"Uh…"
The moment the words left her mouth, Kalis and Lia froze on the spot, their composure completely shattered.
Kalis's lips twitched. He waved a hand awkwardly, trying to brush it off. "Can we stop with these ridiculous demands already? Yeah, I'm not the highest level around, but when it comes to raw power, I'm top-tier server-wide! I don't need to grovel for handouts like this… Besides, I've got my dignity and my principles. Let's just drop this topic for good, okay?"
"But I'm only telling you the truth." Lilith blinked her amethyst eyes, her voice thick with hurt, looking utterly sincere.
Lia, standing off to the side, was dying of secondhand embarrassment. Though, on second thought, if waiting on this Abyssal Princess for one night could get them mountains of Artifacts and Super Artifacts… well, it didn't sound half bad. It might even be the deal of the century!
"Enough, enough!" Kalis was getting a headache from her antics. He cut her off sharply, clearly annoyed. "I'm a straight-up player in Eternal Realm, sharp as a tack. I'd never trade my dignity for a bunch of virtual gear!"
Lilith's lovesick persistence was really starting to grate on him. If it weren't for the fact that this NPC had saved his life before, with his short temper, he would've zapped her into ash with Thunder Chain ages ago!
"Lilith, I have one last question." He stood up, his gaze intense as he fixed it on her. "If I'm dead set on getting my hands on the Primeval Origin Fluid, where exactly do I need to go?"
Lilith shook her head helplessly, her tone laced with regret. "Don't even bother. It's a lost cause. The only place it's produced is the Primordial Mountains, the very heart of the Endless Abyss. It's guarded by three avatars of my father the Night Archon, plus two other Archons. Even if a Supreme God from the Divine Realm showed up in person, they wouldn't stand a chance of getting their hands on it."
"Alright then, guess we have no choice but to give up." Kalis sighed, his face falling with helplessness.
The Archons' avatars were on par with Supreme Gods in power. With his current strength, he might stand a fighting chance against some Temple Divine Generals, but taking on beings of that caliber was nothing short of suicide.
"Lia, let's go." Kalis said, reaching into his inventory and pulling out a Town Return Scroll, ready to bail out.
"But the quest item…" Lia panicked the second she heard that.
Kalis could afford to brush off Dafiona's reward, he could always find another NPC to help him with his second advancement. But she couldn't!
There were only two beings in the entire server who could help her with her class change: the Lunar Magister and Dafiona. If she gave up on this quest, she'd never get to learn the high-tier skills she needed. No matter how much of a head start she had on other players now, sooner or later, she'd be left in the dust.
Kalis shot her a glance, replying casually. "You could always team up with a top-tier guild, hunt down Dafiona, and loot her gear. Then switch over to the Moon Temple's quest line instead. That old hag looks half-dead already, practically one foot in the grave. She can't be that strong."
"I… I'm not so sure." Lia still hesitated.
A Level 150 Mythic Boss was still way out of her league. She had zero confidence in taking her down.
Just as the two were stuck, racking their brains for a solution, Lilith spoke up, her tone suddenly turning mysterious. "I might have something that could help you finish this quest after all."
"Huh? What do you mean? Didn't you just say we could never get our hands on the Primeval Origin Fluid?" Kalis asked in surprise.
Lilith shook her head gently. "The Primeval Origin Fluid is off the table, no exceptions. But all that old woman Dafiona wants is to extend her lifespan, isn't it? You don't need Primeval Origin Fluid to do that."
"Uh… that's actually a good point!"
Kalis and Lia froze for a second, then their eyes lit up as realization hit them. They nodded vigorously in unison.
Lilith watched the two perk up instantly, then went on slowly. "In the Abyss, we have a treasure called the Elixir of Eternal Youth. It has the same life-extending effect. One single vial of it is enough to add two hundred years to a person's lifespan. I'd say that's more than enough to get you two off the hook with your quest, wouldn't you?"
Kalis's face lit up with pure joy. He pressed her eagerly, "Where is it? We'll go get it right now!"
Lia's eyes sparkled too, hope flaring up again in her face.
But just as the two were brimming with anticipation, Lilith's tone took a sudden turn, leaving them hanging. She crossed her arms over her chest, a cunning smile tugging at the corner of her lips, her meaning crystal clear. "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world, you know."
"What do you want in return?" Kalis asked, frowning deeply.
Lilith locked her purple eyes on him, smiling but saying nothing, her gaze said it all.
