LEVEL 4

LEVEL 4

The whole day of class was so boring. Lecture here, lecture there! Walang katapusang lecture! Migo could feel his brain slowly getting drained as lectures tried to enter his brain. Gusto ko na lang matapos ang araw na ito para makapagpahinga na ako maglaro ulit ng INTO FANTASY.

'Inaantok na ako.'

'Letseng math yan! Wala akong naiintindihan!'

'Nakakaantok!'

Everyone was secretly complaining, yawning and some managed to secretly sleep in the middle of the class, too.

Finally, the class ended as well as their seemingly eternal sufferings. Migo rushed to his room and got his Game Gear placed on his head. He felt so excited today. Maybe because, for the first time after entering the game, he, as Leviathan, would do a very hard quest with his comrade, Astrid. Nakaka-excite ang magiging adventure namin mamaya.

"Dive in!"

🎮

"Anong oras na, ha?!" Astrid welcomed Leviathan outside the mouth of the cave with her folded arms. She was with an old hermit. Why is she always so irritated when I am late? Parang walang consideration ang taong 'to.

"Ginawa ko pa kasi yung mga dapat kong asikasuhin sa bahay," palusot ng binata habang kumakamot ng batok. Kahit ang totoo ay matagal lang nagpa-dismiss ng klase.

Astrid just rolled her eyes. Imbes na pahabain ang aming usapan ay hinarap na nila ang matandang NPC. He told them the story with fear registered on his face. He told it as if it had just happened yesterday.

"Isang gabi, umatake sa aming bayan ang grupo ng mga goblin at tinangay ang apo kong si Monica kasama ang ibang mga bata. At dito sa loob ng kwebang ito sila dinala. P-parang awa niyo na, iligtas nyo ang mga bata kasama ang apo ko."

[ NEW QUEST ]

Find Monica and others inside the cave and bring them back safely.

Rewards:

(???)

They entered the cave after having the prior knowledge about their mission. Inside the cave was dark and hot, it became hotter as they continued wandering around. Pakiramdam ko ay matutusta ako sa init. They used a specialized crystal that illuminated enough light to let them see through the dark cave.

Leviathan pulled out the twin black blade from his sheathe, preparing for a sudden attack of enemies.

Days before, He spent time with his comrade, Astrid. She helped him level up inside the Sapphire Forest, killing different monsters with different levels to attain experience points. Hindi naging gano'n kadali ang pag-level up pero nagawa n’yang marating ang level 22. On the other hand, Astrid was on level 30.

"Hoo! Ang init naman dito!" She complained while wiping the beads of sweat on her neck and forehead. Para kaming nasa oven sa tindi ng init.

"Wag ka nga mag-reklamo dyan! Parehas lang tayong naiinitan!" Suway n’ya rito.

"Kung ‘di lang talaga maganda ang reward na makukuha natin sa quest na ito, hindi na sana tayo—" She paused when she noticed something wrong with his partner— "Oh, Leviathan? Nangyari sa'yo?"

Leviathan sharpened his senses and made a fighting stance. He held both of his swords tighter and became alert. Nilapitan s’ya ni Astrid nang may pagtatakha.

"Anong meron?" She asked with her brows raised. "Did you hear that?" The latter asked. He could sense the presence of someone— no, they are plenty in numbers— watching them from behind. Tila ba nakatago sila sa kadilimang hindi abot ng liwanag na meron sila.

"Baka epekto lang yan ng init —"

Holy cow.

Leviathan immediately pulled her closer to him, shielding her from the flying arrow with his black blade. Damn, if it did hit her head, she's dead.

Flame lit up on every torch attached to the stone wall. It illuminated orange light that blinded them for seconds.

"Mga lapastangan! Alam ko ang nais nyo!" A monster shouted, revealing itself from the shadow. Leviathan gasped. It had a broad, big body. Its stomach was bloated. Its skin was fully painted with dirty green. It had a branch from the body of a tree as its weapon.

A goblin.

"Magiging hapunan ng higanteng agila ang inyong mga ililigtas, hahaha!" It laughed devilishly, echoing across the whole area. From the darkest part of the cave, more goblins were summoned. They varied in sizes and body shapes.

"Trap na tayo!" Astrid pulled her, in Leviathan’s words: an awesome weapon out of her inventory. A heavily sculpted bow. It had a complex design all over the weapon. It had a purple orb attached at the middle of the bow where the arrows were created by a magical energy from the orb.

"Wala tayong ibang choice kundi ang labanan sila," saglit pa silang nagkatinginan ni Astrid saka tumango na tila ba nakaubo kami ng plano sa pamamagitan nang pagtingin.

Leviathan prepared himself and made a fighting stance. Inikot-ikot n’ya ang black blade sa magkabilang kamay. He couldn't stop himself from grinning. This is gonna be epic!

Astrid stretched the string on her bow, an arrow materialized on it. "Light scream!" She released the arrow. It struck through the air and illuminated a blinding light that spread across the area.

