I have finished my first rewrite volume one over on Patre0n. I've decided to release the rest of the chapters over here! I'll be taking a little time before Volume Two starts.
I went ahead and split the original Volume One into two Volumes now.
Volume One: A New Life In Zemuria
Volume Two: Turmoil In The Capital
Let me know how you readers are enjoying the rewrite!
As always Giliath Demands your power stones! Also going forward I will only include this message in author comments further down at end of chapter. That way you readers can get the full immersion.
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All of a sudden, a giant and menacing fiery red wolf strutted through the forest, tearing trees down one after another. It left the grass burnt to a crisp as it continued its rampage.
Without a doubt, this monster isn't your average monster. It's Cryptid!
Before I could take any action, however, I heard an unexpected notification sound off inside my head. Another type of Quest was issued to me!
You see there are different kinds of Quests available that the Gamer System gives you. Some are influenced by the environment around you, depending on the time, place or actions being done. That is the situation here. There are others, where it depends on the person. Father initiated the Daily Quest, so that'd be an example. They come in all shapes and sizes. Most Quests have a start and end, and have a mission of sorts to complete. Complete it, and you get rewarded. It can range anywhere from just being a simple task, to being something super serious, like the Quest info I just received.
As far as I know, there are four main types of Quests. The normal Quest. Daily Quest. Hidden Quest that you won't know how to trigger until you meet its conditions, and what I just received.
An Emergency Quest.
Do something within the time constraint, and get rewarded for it.
And sure enough, once I read its contents, I became excited!
[Ding! An Emergency Quest has been issued to Gamer Naoto. A powerful Cryptid has appeared. Work with your current partners to take down the beast. As long as the beast is slain, the reward will get issued. Gamer Naoto does not need to deliver the final blow.]
'So it doesn't matter who. We just need to take the Cryptid down eh? I like that. Let's view the details', I thought. A blue screen suddenly appeared before me.
[EMERGENCY QUEST ISSUED!]
[SLAY THE CRYPTID!]
Task 1: Slay the Flaming Beast, Agnagarn.
Status: 0 / 1
A towering inferno clad in flames, Agnagarn scorches the land with its every breath. The Septium Veins below have triggered its arrival.
Rewards:
5000 EXP
+15 to All Stats
+5 Generation IV Quartz Boxes (Random)
Task 2 (Bonus Objective): Slay Agnagarn within 1 hour.
Reward Multiplier: 10.0x Tactical Bonus applied to total EXP gained. (A/N: Yes, this is above the cap)
Time Limit: 119:59:59...
'Ahh, music to my ears. A new kind of Quest has appeared. No penalty either. Just the way I like it. We could completely ignore this giant wolf, but that'd ruin a lot of this forest I now call my home, minus the parts it has destroyed already. I don't want to back down from a challenge like this, even though I can't really attack. That's why I received that message earlier. Work with my partners, and take it down. That means Father will have to take the brunt of the attacks.
Can a man like Giliath solo a Cryptid?
I can actually see that happening.
Still, to see a Cryptid appear this early on. And moreover, these blue flowers. I recognized them at a single glance. They're a phenomenon that can't really be explained, but when something otherworldly happens in the Trailsverse, in this case, the spawning of a Cryptid, this grass will likely follow. It's called Pleroma Grass. The very same Grass a certain cult uses to do its diabolical experiments, serving as the basis to creating the Gnosis drug.
What would be the best way to explain what Cryptids are? They aren't your average monster, like I previously said. Far from it, actually.
If I had to relate it to something, they're almost like invaders? On the outside, they just appear to be your big baddie boss-type monster. They might even be a tier or two above your average boss-type monster. A super boss, even. Or even beyond that.
But what are Cryptids, really?
From my understanding, they are creatures that exist within the laws and boundaries of Zemuria, but at the same time, they don't exist. Like I previously stated, they're more like invaders. They come from other planes of existence! Just like the realm of Phantasma hidden within the Recluse Cube Artifact.
