Shang Wei gave a faint smile. "As always, Senior is ever so arrogant."
Qian Qing: "It's been years, and I hope your strength matches your arrogance."
Qian Qing was a refined, fair-skinned man, his appearance gentle and scholarly, perfectly fitting the expectations of the Hall of Fame. However, his nickname in the circle was [Green Scorpion].
Shang Wei, needless to say, had an appearance worth praising, her reputation neck-and-neck with Green Scorpion's. Not far away, Xiang Qin, Zhong Ye, and others were also present in the arena.
Since Eternal Darkness launched, this was the first time so many Hall of Fame members had gathered in one place. Given the players' communication abilities, the crowd of onlookers would only grow larger.
Yu Yu's thoughts stirred slightly, a touch of irritation rising. She hadn't planned to hide her identity much. As long as she performed even slightly well, some busybody would inevitably dig her up.
Whether players despised her or not didn't bother her—her mind was far beyond being shaken by such trivial matters. What irritated her was whether the players' opinions would affect her standing in the eyes of the magic circle's big shots.
She was waiting online, urgently.
A pitiful, weak, harmless, kind, and adorable little player like her was one in a million!
Would the magic circle really bear to cast her aside?
Yu Yu casually tossed a Silence spell, and Shang Wei, startled, realized a status had appeared on her.
[Silence] (Duration: 30s)
Qian Qing continued his performance, feigning sincerity. "I was waiting for you to continue our competition, but I never imagined so many years would pass before we met again."
He paused slightly, waiting for Shang Wei's response.
Shang Wei: [Silence]
Qian Qing: "?"
Yu Yu's little trick went unnoticed by the players, but could the high-tier spellcasters miss it?
They found it highly amusing, watching the petty drama with keen interest.
Qian Qing pressed on with his improvisation. "Compared to the pressure you gave me, they're indeed lacking. Shang Wei may be 'Crimson,' but she doesn't compare to you."
"Azure Waves can barely hold onto the top eight now," he said with exaggerated flair. "I miss the days with Captain Shu Tu and you."
Surely Shang Wei would speak now?
Shang Wei: [Silence]
Qian Qing: "???"
Had Shang Wei changed genders? What was she doing? Wasting such a perfect opportunity?
Felix glanced at Yu Yu, noticing her hands behind her back, twirling her small staff with leisurely ease. She had sneakily cast another Silence spell. They all saw it clearly, but…
Felix pretended not to notice.
As the nearest high-tier spellcaster, Felix didn't intervene, and the higher-ups on the stage naturally wouldn't make a fuss. They were thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. The other high-tier spellcaster overseeing the scene, Meng, for some reason, also remained inactive, resting with her eyes closed.
Thus, an extremely awkward scene unfolded.
Shang Wei's lack of cooperation left Qian Qing performing a one-man show, painfully embarrassing.
Qian Qing: "…"
"Clown," a cold voice from outside the arena broke Qian Qing's embarrassment. "Once the group stage ends, I'll come test the strength of [Green Scorpion]."
Shang Wei, still silenced, looked over and saw it was Xiang Qin. How could she not understand by now?
It was definitely Yu Yu's doing. However, Silence was a second-circle spell. If Yu Yu hadn't used it, Shang Wei wouldn't have known she could cast such an obscure spell. This wasn't a total loss—she'd forced Yu Yu to reveal one of her cards.
No need to let Qian Qing in on it, though.
Since she was silenced, she might as well stay silent. Shang Wei clamped her mouth shut, standing like a pillar. Qian Qing insulted Azure Waves, and Xiang Qin, naturally furious, could go argue with him. Xiang Qin's outburst caused quite a stir, especially among the NPCs.
A mere warrior daring to get involved in such matters?
Even the guards showed surprised expressions, secretly casting admiring glances. The players, however, found it perfectly reasonable. Qian Qing had insulted Azure Waves to Xiang Qin's face—if she didn't react, how could she show her face later?
But what was up with Crimson? Why wasn't she saying anything?
Why was she staring at Yu Yu? Was there some love-hate drama?
The players' gossiping flames roared, and the high-tier spellcasters were just as curious.
Spill it, come on, spill it!
Yu Yu had used Silence, so Felix knew she wouldn't hear any gossip. Slightly disappointed, she spoke up. "Shut up. Quiet."
Without any visible action, an inexplicable atmosphere enveloped the arena. Qian Qing, about to mock Xiang Qin further, opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.
Only then did he notice something.
