High-end Map (2)

Dawei caught the key point immediately: the more you strive, the greater the chance of success.

Effort increased the odds. Completion raised the trigger rate. That 51% wasn't a fixed number—it could go higher.

It was a radical departure from traditional game design. In most games, RNG was static. No matter how many times you bought a lottery ticket, the odds stayed the same. But here? If you metaphorically bought 100 tickets by working hard enough, your chance wasn't 1%—it could become 100%.

It was dynamic probability.

"If what Diose said is true," Dawei thought, eyes narrowing, "then Mercenary World has shattered the ceiling of old-school mechanics. This thing has legs—it could dominate for decades."

More flexibility. More creativity. More rewards for effort.

He now had confidence in completing the god-level mission.

But something still bothered him.

"Is there no limit?" he wondered aloud. "That seems broken…"

Diose chuckled. "Only if you work in the right direction… and can endure to the end."

That made sense. Even in a divine system, action was required. Gods guide. Players lead.

Diose's voice turned thoughtful. "Now, tell me—why have you come here?"

Dawei didn't flinch. "I was chasing the three-headed dragon. I entered this forest by accident while tracking it."

"The three-headed dragon… a planar creature?" Diose's brow furrowed. He eyed Dawei with curiosity—and skepticism.

System Prompt:Great Sage Diose doubts your claim.

Unlike the refugee NPCs earlier, Diose could see through things. He knew Dawei was a basic-level character. For a novice to claim he was hunting a legendary boss? It sounded absurd.

But Dawei didn't waver. "I was summoned by the gods. My mission is to slay the three demon dragons."

No shame. No fear. Just facts. That's what the system had given him, and that was what he stood on.

Diose's expression shifted again—this time to surprise.

System Prompt:Diose is now intrigued by you.

Yes! Got him!

Dawei internally fist-pumped. An NPC who could generate multiple system prompts just from a single conversation? That meant one thing:

He was the gateway to a major chain.

There were only two possibilities.

Diose was an ultra-high-tier character, and the system protected his data integrity.

Diose had a hidden questline that the system was carefully guiding.

Either way, Dawei had to get on this man's boat.

He braced himself to grind out favor. Flatter. Fetch quests. Whatever it took.

Then came the moment of truth.

"The warrior chosen by the gods," Diose said solemnly, "I have a request to make."

Dawei blinked.

This is it. This is the fork. Am I about to accept my first real side-path questline from a divine-tier NPC?

System Prompt:Do you accept the Great Sage Diose's request: [Track the Werewolf Montico]?

A request. Not a mission. Which meant no guaranteed reward. That also meant his current favor wasn't high enough.

Still, Dawei accepted without hesitation. A request opens the door. A mission gives you loot. One leads to the other.

As Diose explained, the cursed forest was home to the vampire count—a cursed being who ruled this land. And where there were vampires… there were werewolves.

Apparently, Diose had been trying to locate a powerful werewolf named Montico, and Dawei's earlier death had come at Montico's claws. It was no coincidence. The system had clearly scripted it—enter forest → die to werewolf → meet sage → start questline.

"It's a sequence trigger," Dawei muttered. "Perfectly disguised as an accident."

If this were a game event tree, [Track the Werewolf] was the entry node. Thank Fortuna he didn't kill the werewolf on sight—or he'd have missed all of this.

Now that he had the narrative context, Dawei set out confidently.

According to Diose, Montico was often seen near the cursed Heihe, the largest river in the forest. Dawei pulled up his map, located the river, and began the trek.

The cursed forest was every bit the horror setting you'd expect.

Dim sky, blackened dead trees, moss-covered trunks, and decaying leaves formed a thick, soft carpet underfoot. No wildlife. No wind. Just silence.

A world frozen in death.

Just like a vampire movie, Dawei thought, looking around. All that's missing is creepy music and a jump scare.

He neared the cursed Heihe and kept his senses sharp—not to spot clues, but to avoid dying a second time.

System Prompt:Player has discovered [Unknown Creature's Footprints].

He stopped and crouched next to the massive paw print etched in the mud.

"Now we're talking…" he whispered. "Let's analyze."

He rubbed his chin. "The system doesn't show irrelevant prompts. That means this footprint is part of the werewolf tracking sequence. Which means…"

He stood up, grinning.

"This is a clue node. Trigger it, update the map, move to the next step. Game on!"