After work, start to speedrun the other world

"Ahtal, I remember you now," Siegfried smiled and announced to everyone present, "There's no doubt that this is my defeat; cheer for Ahtal!"

"..." Xi Mu turned around and headed for the exit of the duel arena, indifferent to the tsunami-like cheers behind him.

After all, it's just a routine cutscene for a bunch of NPCs.

"..." Siegfried stroked his chin, watching Ahtal's retreating figure, a reflective expression on his face.

This man was unusual; he didn't get excited about such glorious moments but left without even turning back, while a normal person, even if pretending, could hardly suppress the thrill inside.

But Ahtal was different; he truly had no interest in the cheers or the adoration of the people.

...

...

Duelist's lounge.

"Hey, want to talk?" The owner of the duel arena leaned against the wall, gently pushed up his glasses, and spoke to the approaching silver-armored knight.

"A beautiful lady would like to have a word with you."

"Not interested," Xi Mu casually refused, calmly passing by the owner of the duel arena, before the latter uttered.

"Two hundred thousand Gold Coins." The owner of the duel arena was concise, watching the knight stop in his tracks with a slight curl of his lips.

"And I assure you, your princess won't know about this."

"..."

Xi Mu turned around, his gaze falling on the owner of the duel arena, then glanced at Siegfried, with his awkward smile, and fell silent for a long while.

"...Did I come at an awkward time?" Scratching his face, Siegfried asked with embarrassment, met with silence from both the arena owner and Xi Mu.

He coughed.

"Don't worry, I won't spill the beans about today," he said.

"Your Majesty Siegfried, do you need something?" sighed the owner of the duel arena, his eyes behind the glasses betraying a sense of helplessness.

Siegfried slapped his palm thoughtfully, his gaze settling on the silver-armored knight, his expression growing serious.

"Would you be interested in taking me as your mentor?"

"Mentorship, is there money in it?" Xi Mu queried, only to see Siegfried cringe, covering his face with his hand.

"Not just money, but I can also help you improve your strength rapidly."

Xi Mu nodded, then inquired, "What's the price?"

"Use everything I teach you to kill me later." Siegfried said with a smile, pointing at his chest, "Consider me the evil dragon you need to vanquish; that's all you need to do."

"The hero who slays dragons wants to be vanquished as one," noted the owner of the duel arena with a nuanced expression, not quite understanding Siegfried's thoughts.

Perhaps this is the enigmatic mindset of the powerful.

"If you become an evil dragon, I will come to put an end to you," Xi Mu agreed with a nod, then added, "But don't become an evil dragon too soon."

"Can I take that as a yes?" Siegfried laughed heartily.

Xi Mu nodded; he indeed wanted to kill Siegfried to acquire the side quest item related to him.

The hero bathed in Dragon Blood for immortality, but it was precisely because Siegfried bathed in Dragon Blood that he began his transformation into an evil dragon, one that was both ferocious and insane.

If he did not trigger Siegfried's side quest now, by the time the assassination of the God of Plague's questline ended, Siegfried would turn into a rampaging evil dragon, lurking in a floating city in the sky, awaiting the righteous hero—cough, player—to challenge him.

However, if a player triggered Siegfried's side quest, they could learn why he turned into an evil dragon and obtain the magic that transformed Siegfried into one.

For players seeking a massacre and to become an adversary of the entire world, Siegfried's side quest is a must-trigger.

"When you're ready, come find me in Sky City." Siegfried patted Xi Mu's shoulder and walked toward the exit of the duel arena.

And Xi Mu turned his attention to the owner of the duel arena: "Where is the wealthy lady who invited me?"

"Red Rose Winery." The owner of the duel arena handed over a card, and after Xi Mu took it, he added, "That lady is no ordinary person; don't provoke her."

"Understood." Xi Mu looked at the card, confirming it was the person he wanted to meet... no, the deity was more like it.

For players who chose the 'Insignificant' start, there was the advantage of getting closer to key-story figures more quickly.

The downside, of course, was lacking time to level up and having to clear content in a relatively high-difficulty environment from the start.

Also, the starting attributes were very common.

But once a player's skills improved, and they had achieved dazzling results in the duel arena as an Insignificant one, they could attract the attention of some key story characters, like the Time Witch, the dragon-slayer hero Siegfried, and the God of Plague.

"Take care, we probably won't meet again." The owner of the duel arena pushed his glasses up, not intending to have much conversation with Xi Mu.

Unexpectedly.

"If there's nothing else, you might want to leave Lionheart Castle for a while," Xi Mu advised the owner of the duel arena before leaving the duel arena.

The owner of the duel arena watched the silver-armored knight's departing figure, sinking into brief contemplation about what that meant.

...

...

Red Rose Winery.

It is said that the winery produces a red wine that is as brilliantly colored as the petals of a red rose, with an exceptional taste, and coupled with a pleasant environment, it attracts many wealthy merchants and nobles to relax at Red Rose Winery in their free time.