136: Chapter 136 A Shocking Bounty! The Queen's Deadly Deal

Dusk fell, and the wind on the wasteland carried a piercing chill.

The wild wolf that had just spawned dissipated into motes of light under golden damage numbers, leaving behind only a pile of worthless copper coins. Qin Ji didn't even spare it a glance as he put away his longbow and turned to look at the panting figure running up behind him.

"Snow Emperor! You're way too fierce!"

Fierce Snow Drifter jogged up to Qin Ji, her chest heaving, her beautiful eyes filled with stars of admiration. "That was Hanba! You actually cleared a Divine-Grade BOSS instance. If this gets out, those professional teams on the forums will probably delete their accounts in shame and start over."

Qin Ji's expression remained calm as he casually adjusted his sleeve, where the Protective Flying Sword he had just obtained was hidden. "Just good luck. Senior Hanba didn't truly intend to kill."

"Luck is a part of strength too." Fierce Snow Drifter circled Qin Ji excitedly, as if looking at some rare treasure. "By the way, how were the drops this time? I saw a lot of Advanced equipment and skill books added to the guild warehouse!"

"Not bad."

Qin Ji nodded. The rewards from this first clear were indeed bountiful. Aside from the supplies filling the guild warehouse, the free attribute points he received and that [Space Blockade Scroll] were his true trump cards.

As for those skill books and equipment...

He glanced at his backpack. Although the jiu he long bow was still powerful, its basic attributes were starting to fall behind his output rhythm as his Rank increased. Unfortunately, the Hanba instance hadn't dropped any Advanced weapons for Archers.

"If you don't have anything else, I'll be going." Qin Ji didn't want to waste time on idle chatter.

Fierce Snow Drifter was taken aback for a moment, then nodded obediently. "Okay, I'll head back to the guild to organize the supplies. I'll also kick out those idle people while I'm at it. Now that we have the reputation of a Divine-Grade instance first clear, more experts will definitely want to join."

Qin Ji waved his hand, and his figure blurred, disappearing into the edge of the wasteland.

In truth, he didn't have any tasks that required immediate attention.

King Abra's chain quest still had a two-day limit; today was the fifth day, so there was plenty of time. He originally planned to find a leveling spot to grind attributes and test the actual combat effectiveness of that [Protective Flying Sword].

However, the moment he stepped out of the range of Sunset Town, a piercing alarm suddenly echoed throughout ragnarok.

This sound wasn't a standard System prompt; rather, it boomed like a giant bell, exploding directly in every player's mind!

[Server-wide Announcement! Server-wide Announcement!]

[Queen Fiodingyu has rebelled and attempted regicide! She has escaped Tianxing City, heavily wounded!]

[The Tianxing City Imperial Family has issued a maximum-level Red Bounty Order: Kill Queen Fiodingyu!]

...

The blood-red announcement repeated three times, like a depth charge dropped into a calm lake.

In the next second, the World Channel froze for an instant before exploding into a volcano of messages.

"Holy crap? What's going on? The Queen revolted?"

"Is this the plot progression of ragnarok? This is too exciting!"

"Regicide? This Queen is a ruthless one; is she going for the Empress route?"

"Stop talking! Look at the bounty rewards! My god, these rewards are insane!"

Qin Ji stopped in his tracks and immediately opened his quest panel.

[Server-wide Bounty: The Rebellious Queen]

[Quest Description: Queen Fiodingyu conspired with foreign races to assassinate King Abra. After the attempt failed, she fled while heavily wounded.]

[Quest Requirement: Kill Queen Fiodingyu (Dead or alive, just bring back the head).]

[Quest Penalty: None.]

[Quest Reward: free attribute points +500, Gold Set for current class (Choice) +1, Tianxing City Reputation +10,000.]

Qin Ji's pupils constricted slightly.

Five hundred free attribute points!

For an ordinary player, this was equivalent to the attribute gains of leveling up a hundred times out of thin air! Even for the current Qin Ji, this was an extremely tempting piece of meat. Not to mention that self-selected Gold Set, which was definitely a top-tier item with no market price at this stage.

"If Monkey got these five hundred points..."

The figure of someone swinging a stick around flashed through Qin Ji's mind, and he shook his head.

No.

A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Although Queen Fiodingyu was heavily wounded, she was a core plot character, and her Rank would definitely not be low. With Monkey's current strength, forget killing her, he probably couldn't even get close.

This meat, he had to eat it himself.

However...

Compared to those five hundred points and the Gold Set, Qin Ji's gaze turned deep. What he cared about was another item in the Queen's possession—the [gods blessing prerequisite quest scroll].

