Healing to Kill

Ten minutes ago.

 

South of Leaving Fire City, in the Scarlet Flame Ancient Land.

 

On the crimson earth stood a towering mountain that reached the clouds.

 

Various oddly-shaped and differently-colored trees grew on the mountain.

 

Passing through a forest, in a clearing in the mountains, there was an octagonal altar that resembled a Bagua diagram.

 

Suspended above the altar was a six-sided crystal pillar, full of cracks.

 

At this moment, a female assassin with the ID "Moonlit Dance" stood before the altar, her face full of curiosity.

 

The woman looked about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with snow-white skin and exquisitely delicate features. Her long, slender legs were particularly eye-catching.

 

She had short, refined silver hair, giving her a valiant and heroic appearance.

 

Unable to contain her curiosity, she finally stepped onto the altar and approached the six-sided crystal pillar.

 

[Damaged Demon-Suppressing Crystal Pillar: Used to suppress the abyssal demons sealed here. (The Demon-Suppressing Pillar has been eroded by time and will shatter with the slightest force.)]

 

After a brief hesitation, Moonlit Dance reached out and touched the crystal pillar.

 

Crack!

 

Immediately, the cracks on the crystal pillar deepened, as if it would shatter in the next second.

 

At the same time, the system issued a warning:

 

[Warning: If the Demon-Suppressing Crystal Pillar is destroyed, the demons here will be unsealed, triggering a server-wide quest: Resist the Demon Invasion!]

 

[Hint 1: Upon quest activation, any player who completes the quest will grant the activator an additional reward: +50 free attribute points; if the quest fails, the activator will receive a penalty: -50% to all attributes!]

 

[Hint 2: Upon quest activation, demons will appear in this area, including a large number of common demons, a few elite demons, and a very small number of bosses. The highest grade of the bosses will be Gold Level!]

 

"......"

 

Seeing this string of notifications, Moonlit Dance quickly withdrew her hand.

 

"This is a server-wide quest. There's no way I can complete it alone. If no one else can complete it either, I'll be penalized with a 50% attribute reduction as the activator..."

 

"I can't trigger it!"

 

Moonlit Dance's thoughts were clear. Even though the extra reward of 50 free attribute points was very tempting, she didn't act impulsively.

 

After all, the system clearly stated that the highest level of the bosses would be Gold Level.

 

At this stage, even Silver Level bosses were considered extremely difficult, and even with a large number of players, they were hard to handle.

 

Let alone Gold Level bosses!

 

It's likely that no one could complete this server-wide quest right now.

 

Despite her reluctance, reason told her that this quest couldn't be triggered!

 

At least not yet.

 

"I wonder when players will be able to handle Gold Level bosses... Maybe there's some analysis on the forums."

 

After some thought, Moonlit Dance decided to leave and check the forums first.

 

When she opened the official forums, the hottest post immediately caught her eye. The title was:

 

[The Three Greats, after the first kill of the Ancient Mystic Realm BOSS, have slain the Gold Level BOSS, King of Firestone!]

 

"Slain a Gold Level BOSS?"

 

Moonlit Dance was stunned and exclaimed, "Someone's already that powerful?"

 

At the same time, a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes.

 

A few minutes later.

 

Moonlit Dance returned to the game and took a deep breath as she looked at the damaged six-sided crystal pillar before her.

 

At that very moment.

 

Jiang Chen began his class change quest.

 

"Opportunities are fleeting; I must seize them!"

 

With a determined gaze, Moonlit Dance swung her dagger and stabbed the six-sided crystal pillar!

 

Crack!

 

The crystal pillar shattered with a sound.

 

Above the altar, the space twisted, and a tiny crack appeared.

 

Black wisps of air flowed out from the crack, accompanied by distant roars!

 

[You have destroyed the Demon-Suppressing Crystal Pillar, breaking the seal and triggering a server-wide quest!]

 

[Server Announcement: Player "Moonlit Dance" has broken the demon seal on Scarlet Flame Mountain, initiating the server-wide quest: Resist the Demon Invasion!]

 

As soon as this announcement appeared, the entire server erupted.

 

Only Jiang Chen looked confused and helpless.

 

How did someone trigger the "Resist the Demon Invasion" quest?

 

What had changed?

 

He couldn't figure out that the reason Moonlit Dance activated this server-wide quest was because of the courage he had given her.

 

"There's no point in thinking about it now. Let's check the quest details first."

 

Jiang Chen collected his thoughts and began to review the quest details:

 

[Quest: Resist the Demon Invasion (Server-wide Quest)]

 

[Quest Description: The Demon-Suppressing Crystal Pillar on Scarlet Flame Mountain has been destroyed. The Seal Gate will gradually open in 12 hours and fully open in 24 hours, releasing a large number of demons. The demons will then begin to corrode the "Nine Demon-Suppressing Cauldrons"!]

 

[Quest Requirement: Eliminate all demons before the "Nine Demon-Suppressing Cauldrons" are fully corroded!]

 

[Quest Reward: The more demons you kill and the higher their grade, the richer the rewards.]

 

[Hint: If the quest fails, all players participating in the quest will have their attributes reduced by 20%!]

 

......

 

While Jiang Chen was still reviewing the quest details, the official forums were already buzzing with discussions.

 

"Can anyone guess what the rewards for this 'Resist the Demon Invasion' quest will be?"

 

"With such heavy penalties, the rewards must be high!"

 

"No kidding, it's a server-wide quest. The rewards are bound to be amazing, but I wonder how difficult it will be?"

 

"The difficulty will definitely be high. I bet not everyone will be able to get the rewards."

 

"Bosses, I'm still in the Beginner's Village. Do I have a chance to do this quest?"

 

"Newbies in the Beginner's Village, stop meddling and go level up..."

 

......

 

At this moment, major guilds and clubs across the country, as well as countless gaming teams, were all holding meetings.

 

They were all discussing the server-wide quest.

 

In the Heavenly Guild, more than a dozen core members were holding a remote video conference.

 

"Everyone must have seen the 'Resist the Demon Invasion' quest... We failed in Giant Deer City before, but this time, we must seize the opportunity!"

 

"Although the rewards are not specified, I have a feeling that the guild that earns the most rewards from this quest will soar to new heights!"

 

"I want all members in the main city to drop everything else and focus entirely on preparing for this quest. It's do or die!"

 

The guild leader, Blade-Raising Slayer of Yama, expressed his determination during the video conference.

 

In SZ City, on the 18th floor of Longteng Building.

 

In the meeting room of the Xiongtu Club, the manager and four team captains were also in a meeting.

 

"Our club follows an elite path. Although we lack the manpower of other guilds, each of us is highly professional and capable of handling things independently!"

 

"I hope everyone can give their best in this server-wide quest and try to earn as many rewards as possible!"

 

"You've all been working late tonight, so get some good rest. Tomorrow morning, I want to see you all in top form!"

 

Club manager Wang Gang was boosting everyone's morale.

 

......

 

Similar scenes were happening in other gaming teams as well.

 

After reviewing the quest details, Jiang Chen pondered, "No point in overthinking. I'll just deal with whoever crosses my path!"