Game’s Dogma

Drako Yau’s spear stopped right before reaching the scorpion, and the same went for the scorpion’s poisonous stinger. A torrent of frost swallowed the giant scorpion and froze it.

Level 35 Godly Spearmaster skill, Frozen Strike: Absorb the surrounding ice elements and thrust, dealing damage in a three-metre-long straight line and freeze all damaged enemies for 1.5 seconds.

Charging at the scorpion that awaited its butchering, he flicked his spear upwards with Soaring Flames, then Dragon Capturing Hand, Snowy Doorstep… Skills and attacks poured down onto the poor scorpion.

The Godly Spearmaster class had undoubtedly powerful combos, and Drako Yau took the skillset to a whole new level by integrating it into the spearmanship drilled into his bones by the old geezer. He used those skills naturally whenever the right time and opportunity showed up without actively thinking about when to use them. This made him unpredictable, just like the old geezer had taught him.

Shooting Star drew an arc in the vast wasteland. With his spear in hand, Drako Yau stood with his back against the giant scorpion. The ground as it toppled over and smashed into the cracking land, disappearing and leaving behind a piece of equipment.

Drako Yau picked it up and twitched his brows upon inspection—a Level 40 uncommon piece. As the owner of the Feral Rage set, the uncommon piece was of no use at all, but he cared more about the fact that a Level 40 item dropped from a monster as he had surmised. Still, he believed more in personal strength. Equipment didn’t matter too much as long as they weren’t too lacking. He wouldn’t mind giving away some of the item drops he got here either.

Drako Yau moved on after stuffing the drop into his item bag. The wasteland was like an endless continent with nothing in sight, giving travellers the feeling that they could spend their whole lives searching for its end to no avail. If not for the scarce wilted trees and gigantic scorpions that showed up from time to time, it would’ve been reminiscent of the Abyss of Durin.

The Warring Wasteland was cute compared to the Abyss of Durin, however. The giant scorpions weren’t weak by any means, given their sneaky attack with their stingers that could catch many players off guard, yet that was nothing for Drako Yau who was experienced with combat. Having the old geezer hunt him down and experiencing the countless life-threatening battles in the game had propelled his growth rapidly. No matter how powerful the scorpions were, they were mere computer programs that ran off an algorithm. It was a one-sided slaughter after he figured out their movement pattern.

Well, Val the Balrog isn’t here I guess. Kinda miss that mute disciple of mine, sort of anyway.

Drako Yau continued his aimless wandering while pondering various things and butchering any scorpion that got too close.

It had been a good while since he entered the game. Rising from an ordinary player to the alliance master of the Dragon Alliance, he got a bit sentimental just at the thought of his journey thus far. He still had no idea how to get out of Real World, but he had this vague hunch that he was getting close to the answer after entering the Warring Wastelands.

Drako Yau trusted that feeling and continued his fight for survival.

After walking for some time and killing so many scorpions, Drako Yau finally encountered a player, a familiar one no less. It was a surprisingly embarrassing encounter.

The player who saw Drako Yau quickly recovered from her initial shock and greeted him with a warm smile. Her blossom-red lips drew a bewitching curve on her charming face, complementing her bountiful bosom and curvy body. Everyone who saw her would struggle with where they should place their eyes on.

“Alliance Master Mask, it’s been a while.”

Drako Yau’s casual stroll turned into a stiffening one—because an arm was wrapped around his. Despite his utmost efforts to avoid contact, which made his movement rigid, it was still inevitable that the woman’s bosom would touch him occasionally when walking in such a way. Still, he seemed to be the only one bothered as the other party continued her merry saunter.

After a while, she seemed to have noticed his condition and asked with a grin, “Alliance Master Mask, you seem uncomfortable.”

Drako Yau looked at his arms that seemed to be coiled by a tormentor’s Shadow Tentacles and said, “Men and women should be aware of their physical contact, Guild Master Dakki. Please show some respect for yourself.”

Dakki covered her mouth and giggled. “What era are you from? Many give birth to children without marrying these days. It seems having a lady hold your arm bothers you a lot, Alliance Master Mask.” She leaned her body into Drako Yau’s and whispered into his ear, “Or perhaps, Alliance Master Mask is a vir…”

Drako Yau stiffened momentarily before unplugging his arm from the warm embrace and speeding up his legs. Dakki laughed so hard that her hair got all ruffled and trotted over. All of a sudden, she felt that the dull wasteland wasn’t so boring after all.

Just like that, the pair continued their journey. The man was silent all along while the lady’s giggle resounded throughout the endless wasteland, adding a bit of liveliness to the soulless place.

The Warring Wastelands instantly became a hot topic on the forums.

The scorpions weren’t easy opponents at all for ordinary players. Their enormous pincers blocked attacks like sturdy gates, and its vicious stinger often struck at unexpected moments, not to mention its agility despite its size. Players started complaining while the number of players in the Warring Wastelands fell sharply because they couldn’t enter again in twenty-four hours upon death.

Naturally, with dangers came opportunities. Some players with luck on their side already received Level 40 rare and epic drops from defeating the scorpions. Interestingly, rare items were more popular this time around because they had set effects that buffed Defence and Health, greatly enhancing players’ survivability in the harsh wasteland. On the other hand, epic gear had nothing to offer but higher stats, so they fell from favour.

A Level 40 rare item that had set effects cost at least a thousand gold coins, and that presented a dilemma for players in the Warring Wastelands. No one had found a way to return to their cities apart from death so far. Some elite players had yet to encounter enemies that could threaten their lives, and with dozens of Level 40 rare items on them, they had the option of dying on purpose to sell off those loot for profit. Most if not all never considered that option though.

Countless players wandered on the endless continent. Those who survived continued their journey, while those who died returned to their cities and waited for their turn to enter again tomorrow.

Six hours went by. Natural selection took its toll on the players, letting no one but the best elites off the hook.

This marked the grand launch of the Warring Wastelands.

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