“Holy freaking cow! Rewards are supposed to be proportional to the difficulty of the Quest, so how difficult is this Quest?!” I exclaimed. “What creature am I supposed to hunt? Can I even kill it?”
Farmer James just continued to stand there while I freaked out. He was waiting for my response, so I took a deep breath.
“Can I decline for now and do it later?” I asked.
“Sorry, but it’ll just keep on killing my livestock, so this needs to be taken care of as soon as possible,” he answered. I sighed and clicked accept. “Thank you so much, Cain! I knew I could count on you!”
“Yeah, yeah, no problem. How should I go about killing this thing?” I asked.
“Since it hunts at night, I recommend hiding among my livestock during the night,” he replied. “That way, when it shows up, you can take it by surprise.”
“Okay, sounds good. Should I come back tonight then?”
“Yeah, that’s perfect. I’ll show you the pasture so you can find a hiding spot.”
“Cool. I’ll be back later then.”
I then walked away. I did my best to look calm, but my hands were shaking slightly. Honestly, I had no idea if I was going to be acme to complete this Quest or not. So, I decided to take my mind off of it for now.
“You know, I bet [Fluffy] would enjoy getting a visitor,” I thought aloud. I walked to where I knew the wolf was sitting, waiting for Zak. However, when I got there, Fluffy was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I saw Zak standing there.
“Do you know where [Fluffy] went?” Zak asked. “He always stays here so that I can say hi to him.”
“Are you actually dead?” I asked the boy.
“Mmhm, I am,” he answered, nodding.
“But then how are you here and how am I seeing you?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Other than [Fluffy], I think you’re the first creature to ever see me,” Zak admitted.
“Huh. That’s weird. Well, since we’re both here, is there anything else I can for you,” I asked.
“Hmm, well, if you could kill the wolf that killed me, I’d appreciate it,” the boy said.
[Ghost Boy Zak would like you to avenge his death by the [Black Wolf King]]
[Hunt 0/1 [Black Wolf King]]
[Rewards: [Spirit’s Vengeance] Skill, +Relationship with Ghost Boy Zak]
[Failure Penalty: -Relationship with Ghost Boy Zak]
[Accept? Y/N]
“Of course, I’ll be happy to avenge your death,” I replied. I then accepted the Quest.
“Thank you! The [Black Wolf King] isn’t as powerful as the [Forest Guardian], but it’s still a very powerful monster that leaves deep in the forest,” he explained. “It’ll be difficult, but I’m sure you can do it!”
“I’ll do my best,” I promised. But as I turned to leave, I heard barking. Turning around, I saw Fluffy running in our direction. He stopped right in front of us, wagging his tail.
“That’s a good boy! Did Dad take you home?” Zak asked, petting his wolf. Fluffy nuzzled his head against Zak’s hand. I smiled, glad to see the two interacting. The wolf then turned to look at me, his tail still wagging. I chuckled and scratched Fluffy behind his ears. “He really likes you. I’m glad to see [Fluffy] interacting with a living person other than Dad.”
“Alright, well, I’m off to kill the [Black Wolf King],” I said. Nodding to Zak, I left. Walking over to the edge of the forest, I then remembered an important detail. “If I go inside, the [Forest Guardian] will start hunting me after 5 minutes. And Zak said that the [Black Wolf King] lives deep in the forest.”
Steeling myself, I walked into the forest. And immediately saw a Wild Boar. Which was perfect since I still had the Quest to collect Raw Meat for Miss Maggie. Drawing my greatsword, I slashed deep into the boar’s body. It squealed and kicked at me, though I avoided its hooves.
“Gotta be better than that,” I said with a smirk. I drove the blade of my sword into the beast’s side, killing it. I collected the Raw Meat and started wandering deeper into the forest. While I was wandering, I heard the familiar crashing sound of the Forest Guardian chasing me. “I’m not running from you this time.”
[Four of your opponent’s stats are higher than yours]
[[Giant Killing] has been activated]
[Your stats have been temporarily increased]
Drawing my greatsword, I stood at the ready. As soon as the boss monster was close to me, I activated [White Wolf’s Howl I].
