Bonus Objective Completed:
Defeat ten lesser monsters: 10/10.
Reward: Simple pants.
You can claim your reward by saying "Claim Reward."
"Claim Reward."
[ITEM ACQUIRED]
Simple Pants
"Well... How can I get those pants?"
[To access your inventory, say "Inventory."]
"Inventory."
A 20-grid inventory screen appeared in front of Eiden. At the top of the screen was a small spark icon with the number "10" glowing beside it. This indicated that he had 10 Sparks. Most of the grids were empty, but in the upper left corner grid there was a simple pants icon.
Curiously, he touched the pants icon. When he selected the icon with his mind, a small menu opened.
Remove from inventory
Examine
Cancel
He selected the "Remove from inventory" option. Suddenly, a navy-gray colored pair of jeans appeared in his hand. When he examined the pants, they looked quite durable and were in much better condition than his previous torn pants.
"These look much better than the rags I'm wearing," he said. He began removing the torn, old pants he was currently wearing. When he had completely removed the pants, he realized with momentary surprise that he had no underwear.
"Wow..." he muttered. "So I went into battle without underwear. Maybe there's some advantage to that I don't know about? Well, nothing can be done about it."
He quickly pulled the new jeans up his legs. The pants fit his size perfectly, neither too tight nor too loose. After pulling them up to his waist, he zipped up the fly and buttoned them.
"This is much better," he said to himself. "At least now I'll look more decent outside. Who knows, maybe I can get better equipment by completing more quests."
Current Quest: [New Clothes]
Due to the Swarm curse, creatures have appeared in the forest where you are.
Objective: Investigate the forest 0/1.
Reward: Simple shirt.
"Investigate the forest... Isn't that too broad of a quest? Which part of the forest am I supposed to investigate? What do I need to find? The only things I could find wandering around were just small devils."
After Eiden's questions, suddenly a bright blue arrow appeared on the ground. The arrow extended toward the depths of the forest and was slightly vibrating.
"What's this?" Eiden muttered in surprise.
The blue arrow continued to vibrate slightly as if it were alive and drew Eiden's gaze. Extending toward the dark part of the forest, the arrow showed Eiden the way he needed to go.
"I guess this is showing me the way," he thought. "I probably need to go deeper into the forest for the quest. Let's see where this arrow will lead me."
Eiden took careful steps. The blue arrow curved through the dense trees of the forest, directing him to thick bushes he had never passed before. The trees here were taller, the branches thicker, and their trunks covered with moss. The light filtering through the leaves had almost disappeared; the presence of the sun had faded, giving way to a dim, eerie blue light—the vibrating glow emitted by the arrow.
As he continued walking, the air changed. The smell of damp soil, rotting leaves, and the sharp, stomach-turning aroma of decayed meat filled his nostrils. There was no wind. Even the trees were silent. Not a bird's chirp nor an insect's buzz could be heard. It was as if the forest knew he was coming and was holding its breath waiting.
Finally, the blue arrow disappeared in front of a massive pile of stones. But the pile of stones wasn't as it first appeared. On its surface were symbols carved with a precision that nature couldn't achieve. Some were spiral-shaped, while others were like an eye... or a mouth. As Eiden approached carefully, the spaces between the stones slightly parted, revealing a narrow passage opening into darkness. Although the arrow was no longer visible, it was as if something from within that darkness was calling to him.
Quest Completed: [New Clothes]
Due to the Swarm curse, creatures have appeared in the forest where you are.
Objective: Investigate the forest 1/1.
Reward: Simple shirt.
He took his reward and removed it from his inventory. It was a light blue, short-sleeved t-shirt. He removed the rags he was wearing and put it on.
"Now I finally look like a normal person," said Eiden, adjusting the new t-shirt he was wearing. He paused for a moment and laughed to himself. "A moment ago I was a pantsless man hunting squirrels in the middle of the forest. Now at least I can hunt squirrels with decent clothes. That's progress, isn't it?"
The passage was narrow but passable. When Eiden stepped inside, he noticed something: It was warmer inside than outside. It was humid and airless. The walls were soft, moist, and slightly sticky, as if he were inside an aging organism. His feet sank into something like mud or worse with each step. The floor seemed to move slightly in some places—as if it were alive.
The passage widened after a while. It opened not into a room, but into an almost massive natural cave. This was both a lair and a kind of living space. Giant stalactites hanging from the ceiling were covered with shiny formations resembling curved veins. Yellowish fluids dripped from some, flowing into cracks in the floor.
"I hope there aren't any creatures here," said Eiden, adding an artificial cheerfulness to his tone. "I mean, I've already killed enough squirrels today, and I don't want to deal with other creatures in a dark, wet, and definitely not dangerous cave."
Eiden's voice echoed in the cave, and at that moment, as if in response, a growl rose from the darkness. "Of course," Eiden muttered, his shoulders dropping. "This always happens to me when I make a joke."
New Quest: [First Dungeon]
Try not to die.
