Chapter 8

〈 Episode 8 〉Quest 5 – Breakthrough

[Your physical condition has been restored upon returning to the waiting room.]

[You have received rewards for completing Quest 3.]

[Quest 5 starts in 9D 23H.]

Asha was greeted by welcome messages upon returning to the waiting room. She sat on the bed and reviewed the quest.

“Honestly, it was easy, right? Still, I wouldn’t have been able to clear it without that boar.”

Asha thought she would not forget the sight of the boar charging and demolishing the building in one go for a while. She checked the rewards she received this time.

[Quest 3 Completion Rewards]

1200 Tokens

Trading Skill

Small Healing Potion x 3

Asha felt content with the generous rewards she received this time as well. Her assets, which were around 500 tokens, increased to 1700 tokens again. The newly acquired trading skill was a skill that gave buffs to all transactions and negotiations with not only humans but also monsters or animals capable of communication.

Her Strength and Agility stats also increased by 1 each, becoming 11 and 9 respectively. All the skills she had acquired this time were as follows:

-Weapon Mastery LV.3, Intercourse LV.4, Hospitality LV.3, Sprint LV.2, Pain Tolerance LV.2, Stat Enhancement LV.2, Stealth LV.1, First Aid LV.1, Search LV.1, Trading LV.1

“I don’t know exactly, but I feel like I’ve gotten a bit stronger!”

Asha was excited about the third quest, which she had succeeded in relatively easily, unlike the first and second quests.

“I hope the next quest is just like this one.”

Asha, who had plenty of time after returning to the waiting room, began her now familiar training.

[Your physical condition has been restored upon returning to the waiting room.]

[You have received rewards for completing Quest 4.]

[Quest 5 starts in 9D 23H.]

Asha had just finished her fourth quest and returned to the waiting room. The fourth quest was also a typical subjugation quest. In a mission to hunt wolf packs, Asha hunted the wolves with the companions she met in the quest.

The wolves were more threatening than the previous monsters, but Asha had grown just as much, so she was able to finish the quest without much difficulty, using only one small healing potion she had received during the last quest.

“We were just starting to get close… I think I’m going to miss them.”

Asha felt sad, thinking about the companions she had met during the quest. They were awkward at first, but after living together for ten days, they had become quite close by the time they parted. Asha, who had been holed up alone repeating training after each quest, was a little starved for affection from people.

“I might miss them a little…”

She felt a little lonely looking at the desolate waiting room. Shaking her head to clear her mind, Asha began to prepare again.

[Quest 5 starts in 4H.]

Asha was preparing to enter the fifth quest. She was wearing chainmail over her cloth armor, a longsword at her waist, and holding a blunt, inverted triangular heater shield. Having fixed this equipment since the fourth quest, she was quite familiar with her current gear. As she waited to enter the quest, she saw items appearing in the waiting room.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen these. Rope, hammer, and even a tent… Are they just simple camping tools? Or…”

Asha pondered as she looked at the items that appeared in the waiting room. Seeing the magnifying glass next to her, she was able to get a grasp of her thoughts.

‘It seems like investigation or exploration tools. What should I prepare?’

With the successful completion of two quests, Asha’s tokens were plentiful. She searched through the store for various items that seemed necessary for this quest, such as a small lamp, blackout cloth, and explosive potions, and purchased them.

In addition to these, Asha bought several daggers and extra kerosene and put the items in her inventory. After confirming that she had enough food, Asha checked her status window one last time.

[Character Name: Asha]

Strength: 15

Agility: 12

Durability: 10

Stamina: 15

Mana: 8

-Weapon Mastery LV.4, Intercourse LV.4, Hospitality LV.3, Sprint LV.3, Pain Tolerance LV.3, Stat Enhancement LV.3, Stealth LV.1, First Aid LV.2, Trading LV.2, Search LV.3

After checking all her skills, she entered the portal.

[Quest 05: Area Breakthrough]

The place where she was summoned was a dark, deserted place. Asha looked around with her sword and shield in hand. Without any other path, a 10m passage continued in one direction, and this place was a cave that seemed to be artificially made.

Stones emitting a faint light were embedded in the ceiling of the cave at regular intervals, illuminating the surroundings. After confirming that there were no other living creatures, Asha turned her back to the exit she saw on the other side and moved forward.

The faint clanging sound from the chainmail and the sound of her footsteps echoed through the cave. It would only reveal her location if there were enemies, but Asha, who had benefited greatly from the armor in the previous quests, felt reluctant to disarm herself recklessly. As Asha walked through the cave, something suddenly flew from beyond the cave.

Whoosh-Clang!

“Ouch!”

Asha, unable to react to the flying arrow, was hit in the left shoulder. The chainmail in the hit area was torn off and flew away, and Asha fell backward from the impact. The arrow did not penetrate the inner cloth armor, but the impact was transmitted as it was, and the pierced area throbbed with pain. She shuddered at the thought of the arrow flying through the gap in her helmet.

‘Ugh… I almost died. It will be difficult to survive if there are only traps like this.’

Asha stood up again, lowered her posture further, and began to move forward slowly. Asha, who was only paying attention to the arrows flying from the front, did not notice that the eyes of the statue next to her were glowing red.

Despite the initial arrow, Asha did not receive any attacks while advancing. Continuing to move forward, she soon reached the exit of the cave. Asha paid attention until she came out of the cave, but no attacks came until the end. What Asha saw when she came out of the cave was a huge hollow.

“Oh…”

A faint light was emanating from the pillar in the center, and many passages were connected from the hollow. Asha, who was stunned by the suddenly unfolded space, looked around the shining surroundings and marked the exit of the cave she had come out of with her sword and entered the hollow. Nothing special happened when she entered the hollow. Asha checked the quest window again.

[Quest 05: Area Breakthrough]

‘Breakthrough must mean that I have to get out of here. Where do I have to go from here?’

Including the cave Asha came out of, there were numerous entrances in the hollow. Asha looked at the entrances, but she could not find any differences with her eyes.

She looked around and decided to enter the entrances starting from the counterclockwise direction. The faint light of the pillar was shining on the entrance she entered.