The first quest I see is a rather strange one.

(I)★Quest: Purify a perverted ghost in an abandoned village.

†Description: A former prostitute now turned ghost is terrorising and harassing the men of a wolfmen tribe in their village, having sex with them till they die.

†Difficulty: E-Rank.

†Qualification: E-Rank to F-Rank Priest Class, Mage Class or Pornstar Class can take on the Quest.

†Reward: Betrothal of a young maiden warrior wolf woman and two gold coins.

†Time Limit: Two days.

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(II)★Quest: Tame a wild female hobo-goblin.

†Description: A rich noble wants his prized hobo-goblin, Duvela, tamed into becoming a sex slave.

†Difficulty: D-Rank.

†Qualification: D-Rank to F-Rank of the Pornstar Class or Monster-Tamer Class can take on the mission.

†Reward: One gold coin.

†Time Limit: Three days.

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(III)★Quest: Appear as a cannon fodder.

†Description: Appear as cannon fodder in a porn movie, to be stepped on by the main character and get raped by actual orcs (who are also actors) while chasing the female lead.

†Difficulty: F-Rank.

†Qualification: F-Rank Pornstar Class can take on the mission.

†Reward: Three gold coins.

†Time Limit: Undefined.

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My eyes widen at the last mission, and an involuntary chuckle escapes my mouth.

Are you fucking kidding me? What sort of quest is that? To get my ass ripped by orcs?

I quickly swipe the quest away and look at the first two.

The hobo-goblin reward is too small. Compared to normal goblins, hobo-goblins are the evolved version—well-defined with humanoid features similar to humans, but they’re still wild monsters. Some monsters like manticores and scorpicores have intelligence on par with most races, so they’re generally well accepted.

But a hobo-goblin? Without a contract binding it, it could kill you or betray you anytime, no matter how you treat it.

For the price the noble is offering, this mission isn’t worth the risk. The hobo-goblin is D-Rank, and even though it’s bound, anything can go wrong. Cheapskate noble. I’ll pass.

I swipe it away and look at the first mission carefully.

A perverted ghost that rapes men to death? Kukuku...

A crude smile forms on my face, but it quickly disappears as I realize I don’t actually have a spell or skill to purify it. My smile returns when Aleena comes to mind—she’ll probably have a spell to help me out.

That’s not all. I’ll also get a wolf maiden. Although I won’t marry the wolf warrior, if I treat her right, she’ll be a valuable asset to my studio in the future.

"Amitabha~"

I jump in shock, my heart nearly leaping out of my chest as I see a strange figure behind me.

A bald, bulky orc standing about seven feet tall, wearing a multi-colored silk garment, with thick long beads draped around his neck and another set in his hands. His long lower fangs protrude from his mouth, the edges so sharp they glint under the light.

Even with my height, I feel intimidated. He’s a head taller than me and bulky like four of me combined. Even though bulkiness doesn’t always equal power in this world, I still can’t help but feel a sense of danger from this orc.

Then I start hearing murmurs around us. Everyone is giving me a wide distance and avoiding the area entirely.

"That guy is screwed. What the hell did he do to offend Edrel?"

"It’s been years since Edrel came to this guild. Is he here to kill another person?"

"Ahh, that S-Rank adventurer who caused a problem here a few years ago."

The hall erupts into chaos while all eyes are on us. At this point, I nearly shit my pants, but I don’t falter. My eyes dart around, looking for Aleena. I know she won’t be able to do shit, but at least she might know this crazy guy.

After all, I don’t remember offending any orc. But my face pales as I realize my predecessor has probably offended this big guy in the past.

"Junior Brother, don’t be scared. I don’t mean any harm," the orc says, placing a hand on my shoulder.

CRACK!

Several cracks instantly appear beneath me as he places his hand on my shoulder. My legs nearly give out, but I keep standing. No, even if I want to run, there’s no escape.

Fuck this shit! What do you mean you don’t mean any harm?

"TEACHER!" A voice suddenly cuts through the crowd. I see Aleena rushing toward us, almost running and on the verge of tears.

