Less “fun tavern with a quest board,” more “war room where everyone pretends they are not afraid.”
We pushed through the doors and the noise in the hall dipped like someone turned down the volume.
Tankards paused mid-air. Dice stopped clacking. A guy in leather armor froze with a bite of jerky halfway to his mouth.
My Hero Plate was still glowing from the recent level ups. The blue number hovered above my arm like a floating sign that screamed LOOK AT ME.
Level 14.
Lyra walked in like she owned the place, soot on her cheek, cloak singed at the hem. Roth looked like a moving wall. Mina looked pale but steady, holy symbol tucked close.
And me.
I smelled like sewer water and regret.
The receptionist at the counter blinked once, then stood up straighter like her body remembered it had a job.
“Party Hero Standard,” she said quickly. “Emergency quest status?”
Lyra slapped a small pouch onto the counter. It made a wet sound. That was not a good sound for a pouch to make.
“Contained,” Lyra said. “Source destroyed. Civilians rescued.”
Roth placed the Blue Core Shard on the counter like it was a rock he was tired of carrying.
The shard glowed faintly, blue and too clean for a sewer.
The receptionist’s eyes widened. Her professional smile twitched.
“By the stars,” she whispered, then coughed and recovered. “Proof of completion accepted.”
She reached for a guild tool, a little brass lens on a handle, and angled it toward the shard.
The lens flashed.
Then sparked.
The receptionist yelped and dropped it like it bit her.
The hall went quiet again, sharper this time.
Lyra raised an eyebrow. “That seems safe.”
Mina leaned closer, concerned. “Are you hurt?”
The receptionist shook her hand quickly. “No. No. Just… a feedback sting.”
Roth’s eyes narrowed. “What happened.”
The receptionist swallowed. “That item has an authority lock.”
I felt my stomach do that tiny uncomfortable roll again.
Not fear. Not revelation.
Just… weird.
Lyra stared at the shard. “Authority lock like what.”
“Like sealed artifacts,” the receptionist said. “Like royal vault objects. Like church reliquaries. Things we are not allowed to appraise.”
She looked at my Hero Plate, then at Roth, then at Mina, and her voice dropped.
“I need to call the Guildmaster.”
Lyra sighed. “Of course we do.”
The receptionist tapped a bell under the counter twice. A runner appeared almost instantly and sprinted through a side door.
The blue quest window popped up in my vision like it was excited about paperwork.
[EMERGENCY QUEST TURN-IN]
Sewer Bloom: Contained
Source destroyed: Yes
Civilians rescued: 3/3
Bonus achieved: Yes
Finalize report? Y/N
I clicked yes.
The system chimed so loud in my skull it felt like a slot machine jackpot.
[QUEST COMPLETE]
Sewer Bloom
EXP +3,600
Reputation (Guild) +40
Reputation (Lower Ward) +35
Silver +18
Guild Contribution +60
Bonus Reward: “Rapid Response” chest (Bronze)
Then my vision filled with blue fireworks.
[LEVEL UP]
Level 15
Stat Points +5
[LEVEL UP]
Level 16
Stat Points +5
Two levels from turning in.
My knees went soft for half a second.
Lyra saw my expression and groaned. “Do not tell me you leveled again.”
I lifted my forearm slightly so the plate projected the new number.
16.
Lyra’s mouth opened, then closed.
Mina’s eyes widened, then she quietly smiled like she was happy for me and also terrified of what that meant.
Roth just nodded once, like he was checking a box labeled “Hero continues to be absurd.”
The receptionist slid a pile of coins across the counter. Real silver. Heavy. Cold. Perfect.
Then she placed a small wooden box down with a bronze seal.
“Rapid Response chest,” she said. “Open off the counter. Please.”
Lyra’s eyes glittered. “Loot.”
I grabbed the box and backed away from the line like a responsible adult.
Then I immediately opened it because I am not a responsible adult.
The lid popped.
Inside were three items.
A pair of dark gloves with a slick coating.
A small vial of clear liquid with a blue label.
And a thin metal token stamped with the guild symbol.
The system chimed each time my eyes touched them.
