Accepting the Mission

After leaving Phucloc Town for half a day, Darius Noctis pulled over to the side of the road to check the map given to him by Zentharis Lam. He stared at it for a long while but couldn't make any sense of it, so he handed it over for Annoying As Shit to scan.

[Updating detailed map. Device owner, please spread out the map so the system can proceed with scanning!]

Hearing this, Darius Noctis tossed his phone onto the truck, then jumped down to the ground, trying to spread the map wide open. The map was quite large, made of oxhide, and the wind wasn't making things any easier—he struggled for a while but still couldn't lay it flat.

"What are you all staring at? Get over here and hold this thing down!" – Darius Noctis glared at his two pets and Fat Luu, who were busy staring at the truck's wheels.

Somehow, the two animals understood his words. Meow lazily lifted its rear and sat on one corner. Woof sprawled out on another, ears drooping, too afraid to get too close to Meow in case it got smacked. The last corner was held down by Fat Luu. With his weight, even a storm wouldn't be able to blow the oxhide away.

Once everything was secured, Darius Noctis pointed his phone's camera at the map.

"This is how you do it, right? Go ahead and scan."

[Annoying As Shit has already completed the scan… a long time ago.]

"?"

[Annoying As Shit attempted to notify the device owner, but the device owner left the phone inside the vehicle. The system has a built-in scanner located on the side of the truck, capable of scanning within a 100-meter radius without using the camera. The device owner didn't need to go through all this trouble. That oxhide map can be discarded now.]

[The device owner should improve their knowledge of technology. The era of image-based scanning is long outdated. Annoying As Shit has thoughtfully prepared an introductory tech guide designed for elderly individuals.]

"F*ck…!" – Darius Noctis couldn't help but curse.

After struggling for half a day, the scan had been completed ages ago? If the system hated him, couldn't it at least pretend to scan first and then tell him? At least give a guy some sense of accomplishment!

"Alright, we're done here. Get in the truck, everyone back to their places. Move it!"

Darius Noctis walked over and kicked Fat Luu in the rear, waving his hand to shoo Woof and Meow back into their compartments.

This damn system was Annoying As Shit, truly annoying as hell. He despised technology because of garbage like this. Convenience for humans? More like pure frustration.

Fuming with nowhere to vent his anger, Darius Noctis ripped off the tempered glass screen protector from his phone and threw it onto the ground. His phone instantly looked brand new again. Whether the screen was scratched or not, he didn't care anymore.

Just then, Fat Luu noticed.

He quickly rushed over, picked up the discarded glass as if it were a priceless treasure, and carefully wrapped it in a cloth his little sister had recently bought. He then tucked it securely into his shirt with great reverence.

**[Annoying As Shit reporting: Based on the uploaded map, the system has integrated it with the device owner's existing maps to generate the current world map.

Known territories on the map:

• Lupterna

• Cauding Kingdom

• Golden Eagle Kingdom

• Giant Dragon Kingdom

• Bachoa Kingdom

• Women's Kingdom

• Eastern Great South Empire.]**

"What? Women's Kingdom… Fat Luu, Fat Luu, do you know anything about the Women's Kingdom? Ever been there?"

Reading the newly updated map inside the truck, Darius Noctis casually patted Fat Luu on the shoulder.

"Ack—!"

The sudden pat caused the tempered glass he had been holding to shatter completely. Pieces of it rained down onto the floor.

He had just taken it out to admire it for a bit… and now it was gone.

His precious treasure—why?!

But the one who caused it was his boss. Even if he had ten lives, he wouldn't dare to complain. If he got kicked off the truck, his little sister would kill him.

"Clean it up. Broken glass in the truck is dangerous. Hurry up, why are you even keeping that useless thing?"

"Hurk…"

Fat Luu cried a river of tears.

It had been so difficult for him to obtain this precious artifact for research. Sure, there was glass all over the truck, but none of it could be removed for study. Only this discarded piece had been within his reach, like a rare treasure.

He had held onto it for 26 minutes.

His treasure had lived in his hands for 26 minutes.

The concept of minutes was something he had just learned that morning while staring at the digital timer near the truck's dashboard.

"You really don't know anything about the Women's Kingdom?" – Darius Noctis asked again while handing him a small broom.

"No… I've never been to the Women's Kingdom. To be honest, I've never even set foot in a major city."

As he spoke, Fat Luu carefully gathered up the shattered glass fragments, already considering whether he could try melting them down. Would they liquefy? Or just burn to a crisp?

Of course, later on, Fat Luu did try melting down his treasure—only to completely incinerate it.

First, there wasn't enough material. Second, he had no idea what temperature glass melted at.

"Brother Noctis, are you interested in the Women's Kingdom? Why don't we head there? I've never seen it before either. They say everyone in the Women's Kingdom is a beauty…"

"Forget it!"

Fat Luu was just about to ramble on about the Women's Kingdom when Darius Noctis immediately doused him with a bucket of cold water.

