Chapter Five: Camino’s Mission

The Frost Forest lay to the north of Fiery Mountain City, inhabited mostly by ice monsters of level sixteen or seventeen. Although it was an ideal place for beginners to train, the monsters were sparse and the cold was unbearable, so few players chose to level up there.

Following the coordinates given by the system, Ye Chen arrived at the location but found no trace of the NPC. He wandered around several times, yet his search remained fruitless.

Standing in place, he scratched his head and decided to ask the almighty system for help.

“System, I’m at the coordinates you mentioned, but there’s no NPC here. Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”

“Let me check,” the system replied, then fell silent. The pause was brief—just a few seconds—before the system answered, “No mistake. The NPC was indeed here, but this particular one is mobile, wandering freely and randomly throughout the forest. Now it’s moved elsewhere.”

Ye Chen was startled by the reply. A randomly moving NPC? What a headache! Who could guess where it had wandered off to in such a vast frozen forest? He immediately shared his predicament with the system.

“I can locate this NPC for you and mark its coordinates on your map. Simply check your map, and you’ll find it,” the system responded, ever omnipotent, offering a solution right away.

Ye Chen opened his map and, sure enough, spotted a small yellow dot slowly moving across it.

Seeing the new dot, a sudden thought struck Ye Chen. He swallowed involuntarily and, somewhat uncertain, asked the system, “If—just hypothetically—if I wanted to locate a specific player, could you do that?”

“Of course. Every corner of this game world is under my surveillance. If I wish, nothing here is a secret to me. Locating a player is the simplest of tasks.”

The system’s answer was expected, but Ye Chen was thrilled. The ability to locate any player—what power! He immediately realized the immense potential of this function. It was like having his own omniscient satellite: he could track his enemies, no matter where they fled. Even if they hid deep in the wilderness, he could dig them out!

Fiery Tiger’s Roar, that damned scoundrel, you’re finished. When I grow stronger, you can run to the ends of the earth, but you won’t escape my grasp!

With revenge within reach, Ye Chen became fired up, chasing after the yellow dot on his map. Before long, he found the wandering NPC that issued the hidden quest—Kamino, the Stingy Aristocrat. The moment he spotted the aimlessly roving NPC, Ye Chen rushed toward him.

Nearby, several players grinding monsters noticed this scene and immediately broke into mocking laughter, taunting Ye Chen from afar.

“Haha, another fool has taken the bait. That NPC is a trap; all it does is insult people, never gives out quests.”

“Hey, that kid’s obviously a newbie. The forums have already exposed this; only a rookie would bother with that NPC.”

“Exactly! Kamino is such a damned jerk—whoever programmed him must have been twisted. That mouth is vicious, a real troll.”

“Record it, record it! Let’s upload this newbie’s foolishness online.”

Ye Chen paid them no heed. He strode forward and grabbed Kamino, who was about to wander off again, greeting him with a smile, “Honored Mr. Kamino, is there anything I can assist you with?”

Kamino, dragged back, looked thoroughly unwilling. He glanced at Ye Chen with disdain. “Assist me? You? So weak. Look at your weapon—ha, it’s nothing more than a firewood stick. And your robe—heavens, where did you pull that off a corpse? Oh, you’re a Dark Priest? Do you really enjoy playing second fiddle?”

Ye Chen grimaced. Truly, Kamino was the embodiment of stinginess. If not for the system’s hint, Ye Chen would have turned away like any other player.

“Am I weak? Mr. Kamino, I believe you’re insulting me. I challenge you to a duel!” Ye Chen glanced at the onlookers and deliberately lowered his voice.

The moment he uttered “duel,” Kamino’s name above his head turned red, making him an attackable NPC!

“Whoa, Kamino’s name changed! What’s going on?”

“That newbie triggered the quest!”

“What did he say? Did anyone catch it? That must be the secret!”

“No one heard. He deliberately lowered his voice! So cunning!”

The nearby players were suddenly in an uproar, with a few quick-witted ones already rushing over.

[Kamino] Level: 1, HP: 100.

Black Fireball, -120! Kamino was left with zero HP!

“I surrender, I surrender! Oh great warrior, you are truly formidable—a real hero! I am willing to entrust this honorable quest to you, and I shall reward you generously!”

Wailing, Kamino waved his hand, and a golden light shot into Ye Chen’s body.

“Ding! You have accepted the quest [Kamino’s Task].”

[Kamino’s Task]: Poor Kamino was once a minor noble in Fiery Mountain City, but his relentlessly biting tongue brought disaster upon him. A band of brigands, hired by someone, stormed his home and stole all his treasures. He asks you to retrieve his riches from the Half-Moon Mountain bandits. Kill enough bandits, and you can reclaim the treasure.

Hint: This is a shared quest. You may share it with up to one teammate; the rewards remain unchanged.

“Did you see that? The golden light—that’s a golden light! My god, it must be a hidden quest. That kid hit the jackpot!”

“A master! A legend!”

“I want a hidden quest too! Brother, master, legend, sell me the method, how about two gold coins?”

The crowd’s gaze shifted, now burning with admiration—a sharp contrast to their earlier ridicule, from scorn to reverence.

Ye Chen smiled slightly, his expression calm, though inside he felt a surge of satisfaction. He put on his best “don’t mess with me, I’m an expert” act and deftly shook off their pestering.

Leaving the Frost Forest, he checked his map and headed toward Half-Moon Mountain, but just then, his friend caller rang.

“Beep beep beep, player Yue Ruhong is calling you. Player Yue Ruhong is calling you.”

Yue Ruhong? Isn’t that Ling Yue, the girl? What could she want from him—could it be she wanted revenge for what happened yesterday, when he saw everything?