If I’m right, and one of those items is something that can bridge the gap between a level zero and a level eight rock golem… Just how powerful is it?

Raine spun away from the golem to sprint back to the front of the witch’s lodge. He burned through his meager Discipline reserves, knowing every second could be the difference between failure and success.

He had assumed the first twenty levels were going to be a fairly boring grind as he slaughtered the most optimal monsters. He knew their attack patterns, drops, strengths, and weaknesses by heart so what was there to be excited about other than rapidly pulling ahead of everyone?

But in just a few minutes, all that changed. He buzzed with the thrill of a new adventure; old pastures coming to life in his mind's eye with new meaning and heightened stakes. If he found this quest so quickly, what else lay in store for him as he entered each zone for the first time? What other unknown firsts could he claim?

He wiped sweaty palms on his tunic, his grin infectious as he considered the lucky few from the past. The opportunities they took for themselves would become his. Surely they wouldn’t miss what they didn’t know about yet. And even if they did, he would still take them for himself.

Raine arrived before the Vaaterran corpses. He examined them carefully, making sure not to accidentally touch anything. There were five bodies, each strikingly different from the others.

A swordsman in metal and leather armor clutched a sword in each hand. The weapons shone with a light blue gleam and looked sharp enough to slide through his skin with a breath of pressure. The armor also leaked a blue light, letting him know their rarity was leagues above anything he would find for a long time.

In ZL, there were six tiers of equipment; the two swords, and the armor belonged to the fourth tier—Lustrous Blue. Even at level five, when the first dungeons became available, he would not be able to find lustrous gear. These items were treasures that could pull him through the next twenty levels or more. He was also one hundred percent certain they were heavily cursed. Without allowing greed to carelessly overwhelm his heart, Raine swept his gaze over the other bodies.

A defender with similarly lustrous gear, a healer with mostly Sleek Silver—a tier below Lustrous Blue. He visually inspected every item. Without being able to safely touch them, and having used his skill point already, there was no way to identify what they could be. The last two corpses were both casters and one of them immediately caught his attention.

Why is this caster holding a greatsword? His robes are tattered and cut, clearly damaged from multiple types of weapons. It’s like he often fought in melee but that makes no sense for a caster.

Raine searched for several minutes, trying to find anything else about the group that was out of place. Having no luck, he returned to the caster. His robe failed to reveal any glimmer of magic, so with a nervous gulp, Raine gently moved aside the cloth to get a closer look at the body. Beneath was a layer of Lustrous Blue medium armor—something a true mage would never wear.

Definitely suspicious. Wait, what’s that?

Around the mage's neck was a twine necklace with a wooden ring looped through the cord. Both the twine and ring gave off the muted light of Dull Trash items—the lowest quality of equipment.

Even more suspicious! There’s no such thing as Dull Trash accessories. Even the garbage vendor rings and necklaces only go as low as Common Gray!

Raine’s eyes roved over the other bodies one more time, confirming that not a single one of them had any visible accessories. This necklace and ring were the only ones. They couldn’t have stood out more to his trained eye. He knew he had figured out the puzzle but still, he hesitated. Once a cursed item was picked up, it couldn’t be dropped until it was cleansed. Just how screwed would he be if he was wrong?

I’ve only seen details for cursed items on the forums. They can give amazing powers, but come with harsh requirements and disabilities. What will this one be? Will I lose all of an attribute, or be unable to open treasure chests? It doesn’t matter. This is it. This is the way to complete the quest, I can feel it! I’m doing it!

With a decisive tug, Raine raised the necklace over the mage’s head. The moment he did, the ring appeared on his finger and its details populated in his inventory.

