By the time the receptionist returned after escorting Claire to her destination, Liam had already started his second beer. She sat down, fidgeting restlessly and squirming in her chair, seemingly anxious about something. After a few minutes, she finally got up and began organizing the messy stacks of paper as if trying to appear productive. But her newfound motivation didn’t last long, within a few minutes, she resumed her afternoon nap.

Liam finished his beer and leaned back, stretching his sore muscles as he debated about whether or not to order a third.

SLAM!

Suddenly, the backdoor flew open, and a burly man stepped into the room, followed by Claire. He had a messy beard and shaggy hair, the look of someone who had put off maintaining their appearance for a few months. His muscular arms were covered in scars, giving the impression that he had served many years on the battlefield.

The receptionist grumbled, having been roused from her sleep, she lifted her head to look in the direction of the sound and…

“!!!”

She jumped up, knocking her chair over, startled by his sudden appearance in the room.

“B-Branch Head i-is something wrong? W-Why are you–”

The Branch Head cast her a sharp glance that seemed to say, ‘I’ll deal with you later,’ instantly silencing her. She sat back down with a look of dread, imagining the lecture that awaited her.

The Branch Head’s brow creased as his eyes scanned the room. The Earthlings were behaving the same as always; none of them were paying attention to him, even the ones who knew who he was only glanced at him before turning away. The scowl on his face deepened as he was reminded of the reason why he never bothered to come downstairs.

“Listen up, you lazy fucks and drunk bastards!!”

His harsh tone matched his foul language. Despite this, most of the Earthlings still didn’t pay any attention to him; unruly patrons and loud drunks were nothing new, so the Branch Head’s vulgar words were filtered out.

Tap…tap…tap…

The Branch Head impatiently tapped his foot. His face twisted as if he was trying to hold himself back from exploding.

Tap…tap…tap…tap…

Unable to restrain himself any longer, the Branch Head raised his foot and smashed it down with enough power to bend the floorboards.

BANGGG!!

“HEY, YOU SHIT HEADS!! FUCKING LISTEN TO ME WHEN I’M SPEAKING!!”

The building quaked from his inhuman strength and booming voice. The Earthlings who had raised their glasses to take a sip received a face full of lukewarm beer instead. And soon, angry shouts filled the room.

“Ahhh! What the fuck?!”

“My beeerrrrrrrr!!”

“You fucker, you better pay for that!”

If garnering respect was the Branch Head’s goal, he had undoubtedly failed. However, he only wanted to capture the attention of the room and had succeeded flawlessly, although not in a good way.

The Earthlings exhibited a variety of responses as they stared at the Branch Head, but most could be separated into two categories: those who recognized the Branch Head and those that didn’t. Within the first category, some Earthlings cursed and groaned, others that straightened their backs as they listened attentively, and there was even a small minority that eyed the exit.

The response from second category was similar to the first except most of the Earthlings showed signs of confusion at the man’s sudden appearance and demanding attitude. However, a few of the drunker, more hotheaded Earthlings stood up and cracked their knuckles in a threatening manner, under the impression that the man was looking for a fight.

The Branch Head ignored their gazes and continued to speak.

“I’m issuing an emergency mission!”

With those words, the Earthlings within the first category settled down, and their expressions turned stern, except a few who had stood up during the confusion and started to make their way towards the door stealthily. The other Earthlings, who were unfamiliar with both the man and the mission classification, either whispered to their neighbors, asking if they knew anything about emergency missions, or continued glaring at the man, seemingly ignoring every word he said.

“Don’t even think about leaving, unless…”

The Branch Head didn’t need to finish his threat, those heading toward the exit stopped dead in their tracks, petrified to take another step forward. The courage they had managed to muster, vanished instantly the moment they were spotted; they knew who he was and what he was capable of, the risk wasn’t worth it.

“Oh? I was sure that a few of you would still try and make a dash for the door. I guess you aren’t as dumb as I thought. That’s good, but…”

He turned towards the handful of Earthlings, who still looked eager to start a fight and plant their fist in his face.

“…There’s always a few dumbasses who need to learn things the hard way.”

