Chapter 12: First Quest
Serena propped her elbow on the wood of the counter, resting her chin in her palm. Her gaze drifted to the corner table where James and the stranger sat. Their heads were bowed close together, their voices reduced to a low, unintelligible murmur.
*Just who is that guy?* Serena thought. *Why is he dressed like that? James didn't say much about him. They just sat down and started whispering.*
She straightened her posture, her eyes narrowing as she studied the stranger. *What's strange is... he doesn't look hurt. There’s dried blood on his face, tracking down from his ears. His clothes are shredded. But beneath that? No wounds. He looks fine.*
At the table, James stared at Tyler. The silence between them stretched. Finally, James leaned back against the hard wood of the bench and crossed his arms over his chest. He inhaled slowly, his chest expanding against his leather armor.
"So, what you're saying is... you're from another world."
"Yeah," Tyler said, his eyes darting to the hunters nearby. "But can you not say it out loud?"
James let out a heavy sigh. He leaned forward again, lowering his voice. "I'm sorry, kid. I just can't believe that."
"But it's true," Tyler whispered, leaning closer. "It makes sense, doesn't it? I told you about the system. If I didn't have it, how would I know your level?"
James did not reply. He remained still, his gaze unyielding.
"Speaking of your level," Tyler continued, "you actually leveled up after killing that monster. You're Level 49 now."
"What?" James leaned back, the wood of the bench creaking under his weight. "I leveled up?"
"Yeah," Tyler said. "Right after you killed that monster."
James narrowed his eyes. He rubbed his chin, the stubble rasping against his thumb. "Hmm. We’ll see about that. I’ll check it myself. And while we’re at it, we’re checking your rank. The only way I’ll be fully convinced is when I see the Guild crystal confirm it."
Tyler frowned. "Why is it you can't believe me? Why don't you believe that I'm a G-Rank?"
"Kid, listen." James placed both palms flat on the table, leaning in. "Since you don't know the basics, I'll explain. When a baby is born, they are classified as G-Rank. Children automatically level up from birth until they turn eighteen. By the time a kid is ten or twelve, they’re usually F-Rank, Level 10. From Level 10 to 19 is F-Rank. At Level 20, you become an E-Rank. At Level 30, you hit D-Rank. To reach C-Rank, which is what I'm aiming for, you need Level 50. So, you being a G-Rank should be impossible. Saying you're a G-Rank is just another way of saying you’re a baby."
Tyler’s jaw slackened. "But... I don't understand. That's what the system is saying—"
"Then your system is lying," James interrupted. "This whole 'system' thing might just be a delusion. The only conclusion that makes sense is that you lost memories during the teleportation and you happen to have an Appraisal skill. That explains why you can see my level."
"That's not it!" Tyler’s voice rose, cracking slightly.
The ambient chatter in the tent died down. Several hunters turned their heads. Tyler felt a weight on the side of his face and glanced up to see Serena watching him, her brow furrowed.
He looked back at James. "Please. I'm telling the truth. I didn't lose any memories. I know I sound crazy, but it's the truth."
James didn't blink. His eyes held a dull, patient gloss, the look an adult gives a child telling a tall tale. He remained silent.
*He won't believe me,* Tyler thought. *I have to show him proof. But what can I...*
A thought clicked into place.
"Right. You think I'm lying to you," Tyler said. "But I have proof."
"Oh?" James asked. "What is it?"
Tyler pressed his palm flat against the wood of the table.
A faint blue shimmer leaked from beneath his hand, distorting the air.
James flinched, his head snapping back. *What the hell?*
Tyler lifted his hand. A round, purple fruit sat on the table, its skin glistening in the dim light.
"This is from the inventory," Tyler said. "It's a part of my system. Do you believe me now?"
James stared at the fruit. *A venom bloom fruit. This is the fruit he used earlier to force that spear to penetrate the hexhorn’s hide. It makes sense now,* he thought.
At the counter, Serena’s jaw dropped. Her fingers tightened against the wood as her eyes went wide. *Subspace magic? There’s no way. He has a subspace skill? But he looks so low level. This should be impossible. Subspace magic is for mages who are A-Rank or higher. It’s incredibly rare. Unless… unless it’s something else. But it can’t be. That ability is mostly famous among nobles. And he’s certainly not one. He can’t be.*
James scanned the tent quickly before focusing back on the table. "Subspace magic," he whispered, his voice tense. "Kid, this is... high-class magic. How did you do that?"
Tyler shifted in his seat, his brow furrowing. "I told you," he said, his voice carrying a sharp edge of annoyance. "It’s because of the system."
"The system. Right," James muttered. He looked at Tyler’s tattered clothes and then back to the shimmering fruit. *This is strange. He’s a craftsman, but he has appraisal. And now subspace magic? Nothing is making sense with this guy. Even if he lied about being a craftsman, these two abilities shouldn't fit together in any class. Unless it’s an innate ability? But no, he has to be noble, or from the fallen families. Neither is likely.*
"What’s subspace magic?" Tyler asked.
James stared at him, his expression moving from shock to pure confusion. He let out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to drain the tension from his shoulders. "Alright," he said. "I believe you."
"Really?" Tyler asked.
James nodded, the movement slow and deliberate. "Yeah. A little."
Tyler leaned back against the bench, his shoulders losing some of their tension. "All right then."
"What you just did there," James said, keeping his voice low, "that subspace magic... it’s a skill that allows a person to store items in their own spatial dimension."
"Oh," Tyler said.
"Yeah. So, this fruit. How many do you have?"
Tyler watched James, noting the sudden interest in his eyes. *Why is he asking that? Does he need them? I can’t let him have all of them.*
"I have five of them," he lied.
James’s lips curled into a small smile. "Great. Come on, let’s go." He pushed off the bench, the wood creaking as his weight shifted.
