Maxim's Strongman Challenge

Chapter 43: Side Quest: Maxim's Strongman Challenge

"My lord, I think the rumors might be a bit off."

Amidst the city ruins shrouded by Astral Shadows, Murphy and Maxim hurried through the silent streets toward the family warehouse in the outer city.

As they moved, Maxim, gripping a war spear, scanned their surroundings warily for any attacks while speaking softly to Murphy.

"Madam Triss isn't quite what the rumors made her out to be. I mean, she's very strong! Stronger than Lord Jed. After you rescued her from the city, she seems to have regained the authority she once held as an Elder."

"I don't know what happened, but one thing's for sure, Triss definitely doesn't like this city," Murphy sighed. "She sees it as a prison. To put it bluntly, after seeing Cadman City ravaged like this with my own eyes, Triss and I are probably the only two Blood Vulture members who feel relieved."

"Does that make you uncomfortable?"

"No, my lord. I am loyal to you, not the Blood Vulture Clan," Maxim replied in a low voice. "Actually, I don't feel much joy serving the Blood Vulture Clan either. I must repay Lord Jed's kindness, but beyond that, this clan doesn't seem to have much else worth remembering."

"I feel the same way, no wonder we get along so well," Murphy responded.

The two fell silent, no longer speaking. They moved quickly. After passing through an alley occupied by a colony of Astral Salamanders that weren't actively attacking, they reached the location of the family warehouse Madam Triss had marked.

It was underground.

The surface was disguised as Cadman City's human fire station.

There were three similar underground warehouses in the outer city. However, besides this one, which was a bit out of the way, the other underground storage facilities were located in densely populated areas. Those would surely have been occupied by fear derivatives from the Astral Shadows and predatory Astral Beasts.

Murphy planned to use the remaining three warehouses as "challenge locations" for the Little Players.

Tonight, five dead players would revive, giving him a total of 16 manpower. Divided into three groups, they would be just enough for simple "dungeon tests."

"Looks like I need to recruit more people."

As Maxim searched for the entrance to the underground passage amidst the messy fire station, Murphy looked out at the dim, gloomy environment beyond the collapsed walls and the strange sky above, still flickering with purple light. He thought, "Currently, I have 40 people in total. There's no need to hold back; I'll deploy them all at once. After Cadman City was dragged into the Astral Plane, there are many areas in these remaining ruins worth exploring. With too few people, it won't be enough. Plus, there's the beginner's guide quest in the sixth ring. That quest requires me to obtain my own territory. I initially thought I could rely on the young lady's connections, but now there seems to be a better, albeit more difficult, option."

"The Blood Vulture Clan is beyond saving! Even though only ruins remain here, there are people, resources, and a 'monster spawning point' that can last for a long time. This might be the best 'starter village' I can find in the Transylvania Region! But I need to plan carefully on how to operate it."

As Murphy pondered his next steps, he logged into the forum. In the application section, he saw many test applications, mostly from existing Little Players through word-of-mouth. "True Otherworld" had not been advertised at all in the players' world, and Murphy had no intention or means to do so. He briefly browsed through the nearly 80 test applications he currently had. Using their test results, he selected the 24 individuals with the best overall qualities and sent them the test invitation codes. This way, at the latest, within 12 hours, a batch of new, adorable Little Players would enter the Cadman City ruins to serve as the "Cannon Fodder vanguard" descending from the sky in this critical moment.

Oh, right! To make all of this seem more like a game gradually opening its official test, Murphy felt it necessary to post a more formal announcement on the forum. He'd do it after dealing with this underground warehouse!

"Lord Murphy! I've found the entrance, but it requires the blood of a Blood Vulture Clan member as a beacon to enter." Maxim's voice came from the ruins of the archive room. Murphy hurried over. Behind a pushed-aside filing cabinet, he bit his finger and dripped his blood onto the center of a dark red magic circle on the wall. With creaking sounds and a flash of faint light, the passage to the underground opened. He and his loyal servant entered one after the other.

