Taunt — Active. Requires Level 10 Knight. Costs 30 MP. Draws monsters within five meters to attack the caster. Cost: 100 Gold.
Heavy Strike — Active. Requires Level 10 Knight. Costs 10 MP. Increases attack power by 30. Cost: 100 Gold.
Double Strike — Active. Requires Level 20 Knight. Costs 20 MP. Attacks twice in quick succession, increasing attack by 50. Cost: 500 Gold.
Shield Guard — Active. Requires Level 20 Knight. Costs 50 MP. Raises Defense by 10% for 3 minutes. Cost: 500 Gold.
Vitality — Active. Requires Level 30 Knight. Costs 50 MP. Increases Health by 10% for 3 minutes. Cost: 3,000 Gold.
Power Strike — Active. Requires Level 30 Knight. Costs 80 MP. Delivers two rapid attacks, increasing attack by 10%. Cost: 3,000 Gold.
Blade Aura — Active. Requires Level 40 Knight. Costs 100 MP. The final offensive skill. Unleashes a powerful aura slash in a 45-degree cone in front of the caster, increasing attack by 10%. Cost: 8,000 Gold.
Bulwark of the Knight — Passive. Requires Level 40 Knight. The final defensive skill. Increases Defense and Health by 10%, and grants +1 Health regeneration. Cost: 10,000 Gold.
---
Marcus's eyes skimmed down the list, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Knights were reliable, but their playstyle was simple; hit, block, repeat. They didn't have the flashy skill combos or wide-ranging abilities that Mages did. Mages could experiment with elements, strategies, and different playstyles. Knights, meanwhile, just stood their ground and traded blows.
Still, that was the path he had chosen.
Then his gaze drifted to the gold cost at the end of each description, and his excitement deflated instantly.
'Good grief... these prices are insane.'
He rubbed his forehead, realizing just how broke he was. Gold coins weren't easy to earn in Dominion, and right now, he could barely afford the cheapest skills.
"Captain, why are the skill prices so expensive? Can't you give me a discount?"
"Haha, Stonehaven, you are the very first player to advance to Knight. As a reward, I'll teach you the basic Knight skills for free."
A true Knight! Marcus thought as his heart surged. Straightforward and generous. He was overjoyed, realizing he had just saved a small fortune in gold.
"Ding! Stonehaven, Captain Markos is about to teach you Knight skills. Do you accept?"
"I accept."
"For the glory of the Knights!"
Captain Markos raised his hand, and a flash of light burst forth, flowing from his palm into Marcus's body.
"Ding! Player Stonehaven has received guidance from the Knight Captain and learned the skill 'Taunt.'"
"Ding! Player Stonehaven has received guidance from the Knight Captain and learned the skill 'Heavy Strike.'"
"Thank you, Captain," Marcus said sincerely.
"Haha, Stonehaven, you're welcome. Diligence is rewarded, that truth never changes. Keep working hard, promote the Knight's spirit, and do your part for the Dreamland Continent."
"Yes, Captain. I'll do my best."
"Good. Once you reach higher levels, you'll be able to learn additional skills for free. However, remember that what I teach you now are only the most basic techniques. They're meant to support you, not define you. What truly matters is developing skills that fit your own strengths, or discovering legendary Divine Skills. That's how you'll truly stand out and reach your full potential."
"Thank you for the guidance, Captain. But... how can I learn better skills on my own?"
Marcus could tell that Markos was genuinely looking out for him, offering advice drawn from experience. He seized the opportunity to ask more while he could.
He already knew that Divine Skills could sometimes be found as rare drops from powerful monsters, like the Wanderlust skill book he had gotten from the Golden War Bear, Charla. But self-learning a skill was another matter entirely. There were no prompts, no guides, no clear path to follow. He had no idea where to even begin, and he wasn't too proud to ask for help.
"That's a very good question," Captain Markos said, clearly pleased. "To create a skill on your own requires not only great Luck, but also the right opportunity and perseverance. Still, every journey begins with a single step. Just as a towering fortress must rest on a solid foundation, so too must a Knight master the basics before reaching greater heights. Only once your fundamentals are sound will you be able to go further."
