Destruction weighs heavily in the air, followed by a stench of death and despair. Game and reality at this moment are the same. The battle is finished, but so was nearly the Mutal. A sour scent flared up their nostrils, just as a real battlefield.

Almost every single structure in the Mutal village is broken. Houses and branches are split and scattered. Some corpses did not disappear completely but were also not intact. The majority of the people died, including warriors and civilians. However, the commander and a few others managed to survive in the end.

The Mutal remaining population is now much fewer than the Mahrgas. Unless some of their people survived outside, even outliving the dangers of the dungeon will be a hard task for them. Especially now without Mormis guarding the entrance of the valley or the dark existence keeping the monsters at bay.

Although his right hand was badly burnt by the soul force impact, Yushin should not be in pain. But looking at his face one might have thought otherwise.

The spearman had his brows arched, cheeks slightly risen and eyes squinting as if great pain pierced his chest. His confidence temporarily shattered. They killed Lataf, but only by a stroke of luck. They won, but the harsh reality of death sounded like defeat.

He was too confident to think they could deal with everything the Mutal would throw at them. He knew how hard this game is supposed to be, but being a good player worked against him this time.

The result of underestimating the game is Cella and Shum died, precious experience lost. They will not be there to finish the quest either. Yushin truly regrets being naive and stupid.

“B-big b-brother…” Aurei walked close thinking of consoling Yushin, but seeing his face made him almost unable to follow up, “I-t’s n-not your f-fault…”

Gron also put his hand on Yushin’s shoulder and nodded.

Bitter Cat didn’t go near. Some part of her wanted to say those words, yet she knew clearly it was much easier to say something hurtful by mistake instead. Looking at his face, he is the type to blame himself harshly, so that was punishment enough.

Yushin smiles faintly and nods. No matter what anyone says, this screw up is on him. He is always the most strict with himself. The moment he took the leadership position, even if no one appointed him directly to it, he was responsible for the outcome and for taking care of his party. He failed this time.

As a former and future guild leader, this is his obligation and duty. Handling it this badly means he is unqualified to lead. The outcome could have been much, much worse. What if this was an important quest, a rare dungeon run, or even a hardcore dungeon? Anything with higher stakes?

His goal is not just to become another good player. He could have been satisfied with that before, but right now, with his life’s end drawing near, he wants more. Only by aiming higher and higher one can challenge his limits and become the best.

‘Also, what was that…? At that time, my mind went blank and everything felt so natural…. Can I do that again? Summon that feeling anytime…?’ - Yushin himself was not sure how he attacked Lataf and it was clear in everyone’s eyes this was something they were very interested in. But before trying things out he would not be able to understand, much less explain to others.

When he was about to try to control his soul force again, a system announcement interrupted his thoughts:

[The Six Warriors have completed the quest: “Solve the conflict between Mutal and Mahrga”. The conflict between the two races has ended.]

[Rewards: Promised Items. Any Mutal drops.]

Since the deal with the Elder fell through their reward also disappeared. However, the dead Mutal dropped some items occasionally, such as sap (equivalent to their blood), Mutal Eyes and Mutal Cores, that now rightfully belonged to Yushin’s party, along with any other item they could find there and wished to take. As the defeated, the Mutal could not resist.

[The Six Warriors have completed the Hidden quest: “Fallen Villain”. “Lataf” was defeated.]

[Quest Reward: Access to the Mutal Hidden Temple. Fame with Mutal and Mahrga. Title: Savior Of The Mutal and Mahrga]

The party spirits lit up a bit after the announcement since in the end, their struggles weren’t for nothing. Heavy wood hitting the ground abruptly could be heard coming from what once was the circular building the Mutal Elder died in. From the ground, stairs appeared and the doors of the temple sprung open instantly.

The Mutal Hidden Temple lies below the formation the Elder sacrificed himself to, with a stairway linking down to something similar to a dungeon gate, except that it had a brilliant green aura. In fact, it was not only similar but worked the same way, leading to another closed space. It did not have the properties of a dungeon, so analyze dungeon did not work. It was merely for transportation.

