Chapter 16: The Elite Racing Team, a Ten-Thousand Fare!

Moonset Town.

Through the攻略 painstakingly forged over a century by countless predecessors who gave their lives, Lu Ming accepted a quest from the town mayor, Alovis—a task reputed to be the most challenging in the entire newbie zone.

According to records, over 99% of the quests in the newbie zones have a difficulty rating generally not exceeding 100.

However, the quest Lu Ming received was the only one with a three-digit difficulty rating, ranking first on the Moonset Town task leaderboard in newbie zone #1947, with a difficulty more than twice that of the second place—a so-called "devil" of a mission—

【The Slayer】 (Standard Quest)
【Difficulty Index: 200】
【Description: Eight years ago, the elite unit known as The Slayer from Moonset Town was wiped out by a formidable force while on an expedition to purge the Dark Clan’s forbidden domain. Not a single one of the hundred warriors survived. Since then, the forbidden land has been called the Burial Grounds. Players are tasked to venture into the Burial Grounds, slay 50 Dark Skeletons (0/50), inherit the will of The Slayer squad, and quell the disaster plaguing the Burial Grounds…】
【Quest Duration: 10 hours】
【Rewards: 1000 XP, 80 copper coins, one basic equipment piece, and a very small chance of a grade-F skill scroll】
【Note: Each player may claim the reward only once in their lifetime. Failure to complete the quest within the allotted time will result in death penalty.】

The rewards far exceeded those of other newbie zone quests; even the first-tier reward was nearly equivalent to the tenth-tier rewards of many other tasks!

Yet, due to the ominous note, countless players were hesitant to accept this immensely valuable quest.

Most players dared only to attempt one or two tiers before quickly backing out.

On the market, the price to have someone carry you through this quest was already 500 for just the first tier.

Lu Ming thought: since he had to grind this quest anyway, why not seize the opportunity to make a fortune?

Having just repaid Lin Youwei’s five thousand debt, Lu Ming was left with only a few hundred coins.

He desperately needed money.

So he first checked the market rates.

He found that professional teams specializing in The Slayer quest charged roughly 500 per person for first-tier carry; 800 for second-tier; 1200 for third; 1600 for fourth; 2500 for fifth; and so on. By the tenth tier, the fee reached 15,000 per person!

Thus, Lu Ming posted on the exclusive forum for Moonset Town in newbie zone #1947, boldly paying 300 coins for a ten-minute pinned post.

It read:

【Recruiting for The Slayer quest tenth-tier guaranteed carry team. Single fee 10,000. Four slots available, first come, first served!】

The pinned post instantly stirred a wave of attention.

Soon, numerous comments flooded in.

A user complained, "Only 10,000 for the tenth tier? Is your team reliable? Are you a scammer?"

Another said, "Show us your character panel to prove your strength!"

One skeptical user nicknamed KunGe remarked, "There must be a catch! Why would other teams charge 15,000 and need four carries plus one to barely clear the tenth tier, yet you want to do it with one leader and four followers for only 10,000?"

Seeing the buzz, Lu Ming promptly replied as the original poster: "Pay after the quest is cleared. No success, no charge."

Sure enough, that statement immediately brought in many private messages from eager players wanting to join.

After all, paying upon arrival meant they could jump off midway if things went south without losing anything.

And if they truly cleared the tenth tier, saving five thousand coins was a tempting prospect.

Lu Ming selected four players in order of arrival and sent them the meeting spot.

Before they arrived, he purchased a mask from the shop.

In the Tianyuan world, many players wore masks to conceal their identities.

Though ordinary masks offered no attribute bonuses, stylish and handsome ones enhanced a player's aura, becoming a popular trend.

Lu Ming needed to earn money but couldn't afford to draw too much attention.

Besides, if he accidentally aroused Ye Chen's suspicions, it would jeopardize his revenge plan.

About ten minutes later, four players showed up: three men and one woman.

The men—a rogue, an archer, and a priest; the woman, a mage.

All were level eight, and their clear eyes hinted they were newcomers from well-off families.

Without hesitation, Lu Ming created the party.

Just as he was about to invite them, the rogue youth, Wu Liuqi, challenged him, "Hey man, how can an eight-level illusionist lead us through The Slayer quest's tenth tier?"

The archer, Shooting the Sky, looked at Lu Ming in disbelief. "Honestly, before coming, I speculated many possibilities about you—maybe a pro from a top guild, or a high-level lone wolf with great gear and stats. But you..." He gestured at Lu Ming's plain appearance and incomplete equipment.

The chubby priest, Big Wave Dad, also doubted, "You're a scammer, right?"

Before Lu Ming could respond, the only mage, Qing Yan, broke the mold and said, "I believe in you!"

As she spoke, Qing Yan accepted the Slayer quest from Mayor Alovis and volunteered to join the team.

Lu Ming couldn’t help but take note of this unique girl.

Though her face was hidden behind a tanuki mask, the pure white mage robes and waist-length silky hair revealed an extraordinary presence, like a princess from an ancient great kingdom stepped out of a painting.

One couldn’t help but imagine an exquisitely stunning face beneath the mask.

When Lu Ming met Qing Yan’s eyes, an inexplicable sense of familiarity stirred within him.

This wasn’t the memory of someone close but rather a recently seen pair of eyes among the people he'd met.

As Lu Ming pondered where he had seen those eyes before, Qing Yan smiled warmly and said, "Let’s begin."

Lu Ming nodded, "Alright."

Though still skeptical, the other three accepted the quest and joined the team.

After all, appearances can be deceiving.

Perhaps this illusionist truly had something special.

Maybe beneath his ordinary exterior lay a four- or five-star top-tier account.

Thus, the five-person squad set out from Moonset Town.

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the quest location: the level 9–10 wild zone, Burial Grounds.

Ahead lay a vast burial mound, like a chaotic mass grave.

The ground was littered with stark white human bones and severed limbs.

Before entering, a strong stench of decaying corpses assaulted their senses.

All around, an intense aura of death permeated the air.

Above, the sky was shrouded in dense black clouds, casting a sinister gloom.

At this moment, several five-person teams were already pushing through the area.

Most were arranged as four carries and one low-level player or three carries and two low-level players.

Each team usually had three to four high-level players around levels 15 or 16, along with one or two level 8 or 9 newcomers.

Without experienced players leading, low-level novices alone could not clear this quest.

Lu Ming stepped into the Burial Grounds first.

While the three youths hesitated behind, mage Qing Yan followed resolutely.

Suddenly, a dried skeletal arm burst from the soil ahead.

Then, a fully bony skeleton, completely devoid of flesh, sprang from the ground, locking onto its target.

With a swift draw, Lu Ming unsheathed his sword.

The battle had begun.