I stared at Glim with confusion. How was it going to change active quests? It bobbed up and down, as I held my gaze on it with a frown. I did not know what an active quest was, even though Glim had indicated that it was an integral part of the system; at least that’s what I had assumed considering the odd things that had happened so far. Potion feeding. My face twisted recalling the horror. Needless to say there was more to anticipate, at the same time, Glim had also mentioned that they hadn’t given me all the information that they could provide.
The ball of light moved up and down for another second or two.
[Tada! I have chosen the most appropriate quests for you!]
Appropriate? Words of The System entered my mind and floated in my vision.
[Active Quests:
[Land Reconnaissance (Common F): In order to conquer, one must first grow familiar. Reward: Small Territory Claim. Condition: Travel 20km (0/20) (Repeatable)
[Ecology Dissection (Common F): When in a strange land, one must first investigate. Reward: 1 Shard of Ambition. Condition: Kill Beasts of equal or greater level than you. (0/5)
[A Dream Of Stars (Rare D): Once upon a time the stars seemed so distant, but with the Inspiration of the Universe, constellations interconnected to create a unique fate. One to soar above the stars. Reward: Trial Pass. Condition: Claim a Prophecy to call your own. (0/1)]
[Dynamic Quests:
[Visions of Power (Uncommon E): It is said that the peak exists for a reason. Power to overwhelm, power to surpass the peak; Power Overwhelming. Reward: Guidance Of the Stars (10 minutes). Condition: Reach Level 20 before the Incubation period ends. (2/20)
[Chosen Matriarch (Epic C): As the leader of your race it is your job to secure prosperity. Reward: Ownership of the Planet. Condition: Acquire the rights from the other Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
[Equilibrium (Mythical A): Equilibrium is the fairest of all desires, it is required for all life to be eternal. Reward: Nothing. Condition: Equilibrium of the New World.
[Final Space (Legacy): At the arch of eternity, far beyond the reaches of the universe and The System, the Final Space awaits its purpose. Reward: The Next Step. Condition: Acquire Seedling]
I stared at the long list, I already had an idea of what most meant due to how The System worked, but it was still slightly overwhelming to see it outright. The first thing I noticed was the fact that there were two types of quests; Active and Dynamic. I did not understand what both terms meant other than it seemed I could make progress in both. Though…
I stared at the Dynamic Quests tab, rapidly realizing that I did not understand half of them, and one was still confusing. As for the rewards of all the quests? I did not understand a single one of the rewards. Well, save the one that gave me literal ownership of the planet. Which granted, I did not understand how someone could own the planet, let alone say they owned it. It was simply given by The System, but even then I still did not particularly understand it. Though there was something that bothered me.
“Glim,” I called. “Why does the Epic quest say I am the leader of my race?”
[Well you’re the last one, no? Therefore leader!]
I felt my mood crash down in an instant at Glim’s merciless remark. I simply bit my lip suppressing my memories. “Right.”
[Oh no! I am sorry!] It bobbed up and down in a hurry. [That was a mean thing to say wasn’t it? I promise it wasn’t on purpose! I truly promise! I simply blurted it out in the heat of the moment! Sorry Blair! Please forgive me Blair! I’ll— I’ll make it up to you! I’ll tell you a secret!]
I scoffed at Glim and its way of being, somehow not screaming at it, but my ears did twitch upon hearing its last sentence. “What secret?”
[Promise you’re not mad?] Glim asked with apparent anxiousness.
“I am not mad,” I sighed. “I promise…”
[Okay, okay, you see. The secret is that secrets stop being secrets when they are told!] It chirped.
At that moment, I felt my body drain itself of energy and simply stared at the sky. Lots of things floated in my mind as the birds flew across the azure landscape. But one thing that remained was the regret of even trying to listen to Glim. I closed my eyes and saw the quests in my memory, and even though I was already planning on doing some of the more reasonable ones. The idea of just doing them seemed much more appealing. If I was being honest with myself, anything aside from talking to Glim simply seemed more appealing.
[I can’t help but detect that you’re thinking ill of me!]
I snorted. It was part of The System, Glim being able to sense my scorn for it wasn’t going to change anything. But the idea was somewhat revolting. Alas, I felt like I had no choice than to know that Glim — my trusty System Generated Assistant, could read my mind.
“Anyway, explain to me the difference between the Dynamic and Active quests.” I got up from the tree branch and jumped down to the ground. My feet padded the landing as the shock traveled through my legs, but… It wasn’t that painful?
