-052- Mission Hall! Adventurer Kirito! (Third Update! Just Because I Can!)

After breakfast, Tong Si made a trip to Song Xin’s flower and bird shop.

Song Xin’s shop wasn’t far from Tong Si’s breeding house, only about fifty meters away. After handing her a spare key to the breeding house, he asked her to help feed the few elves in the yard. This time, Tong Si was going on a long journey and might not return for several days.

Song Xin readily agreed—she was quite fond of Tong Si’s backyard herself.

With everything arranged, Tong Si and Jiang Tao prepared to head to the Elf Association.

Indeed, before heading to Verdant Leaf Forest, they had to apply at the Elf Association. Only after their application was approved could they set out for the forest.

To call it an application was perhaps overstating it—a mere formality, really. As long as you weren’t one of those wild trainers planning to capture dozens of elves at once, the association rarely refused.

When they arrived at the association, Tong Si was surprised to find that, even though it was already August, so many new trainers were still coming to register. Outside, on the association’s battle grounds, crowds of rookie trainers were still locked in combat.

Since Tong Si and Jiang Tao were there for the approval to enter Verdant Leaf Forest, they didn’t need to queue. They slipped in through a side entrance.

As soon as Tong Si entered, a few staff members hurried over, asking for autographs and photos. Truly, the title of Jiahua City’s Best Rookie carried weight wherever you went—but only for this year. By this time next year, a new rookie king would be crowned, and everyone’s attention would shift to the next rising star. So it went, year after year—no one could stay in the spotlight forever, unless you reached the level of the Elite Four or the Champion.

After signing autographs, Tong Si and Jiang Tao applied for the travel permit to Verdant Leaf Forest. The wait would be about half an hour.

With nothing else to do, Tong Si led Jiang Tao up to the second floor of the association—he remembered there was a Quest Hall there, a place he’d long wanted to visit. Last time he’d come, he was only registering as a rookie trainer and couldn’t take on missions. Now, with his ordinary-level trainer’s card, he was eligible.

“You want to take on a quest too?” Jiang Tao was puzzled. “Aren’t we going to Verdant Leaf Forest together? Why are you thinking about taking a quest?”

“I’m just having a look. If there’s something suitable, why not take one?” said Tong Si.

The rewards for quests in the Quest Hall increased with difficulty. Generally, there were three types of people who came to take on quests.

First: trainers from poor backgrounds, who completed quests to earn Union Coins.

Second: trainers confident in their abilities, seeking to prove themselves through missions.

Third: those dispatched by the League itself, fulfilling special assignments.

If you simply wanted to earn some Union Coins, you could pick up easier missions—like finding lost elves or pets. These were the lowest, D-rank, and paid little.

Some prominent families would post tasks for capturing a specific elf—these were usually B or C-rank missions, depending on the rarity and requirements for the elf in question.

A-rank quests were much more difficult, not suitable for beginners. S-rank quests were custom assignments from the League, and not open to everyone.

After browsing the board, Tong Si spotted a C-rank quest: Capture a Sakura Sprite.

“Sakura Sprite? Jiang Tao, doesn’t Verdant Leaf Forest have Sakura Sprites?” Tong Si had done his research before this trip.

Verdant Leaf Forest straddled the provinces of Linhai and Yingzhou, stretching from the northern part of Jiahua City all the way to the southern border of Jihai City in Yingzhou. Within the forest, hundreds of thousands of elves lived, primarily Bug and Grass types.

Tong Si remembered there were indeed Sakura Sprites among them.

“There should be, but the forest is huge. Finding one Sakura Sprite won’t be easy,” Jiang Tao replied, frowning. He’d rather not bother—for them, the purpose of this trip was to catch new elves. Jiang Tao’s family specialized in Water types, but he didn’t want his team to be all the same, so he hoped to find something different in Verdant Leaf Forest. Tong Si, meanwhile, was searching for his third elf.

The forest was vast; even if they spent several days there, there was no guarantee they’d find their ideal catch. Taking on a quest on top of that would just be added trouble.

Tong Si ignored Jiang Tao and studied the quest details:

Quest: Capture a Sakura Sprite
Rank: C
Requirement: Female Sakura Sprite, no restrictions on quality or level
Deadline: Before August 31st
Reward: 100,000 points

After reading the requirements, Tong Si understood why it was classified as C-rank and not B—the main reason was there was no restriction on quality.

If there were quality restrictions, it would typically be a B-rank quest.

As for rewards, they varied: some quests paid in Union Coins, others in points. Points could be exchanged at the association’s reward shop for prizes. Many rare items or uncommon skill discs couldn’t be bought with coins, only points.

“How about we take this one?” Tong Si asked.

“Whatever. You always decide anyway—why even ask me?” Jiang Tao rolled his eyes, but there was nothing he could do.

“Then I’ll go accept it.”

Tong Si approached the Quest Hall counter. “Hello, I’d like to accept this C-rank quest,” he said, handing over the form.

“Are you an Adventurer?” The receptionist blushed slightly, recognizing him—she’d watched his three exciting battles and had become a fan. Still, procedure was procedure.

“Adventurer?” Tong Si shook his head.

“Then you’ll need to register as an Adventurer first. Different levels of Adventurers can accept different ranks of quests. Completing a set number of quests will allow you to rank up as an Adventurer,” she explained, trying to contain her excitement at meeting him.

“Can I register now?” Tong Si asked.

“Of course. Please show your valid ID.” Tong Si produced his ordinary-level trainer’s card. After checking it, the receptionist helped him register.

Soon, a white card was issued to him.

… (To be continued)