Kanjori

Chapter 14: Heart of Crystal

The last 2 weeks have shown to be incredibly difficult to endure. Though my experience has increased exponentially during this time period, the solitude is what's really getting to me. I miss my friends.

Ever since the day we all split up to train on our own, I've felt incredibly lonely in this world. Waking up to grind mobs and cut at incredibly hard objects without my friends being around me became boring over time, but I knew that I couldn't fall behind, as I know everyone else has probably been working just as hard as me.

With that being said, it's not all about the amount of training I do, but it also has to do with the weapons I wield.

I walked into the inn and inhaled the smell of freshly baked bread. The bar area was filled with players requesting for missions or items, and the lobby was pretty rowdy as well.

"Ah, Rin, is that you?" Mr. Gregorio asked as he embraced me ,"It has been 2 weeks since I've last seen you, what brings you here?"

"Well, I've come to see if there are any swords I could buy" I replied.

"Hmm.... there are some swords you could buy, but I believe you'd perform better with a sword you obtain by completing a quest. Much like the stone you and your friends got in Sunano, there are many other materials out there that can be used to forge strong weapons with unique properties, far better than the average weapon."

I tilted my head out of curiosity. "What's the difficulty level of this quest?"

"Hold on Rin, don't you at least want to know the details about what kind of weapon you'd be getting if you complete the quest?" Mr. Gregorio asked while laughing.

I eagerly nodded and sat on a chair in front of him, listening attentively to anything he had to say.

"What you're going to be searching for is the Heart of Crystal. It's hidden in the chest of the Crystal golem that dwells in the Kusaga forest, and if you were to get it, you'd be able to channel your aura into your weapon a lot easier. It also has some special abilities, but I'd rather you discover them, as you are training and it would ruin any element of surprise."

"That sounds awesome, but will it be as hard to obtain as the Sunano stone?"

Mr. Gregorio shrugged. "By the way, I've seen Lily and Gideon recently. Lily popped in some time last week, and Gideon pops in pretty much everyday. I can tell they've gotten stronger."

"And Damian? Have you seen him?" I asked.

"No, not a single word from him since he left. I'm not even sure where he is, as none of the players have mentioned him being around." Mr. Gregorio replied.

"Oh. Well hopefully he's fine, I'm sure he can handle himself out there. Anyway, I accept the quest, I can't waste any time!"

Mr. Gregorio nodded and a marker popped up, indicating that the quest had begun.

Several Hours Later

The Kusaga forest felt very different compared to the rest of the land. While the mainland was filled to the brim with life and vibrance, this forest was the polar opposite. The tree trunks were a gloomy gray color, and the branches were bare, without a single living leaf in sight. There were little to no living creatures in the area aside from the wolves that occasionally attacked me. And though the forest was rather quiet, I was accompanied by the sound of a dark, murky river, rushing through the middle of the forest.

As I continued to marvel at the gray trees, I felt the presence of something. That something couldn't be a wolf, as you can usually sense their energy pretty easily, but this one seems as if it's trying to suppress its energy.

I quickly drew my sword and said ," I know someone is there, come out."

Almost immediately, a man peeped his head from behind a tree, and walked forward. He was tall, with long brown hair and green eyes. His aura felt almost like Mr. Gregorio's, but slightly sharper.

"I'm surprised a swordsman was able to sense my presence, it looks like you are not to be messed with" the man said while sizing me up. "My name is Romeo, and I'm here to guide you on your quest."

"Guide me on my quest?? I'm not stupid, I literally have a marker here that shows me where I need to go, what are you REALLY here for?"

Romeo ran his hands through his hair and frowned. "Alright alright I'll tell you. There's somebody else in this forest that has been going around attacking players lately. I don't know who it is, but I know they wear all black with a mask, and they only use a dagger. My dad sent me to eliminate the threat."

"Your dad?" I asked while sheathing my sword.

"Yeah, you might know him, his name is Gregorio."

My eyes widened as I noticed the slight resemblance of the two, and on top of that, I had already known that their aura felt somewhat similar. "Wait, does that mean you're one of those advanced NPCS?"

Romeo nodded. "Will you help me get rid of the threat? My dad will be really mad if I don't."

This must've been what Mr. Gregorio meant when he shrugged after I asked him how hard the quest would be. It's a multi part quest, just like in Sunano. "Sure I guess, but I have a lot of questions I want to ask while we go on our way!"

Romeo laughed at me and began to walk. "By the way, you're going to need to learn how to suppress your aura if you really want to help me. I'm pretty sure whoever the guy is will be able to sense you pretty easily."

I smiled and quickly walked up beside him. This is the perfect opportunity to continue training myself while fighting against something truly challenging! Whoever it is that's out there will be the first person I show my skills to!