Anyways, it was time for the last card. I grabbed the mythical card. Around it was a bright red light. I tore it in half and the card once again disappeared. This time, a mysterious bead fell from the air and landed in my hand.
The bead shimmered with a rainbow-like glow, its aura both bizarre and searing hot. A notification window popped up beside me.
[MYTHICAL ITEM: ITEM/SKILL BEAD]
[DESCRIPTION: Upon breaking the bead, a randomized skill of at least the mythical rank will be granted to the user.]
A skill, huh? Interesting, I wonder what type of skills I can get.
[Host, would you be interested in the information about skills and the skill beads?]
I thought for a moment before responding, "Yes, I'd like to know about both."
[Understood. Skill beads are items that can be obtained either through quest rewards like loot boxes or through purchasing them in the shop. The level of skills within the beads are dependent on the rarity of the bead. However, there is always a small chance of receiving a skill of a higher rarity than the bead.]
[Additionally, skill beads (along with a few other items) have a different rarity list than the common one you've seen before. Instead, it has: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Legendary, Mythical, Divine, Ancient, and Primordial.]
[Skills are similar to the variety of different, unique abilities you see from every race and class. For a mage, that might be a fireball, for a swordsman, the sword aura, and for an archer, it may be the ability to launch several arrows at a time and hit them accurately in a variety of different spots.]
[Skills at the mythical level and above are skills that monstrously talented individuals spend their entire lives creating. Additionally, while the Host can buy skills and be rewarded with them, it is also possible to gain them the regular way.]
That all seemed fairly straightforward. I'm guaranteed to get a mythical-level skill though. Sweet!
I clenched the bead tightly. It took a few seconds... but it eventually shattered. Who decided that a bead should be that hard to break...
As the bead shattered and began to fade, I opened my hand. Suddenly, a blazing hot black flame manifested in my hand. Another window appeared.
[ANCIENT ITEM: Genesis Flame Fragment 1/4]
[DESCRIPTION: A fragment of the Genesis Flame from the ????? era. Other than its known ability for destruction and its age, not much else is known.]
[Ability 1: Provides a +500% affinity and understanding to all fire magic.]
[Ability 2: Ability to use the flame in all fire-based spells.]
[Special Ability: Locked Information]
[SYSTEM NOTE: Abilities 2 and the special ability will be locked. Host cannot control it at this time. It will be unlocked and accessible eventually.]
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Message from #$!N*: Enjoy the gift! I can no longer assist you without consequences from the system. May we meet again...]
A gift? I mean, sure it's an ancient level, but what use is a skill that I can not even use at the moment? This message must be from that rabbit...
Sighing, I closed the system and stood up from the bench and began to wander around the kingdom. Compared to the elves, the humans felt more akin to dwarves. Everywhere you went, all you saw were machines.
The complete reliance on machines was evident in the lack of vitality and strength in the non-combatant humans. They looked drained, pale, and frail.
I scoffed, "It's pathetic. How did my clan- no, how did my species lose to these weaklings? Their reliance on machines will be their downfall. I've never read about or seen a race devolve so quickly. It's hard to believe that the titan race derived from them."
A drunk group of men wearing bright blue outfits with tools on their hips overheard my comment. One of them stumbled toward me, his breath reeking of alcohol.
Putting his drink in my face, slurring his words, he questioned, "H-huh? We're devolving?" he hiccupped. "Ahah... you must be one of those rich guys who have everything going for them while we're all suffering here! Let's see... you have nice clothes, you're extremely tall, attractive enough to have any woman fall for you.. yeah... that s-sounds about r-right!"
I pushed the bottle out of my face. "You're suffering?" I asked, genuinely curious. "I'm intrigued. Do tell, how are you suffering? From what I see, you lack any true hardship. I can tell you're drunk, so I'll let it slide, but-"
The man interrupted me, suddenly defensive. "You dare threaten a police officer? You even had the balls to push my hand away-don't you know that's assault? "
He, along with the other men by his side, pulled out small black tools that were rested on their hips.
I chuckled, "What is that supposed to do? You should at least have a sword-"
A loud bang and spark came from the hole of the tool. A little round piece of metal came out of the gun at an incredibly fast speed. I had managed to barely dodge, but it grazed my cheek. I touched the wound, stunned. That little piece of metal was able to cut my flesh?
After seeing that I was able to dodge it, the men slowly backed up.
"What was tool you just used. Give it to me." I demanded.
The men trembled, filled with terror and fear, responded. "Y-yo-you monster! I fired my gun! It's impossible for anyone to dodge a bullet at that distance! You should've been d-dead!"
Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "Dead? Why would something like that kill me? It barely made a scratch–it grazed me."
Without saying another word, they dropped their 'guns'–which I now understood to be weapons–and fled in a panic. I picked one up, and as I did, a system window appeared.
[COMMON WEAPON: GUN]
[DESCRIPTION: Created by humans. Although not ideal for battles, it is great for enforcing the law, especially on low level humans, dwarves, and elves. When loaded with bullets, it can eject at 2000 meters per second!]
So the little metal is called a bullet. Interesting.
[SYSTEM TIP: Reminder, Host, that there is an sub-space inventory available to you that can hold up to 100 items! To store it, either think about storing the item or put it into any system interface/window.]
I stored one of the guns away and left the rest behind. Glancing at the sky, I noted the setting sun–it was nearly dusk. It was time to leave this kingdom before more trouble found me.
I wandered around a little while longer before finding a large gate with lines of people. At both sides were guards and workers making sure there weren't any criminals entering and leaving the kingdom. Although I wasn't sure, they clearly had a way of verifying identity.
I opened my inventory and put on the new cloak. Like earlier, I turned invisible and left the kingdom through the gates unnoticed. After a little while of walking through the thick forest that surrounded the kingdom, I had realized I was walking aimlessly. Where should I go? I don't have a map or anything similar...
[ACTIVATING QUEST 2]
[QUEST: MEET WITH THE BLACKSMITH]
[TASK: Travel to the dwarven kingdom. There, find a blacksmith who goes by the name Ragnir Brazen and commission a greatsword.]
[Reward: 2 Levels, 1500 Coins, and potential for more...]
[Failure to Complete will result in the loss of the system and all items gained from the system!]
A greatsword, huh? I'm more of a hand-to-hand fighter, but alright. Though... how exactly am I supposed to get there?