29 [ Treasure-N-Quest 1 ]

I enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep, undisturbed by any midnight training sessions. It was a rare treat to slumber uninterrupted until morning.

But as the first light of dawn approached, I found myself roused from my dreams by Viora's gentle presence in my room. She had come to ensure I was up and ready for the Rising Ascendant program.

"Raul, it's time to wake up," her voice was as soothing as ever as she sat beside me on the bed, her touch tender against my cheek.

I slowly opened my eyes, and the soft glow of my room illuminated her exquisite face. "Raul, you need to prepare. Vanessa will be here to pick you up," she informed me while running her fingers through my hair.

A smile crept across my face as I reluctantly pushed the warm blankets aside and rose from my comfortable nest. "Did you sleep well?" she inquired.

I nodded. "It felt like I had slept through the entire day," I quipped. "Thanks, Mom. I'll get ready."

Viora's smile brightened as she left my side and headed for the door. "Then, I'll start preparing breakfast," she replied with a warm smile.

…

Walking away from home alongside Vanessa, I waved to my mother and my little sister, Rina, who stood on the porch. We were on our way to the Ruonar Adventure Guild.

Ever since my father had taken on the role of the Head Chief of Ruonar Gate Security, he'd been leaving for work before anyone else woke up.

Vanessa placed her hand on my shoulder, offering some advice. "Don't you ever hold back, Raul."

I chuckled. "Why should I?"

"Think about helping ease your father's burden," she urged. "Imagine earning a full scholarship to any Magic Academy in the Kiven Kingdom. Your parents would be so proud."

Her enthusiasm was infectious. "You make a good point. I'll give it my all, but only during the Hunting Prowess. You'll have to keep up with me if you don't want to slow me down," I teased, winking at her.

She playfully ruffled my hair. "Challenge accepted, kid."

Vanessa then pointed out the gathering crowd. "Oh look, it seems like everyone's here."

Naera, one of our fellow members, wasted no time scolding me. "You're late, Raul."

I leaned in and whispered to her, "Can't help it, blame Vanessa for that." She chuckled at my replied.

As we stepped into the guild, the clock displayed a puzzling 7:00 AM time. Sarla couldn't help but voice her confusion. "Why does the clock say it's 7 AM? The one outside the city still shows 6:34 AM."

Naera offered a possible explanation. "Maybe they forgot to adjust it."

Approaching the counter designated for the Rising Ascendants program, the woman behind the desk promptly handed Leno a white paper.

"Dear adventurers, your Treasure-N-Quest begins now," she announced.

Leno was taken aback. "We can start the quest already? But there aren't any other parties here yet except—"

Before he could finish, Gina grasped the situation and clarified it for us. "Wait. Not good." All of us turned towards her.

"The reason there are no other parties here is because they've already begun exploring the city and solving the quest."

"No matter what time you arrive, since the guild's clock shows 7 AM, you can start the quest immediately. Those who arrived early have the advantage of beginning sooner," Gina explained.

"Ah, so that what was the host meant!" Leno frustration shown on his face. It seemed there was another information that are not pass to us.

"We need to hurry. What does the paper say?" Vanessa urged Leno to quickly unfolded the white paper and reveal its contents.

Leno read aloud the cryptic message on the white paper, "Somewhere under a fountain."

He scratched his head in confusion. "Huh? What does this mean? Isn't it supposed to be a quest?"

Gina, quick to decipher the hint, chimed in, "Fountain. There's only one fountain in this city. Maybe we should head to the Ruonar City Plaza first. Perhaps that's where our starting quest is located."

Vanessa nodded in agreement. "Right, let's make our way there for now." The group decided to follow Gina's lead and set off toward the Ruonar City Plaza, eager to uncover the first clues of their quest.

We hurried to the city plaza and reached the distinctive water fountain, the only one of its kind in the city.

The city plaza was a grand and bustling open space, its centerpiece dominated by the magnificent water fountain. Towering spires surrounded the plaza, creating a picturesque urban landscape. The sound of the city's hustle and bustle echoed through the area as people went about their daily activities.

Around the plaza, cobblestone pathways crisscrossed, leading to various parts of the city.

Eagerly, we began to inspect the area around the fountain, hoping to discover a clue that would guide us on our first quest. However, our efforts yielded nothing.

"It clearly said 'under the fountain,' but there's nothing here," Sarla voiced her frustration as she bent down to peer beneath the fountain.

The rest of the group continued to scour the surroundings. As I stood there, my gaze fixated on the fountain itself.

Water cascaded gracefully from the pinnacle, trickling down to the basin below. The fountain was an intricate work of art, adorned with intricate carvings and embellishments, its stone surface polished to a brilliant shine.

With a sense of determination, I approached the water fountain and extended my right hand toward the water in the basin. Sarla observed closely as I reached out. The water in the basin parted as I moved the water, revealing the floor underneath. I meticulously searched every inch of the exposed basin floor, but it seemed devoid of any clues.

Sarla's disappointment was evident as she sighed. "I thought you had it figured out," she said, clearly frustrated by the lack of results and began looking the other way to find some clue.

However, an idea began to form in my mind. ''Under the fountain.' Could it mean something else?' I mused aloud in my head.

Kneeling down, I simultaneously tapped into my earth magic, using it to analyze the structure beneath the fountain, hoping to uncover any hidden secrets or passages that might lie beneath the surface.

As I continued to ponder the hidden meaning of 'under the fountain,' my earth magic revealed a significant gap beneath it, complete with a short stairwell leading downwards. I followed the stairwell, which led me to the front of the fountain, where I decided to call on Cliff for assistance.