Yushin first thought is to go in right away, but he decided not to, “Let’s try to help any surviving Mutal first and gather them.”

There were not many so it did not take long: four warriors and twenty civilians, of which ten were children, six women and two elderly. The commander then stood in front of the group and kneeled.

“Forgive us in hearts, great warriors. Plans of Elder not known to us. Defect brings death. Our crimes, only to survive,” the Mutal commander seemed sincere, even though that was not enough to erase their sins. He now realizes the defect was not of natural causes but possibly started by the Elder and made by that evil entity. Everything started changing after Lataf was born.

Yushin and co haven’t discussed how to deal with the aftermath, but there wasn’t much they could or wanted to do right now, “Gather your survivors, commander. If you do not reorganize your defenses those monsters might very well wipe you out. As for your crimes… we will discuss that later.”

The commander shivered a little but bowed in respect and gave orders for the remaining soldiers to rally the surviving Mutal, including the ones currently outside of the camp, as soon as possible. Those able were responsible for raising some walls and defenses in any way they could.

Yushin felt a little guilty for not helping them but he wasn’t a saint. The Mutal brought this on themselves with lies and deception, so bearing the consequences was only right. The group took steps to explore the temple first, this run has been very long and tiresome. Their bodies might reach their limit soon and it is already very late for a weekday. For a randomly put together party in an MMO, staying this long together is already a miracle.

Being careful when looking for any traps, the entry to the temple did not have any problems. The party teleported entirely at once to a new wooden structure with many simple rooms and walls, and a wooden warrior statue at the center, in what looked like a shrine. The layout was very humble, a large corridor with many wooden pillars of exquisite beauty.

The statue was of a man carrying no weapons but with heavy armor and holding his helmet. Its simplicity showed brilliance that any art connoisseur would appreciate fondly.

Before taking any steps further in that direction, Yushin’s eyes rested on a few very small cornerstones in the room, adorned with runic designs and brimming with soul power. He could clearly see the [Soul Lines] connecting each other and instantly became wary, using his consciousness to probe it further. Of course, he only had to think about the lines and the Neurolink System did the probing, becoming relieved when there was no sense of danger coming from it. It didn’t feel harmful at all.

After the battle with Lataf, his senses inside the game reached a new level. He understood much better how soul power worked, even if he could not yet put it in words. It was much more an intuition than logic.

No traps were found either, so they approached the statue slowly.

Suddenly, Yushin’s [Soul Of a Hero] resonates. From within the shrine, a clear and bright voice echoes through the room, followed by the manifestation of a somewhat translucent green Mutal-like figure of a man:

“Greetings, friends. This one thanks you for the assistance provided to his people.”

The group was a bit startled and almost stepped back. Yushin bowed slightly, “Mister is…?”

“I am ancestor to the Mutal, this is my temple. My name… is no longer important. Since you called me Mister, you might call me Mister Green.”

Yushin nods, “Mister, this is your soul…?”

“As expected, you could feel it. That [Soul Resonance] was indeed strong. You carry a precious gift, child. Be sure to protect it well.”

“You mean this [Soul Of a Hero]? Do you know what is it used for?”

“Only that, like me, it is the remnant of a [Fallen Hero], a very powerful one at that. I cannot search it further in my state, and your abilities… they are certainly lacking to try.”

Yushin is a bit embarrassed at that last statement.

“I have seen your battle. There is no need for shame. Defeating my nemesis with your group current abilities is a feat that I would be unable to match in the past. Having to stand impotently while that monster grew in power made me restless.”

“Mister can’t leave this place like he did? He was sealed in here, right?”

“Indeed, and I cannot. Unfortunately, his abilities are beyond my grasp. My Soul has long suffered irreparable damage, only a wisp remaining. Had he not wanted me to witness his rule of evil I would be long gone from this world. I will still disappear soon.”

