Chapter 96 096

Maya was taken aback.

"Oh, well, you're an adventurer, so just in case…" she trailed off.

"Is it okay to be rude to adventurers? And how do I know if you're good or evil?"

Maya had no response, as Seojin was correct. She could read his level and whether he was telling the truth, but he couldn't do the same for her.

"And you would have known if I used the Power of Darkness. It's not something I would be able to hide, is it?" Seojin pointed out.

"Well, that's true," Maya admitted.

Roth, the warlock in Odie's party, leaked black mist all the time, so everyone would know that he was using his skills if there was a black aura surrounding him.

"You would have slit my throat at least twice if I was a warlock, wouldn't you?" Seojin asked.

"That's true," Maya conceded.

Personal Information added.

*Maya hates the power of darkness.

"I don't think you're actively seeking them out… but you're not allowing adventurers with the Power of Darkness to enter, correct?"

"…That's correct."

Personal information added

"Why do you hate them so much? I know some who dabble in dark arts can be douchebags, but adventurers aren't all bad."

"I agree, but the Power of Darkness itself is a problem."

"I'll give you that. They should just keep to themselves."

"Preach!"

"I'm an adventurer myself, but I don't understand why they're so hated," Seojin remarked.

Seojin began to talk negatively about warlocks and adventurers. He checked to see if Maya was getting upset and poked her.

"What the hell did those adventurers do? Does something terrible happen if evil energy touches it?"

Maya stopped herself before revealing too much, realizing Seojin's intentions too late.

"That's… a secret," she said.

"What a shame," Seojin replied.

"How dare you manipulate me like that?"

"Manipulation? You think I was pretending to be angry?"

"Huh?" Maya was confused.

Seojin wiped the smile off his face.

"You're the one who asked an innocent adventurer if he uses the Power of Darkness, aren't you?"

"Yes," Maya admitted.

"Put yourself in my shoes. Wouldn't you be angry too?" Seojin asked.

Maya realized how her actions could be perceived and said,

"Yes, I would be infuriated too."

"Right?"

Maya nodded, looking disheartened.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

"Well… I'm sorry, sir," she replied, still addressing Seojin as sir with unwavering determination.

"Are you truly sorry?"

"…Yes."

" Answer me one thing then. The question I asked earlier. Is a warlock…?"

"Excuse me. Adventurer, I'm sorry to interrupt, but is there something wrong with Maya…?"

The merchant, who had returned with two steaming bowls, asked cautiously as he sensed the tension between the two.

Maya was apologetic, while Seojin looked like a male version of a Karen.

Naturally, the merchant interpreted the situation in Maya's favor.

"Excuse me again, adventurer, but were you…"

The merchant glared at Seojin as if he were repulsive and whispered in Maya's ear.

"Is he… harassing you?"

"I'M NOT!" Seojin cried out with sincerity.

* * *

"So, that's what happened… Haha, I'm sorry. Everyone in Shahav knows Maya. She's like a daughter to me, so… I apologize."

"…I understand."

Seojin truly meant it, as Maya appeared to be in her mid-teens. She was not only beautiful but also kind and cheerful.

'At least, that's the image she portrays…'

It seemed that no one in Shahav knew her true nature except for Seojin. He had also heard that Maya had been using her earnings to help struggling residents for the past few years.

It was no wonder the merchant was so protective of the sweet, kind, and determined girl.

"I'll take my leave now, you two go ahead and eat. Have a pleasant adventure in Shahav!"

Personal information added.

The merchant departed, and Seojin smiled kindly.

"First a warlock, and now a pervert. Is this some kind of tourist course you've designed for me?" he quipped.

"It's not… I'm sorry."

"What's your answer to the earlier question?" Seojin pressed.

"I can't…" Maya replied.

"How firm. So the principle must be upholded?"

Seojin remarked.

"I'm truly sorry about it," Maya apologized.

"I can't help it."

Seojin shrugged, not expecting much.

"I have another offer then. Where's Jin?" Seojin asked.

"Another offer?" Maya repeated.

"I want to raise the stakes. I promised to clear all of the contracts perfectly, right?" Seojin reminded her.

"Yes," Maya confirmed.

"I'll take the most difficult routes from now on," Seojin declared.

This meant that he would choose the most challenging options offered by NPCs.

"Are you sure?" Maya asked skeptically.

"I'm sure," Seojin replied confidently.

Maya wasn't even sure if he knew what he was getting himself into.

'Is he serious?' she wondered.

She had seen his competence as he completed the first contract, but this was a whole new level. She also knew that every adventurer who visited Shahav had attempted the offer Seojin was proposing, but none had succeeded.

"What do you want as your reward?"

"I want you to be proactive in helping me. No more 'you didn't ask me' or 'it's not my responsibility.'"

"If that's the case…"

Maya thought the job would be easy, but soon realized that it was more complicated than she'd anticipated.

"Permanently," Seojin added.

Maya was taken aback.

'He wants me to follow him forever?' she thought to herself.

Seojin noticed her hesitation and offered a solution.

"I'll get you an Orb of Communication so you don't have to leave Shahav."

Maya was relieved as leaving Shahav would be a severe punishment for her.

'But permanently?' she asked herself.

'No, I won't lose. Why worry about what to bet when I'm not going to lose anyway?' she thought confidently.

Maya saw it as a bet she couldn't lose.

"Does that include Jin?" she asked Seojin.

"No, only you," Seojin replied.

Maya accepted the offer without hesitation.

"I'll accept it!" she exclaimed, slapping her knee with her palm.

"Where's Jin? I have to talk to him."

"You don't have to. I'm the only one affected anyway."

"Are you really okay with it?" Seojin asked.

"Yes!" Maya replied confidently.

Seojin and Maya both smiled in satisfaction as they signed the adjusted contract.

* * *

'He dug his own grave.'

Maya couldn't seem to keep calm.

'He must be very confident in himself. I can see why though.'

Seojin was able to wipe out an entire horde of monsters by himself. Although the source of his power was still unknown, at least he was that strong. That was why Maya willingly accepted his offer.

'The first quest is always the easiest, how could he not know that?' she thought.

The second main quest was much harder than the first, and Seojin's arrogance made her think it was her chance to let him fail and return to her normal life. That was an hour ago.

'Is that even possible?!'

"Way to go, guys!" Seojin shouted triumphantly.

The giant stone golem collapsed as he yelled. It was the boss of the hunting ground and the target of the second contract in Shahav.

'At least twenty men are needed to hunt it down!'

In other words, the first quest was a simple hunt and the second was a raid tutorial. Ordinary players usually experienced a raid here first, but Seojin had done the work of twenty men alone.

"But he's not using the Power of Darkness," Maya murmured to herself.

Seojin was just standing there while other ordinary monsters did all the hard work. Now he was making the monsters fight each other and taking the loot for himself.

'He's obviously evil!'

Hunting monsters was not evil, but making them fight for him was definitely strange.

'But I can't even ask.'

"Maya, I'm going for the next quest. How about you?"

"Oh, I-I'm going too, sir!" Maya replied nervously.

Jin, who had been observing from a distance, let out a deep sigh.

"We lost, Maya. You made a mistake."

Of course, Maya couldn't hear him. She would have probably had a seizure if she had. Maya's judgment had never been wrong before and she was very proud of that.

"But maybe it's better to lose, we can't live in the shadows forever."

Nobody willingly accepted change, but that was the same for medicine. Jin sighed and walked away.