TSA Chapter 20

The skeleton soldiers moved slowly, but their physical damage was high. Even with the pain sensitivity reduced, being struck still felt quite unpleasant.

Night Owl moved swiftly with Ran Qi, looking for opportunities to attack. With only the two of them and the monsters at a higher level, it was no longer possible to clear the enemies like before. They could only rely on a kite-style strategy, using ranged attacks to gradually take down the skeleton soldiers one by one.

Ran Qi wasn’t idle either; he was healing Night Owl while occasionally leaning out from behind to tap the nearby small monsters with his staff. Although he didn’t have any offensive skills, his basic attacks combined with his attributes still allowed him to deal a decent amount of damage to the smaller enemies.

The two of them worked together and finally cleared all the skeleton soldiers in the tomb. Now it was time to collect their loot.

Ran Qi happily trotted over to pick up the gold and jewels on the ground, but his hands passed right through them, leaving his smile frozen on his face.

“Pfft!” This time, it was Night Owl who couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Ran Qi turned his head with a sulky expression, casting a resentful glance at Night Owl.

Night Owl chuckled and said, “Come on, you know how stingy this game can be. There’s no way they’d give us a room full of treasures—it’s all just for show. The real loot will only come after we defeat the boss.”

Ran Qi understood this logic deep down, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of regret without trying. He cast one last lingering glance at the jewels on the ground before returning to Night Owl’s side.

The two continued onward until they reached the stone coffin, but in the next moment, they found themselves unable to move. Then, in a flash, they suddenly found themselves in a different scene, surrounded by corpses scattered everywhere, resembling a battlefield.

Ran Qi quickly realized that they must have been pulled into an illusion.

A group of skeleton soldiers shrouded in dark mist were fighting against a massive blue dragon under the command of a robed mage wearing a black mask.

The dragon could unleash bolts of lightning from its mouth, and blue arcs of electricity crackled around its claws, indicating it was a thunder dragon. The electric attacks were incredibly powerful, easily shattering the skeleton soldiers, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Despite the dragon’s might, it couldn’t eliminate them all; it was already battered and bruised, with fresh blood pouring from its wounds and staining the ground beneath it.

A girl in a white mage robe stood behind the dragon, eyes closed in prayer. A radiant white light enveloped the dragon, easing the flow of its blood, but she was unable to dispel the dark mist that lingered around its wounds.

Finally, under the dragon’s desperate attacks, the black-robed mage’s undead army was completely annihilated. Both the dark mage and the dragon were severely injured and unable to move, while the girl had exhausted her magical energy and lost her ability to act.

At that moment, both the black-robed mage and the girl in white turned their gazes towards them.

Black-robed Mage: “Noble adventurers, please help me! I will grant you the power of immortality.”

Girl in White: “Brave adventurers, please help us defeat the invasion of the dark undead. Light will always be by your side.”

This was clearly a choice: they could decide to assist either the dark mage or the girl representing the light.

Did they even need to think about it? The black-robed mage sounded like a brainwashing salesman—totally untrustworthy. As brave adventurers, they should definitely stand on the side of the light.

Ran Qi and Night Owl exchanged a glance and moved simultaneously.

Ran Qi immediately cast healing, restoration, and purification spells on the dragon. The flow of blood stopped, and the dark mist that clung to it dissipated. Witnessing this scene, the girl couldn’t help but burst into tears of joy.

Meanwhile, Night Owl launched an attack on the black-robed mage, unleashing a massive fireball that struck him mercilessly.

“You will pay for this!” the black-robed mage spat out a mouthful of black blood, letting out a furious howl as his eyes turned blood-red. Suddenly, his body exploded, releasing a cloud of black smoke that surged toward Night Owl and Ran Qi at terrifying speed.

“Watch out!” the girl shouted, warning them.

As she shouted, Night Owl quickly pulled Ran Qi behind him, but he himself was enveloped by the black smoke. The smoke was formless and intangible, leaving even Night Owl unable to retaliate despite his strength.

The black smoke surged wildly into Night Owl’s mouth and nose, quickly disappearing without a trace.

“Are you okay?” Ran Qi exclaimed, startled by the scene. He quickly checked on Night Owl’s condition while throwing all his skills at him. The black smoke clearly wasn’t anything good, and he worried about potential negative effects.

“I’m fine,” Night Owl replied, carefully checking himself. He felt no unusual effects, not even a drop of blood lost.

At that moment, the dragon, having regained its ability to move, approached alongside the girl.

“Brave adventurers, thank you so much for your help.”

The thunder dragon pulled a sharp scale from its body and handed it to Ran Qi.

