Two weeks had crawled by since the fight at Danumine Gorge. In that time Do-Jin had thrown himself into his Class Advancement Quest, grinding with everything he had to make up for the wasted days. But for all the blood and sweat he poured in, the results were underwhelming at best. With the hours he had put in, he should have cleared the requirements for Rank 7 by now. Instead, he barely managed to scrape into Rank 8.

Fucking hell. Long-Tusk Orc, Caravan Escort, Giant Wasp Extermination, Bandit Suppression. Out of all the quests in rotation, how the fuck do I keep pulling the worst of the worst every single time?

It was pure bad luck. He had been saddled with nothing but the most time-consuming, least rewarding jobs on the board, so everything took twice as long as it should have.

“Congratulations, adventurer! Here’s your new pendant certifying you as Rank 8. Thank you for your dedication, and may the Light of Bella shine upon your path as you continue to serve this world!” The guild receptionist beamed at him as she handed over the pendant.

Do-Jin accepted it without enthusiasm, his fingers tensed around the trinket as if it weighed a hundred pounds. Pride was supposed to come with hitting a new rank, but he felt none of it now.

Ever since I crossed paths with that fucker Blood King, everything’s been rotten. I guess I caught his bad luck just by being near him. It was a ridiculous thought, but it stuck in his head anyway as he tucked the pendant away.

That was when a pair of adventurers came strolling through the guild doors. Their conversation carried just enough for Do-Jin to catch.

“Hey, is that guy still in hiding?”

“Who? Oh, you mean the Bloodshed Guild’s master?”

“Yeah. He went all in, lost, and then just ran off.”

Do-Jin smirked. Two weeks had passed since the duel, and Blood King had yet to show his face. The bastard hadn’t even bothered to honor the terms. He was supposed to hand over everything to the victor, but of course he hadn’t.

Ending things dirty was always his style, Do-Jin recalled.

It was no wonder the man was still being mocked everywhere. Nobody respected a loser who couldn’t even lose properly.

Not that I expected him to take it gracefully. Hell, the only reason I worded the terms that way was so he’d earn himself twice the scorn when he inevitably welched on the deal.

One of the adventurers added with a sneer, “Seriously, what did anyone expect from that dumb fuck?”

“Yeah, but if you’re the one who called an account wipe, at least own the loss like a man,” replied the other.

“Well, if you look at it, isn’t this basically an account wipe? He pawned off everything, stole the pot, and ran. Who the hell could keep playing after that?”

“That’s a good point.”

Hearing their banter was oddly satisfying. It felt like the universe was tossing him a bone after two weeks of shitty quest RNG. Feeling lighter than he had in days, Do-Jin signed for his Rank 7 Class Advancement Quest, slipped his mask back on, and strolled out of the guild.

He passed right by the two who were still busy ripping into Blood King.

“Hey, did you see the new highlights? Not the duel footage, but the unreleased clips from the Gorge.”

“Of course I did. They’re fucking insane.”

They’d already moved on to someone else, unaware that the very man they were gushing about had just brushed past them.

***

The first hunting quest for his Rank 7 advancement went smoothly. Including travel time, it barely took a little over twelve hours. Compared to all the “bullshit” bad rolls he had been stuck with before, it felt like a blessing from the gods. However, just one smooth quest was not enough. He needed to clear one more.

“For your final step toward Rank 7, you’ll need to complete an additional commission of equal difficulty,” said the guild receptionist.

Of course, Do-Jin knew the drill. When he had advanced to Rank 9, he had wasted days on Caravan Escort. When he had pushed through to Rank 8, he had burned more time on the Bandit Suppression mission. Just remembering those bandits scattering like rats and hiding in every hole they could find made his jaw clench with irritation.

Not this time. Please, just once, give me something quick and painless. Please.

“You’ve been assigned a request from the House of Licht. The job is a one-day escort. During the Academy’s outdoor training session tomorrow, you’ll guard Count Licht’s younger son, Master Bill Licht.”

Finally. That’s more like it.

His prayer must have hit the right ears. Relief washed over him, tugging the edge of a smile onto his face. Across the counter, the receptionist mirrored it with one of her own.

“Congratulations! You really lucked out. Among the escort missions, this one’s considered the safest. The location’s an Academy-controlled training field. What could possibly happen there, right?”

“Thanks,” Do-Jin replied.

Indeed, escorting some Academy kid meant the Academy itself would be running the safety net. All he had to do was show up, kill some time, and collect the credit.

For once, it’s practically free money.

Do-Jin decided he could use this one to actually take it easy for a change.

***

The riverside port city of Drisgen sat along the Elme. That was where Do-Jin was waiting for the ship. Before long, a massive vessel slid up the current and docked at the pier. People spilled out in a steady stream, some of them dressed in Academy uniforms. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Do-Jin held up a large placard with the name of his escort target scrawled across it. He waited, letting the crowd thin, until finally a boy stepped out from the flow and approached him.

“Um... hello. Are you the adventurer assigned to escort me?”

Do-Jin’s first impression of the boy was simple. Isn’t this kid supposed to be a noble?

