Azimuth: The Elden Throne

Hey guys, another week has passed!

I already posted the Bonus 100 power stones chapter, but unfortunately, we did not reach the next goal.

Still, we progressed quite a bit as this time, we reached a whopping 250 power stones!

Perhaps soon enough we'll be reaching those high numbers!

Enjoy.

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"I'm sorry… I was captivated by this sword's exquisite craftsmanship…"

"For the last time… Just pay attention." Dale said as he turned around again

'Exquisite my ass, this bastard is only charmed by this sword rating… He is almost drooling.'

'But I can't help but wonder what are going to be the consequences of showing off this item to the world… It's not I could've avoided it either.'

'A massive sword like this would be shown eventually, either through me using it, or by them finding out about it like in his case.'

'Since this guy is a streamer and all, it's impossible for him to not show this item to his audience, either to flaunt or to simply document it and gather attention to himself.'

'In the previous game, the Legendary grade itself was divided into many subdivisions, although not officially by the game, the players themselves made such divisions as it was still clear that some Legends were better than others.'

'Most players could get a legendary item if they worked hard enough or simply lucky, but that would be, at most, one of the weaker legendary items.'

'TRUE Legendary was a rather high grade that few players would or could acquire due to the difficulty or rarity of the missions and quests surrounding them.'

'After all, this grade is supposed to be composed of unique items in the entirety of the game, and not an asset that can be acquired easily…'

'But at the end of the day, a game is a game after all, and it's counterproductive for a company to make a rarity where every single one of its components are singular, that is why there were many Legendary Items that could be grinded over time'

'This is especially true when you consider that there are higher rarities above it.'

'Although the last rarity was indeed such a thing, the players that got their hands on those items were already so powerful that it didn't matter much, especially since the game had reached the end of its lifespan by then due to many reasons…'

'But only time will tell if the same will happen this time.'

"Alright, I showed you the Church, but we didn't come here to sightsee, so take a step back." Dale said as he kneeled in front of the altar

/Crunk!/

/Push.../

He twisted a few pieces of wood here and there and pushed the Altar, making it tremble and causing the money piles to fall and 'drown' poor David in a sea of coins...

However, neither Dale nor Rodi paid any attention to these details as they looked at the dark stairs beneath them.

"This is?!" Rodi asked, shocked

'Was there truly something hidden?! I-I thought this...'

To Rodi's surprise, Dale said:

"Resko is built on top of many things, now mostly buried due to the sand and blocked from the rest of the world…"

"As far as I know, this is the sole entrance to this underground structure… Don't misunderstand, this isn't the sewers, but instead, the Catacombs of Resko."

'Speaking of it, I'll likely have to explore it soon enough.'

'The sewers connect all parts of the city together, and considering many are hidden or buried in sand, I may be able to reach some undiscovered areas through it... Or not.'

'It doesn't matter right now.'

"Ca-Catacombs?!"

'What is even going on anymore?! The more I hear, the less this place seems like a countryside Village to me…'

'Although the Village walls were very tall and well made, everything points to the fact this place is too big for it to be just a simple ruined Village.'

"Once again, this would be better asked to one of the Elders, but I will simplify everything for you..." Dale replied as he yawned

'Go on and search for information on your own, no way I'm giving so much for free.'

"Long ago, there used to be a powerful force that governed Resko, and during its reign, this is the place where they buried their dead, simple enough yeah?"

Dale suddenly got very serious as he said:

"Yesterday, a terrible curse almost fell upon Resko as a terrible sealed monster almost made its way out into the outside…"

"Because this isn't just a Catacomb, but a place that seals many abominations away from prying eyes…"

Rodi was also very serious, but internally, he was sheering.

The more there was to do, the easier his life would be!

"What happened to the creature?"

And this time, Dale smiled as he looked Rodi dead in the eyes:

"I killed it... Kind of."

'If we were to talk about the creature that was corrupting David, then yes, I killed it, but as for the true perpetrators of this event... They still lie in the dark depths of this place.'

"..."

'So this is this NPC's backstory… It seems that Resko's questline started together with the game's start. I was just late to not have seen it.'

'This is very big...'

'And for him to be this involved... He is definitely the main character of Resko's scenario…'

'I should try and learn more about this event later.'