[[White Wolf’s Howl I] has been activated]
[Your stats have been temporarily increased]
[Your opponent’s stats have been temporarily decreased]
Grinning, I ducked under the tree it swung at me and stabbed it in the shin. The huge monster roared in pain and anger.
But when it tried to kick me like before, I rolled to the side. Having avoiding its attack, I slashed the back of its calf. Once again the field boss roared in anger. Raising its foot into the air, it tried to stomp on me. However, I held my sword straight up above me, causing the giant to step down on the sharp blade.
The Forest Guardian yowled as it toppled over. It held its bleeding foot in both hands, the tree it used as a club laying by its side. Believing the fight to be over, I dashed in to continue dealing damage. However, I underestimated the wrath of a boss monster.
It leapt back up to its feet, the impact like an earthquake. It roared loudly and its eyes started glowing red while its already huge muscles bulged and grew bigger. Not even bothering to pick the tree back up, it moved far faster than I had expected and backhanded me. My limp body flew through the air before impacting a tree.
“Anyone get the number of the dump truck that hit me?” I muttered weakly. Glancing at my HP bar, I saw that it had fallen below 50% from that one attack. Not ready to die yet, I activated [Power of Hope].
[[Power of Hope] has been activated]
[Some of your HP has been recovered]
[Your stats have been temporarily increased]
“Ready for round two?”
I picked up my fallen sword and spun like a top. The blade of my greatsword cut deep into the exposed flesh of the monster, but it didn’t seem to care. It continues roaring and trying to crush me. Luckily, I was fast enough now to avoid most of its attacks with ease. And the ones that were harder to avoid only caused chip damage due to them being grazing hits.
“Gotta try harder than that,” I said through gritted teeth. I readied myself to strike, but stayed perfectly still, waiting for my opponent to move first. As soon as it did, I dodged its fist and buried the blade of my sword into the inside of its thigh. “How’s that feel, you big meathead?”
I pulled my sword sword free and stabbed it in again, doing more damage. But even with as many hits as I was landing, the ogre-like boss just didn’t seem to care. It smacked me aside again, this time my sword remaining buried in its leg. Sighing, I pulled a rock out of my inventory and used [Throw I] to launch it super fast.
The projectile impacted the Forest Guardian in its left eye. Howling, it covered the left side of its face with one hand while reaching for me with the other. But since it was so crazed with pain and rage, it was easy to avoid its obvious movements. Pulling out another Small Stone, I used [Throw I] to send this one into its other eye.
“I’ve got you now, you big idiot,” I said with a smirk. Racing around behind it, I pulled my sword free right as the buff from [Power of Hope] ran out. However, I wasn’t giving up. I climbed onto the monster’s back and drove the greatsword into the Forest Guardian’s spine.
It once again roared loudly, the sound echoing throughout the forest. But once the roar was finished, it fell to the ground. From the rising and falling of its chest, I could tell it was still alive. But only barely.
“Say goodnight!” I shouted. I stabbed my greatsword into it again. However, instead of dying, it let out a single earth-shattering roar and leapt to its feet. A red glow lightly surrounded its body. “Another power-up?”
The Forest Guardian moved even faster than before this time. It grabbed me in its huge, meaty hand before I could get away. Holding me tightly, it grinned and opened its mouth wide. Moving me closer to its gaping jaws, I struggled to free the arm holding my greatsword. But when right as I managed to free the sword, I was already thrown into its mouth.
“Well, awesome. This is just great,” I muttered. Raising my sword, I stabbed it downwards. The blade pierced through the ogre’s tongue and the bottom of its mouth. Roaring it, spat me out, but my sword was still stuck inside. It continued roaring and thrashing wildly, taking damage from the large piece of sharp metal stabbing its mouth. “Hurts, don’t it?”
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It roared one last time before falling to the ground. Finally dead, the Forest Guardian’s body turned into red particles. Left behind were my greatsword and a few Items. Picking up my sword, I collected the Items and received multiple system messages.
