11 Side Mission

Kai vomited… for the third time.

Sour liquid, reddened by the clotted blood, came out of his mouth, ruining his taste buds. The sudden turn of events had made him think twice about the Worth Attribute of his, and he'd rather not think about what could have happened if he had uttered a bigger number.

'It would have been my doom! What else?' Kai thought.

Shae was hiding under the blankets of books, trying to keep others from seeing her tears. Desmond hadn't put a halt on his boisterous laugh after revealing the reason for his proof letter's oddity. Sonia had been giving him an odd look since then, but it was Arlen who gave him shivers the moment he turned his head to look at him.

'Huh! This is just the beginning…' Kai derisively smirked.

He vomited again. "Here, drink this," Sonia approached him and threw a leather water pouch with a stopper at its mouth. "And now we are even."

'Even?' Kai repeated the word. 'There will come a time when I will let you know there's no such word.' It wasn't the time to act upon his thoughts, though.

Kai caught the water pouch, and a notification popped up above the pouch.

[

Item: Sellsword's Water Pouch

Grade: Easy

Specification: Spring water mixed with rare herbs and spices. Capacity - 600 ml

Requirement: HP > 0, SP > 0

Attributes: Not Applicable

Skill: Not Applicable

Effect: HP (+ 5) per 100 ml

Quality: 70%

]

This was the first time Kai had seen an Item. He could feel a strange aura coming off it as if it didn't belong to him. Only 5 minutes had passed since the short performance he had given to his audience, but his HP had already been restored by 25 points.

Kai threw open the stopper and gulped down two big mouthfuls of the water. He had got no danger sign from his senses like the last two times, giving him an idea that this Item wasn't harmful to him.

The moment it went down his throat, Kai felt a burning feeling in his stomach. In the next moment, it spread through his entire body like fire.

Kai saw his HP restoring to its actual value within seconds, the red bar hitting its limit along with it.

"Don't mind her, she's like that," Desmond said, towering over him, showing his teeth and grin. "She has learned to act on commands first, rather than think about them. We all have changed one way or another after coming here."

"You two know each other?" Kai had noticed Desmond's familiarity with the tall woman.

"Haha! In a way, yes, you can say that," Desmond said, smiling wryly.

Kai approached Sonia, who was engrossed in studying the map and handed over the water pouch.

Sonia sighed, taking the Item. "I should have realized that was an Elementary Ability the first time you had dodged my kick."

Kai saw the map, two dots were shimmering over it, far from each other. The names of places were fluttering like flags in a storm, and tiny magical beasts were roaring, flying, and jumping, signaling their presence here and there.

"We have come here two days before you newbies," Arlen's voice came from his side. Kai could feel the hate hidden behind those words. "Now we must take Mr. Beedle from our current location to here." Arlen pointed a red dot on the map, with the name Dufftown hovering over it, shining menacingly under its hue.

"So we are in London," Kai said, looking at the blue dot. The distance was too far, and it didn't seem to him they had the means to cover it in 48 hrs. "How are we supposed to go there in such a short time?"

"That's why we were waiting for you and Shae," Desmond said, standing behind Sonia. "We will need Broomsticks."

'Broomsticks…' Kai repeated the word to himself but didn't ask about it. He turned towards Arlen and looked into his eyes. "Captain, I was wondering if you can issue a Side-Mission to me to know more about my Stats from Desmond."

Sonia's mouth gaped at hearing Kai's words, and even Desmond's eyes shined, his mouth closing and opening as he processed those words. Why have we never thought of this? They must have been thinking. Arlen's frowning face gleamed with cunningness. The words 'for both of you' must have been flashing in his mind for all Kai cared.

"That's a good idea," Arlen agreed. "Very well, I will issue the mission to both you and Shae."

"Ahem!" Desmond cleared his throat, bringing Kai and Arlen's attention to him. He rubbed his fingers and smiled slyly. "Captain, a little…"

"Humph!" Arlen snorted. "Pay a one-time fee of 25 Mission Credits to Desmond. Believe me, this is more than a fair offer."

Arlen took a few seconds thinking and talking to himself, and a stony-gray notification appeared to Kai.

[

You have triggered a Side Mission.

Main Mission: Assist Thunder Faction in saving the life of Beedle the Bard

Side Mission: Learn about your stats from Contestant Desmond

Side Mission Summary: The Captain of Guard cares about his guards. He wants everyone to know about themselves and prove worthy of the upcoming tasks. A praiseworthy decision from a qualified Contestant

Side Mission Objective: General information about Stats

Side Mission Time Limit: Not Applicable

Side Mission Hint: Not Applicable

Do you accept the side-mission?

]

'Was he wording a Mission Summary?' Kai shared a hidden laugh with himself, seeing the notification. He had been finding it difficult to keep up with others' thinking processes, not knowing enough about him.

The little scheme of his was finally paying off.

"Yes."