Chapter 38: The Invasion Trial

[You discover a slightly ajar wooden door on the tunnel wall, a faint orange glow leaking through the cracks.]

[You push open the door and find a cramped room where an old man sits motionless. His clothes are tattered, and in his dull eyes flickers a faint glow from the candlelight before him.]

[Do you want to approach and speak?]

Finally, an NPC!

Lin Xun’s eyes lit up. He immediately clicked “Yes.”

[You approach and attempt conversation. The old man slowly lifts his head and glances at you. A hungry green light glimmers faintly in his pupils. Then he lowers his head and resumes staring at the flame.]

Lin Xun frowned and tried again.

[You approach and attempt conversation. The old man slowly lifts his head and glances at you. A hungry green light glimmers faintly in his pupils. Then he lowers his head and resumes staring at the flame.]

What the hell, even NPCs in this game act so aloof?

This scene felt oddly familiar.

Lin Xun remembered—last time an NPC ignored him like this, he ended up sticking a sword up its backside, killing it. Lin Xun even claimed the Shell afterward.

Is this old man looking to repeat the blacksmith’s tragic tale?

But this guy didn’t look like a vendor or forge NPC. More like a quest-giver or someone with a storyline clue.

If he killed him outright, he might miss something important.

He examined the text carefully. From the looks of it, the old man’s reaction suggested he was… hungry?

Did he need food?

Opening his inventory, Lin Xun looked through his items—mostly tools, equipment, and junk.

The only thing resembling food was the “Sunflower Seed.”

He clicked it, and sure enough, a “Give” option appeared.

[You offer the ‘Sunflower Seed’ with both hands to the hungry old man.]

[The old man lifts his head slightly, then shakes it. The hungry green glint in his eyes persists as he turns back to stare at the flame.]

[The ‘Hungry Old Man’ rejected your offering.]

“…”

Oh, so you have standards, huh? Too proud to accept handouts?

Lin Xun frowned. Was it the wrong food? That would explain why the conversation option didn’t trigger.

But he had nothing else edible in his inventory.

So what did this NPC want to eat?

Unwilling to give up, Lin Xun clicked through every item in his inventory.

“Half Bottle of Healing Holy Water”? No “Give” option.

“Women’s Silk Undershirt”? Definitely not.

“Poisoned Throwing Knife”—damn, nearly misclicked the “Throw” option.

Finally, when he clicked on “Foul Dungstone,” the “Give” button appeared again.

Lin Xun’s eyes widened in disbelief. No way… this guy actually wants to eat this crap?

[You offer the ‘Foul Dungstone’ with both hands to the hungry old man.]

[The old man suddenly lifts his head, snatches the dungstone from your hands, and begins chewing and swallowing it in large mouthfuls.]

[After finishing, he looks unsatisfied. The green light in his eyes shines even brighter.]

…No dialogue option yet. Maybe he wasn’t full.

No problem. Lin Xun kept giving him more—this stuff was just junk anyway.

If you want to eat poop, I’ll feed you all day. If I run out, I’ll go grind more in the sewer.

Whatever it takes—I’m feeding you today!

After two more dungstones, the text finally changed.

[The ‘Hungry Old Man’ wipes his mouth, pats his slightly bulging belly, and nods with satisfaction at your hospitality.]

[He pulls out three crumpled, faintly glowing bookmarks and hands them to you.]

[You received: Invasion Bookmark ×3]

[The old man’s eyes reveal a scrutinizing glint. You suddenly realize that this is a special trial—he will decide your reward based on your victories in randomized Apostle invasions.]

[Do you wish to accept the ‘Hungry Old Man’s Trial’?]

Lin Xun’s eyes lit up. This is a win-win!

From the Apostle Forum, he’d learned that the game’s random invasion system was based on the number of times each Apostle had cleared chapters.

Roughly speaking, an Apostle who had only cleared one chapter would usually be invaded by others who had cleared one or two—rarely by someone who had cleared five or more. Unless your luck was horrible—or you used targeted invasion.

But Lin Xun, a madman challenging chapters above his difficulty, hadn’t even cleared the first chapter… and yet was loaded with top-tier gear and skills.

Using an Invasion Bookmark at this stage was basically just bullying babies. A free Spirit farming event!

He didn’t hesitate to press Accept.

[You have accepted the ‘Hungry Old Man’s Trial.’]

[Beginning random invasion…]

Lin Xun waited quietly for his lucky opponent to be chosen.

He wondered who the unfortunate soul would be…

[Invasion successful! You have invaded an unknown Apostle’s chapter.]

[The Apostle, glowing with white light, trembles in fear at the sight of you—he even drops his scimitar in panic.]

[Mighty Apostle, how will you handle him?]

[1. Force him to kneel. Maybe you’ll be merciful in your good mood.]

[2. Raise your staff-spear and show him the meaning of cruelty.]

Clearly a newbie. Lin Xun couldn’t bear to watch and tapped the second option.

[You raise your staff-spear and begin chanting…]

[The trembling Apostle lets out a terrified shout and charges at you with his scimitar.]

[A flash of red light…]

[You defeated Apostle ‘IAsheYourHealer’. You gained 55 Spirit.]

[Returning to your own chapter…]

Pure max-level slaughter in a newbie village. Zero difficulty.

[The ‘Hungry Old Man’ nods with approval as you return victorious and urges you to begin your second invasion.]

[Warlike Apostle, do you wish to invade again?]

Lin Xun hit Yes again.

The second invasion went just as smoothly. The target immediately surrendered.

Lin Xun simply cast Corrupt Sunlight to finish them off.

Only downside: he earned just 15 Spirit this time. Probably because the opponent had learned how to protect their Spirit items.

But then Lin Xun frowned—something felt off.

Every Apostle who experienced one or two invasions would eventually learn how to safeguard their spirit essence.

So what was the point of these invasions? Surely it wasn’t just for the joy of PvP?

There had to be some other value, something he hadn’t unlocked yet.

But that could wait. One more win and the trial reward was his!

[The ‘Hungry Old Man’ sees you return victorious again. His eyes gleam with growing admiration. He urges you toward a third invasion.]

[For some reason, you sense that this invasion feels… different.]

[Beginning random invasion…]

[You hear a faint, raspy, cackling laugh echo in your ears…]

Lin Xun frowned. The game’s ominous text made him wary.

Something bad was about to happen.

[Invasion successful! You have invaded an unknown Apostle’s chapter.]

[The Apostle you see is glowing with white light. She lets out a contemptuous laugh, raises her metallic gauntlets, and begins striding toward you…]

[Weak Apostle, what will you do?]

[1. Kneel and beg for mercy, praying that a fellow god-blessed Apostle will spare your life.]

[2. Raise your staff-spear and begin chanting. Let her know that death is preferable to disgrace!]

???

What the hell is going on?

From the looks of it, he’d invaded the chapter of a high-level Apostle!

Wasn’t this system supposed to match by number of chapter clears? How the hell did he get paired with a boss-tier player?

He was holding 575 points of Spirit—if he lost, it’d all be gone!

Damn it! That poop-eating old man totally set me up…