Chapter 89:

As soon as Meow King finished today’s work and came online, he saw this batch of newbies wandering aimlessly in the ruins of Kadman City under the guidance of Khaki Tony Tai and Path of Mud and Oil. Whenever they encountered an NPC, they would surround it, trying to “trigger” a quest, leaving the collectors from the survivor camps who came to gather items utterly confused. They had grown accustomed to the unusual enthusiasm of the warriors under Murphy’s command and were no longer afraid of these people protecting them. But the problem was... There’s really nothing! You tell me, as an ordinary disaster survivor, where would I have so many random things for you to help me with? A few days ago, I even had to ask the warriors to search for something as trivial as missing my cat, and there’s nothing good I can reward you with. Now you’re looking for work from me, there’s really nothing! The NPC surrounded by the little players looked miserable. After being pestered enough, they stopped paying any attention and turned back to their own business. Currently, the camp enforces a labor credit system, and they must find enough resources before the end of the workday. Seeing that this NPC had no quests, the little players were undeterred and continued to wander the streets, gambling their luck to see if they could find the next one. “What a great time to be here.” Meow King sighed like an old man on the spot. Back then... Well, it was just 20 days ago when they first entered the game, there was nothing at all. Even conversing with NPCs required guessing with gestures, and they couldn’t even control their free game time. Now, new players can directly accept quests and play, a world of difference in treatment. Moreover, these newbies have computation beads to enhance their gaming experience, which he and his team had retrieved. “Hehe, you guys should all be thanking me.” Meow King smirked and proudly leaned on his beloved Crimson Spirit Staff, hurrying towards the new NPC base, the Witch Hunter Camp, as instructed by the hidden quest “Murphy’s Favor.” But when he arrived, well, the 17 little players who had survived the previous action were basically all here, and a few had already completed their job changes, becoming Oak Apprentices or Witch Hunter Apprentices like himself. However, some had not chosen to change jobs and were simply rummaging through various weapons on the carpets of a few deadpan Witch Hunters. His four employees and his old buddy were mixed in among them, making Meow King furious. He angrily went up and slapped Three to Five Pecks on the shoulder, saying: “Playing games so early, I suppose the bugs you were fixing today are almost done? And you, Black Stockings, a requirement report revised three times, are you really okay with such a low-level mistake?” “That’s not my fault.” The one named Black Stockings retorted defiantly: “Just look at the requirement report I wrote, what’s wrong with it? It’s just those little brats nitpicking! I told you not to take their jobs! Low pay and too much work, why bother? It’s not like we’re really that broke. Why don’t you take a vacation this month instead? Look at all the great new game content with this update, don’t you want to experience it?” “Exactly!” Three to Five Pecks yawned and chimed in: “I stayed up all night fixing those bugs, and they’re running smoothly now. If those jerks nitpick again, I’m quitting. It’s off-hours now, Meow King, don’t bother me with work.” “Look, I just learned some skills from the Witch Hunters, all general skills for shielders.” “Shut up, am I the boss or are you the boss?” Meow King frowned, wanting to say a few words, but then he realized his employees were right. He had indeed been out of his mind accepting that brat’s lousy job recently, and it was too late to regret it now. Then he changed the subject, leaning towards Three to Five Pecks and asking: “Aren’t the Witch Hunters offering job changes? Why are they teaching general skills? And where did you get this shield? It even has the Goldflower Kingdom’s emblem on it!” “Traded with a veteran Witch Hunter, using some materials we found in the city. They definitely ripped us off, but there’s no point arguing in this market.” His old buddy leaned over and explained: “As for general skills, they teach those too. Someone just asked, and these Witch Hunters were all mercenaries or soldiers from various trades before joining the old church. They know some basic general skills and have skill manuals to choose from. I just changed to ‘Wanderer’ and got a few books. It felt like a good deal. Black Stockings learned Slaughter and Sunder, No Fap learned Whirlwind and Slice, and we also bought a bunch of smoke bombs and flash powder for ambushes or retreats. There’s all kinds of stuff here. You should hurry up and change jobs too, buy some useful things for the next dungeon run.” “Alright, you guys wait here. I’m going to do a quest.” After understanding the general purpose of the Witch Hunter Camp, which was essentially an “equipment market,” Meow King said a few words to his brothers and went to find Sir Finoch Lawson, the Golden Knight, to accept a quest. On the way, he happened to run into Sister Pomegranate and Lumina Yanghen, who were leading two newly arrived girls and browsing the weapon stalls. “Yo, Lumina girl, aren’t you going to introduce me to these two ladies? Hey, why is there a middle schooler? Isn’t this game R18+?” Meow