Harry’s Story and a Fateful Recommendation

The two, having just emerged from the cave, were oblivious to the storm they had stirred. They were simply engrossed in discussing the recent plot development.

Lin Shenyue hesitated, then asked, “Does this count as us defeating the final boss?”

Ye Jue felt a bit speechless. If it counted, why had they received no kill rewards? Yet, if it didn’t, they had already reduced the boss to critical health, essentially ensuring its demise.

However, Lin Shenyue seemed to have triggered a special condition, causing the boss to go berserk and enter a narrative mode.

Unbeknownst to them, the official Divine Realm setting dictated that if a healer was present in the party, a special mode would trigger when the boss was near death. Without a healer, the boss would revive once upon reaching critical health, its attack power and HP doubling, making the fight considerably more difficult.

In his previous life, Ye Jue had no knowledge of the secret realm’s mechanics, as no one had ever completed this quest. He could only speculate based on the Level 5 dungeon he had cleared on ‘Hard’ difficulty, which naturally differed from the actual secret realm’s challenge.

Typically, parties included healers, thus usually activating the narrative mode. Once this mode concluded, the secret realm would transform into a standard dungeon.

After waiting outside the dungeon for a while, Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue noticed no sign of the Blacksmith Uncle. They surmised that the blacksmith couldn’t have died inside the dungeon, thus he must have returned.

Lin Shenyue voiced her frustration, “So, we spent nearly an hour just for half a level of experience and some useless equipment?”

Ye Jue also felt quite helpless. The greatest rewards from secret realms usually came at the end, after the boss was defeated, offering substantial loot.

Given their unique situation, however, he wondered if any remaining rewards would even be granted.

Ye Jue turned to Lin Shenyue. “I suspect we’ll need to claim our rewards from the blacksmith. Who knows what he’ll give us?”

“Everything that happened afterward was likely just part of the story.”

He recalled the first expansion pack, realizing that all the signs, right from the starter village, had been hinting at future events.

Lin Shenyue glanced around hesitantly. “Are we on the north side of the village?”

A flicker of surprise crossed Ye Jue’s eyes. ‘Lin Shenyue isn’t lost this time?’

He dismissed the improbable thought and smiled. “Indeed. If you circle around the forest behind the village, you’ll reach the entrance of this cave. It’s deserted now, but it’ll be bustling once this dungeon becomes widely known.”

A smile bloomed on Lin Shenyue’s face as she pointed in a direction. “This is south, right? Should we just cut through the forest to go back?”

Ye Jue couldn’t help but twitch his lips, a wry smile playing on his face. “That’s east. While we do need to go back this way, we should skirt around the forest. The monsters inside are quite troublesome.”

Lin Shenyue’s face flushed crimson with embarrassment and indignation. “I know it’s east! I was just messing with you!”

Seeing Lin Shenyue on the verge of an outburst, Ye Jue wisely chose silence. He calmly turned his head and began leading the way.

Lin Shenyue watched him hastily set off, her silver teeth biting down, but ultimately, she reluctantly followed.

****

By now, players had begun to converge on the ox monster zone, diligently farming oxen, for the prerequisite for the Level 5 dungeon was, in fact, the completion of a Level 5 quest.

With Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue clearing the secret realm, the system had now unlocked the full dungeon system. The dungeon system clearly displayed the dungeon’s location and entry requirements.

This prerequisite caught many by surprise, as they suddenly realized the unassuming Level 5 quest was the key to unlocking it. Many had previously deemed this quest too troublesome, opting instead to farm Level 6 killer bees.

Killer bees were group-aggro monsters with relatively low HP, making them easy to defeat once players reached Level 5 and acquired their second skill. Consequently, some self-proclaimed smart players were now earnestly advising newer players, who were just starting to gather materials, in the Level 5 monster zone.

As Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue passed through the Level 5 monster zone on their way back, they couldn’t help but feel speechless at the dense crowds. They had spent some time in the dungeon, and their efficiency in farming ox horns as a duo wasn’t particularly high.

As a result, their current levels had already been surpassed by some level-grinding fanatics. Yet, all those players were now forced to return and farm ox horns.

Everyone understood the significance of dungeons; their equipment drop rates and experience gains were several times higher than in the open world. Failing to run dungeons would quickly leave them behind.

As Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue passed through the Level 5 monster zone, their noticeably superior equipment garnered countless party invitations. They opted to simply block all team invites, as merely clicking ‘reject’ would have been too bothersome.

Meanwhile, someone in the crowd noticed the distinct appearance of Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue. Their eyes narrowed slightly as they silently committed the duo’s faces to memory, then sent a private message.

