Chapter 620 Fire Qilin Halberd
“Hu hu….”
A fierce wind blew past our battle robes. This hot wind came from Mount Zhi Niu in the east. That mountain continuously spews flames from its hot belly, preventing most of the players of Ba Huang City from going towards the eastern region. Either way, there weren’t that many players that needed to travel there. After all, one of the requirements to join the Tian Ling empire was to be above level 100. Otherwise, there would be no way to limit the number of players that tried to join the Tian Ling Empire. Furthermore, the monsters on the way there were at least level 110 Thunder Tier or higher. Any players under level 100 would need an expert to protect them along the way, or else they would be killed by the monsters.
“Sha sha” the horse hooves brushed across the gra.s.s. I had already arrived at the border of the Earth Dragon Canyon. The map before me was completely dyed red. In other words, all of the mobs there were a much higher level than me. If I went by myself, then it would be too difficult to clear the map. Of course, this was just the a.s.sessment the system made based on my level. The system must not have taken into account my skills and equipment stats. Why else would the map appear red for me?
“Grr gr….”
Right in front of me, an enormous beast was hidden among the broken rocks and weeds. It stared at me with its light brown eyes and began to growl. I was the first enemy to appear before it. It was an earth dragon that looked like a lizard. Its head was conical and it had extremely sharp and long claws. Flames rose up from underneath its skin. From where I was, I could read its stats——
[Scarlet Earth Dragon] (t.i.tan Tier Monster)
Level: 120
Attack: 7780-9950
Defense: 8500
Health: 600,000
Skills: [Engulfing Flame] [Flame Breath] [Rippers]
Introduction: Scarlet Earth Dragon, one of the guardians of the Earth Dragon Canyon. This type of earth dragon has only inherited 20% of the bloodlines of the true dragons. It is more similar to a lizard. They live above ground and rely on the power that they obtained from the bloodlines of the dragon to dominate. These earth dragons have taken up the responsibility of guarding the entrance to the Earth Dragon Canyon. They kill all intruders and are extremely savage and bloodthirsty
……
“Hu hu….”
This Scarlet Earth Dragon had a body that was around ten meters long. It glared at me, and in a split second, it charged right at me. As it approached, it swung its claws, dealing a [Ripper] to me!
“Keng!”
Even with my st.u.r.dy [Wall of Dou Qi], sparks flew and I received 2317 damage. D*mn, this high tier t.i.tan monster is much stronger than the Thunder Tier monsters. They were about as strong as a Level 1 Hybrid Demons. Of course, after the system updated, the levels and stats of the Northern Hybrid Demons and their Kings have changed as well. That was necessary though. If they were still the same level as they had been in the past then they would get beaten up by the normal players.
I threw a [Blade Spin] and then dealt a [Wind Slash]+Normal Attack+[Fierce Ice Blade]+Normal Attack+Ram Combo. Five damage numbers jumped up. Tsk, my attack power really wasn’t just for looks. Even a high tier t.i.tan monster can’t completely defend against it——
“10237!”
“8411!”
“11324!”
“7926!”
“7742!”
……
Add on the attacks of the Ancient Heavenly Tiger, and both owner and master practically pummeled it to death.
“Grr grrr…”
As though it couldn’t stand being bullied by us, the Earth Dragon raised its head and roared into the sky. The flames above its mouth continuously engulfed the air around it. This was the [Engulfing Flame] skill. In the next moment he threw a [Flame Breath], dealing an attack that hit everything in a 20 yard fan. The Ancient Heavenly Tiger and I both took the hit. As expected, this monster’s attack really hurt——
“7363!”
“14273!”
I was a little better off. After all, all of my equipments added quite a bit of magic defense. The little tiger cried out in pain and swung its claws at the Earth Dragon’s head. It activated [Drain], sucking back some health. It then mercilessly continued its barrage of attacks.
Within thirty seconds, the earth dragon screeched and fell the ground and my experience flashed. I looked at the dropped items. There was a total 2Gs. This monster was so fat that it practically dripped gold. At the moment, the Gold to RMB ration was 1:1. These 2Gs meant 2 more RMB. For a studio that requires a lot of money to run, it was like striking gold, literally and figuratively. If we got 2Gs every minute, then in one hour we would get 120, and if we played 20 hours a day we would get 2400 RMB...
Of course, that also meant that the people farming had to have extremely high levels. Players with good equipment may be able to solo in this map, but any players without quality equipment would probably just become the Earth Dragon’s feast. On top of that, as more and more players leveled up and got better equipments, they’ll be able to come here and grind these earth dragons. The value of gold will quickly drop. After all, the market will always be pushed by the ma.s.ses.
……
After killing a dozen earth dragons, I was starting to feel that this wasn’t a good strategy. I started roaming further inward towards the Earth Dragon Canyon. When I opened up the map, I noticed that there were a couple of green dots flashing in the distance. Yup, those were Tian Ling City NPCs. D*mn, speak of the devil. How could a new map like this not have a quest in it? That would be completely illogical!
