Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game
Chapter 46: Ch44. RE: [World Quest] (2) - How strong you are

Chapter 46: Ch44. RE: [World Quest] (2) - How strong you are

Sarissa took a deep breath, trying to suppress the storm of thoughts raging inside her. The weight of the system’s quest still lingered at the back of her mind, like an itch that she was not able to scratch. But now, with Miles standing before her, revealing that he had reached Level 50 and unlocked something as mysterious as the [World Quest] as if he was telling her what he had for breakfast, she felt like she was being suffocated.

"This [Inner World]... what is it?" She crossed her arms, fixing Miles with a scrutinizing gaze.

"I don’t know. The notification wasn’t specific. It just mentioned that the first piece of the [World Quest] could be found there. No instructions, no coordinates, nothing." Miles exhaled, rubbing the back of his head.

Sarissa’s fingers twitched.

"So, let me get this straight. You’re telling me that reaching Level 50 suddenly unlocks a quest that can change everything we know about The Glitch until now, but it gives no real guidance on what to do next?"

"Pretty much." Miles nodded.

Sarissa sighed, looking up at the sky. The weight pressing down on her chest felt heavier than ever. Everything seemed like it was going to only get harder before getting better, but all about it felt incomplete. Mysterious.

Dangerous.

"I need some time to process this," she muttered, turning away. "It’s too much to take in all at once."

"What do you mean?" Miles frowned.

"I’m saying, I need to go level up. Alone." She looked back at him, her expression unreadable.

"Alone? That’s not a good idea, Sarissa. The [Fallen Puppets] have been appearing more frequently, and the more they gang up, the more dangerous they become. It’s not like fighting standard monsters anymore." Miles’ posture stiffened slightly.

"I know," she replied, her voice steady. "But I need this. I need to focus on something simple, something I can control. Fighting, leveling up, it makes sense. All of this?" She gestured around them. "[World Quest]? You reaching Level 50 before anyone else...? It’s too much."

Miles studied her for a moment, letting out a deep sigh.

"I won’t stop you. Just... don’t get yourself killed."

"I don’t plan to." Sarissa offered a faint smirk.

The wastelands outside the city were vast and desolate, filled with ruins of a world long gone.

Crumbling highways stretched across the landscape like skeletal remains, littered with rusted-out cars and collapsed buildings. The wind howled through the empty spaces, carrying with it a faint metallic scent of blood, oil, and something else.

Something unnatural.

Sarissa stood atop a broken overpass, scanning the area below. Shadows flickered along the ruins.

The [Fallen Puppets] were already here.

"Alright," she muttered to herself, rolling her shoulders. "Time to get to work."

As if sensing her presence, the first wave of [Fallen Puppets] emerged from the ruins. Their glowing green eyes locked on her as they staggered forward, their misshapen bodies jerking unnaturally. With limbs twisting in ways that defied human anatomy, some moved on all fours, others dragging themselves forward with their elongated arms. Their stitched-together flesh glistened in the pale light, metal plating fused with muscle and bone. And the system echoed in her head.

[You killed a Monster...]

[You killed a Monster...]

[You killed...]

Sarissa extended her hand. Flames erupted at her fingertips, crackling with wild intensity. "Let’s see how many of you burn before I need to start dodging."

With a flick of her wrist, a torrent of fire surged forth, consuming the first row of creatures in a blaze of crimson and gold. The aberrations shrieked in distorted voices as they writhed in agony, their metallic components glowing red-hot before they collapsed into smoldering heaps.

But many more came in the next wave.

Sarissa moved swiftly, weaving between their lurching attacks. She wasn’t just fighting to level up, she was thinking. Every swing of her blade, every burst of flame was punctuated by a question lingering in her mind.

Why did the system give her that quest to kill Miles? Was it some kind of test? Was the game trying to manipulate her? Did he really have something that allowed her to level her [Regression] up?

’No! I shouldn’t be thinking about it!’ She dodged a claw strike, swinging her sword in a wide horizontal arc, like Miles had done when she saw him fighting the wave of [Card Soldiers].

Why was he the first to discover the [World Quest]?

She gritted her teeth as she dodged a Puppet’s razor-sharp claws, countering with a concentrated burst of [Mad Fire] to its exposed core. It exploded in a shower of embers and molten metal.

[You killed a...]

Miles was strong. Stronger than she had thought possible for someone like him. Someone who didn’t have [Regression] or the [Achievement]. How had he done it?

Another Puppet lunged at her, but she twisted, sliding under its swipe and swinging her sword at the back of its head. Its headless body convulsed before collapsing lifelessly at her feet.

[You...]

And what was this [Inner World] that the system spoke of?

She exhaled sharply, stepping back as another wave of [Fallen Puppets] surrounded her.

This was what she needed. Fighting. It was the only one thing that made sense to her in the world, after all that had changed around her.

And then, suddenly, everything felt wrong. A sharp, chilling presence flooded her senses.

Sarissa barely had time to react before a hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her next attack mid-motion. Her heart pounded as she turned, her instincts screaming at her to retreat.

The figure clad in violet robes stood before her, his face calm, unreadable.

"Going all out all by yourself, are you?" Shinji’s voice was smooth, almost amused.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sarissa yanked her arm free and leapt backward, her flames flaring as she raised her stance, the [Fallen Puppet] before her bursting up in flames with its claws an inch away from her neck.

"Observing." Shinji tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes flickered with something unreadable. "And maybe... testing a theory."

Sarissa tensed, dodging and striking at the monstrosities around her, while Shinji simply weaved between them, as though they were nothing but slugs trying to reach him.

She had always been wary of Shinji, but this was the first time he had approached her like this. Alone. In the middle of a battlefield. And the way he moved...

A cold realization settled over her.

"Testing what, exactly?" She asked, carefully measuring the distance between them while striking and evading.

"How strong you really are." Shinji smiled. A slow, deliberate smile.

Before she could react, he moved.

Faster than she expected.

Faster than he should be able to.

His blade flashed, and for the first time in a long, long time...

Sarissa felt fear.