And… done!
⧪ Quest Rewards: 100 copper & Common Armor (x1). Accept? (Y/N)
Yes.
Finally… I finished the slime quest. I wonder what the next quest’s gonna be like… This one took me three whole days to finish and I almost ended up dying because of the Boss… yikes.
Player Menu.
[ Menu - Player ]
Name: Hue Nightworth
Level: 3 / 99
Health: 100
Status: Strength: 7 (8) ⧫ Defense: 1 (2) ⧫ Stamina: 1 (1) ⧫ Agility: 1 (1) ⧫ Magic: 1 (1)
Skill: ??? ( ??? ) - Passive Skill - ???
Money Maker ( B ) - Passive Skill - Get 25 copper each day.
Equipment:
Common Sword ⧫ +1 Strength
Common Armor ⧫ +1 Defense
Coins: 205 Copper
Messages: None.
Quests: None.
I ended up leveling up again before finishing the quest… And because of the Money Maker skill I got an extra 50 copper. That means… I have enough for the ink!
“Hugh! Are you done with the quest?” asked a curious Yuriko.
“Yeah, yeah! Can we stop killing slimes, finallllly? They are disgusting! Eek.” Ayaka chimed in, showing a face of repulsion as a slime brushed past her feet.
“Uh, yeah. I’m done. Thanks for the help, you two!”
Though it was mostly Yuriko helping me while that dumbass just ran from them…
“Why’re you looking at me like that, weirdo?” asked Ayaka, showing a degree of repulsion far exceeding the one she showed to the slime.
“Will you stop calling me a weirdo?!”
“Hmph.” Ayaka pouted as per usual, when talking to Hue.
This girl… ****ing annoying! Whatever. Thankfully they agreed to form a `party` with me, which is the term they use for Players when doing quests or fighting Bosses together. I’ll use them both to gain more information on this world and being a Player. The only problem is, I can’t ask them some things directly, since it might make them suspicious of me…
“Yuriko. Ayaka.”
“Hmm?”
“What’s up?”
“I need to meet up with someone in the city… Can we gather here again tomorrow?”
“Yes, of course. Actually, that’s perfect.”
Perfect? What does she-
“Do we need to?” Ayaka asked Yuriko, interrupting Hue’s thoughts. “He’s like a little puppy, following us around. Can’t we, like, abandon him?”
“Ayaka! We agreed to form a party, so get along!” Yuriko reprimanded Ayaka while performing a harmless karate chop on her head.
Of course, I don’t need to meet up with anybody… I’m gonna try to buy the ink with the copper I earned and hope it’s going to solve the NPC quest problem… Still, **** your remarks, Ayaka!
“See ya tomorrow then!” said Hue while waving goodbye to the girls and heading towards the city.
✤✤✤
The All Purpose Shop Hue was heading towards, as opposed to everything else in the city, was not assigned to an NPC. Instead, Players could place the items they no longer desired up for sale and other Players could buy them.
Since I turned into a Player, I seem to no longer require food to survive, so even if buying ink won’t complete the quest, thankfully I won’t starve to death due to my inability to work… Work where, though? I’m technically no longer the librarian… and in Etheria, once you’re born as an NPC, you’re assigned a field of work, and can only change it by doing quests and earning a higher ranked Job… which I won’t be able to do, of course… unless this works.
The moment Hue reached the proper street, he could see it. It was not the usual shop entrance one might expect. In fact, there was not even an entrance. Or a shop. It was a mere pedestal, placed in the middle of the street he was in, with an angelic light coming from beneath it, making it an attention grabber for any passerby.
The pedestal was made out of an immaculate white stone, covered in beautiful rose carvings and inscriptions Hue could not understand.
On top of it, a square chunk, of the same material as the pedestal, was held in place by floating chains which defied gravity. It had a slightly darker shade than the pedestal.
Above the pedestal, metal chains connected to a square chunk of a similar material as the pedestal, chains which seemed to defy gravity.
As soon as Hue reached its vicinity, he could make out the print of a hand, carved out of the hunk of stone.
I’ve seen other Players using it before… You apparently need to put your hand here and…
Shop.
Above the pedestal and in front of the rectangular piece Hue was touching, a semi-transparent aquamarine screen appeared in front of his eyes.
