NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: (1)
Unlike ordinary people, players had levels that could be increased by completing quests or killing creatures. With each level up, they could acquire points to raise desired stats. It was something Kaiyan had to experience to fully understand, so it was still hard for him to comprehend.
“But how do you get quests? Do they just suddenly appear like they did today?” Kaiyan asked.
He remembered receiving a quest during the battle that morning, and although he didn’t intend to, he had even completed it.
[Oh, really? Ah, too bad. It was an opportunity to level up,] Rieka replied.
“What do you mean? I didn’t even know it was a quest, I just killed a goblin,” Kaiyan said.
[Quests occur randomly. In other words, it’s luck! You did well to complete the quest. However, since you completed it without ever opening the status window, you didn’t receive any experience points,] Rieka explained.
“I don’t know how to open it, though. And until just now, I thought I was going crazy,” Kaiyan said.
It wasn’t an empty statement; he really thought he was losing his mind.
Anyone would think the same upon hearing a strange voice suddenly and seeing a box floating in mid-air.
If only Kaiyan had known about the status window, he could have experienced leveling up, so it was a little disappointing.
[Too bad, but nothing can be done. Still, now that you’ve activated the status window, you’ll be able to receive experience points properly from now on! Oh, you completed the quest, so you must have received a reward, right?] Rieka asked.
“Just a moment… Inventory,” Kaiyan said as he skillfully took out the quest reward box (F) from his inventory. The box held in his left hand was small, with only enough space for a fist, even smaller than a square.
[This is the quest reward. They’re divided into F-E-D-C-B-A-S-SS-SSS, depending on the quest rating. Of course, F is the worst reward, and SSS is the best,] Rieka explained.
“So how do you use this? If it’s a box, it means it’s storing something right?” Kaiyan asked.
[Oh! Fortunately, your brain isn’t that bad. You just need to say ‘unlock’ while holding the reward box with your hand,] Rieka said.
“Unlock,” Kaiyan said as he followed Rieka’s instructions.
Ding! [You’ve obtained the lowest-grade strength potion (1).]
As Kaiyan shouted ‘unlock’ as Rieka had instructed him, the box in his hand disappeared, and at the same time, a new notification sounded.
“A strength potion? Rieka, I got a strength potion from the reward box!” Kaiyan exclaimed.
[The items obtained from the Reward box will all be automatically stored in the inventory. Please check it.] Reika said.
After hearing Rieka’s words, Kaiyan opened his storage.
“[Lowest-grade recovery potion (4), Lowest-grade strength potion (1)]”
A new item had been stored, and Kaiyan immediately asked, “What function does the low-grade strength potion have?”
As far as he knew, strength referred to physical power. He had never heard of a potion that could increase it.
[Using it will increase the user’s strength by 1,] Rieka explained.
Kaiyan was confused. “Strength means physical power, right? But how can drinking a potion increase my strength?”
Rieka replied, [You’ll find it easier to understand by using it yourself.]
Kaiyan took out the low-grade strength potion from the storage to try it himself. “Should I just drink it like a potion?” he asked.
Rieka laughed. [You really don’t know anything. You don’t have games in this dimension, do you? Haha! Well, there probably isn’t!]
Kaiyan sensed Rieka’s frustration and apologized. “I’m sorry… but this is all new to me. If it’s a game, are you talking about chess?”
Rieka chuckled. [Chess… haha, no. You can directly drink the potion, but you can also use it by saying ‘use low-grade strength potion.’ Would you like to try saying that? Of course, you need to be holding the item you want to use.]
“Use lowest-grade strength potion,” Kaiyan said.
The potion disappeared as he spoke, but there was no noticeable increase in strength.
“That’s it? You said it would increase my strength. But…” Kaiyan looked at himself, but he couldn’t see any change in his physical power.
Kaiyan raised his arm out of curiosity and flexed his skinny muscles, but there was no noticeable change. “Even if the stats increase, there won’t be any physical changes. But the actual applied stats may be different,” he muttered to himself.
“….Anyway, my strength did increase, right? I want to check it once.”
He nodded absently, not fully comprehending the mechanics of the player system.
[It’s best to check for yourself,] said Reika, her image flickering slightly. “I’ll disappear in a moment.”
Kaiyan frantically grabbed the stone slab with both hands and shook it. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Reika just yet.
[There are many beginners besides you, Kaiyan! So will you continue to listen to my explanation?]
“Uh… okay.”
Reika passionately explained the basics of the game. Despite her brief explanation, Kaiyan struggled to keep up with the complex system.
He condensed her words into two key points. First, player items have additional abilities compared to ordinary items. Second, stronger creatures give more experience points.
The stone slab glowed brightly, signaling the end of their time together.
[Unfortunately, it’s time now.]
“Wait! Reika, does that mean we can’t meet again?”
[Oh! I didn’t tell you that. If Kaiyan raises your level, you can meet me! But if you’re late, you won’t be able to meet me!]
“My level? How much do I need to raise it?”
As a beginner’s helper, Reika was a vital source of information, and Kaiyan wanted to meet her again quickly. He knew that understanding the game would help him become stronger faster.
[That’s something you’ll find out later! Well then, it was nice meeting you!] Rieka said.
“Wait a moment! I have one last question to ask… Why me?” the protagonist asked.
Rieka had explained that the player system was designed to help the user’s growth, but he couldn’t understand why he was specifically chosen.
[That… I don’t know either, haha. I’m just a beginner’s guide. But I do know that this system won’t work against Kayan,] Rieka said.
Kaiyan let out a small sigh of relief. Even if the system did work against him, he would have used it to defeat monsters. His desire for revenge against them was that strong.
“Rieka, I still doubt if what’s happening now is a dream. What is all of this… but if it’s all real….” he said, bowing deeply to the stone tablet.
He couldn’t fully grasp what had happened, but he felt grateful for the gamer’s system that had suddenly appeared. It not only provided him with valuable recovery potions but also increased his strength, which he had been lacking. It promised growth in the future too.
[It’s not a dream, so pull yourself together! Well then…] Rieka said.
The stone tablet disappeared into dust with a crackling sound. Looking at the cloud of dust rising from the ground, the protagonist clenched and unclenched his fists. One thing was certain: he was no longer an ordinary person.
“With this… I can kill more monsters,” he said.
It was the reason why he had volunteered to join the alliance army and was obsessed with hunting monsters. A month ago, monsters had invaded the small village where he lived. Even proper soldiers were absent, and the monsters had cruelly killed his family and friends.
“No more tears….” he muttered, thinking of his father, mother, and Vya.
Normally, the army wouldn’t accept a young boy like Kaiyan, but during the time of the monster wave, he easily joined the army, which is how he ended up here.
“Kaiyan! Are you inside?” Jeff’s voice came from outside the tent.
“Has the war ended for today?” Kaiyan asked.
As far as he knew, Jeff wouldn’t retreat until the war was over.
When Kaiyan went outside the tent, he saw Jeff wiping his armor with a cloth, his whole body covered in green blood.
“Jeff, did you catch a lot of monsters?”
“Haha! Of course! Do you know how many orcs I caught today?” Jeff proudly pulled out a bag filled with orc ears from his waist.