[Ding~ Because you worked for a long time, your cooking proficiency has increased.] [Culinary skill level increased! Current level: LV.2]
"Phew, it's finally over."
After sending off the last customer who had eaten and drunk his fill, Li Xunsheng waved his slightly sore hands, propped himself against the stove, and panted heavily.
It had to be because there were too many "kind-hearted people" in the Novice Village. Those villagers had become so carefree that they no longer needed to work, so they had all run to the tavern to add to his workload...
Still, after working for so long, he should at least get some money.
"Holy crap, brothers, those NPCs are back! There should be more quests to accept now!"
The chat window he had kept open for entertainment and to relieve his boredom had yet to be closed. When Li Xunsheng turned his head, he saw the excited messages from the other players.
"Here they come, here they come! I can't stay in this damn wilderness for another second. I only managed to snatch two rabbits all afternoon, and didn't even get two rabbit legs."
"Waaah, I didn't manage to snatch even one. Is there any handsome big brother who can give me a rabbit leg..."
Hmm? They were all starting to come back?
Li Xunsheng looked toward the cobblestone path running through the village. Sure enough, in less than two minutes, the little path inside the village was packed with people.
As expected... In this Novice Village, having too many people was the greatest trouble of all...
When they discovered that the tavern was completely empty, with only the owner reclining leisurely in a chair and drinking while using chopsticks in one hand to send peanuts into his mouth, the players entering the village automatically ignored Li Xunsheng by the stove. Their eyes shining, they surrounded the Tavern Owner tightly once again...
"They're way too enthusiastic..."
Forced to move aside, Li Xunsheng broke into a sweat and felt slightly annoyed.
He had yet to claim his quest reward, and now he had to keep squeezing around... What a nuisance.
The player who possessed a Divine Spark had naturally forgotten who had unreasonably occupied the stove first.
"All right, all right, spread out a little. Spread out."
Facing the various players' quest requests, the Tavern Owner rose from his chair with a meaningful smile.
Seeing that the NPC had not refused to issue quests, everyone surrounding him tactfully took a step back and gazed at the Tavern Owner with expectant eyes.
"Ahem, I haven't given out the reward for my previous quest yet. I'll settle that reward before considering whether to issue any quests. Wait a moment."
Noticing several familiar faces among the players, the Tavern Owner gave a sly smile and waved at the boy who had been forced back to the tavern entrance.
"Come here, young man! This is your quest reward!"
Heh heh heh, you people said I was stingy, so I absolutely have to give this young man who helped me some benefits!
You said helping me cook wouldn't get him anywhere and that he couldn't earn any Copper Coins!
Finding Li Xunsheng quite pleasing to the eye, the Tavern Owner patted him on the shoulder and announced loudly:
"You worked hard for me all afternoon. I happen to have a hidden class here. As long as you complete the relevant quest, you can change classes. How about it?"
The burly man already had a loud voice, but to provoke the surrounding players, he deliberately raised it even higher, as if he wanted as many people as possible to hear him.
As soon as the Tavern Owner's booming words rang out, the noisy surroundings fell silent for a moment.
Then the uproar exploded!
"Holy crap! A hidden class!"
"Oh my god! The Tavern Owner has a hidden class!"
"Why isn't it me? Why isn't it me?!"
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have coveted Widow Wang's beauty—ah, I mean, her Copper Coins! How much better it would've been to come here and do odd jobs!"
"Damn it, I was only a tiny bit away from the stove back then!"
"Extra! Extra! The first hidden class in Novice Village 1111 is about to appear!"
For a time, inside and outside the village, and even in the regional chat channel, everyone was wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves.
As countless envious gazes swept over him, Li Xunsheng instead looked troubled...
Under the Tavern Owner's teasing gaze, Li Xunsheng saw a message:
[This sly Tavern Owner deliberately offered huge benefits to entice players to work for him, pretending that he was about to give out a hidden class] [In reality, the class-change quest he plans to issue requires players to kill the strongest boss in the Novice Village: the Colorful Fierce Tiger. It is practically impossible to complete]
"How about it? Isn't this reward pretty good?"
