The wooden box was quite exquisite, about thirty centimeters long, crafted from sandalwood. Its surface was a deep purple that exuded an ancient charm, engraved with intricate patterns and faintly scented with wood.
Su Mu, curious, reached out and took the box. It had no lock, so he opened it directly.
Inside, nine badges, each the size of a baby's fist, were arranged in a row, quietly lying within the box.
Su Mu examined them closely. The badges had various designs, all entirely black, and he couldn't tell what material they were made from, though they seemed to be forged from meteorite iron. The surface, however, was covered with a dark layer of material, as if the badges were sealed, giving them a worn-down, aged appearance.
This feeling made Su Mu furrow his brows. He casually picked one up, a demon-shaped badge.
The badge had an engraving of bat wings and sharp fangs, but the demon's eyes were dim and lifeless, lacking that bloodthirsty ferocity. It didn't look intimidating at all.
Su Mu rubbed the surface of the badge, and suddenly a sharp pain shot through his finger as if being pricked by needles. A drop of blood fell onto the badge's surface and quickly soaked in.
Vroom—
With a sudden violent tremor, it felt as though the very earth had shaken for a moment. The demon badge flew out of Su Mu's hand and hovered in the air. The demon's eyes suddenly flared with a deep, blood-red glow, and a dark, destructive aura emanated from it.
In an instant, Su Mu felt as if he had fallen into a freezing abyss, as if death itself were staring at him. His body froze, and he couldn't move.
The demon badge floated in mid-air, its blood-red pupils scrutinizing Su Mu up and down before suddenly lunging at him, entering his body in an instant.
[Ding! Congratulations to Player Su Mu for receiving the "Chapter of Inheritance: Death" recognition!]
[Chapter of Inheritance: Death, an SSS-rank item. It is bound and cannot be dropped or discarded. Effect: Unknown.]
[Ding! Player Su Mu has received an SSS-rank mainline quest: Inheritor of the Legacy. Quest requirement: Find the remaining eight inheritors of the Chapter of Inheritance. Each successful find will grant a phase reward.]
"Dammit! That scared the hell out of me."
The terrifying aura of destruction vanished, and Su Mu's body suddenly regained its mobility. He cursed loudly, realizing that for a brief moment, he had almost thought he was about to die. In the end, it turned out to be a recognition of ownership.
Well... if you're going to acknowledge me, just do it—there's no need for all this theatrics.
Su Mu, looking utterly speechless, sighed.
Regaining his composure, Su Mu checked the system prompts. SSS-rank item with an unknown effect? What kind of weird thing was this?
And then there was the quest—was he supposed to gather the nine Dragon Balls to summon a dragon or something?
Su Mu couldn't help but roll his eyes. Looking at the remaining eight badges in the box, he shrugged and casually tossed them into his storage space.
It was like searching for a needle in a haystack—there were so many people in the world, how was he supposed to find the right ones?
He could only take it slow. Su Mu shook his head and pushed the matter aside. After all, the quest had no time limit, and there were no penalties. Why stress?
Still, he felt a bit disappointed. The special reward was supposed to be something amazing, right? But this?
Just this?
Su Mu: "My native language is speechless."
Once the special rewards were issued and the main quest was complete, a golden pillar of light erupted from every Beginner Dungeon around the world, shooting into the sky, piercing through the clouds.
At the same time, everyone heard the system's prompt:
[Congratulations to Player "Anonymous" for clearing the Beginner Dungeon and obtaining an SSS-rank profession.]
[As this is the first time anyone has cleared the Beginner Dungeon globally, a global announcement is made.]
The sudden announcement created a huge stir, like thunder striking out of a clear sky. Across the world, everyone, from veterans at level 80 or 90 to newbies at level 1 or 2, was momentarily stunned before erupting into an uproar.
All faces were filled with awe, shock, and disbelief, which quickly turned into a collective "Holy shit!"
It wasn't that they were uneducated; it was simply that, at that moment, no other words could express their astonishment.
Su Mu was also startled by the system's announcement. This damn system didn't even give him a heads-up before making such a big deal. It scared the hell out of him.
Thankfully, it was still anonymous, or else Su Mu would have been cursing.
After the shock, however, Su Mu couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of pride. Well, okay, it was a lot of pride.
This was a global announcement. Although Su Mu had been on such announcements before in his past life, to make such a splash in just one day in this world—how could he not be a little proud?
"Of course, it's me!"
He shamelessly praised himself, but just as he was about to continue, another system prompt sounded in his ears.
[Due to Player "Anonymous" clearing the Beginner Dungeon, the current Beginner Trials will end early. The Beginner Dungeon will be closed for three days. Everyone will be teleported out of the dungeon in ten seconds. Please prepare.]
[Ten, nine, eight...]
Su Mu felt his vision go dark, and amidst the deafening sound of discussions, his figure appeared in the west plaza of the city.
"Damn! Someone cleared the Beginner Dungeon! How did they do it?"
"Wow, what a badass! It's like a small cow flying a plane, an insane level of awesomeness. I wonder who it is? Why isn't the system revealing their name? I want to worship them!"
"Hurry, hurry! The City Lord's office just announced they'll offer the best treatment to this SSS-level player and even a vice-city lord position, as long as they join Cloud City!"
"The Player's Alliance has also posted. If they join, they'll become an elder of the alliance and have access to all the resources!"
"What about the official website? The Fengmang Guild has made an official promise. If this person joins, they'll become the future president of the guild."
"WHAT? Even Fengmang is making a move? A future guild president? This is getting insane!"
"..."
The plaza was filled with noise and chaos, with everyone discussing the SSS-level player. It felt like a market in disarray, with all the big forces in the world throwing offers left and right.
Su Mu frowned, slightly covering his ears. After a moment, he finally adjusted and realized the situation was far bigger than he imagined.
From the chatter around him, he gathered that he was now the center of attention, with everyone from major powers to small factions offering him a deal. The conditions were unbelievably tempting—vice-city lord, elder, future guild president.
Especially the offer from the Fengmang Guild, which was something no one could resist.
But Su Mu's mood was a little more complicated. The Fengmang Guild was actually a guild Su Mu had personally founded and developed in his past life.