11 The Dungeon
"I'll be washing the dishes sir." Zeke said as he finished his meal.
"Oh my, that's kind of you. Please be my guest." Felroy said as he got up from the table.
This is only Zeke's second day within Elysium. There's no rush to defeat the Evil King which, he now believes to be the current Elven King. After all, the madman massacred all humans within the capital making that land a human free zone.
Alongside this, there are various things that needs to be discussed. One includes the [Updates] of the [System]. These are the things added as a bonus from the [Gamer's System]:
[System Feature: Item Looting]
[Information: Allows the gamer to collect materials that monsters and other enemies may drop. Chances vary from common until legendary items. Only the gamer can see and touch these materials. If he wishes however, he can turn this option off for the purpose of trading materials and items.]
...
[System Feature: Language Apprehension]
[Information: Allows the gamer to understand languages aside from the common tongue of the people in Elysium. Ancient text can only be understood after the fifth patch of the system.]
...
[System Feature: Costume]
[Information: Allows the gamer to conceal armor and weapon by putting on clothing that he must first convert into costume.]
All the updates are favorable to Zeke. However, he wonders why there isn't any job class available.
"Maybe I'll get that at a later patch." He told himself as he started washing the dishes.
During their dinner, Zeke was able to get a lot of information out of old man Felroy. He asked if there are guilds here and, sure enough, Felroy told him that there is a guild in every town. However, the old man advised him against the idea saying that, guild members will always exploit new recruits by making them porters and, if necessary, use them as bait or decoy for monster hunts.
But this didn't faze him. In fact, Zeke plans to register there as morning comes. After all, he wants to repay the old man for his hospitality. Plus, he wants to get information on the bandits that attacked Hark's family.
"A [Sub Quest] rewarding me something connected to them means that they are a vital part of the main quest." He thought to himself as he finished washing.
He then took a bath and, went straight to his room, viewing all the [System] notices that he has muted. This is actually a feature added in the settings menu which is a good thing. After all, a [System Notice] popping up while he fights a group of monsters would probably be really distracting.
[You have successfully cleared the Optional Quest – Eat Dinner.]
[1 Skill Point is given as a reward]
...
[You have successfully cleared the Optional Quest – Wash the Dishes.]
[1 Skill Point is given as a reward]
...
"Okay, let's prepare a little bit before we head to that guild." Zeke thought to himself as he opened the [Skill Panel] again. Combining the [Points] he gained from the [Expiring Quest] and all the [Optional Quests] he has finished thus far, Zeke has a total of [52 Skill Points] which he can spend.
Zeke thought that, the reason why [Quests] come in various forms is probably because of the [Patch Update]. With the latest version of the [Gamer's System]; modifications came on how skills are upgraded. With the new patch, skills do not upgrade through continuous usage anymore.
[Skill Upgrade]
[Lesser Regeneration F]
[Cost: 1 Skill Point]
The system now requires him to invest his skill points in order to upgrade certain skills. Zeke actually thought that this is for the best because, skills like [Counter] would take forever to activate.
But then again, he still finds himself in a pickle. Zeke can't decide between buying new [Skills] or simply upgrading the ones which he currently owns. In the end, he decided to place it all on three of his already owned skills.
[Lesser Regeneration]
[Quick Step]
[Counter]
The cost for upgrading skills go up with the letter of its rank. After the [F] and [F+] rank, gaining the [E-] rank would require the use of [2 Skill Points] instead of just one. Hence, Zeke was only able to upgrade these skills until [D]. But this in itself is enough of a powerhouse with the update on their information.
[Skill Name: Lesser Regeneration]
[Information: Heals the caster and recovers most wounds except for those that tears off body parts. Regeneration is equivalent to 7.5% of the caster's health per 5 seconds. The regeneration scales with the skill's rank.]
...
[Skill Name: Counter]
[Information: Chances for the skill to activate is raised to 22.5%]
...
[Skill Name: Quick Step]
[Information: Sudden speed increase is raised to x3 of the original speed of the caster.]
"If I raise my health by upgrading [Endurance], the amount regenerated will also go up." He thought to himself, adding all the bonus attribute points that he gained to [Endurance].
