Arthur then reached into his pocket and pulled out a bronze card. He looked out the window.
"The sun's still up. Maybe I should take on an easy mission today."
Bloopp... Bounciechomie bounced toward Arthur. Blooop...
"Alright," Arthur caught the enthusiastic little blob. "Let's go."
Blooopp..!!!
Arthur opened the door and stepped out of his room, which was now sparkling clean—thanks to his own slapping hands. After leaving Casca's house, Arthur turned around and looked at it.
"I've scrolled too fast through the webnovel that became my life... I ended up missing all the little details." Then, Arthur began walking toward the guild.
---
Arthur arrived at the guild. It was a little quieter than usual. Rae, still sitting at the receptionist desk, waved with a small smile at Arthur and Bounciechomie.
Arthur responded with a nod and a faint smile, then walked over to the quest board. He went straight to the [F-Rank Quest] section—his current rank.
As expected, the quests were very... simple.
[Help an old lady carry groceries]
[Clean up monster poop in the city park]
[Escort a chicken across town – important!]
[Find a missing cat… again]
Arthur rubbed his temple.
"Why is there always a missing cat in every isekai world? Is this some kind of cosmic rule?"
Bounciechomie let out a low bloopp, as if nodding along while vibing in his own head.
Arthur's eyes then caught a slightly crumpled quest paper that looked like it had just been posted. It was placed at the very bottom of the board, like someone just shoved it there.
---
[URGENT – Rat Problem in the Bakery Basement]
Reward: 25 silver + Free Bread (While Supplies Last)
Note: The bread is good. Please help. – The Baker
---
"…Free bread?"
Blop... Bloop...
Bounciechomie jumped up excitedly.
"You want that bread?" Arthur asked, bending down to look at Bounciechomie.
Bloooop.... :D
"Alright, let's take this mission."
Without hesitation, Arthur pulled out his bronze card. He held it with his thumb pressing on the small square pattern at the bottom right corner. Then, he aimed the back of the card toward the quest paper.
A holographic screen appeared.
[ Quest Accepted ]
[Rat Problem in the Bakery Basement]
Reward: 25 silver + Free Bread (While Supplies Last)
Note: The bread is good. Please help. – The Baker
---
The text on the paper vanished, as if absorbed into the system. Now, on Arthur's card, a digital message appeared:
---
[Rat Problem in the Bakery Basement]
Status: Active
---
Suddenly, a new holographic screen popped up above the card, showing a simple map of the town with a glowing bread icon in one corner.
[Distance to Mission Location: 580 meters]
[Estimated Walking Time: 7 minutes]
[Weather: Clear, with a light breeze of nostalgia]
Arthur blinked. "...This is actually impressive. Even if the novel's plot is kinda dull, the innovations are pretty cool."
Bounciechomie nodded slowly. Bloopp... (in a tone that said, of course, bro, it's 2025—anything can be written, but that doesn't mean it'll sell).
Arthur tilted his head, staring at the softly glowing bakery icon. "This thing's like a fantasy smartphone."
Rae peeked out from behind her desk. "So diligent—aren't you supposed to be resting with your girlfriend? But here you are, already picking up a quest. Truly a responsible man."
Arthur's face immediately soured. "Ahahahaha…" He let out a dry laugh.
"Hahaha... For a responsible guy, you've got some weird taste," a man sitting nearby chimed in casually.
Arthur glanced at the man. He was wearing light armor, with a dagger hanging casually at his waist.
"Weird taste?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I'm honestly surprised someone would actually go for tha—waaah..." The man tried to continue but immediately froze when he caught Rae's terrifying glare.
"Ahem... Johan," Rae said with a sweet yet menacing smile, "As a strong and brave man, you shouldn't speak ill of others, okay?"
Arthur blinked in confusion. He had no idea what they were talking about.
"Ahemm..." Johan cleared his throat awkwardly. "Nothing. Just—just complete your quest. Finish it quickly before it gets dark. The rats get... ambitious at night."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Ambitious?"
Johan turned his face away, as if refusing to say anything more.
"Just go... go and finish it," he muttered.
Arthur stood there for a moment, puzzled by the awkward atmosphere. He glanced at Rae, but the receptionist was suddenly too busy organizing papers that had already been neatly arranged for a while.
"...Okay," Arthur muttered quietly. "The more people go silent, the more suspicious it gets."
Without waiting any longer, Arthur chose not to overthink it. He stepped out of the guild, with Bounciechomie bouncing up and now perching comfortably on his shoulder.
"580 meters... Free bread... and most likely an underground battle against rats..."
Step by step, Arthur walked down the city streets, now bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. The bakery icon on his card kept blinking, guiding the way.
"Let's hope the bread's still warm."
Bloopp...!