[Silence] (Duration: Infinite)
Had Shang Wei been silenced earlier?
Was it the NPCs' doing?
Were the NPCs protecting Yu Yu?
He didn't understand. At that moment, Yu Yu, twirling her small staff, was also silenced. She stared at her status, lost in thought.
Silence belonged to the curse school, indeed a specialty of her senior.
She recalled third-circle Mass Silence and fourth-circle Silence Field. Which had her senior used?
Why hadn't she chanted?
What was the difference between high-tier and low-tier spellcasters?
Unable to ask, Yu Yu could only maintain her cool demeanor and slowly stepped down, standing in the row closest to her senior, staring intently.
Felix ignored her, her voice as cold as ever. "Next."
Yu Yu occasionally checked her status, glancing at her senior until several more matches passed, and the Silence status finally lifted.
Oh, had her senior run out of mental energy?
Or had she dispelled it herself?
As a curse-school spell, Silence was clearly a targeted anti-personnel spell, highly effective against spellcasters.
Silent casting was a spellcasting technique, but not everyone could do it. If you stopped someone from chanting, wasn't that like temporarily disabling a spellcaster?
Yu Yu couldn't do it. She hadn't been exposed because the player spellcasters were too inexperienced, still ignorant of many things.
But her senior clearly knew.
Yu Yu was itching to ask but knew it wasn't the time, so she held it in. Qian Qing and Shang Wei had calmed down. After Felix lifted the Silence Field, they showed no intention of stirring trouble again.
Another pair of weaklings entered the arena, and Felix glanced at Yu Yu. "Don't get too cocky."
Yu Yu: "???"
What kind of villain line was that?
[Become Spellcaster Group Top 64 (Completed)]
Task updated: [Become Spellcaster Group Top 32] (Rewards: 8000 EXP, 40 Gold)
Yu Yu's little wallet swelled, now holding 36 gold—a wealth she'd never known. Maybe after this tournament, she could buy a house!
Her eyes gleamed at the next 40 gold, but then she heard her senior's words.
Felix's tone was flat. "The top 16 rankings will be decided in one match."
"Huh?" Yu Yu was dumbfounded.
Felix spat out two words: "Free-for-all."
Yu Yu was struck as if by lightning. "It can work like that?"
Felix gave her a pitying look. "Yep."
The Grand Archon's style was the complete absence of style. No one could predict her actions. Felix was used to it, and she figured Yu Yu would adapt soon enough.
Yu Yu: "…"
Every time she thought she understood the Grand Archon's absurdity, the Grand Archon refreshed her perception. What kind of person was this?
Yu Yu pondered for three seconds and felt a bit worried. First, she was somewhat famous. While [Yu]'s reputation didn't match the Hall of Fame, she was still well-known in Eternal Darkness.
Second, her displayed strength didn't seem overwhelming, at least not enough to inspire the awe that top-ranked players commanded.
As a result, if Shang Wei and the others ganged up on her, she'd be an easy target. Would Shang Wei do that?
Yu Yu was certain she would. In short, Yu Yu felt her situation was precarious. She didn't even have time to lock eyes with her senior. She immediately opened her spell list, sinking into thought.
After much deliberation, with plans A, B, C, and D, it all came down to the Grand Archon. What terrain would she choose?
Would she scatter the players or dump them all together?
These would affect Yu Yu's chances of winning. Sigh, Shadowmeld was a third-circle spell for spellcasters. Even if Yu Yu had learned it, she couldn't use it. Otherwise…
With a sigh, Yu Yu snapped back to reality.
Looking dejected like a sad puppy, she said, "Senior, I'm at such a disadvantage in a free-for-all."
Felix reluctantly offered comfort. "Do your best. There are benefits."
Yu Yu's eyes lit up. "Then I believe you!"
Qian Qing, standing farther away, could only watch their whispering suspiciously.
Shang Wei, standing closer, heard every word.
Her stomach churned. Yu Yu's arrogant, lawless personality—pretending to be like this in front of NPCs—what was she planning?
Even without seeing her face, Shang Wei could hear her pitiful, aggrieved little voice, and it made her stomach churn even more.
Keep pretending. Go on.
Even in front of the captain.
Clearly an arrogant, rude person, yet she could disguise herself as cute and harmless, fooling her completely.
Shameless.
Disgusting.
[Become Spellcaster Group Top 32 (Completed)]
[Gained EXP +8000, Gold +40]
[Become Spellcaster Group Top 16 (Completed)]
[Gained EXP +16000, Gold +80]
Upon receiving the rewards, Yu Yu leveled up on the spot.
