Improved act (part 1)

"..."

"..."

The black-haired boy with his face full of soot, the ends of his hair burnt, and his clothes charred, was sitting on a chair in his room in the Temple's east wing, with his head down while the short red-haired woman stood over him, glaring down with disapproval.

"...young man... Someone has set fire to an abandoned building, and here you are looking like that... You better have some good explanation, or I will have to inform the guards."

"...!"

Brigitta breathed out through her nose and closed her eyes before declaring in a strict voice, making the dispirited boy fidget nervously.

"...i-it was a lone building by the city walls, and because they are covered with fire-resistant material, there was basically no damage to anything else even though the guards noticed it when it was too late..."

The boy glanced to the side and mumbled awkwardly.

"And how do you know that? I didn't say anything about the building's location or that it burned down completely."

"!!!"

Brigitta raised her head to glare at Zorey even harder and asked, causing the boy to squirm in the realization of his mess up.

"Young man!"

"..."

The red-haired woman's gaze became even more severe, and the black-haired boy could only lower his head even more in response.

*knock* *knock*

"Not now!"

Someone knocked on the door to Zorey's room, causing Brigitta to snap at them in agitation.

*click*

"I'm sorry, priest Brigitta, but the guildmaster of the adventurer's guild came to the temple asking about the charred boy who fleed to the Tem..."

"Hello, Brigittaciana."

The door opened anyway, and a nervous dark-haired Thaigo – the priest of life who was present during Zorey's registration – showed up and muttered nervously right before a burly man with a full head of steel-gray hair plowed past him and smiled at the angered red-haired woman offering her a handshake.

"...Kazimir..."

Brigitta's gaze became even more severe, and she said back to the steel-gray-haired man without even thinking of reciprocating the greeting.

...despite the man using the dwarven way of affectionately addressing their friends and family, the way the red-haired woman addressed him was normal – and therefore distant, or even cold...

"..."

Brigitta kept her arms crossed but stepped to the side, protectively blocking Zorey from the intruder's sight.

"Now, now, Brigittaventral, I've heard your angelic voice all the way from the outside; I also have a few questions for that young monk that asked for sanctuary here."

The man called Kazimir waved his hand dismissively, and his smile widened dangerously as he leaned over the short woman to glare at the troubled boy.

"...young monk...? Are you stupid? This kid is Gaelmathintrio's apprentice – he is a priest of death!"

The red-haired woman furrowed her brows in confusion before glancing at the boy behind her back and scoffing at the towering man in front of her.

"...he is...? But the staff member at my guild..."

The information seemed to take the massive man by surprise as he leaned back and frowned.

"...I... I know that the people don't really like priests of death, so I dressed up as a trainee monk and came to the adventurer's guild to accept a quest because I wanted to get stronger..."

"Wha...?! Zorey!"

Zorey ended up breaking his silence and admitted in a crestfallen voice, causing Brigitta to step back and gasp.

"I want to buy an ATK-boosting ring for the girl back in my village, but the ones I saw were very expensive! But then I saw the System quest that had a Gemstone creation Skill as a reward, and I accepted it thinking that if I complete it, I will be able to create an ATK+ gemstone and have a craftsman make it for me..."

"Zorey, that's enough...!"

*whoosh*

"Let him talk."

Once the young priest of death started talking, there seemed to be no end to his words, Brigitta tried to stop him, but Kazimir reached out his massive hand and blocked her way with a cold expression.

"That's a common mistake many make. That Skill doesn't create monster gemstones that boost stats – it only allows for the creation of the time-limited catalysts useful for magicians and staff and wand users."

The steel-gray-haired man kept blocking Brigitta's way and turned to Zorey, observing him with intrigued expression.

"Yeah... I know it now..."

"Eh? You do!?"

"You do?"

Zorey nodded with a heavy sigh, causing the other two to gasp in unison.

"Yes. Gemstone creation."

