The [Sacred Hall] was one of the largest main cities in the game, the central hub for all Holy Priests. If the black dragon were sent there, it might truly be purified.
—Even though this part of the plot never appeared in the original novel.
Priest Charlie was extremely shrewd. After all his long-winded explanation, his core message was simple:
"This black dragon isn't something we can deal with right now. If you don't hand it over to me, I won't force it—but you'll have to keep carrying it around and find your own solution. Or, you can give it to me, and I'll give you a tangible, generous reward."
After weighing the pros and cons, Sheng Sheng agreed readily.
Clinging to immediate interests had its limits. There was no way she could handle this black dragon alone. Exchanging it for concrete benefits was the smarter choice.
Charlie was clearly very satisfied with her decision.
[System]: Priest Charlie's favorability toward you has reached Friendly.
The exchange was swift—payment for goods.
Sheng Sheng handed over the vines binding the black dragon, and Charlie produced a set of equipment.
Charlie said, "This is a set of equipment I used during my apprenticeship. My revered mentor engraved a complete Blessing Imprint upon it. Brave adventurer, I hope that one day you will join the family of priests and allow this set to shine with its former glory."
Sheng Sheng examined it—and realized it was a complete set.
In Earth OL, players had ten equipment slots: head, chest, legs, shoes, bracelets x2, rings x2, main-hand weapon, and off-hand weapon.
Some special items—such as cloaks or accessories—did not count toward these slots.
What Charlie presented contained all ten components.
Set Name: [Preli Priest Apprentice Set] (Bound)
Class Requirement: Priest
Equipment Grade: Green
Attributes:
Head: Constitution +3, Spirit +8
Cloth Armor: Constitution +5, Defense +5
Pants: Constitution +5, Defense +5
Shoes: Constitution +2, Agility +8
Bracelets: Spirit +6, Intelligence +4
Rings: Intelligence +6, Spirit +4
The main-hand weapon was a staff, its tip inlaid with a colorless, transparent diamond-shaped crystal. The off-hand weapon was a book covered in intricate, hard-to-read script, entirely white.
Main-hand Weapon: Spirit +7, Intelligence +13
Off-hand Weapon: Spirit +15
Set Bonus: [Diana's Blessing] — Healing Effect +20%, Casting Speed +20%
In the early stages of the game, assembling a full set of equipment was extremely difficult. Most players had to mix and match gear from other classes. Anyone fully equipped in their own class gear could already be considered a big shot.
And yet, Sheng Sheng had just obtained a full set.
Even ignoring the base stats, the set bonus alone—Healing Effect +20%, Casting Speed +20%—was impressive enough to be considered top-tier even in the mid-game.
This was practically forcing a player who didn't want to be a priest to become one.
Charlie's surprises didn't end there.
Charlie continued, "Brave adventurer, you have not been corrupted by dark power and harbor a deep hatred for evil. I sense a strong sacred aura within you. If you choose to join the priesthood in the near future, I have a letter of recommendation that should be of some help."
[System]: You have obtained Charlie Edelman's Letter of Recommendation x1.
The letter entered her inventory automatically. It was marked as a passive item, usable only when encountering the relevant quest NPC.
Charlie was thoughtful enough to explain in detail how Sheng Sheng could change classes to Priest in the future—who to give the letter to, and even provided a map.
Holding the map, Sheng Sheng couldn't help but think that if this old man went into sales or recruitment, he'd be terrifyingly effective.
…
After parting with Charlie and Miralda, Sheng Sheng headed into the forest to grind monsters.
She hadn't changed classes yet, so she could only use unrestricted weapons like her green-quality dagger.
Fortunately, the dagger was quite effective against weasels.
While other players were still struggling against the monsters, Sheng Sheng had already returned to town to submit her quest.
[System]: Congratulations, player [Shengge Weijin] has leveled up.
After turning in the first main quest, Sheng Sheng reached level 3, gaining a slight boost to her attributes.
—Still a weakling panel.
