I pinched the window with the eyeliner information and showed it to Murr and Kron.

“I just received this for completing a hidden quest.”

Kron held up a hand. “Hold on. There is a lot of information here to unpack.” He pointed at me. “Firstly, when did you receive a god-given quest?”

“It’s just a hidden quest.”

“Who do you think gives those out?”

Belinda, who was a god. “So, you’ve heard of quests being given out like this before? I thought I was the first to receive one. But it was so dumb-sounding and personalized that I didn’t think much of it. I thought Belinda just wanted me to beta test a new version of her system.”

The golem tapped the table, and it shook with the force he used. “This is important. Gods don’t give quests to people unless they’re necessary for something important that might happen in the future.”

“Oh, come on. You can’t tell me that this quest is important for anyone but me.”

I pulled up the quest information and showed it to Kron and Murr. They practically put their heads together to peer at it.

“To be fair to Sam,” Murr said, “It does look very personalized. Almost like the Goddess is just messing with him.”

Kron’s eyes narrowed. “Not many people know about the quests gods give out. They happen rarely, but they’re always important. If Sam is getting a quest like this, and one that has multiple parts, then it’s possible the world will need a new high-level Elven Tank, in the near future. Especially since the last new Elven Tanks have all died before finishing their Destiny Test. And the things she’s doing that look like she’s just messing with Sam are a way to hide any special treatment from other gods or entities.”

“Ooooor,” Murr said, “She could just be messing with him.”

I shrugged. “I mean. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that I have to reach level 300 in four years. I’ll take whatever items or hidden quests she throws at me if it will help me stay alive in the end... even if it feels like she’s bullying me.”

The rogue patted my shoulder. “That’s a good way to think about it. Take it one day at a time. Don’t take the goddess’ bullying to heart. Her opinion doesn’t matter to us mortals, anyway.”

“Well, if she is just messing with you, then you should absolutely use what she gives you to get ahead. The best way to get revenge on a god is to live well.”

Awww. These guys.

I nodded, then sighed. Actually, using the petty items she gives me in the best way I can is great, but if I stop at that then I might not get ahead of my ticking time bomb. I needed to be active in trying to understand my situation and the reason behind it. Maybe...

“Can either of you point me toward someone who might know why Elven Tanks become immortal when they reach 300? I think that the reason might hold a secret that can help me.”

Murr took a sip of his not-milk, then wiped the white mustache off his upper lip with a napkin. “I think I mentioned before that every class and species combination has its own special thing like that at 300.”

“You did. But it just seems weird that the only class and species combination that becomes immortal is mine.”

Kron stroked his chin. “Actually, I asked my teacher about it recently. He suspects that it’s from a variety of factors. The most important part is that Elves are relatives of Immortal Fae. He believes that once an elf’s body attribute gets past a certain point, it has a chance to activate their latent fae immortality, possibly even turning them into full Fae. But the few Elven Tanks that exist don’t talk about it, so we can only speculate.”

I frowned. “But Elven DPS fighters don’t become immortal and their body stat is just as high as a tank’s.”

“Sure,” the healer said, “but their body stat is usually used to deal damage, while a tank’s body stat is mostly focused on keeping them alive. As we can see from how we create our skills, intention is important.”

So, 300 levels of desperately trying to keep myself alive will turn me immortal? Well, I’d heard of crazier things.

Actually, this was reminding me of something from my past life! I couldn’t believe I forgot about this. I had almost remembered it after the Tank Off with Dos, too.

Back on earth, there was this martial art that strengthened the body and increased pain tolerance. It worked especially well for the groin area. Master practitioners could take a tree log to their nuts like it was nothing. But it wasn’t just about strengthening that part. Their training techniques made every part of their body tougher, including their eyes.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

How did they do that again? There was no way I could completely replicate their amazing training techniques on my own. But this wasn’t Earth. I had access to amazing healers that could mend shattered bones in minutes. I could take the basic principles and bring those over. But where should I start?

Oh! Right! I had watched another video about a teen who actually went through some of the training. He started with quick shallow slaps and escalated from there each day. I thought he was insane... But now I needed to copy him.

I rested my hand on the table. “After we get back from the guild tomorrow. I need you both to help me with something if you can.”

Kron slid his plate forward. “I have to buy ingredients and concoct more potions during our short break.”

I winced. Between Murr and myself, we’d basically gone through most of his stock. “Thank you for those.”

He shrugged. “That’s what they’re there for, and why we have a party fund.”

Murr pressed the back of his fork to a large crumb on his dish before nomming on it. Then he pointed his utensil at me. “Sure. What do you have in mind?”

As I explained about the slaps and hits, his grin kept getting wider and made me wonder if I should just wait for Kron.

