"Village Chief, you've gone senile."
This time, Ye Chen's heart was pounding away as he spoke. While his informant was unlikely to lie to him, he was skeptical about this peculiar way of triggering the mission. What's more, his previous failure not only rewarded him with a lecture by this old man but also got him some "pleasant" greetings for his entire ancestry.
"Oh, Page of Lingering Dust, did I really go senile? Even you have begun to call me that…"
The Village Chief waved his hand in a slight depression, chasing out the adventurers that had been bugging him. Only Ye Chen and the Village Chief were left in the room. Not only that, but the tone of the Village Chief had also taken a different shift.
This was the classic mission mode. Immediately, Ye Chen knew he was on the right track.
"Village Chief, I think it's time to pick your successor." With the mission getting closer to hand, Ye Chen earnestly responded.
"You think so too? Haiz… Perhaps I should have passed it to my son when he told me that I was aging several years back. If I had done so, he would not have left and not return," the Village Chief lamented.
"Your son? Village Chief, what is his name?"
The experience that Ye Chen had gathered from gaming blared within his mind upon hearing the news. His informant did not mention this to him, however, as though it was his conditioned reflexes, he probed further.
"My son's name… Ezek? Issac? Shucks, I can't even remember my own son's name anymore!"
These words sent a spine-chilling shiver down Ye Chen as cold sweat formed beads on his forehead.
What the heck?! To forget his own son's name is a seriously high-level ability!
Even so, Ye Chen kept these two names deeply etched in his mind. Possibly, they may come in useful in the future.
"Looks like I've really gone senile. However, I will need some time to find a successor. How about this? I can tell you that your future is brightly lit. If you can prove your skills, I can let you assume the position of Acting Village Chief. While we may be a small and seemingly insignificant village, I am sure this appointment would bring some benefits for your future development. Want to give it a try?"
Finally, the Village Chief offered the mission. Without any second thoughts, Ye Chen accepted it with a tap of his finger.
[System Message: You have accepted the mission, "Acting Village Chief"!]
"Very good. By the east of the village, there is a vicious wolf that emerges out of nowhere. Time and again, it steals and kills the farm crops, sometimes even people. If you can rid the village of this headache, I'm sure the villagers would acknowledge you as the Acting Village Chief." The Village Chief sternly issued the mission details.
"Leave it to me, Village Chief! I will return shortly!"
Just killing a wild beast? That's easy.
..............
"Brother, did you receive some sort of mission? Please share it with me! I will be eternally grateful!"
"Bro, tell me the way to trigger the mission! I will give you 100 Gold as thanks!"
"Big brother, can you bring this little sister along?"
As Ye Chen walked out of the Village Chief's house, a huge crowd had amassed outside. Not long ago, the word that the Village Chief was behaving oddly had leaked. Before long, the rumor had enveloped all of the adventurers within the Novice Village. Even the densest idiot could tell, someone had received a mission from the Village Chief.
As Ye Chen walked out, the crowd engulfed him within, pestering him non-stop. Before long, he was trapped within the circle. The intense pressure had caused beads of sweat to erupt on Ye Chen's forehead. In the fit of the moment, he thrust his finger towards the sky and screamed out an inconceivable lie. He exclaimed, "WAH! A FLYING BOSS!"
"Where? Where?"
Who knew that several of the new players would fall for it? Seizing the opportunity, Ye Chen immediately sneaked out of the human prison that they trapped him in.
"Fuck! We got tricked!"
The sky was a beautiful cerulean blue with the warm gleams of the sun shining comfortably. There was not a single bird to be seen, much less a dominating flying Boss. Immediately, the adventurers sensed that something was wrong and whipped their heads back to the mysterious man. Who knew that he had already vanished without a trace?
...….
Within the forest, Level 10 monsters lurked at every corner. Despite the abundant prey to hunt, not many adventurers could be spotted. Within the Novice Village, Level 10 was easily attainable even without any form of training.
Passing through a few bunches of monsters, Ye Chen quickly found the vicious wolf that the Village Chief spoke of, the Gale Wolf, Level 13.
Within the Boundless World, there were no appraisal skills. Facing these monsters, the adventurers could only see their level. Other data and the monster's statistics were only available through other means, or by their own conclusions through battles with the monsters themselves.
From the name alone, the Gale Wolf was a speed-type monster. Ye Chen would not and dared not to underestimate a beast of this sort.
While the Gale Wolf would probably not possess extraordinarily dominating powers, Ye Chen was in a new character who was weaker than he could believe. Should this beast get two consecutive hits on him, Ye Chen would no doubt end up dead.
