Chapter 29: Chance Encounter
In a dilapidated wooden cabin, Su Xiao stepped out from a black crack on the wall, arriving near the area of Doom Town for the second time.
Nothing had changed inside the cabin. The pile of bone fragments remained untouched. Unlike his last visit, the stinging pain from being eroded by Ancient God power had disappeared.
[You have arrived near the area of ‘Doom Town’.]
[The Light and Dark Talisman has been activated. Energy will be depleted in 24 hours. To recharge the Light and Dark Talisman, each charge costs 10 Soul Coins.]
[Main Quest: Fifth Ring has been activated.]
[Main Quest: Town Visitor (Fifth Ring).]
Difficulty Level: Lv.64
Quest Information: Explore more than 20% of Doom Town.
Quest Duration: 7 natural days.
Quest Reward: Complete Map of Doom Town (Holy Spirit Rank item, tradable).
Quest Penalty: Forced Execution.
…
The fifth ring quest was actually an exploration type. Su Xiao had never received such a quest before, but the reward, the [Complete Map of Doom Town], was quite satisfying.
If Su Xiao’s guess was correct, the subsequent main quests and the 150-point attribute barrier assessment would both take place within Doom Town. Having a map of the area would greatly reduce the risks of operating there.
The most critical issue now was entering Doom Town. Without dealing with the one blocking the entrance, everything else was just empty talk.
“Woof.”
Bubu Wang let out a low bark, indicating that it heard sounds in the distance.
Su Xiao tried to extend his perception, but beyond a few meters, everything around him was hazy. The Ancient God power near Doom Town was too dense, forming a visible thin mist that severely affected perception.
Inside Doom Town, there was no such mist, but the perception range there would only be smaller. Compared to the outside, everything within Doom Town had been heavily eroded by Ancient God power.
Footsteps approached, accompanied by faint conversation.
“We have to succeed this time. White Bull, don’t chicken out.”
The conversation came from within the mist. Judging by the footsteps, it was a four-person team.
“Captain, that Immortal guy is like a mad dog when he’s injured. If I don’t retreat, I’ll die. This isn’t a dungeon raid. I can’t restrain the Immortal guy, and Killer Bee’s long-range support is too weak.”
A somewhat dull grumble came through, clearly expressing dissatisfaction.
“If it weren’t for me covering you, the Immortal guy would have cut you into four pieces.”
A cold female voice sounded. This should be Killer Bee, and the burly man named White Bull snorted coldly.
“Anyway, we have to take down the Immortal guy. The key is on him. Without opening that place, there’s no way to explore Doom Town.”
The man referred to as the captain spoke. He wore a pair of metal gauntlets, and the muscles under his coat were like granite.
This team consisted of four people: an unarmed tank (White Bull), a middle-aged male melee fighter (Captain), a female ranged contractor (Killer Bee), and finally a female healer. This big sister’s physique was even more robust than the tank, White Bull. Killer Bee, walking beside her, didn’t even reach her shoulder.
It was easy to determine the roles of these four, but detailed information was unknown. Contractors above the third rank generally had their combat systems fixed.
These four were no exception. Tank, melee, etc., were just broad categories. Under each broad category were dozens of sub-branches. Just the tank category alone had 57 sub-branches. Further down, the classifications were too numerous and layered.
The four-person team didn’t all come from the same Paradise. White Bull and the Captain were from Apocalypse Paradise, Killer Bee was from Death Paradise, and the burly healer was from Watchful Paradise.
From the fragments of conversation, Su Xiao gathered that this team had been near Doom Town for a while and had tried multiple times to deal with the Immortal guy, but failed.
Inside the cabin, Bubu Wang merged with the environment, activated the ability attached to [Sacred Traveler], passed through the wooden wall, and went to track the four-person team.
Originally, Su Xiao had planned to deal with the Immortal guy himself, but since this team was going to test the waters, that was even better.
After a while, the footsteps faded away. Su Xiao pushed open the cabin door and stepped out. The mist drifted, and all he could see were black withered grass. A winding gravel path led to Doom Town.
On the gravel path, the four-person team was at the front. A bit further back was Bubu Wang, and at the very rear were Su Xiao, Amu, and Baha.
Su Xiao hadn’t walked far before he saw a corpse by the roadside, crushed and twisted. It was a Penitent. The one who had turned him into this state was, without a doubt, the four-person team.
The Penitent had obvious cuts on his body. One hand and one leg had been chopped off. He was now face down, with his butt sticking up in the air.
“What a shame. That Penitent must have known a lot of secrets.”
Baha stepped forward to examine the Penitent. After confirming he was dead, Baha shook his head at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao continued walking. The Penitent was quite important. Based on the information he had, there were three major events in Doom Town. First was the descent of the Ancient God. Many years later, Emperor Okaz arrived at Doom Town, which was an important turning point. The last major event was the origin of the Secret Patterns.
The death of the Penitent meant it would be difficult to learn what Emperor Okaz had done back then, making it even harder to gain benefits from it.
But there was a loss and a gain. Su Xiao had heard the captain of the four-person team mention that the Immortal guy had a key. That key was crucial. Without it, exploring Doom Town was impossible.
Soon, Su Xiao arrived under the high wall of Doom Town. Bubu Wang was hiding by the entrance of the wall, from which came bursts of rumbling sounds.
Su Xiao came to the entrance and looked inside. The four-person team had already engaged the Immortal guy.
White Bull and the Captain were attacking the Immortal guy from front and back. Killer Bee was crouched a few dozen meters away, holding a shotgun level with both hands. A red light shone from the muzzle, illuminating the Immortal guy. The red light was slowly converging.
Bang!
A crisp gunshot rang out. A bullet covered in engravings flew out of the muzzle. There was no chance to dodge. It pierced through the Immortal guy’s shoulder, sending slightly dried blood and flesh flying.
The Immortal guy took a step back. White Bull and the Captain also retreated. Both were covered in bloodstains, cuts from the Immortal guy.
Killer Bee, still crouching, broke open the gun’s stock. A shell casing flew up and dissipated. This shotgun seemed outdated, but it was actually a weapon with supernatural characteristics, not a gunpowder firearm.
Killer Bee pushed a bullet into the chamber, broke the stock again, and re-aimed. Her movements were clean and efficient. The red light once again focused on the Immortal guy, slowly gathering.
Four people dared to challenge Doom Town, so they were certainly not weak. White Bull appeared to have no shield, but during the fight, his entire body was covered in exoskeleton. The captain, on the other hand, sent out large waves of sonic-like air blasts with each punch.
The burly healer planted a totem pole into the ground, and layers of faint green ripples spread out. She stood on top of the totem pole, arms crossed, with impact marks all around her on the ground. She was clearly not a defenseless healer.
As for Killer Bee, she gave Su Xiao the most dangerous feeling. Getting hit by her three times or more would be very bad.
The four worked well together, but the Immortal guy was even stronger. He slashed at White Bull and the Captain until they were gritting their teeth. The main street was splattered with wood chips and pitted with craters everywhere.
With such an interesting situation, Su Xiao naturally wouldn’t miss it. Letting the two sides fight it out for now was fine. It wasn’t time for him to show himself yet.