MMORPG: The Elementalist

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Qin Ruo spent the whole afternoon hiding in Killer Bee Valley, endlessly training the four magical techniques of Mana Drain, Compressed Frost Bullet, Frost Barrier, and Darkfrost Shield.

As he had hoped, it was just before six in the evening when Qin Ruo was finally able to raise the skill masteries for Mana Drain and Compressed Frost Bullet to their maximum levels.

He had made substantial progress in all four magical techniques!

Now, whenever Qin Ruo cast Mana Drain at a monster, the MP absorbed in one go—previously in the range of 30-45—had increased to a fixed value of 50 (unless the target did not even have this much MP left)!

The MP received from a single casting of Mana Drain was enough to prolong the duration of Frost Barrier by over thirty seconds! In between castings, no matter how much magic he used—even while throwing out magic scrolls—he never seemed to run out of mana.

Activating his dual defenses no longer forced him to use MP Potions. Although the sustained duration had to be reduced to under twenty seconds, except under the most dire situations, Qin Ruo could effortlessly sustain both spells as long as he needed to.

Compressed Frost Bullet, the only attack spell Qin Ruo had trained to Tier 4 mastery, was also the spell with the best combination of high damage and powerful magical effects.

Magic Damage 40, creates a Frost Aura, which lowers the Movement Speed of nearby targets by 30%; on hit, target slowed by up to 60%; on hit, Frost Bullet may trigger Sudden Explosion, dealing 40-45 Magic Damage to all targets within the effect radius, as well as applying a Laceration effect: 60 damage per second, 15-second duration… 8 MP lost per second, Frozen for 5 seconds.

A max-level Compressed Frost Bullet, along with its secondary Explosion, could result in magic damage as high as 176. Once, it even went over 180 points, when he used it on a Killer Bee under other negative conditions—the average Tier 3 Killer Bee couldn't stand up to a continuous assault of such power.

Sometimes, Qin Ruo would even draw the attention of an entire swarm of Killer Bees at once, enduring their attacks head-on, blasting the entire swarm with a single Compressed Frost Bullet, and then casting Mana Drain while leaving the rest to Xiaoxiao.

Meanwhile, he had raised both Frost Barrier and Darkfrost Shield to Intermediate rank. Here was the skill description for the former (Frost Barrier): lower Physical Damage by 18%, lower Magic Damage by 12%, immunity to all negative conditions, gain 240 Endurance (when attacked, 5% of damage automatically transferred to the Barrier).

The latter (Darkfrost Shield) raised Qin Ruo's Physical and Magical Resistance by 10 points, and Endurance by 150! Attacks dealing over 200 damage could be withstood up to five times, making this spell very effective against magical attacks. Although more easily overwhelmed by physical attacks, if used together with Frost Barrier, it was the Elementalist's ultimate defense!

***

In the course of his training, Qin Ruo occasionally also received some information about the "Solar Eclipse, Entrance to the Graveyard of the Gods" event. This was all thanks to his buddies back at Citadel, each one seeking out the important NPCs in major cities and pestering them non-stop, allowing them to quickly gather scraps of information and scattered details about the coming event.

Because Qin Ruo was mainly focused on his training, it was the easiest for him to take a moment now and again to piece together the information that had been collected, and so it was left to him to figure out the basic idea behind this time's event.

For instance, the specific timing of the eclipse.

Eventually, an anomaly would appear in the day-time sky: as long as one was outdoors, with no cover overhead, they would most assuredly be able to witness the spectacular solar eclipse! That would be the moment when the Graveyard of the Gods opens!

The exact location of the Graveyard of the Gods was not upon the Mythical Continent… rather it was in an extra-dimensional space linked to the Continent.

According to legend, the Graveyard of the Gods had neither a specific entrance nor exit. Rather, it was a world of its own, operated by laws created through the power of the High God.

Gaining entry into the Graveyard of the Gods could only be done during the time of the solar eclipse.

As for the method of entry: three days before the solar eclipse, collect Spirit Orbs dropped by monsters all across the Mythical Continent. During this period, under the influence of the solar eclipse, every monster had a set chance of forming Spirit Orbs upon the moment of their death, regardless of the monster's particular power level.

Any player who accrued ten Spirit Orbs, brought them to the Alchemist Guild, and paid a fee of a hundred gold coins could receive a Teleportation Scroll to the Graveyard of the Gods.

Although entrance to the Graveyard of the Gods was not restricted to players above a minimum level—and who knows what rewards one might find there—for those of modest ability, the likelihood of survival was virtually zero!

