Getting another skill, one that isn't useless. A sense of relief washed over Marius as he finally obtained something that seemed to be overpowered.
Despite this, he was unaware of the drawbacks of the skill, possibly due to the system's omission of any mention of the downsides.
Marius understood the importance of testing his new passive skill, but he decided to prioritize boosting his vitality in the attributes menu before diving into it.
This led to an increase in his hit points, going from 10/10 to 15/15. He experienced a wave of physical and mental well-being the moment he had pressed on vitality, even a sense of refreshment.
Getting that out of the way, Marius called out, "quest." He also wanted to increase productivity while testing his new passive skill. He wanted to aim to be more efficient.
He found everything to be moving too slowly for his taste. So, he wanted to get things rolling.
--------------------
Quests:
Daily Quest: Clear an E Rank Dungeon
Reward: +45 XP
--------------------
"Dungeon?" Marius whispered under his breath, disliking the sound of it. He was expecting an easy quest, like hunting Horned Rabbits again.
Although his upcoming daily quest involved clearing an e-rank dungeon, which might seem reasonable, he couldn't help but feel a bit paranoid due to his lack of knowledge about the grading system in this game-like world.
Though Marius doubted the system would assign such a difficult daily quest to a low-level such as himself.
Right? Right? RIGHT?
Wanting to make sure it was a low-ranking dungeon and wanting more knowledge, Marius turned to the goddess. "Do you have any ideas about the grading system for dungeons?" He asked.
He took his chances by asking her since she appeared knowledgeable about XP Potions, she could know more about this world.
Ayla gently touched her chin while giving a slight nod. "I do. It's quite simple." She took a deep breath and began sharing all her knowledge with Marius, including the adventurers' ranks, which made him happy.
To summarize:
E Rank dungeons feature weak creatures, simple traps, and basic supplies, suitable for E-Rank adventurers;
D Rank includes slightly stronger creatures, basic mechanical traps, and better items and minimal teamwork, appropriate for D-Rank adventurers;
C Rank contains mid-tier monsters, more complex traps, and mid-level magical items, and demanding coordination, designed for C-Rank adventurers;
B Rank involves high-tier monsters, advanced traps, and high-quality items, and strategy, meant for B-Rank adventurers;
A Rank consists of powerful creatures, highly sophisticated traps, and very powerful artifacts, and coordination, suitable for A-Rank adventurers;
S Rank encompasses very powerful monsters, extremely dangerous traps, and legendary artifacts, intended for S-Rank adventurers;
SS Rank comprises mythical beings, unprecedented traps, and world-changing artifacts, and teamwork, fit for SS-Rank adventurers;
SSS Rank includes Overlord monsters, reality-bending traps, and ultimate power artifacts necessitating absolute mastery, reserved for SSS-Rank adventurers.
With his fingers, Marius rubbed his forehead, sensing an overwhelming amount of information bombarding his brain as he attempted to comprehend everything that had just been spoken to him.
Despite his curiosity, he refrained from asking further questions, aware that he needed to act quickly to avoid wasting time.
Marius didn't want to linger here all day, being so slow. He still desired to register as an adventurer today to earn coins, become stronger, and so on.
He walked towards the front and settled into the seat. He directed his attention to the map, adjusting the zoom slightly and marking the e-rank dungeon.
However, Marius decided to take a longer route in order to include a visit to the city of Aetheria, to register as an adventurer.
Ayla, instead of sitting in the back this time, sat up front next to him and asked, "what's the plan?" The plan was always changing. She couldn't keep up.
Marius took hold of the reins and gave the horse a light flick to prompt it to start moving, as he responded to her:
"En route to the e rank dungeon, we'll be passing through the city of Aetheria. We're gonna take that chance to register as adventurers while we're there. While we're in the dungeon, it's the perfect opportunity for me to put my passive skill to the test and also complete my daily quest."
"Sounds like a good plan, hero." Ayla showed a thumbs up. It seemed to be the only way she could express any kind of emotion. "Hopefully, we won't encounter any issues."
"Yeah. Anyway, what's your daily quest?" Realizing that the trip would be quite lengthy, Marius thought it would be best to start a conversation. He didn't wan't to die of boredom.
"Hmm, let me see," Ayla uttered, "quest." A system window appeared in front of her, and Marius also glanced at it.
--------------------
Quests:
Daily Quest: Give the hero a massage
Reward: +1 XP
--------------------
"I'm starting to feel bad for you…" Marius forced a smile while rubbing the back of his head with a free hand. He was puzzled as to why she was given such odd quests that had meager rewards.
Ayla nonchalantly shrugged. "It's fine, hero. I am solely here to assist and support you. The importance of my quests holds no significance for me."
"I see…" Marius returned his attention to the front. He felt bad for a couple of seconds. But what could he do? Nothing. Therefore, he dismissed it casually.
He reclined a bit, and just as silence fell, he abruptly recalled the entire sound barrier thing she had called out.
"Ah, by the way. I almost forgot. How did you know those crazies had a sound barrier?"
Marius was genuinely curious about this. Was it clear, and was he simply oblivious? Did it have to do with him being mortal while she wasn't?
He wanted answers, damn it!
Marius really hated how unknowledgeable he was about everything in this game-like world. He really missed Earth… where he actually knew shit.
"Ah, the sound barrier?" Ayla's gaze, not leaving the endless blue sky, replied, "I simply looked at that giant man's class."
"Huh? Wait, how were you able to figure out what class he had?" Marius briefly raised his eyebrows as he contemplated how she could do it, and then it suddenly made sense to him.
Before Ayla could open her mouth, he muttered:
"You're the goddess of this game-like world, aren't you…?"