While monsters normally just go poof and return to being raw energy of the Septium Veins, Cryptids behave differently. They explode into gigantic particles of light. This is because they return to wherever they came from, not existing in Zemuria anymore. To put it bluntly, their soul returns home. This is my opinion of them at least. The easiest way to spot a Cryptid is if the Three Higher Elements are at play. If you see that, then it's likely A Cryptid. Time, Space, and Mirage don't normally appear on Zemuria's overworld, unless in very special situations, like the appearance of a Cryptid.
It causes the surrounding atmosphere to turn weird too! Like dense elemental particles becoming visible and such.
Either way, a Cryptid quite literally showed up at our doorstep, rallying hundreds of monsters at its beck and call.
The Flaming Beast, Agnagarn. You would come across this Cryptid in the Cold Steel games. And seeing as we're in Erebonia, it makes sense.
It was a massive fiery wolf-like creature trying to make its way to the barrier, and likely Roer beyond it. It was as if it was dead set on attacking the city, and Father and I were both in its path head on. I had another look at it. The fiery flames constantly released around the giant wolf were setting the grass on fire as it walked. It left behind a blazing path. Should it continue like this, the fire would quickly spread throughout the entire forest. This is much, much worse than the little embers ignited by Father's first skirmish with the previous monsters. I could see it was heading northwest, which was mostly barren, but still likely within Marquis Rogner's territory. It was dead set on attacking the Barrier and head into Roer.
"Father, we have to make haste and defeat this wolf. Its target is the city of Roer!", I yelled out to Giliath. Father's eyes remained on the giant wolf. The giant wolf didn't even have its attention on Father. It completely ignored him. A mistake on the giant wolf's part.
"So it doesn't even have me in its eyes. Does this foul beast have a name?", Giliath asked. I saw Father grin. Sure enough, he really kept his sword hidden within that overcoat of his. I saw him suddenly swing out a greatsword, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"Agnagarn, the Flaming Beast.", I simply answered, causing Father's gaze to remain on the gigantic wolf.
"Agnagarn is the name of this foul beast, eh?", Giliath responded with a wild grin on his face. I could only gulp my saliva downward. I don't think I've ever seen Father this serious before. Not even when he was teaching me. He's dead set on slaying this gigantic wolf. "Stay close to me, Naoto. I don't want you getting swept away by this wolf. You cannot hold a sword on your own yet, so it will be up to me to take this guy down.", Giliath continued.
"I will try not to get in your way, Father.", I replied. Maybe it was because of the spar he recently had with Colonel Bright, but he was oozing bloodlust. The hairs on my back never stood back down. But I didn't back down. I couldn't. Not when this Emergency Quest is now on the line. It's essentially free experience for me. How could I not turn it down!?
I want to see what it looks like when I Level Up too! I know it'll give me at least a couple Levels. Especially so if we manage to get that additional task out of the way, which is to slay Agnagarn within the first hour.
"Good. Remember to stay close by as I hunt down this "Agnagarn", as you call---", Giliath tried to say, bending his knees a bit. He was ready to initiate his first strike and slash out at the gigantic wolf, but the two of us saw the grass nearby rustle again. Seriously?
Oh right, recall the minimap that constantly displays inside my head while I have Vermillion Eyes active? Shortly after that rustling, we heard voices speak out to us. I saw three green dots on the minimap quickly approaching our direction. Myself and Father were colored blue. The blue ones I could trust without a doubt, while green ones are generally on your side. Hundreds of red dots could be seen frantically moving around, while the gigantic dot before us was clad in purple. That was because Cryptids were special monsters!
"Can you two help draw the wolf's attention for me? I shall lend whatever support I can. Thank the Goddess I managed to catch up to Agnagarn in time. Yet I fear we do not have much time to waste.", A womanly voice said, reaching our ears.
All of a sudden, a lone figure of a woman approached us to the southeast at a fast pace. Two other girls straggled behind her, firing off what appeared to be...Arts? Were those Arts? I couldn't tell. They were much smaller in height compared to the first woman. Yet this woman was carrying a staff!
A staff? You're joking. This staff she's currently brandishing looks very familiar!