Objective: Clear out the cave 0/1.
Reward: Simple Shoes
Bonus Objective: Kill their leader.
Reward: 1 Monster Essence (lesser)
"Kill their leader?" Eiden repeated, squinting his eyes while looking at the dark cave. "Leader of what? The leader of the squirrels' secret underground organization? Or the leader of some other monsters who have taken up residence in dark, damp caves as a hobby?"
As Eiden examined his surroundings in the dark cave, something began to move between the cracks in the ground. Suddenly, two semi-transparent, worm-like creatures emerged from the soil and started advancing toward him.
"Ah, perfect," said Eiden in a sarcastic tone. "Big, disgusting worms. Just what I needed after the squirrels."
As the insects vibrated and moved toward Eiden, their internal organs became more visible. Their strange, muffled growls echoed throughout the cave. A yellow fluid dripped from their mouths, leaving small traces wherever they passed.
"Disgusting! Stay away!" he said and closed his eyes, created a Fire Bolt in his palm, and hurled it toward the nearest insect.
The Fire Bolt struck the creature, its semi-transparent flesh reddened and darkened. But it was still alive.
"They don't even die from one Fire Bolt!" he said and took a few steps back, imagined another Fire Bolt and threw it.
The insect's flesh reddened even more, but it was still alive.
"Two isn't enough either? How about 3?!" he said and cast a third Fire Bolt.
This final Fire Bolt completely pierced through the insect's semi-transparent skin, and its internal organs caught fire. It finally collapsed lifelessly to the ground, its body transformed into a slightly smoking piece of flesh.
You have defeated a [Flesh Grub].
[You've obtained 2 Spark.]
"Flesh Grub? Ugh... Their names are even more disgusting than they are. Well, one down," said Eiden, breathless. "Now it's your turn, disgusting thing!"
As the second insect rapidly slid toward him, Eiden applied the same strategy. He cast three Fire Bolts in succession. The first two shots scorched the insect's skin, while the third shot pierced right through its center. This insect, like the first, writhed and became motionless with a final growl.
You have defeated a [Flesh Grub].
[You've obtained 2 Spark.]
"Okay, that was much easier," said Eiden, wiping his hands on his pants. "Now let's see what else is in the depths of this cave..."
As Eiden proceeded deeper into the cave, the ground beneath his feet began to vibrate slightly. At first, he thought it was just his nerves playing tricks on him, but then the ground actually started to move. From the cracks in the soil, first one, then two, then dozens of Flesh Grubs began to surface, all crawling toward him.
"Shit! Shit! This is too much!" Eiden shouted, backing away. He looked around in panic. Judging by the army of insects advancing on the ground, there was no way to escape, at least not on the ground.
When his eyes shifted to the ceiling, he noticed thick vines hanging from the cave walls. "Climb up, climb up!" he shouted to himself and quickly ran toward the nearest vine.
As the Flesh Grubs rapidly approached, Eiden threw himself onto the vine and began climbing upward using his arms and legs. The vine was sticky and damp, making his hands slip, but Eiden managed to pull himself up with his adrenaline-strengthened arms.
"Fuck fuck fuck!" he cursed breathlessly, looking at the crowded worm army below.
As Eiden continued his climb, he was grateful that the vine was strong. Near the ceiling, he noticed a rocky ledge protruding from the wall. With a few movements, he pulled himself onto it and paused for a moment to catch his breath.
Curling up on the ledge, he examined the scene below. The Flesh Grubs had gathered at the base of the vine, strangely growling and vibrating as they waited for him. Some were trying to climb up the vine, but they fell after a few meters.
"At least they're not good climbers," Eiden muttered, wiping his sweat-soaked forehead. "Now what am I going to do? I can't sit here forever."
Eiden carefully stood up on the small ledge, looking more closely at the swarm of insects below. The wall was damp and slippery; he had to lean one hand against it to maintain his balance. Slowly he stood up and created a bright, orange Fire Bolt in his other hand. The light from the fireball illuminated this part of the cave, making the organs moving beneath the semi-transparent skin of the insects more visible.
"You're making yourselves open targets!" he called out to the insects, with a tense laugh in his voice. "I can burn you all one by one from here. You didn't think someone as small and scrawny-looking as me could be this dangerous, did you?"
As the fireball spun between his fingers, he paused for a moment. He could see the ceiling better now — in the areas illuminated by the light, he realized that the entire ceiling was covered with eggs from the same insects. Some eggs were vibrating, the larvae inside preparing to emerge.
"Wow," Eiden whispered. "This place is a complete nest. I need to get out of here..." He looked around, assessing whether he could jump to another spot from this ledge. But in this part of the cave there were no other ledges, just smooth, damp walls and more vines.
He extended his hand downward. He didn't throw the Fire Bolt, he dropped it. It fell to the ground like a stone sliding from his palm and hit a Flesh Grub.
"Hahaa! I don't even need to think about throwing it!"