Chapter 16
Ding.
[Unlocking initiated.]
[Evaluating the grade of the treasure chest.]
[Evaluation complete. Legendary-grade chest confirmed. Unlocking success rate: 100%.]
[Unlock successful!]
Thud.
As soon as the unlocking succeeded, the lock began to gleam with gold, then quickly turned to dust and vanished into thin air.
It was a refreshing sensation, to say the least, after all the tension.
"As expected! Lase was a god-tier game!"
-...This is unbelievable. To open a legendary chest as a thief-class player, you need to master at least an 8-star skill called 'Hermes's Key'! And even that only has a fifty-fifty chance!
100% success rate?
In a game with such lousy probabilities like Lasé!
-The balance is completely off. It's like a trash game.
"Oh well. It's a 10-star skill, 10-star. Where would you even find an 8-star one?"
Carpe said so as he dragged the rare-grade chest over. Then, he opened the rare chest first.
"Oh?"
-It's armor. Not bad.
What came out of the rare chest was a leather-made armor.
It was a perfect fit for Carpe, who didn't have proper armor yet.
[Unidentified Leather Armor]
[Requires appraisal before wearing.]
-Oh, by the way, items found in dungeon chests always appear in an unidentified state. So, even if you open the chest, without preparing high-level appraisal scrolls, you can't use the items in the dungeon...
"The protagonist isn't ordinary."
Carpe chuckled. At this point, it seemed like the universe was gathering energy to assist him.
"Unlock!"
-Yeah, just unlock everything with one unlock. Later on, you'll probably unlock the game system too and make the game to your liking. Are you planning to live in your own world alone?
But Cheonma's grumbling was drowned out by the next notification.
[Functionality of the 10-star skill 'Unlock' has been enhanced, updating skill information.]
[Would you like to appraise unidentified items using mana?]
"....Huh?"
-Update? Hey, quickly open the status window!
Startled by the unexpected notification, the two hastily opened the status window.
[Name: Carpe]
[Level: 8]
[HP: 390/390]
[MP: 70/70]
[Strength: 1(+26) Agility: 1(+30) Endurance: 1(+24) Dexterity: 1(+27) Magic: 1(+24)]
-Unallocated bonus status points: 35
[Titles (7)]
-First 10-star skill
-0-star Underling Demon Lord
-Two Firsts
-Complete Victory in Tutorial
-Level Up in Tutorial!
-Legendary Dungeon Completely Conquered (New!)
-One Strike to Heaven! (New!)
[Underling]
0-star - Demon Lord Cheonma (Irregular)
[Skills]
10-star - Unlock Lv. 8 (New!)
-Unallocated bonus skill points: 14
"Oh?"
Opening the status window, Carpe noticed a new addition next to the "Unlock" skill: the word "New" was prominently displayed.
Without hesitation, Carpe touched the "New" part.
[Unlock - 10 Stars]
Active
1. Appraise unidentified items.
2. Disable traps.
3. Unlock treasure chests.
* The MP consumption varies depending on the target's grade:
Normal: 5 Magic: 10 Rare: 20
Hero: 120 Unique: 250
Legendary: 500
Passive
1. Automatically dispel status effects.
2. Low chance to disable traps when triggered.
* Once a day, the initial use of each active function does not consume MP.
* The effects may increase with skill level.
* May activate autonomously under certain conditions.
"....Huh?"
-Well, I just organized what we've found so far for convenience. It's not that significant...
"No, no. That's not the important part! Don't you see that? It consumes MP."
-So what? It's natural for skills to consume MP when used.
"The numbers are absurd."
Even if Carpe was a personification of audacity, he never thought he could freely use the scam-like function of "Unlock" without any consequences.
But right now, Carpe's MP was barely 70.
Forget about Legendary, it's not even close to Hero grade.
-Well, don't worry too much. Right now, you don't have a job, so it's like that, but once you get a job, you'll have a decent amount of MP.
Of course, even after changing jobs, MP wouldn't instantly become 500, but by farming items that increase MP capacity, some progress could be made.
-Until then, you'll have to make good use of the once-a-day free function. Hurry up and try appraising something.
"Phew. Understood."
Yeah, once a day freebie, where is it?
If even that wasn't available, Carpe wouldn't have been able to open the Legendary chest he found just now.
Carpe once again used "Unlock" on the armor.