This was not the true family treasury. No matter how fallen the Blood Vulture, one of the Seven Great Vampire Clans, was, its family treasury wouldn't be this meager. This place was only used to store some important but not scarce materials. Therefore, there were no constructs like Gargoyles or Psionic Guardians, which were considered "professional security" on the continent. The area below was not large, about the same size as the fire station above. It was divided into different rooms for storing different materials, mostly raw materials for making weapons and armor, as well as some finished products displayed in cabinets. Murphy casually opened a cabinet and took out a Vampire Stiletto adorned with blood rose patterns to examine it.

Item appraisal activated, and an information tag popped up:

Name: Guardian's Blade Quality: Fine Workmanship · New Recruit Traits: Enhanced Sharpness · Enhanced Pierce · Durable · Insidious Blood Groove (Can be Poisoned) Usage Requirements: Talent · One-Handed Weapon Mastery, Dexterity ≥ 6

Item Description:

[An elite weapon crafted by the Blood Vulture Clan's blacksmith for the clan's new recruits. It is sharp, deadly, and highly suitable for Blood Servant Soldiers who have mastered Blood Vulture Swordsmanship and Advanced Swordsmanship. This weapon has consistently ranked first on the 'Cadman City Finger Protection Association's' complaint list for years, as wielding it truly requires a bit of skill.]

Murphy drew another Bloodkin-style Handheld Hunting Crossbow and examined it.

It was also an intricately crafted weapon for new recruits, which made him nod in satisfaction.

These weapons were intricately crafted with attached properties. Both their craftsmanship and materials were clearly far superior to the plain follower weapons currently used by the players.

They would be perfect as quest rewards or rewards for new gameplay mechanics.

Maxim, meanwhile, discovered a whole crate of elite new recruit armor that had yet to be painted in another house, making Murphy even more pleased. Since the Blood Vulture Clan was a thing of the past, he could use these items himself, paint them, and clearly draw a line to the past.

He tossed Maxim four Psionic Bags, gesturing for him to pack the items, and then continued his exploration deeper into the area.

The Elder Armor Madam Triss had given him was an intricately crafted, Commander-grade advanced psionic protective gear. This meant Murphy wouldn't be finding better equipment than "Madam Triss's Original Elder Armor" for a long time. Therefore, his next goal was to find usable equipment for Maxim, Mirian, and Madam Adele.

The three of them were now Murphy's "Three Great Generals," and they had to be properly equipped.

Madam Triss had also mentioned that the cellar might contain Advanced Skill Manuals for the clan's elites to study, which was another important goal for Murphy.

Blood Vulture Swordsmanship was just a basic skill. He couldn't possibly lead the Little Players to continue fighting with just that. Fortunately, there were no special hidden rooms in the cellar, so Murphy quickly found the library. Several ancient-looking books were placed on a bookshelf.

He took them down and flipped through them:

"Tomb Guardian Swordsmanship Manual," "Blood Torturer's Manual," "Nightwalker Secret Tome - Volume One," "Detailed Explanation of the Midnight Hunt Path."

These few hand-copied books clearly represented the occupational systems the Blood Vulture Clan had possessed throughout its long history.

Murphy could discern that they represented the Swordsman, Psionicist, Assassin, and Hunter career paths. Of course, in this real world, there weren't such clear-cut and strict occupational divisions.

As long as one had enough energy, a Swordsman could also delve into psionic techniques.

However, these books, used for "class changes," would be of great significance to the Little Players. Murphy was well aware of how enthusiastic the "power players" were when it came to studying game classes and playstyles.

Perhaps he could translate some of them and post them on the forum to whet the appetites of the "observer Little Players" who had passed the test application but couldn't get an invitation code yet.

Wait!

Why should he translate them himself?

Murphy blinked.

