《In the gods》, starting at level 10, players can learn one additional skill every five levels. They can spend money to learn basic skills from a class mentor, or learn skills from obtained scrolls.
Scroll skills are more flexible and varied, and can sometimes produce unexpected effects.
However, scrolls have an extremely low drop rate and are precious, making them luxuries ordinary players cannot afford.
Most players can only go to a class mentor to purchase basic skills.
This trip yielded a rich harvest, and Nangong Wen hummed a little tune all the way back.
They had expected to reach level 15 at most, but after killing an Elite Monster above their level, both jumped two levels.
Even professional Gold-Farming Players from a Gaming Studio probably could not match this leveling speed!
On the way, Nangong Wen contacted the people from Tulip Studio, arranged a meeting place, and prepared to take Xia Miao to meet them.
“Wait here after learning your skill. I’ll go learn a skill too, then come back for you.” After entering the main city, Nangong Wen gave this instruction before leaving.
Xia Miao walked at an unhurried pace toward the Knight Instructor.
“Selling two level-10 blue-grade equipment materials for 1 gold coin!”
“Buying berserk wild boar hearts, 1 silver coin each! Large quantities preferred!”
“Complete level-10 common-grade equipment set! Come take a look!”
“Recruiting a powerful priest to form a party and farm monsters! 10 silver coins per hour!”
…
The shouts along the roadside rose and fell without end. Xia Miao kept glancing over as she looked around with curiosity.
No one could yet afford a shop in the Main City, so players had set up stalls all along the roads, giving the place the feel of a bustling market.
Xia Miao glanced at the stall filled with Common-Grade Equipment. The player had not exaggerated: every slot was represented, but 30 Silver Coins for a single piece was far too expensive!
Equipment in the Gods was broadly divided into two categories: Protective Gear and Accessories.
Protective gear consisted of five pieces: a hat, clothes, handguards, legwear, and shoes.
Accessories consisted of three pieces: a necklace, ring, and bracelet.
Players could take ordinary materials dropped by monsters to the Blacksmith Shop and pay to have them crafted. The process would almost certainly produce a random piece of Common-Grade Equipment from the Protective Gear category, while the chance of producing Accessories was extremely low.
That made Common-Grade Equipment from the Accessories category extraordinarily expensive.
As a result, players gradually took up a form of gambling for Accessories.
Players spent money to collect ordinary materials and have the Blacksmith Shop craft Common-Grade Equipment. If Accessories appeared, they could make a huge profit. Even without them, they could sell the ordinary Equipment at a stall and recover some of their costs.
This player had clearly lost the gamble for Accessories. The ground was covered in Common-Grade Protective Gear, but not a single piece of Accessories had appeared.
Of course, the player might have produced Accessories and already sold them. After all, Accessories were so scarce that, as long as the price was not outrageous, a wealthy fool would always pay for a few extra Attributes. There was no way to know.
As Xia Miao looked around, she felt as though she were strolling through a flower-and-bird market.
Then Xia Miao remembered that she still had to learn a Skill and wait for Nangong Wen.
However, after Xia Miao swept her gaze around, blinking repeatedly, she stood blankly in place.
She seemed to be… lost…
At that moment, starlight splendor was passing by the stalls of various players. He was in charge of recruitment at Starlight Studio.
Although Starlight Studio’s reputation was already extremely prominent, the competition was equally fierce. starlight splendor had no choice but to go out with his colleagues. While player levels were still low and some highly promising players had yet to stand out, they relied on their discerning eyes to discover and sign them.
They were much like Talent Scouts, except they sought future gaming experts rather than celebrities.
starlight splendor was not slacking off by wandering around the Main City. The city had the greatest player traffic.
By examining the items players displayed at their stalls, starlight splendor could gather useful information and perhaps find a promising target.
Just as starlight splendor was looking around, observing the players at the roadside stalls for any noteworthy prospects…
A bewildered figure, looking from side to side, approached from the opposite direction.
Between them, four eyes failed to notice each other.
Thud!
The two collided head-on. It was not a heavy impact, but it startled them both.
“Watch where you’re going, brother!” starlight splendor said with a slight frown, sounding displeased.
“Uh, sorry.” Xia Miao replied and turned to leave. She had not even seen who stood in front of her.
Though even if she had seen him clearly, she might not have recognized him.
starlight splendor had seen Xia Miao clearly, however, and found her strangely familiar, as though he had seen her somewhere before.
The two brushed past each other. Xia Miao kept running around in a daze, while starlight splendor looked back once, then twice, then a third time.
Wasn’t this one of the two girls from yesterday?
What a pity. She was not the Mage, but the Slacker Girl who had been carried along while leeching experience.
starlight splendor suddenly remembered. He turned back one last time to glance at Xia Miao, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes, and checked Xia Miao’s information as well.
Name: Shrimp Sprout
Level: 17
Class: knight
Huh?
Wait…
When starlight splendor saw Xia Miao’s level, he froze. He rubbed his eyes before confirming that he had read it correctly.
Holy crap! Level 17!
starlight splendor was shocked.
Yesterday, Xia Miao had been only level 5. How had she reached level 17 in one day?
It was only the afternoon of the second day after the server opened. Even players who had farmed experience since launch could mostly reach only levels 14 or 15.
Of course, starlight splendor had seen level-17 players before. But what kind of people were they?
They were experts primarily nurtured by a Guild, first-line professional Gold-Farming Players from a major Gaming Studio, or veteran players who had dominated the gaming world for years.
They possessed either vast resources or abundant experience.
Finding someone like this while wandering through the Main City left starlight splendor struggling to believe his eyes.
What shocked starlight splendor more was this: if someone could bring a pure leech like her to level 17, how formidable was the female Mage who had carried her?
Her monster-farming efficiency was heaven-defying!
starlight splendor regretted not offering more yesterday to recruit that female Mage.
But now that he had found this one, perhaps there was still a chance!
With that thought, starlight splendor turned and chased after Xia Miao.
“Please wait! Miss, please wait!” After crossing the distance in a few strides, starlight splendor blocked Xia Miao’s path and looked at her brightly. “Miss, are you alone? Where is the friend who was with you yesterday?”
“Huh? Who?”
Xia Miao blinked and stared strangely at the person in front of her.
Hadn’t she only bumped into him by accident? Why had he come running over to extort her?
“The female Mage who farmed monsters with you yesterday. Her name was Wen Wu Shuangquan, and I even added her as a friend.” starlight splendor gestured, trying to jog Xia Miao’s memory of yesterday.
“Oh!”
Xia Miao understood. “You mean her? She went to learn a Skill.”
Learn a Skill? She had to be at least level 15! He had not been mistaken!
At this, starlight splendor grew excited—until Xia Miao tilted her head and looked at him with indifference.
“So who are you?”
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