I Can Extract Game Items

Gregorious, who had been quietly standing to the side, perked up at this. His stubby legs shuffled forward eagerly as his green face shone with excitement. "We'll do it!" he piped up before August could respond. "An adventure like this? Count me in!"

August glanced at Gregorious with a raised brow but couldn't help but smirk. "Well, looks like I don't have a choice," he said to the baron. "Consider it done."

[ System Notification: C-Ranked Quest Received ]

Quest Title: Vanishing Patrol

Objective: Investigate the disappearance of Tagharium soldiers in the designated area and report back.

Rewards: EXP +50,000, Gold +20, Item Reward (Unknown).

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The journey to the outskirts began about an hour after the quest was issued.

August had gotten all the necessary items needed for this journey before embarking on it.

The sun cast a golden glow over Tagharium as August and Gregorious departed from the city gates. The road was bustling with merchants and travelers at first, but the further they traveled, the more deserted the path became.

The lively chatter of townsfolk faded, replaced by the rustling of leaves and occasional chirp of birds.

Gregorious was practically bouncing with energy. "This is amazing!" he exclaimed while adjusting his tiny backpack. "I've never been outside the village before, you know. Always stuck farming or running errands. But this… this is the real deal!"

August chuckled. "Glad you're enjoying it. Just remember, this isn't a sightseeing trip. We're heading into potentially dangerous territory."

"I know, I know," Gregorious said, waving his hand dismissively. "But still, it's exciting! Do you think it's bandits? Or maybe some kind of magical beast? Oh, oh, what if it's a portal to another dimension?"

"Let's hope it's not the last one," August muttered.

The forest ahead seemed darker than it should have. The trees grew closer together, forming a canopy with their gnarled branches that blocked out much of the sunlight. The air felt heavier here, and an eerie silence replaced the natural sounds of the forest.

[ System Notification: Warning! This area has been marked as dangerous. Proceed with caution. ]

August halted, scanning the surroundings. "Stay close, Gregorious. Something feels off here."

Gregorious gulped as his earlier enthusiasm dampened. "You don't have to tell me twice."

As they ventured deeper, the signs of human presence began to fade. No footprints, no discarded supplies—nothing to suggest the soldiers had even passed through. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the crunch of leaves under their boots.

Suddenly, Gregorious froze. His ears twitched repeatedly before he spoke; "Do you hear that?"

August strained his ears. At first, there was nothing. Then, faintly, he heard it—a low, rhythmic thrum. It seemed to vibrate through the air, coming from somewhere ahead.

"Stay alert," August drew his dagger. He activated [Stealth] causing his form to blend into the shadows as they crept toward the source of the sound.

"Y'know, Lord Aleman, this is exactly the kind of place where bad decisions are made. Dark forest, creepy glowing rock, suspicious lack of birds—classic setup for death. I'm just saying," Gregorious voice nervously.

"Keep moving, Gregorious..."

The forest opened into a small clearing, and at its center stood a massive stone monolith covered in glowing runes. The hum was louder now, pulsating from the monolith like a heartbeat. Surrounding the monolith were scattered pieces of armor—helmets, breastplates, and swords, all eerily intact but devoid of their owners.

Gregorious whispered, "What the hell is that?"

"I don't know," August replied with a low tone. "But it doesn't look friendly."

As they approached, the runes on the monolith flared brighter, and the thrum intensified. The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, and a chilling wind swept through the clearing.

[ System Notification: Defend Yourself! An unknown force is reacting to your presence. ]

Before August could react, the shadows around the monolith coalesced into humanoid forms with bodies flickering like static. Their eyes glowed an unnatural blue, and they moved with jerky, inhuman speed.

"Oh, great. Shadow people. This is fine. Totally normal. I see this every Tuesday," Gregorious swallowed a lump of saliva after speaking frantically.

"Looks like we found what happened to the soldiers... Stay back and support me," August muttered grimly, readying his weapon.

'It's a bit strange that a troop of soldiers and even the ones after would disappear from an encounter with these weird beings so I need to exercise caution... After all, there's only two of us...' August held his dagger forward in thought.

"Support? Lord Aleman, I'm a warrior, not a bard! Fine, but if I die, tell the barmaid at the Tavern of Tranquility I had feelings for her!" Gregorious voiced dramatically while brandishing his sword.

'...or one,' August rolled his eyes.

There was no Tavern of Tranquility and there was certainly no barmaid.

The shadowy figures lunged toward them at this moment, with unnatural ferocity.

