Chapter 3

Actually, taking a step back, even if the mission failed, it wouldn't be a big deal. After all, the beta test data would definitely be deleted once the official service started. For professional players, the top priority during the beta test was to familiarize themselves with the game and accumulate experience. It was just a pity that such a high-level hidden plot was involved. However, what Fang Yi did not expect was that the only variable turned out to be a delicate female mage who was already severely injured and spitting blood.

Fang Yi quickly walked to the beautiful female mage, ignoring her dagger-like gaze, and began to search her body without changing his expression. Don't misunderstand, our protagonist, though a true man, was not so hasty. As the intense battle had already attracted the attention of the surrounding monsters, even with Fang Yi's mere 15 points of perception, he could already see at least four figures rushing towards the sand pit.

Two seconds later, Fang Yi's fingers touched a stick-like object in the mage's clothing. He thought to himself, "Got it!" He hurriedly pulled out a silver-white scroll with golden edges from the mage's chest, sighing inwardly that the unfortunate mage had no mana left to use the scroll, making him run such a long distance for nothing. At the same time, his hands moved quickly, unfolding the scroll and silently chanting in Common: "Scroll: Activate!" As an amateur caster, Fang Yi used up the full three seconds of casting time, just managing to pull the continuously coughing female mage into the portal before being surrounded by a group of angry beasts.

Fang Yi had some experience with teleportation. After a brief sensation of weightlessness, he felt his feet touch the ground. He shook his slightly dizzy head, barely lifting his eyelids, and found himself standing in a very spacious and magnificent hall. The candles on the intricately crafted candlesticks flickered with a faint light, but they were clearly just for decoration. The magical runes spread throughout the hall illuminated everything in fine detail, reflecting the exquisite murals on the walls, and the aftereffects of the magic continued to ripple through the complex runes underfoot.

However, these things did not attract Fang Yi's attention. From the beginning, his eyes had fallen on the old man standing at the entrance of the hall. The old man was not tall, with silver hair down to his shoulders, wearing a gold circlet studded with gems, and a light gray gem at the top of his staff emitted a captivating light.

Damn, no wonder my 18 points of constitution were affected; this scroll must have teleported me over 300 miles! At this moment, Fang Yi already knew where he was: the capital of the desert kingdom of Calimshan, the largest city and port in the Forgotten Realms, and the place where the legendary assassin Artemis Entreri gained his fame—Calim.

Truly, this high-level hidden mission was extraordinary. Under normal circumstances, players would never have the opportunity to use such a teleportation spell. However, this feeling should be similar to motion sickness, right? It's not a pleasant experience, Fang Yi thought to himself.

Fang Yi let the fully armed guards carry the unconscious female mage into a room behind him, then stepped forward and gave the old man a knight's salute, bowing his head and saying, "Respected Rashid Pasha, I come from the Western Sea City of Oph in Xia. This time..."

The old man slightly raised his left hand, interrupting Fang Yi's introduction, and smiled, saying, "Brave adventurer, I am not unfamiliar with you. Little Vincent has already told me everything. Follow me, let's talk about your adventure."

Fang Yi was taken aback and followed the old man to a study in the hall. The old man's "Little Vincent" should be Vincent Lestriel, a 36th-level elite template—High Mage of Oph, and a core NPC in the Shadow Path quest. However, as a 50+ level legendary mage and the actual ruler of Calim Port, Rashid indeed had the power to call him "Little Vincent."

Standing on the luxurious and comfortable small wool carpet in the study, Fang Yi, full of questions, asked before Rashid could speak, "Lord Mayor, I wonder if there was anything important on the mage I rescued. The monsters in the desert seemed to attack this knight squad like mad."

Rashid waved his hand from behind the desk and said slowly but firmly, "Adventurer, it was just a minor secret. However, your actions have indeed helped the Calim Mage's Guild. The forces stirring in the desert must have learned a great lesson. What are your plans next?"

After Rashid said this, a few lines of white text appeared in Fang Yi's adventure log.

System Prompt:

Shadow Path - Rescue Completed (Completion Rate 83%)

Gained 3470 Experience Points

Calim Port Reputation +5, Calim Mage's Guild Reputation +1

What? Fang Yi thought, this is rare. This is the first time he has seen a quest that can increase reputation. Beta players had speculated that the game's reputation system had not been activated, or that the level of quests players could access was too low—now it seems the latter is the case. However, Rashid is too stingy; only +1 reputation. To reach friendly status with the Calim Mage's Guild, one needs over 75 points, and it's really hard to get any benefits from these merchants...

It was within Fang Yi's expectations that a follow-up quest would be triggered, but he did not expect it to be issued by such a high-level NPC.

"Respected Lord Mayor, as an adventurer who upholds ideals and justice, I am willing to do my best to help you resolve these minor troubles."

Hearing Fang Yi's response, Rashid smiled in satisfaction, bent down, and took out an exquisite wooden box from behind the desk, handing it to Fang Yi, "You will find these things useful in the future, but your strength still needs to improve. Come back to me when you meet my requirements."

