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Chapter 24.1: Hidden Quest
Chapter 24.1: Hidden Quest
Chapter 24.1: Hidden Quest
Within the dark and damp underground cavern, water droplets cascaded from stalactites, creating a crisp and rhythmic sound as they landed on the ground.
A sudden splash resonated as a skeleton used a gourd ladle to scoop water from the tranquil underground river to fill its iron bucket.
Once half-filled, the skeleton lifted the iron bucket and made its way back to the "herb field."
As it walked, water droplets slid down the exterior of the bucket, splashing onto the sole "herb" within the garden, clusters of human-palm-shaped leaves sprawling across the ground.
In an instant, as if triggered by some hidden switch, these hands—no, these leaves suddenly sprang up, extending long vines and reaching for the water-filled iron bucket menacingly.
The skeleton's sharp eyes and swift reflexes allowed it to swiftly stomp down on the aggressive leaves attacking the bucket.
Then, slightly bending down, the skeleton examined the vines of this "herb," confirming that this particular plant didn't need watering before immediately picking up the bucket and departing.
From a distance, the herb appeared as a unified expanse, but in reality, it was planted in individual clusters. However, the peculiar density of these vine leaves filled most of the gaps between the plants, making it difficult to discern without a closer look.
The skeleton approached a cluster of leaves that appeared no different from the others, but beneath those leaves, the vines seemed slightly withered. Using the gourd ladle, it carefully scooped water, skillfully avoiding the leaves, and poured it at the base of the vines.
However, due to the dense arrangement of the leaves, it was inevitable that some water droplets splashed onto them. Consequently, the previously motionless leaves were activated, dancing in a frenzy…
"Damn it!" The skeleton had no choice but to endure the countless leaves, with thin, elongated tendrils, flailing about like the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara. It slapped away the leaves while persistently continuing to water the base of the vines.
Standing at the exit of the tunnel, Jiang Wei watched in astonishment.
Trembling, he exhaled heavily and reviewed the quest information once again.
As a dedicated and professional gamer, Jiang Wei always paid careful attention to the plot and quest text:
———
[Managing the Herb Field]
Take care of the herb field for the Lord of Taranthan, Yang.
"Great Leaf Vine," an extremely valuable desert herb. The highly active leaves can be processed into a magic powder.
Black Mage Yang obtained the seeds of the Great Leaf Vine during his travels in the desert 80 years ago and planted them in the underground herb field of Exile Town.
Great Leaf Vines are resistant to pests and weeds, requiring no pest control or weeding. During the care of the herb field, attention should be given only to watering. When the surface of the vine shows signs of water deficiency, it should be watered promptly.
Due to the extremely poor water resistance of the Great Leaf Vine leaves, excessive contact with water can easily cause them to rot. Leaves should be avoided as much as possible during watering.
If the leaves rot due to inadvertent contact with water during the watering process, they should be promptly removed to prevent further decay.
If inadequate care is provided during the quest, causing the entire Great Leaf Vine to wither due to water shortage or excessive water on the leaves, all participating players in the [Managing the Herb Field] will have their working hours and reputation points deducted accordingly.
———
The style of introducing the quest was quite ordinary. It described the value of the herb field's plants and provided instructions on how to care for them. While the last condition of the quest was slightly annoying, considering that it was meant to prevent players with grudges from hindering each other during the quest, it was still quite reasonable.
No matter which angle one looked at it, players receiving this quest wouldn't think that it sounded very challenging. There was no need for pest control or weeding, just watering plants. It sounded like a breeze compared to manual labor.
However, no player would have imagined just how troublesome these plants could be until they witnessed it in person…
Jiang Wei once more read through the quest text skeptically. When he looked up, he saw that the water bucket Ou Huang was cautiously hiding behind was being grabbed by countless leaves extending from another Great Leaf Vine. It appeared that those leaves were about to pour water onto themselves. A startled Ou Huang let go of the gourd ladle and fought hard with the leafy hands for the water bucket.
