Chapter 60: A New Secret Realm?

"Then what kind of support is the guild providing this time?"

Elina asked. If the guild assigned a specific quest, it would provide some assistance based on the quest objectives and actual circumstances, which was equivalent to a portion of the reward being paid in advance.

"Ten vials of high-grade holy water from the Church of Dawn, three spell scrolls of [Undead Strike], and two spell scrolls of [Command Undead]."

"These are all auxiliary items specifically for dealing with the undead!" Ries said, nodding.

He was quite familiar with all of them. The high-grade holy water of the Church of Dawn cost one hundred gold coins per vial; he had just bought one a few days ago to awaken his mystic treasure, the Lucky Brooch.

[Undead Strike] was a 1st-circle spell, while [Command Undead] was a 2nd-circle spell. Generally speaking, a 1st-circle spell scroll was worth around 10 to 50 gold coins, and a 2nd-circle spell scroll was worth around 100 to 200 gold coins.

The Mercenary Guild's support this time was quite generous!

"Yes, considering that we might primarily face undead creatures, the guild has mostly prepared these countermeasure-type magical items."

Jason paused, and without changing his expression, snatched the last chicken drumstick from Lombas's hand, saying:

"Therefore, the guild's requirement this time is also very clear: it is best to investigate the cause of the abnormal incident in Kora Village, and resolve it if possible."

"If that is not feasible, once the relevant intelligence has been thoroughly investigated, we are to go to the nearest Mercenary Guild to notify the kingdom's army and the divine churches so they can handle it."

"I have no objections. I agree!" Elina nodded.

"I agree too!!!" Yier raised her hand high to show her consent.

"I have no objections." Naturally, Ries wouldn't mind. Such an important quest meant another large sum of experience points coming in, which would allow him to advance to a Silver Mage even faster.

Moreover, if a new secret realm was truly forming there, things would get interesting!

In the game *God's Revelation* from his past life, various special secret realms would occasionally appear across the Fanor Continent. Some were passed down from ancient times, while others were formed due to various special reasons. Some were special isolated spaces, while others existed directly as perilous zones scattered across the continent. People collectively referred to all of these as secret realms.

The rules and environments within secret realms varied greatly. You might encounter a dual heaven of ice and fire where snow drifted from the sky while scorching magma bubbled beneath your feet, or you might find shattered, floating islands and mountains.

Secret realms could contain common creatures like goblins, or you might run into terrifying existences such as primeval dragons or divine spawns.

After the players descended, if someone successfully cleared a specific secret realm, the system might record it and transform it into a Secret Realm Crystal, allowing players to repeatedly enter and challenge it.

However, clearing a secret realm was no easy feat. In his past life, the vast majority of Secret Realm Crystals were in the hands of major guilds, regarded as extremely precious resources for their own players to use repeatedly.

The few individual players who owned Secret Realm Crystals made a fortune simply by renting them out.

Therefore, Ries was quite curious: if the place they were heading to was truly a newly generated secret realm, would he obtain a Secret Realm Crystal if he cleared it?

Just thinking about it made him a little excited!

Lombas didn't even raise his head. He ignored all such team matters, only needing to stand in front of his teammates during adventures.

Seeing that everyone agreed to take on the quest, Jason nodded as well. Naturally, he agreed too.

After all, encountering rare undead-type creatures would be an extremely valuable experience for Yier's growth.

Helping Yier go through various battles to broaden her horizons and accumulate experience was the exact mission His Majesty the King had entrusted to him.

Although Yier possessed astonishing talent, she had always been receiving education deep within the royal palace until her breakthrough to the Gold rank. Without the baptism of actual combat, breaking through to the Legendary rank would be almost impossible.

*I am also a genius of the kingdom!*

Feeling as though he were rapidly turning into an overbearing mother, Jason felt a headache coming on, and promptly decided to stop thinking about such heartbreaking matters.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow we will gather directly at the Mercenary Guild, accept the quest, and set off straight for Kora Village. Everyone, make sure to do your preparations today."

Jason arranged the final details. He also planned to make a trip home to tell his father the latest news he had obtained from Ries and arrange for people to investigate in secret.

The others had no objections. Once a commission arrived, they naturally had to tense up and would no longer be able to remain so leisurely.

After lunch, Ries decided not to continue reading and returned straight to his mansion.

After all, this mission might take a relatively long time, and he had some things to arrange.

Upon returning home, Ries had Joyce summoned, and said to the eternally elegant old butler:

"I'll need to leave for a while on some business. You look after the arrangements inside the mansion. Have Velf and the others step up the monitoring of the grounds. If any special situations arise, record them all and we'll talk when I get back."

Joyce frowned: "Master Ries, if you are going on a long journey, it would be best to take Captain Velf with you to ensure your safety."

"It's not very convenient, and I'll be going with others, so you don't need to worry about safety."

Ries waved his hand and explained to the old butler.

*Could it be with those mercenary companions? That young girl indeed has some strength.*

Joyce pondered inwardly, but maintained a calm expression as he asked:

"Then where are you going, young master? Do you need anything else prepared for you?"

"Have the kitchen prepare a week's worth of rations for ten people in advance, along with some fruit and bread. I'll take those with me, but nothing else is needed."

Jason had already told him that they would prepare all other adventure supplies such as tents; he only needed to take care of the food.

Joyce nodded in acknowledgment and left to prepare the various items according to Ries's instructions.

Ries returned to his room, summoned the system interface, and poured all his current experience points into raising his personal level. After all, since he was going to explore an unknown secret realm, any increase in strength was welcome.

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[Your personal level has increased: 39 → 40!]
[You gain Strength +2, Agility +1, Intelligence +2, Charisma +1, Mystery +1, Endurance +1]
.......
[Your personal level has increased: 42 → 43!]
[You gain Strength +2, Agility +1, Intelligence +2, Charisma +1, Mystery +1, Endurance +1]
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Feeling the new surge of power pouring into his body—almost akin to receiving a full-body rejuvenating spa treatment—Ries felt so refreshed he almost cried out.

After calming down for a few seconds, Ries brought up his character sheet to check his updated attribute data.

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Ries's Character Sheet
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Both his Intelligence and Strength attributes had increased by 8 points, bringing his Intelligence to 114 and Strength to 91.

By the way, he allocated the 20 free attribute points rewarded by the Gold-rank milestone [The Second Step of the Strong] into Intelligence, pushing his Intelligence to 154.

*Hoo~*

Suppressing the slight light-headedness that came with feeling a surge of high-level intellect, Ries nodded, quite satisfied with his recent progress.

*As expected, I really ought to thank my classmate Camus!*