Rosalyn's Proposal

I stepped out of the evaluation center and the first thing I did was exhale like I just won the damn lottery.

"Thirty-fucking-thousand dollars…" I muttered to myself. "For a few hours of dungeon crawling and mana-extracting bullshit."

I scoffed, thinking about my old job. "Office slavery would've taken me three months of overtime just to make this much." And let's not even talk about the mental damage it caused.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and walked down the quiet street. The early morning sun was just peeking out, but the city was still groggy and asleep. Unlike me.

"If I just focus on this mana crystal thing," I mumbled, "I can live a chill-ass life. Elina wouldn't have to risk her neck trying to be a hero, and Mom... she'll finally get to breathe."

No bills. No debts. No shitty contracts. Just peace.

Right then, the blue screen blinked in front of me.

[New Quest Received]

Quest: Extract 1000 Mana Crystals in 24 hours

Reward: Cleanse Ability Upgrade — Multi-Cleanse (Cleanses multiple items in one go)

Time Limit: 24 Hours

Progress: 0 / 1000

I stared at the screen, my eyes twitching. "A thousand?"

I sighed. "Of course. Of fucking course."

Still, the reward was worth it. Multi-Cleanse would be game-breaking. No more one-by-one crap. And once I get that… yeah. This business is mine.

As I walked, I remembered the old man back at the center. He had asked for my contact details, all polite and professional, like some businessman trying not to drool over gold.

But I'd shut that down.

"I don't do direct contact," I'd said, smirking. "If you need me, reach out to Rosalyn. She'll let me know."

He looked like he wanted to argue, but couldn't.

He had also mentioned something about bringing in experts and wanted me to make a proposal. Wanted me to "help mankind" or some noble crap like that.

I didn't say anything back then. Just nodded and let him have his moment.

But the truth?

I'm not giving this away. Not for free. Not even for cheap.

There's already one company monopolizing the mana crystal market. I've lived long enough to know how this shit plays out. Big corporations come smiling, talking about partnerships and mutual growth. Then they gut you, hollow you out, and spit your bones in the dirt.

Nah. I'm not playing their game.

They'll be playing mine.

And they'll love it.

I took a breath. The cold air felt good in my lungs.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

I checked it.

7:30 AM.

"Shit," I muttered. My alarm. I was supposed to be back before Mom or Elina woke up.

Walking home would've taken me, what, forty minutes?

No thanks.

I tapped my foot, focused on the location, and—

Zzzzzt. Teleported.

Then again.

And again.

A few hops later, I was standing in front of my apartment door, hands in my pockets like I never even left.

"Teleportation, my beloved," I whispered.

I was just about to open the door and head in when I heard a voice.

"So this is your place?"

I flinched and turned around like someone caught me stealing my own shit.

And there she was.

Rosalyn.

Standing beside me like she'd been there the whole damn time. No footsteps. No warning. No knocking. Just… appeared out of nowhere like some snow elf assassin.

I blinked, completely baffled. "What the hell—?"

I looked around, checked the street. Empty. Just me, my door, and her. Which made even less sense.

She was still at the evaluation center when I left. I'd teleported home in seconds, saving at least forty minutes. Even if she had wings, boosters, or a fucking dragon, there's no way she should've been able to track me down this fast.

It didn't add up. I wasn't going to overthink it.

I just looked at her and asked, "How?"

She shrugged. "I followed you. You weren't fast enough."

I stared at her. "I teleported. Through half the goddamn city."

She smirked. "And I still caught up."

"Nah, you're messing with me."

"I followed you," she said casually. "And you just vanished like a magician. So, I followed your mana trail."

She shrugged. "Easy enough."

I wanted to curse, but I just exhaled and rubbed my temple. "Why are you here?"

"You used me," she said.

That caught me off guard.

"You used me." Her voice sharpened a bit. "I saved your ass in the dungeon, and once you were done, you didn't even say goodbye."

I raised a brow. "So you followed me because I didn't say thank you?"

"And you trespassed illegally into a dungeon," she added. "If anyone had caught you, my license could've been revoked for covering for you."

"Wait—license?" I asked. "There's a hero license?"

Of course there was. Why wouldn't there be?

It hasn't even been a full damn day since I arrived in this world, I reminded myself. Between dying, respawning, getting powers, almost dying again, grinding like a maniac, and nearly getting eaten by a yeti, I hadn't even had time to look up basic info online. I didn't even know how many fingers I was legally allowed to show in public.

Rosalyn gave me a suspicious glance. "You don't have one, do you?"

"I awakened recently," I lied, sticking to the safe route.

"Then I'll help you get one. I can sign you up for the license test."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why are you being so… kind to me?"

She didn't hesitate. "Because I like your fighting style. And your attitude. I want you to join me."

"Join you?" I asked. "What does that mean?"

"A party," she said. 

I raised an eyebrow. "If Kael is involved, count me out. That guy's a virus. I don't want to get infected."

She smiled slightly. "No Kael. Just you and me."

Now that got me thinking.

A party with her? That was a damn good opportunity. Not just because she was hot, but because I could get a proper headstart, learn about this world, how things work. And maybe even manipulate the system from the inside. Still… I couldn't just say yes like some excited puppy.

"If I'm in, then I make the terms," I said. "I call the shots, I make the decisions. Got it?"

She nodded. "Fair."

"Then I want to enter a dungeon with at least a thousand monsters," I said flatly.

"You're planning to make more mana crystals and sell them?" she asked, already guessing my intention.

I didn't even try to lie. "Hell yes."

Rosalyn tilted her head. "Finding a dungeon like that isn't easy. And no one can solo a thousand monsters. Not even me."

"Then? Do your thing. I don't care what it is as long as I can grind crystals."

She nodded. "I'll search the guild records. If we're lucky, there might be one open. And in treasure dungeons, you can mine crystals directly from the land."

Perfect.

But before she could say anything else, I looked her in the eyes and said, "Don't follow me like that again."

Her expression shifted, just a bit. Confused? Maybe curious. I definitely didn't expect that.

"I don't care who you are. I don't let anyone cross that line," I added. "We might've fought together, but we're still strangers."

It was true. I liked her — a little. But that didn't mean I trusted her. Not yet.

In my past life, trust had gotten me betrayed. Used. Broken. I wasn't going through that shit again.