Heading to the Blazing Desert

Karsha opened his eyes within the domain, a broad smile playing on his lips. For some reason, he felt like he was finally unlocking his true potential, and though the sensation was unfamiliar, he relished it. The adrenaline rush and the thrill of clashing with his perfect clone were exhilarating, and he craved more.

'I like this. I need more of this,' was the singular thought running through his mind during the fight.

Yet, despite feeling on the brink of unlocking something profound, he sensed an internal barrier hindering his progress, akin to the resistance he felt in his swords.

Whenever he neared a breakthrough, something within him prevented it from fully manifesting.

Though frustrating, he understood that confronting this obstacle lay in his future, but not now. For the moment, the system and destiny had other plans for him. As his consciousness returned, he was bombarded with hundreds, if not thousands, of notifications from the Shadow Guards he had defeated.

There wasn't a single notification about killing a Tier 5 monster. All the notifications were from Tier 6 and Tier 6 mutants, meaning Karsha now had a plethora of Killer Points (KP), Skill Points (SP), and Experience Points (Exp).

Since these rewards couldn't contribute to Attribute or stat points, they were all allocated to the three points.

Most of the kills were of other breeds of snakes in the Thunder Peak quadrant. While Karsha was pleased with the rewards, he also felt concern for their safety. Not receiving any notifications about his party members' deaths, he continued reading through the rest.

Just as he was about to close the window, a new message popped up, catching him off guard.

< New Chain Quest Triggered >

< After the discovery of the Lightning Fruit, a chain quest has been triggered and the host must complete all within 10 days >

[ New Quest. ]

-- Obtain the absolute fire crystal from the Blazing desert and absorb it.

-- Location will be marked on the Map.

-- Upon completion, the next quest will be updated.

< Rewards >

-- Legendary Rank sword (Fire Type sword)

-- High-Level Fire Crystal

"Another quest, huh? Keep them coming," Karsha spoke, grinning from ear to ear. "I need to get the Shadow Guards back. Our job here is done."

He stood up and deactivated the domain, ready to head back and look for the Shadow Guards. However, just as he was about to move, a voice called out from 1000 meters away.

"We've completed the task you assigned us," Dhaka spoke as he and his team started walking toward Karsha.

"Oh, you're here. I was just about to head back in to look for you," Karsha said with a smile. "Since you're done with the task, we can move to the next location."

"Okay," all five Shadow Guards replied in unison. "By the way, how many monsters did you kill and what did you gain?" Karsha feigned ignorance and asked about their kills.

"We killed 5 Tier 5 monsters, 803 Tier 6 monsters, and 53 Tier 6 mutants," Dhaka replied with a smile.

"Wow, that's awesome," Karsha exclaimed, trying his best to sound shocked, which brought smiles to the faces of the five Shadow Guards.

"We also managed to collect 120 Orbs," Ayarr, in charge of the drops, added. This time, Karsha's surprise was genuine.

"120 orbs? That's a lot," he said in a slightly surprised tone, though he quickly composed himself.

"Yes, we killed a lot before reaching the 120 mark. I hope that will suffice for this section. I know you enjoy this stuff," Ayarr added, making Karsha smile brightly. He indeed fancied the drops; after all, he obtained an armor set from them.

"You guys should break them and see what we can get. We're moving to the next location, the Blazing Desert, home of the Infernoscale fire serpent," he continued as he retrieved the flying boat, and they all jumped in.

It would be a two-hour journey, but since they didn't spend much time in Thunder Peak, they might just be able to complete two sections in a day.

"Tifa, you can steer the boat; I will be meditating. The rest of you can break the orbs and see what cool items we can find from them."

After giving the instructions, he settled at the back and allowed his consciousness to slip back into the System subspace, where he would spend the next two days running the 108 combinations again with his perfect clone.

Inside the subspace, Karsha engaged in another intensive duel with his clone. He wasn't initially proficient in swordplay, but as he continued to spar with the clone, his understanding began to expand.

He started to identify and correct the mistakes he had been making, swiftly adjusting his techniques by mirroring the flawless display from the clone. He knew he still had a long way to go, but with the clone as his training partner, he felt he could progress faster than others.