I urged my horse forward and charged through the forest. I was pleased to see that there really was an NPC camp there. A total of four people stood in a circle. There were two archers, one knight, and one healer. The healer looked to be a 20 year old young woman. She was helping one of the archers patch up a wound. Beside them was a bonfire that sent plumes of smoke into the air. Some kind of animal leg was roasting above the fire, releasing a strong fragrant scent into the surrounding area.
The knight was the team leader. His armor had apparent claw marks on it. The words “Scout Captain Lan Luo” glowed above his head. With furrowed brows, he gulped some water from a jug and roughly wiped his mouth. He let out a sigh and said, “This is the eleventh day we have been trapped here. We can’t continue on like this. Even my battle horse was eaten. If we keep this up, we’ll starve to death here…”
The healer girl wiped some tears away and said, Uncle Lan Luo, there are Scarlet Earth Dragons surrounding the Earth Dragon Canyon. There’s no use. We’ve already tried breaking through seven times, and we’ve failed every time. We went from a team of 25 people, to only the four of us. I just can’t bear to see another one of us dying.”
Lan Luo let out another sigh, “Prince Theodore sent us here to report on the Earth Dragon King’s situation. We cannot go back without completing anything. Besides, right now doesn’t seem to be the time to consider the task.. I don’t even know how we’re supposed to get out. Prince Theodore’s underestimating the Earth Dragons too much. He should’ve sent the Royal Knights here to scout instead.”
……
After listening to the conversation, I slid off my horse and walked forward. I knew a quest was coming. Without skipping a beat, I asked, “Do you guys need help?”
Lan Luo was stunned, “You… who are you?”
I smiled, “I am an adventurer from the Tian Ling Empire. I just happened to be pa.s.sing by. If you guys need my help, please ask. I will do my best.”
“What, an adventurer of Tian Ling City?”
The healer girl was puzzled, “Those…. Those adventurers from the autonomous states have finally joined Tian Ling City? That’s wonderful! We really need your help right now..”
I nodded, “Yup, go ahead!”
Lan Luo looked at me with a doubtful glance, “Youngster, I don’t know why you are here. But… but can you really help us? You have no idea why these Earth Dragons are so terrifying..”
I spread out my hands with a smile, “Do you need me to try it out first?”
Captain Lan Luo was a straightforward man and he replied, “Alright. First, you need to kill five Scarlet Earth Dragons. Bring me their horns. Only then will I believe that you have the power to help us!”
“Ok…”
……
This was too easy. I then turned around. Within a short 5 minutes, I returned with the five horns. I threw them on the ground and smiled, “Now, do you believe in my strength?”
The healer girl gaped, “Young warrior, you… you really can kill the Scarlet Earth Dragons? Lord… I can’t believe what I’m seeing. A human actually has the power to kill these t.i.tan Tier monsters….”
At that moment, the fifty year old archer pointed at the insignia on my shoulder and said, “That… isn’t that the insignia of Dragon City? You’re one of Dragon City’s men! No wonder you’re so strong. Captain Lan Luo, I believe that we can trust him. Why don’t you tell him about the details of the quest!”
Captain Lan Luo nodded, “Youngster, seeing as you are one of Tian Ling Empire’s adventurers, then I’ll just tell you everything. This is how it all started. Two months ago, a band of bandits had stolen a treasure from King Rob——The ‘Fire Qilin Halberd’ That weapon was the one that King Rob used when he was younger and fought in the North East. He’s extremely furious and has commanded all of the knights in the empire to pursue and kill that band. Who knew that those bandits would run to a barren land like this! After the leader of the bandits brought the Fire Qilin Halberd here, he was swallowed up by the Earth Dragon King. We… we had no other choice. And so, we want to enter into the nest of the Earth Dragon King and find its feces to dig out the Fire Qilin Halberd….”
I was stunned, “You… you guys want me to find the Fire Qilin Halberd?”
Captain Lan Luo said, “Yes. Even though I know that this is an extremely dangerous task, but there is no other option… you don’t have to kill the Earth Dragon King. All you need to do is sneak into its nest and find its feces. Afterwards, you just have to dig out the Fire Qilin Halberd and bring it back to us. We will give you a generous reward!”
I nodded, “Alright!”
“Ding!”
System Notification: you have received the SS tier quest [Search for the Fire Qilin Halberd]!
Quest Details: Kill 100 of the Earth Dragon Guardians. You will likely obtain a [Dragon Costume Card] after killing those earth dragons. Turn yourself into an earth dragon and enter into the nest of the Earth Dragon King. When you’ve found its feces, look for the Fire Qilin Halberd in it. You must be careful while completing this task. Once it is complete, you will receive a generous reward.
……
I didn’t even have the energy to laugh at such an amoral quest. Might as well!
I said goodbye to Captain Lan Luo and the others. I leapt onto my horse and turned around to leave. With my Ancient Heavenly Tiger, I charged out of the crowd of earth dragons. Not far ahead, I could already see some earth dragons roaming the area. There were Flame Earth Dragons and Ice Earth Dragons. They were all Level 120+ t.i.tan Tier monsters. Killing one was easy, but killing 2-3 at once would be difficult. If I had to take on 4-6, then I would have to run away. [Engulfing Flame]+[Flame Breath] were just too strong. I had to run at that point.