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A quest has been defined.
Quest Description: Fighting and hatred are bad for the whole world. Especially for magic schools aiming to raise virtuous mages.
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Arlo's eyes twitched as soon as he read the quest description, and a great anxiety, whose reason he knew very well, arose within him.
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Quest: Participate in the fighting tournament and defeat everyone, friend or foe. Quest Quest Reward: 10 EXP per eliminated opponent
'...'
Arlo covered his face, utterly fed up with life. It was obvious from the start that this crazy system had nothing to do with promoting world peace.
Bonus Quest: Eliminate 50 people
Quest Reward: Ancient Blacksmith King's Body Ability
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Ancient Blacksmith King's Body
Description: The Ancient Blacksmith King, Sonas, forged so much iron that he became addicted to the iron's trait of growing stronger with every strike. As a result of long efforts, he created this ability.
Explanation: Develops the user's body by absorbing a portion of the attacks received, according to the ability's mastery.
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Arlo's eyes, which had been weary of life just a second ago, suddenly gleamed as he stared at the bonus quest reward.
The Ancient Times referred to an era when many powerful mages lived. According to legend, even ordinary people walking down the street could become True Mages during that time. It was a much more powerful age than the current one, which had ended for unknown reasons. Even now, some items belonging to the great mages of the ancient era were regarded as treasures.
Moreover, with such an ambitious name as the Ancient Blacksmith King's Body, it was clear that the ability's creator was no ordinary person. If an ordinary person had dared to call himself a king in that era, it probably wouldn't even be considered strange for him to be killed with a single slap.
'But wasn't it supposed to be a fighting tournament? How can I fight people from my own magic school?'
Arlo immediately adapted to the quest and began to think about how to execute it.
The conscience to defend his own school's reputation or protect his student-brothers?
Arlo had none of that.
'I'm doing this for their benefit. If I leave them alone, an entire school will hate them, but this way, only I will be hated. I think I understand you, system. With great power comes great responsibility.'
Arlo thought, looking ahead with great pride. He felt like a version of Spider-Man who saves everyone but is still a public enemy.
Is it for the reward? No way! This was simply an effort to stop fighting and hatred.
Arlo justified himself, then continued to contemplate the task.
'Although I've only received a few quests so far, they were all manageable. So, it's reasonable to assume this one is too. Moreover, it's not just a few people fighting; it's the entire magic school clashing. Sending only one or two people won't satisfy the students. Based on this, we can predict that something much bigger will be prepared.'
Arlo analyzed the situation, quickly finished his meal, and stood up.
'Since the target is 50 people, even if I fought them separately, I'd likely collapse from exhaustion before reaching even a quarter of that number. Since I'm not very strong, a head-on fight wouldn't be in my favor.'
'In this situation, I have two advantages. The first is my betrayal skill. I can team up with someone and then betray them to defeat them, killing two birds with one stone. The second is my speed. With the Line Movement Technique, I have a chance to escape even mages of a higher level than me. Unless, of course, someone is both High Level and has mastered speed abilities.'
Arlo quickly sketched out the general plan. Mastering the overall situation and knowing his own advantages and disadvantages could give him a significant edge.
Arlo, having grown up as an orphan, had managed to escape many situations thanks to this analytical ability.
Although he wouldn't call himself a genius, he knew he had a fundamental talent for analysis.
'In that case, I need a few things. First, I need a mask or something to disguise myself. A plain mask might not work since mages have various abilities. Beyond that, I need plenty of potions. If I want to quickly replenish my lost magic, potions are essential. Finally, various tools that can serve as traps could also be useful.'
'Therefore, my first priority is to earn money quickly. While completing quests isn't bad for money, it takes a long time and involves too much risk. So, I need to find another unconventional way.'
Arlo arrived home, deep in thought, went inside, and sat on his bed.
'Gambling is one of the fastest ways to earn money, but I'm not confident enough to win. Betting on fights could also be a possibility, but that requires knowing the fighters and having startup money, so we can rule that out too.'
'Tricking people with various schemes is too risky. The people here are mages with supernatural power, after all.'
Arlo's mind wandered among various ideas, then he suddenly raised his head excitedly and smiled.
"Experience is the greatest weapon."
…
"Brother, how are you? Are you well?"
Ornak smiled as he looked at the man from yesterday. He had felt much better thanks to his consolation. Because of this, he felt friendly toward this man.
"I'm fine, brother. You look better than yesterday too."
"Yes, thank you for your help yesterday."
"You're welcome. As fellow students, we should help each other."
Ornak smiled. He seemed to have forgotten that he had whined for 15 minutes in exchange for a single sentence yesterday.
"Brother, your words helped me so much yesterday, so I wanted to help you too."
After saying this, Arlo checked his surroundings and approached the man.
