The transparent blue screen expanded in front of his eyes.
[Main Quest: Striker.
Quest description: Survive in the wilderness.
Period: 10 days.
Rewards: Skill (Grade?)/ Weapon (Grade?)
Status: Accepted.]
[Auxiliary Quest: Child's cry.
Quest description: Every night after sunset, You can hear a child crying in the middle of the forest. Determine the source of the child's voice.
Period: 3 days.
Reward:
Status: Pending!]
[Daily Quest: Acquire energy crystal.
Quest description: The tower defense requires a constant supply of energy crystals. The defenders are responsible for protecting the tower, while the striker serves as a supply chain. Provide ten mana crystals to the defenders every day.
Duration: Daily.
Reward: 15 exp points.
Status: Pending!]
[Daily Quest: Acquire food.
Quest description: The tower defense requires a constant supply of food. The defenders are responsible for protecting the tower, while the striker serves as a supply chain. Provide ten food sources to the defenders every day.
Duration: Daily.
Reward: 15 exp points.
Status: Pending!]
"The Main Quest will remain the same throughout the entire duration. Daily quests are different for the strikers and defenders. It is the safest way to earn exp. With exp, you can level up easily."
Iris explained everything as if it were common knowledge. "Everyone's additional quest is unique," she continued. "It is entirely up to you whether you accept it."
He double-checked all of his pending quests before accepting them all without hesitation.
The big man and the twins were still hesitating.
"Don't worry," Iris added with a smile. "They had designed the quests to help you grow stronger."
"How do you know?" The big man couldn't help asking.
"Didn't your contractor tell you? This place is like a training camp to prepare you to face what is happening on Earth."
"What is happening on Earth?"
Iris sighed, but she said, "Monsters. Monsters from other planes are invading."
"Alien?"
"You can think of them like that."
"Wouldn't it be better to train the army, that doing…" The big man wanted to find the right 'word' to explain the present scenario but failed.
Iris smirked, saying, "Even if you think it is just a dream, just do as I say. You will understand it later."
The big man frowned. Contrary to his high tone, Sleagh felt he was relatively calm. The big man continued to check the transparent screen.
However, it was the twin boy who had accepted the quest first.
"What are you doing?" his sister exclaimed instinctively, but she quickly checked others' expressions.
"You do it, too." His brother said.
The girl stared at her brother for a moment before doing what she was told.
The big man also accepted the quests but didn't stop asking Iris. It wasn't just him. Sleagh and the twins also had many questions.
Iris was much friendlier than their mercenary contractor. She didn't answer everything, but she did provide a lot of information. They ended up talking about it for several hours.
Iris smiled and said, "Good. Now, the defenders follow me."
She took the stairs and climbed the top of the tower. The big man and the twins followed her.
"Wow!" the twin sister exclaimed.
"Where is this?" The big man asked.
Twenty-five meters of the area around the tower was grassland. After that, a thick forest enclosed it. The trees were higher than the tower. They couldn't even see how far the forest stretched.
Iris smiled and pointed at the weirdly shaped statues. "You can see those statues, right? You put an energy crystal in them, and they will move like robots."
"If you look around the tower, you will find many of them. Defenders can fight against invaders using them."
"So all we need is energy crystal?" The male twin asked.
"Yes. But a low-level energy crystal can move it for 12 hours. However, fighting will make them lose energy faster. So use it wisely."
"So we don't need to fight those monsters?" The eyes of the female twin sparkled.
"If you use the statues wisely, you wouldn't need to." Iris stopped before adding, "but it is better to fight against the first few waves. As they are weaker, you can use them to level up."
"Every time you level up, they shall award you an attribute point and two attribute points with every fifth level up. A defender should invest your attribute points in intelligence, wisdom, and willpower."
"Are you sure it is not a game?" The big guy couldn't help asking.
"If you think it is like that, it's better to call it a tutorial." Iris took the stairs down from the roof, adding, "the memory of the meteor shower wasn't a dream, and when you return to Earth…"
She stopped for a moment, then added, "Try to get as much stronger as much as possible."
*Sharp* *Sharp*
As she came down, sharp movements of the spear were the first thing she had heard. When she was about ten meters away, Sleagh stopped practicing spears.
"Have you awakened your knowledge?"
Instead of answering, Sleagh touched his bracelet. Again, a transparent screen appeared in the thin air.
[Title: N/A
Temporary title: #00008850/*****/Sleagh
Level: 0 (0/20)
Traits:
Alinement: Arkid Dimensional Mercenary (Neutral)
Strength: 23
Constitution: 28
Dexterity: 27
Intelligence: 22
Wisdom: 20
Willpower: 22
Knowledge:
Skill:
Quest: 1. Striker (Main).
2. Child's cry (Auxiliary).
3. Energy crystal (Daily)
4. Food (Daily)]
"Oh! Intermediate spear mastery? That rare." Iris was pleasantly surprised. "Nowadays, few people train their spear mastery to this level on Earth. Are you from a material arts family?"
"No," He smiled, explaining, "I used to work at a Bo Staff dojo. The master was kind enough to teach me the basics."
"Bo Staff." She mumbled, "They aren't the spear."
He sighed, adding, "They aren't. My master had also taught me how to use a spear."
"Whatever. A spear mastery is better. An intermediate at that. It will help you survive a long way."
"You know a lot of things about this place. Are you hiding something?"
At his question, Iris smiled. "Who doesn't have a secret?"
Sleagh looked at her for a moment before asking, "Are you going to leave the tower?"
"A four-digit number certainly suits you," Iris smirked. "But that teenager was right. If a striker stays bound to a tower for too long, it will hamper his growth."
"So, are you going into the forest?"
"Forest? It's just a part of it. This lunar shard contains seas, highlands, lakes, mountains, and deserts. If you try hard enough, he will get the chance to explore the lunar shard. It will help you when you go back to Earth."
"Can you answer me one question?"
His sudden question surprised her, yet she smiled and answered, "Yes, you can call it an apocalypse. It's a matter of life and death for all humankind. Just like it happened to the dinosaurs a long time ago."
Iris didn't stay to entertain any more questions and touched her stele. A transparent screen jumped up in front of her.
Sleagh wasn't sure whether he had seen it right, but he was close enough to see #00000017 on her screen. He remembered the number in case they forgot their names again.
Soon the stele crumbled. At that time, the other three people came down from the roof.
"Are you leaving?" The female twin asked in a shaky voice.
"I have to," Iris answered.
"But monsters are coming again." the male twin pleaded.
"We should close the tower." the tall man suggested.
"Hiding won't help," Iris said as she pointed at the Sleagh, adding, "I believe he is strong enough to deal with the monster's weaker waves. But don't rely on him too much; instead, protect yourself."