Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Clang!
The blade trembled softly against Zhou Ming’s neck, its razor-sharp sword intent prickling painfully across his skin.
The instant those words left his mouth, the girl appeared before him again. Hostility surged through her eyes.
“Do you know who I am? Do you know what it would mean if I left this place?” she demanded.
Zhou Ming had no answer. He did know he had to say something, or this trip would end in death yet again.
He had already made contact with the quest target. There was no guarantee he could keep trying forever.
“I don’t know who you are, but I want to take you away from here,” Zhou Ming said solemnly.
The girl found the whole thing absurd. “Why?”
“Because getting you out of here is very important to me!” Zhou Ming answered honestly.
According to the official information, quests in *Destiny* were divided into seven difficulty ranks, from highest to lowest: SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, and D.
At this early stage of the game, the reward from a Difficulty A quest would put him ahead of every other player.
It was incredibly important!
The girl stared at him, surprised and uncertain, yet she could sense that he was not lying.
After a moment’s consideration, she withdrew her weapon and gently shook her head. “Thank you for the offer, but I cannot leave.”
“Why not?” Zhou Ming asked at once.
She held out one pale hand. A sphere of multicolored energy formed above her palm. “If I leave this place, this dreadful restriction will take my life instantly.”
“Can you transfer it to me?” Zhou Ming asked after a moment’s thought.
It was the only solution he could think of.
“Even I cannot withstand its power. How could you?”
“Can you do it or not?”
“…I can.”
“Then give it to me. I’ll take care of it.” Zhou Ming remained perfectly calm. He would only die one more time. No big deal.
“But…”
“Trust me.”
“All right.”
His confidence seemed absolute, so she stopped protesting and tried to transfer the energy sphere into him.
“Ding!”
[System: An unknown restriction has sealed you. If you leave the current area, you will be subjected to a powerful judgment!]
The transfer complete, Zhou Ming strode toward the outskirts of Taoyuan Village.
“The restriction will obliterate you!” the girl warned him.
“Don’t worry!”
Zhou Ming looked back and gave her a supremely confident smile. “It can’t hurt me!”
Boom!
The instant he stepped beyond Taoyuan Village, judgment descended from the sky. An apparently endless torrent of energy struck him, vaporizing Zhou Ming on the spot.
-9999, 9999, 9999, 9999!
The girl stared in utter confusion.
Deeply moved, she murmured, “We are complete strangers. Why would you go this far… Hm?”
She seemed to sense that he had not truly died. Once the restriction dissipated, she raised a hand, tore open space, and appeared in Tutorial Village No. 1.
“Holy crap, that NPC is gorgeous!”
“The developers know exactly what we want!”
“Fairy, could we get to know each other…?”
…
Players swarmed toward the girl. She frowned slightly and tapped a finger against empty air. White light flared in rapid succession as every nearby player died, their damage numbers not even appearing.
Zhou Ming had just respawned in time to witness the scene. He stared in surprise.
With a name like Ancient Succubus, she was obviously the sort who killed without blinking. She was nowhere near as gentle and serene as she looked!
“Thank you for saving me!” she said as she approached, her voice full of gratitude.
“Ding!”
[System: Divine Ember Queen · Qianying’s affinity toward you has increased by 10. Current Affinity: 60 (Friendly)!]
“You’re welcome!”
Zhou Ming gave an awkward smile. He had probably just unleashed some terrifying demon queen upon the world.
Just then, the village chief hobbled over.
“Chief, I got her out. Time for my reward!” Zhou Ming spoke first, his face full of anticipation.
Time waited for no one.
He had already wasted plenty of time he could have spent leveling. He needed to catch up.
The chief froze. “Haven’t you already received your reward?”
“What do you mean?” Zhou Ming asked, baffled.
“You said you came to claim a succubus. Have you forgotten?”
Zhou Ming fell silent.
Claim the succubus?
How was he supposed to claim someone this terrifying?
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have completed [Ancient Succubus] (Difficulty: A). Reward: Level +1!]
“Swoosh!”
Golden light showered over Zhou Ming, raising him to Level 2.
That… That was it?
Clang!
Beside him, Qianying abruptly raised her sword and pointed it at the chief.
