An Offer

Upon hearing the voice, Shinto cautiously looked towards the direction of it. There, he saw that a man was walking up to him and from behind the man was a group of players idly standing by.

"...yes, that would be me," Shinto calmly answered as he glanced towards the man.

At a glance at the person in front of him, he noticed that he wasn't a player but an NPC as indicated by the man's name coloured bright blue, [Friktos]. Besides that, he noticed that Friktos and the players behind him donned a full set of Lavida's equipment.

'...people from Lavida?' Shinto vigilantly observed his surroundings, the group of players from behind Friktos and the players behind himself numbered to ten. In this narrow alleyway, it was enough to block the exits. 'Are they here to kill me or something?' he remembered the forum post that he saw earlier.

As he thought to himself, he saw that Friktos nodded his head in satisfaction, soon after he spoke. "I see, so we've come to the right person."

While observing, Shinto opened his mouth. "...what can I do for you?"

"Ah, I'm glad you ask. Well, I won't take much your time for too long, so I'll get straight to the point," Friktos coughed, clearing his throat. "Firstly, I am branch manager Friktos, from Lavida Hotel and I've come today to propose to you an offer.

"An offer?" he raised his brow.

"Yes, an offer," he nodded his head. "Adventurer Shinto, we propose to you the proposition of joining us. Of course, we wouldn't want you to join without any benefits right? We will provide you with the utmost best treatment while you're here with us."

"Hmm. So you're inviting me to take up that monthly pass?" Shinto questioned.

"No, no, not at all. You will not be taking up the monthly pass but would be a member apart of our branch wherein, you will receive the same benefits as a passer whilst getting much more."

"This all sounds too good to be true, no? What are the conditions," Shinto asked.

"Hmm, it's simple. Leave this tavern behind," Friktos replied calmly.

"I see. So that is the condition?" Shinto took another glance over towards the surrounding area. He noticed that the players were much closer than before. "Hmm... for a person offering me such an offer, would there be a need to bring ten adventurers with you?"

"We were just finishing up with an expedition outside of town, and while on our way back, we decided to go to you," Friktos explained.

"An expedition huh?" he muttered out.

"Yes, you do not need to worry," he smiled. "So, would you like to take up the offer?"

Upon hearing the man speak, a quest notification popped up in front of Shinto.

[ Friktos's Offer ]

Difficulty: C+

Branch Manager Friktos of the Lavida Hotel has proposed to you the offer of joining the hotel, not as a monthly passer, however, but in general. Joining hands with him would ultimately create the final downfall of the tavern.

Accepting Condition: Upon accepting the quest, the quest 'To prove them all' will be marked as failed.

When The Quest Is Active: Free access to Lavida's Hotel facilities (With regulation), certain benefits obtained from Lavida's Hotel,

*When the quest is active, you would need to complete three to five tasks a week for Lavida, otherwise, certain things will occur to you if failed to adhere to the condition.

*This quest lasts for 2 months. The quest can be renewed at any time so long as you have a suitable relationship with Lavida's Hotel.

Quest Penalty Upon Failure: You will be banned from stepping into Lavida's Hotel, certain things will occur to you.

Reading through the quest details, Shinto turned towards Friktos. "...and if I say no?" he asked.

"Oh, why would you?" he questioned. "We offer you the best accommodations and food possible. On another note, we also offer the best quality of the equipment. Would you not want that?"

"I'm sorry, but no thanks," he shook his head. "I'm not interested in this." Turning his back to Friktos, Shinto silently glanced towards his status window.

"Hmm... did I hear correctly?" Shinto heard his voice from behind him. "Won't you reconsider?"

The quest notification popped once again in front of Shinto.

"Not at all. I'm not interested," Shinto rejected.

"I see..." His voice continued sounding from behind him. "Then, I guess you wouldn't mind what happens to Greld, yes?"

"...what?" Shinto turned back to Friktos as he raised his brow.

"Let me rephrase the conditions. If you join us, we will let Greld go from our captivity."

"Hah... is this a threat?" Shinto said as he gripped onto his staff.

"Hmm, think as you must. My offer still stands, would you accept it or would you not?"

"..." Shinto stayed silent as he looked at the details once again, However, without any hesitation, he rejected the quest. "I'd like to see you try me."

"Hoh... very well then, if you refuse then..." In the next moment, countless footsteps were heard from the back and front of Shinto. "Do not regret your decision."

Looking at the situation, Shinto took a deep breath as he replied to Friktos. "Hmm, I'm sure you'll regret it actually," he said as a black fog protruded out into the area.

"...!!" Friktos's eyes opened wide. "H-Hey! Where did he go?!"

"I can't see...!" The players shouted out.

"This guy's a black mage? I thought he was a priest! Did Lucas lie to us?!"

Certain footsteps rang through the alleyway as the black fog finally dissipated. Shinto, who was originally in the middle of the group, disappeared.

...

Within the town's streets, Shinto ran out from the alleyway, soon after he stopped at his steps as he reached the street.

"Phew... well that was easier to escape than I thought..." he said as he turned to look behind him. "They didn't really put much of a fight huh?"

"Though... if they did, there wouldn't be much that they could do in that narrow space..." he thought to himself as he closed his eyes. "Anyways... now with that out of the way... there's another problem at hand..." While collecting his thoughts, he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"Master! Master! Master! Big problem, big problem!"