Online Game: Starting with an SSS-Level Plundering Talent - Chapter 73

Chapter 73: Beast Clan’s Secret Area, SSS-Level Hidden Quest
Using the Origin Stone, John could add another class to his repertoire.

He was already a dual-class wielder, possessing the powerful hidden classes of Wrath of the Gods Mage and Abyssal Assassin.

With the Origin Stone, he had the opportunity to gain a third class.

However, John hadn’t yet decided on which class to pursue next.

So, he tucked the stone away for now, waiting for the right moment and the right class to emerge.

In addition to the Origin Stone, John also found several rare and epic-grade weapons and equipment, which he currently had no immediate use for.

…

The wind howled.

As Avis, the black dragon, soared swiftly through the skies. They were now deep within the Dark Forest, a treacherous region where powerful flying beasts frequently appeared.

John easily dealt with the tier-four beasts, but anything beyond tier-four was something he approached with caution.

Soon, they arrived near the entrance to the Secret Area. Avis slowed down as they approached.

Below them lay a series of rugged mountain peaks, surrounded by powerful tier-four beasts.

150-level wandering swordsmen, 160-level flame spirits, 170-level shamans, and even 190-level werewolves.

“Master, shall I clear out the surrounding beasts?” Avis asked eagerly, ready to unleash his power.

Being a tier-four epic dragon, dispatching these ordinary tier-four beasts would be effortless for him.

John nodded, and they both sprang into action.

A storm of fire rained down.

After slaying the demon general Bolt, John had acquired the SSS-level talent, Blessing of the Archmage, which increased all his skill levels by one.

His Rain of Fire had now evolved into a mid-level magic skill, Fire Meteor Shower, with a wider range and higher damage output.

Paired with Avis’s dragonfire breath, even the formidable werewolves couldn’t withstand their assault.

[You have slain a 150-level wandering swordsman. Experience +1630 points.]

[Plunder talent activated. Strength +1.]

[You have slain a 160-level flame spirit. Experience +1830 points.]

[Plunder talent activated. Spirit +1.]

…

The notifications flashed as John’s Plunder talent triggered approximately once every three kills.

Soon, the surrounding beasts were cleared out, and his attributes received a slight boost once more.

Avis landed gracefully.

John quickly gathered up the few pieces of equipment that had dropped.

He not bothering to inspect them closely as they were all tier-four quality.

“Master, is this the place?” Avis asked, scanning the surroundings curiously.

John frowned slightly. His Spatial Awareness talent had detected a spatial weakness in the area.

Secret Areas were independent spaces, and any weakness in the fabric of reality indicated a potential issue.

Despite his considerable strength, John wasn’t yet capable of breaking through such a space on his own, so he decided to use the Beast Clan’s Secret Area scroll.

Buzz!

Spatial forces rippled, and a path materialized—a gateway leading into the Beast Clan’s Secret Area.

“Be careful,” John warned Avis, casting Iron Armor on himself before stepping onto the path.

After passing through the narrow path, the passage behind John closed, and the view ahead opened up.

John frowned, his expression tense as he cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

The area was filled with the acrid smell of smoke, and the air was thick with the stench of blood. Corpses of beasts and werewolves littered the ground.

Nearby, flames still flickered, suggesting the battle had only recently ended.

“Master, be careful!” Avis warned John, sensing danger.

Whoosh!

An ice arrow shot through the air, hurtling toward John with blinding speed.

Bang!

The Iron Armor shattered instantly. A wave of cold washed over John as the ice arrow pierced his chest, and a terrifying damage number appeared above his head.

-380,000

[You have been one-shot by a sixth-tier Ice Phoenix. Lifesaver talent activated, preserving 1 HP.]

The notification flashed, snapping John back to his senses. He quickly retreated, and with the life-sharing ability of The Tree of Life, his health rapidly restored.

“Who goes there!” Avis roared, immediately positioning himself in front of John, though his body trembled slightly.

He felt a terrifying pressure that he knew he couldn’t withstand.

“Hmm, you’re still alive?” A voice filled with curiosity echoed through the air. The temperature around them plummeted as a massive Ice Phoenix appeared, its crystalline body refracting light into a spectrum of colors. As it flapped its wings, a cracking sound filled the air, accompanied by falling ice shards.

The ground trembled as countless powerful beasts emerged, surrounding them.

“Hold your fire!” John shouted, leaping onto Avis’s back and soothing him with a gentle pat. He looked up at the Ice Phoenix and said, “I mean no harm. I was sent here by Lord Black Turtle.”

As he spoke, he pulled out the token that Black Turtle had given him.

A dragon scale.

“Lord Black Turtle?” The scale seemed to move of its own accord, flying up to the Ice Phoenix. After carefully examining it, the Phoenix’s hostility faded.

“I thought you were a spy from the demon race. You’re lucky I didn’t kill you,” it said, folding its wings and landing in front of John, scrutinizing him with interest.

The surrounding beasts also relaxed, encircling John as if he were a zoo exhibit, pointing and commenting among themselves.

“Looks like he’s human.”

“Yeah, probably an adventurer.”

“He’s so weak. I could crush him with just one toe.” A black giant bear raised its enormous paw, measuring it against John.

How rude!

John’s face darkened. If these beasts weren’t so powerful, he’d have half a mind to roast that bear’s paw.

The Ice Phoenix’s eyes were filled with confusion as it furrowed its brow and asked, “Are you the prophesied savior?”

