Chapter 27
Chapter 27
“Her name is… her name is…”
Zhou Ming suddenly found himself reduced to incoherent babbling.
He had not been this nervous even when facing the gods.
For some inexplicable reason, guilt made him feel like a thief. He looked left and right, confirmed no one was nearby, then whispered, “Her name is Qianying!”
“Why are you talking so quietly? Afraid your girlfriend will hear you?” his mother asked, caught between laughter and exasperation.
Zhou Ming fell silent.
Exactly!
I’m afraid she’ll hear and split me in half with one swing of her sword!
“All right, Mom won’t pry. Just be careful while you’re living away from home, and don’t go offending anyone.”
“How could that happen?”
Zhou Ming spoke with absolute conviction. “You know what kind of person your son is. I haven’t offended a single person!”
…
After chatting briefly, Zhou Ming claimed he had something to do and ended the call before his lie fell apart.
If they kept talking, his mother would probably ask where Qianying came from.
He could hardly tell her that Qianying was an “Ancient Succubus” he had claimed inside a game!
Zhou Ming soon returned to Qingshui Town. The instant his foot crossed the threshold, a system chime rang beside his ear.
“Ding!”
[System: Attention! The team event [Damage Challenge] is now open. Interested participants may accept the relevant quest from [General Store Owner ยท Liu Fugui] at coordinates 5778, 6669, 5662. Note: Available only in Qingshui Town.]
A Damage Challenge!
The corners of Zhou Ming’s mouth curved upward. His plan had worked.
Without hesitation, he returned to the general store. A sea of people crowded both inside and outside, with countless players lining up to accept the quest.
“Zhouyou Shijie is here too!”
His arrival immediately drew the crowd’s attention. Malicious gazes roamed all over him.
Every player understood the value of a unique hidden class.
“Brothers, listen to my advice. Don’t participate!” Zhou Ming shouted. “The Damage Challenge isn’t as simple as it looks. I suspect it’s a trap!”
“Fuck off!”
“Dream on if you think you can reduce the competition!”
“You think everyone has to obey because your level’s high? Go cool your head somewhere else!”
…
Zhou Ming’s warning instantly drew merciless ridicule.
Everyone knew that large-scale game events came with generous rewards. Zhouyou Shijie had suddenly tried to dissuade them, so his malicious intentions were obvious.
“You people… sigh!”
Wounded to his very core by their insults and slander, Zhou Ming “dejectedly” joined the back of the line.
The other players looked even more contemptuous, and their enthusiasm for the event reached unprecedented heights.
Since Zhouyou Shijie was also joining the Damage Challenge, perhaps they could seize the opportunity to…
Beautiful fantasies filled their minds, and more and more players came to participate.
Zhou Ming was delighted.
This was one part of his plan!
He lacked the authority to issue quests, but Qianying was an NPC. She could publish one on his behalf.
Before long, he reached the front of the line. The general store owner looked positively radiant as he tirelessly distributed quests to the adventurers.
This was the collaborator Zhou Ming had asked Qianying to find.
The store sold all kinds of items that could help players increase their damage, while the quest rewards would not come out of the owner’s own pocket. Why would he refuse?
Under the eyes of the crowd, Zhou Ming accepted the quest.
“Ding!”
[System: You have successfully accepted the team quest [Subjugate the Rock Monster] (Difficulty: SS)!]
[Subjugate the Rock Monster] (Difficulty: SS)
[Description: A Giant Rock Monster on Fallen Leaf Plains has been targeted for reasons unknown.]
[Quest Requirement: Deal as much damage as possible to the [Giant Rock Monster].]
[Quest Period: Tomorrow, 10:00-15:00]
[Quest Rewards: EXP and equipment based on damage dealt.]
[Failure Penalty: None]
[Note: This quest may only be attempted once. After dying, participants cannot enter Fallen Leaf Plains for 24 hours.]
…
After accepting the quest, Zhou Ming found an overlooked corner and waited.
A short while later, Qianying floated gracefully into view.
“Will this truly work?” Concern colored her voice. “If you rely on others’ assistance, the rules may not consider the trial complete.”
“You’ll understand when you see it tomorrow!” Zhou Ming said with a smile.
Of course he understood Qianying’s concern.
If relying on someone else’s power were enough to clear the Trial of the Seven Sins, then it would be far too easy. He could simply have Qianying slash the boss down to critically low HP and finish it himself.
The system could never permit such a shortcut.
In other words, Zhou Ming had to defeat the Giant Rock Monster through his own power.
“…Very well.”
Qianying said nothing more and returned to the God-Demon Orb to rest.
Zhou Ming opened the system panel and logged out.
…
The next day.
Seven-thirty in the morning.
Fully refreshed, Zhou Ming returned to the game.
“Let’s see whether the Sin of Pride can stop me!”
He set off for Fallen Leaf Plains.
Zhou Ming encountered many high-level monsters along the way, but with his current level and attributes, even Level 50 or 60 monsters had no hope of killing him in one blow.
“Ding!”
[System: You have entered [Fallen Leaf Plains]!]
After more than twenty minutes of travel, Zhou Ming reached his destination. A lush green plain spread before him, the scenery pleasant and the air clean.
Hundreds upon hundreds of players were already waiting for the event to begin, and still more continued gathering. The spectacle was enormous.
“This event location is completely deranged!”
“Tell me about it. I almost died on the way here!”
“It makes sense if you think about it. The target of a Damage Challenge has to be something current players can’t defeat.”
…
The clamor of voices filled the air.
Players packed together in a vast crowd.
“Zhouyou Shijie is here!”
When Zhou Ming arrived, the closest player immediately warned everyone else.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless gazes shot toward him from every direction, focusing on his excellent equipment with naked greed.
The noise vanished. For a brief moment, the entire field fell silent.
“If Zhouyou Shijie participates in the Damage Challenge, none of us will have a chance at first place!” Gaibang Laosan said, breaking the oppressive silence.
The Gaibang Guild practically hated Zhouyou Shijie to the bone.
In the video now spreading all over the internet, their guild had personally enabled his meteoric rise to fame and been reduced to background clowns.
“I can’t believe he actually dared come!” Gaibang Laoer sneered. “My great axe is thirsty for blood!”
This time was entirely different from the confrontation outside Qingshui Town!
One or two hundred players had failed to kill Zhouyou Shijie, but what about more than a thousand?
Whoosh!
Without warning, a knight near Zhou Ming charged first.
Zhou Ming glanced over and brought down the Blackwind Sword.
The knight instantly collapsed and dissolved into white light.
“Ding!”
[System: You have killed the adventurer [Black Stockings, Beautiful Legs]. Infamy +1!]
-745!
An enormous damage number floated upward.
Even with four-star HP Growth and four-star Defense Growth, the knight could not withstand one of Zhou Ming’s basic attacks.
A Radiant weapon combined with Flame Demon Lord’s eight-star Attack Growth was more than enough to place him above every current player.
“All of you…”
Zhou Ming flicked the blood from his blade and crooked a taunting finger at the crowd.
“Come at me!”
“Fuck your act!”
“Brothers, kill him!”
“So what if we lose a level? There are over a thousand of us. We can bury him under bodies!”
…
Like a powder keg touched by flame, the players forgot all about the Damage Challenge and charged directly at Zhouyou Shijie.
Compared to the bounty reward, the event’s promised rewards held no appeal at all.
“At this rate, not only will they fail to help you kill the monster, they may cause even greater trouble!” Qianying said anxiously.
“Is that so?”
Watching over a thousand players surge toward him, Zhou Ming tightened his grip on his sword, perfectly calm.
“What if I told you they were my target from the very beginning?”
…