"Where the hell am I?"
Xerel found himself in a bustling village from medieval times. He could see merchants selling weapons and crafts on the streets, people walking through and fro.
Ting~
[11TH TRIAL
Three months from now, a wave of demons will wreak havoc in the Gutalac Empire.
Contributions will vary depending on how many demons you kill and how much accumulated damage you can deal to the final boss.
92:16:26:12]
'It's quite longer than I expected, waiting for three months idly wouldn't do me any good. There should be some quest I can accept around this place considering that this is straight out of an isekai RPG world. Let me check my status first.'
Ting~
[Player: Xerel
Level: 1 [LOCKED]
Class: None
+Sub-class- Sorcerer Supreme's Disciple
Title: One in a million (6 more titles)[LOCKED]
Race: Human
State: Stunned
HP: 500/500 [LOCKED]
MP: 100/100 [LOCKED]
STR: 10 [LOCKED]
AGI: 10 [LOCKED]
INT: 10 [LOCKED]
DEF: 10 [LOCKED]
Status Points: 0 [LOCKED]]
"What the fuck!?"
Xerel couldn't help but curse out loud after seeing his window panel. The people around stared at the screaming man wondering why he suddenly burst out in surprise. Xerel went on an empty alley, away from the eyes of the people as he hurriedly check his other window status.
....
'Thankfully I still have my skills and spells. Although I can't use the active skills since my mana is too low, the passives are still working normally.'
"Let's think positively. My power is sealed to what I supposed as a balance to the trial. I'm not the only challenger around and I'm sure their powers are also sealed. For now, I should get some information about this place, the best place to get information is from beggars which is very underrated considering that most main characters would usually get information in adventurer's guild when the information they give out is very pricy, I don't even know the currency here so the most affordable informant I can go to are the beggars."
It didn't take long for Xerel to find a beggar. It was a ragged old man sitting on the side of a building begging for money.
"Hey old-'
Ting~
[Lazarus
Rank: Outcast Knight
Level: 87
HP: 899/98,000
State: Cursed, Vengeful, Fatigued, Weakened, Hungry]
'It's a hidden NPC! Well, not exactly an NPC but it's one of those characters the mc will encounter after helping them and become a valuable asset as he goes on for an adventure!'
"Hey mister, do you have some spare change. I could need some..."
The beggar pleaded to Xerel as he brought up the bowl in his hands that had a few coins in it. Xerel squatted down to the beggar and looked at him with genuine eyes.
"Old man, I'll give you something better but you have to do something for me in exchange."
The beggar showed a distrust and annoyed look as he flick Xerel's hand away from his shoulder.
"If you're asking me to do a somersault and land on a split while holding a cup of water while not spilling it, please don't. I already have a hard life and I only have my dignity left to own."
"Someone asked you to do that? That's oddly specific, a-anyways, I'm not gonna ask you to do something that may humiliate you or ask you to do shady stuffs, what I simply want is a guide around this place."
"So you're a foreigner? Looking at your face, you're a pacific islander. You've come from a faraway country."
"Well, something like that. If you help me, I'll give you this."
Xerel check his pocket while opening his inventory to act like he was rummaging something. He brought out a vial containing gold liquid and when the beggar saw it, his eyes lit up and he immediately pulled Xerel to a dark corner in the alleyway.
"You! Where did you get this!?"
The beggar said in a silent and angry tone. He held Xerel by the neck causing him to choke due to the difference of their strength.
'Despite being weakened and cursed, he's fucking strong!'
"Kheuok! I got...it from our...country.I don't mean harm...I simply want to help..."
The beggar slowly loosen his hand on his neck seeing that Xerel was being genuine with his words.
"If you are Keen to help me, do you know who I am?"
"I don't. I have a power that lets me see Mana and I could see that you were being put under a curse. One thing I know is that you are strong and seeing from your attitude, you are someone who was betrayed."
"Let's not talk here, there are eyes all over this town."
The beggar grabbed Xerel's arm and they sneak through the alley as they avoided the eyes of the guards, civilians, and even animals like cats, dogs, and birds.
They arrive at the outskirts of the town where there was a hidden door beneath the walls that lead to a tunnel.