On the screen, countless items appeared, both offensive and defensive equipment, red, blue and green potions, with unknown effects to Hue, all three coming in at different sizes with proportionally different price tags, as well as miscellaneous items Players gathered while slaying monsters or completing various quests… Most of the items were crossed out and covered by a semi-transparent red color, representing Hue’s lack of coins. One item in particular, was not…
⧪ Squid Ink (1lb) x 57: 100 copper
Hue pressed on his desired item, the screen prompting him to choose the amount he would like to purchase.
⧪ Squid Ink (1lb) x 1 (+/-): 100 copper. Purchase? (Y/N)
Hue lightly touched the `+` button, making his total double.
⧪ Squid Ink (1lb) x 2 (+/-): 200 copper. Purchase? (Y/N)
Moment of truth….
Yes.
⧪ Quest Rewards: 50 nopper. Accept? (Y/N)
Yes.
↬ Quest: ??? - ???.
[ ERROR ]
[ ERROR ]
[ ERROR ]
“???!!!”
Hue was left speechless. His heart was now racing from a mixture of excitement and fearfulness. In front of the shop’s screen, the error messages that popped up in his face near his death, before becoming a Player, made their appearance once more.
Not that… Not again… Why’s this happening to me… I haven’t died again, right? Hue asked himself, while feeling his body, making sure there was no damage.
Why did it appear then? Last time, at least, it made some sense as a result of that strange attack… But now?
The error messages left Hue distracted, failing to hear a new message pop up.
↬ Quest: Murderer- Kill a Player (x1). 0 / 1
✤✤✤
Now with mental scars from seeing the error messages pop in his head for a second time, Hue was laying in his bed, at an inn only available to Players. He would normally use a part of the library, off limits to Players, as his home. Due to the new Hue that appeared at the library, that was now impossible, making him dependent on Player reserved housing. The positive, at the very least, was the free price tag on the rent.
Dammit. Why am I staying locked up in here? Yuriko and Ayaka are probably waiting for me… And I’m wasting my time sobbing about what happened… What the hell is wrong with me?! I should be out there, completing quests and leveling up. I NEED to find the truth about what’s going on. Not only to satisfy my curiosity… but I also need to expose the fake me and return to my simple life… and most importantly, I want to talk to Anna like I used to!
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
“**** this shit. I have too many unanswered questions to feel sorry for myself.”
Hue grabbed his wand from the drawer next to the bed and his coat from a nearby hanger and sprinted out of the modest room, heading towards the ground floor through the narrow stairway.
Once outside, his eyes were blinded by the powerful rays of light, having been inside the comfort of his unlit room for countless hours.
Alright. Time to kill some slimes.
✤✤✤
“Ayaka, did you see Hugh around the city? It’s almost time…”
“Hmph. Even if I did, I’d ignore him…”
“What do you have against him, anyway?” said a curious Yuriko, while pulling her arrow backwards, aiming towards a nearby blue slime.
“Uhhh- You know- Uhhh- He- You- He’s annoying. That’s all.” said an embarrassed Ayaka.
“Really? I find him quite cute-uhhhh, I mean, interesting.” responded Yuriko, the initial remark missing Ayaka’s ears.
“Interesting? I mean, sure, if you call being weird as interesting!”
“Is that so? Weird in what way?” chimed in Hue with Ayaka being unaware of his sudden appearance.
“Well, first off all, who in their right mind uses a wand like a sword? Like, c’mon. Even I had the brain cells to purchase one from the blacksmith. Why doesn’t he use his skills instead?”
I wish I could… But I don’t have any skills I can use with my wand, y’know…
“And then, the way he grabbed your hands without your permission. How DARE he! I’m the only one who can touch your sensitive, small, rough-” said Ayaka while dreaming of Yuriko’s hands.
“Wait… rough?” she said as she opened her eyes only to see her worst nightmare, touching Hue’s hands.
“Thanks… I guess?”
“AAAAAAH!!! DUMBASS! YUCK. I’ll get sick now! I touched a goblin and I’m gonna die! Yurikwoooo… cure mee pweaaasee!” she cried while running to Yuriko and cleaning her hands on the skimpy skirt.
“I just can’t leave you two alone for a second, can I?
“It’s not my fault this ogre is a dumbass!”
Ogre? Dumbass? **** off.
“Yeah, sorry. My bad.” said Hue with a hint of sarcasm.
“Anyway, prepare. It’s about to start.”
“Huh? Start? What is-”
The answer formed before Hue’s eyes. He hadn't seen it the last time but he intuitively knew what was happening. Slimes started approaching each other, forming the massive blob Hue almost lost his life to.
