The Immortal Player

"N-No! There's no need for you—Sir Aron, to give me a gift!" Neerak Axutar said as he waved his hands towards Pedro as if he wanted to say not to bother much about it. "Learning a thing or two from you is more than enough for me. L-Like the important information about the hidden threats that the adventurers pose to our village! It's already a priceless gift to me, my father, and our village!"

"I have already decided on it. You dare stop me?" Pedro asked in a cold tone.

"Of course not! I would not dare question your decisions, Sir Aron!" Neerak Axutar said while forcing out a smile.

Pedro simply clapped his hands and said, "Great! I am sure that you'd be happy with my gift! Now… Shall we move forward? You had enough rest already, right?"

"Y-Yes! O-Of course, Sir Aron!" Neerak Axutar said.

Pedro shifted his glance to the three happy village soldiers, who nodded without hesitation in response. Thus, they went towards the nearest cave with the lead of Pedro. Since Neerak Axutar and the three village soldiers were low in strength, they simply walked towards it—giving Pedro a chance to message Sabrina and Mathew about their plan.

Mathew would still meet them at the Baliu Village's teleportation portal in the morning, while Sabrina would wait for Pedro and the NPCs at the other side of the 'cave' that they would use to pass through Baliu Mountain overnight.

He arranged it this way so that Sabrina could have someone to switch with, in guarding the body of Werewolf Tam. At the same time, he also asked Aks, Antonio, Aldo, Loren, and Yuson to join them so that he could have extra hands when needed. Well… Sabrina, Loren, and Mathew would be separated from them so that… Antonio and Aks would not be able to recognize their 'captive' and risk exposing the truth from Pedro's lies.

Soon, Pedro and the four NPCs arrived outside a cave that was covered by thick vines. It was so thick to the point that the four NPCs could only force out a smile and stare towards Pedro—thinking if he was crazy or not.

Pedro caught a glance at their reaction and could simply shake his head in response. Then, he thought, 'I have shown them my strength… Why are they still doubting my decision! I have been playing this game for more than six years, you know?! I know the whole Aquari Continent as if it was printed on my mind. If not for these troublesome matters I need to take care of, I have had already taken gone into clearing spree of dungeons.'

"Get ready! We are about to enter the cave!" Pedro said as he drew his Katana—slicing the vines as if they were thin pieces of paper. It took him almost a minute to cut through the vines that were two meters thick. Of course, he took the vines that he cut and placed them into his inventory bag like a looting maniac. The four NPCs could only follow closely behind him—afraid that they might get left behind.

The cave was dark to the point that the four NPCs had no choice but to hold onto each other to avoid getting separated from everyone else. Fortunately, after making just a couple of steps, a runic formation written in the walls of the cave had lit, giving them a dim light as a guide inside the cave.

"This…" Neerak Axutar took another sharp breath that made Pedro glance at him with a smirk.

"Do you know about this?" Pedro asked.

Neerak Axutar simply nodded in response and said, "A Dungeon!"

"Ho… Then, why do you look calm despite knowing that we are inside a dungeon?"

Neerak Axutar wore a confident smile before saying, "Because we have you!"

Pedro burst into laughter as he opened his player interface to check the details of the dungeon. At the same time, he said, "Let's have a five-minute break to rest and prepare before we head deeper into the dungeon. Make sure that you have recuperated sufficient energy to continue walking forward for the rest of the night!"

"Yes, Sir Aron!" Neerak Axutar and the three village soldiers saluted in response. Then, they all took a deep breath as they sat on the ground and lay their backs to the walls of the cave to rest.

On the other hand, Pedro checks the details about the dungeon that prompted in his player interface.

[Dungeon Detected!]

[You have entered the Ira Spider Queen's Nest!]

[Ira Spider Queen's Nest]

Dungeon Rating: B-rated

Suggested Player Level: LVL 25 – LVL 30

Player Number Entry Limit: 10

Status: Unexplored

Clear Requirement: Eliminate all monsters and Kill the Ira Spider Queen!

Special Clear Requirement: ????

