As I made the decision to leave that peculiar house, a strange man in a grey robe with a long white beard suddenly teleported in front of me. He assumed a T-pose and loudly exclaimed, "You Shall Not Pass!"
What in the world is wrong with this old man?
"Old man, who the hell are you? What do you want?" I asked, my voice tinged with irritation.
"I am Bandalf the Grey, one of the oldest and wisest protectors of this realm," the old man introduced himself.
I could definitely see that he was one of the oldest, but I doubted his claim of being one of the wisest.
"So, why did you stop me?" I asked him curiously.
He pointed at my crotch and said, "Because of that."
"What the hell are you saying, you old fool?" I exclaimed. Once I saw what he was pointing at, I quickly covered my crotch with both hands, shouting at him in embarrassment.
"The ring you have inside your pocket is not just any normal ring. It was created by one of the most malicious groups of people to ever roam this realm, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They have hidden their powers in many objects, just like this one. Although most of them were destroyed, some still remain," the old man, who called himself Bandalf, explained.
Four people? Wasn't it originally supposed to be just one guy putting most of his power into a single ring? To be honest, that sounds like a pretty terrible move. If it were me, I would have followed the example of other dark lords and split my power into seven different objects. But then again, he couldn't even kill a single child for many years, so I can't say either of them was a better Dark Lord.
As I was lost in thought, the old man began to speak again.
"The one you possessed is called the 'Single Ring.' It's a cursed object that whispers sweet nothings into the ears of people who have been single their whole lives and slowly saps them of their life force. If someone were foolish enough to put that thing on their finger, they would become invisible to the opposite sex and end up single for life," he delivered this grim message with a serious expression.
What? What kind of wicked person would create something like this? Does that mean I was drawn to it because I've been single my whole life? It's true, but to think I would be reminded of that fact by something like this?
(Relatable (╥﹏╥))
Thank goodness I didn't put that thing on my finger; otherwise, I would have been cursed twice. My face is already a curse enough, causing most women to avoid me after seeing it. They judge me solely based on my appearance and steer clear. If only they'd spend some time getting to know me, they'd start to truly dislike me. As I cursed my fate, the old man began to speak once more. (Relatable (╥﹏╥) x2)
"Nothing in this world is strong enough to destroy that object. The only exception is the volcano where it was created, Mount Boom. Since you already have that ring, you must journey to Mount Boom and destroy it," the old man suddenly assigned me a quest.
As I tried to process what was happening, the familiar blue screen popped up once again.
*Generating Quests*
*Quest*
*Find a way to destroy the Single Ring.*
*Reward: Bandalf the Grey is one of the oldest and the wisest beings in this world, he mastered his own version of grey magic the Ban magic along with a few other different forms of grey magic, Once this quest is completed you can ask Bandalf to teach you one of his powerful magic skills.*
What's this? A quest? I'm already on a quest! You want me to go to Mount Boom to destroy this ring? No, that sounds like a lot of pain, to be honest.
Wait a minute! Now that I think about it, the quest didn't tell me to go to Mount Boom to destroy this ring but to find a way to destroy it. So basically, there's more than one way to destroy this ring.
What did the old man say again? 'Nothing in this world is strong enough to destroy that object.' But that's the thing; me and Truck-Kun are not from this world. Let's give it a try. It's better than going to that Mount Boom thing to destroy this wicked ring.
"All right, old man. I will destroy this ring," I declared proudly, then asked curiously, "Why didn't you do that yourself?"
"Well, I am basically immortal, and if I got cursed by that single ring, that's like a fate worse than death. That's why I use... Ahem... I mean, ask for help from kind people like you," the old man replied with a shrug.
Damn it! He was definitely trying to use people like me. Did the same thing happen to the guy in the unique house?
"So, why did the person in this house have the ring in the first place? And how did you find out that I took it?" I asked him, filled with curiosity.
"Well, unfortunately, he became tempted by the Single Ring and became its user, and I was keeping an eye on this young fellow until his final moments," he said, his tone filled with sadness.
Wait a minute, there are so many things wrong with what he just said.
"So, basically what you're saying is that you were watching this 'young' guy in this house until his last moments," I remarked, and I focused my gaze on the skeletal remains and his hand in his pelvic region. Bandalf's eyes followed mine and saw what I saw. Once I noticed his fear-stricken expression and widened eyes, I said,
"Ladies and gentlemen, we got him!" I declared as I pulled out my axe, Blood Rex, and assumed a fighting stance.
"No, no, no, no, this is all a misunderstanding. He may look small, but he was definitely not a child. He was an adult dwarf. The reason I called him young was that he was young by my standards, and I was definitely not watching his final moments. That was just a figure of speech," he tried to explain himself as he approached me.
"Stop! I may not look like much, but I am really strong, and I will fight you with all I have," I threatened him, activating my newly acquired skill.
"Overdrive."
As I uttered those words, a white aura enveloped me, and I could feel its intense energy surging through every fiber of my being. It was as if an otherworldly force had awakened within me, manifesting in this radiant shroud of power.
As I powered up, the white aura began to radiate from my body, enveloping me in its brilliant glow. It danced and swirled, like an ethereal flame, casting an intense, blinding light that seemed to pierce the very fabric of reality.
My appearance was transformed by this luminous energy. My muscles seemed to bulge with newfound strength, and my eyes burned with an unwavering determination. The aura clung to me like a protective shield, pulsating with the raw power that lay within.
At that moment, I felt invincible, as if I could conquer any obstacle that dared to stand in my way. The white aura was not just a display of power; it was a visual testament to the indomitable spirit that resided within me.
What's up with this skill? I feel invincible, and it's just a ten percent increase in my power. How powerful would I be if I could master this and achieve a hundred percent increase? Was Monkey Kong using such amazing power and somehow lost to me?
As I marveled at my newfound strength, I saw Bandalf. His eyes were wide with surprise, and he opened and closed his mouth, trying to say something. Only air escaped his mouth, but eventually, he managed to speak.
"I-I couldn't believe my eyes. T-to think you have such a powerful grey magic skill. Who are you, young man?" He asked and began to approach me again.
"Stop! This is just a fraction of my power. If you come any closer, I will not hesitate to defend myself," I warned him while gripping my axe tightly.
*Sigh*
He sighed and said, "Young man, as I said, that was just a misunderstanding. Now that I have seen your power, I am sure you are the only person capable of truly destroying that ring. But it looks like no matter what I say, you will not be convinced. So, let me do this." He flicked his index finger, and suddenly the status screen popped up for some reason.
*Quest Updated*
*Find a way to destroy the Single Ring.*
*Reward: Bandalf the Grey is one of the oldest and the wisest beings in this world, he mastered his own version of grey magic the Ban magic along with a few other different forms of grey magic, Bandalf has seen some great potential in you once this quest is completed, you can ask him to teach two different magics instead of one *
What? Did the quest just get updated? Is he trying to bribe me? If he thinks something like this will work on me, then he's probably right. I already witnessed the power of grey magic firsthand, and if I could gain even more powerful magic like this, I would truly become invincible.
With that thought in mind, I canceled my skill and stated, "Fine, you've convinced me. Now, let's destroy that wicked thing," addressing the old man.
"Great, then let's go on a journey to Mount Boom, I will accompany you," said the old man.
But I stopped him and replied firmly, "No, I have my own way."