Chapter 821: Another Golden Side Mission
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
From afar, Drubal, who had successfully distanced himself, told Sheyan seriously.
"You're a fearsome opponent, but…next time we meet, you won't be so lucky!"
Drubal's tone was heavy and even carried a hint of respect which wasn't there before. Right after he finished speaking, he immediately turned around and ran away without any care for his pride. His action displayed no hesitation!
He knew that his speed, at least, was faster than his opponent. He might have fallen into the trap of the insane MT today, but he could still have his revenge in the future.
In this world, anything is possible as long as one survived. Only a living person could display pride! The dead could only rot within the embrace of flies and maggots.
Drubal thought that someone as shrewd as Sheyan wouldn't waste his time on the inevitable. But contrary to his expectation, as soon as he moved, Sheyan immediately chased after him like a mad dog!
Nevertheless, it only took a while for Drubal to breathe a sigh of relief. Even though Sheyan's speed had increased, it wasn't by much. Their speed now were about the same. Sheyan will never be able to close in on him.
More importantly, even though they were now outside the range of the party communication channel, Drubal had earlier requested for help via a 'Floating Magic Snake' made from water element when he felt something was wrong. On a rainy day like today, a 'Floating Magic Snake' can easily travel for over 5 kilometers.
If Sheyan dared to chase after him for 8 minutes….no, not even that, just 5 minutes! He would be able to regroup with his allies and they could gang up on Sheyan.
Alas, there were always unexpected factors when theories were put into practice. Drubal suddenly sneezed. And it happened when he was trying to jump over a boulder. Drubal crashed to the ground, resulting in the distance between the two to be shortened by over 30 meters.
Not even 20 seconds afterwards, Drubal felt an inexplicable chill all over his body. The chill seemed to emanate from deep within his bones, making him shiver uncontrollably for a few seconds. His movement speed plummeted in those few seconds. As a consequence, his pursuer caught up by another 30 meters.
A short while after, Drubal was overcome by a fit of coughing so severe that he was bent at the waist. Under a series of abnormal conditions that he found extremely perplexing, his initially confident flight only lasted for a mere 37 seconds before he was forced to the ground by Sheyan's 'Hornrage'.
Even if he is an Awakener, what could a magic-based class who ran out of MP do? (For details, please refer to scenes of Warriors vs. Mages that ran out of mana in WoW or LoL.)
Sheyan showed no mercy and unleashed a flurry of slashes with '+7 West' while Drubal's cries reverberated on this corner of Middle Earth. Every dog has its day; Drubal's actions a moment ago were fully paid back in kind by Sheyan. The difference was, Sheyan had thousands of HP that he could use to expend Drubal's MP, while Drubal could use nothing to waste Sheyan's strength.
As he saw Sheyan once again raise that weapon which was merely of a dark blue grade but was very lethal, Drubal, whose voice had gone hoarse from howling, took a breath and said, "You've already chopped off one of my arms and one of my legs. That should be enough to vent your anger. Can we talk business now?"
Sheyan, upon hearing Drubal's words, suddenly laughed and said, "Interesting. Really interesting. It's been a while since I've met such an interesting person. What kind of business?"
Drubal spat out the blood in his throat and replied with a wry smile, "The business of ransoming my life, of course."
Sheyan placed '+7 West' on Drubal neck to let him feel the bone-chilling sensation of the blade.
"Then why do I feel like you're stalling for time?"
Drubal sincerely replied, "You can injure me to a point close to death, then take me to a place you deem safe. We can talk there."
Sheyan merely laughed and said, "You're playing this kind of game with me? I happen to know that your party has a skill that can transport a near-death contestant out. Do you truly believe I would fall for your tricks? However, it's rare to meet an interesting person like you. I will therefore give you 60 seconds – not to persuade me, oh no - you have to complete the deal within the 60 seconds. Because as soon as time is up, I will immediately kill you without hesitation."
Drubal's heart sank. He realized that the person in front of him was a bold risk-taker, yet he also paid careful attention to details, in addition to being extremely confident. In front of this kind of people, it's better to show his hands instead of playing tricks.
