As a reincarnation, Ni Kun has never done a serious "mission" so far.
This is just as incomplete as the cultivation of immortals without the classic elements such as sect competitions, contempt from fellow disciples, suppression from senior brothers, participation in auctions, killing people for treasures, etc.
So when he smelled the "mission" today, Ni Kun felt particularly excited. After asking the old woman about the area where her "little baby" was lost and the cat's various physical characteristics, he went to help her find the cat in high spirits.
In Ni Kun's opinion, this task might be the beginning of a series of serial tasks. The difficulty should be extremely low and ordinary people, reincarnations, can complete it easily.
As it turned out, his guess was right.
The cat was trapped on a big tree in a cemetery not far from the old woman's house. It took Ni Kun only a dozen minutes to find it.
Ni Kun helped the old woman find the kitten, and at her request, did some chores like chopping wood and fetching water. Not only was he paid, he also got a hint about the next serial task from the old woman, which asked him to go to the east of the city to find a tailor.
As for the reward, it was a brass ring.
[Civet Cat Ring: Can slightly increase a person's agility, making them as agile as a cat.]
It is simply unreasonable that you can get an extraordinary equipment by doing such a small thing.
However, this is how the dungeon mission is, no matter whether it is reasonable or not, it is set up this way.
After all, the copies here are not the complete reincarnation worlds outside, but just small fragments, with very limited characters, events, time and regions.
So no matter how unreasonable it is, it is only natural.
After receiving the prompt for the next task, Ni Kun was not in a hurry to complete the task. He first returned to the battlefield to participate in defending the city.
It was not until dark when he returned to the barracks that Ni Kun told everyone about his gains today:
"I may have some clues about the 'door'."
Qiao Feng was startled, then showed ecstasy: "What? You found the clue to the door?"
After five reincarnations, his companions were killed time and time again. Qiao Feng wanted to leave this damn world more than anyone else, so he was naturally ecstatic at this moment.
Zhang Wuji and his two companions had just arrived and had been earning a lot of merit in the past two days. They had not yet truly realized the bloody and cruel nature of this copy, so when they heard the news, although they smiled, they were not as overjoyed as Qiao Feng.
"We only have some clues, but we can't guarantee that we can find the door."
Ni Kun was afraid that if he failed to find the door, Qiao Feng would be greatly disappointed and his mentality would be seriously dampened, so he did not say too much, "I will continue to look for it tomorrow and try to find clues as soon as possible."
Qiao Feng rubbed his hands together and paced back and forth, his entire body trembling with excitement:
"Brother Ni, let us help you tomorrow! One more person means one more chance of finding clues!"
"No need." Ni Kun shook his head and smiled.
"I can do it alone. Xiao Zhang, Xiao Di, and Yin Li still have to go to the city to fight and gain merit. Brother Qiao, you have to take care of them. After all, my clues may not be true. I don't know when we can find the 'door' to leave this place. I'm afraid that a bloody battle is still unavoidable. They have to take advantage of the relative safety of these few days to become as strong as possible."
Qiao Feng took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and said in a deep voice:
"We will definitely find clues and find that door! I'll leave this matter to you, Brother Ni. I will take good care of Xiao Zhang and the others."
Yin Li asked curiously, "Mr. Ni, how did you find the clue?"
Ni Kun asked, "Do you remember the old lady who was looking for a cat this morning?"
He briefly recounted the process of the mission and showed the "Civet Cat Ring".
After listening to Ni Kun's story, Zhang Wuji and others were stunned. They didn't expect that just by finding a cat, chopping some wood and fetching some water, they could earn such a practical ring, and they also vaguely saw a glimmer of hope of finding the "door".
Qiao Feng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly he yelled and punched himself on the head in annoyance:
"In the previous five reincarnations, I encountered the old woman looking for a cat every time, and this time is no exception. But why am I so stupid and ignorant? I didn't expect that this seemingly insignificant matter might actually contain clues to the door?"
