We stood outside the small cafe near the edge of campus, staring through the window at students inside sipping tea and eating pastries.

The smell of fresh bread and coffee drifted out every time someone opened the door.

My stomach growled.

Kyle sighed. "That looks so good."

"Yeah."

"I want that."

"Same."

We stood there for another moment, just... staring.

Then Kyle patted his pockets, his expression falling. "I'm broke."

"I know."

"How are you not more upset about this?"

I glanced at him.

"I've been broke my entire life. This is normal."

"Urgh!" He groaned, slumping against the wall.

"But I had money. I had it. And then I spent it all... why did I buy that stupid extra sword?"

"Because you're an idiot."

"Fair."

We stood there in broke solidarity, watching students inside enjoy things we couldn't afford.

Then Kyle straightened suddenly, his eyes lighting up.

Oh no.

"I have an idea," he said.

"I don't like it already."

"You haven't even heard it yet!"

"I don't need to. That look on your face says it's either stupid or dangerous."

"It's neither!" Kyle slung his arm over my shoulder, grinning. "Come on. Let's go complete some missions."

I blinked.

"Missions?"

"Yeah! You know, the Academy quest board. Students can take jobs for real-life experience and get paid. It's perfect!"

Oh. Right.

I forgot that was a thing.

The Academy maintained a mission board for students, low-risk jobs designed to give practical experience while also providing a modest income.

Things like herb gathering, monster subjugation in controlled areas, escort missions within the city, or assisting local merchants with security.

It was supervised, regulated, and most importantly paid.

Not much though. But enough to make little living here.

"You want to take a mission," I said slowly.

"We're broke, Jin. What else are we gonna do?"

"Study. Train. Not die."

"Boring." Kyle tugged me away from the cafe window. "Come on. Let's at least look at what's available."

I sighed but didn't resist.

Not like I have a better idea.

The Mission Hall was located on the western side of campus, a sturdy stone building with high ceilings and rows of bulletin boards lining the walls.

Students milled about, some studying the posted missions, others turning in completed contracts at the desk near the entrance.

Kyle pushed through the door with his usual enthusiasm, practically dragging me inside.

"This is gonna be great," he said, already scanning the boards. "We just pick something easy, knock it out in a few hours, get paid, and then we can afford actual food."

We approached the main board, a massive wooden structure covered in parchment notices, each one detailing a different mission.

The jobs were color-coded by rank.

White tags: F-rank. Beginner missions. Minimal danger.

Yellow tags: E-rank. Slightly more involved. Some risk.

Green tags: D-rank. Moderate danger. Recommended for second-years.

Blue tags and above: Not for us.

Kyle immediately went for the white tags, pulling one off the board. "Here! 'Collect ten bundles of silverleaf herb from the eastern meadow.' Payment, fifteen copper. That's perfect!"

I looked at the notice. "Silverleaf. Isn't that poisonous?"

"Only if you eat it."

"Great."

He grabbed another one. "Or this, 'Escort merchant cart from Academy gates to market district.' Twenty copper. Easy money."

"Until bandits show up."

"Jin, we're in the capital. There are no bandits in the capital."

"You don't know that."

Kyle rolled his eyes and kept browsing.

I scanned the board myself.

Most of the F-rank missions were straightforward, gathering, delivery, basic labor. Low pay, low risk.

E-rank had slightly better payouts but involved things like "assist city guards with minor monster sighting" or "investigate disturbance in warehouse district."

Still relatively safe. Probably.

Kyle pulled down another notice, this one yellow-tagged. "'Clear out minor slime infestation in the old storage building.' Ten silver. And slimes are basically harmless, right?"

"They dissolve organic matter on contact."

"But they're slow."

"They're also acidic."

"You're so negative."

"I'm realistic."

He held up the notice anyway. "What do you think? Ten silver split between us is five each. That's enough for food and some left over."

I looked at the parchment.

Mission: Clear Slime Infestation

Rank: E

Location: Old Storage Building, South District

Objective: Eliminate approximately 12-15 minor slimes

Payment: 10 silver

Notes: Slimes are slow-moving but corrosive. Protective gear recommended.

Fifteen slimes. Two of us. Doable.

Probably.

"Fine," I said.

Kyle's grin widened. "Yes! Okay, let's sign up."

We walked over to the desk, where a bored-looking administrator sat reviewing paperwork.

Kyle slapped the notice down on the counter. "We'd like to take this mission."

The administrator glanced at it, then at us. "Both of you?"

"Yep."

"First-years?"

"Yep."

He sighed, pulling out a ledger. "Names and ranks."

"Kyle Stoneheart. Rank 389."

"Jin Raith. Rank 447."

The administrator wrote it down, then stamped the notice with an official seal. "Mission accepted. You have forty-eight hours to complete it. Report back here with proof of completion, slime cores will suffice. Payment on delivery."

"Got it," Kyle said, taking the notice back.

We turned and headed for the exit.

Kyle was already talking, animated and excited. "Okay, so we'll need some basic gear. Maybe some gloves. And we should probably bring a couple empty jars for the cores."

I tuned him out, staring at the stamped notice in his hand.

Then I smirked.

[Object Analysis]

object_id: "mission_notice_017"

type: "quest_document"

material: "parchment"

condition: 91/100

rank: "E"

mission_details: {

title: "Clear Slime Infestation"

location: "Old Storage Building, South District"

objective: "Eliminate approximately 12-15 minor slimes"

payment: 10_silver

}

I focused on the payment line.

[String Edit Initiated!]

[Change: Payment —> 10 silver —> 30 silver]

Then suddenly, the text on the parchment shifted slightly, unnoticed by anyone else.

My vision blurred.

Damn aftereffects!

I stumbled forward, catching myself on instinct.

"Jin?"

Kyle stopped and turned back, frowning. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I straightened, rolling my shoulders to shake off the dizziness. "Just stood up too fast."

Then I stretched my arms and nodded towards the exit.

"Let's go. We're getting late."

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