"…This is insane! Great Leaf Vine? More like Big Boss Vine!" Jiang Wei exclaimed in panic. Pressured by the quest condition and fearing the consequences, he couldn't just stand by and watch. He immediately rushed over to help.
With Jiang Wei's assistance, the two finally managed to retrieve the water bucket through their combined efforts.
However, because Ou Huang hadn't been able to gain control in time, about two-fifths of the water in the bucket spilled out and splashed onto a persistent leaf hand clinging to the rim.
It was then that Jiang Wei personally witnessed just how intolerant to water these thirsty leaf hands were.
Even with slightly less than a half cup of water hitting the plump and sturdy leaf hand, it melted away like a foam model doused in sulfuric acid. The "wound" quickly turned into a fluid-like pus that dripped down, while the decaying bit rapidly spread toward the vine connected to the leaf hand.
"What the heck!" Jiang Wei cried out. He wasn't playing the Call of Cthulhu, but he couldn't help but feel his SAN (sanity points) rapidly plummeting!
Fortunately, Ou Huang, who had been grinding the Lord's reputation for several days already, was right beside him. Without any hesitation, Ou Huang grabbed hold of the decaying leaf hand and twisted it off the intact vine, preventing the entire plant from being affected.
The severed leaf hand, strangely enough, seemed to possess a sort of biological nerve response, struggling weakly and writhing until it completely turned into pus…
Jiang Wei: "…"
Jiang Wei silently took a couple of steps back, then a few more.
He regretted it.
He shouldn't have come.
Who cares about this goddamn reputation grind?! Jiang Wei felt he no longer wanted to grind the Lord's reputation; choosing to play as a ranger was just fine…
Ou Huang, who had resolved the crisis, let out a sigh of relief. He glanced at Jiang Wei without saying a word, then picked up the gourd ladle and continued with his task of watering on his own in silence.
His attitude… was as if he never believed from the start that Win By Grinding would have the guts to stay on and become brothers-in-arms in grinding the Lord's reputation. And that was why he couldn't be bothered to waste any time interacting with this quitter.
Jiang Wei: "…"
He suddenly felt that turning around and leaving was akin to admitting defeat.
But if he forced himself to stay and continue this damned quest just for the sake of his pride, Jiang Wei felt that the sacrifice would be way too great, and it really wasn't necessary.
Just as Jiang Wei was hesitating, two players appeared from the underground tunnel, each with an iron bucket. They stepped into this bizarre space with complete innocence.
"There are people already grinding the Lord's reputation… Whoa! What's that?!"
The player leading the way exclaimed when she saw the peculiar plants in the herb field, especially the leafy hands that were thrashing wildly as Ou Huang was doing his watering.
"Holy, i-is this the Great Leaf Vine? The medicinal herbs we are to tend to actually look like this?" Blossoming Strokes was taken aback. "I can't believe it… Our magic instructor, with those thick eyebrows and big eyes, grows these bizarre things in secret?"
Unceasing Entropy, who encountered Blossoming Strokes when she was accepting the reputation quest, was equally weirded out. "While I did consider that the Undead Resurrection Master who revives the undead might be a black mage and that the plants in his field wouldn't be ordinary herbs, this is just too bizarre…"
"Yeah, a black mage resurrecting undead doesn't seem to fit on the side of justice. No matter how you look at it, he seems more like a supervillain conspiring to conquer the world," Blossoming Strokes rambled. "Wait, so what does that make us players? Resurrected minions of the evil black mage?"
"I think so. The healer job that can be obtained after obtaining the required reputation with Lord Yang is called a Dark Prophet. That's totally a far cry from the traditional Priest jobs in other games," said Unceasing Entropy.
Despite their ridicule, the two already had their hearts set on the spellcaster class for the sake of their teammates and play as support. They courageously ventured deeper into the cave, following Ou Huang's example of fetching water from the underground river.