A Requested Gift
(A/N: Damn, this chapter drained me, 2.3K+ words. You guys asked for more and with this chapter I feel like I definitely delivered, or not, I'll let you guys be the judge of that. And I wanted to say that I appreciate all the comments, and I love responding to the comments and questions about this story.)
I stood there, in the sand, looking at something coming my way through the sand.
All of a sudden, whatever was coming my way through the sand stopped moving. A message popped up on the holographic blue screen.
[Penalty Quest: Survival]
Goal: Please survive until the end of the time limit.
Time limit: 4 hours
Remaining time: 4 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds
'Shit.'
As soon as the time changed to 3 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds, whatever was in the sand started moving once again. It was coming closer and closer.
I brought my dagger out of my inventory and held it in both hands. The unknown thing showed itself as the sand parted from said thing.
The name of the thing displayed itself above it. In white letters it said: 'Growing Sand Snake.'
The snake slithered its way closer and closer. Maybe I was hallucinating, but the snake seemed to be getting slightly bigger over the second.
The snake was about four yards away, slithering closer as it tried getting to my body. I flipped my dagger so that the blade was facing downwards. I tightened my grip on my dagger as the snake was now one yard away from my body. I put all my strength into one swing, bringing my dagger through the sand, and the snake. The blood of the snake spread over the blade of my dagger.
[You've killed a Growing Sand Snake]
After walking for a couple minutes a sound made me twist my head by instinct.
"Kiiiieeehhhk!!"
"Oh fuck, is that what I think it is?" I asked nobody but me.
I squinted my eyes. It wasn't that far away, I could tell it was getting closer. I anxiously swallowed my saliva. 'It's coming, and its fucking huge.'
Even though it wasn't next to me or anything, just the idea of that fucking centipede sent shivers down my spine. I started running the opposite direction of the centipede. I squinted my eyes once again. I could see the name of the fucking thing this far away. The red letters of the name really brought life to the monster.
"The Poison-Fanged Giant Desert Centipede," I mouthed out.
'So this is how Jin-Woo felt, except I guess i'm luckier since im farther away,' I looked down at my body as I kept running, 'except im a fucking four year old.' I slapped my forehead as I kept running.
'The name 'Penalty Quest' doesn't really give this place justice. I think a name like 'You're Fucked Quest' is much more accurate, at least when you're as weak as I am now. After getting stronger this will be a piece of cake.
"Kiiiieeehhhk!!" The shriek of the centipede brought me out of my thoughts.
'Oh yeah, I still got fuck face over here chasing me.'
I soon realised that I still had my dagger in my hands as I was running for my life.
'No wonder I felt slower,' I put the dagger in my inventory, 'I feel much lighter now.'
"Kiiiieeehhhk!!" The centipede shrieked once again.
"Yeah Yeah I know," I said out loud, as if talking to the centipede.
***
As I kept running around the sand desert of the 'Penalty Quest,' I had noticed that the 'Growing Sand Snake' I had killed earlier, just like the name suggested, would start out small and over time grow larger and larger. So whenever I would see one I would try my best to kill it before it could get any bigger, while at the same time running from the 'The Poison-Fanged Giant Desert Centipedes' as multiple started showing up. They were too big and I was far too weak and small to kill them.
'Tti-ring.'
[You've killed a Growing Sand Snake]
[Level up!]
I had killed nine 'Growing Sand Snakes' as of now. This was the first time I had leveled up during this 'Penalty Quest.' Though I wasn't surprised by this since the snakes were all small when I killed them. I looked over at the holographic blue screen.
[Penalty Quest: Survival]
Goal: Please survive until the end of the time limit.
Time limit: 4 hours
Remaining time: 0 hours 2 minutes 41 seconds
'It's almost over.'
***
After a little more than two minutes had passed, I appeared in the-not so missed-grimy cell, sand spewing out along the floor of the cell. The two elves-who seemed to have not moved-still having that horrified look as the little boy elf, who I assumed to be the brother, was holding tightly onto the little girl elf. The girl elf squealed as she saw me appear and land on the cell floor.
I panted and continued to pant, a bell sound surfaced through my ears.
'Tti-ring.'
