbed.
Zi Shu's expression sobered. "I saw Xiang Qin."
Shu Tu showed no reaction.
Fuyu blinked. "What about Zhong Ye? Did you see her?"
Zi Shu: "Yeah, Xiang Qin, Zhong Ye, and Shang Wei. They seemed to be together, left after registering."
Fuyu looked eagerly at Shu Tu and Yu Yu. "Do you think I can beat Zhong Ye?"
"The reward for first in the group stage must be awesome," Fuyu said. "What do you think?"
Yu Yu fell into thought.
Shu Tu fell into thought.
Zi Shu stared at them, because she wanted to ask the same question.
As a Hall of Fame player, Zi Shu could easily accept being outclassed by them.
But now, she really wanted to know how big the gap was between her and a Heavenly List pro.
Could she possibly beat Xiang Qin?
Yu Yu said tactfully, "Eternal Darkness is a new game. Skills, tactics, techniques—they're all different from before. Plus, differences in gear and proficiency. She might not be better than you."
Fuyu felt encouraged. "Got it! This is my moment!"
Zi Shu, catching the subtext, mused, "Maybe not better than us, but does their experience still apply here?"
Shu Tu gave a faint smile. "Not really. Eternal Darkness's skill mechanics are completely different from Destiny. In reality, those with special professions joining the trials would likely outshine pro players. You should look further ahead."
Zi Shu nodded. "Fair point."
Yu Yu added, "But real-world experts can't match Eternal Darkness's natives. Better to learn from me—hug NPC thighs, never fails!"
No matter how skilled real-world experts were, they couldn't compare to true high-tier warriors or rogues. It was a different power system.
"Speaking of which, don't warriors have any secret techniques?"
Zi Shu: "Secret techniques?"
Yu Yu gestured. "Like combat skills, techniques, ultimate moves, that sort of thing."
Zi Shu's mouth twitched. "Probably not."
"We're still being taught basic skills like offensive stance and defensive stance."
Yu Yu pondered, "That makes the power system kinda unbalanced."
"The magic circle's late-game spell list even includes teleport. If warriors rely on basic attacks, how are they supposed to tank a meteor shower?"
Zi Shu shrugged. "Maybe my level's too low?"
Yu Yu: "We should try to meet some high-tier warriors later."
"Are you all competing tomorrow?"
Zi Shu: "Warriors start the day after."
Shu Tu: "Rangers tomorrow."
Fuyu: "We're also the day after!"
Yu Yu said, "Chang Yu's stuck at school doing quests for her teacher. She's not allowed out until she hits novice tier."
She personally thought Chang Yu was the real privileged one.
A custom-made personal quest—do you know how valuable that is?!
Zi Shu: "There's no guardian arena this time. They seem even rarer than spellcasters."
Shu Tu: "We can watch your match first."
Yu Yu: "…Watch away, but I hope nothing goes wrong this time."
She kept feeling like she was too conspicuous lately, always catching NPC attention.
Muttering to herself, "I need to keep a low profile, don't you think?"
Zi Shu chuckled twice, saying nothing.
Fuyu: "You were fine until you said that. Now I feel like you're doomed."
Shu Tu smiled silently.
Yu Yu: "???"
"Pfft, pfft, pfft, kids' words don't count."
Fuyu: "Kid, your head!"
Spellcasters really couldn't go solo; it seemed everyone had teammates. As the first class to start, by afternoon, the area was packed with people. Besides the high-tier spellcasters up top, the ground was swarmed with silver-armored guards.
Yu Yu glanced back and saw her teammates cheering her on. She also saw her annoying ex-teammate. Or rather, Shang Wei was right behind her to the left. Even turning away, Yu Yu could feel her irritating stare.
As a Moon Bay Town spellcaster, Shang Wei had clearly signed up for the trials too. With the magic circle's control over spellcasters, if Shen Lan or Qian Qing had chosen spellcaster, they'd definitely have registered, just not in Moon Bay Town.
