Chapter 27 - Launch

Mari pressed her hand on the top of the box, causing the flashing green button to transform into a steady glow. The box clicked and a hissing noise rang out as the sides began to lower, revealing a small hidden compartment inside. Among the familiar assortment of coins and resource crystals, two items caught Mari's attention—a swirling purple orb containing a boiling liquid and an intricately designed ring.

Thanks to Emilee's previous demonstrations, Mari understood the significance of rings, which symbolised special abilities. As for necklaces, Mari had discovered their large effects firsthand, possessing her own amulet—the [Anthem of Light]. When activated, it emitted a bright flash of light in all directions, blinding and stunning all enemies for a short time. If it wasn't for this amulet, she wouldn't have gotten away from the lizard men event the first time. However, Mari chose not to disclose this trump card to her companions just yet, as she still wasn't fully comfortable with them.

Curiosity piqued, Mari lifted the purple orb and examined it closely. Could this be her event pass for the upcoming tournament? Before she could ponder further, Emilee interrupted her thoughts.

"Smash it, and you'll find the event pass inside," Emilee suggested with a mischievous smile.

"How do you know?" Mari inquired, intrigued by her friend's confidence.

"We already have one," Elena chimed in, producing a small steel token from her pocket and displaying it to Mari.

Mari couldn't contain her astonishment. How did they manage to already have a token? When did they obtain it?

"Yesterday," Trev responded to her unvoiced question.

Mari was impressed they had one too, though she understood that rare events weren't impossible to find, but they were intended to be just that, rare. Maybe the rare event ratio had been increased before the tournament. Without hesitation, she smashed the orb against the concrete, revealing an identical steel token to the one Elena possessed. Next, she picked up the ring from the box, and as she did, the box closed itself with a whooshing sound. Mari stepped back just in time as the box used its feet to hydraulically launch itself into the air, ignite a booster underneath it, and rocket off.

"Interesting," Trev remarked, clearly amused.

"Not what I was expecting to happen," chuckled Emilee.

As the box disappeared over the horizon, Mari refocused her attention on the ring in her hand. Crafted from gleaming gold, it showcased a small yellow square diamond-like stone. Eager to test if it was an energy item, she attempted to try it on. The ring slipped onto her finger and adapted to her hand. She activated its ability, and a flat, square shield about half a metre wide made from electricity materialised before her. Without hesitation, Mari removed the ring and threw it to Trev, believing he could make better use of it.

"Thank you," Trev expressed his gratitude with a smile.

"No problem. Use it to protect us," Mari replied, confident in her decision.

Trev removed his glove, slipped the ring onto his finger, and tested the shield power. As he did, his energy began to deplete, but it appeared he could keep it activated until his energy ran out. Once he released the shield, his energy slowly began to replenish. Mari had observed that mana was finite, energy regenerated gradually, and force required combat to replenish. The yellow and red resource crystals served to increase one's maximum energy and force, that's why they were much rarer. Whereas blue mana crystals all just added a fixed amount of mana to one's pool, that could be expended at any time and had no maximum.

With the event concluded, Mari could finally halt her relentless search for an event token. Instead, she could devote her efforts to levelling up and acquiring better equipment before the tournament commenced. She needed to become the best fighter, as only then would she have a chance to stand up to him and seek her vengeance. He was still out there, and she refused to believe that anyone or anything had killed him—the only way he would die, was if she extinguished him herself.

~~~~

Trev marvelled at his newfound ability, with just a press of a finger he could summon an electric shield. As a child, he used to play superheroes with powers similar to this, but he never thought it would become a reality. Although it drew upon his energy, he noticed it replenished gradually over time. He had previously wondered why his item scans consumed no energy, but it appeared that energy regenerated during periods of respite. Now faced with the conundrum of wearing the ring and his gloves simultaneously, he discovered that the ring seamlessly phased through the fabric, resting atop his gloves, enabling him to utilise both simultaneously.

"Does anyone have anything else they want to do today?" inquired Trev, breaking the momentary silence in the park.

The group remained quiet, each member contemplating their own thoughts until Mari spoke up when no one else voiced any ideas.

"Can we get me to level five today?"

Mari was half a level ahead of the rest of the group, so with the morning kills and her head start on Trev, she only needed a quarter of a level to level up.

"Sure! It's as good a cause as any," smiled Trev.

"Then let's go event hunting," smirked Mari.

Thus, for the remainder of the daylight, their mission became event hunting. Their plan involved exploring uncharted areas until they stumbled upon an event or temporary rest stop, dispatching any creatures they encountered along the way. The next event they found was a common one—an ambush event. Whilst navigating through a narrow alleyway with tall buildings on both sides, an event triggered. The group was suddenly beset by bear-like creatures with reinforced armoured hides, leaping down from the rooftops and surrounding them. Capitalising on the opportunity, Trev employed his electric shield, deftly blocking the bear's initial onslaught. The shield shocked the bear, not enough to kill it but enough to deter it from attacking the shield again. This was enough of a distraction to allow Elena to flank the bear and cut it down. The second bear met a similar fate, succumbing to a barrage of arrows and ice balls. In addition to the customary rewards of coins and resources, one of the bears dropped a fist weapon resembling a bear's claw. As it was a force weapon but not a blade, Elena didn't want it, so they planned to sell it when they returned to the rest stop.

Their subsequent encounter proved to be an uncommon event—a group encounter type. Eight sets of crimson eyes appeared from amongst the shadows within a small wooded area as they walked past, locking onto the group. With barely any warning, four wolves lunged at them, forcing each member to face a single adversary until they could secure victory individually and assist the others. Once the encounter concluded, only one of the wolves left behind a drop—a wolf pelt helmet, a force-based item that Elena claimed as her own.

Having successfully completed this event, Mari achieved her goal of levelling up. As the afternoon waned, they decided to return to the rest stop, their spoils for the day including five silver coins, one hundred and five copper coins, a wolf pelt helmet, a bear claw, an electric shield ability ring, and a handful of rare drops destined for the marketplace.