Sheyan added, "Killing you will net me at least 6 achievement points or 6 free attribute points alongside a random equipment. More importantly, you previously forced me into a corner and now you've seen all my cards. If I let you live, I risk my information being revealed. Unless you offer something a few times more valuable than usual, I will never agree to a deal."
Drubal gritted his teeth and said, "I will offer you a mission with an E difficulty rating, that has a Realm evaluation of 'Golden Side Mission'! Is that enough to ransom my life?"
As he said that, Drubal uncurled his fingers. On his palm sat an extremely ordinary metal nut. He set the status of the nut to 'Display'. The description of the nut read:
[This item marks the beginning of a magnificent mission. After using it, you will obtain a mission with an E difficulty rating, that has a Realm evaluation of 'Golden Side Mission'! What are you waiting for?]
For some unknown reason, the nut gave off an extraordinary feeling. Sheyan said, "You have 33 seconds left. Why didn't you use it yourself?"
Drubal smiled and replied, "When I chanced upon this nut, there was an electrical wire beside it which can activate the same mission. Therefore, the reason I didn't use the nut myself was because I've already completed the mission."
Sheyan couldn't help feeling some admiration for the mental fortitude and ability displayed by Drubal under the current situation. As expected of the core member of a team that could devise a plan to wipe out the Elven heroes in one fell swoop. Despite that, he coldly said, "Not enough. This thing can at most compensate me for the leak of my information. You will need to offer more for your life."
Drubal fished out 5 strange-looking stones without a word. The outer layers of the stones were semi-transparent and a lava-like substance could be seen in them. Their description read:
[Unknown strange object: The Tear Stone of a Balrog]
[The merciless Balrogs are creatures that do not love; they will never shed tears out of grief. Yet, this object is definitely the tear of a Balrog wrapped in stone. The circumstance of its origin is unknown.]
[Note: The dimensional researchers are very interested in these kind of things. Each Tear Stone of a Balrog can be exchanged for 3 achievement points.]
After thinking for a while, Sheyan said, "Share your missions with me. Let me take a look."
Drubal appeared very cooperative and did as he was told. Sheyan saw that Drubal's main mission was to heavily injure or kill a core member of the Middle Earth Alliance. There was only 7 hours left until the time limit was up. His branch mission was actually to stop Elrond from reaching the Undying Lands, and he had 6 hours left to do so. They obviously couldn't stay in this world for much longer. After a bit of consideration, Sheyan said,
"Deal."
They completed the transaction. Of course, Drubal bound Sheyan with a contract to prevent Sheyan from killing him after receiving the goods. However, after the transaction, it was Sheyan who ran for his life.
Looking at Sheyan's disappearing silhouette, Drubal laughed out loud. But after a while, his laughter gradually turned bitter. It was the first time he suffered such a loss since entering the realm!
Sheyan didn't dare to linger. Not that he was afraid of reinforcements, but Melody's safety was currently in question. In fact, he didn't know what the situation was on that side at all. That's why he had to immediately obtain relevant information so that he could make corresponding plans.
On the way to the meeting place, Sheyan couldn't run at full speed because he was continuously using medicine to treat himself. After all, a heavily injured Sheyan is a useless Sheyan. Now that he had time to think, he kept pondering on a few questions that he had after his boundary breakthrough.
His first doubt was regarding the 50-point boundary breakthrough. There was no way he was the first to achieve that. After inquiring, it turned that what he obtained was the perfect reward because he was the first to break through the pure 50-point Physique boundary as a basic realm contestant.
If he broke through the pure attribute boundary after becoming a Growth-Hunter, he will still get a reward, but it will be very ordinary.
Sheyan actually wanted to break through the boundaries of both Strength and Physique at the same time, but he was in a tight situation. Besides, the notifications came right after his Physique broke through 50 points. He wasn't given the time to break through the Strength boundary at all.
Sheyan only found out after enquiring that it was impossible for a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter to have Dual Specialty. Only before completing the official advancement mission for the boundary breakthrough would a contestant be asked if they would like to take the breakthrough test for a Dual Specialty Growth-Hunter. The difficulty would naturally double.