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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Hidden Quest
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Whoa...
Never thought the player would end up as the assassination target lol
LMAOOOOO everything you've done is coming back to bite you now, bro
For real, he said he never assassinated anyone?
Lmao he just beat the crap outta everyone
Seo-jun turned his head first to get a read on the situation.
He was currently being carried on someone's back, heading somewhere.
Blonde hair poking out from under the hood fluttered in the wind, and Seo-jun instantly realized who was carrying him.
There was only one blonde NPC who would show up at a critical moment like this.
"Christina?"
Seo-jun tried striking up a conversation.
"Unknown. Yeah, it's me."
She was panting hard, out of breath.
A quick glance around showed they'd come a long way—from the abandoned factory all the way to Zone 4.
Sis! Knew we could count on you!
Sorry, our leader's kinda heavy, huh?
"After the Queen died, Arthur said you'd betrayed us and joined the other side."
Christina spoke as she slipped inside a building.
She sat him down in a chair and started wrapping his injured leg with bandages.
"But I couldn't believe it. I knew why you'd fought the cultists in the west so fiercely."
It was backstory on the protagonist.
The protagonist had lost his family to the cult in the past.
"So I tailed Arthur and overheard your conversation with him. That's when I learned the whole truth. Damn that bastard—he'd been fooling us all this time."
She had been in the building during that cutscene where the protagonist talked to Arthur.
Seo-jun's gaze shifted to her arm.
Her clothes were shredded from the explosion, exposing skin that was swollen red.
Injuries from evacuating amid the blast.
She'd been on a lower floor than the protagonist, so she hadn't had enough time.
"Arthur will rally the brothers now to take you out. It'll only take a second for your position to get exposed. There are no blind spots in Alteon."
Christina wrapped his bandages tight.
Seo-jun's body still wouldn't move properly.
"Hm. In that case, shouldn't you be the one running?"
"Yeah. I will."
Cold-blooded...
She's outta here lmao
Honestly, no choice
Be thankful she saved you at all, dude
Once Christina finished the emergency treatment, control of Seo-jun's body returned.
"Because I have to expose Arthur's betrayal. He still doesn't know who I am. If I don't seize this chance, Alteon will fall completely to him. Then more people will suffer. Sorry."
Got it.
She'd made the most rational call.
Not for herself, but for Alteon.
"Then get going."
Seo-jun stood and tested a run.
"This emergency treatment is basically a penalty, folks."
His movements were sluggish; running was a struggle.
Fitting difficulty for a quest that required a musou rampage to take down every leader.
"What?"
"Nothing. Go."
Seo-jun gave her a kind smile.
"Got it. Unknown, I really hope you survive. If you can use the cultists somehow... just hold out for a week..."
A week? Why?
Quest said one day tho
How tf do you use the cult?
Christina trailed off mid-sentence, then screamed at the ceiling.
"Damn it, Johan! Stop! He's..."
Seo-jun looked up to see a man called Johan drop from the ceiling straight at him—sword raised to strike.
Of course, Seo-jun had already sensed something off, so he was ready.
He'd picked up on the subtle shift in ambient noise while she was bandaging him.
Seo-jun grabbed Johan's arm mid-drop and slammed him into the ground.
BAM!
Holy shit eye contact gave me chills fr
Jump scared tf outta me lmao
Leader turns the tables again
Chills...
Then, casually, he drew his sword and swung down at the assassin's neck.
CLANG!
The sound that shouldn't have happened rang out.
Christina had blocked him in a flash.
The clear clash of metal echoed sharply.
"What?"
Seo-jun said.
As Christina started to explain why she'd blocked, the fallen Johan sprang up and charged. Seo-jun easily tripped him, slammed him down, and subdued him.
Then knocked him out.
He didn't swing his blade.
He was curious why she'd intervened.
But Christina's face mixed shock and admiration.
"How'd you take him down so easily...? Johan's a master-rank assassin."
Master rank was reserved for the top skilled assassins in the squad.
Usually fewer than five per branch.
"If that's your level of skill... damn it, Unknown."
Christina bit her lip, staring at him.
"Think you can survive? Our branch has 47 members total."
Forty-seven.
Seo-jun replied confidently.
He wasn't gonna die to their skill anyway, but he had a surer guarantee.
"Well, I'm a player, so I can't die regardless."
Go ahead, try killing him lmao respawn and done
Rematch go go lmao
Sis flustered by leader's skills is precious
Fr she's too cute
"That confident, huh...? Mind if I ask one favor?"
Somehow, the conversation was flowing.
"What is it?"
Another quest?
Seemed like showing his skills met the condition.
Seo-jun's guess was spot on.
But this quest had a different vibe.
[Favorability Quest - Mercy]
📍 Description: Johan's a master assassin, and you subdued him that easily? At that skill level...
