Quest Update: Special Event
The heavens are in turmoil. The sudden outbreak of strange weather phenomenon herald that something will soon begin. All players will be forcibly teleported at the start of the quest.
Time Remaining: 00:10 (IGT)
Shortly after the system notification about the special event, Raine received a chat invite.
Player Leon wants to initiate a voice chat with you.
Do you accept?
The silent girl’s face paled. Leon was her best friend from school who, along with Raine’s other friends, got into the beta test as well.
“Ah, er. I have to trick him somehow. That’s right. That deception art I unlocked.”
Hurriedly, Raine bought 「Deception」 and equipped it. She now had 5 equipped arts. Only after the cumulative sum of her equipped arts exceeded 100 would she be able to equip another one. Projecting a calm tone, Raine accepted the voice chat.
“Accept voice chat with Leon.”
“Hey Raine, what is up?”
“Nothing much, I am just waiting for the event to start.”
“...”
“...”
A strange pause. Raine waited uncomfortably for Leon to continue. After a minute, he spoke up again.
“... This is Raine, right?”
“Ah, er, yeah… I drank a strange potion and now my voice is different. Stupid trickster…”
Although she maintained a calm voice when talking to Leon, inside she was mentally banging her head against the wall.
This deception art is not working at all. Maybe it is Loki’s way of getting back at me, thought Raine.
“Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to party up with us for the special event?”
“Us? No wait... party up?”
“Don’t tell me you were going to try to solo the event?”
“...”
Raine maintained her silence as cold sweat dripped down her back. That was exactly what she planned to do. And Leon seemed to be suggesting...
“Ugh, never mind. Drake, Rose, Camellia, Lily, and I all formed a party together. Naturally, you are joining us, right?”
“... Actually, I think I will just try it on my own.”
“Is it because of your voice? Don’t worry, Drake might make fun of you a bit but nobody will really care.”
“That is part of it, but me joining the party will cause a lot of trouble… in various meanings of the word.”
Just the thought of appearing in front of her friends in a female avatar caused her to break out into cold sweat. If the guys weren’t bad enough, the girls would probably raise an even bigger ruckus.
“Hm? I don’t think it would be such a big issue.”
“Nah, I am good by myself. I will explain it to you tomorrow at school. Besides, I will be the one to get that unique class.”
“Hoho... a challenge. Very well then, it will be all of us against you. No complaining right?”
Secretly, Raine praised herself. Leon never could pass up on a competition, especially if it meant competing against his friends.
“Yeah. See you later.”
“Cya.”
Ending the voice chat, Raine let out a deep sigh. Although she would have to answer questions tomorrow, she could come up with some excuses in the meantime. A level 1 wouldn’t be much help anyways.
Since the curse would probably activate during the finale, Raine saw no other choice. Reluctantly, she equipped the novice time wizard skirt.
"... They won't recognize me even in this form... Right?"
One last time, Raine checked her status.
Status WindowName:RaineAlignment:NeutralLevel:1Class:NoviceRace:???Gender:FemaleTitles: Loki’s Favored OneHealth:110/110Health Regen:0.11 per secondMana:110/110Mana Regen:0.11 per secondStamina:120/120Stamina Regen:0.12 per secondTime:0.02/0.25StatsStrength:10Agility:14Vitality:11Endurance:12Intelligence:10Wisdom:11ArtsTotal Arts Level:Lv 37Equipped Arts Level:Lv 37Equipped:Altered TimeLv 6Natural BeautyLv 7RunningLv 11JumpingLv 11DeceptionLv 2Unequipped:-Art Points:4
Status
Origin Curse: Damaged
Your level has been reset to one and can not increase past one. Because your level is linked to the soul while stats and arts are linked to the body, the curse on your stats and arts has been removed. You can now gain additional stats and arts.
Active Quests:
One Time Event Quest: Special Event
Not much is known about what this quest entails. Depending on how well you do in this event, you could even obtain a unique class. Forced teleportation will occur at the start of this event. Time until Event Starts: 00:03 IGT(In Game Time)
Raine had gained one stat point in vitality as well as two points in endurance and four in agility from the dungeon run. Her Arts, mainly 「Running」 and 「Jumping」, also increased in level. Still, with each level up granting 10 stat points to spend, she wasn’t even at level two stat wise.
------
The town plaza was filled with noisy adventurers. Excited, they chatted to one another as they watched the timer countdown. Slowly, dense clouds formed above them. The heavens rumbled while the adventurers quieted and waited with bated breath. The timer hit zero. Brilliant lines of light flashed down from the heavens. As the light faded, the once full and noisy plaza was now empty and quiet.
