The parchnt crinkled under Nico’s grip, leaving only the red "URGENT" visible.
He stared at it, processing the lecture Mimi had just delivered regarding the true nature of the "Accursed."
She had described nightmares.
The Accursed were literal manifestations of divine or demonic curses that are physical threats in the material realm.
A Wendigo was the divine penalty for the sin of cannibalism, while these "Outsiders" were a plague inserted into the world by an Eldritch God.
Nico rubbed his chin with a thoughtful hum as a spark of genuine curiosity slowly lit up his dark eyes.
[Damn... Accursed are just straight-up folklore-accurate horror...] he thought with a morbid fascination. [I kind of want to see them.]
"Sir? Are you listening?"
Mimi’s sharp voice snapped him out of the daydream.
He looked up to see her leaning over the counter with her long bunny ears drooped with genuine concern while her red eyes pleaded with him to reconsider.
"I cannot recomnd you take on this quest as your very first assignnt," she whispered with a serious intensity. "Even among the Accursed, the ’Outsiders’ are particularly nasty..."
"But I’m gonna," Nico replied with a sharp, unbothered grin.
[Besides... the reward is three thousand silver coins... That is more than enough to cover our lodging and food for a month.]
Seeing the stubborn glint in his eyes, Mimi puffed out her cheeks in a frustrated pout before letting out a long, defeated sigh and reaching out to gently pull the quest paper from his grasp.
She placed it flat on the counter between them as she smoothed out the wrinkles with her palm.
"Fine," she huffed while crossing her arms over her chest. "But let reiterate the quest details so you know exactly what you are getting into."
She cleared her throat before adopting a tone that was equal parts official Guild receptionist and disappointed older sister.
"The client is the B-Rank party known as ’The Iron Vanguard,’" she began while tapping the top line of the parchnt with an insistent finger. "They hold the security contract for the Cinder-Hollow Mine to the west, and their contract legally requires the specific roster of one B-Rank, one C, one D, two E’s... and three F-Ranks to be present during the nights of full moon."
"Let guess," Nico interrupted as he leaned an elbow on the counter. "They’re short."
"They are missing one," Mimi corrected with a grimace. "Their previous F-Rank died during a hunting trip last week, so they urgently need a replacent. Understand that... the Mine sits upin the fringes of the Outsider’s Nexus and when the Full Moon rises in four days.... every single Outsider will co for the mine."
She pointed to the final line of the text with a trembling finger.
"The Iron Vanguard and the Lady Priestess stationed there will hold the line... your job is to support them."
Nico’s eyes drifted from the urgent request to the detailed parchnt map that lay beside it while he calculated the geography of the region.
His gaze traced the path from Shinkotsu to the Western Border before landing on a specific dungeon marker situated directly between the two locations.
[There are still four days before the full moon,] Nico thought as he asured the distance with his thumb. [I can hit that dungeon for a day or two to level up before cranking my Ice Reinforcent to max and sprinting to the mine.]
It was a solid plan.
With his infinite mana regen, he could maintain a full-body reinforcent for days without fatigue.
"Okay, Mi, I’m taking that quest," Nico said while tapping the map with a finger. "And I also need you to give a permit for that E-Rank dungeon right there."
He pointed to the marker located in the dense woodlands halfway to the border.
"I need a week-long permit before I head out," he explained with a casual shrug. "I plan to hit that dungeon on the way, and I’ll report back about it after the quest is done."
Mimi bit her lip with clear hesitation before she let out a reluctant sigh.
"Normally we don’t do this," she muttered while reaching for her stamp. "But since you will be physically unable to report back due to the security contract, I have the authority to give you an extended permit."
"Gee, thanks, Mi," Nico bead with a bright smile. "You’re the best!"
Mimi let out a cute "Tee-hee", wiggling her ears happily before she imdiately snapped back to a deadly serious expression.
"But you really shouldn’t take this lightly," she warned while slamming the permit onto the counter. "It may sound easy, but anything can happen when Accursed are involved. And that dungeon is mostly populated with Goblins too."
She narrowed her eyes at him as she said, "You need a full-fledged party to handle a Goblin nest."
"I’ll be sure to keep that in mind," Nico replied with a dismissive wave.
[It’s just goblins...] he thought with an internal scoff. [Low-level fodder. XP piñatas.]
Mimi stared at his nonchalant expression for a long second before she realized he had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.
"You don’t know, do you?" she asked with a flat voice. "You think they are just small green n with clubs like those in children’s stories."
Nico opened his mouth to give the generic ani description of a goblin before Mimi cut him off with a deep, suffering sigh.
She reached under the counter to pull out a thick, leather-bound bestiary before flipping through the pages with aggressive speed.
"Read this!" she commanded, shoving the open book directly into his face.
Mimi puffed out her cheeks in a furious pout as Nico looked down at the dense text entry.
/
[Entity: Goblin]
Tier: 1 (Early Stage)
Aggression: Extre. No sense of self-preservation.
Physiology: Capable of regenerating lost limbs within hours. All specins are born male.
Reproduction: Forced. Any female of any species capable of birthing will suffice.
Birthing Cycle: Gestation period is two weeks. Offspring per cycle is a minimum of five. Maturation to adulthood takes 1 week.
Tactics: Travel in packs exceeding two hundred. If you encounter one, expect at least one hundred ninety-nine more.
[Pathogens]
1. Goblin’s Fester:
Vector: Transmitted via Goblin blood entering the bloodstream, eyes, or mouth.
Rapidly compromises the host’s immune system while inflicting severe fevers and tremors.
Progression: Green pus begins oozing from the infected’s wounds, eyes, nose, and mouth. This pus is highly contagious and spreads the "Goblin Fever" upon the briefest touch.
2. Goblin Frenzy
Vector: Transmitted via bites and scratches.
Rapidly degrades the infected’s higher cognitive functions, rendering them feral and hostile.
Hijacks the infected individual’s Mana Core and forces an "Overclock" state. Mana recovery is accelerated beyond the Core’s structural limit until the Core ruptures, leaving the individual crippled or dead.
Note: The viral takeover is significantly enhanced if the host is already compromised by Goblin’s Fester.
/
Nico’s eyes damn near popped out of their sockets by the ti he finished the ’entry’, feeling his entire perception of this "Fantasy World" do a violent backflip.
He stared at the page with wide eyes before looking up at the pouting bunny girl.
[Yo, what the-]
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