In his memories of his past life, the reason Queen Fiodingyu rebelled was that she was a pawn planted by the Netherworld Clan within the human Empire. And in her hands, she held the key to opening "Blessing of the Gods," a top-tier hidden quest.

The final reward for that quest involved a Godhead!

"Since she's already dropped the facade, her only destination..."

Qin Ji opened the large map, his gaze sweeping over the intricate routes before finally locking onto a desolate area.

The Netherworld Lands.

Now that the Queen's identity was exposed, if she wanted to survive, she had to return to the Netherworld Clan for protection. And from Tianxing City to the Netherworld Lands, there was one path she had to take.

"Trying to run?"

A cold smirk curled on Qin Ji's lips. His figure instantly turned into an afterimage, racing off in a completely different direction.

...

Mad War Territory, Guild Headquarters.

"Quick! Everyone assemble! Mage units, Assassin units, everyone get online!"

Frenzied Blade was currently standing on the high platform of the guild square, his face flushed red, his eyes gleaming with greed. "This bounty quest, our Berserk Guild must have it! Five hundred attribute points—whoever gets them will be the new god!"

"Guild Leader, the other guilds are moving too. People from the Imperial Dynasty and Tingyu Pavilion are all rushing out of the city," a Vice Leader reported anxiously.

"What are you afraid of! Kill anyone who tries to steal it!"

Frenzied Blade pulled out the long blade at his waist and roared, "This Queen is heavily wounded; she definitely can't run far. Give me a carpet search! We must find her before that freak Snow Emperor reacts!"

It wasn't just the Berserk Guild.

All the major powers in the Dragon Country Server Region were operating frantically at this moment. For large guilds, the value of cultivating a Peak combatant was immeasurable. If they could get their guild's ace to obtain these five hundred attribute points, they might even break Snow Emperor's dominant position!

However, while the large forces were still bumping around outside Tianxing City like headless flies, a solitary figure had already quietly crossed the Misty Swamp and stood at the entrance of the Netherworld Lands.

Here, the cold wind howled, and withered black trees stretched toward the sky like ghost claws.

Qin Ji stood silently behind a giant rock, his longbow lowered slightly, his breathing as steady as a hibernating snake.

Ten minutes later.

A flurry of messy and weak footsteps came from the mist.

Qin Ji tilted his head slightly and saw a wretched figure stumbling out of the mist.

It was a woman dressed in magnificent palace attire. Her originally exquisite hair bun was now disheveled and draped over her shoulders, and her golden Phoenix robe was shredded by blades, revealing large patches of blood-stained skin. Her face was as pale as paper as she clutched a wound on her abdomen, leaving a trail of shocking bloodstains with every step she took.

It was indeed the Queen, Fiodingyu.

Just as she was about to step into the entrance of the Netherworld Lands, a feathered arrow silently pinned itself into the dirt in front of her toes.

"Who is it?!"

Fiodingyu, like a startled bird, jerked back a step and shouted sharply.

Qin Ji slowly stepped out from behind the rock, a faint smile on his face. "Queen Your Highness, in such a hurry to return to your family?"

Seeing that the one blocking her way was an Adventurer, the terror in Fiodingyu's eyes receded slightly, replaced by deep resentment and disdain. "Snow Emperor... I've heard of you. Have you taken that faint king's bounty to come for my head?"

"Hmph, a mere Adventurer dares to block my path?"

Qin Ji ignored her bluster and simply gave a meaningful smile. "Yes, and no. Killing you for the bounty is certainly good, but I have a rather large appetite. I came here more for the item in your hand."

Fiodingyu's pupils shrank, and she instinctively covered her chest. "You know about the Blessing of the Gods Scroll?!"

"It really is on you."

Qin Ji nodded, slowly drawing his longbow. The sound of the bowstring tightening was exceptionally harsh in the dead air. "Hand it over, and I can give you a quick death. Otherwise, you should know how many ways an Adventurer has to make you wish you were dead."

Fiodingyu stared fixedly at Qin Ji, seemingly assessing the gap in their combat power.

A moment later, she slumped her hands in defeat. In her heavily wounded state, she couldn't possibly be a match for this server's number one player.

"As expected, you're not like those idiots who only look at petty profits."

Fiodingyu gave a miserable laugh, a flash of madness in her eyes. "I can give you the pre-quest scroll for the Blessing of the Gods, and I can even let you kill me to claim the bounty. But I have one condition."

Qin Ji's eyes narrowed slightly.

When the benefits are large enough, it often means there's a giant pit behind them. But he was never afraid of pits, only that the returns weren't high enough.

"What condition?"

"I want that faint king dead!"

Fiodingyu's voice suddenly became shrill, like a vengeful spirit seeking a life. "Within half a month, kill King Abra! Do you dare to take it?!"