“Is there no way to rescue Mister?” Yushin questioned, the rest of the party listening attentively.

“I appreciate the gesture, but it is futile. I thank you all. If not for you my descendants would have ceased to exist this day. Even worse, they might have suffered a fate worse than death. Regarding my people, It would be quicker if I show you everything.”

In an instant, it was as if the group was teleported thousands of years into the past without even moving. In modern gaming, this would probably be considered a high-level cutscene, a live flowing video of history.

The images told the tale of how Mister Green and the Fallen Villain “Lataf” fought after the calamity that besieged the world. The Fallen Villain betrayed humanity and joined the demons, gaining the power of darkness and becoming seemingly immortal. Senior Green fought with the [Power of Wood], manipulating plants and vines, striking fiercely at the enemy, but in the end still unable to beat him.

He had no other recourse but to sacrifice himself to seal the villain in this place, inside his own shrine of power, after becoming fatally wounded and near death. As a result, both their souls became damaged and locked inside.

Mister Green left behind his inheritance and temple to his descendants, who had all moved in from the outside world to become this place guardians. At that time, only the last refuge of the world was left standing outside, what is now [Graceful Wind Kingdom].

However, the Fallen Villain was too strong and the Mutal offspring too incapable. While the Mutal Ancestor influence weakened his powers grew, and so he became able to influence and corrupt people in the outside world. The first one to be corrupted was the Elder, and soon the Mutal descendants forgot their purpose and were led astray. They no longer knew what they had to protect and at which cost.

When the child Lataf was born the villain took over his soul but his power was still too weak to break the seal once and for all. For this, he slowly reaped souls and modified the original protective formation for evil purpose. He grew stronger so that every time someone died in the valley he could absorb some of their soul, including powerful player souls like Goldclaw and the others. That evil then decided it was soon time to escape.

The cutscene ended, the entire party still trying to follow what just happened.

If “Lataf” had more time his plan would be complete. He would have been reborn much stronger but was instead forced to come out earlier thanks to Yushin and co interference, which resulted in his defeat.

However, as the Mutal Ancestor explains, it wasn’t a permanent death. His soul is now free and will search for another host, even if it takes time. If his new host is destroyed, the soul will go free again. Even if it is wounded it will eventually be reborn. This is his gift, his curse, and his ultimate power.

“If he is not dealt with, eventually this whole dungeon will become his territory. He cannot be taken lightly, for he is a scourge of betrayal and viciousness. His greatest weakness is that his soul cannot leave the dungeon before this temple is completely destroyed,” Mister Green added.

“That means he will have to come back here when he is powerful enough,” Yushin completed, “...And that is one way to deal with him. Assuming we can.”

“Indeed. It is not an easy task. One way to counter him is a powerful seal. My formation is capable of that but it is not perfect. It is missing a formation master and many magic jewels. If only it can be fixed in time…”

“Is there another way to kill him? A more direct way?” This time Bitter Cat asked.

“Find a way to permanently destroy his soul,” even the Ancestor was unable to find it in his time. He focused on Yushin, “...maybe….”

“...?” Yushin can feel the gaze on him, even though only the wisp of the soul remains there.

“You have been tainted by darkness. A bit of his power entered your body during the combat… since it is the same power as he wields, you might be able to use it against him.”

“I-isn’t it d-dangerous…?” Aurei was worried.

“All power carries danger, young one. One might use it, one might be used by it. It depends on his willpower and luck. With control, it might become a great weapon,” Mister Green added.

Yushin could not feel anything different in his character, but since powerups weren’t released inside the dungeon it is likely that tainted power is also hidden for now. He will have to check outside.

The ancestor is now a bit worried, even though this matter impacts directly his descendants that party in front of him has no obligation to pursue the matter, “That Fallen Villain is a great evil. If left unchecked, he will not only break through this dungeon but also threaten the outside world!”

