SWNOVELXO Chapter 24: Chapter 24: 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 their individuality 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]
Take care of the herb field for the Lord of Taranthan, Yang.
"Great Leaf Vine," is an extremely valuable desert herb. The highly active leaves can be processed into a magic powder.
Black Mage Yang obtained the seeds of the Great Leaf Vine during his travels in the desert 80 years ago and planted them in the underground herb field of Exile Town.
Great Leaf Vines are resistant to pests and weeds, requiring no pest control or weeding. During the care of the herb field, attention should be given only to watering. When the surface of the vine shows signs of water deficiency, it should be watered promptly.
Due to the extremely poor water resistance of the Great Leaf Vine leaves, excessive contact with water can easily cause them to rot. Leaves should be avoided as much as possible during watering.
If the leaves rot due to inadvertent contact with water during the watering process, they should be promptly removed to prevent further decay.
If inadequate care is provided during the quest, causing the entire Great Leaf Vine to wither due to water shortage or excessive water on the leaves, all participating players in the [Managing the Herb Field] will have their working hours and reputation points deducted accordingly.
———
The style of introducing the quest was quite ordinary. It described the value of the herb field's plants and provided instructions on how to care for them. While the last condition of the quest was slightly annoying, considering that it was meant to prevent players with grudges from hindering each other during the quest, it was still quite reasonable.
No matter which angle one looked at it, players receiving this quest wouldn't think that it sounded very challenging. There was no need for pest control or weeding, just watering plants. It sounded like a breeze compared to manual labor.
However, no player would have imagined just how troublesome these plants could be until they witnessed it in person…
Jiang Wei once more read through the quest text skeptically. When he looked up, he saw that the water bucket Ou Huang was cautiously hiding behind was being grabbed by countless leaves extending from another Great Leaf Vine. It appeared that those leaves were about to pour water onto themselves. A startled Ou Huang let go of the gourd ladle and fought hard with the leafy hands for the water bucket.
"…This is insane! Great Leaf Vine? More like Big Boss Vine!" Jiang Wei exclaimed in panic. Pressured by the quest condition and fearing the consequences, he couldn't just stand by and watch. He immediately rushed over to help.
With Jiang Wei's assistance, the two finally managed to retrieve the water bucket through their combined efforts.
However, because Ou Huang hadn't been able to gain control in time, about two-fifths of the water in the bucket spilled out and splashed onto a persistent leaf hand clinging to the rim.
It was then that Jiang Wei personally witnessed just how intolerant to water these thirsty leaf hands were.
Even with slightly less than a half cup of water hitting the plump and sturdy leaf hand, it melted away like a foam model doused in sulfuric acid. The "wound" quickly turned into a fluid-like pus that dripped down, while the decaying bit rapidly spread toward the vine connected to the leaf hand.
"What the heck!" Jiang Wei cried out. He wasn't playing the Call of Cthulhu, but he couldn't help but feel his sanity points rapidly plummeting!
Fortunately, Ou Huang, who had been grinding the Lord's reputation for several days already, was right beside him. Without any hesitation, Ou Huang grabbed hold of the decaying leaf hand and twisted it off the intact vine, preventing the entire plant from being affected.
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… It was as if he had 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 have to tend 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.
"Ou Huang, is there anything we should pay attention to for this quest?" Blossoming Strokes, who was always cheerful, took the initiative to approach the aloof Ou Huang.
Ou Huang eyed the two of them, not in a particularly friendly manner, but still spoke in a somewhat amicable tone, "Don't fill the bucket with too much water, or it might spill on the leaves as you walk. If any leaves get soaked, quickly remove them, or the whole plant will rot."
"Got it, got it!" The two girls echoed as they imitated the way Ou Huang protected the bucket and carefully watered the herbs.
And then… due to their lack of experience, Blossoming Strokes leaned forward too much and was immediately grabbed by dozens of agitated leafy hands and was tossed away as she screamed.
