Chapter 256 - Did He Come Here for a Stroll?

Moss entered the mission area and thought it was no different from the rest. It was similar to Buried City’s overall style. Buried City always made one feel oppressed the moment one entered a mission area.

However, he had long adapted to Buried City’s style since he had lived there for a month and a half. As soon as they entered the mission area, more than half of the twenty teams rushed forward.

Moss looked at the eager teams and then at Landis. He could not help but laugh bitterly in his heart.

‘A level ten mission won’t be so easily solved, so it’s better to let those guys test the waters for me.’ With that thought in mind, Moss slowed his pace and walked behind Landis.

Landis noticed this and said slowly, “That’s how you do it, young man. Don’t worry. This mission won’t be so easily completed.”

He was delighted at that moment as he thought, ‘You can do this, young man. You have a general’s demeanor about you.’

He was satisfied with Moss’s reaction to the mission and the eager teams rushing forward. It was rare for a young man to care for an old beggar, even though the mission had begun.

Landis deliberately slowed his pace because he wanted to see how Moss would react. More importantly, he wanted the others to rush ahead to test the waters.

Then he would see if there were any changes to the mission compared to two years ago based on the others’ feedback. Afterward, he would take the next step according to the situation.

He took the initiative to follow Moss to observe and protect him further.

Moss was still young yet dared to accept such a dangerous mission. Although Landis admired his courage, he was also concerned about his safety. Still, Landis did not understand why Moss was so eager to become a diamond member.

Meanwhile, Moss nodded, looked at the older man, and said smilingly, “Have you heard anything about this mission, old man?”

Landis stroked his beard and replied, “Hahaha, of course, I know about it. It’s such an infamous mission, after all,” he looked at Moss’s expectant eyes and continued, “There are six stages to the King of the Land mission.

“Each stage has a final segment similar to that of a Mystic Realm boss raid. It will involve taking on a ferocious beast, puzzle, or something else. However, every beast in the final stage is an S-rank Magical Beast.”

Landis’s expression became severe when he spoke of the S-rank beasts, “The S-rank Magical Beasts are not as simple-looking compared to A-rank beasts. Whenever a beast reaches S-rank, it will awaken a special skill.

“Each beast can awaken different special skills, but they all have one thing in common: their lethality toward professionals. If you don’t possess efficient defenses and cannot withstand a blow from the special skill, you won’t be able to get close to the beast, let alone complete this mission.”

Moss listened attentively to the older man’s words, nodding repeatedly. At this moment, he had a rough understanding of the King of the Land mission.

Moreover, he learned from the older man that he first had to enter the last stage’s core area and kill the S-rank beast by himself to become a diamond member.

However, to be the first to enter the core area, one had to be in the top 50% of the previous five mission stages. Otherwise, one would not be able to enter.

…

Moss and Landis strolled behind the more eager teams. Meanwhile, the remaining teams followed behind them, closely observing their movements, ready to pick up any scraps.

Some members were in sync with Moss. Whatever he did, the others would do. However, most tried their best to snatch the early-stage missions as soon as they entered.

These people had obvious goals and were the smartest because the earlier stages were relatively straightforward. The smarter ones could work together to snatch as much experience and resources as possible.

If they could not complete the later mission stages, they would return to follow the leading team and act according to the situation. Stuart’s team was one of the more outstanding representatives among them. Moss and the others could be more relaxed because of them.

The team at the front killed most of the first stage’s beasts. Occasionally, some beasts would escape, but Moss quickly killed them.

…

The members who had gone to watch the show relayed the footage of the teams’ performance to the tavern. Although it was not a live broadcast, the members could only send fragments of footage.

Still, the spectators had a general understanding of the teams’ performances, which quickly caused a heated discussion among the spectators.

Naturally, the spectators discussed the team of Name Stolen and the older man from Novice Village the most.

“Is Name Stolen there for the mission or not?!”

“Yeah, it looks like the beggar and Name Stolen are just there for a stroll.”

“Sigh, can’t the two of them behave more professionally?!”

…

Meanwhile, the man in black in the tavern sipped his wine and said excitedly, “Look, this is real! It confirms what I said earlier. He realizes this mission’s difficulty and wants a scapegoat to blame it on.

“He can’t complete such a mission, but since he had accepted it, he thought of giving it a try! Previous missions weren’t this difficult, so he thought King of the Land would be no different.

“This mission dramatically differs from the rest. Previously, Name Stolen actively rushed forward while the others could only pick up the slack! Now that he realizes he can’t complete the first stage, he becomes the one standing behind to pick up the slack.”

“Yeah, why do I feel like they’re just there to stroll around?”

…

However, Moss and Landis made their move an hour later.

“Look! Name Stolen and the beggar have mobilized!” Someone in the tavern shouted, and everyone else immediately became alert. Some of the slightly tipsy members became sober after hearing the person’s exclamation.

…

Landis got to know Moss better after chatting with him for a while. He thought the young man had a sense of responsibility, was a modest person with ideals, and had a noble character.

Therefore, he gave Moss a suggestion when the time was right, “It’s time for us to be more active, young man.” He stretched and pulled Moss. “Let’s go and see what’s happening in the front and listen to the other’s feedback.

“We can learn more about the situation and determine if there are any changes to this mission, especially since no one has accepted it for over two years.”‘

Moss nodded and quickly followed the older man. At that moment, he had more respect for Landis.