MMORPG: The Elementalist

“Young warrior, this ring… did you find it in the Graveyard of the Gods?” An old man in a blue cloak fixed Qin Ruo with a stern gaze, delivering the question in a grave tone that brooked no nonsense.

Glancing uncertainly at Morley nearby, who ought to have been the central figure of this secret quest, Qin Ruo nodded in response. “That’s right.”

“Are you sure you were the first to find it?” Morley couldn’t help cutting in.

Qin Ruo rolled his eyes internally. It’s just a quest, what does it matter who found it first?

Of course, even if he had all the courage in the world, Qin Ruo wouldn’t dare to put on any airs in front of these twenty-or-so Demigod-level lemons. This was partly out of respect for the elderly, but mostly because any one of them could put him to death with a flick of his pinky.

Qin Ruo had once read about something like that in the forums, about a pro player who had tried to get a quest out of the old mages no matter what the means. Eventually, one of the mages lost his temper, and instantly transformed him into an ice statue, which was then placed outside the entrance to the Magicians’ Guild for fully half an hour.

After that, each time he returned to the Guild, he was immediately frozen again, for half an hour each time. From that point on, the player always kept a generous distance away when walking past the Magicians’ Guild, a classic case of trauma-induced phobia.

Qin Ruo had taken this cautionary tale to heart. Careful not to provoke the old men when they were in such a state of agitation, he merely answered again, “That’s right.”

“How could you have gotten this? Where did you find it?”

Qin Ruo still could not quite figure out what was going on. What did any of this have to do with a secret quest? Wasn’t all this questioning a little excessive?

Casting his eyes to the floor, he indulged every one of their questions until they were satisfied. Then the old mages clustered together in a corner of the hall, deep in discussion, which finally allowed Qin Ruo a moment to catch his breath.

He just could not make sense of anything. It had cost him a thousand gold coins to have that Broken Ring appraised, and he’d brought it here hoping to get a secret quest.

Instead, he had spent the whole day playing twenty questions with these senile old geezers, without so much as a hint of a quest—and now he’d just been shrugged off and cast aside.

‘Damn this!’ Qin Ruo fumed in silence, ‘Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on?’

When Morley and the others returned and gathered mysteriously around him, Qin Ruo couldn’t hold it in any longer, and blurted out, “This broken ring, the one you call the Ring of Glory—what good is it?” He directed this question at Morley, the one who’d started it all.

“The Ring of Honor!” Morley seemed upset by Qin Ruo’s flippant tone, and fixed him with a look. “This is the pride of the glorious Moonrise Clan!”

“Alright, alright.”

Sensing Morley’s growing ire, Qin Ruo frantically tried to appease him. If he wanted the secrets of the Broken Ring—not to mention any potential quests associated with it—he couldn’t afford to anger the old mage.

It was as though Morley himself had also just remembered that this low-level warrior standing before them was the one who’d returned the precious ring to their hands. His expression softening a little, he explained in a gentler voice.

“I expect you have many questions. Why would we make such a fuss over this ring that you’ve brought to us? I would dearly like to tell you everything…”

Seeing Qin Ruo’s eyes light up at this, Morley suddenly switched back. “However, it concerns matters of the Moonrise Clan, which are not shared with outsiders. Therefore, there isn’t much I can tell you at the moment.”

Feeling a sharp pang of annoyance, Qin Ruo silently cursed at the doddering old dotard.

It was as though Morley was doing this on purpose, jerking Qin Ruo around until his impatience was at the bursting point, and then deliberately using an agonizingly slow tone as he spoke:

“Its soul is no longer whole, hence the Ring of Honor’s current appearance of being broken, incomplete—unable to bestow the power that it used to possess. In that sense, the ring is of no use to anyone. We of the Moonrise Clan can only offer you some compensation, as a symbol of our gratitude for returning this to us.”

Qin Ruo knew better than to settle for a mere symbolic reward. Frantically, he asked, “Is there some way to make it whole again?”

Going by what Morley had said, the Demigod-level mages around him should all be members of the Moonrise Clan, or else they would not be so familiar with the Ring of Honor’s secrets. An ancient Clan full of venerable champions like these, there was no telling what knowledge they possessed.

Likewise, the Ring of Honor couldn’t be any ordinary trinket!

Qin Ruo did not want to let go of even the smallest chance of receiving this secret quest. He never noticed that, as he spoke, the two dozen old mages behind him flashed each other cunning grins and winked at Morley in praise of his masterful acting skills.

Now that he had Qin Ruo’s rapt attention, Morley’s tone changed, as he started on the main topic. “There is a way, however… no one else can perform this task—only the one who found the Ring of Honor.”