“This is a token of gratitude from the dragon; please accept it,” the girl said, also presenting a white stone to him. “Your friend has fallen under the necromancer’s curse. You need to go to Otto City and seek help from the light priest Leslie to lift the curse. This white crystal contains the power of light and can suppress the curse within him.”

As the girl finished speaking, both of them received a quest notification simultaneously.

[System] Hidden Quest: Please proceed to Otto City and seek the help of Light Priest Leslie to lift the curse. Task Reward: Unknown.

Ran Qi: “!!!”

He had played <Magic Realm> for so many years and had never heard of hidden quests before! This must be an additional setting implemented by the Empire’s government. But what did it mean that the task reward was unknown?

However, Otto City was a level 45 area, which meant it was still too early for them to go there.

After accepting the quest, the two returned to the tomb, accompanied by the sound of the system notification.

[System] Congratulations, players! You have received special items: [Thunder Dragon Scale] and [White Crystal of the Light Priest].

[Thunder Dragon Scale]

Grade: A

Description: A scale from the thunder dragon. It seems to have some special properties.

[White Crystal of the Light Priest]

Grade: A

Description: A white crystal infused with the power of light. It has a suppressive effect against dark forces.

Ran Qi looked at the descriptions of the two items, feeling quite speechless.

It was hard to trigger a hidden quest, yet they had no idea what the rewards were. They received a dragon scale but had no clue what it was for. Night Owl, on the other hand, had inexplicably been cursed, and there was no way to tell what side effects might come from that.

After battling tirelessly for half the day, it felt like all their efforts had been in vain…

Ran Qi sighed and handed the white crystal to Night Owl, deciding to keep the dragon scale for himself.

“Is this really it?” Ran Qi asked.

“There should be more. We haven’t explored the third tomb yet, right?”

“Right! Let’s go check it out.”

The two continued onward until they reached the statue of the massive dragon.

They looked around the tomb, but nothing seemed particularly special. However, when Ran Qi’s hand touched the dragon statue, a blue light suddenly shot out from his waist system pouch and flew directly into the stone carving.

The statue’s eyes glowed briefly, then its massive body shattered, pieces scattering everywhere. This revealed a round, smooth egg hidden within the center of the statue.

“So that’s what the dragon scale was for…” Ran Qi said, realizing the connection.

However, the egg in front of them looked quite unappealing, with a white base and black spots, resembling an enlarged quail egg by dozens of times.

“What do you think this egg is for? It can’t be meant for us to eat, right?” Ran Qi looked over at Night Owl.

“It shouldn’t be for eating,” Night Owl said as he stepped forward and gently tapped the eggshell.

Then, with a crack, a fissure appeared on the eggshell.

Night Owl: “……”

“Looks like there’s something inside!” Ran Qi said excitedly as he leaned in closer.

The crack widened until the shell completely split open, revealing two plump little creatures—one black and one white—crawling out from inside.

Upon closer inspection, Ran Qi realized that these were actually two baby dragons.

The two little creatures were only the size of a palm, with round heads, short arms and legs, and pudgy bellies. They even had tiny wings on their backs, making them utterly adorable.

“Jiji!” The two freshly hatched baby dragons let out squeaky, baby-like sounds, then flapped their tiny wings and wobbled into the air.

Ran Qi and Night Owl, worried that the little dragons might fall, quickly reached out to catch them. The white baby dragon flapped its tiny wings and landed right in Ran Qi’s arms, while the black one settled into Night Owl’s palm.

[System] Congratulations, players! You have successfully hatched a pet dragon egg. Please name your pets.

Ran Qi stared in disbelief, his eyes wide. He never expected that this giant quail egg would actually be a pet egg!

“Let’s call it Xiao Bai,” Ran Qi decided without hesitation, knowing he wasn’t particularly good at naming things.

Following suit, Night Owl named his little black dragon ‘Xiao Hei’.

[System] Naming successful! Congratulations, you are the first player to own a pet. A system announcement will be made shortly. Would you like to remain anonymous?

“Yes!”

[System Announcement] Players [Anonymous] and [Anonymous] have successfully hatched the first pet egg, gaining 100 points of global reputation and [Physical Exchange Coupon*1].

[System Announcement] Players [Night Owl] and [Bai Ran] have successfully cleared the Dragon Soul Secret Dungeon, gaining +500 Dragon Race Favorability.

Ran Qi & Night Owl: “……”

This ridiculous system announcement! With these two notifications sent together, wouldn’t everyone easily guess that they were the ones who hatched the pet egg?

Sure enough, the next second, the World Channel exploded with chatter.

[World] No Night Sky: As expected of the great Night Owl! Not only did he find treasure, but he also got the first pet egg! How lucky is that?!

