[You've ended the Lord's Quest!]
[The extension of Second Trial has been completed.]
[By extending the Lord Quest and continuing the quest after being completed early, you'll receive rewards in accordance to your achievement.]
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[Mission]
• Slay fishes and collect 100 souls or more within the time limit of 30 days.
(Souls collected: 2,403/100)
(Remaining time: 16D)
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[You've collected at total number of 2,403 souls within your stay in the Forbidden Land of Fish Mystic Land.]
[You received the following additional rewards!]
• Small Bag of Silver Coins (×240)
• Mermaid's Tears of Anger (×24)
• Mermaid's Reverse Scale (×3)
• Deep Sea Black Pearl
• Royal Mermaid's Soul
[Congratulations! You've done a great job!]
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For a good while, Jax stood still. His eyes glued to the sight before him, as he swallowed hard to keep his drooling at bay.
Before him, the Scroll hovered in mid-air. Its contents flooding his mind with a lot of revelations that left him both astonished and electrified. His hands couldn't help but quiver with uncontainable excitement, while his heart swelled with elation, spreading a broad, unshakeable grin across his face.
"This is a generous reward!" Jax exclaimed, his voice bursting forth as he finally gave voice to his astonishment. A single glance at the list had been enough to convey its immense value, leaving him breathless.
The contrast was staggering. When he first completed the Lord's Quest, his reward had been a paltry 2 Small Bags of Silver Coins. Now, he was staring at a staggering 240 of them. Definitely an additional reward that dwarfed his initial earnings by over a hundredfold.
Collecting so many souls was definitely worth it!
Jax's eyes continued to scan the list of rewards, his excitement escalating with each passing moment. Beyond the impressive haul of silver coins, his gaze landed on the mysterious mermaid's tears and reverse scale. Though he was unfamiliar with these items, their names hinted at extraordinary properties, piquing his curiosity and prompting him to investigate their details right away.
But Jax restrained himself. No, to put it more correctly, his urge to delve into their details was hijacked by a stronger pull, something he felt holding far greater significance.
He couldn't help but swallow hard, his hands quivered with a stronger tremble. What really caught his attention was the last two rewards he received, the Deep Sea Black Pearl and the Royal Mermaid's Soul.
He knew nothing about the former, but the latter was a different story. Yet, both items sent shivers of excitement down his spine, tempting him irresistibly to delve into their details without delay.
That said, Jax, forgetting about all the perilous journey he just went through with King, waved his hand imperiously and ordered the Scroll, "Take out, Deep Sea Black Pearl!"
A pristine white clamshell materialized out of thin air, its mouth agape. The lower interior was filled with a soft, velvety red tissue that resembled a tongue, yet was cushioned and gentle in appearance like the petals of delicate flower.
A small unyielding bead — a pure black marble that absorbed all light, revealing no reflection — rested in the center of the red tissue. Its appearance alone sent uneasy shudders coursing through Jax's hand.
The bead seemed to emanate an unsettling dark aura as if that item was forged in the very desolate depths of the ocean, where loneliness and sorrow reigned. It looked like an empty, hollow vessel, yearning for a wandering soul to occupy its empty space and dwell in the lonely shelter.
The Deep Sea Black Pearl descended towards Jax with an otherworldly slowness. His hand rose instinctively, as if summoned by an unseen force, to cradle the item with reverent care.
Transfixed, Jax gazed into its depths, mesmerized by the pearl's eerie, abyssal beauty. For an eternal moment, he felt himself being drawn into its void, staring into an endless expanse that seemed to swallow all light and reason.
For an unknown reason, a maelstrom of emotions swirled within Jax. Elation thrilled through him when he grasped the extraordinary item, yet a creeping sense of unease and discomfort shadowed his excitement. The feeling intensified, gnawing at his mind, until he couldn't shake the nagging doubt... Was this item a blessing or a curse?
''Just what kind of an item is this...?'' Jax stopped guessing deeply about it as he reached for the paper note attached to the item. He put his eyes onto reading it only to find himself furrowing his eyebrows, his expression turned gravely serious.
But within the depths of his eyes. A hint of joy was beginning to form, poised to burst forth when he attained full certainty.
Still, Jax composed himself, his focus sharpening as he zeroed in on the details laid before him.
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[Deap Sea Black Pearl]
Rarity: Epic
Grade: Superior
Rank: Immortal
A fabled, gemstone forged in the darkest depths of the ocean, as if darkness itself has been distilled into a tangible form. It is said to possess a mysterious, velvety black hue, akin to the darkest squid ink, absorbing all light and reflection that rendered it seemingly two-dimensional.
This enchanting pearl is rumored to contain the essence of a mermaid's soul, protecting it from the ravages of time and mortality even after separation from her physical form. As its dwelling place, the pearl allows the mermaid's soul to rest and assume physical form, freely entering and exiting at will.
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''This...'' Jax's voice trembled, his word was cut short as he found it hard to contain his excitement, rendering him rather wordless. One read of its description was more than enough for him to tell its immense value.
