Death Notice

“Young… Young Master Qin Lun!” Frank Stan hesitantly called his name as soon as Qin Lun opened his eyes.

“Haha, this is my real appearance. The look in Nals was the effect of my bloodline manifesting.” Qin Lun took a look at himself and understood.

By now, Frank had also reverted to his original image: the hunched-back servant. Although Shattered Starry Sky didn’t restrict an Apostle’s appearance, their soul’s memory of their true face was deeply ingrained. After returning to Shattered Starry Sky, unless they deliberately spent Shattered Crystals to alter their looks, they would revert to their original form.

“How long have you been back?” Qin Lun looked at his loyal servant with great satisfaction.

His original reason for involving Frank in hunting the adult Hill Giant wasn’t just because Hill’s team was short-handed. He also wanted to test whether Frank remained as loyal as before, since playing dead was very risky. Frank hadn’t disappointed him; he was still the devoted, hunched-back servant.

Before Frank returned, Qin Lun had instructed him to wait and not wander off. The transfer room on Devil’s Horn would be locked by a Magical Array without an Identity Plate of a returning Apostle. To get out, one must either attack the array or contact staff in the Teleportation Hall.

This measure was Apostle City’s safeguard against unknown creatures being dragged through the space-time tunnel alongside returning Apostles, which could cause havoc in the city.

“About a quarter of an hour!” Frank looked at Qin Lun, genuinely happy.

He knew parts of the serial killers’ plan, aware that Qin Lun faced even greater dangers after his return. Waiting there those ten-plus minutes left him uneasy and tense. Seeing Qin Lun finally return eased his nerves.

“Let’s go, we’re leaving!” Qin Lun inserted his Identity Plate into the slot in the room’s Magical Array and led Frank out. Right away, they bumped into Hill and Hansen. “Hey, Qin Lun!” Hill greeted with a tired smile. Both he and Hansen had recovered from their injuries, but their eyes showed clear exhaustion. After all, they’d only just finished their final battle before returning.

“We’re heading out first!” Qin Lun instinctively glanced towards Sas’s transfer room, waved with a smile, then left with Frank taking the lead.

“Hansen, still forming a team next Quest World?” Hill asked calmly as he watched Qin Lun and his servant walk away.

“No. The three of us together was inefficient. Besides, Qin Lun has Frank’s help,” Hansen shook his head faintly. “If we keep teaming up with him, the gap between us will only widen! You wouldn’t want to become the Dissector’s puppet later, would you?”

“Mhm! At our Apostle level, the world difficulty is still low. It really isn’t the time for a proper team yet,” Hill let out a light sigh.

Hansen and Hill were once on the same starting line as Qin Lun. But now, they’d fallen half a step behind – neither had truly changed class yet. In the Nals World, the combined gains of them both barely matched Qin Lun’s, while they only eliminated the Fink team threat.

Qin Lun had reward points for killing Qingming. They picked up Kael’s corpse and the juvenile Hill Giant Qin Lun hadn’t had time to claim. However, the “Flamingo” Skill Scroll on Kael was given to Qin Lun.

Though both kills were Qin Lun’s action, looking at the entire mission: Kael was rightfully their trophy, and the juvenile Hill Giant compensated them for giving up the adult one.

Qin Lun later abandoned the storyline grinding quest to hunt Blade Fang Earth Dragons, instead completing his Career Quest. Hill and Hansen gained that storyline’s rewards. Qin Lun had Master Vima’s gift though, so both sides came out about equal – Hill and Hansen perhaps slightly less.

Resource-wise, besides common healing items: Qin Lun spent two precious trump cards: an Ancient Tree of Wisdom shoot and WHB special reagents. He traded the Sub-legendary item Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross for bloodline enhancement. Hill and Hansen used several trump cards hunting the Blade Fang Dragons too. That balance was roughly similar.

While Hill and Hansen’s base mission rewards vastly exceeded Qin Lun’s, with Frank’s help, Qin Lun’s Mission Completion Rate surpassed theirs. This difference roughly balanced their evaluations since Hill and Hansen only got Bronze Level, while Qin Lun received a Silver Card.

In total, Qin Lun gained as much as the two of them combined. Though Qin Lun spent resources arming Frank, his strength advanced much faster. Continuing the team arrangement, especially while Qin Lun had Frank’s aid, wouldn’t change that much.