Qin Ruo was delighted. This was exactly what he wanted. “What do I have to do?”

Although he had the vague sensation that Morley was up to something, the secret quest was now the only thing he could think about, and he anxiously ate up everything they fed him.

Morley paused, his expression becoming forlorn. His voice heavy with sorrow, he continued, “The Ring of Honor is an extraordinary item. The one who held it previously was an exceptionally promising young warrior of our Moonrise Clan.

“In the course of his training, he was slain within the Graveyard of the Gods. Upon his death, all trace of spirit and honor vanished from the ring. As for you, what you must do is revive the spirit of the ring by restoring its honor once more!”

Morley’s explanation filled Qin Ruo with excitement, but also some confusion—how was he supposed to revive its spirit?

The old man went on to provide the actual details of the quest. “To revive the spirit of the ring, you must first provide it with a drop of your own blood. Then, in the next hour, you must do your utmost to demonstrate your full capabilities, in order to prove yourself to the ring.

“If you have questions about how best to demonstrate your abilities, there are many ways. If you are skilled enough in a particular profession, such as Blacksmithing, you could craft an item of Legendary or Demigod quality, and that should be enough to satisfy its requirements.”

The very thought already had Qin Ruo reeling.

“You could also attempt to prove yourself in combat,” Morley continued, “Defeat players of the enemy Faction, and collect enough Honor Points within the hour.”

Qin Ruo was quite relieved to hear this alternative suggestion, and his eyes lit up. This condition was much more feasible: with his Aquamorph skill, he could ambush Demon Faction parties on the Mythical Battlefield. He was good at that sort of thing, so a few dozen Honor Points shouldn’t be a problem.

Stroking a few straggly hairs upon his chin, Morley added, “This option might not be viable. These days, there are rarely any opponents with Demonic Wings upon the Mythical Battlefield.”

Opponents with Demonic Wings?

Qin Ruo was on the brink of collapse. He could only prove himself by defeating Demon Faction players who had their own Demonic Wings? Damn! Currently, there couldn’t be more than a handful of those in the Demon Faction. This accursed Ring of Honor was asking for too much!

What kind of ring was this, to have such insane requirements?

Morley took no notice of Qin Ruo’s chagrined expression. “You could also try slaying monsters to prove yourself. You’ll be judged according to the number and level of the monsters. This should be the easiest method of all, give it a try!

“As for the exact amount required… well, no one’s ever dared to try it out before, so I’m not sure about this. However, in terms of level, Tier 5 Bosses should do the trick—think you can handle that?” The old magician seemed to think that the earlier conditions had been terrifying enough that this last one seemed acceptable by comparison.

At last, he revealed the final condition. “You have to perform this task on your own, with no outside help of any sort.”

Qin Ruo swallowed hard, and ventured delicately, “What about Sealed Mana Cores?”

“Unacceptable. No outside help, whatsoever.” Morley’s reply was absolute. “That includes Magic Scrolls—I suggest you don’t make use of any.”

Things looked bleak for Qin Ruo.

***

“Hold on, I still don’t know the Ring of Honor’s properties. What can it do, exactly?” Having realized the monumental difficulty of this quest, Qin Ruo finally asked the question he’d been holding in all this while.

“Storage.” Now, Morley was ready to reveal everything. “If you can pass the trial of the ring, and it accepts you, you’ll be able to make use of its storage capabilities.”

“Storage capabilities?” Qin Ruo asked with mouth agape. This whole day, nothing seemed to make any sense.

“Its base ability is to act as a second backpack, except that it has unlimited capacity, and it never weighs any more than just the ring by itself.”

This information had an effect on Qin Ruo. What an amazing property! Didn’t that mean he’d never again be foiled by a full backpack, unable to pick up any more loot? That would be awesome! And it wasn’t even what he was the most interested in.

“‘Base ability?’ Does that mean the Ring of Honor has other abilities?” As Qin Ruo asked this, his heart was racing, his face aglow with anticipation, his eyes locked on Morley’s creased features. He was beginning to understand why this ring was considered the pride of the Moonrise Clan.

“You don’t need to know the rest of its abilities yet. Return to me once you’ve passed the test, and then I shall tell you.” The look on Morley’s face made it clear that until Qin Ruo passed the test, the rest of it was none of his business.

Dejected, Qin Ruo took the ring from Morley’s hand. It had now transformed into ‘The Broken Ring of Honor.’ Hesitating for a moment longer, he gave voice to one final question.

“Elder Morley, could you tell me this? This ring: what tier of quality does it belong to?”

“Quality?” Morley bashfully rubbed at his temples. “We don’t know the answer to this, either. All the way since our Moonrise Clan was first given this ring, we’ve never known.”