Chapter Fifty: The Trial of Arbitration
“58, are you free right now? I have some questions for you.” Ye Chen already knew that 2058 often had to deal with system matters and wasn’t always available.
“I’m free. I just finished handling the issues submitted by twelve auxiliary brains. Go ahead and ask.”
“I plan to take up the Dark Arbiter branch profession, but I don’t know much about it. Do you have any detailed information on this branch?” Ye Chen asked directly.
“What exactly do you want to know—profession role, skills, operation tips, or something else?”
2058 truly lived up to its reputation as a system master—so professional. Ye Chen smiled slightly and said, “Skills, mainly the support skills. I want to understand what effects these support skills can achieve.”
“One moment, searching… The Dark Arbiter is an advanced branch of the Apprentice Dark Priest. The support skills currently available are: Thorn Aura, Critical Aura, Attribute Aura, Speed Aura, Vampiric Aura, and Mana Aura. These are all basic skills for this profession. Advanced skills have not yet been unlocked and cannot be learned at this time.”
Looking at the wealth of skill data, Ye Chen couldn’t help but hold his breath. Judging by the characteristics of these skills, the Dark Arbiter seemed extremely powerful; the effects of its skills were formidable. This class would undoubtedly be more popular than the other two branches. These support skills provide great benefits for players, whether it’s for dungeons, boss fights, or PvP battlefields. Any team with a Dark Arbiter would have a huge advantage. And with such potent support skills, the Dark Arbiter wouldn’t be at a disadvantage even in solo combat. Most importantly, these impressive skills were only the basic ones; the advanced skills would surely be even stronger. With that thought, Ye Chen had already made up his mind, but he casually asked, “What about the advanced skills? Can you give me a hint?”
“Advanced skills will take some time to unlock. Many are still being adjusted by the researchers, but two have already been uploaded to me: Stone Skin and Psionic Surge.”
Ye Chen’s eyes lit up. These two skills truly deserved to be called advanced—they were even more powerful. It seemed there was no reason to hesitate; he would choose to become a Dark Arbiter.
Sensing Ye Chen’s excitement, 2058 actually learned to pour cold water on him, reminding, “Don’t get too excited yet. The Dark Arbiter is indeed far superior to the other two branches, but do you think the designers are fools? The support skills for this class are extremely hard to obtain. At most, you can learn two from the profession mentor. The rest, even if they’re basic skills, must be acquired from bosses or special quests. The officials will strictly control drop rates and quest refreshes. I can’t help you much with that. Think carefully before you change class. After all, no matter how powerful a class is, it’s nothing without skills.”
Ye Chen merely smiled faintly, “No need to think it over. I’ll pick this one.”
To gain more, one must pay a higher price. To be stronger than others, naturally, one’s path will be harder. Ye Chen was well prepared for this, and besides, with 2058 around, he’d have a considerable advantage over other Dark Arbiters.
“As long as you’re prepared, I’ll do my best to help you.”
“Thanks, 58.”
“No need to thank me. We’re friends.”
After a bit more idle chatter, 2058 quietly went back to its work. It claimed to be developing an intelligent program on par with itself. Once successful, it could free itself by handing over all its work to that program.
“Mentor, I’ve decided to become a Dark Arbiter. Please issue me the class change quest,” Ye Chen said, approaching the beautiful mentor with a smile.
The mentor batted her lovely eyes, her charming smile blooming, “Young apprentice of the dark, you’re excellent and courageous. It’s been a long time since anyone dared to take on this quest. Come, let me start the task for you. But first, you’ll need to pay a class change fee of 100 gold coins.”
“H-how much?” Ye Chen thought he’d misheard. One hundred gold coins was a fortune. When bragging to the girls, he’d only boasted of thirty gold, but this NPC beauty was asking for a hundred right off the bat. Was she trying to bleed him dry?
The beautiful mentor daintily raised a finger and confirmed, “One hundred gold. The Dark Arbiter is the most valuable advanced path for apprentice dark priests. If you can’t pay, I can’t give you the quest. Of course, you can pay seventy gold to unlock the Dark Spellcaster quest, or fifty for the Dark Rejuvenator quest.”
Damn it, the game company must be out of their minds with greed—a single branch path costing a hundred gold. Ye Chen felt frustrated, but there was nothing he could do. The system held all the cards. Even if he complained to the developers, they wouldn’t care. He could only obediently pay up. Thank goodness he was flush with cash at the moment; otherwise, he’d have to watch this powerful class slip away. Truly, a man cannot go a day without money. He’d have to keep refining pills and making money like mad.
After the beautiful mentor received Ye Chen’s one hundred gold, her smile grew even more dazzling. With a wave of her delicate hand, a new class change quest appeared in Ye Chen’s quest log.
“As the most advanced profession for apprentice dark priests, the Dark Arbiter requires the most challenging trial. Young challenger, go to the Witch Plains and find the shrines of the witches. Record the incantations from the altars. Be careful—there may be powerful witchfolk nearby. Don’t lose your life.”
Reading the quest description, especially the small print in parentheses, Ye Chen shuddered. This was outrageous—too outrageous. Not only was teaming forbidden, but if he failed the quest, he’d have to pay another hundred gold to try again. Shameless—the game company was unbelievably shameless.
Muttering curses in his heart, Ye Chen left the Adventurers’ Guild with a face full of resignation. He restocked his potions, repaired his damaged gear, and set off from Lie Mountain City, heading toward the Witch Plains.