Seeing that his eyes were red with anger and he was banging his head, Ni Kun knew that he was probably blaming himself for the missed clues. He probably thought that his companions died because of this and that the blame was on him. He quickly comforted him:
"Brother Qiao, you don't have to be like this. You are not the only one who doesn't realize this. Didn't your previous companions also miss it? Things have their priorities. Brother Qiao, you are right to think that defending the city is more important than finding the cat."
Qiao Feng's eyes turned red as he stared at Ni Kun:
"But... except for the first reincarnation, in the four reincarnations since then, including this time, when I met the old woman on the road, I was the one who refused...
"The reason is that we must seize the opportunity and gain more merits while the war is still early and not too intense. There is no point in wasting time looking for a cat...
"The other companions all believed what I said and did not help the old woman find the cat. Only you, Brother Ni, this time...I misled them and killed them!"
Ni Kun said seriously:
"No, this matter really cannot be blamed on Brother Qiao. Defending the city is important. Once the city is breached, everyone will be slaughtered. Brother Qiao tried every possible way to defeat the orc army and save more people. This is people-oriented and people-oriented. There is nothing wrong with that."
Qiao Feng almost cried out of self-blame: "But..."
Ni Kun said, "Brother Qiao, believe me, your former companions will not blame you. Because they would not have thought that there would be any clues in the matter of finding the cat. Only I, with my eccentric mind, could accidentally discover a clue."
Zhang Wuji, Di Yun, and Yin Li all advised:
"Yes, Brother Qiao, we heard before that the old woman was just looking for a cat, and we didn't take it seriously at all."
"Brother Qiao, don't blame yourself. When the enemy is attacking the city, who would waste time on a cat? Of course, people and the city are more important."
"Brother Qiao, even if you don't refuse, after we find out that the old woman's 'little baby' is just a cat, we will never delay going to the city to fight and gain merit for a cat. We will still refuse the old woman..."
After a lot of consolation from several people, Qiao Feng was finally able to calm down and no longer blame himself like before.
However, Qiao Feng's personality is that he likes to take on things by himself. Looking at his appearance, it will take someone an unknown amount of time for him to completely unload the burden in his heart and recover.
"Brother Qiao, you need to cheer up." Ni Kun said in a deep voice: "Xiao Zhang and the others still need your care. You have lost so many companions, and you can't let any new companions die. You have to cheer up and take good care of them!"
After hearing what he said, Qiao Feng managed to cheer himself up, biting his cheek and nodding vigorously:
"That's right, we can't let any more of our companions die! Don't worry, Brother Ni, I will cheer up!"
The next morning, although Qiao Feng's eyes were bloodshot and his face looked a little haggard, his spirit had indeed recovered. He strode forward with Zhang Wuji, Di Yun and Yin Li to defend the city.
Ni Kun continued to complete the task and found the tailor mentioned by the old woman. At his request, he went to the battlefield to cut off five orc ears and brought them back. He also obtained a piece of extraordinary equipment and the next step of the task.
[Stamina Wristguard: It can reduce the stamina consumption during combat and skill activation to a certain extent, and slowly and continuously restore stamina, increasing combat endurance by 25%. ]
In this way, Ni Kun completed the tasks one by one.
Sometimes it is a combat mission that requires killing orcs and bringing back small parts of their bodies as proof, sometimes it is just a more complicated mission of delivering letters or finding objects, or even a task of helping to build city defense equipment.
After more than 20 days of hard work, Ni Kun had already put together a collection of exquisite items:
The [Civet Ring] that increases agility, the [Stamina Wristguard] that improves combat endurance, the [Giant Belt] that increases strength, the [Holy Light Staff] that can activate "Heal Minor Injuries" three times a day, the [Storm Axe] that can activate "Hurricane Slash" once a day, the [Silver Scale Breastplate] that can activate "Deflected Shield" for three minutes once a day...
The killing mission also allowed him to accumulate a lot of merit, which he exchanged for a bottle of permanent primary agility potion and a bottle of primary constitution potion, which he added to the exchange list of the reincarnation watch.
It also redeemed a permanent skill worth 400 merit points: Battle Cry.
With a roar, all the orcs within a 120-degree range and a distance of five meters in front of him would be shocked into idiots ready to be slaughtered. The orcs outside this range would also be greatly frightened and become slow and clumsy.
