Chapter Fifty-Four: Encirclement

The six of them left the inn, unable to suppress their admiration for the quest design in "Divine Ruin."

“A little gambling is good for the mood, but too much is harmful. It’s true—gambling is gambling, there’s no such thing as small or big bets.”

“Yes, I understand that now,” someone replied.

As they talked, the six walked toward the outskirts of Hero’s Town, reflecting on the events that had just occurred. The narrative of “Divine Ruin” was indeed crafted with meticulous care.

“I’ve heard that two new classes are about to be released,” Luo Feng said, folding his arms across his chest. “Recently, they just introduced some new professions, but because our server has unlocked the Ancient World map, we now have access to two additional classes.”

“Oh? Which two?” Ye Yu asked, intrigued by Luo Feng’s comment.

“Combat and Curse,” Luo Feng replied, though it was clear he only had a surface understanding of them.

“Curse class?” Ye Yu frowned. “Where does that class fit? What’s its role?”

“It’s a magic-based class, but it’s rather unique,” Luo Feng explained. “It’s similar to some of those mystical, shamanic professions you see in martial arts tales from the Western regions. They fight by using ancient languages and runes. The main attributes are exactly the same as other magic classes, but unlike mainstream or hybrid magic classes, they can’t go down a physical damage route. So it’s a pure magic class.”

He shared his research with the group.

Every time players level up in “Divine Ruin,” they receive attribute points to distribute freely. After reaching level 100 and advancing to the next realm, further changes unlock. Equipment and armor have no class restrictions, and players can even create their own skills, allowing for astonishing diversity in play styles.

Thus, even a magic class could become a melee mage with spell damage if they invested attribute points into Strength and donned physical gear. However, this feature only became available after the player underwent Nirvana Rebirth upon first reaching level 100.

At the beginning, characters started at level 100. After Nirvana, the level resets, but all attribute bonuses from unequipped gear are fully retained. Post-Nirvana, the character again starts at level 100, but their power is at least five times greater than before. There is also further advancement through Ascension, which resets the level again. Currently, the highest level cap across all servers is 150, though this cap will continue to rise.

For Ye Yu and his companions, these milestones felt distant, but not unattainable.

They learned that the Curse class could cast devastating spells simply by pronouncing the ancient incantations or inscribing the ancient characters correctly. The damage even surpassed current magic classes, and, crucially, required no mana. The drawback, however, was the inability to cast instantly; all spells required a period of chanting or inscription, making them limited in versatility and demanding high mastery to unlock their true potential.

“Our guild is still in its infancy,” Ye Yu said. “We need to cultivate all types of classes. Once we start guild battles and group raids, we’ll need plenty of support classes. The further we go, the harder it’ll be to rely on just the six of us for enough damage. The AI is no joke. For example, with our youngest’s Stealth class, we’ll need at least fifty more once the guild expands. In dungeons, their usefulness is immense—they can disarm deadly traps and are the best scouts among all classes.”

After Ye Yu expressed his thoughts, the other five nodded in agreement, clearly sharing his analysis.

“At the moment, our guild has reached its member cap. We’re still some distance from unlocking the second tier. Though we’ve claimed territory on the Ancient World map, we can’t access those resources yet—it’s an empty shell for now. Soon, the contest for regional supremacy will open up,” Luo Feng said after a moment’s thought.

“Let’s just take things as they come,” Ye Yu replied with a nod.

As the six of them left Hero’s Town and entered a contested area, a group of figures quickly approached.

Ye Yu’s brows furrowed, and he immediately called out, “Be careful!”

Because of their mutual understanding, the group instinctively followed Ye Yu’s lead.

He swiftly took out his ancient zither, fingers gliding across the strings. The music erupted with a stunning power, sending several arcs of purple light shooting into the distance. Meanwhile, Huang Hong brandished his spear, swinging it in a mighty arc. The air before him split with a sharp spear-glow.

Boom—

For physical damage classes, Strength not only increased skill damage but also enhanced basic attacks. The two types of damage could stack, resulting in double damage output.

Ye Yu’s reaction was lightning-fast. As the attack landed, Huang Hong, a physical DPS, launched his own strike, targeting the same area as Ye Yu’s assault.

Luo Feng and Tan Cong quickly buffed themselves, while Tan Cong summoned a totem that formed a protective shield—a defense that could absorb attacks, though it lasted only two seconds and had a ten-second cooldown.

Tan Cong’s Shaman class used a unique mental energy system. All magic classes had a mental energy stat, but Shamans consumed it at the highest rate. The strength of their totems depended on their own mental energy, though in dungeons this was of limited use; it was mainly for PvP.

Gradually, more figures emerged from all sides, encircling the six.

“At least a dozen Stealth types,” Ye Yu observed. The numbers were hard to count, but he could see the high-damage, fragile Stealth classes among them.

Frowning, Ye Yu surveyed their surroundings. They were surrounded by at least thirty players, with over a third being Stealth types—clearly planning a coordinated, burst attack to eliminate their targets.

He assessed the group—everyone was at least level 30, with the highest at 34.

When Ye Yu saw the faction name above their heads, his voice turned cold and grim.

“The First Faction!”

…