Preparations
I know how hard the class quest is.
'I don't know if it will be the same quest that Jinwoo cleared or not'. Either way, it's going to be extra hard.
I have to be generally prepared for a mega hard quest and specifically prepared for Jinwoo's class quest.
By the middle of the quest, he had leveled up a few times and got new armor pieces. Even then, with strength, agility, and Physical Damage Reduction higher than mine, he had the hardest time fighting against Igris.
Jinwoo himself said that he would've lost if Igris fought him while using his sword.
This is the reason why I have to raise my stat points a step higher than Jinwoo. It would at least give me a fighting chance if I end up fighting Igris 'or someone on his level'.
There are only two ways to increase stat points; level-ups and daily quests. To do it fast, leveling up is the ideal way.
Next few days, I do some grinding on the 17th Floor trying to raise my level. I only got two level-ups.
So, I don't finish my daily quest. Now that I'm strong enough, I want to enter the penalty zone to hunt the centipede monsters in there.
Now that it's midnight, I sit on the floor of my room looking at the countdown screen,
[4, 3, 2, 1…
You have failed to complete the Daily Quest. You will now be moved to the Penalty Zone.]
The ground starts shaking vigorously, and I hear the sound of sand falling.
Everything around me starts turning into sand…
Then, I'm alone in the middle of a vast desert.
Ring~
[Penalty Quest has arrived: Survive.
Goal: survive for four hours in the penalty zone. Remaining time: 4 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds.]
'Okay then, let's do this.'
[Remaining time: 3 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds.]
I summon the Orcish Greatsword since my Beast Lord Sword is in a bad condition. I've been using it ever since I got it in my first dungeon raid, its blade is all dull and its surface is starting to show cracks.
'Let's see what the Orcish Greatsword can do'.
[Orcish Greatsword
Rarity: C
Type: Greatsword
Attack Power +35%
Attack speed -10%.
A greatsword used only by the best of the Orc Warriors.
You may keep this item in your inventory.
You may sell this item in the shop.]
This is one big scary-looking sword. I don't prefer using it since it's kinda dull, heavy, and slow. But right now, it is the only usable sword-type weapon that I have.
'Also, its size and heaviness will help me fight against these dudes'.
I start to sense a life form rising beneath the sand. I raise my legs and shoot up from the ground. I land a few steps away and turn around.
As expected, the spot I was standing on just now, is sinking and being turned into a huge pit in the ground.
A column of sand explodes from the ground, revealing the form of the giant centipede.
"Screech!"
It is really big, at least 20 meders tall, it's like looking at a building. I raise my gaze and confirm the letters above the centipede's head.
[Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede].
'Okay then…'
I don't give time for the centipede to react, I run towards it and close the distance quickly.
Then I use Swift Strike to jump, the range of the skill makes me reach a halfway point of the insect's body. I slash this point then I use Swift Strike again to reach the insect's head.
I stab my sword in the back of the insect's head as deep as I can, then I stand on the sword. With my full weight on the sword, the sword slides down across the back of the insect tearing the exoskeleton on its back in half.
The Centipede lets out a high screech then dies.
Ring~
[You've defeated the Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede.]
'Alright'. Looks like using this big sword is way more effective than Jinwoo's daggers.
After smelling the blood of their kin, a big number of Centipedes started rising from the sand.
'The hunt starts now.'
I charge at them and start hacking and slashing them. And before I knew it,
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Your Skill "Swift Strike" has leveled up. "Swift Strike" is now level 2.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Remaining time: 0 Hours 0 Minutes 1 Second.
Because you hunted in the Penalty Zone, the next Penalty Quest's difficulty will be adjusted.
The Penalty Quest has ended.]
Just like when I came here, the ground shakes violently under my feet. It's becoming harder to keep my balance, then the shaking stops and I'm back in my room.
Ring~
[You've completed the Penalty Quest.
You've received the below rewards.
- Stat points +3
- Random Box
Accept all?]
'Five level-ups and a skill level-up? Not bad at all'.
[Swift Strike (Level: 2)
Active Skill
Mana Cost: 50
A Dash-Type skill.
You leap towards the enemy and deal a powerful strike.
Charge speed +100% up to 20 meders.
Damage +40%]
Swift Strike can now cover double the distance and deal more damage.
After this boost, let's hope that my stats are enough for the class quest.
It's four o'clock in the morning now, so I just go to sleep.
---
After I wake up the following day, I have breakfast then leave. My destination is Hephaestus Familia Workshops in the Industrial District in the eastern part of the city.
Hephaestus Familia owns a big land above it you can see several small workshops. Each workshop is dedicated to a smith from the Familia.
I don't know which workshop to enter so I extend my senses while walking between the workshops, trying to discern the auras coming from the blacksmiths inside.
