Chapter 23: Counting the Spoils, the Platinum Necrotic Greatsword!

Lin Yi’s class advancement was defined by its plainness and lack of distinct features. The fixed attribute point bonus gained per level-up simply increased from one to two. Furthermore, the effectiveness of his Spirit attribute in boosting magic damage and mana regeneration had become more potent than after his first advancement. Although he had known that a second advancement would grant a new active skill and a new passive skill, the two he unlocked were clearly quite ordinary. His first advancement had yielded Fireball, while his second brought Ice Arrow. In the world of Blue Star, Fire and Ice specializations were the most common and mundane paths for the Mage class, as most people obtained these skills during their first or second advancements.

Given the scarcity of skill acquisition, most people had no choice but to commit to either Fire or Ice. Once skill points were invested, switching to a different element later became even more difficult. However, Lin Yi did not look down on Ice Arrow or Mana Shield. To him, any skill—as long as it was a skill—would become exceptionally valuable in his hands!

After the successful advancement, Lin Yi opened his personal interface and allocated all the attribute points gained from leveling up into his Spirit attribute. Seventh-tier magic spells were notorious mana-guzzlers, not to mention the eighth-tier spells or forbidden incantations that would follow. It was foreseeable that once his passive skill, [Divine Chanting], which accelerated casting speed, also reached the ninth tier, he would certainly be able to cast forbidden spells instantly. When that time came, Lin Yi did not want to become a useless mage with no mana to cast spells once the free casting effect from [Mana Storm] wore off.

After allocating his points, Lin Yi’s panel had undergone a near-qualitative transformation compared to two days ago.

[Lin Yi]
[Class: Intermediate Mage (2nd Advancement)]
[Specializations: Fire (Primary), Storm (Primary), Ice (Secondary)]
[Level: LV.39 (4.30%)]
[HP: 410/410]
[Mana: 39620/39620]
[Strength: 41]
[Agility: 41]
[Spirit: 566]
[Constitution: 41]
[Stamina: 41]
[Talent: Gift of the Gods (SSS)]
[Available Attribute Points: 0]
[Available Skill Points: 312,685]

After the advancement, Lin Yi had leveled up nine more times, thanks to the massive experience gained from the Corrupted Death Knight and the large number of undead soldiers he had decimated. With the level cap removed, none of this experience had been lost. Lin Yi’s total mana, which had barely reached three or four thousand points after consuming alchemical elixirs previously, had surged to nearly forty thousand. Even without relying on the free casting of [Mana Storm], Lin Yi could now cast seven or eight seventh-tier spells using his own mana pool alone.

Looking at his remaining skill points, he realized he was just shy of being able to upgrade both new skills to the seventh tier. However, Lin Yi was not in a hurry. His haul this time was far more bountiful than what he had gathered in the Wailing Forest. After all, considering the level of the Corrupted Death Knight, the items it dropped would surely fetch a high price.

With that in mind, Lin Yi left the Advancement Sanctuary and returned home. It was midday. On the table sat three or four of his favorite dishes, along with a note left by his mother: "If the food is cold, heat it up in the microwave. Your homeroom teacher came looking for you this morning, saying it was urgent and concerned your future. Remember to go ask what it’s about."

Lin Yi’s father, Lin Guodong, worked in the mines. It wasn't exactly working from dawn till dusk, but once he went down into the shaft, he typically worked for seven or eight hours at a time, as the process of entering and exiting the mine was too cumbersome and would waste too much time. His mother, Xu Qingfang, was a teacher; of course, she was not a "professional" (class-holder), and the subjects she taught were merely standard academic courses. Lin Yi was long accustomed to a life where his parents were out during the day and could only gather in the evenings.

After eating his fill, Lin Yi returned to his room and took out everything dropped by the Death Knight, Rivendare, from his personal inventory. First, there were a dozen pieces of equipment. Unfortunately, none were suitable for a mage. He checked their grades: there were eight or nine Silver-grade items, three Gold-grade items, and one final Platinum-grade item. It happened to be the large black sword that Rivendare had been wielding.

[Death Rune Greatsword]
[Type: Weapon (Two-handed)]
[Grade: Platinum]
[Required Level: LV.60]
[Usable Classes: Warrior, Knight-type advancements]
[Weight: 29.3kg]
[Physical Attack +845]
[Strength +97]
[Stamina +88]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Special Effect: Plague Corruption]
[On hit, 10% chance to infect the target with the plague, dealing 200 dark-attribute damage per second for 30 seconds. This effect can stack up to 5 times.]

Lin Yi had not seen other level 60 equipment or weapons, so he didn't know if this greatsword’s stats were considered good. However, he knew that weapons with special effects were never cheap. Yet, this was precisely what bothered him most. Because of the three Gold-grade items and this Platinum sword, he had no way to sell them right now.

In this world of Blue Star, the Great Xia nation’s regulations on equipment for all class-holders were extremely strict. The official authorities of Great Xia strictly prohibited any equipment above Silver grade from entering the private market. Once discovered, they would trace it back to the source. This was, in essence, the same logic as the gun control in his previous life on Earth. Equipment was the easiest external means for ordinary people—or those with ulterior motives—to enhance their strength. If someone with a low level and poor skill allocation managed to acquire a set of high-quality equipment, they could still cause significant destruction. Therefore, aside from top officials and specialized organizations like the military class-holders stationed in the base cities, it was a violation of the law for any other class-holder to even possess equipment above Silver grade.

Of course, this did not mean that if a class-holder obtained such high-grade gear, it had to go to waste. The government provided specialized buy-back channels. If you found good equipment, the Great Xia government would buy it back at a high price—a truly high price that would leave you satisfied. Thus, most class-holders had no complaints.

However, the reason Lin Yi could not sell these items was that, given his current level and official status, he could not explain to the authorities where these items came from. If he claimed he had farmed them himself, he would have to explain far too much. Lin Yi hated trouble. Therefore, he decided to keep the equipment in his personal inventory until his publicly known strength was sufficient. Once he was strong enough, the officials would no longer scrutinize him so closely.

Lin Yi tucked the three Gold-grade items and the Platinum Death Rune Greatsword back into his inventory, then brought out two skill scrolls. These were the most precious treasures of all!