[ITEM ACQUIRED]
Sewerwalker Gloves (Uncommon)
Effect: Acid Resistance (Minor)
Effect: Grip +5%
[ITEM ACQUIRED]
Neutralizing Tonic x1 (Uncommon)
Effect: Removes corrosive status and reduces acid damage for 10 minutes
[ITEM ACQUIRED]
Rank Promotion Token (Bronze)
Condition: Contribution threshold reached
Dopamine hit like a clean punch.
Lyra leaned over my shoulder. “Not bad. Gloves are actually useful.”
Mina nodded. “The tonic could save lives.”
Roth’s gaze fixed on the token. “Promotion.”
The receptionist cleared her throat and gestured at my token like she was doing a ritual.
“By guild procedure,” she said, louder now so the hall could hear, “Party Hero Standard has reached Bronze promotion threshold. Present the token to confirm rank upgrade.”
I held it up.
It warmed in my hand.
The system chimed again.
[GUILD RANK UPGRADE AVAILABLE]
Bronze -> Bronze II
Unlocks: Higher reward quests, equipment discounts, private report channel
“Confirm,” I whispered, and the token dissolved into blue light.
A new badge projection flickered above my Hero Plate for a moment. A small additional bar under the bronze symbol.
Bronze II.
People nearby murmured again, some impressed, some annoyed.
A burly adventurer at a table scoffed loudly. “Hero privilege.”
Lyra’s head snapped toward him. Her smile was sharp. “Come fight slimes in the sewer, then we can talk.”
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The adventurer shut up.
Good.
My hands shook slightly, not from fear. From the rush.
Then a door behind the counter opened and the runner returned with a woman who looked like she could wrestle a bear and win.
Short hair. Scar across her cheek. Guild cloak draped like a cape that had seen blood. Her eyes were the kind that made you stand up straighter without realizing you were doing it.
Guildmaster.
She stepped to the counter, took one look at the Blue Core Shard, and her expression tightened.
“Ysolde,” the receptionist said quickly, bowing. “Authority lock. It bit the lens.”
Guildmaster Ysolde nodded once, then looked at us.
“Party Hero Standard,” she said. Her voice was low and rough. “Private office. Now.”
Lyra opened her mouth.
Ysolde’s gaze landed on her and Lyra immediately decided to keep her mouth closed. That was impressive.
We followed the Guildmaster through the side door into a corridor that smelled like ink and old paper instead of beer and sweat.
Her office was small, functional, and built for arguments.
A desk. Two chairs. A lockbox bolted to the floor. A sword on the wall. A map pinned behind her.
She shut the door and only then did she speak again.
“Put the shard on the desk,” she said.
Roth placed it down.
The blue glow reflected in Ysolde’s eyes.
She did not look impressed. She looked annoyed.
“This is not sewer slime,” she said.
Lyra leaned on the wall. “We noticed.”
Mina stood with her hands folded, face calm but tired.
I stood there holding my new gloves and trying not to look like a raccoon that found shiny trash.
Ysolde’s gaze flicked to my Hero Plate, then returned to the shard.
“Authority tag divine,” she said.
My stomach did the little roll again.
“How do you know,” I asked.
Ysolde tapped the desk with one finger. “I have seen it before.”
Lyra’s voice went sharp. “Before. Where.”
Ysolde stared at her for a long second, then looked at Roth.
“You are Royal Guard,” she said. “You report to the crown.”
Roth nodded once. “Yes.”
Ysolde’s gaze moved to Mina.
“You are church,” she said.
Mina’s voice was careful. “I am a priestess. Yes.”
Ysolde’s gaze moved to me.
“And you,” she said, “are a problem wrapped in a miracle.”
I blinked. “Thanks.”
She did not smile.
“This shard means three things,” she said, counting on her fingers. “One, your sewer outbreak was not natural. Two, someone put something sealed into the water network. Three, the moment I file this report, the Church will send someone to claim it.”
Mina’s expression tightened. “The church would not knowingly poison the lower ward.”
Ysolde’s eyes narrowed. “I did not say knowingly.”
Lyra muttered, “Or it could be very knowingly.”
Mina shot her a look.
Lyra shrugged. “I do not like being told what I am allowed to suspect.”
Roth’s voice was hard. “What do you want.”
Ysolde opened a drawer and pulled out a thin form with a red stamp space at the bottom.