[Would you like to appraise unidentified items using mana?]
"I do!"
[Appraisal of unidentified item successful.]
Snatch.
With a brief flash, the armor shimmered, and when the light faded, a splendid leather armor was in Carpe's hands.
[Swift Installation Leather Armor]
[Grade: Rare]
[Requirement: Level 5 or above]
[Physical Defense: 25]
[Magical Defense: 15]
- Agility +4
- Dexterity +1
- Additional Option 1: 3% increase in attack speed
- Additional Option 2: 4% increase in movement speed
"Rare!"
- Wait, seriously? It's 10%?
Opening the rare chest and getting a rare-grade result was the best outcome!
Upon checking the status window, MP had decreased exactly by 20.
"If it's 10%, it's almost a given."
- It sounds ridiculous, but since the result matches, it's frustrating. And the options are decent, so it's doubly frustrating.
For Carpe, who excelled in close combat, the options were quite useful.
They would come in handy until he obtained higher-grade items.
After changing into the armor, Carpe stood in front of the Legendary chest.
"Alright, let's get started with the main event. But, come to think of it, wouldn't it have been better to stick with the rare chest instead of resorting to patching up?"
- ...Have you heard of the term "independent action"?
"It could be considered a classic government conspiracy."
- Yeah. Exactly. Let's open the chest.
"Anything but armor or weapons!"
Carpe energetically opened the Legendary chest.
"Huh?"
- Huh?
Their expressions subtly changed. While it wasn't a weapon or armor as Carpe hoped for...
"It's an egg again."
As Cheonma said, inside the chest lay a single white egg.
Slightly smaller than a man's fist, the egg was pristine white.
Carpe opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
"Could this... possibly be another trap item?"
After getting hit hard during the tutorial, just the sight of an egg made Carpe feel uneasy.
- Well, there's only one way to find out: appraise it.
"Phew. Even if it's appraised, it doesn't change the fact that it's not great."
Since it would mean the item was rare grade or lower with his current MP.
"It seems like we should hope for the appraisal to fail."
Carpe used the Unlock skill on the egg with a sense of foreboding.
[Appraisal successful.]
"Oh, no!"
It wasn't a trap, but a successful appraisal!
A panicked Carpe checked his MP. Once again, it had decreased by exactly 20.
It was indeed a rare-grade item.
*Ding*
[Magic Squirrel 'Tamias' Egg]
[Category: Familiar, Pet]
[Grade: Rare ~]
[The Squirrel Kingdom of 'Tamias' operates on a strict caste system. The power of magic, indeed, is a clear indication of their belonging to the upper echelons.]
*Tip: You can hatch it with attribute acorns.
"Huh?"
As Carpe read through the information, a question mark popped up above his head.
"A wave symbol next to Rare, could this be?"
-Yeah, it means 'at least' Rare. Especially with pets, the grade is often determined when hatched.
"Phew, that's a relief."
He thought it was just Rare, but it turned out there was one more chance left.
Carpe let out a sigh of relief.
-Anyway, a magic squirrel... seems pretty good.
"Oh, is it?"
-Lasé itself is hard to get a pet, so anything is good as a pet. Magic squirrels are cute and perform well, so they're popular.
It seemed that in communities where pet popularity polls were conducted, they always ranked high.
-Even if you later change it to a hidden pet or a divine beast, for now, it's quite good. It's a good match. You stick to close combat and the pet provides ranged support. Perfect, really.
"Hmm, that's true."
While he wasn't incapable of long-range combat, he was more accustomed to close-quarters combat.
"Then let's start collecting attribute acorns now."
-The chance of regular squirrels dropping them is slim, so you're really lucky.
"Why?"
-The dungeon boss here drops them with a pretty high probability. No, even if it goes smoothly, can it go this smoothly?
Cheonma muttered as if he couldn't believe it.
Of course, it wasn't 100%, and even then, it might not be the desired attribute, but being able to acquire it immediately was something else.
"Let's go right away!"
-Yeah, let's quickly deal with this and get out. We have a long way to go.
The subsequent progress of the dungeon was truly chaotic.
Thud!
"!?!?!!$#"
Carpe mercilessly exploited the weaknesses of the squirrels.
"Sorry. Sorry. Human sorry."
-Stop it, damn it! You're scaring me a bit!
Carpe, whose words and actions were completely disconnected, slaughtered the squirrels like a machine.
