"Ding! Forging successful! Fluffy Rabbit's Mask level increased by 1. Forging skill proficiency increased."
"Ding! Forging successful! Fluffy Rabbit's Mask level increased by 1. Forging skill proficiency increased."
"Ding! Forging successful! Fluffy Rabbit's Mask level increased by 1. Forging skill proficiency increased."
Marcus grinned. Three successful forges in a row, impressive, but not unexpected given his high Luck stat. Still, that satisfying ding never got old.
He checked the updated attributes:
Fluffy Rabbit's Mask: Artifact Level 4
A precious gift from the Golden Rabbit King to Fluffy Rabbit.
Requirements: None
Agility +50, Movement Speed +3, Attack Speed +2
Skill: Run for Your Life – Allows the use of a Town Portal Scroll while in combat.
Additional Effect: Agility +40
Not bad at all.
It was just a shame that Dreamland Gems couldn't be fused into rings, necklaces, or accessories. If he could have embedded them into his Ring of Greed, who knew what kind of absurd bonus he might've unlocked?
Now, at last, he was ready to begin his new quest.
He headed out into the streets of Dragon's Peak Citadel, asking a few passersby about Merchant Reginald. It didn't take long, apparently, the man was well-known. Everyone seemed to know where his estate was.
Following their directions, Marcus soon arrived at an extravagant courtyard that stood out even among the city's wealthier districts.
A true merchant, indeed, he thought, taking in the sight of the finely carved gate and the luxurious architecture beyond. Everything, from the marble walkway to the intricate golden crest on the door radiated wealth.
There was no doubt about it. Merchant Reginald was one of the richest men in all of Dragon's Peak Citadel.
"Hello, I was sent by Captain Markos of the Knights. Here's his letter of introduction."
Marcus regarded the man before him, a middle-aged fellow who looked to be in his early thirties. His face was drawn with worry, the kind of deep distress that only came from someone carrying a heavy burden.
"Oh, Captain Markos recommended you?" Merchant Reginald took the letter and unfolded it with trembling hands. His eyes darted quickly across the page, and as soon as he finished reading, he grabbed Marcus's arm in desperation.
"Stonehaven, you have to help me!"
'Whoa', Marcus thought, startled. 'Not so fast, man. You're being a bit dramatic. And could you maybe let go of my shirt?'
He didn't say it aloud, of course.
"What's the matter?" he asked instead, keeping his tone calm. "If it's something I can help with, I'll certainly do my best."
"It's like this," Reginald began, voice trembling. "Five days ago, I went exploring outside the city with some friends. We were having such a good time that we didn't realize how far we'd wandered; straight near the Black Rock Spire. That's when we were attacked by dark creatures. In the chaos, I lost my beloved Keaton Necklace."
Seriously? Marcus blinked, slightly taken aback. All this over a necklace?
Reginald looked utterly broken, his face pale and his eyes glassy with tears. The reaction seemed almost absurd, yet there was something painfully sincere about his despair.
"Stonehaven," Reginald said, voice cracking, "the Keaton Necklace isn't worth much in gold, but it's the only thing my late wife ever gave me. Seeing it reminds me of her, like she's still beside me somehow. Losing it feels like losing her all over again. If I can't get it back... I don't know how I'll go on. How could I ever face her in the next world?"
Marcus felt his earlier judgment fade. He had taken the merchant for a cowardly man, weak over a trinket, but now he understood. The weight behind the words struck him deeply.
"Sir Reginald," he said firmly, "don't worry. I'll go to the Black Rock Spire and bring your Keaton Necklace back."
Reginald's eyes widened, a spark of hope flickering through the grief. "Truly? Stonehaven, thank you! Captain Markos spoke so highly of you in his letter, and now I see why. You're exactly the kind of person who can do this."
"Heh... heh..." Marcus laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. Praise always made him uncomfortable.
"Sir Reginald," he continued, quickly steering the conversation back on track, "do you have any details about what happened? Anything that could help me locate the necklace?" He wasn't the type to rush in blindly, especially not against unknown dark creatures.
Reginald took a moment to think before replying. "After losing the Keaton Necklace, I gathered a team and returned to the Black Rock Spire. We fought our way through the first level and managed to defeat the Skeleton Captain who had stolen it. But when we searched his remains, the necklace was gone. We believe he must have offered it to the Skeleton Banshee on the third level."
