Chapter 70: Hosts Mission
Clay stopped in the middle of his step.
The sound still rang inside his head as clearly as a bell struck beside his ear.
Ding!
For a brief moment, even he did not know how to react. The mission of the system was mysterious or he just had no idea how to start it. But learning how? He thinks this is the best time.
He immediately narrowed his eyes.
Tell me system, how do I trigger missions?
He slowly turned his gaze forward again while Cerys stood beside him in silence.
Then the voice came.
The bound target has developed pity toward the host.
Clay blinked once. He turned to his Maid Cy.
The bound target believes the host is too strong, too isolated, and burdened by power. The bound target wishes to care for the host.
Clay’s mouth twitched.
Pity?
The system continued without pause.
Current emotional desire detected: The bound target wants to wipe the host’s sweat and tend to him.
Another chime echoed.
Ding.
Mission options generated.
[ Mission 1: Order the Assassin Maid to wipe the sweat from your forehead.
[ Reward: Low Level Passive Potential Boost. ]
[ Mission 2: Pressure the Assassin Maid into wiping your forehead without directly ordering her.
[ Reward: Middle Level Passive Potential Boost. ]
[ Mission 3: Convince the Assassin Maid to wipe your forehead without directly ordering her.
[ Reward: High Level Passive Potential Boost. ]
The next line appeared more brightly than the rest.
[ Impossible Mission 4: Obtain the antidote from the Assassin Maid without ever mentioning the antidote.
[ Reward: Infinite Level Passive Potential Boost. Advancement path opened toward Nascent Mana Soul Realm. ]
[ Failure: Potential reduced to the lowest level. ]
Clay stared ahead in silence.
Then laughter burst out of him.
"Bwahahaha!"
The sound rolled across the ruined battlefield. Some distant soldiers flinched. Borzoi nearly lifted his head again.
Clay placed a hand over his face and laughed harder.
"So I finally had an idea to make use of you."
Thank you, host.
"That was not praise."
Still appreciated.
Clay snorted.
"You really are shameless."
The system exists to support the host.
"Your glitches exists to annoy me."
Support can take many forms.
Seeing this he laughed once more.
The missions were absurdly simple. Too simple. Wipe sweat. Pressure a maid. Convince a maid. And then somehow leap straight into an impossible mission involving poison and infinite growth.
This thing truly has no sense of proportion.
He calmed himself and rubbed his chin.
Then his expression brightened.
"I know exactly what to do."
Please proceed responsibly.
Clay ignored that sentence completely.
"It is time," he declared in his mind, "to order my maid through my mind to complete the missions for me."
There was a pause.
A long pause.
Then the system spoke with uncommon urgency.
Warning.
Clay’s smile widened.
The host is attempting to exploit a defect in communication mechanics.
"Defect?" Clay asked innocently. "What defect?"
The bound target hearing internal thoughts was not intended as a command pathway.
Clay widened his eyes as if shocked. Shamelessly said.
"Not intended? I thought it was a feature."
It is not a feature.
"Oh? Then what is it?"
A temporary irregularity.
"A glitch?"
An irregularity.
"A broken function?"
An irregularity.
"A mistake?"
Temporary irregularity.
Clay placed a hand over his chest.
"I am wounded that you would hide such truths from me."
[The host is not wounded.]
"I am emotionally wounded, " Then he paused with a pained expression added. "Especially when you didn’t tell me that my maid can hear my thoughts... now this... you suddenly warned me..??"
He acted hurt and said, "I’m hurt... really hurt... "
That is unverified.
Clay kept walking slowly while Cerys followed at his side, unaware of the battle taking place inside his mind.
"So let me understand," he said inwardly. "If I think words, and she hears those words, and she obeys those words, then that is not an order?"
I cannot say.
"But I did not say them aloud?"
I cannot say.
"She still receives them."
Yes.
"And respond to them."
Yes.
"And act according to them."
Yes.
"So it functions exactly like an order."
Correct.
"How?"
Because it violates intended route structure.
Clay almost laughed again.
"That means it works."
That means it is flawed.
"Flawed things that work are often the best things."
That statement is irresponsible.
"No, it is practical."
He continued mercilessly.
"If I throw a broken knife and it kills someone, was it still a knife?"
Irrelevant.
"If a cracked cup still holds water, is it still a cup?"
Irrelevant.
"If your broken system still gives rewards, is it still my opportunity?"
Host is attempting sophistry.
"I am attempting victory."
The system became quieter, then spoke again with renewed force.
The host must not use internal thought transmission as a substitute for direct mission completion.
Clay grinned.
"Must not?"
Must not.
"Or what?"
Mission quality evaluation may be lowered.
"Maybe?"
Likely
"Likely?"
Highly likely.
"So not certain."
The silence after that answer was beautiful.
