Chapter 19 -19-Special Item

Chapter 19 -19-Special Item"???" Daniel stared at the prompt box in front of him, utterly dumbfounded. According to the books he had read, while Star Upgrade Quests came in varying levels of difficulty, most of them—except for the SS-rank ones—weren't particularly dangerous. Searᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even if someone encountered an SS-level quest, they would normally be given the option to decline and try again for a different one. But in his case, there was no option to decline at all! He was forced to accept the SSS-rank Star Upgrade Quest. "Damn it... they're clearly trying to screw me over!" Daniel muttered, clicking his tongue in frustration. But no amount of complaining would change things. Still... considering how generous the rewards were, it might actually be worth the risk. After all, the God Rank Skill he already had—one that barely cracked the top 90—had already allowed him to dominate the early-stage Labyrinths. So a top 10 God Rank Skill? That would undoubtedly be monstrously powerful! Not to mention the Divine Temple—whatever that was. It wasn't explained anywhere, but the fact that it was bundled with a reward for an SSS-tier quest meant it had to be significant. With that in mind, Daniel made up his mind. Of course, not that it mattered—he didn't have the option to refuse anyway. What he didn't expect was that, the moment he clicked "Accept," a massive column of divine light came cascading down from the heavens! In an instant, the entire Star Upgrade Hall was stunned into complete silence. "Holy crap, did you guys see that? What the hell was that light?!" "Could it be... someone accepted an SS-rank Star Upgrade Quest? No way—are they trying to get themselves killed?!" "Wait... is it possible a human genius has emerged?!" "No, no way. I'm already 81 years old. Back when I was just 3, I once witnessed the anomaly from an SS-rank Star Upgrade Quest—but it wasn't nearly this grand!" ... Soon, the brilliance faded, and standing at the center of it all... was Daniel. Bathed in divine radiance, he looked every bit the noble heir of destiny—a figure born with the aura of supremacy. "Wait! Isn't that the Uncrowned Prince?!" "Which one? Why haven't I heard of him before?" "Which one do you think? The only surviving member of the Crossbridge Kingdom royal bloodline—Prince Daniel!" "Hold on... didn't he just go through his Awakening Ceremony this morning and end up with an F-rank Furniture Craftsman talent? Why is he at the Star Upgrade Hall?!" ... Daniel paid no attention to the onlookers' chatter and quickly exited the Star Upgrade Hall. Only after leaving did he finally check the details of his Star Upgrade Quest. [Star Upgrade Quest 1: Clear the Labyrinth "Whisper of the Moon."] [Star Upgrade Quest 2: Solo-kill 10 World Rank Bosses. Current kills: 0] "...Are you sure this is a Star Upgrade Quest, and not a suicide mission??" Daniel's expression twitched. He barely held back the urge to start swearing on the spot. The first quest wasn't too bad. Granted, Whisper of the Moon was widely acknowledged as the most difficult Tier-3 Labyrinth, but for someone like him, it was just a matter of casting a few more spells. But the second quest—now that was just insane. World Rank Bosses were typically so powerful they required massive raiding parties—at least tens of thousands of people—to take down. And he was supposed to kill ten of them—alone?! Of course, Daniel did have [Great Fireball], a spell that inflicted percentage-based HP damage. So technically speaking, it wasn't completely impossible... But it was still going to be incredibly difficult. Either way, time was of the essence. At the entrance of the Royal Academy's Labyrinth... Mejir stood staring at the records displayed on the Dragon Glass Stele, his emotions in turmoil. "Daniel... am I really destined to live in your shadow forever?" "No! That's not possible!" "I have an SS-rank talent! There's no way I'll spend my life chasing after someone like you!" "So what if he cleared a few beginner-level Labyrinths? Big deal!" "Thirty years east, thirty years west... I just need to train harder, push forward, and reach 3-star rank as soon as possible!" "By then, a clown like Daniel—with his F-rank trash talent—will be nothing more than a stepping stone for me!" With this inner conviction, Mejir turned to his father, his face serious. "Father, time's running short. There's no need to waste it on these beginner Labyrinths." "I need the family's help. I want to grow stronger as fast as possible." Having made his decision, Mejir left with his father, returning to the family estate. Meanwhile, at the Labyrinth entrance, the remaining students all wore looks of resigned disappointment. After all, staring at the record displayed on the Dragon Glass Stele—a time so fast it almost seemed impossible—they felt there was no point in even trying. Before a true genius, they were nothing but trash. [Labyrinth: Whisper of the Moon] [Labyrinth Level: 30] [Entry Requirement: Level 30] [Description: A labyrinth that hides an ancient secret. It's said that clearing it will grant access to a terrifying truth.] "What's with this cryptic description?" Daniel frowned. He gave the glowing Labyrinth Gate a quick once-over before stepping inside without hesitation. The moment he entered, he unleashed a full-area bombardment of his God Rank Skills. Four successive casts of [Thunderfall Shield] detonated across the terrain, and almost instantly, the familiar system message popped up: [Congratulations! You have successfully cleared the Labyrinth.] [Rating Achieved: SSS] [Total Time Taken: 01 Second] "As expected!" Daniel yawned. But just as he was about to exit, something unusual caught his attention—a rare treasure chest appeared before him. Unlike the chests he'd seen in previous Labyrinths, this one was a shimmering crescent-white, glowing faintly with lunar radiance. He silently chose to open it. But what appeared inside left him completely stunned. [Congratulations! You have obtained a Special Item: Moonlight Amulet] [Moonlight Amulet] [Description: A charm condensed from moonlight. It's said that many epochs ago, the moon was just... a moon. Equipping it may produce special effects.] [Would you like to equip it?] "...Huh?" Daniel frowned slightly. This was the first time he had seen a special item that could be equipped. As for what special effects it might bring... he was curious, of course. But the problem was—the description didn't actually explain anything. "Whatever, I'll equip it first and see what happens." To his irritation, even after equipping the [Moonlight Amulet], his status screen showed no attribute changes. Not even a tooltip for a passive effect. "...What the hell? Is this thing just a fancy accessory?" If that was the case, then this whole trip had been a total scam! He'd gone through all that effort to clear the Labyrinth, only to get some collector's item with zero value? He was speechless. Still... at least he had completed the first part of the Star Upgrade Quest. It wasn't a total loss.