At this point, Arsen realized that he had been correct in his tracking back to Riverside Town. He made it a priority to familiarize himself with all the places he had visited, to the extent that he left blade marks on the trees as markers.
According to Ariya, there was something peculiar happening in the Enchanted Grove forest—a presence known as the Witch Spirit.
As alchemists, their focus extended beyond studying and inventing new creations. They also had to study monsters, as they were the primary source of the materials they needed. While they could acquire materials from specific areas or dungeons, knowing which monsters provided a particular material allowed them to seek assistance from others in hunting down those specific creatures.
Furthermore, it appeared that Ariya had more information to share. "Perhaps the Witch Spirit has cast a spell known as Astray. From the name of the skill alone, I assume you can already guess its purpose," she stated, drawing closer to him. "Moreover, I believe that creature is the key to locating the Starlight Blossom."
Although Ariya had not explicitly stated her intentions, Arsen was not foolish enough to miss the underlying message. It seemed clear to him that she wanted to hunt the Witch Spirit in order to obtain the Starlight Blossom. Wanting to intervene, he shook his head to signal his disagreement with her plan.
"I understand what you're thinking, but let me make myself clear: we are not going to confront that creature--"
Suddenly, Arsen was unable to finish his sentence as another blue notification screen appeared right in front of his eyes.
Again?
This word escaped his lips, as Arsen had a hunch about the purpose of this screen.
Ding!
[Helping the Alchemist to level up (Final)]
- Ariya could be one of the alchemist geniuses, and helping her could stretch her progress.
Restrictions: Accepting and completing the quest will give bountiful rewards. However, declining or failing the quest would forfeit all your previous accomplishments.
Upon reading all the tab screens that appeared in front of him, Arsen could only do was to gulp his saliva. In his mind, this might be the main reason why he can't receive the EXP and Rewards after completing the quest.
[Do you want to accept the quest? Yes/No]
At this point, the answer became clear: Arsen had to accept this final quest, regardless of the risks involved. The reason was simple: he had already invested considerable time and effort into the previous quests, and rejecting this opportunity would be akin to throwing away all that progress. Although he was well aware of the high risk associated with this quest, he felt compelled to move forward—it was the only viable option at this stage.
After a few minutes of contemplation, Arsen finally made up his mind and clicked "Yes" on the screen. He then closed all the screens before turning his attention back to Ariya. "Alright," he said with a deep sigh. "I'll help you retrieve the Starlight Blossom."
Ariya's eyes widened in surprise as she didn't expect Arsen to change his mind so quickly. "Really? You're going to help me?" she asked, her tone filled with gratitude. "I won't refuse your kindness then. Thank you."
"However, I have conditions," Arsen responded and walked closer before adding these words.
"What is it? Don't tell me you are also interested in the Starlight Blossom." She asked.
Ariya was well aware of the adventurers and their penchant for seeking out materials and resources from monsters. As an alchemist herself, she understood their desires and motivations.
Arsen shook his head, his expression serious. "No, I'm not interested in the Starlight Blossom," he replied firmly. "Here's my condition: you will listen to my orders and provide me with useful information to help me level up quickly."
At that moment, Arsen had a realization that he was lacking crucial information, particularly the in-depth knowledge of the game. He understood that NPCs, like Ariya, held a wealth of information about the world that players had yet to uncover. They possessed insights and knowledge that could prove invaluable to his progress.
Ariya smiled, acknowledging the value of the information she possessed and the potential to sell it to other players at a high price. However, she wasn't the type of person to forget the kindness shown to her. In the end, she nodded her head, agreeing to Arsen's condition.
"Alright, I agree to that," she responded nonchalantly. "However, I will only provide you with information about farming places that are suitable for your current capabilities." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm not belittling you, but as an adventurer, I understand your nature. Many adventurers are eager to conquer dangerous places, believing that they will achieve great feats by doing so. However, the reality is that they are often risking their lives unnecessarily, even though they have the ability to revive due to their immortal bodies."
Arsen acknowledged the essence of her words, recognizing that he, too, would have likely taken the same approach. "How can you say that? In this world, taking high risks often leads to great rewards. Not just any reward, but the kind that can potentially change a person's life."
Ariya shook her head and chuckled softly. "You amuse me," she said. "That's not how this world works. Here, the key is survival. Yes, you can obtain valuable items by defeating high-level monsters, but you can also find them from weaker ones, albeit with a lower chance. If luck is on your side, you might stumble upon something valuable. The important thing is to keep moving forward without needlessly risking your life. Know your limits and prioritize survival."
At that moment, a realization struck Arsen. He thought about the item he had recently obtained, the ring. It shouldn't have dropped from a simple elemental slime; it should have come from a more formidable adversary. This made him consider that the alchemist's words held weight. Risky places weren't the only means of acquiring valuable rewards. Perhaps he had simply been fortunate at that particular moment. Regardless of the reason, Arsen decided to take into account the information he had gained from Ariya and incorporate it into his approach.
"You have a valid point," Arsen replied. "I will consider this information for now. However, remember that you should keep your promise once we find the herb you are looking for."
"Of course, I owe you big time, there's no reason for me to hide that information." She said and took something out of her pocket. It was transparent glass that had gray liquid.
He frowned his brows as it was the first time seeing this liquid. "What is it?"
"This is nullifying liquid, we can use this not minimize the effect of the curse." Ariya laughed a bit before adding these words. "I know what comes to your mind right now. Why we won't just use it so that we can leave this forest, right? Just like I said the nullifying liquid could only minimize the effect, it's not totally removing the curse. The only way to remove the curse is to kill the Witch Spirit."
"What do you mean by that? I'm going to fight the Witch Spirit?" Arsen asked.
She gradually shook her head. "Of course not, with your current ability. It's obvious fighting the Spirit is plain suicide."
"Is that so? How we could leave this place without killing the spirit?" Arsen was too confused right now.
"You are not listening, aren't you? The Starlight Blossom has a clarity that could slowly remove the curse spreading in this forest. As of now, there are two options to leave this forest, first is to find the herb and second is to kill the spirit. But as you can see, we are picking the option one."
Zing!
Suddenly, a sound wave appeared around them, causing them to hear the high-pitched sound. It was too strong to the point they could feel their ears were being ruptured.
"What's going on?" Ariya asked while staggering as she could feel the gravity pulling her.
"Are you looking for me, right?"