Deep within the dungeon, many towering trees had been uprooted or scorched, leaving the forest floor barren and open.
Ice magic continuously exploded across the land, while a Mutated Flame Pegasus wailed in agony under the relentless bombardment before its massive body crashed to the ground.
“So… so strong!”
The players who had come to hunt the Crisis Mission boss stared dumbfounded at the scene before them.
A Crisis Mission boss is shorthand among players for the target of the “Crisis Command” quest.
In the game’s design, the “Crisis Command” quests are dispatched by the Adventurers’ Guild’s hunting teams, requesting nearby adventurers to join forces in slaying monsters of extreme danger.
These Crisis Missions only spawn in dungeon maps of level 60 or above, and with a very low probability.
Typically, the quest has two objectives: the primary is to defeat the Crisis Mission boss, and the secondary is to protect at least one Adventurers’ Guild NPC from death.
When a Crisis Mission boss appears, the system broadcasts the boss’s coordinates across the entire map.
Defeating the Crisis Mission boss grants massive experience rewards, with each boss dropping unique loot.
Completing the secondary objective provides additional bonuses.
Most importantly, players do not lose experience upon death during the mission, and everyone who participates receives a reward.
Thus, the “Crisis Command” system was wildly popular the moment it was introduced.
Each Crisis Mission boss has unique characteristics and attack styles, but they all share the fixed level of LV100 and extreme difficulty.
However, with players attacking in waves and powerful NPCs assisting, the demise of the Crisis Mission boss was only a matter of time.
For these reasons, whenever a Crisis Mission boss appeared, players banded together, calling friends to join for the experience boost.
In this level 60-69 Forgotten Forest dungeon, a Crisis Mission boss had recently spawned: a mutated Flame Pegasus engulfed in blazing fire.
The players were ecstatic, swarming around the boss like a dark tide, encircling it tightly.
As the flames rose, one by one, bodies fell, but the gaps quickly filled with more players rushing forward.
Following their usual tactics, players wore down half the Pegasus’s health through repeated resurrections, but once the boss’s health entered the latter half, progress slowed significantly.
This happened because when the Mutated Flame Pegasus’s health dropped below 50%, bright rings of fire appeared around it.
Players who touched these fire rings saw their health plummet rapidly.
The mass assault tactic became ineffective, forcing players to switch to ranged attacks, severely lowering damage output.
Without players to draw aggro, the boss turned its attention to the NPCs, whose health began to falter dangerously.
The players watched helplessly as NPC after NPC fell before them, the secondary objective on the brink of failure.
They scratched their heads in frustration, powerless to help.
At that moment, a figure with golden hair and blue eyes emerged from the crowd.
Multiple magical circles appeared before her as ice magic rained down like a storm on the raging Mutated Flame Pegasus.
The players watched as the boss collapsed under the furious onslaught, a dazzling light signaling level-ups illuminating the crowd.
This golden-haired, blue-eyed NPC bore the title LV120 and the deep crimson nickname ‘Alice.’
A legendary NPC! The game’s highest-tier, towering figure!
So far, players knew only a handful of legendary NPCs existed: the Church Pope, the Adventurers’ Guild President, the Empire Emperor, the heads of various professional guilds — most players had never seen them.
Aside from the mainline boss Cecilia, very few had encountered NPCs above level 100.
Suddenly, a level 120 NPC appeared in the dungeon, demonstrating overwhelming power upon her first appearance.
Players couldn’t help but be awestruck.
While most players gaped at the scene, some sharp-witted ones edged forward, hoping to make contact.
If luck favored them, perhaps they could receive some hidden quests.
But their hopes were dashed.
This NPC named Alice merely glanced at the players and surviving NPCs before vanishing in a flash of white light, leaving behind a crowd of disappointed players.
*****
That was their first meeting… the second would be now, Malatutu thought.
After logging into the city today, she headed into the dungeon to level up as usual.
Just as she prepared to teleport in, she spotted the legendary NPC Alice right before her, clutching a piece of parchment and wearing a pensive expression.
Jackpot! This was the perfect chance to pick up a hidden quest! Malatutu could almost see the glowing question mark above Alice’s head.
Knowing such opportunities were rare, Malatutu quickly stepped forward, feigning enthusiasm: “Hello, do you have any difficulties? Can I help you?”
Alice looked up, puzzled, and coldly declined, “Thank you for your kindness, but I don’t need help.”
Seeing that Alice hadn’t put away the parchment, Malatutu seized the chance to glance at it.
She caught a few characters at the corner, strange words that the system automatically translated: Valley, Druid, Transformation, Dragon…
Malatutu’s heart raced. This looked like a major quest!
