NOVEL NEXT Ch. 3
Chapter 3: The First “Sucker”
The next day, when Mophis woke up, she felt as if the entire world had gone quiet.
It was not an illusion.
The roars of monsters outside the library that she usually heard, along with the players’ battle cries and the explosions of skills, had all disappeared.
She curiously walked to the window and cautiously poked her head out.
Then, she was stunned by the scene before her.
Centered on the library, within a radius of five hundred meters, stood circle after circle of players.
They were not fighting monsters, not chatting, barely even moving—just standing silently like rows of loyal guards.
Whenever a monster respawned, or an uninformed solo player happened to approach, a squad from the outer ring would immediately break off to deal with the threat in the quickest and quietest way possible (such as a rogue’s Backstab or a mage’s Silence).
At the library’s main entrance, a massive wooden sign had been erected, with crooked handwriting scrawled across it:
【Mophis’ Wife Protection Squad! Restricted Area Ahead, Keep Quiet!】
Mophis: “……”
She had only casually said on the forum that “she might like quiet,” and this group of players took it this far? Their execution was terrifyingly strong.
She silently withdrew her head and opened the players’ forum.
Sure enough, the post from yesterday had already been pushed to the top.
Her reply had been marked red and highlighted, with tens of thousands of new comments beneath it.
“Holy crap! A prophecy! Was this an official staff member dropping hints?”
“Told you! Mophis’ wife definitely likes quiet! All you idiots fighting and yelling at her doorstep must have lost Favorability!”
“Thanks for the reminder! I’ve already organized my guild to maintain order! 【Mad Blade】’s guild also came. We’re now the ‘Silent Frontline’ alliance!”
“Wuwuwu, for my wife, I’m willing to be mute!”
Reading these fanatical replies, Mophis felt her social anxiety flaring up again.
Great.
With so many people crowding the entrance, now she didn’t even dare to step outside.
But a very real problem loomed before her—she was hungry.
This frail body required huge amounts of energy, and it had to come from special food imbued with energy.
Ordinary food was useless.
From memory, there was a herb called 【Moonlight Grass】.
When crushed, it replenished stamina.
The previous Mophis used to keep it as a regular snack.
But now, all of it was gone.
She had to find a way to get more 【Moonlight Grass】.
【Moonlight Grass】 was a rare herb that only spawned at cliff edges at night, very difficult to gather.
For her to go herself—forget climbing cliffs—just stepping outside the library was already hard enough.
It seemed she could only make use of the overly enthusiastic “Protection Squad” outside once more.
Mophis sank into the sea of code again.
She could not directly issue a quest—if she did, the GMs would notice.
But she could exploit a BUG to create a “pseudo-quest.”
She found a loophole in the “item interaction” logic.
Normally, a quest could only be triggered by interacting with a specific item.
But she could modify the conditions so that interacting with a “specific coordinate point” could also trigger it.
She chose an inconspicuous corner in the library’s backyard, where there was an unremarkable stone.
Then, she began drafting the “quest” content.
【Hidden Encounter: The Girl Who Loves Reading】
【Quest Description: You seem to have discovered a secret. A girl who loves to read, because of her frail body, cannot personally gather her favorite herb. Maybe you can help her with this small task?】
【Quest Objective: Gather 10 stalks of 【Moonlight Grass】.】
【Quest Rewards: 50,000 EXP, 100 gold coins, and 1 piece of random Fine-grade equipment.】
For players at this stage, these rewards were luxurious.
Especially that random Fine-grade equipment—enough to make any top player drool.
To avoid suspicion, she set the “Encounter” to have an extremely low trigger probability—only about one in a thousand.
After finishing everything, Mophis felt a wave of exhaustion.
Interfering with world code too frequently placed a heavy burden on her current body.
She leaned back in her chair, quietly waiting for that “lucky one” to appear.
……
Outside the library, 【Mad Blade】 was idly directing his subordinates to maintain order.
Ever since yesterday’s “bumping into” incident, he had developed strong interest in this NPC called Mophis.
His instincts told him that this NPC hid a massive secret.
So, when the “Silent Frontline” proposal was raised, he immediately led his guild’s main force over—ostensibly to guard, but in truth to seize first-hand information.
“Boss, what’s the point of us standing here every day? We can’t even get a glimpse of Mophis.” Vice guild leader 【Pierce-Through-Heart】 complained.
“Idiot, this is called casting a long line to catch a big fish.” Mad Blade sneered.
“You think top-tier hidden quests are cabbages in the field, waiting to be picked? Be patient.”
That being said, he himself was growing bored.
He wandered around the library, seeing if there were any overlooked clues.
Unknowingly, he reached the library’s backyard.
It was remote, almost no players came here.
In the corner, he saw a stone.
With nothing better to do, he walked over and habitually kicked it.
【Ding!】
A crisp notification chimed in his ears.
【You have triggered the Hidden Encounter: The Girl Who Loves Reading!】
Mad Blade froze completely.
He rubbed his eyes hard, making sure he hadn’t misread.
A Hidden Encounter!
It was really a Hidden Encounter!
Suppressing his excitement, he quickly read the quest description.
【Moonlight Grass】? He knew about that—few spawn points, guarded by elite monsters, troublesome to collect.
But compared to the generous rewards, what was that trouble worth?
“All of you, hold position! I’ve got some personal business to handle!” Mad Blade barked in the guild channel, then bolted straight toward the distant cliffs.
Two hours later, Mad Blade staggered back to the library’s backyard, covered in wounds, panting heavily, but with 10 stalks of silver-glowing herbs in his backpack.
He returned to that stone and submitted the quest.
【Quest Complete!】
【You have gained 50,000 EXP!】
【You have gained 100 gold coins!】
【You have gained Equipment: Windrunner’s Boots (Fine)!】
A golden light flashed.
Mad Blade’s level instantly rose from 22 to 23.
On his feet appeared a pair of teal leather boots, with terrifyingly good stats.
His body trembled with excitement.
This trip was worth it!
Just as he was about to leave, a sudden change occurred.
The library’s tightly shut small door creaked open, leaving a narrow gap.
Mophis’ stunningly beautiful face peeked out.
She looked at Mad Blade, silver eyes filled with a trace of gratitude and curiosity.
In her hands was a thick book, as if she had just pulled herself out of the sea of literature.
Then, she gave Mad Blade a faint smile—gentle enough to melt ice and snow.
The smile didn’t last long.
She seemed shy, quickly shutting the door again.
But to Mad Blade, that fleeting instant was brighter than all the equipment in his backpack combined.
He stood dumbfounded on the spot, heart pounding wildly.
He immediately opened the recording function, packaged the footage of that moment along with screenshots of his rewards, and posted it on the forum.
The title read:
【I Triggered Mophis’ Hidden Quest! With Screenshots for Proof!】
A stone stirred up a thousand ripples.