[You have leveled up x3]
[You have obtained 1000 gold]
[You have obtained Skill Book [Berserk]]
[You have obtained Skill Book [Ogre’s Strength]]
[You have obtained [Ogre Tooth Necklace]]
[Congratulations! You have defeated Field Boss [Forest Guardian]]
[You have obtained Title [Forest Liberator]]
[You have obtained Title [First Solo Raider]]
[Congratulations! You reached Level 10]
[You have unlocked Classes]
[You have unlocked Innate Ability]
“Wow! I didn’t expect to earn so much from beating the [Forest Guardian],” I thought aloud. “Guess I should check the two Skill Books and the Item, see if they’re worth keeping.”
[Berserk]
[Type: Active]
[Effects:
1. +100% Str, Agi, Physical Attack Power, Magic Attack Power, Attack Speed, and Movement Speed for 1 minute
2. -50% Vit, Int, Physical Defense, and Magic Defense for 1 minute]
[Costs 100 MP to use, 60 minute cooldown]
[Ogre’s Strength]
[Type: Active]
[Effects:
1. Increases Str stat by an amount equal to Vit stat for 1 minute]
[Costs 50 MP to use, 30 minute cooldown]
[Ogre Tooth Necklace]
[Rarity: Rare]
[Type: Necklace]
[Subtype: Defense, Buff]
[Requirements: [Forest Liberator] Title]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Physical Defense: +50]
[Options:
1. +30 Str stat
2. +30 Vit stat]
[A simple necklace made from a leather string and teeth from the [Forest Guardian], it provides a surprising degree of protection and strengthens the wearer’s body.]
“Oh, wow! Guess loot drops from bosses are better than loot drops from regular monsters,” I murmured to myself. Learning the two Skills and equipping the necklace, I could feel my body getting stronger. “Now, let’s find out what the Titles are and what they do.”
[Forest Liberator]
[Requirements: hunt the [Forest Guardian] Field Boss by yourself]
[Effects:
1. +10% all main stats
2. +100 all main stats when in a forest
3. +50% damage dealt with two-handed melee weapons]
[First Solo Raider]
[Requirements: hunt a Field Boss or Raid Boss by yourself]
[Effects:
1. +10% all main stats
2. +100 all main stats when facing a boss monster
3. +50% damage dealt to boss monsters]
“Dang! That’s crazy!” I shouted. “The effects of these Titles are so good! Now, when I go to hunt to the [Black Wolf King], I’ll get buffs from both Titles because I’ll be facing a boss monster in a forest!”
However, I knew things weren’t finished yet. Looking at my status screen, I saw that my HP and MP were fully restored thanks to leveling up. But now I had a different problem, which were my 20 unused stat points. After thinking for several minutes, I decided to use them on raising Int since I had a bunch of new Skills that need MP to use. Also, it would raise my Magic Attack Power and Magic Defense as well, which would be helpful.
[Player ID: Cain]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 10]
[Job: Greatswordsman]
[Class: none]
[Innate Ability: unawakened]
[Titles: [Forest Liberator], [First Solo Raider]]
[Stats: HP (882), MP (270), Str (105+10.5+10.5+30), Vit (25+2.5+2.5+30), Agi (45+4.5+4.5), Dex (10+1+1), Int (45+4.5+4.5), Physical Attack Power (780), Magic Attack Power (270), Attack Speed (108), Movement Speed (108), Physical Defense (600+50), Magic Defense (270), Carrying Capacity (312), and Luck (1.2)]
[Skills: [Acid Resist - Lesser], [Throw I], [Giant Killing], [White Wolf’s Howl I], [Heat Resist - Lesser], [Determination I], [Power of Hope], [Berserk], [Ogre’s Strength]]
[Weapon/s: [Excellent Custom Greatsword]]
[Armor: none]
[Accessories: [Ogre Tooth Necklace]]
[Other Items: [Healing Potion - Lesser (x4)], [Small Stone (x4)], [Special Seed (x25)]]
[Currency: 1210 gold]
“Whew! I didn’t realize I had grown this much! However, I wonder what Class is? I mean, I already have my Job, which is Greatswordsman, but what is a Class?” I wondered aloud. “Also, I’m very curious what an Innate Ability. And how do I awaken it?”
