Mission statement:

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“And so…what exactly is this?”

After the events of the cave, Lux and Serenia had teleported back to the Starting Village. They now stood in front of the NPC named [Mysterious Merchant], who had issued the quest, [Nature’s Beginning], to Lux.

“Are you sure this is the right NPC?” Serenia whispered to Lux, as she regarded the suspicious-looking man wearing thick sunglasses.

Lux nodded, pulling up the mission logs.

System: Current Missions

> [Continental Boss]: Loop 1 out of 5

> [Nature’s Beginning]

“Oh no! What do I do? My most precious Artifact has been lost! My wife will kill me if she finds out!”

Help the traveler find his lost artifact!

Quest objective(s): Retrieve [Lost Artifact] from the [Forest of Dreams].

Location: [??? Cave].

Issued by: [Mysterious Merchant] in the [Starting Village].

Return to: [Mysterious Merchant].

Rewards: 5,000 EXP, 3,000 Eden Seeds, [Continental Boss] Loop 2 unlocks

“It says [Mysterious Merchant].” Lux noted, showing Serenia the quest details.

“You got the right person alright. I remember you, the dark-haired young man over there.” the NPC continued, slightly annoyed, “What I am saying is that…what the heck is this?”

He pointed at the floating, green orb in Lux’s hands.

“The Artifact you requested me to find.” he replied nonchalantly.

“Lies! Take a good look at the name of the thing you are holding!”

Lux opened item view. The name [Sacred Artifact] appeared on top of the orb.

“What I requested was the [Lost Artifact], not whatever you are holding!” the NPC complained.

“Is there a difference?”

At that, the NPC fumed.

“OF COURSE THERE IS A DIFFERENCE!” he bellowed, waving his walking stick in the air, “How dare you compare my most beautiful treasure to a random orb! What I am looking for is an ancient relic decorated by centuries of lost languages. Its value simply can’t be understood by a plebeian like you!”

Woah…what a rude NPC…Serenia thought.

“…” Lux stayed silent.

“Urg, fine. I will show you an image of what I meant.”

He waved his hand across the empty space between them. A projection of a stone tile laden with words appeared.

“Behold my most prized possession. Such delicacy, such detail, such mystery…ahhh, I have fallen in love with it all over again.”

Lux crossed his arms, thinking. He had seen this object somewhere before…

“Ah. That mismatched tile on the wall.” he said, recalling the scene before they ran into the Nine-tails.

“Now that you mentioned it…I remember it too.” Serenia commented, “But didn’t it get buried under the debris when the wall collapsed?”

“…WHAT!?!?” the NPC shouted, a crack appearing in his sunglasses. “Instead of bringing it back to me, as instructed, you let it get buried underneath all that junk? FAILED. QUEST INCOMPLETE. GO BACK AND PICK IT UP!”

“Now that’s just plain unreasonable.” Serenia cut in, “When faced with a secret trapdoor, it is common sense to try to find a way to advance into the next compartment. It wasn’t our fault that the wall collapsed and took your tile with it. And plus, why was it in such a weird position in the first place? It was on purpose, right? You knew the players will be oblivious to it. Mr. NPC, stop with the pranks and do your job!”

She stopped talking, and gave the NPC a stern look.

Wait…why am I arguing with a NPC in the first place?

The [Mysterious Merchant] stood there in silence, his expression unseen behind his dark sunglasses.

After a long pause, he spoke up.

“I changed my mind.”

As he finished speaking, an announcement came on the system.

System prompt: Quest [Nature’s Beginning] has been completed. Player [Lux] has received 5,000 EXP and 3,000 Eden Seeds. The [Continental Boss]: Loop 2, has been unlocked.

“I will let you pass this mission. You do not have to go back and retrieve the requirement.”

“…?”

“Instead, I am going to issue you the next quest right now.”

The new quest appeared in Lux’s mission log, replacing [Nature’s Beginning].

> [Continental Boss]: Loop 2 out of 5

> [The Ultimate 36-hour Relay Race]

“Ah, the winter season is so busy this time around! I just can’t handle them all!”

