The Underground Passage
The so-called underground passage was actually just a sewer, except that at regular intervals, there were wall lamps with fixed light spells. The three people and the tiger walked through the sewer like this. No matter what world it is, one should never have expectations about the sanitary conditions of sewers.
Yu Yu was almost suffocated by the stench and refused to get down from Banban, choosing to stay on the tiger. The two with higher agility just let her ride the tiger.
Feng Ran said, "The underground passage was built under the supervision of His Excellency Changmeng two hundred years ago. Moon Bay Town, Crescent Town, Full Moon Town, and Hook Moon Town each have one."
"In case of emergency, residents of the four towns can escape back to Silver Moon City through the underground passages, so each governing official must maintain the underground passages," Feng Ran seemed to know quite a lot. "Silver Moon City also needs to maintain the passages. I'm afraid our governing official will be criticized again."
Yu Yu recalled the increasing number of notices at the city gate and thought that the governing official probably couldn't spare the time. From what she had seen, people had already started digging cellars and firing pottery outside the city walls. The enthusiasm was... she feared that players would develop steam engines next.
Yu Yu expressed her concern about the future workload of the governing official. Shu Tu had no expression; she typically showed no reaction to NPCs advancing the plot. Feng Ran kept talking but found no one was responding to her, so she angrily closed her mouth.
Yu Yu finally adapted to the smell and lighting here. "When I went back to complete the quest, I found that the Academy also has this quest. Let me see if I can share it with you."
She asked, "How much experience do you need to level up?"
Perhaps because Senior Ka'an came from the Academy, he easily got Academy support. For example, Shu Tu's quest was also available at the Academy.
Shu Tu: "Level 4 (0/10000)"
Yu Yu tried, and the sharing was successful.
Yu Yu: "The Academy shop opens at level five. I feel like the items should be better than those outside. Grind more points; it might be useful."
"Academy quests are the most profitable in town, followed by City Guard missions. Tavern quests are the worst."
Shu Tu felt somewhat flexed on. "...As long as there's experience."
After Yu Yu returned and completed the quest, she received 50 silver coins, a level-one spell, and 800 points. She then updated her skill bar.
She received four new spells: [Water Ball], [Stun], [Field Shield], and [Summon Wolf].
Academy points: 190+800-900, with 90 points remaining.
Because Yu Yu had sold gold coins, her small treasury took another big hit. Originally, she had 3 gold, 100 silver, and 140 copper coins. Now she only had 90 silver and 140 copper coins left.
She needed to go back and harvest those little players like leeks, or else she couldn't make ends meet. During this time, they should have accumulated quite a lot of insect silk, right?
During this period, Yu Yu had also seen many players complaining on the forum, saying the Academy was arrogant, the City Guard was strict, and only the tavern was down-to-earth, willing to give players a bit of warmth. Of course, the rewards were also the least. As they went deeper, the light spell lamps gradually dimmed, and darkness fell before them.
Yu Yu: "Why aren't they being recharged?"
She could see lamp fixtures on both sides.
"You'd have to ask your Academy about that," Feng Ran said casually with a dagger in her mouth while rummaging through her bag. "Here, inferior dark vision ointment. Apply it on your eyes."
Yu Yu applied it. "...I still can't see."
"That's normal. Can you see?" Feng Ran looked at Shu Tu. "You're ranged. If you can't see either, then I'll have to go alone..."
Shu Tu simply applied it to her eyelids, looked for a moment, and said, "No problem."
Feng Ran looked at her with surprise. "Seems like you have naturally high perception too."
Shu Tu: "Mm."
"Are rats afraid of light?"
Feng Ran looked confused.
Yu Yu began chanting softly.
[Candlelight]
A ball of light rose from her palm, floating like a fairy. It was quite beautiful.
Feng Ran: "I forgot, spellcasters..."
Yu Yu stuffed the light orb into her arms. "Go, Pika-Feng."
Feng Ran: "What are you talking about..."
She held the light orb, hesitating for a moment before trying to tie it to herself.
Yu Yu: "No need to be so complicated. When you reach your destination, just throw it up into the air. When you move to a new place, grab it and take it with you. If it doesn't work, I'll make another one..."
