“Of course it’s true.”
Yan offered a helpless smile, his gaze turning serious as he looked at Xiao Qing.
“I am your ‘master,’ after all. How could I ever lie to you?”
“But in this game, a Spearmaster’s combos aren’t exactly quick…”
She unslung the long spear from her back, gently twirling it in her hands.
“Compared to dual-sword classes and assassins, Spearmasters are quite cumbersome.”
Indeed, her words held truth. When contrasted with dual-sword classes, which alternate between two blades to unleash abilities, or assassin classes, renowned for their inherently swift skill execution, the Spearmaster’s combo speed was undeniably slower. Spearmasters typically specialized in attack, relying on intricate combos and dazzling spear techniques to wear down their adversaries.
Even a Spearmaster optimized for faster skill casting still couldn’t match an assassin specialized in physical critical hits.
However, that was merely the usual scenario.
It seemed Xiao Qing still hadn’t grasped how to truly utilize her innate skill, [Chain Control], an ability that allowed for continuous crowd control simply by landing quick successive hits.
Yan looked at Xiao Qing with a wry smile.
He wondered if it was still not too late to tell her now.
‘Well, I might as well ask her first…’
“Xiao Qing, what attributes have you specialized in?”
“Disciple…”
A faint blush crept across Xiao Qing’s cheeks, as if her perceived weakness was difficult to confess.
“I’m currently Level 38, Master, and I haven’t had a chance to specialize my attributes yet… That’s why I didn’t dare participate in the first event…”
She took a soft breath, her voice unwavering as she spoke the truth.
Then, she lowered her head slightly, seemingly expecting Yan’s admonishment for her supposed inadequacy.
“Ah! That’s wonderful!”
Yan’s face broke into a relieved smile.
“Eh?”
Xiao Qing let out a sound of confusion.
“Just to be sure, what are your current stat allocations?”
Yan seemed oblivious to Xiao Qing’s bewilderment, merely pinching his chin in thought as he pressed on.
“It’s SPD, Agility. I originally intended to specialize in skill casting speed, but I hadn’t gotten around to it yet…”
Xiao Qing suppressed her rising questions, answering him forthrightly.
“Phew~ That’s good then. It’s still not too late…”
Yan let out a long breath, his mind finally at ease.
“Master?”
Xiao Qing was utterly bewildered (TL Note: “Er zhang heshang mo bu dao tou nao” is a Chinese idiom meaning to be completely confused or unable to make sense of something). She furrowed her delicate brows, her expression one of profound confusion.
“Why did you say it was ‘wonderful’ that I haven’t specialized my attributes?”
“Oh, hehe.”
Yan’s lips curved into a meaningful, mischievous grin, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at her.
“Because what I’m about to teach you, for an ordinary Spearmaster…”
“Is an absolute heresy.”
Heresy?
Xiao Qing flinched, her neck retracting slightly at the terrifying word. She couldn’t help but take a half-step back, watching Yan’s mischievous smile.
Yet, ultimately, she couldn’t suppress the curiosity stirring within her. She leaned forward again, drawing slightly closer to Yan, and asked in a hushed tone.
“Master, what kind of heresy is it…?”
“That would be…”
Yan’s smile widened further, his bright eyes fixed on Xiao Qing.
“A Spearmaster specialized in ‘Attack Speed’!”
‘Attack speed’ specialization?
Xiao Qing grew even more perplexed.
“Master… I don’t understand. Why specialize in attack speed?”
“Don’t Spearmasters not need attack speed? Their primary damage comes from skills, and this class doesn’t even have skills that boost damage based on attack speed…”
“Hmph hmph, that’s where you’re mistaken.”
Yan crossed his arms, adopting the profound expression of a wise recluse.
“Xiao Qing, how much do you know about this game’s ‘combo’ mechanism?”
“Combos? Doesn’t that just refer to continuous, rapid attacks?”
Xiao Qing tilted her head slightly, answering him thus.
“While that’s not wrong, it’s far too general.”
Yan nodded slightly as he spoke.
“In different games, ‘combos’ have varying criteria, but fundamentally, they all align with what you said: ‘continuous, rapid attacks’.”
“However!”
Yan extended his right index finger, gently holding it upright before Xiao Qing’s eyes.
“The combo mechanism in ‘World of Companions’ is far more lenient. To put it simply, during combat with an enemy unit, as long as you aren’t damaged by their attack, your combo won’t be broken. You only need to deal damage again to continue the combo!”
“Even if there’s a long period of no attacks in between, the combo will remain unbroken!”
“And this, Xiao Qing, is precisely why I said your innate skill is so powerful.”
“Is that how it works…?”
Xiao Qing’s expression registered surprise; she truly hadn’t known that the game’s combo system was so forgiving.
