The Mystery of the Urban Legend I

---Chapter 5: The Mystery of the Urban Legend I

The only quest displayed on Yui’s display was a quest titled ‘In Search of the Precious Tear’. Sure enough, it was a quest that Quartz had never heard of before. Taking a closer look, Quartz read the quest’s summary aloud.

“Within this world hides a stone known as the Mermaid’s Tear. Find this material and offer it skyward, and thou shall be offered passage.” Quartz read. “… What? Talk about a vague description.”

Myth of Genesis Online did at times have some riddle-like prose in its quest summaries for the sake of immersion in the game’s world, but even in such cases there’d still be specific instructions or hints on how to accomplish the objective. A brief summary like this that basically just says to ‘go find such-and-such’ with no hint or guidance was very unusual. Furthermore…

“What is this Mermaid’s Tear supposed to be, anyway?” Quartz pondered. “I feel like I’ve heard that term before, but I know I’ve never come across an item like that…”

“Apparently, it’s some kind of urban legend, I think…?” Yui spoke with uncertainty.

“An urban legend?” Quartz paused to think. “That does sound familiar… But still, this is an item mentioned in a quest, so why would it be called an urban legend?”

“No, I mean…” Yui struggled to find the words she wanted to convey.

Quartz waited patiently, watching Yui think things through as the light of the moon illuminated her troubled expression. To Quartz, who had grown so used to Yui’s unending smiling expressions, it was a strange feeling seeing her like this.

“I think I’m the only person who has this quest.” Yui confessed.

“Huh? That can’t be though, can it?” Quartz didn’t understand. “All quests should be accessible to any player, so long as their class can take on the job…”

“Yeah, but I think this one is different.” Yui shook her head. “I’ve asked a lot of people about it, and no one has heard of this quest. All I learned was that the Mermaid’s Tear was apparently some kind of urban legend…”

“I… see…” Quartz was at a total loss. “I understand now. The reason you’ve continued playing without taking on quests is because you can’t. This bizarre priority quest you have is blocking your ability to accept any others.”

“Yeah…” Yui nodded.

“Where did you get this quest, anyway?” Quartz asked.

“I… don’t know.” Yui frowned. “I, um… I wasn’t paying attention, and then noticed I’d accepted it at some point before I realized it.”

“Ah, I see…” Quartz gave a wry smile.

Yeah, that sounds like Yui alright…

Quartz had reached a point where he was now uncertain on what he could do to help. Of course, he’d never heard of a quest with such a bizarre requirement. He was also unfamiliar with any urban legends that may have surrounded the Mermaid’s Tear. As much as he would’ve liked to help, this kind of topic wasn’t his specialty.

“Would it be okay with you if we discussed this with the rest of the party?” Quartz asked.

“Well…” Yui went quiet, once again thinking carefully. “I don’t want to be a burden on them, or get anyone too concerned over me or anything. But if you really think they can help, then yeah, we can ask them!”

Yui’s expression had become one of determination. Quartz smiled, seeing Yui regain her usual energy. At the same time, he was also beginning to realize something about her.

She’s been trying to figure this out all by herself, hasn’t she? She could’ve brought this up to the whole group whenever she wanted, but she didn’t want to cause a big commotion over it. Come on, isn’t that being a little too considerate, Yui?

Sure enough, if what Yui said was true, this was a one-of-a-kind quest that may have never been discovered before. Not only that, but a quest mentioning some long-rumored item labeled an urban legend? Frankly, it’s an unbelievable position to be in, especially for someone like Yui. Yet, she still continued trying to deal with it all alone…

For someone like Quartz, who had always seen Yui as such a bright and friendly person, totally different from his awkward introverted self, it was striking to know that even she had problems she kept to herself and tried to resolve on her own. It was a relatable feeling Quartz knew all too well, which he never expected to see in someone so different from himself.

“Don’t worry, Yui.” Quartz spoke with reassurance.

“Hm?” Yui blinked.

“You’re not alone anymore.” he declared, with a smile. “We’ll definitely help you figure this out!”

“Oh, Quartz…” Yui smiled brightly. “Yeah! Let’s do it!”

