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"This is problematic." Said Dale as he observed the creature on the last floor of the tower.
The place was like an open arena, the ceiling was broken or to be more precise, the tower had broken in two a long time ago.
In the middle of the arena was a very ugly creature with a frame similar to that of a Bull. And behind it was his target, the last treasure chest of the Tutorial tower… It had a few items he would like to get.
The bull-like creature had 2 pairs of legs, a tail, and its body was rather fat but its legs had a few muscles.
There was a single curved horn on its head, it glowed red giving the creature a very intimidating appearance.
As it exhaled, hot steam left its nostrils… Its fur was black as charcoal and its skin was gray.
It was about 2M tall and 3.5M long… It was a unit of a creature… At least on Earth.
"The first Raid monster… It took 20ish Level 5 players to beat it if I remember correctly…"
He looked above its head and saw a few lines of words there, he had to squint his eyes to properly read what was there.
[Ignition Bovine]
Next to its name was a Skull, and crossing the skulls were several bones like those of a pirate flag.
2 bones to be precise.
'This game uses a different method to rank its monsters, instead of giving the monsters, Levels, they have danger thresholds.'
'A single bone means that the creature has a threshold from Level 0 to 10, meaning that players in this range should be capable of dispatching it. While 2 bones are 11-20 and so on.'
'There are also Ranks for monsters, and this is given by the type of skull in the middle of the bones... But that is a bit more complex.'
'For example, the Skull used on this monster indicates its a normal monster, so player within its level gap should be capable enough to take it down alone.'
'It's funny since such a monster is more than strong enough to become a raid monster for a group of Low-level players.'
'This means the Ignition Bovine is a low-rank monster meant for Level 11 to 20 players to take on.'
'But since it's within the tutorial area, players have limited levels and hence, it can function as a Raid Boss and it can be taken down with a proper strategy… And a lot of items.'
"It was the only 'Raid Boss' in the Beta, so over half of the players participated in its execution, even me…"
"However, I am sure it's not the case now…"
'But no matter what, I am not afraid of it. Because…'
[Player: DareDevil (Dale Houston) Attainments: None
Level:3 (13.4%)
Class: None
Character Status:
Strength: 56(63); Constitution: 56(63); Dexterity: 56(63); Mental Power: 31(38); Reflexes: 31(38); Mana: 6(15)
Skills:
Slot 1-> Spear Technique 1.5-Star (Neutral)
Slot 2-> Close quarters Combat 0.5-Star (Neutral)
Slot 3-> Stable Emotions 0.5-Star (Passive)
Slot 4-> Spatial Awareness 0-Star (Passive)
Slot 5-> Fighting Spirit 0-Star (Active)
Current Effects:
+5 All Stats
Lost Wanderer Set -> +2 All Stats; Healing Effectiveness and Speed increased by 10% and 25%; Weather conditions do not hinder you.
Inventory(+)
]
'I Leveled up twice when I finished the second trial and thanks to all of the extra treasure chests, I completed the Rare Lost Wanderer Set that gives several boosts when you are within a ruin.'
'I also got a nice spear to use, although it is only possible at most, what matters were the items and the money I got from the chests… Although they aren't useful right now.'
"And lastly, my stats are those of a Level 60 player… If a player was to walk around naked and do nothing apart from leveling up…"
"So to be precise, it's those of a perfectly naked Level 60 player… But it's enough to rock!"
'Time to kill! I'll finish this damn tower before other players even have the right to step foot into this game!'
[Time until Tutorial initiation, -31 Minutes, 15 seconds]
…
Dale ran around the corridor and in one big jump, he made his way to the Monster.
"...!"
As Dale cut the air above the monster with his spear, the creature's ears suddenly perked up as it got up and moved its head…
/SPLURGE!/
"WIIIIKKK!"
Dale penetrated the monster's neck, but he failed in taking it out in a single blow, making the monster scream in pain! So he took out his emergency dagger and stabbed it into the monster's neck!
Again and again, as the creature tried to shake him off!
/THUD!/
The Bull eventually collapsed to the ground, bleeding heavily as it breathed heavily. Seeing this and feeling the hot blood boiling on his skin made Dale realize this was a game unlike any before it…
But was this even a game for him?
[DING]
[You've slain the Ignition Bovine]
[You've finished a Solo Raid flawlessly!]
[You've completed the Tutorial Tower alone and flawlessly!]
[As a reward, all stats +15 during the remainder of the tutorial(Overwrites the previous Buff)]
[Rewards have been maximized]
[You've acquired, Ignition Horn Spear, Blazing Bull Set]
[You've acquired, Blazing Pelt x1, 4 Hoofs, 10Kg of flesh…]
[29K Experience points]
[You have Leveled Up]
[You have Leveled Up]
[All Stats +4]
[Player has achieved the Tutorial's zone Max Level, all extra Experience points shall be turned into game currency]
[1000 XP -> 1 Zulls of Wood]
[You gained 23 Zulls of Wood]
[Would you like to leave your name in the Hall of Fame?]
[...]
Dale was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of notifications, he quickly read through it all as he made his way to the chest. He had no time to waste.
