Rollo rushed into the conversation excitedly, holding a faded and worn sheet of paper. He extended his arm and grinned when Daiden relieved him of it. The latter raised an eyebrow, suspiciously, and slowly averted his gaze to run through the details. He read the quest information and frowned a little, towards the end. Daiden then lifted his head and noticed his silver-haired friend nod at him with deliberate exaggeration. At the sight, he shifted uneasily and returned to the sheet for a second read.

“This is good for me?” asked Daiden, nervously.

★ Special Authority Quest: Lord Ingrid’s Challenge ★

Quest Grade: A~S

Description:

Gis, the Man-eating Butcher is currently being held prisoner in the underground dungeon of the Lord’s Castle in Multana City. Despite the original punishment of death for unspeakable crimes, Lord Ingrid chose to use Gis as a method to train his soldiers and improve economy via the challenge system. There are two tiers to success when using the challenge system and the rewards are proportional to the difficulty.

Clear Condition One: Survive ten minutes in combat against Gis

Reward: 10,000 bloodstones and a special skill from Lord Ingrid’s inventory

Clear Condition Two: Defeat or kill Gis

Reward: 5,000 bloodstones, a special skill from Lord Ingrid’s inventory, Gis’ remains and a Lord’s recommendation for a promotion.

Conditions of Acceptance: A participation fee of 1,000 bloodstones.

“You need to rise up in rank, improve the odds of all future goals,” explained Rollo, with a stern expression. “A quick promotion might even help you catch the right kind of attention.”

Laella gently pulled the paper away from Daiden in that moment. She scanned through the information but fumed with rage instead. “Rollo!”

“You know something I don’t?” asked Rollo, addressing Laella with a smile.

“This is well above our current level of skill!” exclaimed Laella. “You’re sending Daiden to a death quest. Gis has killed several challengers through the course of his imprisonment. And Lord Ingrid’s character is suspect at best. I don’t trust this quest at all.”

Rollo merely shrugged in response to Laella’s reaction. He pointed at the two of them and said, “You’re both High Rankers. More than anything, the freedom of choice is also an opportunity to push our limits. Working within the range of our skill is just lazy…I’m looking at a trainee Nis and a trainee Wielder with Sword Aeter. Don’t assume the stance of people far beneath your standing.”

Daiden and Laella shuddered a little, taken aback by Rollo’s uncharacteristically firm tone.

“Well, I do trust you, my friend,” relented Daiden, with a sigh. “But I also wanted to do a team quest with the two of you.”

“And that’s an excellent suggestion!” said Rollo, easing to his usual self. “Laella and I will plan our quests to finish within the first of two months and use the second for a team quest.”

“Ah, are the two of your used to making decisions without the consent of others?” asked Laella, resting an arm on her hip. She turned to Daiden, with concern, and said, “I would still recommend another quest. Are you sure you want to challenge the Man-eating Butcher?”

“Rollo makes a good point,” said Daiden. “And I did manage to go toe-to-toe with an Amell. I think I need this.”

“Don’t let me stand in the way of your decision,” said Laella, unconvinced still. “You better be here when I return from my quest, then.”

“Well, that decides it!” cheered Rollo. “Let’s all go get our approvals now.”

***

Valaris slowly massaged his temples. He stiffened the paper in his hands and read through the information once more. With a bend, the page arched a little and fell over on its back towards the bottom. The Senior Knight lingered on the last word and then Daiden. He placed the sheet on the table and slid it over to the plump woman behind the counter.

“I’ll be the first to admit it,” started Valaris, with a frown. “The three of you, you High Rankers, you’re all gifted. But this…this just feels stupid. Did Rollo put you up to this?”

“Not at all,” lied Daiden. “I believe the next course of action for my growth is in confrontation with stronger enemies. Experience is a great teacher, I hear.”

The Senior Knight lowered his head and sighed. He turned to the woman and nodded at her. “It’s what the child wants. Approve the quest, please.”

The plump woman examined the details of the quest at a slow pace. She wiped her hands on her apron and pulled the sheet closer, humming through the process. Once finished, she raised and rested her gaze atop Daiden.

“This will do,” said the woman, with a smile. “I’ll need your Mioveroldian Page. Also, is this your first time interacting with the GCQI?”

Daiden quickly adjusted the information on his Mioveroldian Page and flipped it over to the woman. “Yes. I’m still a trainee under Ser Valaris.”

“Hoh?” said the woman, admiring Daiden’s resolve towards hiding the essentials on his Mioveroldian Page. “Let me introduce myself, then. I’m Lydia, a Circle Keeper within the GCQI.”

Daiden introduced himself as well. “Nice to meet you.”

“Well, Daiden, I’ll walk you through what I’m going to do now,” said Lydia, quickly. “I’ll start by connecting your Mioveroldian Page with the GCQI Magic Network. Official Quest Issuers are also registered on the same network. This lets us know if you’ve completed or failed a quest in real time. Rewards are logged and checked as well.

“There are no restrictions on accepting unofficial quests, but it is essential that you report your progress on the matter. Depending on the situation, we’re authorized to either stop your quest or convert said quest into an official request. Are we clear?”

Daiden nodded without hesitation. “Yes. Anything else I should know about?”

“You’ll learn more with time,” said Lydia, reassuringly. “For now, this should do. I wish you luck.”

“Thank you!” said Daiden.

Lydia knelt a little and rummaged through a box placed underneath the counter. “You’ll need these as well.”

Daiden examined the two items in front of him. He stared at a strangely thick, almost cardboard-like piece of paper and another that resembled a map.

“It’s a two-day carriage ride to Multana City,” explained Lydia. “The waiver ticket is a special, trainee-only item. You can use it once to utilize the service for free.”

“And the map?” asked Daiden, curiously.

“Well, some of our regulars prefer traveling by foot,” said Lydia. “It’s a ten-day walk and the path is filled with stray hostilities. But if you store the remains, you can exchange them for bloodstones at a GCQI.”