Successful Return!

Successful Return!

Main Quest "Leave the Midnight Hotel" completed.

Hidden Mission "Human Favor" completed.

Hidden Mission "Kill the Ogre" completed.

Mission Rating: Excellent

Calculating rewards...

First Chaos Mission Clearance Reward: Hundred Treasure Box

Excellent Rating Reward: Animal Crackers

Hidden Mission Reward One: Midnight Mask

Hidden Mission Reward Two: Ogre's Tongue

You have completed the Main Quest and may return to the Main World at any time within ten minutes.

The mission information appeared directly in his mind. Only by circulating Vital Energy could he receive it, while the rewards granted by the mission appeared in Luo Jun's hands.

A fist-sized, perfectly square box.

"Is this the Hundred Treasure Box?" Luo Jun was stunned. "Weren't there four rewards?"

Curious, he tried pouring Vital Energy into the box. Soon, information about the Hundred Treasure Box appeared before him.

Name: Hundred Treasure Box

Grade: None

Description: A reward for completing a Chaos Mission for the first time. It can be used to store Treasure Tools.

Function One—Storage: The Hundred Treasure Box can, and can only, be used to store Treasure Tools. It initially has three slots. Based on the owner's Vital Energy reserves, additional Treasure Tool slots can be added. Current capacity: five slots.

Function Two—Binding: As proof of having participated in a Chaos Mission, every Hundred Treasure Box is bound one-to-one with its owner. Upon first obtaining it, the owner may set the appearance of the Hundred Treasure Box. The Hundred Treasure Box cannot be destroyed or lost, and no one other than its owner can open it.

Note: Fill me up, Master!

According to the description, this was probably a basic reward every Cultivator who had cleared a Chaos Mission received. It was similar to an inventory in a game, except it could only hold Treasure Tools and could even have its appearance customized...

Though the description said it could not be lost or damaged, he should still make it easy to carry.

After thinking for a moment, Luo Jun turned it into an ordinary wristwatch. It was almost weightless on his wrist.

The description said it could not be destroyed. Was that because it was hard? Luo Jun tried smashing his wrist against the ground. When he lifted it up to look, the watch indeed had not a single scratch.

He tried a few more times, but when he used enough force, the watch seemed to vanish. His wrist scraped directly against the ground, making Luo Jun grimace in pain. Did it get flung away? He raised his hand and looked—the watch was still sitting obediently on his wrist...

So "indestructible" meant that when it encountered an attack capable of destroying it, it would automatically become intangible and evade it... It seemed using this thing to block attacks was out of the question. Better check what was inside...

As Luo Jun sent in a thread of Vital Energy, he immediately sensed the space within the Hundred Treasure Box.

There were five slots, three of which were already occupied by Treasure Tools. These slots were rather remarkable: regardless of size or shape, each could hold only one Treasure Tool. Without taking them out, Luo Jun could inspect the information on the three Treasure Tools.

Name: Animal Crackers

Grade: Rare

Description: A consumable, a specialty produced by the Midnight Hotel. This is the most special one among them and seems to have been blessed by Mysterious Power.

Function: Based on the shape of the biscuit, eating it grants one Special Ability of that animal for one hour.

Note: Oink oink!!

Name: Midnight Mask

Grade: Epic

Description: A Mysterious and Unpredictable Powerful Existence had been trapped underground for many years for some reason. With someone's help, she finally gained a chance to escape. To express her gratitude, she personally crafted this gift. Though its function is singular, its effect is powerful enough.

Function: When worn, it distorts perception. Even those most familiar with you will not recognize your true face.

Note: Not me! Never seen it! Don't know!

Name: Ogre's Tongue

Grade: Fine

Description: A monster that had killed countless people finally met its match during one hunt. To protect itself, it bit off the tongue it was proudest of, but it still could not escape its fate of death.

Function: The Ogre's Tongue is extremely flexible and can extend and retract freely. When launched at high speed, it has considerable power. Maximum length: 30 meters.

Note: Ogre: Aba aba aba...

Of these Treasure Tools, the Ogre's Tongue counted as a weapon, something like a whip that could also be launched. A range of thirty meters was quite impressive. The Animal Crackers could grant a temporary boost after being eaten. Judging by its shape, it was not one of the strange monsters from the hotel, but an adorable little pig. Luo Jun could not think of any special ability pigs possessed, but its grade was Rare, even higher than the Ogre's Tongue, so it should be a decent consumable...

The highest-grade item was clearly the Midnight Mask. It was a Half-Face Mask that covered only the area above the nose. Its design was simple, mostly black with white patterns. Based on the description, it should have been personally crafted by that terrifying underground aberration. Its standing was exceptionally high.

The grades of these Treasure Tools reminded Luo Jun of the item grades within the Dice of Heavenly Secrets. When these Treasure Tools were removed from the Hundred Treasure Box, they faintly flashed with color: Fine corresponded to green, Rare to blue, Epic to purple... It was exactly the same as the Dice of Heavenly Secrets' item system!

Could the two be related somehow?

Compared that way, Chaos Missions were much stingier than the Dice of Heavenly Secrets. They only gave a few items, not even attributes or skills. What a cheapskate!