Leviathan used this chance to attack the goblins. He slashed and killed them one by one. Their green blood sprayed on the air and meat chunks clung on his black blades. Hindi muna ako gagamit ng mga special skills to preserve my mana points. However, Astrid's lightning scream would just stay for about 30 seconds. He had only a few seconds before the blinding lights disappeared. Kailangan ko ng bilisan!

"Masilaw! Masakit sa mata!" Sigaw ng goblin. Leviathan jumped through the air and used his sword to decapitate his head. He came to another enemy, kicked his foot and let him kneel on the ground. He stabbed his sword on its chest until it died.

He attacked more goblins and killed them brutally.

"Hey, Leviathan! 10 seconds na lang ang natitira sa liwanag!" Paalala ni Astrid. Marahas n’yang tinarak ang blade sa dibdib ng goblin. Its health bar decreased to 0% then died.

The light scream effects faded off and he killed almost every goblin that surrounded them earlier. He followed Astrid as they ran deeper inside the cave.

A notice appeared.

[ CONGRATULATIONS ]

You’ve reached Lvl. 23

Napangiti na lang ito at nagpatuloy sa pagtakbo. "Nice one, boy!" Astrid praised him.

"H-habulin nyo ang m-mga... l-lapastangang iyon..." the remaining goblin commanded before its health bar dropped to 0%.

Poor, goblin!

Earlier, Leviathan did research for their quest. According to an article from the forum website of INTO FANTASY, Dark Cave was a territory of goblins.

"Hindi ka makakalagpas sa akin—" Shock was registered to a goblin's face when his black blade struck through his stomach. Green blood gushed out from his deep wounds.

"P-Paanong..."It fell on the ground then died.

"Don't you dare messing up with me," bulong ng player. He secretly chuckled. He was being used to have this “hero” vibes as he played. Para s’yang bida sa isang anime na pinapanood n’ya.

And based on what I've read, goblins are patronizing a level 30 monster: Giant Eagle.

They should find that monster and kill it then find and save the children.

Astrid on the other hand, killed a running group of goblins by releasing simultaneous arrows created by magical energy from an orb. The arrows struck through them then died.

That was awesome. Hindi maiwasang hindi mamangha ni Leviathan sa kakampi. She and her trusty bow, ang astig!

"Tara na! Wala kasing binigay na map 'yung tandang 'yon kaya hindi natin malaman kung saan tayo dadadaan!" Harumentado nito. Kumamot pa 'to ng ulo bago hatakin si Leviathan papasok sa isang pasukan.

They entered different tunnels and faced different goblins along the way. Yet, they couldn't find Monica or even the other children. Pakiramdam ko nga ay paikot-ikot na lang kami.

"Ito na naman sila!" Iritadong sambit ni Astrid nang makita ang lupon ng mga goblin na patungo sa kanilang direksyon. "Ako na ang bahala sa mga 'yan," presinta ni Leviathan habang pinaglalaruan ang nagliliwanag na sandata.

Humakbang ito tungo sa gitna at hinanda ang dalawa n’yang black blade. Leviathan spread his arms and his sword. He concentrated and let the energy materialize on his swords.

"Blade tornado!"

One of my favorite special skills.

Leviathan rolled his body and turned into a deadly tornado. Para akong turumpo na tinutumba lahat ng natatamaan ko. Goblins didn't manage to protect themselves as they got struck by his blades.

Samantala, si Astrid naman ay nasa likuran n’ya, tinutulungan s’ya sa pagpuksa sa mga sagabal na kalaban gamit ang kan’yang pana. It directly hit the enemies then died later on.

"Leviathan, alam ko na kung nasaan ang mga bata!" Sigaw nito sa binata habang abala ito sa pagsugpo sa mga kalaban. "Pumunta ka na don! Susundan na lang kita —itong sa'yo!" Leviathan screamed then ended the life of the goblin by decapitating its head.

"Sumunod ka ha!" Hindi na naghintay ng sagot si Astrid at tumakbo na lang.

After killing the hindrance of our mission, he followed Astrid.

🎮

Habang tumatakbo sila sa isang lagusan ay nakakarinig sila ng mga pag-iyak. It must be the children! Their cries became clearer and clearer.

They entered another tunnel. Their eyes widened as the sleeping gigantic bird welcomed them. It was sleeping in a humongous nest! On the side of the sleeping bird were the imprisoned hostages. They were locked in a small cage made of strong metal.

"Wala naman sa quest's mission ang patayin ang ibong 'to di ba?" Astrid asked.

'Tulungan ninyo kami!'

'Tulungan ninyo kami parang awa nyo na!'

The children cried. They look so realistic as NPCs. Hindi muna kumilos ang dalawa at nagtago sa likod ng isang malaking bato. Hindi sila gumawa nang kahit anong ingay at inobserbahan ang paligid. Their eyes were darted to the sleeping giant eagle.

