The Devil’s Cage

The scroll seemed to be of some goatskin and a metal rod. It had quite the weight upon holding, but as Kieran touched the scroll, he realized it was unusually rough. It was definitely not something goatskin could achieve, more like a conglomerate of sorts.

However, soon enough, Kieran’s attention was drawn by the words written on the scroll.

The contents of the scroll were written in mystical words, and at the very least, it required Master level to read what it wrote.

…

1. Save Earth B11 from a foreign invasion. Six months duration from the day this is published (After the six months duration, B11 will be too far away from saving)

Reward: Assist in the ignition of Divine Fire 1 time (regardless of success or not) or other things that share the same value.

2. Destroy Earth C31, which the exiled Purgatory Being has occupied. Duration unlimited.

Reward: An intact body of a first-generation divine descendant (equivalent to weak divine power.)

3. Tiki, who stood guard at the Seam of the Crystal Wall of West Coast, needed a vacation. Find someone to take its place for a week:

Reward: Negotiable.

4. Search for the Starry Sea. Duration unlimited.

Reward: Medium divine power or other things that share the same value.

5. Reconnaissance of Earth A77. 1-month duration from the day this is published (Multiple participants possible).

Reward: Depends on the situation.

6. White Deer needed an assistant teacher to be in charge of teaching the new batch of cadets. Four-month duration.

Reward: Negotiable.

…

Kieran was looking at the contents of the scroll. The number of tasks listed down there was far more than what was mentioned, and the types of jobs varied from saving the world to destroying a planet to stationing defense, searching, reconnaissance, and even becoming a tutor for training.

It’s out of my league!

That was Kieran’s first impression.

It’s too complicated!

That was Kieran’s second impression.

After the first two impressions, Kieran had a general guess of what the scroll was.

“Is this an item to publish missions for multiple parties?” Kieran asked.

“Yes.”

“At first, I only hoped it would be easier for assistants like you guys to help me complete some tasks, but as time flew, some of my old friends noticed my easy way of solving trivial matters, and so they joined the fray. Then, more and more related parties joined the publishing, and in the end, it became what it is now.”

“However, as its owner, my original motives will not change. Whenever an assistant completes any task on the scroll, I will consider it as helping me, and I will reward every one of you accordingly—other than the stated rewards that are.” the old lady added.

“I must accept the tasks in the scrolls?” Kieran asked the one thing that concerned him the most.

“It’s not mandatory. You decide for yourself whether or not you want to accept it.”

“Regardless of accepting or publishing, I will never force any of my assistants to do something.”

“Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“I know this is just an image of mine, but if I stay any longer in this world, dire consequences will follow.”

Nikorei slowly stood up from her rocking chair.

“That will be it.” Kieran shook his head.

“Then, I’ll be looking forward to our next meeting.”

Without any further chit-chat, the old lady, together with the study room of Black Street 1st, vanished from sight. Kieran returned to the northern mountains.

The scroll, however, didn’t go with her, and it was still in Kieran’s possession, and the system provided the details.

[Name: Nikorei’s Mission Scroll]

[Type: Wonderous Item]

[Rarity: ???]

[Attack: ???]

[Defense: ???]

[Attribute: 1. Publish; 2. Accept]

[Special effect: Anonymous Cost]

[Able to bring out of the dungeon: Yes]

[Remark: This is a wonderous item crafted by the God of Earth, Nikorei, for her assistants but in the end, it become a huge platform for others.]

…

[Publish: You can publish some missions on the scroll but you will have to pay an equal cost.]

[Accept: You can accept some missions on the scroll and receive rewards accordingly]

…

[Anonymous Cost: Whenever you use it in the city or dungeon world, regardless of Publish or Accept, you will have to pay an extra 30K hidden cost; when you use it to get out of a dungeon world, you will have to pay an extra 100K to be exempted from the punishment and your next dungeon difficulty will increase. If you do not complete the increased difficulty dungeon, you will not be able to use it again.]

…

[Note: Whenever you arrive in The Shaman’s Partner or related dungeon world, the hidden cost and punishment will be removed.]

…

Kieran had a general idea about the scroll’s attributes, but when he saw the [Anonymous Cost], he still frowned.

Kieran’s mind unconsciously wanted to relate to further things, but he controlled himself to empty his thoughts.

Before his strength reached a considerable level, he’d reject all kinds of negative guesses.

Shortly after that, Kieran placed his attention on the newly arrived notifications.

[Eliminated Lady Thorn’s true body, main mission completed in advance]

[Player will leave the dungeon in 10 seconds]

[Please take whatever items you wish to keep with you.]

[Note: Any items that exceed the maximum weight will be discarded!]

…

Kieran quickly scanned his surroundings to make sure he didn’t miss out on anything as the countdown timer started. At the next moment, he vanished on the spot.

[Special Dungeon: The Shaman’s Partner V]

[Dungeon Type: Trial]

[Dungeon Difficulty: High]

[Main Mission: Locate the hidden Thorn Temple at north in 90 days]

[Mission Completion: 100% (Rating F)]

[Complete main mission in advance: Rating F → E]

[Battle Performance: Very Active (Rating E → A)]

[Exploration Performance: Average]

[Special Rating 1: Eliminated the God of Lightning (Rating A → SSS, Rep +3)]

[Special Rating 2: Consumed the Devourer (Rating SSS → ZZZ, Rep +5)]

[Special Rating 3: Eliminated Lady Thorn’s true body (Rating ZZZ → V, Rep +1)]

[Player final rating: V]

[Calculating Player’s final dungeon reward…]

[Player’s final dungeon reward as listed…]

[Points: 250,000; Skill Points: 50; Golden Skill Points: 5; Golden Attribute Points: 5]

[Acquired special dungeon: The Shaman’s Partner VI]

[Acquired special reward item: The secrets of Hero Algor]

…

Back in his old garage, Kieran scanned over the ratings and rewards he gained in this dungeon. He wasn’t upset, though. Compared to previous runs, all the points earned were a lot lesser, his spoils of war were even near to none, but he knew his real gains were from the Devourer.

It wasn’t exaggerating a bit to say that the gains he got from the Devourer equaled to at least five perfect dungeon runs.

Therefore, he wasn’t upset at all.

His joyous mood elevated even further as he saw the message Rachel sent him.