Ding… Blacksmith Lao Wang requests your help to console his wife.
Quest Type: Hidden
Quest Duration: None
Quest Reward: Blacksmith Lao Wang’s gratitude.
Do you accept?
As soon as the quest prompt sounded, the words “Hidden Quest” echoed in Ye Tianxie’s ears, making his heart pound twice in excitement—this was actually a hidden quest!
Without hesitation, Ye Tianxie chose to accept. Hidden quests had an extremely low trigger rate, and most were unique, but their rewards were far superior to ordinary quests. In the beginner stage, the chances of triggering a hidden quest were practically negligible, yet he had managed to activate one so easily.
The reason? His Charm stat, which had already risen to 20 points. This hidden quest's trigger conditions required at least 10 Charm points and a favorable impression of 30 or higher from Blacksmith Lao Wang—an incredibly demanding requirement. Finding someone who, like Ye Tianxie, had allocated all of their fixed attribute points to Charm was practically impossible. This alone demonstrated how difficult it was to trigger a hidden quest.
Ye Tianxie’s decision to max out his Charm wasn’t an impulsive mistake. In both Sky Dominion and Godslayer, he had always prioritized Charm when assigning free attribute points.
Luck? Its main effect was improving drop rates. The higher the drop rate, the greater the chance of acquiring wealth and rare equipment. But Ye Tianxie didn’t need a high drop rate—because he could simply rob others. If he set his sights on someone’s equipment, escaping from him was not an option.
As for Perception, while most players valued the experience boost it provided—since levels determined a player’s strength in the game—Ye Tianxie considered it irrelevant. In Destiny, even maxing out Perception only gave a 3% experience bonus. But if he wanted to, he was confident that even with the same level and gear as other players, his leveling speed would be at least 30% faster. A mere 3% increase meant nothing to him.
However, being this reckless with fixed attribute allocation was something only he dared to do. A regular player with zero Luck and no ability to rob others would be doomed to a life of scavenging and begging for charity…
Inside the blacksmith’s shop, a small, dimly lit room that no other players had ever set foot in was finally unlocked. In the faint light, Ye Tianxie saw a frail, unkempt figure sitting motionless on a worn-out chair. Blacksmith Lao Wang glanced at her, let out a long sigh, and turned to Ye Tianxie.
"Please… I’m counting on you, young man."
With that, he closed the door from the outside.
Once Ye Tianxie left this room, the quest would be considered complete—whether as a success, failure, or abandonment.
The woman sitting in the chair remained utterly unresponsive, staring blankly into space, no different from a mentally broken person in the real world. Ye Tianxie quickly scanned the room, deep in thought, before stepping toward her.
Persuasion-type quests.
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He had encountered them before in previous VR games, and they were far more difficult than fighting a high-level boss. Worse still, they rarely offered a second chance—if persuasion failed, the same person would instinctively reject further attempts.
Just as he was about to speak, a half-eaten apple core suddenly dropped from the air.
"Ahh… so full~ Apples are so delicious!"
A soft, satisfied voice rang out. Ye Tianxie looked down to see the apple core—completely stripped of every bit of flesh. He was certain no human alive could eat an apple so cleanly without damaging the core. And given her tiny body size…
Ye Tianxie looked up and, sure enough, saw Guo Guo—the little girl perched on his shoulder—her belly slightly puffed up beneath her dress. She lazily stretched, leaned against his neck, and looked utterly content.
"As a thank-you for giving me such yummy food, the cutest and most obedient Guo Guo will tell you a little secret~"
Her words made Ye Tianxie turn his head sharply.
"What secret?" he asked.
"Ah~ It's about this weird lady!" Guo Guo yawned. "If you want to persuade her, it's actually really easy! Just make her believe that her child isn’t dead... Ahh~ So sleepy… Guo Guo's gonna sleep now. Bye-bye, Master~"
Before he could ask any further, Guo Guo vanished into a flash of white light, merging back into the Fate’s Mark on his chest.
Her vague hint and her obvious desire to escape questioning made Ye Tianxie even more curious about her mysterious nature. He replayed Guo Guo’s words in his mind, carefully crafting his next move.
Then, he finally spoke…
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The only blacksmith shop in the entire Beginner’s Village was always packed. In Destiny, where drop rates were abysmally low, most players could only scrape together enough gold to buy basic equipment or complete minor quests.
Yet, at this moment, Blacksmith Lao Wang was distracted, his gaze constantly shifting toward the tightly shut room.
An hour passed.
At last, a soft creak broke the silence.
The door, which had been closed for an entire hour, slowly swung open. Ye Tianxie stepped out with a calm expression, exhaling deeply.
Blacksmith Lao Wang rushed forward. "Young man, did you…?"
Before he could finish, his eyes widened in shock—
His wife—who hadn't left the room in over a month—was following closely behind Ye Tianxie. The once lifeless gaze in her clouded eyes had cleared, returning to the bright and lively state of before.
Then, in a steady, clear voice, she said, "I’m fine now."
Blacksmith Lao Wang was at a loss for words. Overwhelmed with gratitude, he simply said in the most sincere voice possible:
"Thank you… young man. I will never forget this kindness."
Ding… You have completed the quest: Persuade Blacksmith Lao Wang’s Wife.
Reward: +20 Favorability with Blacksmith Lao Wang.
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Leaving the blacksmith shop, Ye Tianxie headed straight for Wolf Valley in the northern part of the Beginner’s Village without pausing.
Hidden quests were never easy, as expected. It had taken him nearly an hour of persuasion to finally break through to the woman. But just when he thought the quest was over, she lifted her head, her disheveled hair falling away to reveal a pair of hollow, piercing eyes.
"Young man… If you can bring back my son Xiaoming—even if it’s just his corpse—I will tell you a huge secret."
Her tone, her gaze, and the eerie chill in her voice sent an inexplicable shudder through Ye Tianxie. It felt as though a cold wind was seeping into every fiber of his being.
His instinct screamed at him—
This woman… is not as simple as she seems.
A huge secret…
What kind of secret could possibly be so monumental?
4o