Although it is powerful, it consumes a lot of physical energy.
In Ni Kun's current state, he can only roar twice in a row with full strength, and then his strength will be almost half consumed and he can't roar anymore.
If you roar again, you will consume too much energy and it will be very dangerous.
Not only did he gain a lot, but he also came into contact with higher and higher levels. Finally, he got the clue of the "gate" from the commander of the defending army.
"I heard that you have helped many people in the city recently? General Charles said that you are an enthusiastic and brave young man. Not only are you willing to help others, but you are also brave in battle and have killed many orcs...
“I have a difficult task for you: the enemy outnumbers us, and if we cannot achieve a surprise victory, the fall of the castle is only a matter of time.
"We are determined to hold on to the end and fight to the death. But as a general, I cannot let so many brave young men and innocent civilians die in vain. No matter what, I must find a way to save them.
"I got a message from the villagers who fled. There is an abandoned mine in the Black Forest ten miles outside the city. It is said that there is a 'portal' hidden deep in the mine. I hope you can break out, find the 'portal', and use it to leave, find reinforcements, and bring them back to rescue us.
"Of course, this mission is very dangerous. Not only is the city surrounded by a large army of orcs, but the Black Forest is also occupied by orcs. Every day, thousands of orcs gather food in the Black Forest, cut wood, and make siege equipment. As for the mine, it was also abandoned because of the appearance of dark monsters.
"The mission is so dangerous that you may risk your life, and it may not be successful. If you don't want to, you can refuse."
Ni Kun smiled:
"No, General, I am willing to accept this mission. May I ask where the mine is located?"
…
After accepting the task, Ni Kun immediately went to the city wall and found Qiao Feng, Zhang Wuji and others in a soldier hiding cave under the city.
"What? There's a 'portal' in that Black Forest?"
After listening to Ni Kun's introduction, Qiao Feng was stunned:
"In my last reincarnation, I also persuaded the garrison commander to organize dozens of elite troops and lead a team to break out and seek help. Why didn't he tell me about the portal to the abandoned mine?"
That’s because Boss Qiao, you haven’t completed the serial tasks!
Ni Kun thought to himself.
This is just a small "copy", not the complete reincarnation world outside.
The characters in the copy cannot act completely independently like the people in the complete reincarnation world.
Certain key events will inevitably be affected by this "cube cycle" and follow established rules.
Therefore, if you don't finish the chain of quests and the prerequisite tasks one by one, even if you find the commander of the defending army and persuade him to send people to break out and look for reinforcements, he will not tell you the secret of the abandoned mine portal in the Black Forest.
By the way, if Ni Kun used his invincibility to kill the orc army directly, he probably wouldn't be able to leave this dungeon.
All the orcs are dead, so there is no need for reinforcements.
Naturally, there was no need for the commander to reveal the secret of the "portal".
Then when the forty-five days are up and the copy is refreshed, you have to start all over again.
Therefore, this copy was not cracked purely by brute force.
Although I found a possibility to leave.
But Ni Kun still felt that the design of this cube space was not very reasonable and some of the rules were too strict.
For example, the rest time is short, the tasks are unclear, the dungeon is too difficult and the restrictions are too strict, etc.
Moreover, the reincarnations in the "Cube Reincarnation" do not have convenient functions such as reincarnation watches and exchange lists. It is also relatively difficult for reincarnations to grow up.
"So this kind of reincarnation space will definitely be eliminated by the large reincarnation space. Hiss... Could this small cube reincarnation be a practice work before the 'Lord' designs a large reincarnation world? The prototype of the reincarnation world?"
Ni Kun didn't know whether his speculation was true, but it felt like it was true.
Otherwise, how could the rules of this cubic small cycle be so powerful that they could even suppress his strength?
Otherwise, why can't even the guardian who falls in here leave, and the guardian temple cannot take him away?
The fact that Ni Kun's "Reincarnation Watch" can come and go freely actually confirms his guess to some extent.
…
"Anyway, that portal should be the key to our departure."
Ni Kun withdrew his thoughts and continued talking about the "portal", but did not explain the principle in detail.
