Easy? This Is Too Easy

Seo Hwarang stole a glance at Yoo Seon-ah's face.

Judging by her complete lack of reaction, no quest window had popped up for her.

So it can trigger for both of us or just one of us, depending on the situation?

Either way, one thing was certain. He had no idea how vast this continent actually was, but he had zero intention of hanging around as some backwater baron's personal court mage.

I'm heading to the capital no matter what. Straight into the Academy.

Seo Hwarang was a simple creature. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Wherever the skill books were, that was heaven. That was paradise on earth.

But then...

What actually happened if you refused a quest?

Worth finding out. There was no risk involved. Any lord who felt threatened by a nobody like Noskar had no hope of forcing anything on him by strength of arms.

"My apologies. I must decline."

Oh.

So it just lets you refuse, right off the bat?

So the consequences register right after, apparently.

"Whew. Is that so?"

The baron sighed and straightened his back, but he quickly forced a smile and nodded.

"Heh heh heh. A true shame, I'll admit. But well—I shall respect your choice. A mage of such formidable talent may well find little to hold his interest in a village this small."

"Thank you for understanding."

"In that case, would you forgive my shamelessness and indulge one further request?"

A request?

Seo Hwarang regarded the baron with curiosity.

"Go ahead."

Edwin Barck hesitated for a moment, then continued in a grave voice.

"The truth is, the Black Wolf Bandit Gang is still very much alive. Black Fang. He is their master, and Noskar was merely one of the packs he leads... We are afraid. Afraid of how they will come at us now that they've lost Noskar. For the sake of the villagers' safety, would you not consider wiping them out entirely? Of course, you will be compensated generously."

Hmm.

Seo Hwarang fell into brief thought. A bandit gang? If the ones he'd fought earlier were any measure, it wouldn't be much trouble at all.

"What's the reward?"

The baron smiled at the question.

"Ten silver crowns, plus one thing I believe you'll take a liking to. A ring once used by the mages of old—an heirloom passed down through my family line."

Huh?

It popped up again.

"...!"

Seo Hwarang's eyes went round.

Rare? A Rare item?

Yeah, he was doing this one, no question.

But now that I think about it, one more thing's been nagging at me.

The quest seems to adapt to the situation—could the rewards be negotiable too?

Any time a question mark floated up in his head, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had to resolve it before moving on. Better to test it in a quiet village than in a big city, where the psychological stakes would be far higher.

"Hmm. If you add one more thing... I'd be willing to consider it if you also tell me how to reach the continent's capital."

"The capital? You mean Lumentia?"

"That's right."

"Heh heh heh. What kind of lord would I be if I couldn't manage that much for the hero of my own village? Defeat Black Fang, and I shall personally see to your guidance! Most courteously!"

Ooh, so that works!

They'd even throw in a map of the continent!

Excellent. That was more than enough to seal the deal.

"Agreed. I'll kill them right now."

"Wahaha-ha!"

Baron Edwin beamed and clasped Seo Hwarang's hand in both of his.

"Thank you! So long as you preserve this village's peace, I shall never forget this debt!"

"Wow, so that's how it works."

Yoo Seon-ah, who was sharing Seo Hwarang's quest window, marveled at it.

"So depending on what you do here, a matching quest just... appears?"

"Yeah, you should start making good use of this too, noona."

It felt like some kind of signpost. It told you what to do, and then it even paid you for it.

"And one more thing. There's an experiment I want to run."

"What kind?"

"Just follow me."

The two of them headed for the village smithy.

Clang! Clang!

The closer they got, the more the heat pressed against their skin, and the rhythmic hammering of metal rang out.

Whoosh!

Inside the solid stone-walled building, flames flickered and danced in a roaring furnace.

"Oh, customers! The hero of the village, no less!"

The blacksmith boomed cheerfully, setting his hammer down. His face was rugged as a cliff, but the smile stretched wide across it—apparently the effect of that freshly increased affinity.

"Come to browse the wares, have you? Well met! Finest weapons and armor in the whole village, right here! Quality guaranteed, my word on it!"

And with that, he launched into his sales pitch, gesturing at the racks of weapons and armor.

What exactly a smith's guarantee was worth to them, who could say. Still...

"Ahaha, a mage, so you'll be after armor over swords, I reckon? This pauldron set is sturdy and light—easy to wear. If you need anything, just say the word!"

"How much is this sword?"

"Oho, the sword? Ten copper!"

Ting!

Seo Hwarang flicked a silver coin over without a moment's hesitation. He didn't bother haggling. There was something far more important at stake here.

"S-silver? One moment, friend. Let me fetch your change."

He darted off and came bounding back with ninety copper.

Change collected, sword in hand. The copper coins slipped naturally into his inventory.

But the sword?

Figures.

The sword refused to go in.

"...What are you doing right now?"

Yoo Seon-ah had been staring at him blankly this whole time, her expression practically shouting, What is this guy doing?

"Confirmed it. Just as I thought."

Seo Hwarang handed her the sword.

"Looks like only quest rewards can go into the inventory. Stuff you buy from shops like this doesn't count."

