Just a few minutes ago, Zhang Pingfan saw a statue in the town center.
But the statue was blurry, and it was impossible to discern who it depicted.
When Zhang Pingfan stepped forward to touch it, he immediately triggered a system quest.
[Ding! System Notification: Statue Quest Successfully Triggered. Player is issued the quest: Obtain the heart of the Level 30 Golden Boss, Stone Monster!]
At present, the only player capable of venturing into the Level 30 leveling area was Dou Youyou.
This was why Zhang Pingfan contacted her first.
Dou Youyou felt reassured knowing that her master would accompany her.
"With Master there, won't this quest be a piece of cake? That boss..."
Zhang Pingfan grinned mischievously. "The quest requires you to defeat the boss, so I'll let you have the boss's last bit of health. However, the dropped equipment belongs to me, and the corpse is yours as usual, though it's a shame you can't eat it!"
Dou Youyou said with a look of disgust.
"Master, you're still planning on eating rocks?"
Zhang Pingfan patted Dou Youyou's little head.
"What are you thinking? It's just a little regrettable. After all, a Level 30 Golden Boss must taste different, and it turns out to be a pile of rocks!"
The gluttonous Dou Youyou also looked regretful.
"That's true. The previous Silver and Golden Bosses tasted truly wonderful. It seems bosses of different levels have different flavors!"
"Exactly, that's why I feel a bit regretful. Shall we go fight the boss if you're free?"
Dou Youyou was certainly free. Dou Junwan knew Dou Youyou needed to clear her red name status, so she hadn't disturbed her.
"Let's go. I wonder if I'll be able to deal damage to a Level 30 boss!"
Zhang Pingfan glanced at the staff in Dou Youyou's hand.
The staff looked like no ordinary item and had consistently ranked first on the equipment leaderboard.
However, Zhang Pingfan had examined the staff and found no special attributes or grade.
But the reward for the first player to complete a hidden class transfer should be quite special.
"The staff in your hand is likely not simple. In theory, you should have no problem. If it's really necessary, you can borrow my cleaver!"
Thinking of Zhang Pingfan's cleaver, Dou Youyou shivered slightly. She remembered seeing a photo of herself wielding the cleaver posted online, and she still couldn't believe that fierce image was her.
"Master, perhaps not. I'm not suited for a cleaver, after all, I'm a girl!"
Zhang Pingfan delivered a sharp rap to her head.
"Is the quest more important, or is your image? Besides, who can see you in that place?"
Despite Dou Youyou's reluctance, Zhang Pingfan dragged her along.
Watching Zhang Pingfan and Dou Youyou leave the safety zone, the players within the safety zone all wore envious expressions.
"Look, the Village Chief is taking his disciple on another quest. I wonder what kind of quest it is this time!"
"Damn it. And look at the mentors we were assigned to; they only give us quests and never help. It's enough to make you die of comparison!"
"Exactly. The Village Chief is so humane. The other NPCs are really like wooden blocks!"
"Yes, thinking about it makes me even more envious and jealous!"
Along the way, Dou Youyou dealt with the surrounding monsters using her wide-area crowd-control magic.
She had plenty of mana, and she was still leveling up.
Therefore, Zhang Pingfan simply followed behind Dou Youyou, like an ordinary NPC being escorted by a player.
They traveled directly to the Level 25 leveling area. Upon reaching this area, Dou Youyou's attack damage began to feel somewhat strained.
The damage from area-of-effect spells was inherently lower than single-target spells.
Consequently, their progress slowed down considerably.
The primary reason was that no other players were leveling in this area, resulting in a high density of monsters, which slowed their movement.
After all, there were only 500 players in Newbie Village No. 88. Across such a large map, even if all 500 players were in the Level 20 leveling area, it would likely be deserted.
Unlike the three major cities, areas with a high spawn rate of wild monsters were typically controlled by large guilds, leaving scattered monsters for solo players.
The number of scattered monsters was also limited, which was why guild players generally had higher levels than casual players.
However, it was different in Pingfan Town now.
Players had countless wild monsters to level up against.
You wouldn't lack monsters; you'd only lack the will to hunt them.
Upon reaching the Level 25 wild monster area, Dou Youyou's attack damage did decrease slightly, but it didn't affect her overall offensive capability.
The primary factor impacting her damage was the level disparity, which caused her to miss attacks when fighting wild monsters.
Although she was clearly struggling a bit, it didn't hinder their progress.
There were indeed some impudent wild monsters that charged towards Zhang Pingfan.
However, it only took him an axe swing.
Zhang Pingfan's base attributes were terrifying. If he were to challenge the entire server, he could likely defeat all players single-handedly, as no player at the moment could break through his defense.
But Zhang Pingfan himself was unsure about his current situation; whether it was a game bug or if he was truly chosen by destiny.
If it were a game bug and he were reported, he would be finished. All his previous earnings would likely be confiscated.
Therefore, he intended to play it safe for a while. He wouldn't expose himself voluntarily unless it was discovered in the end.
So, he was currently trying his best to act as the NPC village chief and do what he wanted.
Finally, they arrived at the Level 30 leveling area, but it turned out to be a canyon.
"Master, the canyon is filled with a chilling wind. Could there be something unsavory here?"
Zhang Pingfan retorted impatiently, "The stones themselves have become sentient. What do you think?"
Startled, Dou Youyou quickly hid behind her master.
Zhang Pingfan directly pulled her out.
"What are you afraid of? You're the top-ranked expert on three leaderboards now!"
Dou Youyou pouted, "You know how inflated that ranking is!"
Zhang Pingfan felt helpless, wondering how he had ended up with such a useless disciple.
"A coward like you follows me. Isn't it usually the disciple who devotes themselves to the master? Why has it changed with me?"
Dou Youyou said smugly, "That's because my Master is incredibly powerful!"
This flattery was indeed quite good. Without another word, Zhang Pingfan led Dou Youyou towards the location of the Golden Boss, Stone Monster.
However, the small stone monsters they encountered on the way made Dou Youyou frown. Was their defense a bit too outrageous?