Dale didn't nor would he care for Rodi's misunderstanding as he continued:

"Down there lies some the relics of this ancient group… Although most are now rotting away due to the Miasma surrounding the place."

"This same Miasma corrupted the bodies of all of the Catacombs denizens, and due to the pressing time, I didn't properly clean all of them…"

'I did kill everything on my way, but there's likely not many left.'

'However, I have some suspicions about what would happen once a normal player entered it...'

"The rotting undead now prowl these halls once used to honor them…"

Dale turned to Rodi again and asked:

"This is your task… Go there and recover as many artifacts as you can while also clearing out any Undead you see."

"It doesn't matter if the artifacts are rotting or broken, since as you can see, our Village isn't doing any better."

"We could make use of the metal or even repair the broken down artifacts into proper gear."

'Now for the finishing blow...'

"With your help, we may be able to improve the Village's condition, perhaps even gear ourselves well."

"I can't go there right now due to some problems, but I would appreciate someone that could act in my stead there and report any findings while I'm away."

[DING!]

"!"

"?"

The moment Dale finished his words, both he and Rodi heard the nostalgic sounds of the game system…

[You have created the Quest: Corrupted Past]

[Created quests can only be completed by other players]

[Please, determine the reward for this task]

[You have delivered the task of completion to another player]

[This quest is currently under the jurisdiction of player: The_Third_Egg]

"..."

'What? Is this also possible?... Interesting.'

'And what? Determine the reward?... I don't know how… Can I just determine anything?...'

'I imagine I'll have to pay it myself...'

'In the first place, I don't even know what are the possible items he can collect from that place.'

'I just rushed down without stopping, the few things I got included parts of a heavily worn out and broken set and a few bone pieces...'

'So uh… Can I leave it for later? Or do something like leave the reward based on his actions?'

[The reward has been set to: Depending on completion rate]

'I guess that works, I'll have to research this later, but so far, interacting with a player has proven beneficial, I have learned something new.'

'Still... The Quest description... Was it written by the system?'

'That's convenient, it would be strange if there were no words, just a vague requirement for completion.'

"..."

Rodi on the other hand, read the Quest with extreme focus, this was the first step for his growth as a player, his true real Quest!

Dale, however, wasn't patient, so he said as he cleared his throat:

"... However, there are a few things for you to be wary of as you dive down there…"

"So PAY attention this time."

'After I'm done here I'll have to see if I can trigger this Quest maker system again, I need to understand more about it if I want to make use of Rodi.'

"YES!"

"First, although most of the Miasma was cleared, a considerable amount still remains, the corruption was so deep that the very walls are already drenched and filled with it."

"So be careful as Miasma is extremely harmful to the Human body."

Rodi nodded.

"Second, there are 5 floors that I have explored, and under any circumstances, you are completely and utterly prohibited from going further than the 5th floor, not because I don't want you to, but for your safety and everyone's else."

'Even if he wanted to, he couldn't, there is only one entrance, and it's sealed...'

'But in the off chance he finds something, it would be better to have him report it to me rather than having him go on his own "adventure".'

"Not only does the Miasma increase in potency the deeper you go, but the further down you go the closer you get to the sealed creatures."

"So do everyone a favor and stay away from them else you disturb them and cause our already precarious situation to get even worse."

'Not only that, but I also want this fucker to stay away from my possible secret Quest missions and rewards.'

"And just a word of warning, if I see any sign that you went to the Fifth floor without prior mentioning, I will barge you from accessing this very place for an unknown amount of time."

"Are we clear?" Dale asked in a deep tone

"YES SIR!"

Rodi cleared his throat nervously, understanding Dale's warnings.

'This is a warning from the game itself, if I go too deep and end up triggering a Quest I was not supposed to, this may be the end of my character…'

'Perhaps my Reputation is simply not that high enough yet.'

'Many times in MMOs has such a thing happened, and sometimes, being the first to unlock hidden content may not be beneficial…'

As he continued to think, Dale continued to speak:

"Besides that, in there, you'll find an extensive array of passages similar to a labyrinth, most of which I have not searched through, hence, they hold many dangers such as traps and dangerous creatures."

"Most of them are undead in nature as that is the only thing that can live within the Miasma, as far as I know at least."

"So you know the drill, sharp and piercing attacks tend to be ineffective against them…"

'In their case at least... Not in mine.'

