The Only Task

Mo Tan found himself back in Medi's home. Everything around him was exactly as it had been before he was forcibly disconnected, except it was now night.

This was to be expected. After all, nothing had caught fire or exploded here. Given Medi's infrequent appearances in town—less than twice a week—it wouldn't be easy for anyone to notice he'd gone missing. This also teaches us that if you don't want to disappear without anyone even filing a missing person's report, it's best to make some close friends, or at the very least, find a way to owe someone money.

Mo Tan leaned leisurely against the wall, sitting on the floor. The first thing he did was bring up his character panel to confirm the details he hadn't had time to check last time. Of course, before that, he had claimed the rewards for the tutorial quest, successfully obtaining the basic Thief class and 60 experience points.

So...

[Tan Mo]

Health: 170/170

Stamina: 140/140

Agility: 310/310

Class: Trickster Lv. 2 (77/150); Thief Lv. 1 (60/70)

Faith: None

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Talents: Chaos, Cunning, Sophistry, Unbeliever (You cannot choose a faith because you simply do not hold any reverence for higher beings. No missionary would waste their time on you! None!)

Base Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 11, Intelligence 11, Constitution 7

Visible Attributes: Eloquence 10, Charisma 10, Knowledge 9, Leadership 4

Combat Attributes: School of Cunning Lv. 6

Skills: Confusion, Bewitchment, Stealth, Thievery, Throat-Slitting

Given that a detailed description of each skill would waste too much space, detailed explanations will not be provided until Mo Tan uses the skills for the first time. We apologize for any inconvenience.

"The constitution conversion rate is just as I thought," Mo Tan muttered to himself, studying his attribute panel. "And each level of Thief increases Constitution and Dexterity by 1 point each, while Trickster increases Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence by 1 point each, and both raise my School of Cunning level... The latter also influences my visible attributes to some extent, hmm..."

He pondered for a moment, then added the bonus experience from over-completing the tutorial quest to his Thief class, raising it to Level 2 (140/150). Then, he stretched languidly and stood up, beginning to ransack Medi's cabin.

For a dead man, worldly possessions are completely unnecessary. It's better to benefit one's descendants or the working masses. However, commemorative items like wedding rings, or things with sentimental value, don't count as worldly possessions. So, with this in mind, Mo Tan could carry out his looting operation without any burden, and wouldn't feel any remorse for burying those two excellent rings earlier...

As it turned out, either he was lucky, or Medi had a substantial fortune. In any case, the loot Tan Mo scavenged was worlds apart from the few broken potions Hei Fan had painstakingly dug up at the inn.

The consumables included: Lesser Health Potion *4, Lesser Mana Potion *2, Gargoyle Reagent *1, Random Teleport Scroll *2, Divine Favor Scroll *2, Soul-Guiding Bottle, two bags of finely ground bone ash, and an ancient book.

The equipment included: a Ritual Robe, a pair of Cloth Bracers, and a Blood Sacrifice Dagger.

The former two gave Tan Mo a small amount of extra defense and 1 point of Intelligence. As for the last item, the weapon was of average quality, but it was perfect for the Thief class.

[Blood Sacrifice Dagger]

Weapon Type: One-Handed

Quality: Common

Attack Power: Weak

Attributes: None

Equipment Requirements: None

[Note: If you're willing, we can teach you over seventy ways to hurt yourself, and guarantee... What? You say you want to use it to stab people? Okay, please close the door from the outside.]

"Seriously~" Mo Tan muttered, tucking the dagger into his belt, "If someone could give me a complete equipment guide for this game, I could probably read it quietly for an entire day to increase my cunning. Now, let me look forward to this..."

He opened the only ancient book that hadn't been added to his inventory and immediately saw the content he had been anticipating.

[Basic Necromancy]

Use: Allows you to obtain the class: Basic Necromancer

[Note: You shouldn't have high expectations for the contents of this book. Come on, we can't really write about necromancy or anything like that, can we? Please understand, okay?]

"Okay~ I understand." Mo Tan smiled, casually putting the book into his inventory without eagerly adding an extra class, as one might expect.

