Tears welling in the ers of his eyes, Milo let out a heavy sigh, dropping to all fours like a damsel in distress. “I swear, I’ll ep foot into another dungeon ever again.”
Rexar ically colpsed to his knees and tilted his towards the open sky. “After enduring a lifetime’s worth of mushrooms, I’m finally free!”
“Jeez, you both are quite the drama queen,” Lyanna teased pyfully, even as the fresh air, the forest’s gentle embrace, and the vast expanse of the sky beyond the trees painted a radiant smile on her lips.
Elena inhaled deeply, a sense of te evident as color returo her cheeks. “We’re finally back; those few weeks felt like ay.”
Finnian and Gavric pumped fists and exged exuberant smiles.
DING!
[The quest ?Escape the Dungeon Unscathed? has been pleted!]
[35,000 Experience Points have been acquired.]
[Affinity with Elena, Rexar, and Milo is now 100%.]
[Level Up!]
[The css quest ?Defying the Odds? has been received.]
The party barely had a moment to savor the warm sunlight and the sweet taste of the summer air before a menag ughter reverberated among the surrounding trees.
“Seriously? I ’t believe these bastards actually mao escape the dungeon in one piece!” Osten excimed with a grin that bordered on psychotid the skull i beside his he brand of a murderer—ted that impression even more.
“The thought of you all being gruesomely eaten alive by monsters was f, but I’d much prefer to squeeze the life out of you myself.”
His grin abruptly faded, his tenance darkening as his eyebrows furrowed. He raised his arms, framing Daisuke’s unimpressed visage within a square formed by his index fingers and thumbs.
“Especially you, Haxks,” he spat, his voice low and venomous. “I’m going to enjoy breaking every single bone in your body for what you did to me.”
Right on cue, Callista pleted her whispered intation, then raised her newly acquired staff, ereg a barrier around both predator and prey.
Blitz brandished his sword, his eyes filled with a ferocity just below Osten’s level of madness. “You’re all going tret the day you crossed us.”
“Haxks belongs to me,” decred Osten. “Take care of the rest.”
“I’ll eheir demise is slow and agonizing,” he pledged.
Daisuke scowled, a familiar plinting in his eyes.
[Name: Osten (Criminal)
Species: Human
Level: 22 | EXP: 56,082/75,625 (74.15%)
Css: Warrior
Title: None
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild | Dragonsbane Guild
HP: 3221/3257 | MP: 206/206
Strength: 140 (+14) | Stamina: 43 (+6) | Agility: 25 (+7) | Intelligence: 12 (+9)
Stat Points: 0]
[Name: Blitz (Criminal)
Species: Human
Level: 21 | EXP: 46,874/68,906 (68.02%)
Css: Tank
Title: None
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild | Dragonsbane Guild
HP: 2155/2445 | MP: 287/338
Strength: 78 (+5) | Stamina: 65 (+4) | Agility: 25 (+5) | Intelligence: 42 (+7)
Stat Points: 0]
[Name: Callista (Criminal)
Species: Human
Level: 23 | EXP: 11,461/82,656 (13.86%)
Css: Mage
Title: None
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild | Dragonsbane Guild
HP: 1960/1962 | MP: 854/1049
Strength: 14 | Stamina: 32 (+2) | Agility: 21 (+4) | Intelligence: 163 (+15)
Stat Points: 0]
“…Show them who you’ve bee,” said Daisuke in a soft tone, much to the party’s etion.
Just as Callista did, Elena pleted a whispered intation for her own spell. A sizable fireball materialized overhead, instantly shifting the power dynamid dispelling Osten and his ies’ misception that they were in plete trol.
CRASHHHHHHH!
They were not the predators, nor had they trapped prey; these were vengeful tigers seeking long-overdue retribution.
The raging fireball effortlessly shattered the barrier, like a hard rock through gss, crashing into the trio with uing force. The searing fmes ied clothes and flesh as agonized screams erupted from scorched throats.
