Sudden Quest -1-
“Until you find something you want to do. How about sticking with me in the meantime?”
“!”
Clara's body went rigid at the unexpected invitation. But her mind was racing.
Because Rohan's words seemed to carry all sorts of meanings.
Clink!
Rohan tossed the plastic cup now filled only with ice and let out a hollow chuckle as he looked at Clara.
Wasn't it pretty ridiculous, how anxious he felt at the thought of this girl leaving?
“Ah, I really need to fix this habit of letting my heart run ahead of me.”
“···?”
“It's an important talk, so Clara deserves a proper explanation, right?”
The girl nodded faintly with a dazed look on her face.
Rohan resumed his slow steps with his paused legs and spoke.
“After graduating from Orion Academy, settling down in Academy City Elysium and aiming for a job at the Security Bureau would be stable and nice, but I've been leaning toward going freelance.”
“What do you mean by freelance, oppa···?”
“It'd mean being a hunter who hunts monsters and sells stuff like hides and fangs for materials. Or sometimes a headsman who takes down beasts pretending to be human, depending on the need.”
Better to be detailed than vague.
As he wrapped up, Rohan added the point that had just come to mind.
“I also have legitimate clearance to enter the Southern Ruins without any annoying procedures. That'll be a big advantage.”
No need to go far—the land was crawling with monsters spewed out by the Void Whale.
Plus, Academy City Elysium's location was prime real estate, sandwiched between great powers.
Perfect for selling valuable materials.
“If I set up an office, maybe I could nest somewhere a bit cheaper outside the central district.”
Rohan shot her a look asking if she was interested.
Clara pulled her lips from the straw and shared her reaction.
“I-I'm surprised··· your plan is way more detailed than I thought!”
“I thought it was just sketching the outline, but I'll gladly take the compliment.”
“I-I don't know anything about that stuff at all···.”
Clara listened intently, imagining it. Even harsh work would be fun if spent with Rohan.
For a girl focused on living in the moment, this felt like a light flicking on in the pitch-black void of her future, with no promises attached.
And Rohan felt the same.
As he spoke, he noticed what he'd been worried about and relaxed.
Sure enough, Clara didn't bat an eye at the talk of dealing with monsters and humans.
“H-Hah, but there are way better people than you at Orion Academy···?”
Why invite me when you've never even seen what I can do? That question dangled from the trailing end of her words.
Rohan shook his head.
“Not everyone at Orion Academy is some freak like Noah. You can tell just by looking at me—or any cadets you see on the street.”
“···.”
“And more important than skill is whether our bodies and minds mesh—whether we're in sync.”
Clara's heart pounded suspiciously at those words.
She posed the question with more tension than ever.
“Do you think··· y-you and I would mesh well···?”
“Of course.”
The straightforward answer bloomed joy in the girl's heart.
Bloomed it wide open.
“It's still a ways off, so if Clara finds something she wants to do in the meantime, you can go that route. No problem.”
“Uh-huh···.”
She knew it was a kind offer to let her go if she wanted, but it felt strangely disappointing.
Why do I get like this only in front of oppa··· seriously?
Clara couldn't understand why her emotions swayed like reeds in the wind or flickered like flames.
It was enough to make her suspect something was wrong with her head.
“A steady paycheck is comfy, sure, but getting paid what you earn by how hard you hustle ain't bad either.”
It sounded like wisdom from experience, not some line from a fresh Orion Academy cadet.
But Clara felt no disconnect in Rohan's vibe.
That's why she answered—even if it felt hasty, she wanted to reply quick.
Because she feared this Rohan, who looked at her with pure kindness, might slip away.
“I-I'm interested in working with you, oppa. I kinda want to···.”
“!”
She loved seeing Rohan's face light up at her words.
Her body warmed a little at the realization that he needed her.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah. Listening.”
“What exactly··· would I do···?”
At Clara's positive response, Rohan smiled and continued with even more enthusiasm.
Clara could feel his words speeding up just a bit, and it made the older guy seem kinda cute.
“I'm not saying we'll just slack till two years from now. Gotta rack up experience and cash in the meantime.”
The girl nodded as she listened.
“Anyway, the next thing to do··· car incoming. Get inside—it's dangerous.”