“No,” John shook his head.

“Oh.” The Ice Phoenix visibly relaxed. In its eyes, John’s strength was too weak.

If he were the prophesied savior, then the Skyline Continent would truly be doomed.

The Ice Phoenix looked at John curiously and asked, “Then what is your purpose here?”

“Lord Black Turtle sent me to gather some medicinal herbs.” John handed the list that Black Turtle had given him to the Ice Phoenix.

The Ice Phoenix examined the list in its hand, then looked at John with suspicion. The list did indeed contain the items that Lord Black Turtle would request.

But what could the lord want with these?

Cold Spirit Grass, Soul-Eating Flower, and Dragon Fruit were ingredients for concocting a Mana-Suppressing Potion.

But Twin Flowers and Pink Peach Blossoms were essential for making Love Flower Powder.

Love Flower Powder was a vile potion that induced a state of lust and mingling of male and female. Could it be that Lord Black Turtle had a taste for such things?

Seeing that the Ice Phoenix had not responded for some time, John asked curiously, “Is there a problem, Elder?”

The Ice Phoenix nodded, returning the list to John and saying, “Most of the ingredients aren’t an issue, but Pink Peach Blossoms are unique to the Fox Clan, which has already betrayed us.”

His eyes blazed with anger as he gestured with his wings toward the surroundings, saying furiously, “As you can see, we just went through a fierce battle, which was caused by the Fox Clan colluding with the werewolves.”

“Elder, is there no other way?” John was not particularly interested in the details of the battle; he only wanted to obtain the ingredients.

The Ice Phoenix fell silent, but its gaze shifted between John and the black dragon Avis.

The other beasts around them were also smiling slyly at John.

John instinctively took a step back, feeling that these creatures had something mischievous in mind.

“Alas,” the Ice Phoenix sighed, “If you want the Pink Peach Blossoms, you’ll have to go into the Fox Clan’s territory and retrieve them yourself.”

“I can do it, Master,” Avis immediately volunteered.

John ignored Avis and turned to the Ice Phoenix, asking with concern, “Is the Fox Clan’s territory dangerous?”

The Ice Phoenix thought for a moment before replying, “That place is unique. Any being above the fourth tier that enters will have their strength suppressed to the fourth tier, while the fox spirits remain unaffected.”

A space that could suppress power like that?

John was astonished. Did that mean that within the Fox Clan’s territory, the fox spirits were practically invincible?

The Ice Phoenix continued, “Of course, there are exceptions. Beings above the tenth tier are not affected. But those are demigod-level entities, and there are virtually none left on the continent.”

Tenth-tier beings…

John’s eyes gleamed with ambition.

In the previous life, when the world of Gods merged and the beings descended, no human had reached the tenth tier.

The trial from the ninth to the tenth tier was too daunting, and no one had ever succeeded.

But this time was different. With his Plunder talent, John was confident that if he reached the tenth tier, he could even challenge the gods themselves.

He looked at the Ice Phoenix, uninterested in wasting time with it, and said directly, “If you want me to do something, just say it.”

The Ice Phoenix seemed a bit embarrassed, letting out a dry laugh before replying, “The Fox Clan has captured the Flower Fairy. I hope you can rescue her.”

“Flower Fairy?” John asked, puzzled.

“She is a unique being within our beast clan, very important to us, and she may even hold the key to the continent’s future,” the Ice Phoenix said vaguely, clearly wary of John.

But John wasn’t interested in the details and asked curiously, “If the Flower Fairy is so important, why don’t you rescue her yourselves?”

“It’s useless,” the Ice Phoenix said, filled with anger and sorrow. “The fox spirits can sense our presence. If we enter their territory, they’ll immediately detect us. Three seventh-tier beasts have already fallen in the Fox Clan’s domain. But you, as an adventurer, can avoid the fox spirits’ detection. You might just be able to save the Flower Fairy.”

“I think I’ll find another way to get the Pink Peach Blossoms,” John declined without hesitation. It was clear to him that the Ice Phoenix was trying to send him to his death.

If even seventh-tier beasts couldn’t make it out alive, what chance did he have?

It wasn’t worth risking his life for a single ingredient.

“A divine weapon,” the Ice Phoenix said through gritted teeth, clearly desperate. “If you save the Flower Fairy, I will gift you a divine weapon or help your black dragon advance one tier.”

A divine weapon!

John was intrigued. In the world of Gods, divine weapons were incredibly rare. So far, only one had appeared—the Diamond Giant Shield.

That he had obtained.

Avis, standing by John’s side, was also interested upon hearing the Ice Phoenix’s offer.

As an epic-tier dragon, if he could advance one more tier, he would become a legendary-tier beast, vastly increasing his power and even giving him a chance to become a demigod.

But despite his own interests, Avis was more eager to see his master grow stronger.

John was silent for a moment before looking at the Ice Phoenix and holding up two fingers. “Two. If I rescue the Flower Fairy, I want both rewards.”

The Ice Phoenix was furious and immediately refused. “Human, don’t be so greedy. You can only choose one.”

John wasn’t interested in arguing. He gestured for Avis to follow him. “We’re leaving,” he said, turning to go.

Avis eagerly followed.

“Adventurer!” The Ice Phoenix panicked, blocking John’s path and reluctantly conceding. “Fine, I agree.”

[Ding, you have triggered an SSS-level hidden quest: Rescue the Flower Fairy. Do you accept?]