Marni Wilf stood in front of his caravan, his expression contorted in agony as he stared at the Unnamed Town.
"Damn it. I wouldn't have gone back so early if I hadn't received a warning from Windchime just now!"
Then, when he saw Angora leading Edward and the other Players to see him off, Marni's expression turned solemn.
He grabbed Angora's hand, ignoring the latter's hairs that were standing on end as he struggled to free himself. "Don't worry, my liege," he said seriously. "I'll definitely leave the guild as soon as I go to the merchant guild, and return as soon as possible!"
"I-Is that so …" Angora had just had his coming-of-age ceremony, and would still be considered a child on Earth. Even if he was born in a noble family and knew that he had to keep a straight face as a leader, he still felt very uncomfortable having his hands held by a buxom middle-aged man. "Well, I'll be looking forward to it." He said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
On the other hand, the other Players were more open, and all started jeering from behind, saying things like 'Marni, you're just here to farm dungeons!' or 'It's fine if you come back late, make room for the other Players!' Marni's eyes twitched when he heard things like 'Marni, I heard that you got beaten up by a skeleton again'.
"Shut up, you sons of female goblins! Don't forget that you're my hired escorts, or I'll send you back with me if you keep yelling! "
He spat back, full of vigor.
After that, the other Players who were escorting the caravan quickly pretended to look around at the scenery and kept quiet.
Since there were gods in this world, most people would go to a church or a temple to perform the ritual when they made a contract. Therefore, from a certain perspective, this world was more particular about the spirit of contracts compared to Earth.
If Marni was determined to keep them as his escorts despite having made a contract, they would have to make the trip no matter how reluctant they were.
Now, Edward's group had just conquered the first phase of the Valley of the Tragic Dead, and the other Players were eager to enter the Valley of the Tragic Dead to earn EXP and game coins after setting an example. Why would they be willing to waste time accompanying Marni back to the Silver Chime Merchant Guild's base?
Moreover, Marni himself did not want other Players to return with him.
After all, if he was alone, he would be able to take all the EXP and loot by himself if he encountered any monsters or enemies along the way. If there were other people around, he would have to split the loot equally, which wasn't worth it … The return journey was already so boring, so it would be a shame if he didn't help himself find some fun.
Since he could revive in the Unnamed Town even if he died, Marni had nothing to fear now that he was used to dying!
Marni only let go of Angora's hand when he saw that the other Players were left speechless and unable to retort, and was ready to leave the town as if the wind was blowing and the water was freezing.
Edward and the others watched as Marni left as well. After all, they were comrades who had fought alongside each other for some time, and there was some camaraderie between them.
Then, they saw Marni suddenly stiffen where he was, his eyes staring straight at the empty void in front of him as he muttered, "What the hell, there's actually a hidden quest!"
"What did you say? Hidden Quest! "
Apart from Angora, whose game system was different from theirs, the other Players immediately became excited.
"Wh-Wh-What hidden quest … I … cough, I don't know anything!"
Marni quickly played dumb when he came to his senses.
"You idiot, trying to hog the hidden quest all to yourself!" Even the gentle Edward couldn't help cursing.
"It's a hidden quest the God of Games compensated me with! None of you should even think about getting a share! "
Seeing that he couldn't keep it a secret, Marni simply said it out loud.
"Damn it, I didn't think that a thick-browed, big-eyed bastard like you would turn out to be such a jerk. I've never liked you since a long time ago, so let's have a duel!"
"Duel it is! I, Marni, have never been weaker than anyone!"
Meanwhile, in his divine kingdom, Xi Wei, who was peeking at the mortal realm with his Divine Eye watched in bewilderment as a group of Players started to PK each other in the Unnamed Town …
At first, it was just Marni and Edward's duel, but as it went on, the other Players who were itching for a fight started as well.
If Xi Wei hadn't set a rule for PK when he designed the game system so that the Players would be forced out of PK when they lost half their HP, half of the Players would have lost EXP.
"What are those idiots doing now? What hidden quest, isn't it just asking Marni to recruit some refugees into the church … I remember giving Eleena and Edward a similar quest too? "
In fact, Edward and the others were still inexperienced children who lacked long-term plans. Part of the reason they could maintain their EXP advantage after the adult escorts received the System was thanks to the Excellent-grade equipment, the Ring of Gospel, which they received after completing the quest.
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While the players were happily PvP with each other outside the Unnamed Town, two figures on chocobos were rapidly approaching.
"Why did the higher-ups want us to confirm the town's destruction? There's no need for that! When encountering a sea of skeletons of that degree, let alone a small town in the wilderness, even some small cities would fall, right? " One of the figures wearing leather armor complained impatiently. "I didn't join the Society of the Secret Eye to do something like this."
"What do you know! There's no meaning in the destruction of the town. What our lord wants us to confirm is whether that Faust brat is dead or not! " The other figure wearing a cloak said. "After all, the 'Bone Summoning Incense' made by the society's alchemists can only attract the skeletons nearby, but it can't kill a specific person."
"That's why there's no way those skeletons couldn't even kill a useless noble … Eh? Wait, that town seems a little weird? "The man in leather armor suddenly narrowed his eyes as they approached the Unnamed Town.
"Tsk, not only does the town look fine, it even seems to have more citizens … But why are they fighting each other?" The cloaked man said, confused.
That was when two Players who were PK-ing approached the two.
They stopped what they were doing at the same time, looking curiously at the two who had come out of nowhere.
"Who are you? Are you Oracles who gave us a hidden quest? "
"Oracles my ass, can't you see the HP bar above their heads! If they're monsters, we'll talk after they die! "