"No problem, I wonder if Master Sifinlan has ever heard of the skill called 'True Illusion'?" Xiao Hua had no objections; he just wanted to complete Sifinlan's task quickly, obtain the skill information, cleanse his PK value, and leave Black Mist City.

"True Illusion?" A puzzled expression appeared in Sifinlan's eyes.

After thinking for a while, Sifinlan still shook his head and said, "I don't recall seeing the name of this skill, but many skills have different names in different places. You can demonstrate it for me, if I've seen it, I won't forget it!"

Illusion!

Hearing Sifinlan say this, Xiao Hua immediately summoned the illusion.

"This is..." Watching two identical figures appear, Sifinlan squinted his eyes, "Ha ha, so it's this skill. No wonder the name felt familiar.

I have seen this skill before, though I didn't know its name. In the past, during my travels across the continent of Alun, by chance, I entered a mysterious village where many people possessed this skill. However, the village had some peculiar rules and beliefs. Despite my efforts, I couldn't get any information from the villagers."

"Master Sifinlan, how can one reach that village?" Xiao Hua asked excitedly, hoping to upgrade the skill.

"Hehe, reaching that village was a great ordeal for me, so I certainly won't give you the information easily! But if you help me with something, I'll tell you everything I know without reservation!" Sifinlan smiled slyly, withholding the crucial details.

"What is it? Please instruct me, Master Sifinlan!" For the sake of upgrading the illusion, he was willing to face any challenge!

"You came from Black Mist City, right? To the west of Black Mist City, there's an ancient castle where a woman named Hassan lives. She is my mortal enemy. If you kill her for me, forget about one piece of information, even three or four pieces, I would consider telling you!" Sifinlan's eyes narrowed, seemingly recalling some past events.

Lady Hassan?

Xiao Hua couldn't help but feel bitter upon hearing this. Whoever it was, he might have a chance given his current abilities, but since he had already accepted a task from Lady Hassan, what would be the consequences of killing her?

Honestly, Xiao Hua wasn't sure. There could be many outcomes, but ultimately, there were only two possibilities: either his main quest would remain unaffected, or it would fail outright. Which was more likely, only trying would reveal, but Xiao Hua clearly couldn't afford to risk it. Failure would mean dropping back to level 30 and losing the Shadow Shoes, which would be devastating!

"Master Sifinlan, I've met Lady Hassan. She is a formidable assassin. I am just a small thief, I fear I can't kill her. Could we change the task?" Xiao Hua tried to negotiate another task, sweating coldly. He was willing to accept any other task except this one!

"This is your problem. Figure it out yourself. Anyway, you need to kill that woman, otherwise, forget it!" Sifinlan stated firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.

"In that case, I'll come back when I'm stronger!" After weighing the options, Xiao Hua decided against taking the risk and opted to complete his main quest first before returning to Black Mist City for the task.

...

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

With 18 PK points on him, over the next two days, Xiao Hua focused on killing monsters to cleanse his PK value. Once outside the closed-off Black Mist City, he wouldn't have to worry so much about someone completing the main quest chapter without him knowing.

In these two days, after familiarizing himself with new equipment and attributes, his efficiency in killing monsters increased significantly. He managed to cleanse 5 PK points each day, leaving him with only 8 points after two days.

Having exhausted all his poisons, Xiao Hua killed a level 45 monster and prepared to return to town for supplies. His Chocobo had recently upgraded to a level 2 mount, significantly increasing its speed. With the speed boost from the Phantom Ring, the time spent traveling back and forth for supplies was greatly reduced, contributing to the faster cleansing of PK points.

Passing through several groups of monsters, he approached a rocky canyon. Noticing three players engaged in a PvP fight ahead, Xiao Hua, who was solely focused on cleansing his PK value, initially planned to avoid the conflict. However, one of the assassins turned around, revealing a familiar face.

"Chi Jue? It's him? Why is this guy also in Black Mist City?" Recognizing the player, Xiao Hua was surprised.

"Dealing with these two shouldn't be too difficult!" Chi Jue was fighting against a burly assassin and a thin archer. Though Chi Jue's HP was still over half, and his skills and equipment were decent, he wouldn't last more than two minutes under their combined attacks, despite using healing potions ineffectively.

With Xiao Hua's current attack power, he could stealthily approach and deliver a critical hit, instantly killing one of them. However, he hesitated, fearing the consequences if the opponent also had an Assassin Emblem, adding another day of cleansing for the PK points.

Seeing that Chi Jue wasn't about to die yet, Xiao Hua dismounted his Chocobo and stealthed towards the trio.

"Kid, don't meddle! Or I won't spare you!" The burly assassin noticed Xiao Hua's approach and shouted menacingly into the air, while Chi Jue remained unaware.

Ignoring the warning, Xiao Hua didn't plan to kill them but didn't mind attacking them either.

The archer, sensing trouble, shot a Burst Arrow near Xiao Hua's position. This arrow was well-aimed, intended to reveal Xiao Hua's position unless he changed course. However, Xiao Hua's speed was extraordinary, and the arrow exploded harmlessly, leaving the archer startled.

Chi Jue, though unsure of the situation, knew he would eventually be killed. Fighting with backup gear due to his infamy, he had survived ambushes thanks to his PvP skills, thwarting the assassin's stealth attack and the archer's distant strikes.

In moments, Xiao Hua had stealthed close. Seeing the archer's failed ambush, the burly assassin grew tense, knowing a critical hit would be devastating!

However, Xiao Hua, aware that a critical hit would kill the burly assassin instantly, instead chose to strike within range but not critically, ensuring no critical hit!

Even so, with the stealth damage multiplier, this was still a 2.5x attack. With Xiao Hua's approximately 700 attack power, it drained over a thousand HP from the burly assassin—nearly half of his remaining health!

Instead of a purple critical hit number, it was red regular damage. This high damage frightened the burly assassin even more!

"Retreat! Cover me!" The burly assassin messaged the archer. With such high damage, Xiao Hua's equipment must be top-notch. Facing both him and Chi Jue was hopeless!

"Trying to run?" Chi Jue, having endured their suppression, was now determined to finish them off!

Seeing the retreating assassin with little HP left, Xiao Hua launched a Shadow Assault!

The assassin slowed down, allowing Chi Jue to catch up quickly, while Xiao Hua dashed towards the archer. The archer, just drawing his bow, fired a Shock Arrow meant to push back Xiao Hua and Chi Jue, covering the assassin's retreat. Unexpectedly, Xiao Hua stepped forward alone, blocking the arrow.

Phantom!

Not wanting to be pushed back, Xiao Hua activated the Phantom skill on his Shadow Shoes.

As the skill activated, the Shock Arrow hit Xiao Hua. The archer saw a blur, as if Xiao Hua split into three shadows, but it was a fleeting illusion. One thing was certain—the Shock Arrow did not affect Xiao Hua, who continued his charge unimpeded!