*1346.04.20*

Joram wished his classmates luck and waved goodbye to them as he left the lecture hall where they’d taken their last exam. Meaning, he now had a total of eight days off!

He practically skipped all the way home, not caring how many people trailed along behind him, hoping to get in a word, or a date.

But because of his amazing disappearing act a couple of weeks ago, people were a bit nervous to approach him. He wasn’t too sure on the details, but a good number of rumours had him painted as the young master of a secret organization of assassins who specialized in perfect assassinations.

Thinking about it a bit, anyone with a shred of common sense would have discarded that rumour right away. What kind of assassin specializing in stealth to the point where they could disappear in the middle of a crowd would go and do something flashy like fight an honour duel or vanish right after a performance?!

His leading theory on that was teenage-brain.

Now that he was a bit further along developmentally- at the tail end of puberty that is-, he was having an easier time of it. So, really, he understood the desire to believe wild tales and imagine ridiculous scenarios, daydreaming of things more exciting than never ending schoolwork.

On the topic of puberty, he was glad that his voice had stopped breaking after cultivating the latest chapter of the Adamantium Body Technique. He wouldn’t have dared try a public performance with his voice like that. He shuddered to think what would have happened, especially if Altaea had witnessed such a thing….

On the plus side, princess Jae-Eun’s interest had been piqued. Alicia had relayed the news later that night, after having finally cooled off that is.

After that, Joram hadn’t returned to the café for fear of being mobbed. It had taken a week before everyone calmed down enough that they no longer chased him on sight. On the other hand, the mail box out front had filled with an alarming number of confession letters following up to exams. He suspected that they dropped off due to study fever/anxiety. Either way, he wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore.

“I’m home!” He called out as he entered his house, closing the door behind him with a flourish.

*Silence*

Joram quirked and eyebrow at this, then pinged the Network to see where everyone was.

Sure enough, they were all out. From the direction and distance, he was pretty sure that the girls were at work, while Wentian seemed to be somewhere around the sparring arenas.

“Welp, may as well head out to the Quest Hall and have a look,” he muttered to himself as he turned around and left, locking up again behind himself.

- - - - -

Welp, seems I’m not the only one thinking about quests, he thought as he tried to get a bit closer to the C-Class request board. It was, fortunately, much easier since there weren’t as many C-Classes around to compete with.

That said, the pickings were now sparse.

As interesting as herb gathering requests might have been considering he might be able to add more samples to his collection, they were a bit boring. It felt a bit too much like the daily quest board in an MMO for his taste.

Then he noticed one at the bottom, partially hidden from view. He used a bit of [Telekinesis] to pull it over so he could have a look, resulting in a few startled looks and one annoyed glare.

It was a request for a 3rd Tier Alchemist to refine an “exceptionally complex” medicinal pill for them. They would provide the recipe, ingredients, and lab once the quester’s suitability had been verified. All done at their place. “Contact information: to be provided when quester registers the request.”

Well, that’s shady as F, he thought, shaking his head. The request didn’t look very old, so why had it been half covered up on such a sparse board like that? If it was as high profile as it seemed to be, then why hadn’t anyone else taken the request?

Shaking his head, he sent the request back to the board and re-pinned it.

Sounds more like a trap to me, he thought, then pulled down two herb gathering requests and got in line to register for the requests. At the very least, the quests would provide some points for their teams.

Heck, it might even be like a nice outing to the park with some pretty ladies, he thought, a silly grin forming on his face.

*The next day*

Despite herself, Sung Jae-Eun was more than a little bit excited.

She’d been registered as a quester since she had arrived at the Academy, the allure of going out adventuring too much to pass up. Dreams of exploring, finding treasure, or even an ancient inheritance had called to her since she was a child. The romance of it hadn’t gone away as she grew up, but had instead grown in her.

But then Matsui Aya had put her foot down and refused to allow her ward to put herself in any sort of danger, killing her dreams of excitement and adventure mere minutes after getting her quester’s license.

Then she thought, maybe she could get Aya’s approval if she joined an established party. That would certainly put her guardian’s mind at ease.