⏰ It's shameless, but I have no choice. The others are still fooled by Arthur.
🎁 Clear Condition: Don't kill a single one during the 'Survival' quest.
💖 Reward: Christina's favorability reaches Love.
Assassin's Dawn featured favorability levels for major NPCs.
Specific gifts, actions, or favorability quests could raise it—with Love being the highest tier.
Christina averted her eyes in guilt over making such a request.
"Please show mercy to my comrades and don't kill them. They're all being deceived by Arthur. If you do this favor..."
Christina paused.
She slowly raised her head, met Seo-jun's eyes, and spoke.
Her beautiful voice rang clear.
"I'll give you everything I have."
OHHHH
WTF JUST HAPPENED
What the hell is this!!!
Recruiting party to snag the leader (1/9999999999) - gotta take down that boss
Christina favor is a nightmare to max wtf leader gets it free
First to hit Love lol
Seo-jun hit accept on the quest.
"Oh, nice reward on this one. Guess I have to."
Rewards were standard for quests like this.
"Thank you, Unknown. Really. Please survive."
Christina approached shyly.
Her expression turned resolute as she bowed, took his hand, and lightly kissed the back of it before leaving.
"Hm, isn't the guy usually the one kissing the back of the hand?"
Seo-jun muttered awkwardly, then glanced at chat and jolted.
Dare touch sis's lips???
Sis u seeing his face? Sis u seeing his face? Sis u seeing his face?
I'm going dark mode? x5
Drop the quest NOW x3
If I can't have her, no one can.
How do I hack the pod srsly?
Burn that hand NOW
"Uh, everyone, calm down."
Why were they so worked up?
You think you'd stay calm?
Kill Johan get 100k lmao
You're hot anyway. Give it up in-game at least...
"Nah, not happening? But... someone's here."
Seo-jun gripped his sword straight and scanned the surroundings.
Someone had slipped in unnoticed.
The static-filled background noise had shifted ever so slightly.
The moment the air flow changed, a figure burst from the shadows cloaking the wall.
"Die."
Seo-jun swung to test for a parry.
KAANG!
A clear, resonant sound, and space rippled from the point of impact.
The assassin flew back simultaneously.
Parry successful.
"This just got way easier."
But the air shifted again.
SHWIIING!
A dagger sliced through the air from outside, aimed at his ankle.
Seo-jun hopped lightly to dodge.
But the bandaged left foot weakened his jump, and the dagger grazed him, chipping his HP a bit.
THUNK.
The dagger embedded in the floor.
"You traitor!"
"Cult bastard!"
Two assassins lunged from both sides.
Seo-jun's eyes scanned the battlefield in an instant, calculating.
To turn the mobility disadvantage around.
THWACK!
He closed on the front attacker first, clashed swords to force him out, then handled the rear one.
The enemy's assassin blade—the squad's signature—glinted in the sunlight streaming through the window.
And that was it.
"Gahk!"
Seo-jun's sword danced freely, neutralizing the foe.
Three more assassins went groggy in seconds.
"Position's blown. Time to move."
Seo-jun bashed the groggy foes' heads, knocking them out cold, and left the spot.
True to Zone 4, the streets were bright and bustling with people.
Seo-jun blended seamlessly into the crowd.
The best place to hide sand? A desert.
But it was pointless.
"No malice here. I'll bear the weight of your death."
He looked utterly ordinary—a common street denizen.
That guy waited till he was close, then struck without warning.
A flash erupted.
Fortunately, Seo-jun whipped his head around in time to counter.
And there stood another assassin with a chain.
CLANK!
The chain snaked toward him like a serpent.
At the same time, daggers flew from the second floor.
Am I the only one getting goosebumps?
Feels so damn helpless
Use a skill herm?
Ganging up like cowards!!!!
Couldn't run on this leg.
Skills were locked.
Only option: smack them down.
Seo-jun handled the nearest daggers first.
Dodged the chain, grabbed it, and yanked hard.
The flash-tosser from behind drew his assassin blade and charged.
Seo-jun sidestepped, slamming the chain guy into him.
"Gurk!"
Whoa
What even...
Can't stop gasping
Lmao assassins tasting musou and losing it
Nearby NPCs murmured and gathered.
Seo-jun quickly KO'd the squad members and bolted.
"No sign of the second-floor guy. Must've dipped."
Camouflage? Or just gone?
Another dagger flew.
Seo-jun knew this feeling well from memories of his past life.
On the battlefield, when enemies shared his position in real-time to corner him—this was the vibe.
"This all day would be a pain."
In-game days were way shorter than real 24 hours, but still an hour long.
SHWIIING!
Seo-jun caught the incoming dagger barehanded.
"Guess I'll have to catch 'em all."
His eyes began to gleam.
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