"Who wants to team up with me on a double quest? I'm a level 87 healing and illusion double!"
"Recruiting people for a triple quest with a level 39 triple! I have fire, water and earth magic!"
"I'll buy that Flame Stone!"
"Selling Marks of Wind! I spend a lot of effort to get these! There are only 2 left!"
Soo Hyuk arrived at the Northern entrance of the Central Spire. Similar to the Southern entrance, there were a lot a of people around the Northern entrance.
Soo Hyuk passed these users and went into the Spire. Then, he climbed up the stairs to the fourth floor.
'So, I just walk up to him?'
When Soo Hyuk arrived at the fourth floor, he spotted Kerza behind his station. There was no one lining up in front of him.
But since his station wasn't for ordinary users, it made sense that there was no one in line. While thinking this, Soo Hyuk walked up to Kerza.
"Excuse me."
Suddenly, an unfamiliar man in a line next to him blocked Soo Hyuk with his arm.
"...?"
Soo Hyuk stopped before he could bump into the man's arm and looked at the man with a suspicious gaze.
"You have to line up."
The man said when Soo Hyuk looked at him. When Soo Hyuk heard his words, he could understand what the man was worried about.
'Does he think I'm cutting the line?"
Although Soo Hyuk could understand what the unfamiliar man was worried about, that wasn't his intention in the first place.
"Yes, I know."
Soo Hyuk replied as he pushed past the man's arm and continued heading towards Kerza.
Maybe Kerza sensed someone looking at him, when Soo Hyuk was approaching him, he looked up from his work and spotted Soo Hyuk.
"You're finally here!"
Kerza exclaimed as he stood up. And a message appeared in front Soo Hyuk at that moment.
[You have completed the Quest 'Immeasurable Talent'.]
It was the quest completion message.
"Hello."
Soo Hyuk greeted Kerza. Kerza signalled him to sit down on the chair opposite him and tidied up his desk.
"So…. I came here because you told me to."
Soo Hyuk just wanted to finish this quickly. He had to get back to the library and his books!
"Here you go."
Maybe Kerza sensed his mood. After rummaging his drawer for a bit, he handed him an envelope without any introductions.
"...?"
Soo Hyuk looked at the envelope and looked up at Kerza again. Thinking that Soo Hyuk was expecting an explanation, Kerza said.
"Take this to the Tower of Poison."
As soon as he finished, a message appeared again.
[To the Tower of Poison]
[The NPC you need to meet is at the Tower of Poison. Take the envelope from Kerza and go to the Tower of Poison!]
[Quest Reward: ??? ]
[Cannot Reject, Cannot Cancel]
Looking at the quest, Soo Hyuk thought.
'...There's no time limit.'
Unlike the 'Immeasurable Talent' quest, 'To the Tower of Poison' didn't have a time limit.
'Then do I really have to go?'
Soo Hyuk couldn't cancel or reject this quest, but that was it. If he wanted, he could probably leave it alone indefinitely. There was no need to cancel or reject.
'Phew...'
"Yes, of course."
Soo Hyuk replied while sighing and smiling in relief. Then when he received the envelope, two messages appeared.
[You have accepted the quest, 'To the Tower of Poison'.]
[You have obtained 'Kerza's Recommendation'.]
After he checked the messages, he stood up.
"Then I'll take my leave."
Soo Hyuk bid farewell to Kerza while putting away the envelope.
"Yes, have a nice day."
After he separated from Kerza, Soo Hyuk headed down to the first floor of the Spire. He was going to head back to the Matab Library.
But when he was leaving through the northern entrance, he heard a shout.
"W-wait!"
Soo Hyuk could tell that the owner of the voice was running towards him from his breathlessness and hoarse voice.
"...?"
Soo Hyuk turned around to look for the owner of the voice.
'The person from before?'
Soo Hyuk tilted his head when he realised who the owner of the shout was. Soo Hyuk had seen him before, but he didn't know him either.
The person who shouted was the man from the fourth floor who previously blocked Soo Hyuk.
"Do you have business with me?"
Soo Hyuk asked the man with a polite smile.
"I-I have something to ask."
Then the man's next words transformed his smile into a heavy frown.
* * *
'Oh, f*ck.'
Adilo cursed internally.
'What is this bullsh*t.'
Why did he have to line up? Adilo was very frustrated at his current situation. Of course, he could skip the line just because he was frustrated.
The reason he was lining up, wasn't because he wanted to take a quest or become a Magician. He wouldn't be so frustrated if this was the case. The reason he was so annoyed was because he had to line up for another person.
"Why did I brag?"
When he was on lunch break at his company with his colleagues, the topic turned into Pangea. Adilo was currently over level 200. Since the topic was about Pangea, he had bragged about his progress, and the CEO's son took interest in the conversation.
The problem occurred when the CEO's son asked for help, since he had only just started Pangea.
Reject his request? Adilo had only just bought a house with a loan from the company. He couldn't do it, so he had to help the CEO's son after work. But he was helping in Pangea...
-TheGrandMage: Where are you?
-Adilo: I'm lining up at the fourth floor.