I can sense that some workshops are empty and the others all have high-ranked adventurers inside.
'You can't expect less from Hephaestus Familia's High Smiths'.
I choose one of those that has the biggest aura and enter it. I didn't choose the highest since I know it would be Tsubaki Collbrand. She has to make Five Durandal weapons for Loki Familia right now, so she's not available.
I enter the workshop, carrying all the equipment in my possession, 'the armor I bought with Nahza, beast lord sword, and all the items dropped from the orc lord and his guards'.
I inspect the place for a bit, a dimly lit big workshop and smithy with a strong smell of iron permeating through the air and clanging sound haunting the ears.
To my surprise, my choice wasn't a dwarf, but a middle-aged human. We exchange greetings, it turns out that his name is Fernard and he's a level 3 adventurer.
I hand him all my equipment and tell him that I need them in top condition by the end of the day. But as soon as he received them he didn't hear a word I said. What caught his attention was my orcish set, 'helmet, greaves, greatsword, ax, spear, mace, and shield'.
"Nature weapons! … Where did you get those?" he said without taking his eyes off them.
"Orcs".
"Irregular then! But to get all these drop items from them… you're a one hella lucky guy."
"So, can you finish the…"
"OY, BALKIN! Usual maintenance for these things". The man starts to get on my nerves as he interrupts my words. He gives anything other than the orcish set to his apprentice and then says,
"Here is what I'll do; grind and sharpen the weapons and smelt the shield and armor into ingots and make some beauties out of them".
I smile at his enthusiasm. It looks like this is some kind of rare metal.
"I want to use the armor and shield for the time being, so maybe we'll do the smelting thing later". I may need them for my class quest.
"It would be a waste, this material is best utilized as weapons, not shields and armor. What is your weapon of choice?"
"Longsword".
"Alright, I'll make two longswords out of this shield. I will take one of them in exchange for the best steel shield I have".
"No, in exchange for the sword; I'll take your steel shield, a dozen throwing knives, and I won't pay for the repairs."
"Deal."
Oh, judging by how fast he agreed, I think I've just been ripped off.
---
I leave the orcish shield with Fernard, it would take a few days to turn it into two swords. And I return home with the rest of the equipment.
'I didn't expect this'.
[Orcish Greatsword
Attack Power +50%.
A greatsword made from orcish metal sharpened by a high blacksmith.]
By grinding and sharpening the sword, its attack power increased by 15%, and the attack speed penalty was removed. This is good.
My orcish set now has improved performance.
Now I have good armor and diverse equipment that will be useful against different enemies.
The steel shield is for protection against ranged attacks, the fast longsword to fight a large number of enemies, the heavy greatsword to break the high defense of big monsters, and the throwing knives will be used for mid-ranged attacks.
What I lack is a long-ranged attack. It's a shame that I can't afford a magic sword right now. The price of a magic sword starts from one million Vals, and that would be for one shot of magic. Magic swords that can shoot multiple rounds are worth tens of millions.
All I have now is a little less than 400,000 Vals. Actually, the money I gathered in the past three weeks is way more, but 0.5 million of it was paid to Dian Cecht to cover a part of my Familia's debt and we also spent some money on repairs and decorations for the Blue Pharmacy to attract customers.
'Anyway, I can't use ranged attacks for now'. So, I'll have to get close to the enemies and fight in a short-range. Now, there is only one thing left,
"Hey Nahza, I plan on staying in the dungeon more than the usual, so can you prepare double the number of potions this time? I'll also need some mind potions".
"Sure, but why mind potions? I don't recall that you can use magic". Mind potions restore mana and only magic users need them, so her confusion is understandable.
"Yeah, I'm trying to learn some spells. Wish me luck".
"You think it's that easy? Well, good luck anyway".
Since I joined Miach Familia, Nahza handed me potions every time I went to the dungeon. That is why I never used the system's store, except for the one time when I first unlocked the store's functions and was trying them out.
Then the door opens with a ring.
Bell Cranel enters the Pharmacy to buy some potions.
"Good afternoon, Mr.Stark ... Good afternoon, Ms, Nahza".
"Hey, Bell". I say it then head for the stairs to my room then I remember something and go back and sit in the corner.
"Afternoon, Bell. How are you?" Nahza greets Bell and they start talking business.
Nahza scams him as usual, she gives him very high prices for diluted bad potions.
After he leaves, I scold Nahza telling her that she doesn't need to do that anymore and that the boy might get a serious injury in the dungeon, then his potions wouldn't save him because they are diluted.
I know that she likes him, so she won't do it again. Back then, she was desperate for money. Now that she isn't, she should stop.
I go to my room, finish my daily quest then go to bed, I have a big day tomorrow.