“I want this handled cleanly,” she said. “Not in the guild hall with rumors and idiots. I want the crown informed, because the sewer is the crown’s city. I want the church informed, because the tag says divine. And I want you four to keep your mouths shut until I tell you otherwise.”
Lyra opened her mouth again.
Ysolde raised a finger. Lyra closed her mouth again. Even more impressive.
Ysolde looked at Roth. “You will deliver a formal report to Princess Selene tonight. Not tomorrow. Tonight.”
Roth nodded. “Understood.”
Ysolde looked at Mina. “You will tell your superior that the guild is reporting a divine tagged contaminant node found in the sewer. Use those exact words.”
Mina swallowed. “Yes.”
Ysolde looked at me.
“And you,” she said, “will not do anything heroic and stupid like taking this to a priest alone because he smiles at you.”
My face went hot.
Lyra made a choking noise that was absolutely a laugh.
“I was not going to,” I said.
Ysolde stared at me until I stopped believing my own words.
“Good,” she said. “Because if you do, I will personally throw you back into the sewer.”
Roth’s mouth twitched like he wanted to smile and hated that impulse.
Ysolde slid the report form across the desk.
“This is your official guild record,” she said. “Sign. Then go.”
I signed. My handwriting looked like it had been written by a nervous child holding a quill for the first time, which was accurate.
The system chimed softly.
[GUILD REPORT FILED]
Incident: Sewer Bloom
Classification: Contained
Special Flag: Divine Authority tagged fragment recovered
Note: Higher oversight pending
Ysolde opened a lockbox and gestured at the shard.
Roth hesitated.
Ysolde’s voice sharpened. “I am not stealing it. I am securing it. If you carry that through the street, every thief and priest in the capital will smell it.”
Roth placed the shard in the lockbox.
Ysolde shut it and snapped three locks.
The blue glow vanished.
The room felt slightly lighter, like we stopped carrying a quiet problem.
“Go,” Ysolde said. “Sleep if you can. Eat if you are smart. And if the church asks you questions before the crown does, you say one thing.”
Lyra raised an eyebrow. “Which is.”
Ysolde’s eyes were flat.
“I am under guild instruction to report directly to Princess Selene.”
That was the sentence.
A shield made of bureaucracy.
Lyra nodded, satisfied. “Good shield.”
We left the office and returned to the guild hall.
The noise hit again, loud, alive, relieved.
People were already turning the sewer incident into a story.
The Hero went down.
The Hero fought a slime boss.
The Hero leveled twice.
The Hero probably ate the slime.
I ignored them and focused on one urgent thing.
Food.
We ate fast in the guild common room. Bread. Meat. Soup. Hot enough to feel like life re-entering my limbs.
Mina ate slowly, like she was forcing herself to refuel. Roth ate like a soldier. Lyra ate like she was angry at the soup.
Halfway through, the system popped up another menu that made my brain scream happily.
[STAT POINTS AVAILABLE]
Unspent: 50
Fifty.
I nearly choked on bread.
Lyra noticed my face. “How many.”
“Fifty,” I whispered.
Mina’s spoon paused mid-air.
Roth said, “Allocate. Now.”
Lyra leaned back. “Make him less killable. I do not want to drag his corpse again.”
“Again,” I repeated.
Lyra shrugged. “Preemptive.”
I opened my stat menu and dumped points like I was buying survival.
STR +15
AGI +20
VIT +15
Confirm.
The system chimed bright.
[CONFIRMED]
STR: 33
AGI: 42
VIT: 34
HP increased. Stamina increased.
Passive unlocked: Quickstep (Minor)
Passive unlocked: Iron Gut (Minor)
My body felt heavier and lighter at the same time.
Like my muscles finally matched the fact that the universe wanted me to fight for a living now.
Lyra stared at me like I was a math problem she hated.
“That is disgusting,” she said again, softer. “Do you feel different.”
I flexed my fingers. The world felt slightly slower. My reactions felt cleaner. My breath felt deeper.
“I feel,” I said, “like I could run up a wall.”
Roth nodded once. “Do not. Walls do not pay you.”
Mina smiled faintly. “Quickstep is useful.”
Then the system chimed again, because it never stops.