Lia caught on instantly, jumping in to smooth things over. "Oh come on! It's just one night of keeping her company! It's no big deal!"
Kalis: "..."
"Later!"
There was no way he was agreeing to such a ridiculous condition. He clenched the Town Return Scroll tightly on the spot, spinning on his heel to leave.
"Don't go! We can negotiate!"
Seeing him refuse so flatly, Lilith panicked. She flicked a finger, and a streak of dark purple light shot out, hitting Kalis with an Imprisonment Spell that pinned him rigid where he stood.
Kalis couldn't move a muscle, but his mouth was still in full working order. He thundered at her, righteous indignation in his voice. "I'm a legitimate player! Not some creep here to mess around with inappropriate content!"
"Oh relax, it's not like you'll be losing out!" Lia had finally seen a glimmer of hope for completing the quest, and she wasn't about to let it slip away. She egged him on relentlessly. "I swear I won't tell a soul! Once we get out of here, you'll still be the squeaky-clean top-tier mage you've always been!"
"Ugh! How dare you stab me in the back like this!" Kalis gritted his teeth in rage, ready to blast this so-called teammate into oblivion with a skill right then and there!
Having been rejected over and over, Lilith's confidence had taken a bit of a hit. She looked at Kalis's unyielding expression, then sighed in defeat. "Fine. Forcing you would be no fun anyway. Here—take this. You two can leave now."
With that, she tossed a small, exquisitely carved metal vial decorated with dark rose patterns directly at Kalis.
"This is…"
Kalis stared at it, and a system notification popped up instantly in front of his eyes, sending a wave of elation through him.
[Elixir of Eternal Youth · Mythic]: Permanently increases maximum HP by 10000 points upon consumption, limited to one use per character. When used on non-player units, grants 200 additional years of lifespan.
This thing wasn't just perfect for handing over to Dafiona to complete the quest—it also boosted the player's stats directly, its effect on par with a top-tier Artifact armor piece! Too bad the quantity was so small; it was just enough to finish the quest, and he wouldn't get to use it himself.
"Lilith, thank you so much!" Kalis said quickly, his gratitude genuine. The effect of the Imprisonment Spell dissipated right on cue.
"Hmph…"
The once fiery and passionate Abyssal Succubus now looked like a wronged little wife. She turned her back on him in a huff, refusing to so much as glance his way again.
Kalis felt a twinge of awkwardness, but there wasn't much else he could say. He tucked the Elixir of Eternal Youth away, thanked her again, then grabbed the still regretful-looking Lia and hurried out of Rosehold Castle.
"That infuriating man!"
Watching Kalis's unhesitating retreating figure, Lilith stamped her foot in frustration, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
But after a moment, a bright smile suddenly spread across her face. She turned to the empty castle gates, muttering to herself. "I was right about him after all! Not only is Kalis handsome as sin, he's got backbone, principles, integrity. A man like that isn't supposed to be easy to win over… Looks like I'll just have to try harder next time!"
...
Once they stepped out of Rosehold Castle, Kalis and Lia crushed their Town Return Scrolls without hesitation. A brilliant white light flashed, and the two were teleported back to Valorian City in the blink of an eye.
"Move it! Get out of the way!" The familiar sound of gruff shouts rang in their ears. City Guard NPCs were impatiently herding the crowd of players loitering around the teleportation array.
"Nothing beats the sunshine on the surface world."
Basking in the warm sunlight, Kalis stretched lazily, paying no mind to the overbearing City Guard NPCs.
Lia, standing beside him, stared at him with curious eyes, finally giving in to her curiosity and asking. "Seriously, where do you get this charm from? Why is Lilith so utterly obsessed with you?"
Kalis shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "How should I know? She was crushing on some other NPC before, but the second she laid eyes on me, she switched targets faster than lightning. It was so awkward I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Guess I'm just too good-looking for my own good?"
"Maybe it's just her programming. She is a high-AI NPC in an open world, after all." Lia couldn't help but laugh. "Gotta admit, this game just keeps getting more and more interesting."
"Interesting my foot! Let's go, go turn in the quest already!" Kalis had no desire to keep this conversation going. He headed straight for the teleportation array in the center of the city.
After paying the two gold coin teleportation fee, the two teamed up and teleported to Galewind City, then made a beeline for Boulder Town on the outskirts of the city.
The scamming NPC Denise they'd run into earlier was nowhere to be seen on the small bridge outside the town. Who knew—maybe she'd slunk home in defeat after failing to swindle them, or maybe she'd just moved on to a new spot to peddle her tricks.
