Ch-2: Hidden Quest

In the nearby village, the sudden appearance of multiple flashes of blinding white light caused the villagers to stop in their tracks and look up at the sky in awe, as the light slowly descended toward the ground, illuminating the entire area with an otherworldly glow. Various figures began to emerge from within it, each one adorned in modern earth clothing. Adam stood in place, among them, as the figures emerged from the light. He noticed that the villagers paid him no attention as if they were accustomed to the appearance of outsiders from other worlds

Adam did not pay attention to his surrounding as his eyes were focused on the texts in front of him

[ You have arrived at the beginner area ' Everdale Village' ]

[ System has gone online ]

[ You can view your status now by saying status open ]

"Status open" Adam whispered under his breath as his status window materialized in front of him

< Name: Adam Bright >

< Age: 18 >

< Race: Human >

< Class: ????? >

< Level: 0 >

< Tier : 0 >

< Bloodline: Origin Bloodline(Rank: Divine) >

< Bloodline Physique: Origin Physique >

< Blood essence: Locked >

< Strength: 50 >

< Health: 100 >

< Defense: 20 >

< Agility: 40 >

< Stamina: 60 >

< Intelligence: 81 >

< Charm: 70 >

< Mana: Locked >

< Skills: None >

As Adam looked at his status screen, confusion clouded his face. "Humans can't have a blood essence or bloodline. That's what the man said, right? Then why does my status show that I have a divine rank Origin Bloodline and locked blood essence and mana?" He muttered under his breath, scanning the information again.

He scratched his head, trying to make sense of it all. "And what is this Origin Physique? Why can't I view my class?" The questions kept piling up in his mind, making him even more anxious about his current situation.

With a deep sigh, he made up his mind. "I need to find a library and learn about my unknown bloodline and physique. I have to understand why I have a bloodline, and what will happen when mana invades my world. I can't just sit here and do nothing." He said to himself, determined to find answers to his questions

[ Ding Dong ]

[ Two quests have been assigned to you by the tower ]

[ Quest: Beginner Warrior ]

[ Description: Eliminate ten level 1 or higher level monsters and reach level 1]

[ Reward: Unlock the blood essence and mana status, Unlock your bloodline ability called ?????? ]

[ Difficulty Rank: G ]

[ Quest: Information Gatherer ]

[ Description: Visit the village library and acquire knowledge about the impact of mana on a new world, the various ranks of bloodlines, the different classes that players can acquire, and the grades of items ]

[ Difficulty: E ]

[ Reward: Experience ]

"Whoa, this is all happening so fast!" Adam exclaimed in disbelief as he read through the notifications on his screen. "I never would have imagined receiving quests already. This new world is full of surprises."

He furrowed his brow, trying to make sense of the two quests assigned to him. "This is odd. Shouldn't slaying monsters be more difficult than gathering information from the library? Why is the difficulty rank higher for killing mobs than for acquiring knowledge?" Adam pondered, his mind swirling with confusion.

He shook his head, feeling like he was missing something important. "There must be more to it than meets the eye. I'll have to be extra careful and thorough in completing these quests," he muttered to himself, a sense of apprehension creeping up on him.

[ Ding Dong ]

[ You have been identified as a reincarnated being from Earth and will be registered under the Earth servers ]

[ Registering ]

[ Registration successful ]

[ Alert! Alert! ]

[ Congratulations, Adam Bright! From now on, your name will be displayed on the leaderboards whenever you achieve a noteworthy accomplishment. Keep in mind that leaderboards will only be unlocked once a player fulfills a hidden requirement. ]

[ Strive for excellence, as leaderboards can grant special rewards, and the first person to unlock a specific leaderboard will receive a unique prize. Good luck on your journey!]

" Huh??" Adam muttered with a mix of surprise and curiosity as he read the notification. "It seems like I've already been identified as a reincarnated being from Earth and will be registered under the Earth servers. I suppose it's not too surprising, given my situation."

"Interesting, Earth servers and leaderboards," Adam murmured thoughtfully. "I don't really care about being recognized, but if participating in these leaderboards can make me stronger, it's worth a shot."

" I wonder how many types of leaderboards there are and what are the conditions for unlocking them" Adam's curiosity was piqued as he wondered how many types of leaderboards existed and what the requirements were to unlock them. He couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement at the thought of using the rewards from these leaderboards to further enhance his strength and abilities in the near future

"I need to start completing these quests," Adam said to himself, feeling a sense of urgency, he remembered that he had no logout option on his screen

Adam was sure that this was not just a game but another world like the world he reincarnated in, he was confused did he die again or was he just teleported here? Moreover, he did not even use a VR helmet but is still in this world

Adam shut down the interface and surveyed his surroundings, taking note of the flurry of activity as players hastily exited the village in a rush to level up

"Excuse me, good sir," Adam said to the middle-aged man tending to his flowers. "Might you have knowledge of the location of the village library? I find myself in need of perusing some texts."

