Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 775 - 716: First Experience of a Profession
To provide Dream Elves with a firsthand experience of different professions’ commitment levels, Lyle retained some of the most basic training characteristics of those professions, turning them into skill quests for leveling up the professional tiers. Professionals need to continuously train to improve their occupational proficiency and unlock higher-level special abilities and additional attributes. This proficiency can be increased by hunting nightmares, but according to the trainers, pursuing characteristic tasks will yield faster improvements. The premise, of course, is that these Dream Elves could perfectly complete these trainings they had never encountered before.
Locating the special buildings where the professional trainers’ NPCs were located was not difficult; in Blue Dragon’s planning, they were far from monster dens, so players could safely reach their destinations with little effort. In less than a day, every Dreamland player found their preferred professional mentor.
The vocational transition rituals were each unique, and every new professional player was very satisfied with their experiences.
"I’ve completed the ritual of the Holy Light Baptism! Angels and radiance surrounded me, and the holy songs echoed in my ears, Holy Heaven was right before my eyes... You can’t imagine, the venerable nun led us to worship the Gatekeeper Angel, a powerful presence stationed at the dungeon entrance. I believe the path of the Holy Light is broad and bright," said one player, still in awe.
"Defender Knight! The First Knight took me to meet the Royal City Queen, a majestic and noble Her Majesty. I don’t mean to belittle Queen Tiffany, but, oh my queen, Lady Lina’s visage is like another moon hanging in the sky, and I now understand why the First Knight always keeps ’Long Live the Queen’ on his lips. I was knighted under her majesty, and I joined the glorious Knights!" exclaimed an elf in novice armor, holding a booklet full of praises for a certain queen. The Dreya Butler Knight Order seemed to have developed a new member.
"Ha, the Berserker’s mentor is the ancient human king, a band of giants who see us as kin. We hunt together, feast together on the prey, and you... now seem too weak in comparison. Strength and fury, glory to the offspring of the Black Dragon," boasted another, his pride evident in his tone.
Hunters and their beast companions watched from afar, with elves thoroughly enjoying the envious stares of their companions from other professions as they leisurely groomed their enormous cats, bragging about their adventures in the Levithian Forest.
"The stealth training camp is not far from the forest, but those shadows sneaking around are not our buddies, they’re truly... quite detestable," one hunter mentioned with a hint of contempt.
An icy voice then appeared behind the hunter. Kaylo the Blade, hooded and clad in light leather armor with two grotesquely shaped short swords hanging down, elicited a low growl from the war beasts.
"You’re speaking ill of the Brotherhood, don’t be nervous, child. We won’t cut out your tongue for such a slight disparagement. But let me remind you, wherever there is a shadow, we are there. We can hear, and we can act," he said, his voice full of menace.
Kaylo the Blade once again vanished into the shadows, leaving the shivering players behind. His whispers faded into the chill air like a breeze.
"Where are Charles and Doludo? It’s time to settle old scores. Let those self-righteous fools feel the terror of the assassins. We are the Eye of the Queen, oh no, now called the Queen’s Blade. Brothers, for the glory of the Lady of Nature, wield your blades and teach the Elders’ Council a lesson. First, find them." Some players, having acquired new skills, were eager to engage in PvP mode. Lyle didn’t restrain the players’ attacks on each other much, and if not teamed up, all attacks were valid. This was a Dream Elf’s customary habit for exploring dreams, so real peace was maintained only by their own morals.
"What about the Arcanists? Those Spellcasters commanding the elements from afar, how odd that they aren’t showing off everywhere?" The players searched for the long-robed figures to no avail. Looking up, the Silver Tower was clearly visible from any corner of Dreamland.
All Arcanist players were at that moment seated in the tower, writing furiously. It wasn’t that they lacked the capital to boast, nor the desire, but they were unable to, as the daily training tasks for Arcanists could leave them frazzled, lying in the Mage Tower like salted fish after completing the training, needing to take three deep breaths before being able to stand for the test combat of their newly learned abilities.
Arcanists had three branches: Element Shaper, Teleportation Gate Mage, and Magic Destroyer, all under the same vocational mentor. As the most popular mainstream faction, the scholarly gentleman’s dream replica, the old mage was more than capable of educating these new students.