Clay’s eyes gleamed.
Then he said the words that made the system tremble.
"Do not tell me the glitch where Maid Cy hears me cannot count as an order because it is your glitch."
The reply came instantly.
It is more complicated than that.
"Ah. So yes."
No.
"So yes."
No.
"So yes."
Host is distorting the discussion.
Clay nearly applauded.
The system began explaining at length, speaking faster than usual.
Mission frameworks rely on intention, delivery method, emotional pressure, target interpretation, and relationship pathways. If the host uses hidden channels unavailable to ordinary people, classification becomes unstable. Rewards may compress. Conditions may overlap. Multi route scoring may collapse. Improper completion may trigger contradictory evaluations. Edge cases may occur. Recursive judgment loops may occur. Reward tiers may degrade.
Clay listened with delight.
"You sound nervous."
The system is not nervous.
"You sound terrified."
The system is preserving fairness.
"Against me?"
For all hosts.
"There are other hosts?"
Irrelevant.
He smirked.
"Come on, system. I just wanted to try it."
The host should not try it.
"Why?"
Because low tier rewards may result.
"That is still a reward."
Because future mission calibration may be affected.
"I will survive."
Because exploiting unintended channels encourages lazy growth.
"I support efficiency."
Because dependency on defects leads to unstable habits.
"I support shortcuts."
Because if the host continues, mission generation may become hostile.
Clay paused.
"Hostile?"
Potentially stricter.
"Interesting."
That was a warning, not an invitation.
The system tried again.
Host, if you proceed through thought command routing, the best outcome may only be the lowest reward.
Clay shrugged inwardly.
"So?"
So the difference between low and high rewards can accumulate over time.
"I can accumulate later."
Repeated low outcomes reduce long term gain ugly curves.
"I dislike ugly curves."
That statement makes no sense.
"It makes emotional sense."
Host, please choose a proper route. Speak aloud. Persuade naturally. Build trust. Use strategy. Use charm.
Clay blinked.
"Did you just ask me to use charm?"
Yes.
"You have learned comedy."
Host.
"Continue."
If the host uses standard interaction, the target’s emotional response can deepen. Better bonds create stronger rewards. Cleaner completions create cleaner growth. Clearer growth creates safer advancement. Stable advancement reduces risk. Reduced risk preserves the host’s life.
Clay folded his arms.
"That was almost touching."
Then please listen.
"No."
The system sounded pained.
Host.
Clay snorted.
"Even if it is only a low potential boost, it is still a boost. And if I dislike having it, I can strip it later. I know a Light Magic extraction spell. I can give growth, take growth, move growth. So where is the loss?"
That is not the point.
"It is exactly the point."
Power should not be treated like spare coins.
"Everything can be treated like coins if counted correctly."
The host’s values are concerning.
"My values are efficient."
The system continued stubbornly.
Potential transferred crudely can leave traces.
"I will clean them."
Potential removed carelessly can damage pathways.
"I will be careful."
Repeated manipulation can affect trust.
"I do not need trust from everyone."
The bound target may discover the host’s habits.
"She already hears my thoughts."
That does not help your case.
"It helps every case."
The system seemed to gather itself one final time.
Host. Please reconsider. There may be unseen consequences. Emotional backlash. Mission mutation. Hidden conditions. Reverse triggers. Reward corruption. Relationship inversion. Logic conflicts.
Clay smiled.
"System."
Yes.
"You are thinking too much."
Then he turned his head toward Cerys.
She walked half a step behind him, composed as always, though her eyes remained attentive.
He said nothing aloud.
Inside his mind, his voice became clear and sharp.
If you can hear me right now, nod your head once.
Cerys froze for the smallest moment.
Then she lowered her chin once.
A clean, obedient nod.
Clay’s smile deepened.
The system screamed inside his head.
Host!
He ignored it completely.
Good. Clean every drop of sweat from my forehead.
Cerys did not ask a question.
She reached into her sleeve and produced a folded handkerchief of soft white cloth. Her movements were calm, but the tips of her ears had turned faintly red.
She stepped closer.
Clay stood still.
The cloth touched his forehead gently.
She wiped across his brow with care, gathering the sweat left from battle, movement, and heat. Then she moved to his temple, then along the side of his face. Her touch was precise, respectful, almost reverent.
Clay watched her quietly.
Her lashes were lowered. Her breathing was steady, though he knew she had heard every word.
Efficient maid.
Cerys’s fingers trembled for a heartbeat before steadying again.
She finished by dabbing once more at the center of his forehead, making certain no moisture remained.
Then she stepped back.
The handkerchief was folded again.
She nodded.
Clay nodded in return.
Neither of them spoke.
For one suspended moment, the world around them felt strangely still.
Then the sound came.
Ding.
The host has completed the Impossible Mission.