As the girl at the blacksmith shop advised me, I found a clothing store, and I was greeted by the soft smell of dust and old fabrics.
The room was small, and there were mannequins along the walls, on which hung equipment: torn raincoats, simple jackets, and a few more rare items, displayed as if they were the main pride of the store.
The choice was limited. I didn't have many Veils, so I had to carefully review the list:
[Pink Predator Cloak] - 5000 Veils
[Thorny Bloom Armor] - 10,000 Veils
[Rose Amulet] - 10,000 Veils
I thought for a moment. The armor looked sturdy, and the amulet gave off a slight glow, hinting at hidden properties, but her wallet was emptying almost at one glance at the price tags. The choice was obvious.
— I'll take the cloak!
I said, deciding that it was better to have at least minimal protection than to save up for an unknown amount of time.
•The Cloak of the Pink Predator
Type: Light Armor (Cloak)
Rarity: Rare
Equipment level: 8+
•A cloak woven from thick fabric and stitched with fragments of Pink Thorns. As you move, the petals and thorns rustle slightly, emitting a subtle fragrance that confuses your enemies.
Features:
+12 to Defense
+5% to Dodge
10% chance to trigger a micro-spike when taking damage, which reflects some of the damage back (5%).
The male merchant, thin and with sharp features, looked up from his ledger. His voice was dry and sharp, like the sound of quill on paper:
—You have good taste! But remember, if you want better equipment, you'll have to look elsewhere.
He closed his ledger and leaned forward slightly, as if sharing a secret:
—Materials at the [Rose Thorns] level are suitable for cheap items. But if you go deeper, to stronger locations, you will find something that really has value. All the best things are always found in danger.
—Well, if you don't have enough money... It's easy to earn money. Kill monsters and collect their drops. Or look for random quests. The city, other locations... There are always opportunities. It's up to you to decide how much you're willing to risk.
He handed me a cloak. The fabric was thick and slightly rough, with pale pink embroidery. The cloak seemed to breathe, as if it contained the shadow of a beast.
—Take care of it, and remember: the real hunt is just beginning.
Disava, holding the new cloak in her hands, looked thoughtfully at the man-salesman.
—Listen... where should I go next?
The AI salesman paused for a moment, as if loading new lines of script. His eyes glowed with a dim amber light, and suddenly a translucent map appeared in front of me.
The lines and symbols, as if woven from light, spread out in the air, forming a shimmering canvas. In the center, a city with the name:
[Iacreumor]
The man pointed at the map. His movements were confident, as if he had shown the way to newcomers hundreds of times.
—This is the nearest major city, and from here you can move on.
Then he moved his finger a little higher, and a new name flashed on the map for a moment:
[Aoifeadale]
But at the same moment it became blurred, as if covered with a haze, and disappeared.
—See? This is the second major city. For now, this location is invisible to you. But from Iacreumor, the road will open after clearing all the available locations here.
I noticed that in the map interface, some areas remained blank, as if they were intentionally hidden to avoid overloading the player.
The seller continued:
— You'll have to fight along the way. This is your chance to level up, test your weapons, and get used to your new cloak. Remember, there are different types of monsters here... Some are just experience fodder, while others can be a real challenge.
— If you feel tired or want to strengthen your equipment, just return to the inn or come here. This shop, like other similar locations, acts as a safe haven... You can teleport at any time for added safety.
A prompt appeared in the interface next to the map.
[New save point opened: Rose Weaver Outfitter]
The map slowly faded away, and only a slight glow remained in the air as I contemplated what had been said. I had a journey to another city ahead of me.
I left the shop and walked down the road that led to the new location. The game gently prompted a new rule:
[The mechanics of quest issuance have been updated]
Quests do not come automatically. To activate them, interact with the world: talk to the inhabitants, explore the surroundings, listen to the details.
This phrase seemed to stick in my mind. Before this, I found this type of game to be predictable, just kill a monster or take a quest from an NPC. Now, in order to progress, I will have to observe, analyze, and ask questions.
— So... I have to look for myself.
A thick, silvery haze hung in the air, shimmering like liquid glass. Huge plants towered overhead, their stems as thick as pillars and their leaves as wide as roofs.
They swayed gently, shedding droplets of dew that fell onto the path with a soft tinkle.
Every breath felt like inhaling cold steam. The view was limited to a few steps, as the rest was obscured by the fog.
And then a system message appeared:
New location opened: [Foggy Garden]
I carefully moved along the stone path, peering into the silvery haze. Eyes clung to everything.
I saw strange, shimmering flowers, as if made of fragments of stars, and giant roots that crawled out of the ground and intertwined like the arms of giant monsters.
The trees didn't grow upwards; they twisted and turned like snakes, and each trunk seemed alive and breathing.
For a moment, I felt like I was even smaller than I was. It was as if the garden had suddenly grown many times larger and was now overwhelming me with its endless grandeur.
