Chapter 566: Ancient Creatures
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Along with the [Cobalt Helmet], Zhang Yang had finally gotten two pieces of equipment out of this quest. It was better than nothing.
The next item would be the coral-red staff.
[Coral Staff] (Mythical, Staff)
Magic Attack: 4,711 - 5.511
Equip: Increases both Damage and Healing Efficiency by 14%.
Equip: When you have succeeded in releasing a spell, there is a certain rate that the target would be stuck by corals. The target will not be able to move at all. Lasts for 5 seconds.
{Unidentified}
Required Level: 130
Special: Reduces 20 levels from the Required Level.
Although Daffodil Daydream was amazed to see it, she said, "Sister Snow, I already have the [Epicormic Branch of the Tree of Life]. You should have the staff instead!"
Her staff was also a Mythical Tier equipment. Although her staff was only Level 110, it wouldn’t be too far behind than the [Coral Staff].
Han Ying Xue did not act like the hypocrite she sometimes was. She simply took the staff and shoved it into her inventory. She couldn’t equip it just yet, as she had not met the Required Level to equip it, just like Zhang Yang.
The final piece of the equipment did not have the Special attribute that reduces the Required Level. As it was a Level 130 Violet-Platinum Tier equipment, it could only be shelved in The Little Merchandise Shop. They would already be able to equip a Mythical Tier equipment by the time they reach Level 130.
Zhang Yang took up the [Skill Book] as that was one of the items worth looking at.
[Skill Book: Superior Indiscriminate]
Use: Teaches you the Skill: Superior Indiscriminate.
Required: Indiscriminate.
Required Level: 100
"Huh? Another ‘Enhancement-type’ [Skill Book]?" Zhang Yang spoke out loud in surprise as he patted the little brat who was still floating on cloud nine with her [Inheritance] fragment, "Little brat, come back from your wild dream and look at this. Or else I’m using it for myself!"
Wei Yan Er finally snapped out of her wild dream and snatched the [Skill Book] away! Then, she quickly tapped it against herself and learned the Skill. She did it so swiftly as if she had believed every word Zhang Yang said. After that, only did she take a good look at the description of the Skill.
[Superior Indiscriminate]: Increases the effect’s duration of your {Indiscriminate} by 5 seconds.
The initial duration of the {Indiscriminate} was 10 seconds long. That being said, any physical attack from the players would surely be a Critical Strike. After the duration of the Skill becomes 15 seconds long, that would be a 50% enhancement to the Skill, even though it was just merely a 5-second extension!
"Wow, this is really a good place. There were so many [Mounts]. So much equipment, so many [Inheritances], and so many [Skill Books]! This is a land full of treasure!" Han Ying Xue could not hold in her money-grubbing face anymore as she continued to say, "We should just conquer this map and never share it with others!"
Zhang Yang only shook his head and said nothing. He had not heard of this place in his previous life. There had to be a significant change in the storyline of the quest that he had accepted earlier on. Or else, why would such a place be hidden from a bunch of hungry guilds that would devour its ‘treasure’ for their own benefits? It appeared that Zhang Yang might have picked up a unique quest, after all.
Zhang Yang picked up the Treasure Map from the dead body of the boss. Because he was the only one who had accepted the quest, the little brat and the other two ladies could not pick the quest item up.
‘Ding! You have acquired an item: The Pirate’s Treasure Map!’
‘Ding! You have slain Blackbeard Ditch and reclaimed the Treasure Map!’
‘Ding! You have completed a quest: The Pirate’s Treasure Map, acquired 5,000,000 experience points!’
‘Ding! You have automatically accepted a quest: Access to the Treasure!’
[Access to the Treasure!] (Difficulty: D-rank)
Description: You have reacquired the Treasure map! After a close study on it, you have discovered that the location of the Treasure is located in Baroque Island itself! Warrior, it’s time to harvest the fruits of your victory! Move forward and claim the endless wealth that you have been promised!
Zhang Yang gently touched the Treasure Map. The Treasure Map then emitted out countless beautiful colorful lights and formed a hologram of the entire Baroque Island! Right at a corner of the map, a large red dot was blinking. It had to be indicating the exact location of the treasure!
A curved pathway leading to the treasure appeared on the Treasure Map. The four of them followed the map and arrived at the location in no time at all. Almost immediately, they found an entrance to a secret tunnel beneath a huge rock.
"I wonder what the treasures would be!" Wei Yan Er was pumped up with excitement, "I’m not that greedy, just give me tens of thousands of gold coins! That should be enough!"
"Yan Er, you have a big goal in life..." Han Ying Xue began to ‘educate’ the little brat with a life lesson, "How would tens of thousands of dollars ever be enough! You must at least ask for millions of dollars!"
The eyes of the two money grubbers flashed with gold and money as they were looking forward to see what the treasures would be.
Zhang Yang could not help but frown. Everything that these two would ever think was just money, and nothing else.
If the difficulty of this quest was D-rank, should they assume that this quest would be extremely easy then? The four of them took their time. About half an hour later, they arrived at the front of a cave after running through a series of twists and turns.
