When Xie Feng left the potion shop, an announcement from the system that was a little longer than he expected sounded in his ears.
[Ding!...You have successfully completed the 'Find the Spotted Lotus grass' quest.]
[You have received: 50 silver coins / +5 favorable impression from Xiao Lei to you / You have access to the hidden items store in Beginner's Village number 666.]
[Reward promised by Xiao Lei: Unknown]
Xie Feng only stopped for a moment and then continued walking through the village, not worrying about the unknown reward promised.
***
After 20 minutes of random walking and observing the beauty of the place, Xie Feng returned to the shop again; there Xiao Lei was waiting for him with the same rough face as always.
Xie Feng's gaze stopped at the two boxes on the shop counter. Both boxes were made of antique wood, and even without touching it Xi Feng could feel that the wood the boxes were made of was not normal wood.
Xiao Lei took him out of his thoughts with a question:
"You have the courage to give up such a valuable herb that you worked so hard to get, just like that. Aren't you afraid that I won't keep my word?"
When Xie Feng heard Xiao Lei's words he couldn't help but shake his head slightly. He looked the old man straight in the eye and responded:
"You know, throughout my life; I had the pleasure of observing both sides of the coin. On the one hand, poverty...on the other hand, wealth. I had the opportunity to look into the eyes of people who had nothing and I also had the opportunity to look into the eyes of people who have everything. So, I have quite a lot of confidence in my eyes."
Xiao Lei laughed: "And do you think you will never be wrong?"
Xie Feng shrugged his shoulders and said casually
"Naturally, I can be wrong, I am also a human. However, I don't think that today is the day that I will make a mistake. Don't you think so, Senior?"
The old man snorted and didn't respond at all. He simply nodded to the smaller box on the right side.
Understanding his intentions, Xie Feng took the box in his hands and an announcement from the system rang in his ears.
[Ding!...you have received the reward promised by Xiao Lei.]
Xie Feng placed the box in a more comfortable place for him and removed the top cover.
Inside the box there were some potions, something similar to an egg, a antique scroll and a strange hexagonal key.
Xie Feng did not hesitate and used his skill to inspect the potions:
[Elixir of Life: A unique elixir that can cure any disease or deficiency of a person's soul. Effect: Can resolve 1 negative effect on a person's soul. The effect does not work twice on the same person. Quantity: 1.]
[Special HP Potion: Xiao Lei obtained 30 special potions from an unknown place. Effect: After use, immediately restores 300 health points, no cooldown time, can be used with other HP potions at the same time. Quantity: 5.]
[Arachnid Poison Bag: It belonged to a spider queen killed in the past by Xiao Lei. Effect: Upon impact on a target it releases a poisonous mist that drains 5000 HP points after 1 minute of corrosion, regardless of the level or grade of the target. Quantity: 1.]
[Observation Scroll: An old parchment created by a master of arrays. Effect: Can get information from any monster below level 50 regardless of its grade. Quantity: 1.]
[Initial Hero Key: With this key, the guardian will give you access to the first 25 floors of 'Heaven of Samsara' regardless of your level.]
When Xie Feng saw these items and their effects, he felt that his heart was going to jump from the shock.
Who would have thought that, these objects that looked so normal on the outside, would actually be so incredible?
Leaving aside temporarily the elixir with a strange effect and the unknown key, only the special HP recovery potions are enough to drive any player crazy.
Such heaven-defying potions were actually right in front of your eyes. No matter what stage of the game it is, all potions always have a cooling down time.
During that time, players cannot use potions of the same type, for example: if a player uses a medium HP potion, during the cooldown time, the player cannot use another HP potion no matter what it is.
However, these potions not only have no cool-down time and restore 300 HP points immediately; they also allow the use of HP potions at the same time!
Should know that Xie Feng's amount of health points is only a little over 400. This means that, technically, these potions are equivalent to 5 extra lives!
Then there is the poisonous spider sack. What does 5000 points of life in 1 minute mean? This means that, if Xie Feng had this poisonous sack in his match against the Demon Tiger yesterday, he could have killed it effortlessly in only 1 minute and 30 seconds at most!
As for the scroll, it is not necessary to mention anything about it; only its description is sufficient to prove its worth.
If Xie Feng had previously had this scroll, he would not have had to take the trouble to study the Demon Tiger, nor would he have been beaten so many times and left on the brink of death.
Although Xie Feng knows that the Spotted Lotus is valuable, just the potions or the poisonous sack would have been enough to pay the price. However, Xiao Lei was giving him so many items.
Xie Feng could not help but squint his eyes and look at the wrinkled old man in front of him carefully.
As if he knew his thoughts, Xiao Lei nodded and said
"I think you should know the value of these objects here. Although the Spotted Lotus is valuable, it is not worth all these items."
Seeing Xie Feng nod, Xiao Lei continued
"Therefore, I have one more mission for you. That key that I gave you, as its description says; allows you to enter the first level of the 'Heaven of Samsara'. The 'Heaven of Samsara' is...it does not matter, you will understand the reason for its name when you see it with your own eyes.
When you reach level 10 you will be sent to Eminentis City, one of the five main cities of the Adastreia Continent. Upon arrival, look for the governor of the city and after gaining a good level of favorable impression from him, ask about the direction of the 'Heaven of Samsara'.
Once you arrive at the entrance of the place, show the key to the gatekeeper to enter. Then, you should reach the 20th floor and get an object called 'Purity Crystal'.
It will be much more difficult than you think, because you will have to find a way to return to this place isolated by the gods...and the time limit is 1 year. After one year, all of this will no longer have any meaning for me.
In return, I will swear my loyalty to you. You may not believe it but... I am VERY strong."
After hearing Xiao Lei speak, which was probably the most words said by him in years, Xie Feng heard an announcement from the system that slightly surprised him.
[Ding!... You have received a quest from Xiao Lei]
[Mission Objective 1: Reach the 20th floor of Heaven of Samsara.]
[Mission Objective 2: Find the Purity Crystal.]
[Mission Objective 3: Find a way to return to Novice Village No. 666.]
[Mission Level: Hidden Mission SS.]
[Time Limit: 1 Year.]
[Punishment for failed: -10 Levels.]
[Reward: Xiao Lei will swear his loyalty to you.]
[Ding!...Warning! The level, grade, equipment, and skills of the player are far below the minimum requirement to successfully complete the mission. The current chance of success is 0%.]
[Accept / Reject (Recommended)?]
After so much sudden information and so many system announcements, Xie Feng was left with his mouth slightly open.
He did not doubt Xiao Lei's words, as Xie Feng could feel that this wrinkled old man is very strong. However, he wonders what is so important to Xiao Lei that he is willing to become someone else's servant.
But what surprised Xie Feng most was the system's final warning.
0%? Impossible? Xie Feng could not help but scoff. He does not believe in the impossible, even if it is impossible; Xie Feng will do it by force.
That's how it worked all his life.
Therefore, his answer was clear:
"Accept."
Xie Feng did not think about the consequence of losing 10 levels, he also did not think that those 10 levels would be very difficult for him to obtain compared to the rest of the players due to the Hate of Gods.
From Xie Feng's point of view, people fail because they don't try hard enough to achieve their goals.
Besides, didn't he start playing virtual reality games to get encouragement and fill that feeling of emptiness he feels in the real world?
Then, he has no reason to reject this mission.