I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

The next two days were a bittersweet experience for Li Wu and Hua Zitong.

The good thing is that the vampire bats in the Blood Bat Cave seem to be endless.

The two of them blocked the cave entrance, and Li Wu's [Explosive Burning Arrow] almost never stopped.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The dark red flames became the only source of light in this gloomy cave.

Swarms of vampire bats turned to ashes in the flames, only to respawn deep within the cave, charging forward wave after wave.

Their experience points were increasing at an alarming rate.

The painful part is that this tedious and boring monster-hunting is a huge test for both the mind and body.

Especially Li Wu.

He took on more than 90% of the output tasks.

Draw the bow, gather the [Explosive Burning Arrow], and fire.

He repeats this action hundreds or thousands of times every day.

Later on, he didn't even need to look; he could accurately shoot arrows into the densest areas of bats just by feeling.

Hua Zitong's task was relatively easy.

All she needed to do was stay by Li Wu's side and deal with the "bats" that managed to escape the fire.

Most of the time, she was... spacing out.

She watched the figure ahead, constantly drawing his bow and shooting arrows, her heart filled with complex emotions.

Is this guy a monster?

For two consecutive days, I fought for more than 16 hours each day. Apart from restoring my energy, I spent almost all my time repeating the same action.

Doesn't he get tired? Doesn't he find it boring?

Hua Zitong tried it; she felt her arms ache and she was mentally exhausted after swinging her sword at a wooden stake for an hour straight.

But Li Wu was like a tireless machine, precise, efficient, and frighteningly calm.

She even had a kind of illusion.

It was as if he was born to fight.

"Li Wu, take a rest."

Hua Zitong couldn't help but speak up.

"It's alright." Li Wu shook his head and fired another [Explosive Burning Arrow].

"By the way, now that our red names are gone and our levels have gone up, shouldn't we start thinking about how to deal with our 'inventory'?" Li Wu rubbed his hands together, looking greedy.

His backpack was stuffed with equipment he had looted from members of the Dragon's Journey Guild, as well as various materials he had farmed in the Blood Bat Cave over the past two days.

All of these things combined would definitely amount to a huge sum of money.

"No rush." ​​Hua Zitong shook her head. "After we get back to the village, I need to hand in the village chief's task first."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot about that." Li Wu slapped his forehead. "Let's go see the village chief first!"

[The Only Hidden Quest: The Village Chief's Sorrow!]

The unknown reward marked with "???" filled him with even more curiosity.

The two quickened their pace.

Soon, the familiar outline of Beginner Village No. 101 appeared on the horizon.

Back in the village, everything felt so familiar and welcoming.

The bustling streets, players everywhere, the clanging of metal from the blacksmith's shop, the aroma of ale wafting from the tavern...

These scenes, which seemed ordinary just three days ago, now appeared to the two of them as beautiful as paradise.

They didn't linger on the street and went straight to the village chief's dilapidated thatched hut.

There are still quite a few new players accepting quests at the village chief's place.

Many people cast curious glances at Li Wu and Hua Zitong as they approached.

After all, the two of them are now "celebrities" in No. 101 Newbie Village.

The legend of how they, with their own strength, wiped out fifty elites of Dragon Travel World on Sunset Plains had already spread like wildfire throughout the village, causing a huge sensation.

"Look! It's the masters 'Seeing Flowers Through the Fog' and 'Searching for Fog Among Flowers'!"

"My God, I finally met you in person!"

"Master, please carry me! I need a powerful companion!"

Some of the bolder players even surrounded them.

Li Wu was not used to being watched by people, so he frowned, bypassed the crowd, and walked straight to the village chief.

Hua Zitong smiled confidently at everyone and said, "Sorry, we still have a mission," before following them.

The old village chief, with his gray hair and wrinkled face, was still sitting on the wooden stool at the door, dozing off with cloudy eyes.

"Village Chief," Li Wu called out.

The old village chief slowly turned his head, and when he saw Li Wu, a glint of light flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"Adventurer, you're back." His voice was a little hoarse.

"Have you... found my daughter Lina?" he asked in a tone filled with anticipation, yet tinged with fear.

Li Wu remained silent for a moment, then took out the pendant he had found in the [Dice Cave of Fate] from his backpack.

[Silver Moonlight Pendant].

"Village chief, I'm sorry, we couldn't find Lina."

"This was found only deep within the Whispering Cave."

When the village chief saw the pendant, his body trembled violently.

He reached out his withered, slightly trembling hand, took the pendant, and clutched it tightly in his palm.

Two lines of tears welled up instantly in his cloudy eyes.

"It's it...it's Lina's pendant..."

"This is the only keepsake her mother left her, and she always treasured it, never letting it out of her sight..."

The village chief choked up, unable to speak through his tears.

Li Wu and Hua Zitong stood to the side, neither of them saying a word.

They knew that any words of comfort would be superfluous at this moment.

I don't know how much time has passed.

The village chief's crying gradually subsided.

He wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, raised his head again, and looked at Li Wu.

His eyes were filled with sadness, but even more so with gratitude.

"Thank you, brave adventurer."

"Although you couldn't bring back my Lina, you brought back her belongings, which let me know where she is."

"That's enough for me."

"At least, I no longer have to live in endless guessing and waiting every day."

As he spoke, he slowly stood up and returned to the thatched hut.

A short while later, the village chief came out again, took out a heavy bag of money and something wrapped in black cloth, and handed it to Li Wu.

"This is all the compensation I can give you."

"Please, you must accept this."