Chapter 14: Patron: The Catastrophe Mage

"Ding~ Welcome to the Otherworld!"

As the system notification rang out, a bright light enveloped Zhang Yue as he descended into the safe zone of Linhai City, known as Doomsday Town.

According to the phone call he'd just received, Zhang Yue had arrived at the Resurrection Spring ahead of schedule.

He had cleared the First World by himself in just over four hours.

But now, Zhang Yue was confident he could guide his wealthy patron through it in under two hours.

Earning 400,000 yuan in two hours—this was a sure bet!

Plus, his pet, the Silver Armored Scorpion, was only two levels away from hitting level 10. This would be the perfect chance to get it there.

As Zhang Yue was contemplating this, he noticed a figure approaching from the direction of the Resurrection Spring.

Draped in a black cloak and shrouded in a dark aura, the figure appeared to be affected by some kind of debuff.

Zhang Yue's instincts immediately kicked in: This must be my 400,000!

"Are you the one who hired me?" Zhang Yue called out to the cloaked figure.

The figure said nothing, merely nodded.

Zhang Yue, without hesitation, continued, "Alright, invite me to the team, and I'll help you complete the World Quest."

Moments later, a team invitation popped up on Zhang Yue's screen—

[Ding~ Player (ID hidden) invites you to join their team.]

Zhang Yue accepted the invite without a second thought and started leading his patron toward the wilderness.

Throughout their journey, the patron remained silent, and Zhang Yue didn't feel the need to strike up a conversation either.

Judging from the patron's slender build and height, roughly around 1.65 meters, Zhang Yue guessed it was likely a female. Then again, there was always the possibility it could be a short, frail man.

But it didn't matter. Zhang Yue only cared about doing the job and getting paid.

Soon, they arrived in the wilderness.

Before them was a level 5 monster zone, where Iron Armored Scorpions roamed amidst the ruins of a city.

Technically, Zhang Yue could take the patron straight to the level 10 boars for faster leveling. However, in the Otherworld, there was a specific rule: any monster five levels higher than a player would suppress them, making it impossible for them to deal even 1 point of forced damage without breaking through the monster's defense.

Although the patron had hidden their ID, their level was visible—level 0.

The level 5 Iron Armored Scorpions were already the highest level monsters they could take on. If the patron couldn't deal at least 1 point of forced damage, even if Zhang Yue left the monsters with 1 HP, they wouldn't be able to land the killing blow.

Most new players at this stage were around level 4 or 5. As a result, this level 5 zone was crowded with adventurers.

Groups of players banded together, beating down the Iron Armored Scorpions. Their damage ranged from 20 to 50 points.

Zhang Yue, with his 260 attack power, was far beyond what was needed to deal with level 5 monsters like the Iron Armored Scorpions.

And with so many people around, it would be easy to draw attention, potentially interfering with his job of power-leveling the patron.

With that in mind, Zhang Yue swapped out his level 8, 2-star [Frost Warden Staff] for the more modest level 0, 1-star [Flame Pioneer Staff].

He also removed his [Glory: Lord's Battle Ring], lowering his attack power from 260 to 163.

Ready to start the task of killing 1,000 monsters and collecting 10 silver coins for the World Quest, Zhang Yue heard a group of nearby players whispering about his patron.

"Look, isn't that the Catastrophe Mage?"

"Sure is! Always in that getup, you can spot her from a mile away. Geez, at least try a new look. How about some black stockings for once? Heh heh..."

"Another one risking their life for money, huh? Probably got blinded by that 300,000 reward. Does this weak little Beast Tamer seriously think he can help her clear the First World?"

Hearing the chatter, the patron instinctively tugged at her cloak and lowered her head.

"Catastrophe Mage?" Zhang Yue turned to his patron and asked, "What's that all about?"

The patron turned her head away, clearly unwilling to answer.

Zhang Yue shrugged. Whatever, he didn't care to know.

He raised his staff, activating Blood Lock Mode (which leaves enemies with 1 HP when fatal damage is dealt), and targeted a nearby level 5 Iron Armored Scorpion.

Boom!

A Super Fireball spell landed squarely on the Iron Armored Scorpion.

-386!

The scorpion, with a total health of 390, was almost instantly defeated, its health dropping to just 1.

The usual burn effect, which would deal 20 damage per second, was reduced to just 3 due to Blood Lock Mode, leaving the scorpion with exactly 1 HP.

"Finish it off," Zhang Yue instructed his patron.

Still stunned by the damage Zhang Yue had dealt, the patron hesitated for a moment before raising her staff.

Boom!

A simple spell hit the nearly defeated scorpion, dealing exactly 1 point of forced damage and finishing it off.

In the Otherworld, when two players are in a party, each player receives 80% of the experience, with the one landing the final blow gaining an additional 20%.

In this case, the patron earned the full 100% of the experience—15 points.

To level up from 0 to 1 requires 100 experience points, and the patron's experience bar surged forward.

As for Zhang Yue? His experience gain was negligible, as the system only awards 1 point of experience for killing monsters below one's own level.

The nearby adventurers were left in shock, their jaws practically on the ground.

"How is his damage so high?"

"This guy... he's a hidden expert!"

"It doesn't matter. Didn't a level 10 rare-class warrior try to help that Catastrophe Mage last year? And remember how miserably he died? It even made the headlines If this guy doesn't wise up, he's headed for the same fate."

Ignoring the gossip around him, Zhang Yue locked onto another Iron Armored Scorpion.

Super Ice Spike!

Crash!

-389 Critical!

Once again, the scorpion was left with just 1 HP, and the patron easily delivered the final blow.

With Zhang Yue's help, the scorpions were swiftly slaughtered one by one.

Within minutes, the patron had leveled up to 1.

And then, more golden flashes followed.

Level 2!

Level 3!

Level 4!

In less than ten minutes, the patron had reached level 5.

Around them, the other adventurers watched in disbelief as the patron soared through the levels in no time, their faces betraying their confusion.

Seeing that Zhang Yue was clearly a big deal, a few of the adventurers tried to cozy up to him, hoping to join forces. But they were all swiftly and coldly rebuffed.

When the patron hit level 5, Zhang Yue thought to himself, "Alright, time to move on to the level 10 zone."

He was about to lead the patron to the Frenzy Forest to hunt wild boars when he suddenly heard a faint noise behind him.

Turning around, he saw an Iron Armored Scorpion charging straight at the patron.

With his agility stat maxed at 31 points, Zhang Yue darted forward, tackling the patron to the ground just in time to dodge the scorpion's attack. As he spun around, he cast another Fireball spell, killing the scorpion instantly.

As Zhang Yue got to his feet, the patron remained on the ground, seemingly in shock.

For some reason, Zhang Yue's action had stirred something within her.

"Get up. Let's go," Zhang Yue said, snapping the patron out of her daze.

She scrambled to her feet and hurried after him.

As they continued toward Frenzy Forest, the two maintained their silence. Zhang Yue glanced at the patron, who was still walking quietly behind him.

"Hey 400,000, how old are you?" he asked, using the nickname he'd given her based on the amount she'd paid him.

The patron didn't respond. She simply held up two slender fingers and then raised one more.

"Twenty-one?" Zhang Yue asked in confusion. "Everyone awakens their class at 18. Shouldn't you have entered the Otherworld three years ago? How are you still level 0?"

At that moment, the patron stopped in her tracks.

Zhang Yue turned around. "What's wrong?"

A soft, hesitant voice emerged from beneath the cloak: "You... you should leave. I don't want you to help me anymore."

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