[Chain Quest: The Dungeon Awaits]
You have glimpsed a fragment of the greater world beyond the forest.
Your current strength is insufficient to survive what lies ahead.
Grow stronger.
Survive.
Objective: Reach Level 20 and slay the Moonfang Alpha within 1 lunar cycle.
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Rewards:
Access to the Eclipse Sanctum Dungeon
20,000 Dragon Coins
Bonus Reward:
If completed within half the allotted time, the following additional rewards will be granted:
1 Artifact Grade Item
1 Skill Selection Ticket
Title: Moonlight Hunter
Quest Failure:
Future uses of Mimic will be permanently reduced.
Accumulated level progress will be reduced by half.
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Cold wind drifted softly across the overlook while Traise stared at the glowing system window suspended before him.
The distant crimson lay far beyond the endless forest, and its pulsing still lingered faintly between the trees.
Even from here, the deeper regions still felt eerie and ominous.
As if the forest itself grew quieter the closer one approached whatever lay hidden within it.
But right now, his attention remained locked on the quest.
A chain quest!
Traise slowly reread the words again while the gravity of the situation finally hit him.
Until now, every quest The Upgrade System gave him focused entirely on immediate survival.
Hunt.
Adapt.
Stay alive.
This felt completely different.
Larger somehow.
There should clearly be more after this one if it was really like a game, which would mean the system likely viewed everything he had experienced so far as only the beginning.
His eyes lowered toward the rewards section again.
Twenty thousand Dragon Coins.
An Artifact Grade item.
Dungeon access.
Even the title reward sounded impressive.
The rewards alone felt absurd compared to anything he had seen since arriving in this world, but the penalties mattered far more.
Future uses of Mimic would be permanently reduced, and his accumulated level progress would be reduced by half.
If that happens, his system would have effectively crippled him.
Traise exhaled slowly through his nose while his grip tightened slightly against the edge of his cloak.
Mimic had already become the foundation of nearly everything keeping him alive.
Minor Regeneration alone saved him countless times already, while abilities like Quickstep and Enhanced Agility completely changed how he fought and survived inside the forest.
Losing part of that permanently would be devastating.
And losing half his level progress was practically a death sentence.
Levels no longer came easily.
Every increase now required preparation, injuries, dangerous hunts, and constant risk.
The deeper forest already proved how enormous the gap still was between him and truly powerful beings in this world.
Yet despite all of that, Traise couldn’t stop staring at the quest window.
Because beneath the pressure and danger, another feeling slowly surfaced inside him as it had every time the system teased him of its rewards.
Excitement.
Not because of the rewards themselves, but because of what the quests implied.
The Solhart.
The Duskwalker.
The crimson gate.
The distant structure hidden deep beyond the forest.
Everything he witnessed over the last two days proved one thing painfully clearly.
The world outside these woods was far larger than he originally imagined.
There were civilizations there.
Academies.
Entire races capable of wielding powers that were most assuredly beyond anything he currently understood.
And somehow, despite how overwhelming all of it felt, part of him wanted to reach it.
Luna emerged partially from his shadow before landing quietly beside him, atop the overlook.
Her glowing blue eyes reflected the floating system window while faint wisps of darkness drifted around portions of her silver-black fur.
Unease still lingered faintly through their bond from the pressure deeper inside the forest, but curiosity existed beside it now as well.
Traise glanced toward her before rubbing behind one of her ears absently.
“It can’t just be me getting stronger anymore,” he muttered quietly.
Luna’s ears twitched slightly while agreement drifted immediately through the bond.
He could feel her determination.
The connection between them no longer felt so one-sided anymore.
Earlier, near the zone that they felt the overwhelming pressure from, he felt Luna’s fear almost as if it were his own.
Even now, traces of her emotions still lingered faintly among his thoughts.
Traise slowly looked back toward the deeper forest again.
Beyond those endless woods existed creatures capable of casually tearing open gates between worlds, while somewhere deep beneath that oppressive darkness stood a structure powerful enough to affect his mind, even from miles away.
And he wasn’t remotely prepared to approach either of them.
The thought should have discouraged him, but instead, his thoughts immediately started shifting toward the possibilities.
Efficiency.
Progression.
Optimization.
If this system truly existed for him, then he would exploit every advantage it offered.
Games always rewarded players who adapted faster than others around them, and Traise spent years learning to optimize his progression, grind efficiently, and exploit mechanics wherever possible.
