Ding!
[You are currently facing a choice...]
[You can...]
[Please note... treat it seriously!]
The system prompt faded.
Hearing it, Rylan paused for a moment.
He felt like his thoughts were somewhat jumbled.
But soon, he realized that he seemed to have lost only partial memories; the process of completing this quest was still clear in his mind.
Quickly, Rylan regained his composure.
Quest choices were also a major feature of the "Myth" online game.
Sometimes, a player's choice in the game could even determine the life or death of millions of people in a city.
For a new player encountering this situation for the first time, it was natural to feel a bit flustered. Some might even go online to ask for help or look up guides.
Rylan thought carefully for a moment, then gave his answer.
"You must be talking about that Giant Snake!"
"Unfortunately, I'm no match for it right now, so I escaped!"
Rylan said, choosing to tell the truth.
The reason was simple: at level 1, he truly wasn't a match for the 'Corrupted Giant Snake'.
Another point was related to the spirit of the Order of the Rose; 'Honesty' was one of their tenets.
Choosing to lie might yield generous rewards, but it was too easily seen through.
Although Alistair looked disheveled, he wasn't stupid. If Rylan claimed he had killed the 'Corrupted Giant Snake', Alistair would surely ask for proof.
If he couldn't produce it, he might very well anger Alistair, potentially losing even the basic reward!
But answering honestly avoided such complications.
"Is that so?"
"Right, you're only level 1 now, still too weak! Even I wasn't its match back then!"
"Forget it, perhaps I shouldn't have expected anything!"
"Here, this is your reward!"
Hearing Rylan's answer, Alistair's serious expression softened back to indifference.
The next moment, he handed Rylan a pouch.
Ding! You have completed the quest 'Corrupted Rose'.
[You have received 10 Coins.]
[You have received the 'Order of the Rose Medal'.]
[You have received a Talent Enhancement Scroll.]
...
As he took the pouch, the system notification sounded.
But the follow-up quest Rylan had imagined didn't trigger.
He quickly inspected the items he received.
...
[Order of the Rose Medal]
[Type: Item]
[Description: A medal of the Order of the Rose, symbolizing the identity of a knight within the order. It is said that bringing this to the Hall of Heroes allows one to receive additional rewards upon passing an assessment.]
...
[Talent Enhancement Scroll]
[Bound, Untradeable, Non-transferable]
[Type: Enchantment Scroll]
[Single-use consumable scroll]
[Description: Using this scroll enhances the effect of your talent.]
...
Seeing the quest rewards, Rylan was noticeably surprised.
Was this the benefit of having 10 points in Luck? The reward he received was actually an extremely rare item like the Talent Enhancement Scroll.
Rylan's talent was already SSS-Rank. If it was enhanced again, what effect would it have?
Without hesitation, Rylan immediately used the Talent Enhancement Scroll.
The next second, a faint white light enveloped him, then vanished instantly.
The process was extremely fast; Rylan barely had time to register what happened before it ended.
Rylan immediately opened his talent information panel.
[Master of Poison]
Tier: SSS
Description: You fully assimilate the Source of Poison, gaining mastery over all toxins.
Effect 1: Melee attacks inflict a Poisoned status, dealing 1 damage per second to the target for 60 seconds.
Effect 2: The target's health recovery is completely negated while poisoned.
Effect 3: For every enemy five levels above you that you kill, your Poison damage per second increases by 1. There is no upper limit.
Effect 4: Every time you kill a boss, the poison stack limit increases by 1 (each target can only trigger this once).
Comparing it carefully, Rylan understood immediately.
The enhancement from the Talent Enhancement Scroll was in Effect 3; previously it required killing targets 10 levels higher, now it was only 5.
This was undoubtedly a huge convenience for Rylan.
After a brief moment of appreciation, Rylan headed out of the Beginner Village, ready to officially begin his journey of grinding monsters and leveling up.
This time, Rylan didn't choose to go north of the Beginner Village, but instead turned and headed east.
...
The Beginner Village Rylan was in offered four monster grinding areas: East, South, West, and North.
Besides the 'Rookie Plains' just outside the village, the deeper areas featured different monsters.
Leaving the village.
As soon as Rylan arrived at the 'Rookie Plains', he noticed a large number of players.
Although five hours had passed since the game officially launched, most players were still hovering around levels 2-3.
Moreover, new players were constantly pouring into the game almost every moment.
This led to more and more players congregating on the 'Rookie Plains' map.
In fact, there were even more people now than when the game first started. Currently, every Rabbit spawn point had at least dozens of players waiting there.
Rylan glanced around casually and gave up the idea of competing with other players for rabbits, turning instead towards the outer edges of the beginner area.
This time, he chose the 'Tidal Forest' to the east of the Beginner Village.
Generally, this area would have the fewest players.
Along the way, Rylan could still see many players fighting over mobs on the 'Rookie Plains'.
As he neared the 'Tidal Forest', he also saw quite a few players running back from the forest.
However, none of these players looked happy, and they were muttering curses under their breath.
Rylan could understand their reaction.
The "Myth" online game had a beginner protection system, but it wasn't extensive.
The rabbits on the Rookie Plains were part of this beginner protection. They had low aggression, low health, and low stats, making it easy for players to solo them without much pressure.
But as soon as one left the 'Rookie Plains', monster stats and aggression levels would adjust, becoming much tougher.
Players in the beginner stage lacked equipment and skills, making it nearly impossible to level up alone outside the Rookie Plains.
Soon, Rylan reached the border area between the two maps.
Just as he was about to venture alone into the 'Tidal Forest'.
"Hey, man, wait up!"
Suddenly, a shout came from Rylan's side.
Rylan turned his head.
The next moment, several players wearing beginner equipment approached Rylan.