The Mesh’s words rung in Arwin’s skull like a church bell. He stared at the impossibly average man before him, the blood pounding in his ears and the endless expanse of white that stretched out in every direction swaying like he was in a kaleidoscope. “What?” Arwin managed to force out. “All the way to Adept Tier?” I’m going to lose all the Achievements that I could have gotten through that time? The skills? The potential Titles? “Yes, it’s rather problematic,” the Mesh said, holding his hands up. “And there’s the problem. You’ve created a ridiculous amount of potential energy with that item of yours, and you must be granted it. But if that happens, you effectively get punished for completing an enormous challenge. Normally, when people speed through the ranks, it’s because they’re impatient, stupid, or otherwise their fault. Nobody skips this many at once.” “So… there’s something you can do about it?” Arwin asked, hope seeping into his words. “Can you delay the energy or something?” “No. What’s earned must be paid. I cannot withhold rewards from anyone. They are yours, rightfully earned. What we must determine is how you receive them. As it stands, you should have gotten two entire skill selections before you reached Adept Tier. Both of them have been skipped.” Arwin suppressed a groan. Two entire skills. Even if he got both of them at once as he leveled up, they’d be severely weaker than they could have been. There would be no Achievements improving their strength. “That’s pretty shit,” Arwin said. “And hardly a proper reward,” the Mesh said with a nod. “Thus, I come to you with an alternative. An offer that I have never before given anyone in the history of the world.” Arwin’s eyes widened as every speck of distress he’d felt evaporated in a split instant. A single more powerful skill was always better than two weaker ones. That alone was a massive benefit. Getting an extra advancement to his Class Specialization along the way… “How much energy would I have gotten?” Arwin asked, swallowing heavily. “The peak of Adept Tier,” the Mesh replied. “Instead, you will be placed at Adept 1… though I fear it will hardly be anywhere near representative of your strength. You are quite the interesting one. Your magical hunger will also temporarily be sated. There was so much excess power that the Maw consumed some of it before I even got a chance to play around.” “Deal.” Arwin gave the Mesh a hurried nod before it could even think about changing its mind. Its offer was leagues more than generous. Whatever core he’d made for his Soul Guardian… it was far, far more powerful than he’d thought it would be. What the hell happened with it? Was that mysterious presence I felt while I was working the thing that the Mesh won’t mention? I’m so damn confused, but I’m not about to complain. “Very good. Then only one thing remains, Arwin Tyrr. I promised you a single answer. Ask.” Arwin opened his mouth. Then he hesitated. The Mesh chuckled. “This isn’t a trick question. I am not going to deceive you. If you desire clarification, then you may seek it.” “I can ask anything?” “Anything. One question.” “That doesn’t seem fair.” “There’s that arguing against yourself again.” The Mesh crossed his arms and leaned back, Enjoy reading on NovelHub - your free online novel platform. “You are not the first to be offered this. There are other ways to receive my counsel, and all information I can give is information that can be discovered of other causes. I will not tip the scales of balance.” I guess that makes sense. But what do I even ask? Who put the gemstone bomb in my armor? What the Mesh really is? The way to defeat the Adventurer’s Guild? There were hundreds — no, thousands of things that Arwin would have given a great deal to have answered. But he didn’t have that many questions. What’s the most important thing I can ask? It has to be about defeating the Adventurer’s Guild, right? A pit formed in his stomach as his mind whirred. He didn’t know why, but something about that sat wrong with him. And then he realized why. The corruption in Adventurer’s Guild had to be taken down… but it wasn’t his main priority. Their time would come as inevitably as the ticking of time. But he’d just told the Mesh his deepest desire, and that hadn’t changed. There was only one thing he’d give anything to get. The Adventurer Guild’s time would come. The answer to all of his and Lillia’s questions would come. They would find it on their own. “I have my question,” Arwin said, determination lacing his tone. “I want to know I can best help my guildmembers more powerful.” There was a long second of silence. “Truly? You won’t ask about who put the gemstone in your armor? You won’t ask about why you were summoned to this plane, or who did it?” “No,” Arwin said. “None of that matters. I’ll discover it on my own someday.” Then the Mesh started to laugh. “Brilliant, Arwin. Absolutely brilliant. Then you may have my answer — and your rewards.” Golden letters exploded through the air before Arwin with a roar like crashing thunder. Title: [Questgiver] has been earned. [Questgiver] – Your zeal to aid your allies has manifested raw power from mere desire. You may grant a challenging task to an individual at the cost of magical energy. Upon its completion, they will receive rewards directly correlating to the difficult of the task. Arwin heard his heart beat once in his ears. He stared at the words before him, the blood freezing in his veins and his lips parting in disbelief. “Rewards?” Arwin breathed. “Achievements. Titles, if the Quest is hard enough,” the Mesh clarified. “But I suspect by the look on your face that you’ve already deduced that.” And there was only a single line Arwin could say in response to that. A laugh echoed through the endless white space. “I like you, Arwin. Not enough to bend rules, but enough to enjoy your victories. Keep taking care of your people. My world needs someone like you more than you could imagine.”