Chapter 138: The Battle to Seize Missions Has Begun Early (Bonus Chapter for 100 Monthly Votes)

Even though Liu Zong was entangled in iron chains from head to toe, Liu Gu had no intention of getting close to him.

Liu Gu merely waved his hand, and the Bearman Shaman stepped forward. He stopped about ten meters away from Liu Zong and began to remove the various totems from his back. Despite the appearance of only carrying five totems of varying sizes, the Bearman Shaman always managed to produce another one from some inconspicuous hidden spot whenever he started unloading them.

Once a totem was pulled out, the Bearman Shaman would mutter a few words—sometimes at length, sometimes briefly—before closing his eyes in meditation and finally planting the totem into the ground. His movements were casual and the placement of the totems seemed chaotic, yet every time one was planted, an iron chain would strike Liu Zong, snaking from his body to coil around the totem.

By the time the Bearman Shaman had planted twenty-eight totems of various sizes, he slowly retreated to Liu Gu’s side and gave a nod. Liu Gu looked at Liu Zong with satisfaction. Liu Zong was currently suspended about a meter and a half off the ground, hanging head-down, his limbs tightly bound by the iron chains, unable to move a muscle.

Liu Gu laughed triumphantly. "How about that? Do you still have the ability to attack? If you do, move and show me."

Liu Zong struggled to open his eyes, only to find that even lifting his eyelids was a difficult task. Seeing this, Liu Gu grew even more arrogant. He walked over to Liu Zong and tapped his cheek, saying, "It seems you really can't move anymore. Out of strength, are you? You don’t know what this is, do you? Let me tell you, this is a secret art passed down in my family; most people wouldn't even get the chance to witness it. Don't know what it’s for? Just feel it slowly. I have plenty of time to play with you."

With that, Liu Gu pulled an inkwell and a quill from his robe. He raised a hand, and the Elven Assassin sliced a wound onto Liu Zong’s face, catching the flowing blood in the inkwell. Simultaneously, Liu Gu produced a stack of white paper, each sheet marked with faint watermarks containing text.

Rolling the paper into a bundle, Liu Gu tapped Liu Zong’s face with it. "Do you know what this is? This is extraordinary stuff. It can temporarily extract all your abilities and record them onto this paper—your quests, your skills, everything. I don't want your skills; they’re useless to me. I only need to extract your quest. Then, I’ll use this—see this ink mixed with your blood?—to write a contract on this paper. Through this contract, your quest will be transferred to me."

Liu Gu paused, swept a glance over Liu Zong, and leaned in to look him in the eyes. "Look, this paper and ink are very expensive. I’ve invested so much into this quest; why can’t you just honestly hand it over to me?"

Liu Gu delivered a heavy kick that sent Liu Zong swinging several meters away, then reached out and pulled the chains back. "So now, not only am I taking your quest, but I’m going to make sure you can't enter the game. Let's make it a contract: no access to any game map for a year. I want to see what kind of progress you can make when you can't accept a single quest for a year."

As Liu Gu spoke, the Minotaur Champion appeared behind him. "Young Master, it is enough to seize his quest. The backlash of such a restrictive contract will be severe. If you bar him from all game maps for a year, the backlash could be at least tenfold. I’m worried..."

"What is there to worry about? This guy only has his own name; he hasn't truly reached Level 4. Once the Old Man completes this quest, he will be the newly ascended Level 4 of Yangcheng City, and the system backlash will be blocked directly, just like it was for those Level 0 and Level 1 brats before. Besides, as long as we make sure he can't enter any game maps once every year, what does it matter if he has a name? He’ll never be able to step into the ranks of Level 4."

The Minotaur Champion’s brow furrowed. "Young Master, we can only control him at most three times. After that, he will receive system protection. And if he grows, it will cause trouble for you later. People who have names at Level 0 are born to be powerhouses."

"A powerhouse? I don't believe it. What kind of powerhouse is he?" Liu Gu dismissed him. "Look at him, he can't even protect his own quest, let alone his skills."

