Free Web NovelChapter 8: Chapter8-An SS-rank Quest
John did not choose to leave the city and grind monsters for levels.
Instead, he moved swiftly through the castle. Before long, he arrived in front of a tall and imposing building within the inner district.
"Halt! Entry is forbidden here!"
Two guards immediately stepped forward and blocked his path.
John got straight to the point.
"I wish to see the Lord. I have an important matter to discuss with him."
One of the guards replied with a cold expression, "The Lord has already retired for the night. If you have business with him, you may return tomorrow."
John fell silent for a moment before saying, "This matter is extremely important. Even the Lord would not refuse to hear it."
The guard sneered.
"Hmph. I’ve seen plenty of people like you. Every single one says the exact same thing.
"In the end, all you want is money or status.
"Get lost. The Lord will not meet with you."
John felt somewhat helpless.
It seemed he could only use his final resort.
Taking a deep breath, he suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Could it be that even a matter concerning the Lord’s bloodline is no longer important?"
"Impudent bastard!"
The guard’s expression darkened. He immediately prepared to step forward and teach John a lesson.
But in the very next moment, the doors behind him were pushed open.
A middle-aged man dressed in luxurious robes appeared.
The guards hurriedly stepped aside.
"My Lord, this man is causing trouble in the middle of the night. We were just about to discipline him."
The Lord carried an imposing air of authority. His gaze settled upon John.
"What exactly did you mean by the words you just spoke?"
John did not answer.
Instead, he spread open his palm.
A badge engraved with the insignia of a sword and shield appeared in his hand.
The moment the Lord saw it, his pupils contracted sharply.
He immediately stepped aside.
"Please, come in at once."
John successfully entered the Lord’s residence.
After the two of them sat down, the Lord stared fixedly at John and asked, "May I ask where exactly you obtained this badge?"
John immediately recounted everything he had encountered within the Catacombs.
After hearing his explanation, a look of sudden realization appeared in the Lord’s eyes.
His voice grew heavy as he said, "Ever since my grandfather disappeared many years ago, our family has searched tirelessly for his whereabouts.
"I never imagined that this was the reason he vanished... nor that he would ultimately meet with such a fate."
Before long, the Lord began recounting the great battle that had taken place a thousand years earlier. freewēbnoveℓ.com
According to legend, a thousand years ago, this city had not been located in such a remote and desolate place.
It had once been one of the most important core cities of a vast empire.
However, one night, the entire city had suddenly been transported by a mysterious power into this barren land overrun with monsters.
At that time, the City Watch had fought against the monsters for several months.
In the end, they suffered devastating casualties and were left severely weakened.
The soldiers who died in that battle were buried underground, along with the secret behind the city’s isolation from the rest of the world.
As for his grandfather, he had most likely attempted to resurrect the fallen City Watch in order to uncover the truth behind the city’s mysterious relocation.
Unfortunately, the forbidden magic had been far too powerful. In the end, it backfired upon him, causing him to perish beneath the earth as well.
After listening to the Lord’s account, the room fell into a long silence.
After a long while, John finally asked, "What do you intend to do next, my Lord?"
Hearing this, the Lord sighed.
"Actually, during this period, many adventurers have ventured outside the city to explore, hoping to reach the edge of this wasteland and discover what lies beyond it.
"However, without exception, none of them ever returned.
"Only a small amount of scattered information has made its way back to us. According to those rumors, the border of this land is surrounded by endless, impassable mountains.
"Our entire city is trapped within the enclosure of those mountains."
At this point, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
Then he turned toward John.
"However, adventurers possess the miraculous ability to return from death again and again. May I ask whether you would be willing to help us investigate what truly lies beyond this wilderness?" freewёbnoνel.com
Hearing these words, John’s heart stirred slightly.
At last.
This was the quest he had been waiting for.
[SS-rank Quest "Edge of the World" triggered. Would you like to accept it?]
[Edge of the World]
[Difficulty]: SS-rank
[Level Requirement]: Can only be completed by players above Level 10.
[Quest Reward]: Unknown
John did not hesitate in the slightest.
"Accept!"
The Lord was immediately overjoyed.
"Thank you! Once this matter is completed, you will certainly be rewarded generously!"
John was not surprised in the slightest that this quest had remained available until now.
Most new players viewed Starter Village as nothing more than an initial leveling area. The moment they reached Level 10, they would immediately teleport to the main city, undergo their class advancement, and continue leveling there.
Almost no one would remain in Starter Village after reaching Level 10 and waste precious time.
Moreover, this was an exploration-type quest. Completing it would clearly require a considerable amount of time.
Naturally, it was even less likely that anyone would choose to accept it.
But John had already lived through two lifetimes.
He understood perfectly well that this world was definitely not merely a simple game.
Any location that appeared insignificant on the surface might conceal a tremendous opportunity.
"However!"
John suddenly spoke up, interrupting the Lord’s excitement.
His gaze was deep as he said, "My Lord, exploring the border will be no simple matter. I only arrived here a few hours ago, and at present, I do not possess the strength necessary to investigate the edge of this land.
"Therefore, I would like you to hear out two conditions of mine first."
The Lord fell into thought for a moment before replying, "Speak."
John immediately said, "First, I need the complete map of the castle and the surrounding terrain currently in your possession.
"Second, I want the full list of every available quest commission."
John’s line of thought was extremely clear.
No matter how much ordinary players explored, the information they possessed could never compare to the intelligence held by the local NPCs.
Rather than wasting time dealing with players, it was far better for him to acquire information directly from the Lord, the NPC who governed Starter Village.
Apart from that, in order to save time, John had no interest in going around triggering quests through conversations with countless different NPCs.
Since he had already met the Lord himself, he might as well accept every relevant quest from him in one go and complete them all along the way!
Hearing John’s requests, the Lord was stunned for a moment.
Then he burst into hearty laughter.
"I thought you were going to present some sort of extraordinary demand. To think you merely want a map and a list of quests! Very well, I shall give them to you!"
[You have obtained the Full Regional Map of Starter Village, gifted by the Lord!]
[You have obtained the Complete NPC Quest List of Starter Village No. 616!]
After obtaining the map and quest list, John bid farewell to the Lord.
The moment he opened the map, he saw that every major dungeon in the area had been marked with perfect clarity.
Even the difficulty rank of each dungeon had been clearly indicated.
As expected, the level of detail in an NPC’s map was simply incomparable to anything players could uncover through exploration alone.
This was also what made the NPCs in this world so special.
Their thoughts and behavior were no different from those of real people. If players wanted to acquire items or intelligence from them, they had to rely on their own negotiation skills.
As long as a player could grasp the personality and temperament of each NPC, they could obtain countless advantages through conversation alone.
This was something John greatly appreciated.
The various negotiation skills he had honed throughout his previous life could also prove useful in this game.
At this moment, John opened the Open Auction District.
He discovered that the latest bid on the B-rank shield he had listed for sale had already risen to 60 Gold Coins.
After that price appeared, practically no one else continued bidding against it.
"Sixty Gold Coins should be the highest price this piece of equipment can reach."
John looked at the ID of the bidder, and his gaze instantly sharpened.
"LoranBlade?"
John was incomparably familiar with this ID.
In his previous life, she had been a legendary female swordswoman whose name was renowned across multiple universes.
Her most glorious achievement had been personally slaying dozens of enemies in a single great battle.
However, LoranBlade had always been accustomed to operating alone and had never joined any guild.
Later on, she was ambushed by treacherous villains and ultimately met her death, her legendary path coming to an abrupt end.
