The sun peeked through the horizon and the strands of light reached my eyes, I wore my clothes and prepared myself to sneak out of the house while my mother was sleeping. Today was a special day, I would try to gather clues from the neighboring region so that I would be able to pinpoint more or less my location. It was the first I had to do before developing detailed plans for the future.
'Hm...No matter how much I look around it just doesn't seem familiar... would it be better to get to level 10 and unlock the local map function instead? Nono, it would take too long and it's dangerous for me to fight with my current physical constitution.'
Richard walked through the dark and narrow pathway between the large trees that blocked most of the sunlight. He kept his senses sharp as he hastened his steps and relied on superior senses to detect possible dangers, it was a strategy he often used while exploring the world as a player. He had heard from his mother about a cave that connects the outside forest to a large area inside the northern mountain. Of course, His mother had informed him about it as to warn him not to go there, nonetheless, Richard couldn't stay still. There was a very simple reason why Richard would risk going that far from home despite not having the ability to fight against monsters.
First off, there weren't any monsters that got near the northern mountains, it was because a Dragon had declared the northern mountain range as his territory 100 years prior to the beginning of the game. In addition, He could rely on the system's help; In 'Fantasia' when a player entered a special location, the system would send the player a notification to inform him about the area. This would save him a lot of time in pinpointing his current location. As for the main reason Behind Richard's motivation, then it naturally was-
'The land of mysteries...'
Based on the information he gathered, there was a high chance that the hidden area connected to the cave was the land of mysteries. Since he was currently in the body of ''The Lionheart'', The cave would, naturally, be interesting for Richard.
''The final resting place of Sir Gawain.''
A wide smile appeared on Richard's face as he anticipated what was waiting for him.
'Gawain, one of the 13 knights of the round table as well as one of the strongest among them, was known for his love of adventures and joyous personality. However, after King Arthur's death, regret and blame dominated his mind and he isolated himself from the rest of society.'
Richard had collected a lot of information about the knights of the round table while pursuing his skill quest.
'Many people think the main inspiration for Lionheart was Arthur but that's wrong, It was Gawain.'
'Richard the Lionheart' was known for his chivalrous personality and love for conquest and battles; many people associated his passion with King Arthur due to the latter's achievements and history.
'But the real King Arthur was a pacifist. Now that I think of it, Lionheart may have gotten inspired by Gawain after discovering the cave.'
All of these events made it even more likely that the cave referred to the land of mysteries.
'Of course, even if I find it now, it would be useless to attempt the trial, But it would still mean that I can fix a goal and have the location of Galatine.'
The trial of Sir Gawain was known to be insanely difficult, this stemmed from Gawain's desire for a grand adventure. As such the candidate would have to face Gawain's greatest challenges, even the ones he failed, and succeed. This meant it was impossible for the current Richard who couldn't even beat a wolf to attempt the trial. But the biggest trophy of this exploration would be finding out the location of Galatine, Sir Gawain's relic.
'The one who would pass Gawain's trial would receive the 'Blessing of Belenus'. Sir Gawain was known to be invincible as long as the sun roamed the sky, This was because of the blessing of the sun god, Belenus. On the other hand, Galatine was the sword that Vivian, the lady of the lake, gave to Gawain, the only sword that rivals Excalibur in power.'
Excalibur, Clarent, and Galatine were the best sword relics of the Arthurian legends, in particular, Galatine would awaken its full potential when wielded by Gawain's successor. Given that the trials that one would need to pass to inherit Excalibur, the absolute right for the throne, are Burdensome; Galatine would be a great alternative.
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Richard moved forward until he reached the end of the path. However no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find the cave, His doubts started increasing little by little as he felt that he was walking in a labyrinth. He started murmuring words with a low voice, it was a habit of his to cover his nervousness.
''Where could the cave be... There's something weird about these trees, it's as if I've entered a magic barrier...''
Magic was one of the aspects that distinguished the world of ''Fantasia'' from reality. However, unlike other games, the magic system in fantasia was insanely detailed and complex. The system would constantly analyze the player's thoughts and determine if they are compatible with the theory before the player could cast any magic. In addition, the player could research magic theories and test a variety of possibilities; That's why, despite its complexity, magic was popular among players as its potential was boundless. That being said, there were multiple ways to use magic; One could either cast a spell by controlling the mana in the atmosphere or by using their own mana; Magic can also be used through runes and rituals which borrow the power of ''Aether'', The energy that exists only in the divine realms such as Asgard and Avalon.
'I need to find the main mana core.'
As for magic barriers, it used neither of these techniques. It relied on objects called mana cores that absorb and store plenty of mana, following which they are placed in certain locations to create a ''Formation''. Once that's said and done, the caster would inject a small part of their mana inside a mana core called the ''Main mana core'' that could be seen as the center of the formation. The caster would then imbue the main core with a special spell or effect that they want the barrier to manifest, The core would follow it up by connecting to the other cores and if the formation is complete, a barrier would be created.