"If you want, I can take a letter to the girl you love for you."
At these words, Ornak's face turned beet red, and he immediately waved his hands.
"No, no, there's absolutely no need for that."
Arlo saw Ornak squirming like a fish out of water and was sure he needed a little push.
"Brother, it's up to you, but remember. If you get rejected, you'll be sad for a day, but if you don't say anything to her, you'll be sad forever. Plus, if the girl doesn't confess, she might start dating others. Are you ready to see that?"
Ornak's eyes widened with hesitation, and Arlo continued before he could speak.
"Look at me, my girlfriend broke up with me yesterday, but I still don't regret it. Do you know why?"
Ornak, caught up in the flow of the conversation, replied.
"Why?"
"Because even though it ended this way, the things we experienced were the best days of my life. Spending time with her and dreaming about the future are memories that make me happy even when I remember them today."
As Arlo looked at the horizon with a gentle smile, Ornak stirred as if he had been given a booster.
"If you get rejected, you'll be sad for a day, but if you don't say anything to her, you'll be sad forever. Spending time with her and dreaming about the future."
He muttered to himself, finally raising his head as if he had made a big decision.
"Okay, brother, I'll do it."
Arlo smiled and looked at Ornak.
"That's the right decision, brother. But what will you write to her? You must write things so that she feels your emotions for her, even through the writing."
The body that was so eagerly standing straight hunched over again.
"Right. What will I write to her? What if I write something bad, and she makes fun of me?"
Arlo looked at the despairing Ornak again and realized that the time had come. He averted his eyes hesitantly and mumbled.
"I could actually help you, but... Well, introducing money into our friendship probably wouldn't be the right decision."
When Ornak heard these words, his hunched body straightened up again.
'Is there a spring inside him? Why does he hunch over and stand up again every time?'
"How? How can you help me?"
"Brother, you probably don't know, but my great-grandfather was a great flirt but also a poet. He wrote such letters to many women back in the day. Women would fall in love with him just by reading his letters. I have a notebook with these letters. But since I don't have any money, I decided to sell it."
Ornak looked at him suspiciously.
"Are you sure this will work?"
Arlo smirked, opened a book from his inner jacket pocket, and turned to the first page.
"Oh, my love, whose eyes shine like the Moon,
When I first saw you, your gaze and beauty were like graces elevating my soul to the heavens. A glance from you relaxes my body as if it has entered the Garden of Eden, while every second without you makes me feel as if I'm in an ice cage, even in the heat of hell.
Please take this letter seriously and give me a chance.
Give me a chance so that my soul, which ascended to the heavens with your gaze, can return to my body to look at you again. "
Arlo grinned as Ornak looked at him with his eyes wide open, as if he had seen a ghost.
"Now do you understand how a girl who called me ugly dated me for so long?"
Ornak nodded like a chicken pecking at its food and immediately spoke.
"How much?"
Arlo looked at him helplessly and spoke.
"100 low-grade magic stones."
Ornak froze as if he were covered in ice.
Magic stones were the currency used among mages. A mage could use these magic stones to train their magic and reach higher levels.
While different currencies existed, ordinary people used the bronze, silver, and gold system (100 bronze = 1 silver, 100 silver = 1 gold). As for magic stones, even a low-grade magic stone could be counted as 5 gold.
100 low-grade magic stones was an astronomical amount for an ordinary outer student.
While Ornak stood there frozen, Arlo immediately spoke.
"Don't think this is too much. This book can provide someone with a lifetime of happiness. Even though it's too much for us, wealthy people wouldn't hesitate even if it were more."
Ornak gritted his teeth, but finally gave up.
"I don't have that much money."
Arlo heard this and hesitated for a moment, but then, as if he had made a decision, he approached Ornak.
"Do you have 5 low-grade magic stones?"
Ornak looked at him in surprise and nodded.
" Then I can do you a favor. This is only because we share the same fate. If you give me 5 low-grade magic stones, I can give you the letter I just read. Although separating any letter from the book will spoil its originality, I can endure it for the happiness of a brother."
Ornak's eyes lit up when he heard this, but he hesitated. Even though he had 5 low-grade magic stones, he was debating whether to pay so much money for just a single piece of paper.
Arlo saw this and made his final move.
"Okay. If you don't want it, there's nothing I can do."
As Arlo said this and turned his back, Ornak finally gritted his teeth and spoke.
"Wait!"
...
Arlo happily headed home, putting the notebook with one page torn out into his jacket pocket. If Ornak had had the opportunity to examine the notebook, he would have also seen that the other pages were blank.
" Now it's Kalser's turn. As someone who spent 15 out of 25 years on the internet, you are destined to kneel before me."
If the system, which he talked about so much, had a tongue, it probably wouldn't be able to stop cursing him.