Crucially, it was unlikely all three would regularly get worlds like Nals. Normally, their next Quest World would be lower difficulty, likely a Low Magic World.

Lower difficulty meant smaller rewards. With their combined intelligence and power, the trio became inefficient. Actually, even Clown Grant felt the same after going through the World War II World with Qin Lun.

Despite having two or three serial killers together boosting Mission Completion Rate and World Exploration Degree, the quest efficiency dropped compared to the gains. At this difficulty level, randomly joining another temporary team yielded better individual profits. Though Qin Lun hit his Class Change half a step ahead of them and had slightly more skills, they’d met the requirements too. The real consideration was finding a target quickly.

The combat class they were about to change into was stronger than Jungle Hunter alone. But adding an Inferno Hound? Well, each had its own merits.

If Qin Lun brought his hunched servant Frank too, no single serial killer could defeat him. The undead tank and ranged attacker combo was too deadly, especially alongside an Inferno Hound. Others wouldn’t even have a mutual death option.

“Yes. Looks like it’s time to have a chat with those surviving fellows,” Hansen’s eyes gleamed. He wasn’t talking about Clown Grant or Firecracker Rand, but other prisoner serial killers among them.

Back when the Moonlight Forest first sent prisoners to Devil’s Horn, it was just a few serial killers who’d barely survived their trial worlds. Now all prisoners, including Little Lian and Lin Feng, lived around Devil’s Horn.

Much like Little Lian and Lin Feng leaned on Qin Lun, though the others were generally stronger in combat and willpower, even formidable people like Qin Lun and Hill faced many life-threatening moments early on. What about ordinary prisoners?

Deep down, they naturally wanted to latch onto seasoned serial killers like them. Some approached Hansen and Hill before. But Hill and Hansen found them clumsy time sinks, likely diluting mission rewards, hence never took them in.

Now spurred by Qin Lun, they realized needing an assistant. Of course, finding one among prisoners meant less loyalty than the hunched servant. It would be a step-by-step thing.

…

“Frank, what do you think?” Qin Lun chuckled, watching his hunched servant look around curiously on the street.

“Here… is much nicer than Odia. Just… those people look a bit weird!” Frank nervously scratched his messy, thin hair. He still wore his death mask to hide his ugly face.

“Hehe, you’re an Apostle now. In this city, you’re like nobility,” Qin Lun smiled gently. “I have a villa here. Will you live with me, or find another place?”

“Ah? Of course with you, Young Master!” Frank paused briefly but answered firmly. “By the way, Young Master Qin Lun, after I returned, Shattered Starry Sky asked if I wanted to activate the Servant’s Storage. I put all Shattered Crystals, gear… everything I got inside. Only the Contribution Points… I couldn’t transfer those over.”

“Mhm. Back at the villa, spend some Shattered Crystals to fix your looks first,” Qin Lun gestured at Frank’s limp. “No one will look down on you again. Any physical defect can be fixed!”

“Master, you’re back!” As they entered the villa, Didi rushed over excitedly. Big eyes blinking, he stared at Frank. “Who’s the big guy, Master?”

“He’s Frank Stan, my brother. Also an Apostle!” Qin Lun tapped the little fellow’s head. “Get Frank some food, then take him to the city office. Get him Identity Plate, just like yours.”

“Okay, Master! Master Frank, come with me!” Didi’s pointed ears twitched as he led the awkward Frank into the villa.

Qin Lun wasn’t refusing him a Formal Apostle Identity Plate, he simply couldn’t give one. He had an Elven Race introduction, gaining official residency rights at Devil’s Horn. Frank remained undocumented. Even as an Apostle, he could only get a temporary residence permit.

Though a temporary permit entitles housing access, the Servant Identity Plate proves more convenient, avoiding daily registrations.

Originally Beruses assigned Qin Lun this center-district villa to secure his loyalty. Close to key facilities like the Auction House and Training Grounds, it could house an entire Black Iron Team. Being with Qin Lun, Frank only required the servant plate.

Back in his room, Qin Lun sank into an armchair and breathed out slowly, rubbing his nose bridge. Every time returning to Shattered Starry Sky, letting nerves ease brought deep exhaustion.

No wonder Hansen and Hill succeeded targeting Junior Apostles in the city. Later he must install defenses at the villa too.

Dismissing the fleeting thought, Qin Lun shifted his mind into the Servant’s Storage Frank mentioned. Time to check what this storage was and what Frank actually gained from Nals…