Mister Green then explains that this dungeon, the [Tree Of Many Paths], is his personal creation with the help of a powerful mage during the calamity. Once, long ago, when the first demons started to appear in this world bringing chaos and death, the mage’s power shattered the fabric between planes. It was then that he and the Mutal came from another plane, escaping from the demon threat, looking to find a new place to call home.

But this new world was also near destruction by the demonic wave, and the Mutal had no choice but to hide in this dungeon to survive. At that same time, the Ancestor fought and sealed the Fallen Villain. Eventually, someone conquered this dungeon and it became Free Forest’s property. The exact history he couldn’t have known.

From this Yushin learns there are definitely ways to create and manipulate dungeons, confirmed by the Mutal Ancestor himself!

“As our saviors, this temple is open to you. However, at your current status, it will be impossible to become its master. You have earned this as well,” suddenly a leaf starts flying towards the group, quickly spinning above their heads and disappearing with a green glow, “The [Mark Of Mutal]. It will allow any of you to teleport here from the dungeon gate. It is also the symbol of the Mutal Leader, to be chosen among one of you or elected by you outside. While all of you will be respected and have authority, only one can truly lead the Mutal. I no longer have the qualifications to choose its leader, I can only choose my successor. The temple will do the rest.”

“Wait. Our friends. We had the help of two friends before, is it possible to bring them here before we continue?” Yushin quickly asked.

Mister Green shook his head. They died, so naturally, they were unqualified to receive the rewards. It was a harsh world.

The ancestor also knows that without sufficient incentive there is no way the group will risk themselves for his brethren, “I wish to give you all a quest. If you accept, I will bestow you with a mission, my inheritance to one of you and a few other possessions. One of you can try to become this temple’s true master and receive my full inheritance. This is a great opportunity. If I had any worthy descendants I would not give it away so easily.”

He did not even have a single NPC candidate left. The commander, even if capable of [Soul Control], is lacking in intelligence and resourcefulness to lead. By gambling on him and not the players their demise would be assured. Evidently, the A.I. was smart enough to choose its own path.

Yushin nods, those rewards are a much better than they ever thought they could get. While “inheritance” seems vague at best, it is obviously something precious. If he had to guess, it could be game-changing. He even suspects Bitter Cat’s awakening was due to one of those inheritances. A sudden notification came:

Super Rare Quest

Lead the Mutal to glory and promised land, defeating their fated enemy.

Duration

Undetermined

Difficulty

B

Reward

Promised Items. Access to the Temple’s hidden treasures.

A Super Rare B quest!

“Lead the Mutal back to glorious days, defeat the Fallen Villain once and for all. And my treasures shall be yours once it is done,” Mister Green made it clear. It is true that giving them access to the treasure right now would enhance their odds of success, but he would have no way to keep tabs on the group after his soul disappears. Only the promise of future reward will set their eyes to the task. In fact, he cannot open the treasure even if he wants to right now. Only the master of the temple can.

By accepting this quest, it will be their duty to help the Mutal become strong enough to resist the Fallen Villain and survive in this world. The time limit is unknown, the Mutal can be targeted by a high number of factors, such as random monsters, events, other players and NPCs, and eventually Lataf. One might look at this as an opportunity to take it slow, but who can tell when disaster will descend?

It is not like the players can be online 24/7 and disregard their lives. If there is no warning, one day off and the whole quest can be lost.

Aside from the Mark of Mutal, all of them will receive access to the temple and a few items from the Ancestor. One of them will become the successor and vie for the temple. He can either become Mutal Leader, or some sort of guardian figure and let someone else lead. Having told his tale and expressed his wishes, Mister Green made it clear that transferring his inheritance will cause his wisp of soul to extinguish forever.

“Do you accept?”

Yushin and party looked at each other and nodded without hesitation. Quests are not simple in Tales and this one looks like it can have a big impact. While other games focus on linearity, Tales Quests can affect the game world in ways that cannot be easily predicted. It is an impact much desired and sought after by the devs: a free-flowing world of choice. To ignore the Mutal and let someone else deal with Lataf, or face him head on and receive the rewards.

