---
"Hyaaa..."
"Haaaaa....."
"Take this..."
"Die... Die, all of you!"
"Hahahahaha.... It was so easy defeating them."
"Don't forget, everyone, the quest isn't just about killing monsters. We also have to find an item with an A-grade."
"Of course, I know that, Jay."
"Haha, let's just wipe them all out so it'll be easier to find the item."
We managed to defeat the monsters one by one. With our current strength, it felt much easier to beat them. Not a single one of those monsters could hurt us.
Since we'd grown used to fighting, our bodies were now well-trained — we knew when to attack and when to defend. However, even after killing dozens of monsters, none of them dropped the item we were looking for. Most of them only dropped grade D and C items.
"We've taken down a lot of monsters already, but that item still hasn't shown up."
"You're right, Bima. How many more do we have to kill?"
"I don't know, Jay. But if we don't kill them, how else are we going to find that item?"
"Bima, Yusa, please give me a moment to think."
"Alright, Jay."
"Take cover behind us, Jay. We'll protect you. You just focus on finding a way to get that item."
"Thank you, both of you."
I tried to figure out a way to complete this quest quickly. If we kept on killing endless waves of monsters without a clear result, we'd only be wasting our energy. I needed to find the missing piece of this puzzle.
"Alright, let's think! If I were an item, where would I hide? Ahh, this is confusing. If only my 'Jayabaya's Vision' skill was active, I could easily identify the quest's key. Unfortunately, that skill has a very long cooldown."
Bruggg… Bruggg… Bruggg...
Stangg… Stangg… Stangg...
Bima and Yusa were still fighting, killing monsters nonstop. But the item still hadn't appeared. I had to keep thinking!
"Come on, Yusa! We have to keep killing them all!"
"Yes! Haaaa...."
"Haaaa....."
"That's it! Guys, I know now!"
"Great, Jay. What should we do?"
"No need! Leave it to me. Equator Slash! Haaa… It ends here!"
I used my skill and launched it toward the moon. That was why we hadn't found the A-grade item before — because the monster was hiding beneath the moonlight.
"Hit it!" I cheered as my attack landed.
"Isn't that flying monster… an Ahool? I haven't seen one of those in a while."
"Right, Bima. Like a bat, Ahool usually appears during dusk or nighttime."
"But why did the Ahool appear during the day in the first gate?"
"Have you ever seen bats flying in the morning or afternoon? I think it's similar to that. But naturally, they're nocturnal creatures, so they thrive at night."
[Congratulations! Quest Completed. Use, Store, or Sell the Item You Have Found.]
"Finally, we found the item."
"Nice job, Jay. You finished the quest."
"But… what is this? Looks like an earring, but there's only one."
"You're right, Bima. It does look like an earring. Wait, there's some info here. Mana Enhancing Earring. I guess that's its name."
"A mana-boosting earring, huh? That sounds like a good item, Jay. Why don't you just use it?"
"Heh, why me? Weren't we all part of this quest?"
"No, no, Jay. Yusa and I just slayed the monsters. But you were the one who figured it out. It's okay — use it. It'll help you a lot."
"Yeah, Jay, Bima's right. You should use the item."
"Alright, if you both insist. But for now, I'll just keep it in storage. Let's head back, it's getting dark."
"Okay, let's go back."
We returned to Roro's house, feeling happy after completing the quest. Inside, Loka and Roro were already packing to continue our journey tomorrow morning.
"Looks like you're done. Did you find the item?"
"Yeah, Jay found it."
"Yusa's right. Without him, we'd still be out there fighting monsters. Hahaha."
"Is that so?"
"That's how it went."
"Then keep the item. Oh, by the way, have you all packed your stuff?"
"Not yet…"
"In that case, start packing now and get to bed. We're leaving first thing in the morning."
"Alright!"
We hurried to pack everything we needed for tomorrow. Once we were done, we went to sleep so we wouldn't be exhausted on the road.
"Finally, all done."
"I'm done too. I'm going to sleep now. Good night, Bima, Yusa."
"I'm going to sleep too. Good night, everyone."
"Yeah, good night."
"Bima, turn off the light."
"Okay, bro."
After a tiring battle, we all fell into a deep sleep to restore our stamina and rest our bodies for the journey ahead.
---
The Next Morning...
"Ahhh, wake up everyone! We're continuing our journey today."
"Yaaawn..."
"Ah, morning already?"
"Good morning, everyone."
