Chapter 14: Dark Master
Before Lixiang had even stepped back into the church, he saw Priest Draenei looking at him with a broad smile. The gaze he cast was filled with clear and unmistakable satisfaction.
It brought back memories of when he had placed first in the provincial science exams. His principal and homeroom teacher had worn that exact same look—followed immediately by a cash reward of three thousand yuan.
True to form, the teacher didn't make him study; instead, he ushered Lixiang straight into a small room and told him to pray devoutly to the God of Light.
The room wasn't very large, but it was exceptionally luxurious. The floor was paved with priceless obsidian, and the walls were covered in rare pearl plaster. At the center stood a statue of the God of Light and an Angel, both crafted entirely from solid gold and diamonds.
Even someone as ungreedy as Lixiang felt a strong urge to stuff both statues into his inventory, carry them off, and sell them.
*Well, if it's prayer you want, prayer you shall get.* Lixiang sat cross-legged on the floor, pulled out his *Path of Light*, and started reading. As far as he was concerned, spending time reading was far more productive than praying.
Time slipped away bit by bit, and reading was always the fastest way to make it pass.
Eight hours later, the previously serene statue of the God of Light suddenly erupted with a blinding white light that punched a massive hole right through the roof of the church.
Players out in the wilderness and inside Sun City alike watched as the colossal pillar of white light surged into the sky, forming a gigantic white humanoid figure.
At the same time, a deafening chorus of grand chants, scripture recitations, prayers, and vow-fulfillment echoes reverberated between heaven and earth.
The Pope wore a peculiar expression as he looked out the window. "It isn't a Light Bringer statue after all... though this is fine too!"
Countless statues across the entire continent trembled as if responding to a summons. It took a full three minutes for them to settle down again.
"Could one of the Ten Supremes have appeared once more? Someone, investigate this at once!" Inside the Lone Moon Imperial Palace.
"Hmph, so it belongs to the God of Light. It seems we must make preparations early as well." A mysterious figure, entirely cloaked in black robes, lifted his head to gaze at the distant horizon.
Tens of thousands of fathoms underground, a kneeling skeleton wrapped in rusted iron chains also twitched in resonance. Strangely, sprouting from the back of this humanoid skeleton were four pairs of massive, blade-like bone wings—one black, one white—folded against its sides.
Meanwhile, Lixiang was dumbstruck. His jaw hung open as he stared in front of him at a massive sphere of light, feeling much like someone who had just spotted a flying saucer inside their own living room.
An indescribable, magnificent radiance erupted from around the statue of the God of Light, combining the brilliant sparkle of starlight with the majestic splendor of daylight. The light gradually coalesced in midair, forming a dazzling crown that inspired instant awe just by looking at it. The moment one laid eyes upon it, the crown conveyed a simultaneous sense of imperial majesty and a hermit's effortless detachment. It simply hovered there in the air, creating the illusion of standing upon the Tibetan plateau and gazing out at majestic, solemn snow-capped peaks!
Whoosh! Before Lixiang could recover from the majesty of the brilliant crown, it flew toward him on its own and slowly merged directly into his head.
"Ding! Player Heartless Parting has obtained the Ten Supremes title: Dark Master!"
"There are those in this world who walk the edge of darkness, capable of leveraging every possible advantage to assault their enemies. They possess formidable offensive power coupled with the full force of all light; one might say they have reached the very peak of evolutionary perfection. They can rapidly alter their own capabilities, challenging the limits of the flesh to become stronger or more agile, adept at absorbing damage or crushing foes with terrifying mental force. By regulating the balance of their body's attributes, they can further augment the various skills granted by their multiple bloodlines. Yet their truly unique trait lies in the ability to purify energy before use, drastically reducing the resource consumption required to cast skills. Such are the mighty who walk the borderlands of dark and light: the Dark Masters!"
Current status: Dark Master (early stage). Summoning each follower costs 100,000 gold coins and 10 skill points, while permanently deducting 1 from all attributes [permanently deducted; these will not be refunded even if the follower dies!].
Available skills to learn:
Skill 1: Undead Outcry (Passive, The Stronger the Foe, the Stronger You Are). Unsuited for frontal combat, the Dark Master can likewise erupt with extraordinary power during perilous situations. When stamina drops below 30%, damage taken is reduced by 30%, the effectiveness of any healing received is increased by 50%, and the damage of skills requiring the caster's mental energy is increased by 15%!