[World] Pathfinder: Can we get the pet stats from the great one? I’d love to see it!

[World] A Leaf on a Lonely Boat: Yes, yes! I’m super curious! What kind of pet is it?

[World] Curly Hair: Daily envy of the big shots’ teammates… I also want to cling to a lucky player’s leg…

Soul Chaser, Gu Le, and the others also saw the system announcement, and then they bombarded them with private messages.

[Private Chat] Soul Chaser: Brother Ran really deserves to be called the luckiest! Even got a pet egg! Even the captain is benefiting from it!

[Private Chat] Soul Chaser: What kind of pet is it? Can you show it to me?

[Private Chat] Coke: Ran Xiaoqi! Hurry up and show me the pet! (☆▽☆)

[Private Chat] Plume Ink: Big shot, I want to see the pet… (expectant expression)

After Ran Qi and Night Owl cleared the dungeon, they were automatically teleported out. They decided to disband their team and rejoin Soul Chaser and the others. Then they used a return scroll to head back to the main city, found a secluded corner, and released the little dragon cub for Soul Chaser and the others to see for themselves.

[Pet Information]

Nickname: Xiao Bai

Level: 1/90 (After reaching the maximum level, the appearance will change.)

Basic Attributes: HP +185, Intelligence +13 (Bonus applies to the player during battle)

Pet Skill: Blessing of Light Lv. 1 (Passive Skill), increases the owner’s light element affinity by 1 tier.

Special Function: Automatically pick up items.

Additional Note: Experience points can be gained by clearing dungeons, but it cannot be used in the arena.

[Pet Information]

Nickname: Xiao Hei

Level: 1/90 (After reaching the maximum level, the appearance will change.)

Basic Attributes: Base Attack +24 (Bonus applies to the player during battle)

Pet Skill: Curse of Misfortune Lv. 1 (Active Skill), reduces the target’s attack power by 10% for 15 seconds.

Special Function: Automatically pick up items.

Additional Note: Experience points can be gained by clearing dungeons, but it cannot be used in the arena.

“Ahhhhh! A little dragon cub! So cute and adorable, can help pick up items and boost attributes—it’s simply perfect!” Soul Chaser was really envious. “Damn it! I also want a pet like this so badly!”

“This is a privilege only for lucky players; don’t even think about it,” Plume Ink remarked without holding back.

“I won’t stop thinking about it!” Soul Chaser charged at Ran Qi, playfully rubbing against him. “Brother Ran, can you share some of your luck with me? I want adventures and a pet too!”

Ran Qi found it both funny and frustrating as he pushed Soul Chaser away. “This isn’t something I can decide…”

Ran Qi’s little white dragon was particularly popular. Not only was it plump and pleasant to the touch, but it also had a gentle temperament, happily allowing anyone to hold it, and would coo and act cute.

Night Owl’s little black dragon was completely the opposite. Not only did it have a bad temper, but it would also bare its teeth and bite. It wouldn’t let anyone hold it except for Night Owl and Ran Qi, leaving everyone else to sigh in disappointment.

“Is the strategy guide finished?” Night Owl asked, letting the grumpy little black dragon rest on his shoulder as he looked over at Sword at Fleeting Time.

“I’ve finished it.” Sword at Fleeting Time sent Night Owl the two posts he had shared on the forum. “The GM messaged me, saying that 8 AM tomorrow will send the rewards to us via email.”

Sword at Fleeting Time didn’t hold back, listing the attack mechanisms and key points for the bosses in Shadow Forest and Dark Tomb. As soon as the two posts were published, they sparked enthusiastic discussions among players, and the comments quickly piled up. The forum administrators even pinned the posts and marked them as highlights.

Sword at Fleeting Time added, “By the way, the GM also said that if we’re willing to stream our gameplay on Star Network while tackling the Abyss dungeon, each member of our team will receive 5 Physical Exchange Coupons.”

Night Owl consistently held the top spot on the level leaderboard with an undeniable advantage. His team had achieved multiple first kills in Challenge Dungeons and set records for speed runs in experience dungeons, making him a benchmark figure in the eyes of the gaming community.

For players like this, the game developers naturally placed a high value on them, hoping to turn them into live advertisements to attract more people to participate in the game.

“Let’s talk about it later; there’s no rush to respond,” Night Owl said. He wasn’t particularly fond of streaming, and the Abyss dungeon was a large team dungeon, which could complicate the live broadcast. However, the rewards offered by the developers were indeed quite generous, so he didn’t outright refuse.

Anyway, they had to wait for all the team members to reach level 30, so there was plenty of time to decide later.