Unaware they had been noticed, Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue finally navigated through the dense sea of players and monsters. Since most players were focused on battling creatures, they encountered no trouble.

When Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue arrived at the blacksmith’s shop, it was no longer as deserted as before. Newly Level 5 players were flocking to accept quests.

However, there weren’t many players below Level 5, so while the shop had people, it wasn’t overly crowded.

As Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue stepped inside the blacksmith’s shop, all surrounding players vanished. They had automatically entered a space akin to a parallel instance.

This system prevented an NPC from being swarmed by too many players, making quest acceptance difficult.

The Blacksmith Uncle, his usual robust demeanor replaced by a hint of weakness, spoke, “You’ve arrived.”

Lin Shenyue rushed forward, asking with concern, “Blacksmith Uncle, how are you?”

A faint smile touched the blacksmith’s pale face. “Ah, Yue’er. You both worked hard this time. My mistake almost led you into danger.”

Lin Shenyue quickly replied, “It wasn’t your fault. We never imagined he would do such a thing.”

The blacksmith thought of Kaira, a flicker of sorrow passing through his eyes. He spoke softly, “Little girl, would you be willing to hear my story?”

Lin Shenyue smiled faintly. “Of course, I would.”

The blacksmith delved into his memories. “My full name is Alexander Harry. I was once a Knight of the Church of Light.”

“Over a decade ago, I was gravely wounded while fighting against an invasion by the Church of Darkness. I was close to death then, but Kaira’s parents ultimately saved me, allowing me to live in this village.”

A look of profound sadness crossed the blacksmith’s eyes. “But I never imagined that the people of the Church of Darkness would track my traces here.”

“Kaira’s parents sacrificed themselves to save me, entrusting Kaira to my care before they died.”

“Thanks to the false leads they left before their deaths, I successfully evaded the Church of Darkness’s pursuit. However, I also didn’t wish to return to the Church, as that would mean failing to fulfill Kaira’s parents’ dying wish.”

The blacksmith recalled Kaira from earlier days, a faint smile gracing his lips. “Kaira was still young back then. Though grieving the loss of his parents, he never resented me.”

“To help him grow, I taught him everything I had learned in the Church of Light. Initially, he was eager to learn.”

“But not long after, whether he met someone or simply grew unwilling to continue studying the doctrines of the Church of Light, he began to resist learning anything related to it.”

The blacksmith offered a bitter smile, then continued, “If only I had paid more attention to him back then. But I saw his exceptional talent and was solely focused on raising him to avenge his parents, neglecting his own thoughts.”

“This led to his increasing weariness of the Church of Light’s doctrines. He deluded himself into thinking he could infiltrate the enemy to achieve his revenge, unaware that once one enters the Church of Darkness, their life is no longer their own.”

“You’ve seen the ultimate outcome.”

Lin Shenyue opened her mouth, but in the end, nothing came out.

Blacksmith Harry let out a long sigh, a smile returning to his face. “Thank you for listening to my story. I feel much better after telling it.”

“The magic array Kaira summoned before his death was meant to bring forth an avatar of a Dark God’s subordinate. Due to my intervention, only the avatar of a minor squad leader appeared.”

“Even so, it was not something a single person could contend with. I expended too much power to stop him, and I can no longer offer you assistance. You must rely on your own strength now.”

Lin Shenyue waved her small, fair fists. “Don’t worry, Uncle Harry, we’ll complete the task!”

Harry chuckled, then suddenly slapped his forehead. “Oh, that’s right! These are your rewards. I feel quite bad for making you take such a big risk this time.”

[Ding! Congratulations! You have gained 13,000 experience, 10 silver coins, and a recommendation letter from Harry.]

[Ding! Congratulations! You have gained 10,700 experience, 10 silver coins, and a recommendation letter from Harry.]

Harry smiled faintly. “I don’t have much else to give you. This is a letter of recommendation.”

“You can seek out my old friends, the Great Sage Hynes and Holy Knight Harick. They will provide you with appropriate assistance.”

Ye Jue, who had been a silent listener, was ecstatic upon hearing these words. This letter was far more valuable than any piece of equipment.

Meeting those two figures, who stood at the pinnacle of the game, was almost as impossible as soloing a dungeon on Hell difficulty. However, with this letter, they had gained an immeasurable head start over others.

Lin Shenyue was not a novice gamer; she understood the letter’s significance. She looked at Harry and asked with concern, “Won’t this expose you, Uncle?”

Harry smiled faintly. “My two old friends will understand my intentions.”

Lin Shenyue no longer feigned humility. She bowed deeply. “Thank you. We will deal with that manifested avatar.”

Harry nodded, then turned and walked into the blacksmith’s backyard.