A New Commander Rises

“Ding! Congratulations on acquiring a Silver-grade Force Staff, Force Robes, Force Cloth Boots, a Force Ring, and a Nightwolf Cloak.”

“Ding! Congratulations on acquiring Bronze-grade equipment…” (The specific details for the dozen or so Bronze-grade items will not be elaborated upon.)

“Ding! Congratulations on acquiring the skill book ‘Fearful Wolf Howl’ (for pets only), the skill book ‘Swift Thrust’ (for assassins), and the skill book ‘Taunt’.”

“Ding! Congratulations on acquiring the Intermediate Strength Potion recipe and the Clear Mind Potion recipe.”

“Ding! Congratulations on acquiring the Gale Battle Armor blueprint.”

Equipment obtained after Level 10 did not offer a significantly greater boost than items acquired before. After all, the increase in skills post-Level 10 had already led to a substantial rise in player strength. If equipment bonuses were to further increase significantly, many monsters would become trivial to defeat. Moreover, everyone already possessed their respective job-specific sets, which were of higher quality and perfectly suited to their needs. Thus, aside from Ye Jue claiming the Silver-grade cloak, the party collectively decided to sell the remaining items.

The Force Ring, a mage’s accessory, could have been given to Lin Shenyue. However, the Wave Ring she had acquired at Level 4 offered excellent effects, and she had no immediate desire to replace it. Ye Jue also took a Bronze-grade shield, intending to use it as a replacement for his current one. These items were all Level 13 equipment, which Ye Jue was not yet able to equip. Shields, in particular, generally had a low drop rate, so he held onto it to prevent being without one later.

As for the potion recipes and the blueprint, both Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue kept them. Divine Wind and Dark Demon expressed no objections, as neither of them pursued life skills.

Intermediate Strength Potion Recipe: Teaches how to craft Intermediate Strength Potions. Requires Intermediate Alchemy (Potioncraft). Intermediate Strength Potion Attributes: Increases Strength by 30% for 10 minutes. Potion cooldown: 1 hour.

Clear Mind Potion Recipe: Teaches how to craft Clear Mind Potions. Requires Intermediate Alchemy (Potioncraft). Clear Mind Potion Attributes: Clears all low-level debuffs from the character and grants immunity to 75% of low-level debuffs for 5 seconds. Potion cooldown: 5 minutes.

Gale Battle Armor Blueprint: Teaches how to craft Gale Battle Armor. Requires Intermediate Forging. Gale Battle Armor Base Attributes: +10 to both defenses, +10 Constitution, +5 Strength, +5 Agility (attributes are base only; final attributes vary based on forging proficiency).

Ye Jue temporarily kept the Glorious Battle Armor he had previously acquired in his inventory. This item was crucial for the hidden profession he intended to pursue, making it indispensable.

Two of the three skill books were given to those who needed them. The ‘Taunt’ skill was nothing short of divine for a warrior, and its drop here had truly surprised Ye Jue. ‘Swift Thrust’ went to Dark Demon, while the remaining ‘Fearful Wolf Howl’ was stored away by the group. In an era where skill books were scarce, any skill book was precious, especially a crowd-control skill.

The BOSS granted a massive amount of experience, instantly leveling both Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue to Level 11. The experience required to advance from Level 11 to Level 12 skyrocketed to 1 million, leaving Lin Shenyue momentarily speechless. While defeating the BOSS had awarded over 300,000 experience, this was due to them challenging a BOSS above their level and their party being smaller than the minimum five-person standard, resulting in a larger share of experience per person. More importantly, even Ye Jue could not easily locate BOSSes, and each BOSS had a refresh time of a full day. In the mid-to-late stages of the game, every BOSS was typically monopolized by various guilds.

****

After distributing the spoils, Ye Jue began to summarize the battle. Or rather, he merely hinted at the need for a summary, which Lin Shenyue instinctively picked up on. As a commander, it was essential to conduct a review after every team activity.

Lin Shenyue furrowed her brow. “Our primary mistake in this BOSS raid was in team coordination. For instance, Dark Demon didn’t pay enough attention to his aggro when dealing damage. Several times, your aggro was at a critical threshold.”

She glanced at Dark Demon, who seemed on the verge of speaking, then continued, “Perhaps you intend to say you can control it at that critical state. However, you must understand that in Divine Realm, unexpected situations can arise at any moment. You might disregard aggro when alone, but in a team, such a critical state represents an uncontrollability—a major taboo for any group.”

Seeing Dark Demon bow his head in thought, she turned her attention to Ye Jue and Divine Wind. “Peerless Karma Fire’s performance was flawless; I have nothing to add there. Divine Wind, your contribution to this BOSS kill was severely lacking. Of course, given the special circumstances, I won’t dwell on that particular issue.”

Lin Shenyue finally addressed herself, sighing with a hint of helplessness. “The biggest problem, in fact, lies with me. As a complete novice to gaming, I haven’t played any of the previous titles. My understanding of game mechanics and class skills is insufficient, which is a significant drawback for a commander. Furthermore…” Lin Shenyue rubbed her temples. “My reaction speed is slow, and my on-the-spot adaptability is poor. At such times, every team member needs to adapt independently, which is also very disadvantageous for a commander. Therefore…”

Ye Jue knew exactly what Lin Shenyue was about to say. He immediately interrupted her. “You’ve already done exceptionally well. Despite having no prior gaming experience, your learning ability is incredibly strong, and you possess the potential to become a top commander. As for on-the-spot adaptability, if my team members lack even the most basic ability to react in unforeseen circumstances, I would kick them out sooner or later, even if they didn’t leave on their own. So, I urge you,” Ye Jue encouraged, “no one is a born genius. Success only comes from putting in the effort and possessing the potential to achieve it. You currently have the potential to become a top commander, and I have high hopes for you.”

Following Ye Jue’s words, Divine Wind added, “Yue’er, you’ve truly done an excellent job. Even some of the great commanders I’ve encountered in the past were probably on par with you. If you continue, you’ll undoubtedly become even better. Besides,” Divine Wind joked, “it’s always better to have a beautiful woman as a commander than a rough man.”

Dark Demon gave Divine Wind a disdainful look. Since he wasn’t as familiar with Lin Shenyue as Divine Wind was, he offered a simple affirmation. “You’ve already compensated for your slow reactions in other ways. Your command style is already taking shape. There’s no need to give up because of a few setbacks.”

Lin Shenyue was touched by everyone’s words. She took a deep breath and said with determination, “Since you all trust me so much, I won’t let you down. From today onward, I will officially assume the role of commander. First, I must announce a rule…” She smiled, looking at Ye Jue until his skin crawled, then continued, “That is, interrupting me when I speak is forbidden.”

Ye Jue couldn’t help but smile wryly. Hadn’t he only interrupted her once at a crucial point? Was she really targeting him so specifically? Nevertheless, such a rule was essential for any team. Many times, dissenting voices within a team had led to a breakdown in the command system, ultimately ending in failure.

Although Lin Shenyue was the commander, Ye Jue remained the team captain. Therefore, Ye Jue took over the conversation. “So, Dark Demon, what’s your decision?”

Dark Demon chuckled. “Of course, I’m joining. Divine Wind already told me the team rules before I came. A team like this is exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

Ye Jue smiled as well, extending his right hand. “Welcome to ‘Defying Fate’.”