Tyler stood. As he did, the purple fruit on the table was enveloped in a faint blue shimmer before vanishing. James did a quick sweep of the room, ensuring the other hunters were occupied with their own conversations and papers.
As Tyler moved to James’s side, James leaned in, his voice a barely audible whisper. "You might not want to use that ability in public like that. People will get suspicious. It's a bit dangerous."
Tyler looked up at him. "It is? Why?"
"Just trust me," James said, his gaze fixed ahead. "Only use it when no one’s there, or when it’s well hidden."
Tyler nodded. "Alright."
They walked toward the counter. Serena was standing rigid, her eyes fixed on Tyler with an intense, unblinking focus. James let out a short sigh as they reached her.
"You saw it, didn’t you?" James asked.
Serena’s eyes flickered, and she blinked rapidly, as if breaking a trance. "What?"
"The skill," James said.
Serena reached up, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t see anything."
"Come on, Serena," James said, resting a hand on the counter. "You don't need to pretend. I know when you're lying."
"Well I—" Serena cut herself off, her eyes darting toward the other hunters at the tables before settling back on James. She leaned over the counter, her voice dropping to a low, urgent murmur. "Alright, I saw it." She looked at Tyler, her emerald eyes searching his face. "What was that? Subspace magic?"
"Keep it down," James said, his tone warning. "We don't need anyone else knowing about this."
Serena’s fingers tightened on the edge of the counter. "How does he have subspace magic?" She looked directly at Tyler. "What level are you?"
"We can't tell you," James countered before Tyler could speak. "It’s a secret. I’ll say more when it’s safer."
"What do you mean, 'when it’s safer'?" Serena asked, her brow furrowing. "James, what's going on?"
"You don't need to worry about that," James said, waving off the question with a flick of his hand. "Anyway, right now... I want to complete a quest."
Serena blinked, thrown by the sudden shift. "A quest?"
James nodded. "When you gave me those quests earlier, I saw a D-Rank one that required a hunter to retrieve four Venom Blooms."
Serena paused. "Oh. You want to complete it?"
James nodded again.
Tyler’s heart hammered against his ribs as he watched the exchange. *He’s about to give away my fruit without my permission,* he thought.
"Um, I didn't agree to this," Tyler muttered.
James shifted his weight and dropped a heavy hand onto Tyler’s shoulder. The pressure was firm, the leather of his glove slightly rough against Tyler's skin. "Kid, trust me. I'm doing you a favor," he said, looking Tyler in the eye before turning back to Serena.
Serena watched them for a second, then reached into a wooden drawer behind the counter. She flipped through a series of papers until she pulled out a specific flyer. She laid the parchment on the counter and pushed a small pot of ink and a quill toward James.
James gripped the quill, the nib scratching against the paper as he scrawled his signature. Serena took the flyer back, waiting a moment for the ink to dry before sliding it into a different drawer labeled for completed tasks.
"Alright, put the fruits on the counter, Tyler," James said. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the tent to ensure no other hunters were watching. "Now."
Tyler placed his hand above the wood. A faint, shimmering blue light pulsed beneath his palm, and four Venom Bloom fruits materialized on the counter. Serena’s breath hitched.
*He really can use subspace magic,* she thought. *Multiple times, at that. I've only ever heard about it; I've never seen it in person. Seeing it feels so different.* The sight of objects simply appearing out of thin air felt jarring, defying the logic she knew.
"Right," Serena whispered. She moved to the far right of the counter and pulled open a large drawer, retrieving an empty brown sack. She shook it open in front of James. "Can you put them in here?"
"Of course," James replied. He reached out, his movements slow and cautious as he gripped the fruit, carefully placing all four into the sack.
Tyler watched them. *They already know about them,* he thought. *If anyone touched these things without gloves, they would get poisoned. I shouldn't be surprised; this is their world, after all. If anything, I should be learning from them.*
Serena pulled a string tight, securing the neck of the sack with a firm knot, before lowering it back into the large drawer on the right. She then reached into a smaller drawer. When she pulled her hand back, several coins clinked together, shimmering in the dim light of the tent. She laid them on the counter: four silver coins and five copper coins.
Tyler stared at the currency. The silver coins caught the light, revealing a design of intricate, interlocking circles. The copper coins were smaller, stamped with a pattern of three distinct circles.
"All right, then. We're off," James said, gathering the coins from the counter.
Serena straightened. "Already?"
"Yeah. We have to take care of something before we go."
"What is it?" Serena asked.
"I need to check my level first," James replied.
Serena’s eyebrows shot up. "Your level? When was the last time you actually did that?"
James shifted his weight, glancing toward the tent exit. "I think it was about two months ago or so."
Tyler’s eyes widened. *Two months ago? That’s a long time. He must have leveled up a lot since then. Maybe his level was lower.*
"See you later," James said, turning toward the opening.
"Right, bye. I'll see you later, I guess," Serena replied. She watched them move away, her gaze lingering on Tyler until they reached the canvas flap.
James pushed the heavy material aside and stepped through. Tyler followed, and the morning sun hit him squarely. The sudden brightness forced his eyes to narrow, and he felt the immediate prickle of heat on his skin after the cool, dim interior of the tent. The air outside was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and distant smoke.
James adjusted the strap of his gear and looked at Tyler. "Alright, kid. Let’s go check out your rank."
As they walked, a system panel appeared before Tyler.
Congratulations, user has completed their first quest.
Achievement unlocked: First quest. +1 extra stat point.
User will receive recipes every time they complete quests.
Weapon Recipe: 3 medium Iron ores- Iron Sword
Another system panel appeared over the first one.
A function has been unlocked. User may inquire a recipe of any weapon once a day.
There's a 30% chance of receiving a common grade Weapon!