The park was shrouded in a foggy atmosphere, with trees huddled together, their dense canopy creating a mystical aura. People meandered down the paths, their morning routines varying from leisurely walks to vigorous jogs.
Among them, Archie was a standout figure, his jogging routine setting him apart. The cool, misty air served as a refreshing tonic, spurring him to maintain a steady pace.
Archie panted, his breaths measured and rhythmic. His physique hadn't changed much, but a few added centimetres to his height gave him a distinctive presence in the crowd.
Previously, Archie's average height made him blend into the crowd, but now, he was exerting more effort than anyone else in the park. His run had started at 3 A.M., and even as the clock neared 6, his pace remained unflagging.
His relentless effort stemmed from the fact that it had been seven days since Archie embarked on his mission journey. Despite his attempts to add attributes like Strength and Agility, the E-Screen rejected his inputs.
Over the past week, the counts for his daily missions of running, pull-ups, push-ups, and weight lifting hadn't budged.
Initially, Archie found the routine challenging, but within two days, he adapted, thanks largely to Chef’s chopstick recovery power. It healed all his soreness, replenished his stamina, and even cured his muscle strain when he got hurt during lifting.
Archie's run wasn't motivated by a desire to complete his daily missions. He had tried to do daily missions outside the castle training area, but the E-Screen didn’t count it.
Nonetheless, Archie persisted in his exercise regimen, strengthening his build in the hopes of adding credits to Attributes and increasing his Strength and other crucial attributes.
“This is good enough for now,”
Archie decided, planning to return to his shop to undertake today’s mission.
The day he had eagerly awaited had finally arrived - it was [Cumulative Sign-in] day.
Upon returning to his shop, Archie found two hot cups of noodles waiting on the table, the diner otherwise empty.
Archie collected both cups and retreated to his room. This was part of his routine too. At 6 AM, Elbert prepared noodles for Archie, along with lunch and dinner meat dishes to provide him with the necessary nutrients.
In his room, Archie savoured the noodles using Chef’s Chopstick, his anticipation for the Cumulative sign-up mounting.
After polishing off the two cups of noodles, Archie took a bath to refresh himself and donned sportswear to prepare for the day’s mission.
Archie accessed his Rift watch and navigated to [Cumulative Sign-in] in [Sign-up Events].
[Cumulative Sign-in]
[Sign in for a certain number of days to earn rewards.]
[You can earn all the rewards by signing in consecutively.]
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[Congratulations on unlocking the Cumulative Sign-in Event]
[Reward:
Slaughterer’s Weapon]
[Day for next reward: Day 30]
*
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Archie navigated to the [EQUIPMENTS] menu and peered inside the [Weapons] tab.
A new weapon had appeared in the weapon slot box.
Archie clicked on the weapon, and a golden light radiated from the black screen, materializing the weapon above it.
Archie scrutinized the weapon. It was neither long enough to be called a sword nor short enough to be a dagger.
Archie recognized the weapon - it was a traditional wooden machete.
The machete was crafted from brown wood, from its blade to hilt. Its curved shape was predominantly brown, with lighter and darker shades forming geometric patterns. The intricate design hinted at a blend of artistry used for decorative etchings.
Archie was at a loss, having expected a sword or Ereal gun for his Rifts.
Archie examined the machete by touching the back side of the hilt, similar to how he interacted with the chopstick, but nothing materialized.
“Then it is really a decoration thing. Ahhh…” Archie groaned, disappointment seeping into his voice.
Archie resolved to undertake today’s daily mission and stowed the machete inside his inventory before opening the Daily Mission tab.
[Rookie Mission: Level 1]
[Strike 1000 times using Machete]
[Reward:
Unlocking Machete]
[Penalty for failure:
Credits deduction: 1000
Failure to Unlock Machete]
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[Time Duration: 7 Days]
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[Do you want to begin today’s mission?]
[Yes] [No]
“Yes!” Archie exclaimed, his face lighting up at the prospect of unlocking the Machete. He clicked [Yes] without hesitation, ready to be rifted.
“WOOSH!” Archie found himself back in his forgotten castle. Just like Archie’s physique, nothing had changed. The sky was still devoid of sun or clouds, walls surrounded him on all sides, and vegetation was slowly reclaiming the castle.
However, Archie was taken aback to see a dummy torso used for sword practice. It had no lower waist or hands and legs and was simply mounted on a wooden stick.
Archie recalled the mission of striking the dummy 1000 times. He figured it must be the target, but what puzzled him was why it would take seven days to complete this mission.
‘Does this mean, I have seven days to complete this mission, and I won’t receive any other running or pull-ups mission.’
Archie mulled over this while examining the dummy, which seemed to be a regular one made of wood with grain stuffing inside.
Archie didn’t dwell on it, as he was losing time. Archie retrieved the Machete from the Inventory and began to strike down the dummy.
[Strike: 1/1000]
As Archie struck the dummy, the number count kept increasing with each strike.
Archie maintained a moderate pace as he struck at various points, targeting specific areas with precision rather than striking randomly. He focused on critical spots like the base of the skull and neck, the kidney area, the tailbone, the jaw hinge, and the sides of the neck. His strikes were controlled and deliberate, aiming to practice accuracy and effectiveness.
All the areas that could knock down opponents and let him win.
For the past week, Archie had been honing his combat abilities, unable to use his Rift ability.
Archie tried various techniques to shoot down the rift like he did in Rift heart but nothing happened.
Left with no choice, he focused on learning how to fight opponents or monsters using normal weapons. Archie even tried shooting with his toy gun and water gun from his childhood, but nothing seemed to help.
Real guns were not allowed for minors, so he couldn’t figure out a way to use Rifts until he joined the academy where all weapons were allowed.
[Strike: 1000/1000]
After two hours, Archie successfully completed striking down 1000 times at the dummy.
“GASP- GASP!” Archie collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath, having struck down without any breaks.
Archie was drenched in sweat, but the cool breeze soothed his skin, the sweat drops providing a refreshing chill.
After a few minutes, Archie calmed down and sat on the ground, feeling perplexed,
‘Why didn’t I receive any mission completion notification.’
Archie opened his Daily mission tab and was bewildered to see:
[Rookie Mission: Level 1]
[Level 1 of Strike 1000 times using Machete completed]
[Reward:
Machete Unlocked]
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[Rookie Mission: Level 2]
[Level 1 of Slash 100 times using Machete]
[Reward:
Upgrading Machete]
[Penalty for failure:
Credits deduction: 1000
Failure to Upgrade Machete]
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[Time Duration: 7 Days]
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[Do you want to begin today’s mission?]
[Yes] [No]