Arzoth stared at his injured wrist, which was slightly red. Having a spar with Aldric the previous day gave him an idea of how weak his body was, how his hands could not handle the mana that had radiated off Aldric's body or the force of the noble's sword on his. He looked up and said, "System!"
[System]
[System Type: C]
[Status Window]
[Stats: Level 1]
[Mana: 10%]
[Strength: 38%]
[Skill: Swordsmanship Lv 1 acquired]
[Unique Skill: -]
[Experience Points: 40]
Arzoth sighed,
"If this keeps on, I won't ever be able to reach the Type B system. I still have six days to go until I get to her. If I can start quests as Evren said, then I can increase my Experience points. But my mana,"
He paused, "After a one-night rest, it restored to 10%. That's recovery, not growth. Though I can sleep for more than a day, I went without sleep for far too long in my previous life. But if it means progress now, then I'll take it."
The blue screen that still flashed before his face changed its wording as if it read Arzoth's thoughts.
[System Notice]
[Mana can be increased through quests as well as resting. To activate quests, command "Activate Quests"]
The notice appeared in glowing text, and this time, a soft, womanly voice echoed from the screen.
Arzoth stiffened, his eyes widened faintly at the screen,
"...Was that the system? Did it just talk to me?"
He slightly shook his head. "I must have imagined it."
After a brief pause, he muttered, "…Activate quests."
The screen changed once again, now displaying the quest's menu.
[System]
[Quests Activated]
[Daily Quest: Rest for a full day]
Arzoth sighed while his eyes closed for a fleeting moment,
"The quest isn't so difficult, I can complete it…"
Arzoth lay down, the sun shone on his face, and yet he closed his eyes, immediately falling asleep.
[System Notice]
[Unique Quest: Install a part of Arzoth's memory]
[System Error]
[Unique Quest Accepted]
****
Arzoth barely had the time to register his surroundings. He dragged his injured body across the cold marble floor, inching towards the king's throne - the only place he wished to die on. He leaned his back on the foot of it with a sigh. Just when he thought his end was near, he felt two pairs of feminine, dusty legs approach his bloody body. For the first time, he felt terror. Something other than emptiness, other than the constant restlessness of losing something. Now that he had lost everything, he no longer felt that restlessness. There was nothing left to hold onto, except his unworthy life, to which he would soon bid farewell. The cold blade lifted his chin, forcing him to look up. The face before him was blurry, but he recognized it like his own. The one he had seen just a few times in his lifetime, and yet it was the face that pained him more than the cold blade now sinking in his chest. His daughter. The same snowy hair, mirroring his own, and the same dark eyes as her mother's stared at him with such resentment and indifference. He hated them, even though he was in no position to do so.
"You deserve it," she said.
He did.
"You never cared."
He wished he had.
His eyelids felt heavy, he knew he was drowning in sleep, in a sleep from which he could and would not ever wake up. His mind went blank, yet the image of his daughter, with such resentment in her eyes for her father, struck a chord in his heart he never knew he could feel. He felt exhausted and sorry. But it didn't matter. It's over.
His blood killed him.
He knew it would end like this, and yet he let it happen. He let his daughter go to ruin, right in front of him. He never did anything bad to her, nor did he do anything good to her. He felt like a stranger in her life, just a man who had gotten detached from the world, who lost his world, who didn't know what his world was until now. Until his daughter reminded him of what was supposed to be his world, but now it's too late. He felt himself drifting apart, and yet again leaving his daughter alone in despair.
****
Arzoth's eyes shot open, his body jerking upright, and he was sweating. His breaths were coming in short gasps. His head throbbed with a million thoughts.
"What was that? A dream?..... No, it felt too real to be a dream."
Arzoth clutched his temples, trying to reduce the sharp pain in his head. He looked around, he was in his room, the same room where he had fallen asleep. His heart beat quicked, his mind was all over the place. He exhaled a shaky breath, struggling to maintain his composure.
[Daily Quest: "Rest for a full day" Completed]
[ +5 EXP gained]
[ +5% Mana gained]
[ +10 Strength points gained]
[Special Quest: "Memory Installation" Completed]
[Unique Quest: +30% Mana gained]
Arzoth took deep, deliberate breaths, trying to control his racing thoughts. He closed his eyes to blur out any remains of the disturbing scene he had just witnessed. Eventually, his pulse reached its normal pace, his mind became clear and he was finally composed.
He looked at the glowing screen before him. His brows frowned in concentration,
"Unique quest? I didn't accept it, and what's with this memory….??" He muttered.
[It was an error]
[System accepted Unique Quest automatically]
The same feminine voice came again, in sync with the words displayed. Arzoth's eyes narrowed. He blinked twice, "Did I ... hear that correctly? It talked again. So I wasn't imagining it before, huh? My system can talk."
He stared at his rewards as he said,
"My reward for a unique quest is quite higher than my reward for daily quest completion. Why not give me more of those?"
[Unique quests are occasional; you don't get to decide when you want to complete those. However, you will get a daily quest regularly.]
"If that's the case, then how will I increase my Mana and EXP?"
[There is a way]
"What?" Arzoth exclaimed.
[Exchange 45 EXP for Arzoth's memories, and rewards will be granted accordingly]
Arzoth flinched. "What?" his eyes narrowed, and his jaw tightened.
[Exchange all your- …. ]
"I heard that!" he snapped, his voice raised faintly.
"That's all the experience points I have, but then again, I need to increase my mana. I just have five more days to go until…"
Arzoth looked at the screen with a determined gaze. "Fine, exchange my 40 EXP for Arzoth's memories."
****
Arzoth did not leave his chambers for the next five days. He slept all day and night, increasing his mana along with the heavy weight on his chest, with the disturbing memories of Arzoth's original life.
During these quiet five days, Evren went on with his daily routine, all the while quietly observing the silence that had settled over Arzoth's chambers, assuming Arzoth was trying to improve his stats. He did not question it, though he remained staggered by his brother's sudden growing interest in increasing his strength and mana capacity. The once arrogant prince who only focused on his status, hesitantly working towards his physical improvements, was a stunner. Not to mention the unexpected change in the prince's behavior lately.
On the fifth and final day of Arzoth's isolation, Evren received a letter from the Valkyra clan.
Valkyra was one of the oldest and most powerful clans of the demonic realm. It leads the whole existence of demons with other capable clans. The intersection between humans and demons had never been heard of. Humans believed demons to be brutal and merciless, and maintained their distance from any potential harm. Demons always made pacts with the mages and sorcerers, those strong enough to bargain.
Receiving a letter from such beings was not only alarming but also shocking. The Valkyra clan does not send letters, they send war declarations. The demons never reached out like this. The word spread like wildfire, everyone wondered if it was the war declaration in a fancy envelope, and curiosity and dread were at their peak. A war with the demons indicated only destruction for the kingdom. It was like a fight between the ants and lions. The emperor and empress were tensed, seated on their throne in front of all the experienced advisors present in the royal courtroom.
The letter was a mystery; the more scandalous part? It was addressed to Arzoth. The prince, whose arrogance, lack of responsibility, and ignorance were well-known in the whole kingdom.
The servant rushed towards the chambers of the prince with the big news of the letter and the Emperor's immediate call for the prince in the court room, with a trembling voice. The servant's head bowed, and his breath was heavy from the run.
Arzoth showed a huge reaction, instead, he gave a knowing, calm smile as he muttered to himself, "So it's finally here."