Green felt his whole body ache after the fight with the troll. His arms hurt, his legs, face—in fact, everything was aching at this time.

He didn't open 《Battle Log》 to check the reward for the troll killed. He didn't care at the moment. The only thing he wanted to do was lay down; lay down right there on the hard cavern floor and relax for a bit. He didn't mind the blood, dirt, or anything; he just wanted to rest, just for a bit.

But, it was like the dungeon had read his mind.

Green suddenly saw a flashing golden message appear before his eyes; it was large, covering his whole field of vision.

His eyes were not accustomed to the brightness; he squinted as he read the words on it.

Congratulations! You have unlocked an Achievement!

Achievement Title: Troll Triumph

"Wait, what?" Green was stunned. "You can actually get things like this too?"

It said right there: unlocked achievement. Although Green had gotten used to the nature of the dungeon, with things like level ups, items, equipment, and even this panel before his eyes—he didn't think it would become even more game-like.

As a recent college graduate, Green was familiar with stuff like achievements and various other game-like terminology.

His dormmates from university could play video-games from day 1 to day 7 in a week and never tire of it. Their whole being and soul, seemingly pulled into the game world.

Green was never much of a gamer; ever since he was a child, he liked to do things that might seem boring to others; taking walks, sitting on a bench in the park, and other 'boring stuff' that people would not find exciting.

But he didn't care and enjoyed them anyways.

"This thing [achievement], it means I did something special, right?" Green's interest was piqued.

He clicked to take a look, and line after line of information unfolded before his eyes.

Achievement Unlocked! Troll Triumph

Difficulty Level: Rare

Requirements:

• Maximum health points less than a hundred.

• Defeat a creature five levels higher than you.

• Have your health points reach 1 during combat, once.

Rewards:

▪ 999 Experience Points

▪ Essence of Eldrath'rin

▪ 300 Gold

Feat Description: Slay the creature of vitality; Troll.

After reading the first parts, he didn't have any reaction, but when his eyes drifted past the rewards section, his heart suddenly filled with excitement.

"This achievement actually gave Exp reward! And 999 at once," Green felt like a pie had fallen from the sky and landed right on his head.

He had never been particularly lucky. What happened today?

Unsure, he tapped to accept the reward, and suddenly his face blossomed in happiness. A line of text appeared before him. No, there were two; he had leveled up twice!

Congratulations! Rank Up, Level 5 Warrior

Rewards: +15 HP, +5 Attack, +15 Defense

Congratulations! Rank Up, Level 6 Warrior

Rewards: +15 HP, +5 Attack, +15 Defense

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Green was so mesmerized by the whole situation that he glossed over the remaining rewards. When he opened his status panel to check, his eyes finally landed on the strange item.

Name: Green

Class: Warrior

Level: 6

HP: 125/125

Stamina: 150/150

Attack: 35

Defense: 70+10 (80)

Gold: 362

Items: Lv 1 Armor , Essence of Eldrath'rin

Equipment Shop

Battle Log

"Essence of Eldrathrin, what is this?"

Green, confused, tapped on the item to check. It couldn't be that bad, to be included with a reward like 999 exp and 300 gold.

Green had a faint hope that more pies would fall from the sky today, as he looked on to see what would appear.

The system's magic made the item appear in his hands in an instant.

"What? A scroll?"

Indeed, it was an old scroll, it was made of some sort of animal skin, appearing torn at the corner, and the whole material felt like it would crumble with the slightest touch.

Green was disappointed. "What type of pie is this? Did someone forget to throw away their trash and want to give it out as a reward instead?"

Green cursed under his breath, greeting 99 generations of the system creator in his mind.

"Although this thing looks like garbage, let's check it out anyways."

A gentle tug unraveled the scroll, revealing a line of ancient, cryptic symbols.

"Egyptian hieroglyphics? Old Chinese characters? Cuneiform?"

No, the writing on the piece of skin parchment didn't appear to be any of that.

As someone seasoned in internet exploration, Green was somewhat familiar with ancient writing, including Oracle Bone Script, the ancient Chinese characters carved on bones.

The symbols on the scroll were unfamiliar to him, unlike anything he had encountered before.

Green's eyes drifted over the text; the red symbols on the scroll seemed alive, subtly moving before his eyes.

Uneasy, Green considered rolling up the scroll, but his eyes locked onto a specific part of the mysterious text.

Surprisingly, Green could actually understand the text. While each character appeared unfamiliar, their combination formed a coherent meaning in his mind.

'Ancient whispers weave in timeless rhyme,

Path of dawn and Essence, bound through time.

To activate the sigil, speak the spell,

Awaken the power of Eldrath'rin's well.

Eternal bond in dawn's radiant light,

Chant the words, awaken the Ancient's might.

Call on the elder tree, Eldrath'rin!

By this chant, the sigil's magic shall set me free'

"Eldrathrin?" The text had this name repeated a couple of times, and the title of the item also seemed to have this name.

Green whispered the words on the text without realizing it; he spoke in a mystical language, unknowingly his voice resonated with profound depth, carrying a powerful and resonant strength.

