[CONGRATULATIONS, PLAYER]
[YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ENDURED THE INFECTION]
[REQUIREMENTS FOR THE QUEST – THE ENEMY WITHIN – HAVE BEEN MET]
[REWARD RECEIVED]
[UNIQUE SKILL – MASTER OF ALL POISONS]
[DESCRIPTION: Passive skill – Allows the player to resist all kinds of poisons and infections; Also grants the player knowledge in the concoction of poisons.]
[AN INFECTION HAS BEEN DETECTED]
[MASTER OF ALL POISONS IS NOW IN EFFECT]
[3...]
[2...]
[1...]
[THE INFECTION HAS BEEN ELIMINATED]
"You have a remarkable strong will, young man." I heard a voice beside me.
When I opened my eyes and sat up, feeling as if nothing had happened, probably due to the new skill [MASTER OF ALL POISONS], I saw a man sitting down in front of me.
He felt strangely old, wise, but didn't look like it.
He wore a hood, but from what I saw from his face, his white skin had almost no wrinkles, and his blue eyes, full of knowledge, reminded me of Nikolai's.
He was strong, thinly muscular, like a ranger. Or even a thief.
He probably was one, judging the fine, black cloak he wore, covered with black leather pauldrons.
And under the cloak, I could discern traces of an also black, leather armor, covered in small rivets and full of crevices, where he kept some of his weapons, such as throwing daggers and other things.
I could even discern the glimpse of blades under the top of his boots.
Remembering the first time I woke up near a stranger, I immediately summoned the [MIDNIGHT SISTERS] and jumped a bit far away from him, guarding myself and preparing to strike.
"You don't need to feel threatened by me, young man." He said, and both his voice and his demeanor didn't feel threatening.
Not even my perception accused anything wrong about him, so I slowly lowered my daggers.
"Assuming that you're already familiar with the features of the system, you already know who I am, right?"
What kind of question caught me off guard, making me frown at what the man said.
"How do you know about the system?"
"Judging by the pair of daggers you carry, just look above my head, and I think you'll know."
I heard him and looked above his head, but when I saw his name, I couldn't believe it at first.
It couldn't be, right?
[THE DARK HERO, ORKAS – LVL ???]
"Wait! How are you the boss of this Nest?" I was shocked, my hands trembled for some reason. "I... I thought that..."
"You thought that, since the system had granted you access to the [ARMORY], and you found the [MIDNIGHT SET] there... My trusted equipment set, that I would be some hero that fought in the First Calamity, and died long time ago, leaving traces of my existence within this system?"
I was speechless.
Yes, that was exactly what I thought, but then...
"How is it that you're..."
But he didn't let me finish my question, immediately answering it.
"I'm not here to fight you, despite being the boss of this entire Nest. I'm not even a beast, as you can see." Then, his eyes became bitter, sad even, as he went on. "Many came before, and all have died by my blades, because I was controlled by the $#%¨&*. But something happened when you stepped in here, and when I felt..."
"Wait, you were controlled by who?"
I thought my ears were playing tricks on me, so I asked one more time, and then I understood.
"I was controlled by the ******."
Yeah, my ears weren't playing tricks on me, but why was he speaking like that?
"You weren't able to understand when I said the name of what took control of me, were you?"
"No, I just heard you say something in, like, a language I don't understand, or something like that."
The man scratched his chin, and thought about something, for a very long time.
I started to feel uncomfortable, when he finally spoke again.
"It seems that, though you have more control over the system than the others, you still have a long way to go, so I'll give you a piece of advice, before I send you on your way."
"What is it? And what do you mean by send me on my way?" I was confused at that point. "Aren't I supposed to defeat you, or else I won't be able to get out? And what do you mean by having more control over the system than the others? Who are they? And does it mean that I'm not the only one to get this system?"
"In the present, you are, yes, the only person to acquire the system, but you are not the first one to have used it. However, since I can't tell you much about the ****** and the **********, as I can see judging by the look of confusion in your face again, I'll tell you this."
He gave a grave pause, as if thinking about something, but suddenly, he spoke again, approaching me.
"The system is nothing but a tool for you to level up and grow stronger Don't let it ****** you, or else you'll ****** like me. Because I wasn't strong enough to overcome the ******'s will. Use the system, but don let ** *** ***, don't forget it!"
Then, he didn't seem to pay attention to the look of confusion that I had, because he kept speaking, despite how I tried to interrupt him.
But I knew by then, that the system wasn't something to be fully trusted.
Which made sense, judging by how it had been acting inside the Nest.
I couldn't say much else, though, because Orkas was ready to say goodbye.
He touched my shoulder, and then I felt as if an electric wave crossed through my body, different from when I grabbed the sword, back in the [ARMORY], though.
I saw things in my head, while Orkas touched me.
Scenes of war, bloodshed, and wild beasts running amok.
Orkas was fighting the beasts along many others, that I imagined were the first generation of awakened.
And there was a white Dragon fighting by their side.
The scene changed to that of the white Dragon, dying by Orkas' side, and he cried.
"Don't worry about me, my only friend..." The Dragon said. "I had my part in it, and I'm glad I fought by your side. Now, there's one last thing I need you to do for me..."
"Yes, anything, just... Don't die, please..."
"If you do that, then I shall always be by your side..."
"What is it, Arias?"
"take my core, and forge something from it... I want you to wear me wherever you go..."
"I shall do it, and you'll be proud of what I'll make of it!"
"Thank you... Orkas... My only... Human... Friend..."
And then the Dragon, Arias, vanished in ashes, leaving a tiny, glowing orb, behind.
And when Orkas took it, I could see that what it was.
It was a silvery beast core...
"The silvery beast core from which [MIDNIGHT'S EMBRACE] was made..." I heard myself saying, dumbfounded.
"Now you know a bit of the story, young man." Orkas said, taking his hand off my shoulder. "And now, I give you my blessing, so you can carry out your mission. Now go, you may leave this Nest, and one more thing..."
I heard him as I felt an invisible force pulling me away from the last floor, and his voice got more and more distant.
"YOU'RE DOING GREAT! IT TOOK ME TWO YEARS TO GET TO LEVEL FIFTEEN! Keep up the hard work, and you'll soon surpass the **********..."
And the next second, I was back in the park woods, falling over my butt, a bit tired, but my shoulder wasn't bleeding anymore.
[YOU HAVE ACQUIRED ORKAS' BLESSING]
[THE ANCIENT DRAGON IS NOW LOOKING UPON YOU]
[ONCE YOU REACH A CERTAIN LEVEL, A SPECIAL FEAT WILL BE AVAILABLE]
I had leveled up a lot, according to Orkas, much faster than him, though I couldn't know how big of a deal that was.
And I even got his blessing, even though I didn't know what it meant, despite the system notification.
But I didn't feel good.
The images that Orkas showed me were still engraved in my head, and I felt... Bitter, sad, even.
I looked at [MIDNIGHT'S EMBRACE], comfortably sitting around my ring finger, and remembered Arias' final moments and words.
"Don't worry. I won't let you go to waste."
I got up, and looked up to the sky.
It was almost the middle of the day, so I started walking.
I was hungry, and I still needed to complete my daily quest.
There were many things left untold, and I thought I knew just the right person to whom I could ask the questions in my head.
It was time to make an official visit to the Shadow Guild.