Any untimely smile due to nervousness, absurdity, or simply finding the NPCs too serious during the holy ritual will be considered a blasphemy against God, resulting in permanent expulsion.

On the forums, posts about the "interview laughing disaster" are ubiquitous, becoming a recurring topic that players both love and hate.

Armand walked out of the grand and solemn white gates of the Light Sect dejectedly, as if the door had locked away the last bit of his spirit.

It seemed he could still hear the cold, emotionless voice of the chief examiner: "Such a shallow understanding of the doctrine, even less reverence for God! The light does not welcome blasphemers! Your name will be recorded and never employed again!"

Just because he forgot a crucial prayer phrase!

He annoyingly scratched his hair, having read many of those forum posts on "laughing disasters" and secretly laughed at others, only to now become a new cautionary tale himself.

It wasn't a laughing disaster, it was a "forgotten lines disaster".

On the surrounding streets, there was a mix of brisk, stern locals and players like him, noticeable with IDs and behavior that seemed more outrageous or even a bit comical.

This sense of disconnection made him more irritable at this moment, feeling out of place in this "serious" world.

Armand participated in the Light Sect's rookie recruitment selection, having passed several trials only to stumble at the last step, forgetting a doctrine line during the joining ritual and being disqualified.

He walked away from the Light Sect somewhat dejected, just wanting to find a place to be alone.

"Hey, you pitiful thing rejected by the Light?"

A low, hoarse voice suddenly came from the shadows beside him, like the sound of sandpaper rubbing.

As Armand passed an alley, a hooded figure in a black robe suddenly emerged from the darkness, startling him.

Just as he was feeling a bit annoyed, he looked up and saw the information above this person's head:

[Lv.??? Fede Hill]

Three question marks! Armand's heart started racing uncontrollably.

This was definitely a high-level NPC! And appearing in such a way, in such a place... a hidden quest! It had to be a hidden quest triggered! His earlier frustration was instantly replaced by immense excitement, even ignoring the obvious sarcasm in the other's words.

Armand perked up immediately, realizing he had encountered a very powerful NPC, likely triggering some event.

"Who are you?" Armand asked knowingly, cautiously conversing, afraid of missing this quest event.

Fede said in a low voice, "Who I am is not important. What matters is that I know who you are, Armand. A failure who was defeated in the face of those cumbersome rules of the Light Sect, just because you forgot a few dull syllables?"

Armand's cheeks were a bit hot, the other had precisely hit his sore spot, but the disdain in their words for the rules of the Light Sect oddly resonated with him.

"What they care about is how fluently you can recite those platitudes, how devout and humble you appear in front of them," Fede stepped forward silently, as if without weight, "but they never ask if you have true power, if you have eyes to see the path in the darkness, if you have claws to tear open a path in dire situations."

His words were like a cold snake, winding around Armand's mind. Armand instinctively held his breath, staring unblinkingly into the bottomless shadow of the hood.

"Power..." Armand murmured, this was precisely his ultimate goal in coming to Azure Vault City and joining the sect.

All players who braved the challenges to reach Azure Vault City came for this purpose.

"Yes, power," Fede's voice carried a subtle temptation.

"True power never needs to be begged for in front of statues, nor bound by those rules. It exists in the shadows, in the wisdom and decisions, in the insight into the essence of the world."

He stepped forward again, less than two meters from Armand.

A cold breath enveloped Armand, causing the hair on his arms to stand on end.

"The Light Sect rejected you because they foolishly saw only your mistake," Fede's voice lowered further, like a whisper, yet it clearly penetrated Armand's mind.

"But the Shadow Council sees your untapped potential. We don't care if you can recite those dull prayers; we care if you long to become stronger, if you're willing to pay the price to master the power to change fate!"

Armand realized, extremely excited in his heart: "Hidden class! It must be a hidden class!"

…

It was soon sunset, Duke glanced at the sky and then closed the shop door.

He went to the back yard to collect the magic potion materials that had been drying, having recently acquired a batch of fresh materials that needed several days of sun drying before they could be stored.

Night gradually fell, and after tidying up the yard, the sky was already filled with stars.

Duke clapped his hands, ready to head to the kitchen to make a quick hot meal for dinner.

At this moment, a cloud of black mist silently appeared behind him, quickly forming a human shape, holding a sharp dagger aimed at Duke's arm, not targeting any vital points.

The process was silent, not even stirring a breeze, with the shining dagger already close.

The assassin hiding in the black mist thought he would succeed, when suddenly a wall made of yellow sand appeared in front of him, blocking his dagger with a metallic clash.

Knowing he had failed in the ambush, he turned to escape, only to find countless grains of yellow sand surrounding him tightly.

Normally, he would not be caught while in mist form.

But this sand was not ordinary; it contained a peculiar and powerful energy that could even restrain his mist form completely.

Only then did Duke turn around, thoughtfully stroking his chin and asking, "What brings you here? I don't think I've offended you, have we met?"

He refrained from delivering a killing blow to uncover the other's identity since the person seemingly wasn't here to kill him, given the angle was not lethal.

The black mist quickly condensed into a thin man, who kept his mouth tightly shut, saying nothing and trying to escape the sand's grip.

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