Evie was stunned. "An Epic . . . quest?"

She couldn't believe at what she saw flashing on her screen.

She heard about that quest, and they weren't easy to accomplish, but the rewards, however, would definitely grant her an edge over the others.

Did Ren knew about this?

If so . . . then she definitely owed him. Big time!

Evie immediately pressed [ACCEPT]. Only an idiot would decline an Epic Quest.

E P I C Q U E S T

The Enchantress Meriyaah

Meriyaah was once a powerful enchantress. Her powers and beauty were sought after by everyone, but only one person took her heart, Thomas the Knight of Ereynia.

Using her powers, she built Illusion Forrest, a place of mystique and intrigue that serve as the haven for the lovers.

However, one day, when Thomas went out to get supplies in town, Meriyaah was killed. She believed that her killer was none other than Regard, her sworn nemesis.

Regard was an ambitious man who sought only power and wanted nothing but to claim the title of the greatest enchanter. He was the only one who was powerful enough to combat the traps and illusions set in the forest and kill her without her knowing how and why.

OBJECTIVES!

Find out how and why Meriyaah died

REWARDS!

40 000 EXP

1 000 000 Gil

Crystal Chest

Platinum Chest

Gold Chest

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E N D

Evie's face brightened. A Crystal Chest!

But her happiness was short-lived as she knew that behind those awesome rewards was a quest that couldn't be completed in a short amount of time. What's more, there was no hint whatsoever on where to start.

The only useful information was the description. Thomas and Regard. Those two were her clues, but only Thomas's location was given among them.

Nevertheless, Evie readily accepted the quest, though her face remained impassive.

Meriyaah's expression was blank though there was a hint of a smile plastered faintly on her lips.

"Thank you. You'll need all the aid you can get in your quest." She closed her eyes briefly. "As for me, in my current state, all I can give you is my blessing. However, if you defeat the current ruler of this forest, you'll get one of my set treasures."

[You have received Meriyaah's Blessings!]

[Your INT increased +40]

[Your LCK increased +10]

Evie was ecstatic. That's 5000 worth of EXP! And just because she was the first to discover Meriyaah. This was the first time that she was so glad that she picked a Blue Mage as a subclass.

She definitely would give something back to Ren after this. It was all thanks to him. Or better yet, maybe they could complete the quest together? An Epic Quest was rare, and her debt of gratitude would surely be repaid by the information and its accompanied loots if they ever succeeded in completing the quest.

"Thank you. But who is the current ruler of this forest?" Evie asked. She thought that it might be the Hidden Boss.

Meriyaah's face slightly changed, and her brows met in one line on her forehead. "It's Rakusha, the former guardian of the forest. It sometimes showed itself, luring unsuspected travelers to the promise of loot they would get upon defeating it.

"However, Rakusha can change the layout and scenery of the forest at its whim. It can't easily be found. It hid in the secret part of the forest, unknown to travelers. Its true aim are the travelers' souls to feast upon. The more souls it ate, the more powerful it became."

No wonder that the forest seemed alive. Someone was controlling it in the dark. It was the Boss and Illusion Forest was its whole lair. No wonder they couldn't log out. They were already inside the Boss's room!

"How do I find it then?"

Meriyaah's gaze shifted far beyond. "Rakusha is everywhere. Its eyes are all-knowing, and because of my item in its hand, it could control the forest to its whims.

"However, there is a way to find it. Follow where the water goes . . . and you will find it."

Evie did notice a small stream of water when they walked in the muddy and damp soil. Only now did she notice that it was odd that she only found a single stream when usually, water created multiple paths.

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"I see . . . thank you."

"A warning . . ." Meriyaah looked at Evie seriously in the eyes. "As you are currently now. You couldn't defeat it. But with the aid of five players, all with their main ATP at +40, you could stand a chance."

Plus 40? Evie didn't have a problem in that department. With Meriyaah's blessings, her INT was already in +70.

Evie recalled if her companions' main ATP had already reached that digit. As much as she could remember, Ragnar was nearing that digit. She didn't know about Michael and the others, though.

But their advantage lies in their numbers, so there might be a chance.

Then Evie remembered something. "How about the Windigo? How do you defeat them?" It was worth the shot to ask her. Though Evie wasn't expecting much.

To her surprise, Meriyaah answered.

"The Windigo is non-ending. As long as Rakusha is alive, those beings will continue to exist. To defeat them, you must defeat Rakusha first."

"That would be a problem since they're coming at us. We can't just leave it alone."

Meriyaah looked at me for a moment before she said, "The Wisp is your guide. Those are innocent souls -- victims of Rakusha. The Windigos will not attack you if you stay within five meters from the wisp. They will follow you, but they wouldn't initiate an attack."

Evie's eyes rounded. Now that Meriyaah mentioned it, she did notice that the wisps were thinner from where they traveled because they wanted to stay away from those flying balls of fire as much as possible.

Was that why the Windigos attacked in the first place?

They thought that the Wisps were enemies, only to realize it was their saving grace against those Windigos.

"Is that all?" Meriyaah asked Evie after a minute of silence.

Evie couldn't think of anything more and nodded.

Meriyaah smiled. "Then . . . I wish you all the best."

After seconds Meriyaah's form slowly dispersed, and the scenery changed to what it was before. Trees and foliage basked in perpetual grey while fog lingered in the air.

Evie heard the clashing metals, shouts, and cries not far from where she stood. Turning towards the sound, she saw Roxy and Rox's white hair, the only bright color amidst the dim light.

Evie was about to run in that direction when she thought of something.

Should she tell them about what she found? She didn't know much about Roxy's and the others, even more so Michael's. She was afraid they wouldn't give Meriyaah's item to her if she told them.

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However, she couldn't log out or exit the forest. That option became inaccessible once they entered the place. So she had no choice but to tell them since she couldn't solo Rakusha. Her only option was either that or let herself get killed to escape the forest and suffer ATP reduction.

The latter choice wasn't an appealing to her.

Evie took a deep breath and continued forward. She would make a deal with the group and hope for the best outcome. Roxy and Rox seemed like nice people, while Michael's group . . . his group was the only problem.

Bracing herself, Evie returned to her group, and upon the sight of her, she was stunned at the hostility that greeted her.

"What the fuck?! You still came back?!" Roxy sneered. She was indeed a nice person, but her emotions got the best of her most of the time.

Roxy, Rox, and Ragnar's faces were haggard, and it showed on their expression. It looked like any moment mpw, they would give up and accept their fate in the hands of the monsters.

Meanwhile, the Windigos' numbers didn't decrease even before Evie left.

But what surprised Evie was that . . . Michael's group were nowhere to be seen.

She didn't have time to ask, though, because another wave of Windigos was hammering their claws at Roxy and Ragnar. The two could barely defend themselves while Rox struggled to kill as much Windigo as he could.

But with his meagre damage, against the dozens of Windigos that were clawing Roxy and Ragnar, it would only took a minute before they got wiped out.

Good thing that Evie arrived in the neck of time.

"Stop fighting and follow me," Evie said in a rush, though her face was the epitome of calmness.

"What the fuck are you!"

Evie turned her back before Roxy could finish her sentence.

"If you want to live, follow me immediately." Evie then ran towards the nearest rows of Wisps that she saw without turning back.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Roxy growled, but Evie just ignored her and didn't even spare her the barest glance.

A/N

Looks like I need two more chapters before i get to Ren

BONUS Chapter for reaching 1000 PS will be posted tom

Thank you!

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