“Blerrgh—
No, no, this is too embarrassing. How could I say something so cringe-worthy?
I thought that at this moment, as the male protagonist, I should say something cool. But instead, I ended up spouting such a clichéd line.
This shame feels like reading my middle school emo diary aloud in front of my college classmates. Yang Yu wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
Suppressing his inner turmoil and trying not to let the awkwardness show, Yang Yu waited for Bai Jin’s response. However, Bai Jin just hugged her staff and sat still in her chair.
Come on, girl, say something! If you don’t, I’ll be the only one feeling awkward here.
“Accompanying you on your adventure, can that be considered the price I have to pay?” Bai Jin suddenly spoke, to Yang Yu’s great surprise.
“You could see it that way. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to ensure your safety. After all, you’re my partner.”
“Alright.” Bai Jin swayed as she stood up and extended her hand to shake Yang Yu’s firmly. “I hope you won’t break your promise.”
Compared to Yang Yu’s large hand, Bai Jin’s hand was small and, perhaps due to her long illness, frighteningly thin, just skin and bones, very white. Yet it was warm, with a faint pulse, as if she were truly alive.
Bai Jin smiled, but this time, unlike her usual creepy smile, it was genuine, coming from deep within her heart.
“Aha, going on adventures? I’m really looking forward to it. What kind of creatures will we encounter? What kinds of people will we meet? There will surely be many suitable for making potions or serving as test subjects for my curse magic.”
She really hasn’t changed at all.
After convincing Bai Jin, Yang Yu explained the task’s details. Instead of going through the official auction house channels, they would infiltrate the research facility directly. Bai Jin was surprised and somewhat resistant, but relaxed upon hearing that the Silver Orchid Trading Company might be colluding with another country.
You, a curse mage, have more sense of justice than I do, Yang Yu thought, commenting that she was really not cut out to be a curse mage.
“That’s all for our mission. It’s risky, so they want us to lay low in another city for a while after completing it. That’s when our journey will officially begin. Pack everything you need. We’ll act this weekend. Follow my orders. Understand?”
“Some parts weren’t clear. To ensure we complete the mission and get the potion, can you go over the requirements and steps again…?”
“That’s not a problem. If you still can’t remember, just stay quiet and follow me…”
“Don’t worry. I just want to make sure nothing is overlooked.”
…
Time passed, and the day of action finally arrived.
At the Adventurers’ Guild, Yang Yu met with Terra, selecting the skills he wanted from the scrolls Terra brought.
Initially, Yang Yu thought the Giant Umbrella Trading Company was just a small outfit and wouldn’t have any great skill scrolls. To his surprise, they had many highly useful skills, making it hard for Yang Yu to choose just one.
After much deliberation, Yang Yu made his choice. “I’ll take these two.”
The first skill, [Impenetrable Fortress], reduces damage taken by 20% for 20 seconds.
The second skill, [Iron Body], increases both resistances by 10% and maximum health by 20% for 10 seconds.
With these two skills, Yang Yu’s tankiness would significantly increase, making him more like a proper defensive warrior.
He had always focused on endurance, with a secondary emphasis on speed, effectively turning his defensive warrior into a tanky assassin. Avoiding damage through evasion still made him a tank, after all.
Unfortunately, Yang Yu didn’t know how long this approach would last.
The game had just started, and the monsters he encountered were still basic. Speed alone was sufficient for now, but who knows what kinds of creatures awaited him in the later stages?
Against a dragon’s wide-range fiery breath, he wasn’t confident in dodging. Facing bosses with binding abilities or those that drastically reduced speed, his high-speed but low-other-attribute build would be a liability.
So, he had to commit to the defensive warrior path.
Yang Yu’s calm selection of two skills left Terra somewhat helpless. “You can only choose one skill.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll complete the mission better than you expect. By then, you’ll give me another skill scroll.”
Yang Yu smiled meaningfully, making Terra more convinced that this young man was extraordinary.
Rare skill scrolls were valuable, and even the Giant Umbrella Trading Company wouldn’t easily give out two as rewards. However, if he overperformed, the company might reward him further to win him over.
Could it be that he had some unknown secret intelligence on the Silver Orchid Trading Company?
Haha—no way… No matter how outstanding, a young man couldn’t easily uncover what the Giant Umbrella Trading Company couldn’t.
Silencing his thoughts, Terra laughed, “If you do better than expected, another scroll wouldn’t be out of the question. Don’t forget the handoff location. When you get there, double-check the route to avoid getting lost.”
“Everything will go smoothly.”
Yang Yu waved, then took Bai Jin to board a carriage, leaving Rhodes City.
Their destination was Chuanyang City, just half a day’s journey from the Adventurers’ Guild in Rhodes Town.
The Adventurers’ Guild often received commissions from Chuanyang City, ranging from finding various items to temporary tasks helping maintain city order.
Bai Jin had taken on such tasks multiple times and was quite familiar with the city, making her the perfect guide.
By noon, under the blazing sun, they paid the toll and passed through the checkpoint, entering Chuanyang City. The bustling streets were filled with people and traffic, lined with shops of all sizes.
After parking the carriage and casually checking the mission handoff point, Yang Yu followed Bai Jin to an unnamed alley, where a man in an orange-red mask was waiting.
His hair was white, his fingers gnarled, and his white beard peeked out from behind the mask.
“Has the company run out of people?”
Yang Yu muttered, surprised that such an old man was their contact.
“I heard everything you just said.” The old man, hunched over, spoke in a flat tone, devoid of any emotion, “Why did you say that?”
Caught off guard, Yang Yu smiled awkwardly. He was about to remark on the company’s lack of respect for elders but then checked his panel.
Oh, damn, this is the company president himself!
He had just insulted the company, claiming they had no staff. That could definitely get him into trouble.
Left with no choice, Yang Yu forced a smile and said, “No reason. I just didn’t expect the president of the Giant Umbrella Trading Company to personally welcome us.”