Fortunately, Unceasing Entropy, who was right beside, acted immediately and moved Blossoming Strokes' bucket aside, and in doing so, avoided a disaster.
"What the hell is this damn quest?" Blossoming Strokes came running back, wailing.
She had just returned to her position when Unceasing Entropy, who was protecting the two buckets of water but failed to properly defend her rear, was successfully ambushed and slapped by a cluster of Great Leaf Vines.
"Damn it!" Unceasing Entropy was furious and retaliated with the gourd ladle in her hand.
"Don't fight it and water quickly," Ou Huang reminded once more. "These plants have no brains. It's embarrassing to get hit, but beating them is meaningless."
Thus, the two annoyed ladies continued to water the herbs…
Jiang Wei, who had been standing at the side idling for over 10 minutes, picked up his bucket and walked toward the underground river.
The girls didn't object, so how could he, as a man, say that he couldn't do it?!
"Tsk, what a predictable ego…" sighed Yang Qiu in the Town Hall above the cave as he watched over these four players that were trying to grind his reputation points.
Although he didn't know what was going through Win By Grinding's mind, Yang Qiu could easily guess that this guy had initially wanted to give up solely based on his actions. If it wasn't because he didn't want to lose face and be compared to the two female players, Yang Qiu had no doubt that this fella would have turned tail and run to become an apprentice wanderer.
That was why there was a saying that men were creatures that found trouble out of nothing. Even though the two girls hadn't paid him any heed, Jiang Wei had started competing with himself.
But this wasn't a bad thing. Yang Qiu was desperate for magic powder and wouldn't mind having more people helping him take care of these extremely delicate Great Leaf Vines. Elsewhere, these plants were usually cultivated by slaves from other races. Humans weren't able to handle the strong attacks of those annoying leaves that only knew how to mindlessly seek out water and kill themselves from being drenched.
And the cheapest and most affordable orc slave would cost at least a few dozen gold coins…
In any case, players who were willing to work tirelessly for measly rewards like these in-game digits were truly too good!
Feeling rather pleased, Yang Qiu turned his attention to the player meant to trigger the hidden quest that he had set up.
Since no players had yet to start their job advancements, Yang Qiu would put that matter aside for the time being and focus on the hidden quest.
Currently, the available quests were all mindless repetition and, while capable of stimulating players' enthusiasm in the short term due to the rewards of game values, such zeal would definitely fade over time.
This group of players was a highly capricious one. Even during the intense grinding event, there had still been some solo players who didn't care about gaining copper coins and only focused on their own interests. Now that the grind fest had come to an end, if something wasn't organized quickly enough to keep them occupied, this bored and restless bunch would likely stir up a whole lot of trouble.
Give Me Medicine, unaware of the impending opportunity and risk that awaited him as the player who had caught the eye of the game developer, had returned to the Treasure Expert's construction site after watching the auction for the Undead Horse.
Now two Potential points short of reaching level 1 and being eligible for job advancement, he quickly accepted a new quest and resumed his mundane labor.
Upon a player's reputation with NPC Finley reaching "Friendly," the player would be eligible to undertake the Apprentice Wanderer job as well as receive a wanderer beginner weapon at level 1.
When reputation reached "Honored," Finley would give the player a three-piece set of Ranger equipment, including a magic-resistant breastplate, speed-boosting shoes, and strength-enhancing wristguards.
Achieving the "Revered" reputation with Finley would unlock the Treasure Expert job "branch" as well as the privilege of receiving special Treasure Expert exclusive side quests from Finley.
While the reputation bar didn't reveal the specifics of the job-restricted special side quests from Finley, no one would doubt the value of such quests. After all, the description of the Treasure Expert job clearly stated that this profession existed for the sake of gaining wealth!
Despite being a geek, Give Me Medicine possessed an adventurous streak and was rather enamored by the concept of the Treasure Expert job. Even mundane labor tasks were tackled by him with great enthusiasm, and he never showed any signs of boredom.