Also, from the mouth of Mister Green, the scale of impact is something that even Free Forest should be wary. What would happen to the Guild headquarters if Lataf breaks out from inside the dungeon? NPC lives are not permanent. A dangerous event like this could make or break a guild.

[The Six Warriors have accepted the quest “Lead the Mutal to glory and promised land, defeating their fated enemy”]

“Good. I wish you success. I will not be here to see the outcome, but my legacy will carry on within you all. I will [Soul Search] you for compatibility. Do not resist my will,” suddenly it was as if many rays of light shot through the bodies of everyone present. It lingered the most on Yushin, Aurei, and Gron. It took only a few seconds on Bitter Cat before moving on.

“As expected, the three of you are capable of receiving my inheritance. It is a pity it can only be one of you,” he looks at Yushin, “Your mysterious origin is very familiar to me. I would have thought you are one of my descendants. Too bad you are not the highest match, and you have already acquired that tainted power.”

Of the four of them, Bitter Cat is an awakened fire giant race, Yushin looks like a human but has a mysterious origin, Aurei is a human subspecies and Gron is an unawakened forest kobold subspecies. Humans are very diverse, and before their awakening traces, it is unlikely to perfectly find their traits. Choosing Half-Human guarantees a double race, but choosing only human, like Aurei, will give random possibilities during gameplay.

This means that selecting the race is only a starting choice, but encounters during the game will actually decide what your awakening and traits end up as. Tales is a game of random encounters and luck. This meeting with Mister Green is one of those.

“You are compatible and I can faintly feel alchemic power on you, but unfortunately your race is not a gifted match for my power,” his inheritance is [Minor Wood Power]. Senior Green said to Aurei before finally pointing to Gron, “You are the best candidate. A near perfect choice. Both your current powers, as your forest race, are excellent matches to the nature of my power. I could not have asked for a better successor.”

Gron is a little stunned, out of everyone else he was the best choice!

He knows full well that he is lacking in talent and reflexes. From the group, he thought of himself as more comparable to Cella than anyone else. Even Shum is more gifted than him. Gron hesitates, his look searching for Yushin’s response.

“Good! No need to falter, this your reward. You can think of it as fate,” the smiling warrior said.

Bitter Cat nodded in agreement and Aurei also smiled. While others may think not having equal rewards distributed is unfair, at that moment they understood this is the way things work in this game. Not only you need to find opportunity, but you also need to be able to seize from fate itself.

Gron instantly felt happy and even let out a kobo-smile. He quickly bowed to Mister Green, “Master.”

“I leave everything to you, my friends. My hope.”

The wisp of soul shined again and more rays hit everyone. A few floating items also came into sight, stopping in front of each one of them. Those are their rewards. Aurei received a batch of random alchemic materials, such as a few rare herbs Mister Green had collected. From the soul rays, he still doesn’t know, but he was granted the [Plant Sensing] talent. It will help him find herbs and plants more easily in the future!

Bitter Cat received some strong and rare wooden materials, perfect for making weapons. She had the highest incompatibility with the senior’s inheritance, but he was able to sense her smithing. However, she was not able to receive any additional skills due to her conflicting nature.

Yushin received a [Vine Lance] of a higher grade than what the commander carried, the best weapon he has seen so far. From the soul rays, he acquired the [Herb Gathering] skill. He is now able to sense and gather herbs without having an alchemist in the party.

Mister Green’s soul seemed to be smiling when it changed into a buzz of lighting green and shot itself into Gron’s body, disappearing soon after. The green light crossed the kobold like a current of power.

“Trait awakening!!!” Bitter Cat had felt it before!

Soon the Kobold traces in Gron Spiderfinger became much more apparent. His body was a much greener color, his tooth grew sharper and he grew by about ten centimeters. His small frame was a bit more robust, and his eyes now had the shiny radiance of the Mutal temporarily, after a few seconds switching to a very deep emerald green. His hair was also longer and sturdier, almost like a carapace.

