Free Web NovelChapter 2: Hidden Quest Completed
"You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to," she said with a shrug. "But I would recommend that you do. Otherwise, you’ll probably be mauled to death."
She pointed toward the giant beast outside the barrier. As if on cue, the creature slammed its claw against the dome again.
"It’s called a Netherclaw Prowler," she added. Her casual tone made it sound like she was introducing a neighbor rather than a monster.
Alex ignored the name for now. Whether he trusted her or not, he needed information, and time was running out.
"What’s the Land of Origin?" he asked.
"It’s a higher dimension where beings from previously ascended universes live. You can level up here, gain incredible powers, build kingdoms, or become something far beyond what your species is capable of on Earth," she explained.
She glanced at the cracks in the barrier before looking back at him. "Time is running out, so check your status."
"Status?" Alex repeated.
The moment he spoke the word, a blue screen appeared before him.
[Alex Mercer]
[Species: Human, Level 1 (Low Rank)]
[Rank: Initiate, Level 1]
[Class: Mage]
[Spells: None]
[Stats: Strength (6), Agility (5), Constitution (4), Mana (1), Mind (10)]
[Free Stats: 0]
[Talent: None]
[Physique: None]
[Rewards: Gold Reward Box (1), Bronze Reward Box (3)]
Alex stared at the screen. It looked exactly like a game status window.
"Ten points in Mind. That’s almost never seen in anyone from a newly initiated planet. Looks you were born to be a Mage," the fairy said.
Alex frowned. He hadn’t shown her the screen.
"You can read my status?" he asked.
"Yes, but only because I’m your Guide. Once our connection ends, nobody can read your status unless you choose to share it," she replied.
Alex wasn’t particularly comforted by that answer, but he pushed the concern aside. Three minutes had already passed, and there were still too many things he didn’t understand.
"Why is my species Low Rank? What does Mind do? Why don’t I have any Spells? What are Talents and Constitutions? And what are these reward boxes?" he asked.
"Low Rank refers to how your species compares to other species in the Land of Origin. Every human from your planet will start at the Low rank. Mind determines how precisely you can control Mana, and stronger spells generally require greater control. You need to learn Spells yourself, or get them from a Reward Box or an evolved Class."
She continued without pausing.
"Talents and Physiques are more complicated than they sound, so I’ll simplify them. For now, think of them as special skills from a game. Even F rank Talent and Physiques are powerful enough to completely change a person’s future. The reward boxes were given to all people who completed the Tutorial Quests. They will give you powerful items of all sorts. You can even gain Talents, or Physiques from them."
Alex quickly processed the explanation. If humans were considered Low Rank, then stronger species clearly existed in this Land of Origin. That was surprising. Could a high rank species lift tanks or run faster than cars?
The thought was amusing and concerning at the same time. Alex put those thoughts aside, and focused.
The explanation about Mind made sense. As for Talents and Constitutions, he could treat them as special skills from games. He had played a few games, and knew special skills were overpowered trump cards.
One thing still bothered him.
"I don’t remember completing any Tutorial Quest. I was asleep before I got here. How did I earn those rewards?" he asked.
"You were sleeping?" The fairy asked back.
Alex nodded, causing her expression to freeze briefly before she started laughing.
"That explains a lot. I was wondering why you ended up with this starting point," she said.
Alex wanted to ask what that meant, but the fairy suddenly looked upward. Her smile faded slightly.
"Unfortunately, our time is up. Before I leave, I’ll explain the reward boxes."
She raised one finger.
"You can open them with a thought. Rewards of Bronze, Silver and Gold Boxes are divided into ranks ranging from Trash, F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, to SSS Rank. Most rewards from Bronze Boxes are Trash Rank items."
She raised a second finger.
"A Bronze Reward Box has a 0.0001% chance of giving an SSS Rank reward, 0.001% for an SS Rank Reward and so on. A Gold Reward Box has a 0.01% chance of SSS Rank, 0.1% of SS Rank, and so on. The higher the box rank, the better your odds."
Alex glanced at the Gold Reward Box listed on his status screen. The chances still sounded terrible.