Soon, the rat-killing squad was formed. Just like those gifted insects, the rats here were also gifted, each lying on the ground the size of a water bottle. Feng Ran darted into the swarm of rats with the courage of ten thousand. Every swing of her dagger meant death for a rat.
Of course, looking closely, Yu Yu found that Feng Ran's footwork was nimble. Apart from her dagger, she hardly let the rats get close to her, clearing an area in the blink of an eye. Shu Tu sighed slightly, bent her bow, and shot one rat with each arrow.
Yu Yu came back to her senses. "Are arrows expensive for archers?"
Shu Tu: "Yes."
She glanced at Yu Yu. "When I wanted to collect your silver coins, it was because of this."
She said, "I only have twenty arrows. I'll pick them up after using them and replace them when they break, but they're still very expensive."
Yu Yu looked at her for a while. Shu Tu turned back, continuing to bend her bow and shoot one rat with each arrow.
Yu Yu: "What a poor girl."
She had thought she was already quite poor, but she didn't expect Shu Tu to be even poorer.
Shu Tu: "..."
"Come down. I'll let Banban help."
She had already given up using the bow and pulled out a long dagger. "No need for the bow anymore."
Yu Yu got off the tiger and started counting down. The incantations here were really obscure and difficult to pronounce. A pale blue creature appeared on the spot. It was about as tall as Yu Yu's thigh, completely azure blue, with sharp facial hair standing on end, and a pair of extremely imposing large eyes.
[Summon Wolf]
[Type: Summoning Rank: Level 1 Casting Range: Medium Duration: 5min Casting Cost: 35 Incantation Time: 15s Proficiency: Novice (1/200)]
With a thought from Yu Yu, the imposing wolf immediately charged toward the swarm of rats. With the help of Banban and the wolf, both Shu Tu and Feng Ran had a much easier time. Banban was very disgusted with the rats, willing to use paws but not mouth. Seeing the wolf, it turned its head to look for a while, the large "king" character on its forehead showing confusion.
What is this thing?
Shu Tu saw it slacking and patted it. "Get to work."
Banban could only turn around and continue swatting rats. Perhaps because the rats were too weak, Yu Yu couldn't tell how strong the wolf was in combat. She only saw it, like Banban, take out one small rat with each paw.
She still had a [Summon Wolf Pack] scroll in hand, a small trump card. Among those scrolls, there wasn't a single one with strong offensive properties.
After five minutes, the wolf disappeared, and the rat swarm was mostly cleared.
Feng Ran looked at the rat blood on her dagger with disgust. "This won't work. Even I will run out of energy later on."
Shu Tu: "I have a sleeping bag."
"You want to sleep in the sewer?!!!"
Shu Tu was startled by her shout and stared at Feng Ran without speaking. Why is this NPC as delicate as Xiao Yu?
She's a spellcaster, but are you one too?
Feng Ran stared back confidently.
Yu Yu touched her chin. "We should try something else."
Soon, they encountered another swarm of rats.
Yu Yu thought for a moment. "I brought oil."
"Setting fire underground? Aren't you afraid we'll be suffocated here?" Feng Ran immediately said.
"I have Wind Gust."
And it's instant cast.
Shu Tu immediately said, "We can try it. I bought oil too."
Yu Yu's mental energy had nearly recovered by now, and she began reciting the awkward incantation.
[Grease]
Her fire oil consumed in small amounts, and a layer of greasy oil spread over the fan-shaped area ahead.
[Magic Flame]
The flame burst into flames.
[Wind Gust]
Yu Yu folded her arms. "It's quite useful."
After the burning, Yu Yu cast 'Call Raindrops' and then used Wind Gust to blow. Both Magic Flame and Grease were magical, and the smoke seemed to dissolve in water. In any case, it was easily absorbed by the rainwater, and they continued forward. They kept killing and walking, and before they knew it, they had reached the end.
Two silver-armored guards stood in front of a door. "Halt."
Yu Yu stepped forward. "I am a spellcaster from the Academy. I took a quest to clear the underground passage of rats..."
Seeing her robe, the guard said, "Wait a moment. I'll go and report."
Yu Yu waved her hand. "No need. We're not going up. We need to go back to complete our quest."
As she spoke, she rode the tiger and slowly walked away. The other two immediately followed.
Guard: "..."
They were supposed to go back, but Yu Yu was casting wind and rain spells along the way to increase her proficiency.
