Chapter 168: A dangerous request
The moment he return the form, the particles in his crimson eyes shifted, and a holographic display materialized before him.
Ding...
[Congratulations! You have completed the sub-quest: Seraphina’s Last Chance.]
[You have received the key to enter the fifth floor of Ascension Dungeon!
{Click to claim}]
Ding...
[Congratulations! You have fulfilled the conditions to enter the Main Quest!]
[Main Quest Part I: The Abnormalities.
Description: Eliminate the reason for the sudden surge of monsters in the Forest of Death.
Reward on completion: Early Stage Dragon Transformation Technique.
Penalty on Failure: Inability to enter the next part of the Main Quest.]
’The main Quest of the system is almost the same as the S-Ranked quest of the academy,’ Vlad murmured inwardly, reading the screen. ’The only difference is that the academy only wants us to find the reason for the monster surge while the system wants me to completely exterminate it.’
The reward was what caught Vlad’s attention more than the quest itself. If the technique could do just what its name suggested, it would be a huge opportunity to transcend the limits of his D-Ranked talent. He was absolutely not going to let such a chance slip away.
While his focus was fixed on the system screen, Aldric revealed, "I have already received letters of agreement from the guardians of Miss Seraphina, Mr. Hugo, Miss Alisha, and Mr. Raphael, allowing you all to undertake the quest." He looked at Vlad and continued, "Since you are already an adult, you aren’t required to get permission from your parents. Meet me at the same place tomorrow at seven in the morning. You may all leave and prepare yourselves for the quest until then."
"Thank you, Professor Aldric," the squad replied, rising to their feet.
Although Vlad absolutely did not want to be teleported, to the point that he would have preferred to stay at the Great Wall for the whole night, he still moved along with the squad towards the magical circle created by Raphael. He needed to prepare a few things for his journey and also bid farewell to certain someones whom he thought it was necessary to say goodbye to.
This time, Raphael teleported the squad outside the Main Building. Naturally, Vlad felt nauseous again, but he didn’t throw up anything since his stomach was already empty.
"I will take my leave now," Raphael was the first to speak up. "Let’s meet tomorrow at six to teleport back to the Great Wall."
"Agh...I will also hit the bed now," Hugo added, stretching his arms as he moved along with Raphael towards the dorms.
"Vlad, you must be hungry, right?" Alisha asked, leaning forward towards Vlad and looking at him with her curious black eyes. "Would you mind having dinner with me?"
The moment she said those words, Vlad felt a sharp stare from behind.
"Umm, I’m sorry, Senior Alisha. I already have an appointment with someone."
"O-oh," Alisha moved back, disappointment clear on her face. She didn’t know what bothered her more, the fact that he rejected her invitation to have dinner with him or that he was still insisting on calling her senior even though she had told him not to.
"Fine then," she sighed, turning on her heel towards the stone path. "But don’t forget that you owe me a meal now."
Once she was a few feet away, Seraphina tapped his shoulder from behind. He turned to find her wearing a bright smile, her eyes narrowed in delight.
"What got you so happy?" Vlad asked, his lips rising into a faint smile simply from seeing how glad she looked.
"Nothing," she shook her head. "How do you feel now?"
"Hungry, to be honest," Vlad sighed, lightly tapping his stomach.
"Alright, go and eat with Chloe," Seraphina replied. "Don’t keep her waiting."
Vlad blinked, his head tilting. "How do you know I will be having dinner with her?"
"Just woman’s intuition," Seraphina swayed her crimson hair with a smug smile. She had only stepped past him, taking her path towards her dormitory, when Vlad asked, "Are you not going to eat anything?"
"I will prepare something for myself in my room," she answered without looking back. "I think she deserves this time alone with you."
Once there was some distance between them, Vlad called out to her from behind, "Good night, Sera~"
"Hmph, look at him calling me so intimately in the open," Seraphina muttered to herself, her cheeks turning a slight rose hue. She looked back at him over her shoulder and replied, "Good Night, Commoner."
Her voice dropped to barely a whisper, only audible to herself, as she continued, "I should tell him to call me Sera in public as well. He is my bloodbond after all."
Once she was gone, Vlad drew his phone from his pocket and called Chloe.
"Yes?" Chloe’s soft but breathless voice came from the other side.
"Where are you?" Vlad asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Training Hall."
"Are you at it again?" Vlad demanded.
"No, I’m only doing what my body can handle," Chloe’s nervous reply came from the other side. Just from her voice, Vlad could tell that she was scared of getting scolded again.
"Have you had your dinner?" he asked, his tone turning gentler.
"Not yet."
"Neither did I," Vlad revealed. "Let’s eat together at the Cafeteria. I am waiting for you outside the Main Building."
"When are you leaving for the quest?" Chloe asked in a low tone.
"Tomorrow morning."
A brief silence followed.
"Could we have dinner somewhere else...just the two of us?" she asked after a few seconds.
"Sure. Where?" Vlad asked.
"In...in your room."
"Alright, I will pack the food from the Cafeteria and pick you up from the Training Hall," Vlad’s immediate agreement surprised Chloe. She thought he would deny it, knowing how dangerous her request was.
"No, wait for me there," Chloe replied instantly. Vlad could feel that, even if only slightly, her mood had lightened up. "Let’s go together."