The Branch Head cracked his neck, provoking them. Their faces distorted in rage as they prepared to charge. Whether it was due to alcohol or this was just their temperament, they clearly were people driven by emotion rather than logic. Either way, it didn’t appear they were about to sit back and listen as a random stranger insulted them. But before they could take a step forward, their comrades stepped in and pinned them to the table.

“Well? Come on, what are you fuckheads waiting for? Come at me… I could use a light workout.”

The Earthlings' faces dyed red as their struggle to break free intensified.

“Scared?”

The Branch Head had a slight smirk. For some unknown reason, it appeared that he was determined to make an example out of these Earthlings.

Provoked by his words, the pinned down Earthlings bucked like enraged bulls as they tried to throw off their comrades and charge at him. It was clear that they were far from sober; they were intoxicated to the point where logic and reason had left them, leaving them to behave like crazed beasts hell-bent on blood. But as strong as their desire to fight was, eventually, they were all incapacitated by their teammates.

“Wow. No one? Really? That’s a surprise. I don’t think this has ever happened before. Usually one of you always manage to break free… Oh well, I guess this is easier.”

The Branch Head seemed a bit disappointed; perhaps he was looking forward to a fight. He cleared his throat before he continued speaking, getting to the point of his visit.

“You morons created a reaaaaaal big mess this time! How long’s it been? Maybe, ten years since there’s been a mess this bad… Well, I hope you're happy with yourselves since you’ll be the ones cleaning it up.”

While no one attacked, they glared at him with blatant hostility, wondering if he was only here to insult them.

The Branch Head continued in a low voice.

“The fucking Viermin mission… You guys just had to wait, didn’t you? You wanted to keep letting the reward get bigger and bigger. I bet you were looking forward to that big payday, weren’t you?”

Everyone nodded as if it were the obvious choice. Glancing at the mission, still tacked onto the board, a slight grin appeared on some of their faces as they fantasized about how they might spend the hefty reward. The base amount had doubled from twenty-five to fifty nickel, and the price per Viermin was approaching fifteen nickel. Originally, there was an unofficial agreement, a pact between everyone to wait until it was ten nickel per head before anyone took it. But when it reached that, they decided it wouldn’t hurt to wait a little longer; twenty nickel sounded like a good number. If this pattern continued, no one would end up taking the mission.

“Well, guess what? It’s over. We're upping it to an emergency mission! Because you waited so long, the nest's population has exploded! There’s well over 100 of them now, and their numbers keep multiplying…”

The room became quiet. Everyone’s attention was focused on the Branch Head, waiting to hear what he had to say next… At least, that’s how it looked on the outside. In their heads, they were calculating the profits. One hundred Viermin at fifteen nickel per head, that wasn’t a hefty sum, it was a fortune.

The Branch Head’s tone became serious, stressing the importance of the mission as he continued.

“I bet some of you are thinking it doesn’t make sense. The nest’s population shouldn’t be that high. Based on the average mutation speed and high failure rate, at most, it should be around ten. But it’s the truth. We’ve had increased reports of Viermin over the last week and with the most recent one, we’re sure of it…

… The nest’s leader is probably a mutant with a faster transformation speed, and we also think it has been using monsters instead of humans as the hosts for the infection. There’s never been a record of them using monsters, so we don’t know how the mutation affects them. They might be stronger or weaker than usual. It could go both ways.”

The Branch Head paused after finishing his assessment of the situation.

Many of the Earthlings hadn’t paid close attention to him after they concluded that there was money to be made. Of course, there were still plenty of Earthlings like Liam, who were diligently making mental notes.

‘Maybe, I should take the next few days off, or at least until the problem is dealt with.’

This couldn’t have come at a better time for Liam. Had it been a week ago, he would have had no choice but to venture into the forest despite the risk. But now, his wallet was full, so he could afford to take a few days off. Unfortunately, his plan was shattered by the Branch Head’s next words.

“This is a REAL emergency, so everyone here who isn’t drunk… No, fuck it! Even if you’re drunk, you’re participating! All of you are going out to the forest to take care of the Viermins, right now! I want it done before morning!”

When he added the last comment, the room seemed to stir. People began groaning, not wanting to do it today.

A brave soul among the Earthlings confidently stood up, voicing his objection.

“I don’t have any problem with participating, but it’s getting close to night.”

“And…? Your point?”

The Branch Head looked at the Earthling with a complete lack of interest.