"With so many rats, isn't there a rat king?"
"It's too smooth," Yu Yu said. "One rat gives one experience point. It's useless."
Feng Ran suddenly stopped. "Be quiet."
She had the highest perception in the team, with a full 9 points, and the farthest perception range. She heard rustling sounds, like...
Yu Yu began to chant softly. Grease was laid down first. Shu Tu very tacitly sprinkled fire oil, and in the blink of an eye, she had covered several meters. Feng Ran was about to say Yu Yu was a jinx, but when she turned around, she saw their calm yet excited expressions.
Feng Ran: "..."
Outsiders are indeed crazy. She resignedly pulled out her dagger and stood next to Yu Yu. "These things are very inferior and often contaminated, prone to mutations. You must be careful not to be touched, or it will be very troublesome."
At this point, Shu Tu had already retreated. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I see it."
Passive 'Eagle Eye'.
This time, the number of rats seemed to be more than all the rats they had killed before combined. This was troublesome.
Yu Yu: "Feng Ran, get ready. If they rush over, we'll turn back and seek help from the guards. I think their shields are quite sturdy."
Feng Ran: "???"
How can you be so easily intimidated?
Where is your dignity as a spellcaster?
Yu Yu spoke naturally. "I hate rats."
Shu Tu nodded deeply. At first, the rats decided to cross the sea of fire, determined to show humans a thing or two. But as wave after wave of advance rats perished, they changed their approach.
"What is that?"
Feng Ran skewered a mutant rat with her dagger. "It can actually burrow underground. No wonder it could invade the underground passage."
She cursed, "The Academy should really give them an earthquake spell."
Yu Yu: "They've become smarter. This rat king..."
Shu Tu had been looking for a long time. "It's no use. The smoke and fire sea obstruct my vision. I can't see the rat king."
Yu Yu: "If I find the rat king and stun it, how long can you kill it?"
Feng Ran cautiously said, "Theoretically, this kind of low-level contaminant won't exceed mid-tier. I don't know how strong the rat king's defense is. I estimate 5-10 seconds."
Shu Tu had only one sentence, "I'll try my best."
Yu Yu thought for a moment. "I'll make it rain, and you can get yourself wet in the process."
Feng Ran confidently waved her hand. "No need. This small fire won't hurt me."
Yu Yu: "...I'll let the wolf go over to distract their vision. You sneak over in the meantime. Once you find the rat king, immediately throw this up."
It was a small Candlelight orb, pitiful and harmless. Feng Ran's eyes brightened as she tucked the orb securely into her bosom. "No problem."
Shu Tu had already strung her bow and remained silent. Yu Yu patted Banban and whispered in its ear, "When the rain falls, take me up there immediately."
The underground passage wasn't entirely constructed; it also contained a large portion of natural caves, making the terrain quite rugged. On the side rock wall, there happened to be a small platform, big enough for one person to stand, about two meters above the ground. Not very high, but Banban could jump up there.
This brings us to the tiger's jumping ability. Perhaps due to its naturally brave and lively nature, Banban had not been docile along the way. While walking, it would suddenly start running, and while running, it would suddenly start jumping. Each jump was incredibly high, completely forgetting that there was a person on its back.
It jumped joyfully, and Yu Yu suffered quite a bit. Although the big cat landed very steadily each time, without any recoil, and its paws didn't make any sound, her heart still raced. She no longer believed the rumor that tigers couldn't climb trees.
It was too agile! (With emphasis)
Such a large body, yet so nimble and graceful. In any case, Yu Yu was forced to learn about its abilities, which came in handy at this moment. Unfortunately, the big cat turned its head disdainfully and ignored Yu Yu.
Yu Yu resignedly looked at Shu Tu. Shu Tu patted the cat's head and coaxed it for a while. Only then did Banban reluctantly roar. Yu Yu was so envious. Rangers had the passive 'Animal Affinity,' while spellcasters didn't.
Feng Ran was also quite envious, but rogues had no connection with animals. Yu Yu's arrangement was actually quite simple: the rogue would find the boss, she as a spellcaster would provide control from a high position, and then the rogue and ranger, both high-damage professions, would quickly kill the boss.
Unlike previous games, in this game, bosses didn't have exaggerated health pools but preferred to hide within the protection of their groups, showing only their heads occasionally. The tactic was simple, and rats weren't smart. Once Yu Yu explained, they all understood. Understanding meant action.