"Yeah, good morning."
"Jay, Yusa, Bima, all of you wake up. Hurry and take a bath, we'll have breakfast together."
"Alright."
"Okay."
"I'll go to the bathroom first."
"Sure, Jay."
Early in the morning, Loka was already waking us up. He told us to quickly get ready and take a bath. I went first. Honestly, I wanted to go back to sleep, but we had already decided to travel to Trowulan today.
"Ah... The water's freezing! I need to ask Roro for some hot water."
I left the bathroom to find Roro and ask for warm water. The water in Roro's house was really cold in the morning, so I needed something warmer.
"Roro, do you have any warm water?"
"Yes, Jay. I've already prepared it. Take one from the thermos over there."
"All three of these are the same?"
"Yes. They all have hot water. My brother and I already used them, and we prepared them for you guys."
"Wow, thanks, Roro."
"You're welcome."
"Alright, I'll go take a bath now."
"Okay, Jay."
"Ah, so refreshing. I'm not sleepy anymore. A hot morning bath really wakes you up."
Byurr... Byurr... Byurr...
"I'm curious about my current status. I think it's time to check my progress. S T A T U S O P E N!"
----------------------- STATUS ------------------------
NAME: JAYA KUSUMA LEVEL : 18
JOB: WARRIOR RANK : B
TITLE: NULL
RACE: HUMAN
------------------------------------------------------------
"Can't believe I'm almost at level 20 already. My level's progressed faster than most players. That's thanks to all the EXP I got early on. But in terms of strength, I'm still weaker than Atma. Even though our levels weren't that far apart, when we fought, he was only level 15 and I was already level 16. I wonder what levels my other friends are at now..."
"Oh, Jay, you're done?"
"Yeah, Bima. You can use the bathroom now."
"Alright. Yusa, I'll go ahead."
"Sure, Bima."
"Hey, Yusa. What are you up to?"
"Hi, Jay. Just checking my status."
"Sounds interesting."
"Haha, not really. Oh, by the way Jay, can I ask you something?"
"Of course. What is it?"
"Did you hear anything strange last night?"
"Something strange?"
"Yeah. In my dream, someone kept calling my name, but I couldn't see who it was. I'm really curious who that person could be."
"So Yusa had the same dream I did," I thought to myself.
"Yusa, before I tell you more... can I ask what level you're at now?"
"Ahhhhh… Cold!" (Bima screamed from the bathroom)
Before Yusa could answer, Bima screamed because the water he used was freezing cold — the very water I tried to avoid. Looks like he didn't use the warm water Loka and Roro had prepared.
"What happened, Bima?"
"Why are you yelling?"
"Hehehe, sorry guys. I was freezing. I thought the water wasn't that cold, but it was! But don't worry, I'm done now."
"Didn't I tell you we prepared hot water? Why didn't you use it?"
"Sorry, I didn't ask first. I didn't know you had prepared warm water for us."
"You dummy, Bima."
"Haha, alright Yusa, you can go next. I'm done. Gonna get dressed now."
"Okay. Roro, I'll take some warm water with me."
"Sure, Yusa."
Once we were all done bathing, Roro and Loka had set a delicious breakfast table. It would be our last meal in this house. We hadn't realized how many good memories we'd made here.
"Wow, you cooked a lot."
"Everything looks so good."
"Feels like we're having a party."
"Hahahaha..." (Everyone laughed)
"Call it what you want — a party or a farewell. But Roro and I made all this for you. So eat up!"
"For us?"
"Yes. You've all been fighting and doing quests nonstop for the past two days. Especially yesterday's quest — we didn't help at all. So, take this as our way of saying thank you."
"Haha, that's just how my brother is. He doesn't like owing anyone anything."
"Yep, now eat up!"
"Alright, let's eat!"
"Yesss..."
We ate everything Roro and Loka had cooked. Not a single dish was left. Judging by their happy faces, they were glad we enjoyed the meal. We cleaned up all the dishes, packed up, and threw away the trash.
Finally, we got ready to head out to Trowulan a place full of mystery, and the main hub for players to grow stronger.
"Alright, let's make sure we're not forgetting anything."
"My stuff's all packed."
"Same here."
"I'm ready."
"Me too."
"Good. If we're all set, let's go."
"Yesss..."
Bima opened the door and we stepped outside. But then...
"Oh nooo! I forgot! Arya took our car! How are we supposed to get to Trowulan now?"
.
.
.
To be continued