The main quest updated again.
[System]: The abnormal increase of Corrupted Weasels has caused the mayor to suspect the presence of Dark Fragments within the forest. Please explore the forest and investigate the Dark Fragments (0/1).
The quest sounded mysterious, but in reality, it was simply the prelude to long-term monster grinding.
Following the main group of players, Sheng Sheng quickly located the Dark Fragment's area. However, they couldn't approach it—the fragment was guarded by powerful corrupted monsters, much like legendary treasures.
The system didn't force players to retrieve the fragment. Instead, it updated the quest, instructing them to report back to the mayor.
After reporting, the new tasks involved hunting the monsters around the Dark Fragment.
The closer to the fragment, the higher the monster levels.
The mayor offered more than a dozen consecutive main quests of this type. Completing them all would grant enough experience to reach level 10.
For most players, fighting these corrupted monsters was difficult—not just because of their strength, but because many had never experienced full-dive combat before.
After all, most people hadn't even killed a chicken in real life.
Sheng Sheng hadn't played a holographic game either, but with her green dagger, killing monsters was smoother than for others—at least she didn't have to hear too much screaming.
[System]: Go to the eastern forest and slay ten Corrupted Apes (10/10).
After collecting the trash drops and storing them with her dagger, Sheng Sheng sprinted toward the mayor.
Once she turned in this quest, she'd reach level 10 and could head to a higher-level city to change classes—finally using real skills instead of basic dagger attacks.
From afar, she could already see the mayor, surrounded by players as usual. As she jogged over, she thought about her upcoming class change.
Just as she was about to join the queue, a series of shouts erupted.
"Holy crap! What's that?!"
"A dragon?! Isn't this a newbie village?!"
"A black dragon—so cool! I want to raise one too~"
"Is it a boss? Can we farm it? Is it easy?"
Sheng Sheng froze and instinctively looked up.
When she saw what was flying in the sky, her vision went dark.
A massive black dragon soared gracefully overhead.
But it wasn't just showing off.
With a deafening roar, in less than a second, the peaceful and beautiful Preli Town looked as if it had been struck by a natural disaster. More than half the buildings collapsed.
As if that weren't enough, the black dragon spat out a burst of dragonfire before flapping its wings and flying away.
Sheng Sheng: "…"
The system notification arrived belatedly.
[System]: [Dark Reaper – Black Dragon Beskarn] has launched a devastating attack on Preli Town. Town Integrity -50%, Prosperity -50%. Town residents have entered a state of panic and received the [Fear-Stricken] debuff. Side quests will no longer be issued.
Not only Sheng Sheng, but all the players collectively gasped.
"What the hell?! Side quests are gone?!"
"This is a newbie village—why is there a black dragon?!"
"Is this scripted?"
"No way! I checked the forums—no other towns have this!"
"So is this a bug?"
Players discussed furiously, some even planning to contact the GM.
Sheng Sheng quietly shrank into the crowd.
She genuinely hadn't expected this.
Listening to the discussions, she felt deeply guilty. She was, to some extent, the culprit—if she hadn't dragged the black dragon out of the forest, none of this would have happened.
But the real problem was clearly Priest Charlie!
When she handed over [Dark Reaper – Black Dragon Beskarn], the dragon was stunned. Charlie was level 60—if he couldn't kill it, he should at least have kept it unconscious.
And yet, only a few hours later…
Not only was the dragon not purified, it was lively enough to torch the town.
"What on earth did that old priest do?!" Sheng Sheng cursed inwardly.
With the town in chaos, no one was in the mood to quest or level. Anyone turning in a quest now would stand out too much.
Sheng Sheng hesitated—should she turn in the quest, reach level 10, and leave for the city? Or lie low for a while?
At that moment…
"Warning! Login pod nutrient fluid insufficient. Please replenish immediately."
Sheng Sheng beamed.
This was practically divine intervention.
She decisively logged out, disappearing at lightning speed with a hint of guilt.