Chapter 75: Yuki's Favor
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Corrupt Soul Extract (Quest Item)
~ Crystallization of Corrupt Soul Essence.
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Samar had not found the quest related to the item and wasn't sure if he would ever find it. However, he had a thought.
Since the stone was made from Corrupt Soul Essence, maybe it could be reverted into pure Soul Essence? With rewards this tempting, he had to try.
He took out the dark purple stone from his inventory, intending to submit it at the front desk. Immediately, he became the center of attention, and multiple swords, spears, and notched arrows were pointed at him. It was all because of the evil, corrupt aura emitted by the stone in his hands.
"Commoner, why have you brought that evil thing inside the Sanctum? What do you intend to do with it?" The Elf in the back, holding the bow asked.
Samar had no doubt that these Elves would kill him in an instant as long as he twitched in a wrong manner. Their looks of hostility assured him of the fact.
Therefore, he held completely still, not even trying to raise his hands lest it gave them a wrong impression. He met the eyes of the Elf asking the question and answered in a neutral tone.
"I saw the request for Soul Essence. Even though I do not have it, I have this Corrupt Soul Extract. I took it out to see whether it is of any help to Hymn Chanter Yuki."
The answer did not satisfy the Elf guards, but the mention of her name drew Yuki's attention.
"Stand down!" The Hymn Chanter ordered and came to the front despite protests from the guards. Baram, who was standing with her, also accompanied her to the front. Yuki gently picked up the Corrupt Soul Extract from Samar's gloved hands and examined it under a strange gray light emanating from her staff.
"The corruption is not too deep. It can probably be used," Yuki commented, still closely examining the Stone. Baram also took a step forward while maintaining a respectful distance from Yuki and scrutinized the Stone. He did not like what he saw.
"But is it possible to purify it before the Auspicious time?" Baram asked, highly skeptical of Yuki's claim.
"Yes, it is…" Yuki gave Baram a meaningful nod. His eyes widened, but he kept his mouth shut.
She then turned towards Samar and said, "Even though this is not what I wanted, this can indeed help me. You can collect your reward from the front desk." Then she turned around to leave.
Even though Samar was eager to get the rewards, what he really wanted was the Invoker Class. Who could answer his questions better than the disciple of an Invoker herself?
"Miss Yuki, wait!" He called out, drawing the angry gazes of Elves. Samar could not understand the reason behind the anger of the Elves; maybe he had misspoken or broken some rule or tradition he was unaware of.
Anyways, it was better to acknowledge it and start with an apology to build a favorable impression.
"I apologize if I have committed a mistake. I have only recently arrived in the Elven Forests." The sincere apology did the trick, and the frown on Yuki's face eased.
"Speak, why did you stop me?" She asked, a little curtly. Samar did not like her impatient tone, but he decided to bear with it until he received his answers.
"I want to become an Invoker. Can you please guide me on how to become one?" Yuki smiled at the question, and her furrowed eyebrows relaxed. It seemed like she had expected an excessive request from him, but this was a simple matter for her.
"Not anyone can become an Invoker. You have to pass the Sage's Test, which is held once every week. Although you have missed this week's test, I can make an exception and administer it to you on behalf of my master, Sage Reva. However, you will have to forfeit your other rewards. Are you willing?"
Samar wanted to say yes immediately, but her condition made him hesitate. The rewards of the quest were truly tempting.
A Gold coin was not a small amount at this stage of the game. If he contributed it to the Guild today, he might even rise to R2 member!
Still, it was not the material reward that made him hesitate but the immaterial one.
If he received the knowledge of First Hymn of Fire Rune right then, he could use it to create a Fire Rune Arrow and upgrade his Arrow Crafting Technique to Rune Arrow Forging Technique.
Thus, Knowledge of the First Hymn of Fire rune was even harder to give up than the Gold Coin.
However, if he attempted the test, he could be the first player to become an Invoker! If he scored well, he could also receive the favor of one of the disciples of the Tier 6 Sage Reva, Yuki!
He could also obtain the Knowledge of Hymns if he passed the test, but what if he could not?
Samar was caught in a dilemma. As they said, one in hand was worth two in bushes and it made him reluctant to risk everything in his hands for benefits that he may not receive.
Then he questioned himself, 'Do I want to be the kind of vanilla player who takes no risks?'
The answer in his heart and mind was a resounding 'no'. When the risks and rewards were so clearly in front of him, he would be an enormous fool if he shied away from the challenge.
"I am willing to forfeit my rewards in exchange for your favor, Miss Yuki." Samar said after taking a deep breath.
[Favorability with Hymn Chanter Yuki +10.]
The notification arrived before Samar could see the twinkling smile on Yuki's face. He had apparently chosen the correct answer.
"Baram, administer the test to Deathless Samar while I purify the Soul Extract." She instructed the Elf following her and left with the guards.
After she left, Baram escorted Samar to a vast, sealed chamber. As he opened the lock, he introduced the test to Samar.
"Two skills are a must-know for an Invoker - Inscription of the Runes and Invocation of their power. You will be tested on both."
Then he pushed open the heavy door to the Chamber with a creaking sound.
"These are the four basic elemental runes," He said, pointing at the walls of the Chamber where four symbols were etched on each of the four sides. Then he handed Samar four parchments and continued, "These are their first hymns. You have one hour."
Baram exited the chamber and closed the door behind him, without explaining anything more.
Thankfully, a quest notification sounded as soon as Baram closed the door.
[Timed Quest: Sage's Test]
[Task: Inscribe the Runes on the metal plates and invoke their power.]
[Rune of Fire {ᰃ} : Not completed]
[Rune of Wind {᱄}: Not Completed]
[Rune of Water {𖨳}: Not Completed]
[Rune of Earth {𖨪}: Not Completed]
[Time: 59 min 58 seconds]
[Reward: Invoker Class, Chiseling Pen.]
The Quest still did not explain the passing conditions.
Was he supposed to inscribe and invoke one rune? Two runes? Or all runes?
Samar was baffled by the lack of information but the clock had already started to tick. He did not have time to waste, thinking about the conditions.
To be on safer side, Samar decided to attempt completing all four runes and started the test.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone