Ethan rubbed his nose, a faint frown creasing his brow as he wondered to himself, 'Did I say something wrong?'

"Ah… young man, you wish to help this old man?" Master Roger said slowly. "To be honest, wealth means little to me these days. However, there is one matter where I could truly use your assistance." His face carried a deep, quiet melancholy, the kind that came from lingering regret rather than momentary frustration.

[DING… System Notification: Hidden Quest [Master Roger's Request] has been triggered. Do you wish to accept?]

Ethan's heart jumped the moment the old man mentioned needing help, and when the system prompt appeared, excitement surged through him. He quickly bowed his head and spoke with measured enthusiasm. "Master, please speak freely. Whatever it is, I will do my best to assist."

He was careful with his wording. From experience, overpromising could be dangerous. Some quests came with strict time limits or harsh failure penalties. Saying he would do his best gave him room to retreat if the task proved impossible, even if it meant losing the reward.

"Good," Master Roger said with a nod. "This matter may be difficult for others, but for you, it should be simple."

"Simple?" Ethan echoed, startled. "What is it?" Something difficult for others but simple for him did not make sense at first.

"Indeed. Very simple," the old man said, his expression brightening. "If you can bring my apprentice back to me, I will give you a fifty percent discount on everything in this warehouse." His weathered face split into a wide, genuine smile.

"What?" Ethan blurted out. "Fifty percent off?" His jaw nearly dropped. That was an enormous benefit, enough to change his early game entirely.

Then reality caught up with him.

"Wait," he said, staring at the old man more carefully. "You said… your apprentice?"

In his previous life, Ethan had never once heard of this NPC having an apprentice. Up until his rebirth, Master Roger had always been known as a solitary figure in the Plaguelands, temperamental and isolated, never taking on a disciple. Countless players had tried and failed to trigger any related Hidden Quest. And now the quest he had just unlocked was to bring back an apprentice who supposedly already existed?

So he already had one? Ethan thought. An NPC, most likely. No wonder no player had ever managed to become his disciple or unlock the Distillation Master profession. The position had never been vacant.

'Did the apprentice run away because of his temper?' Ethan wondered silently. The image fit all too well.

"Yes, my apprentice," Master Roger confirmed with a sigh. "Not long ago, I went to the Alchemist Guild in Harmony City to… cause a bit of trouble. While I was there, I encountered a young girl who had just been expelled from the guild. In her, I saw my younger self. She was not like those blockheaded fools who only know how to follow recipes. I decided on the spot to take her as my disciple. But in the blink of an eye, the little lass disappeared."

The old man's frustration was plain to see, mixed with genuine concern. This was not an act.

Ethan felt a wave of helplessness wash over him. 'Is he asking me to find a needle in a haystack?' Worse still, he did not even know whether the girl was an NPC or a player.

Grasping at what little hope he had, Ethan asked, "Master, do you know this girl's name?"

Master Roger shook his head.

Ethan's heart sank. Without a name, the search became exponentially harder. If she were an NPC, his knowledge of Harmony City from his past life might help narrow things down. But if she were a player, finding her would be far more difficult.

Then a thought struck him.

Why had the old man said this task would be simple for him?

There had to be something more.

"Master Roger," Ethan said carefully, "this young girl… is she a member of my Renegade Alliance guild?"

"Indeed," Master Roger replied, nodding. "I do not know her name, but I saw the emblem on her chest. It was identical to yours."

Relief and excitement surged through Ethan all at once. If she is part of the Alliance, this is manageable. She had been an alchemist, she was female, and the old man described her as young. With those clues, narrowing her down would not be too difficult.

For the first time since the quest began, Ethan felt confident that this was a problem he could actually solve.

"Master Roger, rest assured. I will take care of this matter," Ethan said. This time, there was no hesitation in his voice. If the apprentice was a member of the Renegade Alliance, the task was practically guaranteed.

"Excellent…" Master Roger replied, his face lighting up as he nodded again and again.

Ethan briefly considered asking for the fifty percent discount immediately, perhaps picking up a few detonators for his current operation before heading off to look for the apprentice. But the old man only continued smiling, offering no sign that the deal would be honored before the task was complete.

Then the system prompt appeared, and Ethan almost cursed out loud.

[DING… System Prompt: Hidden Quest [Master Roger's Request] countdown initiated. Time limit: 60 minutes.]

"Son of a…" Ethan muttered under his breath as he stared at the ticking timer. My big mouth. There was no backing out now. Sixty minutes, just one hour. Leo and the others probably could not hold out for that long on their own.

His decision to have the Renegade Alliance assault a high-tier fortress had never been impulsive. It served two clear purposes. First, it drew attention, making it easier for him to quietly capture the fortress between Springhaven and Harmony City on his own. Second, it was training. If they were going to fight fortresses eventually, it was better to start hard rather than ease in with low-tier targets. More importantly, it would knock the arrogance out of the Alliance's Elite Corps.

Since his return, Ethan had noticed a troubling change in the Elite Corps. Their confidence had swollen into complacency, heads held high, acting as if they owned the entire guild. After running into Rowan and his old classmates, that feeling had only grown stronger. Discipline needed to be tightened, and this time, the focus would be on the very backbone of the Renegade Alliance.

Celia likely sensed the shift as well, but she seemed to consider it harmless, choosing to turn a blind eye. Ethan understood her perspective. She ran the Alliance with profit as the primary concern. From her point of view, things were going well.

But Ethan saw it differently.

Money was no longer the issue. Once Amber Zane returned, he could likely support the entire guild on his own if necessary. What he wanted was not wealth, but an army. A force forged through discipline, loyalty, and iron resolve.

That was what Morzan had advised him to pursue. Not just personal strength, but an organization, dependable people, and a structure that could endure. Morzan had never explained the full reasons, but his guidance was tied to Ethan's path within Ethereal. So far, none of it had spilled into the real world.

Still, the image lingered in Ethan's mind.

The Black-armored Legion, standing in perfect formation under his mother's command, the Lord of the Underworld. He had only seen them a few times, yet the memory was unforgettable. To issue a single order and have entire legions move as one, the sheer authority of it made his chest tighten with awe and envy.

That was the future he wanted.

As soon as the system prompt appeared, Ethan activated Tears of the Fallen and placed a call.

"Ethan, what is it?" Celia asked as the video feed connected.

"Quick question," Ethan said, wasting no time. "Among the guild's crafting players, is there a young girl studying Alchemy who was recently expelled from the Alchemist Guild?" He relayed everything Master Roger had told him.

"Expelled from the Alchemist Guild? A young girl?" Celia repeated, clearly caught off guard. She was in the middle of managing affairs within Renegade Citadel, and the question seemed to come out of nowhere.

As far as she knew, players were only expelled from system-recognized crafting guilds if their aptitude was disastrously low, failing advancement tests over and over again. The Renegade Alliance had never been interested in recruiting such crafters.

That said, one name immediately came to her mind.

There was someone in the guild who had recently been expelled from the Alchemist Guild.

But that person…

Was not a young girl at all.

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