Deciding not to dwell on these things, I started looking for any signs of the Black Wolf King. Also, while I was searching, I realized that I could complete my Quest from the pet shop. So, I also killed Wild Boars and collected Raw Meat along the way. Grinning, I was satisfied with myself for having met the requirements for Miss Maggie’s Quest as well.
“As soon as I head back to the village, I’ll turn in the [Raw Meat] and move on to the next part of the Quest,” I said. I whistled a cheery tune as I walked, still searching. Eventually, I saw a large cave opening in a mountainous hill. When I approached the opening, notice appeared in front of me.
[Would you like to challenge Raid Boss [Black Wolf King]? Y/N]
I immediately accepted. However, another message popped up in its place.
[Warning! Recommended Player Level: 15]
[Recommended Number of Players: 5]
[Do you still wish to enter? Y/N]
“Yes! I need to go in there!” I shouted, clicking accept. The message disappeared and I was teleported inside a large cave-like chamber. Inside, a massive black wolf with red eyes and a ferocious presence stood across from me. It growled before charging forward.
Not expecting to be immediately attacked, I rolled to the side. The wolf sailed past, its jaws barely missing me. It skidded when it landed and I took the opportunity to draw my greatsword. Raising the weapon, I readied myself to fight the beast. Once again, it charged at me, but instead of dodging, I ducked.
The Black Wolf King’s massive body passing over me, I stabbed my sword upwards. It howled in pain and snarled at me. However, it didn’t look too hurt. Sighing, I realized that this fight was probably going to be harder. Raising my sword again, I decided to charge towards it this time.
[Four of your opponent’s stats are higher than yours]
[[Giant Killing] has been activated]
[Your stats have been temporarily increased]
[You are fighting in a forest]
[[Forest Liberator] has been activated]
[Your stats have been temporarily increased]
[You are fighting a boss monster]
[[First Solo Raider] has been activated]
[Your stats have been temporarily increased]
“[White Wolf’s Howl I]!”
[[White Wolf’s Howl I] has been activated]
[Your stats have been temporarily increased]
[Your opponent’s stats have been temporarily decreased]
“[Berserk]!”
[[Berserk has been activated]
[Your Str, Agi, Attack Power, Attack Speed, and Movement Spee have been temporarily increased]
[Your Vit, Int, and Defense have been temporarily decreased]
“[Ogre’s Strength]!”
[[Ogre’s Strength] has been activated]
[Your Str has been temporarily increased]
“Nice! Now, let’s kill this little doggy!” I shouted. Swinging my greatsword, it slashed through the wolf’s side. The Raid Boss once again snarled in pain, its eyes staring at me with loathing. “Come on, is that all you’ve got?”
The Black Wolf King then howled, and I felt a familiar sensation. My entire body locked up, unable to move. However, I felt like there was more to it this time.
[You have been inflicted with status effect Terrified]
[You are frozen for 10 seconds or until you take damage]
[Your Defense has been reduced by 50% until the next time you take damage]
The wolf, taking full advantage of the opportunity it gained with its Skill, pounced on me. It bit down hard on my torso, and I could tell that it did a lot of damage. I also noticed that my HP was still dropping even after it stopped biting me.
[You have been inflicted with status effect Rabies]
[You will receive 5 points of poison damage per second]
[Lasts for 30 seconds]
“What the heck?! The [Forest Guardian] didn’t have anything like this!” I roared. Staring to get worried, I began quickly backing up. The boss, not willing to let me escape so easily, pounced again. This time, however, I was ready. “Stop trying the same thing!”
I caught its large body with the flat of my blade and shoved it away. The monster flew back a few feet, landing unsteadily. Charging again, I roared as I swung my sword. Unfortunately, the boss jumped away at just the right moment, causing the attack to be a glancing hit. However, when the wolf landed, it didn’t move again.
[Paralysis status effect has been triggered]
[[Black Wolf King] cannot move for 5 seconds]
“Perfect!” I shouted. Closing the distance, I attacked as fast as I could. Not realizing just how fast I could’ve been attacking this whole time, I struck it several dozen times before the Paralysis wore off. While the boss wasn’t quite dead, it was certainly close. However, the same red aura that appeared around the Forest Guardian when it was close to death appeared now around the Black Wolf King. It moved so fast that my eyes couldn’t track it, giving it the opportunity to bite me again.
