**Chapter 19: Invitation to Join Heaven Sword**
On his way back to the village, Su Yu's mind was occupied with thoughts on how to complete the hidden mission and avoid an attack from the [Star Casting Dragon King]. The consequences of failure were dire—permanent deletion of his character. All of his hard-earned progress and the perfect start would be erased in an instant. Such a loss was something he couldn't bear.
"I need a strategy," Su Yu muttered. "I can't face the Dragon King head-on, but there must be a way to survive the attack."
The penalty for failure left no room for error. But Su Yu had yet to come up with a concrete plan.
However, an idea suddenly struck him. "The mage class has several life-saving abilities that might work!" he realized.
There were three key defensive spells available early on for mages: [Invisibility], [Blink], and [Ice Barrier].
"Invisibility is useless against a beast like the Dragon King," Su Yu mused. "As for [Ice Barrier], that can only be obtained after reaching level 20 in the main city, so that's out of reach for now."
That left only one option—[Blink].
"Looks like I'll need to unlock the hidden quest for [Blink]," Su Yu decided with newfound determination.
His pace quickened as he headed back to Nolan Village. But before embarking on the quest for [Blink], there was another task to complete.
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At the magical hut located at the village's east end, Su Yu entered with purpose, dropping a fist-sized [Silver Snake Gall] onto the old wooden table in front of him.
"Pism, I'm here to turn in the quest," Su Yu announced.
The old magician Pism, busy tinkering with something in a large crucible, turned around at the sound of Su Yu's voice. He looked a bit annoyed at first but quickly changed his expression once he realized who it was.
"Oh, it's you! Back so soon?" Pism's initial irritation vanished as he feigned enthusiasm. "What can I sell you this time? I've got a fresh batch of magical items."
"I'm here to complete the task," Su Yu responded curtly, pushing the [Silver Snake Gallbladder] toward the magician.
Pism's eyes widened when he saw the large snake gall. "Is this... from the Silver Snake Leader?" he stammered in disbelief. "How on earth did you manage that, lad? Did you hire a party of adventurers and sacrifice them to take it down?"
Su Yu smirked. "That's not something you need to worry about. Just give me the reward."
"Right, right." Pism, somewhat embarrassed by his assumptions, quickly retrieved a scroll crackling with energy and a sealed letter. He handed them over to Su Yu.
**Ding!**
**Congratulations! You've completed the rare hidden quest [Join the Scholar's Temple (Modified)]. Rewards: [Scholar's Temple Invitation Letter] x1, Skill Scroll [Chain Lightning (Excellent)] x1, 500 XP.**
The letter was Su Yu's ticket to joining the [Scholar's Temple] when he reached the main city. As for the scroll...
**[Chain Lightning (Excellent)]: Fires a bolt of lightning at a target, dealing 260% of your spell power as damage, then jumping to other nearby enemies. Affects three targets total, with a 30% chance to paralyze enemies for 1 second. Cooldown: 8 seconds. Cast time: 1.0 seconds. Mana cost: 20 points.**
Su Yu immediately used [Pointing Star Hand] to upgrade the scroll to rare quality.
**[Chain Lightning (Rare)]: Deals 390% spell power as damage, affecting four targets with a 40% chance to paralyze for 1 second. Cooldown: 6 seconds. Cast time: 0.5 seconds. Mana cost: 30 points.**
The upgrade made [Chain Lightning] a formidable group attack spell, perfect for handling multiple enemies at once. "This will speed up my leveling quite a bit," Su Yu thought with satisfaction.
After learning the spell, Su Yu tucked the invitation letter into his backpack and left the hut. The old magician called out after him, "Come by again, adventurer!"
Su Yu waved back but didn't stop. He had another task in mind—unlocking [Blink].
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As he walked through the busy village streets, Su Yu spotted a group of five players approaching. Their presence alone commanded attention, causing other players to step aside.
At the front of the group was a middle-aged warrior—[Heaven Slaying Sword].
Su Yu's eyes narrowed as he recognized the guild leader. He had crossed paths with Heaven Slaying Sword before, back in his previous life. The man and his guild were nothing but trouble, and their presence here was no coincidence.
In fact, the members of the Heaven Slaying Guild [ previously known as Zhantian Guild] had been scouring the novice village for two reasons. First, they were investigating rumors that someone had impersonated their guild to collect village fees. Second, they were hunting for Su Yu, the high-level player known as "Nemesis," who possessed rare items and skills.
Su Yu stood his ground, watching as Heaven Slaying Sword and his four companions closed in: [Qingli], [Decepticon], [Hornet], and [Yoyo My Heart]—all core members of the guild. To Su Yu, they were nothing more than traitors.
He resisted the urge to unleash a [Lightning Arrow] at Heaven Slaying Sword on the spot. Instead, he waited for them to make the first move.
When they were within three meters, Heaven Slaying Sword extended a hand in greeting. "Hello, young friend," he said, his tone courteous. "I am Heaven Slaying Sword, leader of the Heaven Slaying Guild. You must be 'Nemesis,' correct? I've come here with sincere intentions to invite you to join our guild."
Su Yu didn't return the handshake. Instead, he looked at Heaven Slaying Sword with cold disdain. "Oh? And what makes you think you're worthy?"
His words immediately sparked anger among the guild members. Decepticon and Hornet, in particular, had never supported the idea of recruiting Nemesis. Now, hearing such disrespect from him, they couldn't hold back.
"Who do you think you are?" Decepticon sneered. "You should be grateful we're even considering you!"
"Do you know who we are? The Heaven Slaying Guild doesn't just invite anyone!" Hornet added.
Qingli and Yoyo My Heart didn't speak, but their expressions made it clear they shared the sentiment.
Heaven Slaying Sword, however, remained calm. "Whether we are worthy or not," he said confidently, "isn't the real question. The Heaven Slaying Guild is the largest in *Demon Domain*, and we hold more than half the records for high-level dungeon clears. Now that we've set our sights on *Evolution*, it's only a matter of time before we dominate here as well."
He paused, then added, "We're offering you a chance to join us, Nemesis. Think about it."
Su Yu smirked in response, not saying a word. Instead, he raised his hand, casting [Chain Lightning]—its first target: Decepticon.
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(End of Chapter)