Vitaru Terranis, Vita Alth'rath, Vitalitas, Eldrath'rin.

Vithralis Karanis, Vitalis Eldrath, Vithrathelis, Eldrath'rin!

As the final mysterious words escaped his lips, a sudden transformation unfolded.

"Whoa!"

Green scrambled to throw the scroll away; this thing actually burst into flames right in his hands!

Fortunately, although it ignited in his hand, he felt no heat.

Confusion painted his face as he watched the yellow flames.

"Is this a prank?"

The animal partchmentl was like dry wood as it burned on the ground, lighting up the little cave.

Green was frustrated by this old scroll; it had been burning up for some time, but it showed no sign of going out.He was anxious; what if the light draws over some high-level monsters?

He had been hearing the howl of the wolves for some time now, and he didn't want to draw out a pack of wolves to this place.

Green stepped forward to assist the old scroll with its suicide mission. He stomped hard, trying to extinguish the fire, but the flame was angered and flared up as soon he made contact.

"Oh my Buddha!"

Green was really scared; the yellow flame had ridden up on his shoes. No matter how he stomped, the flame didn't seem to let go and it continued riding up his pants.

"Strange, why don't I feel the heat?"

Green helplessly watched, as the yellow flames wrapped around him. Even though it didn't burn his skin, the strange fire felt mysterious and weird.

When his body was fully engulfed in the flames, leaving only his head, Green suddenly heard the echo of chanting reverberate all over the small cave.

The chanting started as a whisper, then escalated to a roar, eventually transforming into what seemed like a melodic song.

Velithrin Vitaru Terranis, Vita Robur,

Eldrath Vithralis Karanis, Vitalis,

Vithalitas, Eldrathrin Thralis Eridonis,

Vitharoth Eldrath, Vitharion Velith, Eldrathrin!

He recognized the words; it was the mysterious chant engraved on the scroll parchment!

In shock, Green found himself slowly ascending from the ground. The yellow flame, engulfing him, expanded like a ring, blanketing the entire cavern space.

The tiny cave became so bright that every crack, bump, and line on the walls became clearly visible to him.

Abruptly, the echoing chanting ceased, leaving an unsettling silence in the cave. Green was gripped by anxiety, and he scanned the surroundings in horror.

Suspended in the air, engulfed by yellow flames, he didn't know what was happening.

Green wanted to shout for help, but he felt like that would be redundant; who could save him here? Maybe a monster will come to help him go to the afterlife instead.

Anxiously, Green observed as the air before him shimmered, giving birth to a golden sigil that bathed the small cave in even more luminosity.

Struggling to see, Green squinted at the small symbol, but it swiftly leapt forward, heading straight for his body.

Helpless, Green could only watch as the shimmering symbol passed through his armor and seamlessly entered his body.

Green was expecting the worst, was the system creator taking revenge because he cursed at his ancestor? Was he on the brink of being struck down right where he stood?

"I was just joking. Why be so petty?" He called out, but there was no response.

After a few seconds of terrifying silence, still, there was nothing. Relief washed over Green, but suspended in the air, he remained clueless about how to descend.

"Arrggghhhhh!!!"

Abruptly, searing pain forced Green to scream in agony.

The excruciating sensation tore through him, echoing in the cave.

It felt as if a scalding metal rod was etching his skin, making his body convulse violently.

Despite his struggles, the golden flame held him in place relentlessly.

"Argghhhhh!!!"

After some time, Green's screams grew hoarse, the pain unbearable.

It felt like an eternity until the agony originating from his abdomen finally subsided.

"Huff...huff....hufff"

Green panted heavily, feeling more exhausted than when he battled the troll.

The golden flames vanished suddenly, and he dropped from the air to the ground.

"Agh!"

A groan of pain left his mouth; Green struggled to rise to his feet.

"I can't stay here... anymore."

He didn't dare linger, hastily retreating from the tiny cave.

His screaming was too loud, and monster may be attracted here at any moment.

He needed to retreat and find a quiet, hidden spot.

The pain was still present as he stumbled through the darkness of the dungeon tunnels.

Finally, he found an empty cave, just like the previous one; this one was also small.

Sān xīn èr yì; once bitten, twice shy.

Having learned a lesson from his past experience, Green carefully surveyed the cave before he entered.

Finding a rock formation inside, he walked over and hid his body.

Hissing in pain, Green slowly removed the leather armor; lifting his shirt, he discovered a new tattoo adorning his lower abdomen.

"It's this damn thing!" Green exclaimed, realizing the golden sigil that flew into his body was now etched on his skin, just above his belly button.

Beneath the dim cave lights, he couldn't tell the color, but the shape resembled that of a seed. Numerous tiny lines adorned the seed, making Green somewhat certain about why the pain had prolonged.

"Whatever force marked my body seemed very eager to include so much details in the tattoo."

Green felt cheated. He was promised a reward, but now his body was disfigured. This body is given by his parents!

"Hmm. Bad review, 1-star rating. Bad game."

Green, disgruntled, opened his status to check his health points.

When the system panel popped up, he was suddenly filled with shock.