Chapter 65: The Ape God Awakens!
The following morning.
Shen He sat up from bed and immediately summoned the system panel to check the daily tasks for today.
[Daily Task One: The Blessing of the Goddess of Fortune]
[As the sole player of Earth Online, it must be said, you are someone favored by the goddess of luck. The Tears of the Goddess of Fortune you find can unlock a single blessing from her.]
[Task Reward: The Blessing of the Goddess of Fortune]
[Task Time Limit: 72 hours]
(Note: This task can be upgraded to an advanced version, divided into daily, side, and main tasks. It all depends on how much the goddess loves you.)
[…]
Shen He: “…”
Well, this is hard to judge.
All he could do was wish himself success!
It sounded like this time the task was more of a benefit, and the reward was a temporary boost in luck.
He happened to have 1,300 points now; if he really found this thing, perhaps he could use it.
Then, if he combined it with the Ancestors’ Blessing, maybe he’d get something good.
His gaze shifted to the task details.
With a thought, he opened the detailed explanation.
(This is a treasure hunt task. The Tears of the Goddess of Fortune and various other oddities will appear in the form of treasure chests. The player may spend 10 points to purchase guidance, with a total of 30 chests scattered throughout Xiangxiang City.)
(It has been detected that the player possesses the “Ancestral Guidance” skill. This skill conflicts with the current task and cannot be used.)
(Next, please use guidance to search for the treasure chests and try to find the Tears of the Goddess of Fortune!)
(Have fun!)
Reading the explanation before him, Shen He couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened.
He was beginning to see it now—perhaps because this system handed out rewards in advance, too many things had been stripped out.
Wasn’t this just a premature system?
Placing such tasks in daily missions, relying on the player to level up, and finding ever new ways to make him spend points.
Wasn’t this a bit too greedy?
If this were a novel, readers would tear you apart!
Shen He took a deep breath.
Since “Ancestral Guidance” was disabled, he could only rely on points to reveal the locations of the treasure chests.
Thirty chests, ten points each.
That was three hundred points in total.
When he finally got his hands on the Tears of the Goddess of Fortune, he could go for a tenfold draw right away—maybe he’d make it all back in an instant.
And he could try to upgrade this daily task into a side quest.
Or even a main quest.
He didn’t know what use it would be, but it ought to be beneficial.
Otherwise, this damned system wouldn’t be so bold about fleecing his points.
With this thought, Shen He calmed a little and turned his attention to the second daily task.
[Daily Task Two: Awaken the Ape God!]
[It is said that recently, a new mutant beast has appeared in Xiangxiang City—a monkey that has attained spiritual intelligence, wielding a staff and proclaiming itself the “Chosen One.” But it is wrong. You are the true chosen one, the only one…]
[Defeat it, and you will become the new Ape God.]
[Task Reward: Awaken the Ape God!]
(Awaken the Ape God: When you shout these four words, a monkey spirit wielding a staff will bestow new power upon you, strengthening your body.)
(Have you heard of spirit rings? This can serve the same purpose.)
[…]
Shen He: “…”
He stared at the daily task hovering before him, momentarily at a loss for words.
Just when he thought the system was serious, it presented him with a ridiculous mission.
Was this thing for real?
Defeat the monkey, gain a spirit like a spirit ring, shout “Awaken the Ape God,” and that power would be bestowed upon him?
Would he end up covered in fur like a monkey?
Shen He stroked his chin, lost in thought.
But he didn’t dwell for long; after all, the first daily task had a time limit—seventy-two hours, just three days.
Which meant he had to find ten treasure chests a day on average.
And the contents of the chests were uncertain; for all he knew, they could contain mutant beasts, dungeon monsters, or who knows what else.
He had to hurry.
Shen He glanced at the five free attribute points on his panel.
These were the rewards for completing yesterday's second daily task, “Establish Authority.”
He considered carefully, allocating two points to strength and spreading the remaining three—one each—to the other attributes.
At once, a warm current surged through his body.
He stretched and adapted to the newfound vigor in his room, then went into the bathroom to wash up.
After washing and changing clothes, he went downstairs for breakfast.
As he ate, he pondered the order in which to tackle the day’s tasks; since “Ancestral Guidance” couldn’t be used on Task One, maybe it would work on Task Two.
However, the second daily task had no time limit; as long as it wasn’t completed, it would remain on the list.
So, he decided to try searching for the treasure chests for Task One first.
With a thought, Shen He spent ten points to seek a nearby chest.
Soon enough, a unique light appeared on his area radar—surely one of the chests for Task One.
Shen He paid his bill and drove toward the marked location.
Although this chest wasn’t far, the rest could be anywhere, so driving was necessary.
After a few hundred meters, Shen He parked in a nearby spot.
He checked his area radar; the chest was in a nearby alley.
The alley was narrow—the car wouldn’t fit.
He’d have to go on foot.
Shen He got out and walked directly toward the chest.
Within minutes, he arrived at the end of the alley.
In the corner was a tattered little box, as if discarded by someone, with vegetable soup spilled from above.
Other games made a point of treasure chests glowing, or at least being clean.
Why did his system have to be so shabby?
Was this premature system really so useless?
With a look of disgust, Shen He crouched down, held his breath, and prepared to open the chest.
As soon as he lifted the lid, a dark shadow leapt out.
On instinct, Shen He drew the dagger at his waist and slashed.
In a flash, the shadow was cleaved in two in midair.
It landed—a headless “Jerry.”
Shen He was about to curse, but suddenly a line of small text floated before his eyes:
[Free Attribute Point +1]
[…]
He paused, then said with some embarrassment, “I wronged you, System Bro.”
With a sigh, Shen He suppressed his guilt and immediately allocated the point to “Agility.”
Balance is best, after all.
What kind of cheater only ever pumps up a single stat?