[Path of the Executioner (Common) (Quest)]
[You have displayed a tenacious Will and a sharp intent for battle, but you are missing the final piece to your power. Following the Path of another is easy, following your own is much more difficult.]
[The Executioner is the Reaper of All. But wreathed in bad karma and a flagrant temper, their Luck also tends to be particularly bad. Taking up this mantle will put you in untold danger, and many more will chase you down for your arrogance.]
[Open up the Path of the Executioner or die trying.]
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[Common Reward Requirements]
[>Behead 1000 enemies 5 or more Levels above you]
[>Extinguish a Common Evil Cult]
—
Sylas’ expression changed as he felt his Gluttony Seed move. Usually, the movement would stop before he could even lock onto it, but this time, it just continued to move, again and again, as though it wouldn’t be satisfied unless he paid attention to it.
There was an ominous feeling that welled up in Sylas’ heart, and then the notification disappeared before him.
“I was warned when this Quest appeared that I shouldn’t show anyone because they would be Cursed by Destiny as well. But…”
Cassarae still had some conflict in her eyes despite the fact she had already done it.
In reality, the moment Sylas guessed that she likely had a Quest, he was already infected by Destiny. Of course, what Cassarae didn’t know was so long as Sylas didn’t know the exact details, he would be fine. But now that she had shown him the exact details, he was tied to the same boat she was.
Cassarae sat in her chair with a bit of a dejected appearance, her eyes watering.
It was definitely all her fault. The moment Sylas wanted to see the stats of her necklace, she should have said no. He had likely been infected all the way back then in her opinion.
She should have said no firmly even if he made the wrong assumption and thought that it was because she didn’t trust him. But she didn’t have the temperament to do that. Her personality wasn’t patient, and she wasn’t good with others thinking ill of her… at least not when it was built off misunderstandings.
But in the end, that decision back then had led to this moment. And now, there was truly no going back.
“Sylas, I…”
“How long do you have?”
Cassarae was trying to find the right words to break it to Sylas, but she didn’t expect this question instead.
“You know?” she asked with surprise.
“I have a similar Quest.”
“Oh…” Cassarae’s eyes brightened somewhat before they dimmed again. “… The Quest says I have three years at most.”
Sylas frowned, feeling that there was something wrong with Cassarae’s words. Now that he thought about it, the punishment he would receive if he failed his Destiny Quest was a penalty from the Madness Key. But Cassarae likely didn’t have a Madness Key…
His own expression changed and he stood up once again.
“What’s your punishment?”
Cassarae looked up. Her expression was one part helpless and another part confused. If Sylas had a similar Quest, shouldn’t he know?
“What else?” she said bitterly. “Death.”
Sylas’ heart skipped a beat and he suddenly became a bit angry.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me earlier?! How much time do you have left?”
“I…”
Still confused, Cassarae didn’t quite know how to react to all of this. Even with how familiar she was with Sylas, it was very, very rare for him to get like this.
“How much time?!”
“I… There’s two years and about four or five months left. The Trial time didn’t count…”
Sylas’ gaze continued to flicker. “What do you need?”
“Sylas…”
“None of the nonsense. What do you need?”
Normally, if someone spoke to her like this, Cassarae would have already exploded, but right now… it felt just like that day back in high school, and those days back in the Trial.
Cassarae took a breath. “Sylas, I’ve got this.”
Sylas frowned. “You’ve only completed the Fragmented Quest after more than half a year, and now you’re being targeted by so many people—no, it’s probably because you’re being targeted by so many people that things ended up like this. Do you expect to just go at it alone?”
“Isn’t that what you do? You have your own Quest to consider.”
“I can do both.” Sylas replied.
“That—”
“I said enough.”
Sylas’ green irises blazed with a flickering emerald flame. For a moment, in Cassarae’s vision, all of his facial features had vanished and all she could see were those eyes.
“Tell me what you need.”
“… The problem isn’t the Quest. The problem is that I can’t even leave my village.”
“What level are you at now? What level do you need to be to leave? What do you need to accomplish to do it?”
Sylas listed off a rapid-fire list of questions.
Seeing that Sylas was only growing more annoyed with every passing second as though he was watching her life blink away, Cassarae had no choice but to answer.
“The Territory Levels are Village, Town, and City. Each one is separated into Rudimentary, Common, and Elite. And each of those is further separated into ten numbered Levels.
“If I want to leave, my village would have to become a Town, but even then I would need to check in at least a few times a month. But if I can get to Grade 1 Elite Village, then I can at least move around a 50-kilometer distance around Casstle Main.
“Right now, I’m stuck at the Grade 10 Rudimentary Village level. If I want to take the next step to become a Grade 1 Common Village, I still need about 100,000 F Coins in upgrades, I need to double the size of my current militia from 10 to 20, and they would all need to be Level 10. On top of that, I need at least one Subsidiary Village along with a bunch of other smaller tasks related to Favorability and Amenities…”
She listed these things out as a way to make Sylas back down, but he only nodded.
“Okay. What about the rest?”
“The rest?” Cassarae was confused.
“I don’t need you to list out what you need to make it to Grade 1 Common Village. What do you need to make it to Grade 1 Rudimentary Town?”
Cassarae sat in stunned surprise.
It was at that moment that there was some shifting at the door and a middle-aged couple accidentally stumbled in.
