Chapter 13 : Quests and Players

[Personal Side Quest: Streamstone Ravine – Lost Cargo]

[Quest Description: The mercenaries of Black Wind Fang have lost an important shipment. It appears to be deeply connected to the factions of Dark Dawn and Moon Worship. The location of the incident is Streamstone Ravine, and it’s suspected that mages from the Solar Sect are involved.]

[Objective: Retrieve the cargo.]

Li Wen closed her spellbook and was just about to leave the tavern when the young bartender at the counter stepped in front of her, blocking the way.

He dropped to his knees and pleaded frantically, even offering back the tip he had received earlier.

Clearly, he was terrified of any retaliation from her.

But Li Wen wasn’t the kind of person to seek vengeance over a single penny.

She ignored him completely and left the tavern without a second glance.

Since she had decided to investigate Streamstone Ravine, it was time to prepare properly.

She was only Level 1 right now, and the only usable spell she had was Word of Prayer.

While the divine spell was quite versatile, the three-second cast time was a fatal flaw.

If she faced an experienced combat mage, there was a good chance she’d be killed before she could even finish the incantation.

Sure, players could always respawn after death, but the penalties were harsh.

If she could avoid dying, she would.

Leveling up quickly was unrealistic.

For someone aligned with the Radiant Path, each level-up required not only mastery over the abilities but also sincere daily prayer over an extended period.

Still, that didn’t mean she had no other ways to grow stronger.

Even though she was technically only Level 1, she retained all the memories from her previous life.

Those memories didn’t just give her insight into the future—they also contained a wealth of knowledge.

During her time with the Strategy Team, Li Wen had specialized in compiling and categorizing rituals.

In other words, she had practically memorized most of the rituals under the team’s control—or at the very least, she had a solid impression of them.

Eight out of the twelve main spell schools, from the most basic rituals to grand-scale, legendary, and even forbidden ones—so long as she had enough mana, materials, and time, she could recreate them all.

Right now, she lacked all three.

But the easiest to acquire was materials, so that’s where she’d start.

Basic rituals usually only required common materials—maybe a little synthesis or alchemy at most.

But once you started dabbling in higher-tier rituals, you’d need magic-infused ingredients.

Such materials were rarely found in mundane society.

If she were in a major city, she could probably buy them off the black market or commission a guild that specialized in magical acquisitions.

Unfortunately, Ak Town was a remote border settlement, far from having such resources.

So far, the only extraordinary being she had encountered here was Pastor Mog.

Then he was her best bet. Li Wen made up her mind.

After all, the quest had come from Mog himself.

It was only fair that he contribute a bit more.

Think of it as an advance payment—time to squeeze the sheep dry.

***

“Magical materials? I don’t have anything like that,” Mog said.

In the cathedral’s main hall, Pastor Mog was in the middle of replacing the altar candles.

The flickering flame cast eerie shadows across his pale face, making him look even more ghostly.

“But I can tell you where to get some.”

Li Wen wasn’t surprised. “Go on.”

“There’s an old man named Sem who lives in the charity ward southwest of town. He’s a Duwey. He should have what you’re looking for.”

The moment she heard that, Li Wen understood.

The Duwey were a nomadic people whose homeland had been conquered by the Arigans two centuries ago.

Since then, they had wandered the Western Lands without a home.

They didn’t farm or raise livestock and instead relied on towns and villages for survival.

Mystery clung to their reputation.

Because they never settled in one place, many believed the Duwey practiced ancient, sinister black magic.

It wasn’t an entirely baseless rumor.

The older generations of Duwey did, in fact, know many obscure secrets—how to navigate in starless nights, predict and avoid disasters, and communicate with and tame wild beasts.

“I understand. But I have no money,” Li Wen said bluntly.

“He won’t ask for payment…”

Mog paused mid-sentence, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small coin pouch.

“Here. Five gold pounds. That should be enough.”

Li Wen accepted the pouch and headed out of the cathedral, while Mog watched her silhouette vanish into the growing night.

***

She had barely walked a few steps from the church before she realized someone was following her.

Without a word, she veered off course and slipped into a dimly lit, deserted alley.

Once inside, she stopped and pressed her back to the wall, hand gripping her short sword, waiting.

When hurried footsteps echoed toward her, she stuck out a leg and tripped the pursuer.

“Why are you following me?”

“Ow—damn! Are the NPCs in this game all this smart?” the girl groaned, struggling to her feet while muttering complaints.

A player?

Li Wen frowned.

She had thought it might be someone from Black Wind Fang—or maybe Pastor Mog had sent someone to tail her—but it turned out to be a player.

Judging by the voice, possibly even a female one.

“And who are you?”

Li Wen asked coldly.

The moonlight was just bright enough for her to make out the girl’s face.

Honestly, she wasn’t bad-looking.

But then again, appearance was tweakable.

As long as your real-life looks weren’t completely hopeless and your customization skills were good, you could make a decent-looking character.

Unless you wanted to look ugly.

There were also players like Li Wen herself, who used avatars completely different from their real-life identities.

So whether the person before her was a woman in real life?

Hard to say.

“Oh no… it’s another girl…” the player muttered under her breath.

“Um, so, about the quest… I wasn’t trying to follow you! If you’ve got any tasks, I can help with anything!”

She thinks I’m an NPC, Li Wen realized.

When she’d left the tavern earlier, she must have been noticed not just by NPCs but by players as well.

Troublesome.

“No,” Li Wen rejected flatly.

Players couldn’t give out official quests to each other.

At best, they could trade money or gear to get someone to help with tasks.

“Please!”

The girl immediately dropped to her knees.

“We haven’t eaten in two days! We’ve got so many hunger debuffs stacked we’re gonna die! C’mon, saving lives is a virtue! Please, merciful big sis, show us some kindness!”

Li Wen was speechless. Were players always this shameless?

If a player didn’t eat for 24 in-game hours, they’d receive a “Hunger” debuff.

Every 10 hours after that would stack another level, each one reducing physical attributes by 10%. At five stacks, the game would start draining health—2% per hour—until death.

She might be telling the truth.

But Li Wen doubted she was really out of money for food.

The game had already been live for two full days. That was four or five in-game days.

Even begging could earn you your first coin by now.

So she’s just too stingy to spend money.

Willing to suffer and risk dying from hunger just to save a few coins?

What kind of lunatic player is this?

Li Wen was about to wave her off when a new idea struck her.

New players might be nobodies—but one thing they had going for them was infinite respawns.

Who could say no to a tireless, death-resistant, easily-bribed perfect tool?

This opened up new possibilities.

“How many of you are there?”

The girl blinked. Was this… a team quest?

“Hard to say. Maybe we can pull together five or six?”

Li Wen nodded.

“That’s enough. Tomorrow at noon. Wait for me at the church entrance. Here’s your deposit.”

She tossed a few copper coins to the ground and turned away.