Random quests lack fixedness and uniqueness; typically, they are opportunistic quests.
For newbie players, the experience and rewards given by these quests are quite substantial, especially the rewards. Even if it's just ordinary equipment, it can still accelerate the player's leveling speed in the subsequent stages. You see, the drop rate here is extremely low, and currently, the easiest way to obtain equipment is still through quests.
In the task system, random quests are considered moderate and generally offer much better experience and rewards than regular quests.
Following the call for help, James quickly ran over. Pushing through a dense thicket of bushes, James struggled forward and climbed up a rocky peak. Suddenly, the view widened before James's eyes. Looking down, James saw a small waterfall in front, with dense vegetation below, and the height difference from James's current position wasn't very high.
An NPC elder, resembling a herb gatherer, was being attacked by two [ Grey Wolves ]. The elder cried out in pain, wielding a wooden stick in panic to fend off the wolves.
James locked onto the elder and noticed that the herb gatherer's health was dwindling rapidly. If this continued, the elder would be killed by the wolves, and the random task would fail.
Quickly assessing the terrain, James slid down along the rocks. Upon landing, James lost 20 health, feeling a bit disheveled, but it was better than jumping straight down from above.
Drawing out the training sword, James sprinted towards the target.
The wolves remained focused on their prey, unaware of the movement behind them.
When James was just two meters away from the wolves, within striking range, James launched a sudden attack with a swing of the sword.
The wolf attacked by James howled in pain, redirecting its hostility. James then struck another wolf, causing both wolves to abandon the elder and turn their attention towards James.
With accumulated battle experience, James swiftly evaded the wolves' attacks, relying on agility and awareness to counterattack.
After losing 30 health, James dealt with both wolves.
Sheathing the sword, James quickly approached the elder lying on the ground.
The elder groaned in pain, clutching his injured leg tightly, blood seeping out.
"What happened?" James asked.
The elder opened his eyes, expressing gratitude. "Thank you for saving me, young hero. But my leg won't move."
"What can I do to help?" James knew not to be too casual when conversing with random task NPCs. All NPCs in [ Celestial Realm ] had high intelligence, comparable to human beings. Being too casual in speech or behavior could lead to awkward situations.
"I was gathering herbs to heal someone. Can you help me? I can't move now." The elder took out some ointment from his basket and applied it to his wounds.
"I accept... no, I'm willing to help you. Tell me, what do you need me to do?" Just now, a system prompt appeared, asking if James would accept the herbalist's task, and James chose to accept it.
The elder glanced painfully at the small waterfall. Suddenly, several firefly-like lights appeared on the rocky wall inside the ordinary waterfall, hovering there.
Seeing this, James's heart skipped a beat. He knew what he was about to face.
"This is great! Inside that waterfall, there's a small secret realm. Young hero, I need you to retrieve the [ Blue Demon Flower ] from the leader deep inside."
James nodded. "Alright, rest assured, I'll get that flower for you."
With that, James headed towards the small waterfall.
"Wait!" came the voice of the herb gatherer from behind.
James turned slightly, standing tall, waiting for the elder's advice.
"Young hero, remember, this secret realm has three levels. Don't choose the other two, just pick the easiest one. Your cultivation level is too low. Honestly, even the easiest might be challenging for you." The elder kindly reminded.
James nodded again, walking towards the entrance to the dungeon, his voice drifting back, "Thank you, I understand."
The ordinary waterfall had now become the entrance to the dungeon. Only James could enter the dungeon; other players in the vicinity couldn't.
[ Do you want to enter the "Poisonous Spider's Nest"? ]
James chose, Yes!
[ This dungeon has three levels: Normal, Difficult, Nightmare. ]
A moment of contemplation flashed through James's eyes, but then his gaze steadied, and he chose the most difficult Nightmare mode.
In [ Celestial Realm ], all dungeons were divided into three levels, with Nightmare mode being the most challenging, also known as Death mode.
In Nightmare mode dungeons, both experience and equipment drop rates were significantly increased. However, the difficulty of passing Nightmare dungeons was unimaginable.
James's figure vanished in a flash under the waterfall, entering the dungeon.
After a while, James appeared in a dark environment, with a rock wall sealing off the path behind him.
With a thought, James opened the task interface.
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Quest Name: The Herbalist's Request
Quest Hint: Explore the " Poisonous Spider's Nest" and reach the deepest part, kill the Spider Leader, obtain the task item "Blue Demon Flower," and finally deliver it to the herbalist.
Quest Reward: ?
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Seeing the task reward as a question mark, James smirked slightly. He knew that the task rewards would vary based on the dungeon's difficulty. The higher the difficulty of the dungeon completed, the better the reward.
James walked towards the only available path. It was an underground cave with dense webs, and occasional cries of some creature could be heard from a distance, giving it a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
James walked cautiously, observing the terrain. He knew that typically, in Nightmare mode dungeons, the monsters inside were elite-level. The best way to fight was one-on-one. If there were two or more, for a solo player like James, it would be a matter of life or...
James didn't engage the running mode, saving his stamina for critical moments.
Soon, James encountered a spider blocking the path ahead. The spider was quite large, about the size of a goose.
James didn't enter the spider's perception range and stopped to observe the target.
[ White Sack Spider ], Level 5, One-Star Elite. The monsters inside the dungeon had much poorer 'vision' compared to those in the wilderness. After all, the space within the dungeon was relatively confined. If they could still see players from afar, tactics wouldn't matter much.
After observing, James drew his training sword and cautiously approached. When he was about ten meters away from the [ White Sack Spider ], it sensed the approaching enemy.
The [ White Sack Spider ] suddenly lifted its legs in a menacing posture, preparing to attack James.
James took a step back to dodge the attack and simultaneously thrust his sword forward.
[ -20 ]
James's attack power was 45, so causing 20 damage was already quite good considering the level difference between them.
A one-star elite was the lowest level of elite monsters. As a Level 5 one-star elite monster, the [ White Sack Spider ] was much faster in attack and movement speed than ordinary Level 5 monsters, and its damage output was terrifying.
So, missing a strike, the White Sack Spider immediately retaliated, launching another attack at James.
[ -49 ]
James's health instantly dropped by one-fifth, but he remained composed. Getting hit just now was intentional, a test to gauge the damage he would take. With this information, James made a calculated judgment.
Since he now understood the spider's capabilities, James focused on his defense.
Relying on the complex terrain, James swiftly moved to the side of a stone pillar, staring coldly at the [ White Sack Spider ], which was still in pursuit.
Another attack came, but James managed to dodge it by using the stone pillar as cover. He then countered with a quick strike, adjusting his position relative to the pillar to evade further attacks. The strategy was to avoid direct confrontation since James couldn't withstand the spider's high damage output.
Thus began a game of cat and mouse, with James circling around the stone pillar, engaging in hit-and-run tactics against the [ White Sack Spider ].
Whenever the spider was about to attack, James would dodge according to the pillar's position.
With this approach, James eventually defeated the Level 5 one-star elite monster. The experience gained was visible, and though the experience bonus for defeating monsters higher level was not significant, killing an elite monster like this provided substantial rewards.
Indeed, the reputation of the Martial God Body was well-deserved. Without this body's enhanced attributes, James wouldn't have stood a chance against the [ White Sack Spider ].
Filled with excitement from the intense challenge, James moved deeper into the dungeon.
After a while, James frowned. He sensed that there seemed to be a dead end ahead.