Chapter 66: The Activated Task Card

Lin Huang settled into a hotel with a pleasant environment in Worry-Free City and requested a suite with a spacious living room. It wasn’t for the sake of comfort, but rather so he could practice his blade techniques in the living area. His journey to the Forest of Forgetfulness would not commence for another four days, and Lin Huang intended to make good use of these few days to train and accumulate more skill shards. If he could assemble a skill card before leaving, that would be ideal.

However, reality proved far harsher than his hopeful plans.

Checking in at around two in the afternoon, Lin Huang practiced his blade techniques continuously until midnight, only pausing for twenty minutes to have dinner. In those ten hours, he failed to recapture the elusive rhythm he had once felt; not a single shard was gained.

Over the following three days, his routine consisted almost entirely of eating, sleeping, and practicing his blade. From eight in the morning until midnight, he devoted over fifteen hours each day to training, discounting only meals and brief rests.

Yet, after these three days, his progress was sorely disappointing—he only managed to grasp the essence of the technique twice and obtained just two skill shards.

On the third night, after bathing, he collapsed onto his bed, exhaustion weighing heavily upon him and his mood inevitably soured. “As expected, trying to replicate the essence of a technique after seeing it just once is far more difficult than I’d thought. If only Li Yanxing had demonstrated more moves of the Thunderclap Blade that day, or even repeated the same move a few more times, I’d have had more material to reference. My chances of obtaining skill shards wouldn’t be so abysmally low.”

With fatigue overtaking him, Lin Huang drifted into a deep sleep.

The next morning, after washing up and enjoying a buffet breakfast on the hotel’s second floor, he called for a beast-drawn carriage and headed straight for the southern gate.

The beast carriage was much like a horse-drawn carriage, but in this world, it was generally used for travel within cities—distances between settlements were simply too vast for such a slow mode of transportation to be practical.

The creatures pulling these carriages were typically Snowtread Beasts, gentle-hoofed animals covered in pristine white fur, resembling horses but much larger—about three meters long. The greatest difference, however, was not their size but the rows of sharp, silver fangs in their mouths and their powerful bite; omnivores with a taste for meat.

Lin Huang chose the beast carriage partly because summoning monsters like Sand Executioner or the Minotaur would draw unwelcome attention, and partly because such upright, bipedal monsters were not meant as mounts and made for uncomfortable rides.

Beast carriages were cheap—just one credit per kilometer. Lin Huang’s journey from the hotel to the southern gate cost only twelve credits.

It was eight fifty by the time he arrived. Just as he stepped off the carriage, he spotted a familiar figure not far ahead—a tall young man.

“Li Yanxing? What’s he doing here?” Lin Huang found it odd, but then realized that as a VIP, Li Yanxing would have his own exclusive passage. Not having seen him disembark at the same time was perfectly normal.

Three other young men stood with him, all appearing strong. Lin Huang had barely left his room aboard the airship and only recognized Li Yanxing, but he surmised the others must also be nobles.

As Lin Huang observed the group, Li Yanxing suddenly looked his way and beckoned him over.

Puzzled, Lin Huang glanced around, but seeing no one else, pointed to himself.

Li Yanxing nodded and continued gesturing for him to come.

“Could it be that he’s leading the team I’m supposed to join?” Lin Huang muttered under his breath as he walked toward them.

“Hello, I’m Li Yanxing. You must be Lin Huang, joining us on this trip?” Li Yanxing greeted him with a smile, clearly already aware of Lin Huang’s assignment.

“Hello, I’ve seen you in the news,” Lin Huang replied with a polite smile. “Yes, I’m the one assigned to accompany your team to the Forest of Forgetfulness. I look forward to your guidance.”

“Brother Lin, here’s the situation: our trip to the Forest of Forgetfulness is for a special mission and our schedule is tight. We hadn’t intended to bring anyone along, but when we applied for the mission, we accidentally checked the option to allow an escort. That’s how you ended up assigned to us…” Li Yanxing’s expression was apologetic.

“This was our oversight. We’re willing to compensate you with enough credits to hire your own team of adventurers. We hope you’ll withdraw from accompanying us, as it really isn’t convenient for us to bring anyone along this time.”

Li Yanxing’s words were sincere, which made Lin Huang hesitate. He had hoped to learn some blade techniques from Li Yanxing by being on the same team. But with such a courteous refusal and the offer to cover his expenses for hiring a team, Lin Huang felt awkward about insisting.

Seeing his hesitation, Li Yanxing continued, “The most dangerous wilderness on the way is only level three; a Silver-ranked adventurer team would be more than sufficient. If you hire a silver team, you’ll be safe. If you came with us, we’d part ways as soon as we reached the Forest. But if you hire your own team, they can take you into the forest and even help you hunt your targets.”

Lin Huang was increasingly tempted. The reason he hadn’t hired his own team was simply the cost—a single day would run into the hundreds of thousands of credits. The trip to the Forest alone would cost over a million, and with the return trip and a few days in the forest, he’d be cleaned out.

Just as he was about to agree, a chime sounded and a dialog box popped up before his eyes.

[Mission Card Activated by Special Condition]

His mission card emerged.

On the golden card, the blonde woman in a black maid outfit spoke once more.

“Congratulations, young master! Your mission card has been activated by a special condition!”

“Now, let me issue your task!”

“Mission details: Accompany Leng Yuexin into the Forest of Forgetfulness. After advancing to Iron rank, return to Worry-Free City with Leng Yuexin! Time limit: 15 days.”

“Mission reward: One Advancement Card.”

“If you fail to complete the mission within the time limit, you will be penalized: a random existing monster card will be deducted!”

“Mission issued. For details, see the card’s reverse side.”

With the task announced, the blonde woman fell silent once more.

Lin Huang was puzzled—he hadn’t even seen Leng Yuexin. Why did the mission require him to enter the forest with her?

No sooner had the question formed in his mind than a woman’s voice sounded behind him.

“You must be Lin Huang, the one assigned to accompany us?”

He turned to see a young woman with a cool, aloof demeanor. Her short black hair barely covered part of her neck; she looked young, but carried a frosty aura.

“My name is Leng Yuexin. I’m the leader of this mission,” she introduced herself.

“Hello, I’m Lin Huang, the one assigned to accompany you,” he replied, finally understanding why the mission card had been triggered.

With his objective clear, Lin Huang immediately dismissed any thought of withdrawing from the team.

Noticing Lin Huang’s response, Li Yanxing’s brow furrowed slightly.

A noble youth nearby spoke up, “Brother Lin, didn’t you just say you had something else to do today and couldn’t join us, and that you were only coming over to inform us before leaving?”

Lin Huang turned to the youth, feigning confusion. “Did I say that?”

He had already decided—even if he had to be shameless, he would remain with this team. Failing the mission would cost him a monster card, and if he lost Tyrant or Bai, the loss would be incalculable.

Leng Yuexin seemed to sense something from their exchange. When the noble youth tried to speak again, she cut him off, “You’re already here, so let’s just go together. Whatever it is, you can handle it when we return.”

“I really didn’t say I had other things to do,” Lin Huang muttered innocently.

His voice was quiet, but everyone heard him clearly.

“Then I must have misheard…” The youth gave an awkward smile and said no more.