(1) What Would You Choose?

As the sun set in the west, the fading red glow was replaced by the dusky blue of twilight and a hazy full moon, accompanied by countless joyful voices.

People ending a day of hard work, along with adventurers safely returned from the dungeon, once again chose to conclude their day with fine drinks.

Each tavern echoed with joyful cheers, followed by shouts and laughter.

Through open windows, orange magic lights spilled out, casting shadows that danced along the cobblestone streets.

Walking through the bustling streets, Reed didn't look around aimlessly like a lost child.

With his head lowered, his footsteps grew faster, despite his attempts to suppress it, as he headed in a specific direction.

He ignored the lively scenes around the taverns, paid no attention to the cheerful expressions of the demi-humans infected by the festive atmosphere, nor did he glance at the small people like the Pallum and goblins, who walked arm in arm singing along the street.

At this moment, only one thing occupied Reed's mind, something of great importance to him personally.

The matter weighed so heavily on him that he didn't even glance at the beast-eared girls in revealing clothes, who usually attracted his critical gaze as they flirted with passersby.

The usual pleasant sound of orchestral music played somewhere in the distance now felt like noise in Reed's ears, further unsettling his mood.

Until that figure appeared!

Seeing a white-haired boy timidly peeking inside the doors of the tavern named The Benevolent Mistress not far ahead, Reed finally let out a long sigh of relief.

He strode forward and clapped a hand on the white-haired boy's shoulder.

A notification window, visible only to Reed, popped up in front of him.

[Contact detected with individual possessing the skill "Liaris Freese." Would you like to use the Copy Card?]

Use it!

In the next instant, a strange, mystical sensation swept briefly through Reed's heart. If he hadn't been so focused, he might have missed that fleeting feeling.

"Uh... may I ask what you need?" the white-haired boy asked Reed cautiously.

"First time here?" Reed replied with a question of his own.

"Mm!" The white-haired boy gave a small, shy hum, confirming it.

"Then let's go in and have a feast. I'm in an exceptionally good mood today. Whatever you want to eat, it's on me. Don't hold back, and definitely don't refuse my offer." Reed was in an incredibly good mood at this moment.

"No I just—"

The white-haired boy was about to decline when another voice chimed in, "Oh, Bell, do you know Master Reed?"

"It's our first time meeting, but I'm in a good mood today. Put this little guy's tab on me," Reed said generously, then, without waiting, strode into the tavern.

"It seems Mr. Bell is lucky today. When Master Reed is in a good mood, he sometimes picks lucky newcomers to treat them to a meal," Syr Flova said with a gentle smile, pressing her lips together.

"Uh... Miss Syr, are you sure this is okay? It feels a bit strange to me," Bell Cranel still couldn't quite believe what had just happened.

"Don't worry. It's not a prank or anything like that. Master Reed is a member of the Loki Familia, and he's quite reputable. Now, please follow me and enjoy your meal to the fullest," Syr reassured the somewhat uneasy Bell with a smile.

"By the way, Miss Syr, that person just now—why did you call him 'Master Reed'? Is he really that amazing?" Having had a fateful encounter with the dungeon and [Sword Princess] Ais Wallenstein, Bell had subconsciously come to believe that members of the Loki Familia were all remarkable individuals.

"In some ways, you could say he's quite amazing. Since you frequent the guild, you must have noticed how grand the guild hall looks, right?" Syr asked Bell with a knowing look.

"Yes, exactly! The first time I was taken inside, I thought I'd entered a royal palace. Especially those gorgeous wall mosaics made of polished stone blocks—they were even more magnificent than I'd heard in rumors." Bell nodded vigorously, vividly recalling his recent first visit to the guild hall.

"Mr. Bell, the walls in the guild hall aren't decorated with polished stones but rather with a material called porcelain, crafted by Master Reed from a special kind of clay."

"The reason he's called a master is because he invented this new material. But that's not all—besides porcelain, Mr. Reed also invented cement, which even the guild acknowledges for its unique value, hence the title of 'Master,'"

Syr explained to Bell as they made their way into the tavern, sharing the origin of Reed's honorary title.

Three years ago, Reed crossed the world barrier and arrived in the labyrinth city of Orario, using the task system that had attached itself to him. After a year of hard work, he finally earned the title of "Master."

For someone nearing forty, this achievement was quite impressive.

However, the title of "Master" itself held no real significance for Reed.

Reed had worked tirelessly for three years—all for today.

Three years prior, Reed had simply gone to sleep and then suddenly found himself with a system.

Through the beginner's guide, Reed quickly came to understand this system attached to him. How to put it? It was both magical and somewhat useless.

The disappointing part was the system's functionality. It wasn't an intelligent system, with no friendly assistant to guide him through. It only had a task release function and a small, sparsely stocked shop.

The Task System, as the name suggests, is a system designed to issue tasks for certain purposes or from certain entities for specific reasons.

Of course, the system isn't without its perks. Otherwise, it wouldn't have convinced a modern person used to computers and smartphones to take the risk of surviving in a world with no electricity and even limited access to water.

Points!

That was the reason Reed was willing to risk everything.

The Task System's layout was simple, with three main task sections. Section A focused on Ancient Martial Arts and Cultivation, Section B was Magical and Supernatural, and Section C was Future Technology. There was also a shop with fewer than ten items, which completed the entire interface.

A quick side note, Items in the shop were outrageously expensive, and transactions weren't conducted with money but rather with points. For instance, buying a Task Release Card, useful for exiting a task world if completion seems impossible, costs 100 points.

Setting aside the shop for now, Reed discovered he couldn't freely access tasks in all three sections. He had to choose one. After selecting Section B, the other two sections turned gray and became inaccessible.

As for the tasks themselves, three tasks would appear at a time, and Reed could choose one to complete.

There were four levels of difficulty for these tasks: Normal, Hard, Nightmare, and Hell.

Each difficulty level corresponded to a specific reward: Normal gave 10 points, Hard gave 50 points, Nightmare awarded 100 points, and Hell provided 500 points.

Who wouldn't want 500 points?

But tasks couldn't be selected casually.

As a beginner, Reed couldn't even think about attempting a Hell-level task, and even Nightmare-level tasks were beyond his current capabilities.

Tasks had to be chosen within one's ability range. Otherwise, failure to complete the task would mean either being stuck in the task world forever or, as a last resort, spending 100 points to buy a Task Release Card to escape to the next world.

Some might think it would be safer to just take on tasks with a 10-point reward, but it's not that simple.

The difficulty of the task isn't necessarily tied to the power level of the world it's in. In other words, even a 10-point task might be set in a world with extremely high power levels.

Completing a Normal task in such a world might not be any easier than completing a Nightmare task.

Reed's first task options were as follows:

1> Head to the "Naruto" world and shout 'Shimura Danzo is a bastard' three times at the entrance of the Hokage Building.

(Note: It's just three shouts—shouldn't be hard. Go ahead, I'm watching you from here.) Difficulty Level: Normal

2> Head to the "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?" world and, within three years, double the economic strength of the Loki Familia.

(Note: My flat-chested goddess shouldn't have to beg her followers for a drink.) Difficulty Level: Hard

3> Head to the "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!" and double the number of Axis Church followers within a year.

(Note: There's no way my goddess is an idiot; it must be because she has too few followers. It's up to you now.) Difficulty Level: Nightmare