Chapter 16: Adili's Expectations

With the boss defeated, Windfire No Tears stepped forward. Instead of searching for loot right away, he gave Ye Hen a thumbs-up and said, "Ye Hen, thanks to you, we pulled through. Without your help, we'd have been wiped out for sure."

Windfire No Tears wasn't exaggerating. Without Ye Hen's two crucial interventions, they would've faced complete annihilation. Reflecting on his oversight, he realized that from now on, tackling higher-level bosses would require more personnel.

Hearing his words, admiration filled the faces of the other team members. Rumors of Ye Hen's skill hadn't fully convinced everyone before, but witnessing it firsthand left them deeply impressed by his technique and courage.

"No need to be so polite; let's check what loot dropped," Ye Hen said, waving it off. He was eager to see if the boss had dropped any skill books.

Nodding, Windfire No Tears went to examine the boss's corpse. The first item he found was a two-handed greatsword.

Purple Gold Greatsword (Bronze Grade)

Type: Greatsword

Physical Attack: 22–30,

Strength +4

Requirements:

Level 5,

Strength 30,

Warrior class only

"Not bad!" Ye Hen remarked with approval. Even though it was also a bronze-grade weapon, this greatsword's attack power was higher than his Oxhorn Dagger.

Finding a weapon first lifted Windfire No Tears' spirits. He continued and pulled out a pair of leggings.

Leggings of Swiftness (Bronze Grade)

Physical Defense +10,

Magic Defense +6,

Agility +3

Requirements: Level 5,

Agility 15,

usable by Warrior, Swordsman,

Assassin, or Archer classes

A hint of disappointment crossed Windfire No Tears' face. Both items were bronze-grade; silver-grade equipment was indeed rare. With a slight frown, he continued searching. After a moment, he pulled out a skill book with a blue cover—the Assassin's Level 4 skill book, Bone Crush.

"Haha, Ye Hen, you've got some luck! Here!" Windfire No Tears laughed as he traded the skill book to Ye Hen. Even if the skill book hadn't dropped, he would have given Ye Hen some other item as thanks for his contribution.

"Thanks!" Ye Hen grinned, swiftly taking the skill book and absorbing it into a burst of white light.

Bone Crush

Type: Assassin attack skill

Effect: Deals 120% of normal damage,

with a chance to paralyze the target for 3 seconds.

Cost: 10 MP, Cooldown: 30 seconds

Besides the skill book and equipment, the Lizard Boss also dropped five silver coins. Windfire No Tears enthusiastically tried to give Ye Hen two of them, but Ye Hen refused. They had agreed beforehand that, aside from the skill book, everything else from the boss would go to them. Ye Hen prided himself on keeping his word.

Windfire No Tears quickly thought of an alternative and gave Ye Hen five basic instant recovery potions. This time, Ye Hen didn't refuse, as he knew these potions could be lifesavers.

Satisfied, they wrapped up their loot gathering and headed back to Mingsha Town, chatting and laughing along the way.

In town, Ye Hen said his farewells to Windfire No Tears and quickly made his way to his Assassin instructor, Adili's, humble cottage.

Ye Hen paused slightly upon seeing his mentor, the shadowy figure draped entirely in darkness. "Instructor Adili, I've reached a bottleneck with my dagger mastery. Could you help me break through it?"

Adili, who was reclining in a wicker chair, opened his eyes slowly. Sharp glints flashed as he looked at Ye Hen. After a moment, his eyes betrayed a hint of surprise. Rising abruptly, he exclaimed, "You've already reached the intermediate mastery bottleneck? If I'm not mistaken, you only learned dagger mastery yesterday!"

Adili inspected Ye Hen closely. He remembered well that the young man in blue leather armor was one of only three students from the day before to study Assassin skills.

Ye Hen, sensing Adili's astonishment, feigned confusion and asked, "Is something wrong, Instructor?"

"No problem at all—quite the opposite!" Adili's eyes gleamed with pride. Many sought him out to improve their skills, but Ye Hen was the first to reach the intermediate dagger mastery level within just over a day. After a brief pause, Adili smiled mysteriously. "Young man, would you care to hear an old man's ramblings?"

System Message: You have triggered a quest: Adili's Expectations.

Upon hearing the system prompt, Ye Hen quickly responded, "Of course. It would be an honor."

Adili's weathered face softened, showing an expression of approval. He sat back in his chair and solemnly spoke, "We assassins of Loulan are the undisputed kings of the shadows, elite warriors with no regard for life. We are known across the continent. But, sadly, it's been nearly a century since Loulan produced a truly great assassin."

"That truly is unfortunate," Ye Hen said, nodding politely, though he privately held a more indifferent view. It seemed only NPCs held onto these narrow national sentiments. To him, assassins across the continent were all alike; aside from specialization choices at Level 10, there was little difference. In Sword of Dominion, players could only select one race—humans!

"But that's not the worst of it. The ultimate insult happened twenty years ago when an assassin from the Ling Tian Empire infiltrated our royal city and assassinated our revered King Angui and over a hundred generals and ministers before vanishing without a trace. This was nothing less than a heavy slap in the face for us Loulan assassins."

Anger filled Adili's expression, and his dark eyes radiated a fierce, almost tangible killing intent.

Indeed, it was killing intent—something impossible for players in the game but fully possible for NPCs. Ye Hen could feel the very air tense around him. NPCs in the game had strength leagues above players.

"You're absolutely right, Instructor. That assassin from the Ling Tian Empire was truly despicable," Ye Hen replied, steeling himself. If he dared reveal his actual thoughts, he was one hundred percent certain Adili would throw him out, and his chance to upgrade his skills would vanish. While NPCs couldn't kill players, they could refuse service. And until reaching Level 10, players had no choice but to visit towns. Offending Adili would have left Ye Hen with little future.

Seeing Ye Hen's righteous fury, Adili relaxed, then sighed. "It's ultimately our own weakness that's to blame. As a mentor in the Loulan Kingdom, nothing would please me more than seeing the name of Loulan's assassins revered across the continent. Young man, are you willing to fight for the honor of Loulan's assassins?"

System Message: Choose whether to accept the hidden quest Adili's Test.

"Of course!" Ye Hen's heart raced upon hearing the words "hidden quest."

"Good!" Adili slapped the armrest of his chair. "There is a Red-scaled Snake King in the Serpent's Den north of town. Bring back its gallbladder to prove your strength, and I'll reward you handsomely."

TL Note:

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