Chapter 3: New Quest

[Two Weeks Later…]

Two weeks.

That was all it took for Django's life to change completely.

He leaned against the school courtyard wall, arms crossed, watching students walk by. When they saw him, some whispered. Some glanced and quickly looked away. Others, the braver ones, nodded in silent acknowledgment. No one dared to test him anymore.

His reputation skyrocketed after what happened in class. Darren and his crew were humiliated. Whenever he spoke, the classroom was silent. Even the teachers started looking at him differently—not with approval but with something close to wary variance.

Django had spent the last two weeks grinding.

Training. Gyming. Learning. Running.

And now, his stats reflected that work.

[Character Status – Two Weeks Later]

Name: Django Djaru Desmond

Title: None (yet)

Class Year: 1

Race: Human (Dragon Descendant – Subclass: ???)

Age: 16

Harem: Male [ ] | Female [ ]

Core Attributes:

HP (Health Points): 100

STA (Stamina): 90

MP (Mana Points): 80

Primary Stats: 

STR (Strength): 99 [F]

DEX (Dexterity): 99 [F]

AGI (Agility): 99 [F]

VIT (Vitality): 99 [F]

END (Endurance): 99 [F]

WIS (Wisdom): 99 [F]

WILL (Willpower): 99 [F]

INT (Intelligence): 99 [F]

LUC (Luck): 99 [F]

Dragon Incubus Stats:

Charm: 30 [F]

Charisma: +55 [F]

Appeal: 40 [F]

Looks: +37 [F]

Sexy: 10 [F]

Sexual Prowess: 1 [F]

Django couldn't stop grinding.

It wasn't even about the F-Rank cringe anymore—he just couldn't stand being stuck at the lowest possible ranking. His gut was almost gone, and his body actually looked like he took care of himself.

Sure, it was barely, but it still counted as a win in his books.

His face was still unimpressive, his features rough and somewhat blocky, but his intense golden eyes stood out now, making people uneasy whenever he locked onto them. He also didn't dress well, mostly because he had no sense of fashion. His clothes fit slightly better, but he was still awkward, and at best, he could name a few brand names… sometimes.

Django grumbled as he walked down the hallway, skipping class again. Not like the teacher would notice. In fact, half of Z-1 had been quiet lately.

More importantly…

Why weren't any quests popping up today?

Working and studying did raise stats, but damn, it took too long. He had been eating right and doing cardio, but man, it was tedious.

Sure, using Bronze Cards worked after stats passed fifty, but even that got slower over time.

He sighed. If I don't get another quest soon, I'm gonna have to actually… train... harder.

That's when it happened.

[Generating Quest…]

Django's eyes lit up as the notification appeared. His inner gamer soul danced in joy.

[Quest Alert!]

Objective: Complete the given task.

Reward: 1 Gold Card, 1 Platinum Card, X Bronze Cards.

Django narrowed his eyes, suspicion creeping in. This is way too generous. The quests so far have been pretty easy… so why this?

Django was too busy thinking that he bumped into her. Again.

"Nerd, how many times do I have to tell you to watch where you're going!"

Django looked up. Ayumi Shigure stood there, arms crossed and eyes cold, her tone dripping with disdain.

[Quest Alert!]

Objective: Kiss Ayumi Shigure (0/1)

Reward: 1 Gold Card, 1 Platinum Card, X Bronze Cards.

Django's mind went blank for a moment.

"Huh." 

His brain refused to process. Maybe if he blinked enough, it would disappear.

Blink. Still there.Blink-blink. No change.Blink-blink-blink— Nope.

It was real.

"…Huh."

Ayumi scowled, shifting her weight to one hip. "Huh? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Django looked at her. Really looked at her.

Straight black hair, perfect bangs, and sharp, ice-blue eyes that carried enough frost to give him hypothermia. She was the school's sword prodigy, captain of the Kendo Club, and universally feared for her cutting words and her cutting blade.

And, apparently, his new quest target.

Again... 

Django's mind went into full damage control mode. He could ignore the quest. It wasn't mandatory. Sure, the rewards were amazing, but there was no way in hell he was just going to plant one on Ayumi and walk away unscathed.

Right?

"…You're not even listening, are you?" Ayumi's voice sharpened.

"Wait, hold on, hold on." Django held up his hands. "Just give me a second."

A second to process. A second to think. A second to figure out why his luck stat was 99, and yet this was happening to him.

Ayumi narrowed her eyes. "You're acting weird. Weirder than usual."

Django exhaled. He had to play this carefully. Ayumi wasn't just going to stand there and let him complete the quest. No, if he wanted those rewards, he had to strategize.

Option A: Blurt out something ridiculous and make her slap him.Option B: Fumble an excuse and run away like a coward.Option C: Somehow—someway—actually complete the quest.

Django scratched the back of his head. "…Hypothetically speaking."

Ayumi folded her arms. "What?"

"If I kissed you, how much damage would I take?"

Silence.

A long, long silence.

Then—

SLAP!

Django felt his soul leave his body.

Okay. That hurt.

