"Logan , are you okay?" "I'm fine. It's just a small scratch."

"But you're bleeding...!"

"I've already applied ointment, so it's fine. The bleeding has stopped."

Nathan stared outside while listening to his family's concerned voices. His parents kept talking to his injured brother, expressing their worries. The sight made him frown.

'It's just a small scratch, why are they making such a fuss?'

Though his brother had been cut by a skeleton's sword, it was just a surface-level wound. To be honest, it was shallower than the cut he had accidentally given himself while handling a kitchen knife some time ago. As long as infection wasn't an issue, it was nothing more than a scratch.

Yet, his parents wouldn't leave his brother, Logan alone for a second.

'Would they worry about me like that if I got hurt?'

Nathan swallowed his complaints and looked outside. The streets, which had been filled with goblins, were now packed with skeletons instead. These skeletons, with only bones left, were far stronger than the goblins. On top of that, there were far more of them than the goblins had ever been.

"I should've gone out earlier," he muttered.

He should have moved when there were only goblins around, while it was still easy to complete the quest. In fact, he would have done so if his family hadn't stopped him.

"Don't say something so ridiculous! What are you going to do if something happens outside?"

"Right. If you go out recklessly, it'll just lead to a disaster. This isn't a movie."

Movies showed protagonists escaping and performing heroic feats, but that was fiction. In reality, amateurs who acted recklessly were more likely to get injured or killed. Nathan felt irritation rise as he remembered his brother's earlier warnings.

'Does he think I wanted to be the hero in a movie? I just wanted to follow the quest's guidance. It literally said to move to a safe zone.'

The quest had even mentioned a "safe zone," suggesting that reaching that point would ensure their safety. Nathan's experience with quests had always been clear—they offered rewards if completed. Yet his family had been skeptical of the quest from the start.

"A quest? Something like that appeared in a game? Isn't that dangerous?"

"It seems like it's designed to lure in kids like you, who are too familiar with games."

No matter how passionately he explained, it didn't work. His parents had never approved of games, and his brother was a bookish type who only ever focused on academic texts. How could they possibly understand how games worked?

Instead of understanding, he had to endure their "logic," which dictated that anything related to games must be bad.

'And now, we're stuck in this mess because we did nothing.'

Sighing, Nathan opened his status window. There, something new had appeared under the curse section.

"Curse: Sloth"

Type: Persistent Curse

Details: A curse placed on those who wait for others to solve their problems. It doubles the experience points required to level up.

Additional: The curse is automatically removed upon gaining one level.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Just looking at it made him feel suffocated. The appearance of a status window meant that he could level up and increase his abilities. But to level up, he would need twice the effort of others. No matter how hard he worked, he'd barely improve, and that realization weighed on him.

'At least the curse lifts after gaining one level, but if I keep hesitating, who knows what might happen later?'

For now, only one quest had disappeared, and he had only received a minor curse. But next time? The system might take away the entire status window altogether. The thought alone sent shivers down his spine.

The difference between being able to grow and being stuck at a standstill was vast.

'I have to complete the next quest, no matter what.'

Even if his family tried to stop him, Nathan resolved not to listen. His family knew nothing about quests. He, at least, had some knowledge and could make better decisions for himself.

Just as Nathan made up his mind, he spotted movement outside the window.

"...People? Are those people?"

Through the window, he saw two moving figures. It was dark, but they definitely weren't skeletons. The two figures were heading toward the street, where skeletons swarmed. It was practically a suicide mission.

'What should I do? Should I warn them?'

He considered opening the window and shouting, but doing so might attract the skeletons to their location. While he was hesitating, a man's voice rang out.

"Black Missile, Black Missile, Black Missile!"

Boom, Boom, Boom!

"...!?"

Black masses shot out from the man's hands, and the skeletons crumbled to the ground. Nathan's eyes widened in disbelief. The terrifying skeletons fell like straw dummies before the man. After casting several magic spells, the man had dealt with all the skeletons.

"Energy Drain."

Whoosh...

"Whew, that's another area cleaned up. Hey, can you send the alert, please?"

"Got it!"

The man dusted off his hands, and another person, who had been standing silently, stepped forward. The second figure wore a sword at his waist, clearly not an ordinary person.

"Is anyone still alive?! We've come from the safe zone! If anyone's still here, we're here to rescue you!"

"What...what's going on?"

"Nathan, what's happening? Who are those people?"

"That's..."

Nathan's parents asked in confusion, but before he could answer, a quest window reappeared in front of him.

"Protector and Protected"

Type: Main Quest

Details: After waiting for outside help, you were exposed to a monster attack. However, the opportunity is not lost. For those who cannot grow on their own, go to the safe zone with the help of the strong.

Reward: Safe Zone Entry Pass

"...!"

At last, a new quest had appeared. Nathan's eyes lit up. His parents and brother, resting nearby, also seemed surprised.

Quickly, Nathan explained to his family.

"Those people killed all the skeletons! You know, those bone monsters!"

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, look, there's nothing left. And now, the quest says we should go to the safe zone with them."

Excited by the quest, Nathan gestured wildly as he explained. Since they had just been terrorized by the skeletons, he thought this time his family would listen. But once again, his parents' reaction was no different than before.

"Hm, this seems dangerous."

"What?"

"Think about it. Why would people with that kind of power bother saving us? What's in it for them?"

"That's right. Even if they're talking about a safe zone, who knows where they're actually taking us?"

"And the fact that those monsters suddenly appeared...who's behind all of this?"

Nathan was speechless at his parents' reaction. Even after what they had been through because they ignored the first quest, they were still saying the same things. He didn't need to listen to any more.

"Whoever is controlling this whole situation seems to be guiding our actions. For now, we should stay quiet and..."

"Here! We're over here!"

"Na-Nathan!? What are you doing!?"

"Over here! Help us! We're still alive!"

Though his parents tried to stop him, it was too late. The two strangers' eyes were already fixed on their family's window.

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