Chapter 148: Task

Chapter 148: TaskAfter walking for two hours, Apollo crossed the vast grasslands and began to encounter small mountains rising in the distance. He couldn’t tell whether it was luck or something else, but his journey had been surprisingly uneventful so far, with no obstacles or encounters along the way.

As Apollo crossed the grasslands, his spiritual sense detected the presence of others about five or six miles away. And it wasn’t just a single individual but a group of around fifteen people.

The group of around fifteen people, five or six miles away, was moving steadily in his direction. They seemed to be like hunters who came to hunt; their clothes or weapons also seemed crude, like some wild tribes.

He didn’t directly think about confronting them first, as they were the first group of people he met. It would be better if he could talk with them and understand something about this world.

And they weren’t strong from the feeling he got; they were around at the level of soldiers who opened six or seven prana circuits; even the strongest didn’t seem to reach the level of limit-breakers.

Such strength wasn’t worth mentioning in front of him. Not to mention, even if it were an army of thousands, he wouldn’t be afraid.

With that, he moved towards the group with fast speed. As the distance between them closed, Apollo adjusted his posture, making sure he appeared non-threatening while remaining alert.

He couldn’t be sure of anything as this was a new place and he was without any knowledge, so even if opponents were weak, he could not be careless.

When they were within a reasonable distance, he raised a hand in greeting, with his voice calm and measured reverberating as he called out, "Greetings. I mean no harm and wish to speak with you."

Apollo approached the group and addressed them directly, speaking in Rion’s language to see if they could understand him. However, the moment they saw him, the group of hunters reacted with shock, immediately taking defensive stances.

"[~%^^%%%%%^^.....]" they roared in a language unfamiliar to him.

As expected, they didn’t understand a word he said. Apollo sighed, realizing the communication barrier would make things more difficult.

"Sigh, this is going to take some time," he mumbled to himself, knowing that resolving this situation would require more effort than he had anticipated.

But at the same time, a voice came to mind that was like a system announcement but was different.

[Contact with Intelligent Life; translation tool is activated.]

[First Trial is being created.....]

[Help the Toda tribe in surviving the Bull Demon attack]

[Task time- Two days]

[Reward- One Star Sky Mark]

Apollo paused, his senses heightened as the voice echoed in his mind. The sudden appearance of the voice and task surprised him, but he quickly composed himself. It seems the Tower of Sky is extraordinary beyond doubt, and creates such an environment and even gives tasks like some games.

But since it gave him tasks like he naturally needed to complete them, completing them then he can know more.

The task seemed straightforward—helping the Toda tribe survive an attack by the Bull Demon. Though he didn’t know much about this tribe or the Bull Demon, he recognized the importance of this trial.

The reward, a one-star Sky Mark, also intrigued him, hinting at a potential path to gaining more power or status within this mysterious world. But it all can only be known after he finishes the trial.

With this in mind, he carefully approached the group of hunters from the Toda tribe in a much friendlier manner, not wanting to make them anxious or afraid of him.

"Who are you and what do you want?" The one among the hunters who seemed to be the leader stepped forward and asked with an anxious expression.

This time, he clearly understood what they were saying; it seemed the language was working perfectly.

’Don’t worry, I am not going to harm you all; I just lost the way and am just hoping to find a way out and a place to rest for a day or two." He smiled and said calmly with a serene voice.

Somehow his words seemed to come out in this world language, and the hunter leader clearly understood his words.

The leader of the hunters, a middle-aged man with years of experience surviving in the wild, furrowed his brows in doubt. Although he didn’t entirely trust Apollo’s words, he chose not to confront him. His finely tuned hunter’s instincts, honed over years of navigating dangerous terrain, gave him a peculiar feeling about the young man.

Apollo appeared to be an ordinary, weak person—someone who wouldn’t last a day in the wilderness. Yet, there was something off about that assumption. The man standing before him was clean, with an aura of sophistication, and his clothes were far too exquisite for someone who had been wandering in the wilds. It didn’t add up.

After a moment of consideration, the leader decided to let Apollo follow them, at least for now. There wasn’t anything in their village that would attract the attention of larger tribes, and his instincts told him there was more to this stranger than met the eye. For now, he would take the risk and see where it led.

"Hmm, then young brother, follow us; we already hunted enough and were going to return."

With that said, Apollo quickly followed the hunter; on their way back, he also asked some questions like, How big is their Toda tribe? or how far the nearest city is from here.

After moving for over an hour, they finally caught sight of the small village in the distance. Apollo, however, had already scanned most of the village with his spiritual sense from afar, gaining a clear understanding of the general strength and layout of the Toda tribe before even stepping foot in it.

They weren’t particularly strong, though their power system seemed a bit different. The most powerful individuals in the Toda tribe appeared to be three old guys whose strength was roughly equivalent to that of second-rank limit-breakers.

From this, he can guess that the Bull Demon expected to attack would likely have the strength of a third-rank master. However, he knew he needed to remain vigilant, and prepared for any unexpected challenges that might arise.

With the hunters, Apollo entered the small village, which had only a few hundred people in total. As he stepped into the village, the tribe chief—one of the three individuals with second-rank strength—came forward to welcome him.

The tribe chief appeared to be in his fifties but had a notably strong physique. Apollo observed that all the tribe members seemed to possess robust bodies and had strange totem-like tattoos etched into their skin.

He speculated that these tattoos might be related to their strength. After all, Rion also had a history of people practising totemic rituals, using such symbols on their bodies to gain power beyond that of ordinary humans.

"Ajax told me about you. You want to rest for two days and learn the direction of the nearest city."

"Usually, we don’t let outsiders stay, but for some reason, he has a good impression of you. So, you can stay and rest for two days, and when you leave, I’ll provide you with a map of the nearest cities."

Apollo gladly accepted that as his task was to protect the Toda tribe for two days, he just needed to save them when the Bull Demon attacked them to finish his task.

They provided him with a small but clean hut, which was more than sufficient for his needs. However, his interest was piqued by the Totem power system used by the tribe.

This system appeared to require sacrifices and the formation of a special bond with the totem to gain strength. Although this method seemed to allow for quicker and easier increases in power, it also came with many limitations.

Curious, he observed the villagers offering sacrifices, usually animals or beasts, as part of their rituals. A day passed in this manner.

The next day, he was trying to understand the Heaven and Earth laws of this world, something unexpected caught his attention, causing him to stop.

"Oh, is it finally coming?" Apollo murmured as he gazed toward a spot about ten miles outside the village. There, a group of a dozen Minotaur-like beings, each towering at five meters tall, was approaching. Leading them was the largest Minotaur with a burning flame on his horns, standing an imposing fifteen meters high and wielding a giant axe.

Their every step shook the land as they were coming directly toward the village at a fast speed.

He didn’t want the villagers to be injured, so Apollo went directly to the chief and informed him of the danger approaching. At first, the chief didn’t believe him, but after hearing Apollo’s urgent pleas, he quickly ordered the elderly, sick, and children to be moved to a hidden place at the back of the village.

As the group of Minotaur demons came closer, the chief and the other warriors of the tribe finally spotted them from a distance. Their faces turned pale with horror as they finally saw their enemy.

They couldn’t believe that the Minotaur demons had appeared here, in their secluded village. Panic set in as they began to envision the painful deaths that awaited them, imagining themselves being torn apart by the monstrous beings.