Nearly as soon as Cairn had finished reading the Quest Notification, a roar powerful enough to make a T-Rex's sphincter tighten echoed through the air, followed by a loud, crashing sound akin to a thunderclap.
Looking in the direction of the sound, Cairn's breath got caught in his throat as he saw a two-legged monster with short, blade-like forelimbs, jagged spines running the length of its back and tail, and a bevy of horns framing its draconic head and maw like a crown. He didn't know its exact height, but it would have towered over his four-story apartment complex without issue. Furthermore, while it only had scales along its inordinately thick tail and parts of its back, its body was covered in fiery cracks that gave the impression lava ran through its veins.
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Name: Vulkaanagan
Species: Rahagora
Gender: Male
Age: 3,107
Title: Wandering Tyrant
Class: Ancient Dragon(Unique)
[Attributes]
Level: 93/100
HP: 44,031,904/44,031,904
MP: 3,594,381/3,922,927
Str: 928+3,387
Agi: 357+1,303
Vit: 4,492+16,396
Int: 1,337+4,880
Dex: 408+1,489
Cha: 392+1,431
Talent(s): [Tyranny(93/100], [Dragon Heart: 93/100], [Ancient Dragon's Constitution(93/100)], [Apex Predator(83/90), [Magmous Blood(73/80)], [Territorial(63/70)], [Adamantine Bones(53/60)], [True Sight of the Dragon(43/50)], [Roaming Disaster(33/40), [Hyper Regeneration(23/30)], [Unstoppable(13/20)], [Human Transformation(3/10)]
Skill(s): [Flame Dragon Breath(MAX)], [Extinction Breath(MAX)], [Lava Breath(MAX)], [Fire Magic(MAX)], [Destruction Magic(8/10)], [Earth Magic(MAX], [Quaking Steps(MAX)], [Fiery Divine Sword(MAX)], [Hibernation(MAX)], [Crushing Maw(MAX)], [Crunch(MAX)], [Tail Slam(MAX)], [Breakthrough(MAX)], [Devour(MAX)], [Fire Imbue(MAX)], [Self-Destruct(1/10)]
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"Oh, hell no..." muttered Cairn, feeling weak in his knees but managing to turn and flee as the Rahagora, Vulkaanagan, destroyed the nearby village. Any thought of damaging the monstrous creature had vanished from his mind, not because he feared death but because it was simply impossible. The ground around it was set ablaze by the heat exuding from its body, and whenever it turned, its massive tail would tear through farmhouses and trees as if they were assembled from paper mache and dry spaghetti. As such, running was his only hope of completing the Quest he had been assigned.
Fortunately for Cairn, Vulkaanagan was focused on eliminating every man, woman, beast, and child within the village. He felt sorry for them, but as a Level 1 with no weapons or armor, there wasn't much he could do...
...
..
.
After finding what he believed to be a safe place, a 3m wide stone culvert three-quarters submerged in a canal, Cairn took shelter in the somewhat chilly water and tried to catch his breath. He had five years of experience fighting relatively weak monsters, such as Slimes, Goblins, and even a few Kobolds, but this was the first time he had seen a Dragon-type monster in person. Compared to the relatively weak, Level 5-10 monsters, it was on a completely different level. Both literally and figuratively.
"Phew..."
Hearing the sounds of Vulkaanagan's rampage subsiding, Cairn exhaled a sigh of relief before softly whispering, "Open Equipment Window..." in the hopes that he at least had access to Equipment and Inventory slots. If he didn't, traveling long distances, hauling goods, and delving into Dungeons would be much harder.
Nearly causing Cairn to exhale a second sigh, two transparent blue panels appeared before him, one showing the silhouette of a human with twelve slots of equippable items and another showing nine rows and columns of predominately empty inventory slots. The former showed he was wearing Trash Tier(Common) Threadbare Linen Pants, a Tattered Linen Tunic, and Worn Leather Boots, but that wasn't too surprising. What 'did' surprise him were the items occupying the first five slots of his Inventory.
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Name: [Beginner's Red Potion]x10
Rank: Unique
Level: 0/20
Use: Restores 20% Max HP for targets below Level 20. HP restored increases by 2% from Levels 1-10 and 5% from Levels 11-20.
Description: Contrasting its name, this is a miraculous and highly potent potion produced using rare, high-quality ingredients.
Ingredients: [Flawless Core of Red Slime], [Tears of a Newborn Goddess], [Angel's Kiss]
Medicinal Potency: 20%
Name: [Beginner's Blue Potion]x10
Rank: Unique
Level: 0/20
Use: Restores 20% Max MP for targets below Level 20. MP restored increases by 2% from Levels 1-10 and 5% from Levels 11-20.
