Quest: Purify the Den

Description: A den has been placed on an energy node corrupted by demonic energy. The world is trying to expel the demonic energy corrupting the node by using the den. The demonic energy is causing the den to create numerous demonic creatures at a rapid rate. Since the den is on a node, it can be purified through destruction or source energy.

Quest Objective: Den Destruction 0/20, Source energy 0/1000

Quest Rewards: 300 class points, and 500,000 experience points

Quest Failure: Unable to purify the den in seventy-two days

Quest Penalty: Loss of three levels

Reading the quest description, brought clarity and confusion to Zane. Clarity into how some demonic beasts had levels and gave him experience while others did not. The demonic beasts that gave him experience were actually demonic creatures spawned by the den. Since the den was connected to the system it made sense that the demonic creatures it produced would be connected as well.

Zane felt confused by the first sentence in the quest description. Who placed the den on the node? Zane’s guess was the system, but he didn’t know why it would do so. After all, there had to be better locations where the system could place the den.

“That should be the source, right?” Ayesha asked.

“That’s what the spirits told me,” Abel replied.

“So what? We go down there and smash it?”

“Our task was to locate the source of the demonic beast. We did that and now we should head back.”

“Yeah, but grandfather said we can deal with the source if we were strong enough.”

“You seriously think were strong enough to deal with that.”

Abel pointed at the sea of demonic creatures beneath them. The den was producing demonic creature at an irregular rate. Sometimes one demonic creature was spawned after a few minutes, sometimes two were spawned and sometimes none were spawned.

“Don’t be a wimp we can definitely take them.”

“Even if we could take them, do you know what will happen after we destroyed the crystal? Maybe we’ll make things a lot worse?”

“Were destroying the den.” Zane spoke up.

“Yes!” Ayesha pumped her fist into the air while Abel frowned.

“Are you sure you’re making the correct decision?” Abel asked. “Many of the demonic beasts down there are emitting terrifying auras. I think you should rethink your decision.”

“I have thought about it. Don’t worry, we won’t be recklessly charging to fight the demonic creatures below us. First, we’ll destroy the den and then focus on attacking the demonic creatures from up here. Once the den begins reforming, I’ll…What, what’s wrong?” Zane could see that some members of the group had suspicious and confused expressions on their face.

“You called it a den,” Blake answered. “How do you know what it is, and how do you know it will be reformed after its destroyed?”

After a brief pause Zane answered him. “Did none of you receive the quest?”

Moments later, Zane had finish showing the quest to the rest of the group and answering the questions that had about it. Zane tried to share the quest with the rest of the group, but the system didn’t let him do so. Zane was a bit surprised, but he didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he focused on discussing the battle plan.

“We’ll start our attack from up here. Other than Star how many of you have learned long range skills?”

Silence was the response Zane received. The members of the group shared a few looks with each other, but nobody responded. After a few seconds passed, Abel spoke up to answer Zane’s question

“I have learned three skills that will let me attack from long range.”

“Can’t we fight them head on?” Ayesha complained.

“All of you were able to choose two classes.” Zane stated. “Did none of your classes give you long raged skills?”

“It’s common for people to become warriors or mages in our world.” Blake said “Mages fight from a distance and warriors fight in close range. Besides Star and Abel, I think all of us here are warriors.”

Zane frowned as he listened to Blake’s explanation. He understood that some people’s path led them to only learn combat related skills that can be used in close range. However, he hoped that the group he was in would have more than two people with long ranged skills.

“I, I have some long-range skills.” Blair said. “I was able to learn some spells after I chose a mage class.”

“Blair, I told you trying to walk the path of a warrior and a mage was a bad decision,” Blake scolded. “Most people end up focusing on one or the other. Those who don’t end up being useless as a warrior and-”

“I know, I know. I’m not an idiot.”

“Then why would you do something so idiotic.”

“It’s not idiotic,” Zane said.

“What do you mean?” Blake asked.

Zane looked toward the den and the demonic creatures around it. He was aware that they had gotten off topic, but he felt that it was important to continue the discussion. He felt that both Blair and Blake’s way of thinking was wrong, and it was his responsibility to correct it. Of course, Zane was young and still had a lot to learn and experience. However, he felt that he had enough knowledge and experience to teach both of them.

“Okay, I told both of you about the system and the classes it can give you. I said you didn’t have to choose multiple classes, but you should because it would help you on your path.”

“Yes,” Blake responded, “My path is a warrior, so I chose the knight class and the guardian class.”

Hearing Blake’s words made Zane feel a bit of guilt. The classes Blake chose weren’t bad, but Zane could see that Blake didn’t understand what it meant to have a path. In fact, he wasn’t sure if any of the people around him knew what it meant to have a path. He gave the most detailed explanation about the system to Star, Blake and Blair. The others learned about the system from whatever information Star, Blake and Blair understood.

“I would say your understanding of what it means to have a path is wrong. What does it mean to be a warrior? Why do you think it’s your path?”

“Warriors are people who have trained their bodies beyond the levels of normal humans. It is my path because it gives me the strength, I need to protect the people I care about.”

“If you want to protect people then you don’t need to be a warrior. You can protect people as a mage by using spells, or as a merchant by using money. Your path shouldn’t be a job or a long-term goal you set for yourself. It should be viewed as the core of your life. Your path is the guide that helps you choose your classes and it’s the rope that binds them to each other.”

Looking at his team member, Zane could see that they didn’t completely grasp what he was saying. Some looked like they were deep in thought while others looked confused. Zane didn’t think he would be able to explain everything to them in a short period of time, so he decided to postpone the conversation for another time.

“We can talk more about this later. For now, let's focus on dealing with the demonic creatures below us. Is everyone ready to fight?” Seeing everyone nod, Zane continued speaking. “Star, Blair, and Abel will be responsible for launching attacks at the demonic beasts below. I will destroy the den so no more demonic creatures are created and then join them in attacking. The rest of you will stand guard to protect us. Be prepared to fight demonic creatures charging up from below and the demonic creatures on the ground.”

As Zane spoke, he took out a quiver of arrows from his space bag and slipped it over his shoulder. He brought out his bow, held it in his left hand and knocked an arrow. Zane gave a final look to the rest of the group to see if they were ready.

“Ready. Attack.”

Several arrows were sent flying towards the den and several spells began to rain down on the demonic creatures below. To destroy the den, it took Zane fifteen arrows which was close to a quarter of the arrows in his quiver. The moment the den was destroyed, it released a burst of demonic energy.

“It feels like they’ve become stronger,” Abel announced.

“They have but it’s not more than we can handle,” Zane said.

Zane used Analyze on the demonic beasts the moment he felt a change in their strength. He saw that their attack, and defense increased by ten percent. Zane reassured the group that everything was under control as he continued to focus his arrows on the strongest demonic creatures.

Occasionally a few demonic creatures would charge at Zane and the others from behind. Blake and the others worked together and easily killed them. The rest of their time was spent watching Zane, Star, Abel and Blair attack.

As the number of demonic creatures started to decrease, Zane gave the order to charge down and meet the enemy head on. Zane knew the others were bored and he wanted to give them the opportunity to earn experience. Obviously, Zane could have shared his experience with others by forming a party. However, Zane didn’t do so because of one profound reason. He forgot.