Chapter 136: A Special Mission

“Alright then. But Ye Chen, you haven’t reached your second job advancement yet. Once you log in, try to complete the job transfer quest as quickly as possible. The skills from the second job are incredibly powerful and will greatly enhance your strength. Unfortunately, the job transfer quest can’t be completed with help from others; otherwise, with our assistance, it would be much faster,” Sword Qin Cheng said with a hint of helplessness.

“No worries. If necessary, I’ll just wear the silver equipment set. Besides, once I put on the cloak, others won’t easily notice it,” Ye Chen replied with a relaxed smile. Ordinary players with basic gear can complete the job transfer quest; there’s no reason why someone with a silver set can’t. Even though the Dark Arbiter’s job transfer quest is slightly more challenging, it should still be manageable.

Hearing Ye Chen say this, Sword Qin Cheng and the others exchanged a smile, realizing their worries were unnecessary. Ye Chen was no longer the logistics worker from the old guild; he was now the second-ranked expert on the Lishan leaderboard, clad in a full silver set. It was unlikely anyone in Lishan City could surpass him.

After some casual chatting, the women each headed back to their rooms to log into the game, waiting for Ye Chen to distribute the equipment.

In the southern warehouse of Lishan City, thirteen women above level 30 stood clustered together. Li Yuetong and a few other chatterboxes kept babbling nonstop. Passing players frequently glanced back, speculating about the origins of these beauties. One dim-witted fellow even parked himself nearby on a small stone bench, drooling as he ogled the girls.

Sword Qin Cheng and the others were long accustomed to such stares. Even shy Ling Yue showed no sign of nervousness, presenting herself with poise. Li Yuetong, being rather dense, completely ignored the male players and simply giggled with the younger girls.

“Why is Ye Chen taking so long to log in? I can’t wait to wear the bronze equipment,” one said.

“Yeah, same here. I’ve been playing in Zone Four for so long but haven’t even touched bronze gear. Just thinking about wearing a full bronze set makes me excited. I have to thank Ye Chen properly later,” another added.

“Heh, how do you plan to thank him? Offering yourself?”

“No way! I’m not even eighteen yet. Maybe I’ll give him my first kiss.”

“Your first kiss? Playing cute and pretending to be innocent is so shameless! Although you are cute and innocent, I still have to say that!”

Nearby players who eavesdropped instantly remembered the name Ye Chen. Hearing talk of offering oneself and first kisses stirred their hearts. They envied and begrudged the player called Ye Chen with great intensity.

Amidst the laughter and teasing, Sword Qin Cheng suddenly pointed toward the distant crowd, saying, “He’s here.”

Upon hearing this, more than a dozen girls turned their gaze toward Ye Chen. The male onlookers also looked toward him, curious about who this lucky fellow was to be surrounded by so many beauties. He was indeed a role model for all wolf-pack players, deserving of worship and study.

Despite the many eyes on him, Ye Chen’s expression remained unchanged, calm and composed. Sword Qin Cheng and Drunken Lovesickness nodded to each other quietly. Ye Chen now carried the aura of a true expert. His confidence alone set him apart from ordinary players.

“Hello, eldest sister, second sister, and all the beauties,” Ye Chen greeted as he stepped forward.

“Cut the small talk and give us the equipment! I’m eager to feel the power of the bronze set,” Drunken Lovesickness said impatiently. Ye Chen scanned the group and noticed that except for the eldest sister who remained composed, the others weren’t much better. Even Ling Yue’s cheeks were flushed, clearly excited.

Without further ado, Ye Chen pulled out from the warehouse 69 pieces of bronze equipment, a pair of silver rings, and a book of Fiery Earth Eruption.

“Eldest sister, this is for you,” Ye Chen said, trading the pair of silver rings, the Fiery Earth Eruption tome, and three bronze pieces with full strength attributes to Sword Qin Cheng. Since she already possessed two pieces of silver gear, she didn’t need the full five-piece set.

Sword Qin Cheng carefully examined the items and couldn’t help but smile. The silver rings added 70 points of attack each, and with strength bonuses included, the two rings provided a total of 100 attack points. The set bonus increased physical attack damage by 10%—quite appealing. The three bronze pieces with single-attribute strength added a total of 50 strength, perfect for her full-strength sword fighter build. The Fiery Earth Eruption skill book was the icing on the cake, promising to boost her leveling speed dramatically.

Seeing eldest sister immediately equip the gear, the other girls expressed envy and congratulations, eagerly awaiting Ye Chen to hand out their equipment. Understanding their anticipation, Ye Chen quickly distributed the remaining 60-plus bronze pieces according to each player’s needs. On average, each girl received five pieces. Combined with the bronze gear they had recently acquired from the King’s dungeon, all thirteen core members of the guild now sported full bronze sets.