[Ring of Nine Arms - Cursed]

[Cursed trait 1: Wielder will be equipped with a (random) roulette melee weapon from their inventory at the start of each encounter. May reroll at the cost of 11% Max HP]

[Cursed trait 2: Wielder cannot drop or sell (roulette) designated weapons. (Roulette) weapons may be replaced with equivalent types]

[Cursed trait 3: Wielder stacks maximum Discipline with Attack Power for damage calculations]

Raine read the item's traits over and over again, his mind whirling. He was so consumed by the ridiculousness of it that he failed to notice the flash of light that swept over his body before his weapons were forcibly stored in his inventory. Looking at them now, he saw each one showed a roulette tag.

Stacks maximum Discipline into AP?! That’s absolutely insane! Sure, my Discipline is only ten right now but with only twelve AP, this one item nearly doubles my damage and it will only get more ridiculous as I level up. Forget about breaking the curse when I’m level fifty, I’ll never let this ring go!

The negatives are pretty severe though… I can’t easily replace these crap weapons I picked up before the tutorial. I have to first find an equivalent type to exchange with. For instance, if I don’t find a better wand, I’ll be stuck with this one for who knows how long. That’s fine for now since I need to increase my attunements in all of them anyway.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Raine blasted through the math. With twenty-two combined Attack Power and Discipline, if the roulette gave him a blunt weapon, he could use Strike to increase his damage by twenty percent, bringing him up to twenty-six damage.

I’m still a little short of that golem’s thirty defense. Should I try my luck with one of these cursed weapons? No, no way, absolutely not. This is enough. All I need now are a few Stremph Berries and I can win.

A quick glance at the quest timer showed he still had five hours and forty-five minutes. He dashed into the woods, making a beeline toward the closest thicket of bushes. The bush exploded into movement as he drew near. A boar hiding within blasted out, charging directly toward him at a speed that would easily overwhelm a novice.

[Rabid Boar: Level 3 - HP ???/???]

Raine sidestepped at the last second, burning a point of Discipline in the process. He raised his fist to strike but the axe materializing in his hand threw off his balance. His fist glanced off the soft flesh just behind its head. Due to him failing to correctly hit with his equipped weapon, the punch didn't count and only dealt a single point of damage.

[Novice Wooden Axe - Dull Trash: (Attack Power +4) (Attack Speed -.2)]

The roulette activates automatically after I throw the first attack?! I really hope there's a way to activate that manually. I could sacrifice eleven percent of my HP to change to another weapon but that's unnecessary. Losing point two Attack Speed isn’t a big deal against such a weak monster.

The boar flew past him, its momentum too strong to stop instantly. It rounded a bush, squealing all the while and came at him again. Raine positioned himself in front of a tree and once more dodged at the last second. The boar slammed into the trunk and fell on its hindquarters. Raine’s axe bit deeply into its front leg, the bonus 4 Attack Power showing its value. [-17]

Raine immediately yanked the weapon free, preparing for another swing. He managed two more hacks before the boar recovered. It leaped sideways at him in an attempt to both gore and crush, its short and sharp tusks racing toward his heart. Had he not begun moving before the beast attacked, it would have been almost impossible to dodge since its Attack Speed was so much higher than his Movement Speed.

Raine tucked the axe tight to his body and pivoted as he leaned back, allowing the enraged beast to fly by. The momentum from his turn brought both him and his axe around in a full sweep that connected with the creature’s hind quarter. [-17]

The boar squealed in pain and then jumped backward, trying to kick him with its back hooves. Raine retreated two steps and the beast landed directly in front of him, just as his axe came down in an attack that drained the last of its health.

[Obtained 75 Superiority (150% bonus for defeating a monster 3 levels above you)]

[Superiority: 130/1,000]

[Obtained 2.5% Attunement (150% bonus for defeating a monster 3 levels above you)]

Three ruddy-colored coins appeared above the corpse and a flash of white light beside them announced the appearance of an actual item. Raine’s hands were moving to snatch them before the colored effects subsided.

[Thick Leather leggings - Common Gray: (DEF +5) (FNS +1) (Durability 15/15)]

Only five hits to beat a monster three levels above me? This ring is so broken! Basic training with every weapon type is paying dividends right now. Not going to matter if I don’t finish this quest in time. If I fail, there’s no way I’ll get to keep such an amazing item.

