Return, Clear Rating, and a Bountiful Harvest!

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As Su Mei dug into her meal with gusto, Gao Xu was still turning over the notification that had just appeared on his Emblem.

Reincarnator No. 1897 completed the C-rank hidden mission: Subdue the Monster-Eating Insect. Completion: Perfect. Rewards: 500 points, Monster-Eating Insect ×1.

Monster-Eating Insect: A living creature, one kind of Gu insect. Its rank depends on the energy it absorbs. A unique item from the Chinese Paladin series of worlds. It parasitizes a host and absorbs their power. If it burrows into an ordinary person, it will make them ravenously hungry, as though they can never eat their fill. The Monster-Eating Insect will leave its host only after it has truly been fed. It is said that the Miao Tribesmen, who are skilled in insect-controlling arts, often use Monster-Eating Insects to absorb their opponents' power and make it their own. The method is extremely vicious and underhanded.

Having mastered the ins and outs of various side missions, Gao Xu had thought of the Monster-Eating Insect as soon as he saw the boy. But he hadn't expected that, once completed, the mission would turn out to be a hidden mission rather than a side mission.

As the name suggested, hidden missions gave no notice before the mission began. Only after it was completed did the system issue an official announcement.

So, at the same difficulty level, hidden missions offered far greater rewards than side missions. Their completion ratings also varied depending on how they were carried out: Perfect, Excellent, Good, or Pass. In general, even a Pass earned a better reward than a side mission of the same level, let alone a Perfect rating.

Of course, reaching Perfect when you knew nothing about the mission's requirements was easier said than done. Take the earlier A-rank hidden mission, "Treat Su Mei." If Gao Xu hadn't run into Mr. Yi and his party in Heishui Town and obtained Ink Mystery Juice ahead of time, then even with all his efforts, he would probably have managed only an Excellent rating. Whether Su Mei could have become a spirit pet then would have been anyone's guess.

So luck had played a part in that hidden mission. But the Monster-Eating Insect mission before him depended entirely on Gao Xu's knowledge and experience from his previous life.

The mission seemed simple enough. There had been no fight and no need to pay any real price. But for other Reincarnators, it had presented two major challenges.

The first was finding the trigger. A little boy had been beaten in a restaurant for stealing food—a commonplace incident that most Reincarnators would probably have overlooked without a second thought.

Even a sharp-eyed Reincarnator who noticed something amiss would still have to face the second challenge: money!

The boy was a bottomless pit. It would take about ten taels of silver worth of food to fill him up—roughly ten thousand copper coins. That was no small sum for a Reincarnator. After all, Gao Xu had gotten only a few hundred copper coins from wiping out a bandit hideout.

Gao Xu had been certain of what he was doing, so he'd dared to put on an expert's airs and bluff the restaurant owner into letting them eat first and pay later. In the end, the owner had been so grateful that he'd simply waived the bill.

Other Reincarnators wouldn't have dared to do the same. Given the size of Linxiang Restaurant, it had to have powerful connections. Anyone thinking of eating there and skipping the bill would first have to weigh their own strength. Otherwise, they might be beaten by the goons who came rushing out—or caught by the local constables and thrown into jail. Either way, they'd have plenty to regret.

Even powerful Reincarnators could meet a miserable end if they ignored the basic rules of a story world and acted recklessly. Many predecessors had proved as much through blood and tears.

But back to the point: after Gao Xu and Su Mei had eaten their fill, they stepped out of the restaurant. It was already late, and there were far fewer people and vendors on the street.

Their twenty-four hours in this world were nearly up!

The sun sank in the west. Gao Xu and Su Mei walked hand in hand along the broad stone-paved road, their tall and short shadows stretching long behind them. A wealthy man's carriage occasionally rolled past, its hoofbeats and bells drifting faintly away. They mingled with the distant sounds of flutes and drums from the Hundred Arts Troupe, lending the bustling Suzhou City an uncanny air of quiet.

Su Mei seemed to sense that she was about to leave the world where she had been born and raised. Her eyes filled with deep reluctance, and at last she threw herself into Gao Xu's arms and began to sob.

