[Greater Bascinet of the Shade

This helmet has been cursed with the power of the Shade, granting the user the ability to temporarily exchange HP for Attack Speed. However, once worn, it will slowly degrade living flesh unless the user possesses an anti-curse item.]

"As you can see, no one wants to purchase this helmet," sighed John. “It’s understandable though, who would want a cursed helmet that siphons life away and also causes their flesh to deteriorate? Any sane adventurer would stay miles away from this item. Hell, I was thinking of just selling it to Vagabond Merchants that come through the village from time to time.”

The smith moved to take the helmet away, but a gloved hand promptly stopped him.

“Hold on! I’ll take this helmet off you,” Spook quickly took out the remainder of his copper coins. “Here, I’ll give you all of my money for the cursed item. It’s no good for you, anyways.”

The cursed helmet was a no brainer for Spook. He needed to acquire it at any cost. The living flesh part didn’t even affect him since he was a skeleton. Not to mention the special effect would complement his pugilist abilities, allowing him to attack even faster. It was a perfect piece to use to disguise his face.

John hesitated and stared at the offered coins. Spook could tell the smith wanted to get rid of the helmet but was still unwilling to part with the item. It was quite a mysterious piece of equipment, after all, and it was hard to discern its actual value.

There must be something I can do to convince John to sell me the cursed helmet. Spook thought to himself as he glanced around the shop.

“I’ll do a quest for you! Anything you want,” said Spook, gesturing with his free hand. “Materials, ores, items. You name it.”

At this, the smith perked up. Spook had correctly guessed that Jot didn’t receive many adventurers. The town located near the north on Stone was rather isolated. NPC’s usually had requests for adventurers, so Spook tried his luck at offering his services. Thankfully, it seemed that John had one ready.

“Well, I am running low on a couple of smithing materials. Mainly lizard scales and fire golem cores,” John took the copper coins and deposited them in his till in one smooth swoop, the money disappearing in an instant. “If you can bring me five lizard scales and five golem cores, the cursed helmet is yours.”

“And where can I find these monsters? Are they strong?” asked Spook. If the monsters were too high of a level, the quest might be a bit of trouble for him. However, this was probably the best he could do at the moment since he had nothing else to trade. The best he could do was complete John’s task.

“If you head to the cemetery just east of Jot, you’ll discover a ladder in one of the mausoleums that descends into the Crawling Caverns. There you will find Mane Lizards and Flame Golems. They’re only level 2, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for you. The hard part is making sure you don’t get overwhelmed as those monsters tend to group together for protection.”

Suddenly, a notification popped up in Spook’s vision.

[John’s Cursed Helmet

Level Req: N/A

Special Condition: Ask if John needs help

John, the smith, has asked you to take on an elimination quest. He wants you to hunt down two types of monsters and collect their materials.

Kill Mane Lizards and obtain X5 lizard tails: Incomplete

Kill Flame Golems and obtain X5 golem cores: Incomplete

Reward: +10 Village of Jot Reputation, Great Bascient of the Shade

Accept/Refuse]

I'll get Reputation for completing John’s quest? I read on the game forums that Reputation triggers certain events within an area, and it also improves a player’s relationship with the local NPCs in the area. Is ten reputation a lot, though? I guess I’ll have to find out.

“I’ll take your quest, John,” said Spook. He was feeling a bit excited to see how his first quest in Inside Online would go.

Spook swiped over the Accept button, and a yellow arrow suddenly appeared in the air. It seemed to be pointing in the direction from where Spook had come from. It was likely the quest’s way of guiding him towards his destination. Quite a handy feature.

John nodded and reached under the counter, pulling out a heavy short sword made of iron.

[Decent Iron Sword

+2 Atk]

“Take this sword. It’s the best I can give you for helping me complete my quest,” said John. The smith extended the weapon, but Spook shook his head and took a step back.

“Thanks for offering, but I’ll be fine without a sword. I won’t be needing it,” replied Spook. With that, he turned around and left the shop. The sword would only be a hindrance to his fighting anyways. His pugilist skills were much better suited for fighting barehanded. If anything, he preferred a pair of gauntlets or knuckle dusters.

The Class Box that I have in my inventory could contain some class-specific items for me. It unlocks at level 5, though, so I’ll need to get some leveling done first.

There’s just a slight problem. John mentioned the lizards and golems like to group rather than stay separate. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle all those mobs at once without some potions. But I can’t buy potions without any money. I need to take on an easier quest so I can make some money. Wait, can’t I just craft my own potions using the materials I farm? There should be an Alchemist NPC in town.

Immersed in his thoughts, Spook failed to see the oncoming rush of horses in the darkness as he crossed the street to get to the town square.

“GET OUT OF THE WAY!” bellowed a loud voice. A loud crack of a whip rang through the air, jolting Spook into jumping backward. He landed on the stone tiles, managing to avoid near death as a carriage and four horses sprinted past him. Then they were gone, disappearing through the front gate of Jot.

What the hell?!

“You okay, dude?” A hand appeared in Spook’s vision along with a dark-green tusked face. “Those were probably some assholes flaunting their mounts. They’ve got no consideration for others on the road.”

[Yimyo Lvl 4]

Spook took the helping hand and pulled himself up with a grunt. He patted the dust off his brand new clothes, grimacing at the unfortunate turn of events.

Then he froze, realizing his hood had fallen off during the scramble.

Shit.