With all the preparations done, Zeke went to sleep strategizing in his head as his body rested.
…
…
…
The following day, Zeke left the house early. He finished four [Optional Quests] before leaving which includes:
[Clean the House]
[Take a Bath]
[Cook Breakfast]
[Eat Breakfast]
All of which offered only [1 Skill Point]. It didn't matter though. Zeke thought that the reward itself fits the difficulty of these quests and, he thought of how gamified everything feels now.
As he entered the guild, all eyes immediately went on him. He can already see malice in their gaze but pretended not to notice. He just wanted to register and get a quest so that he could pay Felroy while also stacking up experience points.
"Good Morning, how may I assist you today?" A woman on the reception counter of the guild asked.
"I'd like to register as an adventurer." Zeke said.
"Of course sir, please fill up this application form." The woman said, handing out a sheet to Zeke.
"That includes all the rules and regulations of the guild, signing it would mean that the guild itself will not be held responsible for any damage or danger that you get yourself into during a quest." The woman said, smiling as the words came out of her mouth.
Zeke browsed through the 20 pieces of paper that included the rules. He was able to finish quickly because of [Inner Archive], the same skill he used to speed read through all the books in the library. After this, he signed the contract and handed it to the female receptionist.
Zeke then handed the single piece of gold coin that is required in order to finish the contract. The receptionist nodded and handed Zeke a [White Guild Card]. The size of the item is as small as a credit card and, it has a magical property of registering the power of its current holder. The card updates regularly making sure that there is integrity in the data of an adventurer.
As Zeke held it, a faint white glow appeared. The color changes depending on the power of the starting adventurer and, white means that he is below Level 20.
[Information Update]
[You have registered as an adventurer.]
[All quests you undertake within the guild will have a corresponding reward.]
"I knew this would happen." Zeke thought to himself, forcing back a smile as he went to the mission board of the guild. He looked for a mission that would enable him to practice with his current [Skills] and [Attributes].
"Hey there new guy." Zeke turned to find a man with spiky hair coming near him. He has a sword at the side of his waist, implying that he is a swordsman of sorts
Behind this person is a big and bulky guy, with a large shield on his back. There are two other men on the group, both of which seem to be archers. And, the last person is a woman holding a staff.
"Taking a mission on your first day?" The leader asked. Zeke saw their names and levels through his Analysis and, quite frankly, their levels aren't that high yet on Zeke's standards.
[Name: Marin Dario]
[Species: Human]
{Specification: Swordsman]
[Level: 21]
…
[Name: Boulder Gelf]
[Species: Human]
{Specification: Shielder]
[Level: 20]
…
[Name: Mark Swiftfoot]
[Species: Human]
{Specification: Archer]
[Level: 19]
…
[Name: Kram Swiftfoot]
[Species: Human]
{Specification: Archer]
[Level: 19]
…
[Name: Allesiah]
[Species: Elf]
{Specification: Spellcaster]
[Level: 21]
Zeke decided to play along with this group. He saw how good some of their equipment are and thought that, if they try double - crossing him, then he could just fight his way out of the situation.
"Yes I am. Though I'm kind of new to all this so I don't know which missions I should take." This is a complete lie of course. With the Gamer's System synching with the guild missions, [Analyze] can now see the rank of difficulty for each mission.
"Is that so? Then would you like to come with our group? We need one more member for a dungeon quest we took." As soon as the group's swordsman said this, a quest window popped up.
[Optional Quest: Join Marin's Party]
[Reward: 1 Skill Point]
"Really? I'd love to. Although I am not good with any weapon." Zeke replied wanting to have the upper hand with this group by hiding his combat abilities.
"Oh. That's fine. You can just be the party's porter." The swordsman said.
Zeke held back a smile as he accepted their invitation. There wasn't even any planning involved after he got recruited. They immediately went on their way, traveling until they reached Elysium's great forest and, within it are the various monsters of every rank.
"Our objective is to find the heirloom stolen by the goblins inside this lair." The swordsman said as they approached a cave.
"If you're all set, then let's get to it."