Again, Matsui Aya had crushed her dreams with an efficiency that would have been admirable had it not been used on her. Every team that she applied to had to first get vetted by Aya to make sure they were as good as they claimed.

Some had come close, but had then failed when Aya deemed them too “lascivious”.

Jae-Eun once again cursed that damnable Goddess Ranking. It had spread her information not only across campus, but also Stormhaven, the city that grew up to support the Academy. So, not only had Aya basically blacklisted anyone from campus, but had also done the same for the Adventurer’s Guild in town.

She had barely had the heart to update her license and qualifications when she’d broken through to the Qi Gathering Realm, what those at the Academy called the 2nd Tier last year. She was so discouraged about it all that she wasn’t sure if she’d update her license when she eventually broke through to the Human Realm.

Then her second year had started, heralding two new additions to the Goddess Ranking. With two new additions to the ranking, she’d hoped that the attention on her might shift to the newcomers, as terrible as that thought made her feel. It felt like cursing strangers just to benefit from it.

But the attention on her did shift, and the attention waned. Not as much as she would have liked, but enough that she felt that she had a modicum of privacy again. So, she’d gone to see the ones who she felt she owed a debt to for diverting attention away from her.

She’d been stunned. She’d always been considered beautiful and had been told as much by those around her as she’d grown up. It got to the point where she’d begun ignoring what she found to be hollow compliments at best, oily flatter at worst.

But the two new additions to the Ranking were like the most exquisitely detailed paintings depicting the peak of beauty come to life. Their every movement was graceful, their countenances flawless and full of grace. They were the picture of feminine beauty that countless people had sought throughout the millennia, but had never found.

To say that she’d been stunned by their beauty was one thing. But she’d also been stunned because of how she’d felt when she’d first beheld Alicia and Moyra. She wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but it made her want to get to know those two women better.

Then, a short time later, her opportunity came. Alicia had opened a café with an unusual theme, but nevertheless served exquisite delicacies she’d never before tasted. The best part was that Moyra had also started working at the Starfall Café, making it easier for her to interact with them.

Aya had, at first, watched both women like a hawk. Likely because she thought it was some sort of scheme to get close to her ward, a princess of a moderately-sized foreign empire. But as their interactions continued to admittedly be mundane, Aya had let up slightly, eventually allowing Alicia to sit and chat with her every time Jae-Eun came by.

To say that it was refreshing to be able to speak with someone so casually would have been an understatement. She suspected that Aya also acknowledged that she needed someone to speak with other than her, hence why she allowed it.

As they got to know each other, she found out that Alicia was a rare practitioner of Mental Strength, a Mentalist as they called it here. She was already at the peak of the Foundation Realm, ready to break through to the Qi Gathering Realm at any time. For someone who was the same age as her, it was impressive that she’d made such progress with her cultivation and Mental Strength at the same time.

But Alicia had seemed… disappointed with her progress, which confused Jae-Eun until she’d explained why.

The other Mentalist who’d been accepted that year was a young man even younger than they were, yet was already at the peak of the 3rd Tier with his cultivation in Mental Strength. Alicia had also shared that he was also a body cultivator, probably in the 4th Tier, but she hadn’t been certain.

They’d applied for their quester’s licenses together, but had taken their assessments separately. She also shared that Joram was her neighbour and that Moyra was actually one of his servants, which had nearly caused her to lose her tea in an embarrassing way.

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Alicia had said, leaning closer so that she could whisper to her. “Moyra and the others always seem to be wearing aura shrouds, so no one really knows how strong they are. But, when Joram made his team, they also signed up under him. They were instantly approved to be C-Class,” she’d said, her eyebrows wiggling up and down in excitement.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Jae-Eun could understand why. If Joram was a 3rd Tier Mentalist, he’d normally only be ranked as a D-Class, even with stronger team members to support him. But if those team members were, say, in the 5th Tier, then it was entirely possible for the team’s rating to go up a rank.

