Hidden quests normally only trigger after completing certain prerequisite tasks or meeting special conditions.
At this moment, the female knight called out to John.
It was clear that John's stats had met the requirements to trigger the quest.
John didn't immediately agree. He considered carefully:
"May I know what the quest is about?"
The female knight nodded.
"Of course."
Her expression grew a little complicated.
"Recently, ten kilometers south of the village, we discovered a large underground tomb complex.
Surveys indicate that it contains abundant treasures.
If we can retrieve these treasures, the village's strength will greatly increase.
However, we've sent dozens of teams into the tombs… none have returned. All were lost.
Until recently, one person barely survived.
According to him, the tombs are cursed by spirits.
Anyone affected by the curse remains in the tombs permanently as part of the burial."
A trace of fear appeared on the knight's face.
"To prevent the spirits from escaping and harming people, the village spent heavily to hire a cleric from the main city.
This cleric was Lv.10, a powerful spellcaster, specialized in countering spirits.
Yet even they were defeated inside the tomb complex.
The villagers are terrified, fearing retaliation from the spirits.
You are the strongest warrior I have ever seen.
If possible, we would like to entrust you with clearing the tomb complex.
A generous reward will be granted upon completion."
Hearing the description, John felt a flicker of recognition.
He remembered this quest from his previous life.
Under normal conditions, players needed to reach a certain level and spar with this female knight to trigger it.
And the reward was indeed substantial—a Class Change Scroll, an extremely valuable item.
In Apocalypse, players needed a Class Change Scroll to advance to a different class.
The earlier one changed class, the greater the advantage!
In his previous life, John had suffered greatly just to obtain a Class Change Scroll.
Now, he could acquire it effortlessly—a pleasant surprise.
"Warrior, would you accept this quest?" the female knight asked again.
John nodded cheerfully:
"No problem. Leave it to me."
The moment he accepted the quest, a new panel appeared in his view.
[Hidden Quest]: Ghosts of the Tomb Depths
[Difficulty]: A-level
[Objective]: Enter the underground tomb complex and eliminate all spirits within
[Reward]: A-level Random Treasure Chest ×1
[Note]: This is a special hidden quest. Cannot be abandoned
…
Even in his previous life, the first players to complete this quest had reached Lv.20.
And now, John had accepted it at just Lv.2.
If other players saw this, they'd likely think he was insane.
But only John knew that, in terms of stats, he was as powerful as any Lv.10 player.
A mere A-level quest was no cause for fear!
"First, though, I need to prepare some supplies."
After accepting the hidden quest, John walked away from the crowd.
Everyone, long fearful of him, stepped aside without hesitation.
John's figure gradually disappeared down the street under their wary, respectful gaze.
Once he was gone, the crowd erupted in discussion, buzzing with excitement.
"What is his background? Did he really kill all twelve people in the Revival Spring?"
"One person wiped out an entire squad—damn, that's insane."
"Assassin class is that strong? No wonder I chose assassin too!"
A few among the crowd didn't join the chatter.
They silently watched John's departing figure, eyes flickering.
A robed mage drifted away from the group to contact his guild leader.
(Guild functions aren't available in-game yet; these are real-world guild affiliations)
"Boss, a tough one appeared in Novice Village.
Assassin class. Seems to have killed an entire squad alone. Looks like a professional team.
And his speed… it's off the charts. Definitely a master!"
His guild leader quickly replied:
"Keep an eye on him. Gather intel first; do not engage for now."
The mage obeyed silently, tracking John's direction.
Novice Village clearly had many intelligence operatives from major guilds stationed there.
Players like that mage—at least three in the crowd alone—were elite players from top guilds.
What they had just seen was more than John's raw stats.
As a revolutionary game, Apocalypse faithfully replicated reality.
John's movement control and punching technique were far beyond a newbie's capabilities.
Only a true master could apply such experience and skill with this level of precision.
What these guild spies didn't realize was that John, in his previous life, had repeatedly faced life-and-death situations and killed countless monsters.
These skills were engraved into his very bones.
Even after rebirth, he could wield them effortlessly.
And with the system's enhancements, it was nearly impossible for him not to be a master.
…
Elsewhere, John, leaving Novice Village, was unaware that major guilds were now tracking him.
Even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
With the Supreme Modification System and his plunder talents, he alone was equivalent to an entire guild.
This was why John dared to roam freely and without restraint.
For now, his attention was on another matter.
"I've killed my former teammates and collected 500 copper coins.
What can 500 copper coins buy?"
Even with his high stats, the dungeon was still a D-level dungeon.
To be safe, he needed to make thorough preparations.
After reviewing all his current possessions, John focused on these 500 copper coins.
Copper coins were the lowest currency in this world, typically only able to purchase ordinary food or potions.
Early-game coins were extremely scarce.
Even top guilds like the Opportunists needed nearly an hour to gather 500 copper coins collectively.
500 copper coins could barely buy a slightly better cloth armor—still inferior to John's stat-modified Novice Robe.
"No need to buy gear—the one I'm wearing is already sufficient.
But 500 copper coins… that's just enough to buy a money pouch."
John's eyes flickered as he recalled the properties of a money pouch.
As a rare permanently bound item in Apocalypse, it protected the player's coins from dropping upon death.
This prevented all the coins painstakingly earned in the dungeon from being lost.
And it cost only 500 copper coins, purchasable in any Novice Village or main city shop.
John was particularly interested in its properties as an item.
"Since it's an item, I should be able to modify its stats with system points as well, right?"