Chapter 23: Task Punishment

“Oh, one actually survived…” The Wandering Merchant’s eyes lit up as he looked towards the alley entrance. Soon after, a stumbling figure slowly approached him from the alley.

“Liar, liar, damn you, you monster, monster, they all died, they are all dead, all killed because of you.” Wang Zhipeng, looking disheveled, threw himself in front of the Wandering Merchant, shouting in agony.

“Oh, dear customer, please take back these inappropriate words and actions. I am an honest Cosmic Merchant. Your words could cause great damage to my reputation.” The Wandering Merchant’s face darkened, and a powerful aura slowly emanated from him.

Wang Zhipeng was just an ordinary person. Even the aura from a One-Star Strength Insect Human could make him tremble with fear, let alone a Wandering Merchant with Three-Star Strength. Moreover, this one was deliberately releasing his terrifying aura directly at him.

Wang Zhipeng opened his mouth wide, his face showing pain as if a heavy weight was pressing down on him. His arms, supporting his body, began to tremble slightly.

“I… I…” Wang Zhipeng’s eyes pleaded, but though his mouth was open, he couldn’t make any sound. It felt as if he had fallen into endless darkness.

“Alright, I remember you still have an unfinished task for me. So, this time, I’ll let you off. Remember, as a Wandering Merchant, my reputation cannot be tarnished by anyone. Anyone!” The Wandering Merchant looked at Wang Zhipeng’s miserable state with satisfaction, then withdrew his aura.

“So… sorry!” Wang Zhipeng was drenched in sweat as if he had been pulled out of water, his face full of fear. He had never been so frightened, not even when facing the Green Poison Insect.

“Alright, did you complete the task I gave you?” The Wandering Merchant finished packing his last bundle, hung them all on his body, and looked up at Wang Zhipeng. “You should know, I waited for you all night. Otherwise, I would have left here yesterday evening. Don’t tell me you failed the task…”

“My, our people all died, all dead.” Wang Zhipeng’s face showed the pain of remembering, and a trace of fear appeared in his eyes. He continued, “We only killed one Green Poison Insect, just one. Its venom was too powerful. Just one drop would completely dissolve a person, not even bones remaining…”

Wang Zhipeng couldn’t hold back anymore and broke down crying.

“I don’t care about that. I post a task, you accept it, then you hand in the task items, and I give you the rewards.” The Wandering Merchant curled his lip and looked at Wang Zhipeng disdainfully. “Of course, if you don’t complete the task within the time limit, then naturally, according to the contract, I will punish you to make up for my losses. Simple, isn’t it?”

Wang Zhipeng stood stunned for a long moment, then finally pulled out a shrunken Poison Sac the size of a fist from his chest and handed it over.

The Wandering Merchant looked at the Poison Sac in Wang Zhipeng’s hand with disgust, shaking his head. “This is not the task item I wanted!”

“But this really is the Poison Sac taken from the Green Poison Insect’s belly. For this, I lost five companions, five…” Hearing the Wandering Merchant deny it, Wang Zhipeng mustered courage from somewhere and shouted at him.

“Hehe, this is indeed a Green Poison Insect’s Poison Sac.” The Wandering Merchant laughed. “But it’s not the Poison Sac required by the task. Please read the task description carefully. The required task item is a One-Star Green Poison Insect’s Poison Sac.”

The Wandering Merchant emphasized the words “One Star” as he spoke.

“O-one star?” Wang Zhipeng looked confused. “What, what is a One-Star Green Poison Insect?”

“Simply put, it’s a Green Poison Insect with One-Star Strength. For example, this one is…” The Wandering Merchant took out a large Poison Sac from his chest; it was twice the size of the one Wang Zhipeng held.

Wang Zhipeng suddenly remembered that the Wandering Merchant had shown this Poison Sac before. However, the Green Poison Insect they encountered was so terrifying it easily overpowered them, making Wang Zhipeng think it must have been a One-Star Green Poison Insect.

“How is that possible, how is that possible…” Wang Zhipeng muttered to himself.

“The one in your hand is just a Poison Sac from a common Green Poison Insect. Still, I’ll take it too. Yours is so shriveled; the venom inside must be used up, right?” The Wandering Merchant frowned at the Poison Sac in Wang Zhipeng’s hand. “But seeing how hard you all tried, I’ll buy this for the price of one Cosmic Gold Coin. As for the task, hehe, you still have forty-six minutes. You can use this time to kill another Green Poison Insect with One-Star Strength.”

“It killed five of my companions in one go, how could it just be common quality? That must have been a One-Star, you’re lying to me!” Wang Zhipeng shouted, tears streaming down his face.

“Look closely!” The Wandering Merchant said grimly, pointing to the bright red diamond-shaped crystal on his own forehead. “Any creature that reaches Star Level strength has a strength crystal on its forehead. One-Star Strength is white. Only those with a white crystal on their forehead possess One-Star Strength.”

The Wandering Merchant’s eyes showed a fierce look. Wang Zhipeng couldn’t help but shudder and whispered, “I, the six of us, killed only one ordinary Green Poison Insect and lost five people. How could we possibly have the strength to kill a higher-level One-Star Green Poison Insect? It’s impossible. Now it’s just me alone, impossible, wuwu~~”

Wang Zhipeng was in despair. He lay on the ground as if he had lost his mind.

The Wandering Merchant didn’t even glance at him, just waited quietly for time to pass.

Soon, forty-six minutes went by, and a voice sounded in Wang Zhipeng’s ear.

“The task you accepted, ‘Hunt the Green Poison Insect,’ was not completed within the time limit. Task failed!”

“Hehe, alright, since the task failed, then, as stated in the contract, I will take all the items on you as the task punishment.” The Wandering Merchant grinned widely and laughed heartily.

“Oh, not bad, this guy has two thousand Fate Points. Oh, this is good too, haha, he actually has a Black Iron Grade ring. Not bad, not bad…” The Wandering Merchant laughed, his hands grabbing continually in the empty air.