!ALARM!
[YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL THE NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS OF THE
SECRET QUEST: 'DEFIANCE OF THE DISPLACED']
[WELCOME PLAYER}
'What is this?' Thalia thought to herself. 'A secret quest? Completed all the requirements? Player? Is this some sort of test?'
As she tried to make sense of the holographic screen in front of her, she combed through her memories of the last events. A killer statue was trying to squeeze the life out of her. She remembered her bones breaking…but oddly she felt fine. No injuries…not even the minor bruises she received when fighting the Liger…
Thalia continued to read the screen in front of her.
['DEFIANCE OF THE DISPLACED']
[The Great Spell Caster Kandiaru's blessing is upon you:
Your resolve and defiance even in the face of God has earned you a special gift.
It will ensure that you will always be strong and healthy during your lifetime
All diseases, poisons, and status effects are healed.
Sleeping will exponentially increase your regeneration ability.]
'Hmm…that explains why my injuries are all healed.' Thalia reasoned inwardly.
'Did the historian do this? Was it a trap? No…that couldn't be. He didn't seem to possess enough mana to be able to do such a thing…and besides the chamber was sealed behind a wall…and all the items within the temple suggested no person had been there for many years.'
A flashing light coming from the holographic screen interrupted her line of thought.
[NAME: THALIA LVL: 20
JOB: NONE
TITLE: NONE]
The "JOB: NONE" line kept flashing. "NONE", "NONE", "NONE."
Then suddenly the screen twitched…flickered and flashed "JOB: ERROR", "ERROR", "ERROR".
A second screen popped up
[SYSTEM ERROR…ATTEMPTING TO RESET…ATTEMPTING TO RESET…ATTEMPTING TO RESET]
After about a minute of waiting, the following message appeared
[SYSTEM UNABLE TO RESET, RECOMMEND RETRIEVING ADDITIONAL CORE SHARDS]
Then a quest window appeared.
[NEW QUEST: RETRIEVE CORE SHARDS
Additional 75% reset instruction data needed
Retrieve 3 Core Shards 0/3 Collected]
'Ok…that was weird,' thought Thalia. She kept reading the Status Window.
[NAME: THALIA LVL: 20
JOB: ERROR
TITLE: NONE FATIGUE: 0
HP: 1,300
MP: 800
STRENGTH: 26 VITALITY: 18
AGILITY: 38 INTELLEGENCE: 60
SENSE: 90
REMAINING POINTS:0]
[PASSIVE]
SAVANT Lv. 1
Due to high natural affinity to mana, your growth rate is accelerated to 150%.
INSIGHT lv. 1
Bonus to Intelligence and Sense.
[ACTIVE]
SIGHT Lv. 1
Allows Player to see mana. Higher SENSE stat increase Player's range.
Mana cost is 0.
'Based on the layout of this system, it appears this is intended to function like an easy to understand interface for children…something to help them grow stronger in a way they can conceptualize and understand.' Thalia mused.
From conversations with Vidar and Gaia, she knew that prior to the Outer Gods War a person growing in strength was extremely rare. Not even the Itarim grew in strength…but all that changed with the rise of the Dark God. The Shadow Monarch showed that individuals could grow to unimaginable levels. This revelation changed everything…even now the Itarim were locked in a desperate conflict to grow ever stronger.
Looking at her stats, Thalia observed that her Strength and Vitality were low compared to other stats such as Agility, Intelligence, and Sense. In fact, her Sense seemed to be the highest stat. Perhaps that was due to her innate ability to perceive mana and the flow of mana.
'But who was this system designed for? Who designed it? Why was it abandoned here in a state of disrepair? And…what is the end goal of this system?'
Before she could ponder any further, the slow footsteps of a nearby Liger captured her attention.
'Well, I guess I can figure that out later…now it's time to get back to work.'
With renewed energy, Thalia sprinted out of the temple chamber back into the Liger cave. She quickly defeated the unfortunate Liger that happened to be strolling by.
!ALERT!
[Liger has been defeated]
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
'Hmm, I leveled up?' Thalia's ability to see mana allowed her to perceive clearly that her own mana was denser and thicker than before.
'I guess I got stronger,' she smiled.
She dashed forward cleaving her way through the many Ligers in the cave…each Liger she faced became easier and easier. It was if her body was getting lighter.
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
Only the Alpha Liger remained. The "System" indicated it was an orange level threat which Thalia inferred meant it was roughly the same level as her. However, even without the aid of the System, Thalia could see its mana signature and could assess its power on her own. She knew this would not be an easy fight.
The Alpha Liger belted out a loud roar…echoing through the cave walls. Unfazed, Thalia steadied herself and watched closely. She saw mana building up on all four limbs…she played the scene in her mind, picturing the Alpha Liger pouncing on her and attempting to overpower her by using one crushing blow.
Thalia loosened her posture; she would need to dodge this attack and parry in an instant. Letting this fight drag on could be a fatal mistake.
The Alpha Liger performed one massive strike transferring all its weight and momentum from its hind legs to its shoulders and front paws. Its claws glimmered like knives under a full moon. Just before its claw could connect with Thalia, she swiftly dodged the coming attack and cleaved her cutlass deep into the Alpha Liger's neck. It let out a death cry and collapsed.
!ALERT!
[Alpha Liger has been defeated]
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
!ALERT!
[You have gained a new Skill – ASTRA]
[Astra – a light-based magic attack. Reduces magic resistance and physical defense on target area by 50% for 1 minute]
!ALERT!
[You have gained a new weapon – Liger Claw]
[Item – Liger Claw
Type – Dagger, +10 Attack]
[NAME: THALIA LVL: 25
JOB: ERROR
TITLE: NONE FATIGUE: 0
HP: 2,050
MP: 1,300
STRENGTH: 33 VITALITY: 26
AGILITY: 52 INTELLEGENCE: 85
SENSE: 135
REMAINING POINTS:0]
[PASSIVE]
SAVANT Lv. 1
Due to high natural affinity to mana, your growth rate is accelerated to 150%.
INSIGHT Lv. 1
Bonus to Intelligence and Sense.
[ACTIVE]
ASTRA Lv. 1
A light-based magic attack. Reduces magic resistance and physical defense on target area by 50% for 1 minute.
SIGHT Lv. 1
Allows Player to see mana. Higher SENSE stat increase Player's range.
Mana cost is 0.