***

The Graveyard of the Gods spanned an incredible number of floors!

Exactly how many, not even the NPCs could say for sure, but it was said that the first level was populated with monsters of Intermediate-tier or higher, including some Minibosses, Elite Bosses… there was even a definite chance of encountering an Overlord—or perhaps the legendary wrath of an Ultimate!

In any case, within the Graveyard of the Gods, the opportunities were unlimited, but so were the perils!

The higher you progressed through the Graveyard of the Gods, the tougher the challenges you would face, and the greater the rewards you could discover!

Furthermore, there were also many routes by which one could access the next level, in order to avoid occurrences such as all the players of a faction charging through a single doorway, or a vital passageway becoming obstructed somehow. However, these routes would generally take one through the territory of an Elite Boss or an Overlord, or perhaps a mob of monsters.

***

Moreover, on the subject of the rewards one could expect to find within the Graveyard of the Gods, it was mostly loot from fallen monsters and bosses, or perhaps a treasure hoard they had been guarding.

Upon hearing this, Qin Rou could not help muttering, "What a shameless system! Isn't this too blatantly a high-level area for the stronger players to fight monsters and hunt for equipment?"

Yet following this, he received a rather odd bit of information from Wang Da, apparently from the mouth of an elderly female NPC, explaining a form of reward most players were not very clear about: Divinity.

***

Divinity

A crystalline object which, legends say, could only be obtained at Tier 6. Described by NPCs as approaching the power of gods, upon reaching a certain level, it would automatically be produced within the body of a hero! The shape of a Divinity crystal resembled the hexagonal Mana Core found within monsters, though it was formed naturally within the body of a hero who attained Tier 6, providing a small improvement to their attributes, and granting them the true mark of a Demigod-Tier champion: wings!

Heroes of the Angel Faction would unfurl a set of Angelic Wings!

Champions of the Demon Faction would brandish a pair of Demonic Wings!

Upon the fall of a Demigod-Tier champion, the soul might depart and vanish, but their Divinity would remain.

The last thing that Wang Da had nervously told Qin Ruo was that Divinity could be made use of. As long as one's power level was at least at Tier 5, they could absorb a Divinity crystal. Although their attributes would remain unchanged, they would develop the wings that should be exclusive to Demigod-Tier champions, as well as gaining the ability of Flight.

The Graveyard of the Gods is where the fallen gods reside!

The Eternal War had seen many battles, and often even Demigod- or God-Tier heroes had been unable to avoid defeat. As time went by, no small amount of Divinity had been left behind as a result. Therefore, the Graveyard of the Gods was a destination that many adventurers desperately searched and strove for. For the sake of reclaiming for themselves the lost glory of the powerful heroes of old, not to mention gaining their wings early, every year during the solar eclipse, they would flock to gain entrance into the Graveyard of the Gods.

***

Angelic Wings!

Flight!

After hearing about this, Qin Ruo was unable to calm down for quite a while, imagining himself someday being able to spread a pair of pure white wings of his own, too—soaring like a bird up towards the Sacred Continent, charging in to join the Eternal War!

How amazing would that feel? How awesome would that be?

However, Qin Ruo had not forgotten that last thing Wang Da had told him: treasures such as Divinity would typically be under guard by Spirit-type bosses of Tier 5 or higher. What's more, Divinity was scarcely likely to be found upon the first few floors… and whatever awaited beyond there, it was basically nothing the current players could hope to face.

From Qin Ruo's point of view, during the 'Graveyard of the Gods' event three days from now, the odds of chancing upon some Divinity were roughly the same as winning a million-dollar lottery! Of course, no matter how small the odds, it didn't keep countless people from buying lottery tickets.

What was more…

The solar eclipse would last for a whole three days!

In other words, Qin Ruo had six days to train up his level, while trying his luck at the Graveyard of the Gods. Just one thing… if only this event could take place a little later, so that Little Shadowfox could finish hatching, and then come along with him for this event after rushing up to Tier 4—that would be simply perfect!

Too bad Little Shadowfox still needed another two days' time to hatch, which left hardly any time to train up the wee creature. When it came time to venture into the Graveyard of the Gods… he was worried the little thing would not be able to provide him with much help.

"Ah… if only it could be postponed for a few days." These were Qin Ruo's thoughts as he stood within the vault at Savis Town, gazing at the pet egg he was keeping in storage—and above it, the progress bar indicating how much more time would be needed for it to hatch