“A night mission, with this many people, is bound to be chaotic. And Clerics like me, who’ve used all their spells for the day, will be completely useless. Wouldn’t it be best to wait until morning before we start? Everyone will be in much better condition by then. It’s not like anything will happen between today and tomorrow.”

The Branch Head snorted, almost laughing.

“You’re joking, right? Do you think I give a shit about what happens to you? You’re doing it today, end of story.”

Hearing the Branch Head’s response, which left no room for negotiation, the Cleric mumbled to himself.

“The reward better fuckin’ account for the extra risk we’re taking.”

“What was that?”

The Cleric twitched; he hadn’t intended for the man to hear him. He quickly began backpedaling.

“Ah! I didn’t mean it like that! I was just-!”

The Branch Head wasn’t listening.

“You think there’s a reward?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the Cleric, as well as all the other Earthlings, became confused. Why wouldn’t they get a reward? Even though an emergency mission was a step up from an urgent mission and allowed the Association to issue a draft, that didn’t mean they weren’t paid. However, this time…

“You greedy bastards are the ones who created this mess. You think I’m gonna pay you to fix it?!!”

Everyone in the room groaned, and a few began to shout complaints, but the Branch Head’s next words quickly silenced them.

“Quit your whining and go!! If you don’t hurry up, I’ll make you pay me! How’s thirty nickel each sound?!”

The Earthlings began to move. Some got up and slowly made their way to the exit, grumbling about how this was unfair, calling it slavery. Others stayed seated, taking their time as they finished their drinks.

‘Goddammit!’

In the span of a few minutes, things had gone from good to bad and then bad to worse for Liam. Did the shaman curse him with misfortune? He might have thought that if he wasn’t already an unlucky person.

‘Can I get out of this?’

The whole process seemed unofficial, making him wonder how the Association planned to keep track of who participated. Could he skip the mission and go back to his inn? Would they know? What would happen if he was caught?

While Liam was evaluating his options, an argument broke out between Claire and the Branch Head.

“I’m going too.”

Claire declared as she stepped forward, but the Branch Head grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

“Listen, girly. You ain’t going anywhere. My bosses won’t be happy if they hear that I let you run off. I already had to pull a few strings as it is, so just wait here and let the other take care of everything.”

“No.”

Claire tried to push off the Branch Head’s hand, but his grip was too strong.

“Arggghh, why do you have to be so difficult? We went over this ten times upstairs, but I’ll say it again. You’re alone. There’s nothing you can do by yourself, and I’m pretty sure you know that too. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come to me for help, right?”

“…”

Claire fell silent at the Branch Head’s last sentence. Her expression turned grim as if she had recalled some unpleasant memories.

Seeing this as a good chance to drive his point home, the Branch Head continued.

“Don’t forget you’re the one that told me the Viermin attacked you out of nowhere. You said your teammates were helpless, right? And by the time you barely managed to kill one, all your friends had been knocked out and were being... Alright, I’ll stop there. It looks like you get it now.”

He stopped talking once Claire hung her head. Small droplets of water began falling to the ground, and a low murmur could be heard.

The Branch Head scratched the back of his head.

“Hey. Don’t take it the wrong way. It’s not like I’m doing this because I want to. Trust me, I know how you feel, I’ve been there before…”

It was an irrefutable fact that he was callous, boorish, aggressive, and violent, but he wasn’t emotionless. So, when he saw Claire’s depressed state, he realized that he went a little too far and attempted to cheer her up as best he could. He wasn’t expecting anything to come of it, so he didn’t give his words much thought as he prattled on.

"…But you gotta understand I can’t just let you rush in there. With your mental state and lack of teammates… well, let’s just say I can’t see things going well… I mean… maybe if you weren’t alone, then I’d reconsider, but that’s not the case so…”

Suddenly, Claire’s head snapped up, and her eyes scanned the room, spotting a certain individual, she spoke with confidence.

“I’m not.”

“Huh? You’re not what?”

The Branch Head tilted his head.

“I’m not alone.”

Claire pointed at Liam, who was still sitting at the bar.

“That guy over there. Liam. That’s his name. We’ve worked together before.”

“What? What does that have to do with anything?”

“You said that you’d reconsider if I wasn’t alone. I’m showing you that I’m not.”

