4 A Treasure Chest?

[: 3rd POV :] 

"I mean, there's a silver chest placed on top of that shelf, so I assumed it was available for purchase."

Daniel pointed towards the chest and nonchalantly raised his shoulders.

The middle-aged man was left dumbfounded, seemingly regretful for his dumb inquiry.

"Hmmm... just take it. The chest has been there for who knows how long, and it's about time that I clear some space on the shelf."

The man casually slid the chest towards Daniel, contemplating deeply on whether he was making the right decision.

"Thank you, sir. Here's the payment for the chest."

Though unaware of the exact cost, Daniel handed over a handful of gold coins to avoid any objections.

The old man accepted the payment without much thought.

However, as he observed Daniel walking away with enthusiasm, he pondered.

'Sigh, is this the individual you waited for, Kaizer? The one destined to inherit your legacy...?'

The man began reminiscing about an old memory.

"Hey Zurko, isn't it amusing that we've reached this 'place' even though we were early?"

A towering figure laughed beside what appeared to be a younger Zurko.

"Kaizer, despite our countless life-or-death battles, I still don't know about your aspirations."

Zurko inquired while holding a mug of beer.

"My ambition isn't grand, but all I desired was to bring down the fall of those Divine beings and be free from their chains. Only then would I find true freedom."

Kaizer smiled with charisma.

"Kaizer, do you even know what you're saying?"

"Hahahaha, don't make a fuss about it."

"Even now, I can barely touch a single strand of their hair."

"But my journey has revealed a terrifying truth about our world and the 'Dark Ages.'"

"The 'Pillars of Light' contained a message about someone who would turn the world upside down."

"For that, I entrust my immeasurable treasure to the one who will fulfil that prophecy."

''Would you hold onto this treasure and give it to the one who'll make that come true"

Kaizer handed a chest to Zurko.

"Kaizer... don't tell me..."

"What are you feeling sad for?"

"My life is coming to an end soon, and I'm wagering everything I have on the future generations. I have no regrets," Kaizer said with optimism.

The flashback concluded, and now, Zurko, managing the worn-out shop, had tears streaming from his eyes.

"Goddamnit, it has been 20 years since his death, and I have been waiting for the one you mentioned."

"But I have no idea what kind of person you were looking for, Kaizer. I don't know if this is the person you're seeking, but I hope your soul is at peace,"

Zurko thought as he looked up to the sky, pondering what the future might hold.

He had never opened the chest before since his old friend had instructed him to pass it on to the fated one, but he had no idea who that person might be.

Whether or not Daniel was the chosen one, he had no idea, but he hoped his friend could now finally rest in peace.

On the other hand, Daniel had finally achieved his first objective.

"I-I finally obtained it! The Easter egg that will grant me power beyond imagination!"

Daniel couldn't believe that he had obtained this chest, which was said to hold a ridiculous power that defied the laws of physics.

"I can't believe it, it's really within the palms of my hands!"

He gazed at the chest with fervent excitement.

His fingers trembled as he held the chest, and his heart pounded with nervousness and excitement as he couldn't wait to open it.

With shaking hands, he slowly unlocked the chest and immediately received a treasure that was immeasurable in words.

Along with the treasure came a letter.

"My name is Dragon D. Kaizer, and I'm what you call the Ruler of the Sea Hunters, well, used to be, but none of that matters."

"I'm sure the person who has obtained the chests from Zurko must have known about this treasure."

"While the rewards are for you, there comes a great request with separate rewards. But before that, listen to this story."

"The World Modern Fantasia, as you know, contains countless mysteries, treasures, powers, and lands."

"But out of them all, the 'Dark Age' is the most mysterious and foreign concept; no one knows about this age, not even me."

"However, my journey throughout the world unveiled a horrifying truth!"

"The Dark Age is where the 'Ancient Beings' used to reside before their extinction due to their rebellion against the Divine Beings."

"Furthermore, the origin of the letter 'D' is derived from those ancient beings, and it can be said that those who bear the name 'D' are their descendants."

"But even so, the lands of the Ancient Beings still exist and are documented on the map inside the storage chest."

"While you have received the treasure from this chest, would you accept this request from a deceased soul?"

[: Do you wish to undertake the unique quest of 'Ancient Lands'? :]

As Daniel read the story, he was astounded by the discovery.

It wasn't because he was shocked by this revelation, but he never expected the 'Dark Age' to be mentioned so early in this stage.

'W-Why is the Dark Age mentioned at the early start?'

His hands trembled while holding the letter.

As someone who has experienced the future, the Dark Age is only mentioned in the late game when one of the Global Main Missions involves fighting against the 'Ghost of the Dark Age.'

It was a horrific event, and Daniel even lost someone precious to him.

As such, he couldn't help but tremble at the mention of the Dark Age.

'Shit. I need to calm myself down.'

'The Main Mission is still far away, and I have some time before the event takes place, so for now, I need to focus on the main track.'

He composed himself.

To fully understand the quest, Daniel requested more information.

[: The Ruler of Sea Hunter has discovered the land of the ancients; however, they were too early, and he has almost reached his life expectancy. However, he has encountered the 'Guardians' of the ancient land and has made pacts with them. Hence, the first chain of this quest is to visit the Land of the Ancients. Difficulty: Ex. Rewards: ??? :]

'Sigh, I never thought that my first quest would be ranked as Ex; moreover, it's a chain quest. Fortunately, it doesn't have any difficulties, which I'm glad for.'

The Difficulty of the Quest could be defined with F, which is the easiest, followed by E, C, D, B, A, S, SS, SSS, Ultra, and the hardest, which is Ex.

Afterwards, he claimed the rewards that he had been anticipating.

[: You have claimed a treasure map of ancient lands, thousands of gold diamond coins, 3 Soul Extinguisher Pills, 3 High-Grade Impurity Cleansers, and 3 Forbidden Fruits :]

And again, his mind was overwhelmed with sheer happiness just by hearing about the Forbidden Fruits he had obtained.

It shocked him to the core when hearing it's not only one but three, and who knows how much happiness one could handle at the same time?

(For now, there isn't much change to the scenario. But along the way, there will be major changes, especially in the relationship between Daniel and his mother.)