"Now, good luck," the fairy said.
Before Alex could ask another question, her body dissolved into particles of light. The glowing fragments drifted away and vanished into the air.
Alex stared at the empty space where she had been. There were still dozens of things he wanted to ask, but the Guide was already gone. Unfortunately, the widening cracks in the barrier made it clear he had bigger problems to worry about.
The transparent dome was only seconds away from breaking. Alex knew he couldn’t fight the Netherclaw Prowler with his bare hands, and running away didn’t seem realistic either. Looking at the monster’s massive frame, he doubted he could even outrun it.
His only hope was the reward boxes.
Alex immediately thought about opening them. Four treasure chests appeared before him, three bronze ones floating below and a single golden chest hovering above them.
The bronze chests opened first. Several screens appeared one after another while physical items materialized near his feet.
[Asian Slippers (Trash Rank) gained.]
[Sweet Smelling Biscuits (F Rank) gained.]
[No Shit Pill (F Rank) gained.]
Alex stared at the rewards in silence. A pair of slippers appeared near his feet, while a packet of biscuits and a small white pill landed beside them. For several seconds, he simply stood there.
He was surprised to see objects materializing out of thin air, but these rewards... What the hell were these rewards? Was this really all a prank?
As he stared at the rewards, more screens appeared.
[Asian Slippers (Trash Rank)]
[Young man, has your mom ever thrown slippers across tens of meters and hit you straight in the face? No? Don’t lie! We know she has! Now you can do the same!]
[Effect: Accuracy 100% within 50 meters. Damage: Lol. Debuff: 100% Humiliation.]
Another screen quickly followed.
[Sweet Smelling Biscuits (F Rank)]
[You seriously don’t need a description for this, do you?]
[Effect: It smells delicious and makes you want to eat it.]
Then came the final reward description.
[No Shit Pill (F Rank)]
[Worried about defecating in the wild and not having anything to wipe with? Don’t worry! We have you covered!]
[Effect: Converts all digested substances into absorbable nutrition.]
Alex looked at the rewards. Then he looked at the giant monster trying to kill him. Finally, he looked back at the rewards again.
He honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. If he couldn’t feel the pressure created by the Netherclaw Prowler’s attacks, he would have assumed somebody was playing a prank on him.
Unfortunately, reality wasn’t interested in giving him time to complain. A loud crack echoed through the ruins as the transparent dome finally shattered.
Alex reacted immediately and threw himself to the side. The monster’s claw tore through the space where he had been standing, and the resulting air pressure slammed into him like a physical object.
He rolled across broken stone before crashing into a pile of rubble. Sharp fragments scraped his arms and tore parts of his clothes, but adrenaline dulled most of the pain.
The attack confirmed this wasn’t a dream. Alex gritted his teeth and pushed himself back onto his feet while ignoring the stinging sensation spreading across his body.
The golden reward box was still floating nearby. Oddly enough, the Netherclaw Prowler seemed unable to see or interact with it.
Without wasting another second, Alex thought of opening the box. The bronze chests disappeared completely as golden light poured from the remaining reward.
A screen appeared before him.
[SSS Rank Talent Awakening Orb gained]
[You just became a sensational celebrity. Can I get an autograph, sir? What am I going to do with it? I will of course sell it after you become famous— Ahem, I mean, I will frame it on my wall.]
[Effect: Allows you to awaken a random SSS Rank Talent.]
Alex’s eyes widened when he saw the rank. He had no idea how useful an SSS Rank reward was, but it was obviously the highest rank as told by the Guide.
A glowing orb appeared near his feet. Alex immediately grabbed it before the monster could interrupt him.
The orb melted the instant it touched his hand. Warm energy flowed through his arm before sinking deep into his chest, and several screens appeared one after another.
[You have awakened Spell Evolution (SSS Rank) Talent.]
[Holy shit! You can evolve Spells?! I’ve never seen it before! Use it! Let me see how it works!]
[Effect: Upon mastering a Spell, you will be given choices to evolve your Spell into.]
[Hidden Quest completed. Be the first one from your planet to awaken an SSS Rank Talent.]
[You have gained...]
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