Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game
Chapter 45: Ch43. RE: [World Quest]

Chapter 45: Ch43. RE: [World Quest]

Days turned into nights, and Sarissa found herself glancing at the quest window at least once each day, its words burning themselves into the back of her mind.

[You have received a quest.]

[Sands of Time]

[Quest Information: The player Miles has the fragment of an item that can enhance your Regression skill. Kill him and take possession of the item to deepen your powers.]

No matter how many times she looked at it, how much she tried to reason with herself, the notification never disappeared. It lingered like an uninvited guest, a whisper in the depths of her thoughts, waiting for her to acknowledge it.

And yet, she never did.

At first, she had considered the possibility that the quest was but an error of the system. She had thought about testing it, about searching for whatever fragment the message mentioned, but the idea of even entertaining the quest’s objective made her feel sick.

The idea of betraying a... Friend? An ally? She did not know what to call Miles, and yet, the mere idea of raising her blade against him felt... Wrong.

So, day after day, she ignored it. And with each passing moment, it became easier to push it aside.

In the days that followed the battle, word of what had happened spread throughout the city. The players who had fought alongside them spoke of the way Sarissa and Miles had led the charge, turning the tide against the overwhelming horde. Some began calling them the Vanguards, though Miles had laughed at the title when he first heard it.

But beyond the rumors and admiration, something tangible had begun to form.

It was Miles who first voiced the idea.

"I think we should create a guild."

Sarissa had frowned at the suggestion at first, unsure if she wanted to tether herself to others. But logic was undeniable.

The city was dangerous. Strong players had to band together if they wanted a chance to survive, and their battle had already proven that when united, they could achieve more than any lone warrior ever could.

And so, the Union Guild was born.

Unlike the existing factions, which were not as structured and organized as the guilds in video games, webtoons, or web novels, they structured their guild around cooperation rather than hierarchy.

Sarissa ensured that no player had absolute control. Decisions were made by the strongest, but input was always considered. Miles, naturally charismatic, took on the role of the guild’s public face – even though an uncharacteristically indescribable one – while Sarissa handled combat training and preparation.

She taught the new recruits how to fight, how to adapt, and how to think like survivors, not just players.

Their numbers grew quickly. Former solo players, smaller groups tired of being bullied by the larger factions, and even a few defectors from said factions, especially those who had seen firsthand how they fought, flocked to join them. Within weeks, they had become a force to be reckoned with.

Yet, not everyone was so quick to trust them.

"I see you’ve been busy."

Sarissa looked up from where she stood in the training grounds, watching recruits spar with one another, and found herself face to face with Hinata Shinji.

She narrowed her eyes.

"I suppose you could say that." She said in a neutral tone, a mask of indifference clouding her face.

"You and Miles are changing the balance of power. The Union Guild isn’t just another faction. People are starting to look up to you. You know that, right?" Shinji’s ever-calm expression didn’t falter.

"And what’s your angle in all of this?" Sarissa crossed her arms.

"I admire your caution, truly. But I simply want to observe. I want to understand where this is going." Shinji chuckled softly, shaking his head.

She didn’t like that answer.

Ever since the battle, Shinji had made a habit of simply appearing around them. He never pried too much, and never made any obvious moves, but she could tell he was always watching, calculating.

And though he had been useful in some small ways – providing information, advising on potential threats – she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to him than he let on.

Still, she tolerated his presence. For now.

One evening, as the sun set over the ruined city, Miles approached her with something different in his expression.

"I got a notification from the system." He sighed, sounding tired.

"What kind of notification?" Sarissa, looked up sharply, seated at a table with maps of the city spread out before her.

"It’s about something called [World Quest]." Miles exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

A chill ran down Sarissa’s spine.

It was then that she noticed how far she had gotten in this turn. Months had passed, and even if she tried to regress, she would only be able to go back in time a few days, with her current skill level, still stagnated at 10.

’Why am I even thinking about it?’ She shook her head ever so slightly, trying to throw the idea to the back of his head, where the memory of her currently ignored quest lay.

"What does it say?" She held her breath for a moment, feeling anticipation brew in her.

"You must promise one thing first." Miles’ tone was serious and grim. "You have to reach level fifty, no matter what. Even if I have to take you to tougher farming spots. Deal?"

Sarissa frowned. What was he even talking about? Level 50?

It was the bottleneck for the strongest players in the game, and even though she had countless turns under her belt, she was still at level 39. How could she even be able to reach level 50?

"Wait..." Her eyes went wide. "Does it mean you-"

"Yes." Miles cut her mid-sentence. "I reached it just this morning."

"And you sound like you believe that this is the requisite a player must meet, in order to unlock that notification..." She crossed her arms, suddenly feeling tense. "I’ll do it, but just because I have to check it for myself. However, you still have to tell me what the notification is about."

"Sure. I believe that only players who reach the threshold receive it, because it’s when some of us receive our [Unique Classes], which are... Kind of... Mentioned in the notification." Miles stammered. "It’s more like a quest, actually, in which the players with [Unique Classes] must find the first hidden piece to the [World Quest] in something called... [Inner World]."

She did not know at the time, but Hinata Shinji was listening intently to their conversation, through her inventory, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he looked at his stats window and checked his level.

[Name: Hinata Shinji]

[Affiliation: None]

[Level: 49]