She quickly recited the words with uncertain tones: “Valley… Dru… Dragon…”
Just as Malatutu predicted, Alice’s earlier coldness vanished instantly at her reply, and she asked excitedly, “You can understand this demonic language?”
Demonic language! Malatutu was taken aback but quickly realized this was a golden opportunity.
She clenched her fist in her mind, then put on an embarrassed expression, making up an excuse casually: “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I accidentally saw it just now. I’ve been able to… since I was a child…”
“Here! Help me read what’s written here!” Alice’s eyes sparkled as she ignored Malatutu’s earlier sneaking and explanation, pushing the parchment toward the girl.
Following the system’s translation, Malatutu read aloud: “Go to Windhowl Valley to capture the Remnant Soul. After completion, return to the Druid to transform the Dragon Soul. If necessary, use Demonization on the Silver Dragon…”
Alice’s expression darkened, rubbing her forehead as she muttered, “Good. Your heartbeat tells me you’re not lying. But this makes things even more troublesome. This must be orders from the High Demonic Faction. I currently have more pressing matters and no time to deal with this…”
“Dear player, you have triggered the mainline pre-quest ‘Alice’s Request.’ Please judge the situation accordingly. Be aware, your response may lead to different outcomes,” the system’s voice echoed in Malatutu’s mind.
Her spirits lifted sharply — a mainline pre-quest!
Completing this quest would put her in the spotlight across the entire game, just like the ‘Nanbowan’ brothers!
And she could start streaming to become a popular online celebrity and earn money!
Her living conditions could improve…
Malatutu quickly shook these enticing thoughts aside.
The urgent priority was to accept the quest!
Thinking quickly, she confidently said to the NPC, “If you have business, then leave this quest to me! This involves the Demonic Faction, and as a member of the Eternal World, I must contribute!”
Alice’s gaze flickered as if sizing her up, then nodded, “Alright. Though your strength is still weak, a preliminary investigation should be enough. Be careful—demons are cunning and treacherous. With your current stealth level, you won’t evade them. You’ll need to gather allies before investigating.”
With that, Alice took out an item and handed it to Malatutu, explaining, “This is a Teleportation Magic Stone. If you encounter danger or find the mastermind during your investigation, infuse it with magic power and I will arrive promptly.”
“Note: This magic stone can only be used once. If the quest proceeds smoothly, you can also use it to summon me. I will come find you after finishing my other tasks.”
After saying this, Alice vanished in a flash of white light, leaving Malatutu trembling with excitement.
She quickly examined the item.
Teleportation Magic Stone (Quest): A one-time directional teleportation magic stone usable only during the mainline pre-quest ‘Alice’s Request.’ It can summon Spatial Lord Alice once and expires after quest completion. Note: Return to Alice after quest completion to receive rewards.
Though limited to quest use, the ability to retrieve and get rewards afterward left Malatutu very pleased.
‘Quest accepted successfully. The first step is to gather allies. There are no requirements for other professions, but knights and priests have strict rules… Who should I recruit?’ Malatutu pondered.
‘Ah! That person should be suitable!’
*****
Lu Qiuchen used the boss-exclusive [Dungeon Toolbox], turning invisible to follow beside Malatutu, quite pleased with his recent performance.
Lu Qiuchen had been on the Southern Continent for several days, mostly killing bosses and picking up loot.
Playing the role of a powerful, mysterious magician NPC without tasks or player interaction quickly bored him.
Suddenly inspired, Lu Qiuchen wondered: since Beta had him disguised as an NPC instead of a game boss, could he issue quests to players himself, giving himself something to do?
After consulting Beta, who approved, Lu Qiuchen was excited.
Half the plan was complete.
Issuing quests would require communication with players, creating opportunities for manipulation, and allowing him to observe Zhang Cheng’s behavior.
After some inner turmoil, Lu Qiuchen chose Zhang Cheng as his communication target.
He needed to understand external events in detail, especially what happened after his death.
Only Zhang Cheng was suitable, and Lu Qiuchen also had to warn him not to tell his parents about his situation.
However, Lu Qiuchen suspected Beta had seen through his little scheme.
Assigned to the mainline pre-quest, after reading the quest, Lu Qiuchen was speechless — was he supposed to guide players to defeat himself?
The quest required him to carry a parchment filled with demonic script and direct players to the next stage of the main quest.
Since it was a main quest, all dialogue was fixed, and Lu Qiuchen had no authority to alter it.
He had to read it verbatim.
After some pondering, though, he had actually found a small loophole.