He had already done the math in his head. The conclusion was that at this initial 'newbie' stage, learning the controversial Necromancer class would clearly do more harm than good. Not to mention the likely decrease in Constitution and Strength, which would greatly affect him. Just the perceptive religious people alone would be enough to tie him to a stake and play BBQ for half the day. He wasn't Medi Le. The Unbeliever talent had already sealed off the possibility of him secretly studying Holy Light Knowledge to conceal other identities.

So, no learning!

At least, not now!

Leaving the cabin, Tan Mo stretched comfortably in the cool evening breeze, then put on the hood of the ritual robe and left Maple Sugar Town without looking back. He knew very well that this quiet countryside was clearly not a suitable place for him to settle down, nor could it allow him to find the happiness he craved. What's more...

[Unique Quest—Go to Pato City and destroy the 'Hero' Dave; Reward: ???]

"Although I don't know who this 'Hero' Dave is~" Mo Tan's figure flickered in the night, his eyes sparkling with some inexplicable chaos and fervor, and a wicked arc appeared at the corner of his mouth. "But I have to say, this kind of quest is really to my liking~~"

Just then, as he strolled along the country road, he suddenly heard a scream. Although it lasted for less than half a second before abruptly stopping, it was definitely not a hallucination. The fear and helplessness contained in the sound left a deep impression on Mo Tan.

To his left was a not-so-dense forest, but in the low-visibility night, it still felt like a giant mouth ready to devour people. The sound had come from there...

The Warm Sun Squad was in a bad situation, a very bad situation, a terrible situation~

They had been ambushed on their way back from completing their final exam. Two Crimson Ridge Beasts, which shouldn't have been there at all, suddenly appeared on the roadside as the group was returning and attacked them like madmen. Although these second-year students from Pading Knight Academy had some combat ability, they stood no chance against two lizard-like monsters with sharp teeth and claws, immense strength, and the ability to shoot poisonous bone spurs from their backs.

Especially since these were both adult Crimson Ridge Beasts, nearly four meters long.

Just now, the team's apprentice mage had been caught off guard and had a bone spur pierce her left leg, causing her to stagger and fall to the ground. Although another student in plate armor desperately used a lance to block the giant beast that was pouncing from the air to protect his companion, the other Crimson Ridge Beast instantly pierced the fragile skull of the elven mage with its barbed tongue, ending her suffering.

"No... Rona!" The young rogue, who had been flitting around the group, groaned in pain. He quickly moved behind the knight and yanked him back, staring at the equally pale and exhausted face before him. "Dave, you get everyone out of here, try not to make any noise. I'll hold these beasts off!"

With that, he turned and kicked the strongest member of the party, the knight, behind him. He roared, and two gleaming scimitars flew out, forcing the Crimson Ridge Beast that had just finished its kill back half a step. Then, in an instant, he appeared behind the other one, pulled a dagger from his waist, and pinned its thick tail to the ground. His eyes bloodshot, he yelled at his companions, who were not far away, "Now! Run!"

Crimson Ridge Beasts are blind, so they aren't too difficult to deal with in most situations. Although their hearing and sense of smell are very sensitive, they still cannot compensate for the weakness caused by permanent blindness. Cole, the rogue of the Warm Sun Squad, was shouting repeatedly for this very reason, trying to buy his teammates time to escape at his own expense.

He didn't want to live anyway...

Rona, the girl whose face was always beaming with a cheerful smile, would never come back. As an elf, she should have had a hundred years left to live. Her constitution, which was naturally very close to the wind element, could have given her unlimited future and possibilities, but she died so easily, in this nameless forest, killed by that filthy monster in an almost humiliating way.

"Unforgivable!" Cole leaped onto the head of the Crimson Ridge Beast in front of him, his eyes bloodshot as he trembled, "Unforgivable!!"

The knight, who had fallen at the feet of his two companions, clenched his fists tightly. It wasn't until Cole roared "Run!" that he slammed his fist into the ground and gritted his teeth. "Let's go!"

"But Cole..." The human girl in the sky-blue robe, standing crookedly, was clearly hesitant, but the tall, strong swordsman behind her hoisted her onto his shoulder.

"Ai! What do you think a magic-depleted apprentice priest can do here?" The man shouted sternly, "Let's move quickly, Cole might still have a chance, don't forget he's a rogue!"

Then the boy, carrying the priest Ai, followed the knight Dave and ran into the depths of the forest. Although his movements were decisive, the eyes under his visor were bloodshot...

