Chapter One: The Disturbed Priest

The sunlight was feeble, unable to penetrate the easternmost corner of the Frostleaf Plains. That space lay in deep shadow, with gusts of chilling wind sweeping through from unseen places. The intermittent clatter of skeletons’ footsteps, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, stirred a primal fear within the heart.

Shen Ce gripped his wooden staff tightly. He cast a cold glance at the advancing horde of skeletons, a cryptic smile curving his lips. Raising his right hand, staff held aloft, he murmured, “Mercy of Light!”

With a crack, several milky beams shot forth, flung into the midst of the skeletal army. The foremost dozen towering skeletons were instantly reduced to a billowing cloud of black smoke. The rest, though not destroyed, slowed noticeably, their movements becoming sluggish.

Shen Ce did not relax despite the advantageous turn. A spell like “Mercy of Light” drained mana rapidly for someone at only level twenty-three. Though he could afford mana potions, he had no desire to squander his coin. Unlike most players who entered “Heaven’s Dominion” for amusement or those who would lavish fortunes on a game, Shen Ce played to earn a living.

For people like him, there was a name: professional gamer. Such professionals were not rare; since the invention of virtual reality technology twenty years ago, the number of players in full-immersion online games had grown exponentially, and those earning money through these games had increased alongside. Shen Ce was but a small wave in the tide of professional gamers, spending most of his days online—where a simulated twenty-four hours could become seventy-two in virtual reality.

After estimating the health of the monsters nearby, Shen Ce decisively tapped the closest skeleton with his staff. The skeleton collapsed, shattering into a pile of pale bones. His eyes brightened—the effect of “Mercy of Light” was indeed potent. The remaining skeletons must be hanging by a thread, liable to be finished off by a simple blow; unleashing another spell would be wasteful.

Just as he rejoiced, a skeleton behind and to his right attempted a sneak attack. Shen Ce spun and smashed it with a backhand, reducing it to fragments. Seeing that skeleton fall, the rest seemed to grow furious. Their hollow sockets flickered with dark blue flames as they marched in unison, intent on encircling him.

Shen Ce recognized the danger and almost laughed. Who would have thought these lowest undead creatures could devise a flanking strategy? He tilted his head, calculated his position, and leapt toward a small rise in the ground, escaping the circle.

If anyone were watching, they would scarcely believe a priest could move so nimbly, and not merely by stacking agility stats. Yet knowing Shen Ce, who regularly forced himself to lure monsters and dodge attacks to compensate for a priest’s frail defenses, one might understand his uncanny agility.

Indeed, across all of “Heaven’s Dominion,” it would be difficult to find another priest as peculiar as Shen Ce—willing to train alone, enduring solitude, focusing entirely on leveling and questing. Yet this isolation made him all the more focused, sharpening both his judgments and his hands.

Unawares, Shen Ce had spent over six hours in the Frostleaf Plains. The horde of pale skeletons before him was but the latest wave. He checked the number of bones he’d collected and saw that only four more monsters remained before he completed the “Priest’s First Awakening” quest.

He smiled faintly, cast a minor area-of-effect light spell at a nearby group, then lured four skeletons closer, darting about to increase the spell’s damage. After nearly two minutes, three skeletons had fallen to his persistent magic. The last still pursued him, but its health must be nearly depleted.

Shen Ce raised his wooden staff, ready to finish the final skeleton. But then, a golden arrow suddenly whipped past his cheek, striking the skeleton precisely between the eyes.

A sharp cry rang out, and the tall pale skeleton cracked from brow to base, collapsing into fragments within seconds. Shen Ce stared at the heap of bones, his eyes darkening, his thin lips pressed together.

“Hey, lone priest—interested in joining us? We happen to need a healer!” called a bright, sweet voice. It belonged to a young woman, full of naive charm and innocence, utterly at odds with the sinister atmosphere.

Shen Ce turned to the unexpected visitors, his gaze still shadowed. He surveyed the trio some ten meters off—two men and a woman, all mounted on chestnut horses. The girl and a slightly plump man rode on either side, but Shen Ce’s attention lingered on the young man in the center, who held a bowstring in his left hand; clearly, the golden arrow had been his.

The distance was too great for Shen Ce’s character to discern their faces, so he could only make out their gear. Without a word, he turned away, intent on killing another skeleton to complete his quest.

The girl, surprised by his silent refusal, pouted and rode over. She angrily tossed a mana potion at his feet and glared at him. “You really don’t know what’s good for you—Seventh Young Master just saved you, you know! A priest acting so arrogant! Plenty of priests would beg to join us!”

Shen Ce glanced indifferently at the potion, then at her, his gaze so chilling she shrank back. He ignored her, a sardonic smile on his lips, cast a light spell at a skeleton, and crushed his teleport scroll.

In an instant, the white-robed figure representing a priest vanished amid the skeleton’s black smoke.

The girl stared, dumbfounded, at the lingering smoke, her eyes wide with disbelief. She spun to her companions, exclaiming, “He still had mana! So why did he act like he needed to use his staff?”

The two men exchanged glances and quickly rode over. The trio fell silent, until the young archer spoke, “Forget him. He’s probably a solo player. Qingqing, Xin, we need to kill a thousand skeletons—let’s hurry!”

The plump man, addressed as Xin, eyed the skeletons and clicked his tongue. “Seventh Young Master, you’re saying that priest’s soloing? That’s really unusual.” In “Heaven’s Dominion,” he’d never heard of a priest choosing to go it alone; with their low health and weak defenses, priests were meant to heal, at the very least needing someone to watch their backs.

Qingqing was equally stunned, recalling the priest’s cold, indifferent gaze and feeling a strange fear. She muttered, “Since when are priests so formidable? Seventh Young Master, you’d better not be joking.”

The young man merely smiled, shrugging. “That’s my guess. Skeletons just respawned in Frostleaf Plains for advancement quests. I thought we were fast—didn’t expect someone to be even faster, and solo, at that.”

As he spoke, the wind lifted his pale golden hair. Though the space was dim, he seemed to radiate light, his deep-set eyes and brows exuding an undeniable handsomeness.