Phill stared down from the cliff he was hanging. The 3000ft of height rendered the Giants below as if they were ants. One thing still bugged him though neither the giants in the valley nor the monster lurking through crevices of the cliff had paid any heed to him. Maybe the monsters thought of him as an insect. After all, he was just Level 84, and the monsters’ level was 400+. To think, the third-best assassin on a player base of 3 billion was an insect. Monsters aside, the geography had been proven more than lethal. His three days of hiking on the cliff and crawling the caves within it weren’t something current-level players should attempt. Trino was almost sent to the -Starter Kingdom- death would’ve been the ride, and the resurrection point be the destination. Almost. Nonetheless, he was here.
He made the last leap towards the edge of the cliff. Despite the fact that he wouldn’t be able to come here again if he fell down and died, his eyes were still brimming with confidence. The resurrection point was in another Kingdom, thousands of miles away, and it would make anyone shiver. This place was inaccessible to players, for him too, if not for the human who commissioned him the quest and took him to the country of Chronos; Mythra.
The stone stung when he grabbed it, such as the soreness in the fingers, but he clung to it. The final milestone he pushed himself up from, and he saw it. A pale-blue fruit was shimmering with light. It was hanging from a branch of a two-meter tall tree, a tree of which every leaf was yellow as if would fall just with a small breeze.
Trino took heavy breaths to appease his lungs, and the scene in front, to his eyes. He had found it and once again confirmed the quest window.
[Hugo’s Commision](Rating:S)
Find the Sage Fruit and return it to Beastmaster Hugo.
Rewards:
Intelligence +10
Agility +10
Stealth +2
Blade of Repentance
(Quest Type: Not Commissioned by System)
His eyes couldn’t help shrinking every time he saw that +10 intelligence stat for a reward. He didn’t mind it, but he made his class to be an assassin. Intelligence was obsolete.
“I get 10 stat points for each level-up, and now the same amount is going to be wasted on intelligence…” He mumbled to himself amid the pants and sighed.
When his lungs were done pumping the oxygen his body needed, Trino took out a wooden water bottle from the inventory. After quenching his thirst, he dusted off his hands and clothes, and the cluttering of the blades reverberated.
He started approaching the tiny tree surrounded by rock columns, and the still continuing upward cliff appalled him. Even if they were just forming the structure sheltering the tree. The dense green moss stuck to them, locking moisture in the air gave a sense of soothing.
He was 2 to 3 meters close when he stopped, not to check for any traps but to wonder at the mystique of the small tree and the single fruit hanging from it. Not being able to resist, he used appraisal on the fruit. And… his jaw parted at the crazy enhancement the fruit grants.
[Sage Fruit]
Intelligence +50
Insight +5
Mana Affinity +10
A smile appeared on the assassin’s face, content at the ordeals he had to face to reach it. It was worth it, and he was sure the blade of repentance would give him the same feeling. Before he could take a step to get it. Though, he heard a voice.
I have been watching beings come and perish. Drowned in greed, filled with their lust for power. Yet here you are. Standing. Wanting no more than you are offered.” The voice reverberated in the air itself as if coming from another dimension.
“I advise you not to pluck it as an offering for others.” The voice compelled him to knit his brows, and then he heard something ridiculous, “That human isn’t worthy of the knowledge it holds. And I doubt that time will come when I find someone more worthy than you for the last Sage Fruit and my legacy.”
[Alert: Your relationship with Hugo will turn hostile.]
Eh…? While Trino was reading the notification hanging in front of him, all the Mana in the surrounding area surged into the fruit, making the air turbulent.
Before he could settle for the previous one, another notification hit him.
Stolen novel; please report.
[Quest: Acquiring Wisdom](Rating: C)
Eat the Fruit of Wisdom.
Reward:
+1 Level
(Quest Type: Not Validated by System.)
“Uhh! This game and its non-validated quests.”
When Trino was done lamenting the game, the tingling sensation on his skin from rushing Mana swept his attention to the transforming Sage fruit. Turned into a dark blue shade. The fruit was now clothed with lighting. The leaves fell at their private autumn with the final words of the voice, “Pluck it, and dust will all you hold. I mean, eat it directly from the branch.”
Are you in that much hurry? Why don’t you decorate your last words as well? Trino caressed the hilt of his daggers, filled with complicated emotions. For the first time, he wanted to utilize his assassin class and spill some scarlet liquid. But his anger was like a shooting star, vanished in mere moments.
There it was. Hanging. 10 stats points in agility went into the flavor of some Wisdom’s fruit. Once again, he sighed heavily.
With a bittersweet heart, Trion used appraisal on the newly mutated Fruit of Wisdom. And he jumped up in fright.
[Fruit of Wisdom](Unaath’s Blessing)
Intelligence +1000
Insight +100
Concentration +100
Mana Affinity +100
Description:
Unaath’s Blessing
“W-What the hell is this?” he stuttered, and his palms became wet from perspiration.
Any sane Ulteria player would’ve reacted the same. Each level gives 10 stat points, so essentially, Fruit of Wisdom provided 130 levels worth of stats. That was when only their total was considered. Not to talk about Mana Affinity, Concentration, and Insight stats. For only +5 in these stats, any mage or assassin would’ve done wanton slaughter.
Trino rubbed his eyes and appraised the fruit again, but the result didn’t change.
“Unaath! Who was that being, and why do they want to turn me into a Mage?” He asked out loud. Alas, the person in question had already left, and only the high winds whistled. There were crickets to make it comical.
Trino checked his basic stats.
[Name: Trion](Level 84, Age 21)
Racial Index: 231 (Human)
Health: 623,128
Agility: 264
Strength: 187
Stamina: 196
Defense: 123
Intelligence: 80
“If I eat it, my total stats would be doubled, and the sore loser(intelligence) will be the top ranker.” But…
“Why is eating the fruit a quest?” He had the question, but it didn’t linger for long, as it would be too much for getting those stats for nothing at all.
Trino approached the tree and cocked his head sideways while stretching to his heels. As he bit on the baseball-size fruit, he got the answer for why it was deemed a quest to eat it.
The electric shock he got from the first bite dizzied him, and his hair straightened to the edges.
“Yeap! Definitely a C rating quest.” Clenching his fist the assassin endured the tribulation to become a mage, and swallowed the whole fruit. The reason was, that it wasn't affecting other stats. They would remain the same, no harm, only gain.
Once he finished eating the Shocking ball, he confirmed its result.
[Name: Trino](Level 85, Age 21)
Racial Index: 241 (Human)
Health: 696,490
Mana: 2119...2129...2139… … .. .
Intelligence: 1080
Agility: 264
Strength: 187
Stamina: 196
Defense: 123
“Sigh, it’s the real deal.” His head was hurting from all the crazy shocks, the reason he didn’t notice his increased racial index and only confirmed the increased intelligence. There was no way to affirm the increase in the hidden stats through the stat window, and he had no interest in the unlocked Mana stat, which was shooting like a rocket. Not that he didn’t care about it, but it was just a number since he didn’t know any spells right now.
Trino sat down and supported himself with the withered tree. There was little to no probability that he could escape from Hugo in his perfect condition, much less in this shape, with all the mental stress he suffered.
Trino vanished like a lie as he logged out. He needed to recuperate. It was also time for Suzane’s visit. She would be coming to check on him.