For two whole days, Karsha and the clone continued their intense training. This time, he only died once, and that happened early in the duel. Since then, he had managed to defend and even counter a few times. Though he still had much to learn before he could take the offensive, the fact that he could counter at all showcased his exceptional comprehension speed.

"I'll be back again, pal," Karsha said to the clone before exiting the subspace. The first thing he landed on was a stockpile of weapons, skill books, scrolls, artifacts, and much more.

"Wow, that is a lot of items," Karsha said, scanning through the array of weapons, skill books, scrolls, artifacts, and more. He was on the lookout for something that might suit him, noting that most of the items were geared towards assassins, shieldbearers, archers, mages, and finally swordsmen.

"So, the drops are determined by who kills the monsters," Karsha quickly deduced the distribution mechanism.

While a swordsman might occasionally receive drops for daggers or other weapons, it seemed largely random. Judging from the items in front of him, the majority were tailored to the class of the one who made the kill.

Given that the five Shadow Guards belonged to different classes, their drops were shared accordingly. There were only five swords, and four of them were short swords, which meant Dhaka, the sole swordsman in the group, would be the one to wield them.

Although Karsha could technically wield any sword, he had a preference for longswords. "I'll be taking this one; the rest are useless to me. You can share them among yourselves," he said decisively, picking up the longsword and leaving the five guards visibly shocked, their jaws hanging open in disbelief.

"Are you sure? These are all valuable items," Alida asked, uncertain about his decision. Karsha simply shook his head and began swinging his new sword to familiarize himself with its weight and balance.

< Amber Jinx Longsword >

Grade: Epic

Category: Weapon

[ Abilities ]

- The blade of the Amber Jinx Sword secretes a potent venom upon contact with an opponent's skin, causing paralysis or weakening over time.

- When swung with precision, the sword can create illusionary duplicates of itself, confusing enemies and making it difficult for them to discern the true location of the blade.

"This is a good sword. I only hope it can withstand the yin-yang lightning," Karsha muttered, testing its capabilities with each swing.

< The host can use synthesis to combine two or more swords, including short ones, to form a stronger sword. Note: You can synthesize up to Tier 4, which is the Legendary Grade level. >

"Shit, I forgot about that. I will try that on the next drop," Karsha muttered to himself, realizing he had already given away the drops to the Shadow Guards.

"We are here," Karsha announced as they arrived at the borders of the Blazing Desert. "Damn, this place is hot."

Even from 20 kilometers away, the intense heat was palpable. "Are you guys okay?" Karsha asked, noticing the discomfort on the faces of four of the five Shadow Guards.

Alida, however, seemed unfazed, feeling quite at home in the fiery environment due to her strong affinity for fire.

"Damn it, I should have concocted fire resistance pills too," Karsha cursed under his breath. He hadn't anticipated the extreme heat of the place. With no other immediate solution, he turned to his trusted assistant, the system.

'System, do you have a fire-resistance pill?' Karsha inquired.

< Yes. 100KP for Common Grade, 500KP for King Grade, and 10,000KP for Tier 1 Earth Grade. Higher grades will be made available as the host advances in ranks. >

'What are the effects of the Earth Grade Pills?' Karsha asked further.

< Fire Resistance Pill >

Grade: Earth

Purity: 100%

-- Gain 90% immunity to fire for 4 hours.

'Alright, buy 8 pieces'

"This is a fire-resistance pill. Since you four seem to be having trouble with the heat, this pill will help you withstand the environment," Karsha explained, handing over the pills to Dhaka, Tifa, Killian, and Ayarr. "Alida, since you're unaffected by the heat, you won't need one."

"It's not 100% immunity, but it should give you about 4 hours of protection. I've given each of you two pills just in case you need to stay longer than expected. Try to leave the desert before your pills run out," he advised them. The five nodded in understanding before jumping down.

"Ayarr, take the boat with you. It might come in handy," Karsha instructed.

"But won't you need it?" Ayarr asked, concerned.

"I'll manage. See you guys later," Karsha assured them. With that, black and white lightning enveloped him, and in the blink of an eye, he was 3 kilometers away, speeding toward the blazing desert.

The five shadow guards gazed at his trail with their eyes wide open. "He never ceases to amaze me," Dhaka said, shaking his head.