“That’s a great idea! I’ll grab some large rubber slingshot balls to help you out.”

I felt a little panicked and grabbed his wrist on instinct. “It’s supposed to start out very light.”

“But you have a passive aura defense now. I’m going to have to actually do some damage to you down there for you to feel it.”

Shit... he was right.

He started gleefully listing out various items he could bring to help me out, which included a paddle, chains, a torch, and whips. Kron tried to help by suggesting some suspicious acidic alchemical compounds while giving a promise to heal me fully afterwards.

By the time I finished listening to all the ways these two planned to tortu—train me, I half-regretted asking for help. Well, I would try anything as long as it would help me survive these next four years.

***

When we entered the guild hall the next day, it seemed like everyone was staring at us, and not in a good way. Some looked at us sympathetically, and some guy in rogue gear smirked when he saw us. A dwarven healer standing in line curled her lip as if she were looking at three creepy nerds.

What the hell was going on?

Hellvian, who was sitting at a table while working through some paperwork, raised her hand and waved at us.

Once we sat down, she steepled her fingers. “How are you guys doing? Did you have a good rest?”

I nodded and looked around. “I’m fine, but a little confused.”

Murr pointed one cat ear toward Hellvian and the other appeared to focus on a nearby table. “I think I know what’s going on, and it’s not great.”

Kron frowned. “I can take a guess too.”

She grimaced. “As locals, you two would know, but you can deal with that later. For now, let’s go over what I found and what this means going forward with Balrok Mine.”

I nodded for her to continue.

“The mine does not have necrotic energy. We discovered that a single mushroom was left unchecked for so long that it evolved into a massive mushroom monster. It began to infect the other mushrooms in the mine and created a network. Once it gained enough intelligence, it used the smaller mushrooms to infect the dead bodies, then evolved a way to control them. No necrotic magic was involved.”

“That’s different.”

She moved a paper aside and picked up a quill. “It was a method we’d never seen before and it was a very unusual monster. Do you know the name of it?”

“Pink King Fungi.”

She nodded and wrote that down. “There is a slight problem with you three continuing to clear the dungeon. The guild is worried that the mushroom spores will get taken out and infect our world.”

“It’s a bit late for that. We’ve already gone in and out of the dungeon without any protective gear,” Murr said.

“They’re aware and are working on cleaning up any spores you may have brought out.” She placed four gold rings on the table. “They still want you three to finish what you started, but you and your miner associate must wear these to prevent the possible spread of those monster’s spores.”

I reached for the ring nearest to me, but she covered it.

“Be aware that you’re borrowing these from the guild so you need to sign these out and return them once the mine is cleared.”

I nodded, and she handed me a contract. Once we had all signed, she said, “I’ll have Val sign for his, if he agrees to keep working with you.”

“Considering how many monsters the King Fungi killed, there can’t be too much left for us to clear, right?” I asked.

She nodded. “But, rumor has it that the boss room is the best place to mine in the dungeon, so you might end up gaining some good sellable ore if Miner Val gets lucky.”

“Well, we’re going to take a break for a couple of days first.”

She narrowed her eyes on us. “That’s a good idea. You three are leveling too fast.” She shook her head. “Way too fast. It hasn’t even been a week since your destiny reveal and you’re already level 10.”

I stood up. “Well, I am an Elven tank.”

She rested her hand on the table in front of me. “I get it. And I won’t repeat what you’re probably already heard a hundred times. Good luck you three.” Her gaze focused on me. “And I hope you survive.”

“Me too.”

“Thank you for coming to our rescue. You were very cool!” Murr jumped from his seat.

She grinned. “I can tell you three have bigger problems to solve today. Good luck.”

Murr practically ran to the short line in front of the desk.

Kron nodded to Hellvian and quietly got to his feet.

I followed Murr. “What do you think it is?”

He shook his head, but his ears kept swiveling around. “I’m not going to say. I could be wrong.”

“Calm down,” Kron said. “If it is what we think, we can send in a complaint to the guild.”

The rogue grimaced. “The guild leader isn’t here, though. She’s helping your mother and her team, so there’s no one here with the authority to do what we need.” He pulled out a small knife and started nervously rolling it between his fingers.

I was very confused during the time it took us to reach a clerk.

Murr quickly slid his guild badge over the counter. “I’d like to look at my team’s reputation.”

The clerk nodded left for around five minutes, then returned with a sheepish expression on her face. She placed a piece of paper on the desk.

Murr picked it up and paled. His hand shook and his cat ears flattened.

“Fuck.”

“What?”

“We have hundreds of minor complaints against us.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“I’m serious. We’re being targeted. And it’s bad. Real bad. We-might-have-to-leave-the-city bad.”

“Fuuuuuuuuck.”