Cannon Fodder NPCs Won't Have Their Favorability Increased! (Part 1)

Ding-dong.

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding.

It had only been less than ten seconds since Big Watermelon and Melee God of Magic received Vivian's quest rewards.

Suddenly, the notification sound for in-game friend communications started ringing wildly.

At first, it was just one or two, but soon it spread like a plague. In no time, Big Watermelon and Melee God of Magic were flooded with messages and call requests.

Clearly, their rapid leveling—no, instant leveling—had caused a stir among the closed beta testers.

Of course, this stir was entirely negative. Among the initial player base, most were just watching the drama for fun.

The reason was simple.

Everyone thought these two were cheating!

[Fish Pigeon]: ??? Big Watermelon, how did you suddenly jump from level 9 to 11? Two levels at once? Did the hack you bought finally kick in!?

[Big Earth Dog Is Not A Dog]: Melee God of Magic, take care. Big Watermelon, take care. I'll miss you both.

[Black Critical Hit]: Bro, that's insane! "Fall of the Gods" is supposedly fully monitored by a super AI, and you still found a loophole to cheat? I hereby declare this place from now on: Water! Melon! Square!

[77777]: A cappuccino for Melee God of Magic, sir~

Countless fellow closed beta testers had all, as if by unspoken agreement, set aside their current tasks. They kept refreshing their friend lists, waiting to see how long it would take for those two names to vanish, erased by the system.

Some, not content with just watching, even opened betting threads on the forum, wagering on how long it would take "Fall of the Gods'" super AI to put the two on the List of Conferred Gods.

At first, a bunch of thrill-seekers eagerly joined in. Some bet no more than ten seconds, others thirty seconds, others within a minute.

This wasn't surprising at all.

After all, 5000 Experience Points was an astronomical number for the current closed beta players—a massive fortune that had let Big Watermelon and Melee God of Magic jump two whole levels.

Keep in mind, most players had already hit a bottleneck in their leveling during the closed beta. They could barely gain Experience Points from killing low-level monsters, and without a "class," they couldn't take on higher-level ones.

So the only way for players to earn Experience Points now was by doing quests. Note: these quests were the simple, mundane daily tasks in villages—low difficulty, but pitiful rewards. You'd be lucky to scrape together a few hundred Experience Points in an entire day.

Everyone's leveling had slowed to a snail's crawl. Why were these two shooting up like rockets? And in an instant, no less? If that wasn't cheating, what was?

But then.

As time ticked by.

More and more people started getting restless.

"Is this super AI really that bad? It's been ten minutes, and those two are still alive and kicking?"

"Is there a chance—just saying, a chance—that they didn't cheat, but actually found some insane quest, and the reward let them jump two levels?"

"Dude above, how insane would that quest have to be to give that much reward??"

"Oh no, oh no, turns out we're the clowns!?"

The forum exploded. And the friends who had been "bidding farewell" to Big Watermelon and Melee God of Magic were now going crazy.

[Fish Pigeon]: Something's off, something's off. Watermelon-sama, did you really find some XP farming method? Can you take me along, please!! Begging you!

[Big Earth Dog Is Not A Dog]: Watermelon-sensei, Melee God-sensei, where are you? Send me your coordinates ASAP!

[Black Critical Hit]: Hey? Name your price.

Name a price? Name your ass!

He~tui!

Now you're not just watching the show, huh? You want intel now? Pfft, bunch of fair-weather friends!

Big Watermelon and Melee God of Magic exchanged a glance, then wordlessly agreed to turn off their "Friend Communications." Instantly, all the messages vanished, and the world fell silent.

This treasure of an NPC was theirs!

No one else was getting a piece!

If Liao Zixuan knew what they were thinking, he'd definitely give a hearty "He~tui" too. What, now my Vivian isn't the evil Witch anymore? She's a treasure NPC?

After that little scene, Big Watermelon and Melee God of Magic felt a strong sense of urgency.

Because even though they were grumbling out loud, deep down they knew that an NPC like Vivian—clearly restless and bound to stir up trouble—would eventually catch the eyes of other players.

And when that happened, everyone would know about this little rich Witch. Countless players would fight tooth and nail to be Vivian's dog. Never underestimate how shameless players can be!

So, before their competitors showed up, the two had to cling even tighter to the little girl's thigh. At least make an impression on Vivian, let her know they were the top dogs!

Ah, pathetic, so pathetic. How pathetic can you get!!

But there was no helping it.

Because she. Gave way too much!!

Think about it—this was just Phase One, the very start of the quest chain, and the rewards were already this ridiculously generous. What about later on?

"Little Black, I... I feel like those two are looking at me kind of... weird." The little girl leaned down, whispering into Liao Zixuan's wolf ear.

Even a slow girl like her could clearly feel the increasingly fervent gazes of the two closed beta testers.

Liao Zixuan not only didn't comfort the slightly worried girl, but instead secretly teased her, chuckling as he joked:

"Heh heh, of course—our Vivian is so pretty, they must have taken a liking to you!"

But soon after saying that, Liao Zixuan regretted it.

Because one second he was comfortably enjoying the girl's embrace, and the next second—thump—he was dangling in midair before hitting the ground.

"I'm ignoring you!!" Vivian puffed out her cheeks, turning her back angrily, refusing to look at Liao Zixuan.

The Wolf Cub, cruelly and mercilessly dumped on the floor, pitifully rubbed his little bottom while shaking his head.

"Sigh, still too green. This is nothing—just two people and she can't handle it. One day you'll be the white moonlight in the hearts of millions of players, oh no, black moonlight!"

"Training—I've got to toughen up this little girl's skin right away!"

No sooner said than done.

Liao Zixuan quickly updated the massive trap—ah, cough—the quest he'd already drafted, carefully prepared for Big Watermelon and Melee God of Magic.

And this time, Liao Zixuan's motto was: nicely spit out all that sweetness you've been enjoying!

[Ding]

[Quest status updated]

[Current phase: Two]

[Quest name: Witch Miss Wants to Eat]

[Quest description: After a morning deep in the forest, you are already close to your destination. To prepare for the possible boss battle ahead, proper rest, adjusting your state, and replenishing food are necessary.]

[Quest objective: Prepare lunch for Vivian and her Summoned Beast, and do your best to meet their needs.]

[Quest reward: 10000 Experience Points, one random "Fine Grade" item or equipment]

(Note: Starting from this phase, you must complete the prerequisite tasks and meet the special conditions of this phase to continue the quest chain.)

[Special condition required to unlock "Phase Three" quest: Vivian's affection reaches 10 (Indifferent)]

[Current affection: -10 (Cold)]