That was the day these two found their new goal: To work together… in search of the precious tear.

---

Later in the afternoon, Quartz and Yui met up with the rest of the party at their usual spot in the garden. The in-game sun had risen by now, so it was midday in the game as well.

“A quest that no one else has?” Rokugo asked, intrigued. “I must say, I find it rather hard to believe.”

“Still, if that’s what’s going on, it explains why Yui apparently hasn’t done any of the quests…” Mint nodded in understanding. “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t give up and just restart the game with a new character, haha.”

“Hey, it’s not so easy to give up a character you’ve already put a lot into!” Striker retorted. “If something ever happened to my Striker, I’d be down in the dumps for at least a week!”

“Yeah, I guess attachment is always something to consider.” Mint chuckled.

“Anyway…” Quartz steered the conversation back on track. “It’s like we told you. Yui’s stuck because she can’t complete this quest, so we’re hoping you guys might have some ideas on how we can help her complete it.”

“Sorry for all the trouble…” Yui apologized, a look of guilt on her face.

“No need to apologize!” Mint reassured. “It’s all good. Helping each other out is why we’re here, after all.”

“Yeah… Thanks everyone.” Yui couldn’t help but smile.

“See? I knew they’d be on board.” Quartz whispered, to which Yui nodded.

“So then, what are the details of this quest?” Rokugo asked.

“Ah, right!” Yui hastily opened her quest menu and shared the display with the others, who all read it.

“No way… A quest mentioning the Mermaid’s Tear actually exists?!” Mint remarked, baffled. “This is crazy!”

“Unbelievable… I never thought I’d see an actual in-game prompt referring to the Mermaid’s Tear.” Rokugo spoke with wide eyes.

“Wait, what are you guys talking about?” Striker was totally lost.

“So this thing is some kind of urban legend…” Quartz crossed his arms. Rokugo and Mint had been playing this game longer than both him and Striker, so he figured there was a chance they’d heard about this.

“Some people I played with way back when I first started used to gossip about this thing all the time.” Mint recollected. “But it all sounded made up, so I never really believed it was real. But now…”

“Indeed.” Rokugo nodded. “There was a time when rumors of this item were particularly rampant. Back then, I played another character on a more popular server, and would hear about it quite often.”

“Sounds like it goes back a long time…” Quartz pondered.

“Yes, but the rumors would always be about the existence of a singular item called the ‘Mermaid’s Tear’, not about any quest to search for it.” Rokugo detailed. “I’ve never heard the phrase ‘In Search of the Precious Tear’ before now.”

“Same here.” Mint confirmed. “Hearsay about the Mermaid’s Tear spread around, but I’d never heard of any quest associated with it.”

“Yeah… I once tried asking a few strangers about it, and that’s the kind of stuff they’d say too.” Yui sighed. “So I knew it was an urban legend, but nobody seemed to really know much.”

“I see…” Quartz gave Yui a look of concern, before turning back to the rest. “Is there anything else you may remember about those rumors?”

“Well, it all seemed pretty random to me…” Mint folded her arms. “It was mostly just tall tales. You know, about how it was an item that could warp you to a secret area with all the game’s best equipment, or how it could max out your level and stats. You know, the kind of game-breaking nonsense that any actual item would never have.”

“You’re right. It doesn’t sound like those rumors would be very helpful…” Quartz gave a wry smile. “Did any of those rumors detail how to find the Mermaid’s Tear?”

“Nope…” Mint shook her head. “Everything I heard just talked about how it was a ‘hidden item’ without giving any indication on where it is or how you’d get it. Talk of it died down pretty fast as a result, though you still hear about it every now and then.”

“Man, this is nuts…” Striker commented.

Quartz clenched his fist. He was hoping there would be some kind of useful clue gained by asking the party, but he slowly started to realize that an urban legend is called a ‘legend’ for a reason. This wasn’t going to be easy to find.

“If it’s a method of acquisition you’re after…” Rokugo began, causing everyone to turn their attention his way. “In the server I used to play on, there was a larger variety of rumors. Shall I share what I know?”

[To be continued…]