I gave the grass an odd look, I still remembered how much it hurt last time I had jumped down from the tree— or fallen? Perhaps it was due to being prepared for the fall, or perhaps it was due to the increase in vigor, it had gone up by six points since I fought the Everwood Moose, which thinking about it made me feel great. It was a sense of accomplishment and progression I had never felt before.
Glim descended like a feather to my side, serving as a reminder that I had stood still for too long. The first thing I did was look for the first two active quests in my memory.
[Land Reconnaissance (Common F): In order to conquer, one must first grow familiar. Reward: Small Territory Claim. Condition: Travel 20km (0/20) (Repeatable)
[Ecology Dissection (Common F): When in a strange land, one must first investigate. Reward: 1 Shard of Ambition. Condition: Kill Beasts of equal or greater Level. (0/5)
The first one was somewhat annoying, but it also served to compare what I was capable of. If I wasn’t wrong, it meant that I had grown stronger simply from getting Initiated into The System which was great. But it also gave me mixed feelings now. Certain concerns floated in my mind, such as if the power I had obtained was something I deserved, or whether it was a common phenomenon or not. Asking Glim? I did not want to ask too much for now.
I decided to pick the second quest as my main focus. I was going to do my best to find Beasts to hunt and hopefully the first quest would complete by itself while doing so. WIth that in mind, I began walking in a random direction; the sea of trees did not look any different no matter the direction.
[Are you listening?] Glim asked, annoyed. I shook my head, making it sigh. [I was saying that Active quests are quests that are active, meaning that unlike Dynamic quests which exist passively and can be failed without repercussions, active quests have actual consequences.]
I paused.
“You’re saying that if I fail the Active quests I’ll be punished?” I frowned. “But I did not even have a choice.”
[I accepted them for you! Yes you can be punished, but do not worry, I made sure to choose the best quests that align with your goals. A Prophecy is necessary for your ambition and goal, otherwise you will certainly die! I cannot be one of the billions of SGAs that have had their companion die! That would be awful!]
I rolled my eyes but accepted the explanation regarding the Prophecy, which I still did not understand what it actually was. “So, what about the other two quests?”
[Right, I was getting to that! Reconnaissance does not have a fail penalty, and Dissection is something you need to be stronger. But if you’d like we can change Dissection for Investigation, which requires you to eat and sample different plants across the forest! Here, I’ll change it right now—]
“No need,” I shook my head. It seemed that Glim was competent in some aspects, even if its way of being bothered me. At least, judging by the common names I wasn’t alone.
[Thanks for the praise.]
I sighed. “Glim, do you happen to know the best place to progress the Dissection quest?”
It bobbed up and down seemingly not having a response. I guess I was expecting too much, still the quests were enough help—
[I know just the place. It’s quite a walk away, but I promise it’s completely worth it.]
My ears slightly perked up in interest. “Lead the way then.” Glim, hearing my command excitedly circled me before beginning his guidance. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad?
◇ ◇ ◇
We stood before a gaping hole inside the ground, an endless supply of cold air seemed to exit its dirt-ridden entrance, there was a thin layer of frost coating its sides. It was as if an animal had dug out a cave inside the grass of the forest, except said animal was multiple meters wide, and also happened to change the environment in its nesting area.
“What is this?” I asked with confusion.
[It's the hideout of a very powerful Beast of course! Level 20 Rime Worm, killing it, completes the quest and grants you Three Shards of Ambition! It might also give you a Feat!]
I stared at the floating ball of light that was my companion.
“Do you seriously think I can kill a level 20 Beast?”
[You asked for the best place to do the quest, not the place in which you can hunt level 2 or higher beasts!]
I stared at the time.
[Incubation Period: 6 days 9 hours 54 minutes]
Great, just like that Glim had used about two hours of time for nothing. Still, the trek was incredibly long, so it had progressed my quest by a large margin, almost completing it. At the same time, there was a lake on the way to the worm’s hideout, which I had committed to memory since I first saw it.
[Land Reconnaissance (Common F): In order to conquer, one must first grow familiar. Reward: Small Territory Claim. Condition: Travel 20km (17.5/20) (Repeatable)
I mentally made a plan for myself that did not involve trusting Glim, and began my journey back to the river to hunt for some food. Signs of hunger had begun to appear.
◇ ◇ ◇
The rocks creaked under my feet, as the wind blew through the trees behind me. I took a deep breath hearing the slight clicking of the bow’s string. I let go of the arrow, the string zipped past my fingers with burning pain and the arrow whistled through the wind. In less than a second the water splashed and the arrow nestled itself deep inside the underwater bed.
