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墨書 Inktalez
Gripping the Silver Key tightly in hand, the figure stood tall, exuding a hint of impatience.
For a whole hour and a half, there had been no results; nothing had been found.
With the Silver Key here, the Bright Treasure Chest must be nearby. Yet, in the entire Dock area, it felt as if they had dug three feet into the ground without catching even a glimpse of any treasure chest.
Lowering their gaze and standing still, they reconsidered the direction from which the deer had appeared. The first sound had come from five paces away beneath the large tree.
Before that, they had also stood under the tree and later ambushed from above, completely missing where it had dashed out from. No, there was still one place left unchecked—
Turning back to stand beneath the large tree again, they looked up. The dense branches and leaves, nourished by Holy Water, grew astonishingly well, with the towering trunk resembling a great umbrella shielding them from the sun.
A few leaps brought them nimbly onto the branches.
The thick branches were mottled with moss, corners filled with spider webs, while insects occasionally flitted by. A unique fragrance of grass and wood wafted through the air. The slender body twisted continuously, searching for traces of the treasure chest. Spider webs stuck to their face, but they ignored the itch as their gaze darted among the various branches and gaps.
Time ticked away; as dawn approached, darkness receded. The light of morning tore through the veil of night, flooding their vision.
They closed their eyes briefly to adjust to the change in light. The treetop stood ten feet high above them. Pressing their lips together, they drew a bow behind them and tapped their left hand's spider silk ring with their right index finger, their expression darkening.
Web Pull!
The figure soared through layers of branches, sharp twigs scratching their face and drawing blood as they reached for the highest point with Soar High. Their right hand grasped a slender branch that swayed under pressure with a creaking sound.
At the same time, a fine thread of spider silk firmly wrapped around another thin branch on the opposite side.
Atop the tree, all the twigs swayed like slender willow branches in the wind. In the morning light, droplets of dew rolled off leaves and fell onto them, soon soaking their black hair and sticking it to their forehead, accentuating their pale face that had lost all color after a night of grinding levels.
With bloodshot eyes focused intently, they scanned their surroundings for hidden branches with sharp precision.
The body hanging from the branch swayed gently in the wind, the arms numb and swollen from prolonged suspension, blood pooling and gradually losing strength. As the breeze stirred, hidden gaps beneath layers of leaves were revealed.
The kumquat-colored sun leaped out from behind the clouds, its glaring golden light dancing on the dark green foliage, sporadically filtering into the corners concealed within the gaps.
Suddenly, a glimmer of fragmented gold caught her eye.
Found it!
With a forceful tug of her wrist, the soft branch bent sharply, and the delicate spider silk tightened suddenly, causing the figure hanging from the branch to dart away in an instant.
As her hand and the silk released simultaneously, the falling figure twisted at the waist, flipping head over heels, with the Golden Longbow positioned defensively in front. The descending branches cracked against the bow's body.
"Crack—"
With a powerful hook of her feet, her rapidly descending body came to an abrupt halt, hanging upside down from a sturdy branch.
A sharp pain shot through her right ankle, causing her hooked foot to loosen momentarily. Her body tilted downward as she tightened her grip with her left foot to bear her weight, stabilizing herself. She pushed aside the leaves obstructing her view and glimpsed a hint of gold shining through the branches.
With a determined pull, she retrieved a treasure chest. But her left foot finally gave way under the weight, and she plummeted downwards. She quickly pulled out a Health Potion and swallowed it, branches and leaves continuously striking against her body as red Damage Values popped up above Yan Yan's head.
-5, -6, -5, -45...
"Bang—"
In that instant of landing, she swallowed the last of the Health Potion lodged in her throat.
Her Health Points surged back up just enough to stabilize at a dangerous level.
Lying on the ground amidst a chaotic mess of branches and leaves, a pain like shattered organs coursed through her body, forcing her to let out a groan.
Her right foot had completely lost sensation, and blood flowed from her chin where she had struck it, filling her mouth with a metallic taste. The injured joint throbbed with a numbing pain that pierced deep down, causing physiological tears to well up in the corners of her eyes.
With her left hand, she clutched the yellow treasure chest tightly, her fingertips turning pale from the strain.
Cold sweat soaked her face, which had turned a shade of blue-purple, making her look like a wretched specter.
A faint sound of movement reached her ears.
Her eyes, stinging from the sweat, struggled to lift her head. She caught sight of a pair of black boots slowly approaching the spot where she had fallen.
Qin Huai raised an eyebrow, his slender figure crouched among the fallen branches and leaves. Even in this immobilized state, he remained on high alert, showing no signs of retreat.
He had been observing her from a distance since she climbed the tree. Initially, he thought she was another player assigned to the same mission; after all, the NPC who issued the task was notoriously eccentric. To avoid failing the mission, he had hidden himself to investigate further. But when he saw that glimmer of golden yellow, his surprise completely overturned his assumptions—it was the Golden Treasure Chest.
Completing a mission was one thing; discovering an unexpected bonus was another.
