Seeing Xia Lian in her transformed state, Shi Feng still found it hard to accept.
However, meeting the legendary librarian was considered good luck. From the information he knew, the librarian of Red Leaf Town was a mysterious figure, rarely seen. He never expected her to be this female NPC participating in the robbery. If he really had to fight this Xia Lian, the consequences would probably be unthinkable.
What does it mean to "pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger"?
The Xia Lian before him was definitely a master at it.
The Priest was the third-tier advancement class for the Oracle, while for the Swordsman it was the Sword King, with the Sword Master lying in between. Even at only level 20, she could easily defeat a level 50 leader monster. Probably the most powerful NPC in all of Red Leaf Town was this very Xia Lian.
"Hehe, do you believe me now?" Xia Lian looked at Shi Feng with a playful smile, a faint golden aura emanating from her body, making her look like the Virgin Mary herself. "Since you came to see me for something, let's go inside the Library to talk."
System: Epic Quest 'The Descent of Darkness' initiated. Quest content unknown.
Hearing the system notification, Shi Feng staggered, almost falling over.
What reason could he have possibly triggered this epic quest? This was the famous epic quest of the Divine Realm. Judging by the information gathered from the internet and the Shadow Guild, the difficulty of completion was unimaginable, but the rewards were also extremely generous. The person who completed this quest was the Spirit Emperor Qianhuan Wanmie, a legendary figure among Summoners, ranked within the top five hundred globally at his peak, and among the top twenty Summoners worldwide.
Don't just look at the global top five hundred; one must remember that the total global population exceeded one hundred billion. Although currently only over a hundred million people played the Divine Realm, a year later the player count would exceed ten billion, and after three years it would surpass thirty billion. Ranking in the top five hundred made one an astonishing peerless expert.
However, what puzzled him was why this quest was here. Qianhuan Wanmie's birthplace wasn't in the Star Moon Kingdom, but in the Black Dragon Empire, far from the Star Moon Kingdom. The Black Dragon Empire was far more powerful than the Star Moon Kingdom, with territory three times larger, and the competition among players and guilds there was even fiercer.
"Could it be a reward for achieving the First Clear of a Hell Difficulty Dungeon?"
While following Xia Lian, Shi Feng secretly guessed. It seemed quite possible; otherwise, how could one explain the appearance of this epic quest, originally from the Black Dragon Empire, in the Star Moon Kingdom?
Just then, Shi Feng's communication device rang. He saw it was Bai Qingxue calling.
"Miss Bai, what's the matter?"
"I saw you logged on, so I'm telling you something," Bai Qingxue said in her usual indifferent tone, like eternal ice uninterested in anything. "I urgently need money to buy something right now, so the fifteen silver coins I owe you might be repaid a little late. I'll definitely give them to you by the end of today at the latest."
"That's fine. If you're in a hurry, repaying tomorrow works too," Shi Feng said calmly. He no longer cared about the fifteen silver coins Bai Qingxue owed him. He now had over a gold coin on him and was worried about how to spend it.
On the other end, Bai Qingxue was slightly surprised that Shi Feng seemed not to care much about the money. But since he said so, she naturally wouldn't be polite, softly replying, "Thank you. But aren't you afraid I won't repay you and you'll lose everything?"
"You're the Ice Goddess. How could you cheat an ordinary player like me over some small change?" Shi Feng laughed.
"Ordinary? You really dare say that. The map and strategy you gave me even surprised me. We cleared the Normal Difficulty Silent Forest in under an hour and then broke through the Hard Difficulty. Unfortunately, the Hell Difficulty is too hard; we just can't get past it," Bai Qingxue said with a light smile. "I'm quite curious how your team cleared the Hell Difficulty. If you say it was because of your teammates helping, I don't believe it."
To conquer the Hell Difficulty Silent Forest, she had specifically called in elite members from other towns, but they just couldn't get past the first leader, Wilmy. Especially Wilmy's terrifying damage—even a Shield Warrior in full Bronze Equipment couldn't withstand it. She couldn't understand how Shi Feng's squad managed to clear it.
"Just luck," Shi Feng said honestly.
"Since you don't want to say, forget it. I still need to bid on equipment, so I won't chat longer. Don't forget our Dungeon agreement," Bai Qingxue said, not pressing Shi Feng on why he could pass. Just the Hard Difficulty Silent Forest had already yielded them considerable gains.
"Bidding on equipment? The Defensive Heavy Armor?" Shi Feng asked casually.
"Mhm, how did you know? Are you also bidding on this item?" Bai Qingxue nodded. This Defensive Heavy Armor had excellent stats. With it, clearing the level 20 Gnoll Dungeon shouldn't be a problem.
Shi Feng realized he'd misspoken, but he still calmly said, "Yeah. Didn't expect so many competitors. I've already given up."
"Indeed. It's already up to twenty-three silver coins. Only guilds with deep pockets can afford it. Can't talk now, I still have to sell some things," Bai Qingxue said, ending the call.
Sitting beside Bai Qingxue, Zhao Yueru pouted her lips and crossed her pale legs, complaining, "Qingxue, why do you have to insist on bringing that bad guy to our team? That bad guy is just lucky. His skills are average, and he happened to encounter a small dungeon like the Silent Forest, which wasn't modified much, so he luckily passed the Hell Difficulty. Bringing him to our twenty-man raid would be completely useless. Moreover, his team members' skill level is simply appalling—they'll definitely drag our progress down."
The elite members behind Bai Qingxue also nodded in agreement with Zhao Yueru's words. They were elites of the Snake of the Body, after all. How could they possibly be inferior to a group of ordinary players?
"I think Brother Yefeng is no simple matter. He must be being modest when he says he got lucky to clear the dungeon. His skills must be really good. It wouldn't be bad to invite him," Xiaoyue'er quietly voiced her opinion.
"You little girl, what do you know? You don't know how bad that guy is. Plus, back then he spent so much time just to reach level 1, so his skills definitely aren't great. One of my Flame Bursts could one-shot him," Zhao Yueru glared at Xiaoyue'er, saying with full confidence.
"Alright, stop arguing. I feel this Yefeng is no simple character. Otherwise, how could he lead a group of newbies through the Hell Difficulty Silent Forest? We'll naturally see his level during the team dungeon later. If his skills are decent, I plan to recruit him into the God-Slaying Army. For now, let's focus on winning the Defensive Heavy Armor bid," Bai Qingxue said softly.
The crowd immediately fell silent, shocked. They hadn't expected Bai Qingxue to have such a plan—to actually let Shi Feng join the God-Slaying Army. The God-Slaying Army was the elite among the elites of the Snake of the Body, each member a master handpicked from ten thousand, a top expert. The guild's resources would be prioritized for the God-Slaying Army. It was the most powerful elite corps besides the Guild Master and Vice Master.
Countless virtual reality experts had strived tirelessly to join the God-Slaying Army, but the vast majority were eliminated. Now, a newcomer like Yefeng had a strong chance of joining? They were practically green with envy.