Chapter 55: The Hidden Quest Begins, Two-Class Players Emerge
Sterl, the aloof, closed the private chat window.
"Excellent!" He clenched his fist tightly and cheered.
This was a hidden quest, and the rewards were bound to be substantial! Moreover, hidden quests were generally tied to the main storyline of various regions, offering reputation rewards.
For instance, in the Divine Mountain Empire, where Sterl was, enough reputation was required to participate in the empire's main storyline.
What's the use of asking?
Sterl had heard that only main storyline quests and above offered legend points! Yes, those he had earned by completing achievements before.
If Sterl wanted to achieve legendary status in the future, he must accumulate a large number of legend points.
With the experience of the first hidden quest, it was the beginning of a snowball effect, all the way to becoming a legend!
To have his name engraved in the annals of [Transcendence], to be remembered for all eternity!
Sterl, excited, couldn't help but pace around his house.
Finally, the next morning, he bid farewell to Linna and Rayna and headed to the teleportation formation at the base.
The two beautiful girls were very supportive of Sterl's departure because they knew Sterl was going to seek out that mysterious powerhouse who had helped him in the dungeon last time!
For Sterl, familiar with the teleportation formation, this was his first visit to the high-level base's development hall. Speaking of which, it was all thanks to his identity as a member of the Spark Project. Otherwise, the high-level base wouldn't have been accessible to him.
At the same time, Sterl received a private message from Teresa—
[Master, the starting point of the hidden quest has been revealed. Please meet at the coordinates I sent.]
He silently noted the location and looked around.
"Wow, this place is quite majestic." Sterl observed the hall, seemingly constructed of crystal, with a dome covered in dense decorations, each shining brilliantly. Just the appearance alone was extraordinary.
Sterl spent a long time navigating through the huge hall with the map before leaving the base to enter the wilderness.
After about two hours, at a temple-like structure, he finally saw a group of people from afar.
Each person shone with the glow of several pieces of equipment, indicating their formidable strength. Teresa and another girl stood together.
Sterl didn't rush to greet them: "The players participating in the hidden quest must be those next to Teresa. Let's scope them out first."
Sterl silently conjured a Star Blade, activated Divine Descent, unleashed the Stellar Domain to pile up attributes, and then initiated[Insight of the Stars].
As expected, none of the many players present had a spirit higher than his 30 points at that moment.
The data unfolded before Sterl's eyes.
At that moment, the team had about twenty people.
About half of them had attributes similar to Philip Waldo, only higher in level and with a bit of extra attribute points.
And there were a few players whose strength was formidable!
For instance—
[Player Name: Peter]
[Heart of Profession: C-grade Flame Mage (Second-class enhancement, equivalent to B-grade profession)]
[Level: 62 (Second-class)]
[Attributes:
Constitution: 73+30
Strength: 73+10
Agility: 165+45
Spirit: 165+50](The numbers after the plus sign represent the total additional attributes from multiple pieces of equipment)
[Skills:
Explosive Flame (Blue): ...
Fire Resistance Ring (Green): ...
Path of Flame (Blue): ...]
[Talent: Attribute Amplification (B-grade) All attributes increased by twenty points, agility, and spirit an additional five]
"Two-class players?" Sterl's tone was filled with surprise and skepticism.
This fellow named Peter had already completed a dual-class, with his Heart of Profession directly enhanced by one level, leading to a surge in attributes compared to before the two-class! His combat power had massively increased!
Moreover, quite coincidentally, Peter's talent was also attribute amplification. Though different from Sterl's version, as it didn't enhance attributes by a percentage but provided additional main attribute boosts.
And this player's equipment also contributed a significant amount of attribute values.
Sterl considered this formidable combat power.
After a moment, he finally let out two words…
"That's it?"
Sterl felt that, given this attribute and skill sheet, despite being a dual-class player, it wasn't that impressive.
"With this, safety in this mission is assured. No one can pose a threat to me."
Sterl's mood instantly improved.
So, he happily decided to wait on the spot for a while until the rest of the players arrived, after which he would scan them all before going to find Teresa.
"Wait, this person's talent is intense!"
"And their level... is also very high!?"
Sterl was startled, suddenly spotting a big fish.