[You've completed the 'Penalty Quest.']
A relieved smile showed on my face.
[Rewards for completing the Penalty Quest are now available.]
[Would you like to confirm the rewards?] (Y/N)
'Yes.' I looked down at the floor. 'With the sand on the floor, if the slave traders come back and see this mess they're going to have a haul of questions.'
[The following rewards are available.]
Reward 1. Three additional Stat points
Reward 2. One random box
[Would you like to collect them all?]
'Fuck, I don't get the 'Status Recovery' from the penalty quest.' I sat down on the cell floor.
'Confirm.'
The random box appeared to my right, so the two elves couldn't see my reward as it spawned out of thin air. 'I think they are still in shock, so I doubt they would say anything about my disappearance to the slave traders. And since the penalty quest is four hours, that would mean that it's four in the morning. So the two slave traders, and whoever other people they have in their crew, are probably sleeping.'
I twisted myself to the left and grabbed the 'random box,' making sure the two elves couldn't see me do my thing.
The box was wrapped and topped off with a ribbon. I opened the lid of the box. 'A pouch?' I grabbed the pouch out of the box.
[Item: Pouch]
A regular pouch. Useful in holding very small items. Can be stored inside inventory.
'What the hell am I supposed to use this for?' I looked down at my feet, seeing the little grains of sand. 'This is quite convenient at a time like this. If the slave traders saw sand in the cell, they would begin to ask me questions, which would lead to them asking the elves questions. And I don't want that, since they would probably tell them about how I disappeared and all of a sudden reappeared again.' I thought to myself as I glanced at the two elves, I then turned my head back down to look at the cell floor.
I started putting the sand in the pouch I had just been rewarded with, grabbing what I could, though I couldn't get everybit of sand, since well...it's sand. Once I was satisfied with my cleaning job, I put the pouch full of sand inside my inventory. The two elves looked at me with a confused expression.
'Now that that's done, I should add my points.'
'Stat Window.'
Name: Zefrow
Level: 3
Class: None
Title: None
HP: 310
MP: 34
Tiredness: 70(A/N: I don't really know how the tiredness thing works-stat wise- so let's just say 70 is like 70/100, so he's pretty tired, if that makes sense. I might change this in the future, I'll have to look over the novel and try to find what I can.)
[Stat]
Strength: 24
Stamina: 18
Agility: 18
Intelligence: 18
Perception: 15
(Available points to distribute: 3)
[Skills]
Passive skills:
- Tenacity Lv. 1
Active skills:
- Dash Lv. 1
'Put all three points in Strength stat.' I said in my head.
'Tti-ring.' The bell rang.
[Stat]
Strength: 27
Stamina: 18
Agility: 18
Intelligence: 18
Perception: 15
(Available points to distribute: 0)
As I looked over my 'Stat Window,' the 'MP: 34' brought a wave of realization through me. I was so busy running and fighting in the penalty zone that I had completely forgotten about my main focus. The other countdown that was going on during the penalty quest.
'It should have finished forming about an hour ago.' A smile formed on my face.
'Messages.' I said in my head.
[You have one unread message]
'Open.'
- ['Unique Mana Core' has been formed] (unread)
'Confirm.'
'Tti-ring!' The sound of a bell rang inside my head.
[Unique Mana Core]
The holographic blue screen of the system showed the description of the 'Unique Mana Core.' But as soon as I went over to the description of the 'Unique Mana Core,' the name changed.
[Clear Heart]
The 'Clear Heart' or otherwise called the 'Unique Mana Core' is the hold for the mana intake and reserves of the 'Player.' Over time the amount of mana that can be held will increase as well as the mana intake. The 'Clear Heart' will evolve in response to the 'Player's growth.
'Interesting description, so the 'Clear Heart' is what it's called huh?'
As well as the description, the system also showed what it looked like. It took the shape of a heart, but instead of it being red or black, the 'Clear Heart' just like the name suggested was clear.
I closed my eyes and tried sensing my newly formed Clear Heart. After a couple seconds I found it, it was on the opposite side of my actual heart.
'This is just like the 'Black Heart' that Sung Jin-Woo had. Except, something tells me that it's something completely different.'