Ayumi's face was red, but her glare could probably incinerate a weaker man. "You—! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Django held his cheek, trying to push his jaw back into place. Alright. Option A was a failure.

He sighed. "Yeah, fair enough."

The quest was not going to be easy.

But damn it, those rewards were way too good to ignore.

And Django Djaru Desmond never backed down from a challenge. Django took a deep breath. "I pick Option D. And please don't take this the wrong way."

Before Ayumi could react, before even his common sense could stop him—he moved.

Django stepped forward, closed the distance, and leaned in.

Their lips barely touched. A fleeting moment. A soft press, nothing more.

For a split second, there was nothing but silence.

[Quest Complete!]

Objective: Kiss Ayumi Shigure (1/1)Reward: 1 Gold Card, 1 Platinum Card, 45 Bronze Cards.

Django barely saw the notification flash before the silence ran... and...

Then—

"…"

Ayumi was frozen in shock, but only for a second. The moment her brain rebooted, her body snapped into action. Her hand went straight to the wooden bokken strapped to her bag.

Oh, hell no.

Django had seen her end people in practice matches. He knew what was coming.

Django barely had time to register the absolute silence that followed before he felt the shift in the air. His skin prickled, a deep, primal alarm surging through his veins as every neuron in his brain screamed:

RUN. N**GA. RUN.

Django saw her hand tighten into a fist.

That's my cue!

He threw himself backward just as she swung—her strike sliced through the air where his head had been a second ago. Before she could pivot, he turned on his heel and bolted.

Behind him, a sound exploded like a gunshot.

His body moved before she could recover. He turned on his heel and bolted down the hallway like his life depended on it—because it absolutely did.

Behind him, the silence shattered.

"YOU—!!"

A blast of raw killing intent filled the corridor.

Django didn't dare look back. This wasn't a fight, so no dragon bloodlust bullshit! 

He hit full sprint, weaving past students in the hallway, nearly tripping as he shoved off a wall to make a sharp turn. He had a head start, but it was useless—Ayumi was faster. C rank in speed which is average right?

A solid crack rang out as her wooden sword slammed into the lockers right next to his ear.

"SHE'S TRYING TO KILL ME!" Django yelped, ducking just in time for her next swing to whistle past his head.

He had to slow her down. Something—anything!

He reached blindly, grabbed a trash can lid, and spun—just as Ayumi lunged.

CLANG!

Her wooden blade slammed against the metal lid, and Django barely managed to absorb the impact. The force made his arms tingle.

He didn't have time to celebrate. She swung again.

Django stumbled backward, reaching behind him. His hands landed on the nearest object—a mop.

He snatched it up, holding it sideways like a makeshift staff just as she struck.

CRACK!

The mop's wooden handle shuddered under the impact of her strike, but it held—barely. He twisted, flipping the mop forward, accidentally flicking dirty water into her face.

Ayumi froze.

Django did the bricks and didn't look back. 

"DESMOND, YOU ABSOLUTE—!"

He didn't hear the rest. He was already sprinting down the staircase, leaping over the railing two steps at a time.

Not fast enough.

Ayumi vaulted the entire staircase. That is so unfair. 

"Nope nope nope—!" Django gasped as she closed the distance. He hit the doors to the courtyard and shoved them open, skidding into the open air.

The school grounds stretched out before him, the fence too far to reach in time. His eyes darted around, desperate—and then he saw it.

A stack of sports equipment.

Django lunged, grabbed a soccer ball, and threw it over his shoulder without looking.

Thud.

A second of silence.

Then—rage.

"Django, you son of a—!"

He wasn't stopping. His menu flashed in his peripheral vision, and he slammed a Gold Card into his skill tree mid-sprint.

[Gold Card Used!][Skill Acquired: Parkour/Freerunning - Rank F]

Django felt the world shift.

His body knew things it had never done before: how to vault, roll, and take angles efficiently.

And he used it all immediately.

He leaped onto a bench, kicked off a wall, and cleared the first fence like it was nothing. His hands hit metal, his feet followed, and then he was on the roof of a small storage shed.

His breath came fast. Okay. Okay, this is working.

Then he felt it.

A presence.

He turned his head—just in time to see Ayumi chasing him up the fence like a goddamn ninja.

His brain short-circuited.

"SHE'S STILL COMING?!" All he did was kick her without asking. 

She landed on the shed behind him, her eyes murderous.

Django did the only thing left.

He took the leap.

The Leap of Faith.

His body went weightless, and for one terrible second, there was nothing but air beneath him.

Then—impact.

CRASH.

Django slammed into something hard, rolling violently across rough pavement. Pain exploded across his back. He groaned, blinking through the daze, and slowly pushed himself up.

Then he froze.

A group of men stood in front of him.

Gang members. Tough-looking. Mean-looking. Definitely-not-friendly-looking. It's been a while since he last any bullies. 

One of them squinted at Django, then turned to the others.

"Yo. Did this kid just fall from the sky? Isn't that the new boss of class Z?"

Another shrugged. "I dunno. Should we mug him?"

Django exhaled.

Welp. A new problem is unlocked.

And Ayumi was still behind him.

Wait, boss?