Chapter 107: The Shift in the Game

The Legend of the Mage – No Pop-ups

[Note: This chapter contains some previously rolled-back content that has been revised and re-uploaded. Those who have read it before, please don’t make a fuss. Two more chapters will be updated tonight!]

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I vaguely remember that when I was typing the ID letters, I forgot to switch the input method. Instead of using English input, I used the pinyin input method. By randomly pressing letters, the pinyin input’s auto-suggestion function popped up a very peculiar sentence. At the time, Lin Jia found it quite amusing and muttered a couple of phrases, but now no matter how hard he tries, he just can’t recall what it was.

Silently closing the login box of the Thunder server, Lin Jia noticed neither the leader nor the fourth brother had discovered his “secret.” He comforted himself, “Forget it! Forget it! It’s just a few skill manuals anyway. Once we reach a higher level, we’ll be farming high-level monsters and those manuals will drop sooner or later. Whether earlier or later doesn’t matter...” However, his momentary negligence would later haunt him for a long time, filling him with regret and even unbearable anguish...

Having abandoned the ready-made skill manuals, Lin Jia resolved to secretly work hard to help the fourth brother obtain a level 25 skill manual, *Assassination Swordsmanship*, keeping this secret to himself alone.

One day, after receiving a notification from Lone Wind that they could begin selling high-level and rare equipment, Lin Jia and his companions donned their most luxurious gear and rushed to the safe zone of Earth City, planning to make a hefty profit. Since the recent transfer and update of *The Legend*, the gold drop rates from monsters had been appropriately increased. New players like Lin Jia’s clan were now wealthier than before, and the veteran players who had transitioned with them from the Thunder server were even better off. High-level monsters dropped not only a lot of experience but also significant amounts of gold. Plus, some equipment could be sold for a good sum. A few top-tier players could even save up quite a fortune.

In addition, *The Legend* underwent some monumental changes during these days!

First, after the opening of new servers, the surge in player logins and the influx of new players caused three servers to become overloaded within just a few days. This forced the *Legend* developers to continuously open new servers like spring mushrooms after rain to accommodate the growing player base.

Within a short time, the number of simultaneous online players in *The Legend* broke through 10,000, 30,000, 50,000, and then 100,000. Even the developers hadn’t anticipated such rapid growth. Reluctantly, they closed new user registration on the original Thunder, Radiance, and Flame servers, forbidding new players from joining these overloaded servers. At the same time, they launched new servers such as Thunder II, Radiance II, and Flame II. Soon after, a slew of other servers followed—Gale, Unicom, Flowing Cloud, Sina, Mount Shu, and more—until *The Legend* boasted a total of 20 server clusters, sweeping across China’s gaming scene.

A game with over 100,000 players online simultaneously and countless registered users gradually became widely known among netizens. More and more people, curious about why so many were playing this game, began trying their hand at what was once considered a third-rate Korean MMORPG. Others were drawn by the sheer scale of the player base.

It’s well known that the appeal of online games lies in player interaction. A game with 100,000 simultaneous online players naturally offered unparalleled interactive charm. Many players were attracted simply by seeing *The Legend* rapidly occupy the screens of every computer in internet cafes, slowly abandoning the games they once loved and embracing the world of *The Legend*.

Imagine walking into an internet café and seeing every computer screen filled with little characters in homespun clothes running around, the speakers filled with agonized screams. Even a complete gaming novice would be curious enough to try this game that was sweeping the entire country and quietly forging a legend.

What impact did it have when everyone in every internet café was playing *The Legend*? It’s impossible to measure. But when countless game novices and pretty girls gave up QQ chats and internet romances to dress their avatars in homespun clothes, swinging wooden swords to slaughter cute little deer and cats, any guy who loved games but hadn’t started *The Legend* was, in the eyes of his friends, truly someone left behind by the times.

Gradually, people of all ages began to realize that a game called *The Legend* had stealthily invaded China. Conversations among young people became dominated by terms like “PK, leveling, gear, gold, Alliance Stronghold, Biqi.” Their common exclamations were “I’m dizzy!” and “Damn it!” Without knowing a few *Legend* terms, one would feel embarrassed to speak.

However, this influx of new players also brought massive profits to Lin Jia and his veteran group, who had secured the high ground early on. As the saying goes, “Many a little makes a mickle.” Although new players possessed only modest amounts of gold, they worked tirelessly like bees, chopping deer, gathering meat, killing monsters, and farming gold. Gradually, they accumulated enough to buy gear appropriate for their levels, then eagerly handed over their hard-earned money to several local equipment merchants who had quickly become famous among new players on the Radiance server.

Starting from when the two new player villages on the Radiance server suddenly became overcrowded, newcomers could often see a mage player repeatedly broadcasting lines of yellow text every few dozen seconds in the safe zones of Ginkgo Village, Border Village, and the Biqi Imperial City:

“Selling level 0-20 store equipment for all classes! Cheaper than the store, limited quantity—act fast!”

“Selling lots of level 10-20 non-store equipment for all classes! Blood-price clearance sale! PS: Also buying non-store equipment at prices higher than the store!”

“Selling lots of level 22 class sets! Affordable prices! Group orders get discounts! To order, dial 110!”

“Selling lots of level 0-30 rare, abnormal, high-end branded equipment for all classes. Friendly reminder: prices are steep—no money, don’t bother asking! Fellow sellers, please respect!”

Almost at all times, this mage was surrounded by a crowd of homespun-clad players—some buying and selling gear, others begging, “Brother! Give me some gear!?” “Give me some money!?” “Brother, take me along!”

But this high-level mage, aside from private business with buyers, ignored everyone else, acting like an NPC vending system, drawing countless curses from newcomers who nonetheless had no choice but to buy from him.

His equipment perfectly met the needs of these newly arrived players in their teens level range. Equipping the right gear as soon as they reached the required level not only maximized defense and attack power but also sped up leveling. Trying to collect a full set by themselves would waste leveling time, and they might even out-level the gear before completing it.

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