Help various NPCs across the continent with their requests.

Quest objective(s): Locate and complete 50 missions issued by the NPCs.

Relay mission #1: Find NPC [Old Woman] outside of [Starting Village].

Rewards: 1,000 EXP, 500 Eden Seeds, Relay progress 1/50.

Time remaining: 36:00:00

“Normally, I would allow some time for the player to prepare before giving him this.” the NPC said, “But you two really pissed me off.”

He smiled, a ray of light reflecting in his sunglasses.

“So, I am going to go ahead and start the timer, right now.”

As he spoke, the [Time remaining] section on the quest details began to count down. Serenia stared at it in shock, dumbfounded.

“Because of the special circumstances you are in, you are not allowed to team up with any other players. You two must do this alone. Any outside aid will disqualify you. You will receive the next relay mission after you complete the previous NPC’s request. It is a ‘Relay Race’ after all. Failure to abide by the demands will end the race, and disqualify you from the [Continental Boss] loop. You have the time shown in front of you, to complete all 50 missions. Failure to do so in the time allotted will also mean disqualification. Now, the clock is ticking. I wish you luck on the Race. Let’s not meet again in the future.”

No one moved a single inch. The NPC sighed, a vein popping on his forehead.

“In other words…GET THE F***ING HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW.”

He grabbed them by their collars, and threw them out the door, slamming it behind them.

“….”

As they sat there in the snow, Serenia’s private chat flashed with a new message.

System prompt: [1] New Message in [Private Chat].

-[Rune]: Hey Serene, how are things going? Are you getting along with him?-

“50 missions in 36 hours…we should get going. By that I mean, we really ought to get moving.” she said, after a moment of silence, getting up and dusting the snow away from her dress.

They began to run toward the main gate, heading out of the [Starting Village].

Rune’s message…I really shouldn’t ignore it. I’ll leave a quick message to him then. Serenia thought, opening the private chat.

-[Serene]: Hey Rune, sorry. I am in a rush right now, can I get back to you later? Until then!-

Without waiting for a reply, she turned off the private chat, returning to her position beside Lux.

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Meanwhile, at [Front Lines], the private chat box popped up in front of Rune, startling him. He dropped the documents he was carrying.

“Hey, Serene replied! I wonder what she said…” the deputy leader said in excitement, as he read the message.

His eyes dimmed, as if all the life was sucked out of him.

“She disconnected on me.” he said, “She said she was in a rush.”

“Not everyone has free time like you.” Fiorae commented from her desk, sipping her tea.

“Says you! Why can’t you help me with these documents too?”

Fiorae tried to take another sip at her tea, but it was empty. She put the cup down.

“Ah, before you continue with those, pour me another cup of tea, will you?”

Rune looked at the guild leader, and then down at the pile of papers resting at his feet.

“…One day, I will definitely quit this job.”

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-Floor two of Yuki-Onna’s Lair, Nature’s Cradle-

“You…are lost, aren’t you?”

Serenia had been walking around in the lair for hours. At first, she followed Lux with great confidence, but as time passed, she began to doubt where they were heading.

“…”

Lux stayed silent, walking in front of her. They passed by the same sign that they passed an hour ago. [Yuki-Onna’s Lair, Floor Two], it read.

Yep, he’s definitely lost.

“Ok, let’s rest here for a bit. We are wandering around in circles.” Serenia decided, pausing to open her system menu.

“System,” she commanded, “activate [Neutral Zone].”

A huge, pale-yellow bubble engulfed the two. The air inside became much warmer, and the steady, dripping sound of water from the icicles ceased.

“My portable resting area, quite handy huh?” she said, sitting down, “Here, take a seat. Let’s have another look at the quest details?”

Lux took a seat across from her. As Serenia summoned a small camp-fire, he opened the mission logs.

Relay mission #14: Find NPC [Yuki-Onna] and retrieve the [Frost Comb] from her.

