As Mia was about to make her move, the inspector quickly stepped forward again, panic flashing in his eyes.
"Isn't that enough?" he pleaded. "Please, don't cause a scene! You can just leave this fool alone he doesn't know any better!"
"Hey! Who are you calling a fool?!" the red-haired boy shouted, face turning red with rage.
I sighed quietly from the corner. "Great… this is definitely going to blow up into a full fight."
I started to edge toward the exit. "I should leave before.."
Ding!
A familiar blue screen popped up before my eyes.
> [New Quest Available!]
Quest: Stop the Fight Before It Gets Worse.
Reward: 1P
"W–What?! You want me to what?" I hissed under my breath. "Are you trying to get me killed, you stupid system?!"
> You just need to stop the fight, the system replied in that annoyingly cheerful tone.
"Stop it?! How?! You know I don't have the skill or power for this!" I gritted my teeth.
> Remember your Slime skill? That could work.
I blinked. "You want me to throw a slime at two people who are about to kill each other?"
> Exactly.
"Ah, shit…" I muttered. "Fine. But you better give me extra points for this."
> [Skill: Slime]
Description: Summons a shapeless slime that can change its form freely.
Cost: 1P
"Alright," I whispered, pulling my hood lower. "Let's see if this works."
Meanwhile, the noise in the hall was getting louder.
"They're fighting!" someone shouted.
Mia and the red-haired boy had already started exchanging blows her dark aura clashing against his fiery mana, shockwaves rattling the air. The crowd roared, most of them cheering for Mia, who easily parried his attacks.
I groaned. "Of course everyone's just watching."
The red-haired boy swung his sword, sending out a wave of fire. Mia dodged, her hand glowing faintly with blue light.
"Okay… time to do something stupid."
I raised my hand. "Activate Slime: Chain Form."
A faint pop echoed, and a blue slime shot forward, splitting into dozens of glowing tendrils.
"Slime Chain!"
The chains slithered through the air and wrapped around both Mia and the boy before they could react, freezing them in place. Gasps filled the hall as the glowing chains tightened.
Everyone turned toward the direction of the attack toward me.
I sighed and stepped out from the shadows, slowly removing my cloak.
The crowd murmured instantly.
"M–Master!" Mia shouted, struggling lightly in surprise. "Hiro…" Eden's familiar voice called from across the hall. He rose from his seat, smiling faintly. "Took you long enough."
He walked toward me, his calm aura cutting through the noisy crowd. "You're late, you know. Without you, our leader, we can't begin the ceremony, right?"
I forced a smile. "Yeah… right. Leader. My favorite title."
The crowd parted as I walked toward the front. Their murmurs grew louder curiosity, awe, disbelief.
> [Name: Hiro Ludin]
Level: 8-Star
Status: Normal | Friendly | "Extra"
Hunter Title: The Lazy Trickster
I could almost feel the confusion ripple through the room. An extra leading the most powerful clan in Sylvean it sounded ridiculous. But that was my life now.
---
My story didn't start with glory. It started several years ago back when all of this was still new.
Back when I had just managed to gather the main characters… and even a few villains. Together, we formed what would later become the strongest team in the world.
At that time, we called ourselves The Silent Lament.
We began clearing beginner dungeons faster than anyone expected, breaking records one after another. The others called it "destiny." I called it "me knowing the walkthrough."
"Run!" I shouted, sprinting through a collapsing tunnel as a massive spider monster chased after us.
"Hiro, get down!" a voice yelled.
I dropped instantly, and a flash of blue light cut through the air slicing the monster clean in half.
"Hiro, are we done with this side?" another voice asked.
I checked the map. "Yeah, looks like it. That's the last nest."
"As expected of our Hiro!" someone cheered. "He always lets the boss wear itself out before we finish it off!"
"Wait, what? When did I do that?" I blinked.
"You don't need to be so humble," another replied, laughing.
Humble? No. Just desperate to survive.
We cleared dungeon after dungeon each one deadlier than the last. Our strength grew, our fame spread, and before I knew it… we had saved the world from its first major disaster.
That should've been the end of it.
But instead, that's when my real problems began.
After the final dungeon, I decided to leave. I thought I could disappear, live quietly for once. But the universe, apparently, hates me.
"Hey, Hiro," one of the main character had said one night, grinning as we sat around a campfire. "Why don't you be our leader?"
"Wait, what?!"
"Yes," another chimed in. "We all voted for you!"
I stared at them, horrified. "Do you people even understand what that means?!"
Another one of the main character just laughed. "Of course we do. You're stronger than any of us, and the clan needs someone like you to guide it."
And just like that…
Without even having the chance to refuse, I was made leader of the most powerful crew in the world.
---
Now, standing in the middle of the ceremony hall, surrounded by hundreds of hunters and recruits, I couldn't help but sigh.
"Seriously," I muttered. "How did I end up here again?"
> [Quest Complete: Stop the Fight From Going On]
Reward: +1P
At least I got something out of it.