I Reject Quests

Chapter 201: The Deal

Jackport Town.

Fragrant South Inn.

It was evening.

After returning to the town along with Michi, Rewen booked two rooms for a week and paid the amount upfront. The room he was given was not big but enough to feel comfortable. It has a bed, a table, a shelf, and an empty wardrobe. He took some time to take out his clothing and essentials from his luggage and organize it in the room.

While doing so, he found the bag that he took to the academy. The bag was always with him. From the time the sub-human attacked him to the time he arrived at the Zcan State of Avim. "Damn, did I study all these? No wonder it's so heavy."

He found a bunch of thick books from his bag and arranged it on the shelf, then looked at the bag. "Let's see what else is there… oh?"

He found a portrait of his predecessor (Arai Atsushi). In the portrait, he had a forced smile on his face and was standing alone wearing a baggy shirt and pants. He looked to be about ten years old. There was no one else near him. 

Rewen remembered the origin of the portrait. It was his predecessor's tenth birthday. Usually, tenth birthdays are celebrated in a pompous manner. However, in his case, he had no one who could celebrate his birthday alongside him. Let alone a gift, he hadn't even received a wish. 

Upon recalling the incidents of his predecessor, he sighed. 'Being the main character is not easy.'

After some time, he walked towards the table and picked up the Gruer Detector. "Synchronize."

---

POW: 5.1

G.C.: -1

---

Within a week, his POW had moved from 4.5 to 5.1. No matter which part of the world is considered, it is a heaven-defying achievement. It is a well-established fact that one can't increase the POW beyond two units in a single year. Yet, here he is. Increasing his POW by four units within a span of six weeks is something practically unheard of in this day and age.

Even so, Rewen wasn't particularly satisfied with this. 

He knew why it increased this much. 

Full-Body Channeling!

It was all because of his unique skill - [Full-Body Channeling]. It had successfully managed to increase its base POW by a little more than four times. His POW originally after coming to this world was 1.2. With simple math, it is clear that it has increased up to a little more than 4.8. 

Now, it won't increase anymore. It was a dead end.

***

In Michi's room.

Michi had called him to have dinner together with her. 

"Hm, this isn't half bad," Rewen commented upon eating the meal.

"Glad you like it!" Michi smiled. "Why don't you take some more rice?"

"Oh, sure." Rewen didn't reject the offer. He had always loved rice. Before coming to Earth, he rarely ate anything other than rice. But because of the cultural difference between Earth and CHAOS, he never had the chance to have rice on Earth. 

Michi poured some rice from the rice container over to his bowl. She curiously watched him having the meal with a content look on his face. 'Who is he? There's an air of mystery around him…'

"What's wrong?" Rewen noticed her staring and asked.

"No, uhm…" Michi got a little flustered when he noticed her staring blatantly. She calmed herself down and said. "I was wondering about you…"

"Wondering about me? Did you fall for me or something?" Rewen's eyes squinted. It's not that he hated being the target of affection but with everything going on in his life, he really wasn't in a position where he could spare his feelings on love. 

"Huh? N-no, t-that's not it…" Michi got even more flustered. "It's about who you are. I was curious about your identity. It's fine if you don't want to tell!"

"Oh." Rewen's eyes gleamed in realization. "It wasn't really a secret." He took out his smartphone and typed something, then showed it to her. "That is me."

Michi saw a familiar ugly face. Instantly, she raised her head and compared the two faces. 'How did he change so much?' It was a question that had always remained on her mind. She then went on to read the text beside the picture.

"You are… Arai Atsushi?" Michi's expression was that of extreme shock. Even though she knew very little about the world, she knew about the infamous deal from fifteen years ago. The incident that happened prior to the deal was too popular. 

Sixteen years ago, the HGF's President's daughter, who was the primary candidate to take over the HGF, fell in love with a nameless man from Atsushi Family. Initially, the HGF wasn't too pleased with this but later, the President couldn't bear to see her daughter sad and therefore, agreed to not interfere in the relationship between them on one condition.

If they, Hain Atsushi, the nameless man from the Atsushi Family, and Cecille Avatore, were to decide on marriage, then Hain Atsushi had to marry into the President's household.

The condition was approved by both households. The Atsushi Family even held a grand feast prior to the marriage. After a couple of months, the marriage date was decided but on the day of the marriage, Hain Atsushi, the groom, disappeared miraculously! 

A nationwide search was warranted by both HGF and Atsushi Family. The search continued for two months. Needless to say, it turned out to be fruitless. This incident led to the two heavyweights of the world engaging in a cold war. The cold war only escalated further when the HGF President found out that his daughter is pregnant.

The climate in the Central changed. The usually peaceful atmosphere took an abrupt change. Conflicts arose which not only affected the two parties but also the bystanders. Finally, the Council was forced to interfere. It played the role of a mediator in the beginning. But the two parties didn't budge an inch. The Council President couldn't hold it anymore and decided to call out every powerful force in the world.

With this, the two heavyweights in the world were finally suppressed!

Shortly after the suppression, the main forces of both the parties, Atsushi Family and HGF, were called to a meeting by the Council. After a heated debate, the infamous deal was made which said - "The child inside Cecille Avatore, the daughter of Turan Avatore, immediately after turning sixteen, is to engage in a life-and-death battle with the daughter of Turan Avatore's second son."

The deal aroused much controversy as it involved someone who had nothing to do with the conflict. Many sympathized with the child but no one dared to speak out against it. However, that's not to say that people didn't question. Till now, there are questions about the deal which aren't answered.

Why was such a deal made?

Although it's not been officially stated, one of the most popular theories suggests that it was to totally cut off the ties with Hain Atsushi. With the death of the child, the mother, Cecille Avatore, would be free. One strong evidence to support the theory was that she is arranged to get engaged to a man on the same day her child engages in a life-and-death battle with the current HGF's President's daughter.

On the surface, there wasn't any benefit given to Atsushi Family but many sources suggest that the reason the deal was allowed was that the HGF had promised to compensate the Atsushi Family.

Meanwhile, Michi blankly stared at the boy sitting in front of her. "Y-y-y-you…" She had never thought that he would have such a huge background.

Rewen sighed. By now, he had completed his meal. He took his bowl and went over to the basin. Washing the bowl, he kept the bowl on the shelf, then walked over to her. "Good night." He said, before exiting the room.

A few seconds after he left the room, Michi came back to her senses and shook her head with a bitter smile. "Here I thought my life was rough." 

***

Rewen laid down on the bed and thought about several things.

---

Alter Points: 82josei

---

Even after a week, he still didn't have enough to read the third volume.

'I'm not sure if the third volume has ended or not. At this point, I'm not even sure if I'll need it. Fuck. I'm in a bad condition. My powerup has ended and I have only about four months left. If I don't get significantly stronger than I currently am, it would be game over for me. Okay, enough. Let's look at what I currently have.'

'In Sakura Garden Academy, I would be considered as a moderately strong first-year student.'

'I am a skilled martial artist.'

'My trump card is - [Boost]. If I were to use it correctly, I could potentially match up to those with a POW of mid-8, at the very least. I'm not kidding. It's just that overpowered.'