On the map, the Women's Kingdom was located in the north, while Lupterna was in the south. Separating the two was the Eastern Great South Empire—an unbelievably vast territory. To reach the Women's Kingdom, one would have to cross this empire.

It was a long journey. Darius Noctis was only mildly curious—there was no way he would travel that far just out of curiosity. Moreover, the Empire had a notorious reputation among the people of Phucloc Town.

In truth, he wasn't that interested. It was just that… at his age, he still didn't have a wife. A small part of him held onto the hope that if he went there, maybe—just maybe—he could marry someone.

Looking at Fat Luu, he appeared just as old as Darius Noctis. But in reality, that was only because of his bulky physique, scruffy beard, and messy hair, which made him look older than he was. Add in his round belly, and it was no wonder he earned the nickname Fat Luu.

And his actual age? Eighteen.

Eighteen years old.

Was this world insane? Or was Darius Noctis the one losing his mind?

How was an eighteen-year-old looking as old as someone in their thirties? Hao Trinh was already aging, but Fat Luu looked even older.

Fat Luu must have destroyed the world in his past life. That's the only reason he'd be born looking this terrifying in this life.

But Darius Noctis forgot one thing—if he looked in the mirror, he'd realize his own face looked even more rugged and aged than Fat Luu's. The only difference was that his hair was a little neater.

[Ding!]

[New mission alert!]

[Tap to view mission details.]

Just as Darius Noctis was rolling up the oxhide, Annoying As Shit's notification chimed.

He pressed the button, and the following message appeared:

________________________________________

[Main Quest]

Mission Name: Sell Noodle Soup in Yenviet Village

Objective: Sell 100 bowls of noodle soup to the villagers of Yenviet Village.

Progress: 0/100

Reward: Martial Arts Manual Chest

Difficulty: Purple

[Martial Arts Manual Chest: Upon opening, the device owner will randomly receive one Purple-grade martial arts manual.]

________________________________________

[Additional Information from Annoying As Shit:]

This mission is crucial to the device owner's survival, as evaluated by the system.

Since the device owner lacks overwhelming strength to survive in this world, completing the mission is necessary.

The system has determined that this mission is difficult to complete.

However, since this is the device owner's first Purple-ranked mission, there will be no penalty for failure. The device owner is strongly advised to complete this task.

According to Annoying As Shit's calculations, the device owner may face fatal consequences if this mission is ignored.

________________________________________

[Warning:]

The only nearby settlement is Yenviet Village, located up ahead.

This village does not belong to Lupterna or the Eastern Great South Empire.

Positioned between the two nations, it holds high military strategic importance, according to Annoying As Shit's analysis.

Because of its unique location, the surrounding areas are teeming with dangerous beasts and mystical creatures.

The safest route to Yenviet Village is through Phucloc Town, following a designated trail.

Distance remaining: 391 km.

Recommendation: The device owner should depart immediately.

Nightfall will bring extreme danger in this region. The device owner must reach Yenviet Village before dark.

________________________________________

[Annoying As Shit has a question.]

Why did the device owner choose to head north toward Yenviet Village instead of traveling south toward the center of Lupterna, thereby increasing the difficulty of the journey?

The system is unable to analyze this behavior. Can the device owner provide an explanation? Is this a deliberate decision or a spontaneous act?

________________________________________

Hearing this, Darius Noctis's face darkened.

Of course, he couldn't answer that.

He couldn't just admit that he had hurriedly left town without checking the map properly. He figured he could just head out and adjust his direction later.

It was a mistake, alright?!

He only realized he was heading toward Yenviet Village after the map synced with the system.

On both sides of the road were vast grasslands and dense forests—there were no proper paths to follow. Beyond the plains lay primeval forests filled with wild beasts.

Turning back to Phucloc Town would be humiliating.

What kind of traveler would admit to getting completely lost?

A bunch of people had already asked him where he was heading next. Since he had no idea, he pretended to be mysterious and avoided answering. He definitely didn't ask for directions.

Now look at him—his cover was blown.

But on the bright side, at least this was a Purple-ranked mission.

It sounded difficult, but judging from Annoying As Shit's explanation, it seemed doable.

Probably not life-threatening.

Ignoring the mission, though? That would be life-threatening.

________________________________________

"Yenviet Village, you guys are my saviors! Please, don't turn your noses up at my noodle soup, alright?" – Darius Noctis silently prayed.

However, he still didn't fully understand how the difficulty system worked.

Did the system categorize missions by color? What exactly did the difficulty levels mean?

Thinking this, Darius Noctis asked:

"Annoying As Shit, what are the different difficulty levels for missions?"

________________________________________

[Mission difficulties are categorized based on the device owner's current capabilities.]

[Mission difficulty rankings:]

• White

• Green

• Blue

• Purple

• Pink

• Orange

• Red

• Yellow

• Golden

• Platinum

• Peerless

________________________________________

[Note:] Higher-ranked missions may be downgraded if the device owner surpasses the required level of ability.

For example, a Purple-ranked mission that is difficult for the device owner now may later be categorized as a lower rank once the device owner becomes stronger.