Pa!

My boots made a wet sound when I landed on solid ground again. It was because rain had just passed through this area. The camp of Black Wind Scout Battalion already looked terrible in the first place, but now it looked even more ragged than before. The NPCs themselves were completely drenched. Speaking of which, my attention was fully drawn to the hot NPC archer. Her clothes were wet to the point where they were almost transparent, so I was granted a most wonderful view of her round, firm breasts. I love that the assets of in-game NPCs never sag or anything!

First things first, I walked up to the middle-aged warrior and passed him the 100 samples of Scorpion Venom I had collected for him. "Here, captain. I’ve brought you the stuff you need!"

The warrior’s face reddened with excitement as he said, "Heavens! I thought you would never return from your journey because those scorpions are brutal, but you actually completed this near-impossible quest! Young warrior, you’ve truly impressed me!"

I grinned at him and said humbly, "You praise me too much, uncle. Now, give me my reward, please!"

"Very well! In the name of Sky City, I grant you the glory you deserve! Your courage and strength are more than deserving of these rewards, young warrior!"

Ding~!

System Notice: You have completed the S Rank quest [Venomous Scorpion]. You have gained 90 million experience, 80000 gold, and 50000 Reputation.

……

I glared at the uncle. Why? Because the reward wasn't even close to being worth its difficulty, the stingy bastard! The experience I got wasn’t even enough to level me up to 208, and don’t even get me started on the gold reward! I knew that middle-aged uncles couldn’t be trusted!

Next, I walked up to the beautiful Mona and showed her the Scorpion King’s stinger. "Here, I got this from the Scorpion King. This is what you’re looking for, right?"

The girl’s eyes widened like saucers, and her breasts shook visibly like someone was slapping them around. She abruptly grabbed my hands and said, "Young warrior, you actually managed to kill that Scorpion King? I cannot even… heavens, your achievement is comparable to that of a dragon slayer, I... I…"

I replied calmly, "Calm down, girl. I’ve brought you your stuff, so my reward…?"

"Very well!"

Mona nodded and said, "Seeing that you’ve fulfilled your promise, I will now grant you the reward you deserve! Receive the blessing of the gods!"

Ding~!

System Notice: You have completed the SS Rank quest [Kill the Scorpion King]. You have obtained 170000000 experience, 120000 gold, 90000 Reputation and the quest reward, "Fire War God Card" x20!

……

I couldn’t believe it. My amazing reward is… cards?

I rubbed my eyes to no avail. Instead of the Divine Armament I expected, the goddamn SS Rank quest actually gave me just 20 cards. Are you kidding me?

However, I changed my mind after checking out the exact effects of the cards. They were much, much better than I expected—

Fire War God Card: Increases user’s Attack by 70%, attack speed by 35%, and max HP by 80%. Duration: 500 minutes. Level Requirement: 200.

……

I was stunned. These boosts were greater than even what one would normally see from a Divine Armament, not to mention that it had a duration of 500 minutes! Assuming that I used it the moment I logged into the game, I would be practically invincible for over 8 hours! I had never seen such a powerful card in my life!

I stored them in my bag for later use. These cards were super limited, and they should only be used only when my life was on the line!

As I stared at the card stack, I suddenly noticed the fiery red pet egg right next to it. Oh right, I completely forgot that the Scorpion King dropped a pet egg as well. The Sunchaser Cloak and Purple Frost Concentration were such incredible drops that I actually forgot about it.

I quickly gave it a look, and, ah, I could feel myself drooling again—

Crimson Scythe Scorpion (Immortal Rank Pet)

Level: 0

Introduction: Crimson Scythe Scorpion. As a legendary sacred beast of slaughter, the Crimson Scythe Scorpion possesses red, bladed limbs that can hack an enemy into pieces, as well as formidable strength. It was also known as a bloodthirsty killer during the Spirit of Grief era. After ten thousand years of hiding and recovery, the Crimson Scythe Scorpion has finally returned to this world as the offspring of the Scorpion King.

……

"God damn, you’re telling me that the Scorpion King was pregnant for ten thousand years? To call this a difficult birth would be the understatement of the millennium!"

I sighed while shaking my head. "It wasn’t even born normally. I had to give it a Cesarean delivery. What a sinful man I am…"

……

I tossed the Crimson Scythe Scorpion back into my bag with the intent of gifting it to Chaos Moon later. The Crimson Scythe Scorpion was equal to the Phantom Wolf King in rank, and the only difference between them was that the latter was a boss pet. It was way stronger than the Ghost Chariot she was currently using, and I was sure that she would appreciate it.

Suddenly, Mona blinked once, sat down on the stump next to her and said, "I will be taking my rest, young adventurer, but I wish to see you again in ten hours. I have a very important mission for you, and trust me, I’m not exaggerating when I say that you’re my only hope now!"

Oh, there’s a follow-up quest? Awesome!

I replied while drooling, "No problem. I will complete anything you ask of me, pretty!"

Mona giggled at the praise, unwittingly causing her pair of 36Es to jiggle wonderfully in the wind.

