Quota 0/391 - 26 days left to start the quota

Victor woke up after a good night’s sleep. The sun had been up for several hours, but Victor kept sleeping.

After spending several days getting up early, combined with the ever-present jet lag, he had built up quite a sleep debt. Victor could have continued sleeping until noon if the other group members hadn’t wanted to have breakfast together. So, with great difficulty, he got up and dragged himself into the bathroom.

The bags under his eyes had receded by a few centimeters, but not enough to make him look like a living being. There was only one detail that made him smile in the mirror: he had hit his second quota with this appearance. With impeccable physical condition, he would probably have no problem meeting the following quotas.

'I’m not sure if 26 days will be enough, but it’s a good start,' he thought as he got dressed.

He didn’t expect to reach the same level as the others, but if he could already run more than a hundred meters, it would improve his chances of survival.

I’m back, host!

'That’s strange, my dear system. I’m hopeful about your update, but at the same time, I feel like I’m going to get screwed.'

Don’t worry, host! I’m now in beta with many new features and items available for sale.

'What are all these new things you’re promising me?'

Give me a moment, host!

Victor held his breath for several seconds, waiting for a response.

I’ve got the information you requested, host! The update adds two items to my countless features in the store. It’s not much, but you surely won’t be disappointed!

'They better be good...' Victor thought as he clicked on the store tab on the holographic screen.

Walkie-Talkie // Price: 12

Jetpack // Price: 700

Your balance // 2287

"There aren’t any other new features?" he asked before buying everything.

It would be a disaster if he discovered a new paid feature after spending all his balance on the Jetpack.

Nothing else for now, host! The update did add a very useful new paid feature, but you don’t meet the conditions to take advantage of it.

'And what am I supposed to do to unlock it?'

That’s a secret, host, but I’m sure you’ll die before you figure it out!

Victor might have punched the holographic screen and shattered the mirror behind it if his arm wasn’t still hurting.

So he contented himself with threatening the system verbally as he left his room.

It was his last night at the hotel. He grabbed his bag containing his few belongings and headed for the elevator. The freshness and permanent cleanliness of the place would be missed a little less if he had to pay for his stay himself.

He hadn’t received another mysterious envelope containing a plane ticket either, so he was currently stuck in New York.

"Maybe I’ll need to talk to the manager to be able to get back to Lille," he thought as he stepped into the lobby.

The one and only Charon was still standing behind the reception desk.

“I hope you had a pleasant stay at our branch, Mr. de la Fayette. Miss Olivia and the rest are already waiting for you inside the restaurant.”

Victor thanked him before joining the others. He figured he would have time to talk with them before requesting a meeting with the branch manager. Maybe he could work a few weeks as a waiter to pay for his return trip.

He would then have little time left to reach the place where he had to complete his quota, but he didn’t really have a choice. Unless, of course, someone came to his aid.

He joined the others at their table after grabbing something to eat. Charon hadn’t told him how long they had been waiting, but Shirley hadn’t specified a precise time the night before. Olivia was the only one who had started eating, slowly nibbling on a croissant with both hands.

She was eating so slowly that she would still be nibbling on it even after Victor finished his breakfast.

“**Finally, Victor! I hope at least you had a good night’s sleep,**” Shirley sighed, trying to scold him.

However, because of her radiant smile, she had trouble hiding her happiness at having completed a quota without losing anyone.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

She also had an issue with Olivia, who was completely absorbed by her croissant. She was too busy nibbling to give Victor anything but a mumbled translation.

As for Nathaniel, he was staring into space. It took Shirley nudging him to make him notice Victor’s arrival.

He removed his black glasses and gloves. He gave Victor a firm handshake before starting to eat.

Shirley pursed her lips upon seeing that almost everyone had already started eating. She would have liked to talk with Victor, but the chief translator was off in her own world.

So, she had to wait until she finished her croissant before they could begin talking.

“What are you planning to do now?” Victor asked them once Olivia had finished wiping her mouth.

They might not want to jump into another quota right away, but that wasn’t the case for him. The traces of his father would soon fade, and he needed to act quickly if he wanted a chance to find him.

In response to his question, the other group members raised their eyebrows. They looked at him with a mix of confusion and amusement. Shirley was the one who explained the situation to him.

“But Victor... we’re leaving for Siberia tomorrow.”

His shock was palpable.

'What the hell is going on?' he screamed internally.