The best way to face an enemy of unknown attributes was to carefully scout for its abilities before going in for one smooth kill. Every time there was a new Instance Dungeon, adventurers relied on the multiple group annihilation to supply themselves with sufficient information before they could plan for a way to clear the dungeon.
However, Ye Chen seemed to have overestimated this Gale Wolf. Indeed, it had high speed, but could not even be qualified to hold a candle against the Angel of Death he had faced. Without spending too much time, Ye Chen killed this Gale Wolf that had a pathetic 3000 HP without a hitch.
How did he tell the HP value? Ye Chen was an expert at deducing the overall HP of the beast from the cuts and bruises they had suffered.
...
"Nice. Very nicely done. My eyes did not lie to me. Perhaps, I'm not senile yet."
Completing the mission, Ye Chen returned to the Novice Village to report his success. In front of him, the Village Chief's expression had lit up with felicity. The Village Chief gave Ye Chen a hard pat on his shoulder.
[System Message: You have completed the mission, "Acting Village Chief"!]
[System Message: You have obtained 20 Reputation Points! Current Reputation Points: 20]
[System Message: You have obtained 2 Experience Points! Current Experience Points: 2]
[System Message: You have obtained the Acting Village Chief Seal!]
[The Acting Village Chief Seal has been bound. The items only available to the Acting Village Chief can be bought in the village at a 20% discount.]
Without delay, the Village Chief handed over the rewards of the mission. Seeing the benefits and rewards, Ye Chen had no complaints.
The Acting Village Chief Seal was not of any use. While it did bring him a 20% discount, the items he could purchase in the Novice Village were low-quality goods below Level 10. After Level 10, they were useless. However, the 20 Reputation Points and 2 Experience Points were decent rewards. These two attributes were rare within the game. Never had he expected to obtain such rewarding items from the overly easy mission.
"Village Chief, is there anything I need to do now?"
"Nothing else, you have done well. The difficulties faced by our villagers have all been speedily resolved, thoroughly convincing everyone of your ability. You are still young, so you should go out and see the world and broaden your horizons. If you are free, just drop by and carry out your duties as the Acting Village Chief."
From what Ye Chen gathered, the mission ended here. However, his gaming experience had a strong sense that this odd mission would definitely have continued in the future, but it would not be easy to trigger it.
The VIllage CHief's intentions were clear, he wished for Ye Chen to leave the Novice Village. Similarly, Ye Chen did not waste any more time, making his departure quickly. From the teleportation device within the Novice Village, Ye Chen vanished and materialized within Titan Megacity.
Titan Megacity was one of the busiest megacities where adventurers below Level 60 hustled. Within the region, countless towns, both big and small, were located, and Aiur Town was one of the vassals of Titan Megacity.
As Ye Chen materialized within the teleportation device, the grandeur of the streets within the city swept over him. Roman-style buildings were erected on both sides of the roads, with exquisite designs adorning the walls and windows. As people strolled along, the lively and lighthearted was unmistakably enjoyable. This city was definitely one of Ye Chen's favorites within the game.
"The Warring Dragon Guild is recruiting new players! We are the top guild within the Oriental Region and have first-hand information of the game. There isn't a single clearing strategy of the Instance Dungeons that we do not own! Now, we are organizing a training regime for new players to level up quickly. First come first serve, never again will such an opportunity arise!"
"Top 10 guilds of Oriental Region, Oriental Empire is recruiting! The benefits are abundant for your members!"
"Dynamic Alliance is recruiting! We are not a big guild, but we have the zest and hot-bloodedness that the big guilds lack. Enter the guild and join our brotherhood. As brothers, we will conquer the world with you!"
...
At the front of the massive teleportation gate, a cacophony of recruitment calls resounded. With the sky-high popularity of the Boundless World now, new players had been flooding in daily. Now, it was the best time to strengthen the population of each guild. As the thick blend of shouts echoed within Ye Chen's ears, a warm familiarity engulfed his heart. After three long years of grinding within the devilish and alienated Instance Dungeon, he had finally returned!
Ye Chen walked out of the portal and walked down between the rowdy recruiters. As he walked past the Warring Dragon Guild, he couldn't help but snort coldly.
Hmph! There isn't a single clearing strategy of the Instance Dungeons that you do not own? Such blatant overconfidence! Well, being the top guild within the Oriental Region isn't a lie, though… I guess it's not baseless overconfidence… Freak! Am I late already?!
Suddenly, Ye Chen remembered the inauguration at the Botanist Guild. When he looked at the clock, several hours had already passed. The majority of the city streets were safe areas, so Ye Chen walked to the side and logged off.