The streets of Calim were bustling with people, and occasionally, one could hear the distinctive, out-of-place cries of players. Fang Yi stood in the shadow of Rashid's castle, took a deep breath, and filled his chest with the unique air of the port city, a mix of sea salt and desert. After wandering in the desert for two weeks, he was finally free from the mummy-like existence and the constant sand.

Looking back at the tall city walls, Fang Yi cursed the old fox. The female mage clearly had a big secret, and if he could get some clues, he might trigger other hidden plots. However, the old man Rashid was tight-lipped, leaving Fang Yi with no way to guess.

After accepting the quest, the mage Vincent in Oph had warned Fang Yi that the target had a survival scroll that could be used to teleport away from danger in emergencies. However, Vincent did not mention that it was a legendary spell scroll with a teleportation range of over 300 miles.

Teleportation spells in "Miracle" were not common. Currently, players had to either walk or take a carriage between cities. Long-distance teleportation spells could only be cast by NPCs 45 levels or higher, and the range of a player mage's teleportation spell was less than 60 feet, barely qualifying as a mini-teleportation magic.

To make a spell into a scroll, one needed a terrifyingly high scroll-making skill, a level requirement of +3, and a huge amount of money and materials. Fang Yi strongly suspected that the legendary scroll he had used was made by the cunning old fox Rashid himself, as he was the only known powerful figure in Calim Port who had both the reason and the ability to do so.

However, Fang Yi knew that now was not the time to think about these things. Dark clouds from the Sea of Glory had already spread across the sky, covering most of it and extending towards Calim Port at a visible speed. A heavy rain was about to fall on the dry port city, and it was time to find a place to stay.

Nod Tom Inn was located at the intersection of Central Avenue and Blue Spice Alley in the central district of Calim Port. It was a three-story building with a warm orange exterior and a granite and pine wood structure. In a city with nearly 200,000 people, Nod Tom Inn, even if not the most famous, was one of the most famous inns.

Besides the soft and comfortable beds and authentic oat beer, the inn's unique secret recipe for roasted suckling pig—also known as Tom's Roast Suckling Pig—was a major attraction, though the price was naturally not cheap. However, on the last day of the beta test, gold coins were not a concern for players. From early morning, the first-floor hall of Nod Tom Inn was crowded with players eager to enjoy the delicious food.

Whether in the real world or in the game, Fang Yi was not particularly fond of noisy crowds. The noise would ruin his good mood and his pride in his calmness. Fortunately, before entering the desert for the quest, Fang Yi had already booked a room at Nod Tom Inn for a week—today was the last day.

So now, Fang Yi could avoid the noisy hall and enjoy the authentic crispy and tender roasted suckling pig and oat beer in the quiet room on the third floor, while watching the heavy rain outside, a rare sight in the desert kingdom.

Rashid had made it clear that his strength was not enough, so the idea of rushing to continue the Shadow Path was foolish. Fortunately, he had finally obtained the reward for this part of the quest. Despite being a seasoned player, Fang Yi still felt the excitement of a novice when he finally received the quest reward after all the effort.

Fang Yi shifted his attention from the rain curtain hanging across the sky, slightly lowered his head, and his gaze fell on the intricately crafted birch table by the window, where an open black wooden box and two pieces of equipment lay quietly.

Rain Curtain (Rare Boots) (Quest)

Light Armor

Requirements: Dexterity 35, Level 40

Armor: 47

Durability: 101

Weight: 3

+1 Perception

+1 Strength

+4% Movement Speed

Additional Skill Cold Heart: The user's body temperature rapidly drops, blending with the environment and making them hard to detect, lasting 6 minutes (3-hour cooldown)

"A vague figure in the rain"

Rashid's Contempt (Rare Brooch) (Quest)

Special Equipment

Requirements: Any attribute ≥ 30 points

Weight: 1

Enemy Breaker (Passive): +3% damage to cold-blooded creatures

Use: Wearer gains Darkvision: Low-light vision (3-hour duration, 1-day cooldown)

"Squint"

At the first glance at the boots' attributes, Fang Yi immediately thought of the Dwarf's Blood Cloak on his back. His first thought was that the follow-up quest might involve assassinating elite template monsters. Seeing the additional skill on the boots and the attributes of the brooch, Fang Yi sighed deeply. Was he going to the castle of a vampire count...?

The attributes of the Rain Curtain were quite good, with armor and durability befitting a rare item. The two attribute bonuses were expected, and the 4% movement speed was a pleasant surprise. Although the additional skill seemed a bit abrupt for his class, it did not diminish the reputation of the high-quality equipment.

For a lone wolf like Fang Yi, Rashid's reward was even more valuable. Although equipment like brooches had single attributes, they did not occupy the equipment slot, were not limited by class, and could be worn with chest armor or mage robes. The enhanced attributes on them were generally very practical, such as the low-light vision in front of him.