After steadying his emotions, Kurose Akira slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed to school.
With the college entrance exams approaching, there were far fewer formal lessons. Most of the day was now self-study.
Sitting in the classroom, Kurose Akira's thoughts kept drifting back to the scenes from the game the night before. Ivsa's character quest required roughly fifty silver coins—but judging from the hidden quest, her storyline was clearly far more complicated than it appeared on the surface.
Although he was currently holding a "huge sum" of eighty silver coins, that wealth was only temporary. Once that other player finished their task and returned the Flame Gem, he would still need to give seventy silver coins back.
Of course, fifty silver coins amounted to only a few hundred yuan in real-world terms. If he were willing to whale a bit, Ivsa's character quest wouldn't actually be that difficult.
But…
Kurose Akira didn't believe the church's problem was merely a lack of funds.
From Ivsa's own account, the entire church was operating at a deficit.
Simply filling the financial hole might not be enough to bring it back from the brink.
"Hah~"
Kurose Akira let out a sigh. He hadn't expected himself to become so completely immersed in that game.
Buzz—buzz~
Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He took it out and glanced at it. It was a message from the owner of the place where he used to work part-time, asking whether he was free on Saturday and Sunday and if he could come help out.
After thinking it over, he realized his finances were indeed tight. He still needed part-time work to get by.
That mysterious game might change his fate one day—but that would only be after he had grown strong enough. For now, he had to deal with immediate, mundane issues, like putting food on the table.
"I can come."
Kurose Akira sent the reply immediately.
A response came quickly.
Sister Ling: "Same as usual—300 yuan a day, meals included!"
"Okay."
He slipped his phone back into his backpack, thinking to himself that Sister Ling really did look after him. Three hundred yuan a day for temporary work was no small amount.
In the blink of an eye, it was already 5:30 p.m.
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Kurose Akira grabbed his backpack and rushed out of the classroom.
He couldn't wait to get home, log into the game, and continue developing his guild.
After arriving home, he quickly ate something simple as dinner.
Then he put on his VR headset and entered the game world.
When he reappeared inside the guild, he was surprised to find Ivsa already waiting for him.
"You're finally here!"
When Ivsa saw Kurose Akira appear, joy bloomed across her exquisitely beautiful face. She looked like a young wife welcoming her husband home after a long day.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kurose Akira said, glancing at the time.
The in-game clock showed ten in the morning. It seemed the game world's time differed from reality by about eight hours.
"Are there any new commissions today?" Ivsa asked expectantly.
"Yes."
Kurose Akira nodded and handed her the last remaining quest he currently had.
Slay the Desert Golem!
While browsing the world chat, he had heard other players complain that this beginner quest was particularly troublesome.
Many common-quality adventurers struggled to deal meaningful damage to the Desert Golem and ultimately had to rely on a drawn-out war of attrition.
After all, the Desert Golem fought alone and had low intelligence. Defeating it was only a matter of time.
However, Kurose Akira didn't think he needed to struggle like everyone else.
He believed Ivsa could defeat the Desert Golem with ease.
"Let's set out," he said.
"Mm!"
As white light flashed, Kurose Akira and Ivsa were teleported to the Desert Golem's territory.
But the moment Kurose Akira arrived at the quest location, his expression stiffened.
He scanned the surroundings.
An endless sea of sand stretched in every direction. Within a ten-kilometer radius, there didn't seem to be a single living creature.
Only in the distance stood a Desert Golem over three meters tall, silently awaiting its inevitable destruction.
"There shouldn't be a hidden quest here… right?"
Kurose Akira frowned. The sand looked almost identical everywhere, and the area was unimaginably vast.
Searching for a hidden quest in the desert…
That would be nothing but a waste of time!
He'd probably even forget the way back in the end!
Giving up on the idea of a hidden quest, Kurose Akira focused his gaze on the Desert Golem.
[Desert Golem (Common)]Level: 5 (400/500)Race: Elemental LifeformStrength: 80 / Agility: 20 / Mana: 0 / Constitution: 100Growth: 5 (Gain +5 to all attributes per level)Skills: (Expand)
"No wonder people say it's hard to deal with—it's a level 5 monster."
After seeing the Desert Golem's status panel, Kurose Akira finally understood why other players had been wailing in despair.
"Ivsa, can you handle it?" he asked, turning toward her.
"It likely has damage reduction against magic," Ivsa replied calmly, "but with the boost granted by Kurose Akira-sama, I can easily shatter it."
A boost?
Kurose Akira immediately understood—it had to be the effect of the [Unwavering Loyalty] trait.
A 100% combat power increase was incredibly appealing.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Ivsa was already walking toward the Desert Golem.
She clasped her hands together and softly began chanting a spell.
As her voice echoed, a golden magic circle appeared above the Desert Golem. At the center of the circle, a radiant golden holy sword slowly took shape.
Holy magic!
Kurose Akira watched Ivsa's every movement without blinking, unable to stop himself from marveling—
A succubus who could wield holy magic…She was probably one of a kind.
Only after Ivsa finished chanting did the Desert Golem realize an enemy had approached.
It slowly rose to its feet, preparing to fight.
But the golden holy sword above its head was already primed to strike.
"Be destroyed~"
Ivsa's light, gentle voice rang out.
In the next instant, the golden holy sword fell like lightning!
With a deafening explosion, the Desert Golem was obliterated by the overwhelming holy strike, collapsing into a pile of sand that scattered into the wind and vanished without a trace.
Joy surged through Kurose Akira's heart.
Just as he had expected—Ivsa could defeat the Desert Golem effortlessly.
"Well done, Ivsa!"
"It's all thanks to the power Kurose Akira-sama bestowed upon me~"
After dealing with the Desert Golem, the two immediately returned to the guild and submitted the quest.
[Copper Coins +100, EXP +150!][You have obtained 1 free trait refresh opportunity.][Congratulations! You have completed the current three commission quests!][Special Quest Acquired: The Soul of the Deceased!]
[Quest Description: A truth hidden for a century lies within the Ghost Ship. Retrieve the letter hidden in the captain's treasure chest and deliver it to the law-enforcement knight Loshia of Sunset City!][Quest Objective: A Letter from Home][Recommended Level: 4][Quest Rewards: 5 Silver Coins, 500 EXP][Upon completion, player evaluation will increase to F+, and you will obtain an Adventurer Recruitment Scroll (White).]
"Five silver coins, five hundred experience points… and an Adventurer Recruitment Scroll?"
Seeing the special quest's rewards, Kurose Akira felt a surge of excitement and anticipation.
He hadn't expected a second recruitment opportunity to arrive so quickly.
But then again, this was a game.
Only by giving players generous rewards could it maintain player retention.
"Ivsa," he said.
"Yes, Kurose Akira-sama."
"There's another new quest. Let's go."
"As you command~"