Chapter 5: The Map and The Hunt
Kurogane began his descent from the steep slopes of Mount Ion. His steps were more confident now, fueled by his recent victory and newly acquired abilities. Yet he knew this world would continue testing him relentlessly. Suddenly, a blue light flashed before his eyes, and a brand new system interface appeared.
[ Universe Map Activated ]
"Huh? What's this?" Kurogane murmured.
A holographic map appeared before him, floating above the clouds. Colorful markers blinked at different locations across the map. Green markers represented main quests, while yellow ones indicated side quests. The map was so detailed that he could clearly see mountain slopes, river bends, and even small settlements.
"Hmm, which one should I choose?" he pondered. "The main quest is the green one, right in front of me. But there's a side quest nearby offering 30,000 tokens. It would be smarter to complete this first, then tackle the main quest. I'll get much stronger that way. Yes, that's what I'll do."
[ Side Quest Activated ]
"There! Time to get moving."
Guided by the map, Kurogane began heading toward the side quest's location. After about an hour of walking, he reached a rocky valley. It was a small, isolated area surrounded by massive boulders. Kurogane looked around in confusion.
"The map shows this location, but there's no one here. Weird... Where's the enemy?"
Just then, a warm, sticky liquid dripped onto his shoulder. Kurogane slowly looked up and couldn't believe his eyes. Ten meters above him, a gigantic spider hung between the rocks. Each of its eight legs was as thick as a human torso, and its eyes glowed with a red gleam in the darkness.
"No! Not a spider! I hate these things!" he screamed internally. But there was no retreat.
[ Side Quest: Kill the Spider ]
[ Reward: 30,000 Tokens ]
[ Penalty: Restart from Beginning ]
"What does that mean? Shouldn't the penalty be death? Whatever, this is good. Let's begin!"
The spider attacked. It suddenly leaped down, preparing to pounce on Kurogane. But Kurogane's reflexes were now far more advanced. He jumped sideways at the last moment, evading the attack, and launched his counterattack.
"Shadow Cleave!"
[ Ability Active: Shadow Cleave ]
A crescent-shaped, dark gray energy erupted from his sword. It was so sharp it seemed to slice through the air itself. The spider quickly wove a protective web, but this defense meant nothing against Shadow Cleave. The attack bisected the spider, and the creature immediately fell to the ground, lifeless.
[ Side Quest: Successful ]
[ Reward: 30,000 Tokens + Poison Immunity ]
[ Stats Updated ]
Agility: 100/25
Mana: 8000/65
Speed: 100/25
Strength: 100/25
Tokens: 35,000
"Yes, it's really over! But that was too quick. And I got Poison Immunity, incredible!"
Now he faced a choice: "Should I buy something from the token shop, or continue with the main quest? Hmm? Let's see."
He opened the token shop. His eyes focused on three important items:
Nashor's Elixir - 35,000 Tokens
Increases strength by 10x for 5 seconds
"Whoa! This is amazing!"
Shadow Dagger - 35,000 Tokens
Can even cut spirits, can bind shadows to oneself (only 3 seconds)
"Hmm, this is powerful too..."
Fire Slash - 35,000 Tokens
Sends magma-level fire slashes, can melt almost anything, almost no defense can stop it
"Alright, I'm at a crucial decision point. What should I choose? I think I'll take the Shadow Dagger; it'll be more useful for me."
[ New Weapon Active: Shadow Dagger ]
[ Cost: 25 Mana ]
[ Price: 35,000 Tokens ]
"Great! Now I should head to my next quest."
He opened the map again. "Here it is! Not too far, maximum five kilometers. I need information."
[ Quest: Giant Water Serpent ]
[ Reward: 70,000 Tokens ]
[ Time Limit: 15 Minutes ]
[ Recommended Level: A ]
[ Penalty: Death ]
"Whoa! Amazing! I need to get there immediately."
Kurogane set off. Thirty minutes later, he arrived at the entrance of a massive cave. He entered and, after walking for a while, encountered a breathtaking sight. It was an enormous underwater cavern with waterfalls flowing from all sides. Pools connected to each other, and mysterious lights shimmered beneath the water's surface.
"Where is the serpent?" he wondered, when a loud noise came from behind him. He turned to see a gigantic blue serpent rising from beneath the water. Without warning, it spat a yellow liquid from its mouth.
Kurogane tried to counterattack but was a bit too slow. Some of the liquid touched his arm.
"Shit! What's this?"
[ Ability Active: Poison Immunity ]
"Oh! I thought I was going to die for a second. Well then, let's begin! Shadow Dagger!"
[ Ability Active: 25 Mana ]
[ Remaining Mana: 40 ]
A black-gray dagger appeared in Kurogane's hand. "Soul Slash!"
Attacks capable of cutting even spirits shot one after another toward the giant serpent. But the serpent was too fast. It immediately dove underwater, evading the attacks, and began swimming rapidly toward Kurogane.
Kurogane was surprised by the serpent's speed but immediately went on the defensive. The serpent leaped from the water and attacked with full force. Kurogane jumped right to evade. The serpent's head hit the water.
Kurogane seized this opportunity and immediately jumped onto the serpent's back. The serpent reared up and slammed itself into the water with full force.
"Ahh! I'm losing my balance! I need to jump off now!"
Just as the serpent was about to hit the water, Kurogane jumped from its back at the last second, barely avoiding major damage.
"What should I do now? I can dodge its attacks; it's not like the spider. No need to waste mana on abilities unnecessarily. Think, Kurogane, think!"
The serpent attacked again. Right at that moment:
[ Time Remaining: 7 Minutes ]
"Only seven minutes left! I can do this!"
The serpent repeated the same attack. A solution came to Kurogane's mind.
"That's right! This dagger can bind shadows. If I act fast, I can defeat it. Come on, Kurogane!"
As the serpent was about to strike Kurogane, he jumped left with only a meter to spare, avoiding the fatal attack. Simultaneously, he plunged the dagger into the serpent's body. The serpent instantly froze.
"That's it!"
He drew his katana: "Shadow Cleave!"
[ Ability Active: Shadow Cleave ]
[ Cost: 25 Mana ]
[ Mana: 15 ]
The serpent still couldn't move, and Shadow Cleave was advancing toward it. The dagger's effect was about to wear off, but Kurogane didn't leave things to chance.
"Enhanced Jump!"
[ Ability Active: Enhanced Jump ]
[ Cost: 10 Mana ]
[ Mana: 5 ]
Just as the serpent was about to break free from the effect, Kurogane suddenly appeared beside it. Right at that moment, the dagger's effect ended. As Shadow Cleave was about to bisect the serpent, it barely dodged the attack but disregarded Kurogane.
Kurogane leaped into the air, using his last bit of strength to decapitate the serpent. The serpent's head fell to the ground, causing a massive water explosion. The cave nearly collapsed, but the serpent was dead.
[ Quest Successful ]
[ Reward: 70,000 Tokens + Regeneration ]
[ Stats Updated ]
Agility: 100/35
Speed: 100/35
Strength: 100/35
Tokens: 70,000
"Whew! That was tough. I used almost all my mana. Well, I won this fight too. Now I need to focus on the next one. I consider myself lucky that I know everyone's weaknesses. Let's keep going!"
With his new tokens and enhanced stats, Kurogane walked toward his next challenge. He was stronger now, faster, and he was learning this world's rules. His journey was only just beginning.