Gamers of the Underworld (Web Novel)

[Mission Title: Steady Yourself

Mission Description: For the citizens of Eternal Kingdom, you came to the strange Winterfell and must steady yourself. Besides obtaining a legal identity, you have to find a place to stay.

Mission Objective: Using the lowest amount of money, rent a Business Office.

Mission Reward: You will receive the subsequent missions.

Mission Tips: Take a look at the old district. The buildings were heavily damaged, so the prices won’t be too high.]

Marco Polo examined his mission carefully. He was supposed to rent a shop.

But how much did he earn for half a month’s work?

Ten Magic Stones!

As a Gnome who wasn’t well-trained, he only obtained ten Magic Stones for half a month of work.

How could he rent a shop with ten Magic Stones?

He didn’t know, so he had to go to the old district and take a look.

Marco Polo thought that if there was a will, there had to be a way. He walked in the direction of the old district.

…

The old district in Winterfell was severely damaged in the war against the Ancient Gods. It had more damage than the Dungeon Core Main Hall that was bombarded by the Magic Cannons.

The main reason was that Lord Sherlock and Octopus Ball had fought viciously in this area. They caused the district to be in ruins.

The old district was infested by many problems like gang activities, poor security, and the congregation of slums. Most importantly, it was filled with terrifying sins. There were creatures who loved learning, and learning materials were secretly circulated. The kids were fond of studying and practicing questions.

Even the Garrison Guards made a detour around the old district during their patrols.

That was the reason why Octopus Ball located his secret Ancient Gods’ stronghold in the old district.

After being damaged by Sherlock during the war, the problems in the old district became worse.

Marco Polo asked for directions and arrived at the old district. He was shocked by the appearance of the old district that looked like a chaotic refugee camp.

When Marco Polo stared into the faces of poverty, they stared back at him.

In the midst of the dilapidated houses and ruins, pairs of poverty-stricken eyes gazed at Marco Polo and the green words above his head.

When Marco Polo was thinking of where to rent a building, he saw a barefoot Gnome approaching. The little Gnome had a clay lollipop in his mouth.

It was clay compressed in the shape of a round biscuit before being barbecued. Then, a bone was used as a stick for the clay lollipop.

“What a cute and pure little kid.”

Marco Polo squatted down and pinched the face of the little Gnome, but the little Gnome spat saliva on Marco Polo’s face and scolded with his kiddish voice, saying, “D*mn, who are you scolding?”

“Ah?”

Marco Polo was furious. As an invincible gamer, why was he spat on and scolded by an NPC?

Marco Polo grasped his sword handle, but before he could unsheathe his sword, a group of poverty-stricken inhabitants surrounded him.

An elderly Gnome walked out from the crowd and caressed the little Gnome’s head. He enjoyed it and caressed again.

“Ah…” The elderly Gnome exhaled as though he was deflating a balloon.

“Actually, I’m renting a shop. Are any of your houses for rent?”

Marco Polo was befuddled by his predicament, but he asked this anxiously.

“Ah…”

The elderly Gnome made the deflating sound again and said, “Where did you come from, foreigner? Why did you come to our territory?”

“I’m a citizen of Eternal Kingdom. I’m here to complete Lord Sherlock’s mission. I have to rent a shop in the old district.”

Marco Polo looked warily at his surroundings while he answered the elderly Gnome. At this point in time, he didn’t know what to say to extricate himself.

“Ah…” The Elderly Gnome made deflating sounds and said, “Your Lord Sherlock destroyed our homeland.”

“No, listen to my explanation. We were saving Winterfell. We only bombarded the Dungeon Core Main Hall. The old district houses were damaged by Sherlie, I mean Lord Sherlock, when he tried to save all of you. If we hadn’t saved Winterfell, you would still be controlled by the Ancient Gods.”

Marco Polo was confident when he heard the elderly Gnome’s questions. He thought it must have been an arranged Plot. All he had to do was brag about Sherlie and the gamers’ contributions. Then, the inhabitants of the slums would be grateful to him and treat him like a hero. They would provide the best clay, the sweetest wine, and the wildest… Beetlemon!

Marco Polo was visualizing his treatment as a hero.

But Marco Polo felt someone placing a rope around his neck, and the elderly Gnome said with a deflating voice, “Ah… kill him.”

He felt the rope tighten around his neck, and he could hardly breathe. He struggled and wanted to reach for the Short Sword at his waist, but the inhabitants of the slums immediately tied his hands.

When his awareness was about to be extinguished due to breathlessness, in his daze, he heard the little Gnome say happily, “I want to hang this arrogant creature on the trigonometric tree!”

A creature by the side said, “You don’t even know the induction formula, how are you going to hang him?”

Marco Polo didn’t understand the meaning of the words. Perhaps they were Mission Tips? Marco Polo used all his effort to shout in his feeble voice, “When a function is odd, it changes while the sign depends on the quadrant!”

After that, he lost his awareness and fell unconscious…

…

“D*mn!”

In the city Hefei of Anhui province, a gamer was cursing in a bachelor’s condominium. He got up from his gaming capsule and took out his phone as he walked to the bathroom.

“Hey, fellow! My account has been frozen. The system notice said I fainted and that my account is frozen. I can only access the game after ten hours.

“My account is frozen for ten hours? This mission is really difficult. What did I say wrong? I’m their benefactor, and yet they killed me. Perhaps the slum area is a stronghold of the Ancient Gods? That’s possible.

“Forget it, I’m not lodging any complaints. The official website doesn’t have a feedback interface. 12315? Forget it. What if they disqualify me after I complain? What should I do? I’ll just study and learn for the ten hours. The slum inhabitants are passionate about learning. Let me memorize more formulas. Perhaps I can then have a common topic with them.

“Positive energy? Of course it’s positive energy. Otherwise, how did the game pass the censorship checks? I suspect that it’s a game for learning. And the game is fabulous. I’m hanging up and going to study.”

The youth hung up his phone. Then there were sounds of bathing coming from the bathroom.

…

No matter whether Marco Polo was in the game or in the otherworld, he worked very hard to ensure he could complete his mission. Sherlock was just sending off Lilo, who came to observe Eternal Kingdom.

“Are you sure those Goblins, Gnomes, and Houndhead Men are able to defeat all enemies and occupy the Heavenly Kingdom?” Lilo asked with a lot of doubts.

“Not only them, there’s also a Black Dragon.”

Eggface braced his chest and howled viciously.

“I’m also thinking about this problem.” Lilo turned around and gazed at Sherlock as she said, “After eliminating the possibility of you deceiving me, I feel that perhaps your plan might be feasible, so…”

“Are you investing tens of millions of Magic Stones?” Sherlock’s eyes lit up.

“So we’ll begin the counterattack on the Heavenly Kingdom! We’ll start with the invasion of the Underworld!”

Lilo took out a copy of the “Plan of Counterattacking the Heavenly Kingdom”.