Muyeon took one look around her and shook her head in disbelief before stepping through the gate.
Jinyoung sighed in relief when she took the spear with her through the gate. As powerful as the weapon was, it was an unknown variable that didn’t belong in this world.
[Timer 13:07]
“What now?” he wondered aloud.
The seconds ticked away slowly as he made his way to the control room. The entirety of it was in ruins with the exception of one terminal and even it flickered with uncertainty.
Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him, but Jinyoung fought against it. He could be tired later, now he needed to keep his wits about him and look for a way out.
If the lab contained anything of use, it was likely shredded by now. There was nothing of use here.
That left the tools Jinyoung had at his disposal. Instinctively, he checked his System menu.
QUEST: CRADLE of Ice (UNIQUE)
Destroy the research drive (Complete)
Destroy SIN (Complete)
Destroy the CRADLE and close the GATE
Reward: None.
The quest screen appeared immediately. A stark reminder of everything that had just happened, from Younho’s arm to Seunghyo’s death. He almost closed the System without thinking, but spotted a notification.
[Leveled up!]
JINYOUNG KIM
Novice CLASS - Level 24
At least there’s that.
In just over a few months, Jinyoung had gone from level 10 to 24. That was virtually unheard without the help of a guide or a broker. More than a reflection of skill or power, it was a reminder of the danger and struggle he’d gone through over the past weeks.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Of course while a fighter or a rogue would be strategizing on where to put their next set of stat points his would be automatically distributed so there was no need to even check.
But there was an upside to all this. His wisdom stat was at 24 which meant his mana would recover faster. Not as fast as a scholar like Willow, but much faster than a normal player.
It wasn’t much, but it was something.
“Moving on.”
The Skills menu.
[Dash+] was his main active skill. If he was lucky, he would be able to recover enough mana in the next 12 minutes to [dash] most of the way out of the silo. But even so, it would require hundreds of [dashes] to escape safely and he doubted it was possible without encountering mana sickness.
Neither [charge+] or [scan+] had any immediate application, but he still paused when he checked the skills. Both had the telltale red dot, signifying a skill-specific notification.
While there were more pressing matters, it was worth checking out. After all, if there was a sudden update to skill that could help him, he needed to know now.
Instead of showing him an update on the skills themselves, checking the notification took him to his quests.
“What the hell…?”
QUEST: The Path of the ONION KNIGHT (II)
OBJECTIVE: SCAN 10 Unknown items.
Current progress: 1/10 scanned (10%)
REWARD: New ASPECT
QUEST: The Path of the WIND (II)
OBJECTIVE: Use [DASH+] to move across 10,000 km of distance
Current Progress: 8,569/10,000 km (85.7%)
REWARD: New ASPECT
QUEST: The Path of INNER STRENGTH (II)
OBJECTIVE: Deflect 10,000 DMG while CHARGED.
Current progress: 1,409 DMG (1.4% completed)
REWARD: New ASPECT
Jinyoung had assumed that his class was unique, but this was unheard of. Under normal circumstances, skills did not change. A “fireball” skill would remain such no matter how many skill points were used to upgrade it. But, a later skill unlocked in another class could change its shape, form, or even the element associated with the skill.
It could take years or longer just to upgrade one skill. But here, Jinyoung had access to three separate quests that would upgrade three separate skills.
Jinyoung, can you hear me?
Willow’s voice interrupted his thoughts. He’d have plenty of time to think about this later.
Is everyone clear? He asked.
I’m afraid not.
The voice was familiar, but it wasn’t Hana or Willow.
Who-
This is Eunice. The short story is technomancers have access to system level communications, but that’s not what’s important. I’m reading an increase in readings around the cradle generator.
While he didn’t understand exactly what she was talking about, Jinyoung knew enough to grip the swords in his hands tighter.
I assume that’s not good. Want to try that in English?
While he spoke, the gate started to flash violently and the humm of generators grew deafening. The gate flashed brilliantly and three bolts of energy struck the ground, sending up a rain of rubble and clouds of dust.
Jinyoung used [scan], but he already knew what they were.
It means you’ve got company.
[Three SIN Wraiths detected.]