Elena stepped forward, looking over her the individuals who had nearly iently brought ruin upon her vilge by harming her and her panions.
Osten, Blitz, and Callista teetered on the brink of life. After losing over 50% of their health in a siack, they had succumbed to a paralyzed state. Blitz evidently had some deterrent to the debuff, because he started to rise with difficulty, followed by Callista.
PHUSHHHH!
Rexar’s armored fist collided with Blitz’s stomach. The man’s feet lifted clear off the ground, his body bending like a folding s, his expression twisting in a bination of pain and shock.
THWACK!
THWACK-THWACK-THWACK-THWACK!
A flurry of arrows pierced Callista’s back, sapping what was left of her strength. With a grunt, she fell face-first, both her and Blitz gradually being engulfed by a n of golden light signaling their demise.
While Zephyr found amusement in relieving himself on a subdued and protesting Osten, Daisuke approached slowly, his expression unreadable.
An advantageous aspect of being an NPC was their ability to punish a pyer—with no withey could sughter a pyer and easily get away with it. Even if the crime was revealed, the justice system often sided with the NPC if they were deemed i. In the event that the jury found the perpetratuilty, the resultience was typically le.
Pyers, oher hand, were under stant surveilnce by the System without bias. No matter their whereabouts, even in the deepest depths of Tartarus fronting their aremies, the moment they itted a transgression—such as eliminating said nemesis—they were swiftly beled as criminals alessly pursued by both pyers and NPCs alike.
Osten grabbed onto Daisuke’s leg with what little stamina he had left, his eyes wide with malid s. “Y-You bastard…”
“All the time you wasted lying in wait,” said Daisuke patronizingly, his gre sharp and desding, “you should have spent it leveling up.”
Before Osten could vow his revenge or voice his disdain, Elena swiftly ehe frontation with a magic missile, striking him directly between the eyes. With an air of indifference, she observed as his body was gradually engulfed by a n of light, disappearing from sight.
Daisuke peered down at all the items left behind by the despicable trio, even as he was lost in thought.
The typical white shade of a pyer’s name would shift to yellow, e, and then red, depending on the severity of a itted crime. Each color ated different waiting periods, monster syings, or acts of kindness o get rid of the status. Moreover, on top of losing two levels, higher criminal records increased the likelihood of losing items upoh.
“You should keep them,” Gavric proposed, trailing Daisuke’s gaze. “It’s due to your leadership and sacrifice that we’ve grown signifitly over the course of these four weeks.”
“But I—”
“I agree,” Elena chimed in firmly. “It’s time for you to respect our decision, like we did yours.”
Rexar flicked the bridge of his h a grin, and then the rest of the group unanimously nodded in agreement.
“Hmph.” Daisuke smiled in surrender. “All right the’s head back.”
“Right.”
***
“After the first 3 weeks, I was starting to lose all hope,” admitted Baldin from his office chair with a smile, his eyes refleg a mix of admiration and relief. “But I khere was something truly special about you.”
Professor Bayley nodded in sincere agreement, his usually stoic demeanor softened by a slight grin. Meanwhile, Thalia blushed animatedly while stealing g Daisuke. She was fnking the Guildmaster alongside Professor Bayley.
“Please,” Baldin said, bowing his head apologetically. “Please accept my deepest apologies for what happehe betrayal and anguish you went through is something no adventurer should ever face.”
Elena raised her hands nervously at the man’s sincere gesture. “W-Wait…”
“I assure you,” he vowed solemnly, his tone carrying the weight of his itment, “that I’ll ehose responsible are thhly punished for their crimes.”
“I suspected they had something to do with this mess,” Professor Bayley murmured with a rare flicker of anger.
“In light of your moal ordeal,” Baldin tinued with an air of respect, “I’ll be granting you all a passing grade for the field test. gratutions on your perseverand resilience.”
