pdf-ebookys Chapter 24.1: Hidden Quest
Chapter 24.1: Hidden Quest
Chapter 24.1: Hidden Quest
Within the dark and damp underground cavern, water droplets cascaded from stalactites, creating a crisp and rhythmic sound as they landed on the ground.
A sudden splash resonated as a skeleton used a gourd ladle to scoop water from the tranquil underground river to fill its iron bucket.
Once half-filled, the skeleton lifted the iron bucket and made its way back to the "herb field."
As it walked, water droplets slid down the exterior of the bucket, splashing onto the sole "herb" within the garden, clusters of human-palm-shaped leaves sprawling across the ground.
In an instant, as if triggered by some hidden switch, these hands—no, these leaves suddenly sprang up, extending long vines and reaching for the water-filled iron bucket menacingly.
The skeleton's sharp eyes and swift reflexes allowed it to swiftly stomp down on the aggressive leaves attacking the bucket.
Then, slightly bending down, the skeleton examined the vines of this "herb," confirming that this particular plant didn't need watering before immediately picking up the bucket and departing.
From a distance, the herb appeared as a unified expanse, but in reality, it was planted in individual clusters. However, the peculiar density of these vine leaves filled most of the gaps between the plants, making it difficult to discern without a closer look.
The skeleton approached a cluster of leaves that appeared no different from the others, but beneath those leaves, the vines seemed slightly withered. Using the gourd ladle, it carefully scooped water, skillfully avoiding the leaves, and poured it at the base of the vines.
However, due to the dense arrangement of the leaves, it was inevitable that some water droplets splashed onto them. Consequently, the previously motionless leaves were activated, dancing in a frenzy...
"Damn it!" The skeleton had no choice but to endure the countless leaves, with thin, elongated tendrils, flailing about like the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara. It slapped away the leaves while persistently continuing to water the base of the vines.
Standing at the exit of the tunnel, Jiang Wei watched in astonishment.
Trembling, he exhaled heavily and reviewed the quest information once again.
As a dedicated and professional gamer, Jiang Wei always paid careful attention to the plot and quest text:
———
[Managing the Herb Field]
The severed leaf hand, strangely enough, seemed to possess a sort of biological nerve response, struggling weakly and writhing until it completely turned into pus...
Jiang Wei: "..."
Jiang Wei silently took a couple of steps back, then a few more.
He regretted it.
He shouldn't have come.
Who cares about this goddamn reputation grind?! Jiang Wei felt he no longer wanted to grind the Lord's reputation; choosing to play as a ranger was just fine...
Ou Huang, who had resolved the crisis, let out a sigh of relief. He glanced at Jiang Wei without saying a word, then picked up the gourd ladle and continued with his task of watering on his own in silence.
His attitude... was as if he never believed from the start that Win By Grinding would have the guts to stay on and become brothers-in-arms in grinding the Lord's reputation. And that was why he couldn't be bothered to waste any time interacting with this quitter.
Jiang Wei: "..."
He suddenly felt that turning around and leaving was akin to admitting defeat.
But if he forced himself to stay and continue this damned quest just for the sake of his pride, Jiang Wei felt that the sacrifice would be way too great, and it really wasn't necessary.
Just as Jiang Wei was hesitating, two players appeared from the underground tunnel, each with an iron bucket. They stepped into this bizarre space with complete innocence.
"There are people already grinding the Lord's reputation... Whoa! What's that?!"
The player leading the way exclaimed when she saw the peculiar plants in the herb field, especially the leafy hands that were thrashing wildly as Ou Huang was doing his watering.
"Holy, i-is this the Great Leaf Vine? The medicinal herbs we are to tend to actually look like this?" Blossoming Strokes was taken aback. "I can't believe it... Our magic instructor, with those thick eyebrows and big eyes, grows these bizarre things in secret?"
Unceasing Entropy, who encountered Blossoming Strokes when she was accepting the reputation quest, was equally weirded out. "While I did consider that the Undead Resurrection Master who revives the undead might be a black mage and that the plants in his field wouldn't be ordinary herbs, this is just too bizarre..."
"Yeah, a black mage resurrecting undead doesn't seem to fit on the side of justice. No matter how you look at it, he seems more like a supervillain conspiring to conquer the world," Blossoming Strokes rambled. "Wait, so what does that make us players? Resurrected minions of the evil black mage?"
"I think so. The healer job that can be obtained after obtaining the required reputation with Lord Yang is called a Dark Prophet. That's totally a far cry from the traditional Priest jobs in other games," said Unceasing Entropy.
Despite their ridicule, the two already had their hearts set on the spellcaster class for the sake of their teammates and play as support. They courageously ventured deeper into the cave, following Ou Huang's example of fetching water from the underground river.