184: Chapter 184 Did they really make this up for me on the spot?

Crimson, blood-like characters exploded before Chen You's eyes, carrying a fishy scent from the ancient wilderness.

Every single character seemed forged from bones, filled with ominousness and majesty.

[Quest Name: The New Monarch]

[Quest Type: Mythic Unique]

[Quest Giver: The Last Watchman]

[Quest Description: The Old Monarch has withered in the shadows, but his authority and will have not dissipated. As the heir to the shadow crown, you will bear the fate of reforging order.]

[Please retrace the Monarch's path to godhood, collect the seven scattered Monarch Relics, and finally ascend the ethereal throne above the shadows.]

[Quest Reward: ? ? ?]

[Quest Penalty: If you refuse, or fail completely during the quest, the shadow crown will devour your soul, and the civilizational fortune you carry will be thoroughly corrupted by the ancient shadows.]

[Accept?]

[Yes / No]

...

Chen You stared at the quest panel and fell into a brief silence.

A Mythic quest?

He muttered to himself.

Counting the [god core - Shadow Monarch], didn't that mean one world boss dropped two Mythic-grade rewards?

Was that reasonable?

There must be a trap!

And this quest penalty, can I refuse it?

There's no choice at all!

What about retracing the Monarch's path, collecting relics, the ethereal throne...

It sounds exactly like the kind of promotional fluff for those web-based RPGs: 'Click here for a free Dragon Slaying Saber.'

Just as he selected [Yes], a grand bell toll, seemingly from beyond the heavens, echoed throughout the entire Source Realm!

"Clang—!"

The sound of the bell was distant, piercing through the clouds, reverberating across every continent and every corner.

Immediately following, a golden world announcement slowly unfolded across the sky screens of all players!

[World Announcement!]

[Esteemed Adventurers, to usher in a brand new Mythic epic chapter, the Source Realm server will undergo temporary maintenance in 30 minutes.]

[After the maintenance, the new Mythic-grade large-scale team dungeon — 'The Path of the Monarch' — will officially launch.]

[All Adventurers are requested to log off in an orderly fashion within 30 minutes to avoid unnecessary losses.]

[Estimated maintenance duration: 2 hours.]

...

As the announcement appeared, the entire Source Realm exploded again!

"Holy crap?! Server maintenance? I've been playing this game for a year, and this is the first time I've ever seen it!"

"Temporary maintenance? And it's to launch a new dungeon? What's going on?"

"Mythic-grade dungeon 'The Path of the Monarch'? Just the name sounds off. Does it have something to do with that world boss, the Shadow Monarch?"

"It definitely has something to do with it! They just finished fighting the Monarch and now they're launching a new dungeon. Isn't that obviously the follow-up plot?"

Countless players who were battling in dungeons, grinding monsters in the wild, or strolling through the main city were all ignited by this announcement.

This was the first ever unscheduled maintenance since the Source Realm launched.

Everyone smelled something unusual.

A massive change sweeping across the entire Source Realm seemed to be quietly drawing its curtain.

In Qirui City, Moon Gods Radiance's cold, clear eyes stared intently at the announcement in the sky. Then, her gaze abruptly shifted towards Chen You.

No, more accurately, towards the kneeling 'Mysterious Merchant' in front of Chen You.

Being exceptionally intelligent, she connected all the clues almost instantly.

Chen You triggered a hidden plotline and received a quest.

Then, the entire world was undergoing an unscheduled, two-hour maintenance just for his quest, essentially creating a Mythic dungeon for him on the spot?!

This...

It was hard not to suspect whether Chen You was the major shareholder behind the Source Realm!

Moon Gods Radiance felt that her previous understanding of 'super tycoons' and 'top players' was once again overturned at this moment.

However, Chen You, the center of the event, had an exceptionally peculiar focus at this moment.

He also saw the world announcement.

He was stunned too.

But the first thought that popped into his mind was—

Server maintenance? Two hours?

Doesn't that mean his Shadow Clone body only has thirty minutes left to live?

Once the server shuts down, the clone cannot return to reality nor can it remain in the game. Its only fate is to dissipate directly along with the server shutdown.

The clone's cooldown time is twenty-four hours, and there are still over 20 hours left until the cooldown ends.

Meaning, he won't have a clone available for another 20 hours!

A huge loss!

Then his thoughts shifted, and he realized this new dungeon was clearly tailored for his quest.

It even required maintenance and a restart; this dungeon was obviously not ordinary.

Chen You's brow instantly furrowed.

He looked at the 'Watchman' still kneeling on the ground; the figure maintained a devout posture, seemingly awaiting his reply.

Seriously, I've already accepted the quest, why aren't you getting up?

The Mysterious Merchant, or rather, the Watchman, seemed to recover from his frozen state and slowly stood up.

"The proxy of the Crown, you have made the wise choice."

The Watchman's voice was hoarse as he slowly stood up, his body beginning to become ethereal and transparent.

"My mission is complete... I entrust the path ahead to you..."

Before the words faded, his figure turned into specks of starlight and completely vanished into the air, as if he had never existed.

Chen You opened his mouth, wanting to ask something more, but he had no opportunity.

His gaze fell upon the constantly ticking countdown timer in the upper right corner of the interface.

[Server Shutdown Countdown: 29:27]

Moon Gods Radiance took a deep breath, calming the turmoil in her heart, and walked to Chen You's side, her voice carrying a seriousness she herself hadn't noticed.

"Are... are you alright? Did you trigger some kind of special quest...?"

She wanted to ask what the quest was, and whether it was related to this Mythic dungeon.

But Chen You waved his hand, interrupting her.

He turned his head to look at the top Guild Leader of the Elf God Clan, his expression unusually grave.

"Guild Leader Yue, now is not the time to discuss this."

"Hm?"

Moon Gods Radiance was startled.

"We only have less than thirty minutes left."

Chen You looked up into the distance.

Moon Gods Radiance: "..."

We? Less than thirty minutes?

What did he mean?

Chen You didn't explain; his mind was racing at high speed.

What could he accomplish in the last twenty-nine minutes?

According to his original plan, after stocking up from the Mysterious Merchant, he would have his clone run around to scout the area.

But now it was unnecessary; he couldn't achieve much in half an hour.

Finding a place to idle? Not worth it.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He looked up at Moon Gods Radiance, his gaze burning.

"Guild Leader Yue, do you want to find some fun before the server maintenance?"

Moon Gods Radiance was somewhat bewildered by his leap in logic: "What... fun?"

"Do you still remember our agreement?"

Chen You said lightly.

The two members of Moon Gods Radiance nearby quickly turned their backs.

Is this conversation something we should be hearing?

Shouldn't you two pay attention to the impression you're making!