Not only does it feature checkpoints unlike those of other players, but it also includes an unprecedented reward in the prize pool – a 5% share of the base reward.
In other words, if the long-term quest is ultimately successful, the information provided by the [ Dark Archmage ] will be enough for her to receive a base reward of 5% of the total prize pool, not even counting her contributions in subsequent battles.
Her checkpoints included [population], [terrain], [church status], [church personnel], and so on.
It seems that the first phase of the [ Dark Archmage ] quest has been completed quite well. Although there is still a lack of information about the church, it is already clear that there are significant problems in the entire town.
Sitting alone in the secret room, Ed sighed helplessly:
"Limited-time testing is indeed a bit troublesome; I'll optimize it tomorrow."
Twenty kilometers away, in White Wax Town.
The innkeeper, with dead fish eyes, appeared at the side entrance of the church.
"Tap, tap, tap--tap tap."
After a few rhythmic knocks, a wary-looking priest quickly pulled the man into the church.
What's the matter?
"Sir, a stranger has arrived at the inn today."
The owner, with dead fish eyes, spoke respectfully.
"Outsider?"
The priest raised an eyebrow:
How did you figure that out?
The boss quickly replied:
"That woman was obviously from out of town. Although she looked rather strange, she seemed much more normal than us. She was also very generous; she booked a room without asking many questions."
"Second floor?"
"Second floor."
"With a window?"
"Right."
"Orientation?"
"This way, towards the church."
The priest abruptly stood up from his chair and said to the man:
"You've done very well. I'll report to His Holiness the Bishop right now; the reward will be substantial."
The innkeeper shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum, and grabbed the priest's robe.
"My lord, I beg you! I don't want any reward, I just want to see my daughter; she hasn't been home for a year."
"It's been a year already..."
The priest muttered something to himself thoughtfully, then became very impatient:
"Your daughter has been sent to the archbishop in the provincial capital for training."
"Wh... what?"
"What, you're not satisfied?"
The priest narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone turning extremely cold:
"She passed the town's test. When you see her again, she will be a holy nun, unlike you who will slowly decay in this remote town."
"This is something so many people would love to have, do you have a problem with it?"
The man stood there, stunned, as the priest pulled the hem of his robe from his hands.
"Wait here; you have no right to refuse this reward."
As soon as he finished speaking, several slender, intertwined tentacles emerged from the darkness, dragging the man to a bench in the corner where people listened to sermons and binding him like a dumpling.
The priest was taken aback by what he saw, until the dull knocking sound reached his ears.
Yiden, leaning on his cane, emerged from the darkness, and the priest quickly bowed and nodded.
"My Lord Bishop."
"Yes, I heard everything."
Yiden's cane tapped rhythmically on the ground as he slowly asked:
What do you think is the origin of a healthy woman?
Faced with the sudden test of his teaching abilities, the young priest thought for a moment and said:
"Someone from the provincial capital's archbishop's side, or investigators sent by the Holy See in the Holy City."
Yiden nodded in the darkness. Both of them ignored Duolin's side. Although her physical health was correct, it was difficult to fake a woman's characteristics.
There were certainly female villagers in those villages, but none of them were without physical Aberration.
Although the undercover investigators in the provinces and the Holy City had similar objectives, they belonged to completely different factions.
They were all probably there to investigate the experiment, but the provincial cathedral was urging them to speed things up, while the Holy City was checking whether the experiment had gone too far.
"Bishop, what do we do now?"
The male priest, with his head bowed, asked.
"Arrest them first, then we'll talk."
Yiden immediately issued the order:
"If we confirm they're from the province, we can release them later; they're one of our own anyway."
"What if they're spies from the Holy City..."
"Bring it back to me."
"Understood, I'll take care of it right away."
The middle-aged male priest accepted the order and left the side hall of the church.
A few minutes later, five priests emerged from the back door of the church under the cover of darkness and their dark green robes.
Although the heavy rain had stopped that day, the weather had not improved.
Under the cover of dark clouds, the priests emerged from the back door of the church, bypassing the view from the side windows of the hotel, and crept to the hotel entrance from the other side.
The simple door lock seemed to have no effect on the priests who could freely change the shape of their fingers. The five priests entered the inn and prepared for battle in the porch.
The one leading the group was the middle-aged priest. His eyes suddenly changed, and he was able to see the records in the ledger at the front desk even though there was almost no light around.
Our only guest today is in room Number Three on the second floor.
After exchanging a few hand gestures in the darkness, the well-trained priests began their advance.
From time to time, vines would extend from beneath the dark green robes, inserting themselves into the gaps of various sizes, reinforcing the wooden floor and stairs beneath their feet, silencing the creaking sounds that should have come from years of disrepair.
Soon the group arrived at the door of room Number Three.
Facing the narrow doorway, the leading priest gave a wink to his left and right, and the men stepped back half a step to make way for him.
The priest planted his left foot firmly between the floorboards, raised his right leg, and delivered a powerful blow aimed at the hinge.
With the sound of the wooden planks tearing and Shattered, the entire wooden door instantly separated from the frame and flew into the room, crashing down next to the single bed.
Four priests swarmed into the room like a school of fish, poking and stabbing the single bed, the old wooden cabinet, and other furniture.
The group didn't hold back; having learned some information, they knew that neither the people from the province nor the people from the Holy City were too weak.
For these border clergymen, trying to capture the enemy without going all out was simply wishful thinking.
However, the priests' probing yielded no results; apart from sawdust scattered everywhere, there was no trace of the suspect in the room.
The middle-aged priest looked at everything before him, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
Clearly, the room was empty from the beginning.
But when he stormed in... he was a bit too flamboyant.
Whether it's the next room or some house outside, as long as the woman isn't fast asleep and completely unwakeable, she must have noticed the commotion.
A bead of cold sweat gathered on the priest's forehead, and his body trembled for a moment from a non-existent chill.
He... messed things up.