Marcus nodded, taking every word to heart.
"Alright, Stonehaven, that's all the guidance I can give for now," Markos said after a pause. "A few days ago, Merchant Reginald from Dragon's Peak Citadel came to me for help. He said he ran into some kind of trouble five days ago near the Black Rock Spire and wanted me to investigate. But with my current duties, I simply haven't had the time. If you're free, would you be willing to look into it for me?"
"Ding! Knight Captain Markos has entrusted Player Stonehaven with the task of investigating Merchant Reginald's trouble. Do you accept?"
"I accept."
Marcus felt a rush of excitement. The Captain personally giving him a quest wasn't something ordinary. Normally, Markos's role was limited to class advancement and training Knights, quests were beyond his usual duties.
"Ding! Player Stonehaven has accepted the Unique Quest, 'Merchant Reginald's Trouble.' You must first find Merchant Reginald to understand the situation."
A Unique Quest, a one-time-only mission that would vanish forever once completed. This clearly wasn't a random assignment. It must have been designed specifically for the first player to achieve Knight rank.
"Stonehaven," Markos said, handing him a sealed letter, "take this to Merchant Reginald. He'll explain the situation in detail."
"Understood, Captain. I'll do everything I can to complete this task."
Marcus accepted the letter, gave a respectful nod, and left the Guild Hall, ready to begin his new chapter in Dragon's Peak Citadel.
His first stop was the Weapon Shop. He needed a proper set of Level 10 Knight gear, walking around in Level 5 Fighter armor at Level 12 was just embarrassing.
But the moment he looked at the price tags, his enthusiasm deflated. A single piece of common, white-grade Level 10 equipment cost five gold coins.
'What a rip-off.'
A full set of Knight gear; helm, chestplate, greaves, boots, shield, and weapon, cost a total of thirty gold coins. Yet when Marcus checked the stats, he realized they weren't even much better than the Level 5 blue gear he already had equipped.
'Fine, Dragonfly Corp, you're ruthless', he thought, 'but I'll endure it.'
He decided to hold off until Level 15 before upgrading his equipment. His attributes were already strong enough that the minor boost from low-tier gear wasn't worth the cost.
In the end, he settled for buying just two pieces: a Bronze Helm and a Bronze Shield. They filled his missing slots and gave his defense a respectable bump.
He skipped the rest, though he couldn't help glancing longingly at the full sets of gleaming armor displayed in the shop. Walking around in proper Knight gear would have looked glorious, but gold was tight, and he needed to save every coin he could.
Next, he stopped by the Apothecary to replenish his supplies. Thirty gold coins went toward ten Medium Health Potions and two Town Portal Scrolls.
War, after all, wasn't just about strength, it was about logistics. You could never afford to run out of medicine mid-battle.
By the time he left, forty gold coins had vanished in the blink of an eye. Gold came easily enough in this world, but it also burned away faster than he expected. Dragonfly Corp clearly knew how to keep players spending.
He sighed, helpless against the system's rules.
At the Storage Vault, he began depositing his unused equipment. Carrying valuables around wasn't safe, and his inventory space was limited. But as soon as he clicked the deposit button, the system message appeared and his mood darkened.
Even storing items cost gold.
Every player got fifty free storage slots, but upgrading space was daylight robbery: a thousand gold coins for just ten extra slots. And it didn't stop there, each deposit came with its own fee.
Storing low-tier gear was cheap enough, only a few silver coins. But when he tried to store his Divine-grade Adamant Shield, the system demanded a hundred gold coins.
'So dark', he thought bitterly. 'They really don't miss a chance to squeeze us.'
He stared at the shield's icon in the storage window. With just over sixty gold coins left, he wouldn't even be able to retrieve it if he wanted to.
Resigned, he sighed and began depositing the rest of his valuable loot: the Adamant Shield, Wolf's Edge, War Bear Armor, Millennium Bear Gall, and two Blessing Gem. He kept the Eagle's Crest, Rabbit Path, and Dreamland Continent Map on him, non-droppable items that might come in handy later.
He still had three Dreamland Gems tucked away. Taking out his hammer, he activated his Forging skill. The clear dinging and danging of metal filled the air as he worked.