"So, where is the treasure?" Wei Yan Er blinked while staring into the cave. The cave wasn’t really that big. A huge, black stone tablet right in the middle of the cave. The black stone tablet was enshrouded with strange dark light. The surroundings were totally empty.
Zhang Yang also felt strange about it, then he said, "Could they be underneath the huge stone tablet?
"Lift it up, then!" Wei Yan Er was definitely a violent girl. Right after she said that out, she immediately ran up to the stone tablet and put her hands on the solid stone tablet, carrying out her own suggestion.
"Stop!" the illusion of a Stone Giant was suddenly projected out of the stone tablet. It was shouting at Wei Yan Er with a furious face.
"Aiyah! Who are you to tell me what to do? Why would I stop if you say so?" Wei Yan Er frowned, as she could not lift the stone tablet at all. She grabbed her axe and swung it straight at the stone tablet.
Kuang!
A loud crash resounded across the entire area. Although the stone table seemed to have been very solid, it couldn’t really take much of a hit, after all! After a series of sparks burst into the surrounding, the stone tablet was cleaved into half by the little brat and her axe.
"You ---" the Stone Giant looked at the little brat. He could not even speak anymore.
"Humph! You stinky stone monster! What can you do to me?" Wei Yan Er pushed up her chest as if she was trying her best to push her pair of boobs ‘higher’ up.
Suddenly, the cave began to rumble.
The entire island began to tremble along with it. Countless rocks fell from the ceiling of the cave, crashing down upon Zhang Yang and the 3 ladies.
"Where’s the treasure?" Wei Yan Er moved the scattered pieces of the rocks on the ground to look beneath that black stone tablet. She did not find any treasure chest or other loots beneath the piles of broken stone and bricks. Instead, she discovered countless of mystical patterns. Being players who had already played the game for quite a long time, they immediately recognized that those patterns were actually part of a large magic circle. They were standing on top of the magic circle all along, ever since they stepped into the cave!
From above their heads, dust and broken stones began to fall upon them. Meanwhile, Wei Yan Er and Han Ying Xue were dejected. They had longed for treasure and yet, they did not manage to get what they wanted, at all.
"Sigh..!" the Stone Giant was no longer angry. It sighed in resignation, and said, "It seems that no one will be able to escape what that is to come!"
"Mr. Stone Giant, what is this all about?" Zhang Yang stepped forward and asked the Stone Giant, "Isn’t this a sacred place where Pirate King Roger buried his treasures?"
"Pirate King Roger? Buried treasures here?" The Stone Giant stared at him incredulously, then he shook his head and said, "What kind of nonsense is that? How did you even come across such an absurd rumor! My fellow Adventurers, you cannot be more wrong than this. It wasn’t a bunch of treasure that was buried beneath that stone tablet. Demons were!"
The Stone Giant continued to explain, "Many years ago, so many years that I have lost count of it! We were following Captain Roger to sail across the seas, across the entire world! We conquered one region after another. When we came across this region, we also discovered this mysterious island. Captain Roger had also studied the terrain of the island very closely. That was how he stumbled across this hidden place. It was then when we realized that the seal was about to be broken! A large army of Ancient Creatures appeared, and we fought many battles and lost many of our brothers! By the end of it, we managed to annihilate the army of the Ancient Creatures! Captain Roger had given up 30 years of his life to stabilize the seal! Ever since then, the Ancient Creatures had remained in their own realm."
"So what was the deal with that Treasure Map then?" Zhang Yang took out the Treasure Map that led them to this location.
"This map contains the foul scents of those Ancient Creatures!" The Stone Giant was shaken up pretty badly. Then he said, "I finally understand! It must be one of their schemes! The foul Ancient Creatures that were sealed away must have created this map with their dark magic! Although they were sealed, they could still depend on the power that passes through the seal! They used the emotion "greed" in people in order to destroy the magic circle of the seal and release them!
Wei Yan Er quickly turned her head to another direction and she began to whistle and pretend as if nothing had happened.
Boom!
As they were talking, the entire island was shaking more and more violently. It wasn’t just the falling dust and rocks anymore. The ground was beginning to crack, and the cracks began to expand further into the surroundings. Dark-red, boiling lava started oozing out of the cracks.
"No time to lose! These Ancient Creatures are about to break the seal! Go, go as quickly as possible! Bring the news to every corner of the earth! These Ancient Creatures cannot be brought down by just a few of you! You will need an army to fight off such foul and evil army of creatures!" The Stone Giant was panicking as he continued to say, "I shall create a temporary portal. Just go!"
The moment it finished talking, the Stone Giant began to chant a spell. A small portal appeared right before Zhang Yang and the ladies.
"Quickly! Go! Get out of here!" The Stone Giant urged.
Boom!
A loud explosive sound was heard. The next thing that Zhang Yang and the ladies saw was a gigantic cockroach appearing right in front of them all! Followed by a second one, a third one!
