Suddenly, Wesley felt a firm hand clap his shoulder. Instructor Heiron stood beside him, his expression somewhere between casual and calculating.
"Of course," the instructor said, his voice calm, "you don't have to worry."
Wesley blinked up at him, trying to process the words.
"The reason Gabe is good at defenses," Heiron continued, "wasn't because of you. It's his natural talent. Comes from his family. It's in his blood."
Wesley opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"As for that sparring match between you two?" Heiron gave a dry chuckle. "Don't read too much into it. If he learns a thing or two from you, sure—but it won't matter. He'll still get humiliated by the young ones from his clan. They're monsters. He's just… the least monstrous among them."
Wesley's eye twitched. So basically, I'm beneath the bottom of the bottom?
He gripped his mop a little tighter but said nothing. He didn't have the pride to argue—not now. Not when his cleaning squad was already returning, and all of them were looking at him expectantly.
"Hey," one of them said, holding out a hand. "You promised us five bronze coins. Now, my hand is a little itchy!"
"Ah, yeah," another chimed in. "You said it. Don't play dumb now. Or we will make sure to disturb you every single time we see you!"
"Pay up, Captain! Haha! I love this guy!" a third laughed.
Wesley blinked as the crowd formed a loose semicircle around him, their grins toothy and satisfied. His mind was still half on what Heiron said—but his body responded automatically as he reached into his pouch and began handing out the bronze coins.
One. Two. Three.
They lined up like kids at a candy stall.
And once the coins were in hand, the real chaos started.
"That was the easiest money I've ever made! I hope this happens every single fucking day!"
"Right? Cleaning with that guy is like babysitting a puppy with enthusiasm. I hope he does this tomorrow too…"
"Pfft. He thinks we're gonna slow him down. What a joke. It would be too easy for us! Bwahahahah!"
"Hey, we should follow him to the next site! Maybe he'll give us ten bronze next time! Let's go! Let's go!"
"Right! Let's follow him!"
They clapped each other's backs, laughed, shared jokes with gleaming eyes.
Some were already sipping from their canteens, others munching on leftover bread from earlier meals.
One man even sprawled on the arena floor like a prince, tossing his bronze coin into the air and catching it again.
Wesley stood frozen in the middle of it all. Staring.
Speechless.
They were loud. They were smug. And most importantly… they were happy.
"Did I just get played?" he muttered under his breath.
He did the math in his head: seventy-five bronze coins, gone. And all they did was clear the entire arena in less than three minutes. However, he would crack his neck.
Why?
Because of the thing that would happen next—
DING!
The familiar sound of the system chimed in his ears, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts.
Wesley's eyes turned bright, 'here it is…' he mumbled with a clear excited tone.
--
New Mission: Clean 47 Designated Spots. Time Limit: 15 minutes.
→ Tier I – Clean for 14 minutes: 6 silver coins and Basic magic spell (Nature Blitzing Fury)
→ Tier II – Clean for 11 minutes: 9 silver coins, Basic Spell, and Basic Knight Skill (Spear Flash)
→ Tier III – Clean for 8 minutes: 13 silver coins, Basic Spell, Basic Knight Skill, and basic magic spell experience points
→ Tier IV – Clean for 6 minutes: 17 silver coins, Basic Spell, Basic Knight Skill, Magic Spell XP, and Knight Skill XP
---
DING!
Status of mission: Completed under 3 minutes.
Reward Tier: Tier IV!
Wesley's heart skipped a beat.
Yes! This is it! This is it!
His body straightened. His jaw dropped. His hands shook.
Under three minutes!?
He looked at the cleaners—still lounging and laughing—and suddenly didn't care about the coins anymore.
Why?
What he did was not his loss…
After all, that wasn't exploitation.
That was investment.
The system rewards materialized one by one—and he could feel each of them entering his body.
First came the silver coins.
Seventeen of them.
They appeared in a small burst of ethereal shimmer, clinking softly into his pouch.
Just that sound made him feel ten pounds richer. No, hundred pounds richer. From bronze to silver? It was like jumping from mud to marble flooring.
How many silver coins does he have now?
From Gabe and the system?
He had enough estimates but he will count them later.
Then came the Basic Magic Spell: Nature Blitzing Fury.
Wesley gasped as his vision spun for a second. A rush of knowledge flooded his mind—images of wild, vine-covered fists, leaves swirling in the air, roots exploding from the earth like serpents. It wasn't just a spell. It was violence wrapped in green.
"Holy shit," Wesley muttered, hands trembling.
He was tempted to try it, but since too many people were there, he didn't let his inner thoughts control his actions.
He just stood there, trembling.
Trembling from excitement!
Next came the Basic Knight Skill: Spear Flash.
Again, his body tensed. His mind conjured the sensation of rapid forward momentum. Piercing precision.
A thrust that tore wind in half. He saw himself—no, someone—leaping forward, a spear bursting with mana trailing behind like a comet.
He had no spear.
But his mop had never felt more like one.
And then came the Magic Spell XP and Knight Skill XP.
It felt like fire and lightning both cracked through his bones.
The experience flowed in, like it was natural for his entire being, slow at first, then slowly surging, embedding deeply within his very system.
Suddenly, his spine arched, knees bent, his jaw clenched. It didn't hurt, but it burned—like some kind of spiritual awakening was unfolding within his blood.
When it was all over, Wesley stood in the middle of the arena, chest heaving, eyes wide.
He looked around.
The cleaners still laughed. The arena was spotless. He was broke by a few bronze coins… but rich in everything else.
Soon, all the experience came all to his head! What a good meal! Wesley would mumble. Suddenly, he would swipe his cleaning mop to the air.
"…It was a fucking leap of faith," he muttered, smirking. "And it paid off."
He grabbed his mop, held it high like a flag, and declared:
"All right. It's time to fucking leave! Onward—to the next arena!"
There was no more reason to linger. His mission here was done. Staying around would just waste time. He didn't care what anyone thought—Knight Arena Four had served its purpose.
There are other Arenas to clean, it's best if he go to them next to gain more mission.
But just as he turned, a calm voice rang out behind him.
"Wait."
Wesley froze.
Instructor Heiron.
The man's voice was calm. Not stern. But weighted.
Wesley slowly turned around, mop still held mid-air.
The other cleaners stopped, looking between the two.
Heiron's expression was unreadable, and his gaze focused.
"…I wasn't finished with you yet," the instructor said, voice level.
Wesley's eyes narrowed slightly, heart thudding in his chest.
"…What now?"