Chapter 14: Tricked!
Chapter 14: Tricked!
Twenty kilometers outside Jinghua City.
Over a year ago, a technology company called Canglan Technology was established here. The newly founded Canglan Technology had no reputation whatsoever throughout the entire Huaxia Region. Only a few people knew that the game Genesis in the Huaxia Region was operated and monitored by Canglan Technology.
On the first day of Genesis’s release, Canglan Technology took it very seriously. Even though it was already late at night, the entire monitoring department was fully prepared, closely watching the game data.
Countless data streams flowed across the massive screens, with a group of young people watching intently below.
Several hours had passed since the game’s release, and they were no longer as tense as they were at the beginning.
Even during the peak player count, the game had not encountered any issues. From then on, the game was expected to run smoothly.
“Eh? How is this possible! Someone actually entered the Land of Divine Punishment!”
Suddenly, a young man exclaimed in surprise.
“Land of Divine Punishment? Wasn’t it said that only a few hidden quests could grant access? The highest player level right now is only Level 10. How could someone have entered such a hidden map?”
“Hurry up and check what’s going on!”
Everyone was shocked. The young man who first noticed it quickly pulled up the relevant data.
If there was a bug in the game, they had to report it immediately. Canglan Technology only had monitoring capabilities and no authority to modify game data.
“So that’s what happened.”
“Haha, this guy must be a huge pervert! He harassed over a dozen female NPCs in a row and triggered a hidden quest that threw him into the Land of Divine Punishment!”
“What kind of grudge is this? I suspect the person who designed this quest is an old woman who has never been harassed!”
“Poor guy. The Land of Divine Punishment is a death sentence for players below Level 10. He’ll probably drop back to Level 1.”
…
Land of Divine Punishment.
Chen Mo gritted his teeth as he stared at the ancient ruins before him.
The ancient ruins were located atop a vast, boundless black swamp. The sky was gloomy, with no trace of light. Around the black swamp, only half-sunken and half-floating debris of buildings could be seen.
There were no monsters around, only a black female figure that would suddenly emerge from the swamp below to assassinate him.
In less than five minutes since arriving, he had been killed five times by the black figure, dropping from Level 9 back to Level 8!
Damn it! He had been completely tricked!
That rendezvous quest was indeed a hidden quest, but it was one that could kill you without mercy!
When he went to the north of the town, knocked on the door, and entered to meet Enoch, Enoch immediately grabbed him without a word. Enoch said he would punish Chen Mo for his heinous perversion and sent him to this Land of Divine Punishment.
When Enoch attacked, Chen Mo naturally did not sit idle. However, Enoch’s speed and attack power were beyond his ability to resist. In just a few moves, Chen Mo was captured.
He had to stay in the Land of Divine Punishment for a full hour before he could leave. In the Land of Divine Punishment, every time he died, his experience would be forced to decrease by 20%. Even though he was a player below Level 10, this rule still applied.
In just five minutes, he had died five times and lost one level. If this continued for an hour, his level would drop back to Level 1.
Chen Mo estimated that there might be some good items in the Land of Divine Punishment, but no matter how good they were, he wouldn’t be able to get them.
In five minutes, he had died five times, but in reality, he had only moved less than thirty meters across the black swamp. Every time he respawned, he would take only a few steps before the black figure emerged from the swamp and killed him with a single dagger strike.
After dying, he would respawn in the same spot after thirty seconds. Once he respawned and took a few steps, the black figure would come to assassinate him again.
He couldn’t even log out here. If he logged out, his character would remain in place, allowing the black figure to kill him freely.
After dying five times, Chen Mo finally reached a stone.
He wanted to use the stone to defend against the black figure’s assassinations.
Silently calculating the timing of the black figure’s appearance, Chen Mo quietly took out a stone and set up a Shockwave Trap.
Whoosh!
Not long after setting up the Shockwave Trap, the black figure suddenly appeared on the left. Chen Mo focused his mind, and the Shockwave Trap was thrown over.
Boom!
The Shockwave Trap exploded! The black figure was thrown back by the shockwave.
It seemed like it might work!
Chen Mo felt a surge of joy.
However, the shockwave also pushed him away from the stone. Chen Mo fell back onto the damp swamp ground.
Damn!
But before he could get away from the swamp ground, Chen Mo felt a sharp pain in his back and realized he had been ambushed by the black figure again.
It was no use—he couldn’t defend against it!
Although he had hoped to use the Shockwave Trap to reduce the number of deaths and see if he could survive the hour, after this attempt, Chen Mo knew that with his current level and attributes, he had no chance of fighting the black figure.
Once he realized this, Chen Mo stopped resisting and instead ran wildly in one direction, hoping to find some treasure before he was killed down to Level 1.
Chen Mo fell again and again. Every time he respawned, he ran as fast as he could.
“Treasure Chest!”
When Chen Mo’s level dropped to Level 5, he was overjoyed to discover a dark, ancient treasure chest on the swamp ground fifty meters ahead!
If he could open that treasure chest, it would be worth it even if his level dropped back to Level 1!
Without hesitation, Chen Mo sprinted toward the treasure chest.
But Chen Mo realized he had been too optimistic. When he was less than thirty meters away from the dark treasure chest, multiple black figures suddenly emerged from the swamp ground ahead.
This was the first time Chen Mo had clearly seen these black figures. Their forms were that of curvaceous, enchanting beauties, but their entire bodies were pitch black, making it impossible to see any details clearly. Only their cold, red eyes made it clear that these figures were not to be messed with.
Chen Mo couldn’t handle even one black figure. Now, with over a dozen appearing at once, there was no way he could withstand them.
Chen Mo could only sigh, stop moving forward, and silently allow himself to be killed back to Level 1.
When his level finally dropped to Level 1, Chen Mo finally left the Land of Divine Punishment and reappeared in the square of Earl Town.
“Damn it! Tricked me, huh? Well, let’s see what happens to the quest if I manage to subdue that woman Enoch!”
Chen Mo didn’t care about dropping back to Level 1, as levels weren’t important to him.
But being blatantly tricked was unbearable!
He had fought Enoch before and knew that her attributes weren’t invincible. If he could get a set of top-tier equipment, he might stand a chance against her.
From the looks of it, the hidden rendezvous quest was clearly designed by the quest creator to severely punish players who tried to take advantage of NPCs. Chen Mo was just an innocent victim.
Chen Mo seriously doubted whether the quest designer had even considered the possibility of a player completing this quest. After all, for a Level 10 player, Enoch was far too powerful. No player could possibly be her match.
If that were truly the case, completing the quest might plunge the game into an endless loop.
So, for both personal and practical reasons, Chen Mo had every reason to complete the rendezvous quest.
To complete the quest, he first needed to acquire a set of top-tier equipment that could be worn at Level 10.
Getting a set of top-tier equipment now was no easy task. However, since his level had already dropped to Level 1 and the quest had failed and could no longer be triggered, he would have to start over by suicide.
But before restarting, he could do one thing first: obtain a hidden title that would give him some extra attributes.