"I Leveled up, got a bit of money, and many items… What a good day!"
But Dale did not equip any of his items yet, he still had one last treasure to open…
"Hehe… I want something good!"
/CHING!/
Golden light was released from the chest as he opened it.
[You've acquired the Broken inscribed blade]
[You've acquired, Ruins Explorer Set]
[You've acquired, Basic First Aid Kit x3]
[You've acquired…]
"Ahhh my ears! Please! Make these noises low in volume…"
'I need to go over some configurations later…'
"But hey… So many items… And I got the set I wanted, great."
'This set is an upgrade of the one I am currently using, unlike the other Set that can drop in any secret chest in the tutorial, this one can only drop here… And there is only one chance of getting everything at once.'
"If I don't get everything, I would have to buy the rest from the secret NPC… But thankfully all rewards are maximized."
'I also got many consumables.'
"But what is this blade?... These inscriptions… It's certainly not a normal item."
'We were either unlucky in the Beta or it was meant to be part of a quest or it's an item that didn't drop in there…'
Dale took out the knife and like magic, the two items shone and fused together as if attracted to each other.
[Ruin Guardian Glyph Blade (Unique)
Rating: 3.5-Stars
+10 all Stats while in a ruin
Gives the temporary Skills, Glyph Activation 2-Star (Active); Glyph Ignition 3-Star (Active) while the sword is equipped.
Set Bonus -> [Locked]
Requirements: Strength: 25; Dexterity: 25; Mana: 10
Description: Long ago the Paxus Knight Army stood guard over the Capital of Pil-Iros with their Glyphed weapons and armor gloriously under the setting sun.
]
As Dale read the impressive stats of the sword, his jaw dropped.
"Haha… And those sly developers said there was no connection to the previous game… It makes a lot more sense now, this can't be simply some sort of massive Easter Egg…"
Dale smiled in wonder.
"Well, it could be since this is an initial area that won't be revisited in the future, so they might just be having some fun… But this seems like quite a lot of work for 'fun'."
'However, in the case, it isn't… It would open many possibilities…'
[DING!]
[Server A-0001 is opening!]
"! Haaa… So it has started."
Holding a shining silver sword in one hand and a red spear in another, Dale looked at the sun on the horizon with a smile as he made his way out of the Tower.
…
.
.
.
Notes
Rarity Grades: Normal -> Special -> Slightly Rare -> Rare -> Very Rare -> Unique…
[Ignition Horn Spear (Slightly Rare)
+1 to Strength; +1 to Dexterity
+2 to all stats in Hot areas
Gives the temporary Skill, Flaming strike 1-Star (Active)
Set Bonus -> Ignite Earth, all steps will leave behind a small area of hot steam that will cause burns to your enemies; Slight increase to Fire resistance; +1 to all stats in Hot areas
Description: Horn of an Ignition Bovine repurposed into a spear, it is of high quality and hence, it has captured the essence of its master.
]
[Blazing Bull Set (Slightly Rare)
+2 to Strength; +3 to Constitution; +1 to Mana
Set Bonus -> Ignite Earth, all steps will leave behind a small pool of hot steam that will cause burns to your enemies; Slight increase to Fire resistance; +1 to all stats in Hot areas
Description: Light armor made from a mixture of an Ignition Bovine Skin and Bones, it is of high quality and hence, it has captured the essence of its master.
]
[Lost Wanderer Set (Special)
+2 to all Stats
Set Bonus -> Healing Effectiveness and Speed increased by 10% and 25%; Weather conditions do not hinder you.
Description: Cloth armor with a thick cape made from an unknown leathery material, it has weathered over the decades, and now, it's only a shadow of its former self.
]
[Ruins Explorer Set (Rare)
+5 to all Stats
Gives the temporary Skill, Explorer Sense 2-Star (Passive)
Set Bonus -> Healing Effectiveness increased by 50%; Extreme weather conditions give you +1 to +5 to all Stats depending on the degree of severity of it; Weather conditions do not hinder you.
Description: If you wish to explore a Ruin, you better be prepared for it, traps and monsters litter these forgotten grounds. A simple injury may lead to a lost limb, make sure to properly take care of yourself.
]
[Player: DareDevil (Dale Houston) Attainments: None
Level:5 (0%)
Class: None
Character Status:
Strength: 60(90); Constitution: 60(90); Dexterity: 60(90); Mental Power: 35(65); Reflexes: 35(65); Mana: 10(40)
Skills:
Slot 1-> Spear Technique 1.5-Star (Neutral)
Slot 2-> Close quarters Combat 0.5-Star (Neutral)
Slot 3-> Stable Emotions 0.5-Star (Passive)
Slot 4-> Spatial Awareness 0-Star (Passive)
Slot 5-> Fighting Spirit 0-Star (Active)
Temporary Skills: Glyph Activation 2-Star (Active); Glyph Ignition 3-Star (Active); Explorer Sense 2-Star (Passive)
Current Effects:
+15 All Stats
Ruins Explorer Set -> +5 to all Stats; Healing effectiveness…
Ruin's Guardian Glyph Blade -> +10 to all Stats
Inventory (+)
]