And I seemed to be right. While the 'Black Heart' that Sung Jin-Woo had gotten from the Shadow Monarch gifted him tremendous amounts of mana, this 'Clear Heart' only gifted, or allowed me I should say, to take in mana and store it, just as normal mana cores would. My current mana, or 'MP' as the system put it, was 34.
But what really caught my eye was the clear aspect of the 'Clear Heart' or 'Unique Mana Core.' While the 'Black Heart' was black, just as the name suggested, and the mana cores of all the mages started out black, mine was clear.
For the mages of TBATE or Dicathen at least, all their cores started out black and progressively changed colors as the core became cleaner and cleaner, mana wise. My core was the opposite, or at least it seemed to be.
'Maybe since my core is clear from the start, the order would be the opposite, if there even was an order of progression.' I started speculating.
'If so, the order would go:
- Clear Heart
- Silver Heart
- Yellow Heart
- Orange Heart
- Red Heart
- Black Heart
But would the order even go like this, and there isn't even a 'Clear' stage for the mages?' Questions overflowing in my head.
"What about the 'light, solid, and dark' stages between them? Would those 'light, solid, and dark' stages be reversed too?" I mumbled out loud to myslef as I ran both my hands over my face.
'Maybe I'm overthinking this, yeah?' I asked myself in my head.
'I'm definitely overthinking this, I'm sure the system will answer my questions over time.
'Now that I think about it, the description of the Clear Heart said: The 'Clear Heart' will evolve in response to the 'Player's growth.'
'So there most likely will be stages, or atleast forms of progression as I get stronger and level up more.
Out of nowhere, a bell sound and new message appeared on the holographic blue screen of the system:
'Tti-ring.'
[You've received a message from 'The Light.']
[Would you like to accept?] (Y/N)
'A message from 'The Light?' The same 'Light' that put me into the TBATE world? The one responsible for the start of my TBATE experience, has sent me a message?'
'Yes.'
[Now that you have formed the 'Clear Heart' accessing and putting mana into this upcoming gift should be possible. With that in mind, I give you your second requested power/ability.]
[A gift has been attached to this message.]
[Would you like to accept the attached gift?] (Y/N)
'Yes.'
[You've received a gift from 'The Light.']
[Would you like to accept?] (Y/N)
I looked up, as if looking up at the sky, but the ceiling of the cell didn't let me see the sky. 'A gift you say, I wonder what it could be. Regardless, thank you 'The Light.'
'Yes.' I said in my mind, accepting the gift. As soon as I accepted the gift, a box larger than the 'Random box' appeared in front of me. The box was about a foot long and a foot wide.
I opened the lid of the box, I looked inside. A jar stood upright inside the box. Two spheric items with a string-like thing attached to them seemed to be in the jar. A smile formed on my face as well as a look of disgust. 'This looks way more weird and disgusting than in the anime.' I thought to myself, I was almost prompted to laugh for some reason.
I grabbed the jar with both hands, bringing it closer to my face, the look of disgust on my face intensifying.
'They're beautiful.'
[Item: Eyes of Obito Uchiha]
Rarity: N/A
Type: Eyes
Stage: 1 tomoe Sharingan
Ability: None
Perception: +3%
Agility: +3%
The eyes of Obito Uchiha. These eyes hold the possible powers of the Sharingan and Mangekyou Sharingan. The 'Eyes of Obito Uchiha' will evolve in response to the 'Player's growth and mental state. If evolved, hidden skills belonging to the 'Eyes of Obito Uchiha' can be unlocked. The stats of the 'Eyes of Obito Uchiha' will also enhance in response to the 'Player's growth. To Activate the 'Eyes of Obito Uchiha,' say/think the word of the 'Stage,' such as 'Sharingan' or say/think of the ability you would like to use.
[Would you like to equip Item?] (Y/N)
"Ha-ha-ha." A slight laugh escaped from my mouth.
The small laugh led to a small grin showing on my face, the small grin turning into a smile.
"Yes. Yes I would."
***
(A/N: Holy shit, i'm gonna give myself a pat on the back for this chapter. I had to do hella research to make sure I got all the wording and the stats right. Well anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Till next time.)