Qin Ji's expression changed slightly.

Kill the King?

This was no joke. As the King of Tianxing City, the defensive force around Abra was terrifying, and his own strength was unfathomable.

"Are you so sure I can kill him?" Qin Ji asked back.

"I'm not sure."

Fiodingyu pulled a sheepskin scroll emitting a black aura from her bosom and threw it directly to Qin Ji. "But if even you can't do it, then no one in this world can. This is my final gamble."

Qin Ji reached out and caught the scroll, and a System notification followed.

[Triggered Hidden Unique Quest: The Queen's Revenge]

[Quest Requirement: Within half a month, kill Tianxing City King Abra.]

[Quest Reward: free attribute points +1000, Divine Artifact Rank pre-quest item: Blessing of the Gods +1, netherworld longbow (Dark Gold Rank) +1.]

[Quest Penalty: If the quest fails or times out, you will receive the Curse of the Gods, and the experience points required for future level-ups will be permanently increased tenfold.]

[Accept?]

Looking at the quest panel, Qin Ji's eyebrows quirked.

One thousand free attribute points! And a Dark Gold Rank weapon!

These rewards were so bountiful they were practically unreasonable. As for that penalty...

Tenfold experience for leveling?

For an ordinary player, this was a penalty on the level of deleting their account. After all, the experience needed for each level in the Late Stage was an astronomical figure; a tenfold increase basically meant the end of the road for leveling.

But for Qin Ji?

He smiled.

His leveling relied on mob-farming efficiency, and his efficiency was hundreds or thousands of times that of an ordinary person. Even if it were increased tenfold, it would just be a matter of firing a few more arrows. Moreover, his need for Ranks was far less urgent than his need for attribute points.

This penalty was a joke to him.

"Fine, I'll take your quest."

Qin Ji didn't hesitate for a second and directly chose to confirm.

Seeing Qin Ji accept the quest, a faint, satisfied smile finally appeared on Fiodingyu's pale face, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

"Very well... remember your promise."

She closed her eyes and spread her arms, as if welcoming some form of liberation. "Do it. I have no more use now. Even if I return to the Netherworld Lands, those old fogies won't let a failure off. Rather than dying at their hands and suffering endless torture, I'd rather fulfill your purpose."

Qin Ji was slightly surprised.

This woman was more decisive than he had imagined.

"The Queen is magnanimous."

A smile appeared on Qin Ji's face as he instantly drew his longbow to full draw. Three feathered arrows locked onto her throat and heart in a triangular formation. "In that case, I shall see the Queen off to the heavens."

Twang!

The bowstring vibrated.

A stream of light pierced the air, instantly skewering Fiodingyu's body.

Even without resisting, her health bar as a Queen was incredibly thick. But before Qin Ji's terrifying attack speed and damage, her health bar still drained like flowing water.

Ten seconds later.

As the final arrow struck between her brows, Fiodingyu's body fell heavily to the ground, turning into a sky full of light motes.

"Ding! You have killed Queen Fiodingyu (Heavily Wounded status)."

"A server-wide announcement is about to be made. Hide name?"

"No."

Hiding one's name at a time like this would be like wearing fine clothes and walking in the dark of night.

[Server-wide Announcement! Congratulations to player Snow Emperor for successfully killing the rebellious Queen Fiodingyu! Completed the server-wide unique bounty quest!]

[Reward Issued: free attribute points +100, Special Equipment Chest (Legendary Rank) +1! This announcement is made in the hope that all players will continue their hard work!]

...

The server-wide announcement rang out again.

Frenzied Blade, who was frantically searching in the wild, stumbled upon hearing this sound, nearly falling flat on his face. He looked at the dead silence in the guild channel, so angry he shattered a nearby giant rock with a single slash.

"Snow Emperor!! You again!!"

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Netherworld Lands.

Qin Ji had no time to mind the noise from the outside world. His gaze was fixed on the chest emitting a seven-colored glow that had appeared in his backpack.

It wasn't a Gold Set.

Because he had killed her solo and completed the quest in an extremely short time, the System's evaluation was extremely high, and the reward had actually undergone a critical hit change!

"Special equipment..."

Qin Ji took a deep breath, his eyes burning.

In ragnarok, equipment would become outdated, and Ranks would be caught up with, but only special equipment often possessed irreplaceable functionality and could even be used until the server closed!

He slowly reached out and pressed his hand onto the chest.

The setting sun was like blood, casting the withered trees at the entrance of the Netherworld Lands into hideous silhouettes. Qin Ji stood where Fiodingyu had dissipated. As the chest opened, a blinding purple-gold light soared into the sky, reflecting in his pitch-black eyes like a waking abyss fire, burning wantonly in this cold, dead land.