“I might have said that but…”

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna go back on your word? Was everything you said upstairs about honor a lie? You seemed pretty adamant about it when you talked about being a Knight. What was it you said? Once a Knight always a Knight. Was everything you said a lie to get me to make a deal and join your…”

“Now listen here! Nothing I said was a lie! And that doesn’t change the fact you…”

The Branch Head closed his mouth when he saw Claire cross her arms like a stubborn child.

A curse escaped his lips.

“…fuck…”

Having dealt with her stubbornness upstairs, he realized that she wasn’t going to budge. If it came down to it, he could always use force, but roughing her up wouldn’t reflect well on him.

“Dammit! Fuck! Shit! What’d you say his name was again?”

“Liam.”

The Branch Head turned towards Liam. His only chance of convincing her to stay here rested on the hope that this man didn’t know her. In his heart, he prayed for that to be true as he shouted.

“Hey, Liam!”

Liam broke out of his thoughts, inadvertently looking in the direction of the voice after hearing his name. Seeing Claire pointing at him and the Branch Head standing next to her, he thought...

‘Fucking hell.’

His expression remained unchanged, but inside he was cursing up a storm. The chances he could avoid participating had vanished the second he was recognized.

The Branch Head pointed at Claire.

“Do you know this girl?”

“No.”

Liam didn’t want to get involved in this problem any more than he was already.

“You sure? She says she knows you, and you responded pretty quickly when I called your name…”

There was no denying that, but it was a weak argument at best.

“My name’s Liam, but I’ve never worked with that girl before. She must have gotten me confused with someone else.”

“Hmm, well, guess I can’t argue with that.”

The Branch Head shrugged, showing no intention of pursuing the truth any further. He tried to feign indifference while hiding his relief.

“Sorry, girly. Guess you’re gonna have to give up and-”

“He’s lying.”

Claire didn’t give up that easily.

The Branch Head fell silent. He genuinely didn’t know what to say or how to refute her. At this point, it seemed the only way to make Claire stay was breaking her legs, which wasn’t exactly an option for him. After a moment, he ruffled his hair in frustration.

“Arrrrgh!”

If he had to deal with Claire’s stubbornness for any longer it would drive him crazy.

“Fine, whatever! Just don’t forget our deal, girly! And you…!”

He glared at Liam; his eyes were sharp and intimidating, causing Liam to flinch.

“Make sure she doesn’t die! If you come back without her, I’m holding you responsible!”

The Branch Head swiftly turned and stormed back upstairs, spewing out loads of curses as he slammed the door shut.

SLAM!

‘FUCKKK!!’

Liam lifted his mug, taking a big gulp of beer, both to finish it and drown his frustrations.

“Let’s go.”

Claire’s tone was demanding, not a hint of friendliness or gratitude, despite forcing Liam to work with her.

Setting down the glass, Liam didn’t bother to hide his hostility as he venomously glared at Claire.

“Hey. Did you have to drag me into this shit? Are you still holding a grudge about what happened in the tutorial? Are you that much of a bitch?”

Liam’s tone and words were meant to provoke a reaction out of Claire. Since they were alone, and Claire had made it abundantly clear back in the tutorial that she didn’t like him, there was no reason for him to act respectful to maintain his image. He could let out his frustrations without fear of making enemies. Well, that and he couldn’t hold himself back.

“I don’t care. Let’s go.”

Liam brow creased. He wasn’t expecting a calm, almost robotic response from her. In the tutorial, she would have screamed her head off at him.

“Where are your two friends? Alexandra and Erika, right? Shouldn’t you be asking them instead of me?”

“None of your business.”

Claire’s voice was sharp and icy, making it clear that it was a touchy subject. Liam hadn’t been listening when Claire entered the bar, so he didn’t hear about what happened to her team, nor did he know of Alexandra’s death. Still, he wasn’t oblivious. He could tell that something had happened to her team and decided to drop the subject. He wasn’t one to delve into other’s personal matters, and it was already obvious that she was involved with the Association and this mission in some way.

“Let’s go.”

Claire curtly turned and stormed off towards the door.

“Hey! Wait up!”

Liam got out of his seat and chased after her. If the Branch Head’s words weren’t an empty threat, he had to keep her under control.