Old Keeper's Quest

"There's a way?" Leo looked at the Keeper expectantly, hopeful that the man would finally tell him what he was referring to.

The old man nodded. "I can't help you directly, but if there was an appropriate condition, then my help might not be restricted by the system. A loophole if you'd prefer." He smiled slightly as he spoke those words.

"So what is it? Tell me."

Leo's voice carried a sense of urgency, one that bordered on desperation. The old man's words filled him with a renewed sense of determination and hope, two things that seemed so far beyond reach only moments before. It felt like he had just been given a ray of light in the darkness. Something to grasp onto and hang onto. He needed to know what it was and how it could possibly benefit him.

"Patience, my friend." The old man waved his hand, stopping Leo's blabbering. "It's quite simple really. Just a bit earlier, the system gave you the access to quest subsystem, correct?"

Leo nodded. "It did, yes."

"Usually, the quests are generated by the system. It is a kind of a guidance, so that you, and everyone else would always have a direction in which to go." He paused briefly and then continued. "Quests also provide rewards that make one stronger. Experience, skills, stat points, items, they could be almost anything."

"Almost?" Leo repeated after him with curiosity. "Are there things the system cannot provide?"

"Indeed, there are." The old man responded. "But now is not the time to discuss this." His voice dropped a notch. "Quests can be almost anything, and as long as they serve the purpose of helping you become stronger and progress in your journey, the system won't interfere." He gave Leo an appraising look. "Do you know why I chose to reveal myself to you, instead of just sitting here in solitude, observing and meditating like I usually do?"

"I guess you are planning to tell me, no?"

The old man smirked.

"Clever boy," he responded sarcastically, before continuing with a serious tone. "The answer is simple really. You are an anomaly. An unusual person without a class. That makes you an exception. It means that while you are not receiving the benefits that come with the class, you are also not bound by the limitations associated with it. Unlike everyone else in your world, you can use any kind of magic you wish without having to adhere to a certain school or discipline of magic."

"Isn't that a good thing." Leo asked as he frowned in confusion. "But, how can I ever get stronger if I cannot level up?"

"You misunderstood." The old man shook his head. "What I meant is that you don't have a predetermined path set in stone. You are free to choose the path you wish to take and grow stronger at your own pace. Most people in your world have to follow a preordained trajectory laid out by the system, and while that does make them powerful and allows them to achieve their goals quickly, it comes at a cost. They lose freedom and flexibility as they are stuck walking a road set in stone."

"Okay, so what am I supposed to do?" Leo looked at the old man, awaiting his advice.

The old man smiled wryly and clasped his hands together. "While we were talking about lost legacies, I just recalled something. On my world, there was an ancient magical art that my people practiced before the arrival of the system. The art itself was strong but it required the practitioner to have a decent amount of natural talent to be able to progress with it. Most unfortunately, receiving a class from the system conflicts with said magic and renders you unable to invoke it. That does not seem to be an issue in your case." The old man began stroking his beard as he looked at Leo, trying to judge his reaction.

"Is that so?" Leo looked at him quizzically. "And you plan to teach it to me?"

The old man chuckled.

"No." He answered firmly. "Not yet, anyway. First, you'd have to earn it."

Leo's expression fell slightly at those words. It almost sounded like the old man was playing games with him, leading him on like this. The old man quickly noticed it and shook his head in response.

"This is no trick, young man." He spoke. "I will not teach you yet, the system won't let me. But if it is a reward for a completed quest instead, such restrictions do not apply anymore."

"I get it! You will give me a super easy quest that requires only minimal effort and I complete it and boom! I get the skill? Or something like that?" Leo spoke enthusiastically.

The old man raised his palm upwards, gesturing Leo to stop. "You misunderstand. This is not that simple. Even if I were to give you a simple task that would allow you to complete it in a matter of minutes, it still wouldn't be enough to qualify for a reward. What the system wants you to do, is to challenge yourself and push forward along the path of becoming stronger. You must strive to better yourself. Struggle with your limits. Find the place in which you belong and grow stronger as you discover more of who you are."

The old man's face grew serious as he spoke.

"In the end, it all depends on your own will, whether you are willing to devote yourself completely to growing stronger, and enduring all the hardships that come along with it." He finished saying as he closed his eyes. After a moment, a sudden wave of power emanated from him, causing the ground to tremble slightly and the air to vibrate. When he opened his eyes again, Leo found himself unable to maintain eye contact with him. It was as if he was staring directly at a star. He averted his gaze.

"To teach you even the smallest portion of my heritage, I require three things." The old man stated.

Leo looked up at him nervously, preparing himself mentally for what might come next.

"First, I will need proof that you have the ability to progress and develop yourself. Your first task will be to learn an active skill by your own means. No assistance allowed." The old man spoke firmly.

Leo listened silently, paying close attention to each word.

"Second, you will need to prove your resolve and dedication by showing how far you are willing to go." He continued. "Your second task will be to kill the Kobold Chief."

"The fuck?" Leo exclaimed in surprise. "I had to run away from the ordinary ones and you want me to kill the chief? Are you insane?"

"Most likely." The old man shrugged. "But what did you expect? Just because the Keeper of the Prime dungeon is an ancient immortal, it doesn't mean I will make things easy for you, right? Besides, the quest should be suitably difficult."

"I'm pretty sure the last guy that faced this dungeon boss ended up dead..."

"Don't underestimate kobolds." The old man said sharply. "They may be stupid, primitive, and unorganized, but they are a lot tougher than they look."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm nervous about fighting one."

The old man laughed loudly at that.

"Fight a single kobold?" He said mockingly. "Ha! No, you're going to fight the entire kobold tribe."

Leo was about to reply, but stopped himself as the realization of what the old man said fully dawned on him. The old man did say that he needed to kill one kobold, but it is a chief who commands a whole tribe. Fighting a handful of kobolds was bad enough, and now he was expected to face an entire army of them?

"Do not fret too much over that task," the Keeper added. "As you already killed a kobold alone, even though it was a weaker one. I would not assign something impossible for you. After all, the greater your risk, the bigger the potential reward will be."

The old man stared at Leo intently for several seconds before he continued. "Lastly, you must obtain a title, one granted by the system itself, which shows your character and defines who you are."

"A title? What do I need a title for?" Leo questioned. "Does the system simply give those out, like it did in games?"

The old man grinned as he heard that, "Why yes, but there's more to it. Titles are granted by the system for doing extraordinary deeds or surviving exceptional events." The old man's eyes glittered mischievously as he spoke. "When a being achieves a great feat, whether it be felling a powerful opponent or surviving through a trial or tribulation, the system will bestow a corresponding title upon them to commemorate their achievement. Titles confer various benefits, including but not limited to increased stats or the ability to gain more experience when achieving certain tasks. And for you, as someone who hasn't received any benefits from the system, having such titles is crucial for your growth." The old man finished explaining, looking at Leo as if expecting something from him.

[Keeper of the Prime dungeon is offering you a quest. Do you accept?]