Skeleton Banshee? Marcus frowned. Since when do skeletons have genders? The name alone sounded troublesome. Whatever that thing was, it didn't sound like an easy fight.
"I couldn't bear to give up," Reginald went on. "So I led my men deeper into the Spire, but the monsters on the second level were far too strong. We had to retreat before losing anyone else."
He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping. "When I got back, I reported everything to the City Guard Captain, hoping they'd send help. But he said it wasn't serious enough to mobilize troops. I remembered my connection with Captain Markos and turned to him as a last resort."
Marcus nodded slowly, piecing the story together. "Understood. Sir Reginald, you can rest easy. I'll go scout the Spire first, get a sense of what I'm dealing with, and then I'll bring your necklace back.
"Ding! The Unique Quest: Merchant Reginald's Trouble has been updated! Player Stonehaven is required to defeat the Skeleton Banshee on the third level of the Black Rock Spire and retrieve the Keaton Necklace. If the quest fails, Player Stonehaven's level will decrease by 10, and the quest will disappear."
'Heh, that's a nasty penalty... better not mess this up.'
"Sir Reginald," Marcus said with a confident grin, "I'm off. Wait here for my good news."
With that, he turned and dashed out of the shop, disappearing into the bustling street like a gust of wind.
"Wait! Stonehaven, hold on! I haven't told you how to reach the Black Rock Spire yet! It's not just some place you can walk into; the entrance is hidden behind an arcane barrier. Outsiders can't simply wander in!"
Merchant Reginald's voice echoed anxiously through the shop as he rushed to the door, waving his arms. Inside, he was fuming. 'Why is this kid so reckless? How does he expect to complete a quest if he charges off like that?'
Marcus paused long enough to grin over his shoulder. "Don't worry, Sir Reginald. I already know where the Black Rock Spire is, and I've got a good idea of what I'm dealing with. You can relax!"
He wasn't bluffing. Thanks to the map of the Dreamland Continent drawn by Silas the Wanderer, he was intimately familiar with the land's geography. When Captain Markos first mentioned the Black Rock Spire, Marcus had already found its location marked on that map.
According to Silas's notes, Black Rock Spire had once been an ancient battlefield. Over two thousand years, resentment and death energy had seeped into the land, twisting it into a zone of dark magic. The air itself had become thick with decay, and from it rose the dead skeletal soldiers, rotting corpses, and creatures of shadow that prowled the ruins in endless cycles of violence.
Two centuries ago, the three Arch-Sorcerers and two Paladins of the Dreamland Continent joined forces to contain the spreading darkness. Using divine magic, they sealed the Spire, preventing the undead from pouring out into the world. Since then, the place had been left desolate and nearly forgotten.
On Silas's map, the Spire appeared as an inverted black stone tower plunging deep underground. Each level teemed with more powerful monsters than the one above. Silas's final annotation noted that he had only managed to descend as far as the tenth floor. There, he had encountered Skeleton Dark Knights and Skeleton Arch-Mages, both at terrifying power levels around eighty. Beyond them lay an unknown boss whose strength forced him to retreat.
'That's strange', Marcus murmured to himself, frowning.
If the Spire was sealed by the Arch-Sorcerers and Paladins, then how had a Skeleton Captain from the first level managed to steal Reginald's necklace? Reginald wasn't the type to invent such a story, so either he'd been tricked, or the seal had somehow weakened.
'Could it be... the barrier's been broken?'
The thought sent a chill through him. If the creatures inside could now move freely, that wasn't just Reginald's problem; it could spell disaster for the entire region.
He exhaled slowly and shook his head. Forget it. I'll see it with my own eyes first. Speculating wouldn't help. Once he scouted the Spire, he'd know the truth, and if something was wrong, he'd deal with it then.
Leaving the merchant district behind, Marcus wandered toward the city gates, taking in the streets of Dragon's Peak Citadel. The sun gleamed off the clean white stone roads, and the banners above the shops fluttered lazily in the wind. It was beautiful, peaceful... and eerily quiet.
He glanced around. There wasn't another player in sight.
'Wait, seriously? I'm the only one here?' He couldn't help but grin, feeling a rush of pride. Looks like he was way ahead of everyone else.
For a moment, he basked in that thought, the thrill of being the first, the feeling that he was carving his own path through uncharted ground.
'Not bad, Marcus. Not bad at all'
He chuckled under his breath. This wasn't just a game to him anymore. Dominion was more than a pastime now, it was his shot at something bigger.