Wednesday, October 1, 1992 (Evening)
Wataru was far from done.
After saving Romaly and choosing to walk the path of the adventurer rather than rule a kingdom, he was more excited than ever to see what the world had in store for him. His party, now equipped with two Darken Swords, had become a formidable force. But he knew this was just the beginning.
The road east led Wataru to the town of Noaniels, a once-lively place now overtaken by silence and mystery. Every NPC he encountered spoke of the town's strange curse—people were falling into eternal sleep, unable to wake no matter what the healers tried. "A sleeping sickness? Sounds like a side quest with a magical twist," Wataru muttered, intrigued.
Exploring the nearby forest, he discovered a hidden cave filled with tricky traps, sleeping gas traps, and shadow beasts that only appeared when the screen dimmed—a clever game mechanic that caught Wataru off guard the first few times. He had to rely on Lily's Poison Heal and Awaken spells to keep the party from succumbing to status effects.
At the heart of the cave, Wataru found the Moon Herb, said to dispel magical slumber. He brought it back to the town, and the mayor's daughter—previously in a deep sleep—awoke. She gifted him a rare accessory: the Dream Pendant, which protected against sleep spells.
Wataru equipped it on Lily. "You're gonna be my anti-sleep wall now, got it girl?"
He grinned.
Then came one of the most memorable dungeons so far: the Cave of Trial Echoes, a winding maze filled with illusions and false walls. Here, the difficulty spiked. The enemies were brutal—Elemental Wisps that drained mana, Golems with high defense, and Spectral Rogues who used Steal techniques to swipe gold. Gako the Merchant was almost useless in combat, but every time Wataru saw that bonus gold increase post-battle, he felt vindicated and kept him around.
By the time he reached the final chamber, he faced a mid-boss named Shade Lord Reema, a ghostly knight who fought with illusion clones. Wataru's jaw clenched. "Oh, I see what you're doing! Trick fight, huh? Time to bring the pain."
Using Sayana's new Whirlwind Slash—an area attack learned at level 15—and Lily's upgraded Holy Light, he was able to identify the real Reema and focus fire. The battle was long and tense in this battle he decided to spam the mana and health potions to Sayana and Lily, After hard battle Reema eventually fell, disintegrating into mist and leaving behind the item Wataru needed: the Mirror of Truth.
With the Mirror in hand, Wataru headed for a nearby cursed village where illusions warped the map and disguised enemies as allies. Using the Mirror of Truth, he dispelled the illusions and revealed the path to the next major region: the Sunken Continent.
This part blew Wataru's mind.
"Wait, there's a whole underwater area now?!"
Using a magical relic called the Water Orb, Wataru's party gained access to the submerged ruins of Oceanna, a kingdom lost beneath the waves. The visual palette shifted to deep blues and glimmering effects—ZAGE had clearly pushed the ZEPS to its graphical limits.
In Oceanna, Wataru uncovered lore about an ancient war between surface dwellers and seafolk. He learned that a legendary trident, the Leviathan Spear, was hidden within the Palace of Coral—a massive underwater dungeon. Getting there required solving puzzles involving tides and ocean currents
It was some of the most complex puzzle-solving Wataru had seen in a game, and he loved every second of it.
Eventually, he fought the Leviathan Guardian, a three-headed serpent that attacked three times per round. He nearly lost until he discovered its weakness to ice magic and double-hit attacks. Lily's new Blessed Rain spell saved the day, and Sayana's relentless Rage Counter strikes dealt the finishing blow.
The party now averaged level 21. They were strong, resourceful, and brimming with potential.
Then Wataru made his way to a mysterious new dungeon known as the Cave of Timeless Echoes. The enemies there were no joke—floating eyes that cast silence spells, skeletal knights that countered physical attacks, and phantom mages that could phase through walls. With every step deeper, the music grew more haunting, and Wataru's excitement built.