They entered the tunnel which was the sewage system and using a torch that the beggar placed on the walls, they traverse through the dark and stinking sewer.
'The smell reminds me of my job and I hate it so much.'
Soon, they arrived at a hidden door on the walls and when the beggar opened it, Xerel found himself in a room that was quite small where there was a wooden bed, a small table, a chair, and candles that light up the room.
What caught his eyes was an armor set being displayed on the wall and a rack of a variety of weapons.
"Is this your room?"
"Yes, and tell me, who are you and what is the reason you're trying to help me?"
Xerel sat on the bed while the beggar sat on the chair as both looked at each other in a serious expression.
"My name is Xerel, as you said I'm from a foreign country and as any normal foreigner, I needed a tour guide to learn more about this place. I'm not part of some organization, I'm independent and when I saw that you were put on some curse, I simply wanted to help you. If you can't guide me, any information about this kingdom that you know will be a sufficient payment.
"Sigh, you could've simply given me a silver coin and I'd give you the information you need yet you gave me a holy antidote when this thing is more precious than the entire royalty. Once news gets out that a foreigner is handing out holy antidotes like it was water to beggars, every kingdom in the entire continent will go on a massive chase just to find you. They'll interrogate and torture you just so they could get more of this holy antidote for themselves."
"So that's the reason why you were so alert. I understand, don't worry that's the last antidote I have."
'Not exactly, I still have an entire stash worth of potions and antidote, I'm only giving you the lowest-ranked antidote I have which is of Legendary but that's enough to cure your curse.'
"You see this mark?"
The beggar rose his shirt up to reveal a black magic circle ingrained in his abdomen.
"This is the mark that was branded on me by a great wizard. This mark can only be removed if that great wizard wants to do so, or by drinking a holy antidote."
"Why were you marked with that curse?"
"I witnessed the emperor of the Gutalac Empire conspiring with the Demonic Sect. I was able to run away from them and hoped to tell this news to the neighboring kingdom, Labason Kingdom but they were able to capture me before I could even set foot on the gates of Labason."
(Note: Labason is pronounced as La-ba-soon.
Gutalac is pronounced as Goo-ta-lock)
"They killed my wife and daughter in front of my eyes. They brainwashed me and placed a cursed mark on me. They strip me from my status and I spend a few years as a hobo walking around the streets. A year ago, I was able to wake up from the brainwashing but I had to act it out to avoid any suspicion since they had planted eyes all over the empire and the neighboring kingdoms to keep watch of me."
The beggar said as tears fell from his eyes pondering the grief and anger in his chest of losing a loved one.
"Why didn't they kill you instead of brainwashing and putting a curse on you?"
"They said 'The greatest mercy we can give is killing your family.' so instead of killing me, they killed my family mercilessly! I'll never forget the words of the emperor whom I had sworn my loyalty to for the rest of my life and if I was given a chance to exact my revenge, I'll do it even if I have to sell my soul to the devil."
The beggar as he gritted his teeth and clench his fist, bursting in rage.
"Don't worry, I'm not the devil, in fact, I'm here to slay the devil."
"Sigh~once I drink this, the mark will disappear and the great wizard would immediately know. The empire will do everything in its power to find and capture me. I'll slowly retrieve my powers back but I'm not sure if I can protect you, your strength is on the level of a normal person and I don't even know if you can do any good. You can choose for yourself, would you rather join me in defeating the corrupt emperor or will you stay away? I'll give you all the information you need to start with your journey if you choose the latter."
Ting~
[HIDDEN QUEST
Lazarus is planning on overthrowing the entire Gutalac Empire. He will go on to exact his revenge against the demonic Sect and the emperor. By completing this quest, the incoming attack of demons will be significantly weakened.
Difficulty- SS+
Rewards- Linked Quest, Sub-class, Main quest contribution, ???
Penalty- Trial Failure
Duration- Until the allotted time of the trial]
[DO YOU WISH TO ACCEPT THE QUEST? Y/N]
The window panel appeared in Xerel's view. He read the contents and thought to himself deeply.
'I knew it would be a Hidden Quest but I didn't expect it to be connected with the main scenario. Logically, the chances of failure are absurdly high but I don't know how hard the main scenario will be if I choose to decline. But the rewards are too good to pass on, linked quest would mean I'd get more rewards, a sub-class would be amazing! And of course, the most important part in the trial is the contributions.'
