13 Hidden Quests
As I entered my room, I flopped onto my bed, exhausted yet exhilarated from my recent duel against Damien.
Suddenly, a symphony of chiming notifications sounded in my head, prompting me to check my Quest Window.
"Quest Window!" I called out, and a notification screen popped up in the air in front of me with a satisfying ding.
Ding!
<Quest Window!>
1. You have completed the Hidden Quest:
[Defeat One Of The Male Leads In A Duel!]
Reward: Able To Copy One Of The Defeated Male Leads Skills!
2. You have completed the Hidden Quest:
[Defeat One Of The Male Leads In A Duel Without Taking Any Damage!]
Reward: Able To Select A Low-Grade Skill From A Catalog!
---
As I mused over my rewards, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had completed the hidden quests too soon. As it seemed that Damien, the male lead I had defeated, didn't possess any impressive skills worth mentioning for now.
The truth was, I had won the duel against him quite easily because he was fighting with a handicap. Not only was he a level lower than me, but we were also prohibited from using our elemental skills during the battle.
Had he been a few levels higher, it would have been a much more challenging fight, despite my knowledge of his attack patterns.
As I continued to reflect on the duel, I remembered something else about Damien. "He's actually a dual wielder," I realized, "but he's only using a single sword for now. He doesn't even know about his potential for mastering dual wielding yet, but one of the professors will point it out to him later in the academy."
I shook my head and spoke out loud, "Show me Damien's status."
The status screen appeared before me with a flicker, revealing Damien's Current Status.
[Status Window]
Name: Damien Montfort
Level: 9
Experience Points: 250/800
Mana Points: 60/60
Stats:
Strength: 35
Agility: 45
Endurance: 30
Intelligence: 25
◆
Element: Fire: Level 2, Wind: Level 1
◆
Skills: Dual Wielding: Level 2
Fire Magic: Level 2
Wind Magic: Level 1
Rapid Strike: Level 1
***
"I see that my options for skills are limited," I muttered to myself as I checked Damien's skills.
"I only have Dual Wielding and Rapid Strike available to choose from. It's a shame I can't use Wind magic as I don't have an affinity for the wind element, and I already have the skill for Fire magic."
'Although Dual Wielding and Rapid Strike are decent skills, I believe with the use of my Completionist Insight skill, I could learn these skills through practice,' I thought to myself.
After weighing my options, I decided to hold off on choosing a skill for now.
"Perhaps I should wait until Damien gains some other valuable skills," I mused, knowing that my skill Completionist Insight could potentially allow me to learn any non-elemental skills with enough practice.
Turning my attention to the second completed hidden quest, I commanded, "Show me the skill catalog!"
A catalog of low-grade skills materialized before me, each one accompanied by a brief description of its effects.
I scrolled through the list, searching for a skill that could complement my existing abilities.
<Low-Grade Skills Catalog!>
1. Cooking: This skill allows the player to prepare delicious meals for potential love interests and increase their affection.
2. Singing: This skill lets the player serenade their love interests, potentially winning their heart.
3. Dancing: This skill allows the player to impress their love interests with their dance moves.
4. Photography: This skill lets the player capture beautiful moments with their love interests and increase their affection.
5. Painting: This skill allows the player to create beautiful art for their love interests and increase their affection.
6. Poetry: This skill lets the player express their feelings through beautiful poetry, potentially winning their love interests' hearts.
7. Writing: This skill allows the player to write beautiful letters or stories for their love interests and increase their affection.
8. The Veil of Mediocrity: The skill curses the user to appear Mediocre, with their true appearance revealed for only one hour each day.
9. Quick Step: Allows the player to quickly dodge an opponent's attack, increasing the chance of a successful counter-attack.
10. Shield Bash: The user bashes their shield into the enemy, stunning them momentarily.
*Locked*
*Locked*
...
***
"...."
"...How did I forget that this wasn't an RPG game, but instead a dating sim?" I muttered to myself in disbelief as I noticed the catalog.
The low-grade skills in this game were always focused on increasing the affection levels of the love interests.
It slipped my mind because playing as Caius had always been different from the other characters, as his gameplay was solely focused on Adeline and there was no option to court or impress other female leads.
And even playing as a Female leads, Caius was one of the most difficult male leads to conquer, and no female players ever bothered trying.
"Why pick a pebble when you can have a diamond?"
In other words, "Why settle for average-looking and weak Caius, while you have other handsome and strong male leads?"
Many players in the game found Caius to be quite unappealing, particularly due to his subservient nature towards Adeline. In fact, Caius became the most disliked character after Adeline.
Despite this, some female players made it their challenge to try and win over Caius's heart by playing with various female leads, but unfortunately, their efforts were in vain.
Even though Caius was considered average looking in comparison to the other male leads, he still had the audacity to friendzone every female lead who attempted to approach him, always returning to his beloved villainess Adeline.
He remained the only unconquered male lead in the game, with many frustrated players complaining about his impossible-to-conquer heart.
Despite their efforts, Caius' affection level towards any other female lead never went beyond <Cauis Valerian sees you as his friend!>
It seemed as if Caius was intentionally written to be off the charts in terms of difficulty level, making it impossible for players to win his heart.
Sigh!
I let out a sigh and redirected my focus to the skill catalog. The only skills that seemed remotely useful were Quick Step and Shield Bash. However, my attention was soon caught by a peculiar skill - a curse.
"What is a curse doing in the skill catalog? Can I transfer this skill to someone else?" I wondered aloud, considering the possibility. A sly grin slowly crept onto my face as I thought of a particular person who would benefit from such a curse.
"Although, Caius doesn't even need a curse to look average," I chuckled to myself.
It was the first time I had seen a skill such as that, and I had no idea such a thing even existed in the game.
"Give me a more detailed description of the skill 'Veil of Mediocrity'," I muttered.
