"It's cursed," Alex replied, "If I put it on I'm dead."
Alice blinked in surprise, her eyes widening, she hadn't expected that, "Cursed? You mean... like... really cursed?"
Alex nodded, his gaze steady as he recalled the notifications from the system:
[Cursed Awakener's Set; Includes boots, pants, armor and helmet; but is currently cursed by the 'Undead King'.]
[To remove the curse: either kill the 'Undead King' or find an exorcist strong enough to dispel it, or try to dispel it yourself using your 'spirit', though failure will strengthen the curse.]
"One more reason I need Tolkien's help," Alex muttered.
The legendary blacksmith had the strength and power to break this curse.
With their path set, the two began the journey back toward Dawn City.
As they neared the gates, a group of armored figures in black and red robes stood waiting—members of the Dawn Church.
Their insignias gleamed in the morning light, their presence imposing.
They formed a semicircle, blocking the main road, as if waiting for someone.
One of the guards, a tall man with a square jaw and piercing blue eyes, stepped forward.
His gaze fell on Alex, and his eyes widened, looks like he found the person, "You there," he called out, voice stern and authoritative, "You've been summoned by the leader of the Dawn Church. He requests an audience with you."
Alex's eyes narrowed.
He didn't trust the Dawn Church.
They had their own agenda, and in his past life, they allied themselves with the gods.
"I'm not interested," Alex said flatly, his hand tightening on the hilt of his dagger, "I've got other business to attend to."
The guard's expression darkened, "Refusing a direct request from the Dawn Church is not a good decision, are you sure?"
[Reputation: 50/100]
Alex's jaw tightened, but he didn't hesitate, "Yeah, I'm sure."
[-25 reputation with the Dawn Church]
"Very well," the guard replied, his tone laced with a hint of menace, "But remember this—there will be consequences for your actions."
Alex didn't even flinch as he walked past the guard, not even looking behind.
This made his reputation go down, but who cares anyway, Alex had made his choice already: he didn't want to associate with the dawn church members, no matter what.
"Was that really a good idea?" Alice asked once they were out of earshot, "They seemed... serious."
"Doesn't matter," Alex replied, "I don't need the church's help, and I certainly don't want their attention, I'm getting to that door with or without their blessing."
'That door...?' Alice titled her head, but didn't ask.
As they entered the bustling streets of Dawn City, Alex immediately went to the blacksmith shop.
Inside, Tolkien was hammering away at a glowing blade, his large frame hunched over the anvil.
His dagger felt more powerful in his hand, and with his new speed, he knew he could take down enemies in mere seconds.
"Thank you, Tolkien," Alex said, bowing respectfully to the blacksmith.
Tolkien grinned, already returning to his work, "Go, boy. Use that armor wisely."
As Alex and Alice stepped outside the shop, a familiar ding echoed in the air three times.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[Player 'FateBreaker' has acquired the unique 'Awakener's Set', he has been granted 3 prestige points!]
At this point, players were getting used to it: every single global announcement had been about 'FateBreaker', so who cares at this point.
But before he could take another step outside, a familiar figure approached him: Richard Stardust, known as RichDad in the game, and Alice's father.
"Oh," Alex said, blinking in surprise, "Hello there, sir."
Richard smiled elegantly, his posture as refined as ever, "Don't be so formal, Alex. We've already added each other as friends."
"Right," Alex scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "Just a habit."
Richard chuckled, turning his attention to Alice, who stood beside him.,"And look who's with THE Shopkeeper," he teased, ruffling her hair affectionately.
"Dad," Alice groaned, pushing his hand away, "I already told you, I'm doing fine! I'm level 17 now!"
"Oh really?" Richard raised an eyebrow, glancing at Alex. "You've been helping her, I see."
Alex shrugged, "She's been pulling her weight."
Richard's expression shifted slightly, a more serious tone in his voice as he looked at Alex while walking away, "Make sure to protect her, boy. Or else..."
The aura around Richard suddenly became oppressive, and Alex nodded, feeling the weight of the man's words, "I will."
With that, Richard smiled once more and disappeared in a flash of blue light.
"Your dad's... intense," Alex muttered.
Alice laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, you get used to it."
...
Meanwhile, far from Dawn City, in the novice village, Daniel respawned after his hour-long cooldown (30 minutes in the real world), fury burning in his chest.
His guild co-leader, Vex, stood beside him.
"No more waiting around," Daniel snarled, "We're leveling up to 10 and heading to the city. Then we find FateBreaker."
"On it, boss," Vex replied, and the two of them dashed toward the forest to grind levels.
Daniel wasn't going to give up.
He had already placed a bounty on Alex's head, and soon, the entire game would be hunting him.
'FateBreaker' was strong, Daniel couldn't deny it, but in front of thousands of players, even a demon could crumble.
At least, that is what Daniel told himself, as he didn't realize that in 'Universal Descent', there were entities capable of taking on millions of players by themselves.
Alex wasn't currently one of them, but surely a thousand player could be taken care of.