The man looked up from his gardening, studying Adam with a furrowed brow. "A new otherwolder, eh?" he said, scratching his chin. "I suppose I can assist you. If you venture past a series of establishments, including a curio shop and a sweets emporium, you will find an old run-down house which is the library of the village"

As Adam stepped out of the flower garden and onto the bustling street, the chaotic sounds of the market enveloped him. The throngs of people, each hawking their wares and clamoring for customers, made it difficult for him to concentrate. Everywhere he looked, there were vendors peddling items he had never seen before swords with jagged edges, armor that looked impenetrable, and strange potions in bottles of all shapes and sizes.

"Ah, you're looking for a sword that can cut through steel? Look no further, my friend, this blade was forged in the heart of a volcano!" exclaimed one shopkeeper.

"Armor that can deflect even the strongest of blows? You won't find better quality anywhere else!" boasted another.

Adam couldn't help but feel overwhelmed as he walked past row after row of shops, each beckoning to him with promises of high-quality goods. Despite his desire for new weapons and armor, he knew that he had no money to spare. The thought of engaging with the shopkeepers and being swindled out of the meager coins that he received from the tower was enough to hesitate in conversing with the sellers, he would come back here when he had money

Instead, Adam quickened his pace, hoping to reach his destination - the village library - without being waylaid by any more temptations or distractions. As he walked, he tried his best to block out the cacophony of sounds around him, focusing only on the sound of his own footsteps as he moved ever closer to his goal

After walking for some time, Adam arrived in front of an old, run-down wooden shop. He couldn't help but wonder if this was really the library he was looking for.

"This place looks ancient," he thought to himself.

As Adam's eyes wandered, they landed on an old man sitting in a chair, reading a dusty old book. Adam approached the old man to ask him a question.

"Excuse me," he said, trying to grab the old man's attention.

The old man looked up at Adam with a hint of annoyance, but as he observed Adam more carefully, his eyes shone with a peculiar light.

"Hmm, what do you want, brat?" the old man asked grumpily.

"Is this the library?" Adam inquired.

"Yes, and I am the owner. But why do you ask?" the old man questioned curiously.

"Great, then can I read the books in the library? I need to gather some information," Adam requested.

"Huh? Do you want to read the books in the library? Are you not a new otherworlder? Why do you want to read instead of going outside the village to get stronger by killing monsters?" the man asked, with piqued interest.

"Well, I think it's better if I learn about this world before starting the journey" Adam replied. "The man I saw at the beginning said something about this being more than a game and that changes will happen in the real world. And for some reason, I felt he was not lying." Adam was sure as he was the living proof due to his reincarnation

The old man raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Ah, I see. So you're not just a mindless player who's here to kill monsters and level up. You're actually interested in the story behind this world."

Adam nodded "Exactly. I want to know what's going on and why it's happening."

"Hehe, this is the first time a newbie otherworlder has been interested in reading some books. Most of the time, only residents of the tower show any interest, but even they don't want to enter this filthy old store," replied the old man with a grin.

"I have no problem, so can I enter?" Adam asked.

"Well, you have to pay me a thousand gold coins," the old man said, grinning mischievously.

"What? Why so expensive?" Adam asked indignantly.

"My shop, my rules," the old man shrugged

' Heck, that's the reason no one wants to enter his library, he is a rip-off, now I understand why this quest is higher ranked than the other, curse you old man '

Adam's heart sank. He had been so excited to explore the library, but he didn't have that kind of money. He cursed the old man silently, thinking that this must be the reason why no one wants to enter his library

"Hehe, I think you were thinking something rude in your mind?" the old man said with a frown.

Adam shifted uncomfortably. "No, no, but can you tell me how much more a gold coin is worth than a single bronze coin?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, a thousand bronze coins are equal to one silver coin, and a thousand silver coins are equal to a single gold coin," the old man replied, sounding indifferent.

' Damn, rip-off' Adam cursed under his breath. He couldn't believe the old man was charging such an exorbitant price.

"Can you lower the price? I only have a few bronze coins," Adam asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Nope, but..." the old man trailed off, looking thoughtful.

"But what?" Adam asked, hopeful.

"I do have a proposition for you," the old man said, a sly grin creeping onto his face. "I need someone to do a little job for me, and if you do it, I'll let you into the library for free."

The old man looked at Adam inquisitively and said, "I must admit, it's not often that I come across a new otherwolder who wants to read my books. But I'm willing to make a deal with you. If you complete a task that I've never given to anyone else, I'll let you access the books and even reward you."

As he spoke, a screen popped up in front of Adam, displaying the details of the task.

[ You have received a hidden quest ]

[ Quest: Core Collector ]

[ Description: You have been issued a special task by ?????? who wants you to collect one hundred energy cores from tier 1 beasts, the possibility of a beast dropping an energy core is one in a thousand ]

[ Difficulty Rank: E ]

[ Reward: Access to the old man ???? personal library, a hidden reward from ???? ]

[ Do you accept the quest?? Yes/ No]