All he told was that Qiao Feng and his friends were to complete many tasks, get the approval of many people in the city, and meet the commander-in-chief of the garrison under the recommendation of a certain general. Only in this way could they gain the commander-in-chief's true trust and learn the secret of the portal.
He also emphasized that if he encountered a similar world in the future, he must not ignore the requests for help from some seemingly insignificant passers-by.
Because key clues may be hidden in the requests for help from some passers-by.
After hearing Ni Kun's advice, Qiao Feng, Zhang Wuji and others nodded repeatedly and kept it in mind.
In this way, even if Ni Kun separated from them, when they encountered similar situations again, they would know how to accept tasks and complete tasks to obtain clues.
He would not be trapped in a copy like Qiao Feng and go through five reincarnations.
"So our next step is to break out of the city and head to the abandoned mine in the Black Forest to look for the portal?"
Zhang Wuji asked.
"That's right. Next, we have to break out of the city." Ni Kun said: "Of course, the mission time limit is not tight. We still have a few days to prepare. We can accumulate more merits and continue to strengthen ourselves."
Seeing that Qiao Feng had escaped from hope, he was greatly encouraged and said loudly with shining eyes:
"Okay, let's do this. We will defend the city for a few more days, accumulate some merits, carry out the final round of reinforcements, and then break out of the city to find the portal and bring back reinforcements. Together, we will kill all the orcs without a single piece of armor left!"
Although Qiao Feng has always emphasized that he and other outsiders are not the same kind of people as the defenders who can die and resurrect repeatedly, constantly reincarnate, and lose the memories of the previous round after rebirth, so he should not make friends with the defenders to avoid wasting his feelings.
But after all, he had fought five bloody battles in this city, and had already forged a deep comradeship with those defenders who were not of the same kind as him.
Therefore, he sincerely hoped to bring back reinforcements and save the city.
However, Ni Kun was not optimistic about Qiao Feng's vision.
"That portal is probably the 'door' that leads us directly out of this instance. Once we pass through the portal, we should have passed through the instance. And this instance will be refreshed, waiting for new trial participants..."
Ni Kun thought about it silently in his heart, but did not say it out loud in order not to upset Qiao Feng.
…
Seven days later.
The thirtieth day of the orcs' siege.
Next to the city gate, in the cave where soldiers are hidden.
Ni Kun, Qiao Feng, Zhang Wuji, Di Yun, and Yin Li each checked their equipment.
"Are you all ready?"
“Ready!”
"Then... follow the team that is heading out of the city to counterattack, launch a counterattack first, and then break through and head to the Black Forest!"
…
roar!
Qiao Feng took the lead and let out a "war roar". Under the violent sound waves, a fierce orc general in front of him who was three times more muscular than Qiao Feng, as well as several ordinary orcs, were all stunned as if they were hit by a spell.
The group of orcs behind them also stumbled backwards, each becoming slow and clumsy.
Qiao Feng took advantage of the situation and slashed with his sword, cutting off the throat of the tall orc, and then struck with his shield, blasting the temple of another orc.
Ni Kun took a step forward, raised his axe and chopped off the skull of an orc. Di Yun fired three arrows in a row, shooting down three orcs. Zhang Wuji and Yin Li also swung their swords and chopped down one head each.
The five-man team had now separated from the defending commandos who were heading out of the city to counterattack.
After assisting the counterattack team in defeating a group of orcs and burning several ladders, catapults, and arrow towers, the five-man team took advantage of the chaos when the orcs were chasing the counterattack team and rescuing the siege equipment, and rushed towards the Black Forest.
Although there were many powerful orcs who led ordinary orcs to intercept them along the way, they were only small groups and were not large enough to stop the five people's rapid advance.
Especially with the berserker Qiao Feng at the head, the five-man team charged forward with unstoppable force.
After defeating more than a dozen interception teams in succession, the orcs simply didn't bother to pay attention to them - there were only five of them, and they were very difficult to deal with, mobile and fast. If they wanted to surround and kill them, they would have to mobilize at least several thousand-man teams to surround and intercept them.
This is really too troublesome. There are only five of us, so let’s just run away.
