Chapter 106: The Quest Hall

This strange bird had one fatal weakness: it was afraid of light. Even a slight ray would daze it. Fortunately, I had just activated my laser eyes. These people actually mistook the beast for a divine creature—how ignorant. Blood still dripped from the Nine-Headed Bird’s neck. I was curious: would the blood never stop flowing from this creature? I had only just entered, intending to admire this legendary beast, but the bird clearly didn’t appreciate my gaze. With a strange cry, it took to the air, its nine heads swinging wildly in a bizarre manner. I focused my eyes and unleashed the laser beam, striking the bird’s body. It dropped straight from the sky.

I approached it. The Nine-Headed Bird lay twitching on the ground. Soon after, a flash of white light appeared, and its body slowly vanished. Not even a trace of its soul remained. Whether spirit or body, anyone crossing me would be sent straight to hell. Consider yourself unlucky to have met me. I had thought dealing with a divine beast would take effort, but it turned out to be a pushover—I subdued it with a single move. The thought amused me. I straightened my clothes and descended from the tower.

Outside, people gasped and whispered among themselves. The soldiers guarding the tower etched identity tags for me and whispered instructions to another soldier, who then rushed off. I made my way to the front of the crowd, climbed over the railing, and now it was time for the Dragon and Tiger sisters to be tested. I had expected them to make it only to the second level, but to my surprise, both reached the third. The foolish birdman had also made it to the third level, while Wang Gui was defeated on the second. Unexpectedly, Xiao Xiang Ke’er advanced all the way to the fourth floor.

With the tests complete and identity tags sorted, I called everyone to prepare to leave—we needed to find lodging in the city. Just as I stepped away from the noisy crowd, a graceful young man approached, followed by a group of soldiers. I recognized him immediately—it was Chu Jun. Lan Yue bowed politely and stepped aside. Chu Jun gave Lan Yue a half-smile and asked, “So, you two know each other?”

I had no intention of engaging with him, but since I was on his turf, I kept my responses brief and prepared to leave. However, Chu Jun suddenly blocked my path. “I heard you passed the Nine-Layer Demon Tower. Would you be interested in joining the World Alliance as my right hand?”

I declined politely. I was a free man, not one to live under others’ shadows. Besides, Chu Jun was hardly a good person—imprisoning the souls of beasts and divine creatures in the Demon Suppression Tower to conduct physical tests was despicable. Though they were monsters, some could be good, like the Nine-Tailed Fox. Chu Jun smiled and withdrew his arm, but his smile seemed forced.

Leaving the crowd, I headed to the street and inquired about lodging. I learned that accommodation required silver notes, currency issued by the World Alliance. Different beast hides could be exchanged for silver notes of varying values, and all transactions here used these notes. Since we were empty-handed, we’d have to hunt some exotic beasts outside first. Looks like I needed to take on a task. I grabbed a nearby idle civilian and asked, “How do I accept tasks?”

Upon seeing my identity tag, the man’s mouth dropped in surprise. “Level 9? You’re level 9? There’s a task hall in the west of the city with someone registering tasks. But judging by your strength, you probably don’t need to take tasks—you can just hunt exotic beasts to collect their hides or carcasses and then exchange them for silver notes at the task hall.”

Thanking him, I led everyone westward. Going alone was too risky; better to move as a group. On the way, a group of armed, fierce-looking men charged past. I stepped aside—they seemed urgent.

At the West Task Hall, a crowd gathered outside, eyeing the task board. I approached and saw a large map detailing various exotic beasts. Inside, a richly dressed young woman glanced at me, saw my plain clothes, and turned away to greet an older gentleman. I went straight to the task window. Who cared about appearances? Once I had silver notes, I could afford some designer clothes. The clerk was a pretty young woman. I wondered where Chu Jun found so many beautiful girls. Initially indifferent, her attitude changed the moment she saw my identity tag, her voice faltering. “S-sir… what… what task would you like?”

I smiled faintly. “I’m wondering if I can take the Rift Sky Beast task?”

I’d heard the Rift Sky Beast task was taken by the Wind God Group. I wasn’t really trying to compete; I intended to join them to ease future dealings with the World Alliance. The young woman hurriedly flipped through a thick book, then looked up with a professional smile. “Sorry, the Rift Sky Beast task is assigned to the Wind God Group. Perhaps you’d like to consider other tasks?” She handed me a notebook. I took it and sat on a bench by the wall to browse.

Qin Tian leaned on the window chatting with the pretty clerk; Murong Xue and the others examined the maps. The book detailed exotic beasts and zombies within a hundred-mile radius—their weaknesses and attack methods. It described the Rift Sky Beast as a high-level creature with a single horn, also known as the Unicorn. It preferred quiet and was ferocious; any disturbance would trigger an attack. Its horn could easily pierce the body of a level 6 warrior, and it was often found near swamps.

Level 6 warrior? Had the World Alliance reclassified warrior levels? I remembered Yu Jing telling me that levels weren’t counted numerically. Whatever. I’d visit the Wind God Group. They were recruiting now. I returned the book to the clerk, asked for directions, and left the hall.

Following her guidance, I walked straight along the main road, then turned left at the first intersection, arriving at an inn named “Prestigious Guesthouse.” A clerk greeted us. I briefly explained our purpose; he went upstairs to inform his superiors. Soon, two young people—a man and a woman—descended. The man greeted me with a bow, glanced at my identity tag, and invited us to sit, ordering a table full of fine food and wine. He introduced himself as Feng Shen, leader of the Wind God Group, and the young woman as Yan’er, his sister.

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