A slight excitement gripped my chest. The fog here didn't just obscure the path, it distorted the distances. What was a couple of steps away suddenly seemed far away, and what seemed distant suddenly crept up on me. Every movement had to be carefully considered, every breath had to be controlled.
—Okay... it's time to check what I have.
I muttered, summoning the dispensary. My fingers automatically scrolled through the menu, and my gaze fell upon a shining pair of weapons [Blood Rose Knuckles]
They seemed to be calling to me, their icon shimmering with the same crimson light that promised power.
I smiled, imagining how my fists would tear apart my enemies, and clicked "Equip." A system message flashed before my eyes:
[Error: Character level is too low. Requires 10+]
— Oh, really?
The dream of new brass knuckles crumbled in an instant. All I had left was the good dagger [Crimson Budding Flower]. I pulled it out, and the blade reflected the faint light of the fog, as if in mockery.
—Looks like I'll have to run with you, friend.
I said quietly to the dagger, even though I knew it was just a piece of code. However, even so, my heart began to race. I knew there would be monsters ahead.
Something moved in the fog ahead. At first, I thought it was just a trick of the light, but the haze always played tricks on my vision. But no, the shape became clearer with each passing second.
—Damn... who's there?"
I involuntarily gripped the hilt of my dagger. A creature floated before me, as if it had been woven from the very fog. Its translucent body stretched almost half a meter, and within it could be barely discerned thin veins, like the veins of a leaf, illuminated from within by a cold light.
It resembled both an insect and a plant, a strange symbiosis, as if the developers had not been able to choose and simply merged two options into one.
The broad wings trembled like leaves in the wind, yet they shimmered softly with a silvery light, like the misted wings of a butterfly.
The little blue dots for eyes were watching me. And the look gave me goosebumps.
—Great, a misty misunderstanding with wings.
I've always disliked beetles. And now here I have something like a… moth-bug-plant. My personal collection of fears was expanded.
I took a step back, but the creature immediately shuddered in the air, as if it had noticed the wavering, and turned directly towards me. It moved smoothly, silently, as if the fog had come to life and decided to attack.
— Of course, this is the first encounter in a new location, and it's not a fluffy bunny.
I raised the dagger. A familiar feeling clicked inside: since the brass knuckles were still blocked, I'd have to use my old weapon.
The creature hovered a few steps away from me and made a sound... like someone trying to cough with burnt lungs.
I shuddered at the unpleasant, hoarse, unnatural wheeze, as if it shouldn't even exist.
—Oh my God... are you really from a nightmare, or are you from the game's database?
I muttered, feeling a chill run down my back. I decided not to speculate and summoned the interface. A description window appeared in front of my eyes.
[Misty Leafhoppers]
Level: 7
Class: Magical Beast (Night)
Feature: emits a haze from its wings, making it difficult to see and concentrate on spells.
Danger: Medium.
— Great… So it's not just a mosquito in the fog, but a magical butterfly. And all this mess of smoke is their doing.
I looked at the wings automatically. Now that I knew the truth, they looked even worse. Every movement caused waves of silvery haze, which immediately clung to the air, trailing behind him like a poisonous plume.
It became clear: this lovely garden had turned into a damn gas chamber because of such "moths".
— Super, so there's no review, no normal magic, and if I yawn, they'll stupidly suffocate me with their smog.
I felt my heart beating faster. Even though his level is only seventh, it was my first encounter in this area.
To be honest, I was afraid that now this foggy freak would call for a company, and then I was definitely screwed. But fortunately, he was alone.
And that's when I felt the thrill for the first time: if he was alone, then I could take a chance. I took a step forward, gripped the dagger more firmly, and lunged right under him.
It was easier than I expected, a quick lunge, a single strike to the soft, almost transparent belly. The leaf-bearer twitched, flapped like a crumpled bag in the wind, and crumbled into a cloud of ash.
Notifications flashed in front of me.
[You have received the item: Wing of Fog]
[You have received the item: Glowing Dust]
I crouched down, examining the loot. The wing looked like a thin, shimmering silver film, fragile but somehow resilient. The description said it could be used for potions or even light armor.
—That's not bad... it means I might be able to save some money on potions if I collect enough of this material.
I muttered, turning the item over in my hands. However, the second item only caused me irritation.
— Glowing Dust. Increased illusion magic, huh? Great. Only I didn't become a mage. Where's my "punch in the face" buff, huh?
I opened the stats menu and confirmed again: I'm all about melee, speed, and hand damage. No hint of a magic branch.
—So, to be a mage, you had to choose it at the beginning... Well, that's great. I'll collect unnecessary shiny trash.
I angrily shoved the Dust into my inventory. But my curiosity was still piqued. What if this game was more complex than it seemed? Maybe there was a way to unlock magic later? Or somehow combine my power with illusions?
I smiled with the corner of my lips.
— Okay, let's see, Log Apofis. You clearly have something more than fists and a dagger for me.