Yuichi found himself standing next to a cold stone wall on his way out of the Dungeon Room. A narrow path lay before him, a journey back to the familiar confines of the dungeon. Yuichi regained his composure for a moment and surveyed his surroundings.
The events he had just experienced left him a bit confused and he needed some time to collect his thoughts. As he gathered his directions, he turned his attention to the screen the system presented to him, awaiting the next leg of his adventure..
｢Notify: You have successfully cleared out a D-Rank Dungeon Room! Due to your unwavering efforts, the rewards are automatically received through your Status and Inventory.｣
｢You have received EXP 10000000｣
｢Current Level: 33｣
"10 million... Eh?! 10 million EXP?! That's so rich for a level 60 monster!" Yuichi was dumbstruck.
Honestly, the sense of accomplishment that comes from defeating a level 60 monster, especially a boss, is really gratifying. Despite the significant level difference, Yuichi successfully defeated the three-star boss monster, showing remarkable skill and determination.
Notably, his previous victory during his rematch over a one-star boss also contributed significantly to his growth, earning him a significant amount of EXP rewards and thus improving his overall power.
The progress seems almost surreal, reminiscent of extraordinary achievements across borders, creating a sense that ordinary challenges have been overcome..
｢Notify: After surpassing Level 30, you've unlocked a privilege to acquire two [Wind] attribute skills and have been promoted from a [Novice] to a [Intermediate] class in your current attribute.｣
｢Notify: Your Passive Abilities have been enhanced!｣
"Woah, I jumped from level 15 to level 33. That's huge for me! This is basically cheating." Yuichi said aloud.
"Well, I mean, this place got me baited and almost killed me so it must be a fair trade for me. But then again, this is completely bullshit."
A little smile played at the corner of Yuichi's lips, a nonverbal acknowledgement of his apparent progress. His eyes lingered on his hands, which stood as a concrete symbol of his growth. It had not been an easy voyage, full of recurring difficulties and strong opponents, especially the high-level creatures like the elusive Shadow Wolf.
At first, the extreme disparity in skill had presented a formidable challenge, driving him to the limit of his potential. Nevertheless, he persisted in the face of hardship, refusing to give in to the overwhelming odds. However, as a result of his unwavering pursuit of improvement, his obstinate desire frequently brought him into situations where he found it difficult to keep up.
"Looks like I've gotten stronger a little bit," he adds, smiling faintly.
His enthusiasm grew when further information concerning significant improvements to his whole being and his Status was displayed by the system. It became apparent that receiving a whopping 1 million EXP was a worthwhile endeavor and quite satisfying.
｢Notify: You have unlocked Quest. You can now accept limited-time quest and get remarkable rewards.｣
｢Notify: You have unlocked Blueprint. You can now craft and collect recipes of certain items.｣
'Huh... I never thought that you need to level up in order to get a quest from the system. Mostly the Quest section is available to everyone if this is a videogames, but it seems it's more like a privilege here.' Yuichi thought about it.
'Speak of the devil, the Blueprint section is somewhat expected to be unavailable until reaching a certain level. At this point, i can now craft any items that I want as long as i have the recipes. I think I have tons of those in my inventory.'
Yuichi checks on his inventory and focuses his senses and says the word in his mind.
'Inventory'
The interface showed him a long list of inventory stacks, displaying the wide variety of goods he had collected during his dangerous expedition in the dungeon. From his little collection, he saw a large quantity of Wolf Fur—roughly 78 pieces. His inventory also contained a variety of Heart Crystal kinds, consumables, and other random goods like Bone Needle and Wolf Fang. Among the several things he found intriguing was one marked "Enhancement Stone."
He wasn't sure what it was for, but something told him using this intriguing stone may result in some benefits. He was skeptical, but he couldn't help but believe that something more was possible if he could fulfill the Enhancement Stone's potential.
'I've picked up a bunch of stuff during this hellish journey. The system automatically grabs items for me if I don't do it myself. Some items, like this "Enhancement Stone," have important info that I should be careful about. I won't use them right now though and save them for the future.' Yuichi thought to himself.
