[Side Quest: Go undetected after your first high-profile kill]
[Status: Ongoing]
The quest still hadn't ended, and it was getting on Ash's nerves. He stood up from his seat in the library, his stomach growling every few minutes.
But his sour mood didn't affect the bustling atmosphere in the Rankers' Association.
His eyes swept across the hall, looking for anything new he might have missed last time. On the notice board, he spotted two entries:
E-rank Dungeon [Uncleared – 7 Days remaining]
Location: near the southern gate
D-rank Dungeon [Uncleared – 3 Days remaining]
Location: behind the Merchant Store
Those were the only two dungeons listed. Everything else was marked Cleared.
Another growl from his stomach reminded him of his condition.
Heading toward a restaurant, his thoughts wandered to Jessie—until sudden realization struck.
She was gone. She hadn't come back in three days. She lived at the inn, but that was just a temporary residence anyone could leave at any time.
Contrary to all his assumptions, he spotted Jessie walking briskly toward the Association, her usual rushed pace unchanged.
She walked straight past him without a word.
"Jessie," Ash called out, not realizing why she was ignoring him.
Jessie turned her head. "I don't have change."
Ash stared, dumbfounded, then looked down at his own condition.
"It's you, Ash? I didn't even recognize you."
His appearance was bad, sure, but not so bad that someone couldn't recognize him. He knew she was messing with him.
"My bad… my bad," Jessie laughed, covering her mouth.
Passersby glanced at them with mild curiosity.
"I'm hungry. Can't talk," Ash muttered, brushing past her and heading into the restaurant.
Jessie followed, still giggling, which only grated on him further.
Ash ordered a basic plate of food. Jessie sat across from him.
"Oh man, so many fights in just a few years. Kingdom wars, internal conflicts. A century filled with battles," Ash muttered, recalling the endless accounts he'd read in the books.
"That's why the rules had to be refined for the new reality," Jessie said with enthusiasm. She was always animated when it came to history or societal changes. "Otherwise rebellions would've kept happening every decade."
"The book I read was Start of Ascension. But there was no mention of the first message people received," Ash said, chewing his steak.
"That book was heavily edited after its initial release. I don't know much, but the original apparently had something that drove readers crazy. Later it was removed, and the author claimed he only wrote it for fun."
Ash frowned at her explanation but kept eating.
"Let me try some." Jessie reached across, taking a slice of steak. The rare meat glistened, dripping juice, the flavor enticing.
After her first bite, she continued, "There are theories about that controversy. No direct information, but supposedly, as humanity leveled up, quests appeared in all sorts of forms. Some were even… traded as information. Who knows. Anyway, forget it." She took another bite.
Ash didn't respond, just nodded while filling his stomach. The mention of quests had stirred another thought.
"What happened to that noble's case?" he asked quietly.
Jessie lowered her voice. "The news is, the culprit was caught. But the legal procedure hasn't started. It's not considered a grave offense by dungeon standards, but the Wilberts are pushing for the death penalty. They're dragging it out, trying to dig up every sin he ever committed—or they will plant evidence if they can't find enough."
Her tone grew grim. "Not all five will face the death penalty, but the one they paint as the main culprit will definitely die. That's the twisted politics here. That's why I was so afraid."
"Isn't it unfair?"
"It is. But decades ago, before these rules were solid, it was worse. If someone thought you wronged them, your survival depended on strength alone. If they killed you, you were guilty. If you killed them, you were right." Jessie chuckled when she saw Ash's grimace.
Ash thought politics in his own world had been bad—but this was worse.
For the first time in a while, he felt full. Sleep tugged at him, so he and Jessie walked back toward the inn.
The city was vast, easily the size of Earth's famous metropolises. Yet its grid-like planning made it feel smaller and more accessible.
A thought crossed his mind. "I saw two dungeon notices at the Association. Do you know anything about them?"
Jessie's eyes lit up with realization. "Those must be the dungeons the government hasn't cleared yet. When they're short on manpower, they make them available to the public. Since most rankers are in guilds or the government, independents like us sometimes get the chance to apply."
She spun on her heel. "I'll go check the requirements!" And rushed off before he could say anything.
Ash blinked after her. Didn't we just fail a guild test? If most people are in guilds, shouldn't the test have been easy?
Am I sleep-deprived, or is Jessie half-cracked?
Shaking his head, he headed to his room. Sleep claimed him instantly, his last thought drifting to the dwindling weight of his coin pouch.
-----
"Fuck it," Ash muttered, waking up irritated. His dreams had been nothing but history and battles—everything he'd put into his head that day.
Pulling the curtain aside, he realized it was already night.
He had barely slept five hours, but his body felt sharp again, his focus fully restored.
He stepped out of his room, making his way to Jessie's door.
Knock.
The door opened. His eyes met Jessie's—then drifted down to her clothes.
Her silky comfortable clothes were tugging her body highlighting every curve.
Jessie's face turned bright red seeing his reaction and then—
Shut
The door shut on his face that made Ash realise that he was staring her all that time.
The door opened in few moments Jessie wearing her normal clothes.
"What happened...you went to enquire about dungeons?" Ash asked craving to fight and level up.
It was that strange feeling against the king beast that he wanted to feel again, and ofcourse the nobles case had laid it clear. Power was absolute, everything else was just variable.
"Ahh... about that—I was late. E-rank dungeon was already allotted to another party" Jessie answered.
"And..." Ash said asking about D-rank.
Jessie's jaw dropped at his implications. He wanted to clear a D-rank dungeon. But then she remembered the strange weapon he used to kill noble's squad effortlessly. But she didn't knew if it was enough for D-rank monsters.