Moonfall Town.
Lu Ming, following the strategies carved out by countless predecessors over the past century, accepted a quest from Mayor Alofs, reputed to be the most challenging in the novice area.
According to records, over 99% of quests in the novice area have a difficulty index that generally doesn't exceed 100.
However, the quest Lu Ming accepted is the only one with a three-digit difficulty index, ranking first on the Moonfall Town quest board in the 1947 novice area, and more than twice as difficult as the second-ranked quest. It's known as the "Devil's" quest—
[Slayer] (Ordinary Quest)
[Difficulty Index: 200]
[Description: Eight years ago, Moonfall Town's elite squad, the Slayers, was annihilated by a powerful force while on a campaign against the Dark Tribe's forbidden zone. Not a single one of the hundred warriors survived, and since then, that forbidden zone has been known as the Buried Bone Land. Players are tasked to go to the Buried Bone Land, slay the Dark Skeletons (0/50), inherit the will of the Slayer squad, and quell the disaster of the Buried Bone Land...]
[Quest Time: 10 hours]
[Quest Rewards: Experience Points +1000, Copper Coins +80, Whiteboard Equipment +1, Very Low Chance of F-grade Skill Scroll +1]
[Note: Each player can only receive the quest reward once in their lifetime, and failure to complete the quest within the time limit will result in a death penalty.]
The rewards are far higher than those of other quests in the novice area. The first-tier rewards alone are almost equivalent to the tenth-tier rewards of many other quests!
Yet, due to the nature of that note, countless players shy away from this highly valuable quest.
Most players dare to complete only the first or second tier before quickly withdrawing.
The market price for a proxy to complete this quest starts at 500 for the first tier!
Lu Ming thought: Since I have to grind this quest anyway, why not seize the opportunity to make a fortune?
Having just paid off a 5,000 debt for Lin Youwei, Lu Ming now only had a few hundred left.
He urgently needed money!
So, he first checked the market situation.
He found that professional teams specializing in the Slayer quest charged about 500 per person for the first tier; 800 for the second; 1,200 for the third; 1,600 for the fourth; 2,500 for the fifth... and so on, with the tenth tier reaching 15,000 per person!
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Thus, Lu Ming posted on the exclusive forum for the 1947 novice area of Moonfall Town, spending 300 to pin his post for ten minutes.
The content read:
[Slayer Quest Tenth Tier Guaranteed Team Recruiting, 10,000 per person, four spots available, first come first served!]
The pinned post instantly stirred up a storm.
Soon, a flood of comments appeared.
Buddy Just Browsing: "Only 10,000 for the tenth tier? Is this ride reliable, or is it a scam?"
Man's Mouth, Deceitful Ghost: "Do you have the skills? Show us your character panel, OP!"
Nickname Kun Bro: "Something's fishy! Why would others charge 15,000, but he's only asking for 10,000? Plus, others barely make it with four carrying one, and he wants to carry four through the tenth tier??"
Seeing the rising interest, Lu Ming promptly replied as the original poster: "Pay after completing the quest, no charge if we don't pass the tenth tier."
As expected, this statement led to many private messages from people wanting to join.
After all, they could pay at the end of the journey.
They could hop on, and if things seemed off, they could jump ship midway without losing anything!
If they did pass the tenth tier, saving 5,000 would be a sweet deal!
So, Lu Ming selected four people from those who messaged him, based on the order they contacted him, and sent them the meeting location.
Before they arrived, Lu Ming bought a mask from the shop.
In the Sky Abyss world, many players wore masks to conceal their identities.
While ordinary masks didn't provide any attribute bonuses, stylish and handsome masks could enhance a player's aura, making it a trend.
Lu Ming needed to earn money but couldn't afford to draw too much attention to himself.
Not to mention, if he inadvertently aroused Ye Chen's suspicion, it would definitely affect Lu Ming's upcoming revenge plans!
About ten minutes later, four players arrived as agreed.
Among them were three men and one woman.
The men included an Assassin, an Archer, and a Priest.
The woman was a Mage.
All four were level 8, and judging by their clear eyes, they seemed to be new players from well-off families.
Without a word, Lu Ming immediately created a team.
Just as he was about to invite the four to join, he was suddenly questioned by the young Assassin, Wu Liuqi: "Buddy, can an 8th-level Trickster like you really carry us through the tenth tier of the Slayer quest??"
The Archer, Sky Piercer, also scrutinized Lu Ming with disbelief: "Honestly, before coming here, I had many guesses about your identity. I thought you might be a pro player from a major team, or a high-level, well-equipped, talented lone wolf, but you..."
Seeing the ordinary-looking Lu Ming, who wasn't even fully equipped, the chubby Priest, Big-Boobs Dad, also doubted: "Are you a scammer?"
Before Lu Ming could speak, the team's only Mage girl, Qing Yan, unexpectedly said to Lu Ming, "I believe in you!"
As she spoke, Qing Yan accepted the Slayer quest from Mayor Alofs and then applied to join the team.
At this moment, Lu Ming couldn't help but pay a little more attention to this unique girl.
Although she wore a raccoon mask, obscuring her face, her elegant aura, accentuated by a white mage robe and waist-length smooth hair, was undeniable, like a princess from an ancient kingdom stepping out of a painting.
It was hard not to imagine: beneath the mask must be a stunningly beautiful face!
And when Lu Ming saw Qing Yan's eyes, he felt a strange familiarity!
This familiarity wasn't like recognizing an acquaintance from memory.
It was more like having seen these eyes among people he had recently encountered!
Just as Lu Ming was recalling where he had seen those eyes, Qing Yan smiled at him and said, "Shall we begin?"
Lu Ming nodded, "Alright."
At this point, although the other three were skeptical, they eventually accepted the quest and applied to join the team.
After all, appearances can be deceiving.
Who knows, this Trickster might actually have some skills!
Beneath an ordinary exterior, there could be an extraordinary four-star or five-star top-tier account!
Thus, the five-person team set out from Moonfall Town.
About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the quest location: the level 9-10 wild area, Buried Bone Land.
Looking ahead, a massive cemetery resembling a mass grave came into view.
The ground was littered with human bones and severed limbs.
Before even entering, a strong stench of decaying corpses assaulted their senses.
A dense aura of death permeated the surroundings.
Under the overcast sky, it appeared extremely eerie and terrifying.
At this moment, they could see several five-person teams pioneering in the Buried Bone Land.
Most were four carrying one, or three carrying two teams.
Each team typically had three to four high-level players around level 15 or 16, accompanied by one or two low-level players around level 8 or 9.
Without high-level players leading, new players at level 8 or 9 couldn't complete this quest on their own.
At this moment, Lu Ming was the first to step into the Buried Bone Land.
While the three young men hesitated, the Mage girl, Qing Yan, followed without hesitation.
Swoosh!
As soon as they entered, a skeletal hand burst from the ground in front of them.
Following that, a skeleton with no flesh or blood emerged from the earth!
Target locked.
Clang!
Lu Ming drew his sword.