It then threw me like a chew toy, my body slamming against the cave wall. Groaning, I sat up and tried to stand. However, I noticed that my HP had dropped down to below 50%. Gritting my teeth, I readied myself to continue fighting.
“[Power of Hope]!”
[[Power of Hope] has been activated]
[Some of your HP has been recovered]
[Your stats have been temporarily increased]
Now, due to the additional buff, when the the monster tried to attack me again, I could see its movements. It was still slightly faster than me, but I was able to narrowly avoid being hit. Snarling, it howled again. This tome, however, instead of me become Terrified, a blue aura surrounded the boss’ body alongside the red aura. The scariest part though, was that the boss was starting to recover HP.
“Oh no you don’t!” I shouted. Charging forward, I started striking as fast I could. Most of the attacks hit, but they didn’t seem to be doing as much damage as before. The wolf just glared at me before opening its mouth. A blue glowing orb condensed and then shot out, exploding when it hit me. I found myself once again being launched across the chamber.
[Your HP has fallen below 30%]
[[Determination I] has been activated]
[All sensations of pain have been blocked]
[Your stats have been temporarily increased]
“Geez! What was that?!” I cried out. Genuinely scared, I began searching for a good angle to attack at. But before I could, it began condensing another energy blast. Diving out of the way, I watched as the blast cracked the stone cave wall behind me. Eyes wide, I looked back at the boss, which had smoke curling out of its mouth. “Okay. That is actually scary.”
Before it could fire again, I pulled out one of my Small Stones. Aiming for the wolf’s eye, I used [Throw I] to launch the rock straight at it. The wolf howled in pain as the projectile struck its eye, half blinding it. The monster roared and charged at me, rage causing it to forget its range advantage.
Grinning, I avoided its lunging attack. I then counterattacked, my sword slashing its side. It roared and howled, its increased Defense not helping. Unleashing a flurry of sword swings, I kept striking the boss. I kept up the barrage of attacks until it finally died.
“Yes! I did it!” I exclaimed. I then received the expected system messages.
[You have leveled up]
[You have obtained 1000 gold]
[You have obtained Skill Book [Moonlight’s Blessing]]
[You have obtained Skill Book [Black Wolf King’s Howl I]]
[You have obtained [Wolf Fang Dagger]]
[Congratulations! You have defeated Raid Boss [Black Wolf King]]
[You have obtained Title [Pack Leader]]
“Huh. Not as good as when I beat the [Forest Guardian], but no reason to be greedy. I’m sure this much is more than enough,” I stated. I then decided to check out my rewards.
[Moonlight’s Blessing]
[Type: Passive & Active]
[Passive Effects:
1. Gives additional stat Moonlight (Mlt) (starts at 10)
2. Raise Mlt by standing under direct moonlight
3. +10% all main stats when under direct moonlight
4. +1% HP and MP recovery per second when under direct moonlight]
[Active Effects:
1. Raises all main stats by an amount equal to Mlt for 1 minute
2. Raises Physical Attack Power and Magic Attack Power by an amount equal to Mlt for 1 minute
3. Raises Physical Defense and Magic Defense by an amount equal to Mlt for 1 minute
4. Recovers HP and MP per second by an amount equal to Mlt for 1 minute
5. [Moonlight Blast] Active Skill]
[Costs 100 MP to use, 24 hour cooldown]
[Moonlight Blast (can only be used when [Moonlight’s Blessing] is active)]
[Type: Active]
[Effects:
1. Condense and launch an orb of lunar energy up to 150 ft that deals magic damage equal to 100 + Magic Attack Power + Mlt
1. 10% chance to ignore 50% of target’s Magic Defense]
[Costs 50 MP to use, no cooldown]
[Black Wolf King’s Howl I]
[Type: Active]
[Effects:
1. Terrifies all enemies within 100 ft
1. Freezes all enemies for 10 seconds or until they take damage
2. Decreases all enemies’ Physical Defense and Magic Defense by 50% until the next time they take damage
2. Encourages all allies within 100 ft
1. Raises all main stats for all allies by 30% for 1 minute
2. Gives all allies Shielding equal to an amount equal to your Int]
[Costs 100 MP to use, 60 minute cooldown]
[Wolf Fang Dagger]
[Rarity: Epic]
[Type: Dagger]
[Subtype: One-Handed, Melee, Thrown]
[Restrictions: 50+ Agi, [Pack Leader] Title]
[Damage: 50 + Physical Attack Power]
[Durability: 250/250]
[Weight: 01]
[Options:
1. 10% chance to ignore 50% of target’s Physical Defense
2. 10% chance to inflict Bleed status effect
3. 5% chance to inflict Rabies status effect
4. x2.5 damage dealt when thrown]
[An extremely sharp knife that possesses a portion of the power of the [Black Wolf King] and can be wielded as a melee weapon but fares better when thrown.]