[CLASS SKILL UNLOCKED]
Heroic Shout (Active)
Effect: Boosts party resolve, reduces fear, draws enemy attention
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Lyra’s eyes gleamed. “You got a taunt.”
Roth’s voice was approving. “That will save lives.”
Mina’s smile widened. “It fits you.”
I stared at the skill description.
Draws enemy attention.
So the system was officially telling me to get hit in the face for my friends.
Great.
Perfect.
Hero.
We finished eating.
Roth stood. “Palace.”
My stomach tightened again. Not fear exactly. Just… the sense that every time I went to the palace, my life got more complicated.
We left the guild and stepped into the capital night.
Lanterns glowed along the streets. People still moved, but there was a different tension now, a hum under the city like everyone was aware something had almost gone wrong.
The lower ward alleyways were crowded with guards. The bakery stairwell was sealed with rope and wax stamps.
Church stamps.
That symbol again.
Circle of stars. Tear gem.
Mina’s gaze lingered on it, then she looked away quickly.
We walked faster.
The castle gates opened for Roth immediately.
Inside, servants moved like shadows, quiet and efficient.
We were led not to the meeting room, but to a private study.
Princess Selene waited inside, cloak over her shoulders, hair slightly messy like she had been running between crises without time to be a person.
When she saw us, her eyes softened for a fraction of a second.
Then she looked at our faces and her expression tightened.
“You are hurt,” she said.
“I am alive,” I said.
Selene exhaled once. “Captain Roth. Report.”
Roth delivered the report cleanly. Sewer bloom. Control room. Floodgate Heart. Divine tagged shard recovered. Secured by guildmaster. Awaiting further orders.
Selene listened without interrupting.
When he finished, she was silent for a long heartbeat.
Then she looked at Mina.
“The church symbol above the floodgate door,” she said. “Was it old.”
Mina nodded. “Very. The stone carving is weathered. The seal protocol is ancient doctrine.”
Selene’s fingers curled around the edge of her desk.
“High Priest Caldor came to me an hour ago,” she said quietly. “He requested permission to place Divine Knights at the floodgate sites.”
Lyra snorted. “He requested. That is adorable.”
Selene’s gaze sharpened. “He did not ask. He phrased it politely.”
Roth said, “What did you answer.”
Selene’s voice stayed calm. “I told him the crown will decide after receiving a full report. He smiled.”
Mina’s voice was careful. “The High Priest is devoted. He believes the goddess must be protected.”
Lyra muttered, “He believes the church must be in charge.”
Selene ignored that and looked at me.
“Kenta,” she said softly, “did you see anything else. Anything strange.”
I hesitated.
My brain flashed the appraisal text.
Origin data blocked. Authority divine.
I also remembered the priest’s blessing tonic and the way he said the Demon King would not survive this era like it was a script line.
I did not want to start conspiracies.
I did not want to accuse a religion.
I also did not want to be stupid.
“Appraisal could not read the shard’s origin,” I said. “It said blocked. Authority divine.”
Selene’s face tightened.
Roth said, “Guildmaster says she has seen that tag before.”
Selene’s eyes snapped to him. “Before where.”
Roth hesitated, just a fraction, like even he knew this was above his pay.
“She did not say,” he admitted.
Selene inhaled slowly.
“Then we will find out,” she said.
Her voice shifted into official mode.
“Party Hero Standard,” she said, and hearing the party name in a royal study was surreal in a way that made my brain itch.
“I am assigning you a priority mission.”
The system chimed before she even finished speaking.
[ROYAL QUEST AVAILABLE]
Priority: High
Accepting will override standard guild queue.
My heart kicked.
Dopamine.
Selene continued.
“Tomorrow at dawn, you will escort a royal investigator to three floodgate sites across the capital,” she said. “Not a priest. Not a Divine Knight. Someone loyal to the crown.”
Lyra’s eyes narrowed. “So we babysit an investigator.”
Roth’s voice was approving. “Good.”
Mina swallowed. “If the church objects…”
Selene’s gaze went hard. “Let them.”
My quest window popped.
[ROYAL QUEST ACCEPTED]
Floodgate Audit
Objective: Escort investigator to floodgate sites (0/3)
Objective: Identify additional contamination nodes
Bonus: Prevent church interference
Reward: EXP, Silver, Royal Favor
Time: Dawn
Selene looked at me again, softer.