The boy looked absurdly fragile, soft in a way that didn’t fit the image of an aristocrat at all. But that wasn’t Do-Jin’s problem.

Honestly, it’s better to escort a spineless brat than some entitled prick.

It was just a one-day gig to babysit some random NPC for a few hours and never think about it again. All he had to do was play along.

“Yes. On Count Licht’s request, I’ll be escorting you through today’s field training session. My name’s Do-Jin.”

“A-ah... hello. I’m Bill Licht.” The boy bent his head in a deep bow as he introduced himself.

Hmm, that’s weird...

Do-Jin couldn’t put it into words, but something about the second son of a count lowering his head like that felt off. Do-Jin was still chewing on that thought when a voice, dripping with contempt, cut through the air.

“And what’s that supposed to be? Is that a new pet you picked up?”

Do-Jin turned his head. A girl with blonde hair stood there with her gaze sharp enough to cut glass. Bill looked at her and immediately seemed on the verge of tears.

“L-Lady Xenia...”

The girl narrowed her eyes, staring him down like he was dirt under her shoes. “I asked you a question. What the hell is that thing behind you?”

“M-my father said—”

“Hmph... so even a bastard like yourself still counts as family, huh? It looks like they gave you a new bodyguard to replace the one stuck in the hospital after losing that proxy duel.”

Her tone, her words, her very expression radiated pure ice. That effortless arrogance, the kind born from generations of power, oozed out of her every taunt.

Now that’s what a noble should be like, Do-Jin thought, nearly clapping in delight. If I’d been told to protect someone like her, though, I’d have thrown the Rank 7 advancement in the trash without a second thought.

While Do-Jin shook his head at the absurdity, a female knight came up behind this girl named Xenia.

“My lady, if you would just wait a moment—” Her tone was meant to scold, but when her eyes landed on Bill, she gave him a stiff, reluctant bow.

Well, at least that one seems halfway sane.

With nothing else to do, Do-Jin started piecing together the little drama in front of him. The fragile brat he was assigned to protect was the illegitimate son of a count. The bratty girl, Xenia, had to be the daughter of some high-ranking noble house, maybe even higher than the Licht family. Judging by the way Bill looked like he was about to piss himself, he must have ticked her off somehow. That proxy duel where his old guard ended up bedridden probably had something to do with her.

And I bet the knight lady is the one who smashed his guard to pieces. Yeah, that ties it all together.

The whole picture was ridiculous, but also kind of entertaining. Do-Jin felt as if he were sitting back with popcorn and watching a soap opera from across the street.

Suddenly, Xenia pointed straight at Do-Jin. “I don’t like him. Anna, crush that one too.”

What the actual fuck is this? He blinked in disbelief.

He had been planning to sit quietly, keep his head down until the quest was over, and then walk away. Now this spoiled bitch was throwing fire in his direction.

“That’s impossible,” said the knight, putting a stop to her ridiculous demand before things spiraled too far.

“What did you just say? Are you disobeying my order?”

“This time there is no cause, my lady. Master Licht may have slighted you last time, but that is not the case here.”

Anna’s words landed sharp and clean, a slap of reason right across Xenia’s pride, turning the little girl’s face beet red.

“My lady,” the knight said firmly, her voice carrying an edge of authority.

That alone was enough to shut Xenia down. She clenched her fists, spat her frustration, and spun on her heel. “Fine! I don’t want to see him anyway! Anna, follow twenty steps behind me, not ten!”

Xenia stormed off confidently, as if she thought the ground shook with her every step. But for such a skinny little child, it looked more comical than intimidating.

Anna sighed and turned to Bill with an apologetic bow. “My apologies, Master Licht.”

“It... it’s okay.”

“I have insulted you as well. Please allow me to apologize on her behalf. Now, if you will excuse me.”

Her apology was respectful, but not groveling. With that, she waited for her mistress to gain some distance, then followed behind with perfectly measured steps.

Wait. Did she actually count out exactly twenty steps? These people are insane. Do-Jin released the magic he had been quietly charging and shook his head.

Meanwhile, Bill had been staring at the ground, his eyes full of gloom. Seeing him so deflated, Do-Jin felt compelled to say something.

“I know it’s a little soon to say this after only just meeting you, but it doesn’t look like life at the Academy is going to be all that smooth for you.”

The boy sniffled, then outright started crying.

Great. Now he’s crying.

Looking around, Do-Jin noticed other Academy students walking right past, sparing him neither a glance nor a shred of pity. It was like he was invisible.

So he’s treated like a ghost. Poor kid.

It was pitiful, but Do-Jin wasn’t about to get dragged into his drama. What mattered now was clearing up what he had just seen.

“By the way, who the hell was that b—I mean, who was that lady just now?”

He almost slipped and called her what he really thought. It was probably a bad idea to call some noble girl a bitch or a crazy whore in a place crawling with nobles.

“That was Lady Xenia Bondrei, daughter of the Duke of Bondrei.”

“What?”

Do-Jin froze. Did I just hear that right? A duke’s daughter? The daughter of that Muy Bondrei, the infamous lunatic himself?

“Holy shit. You’re actually fucked,” Do-Jin blurted, the words escaping before he could stop them.