Free Web NovelChapter 7: Ch 7: Level 3
There was no point in thinking about it now. Life had to go on.
Instead, he decided to pull one last crazy stunt before he left.
His lips curved into a mischievous smile as he looked at the Guide.
"Mr. Guide, how strong are you, actually?"
The Guide was sailing the boat using an invisible force, and the question caught him completely off guard. He thought the kid was just feeling insecure.
So, he smiled and said, "I don’t quite know about that, little one. But I am strong enough to get us through the boundary safely."
"Oh, really? Shall we put it to the test, then?" Raidan whispered, his voice too quiet to properly reach the Guide’s ears.
Raidan pulled up the Quest Creation Interface. Then, he created his final quest for Olympus Zero.
[ Quest Title: Fearless Journeyman ]
[ Objective: Pass through the boundary of First Olympus safely. ]
[ Time Limit: 6 Hours ] freewebnσvel.cѳm
[ Punishment: -1 Level ]
[ Difficulty: Nightmare ]
[ Rewards: +500 EXP, Passive Skill: Fear Immunity (F) ]
Yep, it was crazy, alright.
By manually setting the difficulty to Nightmare level, he was practically trying to summon death to his doorstep. But Raidan wanted to confirm if an event could truly be manipulated using the Quest Creation System.
Not to mention, he wanted to earn some generous rewards by depending on the mysterious Guide’s power. By his assumption, this Guide shouldn’t have much trouble letting them pass through safely.
Ah well, he was partly right, but...
As soon as he initiated the quest, the stable ocean water beneath their boat began to ripple violently.
Rumble!
The sky above also turned dark, with thick clouds striking thunder down from the wrathful heavens.
The Guide was stupefified. How could the peaceful atmosphere change so suddenly? On his previous trips, nothing of this sort had ever happened before.
GRRRRR!
The ocean itself groaned as if a nightmarish creature were emerging from the abyss.
"Mr. Guide, what is happening?" Raidan asked, feigning some panic.
The Guide adjusted his straw hat and flashed a fearless smile.
"Hang tight, boy. This ride is going to be a little bumpy."
Wiiiiiin!
With that, he unsheathed his katana. The blade’s sword intent erupted like a tumultuous blue ocean. The Guide was ready.
Hummmmmm!
On the opposite side, the nightmarish entity finally revealed itself.
With water cascading like massive waterfalls, a mountain-sized red octopus unleashed itself from the deep. Living magma flowed through its body like veins, causing the surrounding water to hiss and instantly turn into steam.
"Oh damn!" Raidan was shocked and speechless.
Nonetheless, he held onto the boat tightly to avoid falling into the raging waves.
He had already placed his full trust in the Guide, even though he fully understood the risk.
"GRRRRRRRR!"
The giant magma octopus released a deep gutteral roar as one of its glowing magma like tentacles whipped out of the boiling ocean and crashed down toward the fragile boat.
"Hold your breath, kid!"
The Guide shouted over the deafening roar, then swung his katana.
Swoosh!
The Sword didn’t reach there physically, but the Sword intent did.
Slash!
The azure energy slammed into the descending tentacle, slicing through the rubbery flesh and magma rock as if cutting through butter.
SCREEEECH!
The monster shrieked in agony as its severed limb plummeted into the sea.
In the process, it created a localized zone of dark blood with water boiling within.
But the beast was far from any harm.
Its wounds began regenerating rapidly, returning to the infernal tentacles they were.
"You’re a tough one, aren’t you?" the Guide smirked, seemingly unfazed.
In the next second, his katana began to shine more intensely.
"Secret Art: Ocean Cleaver!"
Following his thunderous shout, he swung his sword in a single devastating downward strike.
For a moment, there was nothing. Just a simple slash in the empty air.
However, just then, a colossal blade of water and pure sword intent materialized in the sky, then descended.
Buzz!
The friction of the elements created vibrations so strong that Raidan had to shut his ears and eyes.
SLASH!
This time, the attack landed directly, cutting through all the tentacles raised for defense, and struck straight onto its massive head, right down the middle of the monstrous octopus.
With a horrific scream that shook mountains and seas, the octopus was split down the middle.
There was no regeneration this time.
Raidan opened his eyes and witnessed the horrific cut on the demonic octopus.
If he was told what the Guide had done, he would say it was "impossible," because it was.
But the Guide did it so easily.
The Guide then sheathed his katana and flashed a toothy grin at Raidan.
"See, it wasn’t that hard..."
He was obviously expecting some praise.
But Raidan could only offer him a light clap with his hands.
The Guide’s face twitched.
Regardless, the boat continued to speed up toward the boundary.
Fortunately, there were no more obstructions for the rest of the way.
The sky became clear, but the sun was setting to the west.
It wouldn’t be long before evening fell.
As the boat breached the blue barrier, a cold, soothing energy enveloped Raidan.
He looked back one last time.
"Sorry, I didn’t ask. Do you even have a name, Mr. Guide?" he asked.
"No need. Just remember me in your memories, kiddo."
Saying that, the Guide tipped his straw hat and flashed a wide smile.
"Farewell!"
Splash!
The boat landed safely on calm, crystal-clear waters. The dark skies and boiling oceans were gone, replaced by a radiant, magical atmosphere humming with dense Mana.
[ Ding! Quest Completed: Fearless Journeyman ]
[ Rewards Received: +500 EXP, Passive Skill: Fear Immunity (F) ]
[ Congratulations, Player Apollo! You have leveled up! ]
[ +5 Unassigned attribute points ]
[ You are now at Level 3 ]
Raidan let out a tired breath and slumped against the wooden compartment.
After seeing the system notification, his lips couldn’t help but curve into a victorious grin.
He had survived his own deadly gamble.
More importantly, he was finally in First Olympus.
Whether he would make a name for himself or die under the weight of talents and divine hierarchies, only time would tell.
