Chen Ming had just finished tallying his gains.
Suddenly, a worldwide announcement echoed.
[Ding—SSS-Rank Main Quest has been completed by a mysterious player from the China Region.]
[Main Quest activated!]
[The wheels of fate have begun to turn!]
[A grand epic will unfold before your eyes!]
Epic music resonated in the ears of all players.
At this moment.
Players around the world...
Exploded with excitement!
Hearing this system announcement, Chen Ming was momentarily stunned.
As expected, the SSS-Rank Main Quest would impact the game's storyline.
However...
The system just made an announcement like that.
Without giving other players any rewards or side tasks.
Wouldn't that make other players green with envy?
Indeed.
The global announcement refreshed.
Players worldwide were in an uproar.
Especially the foreigners.
"Main Quest activated? What does that mean, a player from China got the Main Quest?"
"I haven't even seen a novice quest, and someone is already doing the Main Quest???"
"I can't accept this!"
"What on earth is going on?"
"Why is it always China?"
The foreigners were utterly bewildered!
Countless people flooded the forums, furiously criticizing the game's developers!
Why is it always China dominating the screen?
Are the developers biased towards China?
...
Novice Village No. 616.
Ling Xue and Ling Yue stared at each other in shock.
They both thought of that ID...
Pearl Emerald White Jade Soup!
"Sis, do you think the one who completed the Main Quest... is him?"
"I don't know, but it's very possible."
Ling Yue analyzed.
"Didn't he just kill 500 Wild Wolves before?"
"That could very well be the requirement for the SSS-Rank Quest."
"If it really is him..."
Ling Yue bit her lip, "Even if he's from another guild, I'll spare no expense to recruit him!"
Ling Xue couldn't agree more, nodding vigorously.
The shortage of Assassins had always been Snow Moon Guild's pain!
But soon, Ling Yue's face fell, "But he's so skilled, other guilds will definitely pay a high price to keep him..."
Ling Xue could only sigh softly.
...
Meanwhile.
On the China Region forum.
All Chinese players were fervently discussing!
"Our China triggered the Main Quest? Is this a good thing?"
"Do you even need to ask? Of course, it's a good thing!"
"I wonder which amazing person triggered the Main Quest."
"Do you think it might be the player who got the first Title? Seems like... Pearl Emerald White Jade Soup!"
"Very likely!"
"Pearl Emerald White Jade Soup seems to be a top-tier player!"
"How come I never heard of this ID in previous games?"
"Probably a new alias for some big shot."
Everyone was enthusiastically discussing.
Chen Ming's name was brought up again and again.
But, most people thought it was nonsense—
There was no proof that the mysterious player who activated the Main Quest was Pearl Emerald White Jade Soup.
However, that didn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm.
Everyone was caught up in a frenzy of heated discussion.
For a moment.
Chen Ming's popularity skyrocketed!
...
Chen Ming didn't bother with all that chatter.
To equip the level 8 gear [Legacy Leather Armor - Bracers].
He set off once more on the path of grinding monsters.
With the abundant experience from the Main Quest.
Chen Ming was only over 30% experience points away from reaching level 8 to equip the gear.
And the second phase of the SSS-Rank Main Quest had already begun.
"Path of Salvation—Chapter One, First Steps (2)"
"Quest requirement: Kill 100 Poison Bees, 100 Azure Bees, 100 Purple Bamboo Bees!"
Similar to the previous quest.
Just a change in the type of monsters.
After confirming the monster spawn points on the map, Chen Ming headed there without delay.
...
In the lush forest.
Chen Ming walked through.
It took him ten minutes to reach this map.
The monsters here were generally around level 10.
Their names had turned orange.
This indicated a level 3 higher than his own, signaling great danger.
Soon, Chen Ming found his first target for this quest.
[Poison Bee] lv.9
HP: 210
Attack: 24
Defense: 12
Skill: [Poison Bee Sting]
"Monsters are starting to have skills."
Chen Ming's expression grew serious.
His livelihood depended on his Evasion attribute.
But Evasion generally applied to physical attacks.
Whether he could evade skills, he truly didn't know.
He could only try.
"Hope I don't just try and die..."
Chen Ming deftly maneuvered behind the Poison Bee.
Striking four times in a second!
-47!
-32!
-40!
-42!
A series of normal attacks landed.
The damage was quite impressive.
But he wasn't satisfied with just dealing damage.
He had to withstand the monsters.
To grind on a large scale.
Therefore, he didn't rush to finish off the Poison Bee with a second wave of attacks.
Instead, he sheathed his daggers and stared directly at the Poison Bee.
Waiting for its counterattack.
He wanted to see if he could withstand the Poison Bee's damage!
The Poison Bee, enraged and humiliated.
Its tail stinger suddenly glowed!
"Poison Bee Sting!"
It used its skill.
"Whoosh!"
The massive stinger plunged into Chen Ming!
-21!
Chen Ming winced in pain.
His health dropped.
"Looks like my Evasion doesn't work on magical attacks."
"That's not good news."
Chen Ming frowned slightly.
With a swift combo, he dispatched the Poison Bee.
Though his monster grinding speed remained top-notch.
Not being able to withstand magical damage meant he couldn't recklessly pull monsters.
Couldn't rely on Envenom to kill monsters.
"I need to think of a solution..."
As Chen Ming pondered.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
He pulled out a Skill Book he received as a reward for completing a previous quest.
[Evasion] (Excellent Green-Tier)
Description: A passive skill learnable by all classes, grants additional evasion chance upon learning, increases with level.
...
Initially, Chen Ming planned to sell this Skill Book for money.
But now, he had a sudden idea.
"When I learned the Envenom skill, my Poison Mastery Talent enhanced the skill quality."
"Upgrading Envenom from Common White-Tier to Rare Blue-Tier."
"Clearly, my Talent provides additional bonuses to related skills."
"And I not only have the Poison Mastery Talent."
"I also have the Evasion Mastery Talent!"
"If I learn this [Evasion]..."
"Will it also get upgraded?"
Chen Ming hesitated.
This book could sell for at least two or three thousand.
If he used it himself...
What if it had no effect?
Wouldn't it be a waste of two or three thousand?
Burdened with heavy debts, Chen Ming hesitated.
But ultimately, he gritted his teeth.
Whatever!
It's just two or three thousand.
It's not like he couldn't earn it back!
Besides, if this gamble paid off, wouldn't he recoup his investment in no time?
Take a chance.
Turn a bike into a motorcycle!