Ancient Library of Dies Irae- I

In the end, what Saad had initially thought would be a quick task turned into three full in game days of meticulous writing. But finally, after tracing over 62,500 words and mending the torn cover, he completed the quest.

He had logged out last night late and logged in to go back to writing. He knew he could spend the blessing on other quests but this quest was insanely important to him and he realized that if Aeron didn't give him the blessing he would have failed the diary quest completely. The quest log confirmed his success as he wrote the last word:

 [Secrets of Emberflame - Side Quest]

Repair the old diary to discover the secrets hidden inside its ancient pages.

Requirements:

Use a pen and trace the words: 62,500/62,500

Mend the torn cover: 1/1

Rank: A

Rewards:

Repaired Diary

Advancement Materials (small chest)

Experience points +500

Penalty: You are able to undo your mistakes 5 times. Exceeding the number of mistakes may result in the loss of important clues.

As he finished the task, a message of completion appeared:

[You have perfectly cleared the quest. You have fulfilled the hidden requirements. You have received a hidden reward.]

In addition to the rewards listed, he received an unexpected bonus – a unique passive skill called "Perfectionist." along with an additional chest of advancement materials.

[Perfectionist]

Rank: Unique

With each stroke of the quill, you weave precision into existence.

Critical chance and accuracy are increased by 50%. You have 88% immunity to errors while writing and crafting. Chances of failure are reduced by 20% and you will receive a temporary buff on encountering a foe, receiving +10% damage output, +20% status effect resistance and +15% evasion for 30 seconds.

During these three days his intelligence had increases by 60 points and his dexterity increases by 52.5 points. And just not that, his lore lexicon proficiency increases by 28 due to the luck boost every time he uses the skill.

Saad was beyond delighted by the result. While he wasn't going to be able to take advantage of intelligence right now, dexterity was something important for him and with his 98.7 dexterity, Saad felt happier than ever because that meant more fluid whip movements.

Not to mention the passive skill was crazy. He never thought that he would be able to get something so good. It made him ecstatic for what was coming next. Because writing the diary had been a brutal and extremely boring task. While after writing 30,000 words, there had been an auto button but it still meant that just his hand was moving on its own. He has been awfully bored.

So he decided to open his reward chests, wondering just what could be in them. Before he started to read the diary for clues because God- he was so bored. He needed some excitement. What kind of game it was to make him suffer so much?

Saad opened his advancement boxes simultaneously and a notification rang.

[Your 100% luck is in effect. You have received additional rewards.]

Onyx Radiant Ink x20

Feathers of Horned Screamer x40

Flurite x20

Ice stones x 20

Augmento stone x3

As Saad received the advancement materials, his inventory suddenly displayed a silver exclamation mark. Curious, he opened it up to investigate. Among his possessions, the enchanted lore pen was the one highlighted with the exclamation mark.

[Enchanted Lore Pen Upgrade Available]

Use the advancement material to upgrade the rank of the lore pen.

Intelligence requirement: 70

*Your 100% luck is in effect. The intelligence requirements for the upgrade have been lowered.

Saad was taken aback by the opportunity to upgrade the pen. The 100% luck boost seemed almost too good to be true. If only there was a way to make it permanent. Nevertheless, he refused to lose hope. After nearly a month of playing the game, he finally felt like he was making progress.

He clicked the button to initiate the upgrade process, noting that it would take half an hour to complete. Alternatively, he could expedite the upgrade by spending 10 Luminous Lirum. The thought of spending such a large amount of currency made Saad feel a bit lightheaded. After all, it meant shelling out 1000 Spheres just to skip a half-hour wait. It seemed absurd.

Leaving the pen to upgrade in his inventory, Saad turned his attention back to the diary, hoping that his hard work would soon pay off. And to his relief, the clues began to reveal themselves effortlessly.

