19 Songs of the universe

Cyrus brushed away the dust from his fingertips and stared enigmatically at the monolith.

He had accidentally discovered a dungeon, though he was nowhere near strong enough to attempt clearing it.

Additionally, the dungeon didn't have a solo mode, so it was probably only possible to clear through co-op play.

Cyrus was rather frustrated by this, as his brows furrowed back and forth.

Ultimately, he made an attempt of concealing the monolith away and resumed his trip back to Cape Immergroen.

As his shoes splashed the disgustingly muddy soil in all directions, he struggled to walk back from the deeper reaches of the swamp to the coastline delta.

Fortunately, it seemed like the terrifying monsters of the swamp only came out at night, as he crossed paths with weak, or easily avoidable monsters on the way.

"Finally!" After what seemed like an eternity, he finally saw a river spilling turbid water into the sea.

At that same moment, an interactive screen popped up in front of his retina and was immediately met with confusion on his part.

(Quest Rewards Acquired!)

(LEVEL UP!)

'What quest?' Cyrus pressed on the notice in order to see the details.

(Protect Bartholom)

Quest Rank: Fair

Quest Rewards: Experience Points, Favorability with Bartholom Andre.

Quest Failure Penalty: -1 Level, Death of Bartholom Andre

Completion Notice: Thanks to your help, Bartholom Andre has not only escaped the threat of hate crime and assassination, but your contributions have also re-invigorated his archeological ambitions.

Due to this, he has left the region.

The notice brought a smile to his face.

That man left a deep impression on him.

With the audacity of a fool, he instantaneously made a life-changing decision and left his old life for good, instead, chasing his dreams.

'Good luck!' Cyrus cheered at him internally.

Then, he immediately reaped the rewards of the quest and began allocating his unused points.

He had also forgotten to do so for his ascent to Level 7, so he had 10 Stat Points to spare.

Though, this time, he would be more strategic about it.

His hands reached for the scroll in his pockets, and he contemplated on Bartholom's hypothesis.

'This scroll concerns the art of creating Artifacts!' Even though he didn't understand it to the full extent yet, Cyrus could extrapolate that this Class fell under the category of craftsmanship.

'If so, then the best Stat for that seems to be Dexterity...' Cyrus rubbed his chin.

Eventually, after a few presses on the screen, he allocated 5 points into Dexterity, 3 points into Attack, and 2 Points into Vitality.

His interface now looked like this:

(Paragon Cyrus - Level 8 Unranked Unclassed)

Experience: 24/2562

Health Points: 180/180

Endurance: 140/140

Mana: 100/100

(Statistics)

Attack: 20

Dexterity: 20

Agility: 16

Wisdom: 10

Defense: 10

Vitality: 19

After doing that, he had more ease of mind navigating through this hunting zone, and he smoothly made his way back to the seaside metropolis.

After the havoc from the other day calmed down, the city was rather slow-paced, and its residents were carefree and unbothered.

Throughout the main boulevard, Cyrus even heard music flowing into his ears.

It was a smooth-sounding instrument, and the musician clearly had great control over their ability.

The lower-pitched and flowy timbre reminded him of the viola.

Soon enough, he found himself at a gigantic crossroad, and in the center of it, a woman was performing a gorgeous composition.

While it was a beautiful composition, the citizens simply walked by, only with pleasant smiles on their faces when they heard the music.

The sound had thoroughly blended itself into the background, akin to the night sky of a Van Gogh painting.

Then, the music stopped.

A few people were taken aback, but they soon resumed their steps and went with their daily life.

However, Cyrus was perturbed by the replacement of the melody by the chaotic noises of the city.

He looked at the musician and perceived that she seemed rather...sad.

Her eyes were droopy, and she enthusiastically packed up her viola in a tall suitcase.

Cyrus approached her and clapped.

"You play the viola in a beautiful manner."

She seemed rather surprised by the sudden praise, and her lips parted into a very slight smile.

"Thank you."

"You seem rather bothered, is something of your concern?" Cyrus thought that she perhaps had a quest she could give him.

"Oh...is it that obvious?"

"I'm not sure, it just seemed strange, like you didn't appreciate the melody you just played."

She shook her head slightly, and sighed, "I do have a few worries on mind, I'd like to discuss it over a cup of coffee if you'd like to come."

Cyrus didn't refuse, and they walked at a slow pace towards a terrace café nearby.

The scenery on top of the terrace was very beautiful, and they found a good seat from which the port of the city was visible.

A waiter came up to them, and the woman immediately put in her order, "I'll have cinnamon and licorice coffee, unsweetened and pressed, please."

Cyrus ordered a basic black coffee, and then, he heard the woman speak to him.

"You're not from Cape Immergroen, are you?"

"No...I'm a traveler."

She chuckled, and replied, "That's optimal, I wouldn't open up to a local."

She continued, "I'm Adele, a self-taught musician born and raised in the southernmost city of the continent."

"I'm Cyrus, it's nice to meet you."

The two shook hands, and she said, "As a traveler, have you ever observed how culture can impact music?"

"Truthfully, It's not a detail I'd pay attention to."

"That's understandable, though, this matter has spurred my curiosity since birth."

The waiter served them their drinks, and she sipped and now spoke in a hoarse tone because of the harsh coffee.

"In Cape Immergroen, music takes the background."

"In ceremonies, and events of daily life, very slight melodies can be heard, and impact the mind in incomprehensible ways."

"We appreciate music in the background of a theater play, but it would never be the centerpiece."

Adele turned to him, and said, "From my very early days, I always wondered if that was different in other places."

"Music can mean different things to different people, but what is the impact that history, culture, and politics can have on that?" She asked him a rhetorical question.

"My biggest dream is to understand all of the world's music, and from that, make the orchestra of humanity."

"Music can't be the universal language if some can't understand it, while others can."

"I want to change that."

At this moment, her eyes turned red and moist.

Cyrus nodded and let her continue.

"Unfortunately, I can't leave Cape Immergroen and travel around the Orient with my lacking strength."

"Maybe...I can?" Cyrus gulped in anticipation.

She looked at him incredulously, and retorted, "What do you mean, Traveler Cyrus?"

"I think I can achieve your wish on your behalf."

"In the future, due to certain circumstances, I'll have to leave Cape Immergroen, and travel around the entire world."

Cyrus kept out the part about him having to leave to reach higher-leveled hunting grounds and places.

Adele was speechless and then laughed loudly.

As she saw his poker face, she gradually turned silent.

Then, she softly asked, "Can you?"

"I'll do my best."

He had just noticed a certain fact about this game.

The quest system encouraged players to go out of their way to help others since quests always rewarded Experience Points, if not precious items.

When he finished speaking, she swiftly opened her suitcase and began playing the viola.

The pleasant music brought smiles to the face of the guests, who felt their moods turn better.

A shocking text notice also appeared on his screen.

(Songs Of The Universe)

Recommended Level: N/A

Quest Rank: Legendary

Quest Rewards: ????

Quest Failure Penalty: None

Shareability: Solo

Description: Adele is an aspiring musician who wishes to learn about the music of the world, but cannot do so because of her lacking strength.

She has a dream of merging all of humanity's history and culture into a single orchestra, but she needs help.

She requests that you, Paragon Cyrus, help her in compiling information about the music of the human world, from the Orient to the Occident and the Ostral Lands.

Cyrus's eyes bulged out when he saw the rank of the quest, and his jaw remained wide open.

He wasn't familiar with the ranks of the game, but 'legendary' was a grandiose title for a quest.

'The rewards are unknown...?'

A sense of excitement and morbid curiosity emerged from deep within him, and he stated out loud, "I accept."