Chapter 3: Emergency Quest
Chapter 3: Emergency Quest
Chapter 3: Emergency Quest
“I really am... walking on thin ice, huh?”
He muttered weakly, staring at the translucent panel outlining his grim fate. He had joked earlier about being caught in political strife, but why on earth would he die if Estelle was killed?
“Shit…”
Personal survival aside, he felt a strange, fierce drive to protect her, a sister he had only just met in this brutal world.
“I’m losing my fucking mind…”
If he intervened in this plot, he would be dragged in deep. It was a high-stakes event that could easily lead to his own assassination.
He was stepping into a position where he would have to fight with his life on the line.
“Either way... I'm screwed.”
If he chose not to act, the system penalty would claim him anyway. It meant that if Estelle died, he was next, most likely at the hands of the very same assassins.
Once they finished off Estelle, they would purge the rest of the estate. Professional killers wouldn't miss a quiet room at the end of the hall; they would find his hidden bunker and cut him down where he hid.
“Regardless of what I choose…”
It felt almost like a grim prophecy. He knew it was the most likely outcome, which was why sitting idle wasn't an option. He had to save her. But the core problem remained: How?
If he couldn't figure out a solution over the next few days, his second life would end just as miserably as his first.
“Dead either way, huh...”
He was hopelessly weak, and seasoned assassins would make short work of him. In the grand scheme of this world, he was nothing more than an unnamed mob character.
How was he supposed to fight off professional killers?
“Shit...”
What should I do? Am I just supposed to accept this? I can't even decide my own fate, nor do I have the power to change this scenario. Damn it... this is the worst-case scenario.
Memory pulled him back to his past life on Earth, where he had functioned like a machine, mindlessly obeying orders, working endlessly just to keep a roof over his head. He had never spared a thought for anything else.
Not for his own happiness.
Not for a life of his own choosing.
Until today.
Now, he finally had someone in his life, someone who, in her own strange way, seemed to care about him. He couldn't be entirely sure, but he wanted to believe it.
He was going to save her. Regardless of the odds, he would commit to the single path that offered even a sliver of hope for survival.
“I don't have anything left to lose, anyway…”
He had already died once. He might as well go all-out in this new world… to protect his newfound sister, and to buy himself more time to live.
Searching for any tactical edge, he racked his brain for anything that could balance the scales.
Then, a specific memory surfaced.
“Should I... try using that?”
He recalled a legendary early-game event from Nevestria MMORPG, an achievement so unexpected that news of it had flooded gaming forums and news outlets across the globe. It was treated as a near-miracle during the game's launch week.
“It’s dangerous, though…”
It was a method to forcibly enhance oneself, but it carried severe risks. In the real world, it would have been considered an unverified, dangerous experiment.
“It’s a massive gamble...”
He remembered the beginner blog post he had skimmed right before setting up his VR gear. It was the last gaming article he had read on Earth, detailing one of the most valuable early-game discoveries in Nevestria.
“Dangerous or not, I don't have a choice…”
The article detailed a technique known as Rune Magic, a lost art originating from the Rakonus Principality, discovered through a hidden quest and documented on Scenia Gaming Blogs.
“Rune Magic…”
[Rune Magic Discovered!]
[Posted by: A.w.S]
[Obtained from the first hidden quest of the game in the Rakonus Principality.]
[Details: You can engrave these runes directly onto weapons to sharpen them and boost their parameters. While its full limits are still unknown, it provides a massive advantage when fighting higher-level mobs.]
[Even though the system announced this as a unique hidden quest, I'm posting the basic engraving method here so lower-level players can use it. Consider it a gift.]
“Right... the global announcement declared A.W.S as the first player to clear a hidden quest. That’s why the story blew up worldwide.”
He recalled the gaming news coverage vividly.
A global system notification announcing a cleared hidden quest during launch week was massive news.
[Method: Use your own blood to trace the mana circuits directly onto your equipment, then channel mana to activate the desired effect. Enjoy!]
Allen Warren Starvos, known online as A.W.S was an elite pro-gamer back on Earth, affiliated with RoundKnights, one of the premier esports organizations in the industry.
“His name was plastered across every tech channel after his shift. A world-class gamer operating on a completely different level…”
“Haaahh…”
Keizen remembered watching the televised interview in his dim apartment after a brutal night shift. In a world where virtual gaming had become the new frontier, top players were treated like international superstars.
“Well, desperation calls for desperate measures. I have to use every tool available to gain an edge, no matter how small…”
The original guide specified engraving runes onto weapons. But what if he attempted to engrave them directly onto his own body?
Would it enhance his physical stats? It was a reckless experiment, but it was his only lead.
“I wonder if I'll ever run into those top players in this world…”
Part of him was curious. They were in Nevestria somewhere, operating on a level far above his own.
“First things first. I need to test this technique. Alongside basic physical conditioning, it's my only shot at surviving this quest.”
Sitting on the edge of his mattress, he tried to recall the specific rune patterns A.w.S had uploaded. Leaning against the wall beside his bed was an iron-tipped spear he had quietly borrowed from one of the corridor statues earlier.
“I have to try it.”
He visualized the rune diagrams from the blog post, a series of ancient, geometric patterns that looked almost like primitive carvings.
“I should write them down so I don't forget.”
He grabbed a feather pen and a sheet of parchment from the nightstand, carefully copying the symbols from memory. They looked like crude stick figures enclosed by strange circles and angular lines.
The moment his pen completed the final stroke, a distinct chime resonated in his head.
