— Perverted Quest —
[Quest: Light Sneaky Touch!]
[Content: Secretly touch one of the breasts of the Main Heroine Sylvia without her knowledge.]
[Reward: ??]
[Time Limit: 1 hour]
[Remaining Time: 59:42]
[Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆]
[Failure Punishment: All stats temporarily halved. Gained Debuff: Coward's Mark]
[Note: Because she is the main heroine, successful completion grants an extra reward.]
—
"..."
'Fuck!'
Soren's face completely went dark the moment he saw the quest.
'Touch her breast without her knowledge? System… are you serious?'
He wanted nothing more than to choke this system right now. What kind of ungodly quest was this?
"Whoa! Is this… r-real?"
"One shot… he killed that monster in one shot."
"Evan Alarion…?"
"Who is he?"
As Soren was breathing heavily over the unjust quest he had just received, the crowd around him instead boiled with astonishment.
"Evan Alarion has completed his challenge. Completion time… five seconds."
Even Professor Lyra seemed slightly shocked by his performance, her voice noticeably an octave higher.
But she quickly regained her composure before smiling slightly.
"Your swordsmanship skill seems quite good. For a newbie, that level of control is rare."
She said, with some flicker in her eyes, clearly with interest.
According to the information she had about him, he didn't seem to have an identity like Aurelia.
Even then, his Class was rank S, and his skill seemed even higher.
'Let's put him on the watch list for now.'
Professor Lyra thought, interested in his talent. Although she was a professor of the Elite Hunter Academy, she rarely encountered students who drew her attention so quickly.
This one… was different.
'Five seconds... how did he do that?'
Aurelia breathed heavily, clenching her hands as she watched Evan's retreating back.
She never thought this guy, who wanted to fight her in the cafeteria, was so strong.
Even she had no idea whether her barrier could withstand that sword streak just now that cleaved the wolf in two.
'This is indeed the Elite Hunter Academy. My mother was right…there is always someone better than you.'
'But I won't lose.'
After seeing Evan's swordsmanship, Aurelia's competitive spirit immediately flared up, and her gaze toward him changed completely.
A true rival brings out the best in you after all.
This was also one of the sweet hidden benefits of the Elite Hunter Academy.
"Tch… aren't you showing off too much?"
As soon as Evan came near, Soren asked, patting him lightly on the shoulder with a smile.
He, of course, knew that Evan was strong after all; he was the protagonist. It was just… he seemed to underestimate the pressure he felt after learning Aurelia's identity.
"Haha… I was just a little nervous. Did I… go overboard?"
Evan scratched his head, a little embarrassed, feeling every student's gaze on him.
While he had been ready to show his strength before, he didn't think of revealing so much.
After all, he knew that not every student here displayed their true skills, as that would be foolish.
It was just that, because of the fight with Aurelia, he felt it necessary to showcase his talent in case something happened.
But it seemed he overdid it.
"Nah… you're fine. Look, it seems you managed to garner the attention of Professor Lyra. That's good news."
Soren consoled while signaling toward the front, where the professor was still looking at Evan.
After all, with her expertise, she might have already noticed that the skill Evan possessed was higher than S rank.
But he bet that she didn't know it was actually an SSS-rank skill.
'SSS-rank Swordsaint… the protagonist is really overpowered, whereas me…'
Soren showed a bitter smile at his B-rank class.
'It seems I really need help from my system…'
Then his face went even more bitter after remembering the quest he just got.
"Well, I hope so…"
Evan also noticed the professor's gaze and bowed slightly with an awkward smile. If he could gain her connection after showing his talent today, it didn't seem so bad.
"Okay, it is time for the next student."
Professor Lyra lightly clapped her hands and silenced the gossiping crowd.
"B-rank Hunter, Soren Kingswell, Class: Archer, Level: 12, please come forward."
She announced lightly.
"It seems it is your turn now. Best of luck."
Evan immediately patted Soren's shoulder with a smile as soon as he heard his name.
"Soren… go and show her your strong self. You can still do it."
While Sylvia, on the other hand, gave him a look with a different meaning, as if silently telling him to seize his chance.
She still seemed focused on Soren and Aurelia, quietly rooting for him.
"Show who?"
Evan asked, confused, sensing that there were some secrets going on between them that he wasn't aware of.
Seeing him looking at him suspiciously, Soren just rolled his eyes and warned,
"Don't pay attention to her. This girl is crazy…"
After whispering in his ear, he quickly moved forward. After all, as a B-rank Archer, if he made the professor wait, wouldn't that be too audacious?
"Hmm… for a B-rank, level 12 isn't so bad. Okay, your challenge is to defeat the Level-12 Flamewing Hawk. As long as you can take it down within ten minutes, you will complete the challenge."
Professor Lyra spoke before lightly waving her hand and teleporting him directly to the arena.
"Skrree!"
As soon as Soren landed, a loud roar rattled his eardrums extensively, making him dizzy.
'So this is the monster I have to defeat?'
Flamewing Hawk, a B-rank summon at level 12.
Professor Lyra really knew how to set up a trial for her students.
As an Archer, Soren had high agility and was skilled at long-distance combat. The monster he had to face was also capable of flight, high speed, and long-range attacks.
This was a battle between similar candidates. If Soren wanted to complete his challenge, he would have to give it his all.
Swish!
Once Soren saw the Hawk fluttering its crimson feathers and flying in his direction, he immediately pulled his weapon from his inventory.
---
[Hunting Bow (D-Rank):]
> A reliable bow favored by novice hunters. Lightweight, accurate, and slightly more powerful than a beginner's bow.
---
It was just a D-rank bow, a gift from his former school when he was accepted as a disciple of the Elite Hunter Academy.
'But it is more than enough to defeat it in ten minutes.'
Soren felt confidence while taking out an arrow from the quiver on his back.
From his memories, he knew that his former self practiced extensively to be chosen by the Elite Hunter Academy.
Although he wasn't allowed to enter the dungeon, he still carried a fair share of monster blood on his hands. Otherwise, his level wouldn't be at 12.
Maybe because he inherited all those instincts, Soren didn't feel fear facing a monster.
Rather, he became unusually calm while his B-rank passive, Eagle Eye, rapidly scanned the monster, aiming to find its weakness.
Eyes, belly, tail feathers…
One after another, parts of the huge monster were scanned by him in a fraction of a second with absolute accuracy.
'Right below the wing… where the wing bones meet the skin…'
In no time at all, Soren found the spot he should shoot.
He was an archer, after all. When facing a high-speed flying monster, his first aim was to break its wing.
"Piercing Shot!"
Soren activated his A-rank skill, intending to shoot his arrow, before the Hawk fired its own. He was also ready to dodge the flaming inferno conjured on the beak of the monster.
---
[A B-rank Monster, Flamewing Hawk, shows heavy killing intent toward you.]
[Do you want to utilize your new stat: Gap?]
---
Hmm?
But as Soren was about to fire the arrow, a sudden prompt from the system distracted him.
"Roar!"
Unfortunately, a slight distraction was fatal in an active fight, especially when the monster in front was equal in strength.
In an instant, Soren felt the temperature around him change rapidly as a huge beam of crimson light pierced menacingly toward his location at blinding speed.
"Crap!"
Caught off guard, Soren hurriedly lowered his bow and dodged, barely managing to get out of its range.
But still, the faint scent of burnt hair showed that he didn't dodge properly.
'So close!'