Yet, the ease of combos was not without reason, for in ‘World of Companions,’ aside from the aesthetically pleasing combo numbers that popped up next to an opponent during an attack, combos offered virtually no practical effect…
However, a very small number of innate skills were indeed linked to the combo system, and any innate skill that required combo judgment was, almost without exception…
Absurdly powerful.
“But even if combos are simple, it’s not very useful for a Spearmaster player, is it? Spearmaster skills have long animations, making it difficult to achieve high combos…”
Xiao Qing pouted as she spoke, seemingly expressing dissatisfaction with the poor synergy between her class and her innate skill.
She wasn’t wrong. The Spearmaster was not a class with a fast attack rhythm; in fact, its skill casting speed was arguably among the slowest of all classes in the game, second only to the Greatsword.
This was precisely why most Spearmasters needed to specialize in skill casting speed.
Attribute allocation typically served one of two purposes: either to enhance a class’s strengths (such as maximizing physical attack or critical hit for Greatsword classes, which boast high base skill damage, to achieve one-shot kills), or to compensate for a class’s weaknesses (like a Spearmaster’s slow skill casting speed, which necessitated specializing in skill casting speed by allocating points to Agility).
These two methods of attribute distribution were fundamental to virtually all RPGs, without exception.
Yet, as Yan observed Xiao Qing before him, a different idea sparked in his mind, and a mischievous smile played on his lips.
“Precisely because it’s too slow for a Spearmaster to build combos with skills, I want you to specialize in attack speed.”
“All you need to do is land hits to maintain the combo, isn’t that right?”
Yan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Xiao Qing.
“The system doesn’t care whether the damage you deal comes from a normal attack or a skill; either can register as a combo hit.”
“Ah!”
At Yan’s prompting, Xiao Qing’s mind suddenly cleared (TL Note: “Mao se dun kai” is a Chinese idiom meaning to suddenly understand or be enlightened). She gasped in realization.
“So that’s it!”
Even with the fastest skill casting, for players unable to freely cancel skills like Yan, the time spent casting a skill was still a moment of vulnerability. Even a mere second of ‘standing still’ meant a helpless instant of watching an opponent’s attack land without being able to dodge.
Just one hit from an opponent would break the combo.
Normal attacks, however, were different. In ‘World of Companions,’ with the exception of certain ranged classes, the vast majority of classes could freely cancel their normal attacks.
Relying solely on normal attacks significantly increased safety, allowing ample time for reaction and positioning.
Moreover, a Spearmaster’s base normal attack speed wasn’t slow. If specialized in attack speed, perhaps it would be quite easy to build combos?
“But… Master, if I only rely on normal attacks, won’t my damage be too low?”
Xiao Qing pondered for a moment before voicing her concern.
“Then let me ask you, Xiao Qing.”
Yan raised his eyes, looking at her.
“How did I achieve victory in the first event?”
“Master defeated opponents by skillfully chaining combos, leaving them no chance to retaliate.”
Xiao Qing replied instantly, her face alight with admiration.
“Then I’ll ask you again, why did my combos defeat opponents, leaving them ‘no chance to retaliate’?”
Yan clasped his hands behind his back, a playful smile gracing his features.
“Because Master’s combos seamlessly link crowd control skills with damage-dealing skills, preventing opponents from fighting back…”
As she spoke, a spark ignited in Xiao Qing’s eyes; she seemed to realize something, and she looked up in pleasant surprise.
“It seems you’ve understood, haven’t you?”
Yan nodded at Xiao Qing, a satisfied expression on his face.
“Specializing in attack speed, while offering no damage bonus whatsoever, means that as long as you possess the innate skill [Chain Control], Xiao Qing, your rapid normal attacks will become like my own combos, capable of locking down opponents until they are defeated.”
“With such an innate skill, do you still believe you are weak?”
“No…”
Xiao Qing awkwardly lowered her head slightly, then resolutely lifted it again, a bright spark of determination rekindling in her eyes as she looked at Yan.
“It’s incredibly strong.”
“Incorrect.”
Yan gently shook his head, seemingly dissatisfied with Xiao Qing’s response.
“You are strong, understand?”
“I understand, Master!”
Xiao Qing strived to overcome the timidity in her heart, a faint blush spreading across her clear, pale face. Despite this, she bravely affirmed.
“I am strong.”
‘Mm-hmm.’
‘That’s more like it.’
Just as Yan was about to offer some praise to the newly confident Xiao Qing, her straightened posture slowly slumped, as if deflating. Her face flushed, and her head drooped, her long ponytail, tied at the back of her head, almost touching the ground.
“As long as Master is here…”
‘Hey, hey, don’t drag me into this…’
Yan looked at her with a helpless expression.
‘Come on, show some confidence…’