She reached Level 7 (9500/40000), [Gained Base Attribute Point *1, Gained Skill Point *1]
Since it was an odd level, there were no passive skills or passive points this time. Even so, Yu Yu was thrilled. The threshold for mid-tier spellcasters was Level 8. If she broke through to Level 9, she'd be a mid-tier spellcaster!
This one task saved her days, if not weeks, of grinding. If nothing went wrong, and she placed well in the individual and team tournaments for all classes, her level might actually reach 8. With a bit more effort, she could be the first mid-tier professional in all of Eternal Darkness.
But was that the Grand Archon's goal?
Was she holding this selection to produce one or more mid-tier professionals?
Yu Yu mused thoughtfully. After a moment, her gaze involuntarily fell to her wallet.
Gulp.
She was rich. A set of magic ink and paper cost 5 gold. With 156 gold, she could buy thirty-one sets!
…Wait, that didn't seem like much?
She recalled asking—the magic circle charged 20 gold for a third-circle spell.
That was outrageously expensive. By that math, her gold wasn't that much after all?
Spellcasters were just too costly. No wonder the magic circle was so rich, tossing money around like water. How much was a high-tier spellcaster's salary?
How much was a house in Silver Moon?
Yu Yu glanced at the next task, muttering to herself.
[Compete for Spellcaster Group Top 16 Ranking] (Rewards Unknown)
"Senior, how much is your salary?"
Felix, idly holding her staff while waiting for the weaklings to compete, raised an eyebrow. "Why ask?"
Yu Yu blinked. "I want to know if the magic circle has good prospects."
Felix thought, slightly troubled. "It's probably decent. I haven't paid attention."
Yu Yu: "…"
Oh, right. Her senior was probably a rich lady.
Another voice answered, "Subsidy of 250 gold per week for high-tier spellcasters."
Yu Yu looked over in surprise. "Thank you, Senior Meng!"
A weekly salary of 250 gold—that was 1000 a month!
By the game's economy, that was blatantly high pay!
Felix snapped back, nodding seriously. "That sounds like a lot."
Yu Yu got to the point. "Do I get a salary?"
Felix stared at her. "…Probably not?"
Low-tier spellcasters were usually supported by the magic circle, with food, drink, and lodging covered. They typically didn't get salaries until mid-tier, when they could take on responsibilities. But maybe outsiders were different…?
Meng stepped closer, interjecting, "Low-tier spellcasters don't get salaries."
Yu Yu pouted. "Why don't I get one?"
With the magic circle's generosity, shouldn't low-tiers at least get a few coins?
She was missing out on at least one gold!
Meng fell into thought.
Felix fell into thought.
Finally, Felix reacted first. "You can summon your night crow and write your opinion on magic paper. Their address is…"
She started rattling off an address, but Yu Yu slumped. "Fine, if there's none, there's none."
Her tone suggested the magic circle was wicked for withholding wages.
High-tier spellcasters: "…"
Even the Grand Archon paused, wondering if she should symbolically pay low-tier spellcasters a bit.
The magic circle wasn't short on money, after all…
Other players: "???"
Could you do that?
Could they negotiate salaries with NPCs?
Could they demand wages by force?!
Felix recovered first, glancing at her small screen. "Enough. You're up."
"Is your mental energy restored?"
Yu Yu had gained another base attribute point from leveling, plus one she'd saved earlier, bringing her Spirit to 15.
Her mental energy was 225 + 30, totaling 255 points.
The extra 30 came from her necklace.
Shang Wei and the others tactfully stepped forward, lining up behind Yu Yu, awaiting the NPC's teleportation.
Felix tapped her staff, sending them in. "Do your best."
Yu Yu: "I will!"
Other players: "???"
Were they just props?
Why was this NPC so biased?
At least pretend to be fair!
Meng helped Felix with the workload, casually adding, "The higher your rank, the better the rewards. You'd better give it your all."
There were too few low-tier spellcasters—only about a hundred per town—so the matches wrapped up quickly.
As high-tier spellcasters, their seniority was still low. Uncertain of the Grand Archon's intentions, they could only faithfully carry out her orders. What did the Grand Archon want with these outsiders?
Felix felt a mix of confusion and a tiny bit of concern—just a tiny bit.
This was a murky place.
Yu Yu clung to a tree, scanning her surroundings. Damn it, a swamp terrain!