--------
Quest Update: Special Event
The gods have summoned you to their domain in order to test the worthy. Survive the incoming waves of enemies. A bonus will be awarded to players who survive until the countdown ends. Special actions can increase the level of award you receive.
Survival Countdown: 00:30 IGT
Raine found herself in a giant crowd in the center of a plaza. Every online player had been teleported to that very same plaza. Needless to say, it was packed.
“Survival? Against what? And for 30 minutes?”
Raine looked around in confusion. Surrounding the plaza were several temples along with a familiar looking clock tower. There were no immediate threats visible.
“That clock tower, I wonder if it contains a hidden dungeon similar to the one in the starter village.”
Inside such a hidden dungeon, Raine would be safe from enemies and could simply wait out the end of the event. Not to mention she might have another try at a new jumping puzzle in the dungeon.
Hurriedly, Raine pushed her way through the crowd to the clock tower. She couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling, despite her plan’s assured success. Her unease only grew as she got closer to the clock tower.
A small portion of the players slipped off into the nearby buildings while the rest milled about confusedly in the main plaza. At the doorstep of the clock tower, Raine’s uneasiness spiked.
A black mass hurtled from the sky directly into the center of the plaza. Like a meteor, it crushed the few unlucky players it landed on.
“Rooaaarr!”
For being in the presence of a monster over 50 times your level,
You have been inflicted with the status effects: Terror, Fear
Terror:
Mind falls into confusion. Arts will fail upon activation. Strength and Agility stat fall by 75%. Slowly lose health, stamina, and mana in the presence of the source of your terror.
Fear:
For facing an opponent 50 times your level, stats are reduced by 50%.
“Level 50!? The highest level player is only around level 35!”
Raine stared in horror at the giant black ape that fell from the sky. It had abyssal black fur that absorbed the nearby light, vicious spikes protruding from its shoulders and arms, and cruel red eyes that sneered at its surroundings.
Terror rooted her in place. Desperately she tried to flee but her body would not listen to her.
Although the players vastly outnumbered the intruder, no one made a move to attack it. Looking around in disdain, the Abyssal Ape began its rampage. With one sweep of its paws, three nearby players died instantly.
“Ahhhh!”
“Get away!”
“Run for your life!”
Pandemonium erupted in the plaza. The Abyssal Ape crushed those that were too slow in fleeing. The weaker players frantically ran away in terror. Meanwhile, the higher level players struggled through the dense crowd to reach the monster.
Shrugging off any attacks, the black ape massacred the nearby players. As the surging crowd reached the edge of the plaza---
"Roaarrr"
"Growwlll"
"Ahhh! They surround us!"
"Run awa--"
---An unfortunate lowbie died immediately to the new enemies that appeared. Although similar in appearance to common monsters such as wolves and lizardmen, these new monsters were covered in black sludge and much stronger. The panic stricken crowd had no idea what to do as they found themselves trapped between the level 50 Abyssal Ape and the waves of enemies.
"Dammit, to the temples! These monsters seem endless and we can better fight them at a choke point."
A familiar voice rang throughout the plaza.
"Wow, Leon can maintain his calm and think logically even in a situation like this. How pathetic, I am still frozen in terror." Raine said to herself.
Rooted at the doorway of the clock tower, she fearfully watched the ongoing fight and prayed that no monster noticed her. Amidst the confusion and bloodshed, a voice of valor rang out.
"To arms men! Let's show these monsters who is boss!"
A loud grizzly man wreathed in full plate armor called out. To his call, a group of about 500 players answered him.
"For the Vanguard!"
Like the grizzly man, most of them were equipped in plate armor and they all shared the same symbol across their helmets. Satisfied, the grizzly leader rallied his troops.
"Do we shirk from danger?" shouted the leader.
"No!"
"Do we shy from protecting others?"
"No!"
"And why is that?"
"We are the Vanguard!"
"So are we going to hide and cower in fear from some little monkey while it massacres our people?"
Stolen story; please report.
"No!"
"Alright men, let's show these monsters who is boss!"
"For the Vanguard!"
The Vanguard began their coordinated attack on the Abyssal Ape. Raine watched in disbelief. The sheer size and coordination such an effort would take astonished her. That grizzly leader must be one of the top players in the game. Any thoughts of watching the outcome of their showdown was lost as---
"Let's hole up in the clocktower!"
--- A small group of people rushed towards the clock tower, pushing the frozen Raine inside.
You have left the presence of the source of your terror.
Terror has been removed.
She did not have much time to enjoy the loss of the terror status. While she was helplessly watching the Abyssal Ape’s battle, she had noticed out of the corner of her eye--
"Watch out! Enemies incoming!" Desperately a scout yelled out.
