Chapter 85 . Flame of Life (1)
Mythical Beasts are creatures that grow by feeding on people’s dreams .
The eggs the players receive on the 11th floor are no different . They eat the players’ dreams and become different beasts based on what they were fed with .
This also means that the owner can breed any beast they want, given the right nourishment .
But of course, players can’t have complete control over the outcome .
As we both know, The Tower isn’t such a lenient place . It is only possible to influence one’s egg to possess the desired element and to become a higher-tier beast .
However, that method of breeding is yet another challenge, as each and every ingredient required is very rare and hard-to-acquire, often appearing as hidden pieces or products of hidden quests .
“It should be somewhere around here . ”
The first ingredient Yeon-woo went for was the egg of the monster bird, Albatross .
‘Though it’s just a bird, an Albatross is a powerful and gigantic beast, big enough to bite off a player’s head . ’
An Albatross is a giant fowl that can grow up to 5 meters tall . It has a powerful beak and sharp talons that could easily shred metal to pieces . And its swift wings made it an even harder monster to kill .
But Yeon-woo wasn’t too worried about it . He wouldn’t have come here without a plan .
Yeon-woo followed the map recorded in the diary, searching for the Albatross’ habitat . But after treading around the forest for a bit, he suddenly stopped walking .
After some point, the vicinities were devoid of any presence . This was proof that he was inside the Albatross’s territory .
Yeon-woo raised his head .
There was a huge creature perched on top of a tall tree about 15 meters above the ground .
It was an Albatross .
Kyeek!
The bird unfurled its huge wings and let out a horrible shriek .
Ordinary players would have shrunk with fright upon hearing that cry, but Yeon-woo only gave a cold smile .
[Hidden Quest / Albatross Hunt]
Description: A monstrous bird that lives in the northern area of the Dream World .
Albatrosses are known to devour everything in sight . Because of their gluttonous appetite, the beasts that dwell near the forest live in fear of being eaten .
Hunt down an Albatross and retrieve its eggs to prevent them from hatching .
*This quest is linked to the ‘Flame of Life’ quest .
Reward: All stats +5, Albatross’s Comb
‘This is what I like about the 11th floor . ’
The hidden pieces, located in several places throughout the 11th floor, were great for acquiring materials to hatch one’s desired beast but were also treasure chests containing plentiful rewards .
“Come out . ”
*Sss*
At Yeon-woo’s call, a haze of black smoke rose from the ground .
From within the haze appeared Boo, Nol, Ka, and seven other Spirit Familiars . And as soon as they appeared, the spirits went straight towards the Albatross despite the absence of Yeon-woo’s order .
*Pabat*
The Albatross quickly flapped its wings in an effort to take off . However, Nol had already reached the Albatross with its swift legs and landed a hit on it .
*Kuang*
Smashed by Nol’s front leg, the Albatross lost its grip on the branch and plummeted to the ground .
The bird then quickly picked itself up, trying to get away, but it was too late . The remaining Spirit Familiars had already surrounded the bird .
Attempting to fly away, the Albatross began to flap its wings . However, the bird was once again stopped from flying, its body suddenly becoming limp .
It was Boo’s Health Down curse .
Though it was a simple debuff, stunned by the sudden turn of events, the Albatross couldn’t budge its wings as if they were strapped to its body by an invisible chain .
Kyeek…
The bird found itself in a helpless situation and began to let out a mournful cry .
In the meantime,
Yeon-woo drew Magic Bayonet and Carshina’s Dagger and flung himself towards the Albatross .
*Pat*
“Devour . ”
Yeon-woo opened his left palm and brought it to the neck of the Albatross that was lying on the ground wheezing out its faint breath .
The serrated teeth pierced through its skin and began to suck out its blood at an alarming rate .
Kyaaa!
[You have absorbed vitality and energy]
[Your Strength has increased by 1 point . ]
[Your Dexterity has increased by 2 points . ]
[‘Bathory’s Vampiric Sword’ skill proficiency has increased . 15 . 9%]
A nightmarish shriek echoed throughout the woods .
The Albatross squeezed out its last bit of strength and flapped its wings in a struggle to break free, but its movements quickly died down .
Yeon-woo then, with his Draconic Eyes, spotted the soul of the Albatross escaping through its mouth .
He quickly captured the soul in his Collection before it was too late .
‘I probably can’t convert the soul into a Spirit Familiar right away because of its grudge, but I’m not going to let it sit there and rot either . A soul like this is hard to come by . I’m going to have to find a way to subdue it later . ’
The Albatross’s soul was second only to Vulka’s . It would make a great Spirit Familiar in the future .
[Hidden quest (Albatross Hunt) completed . ]
[You have made an achievement that is not easily accomplished . Additional Karma will be provided . ]
[You have acquired 1,000 Karma . ]
[You have acquired 500 additional Karma . ]
[All of your stats have increased by 5 points . ]
[You have acquired ‘Albatross’s Comb’ . ]
Yeon-woo read the message with a contented smile and then looked back at his Spirit Familiars .
“Good job, everyone . ”
Kiaak! Kiak!
[The Spirit Familiars are rejoicing at their first victory in a group battle . ]
[Morale of your Spirit Familiars has increased . ]
[Affinity of your Spirit Familiars has increased . ]
Because of their wild instincts, they seemed to be delighted .
“And then… here’s your reward . ”
Yeon-woo handed out a bead of compressed dark energy to each of his Spirit Familiars .
The spirits joyfully took the beads and swallowed them right away . Then, their murky grey bodies glowed red for a second .