Which meant that Moyra was most likely very strong. Which, then, had her wondering if Joram was some young master of a strong family to warrant such ridiculously powerful servants. By rights, anyone that strong could serve directly under the general of an empire. The Heaven Realm was no joke.

She’d been pondering what Alicia said that whole week before again visiting Starfall Café on her free day.

It was surprisingly busy given the hour, but she supposed that the café’s popularity was still growing. She had even spotted, of all things, a study group heading inside. She’d dismissed them, choosing to instead enjoy the spring morning, fresh air, and the beautiful blossoms adorning the surrounding trees as she sipped her tea at her table outside.

She was just about to leave when a young man with dark purple hair came out of the café and walked past her so that he could take a few breaths of fresh air. From how Alicia had described him, she was sure that it was Joram Aneath.

Jae-Eun had wondered if she should greet him, but then dismissed the notion as ridiculous. Not only did she have nothing to talk about with him, but she was sure that Aya had focussed on him like a hawk as soon as he’d appeared. Which meant that she was more likely to bisect the young man that let him speak to her.

When he passed by again, she frowned slightly at what she sensed, or rather, what she failed to sense. Alicia had said that Joram didn’t wear an aura shroud. But if that were true, why didn’t she feel any cultivation from him? Could it be that he was only in the Body Tempering Realm? That would explain the lack of Qi.

Was he somehow unable to cultivate? Was that why he chose to train in body refinement?

Her questions had paused when she saw Joram sit on the stool that Moyra used when playing her fascinating “guitar”, now holding one of his own. Her expectations involuntarily rose at the sight of him preparing to play, but then started to drop again when it looked like he’d frozen in place from a case of the nerves.

Then Alicia hurried out of Starfall and, shockingly, placed a silk screen in front of him, hiding him from sight.

“Even though he’s a bit shy, he agreed to my selfish request of playing a few songs for us,” Alicia announced to them, getting a few laughs as she continued to smile. “Whenever you’re ready, Joram.”

Jae-Eun had been happy that Alicia chose to sit with her, though she hadn’t been very hopeful of the performance Alicia seemed to have been excited to hear.

Needless to say, what followed had profoundly altered not just her preconceptions of Joram, but her beliefs and views on music.

She’d been delighted to see a new musical instrument when Alicia had first asked Moyra to provide a bit of music for them. The sound created by the guitar had been so new and fresh to her that she’d asked Moyra where she could get one from. But unfortunately, Moyra hadn’t been able to say, nor had she agreed to let her buy it from her.

Then she’d heard Joram play. It was like night and day. The emotions invoked by the notes had astonished her, as she’d long since been desensitized to such things from growing up in the palace where the very best bards and minstrels had played for them her whole life.

She had been impressed by the quality of his voice when he’d begun to sing, her esteem continuing to grow as the song progressed until she finally felt how warm her cheeks had gotten.

She’d furtively looked around to see if anyone had seen her reaction, but everyone, including Aya, were still focussed on the silk screen hiding Joram.

For the second time in her life, her heart had been filled with such a tangle of emotions and feelings that she didn’t know what it meant.

Then the performance ended, and Joram had somehow vanished without a trace, leaving Aya more paranoid than a rabbit in a wolf’s den.

To help alleviate Aya’s… overprotectiveness, Jae-Eun had asked Alicia more about Joram after she’d managed to calm down the sizable crowd.

Alicia had claimed that she didn’t know how Joram had escaped without anyone noticing, but posited that it might have been a trick done with Mental Strength. Aya hadn’t looked like she believed that, but hadn’t said anything to dispute the conjecture.

It had taken Jae-Eun the entire week to convince her to allow her to go to Starfall again that weekend. But she was glad Aya agreed, for she was looking forward to speaking with Alicia again. And maybe seeing Joram again.

But her hopes had been in vain, regarding Joram, anyway, and almost for speaking with Alicia. Starfall had been packed to capacity and the line-up so long that it went to the end of the block. The only reason why she’d been allowed in was because Moyra had spotted them and personally brought them in to the back room where the office was.

Aya had been extra… vigilant at the unusual behaviour, but had allowed it.

