As desperately as Max wished for revenge, he needed to finish this dungeon first, and while he was getting frustrated, what better way to vent than to kill lots of slimes?
So Max set off once again, this time with the goal of reaching the boss room and killing it as fast as he could, not wishing to delay his other quest.
While Max was off hunting for slimes, another scene was going on in a completely different village.
---
TerryBerry was racing back to the village, finally finishing his quest and gaining his final level to qualify for the tier test.
That's right, Terry had reached level 10, and he was pretty sure that he was the first to do so, having not heard about anyone reaching it.
As a rogue, he had a speed much higher than the average, and thanks to his talent, he was most likely the fastest in the world, however, he was now racing against time, as while he may be fast, he was nowhere near being the strongest in the world, requiring him to capitalise on his current situation.
He soon reached the village and immediately left to go towards the Rogue house. There, he saw a man with a mask.
The mask covered everything except for his eyes, which were closed, and he was slumped in his chair.
"Hello, sir, I'm here to complete my tier one promotion", said Terry, wishing to be as polite as possible and leave a good impression on him.
He received no response as the unknown rogue simply stayed there, asleep and unmoving.
A bit louder, he repeated, "Hello, sir, I'm here to complete my tier one promotion!"
Again, no reply from the rogue, with Terry unable to figure out if he was even still sleeping due to the mask, assured that he spoke loudly enough to wake anybody up.
Still having some doubts, Terry shouted one more time, "I'M HERE TO TAKE THE PROMOTION TEST."
This time, he was sure that this instructor was pulling his leg, and not wishing to waste any more time, he reached for the dagger hidden inside his cloak, deciding to take matters into his own hands.
However, before his dagger even left his cloak, he felt something on his neck.
A sharp tip was at his throat, and as he looked forward, Terry's eyes opened wide, seeing the sleeping man suddenly in front of him, holding him at knifepoint.
"What are you doing in my hall? Tell me the truth and only the truth, I'll know if you're lying." The unknown man looked mad, and the knife held at Terry's neck wasn't making him any calmer.
Regardless, Terry knew that dying now would have consequences, and forced himself to keep talking.
"Sorry, sir, I'm here for my promotion test, and you weren't waking up no matter how loudly I screamed. So I decided to bring out my dagger, hoping you would wake up after I cut you a bit."
"Huh, I didn't hear a thing. Maybe you weren't loud enough." After confirming that Terry wasn't an enemy, the masked man let his guard down, relaxing and rubbing his eyes.
"So you want to do the promotion test. I'll have to warn you before you do it, though; it isn't easy, and there's a chance of death, even for the blessed like you. Still wanna do it?"
"Yes, please help me do it as soon as I can." Terry was resolute in his decision to claim the advantages as soon as he could, even faced with the chance of account deletion.
He held no doubt for himself and was reassured by his ability to create a new account easily, due to it being early in the game.
The masked man, on the other hand, was impressed by Terry's determination and decided to give Terry an opportunity instead.
"Hey, kid. What's your name?"
"It's Terry, sir."
"Okay, Terry, I'm going to give you an opportunity to obtain my inheritance. If you grasp it, your class will be much stronger than your peers; however, it will be much harder than the normal tier 1 promotion task, with the death risk much higher. Do you want it?"
Terry received a notification as soon as the masked man finished speaking.
---
[Hidden Quest Received]
[Quest - Shadow Class]
[Quest Description]
[This quest was made for Terry after he proved his courage in front of Ortham Stoag, giving him the opportunity of a lifetime for one of the best assassin classes in the world.]
[Mission]
[Pass the Shadow Class inheritance test, the better the result, the better the additional rewards.]
[Quest Timer]
One Day
[Quest Reward]
Shadow Class
Unknown Rewards(Depending on Performance)
[Quest Failure Penalty]
Possible Account Deletion
-5 Levels
Basic Tier 1 Class
[Quest Expires in 1 minute]
[Accept/Refuse]
---
Terry was ecstatic with the quest, and while most people would hesitate after seeing the penalties upon failure, Terry gave it no mind and even welcomed the pressure.
He immediately clicked accept and waited for Orthag's response.
Little did he know, Orthag was astounded and amazed by Terry's bravery, already pleased with his decision to make him his successor.
Of course, he would never show anyone else his emotions, keeping them inside even while wearing a mask.
"Alright then, follow me. I'll take you to the place that'll either make or break you."
Terry obediently followed, unaware that this encounter would change his life forever.
---
Meanwhile, Max was still hunting slimes.
His Exp was growing along with his proficiency with his skills, but he wasn't experiencing real growth, leading to him feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of slimes he had to hunt.
The slimes were now in groups of 50, and his old plan was falling a bit short, with the slimes simply spreading out until they found him.
Max was in trouble. With his now low stamina, he desperately needed rest; however, every time he took a seat, KingMadwinner's face came to mind, and even resting felt like a taxing task for him.
He kept walking, too tired to run, when Max suddenly collapsed. He checked his Stamina bar and wasn't surprised by what he saw.
[Stamina:] 0/140
His stamina bar was completely empty, forcing him to take a break.
Max summoned an illusion around him that made him invisible, just to be sure that no slime attacks him while he's down.
The rest gave him some time during which Max decided to reflect on his actions.
He realised that his actions during the fight against the Giant Rat weren't the best; he could have been better prepared.
Max had completely forgotten the number one rule in MMORPGs.
Don't lose your guard, no matter what.
Max had been too used to hunting alone that he completely forgot that other people were playing as well. And they weren't as kind as he'd hope.
"Aaggghh!" he screamed.
"How could I have made such a rookie mistake?"
Max was incredibly disappointed in himself and realised that he couldn't do everything on his own.
He needed help, and what better way to get help than to create a guild?
That, however, was for later. Max's current priority was to kill the boss and obtain all the rewards for the dungeon.
Max looked at his stamina bar again.
[Stamina:] 120/140
"Good enough."
Max got up again, ready to slaughter some unsuspecting slimes.