August activated [Dash] immediately, weaving between them with speed.

August slashed at the first shadow but the blade passed right through it like air.

"What the—? My attacks aren't connecting!" He frowned.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Suddenly, the dagger jerked in his hand, pulling him toward the monolith.

He struggled against the unseen force, finally yanking it free.

'What the hell was that? There was a pull from the monolith,' August's eyes narrowed in thought but he didn't have time to connect the dots as another shadow lunged at him.

He moved out of the way swiftly and as he did, the shadow brushed against a low-hanging leaf. The leaf vanished instantly, leaving only a wisp of smoke.

The runes on the monolith flared in response, glowing in an intricate, shifting pattern.

"Gregarious! It's the monolith. When these things make contact with anything, it vanishes, and the monolith reacts. That's how the soldiers disappeared!" August voiced in realization.

"So… we're fighting touchy-feely shadows that turn you into thin air? Fantastic. You'd think they'd put this on the quest notification," Gregarious backed away cautiously, doing his best to avoid even letting his sword make contact.

As he moved backward to evade another of the shadowy figures, he slipped on a small piece of rock and found himself falling forward.

One of the shadows surged toward Gregarious whose frame was falling into the arms of the dark creature.

"Uh... HELP!" Gregorious cry for help came out like a welp.

August dashed forward with lightning speed, grabbing Gregarious by the arm and yanking him out of the way just in time.

"We can't let them touch us. Stay behind me and keep your distance!" August instructed.

"I almost became a shadow snack! This better come with hazard pay!" Gregarious panted with a look of relief.

The shadows advanced again, and August took a deep breath, summoning his mana.

[ System Notification: Spell Activated: Lightning Bolt ]

Bolts of electricity arced from his outstretched hand, striking one of the shadowy figures. It shuddered violently before dissolving into nothingness.

"Yes! Take that, you smoky creeps! Zap them all, Lord Aleman!" Gregarious cheered from the sidelines.

More shadows surged forward, but August stayed calm, firing bolt after bolt. The air crackled with energy as the shadows were obliterated one by one.

System Notification:

[ Enemy Defeated: Shadow Remnant x1 | EXP Gained: 2500 ]

[ Enemy Defeated: Shadow Remnant x1 | EXP Gained: 2500 ]

[ Enemy Defeated: Shadow Remnant x1 | EXP Gained: 2500 ]

When the last shadow dissolved, the clearing fell silent, and the blue glow of the monolith dimmed slightly. August stood catching his breath.

"Well, that was horrifying. Next time, can we take a quest that involves, I don't know, delivering pies? I'd be great at pie delivery," Gregarious sat on the ground as though he had done all the work.

"I'll keep that in mind. Let's report back to Baron Hilderan. He'll want to know what's been happening here," August stated while straightening himself up.

"Good, because after that performance, Lord Aleman, I deserve a medal. Or at least a big drink," Gregarious turned his round-bellied self around and began taking triumphant steps forward.

August chuckled a bit while turning around to move when he suddenly sensed something.

Continue your adventure at empire

There was a strange pulse from the monolith and mana seemed to be stringing from it to another location.

"Hold," August called out to Gregarious who stopped in his tracks.

"What is it, Lord Aleman?"

"Do you sense that?"

"Sense what? I think my senses are only attuned to five things, Chicken wings and... I forgot the other four."

"Focus," August tapped the back of his head slightly.

"Do you sense the pull of mana?" He asked once more.

"Not at all," Gregarious shook his head.

August realized that this must be due to the fact that Gregarious was a warrior-class player.

'I guess only mages can sense it... And it's flowing in that direction,' August turned northeast.

(( Fifteen Minutes Later ))

"Boss, you sure you don't need me to come along? I'm real good at being invisible. I mean, not as good as you, but still!" Gregorious whispered while staring at a large ominous-looking castle nestled between a canyon.

[ System Notification: Hidden Ruined Castle Unveiled ]

"Stay here. I'll need someone to watch my back," August had replied, more to ensure Gregorious wouldn't get himself killed since things were starting to look a whole lot more serious now.

Gregarious was only at level ten after all.

"I'm going in alone."

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Author's Note: I apologize for the recent lack of chapters. I didn't realise that another tier of privilege had been activated and I was required to put ten chapters in it. I have been busy with real life situations these past few days that's why it took so long.

To make up for the inconvenience, I'll do a mass release of ten chapters next week Thursday. I apologize once again and thank you all for the continued support. Happy New Year.