Location: Yuki-Onna’s Lair, Floor Six. Three miles southeast of [Spirit Lake].

Rewards: 1,000 EXP, 500 Eden Seeds, Relay progress 14/50.

Time remaining: 31:25:46

“We are currently on the second floor, so four more to go.” Serenia commented, as she looked at the description closely, “Because we have to take breaks once in a while, or else our bodies won’t be able to keep up, time is a huge issue. It doesn’t help that there are no maps around to guide us either.”

She gazed at the sign nearby, and then at the icy cave walls surrounding them.

“Let’s try to head down the paths we haven’t visited earlier, since we are right by the entrance of the second floor anyway.” Serenia suggested, then stopped as she looked back at Lux, “Hey…what exactly are you doing?”

The dark-haired man in front of her had his hand raised above the campfire, roasting something on a stick. He waited as the meat became crispy-golden in color, and then took a bite out of it.

“Roasting meat. Would you like some?”

Serenia looked at him in incredulity.

This man…is roasting meat over a fire like it’s nobody’s business?

“…Were you listening to anything I was saying?”

Lux tilted his head sideways.

“…?”

Clearly not. Serenia thought, as she released a sigh.

“Well, fine. Finish eating and let’s try again later.” she said, giving up.

She looked at the meat.

“What kind of meat is that? It doesn’t look very…edible.”

“[Snow Lurker] meat.” he replied, taking another bite.

[Snow Lurker]? You mean…those scary-looking creatures we fought on the first floor?

She shivered at that thought. He was eating something that most likely shouldn’t be considered as food. To a normal person, that is…

“You have been staring at the meat for a long time. You do want some, don’t you.”

Lux handed her another meat on a stick.

“Here. It tastes pretty good.”

She gazed at the stick for a bit. Eventually, hunger took over her feelings of disgust. As she accepted the meat, she brought her gaze back to Lux.

“Thank you. Let’s find the entrance of the third floor after we are done eating, ok?”

He nodded.

“And…maybe I should lead instead…you know, since you have been leading for the past few hours and must be tired…”

Just in case he gets lost again…She thought to herself.

He nodded a second time.

“And you aren’t listening to me yet again, are you?”

Another nod.

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“We…finally made it.”

Two hours later, they have at last arrived at the entrance of the sixth floor.

Footsteps echoed behind Serenia, followed by a pair of azure-blue eyes as Lux descended from the stairs. They were now at the deepest section of the icy dwellings of the Yuki-Onna.

“Then, let’s go-”

Lux began to walk toward the left path, but was pulled back by Serenia.

“Wrong way. The arrow points to the right.” she said, gesturing toward the sign in front of them.

“…”

Serenia sighed. She had to stop and direct him back to the correct path numerous times these past two hours. Lux…simply had no sense of direction.

Yeah, I get it now, she thought as they continued walking, it was probably true that he discovered the first mission by blind luck. He most likely chanced across it while being lost on some other mission.

They carried on in silence, until they found themselves in a huge chamber. Icy-blue pillars decorated the sides, running along the intricate, long white carpet in the middle. At the far end of the chamber, elevated on a platform, was a single, vacant throne. Made out of pure ice, it reflected the light from the low-hanging chandeliers, glowing in a multitude of colors.

They strode toward the platform, their shadows dancing on the walls around them.

“It seems that she’s not here.” Serenia remarked, placing a hand on the chair, “I wonder where she went…”

Just as she finished speaking, a massive gust of wind swept across the room, bringing with it a tall woman dressed in a pure white robe. Her long, white hair flowed behind her, framing her head like a halo.

“Who, dares trespass into my home?”

As she spoke, the air in front of her turned into tiny icicles, falling to the ground with a clang. Her frosty-blue eyes blazed with fury, as she glared at the two people standing in front of her.

They both turned around. Serenia’s eyes widened, startled by her sudden appearance. It was the Yuki-Onna.

“Answer me, foolish humans! What brought you to my home, without my acknowledgement?”

Lux stepped forward, his expression unchanged.