----
I'm standing with my tamed Hell Hound in the farthest room of the 5th Floor of the dungeon,
[The Class Quest has arrived.
Would you like to accept?]
'Accept'.
[You've accepted the Class Quest.
A Dungeon will be created for the quest.]
A gate is being created in front of my eyes. No matter how many times I see it, I always think it's an amazing sight to behold.
[Please enter the Dungeon through the Gate.]
[Your familiar cannot accompany you for the Class Quest.]
'I wished to take a Hell Hound so that I can have long-ranged attacks'.
Anyway, I enter the gate, this time the interior is completely different. I find myself in a dark tunnel with cave-like walls.
This is surprising since the two instant dungeons that I cleared before had the same interior of the floor I entered them from.
Ring~
[In this place, you cannot use potions or any of the Store's functions.
Leveling-up will not restore HP, MP, or Fatigue.
Until your Class Quest is complete, you cannot leave.]
I knew that this was going to happen. I don't know if 'potions' mentioned in the system's message means all potions or just potions from the store.
Anyway, I didn't put the potions I got from Nahza in the store but carried them in my bag instead.
I don't know whether they would work if I use them or not, it's not like I can just use one and see. If they work, then it would be stupid to waste one of them as a 'trial' now. I should keep them for when I really need them.
'Time to go'.
I start walking deeper into the dark tunnel. The only source of light in here is torches hanged on the walls.
Because of my Sense stat, I can see well in the darkness. But this place is just too gloomy.
I walk for a while then I sense something in the darkness in front of me.
Step step step.
I hear its sound walking slowly, and there is also this weird grinding sound that comes with the movement.
Up till now, everything was just like Jinwoo's class quest. But this is not the sound of a knight's armor.
'So, it changes from here forward?'
I summon my orcish greatsword as I'm walking forward. Oh, it's a skeleton.
After I engage the skeleton in a melee, I find out that the skeleton is slow and stupid but its bones are very sturdy. The best way to finish a skeleton is attacking its joints, so I target the joints that aren't covered by its armor and thus,
[You have defeated a Skeleton.]
[You've found "Ancient Breastplate".
Would you like to acquire it?]
[Ancient Breastplate.
Rarity: B
Type: Armor
Physical Damage Reduction +10%.
If your strength is below 80, your movements will be slowed.]
[You have found 20,000 Gold.]
'Wow, the drops are good'. This gold is nearly half the amount I gathered from two instant dungeons.
Then I move deeper and deeper into the tunnel while killing a lot of skeletons, ghosts, and ancient skeletons.
Skeletons carry weapons, either melee 'sword, shield, hammer, ax, spear, or mace' or ranged 'bow and arrows'.
Melee skeletons are a test for my Strength stat and ranged skeletons are a test for my Agility stat.
Ghosts are invisible, I can't see or hear them at all. I just sense the aura of a presence, so I attack it, and then, I get the message. [You have defeated a Ghost.]
'So, ghosts are a test for my Sense stat, huh'.
Ancient skeletons are basically magic-using skeletons. They cast AOE spells and they explode when I kill them. They just shave away my HP, I guess they test Endurance stat. But I use the steel shield to deflect most of the damage.
It turns out that I can use potions that did not originate from the system. 'I feel like a cheater'. Well, having a system in this world is already cheating.
Anyway, it's been hours in here, if I couldn't use potions my Fatigue would be flashing red by now.
[You have leveled up.]
[Your Skill "Advanced Sword Technique" has leveled up. "Advanced Sword Technique" is now level 2.]
[Advanced Sword Technique (Level: 2)
Passive skill.
Your skills with the sword have increased. You do not feel right unless the sword is in your hand.
+45% Damage with swords.]
'Nice'.
I have finally reached the end of the tunnel, in front of me is a giant gate.
'Something on the same level as Igris should be in here'.
***
[*Name: Rick Stark *Miach's Blessing (Level: 1)
*Level: 48
*Class: None *Title: Beast Lord
*HP: 31,200 *MP: 2,976 *Fatigue: 7
*Stats:
Strength: 92 Endurance: 64 Agility: 92 Intelligence: 62 Sense: 64
(Available stat points: 0)
*Damage Reduction: 40%
*Skills:
- Passive Skills: Unknown (Level: MAX), Advanced Sword Technique (Level: 2)
- Active Skills: Swift Strike (Level: 2), Whirlwind (Level: 1)
*Equipment: - Koffac's Cloak 'A' (10%), Ancient Breastplate B (10%), Orc Lord Greaves C (7%), Orc Berserker's Helmet C (7%), Ancient Boots B (3%), Ancient Gauntlets B (3%), Ancient Magician's Ring B (+5 Intelligence)
*Gold: 968,270]