FULL NOVELXO
Chapter 136: Sandworm Nest
While the casual players of Indahl were working hard to solve Weisshem's financial issues, deep in the Taranthan wilderness near Exile Town, a player team led by Qin Guan was battling.
"Vanilla, are you sure we're going in the right direction? Is there really a mine here?"
Give Me Medicine, an engineer who could only log in after 7 p.m. on workdays, shaded his eyes and surveyed the area. Apart from the desolate rock-strewn stretch, he saw nothing else.
"The direction is definitely right. The mission text from Drama Thirteen said it's 10 kilometers southeast of the town," Qin Guan confidently asserted while looking around. "The description says that there are 'hills all around, with a forest to the east, a river to the south, and rock terrain to the northwest.' We've found the rocky area, so we must be close."
Since the game hadn't introduced a map feature yet, players had to rely on their own navigation skills. Fortunately, the game didn't feature areas with overly complex maps. With clear directional guidance, most quests could be successfully completedif a place as complex as World of Warcraft's Undercity was introduced without a map, players would surely riot.
It was 7:30 p.m. on Earth, but in the game, it was still broad daylight. Give Me Medicine checked the direction of the sun and nodded. "Okay, let's keep going."
Having undertaken two expedition quests before, these veteran players were quite familiar with the conditions in Taranthan. The group didn't stretch out in a vulnerable line but moved forward in a tight formation. During their advance, they skillfully cast Identify toward any potential hiding spots for monstersa mark of experienced players.
Of course, this caution also slowed down the group's movement.
"There's a monster over there!" a player on the periphery suddenly exclaimed excitedly, pointing at a nearby bush. "There's a level-three monster creature lurking in there!"
Surrounding players immediately cast Identify toward the bush:
[Gray Sharp-fanged Snake]
[Lv3]
[A rare low-level monster found in the desert, stealthy and highly venomous.]
[Possible drops: Toxic Crystal (Rare), Intermediate Magic Crystal (Uncommon).]
[Guaranteed drops: Venomous Fang (Uncommon), Grey Snake Skin (Common), Venomous Gland (Uncommon).]
Before the leader, Qin Guan, could signal, the excited players, upon seeing a monster, "zoomed" off, yelling and running toward it.
The poisonous and stealthy Grey Sharp-fanged Snake had natural camouflage and was a nightmare for travelers. However, against these undead, it was like a pig to the slaughter. Its stealth was useless against their identification spells, its venom less threatening than piercing damage.
Combat-oriented players swiftly killed the massive snake as thick as a water barrel, while the more lifestyle class-focused players gathered around with knives and bags, expertly extracting the toxic crystals, fangs, skin, gallbladder, and other materials highlighted by Identify.
Once done, they then buried the foul-smelling pile of snake meat on the spot.
Drama Thirteen had something to attend to and logged out, leaving her two friends, July Snow and August Melon, carrying her bones and following the group. Witnessing the veterans' skillful hunting left the two newbie players with their mouths gaping
"Amazing," July Snow remarked. "I didn't realize how skilled the veterans are until seeing it in person. Don't you think so, Sis?"
July Snow's actual older sister nodded. "It's entirely different compared to raiding MC and Blackwing."
Give Me Medicine's head swelled, flattered by their sincere admiration, and he couldn't help himself from boasting, "It's nothing much. Monsters in the wild might look tough, but they're easier to farm than the ones in Spider Cave. Most are alone, without minions to aid them."
Qin Guan didn't act cool this time and added, "Yeah, it's entirely Spider Cave's fault that newbie players that just start think that monsters in this game are tough. Even veteran teams can get wiped out in Spider Cave if they aren't careful."
A veteran female player chimed in with a chuckle, "You can tell we're experienced because we use these straps to secure our weapons. Learned that the hard way in Spider Cave. At least if you die, you don't lose your weapon."
July Snow immediately approached her. "Sister, where did you get that strap? I didn't see them for sale at NPC shops."
"You can't buy them, you have to trade them off civilian NPCs. You know the Undead Merchant Association canteen, right? In the middle of Life Alley. Exchange a few copper coins for half a pound of rock sugar from the canteen's tool player, and you can find a civilian NPC to trade for a strapOld crap!"
While the veteran female player was generously imparting her knowledge, something suddenly burst out from the sandy grounda pale gray thing, as thick as a thermos flaskramming into her waist and sending her flying several meters.
"The hell?!" Qin Guan's eyes widened in shock.
Give Me Medicine reacted swiftly, his weapon slashing through the air at the unknown creature that had attacked.
"What the hell hit me?" The girl, who was knocked over and covered in dirt, sprang up furiously.
"I didn't get a clear look It retreated already," Qin Guan said, clutching his chest.