As he spoke, Liu Gu pressed the white paper against Liu Zong’s forehead. With every sheet applied, the knowledge or skills Liu Zong had mastered would appear on the paper. Initially, Liu Gu would carefully read the descriptions, mocking Liu Zong for learning nothing but commoner skills. Eventually, he stopped looking entirely; unless it was a quest, he simply tossed the paper to the ground.

As each skill and ability was extracted, Liu Zong felt his soul becoming clearer, and the fragment deep within his soul grew more distinct. The moment the final skill—the fist technique Liu Zong had practiced since childhood—was pulled away, the soul fragment shattered completely.

The shattered pieces merged directly into Liu Zong’s soul. He caught a glimpse of another self within the depths of his soul—a complete spiritual entity. However, before he could clearly see the state of this spiritual entity, everything inside his soul reverted to its original state. The entity returned to the form of a soul fragment, leaving Liu Zong only with a sense of how much knowledge and experience he still lacked to reach that previous level.

While Liu Zong was having this realization, Liu Gu had finally achieved his goal: extracting the quest "Amber Light" from Liu Zong’s body.

Liu Gu flipped through the "Amber Light" quest list, laughing, "So that’s what this quest is. It seems only you could accept it; even if others received it, Akara wouldn't trust them. You really are lucky, getting your own game name and being able to accept this kind of quest to become a hero of the school. But now, this quest belongs to me. Let me see... yes, I’ll keep the one-year ban from all game maps. Otherwise, even after taking your quest, I couldn't finish it with peace of mind. Only when you can't enter the maps can I happily complete it. Don't worry, it’s only for a year. I won't touch your friends, though they shouldn't participate in this quest. I’ll cross out their names and write in my friends; I owe Le Congyang and the others a favor, might as well pay it off here. Oh, and I’ll add a clause forbidding you from accepting similar quests in the future."

"That way, even if you do enter a map, you won't be able to pick up this quest again. I’m so clever. It’s decided. All right, all right, it’s almost over. Rest assured, the contract I’m writing guarantees you won't have a chance to turn the tables."

Dipping the quill in Liu Zong’s blood-ink, Liu Gu began writing the contract on the "Amber Light" quest sheet. "See? Your quest is about to be mine. Once I finish writing this and apply my father’s seal, the contract is complete. As for your quest, I will be the one to finish it from now on."

He waved the written contract in front of Liu Zong, then produced a seal engraved with a string of numbers, preparing to press it down. But at the very last second, Liu Gu pulled back.

He laughed at Liu Zong, "How about that? Scared, aren't you? It’s not the right time yet. My father hasn't reached Level 4, and your protection level in the system is Level 4. Usually, when I snatch quests from Level 0 or 1 players, their protection level is lower than my father’s. As long as I pay enough, the system won't touch me. But you’re different. Your protection is Level 4—sounds scary, doesn't it? My father is only Level 3. No matter what I offer, the system will protect you, not my father."

"If I press this now, the quest won't just fail to fall into my hands; it will trigger a backlash. Only when my father reaches Level 4 and his protection level rises will there be no issue in taking your quest. By then, you’ll just be a small player with Level 4 rights, while my father will be the newly ascended Level 4 of Yangcheng City. Even the system permissions will favor him. Why would I be stupid enough to press it now? Look, there’s still time. Why don't we chat? After all, since this quest is mine now, why don't you become my subordinate..."

Liu Gu continued with the classic monologue of a villain before their final strike, stalling for time and occasionally brandishing the contract and seal in front of Liu Zong, pretending to press it just to taunt him.

Liu Zong could sense that Liu Gu was waiting. Liu Gu knew his father wasn't Level 4 yet, and that pressing the seal now would bring backlash upon his father. Waiting was all Liu Gu could do.

And this was Liu Zong’s final chance. Just as the Minotaur Champion arrived to relay the news that Liu Hanfeng had reached the final boss of the quest, Liu Zong felt Liu Gu’s focus waver, the grip on the seal and contract momentarily loosening.

At that exact moment, Liu Zong thrust his waist forward and slammed his head into Liu Gu. The seal and the contract flew out of his hands. A chain, originating from nowhere, surged from the ground and forced the seal heavily onto the contract. The quest seizure had begun ahead of schedule.