And that was no different for the dungeon boss.
Poof!
With a satisfying sensation in his hands, an announcement popped up!
[You have defeated the dungeon boss 'Great Squirrel King'!]
[You have cleared the dungeon with 0 hits taken. The title 'Sharpshooter!' is awarded.]
[Level up! You have reached level 10.]
[Congratulations. You can now perform job quests from the Patron.]
Carpe's first dungeon conquest came to a close just like that.
* * *
[You have completed the dungeon conquest. Upon re-entry, the dungeon grade will be fixed at 'Hero' grade.]
"Ah. So the dungeon grade isn't set each time we enter."
-Well, some might grind until they get the Legendary grade.
"True."
Carpe savored the thought. He had been contemplating such an idea himself.
"But anyway, this is a bit tricky."
-Indeed. This is somewhat unexpected.
Carpe glanced at his palm thoughtfully.
There were eight small acorns resting there.
"I didn't expect all of them to drop."
-Since the dungeon's initial entry bonus increased the boss drop rate. Still, it's lucky that all of them dropped.
Starting from flame-shaped acorns to heart-shaped ones.
Needless to say, they were all attribute acorns.
[Flame Acorn]
[Grade: Rare]
[A rare magical acorn imbued with mana and flame attributes. Consuming it grants a slight resistance to fire.]
"So these are items to increase resistance."
-Yes, but there are many alternatives, so few people bother to increase attribute resistance with acorns.
"If I have leftovers, I can eat them. But now, what should I choose?"
Magic squirrels can possess one of eight attributes:
Fire, Water, Ice, Lightning, Wood, Light, Darkness, and Spirit.
Although he had all the attribute acorns, unfortunately, a magic squirrel could only possess one attribute.
"Ugh, I wish only one acorn dropped. Then I wouldn't have to agonize over it."
Carpe was weak when it came to such choices.
Between black bean noodles and spicy seafood noodles, between dogs and cats, Iron Man and Captain America, Eevee evolutions, Gangsohnmi, and Gansomi, whenever he had to choose one, he became endlessly indecisive.
-Any attribute has its merits. If you're really torn, decide on your job first and then think about it.
"Job?"
-Yes. Because there might be job specialties based on attributes.
For example, in Lasé, there was a job called Flame Fist Fighter.
As the name suggests, it was a job that fought with flames wrapped around the body, famous for its burst damage.
-Having a fire attribute job means you don't need another fire attribute pet. It reduces your choices.
"I see. I understand."
After taking a deep breath, Carpe exhaled.
Finally, the time had come for the alpha and omega of RPGs: choosing a job!
"I can get a job from my Patron, right?"
-Yes. Technically, the Patron gives you a quest, and once you clear it, you're good. Then the Patron gives you three job options that suit you.
"But my Patron is my brother. He's not a normal Patron; he's an irregular."
-That's right.
"Do you know how to get a job?"
Carpe looked at Cheonma with a suspicious glance.
Even though he wasn't a normal Patron, could he still give out job quests? Or worst-case scenario, would he have to play without ever getting a job? That was his concern.
But as if laughing it off, Cheonma chuckled.
-Heh heh. Honestly, I was a bit worried about that too, but I had a feeling when you hit level 10.
"A feeling?"
-It's hard to explain in words. It's like a tingling sensation around the chest, as if I could give you a quest if I just burst it. It felt like I could give you a quest that suits you.
"...You've become an NPC after all. Congratulations."
Watching Cheonma progress towards dehumanization, Carpe felt a complex mix of emotions. But anyway, it seemed that there would be no problem in obtaining a job.
-Well, are you ready?
"Yes."
-Here we go!
The moment Cheonma shouted, an alert appeared before Carpe's eyes.
Ding!
[You have received a 'Job Quest' from your Patron.]
[Would you like to check the quest details?]
-Here we go!
"Wow, it's really ha... huh?"
But the notification didn't end there.
[The relationship gauge between Patron and player has reached its maximum.]
[Patron Quest automatically cleared. Rewards will be given!]
-Huh? Hey, hey! What's this nonsense! We're not even close!
"You've been grumbling every time I talk. So it seems like the relationship gauge reached its max."
-Just shut up. Oh, I can't believe this. I have to deal with these freeloaders!
Poof!
As the job quest was automatically cleared, three choices appeared before Carpe.
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