Hidden Quest
Rumiel slowly opened her eyes, feeling a bit groggy.
Curled up under the warm blanket, she stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time.
The soft bed and gentle warmth were so comfortable that she wanted to stay like this forever, but...
“Ugh…”
She forced herself to sit up.
She got off the bed and stretched lightly.
Her gaze naturally drifted to the table.
On the table were the simple snacks provided by the hotel: a few well-ripened fruits, two small breads, and a cup of warm tea.
It wasn’t anything grand, but it was enough to satisfy her hunger.
Rumiel picked up a piece of bread and took a small bite.
The crisp outer part and the moist inner part spread softly in her mouth.
She chewed the food slowly while thinking about what she needed to do today.
First, she had to check the hidden quest.
After finishing her simple meal, Rumiel looked around the room.
The hidden quest started at the bookshelf in the corner of the room.
At first glance, it looked like ordinary furniture, but upon closer inspection, there was something odd about it.
She stared intently at the inside of the bookshelf.
The other books were neatly arranged, but there was an empty space about the size of one book.
Rumiel quietly opened her inventory.
Among the overflowing item lists, her finger moved to a familiar spot.
The red book.
Normally, this quest would be quite difficult.
To find the book, she had to defeat the [Lv.40 Book Demon] that spawns in the deep temple of the underground dungeon, and then bring back the red book that it drops with a low probability.
The book demon wasn’t a simple monster.
It not only unleashed powerful magic attacks but also applied various status effects, making it a troublesome opponent.
That’s why even newbies and adventurers in the 40-level range struggled with this quest.
But for Rumiel, it was no problem at all.
She already had hundreds of these books.
It wasn’t particularly meaningful, and the reward for the quest, the Fluffy Bathrobe, was an untradeable item, but the condition, the red book, was a tradable miscellaneous item.
So, occasionally, when she met newbies, she would give them the bathrobe as a gift, which she had collected for that purpose.
The bathrobe had good stats and no level restriction for wearing, boasting performance good enough to be used up to level 70 or so, with some exaggeration.
But there was one problem.
Most newbies who received the book had a strange misunderstanding.
It was because the appearance of this red book was a bit weird.
The cover was covered in dark red leather, and instead of a title, there was a strange pattern resembling 19 engraved in the center.
It gave off an atmosphere more like a forbidden grimoire containing dark knowledge rather than a normal magic book.
When Rumiel gave it to a newbie saying “Put this in the empty space in the bookshelf in the room,”
Most would look at the book with a bewildered face, rummaging through it carefully, and ask cautiously.
“This… is this the kind of book you’re talking about?”
“Why is it red?”
Each time, Rumiel would casually reply.
“It’s a hidden quest item.”
But the other party would still accept the book with a suspicious look.
Some newbies even refused to take it at all.
Why?
Rumiel still didn’t understand this reaction.
It was just a quest item, so why dislike it?
It was quite puzzling.
Rumiel let out a light sigh and took out one red book from her inventory.
The moment she held the book in her hand, the familiar feeling of leather wrapped around her fingertips.
A thick cover.
Slightly smooth and moist to the touch.
And a faint, musty smell of old paper.
Rumiel placed the book into the empty space on the bookshelf.
*Click.*
As expected, it fit perfectly.
At the same time, the entire bookshelf shook slightly, and a small window appeared before her eyes.
[Hidden Quest 'Find the Lost Book' Completed!]
[Reward: Fluffy Bathrobe Acquired]
A soft fabric felt in Rumiel's hand.
A pure white and fluffy bathrobe.
She lightly unfolded it.
The fluffy sensation seeped into her fingertips.
Rumiel's ahoge wiggled lightly.
Rumiel lightly folded the bathrobe and put it into her inventory.
Feeling the fluffy sensation still on her fingertips, she looked around the room again.
The warm fireplace, the soft bed, the gentle lighting.
It was a place she quite liked, but there was no reason to stay here any longer.
It was time to move on.
Rumiel slowly descended to the first floor.
Bart at the counter waved his hand in farewell.
