Chapter 4

"How long has it been?" I groaned lying on my bed, my Zanpakutō resting beside me, I let out an exasperated sigh. "Four days of farming straight, how many times have I fought against those goblins?" I muttered to myself, disbelief evident in my tone. "Not only that but it had literally took me ten tries to beat that damn ogre."

I had quite alot of stat points to the ogre, and almost twice the amount in cash. Many close calls, countless adjustments to my strategy, and a fair share of luck and many health and mana potions had led me to victory. Though I learnt that upon defeating the monster that I had lost to, my lost stats and cash would be given back. 

I sat up, my gaze turning to the screen floating infront of me. "Show me my recent loot."

~

Goblin Loot {462/20 Goblins defeated}

x62 Rusty Short Sword

x73 Tattered Goblin Armor

x56 Crude Wooden Shield

x29 Common Dagger

x42 Health Potion

x31 Mana Potion

x14 Goblin Tooth Amulet

x18 Goblin Earing

x5 Common Ring of Agility

x125 Cloth scraps for crafting

x47 Goblin Bone Carving

x84 Goblin Hide

x57 Goblin Eye

x32 Goblin Spleen

x28 Goblin Liver

x17 Goblin Heart

x9 Goblin Brain

x91 Goblin Claw

x76 Goblin Fang

x68 Goblin Toe

x 53 Goblin Tail

~

Ogre Loot

x1 Ogre Club

x1 Ogre's Thick Hide

x1 Ogre Tooth Necklace

x2 Health Elixir

x1 Large Mana Crystal 

x1 Giant Ogre Bone

x1 Ogre's Eye

x1 Ogre's Stone Heart

x1 Ogre's Sharp Claw

x1 Skill Book

~

+20 Stat Point

+$960

+ 6 levels

+ 50xp

~

"Wow... so much gross and useless loot." I opened the marketplace and put everything usless to sale.

<Items sold>

+ $366.50

+ D1,466

"Wow that was fast, now that is what I call quick cash. Pretty nice I can choose how I want my money." I switched back to my inventory. "Alright lets see my remaining loot. The large mana crystal and the skill book..."

<Large Mana Crystal>

A crystalized form of mana, upon crushing it, your mana is permanently increased by 100.

<Skill Book: Grade>

Upon infusing mana the book unlocks, revealing a random skill that can be absorbed. 

I removed the crystal first and looked at it. It looked like a Hexagonal Prism. I took no time to crush it.

+ 100 Mana 

Next I took the book, a blank leather bound book. This was my first time manipulating mana but I had to give it a try, how did they do it in the shows and books? Focus and collect your energy into your hand? I closed my eyes and focused trying to direct mana into my hand that was on the cover of the book. It took almost 30 minutes of just sitting, I swear I probably looked quite stupid; and finally it happened.

~

New Skill Learned: Mana Manipulation lvl 1.

~

Opening my eyes I saw my hand covered in a sea-green light. I pushed the mana into the book and after a second the cover changed to become white with a golden cross infront of a sun. I looked at it in confusion and opened the book to find it blank.

"What the-" I was interupted as a new screen appeared when I touched the cross.

Would you like to learn the skill: Basic level Healing?

Can heal minor wounds such as cuts, bruises, and light burns. Recovering from minor to moderate blood loss. Critical wounds such as loss of limbs or damaged nerves and internal organs cannot be healed, but wounds can be closed. Cells that are fatally damaged, such as by burning, cannot be healed, resulting in permanent scarring.

{Yes} {No} 

"Well, anything helps. Healing will be nice even if it is basic." I accepted as the book turned to dust and the skill was added to the list. I turned my attention to the dungeon gate, the swirling vortex across the room tempting me to continue my adventure and all I had to do was enter it. However, after battling the ogre and farming the past four days, I knew I needed rest. 

With a sigh, I closed the dungeon gate and I stretched out on the bed, and stared at the ceiling. My thoughts swirled as I reflected on the battles I'd fought, the choices I'd made, and the path that lay ahead. I knew that the next section of the dungeon awaited, but for now, it would have to wait.

As my eyelids grew heavy and sleep beckoned, I couldn't help but wonder about the future. I didn't want to die to anything ever again, and wanted to become as strong as I could. What had annoyed me was that I had defeated the Ogre yet it had fell ontop of me killing me causing all my stats to go back to level 5, I had lost about 15 points. But that was not a problem with the points I had gained back, plus the 10, I had gotten for each level up. I had taken the oppurtunity to raise my stat's up alittle.

Name: Perseus Nova Jackson

Age: 12

Level: 7

XP: 50/7,000

Title: The Immortal Gamer

Species: Human

HP: 700/700

MP: 500/500

Strength: 20

Agility: 15

Endurance: 20

Wisdom: 15

Intelligence: 15

Luck: 20

Money : $1,326.5/ D1,633

Stat Points: 5

<----------------------------- >

The next day I had went to my classes like normal, though was forced to try out for the swim team after class and had passed getting a spot on the team. It was almost 7 pm by the time I started to head to my room, as I was walking I saw Grover leaving his room and heading somewhere. I was quite curious to see where he was going.