-TheGrandMage: I'm at the third floor right now.
-Adilo: Okay!
Adilo replied in the chat and looked towards the staircase. He was waiting for the CEO's son to come up.
'Hmm?'
There was a young man who was ignoring the line.
'Cutting the line?'
Was he going to cut the line?
"Excuse me."
Adilo stretched out his hand to block the young man
"...?"
The young man looked at Adilo with a suspicious expression when he was blocked. Noticing his expression, Adilo continued.
"You have to line up."
"Yes, I know."
The young man pushed aside his hand while replying. Then he continued walking to the front.
'If he knows then why?...Hmm?'
Why is he still walking if he knows? While having this thought, he followed the young man with his eyes. But when he saw the young man going past the normal station, he was slightly embarrassed and surprised.
'But over there...'
The young man was heading towards the Head Manager of the fourth floor, Kerza. There were 12 spots where normal users used, and then there were 3 meant for the special users. The young man was greeting Kerza, who manned the station meant for the most special people.
"Wha...?"
Why was he sitting there? What kind of person was he?
"Park Kyung-Ho?"
Adilo was pulled out of his thoughts after the familiar voice.
"You've come."
Adilo hurriedly handed his spot back to the CEO's son. Then he glanced at Kerza's station.
'An envelope?'
Kerza was handing the young man a sealed envelope. What was in the envelope?
"What's over there?",
Kim Hyuk, the CEO's son asked Adilo.
"Ah, that's where people go for special business."
"Special business?"
"Yes, either for people with special jobs or for special quests..."
'Wait...F*ck.'
Adilo, who was answering Kim Hyuk, internally cursed again. Because the look in Kim Hyuk's eyes had changed.
'Why did I say that?'
Kim Hyuk was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and he also had a massive ego. He was interested in the special jobs before this, so it was almost impossible for him to not show any interest.
Adilo thought that something very nasty was going to come up again.
"Then is that person doing something special over there?"
"Yes."
"And it could be about special jobs?"
Kim Hyuk asked.
"There's a possibility."
"I'm curious about what he's doing."
"...What?"
Adilo suddenly felt very flustered.
"I said I'm curious. About whether if it's about a special job or not."
Kim Hyuk said calmly.
"Ah..."
Adilo lamented at Kim Hyuk's orders. He had said that he was curious. But it also meant something else.
"I'll find out right away."
Adilo conceded in a small voice. Kim Hyuk didn't say anything to Adilo's reply. He merely tilted his head to the young man.
'Now I have to do this as well. Damn it."
Adilo swore while he looked over at the special station. The young man was getting up right now.
'Well, I was curious too. Hahaha...'
Adilo pondered about how he could approach the young man.
'How should I ask? He won't just tell me if I randomly come up to him..."
Should he tell his job first? But it was just a normal job unlike the young man's. He definitely wouldn't tell him like that.
'Force him?'
There was always that option. There was a high possibility if he threatened with a PK. (TL: Player Kill)
If you died in Pangea, you would lose 1 level, three points from all your stats, lose one random possession, and 24-hour inaccessibility penalty.
While Adilo was thinking, the young man had already left the fourth floor. Adilo was staring at the staircase where the young man had gone down when he felt a chill down his spine. Kim Hyuk was staring at him with a chilling gaze. Seeing the cold gaze, Adilo hastily made an awkward smile and quickly chased after the young man.
"Let's just ask first."
There was the possibility that he would just tell him. Adilo quickly came to a decision while he was in pursuit.
'He's fast.'
Adilo hurriedly looked around the 1st floor. Did he have something urgent? The young man was walking abnormally fast.
'There he is!'
Adilo finally managed to spot him near the Northern entrance.
"W-wait!"
Adilo shouted while he ran after him.
"...Do you have some business with me?"
"I-I want to ask you something."
Adilo hurriedly said when the young man responded.
"Can you tell me what you were doing at Kerza's desk?"
The young man didn't immediately reply. But Adilo could also guess the answer from his frown.
"I don't want to."
Adil's guess was right. The young man turned around again and walked away. Looking at the young man's silhouette, Adilo thought.
'I knew this would happen.'
It was an obvious conclusion. Who was going to tell what?
If he returned now, he going to get reprimanded for not fulfilling the request, giving up too easily, and lack of ability.
'Let's follow him.'
Adilo started tailing the young man from a distance. He could give up, but maybe he could discover something interesting.
'But, I'm really curious now as well.'
Adilo thought as he tailed the young man.
'What did they talk about? What's that envelope?'
There was a user who talked with Kerza before. He was now flying his banner as a Midranker.
'Should I kill him? He might drop the envelope.'
His mind was wandering to all sorts of thoughts.
* * *
Soo Hyuk smiled when he reached the library. He had finally taken care of everything. He didn't need to do any quest or whatever. There was only the bliss of reading books left now.
'I understand why he came after me...'
Of course, there was still something on his mind. It was the man who came after him at the Spire.
'Yeah, I don't care. It looked like he gave up anyway.'
Getting rid of the thought, Soo Hyuk approached the library entrance.