Chapter 50: Duskfall City
In the main instance dungeon, a portal flared open and spat a warrior out into the BOSS chamber.
The sudden shift made Darien’s ears ring, but the suffocating aura of the subdungeon was gone, replaced with a more bearable atmosphere of the main dungeon.
However, the BOSS chamber was empty now, with only faint scorch marks echoing the memory of his clash with the Goblin Warlock.
His party mates were also nowhere to be found.
’I remember telling them not to wait for me, though,’ Darien thought.
Luckily, the magical door was still open up ahead. He had cleared the subdungeon just in time before it closed.
’Time to finally leave,’ Darien said to himself, gliding forward and through the shimmering door.
Crossing the threshold, he was washed over by the veil as Novice Depths vanished behind him, revealing a newer... yet far more corrupted reality.
The dark sky greeted Darien once he opened his eyes. There were no stars and no moon.
In their stead were streaks of ghostly colors, like the Northern Lights.
Beneath him, the ground was broken, and all around were the remains of structures and buildings claimed by weeds and vines.
Darien looked behind him. The magical door was gone, leaving him alone amidst the shrouded darkness and ruins.
[You have entered the First Zone of the Primordial World]
[You are in: Duskfall City]
’The infamous Duskfall City,’ Darien thought to himself, cautious of his surroundings.
Finally, he was in the First Zone, and not within the Novice Depths instance anymore.
Here, he could engage countless enemies so long as he remained without leaving, advancing Zone after Zone to clash with stronger and more powerful monsters.
From his knowledge, Duskfall City was the most populated area of this magical world, because it was where all Rank 1 dungeon instances intersected.
That is to say, every student or party from Queen’s Reach Academy—and even other academies—converged here after clearing their Novice tests.
Recalling how much time he had spent clearing the subdungeon, Darien knew he might just be one of the latest arrivals here in Duskfall City.
The warrior ripped his blade free, stood for a moment to assess, then walked briskly, itching to slay as many creatures as possible.
He could see numerous battle signs in the area, meaning other warriors had been here, so Darien hoped they hadn’t defeated every single monster, leaving none behind.
Soon enough, he encountered some creatures, but they weren’t as high-tier as he wished.
Still, Darien couldn’t deny his blade a feast.
(Ember Gnat)
(STR: 10)
(AGI: 25)
(PER: 10)
(Skills: Poison Sting (1-Star), Fire Ball (1-Star)
Fortunately, an Ember Gnat never attacked alone.
These ball-sized, glowing monster insects fought in swarms, stinging and burning enemies.
Though they were very weak, their numbers could be overwhelming—but Darien was glad they were numerous.
When he spotted them, they were buzzing across the street where he stood before switching direction toward him.
Darien focused his thoughts, gripping his sword tighter.
He refrained from using destructive skills, not to avoid drawing monsters, but to keep from alerting other warriors nearby.
As the Ember Gnats swarmed toward him hatefully, Darien’s blade glowed lava-orange.
Then a ribbon of liquid flame lashed out from its edge, streaking toward the oncoming swarm.
~frussshhh!
The tendril expanded and consumed the swarm in a haze of roaring fire, reducing the Ember Gnats to nothing but ash.
[You slayed a Rank 1 Monster! You get 240 XP!] x36
[Knight Rank: Proficient 102520/100000]
Ding!
(Congratulations on reaching Rank 1 Expert)
(+1 point to all Attributes)
[Knight Rank: Expert 2520/250000]
’Two more levels to go to Rank 2. I wonder if I can make it before returning to the real world,’ Darien mused.
With his skills, Darien was certain no Rank 1 monster could make him break a sweat.
He had just proven that by slaying the strongest variant of a Rank 1 monster—a subdungeon BOSS—who must’ve been at least Elite or Ascendant level.
This was stupendous, especially since he had no skill at max!
As Darien collected the loot, empowered by <1000% Drop Rate>, he continued his search for more monsters within Duskfall City.
Coming upon a foul-smelling place filled with dangerous rubble and broken-down buildings, Darien sighted a strange-looking monster in the distance.
It was a Deathjackal, a huge, skeletal, houndlike scavenger monster with an impressive HP of 950.
But that didn’t matter to Darien as he shot one <Energy Bolt> at the beast as it attempted to howl, a skill that pierced enemies’ hearing.
-766!
The large bullet tore a great chunk out of the Deathjackal’s decaying shoulder, twisting its body sideways with the force.
From howling, the monster bellowed.
In retaliation, it began to charge forward despite the wound, but before it could leap, the second shot from the Warrior pierced clean through its skull.
-850!
THUD!
The massive creature collapsed with a thunderous impact that rattled the rubble, sending dust pluming into the air and the ground trembling.
But Darien barely lost balance during that ceremony.
He received 570 XP from the kill, though he was more intrigued by the multiplied loot that dropped.
Among a couple of items he didn’t need, but would be good for sale, Darien stumbled upon the rarest treasure he had ever received.
(Item Name: Ring of a Thousand Faces)
(Type: Accessory/ Ring)
(Rank: Legendary)
(LV. 3)
(Description: A mystical illusory item. Grants the wearer the ability to alter their appearance into anyone they can envision, and rewrite public Inspect status at will. Once activated, the ring becomes invisible on the finger.)
(Skills: Faceless Masquerade)
Darien stared.
Legendary items were peculiarly rare, just as rare as Primordial items. So, it was implausible to find one in such a common place as Duskfall City.
Unless his skill, <1000% Drop Rate>, was responsible for this circumstance.
In its description, it was stated that the rarity of drops is slightly increased as well, justifying the appearance of this Legendary item.
’So, with this ring, I can put on a fake appearance... and also fake my public status too...?’
As Darien examined the Ring of a Thousand Faces, he believed he could utilize it well to hide his Cursed features when the situation demanded it.
After acquiring a new book from the General Library about the horrific creatures called "Cursed Borns," Darien couldn’t wait to absorb its contents and learn more about himself.
But one thing was clear even before he had yet to read: he wasn’t the average civilian.
And if word spread about what he truly was, no one would ever treat him like one.