Only now, failure carried actual consequences.
His eyes drifted back toward the quest window again.
Reach Level 20.
Kill the Moonfang Alpha.
One lunar cycle. Get faster updates on g.com.
The requirements sounded insane at first glance, but the more he thought about it, the more his mindset gradually shifted away from panic and toward strategic planning.
The system wouldn’t assign something impossible without a reason.
Difficult?
Absolutely.
Potentially suicidal?
Most likely.
But impossible?
No. Not if he approached it intelligently.
A faint grin slowly spread across his face.
“If this world wants to turn everything into a game,” he muttered quietly, “then I’ll just have to start playing it like a gamer.”
Luna tilted her head slightly before lightly bumping against his side.
Traise finally closed the quest window before stepping away from the overlook.
The pressure lingering around the deeper forest still made his instincts scream at him to leave, and this time, he listened immediately.
Not out of fear, but out of understanding.
They moved quickly through the trees beneath the moonlight, while putting distance between themselves and the danger zone.
Luna stayed close beside him instead of wandering ahead, occasionally slipping through nearby shadows before reappearing moments later.
The farther they traveled from the distant structure, the lighter the atmosphere gradually became, until the pressure lingering at the edge of his thoughts finally began fading completely.
Eventually, they reached a smaller cliffside cave that they had discovered several days earlier.
The shelter itself remained cramped compared to their previous cave, but its location made it far safer.
Positioned high along the cliff face itself, most creatures would struggle to reach it without either flight or exceptional climbing ability.
Fortunately for Traise, climbing no longer posed much of a problem.
He scaled the cliff quickly before stepping inside the cave, while Luna followed easily behind him.
Cold air drifted softly through the entrance.
The moment Traise finally sat down against the stone wall, his thoughts immediately returned to the quest.
Level 20.
The Moonfang Alpha.
One lunar cycle.
His eyes slowly drifted toward Minor Regeneration on his system screen.
If he wanted to survive what waited deeper in the forest, then every advantage mattered.
…..
Luna curled quietly near the cave wall while moonlight shone against the side of the wall.
The forest outside remained calm for once.
No distant roars.
No oppressive pressure crushing against his mind.
Just cold wind drifting softly through the rocky interior while Traise quietly opened Minor Regeneration again.
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Minor Regeneration
Class: Initiate Low
Type: Passive / Healing
Mastery: 88 / 100
Passive Effects:
Passive healing over time
Reduced bleeding damage
Recovery Rate: 2% Max Health per minute
Pain response reduced during combat, though damage still exists
4 hours of sleep provides the benefits of a full night’s rest
Enhancements:
Double healing bonus (Light Affinity)
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Traise’s eyes widened slightly.
Since when was it at two percent?
And now his Minor Regeneration had enhancements?
He didn’t remember it displaying that before.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the recovery line while trying to remember everything that had happened earlier.
Eventually, his thoughts drifted back toward the Solhart and the strange warmth that spread through his body after accepting Light Affinity.
The timing lined up too perfectly to be a coincidence.
Traise immediately opened the newer skill.
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Light Affinity
Class: Special
Type: Affinity / Growth
Mastery: 0 / 1000
The user possesses a natural affinity toward controlling light and healing energy.
Current Effects:
Healing and restorative abilities become slightly more effective
Light skills consume slightly less mana
Skills and abilities related to the light element are learned more quickly
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Traise blinked once before rereading the mastery requirement again.
One thousand.
Minor Regeneration only required one hundred.
The difference immediately caught his attention.
Light Affinity clearly wasn’t functioning like a normal skill.
Even the wording felt broader somehow.
It didn’t grant one specific ability.
Instead, it enhanced other abilities connected to healing and light itself.
A support-type affinity.
The kind of ability that scaled alongside everything else.
Traise leaned back slightly against the cave wall while his thoughts immediately started branching outward.
If a one percent increase already affected Minor Regeneration now, then what would happen later once stronger healing abilities existed?
What about higher-grade regeneration skills?
Restoration abilities?
Advanced light techniques?
The potential scaling alone felt enormous.
Not overwhelming.
But definitely important.
Passive healing already reduced downtime between hunts significantly, while the recent sleep effect it gained bordered on ridiculous compared to normal recovery.
Combined with his Light Affinity, the skill would likely continue improving far beyond its current state.
And it still wasn’t mastered yet.
[Mastery: 88 / 100]
Close.
Very close.