She should've known better than to expect anything from the Grand Archon!
If it was something a human would do, she wouldn't touch it. The ground was shrouded in miasma, the murky water tinged with a faint green, teeming with poisonous insects, snakes, crocodiles, mud, and floating duckweed…
The water reached her ankles. Yu Yu's scalp crawled, and she immediately climbed a tree. Clutching the trunk tightly, she gagged for a moment before strategizing.
She'd considered many terrains—snowy mountains, deserts, even underwater—but she hadn't expected this map. Thick water submerged the ground, with only occasional patches of muddy sand. The surface was cloudy, covered in heavy duckweed, while slimy snakes and insects writhed below, making Yu Yu's scalp tingle.
She absolutely didn't want to set foot on the ground. How could she fight like this?
The other players' reactions were similar, including Qian Qing and Shang Wei, who climbed trees in disgust. They were cautious about the unknown water.
Who knew if the Grand Archon had poisoned it?
Venomous snakes, toxic bugs—if they dropped out because of that, what a loss!
And weren't there mud pits in swamps?
If they got stuck…
Yu Yu could only say, classic Grand Archon. The players inside cursed loudly, and those outside were in an uproar.
The rangers had already competed, while warriors and rogues were still watching. The spellcasters' matches were highly relevant, not just for scouting opponents but also because they might face similar terrain.
A swamp was the kind of terrain that disgusted everyone equally. Even warriors and rogues felt their scalps tingle in sympathy.
Felix instinctively tugged her hood, thoroughly repulsed.
She hoped Yu Yu would win. Spellcasters hated this terrain.
If they encountered it, they'd either blast it flat or fly over.
At that moment, Yu Yu faced a vexing problem.
Good news: She wasn't in a crowd.
Bad news: The nearest opponent was far away. How was she supposed to reach and eliminate them?
After a moment, Yu Yu began chanting.
Water everywhere, huh?
Got it.
Let's all perish together.
[Venom]
I don't know if the swamp is toxic, but I'll poison it first, just in case. The contestants didn't know yet, but everyone outside saw it. The high-tier spellcasters adjusted their hoods, finding this kid's style a bit… peculiar.
Poisoning first? What was that about?
Weren't you afraid of poisoning yourself?
The players were shocked, then ecstatic.
"Ohohoh! Everyone dies together!"
"I love [Yu]'s style! Hahaha!"
"Win? Who cares! Let's play!"
The players' cheers were chaotic, and the high-tier spellcasters' scalps tingled even more.
They scrutinized Yu Yu.
Was this kid a lunatic too?
Of course not.
[Summon Eagle]
[Feather Fall]
Yu Yu floated higher and higher, ever so lightly.
You all die. I watch the show.
Time to test her spell list.
Let's play.
Soon, the other contestants noticed something was off. Curses echoed from all corners of the map. The swamp was disgusting, sure, but whether it was toxic was unclear. Now they could be certain. It was definitely toxic. Only one spellcaster was known for poisoning.
[Yu]
You could lose the team fight, but [Yu] had to die!
Yu Yu flew for a while and spotted a raised hill in the center of the swamp. If she guessed right, this was the Grand Archon's designated final circle.
Tch.
Yu Yu twirled her staff, recovering a bit of mental energy.
[Earth Tremor]
[Earth Tremor]
And another [Earth Tremor]
The other players, unable to fly, were still cursing and trudging through the muck.
Meanwhile, Yu Yu…
She'd collapsed the central island, the only clean ground in the swamp…
Collapsed…
Gone…
High-tier spellcasters: "…"
Grand Archon: "…"
One high-tier spellcaster muttered, "I was wrong. Her spell list isn't classic at all."
"More like bizarre."
"What kind of spells are these? Why would she pick them?"
"Choosing like this early on—does she have a screw loose?"
"Who in their right mind picks Earth Tremor?"
"And Feather Fall…"
[Stone Wall]
[Stone Wall]
[Stone Wall]
Like stacking blocks, Yu Yu built a tall tower.
How tall?
If the Grand Archon hadn't set a height limit, she'd have kept going.
[Animate Rope]
Yu Yu tied a rope around her waist, hanging securely in place.
Aside from refreshing Feather Fall, she had no further costs for now.
With this setup, dominating the terrain and timing…
High-tier spellcasters: "…"
Spectating players: "…"
Felix: "…"
Yu Yu looked down at the battlefield, watching her struggling old rivals slogging through the muck.
I'm in position. Where are you? :,,.