Chapter 113: Mission Rewards [Part 1] Alex and Dim Dim returned to the infirmary, not wanting to disturb the touching reunion of Charles and his little sister. His injuries had yet to heal completely, but he had mostly recovered from his ordeals in the dungeon—well, except for his arm, which was currently in a cast and couldn’t really move. Alex found the Peace Keeper in charge of him and expressed his gratitude before officially discharging. He then left, planning to meet up with his master and friends. When he was near the inn, he met a familiar pair of Adventurers, who quickly approached him after they caught sight of him. "Alex!" Efa waved in his direction as her smile lit up her face. "Good morning, Efa," Alex greeted. "Good morning, Elaine." "Dim Dim~" "Good morning, Alex," Elaine replied. "Good morning, Dim Dim." "Hey, are you sure you can leave the infirmary?" Efa asked, her eyes drawn to the cast on the young man’s arm. "Won’t you have problems taking the second trial tomorrow?" "Even if I have problems, I still need to go," Alex answered. "Don’t worry. I have Dim Dim with me. With the two of us working together, we can definitely wing it. Isn’t that right, Dim Dim?" "Ahem~" Dim Dim stood up straighter and taller, as if telling Efa and Elaine that it would take care of Alex, no problem! The two had originally planned to visit Alex in the infirmary. But since he was already headed to the inn where they stayed, the two ladies assisted him. "I won’t get lost!" Alex protested to no avail as Elaine and Efa insisted on walking behind him so they could keep an eye on him like he was a toddler learning to walk. When they entered the inn, Alex saw his master sipping a cup of coffee in the lobby. "You look better now," Cairo remarked as soon as he saw Alex. "I’m sure even your mother wouldn’t have recognized you if she had seen you a few hours ago." ’... Actually, I don’t know who my mom is,’ Alex thought. ’In any case, even if I had grown up with her, I don’t look the same as before, so she probably wouldn’t have recognized me.’ Of course, the young man kept this thought inside his head and just smiled at his master, who had helped him a lot in the Trial of Beginnings. "Tomorrow, you’ll be taking the true trial of Frieden Academy," Cairo said seriously. "Many say it’s harder than the first trial, so..." "I doubt it," Alex replied before the Catkin could finish speaking. "I mean, can Frieden Academy’s second trial possibly be harder than everything we went through in the dungeon, Master?" Cairo blinked once, then twice, before shaking his head. "No," Cairo replied. "If the second trial surpasses the difficulty of the one we went through, then they won’t have new students this year." "Right?" Alex smirked. "It’s not like you experience a Dungeon Outbreak and fight against Rank 3 and Rank 4 Monsters every day. But just to be safe, we need to stock up on our secret weapon, Dim Dim." "Dim!" Dim Dim nodded seriously. The Dim Sum God had run out of brittle vials, which it used to throw at its enemies. "Have you eaten yet?" Cairo inquired because it seemed like if he didn’t say anything quickly, his disciple would forget about eating and leave to shop for some brittle vials and chili and pepper powders. "Not yet," Alex answered. "I want to eat something good. I’ve only been drinking bitter potions." Cairo chuckled. He’d seen his disciple drink them, and it was pretty obvious how much the latter hated them. But what choice did he have? Those bitter potions helped him recover faster. At that moment, Lavinia and Roselia also appeared. The former visibly brightened up after seeing Alex. So relieved was the young lady of the Hartwell Clan that she did not notice her brother and maid shaking their heads helplessly. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮 It was just too obvious how Lavinia turned cheery the very moment she saw that the young man was faring better and seemed to be on his way to a full recovery. After breakfast, Alex and Dim Dim went out to shop, intending to stock up on everything they might need for the trial. Since Lavinia had nothing to do, she volunteered to accompany him to the shop. Roselia was Lavinia’s bodyguard, so she naturally tagged along. As for Cairo, Efa, and Elaine, they decided to visit the Adventurer’s Guild of the City of Harmonia, planning to see if there were decent quests that could be finished within a day. Knowing they couldn’t accompany Alex, Lavinia, and Charles in the second trial, they decided they’d just do their best to cheer them on from the side. Alex and his entourage soon arrived at the shop that sold brittle vials. Watching the young man and the bun chuckle evilly to themselves after buying over five hundred brittle vials from the confused shopkeeper, Lavinia and Roselia couldn’t help but smile. Dim Dim then proposed buying a few ingredients, so their trump cards would have some variety. Alex wholeheartedly agreed, and so the two bought a few other things aside from chili powder and black pepper powder. After returning to the inn, the Dim Sum God started working and happily poured the mixtures inside the brittle vials, which it considered its secret weapon. On the other hand, Alex opened his status page to see the notifications that had appeared last night. He hadn’t read it because he had been in a state of complete exhaustion and pain. Now that he felt better, he took some time to read the notifications, which confirmed that he had completed one of his missions. ———— < You have completed a Hidden Quest! > < Quest Name: The Oathkeeper’s First Oath > — You could have turned away. You could have forgotten. Yet in a fleeting moment, you chose to defy the world’s silence and bind yourself to a promise unseen by most. — Deep beneath the weave of fate, something ancient stirs. It is watching, weighing, waiting for the conclusion of your Oath. — Fulfill your first Oath, and step onto a path veiled in mist and shadow, where loyalty carves deeper than any blade, and broken promises echo forever. — Know this: the Oath remembers, even if you forget. So, Oathkeeper, don’t make promises you can’t keep. < Quest Objective: Help Charles Lambert reach the Town of Harmonia through the Dungeon of Beginnings. > < Rewards > 2,000 Arcana Points, 2 High-Grade Magic Crystals, One Random Legendary Item Ticket, Rare Skill Book: Shield of Thorns, Rare Skill Book: Enchant Holy. < Bonus Rewards > — You have created a unique skill called Rear-Ender Thrust. < Rear-Ender Thrust > "They’ll never shit—err sit the same way again." — Damage of this skill scales with the combined stats of Agility, Dexterity, and Strength. — An attack that bypasses all defenses and deals true damage. — Always deal critical damage, always personal. — Deals extra damage against humans. — This attack can hit incorporeal enemies even if they don’t have a physical body. ———— < Hidden Consequence has been unlocked! > — Charles Lambert will treat you as a good friend and will never betray you for life. — Void-Touched Creatures will not act aggressively against you, even if you happen to meet them for the first time. ———— Alex couldn’t believe his eyes. The rewards for the Oathkeeper’s First Oath had far surpassed his expectations. Although the corner of his lips twitched as he read about the unique skill, Rear-Ender Thrust, everything else was great! What made him especially happy was the ticket that allowed him to acquire a random Legendary Item! This golden ticket was up for sale at the Arcana Shop, but it cost 500,000 Arcana Points. "I wonder what I will get," Alex muttered as he held the golden ticket in his hands. Since he received it for free, he decided to activate the ticket and acquire a Legendary Item, which he hoped would be extremely useful to him.