Anos accepted his fate, albeit grudgingly. The system, with all its quirks and oddities, had thrown him into an utterly ridiculous situation. Here he was, tasked with impressing a fiery, pint-sized teenager who seed to have no patience for him. He stifled a sigh, glancing at Zoey, who was looking back at him with a mixture of annoyance and distrust.
Zoey turned sharply, her twin ponytails swinging defiantly as she crossed her arms. "Not a chance! He can find his own way," she declared, her voice laced with youthful arrogance and a hint of ice.
The old man chuckled, watching the exchange with an amused glint in his eyes. "Now, now, Zoey. What did he do to upset you so much?"
Anos blinked, genuinely baffled. Upset her? How? He'd barely spoken two words since entering the room, and they hadn't even exchanged glances until now. Yet, sohow, she looked at him as if he'd committed so grave offense.
Zoey let out an indignant huff, her small nose wrinkling in disapproval. "Hmph! n are all the sa. Can't trust a single one of them!" she said, her voice carrying a dramatic weight far beyond her years.
Anos couldn't help but suppress a groan. If it weren't for this absurd mission hanging over his head, he might have just walked away. But instead, he found himself forced to engage. "Alright, alright, little lady. Aren't you being a bit dramatic?" he said with a forced smile, trying to keep his tone light.
Zoey's eyes narrowed, her cheeks reddening slightly. "Who are you calling a little lady?" she shot back, her voice as cold as it was defiant.
Anos shrugged, barely managing to mask his irritation. "Look, I'm just here for the mission. Nothing personal."
Zoey scoffed, clearly unconvinced. She tilted her head and gave him an accusing glare. "And don't think I didn't see where you were looking when you walked in. Right at Sister Nora's chest, you pervert!"
Anos froze, montarily at a loss for words. He hadn't intentionally looked anywhere inappropriate, but Zoey's accusation hit like a slap to the face. For a second, he considered protesting, but the way she was staring him down made it clear that any explanation would fall on deaf ears.
Nora, who had just placed a cup of coffee in front of Anos, seed caught off guard by Zoey's outburst. She gave him an apologetic smile, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden tension.
Anos forced a chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood. "Really, Zoey? Jumping to conclusions that quickly?"
Zoey's gaze sharpened, her lips curling in a self-satisfied smirk. "I don't need to jump to conclusions. I know exactly what kind of guy you are," she said, her tone dripping with superiority.
Anos clenched his jaw, barely restraining a retort. This mission was shaping up to be far more frustrating than he'd anticipated, and he couldn't shake the feeling that the system had set him up with an impossible task, just for its own amusent.
Anos cleared his throat, trying to deflect the tension. "Hey, now, Zoey. Just because I looked in her direction while talking doesn't an I was… you know. It's called making eye contact—it's respectful. Are you going to accuse of every little thing without proof?"
Zoey's gaze sharpened further, eyes flashing with indignation. "Oh please, as if! You think I didn't notice? n like you think you can get away with anything just by playing innocent!"
At that, a familiar ding echoed in his mind:
> Ding… Zoey's favorability towards you -5.
Anos inwardly groaned. This mission was quickly becoming a nightmare. He'd barely spoken a few sentences, and he was already in the negatives.
The old man, noticing Anos's discomfort, chuckled softly. "Don't let her get to you, boy. Zoey's quick to judge, but she ans well… sotis."
Anos forced a smile. "Of course, sir. No need to get too serious with a kid's assumptions."
> Ding… Zoey's favorability towards you -5.
> Ding… Sensed the frustration from Zoey. Scumbag value 10,000.
Anos clenched his fists, holding back a surge of irritation. If he didn't need to complete this mission, he'd be out the door by now.
Zoey's glare intensified. "Who are you calling a kid? Don't talk down to !"
Suppressing a sigh, Anos rubbed his temple. This girl was testing every bit of his patience.
"Alright, alright, Zoey, enough," the old man interrupted, trying to keep the peace. "You two will be working together, so you may as well get along. Now, Zoey, go on and show him around. And no more of this nonsense, or I might just lose my patience."
Zoey reluctantly lowered her head, muttering an annoyed "fine" under her breath, but not before throwing Anos one last glare. Then she snatched up her small laptop and stomped toward the door.
Anos touched the bridge of his nose, barely masking his frustration. This was going to be a long mission.
The old man chuckled as he gestured to Anos. "Go on. She's a handful, but you'll figure it out. And… good luck, young man."
Anos nodded, following Zoey outside, where she barely waited for him to catch up.
"So, Zoey, how old are you?" Anos tried to break the ice.
She whipped her head around, eyes blazing. "Shut up! I don't have ti for your questions. Just follow along and don't get any ideas." With that, she turned back around, clearly fuming.
Anos exhaled, watching her walk ahead. She was set on believing the worst about him, and this mission was only getting harder by the second.
