Chapter Thirty-One: The Advancement Mission

I glanced at the rankings. Even though my crazy leveling had gained me two levels in a single afternoon, I still hadn't managed to reach the top spot. At present, the world leader was a Chinese rogue named "Power Hotpot," who held level 21. As for me, I hadn't yet broken into the top ten, but I was close—just at eleventh place, barely missing the city leaderboard. There was little suspense about the rankings: Berserker held second place at level 18, closely followed by Ye Qiu, also at level 18. Xue Han and Murong Shanshan each claimed fourth and fifth at level 17. Even Xu Lin and Xin Yu had made it into the city top ten at level 16. Though they were just scraping the bottom, I could imagine how happy they must be.

Logging off and removing my helmet, I could hear laughter coming from outside.

Xu Lin was radiant: "Lin Fan, Xin Yu and I made it to the town’s top ten—did you see?"

"Of course I did. Congratulations to both of you~"

Xin Yu smiled, "It’s all thanks to that bow you gave me. Without it, I wouldn’t have leveled up so quickly. And Lin’s group attack magic is really powerful—she can torch a whole mob in just a few hits."

"Well, if Xue Han hadn’t healed me, I don’t even know how many times I would’ve died~"

Xue Han smiled quietly beside us. In the kitchen, Li Qing was bringing out the dishes one by one. Xin Yu slipped mysteriously back to her room, and when she returned, she was carrying a small pot of orchids. I was utterly stunned.

Xin Yu plopped down next to me and pointed at the orchid, declaring, "From today on, I’ve decided to grow flowers!"

Xu Lin’s jaw dropped. "No wonder you logged off half an hour early—you went to buy orchids!"

Xin Yu looked very pleased. I quickly advised her, "Xin Yu, you’re going to grow orchids too?"

"Why not?" Xin Yu sounded a little displeased.

I hurried to explain, "I think it’d be better for you to grow a cactus—it’s harder to kill..."

"Lin Fan! Are you looking for trouble?"

"…"

Xue Han smoothed things over, "Alright, alright, let’s eat first. After dinner, we’ll practice a bit more, then rest."

Xu Lin nodded, "Exactly. The proper way is to rest early and get up early to level. From now on, let’s not stay up late. We’ll set a rule: from six in the morning to eleven at night, we must rest. If there’s a must-do quest, exceptions can be made, but everyone got it? That’s how it’ll be from now on."

"Mm."

After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to level up. The day’s intense grind had exhausted me, so I sat on the sofa to rest. I saw Xin Yu bring over the teapot and pour a cup on the coffee table, filling the room with the scent of jasmine.

"Have some tea to settle your stomach. Leveling is important, but don’t overdo it—your body is your own." Xin Yu’s smile was gentle.

I gazed at her flawless face and said softly, "If only you’d learn to care for yourself like this."

Xin Yu froze, her beautiful eyes sparkling. She quietly sat beside me and whispered, "I will."

Seeing Xin Yu’s tender expression, my heart ached with a feeling I couldn’t describe. Would I ever fall for Xin Yu? Probably not. I’m a traditional man, and I could never accept a girlfriend who isn’t pure, no matter how sincerely she repented.

We sat in silence for a while. Xin Yu said nothing, and the tea had cooled. I stood up, "I’m off to level. I’ll sleep early tonight; lately I’ve been exhausted."

Xin Yu nodded and quietly returned to her room, her graceful figure tinged with disappointment.

...

I walked back to my room, put on the helmet, and entered the game.

Checking my equipment, the durability was low. I should visit the trainer to see if there were any new skills for a level 20 swordsman. Heavy Strike and Combo had reached level 3 after repeated use; Heavy Strike now boosted single attack damage by 25%, while Combo hadn’t changed. After reaching level 20, neither skill could be further improved, probably due to level restrictions.

I used a teleport scroll to head straight to the trading post and consigned three high-level white items I’d acquired, each priced at 200 RMB. With most players around level 13, these level 15 items had a big market.

The previous batch of consigned gear had sold out, netting us just over 2,000 RMB, all transferred to Xu Lin’s account. After commission, I pocketed 700 myself—it’s clearly faster money than attracting customers. Xin Yu and the others weren’t as lucky; so far, only Xu Lin had managed to sell a green knight’s greaves for 800 RMB.

The warrior training hall stood next to the city’s central cathedral. Little warriors in tattered gear passed by, but with my three green items, I cut a dashing figure among them.

I spoke to the trainer and received a quest: "Brave warrior, you seem strong enough. Would you like to know the swordsman’s past?"

I immediately chose yes, and he continued, "Our great kingdom has a proud tradition. The Swordsman Alliance was once the elite guard of the former king. Twelve years ago, during the kingdom’s upheaval, the palace guard captain Reinhardt led his men in rescuing our king from powerful enemies, helping him reclaim our lands. Thus, he was hailed as the kingdom’s greatest hero. Sadly, five years ago, he vanished mysteriously during another upheaval. Fortunately, the new knight captain Palukes bravely led the cavalry to quell the turmoil, but the Swordsman Alliance has been in decline ever since."

The trainer paused, then continued, "Young warrior, are you willing to wield your sword and carve a new future for the swordsmen?"

I immediately chose "yes"~

"Take this letter and seek your new path!"

"Ding~!"

System prompt: You have accepted the swordsman advancement quest. Go to the port north of Gale City, where a steamship will take you to the island city—Via Village. Speak to the village chief, Yeka; he will guide you on your new journey!

...

I was elated. Checking the rankings, the professions ahead of me were all mages and rogues—not a single warrior. That means I was the first to reach level 20 and receive the swordsman advancement quest. Why wasn’t there a reward? Even a level 20 green item would have been nice…