Ch. 17 - Assignment of Tasks

Sensing the rising tension in the air, Wang Guangfei discreetly tugged at Yoyo's sleeve before she could make an even greater mistake.

He leaned in and whispered, "Stop talking for now. Your charm item may not work on the bosses of Tower dungeons."

"Hah, what a delightful group of players we have here," the Red-Eyed Rabbit remarked, its expression stiff.

Its paw gripped the cane tightly as if the act of clenching it was the only thing keeping the creature from smashing the players flat on the spot.

A wave of oppressive energy radiated from the rabbit, rolling over the players like an invisible storm.

Even the tomatoes nearest the path seemed to sense the danger. The peculiar faces on their surfaces twisted into exaggerated frowns, their features crumpling as though they were on the verge of bursting into wails.

Yikes—what a delightful disaster of a scene.

Noticing its beloved little tomatoes in visible discomfort, Red Eye reluctantly reined in the menacing aura.

The change in Red Eye's tone didn't escape notice, and the couple finally abandoned their attempts at conversation, falling mercifully silent.

…

After the brief hiccup earlier, the Red-Eyed Rabbit resumed leading the players through the farm.

The tour included a reeking cattle pen, a coop filled with man-sized hens sporting hooked beaks and razor-sharp talons, and an eerily empty sheep pen where hay and raw meat were inexplicably mixed in the feeding trough.

The real spectacle, however, was the single black sheep within the pen. It seemed possessed, repeatedly lunging at the Red-Eyed Rabbit with bared teeth.

"You insufferable beast! Can't you give it a rest and behave for one day?" the rabbit snarled, ears flattening in irritation.

The absurdity of a rabbit calling a sheep a "beast" wasn't lost on anyone, but the players were too distracted to laugh.

Their eyes were glued to the mysterious chunks of flesh in the feeding troughs, trying to figure out what kind of meat it was.

The Red-Eyed Rabbit's fluffy face split into a smug grin as it basked in the players' horrified expressions. But the grin quickly froze as the rabbit's gaze shifted.

"Not you damned rats again! Get away from my tomatoes!"

Everyone turned to see two rodents, each the size of a cat, casually strutting across the dirt path.

Unbothered by the crowd, they sauntered into the storage shed and began rummaging through the supplies.

Within moments, two massive eggs and shiny, freshly picked tomatoes disappeared into their jaws.

Unlike the other animals on the farm, the rats had health bars floating above their heads, marking them as hostile NPCs.

[Steel-Toothed Rat: Common pests across the Heavenly Tower, known for boldly raiding homes in search of food.]

As the rats devoured the tomatoes, the Red-Eyed Rabbit's eyes burned with fury—though, technically, they were already red.

It stomped its feet in rage, looking as if it were moments away from exploding.

From its earlier display of power, it was clear the rabbit could obliterate the intruders instantly. However, constrained by the dungeon's rules, it was powerless to attack the rats directly.

The players, protected by the game's mechanics, were in a similar situation: until they made a mistake, the rabbit couldn't harm them either.

Here, the rabbit wasn't a fearsome boss but a mere "farm owner." And what could a humble farmer do about a rat infestation? Naturally, the task would fall to the players.

The Red-Eyed Rabbit jabbed its cane at Zuo Chengan, barking, "Your job is to kill the rats on this farm. By nightfall, I want to see 1,000—no, 100—dead rats!"

[Dungeon Task Updated]

[Hidden Task Unlocked: Eliminate Steel-Toothed Rats (0/100)]

[Task Duration: 1 Day]

[Friendly Reminder: Uncle Red-Eye is very kind but despises slackers. Complete the task before the dungeon ends!]

[P.S.: Completing a hidden task significantly increases your final score.]

Zuo Chengan quickly pieced it together. His earlier flattery must have drawn the rabbit's attention, and with the appearance of the rats, the rabbit had conveniently assigned him this pest-control task.

Interestingly, the rabbit had initially tried to demand 1,000 dead rats but seemed to be overruled by the game's logic.

The system had likely determined that such a goal was impossible to achieve and adjusted the number.

So, the game won't assign players completely unattainable tasks. Good to know.

Still, if pest control was a hidden quest, what was the original task meant for him? Shearing sheep? Cleaning barns? Milking cows?

While Zuo Chengan examined his updated quest log, the other players were blissfully unaware of the hidden bonus.

They assumed he had irritated the rabbit with his flattery and were secretly mocking him. Their amusement, however, was short-lived.

Spotting the rats had soured the Red-Eyed Rabbit's mood, and it abandoned the tour halfway through, barking out more assignments.

Its tone turned gleeful, as though it had thought of a particularly entertaining way to torment them.

Pointing its cane at the couple, it ordered, "There are 21 sheep on this farm. Before nightfall, I want every last one herded back into the pen!"

Then, turning to Yoyo, it added, "And you—your job is to pick tomatoes. They must be pristine and unspoiled because they'll be made into sauce. Fill the storage to the brim!"

Next, its gaze fell on the twin sisters, Fu You and Fu Yu.

With a mischievous grin, it declared, "You'll gather eggs from the chicken coop—don't miss a single one. And you'll clean the cow pen. I don't want to see a speck of dirt left behind!"

With assignments doled out, the rabbit's face stretched into an exaggerated smile.

Its voice dripped with mock sweetness as it delivered one final reminder, "My dear players, Uncle Red-Eye hates lazy workers. Be sure to finish all your tasks by sundown!"

…

After hearing the Red-Eyed Rabbit assign their tasks, the other four players collectively exhaled in relief. They couldn't help but cast sympathetic glances at Zuo Chengan.

Their jobs—picking tomatoes or cleaning the cattle pen—seemed tedious and messy, sure, but manageable.

After all, their augmented physical stats gave them superhuman strength and agility, and anyone who made it to the pre-ascension challenge could handle such tasks with a bit of effort.

Zuo Chengan, however, had been handed the dubious honor of rat extermination.

Chasing down rodents wasn't just unpleasant—it was unpredictable. Success depended on luck as much as skill, and finishing the rabbit's quota before sundown seemed like a tall order.

Meanwhile, Zuo Chengan didn't see his assignment as a burden. In fact, he considered it a stroke of fortune.

He could see the rats' health bars, and those steel-toothed pests were the only creatures in the entire dungeon with visible stats. That meant tracking them down would be laughably easy.

Furthermore, he still had the night-vision goggles he had earned from a previous beginner dungeon. These would allow him to navigate dark corners effortlessly, making the task even easier.

Killing hostile monsters might even yield some loot—an unexpected bonus.

Still, Zuo Chengan knew better than to let his guard down.

The Red-Eyed Rabbit's reputation among the spectators was infamous; there was no way it had handed out simple chores without hiding a few nasty surprises.

For instance, the seemingly harmless tomatoes might rapidly spoil the moment they started crying, leaving an unwary picker with an entire warehouse of rotten produce.

Or those broody hens in the chicken coop? They looked dangerous enough, but Zuo Chengan wagered they'd be even deadlier if provoked.

And let's not forget the sheep—the ones that looked docile but had a reputation for being carnivorous and unpredictable.

So, all things considered, Zuo Chengan's rat-hunting mission might just be the least perilous job on the list. It looked difficult at first glance, but it probably had the fewest hidden traps.

Meanwhile, the live chat of dungeon spectators was buzzing with theories.

Everyone was speculating about the traps the Red-Eyed Rabbit had laid for the players, eagerly waiting for the chaos to unfold.

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