“···!”
Rohan grabbed Clara's wrist and pulled her deeper in.
—Vroooom!
A black van sped through the dim alley.
The passenger tossed a cigarette butt out the slightly cracked window.
“Huh?”
It clearly wasn't a scene meant to raise alarms.
Except the license plate Rohan spotted wasn't 4885.
“That plate··· black van, 4885···?”
“Oppa?”
No time to explain to Clara in detail.
The moment he registered it, a notification window popped up before his eyes.
Yellow Toads
◇ Quest Content: You've discovered a vehicle belonging to the human trafficking group Yellow Toad Gang. Rescue the hostages and report to the Elysium Security Bureau.
◇ Type: Sudden
◇ Success Reward: 1,500P
◇ Failure Penalty: None
These sudden quests popped up probabilistically while exploring the Abyss City map.
It was also something Rohan had been waiting for.
No traces of combat cleanup this time? And report to the Security Bureau after rescue···.
After a brief think, Rohan judged this a good opportunity for Clara too.
Even getting tangled with the Security Bureau would be fine.
They'd learned Academy City Elysium's laws in class.
Human trafficking fell comfortably under the categories where even civilians could execute summary judgment.
In this world, the laws were refreshingly straightforward compared to his past life. With hostage testimony as solid evidence, the rescue directive made sense.
“···Clara.”
“You okay, oppa?”
“I'm good. Still got time, right?”
“Y-Yeah? Time's fine, but···.”
Clara glanced at her wrist in Rohan's grip and swallowed hard.
She couldn't shake it off for the life of her.
“Lemme give you a light preview of the kind of work we'd do.”
*****
Crash!
—Aaaagh!!!
A scream and the sound of something shattering. Men sleeping in the container bolted out, scanning the area.
Toad tattoos marked the backs of their hands or necks.
“What was that racket?”
The group's eyes turned to the darkened building.
One window that had been fine before they turned in was now smashed.
“No way we got busted on the first job after relocating, right?”
“Nah, probably just the boss cracking skulls. He's been on edge since we got pushed outta the district.”
“You crazy fuck··· don't say we got pushed in front of the boss.”
“I got eyes. I ain't sayin' shit.”
Just hopeful chatter from their mouths.
Speculation wouldn't cut it—they had to check with their own eyes, so they moved steadily toward the building next door.
Just as they headed for the stairs.
They spotted a woman with purple hair in twin-tails blocking the way.
The basement door stood wide open too, but her looks hit first.
A beauty that could tempt anyone.
The men nearly spat their habitual catcalls but swallowed them.
The presence of someone who didn't belong here spiked their wariness to the max.
Mind must've been elsewhere—they hadn't sensed a thing on the way here, not even her mana.
“Who the hell's this bitch? You call her?”
“Naw, boss! No way!”
“Security Bureau? Heard their noses are somethin' else.”
“Even if they sniff good, we just started—ain't no way···.”
They debated, drawing weapons.
Guns and blades in hand, all vicious-looking.
“Y-You guys are the bad guys doing human trafficking, right···?”
“What the fuck's this chick sayin'?”
“Just some crazy broad? Crazy hot like that, we could sell high even as-is···.”
The woman's timid act—avoiding eye contact, looking away—boosted the group's momentum.
In underworld scraps, momentum was half the battle.
Cowering like that just screamed defeat.
“I've already checked inside···.”
The girl nudged a pebble on the floor with her shoe tip—tok!—and rolled it.
The men's eyes locked on the rolling stone.
“D-Don't cross that stone, just wait there···! You can't go in right now···.”
As she spoke, glass shattered upstairs, shards raining down with a scream.
Shatter!
—Kaaaagh!!!
Definitely one of their own.
A guard watching the goods, no less.
“The fuck? Unbelievable.”
“Boss, boss ain't gone anywhere··· this is weird.”
One sensed ill omens and stepped back, but the cusser grimaced and advanced.
And in that instant.
Pop!
A crisp sound like wind piercing.
The man who'd crossed the line anyway dropped with a hole in his head.
In the girl's pale hand gleamed a silenced pistol, drawn from who-knows-where.
“I-I told you··· not to cross.”