Kaito stood, rolled his shoulders, and turned toward the town's eastern market lane.
Now then… might as well clean out all the basic quests before they arrive.
He walked to the quest bulletin beside the fountain.
[Available Quests – South Glade]
Courier Delivery (Reward: 50 EXP, 3 silver)
Wolf Suppression (Reward: 100 EXP, Weapon Chest Tier-C)
Herb Collection (Reward: 80 EXP, Potion Bag)
Shop Cleaning (Reward: 60 EXP, NPC Favor)
Lost Child Escort (Reward: 150 EXP, Accessory – Luck +1)
Standard beginner fare, he thought.
He accepted all five.
He marked the five quest locations on his mini-map
And with that, he headed into the city—blending into the crowd like a shadow with a plan.
Courier Delivery
The first quest took him north along the cobblestone path to the administrative wing. An elderly NPC merchant greeted him with two satchels and a short speech about reliable hands and lost apprentices.
Kaito skipped through it with a tap.
Three deliveries. All local. One to the armor smith, one to the herbal stall, and one to the southern training post.
He dropped each off in under six minutes, refusing dialogue, triggering only the delivery flags.
[Courier Delivery Complete]
Reward Claimed: 3 Silver, Basic Merchant Favor +2
....
Wolf Suppression
Next, he veered eastward through the crumbling gate beside the barracks. A few Level 7 wolves loitered in the shallow ravine outside the town walls.
They didn't react fast enough.
Kaito's sword was a blur—quick strikes, no abilities. Just enough to get the kills and satisfy the quest parameters.
[Wolf Suppression Complete]
Reward Claimed: Weapon Chest (Tier C)
Bonus: South Glade Guard Favor +3
He didn't even open the weapon chest. Just stored it directly into his inventory. Better to dismantle it later, he noted.
Herb Collection
The herb patch lay westward—low to the ground and crawling with slow-moving beetles.
Kaito crouched and gathered twenty Leafroot and ten Bittergrass, ignoring the insects entirely. They weren't aggressive at this level.
[Herb Collection Complete]
Reward Claimed: Potion Bag (Capacity: 15)
That'll be useful for the dungeon.
Shop Cleaning
This one was a time-locked task. He arrived at a dusty forge near the edge of the commercial zone and accepted a broom from the NPC blacksmith.
The "cleaning" took three minutes—scrubbing highlighted spots, interacting with soot piles, and wiping smudge marks on display weapons.
[Shop Cleaning Complete]
Reward Claimed: Favor Token – Blacksmiths' Association
Kaito turned the token in immediately. It would reduce future crafting service costs in South Glade.
Lost Child Escort
The last quest triggered automatically when he entered the residential quarter. A small girl NPC tugged at his coat and pointed to a missing cat.
Escort quests were notorious for being glitchy, but Kaito knew this one by heart.
He led her safely through the alleyways and retrieved the cat without triggering any enemy encounters.
[Lost Child Escort Complete]
Luck bonus. Not bad.
For the next two hours, Kaito moved through South Glade like a shadow on rails—accepting and completing every basic quest without pause or wasted motion.
Each task rewarded him with a small pouch of silver, the occasional gear chest, or a local favor token. And each one included the same silent system message:
[EXP Gained: +500]
[EXP Overflow – Pool Full. No EXP Stored.]
It didn't matter. He expected it.
The silver coins, utility items, and growing town reputation were all laying the groundwork for what came next.
They should be arriving soon.
Kaito returned to the town plaza and sat beside the fountain, arms crossed, head tilted back toward the clear artificial sky.
He closed his eyes.
Just for a moment.
Then—
Incoming Call: Scarlet Rin
He tapped the interface.
Mei Rin's face appeared, smiling through the static. She wore her standard combat cloak, light dust coating her cheek. "I'm done," she said. "My NPC sent me to South Glade just now."
Kaito's eyes softened. "Good. Anyone else?"
Before she could answer, another alert blinked in the corner.