'As a Hardcore player, damage calculations don't work that way. But that's not far from the truth anyway.'

'Hitting a walking pile of bones with a spear is much harder than with an ax or a hammer… Or even as effective, but that depends on where.'

"Lastly, if you find any strange item or new passage leading to somewhere outside of the Catacombs, make sure to share it with us as they hold extreme historical and cultural importance to us."

'Can't let the player rake in anything on his own… I gave him the opportunity and that is how he'll repay me.'

'A secret item he finds may hold no value for him, but it may mean the world to some of the Villagers who know the story of this place.'

"Some of these passages may help us uncover more of Resko's lost history, so make sure to report everything you find."

"Of course, you won't be unpaid for this, but we can discuss that based on your contributions." Dale said as he got down from the Altar

Once he was done, he smiled mentally to himself, he managed to tie everything together nicely…

Rodi had to stay thinking for some time, but he said with a smile:

"Yes sir I understand!"

"Good… Because the villagers will be returning soon, so how about you just take a step inside and see if you can handle it?"

"We can leave it for later too if you wish to prepare, better be safe than sorry later."

"Of course."

'I could use this off time to prepare… See how hard the Dungeon is… If it is one.'

'I was thinking of making a stream, but I think I will record a video and fuse it with what I already recorded during the day.'

'I can't show too much to the outside while most players are still in the tutorial, eelse the worst may happen and I could end up attracting more players to this place and screw myself over…'

'Especially when I have a task to fulfill, Guild leader would kick my ass if I ended up sharing a good Dungeon with others.'

'But this is it, the first step!'

…

/A few minutes later.../

After putting on his strongest gear, Rodi was now ready to descend into the darkness below Resko…

This was the same gear Dale had, the Commander of the Vault guardians set, and the Glyph Blade, giving him a total of +25 to all stats while in a ruin.

He breathed carefully, extremely focused.

...

At the end of the dark stairs layd a long corridor, and at the end of said hallway was a pair of half-opened metallic doors.

He took a step past them...

[You have entered the Dungeon, Labyrinth of Resko]

[Would you like to set this place as your respawn point?]

"... Yes."

[Spawn point set]

But nothing else happened afterward… No message, no rewards, just eerie silence.

"Is something wrong?"

'No message for being the first?'

'I heard there was a small reward for being the first to find a Dungeon...'

"Could it be because this isn't a Hidden Dungeon and instead, it's an explored place already known by the NPCs?"

"If so, that's quite a bummer."

'Doesn't matter, those bonuses aren't really much anyway, the true value comes from the quest.'

Rodi finally arrived at the last set of stairs, and it immediately came…

"COUGH COUGH! This place smells more than my dad's socks!"

'The very air seems… Stuffy…'

"COUGH! Wack… I feel as if I breathed water…" Rodi said with a bit of disgust

[DING]

[You've inhaled air with a thin concentration of Rotten miasma]

[You've been inflicted with Rotten lungs x1]

[Rotten lungs

Description: The miasma is slowly rotting your body, however, it isn't strong enough to affect your skin yet, but it is slowly crawling into your sensitive lungs.

The longer you stay in it, the worse it will get, and if it passes x10 then it will pass from a simple affliction to a disease.

]

[Your body resists its corruption]

[Rotten lungs x1 has been purged due to your body's high constitution]

"What?! So there is even a debuff?... What a terrible place to raid..."

'But… It makes some sense now. The theme of this place must be a time attack.'

'From what he told me, this place was once filled to the brim with Miasma, so it must've been much stronger, besides that, it even says thin concentration.'

'And when I think about it, I realize how strong Dale must be.'

'With my current setup, I can resist it, but what would happen if I were to remove it…'

[You've been inflicted with Rotten lungs x1]

But no message followed this…

"I knew it, my stats are too weak for me to resist this on my own, and the progress bar is slowly filling up…"

'So even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to dive deeper into the Dungeon.'

"My options aren't that limited thanks to this armor, but I wonder how deep I can go with these stats of mine?"

'Perhaps I can go deeper as I Level up?'

"Phew... I hope the creatures in here aren't too high Level for me…"

'It would be truly despairing to come this far only to stop because I can't deal damage to the monsters due to the Level difference...'

Clearing his throat once more, Rudi descended deeper into the Catacombs while Dale waited for his return...

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