“Urrusk,” Gron suddenly said in a calm voice, “That is the name of my race. I’m a type of forest kobold, heh.”

“I didn’t hear any of that when it was my time,” Bitter Cat complained.

“Seems there are different types of awakening, then. Did you hear anything else, Gron?” Yushin curiously asked.

“Nothing.” He shook his head.

“W-what should we do now?” Aurei asked.

“Let’s get out. It’s late, we’re way past our limit,” this entire day in Tales has been one hell of a journey, “We also need to tell Shum and Cella what happened.”

The party sighed heavily, it was obviously not good news for them. Before using the Mark to leave the village, Yushin made sure to check on the commander and his rebuilding efforts. They managed to secure the place a little, so it seems they were confident of holding out for now. After showing the Mutal mark the citizens understood what happened and that they were their leaders now.

As for the true leader, it was still undecided. The party also had access to [Settlement Command and Management System], but it was way past the time to try that out for now.

The party went out of the dungeon to find Cella and Shum pacing around a few meters from the gate exit. They obviously couldn’t quiet down. After death, they couldn’t even try going back in and had to wait for news. No one came out after them for a while, so that was a relief.

Shum jumped high in surprise and quickly opened a smile when he saw they went out normally, probably not by death seeing the state they were in.

“Guys!!!!” He rushed and was about to hug the group, when his eyes rested on Gron for a moment, “WHAT?!?!?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU ALL OF A SUDDEN?!”

Cella came quickly and just like everyone around was also startled. They soon noticed a very discerning and intimidating looking kobold in the middle of the room.

Gron made a V sign to Shum, “Awakening. Heh.”

Shum had tears streaming down his face. He was happy for his friend, but so goddamn jealous right now! First Bitter Cat, now him! When is he going to get his turn?

“I’m sorry,” Yushin was the first to go forward and bow, apologizing. Even Shum was stunned for a second.

“Ah, hey, stop that bro, it’s not your fault. I was incompetent.”

“Me too, sorry.” Cella smiled, directly dazzling Aurei. He quickly looked away before anyone could notice. Or so he would like to think.

Yushin then explained everything that happened after they died in party chat, and Shum was again streaming tears by the end of it. Cella just laughed awkwardly, but she didn’t seen too bothered by it.

“...Will my bad luck ever end…? Sigh…” Even Shum had to be a bit letdown after that. While they were on the party, Yushin tried to share the quest with them, but since they didn’t have the Mark Of Mutal they were unable to receive it.

Now, after the system recognized they were out of the dungeon, a notification came asking if they wanted to see the power-ups result from the dungeon now or later. Yushin and co knew if they opened up that screen they would never leave the game, so they didn’t.

“Oh yeah, that Goldclaw bastard keeps spreading up in the guild that we ganged up sneakily and killed him. That shameless bastard!” Shum cried.

“I’m way too tired to even care about him right now,” Yushin laughed it out, “Let’s distribute the loot and leave before he decides to come around and get his ass kicked again.”

Even Bitter Cat had to laugh at that one!

Yushin distributes the loot quickly, they didn’t decide on the exact method before since the amount is not equal, but by this point, they believed their leader’s judgment so no complaints arose. The spearman made sure to give similar amounts to people and even try to balance it with their needs. His materials will again go to BC and Aurei as usual, while he kept some things to experiment with engineering.

The entire party has a lot of level ups and changes, but they are all truly spent. They decide to go out and check it later, before leaving agreeing that whoever logs back in earlier will do a quick check on the Mutal situation. In case of emergencies, they set up a connection with their smartphones so emergency summons can be sent to each other even outside the game. Since Yushin connected his phone this time, he was also included in it.

The party logs out for the day, Yushin included. He has some ideas about the Mutal village, especially regarding Gron. This adventure has been quite the rush, as expected of The Tales Of The Heroic Kingdoms. And it’s only the second day!