I slumped down beside the remains of the golem, my whole body aching. I looked up at the sky, not even glancing at the new notification beside the golem, to admire the beauty of the forest as my arms began to weaken.
"Golems... elves... I'm not surprised if the next thing I encounter is a demon lord."
My gaze lingered on the clouds above. For a moment, I let myself enjoy the peace. There were only more battles to come.
Taking a deep sigh, I looked back at the notification, expecting a small level-up notification, but something appeared; it was the weakest vs weakest side quest, accompanied by a second notification just below the window.
// SECRET OBJECTIVE: Kill an enemy 20 levels higher than you //
// SECRET OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: WEAKEST VS WEAKEST //
// REWARD: Basic Dagger Mastery Rune //
// REWARD: Nature's Favor Skill Rune //
// LEVEL UP: LVL 1 -> LVL 5 //
// Harvest LVL 1 -> Harvest LVL 2 //
// Examine LVL 2 -> Examine LVL 3 //
I was mesmerized. I stared at the barrage of notifications for a while to process all the information. This was the first time multiple windows came out of nowhere, with each one bringing a sense of accomplishment and relief.
"This can't be real! 2 runes in 1 quest? What a steal!"
My body still ached from the fight, but the burst of energy from my excitement overtook my exhaustion. I tapped the first notification, the Basic Dagger Mastery Rune flashing on the screen, and all of a sudden the rune began to manifest in the palm of my hand; it pulsed slightly, almost as if it were responding to my spirit.
"I've been waiting for this!"
Before consuming the first rune, I decided to obtain the Nature's Favor Skill Rune. This one flickered a green light, much like the herb I had harvested from the golem. It felt alive, pulsating with the raw energy of the forest around me. Without hesitating, I gripped it tightly, feeling the warmth from earlier wrapped around my hand.
"I wonder what this does!"
I didn’t hesitate. The process was always the same. Crush it, absorb it, and let the energy flow. The only obstacle to overcome was having enough willpower and spirit to completely use it.
My hand tightened around the two runes, and with all of my spirit and strength focused on both of my hands, I snapped both the runes, A wave of energy circled my body; one stream was dyed with a gray gradient while the other stream was a solid green color.
The familiar warmth wrapped around my body, and with each passing stream, my body began to twitch, as if it were adjusting to the new skills I had absorbed. The strain in my arms suddenly faded away, replaced with a burst of strength that flowed in my forearms and hands.
// YOU HAVE LEARNED BASIC DAGGER MASTERY //
// EFFECT: Increases proficiency with daggers, improving damage, speed, and accuracy with dagger-based attacks //
// YOU HAVE LEARNED NATURE'S FAVOR (Passive) //
// EFFECT: Your body will heal naturally faster while in a natural environment //
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"Natural healing? Wow I could really use it after all the impact I received"
I could feel the burst of power surging through me, like holding your pee after an hour of traveling. My muscles twitched and adjusted, the aches from the battle disappearing as the warmth of Nature's Favor began healing my smaller wounds.
*"My injuries... it's healing all of a sudden!"*
The small cuts and gashes I gained from the fight earlier were quickly covered in a small green aura, each passing second the energy from the rune worked its magic as I watched the wounds slowly begin to close. The painful sensation disappeared, only the scratches remained.
"So this is what it does... a small healing factor!"
Each breath I took felt lighter, the forest itself seemingly helping my recovery. The whistling of the wind helped me calm down while the rest of my injuries healed up on their own.
Testing my arm, I flexed it, testing every joint with no painful sensation. The dopamine rush skyrocketed in my body, I stood up, rolling my shoulders back as I wielded my dagger in my right hand. My dagger, still glowing faintly from the earlier fight, felt different in my hand. Lighter, quicker, deadlier.
I took a deep breath, my right hand feeling lighter than before. With a quick motion, I spun the dagger between my fingers and lunged forward. My movements felt more natural, sharper, as I played through a series of slashes and strikes, each one faster and more precise than the last. Every swing of the blade was smooth, and the air itself made a whoosh sound every slash I did.
"Haha! This is some assassin type of action I am doing!"
After doing multiple sequences of attacks, my mind entered into the zone, where I only focused on my attacks and movement, each swing was made with precise control and power, It felt like something out of a movie.
I was completely doing the attack without any problem, until the last sequence of the attack, where I didn't notice the pile of rocks from the golem's body near my footwork.
"This feels great!—" I tripped on the pile of rocks, hitting the ground face first and my dagger was thrown towards the nearest tree.
"Alrighty then.... to Windfall it is...."
After collecting all of my items and loot from the forest, I decided to take one last look at the golem, the core once filled with life and energy, now nothing but dust on the ground. I took a deep breath, another adventure was finished, but there were sure to be many ahead.
I turned back toward the path I took. The large trees seemed to part just enough to let the sunlight stream through, creating a peaceful atmosphere. It was time to return to Windfall. The one commission I took turned into a series of crazy events, but even the hardest days proved to be the ones that taught us the lessons.
As I sprinted forward, I couldn’t help but think about what would happen next, the dark forest seemed to retain the eeriness from before. The feeling of danger in every corner sent shivers down my spine.
"This is really exhausting! But I don't want my face to get clawed again!"
As I sprinted the fastest I could, my breath steady and focused, I suddenly felt my legs becoming lighter and faster than before. In no time, the tall stone walls of Windfall came into view. The southern gate, with its familiar iron gate and wooden barricades, stood distinguished from the rest of the environment.
"Good day sir!" I shouted at one of the sleeping guards before they could notice me dashing through the gate. The other guard could only do a nod of agreement after seeing me at the gate.
"Good day to you! Please go on!"
The guard already knew who I was, he surely recognized me from the crazy questions I asked before exiting from this gate.
The cobblestone streets of Windfall felt like home to me as I pushed forward, passing through the townsfolk and street vendors who were packing up for the evening. I only had one destination: the Adventurers Society. I had completed the commission, and I wasn’t going to wait until midnight to report it.
The building finally came into view, the sword-shaped signage of the Adventurers Society visible from afar. My heart was beating fast, not just from the sprint, but from the adrenaline still coursing through me. I pushed myself harder, the distance between me and the entrance was closing near.
But then, just as I was about to reach the front door, I spotted three familiar figures standing in my path.
Kar'npaul and his group. They were right in front of the entrance, laughing and talking with each other, Lythael looking more beautiful than ever and Nereus with his serious demeanor.
My chest tightened. Out of all the people I know, it had to be them. The ones who always seemed a step ahead, always there to remind me of how much further I had to go.
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NAME: Justin Joe HP: 100/100
CLASS: Botanist MP: 100/100
LEVEL: 5 STATUS: Normal
SKILLS:
Examine - LVL 3
Harvest - LVL 2
Nature Infusion - LVL 1
Basic Alchemy - Passive
Basic Dagger Mastery - Passive
Nature's Favor - Passive
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