The Legend of Five Hundred Years Ago

"Then what do we do? We've already accepted the quest."

"Accepting a quest doesn't mean we have to finish it. There's no penalty for failure anyway, so we can just abandon it. This game has such a high degree of freedom that there's no need to follow the quest flow at all.

"There are actually two paths we can take right now.

"One is to trust the Ginkgo Fairy, take a gamble, and rescue her. If it actually works, we might get a powerful reward—maybe even unlock a Magic Class. But if the Ginkgo Fairy is a bad egg, there might be no reward at all, or she might just kill us outright.

"Even if she doesn't kill us, the villagers might, assuming she doesn't slaughter the village first.

"Besides, the difficulty of this quest definitely won't be low. If we fail, we're very likely to die.

"The second path is to report this to the Village Chief, Huang Shi Dao. He'll definitely give us some rewards, though they certainly won't be as exaggerated as what the Ginkgo Fairy promised.

"I'd guess it'll just be standard equipment, skills, and some Copper Coins."

I Want to Become Immortal asked skeptically, "Then which path are we choosing?"

"Don't be stupid, obviously the second one.

"If this were a normal game, I might consider the first option—if you win the gamble, you take off.

"But we're playing a Death Game. The biggest trap in this kind of hardcore mode is wishful thinking. Never gamble with your life. Winning ten or a hundred times doesn't matter, because failing just once means it's game over.

"So, our top priority is to play it safe. Let's go, let's find the Village Chief and report this."

I Want to Become Immortal sounded a bit reluctant. "But, but... what if the Ginkgo Fairy is telling the truth? What if she really can resurrect my big brother?"

Xiao Jie was speechless. He'd explained it so clearly, why couldn't this kid understand?

Right, this guy hadn't seen much of the world yet. He probably hadn't been beaten down by society and was still quite naive. He might even be a student.

"Tell you what, transfer me a hundred thousand yuan, and I have a way to turn that hundred thousand into ten million."

I Want to Become Immortal didn't believe him. "You're lying, right, Brother Feng? How could such an outrageous thing be true?"

Xiao Jie chuckled. "It is a bit outrageous, isn't it? But what if it's true? Why not gamble on it? If you win, you get ten million; if you lose, you only lose a hundred thousand. So why not transfer me the hundred thousand and see?"

I Want to Become Immortal was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I understand. Let's go, let's find the Village Chief."

Xiao Jie thought to himself that he wasn't beyond saving yet.

A few minutes later, at the Village Chief's house—

The two of them recounted the events to the Old Village Chief.

Huang Shi Dao was shocked upon hearing this. "What! Such a thing! I never expected that the legend from five hundred years ago was actually true..."

The Old Village Chief wore an expression of shock mixed with reminiscence. Xiao Jie thought to himself that they'd really dug up a huge secret.

"May I ask, Old Man, what exactly is going on here?"

"Sigh, it all goes back five hundred years. There is a legend passed down through generations in Ginkgo Village. It is said that five hundred years ago, an Immortal came to this valley. He told the village chief at the time that a great disaster was coming to the world, and if they wished to protect their neighbors from calamity, they had to follow his instructions.

"He planted a Ginkgo Tree in the village, claiming it was a divine seed brought from the heavens. Once grown, it would protect this small patch of land, keeping the villagers safe when the disaster arrived.

"However, because the Ginkgo Tree was removed from the environment of the Immortal Realm and tainted by the Mortal World Turbid Qi, it would inevitably turn into a demonic scourge after a hundred years. Thus, he sealed it with a Talisman and ordered the villagers to guard it day and night.

"A few years after the Immortal left, a great disaster did indeed befall the world. The Gods fell, all things withered, people lost their souls and became Soulless Walking Corpses, and beasts lost their intelligence and became Demon Beasts.

"Nine out of ten villages and towns were destroyed.

"Yet, thanks to the protection of this divine tree, our Ginkgo Village managed to preserve a sliver of vitality.

"That has been the case for several hundred years now.

"The fairy you two encountered in your dream must be the demon spawned from that ginkgo, using a ruse to escape her seal.

"You two must not listen to the lies of that demon, lest you commit a grave mistake."

Xiao Jie realized that the Ginkgo Fairy hadn't been lying entirely; she really did come from the heavens.

However, the rewards she promised were clearly nonsense. As a mere tree demon, she wasn't even an Immortal herself, so how could she help him become one?

If they actually let her out, she would almost certainly slaughter the village.

The Old Village Chief continued, "The Ginkgo Tree on the mountain must be a spawn of the one in the village, a strategy to ensure its survival. If that tree demon breaks the seal, I fear Ginkgo Village will face a catastrophe. It is truly commendable that you two warriors reported this to me."

Xiao Jie said, "So that's it! What should we do next?"

I Want to Become Immortal hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

The Old Village Chief smiled. "No matter. Now that we know its scheme, it is easy to handle. You only need to fell the Ginkgo Tree spawn on the Back Mountain. Are you two willing to go? If you can accomplish this, there will be a handsome reward.

"Since the Ginkgo Tree is a spawn catalyzed by the tree demon's Spiritual Energy, you will surely be able to collect some top-tier materials. If you can bring those materials back, I am somewhat proficient in the art of crafting and can forge a Magical Artifact for each of you."

System Prompt: Triggered Serendipitous Encounter [Old Village Chief's Request].

Quest Description: The Old Village Chief has explained the origin of the Ginkgo Fairy to you and has entrusted you both to fell the tree demon spawn to prevent future trouble.

Quest Objective: Kill the Tree Demon Spawn.

Quest Reward: 1000 Copper Coins, Wood Attribute Magical Artifact ×1.

A Magical Artifact! This reward was actually quite good, but...

Xiao Jie looked at himself and I Want to Become Immortal. He thought to himself that with one of them at level one and the other at level two, taking on a quest monster was going to be quite difficult.

"Old Man, I wonder if this Tree Demon Spawn is dangerous?"

"Do not worry, it is merely a puppet evolved from the roots of the Tree Demon. It does not even qualify as a clone, possessing at most a sliver of demonic power; it is not much different from an ordinary tree, so the two of you should be able to handle it."

"If you lack confidence in your own strength, I can write a letter to dispatch a few militiamen to accompany you. However, even an emperor does not send hungry soldiers to battle; if the militia participates, there must be rewards, which means the two of you would have to accept a cut in your compensation."

"Of course, if you two are truly unwilling to take this risk, I can have Captain Tie take charge of the matter. Providing this intelligence is already highly commendable, and there will be a generous reward afterward, though I am afraid the magical artifact will..."

A dialogue box suddenly popped up before Xiao Jie's eyes.

Option 1: Old Village Chief, there is no need for trouble; the two of us are sufficient for this task.

Option 2: Old Village Chief, it would be better to send a few militiamen to accompany us, just in case.

Option 3: We have already done our best, but this matter is of great importance; it would be better for the Old Village Chief to have Captain Tie lead men to handle it.