[Zergert Cockroach King] (Violet-Platinum, Beast)
Level: 125
HP: 12,500,000
Defense: 3,300
Melee Attack: 17,739 - 21,739
Skills: N/A
If it was just one or two of these Zergert Cockroach Kings, Zhang Yang would have stayed behind to slay them all without any fear. However, more foul cockroaches were sprouting out at every passing second!
Who would dare to stay back and fight?
"Let’s get out of here!" Zhang Yang quickly shouted.
The three ladies could not afford to delay any further. They quickly ran towards the portal. After they went through the portal, the ladies arrived at the Teleportation Circle in White Jade Castle.
Zhang Yang looked at the Stone Giant and he said, "Mr. Stone Giant, how about you?"
"I was long dead!" Stone Giant revealed a slight grin as if he was content having a stranger like Zhang Yang actually caring about him. "I’m just a residue of my soul that was bound to the seal. My purpose was to warn anyone who set foot into the cave. But... it doesn’t matter anymore. Don’t blame the little girl for all this. Even if she did not act recklessly, the seal that Captain Roger put upon the stone tablet was going to fade anyway. It would only hold for another few years. Well, it’s not really a bad thing that the seal has been broken. By breaking the seal, at least you know what’s coming now! Warrior, if you have the courage and the power, just get back here and destroy the magic circle on this soil. You can do it after the magic seal has totally faded!"
‘Ding! You have completed a quest: Access to the Treasure! Acquired 100,000 experience points!’
‘Ding! The Stone Giant has a quest for you: Preventing Future Trouble, will you accept it?’
Accept!
"Leave at once! My power is fading! I cannot hold the portal for much longer!" The Stone Giant roared.
At the same instant, one of the Zergert Cockroach King had sensed the presence of Zhang Yang. It immediately let out a screech and swung one of its thorny legs towards Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang quickly went through the portal right before the leg hit him. Right after he went through the portal, he arrived at the White Jade Castle as well. The portal behind him immediately collapsed and disappeared.
‘Server Announcement: Large-Scale Legendary Quest: The Invasion of the Ancient Creatures has been activated! Countless Ancient Creatures will appear on Baroque Island, among the Camarro Islands. They will arrive at 7 pm, 3 days from today. These monsters shall depart from the island and launch their assaults on the entire world!’
‘Server Announcement: All players can participate in the Legendary Quest, contributed in stopping the invasion of the evil Ancient Creatures. During the battle, players can get [Insect Shell] of the Tiers, Violet-Platinum, Yellow-Gold, and Gray-Silver. Players can exchange these [Insect Shell] over to the Event Merchant in all Main Cities for equipment. The best Tier of the equipment will be Violet-Platinum!’
‘Server Announcement: These Ancient Creatures will probably be divided into 8 different forces when they are attacking the Main Cities. They will arrive at the Main Cities of each Region through portals! If the monsters manage to annihilate 3 or more Main Cities in each large Region, all players from that Region will receive a penalty of -1 level for the next Main City (starting from the 4th Main City) that falls! On the other hand, if the players can defend 3 or more Main Cities in each large Region from falling, all players from that Region will receive a reward of +1 level! Additionally, if players can stop the monsters by the portals in Ten Barren Seas, all players of that Region will receive a reward of +4 level!’
At that moment, the server was echoing the announcement repeatedly. It notified everyone about the upcoming Large-Scale Legendary Quest!
"Zhan Yu, was it you who did it?" before Zhang Yang could even catch his own breath, he received a private message from Snow Seeker.
"What do you mean was I the one who did it? I have been a clean and good man! I would never go to the club!" Zhang Yang attempted to make fun of Snow Seeker. Crimson Rage has always been really weird. Snow Seeker’s fellow members of her guild were all bad girls. As the leader of the ‘bad girls’, Snow Seeker was surprisingly decent and upright. Zhang Yang would only fear the seduction that those ‘Bad girls’ like Perfumed Water, but he was very fond of making fun of Snow Seeker.
Snow Seeker was stunned for a moment, then only she realized that her wordings had a little ambiguity in them. She shrugged off his tease. Then she said, "I meant the Server Announcement about the Legendary Quest! Don’t tell me you have nothing to do with it!"
"... It really had nothing to do with me! It was Yan Er that little brat that did something to trigger it!" Zhang Yang laughed. The moment when Zhang Yang and the ladies discovered the location of the ‘treasure’ had triggered the Legendary Quest. The only thing that would change was how the Legendary Quest would be triggered.
"You guys are real troublemakers!" Snow Seeker let out a sigh, then she said, "Let’s discuss on how to stop the invasion of the Ancient Creatures, then!"
Zhang Yang nodded. Of course, he knew that one guild would not be capable of completing such a large-scale quest all alone! The only way of getting through this would be to combine the power of players from all of China!
So, Zhang Yang said, "Let’s join up with Greensleeves Prince, One Sword Stroke, and the other guildmasters. We can’t complete this Legendary Quest with only our guilds! We need every possible help that we can get!"