Description: Contrasting its name, this is a miraculous and highly potent potion produced using rare, high-quality ingredients.
Ingredients: [Flawless Core of Blue Slime], [Tears of a Newborn Goddess], [Angel's Kiss]
Medicinal Potency: 20%
Name: [Gift of the Goddess(Lv: 1)]
Rank: Unique
Level: N/A
Use: Open to receive a special set of items suited to your Class.
Description: A special gift prepared by the Goddess Gaia to aid her children in their journey.
Ingredients: [Fragment of Divinity], [Orange Grade Mana Stone], [God of Fortune's Blessing]
Restriction(s): Cairn
Name: [Statue of the Goddess, Restia]
Rank: Unique
Level: N/A
Use: Automatically resurrects the holder at the nearest Restia Church upon death. Negates Experience Penalty.
Description: A special charm produced by high-ranking members of the Restia Church. So long as it is carried, the holder need not fear the call of the reaper.
Ingredients: 100,000 Experience or [Green Grade Mana Stone], [Goddess of Light's Blessing]
Restriction(s): Only one [Statue of the Goddess, Restia] can be held at any given time. Holding on to multiple will cause all the statues to break simultaneously. Stealing the statue from another will reduce all attributes by 50% until the thief has repented.
Name: [Tears of the Goddess, Restia]
Rank: Unique
Level: N/A
Use: Resurrects a target on the spot but decreases their attributes by 10% until they have been purified.
Description: A special elixir concocted by high-ranked members of the Restia Church. Legends say that the authentic tears of the Goddess can resurrect someone from a single strand of hair.
Ingredients: 100,000 Experience or [Green Grade Mana Stone], [Water], [Goddess of Light's Blessing].
Restriction(s): The target's body must be intact and cannot have been dead for more than an hour. Using more than five [Tears of the Goddess, Restia] before the target has been purified will cause the resurrection to fail.
--------------------------
After reading the descriptions of each item, most notably [Gift of the Goddess], Cairn fell into a contemplative state. He wasn't aware of the circumstances that led to his death, but it was apparent that the doll-like Goddess was doing her best to support him. He wasn't totally convinced that he was in another world, but at least he had a Legendary Class and a support package...
Clicking on the [Gift of the Goddess] in his Inventory, a hint of excitement returned to Cairn's icy-blue eyes as an orange icon and five crimson icons appeared. The first was an additional [Gift of the Goddess], requiring him to reach Level 10 before opening, while the rest comprised a 5-Piece Set of Unique Equipment.
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Name: [Shadowsilk Skin]
Rank: Unique Chest Armor
Weight: 0.25kgs
Durability: 500/500
Level: 0/80
P.Def: 20
M.Def: 25
Enchantment(s): Increases Stealth-related Abilities by 25% and Movement Speed by 10%.
Set Effect: 3-Pieces: Doubles the efficacy of Stealth-related Abilities, 4-Pieces: Makes the wearer's footsteps silent, 5-Pieces: Allows the wearer to activate the [Invisibility] Skill once per day, lasting 300s.
Description: A thin but remarkably durable long-sleeved top made from the sewn fibers of a [Shadowsilk Worm].
Ingredients: [Shadowsilk], [Rainbow Thread]
Restriction(s): Due to the materials used in its production, it can only be repaired by someone with [Tailoring] Level 60 or higher.
Name: [Shadowsilk Wings]
Rank: Unique Mantle/Cape
Weight: 2.2kgs
Durability: 1000/1000
Level: 0/80
P.Def: 30
M.Def: 50
Enchantment(s): Increases Stealth-related Abilities by 25% and provides 10% Resistance to all Elements.
Set Effect: 3-Pieces: Doubles the efficacy of Stealth-related Abilities, 4-Pieces: Makes the wearer's footsteps silent, 5-Pieces: Allows the wearer to activate the [Invisibility] Skill once per day, lasting 300s.
Description: An insulating and waterproof mantle sewn from the fibers of a [Shadowsilk Worm] and the mane of an adult [Frost Wolf].
Ingredients: [Shadowsilk], [Rainbow Thread], [Frost Wolf's Mane], [Earth Toad Oil]
Restriction(s): Due to the materials used in its production, it can only be repaired by someone with [Tailoring] Level 60 or higher.
