Chapter 160 - Jared's Story

Souta agreed to the condition of the quest without hesitation. He wasn't after the money of the quest. He was after the skill points and exp rewards of the quest that he will receive from the system.

Material rewards weren't that important to him. He still had a lot of money and he had a high-grade sword and artifacts.

The dark grade [Vajra Sword Saya] and the incomplete universal artifact, the [Soul Blood Earring], were enough for his current level.

Yeah, it's enough to dominate those people who were at the same level as him but those people who were higher level than him. It's still not enough. That's why he needed to train his fighting abilities and skills. He also needed to learn more combat arts to maximize the benefits that he will receive in his evolution.

"I understand, Sir Souta. I'll immediately notify the person in charge to let the quest giver know that you accepted the quest." The receptionist said to him in a polite tone.

"Okay, we'll wait here." Souta nodded at her before he turned around and looked at his party.

"Let's wait here for a while."

Brando, Lumilia, and Bryan nodded their head at him. But Brando has some doubts about his decision.

"Are you sure we should take this quest?" Brando asked Souta with slight hesitation.

"Yeah, it's a good opportunity for us to show our skills," Souta said and he sat down on a vacant chair. If this quest was really as good as he imagined then they would not be able to avoid a battle.

"Fighting? I thought that we only need to investigate the lord of the land." Lumilia asked him.

"Do you really think that we could avoid fighting?" Souta asked as he looked at Bryan, Lumilia, and Brando.

"Um..." Lumilia didn't know what to say after he asked that question.

"No, that's what I wanted," Bryan answered him with an eager look. This battle maniac seems like he really wanted to fight the said "lord".

Souta sighed and he looked at Lumilia and Brando with a serious expression. "We are adventurers. We can't avoid fighting all the time. There are bandits and monsters everywhere in this land, so do you really think that we can avoid them?"

"No, that's why we should fight them and teach them a lesson," Bryan answered him once again.

"Bryan is right. The wilderness is not as peaceful as inside the city. There's no law in the wilderness so anyone can do what they wanted." Souta's tone suddenly changed as it turned chilly. "Be prepared to fight all the time or else it would cost your life. Remember this, this world isn't as nice as you thought."

Lumilia opened her eyes wildly when she heard those cold words coming out of Souta's mouth. She suddenly recalled what happened in the Desolate Woods two months ago. Back then, Souta was like a cold-blooded murderer when he mercilessly killed those bandits.

She lowered her head and looked down at her feet. She wondered what happened to Souta in the past that build up this mindset.

Souta was thrown into this world without his memories. He didn't have anything in him except the memories of when he was playing the Battle Worlds Online. He had nothing at that time, really nothing. Everything was blank.

Everything began in that cold and dark place. He subconsciously treated this world like a game even though deep inside him he knew that this world was different from the world that he knew. And he could die anytime if he didn't strengthen his will.

No one could save him but himself. That's why Souta killed everyone in that dungeon and even ate the bodies of the goblins like him just to survive. He did everything he could to survive in that brutal place full of undead and monster.

That's also the reason why Souta was extremely fond of Yuko. She was the first creature that Souta treat as his family as he knew that he had no real family in this world. His family was gone and he couldn't even remember their face.

At that time, he was happy when he found someone that he could share his burden. He was not alone anymore as Yuko was there for him. He always talked to her even though he knew that Yuko could barely understand his words. But that's enough for him to keep himself from getting insane.

Souta experienced something that these people who grow up in a city wouldn't understand.

'I hope I could help you like what you did for me.' Lumilia thought as she gently bit her lower lips.

...

"Sir Souta. He's here." The receptionist notified him that the quest giver had arrived.

Souta stood up and said, "Okay, guide me to where he is."

He knew that this place wasn't a good place to talk about confidential things. He took a lot of confidential quests in the game, so he knew that right procedure about it.

"Please, follow me, sir." The receptionist nodded before she turned around.

Souta turned his head and looked at his party. "Let's go. We'll know more about this quest after we talk to the quest giver."

Lumilia, Brando, and Bryan nodded before they stood up.

The receptionist guided him in one of the rooms inside the guild.

...

"We're here, sir." The receptionist bowed her head before she left.

Souta thanked her before he opened the door and went inside with his party.

Inside the room, he saw an old man with short white hair and white mustache sitting in a chair. He was wearing a normal black shirt and black pants. Nothing outstanding and worth mentioning in his appearance. He was just an ordinary old man.

"Good morning." The old man stood up and greeted them in a polite tone.

Souta smiled in return before he sat down opposite of the old man.

Lumilia and co also sat beside Souta after they exchanged greetings with the old man.

"First of all, I'm going to introduce myself." The old man said with a smile before he introduced himself. "I'm Jared, a residence of the Fersch Dukedom."

"I'm Souta Ieshi and this is my party." Souta introduced himself and his party members to the old man in front of him.

Then, his expression turned serious. He looked at the old man straight in the eyes and asked, "So can you tell me more about the quest? I wanted to know everything that you knew."

Jared gulped as he felt something pressing down on his shoulders while looking at Souta.

'This young man isn't an ordinary person.' He thought and he was glad that this person was the one who accepted his quest.

"Okay, I'll tell you about it. That's why I wanted to talk to you." Jared said before he took a deep breath and began to explain everything he knew to Souta.

The Fersch Dukedom was thirty kilometers away from the Ladro City. Jared traveled from his hometown to a huge country just like Hebrei Kingdom. He did it because he wanted to stop the madness that was happening in his hometown. And the most suspicious person was the current lord, Duke Ransen.

He didn't want to place a quest in the Adventurers Guild in his hometown because the lord could easily know that he was the one who gave that quest. If that happens, he knew that he would also die.

No one could go against their lord in his hometown. So the lord easily shut down all the quest about the recent killings in their dukedom saying that he will be the one to investigate it.

But after two months the killings in the land didn't stop. In fact, it grew worse. The Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild in the Fersch Dukedom couldn't take it anymore. He personally issued a quest to investigate it but what transpired on that day was something that everyone couldn't imagine.

The thirty adventurers that took the quest died on that night. Every citizen of the Fersch Dukedom experience fear and anxiety. At the same time, they began to suspect their lord but they don't have any evidence in their suspicion. So they couldn't do anything about it.

An idea came inside Jared's head at that time. That was to travel to the nearest large countries and issued a quest about it. He didn't tell anyone about his plan because if the lord knew his plan he would die too just like what happened to his son.

"Okay, I've heard it all," Souta said as he rubbed his chin. He pondered the things that he should do after hearing the story from the old man's mouth.

He shook his head and decided to think about it once they arrived in the Fersch Dukedom. He had to hear the story about the other people there to verify the words of the old man.

"Old man, we're going back right now to your hometown so I need to sign the quest to it," Souta said as he ended the conversation. He then stood up and turned around.