Chapter 22: A 'Simple' Task
The catwoman tiptoed along the metal framework, beneath her lay a bottomless pit that would make any ordinary person's legs go weak just from a single glance.
The catwoman's steps were steady. She walked with a feline grace to the storage cabinet, her three braids curling behind her as lockpicking needles probed into the cabinet. Through the crystal layer atop the cabinet, she could already see the Will Rune.
Click, click...
Gears ground against each other as the cabinet popped open.
Ding, ding, ding...
Over a dozen flashes of light streaked past. The catwoman used the fine blades at the tips of her braids to sever over a dozen threads, ensuring that when the cabinet's small steam door lifted, it wouldn't touch the metal wires above.
Her braids coiled around those dozen or so metal wires to prevent triggering any mechanisms.
Scalding steam billowed out. The catwoman was just about to reach for the Will Rune when—
Bam!
A dull thud rang out, as if something had slammed against the cabinet. The next moment, the Will Rune vanished.
Clatter, clatter...
The metal supports below let out a grating, teeth-clenching screech before collapsing with a thunderous crash, sending a dense tangle of fine steel beams tumbling into the pit.
Because her braids were still tangled with the metal wires, the catwoman was left dangling by her hair in midair. The cabinet in front of her also crashed down into the pit with a roar. After falling to a certain depth, steam sprayed from beneath the cabinet to slow its descent, preventing damage to the contents inside.
Pfft.
The steam door of Storage Room 1 slid open as a group of Moon Apostles charged in. Before they could enter, the catwoman clasped her hands together, her entire body turning transparent.
"Hmph."
The catwoman felt something step onto her head, seemingly using her as a springboard to leap forward. She could even feel the soft pads of its paws.
Now, the catwoman had two choices: 1. Die here, keeping all secrets; 2. Surrender, betraying her benefactor to survive.
Her braids released the metal wires. She chose death to keep the secret.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out. The catwoman felt a sharp pain in her abdomen before losing consciousness entirely.
A massive hole had been blasted into the stone wall of the pit. A bare-chested man with bulging, corded muscles stood inside the breach, holding the now-unconscious catwoman in his hand. His speed and strength were overwhelming—so overwhelming that the catwoman hadn't even had a chance to react.
Inside the Pentlock Grand Hotel.
The atmosphere at the banquet was quite pleasant—no, it was pleasant in most areas, except for the entertainment room where Su Xiao and the Moon Goddess were.
An hour earlier, perhaps to ease the tension between the two sides, the Empire's Flower, Sonia, had suggested that Su Xiao, the Moon Goddess, the Little Adjutant, Tree Wolf, and Sonia herself engage in a post-dinner recreational activity: playing cards. The game was called Edara, a simple card game that mainly tested luck and intelligence.
Ten minutes into the game, the Little Adjutant and Tree Wolf went silent. After twenty minutes, Sonia couldn't take it anymore either. The atmosphere had grown tense. With a base bet of 200 Gold Notes per round, the Little Adjutant had lost 15,520 Gold Notes, Tree Wolf had lost 1,750, and Sonia had lost 1,750.
Su Xiao flipped over three cards: Executioner, Moon, Blue Finch Vine. This was the final round. He and the Moon Goddess had both gone all in, with a total pot of 57,800 Gold Notes.
"What a pity, Mr. Kukulin. The goddess still favors me tonight."
The smiling Moon Goddess was about to flip her cards when the door opened. A Moon Apostle hurried to her side and whispered something.
"Excuse me for a moment."
The Moon Goddess left the entertainment room. Sonia and Tree Wolf exchanged glances.
"Gotta pee."
Tree Wolf also stood up and left.
"You're not going?"
Su Xiao glanced at Sonia. She muttered an excuse and hurried out as well.
"Looks like they got robbed again. Even after the Eagle Marquis died, they won't let him go. What kind of grudge is that?"
The Little Adjutant sounded a bit gleeful. Back when the Ninth Unit was in trouble, the Moon Goddess Monastery was one of the main culprits.
Su Xiao pushed all the Gold Notes on the table toward the Little Adjutant. He was in a good mood now. The Little Adjutant didn't know the meaning of politeness—she stuffed all her pockets with banknotes and coins.
A full half-hour passed, but the Moon Goddess still hadn't returned. She only sent Sonia with a message.
Su Xiao took the Little Adjutant and Baha and left the banquet hall. After returning to the residence, he locked the door and walked into the bedroom.
Bubu Wang was lying on the bed in the bedroom, playing on his phone. His mission had been completed flawlessly.
Su Xiao took out the [Will Rune] from the team storage space, and a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Awakening Quest: Secret of Listening · Second Ring (Completed).]
[Will Rune being authenticated...]
[Authentication complete.]
[Will Rune]
Origin: Moon God World (Unique)
Quality: Epic
Category: Equipment/One-Time Item
Durability: 0/0
Equipment Requirement: None.
Usage Requirement: None.
Equipment Effect: Will Guard (Passive) — When carried, this equipment can partially negate external will interference, invasion, etc.
Usage Effect: After using this rune, it will greatly enhance soul resilience for a period of time, thereby reducing soul damage, impact, etc.
Note: Effect lasts 0 minutes.
Note: The Will Rune will disappear after use.
Rating: 700+
Description: Originally used in prayers to the gods, until one day...
Price: 90,000 Paradise Coins.
...
[Note: The Hunter has obtained the Will Rune. The third ring of the Awakening Quest has been activated.]
[Awakening Quest: Wrath of the Commander (Third Ring)]
Difficulty Level: Lv.48
Quest Requirement 1: Kill the Earth Dragon · Tamen and obtain the Earth Dragon's Blood (Killing the Earth Dragon · Tamen has a 100% chance of dropping a treasure chest; the Earth Dragon's Blood is the basic reward of this chest).
Quest Requirement 2: Kill the Soul Speaker and obtain the Moon Hair (Killing the Soul Speaker has a 100% chance of dropping a treasure chest; the Moon Hair is the basic reward of this chest).
Quest Requirement 3: Kill the Gatekeeper · Frank and obtain the Key to the Earth City (Killing the Gatekeeper · Frank has a 100% chance of dropping a treasure chest; the Key to the Earth City is the basic reward of this chest).
Quest Time Limit: 7 Days
Quest Reward: Soul Source (High Purity, a unique resource of this world)
Quest Penalty: Forced Execution
...
Seeing the information for the third ring quest, Su Xiao let out a long sigh of relief. Finally, a simple and straightforward task.
Compared to the third ring, the first two rings were utterly ridiculous. If Su Xiao hadn't honed his thinking ability to a razor's edge through years of experience, he would have been stuck on the first ring.
Find the Soul Speaker. Aside from that simple clue, the first ring quest had no basic hints at all. As for the second ring, it was equally absurd: find the Will Rune, again with no clues. Everything relied on Su Xiao's own investigation and deduction.
But with the third ring, the quest content became clear. Just kill three people.
Su Xiao closed the quest list, stood up, and headed out of the residence. He traveled overnight to the Ninth Unit's original camp, where the Soul Speaker was imprisoned.