As I opened my eyes, I noticed two things. The room was bathed in darkness and my skin felt taut as if I had sunburn all over my body. Laying on the bed with my legs hanging off the side of the bed, I decided to check on my stats. Then, I suddenly realised that I hadn't checked what skill I gained earlier.
[Name: Cain]
Level: 1
50/300xp
Path: None
Health: 300
Mana: 200
Strength: 10
Vitality: 10
Agility: 10
Intellect: 10
Mind: 10
I had to double-take a few times, just in case my eyes were falling on me, which was impossible inside the game, but it didn't stop me from doing so.
Every time you level up you gain only 2 points, so this was equivalent to levelling up 12 and a half times!
I lay with a massive smile on my face, trying to hold back a manic laugh.
To put it into perspective, those in the middle of this game, their stats were in the 50s and just before the game ended, their stats got as high as 75. So, I was a fifth of the way to the midgame already!
[Battle focus: level 1 *New*]
While in battle, your senses heighten allowing you to block out the unnecessary and increase your resistance to fear and mind-altering effects.
[Tempered body: level Max *New*]
Your body has been tempered and has reached the peak condition that your body can reach. You'll gain more strength with each level.
Even though the description didn't really explain much, it was enough to make me shiver. I have never heard of this effect before, I have heard of the effects of Tonic on true bodybuilding, and it was only supposed to increase stats by 1 or 2 at most.
'Was it because I am still level 1?' the thought crossed my mind, after all, who would be stupid enough to challenge Samson, who is around the level 6 mark and has soldier-type skills, which made him difficult for anyone to beat. The only reason I could beat him was because of my experiences from my past life.
In a bout of greed, I scanned my memories to try and remember any other tonics or items that boost your stats. But there wasn't any, that wouldn't kill a weak body and were damn near impossible for me, or anyone to reach at any stage of the game. So, any other attempts to replicate this would be suicidal.
Standing from the bed, I decided to look for the final hidden gem and put most of my greed behind me.
*Growl*
'After a quick dinner.' I conceded, as I gently patted my stomach.
The common room of the inn was filled with both villagers and players alike. The atmosphere was thick with tension. I hate to think about what had happened while I was asleep. Although, I didn't really care as I was almost done in this village.
Walking over to the bar, I spotted the same bartender from earlier.
"Am I too late for some food?" I asked, taking a seat on the only stool available at the bar.
The bartender looked at me, he seemed to be slightly aggravated but slightly eased up a little as I looked like nothing more than a hungry customer.
"You've just made it." He spoke in a gruff voice.
"Outstanding. Do you have anything to eat and drink that is tasty and filling for, say 5 coppers. 10 at a push?" I asked, genuinely curious.
The bartender scoffed put the cleaning rag over his shoulder and walked into the back room. After a minute or two, he returned with a bowl of something. He placed it in front of me, pulled out an empty wooden mug uncorked a bottle of something and filled the mug.
"A bowl of fresh venison stew and a mug of mead, 7 coppers." He said, seemingly pleased with himself that he beat my expectations.
With a smile and growl of my stomach, I slid the coins across the bar "It does, indeed look tasty." I began to salivate.
Taking the money, the bartender scoffed once more as he moved away to take an order from a thirsty patron. From our short exchange, I learnt that his scoff was a sign of amusement, which I found to be quite endearing.
Though for now, my attention was on the bowl of steaming stew. I quickly grabbed the spoon and began to eat, I was surprised by how hungry I was, it was like I hadn't eaten in days.
I couldn't even appreciate how good the stew tasted. The venison was tender and would fall apart in the mouth. The broth was the perfect thickness and wasn't completely overpowered by the meat juices. And the vegetables were juicy and slightly crunchy. Overall, the best stew I've ever eaten, but I couldn't stop shovelling it down my throat.
In a matter of minutes, I had completely emptied the bowl and dried the mug of their contents. Resting for a minute, I lamented the empty bowl, but soon stood up from my seat and walked out of the inn.