The fish squirmed under the water for a few seconds before it finally died. A sigh left me as sweat trickled down my forehead.
[You have killed: (F) Everclear Carp. Lvl 1.] I noted in my mind that the Everclear Carp was an F-grade beast. Finding it interesting that the Everwood Moose was E-grade. So there were different grades?
[Nice shot! Why did you keep trying to start a fire that way? You know, you could’ve just asked me! Maybe even I could have started it for you! You know how useful I was by pointing out the alloy of the bow, right?] I sighed and walked into the shallow waters of the lake to get my food and retrieve the arrow, not having the energy to deal with Glim.
After so much effort I could finally eat, starting a fire was surprisingly hard. But thanks to Glim — who pointed out that there was a fire starter rod inside the string stopped of the bow — I was able to start it without too much trouble. Thanks to that I didn’t need to keep trying to grind wood against each other. Apparently it was a type of alloy according to Glim, he told me to inspect it, but I ignored it. By that point I was too tired.
[Land Reconnaissance (Common F): In order to conquer, one must first grow familiar. Reward: Small Territory Claim. Condition: Travel 20km (3/20) (Repeatable)
I had completed the quest once and it simply reset itself after asking me if I’d like to repeat it. Glim claimed the reward would be available once the Incubation period ended, but at that point I was too tired to care. I simply sat by the bonfire; composed of dead branches and stones. I set the fish down using one of the metal arrows as a kind of stick, and simply waited as it cooked.
As time ticked by, I stared at the sky and wondered how big the skirmish space was. I hadn’t encountered any other being at this point. Well not counting the occasional beast. Part of me wondered if I was progressing faster or worse than the average. I had wasted a few hours fainted, and another few following after Glim.
I switched to looking at the crackling fire, the refractive blueish white scales of the fish glistened under the sun, but my mind was elsewhere. Instead, a resolve was forming inside my head. I did not know how high levels could go, but if I had learnt anything. It was that even level 20 monsters existed here, and it wasn’t particularly hard to find based on the route I had taken. If level 20 wasn’t rare here, then. How strong would the world outside be?
Therefore, I was done wasting time. I had to grow stronger.
I stared at Glim with confusion. How was it going to change active quests? It bobbed up and down, as I held my gaze on it with a frown. I did not know what an active quest was, even though Glim had indicated that it was an integral part of the system; at least that’s what I had assumed considering the odd things that had happened so far. Potion feeding. My face twisted recalling the horror. Needless to say there was more to anticipate, at the same time, Glim had also mentioned that they hadn’t given me all the information that they could provide.
The ball of light moved up and down for another second or two.
[Tada! I have chosen the most appropriate quests for you!]
Appropriate? Words of The System entered my mind and floated in my vision.
[Active Quests:
[Land Reconnaissance (Common F): In order to conquer, one must first grow familiar. Reward: Small Territory Claim. Condition: Travel 20km (0/20) (Repeatable)
[Ecology Dissection (Common F): When in a strange land, one must first investigate. Reward: 1 Shard of Ambition. Condition: Kill Beasts of equal or greater level than you. (0/5)
[A Dream Of Stars (Rare D): Once upon a time the stars seemed so distant, but with the Inspiration of the Universe, constellations interconnected to create a unique fate. One to soar above the stars. Reward: Trial Pass. Condition: Claim a Prophecy to call your own. (0/1)]
[Dynamic Quests:
[Visions of Power (Uncommon E): It is said that the peak exists for a reason. Power to overwhelm, power to surpass the peak; Power Overwhelming. Reward: Guidance Of the Stars (10 minutes). Condition: Reach Level 20 before the Incubation period ends. (2/20)
[Chosen Matriarch (Epic C): As the leader of your race it is your job to secure prosperity. Reward: Ownership of the Planet. Condition: Acquire the rights from the other Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
[Equilibrium (Mythical A): Equilibrium is the fairest of all desires, it is required for all life to be eternal. Reward: Nothing. Condition: Equilibrium of the New World.
