Chương 54: A-rank Rift

Ch 54 - A-rank Rift No. He refused. Evan almost wanted to scream at the System, but he had to restrain himself with Yeon-ah and Hiroto nearby. Doing his best to keep his expression neutral, he silently cursed the System in his head. First of all, Yeon-ah was several years older than him. Why would she listen to the words of a teenager? Just because he suspected that she might not be satisfied with her life as an idol didn't mean she would willingly abandon her established career to become an Awakener instead.

And after what happened at the stadium, it wouldn't be surprising if she became even more resistant to the idea. There was no reason for her to suddenly want to become an Awakener. Not only that, how was Evan even supposed to accomplish this? He could spend days or even weeks with Hiroto since they attended the same school, but Yeon-ah was an idol who would most likely remain in the Outskirts with her father. Meanwhile, Evan would be returning to District 1 tomorrow. So how was he supposed to convince her?

Evan continued arguing with the System in his mind, listing every reason why this mission was unreasonable. But as usual, the damned incorporeal being only replied with: [(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧] What kind of useless "you got this" response was that?! Evan screamed internally.

"Is something wrong?" Yeon-ah asked.

"Nothing," Evan replied, forcing his twitching facial muscles to calm down.

"How long are you planning to stay here? You've eaten enough of our food already." Yeon-ah's face flushed again.

"You were the ones who offered!"

"Still ate our lunch," Evan said.

"Did your manager not feed you or something?"

"She did," Yeon-ah replied.

"It's just that… idols aren't allowed to eat fast food like this often." Evan crossed his arms as he mulled over the new mission. He hadn't failed a single System Quest so far, and he intended to keep it that way. The consequences of failure were something he had no interest in learning firsthand. There wasn't even a penalty listed on the Quest window, but considering how much of a bastard his System was, Evan wouldn't be surprised if it happily threw him into some kind of hell as punishment.

"Why are you glaring at me?" Yeon-ah asked.

"I can't return your fries and chicken tenders. I already ate them!"

"Yeon-ah," Evan said.

"W-what?"

"Give me your phone number."

"Eh?" Evan held out his hand.

"Your number. Give me."

"Are you serious? Do you know how strictly forbidden that is by my agency?" Yeon-ah stared at him.

"What do you even need it for?"

"To message you. What else?" Evan replied. Yeon-ah narrowed her eyes.

"You don't have a crush on me, do you? Let me tell you right now, give up. An idol should never give her heart to anyone."

"I'm not!" Evan protested.

"Why do you people always jump to conclusions like that?!"

"Then why do you need my number?"

"It's because—" Knock knock. The door opened again, revealing Reid, who blinked at the scene before him. His gaze slowly moved toward the leftover burger wrappers scattered across the bed and bedside table.

"Here I was about to ask if you wanted me to buy you anything." Reid smiled as he closed the door behind him.

"Hiroto already brought me smash burgers," Evan said.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet, but I will after this." Reid paused when he noticed Yeon-ah staring up at him, her face beet red. Oh geez. Evan almost wanted to slap his forehead.

"I didn't expect to see Ms. Lim here," Reid said.

"Are you friends with my brother?"

"Brother? Oh, Evan is your brother?" Yeon-ah blinked.

"O-Oh, um... yes! We're friends!" You liar! Evan glared at her. You literally just refused to give me your contact information!

"Is that so?" Reid smiled.

"I'm glad Evan is making more friends." Evan buried his face in his hands as he half-listened to the rather one-sided conversation between Reid and the stammering Yeon-ah. He wasn't surprised she acted this way around his brother, but watching it unfold was still painfully embarrassing. Then an idea crossed his mind. Wait, couldn't I use this to get her number? He was just about to open his mouth when Reid beat him to it.

"If you don't mind, may I ask for your phone number, Ms. Lim?" Evan and Hiroto's jaws dropped in unison. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"M-My number? O-Of course!" She quickly recited it while Reid calmly saved the contact.

"Thank you," Reid said.

"I'll most likely contact you sometime in the future."

"Y-Yes! I'll be waiting!" Unable to meet anyone's eyes any longer, Yeon-ah excused herself before fleeing the room. Meanwhile, Evan felt like his brain had split in two. What... had he just witnessed? His brother, Reid, the reincarnation of Reuel, the cold-hearted Demon Hunter who had never shown the slightest interest in something as trivial as romance... had just asked Yeon-ah for her phone number. Had he somehow transmigrated again?

Into another world that looked exactly the same except Reid had suddenly decided he wanted to date?

"Since when were you interested in dating?!" Evan blurted out. Reid tilted his head.

"Dating?"

"You asked for Yeon-ah's contact information!" Evan accused, pointing a finger at him. Beside him, Hiroto nodded so vigorously he looked like a woodpecker.

"Ah, that," Reid said.

"I figured it would be useful to have the contact information of an S-rank Artificer."

"Huh?"

"You remember the gift I promised you, don't you?" Evan blinked before recalling what Reid had told him after the cleansing ritual. Back then, he'd been convinced his brother was going to visit him in the middle of the night and shoot him in the temple instead.

"What are you making?" Evan asked.

"What kind of gift needs an S-rank Artificer?" Reid smiled.

