Quests, Penalties and Rewards

The holographic screen in front of me showed the main quest, a big task that felt like the most important thing of my existence in this mysterious novel world.

The quest had a really impressive goal: to make the not-so-well-known character, Alex, into a really important and unforgettable part of the story in the novel.

It was a complex challenge with many interesting paths to choose from. I could opt to become the evil antagonist, the very essence of evil, spreading fear throughout the story.

On the other hand, I could pick the way of a supporting character, with a changing and interesting story that would grab the story's attention.

I could also go for the option of being the strong enemy of the main character, Lux, making it really interesting by cleverly stopping everything he tries to do.

Lastly, there was the daring idea of going beyond Lux, the mysterious character who was a big part of the story's mythology. I could make sure my name is remembered forever in this fictional world.

The prize they were giving was really tempting—120,000 experience points that could maybe unlock amazing powers. But the punishment for not succeeding in this quest was serious and unforgiving: death.

The strange entity gave me a deadline of 999 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 56 seconds to figure out and finish this confusing mission. The rush of the quest didn't match up with what I wanted and felt, making me feel annoyed and thoughtful.

The really big and serious situation made me feel angry and defiant. I couldn't stop myself from wondering why the strange force would make such a fate for me. What made this mysterious entity do all this?

As I delved deeper into the quest's underlying intention, I gradually came to terms with the unsettling reality—it seemed the entity harboured a profound desire for my potential demise.

The quest turned into a clear choice, making me decide between giving in to the dark appeal of being a bad guy or taking on the role of the main character's biggest enemy.

Both paths promised treacherous trials and foreboding challenges, yet an irreverent notion bubbled within me—a silly desire to outshine the main character, to stand toe-to-toe with destiny in a climactic showdown.

"Hahaha.. It's interesting, this Quest is amazing!! "

This bold idea made me burst into uncontrollable laughter that echoed in my thoughts, a sharp difference from how serious things were.

In the middle of my laughter, a serious feeling came over me. It was time to think carefully about the choices I had with seriousness and determination.

The idea of giving up the chance for a calm life didn't sound good to me. I hadn't really lived that kind of life yet. After thinking a lot about it, I decided to choose a different path—one that would include all kinds of roles in this story.

I'd be the antagonist when needed, act as the main character's enemy when the story asked for it, go through the twists of being a side character, and even be the most unnoticed background character.

I wanted to make sure I had a lasting spot in this mysterious world, going against what the strange thing wanted.

More quests were coming, showing lots of different options. Some quests seemed really good, offering power, influence, or even love, while others seemed a bit scary, suggesting there might be tough choices about what's right and wrong.

{Become the lover of one of the female characters}(Side quest)[Accept or reject]

{Make your harem full of different species of girls}(Side quest)[Accept or Reject]

{Become the protagonist by killing the real protagonist }(Side quest)[Accept or Reject)

{Change the main plots of the story, from the shadows}(Sub quest)[Accept or Reject]

{Create an organisation that assists you from the shadows}(Sub quest)[Accept or reject]

Quests like being a lover or having many romantic interests didn't really match up with what I wanted right now, so I decided to think about them later.

Instead, I paid attention to two necessary smaller quests, closely connected to the main big quest. These smaller quests had important impacts on how the story would go.

(Sub-Quest){Part-i}

[ (1) Make Alex change 40% of the upcoming major events in the story.

(2) Do remember, Alex must not expose or reveal himself when changing the plot.

(3) Alex must change the events of the story from the shadows.]

[Rewards:- Depends on the plots changed]

[Penalty:- Crippled]

[Time left:- Infinite]

One of these sub-quests tasked me with a secret job: to change 40% of the important things that would happen in the story. But I had to be careful—I couldn't let anyone figure out who I was while doing this.

The chance for rewards and the responsibility of changing the story also came with a warning about possible bad outcomes. It reminded me that there were a lot of consequences in this made-up world.

(Sub-Quest){Part-ii}

[(1) Built an organization that helps you from behind the scenes.

(2) The Organization must consist of a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 250 members.

(3) Except members of the organization, Nobody should know about its existence.]

[Rewards:- Depends upon the magnitude of the organization.]

[Penalty:- None]

[Time limit:- None]

The other sub-quests had the important job of creating a secret group, hidden from everyone's view.

This secret group would be ready to help me from behind the scenes, maybe changing things in my favour. The bigger and more powerful the organization became, the better the rewards would be.

To my surprise, there was no looming penalty for failure—an anomaly within the framework of this enigmatic system.

The fact that there were no bad consequences in the second sub-quest made me really curious. I thought that maybe the mysterious entity wanted to show it wasn't into causing pain, or maybe it had a secret plan I didn't understand.

Even so, I started these sub-quests being careful, keeping in mind the limits on what I could do and the tricky balancing act I needed to do within the story's limits.

Thinking about these quests, my gut feeling told me to check the time. I realized that two hours had passed since I woke up. Knowing how time was passing reminded me that the academy entrance ceremony was coming up in just two weeks.

2 Weeks Later,

These precious weeks constituted my window of opportunity, a finite span for rigorous training, meticulous strategizing, and the formulation of a comprehensive plan to sidestep the inexorable pull of the narrative's main characters.

Fast forward to the culmination of those two weeks, and I found myself ensconced within the confines of the Arcane Academy's training room.

A sword gripped tightly in hand, my arm moved relentlessly, executing a thousand intricate motions.

It was a tough and really hard routine, like a test meant to make my skills strong for the tough challenges coming up. Every time I swung the blade, it showed how determined I was.

Within the esteemed Arcane Academy, a select cadre of 1,000 students was drawn from the global populace. Remarkably, a hundred of those coveted seats were reserved for underprivileged children, a classification to which the original Alex belonged.

The academy chose students in a fair and equal way using a lottery system. This way, students without important connections could get a chance for education without paying—a fair approach in a world that often favours the privileged.

"Huff.. "

Taking a break to see how far I'd come, I let out a tired sigh. I knew very well that the road ahead would be full of tough challenges, mysterious turns, and the continuous pursuit of my many-sided quest.

It would be a journey where I needed all my determination and ability to adapt, a story still waiting to be told in the history of this confusing world.

"Let's check my progress after hours of hard work".