The evening air was nice and cool, but the wind brought a slight chill which I didn't mind as my skin still felt warm to the touch.
My destination was a small, ruined house on the outskirts of the village. The home once belonged to a crotchety old man with no family who would shout at the kids who got too close to his front garden and would complain about the quality of vegetables on sale in town.
While he seemed to be just a grumpy old git, he was a retired thief, and that was a rare species.
He stole many things in his career, but two things marked significant points in his career. One was a gem-encrusted tiara which he stole from some noble woman, which he sold for an enormous amount of gold. The second was a map, which no matter who he took it to, nobody could decipher its location. This would mark the only thing that this remarkable thief could not solve or sell.
This map was the gem I was looking for. It's said to be buried somewhere in the ruin of the home and the reason I need to come at night was what I was staring at. A spectral form of an old man whose bottom half was nothing but a wisp. He stared at me with a scowl as I came close.
"Leave." The old man howls, with an intent to sound like a haunting phantom.
"Yeah, yeah. Cut the crap, old man." I said as I stepped over the wrecked front door.
The old ghost stared at me for a long second before releasing a ghostly sigh.
"So, who sent you? I bet it was Mogbie." He asked, squinting.
"Nobody sent me," I replied, as I started to poke around the rubble. If a ghost's veins could bulge in annoyance, his would.
"Then, why are you poking around in my house!?" A ghostly howl echoed through the house.
"Well, when I heard that the famous Fengein had died, I had to come and check for any hidden goodies," I said as I opened the door of a little cupboard that fell off in my hand.
"…" Fengein's jaws were clenched as he slowly watched as I slowly broke things.
"…Stop, I only have one thing left." He spoke in resignation. I knew that the only way to get him to give me what I wanted was to invade his home and wreck it. Even though it didn't feel the best to do so.
"Oh? What is that?" I asked, turning to face him, the cupboard door still in hand.
"…" he was still hesitant to speak. But dropping the door onto the floor seemed to make his mind up.
"An old map. Under that floorboard." He gave up the ghost if you'll pardon the pun.
Following his directions, I found the floorboard that didn't look out of place from the rest and used my dagger to pop it open. Inside, I found a small leather bag. As I pulled it out, it wasn't heavy, but I heard a small jingling sound coming from it.
"Ah, I forgot about that." Fengein grimaced as I pulled the bag out. Seemingly not wanting me to have the remainders of his haul.
Smirking at his remark, I opened the bag. Inside, I saw the shine of a few silver pieces, which was probably all that was left from selling that tiara. And a folded piece of parchment, which was probably the map.
Unfolding the map, I could see a map of an unusual place, there weren't any usual landmarks on normal maps. But it was familiar to me, it was a map of the underworld, which was the name of the underground world, just below this one.
"See? Just a bag with a few silver coins and a useless map. You've wasted your time coming here." The old ghost seemed to speak with bitterness in his words.
"On the contrary. I know exactly where this map leads." I whispered, folding the map once more and adding it to my inventory.
"What!?" in an instant, he was in front of me, eyes bulging and bloodshot. "Where?" he asked as if his whole existence hung in the balance.
"It's a map of the underworld," I answered, as I took a step back.
"…" Fengein didn't say anything. Instead, he stood and stared at me with his glassy eyes.
Then, he backed off, floating a few feet back. Contemplating something. "After everything I considered, I never once thought of the underworld. after all, only a small amount of people who venture down there, return." He mumbled.
"Well anyway, I'm going to go," I said as I made for the door. But my way was soon blocked by Fengein's ghostly form.
"Wait! Look, I don't have anything to offer, but if you find out what that map leads to. Could you come and tell an old fool about it?" He asked a glint of desperation in his voice.
I didn't get a quest, nor have I heard of a reward for doing so. But the whole situation didn't sit right with me. I mean, I did just bust into a guy's home and took his things.
"…Sure, why not." I sighed, but only if it didn't really waylay me too much.
Visibly relaxing, the phantom released a breath of relief and smiled. He then grew more translucent and vanished. I took that as my sign to leave.