Arlo and the chest plummeted from the heavens, slicing through the sky at an astonishing velocity, with Arlo tailing it like a comet.
The chest neared the verdant grassland. Arlo closed the gap and seized the chest at the eleventh hour, struggling to unlatch it.
"Blast it, why won't this lock give? Open, you stubborn thing!"
Arlo wrestled with the chest, but the fierce wind pressure kept it firmly shut.
As the ground rushed up to meet them, Arlo cried out, "No, No!"
"WHOOSH!"
To his astonishment, Arlo found himself once again in freefall, the chest still clutched in his hands.
Drawing his sword, Arlo sliced through the purple lock. He pried open the chest to reveal a hollow disk, which he promptly claimed.
As soon as he opened the chest, he found himself on a cloud. Arlo scanned his surroundings for any lurking monsters. He then stowed away his sword and eagle mask in his inventory.
A pop-up materialized above the clouds:
[Welcome to the Haven, a resting area for players.]
[Rebooting player's health and status.]
"Phew... that's a relief."
Arlo took a moment to compose himself and inspect his prize. Unlike the previous weapon, which had a stone embedded in it, this hollow disk was empty.
It was a simple black disk; there was nothing else remarkable about it.
Arlo tried various methods to appraise it. He flung it like a frisbee, but to no avail. He placed it on the ground and commanded, "Appraisal," but still, nothing happened.
A thought struck him: the monster's name was Agnes Divines. He held the disk aloft, but to no effect.
Arlo decided to put it aside for now. He attempted to store the disk on his left wrist for more than ten seconds, but it wouldn't budge, leaving him puzzled.
"THUMP!" "THUMP!"
Suddenly, his heart pounded, as if compelling him to place the disk over it. He tried to discard it, but it clung to his hand.
"Why is it sticking to me now of all times?"
His heart raced, and a heaviness settled in his chest. On a whim, he placed the disk there.
The disk adhered to his chest, near his heart, and began to glow a fiery red, growing hot.
"AHHHH..."
The disk slowly sank into him, searing through his skin. Once it had vanished, it left a dark circular burn mark on his chest, and his hoodie was singed.
Arlo gasped for air; the pain was unbearable, and he slowly lost consciousness.
'Mama, He is here, be safe.'
A peculiar vision roused Arlo. These visions used to send him into a panic, but now, they brought him a sense of tranquility.
Arlo inspected the burn mark; his hoodie seemed to have miraculously repaired itself. He lifted his hoodie to reveal a charred black ring on his chest.
Arlo traced the ring with his fingers to see if it caused him any pain. As soon as he completed the circle, a message appeared:
[Wings of Life]
[Inscription: Agnes Divines creator Agnes' wings. She loved her family more than anything. She wanted to give these wings to her child, but her child died young. Anyone who finds her wings will receive Agnes' blessing.]
[Activation: Circle the ring to activate.]
[Duration: Unlimited]
[Consume:
Defense: 10
Strength: 8
Endurance: 7
Agility: 20
Intelligence: 15
Dexterity: 5]
A prompt appeared after Arlo saw that, and he noticed,
"Look at the Agility and Intelligence. What kind of item is this to consume these many attributes?"
Arlo was confused about what to do with this. After some time, he decided to search for another chest. He jumped from the clouds, and as he fell, he circled the mark on his chest to check what would happen.
A gust of wind enveloped him, and he heard the sound of wind rushing behind him. He glanced back to see a black wing with golden coverts hovering behind his back, with a slight gap between the wing and his shoulder. Arlo attempted to flap the wings.
The wings responded to his command.
"HA...HA..."
A broad grin spread across Arlo's face. "Holy shit, this is the best reward I could ever ask for. And its duration is unlimited. That's amazing."
"OHHHH...OHHHH...
Arlo soared through the sky, ascending despite the wind pressure pushing against him. His joy overshadowed the minor discomfort.
As he navigated through the clouds, a green chest caught his eye.
Arlo glided over the clouds and landed with grace; he seemed to have mastered the wings in no time. He manipulated the wings as if they were extensions of his own body.
As soon as he touched down, new information was added:
[Wings of Life]
[Weakness: Once the Player lands, they won't be able to fly for another 12 hours. Duration decreases based on Player Level.]
A prompt appeared, but Arlo seemed to have anticipated some sort of drawback.
"Yep, as I expected. At least the duration is only 12 hours." Arlo reassured himself.
Grrrrr... Grrrr…
Just like before, Agnes Divines began to materialize from the clouds. This time, Arlo positioned himself near the chest, wary that it might fall again.
One of the Agnes Divines advanced towards Arlo. He brandished his sword at it, assuming it would be an easy target.
Agnes Divines snatched the sword from his hand and kicked Arlo away. Arlo grunted in pain as its clawed leg raked his abdomen.
Bleeding, Arlo realized that the difficulty level would continue to escalate.
[End of Chapter]