[You have used Spirit Beads on your Spirit Familiars . ]
[Boo (Witch Doctor) has been strengthened . All stats have increased by 1 point . ]
[Nol (Giant Gnoll) has been strengthened . Dexterity has increased by 3 points . ]
[Ka (Vulka) has been strengthened . Strength and Health have increased by 2 points . ]
Spirit Bead was a feed Yeon-woo had created based on the idea that Spirit Familiars were made with dark energy .
According to Yeon-woo’s knowledge, there was a set limit to how strong the Spirit Familiars could become no matter how hard he trained them .
This was because each soul is categorized under a certain ‘tier’, which sets an upper limit to one’s stats upon death .
Therefore, he had to find a way to raise their tiers .
‘That way, they can evolve them into a Lich or a Death Knight . ’
Fortunately, the Spirit Beads had proven to be very effective . Their overall stats, as well as their intellect, were enhanced each time Yeon-woo fed them the beads .
In particular, Boo, who previously could only cast simple buffs, had now become capable of using more diverse spells .
Not only that, but the spirits also tried harder in order to get rewarded with beads .
‘The hunt was even more successful than I expected . ’
In fact, Yeon-woo didn’t even have to take part in it . The Spirit Familiars had killed the Albatross on their own .
The only thing Yeon-woo did was to watch the show and step up at the very last second to drain its power with Bathory’s Vampiric Sword .
He could just sit back and raise his stats . Things couldn’t get any easier than this .
‘Seems like getting the rest of the ingredients will be just as easy . ’
Yeon-woo went up to the tree to take the Albatross’s eggs sitting in the nest .
There were five[1] eggs in total, all of them about the size of a human head .
Yeon-woo handed the eggs over to his Spirit Familiars and went back down .
‘Next one is…’
Yeon-woo opened up the quest window and looked for the second item on the list .
‘Shadow Snake’s Apple . ’
Perhaps the system listed whichever was closer to the Phoenix’s nest, as the habitat of the Shadow Snake wasn’t very far from his current location .
“Let’s go . ”
Yeon-woo led his group of Spirit Familiars and headed towards the next place .
Trinity, unbefitting its great name, was a very humble team consisting of three insignificant players who each took the role of tank, healer and damage dealer .
But Dellan, June and Heidi had a friendship so close and intimate that there hadn’t been a single conflict between themselves ever since they decided to form a team in the tutorial .
And that friendship continued to prosper even on their way to raid the ‘Shadow Snake’s Tunnel’ .
“Huff… Huff… God Damn it, this is exhausting… . ”
“Does this tunnel ever end?”
“Cheer up guys . Sylph just told me we’re almost at the end . ”
“If you say so, maybe it is . Okay then, let’s keep going . ”
The Shadow Snake’s Tunnel was the most challenging dungeon they had raided so far .
The height of the tunnel was so low that they had to slightly lower their heads to fit through . It was also very narrow, allowing only two people to stand side by side .
And swarms of snakes kept emerging from the ceiling, walls, ground and every possible place . It was virtually impossible to take a moment of rest .
What’s worse was that they were almost running out of antidotes, the only cure for the venom of Shadow Snakes . If they allowed one more bite, they were dead .
If it were a usual raid, they would have retreated a long time ago . Because Trinity always chose safety over risk .
But this time, none of the three thought of turning back . They had come too far to go back now .
Besides, waiting at the end of the tunnel was a reward that would make up for all of the hardships they were enduring .
‘Shadow Snake’s Apple… once we get it…’
‘We won’t have to go through all this pain, not again . We’ll be able to beat this kind of dungeon with just one finger . ’
Shadow Snake’s Apple had the reputation of being a very effective Elixir .
A single bite could heal any physical wounds, eating a whole fruit could boost one’s health, and eating more than one could exponentially increase one’s mana capacity .
And they happened to obtain information of the place where such amazing fruits grew .
The three of them regarded this as a god’s present for how pitiful they were .
According to the information, deep down this tunnel, there was a grove full apple trees which produced tons of these fruits .
It was reliable information, and so they firmly believed it to be true .
Though probably not as many as they were told, there should be enough apples for them to become experts .
And after a few more battles…
“We’re… here!”
“At last!”
“Ahh!
Listening to their captain Dellan’s cheer, the other two members, June and Heidi, cried out loud in joy .
Far away in the distance, there was a huge iron door, presumably the entrance to the boss room .
“I know how happy and thrilled you are, but it’s too early to celebrate victory . The real challenge still lies beyond this door . So let’s calm down a bit and get ourselves ready for battle . ”
At Dellan’s persuasion, June and Heidi calmed themselves down and began to prepare for battle .
Just like he said, the difficulty of the boss room must be greater than the tunnel itself .
The damage dealer of Trinity, June, drew the Dragonian’s Dagger he had purchased with the Karma his team had been saving up, while the healer, Heidi, summoned a Sylph to support her teammates .
“Now, if everyone’s ready I’ll open the door . ”
The tank of Trinity, Dellan, took the lead and opened the iron door .
June and Heidi took a big gulp as they prepared to launch an attack as soon as the boss monster showed up .
Their eyes were filled with determination .
Beyond this door lay a forest full of Shadow Snake’s Apples . The Elixir that would help them become experts…!
“Wait, what…?”
“Huh…?”
“What the fuck?
The members of Trinity were agape at the unbelievable sight of the boss room .
What greeted them inside the room was a forest full of bare trees and fruitless branches .
Only the leaves that were rolling about on the floor were there to tell them that something had already swept through this place .
[You have made an achievement… . ]
[Hidden quest… . ]
[You have acquired… . ]
Yeon-woo set aside the message window that kept giving him the same notifications over and over again .
Now that he had seen them so many times, he was hardly impressed by them .
[1] Originally written as three, but the quest requires five . Probably the author’s mistake .
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