⧪ Boss: Slime King - Level 3
“Hey, hey, hey! Yuriko! That’s the same boss! Is that what you meant by `perfect`? What about this is perfect? I know you can easily defeat one, but I’m not the same… I almost died, y’know?!” blabbered Hue, taking a few steps back, away from the monster.
“Hugh… The last one was level 7, remember? This one’s only level 3, perfect for you. And if there are any problems, we are here to help.”
“Hmph. I won’t help. Bleeeh” Ayaka told Hue, at the same time sticking her tongue out towards him in a childish manner.
Is she a kid?! What the hell is wrong with her? Whatever… Right now I’ve got other things to worry about… Much bigger things… Shit. Is this really a good idea?
Yuriko noticed Hue’s indecisiveness and grasped his shoulder in a comforting manner.
“Everything’s going to be ok.”
“.....”
Ok… I can’t be a little bitch when two women are watching me. Well… a woman and a womanchild, to be exact. Let’s do this…
Hue advanced slowly towards the enemy. The slime seemed to have noticed this and did the same.
It’s alright… It’s alright… You know what it can do. Just dodge its attacks and don’t get caught…
The familiar attack came in.
Huh? Is it just me or is the attack much slower than last time?
Hue easily dodged the hammer-like punch and advanced towards its body.
Slash.
His wand easily slashed through the gelatinous monster, leaving pieces of the same substance on the ground.
Slash. Slash.
After a few more cuts to its legs, Hue made a mistake and thrust his wand inside its body. The familiar feeling came shortly…
I’m being pulled…Shit. I shouldn’t have done that…
⧪ Damage taken: 5
Huh?! Only 5? The previous one did 15 damage for each second my body was inside… So it’s slower and it does a lot less damage to me… It must mean it’s also got a weaker defense right?! That means…
“I can beat it!” shouted Hue.
“That is right, Hue. Monsters, bosses included, have a status similar to us, based on their levels.” explained Yuriko from afar.
Hue’s excitement couldn’t stop a smile from creeping up.
Slash.
⧪ Damage taken: 5
You’re mine now! Not like last time.
Thrust. Slash. Slash.
He kept hitting the boss from inside with his unusual wand technique, making Ayaka burst out laughing.
“Phahahaha, look at him, Yuriko! That’s what I was talking about.”
Uff… Her `encouragement` isn’t helping me at all!…
⧪ Damage taken: 5
Slash. Thrust.
I’m definitely stronger now, after leveling up. But… there’s something missing. I still get tired as fast-no, even faster than last time…
Hue prepared to cut the slime once again but, before he could, the sounds he’d been waiting for filled his ears.
⧪ Boss: Slime King - Defeated
⧪ Calculating rewards for complete defeat…
⧪ Inflicted damage 100%
⧪ Coin drop - 100 copper x 100% = 100 copper
⧪ Chest (D Rank) - Ownership. Damage above 50% has been inflicted.
⧪ Boss Convergence - 300 x 100% = 300 slimes defeated.
Hmm… The rewards seem to be slightly less than last time… Is it because of the lower level? No level up either… I thought so… The higher my level, the harder it’s gonna be to level up… That sucks.
“Congrats, Hugh! You defeated your first boss.” said a proud Yuriko.
“Hmph. It took you waaay too long! Weakling.”
“Thanks, Yuriko” Hue responded to Yuriko, completely ignoring Ayaka’s comments.
“Have you opened the boss chest yet? What did you get?”
“Uh… No. I forgot. One second, please.”
Player Menu.
[ Menu - Player ]
Name: Hue Nightworth
Level: 3 / 99
Health: 100
Status: Strength: 7 (8) ⧫ Defense: 1 (2) ⧫ Stamina: 1 (1) ⧫ Agility: 1 (1) ⧫ Magic: 1 (1)
Skill: ??? ( ??? ) - Passive Skill - ???
Money Maker ( B ) - Passive Skill - Get 25 copper each day.
Equipment:
Common Sword ⧫ +1 Strength
Common Armor ⧫ +1 Defense
Coins: 130 Copper
Messages:
1. Open: D Rank chest? (Y/N).
Quests: None.
Read message 1.
⧪ Open: D Rank chest? (Y/N)
Yes.
⧪ D Rank chest Reward: Common Armor (x1). Reroll (15 copper)? (Y/N)
Dammit… I already have Common Armor on me and the effects don’t stack… I could sell it, but it’s a pretty cheap item… ?! Reroll? Can I get a new item, maybe? It does cost 15 copper though… **** it. I like gambles.
