Chapter 25

[Special Skill 'Repetition (反復)' - 0 Stars Acquired.]

“...Huh?”

-...Huh?

The unexpected result left both of them speechless.

“Thought it would be a more normal name. Like ‘Home Cooking - 0 Stars’ or ‘Nap Time - 0 Stars’ or something.”

-...I should apologize to all the unemployed people in the country. Anyway, what’s with this ‘Repetition’? What do I have to do with repetition... Oh.

“Oh.”

Both of them realized simultaneously where this ‘Repetition’ keyword came from.

“Regression!”

-Yeah, that’s the only explanation. I repeated my life. Something like that.

Chenma narrowed his eyes. As expected, his regression was clearly linked to this game, Lase.

-The Lase guys, this is how they roll, huh? Alright, I’ll bet everything on this game and clear it completely. For sure!

“Wow, for a guy without a body, you sure have big ambitions.”

-...The player and the background spirit are one. If you clear it, it’s the same as me clearing it.

“Alright, let’s go with that. Then, let’s check out the skill given to us by the one who shares my heart.”

It feels good.

The moment he saw the name ‘Repetition,’ he had a clear feeling.

This skill is similar to ‘Unlock.’

The moment Carp opened the status window:

Ding.

[Congratulations. You are the first to acquire a 0-star skill. The title ‘First 0-Star Skill’ has been granted.]

[The title ‘Two Firsts’ has been converted to ‘Three Firsts.’]

“Wow. Right, I remember this!”

The titles he received when he first got a 0-star background spirit and a 10-star skill. Naturally, he also received a title when he acquired a 0-star skill.

[First 0-Star Skill]

- An additional skill point is granted with each level up. (Retroactive)

- The level of the ‘Repetition - 0 Stars’ skill increases with each level up of the player. (Retroactive)

[Three Firsts]

- All stats +33

The options for the title were the same as the ones he had previously obtained.

This meant it was extremely good.

-I’ve been playing games for over 10 years, and I’ve never heard of a title that gives +33 to all stats. At this level, even if a 0-star skill is trash, it’s forgivable.

“Let’s see how it goes from here.”

Phew.

Carp took a deep breath and checked the skill window.

[Repetition - 0 Stars]

- Repeat.

That was the entire description.

“...Are you kidding me?”

-The unhelpful description suggests it’s similar to ‘Unlock,’ right?

“No, there’s a limit to how unhelpful something can be.”

Isn’t this going too far? At least ‘Unlock’ had some explanation with the kanji.

“What exactly are we supposed to repeat?”

-We need to figure that out. Let’s experiment with monsters.

“Sigh, alright. Maybe we’ll find the answer by trial and error.”

Sighing, Carp and Chenma headed out of the city.

* * *

Just a short distance from the eastern gate of the port city of Luana, a beautiful beach stretches out.

This is the first hunting ground players encounter on the mainland, ‘Luana’s Beach.’

Due to Luana’s port city environment, the nearby monsters are mostly marine creatures.

Large clams, large crabs, sea crocodiles, sea turtles, and so on.

Among them, the ‘Mermaid’ is the strongest monster in Luana’s Beach, excluding the field boss, which is currently being hunted by Carp.

“Lightning Arrow!”

“Gyaah!”

Thud.

[You have defeated the Mermaid!]

[Level Up! Bonus stats have been granted.]

Of course, even the strongest monster in Luana’s Beach is a one-hit kill for Carp, nothing more, nothing less.

“The Mermaid is also a one-hit kill.”

-Of course, a stat monster using a lightning attack on a water-type monster will result in a one-hit kill. Even the strongest monster here is only level 20.

Carp has killed five monsters on the beach so far, all of which were one-hit kills.

“Using magic for the first time, it’s better than I expected.”

A 3-star skill, Elemental Arrow.

An advanced version of the 1-star skill Magic Arrow, this skill allows the player to imbue Magic Arrow with a desired element before firing it.

“The feel isn’t as good, but it’s definitely visually pleasing.”

-It’s no wonder mages are a popular class. Anyway, that’s not the important thing right now.

