Game’s Dogma

​​​​​​​Perhaps even Drako Yau himself hadn’t realised that what he had granted Sasaki was not just a simple encounter quest. It was a hidden class change.

As the merciless claws flew towards him, Sasaki’s right palm still rested lightly on the hilt of his katana, but his body suddenly dashed backwards by several metres.

Drifting Step, Level 5 skill. Puts a set distance between the player and the enemy.

Drifting Step had short casting time and cooldown, and Sasaki had long since gotten used to the skill. The moment he drew some distance from the enemy, his sturdy right hand flickered. Three argent lines flashed through the air. The sword had already returned to its sheath the next moment, and three numbers that indicated the damage dealt appeared above the elite wolf tribe warrior.

Triple Slash, Level 5 skill.

Certainly, the skill was named Triple Slash for a reason, but the slashes were unbelievably quick. Even Drako Yau who observed from the walls dropped his jaws.

Since when did the kid become so strong? It’s just been days!

However, even he could tell that while Sasaki had gotten a lot stronger, it was not on the level that he could single-handedly deal with the wolf tribe warrior—Sasaki’s level was too low.

Many skills only unlocked at levels which were multiples of 5, such as Level 5, 10, and 15. It just so happened that Sasaki was currently Level 9; the powerful skills were barely beyond his reach. It was asking for the impossible when Sasaki didn’t even have the necessary skillset, not to mention the reduced damage dealt due to their difference in levels.

If Drako Yau was in the same situation, without Spear Mastery and Might, it would be hard-pressed for him to defeat the elite wolf tribe warrior, let alone Sasaki who was weaker than him. Sasaki’s swordplay had improved vastly, but it still had a long way to go before it could reach the level of Drako Yau’s spearmanship which had been honed through torture and hellish training.

Although it was difficult for Sasaki to win, the same went for his enemy. Sasaki’s plan was simple. He was stalling for time. He would hold out until Zephyrwolf defeated the gigantic beastman, then gang up on the elite wolf tribe warrior together.

Sensing Sasaki’s intent, Zephyrwolf went all out. In a sense, the giant beastman was somewhat similar to the demon wolf king back in the Demon Wolf Cave. It had extraordinarily high attack, but it was lacking when it came to technique and speed. The trait was particularly prominent for the giant beastman who could instantly kill Zephyrwolf at full health with a critical hit.

The game really went overboard with its attack. In contrast to its power, its attack speed was rather slow. Having learnt his lesson, Zephyrwolf no longer underestimated his enemy and engaged it carefully with the demon wolf king. He wasn’t dishing out as much damage as he did in the previous encounter, but he was damaging it more steadily this time.

Meanwhile, the giant beastman who kept missing its attacks was getting furious. The beastman who had been attacking in vain the entire time suddenly roared. Its massive spike mace glowed red, with which it swung at Zephyrwolf. Aghast, Zephyrwolf quickly ducked backwards.

The spiked mace dashed past him and slammed heavily into the ground, sending a shockwave forwards. Having just landed, Zephyrwolf was struck by the shockwave, and a large chunk of his health evaporated in an instant. Seeing such, the beastman roared again and charged at Zephyrwolf who was still struggling to get back onto his feet from the tremor.

‘Demon wolf, Swift Lunge!’ Zephyrwolf quickly gave the command. The demon wolf king disappeared and rematerialised above the giant beastman, forcing it to the ground.

Zephyrwolf didn’t have the leisure to care about anything else. He leapt back up and surrounded himself in fiery red flames.

Dancing Flames!

With his attributes buffed, Zephyrwolf held Night’s Venator and hacked at the giant beastman together with the demon wolf king. Countless strikes rained upon it like a rainstorm.

Things were different this time. In their first encounter, Zephyrwolf had been hasty and had quickly used up all his skills, which greatly weakened him in the latter half of the fight. Added with his carelessness, the giant beastman could easily finish him off. This time, Zephyrwolf learnt from his previous failure and decided to go with a safer strategy.

By the time the giant beastman went haywire, it had already lost half its health. Zephyrwolf chose to burn through his skills right after the demon wolf king used its pinning skill, finishing off the giant beastman.

It grumbled and slumped onto the ground. The army of beastmen were at a loss for what to do. The next moment, they all turned on their heels and ran away, leaving behind the wolves to fend for themselves.

Drako Yau spotted the scene and spoke through the private chat room between the three of them. ‘Tell everyone to go all out and kill the wolves, the duel doesn’t matter now. Zephyrwolf and Soulsmith, go and help Sasaki kill that big wolf right away.’

Hades nodded and admired his decisiveness. The wolves were more like scouts and skirmishers, and they were not suited for direct confrontations. Speed was their ally, not strength.

After the beastmen were routed, the shield that held off the enemy for the wolves was gone, revealing the relatively frail monsters. The players had no reason to fear them. It was also a great opportunity for them to accumulate combat experience and Merit. They weren’t sure what Merit could be used for, but there was no harm in collecting it anyways.

On the battlefield, Sasaki let out a sigh after receiving Zephyrwolf’s support. At his current level, while it wasn’t too difficult for him to defeat regular Level 15 monsters, a boss was forcing it a little.

While Zephyrwolf and Sasaki were engaging the elite wolf tribe warrior, the other wolves that had been idling nearby gritted their teeth and sprung into action. They were agile, but without any beastmen providing cover for them, their low defence and health were fatal weaknesses. They no longer held any advantage when directly confronting the players. Soon enough, they fell one after another.

Right when the elite wolf tribe warrior died, the remaining wolves also fell back and retreated. The players cheered as the system announced their victory.

‘Successfully defended against the second wave. The third wave will begin in 15 minutes.’

Zephyrwolf dragged Sasaki back to the city while saying, ‘Hey kiddo, you’re not bad aren’t ya? It’ll take a while for you to catch up to me, but you’re doing fine! Keep it up alright? Haha!’

Sasaki glared at Zephyrwolf with cold eyes. His impression of Zephyrwolf was by no means a favourable one. Isn’t he the one who unscrupulously killed me just for my sword?

Guessing what Sasaki was thinking, Zephyrwolf chortled again. ‘Kid, don’t hold it against me, ’kay? I’ve changed my ways since. How ’bout this, if you’re still pissed off, I’ll let you kill me once after the siege is over. That good?’

Enlightened by Drako Yau, Zephyrwolf had since undergone massive changes. He was not an evil person by nature; it was the harsh reality and the huge pressure on him in life that had twisted his personality slightly. There weren’t any laws in games, which was why he did whatever he wanted while playing popular titles in the past.