Commission

Three months later. Kingdom of Cinders, Northwind Keep, Magic Agency. "Lord Mage, you have to save my husband! He... he's been missing in the labyrinth for three days! I'm willing to give everything I have!" A plainly dressed woman knelt before Charlotte, clutching his trouser leg tightly, weeping and pleading through a flood of tears. A quest panel materialized before his eyes. [Explore the Labyrinth] [Quest Description: Cruz, an underground merchant, has mysteriously vanished within a cavern. It was originally a shortcut for his smuggling operations, but an accidental trigger of a mechanism turned it into a terrifying labyrinth. Unknown monsters seem to be howling within its depths...] [Rewards: 5 gold coins, unknown EXP] Charlotte scratched his head helplessly and said, "Alright, we'll take this quest." The quest offered a mere five gold coins. If he sent too many people, the reward wouldn't even cover their expenses. But for the sake of the experience points, Charlotte decided to accept it anyway. Three months had passed since the official launch. As a prominent guild of spellcasters, Magic Coin had naturally attracted a large influx of new players. The guild had expanded to an unprecedented scale, boasting as many as three hundred members. And what they lacked most was experience points. Most rookies were still lingering at level two or three, lagging far behind the veteran closed-beta players. Charlotte himself had already reached level six. Consequently, he never passed up any opportunity to help guild newcomers level up, treating it as practical training. "My lord, thank you! Thank you..." Still kneeling on the floor, the woman sobbed until her voice grew hoarse. Charlotte quickly helped her up. As a player from modern society, he still wasn't quite accustomed to such overt social hierarchy. Yet to the woman, this gesture was equally incredible, for she was not a local of Northwind Keep. Spellcasters anywhere in the Northlands were aloof and exalted beings whom even nobles treated as guests of honor. For a commoner like her to secure a wizard's aid was harder than ascending to the heavens. Now, however, long-time residents of Northwind Keep had grown thoroughly accustomed to receiving help from these "peculiar" spellcasters. Sometimes people even brought requests to find lost cats and dogs to the Magic Agency. Magic was permeating deeper into their everyday lives, no longer as unapproachable as in the past. Charlotte opened his panel and broadcast a message in the forum's new feature, the Guild Group. Charlotte: Quest call! It's an EXP quest, barely any gold. Looking for one closed-beta player to carry three rookies. Charlotte: Lonely as Snow, you come along too. Lonely as Snow: ? Feitian Nüwu: Hehe, then I'll lead the team this time! ヾ(*´▽‘*)ﾉ The moment the message was sent, a closed-beta player answered the call—none other than the "renowned" Feitian Nüwu of the guild. Instantly, the group chat fell dead silent. Not a single rookie dared speak up, terrified of catching Feitian Nüwu's eye. Last time, this Wild Magic Sorcerer had led six inexperienced rookies into an exploration dungeon. What should have been a smooth and steady clear was turned into a harrowing disaster by Feitian Nüwu. The Stinking Cloud spell triggered by her Wild Magic Surge had nearly wiped out the entire party. A recording of the incident had even been uploaded to the forums under a thread titled "Wild Magic Sorcerer Highlight Reel," remaining a running joke among players to this day. Feitian Nüwu: Huh? Why is the chat so quiet all of a sudden? Σ(っ°Д°;)っ Lonely as Snow: Guild Master, can I back out of this one...? Charlotte: No. Charlotte: European Emperor, go with them too. And Jiuli, don't even think about running off. You two have the lowest EXP. European Emperor: ? Jiuli: ?? European Emperor: Guild Master, sending us on a quest with Sister Nüwu... are you sure you're not just feeding us to the slaughter? Charlotte: You two are level-two noobs. Staying around here is useless anyway, so you might as well take a gamble. Otherwise, I'll exile you both to the mines as slave labor. Lonely as Snow: What about me?! I'm already level four! Charlotte: I trust you more. You're the party's sturdy meat shield—er, backstop. Feitian Nüwu: Then let's get ready to roll! (◡‿◡✿) Lonely as Snow: ... And so, under Charlotte's mandatory assignment, a four-person party was reluctantly assembled. One paladin, two negligible rookie wizards, and a high-level Wild Magic Sorcerer—a truly wild lineup, to say the least. Lonely as Snow stood at the entrance, fully armed. Clad in heavy adamantine armor and wielding a massive silver shield, he looked like a walking armored vehicle. Passersby paid little mind to his getup, however; after all, Starfallen could never be judged by ordinary logic. The locals had seen them running around completely naked before. "Sigh." "I really feel like I've been conned..." Underneath his helmet, Lonely as Snow wanted to cry, but no tears would come. When he first joined the game, he had envisioned becoming an illustrious hero who braved epic battles against all manner of monsters. Instead, he had strayed irreversibly down the path of a meat shield. As an Oath of the Crown paladin painstakingly groomed by Magic Coin, he had not only taken Defense as his fighting style, but could also use Channel Divinity to compel enemies into a duel, creating an opening for his teammates to dish out damage. At level five, he would even unlock the god-tier spell Warding Bond, allowing him to share damage dealt to his allies. Combined with that indestructible suit of heavy adamantine armor, regardless of whether he personally found it fun to play, he had reached the absolute peak of team utility. No wonder Charlotte valued him so highly. "Hello! You're here pretty early!" "Don't worry, nothing will go wrong this time!" Feitian Nüwu's crisp voice chimed out. Skipping over with a bounce in her step, she patted Lonely as Snow on the shoulder, appearing to be in high spirits. Under his helm, Lonely as Snow flashed a wry, helpless smile. To him at this moment, this sweet-looking "senior" player, dressed like a magical girl, seemed no different from a demon—after all, she was someone capable of wiping out her own party with a casual flick of a spell. "H-Hello, everyone." Before long, two wizard players in coarse cloth robes hurried over. Both wore mournful expressions and stammered, at a loss for words. Both had racked up staggering debts from opening loot boxes, only to be taken into the guild out of Charlotte's "goodwill." Every day was a frantic scramble just to repay their debts, leaving them no time to grind monsters and level up. Fellow guild members jokingly dubbed them the "African Duo" for their terrible luck. Of course, just as the Four Heavenly Kings often had a secret fifth member, the African Duo had a hidden third: their guild master, Charlotte. However, members only whispered about this in private, lest they cause secondary trauma to their guild master's fragile heart. "Now that everyone's here, let's head out together! Destination: the Underground Labyrinth!" Feitian Nüwu announced, full of vigor. *This time, I'll definitely show the newbies how reliable of a senior I am!* She clenched her fist, quietly resolving within her heart. This was only her second time leading rookies on a quest; under no circumstances could anything go awry again. "Yes..." Three voices rang out in unison, sounding noticeably lackluster.