He had no problem going to Siberia, but he would have liked to know in advance. Well, actually, he did have a problem with Siberia. There was probably nothing there except vast stretches of tundra, snow, and bears. Victor wasn’t particularly eager to face any of the three.

Before he could express his opinion and reluctance, Charon had approached their table. He had entered the restaurant a few seconds earlier without anyone noticing his presence.

“Monsieur de la Fayette, if you would kindly follow me, the manager is waiting for you in his office.”

Victor jumped when he heard a voice behind him. He stood up from the table and began to follow Charon.

He frowned as he entered the manager’s office, still thinking about Siberia when Charon left the room, closing the door behind him.

“I hope your stay at our branch has been pleasant, Monsieur de la Fayette.”

He exuded an unshakable charisma that commanded attention. Without even giving Victor time to respond, he continued speaking with a smile on his face.

“Before we discuss your trip to Russia, you might want to read this letter,” he announced, handing him an envelope.

He didn’t exchange any pleasantries and jumped straight to the point. After handing over the letter, he sat in the chair across from Victor, holding a cup of coffee. Even he was somewhat curious to know what was inside the envelope.

There was no addressee on the white envelope, just Victor’s name written in black ink. It was the same handwriting as the small note he had received in Lille.

The person who had brought him to New York was likely the same one sending him to the far reaches of Siberia.

He opened the envelope. This time, there were no new badges or plane tickets, just a few words on a sheet of paper.

You will depart for Siberia tomorrow morning. You will be with the same team for an expedition in the Rend zone. Once you arrive, you’ll have several days to prepare. If you succeed, you will come a little closer to the truth. I also suggest you discuss with your teammates how to divide the rewards, as some are not after money.

Best of luck, Victor.

The letter didn’t contain much. In fact, Victor was quite surprised at how little information it held. He still didn’t know who was behind these letters or why they were relying on him to meet the quotas.

He learned only two things from the letter. First, some of his teammates were not risking their lives in the galleries for money. Victor had already suspected this on their last day in Dine, and now he had confirmation.

However, he still didn’t know more. He had no idea what their motivations were, although he didn’t care much.

They were there to meet their quota, and the same was true for him.

Second, he learned a little more about the person behind all this. They had to be powerful enough to smuggle them into Russia. Even though they were going far from the front with Ukraine, it wasn’t an easy task to get into Russia.

Victor closed the envelope. The manager handed him a lighter with a smile. In just a few seconds, the envelope was reduced to a pile of ashes.

“I wish you a pleasant journey, Monsieur de la Fayette. You will probably spend some time in the Siberian branch of the hotel, so be sure to greet Manager Dulgynov on my behalf.”

Charon returned to the room to escort Victor out. After a simple handshake with the manager, Victor left the office.

He had entered frowning and left still frowning. The intensity had decreased but had not disappeared entirely.

“We’ll see what the future holds,” he sighed, rejoining the others. They were sitting at the same table, having not moved since he had left.

They were talking quietly about their trip to Siberia. Shirley was talking about renting a tank, Nathaniel about all the gadgets that might be useful in the middle of the tundra, and Olivia about firearms.

It didn’t seem to be an issue for the young woman to acquire truckloads of weapons in any situation. And, to be honest, if given a choice, Victor would prefer to face a giant with a tank or a rocket launcher truck rather than a shovel. Even if, with a bit of luck, there wouldn’t be any giants on Rend.

The more the conversation progressed, the more Victor realized how little information he had received. The others already knew the route, the departure and arrival times, and even the area they had to reach for the quota.

The only thing Victor could contribute to the group was items. The shovels had been quite useful during the last quota. With the system’s update, he could now offer the rest of the group walkie-talkies and maybe one or two jetpacks.

“Do they work in the galleries? What’s their range? Will they work in the middle of the tundra? Are the frequencies encrypted? How long do the batteries last?”

All these questions seemed to be of great concern to Nathaniel. Victor had no answers. His hesitation showed on his face, even as the system whispered the answers to him.

“You’ll have to let me run a battery of tests on them before we leave,” Nathaniel announced, leaving Victor with no choice.

“Let me go get them, and they’re all yours,” Victor replied, standing up for the second time.

He needed to return to his room. Even though the group had encountered strange events, they probably weren’t ready to see objects materialize out of thin air.

Once back in his room, he purchased four walkie-talkies.

Thank you for your patronage, host! Your order will be delivered by your courier in a few minutes!

'What do you mean, courier?' Victor thought as he looked out the window.

An ice cream truck had just turned the corner.