C25 Mission Success

Crack... crack... crack...

The first sound of shattering was soon followed by a relentless cascade of similar noises. As the players watched in stunned silence, the black crystal fragmented bit by bit into fingernail-sized shards.

A dense, dark aura split into dozens of streams, each one drawn into the bodies of the players present. Zhuge Bayun glanced at his game panel and his eyes widened in shock: "3... 3... 30?"

Before, a group of five or six players would earn merely 0.2 to 0.3 points for taking down a zombie. This was like defeating a hundred monsters in one go. But now, compensating the fallen members of the suicide squad would be tricky with such an enormous bounty of experience points—it was enough to give anyone a headache.

Find and destroy the source of the dark energy near Kaka Village 1/1

The quest was complete, yet the players were at a loss as they watched the giant Kobold still rampaging in place. Logic dictated they should return and check the quest's status, but the allure of battling the boss was strong. This was a blind boss, the very first they had encountered in the game, and who knew what treasures it might yield upon defeat?

Ding... Main Mission Issued

The dark invasion has been purged. Please return to Kaka Village immediately.

Faang Qiubai, closely monitoring the situation, easily read the players' minds and promptly issued a new mission. It was laughable to think that with their current strength, they could defeat the Kobold; it could stand there for half an hour under their assault and not fall. Besides, the creature's blindness was temporary, and it would soon heal from such minor damage. Another hundred players wouldn't make a difference—they'd be like lambs to the slaughter. Faang Qiubai had no intention of squandering his energy, especially not when the day's gains had been substantial and more effortless than anticipated.

It seemed that with the black crystal's destruction, the monsters in the vicinity had dwindled. The remaining players made their way back to the still-devastated Kaka Village without further incident.

As they stepped into Kaka Village, a brilliant white light cascaded from above. The players, having witnessed this once before, looked up with calm anticipation. As expected, the silhouette that had previously appeared was making its presence known once again.

"Congratulations on embarking on your counteroffensive journey. Your progress has astounded me. I will leave a portion of my strength here to safeguard this place. The more you cleanse the dark energy, the more my power will be restored. I have faith that one day, we will eradicate the darkness from this world entirely!"

With a sweep of his hand, a statue identical to the one in Kenta Village materialized in the village center. Simultaneously, a wave of white light spread outwards, enveloping roughly a five-hundred-meter radius. Any lingering monsters within this zone were dissolved into nothingness as the ripple washed over them.

"The darkness cannot penetrate my power; within this radius, you are safe. Please, continue to strengthen yourselves."

After Faang Qiubai vanished, the group of players exchanged glances, a mix of exhilaration and confusion washing over them.

Was there no reward for the mission?

The new safe zone was a welcome development, but with no NPCs and nothing else in sight, did they really have to start hauling bricks and building again? The thought of switching from the adrenaline rush of battling monsters to construction work was a tough pill to swallow.

As uncertainty hung in the air, several white flashes appeared before the statue. To their surprise, the four NPCs from Kenta Village stood before them. Then, a flurry of white lights sparked into existence, resurrecting all the players who had fallen during the mission. The spectacle left Zhuge Bayun and the rest utterly dumbfounded.

"Brother Wild Waves, what's happening?" Shadow of Wind, with his imposing stature and recognized leadership, was immediately approached by an eager Zhuge Bayun.

"I just got the completion alert for the mission. The NPC mentioned that the Father God's protection has expanded, and that there's a safe conduit linking the statues... So?" Shadow of Wind quirked an eyebrow, offering a nonchalant explanation.

Zhuge Bayun dashed to the statue to test it himself and discovered a new teleportation feature, in addition to the existing healing and purification abilities. It appeared the mission did have rewards after all, they were just not overtly disclosed to the players.

"So, what's the purpose of these NPCs being here?" Zhuge Bayun, now intrigued after his test, turned his attention to Morphy and the others with curiosity.

"I've heard there's some kind of plan in place. I'm betting it's still the main quest," he said, striding over with a face as dark as his confidence, clearly annoyed. "Damn it, I got flattened by that guy like dough under a rolling pin. I've got to get even!"

As the players were busy handing back weapons to their teammates and discussing what had happened after shattering the crystal, Morphy chimed in, "You've performed better than I anticipated. Unlike Kenta Village, tucked away in the northern corner of the continent with just one road, Kaka Village has paths leading west, south, and east. This means we'll be using Kaka Village as our base to push out and purge the darkness."

"But what about Kenta Village, Master Morphy?" a player interjected, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Our defense hinges on this place. As long as it holds, Kenta Village remains our safest haven. All survivors and civilians we find will take refuge there—it's our logistical hub. We cannot afford to lose Kaka Village. Got it?"

"Hold on, did everyone catch that? Even the safe zone could fall? What's that supposed to mean?" Zhuge Bayun asked, his question rhetorical as the implication dawned on everyone.

"Could it be something like a monster siege?" Nako inquired, standing on tiptoe.

"Exactly!" Shen Wanjin leaned in, speaking softly. He had mentioned other survivors and civilians, hinting at the presence of other NPCs. This could involve trade professions or other specialized NPCs. It looks like the real show is just starting—the earlier part was merely a beginner's tutorial."

"You've been tainted by darkness in this war against dark forces. Praying at the statue of the father god can cleanse you of that darkness. If not, you'll eventually be consumed and controlled by it," Morphy said, ignoring the players' side conversations. He lifted his greatsword, pointing it at the crowd as a stark reminder.

The players didn't need further prompting; they understood that the NPC was hinting at using the statue's cleansing power to convert their experience points. The dark aura needed to be purified there before it could be transformed into something pure. Heeding Morphy's advice, nearly everyone eagerly proceeded with the transformation, anticipating that the next phase would likely involve spending experience points to change classes.

"Aren't you coming?" After transforming his thirty-odd points of dark aura into a pure one, his face beamed with a newfound confidence. Noticing Zhuge Bayun hadn't budged, he couldn't resist asking.

"I'm pondering something," Zhuge Bayun glanced around to ensure they weren't being overheard before whispering to his self-assured companion, "Why bother with a conversion step if it's just experience? I'm convinced it's intentional. There's likely something hidden at play here."

Faang Qiubai observed the exchange and remarked, "I'm not one to speculate wildly... but it does seem worth a shot to explore."