--that the monsters had made it to the clock tower. Moments later, the scout engaged in a furious battle with a hound covered in black sludge. It looked like a fairly even fight, but the enemies numbers were endless. Raine took that as her signal to disappear.
"Eh?"
"... Where did the silver haired girl go?"
Amidst the confusion, Raine slipped through the wall into the secret room. Temporarily safe, Raine could tell the situation wasn’t good on the other side of the wall. Any guilt she might have felt was alleviated by the knowledge that staying behind would have only gotten her killed.
"There are too many!"
"Ahhh!"
At least, that is what she told herself. She still shuddering at the screams coming through from the other room. Raine hurriedly stepped onto the magic portal.
You have entered Chronos Dungeon level 2!
She appeared in a familiar sky. The dungeon remained largely unchanged with one exception.
"Level 2? All I see is three rows of platforms where there use to be one."
Curiosity piqued, Raine tried out the upgraded dungeon. Not like she could die from falling in this particular dungeon, she thought to herself.
Jumping on to the center platform, a tick resounded through the sky. Readying herself to jump onto the second platform, Raine immediately noticed another difference.
Woosh. Multiple arrows sailed through the sky towards two of the three rows of platforms. Hastily, Raine corrected her jump and landed on the only safe platform.
Woosh. More arrows. Raine jumped to the side, only to hear the resounding tick of a clock and feel the platform crumble from underneath her. Back at the start of the dungeon, she pondered the upgrade.
"Hmm, only one of the three platforms is safe and I have to correctly jump onto each safe platform continuously to avoid the arrows. This shouldn't be too bad."
She had gotten the hang of completing the jumping puzzle in the original dungeon. The new puzzle only required a minor correction in method. Since the speed boost from the arts and extra agility would help, she could take her time picking out a safe route. After a couple more test runs, Raine felt confident in her ability to complete the dungeon.
"Alright, let's do thi---"
For being in the presence of an enemy 15x your level, you have been inflicted with the status effect: Fear. 15% reduction in status.
"Wha!?"
A brilliant flash of light shone near Raine. From the magic circle poured out monsters. With no where else to go, Raine quickly jumped onto the first platform, initiating the jumping puzzle. The more agile monsters quickly followed.
"How did they get in here!? Without the quest item, they shouldn’t be able to go through the secret wall!"
The magic portal lit up as more monsters came into the dungeon. The smallest error in jumping or landing would spell her death. If she slowed, the hounds would catch her. If she misjudged the correct path, the arrows would pierce her. Worst of all, if she fell, the dungeon would teleport her right into the middle of a pack of monsters.
"Arooo!"
Woosh.
Tick tock tick tock
Raine desperately jumped through the puzzle with the arrows pursuing her and the hounds on her tail. The hounds were furious and the arrows, indiscriminate. Hearing pained yelps behind her, Raine smiled.
"Guess I am not the only one having difficulties with the arrows."
One particular hound that frantically yelped and howled as it fell through the sky because of a crumbling platform caused Raine to break out in laughter.
"Haha, this isn't so bad! The wind on my face, the race against both time and my pursuers. What a fun finale!"
Raine felt confident. The hounds only hurt as a stat reduction at this point. Crumbling platforms caused them to slowly drop out of the chase. Literally. And when she focused on them, the arrows weren't too difficult to avoid.
For being in the presence of an enemy 20x your level, you have been inflicted with the status effect: Fear. 20% reduction in status.
"Kaw!"
A new foe appeared. Unlike the previous hounds, it traveled unhindered by the crumbling platforms.
With sharp talons, long black feathers, and a wide wingspan, the black roc observed its latest prey. Unlike the weaklings below it, the sky was its domain and any who dared enter it would perish. Although the wind was unusually treacherous, the human below would not escape its claws.
Seeing the bird sweep down for the attack, Raine desperately jumped to the next platform. A savage gust passed right behind her as the roc ripped through the area she just vacated. Raine broke out into a cold sweat.
"I need to be faster."
Raine furiously jumped from platform to platform, barely landing on the platform before taking off for the next one.
"Lighter."
Wind tore at Raines body. A screech resounded behind her. Raine hastily jumped to the next platform.
"Smoother."
The roc wised up and positioned itself at the only open area of the platform free from arrows. Raine had no safe place to jump. Either she jumped into the bird's attack or jumped into the path of the arrows. Pray that a level 20 attack would not one shot her or take a risk with the arrows. There really was only one choice. Raine desperately twisted her body while she jumped.
