15 Completion and Recuperation
I finally staggered into the tavern with the trusty combo of [Silent Sprint] and [Breathless Running]. My quest would've wrapped up much quicker if that pesky Elite Pure White Wolf hadn't crashed the party. Thankfully, those skills saved my stamina meter from going empty. Still, my real-world body feels like it has been made of paper, not muscle. The truth is, whether you're in the game or the real world, your real-life physique has a say in how you perform.
Maybe I should give myself a crash course in Spartan training like the good ol' days? But that's a story for another time. Right now, the mission clock is ticking, and I can't afford to let Lily down. Am I failing this secret quest? That'd be a trainwreck I'd rather avoid. Time to turn this quest in before it goes stale and becomes my worst gaming nightmare.
I swung the door open, and there was Lily, elbow-deep in utensils on the counter. Despite the neon "open" sign buzzing like a bee on caffeine, the place looked about as lively as a library during a snoring contest. I mean, last time I checked, this joint was like Grand Central Station for players and NPCs. But hey, if Lily was dreaming of a bigger, busier spot, maybe this was the first step in her quest for tavern domination.
"Hey there! You're not too fashionably late, so I'll let it slide. Judging by the state of you, I'm guessing you had a close encounter with the Elite Monster, huh? You're the one who bagged that beast, right?" Lily flashed a grin, mischief dancing in her eyes.
"You got it, and I'm here to cash in on that quest. Plus, I've got a little bonus for you – a Pure White Wolf."
Lily wiped her hands on her apron, looking all business-like, before gesturing for me to follow. "Alright, let's see those Gray Wolf carcasses you were supposed to fetch. Follow me, adventurer!"
I waited for her to finish up at the counter, then tailed her to the back of the joint. There, at the far end, lay an empty warehouse that seemed tailor-made for stashing monster remains. You see, I didn't want to stink up the tavern by placing the carcasses inside her establishment and tarnishing her spotless reputation. This warehouse had some magical odor-proof barrier, or maybe it was just some genius architect's idea to keep the smell contained. Either way, it was perfect. With a simple flick, I unleashed the corpses of both the Gray Wolves and the Pure White Wolf.
Lily raised an eyebrow and gave me an impressed look. "Well, hotshot, you weren't kidding. You really did take down the Elite Monster. Looks like it's an adult male, probably the big cheese of the Gray Wolves pack that's been terrorizing the forest. And it seems you didn't enlist an army to help you either, judging by the consistent damage and lack of weird battle scars. Did you solo this beast?"
I nodded, a bit out of breath. "Yep, that's the alpha of the wolf pack, all right. It showed up just as I was halfway through your wolf-killing request. Took me a good chunk of time to bring it down since it's a lot tougher than your run-of-the-mill Gray Wolf. Plus, it had the whole 'Elite Monster' title to make things interesting."
Lily grinned, clearly impressed. "Well, color me surprised. You've got yourself the escort gig, my friend. An adventurer who can slay a monster this size is definitely worthy in my book."
"Thanks," I replied, feeling relieved. "I was worried I might've flubbed it by taking extra time. This guy put up quite a fight, and I thought I'd be late turning in the quest."
She laughed heartily. "Hahaha, if you'd shown up late with only regular Gray Wolves, I might've kicked you to the curb right then and there. But if you'd rolled in late with this Pure White Wolf, I'd still hire you in a heartbeat. There aren't many folks who can solo an elite monster like you did. Alright, you look like you've been through the wringer with that quest. I'll give you a well-deserved breather here at the inn. Free meal, free stay, and your reward. It's a start, but the big bucks will come once you successfully get us to the Capital."
Then, the quest panel appeared and the confirmation message appeared.
-[Moving Out] Quest 1 out of 3 is completed!
-Got 10,000 EXP (Overachievement achieved. Rewarding 10,000 EXP for finishing the quest with perfect performance!)(Title Effects Activated, 20,000 EXP acquired)
-Got 200 Gold
- Congratulations on leveling up from 6 to 7.