Anos felt a mixture of frustration and amusent. Here he was, trying to explain himself to a girl barely in her teens, who sohow seed sharper than most adults he'd dealt with. Her bluntness and sass were unexpected, and in a strange way, oddly charming. "Alright," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I'm a hooligan, sure. But trust , my eyes weren't wandering. I'm a gentleman, alright?"
Zoey rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Gentleman? As if! You're just trying to cover up."
"Whatever you say, Zoey," he said with a chuckle, giving her an exaggerated shrug. "Hooligan, gentleman—it's all the sa as long as it keeps you entertained."
She huffed, but at least she wasn't ignoring him completely. Talking was progress, even if it involved accusations and insults. It beat total silence.
As they approached the Bounty Hunter Guild, Anos noticed a few scrappy-looking youths lounging on the steps, slurping instant noodles. The sight was almost comical; they seed more like a group of kids sneaking out for a late snack than serious rcenaries.
Zoey stomped a foot on the ground, making a loud thud to get their attention. "Hey, you lot! Up and at 'em!"
The youths scrambled to their feet, almost spilling their noodles in the rush. "Ah, Sister Zoey!" one of them called out, flashing a sheepish grin.
"Hello, Sister Zoey!" another chid in, looking every bit as enthusiastic as a fan eting his idol.
Anos's eyebrows shot up. He glanced from Zoey to the group of teenagers, who were clearly older than her by at least a few years. "Sister?" he muttered to himself, fighting the urge to laugh out loud. Seventeen, eighteen-year-olds calling a thirteen-year-old their 'sister'? Really? Where's the pride, guys?
Zoey, unfazed by the oddity of the situation, marched over to one of the youths and extended her hand. "Give it to ," she demanded, her tone commanding and unyielding. The youth glanced at the bowl of instant noodles in his hand, then back at Zoey, his face filled with reluctance.
"Wait, Sister Zoey, I haven't even eaten yet," he said, looking for a way out.
Zoey didn't soften her approach. "Either you hand it over, or I'll take it myself," she said, her voice leaving no room for argunt.
"Fine, fine," the youth sighed, handing over the noodles, which Zoey took without hesitation and began eating.
Anos watched, surprised at how easily these older youths were deferring to Zoey. Despite their age and clear strength, they treated her with almost complete reverence. Looks like she's not just so brat after all, Anos thought, impressed by the dynamic.
"Hey, Sister Zoey, is Brother Matthew not coming with us today? You're leading us to Chillwater Valley, right?" one of the youths, Xander, asked, a grin on his face.
Zoey barely looked up from her al as she answered. "Of course, I'm leading. Do you think I'm going to let you guys go without ?"
Anos almost laughed at how easily Zoey asserted control over the situation. It seed like she had their complete trust, despite her age.
Zoey turned her sharp gaze toward Anos, clearly noticing the small smile creeping onto his face. "What's so funny? You think it's weird that I'm leading? Got a problem with that?" she asked, her eyes challenging him.
Anos quickly shook his head, his grin widening. "No problem at all. Actually, I'm impressed," he admitted. "You seem to have complete control over them."
Zoey gave him a half-smile but said nothing more, continuing her noodles with a quiet confidence.
Anos, intrigued, activated his Mythic Perception , expecting to see more about the situation. His eyes landed on the three youths, and he was surprised to see their cultivation levels: all three were at the Stage-One Elental Foundation Realm. So, they're decent, but nothing spectacular, Anos noted inwardly. It makes sense, though. They spend their ti in the Demonic Beast Domain, completing dangerous missions, so their cultivation would naturally improve.
Zoey, however, didn't show any signs of needing protection. The youths treated her with the utmost respect, which only deepened Anos's curiosity.
As Anos was still processing this, Xander noticed his contemplative look and decided to introduce himself. "Hey, I'm Xander," he said, offering a friendly handshake. "Nice to et you, Anos."
Anos shook his hand. "Anos. I'm just tagging along to Chillwater Valley with you guys. You could say I'm a bit of a Loafer ," he said with a slight chuckle.
"Ding… Zoey's favorability towards you 5."
Anos blinked in surprise. Wait. I say I'm a Loafer and her Favorability increasing?
Zoey, still chewing her noodles, glanced at him briefly. "Not bad. At least you know your place," she muttered, almost imperceptibly smiling.
The other youths chuckled, clearly used to Zoey's straightforward manner. "I'm Knox. Nice to et you, Anos," one of the other boys said, smiling.
"I'm Oscar. Welco aboard," the third youth added, nodding at Anos.
Anos couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie with the group. Despite Zoey's unusual dominance over them, there was no mistaking the bond they shared. They were strong, capable, and clearly respected Zoey. As for Zoey herself, she was far more than just a young girl—they might call her "sister," but there was clearly a lot more to her than t the eye.
.....
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