[Universal Language… Activated!]
The strange symbols on the paper suddenly shifted, resolving into words he could read clearly:
“O’ Forgotten God of ******,”
“Bestow Thy Favor Upon Us.”
“Let the Profound Awaken,”
“Under Thy Sacred Grace.”
He stared at the page, his skin prickling.
“What in the...”
The rune wasn't just a magic circuit, it was an ancient prayer to an unknown entity. A cold wave of hesitation hit him.
If this technique was linked to something dangerous, using it could backfire catastrophically.
“Then again... do I really have room to be picky? Heh.”
In his current position, hesitation meant death.
“I don't have a choice.”
Before he could process the implications further, a series of rapid system notifications flashed across his vision.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
[Hidden Objective Cleared!]
[Details: You have successfully deciphered a fragment of the Forgotten God : ?????]
[Reward: Passive Skill: Lesser Pain Tolerance… Acquired!]
Beep! Beep! Beep!
“Wait, what?”
[CHAIN QUEST TRIGGERED: Awakening of ?????]
[Overview: You have deciphered a missing fragment related to ?????. Locate the remaining fragments to awaken one of the ancient Protectors of this world.]
[Next Fragment Location: Vonheim Academy]
[Reward: Unknown]
[Failure Penalty: Collapse of the World.]
[Time Remaining: 10 Months, 23 Days, 14 Minutes, 39 Seconds]
“Whew... thank God. At least I have almost a year for this one. And the next piece is at Vonheim Academy...”
He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The nearly eleven-month deadline felt like a relief compared to the immediate, terrifying countdown of his current emergency quest.
He pulled up the timer for the assassination quest.
[Time Remaining: 3 Days, 12 Hours, 13 Minutes, 22 Seconds]
[Failure Penalty: Death of Estelle von Zekenia & Death of Keizen von Zekenia]
He had already accepted the reality of his situation: if he failed, he died. Simple as that. If he was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting with everything he had, leaving no room for regrets.
“Status Window.”
A light-blue interface expanded before him.
[Status Panel Loading Complete!]
He scanned his information, only for his expression to sour instantly.
“Shit…”
He stared at his attribute numbers in absolute disbelief.
“This is complete garbage... I’m dead!”
[Name: Keizen von Zekenia]
[HP: 20 / 20]
[MP: 10 / 10]
[Level: 1]
[Title: None]
[Class: None]
[Species: Class 1 Semi-Human]
[Attributes:]
Strength: 2
Agility: 2
Dexterity: 1
Durability: 1
Intelligence: 2
Luck: 1
“My stats are atrociously low! Where are the overpowered starting stats? Where are the broken beginner skills? Damn it!”
He groaned, burying his face in his hands.
From the gameplay guides and videos he had watched on Earth, selecting a starting class usually provided immediate attribute bonuses.
A basic Warrior class, for instance, granted +5 Strength and +3 Endurance right out of the gate.
Because he was classified as a semi-player/semi-NPC without a designated class, he had received zero baseline stat adjustments.
“Shit…”
He sat there for a few minutes, letting out his frustration.
Once he regained his composure, he wiped his face and picked up the iron spear resting against his bed. If the system wasn't going to hand him power through starting bonuses, he would have to build it manually through raw physical repetition.
“At least I'm used to brutal physical labor…”
He adjusted his stance, gripped the shaft with both hands, aligned the tip toward an imaginary target, and drove the spear forward in a sharp, linear thrust.
Haaahh!
A basic, fundamental thrust: simple, direct, and lethal if executed with enough force and speed.
Chime!
The system chime sounded immediately, but he barely flinched. He was getting used to the notifications by now.
[Notice: You have executed a fundamental spear thrust. Repeat the motion to unlock the skill: Stab (1 / 100)]
“Huh? So if I execute it a hundred times, I unlock the skill officially?”
Hope flickered in his chest. It was a tangible path to gaining combat abilities.
“Open Quest Log!”
The interface shifted to display his current active objectives:
[Active Quests:]
[Emergency Quest: Save Estelle von Zekenia]
[Chain Quest: Awakening of ?????]
[Skill Proficiency: Execute Stab (1 / 100)]
“Mastering a combat skill is my top priority right now. If I have an active attack skill when the assassins strike, it might give me the edge I need to survive.”
He took a deep, controlled breath, focused his gaze on the far wall, and raised the spear once more.
“Let's get to work.”
For hours, the quiet room echoed with the sound of steel cutting through the air. Blisters formed across his palms, his muscles burned, and sweat drenched his clothes.
Yet he didn't stop.
Enduring physical exhaustion was nothing new to him. Years of brutal construction shifts on Earth had forged a high tolerance for physical strain. It was simply a matter of pushing through the pain.
Finally…
“Haaah... haaah...”
His arms trembled violently, completely spent.
His palms were raw, and every breath burned in his chest.
[Congratulations! You have completed the mastery requirement: (100 / 100)]
[Active Skill Learned: Stab (Level 1)]
“Finally... haaah...”
He collapsed onto the edge of the mattress, his chest heaving as sweat dripped onto the carpet.
“Thank God for all those double shifts in construction... my body knows how to take a beating. I'll catch my breath, then move on to the next step...”
He glanced up at the red timer hovering in his vision. The numbers ticked down remorselessly.
[Time Remaining: 2 Days, 23 Hours, 12 Minutes, 30 Seconds]
Exhausted beyond measure, he laid back on the soft mattress. Within seconds, darkness pulled him into a deep, heavy sleep.