-Got 10 AP (Title Effects Activated, 3 Bonus AP acquired.)
-Got 10 SP.
Sweet deal! Bagging 200 gold right off the bat is like hitting the jackpot before you even step into the quest arena. It's like getting a sneak peek of the epic loot train that's about to roll into town. This gold stash is gonna be the foundation of my financial empire, and I'm here for it!
Now, about leveling up, let's talk bonuses. Thanks to that nifty [Memento Mori], I've gone from a newbie to a pro in no time. Sure, my class might be the slowest, the underdog of leveling, but that's no excuse to be stuck in level zero forever. With some smart EXP management and quest hustle, you can climb the ranks quicker than a squirrel up a tree. Going for those lofty goals ain't just for the thrill; it's a surefire way to stack up the rewards.
The timing couldn't have been better either. My body's been screaming for a break after pushing it too hard. A little R&R is all I need right now. Time to kick back, relax, and enjoy the spoils of my newfound fortune.
After grabbing my room key and locating my assigned chamber, I wasted no time crashing into bed. My muscles were staging a full-scale rebellion, protesting against the wild acrobatics I'd been putting them through. Note to self: I seriously need to whip this body into shape for future adventures. It's like my limbs are on strike!
Ah, the game bed—still as comfy as ever, rivaling the real deal. But, you know, I can't stay plugged in forever. So, after securing my in-game pad, I gave my avatar a break by putting it in [Rest Mode] and gracefully hit the log-out button. It felt like I was being vacuumed out of the game, and suddenly, poof, I was back in the real world. Like, talk about an abrupt reality check!
...
I blinked my eyes open and found myself staring at the all-too-familiar ceiling.
"Back in the real world," I muttered, stretching my arm lazily into the air, releasing a hefty sigh of relief.
My legs didn't exactly share my enthusiasm, though. They wobbled beneath me as I tried to stand. Clearly, my body had taken a beating in that VR game. It's not surprising, really, considering I'm practically hardwired to my virtual avatar. Whatever I go through in the game, I feel it for real, but thankfully, without the whole limb-severing part. That would be a disaster.
Imagine if every time you stubbed your toe, it actually broke off! People would be rioting in the streets, protesting the dangers of the game. But, here I am, still in one piece, if a little worse for wear.
I knew I had to toughen up in-game if I didn't want to be a sitting duck, so I had some serious training to do. My sore legs made it clear that my real body needed some exercise too. But for now, I decided to give them a break and focus on awakening my mana.
As I lay there, I began to channel my inner energy, letting it flow through me. It was time to unlock those magical powers and special abilities that had been dormant for far too long.
According to the study, when an ordinary human steps into the Alternate World, something pretty wild happens. See, we all have this dormant power inside us called mana, just hanging out, doing nothing. But when you cross over into the Alternate World, it wakes up and starts going haywire, causing what they call "Overleak."
To keep that mana in check, we've got to do a little thing called "meditating." Yeah, it sounds kinda strange, especially considering most of us never knew we had magic in us. People used to think Earth was a no-magic zone because of the whole mana shortage thing.
But that theory went out the window when the Alternate World decided to play with our mana. Suddenly, we could use magic, and that changed everything.
Now, I've got the inside scoop on this mana awakening stuff. I don't need to sit around waiting for someone else to figure it out. Since I've already crossed over, it means I can tap into my latent mana. The sooner I do that, the better I can control it before everyone else catches on back in the real world.
I'm not just gonna sit back and let fate decide my future. Nope, I'm using every advantage I've got to change my destiny, and that includes my newfound magical mojo.
Meditation is pretty versatile. You can do it standing up, lying on your back or belly, sitting cross-legged, or just chilling in a regular chair. The key is to get comfy and relaxed. Now, my legs were feeling pretty sore, so my choices were lying on my back or belly. My Belly wasn't too comfy for this mana awakening stuff, so I went with the back option. Closed my eyes and zoned in on my whole body.
