“At that time, the autumn was deep and the dew was cold. The night was as dark as ink. We were in the village celebrating our annual festival when…”
“Suddenly, a sharp howl echoed from the woods outside the village. Accompanied by gusts of eerie wind, a massive, two-horned monster appeared under the pitch-black sky. In the flickering firelight, its blue-purple face was vaguely visible as it slowly walked toward the village.”
“Once the creature drew closer, its true form was fully revealed by the fire.”
“Its two eyes were as large as brass bells, bulging as if they might pop out. Its wide mouth looked like it was smiling, but the curve was unnaturally distorted, splitting all the way back to its ears. Its fangs protruded outward, and a blood-red tongue hung from its mouth, dangling all the way to its chest!”
“It looked exactly like the ‘Large Hannya’ described in the stories passed down by the village elders…”
‘Can I skip this…’
Luo Taozhi felt like her head was about to explode. Ever since she escorted Yoshimura Umeko into the village to finish [Hannya in the Village (2)], she had received [Hannya in the Village (3)]. The requirement was to listen to Yoshimura Umeko tell the story of the Hannya.
She hadn’t expected the story of the Hannya to be so long. Yoshimura Umeko was recounting every single detail, starting from even before the Hannya entered the village.
Luo Taozhi couldn’t skip the dialogue, so she had no choice but to wait patiently for Yoshimura Umeko to finish.
She had casually asked if she could skip, but Yoshimura Umeko acted like a typical NPC, continuing the story as if she hadn’t heard. Luo Taozhi even felt that Yoshimura Umeko’s intelligence was lower than that of the Wild Wolf King she had encountered before.
“That Large Hannya was incredibly strong and possessed immense physical power. Its body was covered in black fur, making it invulnerable to blades, spears, water, or fire.”
“Although I am the strongest Jujutsu Master in this forest, I didn’t even have the strength to fight back against the Large Hannya.”
“In the end, I could only rely on my Shikigami’s slight speed advantage to lure the Large Hannya away from the village. Although I barely managed to repel it, I was severely injured and fell unconscious.”
“It’s all thanks to you! Kind stranger, otherwise I might have died out there. If that had happened, my village would have been in terrible trouble.”
**[Congratulations! You have listened to the ‘Story of Hannya’!]**
**[Congratulations! You have completed the quest ‘Hannya in the Village (3)’]**
**[Reward: 500 XP]**
**[New Quest: Hannya in the Village (4)]**
**[Quest Requirements: Assist Yoshimura Umeko in repelling the partially recovered ‘Large Hannya’ tonight (Party size: 1-5 players) (Level Requirement: 6-10)]**
It was finally over.
Luo Taozhi let out a long sigh.
Looking at the newly appeared fourth quest, she understood why the system suggested being Level 8 or Level 9 to enter this forest. She had to repel a Large Hannya that even a full-strength, Level 15 Yoshimura Umeko could barely fight off.
By the time most players reached Level 8 or Level 9, the average player level would likely be Level 5 or Level 6. At that point, they would have a chance to repel it by relying on superior numbers.
It was another party quest… but it wasn’t a unique one.
‘Can I sell this quest for money?’
With that thought, Luo Taozhi opened the leaderboard to take a look.
[Status Window]
1st: Xiao Taozhi (Level 6)
2nd: Tiger Regiment Leader (Level 5)
3rd: Left Hand High Damage, Right Hand High Damage (Level 5)
4th: Li Dong (Level 5)
5th: Woshuobaile (Level 4)
6th: Feifeifei (Level 4)
7th: Shu Shu Shu Shu (Level 4)
‘It probably won’t work,’ she thought. There were too few players in Novice Village No. 001 who had reached Level 6.
Even Left Hand High Damage, Right Hand High Damage, who had killed the Wild Wolf King boss with her, was only Level 5.
That guy’s damage was indeed high—absurdly high, in fact. However, his mechanics were terrible. Faced with a higher-level boss, Luo Taozhi suspected his only role would be to run up, land one hit, and die.
Furthermore, she wasn’t familiar with these people at all. This place was different from the Novice Village Plain; dying here would actually result in a level drop.
Therefore, Luo Taozhi decided to try it herself first. The worst-case scenario was losing one level and respawning back at the Novice Village.
Compared to when she was in the Another World, the margin for error here was quite high. After all, in that place, the result of a reckless adventure was usually death, and only a few were qualified to survive.
“Are there any other records about the Large Hannya in the village?” Luo Taozhi asked tentatively, looking at Yoshimura Umeko, who sat quietly in place after finished speaking.
She was just testing the waters and didn’t expect much information. But she figured it was worth a shot.
As it turned out, Yoshimura Umeko’s response caught her by surprise.
“Benefactor, regarding the Large Hannya, I only know that it is very strong and its skin is extremely tough. My strongest Shikigami was only able to leave a single small cut on its body.”
“However… when it came to the village, its eyes were fixed directly on the village’s ritual site, as if it were afraid of something.”
“The village’s ritual site?”
Having unexpectedly gained information on how to counter the Large Hannya, Luo Taozhi turned and began walking toward the altar in the center of the village.
Behind her, Yoshimura Umeko spoke again.
“Benefactor, the old priestess at the altar seems to know something. However… however, the Priestess Granny is—she’s really old.”
“Got it, I understand,” Luo Taozhi replied without looking back, quickening her pace toward the altar.
Once Luo Taozhi was a distance away, Yoshimura Umeko’s eyes suddenly brightened. She stood up straight and reached out toward the direction Luo Taozhi had gone, as if trying to stop her. She looked like she wanted to shout something.
But then, the light in her eyes flickered. Her posture was forced back down by an unseen force, and she could only whisper a small murmur.
“Don’t… don’t hurt… don’t hurt Priestess Granny…”
***
“Hello, Granny. What is the ritual statue in your village?” Luo Taozhi asked with a smile, addressing the elderly woman sitting cross-legged in front of the altar.
“Hmm?” The Priestess Granny, who had been kneeling with her eyes closed toward the statue, seemed confused. She hadn’t heard this girl’s voice in the village before. She opened her eyes to see where the sound was coming from.
“Oh, what a beautiful girl!” the Priestess Granny blurted out the moment she saw Luo Taozhi’s face.
Seeing such a beautiful girl, a smile naturally appeared on the Priestess Granny’s face.
“Where did you come from, child? Our village hasn’t been safe lately. You should leave as soon as possible.”
As she spoke, the Priestess Granny’s smile gradually faded.
“I have a granddaughter as well. She is also very beautiful. Unfortunately, to save the village’s future last night, she lured the monster away by herself. I don’t know if she’s still alive…”
“Sigh, don’t mind me, girl. Old people tend to ramble. You should leave quickly before it gets dark.”
The old woman looked at Luo Taozhi, forcing a smile onto her face once more.