“Wow, Zi Yi also got bronze equipment! Thank you, Brother Ye Chen! I have a gift for you,” sixteen-year-old Lin Zi Yi bounced over to Ye Chen, lightly kissed his cheek like a dragonfly’s touch, and shyly said, “This is Zi Yi’s first kiss.”

“Beast!” Although no one spoke aloud, Ye Chen could hear the countless male players’ thoughts around him. If looks could kill, he was certain he would have died a hundred times over.

It was too embarrassing. Zi Yi was still a minor. Ye Chen hurriedly pushed the little girl in his arms away with a serious expression, then whispered to her, “Don’t randomly kiss others in the future. If you’re going to kiss anyone, just kiss Brother Ye Chen.”

...

Under eldest sister Sword Qin Cheng’s leadership, the group of girls swiftly left the city. As Drunken Lovesickness put it, they were going to “test their swords.” Ye Chen smirked; wasn’t this just to enjoy their new gear? “Test swords” sounded like something out of a wuxia drama.

After standing still for a few more seconds, feeling more and more murderous gazes upon him, Ye Chen decided to make his move and proceed with his job transfer.

He made his way to the Adventurers’ Guild, where the seductive and enchanting Dark Priestess mentor greeted him from afar, “Oh, my dear little Arbiter, it’s been so long since you last came. I’ve missed you.”

At once, over a dozen Dark Priests waiting for their own job transfers cast strange looks at Ye Chen, as if silently asking, “Are you involved with this NPC beauty?”

Ye Chen was momentarily taken aback but didn’t pay attention to the players. Instead, he focused on the alluring Dark Priestess mentor. The last time he came, she barely acknowledged him. This sudden warmth was suspicious.

Ignoring the players’ intrusive stares, Ye Chen approached the Dark Priestess and bowed slightly. “Dear mentor, it’s been a few days. You’ve grown even more beautiful. Is there anything I can assist you with?” He had no qualms about flattering this intelligent NPC if it helped him gain advantages.

“Hmm, let me see... Oh, our young Arbiter is quite impressive, already far exceeding the second job advancement standards. That’s excellent.” The Dark Priestess appraised him from head to toe, nodded with satisfaction, then continued, “Here’s the situation: The damned Karo really died this time. What? You don’t remember Karo? He’s the skeleton who taught you Black Dragon Break. Before he died, he left behind a ‘Necromancer’s Diary’—a terrible name, I know—but it contains all his knowledge and some miscellaneous stuff. The guild values it highly, but it was stolen by a Lich. Now the guild needs brave warriors to hunt down that Lich and retrieve the diary. Are you willing to participate?”

Lich? Upon hearing that word, Ye Chen shook his head vigorously. Liches were legendary semi-god-level beings; one breath could kill him. They were also masters of curses. A permanent debuff would be disastrous.

“As a Dark Arbiter, how can you be so cowardly?” The Dark Priestess frowned in displeasure and explained, “You need not fear. That Lich isn’t in full power; Karo severely wounded it before dying. Now it’s only a semi-spirit level entity. Besides, Karo was half your master, killed by that Lich. Shouldn’t you avenge him?”

Semi-spirit? That was still beyond the Dark Gold half-level monster tier. The terror of the Mountain Shaker Lord was palpable. Without a Soul Rider expending skills to counter it, even knowing its attack patterns wouldn’t guarantee safety. And that was with a fifteen-player team. Who knew how powerful a semi-spirit Lich was? Even weakened, it probably retained some semi-god-level skills, easily wiping out players in their thirties. As for avenging Karo, Ye Chen scoffed; he had no relation whatsoever.

Seeing Ye Chen’s disdain, the Dark Priestess grew angry. “Will you participate or not? If you refuse, don’t expect to get your second job quest from me.”

A threat—blatant and naked. Ye Chen hesitated. Intelligent NPCs did hold certain authorities. While they wouldn’t block his advancement forever, they could delay it by ten or twenty days. He needed to advance promptly to strengthen himself; otherwise, being teleported to the alien continent in three days would be even more perilous.

“Agree to her. I have a way to help you deal with that Lich,” a voice suddenly whispered by his ear. It was 2058.

She continued, “Plus, this quest offers great rewards. You can learn at least two rare-level skills, which will significantly boost your strength. That Lich is also a treasure trove of clues about the Sword Demon.”

Sword Demon? Ye Chen’s mind ignited with a rush of excitement. In that case, he was all in!

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please support it with recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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