In the Mage's advancement hierarchy, each rank has a clear designation: those below Level 10 are Magic Apprentices;
Those who complete their First Advancement at Level 10 become Formal Mages; the Second Advancement at Level 50 grants the title of Grand Mage; the Third Advancement at Level 100 elevates one to Archmage.
The Fourth Advancement at Level 150 elevates one to Grand Archmage, and the Fifth Advancement at Level 200 is the Legendary Archmage.
Dafiona had long seen through Kalis's background. She didn't look surprised at his words, just nodded slowly: "I can help you complete the advancement, but there's one condition."
"Go ahead," Kalis replied solemnly, knowing full well the quest wouldn't be easy.
"You may not know this, but I have a deep-seated grudge against the Lunar Temple," Dafiona's voice carried a tinge of weariness. "The Lunar Archbishop is sending hordes of men to hunt me down in secret, determined to get rid of me for good."
Confusion flickered across Kalis's face. The old woman was clearly the Lunar Bard, worshipping the same Moon God as the Lunar Temple; they should have been allies. Why had things escalated to a fight to the death?
"Recently, the Lunar Temple has trained three new heirs, each inheriting the legacies of the Lunar Magister, Dark Moon Archer, and Shadowless Assassin," the old woman continued, her tone growing heavier. "They'll be coming to assassinate me soon. I need you to help me repel these three. Once the deed is done, I will officiate your Second Advancement ritual."
"Ding—— Would you like to accept the quest [Repel the Lunar Temple Heirs]?"
A system notification echoed in his mind, and a lightbulb went off in Kalis's head. He instantly realized the key, so Lia, the one who inherited the Lunar Magister legacy, was also heading to Boulder Town, and her target was the old woman right in front of him! Her quest was to assassinate Dafiona, not seek her help.
"No problem, I've got this covered!" Kalis patted his chest confidently, then frowned, sensing something off. "Wait a minute… You're a Level 150 Mythic Boss with unfathomable power. Why would you be afraid of a few youngsters?"
Dafiona shook her head with a bitter smile: "I'm old, far past my prime. This power I hold is just a desperate charade. Don't be fooled by my full HP bar. I can barely walk normally, let alone summon enough strength to cast high-tier magic."
"Alright then…" Kalis muttered to himself. No strength to cast spells, but still able to officiate an advancement ritual. Truly, NPC backstories could be stretched to fit any plot hole.
The quest was accepted, with clear objectives: repel the three Lunar Temple heirs, and the reward would be the qualification for his Second Advancement to Grand Mage. To complete his promotion, Kalis had no choice but to wait patiently here.
As the two talked, Algernon finished a light meal. Instead of taking all the thousand gold coins on the table, he only picked up ten, then pushed the rest back to where they'd been.
Dafiona noticed this and asked why.
"I don't claim to be like this brave adventurer, who doesn't regard gold as dirt," Algernon replied earnestly. "A man doesn't need much wealth. Ten gold coins will be more than enough to fund my travels, keep my belly full, and my back covered. That's all I need."
Both Kalis and Dafiona shot him a newfound look of respect.
"Adventurer, Grandmother, allow me to sing one more ballad for you two," Algernon said, downing a large gulp of ale before plucking the harp strings again.
"Once there was a valiant knight, by the name of Kalis…"
The soft twang of the harp filled the tavern, accompanied by an impromptu folk ballad that praised Kalis's unmatched strength, fearlessness, and generosity—how he valued honor over gold.
As the last note faded, the tavern's wooden door was suddenly knocked.
Dafiona's brows furrowed slightly, her voice turning grave: "She's here."
Hardly had the words left her mouth when Kalis saw a figure clad in moon-white robes push open the door—it was Lia.
"Good day, innkeeper. I'm looking for someone—wait, Kalis? It's you?" Lia had been going door to door asking about her target. She'd barely opened her mouth when she spotted Kalis, her tone instantly shifting to shock and wariness. This was the same guy who'd gotten the better of her twice already.
"You're here to kill her?" Kalis asked, nodding at the old woman beside him, cutting straight to the chase.
Lia glanced at Dafiona's status panel, confirming she was the target of her quest. Her face twisted in disbelief: "How did you know that?!"
