NEW SPELL UNLOCKED
+50 XP
LEVEL COMPLETE
XP: 70/70
+10 MP
NEW STATUS UPDATE
Name: Elio
Age: 24
Class: Elementalist
Level: 2
MP: 40
XP: 22/120
DEX: 12
LUCK: 17
Speed: 14
Strength: 7
Attack Power: 25/100
CHA: 0
SKILL: AGILE ATTACKS
Weapon: ?
Elmarst Crowns: 366
Reputation: 20
House: ?
NEW MISSION UNLOCKED: STABILIZE ELEMENTAL CORE
REWARD:
+100 XP
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
+20 MP
MISSION: STEAL MORPHING POTION
LOCATION: ESRA ROYAL LIBRARY
Nichola had followed me because of Killian’s wishes. According to the system and the scroll Killian had given me, I needed to steal the morphing potion from the city’s royal library before heading to my next mission with Nichola.
“Why are you following me!?” I snapped, breaking the silence that stretched too thin between us. Unbothered he continued walking lazily, his hands clasped behind his head as a lazy smirk tugged his lips.
He met my question with amusement in his eyes and a scoff only deepened my irritation.
I sighed and continued walking ahead when he suddenly replied, “I owed him a favour, and now he can consider it taken care of.” He paused, carefully choosing his words. “Also, you seem like an interesting character,” he scoffed at his own response.
Why do I have to be stuck with him?
I mentally groaned but kept moving. Having someone with me was good, even if there was a 90% chance he would abandon me in a life-or-death situation.
“Stop!” Nichola whispered, his tone was sharp and alert. He was suddenly right behind me as his eyes scanned the perimeters in front of us.
“There are royal guards all around the premises. We can’t go this way,” he explained, his eyes holding an unspoken glint, as if his mind was piecing together a solution. It was honestly frightening when his light green eyes darkened as he reached a conclusion.
He grabbed my upper elbow, dragging me along. “We’re taking a different route,” he said, leading me through the woods.
I studied his focused eyes, which looked deep in thought as he guided me. Despite his laid back and unruly nature, he was strong and him knowing it made him almost regal. Soon enough, my thoughts returned to the present. There could be a bounty on my head soon, and the thought of death being so close - made my blood run cold. I couldn’t die, not so pathetically again. This strengthened something in me—I promised myself I would become the strongest, not for anyone else but for myself. This is a game, and these characters are not human, at least in my eyes. I have to survive, even if it means killing, betraying, or using any of them to reach the top and stay safe.
MISSION ADDRESSED
SYSTEM UPDATING
BECOME THE STRONGEST
+30 XP
Nichola stopped in front of a messy bush. He reached forward and parted the branches aside, revealing a secret tunnel barely large enough for one to crawl through.
I have to do this to survive! I reminded myself as my mind wandered to my fear of tight spaces. Nichola pointed to the tunnel and said, “This way, there’s less chance of getting caught.”
“After you,” I trailed off, indicating he should go first. I didn’t trust him enough to jump into his suggestions.
He raised an eyebrow but shrugged and went ahead, even though I expected him to argue. I bit my tongue to hold back the words itching to escape.
I swallowed hard and forced the racing thoughts to the back of my mind. Now wasn’t the time for this.
My hands trembled as I bent down and crawled behind Nichola. My eyes struggled to adjust to the narrow and dark tunnel, and my hands brushed against the filthy dirt. The growing stench made it even harder to breathe.
Finally, we reached the end, which opened into a dungeon. I stood and looked at my hands, covered in grime. The dungeon had the same strange stench, only now it made the air nearly unbreathable.
I rubbed my hands on my clothes, trying to clean them, and pulled my shirt up to my nose to breathe. I glanced at Nichola, who seemed perfectly unfazed.
“Can’t you smell it?” I asked, annoyed
He looked at me with a strange glint in his eyes before speaking. “You’ve never smelled blood before?”
His question was innocent, yet it sent a chill down my spine.
Blood?
“Blood shouldn’t smell like that,” I replied, summoning some strength.
“Yes, it’s the rotting bodies.”