Title Deeds

| Profile | Grimoire |● Inventory |

Rows of empty boxes, one next to the other, cover the transparent screen in front of Nox. A wooden chest occupies the first box. The caption below it reads Exploration Bonus.

The young man taps on it, and a notification appears.

[/Key Required\]

He tries a few more times but the same notification pops up.

"Where do I find a key for this?"

{Loading…}

['I will provide your first key']

His eyes sparkle as his face cannot contain his smile. He extends both hands in an outward motion and waits.

A silver key forms mid-air and gently drops in his hands. The young man taps on it and it vanishes. When he opens his inventory, another box contains an item.

Nox taps on the chest, which it drops in front of him. It has a wooden frame and silver padlock keeping it closed. The key vanishes from the inventory and a click sound comes from the lock.

The chains rustle as they drop, and the padlock makes a thud. The chest's old hinges creak as it opens. Inside are a few Gold Coins and on top rests a parchment.

He dips his hands in and grabs a handful of coins. A clinking sound echoes in his ears as they drop on top of the others. After enjoying the sound they make, he's doing it one more time for the fun of it.

"Where do I put this?"

['Wave your hand in front of the chest to send it back to inventory']

He's doing exactly that and the chest vanishes.

He opens the inventory and sees an open chest, whereas the coins are in his account at the bottom right part of the screen.

"One Hundred and Twelve Gold Coins," he utters. "Not bad"

With excitement written all over his face, he unfolds the parchment and reads the first sentence with some difficulty.

"Title Deeds for the Prairie"

"Not an easy language to read"

['You will get used to it. Integration with Nox was successful']

"Maybe, but I still feel there are things of this world that I need to learn"

He continues reading it. At the bottom, there's space for a signature and a stamp.

"Signature and stamp? I'll leave that for later," he utters as he sends the parchment into the inventory. He looks up. "I should probably get something to eat before it gets dark"

He catches a few more fish, reaching Level 2, and builds a fire, successfully reaching Level 1.

After having his fill, he lies down by the fire gazing at the shining stars. He reaches out as if he's trying to grab them before nodding off.

The next morning finds the young man taking a stroll. He's getting himself familiar with the land while he tries to examine the glistening black rocks at the same time.

"I still can't believe that the first person to run into was Jenna"

['You know her?']

"I know of her. We were in the same school and had a couple of classes together"

As if he's having a sudden realization, he laughs. "Now that I think about it, yesterday was the first time we shared a conversation, not to mention the fact that she almost killed me"

['Her level is higher']

A grin shows on his face, and a glint appears in his eyes. "For now"

Their conversation comes to a halt when Nox comes across a black rock. He crouches next to it and examines it. The surface is smooth. He can't pick it up but pushing it a little isn't an issue. Later he has to take a break and catch his breath.

It's glistening but has no reflection. It's as if it's devouring the light. The black rock has an oval shape twice the size of an adult's head.

He picks up a normal rock of the same size and slams it onto the smooth surface. Pieces scatter in all directions, but the black rock remains without a scratch.

A thought crosses his mind and stops what he's doing. He ponders for a while before asking. "How does the Shadow spell work?"

['Place your hand where there's shadow and it will activate. Once activated you can become one with the shadow']

"Cool," the young man crouches once again. "Can I move around while being a shadow?"

{Calculating..}

['Affirmative. As long as there is light to cast shadows']

Nox points to the glistening black rock. "Do you think it will work on this thing?"

{Inspecting…}

[Results Inconclusive]

"Not helpful?!" he sighs and takes a seat next to the rock. "Do you know what it is?"

['It belongs to the Obsidian Minerals. This one seems to energize itself by consuming light']

After listening to Grimmy's explanation, Nox nods while getting up and walks in the village's direction.

{Loading…}

['I suggest you start the quest']

He shakes his head, saying nothing.

With his current level, he moves faster, not by much, but enough to arrive before noon.

"System Map"

There are a few buildings that need exploration and Nox picks the closest. With a crooked roof and rotting wood, the young man stands in front of the entrance. Supporting the weight of the house are the beams above the door.