Kalis shrugged, his tone casual: "My quest is to protect her. According to the quest details, I need to repel three people—heirs from the Lunar Temple, just like you."
"What?!" Lia's face clouded over instantly, anger flaring up inside her. "Are you deliberately messing with me? You ignored me when I tried to return your money, rejected my friend requests over and
over, and earlier on the road, you even set up an NPC to scam me! Now you're trying to sabotage my quest! That's going too far!"
"I didn't do any of that," Kalis said with a look of innocent confusion, then let out a chuckle of disbelief. "You were the one who called me a stupid rich guy first. Wait—did that NPC also try to scam you?"
"What do you mean also? That Denise was obviously your lackey! She even admitted it herself!" Lia seethed, clutching her spellbook tightly, on the verge of attacking him right then and there.
Kalis was completely bewildered: "What are you talking about? NPCs can frame people now? When did I ever order her to do anything? She tried to extort me, and I scared her off with Meteor Descend. I'm just a player, how could I possibly manipulate an NPC?"
Lia paused, her anger cooling as she thought it over. What he said did make sense. Still, the frustration lingered, her lips sticking out in a pout as she spoke in a wronged tone: "But she said you told her to mess with me… She swindled me out of a thousand gold coins—that's half my savings!"
Kalis finally understood. Lia had gotten the worst end of the deal. Even though she wielded an artifact and had decent stats, against a Level 73, Epic-tier, and crafty Denise, she'd been no match and had to fork over a thousand gold coins to settle the matter privately. It was a scam that not every player had the misfortune to encounter.
"She must've been so scared of me that she needed someone to frame and smear my name," Kalis sighed helplessly. "If I'd known she'd spread such lies, I should've taken her out with a Lightning Bolt right then and there."
"Hmph…" Lia mostly believed his explanation, but the lingering resentment remained, even if she wasn't as furious as before.
"Little girl, it was the Lunar Archbishop who sent you to kill me, wasn't it?" Dafiona spoke up, breaking the tense standoff.
Lia stared at Dafiona's status panel. Her 13.7 million HP bar made her abandon all thoughts of fighting instantly. A Mythic Boss of this caliber was far beyond her current level. She nodded truthfully: "The Lunar Archbishop said you betrayed the Moon God, stole the sacred Lunar Orb, and ordered me to kill you and retrieve the artifact."
Dafiona shook her head with a bitter smile: "I never betrayed the Supreme God. I was just tired of the corruption and infighting within the temple, and wanted to live a quiet life. As for taking the Lunar Orb with me—it was purely to stay alive."
"Huh?" Lia was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.
"To stay alive? What do you mean by that?" Kalis picked up on the key detail immediately, pressing for more information.
"My body is already at the end of its tether," Dafiona explained slowly. "Only the divine power contained within the Lunar Orb can barely sustain my life. Without the nourishment of the Divine Dew Spring, I will waste away and die in an instant the moment I lose the Orb's protection."
This was a lead!
Neither Kalis nor Lia was a new player. They picked up on the implication immediately, asking in unison: "What is the Divine Dew Spring? Where can we find it?"
Following the game's usual plot logic, if they could help Dafiona find the Divine Dew Spring and restore her health, she would most likely reward them with the Lunar Orb as a token of gratitude. Even though the artifact was useless to Kalis for now, he was thoroughly intrigued by this hidden quest line.
"The Divine Dew Spring is a treasure teeming with pure life-giving divine power," Dafiona said. "It can revive withered plants and grant new vitality to the dying of old age."
"I take it this is an extremely rare find?" Kalis mused aloud.
A relic that could bring the dead back to life and reverse aging, just the description alone made it clear it was priceless, and obtaining it would be incredibly difficult.
Dafiona nodded: "Indeed, it is. I've spent over twenty years searching for it, but I've never even caught a glimpse of it. Legend says there are only three remaining sources of the Divine Dew Spring in the world. But in my current state, I have no strength left to venture into those perilous lands."
"What are the three locations?" Kalis and Lia exchanged a glance, leaning forward eagerly; they could almost smell the hidden quest rewards.
Dafiona spoke slowly, each name carrying an aura of awe-inspiring dread: "The Divine Sanctuary, the Abyssal Realm, and the Tower of Eternity."