"No need to rush, I still haven’t grasped the combat level of this Bald, and it’s safer to bring someone experienced in actual combat," Number 0 had made a comparison too.
In a month, if she wanted to successfully win a spot in the Personal Guard, she must possess strong combat abilities. The principle of adjusting military ranks is that each player gets one opportunity to adjust during Military Road Time. She doesn’t intend to waste this opportunity so soon.
Upon reaching school level, Number 0 could very well use the opportunity to adjust back to Sergeant Level. Her skills wouldn’t decrease, but the requirements for military merit would be lowered. Then she could easily masquerade as a Sergeant and dominate those school level players, playing the pig to eat the tiger.
After hearing Number 0’s plan, clearly calculated to the last detail, Little Eight could only say one thing: (Number 0 is extremely cunning, a person who must have her revenge.)
"I’ve made my choice, you can pick the remaining one," Yijie selected a task to eradicate bandits in the outskirts of Babylon City. They still had two days left, enough time to complete two tasks with ease.
Number 0 glanced at the task column and suddenly noticed that, besides papyrus and Beast Skin Paper, there was another kind of Task Paper made of a different material. It looked neither like cloth nor paper, and its color was almost the same as the task column’s wooden background. If not examined closely, it was essentially indistinguishable.
Those who play "Military Road" are all rough men, and since the public test, not a single person had noticed this kind of Task Paper on the task column.
Number 0 pulled down that piece of Task Paper and found that the writing on it was already quite blurred.
"Collect dinosaur grass." The task paper did not specify a deadline, nor did it specify any military merit reward. This task seemed incomplete.
"Choose another one, I’ve never heard of such a thing," Yijie had never heard of dinosaur grass, a type of herb. The naming of herbs in "Military Road" still follows the regular rules of herbology.
"Are you sure you want to take on this pending task?" The half-masked woman also saw Number 0’s action. If it was an ordinary task, she wouldn’t have come over to ask proactively. The Task Paper that Number 0 unintentionally tore down was called a pending task.
The publisher of a pending task is usually anonymous. Upon task completion, the client determines the military merit reward based on the player’s level of completion. The chances of the player receiving a high reward for their troubles were equal.
The difficulty of a pending task could be high or low, just like the task in Number 0’s hands, which at the beginning was written on papyrus. Tasks related to collection and gathering were usually Primary Tasks.
After consecutive players failed to find dinosaur grass, it was rewritten on Beast Skin Paper, which meant it became an Intermediate Task. After a while, several intermediate-level players complained that dinosaur grass didn’t exist at all in the world, and the "military station" adjusted it to a "pending task."
"Whether dinosaur grass itself exists is the key to this task," explained the half-masked woman, fulfilling her duty as the person in charge of the military station.
"I’ll take this task," Number 0 mimicked the action of the player she had seen for the first time, throwing the paper onto the counter.
Seeing that persuasion was ineffective, the half-masked woman no longer offered any explanations.
"Since the task itself is pending, does this mean that the deadline and penalty are both invalid?" Yijie was more aware of the penalties for failing a task than Number 0. People who took on tasks from the military station and did not complete them on time were either fined with an equivalent amount of military coins or their military merit was halved.
"Yes, pending tasks do not have a clear punishment method," said the half-masked woman. Pending tasks were a very peculiar existence in all "military stations." The people in charge of the military stations subtly referred to pending tasks as "embarrassing tasks."
The fundamental existence of the "military station" relied on reputation, and it catered to a wide range of subjects, including civilians, soldiers, government, merchants, and officials. Each task, before being accepted by the military station, exists with the premise that it must be completed.
"Pending tasks" are tasks that have been undertaken but cannot be completed, and cannot be canceled, so every "military station" would post them in the least conspicuous place on the bulletin board to deal with them coldly.
After Number 0 and Yijie had signed their names on their respective Task Papers, their task booklets were filled with: "Eradicate suburban bandits and search for dinosaur grass."
"The task formalities have been completed, and as usual, before you start each task, I need to recite the task acceptance rules. Each task, after being accepted, remains in a public state, meaning the tasks you face may also be handled by other players. The first to complete 100% of the task receives a military merit or military coin reward," the half-masked woman read out, something Yijie had heard several times, but it was the first time for Number 0 to hear.
After accepting the task, you still have to guard against someone else completing it first? For the competitive mechanics ever-present in "Military Road," Number 0 was getting a taste of the experience.
"May you complete your tasks smoothly," said the half-masked woman, who seemed to be in good spirits, even offering them well-wishes before the two left.
Yijie, striding forward, slowed down his pace, "There’s no map of the outskirts."
The blue maps that players carried with them in their military packs covered only the main areas, while the outskirts belonged to the yellow zones. The specific methods for navigation had to be explored and recorded by the players themselves.
"Keep up," Number 0 cheerfully chirped two words. (To be continued. If you like this book, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation vote, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)