The group heading to claim the quest rewards consisted of Chang Long, Siegfried, Draco, Oliang, Lidded Wet Trash Can, Peach Blossom, and Kimhant. As soon as they mentioned their names, the castle guards promptly and respectfully led them inside.

"Chang Long!"

A voice called from the throne in the grand hall before she could even see who it was, sounding delighted.

"Your Majesty..."

"No need for formalities, I know them well. You may leave!"

Prince Duck interrupted, and the guard bowed and exited the hall.

"Long time no see, Prince,"

Chang Long greeted with a smile, while her friends bowed respectfully.

"Hahaha, it's been a long time indeed. You don't know that I'm not a prince anymore; I am the current king of this city,"

King Duck replied jovially.

"Oh! Congratulations, Your Majesty,"

Chang Long congratulated with a straight face.

"...Who congratulates someone with such a deadpan expression! I can't believe it, no matter how much time passes, you still manage to irritate me,"

King Duck shook his head in exasperation but smiled nonetheless.

"We're here to claim our quest rewards, Your Majesty!"

Chang Long said, a slight smile tugging at her lips as well.

"Oh, yes! I've prepared them right here,"

King Duck called for a giant wicker basket to be brought before Chang Long's group. Everyone gasped at what they saw inside.

"Ducklings...?"

Siegfried muttered.

"Lots of them..."

Peach Blossom added.

"Are we supposed to raise them or eat them!"

Oliang asked, causing the adorable peeping ducklings to squeak in fear and scurry around the basket, trying to escape.

"P... peep!"

Wet Trash Can stared at the ducklings, too stunned to say anything else other than mimicking the ducklings' sound confusedly.

"....."

Chang Long was equally speechless, while Kitsune the fox, perched on her shoulder, eyed the ducklings with great interest, licking its lips. The ducklings screamed and frantically tried to climb out of the basket.

"Stunned, aren't you...? Just kidding. Those are Anna's ducklings, take them back before she comes to scold me,"

King Duck chuckled at their reactions. The soldiers quickly removed the basket full of ducklings from the throne room, much to Kitsune's disappointment.

"No second chances..."

Chang Long stared at King Duck.

"Hey, show some respect to the king. Who threatens a king like you do, Chang Long!"

King Duck exclaimed. The others smiled, holding back their laughter.

King Duck sighed and ordered the real rewards to be brought out. Seven white scrolls were presented before them. Everyone's eyes widened in realization—they were secret skill scrolls, not restricted to any class. The second reward was a long gold necklaces with a golden duck pendant, adorned with diamonds in its eyes and wings.

"T... This is the real reward, right?"

Kimhant asked excitedly, barely able to believe it.

"Yes! Go ahead and take them,"

King Duck answered with a smile. Everyone took their items and put them in their bags, except for Kimhant, whose hands were still trembling as he looked at the two items in disbelief.

Everyone stared at Kimhant, noticing his reaction was a bit over the top. It was just a secret skill scroll and a gold necklace with a diamond-encrusted duck pendant, but he acted like he had just won a beauty pageant.

Snatch!

Finally, Kimhant grabbed the scroll amidst the group's anticipation (though no one knew why they were so eager). He turned to Chang Long with teary eyes and said,

"Master, I... I can't believe it."

"Can't believe what?"

Chang Long asked, confused.

"Since I started playing this game, this is the first valuable item I've obtained by myself. And it will actually be mine, not confiscated by the association like before,"

Kimhant sobbed a little, clearly overwhelmed. Peach Blossom, Oliang, Draco, and Wet Trash Can all tried to stifle their laughter, seeing how serious Kimhant was.

"Uh-huh, good for you. Put it away before you lose it,"

Chang Long said, gently patting his head.

"Wahhhh. Masterrr!"

Kimhant, deeply moved by Chang Long's kindness, burst into tears. He rushed toward Chang Long, intending to hug her in gratitude, but Siegfried quickly and subtly blocked him by pushing his head away, so Kimhant ended up hugging Kitsune, who was sitting on the floor watching him.