She’d found Alicia doing a bit of paperwork in her office, but dropped it when she saw them, giving them a large smile.

“I’m glad you could make it!” She’d said, then went on to explain why it was so busy. It seemed as though Starfall had been just as busy all week, filled with people hoping to see Joram.

“From what I hear, Joram made it to the top of the Hero Ranking,” Alicia had shared, eyes wide.

“… Is that impressive?” She’d asked, not quite sure what to make of it.

“Ah, that’s the male version of the Goddess Ranking.”

Jae-Eun had been agog. It was one thing for young men to lust after women, but for women to fall to such a level astounded her.

Aya had looked at her for a moment, then shook her head.

“This is common,” she’d said, as though it were common sense.

“Anyway,” Alicia had redirected the conversation then, bringing up that she’d formed a questing team.

Jae-Eun had sensed Aya tense up at the mention of questing, but had summarily ignored her guardian as she’d listened to Alicia’s description of what she wanted her team to be.

Jae-Eun had been astonished. To say that it was ambitious was no understatement. To form a team solely comprised of women on the Goddess Ranking was unheard of. But she’d fallen in love with the name of her team, and what message it would send to not only those who distributed the Goddess Ranking, but also to those who made it possible for it to continue.

“The name of my team is: The Untouchables.”

And that was when Matsui Aya had approved of Jae-Eun joining a questing team.

“Today’s the day!” She practically squealed as she finished getting ready for her first quest.

Her amour had been cleaned and polished. Her staff had been buffed and polished. Her hair was tied up in a tight bun, a forehead protecter tied to her head.

She. Was. Ready.

“You look ridiculous,” Aya piped in from the side, still dressed in what she always wore: a defensive artifact that appeared to be a tight-fitting outfit that allowed her full range of motion while also providing armour in vital spots. And a katana.

“Aya, you’ve lost your sense of romance and adventure!”

“Yup,” she broke in, her tone still flat. “And now I’m babysitting a princess.”

Jae-Eun’s jaw dropped at that, completely taken off guard by the uncharacteristic response. Aya just reached out and closed her mouth for her before going on.

“I’m still not sure about this Alicia,” she said, then held up her hand to forestall Jae-Eun’s responds. “But, I am willing to give it a try, even if her team will be accompanying Joram’s as helpers.”

That definitely stopped what she’d been about to say.

When Alicia had told her that they’d be joining Joram’s team on a quest, she’d been all for it. She wanted to pick his brain to find out all she could about what he knew of musical theory, and where the guitar had come from.

Then Aya had once again been the one to, metaphorically, bump a vat of ice water on her head.

“Alicia may be passable, for now, but this Joram Aneath is still an unknown. Be vigilant,” she’d said just before arriving at Starfall in her standard flat tone.

Jae-Eun glanced over at her guarding and just about sighed. She had her “work face” on, which explained why people had been crossing the street to avoid them instead of just giving them a bit more room on the sidewalk like they usually did.

When they arrived, she noticed that Joram was waiting at a table with Alicia, Moyra, Quinn, and a man who looked to be from the sects back home. The four sitting with Joram somehow seemed to discourage those who looked like they wanted to approach. Which, for some reason, eased the tension in her neck that she hadn’t noticed until it released.

Before she could delve further into introspection, Alicia got up and greeted her with her usual energy.

“Jae-Eun, I’m glad that you could make it!”

“I wouldn’t want to disappoint my friend,” she replied demurely with a small smile of her own.

“I’m glad to see that you’ve prepared well,” Alicia said as she looked her up and down, nodding to herself. “It’s always good to be prepared.”

For some reason Joram chuckled when she said that, causing Aya to tense until they heard him audible murmur.

“Stealing my lines…”

Jae-Eun took a moment to inspect Joram and his team. They looked to be dressed rather casually for their quest. Joram wore an oddly cut grey shirt that clung to his frame, with a neck cut to just above his collar bones and sleeves that ended about a third of the way down his upper arm. There was an odd symbol tightly embroidered in white and red on the upper right side of his odd shirt. She didn’t recognize the symbols, so she dismissed it as a peculiarity.

