Quest

In the eerie silence of the evening, a small shop housed two individuals: Arthur Landragon and Diana Blackhope. It was quite the unusual sight, and the content of the discussion was even more shocking.

"Darius Bone", Diana sighed, "I want you to assassinate him. Don't make such big eyes. The rumours are not baseless. In the last war, the leader of the Black Widow Brotherhood died, making me the only intermediate rank acolyte in the brotherhood. It was only natural for me to become its head"

Arthur, still shocked from those revelations, muttered: "Let me get this straight…Just so that I can understand how absurd your task is…You want me, someone who entered this tower three years ago, to take care of a man, twice my age and my experience for the sake of a discount?"

The Old Witch revealed a terrifying smile: "Indeed. But let's face it. As far as I am concerned, Darius Bone's fighting prowess is not high. He might have medidated for a longer time compared to you, but he doesn't even have half your fighting experience with all those patrolling missions you took upon yourself"

Arthur couldn't believe it: "Why me? You are an intermediate rank acolyte yourself, and though the Black Widow Brotherhood was almost destroyed, it is no secret that there are several outstanding individuals, like Billy, the man who merged with an insect to earn an exoskeleton. Why not send him? He would be much stronger against a necromancer like Darius Bone"

"I want you in the brotherhood", Diana said, "And before you refuse, let me explain myself. Even after I confessed to you my identity as the leader of the Black Widow Brotherhood, you remained unfazed. You and I are the same"

Arthur felt like he wanted to puke. He was facing a monster in human's skin, telling him that they were similar. How could he not be disgusted? Diana was the kind of witch who would not hesitate to make a potion out of the blood of a live child.

"We are a superior breed of humans. We don't have empathy for those unrelated to us, and just like that, we can protect those who are dear to us. Join us. I am not saying to cut ties with Dorian Sylvester and his circle of hypocritical friends. I just want you to join us and unlock your potential", Diana mused with eyes revealing utmost madness, "Let us conquer this tower. You have enormous potential, and the brotherhood will exploit it"

"What do you mean by saying that I am the same as you? You kill innocents for the sake of using their corpses! Hell! I have never killed anyone!", Arthur defended himself, quite unsure about Diana's accusations.

He had changed. He knew that. Reincarnation came with a price. And being dead had somehow dulled his ability to connect with people. However…He had never identified himself with…a monster.

"Humph…It doesn't take murder to be a monster. I won't force you to join us. But if you don't, I am afraid you will have to sign a contract which will make sure that whatever was said in this room will never come out", the Old Witch sighed, "A life for a life. You can get a new life by entering the brotherhood, but in order to do that, you must take one. As for the discount, I am only doing that because you would not have listened to me otherwise, you greedy wolf"

Arthur pondered for a while.

[Common Quest Available – Darius Bone Assassination Order

Darius Bone, a beginner rank acolyte affiliated with the Arcane Order, infiltrated the Black Widow Brotherhood for years, causing sensitive information to leak, leading to a disastrous blow to the organization which was almost destroyed as a result. Diana Blackhope, head of the criminal organization, thus decided to hire you in order to assassinate Darius Bone and settle their debts once for all. She also revealed that it is the rite necessary to enter the Black Widow Brotherhood.

Task – Kill Darius Bone (0/1)

Rewards – Black Widow Brotherhood Crest [Common Token], Reputation with Black Widow Brotherhood Members (Seven Individuals, including Billy Young and Diana Blackhope), 500 EXP and Volcano Potion]

The opportunity was huge. Tremendously huge. The value of the volcano potion alone far exceeded anything he had witnessed. Even advanced rank acolytes would see a medium rank elixir as something beyond valuable, not to mention a mere beginner acolyte like him.

However, besides the volcano potion, he was offered a spot in the Black Widow Brotherhood, the one and only remaining criminal organization in the tower. Be it resources or opportunities, there were plenty of benefits with joining it, including access to various Black Markets across the Dalian Kingdom.

And…More importantly, there was a quest, something that had never happened before. In the past three years, he had never come across any opportunity to increase his EXP besides the inefficient meditation technique or the dangerous hunting of magical creatures. 500 EXP was a huge sum, roughly the equivalent of a year's worth of training.

Arthur surprised himself upon saying those words: "Alright…I am in"

Benefits. Greed. Power.

In his quest of power, Arthur might have lost some of his humanity. But he never lost sight of his goals upon arriving in this world. His ambition was just growing stronger.

A monster was born this day.