Yu Yu was the first to fight, so she was lined up first. The person in front of her was also quite familiar.
Yu Yu mouthed silently, "Senior!"
Felix, still stone-faced, glanced at her, unsure what she was getting at. Unlike the other three towns, Moon Bay Town's overseer was a high-tier spellcaster. Just standing there, she seemed to tower over everyone. Clearly, when this job was assigned, her senior hadn't advanced yet.
Yu Yu had watched her walk down from the stage.
…Or maybe she'd been chased off by the Grand Archon.
Yu Yu kept mouthing, "Why am I first? Did the Grand Archon rig it?"
Felix: "…Yes."
Her cold voice cut through, leaving players collectively confused.
Huh? What's "yes"?
Shang Wei looked up at the NPC.
Who was she talking to?
Yu Yu snapped her mouth shut, not daring to make a sound. She hadn't expected her senior to answer out loud. She thought she'd get a subtle hint!
If this drew the Grand Archon's attention, she'd be in trouble.
Felix didn't care, looking aside. "Senior Meng, it's about to start. Release her opponent."
Yu Yu followed her gaze.
It was the registration high-tier spellcaster, the one who'd frozen NoDishWashingAfterEating and the others.
They'd been frozen for ages. Meng waved a hand, and the dozen ice sculptures cracked, the players inside stumbling out, shivering. "H-help… so cold… I'm freezing…"
Meng: "Hmph."
She sneered, saying nothing.
Yu Yu's eyes darted around, keeping quiet, terrified of being remembered. She still felt wronged. She hadn't even spoken, yet she'd been singled out for questioning. Anyone would think she was a troublemaker!
She was clearly the most well-behaved, drama-free player on the entire Allen Peninsula!
Felix's voice stayed cold as she explained, "This is the magic circle's artifact. Dying inside isn't real death—just mental exhaustion for a while."
Catching her look, Yu Yu knew her senior was explaining for her.
Yu Yu, touched, said, "Got it, I won't die!"
A beam of light shot from Felix's staff, enveloping Yu Yu, and her body began to fade.
Felix's expression grew colder. "…Talkative."
Yu Yu vanished instantly.
As soon as she was gone, NoDishWashingAfterEating stepped up, chest puffed out. "I'm next!"
Felix didn't even lift an eyelid. A flash from her staff, and NoDishWashingAfterEating disappeared.
The difference in treatment was glaring. After sending them in, Felix ignored the players, focusing intently on the screen. The screen would display their fight for all to see.
Shang Wei had a bad feeling. How was Yu Yu so chummy with NPCs?
From the outside, it looked like a light dome, but inside, it was a dense, leafy forest.
Yu Yu immediately cast stance shield on herself, then rapidly stacked buffs.
Light body
Greased soles
Deflection stance
Then a quick spell detection.
Hm? Nothing?
Was it too far?
Spell detection's range was a bit small…
She didn't know that everything she did was being shown on the big screen for the audience. Even her spells were identified and labeled.
So everyone saw her string of buffs: stance shield, light body, greased soles, deflection stance, spell detection…
Zi Shu and her crew were used to it, unbothered. Xiang Qin and others weren't surprised either, but the rest of the crowd started gawking.
Hold on, why were most of her spells ones they'd never heard of?
The forum-recommended spells weren't these!
Not one was mainstream—they were all low-star picks from guides!
Did this player never read guides?!
What a noob!
The players scoffed, glancing at the participant list.
[Yu]
Her?
The rumored big shot Yu is this?
Inside, Yu Yu was oblivious, cautiously scouting her surroundings.
…Hm, the Grand Archon hadn't messed with her. No weird monsters stuffed in here.
It seemed like just a terrain, with only her and NoDishWashingAfterEating.
Compared to Yu Yu's dazzling spell array, NoDishWashingAfterEating was much simpler.
