Chapter 13: The Ultra-Difficult Newcomer Challenge

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Xia Wulei and Hong Qi left Uncle Wu’s house just as Chu Wei was coming out of the village chief’s home. The three exchanged glances and decided to discuss matters later, opting to return first.

Yu Huaiyu and Zhu Chen waited in the small courtyard, their eyes brightening the moment Xia Wulei returned.

“You’re back! What’s for dinner tonight?”

Xia Wulei: … All anyone ever thinks about is eating!

Chu Wei spoke with a hint of reserve, “Should I go borrow some meat?”

Xia Wulei replied, “...No need.”

The chickens on the ranch matured in just one day; they were large, with glossy feathers that looked delicious. Xia Wulei handed one over to Aunt Wang.

A joke—she didn’t know how to slaughter a chicken.

Aunt Wang didn’t say a word, took the chicken, and headed to the kitchen.

Xia Wulei invited the others to sit down and exchanged some information.

Yu Huaiyu and Zhu Chen hadn’t been idle; both had made some discoveries.

Yu Huaiyu said, “Huwang said he remembers playing with other kids before, but because of those damn sacrifices, the children were taken one by one, and his mother was gone. That’s why he gradually became so withdrawn.”

“That mountain god seems to favor children the most. Even though they sacrifice girls, sometimes the mountain god kidnaps the village’s children, which is why people stopped wanting to have kids.”

Yu Huaiyu spoke at length, gently stroking Huwang’s head under the table. The Noble Consort system was indeed useful; even such a withdrawn child had grown quite attached to Yu Huaiyu.

“He always hides under here. When he was about to be taken, his mother told him to hide under the table and not come out.”

Knowing Huwang’s past, Yu Huaiyu truly felt sympathy for the boy.

Zhu Chen added, “The family I went to fetch water from this morning had incense burners and such. They said they were worshipping their little grandson, who was taken by the mountain god at age three.”

At this, Zhu Chen looked puzzled. “Why does the mountain god only take children under four years old?”

Hong Qi speculated, “Four years old is when a child’s wisdom develops. It’s the best time for education, for forming concepts. Maybe the mountain god kidnaps children to create little spirits with unclear consciousness? But what about the girls...”

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Everyone agreed Hong Qi’s reasoning made sense, but Xia Wulei shook her head.

“Remember the dreams Yu Huaiyu and Chu Wei had? They both dreamed they were pregnant, and the child was likely one of those sacrificed.”

“I think the mountain god might be kidnapping children as playmates, while the girls are taken to be mothers. Children who haven’t been enlightened don’t realize they’ve been abandoned; they instinctively seek a mother.”

[Notification! Congratulations, player Xia Wulei, for piecing together the main storyline! Main clue: The Mountain God’s Nine Infants’ Pregnancy Village.]

[The Mountain God’s Nine Infants’ Pregnancy Village: The Mountain God’s Nine Infants were born here. The village nurtures them, providing fresh children’s flesh and blood, tormenting young women to become ghost mothers! In three days, the Nine Infants will gather enough energy to descend upon the village!]

The announcement stunned everyone.

Xia Wulei had actually uncovered the main storyline?

A newcomer pieced together the main quest first. Hong Qi was surprised but, considering it was Xia Wulei, it seemed quite reasonable.

“Wait, Nine Infants?”

Hong Qi’s expression suddenly changed, horrified. “The Nine Infants are ancient ferocious beasts! How could they appear in a beginner’s quest?!”

Chu Wei and Yu Huaiyu, having some gaming experience, looked grim, while Xia Wulei and Zhu Chen were still puzzled.

Hong Qi sighed and explained, “There’s a ranking of ancient ferocious beasts in the pre-transparent world. Players who encounter these beasts usually die or get seriously injured; wipeouts are common. Bosses on that list are from high-level quests, and the Nine Infants are one of them. Technically, with our experience, we shouldn’t be randomly assigned a boss like the Nine Infants...”

Chu Wei frowned, “The toughest boss in my beginner quest was just a millennium-old zombie...”

Hearing this, Xia Wulei sensed something was off. Was the system trying to shake up the newcomers a bit? The millennium-old zombie, which was a boss elsewhere, was here just a minor minion? Such a stark difference?

She couldn’t let it slide and immediately contacted the system, requesting to see Administrator No. 8.

Everyone was stunned by her bold move, only to be scolded by her for not standing up for themselves.

“You need to fight for your own interests, understand? We honest players can’t just blindly follow the system’s orders. This is obviously their mistake—we have to get something in return!”

That actually made sense.

Soon, No. 8 connected to the farming system. A small orb appeared before them, seeming somewhat bewildered, its surprised voice echoing in their minds:

“You can actually reach out to me? What’s the matter?”

Xia Wulei said, “Take a look at the boss in our beginner quest.”

No. 8 was about to refuse, saying the main storyline in this quest required players to piece together clues themselves, but then realized they had already done so.

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“Let me see... The Nine Infants?! How could it be the Nine Infants?!”

Even No. 8 was shocked, the white orb trembling in the air, leaving afterimages.

“Does this make sense? I’m just a newcomer. Why is my beginner quest so much harder than others’?”

Zhu Chen, also a newcomer, agreed, “Exactly, exactly.”

No. 8, realizing its mistake, thought perhaps the farming system had caused a glitch, creating the illusion that Xia Wulei’s strength exceeded expectations, thus summoning an ancient ferocious beast as the boss. The number and strength of the ghosts in the quest also increased significantly.

In short, it was a chain reaction caused by an initial system bug.

Fortunately, it was only the third day. Most of the ghosts hadn’t unleashed their full power yet; otherwise, the players would have faced more than just a scare.

With no choice, No. 8 conceded, “Alright, I can suppress seventy percent of the Nine Infants’ strength. How does that sound?”

“That’s fair. What about the other monsters? Their numbers and strength also exceed what should be in this quest, right?”

“Indeed...”

“In that case, give us some survival items. If we pass, the score coefficient for this quest will be raised to 1.2. Deal?”

No. 8 thought Xia Wulei’s demands were reasonable and agreed swiftly, then vanished.

Back in the pre-transparent world, No. 8 belatedly realized: Wait, why didn’t I just deny it and say they were unlucky to draw the Nine Infants? Why did I give away items so easily?

Xia Wulei, that clever schemer!

Hong Qi still clutching a protective talisman was stunned: “This... that’s it?”

Xia Wulei examined the talisman and smiled, then put it away. “Not bad. It can block three effective ghost attacks—quite practical.”

Chu Wei put away her talisman and solemnly held Xia Wulei’s hand. “...Could you leave me your contact info?”

While some were still amazed by recent events, the perceptive were already plotting their future path.