Chapter 513: Chapter 513: A Series of Tasks?

They agreed that Song Jian would follow the Shadow Circus Troupe in secret to the Shadowfang Mountain Range, three days after their departure from Doomsday City. Having agreed on the details, Song Jian left the tent.

Qi Yun sat inside the tent, tapping his fingers lightly, seeming deep in thought.

“The dark flame on him radiates an aura of the Abyss…” Qi Yun pondered, “Could it be that he has become an Abyssal creature? No, that’s not right. Abyssal creatures are always filled with murderous intent. He couldn’t possibly be one of them. But, that dark flame…”

The Level Four Abyssal Raging Flame on Song Jian greatly alarmed Qi Yun. Such advanced Magic Flames were typically known only to the mighty Abyssal Lords.

Just then, Qi Yun sensed someone outside of his tent.

“Who’s outside my tent?” Qi Yun called out sternly.

Hearing his voice, the person outside the tent noticeably trembled, and after a moment, a nervous Yuan Peilong peered inside.

Upon seeing Qi Yun, he was visibly taken aback by his appearance, stiffening on the spot.

“What brings you here?” Qi Yun asked Yuan Peilong gravely.

Yuan Peilong swallowed hard and stuttered, “Is there… is there anything I… I can assist you with?”

That phrase was typically used by players accepting quests from NPCs. Hearing that, Qi Yun formed an idea.

“Perhaps I can…”

With that thought, a hint of a smile crept onto Qi Yun’s face. Yet, due to the bandages that wrapped tightly around his body, Yuan Peilong could not discern Qi Yun’s expression.

“Indeed, I do require your assistance…” Qi Yun gave a slow nod and retrieved a parchment from his pocket, starting to write on it.

Yuan Peilong took the parchment to find a quest contract has been penned on it.

“Quest Name: The Threat of the Shadow Dragon. Stage One: Tracking?” Upon carefully reading the contract, he was shocked and began trembling slightly.

“This… this is a chain quest, a quest chain!” Yuan Peilong roared in his heart.

He had only heard of such quests before and had never seen one himself. The final reward of a quest chain was typically substantial, having the power to completely transform the abilities of an ordinary player.

“Chance! This is my golden opportunity! I, Yuan Peilong, am about to strike it rich!” Yuan Peilong thought to himself excitably.

“If you’re willing to accept this quest, place a drop of your blood on it…” Qi Yun instructed coldly.

“Blood? Alright, alright!” Yuan Peilong had complete confidence in the quest and hurriedly dripped his blood onto the contract.

“Chain quests really are unique. Even the way of accepting them isn’t like ordinary quests…” Yuan Peilong mused.

The appearance of the Spirit of Verification made him appreciate the distinctiveness of chain quests. Even when he saw the note at the bottom of his quest log, Yuan Peilong scoffed. This level of quest was so sought after that it was impossible for anyone to revoke it willingly.

“You must keep this quest a secret, tell no one! All you need to do is report this person’s daily activities to me. If I’m satisfied with your report in three days, I’ll give you the next step in the quest,” Qi Yun stated.

“No, no problem!” Yuan Peilong nodded in agreement.

Looking at the reward of 5,000 Doomsday Coins for the first stage of his quest, Yuan Peilong was immediately thrilled. If the reward for the first stage was this generous, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how grand the final prize would be upon the quest’s completion.

Epic-quality gear? Special skills? Top-tier pets?

Just thinking about it was enough for Yuan Peilong to start salivating.

Watching the excited Yuan Peilong leave, Qi Yun scoffed with a look of disdain on his face, “Pathetic god-favored.”

Upon returning to his territory, Song Jian noticed an increase in the number of players in his land. Checking the guild, he saw that the once sparse group had ballooned to a cohort of about forty players.

“Looks like Wang Qi and the others have been doing well while I was away!” Song Jian commented with a smile.

“Oh, Guild Master, you’re finally here!” Seeing Song Jian standing in front of the Manor Castle, Wang Qi wore a delighted expression and hurried over.

In reality, Song Jian had noticed Wang Qi quite early. Wang Qi was currently arranging the guild members’ Safe Houses. After several territorial expansions, Song Jian’s territory had become the largest safe zone in the area, and his status as the top player on the Honor Leaderboard had drawn many players to join Song Jian’s guild.

However, Wang Qi and Luo Tianyu followed a ‘quality over quantity’ approach in managing the guild members and had instituted strict selection criteria. Hence, despite its popularity, the guild only had about forty members. Otherwise, the guild’s membership could have easily reached its limit.

“Have there been any significant problems with the guild?” Song Jian asked, smiling.

Wang Qi momentarily fell silent. Trying to develop the guild presented a multitude of challenges such as managing relationships among the guild players, arranging Safe Houses, organizing guild activities, scavenging for resources, and scouting the surroundings of the guild territory. He was so busy each day that his leveling was getting delayed. Unsure of where to start, he eventually responded with a succinct, “It’s manageable.”

Song Jian nodded. The guild’s smooth development was largely attributed to Song Jian’s combat power and his territory. Since the construction of the Magic Tower, Song Jian could upgrade his Manor Castle again. The Level Five Safe House was already considered the highest level in Doomsday City. The towering Manor Castle could be seen clearly by all the players in the safe zone, making it the most prominent building nearby and attracting lots of players to join the guild.

Just then, a player rushed over and reported to Wang Qi, “Vice Guild Master, I’ve found a Level 25 field boss. It seems to be injured and is hiding in a garage to rest…”

“A Level 25 field boss?” Wang Qi’s interest was piqued. He ordered the player, “Sun Li, gather our forces. We’re going to take on this boss.”

Most players had already reached Level 20 or above, so a Level 25 field boss would naturally have enticing drops.

“Okay, Vice Guild Master. But we’ll need to gather more people for this. While the boss is injured, it has summoned too many minions, at least a hundred…” Sun Li warned in a low voice.

“Over a hundred minions? What level are they?” Wang Qi asked, startled.

“The lowest is Level 18, the highest is Level 20,” Sun Li answered.

“That’s a bit troublesome…” Wang Qi frowned.

If it was only an injured Level 25 field boss, that would still be manageable. However, with so many minions, even if every guild member participated, it might not be enough.

Players in this game greatly cherished their lives as they were only granted one life. They would rather level up by killing lower level monsters than risk their lives battling higher level opponents. With so many minions, merely clearing them out would likely take an entire day.

“Perhaps we should forget about it. It’s too risky…” After pondering for quite a while, Wang Qi eventually shook his head.

“Gather our forces. I’ll also participate in this operation,” Song Jian announced upon hearing Wang Qi’s decision.

Wang Qi was taken aback, staring at Song Jian in surprise. He was about to say something, but seeing that Sun Li was still standing beside them, he simply nodded and instructed Sun Li, “Gather our forces!”