The two hurried along, reaching Boulder Town in no time, and made their way directly to the town tavern.
Dafiona was still sitting at that wooden table by the window, and the wandering poet Algernon was still there beside her, strumming his lute.
"Back so soon? Did you decide the quest was too hard and come to beg me to lower the difficulty?" Dafiona shot them a glance, her tone dripping with playful mockery.
It had been a mere three hours since the two had teleported out of the tavern. That wasn't even enough time to make a single trip through the Abyss's teleportation arrays, let alone complete the quest. In her mind, these two young whippersnappers had clearly chickened out and come back to grovel for easier terms.
Dafiona shook her head slowly, speaking in a measured tone. "While this quest is indeed quite challenging, the rewards I'm offering are more than worth the effort. The quest requirements are non-negotiable. You two had better go think up some other solutions."
Kalis and Lia exchanged a glance, both grinning widely. Kalis stepped forward, his voice ringing out clearly. "You've got it all wrong, Miss Dafiona. We weren't able to get our hands on the Divine Dew Spring, but we found another treasure that extends lifespan instead. For your current condition, it works just as well."
With that, he pulled the small, exquisite metal vial out of his inventory and placed it on the table.
"Another treasure? What else in this world could possibly replace the Divine Dew Spring?" Dafiona said, clearly skeptical. She reached out and picked up the vial.
She pulled out the stopper, and a crisp, sweet fragrance instantly filled the air, thick with pure life energy.
After a moment, a sharp glint of realization suddenly flashed in Dafiona's cloudy old eyes. She gasped out loud in shock. "What is this thing? It contains such immense, pure life energy!"
Kalis explained with a smile. "It's called the Elixir of Eternal Youth, and it comes from the Abyssal Realm. One sip adds two hundred years to your lifespan. It's a genuine Mythic-rank treasure. This single vial is the equivalent of twenty drops of Divine Dew Spring. I hope it meets your approval."
"This is incredible! Absolutely incredible!" Dafiona's cloudy old eyes lit up with a fiery glow. She was so excited her whole body was trembling, and the sallow, wrinkled skin on her face seemed to regain a hint of color and vitality.
She burst out laughing suddenly, lifting the vial to her lips and tilting her head back to drink it all in one go.
The cool, sweet liquid slid down her throat, and a warm, soothing current instantly spread through her entire body. Dafiona felt the exhaustion and frailty of old age draining out of her body at a visible pace.
She set down the empty vial, looking at the two of them with immense relief in her voice. "Finally! Finally, I can escape the shadow of death! Thank you so much, Kalis! Thank you, Lia!"
"No need to thank us. We're just two sides of the same coin, each getting what we need." Kalis rubbed his hands together eagerly, his voice brimming with excitement. "Now, about that advancement you promised us… I'm sure you know what we're here for."
He was practically bursting with impatience to complete his second class change!
Once he succeeded, not only would he unlock a whole host of powerful new skills, his class talents would also level up in sync. The range and damage of his skills would undergo a qualitative leap!
Next time he found himself in a large-scale team battle, let alone twenty or thirty thousand players—even fifty or sixty thousand wouldn't be enough to take him down single-handedly!
Lia's face was flushed with equal excitement. Her class actually had more potential than Kalis's, if only it had the same overpowered ten-thousand-times talent boost. Once she completed her second advancement, her strength would undergo a world-shaking transformation!
But just as the two were rubbing their hands together in eager anticipation, ready to receive their class change quests, the smile on Dafiona's face slowly faded away. In its place, a cold, sneering expression crept over her features.
She let out a cold laugh, her voice dripping with disdain. "Same coin, my foot. I told you to bring me the Divine Dew Spring, not some cheap knockoff from the gutter. This vial of Elixir of Eternal Youth is a gift you voluntarily offered me, not the quest item I commissioned you to retrieve. Since you failed to bring me the Divine Dew Spring, your quest is incomplete. What makes you think you have the right to demand your reward?"
The second the words left her mouth, her appearance began to change at a visible speed. Her sagging skin tightened and smoothed out, her graying hair turning back into long, glossy black curls. In the space of a few short moments, she transformed from a decrepit old woman on her deathbed into a stunning thirty-year-old woman in a black robe, still brimming with charm.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
Hearing Dafiona's shameless words, Kalis and Lia froze in shock, their expressions darkening instantly.
This NPC was actually trying to welsh on her deal!