**Chapter 86: I'll Post the Mission!**
An hour and a half later, at the end of the [Spider Cave] dungeon just outside Gorse City.
The massive red spider boss, with a body spanning over three meters, lay crumpled in defeat, lifeless and still.
Su Yu stood beside the defeated boss, scanning over the loot dropped at his feet. "The [Cobweb Slippers], [Spider Gloves]... and the [Fire Wand]. It really dropped! Guess a bit of luck is still on my side!"
Equipping the [Fire Wand lv15 (Excellent)], Su Yu flashed a satisfied smile. His purpose for soloing the dungeon was twofold—first, he wanted to grab the "big horn" to communicate a new mission, and second, he was after the level 15 wand this spider boss was known to drop.
After all, now at level 18, Su Yu's current weapon, the level 10 [Desert Emperor Scepter], was starting to lag behind. And this time, fortune favored him: he got the [Fire Wand] on his very first attempt.
With his [Pointing Star Hand] ability, he upgraded it to epic quality, giving the equipment a significant boost:
**[Fire Wand lv15 (Epic)]**
- **Spell Power:** +50
- **Intellect:** +17
- **Spell Critical Rate:** +5%
- **Fire Damage Bonus:** +20% (Epic upgrade bonus)
*Equipment Description*: On some websites, it might show up as [Fire Rod].
No sooner had Su Yu cleared the dungeon than an in-game announcement rang out across all servers:
**[Global Server Announcement: Player Nemesis has successfully completed the level 15, five-player dungeon, "Spider Cave." As the first player to complete this level 15 dungeon, they will receive a reward of a rare level 15 mage equipment item! Keep striving, everyone!]**
**[Global Server Announcement:]**
**[Global Server Announcement:]**
The message repeated three times, but this time, it didn't cause as much of a stir among the players.
When Nemesis first soloed a level 5 dungeon, it left everyone in shock; his level 10 dungeon solo was surprising, too. But now, with him clearing a level 15 dungeon alone, most players had simply grown accustomed to it.
At 1:30 in the early morning, the novice training areas were quiet, with only a handful of dedicated players grinding levels. Most simply chuckled when the announcement came through:
"The boss Nemesis solo-cleared another dungeon, huh?"
"Expected. He's level 18 now, so it makes sense for him to handle a level 15 dungeon solo."
"I'm putting $100 on hearing a similar announcement when he hits level 20."
"No bet; it's a sure thing at this point."
"Honestly, it's a relief he only tackles one dungeon per level bracket. If he cleared every dungeon, those top guilds would have no chance!"
"Haha, true!"
Players went back to leveling, their conversations light and casual. But moments later, Su Yu's voice reached their ears:
"Hello everyone! It's me again."
At once, the leveling area broke into familiar smiles and laughter.
"We know, we know, it's you again."
"Boss Nemesis, what's the big news this time?"
"Another Spider Cave? How many spider girlfriends did that boss have?"
"Big bro, you're leveling too fast; slow down! Give your poor relatives a break!"
The leveling area buzzed with cheerful banter, almost like a mini-festival of inside jokes and camaraderie. But Su Yu's next words turned the playful air into one of dead-serious focus:
"If you can reach level 10 by 1:30 p.m. and have one hour of game time left, I'll have a special reward for you!"
"At 1:30 p.m., come to the central square in Gorse City to find me. I'll be offering a mission worth 3,000 experience points, available only to the first 1,000 players. First come, first served!"
With that, Su Yu ended the "Big Horn" announcement.
For a moment, there was stunned silence among the players.
"Did I just hear that right? 'Find you for a mission'? He can give out quests now?!"
"Is he a player or an NPC?"
"Is this how he's been leveling so fast? By giving himself quests with high experience rewards?"
"Finally, we know the truth about the game designers!"
"Boycott the nemesis!"
"Let's rally against Nemesis! Our players are out here struggling!"
But amidst the chorus of discontent, a quieter voice chimed in:
"Uh, you can boycott Nemesis… but are you still going to show up for his quest this afternoon?"
Silence, then a chorus of laughter.
"Well, yeah! Who wouldn't?"
"That's 3,000 experience points! That's a solid 30% boost at level 10! I'd be crazy to miss it."
"Only the first 1,000 players get a shot, so I'm going to be there early!"
"Forget sleep; I'm grinding to hit level 10!"
Though players joked about boycotting, the truth was clear—they were all motivated to level up and reach the main city in time for Su Yu's mission. Some even set alarms, knowing this was a chance they couldn't afford to miss.
Meanwhile, in Novice Village No. 6, deep within Wolf King Valley…
The player Heaven Slaying Sword was grinding with his teammates. Upon hearing Nemesis's announcement, he suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
His laugh had a distinct ring, reminiscent of the legendary Prime Minister Cao Cao in the old version of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.
The player Bumblebee asked curiously, "Boss, what's so funny? Are we going to join Nemesis's mission?"
Heaven Slaying Sword shook his head, smiling confidently. "I'm laughing at Nemesis's lack of foresight. We're not joining this mission, of course!"
"Why not?" Yoyo, another teammate, looked puzzled. "That's a hefty 30% experience at level 10!"
"I've seen through his plan," Heaven Slaying Sword explained smugly. "The mission is in the main city, where players typically go after upgrading from Novice Village. This means there's likely a hidden method to bypass level 10 entirely and jump straight to level 11. Nemesis has probably been exploiting this trick to keep his level advantage!"
"So, by luring us to the main city with a high-reward quest, he wants to keep us from discovering this method!" Decepticon's eyes lit up as he pieced it together. "You saw right through him, boss!"
"Of course, that's why I'm the leader here," Heaven Slaying Sword declared proudly. "Let's stay focused on leveling up and dig for any hidden quests in the village once we're level 10."
"Got it, boss!"
Meanwhile, in Novice Village No. 2's Wolf King Valley, Snow Leopard was also leveling up with his team. Despite the late hour—nearing 1:30 a.m.—the player Range is Truth was still online, watching his friend with a worried expression.
"Old Zhong, are you planning to join Senior Zhang's mission this afternoon?"
"Of course! How could I miss something this big?" Snow Leopard chuckled, unfazed.
"But you already have a task lined up for the morning," Range is Truth protested. "And haven't you gone three days without sleep now? You'll end up passing out at this rate!"
Snow Leopard waved him off, smiling calmly. "Don't worry, I can handle it. I'm in control—won't be passing out anytime soon."
Just as the words left his mouth, he vanished, kicked offline without warning as the game's health monitoring detected his dangerously low condition.
The abruptness left his teammates stunned, and for a moment, they simply stood there, gaping in shock.
"Old Zhong!"
A cry of distress echoed through the quiet Valley of the Wolf King as Snow Leopard's teammates processed his sudden exit.
*(End of Chapter)*