King was startled when he saw Ashina. To his surprise, the latter grabbed a revolver from the stall and angrily turned towards Meow King, firing three shots at him in quick succession, knocking off the grass wreath on his head but not hitting his skin or causing friendly fire damage. Most importantly, this 155cm girl didn’t take the time to aim, firing three shots instantly! Although the distance was close, such deadly precision not only scared Meow King, but even made the deadpan Witch Hunter behind the stall blink, before drawling: The petite Ashina excitedly pulled Lumina and Fatal Orchid forward, unable to wait any longer to claim the first kill against monsters in this incredibly realistic game. “Wait, let me pick out some more stuff for myself.” Fatal Orchid stopped her. A few minutes later, Sister Pomegranate looked at Fatal Orchid with a strange expression as she strapped a heavy tower shield onto her back, and asked in a low voice: “Hey, can you even move with that huge thing? What are your strength and endurance stats? What are your character traits?” “This thing feels super safe! If you’re going to explore unknown areas, you have to ensure safety first. As for my stats, strength 7, endurance 8, three character traits.” Fatal Orchid opened the player interface and read out: “Reducing endurance consumption by one-third, increasing health by one-fifth and life recovery rate is ‘Freak Stamina’, reducing negative status and slowing effect durations is ‘Climbing Stride’, and increasing weight limit by 50% and outdoor movement speed is ‘Wayfarer’. Huh? Why are you two looking at me like that? For someone who travels the world, isn’t it normal to have good stamina?” “Hey! Look at your stats and your three character traits! This is just ‘good stamina’?” Lumina exclaimed: “You stamina monster! A natural tank, who would have thought such a slender frame could be so durable? I think I know why you’ve been single all this time.” “I feel like you’re making an innuendo, but I have no proof! Please continue with such vulgar humor, but don’t let me catch you, or you’re dead! And I’m not single for those damn reasons!” Fatal Orchid frowned and shrugged, saying: “Let’s go, monster hunting. Let me see how realistic this game’s combat system really is. Ah, it’s been several months since I last had a good workout after earning my black belt sixth dan.” “You! Caw caw! Come here! The lady wants to see you!” Just as they were leaving the Witch Hunter Camp amidst their banter, a strange call made the four girls turn their heads in unison. Then, they saw a grotesque-looking crow perched on a branch, cocking its head to scrutinize them. The crow itself wasn’t that big of a deal. They were plentiful in the Transia region, almost to the point of being a plague, but the problem was... “It has three eyes? And they’re red! Hey! This must be a rare monster! Eat my bullet!” Ashina the Sword Saint, with the character traits【Quick Draw】,【Hundred-Pace Shot】, and【Lightning Reflexes】, immediately aimed her gun but was pushed down by Lumina. She warned: “Don’t move! This is Lady Tris’s familiar, I’ve seen it once in her alchemy cottage.” “Caw caw! The lady has a quest for her warriors! Lumina! Lumina! Hurry up! Don’t let the Crimson Witch get impatient, or someone’s going to be in trouble. Caw caw, caw caw.” The three-eyed crow screeched and flapped its wings as it flew away, leaving an indelicate dropping on Ashina’s hunting leather armor. Clearly this little creature held a grudge and knew exactly what Ashina had tried to do earlier. “Ah, nasty thing! These are my new clothes!” The 155cm girl stamped her feet angrily, but Sister Pomegranate asked in surprise: “When did you become Lady Tris’s warrior?” “What’s so strange about that?” Lumina shrugged and said: “Aren’t you also Maxim’s warrior? I’ve been grinding Tris’s personal reputation. I think among the players now, she should have the highest affection for me.” “By your logic, the three middle-aged Dump Truck men should be Lady Miriam’s warriors. So, is this ‘warrior’ title determined by affection level?” Sister Pomegranate looked ponderingly at the Witch Hunter Camp. As she followed Lumina to accept Tris’s quest, she also sent a message to her cousin Niuniu. “Huh? My cousin wants me to stay at the camp and grind the important Witch Hunter NPCs’ affection to get the ‘Warrior’ title? What does that mean? The update notes didn’t mention this gameplay.” Niuniu, who had just changed to a Witch Hunter Apprentice, was baffled by Sister Pomegranate’s message, but knowing his cousin was smart, he didn’t ask further and turned back to look for an important NPC at the camp. “Hey you, come here!” A call made Niuniu, carrying a shield, turn around to see Lady Amber the Scout riding on a horse, with two veteran scouts behind her. Looking down at him, she ordered: “You’re the one who knocked out Captain Natalie before, right? Looks like you’ve got some skills. I need to go handle the ghoul nest in Morland Village and need a capable shielder for protection. Want to come?” “Sure, why not?” Niuniu looked at the dashing and friendly NPC before him. He recognized her as one of the Witch Hunters they had captured in Morland Village, called Amber if he remembered correctly. She even got a second appearance with followers, and had such a cool pirate eye patch, clearly an important character, perfectly fitting his cousin’s advice. Hmm, no need to look further, she’ll do.