[Pack Leader]
[Requirements: hunt the [Black Wolf King] Raid Boss by yourself]
[Effects:
1. +10% all main stats
2. +100 all main stats when playing in a Party
3. +100 all main stats for all other Party members
4. Additional +50 all main stats for all other Party members if you are the Party Leader]
[Hidden Effects:
1. +100% all main stats when Party Leader
2. +50% damage dealt when Party Leader
3. +10% HP and MP recovery per second when Party Leader]
“Woah! That’s all…really, really powerful,” I admitted. “Let’s learn the Skills, and I’ll keep the [Wolf Fang Dagger] to use as a throwing weapon. Also, I think that with my 5 stat points, I’m gonna put them into Agi just to make sure I can use the [Wolf Fang Dagger].”
After raising my Int to 50, I hung the dagger on my belt. With that taken care of and two Quests ready to turn in, I headed back to the village. On the way, I passed a tree with a large apple similar to the one I ate before. Plucking it, I ate it immediately.
[You have consumed [Apple of Intelligence]]
[Int stat has permanently been raised by 5]
“Oh, that’s pretty good. Since I have so many Active Skills now, I’ve been needing more MP and higher Magic Attack Power,” I said. Rather happy, I made it back to where Zak was waiting without problem. “Hey. I killed the [Black Wolf King].”
“Thank you! Yes, I can feel that its presence gone. Thank you for killing it,” the boy thanked. “Here’s your reward.”
[You have obtained Active Skill [Spirit’s Vengeance]]
[Spirit’s Vengeance]
[Type: Active]
[Effects:
1. Doubles all damage you deal against the last creature to hurt you for the rest of that combat]
[Costs 100 MP to use, 60 minute cooldown (cooldown starts when current combat ends)]
“Uh…what? How are all of these Skills so good? And how don’t more people know about these Quests?” I muttered to myself. I then looked back up at the ghostly child in front of me. “Is there anything else I can do to help you?”
“There’s not really anything else I need help with. But I’ll let you know if that changes,” Zak replied.
“This must be how NPCs let you know that they don’t have any Quests for you at the moment,” I thought aloud. Walking away, I practically walked into another person. Looking up, I saw that it was Terrence. “Is everything alright?”
“No, [Fluffy] is missing!” Terrence exclaimed. From the corner of my eye, I saw Zak standing next to me to listen. “Can you please find him for me? Honestly, [Fluffy] and I aren’t especially close, but I still care about him. Plus, he’s Zak’s beloved pet and reminds me of him. Please find [Fluffy]!”
[Terrence would like you to find his deceased son’s pet wolf [Fluffy]]
[Find 0/1 [Fluffy]]
[Rewards: ???]
[Failure Penalty: [Fluffy] goes missing forever]
[Accept? Y/N]
“Of course I’ll find him! I really like [Fluffy] too,” I replied, accepting the Quest. He smiled and hugged me before walking back towards the village.
“Will you really go and find [Fluffy]?” Zak asked. “Because if you will, I’ll compensate you as well.”
[Ghost Boy Zak would like to find his missing pet wolf [Fluffy]]
[Rewards: ???]
[Failure Penalty: Zak’s spirit goes to the afterlife]
[Accept? Y/N]
“Just like I told your dad, of course I will,” I replied. “I’ll get started looking right away.”