No one knew Cole better than Lada, his childhood friend. He knew very well that even though he said there was a chance, he knew in his heart that the boy fighting the Crimson Ridge Beast to the death behind him would never leave, because Rona was dead... Rona was dead... dead...

"Lada!"

Feeling the girl on his shoulder hitting his back hard, tears silently streamed down Lada's cheeks. He couldn't stop, couldn't look back, couldn't waver. He had to find the person who designed the trap for the Warm Sun Squad, otherwise neither Rona nor Cole would rest in peace!

"Lada! Stop!" Ai screamed anxiously.

"Shut up!"

"Careful!"

"?"

A strong light suddenly lit up, originating from... the silver tip of a lance!

Cole, as Lada had thought, had no intention of escaping even though he was covered in wounds. Instead, he counterattacked even more frantically. The iron dagger in his hand was already nicked, but it still drew sharp arcs in the moonlight as he slashed, chopped, stabbed, and picked at a Crimson Ridge Beast. But his movements inevitably began to distort, and his face became increasingly pale.

A bone spur was stuck deep in his ribs, and every movement brought a heart-wrenching pain...

[But Rona is dead, so it doesn't matter, Shadow Step! Backhand Spin!]

The poison had gradually begun to spread throughout his body, and his reactions were becoming more and more sluggish, his hand was a little weak...

[Even if my hand is weak, it's not as weak as my legs were when I first saw her, what's this? Tear open its wound! Let it bleed! Roar! Suffer!]

Too much blood loss, dizzy, didn't dodge that claw just now, his leg seemed to be numb...

[Then forget it, Rona is dead, what's one leg? Make them pay the price! Soak it in poison one last time, and cut it again! Even if it's just one cut!]

His body was knocked away, falling next to Rona's already cold body...

Cole trembled and reached out his fingers, wanting to stroke the half of his beloved girl's face that was left. Her wide eyes still held a trace of bewilderment and fear that had not yet dissipated.

And the Grim Reaper had quietly arrived with a claw falling from the sky!

[It ends here... It's a pity I couldn't confess to you sooner~]

The imagined pain did not come. The two Crimson Ridge Beasts, which had been roaring constantly since before, had somehow quieted down. Cole struggled to look up and saw a person shrouded in a black robe standing in front of the two giant beasts with his back to him, murmuring something softly.

[Induce]

Trickery School Active Skill

Mastery Requirement: Obtain the Trickster Class

Consumption/Restriction: 1 Acuity, Normal Language Function

Effect: Induce a target to regard you as a friendly unit. The success rate and duration depend on the target's mental state and the intelligence of both parties. Cooldown time is 1 hour.

[Note: Don't shoot! It's one of us!]

The Crimson Ridge Beast, which was about to smash Cole's body with its claws, suddenly grunted in confusion. Its two bright yellow eyes stared at Mo Tan for a long time, then took two steps back and stopped moving.

The other one, which had been poised to pounce not far away, began to spin around in confusion...

[Confuse]

Trickery School Active Skill

Mastery Requirement: Obtain the Trickster Class

Consumption/Restriction: 60 Acuity, Eye Contact

Effect: Confuse a target, greatly impairing its judgment and self-awareness. It will attack friend and foe alike when launching an attack. The duration and success rate depend on the target's mental state and intelligence (the effect is doubled for those with decision-making difficulties). Cooldown time is 1 hour.

[Note: Watch my alien light! Ultrasound! Bluff! Chatter! Messed you up, you bastard!]

Under these two Trickster-exclusive skills, Mo Tan, who had been watching for a long time, managed to simultaneously restrain two Crimson Ridge Beasts with his own strength, and successfully established a very fashionable aura for himself, creating a mysterious and powerful initial impression in Cole's eyes.

"Don't ask anything... come with me." Mo Tan tilted his head slightly and glanced at Cole, "You have five seconds to decide."

Seeing that Cole was just staring blankly at the corpse in front of him, Mo Tan pointed to Rona's lifeless body and added, "Take her."

Then, without looking back, he randomly chose a direction and started walking.

Cole's body trembled violently, and after reacting slightly, he quickly carried Rona's body on his back and chased after him.

Chapter 9: End

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