Chapter 137: Tier 3 Promotion Quest

After parting ways with Xiao Ai and the others, I could still feel the lingering image of Shi Sheng’s impatient back as he turned away, and the stiff, strained expression of Big Bear, who couldn't even bother to feign a polite smile as he hustled Xiao Ai along.

How truly helpless one can be!

In this world, even if I try my best to keep my distance from Xiao Ai, others not only fail to appreciate it but look at me with cold eyes. Well, fine! They never truly regarded me as a friend, so why should I keep fretting over their feelings? It would be laughable to let my relationship with Xiao Ai sour into something awkward just because of two people like them.

With this thought, I gave a self-deprecating smile and headed toward Holtz, who was not far away.

...

In the north of the city!

"Excellent!" My arrival elicited a rare smile from Holtz. "Scavenger Qilin, I am gratified to see you reach the advancement requirements so quickly. As your guide, I believe you will undoubtedly become an outstanding Bow Warrior in the near future! You also have the potential to become an honorable warrior that the Empire can be proud of..."

Holtz paused here, then continued with a faint, solemn smile: "Are you prepared to accept the Tier 3 advancement quest?"

I stared at him in astonishment, feeling that something was off. It was all very strange!

This guy was actually smiling at me. I had always assumed that someone with such a stiff, perpetually serious expression either didn't know what a smile was or had been intentionally designed by the game developers to lack the ability to show one. I never expected him to actually smile.

Holtz was acting very abnormally today. Furthermore, his words sounded strange—all that talk about being a "guide" and an "honorable warrior" left me feeling completely bewildered.

However, the advancement quest had to be done!

After I nodded to signal my readiness, Holtz’s smile remained unchanged: "Good! As the first Bow Warrior to advance to Tier 3 with a 100% compatibility rating, I wish you success in completing your quest in advance!"

"Is there any special reward for being the first Tier 3 Bow Warrior with 100% compatibility?" Hearing him mention the "first" and emphasize the 100% rating again, I immediately realized that Holtz’s unusual behavior might be related to the Tier 3 quest.

As soon as I spoke, Holtz smiled slightly and said: "There is no 'special reward' per se. However, our Knight Empire pays extra attention to warriors with potential and strength. As long as you meet certain conditions, we can provide you with rewards that help you better utilize your talents without hindering your development."

I broke into a cold sweat. What a long-winded way of saying it's a special reward! How contemptible...

However, I gathered some information from Holtz’s words. Warriors with potential and strength likely referred to players like me, who level up quickly and have a 100% compatibility rating. To be even more specific, it likely required being the first player of that class to reach Tier 3. If that were the case, I had certainly chosen the right class. A niche profession like the Bow Warrior, combined with a 100% compatibility rating and being the first to advance, meant I was likely the only one.

When I asked for the specifics of the reward, Holtz shook his head: "That is classified! Only those who meet the criteria and pass the advancement quest are eligible to know the specific details..."

Hearing this, I grew anxious. Damn it, what was I waiting for?

"What are the options for the advancement quest?"

No sooner had I asked than Holtz quickly raised his fingers: "You have three choices! However, due to your compatibility rating... the difficulty will be much greater than that of the Tier 2 quest..."

Hearing this, beads of sweat the size of peas rolled down my forehead! I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes and signaled for him to continue.

"The first is to seek out the 'Undead Mark'. The target is a 'Lost Chamber' that mysteriously vanished within the 'Forgotten Castle'. Your task is to find this chamber, eliminate the 'Undead Archers' left behind by the undead legions from years ago, and bring back the skull inscribed with the 'Undead Mark'."

The quest Holtz described reminded me of the chain quest Falcon had mentioned not long ago... It seemed his quest also involved searching for that legendary, vanished Lost Chamber. If that were the case, judging by the difficulty Holtz described, finding the Lost Chamber wouldn't be easy! There might even be more to it than met the eye.

My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly asked about the level of the Undead Archers.

"Level 35. The Undead Archers are only level 35."

The level Holtz mentioned made my eyes light up, but my expression quickly dimmed. I twitched and asked, "That... are they level 35 mini-bosses? Or level 35 major bosses?"

Holtz was speechless for a long moment before replying with a strange look: "No, the Undead Archers are just standard Tier 3 magical beasts!"

"Level 35? Really?" I stared at him suspiciously. Falcon’s easiest advancement quest had involved dealing with level 35 Demon Stone Statues. How could a quest labeled as "extremely difficult" be as easy as a standard Tier 3 quest?

Under my persistent questioning, Holtz leaked a bit more: "This quest consists of two stages, and neither is easy... you will understand when you actually undertake it... I can only tell you this much! Do you want to hear the second option?"

I refused to give up and kept pressing for more information, but Holtz just deflected with: "I have said all that I can... do you want to hear the second option?"

In the end, I conceded, not immediately accepting this seemingly simple quest. My intuition told me that this multi-stage quest likely hid many dangers I was unaware of. Perhaps listening to the other options to gauge the difficulty would be a better choice.

However...

The second option Holtz gave me almost made me want to climb to the top of the city walls and jump off. I couldn't believe my ears!

Slaying a level 25 "Gale Demon Wolf King"...

Insane! I was going to go crazy! To have such a perverse Tier 3 advancement quest... I was speechless. Everyone knew that dealing with a Demon Wolf King was equivalent to taking on thousands of demon wolves simultaneously. Forcing me to kill a Gale Demon Wolf King? The difficulty was terrifying!

I couldn't accept it!

Holtz seemed to have anticipated that I wouldn't agree, so he didn't pause and immediately stated the final option: "Choose any level 25 boss or level 30 mini-boss yourself. As long as you can secure its experience, the advancement is considered a success."

"..." Amidst his calm voice, I fell silent once more.

Holtz didn't rush me, quietly watching Scavenger Qilin, waiting for his choice.

...

*Hah!*

"The difficulty of a level 25 boss or a level 30 mini-boss—is this the high-difficulty quest for a 100% compatibility class? Isn't the jump in difficulty a bit too much?" I muttered gloomily.

The level 25 Gale Demon Wolf King was out of the question. As for the "Lost Chamber" in the Forgotten Castle, Falcon had told me he’d been searching for days, turning the underground chambers of the castle upside down without finding it. Moreover, the underground chambers were crawling with high-level magical beasts. Tier 3 monsters like "Demon Stone Statues" and "Stone Statue Knights" were still a major threat to Falcon, who had already reached Tier 3. He had been exhausted from running around and searching for days, all for nothing.

Thinking about it, this quest wasn't as easy as it seemed; even finding the chamber was a difficult task in itself. Once inside, it might be exactly as Holtz said—only when facing it personally would I realize how terrifying it truly was.

With that in mind, I ultimately abandoned that choice. Zi Lei had told me that if one were to do the Tier 3 advancement quest within Xuanshuang City, it was best to finish it within a day. If it dragged on, once the Dragon Wolf Knights and the Dark Legion recovered, I might not have the chance to complete the quest in peace. Besides, these mysterious, unknown quests made me feel very uneasy.

...

"Are you certain you choose the last option? To slay any boss above level 25 or any mini-boss above level 30?"

"I am certain!"

"Very well! I look forward to your brilliant performance!"