Gao Xu said nothing. He only stroked her back gently. As the last rays of sunlight fell across the street, their figures slowly faded until they vanished without a trace from this splendid, fantastical world.

Or perhaps they had left many traces behind...

When the familiar sensation of weightlessness faded, Gao Xu opened his eyes and found himself alone on a platform. Su Mei had automatically returned to the Spirit Pet Space.

The edge of the platform and the space above it stretched into an endless void, where countless stars glittered like the night sky. A brilliant galaxy stretched directly overhead.

Gao Xu took in the glimmering lights all around him. It was as though he were surrounded by the dazzling stars of the universe, and he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

A huge screen slowly unfolded before him. Scenes from the Chinese Paladin world played across it in rapid succession. At the end, several lines of enormous text appeared:

Difficulty: First Difficulty

Mode: Free Mode. Damage dealt by Reincarnators to one another is reduced by 30%.

Mission World: Chinese Paladin 1

Main Mission 1: Join the campaign against the Snake Demon, launched by Lin Tiannan, lord of Lin Family Fort. Kill eight Green Snakes and four Crimson Snakes in Hidden Dragon Cave.

Complete.

Main Mission 2: Collect 10 Viper Eggs.

Complete.

Main Mission 3: Earn 300 points.

Complete.

Main Mission Difficulty: D+

Base Clear Rating: D+

Optional Mission 1: "Green-Shirted Guest" Xu Lang, "Dragon-Capturing Hand" Shi Jun, and "Yin-Yang Taoist" Luo Qi are skilled warriors invited by Lin Tiannan, as well as key members of the campaign against the Snake Demon. Protect them from mortal danger, and you may earn their favor and receive their guidance.

Complete.

Three story characters were gravely wounded and on the verge of death. Completion: Normal. Rating increased to C-.

Optional Mission 2: Rescue the young women abducted by the Snake Demon and taken to Hidden Dragon Cave, then escort them home.

Complete.

All the young women survived. Escort four of them back to Baihe Village. Completion: Excellent. Rating greatly increased to B-.

Optional Mission 3: Kill the Snake Demon or the Fox Demon.

Incomplete.

Other Factors:

Completed B-rank side mission: Lin Yueru's Gambling Match. Rating increased to B.

Completed B-rank side mission: The Second Round. Rating increased to B+.

Completed A-rank hidden mission: Treat Su Mei. Rating greatly increased to A+.

Completed C-rank hidden mission: Subdue the Monster-Eating Insect. Rating increased to S-.

Final Clear Rating: S-

Rewards: 3,000 points, 300 Authority EXP, 3 free attribute points, 3 random attribute points, and one S-rank Rating Lottery Chest.

Seeing the S- clear rating, Gao Xu clenched his fist and grinned, his smile wild and triumphant.

With the advantage of his rebirth, he had, as a newcomer, achieved the impossible and created a miracle. He had taken a solid first step and laid a firm foundation for the battles ahead.

And he had, too. The points alone came to a total of 9,900—nearly ten thousand!

230 points (monsters in Hidden Dragon Cave and extra Viper Eggs exchanged) + 2,500 points (B-rank side mission: Lin Yueru's Gambling Match) + 100 points (Miao Tribesman leader Tai Zhuonan) + 70 points (Miao Warriors) + 1,500 points (B-rank side mission: The Second Round) + 2,000 points (A-rank hidden mission: Treat Su Mei) + 500 points (C-rank hidden mission: Subdue the Monster-Eating Insect) + 3,000 points (clear reward), for a total of 9,900 points.

There were three pieces of blue equipment: the Flying Rainbow Sword, Black Iron Scale Armor, and Cicada Wing Cloak. There were also several blue items: Queen Bee Honey ×3, Viper Saliva ×5, Sound Transmitter ×1, scroll? Howling Gale ×1, Osmanthus Hibiscus Cake ×7, and Hundred Jujube Ginkgo Porridge ×3. Plus one Monster-Eating Insect and one Palace Lady Dress.

On top of that, he had 4 free attribute points, 3 random attribute points, 300 Authority EXP, and one S-rank Rating Lottery Chest.

A bountiful harvest!