After the system translated the code that his brain was not yet ready to solve, he went to the listed location at midnight the next day.
While leaning onto the cold stone wall with the letter in hand, he wondered what situation had made the organization summon him in person. The letter didn't say anything at all regarding the task.
[Acting sophisticated or cool does not increase an assassin's fame.]
At times, Ryuu wished he could give the system a good beating. 'So what? I'm a farmer too! I'll be a cool farmer. Stop nitpicking on me!'
Sounds of footsteps came from the other side, followed by a rhythmic tapping which the system identified.
[Code verified. You may proceed.]
"Greetings." It was a solemn male voice.
"Why did you summon me all of a sudden? With a high-grade letter at that?" Ryuu tried his best to match the tone.
Royal grade letter was only used when someone of that level was involved. But all the royalty existing on the continent were in a rough condition. They had money and authority as always, but were overworked to the point they barely had time to themselves. Why would they hire assassins under such conditions? For succession battles? They had to force their heirs onto the throne in the first place.
"A problem has arisen. The commission isn't for an assassination this time, it's for a rescue."
'Hmm?' "Did one of the princes or princesses request it?" It would make sense if that were the case. But since when did assassins rescue people? Didn't that contradict the job specifics?
"Such cases aren't passed down to someone of your calibre."
'So there are those requests.'
Ryuu pitied the royalty as well. Especially the younger generation. They couldn't hold absolute power, wage wars, or conquer territories, and instead functioned as an overworked management team of a large industry. Luxuries they had couldn't outweigh their troubles. Things weren't so bad even a few hundred years ago, but now it was a different case.
Sometimes Ryuu wondered if it was this odd setup that drew so many people to obsess over KS. A world where you could see high-ranking people suffer under the system. Plausible.
"The commission is from an elder dragon in the south." Ryuu's thought process shut down upon hearing the last five words. "The original order was for the royal family, and they contacted us."
'Go back a sentence first. What did he just say?'
"You said dragon, right?" Ryuu's mind didn't process anything after the word 'dragon' was mentioned.
Dragons. A creature famous throughout almost every known fantasy media. And in every case, whether with intelligence or not, they were creatures with superior, if not with absolute, power.
They were mentioned in the game, but not part of any task or storyline, and didn't appear at all. So Ryuu wasn't expecting it.
The person on the other end ignored his question and continued. "The first prince stole a dragon egg from the southern mountain. You are to retrieve and safely return it within a month."
Ryuu felt like he had been struck by lightning. "He stole what?"
This question was also ignored, and a folder fell from the other side. "We have no one else to depend on as the situation stands. The royal family cannot move from the capital, and the knights aren't in a position to take action within a month. We fear that he would go into hiding if he catches on." Pause, "The future of this kingdom is in your hands."
'Are you kidding me right now?' He tried his best not to say this out loud. The other person had already left like a shadow after passing over the bomb. 'Couldn't he be more helpful?'
[Mission Unlocked.]
Ryuu directed his gaze to the screen on doom.
[The kingdom's future has become uncertain because of a foolish mistake.]
'Yeah? Like, what kind of an idiot does something like this? Steal a dragon egg? Did he not have the will to live, or did he want to take the whole kingdom down with him? No kingdom, no throne, no duty? Was that his plan?'
[This unexpected situation has brought you the chance to test your skills, earn merit, and save a kingdom.]
'Do I have to?'
Being an idiot isn't a sin. But this kind of idiot didn't deserve any form of pity. Why should he risk his life for this kind of idiocy?
[Infiltrate the southwestern castle where the first prince is currently at. You may find something new on your journey, or you may find the road to the afterlife.]
'What kind of motivation is that?'
[Time left until the next checkpoint disappears: 1 day 15 hours 50 minutes.]
'Ugh.'
***
A while later.
At the sanctuary…
A group of twenty was right outside the door, preparing to charge in. The team consisted purely of people native to this world, not any player from Earth. So they were low on information to begin with; otherwise, they wouldn't be here right now.
The door opened, and half of the team entered the large room, similar to a throne room. A long, dark carpet led from the door to the dais. At that other end, a figure was sitting calmly on his throne. Eyes closed, clothes resembling something ancient gods might pick. And an expression resembling a beautiful statue.
"Lord Kyros." The statue didn't bother opening his eyes. "We have come to put an end to—" The words didn't reach a conclusion, and the group of ten faded into dust in a mere second. They were gone before they realized it.
The ones waiting outside could only stare in fright. Everyone knew how ruthless Kyros was. But still, at he very least, he let the enemies speak their part.
He tapped his fingers on the handrest. "Step inside and be done with it," he spoke solemnly.
Kyros didn't attack those outside the throne room, as in, outside the boundary of the main sanctuary. It wasn't that he couldn't, but a show of mercy that gave the enemies a chance to escape.
His overbearing voice rang across the room once more. "Otherwise, leave."
It didn't take long for them to realize they had picked the wrong time for this ordeal. There was no way they'd take the first option. So they ran with their hearts in their hands, praying for their lives and swearing not to set foot on this ground ever again.
The lord continued to tap his fingers, as if lost in thought. "How much longer do I put up with this nonsense?"
[...]
"I've already given enough time."
Unlike a certain someone, the overlord didn't wait for a response. Nor did he pay any attention to it. The large door finally closed soundlessly, and the lord of the land disappeared, leaving the sanctuary empty after many days.
At that same moment, in a small town in the south where travellers gathered, a black message window popped up in front of the sleeping assassin.
[Warning]
Some people say assassins are always alert. Well, they probably never met Ryuu Aoi. Cause when he slept, he slept like a log and wouldn't even notice if a tornado passed by.
[Mission objectives have been upgraded due to predicaments.]
[Upgrading data. Upgrading the main quest. Transferring data]
[Revising risks and penalties. Syncing.]
[Your mission tasks have been revised.]
[New tasks have been added.]
[We hope for your success.]
Perhaps it was in his fate to always miss notices as they were yet again left unseen by the ever-tired youth.