He tries to pry the door open, but the whole house trembles. Wondering what to do, he tries to check the situation inside from the windows. As soon as he touches a window, a beam from inside the house falls, making a thunderous thud.

Nox tries carefully to open the door without succeeding. Even the slightest movement can cause a reaction.

He puts his hand close to the wooden wall without touching it. He reaches towards the shadow of the building, and as soon as his hands are inside the shadow, like a vortex, the surrounding shadows envelop him.

A purple-black aura as if it's growing from his body expands and integrates with the surrounding shadows, like it's setting the pieces of the puzzle together.

{Loading…}

[5MP used]

[Duration: 15 minutes]

[Cooldown: 19:58]

Without thinking, he integrates with the house's shadow. He moves with certain and unfamiliar freedom he has yet to experience.

Without the physical restrictions holding him, he dives in and out of the shadows.

(Duration: 12:09)

After enjoying it for a while, he uses his newfound ability and travels through the shadows and into the house.

He surfaces in the living room. Spider webs surround him. Splinters come out of the floor where the wrong move or a misstep can prove fatal.

(Duration: 08:17)

Nox positions himself with caution. He gently takes one step after the other on the squeaking floorboards.

Each time he steps off, like a trampoline, the boards bounce rings of dust. Through some cracks and semi-standing windows, sun rays shine through, revealing the particles floating around.

(Duration: 03:28)

The young man continues his careful walkthrough for a while before calling out the map. Once he verifies that the area is clear, he turns to shadow and leaves.

As soon as he steps out and materializes to his physical form, he feels a vibration that shakes the run-down house. He steps off in a hurry to avoid any unpleasant developments.

He's catching his breath when a screen pops up in front of him.

[/Emergency Quest\]

Protect the Village from the approaching horde?!

ETA: 2 hours

Rewards: 100 EXP

Rewards: 100 Gold Coins

Do you accept?

|Yes| |No|

[/Emergency Quest\]

"A horde? A horde of what?"

This kind of situation is a first for Nox. He's unsure of what to do, but the rewards are enticing. He taps |Yes|.

(1:59)

"Grimmy, can you tell what's coming and from where?"

{Scanning…}

['Multiple Life forms detected. They are approaching from the East']

Nox runs to the outskirts of the village and then some until he sees the horde in the distance. "What are they? Animals?"

The blistering heat from the sun in combination with the humidity of the ground shows a dancing group of asymmetrical figures.

['Goblins']

"Goblins? Such a thing exists?" the young man paces back and forth, losing himself in thought. "I don't think I can handle them with my level"

(1:19)

['Goblins are a weak race with low levels and intelligence']

Their trampling sends shocks to the village, raising dust off the rattling roofs.

['Their numbers are troublesome even for people with a higher level']

With the time he has, Nox runs back to the village and rummages around, looking for anything he can use as a weapon.

(59:01)

His options are rotting piles of wood and stones. "I have more of a chance if I throw the stones with my attack being level two, but my aim…"

(37:21)

He lets out a sigh and takes a deep breath as time is running out.

He waves his hand in front of stones sending them in his inventory and picks up a few pieces of wood he deems are solid enough to withstand a blow or two.

Once again, he reaches the outskirts of the village and waits to see the approaching Goblins.

(02:59)

When they are more visible, he takes a stone from the inventory, gets into position, and throws it with all his might.

It reaches the second row and hits a Goblin on its chest.

[1 EXP]

The stone leaves a dent on impact, but the Goblin continues its marching with just a grunt, leaving its mouth.

He ignores the fact that the damage he's inflicting is minimal and carries on with his current strategy. Some are missing entirely, others hit the mark barely making a dent.

[1 EXP]

[1 EXP]

The young man runs out of stones soon enough. He stands idle, with two rotting sticks in front of the impending danger.

Nox clenches his hands and moves forward towards the Goblins. With every step he takes, his pacing fastens until he runs at them, letting out a battle cry.

He swings the sticks, which both break on impact. One goblin waves its hand, sending him flying a few meters back, raising a cloud of dust where he crashes.

He gets up and stands in front of them. The only thought going through his mind. 'I want to go home!'

"STOOop!"

{Loading…}

[Negative Karma Activated]