Sothing inside screams to turn away. Don’t let him see you. He’ll know. I’ll be exposed... and then what? What if he realizes I’m the sa farr he punched, the one who stole his necklace? Will he attack ? Call out in front of everyone? My heart hamrs, each beat thudding like it’s trying to break free from my chest.
"Quill... Quill? Hello?"
The girl’s voice finally cuts through my panic. Her bright eyes are fixed on now, no longer on him.
"Ah? Yeah, I’m listening." I wipe the cold sweat off my forehead.
"Clearly not... too busy enjoying yourself," she mutters under her breath—quiet, but I hear it. My eyes narrow, and she notices. She quickly turns away, retreating toward the back room.
"Sister?" the boy calls, trying to stop her, but she’s already gone. "Ugh... that’s... never happened before." He scratches his cheek, clearly thrown off.
"Excuse ," I cut in, pulling his attention back to . Every cell in my body is screaming to leave this place.
"Yes?" His voice is polite, but there’s still that awkward edge.
"Just... write up as Control," I say quickly, desperate to end this.
"Ah? You sure? You look more like a DPS to ..." He hesitates, but writes down as Control Expert anyway, probably because Roxy still refuses to let go of .
"And your nas?" he asks the others.
"Roxy."
"Powder."
"Amazing." His pen scratches the page—but I feel it. That other aura. Heavy. Suffocating. The one I wish would vanish.
"Excuse , can you approve us a D-rank quest? It’s urgent."
That voice. That smug, disgusting voice. Glorius stands right next to .
"Aren’t you Glorius? I’m a big fan, it’s nice to et you!" Powder bursts out, grinning with pure enthusiasm.
I suddenly want to kill him. You idiot.
"And you are?" Glorius asks, his gaze lingering on Powder’s weapon but clearly sizing him up only in passing.
"I’m Powder. We’re new here—just about to register as rookie adventurers. Could you give us so advice?" That good, stupid heart of his... I can’t even bla him. To most people, Glorius looks every bit the gentle, kind hero.
"Oh?" His eyes slide toward and Roxy. "Only you three? Isn’t the requirent for a party at least four people to start—one for each role?" He throws a glance at the boy behind the counter, who nearly trips over his own feet.
"Ah!? Y-yes, sir! I hadn’t told them yet..." Seriously? We need another mber? Where am I supposed to find one?
"It’s fine. You can register them anyway. This party..." His gaze sharpens. "...feels odd. I’d like to oversee their talent assessnt—if you don’t mind, of course."
I MIND! I MIND A LOT!
I flick my quill, scribbling desperately in the air to change the boy’s mind—
[Main plot restriction detected.]
T-they’re from the main plot?!
Only then do I notice the panel floating below, showing the clerk’s thoughts.
[Bite felt a wave of pressure from the hero Glorius. He’d ssed up—it was his first month as the new clerk at the front. He and his sister, Tail, had been re cleaners before the old clerk passed away. I... I let you down, old man. I’m sorry. I’ll work harder! he thought, biting his lip.]
I swipe down, and the girl’s earlier thoughts are still there. My finger hesitates, then scrolls further. The words hit like a slap, and I slam the screen closed. I glance toward the back room where she vanished, trying to scrub what I just saw from my mind. I... will not talk about it. I never saw that.
"Of course, dear hero. It would be an honor if you could oversee the new adventurers’ talent assessnt!" the boy says with almost painful enthusiasm.
Another screen flickers into view.
[Glorius studies the girl with pink hair. The white-haired figure in front of her feels unfamiliar—yet the aura they radiate does not. Have I t them before? His hand tightens over the empty spot where his necklace once hung. I swear I can feel my necklace on that person... but that can’t be right. I’ll find out soon enough.]
I’m fucked... I’m so fucked. I shove the thought away and decide to just... let fate do whatever it wants.
"Please follow ," the boy says, heading toward a side door and holding it open for us.
I step through first. Finally, Roxy releases —one problem solved. But what now? Pretend I’m sick? No... that won’t work on Glorius. He might be an asshole, but he’s sharp. Too sharp.
"Quill, aren’t you excited?" Roxy nudges .
"Yeah..." My voice cos out awkward, thin. Powder, anwhile, is still chatting with Glorius like they’re old friends. That’s Powder’s superpower—befriending people who really shouldn’t be befriended.
We stop before a massive, oddly-shaped gem hovering in the center of the room. It’s almost translucent, no color at all, like frozen air.
"This is the mana crystal," the boy explains. "It will read your core and assess its grade. After that, you’ll receive personal ranks and officially beco a party. But be warned—without a healer, you cannot take any quests."
Powder steps forward first, placing his palm against the crystal. It glows faintly red—the lowest grade. People start murmuring, disappointnt in the air. I should have predicted this, but honestly, I know next to nothing about these ’cores’ inside us.
So... I take out my quill. Quietly. Secretly.
{Powder’s core awakens, becoming the highest grade possible.}
It’s good enough, right? What’s the worst that could happen?
The crystal flashes, cycling through every hue before erupting into a blinding, multicolored brilliance.
"There’s no way..." Glorius mutters. "The mythic grade mana core..."
...And I know I’ve ssed up. But it’s too late to stop now. I do the sa for Roxy. Then I turn the quill on myself—
[Restricted access. Your Mythical Coins are insufficient.]
Ah... crap.
Only now do I finally understand what the system ant... Well... looks like I’m going to be the weakest leader in the entire history of adventurers.
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