"H-how did you do it?" Lyra's voice was still thin, vibrating with disbelief. Even now, hours after the transformation, the gap between her reality as a struggling Priest and her status as an Epic Professional was too vast to reconcile.
"Does how we did it matter?" The mysterious Paradise Boss replied with unnerving smoothness. "It's a reality confirmed by your System Panel. That is all that concerns us."
Lyra fell silent, conceding the point. The power was real. She had felt the Frost Prison Envoy passive thrumming within her, a palpable, frigid energy that had replaced her old healing spells.
She pressed her lips together and voiced her deepest fear. "What do I... need to give up? My soul? My life?"
The Boss's laughter was light and genuine. "Give up what? No, no, no, you misunderstand our business model. We're not some shadowy cult demanding eternal sacrifice. Everything required of you was clearly outlined in the contract you signed yesterday."
Lyra's tense muscles relaxed slightly, but confusion remained. "But... this level of power for nothing in return? That defies every rule of the Professional world."
"There is always something to do," Vincent conceded, neatly changing the subject. "But before that, what are your immediate plans? Are you going to continue operating out of Iron Fang City?"
Lyra pondered the question. Her sister had told her to wait here, but now her sister was gone, and Lyra was fundamentally changed. Staying in Iron Fang City meant constantly having to lie to her established circle, who knew her as a stagnant Priest.
She took a deep breath. "Where is my sister now? Is she safe?"
"Her exact whereabouts are unknown to me, but I can confirm she is currently not in the vicinity of Iron Fang City." Vincent's gentle voice offered just enough confirmation to keep her hope alive, yet kept the details maddeningly secret.
Lyra accepted the vague answer. Pushing him would be pointless.
"You are recommending I leave Iron Fang City immediately, then?" she asked, the logic of the situation becoming inescapable.
"It's the only logical choice for maintaining secrecy," the Boss confirmed. "You have fixed teammates who expect to run dungeons with you. A sudden, unexplained jump in power, or even your refusal to team up, will breed dangerous speculation. Disappearing is the simplest solution."
Lyra nodded, her jaw set with finality. "I understand. I will prepare to leave immediately."
"Good," Vincent responded. "Since you've decided to leave, I have one essential task for you before you go."
"What is it?"
"I need you to go to the Undead Mountain Tier 0 Dungeon. You will break the speedrun records for the Normal, Hard, and Hell Instances. Don't be excessively fast, just beat the existing records. Clear Hell first, then Hard, and finally Normal. Once you're finished, leave the city immediately. Can you achieve this, Agent Frost?"
Lyra was dumbfounded. An entire three-part dungeon record sequence, including the brutally difficult Hell Instance, and all done solo by a Level 0 Professional? It was an absurd request.
But the power of her Epic Professional skills resonated within her, providing a silent, terrifying answer.
"Why this specific task?" she asked, still seeking the hidden purpose.
"To establish a presence," the Boss said simply. "The team name is Paradise. Your codename is Frost, which you wisely chose yesterday. And please, remember to add 'Human' as a suffix to the team name. This is purely for public relations."
Public relations?Lyra was overwhelmed by the absurdity. Breaking records was the most explosive form of public relations imaginable.
She took a steadying breath. "Is that all the direction you have for me?"
"That's the entire core mission for now," Vincent affirmed. "As you travel to other regions, you will likely enter other low-tier instances. If you decide to stay somewhere for a longer period, focus on leveling up, but before you leave, I want you to casually break a few local speedrun records. Don't be too extreme; leave room for future records to be broken."
Lyra's mind raced. Leaving room for future records? This sounded less like a single, high-impact statement and more like a deliberate, long-term brand-building strategy. "Is Paradise planning to recruit heavily across the continent?" she asked, surprised by her own clarity.
"That's not your concern," Vincent deflected smoothly. "Your concern is this first task. Can you do it?"
Lyra paused, feeling the absolute power of her new Magic stat. "I understand. I will execute the mission."
"Excellent. And remember, Agent Frost, everything I've said is based on your absolute safety as a prerequisite. If you feel the mission is becoming dangerous, abandon the record attempt and leave immediately."
That final clause, a genuine concern for her safety amidst all the manipulation, softened Lyra's remaining resistance. "Okay," she replied, her voice low.
"This phone number is my contact information. Save it. If you encounter a problem you absolutely can't solve, call this number, and I will do my best to provide guidance. Congratulations on your class change. Farewell."
The line went dead. Lyra stared at the disconnected call for a long time. She let out a slow, shaky breath and saved the number, labeling the contact simply: Boss.
Boss. She couldn't help but grumble under her breath. What a terrible codename. I've been upgraded from a struggling Priest to a powerful worker bee.
Lisa's text message flashed again, bringing her back to the immediate reality. It was time to sever her old life.
She typed a carefully worded message: "Lisa, I'm so sorry, an urgent family matter has come up. I can't go to Undead Mountain today, and I won't have time for instances for quite a while."
The message was sent. The bridge was burned. She was alone, powerful, and utterly beholden to the mysterious Paradise Boss.
After hanging up the call, Vincent smiled. The plan executed flawlessly. He now had a proactive agent poised to generate immediate Enterprise Reputation.
The Frost Prison Mage's solo power was unquestionable. Breaking a Tier 0 Hell Instance record would be a trivial matter for her, yet it would provide a substantial reputation influx for Paradise. He glanced at the burner phone, satisfied that the contact information was completely untraceable.
"Thalia, wake up!" he shouted, throwing open her door. "We're heading to a dungeon today!"
Thalia responded instantly, already energized.
He had done his work in strategic planning; now it was time for field work.
After a quick breakfast, Vincent and Thalia were out the door.
"Brother, which instance are we going to this time?" Thalia asked, her hands itching to fight after their unexpected day off.
"We're going to check out the Rabbit Instance area first," Vincent replied. "The Centaur Clan's reaction to our actions should be clearer there, and it's a good place to look for intelligence or perhaps our third potential recruit."
Thalia raised an eyebrow at the destination, knowing the area was now a battleground, but she nodded in unconditional trust.
The two activated Stealth and moved away from Iron Fang City, heading toward Rabbit Town. The area had been abandoned since the massive battle two nights ago, the buses having stopped running. They were heading back into the heart of the controversy, seeking their next move.