Rewards: ????

Time Limit: Not Applicable.

Entry Requirement: Not Applicable.

Clear Failure Penalty: Ira Spider Monster Wave would escape around the Baliu Area and affect the nearby territories.

[A Dungeon that was hidden in the mountains where the Ira Spider Queen was sealed. After 100 years of being almost forgotten, its seal started to weaken. And with the help of the faint magical energy from the new discoverers of the dungeon, the seal was finally broken, allowing the Ira Spiders to wreak havoc in the nearby areas.]

~~~

After reading the information that was displayed in his player interface, Pedro could not help but force out a smile and thought, 'Why does it seem like the system is even blaming us for discovering the dungeon? Was it our fault that the seal weakened after almost a century? In any case… I hope that the space in this cave would become larger. I badly wanted to see the expression on the dungeon boss's face if I am able to transform into my dragon form. Hehe…'

Then, he stole a glance towards the four NPCs and thought, 'I am way above the suggested player level. However… I don't know about them. Dungeons are tricky in this game. Instead of having a Level Requirement, Bearth Online employs a Suggested Player Level instead—that simply serves as a warning about the ideal level needed to face the monsters inside. So, Basically… The Dungeon Boss should be around Level 30, while the mobs should be at Level 25, at the least.'

"Oh well!" Pedro murmured to himself, "We're here anyway. Why not clear this dungeon along the way? I might take the 'rewards' before other play—adventurer does!"

Neerak Axutar glanced towards him, curious about what Pedro was mumbling. That said, he did not dare pry into it as Pedro took out another inventory bag and equipped it. Inside it was the potion injector and half of his remaining Intermediate Potions that were neatly arranged for ease of use in case needed.

Then, Pedro took out two more [Ge Knight Swords] and placed them on his back. He equipped it so that he would be able to draw them, in case his Katana gets destroyed or if he simply loses his Katana at a crucial point. It was his reserve weapon other than his black scale coated fist and his Pen-knife.

Fortunately, his level was high enough, giving him enough strength and agility to move casually despite the heavy load he is carrying on his back. That said, he did not stop at that. He picked up several rocks and placed them in the pockets of his overcoat, ready to be thrown to the enemy.

With this, his fully loaded preparation has ended. Since there were still a few minutes left before they start, Pedro decided to check the Continental Quest Rankings.

[Quest: Protect the Aquari Continent!]

Rating: A-rated

Mission: Kill the monsters that start to dominate the Aquari Continent! Each monster killed will have an equivalent point that can be exchanged for items after the event.

Your Kill count: 21,456contemporary romance

Players with the highest monster kill-count would get special rewards.

The top 1 player will get a Gold-rated offensive skill. 

The top 10 players will get randomly generated Silver-rated skill. 

The top 100 players will get randomly generated Bronze-rated Skill.

Continental Quest Player Ranking

1. Death [Kill Count: 21,456]

2. Killer Looks [Kill Count: 21,175]

3. Gentle Breeze [Kill Count: 21,089]

4. Killer Smile [Kill Count: 9,281]

5. Arvedar [Kill Count: 2,765]

6. Hey_JoeCorporation [Kill count: 274]

7. Wazzap_JoeCorporation [Kill count: 227]

8. …

9. …

10. …

Quest Duration: ???

[Quest participation is optional. Once a player killed a monster, the kill count will automatically start.]

~~~

Pedro can't help but nod in satisfaction after knowing that everyone on his side was dominating the rankings. Although Aldo and the rest were yet to enter the ranking, Pedro was complacent and confident that they would soon follow behind them.

After all, they now control the duration of the Continental Quest and, at the same time, all he needs to do is provide everyone else a transformation form that would help them farm monsters easily. Though the rewards that they would be able to obtain by being on the top 10 rankings was only a randomly generated Silver-rated skill, Pedro still wanted Aldo and the rest to try their best and become part of the first-ever Top Player Ranking in Bearth Online.

"It looks like we are on the right track!" Pedro chuckled with a mischievous grin on his face. 

done.co