Chapter 45: Sudden Quest (1)

“Until you find what you want to do in the future, do you want to stick with me?”

“!”

Clara’s body turned stiff at the unexpected invitation. But her mind began to race.

Because Rohan’s words seemed to carry various meanings.

Clatter!

Rohan disposed of the plastic cup with only ice remaining, and chuckled at Clara.

He found his anxious self, desperate for this girl not to leave, quite comical.

“Ah, I really need to fix this habit of getting ahead of myself.”

“…?”

“It’s an important story, so I need to explain it properly to Clara, right?”

The girl nodded slightly with a bewildered expression.

Rohan took slow steps with his previously paused legs and spoke.

“After graduating from Orion Academy, if I settle in Academy City Elysium, aiming for a job at the Public Security Bureau would be stable and good, but I’m leaning towards being a Freelancer.”

“What do you mean by Freelancer, Oppa…?”

“I’ll be a hunter selling materials like hides and fangs from hunting Monsters. And when needed, I’ll also be a Butcher, taking down beasts disguised as humans.”

Detailed explanations are better than vague ones.

Rohan added a thought that came to mind as he finished speaking.

“I also have the legitimate authority to enter the Southern Region without any bothersome procedures. That will be a big advantage.”

There was no need to look far, wasn’t the Southern Region teeming with Monsters spewed out by the Void Whale?

Moreover, Academy City Elysium’s location was a goldmine nestled between powerful nations.

It was the perfect place to sell valuable materials.

“If I set up an office, I might even create a nest in a cheaper location outside the central area.”

As Rohan finished speaking and looked at her with an inquisitive gaze,

Clara took her lips off the straw and shared her thoughts.

“I’m surprised at how detailed your plan is, Oppa…!”

“I thought it was just a rough outline. I appreciate you seeing it positively.”

“I, I don’t know anything about that kind of stuff…”

As she listened, Clara thought to herself. Even if it’s dangerous work, it would be fun if she could do it with Rohan.

For the girl focused on living in the present, this kind of imagination was like a single light illuminating a pitch-black future without any promise.

And it was the same for Rohan.

As he spoke, he recognized the part he was worried about and felt relieved.

As expected, Clara wasn’t surprised at all by the phrase about dealing with Monsters and humans.

“B-But, aren’t there many people better than me at Orion Academy…?”

Why would you make this offer to me when I haven’t properly shown you anything? That was the question dangling at the end of her trailing words.

Rohan shook his head.

“Not everyone at Orion Academy is at Noa’s abnormal level. You can tell that just by looking at me and the cadets you see on the street, right?”

“…”

“And more important than skill is whether we can work together, physically or mentally.”

Clara’s heart pounded strangely at those words.

So, she asked a question that felt more nerve-wracking than ever.

“Rohan Oppa… do, do you think we would work well together…?”

“Of course.”

The casual answer made joy blossom in the girl’s heart.

It blossomed brightly.

“And there’s still a lot of time. If Clara finds something she wants to do in the meantime, it’s okay to go that route.”

“Mmm…”

Even though she knew that the words about letting her go if she wanted to were meant well, they felt strangely upsetting to the girl.

Why am I like this… only in front of Oppa?

Clara couldn’t understand why her emotions were swaying like reeds in the wind and flickering like flames.

She even wondered if something was wrong with her mind.

“A steady paycheck is definitely comfortable, but earning as much as you work isn’t bad either.”

It was a line that didn’t suit a Cadet who had just entered the academy, as if it came from experience.

But Clara didn’t feel any disconnect from Rohan’s demeanor.

That’s why the girl answered. Even if it felt hasty, she wanted to give him an answer quickly.

She was afraid that Rohan, who looked at her kindly without malice, would leave.

“I, I’m interested in working with you, Oppa. I want to do it too…”

“!”

The girl liked seeing Rohan’s face brighten at her words.

Her body felt slightly warm at the realization that Rohan needed her.

“Oppa.”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

“What, what exactly do I need to do…?”

At Clara’s positive response, Rohan smiled and continued speaking in a slightly higher voice.

Clara found the slight quickening of Rohan’s speech endearing.

“Even though it’s two years away, I’m not going to just play around until then. I need to gain various experiences and earn money.”

The girl nodded as she listened attentively.

“Anyway, the immediate thing to do is… a car’s coming. Come inside, it’s dangerous.”

