"I'm home," he announced, stepping into the room.
His eyes found mine, and for a brief moment, it felt as if time stood still. There was a crackling tension in the air, and he erupted, "YOU!!!" The force of his words hit me like a physical blow, igniting a flicker of anger in my chest.
Should I just kill him?
I asked him annoyed, "What are you doing here?".
Shinra shot back, "Well, I could ask you the same damn thing."
This rude little brat.
The air thickened with unspoken words, a heavy silence settling between us. Haruka, sensing the charged atmosphere, finally broke it. "Do you two know each other?" she asked, her voice a cautious attempt to defuse the mounting tension.
Before I could explain what happened, the punk cut me off, sneering, "He's just another outsider, always looking down on us. You of all people should know that, Mom."
Mom? That caught me off guard. I couldn't help but blurt out, "Mom?"
Haruka calmly replied, "Not all outsiders are like that."
I thought to myself what was his deal with outsiders?
Shinra scoffed, glancing at me. "Tell that to him and his creepy smile."
Feeling misunderstood, I protested, "Hey, my smile's not creepy! I wasn't mocking you." I attempted to smile, but from the looks on both their faces, it must have come out wrong. I guess there was something I wasn't good at.
Haruka looked at me with a mixture of pity and amusement. "Ryojin, maybe don't try that on anyone else."
Damn, was my smile that creepy.
Who the hell cares what my smile looks like? Even though I tried to ignore it, it did hurt my ego. Haruka tried to smooth things over. "Okay, this seems like a misunderstanding between the two of you. Why don't you try to make amends?"
With a scoff, Shinra said, "I don't care. I'm going to freshen up," and walked off, heading upstairs.
Haruka called after him, "At least eat your food!"
But he ignored her. Haruka turned to me with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about him. That brat's like that with everyone, but his heart is in the right place."
Haruka left and I shrugged and returned to my meal, savoring every bite of the delicious miso pork cutlets. That's when the system message again popped up.
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QUEST FAILED!!
PENALTY: YOU WILL BE SHOCKED
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At that moment I knew I fucked up. Before I could finish the cutlets, a surge of shock passed through my body and I fell to the ground in a scream.
Son of a bitch that hurts. Again the status window changed:
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NEW QUEST ALERT:
OBJECTIVE: BRING ARCANE GUILD BACK TO IT'S GLORY
REWARD:??
PENALTY: YOU WILL BE SHOCKED X2
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I examined the new quest, torn over whether to accept it. Part of me hesitated—joining the Arcane Guild again wasn't a decision I took lightly.
This was my second chance, an opportunity to live without the weight of my past. But deep down, I knew I couldn't just walk away, not when the guild was in this mess because of me.
And it's definitely not because the thought of facing that x2 penalty made me gulp. Not at all.
The next day, I caught sight of Shinra walking with a friend of his, Kenjuro Shiba. As they strolled, Kenjuro suddenly burst out laughing. "Wait, wait, so you're telling me the newbie you picked a fight with yesterday is staying at your house?"
Shinra's face twisted in irritation. "Yeah, and he was just stuffing his face with my mom's cutlets."
Kenjuro's eyes widened in mock outrage. "Your mom made her special miso pork cutlets, and you didn't call me? I thought we were friends! you're probably the only one who doesn't even appreciate…"
Their conversation was interrupted as they noticed a crowd gathered nearby.
Curious, they approached to see what was causing the commotion, only to spot me talking to Kiba, the guild's martial arts instructor.
I squared my shoulders, "I would like to join the guild as a martial arts disciple.".
I caught a glimpse of Shinra, his face full of shock. "What is that idiot doing?" he muttered. Well, I didn't care.
Kenjuro, on the other hand, looked thoroughly amused.
Kiba regarded me with a serious, appraising look, his eyes faintly glowing in the dim light of the room. There was a weight to his gaze as if he were sizing me up against a set of unyielding standards.
"I'm sorry, Ryojin," he said, his tone firm but not unkind. "I can't let you in. We have no idea where you're from or which family you belong to. Accepting you could be disastrous for us. Our guild is struggling as it is, and taking in a new disciple without knowing their background might not be in our best interest."
"I understand your concerns, but I assure you, I have no family and I don't belong to any guild. I've faced hardships on my own and am willing to work hard and learn martial arts if given the chance. I can promise you my dedication to the guild." I replied to him. It was kind of awkward speaking formally to him but I had no choice if I wanted to join the guild.
Kiba paused, his brow furrowing as he weighed my words. The silence hung heavily between us, filled only by the gazing stares and whispers among the other disciples watching this amusing situation.
Finally, he spoke again, his voice thoughtful yet resolute.
"Very well, Ryojin. Here's what I'll do: I'll give you a challenge. Here's a martial arts journal containing sword techniques that have been passed down through generations. If, in one month, you can defeat Shinra using only those techniques, I'll consider letting you join our guild. But be warned, Shinra is not an easy opponent."
"Sir!" Shinra protested.
But Kiba silenced him with a gesture. "Shinra is our best disciple. I am letting you face off against him because I want you to lose. However, if you show promise, I may reconsider. "
Kiba's gaze was intense as he asked me, "Now, do you still want to do this?"
I met his eyes, my resolve unwavering. "Yes, sir."
Kiba nodded, a flicker of approval crossing his face. "Good. Show me that you have what it takes, and perhaps there will be a place for you here after all."
As soon as he said that, the system window popped up again:
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AN ANOTHER QUEST HAS ARRIVED:
OBJECTIVE: TO PROVE YOUR WORTH AGAINST SHINRA REIJIN IN A SPARRING MATCH
RESTRICTION:
*ONLY ALLOWED TO USE THE TECHNIQUES IN THE MARTIAL ARTS JOURNAL PROVIDED.
*ANY ACTIVE SKILLS ATTAINED IN THE PREVIOUS LIFE ARE NOT ALLOWED AND CAN ONLY BE USED WHEN THE USER ACQUIRES THE SKILL THROUGH LEVELLING UP OR QUEST REWARDS
REWARD: *STEALTH [ACTIVE SKILL] WILL BE UNLOCKED AND ADDED TO THE USER'S SKILLS TAB
* AFFILIATION WILL BE UPDATED
PENALTY: YOU WILL BE KICKED OUT OF THE GUILD AND BECOME THE PATHETIC LOSER WHO COULDN'T EVEN JOIN A WASHED-UP GUILD [SO DON'T FAIL :) ]
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