Saad logged out of the game, still feeling a little spooked by the encounter with the mysterious figure and the Arachnids. He quickly changed into his normal clothes and decided to take a break from the virtual world. Leaving his home, he walked to a nearby place to get some chai and to clear his mind.
The cool evening air and the bustling sounds of the real world helped him feel more grounded. Saad then treated himself to a hearty meal of fried egg and paratha with another cup of tea from a roadside cafe. The familiar taste of the chai and the delicious paratha helped ease his nerves.
Feeling refreshed, Saad returned home and decided to get some work done. He edited his video of the in-game adventures and posted it on the World Tube.
After resting for a while, Saad logged back into Seraphia, where morning light bathed the city. Determined to continue his investigation, So after having a hearty breakfast with his virtual family, he left to go first complete Drusilla's quest and then search for more clues. To his utter surprise, he found someone else there. It was a middle-aged NPC who was standing outside the shop while Saad could see that there were people inside.
"Excuse me. Isn't this Drusilla's herbal shop?" Saad inquired the man and the old man looked back at him sharply, looking up and down.
"I have not yet given this shop to her. Its 100 years too early!" The old man named, Huxley said and Saad blinked, connecting the dots.
"Ah-! Are you the landlord?" The second he said that, he saw the NPC click his tongue and a message appeared.
[Your familiarity with Huxley – The herbalist has decreased.]
Saad stared at the message with mixed emotions having made a bad impression, already knowing how much good impression was important. So he quickly turned the suggestion.
"Oh wait! You are the best herbalist of Seraphia, Huxley, right? Of course my wild guess was wrong. I can clearly see the wisdom on your face!" As Saad spoke those words, letting the system control his reactions and tone, he realized that Huxley was a narcissist.
[Your familiarity with Huxley – The herbalist has increased.]
"Humph- why are you trying to find my student? Do not set your eyes on her, boy." Huxley still seemed to not trust him and Saad quickly explained the reason, "I have been helping her with her encyclopedia. I was here to return it to her."
Huxley spread his hand out, "Give it to me."
Saad blinked and could clearly see that Huxley clearly seemed to have some sort of innate dislike for him. He couldn't understand just why he was acting like that but he quickly gave the encyclopedia to him. Huxley huffed and soon Saad received his reward for the quest. He couldn't help but stick his neck out a little, "Why is the shop closed?" He asked, ready to meet with a cold glare or dismissal but instead the old man huffed, hands behind his back, "It's the darn cobwebs! They just keep appearing out of nowhere. No go away." He huffed and Saad quickly scurried away. As expected, he got no hint. But then he decided to head to go to association to get some hints for finding the clues.
Missing Person: Saad comes across a distressed NPC searching for their missing relative. The last known location of the missing person was near an abandoned well in the outskirts of the city. So Saad rushed to that place and as he got there, he could see a strange gloominess to the deserted place even around the well. It was an abandoned animal barn. The well has now become a breeding ground for the Arachnids, indicating a potential connection between the missing person and the infestation. Since there were just too many of the, Saad decided to leave the well for now.
[You have discovered your next clue.]
[Someone has gone missing in the peaceful city of Seraphia. Guards are still treating it as a child's prank.]
Saad went to see Ashen Witch and just like déjà vu, he found her standing in the garden with a worried look on her face.
"Good morning master," Saad decided to greet her but she ignored the greeting and rather ushered him closer, "Look at this!" Saad went ahead and could see the Moon flower seedling getting infected by something.
"I heard from the young boy Ira that you have taken the responsibility to solve this curse that is upon our city," Ashen witch uttered with a pained voice as if her world was ending seeing just one plant in bad condition. But it was interesting in a way that Ashen Witch knew about Ira. "You must quickly find their nest. This is getting serious." Ashen witch uttered and Saad nodded. He realized that whatever Quest he would try, might just hindered by the infestation. Since he had grabbed an important quest, he might as well as complete it.
"I will get going then!" he said, ready to get over with the spider problem but Ashen witch stopped him, "Stop. Wait a second here for me." She told him before she quickly made her way inside the hut and when she returned after few minutes, she had a small brown pouch with her.
"Here. Take this. I can't have my pupil dying on me." She uttered and then waved her hand, "Now leave. Go and quickly deal with it." Saad had a million questions about the little pouch. But for now, he left her hut and checked the description.
[Monster ward - Noceur*]
Rank: Rare
Usage: three days
Wards off low ranked monsters by confusing them in 4 meter radius. Its 50% more affective against creatures of the shadow.
Saad stared at the description and blinked in surprise, wasn't this a really good item even if it was just for 3 days.
And Saad had a brilliant idea. Wasn't this the perfect idea to hunt some arachnids with his 'whip'? He needs to get at least some practice and since they would be confused, he would be protected. Right? He really wished to improve his whip skills and also gain the experience points because killing arachnid has been really rewarding. As someone with no combat skills, Arachnid infestation had come like a blessing in disguise. He had decided to level grind until the time for his defense class came and so he ran back to the infested well.
His heart thumped as he neared the gloomy dark well with vines all around and the skirling sound of arachnids walking and moving. Saad took his whip out and start and so he hit the well from a distance but it didn't work and so Saad took a deep breath and grabbed a nearby small rock and then with all his might threw it inside the well. At least, that's what he intended but he really couldn't throw it in the right direction.
And after many failed attempts, Saad had finally thrown the rock down. He was by no means a persistent guy but throwing other small things just hadn't worked and since there were so many stones just lying around from the fallen stone wall. He had enough to throw in the well. The arachnids seemed really intent of stating inside the well. And thinking of all that easy experience points gathered in one place just made him keep going.
[Your ability to throw increases a little.]
While he did see the message window, there was just no skill acquired by it. But one thing did happen- he had been successful in disturbing them,
As the shadowweb arachnids emerged from the well, Saad's heart raced with excitement and a touch of fear. He clumsily swung his whip, trying to mimic the combat moves he had seen in movies. Despite his lack of experience, he managed to land a few hits, but it was clear that he was a complete beginner in the art of whip combat.
Hours passed, and Saad's determination to improve his skills didn't waver. He kept on swinging the whip, relentlessly attacking the arachnids that crawled out of the well. Each strike brought a sense of progress, even though he was still far from being proficient.
As Saad fought, he noticed that his whip was showing signs of wear and tear from the rough usage. Its durability was decreasing rapidly. He realized that he needed to be more careful with his attacks to preserve the weapon's lifespan.
In the midst of the battle, an unexpected notification appeared:
[Your whip proficiency has increased. You have gained the Skill Lash Strike.]
Saad's eyes widened with surprise and delight. His clumsy swings had paid off, and he had gained some proficiency in using the whip. The notifications spurred him on, boosting his confidence, and he continued to fight with renewed vigor. He had no time to read the details but he was just ecstatic to gain an attack skill on his own.
His movements gradually became more refined, and he started to develop a basic understanding of the whip's mechanics. With every successful strike, he felt more in tune with the weapon, and his attacks became more precise than his random and clumsy hits from before.