9 Against All Odds

A breath of relief escaped Albrecht's mouth as he confirmed his kills. For the first time in his life, he had taken a risk, and it was all worth it. Not only did he take a gamble with the issued emergency quest, but he also risked his life to complete it.

Quite frankly, he was unsure whether the bite would connect or not, but he believed the System instead. Memories of his alternate versions in other dimensions foretold that the System won't let him die, and this gave him the confidence to just go through with everything.

He didn't die because the 'Blessing of the Divine Paladin' skill was activated. And technically, he wasn't the one who activated it— the System did.

"For a moment back there, I thought I was going to die." Albrecht let out as the party approached him.

"Great job out there, kid," Riurgus was the first one to approach him, patting him on the back.

In response, Albrecht's mouth slightly curved upward. He was able to record Riurgus's unique skill in his Akashic Records of Space and Time.

The more he spent time with his newly awakened skill, the more convinced he was that it was the most overpowered skill to ever exist. As it turned out, he was more capable than just putting up spatial storage spaces.

"Are you all right?" The first damage dealer asked, concernedly staring at Albrecht as if she was looking at her puppy with her googly eyes.

'So she's a girl. Who would've thought there's a girl under that layered costume.' Albrecht thought to himself, nodding at the girl. Most of her skin and face were covered so there was no way Albrecht would've recognized her as a girl. His only clue was her gentle voice.

"I guess that's it for today. I announce this quest complete!" Riurgus raised his fist in the air, barely raising his voice since they were still in the forest. "Oh, and you don't have to worry about the rewards, Albrecht. It's all yours."

"B-but—"

Before Albrecht could say anything, Riurgus clapped his hand and told everyone to follow him. Finally, they were exiting the forest of Chythyllu.

— — —

By the edge of the City of Caharsa,

Impatiently, Yulie Rosethorn paced back and forth while she occasionally glanced at the mouth of the Forest of Chythyllu. She wasn't particularly worried about Albrecht— well, a little bit— but rather, she was worried about her dad and his party in general.

The sun had set, and a grayish hue enveloped the sky, fading into a dark purple where the sun was a moment ago. The caws of flying beasts could be heard from the sky, and the periodic roar resonated everywhere. Despite the temperature transitioning into a nightly coldness, Yulie was sweating on her forehead.

It wasn't because she was gravely concerned about anything, but because she suddenly remembered something that happened a few hours ago. Her face flushed red, and the blush reached her ears.

She finally remembered the accidental kiss. And it was her first kiss to boot.

"W-w-why did that have to happen..." She weakly let out, sneaking a glance towards her mom who was patiently standing by the arch that marked the entrance to the city.

"What are you nervous about? It's just a couple of Silverback Wolves. They'll be back soon." Julia lightly called out to her daughter since her movement was a tad bit distracting.

Pretty soon, a couple of figures could be seen approaching the city. The mother-daughter duo immediately recognized who they were, and they greeted them with a huge wave of their hands. This was the usual day-to-day occurrence for the family, but they never grow tired of such a wholesome moment.

"I'm back," Riurgus called out. Just like before, he grabbed Albrecht by the shoulder after they separated from the rest of the party.

It seemed like there was no escape for Albrecht. He was going to attend that dinner whether he liked it or not.

As the family headed home, Albrecht took a quick glance at his Skill Window. He couldn't believe that he managed to snag such a decent skill from Riurgus. At the moment, Riurgus had no idea that he had such a unique skill, and he was bound to get stronger once he realized what it was.

"Still... you have some type of blessing, right? Your skill had certain similarities with our daughter's unique skill." Riurgus struck up a conversation. "And where did you learn to fight like that? We know you're previously part of the Heroes of Relics, but I've never seen you in combat."

Albrecht let out a chuckle. If he were to tell them that he learned to fight from the memories of his alternate self, they'd have freaked out. That's why he just acted bashfully and refused to elaborate.

The Rosethorn household was homier than what Albrecht had expected. It was a bungalow-type house that was a cross between modern and past architecture. The bungalow had a nice brown and reddish color, and its roof was covered with straw and fortified with steel and wooden beams.

"Please go in. I'll heat up the bath first while I reheat our dinner." Julia announced, opening the door for everyone before she headed to the kitchen.

The interior of the place was sophisticated, and Albrecht couldn't believe that such a beautiful house existed in modern times. It had the touch of past architecture, with its large logs that acted as walls, and the steel chandelier up top which lighted the entire place.

Everything matched the theme, and even the television propped on the wall had wooden supports.

"You take a bath first, Albrecht. I'm not saying you stink, it's just that we'd feel bad if we let our visitor bath last." Riurgus casually said before he collapsed on the couch. With a sigh, he let the couch lull him to sleep. He didn't fall asleep though, he just sort of lay there like a sprawled dog.

"Don't worry, he's usually like that. The bathroom's this way." Yulie said. At first, her tone was casual, but it changed into a flustered tone when Albrecht's gaze shifted to her. She couldn't help but feel her face reddening when she turned away.

Now that there was time for everyone to relax, she finally got a good look at Albrecht. When they first met, she was aware of Albrecht's above-average looks. But now, it was made clearer to her, and she couldn't help but think about her first kiss.

Unbeknownst to her, Albrecht was also thinking about that little accident, but he was quick to regain his composure as the two of them headed to the bathroom.

[If you want a second kiss, just say it. Another quest will be issued.]

'Shut up.' Albrecht said in his mind as the System interrupted his line of thought.