Back when I first started this, it took me a few days to figure out how to sense mana properly in my body. See, mana's kind of sneaky, hiding in the nooks and crannies of our bodies. If you don't know where to look, it's like finding a needle in a haystack. But hey, I've done this before in a previous timeline, so I just went back to where I knew my mana was hiding. If it wasn't there, I could cross it off the list. Lucky for me, it was still in the same spot.
Now that I'd found it, it was time to wake that mana up. I concentrated all my control on that spot, and things got a little wild as the mana started to stir. But I didn't back down; I cranked up the intensity. Before I knew it, mana was flowing through my body, and that warm, familiar sensation washed over me.
With the mana flowing, I started guiding it around my body, getting it cozy with my hands, eyes, legs, and ears. These are the basic places you want mana to hang out if you're planning to use magic or skills in the real world. And guess what? It worked like a charm. Sure, my mana pool was a bit shallow, and I ran out after getting things cozy, but that was enough for today. Pushing it further would've been asking for trouble with some serious consequences down the road.
With my successful mana awakening behind me, it was high time to kick back and relax. Tomorrow will mark the start of the escort quest, and I had to keep up this pace to stack up enough gold. You see, that gold wasn't just for show; I could eventually trade it for some real-world cash once it hit a certain threshold. But I wasn't planning to cash out all at once. I had to keep some in the game to keep the money wheels turning.
...
I woke up feeling somewhat recharged. My body still carried a bit of soreness, but it wasn't as agonizing as last night. I dug into my breakfast while reaching out to my folks in Nagoya. I asked them how things were holding up on their end, and they assured me that everything was fine. I could sense the truth lurking beneath their words, but I played along. I knew I was still powerless and broke, unable to offer them any real assistance. The right time hadn't come yet.
...
...
[Welcome Back, Bladeheart]
With me logging in to my account, it means it is grind time. I have a few SPs I didn't spend and some AP too. Distributing them would be a good idea in increasing my stats for the upcoming quest.
----
Name: Bladeheart
Level 7
Experience: 1000/14000
Health Points (HP): 3400/3400
Mana Points (MP): 1400/1400
Attributes:
Strength (STR): Very Poor
[AP Bar: 27/100]
Agility (AGI): Very Poor
[AP Bar: 33/100]
Dexterity (DEX): Very Poor
[AP Bar: 26/100]
Endurance (END): Very Poor
[AP Bar: 38/100]
Intelligence (INT): Very Poor
[AP Bar: 28/100]
AP left to spend: 75
Title: Memento Mori
Skills: Click here to open the skill trees
SP left to spend: 58
Equipment:
Head: Beginner Hood
Upper Body: Green Armor
Lower Body: Beginner Pants
Shoes: Beginner Boots
Gloves: Beginner Gloves
Necklace: None
Left Arm: None
Right Arm: None
Ring: None
Weapon: Versatile Weapon
----
I've got a bunch of AP in my stats now, but I'm scratching my head about how to spend it wisely. So, I decided to hold off on that for a moment and checked out my titles. Turns out, I've got a new one! I vaguely remember getting it, but I didn't pay much attention.
And there it is, my fresh title: [Elite Killer]. It's a bit different from my other titles, [Memento Mori] and [Death's Favorite], which are both Unique Titles. Unlike them, [Elite Killer] doesn't do anything unless you equip it. Since the other two titles keep doing their thing even when not equipped, it only makes sense to slap on [Elite Killer].
[Elite Killer]
Type: Rare Title
How to Get It: Take down an Elite
What It Does: +500 damage against Elite Monsters
Note: You've achieved what most adventurers only dream of. One step closer to becoming a legendary figure in history.
It's not mind-blowing, but it's a nice little bonus if I run into another Elite. But that's not my main concern right now. The XP I need to level up keeps growing, and it's only a matter of time before I need to find more ways to earn it.
