Ascension from Dual Professions

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Regional Quest: Wolf Shadow Mystery

Warmth washed over them as the fire in the hearth grew.

Basque rubbed his hands together and sighed.

”You must be exhausted, coming all the way back from the mountains and then beating up those two idiots.”

As he spoke, he offered a plate of pastries.

”Here, have a seat. Let’s talk. Have some gingerbread to fill your stomach.”

Jon, his expression unchanged, tossed the wolf’s head to the floor beside him and grabbed a cookie to eat.

He was, in fact, starving.

Basque was right—if he hadn’t run into that wolf and those two morons, he’d be stewing some hot venison right now instead of dealing with all this trouble.

Across the table, Basque gestured for a young guard to fetch water for tea, but his eyes never left Jon as he thought to himself.

’Is this kid a monster? He was seriously injured just yesterday, and today he goes back into the mountains and brings back a wolf... Could he really have the aptitude to become a Knight?’

’I just don’t know if he’s willing to work for someone else and be restrained by rules...’

From Jon’s behavior, he could tell the kid had been through a life-or-death experience. His personality had changed completely, and he wouldn’t be easy to fool.

But it was understandable. Because of the plague, the ignorant villagers had branded Jon a Calamity Star, ostracizing him to the edge of the village to struggle for survival. Now that his fortunes had turned, his cold demeanor was a sign of remarkable composure.

However, the smooth old veteran would never let these thoughts show.

When Jon had devoured the gingerbread like a whirlwind, Basque offered him a wineskin at just the right moment.

”Full now? Have a drink to wash it down.”

Jon looked at the wineskin, and a common saying crossed his mind—be wary of those who are overly attentive for no good reason.

Just for a chat, he was offered pastries and wine. For someone of Basque’s status, this was a bit much.

The man definitely wanted something from him.

But Jon didn’t care. He snatched the wineskin and tilted his head back to drink.

Being useful meant you had value; being ignored was the real tragedy.

This was just mutual exploitation. Whether you won or lost depended on your own abilities!

If there’s food, eat. If there’s drink, drink. Why be polite?

GULP. GULP. After chugging down the slightly sour wine, he handed the wineskin back, signaling his readiness to get down to business.

”Captain Basque, I’m full. Let’s talk business.”

The sallow-faced man was just as direct, nodding and getting straight to the point.

”Alright, then let’s talk. Where did you run into this beast?”

He kicked the wolf’s head on the floor.

”You said it was in the woods not far from the village, but which direction exactly? North? West?”

Jon answered without hesitation, giving the precise location.

”To the north. About twelve li into the mountains north of where I live, near the small stone slope.”

”The small stone slope...”

Basque repeated softly, his brow immediately knitting together.

As the captain of the Nomu Village guard, he almost instantly pictured the location, and a chill ran down his spine!

”HISS—!”

He sucked in a sharp breath, his body tensing. ”Isn’t that less than a forty-five-minute journey away!?”

”That’s right.”

Jon nodded, his expression calm and his tone unruffled.

”At a wolf’s pace, it’s practically on our doorstep.”

The sallow-faced man shot to his feet, his face suddenly changing as he unconsciously clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

He paced back and forth anxiously in the small, cramped room.

”This is big trouble... Why would a wolf pack come to the outskirts so early in the winter?!”

Jon blinked, watching Basque pace for two laps before speaking up softly to remind him.

”Captain Basque, now isn’t the time to be wondering why.”

”You should go find the village chief and discuss how to handle this.”

His words were like a splash of cold water, jolting Basque to his senses.

He stopped abruptly, stunned at first, then a bitter smile touched his lips as he slapped his own forehead in self-mockery.

”Tsk! You’re right... I’ve lived all these years, yet when something happens, I’m less composed than a kid like you.”

”We do need to discuss it first... Unfortunately—”

”Unfortunately what?”

Basque glanced at Jon’s expressionless face and sighed heavily.

”The village chief has gone to the town to report on his duties. He won’t be back for another two days.”

”Then there’s nothing to be done.”

The young man lifted his eyelids. Though his words were regretful, his face showed no trace of regret at all.

Seeing his expression, Basque sighed inwardly but quickly made a decision.

”Right. We’ll have to do it the old way. I’ll mobilize the able-bodied men of the village to patrol in shifts, and we’ll start repairing the fences at dawn tomorrow.”

Then he turned to Jon, his tone probing.

”How about it? You’re pretty sharp now, kid. Want to be a part of it?”

Jon’s first instinct was to refuse.

’Are you kidding me? My time is precious. Why would I waste it on those ignorant villagers?’

’Giving them a warning was already more than generous, wasn’t it?’

But the message that popped up before his eyes made him change his tune and keep his options open.

[Ding! Because you brought news of the ”wolf,” the captain of the Nomu Village guard has become aware of an approaching crisis.]

[A regional quest has been automatically issued.]

—

[Wolf Shadow Mystery I (Ordinary: Regional Quest)]

[The wolf packs in the Shery Mountain have shown unusual activity. Hunters, it is time to act!]

[Current Stage Objective: Investigate the movements of the wolf packs around Nomu Village (Progress: 15/100)]

[Basic Reward: 500 universal Experience Points, 50 Birch Territory reputation.]

[Additional Rewards: Additional Experience Points and reputation reward multiplier based on Contribution Points. There is also a chance to receive material and monetary rewards from the Nomu Village chief.]

[Current Contribution Points: 15% (Estimated reward multiplier: 1.15)]

”Note: Make good use of the villagers’ strength.”

—

A regional quest, and a multi-stage one at that!

Typically, this kind of quest would have later stages like ”Pursuit” and ”Extermination.” The rewards for completing the entire chain would be substantial!

Moreover, as the one who initiated the quest, he started with 15% Contribution Points. Even if he did nothing in this first stage, as long as the quest didn’t fail, he would still get 575 Experience Points and 57.5 regional reputation!

Thus, the refusal that was on the tip of his tongue became something else entirely.

”My injuries haven’t fully healed. Let me rest for a few days, and we’ll see.”

This was half-truth, half-lie.

His injuries were indeed mostly healed, but he genuinely needed to take it easy for a bit.

Tomorrow, he needed to make a trip to the Abandoned Mine, get the ore inside, and trade it with Old Sutton for a batch of Experience Points to level up. Factoring in travel time and potential accidents, he needed to set aside two to three days.

According to his original plan, after finishing this, he would leave Nomu Village and head to the more familiar Birch Town, where there were more opportunities for him.

But now that there was a quest to be done, there was no harm in staying a little longer.

However, to Basque’s ears, Jon’s words clearly meant, ’The cold-hearted kid still cares about his home after all, he’s just too stubborn to admit it.’

The guard captain was greatly comforted and immediately smiled.

”Then you get some good rest. This is urgent, so I’ll go make the arrangements.”

”Don’t worry, I’ll remember the credit you’re due. I’ll be sure to tell the village chief about it!”

Jon nodded, then picked up the wolf’s head and left as well.

For tomorrow’s expedition into the mine, he also needed to find the old blacksmith to custom-make a few small gadgets.