Chapter 64: Young one, do you crave power?

Ayu focused his gaze—and saw that at some point, a middle-aged man dressed like a priest had appeared in front of him.

The man had gray-white hair, a tall build, and a line of grayish-white mustache under his nose.

His face was filled with a gentle smile.

His gray eyes looked at Ayu like he was a lost lamb, full of compassion.

If Bai Xue were here, she would definitely find this priest-like man familiar.

“…” Ayu glanced up at the man’s head, and immediately became alert.

This priest… had no name above him!

‘Is he even human? Or some kind of ghost!?’

He quietly reached for the sword at his waist, but didn’t make any sudden moves.

Whether the man was friend or foe was still unknown.

“Who exactly are you?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Me?” The middle-aged man tilted his head slightly.

“Hmm… I suppose you could say I’m a messenger sent by the gods to save lost lambs.”

Ayu’s eye twitched.

He had never believed in these kinds of religious fanatics.

Then he noticed something strange.

The man’s mouth movements didn’t match the words he was saying.

And yet—he could understand him perfectly.

It was as if his brain had tuned into a certain frequency, and the information was being directly transmitted into his mind.

Such a bizarre sensation—this was Ayu’s first time experiencing anything like it.

At that moment, a mechanical puppet slid past the man.

It paused, turned to observe him for a few seconds, then continued patrolling the street.

Seeing this, Ayu instantly felt more at ease.

If the patrol puppet didn’t register this man as a threat, then he probably wasn’t in immediate danger.

“Do you desire power?” the middle-aged man asked as soon as the puppet moved away.

A sharp pang struck Ayu’s heart—he did desire power.

More than anything, he longed for it!

And this man—he had seen straight through that craving inside him!

‘Could this be some kind of hidden quest trigger in the game?’

‘And this priestly figure was the key NPC who started it?’

At the thought, excitement surged through Ayu.

A grin crept onto his face before he could stop it.

He completely missed the slight upward curl of the man’s lips.

“Follow me.”

With that, the man turned and walked into a nearby alley.

“Coming!” Ayu called out, his head already dizzy from this sudden stroke of luck.

If he had been thinking more clearly, he never would’ve followed.

After all, up until now, this game had never featured a single allied non-player character!

***

The alley was eerily quiet.

No patrolling mechanical puppets could be seen anywhere.

Ayu tried to tamp down his excitement as he kept his eyes fixed on the man’s back.

He didn’t notice the shadow creeping out of the drainage gutter nearby.

Soon, they reached a corner of the alley.

Rounding it, they entered a dead end.

The middle-aged man stopped at the far end, turned around, and gave a benevolent smile.

It was only now that Ayu started to feel like something was wrong.

But he still walked forward.

‘Maybe the secluded setting was just because the quest was too important?’

He gave his head a slight shake, trying to brush away the unease.

“I’m so glad you chose to trust me,” the man said, stepping forward with his left foot and spreading his arms open, smiling warmly.

“Tell me,” Ayu said directly, “what do I have to do to obtain power?”

He had no intention of wasting time talking to this NPC.

“It’s simple. All you have to do is become one of us, and you’ll gain power. At that point, women, wealth, fame, and status will all become worthless. Because… you’ll no longer be human, hahaha!”

As he spoke, the middle-aged man suddenly burst into a maniacal laugh.

“What the hell do you mean by that?!” Ayu raised an eyebrow, an ominous feeling rising in his chest.

“Nothing much. Welcome to the family~” the man replied flatly, his smile disappearing.

***

The next moment, Ayu saw the man’s appearance and body begin to change in a grotesque manner.

His gray-black hair turned mostly black, with his bangs shifting to a fiery orange-gold.

His face transformed from middle-aged to youthful, giving off an unruly, roguish vibe.

That face—it looked exactly like Zhao Gang, the one who had fallen into the moat.

He had infiltrated the city!

Just as Ayu stood there in shock, his vision suddenly darkened.

It was as if something massive had blocked out the light above him.

He looked up—and was utterly stunned.

Hovering above was a massive creature, gray-black in color, with countless eyes and tentacles.

At its center was a gaping maw full of razor-sharp fangs!

Whoosh!

The grotesque, ballooning octopus monster shot toward Ayu like it had rockets strapped to it.

Its mouth clamped down over his head, and eight powerful tentacles coiled around his body, which thrashed in panic.

***

Meanwhile, at the Silver Alchemy Workshop—

Ye Lian had managed to trade with a few late-arriving players and gathered quite a number of resources.

Though none were particularly rare, the advantage was that she didn’t have to collect them herself.

All it cost her were a few low-cost potions and pieces of equipment.

A complete profit.

“Bai Xue, close the shop,” she said as she gathered the materials from the counter.

“Yes~” Bai Xue replied cheerfully, quickly locking the door.

“There are only a few hours left until the beta ends. The closer we get to the end, the more we need to stay alert.”

Ye Lian reminded her calmly.

“Yes, Master.” Bai Xue’s cheeks flushed slightly.

She had clearly let her guard down just now.

In fact, she’d relaxed completely—as if she were back home.

Such a mindset was completely unacceptable.

After all, this was still the nightmare realm where death could come at any moment!

But it wasn’t entirely her fault.

Ye Lian’s overwhelming power and mysterious identity gave Bai Xue a profound sense of security.

Letting her guard down had been all too easy.

“This calm… is just the prelude to the coming storm.”

Ye Lian stretched out her right hand and slowly clenched it into a fist.

“Whatever happens, we must survive the beta. To do that, we have to put in the necessary effort. Bai Xue, follow me to the backyard.”

With that, she turned and walked off.

“Yes, Master,” Bai Xue replied quickly, following close behind.

***

The alchemy workshop’s backyard was quite spacious, with a large, flat, open area.

“Draw your weapon and attack me with everything you’ve got,” Ye Lian said as she stood in the center.

Bai Xue blinked in surprise, then lit up with joy.

This was a private training session!

She swiftly drew her sword—a sleek, three-foot-long blade in black and white—and looked at Ye Lian.

“Master, forgive my offense.”

Before she could even move, Ye Lian had already appeared before her like a phantom and grabbed her unguarded neck with one hand.

“You’ve already died once.”

“…”

Feeling the chill of Ye Lian’s fingers on her skin, Bai Xue finally snapped out of her daze.

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

If Ye Lian had been an enemy, she would already be a corpse.

“Don’t treat this as a spar or a lesson. Come at me with the intent to kill. Show me everything you’ve learned up to now.”

Ye Lian let go of her neck and spoke calmly.

“Yes, Master!” Bai Xue’s eyes flashed with cold determination as her blade slashed forward like a rainbow.