Incoming Message: Velia Moon
Then another—
Incoming Message: Star Flare
And another—
Echo Mist
Iron Fist
Shiru Blade
One by one, the team's voices began to fill the channel.
Kaito stood up slowly and looked around the plaza. In the distance, just beyond the auction dome, a familiar silhouette emerged from the crowd—Mei Rin waving as she approached.
And just behind her, more shadows began to appear: Aika hurrying with light steps, Kaede scanning the structures curiously, Suzune dragging Daichi by the collar, and Hiroto walking with his usual calm precision.
Kaito stood from the stone terrace, brushing dust from his sleeves.
"Okay now that you all are here first you should go to the town hall to register then change your class," he said to the team, "these are just the basic class options. But there are hidden ones too."
The group leaned in.
"They won't be offered unless you say the right phrase in front of your class instructor," he explained. "If you trigger it, you'll get a special quest chain. But the system only gives you one attempt."
"Got it," Mei Rin said seriously.
"Understood," Hiroto echoed.
"I'll tell each of you what to say," Kaito assured them. "and after accepting your class quests, first complete your town quests to get familiar with the layout."
They nodded.
Then kaito told them about their hidden quest triggers
Kaito glanced at each of them, his voice steady.
"I've already reviewed your base class assignments.."
He pointed to each in turn:
"Hiroto — Knight."
"Your instructor will ask about honor. Respond with: 'But what if loyalty leads to ruin?' That should trigger the hidden class: Vanguard Duelist — a hybrid between tank and counter-fighter."
"Kaede — Mage."
"When the class instructor offers you the path of elemental focus, instead say: 'Is there a way to bend time itself?' That'll begin the quest for Chrono Arcanist — a rare control-based magic path."
"Suzune — Rogue."
"She'll ask you about shadows and speed. Say: 'What's faster—my blade, or their fear?' That'll open the Ghostblade Stalker path — stealth and burst criticals."
"Daichi — Monk."
"When asked about spiritual clarity, answer: 'Clarity is found when fists meet flesh.' That starts the Battle Channeler quest — a hybrid support and striker class."
"Aika — Cleric."
"When the priest speaks of devotion, say: 'What if I heal not to save… but to destroy?' That will awaken the Hexbinder Saint path — a cursed-light hybrid with offensive prayers."
"Mei Rin — Ranger."
"Your trainer will praise distance. Tell him: 'I don't run. I hunt.' That begins the Predator path — mobility-based burst hunting."
He paused.
"These classes will only be activated in the city, but you need to complete the level 10 advancement with this hidden advancement, or they won't unlock."
"And You won't get a second shot. Say it wrong, and you're locked into the default. Understood?"
They all nodded, more serious than before.
With that, Kaito vanished into the crowd once more.
The central plaza was packed now. New players swarmed every stall and quest board, shouting prices and misreading loot descriptions. Between the Potion Division and the south corridor, a curved stone road led into the stall trader zone the informal marketplace where players could freely set up booths to sell whatever they'd gathered.
Kaito's eyes scanned the wares quickly.
Just as expected.
Whisperleaf ×4 – 12 copper
Flamevine ×6 – 15 copper
Bittergrass ×8 – 10 copper
Spiritroot Bark ×2 – 30 copper
Moonpetal Dust ×3 – 20 copper
Frostscale Shard ×1 – 22 copper
They were selling common-tier potion materials at throwaway prices.
They have no idea what these are for.
He casually made his rounds—buying up anything useful for potion brewing. Within minutes, his inventory was full again.
He returned to the Life Guild – Potion Division, paid 1 silver at the counter, and once again entered Room 4B.
The familiar scent of flame and herbal vapor greeted him.
Let's get to work.
He resumed brewing—Minor Regeneration Potions, batch by batch. He failed a few. Succeeded more. His proficiency bar ticked upward. His EXP pool remained maxed.
Time passed quickly.
Then—
Incoming Call: Scarlet Rin