The Murder Extermination Quest
While time passed, it wasn't like I was just swinging the sword I'd bought on installment.
As I balanced studying and training, anomalies from the Monolith struck four times in some distant country I'd never even heard of.
But so far, there was only one sole returnee.
The information from that single survivor—and ours—was cross-verified, and only the overlapping parts were publicly announced on a large scale.
The biggest difference this time: the returnee came back covered in wounds.
While checking external info I couldn't get from Abyss City,
I kept digging into the names Rowell and Jenny from the second restricted-access file.
I poured the most time into the internet, but simple searches turned up too many people with the same names to narrow down.
I tried narrowing it to someone connected to Solarea in the south,
but even limiting the region didn't yield anything promising.
Rowell... Jenny... We will fulfill your wishes...
I muttered it again, pondering.
The phrase itself seems to refer to people... but what if it's not a person's name?
Hypotheses kept piling up in my head.
What if they were someone I shouldn't even mention aloud? It felt awkward to ask around or have others look into it.
It was like the only way was to go search myself.
Amid the gloomy progress where even my Shop skill was still updating,
one piece of good news.
I finally got my first month's pay from the Flower Lily Bookstore.
Today, as always, I decided to treat Clara—who was in her usual corner of the bookstore—to a nice dinner.
"Check this out! I cleared stage 4 all by myself now!"
"Congrats, oppa!"
"If I level up one more party, stage 5 might be doable?"
We finished our meal and had a blast with drinks and gaming.
"Oh, right. Clara."
"You called?"
Before leaving the restaurant, I rummaged in my jacket's inner pocket
and handed Clara half of my bookstore paycheck.
It's late, but still.
This was repayment for her help taking down the human trafficking group, the Huangseomdan.
Considering Clara's skills and abilities, it felt insultingly low, and I felt bad, but I planned to make it up by sharing as much as possible from future jobs.
"Sorry for the delay on the payout. I got word the committee's done, so it'll come soon. Then we can go house hunting."
"O-Oppa! This much money... I'm fine!"
I knew it'd be like this. I'd anticipated Clara shaking her head.
I knew this girl wouldn't take money gracefully, so I'd thought about it a lot before coming here.
"Clara."
"Y-Yeah...?"
"Remember what I said before? About working with me from now on?"
Clara nodded without hesitation at my question.
Her purple twintails swayed like a puppy's tail.
"Even though we can't properly register until after academy graduation?"
"Yeah. I know."
Even after I mentioned the risks, the girl's eyes were still full of anticipation.
I'm grateful for that. That's why I could say it seriously.
"Then we gotta handle the money part properly. It'll put my mind at ease."
"Hauu... I-It's really okay..."
She had no counter beyond "it's okay," so Clara chewed her lip.
Sensing I was one step away, I smiled warmly and recalled a moment from the dungeon.
"And."
"Yeah?"
"You told me not to keep saying 'it's okay' to you. Same thought here."
"...!"
Reminding her of when she'd impulsively vented her feelings made Clara's face flush red.
She hurriedly looked away and slurped her juice through the straw.
"Take it. It's money you deserve. If not, I'll leave it at the restaurant."
"Thanks, oppa... I'll use it well."
Clara knew for sure now. I'd absolutely do it.
From the moment I said it'd ease my mind, her options were limited.
"Spend it wherever you want, comfortably."
"Yeah!"
"Anything you wanna buy? Just curious."
"...Something I wanna buy?"
At my question, Clara stirred the ice with her straw, thinking.
Back when she first settled in Academy City, she'd always thought to invest in games first once she earned proper money.
But now, she wanted cute clothes and new underwear.
Things beyond just self-satisfaction.
Before going to the bookstore where I worked, she'd started caring about her appearance, and every day she felt her wardrobe was ridiculously lacking.
I wanna pay when we eat out with oppa, too...
But she'd keep those thoughts hidden.
"Nail art gel and cubics to decorate with?"
It wasn't a complete lie.
"Cubics—you mean those gem-like things for nails?"
"Yeah...! 15 tokens for a set."
Clara usually bought cheap stuff from the general store anyway.
Even splurging on nails wouldn't top 1 coin.
"You do your nails yourself? Not at a salon?"
"Salons are pricey... and, y'know, gotta talk to people..."
I couldn't help but laugh.
It was the most Clara-like reason ever.
In moments like these, I realized how precious everyday life was.
It fueled me to study and swing my sword relentlessly until bedtime.
"Clara's got such nimble hands—"
Phones buzzing—not just ours.
Rohan and Clara's phones buzzed at the same time, cutting off the conversation.
Not just us—every customer in the restaurant was checking their smartphones.
A message with a red exclamation mark.
From the Elysium Security Bureau, guardians of Academy City.
Rohan widened his eyes at the familiar photo attached to the message.
Looking down from the restaurant, Security Bureau vehicles were rushing about.
It's the prelude!
The moment I recognized it, the wait ended.
A translucent alert window popped up before my eyes.
The dead don't talk. Murder extermination...
Take them out before they get caught by the cops and blab about the elf elders' plans.
Simple logic, but we'd need to move fast and erase all traces of battle.
And the reward.
The word Transcendence especially caught my eye. I couldn't resist.
Is it that Transcendence I know?
In Abyss City, pulling the same character repeatedly let you use the Transcendence system.
Up to six times max—it was a huge chunk of the game's revenue.
First things first, move.
Quest confirmed. I'd find out the details upon completion anyway.
Still seated, I grabbed my longsword propped nearby,
and Clara picked up on the shift in my mood from the message.
"Clara. You got all your weapons? Need to swing by home?"
"Got everything. Can move out right now."
As I stood and moved, Clara followed, gazing at my broad back.
Heading down the stairs, I slung the sword onto my back via the leather harness. I'd carried it this way as a hunter—it was comfy.
"Clara. Let's go meet someone today."
"Huh? Who...?"
To the puzzled girl, I flashed a grin.
"Sion."
A secluded hideout where Sion and the elf elders were staying.
After a long time, a large group of guests arrived from the distant nation of Yamal.
Their leader stationed a not-insubstantial number of gang members outside,
then entered with a minimal escort.
The head of this crime syndicate that ruled a region of Yamal was a Doberman beastkin in a beige coat.
He'd personally undergone ear-cropping surgery, sharpening his ears to points. It made his face look even sharper.
The burly guys flanking him were also beastkin with aggressive bloodlines.
"Bring out the item from the photo. I'll verify it's real."
"Here."
The grand elder produced a jet-black coin.
Both sides bore intricately drawn hands.
The unique ominous aura from that coin couldn't be faked.
"It's genuine. Explain the job."
The beastkin nodded in satisfaction and returned the coin.
It'd be his once the mission was done.
As the discussion continued inside,
Sion's room was locked tight, festooned with padlocks.