Chapter 8: Cheat

I head towards the decrepit Adventurer's Guild in a hastened pace.

"Welcome to the A... eh, just Key. You've been coming here everyday you know?"

Jina smiles and gives me a friendly wave, and I wave back. Seems like she's alone here again, counting coins and staring into nothingness just like everyday.

I waste no time in doing some small talk with Jina. Now's not the time. I casually toss four transparent G coins on the receptionist's table, both our eyes following their tipsy spins until they all stop and drop down.

Jina silently looks at me, waiting for my next words. She doesn't react. For a woman whose life revolves around money, coins worth four months pay doesn't faze her a bit. Like me, she knows how to smell trouble — maybe even better than me.

But there is no time to waste.

"I need you to make me an adventurer card, and set it to rank A."

...

Jina's jaw drops. She looks around to make sure no one was here, and she leans forward to whisper.

"Oy Key, what are you saying? Tampering with the magic within an adventurer's card, that's a crime with /severe/ repercussions, you know? Punishable by death."

"I know."

"And it's freaking hard to do, avoiding the trigger spells that detect intruding mana, a complex protection code thousands of years old, and this isn't mentioning the many other possible tricks hidden beneath this single card... Can't you at least tell me what's going on?"

She looks straight to my eyes. My heart stirs. Jina truly cares for me, I know, since we've known each other for so long. But...

"I can't. I'm being bounded by a promise I made... Sorry. But at the very least, I can say that my situation's severe enough that I'll have to go in that dungeon."

Jina rubs her temples and falls into deep thought. Or maybe she's pretending, and she already made up her mind? In the end, she nods to herself and smiles.

"... I'll do it. From a villager to another, I'll commit any crime if it would help. But I don't want money. I want you to owe me a favor. You okay with that rate?"

"Thanks a lot, Jina."

"Just give me a yes or no."

"... Yes. I'm good with that deal."

This is how it was with us here in the village of Efflorescence. It's a strong bond, stronger than any outside force. We've got only ourselves to take care off in this big open world after all. Jina shuffles under her desk and takes out gold-plated card. But it seems to have already been filled out.

"Huh?"

"... I know of a loophole that can easily grant you rank A status. But you sure you really need this?"

"I need it. No matter what it takes!"

"I see, I see. Then, do you know how to use make up?"

"Of co... excuse me?"

"Thank you for your patronage, please come again!"

I can still hear the echoes of her laughter, even as I exit the adventurer's guild hanging my head in defeat. I'm officially an A rank adventurer. If people were to scan me, they'd see that so. But! But! I check the card again, hoping I was just bamboozled by Jina's smooth talking.

Name: Rosea Mar

Age: 20

Class: Warrior (Swordsman)

Rank: A

Race: Human

Blessing: [Intelligence (B+)]

It didn't change. This is me, officially. I have easily obtained a rank A status in just mere minutes, something unheard of in the world of adventurers. It's an impossible feat on par with defeating the Demon Lord as a weak fourteen-year girl. A chill runs down my spine from just thinking about it, and I can't help but smirk.

I'm a cheat as well now.

How was it possible? A card records every transaction, and is linked to you until you die or you quit. That's how the guild keeps track of every adventurer's position and life status, preventing any lawbreakers or quest confusions from arising. How convenient. It's a complex system that nobody at this age truly understands. If an adventurer wanted to quit, they have to revoke their card to an official Adventurer's Guild, where the receptionist cuts off your connection to the card. Tada, they're now free to take a better path in life, while the invalidated card is sent to the main branch in the capital for archiving purposes. Perhaps you find yourself missing the wild life of an adventurer, then you have two options: start from scratch, or regain your old status by making a case at the main branch.

And that, my friends, is the loophole: Status Restoration. As Jina said, a good-enough spellcaster can fool the card into recognizing the wrong person during the restoration. I may be making this sound easy, but back in the guild Jina was sweating bullets and hacking blood while casting the spell. Jina's probably the only spellcaster talented and mad enough to pull something so daring off. I'm not good with magic so I'm not sure, but since this method is unheard of, I assume so.

Sadly, the only invalidated A ranked card available was a girl who quit after her friend died in the dungeon. I could have waited for someone else closer to my stats to quit, but I don't have the time. I'm lucky enough that she's both my age and race.

My final stop is the church, the biggest and most awe-inspiring building here in the village. It doesn't fit with the poor thatched-roofed houses surrounding it, like a diamond placed in a pile of rubbish rocks.

I step inside the holy grounds with a bit of hesitation. The intimidating atmosphere compels me to take quieter steps and hold my breath, lest I break the hallowed silence.

I find her kneeling in front of the huge sun statue, the symbol of the Sun Goddess. Short white hair and an over-the-top priestess garb I'm sure she modified, I couldn't miss her.

"Hey Frey, I'm back."

"..."

No reply. As expected of a staunch devotee... I think. Morgana Frey, the only priestess of the Efflorescence Sun Goddess Church, has an infamous reputation among the followers of the sun goddess. It's been said that she got excommunicated from the church three times for some unknown reason, but she unfailingly comes crawling back every time like an undying cockroach.

