I Reject Quests

Chapter 116: Bluffing Again

Rewen found himself staring at an unfamiliar face. 

The other man's eyes squinted. He didn't say anything but his intent was clear. 'Does this fatass have Gruer Orbs?'

Rewen blankly stared for a while, then smiled. "So it's a brother from the Miscellaneous Alliance." He stepped forward as if the other party was a friend he had not met for a long time.

The man didn't let his guard down and took a few steps back. "Tell me the password." He commanded in a serious tone.

Rewen turned the gears in his mind. Within a second, he said without having any change in expression. "Come on, brother. Are you really going to do this? There is no such thing as password. Now, do you believe me?"

'I'm pretty sure that the Miscellaneous Alliance wouldn't do something stupid as keeping a password. Incorrect, it's not stupid but not needed at all. For a big Alliance like this, one can never be too sure that there doesn't exist a double agent. That double agent will work for another Alliance but will know the 'password' of the Miscellaneous Alliance. Of course, the password alone isn't enough to defect an entire Alliance but it has its risk. For instance, knowing where the Gruer Orb (Gruer Orb scraps) are kept. This alone is enough to destroy an Alliance.'

The young man's figure dashed forward. "So you are from the Miscellaneous Alliance, after all!"

Rewen was confused for a second, then his mind went - Oh Sh*t!josei

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm from the River Alliance as well. If you don't believe me, you can ask Hase!" Rewen made a run to a nearby tree. 'I'm a f*cking idiot. Being a Light Yagami-wannabe doesn't make me a Light Yagami. I actually forgot to consider the fact that the person might be from the River Alliance.'I… can't.' Taking a deep breath, he decided to forget about the blunder he made a few seconds ago. 'Now, no matter what, I can't convince him of the fact that I'm not his enemy. Even if I tell him my name, he will just think that I'm bluffing. In that case, I can only flee.'

Rewen started running.

The person from the River Alliance chased him. The chase continued for a minute, after which the person from River Alliance lost him. 'Damn it! He is too good with his legs.' Dejected, he could only go back to his camp.

***

East of Forest of Michaile.

A group of a dozen young men made a circle and were discussing.

"In other words, you met with a fat and ugly man who proclaimed that he was a member of Miscellaneous Alliance?" Arata asked with a strange smile. After that, he turned to Hase.

"Hase, doesn't that description sound awfully familiar?"

Hase nodded his head with a solemn face. "He should be Rewen."

"..." The group went quiet.

The man who chased Rewen was stunned. 'H-he really was from the River Alliance?'

"I was wondering what happened to him so he is still in the competition? Didn't you tell me that he was beaten up and his invitation was stolen?" Arata asked a person from his group.

"Sir, that is what I have seen. Some men from the Miscellaneous Alliance stole his invitation. Did he get in by violating the rules?"

"That's not possible. Why do you think that the Miscellaneous Alliance would steal a random person's invitation?" Arata asked everyone.

"Because one of the people from the Miscellaneous Alliance didn't have an invitation?" A man from the guess made an obvious guess.

Arata shook his head. "Do you think a person would have the galls to enter the Exquisite Immemorial Palace without an invitation? Only a madman would do so." 

"Maybe the fat- err, Rewen pissed off a person from the Miscellaneous Alliance?"

Arata didn't immediately answer. He turned to Hase who shook his head. "There you have it. Hase has been with Rewen for almost the entire time they had come to the Main Hall."

The River Alliance was at a loss. 

"It's useless to make guesses. There are many possibilities. For now, leave Rewen be. If he approached any one of you, take him in. He is originally a member of our Alliance."

***

Ida Kunio is a member of Miscellaneous Alliance. As a Noble, he had his own ambitions and wanted to join the River Alliance to get a chance at winning. However, he knew his limits. Not to mention peak members like Arata and Hase, even normal members are enough to destroy him. That's why he joined the Miscellaneous Alliance after the Eldest Grandson of the Old King, Seiji, offered him a good reward if he joined his alliance.

Originally, he was hesitant because in this way, he would lose the slim chance to win but after some consideration, he joined the alliance.

He was currently searching for Gruer Orbs. 'They are available in random places and that's the most difficult part about finding the orbs. Hm? What's that?' He noticed something unusual at one of the bushes and approached it.

As he slowly approached it, his eyes went from calm to cautious.

Suddenly, the bush shook and a head emerged out.

"Who are you!? Stand where you are!" 

It was naturally Rewen.

Rewen stood up behind the bushes and wryly smiled. "Are you from the River Alliance? If not…"

"I knew it! I knew that you were from the River Alliance!" Ida Kunio gave a victorious smile.

"Haha! Good, good!" With an exaggerated sigh of relief, Rewen smiled. "Thank goodness, you are from the Miscellaneous Alliance. I don't have to fight against you. Come, let's go back to our base."

"..." Ida Kunio couldn't speak for a while. "Y-you, don't lie to me. You were going to say… i-if not-"

"I was going to say - if not, there's no need to engage in combat."

"Bullsh*t! That's not how conversations work!" Ida Kunio raged and was prepared to strike

"Are you really going to go offensive on your own teammate?" 

Ida turned hesitant. He couldn't be sure whether the person opposite to him was really from the River Alliance or not. "I have never seen you before!"

"What a coincidence. I also have never seen you before. Let's get to know each other." Rewen took a few steps forward appearing like a friendly fatty.

Ida's initial hesitation turned non-existent but he had still not let his guard down. "Let's go to the base. If His Highness recognizes you, then it's fine. Also, maintain distance between you and me." 

"Fine." Rewen obediently stopped.

Ida Kunio nodded.

Just as he turned around, an arrow appeared in Rewen's right hand and he threw it towards Ida's neck.

*Swish*

Suddenly, Ida turned around and narrowly dodged the arrow. "As I thought, you were not from the Miscellaneous Alli-"

He stopped speaking as his body fell down.

Rewen breath out. "This [Boost] is really quite effective." If the POW on his legs normally is 2.9, then after using [Boost], it becomes 5.2 which is neither bad nor good. He could barely keep up with normal Nobles. 'I can't continue like this. I am repeatedly being lucky because the people who come after me are not too strong.'