So the orc army did nothing and watched Ni Kun and his party break through the encirclement and rush into the Black Forest.
Of course, entering the Black Forest is not absolutely safe.
In the Black Forest, there are thousands of orcs every day, collecting food and cutting wood, and groups of orcs can be encountered everywhere.
Fortunately, Ni Kun and his team were well prepared. They all had good equipment and had undergone at least one comprehensive enhancement of their strength, agility and physical fitness. They also had plenty of consumable potions to replenish their physical strength. As long as they were not surrounded by a large army, a small group of orcs of only a dozen or dozens of people would be nothing more than a serving of food to them.
boom!
Ni Kun made a "brutal charge" and instantly rushed ten meters, knocking away more than a dozen orcs along the way.
Qiao Feng followed closely, put up a steel shield, and also launched a "brutal charge". With one attack, he knocked away more than a dozen orcs, and all of them were broken bones and tendons.
Zhang Wuji, Di Yun and Yin Li followed quickly and with one charge, they knocked down the remaining orcs.
After killing this group of orcs, the five people's destination, the abandoned mine, was right in front of them.
…
There are indeed many dark monsters in the mine, such as skeletons, zombies, etc., which are slightly stronger than orcs.
But the five-man team is well-equipped, powerful, and well-supplied. They also have the two big bosses Ni Kun and Qiao Feng. Even the weakest Zhang Wuji, Di Yun, and Yin Li have experienced the bloody battles in defending the city, and their strength has improved by leaps and bounds. Their killing methods are skillful and exquisite. The mere dark monsters really can't do anything to them.
I cleared the monsters in the mine along the way. I took the wrong turn several times and ended up in a dead end, but it didn't matter. I could just go back and find the way again.
In this way, the five people spent most of the day and finally reached the end of the mine tunnel. In a large mine cave, they saw a manhole-cover-shaped metal door.
Seeing the familiar metal door, Zhang Wuji, Di Yun and Yin Li all became excited.
"It's a door!" Zhang Wuji said excitedly, "So this is the exit! What we are looking for is not a portal, but a door to leave here! Great, we can finally leave here!"
Di Yun and Yin Li also cheered.
Ni Kun had expected this and just smiled without saying anything.
Only Qiao Feng looked a little dazed, muttering:
"It's not a portal? Then what about the reinforcements? What about the city?"
He was a man of blood after all, and in five... or six reincarnations including this one, he had forged a deep friendship with the defenders.
Even though the defenders in the city had no memory of fighting alongside him in the previous five reincarnations, in his heart, Qiao Feng still regarded them as brothers in arms.
Now, he was asked to abandon his fellow brothers and leave...
Wouldn't that be deserting the battlefield?
Seeing Qiao Feng gritting his teeth and looking dazed, Ni Kun sighed and patted Qiao Feng's shoulder gently:
"Brother Qiao, I know what you are thinking. But... this is Shura Hell. Whether you are the defenders or the orcs, they are all just Shuras in Shura Hell. They will be reincarnated endlessly in this 45-day bloody battle...
"Whether you can bring reinforcements and defeat the orc army or not, once forty-five days are up... everything will start all over again."
Qiao Feng's eyes turned red as he looked at Ni Kun:
"But... why is it like this? Why is there such a hell? Are they really destined to stay like this forever, with no hope of liberation? Rather than this, I would rather they die heroically in battle and rest in peace forever!"
Ni Kun sighed and said:
"I don't know why this happened, and I don't know how to change it. After all, we are just outsiders. All we can do is try to find a way out and leave this damn maze world completely."
Qiao Feng took a deep breath, his broad chest rising and falling rapidly. He clenched the knife handle tightly, loosened it, and clenched it again...
He really wanted to swing his knife and chop something, but he didn't know where to chop.
After a long while, he raised his rough, unshaven face and uttered a long howl:
"Why? Why is there such a hell where there is no escape?
"Linghu Chong, Mao Shiba, Duan Yu, Li Wenxiu, Alice... so many of my companions died here, so many of my comrades-in-arms are reincarnated forever, the bloody battle never stops... why is there such a hell?