Luo Jun shook his head. Even if there really was a connection, it was not something he needed to worry about right now.

Having checked the rewards, Luo Jun raised his head and looked around.

He was now standing outside Midnight's Hotel. Behind him was the entrance to the Underground Garage, its Roller Shutter Door tightly closed.

It seemed there were two ways to leave the hotel. The normal way was to follow the rules obediently, spend the night without meddling in anything, go eat breakfast in the morning, then check out and leave smoothly. That was the simplest method, and its rewards were probably the smallest.

But based on what had happened last night, the monsters definitely would not let him sleep comfortably through the night. Even if he had ignored the Little Girl, they would surely have found all sorts of ways to lure him into opening the door afterward. For example, the phone mentioned in the rules—he had not received a call.

Once the route of checking out became impossible, the only choice was to head to the first underground level and leave through the hotel's Underground Garage.

But the underground route was clearly far more arduous. At the very least, it required the key item, the Human-Shaped Biscuit. To obtain the Human-Shaped Biscuit, he first had to get Animal Crackers from the vending machine, which meant he had to violate the rules and trigger the endless staircase... Every step was subtle and carried enormous risks, but also greater rewards.

No matter what, he had finally made it out.

Luo Jun breathed a sigh of relief. There were still five minutes left before the deadline to leave. He looked into the distance. Outside the hotel was a bustling street filled with storefronts and passing pedestrians. It looked no different from the real world. Who would have thought that such a terrifying aberrant existence was hidden inside a hotel in such a prosperous district?

No wonder Old Yuan had said that anything could happen in the Chaos World...

First Floor of Qianyuehui Mall.

The mall was closed for the day. The official explanation was that its internal fire safety wiring was undergoing maintenance, but in truth, people from the Yuan Cultivation Society were stationed here, waiting for Luo Jun's return.

Normally, every Vital Energy Cultivator who reached the Foundation Establishment Realm would participate in Chaos Missions regularly. It was nothing worth paying special attention to.

But Luo Jun was different. According to the official records, he had only been an Ordinary Person. Even by Old Yuan's account, he was merely a novice who had cultivated for less than two months, at most at the first level of the Body Refinement Realm. He had entered the Chaos Mission entirely because he had been caught up in the Yuan Cultivation Society's operation to capture the Polluter.

More importantly, this guy had contributed to the capture operation. His desperate effort to protect the child deserved commendation and could even be called heroic. The process of rescuing her had also displayed physical abilities and adaptability far beyond those of ordinary people.

Heroic qualities, an innocent civilian, a genius... With all three traits gathered in one person, the Ningdong Branch attached considerable importance to Luo Jun's mission.

Of course, Old Yuan's support was part of it as well.

"Slurp, slurp, slurp..."

Near the discount stall, Xiao Meng, dressed in sportswear, was wolfing down a bowl of instant noodles. Their rich aroma drifted into Hao Yong's nose.

With no superiors present, the muscular Captain had changed into his exaggerated pink tank top and shorts again. They seemed to be his uniform.

"Xiao Meng, don't eat during work hours..." Hao Yong said, though he made no move to stop him.

"Oh, Captain..." Sha Sha lifted her sunglasses and tore open a bag of bread. "Save that work attitude for when the bosses get here. Take a break for now."

"Ah..." Hao Yong shook his head and sighed, looking as though he hated to see them fail to meet expectations. His meticulous demeanor formed a striking contrast with his outfit.

"By the way, Sha Sha..." Xiao Meng took a slurp of noodles. "You're taking the Ningdong University entrance exam again this year, right?"

Sha Sha took a bite of bread. "Yeah. Getting into Explorer Academy is my dream. If I hadn't failed the exam last year, I wouldn't have signed up for the Security Team. Come to think of it, you're not over the age limit either, are you? Why not give it a try?"

Xiao Meng shook his head. "Nope. I came here because I didn't want to study in the first place. Besides, school doesn't pay a salary, and I'd have to train in a Different World... Cough, cough, getting off topic. I just heard that Ling Xin is also going to Ningdong University this year... If you get the chance to become her classmate, could you help me get her contact information or something..."

"Huh?" Sha Sha looked at Xiao Meng with utter disdain. "Didn't she join us on the operation yesterday? Why didn't you ask her yourself?"

Xiao Meng's face reddened, but he answered with perfect conviction, "If I dared ask her myself, I wouldn't be asking you!"

"Wait until I get in." Sha Sha snorted. "Still, I didn't expect someone from the Ling Family to attend an official academy... Their family's inherited secret arts are far stronger than what schools teach, aren't they?"

"Explorer Academy doesn't only teach Vital Energy Cultivation." As Hao Yong spoke, he kept his eyes on the direction of the discount stall. "And I heard Ling Xin will be applying to Ningdong Academy this year. The dean personally went to the Ling Family to invite her. After all, Ningdong Academy was utterly embarrassed at the Exchange Meetings over the past few years... Hm?"

As he spoke, Hao Yong's eyes suddenly lit up. A patch of space in front of the discount stall twisted, and then a young figure appeared, a faint horizontal scar crossing the bridge of his nose.

"He's out!" Hao Yong was both shocked and delighted. "He really came out of a Tier B Mission!"

End of Chapter