The Next Quest

The Strongest Hunter with the Weakest System. 

The initial boost of the work got me excited. As soon as I finished writing a chapter, I would upload it.

That had become a fun routine. Though I disliked the fact that I couldn't do anything when I was at school. 

I was itching to write a bit more. More than writing itself, I enjoyed the comments and increase in the follower count that followed.

When I did not gain any followers overnight, I would be a little disappointed, but disappointment was always meant to be laughed off, right?

Even when I was sitting with the senior in the library.

"You look a lot more fickle these days. Is something happening?"

Senior looked up from her book and asked.

If I was fickle, then would one call her with her eyebags that changed brands everyday?

"It's nothing. What are you reading now?"

"This one."

Senior closed the book and pushed it toward me.

"The song of achilles?"

It was a rather strange choice. Especially when we had overturned the library a few days back looking for a copy of the Iliad. Thankfully, as one would expect from one of the best libraries in the city, we had a copy of the Iliad.

"Why would you read this? When you have read the Iliad?"

The senior leaned back on her beanbag chair and shrugged. "Why not? It's a fun book."

I had heard of the Song of Achilles. It had become quite popular a few years back thanks to social media and had since been a staple.

But…

"Isn't it inaccurate? Why read this when you have read the real text?"

The senior seemed to have found my questions amusing. Her attention had completely turned my way now.

It was a little intense. The senior was a person with sharp eyes and a face that seemed to fit better on dolls than it did on humans.

"Is it inaccurate?" She asked. "It's not very inaccurate, the author put in a lot of research to retell the story in the best way they could."

"Retell. In the end it is not the same as the real text."

"Right," she nodded. "The author has taken a lot of liberties, it is not at all like the real text. If it was the same as the real text, I wouldn't have read it."

I hummed at her words.

"Interpretation?"

"Correct. Even if there are creative liberties, and even if it is just a retelling, it is a different experience from the original book."

"A different interpretation. Isn't it going to cloud your own judgment?"

The senior chuckled and pushed the book closer to me.

"It is not bad to widen your horizons every once in a while. Who knows something you have been seeing from one perspective might have been something entirely different from another."

Her words made some sense to me.

Mainly because I had felt something similar very recently. What I had assumed was trash all this time, when made fun, was actually worth reading and writing about.

That was why what sold, sold.

"Do you want to borrow this book?" She asked.

I considered it for a second.

Widened horizons… huh? But to be honest, I didn't think I would be reading anything outside of what I did at the library. 

If I had the chance to spend time at home, why wouldn't I do it while writing? I had to work hard to start making the money the stupid system had spent as well.

If I just kept working on the book, I would be able to convert it into cash.

That was right.

"I think next time," I said.

The senior looked at me for a few seconds. She tilted her head.

These actions were enough to scare someone.

With a soft smile, she pulled the book closer.

"Alright," she said and started reading again.

I wanted to ask something, but I was extremely worried. 

Maybe the atmosphere between us wasn't all that bad these days, was it? It shouldn't hurt. But I had to tread carefully.

I was sure that many people must have judged her on her appearance. I didn't want to become another one of those.

"Senior…" I muttered. 

"Hm?"

I was curious about the type of life she had lived. Her constant eye bags, the long sleeves, her pale face and sharp features.

They were all curious.

But… with all the conversations that I had had with Ray and Nash, treading around that topic scared me.

What if there was something bigger, more problematic going on? What would I do then? How insensitive would that be?

"Nothing… never mind."

"Is that so?"

The hour came to an end sooner than I had thought, and it was time to go back. Though I didn't feel that the distance between us had widened.

It felt like the wall between me and the Senior had become more solid.

A wall that we had made ourselves, that did not even let our names pass through.

***

That night, a strange message came on my phone.

"Hm? Ray? I didn't even give him my number—"

I checked the message right away. His pfp was a cute cat.

Below the number and the disclaimer of him not being in my contacts was a semi-formal message. A bit respectful but also friendly.

To boil it down to the contents, it went like this.

{I got your number from the class register. Why are you not in the classgroup? Anyway, my friends and I are going to the amusement park. Wanna tag along? Ask Nash too. He's a chill guy}

An amusement park, huh…

Wait what!?

An amusement park with the Ray gang?

I didn't see this one coming…

Maybe i should sit it out? He must be asking out of kindness. That was it. His friends didn't even know me, it would be rude to intrude—

[Quest! Make new friends in the amusement park!]

[Failure Penalty: Death]

Oh fuck me.