Saad activated the skill [Lore Lexicon] and delved into the pages of the diary. As he reached the third page, a particular line shimmered with a silver hue. Saad paused, intrigued by the sudden sparkle. Reading the clue carefully, an idea began to form in his mind. With the 100% luck boost currently in effect, why not take advantage of it?

Closing the diary momentarily, Saad reopened it to a random page. Sure enough, the clue appeared once again. He repeated this process several times, each time encountering the clue without having to read the diary in its entirety.

Just as he reached the tenth clue, a notification chimed, interrupting his pattern.

[You have collected all 10 hidden clues to the Ancient library of Dies Irae.]

[You have discovered a trace of myths.]

Reputation: +500

Saad couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at his clever approach. By exploiting the 100% luck boost, he had managed to save a significant amount of time. Now, all that remained was to decipher the meaning behind each clue and act accordingly.

As he read through the first clue, It stood out to him

["The core of the demoness is cold, but I couldn't stop myself from touching it."]

Saad understood the implication immediately. With a deep breath, he went to the center of the room, towards the freezing core, reached out and touched the core mentioned in the clue. To his surprise, the core seemed to come alive, and his hand effortlessly sank into the solid stone as if it were made of gelatin. Panic surged through Saad as he struggled to free his hand, eventually managing to pull it out.

Exhausted and breathless, Saad looked down at the faint map that had materialized before him on his hand. It was unmistakably a map of the grand treasure hall he found himself in.

Saad was hardly good at maps but the map was easy so Saad followed the numbers on the map, leading him to the fifth pillar and the left cabinet as indicated. With a sense of anticipation, he searched through the cabinet until he found what he was looking for. The second clue was about a book.

["The book is strange. It looks more like a treasure box than a book. Does it have something in it?"]

Saad examined the peculiar book, its appearance not immediately revealing its true nature. It was just another typical fantasy book with thick velvet cover and gold plate on it. Whatever was written on the title of it, Saad couldn't read.

[Your Lore Lexicon mastery is low. Please upgrade your skill to Level 2 for basic comprehension of ancient text.]

He attempted to pry it open, only to be met with a sudden sting as a stinger shot out and pierced his skin. "Ouch! What was that?" he exclaimed, startled and annoyed by the unexpected attack.

Despite the momentary discomfort, Saad's curiosity remained piqued as the book slowly opened to reveal a broken key nestled inside. Saad grabbed the broken key and checked its description.

[Incomplete Prima Dies Gratiae]

Description: An old broken key which is used to open the doors of Dies Irae.

Rank: ???

Usage: Infinite

Requirement: 

Bloodline of Emberflame

Age +13

The third clue was about that crocodile statue and Saad read the next one, which read:

["I was looking up and saw that the clear ceiling showed that some tiles were shining. I must admit, I got a little sidetracked as I tried to skip only on the glowing tiles."]

Saad chuckled at the clue, amused by the distraction described. He glanced up at the clear ceiling, noticing the tiles that now shimmered faintly. 'Well, that's convenient,' he thought to himself. Honestly though, he couldn't remember if the tiles were glowing when they came inside the grand hall. There was just so much going around that it was so easy to take the glowing tiles just as another wonder of this magical space.

Focusing on the glowing tiles, Saad carefully skipped from one to another, following their trail. His path led him to an emerald statue of a snake man, adorned with black jewels for eyes and caught in a pose of prayer. Saad approached the statue, intrigued by what it might hold.

He looked down to read the other clue.

["I tried to touch the eyes. It was a mistake!"]

["The snake statue is praying but praying to who? So I tried to look around and on the pillar there was a small flower temple."]

Saad marveled at the small temple he so easily found in the pillar now. Just how did he miss it when he had come here while skipping tiles?

With cautious curiosity, he explored its intricate details, running his fingers over the singular flower and then down on to the soil until he felt the unmistakable shape of something hidden within. With a careful tug, he extracted the broken key from the roots of the blooming flower, his excitement mounting as he now possessed both pieces of Prima Dies Gratiae.