Chapter 187 Chapter 186-Handing in the Quest, Reward in Hand (1st update, Cheer me with Power Stones!)
Faced with Snowla's firm response, John found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
He never considered himself an outstanding person; just a lucky kid who happened to find the brightest shell on the beach...
So many exceptional girls, unreservedly placing their hearts in his hands, made John inevitably feel a heavy pressure within.
"Oh, why make the atmosphere so heavy... I was just expressing my thoughts... Galewind big brother, please don't feel troubled because of me..."
Snowla seemed a bit embarrassed at this point, covering her pretty face and mumbling softly.
In John's presence, this girl never showed any of the imposing aura of the Black Rose Guild's top guild leader.
Instead, she was always like an innocent little girl, pure and beautiful...
John laughed freely.
Indeed, since the girl had expressed her feelings so openly, why should he be pretentious?
He rubbed Snowla's head again, his face full of indulgence, "Since you've said so, what else can I say... Keep up the hard work. This game isn't as simple as it seems on the surface. Once you reach a certain level, you'll see a different world..."
Snowla looked up, somewhat bewildered, not quite understanding the meaning of John's words.
John didn't elaborate further.
After all, it involved the nature of the Godslayer game world, and it was best not to say too much to Snowla right now.
Letting her know the truth about the Godslayer world too early might cause a bigger commotion, especially since she had the backing of some of the world's major tycoons, not just herself.
John thought for a moment, then asked, "So, after getting the Godchosen Wand, have you completed the Divine Priest's hidden class quest?"
Snowla shook her head, sweetly replying, "It's not that simple. This wand only gives me the qualification to advance to Divine Priest. I still need to go to Holy Light Church for a baptism, and only after passing the baptism can I officially become a Divine Priest..."
John nodded faintly, exactly as he had guessed.
The "Divine Priest," a hidden class highly bound to Holy Light Church, was practically unique, and the advancement process certainly wouldn't be too simple.
Seeing Snowla's eager face, John could only helplessly wave his hand, "Well, you'd better go complete your hidden class advancement first. It seems you can hardly wait..."
Snowla's face bloomed with a breathtaking smile, and she giggled, "Alright then, I'll go back first... By the way, Galewind big brother, you're simply amazing, actually completing the achievement of slaying a deity..."
This mischievous girl suddenly hugged John's neck and pecked his cheek before her flushed face darted out of the room.
John touched his cheek, the warm sensation from just a moment ago leaving him with a sense of wonderment.
She truly was an incredibly adorable young lady...
...
Leaving the Dawn Breeze Auction House's branch in Cloud Sea, John returned to the teleportation point and transported back to Silverglow.
Next, it was time to turn in the completed mercenary quest.
Actually, he could have turned in the quest at Cloud Sea's Mercenary Hall, but for some reason, the figure of Fire Grand Archmage Saphir appeared in his mind.
John had a feeling that if he could hand over this extremely challenging quest to Saphir personally, there might be additional rewards...
So, he chose to return to Silverglow to turn in this mercenary quest.
Silverglow, Mercenary Hall.
The spacious hall was bustling as usual, filled with countless players swarming to select suitable mercenary quests from the panel overhead.
The entrance was still crowded with many players, holding signs inviting others to join temporary teams.
Wearing the ferocious Asura mask, John moved through the crowd, heading towards the depths of the Mercenary Hall.
Though many players turned to look at John, their glances were brief and they didn't linger.
Clearly, they hadn't recognized John's real identity.
As for the grim Asura mask, though some female players remarked on its ugliness, none were overly curious.
After all, players dressing themselves up in bizarre and grotesque ways was common in the game, with many even dabbling in avant-garde art.
So what was an ugly mask?
John felt a secret relief at this moment, glad that he had the foresight to acquire the Asura mask.
The memory of being surrounded and pursued by a crowd of players at the Mercenary Hall last time was still fresh in his mind, and the thought still sent a shiver down his spine.
Upon reaching the far end of the Mercenary Hall, Grand Archmage Saphir was still sitting quietly behind the glass curtain wall.
With a gaze sharp as a hawk's, Saphir occasionally swept his eyes over the numerous players in the hall taking on quests.
Upon seeing John appear, his eyes brightened.
He promptly rose and opened the door to welcome John in.
"You're back so soon, young man? I take it you've come to your senses, realizing that the difficulty of this quest is beyond your reach and choosing to back down?"
Saphir's face showed a faint smile, his tone quite gentle, devoid of any trace of mockery.
The head administrator of Silverglow's Mercenary Hall seemed unusually friendly towards John for some unknown reason.
Perhaps it was John's nonchalant composure last time that convinced Saphir this young man was different from other players...
He reached for several contract scrolls on his nearby office desk, smiling warmly, "I have several very decent quests here. They're not too difficult and perfectly suited for a one-star mercenary like you..."
Saphir hadn't finished speaking when John calmly interrupted, "The quest is already completed. I've come to claim the reward..."
Saphir's composed smile suddenly froze on his face.
His eyes widened, and he asked incredulously, "What did you say? You've already completed the quest?"
John casually nodded, frowning slightly, "By the way, the contract should have automatically taken effect after I completed the quest. How could you not know about it?"
Saphir hurriedly turned around, quickly rifling through his cluttered office desk.
Soon, he found the contract scroll he had signed with John earlier.
He opened the scroll with eager anticipation, only to find the bold word "Completed" on it.
That was the system's automatic notification when the contract was activated upon the quest's completion.
Saphir's expression instantly became more serious.
He had not paid attention to the changes in this contract scroll over the past few days.
In Saphir's view, even if this young man truly wanted to complete such an extremely difficult quest, he would need a substantial amount of time to prepare.
And he had never really had faith in John.
The fact that the eradication of the Bone Cave was a highest difficulty mercenary quest spoke volumes about its complexity.
Usually, even higher-level gold mercenaries would need ample preparation and collaboration to complete such a quest.
How could this young man before him, all alone, manage to complete this quest?
But the facts were right in front of Saphir, leaving him no choice but to believe.
Saphir suddenly lifted his head, his eyes flickering with a fiery red glow.
He asked, word by word, "Young man, how did you do it?"
John shrugged, nonchalantly answering, "Simple really. I just went straight to the Bone Cave and cleared it out..."
Saphir was momentarily at a loss for words.
Though this Grand Archmage seemed calm on the surface, inside he was already in turmoil.
Simple? How could it be!
The quest details stated that the Bone Cave was occupied by an Undead boss of level 230, with many over-100-level elite minions.
In such a dangerous area, even Saphir, a legendary Grand Archmage, wouldn't dare to say he could march through unscathed.
Who was this young man standing before him?
How could he accomplish this feat so effortlessly?
For a moment, Saphir was at a loss for what to say.
He paced slowly around John, his eyes filled with growing astonishment.
John stood expressionless, letting Saphir's gaze scan him up and down.
If Saphir knew that John had not only cleared the Bone Cave but even slain a level 1100 deity within, he might have fainted on the spot...
After an unknown period of silence, John finally grew a bit impatient.
"I say, the quest is completed, right? Shouldn't you be giving me the reward now?"
John's calm words finally brought Saphir back to reality.
He stared deeply into John's eyes, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, and said with a slightly trembling voice, "Of course, this is the reward you rightfully earned... Give me a moment; I'll have someone bring it to you right away."
Soon, a Mercenary Hall staff member brought a tray holding an exquisite black card, an energy gem, and a small pile of gravel emitting a silvery glow.
Saphir waved his hand, and the tray floated in front of John.
"Young man, these are your spoils of war. Please take them."
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