Leaving the old woodcutter, Xiao Hua followed the small river upstream. The scenery around the small river was quite pleasant, picturesque with birds singing and flowers fragrant, making one feel refreshed walking through it. Yet, he wondered what kind of scenery lay beyond the Mysterious Forest.
Twenty minutes later, Xiao Hua saw a deep pool as described by the old woodcutter.
The deep pool was an irregular circle, with only a small opening on the edge where the river flowed out. The river water was clear to the bottom, indicating that the pool water was equally clear. However, from a distance, the clear water appeared a dark green color, hinting at the depth of the pool.
Stopping about twenty meters from the pool's edge, Xiao Hua did not dare to get too close. Even the old woodcutter had said that the giant frog was very powerful, so he had to be cautious; there was no room for mistakes.
He summoned his illusion, which did not stealth but walked directly to the edge of the pool and began fishing.
Xiao Hua knew he couldn't defeat the giant frog himself, but if the giant frog wasn't too abnormal, the illusion could fish for some Gemfish Kings if it didn't immediately get attacked upon approaching the pool. It would take some time, but enough Gemfish Kings could be caught.
In just a minute, nothing happened on the nearly still surface of the dark green pool, giving no sense of danger. During this minute, the illusion successfully caught one Gemfish King, greatly encouraging Xiao Hua!
Before coming to the pool, Xiao Hua feared that if the illusion didn't work, he would have no other options and would have to abandon the task, which would be frustrating. He now somewhat understood how the previous team felt.
Hiding his character in a nearby small forest, Xiao Hua focused his consciousness on the illusion, paying attention to whether fish were biting while observing changes in the pool. The old woodcutter's words were true, and now it was a matter of when the giant frog would appear.
Two more minutes passed, and while Xiao Hua remained vigilant, suddenly, something seemed to flash before his eyes, and then his consciousness returned to his character in the woods. The illusion had been killed without seeing what attacked it!
Xiao Hua was shocked. Although he was prepared, he didn't expect to be killed without even seeing the giant frog or understanding its attack method. The giant frog was far more formidable than he imagined!
To understand how the giant frog attacked, Xiao Hua summoned another illusion and let it fish at the pool's edge, while he hid in the woods to observe. This moderate distance meant that even if the giant frog was fast, he could still figure out its method.
This time, the giant frog's attack came later, after nearly five minutes of the illusion fishing at the pool's edge.
With careful observation, Xiao Hua clearly saw the giant frog's attack. From a distance, the lake surface color slightly darkened, and then a long, pale red, elastic tongue emerged like a dragonfly skimming the water, touching the illusion and dealing -3000 damage, instantly killing it. The entire process happened without the giant frog surfacing, and only the slight color change was noticeable from afar, almost undetectable close up.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Understanding the giant frog's attack pattern, Xiao Hua felt relieved. While the giant frog's attack was high, as long as it couldn't harm characters far from the pool, he could let the illusion fish safely. Given the giant frog's attack frequency, catching enough Gemfish Kings would take time but wasn't impossible.
However, Xiao Hua regretted that the giant frog didn't emerge, hoping to steal something valuable. Now, there was no way to do so.
An hour later, Xiao Hua had only managed to catch four Gemfish Kings. To catch seventy, bad luck might mean taking a whole day. It was already half a day since he left the Green Light Forest supply point, and he might miss his appointment with the Thousand-Snake Snake for the mount egg. In this isolated instance, external private messages couldn't reach him. Hopefully, he could find another White Lion mount when he left the instance.
During this hour, Xiao Hua summoned illusions frequently, with them being killed by the giant frog repeatedly. Sometimes, the illusion was killed before it even started fishing. He realized the old woodcutter's words were true; without a tank knight, defeating the giant frog was impossible due to its terrifying attacks.
After nearly thirty hours, Xiao Hua finally caught seventy Gemfish Kings. As he fished more, the giant frog's attacks became more frequent, making it harder to catch the remaining ten Gemfish Kings. Eventually, after six or seven hours, he completed the task, taking twice as long as expected.
When he caught the seventieth Gemfish King, the giant frog emerged from the pool, revealing its appearance. It was a massive creature, nearly two meters tall, three meters long, and over a meter wide, a true giant.
The giant frog floated on the water surface, its large eyes filled with anger, emitting a low rumbling sound.
Unable to deal with the giant frog on the water, Xiao Hua returned to the lake where the evil dragon was located.
"Good job! Haha!" The evil dragon praised as it ate the seventy Gemfish Kings.
"Having done the first step, what's next?" Xiao Hua asked after the evil dragon finished eating.
"Hmm, let me think. Did you encounter an old woodcutter before coming here?"
"...Yes," Xiao Hua hesitated, knowing the evil dragon had a grudge against the old woodcutter. It seemed he would have to confront the old woodcutter.
"Why? Can you tell me the reason?" Xiao Hua felt conflicted, as the old woodcutter seemed nice.
"Just kill him!" The evil dragon's face twisted with hatred when mentioning the old woodcutter.
"The problem is that the old woodcutter is very strong; I don't think I can beat him."
"Don't worry, I won't send you to your death. Take this ring!"
A system prompt appeared: "You received 'Phantom Ring (Quest Item)!'"
Although it was a quest item, the ring's power was undeniable. With it, Xiao Hua's physical attack reached over 520, comparable to a full-strength rogue. Combined with the ring's speed boosts, he might stand a chance against the old woodcutter.
Completing the first task, the second task "Enmity" activated.
Enmity: There was a hidden enmity between the old woodcutter and the evil dragon. You accepted the evil dragon's commission to assassinate the old woodcutter to resolve their conflict.
The evil dragon retreated into the lake, leaving Xiao Hua with no choice but to head back to the old woodcutter.
As he approached, the sky turned cloudy, and it started to drizzle. Xiao Hua approached the old woodcutter silently.
"Don't blame me; it's the task. If you must blame someone, blame the evil dragon."
In the rain, the old woodcutter continued chopping wood. Xiao Hua summoned his illusion and used Toxic Infusion and Appraisal Skill.
—1800! A purple critical hit damage appeared. The old woodcutter had high defense but surprisingly low HP, only 5000.
Using the Phantom Ring's skill Limit Force, Xiao Hua's attack speed increased significantly. Despite the old woodcutter's high defense, Xiao Hua's poison damage was effective.
The old woodcutter fought back but couldn't match Xiao Hua's speed. Xiao Hua's poison damage accumulated rapidly, and within seconds, the old woodcutter's HP dropped to 500.
Suddenly, Xiao Hua found himself unable to move, as a plot scene appeared.
"You defeated the old woodcutter. He smiled contentedly as he lay dying. He revealed that he was terminally ill and gave you a letter, asking you to deliver it to the evil dragon."
A system prompt appeared: "You received 'Old Woodcutter's Letter!'"
Old Woodcutter's Letter: Deliver the letter to the evil dragon to learn the truth.