The Little Players were so energetic, and now they had the Computing Orb. They could handle this task themselves.

This would not only deepen their engagement with the game but also prevent them from getting bored and causing trouble.

It was a win-win situation, wouldn't that be wonderful?

"Heh heh."

Murphy chuckled in the dark cellar. He then placed the precious skill books into his Psionic Bag. Holding the "Tomb Guardian Swordsmanship Manual," he continued to search for valuable items.

A few minutes later, a new prompt popped up:

[New Skill - Advanced Swordsmanship - Tomb Guardian Swordsmanship Acquired!

Hint!

This swordsmanship is a Physical/Dark Psionics skill. Learning this swordsmanship requires a certain psionic talent (Intelligence ≥ 5).

This swordsmanship is an advanced skill to Blood Vulture Swordsmanship. The prerequisite for learning this swordsmanship is Proficient - Blood Vulture Swordsmanship.

The current proficiency cap for this swordsmanship is "Proficient."

Upon reaching "Proficient" in Tomb Guardian Swordsmanship and crafting the "Tomb Guardian Emblem," you can advance to the "Blood Vulture Swordsman" advanced class, "Tomb Guardian," and unlock a new proficiency cap.]

"Got it!"

Murphy let out a long sigh.

He knew that the Tomb Guardian was a "Unique Unit" of the Blood Vulture Clan. Its characteristics were a balance of offense and defense, and it could gain the enhancement of Dark Psionics, making it a very well-rounded versatile unit.

Of course, being versatile meant being mediocre at everything. However, it was already a composite exclusive class combining physical and magical abilities, so what more could one ask for?

Moreover, the Tomb Guardian held a special status.

They were the elite tier of the Blood Vulture Clan. Lord Jed from before was likely an excellent Tomb Guardian.

Other vampire clans also had their own unique units, basically covering all the power routes on the continent, but there was no communication between them.

This was their special nature as Eternal Sin Descendants.

They could form a powerful force if they united, but for the past thousand years, they had acted independently, occasionally causing trouble for each other, making the entire race seem so neurotic that it was as if they were truly cursed by some dark entity.

"My Lord! I found something amazing!"

Maxim's excited shout came from behind Murphy.

When he went over, he found that his Loyal Servant had discovered a hidden compartment behind a moved cabinet and had broken through the wall to drag out two long, dusty crates.

"I learned all this from your Warriors. I observed them closely; they always manage to find strange things in these peculiar places."

Maxim stood beside him and said in a low, peculiar tone, "I've probably been around them too much; I've even caught this strange habit."

"That's a good thing, Mark. Scavenging is an essential skill for becoming a Strongman."

Murphy let out a laugh.

He and Maxim opened the chest to find a complete set of thirty-odd weapons, all in the vampire style.

They ranged from common sword and shield sets to rare katars and flails.

Judging by their appearance, they were a matched set, and the faint glow they emitted in the darkness indicated they were rare psionic weapons.

A vampire took out a sheathed longsword and drew it. The gleaming blade flashed with a faint green, cold light in the darkness. Its item tag also appeared before Murphy:

Name: Ambition and Dreams: Warehouse Guard Mick's Combat Sword

Quality: Masterwork · [Elite] Veteran

Attributes: Extreme Sharpness · Enhanced Pierce · Enhanced Psionic Perception · Permanent Poisoning

Creator: Blood Vulture Weapon Master Segur

Item Description:

[Warehouse Guard Mick was a vampire fringe dweller with great ambitions. Though his talent was mediocre, he still yearned to make a name for himself within the clan. To this end, he used his professional advantage to secretly hoard a set of psionic weapons that were supposed to be supplied to the clan's personal guard captains.

Mick planned to use his collection to seize an opportunity for advancement!

He continued to prepare until one day, when he was dispatched to scout the outskirts of the Dark Mountains, he took all the supplies he could carry, but in his excitement, he completely forgot about the set of weapons he had hidden away.

