With the title of "Witch's Apprentice" bestowed upon him, Saad felt a mix of excitement and unease. He knew that perhaps doing that without thinking about his defense training and the milestone of level 10 wasn't a good move. But his hand had moved to select the reward without even thinking deeply. He had selected the best looking one, unconsciously. He knew that he should have wisely, but being an apprentice to the enigmatic Ashen Witch was no small feat. He wondered what trials and challenges he would face in the days to come, and whether he would be able to meet the expectations of his new master.
As Saad looked down at his updated character window, the description for the title "Witch's Apprentice" appeared.
[Title: Witch's Apprentice- Novice] (Growth type)
Description: You have earned the favor of the Ashen Witch and have been accepted as her apprentice. Be prepared to face both the wonders and perils that come with this apprenticeship.
Your success rate in gathering herbs is increased by 20%, and you have a higher chance of discovering rare herbs when exploring new territories.
When brewing potions and elixirs, you have a 15% increased chance of creating more potent concoctions and discovering new recipes that provide unique effects.
When casting spells or using herbal concoctions, you have a 10% increased chance of avoiding unintended side effects or consequences.
Your Fame is increased by 20%, and NPCs in the world of Seraphia may treat you with deference and admiration.
Intelligence +10
[Your bond with nature and magical forces has grown stronger.]
Saad's heart swelled as he read the description. This title would not only grant him respect among fellow adventurers but would also open doors to new opportunities and knowledge that were beyond his wildest dreams. It was an insane title. He couldn't believe that he was able to actually get something so crazy.
[You have made an impressive achievement.]
Experience points +40
Quills +30
And then silver wings appeared above Saad's head as his 100 experience points milestone for level 2 got fulfilled due to the achievement. It was unexpected gain as he looked at the message windows popping in front of him.
[Congratulations! You have leveled up.]
As a reward he was awarded 1 sphere, 10 stat points, 5 skill points, a new skill slot, and a silver box. He didn't get any notification about new passive skills but he was sill happy.
"It looks like you are overflowing with power, my apprentice." The Ashen witch grinned every so happily as if sensing his level up. It did surprise him a little, since he had no idea that the NPCs were able to sense such changes.
"It's all thanks to your help," He quickly replied, in a great mood now that he had been able to actually gain another level on his second day. He didn't expect that becoming her apprentice would come with so many benefits. He had no interest in becoming the herbalist but there was a game like CWS gave the player to learn infinite things and truly explore their potential while also providing contains.
His mind went back to Drusilla's quest and the thought of it made him sigh. He was thinking of going back to forest and look around the forest. He knew he needed to add 20 common herbs and 5 uncommon herbs to complete it, but gathering such a vast variety of herbs would be no easy task.
The Ashen Witch noticed his troubled expression and asked, "What ails you, my apprentice? Speak your mind." She seemed a lot more kind, perhaps an effect of him becoming her apprentice.
Saad hesitated for a moment before explaining his predicament. "Master, I have been tasked with completing the herbal encyclopedia, but I am still short of 20 common herbs and 5 uncommon herbs. I fear it might take me a long time to find them all."
The Ashen Witch smiled knowingly. "Worry not, young one. As your master, it is my duty to guide you and expand your knowledge of herbs. But it's late. So come tomorrow. It will take time to learn and you will eventually get all the knowledge. Now go and get the broom. The house is dirty."
With those words, the Ashen Witch had started to hum and climbed the stairs to perhaps go and sleep.
[Apprentice's Journey-1]
Will you allow your master to rest in a dirty house? Grab the broom and get to work.
-Quest Detail-
[Room Cleaned]: 0/6
[Cobwebs removed]: 0/30
Difficulty: E
Rewards:
Experience points: +20
-Penalty-
Refusing the quest will result in loss of familiarity.
Saad couldn't believe as he read the quest description. In a way it was a compulsory quest with hardly any gains. The sun had set by now and he had no resources to go back and try to find any plants in the forest. He couldn't believe that even in this game, he would need to work like this. Wasn't a game supposed to be more easy and fun?
Saad felt bitter but then started to do it since after he had calmed down a little, he knew that even though he was barely going to get anything out of this quest and probably he would be going to do a lot more seeing as this was the first part of the chain quest. Saad checked his stamina and after cleaning up few cobwebs in the kitchen plus the living room, realized that two cobwebs took 1 stamina and seeing as he needed to clean up 30 of them, he would be able to manage easily. But as he had cleaned up all of the cobwebs in the living room and went to clean the library, he realized that the number of cobwebs didn't decrease. He thought that perhaps he would need to repeat the action.
So, Saad continued to sweep the cobwebs with increasing frustration and confusion. Despite his efforts, the cobwebs seemed endless, as if multiplying in front of his very eyes. "This can't be right," he muttered to himself.
As he swept through yet another room, he couldn't help but wonder if there was some kind of enchantment or spell preventing him from completing the quest. Or perhaps, he thought with a sinking feeling, the quest was intentionally designed to be tedious and time-consuming.
His initial bitterness resurfaced, and he felt a sense of unfairness. Why should he have to spend so much time on such a menial task when he was supposed to be embarking on a grand adventure as the Witch's Apprentice? Saad couldn't shake the feeling that he was being taken advantage of, and he grew increasingly frustrated with each passing minute.
With a heavy sigh, Saad decided to take a short break. He leaned against the wall, wiping sweat from his brow. His mind raced, considering his options. Should he abandon the quest and risk facing the Ashen Witch's disappointment? Or should he soldier on and hope that the cobwebs would eventually disappear? It's not like he could abandon this quest.
Just as he was about to make a decision, he noticed something peculiar. One of the cobwebs he had swept earlier had reappeared in the corner of the room. Saad's eyes widened in surprise. "What is that!," he exclaimed, feeling a mix of shock as he saw a small shadowy creature and that shape, it was clearly a spider but as soon as it had appeared, it hid in shadows and so Saad quickly took action, realizing just what had made his hard work go unpaid.
Saad made a small plan and quickly acted on it as he grabbed the broom once more, finding a target to let his frustrations out as he cleaned up a cobweb and then waited and as expected, few second later, a shadow appeared to restore the cobweb but Saad smacked it with the blunt end of the broom. "You are not getting away!" He grumpily told the creature.
And soon a [sudden quests] message popped and a quest was presented to him and he accepted the quest without a second thought.
[The Shadowweb Arachnid]
Quest Accepted!
You have stumbled onto a Shadowweb Arachnid. Defeat it and stop it from multiplying the cobwebs.
- Quest Details -
[Kill Count]: 0/10
Difficulty: E
Rewards:
Experience points: +50
His mood greatly improved seeing the huge amount of experience points and he swung the broom without a second thought to smack the creature. Saad could now see the HP bar which only had 10HP. While he had no combat training but he didn't register the Arachnid as a monster. And so in five to six more swings, he had killed the creature, breathing heavily. His stamina state being low meant that he got tired as his stamina would get low. For now he decided to finally check the creature's description, even if it seemed like he was a bit late in doing so.