Chapter 110 - 106: Wrap up the shoot

Chapter 110: Chapter 106: Wrap up the shootThe four of them had just finished distributing the equipment when Village Chief Huang and a group of villagers surrounded them. These people before them must be all the survivors of Ginkgo Village, most of the old, weak, women, and children were still there, but they had lost more than half of their able-bodied men. Several familiar faces had disappeared: Wang Daniu, the woodworker with an amputated arm; descendants of the Tian family, Tian Bao; and a few militia who had gone to fight the Tree Demon with him... Fortunately, several important NPCs were still around. Village Chief Huang expressed his gratitude to the four, "Noble heroes, today’s salvation of Ginkgo Village is all thanks to you. I have nothing with which to repay your kindness, please accept my bow." Xiao Jie hurriedly dodged out of the way. "No, no, no, please don’t do this. As a returnee, I have been in your care these past days, as well as the kindness of my fellow villagers. It is my honor to be able to contribute to Ginkgo Village." I Want to Be Immortal also said, "Yes, old man, we are also part of Ginkgo Village. Sharing weal and woe is what we should do, isn’t it?" At this moment, Dongfang Sheng chimed in, "That’s right, you mustn’t take it to heart, why mention thanks at all? We didn’t risk our lives just for a thank you. You’re being too polite, just showing that you’re mindful of this is better than anything else." He had been around the social circles of banquets for many years and truly understood the art of speech. Just being thankful was useless, rewards were needed. But this sort of thing couldn’t be demanded openly, as that would be losing face, so they could only hint at it. How exactly this gratitude was to be expressed would depend on the arrangements that were made. Whether Village Chief Huang truly understood or not, he shook his head and sighed, "Though you ask for nothing in return, Ginkgo Village is not an ungrateful place. Today there are many matters to settle after this disaster. Please come to my house tomorrow, and you will be amply rewarded then." A system prompt suddenly appeared on Xiao Jie’s screen. [System prompt: You have successfully completed the event "Monster Attack: Tide of Corpses". Based on your performance in this event, you’ve gained 1389 reputation points, and your reputation in Ginkgo Village has reached Revered.] [System prompt: Because your reputation in Ginkgo Village has reached Revered, the State Governor of Fengyin State has heard of your name. Your reputation in Fengyin State has increased by 500 points, and is now 500/1000 Friendly.] Reputation has reached Revered just like that? Xiao Jie was taken aback, but then he thought that the Newbie Village was a small place after all. The esteem reached from respect to reverence was just 500, and from reverence to Revered needed only 1000, which was understandable. Also, the relevance of reputation in such a small force was probably not significant. In comparison, it was the reputation at the State Mansion that was truly bothersome to increase. He asked the others and found that the results were not the same. All three of them had only obtained a few hundred reputation points and were still only at Revered. Why was this? Xiao Jie couldn’t help but question it; in the two boss fights, his own contribution wasn’t the highest, and when clearing the little monsters initially, his efficiency wasn’t much different from the others. Could it be because of the plan he had contributed? Could the system calculate even that? Xiao Jie found it a little incredible since typically, games that select an MVP can only tally tangible data, such as the amount of damage dealt, control effects used, or damage taken. His plan, though crucial, was more akin to a command-level contribution, which was intangible. Yet aside from this explanation, there seemed to be no other plausible reasons. It seemed the game’s system mechanics were quite extraordinary. "It’s settled then, we will surely visit tomorrow morning." After concurring to receive the rewards the next morning, the villagers busied themselves with their tasks. Although the two bosses had been dealt with, there were still a few scattered zombies in the village. Without the control of the Corpse Chasing Mage, they were no longer a threat; Tie Qianli and Yang Baichuan led the surviving militia to deal with them one by one. Zhou Tong also began leading several craftsmen to extinguish flames and repair houses. While the NPCs busy themselves, the four players found themselves temporarily without tasks and assisted in clearing the remaining zombies along the village’s main road. Without a controller, cutting down these zombies was particularly easy, especially since the four of them still had buffs on. They fought all the way to the village square, where the village was in a mess. The corpses of the little monsters from before had mostly vanished. Then, Dongfang Sheng suddenly yelped in frustration. "Damn, we haven’t picked up the loot from those little monsters!" Xiao Jie also realized what had been overlooked; during the battle, they were too busy fighting and had no opportunity to loot, especially the few Corpse Chasers, who might have dropped something good. Now, almost all of that