In the end, Max didn't encounter the item he was looking for.
He navigated the desert and its heat and arrived at the boundary between the desert and the plains of Renetia. He was close to the town.
On the way here, Max fought several monsters to get used to his increased power, speed and physical capabilities. No player on the first floor could match him now, probably.
He sat down on a rock and summoned a water bottle and a snack from his Inventory.
As he enjoyed himself, he realized he forgot to check out the only drop he received from the hidden main boss monster.
[Ruined Core of the Fallen Titan]
[This item is used as a key to open a gate located in a lonely mountain atop which resides an ancient ruin.]
"Wow. Really?"
The player never had something like this. Max clicked his tongue and closed the menu.
"I think there's a mountain nearby with ruins on its peak. Now that I remember..."
There was a story I heard about the disappearance of mighty warriors, Max thought.
A person called the Maestro approached the strongest warriors in the lands and gave them a mission. Promising glory and great treasures. To obtain a key from a monster that will unlock a vault in his Observatory but everyone who accepted the mission perished. Including the Hero King, who was the Emperor's strongest son. No one knew where they had gone though. And it seemed that no one knew that the Hero King accepted the Maestro's mission.
Max deduced that the Maestro was the person connected to the Titan he had slain and that he informed those who accepted his mission that the core inside the Titan is a key to his vault of great treasure and priceless secrets.
Shit. I was lucky it was a weaker version of it, the player thought and sighed.
It was noon right now. He could feel the energetic rays of the two suns on his skin just like in real life.
Max was sweaty all over, so he unequipped his armor and clothes besides his underwear and submerged himself in a pond near the road he started walking on. It was very peaceful.
"What do I do now? The quest? Then what?"
Unique birds unseen in real life sang in the tree above the pond. The water refreshed him completely.
"I guess I'll take it one step at a time," he said to himself.
He felt rejuvenated and soon continued.
Half an hour passed and there were no hints of a desert anywhere around him. He was surrounded by light green grass and small hills. The player saw Menaris in the distance.
Outside the city walls, down south, were farms and large fields that supplied the food for the city. They were guarded by knights of the town from monsters.
However, rarely were monsters seen anywhere near the town, as mass exterminations happened in the recent past, rendering many monsters extinct. At least according to some old NPC.
It was still very hot.
Max got to the gate in ten minutes.
"Good afternoon, Max."
"Good afternoon."
He greeted the gate guards. Max recognized the guards from quests he had done for the town.
He went through the open gate.
In front of him was a wide, straight road that led to the Lord's estate all the way at the end.
On the sides were stacked houses made of white stone and beautiful terraces with trees and flowers. Shops and people were all around Max.
Walls were constructed around the town long ago. A river flowed through the middle of the town, supplying everyone with water through pipe systems.
Max walked for a while and arrived at the more luxurious and expensive part of the town and entered an inn.
Several people that looked like NPCs stared at Max as he walked the streets of Menaris to this inn he was currently in. They could've actually been players that settled down.
He got in, looked around and spotted his friends at a table.
They looked at each other and laughed.
"You've gotta be kidding me." A green eyed, brown-haired young man laughed as he stood up to hug Max.
His name was Thomas.
"You're insane. Absolutely crazy. We're proud man." A tall black-haired young man said, smiling. Manuel. He had dark eyes, a hint of eyebags. His hair was medium length.
Neither of them wore armor at this moment, as there is no need for such a thing within the safe city walls.
"Thanks guys. Should've come with me."
"Everyone knows about you now. Your face was shown and everything," Manuel said with a smile.
"I saw the replay too. Let's drink!" Max said.
A blonde waitress came to them.
"This one, right here." Max pointed at an image of a purple liquid in a cup, with a red circle in the middle that had a line of text next to it. Jalin's Eye.
"Okay." The waitress nodded as she received the other two's orders.
"So guys..."
"Let's hear it." Manuel said.
"I'm probably the strongest first floor player."
"Explain," Thomas responded, leaning closer.
"I got twenty level ups in a row."
Thomas' mouth parted wordlessly.
"You have to be lying. I don't think anyone ever received that much EXP," Manuel said, wide-eyed.
"It's true. And the fact that I was with only one more person helped me get more EXP. Less people to share it with and all. "
He didn't reveal everything. Like the titles and stat boosts.
"How did you even find the place?" Thomas asked.
"I saw the man who was fighting with me flying through the desert and followed him. He already knew the place. He caught me trailing him and invited me himself."
Thomas' mouth was wide open.
"I guess letting strangers lead you to a second location is not always a bad decision," said Manuel jokingly. He rubbed his forehead in disbelief.
"This ain't reality after all. Suspicious strangers could mean hidden quests," said Max with a smile.