“You rested well? Come again next time.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
After a short greeting, Rumiel left the hotel.
The underground village.
As always, it was quietly maintaining a calm atmosphere under the dim lanterns.
Dark and humid air, various stone statues placed along the streets.
Rumiel placed both hands on her waist and slowly looked around.
Now, she had to go back up to the surface.
Following the familiar path to the portal.
[Lv.30 Underground Village Guard]
In front of the portal.
There, a guard leaning against the wall with sleepy eyes under a worn-out helmet was dozing off.
Perhaps because few people came and went in this quiet underground village, he wasn't on high alert.
His appearance looked quite laid-back.
Rumiel quietly moved her feet.
While heading towards the portal,
“Stop right there!”
The dozing guard suddenly opened his eyes wide and shouted.
“You can't enter here! It's dangerous!”
“I'm not entering.”
Rumiel smiled faintly and walked casually past the guard to the portal.
The guard looked bewildered for a moment but soon closed his sleepy eyes again and leaned against the wall.
Rumiel shrugged her shoulders lightly and stood in front of the portal.
A sparkling blue magic circle.
Passing through this place where quiet light flickered and connected the space, one could return to the surface.
Rumiel took a step forward.
The light flickered, and her vision turned white.
¤
Rumiel passed through the portal of the underground dungeon and walked out into the bright light.
Because she was accustomed to the damp and gloomy atmosphere, the suddenly pouring light was dazzling.
Instinctively shielding her eyes, she blinked for a while.
The cool and humid air changed in an instant.
A dry, warm wind brushed Rumiel's cheeks.
Her long flowing white hair was slightly blown by the wind.
Rumiel let out a light breath and looked around.
A blue sky was visible.
Not the hazy lantern light of the underground, but the real sky.
Puffy clouds were drifting in the sky, and the air was fresh.
The Ojakgyo was still noisy.
“Get it! Get it!”
“Run all at once when the signal comes!”
“Ugh, the attack isn't landing!”
Turning her gaze, several novice adventurers were charging to catch a Tree Toto.
Tree Toto.
A small monster that looks like a round tree bark, with a greenish tint, a subspecies of Toto.
It was the Lv.7 monster that appears on the Ojakgyo here.
“This guy is tough!”
“Even though it's a tomato…”
The Tree Toto was jumping around and dodging the adventurers' attacks quickly.
Occasionally, it stomped hard on the ground and summoned small vines around it.
“Wow! Vines got wrapped around my feet!”
“What are you doing? Let me go!”
“I got caught too!”
Rumiel watched the scene with a faint smile.
The Tree Toto had high defense and used status effect attacks.
Since it wouldn't fall easily just from attacking, the standard was to aim for one shot with fire magic or a powerful hitting attack that the Tree Toto couldn't withstand.
But the novice adventurers seemed not to have that information yet, swinging their weapons vigorously but still...
They were helplessly being attacked.
Rumiel naturally looked towards the legs.
James.
The warrior instructor she met last time was still standing in the same place.
Wearing solid armor, arms crossed, watching the novice adventurers.
He nodded occasionally and explained something, but the novice adventurers were distracted by fighting the monsters and didn't seem to be listening properly to his words.
Rumiel tilted her ahoge slightly and looked around.
But no matter how she looked, that person wasn't there.
The novice adventurer she met last time.
The adventurer who had given her a fresh shock.
Where had he gone?
She felt a bit curious for a moment,
Well, nothing much happens.
She decided not to worry too much.
He probably went to do another quest or was resting somewhere in the village.
Rumiel slowly turned her steps.
Now, it was time to head to the next destination.
The warriors' village.
Rumiel left the area around the Ojakgyo and entered the wide road.
Unlike the lush fields around the Ojakgyo, the atmosphere of the road was gradually changing.
From the grassy plains, it became a rough terrain with many rocks.
Far away, a desolate rocky mountain stretched out.
The blue gradually disappeared, and the rough earth and bumpy rocks came into view.
The path to the warriors' village.
Rumiel quietly sparkled her eyes and walked along the road.