“We were requested by NPC [Night Marksman] to retrieve the [Frost Comb] from you.”

The Yuki-Onna looked at him for a brief moment, before scowling.

“And what makes you think that I will give it to you?”

“It doesn’t matter if you give it to us willingly or not.” Lux responded indifferently, meeting her gaze, “I will have to take it either way, even if it is by force.”

She narrowed her eyes. Then, she blinked.

“Oh my…” she said, her expression no longer hostile, “At a second glance, you look a lot like my former lover.”

The Yuki-Onna bent down, leaning to take a closer look at Lux.

“Ah, that dark hair and blue eyes remind me so much of him…he was such a handsome young man. It was a pity that he died…”

Her eyes reflected her sorrow. She reached out tenderly, moving a hand forward to caress his cheek.

In a flash, Serenia jumped in front of Lux, blocking her way.

“Don’t touch him.” she said, glaring at the woman, her hair hanging low over her eyes, “He’s mine-!”

Their eyes met momentarily. Slightly embarrassed at her outburst, Serenia blushed.

“…my responsibility that is, since I’m his escort.”

The Yuki-Onna retracted her hand, her face furious. With a snap of her fingers, countless ladies in white robes materialized, surrounding Lux and Serenia.

“My beloved [Snow Nymphs],” she bellowed, pointing at the two, “kill that woman and bring me the young man!”

The nymphs began to close in on them, forcing them to stand back-to-back.

“If she was going to fight in the end, why didn’t she just fight us earlier?” Lux said imperturbably, as he summoned his sword.

“…That crazy, love-sick woman!” Serenia exclaimed, as she too, withdrew her arm blades, “Look out on your right, one is coming.”

She slashed at the nymph closest to her, before turning her head back toward Lux.

“We only have around 29 hours left. Can we try to finish this in the next ten minutes?”

Leaning down slightly, Lux swung his sword in a perfect arc, watching as three nymphs fell in unison.

Standing back straight once again, he pointed his weapon at the Yuki-Onna. His sword gleamed under the light, reflecting her angry face. He gave Serenia a simple, short reply.

“En garde.”

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-Inside a small house in the Starting Village, Nature’s Cradle-

A man stood beside a petite table in the dimly-lit room, closing a briefcase. He picked it up by the handle, walking out of the door and shutting it behind him.

He raised a hand to his forehead, shielding himself from the harsh rays of sunlight that greeted him.

“Well, let’s get going to the next destination.” he said, his eyes hidden beneath his dark sunglasses.

He walked out of the main gates of the village, passing by an old woman carrying a basket.

Those kids from earlier…I wonder how they are doing. He thought, continuing on toward the [Forest of Dreams].

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. What they were doing right now was none of his concern. Rather, he would be quite happy if they have already gotten disqualified.

He marched on in silence. Something about what they’ve said earlier was still on his mind. It disturbed him greatly.

They said they found a trap door, and a secret compartment behind it. But…from my memories, there was no such thing. The place where the artifact could be found was the very end of the cave. It was supposed to be a dead-end.

The man frowned, remembering something else.

That shining green orb. The [Sacred Artifact]. Wasn’t it…the goddess Artemis’ relic? If I remember correctly, her temple was guarded by the immortal fox deity, Flaming Nine-tails. But that isn’t the most peculiar part…

His frown deepened. He had a bad feeling about this.

In the first place, how did they get to her temple? It is not on this continent. And, the goddess of the hunt has been long gone for centuries now, how did they ever obtain her relic? After all…she had perished in the last Holy Crusade against the demons. Artemis should be dead…

He shivered, all of a sudden feeling colder than he had ever felt before. Stopping in the middle of the forest, he looked up at the floating castle in the distance. The sun was momentarily blocked by the giant, moving object, casting eerie shadows on the land below.

The [Mysterious Merchant] gazed at Eternal Eden for a long time, his expression grave. He feared for the impending future.

Just what…is going on?

Advance to Update 8: In the Sunrise…they have found a reason to Survive >