He realized right that instant that this valuable item was to contain the mermaid's soul.
But that was strange.
For a brief moment, Jax's bright expression faded into an ugly frown. His forehead furrowed slightly, a disturbing thought wormed its way into his mind and filled him with bewilderment.
''As far as I remember, I stole the soul of that little mermaid and absorbed it.'' Jax muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. ''but how did it end up as a reward now?''
With time against him, and the prospect of binding the mermaid as his pet familiar hanging by a thread, Jax was forced to resort to a desperate, hasty decision.
For that, a brief flashback was in order to unravel the events that led to this point...
Several minutes ago...
"What in the hell are you staring at?!" King bellowed, his teeth clenched in frustration as he urged, "Hurry up and use the stupid scroll, now!" His voice was laced with desperation, his eyes fixed on the impending onslaught.
For the first time, Jax heard King's voice laced with urgency and desperation. That jarring revelation was enough to galvanize him into action, stirring him to move with a sense of hurry, regardless of his reservations.
But how about the mermaid...?
As desperate as he was to use the teleportation scroll, the presence of a dying mermaid proved imposible for him to ignore.
"A soul in such anguish must be crying out to me for help!" A greedy thought slithered into his mind. He clenched his teeth, consumed by an overwhelming desire to claim something he believed would be the most valuable acquisition of his life. "It must be praying to me, begging me not to leave it behind. How can I abandon such a forsaken soul?!"
So instead of immediately using the teleportation scroll, he held that idea and rushed to the side of mermaid's dying body. Unable to bind her as a familiar, he chose a darker path: to absorb her soul and steal one of her skills.
That Royal Skill she used to transform would be the perfect nourishment, and acquiring it might finally give him the power to rival King.
With that in mind, Jax reached out and placed his hand on the mermaid's chest. Since she was unconscious and helpless, he expected no resistance, and her soul would be his for the taking.
That was what he thought. But it seemed like reality was more cruel than he was. As he activated his skill, Soul Steal, a horrifying truth dawned on him.
"What the hell?!" Jax gritted his teeth, straining to lift his hand up. But it was no use. Even when he help his hand with the other, the most he could do was to raise the mermaid's soul barely above her body, its weight crushing him down.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Yet again, a sudden barraged of bombardment hurtled against King's barrier, urging Jax to hurry.
"Damn it!" Jax snarled, his teeth clenched in a fierce grimace. Veins bulged from his skin as he summoned every last ounce of strength. A desperate need to hurry on his endeavor forced Jax to make a double effort, adrenaline coursing through his veins like liquid fire.
BOOM!!!
That was when a deafening explosion, louder than any before, rocked the air. Jax watched in dismay as the barrier shattered, and he himself teetered on the brink of collapse. Damn it! He cursed, his frustration boiling over. Why was her soul so impossibly heavy? Was surrendering his quest for her soul truly his only option?
No! I refuse to accept it.
This time, it wasn't just desperation that drove him — it was a primal urgency, a ferocious hunger that went beyond mere avarice. It was as if his very life hung in the balance, and the slightest hesitation would seal his fate.
''Damn it, brat,'' King cursed, his voice barely above a whisper. ''If only you'd used the scroll sooner... Now, it's too late. We're done for.''
"Shut up! I'm already done here!" Jax silently seethed, his retort trapped in his mind as desperation left him no room for words.
And in a final, deperate bid, Jax managed to wrench the mermaid's soul free from her physical body. He collapsed backward onto the ground, his breathing heavy and labored, and his expression deathly pale. Slowly, the mermaid's soul transformed into a delicate wisp, barely fitting within his trembling grasp.
Without hesitation, Jax placed the soul into his chest, where it was instantly absorbed, merging with him as if becoming an integral part of his being. He planned to use it later to replace one of the souls he had collected, thereby granting him access to a brand new ability.
At that moment, a wide, triumphant smile spread across his face, washing his entire body with relief. The smile deepened into a grin, and soon, it erupted into uncontrollable laughter.
But his moment of triumph was short-lived, as he remembered they were still trapped in their precarious situation. Jax swiftly retrieved the FL Special Return Scroll, his urgency tempered only by his relief.
His gaze drifted over King's limp body, and to his horror, the furious mermaid stood poised to deliver judgment, her glaive pointed menacingly at King as a hostile glint flashed in her eyes.
"Hmph! Do you think I'll let you do it your way?!" Jax snorted coldly, and with a swift motion, he opened the return scroll. Instantly, spectral words flooded his mind, imparting crucial information.
For that brief moment, the scroll seemed to communicate with him, imparting a mental manual on its use. A cold smirk spread across Jax's face as he uttered, "I choose King, the desperate kid before me."
"You're greatest sin is..." Janaica, the mermaid, began to pronounce judgment, but before she could finish, her subjects suddenly vanished.
In the blink of an eye, King and Jax teleported away, vanished from the scene in the instant Jax chose to activate the scroll.