"Which direction is Sandstorm City? I think I'll have to stay there for a while," Xiao Hua said with a wry smile to NPC A.
"Head northwest from here, but it’s not a straight path all the way. There are some detours along the way. Can you help me kill a few desert wolves? I’m here to complete a quest, and once I’m done, I can take you to Sandstorm City," NPC A asked cautiously.
"No problem, I’d be happy to!" Xiao Hua immediately agreed. He also wanted NPC A to lead the way, but considering that NPC A had spent five or six hours traveling to a level 50 monster spawn point, he felt it would be impolite to ask.
Xiao Hua sent a party invitation to NPC A, who accepted it. Seeing Xiao Hua’s profession and level, NPC A was taken aback!
How could this be? Based on his earlier attacks, he couldn’t possibly be a level 46 Rogue!
NPC A’s mind was in turmoil, and his shock only intensified.
Eager to have NPC A lead the way, Xiao Hua formed the party and silently headed towards the distant desert wolves, initiating an attack. Seeing this, NPC A suppressed his shock and hurriedly followed, joining in the fight against the desert wolves.
NPC A’s quest required him to kill 100 desert wolves. He had already killed nearly thirty before meeting Xiao Hua. With Xiao Hua’s help, the remaining seventy were dispatched quickly, and NPC A completed his quest in just over thirty minutes.
Completing the quest so quickly made NPC A very excited. During the thirty minutes of killing monsters, he witnessed Xiao Hua’s incredible prowess! After killing the seventy desert wolves, Xiao Hua remained unscathed, except for a few hits at the beginning. His attack speed was so fast that NPC A was terrified. As an agility-based class, NPC A wondered how much agility one would need to achieve such rapid attacks!
NPC A regretted allocating some attribute points to strength. If he could attack as quickly as Xiao Hua, he wouldn’t need to use kiting tactics even when facing two desert wolves!
However, NPC A only fantasized about it for a moment. He knew that Xiao Hua must have excellent equipment; otherwise, it would be impossible to have such high agility and still maintain such high attack power. As a solo player, focusing solely on agility without sufficient attack power would make survival difficult.
Next, NPC A led Xiao Hua back towards Sandstorm City. It seemed that NPC A hadn’t spoken to anyone in a long time, and now that he found someone he could talk freely with, he chattered non-stop. From the top twenty guilds in Sandstorm City to various influential figures, NPC A shared everything he knew. Xiao Hua, who had many questions, now had all the answers without having to ask.
"Just a little further. Once we descend from this elevated desert area, Sandstorm City will be not too far ahead," NPC A said after they had walked for nearly two hours. The sun was gradually setting, and the surrounding desert was transforming into a rocky landscape. The ground was no longer entirely covered in sand but occasionally dotted with solid rocks. However, these rocks, exposed to intense sunlight for a long time, appeared to be on the verge of decomposition and would eventually turn to sand.
From what NPC A said, they were currently walking on a higher elevation of the desert, while Sandstorm City was located in a lower basin.
Although NPC A said Sandstorm City wasn’t far, Xiao Hua knew it would still take at least four more hours to reach it, as the surrounding area was still infested with level 50 monsters.
The ordinary monster zone around Sandstorm City was incredibly large. NPC A had ventured so far to kill desert wolves because he had accepted a quest chain from the Adventurer's Guild.
The rewards from the Adventurer's Guild quest chains were far inferior to those from random world quests, but they were better than regular quests. NPC A had already completed several quest chains and needed to continue to get better rewards. If he failed, he would have to start over, which would be a significant loss. In a game where monsters no longer dropped equipment, quest rewards became increasingly important.
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Xiao Hua learned more about the Adventurer's Guild from NPC A. The guild refreshed tasks daily, and players could choose quests based on their capabilities. Completing tasks rewarded gold, experience, and points.
These points were used to increase the adventurer’s rank. Higher ranks allowed access to more advanced quests and the ability to form an adventurer team. Similar to guilds, adventurer teams could gain group points when members completed guild tasks. These points were used to upgrade the team, which provided buffs like guilds. Additionally, adventurer teams could accept team quests, which were more challenging but offered better rewards.
