Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Zhou Ming had no idea what she intended, but he handed over the weapon anyway.
Qianying took the battered iron sword. Strange lights flowed through her eyes as she gripped the hilt in her right hand and formed a sword-finger gesture with her left, tracing it lightly along the blade.
The battered iron sword transformed at once. Silver brilliance gleamed beneath the sunlight, and its edge became extraordinarily sharp.
“Here.”
Her work finished, Qianying returned the weapon.
Zhou Ming took it and immediately opened its stat panel.
[Silver Sword] (Silver)
[Attack: 20-25]
[Trait: Attack +5%]
[Required Level: 1]
[Description: Once a battered iron sword. After absorbing a trace of a god-tier expert’s aura, its strength can no longer be compared to what it once was.]
…
Silver rank!
Zhou Ming’s heart surged with excitement.
Weapon tiers and power tiers in *Destiny* followed the same hierarchy. From lowest to highest came Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Radiant. Players would have to discover any ranks above Radiant for themselves.
At this early stage of the game, the numbers on a Silver weapon gave him more than enough attack to crush the field mice.
“You are not native to the Destiny Continent. This is all I can do for you at present,” Qianying explained honestly.
“Thank you.”
Zhou Ming’s gratitude was sincere.
In simple terms, natives could not give adventurers treasures for free. Fortunately, the weapon already belonged to him, and all Qianying had done was touch it.
Even so, he had benefited enormously.
He refused to waste such a hard-won advantage. While the other players were still fighting Level 1 slimes and Level 3 sheep, Zhou Ming charged straight at the field mice with his sharpened sword.
-21!
A crimson damage number popped into the air.
The field mouse only had 20 HP. It dropped dead without the slightest chance to retaliate.
One hit!
Zhou Ming reveled in the feeling.
What other player could possibly own a Silver weapon at the start of the game?
“Holy crap, is that guy hacking?!”
A distant onlooker stared, slack-jawed.
Most players were still trading blows with slimes. This guy, meanwhile, had a drop-dead gorgeous NPC following him around and could one-shot Level 5 monsters.
Was he even human?
“Squeak, squeak!”
The other field mice bristled at the sight and charged the intruder in a relentless swarm.
“Slash, slash, slash…”
Zhou Ming hacked through the enraged mice as easily as chopping vegetables. He showed no sign of panic, attacking furiously with the sword in hand.
-3!
-22!
-3!
-21!
…
The bites from so many field mice added up to a serious threat. Zhou Ming fought while retreating, minimizing the number of attacks that could reach him. Every strike he landed, however, was instantly fatal.
In less than two minutes, more than a dozen field mice had turned into experience points. Just as Zhou Ming’s HP was about to bottom out…
“Swoosh!”
Golden light showered down. He reached Level 4, and his condition returned to full.
“Ding!”
[System: You have completed [Kill the Field Mice] (Difficulty: C). Return to the village chief to claim your reward!]
Finished already?
Zhou Ming had barely gotten warmed up. He casually cut down two more field mice, collected the twenty-odd copper coins they had dropped, and headed back to the tutorial village.
With such overwhelming attack power, fighting field mice felt like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. He might as well challenge stronger monsters and level more efficiently.
“Bro, where did you get that NPC following you?” Unable to restrain himself any longer, another player came over to ask.
Zhou Ming had no intention of squandering his early advantage. He brushed the man off with the first thing that came to mind. “I’m one of the developers.”
Then, using his higher level to push through the crowd, he returned to the village.
Unlike ordinary monster-hunting quests, every event in *Destiny* was unique. The developers had already explained that the game’s world and lore evolved on their own. Once an event had been completed, it would never occur again.
The village chief saw Zhou Ming returning with the “Ancient Succubus” in tow and nearly died of fright. He abandoned his work and rushed over at once.
“Grandpa Chief, I’ve completed the quest!” Zhou Ming announced.
“Yes, yes, of course…” The chief nodded frantically. “I’ll give you the reward immediately!”
“Ding!”
[System: Congratulations! You have achieved a perfect completion of [Kill the Field Mice] (Difficulty: C). Rewards: Current-Level EXP +55%, Copper Coins +10, and [Battered Armor]!]