"Wahhhh. Bosss!"

Kimhant cried, holding Kitsune. Kitsune patted his head with a small paw as if to comfort him, then rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"This guy must be crazy..."

Peach Blossom muttered to herself.

"Hahahaha, he's really funny!"

King Duck laughed heartily at Kimhant's antics.

"We should go now, Your Majesty. We have other matters to attend to,"

Chang Long said, preparing to leave.

"Wait! Won't you stay for dinner?"

King Duck asked, looking a bit disappointed that Chang Long was leaving.

"Maybe next time, Your Majesty. We are currently on another mission,"

Chang Long replied. King Duck sighed with regret, but he smiled understandingly and said,

"I understand. Until next time, then."

"Until next time,"

Chang Long echoed with a smile. Then, everyone bowed to the king and left to join their friends who were diligently searching for the magical map reader.

Kimhant was still elated, smiling broadly as he walked. Players and NPCs passing by thought he looked crazy, but he did not care. He was happier than ever since starting the game.

"Enough, Kim. Don't you see the way people are looking at you!"

Peach Blossom rolled her eyes, exasperated by Kimhant's behavior.

"Who cares? I'm happy,"

Kimhant replied, unfazed. This was the first time a quest reward was truly his, without having to hand it over to the association.

"Let him be, Peach Blossom. He'll stop once he gets it out of his system,"

Wet Trash Can said, chuckling. Kimhant pouted at him but quickly went back to his happy state.

"Oliang, lead the way,"

Chang Long asked, feeling a bit lost about whether to turn left or right to reach the shop Valentine mentioned.

"Sure!"

Oliang responded, moving to the front to lead the way. Chang Long shook her head at her own goldfish-like memory and poor sense of direction. If she had not come with so many friends, it would not have been a problem; she would have just wandered randomly. Directions were never an issue for her.

"Ah!"

As her friends walked ahead, Chang Long saw a blind man walk through a wall. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, then decided to approach to check it out. Seeing a hole in the wall, she fixed her gaze on the man's back and followed him. She did not call the others, not wanting to lose sight of him. Only Kitsune, her constant companion, followed closely.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group gathered at a small local restaurant in Ark. Hero, Jane, Duncan, Valentine, and Aden were already there. Soon, Oliang arrived with the others. They greeted each other, not noticing that Chang Long was missing.

"Show us the quest rewards!"

Hero asked excitedly.

"Yeah, did you get anything good?"

Jane added, equally curious.

"Here, we each got 2 items,"

Wet Trash Can said, showing off the rewards.

"Wow, white scrolls. Those are secret skills!"

Valentine exclaimed, astonished. She did not the quest reward to be so good.

"What about the pendants? Do they have any special attributes?"

Aden asked.

"Oh yes! They reduce damage from avian beasts by 20%,"

Oliang replied.

"That's awesome. Even though there are only two items, their value is immense. Just one secret skill scroll can sell for millions, and the diamond-encrusted gold pendant is worth a fortune too,"

Hero said, eager to know what quest they had completed.

"I wonder what secret skills are in these scrolls. Why don't you guys learn them so we can find out!"

Jane suggested, wanting to see the secret skills each person received.

"Hopefully, it's not something like the 'Duckweed Pecking' skill!"

Peach Blossom joked with a half-smile, making everyone burst into laughter.

"Is there really such a skill? Hahaha, if there were, the ducks would starve because we'd eat all the duckweed!"

Oliang laughed, imagining everyone enjoying duckweed while the ducks looked on helplessly, not daring to get in their ways.

"Hahaha, true. By the way, where's Chang Long? Didn't she come with you?"

Duncan, being a newcomer, had been listening quietly, but then noticed that Chang Long was missing from the chatting group.

"That's right, where did Master Chang go?"

Peach Blossom looked around, sounding worried.

"She sure disappears quickly. Maybe she found something interesting,"

Oliang shook his head, amused by Chang Long's tendency to wander off and get lost, even when he was leading the way.