The Tavern Owner raised his eyebrows and looked at the boy who was being stared at with jealousy by everyone around him.
"Um... Boss, can I change it for something else? I only want one Silver Coin..."
Facing the man's astonished and bewildered expression, Li Xunsheng could only respond with a wry smile.
If he had not been able to see through this man's true thoughts, he might really have accepted the quest happily.
However, the boy who clearly understood the greatest trouble in this game world only wanted one Silver Coin.
"Are you crazy, brother?"
"That's a hidden quest! A hidden quest! You don't want it, and instead want one Silver Coin?!"
Seeing that Li Xunsheng would not accept the quest, the surrounding players grew red-eyed with anxiety. They could not understand him at all and wished they could rush over and snatch the quest for themselves.
One Silver Coin might look like a lot, but in reality, it was nothing extraordinary. An ordinary quest could provide anywhere from a dozen to several dozen Copper Coins.
In this world of Heavenly Silence, the value of Copper Coins seemed to be about the same as Dragon Coins in his homeland, Blue Star. One hundred Copper Coins had practically no purchasing power. It was only because there were so many people in the village now and all the quests had been taken that obtaining one Silver Coin was so troublesome.
To give up a hidden class for the sake of a mere Silver Coin—had this guy been kicked in the head by a donkey?!
"You don't want it?"
The astonished middle-aged man was extremely surprised as well. He looked at the boy before him in confusion.
"Yes. Just give me one Silver Coin as my wages."
You've got to be kidding. How could he possibly kill the Colorful Fierce Tiger...? Even with the Divine Spark talent, dealing with something like that might take him more than a week.
It would be far more practical to take one Silver Coin and enter Lone Star City sooner.
A bird in the hand was worth two in the bush. Li Xunsheng was not stupid; he did not want to work for someone for free.
"Do you think the quest is too difficult? No problem! I can change it! I'll make the class-change quest easier..."
The embarrassed man had not even finished speaking when Li Xunsheng mercilessly refused him.
"No need. Just give me one Silver Coin."
Xuan Sheng's calm reaction and indifferent expression made the onlookers realize that something was wrong as well. The voices that had initially been united in harshly criticizing Li Xunsheng gradually began to diverge.
"Hey, could the fact that this guy rejected it so firmly mean that the hidden class is actually terrible?"
"Geez... That might not be impossible..."
"Right! How did I not think of that? There's no such thing as a free lunch. This hidden class might not be any good."
Faced with Li Xunsheng's firm refusal, the players began voicing all kinds of opinions. More and more suspicious gazes and comments reached the Tavern Owner's ears, causing the already tipsy man's face to flush red.
Although he had eaten a few peanuts, he truly could not suppress the alcohol surging to his head.
"Funny mud pee! This is my hidden class!"
The furious man suddenly pulled out a golden scroll and slapped it into Li Xunsheng's hand.
[Class Change Scroll: Use this scroll to change class to the hidden class: Wine Sword Immortal] [Hmph, brat, you don't want to change classes? You don't want to become my disciple, do you? Today, you're learning the sword technique of the Wine Sword Immortal whether you like it or not!]
Under the Eye of God, Li Xunsheng directly saw through the man's thoughts...
The instant everyone sensed the scroll, Li Xunsheng felt the atmosphere around him grow several degrees hotter.
"Gasp..."
"Holy crap! It's real!"
"The Wine Sword Immortal! Handsome and powerful! So the expert was deliberately acting aloof to get the upper hand?"
"It's better to provoke someone than to beg them. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant."
"Wine Sword Immortal? How handsome, big brother. Will you take me leveling? Little sister has been single since birth and needs a handsome boyfriend~"
Damn it, could you people stop gasping? It's getting unbearably hot!
Before you continue