"Gamitin nating pagkakataong natutulog pa ang ibon para pakawalan ang mga bata," Astrid said. Leviathan only nodded at her. "Ikaw ang magbukas ng kulungan, sa likod mo ako magbabantay," wika ng binata. "Sige." She agreed.

Lumabas sila sa pinagtataguan at tahimik na tinungo ang kulungan ng mga bata. They almost did tiptoe to keep silent.

"Bilisan mo bago magising ang ibon." Leviathan whispered then faced the bird. He prepared his black blades in case it woke up.

"Oo, saglit lang!" pabulong na asik ng kasama n’ya.

"Nandyan na ang magliligtas sa atin! Malaya na tayo!" They heard the children cry.

"Wag kayo maingay, baka magising ang ibon!"

Dahil sa ingay na iyon ay nagising ang agila. Tumayo ito at binuka ang mga pakpak. It was majestic yet fearsome. It was awakened and now ready to kill anything that was moving.

"Shems! Astrids, bilisan mo na!" Leviathan spread my arms, "Hoy, ibon! Ako kalabanin mo!"

He ran toward it then made an attack.

"Tornado strike!" Leviathan jumped through the air and rolled his body like a wild tornado. But the flying monster managed to deflect it and fly away. "Malapit na e!"

His special skill had finished and started to cool down. He had to wait a few seconds before he could use it again. He held one of his swords tighter then threw it on the flying monster. It struck its wing.

Gumewang-gewang ang ibon sa ere saka bumagsak sa sahig. It caused the land to grumble for a moment. "Bilisan mo!" Leviathan shouted to Astrid then ran toward the weakened monster to attack.

"Oo na!" Astrid hissed. She found it hard to open the padlock, she thought that it was made of a special material. "Lintek, paano ba 'to masira?!" She tried to kick it but nothing happened. She heaved a sigh then stepped backward.

"Mga bata lumayo kayo sa pinto," she told the children. She pulled the string of her bow and let the magical energy materialize on it.

She released the arrow and let it strike the padlock. Tumama ang arrow sa padlock at nagkaroon ng pagsabog sa harapan n'ya. She opened her eyes and saw what happened.

"Anak ng?! Hindi man lang nagkalamat!"

"Ate! Sa likod mo!" It was too late when a goblin bashed her head with the stone. Mabilis na nagsirko ang paningin nito at bumagsak sa lupa.

"Ate!" The children screamed.

"Mukhang masarap ang binibining ito," the maniac goblin pulled her hair, "Anong putahe kaya ang nababagay sa ‘yo?"

Nilabas nito ang kanyang dila at tila ba handa nang tikman ang kan’yang biktima, ngunit mabilis ang naging kilos ni Astrid. "Bastos!" She shouted then gave the cannibalistic green creature a solid punch. Tumayo si Astrid at pinulot ang goblin na nakaupo sa semento. "Itong bagay sa'yo! Napakababoy mo!" She released an arrow from her bow and hit its head. The latter died with its head bleeding green liquid. On its hand was the key to open the padlock revealed.

"Gotcha!" She said, wiping her sweat. She took the key and freed the poor children. She guided them out of the cage. "Let's get out of here," aya ni Leviathan. He felt so exhausted, he just wanted to finish the quest now.

"Where's the bird?" his partner asked. The player just gave her a meaningful smirk. The roasted bird is now ready to serve.

Leviathan was about to say something when the ground grumbled. They heard the children cry in fear "Tara na! We need to get out bago tayo matabunan ng mga bato." Inakay nila dalawa ang mga nasagip nilang bata palabas bago pa sila tabunan ng lupa.

🎮

"Anak!"

"Ang mga anak ko!"

Paglabas nila ng kuweba ay bumungad sa kanila ang mga magulang ng mga batang kasama nila. Halata sa kanilang mukha ang pag-aalala at galak nang muling makita ang mga anak.

"Oh, Diyos ko! Monica, akala ko'y hindi na kita muling makakapiling!" The hermit cried when he finally saw his daughter, Monica, freed from the dark cave guarded by green creatures and the giant eagle. Monica ran toward his father and gave him a tight hug. “Ama! Natakot po ako, ama! Mabuti na lang at niligtas kami ng dalawang magkasintahan!"

Magkasintahan, what?

Nagkatinginan silang dalawa at binigyan ang isa't-isa ng nakakauyam na tingin.

[ NOTICE ]

A party has finished a quest in Dark Cave!

Rewards:

500, 000 coins

Blue crystal ring

"Maraming salamat sa inyong dalawa sa pagligtas kay Monica at sa ibang mga bata.” Pasasalamat ng mga magulang.

"Bilang pasasalamat tanggapin n'yo ito," the old hermit gave them a special item. A pair of ring with the blue crystal attached on it. Malugod naman itong tinanggap ng dalawa. Ito ang inaantay ni Astrid na matanggap.

Once they wear this item, their agility, speed and strength would increase.

At last, they thanked them for the reward they received and bid their goodbyes to continue their journey in this game.

To be continued.