“…!”

Rohan grabbed Clara’s wrist and pulled her inside.

─ Vrooom!

A black van sped through the dim alley.

The person in the passenger seat flicked a cigarette butt out the slightly open window.

“Huh?”

It certainly wasn’t anything special to notice.

If it weren’t for the license plate Rohan saw, 4885.

“That license plate… a black van with 4885…?”

“Oppa?”

There was no time to answer Clara’s question in detail.

Because a notification window popped up in front of his eyes as soon as he recognized it.

A Sudden Quest that would occur with a fixed probability while exploring the map of Abyss City.

It was something Rohan had been waiting for.

This time there’s no Combat Trace Annihilation? And reporting to the Public Security Bureau after rescuing them…

After a moment of thought, Rohan decided that this situation was a good opportunity for Clara too.

He also concluded that there would be no problem getting involved with the Public Security Bureau.

And he had also learned about the laws of Academy City Elysium in class.

In this world, summary execution was permitted even by civilians for certain categories, and human trafficking easily fell within that scope.

Such a world meant refreshingly straightforward laws, unlike his previous life. He could roughly guess the reason for the instruction to rescue the hostages, as they would be reliable witnesses.

“…Clara.”

“Oppa, are you okay?”

“I’m okay. Do you still have some time?”

“Uh, yeah? I have time, but…”

Clara gulped, looking at her wrist held by Rohan.

She couldn’t bring herself to pull away.

“I’ll briefly show you what kind of work I’ll be doing.”

─ Aaack!!!

Crash!

A scream accompanied by the sound of something shattering. The men who had been sleeping in the container rushed out and looked around.

They all had toad tattoos on the back of their hands or necks.

“What was that commotion just now?”

The group’s gaze turned towards the darkened building.

One of the windows, which had been intact before they went to sleep, was broken.

“Could it be that we got caught on our first job after relocating?”

“Nah, maybe it’s just the boss roughing someone up? He’s been super on edge since getting pushed out of the district.”

“You idiot… don’t say ‘pushed out’ in front of the boss.”

“I know, I know. I definitely won’t.”

The words exchanged between them were merely wishful thinking.

Speculation wouldn’t provide answers. Knowing they needed to see the situation for themselves, they moved forward diligently.

And just as they were about to head up the stairs to enter the building next door, they spotted a woman with purple twintails blocking the stairway.

That caught their attention before the seriousness of the basement door being open.

Her beauty was captivating.

The men almost habitually uttered lewd remarks but swallowed them.

The presence of someone who didn’t belong in this place heightened their vigilance to the extreme.

It was also strange that they hadn’t even sensed her presence, let alone her Mana, on her way here, whether due to their distraction or something else.

“Who the hell is this bitch? Did you call her?”

“Oh come on, hyung! No way!”

“Could she be a Peacekeeper? I heard the Peacekeepers here have amazing noses.”

“Even if they have a good sense of smell, the job just started, so what could…”

They exchanged opinions and drew their weapons.

The guns and blades in their hands were all ominously menacing.

“A-Are you the bad people who do human trafficking…?”

“What’s this bitch saying?”

“Maybe she’s just crazy? Even if she’s crazy, with that level of beauty, she’d be a top-grade product even if we just sell her…”

As the woman avoided their eyes and looked away submissively, the group’s confidence grew.

In the underworld scuffles, confidence was half the battle.

Such a cowering posture only made her look like she had already lost.

“I’ve already checked inside…”

The girl kicked a small stone on the ground with the tip of her shoe, sending it rolling.

The men’s eyes followed the rolling pebble.

“P-Please wait there and don’t cross that stone…! You can’t go in there right now…”

As she spoke, the upstairs window shattered, glass shards rained down, and a scream echoed.

Crash!

─ Gwaaaah!!!

This scream definitely belonged to one of the Organization’s members.

The gatekeeper guarding the merchandise.

“Huh! Fucking hell. This is ridiculous.”

“Hyung. I don’t think the boss is away… Something’s not right.”

One of them, sensing danger, tried to back away, but the man who had cursed stepped forward with a frown.

And in that instant.

Fwick!

A concise sound of wind piercing through.

A hole appeared in the head of the man who had ignored the warning and crossed the line, and he collapsed.

In the girl’s fair hand was a silenced pistol, seemingly drawn out of nowhere.