Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost

"The Third Master was worth 100 Abyss Crystals, and the Second Master 150. As expected of bosses, they're loaded, Wang Linchi thought, looking at the corpses of the two bosses sprawled on the ground, while Saint Master stood stoically nearby.

Once he acquired Mei·Noble and Virtuous, the two bosses were no match for Saint Master.

[Mei·Noble and Virtuous]

[Type: Quest Item]

[Stored in inventory. Damage inflicted by Demonic-type enemies will not exceed 5% of your Health. When facing Demonic-type enemies: final Health +100%, final Health Recovery +100%]

With the damage limitation, even if the Second and Third Masters teamed up, they couldn't instantly kill Saint Master. Furthermore, with Mei·Noble and Virtuous increasing his final Health Recovery by 100%, and three kinds of wine granting an additional 3% Health Recovery per second, Saint Master had a total recovery effect of 6% per second. This was practically heaven-defying.

Soon, Wang Linchi also dug out Mei Wine from the ruins of Mei Tower.

[Mei Wine: Health +1,000, Health Recovery +1% per second, Mana Recovery +1% per second, Skill Cooldown -10%, lasts until the end of the instance]

I'm tough and resilient now, with an 8% per second recovery rate for both Health and Mana, a 40% cooldown reduction, and with the additional 10% from my Qingyun Ink Brush, my cooldowns are effectively halved! Wang Linchi mused. I should be able to clear the instance now... right?

Actually, he still lacked confidence, mainly because of the looming threat of the First Master. Truth be told, it was highly unlikely that the Second and Third Masters had been guarding Mei Tower initially. All four hermits were still present then, so why hadn't anyone cleared this instance? Players might not have a Saint Master, but surely some were skilled enough. Gathering all four quest items and four types of wine wasn't that difficult, yet they had all failed, indicating that the First Master must be formidable.

I should go find Bamboo Hermit first. Perhaps I can squeeze something more out of him, Wang Linchi decided. He utterly refused to believe Bamboo Hermit's previous claims. The deaths of Mei, Lan, and Ju must have yielded Bamboo Hermit some crucial items. If Bamboo Hermit truly refused to offer anything, Wang Linchi didn't mind killing him directly for loot. This action might, of course, free the First Master from some kind of binding, but Wang Linchi could simply leave the instance if things went south. Abandoning the quest wouldn't matter, as it wouldn't affect his acquisition of the special profession. The special task wouldn't be interrupted either; he could choose to give up and then clear a Level 10 Nightmare Level instance instead. He needed Experience Value; all other facets of the game character held little value for him. Perhaps these items could be manifested in reality someday. However, with his current progression rate, his strength would likely be almost fully unsealed by then, so he wouldn't lack these things.

The journey back to Bamboo Tower was quite smooth, aside from a small band of Demonic-type bandits he encountered en route. They seemed to be heading in the same direction, also likely to find Bamboo Hermit. After all, as long as Bamboo Hermit lived, the First Master could not rest easy.

Upon arriving at Bamboo Tower, Bamboo Hermit looked at Wang Linchi with a complicated expression. "I didn't expect you to actually gather them all. So, I assume the Second and Third Masters died at your hands."

"Correct," Wang Linchi affirmed. "Hence, I'm here to see if you have anything left for me. After all, I'm about to challenge the First Master; surely you're not completely empty-handed." He hadn't summoned Saint Master, mainly to take Bamboo Hermit by surprise if he refused. I'm already planning to kill him for his loot, so I definitely need to prepare beforehand, he thought.

"Come in, I'll fetch it for you," Bamboo Hermit said with a sigh. "Perhaps you are the last hope."

He invited Wang Linchi into Bamboo Tower, a place Wang Linchi had previously been denied entry to, no matter how he tried. Once inside, Wang Linchi didn't notice anything unusual. Although the exterior was decorated with bamboo, the interior was not; it had a normal architectural structure. If it were entirely made of bamboo, it wouldn't withstand wind and rain, let alone be habitable.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Bamboo Hermit finally handed him a jade pendant, intricately carved with patterns of plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum.