The chief paled in terror and immediately dropped to his knees. “Mercy, my lady!”
“He wants a reward,” Qianying said flatly.
“Yes!” The chief trembled from head to toe. “I… I understand!”
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have achieved a perfect completion of [Ancient Succubus] (Difficulty: A). Bonus Rewards: Level +1 and [Battered Iron Sword]!]
“Swoosh!”
Golden light fell, and Zhou Ming leveled up again.
He did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Only in *Destiny*, the game that boasted infinite possibilities, could threatening an NPC squeeze out an extra reward.
The chief quivered. “My lady, that is the absolute most I can offer within my authority.”
“Please, get up.” Zhou Ming promptly helped him to his feet.
Quest rewards were ultimately tied to quest difficulty. The experience and item rewards had not been especially generous, but the real benefit was obvious: he had earned the goodwill of Divine Ember Queen · Qianying, an existence whose power was beyond his ability to measure.
“Oh, right!”
Something occurred to Zhou Ming. “Chief, are there any other problems you need me to solve?”
“…There are.” The chief nodded. “Many field mice are devouring the crops outside the village. Would you be willing to drive them off?”
“No need to be so polite!” Zhou Ming smiled. “Leave it to me!”
“Ding!”
[System: You have obtained [Kill the Field Mice] (Difficulty: C)!]
[Kill the Field Mice] (Difficulty: C)
[Description: Me? A little mouse? I just happen to love grain.]
[Objective: Kill twenty field mice.]
[Quest Reward: A small amount of EXP]
…
With the quest accepted, Zhou Ming finally felt ready to start leveling like a normal player.
Under countless envious and jealous stares, he walked out of the village.
Then something occurred to him. He turned to the “Ancient Succubus” who was still following him and smiled. “You’re free now. You can go do whatever you want.”
“There is nothing I want to do.” Qianying shook her head.
“Aren’t you going home?”
“My home is very, very far away. I can no longer return.” Her tone was calm.
“Then you…”
Zhou Ming was about to urge her to leave when another idea struck him. He tried his luck. “Why don’t you run with me for now? Once you find a purpose, you can go do whatever you like.”
The benefits of having someone whose strength defied his current understanding as a follower were self-evident.
Besides, perhaps this “succubus” really could be claimed.
If so, then…
“All right.” Qianying had her own reasons and did not refuse. “You rescued me. I would feel guilty if all I offered in return was a word of thanks.”
They talked as they headed toward the fields. Huge gray-furred mice wandered freely among the crops, brazenly helping themselves to the harvest.
Just to be safe, Zhou Ming opened his character panel.
[Zhouyou Shijie]
[Level: 3]
[HP: 30]
[Attack: 6-6]
[Defense: 3-3]
[Fame: 0]
[Luck: 0]
[Resistance: 0%]
[Skill: Inspect (Reveals basic information about creatures and items no more than 10 levels above you.)]
[Talent: Inactive (Activates after class advancement.)]
…
[Battered Iron Sword] (Common)
[Attack: 3-3]
[Required Level: 1]
[Description: Seriously? You actually want this?]
…
After reviewing his stats, Zhou Ming cast Inspect on a field mouse nearby.
[Field Mouse] (Normal Monster)
[Level: 5]
[HP: 20]
[Attack: 6-6]
[Defense: 3-3]
[Skill: Bite]
[Description: The culprit ruining the crops.]
…
Zhou Ming did not dare let his guard down.
In most other games, dying in the early levels would be nearly impossible. In *Destiny*, drawing the attention of several field mice at once could easily overwhelm a player.
Just as Zhou Ming began searching for one that had strayed from the pack, Qianying stepped forward from behind him and raised a hand toward the sky.
Boom!
A violent blast of air erupted. White light shot into the heavens, sending the wind and clouds into turmoil.
Every field mouse began trembling, gripped by the instinctive certainty that death was coming.
“I appreciate the thought, but let me handle this myself!” Realizing what she intended to do, Zhou Ming hurriedly stopped her. “I need the training!”
If Qianying defeated the monsters without any help from him, he would receive no experience at all.
“I see…”
Qianying withdrew her attack. She studied Zhou Ming thoughtfully, then held out a slender hand. “Give me your weapon.”
…