NOVGO.NET Chapter 29: Enter ruins
Chapter 29: Enter ruins
It was around ten o’clock when they finished eating and cleaning up, and Kai decided it was time to leave.
He had no idea how long he would be gone, so he told Jean not to wait for him and to get some sleep.
"It’s quite late, so take care," Jean said, concern plainly visible in her eyes.
She did not ask him again where he was going, and Kai offered no explanation. Perhaps she understood that it was not somewhere he could simply tell her about.
Nodding, Kai reassured her, "Don’t worry. I won’t be too far away."
His newly acquired skill would alert him if either of them came into danger, so he trusted the system and set out on his venture.
Before leaving, however, he made his way quietly toward the bed and looked down at his little bean.
She lay curled on her side, breathing softly, her thumb resting between her lips.
The adorable sight eased some of the tension weighing on him. He leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"I’ll be back before you wake up."
He whispered the words before slowly straightening to his feet.
Turning toward Jean, Kai gave her a quiet nod. Without another word, he stepped outside
Jean remained where she was for another moment, her gaze eventually settling on the beer cans they had brought home earlier.
She reached for them and placed them in the refrigerator.
Maybe some other time.
....
"Haah, let’s see."
After stepping out of the house, Kai made his way to a public bathroom cubicle near his home and took out the system key he had received earlier.
The skull-shaped key looked anything but ordinary.
He pressed it against the keyhole. Despite being far too large for the tiny opening, the key slipped inside with surprising ease.
Kai drew a deep breath and twisted it.
A soft click reached his ears.
’Hopefully, I won’t end up inside the bathroom.’
He slowly pushed the door open.
Darkness awaited him on the other side.
’What in the seven hells...’
Kai cautiously stepped through, his eyes scanning his surroundings. It took him only a moment to realize that he was not standing inside the cubicle.
He was somewhere else entirely.
As soon as he released the door, it swung shut behind him with a heavy thud.
Kai spun around.
The door was gone.
In its place stretched a vast, desolate plain, silent beneath an unfamiliar darkness.
"System?"
[Welcome to the first Runic Temple.]
[Name: Temple of the Guardians]
[Rank: D]
[Stage 1: Clear the First Line]
[Objective: To reach the General holding the fort, the host must defeat the first line of defense, comprising foot soldiers.]
[Reward: ???]
[Time Limit:2 hours]
[Number of fallen: 0/50]
The sheer amount of information appearing before him left Kai frozen in place.
For several seconds, he could do nothing but stare and read through it all.
What surprised him, and only heightened his nervousness, was the temple’s rank.
’System... you do know I’m only F-rank, right? And I don’t have much combat experience.’
It was true that he had fought before. He had even hunted a hound recently. Still, taking on an entire battalion of soldiers was an entirely different matter.
[Host, you have yet to consume the Growth Pill. At this point, it would provide only a limited boost, but it would also raise your potential by one rank or maybe more.]
[Additionally, the warriors you will be facing are not D-rank. The final threat of this stage is the one ranked at that level.]
Kai relaxed slightly upon hearing that.
Summoning the pill into his hand, he eyed it warily.
"Should I consume it now? Won’t it make me dizzy or something?"
His knowledge from novels and comics made him somewhat wary of swallowing a mysterious pill while surrounded by danger. Usually, consuming something like this came with a period of weakness, pain, or some other unexpected complication.
However,
[The host is currently too weak for the pill to induce severe changes.]
[Current Stats:]
[Strength: F+]
[Speed: F]
[Endurance: E+]
[Intelligence: E-]
[Mana: F+]
The pill wouldn’t provide much of a boost, but it would certainly erase the upper limit of each attribute.
"..." Somehow, seeing his stats gave Kai heartburn. The fact that his endurance was higher than his intelligence dealt an even greater blow to his pride.
Still, it was understandable.
Taking a deep breath, he swallowed the pill.
Almost immediately, a timer appeared before his eyes.
[Preparation Time: 3 minutes 55 seconds...]
The timer began counting down, leaving him with roughly four minutes to prepare himself mentally.
The pill had already passed down his throat, and a strange tingling sensation settled in the pit of his stomach. It spread through him like warmth, soothing every muscle it touched. It felt almost as though he were sitting in a massage chair, with every part of his body gradually relaxing.
Kai simply stood there, savoring the sensation.
By the time he finally opened his eyes, however,
[Remaining Time: 1 minute 15 seconds.]
"..."
Kai hurriedly summoned his dagger from the system inventory and assumed a ready stance.
With the Frozen Tooth, he should at least be able to take down a few enemies without suffering too much damage.
But then,
[Host, the weaker the weapon you use to defeat your opponents, the more points you will gain.]
[These points can later be used to purchase potions, hunting supplies, weapons, and other items.]
[Your current weapon is rated above S-rank, while your opponents will be around the same rank as you.]
[As such, you will gain little to no points by defeating them with it.]
"..."
Kai stared blankly ahead.
Then what was he supposed to fight with?
His bare hands?
[Do not worry, host. The System Shop contains several items that may suit your needs.]
[Starting with:]
[Name: Wooden Stick]
[Rank: Unranked]
[Price: 3 SP]
[How about it, host?]
Kai almost wanted to bury his face in his hands.
Just what kind of predicament had the system thrown him into?