The reason Gear worried was because of the curse that was placed upon Izroth. Even he was unable to remove that curse with the means at his disposal. In fact, there were only three people he personally knew who may possess the means to eliminate such a powerful curse, however, those three were all busy with other matters that were much more important than a mere curse.
Besides, Gear saw the incredible potential within Izroth. If he interfered and helped Izroth through that curse instead of letting him drive to overcome it himself, he may only end up hindering Izroth's full growth potential. In the end, this was a problem Izroth caused, therefore, he would have to be the one to come up with a solution.
Although Gear's approach may seem a bit harsh, it was solely because he believed that the young man before him had the natural talent to reach unspeakable heights. While Izroth was still far away from the peak in Gear's eyes, he was certainly not the same seedling that he had met back in Opal Town. He had grown at an astonishing speed in a short period of time.
However, what really made Gear dismiss the idea of helping Izroth was the look in his eyes. There was not a hint of fear or regret that lingered about even after knowing of the consequences. That alone was enough for Gear to know that, in the end, he was made the right choice.
"Those who will become my enemies in one hundred days is already my enemy today." Izroth said in a nonchalant manner.
At the end of the day, Izroth had already chosen which side he was on and that was the side of the Mortal Realm, or even more specifically, Amaharpe. Be it the shadahi or the creatures of the Netherworld, Izroth was destined to be their enemy due to his connection with Amaharpe and Gear,
Therefore, what did it matter to him if they would not let him off easily? In his eyes, it was more of a blessing than a curse. After all, was he not bound to be rewarded for his troubles?
Gear was startled by Izroth's bold words. That was because he had also said something similar to that in his young adventuring days. In those days, he was fearless and did not know how to tell the difference between bravery and stupidity. In that category as well, Izroth was far ahead of him at that age.
"You sure know how to keep surprising this old man. Ahahaha!" Gear said as he burst out in joyous laughter, however, he ended up stopping midway and coughing due to how much he overexerted himself and took a moment to clear his throat.
"I'm afraid I'll have to cut our meeting short, Izroth. The portals in this place are sealed for good and won't be opening up for at least another one hundred years or so." Gear spoke with a serious expression on his face. There was something else on his mind and that was the page that appeared and was absorbed by that magical item.
The energy emitted by that page was immense! But, it was not just any kind of energy. After all, Gear knew individuals like Zendai who was practically a bottomless pit of mana, and Zhi whose strength was so boundless that he was restricted from interfering in matters of the Mortal Realm. However, this was not that kind of energy.
What made that energy so unique was the fact that it was natural! In other words, that energy was something that was naturally created by the world at some point in time. Even for beings with his strength, items like that were extremely rare and challenging to find.
The most unusual thing was that he could no longer sense that energy anywhere around after it was sucked into that item, which was a good thing. After all, if Izroth walked away with that much natural energy leaking from his body then he would be targeted by individuals he was not yet ready to face.
"That item you have... I won't say much about it. However, you should not mention it to those who you do not trust. It is something that could cause kingdoms to go to war if they discover its existence. I don't have to tell you how disastrous that would be." Gear said.
Izroth shook his head inwardly. He could tell that Gear was simply looking out for his well-being, however, he was aware of his current limitations and how he had to overcome them. Izroth found that, in a way, the rules of the cultivation world were very similar to the rules of RML. If you had an item that you did not have the power to protect, then you either keep it hidden or have it snatched from you.
But, if someone wanted to snatch an item from him, then they had better be ready to accept the consequences that came along with it. It would make the curse from the Netherworld seem like child's play by comparison.
"You have time to worry about others yet never yourself. You were too reckless." Tererestiaa's voice carried over as she approached Izroth and Gear. Her current complexion was much better than it was a few moments ago. Although she was still a bit pale, she was no longer short of breath or struggling just to stand up on her own two feet.
"Well, that's my queue. See you around, young man." Gear said as his silhouette began to flicker. He had regained enough strength to travel at around thirty percent of his normal speed. While thirty percent may not seem like a lot, it was still extremely fast for someone like Gear.
All of a sudden, two lights shot from out of Zi Yi and Guan Yu's inventories and headed straight towards Tererestiaa. They were the Half Mark Sealing Totems she had lent them to seal the portals.
"May the all-seeing goddess guide your steps, adventurers. Take care." Tererestiaa said with a gentle smile on her face before she suddenly disappeared. Gear had taken her along with his flickering steps.
"Ah right, I almost forgot. Here's a small gift from me for your assistance, young man." Gear's voice echoed throughout the underground chambers as his silhouette flashed in front of Izroth and then, he was gone in the next instant. Gear had left the underground chambers along with Tererestiaa.
There was a small droplet of golden liquid that resembled tree sap floating before Izroth.
'This is Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid..!'
Although it was only a single droplet, it was still a legendary medicine that was priceless! The medicine suddenly shot into his mouth and immediately dissolved.
Izroth felt his entire body exploding with an amazing level of energy and vitality! It even affected his weakened soul!
