Chapter 83: Mission
Grabbing his chin and caressing it in thought, Chester stood up and went towards the window that overlooked Golden Card City. He exhaled before starting to speak.
"Richard is several times stronger than I; it’s just that, because of certain issues and restrictions, he’s trapped in that village." Stopping for a moment, he took a deep breath and continued.
It looked at first glance that talking about Richard took a great toll on Cheste’s body and mind, as if he was recalling one of his worst nightmares.
"The reason for no words shown to you is merely because of a simple spell cast on the letter, it’s no big deal, but as to why he did that? It’s just to protect you," Chester casually waved his hand without bothering to turn around, and an item inside Yone’s bag left through a crack in space and hovered between them.
Gasp!
Yone’s heart almost stopped seeing this scene, his mind failed to recall nor understand what the hell was going on in front of him.
’Forcebully taking out an item from my bag as NPC?? How,’ If not for the fact that he knew this was part of a mission, he would have instantly went offline and reported a bug.
However, Yone knew better and forced himself to calm down.
After several seconds, Chester spoke with a neutral tone, his voice sending chills run down Yone’s spine.
"This is merely a casual trick, why be scared haha," He laughed before the knife vanished, next time it reappeared on Chester’s right hand as he carefully observed it.
"This is the reason Richard is silent, Ice True dagger, also known as True Water’s Curse." Sighing, Chester threw the dagger up into the ceiling, and it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"What’s wrong with it, sir?" Yone inquired.
For the first time since he regressed back into the past, he felt like he was as lost as whenever he was the party leader of the assassin squad, clueless and living in a lie.
"There is nothing wrong with it precisely, but it’s key to Richard’s to be set free. If he wrote anything related to it in that letter, your dagger would have crashed itself and you would lose it forever," Chester slowly explained.
Yone took a breath of cold air hearing his words,’ Thank god Richard had a good heart or else he could have easily ruined me.’
"You think that Richard was thinking about you?" The middle-aged man chuckled, reading Yone like an open book.
"Ho..."
Before he could finish his words, Chester cut him and continued," Just understand that Richard doesn’t care about you but just about the dagger you have, that’s the reason for him choosing you in the first place and sending you towards me."
"If the dagger crashes itself, finding it will become a headache and might take hundreds of years if not more, that’s a pain and none of us wish to spend all that time, right? Hence, he sent you to me, I can suppress that dagger as long as its host is weaker than me."
Yone thought of something, and he stealthily checked the dagger that magically appeared in his bag once again, and as he guessed, there was a new sealed state in its description.
"Ice True dagger, also known as True Water’s Curse, is currently under suppression, and its true form and core are sealed."
"Done making sure of my words? Let us talk about the mission now," Chester said as he took a seat back in his chair and placed both his hands under his chin.
Yoen nodded absent-mindedly, followed suit, and sat in front of him in one of the two chairs of the luxurious desk.
But before the middle-aged man spoke, Yone uttered, shocking Chester.
"Lord Chester, I’ll take your challenge," Requiem said with a nod, his voice steady.
Chester’s expression turned solemn. "The task is straightforward, but as simple as you think. I need you to retrieve the Mermaid’s Core. There’s a ruined castle deep below the Ice Sea, once home to a noble. That noble gave in to the Mermaid’s whispers and was reborn as the rightful heir of the sea, Chokatabra. Since then, his domain has become twisted, his people began transforming into Mermaids, and he started building his own race to fight for power. Bring me Chokatabra’s heart, and I can finally lift the curse on my friend. Are you willing to face him?"
Requiem’s eyes widened. "The Ruined Castle deep below the Ice Sea?"
He knew that place. It was infamous, a dungeon designed for elite 20-player teams around levels 10 to 15. Back in the day, countless Guilds had tried and failed there. Most never made it past Chokatabra.
"That’s correct," Chester replied. "If you can’t handle this, I suggest you reconsider the contract."
"Is there a deadline for the quest?" Requiem asked cautiously.
"No. Even if you return after earning your official class or beyond, I’ll still accept it," Chester said, a slight smile tugging at his lips.
Requiem exhaled in relief. With most players still stuck below Level 10, any kind of time limit would’ve made this mission impossible. But without that pressure, he could work toward it at his own pace.
So that’s how that early player had pulled it off, Requiem thought. By the time they accepted the quest, players had already hit Level 20, and organized teams were able to clear the castle. For now, though, any attempt would be suicide.
No wonder he rose up in ranks so high, the rewards must be so lucrative...
Requiem would need at least twenty well-equipped players around Level 12 or 13, no easy feat in the game’s current state. But if he could pull a team together, then Chokatabra would surely fall.
Looks like it’s time to start recruiting. Requiem thought of the upcoming Fellowship Party between him and Life. If he played his cards right, it could be the perfect place to find strong allies. With enough backing, forming a competitive squad wouldn’t be just wishful thinking.
Just as he turned to leave, Chester suddenly called out, "Wait, one more thing. There’s something important you need to know before you go."