The Masked Assassin's Legacy

Reed walked through the village, heading northwards until he finally saw the well. The structure looked ancient, its rocky frame filled with moss, with broken stones scattered around its base, hinting at years of neglect.

Staring at the well, Reed remembered the part of the riddle which said, "Ask and you shall receive," and thought it must be a wishing well. He pulled out a silver coin from his inventory and tossed it inside. Then, he asked for an item that would allow him to defeat the goblin assassin.

He thought if he sounded somewhat like a deity, the well would grant his wish. "Oh great wishing well, heed my calling. I require an item powerful enough to disrupt the balance of power in this world. Grant me that which I most desire."

But surprisingly, nothing happened. Reed sighed in frustration and walked closer to the well, looking down into its depths. To his surprise, he saw something glowing faintly at the bottom, deep beneath the water.

Reed looked around the well for anything he could use to retrieve the item, but he couldn't find anything useful. He came to a crucial conclusion: he needed to go inside and get it himself. It wasn't the best decision and came at the risk of drowning, but he didn't have a choice.

With a sigh, Reed dived headfirst into the well. Swimming down into the water, he slowly began to lose oxygen as he approached the bottom. Upon reaching it, he saw multiple weapons and accessories scattered around. He knew he didn't have much time to think and had to pick one fast.

Then he noticed the same glow he had seen from the top coming from one of the items. He immediately grabbed it and started swimming back up.

As Reed was halfway to the surface, he thought the threat was all over, but he couldn't have been more wrong.

Glancing to the side, he noticed the walls of the well beginning to crack. He cursed in his mind, thinking Mother Nature was finally here to send him back, sinking to his death. Clutching the glowing item tightly, he started swimming as fast as he could, avoiding the falling pieces of rubble. Reed came out of the water.

Putting his legs and hands on both sides of the well, Reed started to climb back up, but things weren't so simple; he nearly slipped, sliding back down.

Reed sighed, "Ugh, give me a break." Just as the well was about to collapse, he placed his hand at the top, pulling himself out of the well.

Reed stood back up, sighed in relief, then turned back and saw the well completely collapse in on itself. Goodbye to all the other items, I guess.

Then turned to examine the item in his hand. It was a beautifully crafted ring, its silver frame shimmering in the sunlight with a purple crystal in the center.

|- Name: Vino's Ring of Fatality [Epic]

|- Type: Accessory

|- Effect: Increases Dexterity by 25%

|- Special Ability: Critical hits inflict a bleeding effect, causing the target to lose 5% of their maximum health for 10 seconds.

Reed then read a short note at the bottom of the ring's description.

[Ring's full capabilities have been greatly suppressed. Gain the full Vinos set to unlock true capabilities.]

"Wait, that means it's a 'set piece'," Reed muttered in surprise.

Set pieces are items that belong to a specific collection of other items. They can be worn individually and work in synergy with others in the same set, and once a player gathers the full set, the true capabilities of the items would finally be revealed.

Reed had discovered one of Vinoses items, the system prompted a quest shortly after.

[System: Player has triggered the mainstream quest]

Mainstream quests, compared to normal quests, are considered the highest level quests a player could ever take and involve the game's main story.

Any decision made in this quest has the ability to change the world of 'Arcane' permanently.

Reed stared at the system window, wondering what this fancy-looking ring had to do with the mainstream quest.

[Quest Title: Shadows of the Masked Assassin

Details: Vinos, the legendary man whose vast skills in assassination once threatened the continent, known to many as the 'Masked Assassin', suddenly disappeared without a trace. What happened still remains a mystery.

Objective

- Find traces of Vinos in Avalon's main capital and discover the truth.]

Reed grinned, knowing he had just hit the jackpot. Who knew such a valuable item would be dumped in a well, and who exactly was this Vinos person? Reed was completely in the dark, but he still couldn't stop smiling.

He immediately put Vinos's ring on his left index finger. "This changes everything," he muttered.

Immediately, he felt a boost in his attack speed. No way was he going to lose to a bunch of goblins now.

Feeling excited, he immediately wanted to test out his strength and decided to head for the forest.

On reaching the forest, it was already afternoon, the sun hanging at the center of the sky. Reed walked through the forest, tracing his steps back to where he last encountered the goblins.

Once again, he saw monster claws on the trees, but there weren't any goblins. Reed scanned the area for any green lifeforms, but he didn't find any.

He thought they would have respawned by now, but he didn't find any. "Wait, did they beat me to the punch?" he muttered, clenching his fist, expecting the worst.

Then suddenly, he saw the group of goblins coming out of the cave. It seemed like they were just about to head out to hunt humans.

But there was something different. The weapons they were holding weren't the ones you commonly see with goblins; those were the weapons they had stolen.

Then a level 7 goblin appeared holding Reed's healer staff. Turning to look at Reed, it licked its mouth, thinking he was going to be their first victim.

"Did you really think you could steal from me?" Reed muttered, glaring at the goblin.