Game’s Dogma

‘So everyone can exchange different items. At least I don’t see your items on my list’, Hades said. Immediately afterwards, he also had a good look at the list and soon posted an item in their private channel.

‘Diabolos’ Horn: It is said to be reforged from the fragments of a legendary Diabolos’ horn. When equipped, the player will radiate a terrifying demonic aura and keep others away.’

Hades immediately equipped the palm-sized, slightly curved horn. The moment he wore it, his body gave off black mist as though he was truly a Diabolos.

Satisfied, he nodded and said, ‘Quite cool, not bad at all. It’s definitely worth the 15,000 Merit.’

However, Zephyrwolf was holding his stomach as he laughed without restraint. ‘You’re literally getting roasted aren’t you! Ahahaha! Hey, you’re smoking! Someone put out the fire, kay?’ His exaggerated expressions pissed Hades off, and the two started firing insults at each other again. The two caught the attention of other nearby players, who sent them odd glances.

Meanwhile, Drako Yau and Sasaki stayed out of the fight. It would be a miracle if Hades and Zephyrwolf could pass a day together without quarrelling anyways.

After a short dialogue with the Quartermaster, a list showed itself before Drako Yau’s yes. The number ‘37,000’ was highlighted at the very top.

This… This game is really extraordinary…

Unlike Zephyrwolf and Hades who engaged the enemy right from the first wave, he simply observed from the sidelines and only made a move on the fourth wave. Yet his Merit was higher than both of them combined. It appeared that the reason why Hades had higher Merit than Zephyrwolf was also due to his commanding skills and use of tactics.

As for himself, he had been overlooking the entire city’s defences from the first wave. He also slew the ravon commander, gained reinforcements from the Castellan, and took a hit from the purple man on the fourth wave.

Drako Yau shook his head. He would only get a headache if he treated this ‘game’ as an actual game.

‘Speed charm. Increases movement speed by 15 per cent for 1 hour. Cost: 100 Merit.’

‘Strength charm…’

There were all sorts of items that gave temporary buffs. There were also variants which lasted for three hours and gave a 30 per cent buff, but those cost 1,000 Merit. Drako Yau barely gave those a glimpse before moving on to the lower section of the list.

‘Dragon Throne: The seat of emperors in the past. Sitting on the throne is a symbol of dignity and majesty, and it gives off an aura which stuns thieves. Cost: 18,000 Merit.’

‘Imperial Jade Seal: An item used to prove the identity of emperors in the past. A dragon symbol will be visible whenever the player sends a message in any chat channel. Cost: 23,000 Merit.’

‘Wo’s Jade Disc: A well-known uncut disc of jade of the past used for rituals to honour the gods of skies and seas. When equipped, the player will give off a verdant aura which is the symbol of destiny’s favour and the gods’ chosen. Cost: 30,000 Merit.’

[Note: Wo’s Jade Disc is a piece of well-known jade throughout the history of ancient China. It was passed down as the imperial jade seal during various dynasties over  the span of a thousand years. Various idioms are said to have originated from stories about the jade disc as well.]

Drako Yau was speechless. I can’t get anything practical with Merit, can I!

Zephyrwolf’s Holy Wolfrider Saddle had no use at all apart from ensuring that he wouldn’t fall off the demon wolf king. The same went for Sasaki’s item which was just a sheath without any attacking power. Its only effect was to shield the sheathed weapon from weapon inspection skills. But did such skills exist? At least Drako Yau had never heard of them. Hades’ item was the worst of all—it was just a trashy cosmetic item which had a cool effect.

In other words, Merit could only be exchanged for cosmetic items. Perhaps players who were obsessed with appearance and just had to look cool even in a game would find this useful. For Drako Yau who valued practicality, it was utter garbage.

Why would he need the Dragon Throne? So he could suddenly grab a chair from his inventory in the middle of a fight, sit on it, then say with a serious look, ‘Go, this emperor spares your life!’? Hell, it could even stun thieves.

The Imperial Jade Seal was also an intriguing item which didn’t make much sense. While he refrained from speaking when wearing the Mask of the Hidden Dragon to hide his voice and used speech bubbles instead, adding a dragon symbol behind every message was just… a bit too much. 

As for Wo’s Jade Disc, he had read plenty of stories about it. However, he wore the mask to keep a low profile. How could he lay low when his body gave off green smoke?

Every other player would surely think that all three items were cool as hell, but they were trash in Drako Yau’s eyes. However, if he sold any of the three through the trade centre, it would fetch at least six digits worth of real life currency; there were simply too many players who valued appearance.

‘Travelling Palace: A portable structure used by emperors of the past when they go on inconspicuous tours. When someone gets close to the Travelling Palace, it will alert and wake up people within the palace. It has a defence system which can withstand 10 attacks regardless of damage dealt. A permanent item with no time limit and unlimited uses. Cost: 35,000 Merit.’

Drako Yau clasped his hands. This is it!

No one would have chosen the Travelling Palace, because there simply wasn’t a need for it when players could simply log off and sleep in real life. Tents? Alert system? Defence system? There wasn’t anything safer than logging off when it literally made the character disappear.

For Drako Yau though, it was a gem—even more so than Moon Gazer, the second-most powerful weapon in the entire game which he still couldn’t equip right now. His greatest fear thus far was situations which he was forced to pass the night in the wilderness and getting attacked while resting. Now that he had the Travelling Palace, he could finally rest at ease while saving the costs of renting a room in the city. Not that such a small amount of gold bothered him anyways.

Zephyrwolf and Hades shot glances at one another upon learning what Drako Yau had exchanged.

‘Although everything’s just for the looks and don’t have much use, you didn’t have to pick such a useless item… Might as well get something that looks cool, no?’

Drako Yau chose to stay silent. After all, who could understand the situation he was in when it was just a game for everyone else?

The hectic day had squeezed every last bit of strength within him, so he immediately headed for the inn after tying up some loose ends with Hades and Zephyrwolf. Most players had also logged off already after the event, while those who remained were mostly just bantering on the forums. No one really had the mood to farm levels anyways. Especially after such a long, hard battle with so many terrifying monsters.

Returning from his dreams, Drako Yau was ready for the new day. He also sensed that his body had grown tougher overnight, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. Perhaps it was the breakthrough of life and death after surviving the purple man’s strike which should have killed him.

He took out his phone to find that it was flooded with all sorts of information. A message from Hades was particularly important—Hades found the person he had been looking for.