"Before you came here, the world was as it was. Nothing changed. Things like guilds, monsters, beasts, elements, and quests had always existed in this world. I guess you don't have those things in your world since you don't even know how quests work, right?"
Yuuta nodded. To her surprise, Yua was actually quite perceptive than what he expected.
"The only thing that changed was that the Dreamers came to this world and started doing quests. And for some reason, even though they're not a part of this world, they benefit from the quests and their rewards. You may be thinking that we inhabitants of Lucid are incapable of doing quests but no, it's quite the opposite. We've been doing quests before you Dreamers came here." Yua continued. Every time she says the word 'dreamer', she would pause as if trying to find the right words. It was hard-wired in her brain to call them aliens but in front of Yuuta, she didn't want to call him that. That's why she was especially careful with her wording.
"So that means... we're just leeches?" Yuuta twirled his thumbs in the air before a laugh escaped his lips. "I'm kidding, continue."
"N-not really! I wouldn't dare call you that, Yuuta! And also, the Dreamers coming here provided a lot of benefits for us city folks. Since we only have one life, we can't undertake extremely dangerous quests and only those with a high level could do it. And even then, those high-level adventurers do those quests at a risk. They are perfectly aware that they're putting their lives on the line when it comes to suicidal quests like subjugating a high-level boss monster or beast."
"I see, but when the Dreamers came, they try too hard to finish high-level quests even though they're under-leveled. While some of them could pull through, most of the time they die. And for some reason, even when they die, they just respawn in front of the Town Hall." Yuuta related. He could finally understand why the inhabitants of Lucid bore great resentment towards the Dreamers.
"Yes, and in the end, some people revere them as heroes while most adventurers refer to them as aliens. That's because the adventurers of this world worked so hard and yet these Dreamers just go wherever they want and go on suicidal quests with no regard to their lives. And recently, they've been getting the limelight instead of the hardworking adventurers here in Lucid. They're basically immortals here, just like you, Yuuta— "
"— but that doesn't mean everyone hates the Dreamers. Some refer to them as 'our saviors', 'mankind's last line of defense', and things like that. But then again, just like other adventurers who fall off the bad side of the cliff, there are a lot of Dreamers who turn to the dark ways... and they're quite hard to handle, seeing as they're immortal and all that. In my opinion, the Dreamers are a two-edged sword. While they may be saviors of Lucid, they could very well be the end of it as well."
"Fall of the bad side of the cliff? You mean they go over to the dark side?" Yuuta reconfirmed, just in case he misinterpreted what Yua said.
Yua nodded.
"That's true, when it comes to Dreamers, not all of them are good or bad. But if I ever see a Dreamer doing something contrary to the rules, then I'll be sure to do what I can to teach them a lesson. But then again, I'm still just level 20 so who am I to talk." Yuuta clenched his fists, steeling his resolve just in case he meets another Brooks— that Dreamer who caused an uproar in the Town Hall. And right now, he knew he had to level up in order to keep his words. Level 20 is, in a sense, too low for a level. Even the average NPC is level 60 or by now.
"With that out of the way, let me tell you how quests work." Yua continued, obviously trying to veer away from the previous topic. "There are different types of quests but since you're doing a mapping quest right now, we would focus on that. Typically, a mapping quest is done by a party of adventurers, not just one of them. So your approach with this mapping quest is wrong. Sure it will take you at least three to four days to complete, but that's inefficient, especially if you can finish it in a day. When it comes to being an adventurer, your greatest enemy is time. The more quests you can clear in a short period of time will determine how strong you'll be as an adventurer in the future."
"That's also the reason why only a few adventurers take on mapping quests. Sure the rewards are great but it takes a long time. Moreover, the reward has to be divided within the party... and a party usually consists of a dozen adventurers."
"Wow, you're very knowledgeable when it comes to these things. Was your mom an adventurer before?" Yuuta asked out of the blue. He was impressed that such a simple solution didn't occur in his mind. If he needed to save some time, then he should've just formed a party with Ashuril and Lorraine. After all, the two of them could easily go in and out of the Spirit Jungle as if it were some kind of city park.
"No... but my dad was." Yua smiled a wistful smile as she looked afar off. One by one, memories of her dad resurfaced, making her reminisce the past when he was still alive. "You see, my dad was an adventurer who got lost in the forest. The Issaz Forest was an icy forest filled with the most ferocious of ice beasts and monsters and that's where he got lost. Fortunately, my mom was out hunting some Ice Bears and she found dad on the verge of death, huddled in the tree roots of a Nip Tree. My mom rescued her and she fell in love right after. My dad decided to stay in our tribe and he took my mom's hand in marriage, a year after that, I was born. And a few years later, the Evil Spirits attacked and my dad sacrificed himself so my mom and I could escape."
"He must've been a great adventurer." Yuuta looked up at the sky as admiration filled his eyes. He could relate quite well to Yua's dad even though he hasn't met him. When it comes to his relatives or friends, he knew that he would do the same thing in order to save them from harm.
Yuuta knew he would do the same... since he had done it in the past, specifically two years ago.