117: Chapter 117: Changed Missions! The Value of Hell Difficulty

In the dim underground grotto, the air seemed to stagnate.

Qin Ji was in no hurry to reach out for the scroll. Instead, he swept a scrutinizing gaze over Leona's slightly pale face. Only after confirming that the hint of helplessness in her eyes was not feigned did he slowly raise his hand. The moment his fingertips touched the parchment scroll, a warm sensation was transmitted.

"It seems Her Highness the Princess can still listen to reason after all."

Qin Ji took the scroll and unfurled it once more. Sure enough, as his gaze fell upon it, the mission description on the scroll had undergone an earth-shaking change.

[Mission Name: End of Royal Power (Modified)]

[Mission Requirements: Cease attacks on Princess, and change the locked target of the 'book of life and death' to King Abra of the Star Kingdom. Maintain the attack for three days. If King Abra dies within three days, the mission will also be considered complete.]

[Mission Penalty: Unknown.]

[Mission Reward: Blessing of the Gods +1, Free Attribute Points +100.]

The original scalp-numbing hard requirement of 'killing the King' had disappeared, replaced by the more flexible 'containment'. Although the rewarded free attribute points had shrunk from a thousand to a hundred, the risk factor of this deal had plummeted.

"As long as I keep the health drain active?" The corners of Qin Ji's mouth curled up slightly; this mission was practically tailor-made for him.

"Fine, I accept this mission."

Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Ji chose to accept. With a slight movement of his thought, the ancient black book floating deep within his consciousness—the book of life and death—flipped gently. The Princess's name was erased by an invisible force, replaced by several gold-stamped characters:

King of the Star Kingdom, Abra.

...

Meanwhile, at the palace altar of the Star Kingdom.

The Princess, trapped in the center of the altar, suddenly felt her body lighten as the shadow-like sensation of her life force draining away vanished instantly. She slumped onto the ground, gasping heavily for air, her clothes soaked in sweat, her beautiful eyes filled with the relief of having survived a disaster.

However, at the other end of the palace, the atmosphere abruptly grew solemn.

Within the magnificent hall, Abra, who was reviewing memorials, suddenly stopped his quill pen. His brow furrowed as he subconsciously clutched his chest. In his field of vision, a bright red damage number was popping up from above his head in an extremely regular rhythm.

"-1000!"

"-1000!"

Although for a monarch with a massive health pool and terrifying health regeneration speed, this bit of damage was merely an itch, the meaning behind it made him feel a long-lost sense of offense.

"Hehe, Snow Emperor, can't sit still already?"

Abra put down his quill and lightly tapped his knuckles against the solid gold desktop, producing a series of crisp sounds.

"Your Majesty."

From the shadows of the hall, a warrior clad in golden battle armor with eyes as sharp as a hawk's stepped forward. His armor emitted dull metallic clangs as he moved, each step seemingly treading on one's heartbeat.

Empire Grand General, Luolin Muye.

"The Snow Emperor's actions are an open provocation to Your Majesty. Even if he cannot truly harm your foundation, it is necessary to give him a profound lesson." Luolin Muye's voice was low and filled with killing intent.

"No rush." Abra waved his hand, his face showing little anger, but rather a hint of playfulness. "Compared to the Snow Emperor, what do you think of the situation over at Black Wind City?"

Luolin Muye pondered for a moment and spoke truthfully: "The Snow Emperor is very strong; that fool City Lord likely won't be his match. However... I have recently discovered that your royal brother and Prime Minister Kesenluo seem to want to use Black Wind City to make a move."

"Let them do it."

Abra smiled indifferently, as if discussing a few ants fighting for food. "The Star Kingdom is like this glass of turbid wine; it indeed urgently needs a major reshuffle. When they have caused enough trouble, we will step in to settle the matter."

"But..." Luolin Muye hesitated for a moment but couldn't help saying, "The Kingdom currently faces internal strife and external threats. Is the risk of a major reshuffle at this time too great? And that Snow Emperor..."

"Luolin Muye."

Abra suddenly interrupted him, looking deeply at the dome of the hall. "Do you know what difficulty the 'Snow Corpse's Footprints' dungeon was when the Snow Emperor cleared it?"

Luolin Muye was slightly stunned and subconsciously replied: "Could it be... Hard difficulty?"

In his view, the perversion of that dungeon was simply inconceivable; being able to clear the simple mode already made one a leader among men. Hard mode? That was already Luolin Muye's highest estimate of the Snow Emperor's strength.

Abra slowly turned his head, his gaze fixed intently on Luolin Muye, as he said word by word:

"No, what he cleared was—Hell Mode."

"What?!!"

Luolin Muye's pupils contracted sharply, and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, crying out in loss of composure.

The Snow Corpse's Footprints on Hell Mode? That wasn't just an increase in difficulty, it was a qualitative change in the rules!

"I was also very surprised that he could clear Hell Mode. But you should know what this signifies." Abra stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of the hall, looking out at the gloomy sky, opening his arms as if to embrace the coming storm.

Luolin Muye's eyes widened, his breathing became rapid, and an ancient legend exploded in his mind.

"Only Hell Mode could possibly release our God's true body... Could it be..."

"That's right." Abra's voice carried a fanatical tremor. "The great Goddess of Ice and Snow is about to descend upon the world!!"

Thud!

