Chapter 29: Double Side Quests—Back into the Dungeon!

Misha remained silent for half a second, clearly still hesitant. Finally, she handed over the paper in her hand.

At the same time, she couldn't help but whisper a sincere warning:

"Um… Mr. Ryota, I really suggest you reconsider this commission."

"After all, you're only Level 1. Even with Miss Lefiya from Loki Familia escorting you, it's still extremely dangerous…"

Ryota accepted the paper and glanced down. Its contents matched exactly what Lain had described earlier.

The quest itself was straightforward:

[Commission Objective]: Collect one piece of Orc Hide.

[Reward]: 20,000 Valis.

[Remarks]: Commissioner anonymous; no special requirements.

Ryota narrowed his eyes slightly. As expected, Lain and his companions hadn't indicated their Familia or identities anywhere on the commission.

This careful anonymity seemed rather… deliberate.

"How considerate," he chuckled quietly to himself.

On second thought, though, it made perfect sense.

In Orario, Loki Familia and Freya Familia stood as the two strongest factions, their rivalry well-known. Even if the surface appeared calm, there were always underlying tensions and subtle competition.

Lain and the others were probably concerned that openly revealing their commission might cause unnecessary trouble for Ryota within his Familia.

Seeing Ryota deep in thought, Misha inwardly sighed with relief.

"Whew, that's good…"

"It'd be such a pity if a handsome young man like him died in the Dungeon."

She mentally congratulated herself on doing another good deed for the day.

But just as this thought popped into her head, Ryota's clear voice suddenly reached her ears:

"Thanks for your advice, but I'll take this commission."

"Huh?!"

Misha's professional smile froze instantly, her delicate face filling with question marks.

She swallowed nervously, unwilling to give up, and emphasized again:

"A-are you sure?"

"This commission is no joke! The target is an Orc from floors ten to twelve!"

"Y-you… Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Her anxiety made her voice sharp, involuntarily raising its volume, immediately drawing curious glances from nearby adventurers.

Seeing her panicked expression, Ryota waved his hand lightly and smiled:

"It's alright, Miss Misha."

"With Lefiya here, I'm not gonna die that easily."

Finishing his sentence, he calmly picked up a quill and signed his name on the commission paper.

Misha looked helplessly resigned. Eventually, she could only sigh, swiftly handling the paperwork with practiced ease.

"Alright, then…"

"Good luck, Mr. Ryota."

With the commission officially accepted, it was now time to head into the Dungeon.

As they left the Adventurer's Guild hall, Lefiya's pointed elf ears twitched slightly, and she teased Ryota with a gentle laugh:

"Ryota sure is popular~"

"Even just accepting a simple commission, you already have so many people worried about your safety."

Ryota simply smiled softly, not denying it.

Compared to when he'd first transmigrated, having others genuinely care and worry about him was a subtle yet heartwarming change.

They walked side by side, preparing to quicken their pace toward Babel Tower.

Just then, a familiar mechanical voice suddenly echoed clearly in Ryota's mind:

[Ding! Side Quest Triggered!]

[Quest Objective: Resolve an Irregular situation!]

[Quest Reward: Massive Chakra boost; B-Rank Jutsu—"Fire Style: Fierce Dragon Flame Jutsu"!]

Hmm?!

Ryota paused slightly, then immediately felt a surge of excitement!

His Chakra Level had already risen to B+ after completing his last side quest.

And now, he'd finally received a reward worthy of his current strength—a genuine B-Rank Fire Release Jutsu, "Fierce Dragon Flame Jutsu."

The two Fire Release techniques he'd previously mastered were decent, but strictly speaking, they were merely foundational C-Rank Jutsu.

The techniques that truly separated the strong from the ordinary among shinobi typically began at B-Rank and above!

"As expected… as my strength grows, the system's rewards scale accordingly."

However, after his initial excitement faded, Ryota felt a lingering doubt.

Hadn't he already resolved one "Irregular" situation before?

The "Silverback" he'd encountered on the sixth floor was exactly that kind of anomaly.

Yet here was another?

Moreover, this time he had triggered two side quests simultaneously!

This "double side-quest" activation had never happened before, even back in his Trial Space experience.

Previously, quests had always been triggered sequentially, one after another in a linear fashion.

But now, there was suddenly an overlapping, parallel quest activation.

"Could it be… that the system's quests change dynamically based on my current environment, relationships, or even future growth trajectory?"

If that was truly the case, it meant every decision and encounter he made would directly influence the types and rewards of future quests.

Ryota pondered this briefly, but quickly realized he had no concrete way to verify his theory right now.

"Oh well."

"No use overthinking things. I'll just take it one step at a time."

Lefiya, noticing his distracted expression, tilted her head slightly and quietly asked:

"Ryota, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. Just got lost in thought for a moment."

Lefiya blinked, still somewhat puzzled, but didn't press further.

Soon enough, the two arrived at Babel Tower.

Descending slowly along the ancient stone staircase, Ryota and Lefiya stopped at the entrance to the Dungeon's first floor.

The bustling noise from the surface seemed completely isolated here; this was the true entrance to the Dungeon.

Lefiya's elf ears trembled slightly, and she softly spoke up:

"Um… Ryota, shouldn't we first establish some basic tactical arrangements?"

"Like who will take the lead, who's in charge of scouting, our retreat routes in case we encounter groups of monsters, or even contingency plans for Irregular situations…"

"Even if it's just the upper floors, caution is never misplaced."

Despite being a Level 3 adventurer, even if this was merely the shallow floors, Lefiya knew very well that any carelessness in the Dungeon could cost lives.

And the young man beside her was still officially listed at the Guild as a rookie Level 1 adventurer who had registered less than two days ago.

In the face of the Dungeon's unknown dangers, being cautious was never excessive.