God Level Mission (2)

Player Identity Binding...

The system began its randomized draw of Dawei's identity number. There was a rare chance to receive a hidden reward from a special identity ID—so far, only three players in the world had drawn those god-tier bonuses.

Dawei wasn't one of them.

Figures. Great fortune never picked his number.

He skipped naming his character. The system-generated name was bland and unimpressive: Burdock.

What kind of name is that? he muttered, already lighting a cigarette. But he didn't bother to change it. After a month since release, all the good names had long been snatched up. Besides, names didn't determine strength. Skill did.

A white light enveloped him, and the next second, Dawei materialized in the Novice Game Lobby.

There was no typical "starter village" here. New players were directly thrown into the Mission Hall—the heart of the game's quest system. It was packed. Every second, hundreds of players arrived in bursts of white light, and just as many vanished, teleported to various quests.

Without hesitation, Dawei approached the quest NPC.

After a short conversation, his screen flickered—images flew across his interface like a movie on fast-forward. Each flash was a different god-level mission. Players could quickly scan through options before locking one in. Rumor had it that the system recorded which mission lingered on your screen a little longer before assigning it, although no one had confirmed it.

Then it landed.

System Prompt:Player has selected S-Level Mission [Kill the Three-Headed Dragon]. Teleportation will commence in ten seconds...

Darkness swallowed his view again.

Dawei took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. He'd seen breakdowns and forum threads about this mission. No one had solved it yet, but it was at least a known starting point. He wasn't flying completely blind.

"Chosen Warrior of the Gods..."

A powerful voice echoed in his ears.

"The space-time plane of this city has been penetrated by three demonic dragons. The monsters ravage the land. Slay them—and be rewarded by the gods!"

When Dawei opened his eyes, his character was lying among ruins—half-buried in broken stone and bent rebar. The city skyline was fractured. Purple rifts tore through the air like lightning scars, leaking chaotic energy.

Up ahead, massive city guardians—NPCs with glowing purple nameplates—were casting barrier spells, holding back the ever-widening tear in reality.

In the distance, devastation moved.

The three-headed dragon was tearing buildings apart like cardboard. It wasn't as massive as Dawei expected—maybe five times the height of a human—but each head moved independently, growling with intelligence. Its body resembled a scaled Cerberus, but each head was a snarling black dragon.

Its name floated above it in vivid purple:

Demonic Hydra: S-Class Boss

So that's the monster, Dawei thought. It didn't look too big, but in a game with near-total realism and permadeath mechanics for S-level missions, size didn't matter. It was death.

He'd seen clips online, but the real experience was completely different. Every detail—the ground's vibration, the heat from the dragon's breath, the metallic scent of scorched debris—was overwhelmingly real.

How the hell are you supposed to beat that thing?

This was no button-mashing dungeon. There was no tutorial. No magic starting sword. And worst of all—no health potions.

Dawei didn't move. He stayed low, eyes scanning the battlefield.

According to what he'd read, the city was named Dakazan, located near a canyon to the west. Strategy forums suggested dragging the three-headed dragon toward that canyon—maybe let it fall to its death.

Sure, great idea. Just lure a god-tier boss across a city with no armor or skills. What's next? Fight it with a stick?

He didn't start the mission right away. Instead, he studied the field.

There was no advantageous terrain. No bottlenecks. Nothing to slow the boss down. The buildings? Easily destroyed. Players? Squishy as tofu.

That left one possibility—the NPCs.

Floating in the sky, encased in magical auras, the city's Guardians had purple S-class nameplates just like the dragon. That meant they were on par with the boss in power.

If only he could get them to help…

But NPCs weren't dumb in Mercenary World. You couldn't just ask for help. You needed a reason—a compelling one. Usually, that meant earning favor with them, or triggering special conditions.

But this mission started immediately upon entry. No time to raise affection levels or win trust.

Unless...

There's something I'm missing.

System Prompt:Mission will auto-start in 3 minutes. Countdown has begun.

"What?!" Dawei blurted. "Three minutes?!"

He thought he'd have time to gather his thoughts, maybe search online for a niche strategy. But the mission had a forced timer—speculation time was over.

Now it was about survival.

He bolted. With no gear, no skills, no weapons—he could only run. The only thought in his mind was reaching the west canyon.

If he was going to die, he'd die running. Better than getting stomped five seconds in.

The clock hit zero.

The skies cracked with lightning. The dragon roared, and the city shook. But Dawei had already sprinted several blocks toward the western edge.

Then something unexpected happened.

System Prompt:Player has left the battlefield. Entering free state...

"Huh?"

He skidded to a halt. The boss didn't chase. The mission hadn't failed. No death screen. Just...

...freedom?

It took a moment for it to sink in.

I left the battlefield—but the task didn't fail.

He blinked. Wait… Is this the strategy?

It had to be. The system hadn't punished him. In fact, it seemed to reward him with a breather.

This mission—like most god-tier ones—wasn't brute-force. It was about thinking differently.

The dragon couldn't chase him beyond the battlefield. That was a rule.

And he just discovered it.