Yes.
⧪ D Rank chest Reward: Fireball ( D ) - Active Skill - Shoot a small fireball. Cooldown: 3 minutes. Magic weapon required.
Hell yeah! My gamble paid off!! My first active skill! And it’s perfect for my wand! Now this little hoe won’t be able to laugh at me anymore… Hmm? I don’t see the reroll option anymore…
“Yuriko, I rerolled my reward but the option is no longer there…”
“Duuh, you can only reroll once. Dumbass.” replied Ayaka instead.
I wasn’t asking you, bitch.
“Ohh… I see. Thanks, Ayaka.” responded Hue with a fake smile. “I received an active skill, but I’ve never used one…”
“It’s pretty straight forward, Hugh. All you have to do is think of the skill’s name. What kind of-”
Before Yuriko could finish her question, Hue pointed his wand towards the cloud filled sky and…
Fireball.
At the tip of the wand, a small glowing point started appearing. Not even a second later, it started expanding, revealing its bright crimson color. Once its circumference exceeded that of the wand, it began leaking dark red flames towards Hue’s hand. Surprisingly, it did not burn him. Hue, amazed by the first time experience, failed to notice the change in the air pressure caused by the skill, causing waves of air to surround him.
“Ahhhhh!! You sucker! Stop right now!!!” screamed Ayaka while holding down her already revealing skirt from showing the red panties she was wearing.
Hahahahaha! That’s what you get! You should’ve thought twice about calling me weird and the other shit you said! Muahaha-
Hue’s inner monologue quickly came to a stop when the wand released all of its accumulated energy towards the sky, making it recoil right into Hue’s face.
Crunch. That was the sound the bones on his face made when coming into contact with the wand.
“Hugh, are you alright?” asked a worried Yuriko while rushing towards him.
“Uh… Damn. I didn’t think it would recoil so much…”
“Bwuahahhahaa. Bhahahaha.” Ayaka was on the ground, holding her stomach, with tears in both her eyes from her uncontrollable laughter. “Oh man! I’m not sure if you’re a comedian or just really, really dumb!”
This little shit…
“Usually the recoil from magic isn’t that bad. Not unless there is a big discrepancy between your defense and your magic… Hugh… Did you use all of your status points on magic?”
“Uh… Yeah.” responded Hue in embarrassment.
Actually, I put the status points I had in my NPC days randomly, without really thinking about it… Mostly magic though… I had a wand and a robe… figured that was the best approach.
“Hugh. It is important to average out your status points. For example, your strength helps with non-magical attacks, such as how much damage a blow from a sword will do.”
Figured as much, that’s why I defeated the boss so quickly, the second time.
“So, does that mean magic helps with your skills?”
“Exactly! Having more magic points increases the damage you do while performing skills. You do need a magical weapon to use a skill though, but you already have one!”
“You said something about defense… something to do with `discrapency`? Hue asked Yuriko while scratching his head in confusion.
“Pfft!” laughed Yuriko, Hue witnessing a rare sight. “It’s discrepancy, not `discrapency`, Hugh!”
“Yeah… right.”
That was pretty cute… She seemed like a no-fun person who takes everything too seriously, but there might actually be more to her…
“Defense reduces the amount of damage monsters do to you. You also need to have a decent defense status, otherwise you might damage yourself. There has been a case where a Player killed himself because he had only put points into strength and magic, completely neglecting his defense and once he used a skill, it was too powerful for his body to handle. He ended up as a pile of ash!”
Yikes! That’s hella scary. Defense = good. Noted.
“How long are you two gonna keeeeep talking?! Stamina makes you less tired and agility makes you run quicker. There. Done. Can we leave now, Yuriko?”
“Not quite right, Ayaka. Stamina does not make you less tired. It reduces how quickly you get tired while fighting. The more stamina you have, the longer and better you can fight. You also got agility wrong. Agility does make you run quicker, but its real benefits come when fighting. It increases your senses, making the enemy appear slower, and thus you can more easily dodge them. It also increases your skill casting speed as well as making your physical attacks faster!“
“Wait… You said I should average my status points… Am I screwed now since I used a lot of them on magic?”
“Not really… You are still at a low level, so you can level up and use the points for the other attributes.”
Low… level… That’s right, I don’t know their levels yet…
“Yuriko?”
“?”
“What level are you?”
Yuriko looked a bit stunned by the question, but she answered nonetheless: “23”.