His black pants were also of a style she didn’t recognize. They were a bit baggy, allowing for good movement, but also had several extra pockets sewn onto the outside that closed with a flap that just fell over the top of the pocket, no buttons to be seen.

Then his footwear completed the odd ensemble. They were obviously boots, but very sturdy-looking with a thick sole that had an oddly textured tread and a black metal plate that covered the top of the boot.

All told, odd.

I’m comparison, his companions looked normal. The man was dressed in what the martial sects would commonly wear, loose pants and shirt with cloth slippers.

Both Moyra and Quinn wore something akin to a combat robe, with that same odd symbol on their chests that Joram had, that fit well up top but then split at the hips leaving the thighs exposed. The garment only fell to mid-shin, preventing it from tangling the legs if they needed to move fast. To her relief, she also spotted sparring shorts underneath, covering anything an errant wind might expose.

Aside from those mundane-looking clothes, the only accessories that might add to their protection were a pair of rings that each person wore. She wasn’t sure about the other, but one ring was definitely a storage ring. Upon further scrutiny, Joram’s second ring looked like it was a standard [Cleanse] ring. While helpful in day-to-day life, it wasn’t likely to be as helpful while out on a quest.

Even Alicia was dressed casually, wearing what looked like a shorts version of Joram’s pants with a top that fit her just as well as Joram’s, but was sleeveless, the top held up by bands of the material that went from front to back over her shoulders. It exposed a lot of skin, in her opinion, and would certainly draw the lustful gazes of most males in the area.

Aya just looked on as though she expected an ambush from anywhere, ready to end anything and everything that might potentially want to harm her ward.

Then Joram stood up and gave them a slight bow before introducing his team formally.

“Hi, I’m Joram,” he said casually, eliciting a Look from Aya. “This here is Moyra. She specializes in mid to long range attacks. This is Quinn, who specializes in short to mid ranged attacks. And this is Wentian, who specializes in hand-to-hand combat,” he said indicated each member of his party, then motioned to the odd symbol on his shirt. “We’re N7.”

That last part sounded odd, as though it came from another language entirely. Which was likely given that she didn’t recognize the characters he pointed to.

“Aaaand,” Alicia piped in, taking Jae-Eun by the arm. “We’re The Untouchables,” she said, a huge smile on her face.

Jae-Eun blushed slightly at the close contact, but found that she was unexpectedly proud of her team name. She saw Joram’s companions smile at that, though Wentian looked like he’d suppressed a wince. Joram, on the other hand, just smiled at that, a twinkle in his eye.

“It’s good to meet you,” he said, holding out a hand to shake.

Before she could even begin lifting her hand in response, Aya interposed herself between them and took his had in her place.

“We look forward to working with you,” she said, her tone so flat that it was almost monotone.

Jae-Eun saw the tendons on Aya’s had starting to rise, indicating that she was either trying very hard to hold back from crushing Joram’s hand with her Mystic Realm strength, or she was actually trying to crush Joram’s hand but wasn’t able to.

She dismissed that last thought as absurd when she noticed that Joram was still smiling just as pleasantly as before. The more likely scenario was that Aya was still suspicious of Joram and thus didn’t like him. Which, really, was normal, so she also dismissed those thoughts too.

“All right,” Joram said once he’d released Aya’s hand. “Let’s head out. Those herbs won’t pick themselves!”

The what now?

* * * * *

“So, did he take the request?”

“No, sir. Although he did look at it, he instead chose some herb gathering requests.”

There was a long pause before the first person spoke again, sounding both incredulous and annoyed.

“Why wouldn’t an alchemist accept that quest? Everything is even provided for them!”

This time the second person paused slightly before answering.

“Perhaps it was a little too… vague, sir?”

“Hmm, maybe you’re right. I’ll have to think of an even better plan to draw him in,” he said, obviously deep in thought.

“Very good, sir. Would you like any refreshments while you plan?”

“Go fetch some cakes from that new café for me,” he said, already distracted.

“Very good, sir.”