Level 1 to Apex: My Monster Templates Defy Reality!
Chapter 93: The agent selection

Chapter 93: The agent selection

Agent 823 bowed to him and said, "Sir, this is a red skull task. Each quest with a red skull on it has a hidden failure penalty. As your first task, this will be extremely risky and not worth the danger."

The teen chimed in from behind, "But sir, look at the golden twin dagger symbols at the bottom. The twin daggers mean that this quest is from a premium quest giver. Usually, these people issue a wide range of tasks. This is the perfect opportunity to form a relationship with one of them."

Forsyx rubbed his mask as he read the quest description.

It was a tedious 24-hour surveillance task that required him to investigate a noblewoman when she left the core region.

Even the reward for the task was just 3 silver coins. But he did notice the wording of the quest was extremely vague.

The first two tasks clearly mentioned a merchant and a blacksmith, but here, the only thing specified was "a noblewoman from the core region."

This increased the range of targets. It could be anyone from a minor or mid-tier household to someone from the top 7 noble houses.

Forsyx looked at the teen and asked, "Is there any other information available?"

The teen just shook his head. "Sir, we have to submit the quest to get more details, like who the actual target is and even the failure penalty."

Forsyx tapped the table and glanced at the fourth task. It was similar to the second one, only this time, his target was a potion master.

He looked at the teen and asked, "So, can you tell me a bit about this golden twin dagger? Is it some special faction?"

The teen smiled and shook his head. "No, sir. It’s not a faction. In our Prohibited Hall, there’s a set of premium customers who regularly issue all kinds of tasks, from small errands to high-level quests. The Hall gave all of them the golden dagger symbol to provide them with extra protection."

Forsyx asked, "Wait, so there are multiple people behind this golden dagger symbol?"

The teen nodded. "Until the quest giver permits it, we can’t know which one issued the quest. Just think about it, sir — anyone who can issue that many quests isn’t just some random person. This task fits exactly what you asked for."

The woman said from the side, "Sir, don’t fall for it. It may look enticing, but anyone with a golden dagger isn’t going to ask for a normal task. If you fail, there’s a risk you might not be allowed to take any other golden symbol quest from the Prohibited Hall."

Forsyx looked at both of them, then at the four quests in front of him.

He knew it was time to decide. To be honest, both of these agents were great in their own ways.

From the tasks, he realized that the woman prioritized easy, base-level quests that were repeatable and a great way to earn fast money while also gradually building his reputation.

On the other hand, the boy’s tasks were more ambitious and high-risk. He liked the third task the most, but he knew it was extremely dangerous and could lead to disaster.

The boy focused more on the outcome, which was forming strong connections quickly, without taking risk factors into consideration.

As he was thinking, he saw the woman take a step toward him and speak in a low tone. "Sir, if you choose me, I’ll provide you with some extra services."

Forsyx raised his eyebrows. "Oh? What kind of profit?"

She walked closer and slipped her hand into her dress.

For a moment, he thought she was trying to seduce him, but then he noticed her poker face. That showed it was purely business, nothing else.

She pulled out some cards and placed them in his hand. "Sir, these are a few bars, taverns, and brothel houses across the city that I have special connections with."

Forsyx stared at the 4–5 cards in his hand, confused.

She continued, "Sir, these bars see all kinds of people every day. From noblemen to city guards, all drunkenly sharing a lot of information. If you choose me, you’ll also get extra services in the form of free intel to special entertainment."

She said the last part while pointing to one card.

Forsyx noticed it was a brothel card and understood her meaning.

These brothels were a major part of the underworld within the game.

In his past life, many players engaged with that part of the game purely for entertainment, but Forsyx didn’t have much experience or interest in it. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

That was one part of the game he avoided in his previous life, and even now, those things didn’t appeal to him. But the taverns and bars... those intrigued him.

After all, he relied on the same method to gather recent information about the stuff going on in the city.

It was a perfect way to track player movement and NPC activity throughout the city. If he could get easy access to those, then maybe he should select...

He didn’t get to finish that thought when he heard the teen complaining to the woman. "Are you really going to play dirty now?"

The woman just smirked at him. "How can you say that? It’s not my fault that I’m more resourceful than you."

The boy frowned, looked down for a moment, then walked up to Forsyx while running his hand through his pocket. "Sir, in that case, let me also give you something."

The boy walked to the table and handed him a shiny purple paper. "One-time coupon for a premium session at the Ember Garden."

Forsyx looked at the coupon with interest, but the woman stared at the boy with wide eyes.

She pointed at the coupon. "How could you get that? Don’t tell me you’re involved with Ember Garden."

The teen just rolled his eyes. "Don’t you know Ember Garden doesn’t deal with minors? Let’s just say I helped them with some errands, and they owed me."

He didn’t stop as he looked into Forsyx’s eyes and added, "Sir, I don’t have many connections to bars and taverns like Agent 823."

The woman smirked at this and commented, "Oh, don’t tell me you’re begging for sympathy."

Unfazed, the teen said, "But sir, can she provide you with any information from the slums? If you choose me, there will be more than 50 eyes and ears scattered across the depths of the slums, all digging up information for you."

Forsyx squinted at him and asked, "You’re not lying to me, right?"

The teen smiled. "Sir, what do I even gain from lying to you?"

From the side, the woman urged him, "Sir, this brat will only have other brats under him. That’s nothing compared to what my bar and tavern connections can provide."

Not backing down, the teen pitched harder. "Sir, there are hundreds of taverns in the city. Her 3 or 4 tavern connections are nothing compared to the eyes and ears that will actively work for you."

The woman shouted at the boy, "Sir, don’t listen to this fool! There’s no way his beggar army will be of any use to you."

The boy shouted back, "Sir, not everyone is after booze and bitches. I promise you, my network will do everything to support you in your tasks!"

Both of them kept shouting at each other, while Forsyx just stared at them with his mouth slightly open. If not for the mask, he’d look like some dumb goblin watching humans fight.

He knew there was fierce competition in the underworld, but he hadn’t expected it to be this intense.

Now that he thought about it, the scene in the hall earlier flashed through his mind.

Many agents actually avoided the noobs, some of them old and long past their prime.

It looked like he was wrong to assume they were using beauty to gain clients.

The internal war between agents was much more intense, and these two were just some of the low-level, desperate ones.

He couldn’t even begin to fathom what kind of network the top agents were running.

He waved his hand and said, "Stop, you two. I’ve already made up my mind."

The moment he said that, both of them backed away and stared at him.

He looked at Agent 823. She really was the best stable option he could choose. Her tavern connections could serve as a steady source of information. But it was just too passive and unreliable.

From experience, he knew that most of the stuff talked about in taverns turned out to be exaggerated rumors. Partly true, but mostly false. And most of the time, the info would only reflect what others cared about, not what he needed.

Then he turned to the boy.

This teen was ruthlessly ambitious. So much so that he was willing to use Forsyx as bait to further his own goals.

Forsyx wasn’t foolish enough to miss the trick the guy was trying to pull. But it was far more interesting that way.

He said in his thin, baby-like voice, "Agent 900 Plus, I’m happy to work with you."

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