Vol. 1 Chapter 24 – The Ancient Life Ring

Ye Tian Xie reluctantly put the necklace back into his backpack, turned around, and left Wolf Valley, returning to the novice village.

By this time, it was nearly 8 p.m., but the novice village was still bustling with activity. Amid the lively noise, various vendors were shouting out their wares, and the surroundings of the village were filled with all sorts of stalls.

《Level 3 battle axe with +7 attack, 1 point higher than the standard whiteboard axe, only 2 silver coins.》

《A superb level 3 apprentice mage robe with +2 spirit, 1 gold coin, or trade for a level 3 steel warrior outfit…》

《Superb grass shoes with +3 movement speed, 8 silver coins, no bargaining!》

After an afternoon of killing vicious wolves and blood wolves, with his 10 points of luck, the number of items in his backpack had definitely exceeded 10, including four pieces of steel equipment with decent attributes, and none of the items were below level 5. At this early stage, a single piece of steel equipment was enough to make players fight over it, and if someone were to walk around fully dressed in steel armour, they would immediately become the centre of attention, attracting countless envious, jealous, and hateful stares.

Although Ye Tian Xie had a dozen or so pieces of gear that would make others green with envy, he had no intention of setting up a stall to sell them… To someone carrying more than 100 gold coins, those were just insignificant pocket change.

He walked straight through the crowd, heading directly to the novice village chief. Before Ye Tian Xie could even speak, the village chief, who clearly recognized him, brightened up and spoke first, “Brave adventurer, we meet again. Your eyes tell me that you’ve completed the task excellently.”

“Yes, village chief, these are the wolf fangs to prove that I completed the task.” Ye Tian Xie handed over the 100 wolf fangs required for the task to the village chief. The chief squinted his old eyes and nodded approvingly, “Good, you truly are an outstanding warrior. Here is your reward.”

【Ding! You have successfully completed the task and received the following rewards: 1,000 experience points, 5 silver coins, and a pair of level 5 steel boots.】

“Thank you, village chief.”

“No need to thank me, this is a reward for your bravery. Haha, such a polite young man.”

【Ding… The village chief of Novice Village No. 60001’s affection for you has increased by +1.】

Ye Tian Xie: “……”

Sigh, this damn charm stat…His 20 points of charm, exactly double the maximum value for ordinary players, was truly a game-breaking stat…Ye Tian Xie sighed proudly, then took out the shimmering purple necklace from his backpack and held it in front of the village chief, “Village chief, I found this on a blood wolf. Do you know where it came from?”

The village chief lowered his head slightly, and his half-open eyes suddenly widened. A look of astonishment froze on his elderly face, and he remained silent for a long time. Finally, he reached out a withered hand to press on the purple necklace, his entire body trembling slightly. His voice trembled so much that it was almost inaudible, “This… this is… this is the necklace my son wore before he died!”

The village chief’s reaction revealed everything to Ye Tian Xie, and the words 『the necklace my son wore before he died』 immediately explained the necklace’s origin. It must have been left on the ground when the village chief’s son ventured into Wolf Valley alone and died there, and then it was picked up by the mutated blood wolf, before eventually falling into Ye Tian Xie’s hands.

The village chief clutched the purple gem necklace tightly, almost trying to merge it into his hand, murmuring in a daze, “This was the last gift my wife left for my son. It was the most precious thing in his life. Seeing it again is like seeing my late wife and son. I thought I would never see it again in this lifetime… Thank you, thank you, young man. Thank you for helping me recover something that belonged to my son. It’s as if I can see his brave figure from those years again…”

The village chief placed the purple gem necklace on his chest, and his face was now covered in tears. He closed his eyes, deeply remembering the distant past and his long-lost wife and son.

Ye Tian Xie remained silent. He knew that the old man needed quiet at this moment, and he also knew…only after the village chief had finished his moment of silence would he receive the reward for what was clearly a hidden quest.

After a long while, the village chief finally opened his eyes. He wiped away the tears on his old face, his expression returned to calm, and he patted Ye Tian Xie’s shoulder, saying, “You are not only an outstanding warrior but also a kind-hearted one. I will remember your kindness… I have nothing to repay you with, so I will give you this ring that I used to wear. I hope it brings you some help on your journey of adventure. I look forward to the day when you become a true hero, punishing the demons that bring chaos to the world.”

An ancient and plain-looking ring appeared in the village chief’s hand, which he placed into Ye Tian Xie’s hand. A faint blue light shimmered from the ring… A ring, an extremely precious piece of accessory equipment, and the blue glow signified… it was actually a steel-tier ring!

Ancient Life Ring: Steel-tier item. Wear requirement: None. A ring that the village chief of Novice Village No. 60001 accidentally found in the wild in his younger days. Its origin is unknown. Attributes: +100 health, automatically restores 2 health points per second.

The powerful attributes, far beyond Ye Tian Xie’s expectations, left him briefly stunned. He immediately put the ring on in front of the village chief and said sincerely, “Thank you, village chief. This Life Ring will be of great help to me.”

“Hehe, I’m glad you think so” the village chief slowly nodded and said with a smile.

【Ding…You have successfully completed the unique hidden quest 『The Lost Amethyst Necklace』, gaining 800 experience points, the special item Ancient Life Ring, and 20 affection points from the village chief of Novice Village No. 60001.】

【Ding… The village chief of Novice Village No. 60001’s impression of you has increased to the 《Confidant》 level.】

In the world of Destiny, the affection level of NPCs towards players follows certain tiers, roughly as follows: Mortal Enemies (Affection -100 or lower), Gritting Teeth (Affection -60 or lower), Scornful (Affection -30 or lower), Indifferent (Affection -10 or lower), Neutral (Affection -10 to 10), Highly Admiring (Affection above 10), Confidant (Affection above 40), Deeply Grateful (Affection above 100), Completely Obedient (Affection above 170), Astonished (Affection above 250), Revered as a Deity (Affection above 500).

The higher the affection level, the more enthusiastic NPCs would be, and players would receive more help and guidance from NPCs. Additionally, there would be a greater chance of receiving more quests and triggering hidden tasks. Conversely, if the affection level drops into the negative, players will be met with cold attitudes from NPCs, often receiving misleading or malicious guidance, and may even be unable to accept even the most basic quests. If the affection level falls below -50 for any reason, there is a chance the player will be attacked by the NPC, with the probability increasing as the affection level decreases. Once it drops to -100, the NPC will attack the player 100% of the time upon sight.