"Cliff! Come here for a second," I called out, waving my hand to beckon him.

Cliff responded promptly, his voice still carrying a hint of nervousness as he asked, "Erm, what can I help you with?" The rest of our party members turned their attention to us.

I explained, "Can you use your earth magic to scan the underground layout beneath the water fountain?"

Cliff was surprised with this but he nodded in acknowledgment and lowered himself, making contact with the ground. As he used his earth magic to investigate the layout beneath the fountain, his expression shifted, indicating that he had discovered something of significance.

With a sudden surge of his earth magic, Cliff conjured a pathway, revealing a small, short stairwell leading underground beneath the fountain. The rest of our party members expressed their amazement.

"Did you find something?" Naera and Sarla asked in unison.

"Maybe. It looks like it was hidden down there," I replied, acknowledging Cliff's contribution.

Leno chimed in with praise, saying, "Good job, Cliff."

However, Cliff seemed eager to clarify something. "Erm, it wasn't me—"

I playfully interrupted him, not letting him downplay his role. "Cliff, high five!" I grinned and raised my right hand toward him.

Although hesitant at first, Cliff eventually responded with a high-five, and a sense of accomplishment filled the air as we prepared to explore the mysterious underground passage.

Cliff on the other hand was still starting at me as if he was thinking of something.

Vanessa discreetly passed me a fireball, and though it appeared as if she had conjured it, I understood her intention as soon as her hand touched mine.

I created the fireball, allowing her to serve as a cover for my magic, making it seem like she was the one responsible for the fiery creation.

"You should go and check it Raul." Vanessa said.

Naera who saw the fireball on my hand eager to join in the moment, pleaded, "Can I come in too?"

"Sure," I replied.

With the fireball in my right hand, Naera and I descended the stairs into the underground passage, its narrow confines illuminated by the flickering light.

It didn't take long for us to reach the end of the passageway where two scrolls lay on the ground, one white and the other yellow.

A shared glance between us confirmed our mutual curiosity, and we each picked up one of the scrolls before retracing our steps, ascending the stairs and rejoining the rest of the group with our newfound discoveries in hand.

"We found two scrolls down there," Naera announced to the rest of the group.

Once we had ascended, Cliff sealed the underground pathway, and we gathered closely to examine our discoveries. We decided to open the first scroll, the white one.

The scroll contained a message:

"Congratulations on completing your first task; now your party can finally begin the challenge. There are 5 types of scrolls: White, Yellow, Blue, Green, and Red. Each scroll found offers different points corresponding to its difficulty. Solving the quest within each scroll grants you an additional bonus point."

"Search for these scrolls around the city. You've earned +1 point for getting your hands on this scroll," I relayed the information to the group.

The scroll before us underwent a mysterious transformation, shrinking until it became a small white marble.

Leno couldn't hide his excitement. "Fantastic! We've gained +1 point," he exclaimed. "Now, what does the other scroll have to reveal?"

Naera unrolled the yellow scroll and shared its contents. "We've earned +2 points for discovering this scroll."

The riddle within the yellow scroll read: "Amidst towering spires and bustling streets, I twist and turn, an enigma to meet. From dawn till dusk, I'm a constant glide, yet at night, I vanish, with no place to hide. What am I?"

Sarla expressed her confusion, "Sounds like a riddle, doesn't it?"

Vanessa began to ask, "So, what do we need to do? Do we have to write the answer on it or—"

Before she could finish, I confidently responded, "A shadow." As soon as those words left my lips, the scroll illuminated, revealing more text below.

"You've successfully solved the riddle. You've earned +2 bonus points."

The scroll glowed once more before it transformed into a small yellow marble. A system notification appeared in front of me.

[ You've earned +1 Essence Point for solving a riddle ]

Vanessa observed, "It seems the scrolls turn into marbles once we solve them."

Gina summarized the process, saying, "So, if we find a scroll, it grants us a point, and when we solve the puzzle, it turned into a marble and we earn an additional bonus point."

"Raul, you did a great job with that riddle," Gina complimented, her tone filled with genuine surprise.

Leon chimed in, echoing the sentiment. "Honestly, I was about to answer it, but you beat me to it. Well done, Raul."

Naera had her eyes sticking to me with curiosity ever since I answered the riddle until Vanessa said her words.

"Now that we have a better understanding of how this challenge operates, it's time to devise a strategy to maximize our efforts and earn more points," Vanessa proposed, her determination shining through as we contemplated our next steps.

"Vanessa's suggestion is spot on," Gina mused, taking a moment to contemplate. "Here's my proposal: Let's split into three groups to search for these scrolls. Each group should include someone skilled at solving riddles so we can tackle them right away when we find a scroll. Additionally, we should regroup here, at this fountain, every two hours to exchange our findings. This way, we can collectively work on solving any particularly challenging puzzles."

I couldn't help but think it was a brilliant idea. Everyone, including the usually quiet Deni, nodded in agreement, recognizing this well-thought-out plan.

"Well, for now, we have Raul, who's already shown his knack for solving riddles, and I'm confident in my abilities too. Does anyone else have experience with riddles?" Gina inquired.

Cliff raised his hand, admitting, "Erm, I used to solve riddles with my sister during our free time."

"I'm not good with riddles." Naera said as her face saddened. Sarla also said the same thing as Naera.

After some discussion, we settled on the three group members:

The first group consisted of Naera, me, and Leno.

The second group comprised Vanessa and Cliff.

The third group included Sarla, Gina, and Deni.

With our groups established, we split up to search for the scrolls.

Before parting ways, Vanessa whispered to me, "By the time we gather here again, don't let my marbles outnumber yours, kiddo."

I playfully replied, "You're on."