The world doesn't need succubi to save it.

The civilian clerk at the time was a young man who had just turned twenty, while the branch manager was a highly respected veteran...

Incidentally, the branch manager was a bald, muscular old man nearing seventy.

This task, in terms of both requirements and execution difficulty, is simply ridiculously overkill.

Oh, you're asking about the result?

No one knows the process, but the result is well-known.

Successful.

That's amazing.

The civilian officer succeeded; he incredibly completed that year's mandatory mission.

No one knows what happened between him and the branch manager afterward, but it's said that the clerical staff member has now become the second-in-command of their branch.

Do you think there were any shady deals involved?

I can't say.

Such examples are not isolated cases; they account for almost half of all cases.

Forced tasks are inherently random; you never know what the next forced task will be like.

It's not that no one has complained that such tasks are meaningless, calling them a waste of time and energy.

But in the face of such complaints, [Eye of Observation] never responded and continued to issue tasks as usual.

They completely ignored them.

The Watchers' leadership ignored the Watchers' reactions and chose to disregard them.

As for why...

One year, a newly ascended legend of orcish blood, unable to bear it any longer, uttered the following words:

"Shut the fuck up! All of you shut up!"

"You guys find it annoying, but I find it annoying too!"

"Get out of here, all of you!"

"Did you think there were no mandatory quests in Legendary games?"

The answer is yes.

[Eye of Observation] Even the legends are not spared; they are still given tasks.

The legends complained, but again, they received no response.

You can complain all you want, I'll just have to listen to you, okay?

After learning this secret, the Watchers' discontent gradually subsided.

Oh, you see, even legends are no exception to the common fate, just like us...

It's alright now!

While I wouldn't say I completely accept mandatory tasks, I do ultimately accept them as a type of routine task.

In some ways, mandatory tasks tailored to each individual are actually the fairest.

We will not show favoritism to anyone, nor will we maliciously target any individual.

Although this fairness is not something to be happy about.

So, going back to the beginning, since we can't refuse, what if the mission fails?

Will there be any punishment?

The answer was equally unexpected—no.

They will not be demoted, will not be maliciously targeted, and will not have to endure the contemptuous looks of others.

The mandatory tasks have demanding requirements, but there are no penalties for those who fail.

However, some mandatory tasks are life-threatening and can lead to disaster if one is not careful.

Ning Feng had recently seen a case of forced task failure.

Margaret's team had previously accepted a mandatory team mission, but failed.

No, that's not accurate.

They did not lose any members and reached the mission reward, so it cannot be said to be a complete failure.

It can only be said that only part of the task was accomplished, and the task evaluation was not high.

Having discussed the various difficulties and drawbacks of mandatory tasks, does this universally resented and hated thing really have no redeeming qualities at all?

Yes, there are.

Reassuringly, the rewards for mandatory tasks are tailored to the same requirements as the tasks themselves!

It could be a weapon, a bottle of medicine, a treasure map, or even just a clue in a sentence.

The differences are also significant, but these rewards all share a common characteristic.

That is, at some point in the future, it will be of great help to the recipient.

It's like having a prophet.

This magical characteristic makes the mandatory quests even more mysterious in the minds of the Watchers.

Mysterious and unpredictable.

There are many explanations for the existence of mandatory tasks, with conflicting opinions that may be true or false.

Of those, Ning Feng felt the most reliable explanation was—

The eye of observation is adjusting the balance.

By assigning tasks, it seems that something is being tried to be balanced between rewards and punishments.

No one knows the specifics, but the feeling that everything was arranged so clearly makes it seem both unfathomable and somewhat unsettling.

An hour has passed since he received the notification, and Ning Feng remains seated at the table, frowning as he ponders the situation.

"Tsk."

Ning Feng did not resist accepting the mission itself.

He was also a tool produced through rigorous training, and he had no complaints about carrying out his tasks.

Ning Feng understood what he was fighting for and how many people his actions could save, and he accepted it.

The mandatory mission is a necessary part of being a Watcher; no one can escape it, not even Shirin can help him.

It's just a mission for the Watchers.

The feeling of being directed was extremely strong.

This feeling made Ning Feng somewhat uncomfortable.

He swung down forcefully, but his fist stopped just before hitting the table, and finally just lightly slammed down.

winter.

Throwing and smashing things is not the way to solve problems; it only creates noise and waste and serves no purpose.

"How could this be?"

Ning Feng thought he had nothing to do with the "Star Chaser" competition anymore.

He ignored the swordsman's invitation, rejected Sophie's invitation, and even ignored Shirin's invitation to attend the ceremony...

Everything was arranged perfectly, but who knew that this kind of deus ex machina would suddenly happen at this time.

It was as if an invisible hand was controlling everything, pulling Ning Feng back from the brink of derailment.

"A coincidence? No, I don't believe it."

Is it really such a coincidence?

Who doesn't want me to spend these days peacefully?

Dongdong.

Ning Feng tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, beginning to consider the worst-case scenario.

Why don't you want me to stay here peacefully?

What good would it do him to take this risk?

No, before that...

Ning Feng's brows furrowed even more as he tapped his fingers faster.

How did he know I had chosen to give up?

A pause in the fingertips.

"...Has someone been watching me the whole time?"

A chill began to creep down my spine, and a sense of unease that had been lingering in my mind suddenly surfaced.

Who is it?

Start by searching from the identity of the Watchers, from the identity of the Swordsman... and so on!

[The Swordholder]

"The ones who truly know my identity as the swordsman are... the One-Eyed Judge, Number 86, and Aiger."

"Of these three, Iger doesn't know my specific identity as a Watcher, so we can ignore him for now."

“Number 86 knows my true identity, and should even be able to guess a little about the identity of the swordsman, but he has made a vow and cannot tell outsiders…”

With his eyes slightly narrowed, Ning Feng recalled the adjudicator who wore a mask with one eye as proof.

Mysterious, even Ning Feng's true form could only sense his unfathomable depth in his presence.

"Could it be him? But what's his reason for spying on me?"

Is it just because of that "Words of Judgment"?

And now there's another problem.