Oh, right.

This all happened one hundred and ten years ago.]

Hint!

The [Elite] tag is a special item tag that only appears on weapons and armor that have a certain origin and whose quality far exceeds that of items of the same grade, yet have not reached the next grade.

Such items often possess special "collectible value."

Similar special tags include [Shadow Forged/High-Quality Replica], [True Forged/Unique], [Flashy but Impractical], [Art Piece], and so on.

"Ugh, what a sad story. My condolences to the ambitious Mr. Mick."

Murphy grumbled internally.

The quality of this item was still inferior to Triss's Masterwork Commander-grade Blade of the Desire Scion, so he shook his head, tossed the poisoned sword in his hand to Maxim, took a Scarlet Poisoned Hunter Crossbow from the weapon chest, and hung it on his waist. He then stood up and said:

"These are yours. I can't use them.

Take some out to give to Adele, and keep the rest as your own collection. Also, I'll teach you a little trick for getting along with my warriors."

"Please tell me, sir, I'm listening."

Maxim happily loaded the two weapon chests into his psionic bag. A love for good weapons was in the nature of warriors, so he listened intently to Murphy's advice as he walked out of the cellar.

Murphy patiently instructed him:

"Once you become a vampire, you'll have your own vassals, right? Why not start now by selecting members from my warriors whom you believe have the most talent, and then constantly test their growth in strength and skill.

Perhaps once every three days or once a week, wait for them to invite you to spar.

If their progress meets your standards, then bestow these fine weapons upon them as rewards and proof of a future vassal contract.

This way, you'll gain potential vassals, and I'll see my warriors improve more quickly.

But there's one thing!

Mark, you can't go easy on them, understand?

Since it's a test, you have to go all out. You know they won't truly die, so go ahead and do your best. If they understand the risks and are willing to accept the challenge, even if they die by accident, it's their weakness.

Believe me, my warriors love the feeling of challenging strong opponents.

The stronger you are, the more they'll like you.

Here, take this copy of the Shadow Elf Family Secret Swordsmanship.

I just copied it last night. To help you remember it better, copy another thirty copies for me.

If a warrior can defeat you three times in a row, you can teach them this unique foreign race swordsmanship, but be sure to watch your own safety.

Wear your best armor!

Stop in time when you're about to lose. I don't want to lose my best assistant and friend for some ridiculous reason. And don't underestimate my warriors; they'll always come up with all sorts of tricks to get a victory from you.

Battling wits and strength with them is also a kind of fun, at least I think so."

"That sounds like a very strict selection method, sir."

Maxim nodded in strong agreement. He stroked the longsword named "Ambition and Dreams" at his waist and said eagerly, "If this is your will, then I am very willing to be the opponent of your warriors!"

Murphy, walking in the darkness, grinned.

Hey, isn't this another special gameplay feature? Do you want the best equipment you can get at this stage? Warriors, then come and challenge the "Number One Strongman" under my command!

It's okay even if you can't beat him. There will be more and more similar gameplay features in the future. There's bound to be something that will satisfy all of you.

Ps1:

Thanks to "Huo Zheng Ting Hao" for the Silver Alliance. The extra chapters will be counted within the on-shelf burst updates! The current on-shelf burst update chapters have reached 20+5+5+5+20=55.

Too terrifying!

PS2:

There's only one chapter today. Because each chapter is 4000 words long, I've been publishing too quickly during the new book period. While others have only 100,000 words at this stage, I'm already close to 200,000. Once the word count reaches 200,000, certain good recommendations become unavailable. Therefore, the editor specifically requested that I control the word count for the next two days.

So, there will only be one chapter today and tomorrow. We'll likely return to two chapters the day after tomorrow, and three chapters daily after the book goes on sale. Thank you all for your support and for following along!

PS3:

Happy Qixi Festival! To all my brothers, I wish that all lovers find their happy ending~