Like a desert, the dry land expands before his purple eyes. The sun rains down his warm rays, adding to the hot surface. Cracks separate the land as if they were borders where lines form blocks.
"Help!"
Nox hears the screaming female cry and stops what he's doing. He's stagnant for a minute before deciding what to do. In the upper left corner, he sees the timer.
(14:12)
"Heeelp!"
The young man clicks his tongue. "Ah, damn it!"
The pressure tightens his chest. Hot blood rushes to his head, giving him a headache. His breathing intensifies, forcing him to gasp.
His voice is trembling as he utters. "Grimmy…."
['I am sorry. I can not interfere']
Deep breaths over-circulate the oxygen in his brain, causing him to lose balance. The air feels dry in his mouth and burning to his skin.
Nox drags his feet, raising a cloud of dust behind him as he walks towards the middle.
"Wait, a minute" A fleeting thought runs through his mind and calls out. "System Map"
The familiar translucent screen pops up that shows the area he's in. Most of it is without fog.
He ponders, looking at the map. "So that's what it is…!"
Black spots are in different locations, signaling areas he didn't explore. It's an open field, and it didn't occur to him that this kind of thing is possible.
He runs to one location and in an instant drops to his knees, sliding the rest of the way. He digs in a manic manner.
Not a long time passes when he finds a glistening black rock of a size big enough that he has difficulty removing. He checks the map one more time and the black spot of his current location disappears.
(11:09)
There are four more of these that he rushes to dig before time runs out.
While using the map, he locates the areas that need digging one by one, clearing them.
(03:27)
It doesn't take him long to find the last spot. "These rocks are causing the drought"
Upon revealing it, he sighs in relief. All the while forgetting that someone was asking for help.
He falls back and sits down in a comfortable position.
Salty sweat enters his mouth. His body moves on its own as he dives into the nearby stream to cool himself down.
(00:30)
{Loading…}
[Quest completed]
{Calculating…}
[Negative Karma Points distributed]
[Daily Life points distributed]
[Exploration Bonus Available]
In a confident tone, the young man utters. "There it is"
[Exp distributed]
{Loading…}
[Digging: Level 1]
[Level up!]
[Grimoire Unlocked]
[Inventory Available]
[Stats Upgraded]
['Congratulations Nox. You are now Level 2']
A smile paints itself on the young man's face, revealing a row of white teeth. He brushes his hair back, revealing his forehead. His cheekbones elevate ever so slightly.
Nox stands up and walks out as if he's emerging from the stream. "System Map"
He taps on the Quest (?) Marking to verify his progress. A new quest appears next to him sharing the same color as the previous one. He ponders for a while before uttering. "I should rest before starting this one"
Not before long, he falls on his knees. His eyes bulge until red veins form. With a swift motion, he puts both hands on his mouth as if he's trying to hold the vomit in. A sudden realization comes to mind.
In a trembling voice, he stutters. "D-Did-Did my selfishness kill someone?"
{Scanning...}
The young man gasps and has difficulty breathing.
[Search Inconclusive]
"Huh? What do you mean? Why?"
['Unable to scan at the moment.']
He takes a seating position and runs his fingers through his hair. He clenches with a few patches in his hands, giving it a soft pull. An internal sigh leads to an utterance. "What should I do?"
He stands up and smacks his cheeks. With his determination at its peak, he lets out. "I'll go look"
He's about to take the first step when a sudden pressure forces him to his knees. A grunt escapes his mouth as he falls to the ground.
A female voice creeps behind him. "What do we have here?"
Approaching him, she scoffs. "I tried luring you but you didn't take the bait, so, Here I Am"
Her hand is glowing purple while pinning him down with her mysterious power. She walks closer and steps on his head. His wet face mixes with the ground. She can't help but exclaim. "Ew, gross"
She regains her composure after shivering from disgust and adds. "I've been screaming my lungs out for a while now. Are you seriously that selfish?"
She steps off his head and with a swift motion of her hand; she flips him. With a muddy face looking up, she looks closer at the young man.
