CHAPTER 54: A LEADER’S FIRST CHOICE

"A D-rank quest, huh..." Bite looks at me and the others with an awkward expression. "You do realize most parties usually start from the bottom, not the highest rank they can get away with, right?" His eyes practically scream, Didn’t I just spend half a day teaching you which quests to take and which to avoid?

I smile back at him, pretending not to notice.

"It’s fine. We’re stronger than we look. We can definitely handle this. Don’t worry too much." I nod, and the others fall in line behind me with confident faces.

"I can take on any creature! Don’t believe me? Ask my axe!" Roxy roars, her battle spirit blazing as bright as her muscles. I swear, that raw strength of hers has to be corrupting her brain cells. Lucky for me, she hasn’t crushed me yet.

"Is that so...?" Bite chuckles, but his eyes betray him. They say You’re all dead already. Curious, I flip the page to peek inside.

{Bite is holding back a sigh so deep it might tear his lungs apart. He wants to call them idiots—every single one of them.

That monster isn’t something a rookie party should even think about. If they don’t die today, I’ll count it as a miracle. But... there’s something about them. All of them shine with potential, enough to someday become a legendary adventurer’s party. Maybe it’s fine to let them try. Ugh... I give up. Why did I waste so much time lecturing Quill yesterday? This fool would jump headfirst into death even if I told him not to.}

"I’m not suicidal, okay?" I mutter under my breath, rolling my eyes. That smile of his hides more than it shows. No wonder he’s so good at his job—must be natural talent.

"Hm? Did you say something, Quill?" Bite glances at me, taken aback. Damn... guess that slipped out louder than I thought.

"Off we go then! Wish us luck!" I turn with a grin, ready to march out with Rewrite—when a familiar voice stops me.

"Quill! Wait, I—"

Tail rushes over, clutching a medium-sized pouch in her arms. It looks stuffed, heavy. She skids to a halt in front of me, face flushed. "I... I prepared some things for you. And the rest of your party."

She thrusts it toward me. I hesitate. Should I take it? If I do, what’s inside? If I refuse... will she get hurt?

"What’s inside?" I ask, reluctantly accepting the pouch.

Her blush deepens. "I made an emergency meal for all of you. I even labeled them with your names."

For us? She actually worked hard on this? That warmth in my chest is... unsettling. I never realized she cared so much about our party.

"And, Quill..." She suddenly grips my hands, her gaze burning into mine. "Make sure you eat yours by yourself. Absolutely no one else can have it."

...Right. That’s not suspicious at all.

I peek into her thoughts, and yep—decision made. I’ll burn my share the second she’s not looking. This girl’s got issues. No wonder she was so red-faced before.

"Ah!" Tail yanks her hands back, finally realizing how close we are. "Take care!" She bolts out of the guild just as fast as she appeared.

The room falls into silence. Dozens of eyes are locked on me, suspicion thick in the air. Even the girls behind me are boring holes into my back—I can practically feel their stares slicing me to ribbons.

This book is getting way too inappropriate...

Alright. Enough fooling around. Time to give the readers some action.

"Let’s go..." I tell the rest, heat rising in my chest with the spark of fighting spirit. But then it hits me—how the hell are we supposed to find the beast?

We talk it over as we leave the city, walking past the endless fields where farmers toil day and night. Their bodies bend under the weight of labor, sweat gleaming under moonlight, and I feel it deep in my bones.

That was me not long ago—every day a grind, every night a lonely march. Back then I thought it was fun in its own way. But now that I’ve tasted freedom? I’ll never return to that life. And if I imagine some beast trampling my crops, destroying my hard work? Yeah, I’d lose it. I can’t let these people suffer any longer.

"How about we wait by the fields, hidden in the night’s embrace?" Powder suggests. The farmer in him shows—he knows the habits of hungry beasts. Corn, pumpkins, livestock—he’s seen it all.

"It’s smart," I nod, "but the forest surrounding this place is massive. If we’re unlucky, it could take forever."

"If only we had some kind of tool to track the beast..." Roxy mutters, gripping her axe with barely restrained impatience.

"A tool, huh?" Anna smirks, tapping her lips with one finger as her eyes flicker to me.

What?! ...OH.

Right. Sometimes I forget I’m the damn author. I can just cheat.

"Quill, leave this to me." Amara suddenly clings to my arm, her face far too close for comfort. "If I spread my death mist, I’ll sense every movement—every intruder in the fields. But..." Her tone falters. "If I release it here, it’ll wipe out all the crops. Kill every critter in its reach. These farmers will have nothing left."

Ah. Right. She’s still Death incarnate. Even if she lost her status, her power leaks destruction.

"It’s alright, Amara." I brush her hair gently, earning a faint blush. "I’ve got this. If you all trust me, give me a moment. I might have... a strange power that can track the beast. But you must promise not to look."

Suspicious looks dart my way from everyone—everyone but Anna, of course. She already knows about the quill.

"Alright, brother. I trust you. Come on, everyone, look away," Powder says, dragging the girls by the arms. My best friend, through and through. He really does get me.

I raise my quill, the air shimmering as words form in silence. Searching. Not cheating, right? If I’ve got the power, why not use it?

Suddenly, my chest tightens. A heartbeat pounds inside me, steady and strange—Thump. Thump. Thump—It pulls west. The rhythm grows faster, louder, sharper, as if my own heart has turned into a compass—guiding me straight to the Boar of Ten Thousand Truffles.

"I found it!" I shout, sliding my quill away. I wave the others over, grinning widely. "It’s west. Come on! Adventure awaits!"

Excitement surges through me, buzzing in my veins. Finally. A real quest. A real adventure.