…
Meanwhile.
At the Human Race No. 113 High-level Base, in the Development Hall.
"Teresa, why do we have to come and wait so early?" A girl in a short-sleeved T-shirt, revealing a waist with defined abs, asked with curiosity.
There was a semblance between her brows and Teresa's, but she appeared younger, giving off an aura of innocence and cuteness. Standing together, they were strikingly charming, attracting the side glances of nearby players.
The girl was Teresa's distant relative. Initially, their relationship wasn't close. But since they both awakened A-grade talents at the same time, they reached out to each other and gradually became familiar through a life-and-death experience together.
This time, Teresa and she exchanged for the hidden quest at the same time, deciding to team up.
It's worth mentioning that, given the poverty of the human race, hidden quests were exceedingly rare.
This particular mission was discovered by an S-grade professional suitable for players around the two-class level of strength. Its trigger location was conveniently in the Val Administrative Region. Thus, the professional posted the hidden quest in a nearby sequence base.
That's how Teresa got the chance to exchange for it. Also, in her base, there were quite a few players with near two-class strength who also spent contribution points to participate.
At this moment, Teresa didn't respond to the girl's question, instead focusing on her private chat panel. Sterl had only replied with two words, seemingly quite indifferent.
From yesterday to now, every time Teresa saw this reply and remembered the times she was under Sterl's command, she couldn't help but feel a surge of heat throughout her body.
Partly due to the influence of the vice star, and partly because Sterl was so generous, gifting her a B+ grade pet egg, which had completely floored Teresa.
The more Teresa thought about it, the more she filled with adoration and a special kind of feeling towards this master.
"Teresa, what's wrong with you?" The girl beside her kept asking with curiosity.
She found it strange. Teresa was usually so composed. Why was she now staring at her attribute panel as if she was in heat?
She shared her feelings honestly.
"Daphne, do you have a death wish?" Teresa suddenly became angry and embarrassed, even going as far as to punch her companion on the shoulder.
The magnitude of the motion made Daphne yelp in surprise like a startled rabbit: "Argh!"
But her eyes grew even more suspicious. If Teresa hadn't been hit by her words, why react so strongly?
Daphne had initially been joking, but now she was genuinely suspicious.
"Could it be that junior you're supposed to be mentoring?"
"What exactly is your relationship with him??" She continued to probe.
The so-called junior was Sterl.
Teresa had paid twice the contribution points required for the hidden quests, outwardly claiming it was because Sterl had helped her seize an opportunity in a dungeon.
Teresa didn't mention the B+ grade pet. Such items were too precious among the human race, and even with her background at the sequence base, it couldn't be secured.
A vague opportunity wouldn't arouse suspicion. After all, the Starfall Wilderness was just a dungeon for those below level 20.
This time, however, Daphne wasn't pushed away by Teresa again. Thinking she might have guessed incorrectly, she then realized her dear sister had already moved to the side, her gaze coldly fixed forward, completely ignoring her.
"Goodness, I guessed right again." Daphne thought, her lips curling into a smile, delighting in the drama.
She hadn't expected Teresa, usually so aloof, to have a day filled with romance!
"Sterl, you better come quickly. I can't wait for the show." she outwardly returned to Teresa's side with an obedient expression. In reality, the soul of a gossip enthusiast burns fiercely within.
Before Daphne could continue to seek amusement, she noticed Teresa suddenly step back half a step.
When Daphne turned her head, her expression drastically changed.
"It's you?!"
"What do you want??"
"How dare you show your face in front of me?!"
The usually exquisite and beautiful faces of sisters Daphne and Teresa twisted in anger.
They stared ahead at a middle-aged man wearing a gold-threaded cape, his equipment emitting more spiritual light than others, showing an extremely annoyed expression!
Teresa's chest heaved with anger. This man was the reason she and Daphne had become close—
Mark, the guild leader of the Death Poem within the No. 113 High-level Base. By chance, Teresa and Daphne had once joined this guild leader in a dungeon run.
The requirement to unlock the hidden boss in that dungeon was to push two players into the sacrificial pit, directly resulting in Teresa and Daphne falling into the pit, facing a level 70 boss!
They had nearly become sacrifices.