The Power of the Magic Ring

As Yan’s mind wandered, Qing Bai finally struck down the boss.

“Roar…”

With a final, mournful cry, the black dragon flapped its already tattered wings before crashing heavily to the ground, its massive form dissolving into a myriad of shimmering light particles.

“Hoo~”

Qing Bai closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, shedding the lingering exhilaration that had consumed her during the intense battle.

“That was arduous work.”

Witnessing Qing Bai’s unbridled passion, Yan couldn’t help but offer a gentle smile; it was the clearest sign of someone who truly loved the game. He understood the pure exhilaration of throwing oneself wholeheartedly and without reservation into the fray.

“Everyone, check your inventories for any valuable drops.”

Though merely a Level 30 pseudo-black dragon, it remained a formidable field boss, carrying a distinct chance of dropping coveted items—perhaps even treasures that would make a Level 150 player green with envy.

Yan peered into his own inventory, finding only common monster materials; clearly, Lady Luck was not smiling upon him this time.

Unfazed, he spoke slowly.

“I only have common materials.”

“The same here…”

Qing Bai, too, appeared to have met with the same fate. She lifted her head, offering a helpless, wry smile, her spirits naturally dampened after battling the boss for so long only to receive no valuable spoils.

“Hmm? What is this?”

Tian Jiu uttered an adorable sound of confusion as she pulled a ring from her inventory.

Instantly, the item’s attribute panel materialized before their eyes.

Special Equipment: [Magic Ring]

Intelligence +7% Spirit Magic +200

“Oh, oh, oh, oh!”

Upon seeing the item, both Yan and Qing Bai simultaneously gasped in astonishment.

“Huh? Wh-what’s happening?”

Tian Jiu flinched, startled by their sudden outburst.

“This is truly a remarkable find! To think that such a renowned piece of special equipment from the old server would drop here!”

Qing Bai exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she gazed at the ring.

Yan, too, was taken by surprise. As equipment specifically for mages, it was something he, a greatsword wielder in the old server, had never encountered nor bothered to research.

“Is this… truly powerful?”

Tian Jiu regarded the ring in her hand with a puzzled expression, utterly bewildered.

“What exactly is Spirit Magic? I don’t see that attribute listed anywhere.”

Her gaze, seeking assistance, turned to Alice.

“Spirit Magic is one of the unique attributes unlocked by special equipment,” Alice explained. “Its effect is to accelerate natural mana regeneration, encompassing both in-combat and out-of-combat recovery.”

“Once a player equips a piece of special gear, a new section for allocating special attributes appears on their character sheet. Like the five core stats, attribute points gained from leveling can be invested into these unique properties.”

“So, does that mean it’s incredibly powerful?”

Tian Jiu tilted her head, still struggling to comprehend. Unversed in the intricacies of RPGs, she hadn’t even fully grasped the fundamentals of basic attributes yet.

“It is, indeed, incredibly powerful.”

Yan couldn’t help but chuckle at the bewildered Tian Jiu, explaining with a smile.

“If Spirit Magic is maxed out, virtually any class, including mages, would never have to worry about mana consumption. They could unleash skills at will, provided they managed their aggro, without ever having to pause for mana regeneration.”

“That’s truly amazing…”

Even Tian Jiu, despite her initial confusion, began to dimly grasp the immense power held within the ring after Yan’s thorough explanation.

“In that case, I should give it to Sister Qing Bai. Such a potent piece of equipment would be utterly wasted if it remained with me…”

With these words, Tian Jiu extended the Magic Ring toward Qing Bai, completely devoid of any selfish desire to keep it.

“Oh? Are you certain?”

As she gazed at the ring before her, Qing Bai’s eyes sparkled, yet she still offered Tian Jiu a kind-hearted reminder.

“Even if you choose not to use it, this item could command a significant price if listed on the auction house.”

“No… no worries at all.”

Tian Jiu offered her a shy, gentle smile.

“It would make me incredibly happy if Sister Qing Bai were willing to make use of it.”

“Ah, little Tian Jiu, you are simply too adorable!”

As if some peculiar hidden trait had awakened within her, Qing Bai embraced Tian Jiu with an expression of pure bliss.

“In that case, I shall gladly accept it… Ah! Ouch!”

Before Qing Bai could even finish her sentence, Yan, who had sidled closer, delivered a sharp, playful chop to her forehead, cutting her off.

Wincing in pain, she released her embrace of Tian Jiu and instinctively clutched her throbbing forehead.

“That really hurt… What was that for!?”

“Don’t be silly.”

Yan sighed, a helpless frown creasing his brow.

“Now that you possess special equipment for Spirit Magic, do you truly have spare attribute points to invest in it? Shouldn’t you prioritize maxing out your Dexterity first?”

Indeed, at her current stage, the higher Qing Bai’s Dexterity, the greater her combat prowess. There were, therefore, no surplus attribute points available for Spirit Magic.

“You’re right…”

Qing Bai finally grasped the crux of the issue, her head drooping in disappointment, though her eyes still lingered wistfully on the [Magic Ring] held by Tian Jiu.

“Ah…”

Observing her longing expression, Yan let out a helpless sigh.

“Moreover,” Yan continued, “this [Magic Ring] is merely special equipment, not a unique Companion-tier item. It’s not the only one of its kind. Have you forgotten how many players invested heavily in Spirit Magic during the old server days? There’s no need to fixate on this single drop; if we can’t get it, we’ll simply farm another.”