[Final Space (Legacy): At the arch of eternity, far beyond the reaches of the universe and The System, the Final Space awaits its purpose. Reward: The Next Step. Condition: Acquire Seedling]
I stared at the long list, I already had an idea of what most meant due to how The System worked, but it was still slightly overwhelming to see it outright. The first thing I noticed was the fact that there were two types of quests; Active and Dynamic. I did not understand what both terms meant other than it seemed I could make progress in both. Though…
I stared at the Dynamic Quests tab, rapidly realizing that I did not understand half of them, and one was still confusing. As for the rewards of all the quests? I did not understand a single one of the rewards. Well, save the one that gave me literal ownership of the planet. Which granted, I did not understand how someone could own the planet, let alone say they owned it. It was simply given by The System, but even then I still did not particularly understand it. Though there was something that bothered me.
“Glim,” I called. “Why does the Epic quest say I am the leader of my race?”
[Well you’re the last one, no? Therefore leader!]
I felt my mood crash down in an instant at Glim’s merciless remark. I simply bit my lip suppressing my memories. “Right.”
[Oh no! I am sorry!] It bobbed up and down in a hurry. [That was a mean thing to say wasn’t it? I promise it wasn’t on purpose! I truly promise! I simply blurted it out in the heat of the moment! Sorry Blair! Please forgive me Blair! I’ll— I’ll make it up to you! I’ll tell you a secret!]
I scoffed at Glim and its way of being, somehow not screaming at it, but my ears did twitch upon hearing its last sentence. “What secret?”
[Promise you’re not mad?] Glim asked with apparent anxiousness.
“I am not mad,” I sighed. “I promise…”
[Okay, okay, you see. The secret is that secrets stop being secrets when they are told!] It chirped.
At that moment, I felt my body drain itself of energy and simply stared at the sky. Lots of things floated in my mind as the birds flew across the azure landscape. But one thing that remained was the regret of even trying to listen to Glim. I closed my eyes and saw the quests in my memory, and even though I was already planning on doing some of the more reasonable ones. The idea of just doing them seemed much more appealing. If I was being honest with myself, anything aside from talking to Glim simply seemed more appealing.
[I can’t help but detect that you’re thinking ill of me!]
I snorted. It was part of The System, Glim being able to sense my scorn for it wasn’t going to change anything. But the idea was somewhat revolting. Alas, I felt like I had no choice than to know that Glim — my trusty System Generated Assistant, could read my mind.
“Anyway, explain to me the difference between the Dynamic and Active quests.” I got up from the tree branch and jumped down to the ground. My feet padded the landing as the shock traveled through my legs, but… It wasn’t that painful?
I gave the grass an odd look, I still remembered how much it hurt last time I had jumped down from the tree— or fallen? Perhaps it was due to being prepared for the fall, or perhaps it was due to the increase in vigor, it had gone up by six points since I fought the Everwood Moose, which thinking about it made me feel great. It was a sense of accomplishment and progression I had never felt before.
Glim descended like a feather to my side, serving as a reminder that I had stood still for too long. The first thing I did was look for the first two active quests in my memory.
[Land Reconnaissance (Common F): In order to conquer, one must first grow familiar. Reward: Small Territory Claim. Condition: Travel 20km (0/20) (Repeatable)
[Ecology Dissection (Common F): When in a strange land, one must first investigate. Reward: 1 Shard of Ambition. Condition: Kill Beasts of equal or greater Level. (0/5)
The first one was somewhat annoying, but it also served to compare what I was capable of. If I wasn’t wrong, it meant that I had grown stronger simply from getting Initiated into The System which was great. But it also gave me mixed feelings now. Certain concerns floated in my mind, such as if the power I had obtained was something I deserved, or whether it was a common phenomenon or not. Asking Glim? I did not want to ask too much for now.
I decided to pick the second quest as my main focus. I was going to do my best to find Beasts to hunt and hopefully the first quest would complete by itself while doing so. WIth that in mind, I began walking in a random direction; the sea of trees did not look any different no matter the direction.
[Are you listening?] Glim asked, annoyed. I shook my head, making it sigh. [I was saying that Active quests are quests that are active, meaning that unlike Dynamic quests which exist passively and can be failed without repercussions, active quests have actual consequences.]
I paused.
“You’re saying that if I fail the Active quests I’ll be punished?” I frowned. “But I did not even have a choice.”
[I accepted them for you! Yes you can be punished, but do not worry, I made sure to choose the best quests that align with your goals. A Prophecy is necessary for your ambition and goal, otherwise you will certainly die! I cannot be one of the billions of SGAs that have had their companion die! That would be awful!]
I rolled my eyes but accepted the explanation regarding the Prophecy, which I still did not understand what it actually was. “So, what about the other two quests?”
