NOVEL WEB Chapter 5: Silent Wall
A long line of desperate players stretched in front of the mayor's office, each single one having the same thought of trying out their luck and receiving a quest from such a high-level NPC.
"Mayor! I've been waiting for ten minutes, give me a quest please!"
"Please, sir. I need a quest to start leveling up. More and more players are flooding the game, and I'll soon be falling behind!"
"Sigh, isn't this a bit much?" A solo paladin looked behind and in front to see the people gathering with each passing second, he took a deep breath as he felt that his chances were getting even slimmer.
The Mayor, a broad-shouldered man in his fifties, stood atop the Town Hall steps, arms crossed. His thick eyebrows twitched in irritation as he scanned the growing crowd.
He was clearly irritated by the player's rude behavior of keeping him hostage in this place, but he also didn't wanna anger the masses and deal with them his own way.
Beside him, two fully armored town guards exchanged awkward glances, their hands reaching out to their haldbred as they gripped them tightly.
Then...
Bam!
A sudden, forceful shove sent one of the players in the middle stumbling over, causing a small chain reaction of others being pushed aside alongside them.
"What the hell?! Watch where you're going!" Someone yelled.
Ignoring them, Yone walked forward calmly, his black cloak barely fluttering as he stepped toward the front of the line.
Several players noticed his actions and angry muttering spread like wildfire between them.
"Oi, this guy just cut in the line out of nowhere!"
"Kick him out!"
"Guards, do something about this aggressive behavior in front of the Mayor!" The paladin shouted, clearly aiming for a reaction by addressing the mayor.
The guards were about to move, but before they took a single step toward Yone, the Mayor chuckled and raised his hand.
"Finally someone who isn't begging and whining wasting my time over nothing."
The players were shocked to hear his words, while some wore ugly and angry faces.
'We are begging?!' These were the thoughts of some of the gaming community's well-known players and some rich kids, who were about to step in before they remembered who the speaker was.
They instantly shrank their necks back and took on the insult with a smile on their faces.
The Mayor's eyes narrowed, studying Yone for a long moment.
"You." His voice was steady as he spoke. "Step forward."
Hearing the Mayor's words, many players knew a quest had been activated, hence why the NPC started talking. They gave up, but many of them still lingered in hopes of getting the same quest after Yone left the place.
Yone didn't hesitate but was instead waiting for this.
He climbed the stone steps, ignoring the crowd's growing tension. Standing before the Mayor, he could feel that a single mistake in his words or actions could result in the deletion of his account, but his expression remained calm as he examined his information.
[Ranold] (Elite, Friendly)
Level 17
HP 2700/2700
MP 1700/1700
The Mayor's gaze flickered to the players behind him, then back to Yone.
"Tell me, kid... what makes someone worthy of a mission?"
Yone double checked the information he had on this mission and replied calmly, his voice even having a hint of ridicule," Clearly not having the attribute of a beggar at least."
The paladin with the name tag Silent Wall felt a sting in his heart as he gazed at Yone and studied his features very clearly,' Requiem, I'll remember your name.'
"Hahahaha!" The Mayor burst out laughing. Hearing his response, he realized that this was exactly the kind of person he was looking for.
"You look promising, if you accomplish a mission for me, I can promise a generous reward." He patted Yone's shoulder with a wide smile.
"Alright, I'll do my best," Yone replied unhesitatingly.
The Mayor gave him one last assessing look before nodding.
"Good. Let's see if you're as capable as you act."
System: Unique Quest "Alter Ego" accepted.
Quest Details: Kill the mass murderers. There are several assassins constantly threatening the town and killing its citizens on a weekly basis, track and get rid of them. Players must not exceed Level 10.
Yone turned around and headed toward the forest without bothering to look back. The forest was where the assassin's headquarters were located.
As Yone stepped toward the forest, a sudden pressure on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.
Pat.
There was a moment of silence till...
"Friend," a voice sounded from behind him. "A mayor's quest is clearly not an easy one. Why not invite me along? We can split the reward."
Silent Wall's grip was firm, too firm for a friendly request.
'Trouble,' When Yone met the gaze of Silent Wall, he felt like a headache had suddenly hit him. 'Future paladin tank of the Swift Water adventure party, ranked twenty in terms of strength.'
"Unfortunately, I would have loved to do so, but the quest is solo-based. Why not add me as a friend, and we can team up on another day?" He knew the paladin's temper was bad, but that was only whenever he was offended.
If Yone speaks with ego right now, Silent Wall will not rest until he worsens his life. For Yone, this might not pose a problem, but he will be missing a potential tank recruit for one of his plans.
"I see, let's do that then," Silent Wall agreed immediately, and both parted ways the next moment.
Yone smiled but didn't dwell much on the matter as he sped towards the forest, heading directly towards the headquarters of the assassins at northeast.