He'd originally planned to run trade as a side business—bulk-buy the items sold here and resell them on Earth. But if this was how it worked, the whole scheme was dead on arrival.

"Huh. So that's why."

Disappointment washed over Yoo Seon-ah's face.

Which made them no different from every other awakened hunter. They cleared dungeons and sold the rewards, same as everyone else.

"No need to look at it so grimly, though. If quests configure themselves to match the situation... there'll definitely be ones that let us receive items in bulk as delivery."

"You think so? I hope you're right."

"For now, let's just knock quests out one by one. We're still a long way from hitting proficiency 80, so... looks like we need to move a bit faster, doesn't it?"

"Okay, got it."

Yoo Seon-ah nodded.

Right. First things first—those bastards needed killing.

From here on out, this was a dungeon.

D-rank quest? Then it was a D-rank dungeon!

Finding Black Fang was not difficult.

"We're under attack!"

"Black Fang—he's come right up to the village gates!"

Stay still long enough, and they came to you on their own two feet. Extremely eager to die, apparently.

"Mr. Mage!"

"Hero, sir! Please, save our village!"

Well then. Time to grind out some proficiency at a leisurely pace.

Seo Hwarang quickened his stride toward the village entrance, where armed villagers clutched their weapons with tense, pale faces.

Even as he moved, he kept cycling his spells—Magic Shield, Light, Low Heal, Detect Magic, and the rest—rotating them every time their cooldowns came up.

Proficiency comes before quests.

First, to even step out into this continent properly, he needed to read one skill book cover to cover. And to do that?

He had to unseal Skill Book Collect!

"M-Mr. Mage!"

The baron's captain of the guard hurried over.

"Yes?"

"Will you be taking the vanguard again this time?"

"I suppose so."

"Absolutely not. I know you possess remarkable skill, but... their numbers are considerable."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. Look there."

Huh?

Seo Hwarang blinked in surprise. Nearly a hundred soldiers had formed up in battle lines.

"Whoa, whoa, this might be a bit... I think we might actually need the villagers fighting alongside us on this one?"

Yoo Seon-ah was so scandalized she was literally backing away.

"Okay."

Seo Hwarang nodded as well. His ego insisted he could handle them alone, but there was no need to posture. He could just crush them with magic from a distance—why bother with bravado?

Might as well get some multi-target combat experience while I'm at it.

Swish.

As Seo Hwarang raised his hand—

Vuuuum!

Five arrows of golden light rose into the air in unison.

1st Circle. Master Light Arrow.

"M-Mr. Mage! You're attacking right now?!"

"That is the plan, yes."

"Wait—at the very least, shouldn't we first see if this can be resolved through parley—"

"Oh, come on. Since when does parley work on a bunch of guys marching at you with drawn blades?"

More to the point, those men were Seo Hwarang's precious experience points—walking, shouting bundles of loot.

Whoosh!

He flung his hand forward without hesitation.

Fweeeew!

The Light Arrows tore through the air like true bolts and punched into the chests of five bandits, one each.

"Khaagh!"

"Gguaaargh!"

The bandits toppled from their horses, each clutching at his own shattered heart. At what was honestly quite a long range, the accuracy was absurd.

"So that's the mage who killed Noskar!"

Black Fang drew his blade, eyes blazing.

"And he struck first—so there'll be no more talk of negotiation! Boys! CHARGE!"

"YES, SIR!"

Thunder-thunder-thunder!

Black Fang's men began to sprint. Dozens of them fanning out into formation and accelerating in unison—it was, admittedly, a magnificent sight.

"Mr. Mage! What do we do now?!"

"Even for a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mage, taking on that many men is—"

"H-huaaaaahh..."

The villagers' hands trembled. They were gripping weapons, yes, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but every last one of them was a farmer at heart. Panic set in at the sight of the war about to crash down on them.

But to Seo Hwarang, all he saw was a herd of delicious, experience-rich targets galloping straight toward him.

First.

1st Circle. Master Fire Bolt.

Whoosh!

Two Fire Bolts streaked out to either flank.

1st Circle. Master Wind Cutter.

Whiiiiine!

Blades of compressed wind followed hard behind.

And simultaneously—

1st Circle. Master Aqua Splash.

A small wave bloomed before the charging troops, stalling their advance.

1st Circle. Master Dark Cloud.

A black fog coalesced across their field of vision.

All of it unfolded in the span of a single second.

"Gg-ggaaargh!"

"I-I can't see!"

"Get this cursed cloud out of my face!"

Utter pandemonium erupted. Step beyond the fog's edge and a Wind Cutter came flying; dodge that, and a Light Arrow had somehow already found its way to their faces.

Seo Hwarang showed no mercy. He churned through every skill the instant its cooldown refreshed.

This is honestly easy, isn't it?

Even mid-carnage, he kept taking his own measure. So D-rank quests were basically free food served straight to your mouth. From now on, he could accept anything D-rank without a second thought.

The bandits' numbers began to dwindle.

Among them had been Iron Claw, Noskar's equal in rank.

And Grifun was there too. A level-up, even.

Well, well.

Easy didn't even begin to cover it.