Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 77: The Enemy is at the Gates
Gou Fugui and Xiangwang chose the Mage profession because they had played as powerful mages in similar games before.
On the Cain Continent, every level gained grants one Skill Point, but stronger skills require more Skill Points.
He was currently struggling with how to allocate his 15 Skill Points and had to seek advice from the strongest Mage player at the moment, Jigou Frog.
“In this game, the elemental types for Mages can be chosen freely and cannot be changed once selected. Currently, we have Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and Wind. Whether other elements will be added in the future is unknown. Have you chosen your elemental type?”
“Fire, I chose Fire.”
In Gou Fugui and Xiangwang’s opinion, Fire and Lightning elements represent ultimate destruction. Compared to the pure destructive power of Lightning, he preferred the sustained burning effect of Fire.
“Then I’ll explain the differentiation of Mages to you. Mages in this game are currently divided into Legion Mages and Battle Mages. The skill choices will differ based on the direction you choose to go.”
“Battle Mages, as the name suggests, have skills that serve themselves and are suitable for solo combat. Their characteristics are fast casting, low power, low consumption, and high flexibility. For example, Firebolt and Flame Burst are typical Battle Mage skills.”
“Legion Mages are the opposite; their skills serve the team and are suitable for army combat. Their characteristics are long casting times, immense power, and high consumption. They can basically only output while standing still. For example, Blazing Inferno Wall and Sea of Flames Descending are Legion Mage skills.”
“Can I pursue both directions?”
Gou Fugui and Xiangwang asked uncertainly.
“You don’t have enough Skill Points. Trying to take on too much will lead to failure.”
Jigou Frog shrugged. Many players had wanted to pursue dual builds before, but the result was always being stuck in the middle.
He had said what he needed to say. Whether this diligent newcomer would listen was up to him.
“Trying to take on too much will lead to failure. Thank you.”
Gou Fugui and Xiangwang pondered Jigou Frog’s words repeatedly, then their eyes lit up, and with a grand gesture, they put all their Skill Points into Flame Burst.
Instead of having five skills, his skill bar now only had a solitary Flame Burst III.
It would take him a full 8 Skill Points to upgrade to Flame Burst IV on his next level up.
“Explosion is art. Within range, truth prevails.”
“Condense to one point, reach the pinnacle.”
He had an epiphany.
At this moment, an eccentric Mage capable only of Flame Burst was born on the Cain Continent.
Jigou Frog, seeing Gou Fugui’s enlightened expression, nodded with satisfaction. He thought Gou Fugui had taken his advice and chosen to specialize in one path.
Diligent and willing to heed the advice of his seniors, he was a promising talent.
So, he kindly reminded Gou Fugui again:
“By the way, since you’ve chosen the Fire element Mage, which focuses on offense, I’ll tell you how we Mages should act in combat.”
“Warriors currently have two paths as well, but they were created by players, called the Sacrifice Path and the Protection Path.”
“Let’s talk about the Protection Path first. Their main focus is protecting Mage players and Archer players, with skills primarily invested in defense and shields.”
“Next is the Sacrifice Path. Warriors on the Sacrifice Path invest all their points into offense and crowd control, with skills like sliding tackles and leg-chopping blades.”
“They are called the Sacrifice Path because their primary objective in combat is to inflict as much damage as possible on the enemy. These Warrior players will also create opportunities for us Mages who have higher burst damage.”
“If they can’t defeat the enemy, two or three of them will rush forward to grapple the enemy, and then they will give us Mages a command to attack.”
“When they are about to launch a ‘death charge,’ they will shout ‘Ollie Ge’ at the top of their lungs. At this time, we Mages should pay attention. Once they shout commands like ‘Fire at me’ or ‘Strike me, my teammates,’ you should not hesitate to throw your spells at them.”
Gou Fugui: “…”
Winter City.
After the diligent efforts of Xi Wei and Loli before bedtime, one hundred more Crusaders were added to the city walls.
Winter City’s walls were long, and if players chose to attack from multiple directions, problems were prone to arise. Therefore, in addition to the 1100 Crusaders and 500 Sharpshooters, there were over a thousand veterans who had participated in the Iron Mine Campaign, and three hundred Sword Shield Soldiers.
To preserve these veterans as much as possible, Xi Wei had used almost all his remaining armor to equip them.
As for the Crusaders, at this point, their deaths were not a concern, as they could be recreated. These militiamen with families were truly gone if they died.
If they were gone, who would farm for Xi Wei? Who would engage in production? These were all able-bodied men from nearby villages and towns, and system soldiers couldn’t farm or raise pigs.
In the future, once there were enough system soldiers, Xi Wei would definitely replace all the militiamen and send system soldiers to the battlefield. These militiamen would primarily serve as the city’s security and patrol teams.
Just as Xi Wei was putting on his armor with Loli’s service and eating breakfast, a castle guard rushed to him with an anxious expression, kneeling on one knee and saluting.
“My Lord, the group of Foreigner Legion you mentioned has appeared. They are currently less than a kilometer away from Winter City.”
Oh ho, the players are here, and quite quickly.
Xi Wei was surprised by the news. He had expected the players to arrive around noon.
How eager they were to utterly destroy him.
Was it still possible to wake the Saintess and ask her to explain to the players?
However, whether the Saintess could successfully navigate the situation was still a question.
Xi Wei had gone to see Ruo Yi again that morning and found that her expression had eased considerably, but she still showed no signs of waking up.
If she didn’t wake up soon, even if Xi Wei and Loli sustained her, her body wouldn’t last much longer, as life energy could not replace the nutrition from food.
“Loli, let’s go to the city walls together.”
Saying so, Xi Wei pulled the obedient Little Maid and followed the guard who was leading the way.
Xi Wei dared not be careless in a battle of this magnitude, involving nearly ten thousand people. Although as a Sky Knight player he was immune to penetration, quantity could lead to quality. If thousands of Fireballs struck him, his protective Qi would be quickly depleted.
Knights were never invincible. Once their Qi was exhausted, they were just flesh and blood, not made of iron.
In this defensive battle, Xi Wei would definitely go to “harvest” the players’ leeks, as there was a system mission for it. However, he could not charge into the player masses without thinking.
On the city walls, the militiamen and Sword Shield Soldiers appeared somewhat nervous. The vast, dark expanse of the Foreigner Legion, drifting on the ground like a dark cloud, was quite awe-inspiring.
They had not seen much of the world, and this was their first time participating in a battle of this scale.
In contrast, the system-produced Crusaders and Sharpshooters remained indifferent and unresponsive. They stood silently at the edge of the city wall, motionless, as if the players swarming outside Winter City were just a patch of leeks waiting to be harvested.
From a distance, aided by the Sky Knight’s superhuman hearing amplified by Qi, Xi Wei could already hear some players’ curses:
“Damn it, who dug such a devious trap? The pit is deep enough, and there are over a dozen poisonous snakes inside!”
“Stop talking… *gulp*… *gag*! Mine… mine is a cesspool, *glug glug*…”