Raine hastily replaced his leggings for the new upgrade. The minor boost to defense wouldn’t come close to allowing him to survive a hit from the golem, but the bonus Finesse increased his speed, which just might be the difference between survival and doom. He dashed into the thicket, quickly spotting two bushes that contained the berries he was looking for. He cleaned them out, pocketing five from each bush.

[Stremph Berry - Common Gray - Consumable: +5 Potency and Discipline for 15 minutes. Effect fades automatically after combat ends. (Cooldown: 30 minutes)]

Thanks to the ring, Raine would receive an extra ten Attack Power, and gain a significant boost to both his evasions and blunt attacks. As far as temporary attribute enhancers went, he couldn’t have asked for a better one from a starting area.

With just over five and a half hours left, Raine sprinted back to the witch’s garden and hopped the small fence. The golem loomed over him, each step lightly shaking the ground. The massive monster idly scratched its shoulder, sending a few pebbles cascading down its thick chest; the sounds of the miniature rock slide tickled Raine’s ears.

I could try to hunt down enough beasts to level once, but there's no guarantee the golem won't gain a level to match me. Besides, I’ll only gain two more points of damage, including the bonus from the ring, while the golem will gain another five defense. Leveling even once may make this quest truly impossible.

I’ve got to face him as I am. If I get hit even once, I’ll die for sure. By the time I respawn and get back here, I’ll have lost too much time to win. One death means failure. Failure likely means being struck by dozens of random curses that will force me to delete this character. Three weeks is way too long. This is my chance to pull so far ahead that nobody will ever catch me.

Raine understood to his bones the terror of those who had unlocked their tier five classes—each a legend in their own right. They could level cities with a single attack. Destroy flying fortresses brimming with powerful siege weapons in seconds. Annihilate armies as easily as breathing. Only by reaching those heights himself would he have the means to stop the corporations from ruining his future.

I won’t let them get away with it a second time, and the first step is right before my eyes. I can’t lose. I won’t lose!

As he’d been trained to do so long ago, Raine shut off his mind to improve his focus. Then, he charged. The moment he was within fifteen meters, the golem pivoted to face him with a challenging roar that shook leaves from the trees. Birds fled the scene as it beat a fist on its chest. The monster’s charge was easily more intimidating than Raine’s. The ground rumbled violently as massive feet crashed into the soft garden soil, and with each step, it ate up several times the distance of its human foe.

Before they collided, Raine threw a punch into the air and a random weapon appeared in his hand.

[Novice Mage’s Staff - Dull Trash: (Attack Power +2) (Attack Speed -.5) (DEF +2) (CNC +2) (Durability 10/10)]

A sigh of relief escaped his lips at the sight of one of the few blunt weapons he owned. The bonus to Connection only affected magic attacks, and its severe negative to attack speed was a hindrance to be sure. Still, it functioned with Strike and was definitely better than the wand. He was not looking forward to being stuck with that when it inevitably made an appearance.

Raine knew the attack pattern of generic golems. However, there was no guarantee this one would be similar. He only had ten berries, and just over five hours to use them. With those thoughts in mind, he decided to spend the first several minutes dodging.

He slid under the first wild haymaker. The passing mass of stone sailed mere centimeters above his head and sent his short hair flying haphazardly. The golem turned slowly, another wild punch missing as Raine hopped backward. The monster lunged at him, its hands clapping together above its head so loudly his teeth hurt. When it brought its two fists down to the ground, an eruption of dirt exploded between them, obscuring their vision.

Long before the dust settled, Raine circled around to its side. All thoughts of taking his time with the fight had fled the moment his heart began to race. His staff connected with the golem’s lower back doing zero damage and causing a hollow thump to echo through the air.

[Novice Mage’s Staff: Durability -1]

“Ahhh shit.”