Chapter Fifty-One: The Bodyguard Assignment?

Suddenly, just as Sun Meng was forcing himself to maintain a smile, the system notified him that someone was trying to contact him.

“Who would be reaching out to me at a time like this?” Sun Meng was rather surprised. After all, whether it was an auction or selling items at a stall, the most he would expect was a system notification, not direct communication between contestants. Moreover, he hadn’t exchanged contact information with anyone before, so how could someone suddenly get in touch with him?

Still, under the system’s protection, he was confident the other party hadn’t used any extraordinary means, so he simply accepted the call.

The video connected, and on the screen appeared what looked like a young girl, about thirteen or fourteen years old. “You’re the owner of booth S2019, aren’t you? I’m Kokolaru, a contestant from the civilization of Milura. I’d like to invite you to join me on a trial mission. For this mission, I hope you can protect my safety.”

“Uh, have we met before?” Sun Meng eyed the girl curiously. “Why are you reaching out to me?” Though he didn’t know it was possible to bring others into trial missions, it seemed odd for someone he knew nothing about to suddenly pull him into one.

“Maybe you’ve forgotten,” Kokolaru replied. “There was a previous competition, a treasure hunt in the wastelands. You were my opponent. Your team wiped out ours at the border during the third circle shrink. Since then, I’ve known who you are.” She continued, “This trial world is a projection of a mythic story. I’ve found a clue that leads directly to a fourth-tier cultivation system, and based on my information, your cultivation system matches the level of that world at this time.”

“Why me, though? I don’t believe I’m the only one you could’ve found,” Sun Meng said. At this moment, he wasn’t the only one considering the offer—the think tank supporting him from Earth was also evaluating it.

The other side fell silent for a moment. “Originally, I planned to use this trial card after my current mission ended, but this time, the system’s task exceeded my expectations. There’s not enough time for me to wait for the person I’d planned for, but I noticed your booth had updated items, so I reached out to you.”

“So, you actually know what this trial world is? How did you manage that?” Sun Meng was astonished, as he had no clues to such a thing himself.

“I can only say it was a stroke of luck. I don’t even know if it can be replicated. Basically, during a mission world, I killed someone closely tied to that world’s main storyline, so when the mission ended, I received this special trial card as a reward. There’s not much time left. Will you accept or not?” Kokolaru pressed.

“All right, I’ll do it. But you should know, in the trial world, I can abandon the task and leave at any time. If my life is in danger, I’ll exit immediately.” At the official team’s suggestion, Sun Meng agreed.

“That’s great. Let’s meet outside the wasteland treasure hunt location.” With that, the call ended.

Staring at the screen, Sun Meng mentally input his thoughts: “Why agree to her request? I have a trial card as well. Wouldn’t it be better to act alone? Besides, this is a special trial—nothing is guaranteed. Aren’t you worried about unforeseen dangers?”

“One thing is certain—she’s in a hurry,” came the reply. “Based on what she said, she was the female mage in the first team your group wiped out during the wasteland treasure hunt. The key issue is, since this world has so-called mythic projections, there could be late second-tier or even third-tier existences. For contestants, getting even a minor cultivation clue or a rare treasure could significantly boost your strength.”

“Fine, you’re right! Until the final assessment, I doubt the system will let me enter a mission world anyway. I’d planned to enter a trial world during this period, and it just so happens that this one matches Earth’s cultivation system.” Sun Meng turned to Yueying.

“Yueying, I’m going to another world for a mission. Do you want to stay in my room or return to your own world?” Sun Meng asked her.

“I want to stay in your room and study, my lord. I want to help you in the next mission.” Determination flashed in Yueying’s eyes. Sun Meng couldn’t help but pat her head. “All right! I’ll send you back for now.”

Outside the entrance to the wasteland treasure hunt, Sun Meng met a petite woman in a red, hooded mage’s robe. “Hello, Kokolaru, right?”

“Sun Meng, hello. And please, don’t look at me like I’m a child. My race is simply smaller in stature. Are you sure you want to accept this mission? In the trial world, even if you’re forced to quit, you’ll have to compensate me—unless I die,” Kokolaru stated.

“Aren’t you worried I might set you up?” Sun Meng joked.

“No worries. There’s nothing more reassuring than a contract under the system’s witness. Here’s the card—you can check its description.” With that, Kokolaru showed Sun Meng the trial card’s brief introduction.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the imperial court was in chaos and corrupt officials held sway. The martial world was overrun with bandits, so Heaven sent down a plague to warn the emperor. The emperor dispatched Grand Commandant Hong to pray to the Heavenly Master, but inadvertently released the suppressed evil fates of the Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiends, allowing their spirits to reincarnate and cause chaos in the world. Moved by the plight of humanity, Heaven decreed that all 108 stars of the Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiends would enter the mortal realm—to purge their own demonic tendencies and to save the people from disaster.

System Notice: This world is a downgraded fragment of a former level-eight great world, so while the Dao of Heaven is dormant, it still exists. Power is capped at mid-third tier. However, advanced legacies from before the downgrade remain, along with star fate inheritances from the higher world.

“So it’s a high-martial Water Margin world? But when exactly do we enter? The difference is huge—after all, it took quite a while for all 108 Heroes of Liangshan to gather, and they grew up from birth. If we enter at the time when the stars are reincarnated, who knows how long we’ll have to wait!” Sun Meng frowned.

“I accept the mission. Let’s sign the contract,” Sun Meng said. Time was short, so he believed Kokolaru wouldn’t trigger any major inheritance.

“Excellent! Let’s sign the contract here, under the system’s witness.” Kokolaru tapped her small hand, and a virtual contract appeared before them. They pressed their hands to it, the system asked for confirmation, and Sun Meng reviewed the contract to ensure there were no clauses against his interests.

“Signed.”

“So, can you tell me what inheritance you’re after? Don’t tell me it’s the star fate mentioned here!” Sun Meng looked at Kokolaru. If she dared to say yes, he wouldn’t hesitate to make things difficult for her later.

“Of course not! We’re entering at a relatively early period; most of the star-fated ones haven’t even been born yet, let alone awakened. What we’re after is a legacy left from the previous flourishing age of the martial world. Here’s the information I found. You’ll understand why I chose you after you read it.” Kokolaru sent Sun Meng an email.

“Immeasurable Jade Disc, Immortal Sword Dance!” Sun Meng exclaimed as he read the first line. “So, just who did you kill?” he asked in shock.

“A fat monk. But there was another guy with him—he was so annoying that I dealt him a heavy blow out of spite, and that’s how I got the card.” Kokolaru didn’t bother to conceal her distaste.

Sun Meng pondered. The one killed must have been Jiumozhi, and Kokolaru must have harmed Duan Yu, which caused a major divergence in the world’s development.

“You’re right. The cultivation system in this world matches mine. But any martial arts manuals you obtain there should be convertible to your own system, right?” Sun Meng asked.

“They can, but the method doesn’t change. I’m a mage! Am I supposed to buff myself with fire and then go bash people with my staff?” Kokolaru rolled her eyes.

‘Aren’t mages supposed to be melee classes?’