MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player

It was time for another adventure.

Looking at the strange ancient temple in the distance, Marcus felt a familiar surge of excitement. He had barely decided to head down and investigate when he patted Blackie’s head and ran a hand over the Seven-Colored Divine Eagle’s smooth, beautiful wings.

"Blackie, let’s go!"

The two beasts began diving toward the temple, but before Marcus could get very far, a private message chimed in.

"Stone, this is SoulSync. Got a minute?"

It was SoulSync, the vice leader of the Soulfire Guild.

Marcus immediately stopped Blackie’s descent and opened the communication. "Yeah, SoulSync. What’s up?"

"Stone, I’m asking for a favor."

SoulSync laughed. "We ran into a Hidden Quest. The maximum party size is ten, but we’re a little short on firepower. We’ve already failed twice, and tomorrow is the final day. I wanted to see if you could lend us a hand, assuming you’re free."

’Asking him for help?’

Marcus had probably left a strong impression during the counterattack against the Furious Three. Still, Soulfire was a major guild. For its vice leader to personally come looking for him meant this Hidden Quest was probably more valuable than it sounded.

As Marcus considered it, SoulSync continued, "Stone, the target is a Level 60 Gold-tier boss. We’re only a little short on damage. With you in the party as a Knight, I’m confident we’ll be able to take it down."

Then came the real offer.

"Once the quest is complete, everything the boss drops is yours. We only want the quest item."

Marcus couldn’t help laughing.

What else could he say to an offer like that?

"Alright. I’ll give it a shot."

Helping others while helping himself was never a bad deal.

Since he was capable of helping, there was no reason to refuse. A Level 60 Gold-tier boss was hardly a threat to him, especially with SoulSync and the others there. He probably wouldn’t even need to reveal his actual strength.

It should be an easy victory. Why not?

"SoulSync, where are you?"

Marcus immediately used his Wanderlust skill to establish a teleportation point in mid-air, then activated a Town Portal Scroll and returned to his mansion in Dragon’s Peak Citadel.

Poor Lady Silvia would have to wait a little longer.

"Stone, thanks in advance. My brother and I are at Willow Garden Gourmet House waiting for you."

"Be right there."

With the arrangements settled, Marcus began changing his equipment.

First, he removed the Corpse Demon Boots from his Corpse Demon set and replaced them with an ordinary Level 50 pair, deliberately canceling the set bonus. Next came his Divine Artifact, the Blackflame Ice Flower Sword. He put it away and equipped the Level 50 Golden weapon, the Corpse Demon Dark Soul Sword instead.

The Phoenix Feather also had to go.

As for the Black Eagle Great Wings, there was absolutely no chance he would unfold those in front of SoulSync and the others.

Fame invited trouble. Keeping a low profile was a time-honored tradition, after all.

Marcus briefly considered replacing the Divine Artifact Adamant Shield as well. After thinking about it, however, he decided to keep it. The shield’s most conspicuous ability was the Adamant Shield Wall skill, which reduced incoming damage by seventy percent. As long as he refrained from using that skill, there should be nothing particularly suspicious about the shield itself.

Besides, if something unexpected happened, having the shield available meant he wouldn’t have to panic.

Then there was the mask.

Marcus put on the horrifying Face of Nameless Fear, its appearance giving off an eerie, deathly presence. Fortunately, after the recent system update, players could now toggle the passive effects of their equipment on and off.

He immediately disabled the mask’s passive ability.

Without its effects active, it was nothing more than an ordinary ghost-faced mask. No one would ever guess that the seemingly mundane piece of equipment was actually a powerful Demonic Artifact.

The intelligent system, Skynet, had really outdone itself with this update.

It was surprisingly user-friendly.

Once his equipment was sorted out, Marcus changed into casual clothes and left the mansion. For his mount, he decided to use the Grade 7 Royal Pegasus that Princess Celeste had given him.

The Nightmare Dragon Steed absolutely could not be exposed.

At the same time, he couldn’t ride something too shabby, either. SoulSync had specifically come looking for him because he knew Marcus was strong. Showing up on an ordinary Flame Charger would look ridiculous.

If he wanted to earn people’s respect and avoid being underestimated, he couldn’t make himself look weak.

Besides, after getting used to riding Blackie, going back to a Flame Charger would probably feel miserable.

The Royal Pegasus was currently ranked eighth on the mount leaderboard. It was neither excessively powerful nor embarrassingly weak, making it the perfect choice for someone who wanted to keep a low profile without actually looking insignificant.

"Heh."

Marcus smiled to himself. He was brilliant.

Satisfied with his preparations, he headed toward the plaza and made his way to Willow Garden Gourmet House, a restaurant whose reputation was comparable to that of the Magnolia.

However, when he reached the central fountain, he noticed a crowd of players gathered together. They stood in a loose circle, talking among themselves in low voices.

Curious, and already in a good mood, Marcus wandered over to take a look.

A dozen or so players had surrounded a towering man who stood around six foot three and was built like a tank. From his equipment and physique, it was obvious that he was a Berserker. The players surrounding him listened intently, their expressions filled with envy and longing.

Marcus became even more curious.

He casually nudged the Knight standing beside him. "What’s going on, bro?"

The Knight glanced at him and shook his head. "No idea."

Marcus had expected as much.

Fortunately, an energetic-looking Assassin standing nearby clearly knew what was going on. He pointed toward the hulking Berserker in the center of the crowd and explained, "That guy’s name is Frostwing. He somehow got hold of a teleportation scroll that leads to Tiger Creek Immortal Mountain, and the scroll can bring three other people with him."

"Tiger Creek Immortal Mountain!"

Marcus’s heart skipped a beat.

One of Dominion’s Fifty-Six Immortal Mountains.

When Alana had previously explained the history of the Dreamland Continent to him, she had specifically mentioned these places. Dominion possessed Fifty-Six Immortal Mountains and Thirty-Eight Immortal Palaces, all of them locations overflowing with spiritual energy and coveted by both ordinary humans and cultivators.

The Thirty-Eight Immortal Palaces were especially extraordinary.

Ten thousand years ago, thirty-eight supreme ancient immortals had cultivated in those palaces, leaving behind countless treasures, rare items, and opportunities. They were among the most desirable places in the entire world for adventurers to explore.

Unfortunately, they were almost impossible to find.

The Fifty-Six Immortal Mountains were somewhat easier to encounter, though many remained inaccessible. Some had already been discovered and occupied, such as Harmony Peak, which Marcus himself had visited. That mountain was perpetually surrounded by clouds and was now controlled by the Harmony Peak Sect.

Around twenty-eight of the remaining Immortal Mountains, however, were sealed away by natural formations.

They could not simply be found by searching.

Only those with extraordinary luck and deep fortune might stumble upon one of these hidden mountains by chance.

Tiger Creek Immortal Mountain was one of them.

Marcus looked at the burly Berserker surrounded by the crowd.

Frostwing’s luck was clearly quite extraordinary.