"You really know Chang Long well, don't you Oliang!"

Peach Blossom remarked, annoyed.

"Well, of course. We knew her before you guys did, except for Mi, who's her friend outside the game,"

Wet Trash Can said cheerfully.

"Should we go look for her? Chang does tend to get lost easily,"

Valentine suggested, looking slightly concerned.

"Why don't we try calling her first?"

Draco suggested.

"Calling her is pointless. Master Chang always gets lost. Even if we call, do you think she'll be able to tell us where she is?"

Peach Blossom warned.

"That's true, but it won't hurt to try. She might be able to describe the nearby landmarks, and we can track her down from there."

Kimhant offered.

"Let's ask Sieg what he thinks. Hey, brother... huh?"

Peach Blossom turned to her brother but found the spot next to her empty.

"I saw him leave right after I asked where Chang Long was,"

Duncan explained, answering Peach Blossom's question. The girl looked annoyed that her brother had gone to search for Chang Long without informing her.

"Well, if Siegfried went to look for her, there's no need to worry,"

Oliang said cheerfully.

"True. Let's just sit down and enjoy our meal while we wait!"

Valentine suggested with a smile. The group decided to stay put to avoid wasting time by splitting up further.

Chang Long had emerged from a hole in the wall, following the suspicious blind man she had seen. Kitsune, now in its true form as a large fiery fox, stayed close. Because the beasts in the forest around Ark attacked on sight, Chang Long had Kitsune revert to its true form to intimidate potential threats. Most of the creatures in the forest were herbivores like Mushroom-antlered Deer, Speedy Rabbits, and Red-mouthed Monkeys. They fled in fear upon sensing Kitsune's presence, leaving Chang Long unbothered.

"We've encountered beasts at every step, but why isn't that blind man being attacked? Look, he's walking briskly without a problem,"

Chang Long said, puzzled.

'Indeed, I find it odd as well,'

Kitsune communicated telepathically.

'Why are we following him, Master?'

Hisa-chan, who was invisibly trailing them, asked curiously.

'I think he might be the one we're looking for,'

Chang Long replied with a smile, her eyes never leaving the man's back.

'I don't understand how he avoids bumping into anything despite being blind,'

Davy-chan, who had gone ahead to scout, remarked upon returning.

'He must not be an ordinary blind man,'

Hisa-chan said, frowning in thought.

'He stopped!'

Kitsune alerted when the man suddenly halted.

The blind man stood still for a moment before swiftly disappearing into a nearby bush. Chang Long hurried over, hoping to find him hiding for safety. Although the sun had not set, the forest was already dark, and high-level predators were starting to prowl.

"There's no one here!"

Chang Long exclaimed in astonishment. She followed the man into the bush but found no trace of him, despite the clearing being relatively open.

'No trace of his mind either!'

Davy-chan gasped in disbelief.

"Damn it! I didn't even get to find out if he was the magical map reader or not, and now he's vanished,"

Chang Long muttered loudly, inadvertently alerting a predator in the vicinity. The creature crept closer, preparing to ambush the unsuspecting Chang Long.

'Master, there's a beast nearby!'

Kitsune warned, detecting the presence of an enemy by smell.

'It's a panther. A huge one, level 56,'

Davy-chan provided the details, prompting Chang Long to draw her sword in readiness.

Whoosh!

Kitsune breathed fire ahead, knowing where the beast was. The light illuminating the panther's form. It was over five meters long from head to tail, with glinting claws and fangs. Its eyes glowed fiercely, signaling its intention to make Chang Long its next meal.

"Level 56 Panther Beast is preparing to attack,"

the system voice echoed in Chang Long's head simultaneously as the panther tensed, ready to leap and kill with a single bite.

Chang Long stood firm, poised for battle. She swung her sword in a swift counter-attack. The panther, unaccustomed to prey that dared confront it head-on, had not anticipated such a bold response. Unprepared, its claws, aimed at slashing Chang Long's head, met the formidable blade of the Sovereign Sword instead.

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