"Ding... Blacksmith Old Wang asks for your help in comforting his wife. Task Type: Hidden, Task Deadline: None, Task Reward: Blacksmith Old Wang's gratitude. Do you accept?"
When the task prompt sounded, the word "Hidden" made Alex's heart skip a beat—this was actually a hidden task!
Without hesitation, Alex chose to accept it. The probability of triggering hidden tasks was extremely low, and most of them were unique, but the rewards would definitely far exceed ordinary tasks. Especially in the novice stage, the chance of triggering hidden tasks was even lower, yet he had easily triggered one.
The reason was his Charisma attribute, which had already risen to 20 points. The original trigger condition for this hidden task required a Charisma attribute of 10 or above and a goodwill level of 30 or above from Blacksmith Old Wang. Such conditions were definitely hard to meet, at least, finding someone like Alex who directly allocated all fixed attribute points to Charisma made it even more challenging. The difficulty of triggering hidden tasks could be seen from this.
When Alex allocated all fixed attribute points to Charism, it wasn't a result of impulse or a brain short circuit. Whether it was in the game "Skyrise" or "God Slayer," he always set Charisma as the highest. Luck was the key factor affecting drop rates; the higher the drop rate, the greater the chance of obtaining wealth and rare equipment. However, for Alex, he didn't need luck because he could... loot and plunder! If he targeted someone's equipment, there was virtually no chance of escape. Moreover, the equipment rewarded by hidden tasks triggered with high Charism attributes often surpassed the equipment dropped by monsters. As for Intelligence... the experience bonus brought by Intelligence was a huge attraction for almost all players because, in the gaming world, level was the primary measure of a player's strength, and rapid skill improvement and comprehension were equally important. However, for Alex, Intelligence was equally dispensable. In the world of "Destiny," even if Intelligence was maxed out, it only provided a 3% experience bonus. Yet, he... as long as he was willing, he was confident that his leveling speed would be at least 30% faster than that of an ordinary player, even with the same level and equipment. Thus, that 3% held no allure for him.
However, only he dared to be so arrogant in allocating fixed attribute points. If an ordinary player had 0 Luck and lacked the ability to loot and plunder, their inevitable outcome would be to rely on others for help...
The door of the small house in the blacksmith's shop, which had never been stepped into by other players, was opened. In the dim light, he saw a disheveled figure sitting on a worn-out chair. Blacksmith Old Wang glanced at her, shook his head with a sigh, and said, "I'm counting on you, young man."
After saying that, he closed the door from the outside. As soon as Alex stepped out of this door, it represented the end of the task, either success, failure, or abandonment.
The woman sitting on the chair had a vacant look in her eyes, completely oblivious to Alex's entrance, resembling the behavior of someone with mental instability in the real world. Alex quickly scanned the surroundings with his eyes, silently pondered for a while, and then walked up to the vacant woman. Persuasion-type tasks were not unfamiliar to Alex in his previous virtual gaming career. Such tasks were often more difficult than defeating a big boss, and there was usually no second chance because when persuasion failed the first time, the other party instinctively rejected any subsequent attempts.
Just as Alex was about to speak, a large apple core fell from mid-air. Candy patted her small belly, her face showing satisfaction. "Oh la la, I'm so full! Apples are really delicious! Huh? Where is this place?"
Alex looked silently at the apple core on the ground, almost devoid of any clinging flesh. He believed that there was absolutely no one in the world who could eat an apple so cleanly without harming the core. Moreover... For an ordinary person, eating an apple might not be a big deal, but considering Candy's small size... Alex glanced up and indeed noticed that Candy's belly under her dress was slightly bulging. With her belly full, Candy sat comfortably on his shoulder, leaning lazily against his neck. It was truly a cozy and contented sight.
"To thank Master for giving me such delicious food, the cutest and most obedient loli Candy will tell Master a little secret." Candy stretched lazily, her eyes already closed, appearing sleepy after being full. Her words immediately made Alex turn his head and ask, "What secret?"
"Oh la! It's about that strange aunt! It's actually very simple to persuade her. Just make her believe that her child hasn't died yet... Um! I'm a little sleepy, Candy wants to sleep, bye-bye, Master."
Candy dropped a few unclear words and didn't give Alex a chance to ask further questions. She suddenly turned into a white light and covered his Eternal Moment of Destiny, disappearing.
Candy's vague hint and obvious avoidance of his inquiry added a layer of mystery to her in Alex's mind. After repeatedly considering Candy's hint in his mind, he finally organized his words and spoke...
There was only one blacksmith shop in the entire novice village. In this world of "Destiny" with ridiculously low drop rates, most players could only come to the blacksmith shop to buy some basic equipment or to complete tasks. At this moment, Blacksmith Old Wang seemed somewhat distracted while dealing with numerous players, with his gaze occasionally drifting toward the tightly closed door.
An hour had passed.
Finally, with a creak, the door that had been closed for an hour was opened. Alex walked out with a calm expression, letting out a long sigh of relief. Seeing this, Blacksmith Old Wang quickly approached and asked, "Young man, did you...?"
Before he could finish his sentence, his gaze suddenly became eager because he unexpectedly saw his wife, who hadn't stepped out of the room for a whole month, following Alex out. Even her cloudy and scattered eyes had regained their clarity and became as bright as before. With a clear voice, the woman said to him, "I'm fine now..."
Blacksmith Old Wang was beyond grateful, only able to express his heartfelt thanks in the most sincere voice, saying, "Thank you, young man. I won't forget your kindness."
"Ding... You have completed the task of persuading Blacksmith Old Wang's wife, gaining 20 goodwill points from Blacksmith Old Wang."
Exiting the blacksmith shop, Alex headed straight for the Wolf Valley in the north of the novice village. Hidden tasks were indeed not easy to complete. When he spent nearly an hour persuading the woman and finally got her to react, he realized that persuasion was only the beginning of this hidden task. In the end, when the woman lifted her disheveled head and stared at him with a pair of eyes, she said, "Young man, as long as you can bring back my son, Xiao Ming, even if it's just his body, I will tell you a... huge secret!"
Her expression, voice, and gaze at that moment made Alex inexplicably feel a chill, as if a cold wind was creeping over every part of his body. He instinctively felt that this woman was far more than what she appeared on the surface.
A huge secret... What kind of secret could be considered a huge secret?