Chapter Four: The Main Quest

To be fair, this truly lived up to its nightmarish level of difficulty—an "open-door kill" immediately greeted them with two aberrant seeds. The average player, faced with such a scenario, would probably be so frustrated they'd smash their helmet or tear at their clothes. Fortunately, A Cup of Wine Growing Stronger was well aware of her weakness in defense and had prepared protective items in advance; otherwise, Ash would have been forced to fight alone right from the start.

From the moment Ash arrived to the death of the Wasteland Bladesman, less than two seconds passed. This sudden turn of events sent the Wasteland Gunman behind them plummeting from heaven into hell.

What was interesting was that both sides had the same lineup. At first, with Ash absent, A Cup of Wine Growing Stronger, who provided ranged damage, was forced into a desperate retreat under the joint assault of the two wasteland warriors. But once Ash appeared, the situation flipped in an instant—not only did the Wasteland Bladesman get crushed, but A Cup of Wine Growing Stronger, regaining her composure, was able to vent all her frustration on the enemy.

Escape!

Seeing A Cup of Wine Growing Stronger take aim, the Wasteland Gunman didn't even have the courage to fire back. He knew that wasting even a single second would bring him one step closer to death, so without hesitation, he turned and fled.

But Ash had no intention of letting him escape unharmed.

The moment he finished off the Wasteland Bladesman, Ash immediately shifted his focus to the gunman, dashing forward while swapping out his depleted Energy-Enhanced Retractable Baton for his unremarkable-looking Direwolf Gauntlets.

Swish!

However, before Ash could catch up to the gunman, a crossbow bolt struck first, hitting the target's right leg. The impact left the gunman staggering, drastically slowing his speed and forcing him into the Direwolf Gauntlets' range.

Seeing the perfect opportunity, Ash struck out with both claws, unleashing a flurry of blows.

[Notice: You dealt six points of damage to "Wasteland Gunman." Equipment special effect "Savage Strike" activated.]

[Notice: Judgment in progress... Judgment successful! Target's Strength Level is four, not exceeding your Strength Level plus one. Equipment effect activates successfully, dealing double damage.]

[Notice: You dealt twelve points of damage to "Wasteland Gunman."]

[Notice: Wasteland Gunman's Agility Level is below five and cannot ignore the "Sluggish" status of 'normal' grade. For the next five seconds, attack and movement speed reduced by 25%.]

Desperately fleeing, the Wasteland Gunman found himself in the same predicament as the Bladesman. The sluggish effect drastically reduced his speed, leaving him trapped in a dilemma—unable to decide whether to run or stay, despair gripped his heart. In just a fleeting moment of distraction, Ash shaved thirty-six points off his health.

Powerful!

The upgraded Direwolf Gauntlets were now no weaker than the fully charged Retractable Baton. Although, following the advice of the Control Center's director, Ash had prioritized enhancing his baton, the gauntlets' solid foundation meant their boost was significant too.

...

[Direwolf Gauntlets, Enhanced] (Light/Basic)
Weapon Quality: Common (Remaining enhancements: 0)

Attack Range: Very Short
Damage Level: Moderate (12)
Equipment Special Effect: Savage Strike (Passive; deals double damage to targets with lower Strength than yours)
Enhancement Effect: Attack Up (Damage +100%)
Inlay: Strength Shard (+1 Strength Level for checks)
Requirements: Life Level 3, Strength Level 4, Agility Level 2
Description: These gauntlets were once capable of much more powerful attacks, but viral corruption has damaged their inner structure, reducing their might and imposing stricter usage requirements to prevent potential hazards to the user. Even so, they remain impressive; the lingering spirit of the direwolf aids each strike, and the added effect of the Direwolf Claw restores a taste of their former glory.

...

Weapon quality determines the number of enhancements: Common, Excellent, Outstanding, Superior, Perfect—each tier grants more slots for improvement. This was why the Control Center's director advised Ash to invest in the baton: with four enhancements, its final form would vastly outclass the once-enhanceable gauntlets.

However, considering the slow effect of the anomalous token [Voracious Appetite of the Living Softbody], the director also suggested Ash use [Shadow-Eater Wing] and five hundred credits at the Foundation Store to exchange for the enhancement material [Direwolf Claw]. Since it matched the gauntlets' origin, success was guaranteed. The 100% damage boost meant the gauntlets could still pack a punch in the short term.

Field tests showed that the Direwolf Gauntlets performed admirably against lightly armored targets, with their output scaling as enemy defenses dropped.