Richard searched arduously for the main core, as he checked every corner of the vast forest, he started to feel fear and despair. But at this very moment, a stone radiating an awe-inspiring color appeared before his eyes.
'I have a bad feeling about this, but I got no other choice.'
Richard stretched his hands and grasped the stones, all of a sudden he felt his body become heavy as if all his energy has been drained.
[The residual mana in your body is being drained by a dark mana core]
[Warning! If the stone is not thrown soon, life force will be drained due to the lack of mana]
Red flashing messages appeared before Richard's eyes.
'Dark mana core?? That's crazy!! they are the rarest type!'
Dark mana cores had the property of 'Draining', Their draining efficiency, speed, and capacity were the best among all mana cores. However, for the person who is being drained, it was akin to a nightmare. Richard quickly threw the stone away as he examined his body.
'It looks like I avoided major damage... That was really dangerous...'
Richard, who was once again reminded that the world he was in now was no longer a game but reality, felt his will shake a bit.
'I need to be more careful from now on.'
Nonetheless, he could not back off now, if he doesn't start to prepare already, his odds at changing the future would exponentially drop. As he was lost in thought, the stone he threw start becoming more and more radiant.
[Warning: Detecting dangerous fluctuations of mana levels in the area.]
[Retreat is recommended due to your weak constitution]
''Hm?''
Although he noticed the stone now, Richard still couldn't understand what the system notifications meant. All of sudden, the air around him became heavy and breathing became nigh-impossible, it was the effect of the high mana concentration in the air. Richard's body started trembling, it was not because of the mana concentration, A massive figure appeared in front of him, separating itself from the tree.
'A forest guardian! FUCK FUCK FUCK!'
Once he recognized the identity of the monster standing before him, Richard's legs started moving on their own as he ran away. Forest guardians were creatures born from the fusion of Dryads' spirits and enchanted trees in environments with high mana concentration. They were powerful creatures whose only weakness was fire, as long as they were not burned to ashes they could regenerate their whole body in mere seconds.
'' BLOODY HELL WHAT KIND OF ROTTEN LUCK DO I HAVE??''
Richard's legs were starting to give up, his stamina was drained and his panting was becoming even louder. But he couldn't stop, The forest guardian recognizes anyone without a high affinity with nature as an enemy, once he stops he would be as good as dead.
''Huff huff''
His head was starting to feel light, it was the effect of running despite being exhausted, he was on the verge of fainting but he kept pushing forward.
''WHERE THE HELL IS THAT CAVE?''
As Richard screamed with all his might, he fell to the ground. He didn't want to give up but his muscles wouldn't respond to his mind anymore.
'No...I don't want to die here...'
As he was losing his vision, All types of images passed through Richard's mind. Even though he couldn't recognize their origin, they felt familiar.
'Poor thing...'
'How terrible...To think only he would survive...'
'Maybe it was better for him to die as well...'
Many voices filled his head, he wanted to scream but it was as if he was separated from his body.
'I don't want to die... I don't want to die...'
This was the only thought he had right now.
'I hope you'll be able to show me a better path.'
But the voice of one person woke him up, the voice of an unknown person, one he had no connection to. Despite this, the voice felt warm, caring, and encouraging. Richard slowly opened his eyes, he was lying on the ground, the enchanted forest he was in a moment ago had faded like a lie, and what stood before him was an enormous mountain and a dark entrance.
''What the hell happened...''
All his exhaustion had disappeared as if it was a dream, his body didn't even have any injuries.
[You have passed Merlin's 'First trial'!]
[Congrautlations!]
[You have discovered the entrance to the 'Land of mysteries']
[The map has been updated]
'Merlin?'
It was a name that most people knew, Be it in Fantasia or on Earth. That being said, Merlin's role in fantasia was major, he could be called the true narrator of the story.
'Merlin, the prophet of the stars, The grand enchanter, The mage of Avalon, the author of the 'Diary of mysteries' and the holder of many other titles...'
Merlin had played a role in nearly all the legends of Fantasia from behind the scenes, guiding the heroes through their journey indirectly and giving birth to miracles. Richard had once stumbled upon the first volume of his 'Diary of mysteries' while searching for clues about Lionheart.
'It's no exaggeration to say it was the reason I could advance in the quest and find the sword in the first place...'
That was just how important Merlin was, and despite all this, he was the character who remained shrouded in mystery throughout the whole game and quests.
'The land of mysteries and the Diary of mysteries... Certainly, they might be connected.'
Merlin was mostly active during the era of King Arthur, Which was the reason why most of the remnants of the knights of the round table were connected to Merlin.
''Well, at any rate, it's a great bonus, but let's focus on the main goal.''
Richard examined the sky and confirmed that most of the time he had spent walking was an illusion and a part of the trial, which meant that in reality, not much time had passed.
'That's a relief, I might be able to make it back before my mother is completely awake.'
Richard closed his eyes before clenching his fists and taking a deep breath. He opened them shortly after and grinned as he looked at the entrance of the dark, mysterious cave.
''It's adventure time!''