Knowledge is power, and being a mage means solving more problems! The training tasks for Arcanists were pretty straightforward: study, solve problems, take exams, and repeat. Whether Druid Elders or Druid Apprentices, they barely understood the magic system taught by the King of Magic, and this profoundly traditional subject could drain the life out of them. All elves struggled in a sea of problems, wanting to cry but lacking the tears to shed.
"Thinking of giving up? Alright, just walk out of my Mage Tower, turn left, and go a hundred meters..." the old mage’s image said to his students, "You can certainly slay a hundred monsters outdoors, which would be just as effective as thirty minutes of practice with me. Don’t worry, my dull apprentices, even brainless zombies can become great mages one day, and so can you numbskulls." A new hierarchy of contempt emerged among Arcanists, where those who didn’t study were at the bottom.
Those Druid Apprentices dreaming of summoning storms and calling down lightning tried to avoid their own mentor, instead choosing to serve under the strictest magic professor, Mr. Scholar, turning into pitiful creatures studying while awake and dreaming.
During a break from class, the old mage heard the wailings of the new apprentices and his transparent mirror image rolled its eyes.
"To think that I would directly teach you magic and turn you into legendary archmages, you descendants of Irasong are truly... dreamers. Only the knowledge gained through your own efforts is the real power that belongs to you, do you understand? Only through incessant study and exploration will you become strong," the Blue Dragon Chris trembled all over but still gave a nod of approval.
The old mage’s teaching method was extremely strict, but its effects were also quite remarkable.
Element Shapers quickly learned their first skill, Element Mastery. The old mage nodded and helped the apprentices adjust the bubbling fireball in their hands, "Hold on, the Fire Elemental is the most powerful, most destructive, and most unstable Elemental Power at present, but it’s still suitable for you novices. Remember, when invoking the Fire Elemental, add a phrase to the spell. ’In the name of Imerte, the Red Dragon Queen,’ it will make it easier for you to tame the power of fire."
The first skill of the Teleportation Mage was a weakened version of opening a Teleportation Gate, the Blade of Dimension. Recklessly opening chaotic rifts in space-time and then throwing them out, its strong piercing power could almost ignore any defense, including their own. Ten Teleportation Mages casting the skill led to eight suicides; the old mage was so infuriated that he assigned them an additional twenty magic power analysis exercises.
The first skill of the Spellbreaker was called Mana Burn, which burned the mana within the enemy’s body, interrupting their spell casting and causing damage. However, the novice Spellbreakers doubted their abilities.
"Instructor, the effects of Mana Burn aren’t very noticeable."
"You will get enhancements in the future. Sensing mana within the enemy’s body is key for a Spellbreaker, and on top of Mana Burn, you will also learn Mana Detonation and Mana Extraction, taking the enemy’s strength for your own use. Spellbreakers will become the most enduring among Spellcasters."
"What if our enemies don’t have any mana?"
"Then extract their life force, blood, bodily fluids; these tangible things are easier to extract than mana. But don’t blindly transform blood into your own. Mismatched blood types can lead to rejection reactions, causing your body to collapse. That would be very stupid. Of course, vampires don’t have this worry; they would make the best Spellbreakers."
"Instructor, I have another question. Why does the effect of Mana Burn weaken with distance?"
"Our control of mana relies on the magic network, and these invisible mana veins consume some power when transmitting our commands, so Mana Burn is most effective in close combat."
"Close combat? But we are Arcanists."
"Who told you Arcanists only fight from a distance? Spellbreakers are pure melee mages. After this, I will also teach you mana armor, weapon enchantments, and the heart of the mana storm. Spellbreakers, in my vision, are the battle mages who extract all mana on the battlefield, creating anti-magic zones around themselves, with the mana of dozens, even hundreds of people, for one person’s use. You will be terrifying war machines."
The Spellbreaker apprentice raised an eyebrow, "Then what’s the difference between a Spellbreaker and a Magic Swordsman? We are both mana-using melee fighters."
The old mage’s face showed helplessness; he didn’t have a good explanation either.
"Magic Swordsmen are a profession my student created on a whim. I don’t understand his vision very well."
"His exact words were..."
’Magic Swordsman? A fun profession!’