More equipment!
Zhou Ming immediately opened his inventory and replaced his statless beginner clothes with the rust-covered armor.
Qianying saw him put it on, reached out to touch the armor, then withdrew her hand.
The very next second, it became far tougher.
[Sturdy Armor] (Silver)
[Defense: 10-12]
[HP: 100]
[Trait: Defense +5%]
[Required Level: 3]
[Description: Any equipment touched by the aura of a god-tier expert, even the faintest trace, will cease to be ordinary.]
…
“Thank you!”
Zhou Ming turned to Qianying, at a loss for anything else to say.
She offered no reply.
“Chief, the reward for killing those field mice was pretty good, but the quest itself was too easy. Got anything harder with a better payout?” Zhou Ming asked.
“I do, brother. I certainly do…”
The chief cast a nervous glance at Qianying, who stood quietly behind Zhou Ming, and nodded repeatedly. “A vicious, bloodthirsty wolf lives in the mountains outside the village. If you can eliminate it, the entire village will be grateful!”
“Ding!”
[System: Accept [Eliminate the Dire Wolf] (Difficulty: B)?]
[Eliminate the Dire Wolf] (Difficulty: B)
[Description: The dire wolf is a vicious killer. Proceed with extreme caution.]
[Objective: Kill the dire wolf and return with its fang.]
[Quest Reward: Unknown]
…
“Yes!”
Zhou Ming accepted without hesitation. He then visited the apothecary and spent every copper coin he had on six red potions, just in case something went wrong.
[Red Potion] (C-Rank Consumable)
[Effect: Restores 5 HP per second for 10 seconds after consumption.]
[Cooldown: 20 seconds]
[Description: A red potion. One look tells you it restores health.]
…
With his preparations complete, Zhou Ming set off for the mountains, brimming with ambition.
That dire wolf was most likely a boss!
If he could kill it, he had a real chance of claiming the first boss kill in *Destiny*!
Back in the village, the chief watched the walking calamity depart, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
On the road to the mountains, Zhou Ming looked back at the silent silver-haired girl behind him. Her skin was flawless as snow, her every feature a work of art. She was as beautiful as an immortal banished to the mortal realm. Only an NPC in a game could possibly look like that.
“Why are you looking at me?” Qianying asked, puzzled.
Zhou Ming answered honestly. “I was wondering what it really means for you to have left Taoyuan Village.”
She had brought it up before.
He wanted an answer.
She was a god-tier expert, yet she had willingly chosen to follow him. She claimed she wanted to repay him, but he could not shake the feeling that it was not that simple.
When all was said and done, he did not believe a single Difficulty A quest should have earned him the protection of a god-tier expert so easily.
Something flickered in Qianying’s eyes as she gazed toward the sky. “If you do not know yet, then I hope you can remain ignorant a little longer.”
“All right.”
Zhou Ming did not press her.
His level was probably too low to trigger the rest of Qianying’s story.
“On another subject,” Qianying said suddenly, “once you are strong enough, which class do you intend to choose?”
Which class?
Zhou Ming did not answer at once. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I haven’t decided yet. Do you have any suggestions?”
His heart was pounding as he asked.
The girl beside him was a god-tier expert.
If he could inherit her legacy, he would obtain one of those legendary hidden classes!
The developers of *Destiny* had already revealed that beyond the seven standard classes of swordsman, knight, mage, archer, summoner, priest, and assassin, hidden classes and even unique hidden classes existed in the game world.
The odds of obtaining either, however, were vanishingly small.
“My class belongs to me alone. It cannot be passed on to you.” Qianying seemed to see straight through his thoughts and shook her head.
“I understand.”
Zhou Ming was somewhat disappointed, but not surprised.
Hidden classes were not supposed to be easy to obtain.
“However, I can offer you another option!”
Qianying abruptly changed tack. She fixed the young man with a deep, meaningful look.
“What option?” Zhou Ming’s heart leaped. He hurriedly pressed her for an answer.
“Would you be interested in… creating a class of your own?”
…