“You have done well,” she said. “But this is only the capital. If something can grow in our sewers… it can grow elsewhere.”
My chest tightened.
Somewhere else.
The frontier.
The Demon King.
All the stuff the kingdom kept pointing at like the direction of doom.
Selene’s voice lowered.
“And Kenta,” she added, almost reluctantly, “be careful who offers you blessings.”
My skin prickled.
“Understood,” I said.
Selene nodded once.
“You are dismissed,” she said. “Sleep. You will need it.”
We bowed and left.
The castle corridor felt colder on the way out.
Outside, the night air hit my face like a slap and a relief.
Lyra walked beside me, quiet for once.
Then she said, “Floodgate Audit at dawn. Which means we sleep for five minutes and then run again.”
Roth nodded. “Correct.”
Mina’s voice was soft. “At least tomorrow’s monsters are paperwork.”
Lyra snorted. “Do not insult paperwork. Paperwork kills more people than slimes.”
I laughed, sharp and tired.
We walked back toward the guild dorms.
My Hero Plate glowed faintly under my cloak like it was alive.
Level 16.
Two days ago I was a convenience store worker arguing with a microwave.
Now I had titles, skills, a party name that sounded like a preset, and a royal quest at dawn.
I should have been proud.
Mostly I felt like I was sprinting down stairs in the dark and hoping the next step existed.
The system chimed one last time as I lay down on a narrow guild bed.
[DAILY RESET IN 2 HOURS]
Bonus available soon.
Of course.
I closed my eyes.
My body buzzed with levels.
My mind buzzed with the blue shard and the church symbol and the way Selene said be careful.
Sleep took me anyway, because even heroes have to shut down eventually.
And somewhere in the capital, behind stone and seals and smiling priests, something had already decided to keep growing.
CLASS: Hero
AFFILIATION: Asteria Adventurers Guild
GUILD RANK: Bronze II
PARTY: Hero Standard (4) Party Bonus: Coordination (Minor)
EXP: 0 / 4200
MP: 150 / 150
STR: 33
AGI: 42
VIT: 34 (includes +1 from Cracked Silver Ring)
INT: 11
WIL: 11
LUK: 8
- Auto-Translation
- Inventory (40 slots)
- Appraisal
- Growth Rate x5
- Mental Resistance
- Courage (Passive)
- Hero's Aura (Passive)
- Weapon Adaptation (Passive)
- Heroic Shout (Active) Cooldown: 5 minutes Effect: Party resolve up, fear down, aggro draw
- Sword Basics (Lv. 1)
- Footwork (Lv. 1)
- Parry (Lv. 2)
- Athletic Body (Minor)
- Quickstep (Minor)
- Iron Gut (Minor)
- Nestbreaker (I)
- Sewer Cleaver (I)
- Bloombreaker (I)
Weapon: Short Sword (Common) ATK +12 Durability: 88 / 100
Cloak: Hero Cloak (Asteria Issue) Reputation Gain +5% Cold Resistance (Minor)
Plate: Hero Plate (Bound) Identity Verification Level Display Quest Proof Storage
Hands: Sewerwalker Gloves (Uncommon) Acid Resistance (Minor) Grip +5%
Feet: Leather Boots (Reinforced) Acid Resistance (Minor) Durability: 72 / 120
Accessory: Cracked Silver Ring (Uncommon) VIT +1
- Acid Resistance (Minor)
- Cold Resistance (Minor)
- Mind Effects: Reduced (Mental Resistance)
- Minor Blessing Tonic (Church Issue) Fear Resistance (Minor) for 24h Side effect: vivid dreams
- Neutralizing Tonic x1 Removes corrosion, reduces acid damage for 10 minutes
- Healing Draughts x2
- Blue Core Shard (Rare) recovered Authority: DIVINE (Secured by Guildmaster Ysolde)
MAIN QUEST: Defeat the Demon King
ROYAL QUEST: Floodgate Audit Escort investigator to floodgate sites (0/3)
- Lower Ward: Grateful
- Guild Hall: Watching
- Church: Interested
- Crown: Taking notice