Skill 2: Wisdom (Passive). The Dark Master possesses a formidable grasp of the human heart; therefore, the total evaluated strength cap for a Dark Master's followers is increased by 50%!
Skill 3: Dark Master Halo (Active). Possessing a high degree of stealth, targets affected by this skill will have their defense and resistance forcibly reduced by 90% for 10 seconds. Can only be cast 1 to 3 times per quest, depending on the quest's difficulty. Once cast, all of the caster's skills [including equipment skills] will enter a cooldown period lasting up to 30 seconds.
Note: Because the Dark Master is currently in the early stage, this skill cannot be used against players, and targets will only have their defense and resistance forcibly reduced by 50% for 10 seconds!
*How formidable.* Leaving aside the two passive skills, this Dark Master Halo alone was enough for him to dominate the game. Of course, this was only the early stage; beneath the middle stage lay a whole string of question marks.
"It's just that the number of uses is a bit low," Lixiang thought with a touch of dissatisfaction. But seeing that the room had returned to a calm state, he immediately headed toward the exit.
Outside the door, Priest Draenei watched Lixiang walk out with undisguised excitement and hurriedly asked, "Did it succeed?"
A warm feeling stirred in Lixiang's chest as he realized for the first time that the game's non-player characters possessed flesh and blood, making them no different from real people. He nodded immediately and said with a smile, "The title is Dark Master!"
"Dark Master?" Draenei had truly never heard of such a class, but figured it was likely a supportive combat title much like the Light Bringer. He asked no further; obtaining a title was proof enough that Lixiang had successfully passed the trial.
If any other player had been subjected to that trial, success would have been far from certain. Being cooped up alone in a room with no idea when it would end, nor what the reward might be—most people would consider themselves lucky just to chat with someone or log off.
Sitting down directly on the floor to read and doing so continuously for eight hours, the way Lixiang had done, was simply unheard of in the game.
"Heartless Parting, now that you have obtained a title, you must shoulder your responsibilities. Your current skills are still insufficient; you must go out to fight. Only through combat can you truly grow," Draenei said gently.
Lixiang, who had already walked over to the bookshelf, had no choice but to turn back around and prepare to head downstairs.
Just then, Draenei—who had been muttering "Dark Master" under his breath—suddenly brightened and said to Lixiang, "Don't waste time going downstairs to study. I happen to have two combat skill scrolls left behind by a previous bishop. Take them and learn them."
Draenei carefully rummaged back and forth around the room until he finally fished out two yellowed, dust-covered skill scrolls spotted with mildew from beneath his bed.
"Uh! Teacher, are you certain these scrolls can still be used as skill books?" Lixiang clearly spotted a jagged hole right through one of them, the shape of which strongly suggested it had been chewed on by a rat.
"I should think so." Draenei's face flushed slightly, but the next moment he adopted a righteous tone. "Do not look down on these two scrolls. Back in the day, our priesthood produced a true genius—the current Pope's own younger brother. He single-handedly pioneered the branch of Shadow Priests. Their formidable combat techniques could rival even those simple-minded warriors."
"Then why are there no Shadow Priests today?"
Draenei let out a sigh. With boundless reverence and nostalgia in his voice, he said, "The War of Demon Sealing. Lord Larda perished together with the Behemoth among the Ten Supremes!"
Lixiang nodded, though he remained unaware that his deeply respected teacher Draenei had massaged the details slightly in the name of the honor of light. To be entirely accurate, after the Dark Faction's Behemoth had slain the Light Faction's Light Bringer, he had instantly obliterated the peerless genius Shadow Priest Larda as well!
Seeing how intently Lixiang was listening, Draenei took the time to carefully relate a few legends concerning the Ten Supremes. The title obtained by each successive generation of the Ten Supremes differed.
For instance, the original Light Bringer now rested in Lixiang's hands as the Dark Master. At the same time, Lixiang learned of the Behemoth's attributes, which seemed several times more formidable than his own Dark Master!
Behemoth: The Behemoth generates rage through damage dealt to enemies or damage sustained from them. The more rage accumulated, the greater the destructive power of its attacks. The absolute taboo when fighting a Behemoth is to drag out a protracted battle; once its rage is fully converted into a lethal eruption of offensive power, the resulting damage is likely to be terrifyingly catastrophic.