had despawned. Although it was regrettable, there was no helping it now, fortunately, the greatest gains were already secured. "Woof woof woof!" Amidst the barking, Rou Qiu popped out from nowhere. "Eh, Rou Qiu, you actually survived?" Xiao Jie was somewhat pleasantly surprised but also speechless; this little rascal had gone into hiding somewhere earlier, and here he was, nearly dead, while his pet had run off. But Rou Qiu circled around Xiao Jie with a look of grievance and then spat out a ring from his mouth. [Bone Jade Ring (Accessory/Fine)] Equipped: Spirit +2. Item Introduction: A ring made from human bones, which has become smooth as jade through long wear, capable of slightly enhancing the wearer’s attributes. Xiao Jie was delighted, this creature could actually pick things up? Well, it’s not totally useless then. "Alright, I’ll forgive you this time," he said, tossing a meat bun to it. "Woof woof woof, thank you, master," Rou Qiu immediately switched to a fawning expression. As the little monsters were cleared out, several craftsmen under Zhou Tong’s leadership repaired the village gate, securing Ginkgo Village once and for all. Watching the villagers repair the buildings damaged in the battle and extinguish the fires in the village, the four of them suddenly found themselves without anything to do. "Feng, what are we going to do next? Shall we check out the ancient tomb?" Xiao Jie thought to himself, you really have a lot of energy, "No, I’m logging off first, this battle has left me a bit dazed; all I want is a good rest now." Ye Luo also said, "Now that you mention it, I’m feeling tired too, shall we meet tomorrow?" "See you tomorrow." "Oh, and don’t forget to message Wang Kai." After saying goodbye to his companions, Xiao Jie hurried to the tavern to log off. Exiting the game and seeing the screen revert to the computer’s desktop, Xiao Jie let out a long sigh of relief. It’s finally over; that was truly a breathtaking battle. Glancing at the clock, it was only half past two; the monster siege, including clean-up, had only taken just over two hours. But looking at the computer screen at this moment gave Xiao Jie a surreal feeling, as if he had lived through an age. Half the day passed as he lay in the computer chair without wanting to move; skirting on the edge of life and death and fighting to the death with a BOSS truly can drain one’s energy. During the fight, every single second required full concentration, and even after defeating the BOSS, his subconscious didn’t dare to relax. It was only after truly exiting the game and returning to reality that he could fully unwind. After quite a while, Xiao Jie finally got up from the chair, took out the apple cider he had prepared earlier from the fridge, and poured himself a full glass; the golden liquid looked especially tempting. Xiao Jie drained the glass in one go; the cold, sweet liquid revived his spirits. He poured himself another glass, walked to the window with it, and gazed out at the quiet street scene, reflecting on the brutal battle that had just taken place. Suddenly, he felt a strange sense of emotion, as if he had really just returned from a war-torn land to a peaceful world. The Old Land World, brimming with monsters, now felt particularly real. But the peaceful reality is indeed better. Xiao Jie chuckled wryly and decided not to indulge in melancholy, taking out his phone to send a message to Wang Kai. Hidden Moon Following Wind: Brother Wang Kai, the monster siege is over, and we successfully defended. Wang Kai: Haha, congratulations. Hidden Moon Following Wind: Oh, and by the way, your master might ask you tomorrow why you didn’t die, just a heads-up so you’re prepared. Wang Kai: Huh!? Why would he think I died? Hidden Moon Following Wind: He asked me earlier if I saw you, and I said it looked like you got taken out. Wang Kai: Ah, why would you say that? Hidden Moon Following Wind: I couldn’t very well say you logged off, could I? To me, ’taken out’ at least sounds a bit more tragic. It’s fine, just explain it when you log on tomorrow. Wang Kai: Damn... Xiao Jie laughed and turned off his phone, then once more savored the drink in his glass. Although there were great risks, today’s gains were indeed substantial, especially the BOSS drops which were quite impressive. In particular, that Asura Ghost Mask with its dual skills was truly top-grade among top-grades. Especially the ’Horror Face’ skill with its fear effect; having played games for many years, Xiao Jie could sense that if used well, this skill could be divine in PK battles. Three seconds of hard control were enough to unleash a smooth combo; if the damage was high, he might even be able to instantly take down players of the same level. However, the Corpse Language Skill required 18 points in comprehension to learn, and he currently only had 15. It looked like he would need to find a way to boost his comprehension soon. Now at Level 9, just one more level would grant him access to his Profession’s Core Skills and another boost. Plus, then he could learn Inner Strength and Qinggong at the State Mansion, further enhancing his power. At Level 10, his character would definitely be top-grade. In the future, even facing enemies three to five levels higher, he’d likely face little pressure. Just thinking about it was exciting.