Beside him, the blacksmith cackled, "Ooh, it looks like our little Mona is falling for someone! Don’t let the opportunity slip through your grasp, youngster! It’s up to you to win the heart of our battalion’s goddess!"

I grinned but said nothing. She’s just an NPC, it’s not like I can actually do anything with her even if I won her heart...

……

After the quests had been turned in, I sold all the magic stones to the trader and got over 100k gold in return. It more or less made up for all the gold I had spent to repair my equipment. Unfortunately, I couldn’t trade with this particular blacksmith for refinement points, and the NPC at Final Duel Valley had left their post a while ago. I assumed that Sophie had summoned them, and then sent them for other business, which meant that the window to evolve one’s equipment was limited. Oh well.

I made up my mind to clear out the inventory in my bag the next time I logged back into the game. It was because I didn’t want to risk running into a similar map like Final Duel Valley and losing everything due to an ambush. My experience at Final Duel Valley had made me realize that Resurrection Art wasn’t omnipotent, and that there were ways to counter it.

Anyway, it was time to log out of the game!

I pulled off my gaming helmet, sucked in a deep breath and drank a bit of water. A day had gone by just like that. A while later, I knocked on Chaos Moon’s door and waited for several minutes for her to admit me. Her hair was a bit messy because she just logged out of the game. Shooting me a glare, she asked, "What is it? I’m carrying Li Chengfeng."

I replied, "If you’re not in a hurry, then join me for a meal, will you? Also, when you log back into the game later, come meet me at our usual meeting spot at Dragonbone Mountain Range. I’ll be grinding there until you return. I have some loot I want you to take back to the guild, and a gift for you for keeping me company all these days."

Chaos Moon giggled, and her pair bounced visibly under her clothes. I immediately noticed that she wasn’t wearing a bra. How sinful.

"Hey! Where do you think you’re looking?"

Chaos Moon noticed it as well and immediately shot me a blushing glare.

I looked away. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I know it’s impolite to stare…"

"Quit pretending already," said Chaos Moon while rolling her eyes. "So? How’s the color?"

I grinned. "Pink, for now…"

"Pervert!"

Chaos Moon punched me in the chest before pushing me out of the door. "Anyway, give me half an hour to prepare. I’ll come to you for dinner afterward."

"Okay!"

……

After I returned to the room, I took a bath and checked out the forums to pass time.

Too many things had happened during this time, so the Chinese forums kept being bombarded by one headline after another. Today, it got yet another new headline, and it was still about the aftermath of my "betrayal"—

"Little Heavenly King Lu Chen ventured deep behind enemy lines, executed the traitor Now and Forever, and returned the City Map of Daybreak City to his country. Tang Long’s crimes are slowly being exposed, and Tang Feng stepped out to provide an official explanation on the matter. Tang Long is currently being put under observation, and the hidden truth at the end of the War of Purple Grape City is soon to be unveiled…"

I clicked open the thread and read the comments below—

1st comment (Frivolous Boy): Support Lu Chen, our Little Heavenly King, our pride!

2nd comment (Warsky): Fuck, I almost wronged Lu Chen.

3rd comment (Hot and Sour Noodles): Hehe, the truth will be revealed very soon!

4th comment (For Love): I don’t know. It’s said in the India forums that Lu Chen exploited Flowing Cloud’s trust to steal the city map back. This is not how a hero should act, no matter what the cause. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed in him!

5th comment (Abortion): Lu Chen suffered so many wrongs, but he still isn’t able to return to his country. The officials better have a good explanation for this, or this is just the beginning!

6th comment: Sad Dawn Maple: @For Love. Let’s say Lu Chen gave up the chance to retake the city map for Flowing Cloud. Do you understand how many innocent people would be hurt by this, and how badly it would hurt the China server? If this is your idea of someone who values relationships and people, then would you tell me your idea of justice? Since ancient times, loyalty and justice have been difficult to achieve at once. A true hero must have the courage to do what is right even if they are scorned by the entire world as a result, and that is exactly what Lu Chen chose to do even though he knew that he would be scorned and hunted like a rat on the streets. Why can’t you see that as a precious quality? Why can’t you see the burden he chose to bear? Also, is your loyalty toward your country so thin that it is lighter than your trust toward a girl you just met?

……

I felt sad after reading all the comments in the thread. It was because few people understood me despite all that I have thought and done for them. Whether or not their criticisms had come from goodness or malice, they pierced my heart like knives all the same. I hurt because I cared for them.

Yes, I could’ve chosen the easy way out and gave in to vengeance. I could’ve rallied Li Chengfeng, Gui Guzi; Snowy Cathaya, Blazing Hot Lips, The Monarch Descends and more to leave the China server, turn on the three main cities and uproot all of Tang Long’s forces in one go. I could even join forces with the enemy, conquer the China server and make myself its lord and master if I wanted to. Only a liar would say that it wouldn’t have been a pleasurable experience.

But who would I have hurt if I had made this choice? And at the cost of whose moral integrity?

Some things could only be done after one had thought through everything.