[Right, I was getting to that! Reconnaissance does not have a fail penalty, and Dissection is something you need to be stronger. But if you’d like we can change Dissection for Investigation, which requires you to eat and sample different plants across the forest! Here, I’ll change it right now—]
“No need,” I shook my head. It seemed that Glim was competent in some aspects, even if its way of being bothered me. At least, judging by the common names I wasn’t alone.
[Thanks for the praise.]
I sighed. “Glim, do you happen to know the best place to progress the Dissection quest?”
It bobbed up and down seemingly not having a response. I guess I was expecting too much, still the quests were enough help—
[I know just the place. It’s quite a walk away, but I promise it’s completely worth it.]
My ears slightly perked up in interest. “Lead the way then.” Glim, hearing my command excitedly circled me before beginning his guidance. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad?
◇ ◇ ◇
We stood before a gaping hole inside the ground, an endless supply of cold air seemed to exit its dirt-ridden entrance, there was a thin layer of frost coating its sides. It was as if an animal had dug out a cave inside the grass of the forest, except said animal was multiple meters wide, and also happened to change the environment in its nesting area.
“What is this?” I asked with confusion.
[It's the hideout of a very powerful Beast of course! Level 20 Rime Worm, killing it, completes the quest and grants you Three Shards of Ambition! It might also give you a Feat!]
I stared at the floating ball of light that was my companion.
“Do you seriously think I can kill a level 20 Beast?”
[You asked for the best place to do the quest, not the place in which you can hunt level 2 or higher beasts!]
I stared at the time.
[Incubation Period: 6 days 9 hours 54 minutes]
Great, just like that Glim had used about two hours of time for nothing. Still, the trek was incredibly long, so it had progressed my quest by a large margin, almost completing it. At the same time, there was a lake on the way to the worm’s hideout, which I had committed to memory since I first saw it.
[Land Reconnaissance (Common F): In order to conquer, one must first grow familiar. Reward: Small Territory Claim. Condition: Travel 20km (17.5/20) (Repeatable)
I mentally made a plan for myself that did not involve trusting Glim, and began my journey back to the river to hunt for some food. Signs of hunger had begun to appear.
◇ ◇ ◇
The rocks creaked under my feet, as the wind blew through the trees behind me. I took a deep breath hearing the slight clicking of the bow’s string. I let go of the arrow, the string zipped past my fingers with burning pain and the arrow whistled through the wind. In less than a second the water splashed and the arrow nestled itself deep inside the underwater bed.
The fish squirmed under the water for a few seconds before it finally died. A sigh left me as sweat trickled down my forehead.
[You have killed: (F) Everclear Carp. Lvl 1.] I noted in my mind that the Everclear Carp was an F-grade beast. Finding it interesting that the Everwood Moose was E-grade. So there were different grades?
[Nice shot! Why did you keep trying to start a fire that way? You know, you could’ve just asked me! Maybe even I could have started it for you! You know how useful I was by pointing out the alloy of the bow, right?] I sighed and walked into the shallow waters of the lake to get my food and retrieve the arrow, not having the energy to deal with Glim.
After so much effort I could finally eat, starting a fire was surprisingly hard. But thanks to Glim — who pointed out that there was a fire starter rod inside the string stopped of the bow — I was able to start it without too much trouble. Thanks to that I didn’t need to keep trying to grind wood against each other. Apparently it was a type of alloy according to Glim, he told me to inspect it, but I ignored it. By that point I was too tired.
[Land Reconnaissance (Common F): In order to conquer, one must first grow familiar. Reward: Small Territory Claim. Condition: Travel 20km (3/20) (Repeatable)
I had completed the quest once and it simply reset itself after asking me if I’d like to repeat it. Glim claimed the reward would be available once the Incubation period ended, but at that point I was too tired to care. I simply sat by the bonfire; composed of dead branches and stones. I set the fish down using one of the metal arrows as a kind of stick, and simply waited as it cooked.
As time ticked by, I stared at the sky and wondered how big the skirmish space was. I hadn’t encountered any other being at this point. Well not counting the occasional beast. Part of me wondered if I was progressing faster or worse than the average. I had wasted a few hours fainted, and another few following after Glim.
I switched to looking at the crackling fire, the refractive blueish white scales of the fish glistened under the sun, but my mind was elsewhere. Instead, a resolve was forming inside my head. I did not know how high levels could go, but if I had learnt anything. It was that even level 20 monsters existed here, and it wasn’t particularly hard to find based on the route I had taken. If level 20 wasn’t rare here, then. How strong would the world outside be?
Therefore, I was done wasting time. I had to grow stronger.
