The Assassin’s Dilemma and the City’s Preparations

With Dark Demon’s addition to their ranks, Ye Jue’s team was now just a mage and a secondary off-tank away from being complete. Dark Demon, however, was keenly aware of the assassin class’s inherent disadvantages in dungeons.

Even a rogue would prove more useful than an assassin, as rogues could disarm traps and leverage their superior speed as pathfinders to evade numerous dangers. Assassins, on the other hand, relied on stealth and unpredictability, which offered less utility in a dungeon setting.

As a physical damage dealer, the assassin was notoriously fragile, second only to healers. Their crowd control abilities were largely ineffective against bosses, and they were highly susceptible to boss attacks. Dark Demon understood perfectly that a dungeon spot might not be available for him.

However, he also knew that in future player-versus-player team battles, an assassin would be an indispensable asset.

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The Taunt skill book Ye Jue acquired was potent: [Taunt: For 5 seconds, forcefully compels the BOSS to attack the caster. During this period, all aggro generated by teammates is transferred to the caster. Cooldown: 1 minute.]

The acquisition of this Taunt skill marked the true formation of a Shield Warrior. This ability was typically one of two skills unlocked at Level 15, but having obtained it early, Ye Jue could still spend a skill point and some gold to upgrade it upon reaching Level 15.

Dark Demon’s Swift Stab, meanwhile, offered a significant boost: [Swift Stab: Increases movement speed by 30% for 5 seconds. The next attack deals 30% additional damage, stackable with other skills. Cost: 10% of total health. Cooldown: 2 minutes.]

Swift Stab was considered one of the assassin’s better skills. Its only drawbacks were its inability to be used at low health and its rather lengthy cooldown.

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Everyone tore their Return Scrolls, initiating the cast time to return to the city. Ten seconds later, they reappeared in Vermilion Bird City.

The city’s return point was remarkably spacious, a design choice to prevent future congestion when countless players would inevitably teleport back. After all, this game didn’t allow character models to overlap.

Despite the vastness, players who used their Return Scrolls from the same location would still find themselves quite close to each other at Vermilion Bird City’s return point. Thus, the group materialized together.

‘This game’s developers must have prepared for a massive influx of players from the very beginning,’ Lin Shenyue mused silently. While the game was initially created to aid her recovery, her parents, uncertain of the timeline, had commissioned its development to attract players and ensure Lin Shenyue wouldn’t feel isolated within the virtual world.

Even though Lin Shenyue was the team’s commander, and such team activities should ideally be orchestrated by her, her unfamiliarity with the game meant Ye Jue remained in charge.