Excitement and relief washed over the faces of the party at the weled news, their expressions brightening with gratitude.
“But, Haxks… acc to your rades’ testimonies regarding your exceptional feats in the dungeon, I don’t feel that the reward is quite adequate for your extraordinary efforts. Is there anything specific that you seek in reition for your efforts? If it’s within my power—”
“Even without the privileges of aristocracy, S and A-ranked adventurers have a lot of influen society,” stated Daisuke in a posed tone. “It’s too time-ing to climb the dder to the top, which is why I’d like the privilege to uake the most challenging jobs in each tier. Each successful pletion would mean a promotion in rank.”
Silence fell upon the room, a moment of collective surprise overtaking them, not only due to the boldness of his request but also the nont manner of its delivery. Thalia, however, appeared more ed about the daring proposition.
“Uable!” she interjected, her voice charged with urgency. “There’s no way—”
Baldin raised his hand, motioning for silence. “Before I make my deay I ask you one question?”
“Of course.”
“What’s your ultimate goal—what is it that you’re striving to achieve?”
All eyes turo Daisuke, eagerly awaiting his response, a bination of curiosity and anticipation h in the air.
DING!
[Demonisequences]
[Quest Difficulty: C
Deep within the heart of the Fleecia Forest rests Elmridge—a modest vilge that holds seal value for Elena, Rexar, and Mio, their hometown.
For the past few months, Elmridge has faced relentless demonivasions. While the individual fiends are not formidable, their sheer numbers have inflicted signifit harm.
The relentless attacks have caused substantial losses in the vilge, sowing the seeds of grief and despair, paralyzing the unity, and impeding their ability to fun.
Clear ditions: Uhe source behind the demonic raids to prevent Elmridge from fag plete annihition.
Rewards:
?? Affinity with the vilge folk +100%
?? EXP +23,700
?? A favorable enter
Quest Failure:
?? The destru of Elmridge
?? Any survivors will harbor eternal animosity
?? Loss of favorable enter]
“Well, right now,” Daisuke began, his gaze shifting towards Elena, “I o assist her with a personal matter.”
Elena blinked rapidly in surprise.
“And your long-term goal?” Baldin inquired, pressing for more.
“…To lead a peaceful life with the ohat I cherish. But, if there’s ohing I’ve learned, it’s that power is a y to achieve any sort of goal in this world… even basic survival.”
Baldin pted his words for a moment, then gnced around the room, the party beside Daisuke eared somewhat tee the challenging experiehey had undergone.
The Beastkin Elena and Rexar, in particur, radiated enthusiasm and admiration. Their eyes gleamed with resped affe as they looked at Daisuke. Even Professor Bayley and Thalia showed evident foowards him.
“I would like everyone except Professor Bayley and Haxks to step outside,” the man requested with authority, noting as everyoantly left the room, evidently relut to leave Daisuke behind.
Theerlocked his fingers aed his elbow oiculously arranged desk, his gaze refleg a deep sense of ption.
Daisuke’s eyes narrowed.
“Very well,” Baldin said, finally breaking the prolonged silence, a warm smile repg his oern tenance. “I accept your terms, but it’s crucial that you maintain the fidentiality of this arra.”
“Indeed,” Professor Bayley chimed in as he fiddled with his mustache. “It could raise unwarranted accusations of favoritism against the Guildmaster should word ever to get out.”
“I uand,” Daisuke returned with a slight bow of his head. “Thank you for sidering my selfish request.”
Both men observed as he exited the room.
“What are your thoughts about him?” Baldin inquired.
“…I believe he’s destined freatness,” Professor Bayley asserted fidently.
The Guildmaster sidered the man’s bold cim, his eyes alight with a mysterious gleam.
“Is there really anything that be done about those naughty kids?”
Baldin sighed, leaning ba his chair. “Unfortunately, there’s only so much sway that a ral anization have over a rge guild, especially one led by The Fallen.”