“Right, you’re right.”

Carp frowned. He couldn’t find any clues about ‘Repetition.’

“I’ve tried everything I can think of.”

Repeating the use of a skill.

Killing the same monster repeatedly.

Saying ‘Repeat!’ to a monster’s corpse, and so on.

No matter what he did, the Repetition skill remained unchanged.

-You can’t expect to get full results right away. It’s still early, so don’t be too anxious.

“I understand. Let me try a bit more.”

About an hour later.

Unfortunately, Carp’s ‘Repetition’ research yielded no significant results, and he had leveled up to level 12 in the meantime.

“Sigh. I have no idea.”

-There’s no immediate progress. It’s better to proceed with the quest right now.

“Might as well. Let’s see.”

Carp opened the quest window to check the details.

[The Mage King’s Relic]

[Category: Job Scenario, Mainstream]

[Quest Restriction: One who inherits the will of the Mage King]

[In the starting city of Reaching, you discovered the secret of the Mage King and Arakham. You must strengthen yourself to face the impending crisis.]

[Go to ‘Geas’ in the port city of Luana and listen to information about the Mage King’s legacy.]

[Success: Intermediate Skill Pack x1, linked to the next quest]

[Failure: All quests related to Arakham are erased, and the main storyline is broken.]

“It seems I need to find an NPC named Geas.”

Carp checked the quest window again. There was only the name ‘Geas’ with no information about his location.

“This is like looking for Kim in Seoul. Finding an NPC in this vast city with just a name... Do you know anything, bro?”

-Of course not. Even I don’t memorize the names and locations of all NPCs. Only if the NPC is extremely important.

“Right, I just thought I’d ask.”

Carp, who had already experienced it, knew that the organization Arakham was close to a secret society. Therefore, it was highly likely that the NPC Geas was also hiding somewhere.

“Is this really a Mythic-class linked quest? It’s difficult from the start.”

For a regular player, this would be a situation to complain about the game’s lack of user-friendliness.

“I find it interesting.”

The casual gamer smiled.

While grinding was good, the reward after hard work had its own unique flavor.

* * *

To conclude, Lase wasn’t that unfriendly.

“Geas? Ah, the gravekeeper Geas!”

“That old man is at the communal cemetery outside the western gate. He comes to our shop every few months to buy necessities, so I know him well.”

Ding.

[Information has been updated.]

[The location of NPC ‘Geas’ is marked on the mini-map.]

Returning to the city, Carp entered a general store in the eastern commercial district and asked the owner about Geas.

The kind owner immediately gave Carp the right answer.

For Carp, who was prepared to search for a needle in a desert, this was a somewhat anticlimactic ending.

“A bit anticlimactic.”

-If it’s easy, it’s a good thing. What are you complaining about? The more you look, the more he seems like a pervert.

“Finding such things is part of the romance of exploration.”

-You’re the only one who thinks finding an NPC in a village is an adventure. We have a long way to go, so let’s move quickly.

The port city of Luana is divided into three main areas.

The eastern commercial district, the southern port area, and the central lord’s castle.

The western and northern areas are mostly undeveloped regions blocked by large mountains, so there is little human traffic.

Therefore, facilities that are necessary for daily life but are often avoided, such as landfills and communal cemeteries, are located in the western and northern areas.

Carp’s destination was the communal cemetery in the west.

It was the farthest place from the eastern commercial district, but fortunately, there were warp NPCs at each gate to move to other gates.

-Of course, it’s a necessary measure. This city is as big as Beijing. If it took an hour to move around the city, who would play such a game?

For this reason, Carp could instantly move from the eastern gate to the western gate using the warp NPC.

“Let’s see, the mini-map...”

Carp activated the mini-map. The communal cemetery was not far from the western gate. Carp hurriedly left the gate.

After moving along the path indicated by the mini-map for about five minutes:

“There it is.”

A place that anyone would recognize as a communal cemetery appeared.

Rows of numerous graves and a two-story cottage nearby. Without hesitation, Carp headed for the cottage.

Creak