Woosh. The arrow drew a small line of blood on her arm as Raine landed on the platform. Her last minute maneuver lost her speed. The crumbling platforms caught up. The angry roc turned around for another pass.
"Too slow!"
Kicking off the ground, Raine rapidly accelerated. The crumbling platforms collapsed in despair as they fell behind once again.
"This feeling again..."
Raine fluttered away like a feather on the wind. Neither arrow nor talon could touch her. Raine avoided the attacks much like how air currents push away a feather when one tries to catch it.
At first, she appeared harried on all fronts. Cruel talons and precise arrows passed only a hair’s breadth away from touching her. Soon she left them behind and both roc and arrow struggled to keep up.
When she landed, her feet touched the ground only for the briefest of moments before she took to the sky. When she jumped, the arrows threw themselves to the ground in protest. And when she flew, the wind danced in her wake.
Frustrated, the roc could do nothing but follow her. The closer he got to the maiden, the more unpredictable the wind grew. The annoying arrows also hindered its progress. Angry, it pushed itself faster. Focused only on speed, the roc was late in noticing the arrows and took a glancing hit.
The roc, a creature of the wind, could not keep up with that ‘wingless fairy’. With wounded pride, it followed. Followed and bid it's time for the opportune moment to strike.
"Haha."
A bell like laugh rang throughout the sky. Her heart pounded, her lungs frantically gathered air and yet her body felt light and the wind danced at her fingertips. Raine couldn't help but burst out in joy. Neither the roc, nor the arrows could touch her. Alone, she danced on the wind, jumping from platform to platform.
Seeing the end in sight, Raine felt sad that the chase would come to its end. Pushing that thought away, she planned out her exit strategy.
In the span of one breath, Raine reached the exit platform, opened the chest, equipped the item within, and charged through the exit portal.
With a blinding flash of light, Raine appeared atop the clock tower running at a dead sprint. Barely stopping in time, she collapsed to a sitting position at the edge of the clock tower facing the main plaza.
Looking at her empty stamina bar, Raine sighed contently. Although the battle below raged on, she happily enjoyed the cool breeze as she rested. She was safe. It is not like the roc would be able to follow her through the magic port---
"Kaaw"
A brilliant flash of light followed by a triumphant shriek. Seeing its prey sitting exhausted before it, the roc did not immediately attack. It knew how much the fairy was loved by the wind. The roc would make sure its escape into the ground below was impossible. Circling its prey, the bird positioned itself so that even if the human jumped, it wouldn’t be able to escape the roc’s talons. After all, a bird could dive faster than a human could fall.
Besides, the roc told itself, even a ‘wingless fairy’ would be helpless once it lay exhausted upon the ground.
Suddenly, the roc felt a disturbance in the air currents. Frantically, it tried to pull away but it was too late. The air wavered and the roc split in two. Recalling the entire chase, the roc had one thought in its final moments. A bird should never pursue a wind spirit.
Watching the two halves of the roc fall into the chaos below, Raine came up with a plan. A devilish grin formed on her face as she glanced at the rampaging Abyssal Ape. The plan itself was filled with holes but it was just crazy enough to work.
For being in the presence of a monster over 50 times your level,
You have been inflicted with the status effects: Terror, Fear
Terror:
Mind falls into confusion. Arts will fail upon activation. Strength and Agility stat fall by 75%. Slowly lose health, stamina, and mana in the presence of the source of your terror.
Fear:
For facing an opponent 50 times your level, stats are reduced by 50%.
Raine froze. Fear clawed at her throat. Terror gripped her heart. She would fail. Embarrass herself. Die in the most humiliating way in front of all the survivors. She was only a beginner. The weakest. The most inexperienced. How could she hope to succeed? Her plan was based on multiple assumptions to begin with. Her fears slowly swallowed her whole.
Raine didn’t even need to look at the remaining survivors to know they were in desperate straits. From the few sounds below, she knew only a couple of dozens of players still survived. The quest was hopeless. Regardless of what she did, everyone would die.
As the light in her eyes faded, a gentle breeze stirred her hair. Raine ignored it. After rustling her hair, the wind moved to a different location. A playful tug on her black skirt startled the lifeless maiden. Mischievously the wind tugged again. And failed in its ultimate goal. At its continued persistence and subsequent failure, she finally laughed. The little breeze did not know when to give up.
Shrugging off her fears, Raine thought back to one of the major flaws of her plan. She realized worrying was a waste of time. Just recalling the feeling of dancing freely through the wind caused Raine to laugh at herself. Her fears were pointless and the wind was on her side. Less than five minutes remained in the survival quest. Raine began her plan to change the tide of battle.