[Call Raindrops]
The flames gradually weakened, but the smoke still lingered. Feng Ran had disappeared without a trace. Banban jumped silently, as if it had springs attached. Yu Yu was at the high position in the blink of an eye. She had already changed her posture and now used the momentum to land. The remaining field shield on her body shattered upon impact.
Yu Yu landed unharmed on the platform, avoiding the smoke's obstruction, and looked toward the rat swarm. Densely packed rats, one next to another, made Yu Yu frown. It was only then that she remembered Shu Tu was still standing in place... well, Banban would protect its master. The air was silent for a few seconds, and the rat swarm surged like a tide.
At a certain moment, a bright orb of light rose. Yu Yu had been poised and ready, and the stun spell flew out. One feature of "Eternal Darkness" was that spells could be temporarily held before being cast.
However, they couldn't be held for too long, as they required mental energy to suppress. Otherwise, they would become unstable and dissipate, requiring good timing.
[Debone] [Throat Kiss]
[Curse Arrow] [Impact Arrow]
The dark dagger flashed with a cold light, swift as death came and went, ending the rat's life. Melee combat was one thing, but Shu Tu's two arrows in one second left Yu Yu stunned. How can you play with such finesse even in this kind of game?
Shu Tu calmly returned her gaze. "How was it?"
Yu Yu pouted and pinched her nose, speaking with a strange tone, "Captain is mighty, Captain is brave..." But the "Captain" should have a "former" prefix. Former Captain, hmph.
Shu Tu was speechless.
Feng Ran: "Clearly my contribution was greater."
She said unhappily, "Hurry up and kill the rats. Don't chat."
Without further incident, many rats... must have escaped, but with the rat king dead, Yu Yu felt they had earned the Academy's money.
"Job done."
They were exhausted and just wanted to go back for a bath.
"What are you doing?"
Shu Tu didn't look up. "Looking for equipment."
Yu Yu was stunned. Shu Tu was turning over the bloody black rat, trying tirelessly to extract the rat king.
Yu Yu: "..."
Now she believed Shu Tu was poor. This wasn't ordinary poverty.
"In this game, drops are related to species. Humanoid monsters are the most valuable. Rats at most drop some materials, which are useless. I..."
"Here."
Yu Yu stared blankly at the scroll in her hand. There really was something?
How could a rat drop a scroll?
[Mutant: Rat King's Authority]
Yu Yu was dumbfounded, and Shu Tu had already finished searching.
"You can learn it," she said.
Yu Yu said stiffly, "I won't learn it. I have a phobia of rats."
Feng Ran smiled ingratiatingly. "I can learn it. I think rats are cute too."
Shu Tu: "..."
How can this NPC compete with players for skills?
She expressionlessly put away the skill book. "I'll learn it."
Feng Ran: "Tch."
Shu Tu: "I'll share half the quest silver coins with you."
Feng Ran immediately smiled. "That's what you said."
Shu Tu: "Mm."
When they came out, Yu Yu looked at the sky and felt something was wrong.
"Feng Ran, take us back to the dorm—"
Both were kicked offline. In the new house, Yu Yu went downstairs, holding her rumbling stomach.
Instant noodles, instant noodles, instant noodles.
After eating and drinking her fill, she leisurely browsed the forum for once.
[Excuse me, what is a Guardian?]
Yu Yu immediately locked her gaze. Looking at the ID, [Long Fish].
An ID she hadn't seen before, a newbie, with no replies yet. Yu Yu immediately clicked in and casually said, [It's a profession. Why? Did you change your class?]
[Yes, the game prompted me to report to the Discipline Department in Silver Moon City, but I don't know where Silver Moon City is.]
The person on the other side seemed very obedient, telling everything they knew. Yu Yu was instantly moved. [I know. I'll take you there.]
[Okay.]
[Big boss got there first! Damn, I'm too late! I haven't seen a Guardian yet!]
[Big boss, big boss, would you like to receive my thigh pendant? I can act cute!]
Yu Yu was in a good mood. She was very curious about what kind of profession a Guardian was. Could it heal?
This mood lasted until... she unlocked her phone screen.
19 missed calls.
She checked the caller—
Old Li.