*ting*

The black-haired boy nodded his head with a heavy heart and raised his palm, using the Skill and having the lesser fire gem appear on his palm.

"!!!"

"...you... you have completed the cursed house quest..."

The red-haired woman stared at the black-haired boy speechlessly while the steel-gray-haired man mumbled, shaken to the core.

"How did you...?"

"... I'm sorry!"

Kazimir began to ask, but Zorey interrupted him by standing up just to bow down his head as low as he could.

"When I saw the hallway full of rodent-type monsters, I panicked and ran away, but then I figured out that even though they can't feel pain, the undead will suffer from the incapacitated debuff and be easy to appease then! The living dwarf lesser rats escaped when I set fire to the building, but the undead ones stayed and burnt down. I had MP recovery potions that I got from my fire magician friend the other day, so I just walked through the debris and appeased every incapacitated undead I came across!"

Zorey cried out, clenching his fists against his burnt pants and trembling because of his guilty conscience.

"You did that after the building burnt down...?"

"Y-yes... there were so many monsters... I would need a miracle to defeat them all otherwise..."

Kazimir inquired in hesitation, and Zorey gave out a quick nod after gulping down his saliva.

"ZOREY! HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING THAT OUTRAGEOUS?! I WILL TELL EVERYTHING TO GAELDOHURIOLSSO AND...!"

"You can scold him later."

Brigitta got crimson-red in the face and crouched under Kazimir's arm to shout at Zorey, but the steel-gray-haired man moved his hand to stop her again.

"Boy. Undead dwarf lesser rats couldn't be the only thing inside there; a System quest would mention them if that was the case."

Kazimir focused back on Zorey and pointed out, staring intently at the young priest of death.

"Y-yes, you're right..."

"...!"

"...?"

The black-haired boy nodded his head and admitted, causing the steel-gray-haired man to flinch, which in turn made the red-haired woman raise her brow, sensing that something was off about the head of the adventurer's guild...

"I look like this only because when I was making sure that there was no undead left, I fell down some hidden door or something and rolled down a set of stairs, and I ended up in some sort of basement or something."

Zorey nodded in admittance to his quilt once more and tugged on his charred clothes.

"Inside, there was one more undead, but this one was different than the rest; when I looked at it had a name and class and all, just like the named undead teacher Gael taught me about."

"Was it incapacitated too, or...?"

The boy revealed, and the steel-gray-haired man asked almost immediately, starting to get visibly anxious.

"Y-yes, it was. Thanks to that, I managed to appease it – I jumped up two whole levels, and then a notification about the quest completion showed up, and I gained another level...!"

Zorey stuttered and did his best to lower his head even more despite his back hurting from the uncomfortable position.

"...did you... found anything there...?"

"..huh...? But everything burnt down though...?"

Kazimir asked slowly, making Zorey look up at him with confusion and ask back innocently.

"...Zorey..."

"Hi...! P-please forgive me! I don't want to go to prison for the destruction of public property! I was stupid and didn't think at all about the consequences...! I just though that with the house burning down, the appeasing of the undead would be so much easier - and it was... b-but I realized how reckless my actions were! I have already learned from my mistakes so please show mercy...!"

This time Brigitta climbed on Kazimir's hand and growled furiously at Zorey, causing the boy to let out a high-pitched squeak of terror and fall to his knees, lowering his head all the way to the floor while pleading.

"I can't believe it...! I can't believe it! I didn't take you for such a reckless person! I thought better of you! Just wait until Gealjiwantirion learns about everything! But first of all, he would have to visit you in your cell in...!"

"Now, now, now. After hearing his side of the story, I can tell that this boy didn't have any bad intentions. On the contrary, he has the potential to become an adventurer despite his Class."

The red-haired woman went off on the black-haired boy but was held back by the steel-gray-haired man for the third time as he smiled, appearing to be laughing off the serious situation.

"...what are you talking about...?"

Brigitta's face twisted in annoyance, and she scoffed at Kazimir.