After a long time of processing in his head, Xerel concluded that he hoped to not regret.
"I'll follow you to your conquest."
Ting~
[YOU HAVE ACCEPTED THE QUEST]
Ting~
[AFFINITY TO LAZARUS HAS INCREASED BY 40!]
"From now on, call me Sir. Lazarus. Gulp!'
Lazarus drank the antidote and instantly, the cursed mark in his abdomen burned away. The once frail and curved body he had quickly straightened and bulked up. The wounds and scars in his body disappeared and even the wrinkles and dirt on his face and body vanished as if he had just de-aged by 20 years.
He looked like a 30-year-old man with a bushy beard.
Ting~
[Lazarus
Rank: Outcast Knight
Level: 90
Class: Weapon Master
STR: 860
AGI: 750
INT: 389
DEF: 821
STATE: Thankful, Vengeful, Hurried, Alert, Refreshed]
New status information appeared in his view after Lazarus drank the antidote. Xerel was surprised but didn't fret any longer after seeing Lazarus pack in a hurry.
"Let us go..."
"Xerel..."
"Xerel, let's go.."
Lazarus wore his armor set and opened a trap door on the ground that stored a hidden chest filled with gold coins and his weapons.
He had a sword, daggers, a bow, an ax, a spear, a whip, and a hammer which he placed on his back as he covered himself with a robe that concealed his body.
He gave Xerel a light armor piece and a chosen weapon placed on a hidden wardrobe under his bed.
"What kind of weapon do you want to choose? I can tell that you are also a wizard seeing that you contain a magic circlr but I don't have any wands or staff.
"It's fine, I'll go with this one."
"A rapier, it suits your build but you should train your footwork and speed when you want to choose that weapon. I'll teach you how to use the rapier once we escape this town and arrive at the mountains."
These are all the equipment he was wearing.
Ting~
[Light Chest Plate
Rank: Silver Rare
Type: Chest Plate
PR: 100
MR: 50
Durability: 350/350
Effects-
+100 HP
+10% Attack Speed
Nimble-(P)(SPD): While in combat, movement and attack speed increase by 1% every 5 seconds. Up to 15%. Disappears in 10 seconds after leaving combat.
Requirement: None]
[Thorn
Rank: Gold Epic
Type: Rapier
AD: 300
Durability: 280/280
Effects-
+30% Attack Speed
+25% Critical Chance
Precision-(P)(SPD): When dealing with Critical damage, attack speed increases by 20% in the next 3 seconds.
Requirement: None]
*******
Gutalac Empire, Wizard Tower 10th floor
A muscular man could be seen bathing in a steamy bathtub with both legs dangling on the sides of the tub. He was currently fast asleep when suddenly, an electric current sprang in his forehead as his eyes quickly open.
"The curse has been lifted!"
The muscular man quickly shot up from the tub and covered his naked body with a bathrobe. As he teleported to the room of the emperor.
The emperor was a fat and perverted man as he was having sex with a concubine in his bed.
"Your highness!"
"W-what- is it you bastard!? Can't you see I'm busy!?'
"It's urgent! The curse has been lifted."
"What!?"
The fat emperor quickly stand up as he covered himself with his gold robe and ordered the concubine to leave the room which she obliged and left immediately.
Flick!
The wizard snap his fingers and both were dressed to their royal attire as they sat on a couch on each end.
"When was the curse lifted?"
"Just now, my connection with him was suddenly cut off and I could not feel his presence anymore."
"Shit! How is he able to lift the curse when it can only be removed by you or a holy antidote. Could it be that a magician of your level helped him?"
"That's impossible. I am the sole strongest wizard in this era so it's unlikely that another magician is helping him. The only possible guess is that he manage to get his hands on a holy antidote or if he had died."
"He can't die! He's the only one who knows the map of the hidden valley. If he dies, finding the hidden valley will be impossible! Find him and I'll order my men to scatter around the 7 kingdoms to look for his whereabouts. We must not lose him!"
"I'll look for him now."
The wizard disappeared into the room and the emperor immediately called out his men to start looking for Lazarus.