Rebirth of the God Hunter Legend

Chapter 223 God-level NPC

This is the lower level of the main city, the area where ordinary people live. In the dark alleys, groups of two or three men, women, and children wrapped in cloth are squatting. Some have blank expressions and unfocused eyes; some have gloomy faces and resentful eyes; some hold their faces in their hands and sob softly. At a glance, there is nothing but oppression and heaviness.

The city of Shuishen County is a bustling metropolis, a place of dazzling lights and opulent splendor; but no matter how wealthy it appears, tragedy still exists in the dark corners where the light cannot reach. This is an inescapable ailment, whether in reality or in fiction—class and wealth disparity.

Based on the anecdotes about the main city gleaned from the mission storyline in my previous life, the remaining elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people in the civilian district were mostly family members of soldiers on the front lines of the anti-demonic war. They held no official positions and were all cannon fodder. Those who survived could at least supplement their family income with their military pay, while the dead received at most a small pension as compensation. The dejected people before me were those elderly, weak, sick, and disabled who had lost their breadwinners; powerless and incapable, or capable but lacking status, they longed for a chance to improve their lives, but no one was willing to give them that opportunity.

"Someone's coming!!"

Suddenly, a shout erupted from the silence, and the once quiet alleyway seemed to come alive, surging with energy in an instant.

Countless ragged children rushed out from the narrow corner, filled with anticipation and timidity, and stumbled to his side.

"My lord! My lord! Please..."

A crowd gathered, and the old man at the head of the group, leaning on a wooden stick, handed him a broken bowl, as if seeking help. However, as he finished speaking, his old eyes, now tinged with the fading light of twilight, gradually moved upwards. When a huge snake's head came into view in his pupils, his expectant face was suddenly replaced by fear!

"Ah!!! A monster!! It's a monster!! Run!!! Run!!!"

The elderly covered their heads and dodged, while children and women scattered at the sound of cries. The alleyway, which had been filled with groups of beggars, was now as empty as a secluded path.

Ling Chuan was quite helpless about this. In fact, he felt quite sorry for these beggars. He happened to be rich now, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to learn from the Black Coffin and donate some money to buy good karma. Unfortunately, the enslaved beasts released by Wild Riding could not be controlled on their own, and it was only natural that they would frighten people.

"Never mind, if I want to do it, there will always be an opportunity."

After trying to console himself, Ling Chuan glanced at the Starfire City at the end of the alley and leaped onto Kama's head, preparing to continue his journey inward. However, as soon as he reached the riding position, his superior vantage point allowed him to catch a glimpse of half of Kama's figure.

That was a person leaning against the roundabout corner. If it weren't for the change in perspective and his talent for black eyes, he probably would have had a hard time noticing his presence. What's even more interesting is that, judging from his current posture, it's not hard to tell that when all the beggars rushed over, he seemed to hear nothing and remained unmoved.

You might think this is normal, but his intuition from long-term experience of navigating various adventures tells him that he is an anomaly, a special case that is very likely to be designed by the designer, and worth trying to explore!

I glanced at the time again; it was already 11:29. Shouyue and I definitely wouldn't make it in time. But delaying a few more minutes wouldn't hurt. At worst, he could speed things up during the secret realm walkthrough and make up for his mistake.

Having made his decision, he dismounted, maneuvering the snake king Kama to a stop. He took a few steps to the roundabout, and in the blink of an eye, his gaze met a pair of clear eyes. As their eyes locked, he saw the other's features clearly. It was a boy, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with red hair, red eyes, and a strange scar on half his face. His clothes were covered in dust, making him look extremely disheveled.

But when Ling Chuan met his gaze, he suddenly froze, a sense of familiarity surging in his mind. He hurriedly searched his memory, but had no recollection of ever meeting this person before. This was very strange. According to his habits, NPCs who could leave him with a sense of familiarity either possessed stunning good looks, great strength, hidden quest clues, or unique characteristics. Regarding the familiarity with the boy in front of him... he was certain it wasn't an illusion.

Facing Ling Chuan's gaze, the boy showed no fear or words, only looking at him for a few seconds before lowering his eyes.

Ling Chuan then noticed that in his arms lay a girl with the same red hair. She was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a pale face, weak breath, tightly closed eyes, furrowed brows, and slightly open mouth. Her panting and groaning conveyed a sense of pain.

Ling Chuan examined her closely and discovered strands of black silk residing below her neck. The silk was spreading upwards, and although the process was slow, it showed no signs of stopping.

"This is... a high concentration of magic element erosion."

Ling Chuan's expression changed drastically as he recognized the source of the symptoms. There was no mistake; it was a negative aura that only high-level demons of level 100 and above possessed.

Whether it's future dungeons or main story campaigns, whenever the demon faction has a high-level demon, they will inevitably be accompanied by this negative aura.

Once players enter the aura area, they will be corroded by a high concentration of magic essence, losing a certain amount of health every second and suffering a weakening of all attributes. The corrosion manifests as black wisps appearing all over the body, looking ferocious and dark.

So here's the question: how could two NPCs who clearly lack combat power be affected by the demonic debuff that only applies to level 100 and above? Did they come into contact with it, or is there something else going on?

The young man's hand, which was gently stroking the girl's hair, paused for a moment. He suddenly looked up and stared at Ling Chuan. "You know about this illness?"

The sudden question and the tone that was so different from his age stunned Ling Chuan on the spot.

Especially those originally clear, yet instantly profound and deep red eyes, which made him lose his composure.

"tell me!!"

Suddenly, the boy's voice rose several times, echoing throughout the alley. He gripped Ling Chuan's wrist tightly, his face filled with anxiety!

The strength... is so weak.

Staring at that slender hand, Ling Chuan could barely feel any feedback from being gripped. He was even certain that he could easily flip the boy over with a slight wave of his arm. Of course, he wouldn't do that.

"elder brother……"

Just as Ling Chuan was about to tell the boy the information and have a deeper conversation, a weak, trembling call came from the boy's arms.

The boy trembled, quickly releasing Ling Chuan and instead gripping the girl's hand tightly, softly asking, "Pera, you're awake? I'm here. Are you hungry? Thirsty? In pain?"

The boy spoke with extreme gentleness in every question, as if he were worried that raising his voice even slightly would destroy the girl's life.

The girl gave a soft, forced, and strained laugh, but under these circumstances, she slowly opened her eyes, looked apologetically at Ling Chuan, and said, "I'm sorry... my brother was a bit reckless... please don't blame him, sir."

"Do not……"

Just as Ling Chuan was about to extend a friendly gesture, his gaze was instantly drawn to the girl's eyes! Heterochromia—besides the same red pupils as the boy, she also had a strikingly different golden vertical pupil!

Those eyes… Pella… Is it her?!

He remembered! He finally remembered! Those two god-level NPCs who topped the NPC recruitment list, were acting strangely, and had unusual information: the half-demon, Pella, and Per!

……

(End of this chapter)