Harick’s Trial

Despite her playful jabs about Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze’s skill, Xu Linglong knew deep down that his abilities far surpassed hers. After all, it was her first foray into an online game, and even with her real-world martial arts expertise, the game’s data limitations inevitably restricted her in-game performance.

Her keen eye allowed her to clearly see that Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze had simply performed his duties in the previous dungeon run, never once doing anything extraneous. Some might argue that in a team, everyone has their specific roles and should not meddle in others’ affairs.

Yet, this was not entirely true. Every individual’s contribution within a team was vital; if everyone could perfectly execute their given tasks, dungeon challenges would cease to be difficult. Often, however, mages would inadvertently steal kills from warriors, or healers would momentarily daze, leading to delayed healing—none of which constituted performing one’s role effectively.

Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze, on the other hand, had fulfilled his task with absolute perfection. From his fluid, unhurried movements, it was evident he had held back some of his true strength. Even so, he had secured the top spot in damage output and ranked second in aggro within their team. While others might have overlooked this, Xu Linglong certainly had not.

****

Indeed, with both of them giving their all, even as a duo and not the most suitable warrior-healer combination for the novice stage, they ultimately cleared the difficult dungeon with considerable effort.

Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze watched Xu Linglong guzzle intermediate potions as if they were water, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “Where did you get so much money?”

He knew they were among the later players to join the game. Aside from the unique quests in each novice village, most other unique quests were already scarce, naturally reducing the available rewards. Moreover, it was only their first day in the game, so their funds were bound to be limited. The intermediate potions Xu Linglong was using cost 50 copper each—a significant expense for players who collectively possessed less than 5 silver.

Xu Linglong looked puzzled upon hearing him. “Is this very valuable? My best friend gave me a hundred bottles. I thought they weren’t worth much.”

Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze was speechless. He could already surmise that this woman’s best friend was likely a god-tier player in the game. To his knowledge, no player, outside of the major guilds, would freely give away so many intermediate potions at this stage.

“Hurry up and finish the last run, then let’s go level up,” Xu Linglong urged. “I haven’t seen her in ages; I’m really anxious.”

Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze nodded. After exiting the dungeon with Xu Linglong, they completed their third run.

****

While Xu Linglong dedicated herself to leveling up, eager to reunite with Lin Shenyue, Lin Shenyue herself had already refined another 150 intermediate potions. Having become quite adept, she now watched real-world news as she concocted, a process that, while slightly less efficient, at least kept boredom at bay.

Perhaps due to her parents’ busy work schedules and their preoccupation with finding a solution for her game pod’s unadjustable pain sensitivity, Lin Shenyue hadn’t seen her father or mother come looking for her. This, however, provided her with much-needed time for self-adjustment. After all, having a completely different set of parents appear out of nowhere was still something she hadn’t fully adapted to.

As she drifted in thought, Ye Jue came online. He didn’t disturb Lin Shenyue, opting instead to focus on completing the prerequisite quests for his hidden class. A significant reason for the difficulty in acquiring hidden classes was the rarity of encountering their respective NPCs. However, the letter given to him by The Blacksmith, Harick, though not from the NPC of his intended class, indicated a strong relationship between them. He believed he could meet his class instructor through Harick. With their connection, Harick surely wouldn’t refuse Ye Jue as a disciple, though the difficulty of the quests themselves remained high.

Ye Jue took a deep breath and headed towards the church. The church was not only home to the Priest instructors but also many Paladin instructors. However, Paladins were not a common class, nor were they considered hidden, so few people knew about them in the early stages.

He walked directly past the main hall, continuing further inside, only to be stopped halfway. “Who are you? Unauthorized personnel are forbidden entry.”

The person who blocked Ye Jue was the small队长 of a guard squad. “Respected Knight, I have been entrusted with a letter to visit Sir Harick. This is it.”

The small captain’s expression changed upon seeing the letter. He quickly said, “Please wait a moment,” before rushing inside with the letter.

Less than two minutes later, the small captain returned. “Sir Harick invites you in. The tallest palace is the one.”

Ye Jue nodded in understanding, thanked him, and proceeded towards his destination. As he reached the entrance, his vision blurred, and he found himself already inside the hall.

A middle-aged man clad in armor appeared directly before Ye Jue. Had Ye Jue not been prepared, he might have been startled.

This middle-aged man was Harick. As Harick’s old friend, he was deeply concerned about Harick’s current whereabouts, having received no news for so long. However, Harick’s letter merely stated that he was doing well and not to worry, and asked him to look after Peerless Karma Fire. Thus, Harick urgently inquired, “How is Harick doing now?”

Ye Jue pondered for a moment before deciding to tell the truth. “Uncle Harick sustained a minor injury some time ago while attempting to disrupt the demon race’s teleportation, but it’s nothing serious.”

Harick’s brow furrowed. “The demon race has been rather brazen lately, extending their reach too far.”

“Not only that, we also discovered a gigantic teleportation array outside the city,” Ye Jue seized the opportunity to add.

Harick’s face changed. “Are you serious? A giant teleportation array really appeared outside the city? How strong are the defenses?”

Ye Jue answered truthfully, “Very weak, only slightly stronger than me.”

Harick frowned upon hearing this. “That place is likely just a feint by the demon race. We need to find out where they’ve truly established another teleportation array.”

Ye Jue felt a touch of helplessness. For NPCs, someone of his strength could easily wipe out an entire group, so Harick naturally wouldn’t believe that location was truly a demon teleportation array. Of course, this was also part of the system’s design; otherwise, what would be left for players if these god-tier NPCs intervened? Furthermore, a future event would see all high-level NPCs depart, also a necessity for the unfolding storyline.

Ye Jue simply remained silent. After Harick inquired further about Harick’s condition, he finally turned to the main topic. “Harick asked me to guide you, but I see you’ve already specialized as a Shield Warrior. I’m afraid I can’t help you there.”

After a moment’s thought, Ye Jue stated directly, “I wish to become a Blood Warrior.”

Harick’s brow furrowed, his expression turning serious. “Where did you hear about that class?”

Ye Jue had already prepared his answer. “Uncle Harick once spoke to me about this class, expressing great nostalgia for a friend of his. He said that if I ever had the chance, I should try to see if I was suited for it.”

Harick looked at him, pondering for a long while, and finally said, “I can give you this opportunity, but your success depends entirely on yourself. First, you need to acquire the blood of at least a Purple Gold-tier BOSS. The rarer the blood, the higher your chances of obtaining the class. Come back to me once you’ve completed this.”

[Ding! Do you accept the quest: Harick’s Trial (One)?] “Yes.”

Harick nodded after Ye Jue accepted. “Go and complete it. I must quickly find the Archpriest to clarify the situation and initiate action against the demon race.”

Ye Jue bowed respectfully before departing.

Harick watched Ye Jue’s retreating figure, his eyes gradually deepening.