Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 11 - The Result of Six Months : Quest

After slaying his second goblin, Vahn began to train in earnest. As the days stretched into weeks, he slowly became acclimated to the lifestyle of a hunter. The meat and furs that he obtains were beginning to pile up in his inventory, and he had even successfully slain 37 goblins over the course of six months.

Though many of the goblins he came across were alone, there was a time when he was fighting where three other goblins had arrived to assist the one he was already engaging. After suffering several injuries, Vahn managed to come out ahead and slew all four goblins triggering an unexpected event to occur.

//Quest Function Triggered//

[Quest: Destroy the Goblin Tribe]

Rank: (D)

The presence of goblins has been on the rise in the Western Forests. They have become a threat to hunters, and have begun to wander from the forest into neighboring villages resulting in the loss of livestock. Find the source of the goblin scourge before further damage is done!

Rewards: Complete activation of the 'Quest' function, 1x 'Effigy of the Hero', 1000 Origin Points.

Failure Condition: Death, Goblin Chief escapes, 7 days pass. (Remaining time: 6D23H57M)

Penalty: 'Quest' function will be sealed until triggered again. -100 Karma

Vahn was surprised at the sudden notification but decided to look into it after he had secured his safety back at the cave. (A/N he is still injured after the fight with four goblins)

Along the way, he had inquired with Sis about why the quest was suddenly triggered.

(*You have grown much stronger in the past six months. This, combined with the fact you had overcome your limits in the previous fight made 'The Path' trigger the activation of a new function. As you've been slaying Goblins as your primary targets, it issued a mission that suited your present strength.*)

Vahn contemplated this revelation before asking, "Does that mean I can activate more functions just by growing stronger? I thought I would have to increase the tier of my soul to be able to acquire more."

(*That is correct Vahn. 'The Path' is constantly analyzing and trying to help facilitate your growth, so it will make more functions available when it determines you are ready. Note that the strength of the functions themselves is limited by the tier of your soul though.*)

"Ah, that makes sense."

Vahn had noted over the last six months there seemed to be restrictions within the existing functions. One example was when he thought about buying items from 'records' of different worlds, they cost a great deal more than items that can be found in his present 'record'. There seemed to be an exception for some consumables, but for unique objects and items, they required an astronomical amount. He remembered looking into purchasing a Zanpakuto *sealed* and was shocked when he noticed the price was 130,000,000 OP. Awakened versions or the various releases noted in the anime cost even more. The most expensive being the leader of the Gotei 13, Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryuusai's Ryūjin Jakka that cost 3,700,000,000 Origin Points! (A/N: That's a lot of OP)

It seemed as if he'd have to rely on himself to grow stronger, but now with the existence of the 'Quest" function, he had a bit of hope kindled within his fighting spirit.

After making his way to the cave which he called home, Vahn sat on the bed he had purchased a few months ago. It had a queen sized mattress and was made out of a very unique foam, unlike anything he had experienced in his previous life. He thought beds were just hard surfaces with minimal cushioning, so he was quite surprised when he had purchased the current one through the system!

'Display Status'

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(A/N: I'm putting the bar to make it easier to differentiate before common text. Let me know if you think it's distracting!)

Name: Vahn Mason

Age: 14

Race: Human, *sealed*

Parameters: Danmachi

-Level:1(0)

-Power: H-146(0) -> E-540(0)

-Endurance: G-203(0) -> F-461(0)

-Dexterity: I-95(0) -> F-407(0)

-Agility: H-153(0) -> E-519(0)

-Magic: H-130(0) -> G-299(0)

Soul Strength: Tier 1 (Mortal Soul)

Karma:209

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Observing his Status, Vahn began to understand why 'The Path' decided to trigger the quest so suddenly. He had grown a great deal over the last six months, and several of his parameters were approaching the point where he should level up. Vahn knew that stat growth typically became harder as you acc.u.mulated experience, and it took accomplishing something beyond your present level to gain the acknowledgment of the world before reaching the next level.

Fortunately, his parameters weren't the only thing to increase in the last six months as his skills had grown alongside them. Early on he had purchased a 'Beginner's Archery Techniques Manual'. After a month of serious practice, combined with his growing hunting capabilities, he managed to acquire the skill 'Bow Mastery'.

'Bow Mastery'

Rank:(F)

Increases accuracy when equipped with a bow. Provides slightly enhanced vision when the user focuses.

He was also able to identify the source of the weird feeling he would get when trying to sneak up on creatures. It turns out his 'Veil of the Traveler', which enables him to have increased efficacy for concealment and stealth abilities, allowed him to acquire the skill 'Stealth'.

'Stealth'

Rank:(F)

An active ability that allows the user to conceal their presence. Prolonged use of the skill has diminishing returns.

These two skills had made hunting much easier. Vahn had even used his newfound prowess to kill several goblins before they were even made aware of his presence. Since the quest indicated the existence of a 'tribe' there should be a 'village' which they inhabit. He believed proper use of these two skills would be the most significant contributing factors if he wanted to complete the quest.

"Sis, do you have any idea where the goblin village might be? I've pretty much mapped every nook and cranny within 1km of the cave and I don't recall seeing anything that might indicate a tribe is in the area."

(*Yes, Vahn. You can bring up both your map and the quest log at the same time. If you pin the quest to your map, it will display an approximate location of your target once you gain enough information. As you continue to investigate within the region, the indicators on the map should shrink until you are able to determine the exact location of the tribe.*)

"Oh, that's amazing," said Vahn as he displayed both functions side-by-side. He could see a giant red circle displayed on the map after pinning the quest. It seemed to be an area towards the southwest which encompassed various hills and rivers.

"It seems to be in the same direction where I fought the four goblins. I'm guessing they were members of the tribe...but why is the indicated zone so large?"

(*Typically, goblins aren't prone to travel in groups. They usually wander alone until the emergence of a Chief or King. Even with the presence of a Chief, however, they will often move around to several camps as they forage for food and other resources. The Chief himself should be in the area near the river, and it's most likely that the largest group of goblins can be found here.*)

Vahn was a little annoyed with this information. He would have to explore a large area to eliminate all the smaller groups before moving on to the larger group near the river, assuming it was there to begin with. His biggest priority was to kill the Chief though. He would have to identify it among all the normal goblins and try his best to take him out without drawing the attention of the larger group.

"Is there anything unique about the Chief that would separate him from other goblins?" he inquired hoping for any information that could prove useful.

(*I have never seen a Chief, but all of the stronger goblins you had slain possessed a varying number of horns and weapons. Based on the evidence, the goblin Chief will likely be the biggest within the group. He should also have multiple horns and be the most heavily outfitted.*)

Vahn couldn't help but laugh. Everything Sis said was pretty self-explanatory, but it made sense. He would have to make his own judgments about which goblin was the actual Chief. If he could not deduce it on his own, he would just have to kill them all...