Luolin Muye's hands were shaking with excitement as he knelt down directly in devotion, his forehead striking the cold floor heavily.

"Congratulations on our God's escape! Our God is eternal, the Star Kingdom is eternal!"

"Now, do you understand where my confidence for a major reshuffle comes from?" Abra stood with his hands behind his back, a cold, confident smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

...

By the Black Water Lake.

With the mission change complete, Qin Ji was in a great mood. He glanced at Leona, who was preparing to leave, and suddenly spoke up: "Princess Leona, since our cooperation has been so pleasant, why don't you give me that pre-requisite mission scroll for the Blessing of the Gods you have in your hand as well?"

Leona, who was about to turn away, stumbled. She turned back and glared fiercely at Qin Ji, squeezing out a smile through gritted teeth: "Snow Emperor, don't be too greedy. If there's a chance... I'll give it to you."

With that, she dove into the teleportation array without looking back, fearing that staying one second longer would result in her being infuriated to death by this insatiable fellow.

Qin Ji shrugged indifferently. After watching Leona leave, he reached for his waist.

The purple-red Universe Wine Gourd was currently slightly hot, indicating that the brewing was complete.

[Brewing Successful!]

Qin Ji pulled the stopper. A wine aroma so thick it couldn't be dispersed instantly wafted over. This scent was domineering and piercing; just one sniff felt like a ball of fire burning in his chest.

"Good wine!"

Qin Ji's eyes lit up. In his past life, he was also a lover of fine wine, but those so-called famous wines before the Cataclysm were like horse urine compared to this fine brew made with dragon gall and spiritual materials.

He tilted his head back and took a large, fierce gulp.

The spicy liquid rolled down his throat into his stomach, instantly turning into a heat wave that swept through his entire body, causing every pore to dilate at that moment.

"Refreshing!"

[Ding! You have consumed Dragon Gall Strong Liquor.]

[Congratulations, you have obtained a special Buff: Scorch.]

[Scorch: Your basic attacks will deal additional Scorch damage to the target, deducting 100 health points per second for 5 seconds. This effect can stack up to 6 times. Buff Duration: 60 minutes.]

"One hundred per second, six hundred when fully stacked?"

Qin Ji smacked his lips, feeling a bit dismissive. This bit of damage was indeed a bit insufficient compared to his current output capability. But on second thought, this thing was continuous damage and didn't require mana consumption; it would be good for dealing with those high-regeneration tanks or interrupting spellcasting.

Stowing the wine gourd, Qin Ji opened his friend list and sent a message to 'Monkey'.

Although the rewards for this mission had shrunk, even a mosquito's leg is still meat. These hundred free attribute points might just be the icing on the cake for him, but for Monkey, it was a life-changing opportunity.

Before long, a thin figure came running over in a great hurry.

"Brother Hao! You really are my blood brother!"

Monkey looked at the hundred free attribute points traded over, his whole body trembling with excitement.

One must know that his talent was [Attribute Amplification]. These hundred attribute points on him, after his talent's five-fold amplification, would be five hundred points! Combined with his balanced stat-point distribution style, the improvement in his comprehensive strength could be described as terrifying.

"Alright, stop grinning like a fool. Hurry up and level up; don't hold me back."

Qin Ji waved his hand, dismissing the excited Monkey. Next, he had serious business to attend to.

The Black Robe Leader's mission was to capture Black Wind City, which was a key link related to the subsequent major plot line.

...

Below Black Wind City.

When Qin Ji's figure reappeared on this desolate plain, the entire Black Wind City instantly entered its highest state of combat readiness.

"Woom—"

A pale blue light shield rose from the city center, expanding rapidly in all directions, enveloping the entire Black Wind City within a few breaths.

The City Defense Array, activated!

At the same time, machinery roared atop the city walls as one hideous arrow tower and magic battery after another rose slowly, their black muzzles all aimed squarely at Qin Ji below the city.

City Lord stood atop the gate tower. This time, the panic from before was gone from his face, replaced by a desperate, all-or-nothing madness.

"Snow Emperor! Do you really think my Black Wind City is a place you can come and go as you please?!"

City Lord waved his hand and roared: "City-wide announcement! Issue a bounty mission! Anyone who can kill the Snow Emperor will be rewarded with a million gold coins and a three-rank promotion!!"

Under a heavy reward, there must be brave men.

The players who were originally just watching the spectacle on the city walls, ready to flee at any moment, felt their breathing become heavy upon hearing this reward.

However, Qin Ji gave them no time to think at all.

"Too much nonsense."

He looked coldly at the city wrapped in its turtle shell, and the jiu he long bow in his hand was suddenly drawn to its full extent.

This time, it was no longer a probe.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!!"

In an instant, overwhelming arrows, like a black rainstorm accompanied by piercing sonic booms, slammed fiercely against that pale blue light shield.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Violent explosions resounded through the heavens and earth. Every arrow that fell would stir a circle of violent ripples on the light shield. Those originally indestructible magic shields actually began to tremble violently under Qin Ji's terrifying attack speed and damage, emitting bursts of ear-piercing, distorted sounds.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Qin Ji stood alone beneath the city, his purple-gold pupils reflecting the teetering Black Wind City, like a demon god descending upon the mortal world, coldly scrutinizing this flock of lambs awaiting slaughter.