At the heart of the dungeon, he faced off against a powerful Skeleton Mage mini-boss who bombarded the party with Inferno and Dark Bind spells. It took clever coordination—Sayana tanking with her high defense, Lily cycling healing spells, and Wataru using speed buffs and targeted strikes—to bring the monster down.
When the creature finally fell, it dropped a strange glowing item: the Z Token.
"Whoa! This must be Zabo-man's token!" Wataru gasped. He opened his inventory and selected it.
Suddenly, the screen shimmered and went dark. A cutscene played: a towering figure in black attire and a gray helmet emerged from the shadows—Zabo-man himself. Without a word, he raised his hand and a radiant energy enveloped the entire party. A message popped up on-screen:
Zabo-man's Blessing activated! All party members gain +5% Attack and Defense permanently. "You're Very Cool"
Wataru's eyes widened and he was really surprised . "This is CRAZY! Is Zabo-man a kind of Deity in this game!?" He was grateful for the buff and continued the journey of his party and he decided to go back to town first.
Back in town, Wataru decided to experiment with the class system. He visited Dharma Temple, a sacred shrine where characters could switch classes. He opted to reset Gako from Merchant to Thief, since he'd learned that Thieves could help find rare items post-battle. Wataru also created a new Wizard character, naming her Rei, and swapped her into the party briefly to help with upcoming elemental-heavy areas.
He also grinded her levels meticulously, making sure she had enough magic points and spell variety. When he returned to Dharma Temple to experiment with class changes, he was stunned to see a new class appear—Sage. "What the—Sage? That wasn't available before!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. The class had high magic stats, access to both offensive and healing spells, and strong growth rates. Without hesitation, Wataru changed Rei's class to Sage. "You're gonna be our game-changer, Rei," he whispered proudly. He decided to rotate Rei and Lily based on the party's needs—Rei as the powerful Sage for offense and utility, and Lily for dedicated healing support when things got tough. Gako, now a Thief, would be swapped out as needed, especially during exploration-heavy sections. With only three characters active at a time and Wataru being the fixed main character, party composition became a key strategic choice he thoroughly enjoyed tweaking.
After that, Wataru continued playing and unlocked the true main quest: the search for six sacred Orbs to awaken the legendary bird Ramia. The quest came with a series of cryptic hints each tied to a riddle or piece of lore spoken by NPCs across different continents. One orb was said to lie within the Cavern of Flame, guarded by a Fire Djinn whose wrath turned the cave into a furnace. Another was hidden beneath the Forest of Echoes, where only music could reveal the path. The clues weren't straightforward, but that only made the hunt more thrilling. Wataru jotted each one down carefully in his game notebook, excited by the prospect of this new overarching goal. With each step forward, he felt like a real adventurer deciphering the myths of an ancient world.
Wataru really impressed From castles and towns to cursed forests and sunken temples, Dragon Quest 2 wasn't just a game—it was an entire world.
He pressed pause and looked at his reflection on the screen.
"Man, I really wish I could go on an adventure like the hero... traveling the world, facing monsters, solving mysteries..." he whispered, eyes still glued to the glowing screen as the game's music softly echoed in the background.
Then he looks at the time and it's already past midnight and it's 2.30AM: Wataru eyes widened "im dead! Mom's gonna kill me!" with that he turned off the consoles and going to sleep tomorrow he still needed to go to school.
To be continued...
Author note : I've decided to end the Dragon Quest reaction chapter here. Even though it's not fully complete, it's still engaging, right? I created this chapter without any references, just relying on my memories from playing the OG on NES ages ago! I made up a lot of things, so some stuff might be inaccurate—but who cares? I had a blast writing this. Also, I've written another 4 chapters of Dragon Quest that have not been translated yet, but I won't be releasing them... I'm just keeping them to myself, lol.
Please give me your power stone and if you want to support me and get 11 advance chapter for 3 bucks considering subscribe to my patreon patreon.com/Zaborn_1997
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