How do you even come back from being excommunicated? Nobody knows. All we know is that Frey rarely talks about herself. She really is one of Erika's associates from the capital, which is weird because Erika hates the church more than anything.

Frey finally stands up. Her razor-sharp eyes stare directly at my soul, and I don't know if she's mad or it's just her normal face.

"If it isn't the young Falen. It is truly a blessing to meet twice in this glorious day given to us by the ever merciful Goddess. Have you seen the errors of your heathen ways?"

"N—No."

She's smiling, but I don't think her eyes are.

"Perhaps another day then. What, pray tell, is your business with me and this church?"

"I did what you told me and reached rank A as an adventurer."

"Hmm, is that so?"

She isn't even fazed by my impossible-sounding words. Tsk, I hoped it would shake her up a bit. I just got a rank A in just a few hours, you know? Instead, she calmly takes a round glass from her pocket with her lily-white fingers and views my face through it.

"Hmm..."

Satisfied with what she saw, she pockets the glass and gives me an approving glare... She doesn't even care about the anomaly in my name, does she? If I present the head of the pope at this very moment, I bet she'll just lightly brush it off.

"Very well. I shall honor our agreement in the name of our gracious Goddess. On behalf of the Holy Church and my dear friend Erika, I grant thee the ownership of the sword you have forsaken years ago."

"... Hey, can't you at least show concern on how shady this is? I'm losing my pride here."

"I only asked that you become an A rank, and you have clearly done your part. As far as I'm concerned, I have rightfully fulfilled my duties to the higher ups."

She lets out a knowing smirk as she disappears through the curtained backdoor.

Duties to the higher ups, huh? I don't like how the church is meddling with this. I'd like to ask Frey what she meant but knowing more about this is probably going to bring more unnecessary trouble. I'll save it for later.

Frey returns with an elegant silver sword on her palms.

"Take it, Falen. And don't forget—"

I take it without waiting for her to finish and run towards the exit. I don't have time to waste. But before I could step outside, she shout for me to stop.

"I am not finished here! I warn you, Falen, do not try and act as a hero. Only those truly blessed by the goddess can become one, and you are not."

"The hell are you talking about? I just want to save Ela, nothing more and nothing less. I'm not the type to become a hero."

She answers with an oppressive silence. Her mesmerizing glare freezes my legs I so desperately want to move. I gulp. She walks closer to my direction, every footstep reverberating throughout the whole church, until her face is close enough that I could feel her warm breath. I unconsciously take a step back. Tsk. A sign of fear.

"There are no heroes in our world. Only martyrs. Remember these words, Falen, and you may survive the upcoming storm."

Morgana Frey slams the heavy church doors to my face.

I don't like hanging around too much with her. Not only is she unreadable and unpredictable, but she can mysteriously break my mental defense. Dangerous, truly dangerous.

I should stop thinking about her, it brings nothing but headache. I should be happy that I finally got the sword I loaned to her years ago — the Coruscant >, said by both Erika and Fu to be their most convoluted creation. There's even a 500-page manual just lying around the library.

I was forced to loan this sword to Frey since Erika requested that I donate it to her if I didn't want to use it. When I tried getting it back today, Frey gave me this unreasonable request to become an A ranking adventurer if I were to be worthy of the sword once again. I never understood why I needed to be one, but good thing she isn't picky.

I'm in a hurry, after all.

I crush the piece of paper in my pocket. I found it on Ela's bed this morning, just after realizing that Erika's dungeon walkthrough book has gone missing. Why didn't I realize it sooner?

On the paper is written: I'm going to be a hero like Erika.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Ela has gone with that swordguy to save the crazy witch girl. She can read Cypher 3 after all, so I doubt a desperate guy like swordguy can resist the temptation of bringing a kid along to a dangerous environment. I've asked around the village to make sure, and indeed they saw swordguy and friends enter the dungeon together.

Ela's weakness is that she is quickly swayed by her emotions. I should've noticed her eerie silence yesterday.

There's no other way. I can't trust swordguy to protect my sunshine. There is only me. Erika taught me to wait for no hero.

I finish my preparations. My bulging rucksack filled with food and other utilities, check. The silver sword dangling on my hips that should be enough to deal with any monster inside, check.

... A girl's wig borrowed from Jina, check.

Jina insisted that I wear a disguise so I wouldn't attract any attention from the nosy adventurers who loves a juicy story. I resisted until the end, saying that I'd rather make some excuse as to why I have a girl's name, but Jina would budge replying that if the guild caught a whiff of his cheat, a death penalty will be the only thing waiting for the both of us.

She said that I look like a girl enough with the wig, so I should be safe, right? But still, I never thought I'd crossdress in my entire life. Does my face really look girlish? Tsk, I hate this.

I feel the stares of the adventurers around me as I walk towards the entrance of the dungeon. But I don't show any signs of weakness. That would be suicidal. I bravely step into the darkness of the dungeon, ready to face anything that comes my way. I've done this before, I can do this again.

Wait for me, Ela, and please don't do anything rash.