Curfew started at 9, so I had to be extremely careful not to get caught. I wasn't afraid of sneaking around; I just didn't want the school to inform my mom about my behavior. The last thing I needed was for her to be even more worried, considering she already had a lot on her plate with preparing to marry Paul. Making up my mind to follow Grover, I was about to head to where he had went when a screen popped up.

~

Quest Alert 

Find Grover without getting caught

Rewards:

+1 Agility

+70 XP

Failure:

Detention with Ms. Dodds

{Accept} {Decline}

~

I sighed and immediately accepted the quest as I made my way out of the room. My room was on the first floor, making it relatively easy for me to sneak out at the moment. I quietly made my way towards the staircase, avoiding any teachers. I ran in the cover of shadows to avoid detection, even though the corridor was empty. Finally, I reached the door and slipped out. Just as I stepped outside, another notification popped up.

~

Ping! New skill created Sneaking (Level 1)

Allows you to sneak up on someone or get around with the cover of darkness/shadows. 10% chance of not getting caught

~

I contemplated which place to check first. The most obvious choice was for Grover to be spending time with Chiron since both seemed to be related. I couldn't imagine Grover spending time with Alecto since she was a fury, and I couldn't bring myself to trust Hades. Deciding to check Chiron's room in the teacher's wing, I quickly made my way.

Chiron's room was on the ground floor due to him being 'specially abled,' making it convenient for me. As I approached, I saw Grover in the middle of a conversation with Chiron, evident from Grover's frantic waving of hands and the desperation on his face. Chiron, to his credit, remained calm, sitting on his wheelchair while trying to placate the satyr.

'What can be so important for Grover to behave like this?' I wondered. 'Might as well try to listen to the conversation, but I need a means to do that.'

Whether it was luck or bad luck, I found another window slightly ajar, which could help me eavesdrop. I couldn't stand right next to the window due to the light, so I had to crouch down a bit, staying in the shadows to avoid being detected. I wouldn't hear the whole conversation, but it was better than nothing. Just as I finished my line of thought, another screen popped up.

~

Quest Alert! 

Eavesdrop on Chiron and Grover

Rewards:

100 XP

?

Failure:

Chiron and Grover finding out about you

Loss of respect

{Accept} {Decline}

~

I raised an eye at the question mark. It seemed like I'd get a random prize on completion. I shrugged and tapped accept. As the screen disappeared, I settled into my covert position, and the conversation unfolded.

". . . . Percy acting strange, do you think he is a monster?" Grover's voice echoed, and I strained to listen to the hushed conversation beyond the window. The mysterious tone piqued my interest.

"I doubt it, there is something different about him. He is connected to our world, yet he is a mortal." Chiron replied, his voice carrying a weight that hinted at something more. Grover's panicked tone cut through the air.

'"Right, but what about Mariana? I caught the scent of a Kindly One at the school," Grover continued, the urgency in his voice heightening. What did Grover mean by 'Kindly One'? My confusion deepened.

"Peace, Grover, all we can do is wait and hope Mariana is ready when the time is right," Chiron's calm reassurance offered little clarity. Suddenly, the conversation became clear, as if the universe intended for me to hear it. "As for Perseus, we will have to wait to see who he really is."

I slowly backed away, taking extra precautions not to get caught. Just as I turned away, ready to make my escape, a voice that sent shivers down my spine interrupted my thoughts. Thankfully, Gamer's Mind activated, helping me compose myself.

"The smell seems to be coming from here," Alecto mused, appearing in my line of sight. Hidden, I remained undetected, but time was ticking. It was now or never. Just as I prepared to move, another screen popped up.

~

Quest Alert! 

Return to room undetected.

Rewards:

+100 xp

+2 Luck

Failure:

Death

{Accept} {Decline}

~

Without hesitation, I accepted the quest. Alecto was closing in, searching around. I turned sideways, clinging to the building's shadows, praying to avoid detection. Slowly, I maneuvered around the building, retracing my steps to the dorm. Alecto's attention diverted elsewhere, and fate seemed to be on my side that night. Safely back in my room, I breathed a sigh of relief, but the day had left me with more questions than answers.

Summoning my screen, I was greeted by a plethora of notifications.

~

Notification 1: Quest Complete! Find Grover without getting caught Rewards added.

+ 100xp : 150/7,000

Agility: 15 + 1 = 16 

~

Notification 2: Quest Complete! Eavesdrop on Grover and Chiron Rewards added.

+ 100xp: 250/7,000

Agility: 16 + 1 = 17

~

Notification 3: Quest Complete! Return to room undetected. Rewards added.

+ 100xp : 350/7,000

Luck: 20+ 2 = 22

~

 Notification 5: Due to continuous use, the skill: Sneaking. has leveled up!

Sneaking lvl 2

~

Notification 6: New skill unlocked! Running lvl 1

Your sprint speed is at 10 km/hr. the speed of an average human

~

My eyes widened at the abundance of rewards and new skills from this unexpected adventure. The path to improvement was laid out before me, and I had much work to do. Maybe I should farm some more?