Chapter 3: Chapter 3 - First Quest (Edited)
Looking at the village, Gon noticed not just the age of the buildings but the leftovers of recent destruction. These homes had been deliberately torn down.
What was even more surprising was the demographic of the villagers.
There wasn't a young face in sight; everyone appeared to be over 50, except for the village chief, Mordred. As he thought about this, a popup screen appeared before Gon's eyes.
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Quest:
End Arthur Tyranny
Emperor Arthur is a dictator and madman. He steals Excalibur from his best friend and now steals his fiance. He also pushed the whole country into hunger.
*
Quest objective:
Steal Excalibur
Kill Arthur
Make Merlin the queen of Camelot
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"Steal Excalibur? Kill Arthur? Are you kidding me? I'm just a regular bookworm, not some fantasy hero!"
He tapped his foot impatiently, muttering, "They could've at least mentioned the reward."
As if listening to his complaint, the screen changed, revealing new text: 'Reward: Survival, one Ability.'
Gon swallowed hard, a shiver of fear running down his spine. 'Survive? Does that mean if I fail, I...?' he doesn't finish his tough as he reads about the reward of one ability.
Knowing he cannot avoid this, Gon sighed.
"So, Mordred... about this Excalibur thing. You wouldn't happen to have a map or maybe a guidebook on 'How to Steal Legendary Swords and Overthrow Tyrants for Dummies,' would you?"
Mordred raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "I wish I did, but no such luck, warrior. We do have Gerald, though."
A portly man with wild hair and thick glasses stumbled forward from behind a hut, tripping over a loose stone.
"Ow! Oh, hi there! I'm Gerald. Local historian, amateur magician, traveling merchant, and part-time shoe repairman," he said, extending a hand while holding a pair of medieval sandals in the other.
"So... you know the information?" Gon raised an eyebrow with suspicion.
Gerald beamed, "Absolutely! I know everything about Excalibur: where it might be, how it's guarded, and, more importantly, the best ways to avoid getting killed trying to steal it."
"Oh, and if your shoes break during our little adventure, I've got you covered!"
Gon raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Fantastic. Between Mordred's village leadership, your... shoe repair skills, and my extensive knowledge, what could possibly go wrong?"
He then walked to Gerald with a smile on his face; he remarked, "Did you really think I'd say that you scammer?" and playfully slapped him on the back.
However, to Gon's surprise, his playful slap sent Gerald flying into the boulder that blocked the village well.
BAM!!! The boulder shattered, and water gushed forth. The villager looking at this starts cheering. "Hooray! Our hero has returned our water!".
Gon stood there, mouth agape, trying to make sense of the unexpected turn of events.
Gerald slowly stood up from the wreckage with a slightly indignant look. He was enveloped in a transparent barrier.
"Look, if you weren't interested in the map, you could've just said so. No need to send me flying! And just so you know, I do have the real map of the castle and the exact location of his magic sword."
"Prove it, show me! Gerald"
Gerald smirked, "I'm still a merchant, ten gold."
Gon's eyes narrowed, "Show me some evidence!"
"I'm a merchant first, you know. That'll be ten gold pieces."
"Why should I trust your word? Prove it's real first."
Seeing Gerald hesitate, Gon pressed further, "Can't produce proof, huh? How could I trust a magician doing sandals repair?"
"Hey, a man can have a hobby, right? It's not for you to question. Anyway, have a look." Gerald retorted
Gerald then took out a parchment from his bag; he carefully opened it, revealing a meticulously drawn map.
It began at Camelot Village, moved through dense woods, passed the shores of a serene lake, and finally arrived at the majestic Arthur's Palace.
Gon leaned in closer, his fingers tracing the route. Inside the boundaries of the palace was a secondary layout of Arthur's castle, with a red "X" marking what appeared to be an underground vault, probably where the magic weapon was stored.
Gon examined every detail of the map, Trying to remember every detail of it,
Looking at Gon's gaze, Gerald said, " Trust me, bro, It's a real map. I've gotten information from multiple sources over time and compiled them all here."
After a few moments, Gon gave the map back, nodding approvingly. "It seems real."
Gerald smirked, extending his hand expectantly. "That'll be ten gold."
"Who said I was buying? I only wanted to see if it was real or not."
"But you've seen the path! The details!" Geral complained
Gon shrugged, "You offered a preview. I returned it undamaged. I didn't purchase anything."
Gerald looked flustered, struggling to find a suitable retort, realizing he had been scammed.
With a sly smile, Gon began to turn away, "Thanks for the info. I'll make my way now."
As he started to leave, the villagers, still celebrating the return of their water, started chanting and dancing around him, cheering for the brave "warrior."
Mordred, looking at what happened, jogged over, determination in his eyes. "Warrior, let me follow you on this quest." Gon, seeing no reason to reject, nodded in agreement.
Gerald still did not give up; he tried to give another offer, "I still have a book. 'How to Steal Legendary Swords and Overthrow Tyrants for Dummies.' Do you want to buy one?"
"I don't have any money right now. Just give up."
Gerald persisted, "You'll regret passing up on this offer, you know."
Gon waved his hand and quickly started walking away from the village; he didn't want to spend more time with the weird Merchant.
As the two walk through the forest, Gon curiously looks at their surroundings. "Are there monsters around here?"
"Just a few wolves and goblins. Given your prowess, I doubt they'll be any trouble for you." Modred answered.
Gon reminded himself of his newfound strength and pulled up his status to check once more.
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Name: Gon Morerti
Age: 17
Book complete : 0
Ability: -
Physique: Weak, even stupid gorilla can one hit you
Int: Questionable, cannot follow simple instruction
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Gon read his status again and realized it still shows 'weak.' This baffles him, as he just sent someone flying.?".
[Who ever said an Earth gorilla is weaker than a magician here?]
The sudden answer from System surprised Gon; he then asked if he could communicate with him.
[When I feel like it.]
"What's this 'ability'? And what about that book?"
The system, however, remained silent, not displaying any more messages.
After a few more tries, Gon felt frustrated; he gave up and then enjoyed the scenery around him as he followed the map route to Arthur Castle.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Elvlin
Elvlin Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone