13 Tooba

Chapter 13 – Tooba

Whoosh…

Blinding light assaulted his eyes. When he opened them again, he was surprised to discover that he was now inside a huge hall where a statue of an elf holding a bow stood at the center.

The rays from the sun shone upon the statue as the open ceiling revealed the ashen grey clouds above.

Strangely though, the chasing monsters from earlier no longer chased after him. It was as though they were afraid of coming in.

"Phews~ That was scary!" Jhin exhaled loudly. Then his gaze landed on the statue.

The statue was about a two-story building tall. It was covered by dusts and algae. Even so, it couldn't hide its grace and splendor. The way her sharp features complimented each other; it was really a masterpiece, making Jhin in awe. Especially when he stared at her face, he was enchanted, the word gorgeous keeps replaying inside his mind.

Jhin noticed that except from the statue, there was nothing else inside the hall. Not even doors nor window. The only exit was the open ceiling and the tunnel guarded by countless giant spiders.

"Hmm?" Suddenly, Jhin felt something heating up from his wrist. He looked at it and realized that it was the shrine key rune.

"Time is the greatest story-teller of all. Say stranger, what is the true meaning of life?" A voice mysteriously sounded inside his head. Jhin froze in shock. It was only after a few breaths that he was able to recompose himself. He lifted his head and stared at the pair of glistening eyes.

"Who are you?" Jhin asked in surprise. Who would have thought that a statue could talk? Much more, in such a beautiful and refreshing voice.

However, Jhin received no reply. In the end, he decided to simply answer the question. He was curious yet cautious about the statue. Not only was it capable of speech, it was also able to cast two magic circles in its eyes; thus turning the rough eyeballs of the statue into an eye similar to a real one.

"The true meaning of life huh." He hummed before lifting his head and staring at the statue's eyes. "I think there are two answers. One… is To Live! The other is To Die!" Jhin said. Then he paused for a moment before continuing, "In my case, I strive to die better."

In his past life on Earth, he had worked so hard just to become rich, to live better. However, when he was on the brink of death, he realized that his act of amassing wealth went too far. He neglected lots of important things.

Instead of using the wealth he accumulated to spend more time with his family and friends, he chose to invest more in the business. And for what? For a meaningless reason… to obtain more wealth which he didn't lack. Resulting to a death full of regrets.

Now, all he wanted to do was to return to Earth and clear all of his regrets. That way, he could die better at any moment. The pain of dying with your last thoughts being 'regrets' was so overwhelming.

"Interesting!" the magic circle in the statue's eyes shone. Suddenly, two magic circles appeared on both of her hand. In an instant, the space was ripped opened as two portals the size of a door appeared in front of Jhin.

Jhin's eyes wandered and was attracted by the sight, one of the portals revealed. Behind the glistening water curtain of the portal were mountains of gold and countless treasure chest. Drool started dripping from Jhin's lips. His eyes were shining like stars. Then his gaze shifted to the side.

"Eh? A dark room? Wait! Is that a cat?" Jhin mumbled. Contrary to his expectation, the other portal didn't reveal any treasures. Instead, what he saw was an ancient wooden bed where a black cat was sleeping.

"Now choose between the two. A portal of instant riches and wealth. Or a portal of compassion and unknowns?" the statue spoke, its voice carried hints of amusement within them.

Without hesitation, Jhin had his gaze focused on the mountain of golds. In a loud voice, he said, "Of course! I will choose the…"

But before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the system's bell chime.

[Ding! The Ink Collector System has issued its first quest.]

Quest name: Abduct the Cat

Quest Description: Instant wealth leads to ruin; a competent man wouldn't choose the easy stuffs. Choose the portal leading to the cat and convince it to follow you.

Reward: Infinity Gourd

Punishment: The Ink Collector System will shut down for three months

Time Limit: 30 minutes

Staring at the interface in front of him, Jhin was dumbfounded. His mouth hung open. He wanted to decline the quest but to his disappointment, he couldn't see the decline button. It only means one thing; this is a compulsory quest.

With a face akin to crying, Jhin lifted his head and continued, "I… I will choose the portal leading to the cat."

"Hahaha, enter the room then!" The statue grinned.

Jhin watched as the portal leading to the room where the treasure chest was stored started fading. 'My wealth and reaches!' he cried inside. His heart was bleeding.

With a blank expression, Jhin commanded the ink soldier carrying him to enter the portal.

The next instant, Jhin found himself standing in the dim lit room. He stared at the cat on the bed. It has fur as black as ink. Although, it was small, Jhin could somehow feel an invisible pressure from it.

"Hi cat, I'm Jhin Herangel, a kind and virtuous young man." Jhin introduced himself. Then he started scanning the room. Hoping to uncover some treasures. However, aside from the inscriptions decorating the floor and the walls, there was nothing else his eyes could see.

Jhin sighed inside, then he inhaled deeply. 'Hmm? Why is it that the room smells like a girl's room?' Jhin asked himself. He caught a whiff of a peculiar scent. It was akin to the room of his sister, only, the smell was different.

"Hi little thing, may I know what you are doing?" Jhin politely asked. If the statue could talk, then it was possible that this cat could talk too.

Jhin waited but the cat still ignored him. In the end, Jhin could only grumbled inside, 'Damn System! How do you expect me to convince this little cat?' Much less replying, the cat didn't even bother to open its eyes.

Jhin willed the ink soldier to move closer to the bed. Coincidentally, his gaze landed on the bedside and saw runes inscribed. "Hmm? What is this? Too… Ba?"

The rune formed an unknown character but when read using English, it formed the word 'Tooba'.

"Are you Tooba?" Jhin asked the cat. "Then Tooba, do you mind if I sleep in your bed for some time?"

In response to his question, the cat opened its eyes and stared coldly at Jhin. It lifted its paw and tapped the air. In an instant, Jhin felt himself teleported back to the hall. Surprisingly, the same black cat was now resting on his ink soldier's shoulder. Gazing down at him with its pair of moon-like eyes.