"This adventurer team is quite similar to a guild," Xiao Hua thought as NPC A explained this. He then recalled the Assassin's Guild, whose structure was similar to the Adventurer's Guild, though on a smaller scale.
Xiao Hua was correct. An adventurer team was essentially a mini-guild, but it had a maximum limit of 100 members. According to NPC A, the introduction of the Adventurer's Guild had been well-received by many solo players. Many were actively completing guild tasks to reach a higher adventurer rank and form their own teams.
Not only solo players, but also many guild members were doing the same. With the game not allowing players to log out, many were no longer interested in staying in their guilds. The new adventurer team mode was highly popular among these players, who wanted to form teams with like-minded friends and go on adventures together. This idea had always been popular but was often abandoned due to various obstacles. Now, the system’s changes had reignited their interest.
Most importantly, if more than half of the members of an adventurer team died within 24 hours, all members would receive a special reward of reduced death penalties for the next seven days.
This was undoubtedly very attractive, especially for small groups with common interests. Xiao Hua guessed that many players would rush to complete Adventurer's Guild tasks. Even near-total wipes during group hunts would grant a penalty reduction, which was an additional incentive.
Moreover, Xiao Hua learned that "Black Crystals" and "Blood Crystals" could be exchanged for gold and points at the Adventurer's Guild. Knowing this, he realized that the Adventurer's Guild would likely become one of the most popular places in the game.
"How do you usually obtain gold and equipment if monsters don’t drop them?" Xiao Hua asked curiously.
"The drop rate for gold has decreased, but it still drops. Didn’t the monsters you killed drop anything? That’s really strange," NPC A said with a puzzled look.
"Maybe my luck is just bad," Xiao Hua replied with a forced laugh. Something was wrong with the monsters outside Hassamoh Town! Recalling the slow respawn rate compared to the desert wolves, Xiao Hua realized the town’s monsters respawned much slower.
"Hehe, the desert wolves were specific quest monsters and didn’t drop anything. Regular level 50 monsters still drop items, enough to cover the cost of potions if you kill enough," NPC A explained with a smile.
"What’s the drop rate for Blood Crystals and Black Crystals?" Xiao Hua asked after some thought.
"The drop rate is low. One Blood Crystal or ten Black Crystals can be exchanged for one adventurer point and 10 gold, equivalent to the reward for a small quest," NPC A explained.
NPC A had mentioned earlier that the Adventurer's Guild offered many repeatable quests. These quests had low difficulty and rewards but were often completed by players before leveling up. They would kill monsters along the way to complete the quests, find a spot to grind, and return to turn in the quests for extra income. Therefore, the Adventurer's Guild was very popular.
"As for equipment," NPC A continued, "elite monsters occasionally drop items, and bosses definitely drop high-quality gear. Apart from that, most equipment is provided by crafters. Since the autonomous creation system was introduced, skilled players can create high-attribute gear through trial and error.
"Now, armorers and weapon smiths are highly sought after. Even those with slightly higher skills are kept in guilds and nurtured. For us solo players, we rely on quests. While the equipment from quests isn’t the best, it’s still usable. Moreover, the chance for monsters to drop equipment blueprints has increased. When you find a blueprint, you can gather materials and have a crafter make the gear."
Xiao Hua nodded, understanding the situation. However, he still had a question: "Can Blood Crystals and Black Crystals be traded? Won’t people collect them to quickly form adventurer teams?"
"Hehe, that’s impossible. Traded Black Crystals and Blood Crystals are marked. The Adventurer's Guild only accepts one traded Blood Crystal or ten traded Black Crystals per day," NPC A laughed.
So that’s how it works? What could he exchange for with the over 20,000 Black Crystals and 2,000 Blood Crystals he had?
Thinking about it, even with two sub-legendary items, Xiao Hua couldn’t help but feel curious!
"Follow this path down."
As they spoke, they reached the edge of the desert. NPC A led Xiao Hua to a nearby area, and behind a protruding rock, a sandy staircase appeared.
Descending the stairs, the view didn’t change much. The rocky terrain was more pronounced, with more rocky cliffs visible.
After walking for another ten minutes, as they rounded a cliff, a male voice suddenly called out, "Hehe, Zhan Wushuang, what a coincidence. I didn’t expect to meet you here!"
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