"It's a secret." Despite Evan's pestering, Reid refused to elaborate on what exactly he was making. At least Evan managed to get Yeon-ah's contact information from him, and he wasted no time sending her a message. [Yo.] A reply came almost immediately. [Mr. Whitfield?] Evan snorted. [Nope. Sorry to disappoint you, but it's me. Evan.] A few seconds passed before another message appeared. [...] [He gave you my number?] Evan grinned as he typed back. [Of course. I'm his beloved little brother. Whatever I ask for, he gives me. Were you that disappointed? Didn't you say we're friends?] Another pause. [... Don't message me too often. You'll get me in trouble.] [I'm sure you wouldn't be saying that if it were my brother texting you.] Her response came almost instantly this time. [What can I say? Your brother's handsome.] At least she was honest. Evan decided to leave her alone for now. With her phone number in his hands, he could work on convincing Yeon-ah to quit being an idol.

As he lay back on the hospital bed, he began piecing together a plan to recruit his second lackey. The following morning, Evan was discharged from the hospital, and the three of them returned to District 1 aboard a helicopter sent by the Konoe family. Evan soon returned to his usual routine at the academy. Following the attack at the stadium, security across campus had tightened, and students were discouraged from leaving unless they had a good reason. Not that Evan had any intention of going anywhere.

Most of Evan's time was spent trying to figure out how to complete his latest mission while occasionally exchanging messages with Yeon-ah. True to his suspicion, she was nothing like Hiroto. Whereas he had been as easy to manipulate as an eager puppy, Yeon-ah remained frustratingly guarded, and despite his efforts, he made almost no progress toward the Quest. As the days passed, his urge to bite his fingers in frustration grew stronger. Then, one quiet afternoon, Reid came to his room with some news.

"I'll be heading out to join a team entering an A-rank Rift," he said.

"A Rift? With who?" Evan asked.

"A team from Eternal Flame Guild," Reid replied.

"The Rift is located just beyond the Outskirts, somewhere around the same area as the mine you visited."

"How long will you be gone?"

"A day or two, if everything goes smoothly." Reid looked at him.

"Don't cause any trouble while I'm away, okay?"

"It's not like I intentionally go looking for trouble," Evan grumbled. Every problem he had could be blamed on either the System dragging him into ridiculous missions or his cursed luck flaring up. He was completely innocent.

To reach the A-rank Rift as quickly as possible, the Eternal Flame Guild had sent a helicopter to pick Reid up. Opening his phone, he reread the briefing on the A-rank Rift they would be clearing. Before long, the aircraft landed on a helipad in District 11. From there, a guild-arranged vehicle drove him through the Outskirts and into the Wildlands, where the Rift awaited. By the time he arrived, the area had already been secured.

Members of an RCB Response Unit were monitoring the Rift while several journalists stood behind the barricades with cameras. Standing nearby was a group of four, consisting of three women and one man, all of whom turned to look at him as soon as he approached. Reid offered them a polite smile.

"It's nice to meet you all. My name is Reid Whitfield."

"Vasia Alexandri," said a woman with olive skin, emerald-green eyes, and long dark chestnut hair. Beside her sat a large wolf whose intelligent blue eyes remained fixed on Reid.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Aiden Woods." The man, who had messy dark blond hair and steel-blue eyes, greeted him with an easygoing smile. The woman beside him had fair skin and platinum-blonde hair that flowed past her knees.

"Adalynn Fischer. Glad to have you with us, Healer." The last member of the team drew Reid's attention the most. She was a young woman with silky black hair, clear fair skin, and almond-shaped dark brown eyes that contrasted with the stoic expression she wore.

"Choi Hyo-ri. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Reid replied, noting her lack of sincerity. Was it an intentional decision by the Eternal Flame Guild Master to place Chairman Choi's granddaughter and grandson on the same team?

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's do a quick briefing." Vasia rested a hand on her hip.

"Our objective is to close this A-rank Rift, which has been maintained as a Harvest Rift for the past year. We've already located the boss arena, so all that's left is to defeat the boss before the Rift collapses on its own. As agreed in the contract, Mr. Whitfield will receive the Umibozu's core, while the Eternal Flame Guild will claim all remaining materials. Is that clear?" Everyone nodded.

"Good. Even though Mr. Whitfield is joining us temporarily, we're all one team in there, so I expect everyone to follow my commands."

"Of course," Reid replied.

"I'll notify the RCB officers, and then we'll head in promptly." As Vasia walked toward an officer operating the Rift monitoring equipment, her wolf padded faithfully beside her. Silence settled over the group. Aiden and Adalynn exchanged glances as they looked between Reid and Hyo-ri, while Reid maintained his usual calm expression. He hadn't expected their familial connection to be common knowledge.

Then again, Hyo-ri had joined the Eternal Flame Guild shortly after her Awakening, and years of working together had likely made her more open about it.

"I saw what happened to your brother," Hyo-ri said at last.

"I hope he's doing well."

"He is." Reid smiled.

"Thank you for your concern. Though he did receive quite the scolding for his reckless actions." Hyo-ri gave a stiff nod before falling silent once more. A few moments later, Vasia returned.

"Alright. Time to go." Together, the five stepped into the Rift, vanishing through the portal.