Chapter 17: Dawn and Ambitions

The sun rises slowly over the horizon, and Yun Shi, seated on the wooden ship, gazes at the glowing orb.

The sea shimmers with warm light, soothing and gentle, as if easing players after Twin Islands’ turmoil.

“Gorgeous…”

Teammates snap screenshots and record, capturing the moment forever.

A splash of briny water hits the ship as Wen Fengqi downs another sea monster.

Cherry, tears in his eyes, gushes, “Never thought the trip to the main city could be this comfy!”

Forget his tragic Fog Sea ordeal, dropping 10 levels to the octopus.
Even players who found the right route would envy this, muttering, “Is this the hidden plot reward?”

On Twin Islands, hitting level 20 lets you ask Wen Fengqi for main city directions, but you’re on your own.
No NPC escorts you.

Yun Shi’s team earned this treatment by completing [Missing Teammate], clearing [Snake Woman], exposing the NPCs’ true colors, and restoring Wen Fengqi’s memory.
He’s taking them along—opposite his initial direction, of course.

Sea monsters normally plague the journey, but with the high-level Wen Fengqi, the team’s at ease.

With downtime, Yun Shi organizes his inventory.

Wild-gathered materials for traps are already crafted.
His bag’s cluttered with ingredients, herbs, and armor materials.
He unlocked [Sewing] in [Bear Island], but it needs patterns.
NPCs might sell them, but after unlocking [Bloodstained! Twin Islands], NPC interactions were cut off, so the skill’s unused.

No big deal—main city NPCs will have patterns.

Regrettably, his Mental State mushroom skewer business didn’t take off, and he only carried a few [Bear Island] runs, missing out on profits.

Left in his inventory: first-clear rewards, gilded chest loot (weapons, accessories), and an unopened chest from the hidden dungeon.
Cherry and Jiang Shu opened theirs eagerly; Yun Shi hasn’t.

After paying rent, buying essentials, and two clothing sets, his savings are nearly gone.
He hopes the chest yields something valuable.

With anticipation, Yun Shi opens the gilded chest.

A crimson glow flashes, drawing teammates’ eyes and every online player’s attention.

[System: Player [Clouds and Breezes] carelessly kicked a buried [Gilded Chest].
Looking down, he found the peerless treasure [Frenzy · Skill]!]

Cherry and Jiang Shu yell “Holy sh*t!” in unison.
A red-tier skill—Breath of Life’s highest quality, a divine item!

“Insane! Your luck’s unreal!”

Bo He smiles, “I’ll borrow some of that luck.”
He opens his chest.

Another system message:

[System: Player [MistInTheView], blessed with fortune, opened a [Gilded Chest] and found the peerless treasure [Frenzy · Skill]! Congratulations!]

Cherry and Jiang Shu’s eyes nearly pop out.

World chat explodes:

“?????”
“What the—?! Insane!”
“My eyes broken? When did divine skills go wholesale?”
“Envious tears dripping from my mouth, sob!”
“Damn, that skill looks busted!”
“@Clouds and Breezes, big money for the skill, name your price!”
“+1! Money’s no issue! Check DMs! @Clouds and Breezes @MistInTheView”
“Is this from the hidden dungeon chest? Boss is too generous! I’m clearing it today—maybe I’ll get one!”
“…”

Yun Shi stares at his new skill, silent.

His teammates wail like monkeys, even Bo He’s voice carrying a faint chuckle.

But Yun Shi stays quiet.

He checks his inventory funds, then his Star Network balance.

The [Class Change Card] costs 100 Star Coins.
He can’t justify it.

[Frenzy]: For 3s, +200% attack, +200% crit damage, 1h cooldown (upgradable).

Perfect for DPS classes, pairing with burst ultimates for massive damage.
Useless for Yun Shi’s low-output, support-leaning wind class.

He’d love to sell this high-value skill, but world chat missed it—it’s bound.

Gilded chests can yield unbound treasures, and his prior two were lucky.
This time, though—

Not bad luck; it’s a coveted skill, just not for him.

Buying the card is an option, but his funds are tight.
Class changes aren’t guaranteed—you might land another support-like DPS.
Like gacha, one pull might hit, but ten misses are normal.
Yun Shi can’t afford ten tries.

Plus, changing classes resets combat skills.
Would [Frenzy] stay?
Unclear.
And his wind class isn’t unplayable.

If other players keep extra skills post-change and he saves up, he’ll reconsider.

His envious teammates, stuck with common loot, gripe.
Why do these two get top-tier skills?

Bo He, keeping his, equips it and muses, “Maybe it’s our boss fight strategy.”

Strategy?

Cherry and Jiang Shu recall Yun Shi and Bo He’s extreme low-Mental-State frenzy tactic to beat the boss.
The skill fits perfectly.

Cherry checks Yun Shi’s info, surprised.
“Wind Bro, you equipped it? Not changing class?”

Yun Shi: “…No.”

They don’t assume he’s broke, thinking he’s got a plan.
Normal players would call [Frenzy] wasted on a wind support, but a pro like him?
He’s likely plotting a wild combo with his skills.

Even Bo He thinks so, his gaze on Yun Shi now as curious as their first meeting.

He’s eager to see how this wind class evolves.

He mentions an official event, tipped off by Fire Guild members during Yun Shi’s carry.
The new version’s first major event, announced on forums and the official site.

Tomorrow, 7 PM.

Simply called “Contest,” it has three stages, starting with a solo race.

Held in An City, the first main city, sign-ups are with the Dawn Base NPC guide.
Rewards are hefty: 5 gold for participating, 500 gold, a gold chest, and an An City guild badge for first place.

Guilds can be formed at level 25 via NPCs, but the badge offers a city plot—partially or fully built structures, unlike the empty lots from standard NPC creation.
The resource gap is huge.

The badge, given to the top 20, is tradable.

Tradable?

Yun Shi looks up at Bo He.

Bo He raises a brow. “Interested?”

Yun Shi: “Obviously.”

Bo He grins. “See you on the field.”

The “Contest” has every player’s attention.
After Yun Shi’s team cleared the hidden dungeon, more players head to the main city.
Guild hopefuls aim to shine in the event, dreaming big.

Even pros are hooked on new version news.

At Red Maple Club, a captain catches a teammate watching Yun Shi and Bo He’s low-Mental-State synergy clip.

After a scolding, the captain’s drawn to the screen, pulling over the vice-captain.
“Look at that mist user. Familiar?”

The vice-captain adjusts his glasses.
“SpringBreezeWarm, we fought his mist build before.
MistInTheView’s style is similar.”

“Ha!” the captain curses reflexively.
“That sly dog! Switched from space to mist?
Who’s this wind user keeping up with him?
No memory of him.”

The vice-captain squints.
“No, Captain. The wind user’s leading; the mist user’s following.”

“What?” The captain rewatches, intrigued.
“Well, damn. No wind user like this in the league.
A support playing assassin… SpringBreeze poached him from somewhere?”

He gets excited.
“That bastard stole my talent back then.
Time to settle the score—poach his guy!”

The vice-captain nods.
“Tomorrow’s solo race. Send a few to test this wind user?”

The captain slams the table.
“Done! If he’s good, we nab him for Red Maple and make SpringBreeze choke!”