Her outfit resembles armor, but not the full-body one. Instead, it protects certain areas of her body. The rest is like a dress caressing her curves. She takes a step back, retracting her power, giving him a chance to breathe. "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else"
Nox curses his weakness and praises his luck. Grunting, he takes a seating position. Dissatisfaction is audible in his tone. "Someone else?"
"I'm really sorry!" the girl utters and clicks her tongue before adding. "Have you seen anyone else coming through here?"
"I haven't" The young man with messy brown hair has an inkling, but he asks anyway. "Who is it you are looking for?"
She looks around, and In a nonchalant tone, she replies. "Demon Lord"
Nox remains silent.
The girl clicks her tongue and utters in frustration. "I could've sworn I saw him"
'Grimmy? How could she have seen me?'
{Calculating…}
['A skill']
'Useful'
['It is a skill you will get at a later level']
Nox ponders for a while before uttering. "How come she can't see me now, even though I'm in front of her?"
{Calculating…}
['The magical power in the rocks is interfering with her perception']
The young man nods and changes his queries. 'Can I escape?'
['Negative. She is stronger than you']
{Calculating…}
['0% chance of escaping']
He nods and lets out an internal sigh. 'Got it'
['0%']
A vein bulges on his forehead. He holds himself back from lashing out, but Grimmy receives his fury with all kinds of thoughts and profanities.
The girl is pacing back and forth. Nox remains in his position, silent. At some point, the sun is no longer behind her, to shade her face and features. He realizes he knows the girl standing before him.
He blurts "Jen…" before covering his mouth, trying to conceal his identity.
The girl hears him and looks in his direction. Her blue eyes glare daggers at him. "What's that?"
Nox shakes his head. He understands that she's one of those people he has to defeat to go home. If he confronts her now, he's as good as dead.
The girl shrugs her shoulders. Her blonde hair dance with the wind that picks up. "You should head home. It's not safe out here"
Nox nods his head and stands up as slowly as he can, trying not to alert her further. He takes a few steps forward and looks back, but the girl isn't there.
Gravity pulls him to the dry ground. His trembling knees can no longer support him and give way. Intense sweat drenches his face. "That was close"
His pumping heart is trying to slow down. "She didn't recognize me"
['Because you are Nox']
Nox chuckles and lets out. "Maybe"
Counting his lucky stars, the young man is back on his feet. He walks up to the stream and enjoys the fresh, invigorating water it offers.
"Her strength was too much. And what's with that weird power"
['From my estimates, she appears to be a high-level Controller with Telekinetic Skills']
The young man's eyebrow twitches. "Controller?"
['Her role as a Hero. With her skills she can give mana to her team']
Nox jumps up and looks around. "Team?"
['No need to worry about them. She was alone. God Scarab said they parted ways after the rebellion']
He sits by the banks of the stream looking toward the Abandoned Village. "It'll take a while, but I'll return"
"How about we check out the new stuff?"
In the proximity of the glistening black rocks, the young man finds a place he likes. "Status"
==Status==
● Profile | Grimoire | Inventory |
Name: Nox | Race: Demi-human | SYSTEM: GRIMMY
Level 2
Experience required for the next level: 0/100
VITALITY (?)
STAMINA: 65/100 (!) | HUNGER: 61/100 | THIRST: 83/100 |
HP: 210/550
MP:10/15
ATK: 2
DEF: 2
SPD: 2
INT: 55
KARMA: 0/0/0 (?)
Unused Passive Points: 6/6
Daily Life
Fishing: Lvl 1
Digging: Lvl 1
Building Fire: Lvl 0
==Status==
Nox smiles and taps on Grimoire.
Profile | ● Grimoire | Inventory |
Shadow (?) Level MAX - Cost: 5MP
- The user can blend and become one with the shadows for 15 minutes at most. Cooldown 20 minutes.
The young man fidgets and can't help but exclaim. "That's kinda awesome"
Afterward Nox checks the inventory. There are a series of empty boxes except for one that has a chest.
The caption on the chest reads in gold letters. "Exploration Bonus"