What a perfect place to grind levels, and he would have to leave it soon.
He was thoroughly familiar with the routine by now. As soon as the whistle sounded, he got to work.
Pretending to be controlled, he obediently walked up to the altar and read through the notebook, performing so diligently that he could have been a model sacrifice.
[Through careful reading, you have gained 70 experience points.] [You have finished reading the Fate Faction mystical book, "Beast Tamer's Handbook" (progress: 100%)!] [You have gained an additional 1 skill point and 2 attribute points.] [Through careful reading, you have gained insight and learned the skill [Friend of Animals]!] [Friend of Animals LV MAX] (passive) Skill description: You seem to possess a unique charm that makes animals feel very close to you. Even the most cold-blooded and ill-tempered beasts are willing to befriend you. When interacting with animals, charisma +10. Hey, friend, I trust you have finished reading my work and learned my abilities. No need to thank me. I merely want to benefit more people and let them experience a wonderfully different life...
For some reason, every time Chen Lun read one of Philip's messages, he felt an urge to resort to violence.
He turned to the last pages of the notebook, where the diary was also nearing its end.
"February 4, 4407, Solar Calendar. Overcast... Aha, that old bastard Queller really is a big shot among those filthy rats. Even after transforming, I was no match for him.
"[Gargoyle Skin] counters me far too effectively, not to mention that he's a whole sequence above me..."
"...They stole everything from my teacher. His honor, his position, even his power!
"They are the most disgusting thieves in this world!"
"But I may never get the chance to take revenge, because I'm dying...
"Those filthy rats really spared no expense trying to kill me!
"They hurled countless Alchemical Potions worth over a hundred gold pounds apiece right at my face. Oh, heavens, they've ruined my handsome looks!"
"...Perhaps this is fate. Ever since I stepped onto the extraordinary path of the [Fate Faction], I knew this day would come.
"I truly miss my days of traveling. My dear Maggie, I will miss you. -Philip"
"..."
"..."
"Oh, right. I hid all my savings from these past years, along with the supernatural objects I collected, beneath the backyard of Viscount Pompey's estate. I dug a-"
The diary abruptly ended there. The ink trailed into a long diagonal line, as though the writer's hand had slipped down, dragging the pen with it.
Chen Lun closed the notebook and sighed softly.
The diary covered quite a long period, nearly eight years from beginning to end.
It was also a record of the adventures of this stranger named Philip after he embarked on a mysterious, extraordinary path.
What a poignant tale! What a life to look back on!
I wonder if Philip’s Legacy is still there...
That was what Chen Lun thought.
He remembered that the version 1.0 open beta-the official start of the game-began in the year 4419 of the Solar Calendar.
Counting backward one year and one month, the current date should have been around the year 4418 of the Solar Calendar.
In other words, everything recorded in this diary was ancient history from ten years ago. Who knew what had happened in the meantime?
[Triggered C-rank hidden quest: Philip’s Legacy] Quest description: According to the contents of the quest item [Philip’s Diary], Philip had long foreseen his own death. On the eve of his deadly battle, he buried all the savings he had accumulated over the years beneath the backyard of Viscount Pompey's estate in Amber City. Want my treasure? If you want it, you can have it! Go find it! I left it all there! Quest reward: Unknown.
"..."
Chen Lun accepted the quest, then felt his capacity for snark collapse completely.
All he wanted to know was whether the real reason Philip had been killed was that he was simply too good at making people hate him.
Seeing Chen Lun close the notebook, Monk Will approached eagerly and signaled for Froy to be ready to write at any moment.
"Very good. It looks like the notebook has been fully deciphered..."
He revealed a cruel smile.
"Sister, once he's finished dictating this last part of the notebook, take him to basement number four.
"Feed him to that potted plant. We might as well make use of the waste..."
"Yes, Monk Will."
Froy turned to look at him, but a strange expression appeared on her beautiful face.
Will's smile froze, and he frowned.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Sister?"
Froy did not answer him.
Will suddenly realized something and whipped his head around.
Whoosh!!
Smack!!
A sharp smack followed the shrill whistle of something cutting through the air.
Will saw only a blur moving too fast to make out. The next second, the black-haired young man's outstretched hand had seized his throat.
Most horrifying of all, the man's arm writhed like a snake, defying all reason as it coiled around his neck again and again, locking tight.
[Animal Mimicry LV1] [Serpent Body Transformation] [You have learned to temporarily contort your body like a snake, along with certain other serpentine traits.]
Watching Chen Lun's foolish grin vanish, leaving only an expressionless face, Will immediately realized he had been deceived.
The man had never been under his control!
All these days, it had been an act. Every bit of it!
Then when had he become so powerful...?
Of course. That notebook!
"Urgh! Urrgh...!"
Will tried to speak, his bloodshot eyes widening in defiance, but he could not force out a single word.
The suffocating sensation surged into his head, plunging him into unparalleled terror.
He grabbed Chen Lun's serpentine arm with both hands, desperately pounding at it, but it made no difference.
"I really should thank you for sending all the guards away to keep this secret... You saved me quite a bit of effort."
Crack!!
Chen Lun tightened his grip and yanked sharply with his coiled serpentine arm, twisting Will's neck all the way around.
[-58]
The bright red fatal damage number popped up above Monk Will's head, and his health bar emptied instantly.
Monk Will collapsed with a thud.
His body lay facedown, but his head had turned over to face upward. The pose looked utterly grotesque.
Chapter 11: I'm done with this act
[You have killed Will, a cleric of the Red Apple Church, and gained 20 experience points.] [Warning: Your actions will draw the hostility and attention of the Red Apple Church!]
Chen Lun curled his lip. He had never planned on getting along with the Red Apple Church anyway. Let them hate him.
What bothered him more was that Will's death had only earned him 20 experience points.
How stingy!
Still, there was nothing he could do about it. Even if the man was a monk of some standing within the Red Apple Church, he was only an ordinary person.
As far as the game's mechanics were concerned, he was not worth much.
[Triggered C-rank quest: Mercy] Quest description: You have killed Will, a monk of the Red Apple Church. Presumably, you are prepared to stand against them. Will you show mercy and free the poor souls imprisoned here while you are at it? Quest rewards: 500 experience points and 800 Copper Crowns.
After thinking it over, Chen Lun accepted the quest.
The money was rather underwhelming, but he badly needed the experience points.
Besides, rescuing those sacrifices would also deal a blow to the Red Apple Church.
Rewards, rescuing people, and a stab in the back.
Three benefits in one move. What could be better?
"What should we do next?"
Before you continue