He worked tirelessly until it was night in-game, when it was almost time for the advanced NPCs to wrap up and rest. Through their experiences, players had learned not to disturb the NPCs when they were resting and thus completed their quests and gradually left. Some hurried to the respawn point to log out to eat, while others discussed visiting the zombie NPCs.
Give Me Medicine had logged out for a bit after the Undead Horse auction to eat and now had not planned to go offline. He returned the quest tools to Finley and set off alone to the zombie NPC that Qin Guan had previously informed them about, which offered the highest task-to-reward ratio.
During the auction for the Orbs of Deception, Blossoming Strokes had loaned him 150 copper coins without asking for real-world currency. She had simply requested that he repaid her after he farmed enough copper coins. Give Me Medicine greatly appreciated her trust and naturally intended to repay the debt as soon as possible.
Exile Town's piled-up garbage had been repeatedly cleared, and many of the shaky, dilapidated wooden houses dismantled, making the area much more spacious. Now, one could easily see the other ends of streets without any obstructions and could run freely without the risk of tripping, stumbling, or colliding with earthen walls.
While calculating how much quest grinding would be required to pay off his debt, Give Me Medicine turned onto a small path without paying attention to his footing. Unknowingly, he tripped over something and fell over.
"Oww, what the heck?! Who's littering out here?!" Give Me Medicine got up from the ground, shaking his head in annoyance and picking up his bones.
Then, his hand trembled, and he dropped a tibia bone he had just retrieved.
He saw a grayish-white arm covered in tattered sleeves extending out from a slightly ajar door of a relatively intact wooden house just beside him, resting on the steps.
"…Z-zombie NPC?" Remembering that he was in a game, Give Me Medicine quickly dismissed the idea that he had unexpectedly stumbled upon a crime scene. He picked up his tibia once more and pressed it against his knee and snapped it back into place. Once he was done, he reached out curiously and pushed open the wooden door.
Immediately, he felt another tremor run through his body.
This arm was indeed just a single arm.
There was no body of a zombie NPC attached to this arm.
"Are there… incomplete zombies in this town?" Give Me Medicine cautiously inched to the doorstep and surveyed the interior of the wooden house.
It was evident that this house had been previously cleared by players. The interior was clean… extremely clean. The walls were blank, and the interior was devoid of any furniture or even the slightest trace of clutter.
Give Me Medicine lowered his head and scrutinized the zombie arm lying alone on the doorstep. He was about to wonder if some zombie NPC had lost its arm here when he noticed an old, yellowed sheepskin parchment with tattered edges beneath the arm.
Without a second thought, Give Me Medicine bent down and pulled out the sheepskin parchment.
When he picked up the parchment and saw the words on it, his quest panel automatically popped up:
[You have inadvertently discovered a severed arm without a body. Beneath it lies an aged letter.]
[Hidden quest [Letters to Home] has been triggered. Do you accept?]
"F*ck me?!" Give Me Medicine's hands, tightly gripping the parchment, were shaking. "Hidden quest?!"
Give Me Medicine wasted no time and selected "accept" at once.
His quest panel refreshed with a new section labeled "Side Quests," with [Letters to Home] displayed under, though it was just the quest name without any text.
At the same time, the sheepskin parchment in his hand displayed a translation in Chinese:
"Dear Anna,
It's the 128th day since following General Charlotte to Taranthan. Every moment, I think of you and long for our home.
We pioneers have established our own small town in Taranthan. General Charlotte has announced that one among us will be chosen to become mayor, who would then select the administrative officer, sheriff, and taxman.
I am rooting for Yarlyn; he's the most stable, reliable, and intelligent among us. I believe he would be the best candidate for the position of mayor.
I, too, wish to vie for the position of sheriff. My father was once a respected sheriff, and I take pride in his legacy. I hope that our children will be proud of me too. I know that you support my aspirations, my love.
I eagerly anticipate the day when you and our children arrive in Taranthan.
Yours, Morris."