〈System Alert: Your body has been fully restored to its original state.〉
〈System Alert: Your soul has been fully restored to its original state.〉
〈System Alert: All impurities have been removed from your body.〉
〈System Alert: You are no longer affected by «Soul Weakness».〉
〈System Alert: You are no longer affected by «Lunar Touch».〉
'It even removed the side effects of a grade three pill?'
Izroth's weakened state from consuming the normal Two Solar Extremities had already worn off, however, the effects of the Lunar Touch from the Blessing of the Craft version of the pill was supposed to be active for another 48 hours. But, that small drop of liquid had managed to not only cure his Soul Weakness, but also the Lunar Touch!
'To think he drinks such medicine as if it were water.'
Izroth knew that the wound made by that creature was terrifying, however, after experiencing how wonderous that tiny quantity of legendary medicine truly was firsthand, it gave him another perspective. He decided that if there was a way to help Gear heal from that wound, he would definitely find a way to help him.
While Izroth was speaking to Gear, everyone else was excitedly checking the rewards that they received from completing the first part of an SSS-ranked quest. Of course, everything was great, however, their main focus was on the one piece of epic ranked equipment they received! It was like staring at a priceless treasure!
People who kill for a single piece of epic ranked equipment and yet everyone here, excluding Mariposa, was in possession of two pieces of epic ranked equipment! If other players knew that they basically had a monopoly on epic equipment, they would probably die of envy alone.
'This system sure doesn't short change when it comes to rewards.'
Since everyone else was already looking over their rewards, Izroth took the time to do the same as he read over his system alerts.
〈System Alert: You have gained +3 levels!〉
〈System Alert: You have been awarded +9 stat points for leveling up!〉
〈System Alert: You have been awarded +1 skill point for leveling up!〉
〈System Alert: You have been awarded 10 gold coins!〉
〈System Alert: You have received +300 World Fame!〉
〈System Alert: You have been awarded +3 skill points for completing part 1 the world quest «The Beginning of Beginnings»!〉
〈System Alert: You have been awarded «Skystep Boots»〉
〈System Alert: You have unlocked part 2 of the world quest «The Beginning of Beginnings»!〉
The increase of three levels was definitely a nice addition. After all, they did not receive any experience from defeating that massive arm or from the Netherworld creatures that were pouring in during their fight with it. Therefore, it made up greatly for the lack of experience given during that time.
While the quest only rewarded 10 gold coins, although it was not much to Izroth, it was still more than 7,000 RMB with the current exchange rate. Casual players could only dream of earning that much in such a short period of time.
Izroth still had no idea what benefits world fame would bring him, however, he knew that it was something beneficial to him. But, of course, none of the other rewards could even come close to comparing with the epic ranked equipment he was awarded, the Skystep Boots.
Armor Name: Skystep Boots
Armor Rank: Epic
Armor Level: 40
Armor Type: Leather
Requirements: 500 Agility
HP: 3,250
DEF: 272
AGI: 635
+10% Movement Speed(Doubled when out of combat for more than 20 seconds.)
Armor Skill: Sky Steps(Passive) - Every 3 minutes, the wearer of the «Skystep Boots» gains the temporary ability to step on air for 20 seconds. The user's max height cannot exceed forty meters. The time limit of this skill is reduced to 10 seconds while in combat.
«Falling Feather Steps» - This skill can only be used when the user is in the air. This skill allows the user to straighten out just before they hit the ground and land safely without suffering any fall damage.
Cooldown: 30 minutes
Special Note: One step to soar above all!
He could basically fly in the air for twenty seconds once every three minutes! While in combat it was reduced down to ten seconds, there were still countless uses for such an amazing ability.
Izroth immediately took off his level 15 Uncommon Commander Boots that he got all the way back when he defeated the Goblin King's Commander Jruloja back in Goblin's Paradise and equipped the Skystep Boots.
Izroth's watched as his stats shot up when he equipped the epic ranked equipment.
[Name: Izroth]
[EXP: 105,492/1,452,099]
[Level: 40(Stat Points: 15)]
[Title: Protector of Amaharpe(Secondary)]
[Class: Combat Master]
[HP(Hit Points): 8,154/8,154]
[Energy: 150]
[ATK: 1,874]
[DEF: 537]
[AGI: 1,269]
[MAG: 30]
[Physical Resistance: 20%]
[Magical Resistance: 20%]
[Luck: 1]
[Lifesteal: 6%]
[+10% Attack Speed]
[+20% Movement Speed(Currently out of combat)]
Now that Izroth and his party had completed their task in this place, it was time for them to return to Amaharpe. However, there was just one problem.
"The quest... It's not there!" Halls said in a tone of disbelief. He had checked his quest logs over and over again, but he did not see the second part of the SSS-ranked quest!
"Odd, I also don't seem to have the second part." Luna said with her brows slightly furrowed.
It was the same for Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Mariposa as well. None of them had acquired the second part of the SSS-ranked quest! Just what was going on?