"Even if they can't live... at least, they should rest in peace!"
Qiao Feng roared towards the sky, his voice sounding like crying blood.
Zhang Wuji, Di Yun, and Yin Li were stunned and could not empathize with Qiao Feng's emotions.
Even Ni Kun could not understand Qiao Feng's feelings at this moment.
This was only their first reincarnation, and they had not yet experienced the most brutal and bloody final battle. They had not yet seen their companions who had once fought side by side die tragically under the knives of the orcs.
The battlefield is the best place to forge an unbreakable bond of friendship between men.
One battle, one hour, one minute, is enough to turn two men who were originally strangers into brothers who can be trusted with life and death as they fight side by side.
And how many bloody battles did Qiao Feng experience in his previous five reincarnations?
How many times had he and the men guarding the city supported each other?
Why did Qiao Feng advise Zhang Wuji and others not to make close friends with the defending soldiers? Because he knew best that once they really fell in love, when it came to the cruelest decisive battle, they would watch their comrades die tragically but be powerless to do anything. Even if they knew that they could be reborn in the next reincarnation, the pain in their hearts would not be reduced at all.
He said that he was tired and numb, but when he saw that his companions, with whom he had been through life and death together, had forgotten their past memories after being reborn, and regarded him as a stranger, and then died in the next battle, he had no idea how much pain was already buried in Qiao Feng's heart.
Ni Kun could not empathize with these emotions , but he could understand them.
Because he knew very well that Qiao Feng was the kind of man who was passionate, ambitious, and willing to keep his promises even if it meant his life.
Just as Qiao Feng roared like crying blood.
The entire mine suddenly began to tremble for no apparent reason.
A strange golden light gradually bloomed from Qiao Feng's body, forming some kind of mysterious resonance with the vibration of the mine.
The golden light became increasingly intense. Zhang Wuji, Di Yun and Yin Li could not help but raise their hands to block the light. Ni Kun also narrowed his eyes, secretly surprised.
When the "resonance" of the golden light and the tremors of the mine reaches a certain limit.
A rainbow bridge of light suddenly broke through the top of the cave, descended from the sky, and covered Qiao Feng's head.
Soon, the rainbow bridge disappeared, Qiao Feng disappeared, and the mine returned to peace.
"What's going on? Where is Brother Qiao?"
Zhang Wuji was stunned.
Di Yun and Yin Li were also confused.
Only Ni Kun had an idea in his mind and activated the reincarnation watch. He instantly left this space, returned to the Tang Dynasty world, and looked up at the night sky.
The moment he returned, his strength was instantly restored. His powerful soul enabled his eyes to penetrate the night sky and see many constellations that were invisible to ordinary people.
In his special vision.
Above the nine heavens, a golden star slowly rose up, and more illusory golden stars guarded around the golden star, forming a picture of...
Cancer horoscope!
Afterwards, all the illusory stars merged into the golden star, making the golden star even brighter, like a huge star.
"Ah, I was promoted to a guardian. The strong desire to let the souls of my comrades rest in peace and free them from the 'Shura Hell' actually broke through the world barrier of the cubic cycle and resonated with the guardian temple?
“Or maybe… the small cube-shaped reincarnation is really the prototype of the reincarnation world. After sensing his will, it also wants to let him go?
"Then why is Capricorn King Dumb trapped?"
Ni Kun stroked his chin, feeling genuinely happy for Qiao Feng but also confused.
But after just observing the stars for a while, Ni Kun activated the reincarnation watch and returned to the cube space.
Then he said to Zhang Wuji and the other two who had no idea that he had "returned home" once:
"I'm going to go out for a while. You guys just wait here for me and don't move around."
After saying that, he ignored the three people's questions, quickly left the mine, returned to the ground, activated the "Akalin Technique", transformed himself into a passerby with no sense of existence, and entered the castle openly.
The castle had fallen.
Some orcs were cheering on the top of the city wall, and more orcs were rushing into the city.
But there was already deathly silence in the castle.
Inside and outside the castle, on top of the city walls and below, all humans, both military and civilian, had lost their breath, their expressions peaceful, as if they were in deep sleep...