“Oh, that’s right…”

Qing Bai’s eyes suddenly lit up with understanding. A grin spread across her lips, and her gaze upon the freshly respawned black dragon grew increasingly mischievous.

“Therefore, Tian Jiu, you should equip this ring for now.”

Yan turned to Tian Jiu, speaking with a gentle smile.

“Oh? Is that truly alright? Wouldn’t such a potent piece of equipment be utterly wasted on me?”

Tian Jiu, however, appeared rather uncertain, her gaze troubled as she examined the ring in her hand.

“There’s nothing at all wrong with that.”

Yan stated with absolute certainty.

“Tian Jiu’s innate Companion Skill is inherently powerful, making her perfectly suited to be a Spirit Magic Priest. Moreover, with no concerns about mana depletion for healing, the operational difficulty will be considerably lower. This equipment truly complements you.”

“Is that… truly so?”

“Indeed. Go ahead and equip it now; let’s see how it feels.”

“Alright then…”

Tian Jiu nodded, then slipped the [Magic Ring] onto the pinky finger of her right hand.

“How many unallocated attribute points do you currently possess?”

Yan inquired, turning his gaze to Tian Jiu.

“Let me check… Exactly 300 points.”

Tian Jiu brought up her character’s attribute panel, confirmed the number, and then responded to Yan.

“300 points? You mean you haven’t allocated a single attribute point since the very creation of your account? Not even the initial 100 points granted upon character creation?”

Yan stared at Tian Jiu, who had just advanced to Level 21 after slaying the black dragon, and asked, utterly astonished, as she nodded with a hint of hesitation.

“I… I was worried I might allocate them incorrectly, so I simply never touched my attributes…”

Tian Jiu lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper.

“That’s absolutely perfect!”

Yan chuckled, and Tian Jiu, who had been feeling a touch dejected, believing she had made a mistake, looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

“Now, allocate every single one of your points into Spirit Magic. Moving forward, prioritize investing all future leveling points into Spirit Magic as well. Only once Spirit Magic is completely maxed out should you then begin allocating points into Intelligence.”

“Oh? Understood.”

Tian Jiu, ever so compliant, diligently followed Yan’s counsel, investing all 300 attribute points into Spirit Magic.

In that moment, she successfully transformed into a Spirit Magic Priest.

“Alright, you two should continue farming the black dragon now. Let’s see if we can get another Magic Ring to drop.”

Qing Bai and Tian Jiu nodded in unison, resuming their previous battle strategy.

Before engaging, Qing Bai meticulously stacked her buffs, while Tian Jiu ensured her energy bar was completely replenished. With the 300 points in Spirit Magic, this time, the energy bar lasted roughly twice as long before Qing Bai’s mana ran dry.

Then, Qing Bai initiated the fight. Once aggro was firmly established, Tian Jiu continued to replenish her energy bar. Armed with the experience from their first encounter, the two now coordinated seamlessly, fighting without taking any damage.

It seemed these two would have no further issues.

Yan smiled, no longer constantly monitoring their progress. As a melee player, he found himself largely unhelpful against flying dragons. Deciding to make the most of the lull, he settled down onto a large rock nearby and began to rest.

Alice gracefully gathered her pale blue long dress and sat beside him.

“It’s truly incredible, isn’t it? Does everyone who gathers around Yan inevitably become so strong?”

Her gentle gaze fixed on the two players battling in the distance, she spoke to Yan with a smile.

In just two days, both Qing Bai and Tian Jiu had clearly defined their paths to power, choosing attribute allocations that perfectly suited their innate Companion Skills. Such players, even in the globally adored game of ‘Companion’s Realm’ (TL Note: The game name ‘伴生神界’ literally translates to ‘Companion God Realm’ or ‘Companion Divine Realm’. ‘Companion’s Realm’ is chosen for better flow and game title convention.), were a rare sight indeed.

‘Companion’s Realm’ was made incredibly complex by its Companion-tier system, yet it was precisely this complexity that made every player utterly unique.

Whenever players managed to truly understand and flexibly apply their Companion Skills, they would, without exception, ascend to become powerhouses within the game.

And now, the people around Yan had all achieved this.

“It’s hardly my doing. It’s simply that they genuinely want to excel in this game, and they’ve been fortunate, that’s all.”

Yan chuckled, lying down and resting his head on the smooth rock, gazing up at the clear, azure sky above the river valley.

Alice smiled, raising a slender, jade-like hand to tuck a wisp of blue hair behind her ear.

Leaving aside Qing Bai, a seasoned veteran from the old server, Tian Jiu, as a novice, might have abandoned the game entirely after being scorned by her previous party, had it not been for Yan.

Yet now, she too had become a Spirit Magic Priest, and with her potent Companion Skill, ‘Over-Healing,’ she was destined to become a highly sought-after player, eagerly courted by major guilds once they opened.

Alice turned her face, looking at the leisurely Yan beside her, and offered a helpless smile.

“I can’t shake the feeling that as long as one follows Yan, the long journey of adventure will never grow tiresome.”

“Hoo~”

Yan beside her offered no response. Puzzled, she glanced at him, only to find him lying on the rock with his eyes closed, emitting soft, steady breaths, seemingly asleep.

“Honestly…”

Alice smiled gently, then folded her legs neatly beside Yan, and subsequently…

Lightly, she placed Yan’s head upon her fair lap.