Devon Yu gave her a sharp look and said mildly, "It's just that you're still playing the game wrong, like most people."

"How would reincarnation change that?" Danika asked after a moment. "Wouldn't it just encourage the pay to level system, so that you can skip back to the level you were used to having?"

Ariana said quickly, "Bye!"

Danika blinked and watched her leave, while Paul chuckled and said, "She forgets that you're honestly asking, and not setting yourself up for a repeat lecture. I'm going to follow her example and run away though."

Devon Yu grinned at her when she turned back to him warily. "Actually, I think more people who think of levels the way you do will be willing to choose reincarnation with the pay to level system in place. I'm not against that change," he said gently.

"I guess I can see that," Danika agreed after a moment. "But what do you mean 'think of levels' like I do?"

"I actually hoped that people who played Living Jade Empire would come to realize that the numbers aren't very important. That's why the first level of a skill gives you the biggest portion of its ability," Devon Yu explained patiently. "The higher your skill level, the smaller the increase in effectiveness is. There are very few skills in the game that it's ever worth leveling beyond ten points."

"Impartation," Danika objected immediately. "You have to get it to a hundred to be able to instantly teach a skill without demonstrating it, the way some NPCs can, a.s.suming it's possible for a player to raise it that high."

Devon Yu laughed for a long minute, and when he spoke again, his voice was still filled with mirth. "It is possible, and yes, that is one of the handful of skills that it's worth continuing to increase. It is also one of the skills that has the highest reincarnation learning boost and the skill itself carries over automatically as a zero pointer."

She paused at that, because she hadn't noted that particular skills had different relearning speeds. After a moment she objected anyway, "There are more than a handful. Most of the ones with linear range or effect increases, like the basic light cantrip are also worth it?"

"Really?" he asked with amus.e.m.e.nt. "What are you going to do with more than ten particles of light, when the brightness stops increasing?"

"Make more complicated shapes," she replied promptly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Danika's work avatar could use any game skill within the work s.p.a.ces, and at any level, so she simply conjured a ball of light with 30 particles. It was tougher than she'd realized, because there were more than twice as many as she'd worked with as ZipZing, but a moment later she had a rough sketch of a dragon hanging in the air in front of her. It didn't last long, since by the time she had it arranged, more than half of the 30 second duration had pa.s.sed.

"Okay," Devon Yu said after a minute. His expression was very thoughtful.

"I can attach other spells too," she added quickly. She had practiced more with the firework effect, adding a spark to each particle and controlling the size with the basic sphere of the shape cantrip. She cast a handful of sparkling bursts as an example.

It startled her when his hand patted her shoulder suddenly, but he didn't give her time to react. "Danika, I'd like to say again, how glad I am that you joined us."

She blinked at him in surprise, and he smiled gently and shook his head. "Thanks?" she responded uncertainly.

He winked at her and replied, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't rush off to tell everyone that maybe I've been playing my own game wrong instead."

Danika rolled her eyes at him and then told him, "The great part about it is that so many different ways of playing work."

"Yes," he agreed cheerfully. But he conjured a little ball of sparks and awkwardly spread them out with the sphere of a shape cantrip. He watched them fade before adding, "However, I thought only a few craftsmen were actually spending time on things that could really take years to master. I am going to reconsider my stance on the experiences that I've been hoping everyone could have."

"The skills in the game are really well made," Danika pointed out. "People who want to spend the time can really learn to do things like play instruments, it's not just limited to things like spells that are impossible in the real world."

Ryullusion had seemingly learned an instrument overnight, but Danika was betting that not many people could duplicate that feat.

"True," Devon Yu agreed with a smile. "That's part of why I hoped more people would try out different styles and different skills."

--

When Danika returned to her own works.p.a.ce, the traveling merchant had already departed. It wasn't too surprising though. She pulled up her job list and completed the one she'd accepted earlier before she quit for the night.

When she logged into the game after she did her exercises and ate a light supper, SaltySiamese was waiting in her garden.

"Hi?" Danika greeted her questioningly.

"I bet you're surprised to see me instead of my brother," SaltySiamese said with a toss of her cream and chocolate colored hair.

"Mostly I'm just surprised to see you here," Danika replied. "Why are you here?" she asked curiously. "I didn't expect you to be able to play, since MatchlessMinion said he wouldn't be able to." She wondered if SaltySiamese had unlocked the next set of skills in the Way of the Cat.

"It's my turn play, and Match told me you can't leave this s.p.a.ce for a week," SaltySiamese informed her.

"I can't?" Danika asked blankly.

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SaltySiamese frowned at her and then said, "Hold on." Her character froze for a moment, and then she reported, "He says, 'Not until the a.s.sa.s.sin's mark wears off?'"

"Oh," Danika replied with sudden comprehension.

You sure get a lot of people mad at you don't you?"

"I don't actually know for sure that I'm being targeted by a.s.sa.s.sin's this time," Danika argued.

SaltySiamese laughed while pointing at her. "Haha, that just proves my point! But anyway, that's not why I'm here! I'm here to offer your guild a job!"