The orc’s eyes light up and he turns in her direction while Aleena rams into him, hugging his belly.

"Aleena~ you’ve all grown up now. I remember you were just a little crybaby a few years ago. I’m happy to see you," the orc says in an emotional voice, patting Aleena’s head.

"Waaah, I missed you too, Teacher. You just disappeared like that without any trace. How could you do that to me?" Aleena sobs like a baby, stomping her legs even worse than a toddler. I can’t help but cringe that the woman I’m about to marry is behaving like this.

From their interaction, I figure this guy was like a mentor to Aleena in the past. She’d never mentioned having an orc as a mentor before, but she did mention a mentor whom I thought was an elf.

Aleena moves away from the orc and looks at me. "Jacob, this is my mentor I told you about," she says, then glances at the orc.

"Teacher, this is my fiance," she says in an enthusiastic voice like a little kid excited to tell their parents something. I have never seen Aleena this cozy with anyone except me, Lilith, and Erin.

The orc looks at me and finally smiles, but that makes it even worse—his smile looks so crooked.

"Nice to meet you, Jacob. I tried my best not to scare you, but people seem to make it worse," the orc says, stretching his hand forward for a handshake.

"It’s my pleasure to meet you," I shake his hand and bow deeply.

"I see you were choosing a quest. That ghost purification is suitable for you. It’s easier with a priest, but your Class can handle it too. Take it and let’s talk somewhere else," the orc says. I nod while Aleena looks shocked, wondering when I went to look for quests.

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Right now, Aleena and I are seated across from the orc around a table in a local restaurant that sells monster meat. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The orc is so huge that it looks as if he is sitting on a tiny stool, even though it looks normal-sized to me.

Steam rises from the three bowls of monster meat broth in front of us, and I can’t help but feel a little strange. This is the first time I will be eating monster meat.

The particular monster meat we are about to eat is an E-Rank lightning tiger.

Aleena doesn’t look like this is her first time eating it. She quickly digs in, taking one piece of meat and chucking it into her mouth.

"Uwaaaaaah, I missed the sweet sensation of eating monster meat!" Aleena exclaims, her eyes shining as if feeling nostalgic.

"Haha, I never would have thought you wouldn’t eat monster meat since I left. You liked it so much back then and would cry like a baby if I didn’t buy it for you," Edrel laughs and also starts eating his food.

Seeing them dig in, I don’t hesitate again and first take the broth into my mouth. My eyes widen as I taste the strong, inexplicable flavor of the meat. It tastes so wild yet so amazing, and I start gulping it down.

[You have consumed monster meat for the first time! Would you like me to clear the impurities in your body now?]

As I see this message, I am stunned and nearly choke on my food, but I don’t let it be too obvious. Even though I am excited to say yes right now, I don’t know what would happen if my body starts expelling impurities at this critical moment.

A.I, can I expel the impurities later?

[Yes, Master. You can expel the impurities later on as long as it doesn’t exceed twenty hours.]

That is fine with me.

"Aleena, I came here to check things out myself because I heard rumors that my beloved student is planning to get married to someone," Edrel suddenly says, the air turning cold.

"Really, teacher?! H-How did you learn about it?" Aleena asks, her face flushing red in embarrassment.

"You never keep it a secret, you know? You love him so much that you tell people he is your husband. It was only a matter of time before I heard about it," Edrel says with a small laugh again while Aleena flushes brighter.

"Jacob, I have studied you and did some background checks. You have a bright future ahead of you, and Aleena is a wonderful woman. Hold her tight no matter the situation. You will face a lot of problems in the future, and I hope the two of you don’t break apart no matter what," Edrel says in a serious tone, taking two huge chunks of meat into his mouth simultaneously before ordering a new plate.

I pause, looking at him with unwavering eyes, and decide to ask.

"Please, can you tell me about my background? I lost my memories," I reveal.

"I know," Edrel replies almost instantly.

"You didn’t lose your memories for no reason. It’s because they don’t want you to remember or have anything to do with you. I would advise you to move on from the past and chase the present. When you are strong enough, I will tell you about your background," Edrel says, his eyes showing not a hint of a lie.