"It came out of the ground and was too quick to cast Identify on. Seems like it's out of range now," Give Me Medicine said, scanning the ground nearby. contemporary romance
Other players also crowded over, asking, "What happened? What knocked Fan Fan over?"
The ID of the female player sent flying was "Don't Talk To Me," but because her ID was a chore to call her, those who knew her called her Fan Fan.
Fan Fan was a girl that appeared calm on the surface but fiery deep down. The unprovoked attack had seriously infuriated her, and she looked left and right. Suddenly, she bent down and yanked out a long, ground-hugging vine from the scattered rocks and stabbed it fiercely into the hole where the creature had emerged from.
The players watched as the several-meter-long vine disappeared entirely into the ground
"That's a deep hole!" Fan Fan herself was taken aback.
"What the heck is that thing?" Give Me Medicine, who wasn't afraid of fierce monsters but found the bizarre unnerving, muttered uneasily, "What's going on underground?"
July Snow and August Melon, sisters who were still struggling to even deal with zombie NPCs, clutched each other's hands and slowly backed away.
"Hey, you two, behind" a veteran player suddenly shouted, pointing behind the sisters.
July Snow was momentarily at a loss, but August Melon reacted instantly, whipping her head around.
Before August Melon could make out what was behind her, she felt a sudden force strike her from behind, sending her flying like Fan Fan before. She screamed at the top of her lungs while sailing through the air and rolling on the ground, only stopping when she collided with the crowd.
This time, there were more witnesses, and several players promptly cast Identify:
[Sandworm]
[Lv1]
[Common low-level monster found in the desert wastelands.]
[Possible drops: Pure Magic Residue (Uncommon), Low-grade Magic Residue (Common).]
[Guaranteed drops: Whole Sandworm Meat (Common).]
Players who managed to scan the creature's information were baffled. "Level 1 monster? It's only level one?"
"Aren't there only high-level monsters in the wild? How are there level-one creatures so far from the beginner town?"
Qin Guan uttered an "Uhh" then surveyed the barren sandy land that stretched endlessly. Then he cast Identity toward an area beneath the ground's surface
Whether it was good luck or bad, his random Identify of the underground surprisingly revealed the presence of four Sandworms.
Stunned, Qin Guan quickly shouted, "Anyone whose Identify isn't on cooldown, cast it beneath the surface!"
Players instinctively followed his command.
After a flurry of Identifies, all the players were dumbfounded
"What the f*ck! It's all Sandworms underneath?!"
"Holy crap, I've identified a Sandworm nest 20 meters deep. Disgusting!"
"Eww!"
"Let's get out of here, I'm getting goosebumps!"
This stretch of the wasteland was much larger than the players had anticipated. It took a frantic run of almost three kilometers before they finally cleared the wasteland and entered a hilly area.
Finding an abandoned mining area surrounded by hills and consisting of a few rudimentary mud houses, all the players breathed a sigh of relief.
And upon seeing familiar zombie NPCs standing in front of the mud houses, the players, still grossed out by the Sandworms, even found these hideously ugly zombies somewhat endearing.
"I guess we've finally found the place," Qin Guan remarked, then turned to July Snow, who was carrying bones. "Snow, did Drama Thirteen say when she would be back online?"
"She mentioned she was having a meal with an old friend and would be back online in under two hours," July Snow replied, glancing at the system's display of Earth time. "She should be back soon."
"Let's interact with the NPCs here and see if there's any storyline, then." Qin Guan nodded, leading the way toward the zombie NPC standing at the outskirts of this area.
Identify didn't even need to be used on the zombie NPC due to the green text above its head, which read "Stephen Bernie," indicating that it was a friendly.
As Qin Guan approached, Stephen Bernie stiffly turned his neck, revealing a face full of cyanotic skin reminiscent of Marvel's Red Skull.
"Ah A compatriot?" Stephen spoke with feigned excitement. "Are you from the Pioneer Corp? How is Exile Town now?"
Before Qin Guan could respond, the NPC lamented on his own, "What foolishness am I saying You too have become undead, so Exile Town has fallen, hasn't it?"
"Yes." Qin Guan reluctantly nodded.
"Voss bravely went back to send a message, but it seems he failed Have you seen Voss, compatriot? Has he also been cursed like us?" Stephen expressed sorrowfully.
"Uh He indeed failed. He couldn't bring the message back, and we don't even know what happened to all of you." Qin Guan tried to assimilate into his role. "What about Meri Bowen? Is she with you?"
With the keyword hit, the zombie NPC continued the interaction, "Meri Bowen was separated from us. She ran into the desert alone when she lost control. Please help us find her, compatriot."
Then, the zombie NPC lifted its arm, pointing toward the wasteland from which the players had come.
Players: ""
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