He silently thanked the person who had gone through so much trouble to secure the Golden Treasure Chest for him.
His fingers slipped through the chest's handle while his other hand gripped tightly, nearly trembling with tension.
"Let go," he commanded.
Biting her tongue, she looked at her status screen displaying severe injuries, blood filling her eyes. "You—dare—"
Struggling to utter those two words drew a light laugh from him. "In this state, you still won’t let go?" His voice dripped with malice as it came from above.
He casually lifted one leg and placed it on her back, pressing down hard. "Let go."
The casual tone made the person on the ground feel as if their heart was about to vomit blood.
"Don't—think—" Each word was spat out slowly, fingers that were tightly clenched had turned a shade of purple. With still twenty minutes left in this severely injured state, the regret in their heart was almost enough to consume their sanity.
"Tsk tsk—so unappreciative."
The languid tone emitted a dangerous signal.
"Clink—"
The sound of a dagger being drawn from its sheath.
With gritted teeth and a flash of thought, for the sake of Level, they finally loosened their purple, stiff fingers.
Their face buried in the fallen leaves, it was so quiet that even breathing seemed to vanish.
"Key."
The relentless, malicious tone continued to echo above them, and the weight pressing down on their back increased a bit more. The shattered organs suffered another blow, pain surged through them like a shockwave, and with a shuddering body, an overwhelming force suddenly erupted. "Ugh—" With all their strength, they lifted their head, their hoarse voice filled with anger, "No!"
Their bloodshot eyes were filled with rage, almost making one doubt whether tears of blood would fall at any moment. The fury rolling in their gaze was palpable, and deep within those dark eyes was a predatory glint. That familiar unwillingness made Qin Huai's heart skip a beat.
Their face was pale as a ghost, smeared with filth—blood, sweat, dust, leaves, and dirt all mingled together, obscuring any recognizable features.
Yan Yan widened her eyes at the Beauty before her, determined to memorize this face well to settle the score later.
As her gaze swept across the scene, blinding sunlight pierced into her eyes. The muscles around her eyes reflexively contracted as anger surged in her mind, compelling her to see clearly the silhouette standing against the light.
Black-Masked, with only a pair of dark and profound Peach Blossom Eyes filled with mockery and coldness.
The chiseled jawline, backlit, exuded a chilling aura that could captivate the heart.
Narrowing her Peach Blossom Eyes that shimmered with dangerous light, the Beauty beneath the Black Veil was hard to read. After a moment's pause, she scoffed, withdrew her foot, bent down to grab the Golden Treasure Chest, and left behind a striking silhouette as she walked away against the light.
"Bah—"
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, her closed eyes concealed all emotions. Only her right hand, tightly gripping the Golden Longbow, trembled slightly, while her clenched jaw locked away the anger and resentment swirling within the Chest.
The murderous intent radiating from her made the sunlight around her feel several degrees colder.
The half-hour of severe injury passed quietly.
Silently rising to her feet, her lowered eyelids hid all feelings. She leaned on the Longbow and weakly stood up, pulling out the last two buns and a few Health Potions from her backpack. She swallowed them down along with the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, as if she were swallowing all the misfortunes she had faced today, etching them deep in her memory to never forget.
Her condition restored; Health Points replenished.
Turning around to face the blinding golden sunlight, she left without hesitation.
That face behind the Black Mask, those malicious Peach Blossom Eyes, would not rest until there was bloodshed.
The Silver Key rested in her fingertips, embedded in her palm, leaving a deep red mark.
In town, at the Supply Officer Camp.
"Clatter—"
One hundred twenty-two Iron Plates were thrown onto the table without missing a single one.
The seated Supply Officer suddenly stood up, shock evident on his face as he stammered, " Outsider , where did you get these identity tokens?"
At the same time, a prompt from the system echoed.
System: Player Remains Silent Do you accept the quest "Find the Missing Town Residents"?
"Yes."
"Esteemed Supply Officer, I happened to pass by the abandoned Dock in the Southern Region and found it shrouded in a Dark Aura. Out of curiosity, I decided to investigate. Soon after, I encountered traces of Dark Demons. To my surprise, I was surrounded by them and had no choice but to fight them off for my own safety. After defeating the Dark Demons, I discovered that the Iron Plates they dropped bore special symbols. I came here seeking your insight into this matter."
"Alas, I never expected that the missing Town Residents had been engulfed by darkness, all transformed into Dark Demons hiding at Jintang Ferry. Due to the persistent Dark Aura, there has been almost no human presence around Jintang Ferry. I regret that my negligence has led to such significant losses. Thank you, young adventurer, for bringing back the memories of the Town Residents' loved ones."
System: Congratulations Player Remains Silent on completing the quest "Find the Missing Town Residents".
With a flash—
The light of leveling up illuminated, reaching level 11.
"Supply Officer, please take a look at this," he said, pulling out the Exit Village Qualification Certificate and a letter of recommendation from the Lord of Summerwater City. He spoke calmly, "The lord has entrusted me with opening up the Northeast Trade Route. I request your support."
"What?! A trade route—"
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