Name: [Shadowsilk Braes]
Rank: Unique Leg Armor
Weight: 0.4kgs
Durability: 500/500
Level: 0/80
P.Def: 20
M.Def: 25
Enchantment(s): Increases Stealth-related Abilities by 25% and Movement Speed by 10%.
Set Effect: 3-Pieces: Doubles the efficacy of Stealth-related Abilities, 4-Pieces: Makes the wearer's footsteps silent, 5-Pieces: Allows the wearer to activate the [Invisibility] Skill once per day, lasting 300s.
Description: A thin but remarkably durable pair of pants made from the sewn fibers of a [Shadowsilk Worm].
Ingredients: [Shadowsilk], [Rainbow Thread]
Restriction(s): Due to the materials used in its production, it can only be repaired by someone with [Tailoring] Level 60 or higher.
Name: [Shadowsilk Longboots]
Rank: Unique Footwear
Weight: 2kgs
Durability: 2500/2500
Level: 0/80
P.Def: 50
M.Def: 25
Enchantment(s): Increases Stealth-related Abilities by 25% and decreases the wearer's weight by 10kgs.
Set Effect: 3-Pieces: Doubles the efficacy of Stealth-related Abilities, 4-Pieces: Makes the wearer's footsteps silent, 5-Pieces: Allows the wearer to activate the [Invisibility] Skill once per day, lasting 300s.
Description: An exceptionally durable pair of boots made from weaving several layers of [Shadowsilk] and the wings of a [Black Wyvern].
Ingredients: [Shadowsilk], [Rainbow Thread], [Black Wyvern Webbing]
Restriction(s): Due to the materials used in its production, it can only be repaired by someone with [Tailoring] Level 60 or higher.
Name: [Shadowsilk Queen's Stinger]
Rank: Unique 1-Handed Sword
Weight: 5.15kgs
Durability: 2700/2700
Level: 0/80
P.Atk: 35
M.Atk: 10
Enchantment(s): 5% chance of ignoring a target's Physical and Magical Defense. Damage increased by 50% when undetected.
Set Effect: 3-Pieces: Doubles the efficacy of Stealth-related Abilities, 4-Pieces: Makes the wearer's footsteps silent, 5-Pieces: Allows the wearer to activate the [Invisibility] Skill once per day, lasting 300s.
Description: A black, guardless sword fashioned from the stinger of the A-Rank Boss Monster, [Shadowsilk Queen].
Ingredients: [Shadowsilk Queen's Stinger]
Restriction(s): Due to the materials used in its production, it can only be repaired by someone with [Blacksmithing] Level 60 or higher.
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Equipping his newly acquired equipment, including his cutlass-like sword, Cairn briefly considered returning to the village and attempting to deal a hundred damage to Vulkaanagan. Its defenses would likely reduce his base damage to one, but if he managed to trigger the sword's 5% chance to ignore a target's defense, his odds weren't zero.
"Nah, screw that..." muttered Cairn, placing the [Shadowsilk Queen's Stinger] in an inactive state in his Equipment Menu. He would wear it in the provided sheath before entering a town or encountering 'natives,' but it would only get in his way while he stood up to his collarbone in water. There was also a chance the durability would decrease, so it was better to keep it in reserve. As for the rest of his equipment...well, the water was very cold.
Covering the lower half of his face, Cairn did his best to stifle a sneeze. He didn't know how good Vulkaanagan's senses were, so he needed to stay hidden until he was certain the monstrous Dragon had wandered off. Fortunately, while he didn't possess any Stealth-related Abilities, most virtual worlds he had visited counted hiding as an act of Stealth. So long as that still applied, his ability to stay hidden should be boosted by 200% so long as he wore the full set...
...
..
.
After nearly an hour of hiding in the culvert, Cairn both heard and felt what he believed to be a stampeding calvary. Thus, after a moment of deliberation, he left his hiding spot, materializing his sword on his lower back before crawling out of the river and climbing the embankment to get a better view. There, he witnessed what must have been a hundred men in crimson, gold-trimmed armor, their momentum comparable to a tidal wave as they approached on ebon 'horses' covered in scales and crimson armor in place of fur...
As the culvert Cairn had hidden in was located beneath what he assumed to be the main highway, a compacted, well-trodden dirt path, the group of Knights immediately spotted him. The Knight at the front, presumably the Knight Captain, signaled for his men to decrease their speed and come to a stop, but instead of approaching Cairn directly, he sent what must have been his Lieutenant, Adjutant, or Squire forward.
...
..
.
(A/N: Gaia is a very thoughtful Goddess.)