She'd spawned and immediately strode toward the map's center, assuming Yu Yu would do the same. She was almost there now.
Yu Yu, meanwhile, was rubbing her chin, thinking. She kinda wanted to set the forest on fire… Eternal Darkness didn't have jail time, right?
But she sadly scrapped the plan—she was in the forest too, and friendly fire was a risk.
Life detection
With two speed buffs, Yu Yu moved fast.
Every few steps, she cast life detection.
Spell detection was omnidirectional but less specialized, while life detection had a wider range.
After one try, Yu Yu switched to life detection.
The map didn't seem large. Just two life detection casts, and she found NoDishWashingAfterEating.
A quick judgment of her direction, and Yu Yu had a plan.
Recover mental energy.jpg
It was her first PvP, and Yu Yu realized she'd overused her mental energy. She needed to wait a bit.
Outside, the crowd was in an uproar.
Players debated Yu Yu's tactics. Some thought her varied spells looked impressive, but others weren't optimistic, thinking she'd learned useless spells.
Players' mental energy and spell slots were limited.
By their estimates, at this stage, players could learn maybe ten first-circle spells at best, with only top players having second-circle spells as trump cards.
With Yu Yu's choices, what attack spells did she even have?
No way, she's done for!
Shang Wei frowned, lost in thought.
The high-tier spellcasters on stage had a completely different view.
"Pretty classic spell list. Wonder if she picked it herself or Felix taught her," they whispered to each other. "Still too green, though. Stacking all those buffs before even seeing her opponent, not considering their durations. What's she gonna do when they expire at once?"
"And her mental energy—I feel like she has a lot," Meng chatted with a colleague. "What's her base mental energy? She cast seven first-circle spells in a row and still has juice? Does she have a mental energy-boosting artifact?"
Though they thought Yu Yu lacked combat experience and needed serious training, the high-tier spellcasters had already easily predicted the outcome.
Players: "Yu's definitely losing. Wanna bet?"
"No bet, I know she's toast."
Zi Shu: "…?"
"Why?" She was baffled by the players' chatter. "Why do they think Yu will lose?"
Shu Tu shrugged. "Blind faith in guides."
NoDishWashingAfterEating finally spotted Yu Yu, exclaiming, "Don't worry, I'll treat you gently, my defeated foe!"
Yu Yu raised her short staff, smiling brightly. "Thanks for that."
Moisten field
NoDishWashingAfterEating started chanting.
Fuyu groaned, "She doesn't even know Yu Yu already spotted her. She's just standing there like an idiot."
"Turn around, dummy! There's a wolf behind you!"
The wolf moved stealthily, a stance Yu Yu had learned from Ban Ban. She wasn't great at it, but the wolf's steps were quieter than before.
NoDishWashingAfterEating suddenly shrieked, "Who bit me?!"
High-tier spellcasters: "…"
Players: "…"
Yu Yu twirled her short staff idly, listening to her screams.
One wolf in melee range was enough to keep her too busy to cast.
So weak.
How was someone this weak?
Yu Yu hadn't even used summon wolf pack.
NoDishWashingAfterEating flopped at close combat, dragged back by the wolf biting her neck, sobbing, "Stop biting, stop biting, I'm gonna have trauma, aaahhh!"
Yu Yu's moisten field was wasted. She'd planned to follow up, but who'd have thought just showing her face would make NoDishWashingAfterEating ignore her rear?
NoDishWashingAfterEating: "I! Give! Up!"
Yu Yu was teleported out.
NoDishWashingAfterEating, still shaken, touched her neck. "Was that a summon spell? It can be used like that? How'd I miss that? Why wasn't it in the guides?"
Felix glanced at them both.
Yu Yu found her senior's look fascinating—utterly exasperated, utterly disdainful.
She couldn't help asking, "Senior, how'd I do?"
Felix scoffed coldly, "Anyone with hands could've done it."