'I wonder what kind of item I can craft from the Blueprint section. It would be nice if I can use this Wolf Fur to craft a cloth. I'm basically a pervert to society if they saw me almost naked like this.'
As so, he goes to the Blueprint section and looks for the certain item he needs to check if he does have the recipe for it.
｢Item: Wolf Fur Cloak
Recipe:
Wolf Fur x5
Leather Strips x3
Strong Sinew x2
Bone Needle x1｣
"Hmm... I see I can make it without hunting for the ingredients since I've got them in my inventory. But should I really make it now? I smell so bad that the stench might kill me, and putting on a fresh outfit would just make it reek of my own body odor." Yuichi mulled over the matter.
"I'm curious if I can make weapons in the Blueprint section. It seems more convenient than finding them in loot. Maybe there are special weapons you can only create in the Blueprint section and cannot find them anywhere else."
As he did think about it, he searched on the Blueprint section until he found a recipe of a Rare weapon as the name was tinted in purple.
｢Item: Starlight Sword [Rare]
Recipe:
Enchanted Starlight Crystal x3
Moonsteel Ingot x2
Celestial Essence x1
Radiant Silver Silk x4｣
"Wait, where do these ingredients even come from? I have no idea how to get them," Yuichi grumbled as he stared at the blueprint screen.
｢Tips: You can obtain these items in Scrimmage Battle. Level up to 40 to be eligible for access of Scrimmage Battle.｣
"Scrimmage Battle? That's new to me. Is it like a level where you collect items within a specific time limit?" Yuichi wondered.
"Anyway, I'll find a way to handle that. But before anything else, let me see if there are any quests waiting for me to accept in the Quest section." Yuichi started looking at the Quest section on the screen that the system had displayed for him.
As Yuichi scans the screen, he observes that the Quest section is organized into two distinct columns: Limited-time Quests and Progression Quests.
"So there's two type of quest I can accept. I could tell both of these quest can give me tons of rewards after completing them," he mused.
Limited-time Quests are time-sensitive challenges or assignments that are only available for a set amount of time. These missions frequently include special bonuses or awards that are only available for a limited period of time. These usually have a time limit to finish in order to receive the related prizes, which might be rare goods, relics, or other stuff only available to them.
Progression Quests, on the other hand, are actions or objectives that help an individual improve in their advancement. These missions assist the user reach important milestones, unlock new features, and advance to higher levels, all of which are long-term objectives. Progression quests, in contrast to limited-time quests, are typically available continuously, letting individuals with systems complete them at their own speed.
When he examined the Progression Quest, a pale aura passed over him. Sweat beads sprang on his brow, a sign of the unexpected spike in worry, and his eyes widened in amazement and fear at seeing the mission marked "Lost Companion." That was when a particular memory came back to Yuichi, the recollection of someone who had been lost in a dungeon room with him. Lumiella was that person, after all.
｢Quest: Lost Companion
* Locate and find Lumiella.｣
'Find... Lumiella?' His thought echoed in his mind.
His initial joy and pleasure were quickly dashed when he realized he had failed to complete the vital duty of finding Lumiella. He had forgotten about Lumiella in the heat of everything that had happened to him. Luckily, the system was a helpful reminder that brought Yuichi's consciousness back. He clenched his jaw and focused on the information mentioned in the "Lost Companion" quest description, determined.
Yuichi questioned why the system viewed the search for Lumiella to be a quest. It did, however, help Yuichi comprehend the importance of the mission at hand.
But as he doesn't want to waste any time, Yuichi looks at the screen and accepts the quest with his determined look.
'Accept.'
｢Quest accepted!｣
The screen then materialized away after he accepted the quest. Yuichi saw the appearance of a shimmering bright blue path on the ground after accepting the task. Its ghostly radiance hinted at a route that may take her to Lumiella.
Yuichi took a second to collect himself before deciding to follow the lit route right away. As he entered the dark and dimly lit cavern, finding Lumiella turned became his only goal.
'Wait, Lumiella. I promise I'll come and save you. Just hold on for me.'