Already wounded, the Wasteland Gunman took three more claw strikes, leaving him with less than thirty percent health. Fortunately for him, seeing Ash pause after six consecutive attacks—forced to stop due to exhaustion—he glimpsed hope, his eyes flickering with desperate anticipation.

But A Cup of Wine Growing Stronger, still burning with anger, couldn't possibly spare the enemy who had nearly driven her to despair.

In the blink of an eye, three crossbow bolts whistled through the air—one for each beat, one arrow per step. By the time the third step landed, the Wasteland Gunman had already fallen, his hopeful expression frozen as he joined his companion in death.

[Notice: You participated in slaying "Wasteland Bladesman" and "Wasteland Gunman." You have gained a large amount of contribution points.]

Watching his contribution bar tick upward, Ash stowed away the Direwolf Gauntlets and teased, "Funny, you weren't nearly this fierce when you were running for your life."

"Hmph! Just wait till you're the one being hunted—then you'll see how fierce I can be!" A Cup of Wine Growing Stronger retorted coldly. Only now did she finally allow herself to exhale, recalling how she’d nearly been driven to the brink by those two fiends. Shooting Ash a sidelong glance, she added, "Whatever loot dropped is yours—consider it payment for saving my life!"

With that, she turned away, showing Ash only her back.

Ash shrugged and made no fuss, immediately beginning to search the corpses. To his surprise, among the loot were not only medical bandages but also several special items.

[Notice: You have triggered the main quest—"Blossoming" (Phase One)!]

...

Quest Title: [Blossoming] (Main Quest, Phase One)
Requirement: Bring the Bloodvine Bracelet to "Growth Phase"
Reward: Unknown (Cumulative; final reward depends on overall completion)
Description: Bloodvine thrives throughout the lifeforce-restricted zone at the Solar Staircase, bringing a touch of vitality to this sunless world. Yet for other species within the zone, it is a persistent nightmare. Bloodvine silently parasitizes, devouring flesh and corroding will, turning all into its puppets. No matter how powerful, all who dwell here cannot escape this fate.

However, the Giant Tree Institute, a subsidiary of the Wasteland Group specializing in botany, has discovered that bloodvine emits a scent that wards off other bloodvines, preventing multiple infestations of a single host. Carrying a bloodvine artifact is sufficient to ward off others of the same level. But to penetrate deeper into the lifeforce-restricted zone, one must continually fuse bloodvine cores, pushing the artifact to new stages of growth—only then can you withstand higher-level bloodvines.

[Alas, once removed from the restricted zone, bloodvine wilts and dies. How can such a beautiful species ever bloom across the wasteland? I must think on this—Director Qiaomu, Giant Tree Institute.]

[Notice: Cultivating the bloodvine will aid you in this assessment. It is recommended you bring the "Bloodvine Bracelet" to Growth Phase before leaving the "Outer Ring" for the "Middle Ring."]

...

Among the Wasteland Bladesman's loot was a contract from the Giant Tree Institute. The contract instructed him to nurture his bloodvine artifact according to the Institute’s guidelines. No sooner had Ash finished reading it than the main quest triggered. Notably, the prescribed cultivation path perfectly suited his own Bloodvine Bracelet, and the artifact left behind now served as fodder for his bracelet.

[Notice: Your "Bloodvine Bracelet (Juvenile)" has successfully devoured a bloodvine artifact of the same level and lineage. One more "Tenacious Bloodvine Core (Juvenile)" is needed to trigger evolution into Growth Phase.]

"Each advancement requires devouring a same-level, same-lineage bloodvine artifact, plus a core of matching attribute." Ash rubbed his chin, mulling over the challenge. He surmised how many battles might be needed to complete the quest, and checked the Wasteland Gunman's loot, confirming his expectations.

"Hey, what exactly did you find that's worth studying for so long?" Curiosity and impatience drove A Cup of Wine Growing Stronger to sneak a glance, just as Ash met her inquisitive gaze. "Didn’t you say you wouldn’t spare it a second glance?"

She covered one eye and raised her chin at him.

"..."

Ash had no energy to argue. He simply picked up the gunman’s loot and handed it over. Once A Cup of Wine Growing Stronger saw the contract and the bloodvine artifact, her eyes lit up. Without hesitation, she had her Bloodvine Ring consume it as food.

"No wonder our luck was so bad—those two were quest-givers all along!"

Suddenly enlightened, she turned to Ash, who seemed deep in thought. "Given the current situation, I suppose we have no choice but to cooperate now."