Traise slowly rubbed the side of his face while thinking carefully through everything he learned about mastery so far.
Minor Regeneration improved fastest during actual healing.
The more meaningful the injury, the faster the mastery seemed to rise afterward.
Which meant there was technically a way to train it deliberately.
A terrible way.
But still effective.
His gaze slowly shifted toward Luna.
The Lunar Spirit Fox immediately noticed.
Suspicion drifted through the bond almost instantly while Luna slowly lifted her head from the cave floor.
Her glowing blue eyes narrowed slightly as she stared back at him, clearly aware he was thinking about something she probably wasn’t going to like.
Traise cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Okay,” he started carefully, “before you do anything, hear me out first.”
Luna continued staring at him without moving.
“If regeneration improves from healing injuries…” He hesitated briefly before continuing.
“Then the fastest way to level it would probably involve getting injured on purpose.”
Silence filled the cave.
Luna’s ears slowly lowered while immediate disapproval flooded through the bond strongly enough that Traise almost laughed despite himself.
Concern mixed heavily with confusion while Luna continued staring at him, as if he had completely lost his mind.
Honestly, saying the idea out loud made it sound even worse.
But the chain quest changed things.
The deeper forest had already proved how insignificant he currently was compared to stronger beings in this world.
If he wanted to survive long enough to eventually return there, then he needed faster growth.
And Minor Regeneration remained one of the strongest abilities he currently possessed.
Eventually, Luna stood up before slowly walking closer with obvious reluctance.
Concern drifted clearly through the bond while she stared up at him carefully, fully understanding what he wanted despite clearly disliking the idea.
Traise slowly held out one arm.
“Just enough to injure it,” he said cautiously.
“Please try not to accidentally bite it off.”
Luna looked deeply offended.
“That was mostly a joke.”
Only slightly less offended.
Traise sighed before adding, “I’ll give you extra food tomorrow.”
Luna instantly lunged.
“WAIT—!”
Sharp pain exploded through his forearm.
Luna released him immediately before jumping backward while her concern filtered through the bond.
Blood dripped quickly between Traise’s fingers as he grabbed his arm tightly against his chest, staring at the Lunar Spirit Fox in disbelief.
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[You have received 8 damage]
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“…I mention a bit of food, and you don’t even hesitate.”
Luna somehow looked equally horrified and concerned by her own enthusiasm.
For a brief moment, guilt flooded through the bond so strongly that Traise almost forgot about the pain entirely.
Almost.
“That still hurts way more than I expected…”
The reduced pain response Minor Regeneration provided dulled the worst of it, but it wasn’t as if the pain no longer existed.
Traise forced himself to look directly at the injury as warmth spread beneath the torn flesh.
Blood flow gradually slowed as skin slowly began pulling itself back together.
Damaged muscle fibers tightened and reformed beneath the surface, while strands of flesh reconnected themselves with unsettling speed.
The healing honestly looked a little disturbing when viewed this closely.
Like watching his body forcibly stitch itself back together in real time.
Then the familiar notification appeared.
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[Minor Regeneration Mastery Increased: 89 / 100]
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Traise blinked slowly while Luna continued staring at him with obvious guilt that he sensed through the bond.
One point down, eleven more to go.
“…Okay,” he admitted carefully, “it seems that this is actually a pretty effective solution, even if it wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve done.”
Luna remained completely unconvinced.
Traise leaned back against the cave wall again while Minor Regeneration steadily repaired the remaining damage across his arm.
The pain still lingered faintly, but compared to the mastery increase, he honestly couldn’t ignore how valuable the method seemed to be.
Which probably said something deeply concerning about his decision-making already.
A few minutes later, Traise slowly held his arm out again.
Luna immediately flattened her ears.
“I know,” he said.
“I hate this, too.”
Complete disbelief flooded through the bond.
Traise sighed heavily.
“Fine. You hate it more. But just one more bite should be able to do it.”
Luna continued staring at him for several long seconds before reluctantly stepping forward again.
This time, the bite came gentler than before, though pain still shot sharply through his arm the moment her teeth pierced his skin.
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[You have received 7 damage]
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Warmth immediately spread through the wound again while Minor Regeneration activated at full strength.
Flesh slowly reconnected the torn skin while blood flow rapidly slowed.
Then the system window appeared.
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[Minor Regeneration Mastery Increased: 100 / 100]
Mastery Complete.
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Traise froze while the glowing notification lingered before him.