Yuuto finally dragged himself out of bed, still feeling the lingering effects of st night’s drinking. His head had stopped pounding, but his body still felt sluggish.
Celia, as usual, floated beside him, arms crossed and smirking.
"So, what’s the pn for today, my dear Host? Gonna lie in bed all day and cry about your hangover?"
Yuuto gred at her. "I swear, one day I’m gonna figure out how to turn you off."
Celia gasped dramatically, pcing a hand over her chest. "Yuuto! How could you say that? I’m your precious system! Your guardian angel! Your one and only ex-girlfriend-turned-voice-in-your-head!"
Yuuto rolled his eyes. "More like a demon haunting me."
Celia grinned. "Well, I do enjoy watching you suffer."
Yuuto ignored her, finally standing up and stretching. His body ached slightly from the previous fight, but nothing too serious.
Then, a familiar ding echoed in his ears.
[New Quest Avaible!]
Yuuto sighed. "Let me guess… more monster hunting?"
Celia appeared beside him, her fingers flicking through an invisible system screen. "Ding, ding! Correct! You’ve officially been assigned a new quest, Host!"
A glowing blue system window popped up in front of him.
---
[System Quest – Cleansing the Forest]
Difficulty: C-Rank
Objective: Eliminate the corrupted beasts in the northern forest (0/5).
Reward: 1,500 EXP, Minor Stat Boost, and ???
---
Yuuto rubbed his chin. "Corrupted beasts? Sounds like a bigger problem than regur monsters."
Celia nodded, for once serious. "Yeah. These guys aren’t your usual weaklings. They’ve been infected by some unknown force, making them stronger and more aggressive."
Yuuto frowned. "And the mystery reward?"
Celia shrugged. "I dunno. The system decides that on its own. Maybe it’ll be gold, maybe it’ll be a new skill, or maybe—" she smirked, "a kiss from me."
Yuuto immediately scowled. "If that happens, I’ll refund the reward."
Celia pouted. "Wow. Rude."
Yuuto dismissed the system window and grabbed his gear. His sword was sharper than before, thanks to the innkeeper’s bcksmith son who had helped him repair and polish it after his st fight.
"Alright. Time to hunt some corrupted beasts."
---
[Outside the City – The Northern Forest]
The forest was quiet, unnervingly so.
Yuuto had accepted the quest at the adventurer’s guild before heading out, gathering some information from other adventurers.
Apparently, the corruption in this part of the forest was recent. Normal monsters were becoming twisted, their bodies covered in dark veins and their eyes glowing an eerie crimson.
"Hey, Celia. Any idea what’s causing this?" Yuuto asked as he walked.
Celia floated beside him, arms crossed. "Nope. But whatever it is, it’s not natural. Be careful."
Yuuto tightened his grip on his sword.
Suddenly—a rustling noise.
His body tensed. He slowly turned his head toward the source.
A pair of glowing red eyes stared at him from the shadows.
Then, with unnatural speed, the creature lunged.
Yuuto reacted instantly, raising his sword just in time to block. The impact sent a shockwave through his arms.
The monster—what once was a wolf—had jet-bck fur, its veins pulsing with dark energy.
Celia whistled. "Damn. That thing looks nasty."
Yuuto gritted his teeth, pushing back against the beast. "Less commentary, more help!"
Celia smirked. "Fine, fine. Activating system assist!"
A blue glow enveloped Yuuto’s body, and a familiar ding echoed in his ears.
---
[System Boost Activated]
Strength +10%
Speed +15%
Reflex Boost: Active for 30 seconds
---
Yuuto felt power surge through his muscles. His movements became sharper, his reactions quicker.
The beast lunged again, but this time—Yuuto was faster.
He sidestepped, his sword slicing cleanly through its side. The corrupted wolf let out a distorted howl, bck mist seeping from its wound.
"Tch. Even their blood is weird," Yuuto muttered.
Celia hovered above, watching curiously. "These things don’t die easily. Finish it before it regenerates."
Yuuto nodded, gripping his sword tighter.
The wolf snarled, preparing to lunge again—
But Yuuto was already moving.
With a powerful swing, his bde cleaved through the wolf’s neck, severing it in one clean strike.
The beast shuddered, bck mist pouring from its body, before colpsing into a lifeless heap.
A familiar ding echoed.
---
[Enemy Defeated!]
Corrupted Beast Sin (1/5)
EXP Gained: 500
---
Yuuto let out a slow breath, wiping his bde clean. "One down, four to go."
Celia floated closer, grinning. "Not bad. Maybe you’re finally learning how to fight without embarrassing yourself."
Yuuto gave her a ft look. "Oh, shut up."
Celia giggled, but then, her eyes briefly flickered with something… different.
Yuuto didn’t catch it, but she mumbled under her breath:
"Something’s wrong with these monsters…"
---
[End of Chapter 9]
