I have an Apocalypse City

Chapter 551: Chapter 551: The Second Ring

The Ice Path gradually melted, and the Shadow Teeth recovered its previous speed. Having suffered significant damage, it gave up the chase after pursuing in the direction Song Jian had escaped for several more meters. It cast the direction a regretful glance and emitted an angry roar before turning to rush towards the Shadow Forest.

Not until the Shadow Teeth had returned to the Shadow Forest did Song Jian receive a notification that he had completed the system task.

System: You have completed the first link of an Epic-level quest – Rescuing Anna Katerina, and you have earned her gratitude. Your relationship with Anna has improved to ‘friendly’.

As expected, this is an Epic-level quest chain, and I’ve only completed the first step, which is probably the simplest one!” A wry smile appeared on Song Jian’s face. The simplest first step had nearly cost him his life. If it hadn’t been for his Primordial Chaos Indestructible Sword Body that endowed him with the power to confront the Shadow Teeth, the level-30 elite boss, with the combat power of a first level fighter, it could definitely have killed everyone at the scene.

Having completed the first part of the Epic-level quest, the task in his taskbar did not disappear, indicating that the second part of the mission required Song Jian to find a trigger himself. If Song Jian couldn’t trigger the second part, the task would be stuck here.

“I guess we’re safe now…” Song Jian let out a sigh and said.

“Th…thank you, reincarnate!” Anna bowed to Song Jian in gratitude.

“Thank you for saving us. If you ever come to the City of Sin, I’ll treat you to a good drink.” Carter gave Song Jian a knight salute.

“You’ve gained the friendship of the Sakel Family in the City of Sin, Divine One.” Solando struggled to compose himself, glanced at Song Jian, and spoke somewhat arrogantly: “Given your abilities, you’re qualified to become my Guardian Knight. If you pledge loyalty to me, you’ll hold the title of a knight and become a member of the nobility!”

Song Jian smiled faintly, ignoring Solando and turned to Anna, “Is there anything else I can assist you with?”

Solando was the son of the Lord of the City of Sin. However, according to Solando’s previous remarks, Anna was not a member of the Sakel Family, but a relative living under their roof. Although the servants referred to her as ‘young lady’, her status was not comparable to Solando’s.

However, the Epic-level quest released by the system was to rescue Anna, not the nobler Solando. Clearly, the game system believed that Anna was much more important than Solando in the game.

No one told Song Jian this, but as a player, he understood that only those favored by the game system would become big shots in the future. These were the ones players needed to establish good relationships with.

Perceiving the indifference from Song Jian, Solando turned livid, clenched his teeth silently, and sneered inwardly. He had no choice but to snort coldly, his dislike for Song Jian deepening.

“Reincarnate, we came here in search of the Dark Castle. According to legend, the Dark Castle hides a Goblet of Life. Any water held in the Goblet of Life turns into holy water that can cure any ailment. Our aim is to find this Goblet of Life. Could you help us retrieve it?” Anna inquired.

“Anna, how dare you disclose such confidential information to him, to a stranger!” Solando’s face darkened, and he glared at Anna in dissatisfaction.

“Solan, do you think we can obtain the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle with our current abilities?” Anna turned her head and asked Solando.

Solando grew silent. An elite knight squad had almost been wiped out; it seemed impossible for the remaining three of them to even approach the Dark Castle, let alone enter it to retrieve the Goblet of Life.

Right after Anna made her request, Song Jian received the second link of the Epic-level task.

System: You received the second link of an Epic-level quest, Recover the Holy Grail. Task Objective: Retrieve the Holy Grail from the Dark Castle and hand it over to Anna Katerina. Task Explanations: The Holy Grail is one of the treasures of the Dark Giant Dragon, you must enter the treasure room of the Dark Castle to obtain it. Task Reward: You will earn funds with Anna Katerina and your relationship will upgrade to ‘respect’. You will also receive a skill point. Task Failure Punishment: Your relationship with Anna Katerina will downgrade to ‘indifferent’.

Having seen the contents of the second link of the mission, Song Jian was slightly worried. It seemed that the first few links in this Epic-level quest were all for the purpose of improving his relationship with Anna which appeared much more difficult than the first.

In the first link, he just had to deal with a level 30 elite boss with the combat power of a first stage fighter. However, in the second link, he may have to face the Dark Giant Dragon, making the risk increase exponentially.

Yet Song Jian had set out precisely to enter the Dark Castle and engage in combat with the Dark Giant Dragon for half an hour. It turned out that in the process he could complete the second link of the Epic-level task.

“Of course, it would be my pleasure, madam. I will fulfill your wish and deliver the Holy Grail to you!” Song Jian gave Anna a bow and assured her.

“Thank you so much, brave warrior. If you complete this task, you can find me at Aromatic Castle in the City of Sin to deliver the Grail!” Anna smiled charmingly and continued, “However, make sure you are quick. The Grail must reach my hands within a month!”

“Alright, I understand. Within a month, I will deliver the Grail to you.” Song Jian nodded in acknowledgment.

As they watched Song Jian’s departing figure, Solando sneered, “Anna, do you truly believe that a god-chosen who hasn’t even reached level 30 can retrieve the Goblet of Life from the Dark Castle?”

“Solan, remember, you are not the only son of my uncle. You are the sixth in line to succeed. Do you think, if my uncle doesn’t make it through this time, that you will still have the same status once your elder brother becomes the lord?” Anna glared at Solando dismissively.

Solando’s face turned ashen. He coldly snorted and fell silent as though something had occurred to him.

Kulun stood still behind Solando like a statue, seemingly oblivious to their conversation.

“You should pray that he succeeds because this is your only chance!” After giving Solando a look, Anna turned around and left.

“God damn it, I hate the way you talk to me.” Solando muttered under his breath and staggered after Anna.

…