[Jade·Four Gentlemen]

[Type: Quest Item]

[Stored in inventory. Activated after collecting Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum. Upon entering the Demonic Realm, reduces the Demonic Realm's effects by 50%. When facing Demonic-type enemies: Skill Cooldown -10%, Health Recovery +10% per second, Mana Recovery +10% per second]

Wang Linchi never expected there would actually be another item. The cooldown reduction and regeneration per second were probably not the true core benefits; the real core was the reduction of the Demonic Realm's effects.

"Is there no way to fully resist the Demonic Realm?" Wang Linchi asked.

"The most we can do is reduce its effects by half. You have to be careful. In the Demonic Realm, the henchmen's strength will double, making them even more powerful," Bamboo Hermit warned.

"The henchmen aren't the problem. The real question is, what's the deal with the First Master? In the past, people must have tried to eliminate the Black Wind Stronghold. How did they fail?" Wang Linchi pressed.

Bamboo Hermit fell silent for a moment before saying, "Actually, at the beginning, we would freely provide the Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum, and the Jade Pendant to them. Initially, most people could easily kill most of the henchmen, though a small portion would die at the hands of the Third Master."

"Until later…" Bamboo Hermit continued after a pause. "Perhaps the players' tactics became too unconventional, leading to an increasing number of failures. Eventually, the Black Wind Stronghold turned the tables on them, resulting in such disastrous outcomes. Subsequently, we stopped easily providing these items to players, making it even more difficult for them, and many died right at the start. After killing players, the Black Wind Stronghold also began to expand due to the deepening demonic influence. Now, only one of the Four Hermits—myself—remains."

"Alright then, so what's the situation with the Black Wind Stronghold?" Wang Linchi didn't want to hear these unfortunate tales. The players might have messed things up a bit, but they were genuinely trying to help.

"The entire Black Wind Stronghold is shrouded within the Demonic Realm. You need to fight your way from the foot of the mountain to the top before you qualify to challenge the First Master."

"During this process, not only will you face the Second and Third Masters, bolstered by the Demonic Realm, but you'll also have to face…"

Hearing this, Wang Linchi couldn't help but interrupt, "Hold on, I killed the Second and Third Masters." He had seen it clearly, and even the Experience Value and Abyss Crystals had been credited to his account.

"As long as the First Master isn't dead, neither the Second Master, the Third Master, nor the henchmen will truly die. After death, they will resurrect within the Black Wind Stronghold."

"But don't worry, their resurrection takes time, usually seven days. However, if there are invaders, the First Master can instantly resurrect them once. This ability can only be used once a month. You just happened to arrive at such a time," Bamboo Hermit explained.

Wang Linchi was somewhat confused. That shouldn't be right. With so many players, it shouldn't be my turn to trigger the monthly resurrection, he thought. Unless the instances are separated, like parallel worlds, and even have different time flow rates!

"May I ask, when did the last Young Hero who came to help arrive?" Wang Linchi inquired.

"Counting from the day you arrived, it was exactly one month ago," Bamboo Hermit replied without hiding anything, after a moment of recollection.

Upon learning the truth, Wang Linchi was left speechless. Well, what do you know? We're practically queuing up, he thought. But from this, he also realized that 'God-given World' was no small feat; they had even incorporated concepts like parallel worlds and time manipulation.

"I see. So if I fail, another unlucky soul will come to challenge Clear Wind Stronghold next month, right?" Wang Linchi joked.

"I don't know, but you probably won't be the last one. You're the first one I've chatted with this much, though. Most are always in a hurry to kill, kill, kill," Bamboo Hermit remarked calmly, having seen it all before and grown indifferent.

"Any other advice? If not, I'll be on my way," Wang Linchi asked again.

After thinking for a moment, Bamboo Hermit eventually shook his head. "There's nothing to advise. Truthfully, I've never even seen the First Master."

"If there's nothing, then so be it." Wang Linchi was a bit disappointed; he had hoped to glean some valuable information.

Since there was nothing more to discuss, he left Bamboo Tower and headed straight for the Black Wind Stronghold. Bamboo Hermit stood on the second floor, watching Wang Linchi leave without saying a word. Behind him was a large stack of jade pendants. The one he gave Wang Linchi was described as rare, but in reality, they were just a pile of disposable items.

It would be best if he could win. It would save me the trouble of waiting for the next Young Hero, Bamboo Hermit muttered quietly. His so-called complicated expression was faked, and calling Wang Linchi the "last hope" was naturally just a way to humor him—part of a routine. Every player who collected Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum and came to him received this treatment.